American Airlines

Boeing 737-800

I’m a Christian, and partially because of that, my boyfriend and I have decided to wait until marriage until having sex. this is an idea I grew up with, and committed to at an early age, but no one told me HOW HARD it would be. we all know guys have high sex drives. no one told me girls did too. anyway, for those of you who find yourselves in the same or a similar predicament, here’s some things that have worked for me: 

1. There are three paths. One leads to holding hands (e.g. bumping elbows, brushing fingers), the second leads to kissing (touching faces together), and the third leads beyond that. Know which path you’re going to choose ahead of time, and don’t start down the path that you don’t want to go along. It’s a lot easier to stay outside the gate than it is to go back once you’ve started down the path. 

2. Keep yourself accountable to either a person or your journal. That will help you gauge right/wrong (i.e. if something isn’t right you’ll likely be hesitant to write down or tell someone that you’re doing it, especially if you wrote/told them ahead of time you wouldn’t do it). 

3. Going backwards ISN’T THAT HARD. I was always told that once you’ve done something, you can’t stop. that’s not true at all. it’s actually easier than holding back on something to begin with because having done it removes that “forbidden fruit” effect, and you realize, oh, not doing it actually isn’t that hard. (this may not go for some of the more emotionally intimate stuff). all this to say, if you’re doing something that you want to stop but feel like it’s too late because “you can’t go backwards”, it isn’t too late. 

4. Don’t keep bringing up the thing you’re trying not to do with each other. make a plan then DON’T talk about how hard it is to stay at – you’ll likely convince each other of a LOT like that. 

5. Find the sweet spot, where staying back is easier than going forward. There comes a point where the self control of staying a bit back is less effort than the self control required to ‘safely’ go forward – like staying closer to the edge of a river and fighting the urge to go out further is easier than fighting the current while you’re in it. 

6. NEVER do something just because other person wants to. Your dis-want is more important than their want. Similarly, you must be willing to not do something that the other doesn’t want. Don’t use the fact that the other person wants to do something as an excuse to do something you really aren’t sure you’re comfortable with 

7. Avoid media that gets thoughts going. Half the battle is in your thoughts. Don’t make it harder for yourself than it needs to be. 

8. Accept that you won’t get it perfect and you’ll make mistakes. It’s a learning curve, and you’ll have to make course corrections. Mistakes aren’t un-fixable. The important thing is that you learn from them and don’t let them happen again. 

9. If you’re a Christian, remember that God forgives. In the words of Jesus, go, and sin no more. If you’ve messed up, ask God for forgiveness and strength, then pick yourself back up and do better. 

hope this helps! 

I miss being a kid

When I was a young child, I told myself I wanted to live up to 100 years old— that was my goal. I wanted to live a long life. I was absolutely terrified of dying.

Ten years later and I’m begging the universe to kill me. I’m praying to God— if there even is one— that this will all end.

Honestly, I didn’t even expect to make it this far. I never thought I’d be able to see myself turn eighteen. I graduate high school in a month. I should be happy but I’m not. I feel so lost. I wasn’t planning on being alive for this long. I don’t know what to do, what steps to take, which direction to go— I’m lost.

Is anything even worth it? Should I keep on pushing? Should I go to college? Should I continue working?

Or will it all be a waste of time? “I won’t be alive in the next ten years so I guess nothing really matters.” I find myself often repeating that line.

That’s the thing about life though. You never know what the future will hold. Maybe I will be dead in the near by future. Or maybe I’ll be alive and finally happy.

The only thing I can do now is focus on the present. Let’s just hope I have enough strength to even do that…

Oil paintings by Giovanni Sanesi (Italy, 1992):

I love contemporary figurative art in general, but his paintings just have something more to them that resonates so much with how I feel. Giovanni manages to capture the instant, the feeling, the sensation of a moment better than photographs do, he gives us a quick, rough, imprecise but bright glimpse inside contemporary youth’s daily emotions.

The artist himself, looking just like one of this artworks:

his instagram account

(2/3)

Июль был классным, а, кажется, стала сентиментальной

ТЫСЯЧЕЛИКИЙ ГЕРОЙ

Исследование мифов, которое говорит о существовании единого сюжета всех историй не могло в свое время не влюбить в себя всех литературоведов. В начале прошлого века вообще любили подводить под формулу всё в литературе, а если взять и уравнять вобще всё - двойной восторг.

Кемпбел чаще других появляется в списках рекомендованного к прочтению от мастеров создания сюжетов. Лукас, Гейман, Хармон. Они все не только хвалят исследованние, но и говорят, что именно благодаря ему на свет появились Люк и Лея, Песочный человек, Рик и Морти.

Исследование наполнено кучей примеров из сказок и мифов разных народов, примеров из практик Фрэйда и Юнга и заслуживает всех дифирамбов, что ему поют.

А я скромно могу только пожалеть, что схожий, но, как по мне, более интересный труд Владимира Проппа “Морфология волшебной сказки” почти никому не известен.

Может когда-нибудь и про него зачитают рэп, да и переиздадут наконец-то.

“Can I? Can I love you until I take my last breath? It’s not really a question, more like a challenge..”

Can I please??? Let me love you until death gathers my soul - eUë

Vietnam. Credit Moritz Weiss.

Street vendors of Hanoi. Credit to Nguyen Ngoc Tu.

Thursday:

Moon Age Day 29; Moon Sign Capricorn

“You can afford to be your methodical self right now. The Sun is in a generally favourable position for your zodiac sign, assisting you to display yourself to the world pretty much as a Virgo might. Rather than getting down in the dumps about things you can’t change, it pays to simply wait patiently until you can.”

Tuesday:

Moon Age Day 27; Moon Sign Sagittarius

“Once again you can take advantage of some levels of energy that are going off the scale. The Sun, which is presently in your solar sixth house, now encourages a focus on the physical aspects of life, including exercise. Unnecessary stimulants are best avoided, and you might even decide this would be a good time to give up a bad habit." 

Monday:

Moon Age Day 26; Moon Sign Sagittarius

“You know how to attack and solve problems- it’s one of the greatest gifts nature gave you. This skill can be particularly useful right now, and should help you to make this a very interesting sort of Monday. You needn’t be held back by anyone who says you "can’t” do things if you know very well that you can.“