The Phillip Ruane Blog

The Essence of Man

2011-01-10T08:08:00.000-05:00

Yiseul got me a sweater for Christmas. A sweater I wouldn't have picked out for myself, but I've never been one to turn down a fashion tip. I wore it for three days in a row. Christmas Eve. Christmas. The day after Christmas. I realized after I wore it for three days straight: it got a bit smelly. But when it came time to put a load of laundry in, I thought, "You know, maybe you're not

Mansformation Journals

2011-01-10T03:01:00.000-05:00

I have an opportunity here in Korea that I'm not sure I'll have many times again in my life. I have from today till the 9th of February to do pretty much whatever I want at work. Of course, on paper, I still have to do some work. What that work might be, I don't know. Even my vacation days are theoretically called "self-study" days, which means if the principle or vice principle asked me to

It's time to free write.

2010-11-19T06:10:00.000-05:00

I have reached one of those rare moments where there isn't something happening directly in front of me. I am having trouble being mindful at this time because I find myself waiting. On one hand, there is my friend who wants me to go out with her tonight. On another hand, I've written several letters out to friends, and I'm waiting for a response to one in particular. Tomorrow is a Korean

Amazing and Mundane

2010-11-11T20:30:00.001-05:00

Here's an excerpt of my most recent email to my family, just to show you how my life has been. Why am I publishing this? Well, because it gives you an idea of my life here and because I'm too lazy to type something new. I'm also at school, and it's probably not a good use of time to write all day, but thankfully, most of my principals and vice principals don't read English. That's why. "My

Hey all

2010-11-11T20:08:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone. I just wrote a piece for the Adventure Teaching blog on Pepero Day in South Korea. Here's the link. I like to write, but I've never written for anyone other than myself or my friends. This is the first time I can remember that someone else has published my work. Maybe it is time for me to really give this dream of mine a go. Please read it, share it, digg it, tweet it, link

Camp and the New Earth

2010-07-25T13:28:00.001-04:00

It's probably pretty clear by now that I have a different take on the importance of camp than a lot of my co-workers. I think that the wishboat ceremony is important for the destruction of wishes, not for the fruition of wishes, for example. I was writing Louise, who is going to be a character on this blog whether she likes it or not, a message on facebook in response to a message asking, "Are

A new world

2010-07-19T12:47:00.001-04:00

I began writing a new book yesterday. The book is a spiritual journey of a man named Mantis Blanch. The story is set probably about 1000 years into the future. I am enjoying writing this new world. Here's how it works. The population has substantially decreased, from near 8 billion by 2000 to around 4 billion in 3000. The world has no more computers. Instead, there is a neural network,

A lesson the forest taught me

2010-07-16T15:05:00.000-04:00

Listen my friends to the sound of the rustleOf summertime’s wintergreen wood.The scent of their pines permeate through the trailTheir lessons oft misunderstood. The floor of the forest is littered with flowersThe Rainbow and all of her hue.The green of the leaves glow bright like night starsWhen the sunrays gently pass through. They never decided to growAnd why they are

Don't force it

2010-07-13T14:04:00.000-04:00

I am just going to free write this one. I guess everything I do is free-writing. Sometimes it turns out really nicely though, and other times it doesn't. This one is going to be one of those times that doesn't turn out so nice. I am quite sleepy. Last night was a sleep out night. It was my first time sleeping in a tent with another person since camp started. I have some paperwork to do.

Wishboat

2010-07-07T23:38:00.000-04:00

At Double H Ranch, there is something called a Wishboat ceremony. What is a wishboat? Well, a wish-boat is a bundle of sticks, basically. It's fueled by birch bark and pushed into the lake, Lake Vanare, by a counselor from the cabin. On the pieces of birch bark, an amazing fragment of nature that doubles as paper and fire-starter, campers will write their hopes and dreams. Wishes, if you

The last throes of ego

2010-07-05T19:12:00.001-04:00

I work with Christina in outdoor extreme. I am good at my job, I think. What I lack in knowledge, I make up in enthusiasm. However, sometimes, I feel like I can't even carry out my basic job functions, which is embarrassing to my ego, especially since Christina is really knowledgeable about nature and outdoor skills. Last night, we were setting up tents for the oldest girl camp out. Our

A Mixer: 2 great conversations I didn't expect to have

2010-07-02T23:40:00.000-04:00

This has been a brilliant break. I've been so relaxed. At one with the moment. Enjoying and enthusiastic about what I've been doing. Day 1, went to the Longhorn, had a few beers. Enjoyed some dancing and karaoke. Day 2, hike up Snowy Mountain. 3800 ft, with a one mile scramble at the end. A light snow up top. My shirt was cooling, so the sweat on my back made me miserably cold. I took

Chicago Boyz

2010-06-27T13:52:00.000-04:00

They say that as you grow older, you grow more conservative, and as usual I'm finding myself to act contrarily to the popular sentiment. Yesterday, the Chicago Boyz, an acrobatic group from Chicago dazzled the campers with heroic acrobatics and incredible stunts. It was really awesome. They did backflips as they were jumping rope. They jumped rope under two jump ropes. The program was great

Camp Log

2010-06-24T22:51:00.000-04:00

Here I am. Campers come tomorrow. How have I prepared? Well, I work with a girl named Christina, and she's much better at my program area than I am. She's really good at it, and has done nearly the same position at a similar camp for kids without medical conditions. So I'm quite thankful that I have someone with that experience to work with. What do I bring to the table? Well, you know

Short Story: Reflection

2010-06-24T22:25:00.000-04:00

I am asked to write three things about myself that I like about myself on post it notes. I am to stick them to myself, as though they define me. I mull over my options. What do I like about myself? I have a nice voice, I suppose. I write it down on the first post it note and place it on my chin. I do like to sing, and scream, and yell, and make jokes. And how would

Camp 3: New Location

2010-06-08T17:24:00.000-04:00

For the first two years of my career as a camp counselor, I worked at a camp in Southern California, and I had a great time and learned a lot about myself, I thought. It was still difficult to explain what was so great about the place, but today I finally realize what it is: everyone is. They are. And we are together, in unison. Sure, a couple of times, there are random thoughts about what

Adirondack Bound, Korea Bound

2010-05-15T22:35:00.000-04:00

It's time to start writing again. If you're going to break your arm, my advice would be to break it in high school, when you're supposed to be under your parent's roof. For about a month, I've sat in a cast, turning my brain off, playing certain "handicap accessible" video games and watching movies I've already seen to pass a bummer of a time. Sometimes when you have an ego like I had and are

1) Quit job to hike 2) hike 3) ????? 4) Profit

2010-05-15T09:36:00.000-04:00

I stole this from ProGamerGauntlet's blog. Read it and you'll discover another soul doing everything in his power to prolong, or avoid outright, his future in an office. In 2009, he had a grand vision to hike the Appalachian Trail with a buddy and make a documentary out of it. A combination of throbbing feet, painful hiking conditions, a pace that didn't allow enjoyment, and most likely, an

Home is

2010-03-11T22:16:00.000-05:00

I suppose home is okay. I'm enjoying myself here, probably more than I enjoyed my last month in New Zealand. The thing is, once you make a dramatic, life-changing decision, everything you do that isn't considered dramatic, life-changing action to accompany said decision just feels like filler. I should have used my remaining time in New Zealand to jump off cliffs, parasail, bungy, and so on,

New Zealand Recap: Did I do the things I set out to do?

2010-03-10T17:47:00.000-05:00

Even if you're living to fool around, like I was in New Zealand, you've gotta have goals, and if you're not moving towards them, you're not feeling fulfilled. That's the way I feel about my life anyways. If I'm not moving forward, I'm not happy. And so, it's a bit bizarre to me that I went to New Zealand with goals, and then completely forgot all about them within a months time. I wanted

My Essay for teaching English to children in japan

2010-02-16T18:46:00.000-05:00

For my application to an English school in Japan for children, I wrote the following essay. I'm sharing it with you. It was supposed to be over five hundred words, and they did not specify how long it was to be. The question: Why do I want to teach English in Japan?  Ever since my graduation from University of Maryland in May 2008, I’ve been trying to make this gigantic

Life Threw Me a Curveball: Mulling over my new options

2010-02-16T18:35:00.000-05:00

You know how I've been planning my entire life around camp since, well, last year? Well, I didn't get the position. Perhaps I was overly confident. Even I acknowledged that my interview wasn't the greatest with the camp's assistant director over the phone. The night before, I was sweeping, mopping, cleaning toilets till four in the morning, and I was forced to wake up early for the interview

Americans Travelling Abroad: Unlocking my Inner Rage at American Politicians

2010-02-09T04:04:00.000-05:00

This happens to me all the time. "My Pet Peeve: Americans who travel abroad and talk smack about their country." I don't know why, but it seems like the only Americans I meet are ones who have harsh criticisms about their own country, with or without Barack Obama as president. Blake and Eddie are quite possibly the only exceptions. How come the only Americans who travel abroad on working

Some thoughts on God

2010-02-08T16:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, auto mechanics finally got around to opening again. They were closed on Waitangi Day, it being a public holiday for New Zealanders, kind of like their day of independence, and they are generally closed on Sunday. Which meant that Louise and I had to travel back from Invercargill to Queenstown with limited use of breaks. Originally, we were going to go to the Bluff, 21 kms from

I want to blog again, because I'm going to need to soon for my own sanity.

2010-02-07T16:50:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, my working holiday in New Zealand has been cut short by one sad fact: I have a broken scaphoid, it's been displaced for at least four months, and it needs surgery or else I'm going to develop osteoarthritis at a very early age, and will never be able to use my hand correctly again. I suppose I should have seen it from the get-go. I should have been immediately skeptical when the