Oh Arizona...

As fantastic as Arizona is, it's got some MAJOR political issues... have a look at John Stewart's hilarious comments on our ridiculous new law.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-april-26-2010/law---border

Hit the road Jack

It's 5:50 am, and I'm leaving my house for work. I get into my car, back out of the drive way, and without evening hesitating find myself on the 202 and then transferring on to highway 60. It takes no thought, which is perfect for an early morning commute.

The funny thing is though, if I were awake enough to even notice what was around me, I'd see a highway that was used for movie filming( The Kingdom), I'd see mountains that have famous folklore's and a rich historical connection to the old west. I'd see where John Wayne or Elvis movies where filmed, a city where people flock to for fashion centers, spas, and nightlife... just a whole valley booming with excitement and culture. But I don't see that, because I live here. To me it's just the highway that gets me from A to B, it's the mountains that sit behind my house that I hike at, it's no big deal, it's just the valley. I mean, the Grand Canyon was an hour away from where I went to school, so we went whenever we wanted... it's no big deal to me.

But it is a big deal! People travel from all over the world to see Arizona, yet it's all just a few hours away from me. I've seen loads of it, and I love to explore it, but like everyone else... I take it for granted. I personally have the travel bug. I want to go everywhere, experience everything, and meet everyone. What I sometimes forget is, it shouldn't cost a $ 1,000 plane ticket to travel. I can travel five minutes away from my house and experience something great, if only I am open to it.

Now I definitely try to be open to it. I convince friends to go on spur of the moment drives to Jerome or Sedona or just somewhere new... but why we don't we all do this more? We spend saturdays packed in student houses or dorms all on our heavily used macbooks stumbling on pictures of what looks like the most enchanting place ever. The truth is though, a place that enchanting is probably just a few miles away. Everywhere we are, everywhere we go, there is something to see, something to experience, and someone new to meet. So in reality, to travel, all we need to do is open our eyes and step outside.

It's up to us experience all the world has to offer!

Come on, let's travel.

Goodbye is the new Hello

A few weeks ago, after spending twelve not so perfect, yet perfect days with mr. badger, he had to leave me. It was uncomfortable and unnatural to let go of him as we stood there, arms wrapped around each other at his gate. As I walked out of the airport, everyone staring at me while I was sobbing pretty obnoxiously, I thought how much I hated saying goodbye. Yes, Hate. To my love, to friends, to family, to people I barely know, saying goodbye is one of those things that just feels so against human nature and wrong.

But the truth is, saying goodbye is part of life, it is natural. People come in and out of our lives when we need them or when they need us, so naturally most people don't stay in our lives forever. I know this all to well, being the child of an air force father. I've moved from country to country, town to town, home to home, almost every other year for my entire life. I love that I had that growing up, but sometimes I'm jealous of the people who have known their friends or mates for almost twenty years. I never had that, but I hope to someday.

I understand why we have to say goodbye, but I can't be the only person who finds it to be the worst feeling in the world, right? I've found the only way to cope with the saying goodbye blues, are to think about the hello's. Because every time we have to let go of someone in our lives, we get the chance to meet another person who can affect us or change us or help us or let us help them, and that is truly lovely. So, although I have had to say goodbye to my fair share of boyfriends or best friends, I have met ones now that were well worth the goodbyes I had to go through.

Sometimes, getting through a goodbye is actually a way of finding yourself a new hello. And maybe that next hello, will be the one that stays around forever.

PofV

This post is inspired by Mr. Badger, and his photography.

Whenever I "stumbleupon" a picture, or am looking for the right one to describe my words, I always find some awe inspiring page that makes me wish myself away to another place. The clouds are darkened, the grass is deepened with dew, the sun shines through the decaying and crumbled stone walls creating a shadow on the ground that holds as much beauty as the well worn building above, and I think... oh my god... I have got to get there. I immediately search for where it was taken and day dream myself to greece or brazil or wherever this picture was taken. Yes, the power of photography. Now, sadly, as much as I love art, I can only draw stick figures and my pictures are usually crooked and consist of a point-and-click-in-haste method. I don't have that gift, I wish I did.

I do however love to look at these photographs. And when I go some place new or some place old and find myself idolizing it, I write. I write songs, I write essays, I write short stories, I just write. I also tend to sing, but that's a whole different addiction of mine. It's so funny how looking at a picture and writing about a picture are so similar. It's all about point of view.

If the photographer or writer changes the angle, or alters the mood it can completely produce a different story. Those well worn stone walls now project a frightening shadow that creeps into our souls. The building is no longer antique, just simply fragmented. The clouds are foreboding and shout stay away. Contrasting views of photographers or writers or painters or sculptresses or any kind of artist can change our minds about anything we see.

Point of View is in the eye of the artist, or any of artists' senses for that matter. It turns out point of view may just be one of the most powerful things in this world.

P.S.- If you would like to see a handsome man's handsome point of view, http://callumbadger.tumblr.com/ is a place you could find it.

The Stench

There's something about the smell of a human that can turn a mother bird from loving to abandoning in a snap. That first whiff of you on her chick will make her never come back.

It's interesting the stenches that can be left on us, or our lives, just from brief encounters with people. There are always those people that make us feel great, the ones that help us stay positive, the ones who we strive to be better around. But there are also those people who only have negative affects on our lives. It may not be life changing, or ground moving, but something slight. These people leave sour odors behind on us, and people around us may be able to pick up on them, but it's doubtful. Only someone as close to us, like a mother to a chick, would be able to smell the stench these negative nancy's have left behind on us.

It's usually the people who use us in their plots for attention, or need us and use us without realizing it, that leave the stench behind. And for all of us out there who can't say no to helping people with their problems, well, we just smell sometimes. From jealous schemers to those who are utterly depressed, it's easy for a person to get used in this life time. And, c'est la vie, that's just the way things go, but every time we are used, we gain a slight smell that someone else left behind.

I can of course, like everyone else, think of people who have used me, and people I have used. When I was about 12 I had a friend I mainly played with because she had insanely radical nintendo 64 games, not because I really liked her... yeah, we've all done it, maybe without even realizing it. But the worst cases, the worst smells, odors, and stenches, they are caused by people who know they are using us. The people who call us at 3 am time and time after again just so we can sort out their problems. The people who rely on us for things that no one should have to be relied on for. And the people who play on our own characteristics to get what they want out of us. These are the people who leave behind the worst stench, and if you haven't been used by one yet, trust me, you probably will be.

It's slight, but the stench is there. And even though we know it's wrong to pick up the baby duck or goose, sometimes we do it anyways. But, we have to remember that doing what we want has an affect on that duck, just as it is does on people.

Let's not leave stenches, let's not cause baby birds to be abandoned either.