Linville Gorge Trip 11/7-11/8

This past weekend some friends and I embarked on a hiking/backpacking/camping trip through the Linville Gorge Wilderness, part of the Pisgah National Forest.  The Linville River is enclosed for about 12 miles in the gorge, surrounded by the Jonas Ridge to the east and the Linville Mountain to the west.

My troop consisted of three guys, one girl, one husky/German shepherd mix and one yorkie-poo.  The hike down to the gorge was relatively easy, it all being downhill (the mile down to the gorge drops about 1,000 feet in one mile.)  Once we got to the gorge we hiked about 2.5 miles south until we found a spot flat enough for a few tents and a campfire.  Once we settled in, we spent the afternoon relaxing and just doing typical campground stuff.  After a peaceful slumber with the rushing Linville River in the background, we packed up and began our ascent.  The hike out was pretty strenuous, but we all managed to make it out alive, including the dogs.  The perfect weather combined with the isolation from everyday stress made this an excellent fall weekend experience.

Here are some pictures (Click on them for a bigger view):

Saw these sweet bike over at wrenchmonkees.com , a Copenhagen based custom motorcycle shop.  Check their out their work.

Crash-the Movie

So today I saw the best movie I’ve seen in awhile…Crash (2004).  The cast included some pretty well known actors, including: Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Tony Danza, Terrance Howard, Michael Peña, and Matt Dillon.  Set in Los Angeles, the movie follows the 8 main characters from all walks of life and races whose lives intersect at some point during one 24 hour period. These people are all different yet all alienated, to the point of breaking, so much so that when they come together, things explode. To try and summarize the plot line would be extremely difficult, for the story is complex.  The main theme of the film is racism, with every character not only displaying racism, but also being the victim of it.  Ultimately, the movie offers a feeling of redemption with an array of hope for change. I give it an A+

Thoughts on Universities vs. Community Colleges

Recently, I have been strongly debating going to a four year university versus doing a transfer program at a community college.  Obviously, going to a community college is much more economical, especially as public university-level education price continues to rise. But it’s another reason that has been bothering me lately: required core cirriculum.  I understand the reasoning behind it…create more “well-rounded students.” but I don’t agree with it.  At my college, there is a required 60 hours (2 academic years, four 15 hour semesters) core curriculum.  That being said, the majority of what I am learning isn’t very beneficial or well-rounding at all.  For example, I am currently in this logic class, and I constantly find myself wandering when I will ever need to construct proofs and truth tables in the financial advising industry. Also, I feel like every second I spend on  class like logic, or freshman seminar, or whatever, is one second I could be furthering my financial knowledge.  A lot of people I graduated with are finishing up their second year at community college and will be receiving an Associate’s Degree in their chosen fields this spring. I will have completed 58 hours of core requirements…with nothing to show for it.  These community college students are getting more hands on and more experience in their fields over a four year period including the transfer and they are doing without most of the required humanities and stuff. Now, I am not completely against core requirements.  Surely, I feel like a few English classes and maybe a few more required classes would be a good way for a freshman to spend the start of college. But as a 1st semester sophmore I am stuck doing core classes, impatiently waiting for a opportunity to get involved in what I came to college for in the first place!

So here’s what it boils down to> Public universities can not, and will not, cut the core curriculum because they are above all else, a business.  The core curriculum is an overpriced useless part of an education from which they derive crazy amounts of revenue.

Ultimately, I believe a community college is a better deal. You pay so much less, and in the end you end up with the same thing as other people who went to a four-year university for four years.  That is, if you do a transfer program and get a Bachelor’s Degree.  Bottom line, core curriculum is a joke.  That is all, thanks.

Rambling…

This week has been extremely stressful so I figured I’d do a little writing to cool off. I wanted to talk about my new blog heading, “the most important things in life aren’t things.” I even deleted my previous blog posts, because I want this blog to be fresh.

So basically, I have come to the realization that far too many people in life have mis-categorized priorities, and I am no exception. It seems like I, along with 16,000 other students, work everyday towards the same goals: make good grades, get a good job, find a good spouse, and be successful (note: success in the 21^st century is measured monetarily). I admit that I want to make the good grades and get the good job. So, I’m lying in bed, reading a little scripture and I come across this verse:

 “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” —Luke 12:15

So, basically I made a bad grade on an exam this week. Worst grade of my academic career, to be exact.  And I have really beat myself up about it, especially since I found out I can’t make higher than a low B in the class unless something miraculous happens. And then I came across that verse and I’m thinking, there is so much more to life than this.

 I was listening to this pastor, Andy Stanley, on my ipod the today and he talked about a man who had what should have been a near death experience, but he came out unscathed. And Andy went on to talk about how different the man, who was his close friend, lived his life having been spared an untimely death. And that story really got me thinking.

 At twenty years old, a third of my life on earth may very well be over.  And every second I spend worrying about un-important (well, important, but to an extent) things instead of enjoying the precious time with my family, friends, and God, is a second wasted. My life priorities need a serious re-organizing.  And I’m not saying that academic or career things aren’t important, I am just saying that in the grand scheme of things, academic and career things aren’t important. What is important is my relationships. Personal and spiritual. And I will be the first to tell you that I’m not the best son, brother, or friend, and I am certainly not the best Christian. And as of lately, I am not the best student, or at least my I’m not the student I thought I was. But I really feel like if I focus more on what should be my high priorities that everything else will fall into place. This is not to stay that I should quit studying and only hang out with friends and read the Bible. This is to say that I should quit worrying and stressing over things so trivial as a grade. I should do my best to be the best I can be, but I should live with the brevity of life in mind.

This blog may seem un-related and a bit mis-organized but writing it was therapeutic. I leave you with this quote I saw in Our Daily Bread.

The riches of this world are vain,
They vanish in a day;
But sweet the treasures of God’s love—
They never pass away. —Bosch