The College Experience

So here I am, (almost) halfway through the second semester at Harding, and I have yet to make a huge update to all my disconnected peeps back home. So here I go, with a short summary on The College Experience:

It's easy to see college as a time when you can, amongst other things, play tag in a science building until security kicks you out, or putting on a bathrobe at midnight so you can walk down the hall and pick up your TV. You might see it as a time where you are simultaneously free of the responsibilities of being an adult and the boundaries of living with your parents. It could be a time where you can focus on yourself and figure out who you really are, a time to experiment with who you really want to be for the rest of your life. But over the past few months I've begun to see that the best way to see this college experience is as a time where you have the freedom to focus on others.

Look at it from this perspective: As a child, you are focused entirely on yourself. Self-satisfaction is the essence of childhood. When you're a teen, you think you know everything. This may sound cliched, but looking back, I can see clearly how unclear everything really was. And when you finally get to adulthood, sure, you may be focused on your family, their care and upbringing, but those are people you already hold close to your heart. College is a time when you have the opportunity to be surrounded by people you don't know, and who often need help.

Over the past few months I've been able to talk to people who have been through some hard stuff, and I've seen a lot of viewpoints that I never would have considered. I think it would be a shame to not get involved in as many peoples lives as possible and make as positive of a change in peoples lives as you can. I've been spreading my roots as far as I can, and I'm better for it. So yes, you can sit in your room and surround yourself in soda cans and Caff paraphernalia, or you can go outside, find a game of Ultimate, and jump right in. I doubt there's anyone on this campus who would object to having more people in a game. Join a massive snowball fight, a prayer group, a Social Club, SOMETHING! Just get out there and experience what really makes Harding a great place: you're surrounded by people who honestly give a crap about you without even knowing your name. As far as I know, there's nowhere else like this on Earth, ladies and gentlemen. Use it.

The Girl of My Dreams

So there are some things I need to say, publicly and in the open. There are no politics, no jokes, and no music news, just me bearing my soul.
A few months ago, I started talking to Skylar Howard. I we had met a few years before this, and were facebook friends, but we hadn't ever really talked. But when I said how excited I was to get to Harding, Skylar commented on it. And we kind of had a back and forth on the status, nothing big. But when I was in Iowa, I was really bored on day, and she was online. I decided to be random and say hello. We started talking, and then we spoke almost every night that week. I don't know what it was, but it was very easy to talk to her. And then she went to the first week of Kamp, and I couldn't help but wonder how she was, this girl I barely knew. And then I went to Kamp! Every time we hung out together, I, at the very least, had a great time. And when we got back, we continued to talk. One thing led to another, and we both said we liked each other. It was incredible! I never knew anyone I could relate to on this level, someone who loved talking to me as much as I loved talking to them! I can honestly say this was the first time I stayed up until Five a.m. talking to someone.
On the first day of college, we decided to go official. It was the most amazing feeling: I have a girlfriend! Three weeks later, we've only grown closer, even though we're far away. She makes me feel so incredible! She's my Beautiful girl, my Barbie doll, and my dearest friend. Every day I thank God for putting her in my life all those years ago, and for putting it into my mind to talk to her. Who could have guessed this would happen? I don't know how she puts up with my sarcasm, my bluntness, my strange sense of humor, and my nerdiness, but she does, and it's incredible. Every time I get the chance to see those green eyes, my heart falls apart. We may not be together, but we'll never be alone. Thank you for everything, Skylar. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us, Beautiful! The day I get to see you again will be one of the greatest of my life, and it'll be even better because I'll get to share it with you!

College Weirdery (Or: How Teachers are Terrible, Except in College)

Hey, everyone... And by everyone, I mean my one follower. So, College, right? Sorry about the lack of posts, college is crazy. And by crazy, I mean Seventeen credit hours. Which is actually a lot, so whatever. I've noticed some things about college that have pretty much blown my expectations of schooling out of the water. The most obvious of which is that every teacher cares. All of them. Almost every teacher I've ever had has essentially been terrible. They don't care. And yet, at college, where all my high school teachers told me they wouldn't care, they care more. Weird, huh? So... Why is this? I always here how teachers teach (There has got to be a better way to write that) because they care. And then I watch TV and hear about teachers unions losing their minds because they don't get a raise in a year where their state has no money and the cost of living has gone down. But NO, it's all about the kids. I'm not saying there aren't teachers out there that honestly care about the kids, and that the money is just a cool little thing they get out of it. But yeah, from what I've seen, most teachers have terrible priorities. I dunno. I wouldn't say I'm an expert in schooling, but I've been in school all my life, so there ya go. I'll probably post more later, but I am super lazy, so no promises. There ya go.

That Whole Ground Zero Mosque Nonsense

So as I'm sure you've heard by now, some people are planning on building a mosque a few blocks from Ground Zero. And you know what? They can do that. This is America, and they can do whatever they want with their property. But you know what else? That doesn't mean they aren't a bunch of spineless punks for doing it. That's like putting a sushi shop next to Pearl Harbor, or a Chinese restaurant next to a Pound that caters exclusively to cats... It's just a bad idea. They say they're doing it to open dialogue and teach tolerance. Yep, nothing makes me want to sit at a table and have a nice chat more then the disrespect shown to those that died on 9/11, lemme tell ya. And one clever man, Greg Gutfeld, host of the Fox News show "RedEye" and writer of the book "Bible of Unspeakable Truths" (both very funny, I recommend) has come up with the greatest idea to counter the mosque: build a gay bar next to the mosque. Now, I don't support the gay agenda (that's the subject for a different post), but this idea is genius. He explains it in this video, found here:

http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/video.aspx?v=hdnz8zZu8z

(Couldn't figure out how to post the video... Gonna figure that out later)
Is the mosque obnoxious? Yup. Is Gutfeld doing the same thing? You better believe it. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire...or Firebombs with Flamers, as the situation warrants. This whole situation is kind of bizarre, but that's the kind of stuff I love, so I'm just gonna sit back, drink some Peach Tea (good stuff, really), and watch it all play out.

Tons of Music Hooplah!

So last week the newest Avenged Sevenfold album was released, "Nightmare". If you know me at all, you'll know I love this band and have been waiting for this album since December. And you'd probably also know that, after the writing but before the recording of this album, the band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan died. So this was a pretty big deal. And I gotta say, I loved this album! The first few times I listened to it, all I got out of it was how sad the band was when they re-wrote the lyrics. But after a few listens, I really got to appreciate the music for what it was. So I highly recommend you pick it up if you're into Hard Rock/Heavy Metal. If cussing is an issue though, you should make sure you get it from Wal-Mart so you can get the clean version. MEANWHILE, AT THE HALL OF JUSTICE: It appears I'm going to a Jason Mraz concert in September. Why? I'm expanding my musical horizons. Also the ticket was free and I didn't want to give it to anybody (MWAHAHA!). We'll see how that turns out. I barely know who the guy is, let alone how his music goes. Maybe I can learn something of his to attract the ladies =|?:) And lastly, to top of the Hooplah, the guitar is going well. Sorta. I'd like to find a decent song that sounds good and plays good that has decent tabs. And a band would be pretty sweet. But we're working on it. So, that about rounds out the musical menagerie for now. COMING UP THIS WEEK: Who knows?

An Introduction

Hey, everyone! Welcome to Another Brick..., the only official blog for Ryan Smith, that weird little nerd you all know and love! I'm not sure why you'd want to listen to the ramblings of one such as me, but, hey, it's your life, waste it how you want. The name of this blog was inspired by the theme at Kamp Koinonia (I'll explain what that is later), which was "Building the Wall". My good friend Lance taught me that everything in our lives is built into a spiritual wall, some things being stronger for your well-being then others. I'm hoping this blog will let me sort it all out. This is actually my second blog, in case you were wondering, the first being called "We're Gonna Need A Bigger Keyboard", but that short-lived experiment didn't really last. Here's to hoping this one will. The topics of Another Brick... (I'll probably think of a shorthand for that at some point... AB?) will be pretty varied, covering things like random comic book news, my guitar, politics, and religion. So it's probably best if I put in some background about myself to avoid future drama. I just finished my senior year of high school, graduating from Fort Morgan High. This fall I will be attending Harding University, and I am counting down the days, let me tell ya! Marvel makes the best comics, Heavy Metal plays the best guitar, Conservatives make the best policy, and God is above all of that little stuff. So thanks for joining me on this wild ride of life, and let's see where it takes us! And before I forget: Thanks to Alex White, who brought this idea to mind with a simple comment about my last blog. Talk about planting a seed!