the story of a kid through college
So I knows its pretty lame to just stop part way through a 30 day blog challenge, but my computer hasnt been cooperating with wordpress, and The class work is already starting to pile up. This post is just a heads up… I wont be updating after this for quite a while. Ive got a few things I need to clear up in my life. also classwork to do. so, so long for now..
This post turned out to be trickier than I thought. Originally i thought, wow I see God all the time, this will be easy! but when I got down to thinking… I found it hard to pinpoint a specific event where God worked. But eventually I found exactly what I was looking for. and It all started with a college worship service called Paradigm…
So my brother, who is a huge influence in my life, has volunteered at Paradigm for quite a while. and HE got ME interested in working the camera during the service, because being a photographer, I love all things photography/videography. I think I misspelled that. Anyways! At the beginning of my freshman year of college I was a little lost religion-wise. I was thinking that since there are so many options out there, who am I to say this is right? And I realized through paradigm that I wasn’t saying it is right, God was showing me He is right.
THe Media crew for paradigm, which consists of an amazing group of guys and gals, really helped me stay near what I needed to hear. And they are some of my best friends now. Paradigm, or should I say God, works in ways that sometimes you never see coming.. Even if its in plain sight. Like working camera at a worship service with the intention of focusing more on the camera work… then all of the sudden you get yelled at through the headset because you let the Pastor walk out of frame because you were too into what he was saying. It sneaks up on you.
I can’t thank the media crew enough, So this post goes out to all of them, Cody, Michael, Chris, Kevin, Joe, Jennifer, The other Chris, Brent, and Clayton. If I forgot any of you Im sorry but Im very tired and its been a long day. In the end I guess it all works out to what I need. I realize that my senior year of high school/freshman year of college I needed to question my own beliefs. Without that I would have no knowledge of others, or of myself. But I realize that through that questioning, I only dug myself deeper into the word of Christ, which is what Ive always needed.
Plato was quoted as saying “Remember how in that communion only, beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities (for he has hold not of an image but of a reality), and bringing forth and nourishing true virtue to become the friend of God and be immortal, if mortal man may.” Which is believed to be the origins of the famous quote “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.
Beauty is a word that gets thrown around alot. whether its referring to the weather, women, or a piece of art. The point is when you try to find true beauty, 1.. its all dependent on the individual, and 2 its difficult to see through the “beauty” of everyday life so to speak.
When I think of beauty all my mind can picture is the wilderness. Rolling streams and huge mountains, wonderous caverns and deep canyons. I. love. nature. it’s a beauty that is often overlooked, most likely because of the societal shift from rural to urban living over the past century. We never see this beauty in the city. Not to say that the city isn’t beautiful. But its just not my cup of tea.
I love being in nature. seeing every star in the sky at night.. hiking through forests of trees that are hundreds of years old. It blows my mind. When I camp, it reminds me of how small we, as humans, are in this world. We may be top dog in the city, but the moment we step into the wild, we’re just another animal, we fit into a puzzle as just another piece. Too often we think of ourselves as the person putting the puzzle together, trying to combine the beauties of city life and wilderness, when in actuality, we are part of all of it. Waaaaay back in the day, when man had to hunt and grow his own food, we realized that there are predators that could kill us. The only reason we are the top of the food chain is we have rational thought. That is the only thing that separates us from the wild…. and thumbs of course.
Being surrounded by the wild just gives me a high like no other. I honestly think I could live up in the mountains and hunt/grow my own food…. unfortunately I cant grow a beard, so there’s no way I could be a true mountain man 
. to wrap up, I find that nature is the most beautiful aspect of our lives, no matter how big or small a role it plays
Well, to be honest. I think I have ADD with just about everything… music, career plans, taste in tv shows and movies… But one thing that Ive always had in the back of my mind is the idea of working in a National Park.
Fortunately I have the opportunity to attend college for this exact career. Wildlife management. My uncle has worked in Yellowstone for jsut about as long as I can remember.. And Ive only been to yellowstone once, when I was very little. But i vividly remember being wrapped up in the life within the park. Everything had a certain beauty to it that I cant describe.
What better way to fulfill my dream than preserve what captured me as a child. The way I see it, If i work to keep the parks and wildlife beautiful.. I provide entertainment for generations to come.
Sorry for the short posts, but Im tired and just cant think right now…
So.. wordpress, way to be down for two days so I fall behind on my blogging… anyways
Three major passions… hmm lets think.
Well I absolutely love music. Playing, listening, writing, watching, etc. EVERYTHING about music just is amazing too me. I took piano lessons when I was a kid, but didnt really find my passion in music until high school, when I learned to play guitar. Guitar is my true passion in music, but I also have a mandolin, a flute, and harmonicas. I can also play hand drums, but who cant . Whether it was learning jazz guitar from a great instructor, or playing in the worship band in high school. Or even in college writing and recording original material, guitar/music has always played a part in my life.
Another big passion of mine is photography, Ive been a photographer since I was a freshman in high school. Its been a huge influence in my life and a great distraction during some hard times. I really owe this passion to my uncle John, who is a professional Photographer. HE gave me my first camera, a nikon FM. which I still have today.
And a third passion I have would have to be.. camping. I love camping. My dad was smart enough to throw me into the scouts when I was young..So some of my most cherished memories are of camping with my family. And most recently, backpacking. I love trying to see how long I can sustain myself from the materials inside a pack. It fascinates me to see the beauty in nature while hiking or enjoying some cheap instant coffee at dawn.
I have alot of hobbies in my life but only a few things have become true passions to me. Music, camping, and photography… will ALWAYS be apart of my life.
The term “Painful experience” is very broad. It could mean the physical pains associated with an experience, the mental anguish that follows anything traumatic, or simply an extreme feeling of sadness, even depression. For day 2 of the 30 day blog challenge Im going to write about how my Grandfathers death affected my relationship with God.
My grandpa died seven years ago and to be honest, I didn’t know him very well. By no means was he a stranger to me, but I feel as if I only knew him in my adolescence. When my grandpa died, it wasn’t early, it wasn’t without warning, but yet it was a shock to me. I was 12 at the time. I didn’t fully understand how He could one day be smiling at me and the next be gone. It RACKED my mind. I felt as though God took him away from my life too early. My grandpa lived an amazing life and I felt that God took him from mine too soon.
I was upset that MY grandpa was gone, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. God had cheated me from time with my grandpa, or so I thought.. I remember very distinctly in my freshman Bible class one day, I read a Bible verse that essentially slapped me in the face.
“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15
Two things occurred to me after I read this. 1. Time with loved ones is never wasted, every memory is unique and you remember it because it holds a special meaning. NOTHING, i repeat, NOTHING can take that from you. and 2. My grandfather was going to be with me my whole life, just not in the manor that I had wanted. What I think is more important is it was and is what I need.
My grandpa is still watching over me every day and nothing can change that. Also This verse/the loss of my grandpa made me remember every single funny memory I had with Him. one of my favorite being how my grandpa would never say “strawberry” he said “strawmberry” and It drove me crazy! I would say ” say straw, now berry… now strawberry” and I would hear “straw…..berry….strawmberry”
Death of a family member is never easy on anyone involved. And I think it makes it a little harder when you feel that you didnt know the grandpa or uncle or cousin that well. But from death comes life… and My life has definitely been impacted from this experience.
So I decided to start a 30 day blog challenge, which is you post everyday for a month on a different subject, todays is a changing moment in my life, and I’d have to say that a big change in my life was freshman year of college.
When I graduated high school I had these thoughts of what college was going to be. Weekends with my friends, football, playing video games, and the occasional class or two. But when I got out here, my perspective changed drastically.
I realized that I was going to have to buckle down to get through my classes. And that laundry doesnt do itself… Freshman year of college was a HUGE change in my life, I made new friends and connections that could and probably will someday help my career or get me on the track I want. I lost a few friends to their respective college careers, which is understandable. I also shedded alot of weight, mentally and physically. I stopped talking to a few high school friends, I broke up with my grilfriend back home, and I learned quite a few new things. One being that money management is a science. It was. for all intensive purposes, another class of mine. I had to learn to balance between social expenses, groceries, books, etc. It was really tricky, but Its all turned out for the better.
Granted Im still a child, only 19, but I feel significantly more mature than I did in high school. Part of this had to be the job I had. I worked for texas tech athletics. It really put some work ethic into me. I had to make myself get up for work and for classes, And I had to make sure when I got sick or when I had things to do, that everything got taken care of.
Also my social half changed quite a bit. My taste in food, music, people, and all sorts of things changed. I started to listen to more jazz and alternative music, more laid back so to speak. My taste in food expanded, because poor college students cant be picky . And the people I began to hang out with changed as well. I began to befriend people older than me, I feel as though my maturity surpasses my age by a year or two now. But then again, maybe it doesn’t. I dont really care actually. Thats another thing that changed!
I started to feel more open to the world. I still hold my Christianity dear to my heart and mind, but I’ve learned that everyone is entitled to believe what they want, and holding this view, creates great conversations.
And finally I found that I view myself differently. I feel I now can view myself from the outside looking in, I can see how I look to others. It adds so much to introspection, and just makes thinking fun. And this is unrelated, but I love reading now too. I hardly read at all in high school.
So tomorrow is day two, and I cant wait to see what I get to blog about then 
So meeting people in college, or meeting people in general can be a touchy subject for some. Everyone has a certain set of “requirements” that they hold for meeting new people, whether you realize it or not. For instance, some people will shy away from someone who is smoking, or, as ridiculous as this sounds, people who wear glasses. I had an instance in the Student union last week that blew my mind…
Generally Im a shy guy around new people, Im more introverted until I get to know someone. So I can understand not talking to everyone you see.. But as I walked to class through the SUB, student union building, I met a girl who had the most peculiar “requirement” of meeting people. Now the sub is pretty much the social Hub of campus, everyone and their mother’s mother is there, or passes through there. So its an easy place to work on one’s people skills. As I waited in line for coffee the girl in front of me was very… how shall I say? happy. She had a big smile and seemed as if she was willing to meet anyone. So I decided to strike up a conversation, forgive my shameless tactic of waiting for her to start to fill up her coffee cup and reaching for the same coffee as her. hehe, what can I say it works So We started talking and it ended up that she had class in the same building as me, as we walked that way she looked at me and said “You know? I dont usually talk to people with glasses, but youre really nice” … pardon my french but what the fuck?! So I dug a little deeper trying to find out just why she didn’t talk to people with glasses. It turns out that She sees people with glasses as pretentious, almost flaunting intellect. Pretty crazy right? As we both went our separate ways into class, I couldnt get her out of my head. Not because the conversation was good or she was very pretty, but because of my glasses, that girl wouldn’t have ever talked to me had it been for the coffee… Now I know I’ll sound pretty narcissistic here, but Im an interesting person.. And just because I have glasses, I almost missed out on a great conversation with someone.
It makes you wonder what walls you put up before you meet people. I began to think about how I approach new people, and I’ve determined that I base it on the person Im meeting, If they’re quiet I try and get them to talk more, and if they’re very very talkative, I just sit back and listen. There’s the introvert in me. I shy from revealing too much about myself to any one person. Its something that I want to work on. But granted, there is the extreme that everyone has seen before. The lifestory conversation. Some people just cant help it and blare out theyre whole life to you.
Ive never been great at meeting new people, flirting, social graces like that. Im a perfectlly courteous person to everyone I meet. But I dont put forth much of what I call a “social effort” It could be because Im shy or maybe, like the girl I met, I have all these requirements in my subconscious. But sometimes its really easy to break through your own walls to meet people. perhaps one of the most difficult situations for some is the Friend of a Friend situation. Say you run into a friend and they happen to be with one of their good friends. Introductions ensue and a strange feeling sets in. Almost as if your friend is judging how you meet people by how you interact with their friend, and The new person is trying to get ahold of jsut who you are. Its a sticky situation that turns out is stupid easy to figure out. You, and the new friend, both have things in common with the mutual friend, so odds are, you two could be good friends as well. If you keep that mindset, its easy to meet anyone. Think about it. common interest sparks almost every conversation you have, whether its intentional, like with the coffee, or unintentional.
Well if you followed all of that scattered mess of my thoughts congrats… youre at the end of the post. But next time you meet someone new… try and see what requirements you hold them too.. You just might surprise yourself.
Night folks.
To all my male readers out there, how many times have you had to go buy new razor blades for your Gillette 18 blade contraption? A few hundred you say? and how expensive are those razor cartridges…. right around 20 bucks for 5 cartridges?! why thats insane… why not cut your shaving costs in half?
Yes, this is a safety razor shaving post. Recently I thought it would be fun to learn to shave with a double edge safety razor. Luckily my grandma still had my grandpa’s old razor and soap dish. For those of you who don’t know, safety razor’s are what preceded cartridge razors, like the ones most people use today. Safety razors take individual razor blades that are much much cheaper than CR (cartridge razors). For instance, a pack of ten is 7 dollars. and each blade lasts generally a week or less depending on how often you shave. They razor blades are much cheaper to manufacture and produce less waste, safety razor shaving is a very green practice. IF you’re thinking about trying it, here’s a few things that you’ll need.
1. A Brush
And no I’m not talking about a hair brush, you will need a boar or badger bristle brush to lather your shaving cream or soap with. There are advantages and disadvantages to each brush. The Boar bristle brush is significantly cheaper, but does not hold water as well as the badger brush. The badger brush, while being more expensive, is softer, and as I mentioned a second ago, holds water better. walgreens sells a boar bristle brush that’ll do just fine to start with. 
This is a boar bristle brush
2. Shaving cream or soap/ soap bowl
Now you say you might want to stick to your aerosol can of gel that youve used for ever. But trust me on this one, if there is any practice to take away from this venture into Safety razor shaving, it is the brush and cream method. shaving gel’s are terrible for your skin, they’re more likely to cause irritation while shaving because they dehydrate the skin. Nature creams and soaps on the other hand have been used for hundreds of years and are perfectly safe for your skin. The Bowl is used for lathering the cream or soap with your brush, these can be found online anywhere from amazon to specialty websites. Or you can just use a small bowl that you dont mind dedicating specifically to soap.
3. A safety Razor
everyone has seen this style of razor at some point in theyre life. It is known as a double edge saftey razor. You can find new ones online at places like www.knifecenter.com or you can just google them. there are new brands that make very nice razors such as Parker razors and Merkur razors. But Ebay is also a gold mine of razors, old gillettes that your father or grandfather used. These are probably your best option, mainly because they’re alot cheaper on ebay. And remember, they take Double edge razor blades, so if you buy a used one, clean it with some brass cleaner if its brass, or with some other cleaner, and youll be good to go. The razor blades can be bought at most pharmacy stores like walgreens or Cvs. IF you really want to go all out, you can buy whatever brand of razor blades you want online to see which ones fit you the best.
4. A good aftershave or toner
So now that youve gotten your first safety razor shave down, you’ll want to splash your face with some good aftershave. Doing this will help wonderfully with razor burn, irritation, and ingrown hairs. Also it smells great. There are thousands of aftershaves, just pick one you like the smell of. I use a toner before my aftershave, mainly because it helps with acne. But personally, I keep it old school and use Old spice ; )\
So the actual shave is a little tricky. Wet shaving, as this style of shaving is known, IS an art. It takes time to learn. You want to soak both your razor and your brush in warm water before use, mainly so the brush has water in it and so you dont touch cold steel to your face. The best time to shave is after a shower, your face is nice and clean and hydrated. But if you cant do that, just soak a towel in warm water, ring it out and hold it on your face for a few minutes. So after you lather up, youll want to hold your razor at a 30-45 degree angle and just set it on your face, and let the weight of the razor pull it down, dont apply pressure, you’ll tear your face up. What I do when I shave is the three pass method, the first pass i lather up, and go completely with the grain. then I wipe my face off, lather up again and go from my ear, inward towards my lips. then with the grain on the neck. And on the final pass, I go from my lips to my ears and against the grain on the neck. It works wonderfully and you’ll feel so great afterwards
So I hope this has sparked an interest in shaving for you. And honestly, a safety razor shave, is much much much smoother than the shave youre getting now. Also. there are about a billion videos online of people shaving with safety razors, so if you need further instruction, hit up youtube!
So lately, as in the past month or so, I found i finally broke through a barrier that every musician hits at one point or another, the songwriting barrier. This barrier, at least how I portray it to be, is almost a crossroads as in which path do I want? better at singing or better at guitar, or songwriting? Or perhaps the trifecta! Well i found that I can finally come up with lyrics and melodies that I like, and that a small audience of friends has liked too.
Honestly I haven’t thought of performing music since I was in worship band in high school. But Im finally getting back to that point, Im feeling that with a little work on fine tuning my music I’d be able to get out there and play. But I fully expect to go no where with it. And I couldn’t be happier.
I feel like there is a lot of pressure on musicians to play their music and try to constantly move up so to speak their careers’. There will forever be bands trying to make it. And Ive never wanted that. Its just a lot of pressure for something that could kill the love of music in a band. Not to mention mass interpretations of my music that could be horribly off base. Was that pretentious of me to say? Meh, what can you expect from musicians these days
Ive always wanted to play small gigs, a coffee shop here and there, maybe a bar or two. But Ive never wanted to take my music anywhere that I couldnt control it. This is also a major reason Im hesitant to record any original material. I want my music to stay in me. not my hard drive. Its always been difficult for me to let go of things personal to me. Music especially. anything I create, I always feel a sense of extreme ownership over. Which could be good or bad I guess… The way I’ve always thought of it, is I want to fill the grey area in between playing in my room and playing for a couple hundred people. I want to be that guy you can always hear at the coffee shops on the weekend
But who knows where my music will take me, I could play one set and be boo’d back to arlington, and Im ok with that. I like these songs, they’re my life and I dont have to impress anyone with it. I just want to opportunity to share my experiences in a creative way. So as I write this blog I cant help but feel a sense of urgency to get out to lubbock and try to find a gig. Even if its playing in the free speech area on campus. I want someone to hear my music.
I want someone to hear my music and let it open their minds to their own music. Everyone has the ability to express themselves creatively. Its just sometimes its buried or hidden. Obviously mine was hidden until something this summer that brought out my songwriter inside of me.
So to everyone who’s tired of talking to themselves in their head, find a way to get it out, music, art, dance, sports. Get your experiences out there! You never know who you’ll reach!
September 17, 2011
Dan H
