Quick post today, but I haven't made one in awhile.
Anyway, I recently discovered a very magical world, full of many mystical things and it is known as the fantasitcal land of Pinterest. Heard of it? You probably have, but just in case, it's basically like an online corkboard. You can pin pictures of anything you find on the inter-webby-net that strikes your fancy, videos too. To add to your creativity and to help organize things a little better, you separate your pins into different boards. That you then put in a category so it will be easier for Pinterest users to find.
One of my sister's introduced me to the site and I have to admit, in the beginning I practically pinned anything and everything that I saw. Within the first two days, I already had over 50 pins, and for a high school student who's supposed to have friends they hang out with, homework thats supposed to get done, and family they're supposed to spend time with, that was a lot. But, as my friends and siblings constantly point out to me, I have no life. So, I live on the internet. I post stories, I watch videos, I listen to music, I write blogs, I stalk tumblrs, and I pin anything with a .jpg extension. Yep, I'm a crazy.
To add to my strange oddities, the things I pin have nothing in common. For example, I have a board dedicated to everything I spend my time fangirling over. The only thing some of them have in common is where they're from. Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Sherlock, and One Direction all from England. Supernatural, Disney, the Jonas Brothers, House, LOST, and Psych from the United States. Then Justin Bieber, Michael Buble, and My Babysitter's a Vampire out of Canada. And that's just a small sample of my odd obbsessions. Then there are the boards that make a little more sense: an architecture board, a "childhood memories" board, a wardrobe board, a hair board, a humor board, a food board... Gosh, if these were actual wooden boards instead corkboards, think of how weird the building I'm making would look!
Well, to wrap this up (cause I'm guessing you're tired of hearing me talk about how weird I am), if you haven't checked out Pinterest, you should. I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves their computer and being creative. Coming up with names for your boards or captions for your pins is a ton of fun, even if you're an adult. My mom, who's in her early 50s, just found Pinterest and she loves it. She can't get enough of it! So, don't give yourself the boot just because you think you're too old for it, you can't ever be. And remember: unlike actual corkboards, you don't have to deal with the constant worrying of someone getting poked with the pushpins! :)
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Melting the Statue: 5 Tips on How to Handle Your Nerves
1) I Got Chills, They're Multiplyin: Feeling shaky? Get your body moving. Walk around, do jumping-jacks, whatever you have to do to keep moving. Think of it like instead of nerves, you're just freezing cold. If you stay in one place, the chills are gonna get worse. Once you start moving, the less noticable they'll become.
2) Get Outta My Head: Distract yourself. Get a friend to start crackin jokes or start a game of Word Association. Don't get too distracted that you completely forget what you have to do, but try to keep the nerves at bay until the time comes when you can put them to good use.
3) I Like To Move It, Move It: It's okay to embarrass yourself and do crazy things every once in awhile. Channel your nerves into something useful like: quick thinking, spontaneous dance moves, witty remarks, fast reflexes... Don't let yourself freeze up! If you feel like you might be, rub your earlobes. Not furiously, don't go sending yourself to the ER, but gently rub them with your thumbs. What you're doing is releasing pressure. The earlobes are common pressure points that people tend to overlook, but it can end up being very relaxing.
4) Everybody's Got a Laughin Place Find that "happy place" full of whatever keeps you relaxed, and go there in your mind. Pretend you're alone. Not the whole "audience in their underwear" crap. That's just weird. Just pretend they don't exist, or have a friend in the audience so you can pretend you're performing to just them.
5) Leggo My Ego: Don't set yourself up for failure, or success. You don't want to go and let your ego get the better of you, and you certainly don't want to go in and not even bother trying. Just go in and have fun. Do the best you can, then wait and see where it leads you.
Good luck! :)
2) Get Outta My Head: Distract yourself. Get a friend to start crackin jokes or start a game of Word Association. Don't get too distracted that you completely forget what you have to do, but try to keep the nerves at bay until the time comes when you can put them to good use.
3) I Like To Move It, Move It: It's okay to embarrass yourself and do crazy things every once in awhile. Channel your nerves into something useful like: quick thinking, spontaneous dance moves, witty remarks, fast reflexes... Don't let yourself freeze up! If you feel like you might be, rub your earlobes. Not furiously, don't go sending yourself to the ER, but gently rub them with your thumbs. What you're doing is releasing pressure. The earlobes are common pressure points that people tend to overlook, but it can end up being very relaxing.
4) Everybody's Got a Laughin Place Find that "happy place" full of whatever keeps you relaxed, and go there in your mind. Pretend you're alone. Not the whole "audience in their underwear" crap. That's just weird. Just pretend they don't exist, or have a friend in the audience so you can pretend you're performing to just them.
5) Leggo My Ego: Don't set yourself up for failure, or success. You don't want to go and let your ego get the better of you, and you certainly don't want to go in and not even bother trying. Just go in and have fun. Do the best you can, then wait and see where it leads you.
Good luck! :)
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
They Said It, Not Me
I found this quote a few weeks back and I thought I would share it with you. It definitely lifts me up on a down day and I hope it can do the same for you. It's funny though, I never used to like these things. Quotes used to always make me feel like whatever I said was really stupid or I felt like a person didn't truly mean something if they got their words from someone else. See, I got the plagarism talk slammed at me year after year throughout school. It got old really fast, they had the message burned into my brain before a month into year two. Teachers especially caught my attention when they told me I could be expelled if I plagarized. So, because I don't want to sound like a hypocrite, that picture came from amazon.com. There, now my conscience is clean and I can go on with my life.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Are We There Yet?
Family car trips are the worst. You're stuck in a car for hours, maybe days, with the people you've known since the day you were born. Before you even buckle your seatbelt, you're ready to jump out of the car and hitchhike your way to wherever you're going. No matter how much you claim to love your family, when you're stuck in small 11' by 6' metal box-on-wheels with them, you're on the vurge of snapping a few necks before you even make it 5 miles down the highway.
Sure, maybe it doesn't always end up this way. Maybe you're the kind of family that listens to Disney music on your car trips and you're all happiness and rainbows, but for most people, their families are the complete opposite. In my family, we can't even make it through 30 seconds of a song before people are arguing over lyrics, who gets to sing what part, pitches, harmonies, who's singing too loud, who's fist just collided with who's face, whether or not that baby blue VW bug actually counted for a punch, if it was actually a PT Cruiser and should have counted for a slap to the forehead... Then it spurs into flat out complaining: someone's got their foot in my stomach, someone feels sick and they're gonna barf on me, it's too hot in the car, it's too cold, the music's too quiet, the music's too loud, he says he's gonna scalp me when we get home, she's gonna torch my CD collection, they're dangling my ipod out the window, they gave everyone else gum except me, they stuck their gum in my hair... Quiet moments in my family are rare and not as cherished as they want to be.
By now, most of you probably think my family should be locked in separate rooms with padded walls and jackets with sleeves that tie around your back. But, we're not always this crazy. Honestly, I've been listing off all the negatives, but sometimes there are those moments of peace and happiness. Where everyone's laughing and smiling, or fast asleep. There are enough people in my family to form a full baseball team and have players on the bench, so conflict is to be expected. But you know, we wouldn't be a team if there wasn't even the slightest bit of cooperation.
"Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts." - Author Unknown
Sure, maybe it doesn't always end up this way. Maybe you're the kind of family that listens to Disney music on your car trips and you're all happiness and rainbows, but for most people, their families are the complete opposite. In my family, we can't even make it through 30 seconds of a song before people are arguing over lyrics, who gets to sing what part, pitches, harmonies, who's singing too loud, who's fist just collided with who's face, whether or not that baby blue VW bug actually counted for a punch, if it was actually a PT Cruiser and should have counted for a slap to the forehead... Then it spurs into flat out complaining: someone's got their foot in my stomach, someone feels sick and they're gonna barf on me, it's too hot in the car, it's too cold, the music's too quiet, the music's too loud, he says he's gonna scalp me when we get home, she's gonna torch my CD collection, they're dangling my ipod out the window, they gave everyone else gum except me, they stuck their gum in my hair... Quiet moments in my family are rare and not as cherished as they want to be.
By now, most of you probably think my family should be locked in separate rooms with padded walls and jackets with sleeves that tie around your back. But, we're not always this crazy. Honestly, I've been listing off all the negatives, but sometimes there are those moments of peace and happiness. Where everyone's laughing and smiling, or fast asleep. There are enough people in my family to form a full baseball team and have players on the bench, so conflict is to be expected. But you know, we wouldn't be a team if there wasn't even the slightest bit of cooperation.
"Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts." - Author Unknown
Friday, March 30, 2012
Some Things Never Change
Okay, so my first post was a little melodramatic and tad accusatory, but don't worry, I only write like that every once in a blue moon. But this kind of continues from yesterday, cause I ran into another example of childhood innocence today. Since it's spring, pollen is literally everywhere. No matter where you go it looks like yellow is a very popular color this season cause absolutely everything is covered with the stuff. Now, I've been blessed with having no allergies what-so-ever, but the rest of my family wasn't quite so lucky and they're all having to get drugged up before even stepping outside to get the mail.
Anyway, even though our car is already gold, the extra yellow powder isn't too appealing so my dad finally decided today was car wash day. I had been in my room watching shows on Netflix this morning when my 13 year old sister burst into my room, panting from excitement. She told me there were three super amazing things she had to tell me. The first was that my dad had bought us Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast (the chocolate creme, or custard filled taste like heaven!), then the second was if I pulled on my shoes quickly my dad was going to take us to the library. And finally, and probably the most exciting, we were going to get the car washed. Now, I don't know about your family, but in mine going to the car wash is like going Disney World. I might be graduating from high school next year, but I still jumped out of bed, ran down the stairs, pulled on my shoes, and was out the door and in the car before you could even blink.
When we finally pulled into the car wash, my eight year old sister couldn't contain her excitement anymore and she started cheering. My 13 year old sister couldn't stop giggling after she said it looked like our car was being eaten by a giant octopus. I sat up front with my dad who's in his mid-50s and was smiling from ear to ear, tickled at how excited my sisters and I were. See, my family's never had a lot of money so any chance we get to go somewhere, even the grocery store, every kid in the family is fighting over who gets to go.
I lived in this town in Kansas for almost a decade and even though it was only a mile in area and it only had one stoplight, I thought it was the coolest place on earth. And even though the gas station was just down the street, everytime I went there it was like it was the ultimate adventure. Most of the people I know here, where I live in Georgia, their kind of adventure is going out of state or going to the beach or to Six Flags. Mine is still a once a week trip to the local Kroger or to Wal-mart. I barely ever got to go to Wal-mart back in Kansas, it was a 30 minute drive and my parents took us there maybe once a month. Now it's less than a mile from my front door. I could walk there if I wanted to and I still find stepping into that dirty department store to be a highlight of my day. I know as time passes, a lot of aspects of my life are going to change dramatically, but I hope this never does. I hope I'll always be excited about a trip to Wal-mart, a grocery store, or a gas station. I hope that feeling stays the same until the day I die.
Anyway, even though our car is already gold, the extra yellow powder isn't too appealing so my dad finally decided today was car wash day. I had been in my room watching shows on Netflix this morning when my 13 year old sister burst into my room, panting from excitement. She told me there were three super amazing things she had to tell me. The first was that my dad had bought us Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast (the chocolate creme, or custard filled taste like heaven!), then the second was if I pulled on my shoes quickly my dad was going to take us to the library. And finally, and probably the most exciting, we were going to get the car washed. Now, I don't know about your family, but in mine going to the car wash is like going Disney World. I might be graduating from high school next year, but I still jumped out of bed, ran down the stairs, pulled on my shoes, and was out the door and in the car before you could even blink.
When we finally pulled into the car wash, my eight year old sister couldn't contain her excitement anymore and she started cheering. My 13 year old sister couldn't stop giggling after she said it looked like our car was being eaten by a giant octopus. I sat up front with my dad who's in his mid-50s and was smiling from ear to ear, tickled at how excited my sisters and I were. See, my family's never had a lot of money so any chance we get to go somewhere, even the grocery store, every kid in the family is fighting over who gets to go.
I lived in this town in Kansas for almost a decade and even though it was only a mile in area and it only had one stoplight, I thought it was the coolest place on earth. And even though the gas station was just down the street, everytime I went there it was like it was the ultimate adventure. Most of the people I know here, where I live in Georgia, their kind of adventure is going out of state or going to the beach or to Six Flags. Mine is still a once a week trip to the local Kroger or to Wal-mart. I barely ever got to go to Wal-mart back in Kansas, it was a 30 minute drive and my parents took us there maybe once a month. Now it's less than a mile from my front door. I could walk there if I wanted to and I still find stepping into that dirty department store to be a highlight of my day. I know as time passes, a lot of aspects of my life are going to change dramatically, but I hope this never does. I hope I'll always be excited about a trip to Wal-mart, a grocery store, or a gas station. I hope that feeling stays the same until the day I die.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Dreaming of Neverland
“Dreams do come true if only we wish hard enough. You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it.” J.M. Barrie's classic novel Peter Pan was first published in 1911, after the play had been published in 1904. In 1953, almost 50 years later, Walt Disney debuted his famous animated film adaptation of the boy who never grew up. Then, in 1991, Steven Spielberg released a grown up version, where Pan journeys back to Neverland to rescue his two kids. Almost 100 years after the release of the play, Universal Studios produced the first live-action film adaptation of the book. My personal favorite of the many versions, the 2003 film stayed the truest to the book, and captured it's picture of youth at it's finest and left almost every viewer wishing they could fly away with Peter and never grow old. But, unfortunately, that kind of thing only happens in fairy tales and us "real" people are left with the cold bitterness of reality, but that doesn't keep us from dreaming.
You know, as you're growing up, there tend to be things that stick with you. Memories, thoughts, dreams, images that you just can't ever seem to let go of. Some people try to tell you that's a bad thing, they try to coax you away from things that keep you innocent and young. These days, it feels like adults try to make kids grow up a little too fast. It's like they feel like we all need to be mature and ready to move out of the house by the time we reach middle school. At least, that's what it feels like from a kids point of view. It feels like everything we do is too stupid and childish for adults and we feel ashamed of ourselves, but shouldn't everything we do seem childish? Correct me if I'm wrong, but we are children, aren't we? Shouldn't we look stupid, shouldn't we make mistakes? Isn't that all part of learning and maturing?
While we're young, it feels like adults try to trick us into believing nothing can ever wreck our imaginations. That our imagination can be as big and as vast as we want it to be, but it's all a lie. No matter what anyone says, deep down we know the truth. There are limits, walls, or ends to everything, especially imaginations. From a kids point of view, it feels like all adults are hypocrites because one second they're telling us to dream of anything and everything, then the next second you tell them your dreams and almost instantly they try and tear them down, and try make you be realistic.
A few days ago, in my American literature class, my teacher raised the question: "is it better to be a dreamer or a realist?" Most kids will tell you realist, then they'll see the crazy looks people are giving them and they'll amend their statements to say that there should be a balance between dreams and reality. But, then you ask the adults and it's almost like a mirror, except this time they start by saying dreaming is better before correcting themselves to agree that there should be a balance. It's funny how much children and adults are alike. After all, adults were children themselves once upon a time, and as time goes on children grow to be adults. So, if we're so alike and if we share the same experiences, then why don't we try to change the things that we remember as being terrible? We can't go back and change the past, so why not change the future? Well, here's the answer: we're selfish. The more we think about those "terrible" things, the more we realize that without them, we wouldn't be who we are today.
So, what do you think? It better to be a dreamer or a realist? Is it better to be oblivious with your head in the clouds? Or, is it better to be cold and bitter with the truth of being nailed to the ground? Or, are you one of those neutral, indifferent, indecisive people who can never seem to pick sides and go with what's in the middle and say it's good to have a balance? Well, here's what I say to you: I dare you to pick a side. Deep down, you're leaning more toward one or the other, so pick. But remember: choose wisely.
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
You know, as you're growing up, there tend to be things that stick with you. Memories, thoughts, dreams, images that you just can't ever seem to let go of. Some people try to tell you that's a bad thing, they try to coax you away from things that keep you innocent and young. These days, it feels like adults try to make kids grow up a little too fast. It's like they feel like we all need to be mature and ready to move out of the house by the time we reach middle school. At least, that's what it feels like from a kids point of view. It feels like everything we do is too stupid and childish for adults and we feel ashamed of ourselves, but shouldn't everything we do seem childish? Correct me if I'm wrong, but we are children, aren't we? Shouldn't we look stupid, shouldn't we make mistakes? Isn't that all part of learning and maturing?
While we're young, it feels like adults try to trick us into believing nothing can ever wreck our imaginations. That our imagination can be as big and as vast as we want it to be, but it's all a lie. No matter what anyone says, deep down we know the truth. There are limits, walls, or ends to everything, especially imaginations. From a kids point of view, it feels like all adults are hypocrites because one second they're telling us to dream of anything and everything, then the next second you tell them your dreams and almost instantly they try and tear them down, and try make you be realistic.
A few days ago, in my American literature class, my teacher raised the question: "is it better to be a dreamer or a realist?" Most kids will tell you realist, then they'll see the crazy looks people are giving them and they'll amend their statements to say that there should be a balance between dreams and reality. But, then you ask the adults and it's almost like a mirror, except this time they start by saying dreaming is better before correcting themselves to agree that there should be a balance. It's funny how much children and adults are alike. After all, adults were children themselves once upon a time, and as time goes on children grow to be adults. So, if we're so alike and if we share the same experiences, then why don't we try to change the things that we remember as being terrible? We can't go back and change the past, so why not change the future? Well, here's the answer: we're selfish. The more we think about those "terrible" things, the more we realize that without them, we wouldn't be who we are today.
So, what do you think? It better to be a dreamer or a realist? Is it better to be oblivious with your head in the clouds? Or, is it better to be cold and bitter with the truth of being nailed to the ground? Or, are you one of those neutral, indifferent, indecisive people who can never seem to pick sides and go with what's in the middle and say it's good to have a balance? Well, here's what I say to you: I dare you to pick a side. Deep down, you're leaning more toward one or the other, so pick. But remember: choose wisely.
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
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