The life of a dreamer

We, me and you.

We are dreamers.

We are romantics.

We are flirts.

But most of all we are shy.

However that is alright because we know, oh we know.

As to what we know we know many things.

We know how we feel, It is a emotion far more true than any physical one.

We know how each other feels. Though at times our faith is shaken it always comes back and we see.

Never in a million years would we want it to stop, but there must be something beyond this something more than knowing, for sometimes I get fed up with the waiting and want to proclaim my affection, that may just be the romantic in me.

Who knows maybe im just tilting at windmills but I know theres something beyond what there is now.

It just kempt getting more abstract

Cut-out filter effect of original photo

 

 I sa hr in ar class.

M sné allí n clas d ar

Sin  h rojc

I wasn' rally ar class, i was som ar hisory inrodcion, oorly ah, borin as hll class, ha rally had mor o do wih mmorizin facs and n I realized that I wanted to put a nice piece of art together during break. My winter art project, something fresh and unique. 

ams hn acally larnin abo ar.

Setting up the project

So i srck m, hoosho is a od. No ha, I knw ha for awhil now b i srck m wha syl of ar i wand o do. An imrssionisic colla of imnd ars, and hoosho was oin o hl m cra his. So m rojc ban. I noticed that with each advancement in the process it kempt gitting moor aabbdstracracke

 I by cin  maazins, sarchin f The concept resolved around the idea that i would existing papers to replace pigments that one would normally used. This collage wouldn't be realistic but rather abstract and impressionistic. 

or h colors I dsird. his ndin  akin a on of im sarchin  ach and vry n i wand.

Finishd coy, hoo shod aain

Partly finished

Nx I chos o s an xisin icr I had ha i ariclarly lik, which can b fond arlir in my blo, and sd a co filr ffc,. I sd his icr as Ti ping is Exteamly difficult when you are lossing critical details

my olin for my rojc ha i knw wold rodc similar rsls in rms of dail. I followd his  by colorizin o b mono-chromaic, as I dsird a and siml fl o my icr, I sd bl. So my id scn was s.

I ban h am, h challn of firin abo h b which basically simpilifed all the colors of the picture into simplified regions of colors, seen at the top

Finished copy

s way o ransformin a whi ic and my bl scras ino h work ha I had in fron of m. I dcidd o skch h nral shas of hs hr rs and very depressed

Strange

hir lak. I dcidd o sar wih h darks, farhs way objcs firs, ha lad m o bin wih h backrond rs ha fill  h disanc, qickly ali America only to sink

n l and asin ha colorrally in ha rion. Mch black was sd alon h way, and hn i movd o h lak, carfl o cra a and hn wo lih ons on i's flank, as sn in h iniial icr.. I fl da ff  conid ha osss i wood row moor and mr obsrac ili nonono kod ondrsand. crcl dl wld b ls wh C s nd Words are overrated

h fnl cy wld b ndsiqdabl. nlss  knw wh  ws sosd 2b,  wood bizz rih cllss. lik a boss.. so scrbindo como so ara dmsrar l fco dl ar absrac. is arr (-) slf o scribo <3 his. afrfillininhrsandsardfillininallhwhiholshrwrlfhls o fill . I ook Mcho imo,  comllos. Many ol don' lik absrac ar bcas of how obviosly i aars,

Inrsinly i larnd ha yo w dark region of water

Finished copy, photo shopped again

an o sar wih bi sris of ar and work yor way down o h smalls of slivrs as yo add dail. I don'av o s ror sllin he trick it to make it very beautifully so you don't have to understando wri his aricl, as i is oin o nradabl whn i'm don wih h absracionis rocss. iano kys and dons. raccar. I ook many hors o lck t. language doesn't work this way, and i know that, that is why i am doing it this way, to demonstrate that abstract art is unique and wonderful thing. 

  all h hols in h ar rojc. Afr ha I workd on addin dails and sch. ssianal dail is collasin. hackz! I'm rally drssd bcas I kickd no js on b a vry imoran, hih mony am of maic away. So drssin i is o o so clos o h sn and no orach i, or o disco bfor yo cold rach i. I'v bn wachin a lo of Mrlin and rocrasain on mah homwork. onih i'm oin ovr o my fars hos o a, bcs I love my friends.

h cooks mch br han, and i rally isssed m off.

An Electronic Generation

What would we do without our cell phones, ipods, computers, plasma televisions, gaming consoles, digital cameras, video cameras, kindles, calculators, and the many more electronics we use on a day to day basis? Our generation is the first to grow up with the a high exposure of such things. Many argue the positive affects of 21st century technology in our society out weight the negative ones, but I have a different opinion. Yes, I'm addicted to all of my electronics just like the rest of you. My earphones are basically glued into my ears, and there's not a day where I don't update my blog or check my facebook. But even using myself as an example, a lot of the electronics I possess have created more problems and stress in my life than most other things. A few more specific examples.

• My phone. I am very thankful for my AT&T go phone. Wherever I am, you can bet it's a short distance away. It's gotten me out of some very sticky situations over these past few
  years... but then again. It's gotten me into about just as many. I think we can all confess to the distortion texting/instant messenging/short phone calls has put on the development of
  our communication skills. Many teens can press the send button to a hurtful text 100X's easier than they could say it to that person face to face. And not only with hurtful things, but in dating relationships. "I love you, I'll do anything for you, I'm yours forever" seems to be a lot easier to type, then to speak. And also, I'll admit that sometimes when I'm out spending what should be quality time with my family, I'm too obsessed with a texting conversation to give them the time of day, and that kind of thing can really mess with the relationships within a family. Bottom line, I think phones are a great thing. For people far away from each other to communicate on such a high level. But I think the obsession with texting and not in person communication has an incredibly bad impact on the teens of today and the development of their social skills.

• The Internet. This one really applies to me. I spend a LOT of time on the internet. Downloading music, reading articles, catching up on my favorite bands, blogging on my tumblr, creeping up on people on facebook, editing pictures, skyping, you name it. But as well as all of the joy it has brought to my life, there are a lot of negative affects to make up for them as well. First being, the laziness it creates. This not only in our generation, but in all of people who own a computer. Laziness in two ways.....1.) Actual physical laziness. Some are so addicted to the internet/computers that they are to distracted to exercise and feel no drive to get out of their desk and go for a jog, or to a yoga class. 2.) Mental Laziness. Why research in a book what you can quickly google? Knowledge is so easily handed to us through search engines and websites like wikipedia. And while this can be a good thing as well, some don't realize the amount of fraud among the information they're given. And like most of us read in Fahrenheit 451, a lot of information being condensed into paragraph long articles, or very short summaries, can give us a false sense of intelligence, when all we're really getting is surface details. Another negative affect, is stranger danger. Like we've been learning since we were so young, there are many pervert psychopath who will do just about anything to learn vital information about where you live, and where you hang out. With social networking, a lot of teens are putting their selves at risk of being raped/kidnapped/killed. "Oh, lyke, it's lyke no big deal if my facebook isn't private, it's just letting more lyke, cute boys see me!!:-)" THIS IS YOUR LIFE HERE PEOPLE! BE CAREFUL!!!! That's less of a worry for me though, because I have full trust that we are all smarter than to let something get that far.

Last but not least....

• Kindles/Nooks/Other non book books. Look, I love the idea. In fact, I'd love to own one myself!!!! It's convenient, and a great way to read. Books have just always been my hope for our electronic material world. The chain that holds me to the ground, and keeps me sane in the sky full of technology. BUT OH NO, now books are electronic too! Which makes me fear..... is the time of a world similar to Fahrenheit 451 on the horizon? Not in all information being banned...but books? Will my fond memories of trips to Barnes and Noble, drinking hot chocolate in the starbucks section while reading a good book not be the reality for my own children?!?!?!?!??! The tangible aspect of books is such an important one for me! Being able to write my thoughts in the margin, high light what sentences really stick out to me, develop many frayed corners on random pages resulting from the 'dog ear' book mark method I so often use, develop stains of food/drink on the corners of other random pages.....it's all so important to me! It's personal, and not only do I make memories of the story inside the book, I make memories of the books itself, and all of the unique characteristics my book abuse has given it. I'd like to be able to pick up my old copy of "Paper Towns" by John Green, or "It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini (two of my very favorite books) and not only remember the story, but remember where I read it, when I read it, and go back to a time where I was oblivious to the wonderful plot that lied ahead of me.

I love technology. I couldn't live without it. But sometimes, I think I might be a different, more well-rounded person if I had grown up in the environment our parents had, in which they came home from school and biked around down until sunset, or spend a lot of meaningful time with their siblings, and not just hopped on the computer, or the telephone. I'm anxious to see the path our technology will lead our generation into during our adulthood, and the generations after us.

Rapid-Fire Thoughts

It is healthy to express thoughts. Even if they are the tiniest, most insignificant thoughts in rapid sequence:

Tired, book, 1984, 2011, celebration, love, women, children, family tree, ancestors, King Louie XVI, executions, Bastille, key to Bastille in Mount Vernon, George Washington, Americans, obesity, McDonalds, franchise, Wal-Mart, groceries, im hungry, Ritz crackers and cheese, cows, farmers, producers, consumers, human-beings, carnivores, tiger, Missouri, Bushwackers, Jayhawkers, Lawrence, basketball, Allen Fieldhouse, Phog Allen, clouds, weather, blizzard, NYC, large apples, apple orchard, iPod, iPad, materialism, Xbox 360, Black Ops, entire day, tired.

 

Notice how each thought is connected; this is supposed to be a chain of continuous thought

How to feed Kansas

1 Juice Box

2 Milks

1 sausage

1 Chilli-Beans

1 Pudding

1 Peaches

1 Raisins

1 Gummy bears

1 Pretzels

1 Fruit Bars

1 Stack of crackers

2 Cereals

All of that makes one packets. You fit seven packets in a box vertically, and then 1 horizontally. Then you stack 64 boxes per palette. One palette contains 512 packets, costing $4 each. You need to feed 5,000 children a week. Together is costs over $20,000 to make sure that no body's kid goes hungry.

                This is the enormous task of the Kansas food bank, located in Wichita. In the process, it requires hundreds of random strangers all coming together to make sure that everybody’s kid can eat this week. Today I volunteered just two hours of my day at the Kansas Food Bank, working together with other strangers who wandered in to give their time. I was quickly briefed by a kind gentleman named john about the process of assembling one packet and then left to help get this big job done. So there I was with my Ipod rocking the latest album by Keane, Night Train (Reviewed in my other blog). I would pace about between folding box, stuffing plastic bags with goods, and loading the palettes. Another little family of a Grandma and her two grandsons, as well as myself. It was a good way to kill my afternoon during winter break. Unfortunately they aren’t open on weekends so winter break seems like the best time help out the families in need. Speaking of which Walmart can make the difference for this bank of groceries. This big warehouse downtown combines the work of volunteers and employees, and would really appreciate any votes. Pretty soon Keane ran out so I was forced into “Black Keys” mode. By the end of the day I was tired, happy, and inspired. Kansas Food Bank was probably pretty happy too, because we filled up an palette, as I mentioned it feeds 512 people. And it all started with

1 Juice Box

The Kingdom of God is within You

I have read quite a few books over the course of this year, but the most view-changing among them was The Kingdom of God is within You, by Leo Tolstoy. Apart from influencing Nelson Mandela, it is an important text to Christian anarchists.

The central premise of his work is that when God commands us, “Thou Shall not Murder”, how can we kill anybody for any reason? He asks, why is it wrong when one man kills another, but acceptable when nations destroy each other? In addition, he believes that we cannot judge our fellow man, and so should not send people to jail or administer the death penalty for crimes. We must ‘turn the other cheek’ as Jesus told us to. Because of those ideas, he believes that no government is justified, because their purposes are contrary to the Bible.

His book questions the answers that people have given in response to arguments like his, people who claim war is unavoidable, or that some people are simply savage and would destroy cultured civilization. Meticulously, he points out the flaws in their arguments.

Tolstoy explains the development of mans’ love. He shows how man first loved only himself, and then his family, then his heathen ‘religion’, and now his country. Jesus signaled the coming of last phase, the phase when man loved all, like his father in heaven.

Later in his book, he shows how this change is not already come about. The blame is shuttled all about for these transgressions of God’s law, so no man can stop himself from doing what he knows is wrong.

Tolstoy created a unique idea of Christianity later in life, but he was not proud of himself as a young man.

"I cannot recall those years without horror, loathing, and heart-rending pain. I killed people in war, challenged men to duels with the purpose of killing them, and lost at cards; I squandered the fruits of the peasants' toil and then had them executed; I was a fornicator and a cheat. Lying, stealing, promiscuity of every kind, drunkenness, violence, murder - there was not a crime I did not commit...Thus I lived for ten years."

Tolstoy was also know for writing War and Peace, as well as Anna Karenina. After Mahatma Gandhi read The Kingdom of God is within You, they started a correspondence and became friends.

I believe this book should be at the top of everybody’s reading list. Even if you disagree with the author's opinion, it is tremendously helpful to understand this alternate viewpoint towards the world.

The complexities of a human soul

This picture, to some, may be just a wacky picture taken during Christmas. Others may see this as two silly gooses having a laugh over a Macbook application. But to me, this is a delicate yet accidental portrayal of human judgmental attitudes and error. For instance, this picture shows how the distorted face is warped into a slight bean shape, and my shoulder is mutated over the bean-head. But this represents how the common bean, consumed by billions of people constantly, is similar to the face. When you take a bite of a bean, the structure of it collapses, releases its taste, something not forseen by the connoisseur. People may look at this face and laugh. Some may cry. Some may even feel sorry, and donate large amounts of money to operate on my disfigured head. But I will always see a kid, dashed in his prime by an anomaly of his head, mistaken for who he really is. He could be the coolest cat on the block. But don't be mistaken, comrades. El Gato does not enjoy beans. He actually despises them. Beans are the downfall of humanity. People say that they are the magical fruit......WRONG! Their cunning and trickery has led everyone into thinking that!

I'm sorry. That was inappropriate and irrelevant. I will save my bean rant for another day. But back to the bean in our lives. People need to stop admiring the bean from a distance, but take that disgusting, revolting bite into the bean to find out what its really like.