Projects
Welcome. This is my Projects landing page. I have, in recent years, been giving a lot of thought to what I am supposed to do with my life. I realize that there is an endless array before me. I can do anything, it seems. Yet, the devil is in the details. It would seem that I am limited by a little thing called time. I have to choose a few things. I have to reconcile the endlessness before my mind with the growing nature of a thing that looms behind every corner and is perpetually creeping nearer—Death.
I have made this page to help me get a clearer idea of where I am going, and to share with all of you the ideas that I want to bring to fruition. These things are important to me, yet, some of them are quite large and they require a lot of that precious time. Unless I institute some mechanism to help organize those thoughts they will drift away into faded memories without ever being realized, something that I think is very sad. This page is to help me realize those goals, and perhaps, inspire others to reach theirs. I spend time every day working on at least one of these things. Below are links and short descriptions to some of my projects. They range from solely personal pursuits to projects dedicated to helping the world and solving its most troubling problems.
First of all, let me explain a few well established ideas that have been a great part of this site already. Writs and Rants is my blog dedicated to no specific thing at all. You may as well be reading my scatterbrained thoughts. Poetry is self explanatory. I write poems once and awhile. Just get used to it. The Travel Log is, again, self explanatory. It's my blog for when I travel. The Stories tab features a few of my finished works which I will add to periodically. The most prominent work listed there is a story I began writing in my youth, a ghost that has haunted my dreams ever since--The Journey Scroll.
Now, here is a list, by no means all encompassing, of the things that I'd like to do and are currently working on. Links to concurrent pages are in bold.
School
First and foremost I have to list School. To me it is something of an undertaking. Having never done well in school, finding it excruciating in many regards, failing many times and losing A LOT of money due to bad choices and sever bouts of depression, I have, through what I call either masochism or, from, perhaps a more positive perspective, say, a dogged determination to better myself, once again redoubled my efforts. All this year I have been attending Utah Valley University and doing, more or less, pretty okay. That said, my goal of attaining a Bachelors Degree in Physics is still a long ways away. So, while I am attending college I have undertaken a few other projects, that are, for one, much more immediately fulfilling, and just things that I’d like to say that I’ve done before I die.
Heaven 1 is the realization of a long held story that I am trying very hard to get written. I am posting each new chapter as I write it along with artwork by my friend Blake Fruits who does amazing work. Check out his Tumblr here.
This story is still in the beginning stages and I write it whenever I get a chance. It will largely remain a work in progress for awhile, but you certainly can keep up on each new chapter as I post them. My goal for the first book is to get about 15 chapters with each chapter taking about a month to write. It is a slow process, I know, but, as you can see, I have a lot on my docket. If you haven’t read the first chapter, feel free to check it out by clicking here!
Literature (coming soon)
Ok. I have attempted to come at this one several times before, and in a few different ways. If you’ve followed me for awhile you know that I’ve tried this before, and because of many frustrating quirks about the nature of what I have wanted to do with this project, it has fallen by the wayside. But, as with school, I am, again, redoubling my efforts. My goal here is to read, study, and build a body of knowledge concerning the literature of the world. To help out with this project I intend to use the Wikipedia page Ancient Literature as a starting point and start from the top (the earliest discovered works of literature) and work my way down. I want to do this for several reasons. But suffice it to say, this will keep me busy, surely, for life. It is a passive pleasure. Click here to start following my Literature Blog.
Science Essays (coming soon)
This one is exciting, yet, as with everything, it comes with its own difficulties. I currently have nothing here. But my goal is to write a personal analysis of the history of scientific thought. There are few books that exhilarate my spirit. Science, and particularly histories of science do that. This one, unfortunately, will remain on the back burner for awhile. It is merely something that I am very passionate about and would love to say I’ve done.
Treatise on Existence (coming soon)
You’d think that we’d all be experts in this field—existence—the one thing we are all doing all of the time. However, this one has me stumped, and I just can’t figure out why. As of this moment these few sentences are my treatise on existence. Surely there is more to it, though. I will give it some more thought.
The Issues (coming soon)
Unfortunately I feel obligated to say a few things pertaining to the most vexing issues that we face. I do not desire to write policies and politics, but I feel that these things are, indeed of immense importance. I want to do a write up of some of the most concerning ones so I can more fully grasp, not only what the issues and arguments are, but also to help me understand where I actually stand. Given the absurdity of the most recent Presidential Elections, I simply don’t know where I stand. I stand in a haze of chaos with a large question mark over my head.
All Hail Jacob Winterfeldt The Finale (coming soon)
I have been skating for 16 years. I am almost 30 now. The relationship that I have had with skateboarding is one that I don’t think many can relate to. A lot of people think skating wreaks havoc on society, and that no self respecting adult should waste their time on a skateboard. Yet, I feel, and if feelings mean anything, that skating has given me something wondrous, something that genuinely makes me smile, something I wish I could share with everyone.
In and of itself, skateboarding is demanding. Not only does it take a physical toll, but the mental fatigue and frustration it incites can sometimes feel unbearable. But still, there is more to it. Many of those 16 years, I have, on a personal level felt lost. I’ve struggled with depression in very deep ways. The whole while skateboarding has remained. It has helped release pent up energy, and it offers a medium for endless creation. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to the skatepark as the sun is rising because I wasn’t able to sleep the night before. Just cruising around, feeling the wind in my hair and popping simple tricks is a feeling that I wish everyone could have.
Although at times, excruciating, skating, for me, has by no means been a burden, but a boon. And I want to give this sport, this love, one last video part. I don’t do it to get sponsors. That is a young man’s game. I don’t do it because I am the best. I am not even close. I do it out of love. I love skateboarding. I want to contribute to the skate community one last time before I can’t do it anymore.
My 2017 goal is to film my All Hail Retirement part. I want to get the original video posted here for old time sake. Coming soon...
Heroic (coming soon)
Oh yes, then there is Heroic. I started making a board game when I was about 18 years old. I would get a version of it down, test play it, and find that, although, fun, many issues that needed to be overcome. This has, periodically cropped up over the years and I am officially throwing it in with the things that I need to conquer in this life. My goal is to get the game finally finished, kickstart it, and produce it for all of your boardgamers pleasure.