Good Morning Good Morning!
Hello my little happy campers and let me say that today is going to be a wonderful day. right now I am in Berne Switzerland at it is amazing. Just got done with Normandz and Paris. Dont have to much time but wanted to let every body know that I am alive and well and have you giys in my thoughts. Much Love
Marcus
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Sweetness...
Hey gang,
So I am hoping that this is going to be one of my longer blog posts as a ton of stuff has been going on in my life and I would like to share it with you all. This trip is turing out to be something that I never thought it would and it seems to open my eyes to so many things every day. I feel like people are still going to feel that I am the same Marcus when I get back (well at least I hope so) but somethings are going to change for sure. Lets go through some of the things that have happened thus far and how I feel that they have changed my life. After that I will dive into some of the stuff I have been doing and then after this blog gets posted I am going to update some photos onto my new photo page so make sure to check them out. I can't tell you guys how great it makes me feel to know that people check this blog and see my photos. I love the comments on both pages.
So, traveling so far from home for such a long period of time has really made me realize how strong the friendships that I have back home are. Everyday I have e-mails or facebook messages that are asking me what is going on in my travels. I often run from the computer leaving my AIM up and running and when I get back the desktop is covered in IM's from friends and family wishing me the best in all I do and one close friend sent me a wonderful IM that said something like thus "Marcus, get off the computer and go do something amazing... your in EUROPE!" It gave me a great chuckle. Again all of your guys love and support has been great and your friendships are valued. This trip has really shown me that no matter where I go or what I end up doing after college that you guys will stick with me. That means a ton.
I think the next thing that I have really learned about myself that this trip has put into focus is that I worry to much about things that are out of my control. This really hit hard yesterday. I went to the park for a while and set up my hammock just to get away from all the Shakespeare and I found that I just couldn't relax. I was thinking about things that have been going on with friends back home, what could go wrong on my travels once I head off into new countries by myself, and what I need to start to figure out as next year will be my last year in undergrad. As many of you know I have a ton of ideas of stuff that I want to do (camping store being the biggest dream) but what I am going to have to do to make a living has been a huge weight on my shoulders. Then it kind of hit me... I can't really do anything about these problems. Sure I can give friends advise. Sure I can pre-plan my trips and be safe with my money and documents. Sure, I can even go see some kind of job expert to see what I am really made to do, but in the end none of that shit really matters and me stressing about it doesn't matter. Life works in its own way and in the end very little can be done to change it. I know this might sound a little odd and an easy conclusion to come to but I think putting it into effect into my life will make everything just run smother.
Last big change, I got a girl over here pregnant so I guess that means I'm a dad now. No I'm just pulling your chain. I bet that your heart skipped a beat though. That was kinda mean. No the last big thing is that this trip has really made me realize what I value in life and what I wasn't in my own life when I get older. I realized that while money might make some aspects of life really simple it doesn't have to be flowing out of your pockets for you to be happy. I have traveled to a number of places in the last 35 days and the locations have changed from huge cities like Rome to small communities like Glastonbury. The theme that I have really caught on to is that people in the local communities always seem to be way more happy. I always told myself that I never would want to live in a place like Saline (my home town) because I thought it felt small and that you never get to meet new people. Being over here I realize that small isn't a bad thing. In fact I think the a nice medium size town has a sense of community if people come at it with the right mind set. Also, I think that the people that you surround yourself with and tolerate play a big role in how one feels to life. I think that people feel like the have to like this person because you have a mutual connection to them via a real friend or that its rude to not spend time with someone who you are forced / asked to be around. In the end though I have come to realize that just because you don't like someone doesn't mean that they are a bad person it means that you want different things out of life and thus are being counterproductive to one another. Thus Ill sum it up into three points titled...
Marcus' Things To Make A Happy Life
1) Keep an eye on your money but don't let it run your life. If you need to spend a few extra dollars on something that you are going to enjoy then do it. More money will come your way. Yet, don't buy stuff just because it will make you look / make you have things that you think other people will care about.
2) Live in a community not in area. While I tend to like small, tech savvy, and nature aware communities that doesn't mean that my idea of a good community is for everybody. A community can be a group of people in a large city that share a passion and meet often to talk about such and live by one another. It could also be a group of farmers who don't like city folk and meet at the same pub to figure out how they can help one another with current projects. Communities make for a better life.
3) Getting along with everybody is impossible. In America, we feel that everybody needs to like everybody else because it makes things easy. This is wrong. What it does do is make it so people are going place with people who they feel interrupt the flow of things. Surround yourself with people you like and if someone you don't is going to be involved opt to stay home and read a book or work on something that you personally enjoy. You will find that it will be a better time and you will get something great out of it rather then going out and finding that you want to smash your head through a window because the guy across the table from you sounds like a moron.
Wow that was a lot of typing. I think I'll keep this next part short and add more tomorrow so that you guys can go out and do other things.
I went on a number of trips these past few days and the photos I add should point some of them out. I was going to go back to Glastonburry today but I need to catch up on some reading and relax as I don't want to burn myself out. Like I said I'll blog more on the locations later. I also dropped some letters in the mail today.
~Marcus
So I am hoping that this is going to be one of my longer blog posts as a ton of stuff has been going on in my life and I would like to share it with you all. This trip is turing out to be something that I never thought it would and it seems to open my eyes to so many things every day. I feel like people are still going to feel that I am the same Marcus when I get back (well at least I hope so) but somethings are going to change for sure. Lets go through some of the things that have happened thus far and how I feel that they have changed my life. After that I will dive into some of the stuff I have been doing and then after this blog gets posted I am going to update some photos onto my new photo page so make sure to check them out. I can't tell you guys how great it makes me feel to know that people check this blog and see my photos. I love the comments on both pages.
So, traveling so far from home for such a long period of time has really made me realize how strong the friendships that I have back home are. Everyday I have e-mails or facebook messages that are asking me what is going on in my travels. I often run from the computer leaving my AIM up and running and when I get back the desktop is covered in IM's from friends and family wishing me the best in all I do and one close friend sent me a wonderful IM that said something like thus "Marcus, get off the computer and go do something amazing... your in EUROPE!" It gave me a great chuckle. Again all of your guys love and support has been great and your friendships are valued. This trip has really shown me that no matter where I go or what I end up doing after college that you guys will stick with me. That means a ton.
I think the next thing that I have really learned about myself that this trip has put into focus is that I worry to much about things that are out of my control. This really hit hard yesterday. I went to the park for a while and set up my hammock just to get away from all the Shakespeare and I found that I just couldn't relax. I was thinking about things that have been going on with friends back home, what could go wrong on my travels once I head off into new countries by myself, and what I need to start to figure out as next year will be my last year in undergrad. As many of you know I have a ton of ideas of stuff that I want to do (camping store being the biggest dream) but what I am going to have to do to make a living has been a huge weight on my shoulders. Then it kind of hit me... I can't really do anything about these problems. Sure I can give friends advise. Sure I can pre-plan my trips and be safe with my money and documents. Sure, I can even go see some kind of job expert to see what I am really made to do, but in the end none of that shit really matters and me stressing about it doesn't matter. Life works in its own way and in the end very little can be done to change it. I know this might sound a little odd and an easy conclusion to come to but I think putting it into effect into my life will make everything just run smother.
Last big change, I got a girl over here pregnant so I guess that means I'm a dad now. No I'm just pulling your chain. I bet that your heart skipped a beat though. That was kinda mean. No the last big thing is that this trip has really made me realize what I value in life and what I wasn't in my own life when I get older. I realized that while money might make some aspects of life really simple it doesn't have to be flowing out of your pockets for you to be happy. I have traveled to a number of places in the last 35 days and the locations have changed from huge cities like Rome to small communities like Glastonbury. The theme that I have really caught on to is that people in the local communities always seem to be way more happy. I always told myself that I never would want to live in a place like Saline (my home town) because I thought it felt small and that you never get to meet new people. Being over here I realize that small isn't a bad thing. In fact I think the a nice medium size town has a sense of community if people come at it with the right mind set. Also, I think that the people that you surround yourself with and tolerate play a big role in how one feels to life. I think that people feel like the have to like this person because you have a mutual connection to them via a real friend or that its rude to not spend time with someone who you are forced / asked to be around. In the end though I have come to realize that just because you don't like someone doesn't mean that they are a bad person it means that you want different things out of life and thus are being counterproductive to one another. Thus Ill sum it up into three points titled...
Marcus' Things To Make A Happy Life
1) Keep an eye on your money but don't let it run your life. If you need to spend a few extra dollars on something that you are going to enjoy then do it. More money will come your way. Yet, don't buy stuff just because it will make you look / make you have things that you think other people will care about.
2) Live in a community not in area. While I tend to like small, tech savvy, and nature aware communities that doesn't mean that my idea of a good community is for everybody. A community can be a group of people in a large city that share a passion and meet often to talk about such and live by one another. It could also be a group of farmers who don't like city folk and meet at the same pub to figure out how they can help one another with current projects. Communities make for a better life.
3) Getting along with everybody is impossible. In America, we feel that everybody needs to like everybody else because it makes things easy. This is wrong. What it does do is make it so people are going place with people who they feel interrupt the flow of things. Surround yourself with people you like and if someone you don't is going to be involved opt to stay home and read a book or work on something that you personally enjoy. You will find that it will be a better time and you will get something great out of it rather then going out and finding that you want to smash your head through a window because the guy across the table from you sounds like a moron.
Wow that was a lot of typing. I think I'll keep this next part short and add more tomorrow so that you guys can go out and do other things.
I went on a number of trips these past few days and the photos I add should point some of them out. I was going to go back to Glastonburry today but I need to catch up on some reading and relax as I don't want to burn myself out. Like I said I'll blog more on the locations later. I also dropped some letters in the mail today.
~Marcus
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
*tear* my bad
Hey guys,
I am really sorry about the short blog post yesterday but I just got a really killer headache that I could not shake so I thought I would called it quits and take a nap. Well that nap turned into a full nights sleep and I woke up really early this morning as I went to bed so early. It worked out ok though because I got some work done that needed to get done.
This afternoon I had a lecture on Shakespeare in film that was pretty interesting. The guy was talking about how themes from the time that the movie was made were always put into the adaptation of the play. We got to see some really interesting sources and it kindda pulled the whole thing together. Yet, I wonder how much I really took away from it. The thing I love about history is how I feel like whenever I learn about some event that took place that I can look back on it and apply it to my current life. Wow Dr. Jass has really brainwashed me... :)
I also made somewhat of a big mistake. So this week the new Dungeons and Dragons addition came out and I told myself that I was not even going to look at the books until I got back into the states. Then I had to go into a Borders to pick up some Shakespeare books and there they were... sitting on a bookshelf with some soft white light making their covers glow like a divine aura. I just thought that if I just flipped through some of the pages I could curb this hunger till I get back home. So I took the books over to one of those nice leather chairs and just started to see if I liked the new rules. Three hours later I had all three books in a wonderful plastic bag and was walking back to my flat. It was bound to happen I guess but now I have to find a way to get them home...
Classes have been going really well. They take up a ton of time just because of the amount of reading that my tutor has given my group (we have to read two more plays then the other group) but I feel like I am going into a subject that I have never really studied before so thats a good thing. I feel like that when I get back to Adrian that it just wont feel the same. Adrian has a ton of sandstone prison like buildings and Oxford is well....Oxford. Something about walking through the streets here and finding that one coffee shop that has that person that makes the perfect cup. Adrian doesn't have that because the place is so small and Adrian isn't really a utopia of culture. Well, guess I am going to have to deal with it and just push my way through next year.
Tomorrow is a not so packed day so that is a good thing. I think I am going to take a nice long walk and get some photos of the park that is by my house that I keep on talking about. Also, I have head of a cool church that is kind of off in the backcountry. I'll make sure to get the photos up as soon as I get back.
Oh and I got a new photo account. Check it.
~Marcus
I am really sorry about the short blog post yesterday but I just got a really killer headache that I could not shake so I thought I would called it quits and take a nap. Well that nap turned into a full nights sleep and I woke up really early this morning as I went to bed so early. It worked out ok though because I got some work done that needed to get done.
This afternoon I had a lecture on Shakespeare in film that was pretty interesting. The guy was talking about how themes from the time that the movie was made were always put into the adaptation of the play. We got to see some really interesting sources and it kindda pulled the whole thing together. Yet, I wonder how much I really took away from it. The thing I love about history is how I feel like whenever I learn about some event that took place that I can look back on it and apply it to my current life. Wow Dr. Jass has really brainwashed me... :)
I also made somewhat of a big mistake. So this week the new Dungeons and Dragons addition came out and I told myself that I was not even going to look at the books until I got back into the states. Then I had to go into a Borders to pick up some Shakespeare books and there they were... sitting on a bookshelf with some soft white light making their covers glow like a divine aura. I just thought that if I just flipped through some of the pages I could curb this hunger till I get back home. So I took the books over to one of those nice leather chairs and just started to see if I liked the new rules. Three hours later I had all three books in a wonderful plastic bag and was walking back to my flat. It was bound to happen I guess but now I have to find a way to get them home...
Classes have been going really well. They take up a ton of time just because of the amount of reading that my tutor has given my group (we have to read two more plays then the other group) but I feel like I am going into a subject that I have never really studied before so thats a good thing. I feel like that when I get back to Adrian that it just wont feel the same. Adrian has a ton of sandstone prison like buildings and Oxford is well....Oxford. Something about walking through the streets here and finding that one coffee shop that has that person that makes the perfect cup. Adrian doesn't have that because the place is so small and Adrian isn't really a utopia of culture. Well, guess I am going to have to deal with it and just push my way through next year.
Tomorrow is a not so packed day so that is a good thing. I think I am going to take a nice long walk and get some photos of the park that is by my house that I keep on talking about. Also, I have head of a cool church that is kind of off in the backcountry. I'll make sure to get the photos up as soon as I get back.
Oh and I got a new photo account. Check it.
~Marcus
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
To be or not to be...
Hey troops,
So, if I have to read one more drop of Shakespeare I'm going to throw up. OH WAIT! I still have a ton to read tonight and a paper to do. I guess that is what I get for doing so much traveling during the weekend but hey how many times and I going to be her... so I might as well make the most of it. Friday I kind of took the day off and caught up on some sleep and did some reading for fun. I didn't have lecture on that day and I knew that I was going to have a hard travel day the next day so it was a good thing. Saturday was a really amazing day. I did one of the oldest Abbies in England and a huge church ( see my photos). Sunday I went to London and did tourist things.
More to come later.
So, if I have to read one more drop of Shakespeare I'm going to throw up. OH WAIT! I still have a ton to read tonight and a paper to do. I guess that is what I get for doing so much traveling during the weekend but hey how many times and I going to be her... so I might as well make the most of it. Friday I kind of took the day off and caught up on some sleep and did some reading for fun. I didn't have lecture on that day and I knew that I was going to have a hard travel day the next day so it was a good thing. Saturday was a really amazing day. I did one of the oldest Abbies in England and a huge church ( see my photos). Sunday I went to London and did tourist things.
More to come later.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Me so sorry....
Hey peoples,
So sorry that I have not been able to get a blog post up in the past few days but school has been really busy as our tutors now think it is the best time of year to read as much shakespeare as one can in a day. Thus, my eyes have some very nice black "sleep rings" around them and I have been having the urge to place a curse upon someones house. If you know anyone who is in need of a good cursing in middle english please let me know.
Life here at Oxford has really started to find its rythm and it seems more and more like home everyday. Friendships have been made that seem as if they will last for many years and I seem to understand English culture a bit more then when I first arrived. I have now been traveling for 32 days now and have 40 more to go. I think today I realized that I need to watch my cash a bit more, as if I keep my current spending rate at what it is I will be running very low by the end. I think that the first thing I will have to cut out is the nicer beer :)
Last week I threw some more photos on my Google account for all of you to enjoy from my super amazing trip to Wales. I think I am going to have to find a new place to store all of my photos as I now have no space on the Google account and I hear that some other websites offer a better service. I will naturaly keep you all posted if any of my photo sharing services change. If anyone has a website that they really like please let me know so I can get the most bang for my buck.
The weather here the past few days has been somewhat gloomy as it has been non stop rain. While this does add to the romantic feel of being in England, it does tend to get a little old after more then three days. I got caught in a very nasty rain storn just two days ago which left me very wet and very cold. I was a bit worried that it would leave me feeling sick the next day but I took a hot shower and wrapped myself up in my sleeping bag for a few hours which warmed me right up.
Well I have run and grab some lunch but I will try and get a second post in today.
Cheers,
Marcus
So sorry that I have not been able to get a blog post up in the past few days but school has been really busy as our tutors now think it is the best time of year to read as much shakespeare as one can in a day. Thus, my eyes have some very nice black "sleep rings" around them and I have been having the urge to place a curse upon someones house. If you know anyone who is in need of a good cursing in middle english please let me know.
Life here at Oxford has really started to find its rythm and it seems more and more like home everyday. Friendships have been made that seem as if they will last for many years and I seem to understand English culture a bit more then when I first arrived. I have now been traveling for 32 days now and have 40 more to go. I think today I realized that I need to watch my cash a bit more, as if I keep my current spending rate at what it is I will be running very low by the end. I think that the first thing I will have to cut out is the nicer beer :)
Last week I threw some more photos on my Google account for all of you to enjoy from my super amazing trip to Wales. I think I am going to have to find a new place to store all of my photos as I now have no space on the Google account and I hear that some other websites offer a better service. I will naturaly keep you all posted if any of my photo sharing services change. If anyone has a website that they really like please let me know so I can get the most bang for my buck.
The weather here the past few days has been somewhat gloomy as it has been non stop rain. While this does add to the romantic feel of being in England, it does tend to get a little old after more then three days. I got caught in a very nasty rain storn just two days ago which left me very wet and very cold. I was a bit worried that it would leave me feeling sick the next day but I took a hot shower and wrapped myself up in my sleeping bag for a few hours which warmed me right up.
Well I have run and grab some lunch but I will try and get a second post in today.
Cheers,
Marcus
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