The Mountains Shine

The Mountains shine

they smell of pine

and leave me feeling

so

sublime

   I've just made a week of encapsulation in these mountains. They loom in the background at every turn, sometimes hiding behind ominous clouds, other times protruding forcefully towards the heavens demanding attention. A couple of us hiked up one of the smaller ones surrounding the park yesterday. It was a pretty steep ascent but it felt great; there were many jokes along the way and the occasional snowball fight. We chattered back and forth getting to know each other and keep ourselves motivated to push through the muscular burn threatening to drag us back down the mountainside. Reaching the top gave me my first feeling of exaltation that you see in so many commercials, when the person throws his/her arms in the air and the camera swings around in panoramic view. We found a plastic jar with paper and a pencil inside and each signed our names, sealing that moment in time, rock and memory. Now it's sealed in the digital world. 

   I read an article on Digg.com about Kindle book sales finally surpassing hard-copy sales. I suppose most people thought that it was inevitable; I personally haven't ever read a Kindle book, but hey, I'm still using a 5 year old laptop. I think that I would like it, though, especially with websites that make so many classic books available for free online. Although, there is something about holding the book, smelling the paper saturated by years of page turning, looking at the front matter and keeping it on a shelf  to illuminate the house like other pieces of artwork that is invaluable. There were many comments about this article that expressed a fear of the digitalization of the world and how so many things would be lost forever if they were permanently stored online and something drastic happened like a reversal of the poles and subsequent destruction of the electromagnetic field.-- which leads me to my latest kick...missionscience.nasa.gov. This website has opened my ignorant eyes to the invisible world around us and the crucial and magnificent importance it holds. The discovery of electromagnetic waves and their utility really blows my mind; and I consider it to be one of the greatest human achievements. The government accomplished its goal of helping me develop an interest in science that had laid dormant for some years now. Thanks, but screw Texas cops and revenue earning tickets in general.

El Principio (The Beginning)

     It's only fitting that my first blog post originate from a laundromat--a place where things are made so fresh and so clean clean--since this is what I always intend for myself when I go somewhere new. Also, as I sit in this cocoon of fluffy warmness listening to the tumbling clothes and occasionally glancing at the white poodle across from me, the foot of snow that consumed us yesterday begins to melt and slide down the mountainside on its return to the end of the water cycle. The poodle's name is Franny. She barks at the little girl that is running around with ceaseless energy. The girl climbs into one of the dryers; I imagine pushing the ON button. I'm in Estes Park, Colorado for those who don't already know. So far my experience has consisted of meeting an even mix of foreigners and bible pushers, although not combined yet. 
    I took a hike my first morning here (a beautiful sunny and snow-free morning only 3 days ago) up to a place called Bible Point. It's the resting place of a boy that died when he was 19 on a road trip from Chicago to Seattle for his brother's wedding. His parents buried him at this point that overlooks the YMCA grounds because it was his favorite place in the world, even after he traveled much of the it doing mission work with them. This mile-long climb was a great way to begin the acclamation process and for me to think a bit about people that lead exemplary lives like this boy. I thought a  bit about the opinions of the famous British philosopher, Bertrand Russell, and his idea that we humans still have savage and violent impulses left over from our ancestors. He thinks that they most often manifest in war and domination, but that they could and must be channeled into other outlets and that some people manage this with organized religion and others through sports etc. By the time I reached the boy's grave, Edward I think it was, I was thinking of a person that channeled his life and creative power into literature. He, like Edward, died at a young age, leaving the world to wonder what he may have done with a longer life. His name was Stephen Crane, an author at the forefront of American Realism that died from tuberculosis at the age of 28. He is best known for his book, The Red Badge of Courage, but I have always liked his story "The Open Boat" because of it's depiction of the connections between man and nature. For those with time and curiosity, you can read it at this very cool site: online-literature.com