If you were to die right now
What would you regret?
Not living life sufficiently
And leaving dreams unmet?

But your life may not end soon
Would you be ill prepared
Having wasted every day
Without tomorrow’s cares?

Our lives are long, but days are short
Til nothing’s left to give
Planning risks the loss of now
But now is where we live

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Running, running, always running
Somehow never weary
These whitewashed walls bring slight content
To else what would be eerie

With every door I pass I leave
My past problems behind
Only to be whisked away
And other puzzles find

Times are tough and often hard
For many times I fall
But even still I fly back up
Until I hit a wall

Once I had a companion
A squarely loyal lad
But I went on and he stayed back
Losing all we had

I know not why I carry on
A martyr, as it were
But something draws me to this place
I blame it all on Her

The post Are You Still There? appeared first on Will Mostellar.

April 14, 2011

A Chinese proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” I feel that’s a very accurate assessment of my life right now. While signing up for classes in the fall, I’ve realized that I could’ve planned this semester out a little better. The Statistics class I’m taking was supposed to replace the need for me to take Calculus, but I may end up having to take it anyway for Chemistry 2, and my time in Human Services probably would’ve been better spent in Anthropology. Oh well, you live and you learn (I’ve been doing a lot of both lately). I finally declared as a Criminal Justice major, but I’m still in the same, indecisive boat. Psychology in particular has been on my mind a lot lately; I love analyzing how people think and I think I would love being a counselor of some sort. But we’ll see. Maybe I’ll just get a degree in Criminal Justice and catch the bad guys for a few years, then get a masters in Counseling and help the rest of us.

Our Venture Crew (which is like Boy Scouts, but coed and for 14- to 21-year-olds) went on our annual camping trip the other weekend. The campsite we go to is an easy 200 yard hike off a gravel road, so we have a good amount of people drift in and out throughout the event. We have a great group. I’m officially the Vice President of the Crew, but the President (my brother) wasn’t able to stay for much of the time due to soccer so I enjoyed helping out with everything. We were right by a nice stream, so we spent one of the days just making spears and other weapons in an attempt to catch some fish. We never saw any, but it was fun.

An epic way to cook an epic meal

The first rule of  our group – “always feed your leader” – is easily accomplished when your leaders are magnificent cooks. We got a hold of a huge, cast iron pot to cook our meals in, but didn’t find out until we got to the site that it was almost completely rusted on the inside. However, after a few hours in the creek with brillo pads, rocks, and sand, we got it cleaned up enough for our standards.

Outdoor coffee - the best kind there is

I love being able to go home almost every other weekend. It’s nice seeing my family, church, and youth group, so I’ve been going back whenever I can.

Yeah, I love this little guy.

Inchworm!

For my Human Services class, I’m required to put in 20 hours of community service over the course of the semester. After hearing horror stories about volunteering at thrift stores and other places, I decided I might as well spend my time working with animals at an animal shelter. Since there were several people there doing community service and few inmates from the county jail, I got the option of not having to clean out dog cages and instead work in the cat room. I considered it a good deal. (By the way, it was funny talking with the community service people and inmates about my studies as a Criminal Justice major.)

It's like a mass of fur and cuteness

So warm...

We had to give him a bath, so I begrudgingly volunteered to take up the job of drying him off

Kitty attack!

I love his little eyes

Sneaky sneaky...

:)

In other news, my good friend Andrew is graduating from boot camp tomorrow at Parris Island, so I’ll be driving down tonight to go see him. It’s been three months, so I’m really looking forward to seeing him again all Marined-up. I’m also turning 20 tomorrow, so I’ll be leaving these annoying, teenage years behind. Weird stuff to think about. I’m statistically 25% through with my life, aah!

[Oh, and if anyone feels like taking a survey to help me with my Statistics class, I'd greatly appreciate it: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SYQD9FH]

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For one to love an object is implored
As love unspent is like a paper bill
It has no value of its own accord
Until exchanged then does its worth instill

Such too is joy, it never stands alone
With passing time it slowly fades away
It makes absurd pursuits for just one’s own
It’s only cure: to make another’s day

There is no love like loving without guise
Nor joy like bringing light to someone’s eyes

The post Oh Happiness appeared first on Will Mostellar.

This road on which I drive is oft traversed
By those who are akin to me in plight
These drivers’ goals of mine may stark differ
But for now our means remain the same

Some pass me by, keen to get ahead
Those who know to where it is they strive
Others still are in no means of haste
To rest or wander, that I do not know

As for me, I ponder where to go
So many things are passing through my head
I know that were I now to choose a place
I could get there soon without an err

Although not fast, I love my little car
Trusting it will act just as I wish
And till I know to where it is I drive
It will keep me well until that day

Laughing to the wind I crest a hill
Gently as I do my clutch engage
And let myself to glide in swift descent
Coasting till know what gear is next

The post Coasting appeared first on Will Mostellar.

For Christmas my parents upgraded my iPhone 3G to an iPhone 4. I love it. Even though the glass and metal of the phone are beautiful by themselves, I knew I definitely wanted something to protect my new toy. I looked around for a bit before I eventually settled on an OtterBox iPhone 4 Defender. So after a few weeks of use, here are my thoughts.

Pros

The OtterBox iPhone 4 Defender is very solid. Two polycarbonate pieces (the white in the picture above) snap together to form the front and back of the shell. A silicone skin (the black in the picture above) then goes around the outside like a bumper case. Holding the assembled case in your hand feels very durable, without adding excessive weight. OtterBox has built a name around great protection, and this Defender Series for the iPhone 4 is no different. The case is designed to be shock absorbent; already my phone has endured falls up to six feet without so much as a scratch.

A screen protector is built into the shell, offering a line of defense for the easily scratched screen. Unlike other screen protectors I’ve tried, it stuck right on to the screen when I snapped the shell together, without any annoying bubbles.

All the ports and buttons are covered by flaps and are easily accessible. The flap for the power adapter is a little tricky to get it to stay closed, but once you figure it out you’ll be fine. I have no problem using my phone in a light rain while walking from class to class. However, the case is definitely NOT WATERPROOF. You may or may not be protected in case of a total submersion, and with the headset jack covered you’ll probably get lucky and not trip the moisture sensor. However, I would definitely not recommend taking this case on a rafting trip.

Cons

Protection always comes at a price, and an OtterBox is no exception. My first concern before getting the OtterBox iPhone 4 Defender was that it would be too bulky, and the case is definitely more difficult to carry around than a naked phone. However with a little practice, I can get it in and out of my jeans front pocket without too much of an issue (though mind you, these aren’t skinny jeans). The OtterBox does come with a belt holster, but I never can bring myself around to using it. If you normally wear slacks or loose jeans, portability shouldn’t be an issue.

There are a few other minor quirks, but they aren’t problematic. The screen isn’t as responsive through the screen protector, although the only time I’ve noticed this is when playing a game that requires quick, precise finger swipes (Infinity Blade, if you must know). I’ve also noticed that the proximity sensor doesn’t detect my ear (and thus turn off the screen) during calls at times, but I’ve heard this might be a widespread problem with the iPhone 4, case or not. Lastly, as with any object that resides in pocket, the OtterBox picks up its share of lint. However with a quick wipe from your hand it all comes off rather easily.

Conclusion

You are going to drop your phone. Somewhere, somehow, your phone and the ground are going to become intimately acquainted. For me, I’m willing to sacrifice a little finesse for the assurance that my little piece of Apple goodness can survive almost anything. Almost.

[Here's OtterBox's site. I also recommend looking around Amazon; I was able to find various colors there for around $20-30.]

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Endothermic legumes. Tell your friends.

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Things for Which I am Thankful

1.

My shiny, new iPhone 4! My dad upgraded his and my old 3G’s. His had a defective screen and my battery was almost completely dead (it would go from 100% to 0% in about five minutes of talk time). The display is awesome, it’s super fast, and I love the multitasking. I’ll probably do a detailed post on it later.

2.

Project Gutenberg. It’s an awesome collection of free, public domain eBooks. For the first time in my life I think I actually enjoy reading Shakespeare.

3.

White Christmases! Apparently this was the first white Christmas in Georgia since 1880-something.

4.

Built-in face warmers.

5.

A brother who’s a grammar nazi and insists on never ending sentences with a preposition. (“Things for Which I am Thankful” vs. “Things I am Thankful For.”)

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If you answered yes to both questions, go to your spam queue right now for page after page of nonsensical entertainment!

You never know when you’ll find a poetic gem like this:

There are all kinds of position sorrow plans on the bazaar today including filled medical plans, managed form pang plans, and a assemblage of specialized plans. There is a sweeping manager to their services and the artifact they up as becoming as a lit of offices that you can apply for for or in the past with a assess cultivate information. As they are so at scoot up you can be struck away unconstrained sureness that you will-power be familiar with unerringly what the terms and conditions of the manner that you comprise not on are. When you cosy a pull guardianship typical with Coventry Vigorousness Amity, you can be convinced that you are in snug hands. There is no hassle like that associated with other companies because you whole be experiencing to phone Coventry Fettle Dolour preferably of having to phone in every ministry a sprinkling obvious companies appealing than speaking to the into the unprotected themselves if you require on the other side of way with another provider. Are you however of the 180 million Americans who wants Vigorousness Care? Did you docket that a pattern lessons showed that the heterogeneous inseparable apprehension of those seeking border was; Well-being Abide by Benefits? Well-being Tribulation benefits are a elephantine be connected with, fundamentally to redeem families and the costs scoop skyrocketed on the advantage of employers. In incident Close Motors had considered filing bankruptcy not grouchy to the increasing salubriousness skedaddle woe of costs dragging down its auto manufacturing division. Less than the Bloc and GM hold sway over made a make public acquit to crop some of the benefits but living operating as trite and as a substitute rather than of rivulet its comprised in performing resources arm GMAC.Home constitution guardianship products can subsume pharmaceuticals, overhead remedies, and other products and mat‚riel that countenance healing and wellness. Maiden, it studied to be said that decent because you can requisition a contingency nurse accomplish online doesn?t decidedly it is dexter predestined from top to bottom in the face you to do so. Beau monde conclude that laetrile had little or no effect on cancer. The TruthThe aristotelianism entelechy is multitudinous people were helped with laetrile in peewee clinics and these clinics were gaining stature floor the larger governing hospitals approved next to the Bread and Activate capsule Administering (FDA). Multifarious people were cured, and conclusion the FDA and hefty pharmaceutical companies were losing cabbage on not being superior to deal out in view range pharmaceutical as they thrilled and that being so these clinics were seclude down and in the crave take flight laetrile became illegal. Multitudinous physicians who euphemistic pre-owned Laetrile on their patients were prosecuted and multitudinous clinics ended inspiring to Mexico.

All medical baton and personnel infection dominance products mount in a beefy resiliency of sizes and colors. Patients can be protected from an air-borne disorder circa wearing decaying gowns, defensive dental bibs, facial sheets and capes (in account of younger patients). While working to paravent each resigned, these items also annulus up in numerous designs, colors, and sizes. In scheming, beds, operating tables, tools, sheets, corridors, rooms, bathrooms, and the shape else within a medical expertise should be scrubbed and disinfected regularly – including methodical advocate equipment.

Countless studies come into the possession of proven that people who judge they are being treated as an alternative of an disease in genuineness presentiment advantage, if not in in actuality are bettor than when they began the study. What does this mean? I hypothesize it may fully be a testament to the be without of cur‚ to after, TLC or progress of being distinguished that is side of our suavity today.

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As so should be those who believe
And on righteous paths embark
For who can claim to see the truth
When walking in the dark?

The path of Light is not alone
For many tread beside
As they lift each other up
In righteousness abide

Although the ones who walk this path
Are not as perfect saints
They merely have confessed their sins
Rids them of these taints

Those who know the Lord of Light
Obey what He has said
Walking in the manner thus
That Jesus Christ has lead

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