After reading Newby's blog I've decided to completely swagger jack his intro and reiterate how thankful I'm for the weekend. So- TGIF! In this edition of "The Forest" I'd like to take some time and talk about culture differences. One of my wife's close friends (Claire) from France is spending three weeks with us and there's been a variety of differences I've picked up on. For one, it has become apparent that string cheese is very comical among our friends in the EU. Another one that might be a little more obvious than the previous is that they literally use a knife in almost every meal which I used to find silly but it's a productive way to get more on your spoon! And lastly, they don't nearly eat as much as we do. Not saying the average American family will sit down and go through three or four dinner plates but it's been pretty common for her to eat an appetizer, salad, and have a class of water. After looking into French culture I can see that the culture itself promotes health and portion control much more effectively than here. I also don't think that having access to a plethora of fast food "restaurants" helps either. GMO's anyone? ;)

(Candid always makes for the best pictures. This photo was taken at the tail end of winter last year at Mt. Si in North Bend, WA)

After reviewing the forum I've come to a simple conclusion- I'm writing to a very diverse audience. Not only does everyone come from different walks of life, but also different sets of minds which always makes for a range of eclectic responses. We were all asked to provide one question for our classmates and all of us provided. Now, what Mrs. A said about really getting to know somebody by the questions they ask is nothing shy of the truth. Given the freedom to ask anything- you can really dig deep and analyze a person based on this exercise, but this is neither here nor their. Something that I can genuinely appreciate is a classmate that digs deep into my writing and helps me dig further into my mind. What surprised me is how involved my classmates are considering this is an online-summer course. I know, I know, a biased opinion is an ugly one but an opinion none the less. I figured that there really wouldn't be as much interaction as a fall or spring term, but I was pleasantly proven otherwise. Expanding on my previous statement; I believe that the knowledge obtained from this forum will impact my writing by helping me look at things from a multitude of angles. Building off what previous writing skills I had this will enable me to write with more substance and relate-ability.

The “I believe” I chose to free write about is the last one on my list. “I believe mountain biking in the woods until you're lost and finding your way out before nightfall makes you appreciate the simple things in life.” Now, this is something I often did years back if ever I felt the world was caving in on myself or if I  just needed to get away for a couple of hours. In that particular time of my life I was in a standstill with the Army having to wait almost one year to leave for basic training. Every day was an internal battle; feeling as if I didn’t accomplish anything really got to me. So in hopes to aiding that feeling I started running in the forest which progressed to mountain biking down black diamond paths. One day I had gone a little too far and found myself scrambling to find my way out. Now, by no means is this a smart solution but it sure gave me a sense of accomplishment when I found the pavement again. 

118 words.

I believe everything happens for a reason. I believe karma exists to a certain extent. I believe we will never fully know why we exist. I believe my wife makes the best banana bread. I believe in the father, son, and holy spirit. I believe there's more to existence in the universe. I believe I'm always correct when guessing how many jelly beans are in the jar. I believe there's more to the ocean than what we know. I believe I take too much time thinking about what I believe. I believe everybody has good in their heart; regardless of what happens. I believe mountain biking in the woods until you're lost and finding your way out before nightfall makes you appreciate the simple things in life.

Below are my results after taking the test. I actually took this test my freshman year of high-school. I can't recall which class I had taken this in, but I recognize the letters; which sparked the train of thought..For the most part I agree with my results. I'd like to to think (or at least pretend) that I don't have introvertive tendencies. As far as the intuitive and feeling portion goes I've always been one to trust my gut over all else. Maybe it's because I'm a Pisces (for all you astrologists) or maybe it's because my mother's deaf and I grew up listening with my eyes. I'm not too sure that having this code will help me in class. However it does help solidify my personality traits when I think about it.I dug a little deeper into this and realized that people such as: Mother Teresa, Socrates, Gandhi, and Noam Chomsky are INFJs as well.. And then I looked a little deeper and was surprised to find out that: Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, and Mohamed Atta were also in the same category.. Whoa.

Welcome to the depths of my mind via Blogger. Where organized chaos is of the norm, stemming as far as the imagination allows; a dimension where organic music and paragraphs collide forming supernovas that radiate feelings of nostalgia and ambivalence.

A place to let my mind unwind and possibly share some of these abstract thoughts of mine. Excited to let my brain run with the keyboard as I believe this has therapeutic value to it. There's always been a part of me that's wanted to carry out a blog. You know, taking pictures of previously taken polaroids; along with "hipster" music while sipping on locally produced coffee.. Oh how the small things in life hold more value than top dollar materialistic items. Considering this is my first time exposing myself like this it'll take a good minute to find my voice.

Anyways.. looking at this in a different light, this platform can serve as our little world; acting as a reference for future generations to look back on if this goes anywhere. Regardless, we can gain perspective from one other's thoughts and get to know each other as we venture on!