Here’s my reward for your life, that you gave me!

     First day of life-guarding for the summer yesterday and GUESS WHAT? Got my first pull-out. (For those of you dirty minded individuals like some of my friends insist on being a pull-out is when you help a person who cannot swim out of the water when they are drowning.) Now this was special because it wasn't only my first real pull-out, but it was the first one of the year for the entire park!

     To be honest I was a little nervous about this and how it would go, but I saw the girl and I just knew what was going to happen and so I was ready to jump in right away. I'm also glad it happened so early just so that I could get it out of the way.

     On a slightly separate note, that is why I LOVE MY JOB. Not only do I get to be out in the sun all day but I get to help and interact with people basically all day long. And it goes with one of my passions, swimming, which I have loved since I was a baby. (My parents put me in Parent-and-Tot lessons at the tender age of 6 months old, so I'm basically part fish).

     Just thought I would up-date you guys because I was pretty excited about it. There was something else I wanted to right about but I forget what it was so if I remember it will be up on here later. (How I wish I had taken the advice of the song Before I Forget).

Life has meaning only if one barters it day by day for something other than itself.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

RC. There were going to be explosions, he knew it.

I've got a smile on my face, and I've got four walls around me I've got The sun in the sky, all the water surrounds me

     So, you're probably expecting an epic blog about something wonderful because of all the time I have blogged in. Well suck it up, I just got lazy. In any case here is a quick update of what has been going on in my life.

- Finished first year of University (pretty good marks too). Went really quickly but overall it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. (+1 Knowledge)

-Returned to life guarding at Wild Water Kingdom for my 5th *shudder* summer. Doing preseason work right now, already got a good tan (farmers >.>). Soon I'll be starting my actual work which I look forward. (+1 Skill)

-I have been hanging out with a lot of people that I haven't seen in a long time which has been nice. Including all my friends from WWK, many of whom I just saw this weekend and what a joyous reunion it was.
(+1 Socializing)

-Over this long weekend I went white water canoeing. Let me tell you it never gets old. Hopefully I'll have some pics from that when I am sent them to show you guys. Along with that was the fireworks show that yours truly prepared and set off (~$300 worth). That was definitely worth it. (+1 Rugged outdoors man, +1 Pyro)

-Opened up my pool and went for my first swim today after mowing the lawn. It was extremely refreshing which is why swimming has always been one of my favourite things to do.
(+1 Work ethic, +1 Chilling)

    Well that's a quick look into what I have been to for the almost two months since I last posted. I may put in more detail or I may not. I do, however, hope to do another movie quote post after I see Thor (here's to hoping that has at least one worthy quote in it).

If someone says: "That's impossible."
You should understand it as: "According to my very limited experience and narrow understanding of reality, that's very unlikely."

RC. - At the end of the day, you've just got to say it's alright.

Fade To Black

      I was out side tonight at about 1:30am and I had a sudden urge to just walk away. Not go for a walk, but go away. Just walk away into the night and not look back. Start again somewhere else, not caring that I had nothing but the shirt on my back.

     I have this urge occasionally, especially if I go out late at night and am doing deep personal thinking. Maybe it's just me wanting to get away from the problems I have with how my life is playing out and the people in it. And I have no doubt that it could work, but it would also create a whole new set of problems. (Perhaps that's what life is about, finding the set of problems that you can come to terms and live with).

     But then I think "What if the problems I have aren't with my surroundings but with myself?". Because those are the things that no matter how far you run they catch up. No matter how deep they are buried they climb out of the graves you've given them. Often they come back far worse than when you hid them away. And so until you really deal with them they will haunt you and stop you from reaching your full potential as a human and as part of a bigger whole.

     So, the most I ever get to is the "What if?" stage. But in all seriousness that  is exercise in futility. The adage "If ifs and ands were pots and pans then tinkers we all'd be." holds very true. Because I know this I only think about it in a longing for a dream sort of way (if you know what I mean). A - because I know I have the ability to do it an any time I want, I never actually have to do it - type deal.

     As I draw to a conclusion on this post, I'm still not sure what the point of it was. Just to get out a little how I feel about the world around me and how I'm involved in it I guess.

And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.

Friedrich Nietzsche

So tell me, why can't this be love. RC.

Before I die I want to...

     I don't know about you guys but I enjoy going on the internet on sites like Wikipedia starting somewhere and clicking on random links just to see where it takes me and what I learn. It not only is a great way to procrastinate but you may find out some interesting things about your world and yourself while you are at it.

     It's for exactly this reason that I love StumbleUpon. It isn't just full of information like Wikipedia, but it has everything from recipes for desserts, people's art and links to videos on Youtube.  So today I was stumbling after writing my final math exam (hopefully ever) just to kill time and relax when I came upon this website - http://candychang.com/before-i-die-in-nola/.

     Basically this artist (Candy Chang), turned the wall of a derelict (I like that word, maybe it's because of Zoolander, anyways) house into what amounts to a piece of modern art. Allowing people to express what they wanted to do before they die. Some of the responses are funny, some are ridiculous and some are extremely touching. A few of my favourites are; Be tried for piracy (written by a guy dressed as a pirate), live off the grid, tell my mom I love her and truly live and <3.

     I urge you to check the sight out it is really interesting/touching/what have you. If you do check it out think about some of your own and how you could get to be able to do them.

     For me the response to this was pretty amazing and it got me thinking, How can I do something like this?

4 Pictures of the boards from this project.

     That's all for now. I just thought this deserved more than a single sentence as a facebook status or whatever social networking site you use.

Be yourself. No one can ever tell you, you're doing it wrong.

...understand why. RC.

Short Story (Part 2)

     Suddenly he becomes aware of someone standing behind him and he feels his body stiffen in fear.

     

      "GET up soldier. We received our orders. We are to move out and hook up with Delta company. Full kit. Bugging out in 30."

     "Sir, yes, sir." He says after hastily jumping up and saluting sardonically. "And a big old fuck you, to you as well Sarge." Although this is after he is already well out of ear shot, just in case. He doesn't need to be court martialed for insubordination with only a week left in his rotation.

     Only a week more, then he can get back to his wife and child. The only things that truly matter to him. A smile flirts across his face, twitching up his lips only temporarily. It's hard to stay happy in a place like the shit hole he is in. And being happy can distract you and even one distraction can be the difference between life and death out here.

     As he gets into the armored Humvee he is still thinking about them. And why not? His company hasn't even seen any real action.

     "5 Dead in Roadside Bombing" screamed the newspaper headlines the next day. The story went on to give the ranks and names of the dead, and to say that they were only a week away from returning home. 

     "Well, looks like they will be coming home early." He said casually as he tossed the paper into the trash, straightened his tie and went to take his wife and child out for lunch.

That's the end. Feedback is appreciated on the writing itself  or on what you thought of the story.

All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers.
Francois Fenelon

RC.

Conscripted into Life

     I listen to a lot of what some people call 'depressing music' (and a lot of people I know do say this). And sure I know that a fair bit of it probably is, especially to those people who label it that. But as in all art (and in life) things that attract you are things that you can connect with. It's the reason behind different musical tastes and why some people may love a piece of art or a specific poem and others may loathe it.

      People ask me why I want to listen to songs like Duality by Slipknot  or Far From Home by Five Finger Death Punch. Sometimes they say it in simple ad homonym attacks on the singers vocals, or in actual intellectual discussion about the meaning behind said lyrics and why they are sung how they are.

     For me, personally, angry/depressing music helps me release some of said pent up emotion inside myself, and so is a wonderful form of therapy. Also through the flavour of lyrics in Melodic metal (for example) you can get across emotions that you just can't in Pop or Rap or any other genre of music. Yes they may not be things that some people want to listen to (or the majority for that matter) but that's pretty easily solved by simply not listening to it.

     Now don't get me wrong, I do listen to other music, in fact I listen to almost every type of music there is (not necessarily every artist from said category as that would be nigh impossible). But, sometimes, I just find 'happy' music hard to listen to. Occasionally I just find it more depressing. I just think to myself "These people are TOO happy how can this be fair when so much suffering exists".

     Anyways that's my take on that. in the words of the infamous Jack Sparrow "Take what you want, give nothing back!"

I've gotta say what I've gotta say
And then I swear I'll go away
But I can't promise you'll enjoy the noise

From Duality lyrics.

   You may be conscripted into life, but from then on it's your choice what you do with it. RC

And it's almost like..

Quote is from a great song Knights of Cydonia by Muse

 I just felt like posting this quickly because I had the idea for it so, that's all for now.

We spend more time developing means of escaping our troubles than we do solving the troubles we're trying to escape from.

David Lloyd 

RC.