This is the World, That We Live in

After four months of being an RA, I am a tad bit burned out. I don't know about you, but I have the tendency to emotionally invest completely in everything that I love (such as this job), which can lead to faster mental and emotional exhaustion. Due to the fact that I am completely enamored with this job, and with life, I was not going to stay burned out. (Insert cheesy metaphor about re-lighting my candle and such here.)

So I looked for ways to reverse my burn out. Locking myself in my room didn't work, and neither did avoiding this issue (which is never an effective way to deal with your problems, but who doesn't try it anyway?).

The answer came after a presentation that I gave for my Young Adult Literature class. My group and I ran a class on my favorite book, 'Looking for Alaska'. We noticed that my older copy of the book had a candle on it, while the newer editions just had smoke.

Little difference, I just assumed that it was a stylistic choice. A girl in my class, Ashley, didn't. She looked up this book after our class, unprovoked, and found this and posted it to my Facebook wall:

FROM WIKIPEDIA: YOUR ANSWER!

"In August 2012 blog, Green revealed details regarding the cover design of Looking for Alaska. Green acknowledged the fact that the supposedly extinguished candle did lead to an "improbable amount of smoke," and thus revealed that the initial cover design did not feature the candle. Green then revealed that certain book chains were uncomfortable about displaying or selling the book because they did not want to encourage what looked like cigarette smoke - which Green revealed was the actual 'cause' of the smoke. Thus, book chains added the candle beneath the smoke so that they weren't promoting smoking.

In John Green's box set, released on October 25, 2012, the candle element of the cover of Looking for Alaska has been removed, and features the original cover design. Further paperback releases of the book also have the candle removed."

After reading that, I realized that I have been too comfortable with the world in which we live, assuming things and not looking for answers. So, as of this moment, I am vowing to myself to be more inquisitive, of the people around me and the things that I take for granted. The results of that will be in posts to come.

"Stay thirsty, my friends"

Apparently Classic Novel Apparel is Becoming a Thing

I am definitely not complaining.

John Green

John Green has pretty much always been my favorite author. Ever since Looking For Alaska, aka the best book ever (and my favorite). He is also has some of the best quotes ever. Here are a few for your enjoyment.

Quotes and Things

I was attempting to organizing the ridiculous amount of pictures I have saved on my computer, and realized that I have quite a lot of quotes. For some reason, I feel the need to post them here, so here they are.

 

If he were a question, it'd be where.

     So.. my grandpa, or Opa, as I like to call him, is dead. He died in August, and he remains buried in the ground to this moment, as far as I know.
    That statement, "as far as I know", is such a crazy phrase. Because honestly, it isn't that far. I can run farther than the things I know, and my feet have never been hasty, unlike everything else associated with me. After my run, (ironically enough, having just mentioned being one slow motherfucker) I looked up at the sunset, which was beautiful regardless of the freezing weather up here, and wondered where my Opa was. Where is his soul? Disintegrated? In Heaven? Hell? Reincarnated as some lucky kid's Opa? I don't understand, and never has this question been more pivotal.
     Pudge asked this in Looking For Alaska, and he never figured it out. Once you make it out of the labyrinth, where is it that you go? What if my Opa doesn't like where he is? What if my Opa isn't okay? If John Green can't figure it out, how am I supposed to? Should I even be asking where? What is he? What is anyone, honestly?
     I miss him, sitting in his chair and drinking his beers and existing.