September 2011
1 post
A Real Adventure #3: Real Adventures Have Fewer...
I had a unique experience in Brazil today. I got my hair cut.
Getting your hair cut can be a scary experience. After all, you’re trusting the appearance of your hair, one of the most noticeable physical attributes of your head, into the hands of another person. Even though I have my preferred style of hair down to a tee at this point in my life, it still gets a little frightening when a...
August 2011
2 posts
A Real Adventure #2: Real adventurers go to the...
Pop Quiz!
Question: What do the following people have in common:
Answer: They all pooped in the woods. A lot.
I don’t like talking about poop. At all. I think it’s something people should keep to themselves.
But the truth is that, well, everybody does it. Including people on great adventures.
They never show you the scene where Aragorn pops a squat behind a bush and lets...
A Real Adventure #1: What is a Real Adventure?
Hi friends,
I know, I won’t be quiet about this Brazil stuff but lately I’ve really wanted to document some thoughts on the topic of “Adventure”.
Since I was a child, the idea of Adventure has been implanted deep into my head. I think it’s typical for men, especially our current generation, to long for a mission that is bigger than themselves…something that...
July 2011
2 posts
New Brazil Blog!
Hi friends!
I’ve opened up a new blog on Wordpress to document my travels in Brazil.
You can find the link on my facebook, or right HERE:
http://ryjo60.wordpress.com/
More updates are to come as the adventure begins!
- Ryan
Pre-Pre Departure
Hi all,
As many of you know, I will be studying abroad in Brazil for the Fall semester. My departure from the US is in 10 short days.
I am the first and only student from UIUC travelling to Pirassununga, Sao Paulo, BRA. There are two others from Texas A&M, but we are not bound together by any program (I don’t even know their names). Also, all of my classes will be taught in Portuguese,...
May 2011
3 posts
What My Vaction To The Magical World of Disney...
Lesson 2: The Country Bears are awesome
Let me tell you, for the longest time I have always thought the Country Bears were these ugly, disgusting-looking, slack-jawed leftovers from the 60’s that were only ever kept around Disney because of tradition. Just look at them. They’re creepy as heck.
I feel like I’ve seen this face before…
*shiver*
And I still think...
What My Vacation To The Magical World of Disney...
Last night I just got home from visiting my sister for 6 days in Orlando, Florida. It was a pretty neat trip but I’m definitely glad to be able to sit back and relax at home again. We spent the week in Disney World which also happens to be the epicenter of nostalgia for me. Needless to say, this vacation taught me a lot of things about life (Well, I learned about more questions...
Being 13 again.
So this week I’ve been indulging in a teenage past time of mine: Dragonball Z.
If you’re not familiar with Dragonball Z, let me familiarize you to it. The show is furrreaking amazing. The premise is that a group of super-powered fighters from Earth must protect the universe from the forces of evil by utilizing martial arts, flying, energy blasts, and their emotions. It is...
March 2011
2 posts
What's your story? Here's mine!
At this exact moment I am sitting on my bed listening to 50’s music and savoring what’s left of this Spring Break.
Spring Break usually ends up being the same story. Leading up to it you think, “Yes! Now I can catch up on work! It’s five weekends in a row!” and of course, it never turns out that way.
I made the bold choice of buying Seasons 1 and 2 of How I Met Your Mother and have been inhaling...
Thoughts on Relationship, Story, Inconvenience,...
A recurring theme for me these last couple weeks has been this idea of deviating from the systematic approach to life. You know, the Westernized way of thinking that puts every aspect of life into a bullet-point list or 5-step process.
As an engineering student, every day I’m learning how to interpret the variables of the world as a series of functions and logical relations in order to derive a...
February 2011
3 posts
Talking Like I Kinda Believe What I'm Sort of...
You should watch this if you haven’t seen it before:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCNIBV87wV4
A friend of mine forwarded this to me a little over a year ago. To be honest, the message in the video made me cringe at first. I am a champion at being inarticulate for the sake of not offending people with my words. I love to soften sentences by putting in ‘pillow words’ like...
Things that make you go "Oh yeah! I love that!"
So in my journal I’ve recently written out a list of everything in life that makes me feel extra good - you know, passions. They’re those things that I can’t help but smile when I think about them. When I hear a complete stranger talk about them I just itch to join the conversation.
I would recommended you try doing it when you get the chance. It’s a fun exercise that...
Making hyperbole not such a big deal
I recently listened to a really good sermon by David Platt from Brook Hills Church titled, “The Gospel Demands Radical Sacrifice”. You can find it here:
http://www.brookhills.org/media/series/radical/
The sermon is about one hour and totally worth every second. He gets super passionate which I personally like because I’m really into pastors yelling at me.
In the sermon, Platt...
January 2011
6 posts
1 tag
Based on a Nightmare
Thump… Thump… Thump…
Each heartbeat feels like a baseball bat is swinging right into my sternum.
I’m positive this is my childhood home. Sure, the furniture is different and there are some new walls, but it’s definitely the same house. I just know it. The air is thick and moist; the dense atmosphere is making it difficult to breathe. Each step feels like I’m half-walking and...
Nom Nom Nom! Life.
Do you ever get that feeling?
You know, that feeling when you get when find 20 dollars in your jacket?
When you’re watching the opening credits of your favorite TV show, and its a new episode.
When you see a full pot of coffee.
When your Dragonair reaches level 55.
When you find out you aced that final.
When you wake up from a nightmare, only to realize it wasn’t real.
Or...
Book Review: Disappointment With God by Philip...
This morning I just finished book I’ve been working on for a couple months (I like to take my time). It’s called Disappointed With God by Philip Yancey.
In the book, Yancey explores the relatable feeling of, well, being disappointed with God. He addresses thoughts like:
“If God really wants a relationship with us, why is He so silent?” “I earnestly...
Fear? I'll pass, thanks.
I have fears.
These are mostly unspoken fears that travel through my head on occasion. Usually, I do a pretty good job of ignoring them throughout the day. I know exactly what TV shows or websites I can visit to occupy my mind so I don’t have to face my fears.
There are some fears that are physical and tangible (Aliens, Slenderman, the dark, what people will think about me after reading my...
"The Day" Flash Game
My friend Matt recently introduced me to a very unique flash game called, “The Day”. You can find it here:
http://armorgames.com/play/6980/the-day I won’t give away too much but the way it tells its story is fascinating. You get to play as a young girl named Tia on her birthday. As a present, your father gives you a playing card and let’s you play against all the other...
Ninja Gaiden
[Originally this was a facebook note. Now I’m putting it on the ‘ol Tumblr for completeness sake.]
Tonight marks a very important turning point in my life. I have finally completed the videogame, Ninja Gaiden. Many valiant men and women have put in heroic efforts to tame the beast, and for many years it was assumed impossible to conquer all 6 treacherous levels. Alas, I may...
August 2010
1 post
I have joined the internet!
Hello friends of all shapes and sizes!
This is the necessary ‘first blog post’ of the new Ryan Michael Johnson blog. These pages will be filled with all sorts of fun ideas! Originally this blog was going to be reserved to write out my dreams but we can have so much more fun than that.
