Not to mention, I learned so much it would be nearly impossible to talk about everything I learned or get into all of the people I've met. And like I said, if you know me enough you already know all of this.
To quote myself:
"That's when the smile started. I can say that it hasn't faded since we left that ballpark. Though, I will admit there were several moments afterwards where I had some doubt. I mean, it's always going to creep back, doubting is what makes me, well, me. Here's the thing, one thing I'm learning is that I don't need to doubt. Life is good, I just have to take part."And that's all I have to say about that.
So what to write, what to write? I actually had a mild stroke of inspiration on the way to my car, leaving a friend's graduation cook out. I'd set the scene, but I'll spare whatever audience I have and get right to it. I want to write about some of my favorite things. I've done an about me blog, yes, and it had some vague references to things I enjoy. I think so at least, I don't feel like going back to check at the moment. Plus, one self referential quote is more than enough for one posting.
Without further ado, here is my post: The Favorites
The Road/On the Road: Two Novels, One Meaning
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| It surprised me how hard it was to take pictures of two books... |
For a long time, I stopped reading. I don't know why, because when I was younger I would read all the time. When my dad used to put me to bed he would always tell me "No night reading." I did it anyway, but it was a testament to how much I actually did read. Night time was my favorite time to read too, but I digress.
I picked these books because both taught me about myself while also going beyond that to teach me something about people, society, and what it means to be in general. That sounds cheesy, I know, but hear me out. In The Road you have the Man and the Boy walking slowly through the damnation that is post-apocalyptic America. An innately depressing story, but in spite of the violence, the oppressive atmosphere, and the constant threat of death, the book showed me how to "carry the fire." That, no matter how hard things got, there was always that little bit worth fighting for. I read this book during, what I consider, a rough time for myself. I won't get into it, but Cormac McCarthy in a certain sense turned that around for me. In spite of inhumanity, there will always be humanity. I find myself looking back at passages from The Road every so often. It helps me keep things in perspective.
As for On the Road, well, I mean I kind of already posted a blog post based entirely on a single quote from Kerouac, so I'm sure you already have some sense of how I feel about this book. In short, it resonates with me because of my newfound love to just experience the world around me coupled with my already deep love and want to travel. To be like Kerouac and find that it that we all search for, that to me would be the adventure of a life time.
The Witcher
Nerd moment commencing. The Wiedzmin series out of Poland is my Harry Potter. It's high fantasy at its darkest. Racism, prostitution, the dregs of society brought to the light through the stories of Geralt of Rivia. The story of a monster hunter, friends of elves, dwarves, or otherwise set against the backdrop of political machinations and war that is epic in scope.
It started as a collection of short stories (collected in the novel The Last Wish, which I own), that soon spawned a cult phenomenon in Poland. Since then two books of the series (with a third released this coming December) have been translated into English, while back in Poland it's spawned a movie and a TV show. Both were critically panned, but that's alright because the books are so good. That's not to mention the video game series I'm an avid fan of. The game is really fun to play, and the stories are so intricately constructed, littered with so many morally grey choices that drastically alter how everything plays out. It's an incredible story to dive into, and every time I enter it, whether it be book or game, it immerses me more than Harry Potter ever could. End nerd moment.
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| Okay, don't end nerd moment yet. Side note: I took that screen shot. Boom. |
Guitar and Sleep: Leisure
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| Get it? The guitar is sleeping! It's funny, righ--- Oh, forget it. |
This is gonna be the last time I include something material in this post. It keeps this list from running wayyyyyyyy too long, but also keeps me from seeming like all of my favorite things are material. Yeah, that wouldn't be too good, would it?
But hey, this "last material thing" has a lot of value to me, beyond any material value it has. You know, thinking about that, I wonder if it can really be called a material favorite. Oh well. Anyways; a few years ago my mom bought me this incredible vintage Fender Stratocaster as a Christmas gift. It was funny, I had asked for a cheaper guitar, something that would just make do, and she and my family just blew me away with this. The wood finish, the silky smooth fret board, just everything about it is incredible to me. It was also the culmination of a journey of sorts. I had been playing my acoustic guitar for a while, and I was gaining some ground in learning the instrument. I mean, I'm still mediocre at best, but at the time I was picking up speed. The guitar meant a lot to me though, just playing it as a way to unwind, to get away from any problems I had. It kept me in balance. It makes me wonder if my parents knew that when they bought the guitar, if they knew that they were extending my interest in keeping myself balanced in body and mind. If someone ever asked me to sell that guitar, I would never say yes. This one is mine for life.
Sleep, well, that's self explanatory. Shutting down for a while, blissfully unaware of anything, and then waking up so completely refreshed. There's nothing like waking up at noon with the sun blinding you through the window. Laziness at its finest. Plus, dreams are totally crazy. I recently had one where I was sneaking into some government building through service tunnels and bathrooms in only my pajama pants. Yeah, I was a Pajama Spy. It was incredible.
People
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| Yes, even stock photography people suck. But I love them anyway. |
People, as a species, suck. We destroy our environment, we hate each other, we screw each other (and just about everything else) over, and our own self created institutions just bind us all into one, big, unhappy planet. Also we're stupid. But I love them. All of the intricacies of culture, the differences in language, the completely bizarre ways we interact, I'm just so fascinated by all of that. Heck, just look at the vast differences between traditional Western culture, and that of the Middle East. There's a list of different customs longer than the Burj Dubai, and yet we're members of the exact same species. I love that we're so similar and so different at the same time. It separates us from any other species we're currently in contact with. It's just incredible.
I can be upset with someone, I can be happy with someone. It doesn't matter. When I was in sociology in high school, I remember learning about how we create our world to suit us and how we fit ourselves into society and just being enamored with the concepts. It's why I'm pulling a minor in Sociology coupled with German and a major in Political Economy. I'll get to explore these institutions, see different cultures, and experience every little thing humanity has to offer. I couldn't ask for a better species to study.
You could lump my friends in this category also. No, no, no, I don't study my friends, I just love them, being with them, and anything else in between. I'm too sentimental for my own good. But still, my love for people extends to the ones I surround myself with. I may be-- too much sometimes, but that's all part of my continued self-improvement. I've got friends here at home, and friends spread out to the different corners of the country, and they are some of the most important people in my life.
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| Above: The important people |
So That's That
There you have it, a collection of a few of my favorite things. It's certainly not everything, that'd be far too long and boring, but here's the ones I consider to be most important. Plus, if you talk to me at all, there's not a doubt in my mind I'll rant about something or another that I just love at that current moment. Recently it's been Game of Thrones and Mass Effect. I wonder what it'll be next week.Until next time...
Special Note: Just want to send a congratulations to my friend Jenna for graduating in the class of 2012 at Marcus High School. Yes, I know I've said it plenty of times, Jenna, but it bears repeating!
Images of people and The Witcher emblem courtesy of Google images. No copyright intended.
Screenshot courtesy of CDProjeckt Red and Steam's Screenshot function
...end nerd moment.
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