The University of Scranton has a number of cool statues scattered around its campus, though one is a bit of a hidden gem. In fact, I didn’t even know it existed until I had to do a scavenger hunt for one of my classes and this particular statue was on it. Dante Alighieri, of The Divine Comedy fame, stands immortalized in stone in a somewhat obscure little corner of campus. Appropriately enough, I had to find this statue in the same semester that I was taking a class on The Divine Comedy. Truly an amazing piece of literature, though I now understand why Inferno is by the most well known.

Dante was big on the redemptive power of love, whether from God or expressed from one human to another. And so it seemed fitting to take his picture on Valentine’s Day. For all his fame resulting from gruesome, imaginative descriptions of the damned souls of hell, the latter two books of The Divine Comedy deal much more with God’s love and his mercy. Now, as you may or may not now, I’m an atheist and I did occasionally find myself rolling my eyes while reading The Divine Comedy, but even I’ll admit that it was incredibly written. Just because I don’t believe in something doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the story. You don’t have to believe in magic to enjoy Harry Potter, right? So, here you are, the famed poet.

]]> http://imjustoneofthoseghosts.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/picture-of-the-day-45-2142012/feed/ 0 ssjrem dante http://imjustoneofthoseghosts.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/picture-of-the-day-44-2132012/ http://imjustoneofthoseghosts.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/picture-of-the-day-44-2132012/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:59:08 +0000 ssjrem http://imjustoneofthoseghosts.wordpress.com/?p=399 ]]> Singles Awareness Day

Although this is technically the picture for February 13, I’m still actually posting it on Valentine’s Day, so it works out. Valentine’s Day has always been my most actively disliked holiday. Every year, I try to remind myself that I just shouldn’t care about the fact that I’m single, but I can’t help it. Nonetheless, it seems to get easier and easier every year. So by this point, it’s of hardly any consequence at all. So, instead of bemoaning my lack of a girlfriend, how about I just show today’s picture? My two nieces made a nice little message on my kitchen’s bulletin board, so I figured that’s as good as any way to show appreciation for all the hopeless romantics (like me) out there.

]]> http://imjustoneofthoseghosts.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/picture-of-the-day-44-2132012/feed/ 0 ssjrem DSC_1153 http://imjustoneofthoseghosts.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/picture-of-the-day-43-2122012/ http://imjustoneofthoseghosts.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/picture-of-the-day-43-2122012/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:16:21 +0000 ssjrem http://imjustoneofthoseghosts.wordpress.com/?p=396 ]]> The Daughter My Parents Always Wanted

People that know me well probably are at least somewhat versed in my occasional enjoyment of flaunting societal norms. I don’t see why pajama pants aren’t acceptable in public, nor do I understand why simple having a large beard seems to carry so many negative connotations. Even still, it’s not like I’m full fledged anti-conformist spouting that anything that’s popular or widespread should die. Really, far be it from me to be so presumptuous as to suggest that I know what’s best for the whole gander.

Anyway, that little rant aside, basically, this picture of the day mostly serves to show off the ridiculous pink socks that I usually wear when lounging around my house, especially when it’s cold out. I don’t see why a male doing something like that is frowned upon. But that’s just me. Besides, Valentine’s Day is coming up, so I guess pink is in anyway.

Figures that soon after I uploaded a picture of the day lamenting the lack of snow and showcasing the pitiful amount of snow on the ground that we would get hit with a deceptively nasty little storm on that very night. Now, we didn’t get very much snow, but the main problem was that the roads iced over pretty badly. But it sure was pretty. I’ve been longing for a shot just like this one all winter long. And I’m glad I finally got to capture the magic of those little snowflakes cascading down and blanketing my street. It still gets the little kid in me positively giddy. Enjoy.

The lack of snow this winter has been a frequent topic of conversation in my pictures of the day. Before I started this endeavor, I figured I’d be able to get plenty of pictures from snow, ice and other assorted winter weather. However, evidently, Mother Nature did not see fit to deliver us much snow this winter. A mixture of sadness and relief describes how I feel. It certainly has made running easier, but it just doesn’t feel, well, right. You know? It seems like something has been so off this entire winter.

So, anyway, to put an image to this winter, here I offer up a snapshot of the pathetically little pile of snow in my backyard. This is about how much we’ve gotten. Nothing more than a few sprinkles of snow, usually spaced at least a week apart. And then it melts in a day or two. Now we’re practically midway through February; winter’s half over. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, especially growing up in Scranton, it’s that winter always has the last laugh. There’s a lot of time left. And I have a sneaking suspicion Mother Nature is just building up to something big for when we least expect it.

I have a really awful habit of breaking or otherwise incapacitating computers. My latest debacle was probably the worst. After a friend of mine had already fixed my computer after the operating system had been completely wiped, I mucked it up again, so my friend tried to fix it a second time. Well, in trying to fix one of the hinges on the screen, he cracked it so the screen was no more. So, he developed a diabolical plan.

Using a mixture of sorcery and science, along with a timely thunderstorm, he brought together the parts from several different computers and merged them into an unholy array of jumbled together parts in the hope that maybe, just maybe, my computer could live again. His crimes against nature have succeeded. IT. IS ALIVE! Behold the frankenputer!

Basically, it’s my old laptop, now functioning as a keyboard, hooked up to a really old monitor. Weird setup, but it works for me.

Well, readers, this is a momentous day. Why, you ask? Well because you’ll get to see what I look like. As you probably know if you’ve read a couple of my blogs, I run cross country. And in the cold, dark and usually snowy (but not so much this year) winters of Northeastern Pennsylvania, I like to grow out beards to help keep my face warm. I haven’t shaved or trimmed or done anything but just let my beard grow since September 2011. It’s by far the biggest it’s ever been and I plan on letting it go for another month or so.

That said, despite how warm it tends to keep my face, there is a somewhat unexpected drawback to having a beard, particularly when it’s snowing or getting progressively colder during the course of the run. The beard traps moisture, whether that be snow or sweat and then, well, it freezes. There have been multiple runs that I’ve finished when I’ve come back inside to notice literal icicles have formed in my beard of hair. Yeah, it’s kinda gross, but in a way, it feels a bit badass. So here’s a picture of my after one such run. Unfortunately, it already started melting, but well, you get the idea.

Along a road not too far from my house, there is a lookout that offers a rather stunning view of the whole city of Scranton. However, despite being almost twenty two and a half, I have never once checked it out. Well, I decided enough was enough and went to survey the view and take some pictures. Unfortunately, given my poor abilities at taking night-time pictures, as well as the sheer distances involved here, the picture came out rather blurry.

That notwithstanding, I think it still looks nice. It’s amazing to take a step back and view Scranton, or pretty much any modern city really, from a distance. It really makes you marvel at the things that humans can accomplish. So many of those buildings and structures were erected by human hands and human minds. I give Scranton, my hometown, a hard time in some of writings but I guess it’s not really so bad. There are certainly good people here and certain things to be proud of. Like anywhere, there are gems to be found. You just have to be willing to look.

Frankly, today’s picture is a bit of a cliche, but I feel as though it’s appropriate for where I am in life right now. School has started up again, and with that, come the usual promises to myself that I’ll turn things around and truly be dedicated, do all studying and reading and bump up my GPA. And for every semester thus far, such ambitions have gone largely unfulfilled.

With respect to remaining time, I’m running on empty. This is the last semester for me, after which I will be thrust into the “real world.” So if there is going to be any reality to my dreams of becoming a travel journalist or something similar, now is really the time to start getting the wheels turning. Because if I don’t, before I know it, I’ll be a thirty year old burnout still living with my parents. And that’s one path I can’t bear to imagine going down, so the time is now to fill up the tank and get moving.

Today’s picture is another that comes from walking around my campus and seeing what looks cool. In this picture, we see both a river and train tracks snaking their way into the distance, where there are a bunch of buildings. And that random car driving along. Given the utter lack of leaves on the trees, and the fact that we still don’t have snow, it really looks kind of dead actually. I could imagine taking a lone, solitary journey, with nothing but the river or the tracks as my guide, using anything to lead me away from a city that often seems lacking in color.