Lynch Home, House of Wonder

Last week was one of the greatest I've had in a long, long time. First, on Wednesday, my family and I spent a fun-filled day at Carowinds, where there was much fun and instant karma. It was very hot and sunny for most of the day, but is somehow came out of the entire experience without a single patch of sunburn. That night was spent in a wonderfully fluffy hotel. Ahh...

Thursday, me and The Fam headed down to Myrtle beach, where we stayed in a beautiful hotel with an ocean view, lazy river, and one of those 500 gallon buckets that dump every two minutes or so. I found out on this vacation how much I really love water playgrounds.

Then my favorite part of the whole trip happened! On our way back home on Friday, my parents offered to stop at Campbell to experience the glory of Lynch House, my residence house, for themselves, but up until this point, I myself had only basked in its outward excellence, which, though considerable, is only the tip of the diamond iceberg. On this occasion, Travis Hell-Storm was able to let my family and I into the House of Wonder to see for ourselves first-hand the sublimity it had to offer. For the first time in my life, I was privileged enough to cross the sacred threshold of the Lynch Home, House of Wonder, the most excellent residence building on the face of the globe. I was emotionally unprepared to withstand the majesty of the dark wooden walls and stove-endowed kitchens. I felt paralyzing jolts of electrical delight as I walked into each room projecting their individual dignities. On occasion, I was forced by my unworthy constitution to kneel and cry as I walked from room to room.

Then... Oh, then how my unhallowed feet burned! I unwittingly trespassed into the most resplendent room in the most glorious abode. The chamber glistened with the same dignity of a beaming sapphire center-set atop the principal spire of a queen's tiara. What I was to learn about this room would change my life forever...

My home! My sanctuary! My reposition away from all earthy woes! This hollowed ground was meant for me! So alight with noble renown is this chamber of heavenly sanctitude that no light from Heaven or Earth, King Sun or Prince Moon, dares assume its help is required. It is the last of the kind, peaceful ranch-grounds greened by the sunny smiles of those to inhabit it. "Welcome, child," it whispered to me. "Come spend your days in my arms, and I will guard you from suffering and sing to you melodies meant for the stars." My room! My house! My heavenly home, the House of Wonder!

I spent the next three nights in aerial bliss there within. During that time, I discovered my deepest soul and relocated the loin's share of my things to their rightful room. Trav and I set up my DVD player and Gamecube in the living room, and hopefully there is even more glory yet in store. Hellstrom, Steward of the House of Wonder, stays there now alone, enjoying a week of RA training. Soon, we will all join him and bask in the awesome glory of Lynch Home, House of Wonder. It is a place where you and I are welcomed to love our neighbors and improve our world. Here, there is only heart, and believe me: you're invited.

Lite is Good

Recently I've gotten back into scheduling things on Google Calendar, and I'm always impressed with how things seem to be get done under that condition! Though I usually get up too late to start like I planned, a quick shuffling of events (and some shuffling to some bluegrass) usually leaves me with all the time I need for the things I want to do. What I don't schedule usually ends up being things such as chill-axin', playing guitar, preventing World War II, and (drum roll) playing Mariokart on my brand spanking new DS Lite!-- purchased only a couple weeks ago, and enjoyed candy-eyed ever since. If you're nice, I'll may even let you hold it. Wanting it was fun, but now I can want it and then pick it up and play.

The days keep coming up closer and closer to that bright morn of joy on whose tender blushing rays I shall ride, beaming, back onto us Campbell's blessed campus. Pictures of squirrels and uneven brick walkways float in my my dreams, and in the center of my night-mind wanderings there glows the benevolent open-armed aura of Lynch Home, House of Wonder awaiting my occupancy. These have been wonderful days and nights, my friends! I'm afraid, though, that my anticipation will draw out these final few weeks and make them creep. O, cruel spirit of desire! Why doest thou taunt us mortals so!

But perhaps these days will move a little quicker with some Vacation plans in the works! In only a couple short weeks, the family (myself included) are going to have a fun-filled day at Carowinds theme park! And as if that weren't enough, there is talk of the day after that one to be no less than a trip to the beach! Just one Jaunt to the mountains and the week would be complete; unfortunately, the mountains will have to stay confound on the inky canvas of my mind, but those two days will be fun-filled and grandeur packed none the less.

Also, with school coming back into such wonderful proximity, I've been brainstorming on the subject of haunted trails. I think I have a theme and a few characters emerging from my imagination, as well as a slightly different trail-walking set-up. The Haunted Trail is a great project, and I want it to be even more successful than it was last year! I think we can do it! Once the years start, I'll run a few ideas past the club body, and we can get this puppy rolling to scary town on the gravy train. I plan on having many more brainstorming session. We'll see what comes out of it.

This entry is brought to you in part by the urgings (in comment form) of Anna the Crazy Haired Goat Lady, whom I am counter-urging to post her long-awaited interpretations of "Clarity", the befuddling smash hit from our lovable laudable John Mayer. Get crackin', girl! The End may be tomorrow!

Mr. Mayer's Clarity

I am a giant fan of John Mayer's. I love the enveloping melodies he constructs and the bright lyrics that season them. But of all the John Mayer songs I listen to, Clarity had been to me the most head-scratching. I've listened to it hundreds of times, and attempted innumerably to achieve the enchanting "ooo OOO"s with, admittedly, comical results; but for the life of me, I could not understand what he was talking about. Surly It had to do with some girl, a pin-drop of heartache, or maybe it was a lay to his tortured, velvety-voiced soul? On that line of thinking I would circumambulate, coming around so many times I could see my own backside--but no conclusion.

You speak in riddles, John Mayer. RIDDLES!

But then I remembered something. Way, way back, long ago, when was still spring, I was sitting in Dr. Vaughan's British Lit class and we were discussing William Wordsworth's idea of poetry. Wordsworth wrote that he would had small epiphanies called "Spots in Time" during which he would be able to see thing in a new light and come up with amazing verse. He lamented, though, that they never lasted, and he could never predict when they would happen. Starting to sound familiar? If you're a John Mayer fan, you'll recognize this is exactly what the guitar maverick youth describes in his smash hit, Clarity!

"But This morning, there was a calm I can't explain. / The rock candy's melted; only diamonds now Remain."

"By the time I recognize this moment / this moment will be gone..."

"[...]And I will wait to find / if this will last forever, / and I will pay no mind / when it wont, and it won't because it can't. / It just can't. / It's not supposed to."

Listening to the song, thinking of Spots in Time, it now makes perfect sense to me. I don't know if John Mayer reads any Wordsworth, but it seems to be a concept very closely related to the kind of idea's present in Johnny's music, not to mention the name of the song itself. I don't think it has to do with a relationship specifically, even though it mentions one. I think that is more or less part of what he now clearly sees in his Spot in Time--his moment of Clarity.

This would be a fascinating idea for a research paper, right? But as I clearly wouldn't get a grade for it, I'll probably just be left as a fascinating idea. Haha.

The AC was Broken

At the beginning of the day, the upstairs AC was on the fritz, and, since my bedroom is upstairs, I was roasting. It was funny because the hot air was occupying a very large part of my mind, and while I was talking to Trav, I realized that, while I try to appreciate the things I have, my mind simply can't keep track of all of my blessings, and sometimes they have to break before I realize how much I like them. I never think about air conditioning, today it was the only thing on my mind. Thankfully, it's fixed now, and it has me thinking about the other things that I enjoy but rarely think about. Memories might be one. If I started to forget my adventures, I wouldn't be half the person I am today. My songs. If I lost them or forgot them, I would miss a part of me. Chapstick, my guitar case, clean socks, toothpaste, microwaves... Man, what would I do without the world around me?

I just got done looking at some photos of past exploits, and one set that particularly got to me was a photo-set taken of my Birthday last year. I choked up when I looked through and re-saw my surprise party and very unique, very sweet pie made especially for me. There were friends, balloons, and bubble gum all around, and I was the happiest person in an orange turtleneck to be found anywhere! I in a single moment, I remembered how wonderful that whole year was and how lucky I am to have been in a group of such wonderful people. Only the highest of quality. At the time, I wasn't even thinking about my birthday--my friends and I were having a blast, and that was most precious to me, and by far the most vivid part of the memory. Looking back, I realize how much love was frozen with the sugar in that pie and just how much appreciation was sizzled into my first ever succulent fillet mignon. I'm still reading a book I bought from Barns and Nobel that very day!

I can't help it, and it's undoubtedly selfish, but I always get a little sad every time I remember that most of those individuals, the ones in my pictures, aren't going to there with me at school this year. They're off to bigger things and new chapters, adventures that are new, exciting, and completely different from what they could get if they just stayed where they had been. It won't be long before I'm in the same boat, and perhaps I'm in that boat right now. Things change, no doubt, and The Good Ol' Days are always have a little more gold to them when we're looking at them though a photograph, but even though I thought I knew that while the memories were being made, it's still a bittersweet affair to look back on them. But it's far more sweet than bitter, I think.