this is nauseating!

...however, intriguing.

2009: The Year of Adventure, halfway point

So, it's June. How the year has flown by! I thought my readers might be interested in an update of how the year has been progressing, adventure-wise. I believe more things will be added as the summer continues, and there have already been a few additions in the past few months! again, X'd items have been done, O'd items have plans, and, as always, if you have any suggestions please don't hesitate!

-Roadtrip to Boston X
-Drop everything and leave town X
-Visit the West Coast X
-Buy a new car X
-Take up a new sport XX
-Dance all night X/O
-Explore more of PA X/O
-Visit the South X/O
-Make 2+ trips to NYC X/O
-explore Philly X/O
-Get Injured X/O
-Go camping one week-end
-Go to a shooting range
-Live a Sufjan Stevens song
-More Rockclimbing, always.
-go to a Celtic festival
-Hike PA
-Go Whitewater Rafting

Details in the Fabric

courtesy of Jason Mraz

"Calm down
Deep breaths
And get yourself dressed instead
Of running around
And pulling all your threads saying
Breaking yourself up

If it's a broken part, replace it
But, if it's a broken heart then brace it
If it's a broken heart then face it

And hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your own name
And go your own way

And everything will be fine
Everything will be fine
Mmmhmm

Hang on
Help is on the way
Stay strong
I'm doing everything

Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything, everything will be fine
Everything

Are the details in the fabric
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling?

Are the things that make you blow
Hell, no reason, go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault
Of faulty manufacturing.

Yeah everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Everything

Hold your own
And know your name
And go your own way

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling? (Go your own way)

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)
Are the things that make you panic (Go your own way)
Is it Mother Nature's sewing machine?

Are the things that make you blow (Hold your own, know your name)
Hell no reason go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault (Go your own way)
Of faulty manufacturing

Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Hearts will hold."

Ray LaMontagne

Ray is an artist that I started listening to a few years ago, and I thought I'd share a song that I've had on repeat for the past few days. It is good.

Be Here Now

Don't let your mind get weary and confused
Your will be still, don't try
Don't let your heart get heavy child
Inside you there's a strength that lies

Don't let your soul get lonely child
It's only time, it will go by
Don't look for love in faces, places
It's in you, that's where you'll find kindness

Be here now, here now
Be here now, here now

Don't lose your faith in me
And I will try not to lose faith in you
Don't put your trust in walls
'Cause walls will only crush you when they fall

Be here now, here now
Be here now, here now

The "Non-Asian Italian Flush"

Many of you have noticed (if you haven't, you're an idiot) that my siblings and I turn quite red in the face after consuming alcohol. I don't know if this article has uncovered why this happened or not, but it is enough to freak me out a little.

Kensington

These guys are doing some cool work...I may not agree with everything the say, but you have to admit, Kensington is desperate.

Unprepared.

I confess that I keep thinking that I will reach a point of preparedness, where I won't be surprised by things, by people.

This is twice this week where things have come up in counseling sessions where I have an internal monologue that goes something like this:

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!!"

followed by this:

"My training did not prepare me for this!"

This feeling of unpreparedness, of not knowing what to do, or of what the next step should be--of how I can be helpful, or of what the Lord has up his sleeve--has caught me off-guard yet again. It is not a nice feeling, and leaves me somewhat paralyzed. I'd like to think that at some point (God knows when) I will have seen enough of the world and of the sin in it to not be shocked by it. Someone older and wiser than me (probably Terry Traylor) told me once that if I ever reach that point, to let him know how I got there. This is just another instance of the Lord humbling me to see that He is the only one who understands people fully, and that we need to trust Him for guidance and care...but my heart cries out that this is not good enough for me. I want to be superman. I confess.