Post-Summer Ramblings: Romans vs Rebels

Merely a preview of the Romans vs Rebels post...

What stings more than a smack to the back with a foam-covered PVC sword? A candy-tax by the Roman Empire on our campers. Justice had to be done.

The first platoon of rebel warriors (8-12 year-old campers) assaulting the Roman fort.

Atop the conquered Roman fort, as Captain of the rebels.

Post-Summer Ramblings: 2300 Lb-Force

The scene is Lake Powell, Reflection Canyon to be more specific. Our 60 ft houseboat is anchored up against a red-rock beach with some sand. How it works is that you pull the boat up against the shore with four anchors stretching out from the bow and stern: two lines on either side, two lines on both the bow and the stern each. The lines are attached to anchors which are buried in the sandy shore or, in our case, wrapped around and pivoted against large boulders. Over the course of our two weeks of previous experience from summers past on Powell, we have found our preferred method is to rely on the shear inertial force of a boulder instead of the compacted frictional force of sand. 

What we didn’t know is that as an evening front blew in from across the desert that evening, we would have to rely on far more than just the boulders to hold us to the shore. 

A Prelude: Post-Summer Ramblings

It ended rather abruptly, the summer did. It felt like just three blinks of an eye ago, I was saying my goodbyes at camp, which had just followed a week of kids and craziness, which had followed a grand trip to Lake Powell with my family, which came right off the heels of a couple free weeks after school had ended. The plan after camp was to relax for the next few weeks and have a good time with my girlfriend, who was coming to visit, but I ended up working at Steelhead, a water bottle production line manufacturing company. That swept up the next two weeks, and then, before I knew it, I was watching my one and only high school football game for the year, featuring my little sister on the dance team. Now, I am sitting in the San Antonio International Airport  at 4:30 AM waiting to jump an early plane back to school. 

I thought about the summer and all the adventures and places I have been: physically, mentally, and spiritually. I thought I might share those experiences or ramblings, rather, explaining my summer and some big events listed above and what they do to a person who tries to be intentional about taking in what is around him. Also, keep in mind, I was trying to walk a fine line almost the entire time, so that heightened sense of cautiousness, I think, allowed me to understand better where I am as a person and where the world around me is. So without too much more delay… Post-Summer Ramblings are coming in hot.  

Borderline Cramped: Family Road Trip

Ahh the summer: blistering heat waves, no school, and family road trips. Higher gas prices, a slumping economy, and the aging car almost cut the good ol’ family vacation to a halt before it even began this year, but my dad was determined. He has been planning this trip for months. He has been saving money, calculating, with the help of Google, the fastest routes, and drooling over new water toys for our second trip to Lake Powell. It was his dream destination that became a reality in 2008, and we just didn’t get enough. When he got one of those email advertisements that you would normally ‘spam’ immediately, he didn’t. Instead he ventured onward and never looked back, emerging with a week-long boat trip for 50% off. 

Borderline Cool: Summertime

Texas sunset on a relatively cool evening. Good to be home.

Borderline Creepy: The University Union

 For my first real post, we will take an oddly long trip into my chaotic mind. It was none other than average day of the University Union at Cal Poly, where I attend school. And, sometimes, average becomes readable.

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The University Union

I originally saw her from across the University Union, the inside part. It’s where I go when I want to nap, study, or read in between classes. It’s kind of an escape. In the UU, you get to see a diverse population of Cal Poly. You get to see those out of your mundane and daily routine. There is defiantly something special about the UU, or really any populated public location, really, that makes me feel a part of something bigger. But this story is not about something bigger. It’s about something really personal, something that your share with only those closest to you. But, like that time in the UU that day, I am feeling brave, and so, today, you can all be those people closest to me.

An Intoduction

So I have been contemplating starting a blog for a while now. There is something about the chance to express your thoughts about whatever niche of the world you live in that is pretty cool. I was hesitant, of course, at the thought that I might construe myself as a hipster, an intelligent writer, or someone with something extraordinary to say. But I suppose that is the beauty of blogs. The idea that everyone has something to say, that every life is unique yet shares commonalities, and that people are curious enough to know that they are not alone in a world that can be scary. That is pretty cool.

But here I am, already getting sappy. On with the show.

Within the blogging world, of course, you can find religious posts, travel updates, political tirades, and daily too-long-to-fit-in-140-characters-or-less Twitter-like updates. Hopefully my blog will be one of those that is the appropriate combination of the above. There are those blogs that strike a chord, and while I doubt my writing, thinking, or lifestyle is all that impressive or interesting, I think people could use a bit of an average point of view to read up on.

My writing schedule is nonexistent. My writing style is all-too conversational. And my grammar is poor. I hope that through all of this you can keep up in what will be some strange commentary on the fine line I try to walk.