I have been told recently that it's high time for me to blog again. I was sooo tempted to just leave it at that sentence and call it happy. But I'm nicer than that. Truth is, and this might be shocking to you, my life is just not that interesting. Sure, my brain is an undiscovered treasure trove of wonderfulness, but most people aren't ready to experience it. So I get stuck. I'm not sure how. I just do.
I have been rolling a lot of topics around in my brain lately. One thing I have been meaning to talk about is text etiquette, or textiquette. I had this elaborate post in mind, where I demonstrated how it would be if we talked to people in real life like we do in text, especially when you're in the middle of a conversation and someone just quits texting, like just walking away from a conversation in the middle of it. One of my pet peeves. It was hilarious. Trust me. (Or not so much...)
But really, that entry would have been more complainy than I am feeling. Because life is good right now. I mean, REALLY good. I love my job, even though there are days when I wonder why the heck I got into this profession. I have some amazing friends, and I'm making more of an effort to rid myself of my hermit ways and go out into the real world sometimes. My family totally rocks. They came down for my birthday, which was totally cool. Plus, my parents got me guitar lessons!
I had my first guitar lesson last night. I really like the place. They're all so friendly. I felt kinda dumb because I've had my guitar for so long, and forgot pretty much everything I learned when I first got it. Even how to tune! Plus I forgot all my music theory because I was nervous and out of my comfort zone. But it will be good. I am determined to get my fingers nice and calloused by next week, and have wicked good chord changes. The main problem is that my hand doesn't like to bend how it's supposed to, and my pinky is too short! I have baby pinkies. The rest of my fingers became adults, but not my pinkies. It's weird. I'm deformed.
My addiction to reading has become slightly problematic. I've already read 13 or so books this year, and people keep telling me about more books I need to read, plus I keep getting coupons for specials on books. Yesterday I got home and had two boxes of books waiting for me. Yeah...it's a problem...but I LOVE it.
So many things to look forward to! This weekend I get to go see some of my favorite people in the world up in the Twin Cities. In three weeks I am leaving for Arkansas to spend a week at Heifer International Ranch with my family and my grandparents. I'm hoping to work on my book more, though my reading addiction has slowed me down on that. And something super exciting is happening TODAY but I can't tell anyone because it's a SECRET.
So life is good. I have been feeling great since turning 27. I think it's going to be one of the best years yet. Looking forward to what is coming!
(There, Nik, I blogged! Happy???)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Sleep = Happiness
Last week was a vacation week, and honestly, I spent most of the week sleeping. To be fair (to myself), I got sick Monday afternoon and was feeling the effects for several days. That's my excuse. Seriously though, I would sleep anywhere from ten to twelve hours, be awake for maybe twelve hours, and fall back into for another 10-12 hours. It. Was. Awesome. Don't worry, my mom made sure I was fully productive the first half of vacation, so I felt little guilt over my Sleeping Beauty routine.
So I didn't just blog because I wanted to tell everyone how lazy I was last week, though I'm not ashamed of it. I am more refreshed than I have been in...well...I honestly don't know the last time I was this refreshed! Usually when I take vacations it's to go somewhere. The last vacation I took was Thanksgiving, but was only three days off work, and I traveled to Minnesota, and the one before that was my cruise last January. If anyone has been on a cruise, you know that there is way too much to do to spend much time getting refreshed (though the beach day was pretty awesome). I need to take a week off and shut myself in my apartment at least once a month. ;)
I keep getting off track. The real reason I wanted to blog today was because in all my sleep last week, I didn't have a single really interesting dream, and that made me sad. If you've been in my crazy world for very long, you know that I have some of the strangest dreams ever, and I love them. I very rarely have nightmares, and usually my dreams are so ridiculous that I just wake up and smile when I think about them. I don't know if my lack of dreaming was because I was sick, but I didn't like it. Dreams make the night seem longer, I think, rather than going to sleep and waking up as if no time has passed at all. And I'm a big fan of making sure my night is stretched out (except last night I really couldn't sleep and that was annoying). That's why I set my alarm for much earlier than I have to get up...I love that feeling of looking at the clock and realizing I have more time to sleep. Even when I get to sleep in on weekends and don't have to get up, I like to lay in bed for a while after I'm awake and just enjoy the feeling. It's lovely.
ANYWAY. I had some very random dreams last night that were too complicated to turn in to a facebook status. The funny part was that for one of them I was aware I was dreaming, and was trying to figure out how to explain the dream. As much as I love my dreams, this had to be the most tedious, boring dream ever. Seriously. Want to know what I was doing? Of course you do. You don't have a choice. Well, yes you do. You could quit reading. Go on. Get out of here. Still reading? Good. You must really like me ;) In my dream I had apparently broken my leg/ankle. It was the same one I broke in college, and I had to wear this combination of the moon boot I wore for that break and the giant knee brace I wore in middle school to try to correct my "floating kneecap." It was a big complication of loops and buckles, and I was trying to wear my snow boots. So I put the boots on, then the brace. Then I took them off because it wasn't right, and put it back on. Then my boot suddenly was off, so I had to do it again. And on it went. I kept putting it on and taking it off. And my family was waiting for me at Olive Garden but it took me like an hour and a half to figure it out. That was my dream. Totally lame. And now I've wasted your time telling you, just like I wasted my dream space by having that dream.
I also had a dream that I was making EZ Mac with my sister, but I added cheddar cheese and not the cheese packets. And then I was on a bus with a bunch of people I went to middle school with. Totally random. And those are the ones I like.
I have no good way to end this. It's Wednesday and that's happy.
So I didn't just blog because I wanted to tell everyone how lazy I was last week, though I'm not ashamed of it. I am more refreshed than I have been in...well...I honestly don't know the last time I was this refreshed! Usually when I take vacations it's to go somewhere. The last vacation I took was Thanksgiving, but was only three days off work, and I traveled to Minnesota, and the one before that was my cruise last January. If anyone has been on a cruise, you know that there is way too much to do to spend much time getting refreshed (though the beach day was pretty awesome). I need to take a week off and shut myself in my apartment at least once a month. ;)
I keep getting off track. The real reason I wanted to blog today was because in all my sleep last week, I didn't have a single really interesting dream, and that made me sad. If you've been in my crazy world for very long, you know that I have some of the strangest dreams ever, and I love them. I very rarely have nightmares, and usually my dreams are so ridiculous that I just wake up and smile when I think about them. I don't know if my lack of dreaming was because I was sick, but I didn't like it. Dreams make the night seem longer, I think, rather than going to sleep and waking up as if no time has passed at all. And I'm a big fan of making sure my night is stretched out (except last night I really couldn't sleep and that was annoying). That's why I set my alarm for much earlier than I have to get up...I love that feeling of looking at the clock and realizing I have more time to sleep. Even when I get to sleep in on weekends and don't have to get up, I like to lay in bed for a while after I'm awake and just enjoy the feeling. It's lovely.
ANYWAY. I had some very random dreams last night that were too complicated to turn in to a facebook status. The funny part was that for one of them I was aware I was dreaming, and was trying to figure out how to explain the dream. As much as I love my dreams, this had to be the most tedious, boring dream ever. Seriously. Want to know what I was doing? Of course you do. You don't have a choice. Well, yes you do. You could quit reading. Go on. Get out of here. Still reading? Good. You must really like me ;) In my dream I had apparently broken my leg/ankle. It was the same one I broke in college, and I had to wear this combination of the moon boot I wore for that break and the giant knee brace I wore in middle school to try to correct my "floating kneecap." It was a big complication of loops and buckles, and I was trying to wear my snow boots. So I put the boots on, then the brace. Then I took them off because it wasn't right, and put it back on. Then my boot suddenly was off, so I had to do it again. And on it went. I kept putting it on and taking it off. And my family was waiting for me at Olive Garden but it took me like an hour and a half to figure it out. That was my dream. Totally lame. And now I've wasted your time telling you, just like I wasted my dream space by having that dream.
I also had a dream that I was making EZ Mac with my sister, but I added cheddar cheese and not the cheese packets. And then I was on a bus with a bunch of people I went to middle school with. Totally random. And those are the ones I like.
I have no good way to end this. It's Wednesday and that's happy.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Plagiarism
So I'm going to start off this post by saying I'm a big fat copycat. Yup, that's right. Devoid of originality, I am scamming the idea for this post from Emily at http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/. You see, this year I resolved not to make resolutions. They never stick anyway. (I am dreading visiting the gym, knowing how crowded it is during the first part of the year.) And when they don't stick, I'm stuck at the end of the year with a feeling of failure.
But then I argue with myself. "Sally," I say (since I sometimes call myself Sally), "isn't that just lazy?" I mean, if I don't set goals, how am I supposed to have any motivation for anything? I think what I don't like about New Year's resolutions (is it proper to have "New Year's" capitalized? I never know.) is that I don't think there should be a specific time of year for setting goals. People (me) should be setting new goals for themselves all year round, not just in the first few days of the new year (doesn't look right not capitalized, Sally, but that is the proper way to do it in that sentence).
So that brings me to my copycatting ways. Emily (at http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/, check out her blog!) set three categories for herself for the new year. The first was physical, second was spiritual/character, and the final one was creative/intellectual. I like those categories, so I'm *borrowing* them, taking special care to credit her genius (http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/). *deep breath* Aaand, here we go.
1) Physical
This is the one that always gets me off track. It seems like everyone and their dog (really!) makes a resolution resolving to do something physical. (Let's get physical, physical...) (Do you remember the saying "all that and a bag of chips?" "Everyone and their dog" reminds me of that.) (Gosh I'm ADD today.) ANYWAY. Everyone feels guilty following the holiday binging they did, and everyone promised themselves that this week it was all going to change. The cleanse, if you will. (Imagine saying "cleanse" in a pompous British voice, like an old man in a smokers jacket speaking around the pipe hanging out of his mouth) The fanatical, wild-eyed promises to do better this year, to eat healthy to work out 7 days a week for three hours and really drop those pounds...and two weeks later they are (I am) sitting on the couch, watching Biggest Loser and chowing down on french fries. Effective.
So. My first resolution is to get myself moving three times a week. No time limit. If it's 20 minutes, awesome. If it's an hour, even better. If I go to the gym, great. If I play Just Dance on Wii, that still counts. (It is a work out! Have you tried it? Do!) Just getting in the habit of moving is the first obstacle. Of course, if I do more, all the better. I'll also be attempting to eat better, but that's not part of this resolution. One thing at a time, people.
2) Spiritual/Character
This one is the hardest for me, I think. It's an area in which I have been extremely lacking over the past year. The spirituality part. (My character is awesome. Flawless.) I have joined groups and attended church, but not as regularly as I should. I think what I am lacking most is connection. With people and with God. So my resolution here is to get more involved. Make an effort. Don't just attend, do. Give up the excuses that I give for not being more present. Dive in and see where I land. Simple. Right? ...
3) Creative/Intellectual
This one is the one I'm actually most excited about. In November 2009 I started a novel as part of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It actually has the potential to be a decent teen/young adult novel, but I have lacked the motivation to actually finish it. This year, I would like to finish the manuscript, and then look into what I need to do to submit it to a publisher. It's scary, and I know it's super difficult to get published, but I definitely won't know until I try, right?
My final (unofficial) resolution is to check in with the above resolutions at least a couple times and guage how I'm doing, tweak as needed. Maybe I need to increase one, or hone it. These are just general ideas, ones that hopefully by the end of the year will have me more active, more involved, and chasing my dreams like anything can happen.
Oh yeah, one more thing...
http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/
:)
But then I argue with myself. "Sally," I say (since I sometimes call myself Sally), "isn't that just lazy?" I mean, if I don't set goals, how am I supposed to have any motivation for anything? I think what I don't like about New Year's resolutions (is it proper to have "New Year's" capitalized? I never know.) is that I don't think there should be a specific time of year for setting goals. People (me) should be setting new goals for themselves all year round, not just in the first few days of the new year (doesn't look right not capitalized, Sally, but that is the proper way to do it in that sentence).
So that brings me to my copycatting ways. Emily (at http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/, check out her blog!) set three categories for herself for the new year. The first was physical, second was spiritual/character, and the final one was creative/intellectual. I like those categories, so I'm *borrowing* them, taking special care to credit her genius (http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/). *deep breath* Aaand, here we go.
1) Physical
This is the one that always gets me off track. It seems like everyone and their dog (really!) makes a resolution resolving to do something physical. (Let's get physical, physical...) (Do you remember the saying "all that and a bag of chips?" "Everyone and their dog" reminds me of that.) (Gosh I'm ADD today.) ANYWAY. Everyone feels guilty following the holiday binging they did, and everyone promised themselves that this week it was all going to change. The cleanse, if you will. (Imagine saying "cleanse" in a pompous British voice, like an old man in a smokers jacket speaking around the pipe hanging out of his mouth) The fanatical, wild-eyed promises to do better this year, to eat healthy to work out 7 days a week for three hours and really drop those pounds...and two weeks later they are (I am) sitting on the couch, watching Biggest Loser and chowing down on french fries. Effective.
So. My first resolution is to get myself moving three times a week. No time limit. If it's 20 minutes, awesome. If it's an hour, even better. If I go to the gym, great. If I play Just Dance on Wii, that still counts. (It is a work out! Have you tried it? Do!) Just getting in the habit of moving is the first obstacle. Of course, if I do more, all the better. I'll also be attempting to eat better, but that's not part of this resolution. One thing at a time, people.
2) Spiritual/Character
This one is the hardest for me, I think. It's an area in which I have been extremely lacking over the past year. The spirituality part. (My character is awesome. Flawless.) I have joined groups and attended church, but not as regularly as I should. I think what I am lacking most is connection. With people and with God. So my resolution here is to get more involved. Make an effort. Don't just attend, do. Give up the excuses that I give for not being more present. Dive in and see where I land. Simple. Right? ...
3) Creative/Intellectual
This one is the one I'm actually most excited about. In November 2009 I started a novel as part of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It actually has the potential to be a decent teen/young adult novel, but I have lacked the motivation to actually finish it. This year, I would like to finish the manuscript, and then look into what I need to do to submit it to a publisher. It's scary, and I know it's super difficult to get published, but I definitely won't know until I try, right?
My final (unofficial) resolution is to check in with the above resolutions at least a couple times and guage how I'm doing, tweak as needed. Maybe I need to increase one, or hone it. These are just general ideas, ones that hopefully by the end of the year will have me more active, more involved, and chasing my dreams like anything can happen.
Oh yeah, one more thing...
http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/
:)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
When one book closes...
Happy New Year! Wow, 2010 was absolutely amazing. I did so many things, it's hard to summarize them. To try would be one epic blog post, that's for sure. Let's see...just a taste, I think.
This year I spent a few months planning weddings in the beauty of Connecticut, journeyed to another time, when the present is known only as "The Histories," spent some time at a magical castle in England, danced with vampires, and battled mythological creatures alongside the ancient gods of Greece. I fell in love numerous times, with various men, and went on dangerous missions to save the world.
You might be asking yourself how one earth I managed to do all of this in the space of only one year. It seems unbelievable. But, of course, the answer is obvious. I did it all from the comfort of my squishy leather couch. I read 66 books in 2010. I know it sounds corny, but for those of us with neither the time nor the resources to do a lot of traveling, the world of books is an easy escape from the day to day doldrums.
It still baffles me when people say they don't like to read. I just think they haven't found the right book. I, being me, like a wide variety of different books. Mostly fiction, but some autobiographical or historical stuff can catch my attention too. But in general, whether they are my cup of tea or not, I think books are amazing. They create entire worlds just using words. They paint word pictures that make those worlds come alive and become real, at least for a little while. The characters in most books evoke feelings of friendship and trust, or anger and dislike from the reader. At least that's how it is to me. I respond to characters in books much as I would to people in real life...perhaps more boldly because I do, in fact, realize they are fictional.
I'm working on creating one (or more) of those worlds myself. I am getting close to the finish of my first complete novel. Of course, that's only half the battle, the actual writing. But we won't get into the complications and impossibilities of getting my writing published. I feel the same way about the world I've created as I do about the ones I've visited throughout that past year and, really, my entire life. I don't control the characters as much as you'd might think, being the author and all. They are many layered, and I don't always even know what they're going to do. It sounds bizarre, and maybe a little crazy, which I probably am. I enjoy visiting them as much as I've enjoyed creating them though, even if the location isn't as exotic as some I've visited in my book journeys.
Perhaps if I weren't so ADD I would be able to finish my book. Just these few paragraphs have taken me almost an hour to write. As soon as I opened up the page to compose a new entry, I had the overwhelming urge to play some Solitaire, and Men in Black is on, which is always distracting due to Will Smith's hotness. So far, 2011 feels pretty close to 2010. I've already finished my first book of the year though. Percy Jackson is highly addictive. I think I'll go start another one. Go read, my friends! You never know where you might go :)
This year I spent a few months planning weddings in the beauty of Connecticut, journeyed to another time, when the present is known only as "The Histories," spent some time at a magical castle in England, danced with vampires, and battled mythological creatures alongside the ancient gods of Greece. I fell in love numerous times, with various men, and went on dangerous missions to save the world.
You might be asking yourself how one earth I managed to do all of this in the space of only one year. It seems unbelievable. But, of course, the answer is obvious. I did it all from the comfort of my squishy leather couch. I read 66 books in 2010. I know it sounds corny, but for those of us with neither the time nor the resources to do a lot of traveling, the world of books is an easy escape from the day to day doldrums.
It still baffles me when people say they don't like to read. I just think they haven't found the right book. I, being me, like a wide variety of different books. Mostly fiction, but some autobiographical or historical stuff can catch my attention too. But in general, whether they are my cup of tea or not, I think books are amazing. They create entire worlds just using words. They paint word pictures that make those worlds come alive and become real, at least for a little while. The characters in most books evoke feelings of friendship and trust, or anger and dislike from the reader. At least that's how it is to me. I respond to characters in books much as I would to people in real life...perhaps more boldly because I do, in fact, realize they are fictional.
I'm working on creating one (or more) of those worlds myself. I am getting close to the finish of my first complete novel. Of course, that's only half the battle, the actual writing. But we won't get into the complications and impossibilities of getting my writing published. I feel the same way about the world I've created as I do about the ones I've visited throughout that past year and, really, my entire life. I don't control the characters as much as you'd might think, being the author and all. They are many layered, and I don't always even know what they're going to do. It sounds bizarre, and maybe a little crazy, which I probably am. I enjoy visiting them as much as I've enjoyed creating them though, even if the location isn't as exotic as some I've visited in my book journeys.
Perhaps if I weren't so ADD I would be able to finish my book. Just these few paragraphs have taken me almost an hour to write. As soon as I opened up the page to compose a new entry, I had the overwhelming urge to play some Solitaire, and Men in Black is on, which is always distracting due to Will Smith's hotness. So far, 2011 feels pretty close to 2010. I've already finished my first book of the year though. Percy Jackson is highly addictive. I think I'll go start another one. Go read, my friends! You never know where you might go :)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Tag! I'm it...
I was recently tagged by Emily at But the winking of an eye to answer some questions. Emily and I went to the greatest college ever together. She lived down the hall from me freshman year, along with some of the greatest girls I've ever met. Good times. Anyway, everyone knows I love answering random questions, usually randomly, so here we go!
{1} Have you accomplished any of your childhood dreams? If so, which?
Well, I haven't become a princess or even found my Prince Charming yet. I'm not sure I ever had very realistic dreams as a child. They usually involved traveling to other planets or fantasy worlds, for which I blame my family, because they were all in to things like Star Trek and Star Wars and Back to the Future. Can you blame me for not having normal dreams? I can say that my childhood dream of never growing up has certainly been accomplished. I work in an elementary school and my office is full of toys. It's awesome.
{2} All-time favorite CD?
This is a hard one, but I think my favorite is also one that I lost. The Christmas album by N*Sync. That's right. Judge away. It's amazing. I need to download it on iTunes. It's that time of year again, ya know. The most wonderful time.
{3} What is your favorite character from a book?
With as many books as I read, it's hard to come up with a favorite. Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels is hilarious. Or I could be super cliche and say Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. It's true, but still cliche.
{4} Do you remember the moment you realized you were an adult? What were you doing and when was it?
Hasn't happened yet. I'll probably cry when it does. Sure, I get little glimpses every once in a while, like when I'm paying bills or driving in rush hour traffic, but most of the time I pretend to be blissfully unaware that I'm quickly climbing the 20s.
{5} Where is your happy place?
My head. Or the world of books. I moved around so much as a kid that I couldn't really pick a physical location. I make up stories in my head (and sometimes write them down) or open up a book, and I feel safe. And usually happy.
{6} What is your favorite time of day, and why?
Hmm...I really like the late afternoon/early evening time, when my day at work is over and I have the whole night ahead of me. It's my time to just breathe for a few minutes. I also like it a lot when I wake up at like 2 in the morning and realize I still get to sleep for a few more hours. I almost enjoy that more than sleeping straight through until my alarm goes off.
{7} What was your favorite cartoon when you were little?
Lady Lovely Locks! If you haven't heard of her, you NEED to find episodes on YouTube. So great. These girls with gorgeous long hair, and little creatures live in their hair. Sounds gross, but it's MAGICAL. I wanted to BE Lady Lovely Locks when I was little. I also loved The Little Mermaid. I think we rented that video every time we went to the rental store when I was little. My parents finally bought me the video when I was in elementary school.
{8} What is your weirdest quirk?
Just one? I don't know. I'm a pretty quirky person in general. This would be a better question for my friends and family to answer.
Now I'm supposed to tag 8 people and ask them questions. However. I don't have that many friends with blogs. Sooo, I will tag the few people there are and hope for the best! :) First, my questions:
1) If you could live during any time in history or the future, when would it be and why?
2) If you had a day entirely free, no obligations, what would you do?
3) Where would you go on your dream vacation?
4) What is your greatest hope for your future?
5) If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
6) Are you doing what you thought you would be doing at this point in your life? If not, what did you think you would be doing?
7) When was the last time you stayed up through an entire night, and what were you doing?
8) What is the meaning of life, to you?
And now my lil tagees:
1) Andrea at Oh Andrea
2) Randi at Hubert Happenings
3) Kim at Minnis Moments
4) Clay at Clay's Ramblings
5) Nik at Handkerchief Confessions
It won't hurt my feelings if you guys don't answer the questions, but I thought I'd continue the spirit of the game of tag! Have fun!
{1} Have you accomplished any of your childhood dreams? If so, which?
Well, I haven't become a princess or even found my Prince Charming yet. I'm not sure I ever had very realistic dreams as a child. They usually involved traveling to other planets or fantasy worlds, for which I blame my family, because they were all in to things like Star Trek and Star Wars and Back to the Future. Can you blame me for not having normal dreams? I can say that my childhood dream of never growing up has certainly been accomplished. I work in an elementary school and my office is full of toys. It's awesome.
{2} All-time favorite CD?
This is a hard one, but I think my favorite is also one that I lost. The Christmas album by N*Sync. That's right. Judge away. It's amazing. I need to download it on iTunes. It's that time of year again, ya know. The most wonderful time.
{3} What is your favorite character from a book?
With as many books as I read, it's hard to come up with a favorite. Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels is hilarious. Or I could be super cliche and say Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. It's true, but still cliche.
{4} Do you remember the moment you realized you were an adult? What were you doing and when was it?
Hasn't happened yet. I'll probably cry when it does. Sure, I get little glimpses every once in a while, like when I'm paying bills or driving in rush hour traffic, but most of the time I pretend to be blissfully unaware that I'm quickly climbing the 20s.
{5} Where is your happy place?
My head. Or the world of books. I moved around so much as a kid that I couldn't really pick a physical location. I make up stories in my head (and sometimes write them down) or open up a book, and I feel safe. And usually happy.
{6} What is your favorite time of day, and why?
Hmm...I really like the late afternoon/early evening time, when my day at work is over and I have the whole night ahead of me. It's my time to just breathe for a few minutes. I also like it a lot when I wake up at like 2 in the morning and realize I still get to sleep for a few more hours. I almost enjoy that more than sleeping straight through until my alarm goes off.
{7} What was your favorite cartoon when you were little?
Lady Lovely Locks! If you haven't heard of her, you NEED to find episodes on YouTube. So great. These girls with gorgeous long hair, and little creatures live in their hair. Sounds gross, but it's MAGICAL. I wanted to BE Lady Lovely Locks when I was little. I also loved The Little Mermaid. I think we rented that video every time we went to the rental store when I was little. My parents finally bought me the video when I was in elementary school.
{8} What is your weirdest quirk?
Just one? I don't know. I'm a pretty quirky person in general. This would be a better question for my friends and family to answer.
Now I'm supposed to tag 8 people and ask them questions. However. I don't have that many friends with blogs. Sooo, I will tag the few people there are and hope for the best! :) First, my questions:
1) If you could live during any time in history or the future, when would it be and why?
2) If you had a day entirely free, no obligations, what would you do?
3) Where would you go on your dream vacation?
4) What is your greatest hope for your future?
5) If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
6) Are you doing what you thought you would be doing at this point in your life? If not, what did you think you would be doing?
7) When was the last time you stayed up through an entire night, and what were you doing?
8) What is the meaning of life, to you?
And now my lil tagees:
1) Andrea at Oh Andrea
2) Randi at Hubert Happenings
3) Kim at Minnis Moments
4) Clay at Clay's Ramblings
5) Nik at Handkerchief Confessions
It won't hurt my feelings if you guys don't answer the questions, but I thought I'd continue the spirit of the game of tag! Have fun!
Monday, November 1, 2010
A world of bullies
You know how it is. Dramatic music, grainy picture/video, patched together soundbites…that’s right.The perfect formula for a terrible political commercial. I really hate this time of year. Election time. Not a time when candidates come forward and talk about reasons why they should be elected, buta time when candidates hide in the background and let annoying commercials tell everyone whytheir opponents shouldn’t be elected. To tell you the truth, I have very little idea where some of the candidates stand. I have seen maybe one commercial where a candidate spends the whole time talking about what he wants to do, and why he would be a good leader.
This is not good. In a society where bullying is a huge (and growing) problem, how can anyone justify putting out such negative ads? That’s what those ads are, by the way, a bullying tactic. Spreading rumors and trying to tear down the other person. Trying to undermine their confidence and others’ confidence in them. How can we stand up and say bullying is wrong when those people we have elected as leaders use dirty bullying tactics to get what they want? What kind of lessons are we teaching kids? Kids are watching those commercials, by the way. How could they not? There are full blocks of commercials that have been bought out by one party or another. I just mute the TV during commercials, or turn the TV off altogether if there’s nothing specific I want to watch. It makes me sick.
We have created a climate in our society where bullying is okay and not okay at the same time. Giventhe choice, which way are kids, teenagers, even adults going to go? It’s so easy to bully. It makes you feel good about yourself. It’s easy to justify. “They deserved it,” or “If I don’t join in, I’m next,” are common thoughts. Even just standing by and watching it happen falls into the realm of bullying. I have been guilty of this myself. Joining in to feel like I belonged. Or simply not saying anything because it “wasn’t my business.” Shocking, considering I was bullied horribly as a child. As in, one summer Irefused to leave the house because I was so afraid I would run into someone who would make fun of me. It’s terrifying, and yet we allow it in the workplace, in church, in government, and any other number of places. The only place it is being scrutinized is in schools. I think there’s something wrong with that.
What is also scary about bullying is where it leads. There have been dozens of news stories lately about teen suicide related to bullying. And those are only the ones being reported. Less severe, but no less damaging, is the psychological pain that victims of bullying have to deal with, possibly for the rest of their lives. Self-esteem issues, relationship issues, even job issues in adulthood can be related to bullying. The politicians in those negative commercials are, for all intents and purposes, attempting to ruin one another’s careers.
What is underlying in bullying? Bullies’ self esteem, for sure. It is a pretty weak person who needs to get their ego boosted by bringing someone else down. The scariest one for me though is the underlying hatred in bullying. People who have a hatred for a person or group of people because they’re different. They don’t look right, they don’t talk right, they don’t believe the right things, so we hate them. I watched part of a documentary on Auschwitz this weekend, and they interviewed people who had been soldiers. Few, if any, of the soldiers, who had been part of the mass murders, firing squads, experiments on children, had any remorse, because they were still harboring their hatred for a group. They are bullies. Hitler was a bully. See where bullying can lead?
I’m not sure what point I wanted to get across here. All I know is that when I watch political commercials, all this sickening stuff comes up. Who is going to be the first to change? How can we expect kids to change if we’re not willing to model that change for them? And if we don’t, then who will?
This is not good. In a society where bullying is a huge (and growing) problem, how can anyone justify putting out such negative ads? That’s what those ads are, by the way, a bullying tactic. Spreading rumors and trying to tear down the other person. Trying to undermine their confidence and others’ confidence in them. How can we stand up and say bullying is wrong when those people we have elected as leaders use dirty bullying tactics to get what they want? What kind of lessons are we teaching kids? Kids are watching those commercials, by the way. How could they not? There are full blocks of commercials that have been bought out by one party or another. I just mute the TV during commercials, or turn the TV off altogether if there’s nothing specific I want to watch. It makes me sick.
We have created a climate in our society where bullying is okay and not okay at the same time. Giventhe choice, which way are kids, teenagers, even adults going to go? It’s so easy to bully. It makes you feel good about yourself. It’s easy to justify. “They deserved it,” or “If I don’t join in, I’m next,” are common thoughts. Even just standing by and watching it happen falls into the realm of bullying. I have been guilty of this myself. Joining in to feel like I belonged. Or simply not saying anything because it “wasn’t my business.” Shocking, considering I was bullied horribly as a child. As in, one summer Irefused to leave the house because I was so afraid I would run into someone who would make fun of me. It’s terrifying, and yet we allow it in the workplace, in church, in government, and any other number of places. The only place it is being scrutinized is in schools. I think there’s something wrong with that.
What is also scary about bullying is where it leads. There have been dozens of news stories lately about teen suicide related to bullying. And those are only the ones being reported. Less severe, but no less damaging, is the psychological pain that victims of bullying have to deal with, possibly for the rest of their lives. Self-esteem issues, relationship issues, even job issues in adulthood can be related to bullying. The politicians in those negative commercials are, for all intents and purposes, attempting to ruin one another’s careers.
What is underlying in bullying? Bullies’ self esteem, for sure. It is a pretty weak person who needs to get their ego boosted by bringing someone else down. The scariest one for me though is the underlying hatred in bullying. People who have a hatred for a person or group of people because they’re different. They don’t look right, they don’t talk right, they don’t believe the right things, so we hate them. I watched part of a documentary on Auschwitz this weekend, and they interviewed people who had been soldiers. Few, if any, of the soldiers, who had been part of the mass murders, firing squads, experiments on children, had any remorse, because they were still harboring their hatred for a group. They are bullies. Hitler was a bully. See where bullying can lead?
I’m not sure what point I wanted to get across here. All I know is that when I watch political commercials, all this sickening stuff comes up. Who is going to be the first to change? How can we expect kids to change if we’re not willing to model that change for them? And if we don’t, then who will?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
I'm a big kid now
Most of you who read this probably know by now that I recently started a new job. If you know me well (or at all, really) you will know that I am so super excited for this job, and have been wanting to do it for ages. I am now the school-based therapist at an elementary school in Des Moines. I get to work with tiny humans again! I haven't really worked with younger kids since my days as an after school teacher, which was probably my favorite job ever. I'm not sure what it is about kids that draws me in. They just see the world in a completely different way. I love it.
So far in my professional career, I have continued to live the schedule of a college student. Because I worked evenings, I didn't need to get up early in the morning. My attempts periodically to train myself to get up early and work out or run errands failed miserably. Mostly I just slept until 9 or so. Then, of course, I would stay up late. It was rare for me to go to bed before midnight. My meal schedule was all screwed up. I was constantly mobile for the job, going to this meeting or that, driving to various client houses. In some ways this was good, as it kept things from getting too boring. However, it just added to the feel of continuing my college life. Not that I'm bagging on my job for the past two years. I was blessed to gain that position, and I have learned so much from my time on that team.
However, it's amazing how different I already feel. Well, mostly I feel tired. Haha. Now I get up early every day. My alarm goes off before six every morning. (I'm a huge fan of the snooze button.) But I'm also home by 4 or 4:30 every day. All my work happens during the day. I have my own office. I'm dealing with things like billing and insurance. I feel like an adult. It's weird. I mean, I've been a professional therapist for two years, and I really feel like one for the first time. I am the therapist for my school. It's crazy. In fact, I think I've gone a bit too far the other way. I'm now usually ready for lunch by 10 or 11, supper by 4, and bed by 7 or 8. Not that I give in to these urges...except yesterday, when I ate my lunch at 10. That was a looong afternoon, I'll tell you what!
I'm not sure what the point of this post is, other than to announce that I officially get to be an adult now. Because I have a job where I get to play with toys all day.
So far in my professional career, I have continued to live the schedule of a college student. Because I worked evenings, I didn't need to get up early in the morning. My attempts periodically to train myself to get up early and work out or run errands failed miserably. Mostly I just slept until 9 or so. Then, of course, I would stay up late. It was rare for me to go to bed before midnight. My meal schedule was all screwed up. I was constantly mobile for the job, going to this meeting or that, driving to various client houses. In some ways this was good, as it kept things from getting too boring. However, it just added to the feel of continuing my college life. Not that I'm bagging on my job for the past two years. I was blessed to gain that position, and I have learned so much from my time on that team.
However, it's amazing how different I already feel. Well, mostly I feel tired. Haha. Now I get up early every day. My alarm goes off before six every morning. (I'm a huge fan of the snooze button.) But I'm also home by 4 or 4:30 every day. All my work happens during the day. I have my own office. I'm dealing with things like billing and insurance. I feel like an adult. It's weird. I mean, I've been a professional therapist for two years, and I really feel like one for the first time. I am the therapist for my school. It's crazy. In fact, I think I've gone a bit too far the other way. I'm now usually ready for lunch by 10 or 11, supper by 4, and bed by 7 or 8. Not that I give in to these urges...except yesterday, when I ate my lunch at 10. That was a looong afternoon, I'll tell you what!
I'm not sure what the point of this post is, other than to announce that I officially get to be an adult now. Because I have a job where I get to play with toys all day.
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