Deep Forest

Howdy!?

Welcome to my blog. 

This post is about California and Tennessee. I have grown very fond of Southern California over the past six years. It never rains. Over the summer I interned in Tennessee. 

While hammocking in the Smoky Mountains between North Carolina and Tennessee, I released fear of the unknown and suddenly I felt at home. It was the night of the blood moon. I was the only occupant of the Pisgah forest for thirty miles.

It was a dreary, grey day full of large raindrops. I was physically exhausted but my nervous system was on overdrive. What if a bear mauled me? What if cannibalistic hillbillies were camped out in the rain? I prayed for the nervous fear to go away so that I could set up camp, get a good nights sleep and have the rest needed to ride a motorcycle back to Oak Ridge the following morning. 




Within minutes, my prayers were answered. The clouds parted for the first time that day. The forest was lit with a high full moon, the rain stopped and it was apparent that there were no bears nearby to maul me.

My intent is to start grad school in the south starting Fall 2015 for manufacturing innovation in 3D printing. (Powder metallurgy.) 

Why not stay in sunny California? 

Academically: The South leads the way in manufacturing technology. 

Personally: Southern Hospitality. 

Nothing beats "have a nice night" from a stranger fillin' up their red pickup truck at the gas station. Nothing beats strangers unintentionally striking a conversation because that's what they naturally do. Nothing beats a genuine community.

I am moving to a place where water falls from the sky regularly. A place where crops grow. A place where Martin Luther King Jr's dream is very much alive.

Sure there will be rainy days both physically and emotionally. But it will be a more sustainable life. Crops need rain to grow. My heart thirsts for nurture. I feel welcoming arms waiting to embrace me for the next four years.

My last year in Southern California is focused on variety and cultural diversity. I am a traveler and will continue to discover as one; exploring new cultures, learning new dances and enjoying the beauties of creation.

Ciao,

REP

Solar panels aside Charles Hostler Hall - San Diego State University

Raymond Powell 2014

"My heart is a beating drum." These words brought me back to life when I was feeling oppressed and rejected. The music brought dance into my body and allowed me to once again radiate happiness into the universe.

Some people say "these solar panels are inefficient" and "solar cars drive too slow." Instead of saying positive statements that add value to the future; "look at what we have been able to create with technology" and "solar power has potential once material science and energy storage technologies catch up."

Still with alternative energies. Stick with making things real. An actuator is someone who makes things happen. Every single one of us can become an actuator. We can push past oppression and negativity and make things happen in the future!

TBI

August, 2013

What an uplifting adventure.

I planned it to start off slow and to increasingly do more exciting things.

My summer accelerated, and kept accelerating. 

Little did I know how fast I was going.

At the end of the summer I had lost my ground. 

The world of fun was too fun.

The world of work was not fun!

Slowly, I get out of bed every morning, and convince myself that going to the gym will feel great! 

I get out of bed.

September 2014

The dangers are always there. Without help I will slip and fall when going too fast on fumes.