Sound Advice

"Why ponder thus the future to foresee,

and jade thy brain to vain perplexity?

Cast off thy care, leave (God's) plans to Him-

He formed them all without consulting thee."

-Omar Khayyam, The Rubaiyat

Sunday times is bloggin' times

I realize that I have posted something new for the past three days, but I have so many thoughts and ideas bouncing around in my head that I just have to set them free. Since the only thing occupying my time is work, I find myself having quite a bit of free time. And that's when my brain starts to fly.

I am reading a book my sister recommended to me: Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. It is about a man that builds schools for children in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but I haven't got that far yet. The first few chapters are about his attempt to reach the summit of K2. The author describes in great detail Mortenson's surroundings as he crosses the unfriendly terrain that surrounds the Karakoram Range in Pakistan. The descriptions of that land and mountain range intrigued me, so I looked up some pictures.

Now, I'm not a mountain climber by any means, and I hate heights. I have a hard time with ski lifts, let alone a towering, unforgiving mountain. But when I saw images of K2 and the Karakoram Range, I was stunned, and I now understand part of the appeal of extreme mountain climbing.

I've seen dozens of pictures of Mt. Everest, and heard countless stories of the amazing and terrible journeys that have been had on that mountain. The pictures of Mt. Everest are beautiful, but they did not affect me like these images did. Perhaps it's because the gorgeous images of K2 contrast so greatly with the conflicts and struggles that have occurred and are occurring in Pakistan right now. Perhaps it's the nature of the mountain, or the way in which the photographer captured the shot. Whatever the reason, these pictures I found really affected me.

K2

Masherbrum Peak

Mt. Kinabalu

I love nature. I love being outside, experiencing the wonders of this Earth. My spirit feels closer to heaven when I'm in the mountains, sitting by a lake, watching a magnificent sunset, etc. I love to simply sit outside and drink in nature in all of her forms--except for mosquitoes, moths, bugs, spiders, flies, poison ivy, poison oak, thistles, etc. If I ever had the opportunity to visit a grand, magnificent mountain peak such as K2, I would go in a heartbeat, just to stand at it's base (where it's safe and at ground-level) and let it's magnificence enfold me.

Painted Trees

 I just found this article, and I thought it was so beautiful that I have to share it. An artist named Curtis Killorn uses paint to breathe new life into dead trees, and the results are breath-taking. Here is the original article: http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2011/02/painted-trees-in-mountains-of-colorado.html
In case the link doesn't work, I've posted some of the pictures and quotes from the artist below.

"I have a "thing" for trees and see the relationship between humans and trees to be an ever evolving idea which continues to inspire. The trees that I paint are long dead and weathered by hundreds of years. What I do is bring "life" back to the tree in a completely new way. This tree which was once dead is now vibrantly alive to be noticed by all, no longer blending in with all the other dead trees."

"It is this rebirth which I wish to impart to the participants. We as humans all have dreams, visions and ideas which for most of us are what make us uniquely who we are. It is those dreams, visions and ideas that we are to see in each other and breath back to life, no longer dead - and blending in with the other dead dreams we have stored in our lives."

I love the idea of bringing dead trees back to life through color. It's sort of like a symbol of hope or rebirth. I LOVE ART!!!

Skool is for fools.

Another school year is starting, and I'm not very excited.....but not because of classes or homework. I'm sort of melancholy because I won't have any classes or homework.

Every August, for the past 14 years, I joined the throng of backpack-clad children and participated in the mind-bending activity of getting an education. But for the first time in my life as a student, I'm not participating. I'm not groaning over the calamity of overpriced textbooks, I'm not looking up where my classes are on campus, I'm not figuring out my schedule--heck, I'm not even moving or getting new roommates. To be honest, the fact that I'm not going to school on Monday is a little scary for me.

I never thought that it would happen, but I've already finished two years of college, and my 2-year scholarship has run out. I didn't get any scholarships or grants this year, and I didn't have any money to pay for tuition, even though I only have to pay half because my dad is a university employee. I didn't earn enough to move back into my old apartment as I had planned, which is hard, because it's my old ward, and a lot of my friends are there. It was a hard blow when my balloon of disillusionment popped and I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to afford school this semester.

I was left with 3 choices: 1) Move back home where I don't have to pay for rent and food, and hope that I find a job to earn money for school. I'm fairly certain that my parents are super glad that I didn't choose door number one. 2) Join a traveling circus. This sounded like a great plan to me, because I would love to travel, and I wouldn't have to worry about apartments or jobs. Unfortunately, my only circus talent is going for long periods without shaving, and apparently that is quite a common talent, and not in high demand. Pits. 3) Stay at my current apartment, and work my little tush off for a semester so I can go back to school in the Spring.
I think it's pretty obvious that my best choice would be number 2, but as I mentioned, my talent is not in high demand. I was rejected admittance into the circus troupe.

So while everyone else is studying, I will be working at a pastry shoppe, sweeping and mopping floors, serving food, doing dishes, and dealing with ridiculous and slightly crazy customers. Sounds glamorous, eh? To be quite honest, I was a little embarrassed about my situation, and I didn't tell anyone that I wouldn't be going to school this semester. But I talked to my mom a few days ago, and she helped me see that working to earn money for school is a worthy endeavor, and that a lot of students have to do it. My goal is to get an education, and if that means taking some time off to work, then so be it. I'm not embarrassed any more, but I would have loved to be starting school on Monday.

I really love learning, which is why it's hard not to be going to school. And I love the whole atmosphere that comes with being a college student and going to campus every day. But despite the fact that I won't be in school, I'm determined not to let my brain atrophy. I'm reading all the classics, from A Tale of Two Cities to Crime and Punishment, and I'm learning from them. I'm also trying to discover new things about life every day, which has proven to be quite the experience.

So, there you have it-the looong explanation of why I am not joining the throng of hungry, tired, slightly crazy college students as they take over campus Monday morning. But you know what? I think I'm going to be learning a lot this semester.

Here are some things I'm not sad about missing this semester:

Getting paired with this guy for a project that is worth 60% of your grade.

Having your brain turn against you after 5 hours of studying.

Trying to find a comfortable position to sleep on during the bus ride.

Having a crazy professor.

Once again with the crazy professors.

Getting asked on a date by this guy.

Having only this to eat after you've been painting for 7 hours straight. Delicious.

Getting "keyboard-face" after falling asleep on your laptop.

Trying to find room in your dinky apartment to do your art assignments.

Trying to find somewhere on campus to take a nap without being disturbed.

And finally, I will not miss looking like this during finals week.

I Got The Music In My Soul!

I firmly believe in the power of music. It is incredible how a simple mix of instruments and voices can manipulate your emotions so quickly. I love that music can summon memories, bringing up the same emotions and thoughts that occurred when you listened to a song. There have been many times when I knew exactly what song I needed to match my mood. I don't know how other people experience music, but for me, some songs seem to resonate deep in the very center of my body-my soul, I guess you could say. I experience a similar feeling when I am outside, surrounded by the beauties of nature, with nothing man-made in sight. My soul feels alive, free. I believe that heaven will have that same feeling, except it will be much stronger, and more complete. I'm thankful that Heavenly Father allows us to feel a small piece of those amazing emotions.
I could never pick a favorite artist or genre of music, except to say that I find country music to be....tedious, drab, monotonous, annoying, etc. There are some exceptions to that statement, but not many. Right now I'm listening to The Weepies. I'm not exactly sure what their genre is, but they have a calm, folksy sound--not like your hoe-down folk songs. Their music feels like an acceptance of life, almost like a constant undercurrent of happiness and peace. Anyway, here are some of their songs that I especially enjoy. If anyone is reading this, it would be awesome to hear what you think of The Weepies, or how you experience music. I would love to know!
Hideaway
World Spins Madly On
Keep It There
Nobody Knows Me At All

A Million Years

Graa-fight and paper.

 One time when I was in junior high, I drew a picture of myself wearing my sister's sweater that I unashamedly coveted. I knew that if she would just let me have that sweater, I would look dang good, and my social life would improve dramatically. My social life throughout junior high was almost non-existent, and I blame it on the fact that my sister never let me wear her sweater.
This post is not about sweaters, sisters, social lives, junior high, or coveting. It's about the magic that occurs when you are holding a brand new artist-grade pencil in your hand. It's about the endless possibilities a blank sheet of paper can hold. It's about getting graphite all over your hands, smearing it on your face, staring at the same set-up for hours, and wearing your eraser down to a pulp as you try to get your piece perfect.
I believe that sketching, and anything that uses creative juices, is very therapeutic. It doesn't matter if you sketch with perfect realism, or if your sketches look like someone barfed graphite onto your paper. I love to draw, but it took me a long time to improve from the junior high drawing of myself to my final self-portrait in my university drawing class. The more I drew myself and other people, the better I got, and I gained a greater understanding of the complexity of the human face. (It may be awkward, but you should look at all the faces around you. Don't just glance; take a long, hard study of their face. Faces are composed of the same objects, and yet they are all so incredibly different. It's fascinating.)
The following are a few samples of drawings I did in my freshman year of college. They are nowhere near great, and a few have areas of graphite barf. But that's okay.

Drawing 1. Still Life.

Drawing 2. Imaginative Self-portrait.

Drawing 2. Human/Animal Transformation.

Drawing 2. Charcoal Portrait.

Drawing 2. Portrait.

Drawing 1. Self-portrait Final.

This is a new post.

I remembered yesterday that I have a blog. And hecks, since it's taking up space on the internet, why don't I use it? I've always loved writing, but I don't get a chance to do it that often-and that's my own fault. I also love to do art, and I wanted a place where I could record all my artwork. This blog will allow me to do both those things! Hooray for this blog that I forgot I had! Thus begins my adventures on the world of blogging.