Do what you love, love what you do.

In my opinion, there's almost nothing better than the feeling of doing something you love, whether that thing be a sport, some form of art, a random hobby, or pretty much anything else. There are a few sports that I absolutely adore, and for the past year I haven't done much of any of them. This, dear friends, is truly a travesty. I've picked up snowboarding again, and the difference it makes in my whole life is amazing! Once again it occupies my thoughts constantly, and every day that I don't head up the mountain, I wish with a passion that I was and almost literally can't wait until I do.

"The adrenaline rush. It's what I live for. There's nothing like it." If you've ever experienced the rush you get when you're "in the zone", then you know that it's pretty much like a drug. Hitting the sweet spot on your blade as the centrifugal force carries you around and around, getting the perfect hit just before taking the ball beyond reach for the try, or hitting an edge perfectly for the carve. Those are just bits and pieces of what makes the things I love a beautiful experience.

Once you find something to enjoy that much, nothing else matters and it seems impossible to be concerned about that. It's the only thing you can think about, and you spend all of your extra time thinking of any sick new tricks you can try and what you have to do to become the best out there. You constantly tell everyone that they haven't really lived until they try it, and you'll bring it up randomly in conversations just to talk about it. You can even be injured, but that's okay. It actually makes you feel way more hard core because you can brag about how you got hurt, later showing off the scars for awe-struck peers.

I think everyone should find something incredible. Find something to love, and spare nothing to experience it every chance you get. Maybe it's just a part of human nature to need a passion like that, and once you find it that thing becomes some sort of transcendence into a state of more meaning than can be found otherwise. Maybe that's how we connect just a little more with our spirits. With our souls. Whatever the true reason, find something you feel passionate about, that will drive you through life. If nothing else, it will be an excellent way to escape from the ever-enclosing walls of school and work.

Good morning Starshine, the earth says "Hello!"...

...and thus was born my blog!!! i've noticed recently that any email, text, or other various form of message i send to anyone leans quite far toward rambling about somewhat useless information. and, let's be honest now, i really enjoy the randomness of said rambling, and isn't that really what a blog is for at its core? in summary, i don't really know what i'm doing or exactly why it's happening, but nothing's been broken yet, so i'm just going to see where this thing goes. anyone want to join me?

rugby is, in my opinion, one of the three greatest sports. i've played it enough to know where i stand. you don't have to agree, but don't try to argue.

figure skating is a beautiful and relaxing release that i will always love. and hey, i can do that move!!!

snowboarding is absolutely amazing and my newest-found love affair. and hey, someday soon i'll do that move!!!

- i was reading a story that had a lot to do with nicknames, and it got me thinking of mine. there are a lot. i sort of wonder how i've never gotten confused or developed some sort of split personality disorder, seeing how most of these are used by different people. let me just list them for you:
brettster
max/maximus/brettimus maximus
norwegian smarty-pants
shnizzle bizzle
brett bretterson
gazelle
brett vandygriff fastest girl in the nation (yes, that is an official nickname, and one that i'm quite proud of.)
minority
impala
and sometimes i'm the one that "is not a sword", "looks like beer", and "smells like beef and cheese"(chi dawg, i hope you appreciate this). i think i'm forgetting some, but that's ok. these will suffice.

hopefully for anyone who reads this, and i don't expect large numbers there, this is a satisfactory new blog. if you don't like random bits of rambling, you probably should have never read this! here are some more random funnies that i hope will at least make you giggle a little.

i never wanted a furby. i found them disturbing and used them as torture devices, but now i see that they exist in real life! maybe it's just a little bit cute in its odd way, but mostly i'm just frightened.

seriously. punk is not for most people. they should stop trying. p.s. if anyone wants a laugh, look up "chinchilla day" on youtube.

and this is just funny.

that is all. end.