"Something's Scratchin' its Way Out"

Found a cute song that I thought I'd post--a little morbid, but a morbid song can still be cute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_ZxYdu8p7o

On another note, school has started; everyone seems to be in their place; the Arrowhead starts in less than a week, and I'm looking forward to seeing who will survive! I've been writing, composing, running, studying, all that kind of stuff, so I just thought I'd update the "blog-o-sphere" (par. citation Scott Weber :). I am currently on duty as a writing lab tutor in the library at the U of O, reflecting on how the semester has been going so far. It's been pretty good, if a little different than previous semesters--I've been feeling a lot easier about some of the emotions I've had in the past, and I've learned to be at the center of the wheel (rather than on the outside: having extreme ups and downs). Life is good right now--And I love the cold!




"If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry."
- Dalai Lama

Haw Creek Falls

Nadia and I have been looking into the stretch of Ozarks Highlands Trail that extends from Ozone Campground to Big Piney Creek Campground. It's a wonderful hike and full of potential (I've been having some creative thoughts about it) It's a 20 mile stretch through the Ozarks with steep but beautiful elevation changes, following the Little Piney Creek and then the Big Piney Creek and also going over at least 2 mountains. During this time of year, everything is gorgeous, so I'm betting in the autumn, it's just amazing. Here are some of our photos:

Ozone Campground

Nadia on the trail out of Ozone Campground

Little Piney Creek

Haw Creek Falls

Nadia at the Falls

Me at the Falls

"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness."
-Dalai Lama

Dreaming on Two Feet

Lesson 1: Love endures (lesson learned)
Lesson 2: The Shining is a great warning to those staying on college campuses over the break with the person they care about (lesson learned)
Lesson 3: Arrowhead was a bad idea for now (alright)

It's 2009, and I want to take a realistic approach to everything I do from now on. I have so many ideas buzzing in my brain, but I have to focus on what's right and what's manageable. Right now, my goal is not to do Rocky Raccoon, or any 100 this semester. My target is the Arkansas Traveller 100 in October. I must be able to dream on two feet, but I must also be able to plan on two feet. That means that I must not only set goals (things I want to accomplish), but also targets (things I WILL accomplish). I want to do a lot of things, so I do have many goals, but I must set aside those objectives which I will absolutely do no matter what. One of them is the Traveller, one of them is to finish school, and one of them is to love Nadia and show her that I love her. The other goals can turn into targets, but for now, these are big enough. It's the difference between dreaming and living.

This is REALLY SCARY

I was innocently having fun on the Internet, looking around at Google Maps at the University of the Ozarks, when I saw an icon that you can click on that looks like a little orange man. I clicked on it, and you (anyone) can manuever the streets of Clarksville at your liesure and can rotate and look up and down to take in the sights (and the people walking on the sidewalk and the cars driving on the street.) It turns out, you can even see Nadia's car (a blue Geo Prism) driving by with her hand sticking out. You can even pull up beside the car for a better look. The link is attached to this blog. The cool thing is you can see just about any street in the US in this fashion. You can go anywhere and look around at the surroundings (Even Mount Shasta--I got to revisit Sengthong's this evening from the comfort of my own home--and Badwater--and look up at the Sea Level Mark). It's cool and scary at the same time--it makes me wonder what windows they can look into... Anyway, thought I'd share.

Love Ben

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Clarksville,+AR&sll=48.531384,-93.293495&sspn=0.085939,0.307617&ie=UTF8&ll=35.477228,-93.466248&spn=0,359.997597&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=35.477134,-93.466251&panoid=gkdp5aZ09wT09if-uN5BJA&cbp=12,239.9102408531461,,0,5