This Place is 'bout to Blow

Captains Log 11: 27.3.11

So the end is coming into view and I cannot say I am not excited for the whole thing to explode. Heh, I am reminded of Ke $ ha's song lyric, "This place is 'bout to Blow-oh!" Yep, that about summarizes the atmospheric readings of this semester's close. Not in the since that the semester has been horrible, but in the since that things are about to take-off. I feel as if the entire past three months were a long, gradual escalation into what is promising to be a freaking awesome summer. 

Never having actually stayed in Provo during the summer, I do not know what to expect. Granted, I am not expecting anything; just excessively excited about having the time and freedom to do the things I have been wanting to do or catch up on for quite a while. 

For example, do all the hikes in Capital Reef and the Uintas. Hit up the Arches National Monument Park place, try and get all the peaks surrounding Provo. Read books to my hearts content. Actually write more than a page a month on my novel. Tinker with some inventions clinking around in my mind. Actually finish the third phase of P90X. Become more politically aware and active. Delve hardcore into the scriptures and other spiritual things. Learn and practice old/new talents. Have a blast and relax before jumping into the coffee grinder once again.

Yes, this summer is going to be glorious. And there is nothing that will thwart my determination to have fun. Maybe, if life continues.

Floyd, out.

Pavloved Myself

Captains log 10: 20.3.11

My friend introduced this wonderful music video by Ke$ha to me the other night. I must confess, it is a guilty pleasure of sorts. The pure stylized randomn-ness and excellent, quotable lines simply appease some sort of crazy  impulse within me. Right at the moment, when you are like, this cannot get any stranger or more randomn, something else happens. Like she makes out with a unicorn, they have guns who shoot bullets, and the unicorns bleed rainbows.  

What I think is ironic is that this particular friend and I started listening to Ke$ha because we think she is the most ridiculous person alive. We would look up her songs and make fun of every single line. Now however, I find that whenever we get together we listen to her just for the pure enjoyment of it. Granted we still make fun of her and think she is just about the trashiest person alive, yet we still like her songs now.

I think we may have pavloved ourselves. We enjoy her music so much now because we have conditioned ourselves to feel good feelings whenever we hear her voice. Weird how that works. 

Maybe all artists should be ridiculous so that this effect will occur.

I need to keep this in mind when I become famous.

Maybe, if life continues.

Floyd, out. 

My Soul Doth Prosper

Captains log 9: 13.3.11

Spent the Saturday exploring the Capitol Reef National Park. All of us started out a 5:30 in the morning with high hopes that the day would be just a great as Friday: moderate temperatures, sunshine, and a refreshing breeze. This was quite a leap of faith considering the 25 degree temperature present at the wee hours of the morning.
I got pushed into the car with four of my guy friends instead of the car with two of my girl friends.  Probably because one brought her brother and his girl, so it would have been weird to stick me in there. That was perfectly fine with me, because sometimes it is just fun to chill and talk with the guys.

Well, on the ride there as we reach higher and higher elevation, snow starts to sparsely cover the ground. And though the guy's car is not really perturbed, I keep imagining the girl's car freaking out, specifically my friend Leah. She had a traumatic snow canyon experience. However, as we neared the park the snow disappeared and the sun, now risen, was warming up the world to a nice 50 degrees.
Driving among the majestic red-rock formations of sand stone, clay, and slate they guys were really getting pumped up. Talking about how beautiful it was, how they could live there etc...when one of them stated, "My soul doth prosper." The rest of us were like "Wait, wha?" and sort of made fun of him for speaking that way, but it made me pause.
There really is something in the beauty of huge rock formations carved by the wind and water that does make one's soul prosper.  I love it.
We finally got there at around 9:30 AM. Started the hike up to the arch as 9:45. The hike was beautiful and just the right amount of work, hard but not too long so as to you leave you tired in the canyon. The first repel is a 150 footer literally off of the arch. That was amazing. Suspended between the sky and earth with nothing but nature around you. Something about those kind of moments  makes you realize how fragile and short your life is in comparison. You really learn to appreciate and look at things differently.
My soul doth prosper.
The rest of the canyon was  just as photogenic, if not more. Six more repels into gorges and caverns  and an easy hike out back to the cars. Afterwards, we all decided to hit the hot springs in Meadow, since they are on the way. We reached them about 30 minutes before dusk started at 6:30 pm. The water was warm but not too hot. We soaked up the warmth as the air temperature decreased. The water soothed and relieved our bruises and wounds from the day. Then dusk started. The sky was radiant with pink and purple, storm clouds gathered on either side of the setting sun. Really the day could not have gone better.
I am so glad I went on this trip because recently I had been getting too caught up in school and work. The trip reset my outlook on life, making it longer and broader in scope.
Truly my soul did prosper that day.
The question is, will it until my next trip?
Maybe, if life continues.

Floyd, out.

At a loss

Captains log 8: 6.3.11

The thought that two months in their entirety have passed since the beginning of the semester. The time seems to be literally speeding by me as if I were one of those self-propelled railcars and it were a bullet train. Yes, I know that is a strange metaphor. I am taking my teacher's advice and trying out ways to say things differently. So if we get anymore of those, just accept their existence and move on.

One I heard recently that was interesting is "stopped her advances fast like a faucet gushing dirty water." What the- ? I had to read it three times to make sure I had read it correctly. The second time to confirm what I had just read, and the third to figure out what it meant. I guess I'll never forget it, though.

Haha, then when I was reading Stephen King's the Stand. I found several other gems of colloquial sayings I might want to incorporate into my everyday use. One is "Moses in a sidecar." Another, "Rollerskating Jesus." Maybe I won't say the Jesus one, because it feels a little like taking the lord's name in vain, but the Moses one is great. Very attention grabbing.

I've also recently discovered the phrase gank and I like it. I have even used it on a couple of people. However, I feel that in the BYU bubble not too many actually understand what I am trying to convey.
I will have to collect more.

Maybe, if life continues.

Floyd, out.