The Hunt Begins Without Me...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 1 of film 7, is having its midnight premiere right now and

I. Am. Not. There.

Somebody tell me what's wrong with this picture.

Go Away.

Stress is making a reappearance.
Given the fact that I haven't had to deal with it in a while, I'm unfortunately having to relearn how to cope with it.
Not going to well.
Then again, what else is new.

On a brighter note, at least I'll be outside again this weekend...

Lumos.

There is something about snow that makes me think I'm at Hogwarts...

"Please Note-Your Records Have Now Been Transferred To The College Indicated Below..."

It's official.
I received my major declaration confirmation last night in the mail.
I'm a Geology major in the Appalachian State College of Arts and Sciences.
My home for the next few years will be the Rankin science building.
Off to the side is the empty check box for History majors stationed in Old Belk Library...
Weird does not even begin to describe it.

Dilemmas and Decisions.

New Zealand?...or...Peru?
Summer seems to far off, so why am I being forced to make all these decisions regarding summer 2011 now in November of 2010? I need money, therefore I need to work. I'm behind on my classes on account of my new geology major. Therefore I need to catch up and possibly take summer classes. I want to do something amazing. Therefore I want to travel. I want to be outside. Therefore I want to go on an extended summer expedition. I want to build up my outdoor experience resume. Therefore I NEED to go on an extended summer expedition. Many of these needs seem conflicting of one another. Many of these needs cannot easily coexist. I have never been good at planning ahead. This needs to change. Today I attended a interest meeting for an amazing 28 day outdoor adventure trip to New Zealand this summer consisting of backpacking, sightseeing, whitewater rafting, hiking, possibly climbing, cultural immersion, and sea kayaking. However, I've also heard of an expedition later in the summer to Peru that would consist of a more land based focus on things such as backpacking, climbing, and mountaineering. I'm torn and both trips come at a steep $$$. As much as I'd love to do both, that is obviously not an option. Not only that, but how am I to balance work with such an extended absence. I've never been a prompt decision maker. All this thinking and looking ahead has my thoughts all twisted into a convoluted knot of over-analysis. Sometimes I think an off button would be highly beneficial every now and again...like now...

"This Somber Song Would Drain The Sun, But It Won't Shine Until It's Sung."

First off, I know I haven't blogged in a while. To anyone who actually reads this blog, I apologize for that. I'd say that life has been busy lately, and it has, but then again it hasn't. If that makes any sense. It seems like lately I've been on auto-pilot and blogging is rarely undertaken when I'm overcome by such apathy. Since I got back from fall break I've kind of been in a funk. Fall break was nothing short of amazing seeing as how I spent the entirety of it climbing/camping/hiking out in Linville Gorge. I can honestly say that I think I have fallen in love with climbing largely as a result of the trip. I'm not very good at it at this point in time by any means, but for once my eagerness to simply do it anyway vastly overcomes my severe lack of ability. With any luck this will eventually lead to a growth in skill. As with most of my returns back to the reality of civilization though I got kind of depressed. I suppose my way of coping with wilderness withdrawal is to numbly accept back the regular routine of life. Well, I guess that detachment just hasn't fully worn off yet this time. On top of that, now Boone temperatures are plummeting at alarming rate and there is a call for snow in the forecast by the end of the week. For the first time in my life, the idea of an imminent winter is quite a sobering thought. I've really felt a flourishing of life in it's entirety this past fall and hate to part with it. To me this year, winter seems looming, barren, uncompromising, foreboding, unwelcome. This is probably the wrong attitude. My funk is probably almost over. Hopefully...I'd like to feel things again soon.