Growth.

I would like to mention that I have decided to expand my blogging horizons, and all posts that are written on Blogger will now also be available on my Tumblr. www.deliciouslyawkward.tumblr.com

It's Your Life.

Ever since I was old enough to consider what my future career path might be, I was always certain of what I want to do with my life. Now, you might think that since I've always known what I wanted to do then my college path would be a obvious... but that is not the case. In the future I would like to have a career doing some work with photography and graphic design, but according to some superior sources the arts are not particularly 'marketable' skills.

So, because of this I decided to start college as a marketing major with a "this won't be that bad" mindset. I've now been in college for half of a semester and I can already see that it is, unfortunately, that bad. I'm uninterested in my classes, having trouble meeting people that I'm compatible with, and having an overall mediocre time.

When I found myself faced with this conflict between what I love to do and what could earn more money, the solution was very simple for me. I would rather be happy in my job doing what I love than being miserable with a big pay check. And even though I came to this decision rather easily, there is still a whole new set of problems to tackle. I now have to see if I can even get into a good art program at my school mid-year, and then there is the whole other problem of trying to get the approval of my mother. But when I was thinking about this I came to a conclusion.

The conclusion was that I don't need the approval of anybody else. I am fortunate enough to know exactly what I want to do with my life at such an early age, and so why should I not go for it? I will never let myself become the person that wakes up in 20 years and hates what I do everyday. I think that too many people let themselves loose sight of their true ambitions for something that will earn them more money, and that's just terrible.

So, from this somewhat long story that you may or may not find personally relevant I offer a piece of advice. No matter what you want to do with your future do not let anybody say that you aren't good enough, won't make enough money, won't find a job, or any of the other possible reasons not to do the thing that you love. This definitely sounds cliche, but the sky is the limit. If nobody ever tackled their goals head on then there would never be anything great in the world.

Expository Composition.

This is a photo of the textbook that I was recently published in. Thank you everyone for supporting me and helping me out.

Glad To Be Back.

So, after completing my senior year I decided to give writing a little break for the summer... but I'm very happy to say that I am beginning to resume my hobby. So, this post will be a little bit like an introduction. (I feel like one is in order since I've been gone for so long)

After graduation I spent some time at home with my friends, said goodbye to by boyfriend for the summer, and spent the remainder of my time in Georgia,Florida, and South Carolina. Since I've been back home I got a new job and started college as a Marketing major (which will soon be changing... Yes, I know. I'm switching already).

Also, this morning I received a package in the mail that contained the textbook that one of my blog posts was published in! So I'll most likely post some pictures soon. I'd also like to thank my senior year English teacher, Leslie Healey, for helping me discover writing as a great interest of mine and for helping me to get published.

It's good to be back.

Copyright.

The other day the topic of body art came up into a conversation that I was having. While this topic isn't really unusual for me to discuss with people, this time I was thinking about it in a rather different way.

This discussion revolved around a tattoo artist's right to their own work. If an illustrator can draw an image and, if he so chooses, get that image copyrighted, can a tattoo artist do the same? Even though an illustrator works on paper and a tattoo artist works on a body does that matter? Does the canvas make a difference?

Now, I haven't done any research on the topic, so perhaps a tattoo artist can copyright their work. But if they infact can not I think that is ridiculous. Every artist has the right to their own work if that is what they desire. (Yes, I know that last sentence seems to go against my views of 'world property', but not everyone has the weird hippie ideals that I do.)

But even though I do not believe in the idea of personal property I find the whole concept behind the copyright process interesting. So, if the mood strikes I'll do a little research.

Control.

So, apparently there is a lot more documented research regarding a person's ability to control their dreams than I had expected. I mean, of course I knew that people had explored the idea before but when I got around to actually doing a bit of research myself I was surprised. And although there is no surefire way to teach a person how to have lucid dreams or exactly how to remember them, there are some tricks that people have discovered.

One of the first thing that one would encounter when looking up information about remembering their lucid dreams is the concept of the four "R's". Remember, Record, Repeat, and Realization. Remembering is the first, and often the most challenging step in this process. Lucid dreams happen when a person is in the REM phase of sleep, so if one is capable of processing the dream and storing it in their short term memory they will most likely be able to remember their dream upon awakening. Then the next logical step to ensure that you remember what occurred in your dream would be to write it down. Simple as that.

The next "R" has to deal with making the first two "R's" a habit. According to some studies, the more you are in the practice of remembering and recording your dreams, the easier it will become to not only fall into the lucid dream state but to recall it more accurately. In time, you will be able to realize that you are dreaming while the dream is occurring, which is the fourth "R". After you have mastered all of the four "R's" you have successfully mastered the art of being able to put yourself into a state where you are capable of controlling the dream scene around you.

Whether this whole system works for sure, I don't really know. But I'm completely fascinated with the concept. Without even trying I am able to recognize when I am dreaming and remember it upon awakening, so maybe I will start to record them and practice trying to manipulate the dream scene that I am in... I'll post again to let everyone know how it works out.

Lucid.

Lu·cid Dream (n)
A lucid dream is a dream in which the sleeper is aware that she or he is dreaming. When the dreamer is lucid, she or he can actively participate in and often manipulate the imaginary experiences in the dream environment.

In my opinion, the web defenition for lucid dreaming above is somewhat confusing. It states specifically that when dreaming lucidly, the dreamer can actively participate in the events and can often manipulate the environment. While this may be true for some people, I think that a little bit of clarifying is needed. In order for it to be considered a lucid dream must the person be making these decisions to participate by their worldly self or only their dream self?

Now, I know that the question just posed was a little confusing, so I'll use a personal example: When I am asleep in bed and I have a dream the majority of the time I am aware of the fact that I am dreaming. My dream self can go through an entire night's sleep worth of events while controling my surroundings, but in my real worldly head I still know that I am dreaming but I can not manipulate the world that my dream self is experiencing. Is that still a lucid dream?

If it in fact is not, then if there was a way that people could train themselves to be able to control the environment that surrounds them within a dream would we be able to have more insight into our own subconscious?

Santin.

Talent, as energy, is neither created nor destroyed; it either sublimates or frustrates us. Just as important as having a talent is betting on it, not only one day but every day.

Dream Selection.

I wish that we could say for certain what exactly causes the dreams that we have when we go to sleep. I have heard that all people dream every night, it’s just a question of whether they will remember any of it when they wake up. This is somewhat curious that I should be so interested in dreaming while we have been reading magic realism literature in my English class. The story Eyes of a Blue Dog is a perfect example of what I am curious about. In the story two people, a man and a woman, meet in a dream. Yet when the dream ends and they both wake up only the woman can recall what happened and the man has forgotten everything, Now I know that this is not just an occurrence from a story, I’m sure it happens in real life also. Maybe not the dream time meetings with other humans; I cannot be certain of that… but perhaps it could happen and if you cannot recall your particular dream from that night you would never even know.

On the other hand, supposing we could remember our dream upon awakening, if we could find a surefire way of knowing what the exact causes of our dreams were then we could have the control to choose what kind of dream we would want to have each night. For instance, I know for a fact that every time I read a magic realism story before I went to bed I would have very vivid and elaborate dreams, so if I want to have more dreams like that all I have to do is pick up one of the stories before I fall asleep. But beyond that I can see no reasoning behind the majority of the dreams that I have.

Maybe there is no real reason and the dreams that we have are just dreams… but I’d like to think that there’s more to it than that.

Side Effects of Reading Mystic Realism at Bedtime.

I am fortunate (or maybe sometimes it is a little unfortunate) that I can say I remember my dreams nearly every night. Whether it is my travels through a cartoon wonderland, a friend desperately trying to save me from a conspiracy, or a mission through the levels of my mind, I find all of my dreams rather curious. This is why at some point in my life I hope to take a class about the nature and interpretation of dreams. Sometimes when dreams are discussed around me I hear a person say something along the lined of, “What the hell did you eat before you went to sleep?” But I don’t know if I believe that has anything to do with the scenes that play out in your head. I think that while we are sleeping we are able to see into a part of our minds that has the potential to be an untapped resource to our own self-understanding. The only thing prohibiting ourselves from seeing the message that our subconscious is trying to reveal is the fact that we need the key to unlock it.

Just last night I had a particular dream that I very much wish I held the key to… and just a little preface; this dream may seem a little confusing to readers.

The dream took place in descending levels of my subconscious mind that, as the dream continued, went deeper and deeper. In addition to my mind being the setting, it was also one of the main characters, yet my body was different. My conscious mind was inside the body of Harry Potter and I was on a mission inside my own subconscious with my English teacher, Ms. Healey, and Ron Weasley.

Now, the earlier plot points of this dream are fuzzy to me now, but the general idea was that the three of us were supposed to discover clues in each level of my subconscious in order to be able to move through the door and descend to the next level in my mind. We had passed through several different levels when we came to a floor where there was no door. The room was vast like a warehouse but was furnished with décor that was odd but beautiful. There were large, ornate mirrors hanging on the walls, tall shaped shrubberies, and an extremely long banquet table with only two chairs. After the three of us had examined our surroundings we began to look for a secret switch of sorts that would reveal a hidden door when Ms. Healey began to scratch at a spot on the wall. After several seconds of intense clawing Ms. Healey, turning away from the nail marks she had made, looked a Ron and me with a manic face and began to speak in a language that sounded like gibberish. All of a sudden, in an attempt to make her stop, Ron hits Ms. Healey right across the face! Despite the fact that I had Harry Potter’s body, my mind was still astonished that Ron had hit my teacher. After several more slaps to the face, Ms. Healey returned to lucidity and at that moment I was woken up.

While I have absolutely no idea what I was supposed to gather from that dream, I think it is interesting that I can explain why I had it. I can with a good bit of certainty say that the unusual sequencing and the presence of my English teacher in this dream was the result of our class beginning to learn about magic realism in literature. And I also know that the Harry Potter characters were a result of my mom making a comment about a Harry Potter commercial after I got home that night.
But the question I am left with is why? Why that specific combination of elements from my day at school, my interaction with my mother, and what is going on inside my head? I’d like to think that if I had the key to understanding that dream it would reveal something astounding to me… but I suppose that I will just be left wondering.

Natural.

Something that never ceases to amaze me is the ability of nature to produce so many beautiful things. Recently I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show and I was astounded by what was able to grow from just three simple things; a seed, soil, and water. I walked into the room at the convention center and the vibrant colors, supple textures, and soft fragrances enveloped me, much to my surprise. I will admit that before I attended the Flower Show I had a rather strong distaste for flowers. I do not usually like the smell of flowers, except for lavender, and I typically find that I enjoy discovering beauty in nontraditional sources. While I was there I was able to see hundreds of elaborate displays by people who turn flowers into an art form, and after having conversations with several of them I have gained a new appreciation for things that are more traditional in their beauty. Like a sculptor with a fresh piece of clay, these artists spend extraordinary amounts of time caring for their living works of art… and perhaps, the creators of these floral displays have an even more unique gift than the sculptor because they have the capacity to work all the while knowing that they have no real control over the outcome. Although the florist plants the seeds, it is up to nature to decide what will become of the creation.

Pope.

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot... The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind... Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.

Light Bulb.

One of the greatest feelings in the world is the feeling that you get when you come up with a really great idea. That first moment when all of your thoughts align and you suddenly come up with something amazing and you can do nothing to stop a little smile from creeping across your face. Speaking as someone who likes to thrive on carrying out these brilliant ideas, the only feeling that can come close to touching that of the initial concept is the satisfaction that you feel after carrying it out.

Since the beginning of this year I have found that I have very little time to do the things that I really enjoy. I have been forced to dedicate my time to school and my job with the little remaining time used to sleep in an attempt to recharge my battery in order to start all over again the next day. But recently, with the last stretch of the school year approaching, I have begun to have more and more time to do things that I find interesting.

There is rarely a moment that the gears in my brain are not churning with ideas for photo shoots, graphics, drawings, etc., and amid my thoughts today my brain stumbled upon an idea for a shoot. Now, this idea is something that I will not disclose here until I complete it… but nevertheless it does not change my excitement. The thought of finally having a new idea for something that I can create that I will actually be proud of.

Now, maybe you’re reading this and know exactly what I’m talking about or maybe you have absolutely no idea… but what are your thoughts on this? What ideas have you had that have excited you?

Three.

Since the beginning of quarter two my readership has increased quite a bit. The beginning of my increased readership seems to have started when I posted the link for my blog on other websites. I have a Facebook, a Tumblr, a Twitter, and a Flickr, and once I put up the like to my Blogger the number of views to my page went up. I also think that views to my blog increased when I went back and tagged all of my posts with key words to make it easier for outside viewers to find it. Something else that I tried was to try to keep to similar subject matters, but I’m not sure how much of an effect that really had.

The most popular post that I’ve written is my post titled Ink that I wrote of February fifth. I think that this was a popular post because of the subject matter and the interests of the people that I know. This was one of the first posts that I wrote after I started putting my Blogger link on Facebook, and the reaction by the people I know was great. I had a good number of my friends tell me that they really enjoyed what I had to say about the subject. I also posted the link of Tumblr where my followers tend to be interested in tattoos also. Impermanence was also a popular post. Though I have a more challenging time pinpointing what made it so. Perhaps it was just luck that people happened to want to read my blog that day, or maybe people were just interested in my stream of consciousness at the time. What I can say for sure though is that my readership went from twenty viewers for the entire month of December to three hundred and ninety five in February.

When looking at the sites that people have linked to my blog from, Facebook is by far the leader. With two hundred and forty eight links from Facebook it is followed by thirty nine direct links to my blog and twenty six from my Tumblr. Something that I’d like to try to improve on is the number of viewers that I can get from searching a key word. So far I’ve only had one that was searched under the key words “Alex Grey ideas”.

This quarter pretty much everything that I tried to do was able to boost my readership. In the future I would like to be able to increase the number of readers that will come back to my blog on a consistent basis that are outside of our school setting. Several of the people that I work with have told me that they come back and read my blog consistently, as so some people from Canada and England, but I’d like to see this number increase in the future. If I had to assign myself a grade for quarter three blogging I would give myself an ‘A’. Not because I just want to have the good grade, but because I think that I deserve it for working to advertise my blog consistently, post on a regular basis, read and comment on the blogs of my classmates, and improve the appearance of my page.

As a writer, I’ve learned that if you know how to write for your target audience that you will be much more successful than if you were to just haphazardly write anything down about a chosen topic. I am rather new to this type of writing so I need to build up my skills at this a little bit. But now that I am aware of this fact I can work of my writing techniques. I’m not sure if I have really noticed a change in my writer’s persona simply because I do not really know what my persona was like before this blogging experience because I didn’t write very much. But I plan to continue using this blog after I leave St. Mark’s, so hopefully I will be able to look back and notice some changes.

Emerson.

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

Purity of Creation.

The University of Delaware was recently fortunate enough to become the new owners of a collection unpublished photographs from the late Andy Warhol. Upon the opening of the university's display of these photos, I found myself being one of a small group of students that were admitted to listen to a lecture regarding the places and events behind them. I found the speaker to be very informative while simultaneously being very enlightening.

The speaker took us around the exhibit and told us pieces of information about each of the photographs and without knowing the speaker not only taught me about the art itself, but also about art in general.

Just as a matter of personal taste, I rather dislike the work of Andy Warhol. I am in no way trying to discredit the art that he has made, but I just don’t find it all that impressive. What does impress me is the fact that Warhol was so amazingly good at conveying his vision. Warhol was an artist in the most pure and fundamental sense of the word. He was a man who possessed great talent and natural ability, but refused to ever compromise his vision in lieu of money. It is clear through the observation of Warhol’s art that at all times he had a clear path in his mind and that he remained steadfast to it regardless of what powerful figure asked him to do otherwise.

It is my belief that in the art world today that there are a great number of people with the gift of artistic abilities that call themselves artists with the sole purpose of reaping a profit from their creations. In my opinion, a true artist is someone who creates what they want to create for no other reason than the fact that they want to see their concept become a reality. Now, I am in no way saying that you have to be poor to be a real artist. I, myself, hope to one day make money from the work that I do… but I can guarantee you that I will never sacrifice my vision in order to do so.

Creation is a gift. Creation is a talent. Creation is pure.

The speaker at the University of Delaware did more than just tell me about the events that inspired a random group of photos. Between the lines of what he was saying he was teaching me the true reason why Warhol is great. Not because he was capable of making art, but because he was a true artist.

Innovators.

One of the main qualities that the world of art possesses that never ceases to amaze me is the fact that no matter how much exposure to it that I receive, I am constantly coming across things that leave me astounded. Today in particular, however, I stumbled upon something that has left me completely stupefied!

After an attempt at going to sleep, which didn’t work out too well, I decided to get online and waste some of my time on Tumblr. Now, for those of you who have an account you know as well as I that Tumblr, though intended to be a blog, has resulted in a forum for people to reblog other people’s random photos. Despite this, there are still gems to be found on this pseudo-blog site… and in this situation I quite literally mean gems.

This photograph is of a little ‘project’ that Hubert Duprat did involving caddis fly larvae. Though Duprat is given credit as the artist for this undeniably gorgeous display of gold and gemstones, I must say that I feel this credit is wrongfully placed. Yes, Duprat should be noted for the idea of seeing what could happen when given the caddis fly an opportunity to show its natural ability, but the credit for the art most certainly belongs to the larvae. The caddis fly is known to incorporate little pieces of whatever it can get its figurative ‘hands’ on when building their cocoons. When Duprat supplied these caddis larvae with precious materials he was merely giving some tiny little artists the supplies that they needed to more blatantly show that their simple natural processes are beautiful.

What Does It Take?

I'll begin this post by stating for everyone who will read it that what I have to say here has no conclusion. I suppose that it's more of a 'brain dump' of something that I had on my mind for a little while today.

As I was looking at some of the photography and graphics work that I have done over the past year and was comparing it to the work of some budding 'artists' (it will soon become clear why that word is in quotes) that I made the acquaintances of in Savannah, GA over the summer... and my question is, what really makes someone an artist?

Wikipedia defines an artist as, "...a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art". And while the term 'artist' traditionally refers to the field of the visual arts, I am also curious about the other fields that are more broadly considered arts as well. Among these could be the culinary arts or performance artists. At what point does a person have the grounds to say that they have surpassed the point of being a dilletante and have reached the point of being an artist?

And it being an 'artist' a permanent state of being once you've reached it? Or is it something more like a phase that you can drift in and out of? For instance, during the school year the majority of my photography is portraiture and concert photography that I do for a profit but whenever school is not in session I have the time to create my own ideas and stage them just to my liking. Is it only in that time when I should consider it art? Or is it all a form of art because I do consider my for profit work to have my own unique spin on it?

That's all I have for now... I could consider the subject for much longer and pose many more questions, but I'll leave it at that.

Dance.

I did some portraits for my friend Brooke las weekend, and I'm very pleased with how they turned out. I don't usually enjoy this type of rote, straight forward photography but this shoot was very fun and taught me a thing or two. From this shoot I definitely learned some resourcefulness (due to having to rig a pseudo photo studio out of my bed sheets, and it also helped me to gain a little bit of appreciation for people in this field. I did not realize quite how challenging it could be. So for all of those who have heard me talk trash on boring portraiture, I appologize.

The Art of Interaction.

The way that people interact with each other has always fascinated me. Whether it’s between two strangers engaging in small talk or a couple of old friends, people reveal a lot more than they think by the way that they partake in social situations. For instance, I recently stopped into a McDonalds to get a quick coffee and I happened to see a man who seemed to have set up shop at one of the tables equip with a laptop, briefcase, file folders, etc. We made seemingly awkward eye contact as I entered and walked up to the counter but thought nothing of it, but after I’d made my purchase I walked by him to wait for one of my friends. As I did this he said excuse me and asked me if I liked poetry. Now, at this point I was thinking in my head that this was a creepy middle-aged man who just wanted to talk to me (because this has happened far more times than I’d like), but I paused for a second to hear what he had to say. Saw my skepticism and explained that he was doing some work there to get out of the house and that when he needed a break from working that he would write little poems, and he asked if I’d spare a moment to give my opinion on one. Looking around the McDonalds and seeing my friend had not returned, I told him I had time for just one or two short ones but still did not get too close. The poems were simple and nice, though rather common place, and after I’d read two my friend returned. The man then shook my hand and thanked me for the comments and I wished him a good night.

It is interesting that this man seemed so comfortable with asking any old person to spare a minute or two with him just to have a bit of company. Had it been me working at a public place I most likely would have just gone about my business and kept to myself. On the opposite end of the spectrum, one of my closest friends would be the polar opposite. Every time we are out together he will make conversation with just about anybody like they were old friends. I really admire this sense of social comfort and confidence in this way. His happy and easygoing personality draws people to him, and I always enjoy being able to witness it.

I have also noticed that people tend to act dramatically differently when they are with people that they consider friends in contrast to acquaintances. For example, despite my tendency to seem shy in front of people that are new or that I am uncomfortable with, when I am with my close friends, like the one that I just spoke about, I am very gregarious. And when this friend comes out of situations where we are in public surrounded by a good number of people he becomes slightly more quiet and perhaps even a bit reserved. I know that my change in personality is a result of my level of comfort with him and I feel like I can let my guard down and be myself. Though I obviously can’t be certain, I think that the same reasoning is behind his personality change as well. From my viewpoint it gives me the impression that when he is with me that he feels like the need to act so completely extroverted is gone and that he can relax a bit.

The art of interaction has been evaluated for years and I’m sure that it will be for years to come. Though I’m not sure how much progress there really is to make in such a matter because it will forever be impossible for one person to get inside the head of another to understand the thought processes behind what motivates their behavior. None the less, it is still fascinating to think about.

Ink.

Perhaps it's a generational thing, but something that I don't understand is certain people's aversion to tattoos. Years ago tattoos were seen as a sign of rebellion or of a person that was in a 'rough crowd', and some people still seem to believe this. Today tattoos are much more commonplace and main stream. Now, I'm not saying that tattoos are things that everybody should get. They're something that some people are just not interested in, but that does not mean that they should show a bias against people with them. There is an especially big bias against the tattooed members of our society when it comes to the work force. I have a very good friend that has found it to be very difficult getting a new job because of his tattoos, and I think that this discrimination is absurd. There are a host of laws that prevent discrimination by employers, including ones regarding physical appearance, yet managers still discriminate against people who happen to have tattoos. I find this completely ridiculous. There are lots of people, including my friend, that would prove to be very good dedicated workers if given the opportunity.
There is a whole art form dedicated to tattoos, and who is any employer to deny a person a job based on their decision to display art on their bodies? I think that it is beautiful if someone is confident enough in themselves to want to display something that is important to them in ink on their bodies forever. I understand that people sometimes end up getting a tattoo and regretting it later in life, but I think that in that circumstance they should have spent more time considering their decision before it was made. I plan on getting sever tattoos in my lifetime, and I have been planning my first one for about two years now. I formed an idea, drew several sketches of it, then took time to think about it more, and repeated that process several times. I want the tattoo because it is something that I drew so it is a personal creation of mine, and it is symbolic to me. I know that I may have to work a little extra hard to get where I want in life because I've chosen to ink my body, but I'm prepared to do that and I dare any unaccepting employer to say that I won't be able to prove them wrong.

Impermanence.

Something that I don’t understand about the tendencies of humans in our culture is the need that people feel to hold on to everything. It seems that the majority of people derive their sense of accomplishment from a tangible item that they can display for others to see. Having said this, I am no different. While the majority of people choose to display their success with things that they purchase, I find that my strong tie to physical items is my artwork. I find that after I have invested myself in a piece that I can not let it go because I feel that the time will be a loss when in reality this is not the case. The sense of accomplishment should be derived from knowing that you accomplished the job successfully and that if you did it once, that you are fully capable of doing it again. I have heard that many teachers will create an assignment for students to complete that they then destroy in order to teach them a lesson on this very matter, but I’d never encountered such a teacher until first semester of this year. The assignment was in my drawing and composition class and we were supposed to draw an iconic celebrity on a piece of Mylar paper. The members of the class chose very good subjects such as Betty White, Obama, Hugh Laurie and my choice, James Dean. After my classmates and I had spent a minimum of a week’s amount of work on the drawings our teacher told us to take block erasers and slash the papers. So, a very frustrated and upset class spent the next five minutes erasing into their works of art. Though at the time I was HUGELY aggravated, the lesson most definitely taught me something. It taught me to learn to hold items less preciously. It made me realize that there are certain cultures and religions that stress the concept of impermanence as one of their principle values. If you've taken a world religions class then you know that in Buddhism, the monks construct elaborate sand mandalas only to destroy them upon completion so that they may practice their patience and concentration while meditating. Chalk street artists also have to be able to deal with the concept that their creations will be completly washed away at the next rain. Perhaps the people of our society could benefit from the lessions that these practices have to teach us. Any thoughts?

Continuing the New Year.

Something that I have always found curious is the concept of New Years resolutions. Every January first it is customary for people to have at least on resolution in their head that they plan to do in the year to come that will help them better themselves in some way, shape, or form. My question is why New Year's? Why do people need to have a certain day on which they plan to do something to make them feel better about themselves? In my opinion, if someone feels like they need improvement in their lives they should just do it. There is no need for a particular date to start doing something good and new.
I also think that they are often not taken very seriously. Why bother to make a resolution if in a couple weeks it will be either forgotten or ignored? The whole concept just seems superfluous to me. If I am serious about making a change in my life I will do it at the time that I see necessary and continue to keep up with it.