We

During the fall of 2011 I was in a nonfiction writing class. One of the major papers I wrote was entitled "We." I wanted to express the times in my life where I felt like I was part of something bigger than myself, whether it was my own family, my extended family, part of a this country, or as a missionary. I did a terrible job because I didn't have enough time to really understand what I wanted to show. I have been thinking about this a lot lately. This week I went to a pageant and I got a chance to talk to a member of the cast (a friend from 10 years ago). He was part of this huge unified endeavor and it made me a little jealous. Throughout my life I feel as though I have rarely felt that type of unity that I sense is common among sports teams and plays . Which is something I kind of crave. I think that is one reason why I am willing to comment during classes, although I rarely talk to the people around me because it is against my natural inclinations. I consider myself an introvert. This is quite the internal battle at times this desire to be part of something more... but without reaching out to talk to people. It's kind of problematic really.

Pixel Art and Other People's Projects

So my brothers were working on a fairly simple computer game (It uses an OpenSource game called TripleA that is basically Axis and Allies). They wanted to do it based on the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender.* I volunteered to do the pixel art for the units, and I have been thoroughly enjoying it although it has taken quite a bit of time and effort. But here they are. Hopefully if you are familiar with the series you can see some resemblance. 

They are 48x48 pixels and meant to be seen at this size. 

The Earth Kingdom

The Fire Nation

The Water Tribes

The Air Nomads/White Lotus

Sometimes I just think it is interesting though how much easier it is to be motivated to do other peoples projects then my own... But only sometimes. It might partially depend on how enjoyable it is to work on it.

*This art and blog are in no way associated with Avatar: The Last Airbender

Socks

My sister gave me a pair of socks that epitomize how I think of socks. Ironically they look like shoes, which is not the point.

Here they are as normal a pair of little purple shoe socks as you can get. But flip. . .

and they have little monsters popping out!
I like exciting, colorful, and weird socks. I have ones with reindeer, strawberries, rainbows, and sheep to name just a few. And compared to the rest of my wardrobe they are beyond boisterous (and garish). Normally I wear plain jeans or dark pants and monocromatic T-Shirts, polos, or v-necks. I feel much more comfortable wearing relatively plain clothes. But I like exciting socks. I think this is because they don't always show. Socks are rarely the first thing someone notices about you. Thus, I feel like I can wear them and show my slightly odd self but as a footnote (don't mind the pun) not as the main point. Thus these socks that are more wild then say a pair of plain white socks are not as wild until you flip them up and reveal a little monster, almost as an afterthought.

Sand Ripples

This is the desert... actually it is just the St. Anthony Sand dunes. I guess I've never really been to a desert or even sand dunes before because I thought this was  amazing. I have been on plenty of beaches and played in sandboxes but the overwhelmingly large sand dunes with real live sand ripples was really neat. Even though we spent only a few minutes there I found it interesting. It was just one more peak into a world that gets bigger the more you see of it.

Archery

I woke up this morning with sore upper arms, a bruise on the first knuckle of my left hand and calluses or blisters on three fingers on my right hand. It has been the same for awhile now, two weeks exactly. The reason is obvious from the title: archery. I have been practicing with my brother's old bows. We have five arrows, 2 with broken nocks (the end that clips to the string of the bow), one with a bent point, and all but one have tattered or missing fletches (the feathers). The longbow I was practicing with for most of the time is now out of commission, the string, slightly frayed before, snapped on Friday as I pulled it back (sorry). The other bow, a recurve, is much heavier and I cannot pull it all the way back, plus only one of the five arrows (the one pictured) fits it. I'm going to keep playing around with it though.
I have enjoyed it. Although sometimes it takes me a while to get around to it, but when I do, it is so peaceful I often stay longer then I was planning. Wet grass cushions my feet, and the sun and shade mingle around me. I breath in through my nose as I draw an arrow across the string and shift the bow from horizontal to vertical and draw the string back against my cheek in The movement. Letting my breath go the arrow flies straight but with a slight spin that I can't even consciously see, and yet I do. The solid thunk lets me know my arrow hit it's mark, the cardboard box I'm aiming at (which doesn't help the fletching issue). Either that or it pierces the lawn nearby :).
A few weeks ago I went (gun) shooting with some friends for the first time. I shot a .22 and a shotgun with them. When I remembered what I was doing and lined up the sights correctly I could hit the eggs we were targeting. We left metal bullets and casings scattered everywhere, they are not reusable.  It was awfully loud, and although it took a little effort to hold up the end of the gun it was not particularly difficult. In some ways I think it was easier to hit the target then with a bow but I didn't like it as much. It probably didn't help that we were with several people I had never met before, it was a little awkward.
Although you shoot both guns and bows I just feel like they are totally different experiences. And I prefer the bow.

Flowers

Here are some flowers that my mom and I made for my nieces and sister-in-law. They are made of chocolates (kisses), cellophane, straws, tape and ribbon.  The fake yellow flowers are just to add to the bouquet. It was kind of fun, although I'm not sure I would bother to do it again. I think they turned out nice though.

Graduation

This week I graduated from college. Last week I graduated from Institute (a religious studies program). So what is graduation? There is all that talk about beginnings, and becomings, achievements and awards. It also often seems to correlate with moving (at least for me). I know a lot of people that didn't walk, and I understand why. The whole program is often long and a little boring and shaking hands with people you have never met before. Plus, you have to buy the gowns. But I still don't regret going, although I wish more of my peers that I was close to had come, as well as my professors. Because the way I see graduation is not so much "Hah! I did it!" but more of mutual gratitude. After all it is only a piece of paper. If you did the work do need to have the actual paper and  attention too? Graduation is a conclusion, yes, it is a way to say "Hey look I can follow through and finish something." But more than that, I was saying "I care enough about this education, and the things I learned, and the experience, and the people that helped me on the way that I am willing to sit through a little pomp, so thank  you." I think that is why I was so sad that my teachers weren't there. At Institute graduation I talked to one of the leaders about how the ceremony and such was not for me, it was to say thank you to them. He responded that that was only partially true that graduations were also a way for the leaders, teachers, and parents to say "thanks for doing the work."

So thank you. To my parents, and siblings, and friends, and teachers. And especially those who came to support me.