Some quoteworthy quotes:

So I've been reading a book that Gretchen gave me for Christmas. It's called Markings by Dag Hammarskjöld. At first I was like, Sven who? It was originally written in Swedish so that's grounds to at least begin reading anything. My thoughts now:
Who cares who Klauss whoever is.. THIS BOOK IS AMAZING AND THE GUY WAS A GENIUS.
Markings is basically journal entries from this guy Dag Hammarskjöld who was a politician in Sweden between 1925 and 1950 when Europe was basically in constant turmoil. I'm only about a third of the way through the book but the amount of insight in ever single passage of his journal is outrageous. It makes all of my journal entries look like "Dear Diary, today Tommy Jones looked at me and I giggled." or "Dear Diary, why doesn't John Carlson ever smell bad? HE DOESN'T EVEN WEAR COLOGNE!"

So here are some snippets of what I've been reading. If you're tired, it's best to go take a nap and come back fresh.

"Openness to life grants a lightening-swift insight into the life situation of others. What is necessary?- to wrestle with your problem until its emotional discomfort is clearly conceived in an intellectual form- and then act accordingly."
(finally someone more emotionally cold than I am...TROY.)

"It makes one's heart ache when one sees that a man has staked his soul upon some end, the hopeless imperfection and futility of which is immediately obvious to everyone but himself. But isn't this, after all, merely a matter of degree? Isn't the pathetic grandeur of human existence in some way bound up with the eternal disproportion in this world, where self-delusion is necessary to life, between the honesty of the striving and the nullity of the result? That we all- every one of us- take ourselves seriously is not merely ridiculous."

"Beauty: a note that set the heartstrings quivering as it flew by; the shimmer of blood beneath a skin translucent in the sunlight.
Beauty: the wind which refreshed the traveler, not the stifling heat in dark adits where beggars grubbed for gold."
(makes my idea that beauty is an emotion a little less eloquent and original but I take it as a compliment)

"You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal, play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth, play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind. He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds."

That last one stings a little for me, and it's been on my mind for at least the last day. So basically, I recommend this book highly. Hammarskjöld is a little bit cynical and in my opinion errs on the side of not enough grace, however, some of his ideas are sobering when I'm more likely to err on the side of prancing around in a field of hysteria.

And so it begins...

It's Monday. I arrived back into the U.S. on Thursday. I gave myself a little break because since I graduated way back in the 07's, I haven't stopped moving or thinking. But, today is Monday. It is day one of the rest of my life: support raising.
I can tell you that it is a little daunting. I mean, I gotta raise all the money I have to live for like a year! OR TWO! GASP! Do you know how hard/much/ridiculous that is? Well, a lot of you do. For those of you who don't, lemme tell ya: it's hard/a lot/ ridiculous.
I've been hanging out with baby though. My little nephew/godson is ADORABLE. But he pukes on me. So, there are ups and downs to hanging out with a baby all day. It's cool though because when I left he was a month old, and now he's six months old. Basically they fast forwarded him five months (because usually life doesn't change or progress at all in America while I'm away.) He has a little personality! Plus he thinks I'm the funniest being on earth and I don't even have to whip out my old stand-up notebook.
Again though, he pukes on me. Yesterday I got carrotted during Sponge-Robert-Quadrilateral-Trousers (everything is an opportunity for intellectual betterment. That little 3/4 cracker's gonna be a genius by the time I leave.)
That is all.

Cereal, and how to eat it properly. TROY.

Out of respect for the few readers that visit this site regularly and expect truth and wise musings here, I'll cut to the chase. Soggy Cereal is one of the best foods ever. Don't get me wrong, crunchy cereal is not bad, but it's like having hamburgers when you can have steak, or a strawberry lolly-pop when you can have real strawberries, or being on earth versus being in heaven with Jesus, who also likes his cereal soggy.

Frosted miniwheats are delicious when they have completely been soaked full of milk. Otherwise they are dry and stick in your throat. You could die.
Chex are delicious when they are half way in between soggy and bloated and fresh out of the box. They need to be half soggy to fully appreciate their delicate and complex taste. It's like letting wine age.

I think I love cereal as much as I love toast. I, like Nic Cady, prefer non-sugary cereals to the sugary ones. My favorites in America are Raisin Bran (I love raisins), Chex, Cheerios and Rice Crispies (also with Bananas like Heather said.) Cereals I do not like however include Golden Grahams, Cap'n Crunch, or Apple Jacks. I mean, I'll eat them, but I'm not a fan.
I think the only really sugary cereal I like would have to be Smacks- which Spain likes to call "Crock Bizz." There is a picture of a crocodile on the box. They are delicious.

Until next time, try not to let this new year make you rushed and hassled. Try slowing down to enjoy the finer things. Don't rush when eating your cereal for example. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit.