Shaggy

14 years old

first year of high school

and I can still remember boarding the bus to come home from that ski trip.  I had my backpack with my album case and my CD player that worked most of the time.  I knew my exact playlist for the trip home – most of the songs involved N-Sync, Backstreet Boys, or some teen one-hit-wonder with that before puberty baby boy voice (totally Bieber style).

This ski trip was better than most for my teenage self because I acquired, in just a few short days of the trip, every teenagers dream.  I left for the trip with a crush (lets call him Martin) and came back with two guys vying for my attention (Martin and – we’ll name him – Jason).

I remember snagging a window seat on a bus which hauled 40 of us and wondering which boy would sit next to me first.  (Turns out neither one of them actually did – In case you’re wondering, that’s a middle school guys way of showing you he likes you).  I knew the next few hours were going to be long so I turned on my CD player with Shaggy’s “Girl You’re My Angel” as my first pick.  I still love that song.  A few songs later, and I am daydreaming.  Daydreaming that one of my new crushes was singing “I Want It That Way” to me on stage, with a mic, and totally into it, which morphed into both of them on stage, with mics, singing to me and vying for my attention…again.  I remember having this daydream for most of the trip home, and again having this same daydream (with new crushes) for many (middle school) trips after that.

Ladies – I hope I’m not alone here

And, if I’m not, you’ll totally appreciate this…

Getting Married?

Best venue in upstate:     CU garden and venues

Best Florist:     Statice Floral Couture

Best Videographers:     Remedy Wedding Films

Best Photographer:     Chris Isham Photography

Remains of the Capitol

Sooooooooooo…..

I just finished reading The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.

I avoided reading the books for ehhh about a few months – after I had heard how great they were – because of some weird complexity I have about being a follower.  I think I have always been like this.  When I was younger I used to search around for up and coming artist in the music industry because I wanted to be the one to say “Oh, thats old news! I’ve been listening to them for months now.”  Like when I first found Taylor Swift online when she was just 14, before anyone knew who she was.

See, I told you.

Back to The Hunger Games.  The plot behind this book is so creative and capturing.  I literally could not put the books down.  I bought all 3 books within 2 weeks of one another and needless to say all 3 were read within those 2 weeks.

In fact, he won’t admit it, but I am fairly certain my husband became jealous for my attention – I would have too if he had been “involved” for two weeks.

The plot begins suspensefully (is this even a word?).

First page. BAM. Suspense.

I have never experienced being so engulfed in a plot before (Although, I will give some credit to the fact that I have had a lot of time to read–I mean a lot).  In fact, I was so disappointed when I reached the end of the 3rd book that I definitely said aloud 2 to 3 times, “What am I going to do now?”.  But, that is in no way to discredit the books, they in fact did keep my attention, day and night.  When I wasn’t reading the books I was dreaming about the characters, wondering what was going to happen tomorrow to Katniss Everdeen and who else was going to die at her expense.

I am pretty sure I also had a few dreams about losing all of my hair (as Katniss did because of a bomb which set her hair on fire), but this may also be because I have a hair appointment in a couple of days and I am hoping praying my stylist will get the cut right again.

Stylist. That reminds me.  All of the children who were characters in the the hunger games had stylists, who made them into these creatures of “the Capitol”.  Let’s just say I am intrigued to see the costumes made for the movie, coming to theaters March 23.

And the names of the characters are addicting. Katniss Everdeen, Plutarch Heavensbee, Effie Trinkit, Haymitch Abernathy…see how addicting…you want to just say them over and over again.

Read the books.

85 and sunny

Pretty much sums up my life.  But, fortunately, I get to walk in between buildings about twice everyday.  The sunshine meets my skin and it thanks me, momentarily.  However, it is comforting to know that if any of these tragic events happens, I will be the safe one.  After all, I am the one in the fall out shelter.  Good luck WORLD!

EDDYSTHENAME

Hey Friends…Decided to put up a little last minute post…mainly because I’M IN IT! SAWEEET…oh and my husband filmed it…AND my friend EDDY is giving away the song for free on iTunes…This video was shot completely with the Ipad 2 the night it came out and was posted the next day after REMEDY FILMS spent all night editing it!…check it…

OK, I’m back.

So to state the obvious, I haven’t been writing.  In 100% total honesty I need to personalize my blog.  It doesn’t feel like me and I have a hard time looking at it.  Seriously.  But, today I have something to say. And, I am not going to let a little lack of visually pleasing art stop me from saying it…at least for today.

I have always been inspired by the words of Thomas Merton.  As a catholic monk he was a perspicacious writer, poet, and social activist.  If you’ve never read his books, some of my favorite quotes by Merton include:

“We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have – for their usefulness.” – Conjectures of a Guilty Buystander

My personal favorite, a quote I have kept near me since high school:

“He alone holds the secret of a charity by which we can love others not only as we love ourselves, but as He loves them. The beginning of this love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them.” from No Man Is an Island

My question is why do we struggle with this so much?  In my opinion, Merton was a genius for putting this well known fact about humanity into writing, so eloquently.  But, why are we this way? How can we love someone unconditionally for who they are?  Why are we so drawn to and tend to love more the people we find mirror our beliefs, habits, personalities?

I believe immense wisdom prepares our minds and bodies for that kind of unconditional love. To have love for someone who has wronged us, love for someone who is so incomparable to us physically or mentally, love for someone who has taken something precious from us, takes wisdom.  Wisdom comes from reading, doing, experiencing, and then teaching.

I find myself being a prime example of Merton’s quote quite often.  Because I have financial and time limitations on things I can read, do, experience, and teach I allow myself to be incapable of acquiring the type of wisdom that makes me realize things I choose to dislike about people come from that lack of wisdom. If I were a wiser person I would be able to generate complete love always.  I am incapable of the wisdom that allows me to completely understand my coworkers, my husband, my family, or my friends.  To be able to have absolute love for everyone is beyond my comprehension, divine.  I think we, as humans cop out of the work sometimes.  I believe it is easier for us to love those who mirror us more, or at least easier to love them more often.  So, step out of your comfort zone, you’re people-like-me zone, and initiate a friendship with someone you wouldn’t normally voluntarily choose to love.  I believe YOU will grow the most from the relationship.

Stupid science! You ruined my right hemisphere!

Are you right-brained dominant or left-brain dominant?

Naturally, I am a right-brained dominant person.   Please note: I did not take one test and therefore assume I am right brain dominant.  I took several tests.

Many of these right brain characteristics apply to me.  However, because the last 20 years of my life have gone by with a constant focus on math and science, my left brain has had more practice.  Does this mean I am a different person than what I was designed to be?  Have I been constantly focused on improving my weaknesses, all the while neglecting my strengths?

While I am certainly dismayed, I want to explain to you the purpose for this post.  Recently, about 3 months ago, I was frustrated and bored with science.  I have always felt that I have a passion for what I do, but I could not figure out why I was so burnt out.  So, the little voice inside my head told me to be creative.  To practice and put to use this side of my brain which I had failed to exercise continuously for 20 years.  MY RIGHT SIDE! How can my strengths be in the right side of my brain and I never let them flourish?? Grrr.  Anyways, I listened to the little voice (which having the little voice and listening to it, in general, is a sign of right brain dominance).  I began taking two dance classes through the University and I began acting for the children at my church.  These new activities have been a relieving, rewarding, exhausting, and discouraging effort all in one.  A) I love it because I am using the side of my brain I am called to be using B) I love it because I am naturally decent at it and C) I love being at work and my science skills are improving (not as burnt out), but D) It is discouraging because I have a long way to go for my strengths to be what they are, strengths.

So, here and now begins a journey of strengthening my strengths.  Please suggest any right brain activity ideas that I could possibly fall in love with, and in return I’ll let you know how my journey is progressing.

1 day challenge

There are so many people who fear being alone in some way.  Those who think they are alone (when they are truly not) and those that think they can be alone without fear, haven’t truly been alone.  It is a rare occasion that you see someone around you on a daily basis that can sit or meditate in some way, without the influence of a cell phone, a computer, people, animals, music, etc.  Someone who can truly be alone and be content carries something special inside of them.  Now, naturally we are a social, communicable, and involving species.  Our brain capacities are too intricate to be punished by solitude and it is not nurturing for our brains or our bodies to be alone for too long or too repetitively.  However, I am curious if being completely alone for a while could be healthy, maturing, and self-satisfying.  I’m going to challenge myself sometime soon to take an entire day alone.  No TV, no animals, no people, no computer.  To be honest, I don’t think I can do it? Can you?

Productivity

Two doors down from my office is a running ball mill.  Imagine 15 people conglomerated into a small area with metal tins in front of them.  They each have a screw driver in their hand and in 1/2 second intervals they all begin punching their screwdrivers into their metal tins.  Over and over and over again, until they have to replace their tins because of the damage caused.  Now imagine that occurring for over 2 hours of your work day.  Do you think you will be productive?  Well, you don’t even have to answer that question because I can do it for you…Nope! You wont be productive.

Now don’t get me wrong.  The door to the room that inhabits this terrible creature is shut, and so is my office door.  So, I am definitely not complaining without justification.  But, I will tell you this, the only thought provoking idea that has happened in my brain in the last two hours is the fact that Chick-fil-A is always right (and awesome/yummy/clean/perfect).  First of all, they have amazing food (and my belly is happy).  Second, the blond girl who served me today never stopped smiling and even laughed when my husband ordered the #4 extra-large with everything on it (I love when others take humor in his food splurges). Thirdly, their to-go cups (which is their normal cup – don’t get excited – I didn’t get a special cup) say “Exhale Slowly. It Cools The Mouth.”. Of course, I have never tried this so I took a sip of Chick-fil-A’s famous sweet tea, gulped, and exhaled slowly.  It works.  Phenomenal! Needless to say, my cup is empty and my mouth is cool and I want a refill.

These thoughts have consumed the last hour and a half of my life.  Before that, I was sitting at Chic-fil-A eating so at least the ball mill wasn’t disturbing my meal.

Busy, Busy

I am super busy today so check out my husbands business blog to keep your boring day filled with interesting things

Remedy-Films

Oh, and if you ever need a videographer, for anything, e-mail me @ jwhubba@g.clemson.edu

Here’s a recent Remedy-Films video for your enjoyment: