I feel as though I owe all of you readers (okay well...like, all 12 of you) an apology. I've been MIA lately, and even though it was for (what I thought) was a good reason, that's no excuse for abandoning my 12 loyal little readers.
There is a quote in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee that my dad always quotes when he's tired of explaining something. "I got somethin' to say an' then I ain't gonna say no more." This is a situation that doesn't deserve much explanation, so I'm going to keep it short and sweet. Last week I found out that my internship wasn't going to be extended, which meant that a week before Christmas, I was out of work. Aside from being completely scared out of my mind about how I'm going to pay for gas, groceries, rent, electric, internet, and student loans (just to name a few) now that I don't have a job, I basically just let all of my concern and worry get the best of me.
Cue a good four days spent crying on the couch, without washing my hair, and watching nothing but crime shows on Netflix. I was gross. The whole thing was gross. I let depression get the better of me, and I'm so glad that my friends and family finally said enough is enough and made me get up and get on with my life. And that's all I'm going to say about that.
On Friday, Brian and I left for the beach to spend Christmas with his family. I'm currently sitting on the couch in their condo, watching my favorite Christmas movies snuggled up with Chase, Charlie, and Brian waiting on his parents to return from dropping off his little brother Shawn back on base in Norfolk, VA. It's been a great weekend of fun, food, laughs, and jokes, all of which I desperately needed. We've learned that I haven't seen nearly enough Christmas movies, and that my mind is getting dirtier the longer I stay with Brian. Overall, the whole weekend was a great way to unwind after the hellish ordeal that was last week.
I'll start to post pictures soon. I leave on the 27th to fly back "home" to Florida for a wedding, so I'm not sure how much I'll be posting. Hopefully I'll take advantage of my Blogger app for iPhone and keep you guys updated from the airport.
To those of you who saw me last week, thanks for all the love, even though I'm pretty sure I looked like I was hit by a bus. Love you all.
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Losing Faith in Humanity
I chaperoned an 8th grade field trip yesterday to the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC for Brian's class. As we were leaving, my phone came alive with news alerts notifying me of the shooting in Connecticut. It was a moment that I'm not sure that I'll ever forget. After spending the past few hours with students, it's hard to imagine that someone can have enough hatred and rage against the world that they would cause so much pain to people they never knew. I can't fathom the hatred.
I'm currently sitting at the public library on the last row of computers in the upstairs section.Brian is searching for books as I print out a coupon so I can buy a vacuum. Silly, right? Two computers down, a man is sitting and he struck up a conversation with me nearly as soon as I sat down. He's meticulously typing gospel songs that he has written. He let me read some of them, and they are absolutely beautiful. The words may not be spelled perfectly, but it's his attitude about doing something that he loves that is so inspiring to me. He asked me if I could sing. When I told him that I could, but not well, he told me that he bet I could sing like an angel. Sometimes I truly believe that we are in the right place at the right time. For me, today was one of those times.
With the recent crimes of hate that have plagued our nation and our world, I have to admit that there are times that I lose faith in humanity. I think that it's too easy to be negative when we are constantly subjected to the hate and despair that plagues parts of the world every day. Sitting today and having a lovely conversation with this man so full of love and passion was so refreshing, and it really did make me rethink my negative view of our world.
"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty." Mahatma Gandhi
I believe that I was in the right place at the right time so that I could have a better sense of faith in humanity. There's never an easy way to deal with sadness. The anger and grief that the parents, friends, family, siblings, teachers, and responders are feeling doesn't come close to anything that I can even begin to comprehend. While I was waiting for my car to be serviced today, I was seated in the waiting room with a young woman and her two daughters. The television was playing a press conference from Connecticut, and the mother transitioned from watching her young children to watching the television. It was evident that her children were close to the ages of those beautiful kindergarten and first graders who lost their lives yesterday. The pain and grief on her face was evident. She kept shaking her head while watching the news cast. Her grief was not only for those children whose lives were lost, but for the parents who, like herself, loved their children and are forced to deal with this loss.
Many people have been moved to make statements about gun control laws and their belief over the "guns don't kill people, people kill people." Even though I have an opinion, I have also realized that this isn't about gun control. Right now, this is about the innocent lives that were lost. Maybe there will come a time where the topic of gun control is discussed in relation to this shooting, but that time is not now, not yet.
As we all move on with our daily lives as normal the next few days, I hope we all take a moment to reflect on the tragedy that unfolded in Connecticut. As the girl friend of a teacher, I can't imagine facing the news that these friends and family members received. Religious or not, please keep a kind thought in your heart for these families. It is so easy to lose faith in humanity and goodness. Please always do your best to be the one of the few reasons that people cling to hope of goodness. I think that we all, myself included, have simply proclaimed our distain for this man whose actions shed the blood of so many innocent victims. However, we must all remember that, as we pray for his victims, we must pray for his family as well.
"But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?" Mark Twain
Thursday, December 13, 2012
I BROKE SANTA!
My morning hasn't started off the best in the world. I was hoping that since today is my Friday (I'm chaperoning a field trip with Brian tomorrow) that it would be quick and painless. Obviously not. Aside from waking up too early, which I have to admit is better than too late, I spend the majority of the morning looking for my badge that gives me access to the doors at work. My search only turned up coins from under the couch, and so I had to text my boss on my way to work to tell her that I was going to need to be let in. Upon arriving, I used my favorite phrase that my friend Amy and I made ridiculously popular. "I am the captain of the fail boat." (Because it kinda sounds like sail boat...get it?)
Anyway. the first thing that my coworker and I do in the mornings is walk across the building to the break room and make our coffee. This week I finally brought my Santa mug to spread some holiday cheer at my desk. Yesterday I forgot to rinse Santa out, so I spent the first five minutes washing him in the sink before I made my coffee. Building upon my crappy morning, as I was wiping off the outside of Santa's jolly little fat face, he slipped...out of my hands and into the sink. I made a valiant diving effort, smacking my wrist in the process, but Santa is only about half as holly and jolly now...
Everyone in the break room stared at me because the first thing I did was, rather loudly, exclaim "I BROKE SANTA!!" One guy told me that if he didn't get what he wanted this year, he blamed me. Great.
Hopefully I will have some better news to report this afternoon. Looks like all the crazies may be right...Santa didn't make it past 12/12/12.
Anyway. the first thing that my coworker and I do in the mornings is walk across the building to the break room and make our coffee. This week I finally brought my Santa mug to spread some holiday cheer at my desk. Yesterday I forgot to rinse Santa out, so I spent the first five minutes washing him in the sink before I made my coffee. Building upon my crappy morning, as I was wiping off the outside of Santa's jolly little fat face, he slipped...out of my hands and into the sink. I made a valiant diving effort, smacking my wrist in the process, but Santa is only about half as holly and jolly now...
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| Santa before... |
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| Santa after... |
Hopefully I will have some better news to report this afternoon. Looks like all the crazies may be right...Santa didn't make it past 12/12/12.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Getting Paranormal
When Brian and I first moved in together, we purchased a subscription to Netflix. As I have previously complained about, Netflix doesn't have a lot of the shows that I enjoy, specifically NCIS or Big Bang Theory. After some searching, we found a few shows that we both really enjoyed, including one called Ghost Adventures. After a very short amount of time, we became absolutely obsessed.
In 2006, ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin filmed a documentary for the Travel Channel that follows the three men as they investigate supposed paranormal places. From the minute that Brian and I started the documentary, we were hooked. Brian especially. No matter how many times we watch the episodes or the documentary, he gets so freaked out. I'm not sure if it's more because he believes it and it freaks him out or he wants NOT to believe it and it freaks him out, but it's almost as entertaining to watch him watch the show as it is to watch the show in general.
When we first started the episodes, we would watch them back to back at night after work, which usually culminated with Brian refusing to go into our laundry room and jumping a foot at every little sound.
As I am writing this, we are re-watching the documentary. I keep asking Brian what exactly freaks him out about it, and his only response is, "I don't know, it just does." As I push further, he explains that it's because he really does believe it, and it's just scarier than any other show we have watch previously. There's one instance in the documentary where a brick is thrown across the room. I'm not sure that I have ever seen Brian freak out as badly as he did when that brick went flying.
I'm not quite sure how deeply I believe in paranormal investigations, which I think is why these shows fascinate me. I'm not nearly as jumpy as I am after I watch something like Disappeared, where people are kidnapped or missing. That freaks me out more than anything. This is Brian watching Ghost Adventures:
Do you believe in the paranormal? Have you ever had any interactions with spirits? TELL ME YOUR STORIES!
In 2006, ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin filmed a documentary for the Travel Channel that follows the three men as they investigate supposed paranormal places. From the minute that Brian and I started the documentary, we were hooked. Brian especially. No matter how many times we watch the episodes or the documentary, he gets so freaked out. I'm not sure if it's more because he believes it and it freaks him out or he wants NOT to believe it and it freaks him out, but it's almost as entertaining to watch him watch the show as it is to watch the show in general.
When we first started the episodes, we would watch them back to back at night after work, which usually culminated with Brian refusing to go into our laundry room and jumping a foot at every little sound.
As I am writing this, we are re-watching the documentary. I keep asking Brian what exactly freaks him out about it, and his only response is, "I don't know, it just does." As I push further, he explains that it's because he really does believe it, and it's just scarier than any other show we have watch previously. There's one instance in the documentary where a brick is thrown across the room. I'm not sure that I have ever seen Brian freak out as badly as he did when that brick went flying.
I'm not quite sure how deeply I believe in paranormal investigations, which I think is why these shows fascinate me. I'm not nearly as jumpy as I am after I watch something like Disappeared, where people are kidnapped or missing. That freaks me out more than anything. This is Brian watching Ghost Adventures:
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| This is Brian is early October watching Ghost Adventures for the first time. |
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| This is last night. Still grasping a pillow and transfixed on the TV. |
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
In Advocation of Self Defense
For those of you reading this, I'd like to start out by saying that I own a punching bag and I have a lot of pent up anger. In case you happen to be a crazed stalker, I also have access to multiple police officers and guns.
Okay so for those of you who aren't crazy serial killers or stalkers, let's be honest. My training of self defense comes from one too many late night movie sessions of Miss Congeniality and a slight obsession with NCIS, Law & Order, and crime scene shows. The part about punching bags, police officers, guns and anger was right, though.
Growing up in a small mountain town where everyone knew everyone, I was never really in fear of my safety. Of course there was the random stranger that would make you think twice about walking alone at night, but for the most part, I always felt 100% safe. My parents never owned guns, although I feel like my dad knows how to operate one given that my uncle owns them and claims to be a pretty good shot. The only real weapon that we had in our house was my Grandpa Ken's Navy sword. That thing was a beast. Any time I was home alone and a leaf so much as fell too loudly outside, you can bet your booty I made a bee-line to that sword. Oh, and we had golf clubs, but the only time those were ever used as self defense was the time that I was walking out to my car and saw a snake eating my favorite fish, Blue, out of the pond. Blue didn't make it, but then again, neither did the snake....or probably the golf club for that matter. Like I said, I have a lot of anger.
When I went to college, there was never a real time that I felt a lot of fear either. Aside from people stealing from unlocked cars and the guy who liked to expose himself to female students, campus was pretty uneventful. Not to mention that my entire 4 years I was best friends with the majority of the Theta Xi fraternity and always had an escort back from a party if it was too dark outside. Oh gosh, I totally forgot, and he'll laugh if he ever reads this. The only time that there was ever a concern for my safety was when we thought my ID card was stolen, and security and the police were out looking for a guy described by my sorority sister as "a college student with short blondish hair and a West Point sweatshirt." Long story short, our school had issued the same ID number to both myself and poor Josh. Needless to say it was a story recounted many times over the rest of our college careers.
After graduation from college and the realization that not everyone is out to be my friend, I have decided that I want to not only learn how to defend myself, but I want to learn how to shoot a gun. I've shot two guns in my entire life, both under the keen supervision of my friend Carson, a Marine who served three tours and was a gunner on the top of the hum-vees. It was three Christmas's ago off the back of the cabin that our parents own together up in the mountains, and I shot a shotgun and a .45....at a snowman. Needless to say, the only one who shot the Budweiser can off Frosty's head was Carson. I couldn't hit the broad side of a snowman with the .45 if I was 10 feet away...which I nearly was. It was embarrassing.
So this whole rambling about self defense brings me to a funny story that I will end with today. Last night after I finished working out in our living room, I decided to practice my self defense moves with Brian. I have been watching "Disappeared" and am beginning to realize if I am ever kidnapped, the only hope I have of being let go is my annoying the kidnapper with my big mouth. As a wrestling coach, Brian is experienced in "pinning" a person to the ground, so I was hoping that maybe I could learn how to un-pin myself. Yeah well. Fail. Not only did he succeed in making me not able to breathe by compressing one of my lungs, I moved my arm too fast in an attempt to un-pin myself that I nearly broke my elbow. Luckily it turned out that I just beat the crap out of my funny bone, which was not, in fact, funny at all. My arm is still slightly tingling nearly 14 hours later.
Moral of the story: Do not wrestle with Brian. Also, expect to hear more about my adventures trying to learn how to safely and effectively discharge a weapon. Concealed carry permit HERE I COME!
Okay so for those of you who aren't crazy serial killers or stalkers, let's be honest. My training of self defense comes from one too many late night movie sessions of Miss Congeniality and a slight obsession with NCIS, Law & Order, and crime scene shows. The part about punching bags, police officers, guns and anger was right, though.
Growing up in a small mountain town where everyone knew everyone, I was never really in fear of my safety. Of course there was the random stranger that would make you think twice about walking alone at night, but for the most part, I always felt 100% safe. My parents never owned guns, although I feel like my dad knows how to operate one given that my uncle owns them and claims to be a pretty good shot. The only real weapon that we had in our house was my Grandpa Ken's Navy sword. That thing was a beast. Any time I was home alone and a leaf so much as fell too loudly outside, you can bet your booty I made a bee-line to that sword. Oh, and we had golf clubs, but the only time those were ever used as self defense was the time that I was walking out to my car and saw a snake eating my favorite fish, Blue, out of the pond. Blue didn't make it, but then again, neither did the snake....or probably the golf club for that matter. Like I said, I have a lot of anger.
When I went to college, there was never a real time that I felt a lot of fear either. Aside from people stealing from unlocked cars and the guy who liked to expose himself to female students, campus was pretty uneventful. Not to mention that my entire 4 years I was best friends with the majority of the Theta Xi fraternity and always had an escort back from a party if it was too dark outside. Oh gosh, I totally forgot, and he'll laugh if he ever reads this. The only time that there was ever a concern for my safety was when we thought my ID card was stolen, and security and the police were out looking for a guy described by my sorority sister as "a college student with short blondish hair and a West Point sweatshirt." Long story short, our school had issued the same ID number to both myself and poor Josh. Needless to say it was a story recounted many times over the rest of our college careers.
After graduation from college and the realization that not everyone is out to be my friend, I have decided that I want to not only learn how to defend myself, but I want to learn how to shoot a gun. I've shot two guns in my entire life, both under the keen supervision of my friend Carson, a Marine who served three tours and was a gunner on the top of the hum-vees. It was three Christmas's ago off the back of the cabin that our parents own together up in the mountains, and I shot a shotgun and a .45....at a snowman. Needless to say, the only one who shot the Budweiser can off Frosty's head was Carson. I couldn't hit the broad side of a snowman with the .45 if I was 10 feet away...which I nearly was. It was embarrassing.
So this whole rambling about self defense brings me to a funny story that I will end with today. Last night after I finished working out in our living room, I decided to practice my self defense moves with Brian. I have been watching "Disappeared" and am beginning to realize if I am ever kidnapped, the only hope I have of being let go is my annoying the kidnapper with my big mouth. As a wrestling coach, Brian is experienced in "pinning" a person to the ground, so I was hoping that maybe I could learn how to un-pin myself. Yeah well. Fail. Not only did he succeed in making me not able to breathe by compressing one of my lungs, I moved my arm too fast in an attempt to un-pin myself that I nearly broke my elbow. Luckily it turned out that I just beat the crap out of my funny bone, which was not, in fact, funny at all. My arm is still slightly tingling nearly 14 hours later.
Moral of the story: Do not wrestle with Brian. Also, expect to hear more about my adventures trying to learn how to safely and effectively discharge a weapon. Concealed carry permit HERE I COME!
Monday, December 10, 2012
A Holly Jolly Holiday
I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far! I can personally say that I would be enjoying it a lot more if it wasn't nearly 70 degrees every day this weekend. Although I do enjoy t-shirt weather, I miss snow, and I miss cuddling up with a nice book on a cold winter day by the fire. Since the weather isn't really doing its job and placing me in the holiday spirit, I've decided to try a different approach. What better way to enjoy the holidays than by drinking caffeine out of Santa's head? Exactly.
Last week as well as this weekend I was blessed to be able to do a lot of reflecting, both on my life and the world in general. Each day, we see simple acts performed by simple people, yet it's the selflessness behind these acts that is truly amazing.
As I near the end of my internship, I am so blessed to be working for a company that has the concern of our greater community in its heart. Last week I was offered the chance to visit a local fire station where fire fighters were taking their spare time to assemble bikes that our company donated to the Christmas Bureau, a program created by the United Way that helps parents "shop" donations for presents for their children, who may otherwise not have a Christmas present. The atmosphere in the fire station was so special. The men that were working on the bikes knew how important their work was, and how much it was going to affect the lives of children and parents in our community. For more information on this program and to see if it exists in your area, Google "Christmas Bureau" and the name of your town!
On Friday, I had another incredible opportunity. For the past few weeks, our company has put out donation boxes in our office for the local Cops for Tots program. Partnered with out local police department, the Cops for Tots program sets up an annual Christmas Wish House where qualified parents can shop for presents for their children. Similar to the Christmas Bureau, Cops for Tots relies mainly on donation from the community to help support families in need.
Each of these programs are so incredible, and I hope that you will take the time to learn about each of them and strongly consider making a donation, whether a toy or monetary, this holiday season.
Saturday was spent with my former roommate Kassie, who I talk about all the time, as we ran errands and tried to finish up the last of our Christmas shopping lists. Including breakfast and lunch, we stopped by: Starbucks, Target, Walmart, Petco, and Chick-fil-a. I feel like there was more, but for now, that's all I can remember. I can officially cross Brian, my uncle, Dad, and the dogs off of my list. After the enormous amount of shopping, I also went home and wrapped all of the presents before Brian got home. Whew. Unfortunately I'm too scared about the dogs to put the presents under the tree. Sad day.
Surprisingly Sunday was the busiest day of all. Brian and I got up early and did some house work, then met Kassie at Petco for some socialization time with Quest and Chase before heading to the Humane Society for their 5 Year Anniversary Holiday Party. Since Chase was adopted from the shelter, we wanted to bring him and let everyone see how much he has come out of his shell, as well as drop off a much-needed donation of laundry detergent! Aside from his obsession with the cats running around, the event was pretty uneventful in terms of Chase and Quest. We did get a lot of fun holiday dressed-up pictures with the dogs, though! Check out the photos at the end!
As we inch closer and closer to the holidays, I hope that you will consider making a donation of needed items, money, or time to a local organization. You never know when the person in need could be yourself, and how much of a difference you can make in the lives of people within your own community.
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| SANTA!!!!!! |
Last week as well as this weekend I was blessed to be able to do a lot of reflecting, both on my life and the world in general. Each day, we see simple acts performed by simple people, yet it's the selflessness behind these acts that is truly amazing.
As I near the end of my internship, I am so blessed to be working for a company that has the concern of our greater community in its heart. Last week I was offered the chance to visit a local fire station where fire fighters were taking their spare time to assemble bikes that our company donated to the Christmas Bureau, a program created by the United Way that helps parents "shop" donations for presents for their children, who may otherwise not have a Christmas present. The atmosphere in the fire station was so special. The men that were working on the bikes knew how important their work was, and how much it was going to affect the lives of children and parents in our community. For more information on this program and to see if it exists in your area, Google "Christmas Bureau" and the name of your town!
On Friday, I had another incredible opportunity. For the past few weeks, our company has put out donation boxes in our office for the local Cops for Tots program. Partnered with out local police department, the Cops for Tots program sets up an annual Christmas Wish House where qualified parents can shop for presents for their children. Similar to the Christmas Bureau, Cops for Tots relies mainly on donation from the community to help support families in need.
Each of these programs are so incredible, and I hope that you will take the time to learn about each of them and strongly consider making a donation, whether a toy or monetary, this holiday season.
Saturday was spent with my former roommate Kassie, who I talk about all the time, as we ran errands and tried to finish up the last of our Christmas shopping lists. Including breakfast and lunch, we stopped by: Starbucks, Target, Walmart, Petco, and Chick-fil-a. I feel like there was more, but for now, that's all I can remember. I can officially cross Brian, my uncle, Dad, and the dogs off of my list. After the enormous amount of shopping, I also went home and wrapped all of the presents before Brian got home. Whew. Unfortunately I'm too scared about the dogs to put the presents under the tree. Sad day.
Surprisingly Sunday was the busiest day of all. Brian and I got up early and did some house work, then met Kassie at Petco for some socialization time with Quest and Chase before heading to the Humane Society for their 5 Year Anniversary Holiday Party. Since Chase was adopted from the shelter, we wanted to bring him and let everyone see how much he has come out of his shell, as well as drop off a much-needed donation of laundry detergent! Aside from his obsession with the cats running around, the event was pretty uneventful in terms of Chase and Quest. We did get a lot of fun holiday dressed-up pictures with the dogs, though! Check out the photos at the end!
As we inch closer and closer to the holidays, I hope that you will consider making a donation of needed items, money, or time to a local organization. You never know when the person in need could be yourself, and how much of a difference you can make in the lives of people within your own community.
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| I can't remember if I already posted a pic, but here is our tree! The bulbs are all hand made (look for a tutorial to come!) because I love them! |
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| Quest at the shelter posing for Christmas pictures. Look at his snazzy bow tie! |
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| Trying to convince me to stay on the couch...it worked. |
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| Kassie and I have issues...this is what happens when we go out together. |
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| He really will dress up in anything, much to the amusement of people around him. |
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| Brian was unamused that his male dog was in a tutu. |
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Tacky Techie
As I've written before, I'm a pretty big nerd when it comes to my Apple products. iPhone, MacBook Pro, iTouch, etc, I love them all. I wanted to take a few minutes tonight and fill you all in on my new favorite iPhone apps.
When I first started I Bought A Lawnmower, I highlighted Mint, Starbucks, Waze, Lift, Key Ring, Catch, Find iPhone, and I Heart Radio as some of my favorite apps for my phone. As I've changed, so have the apps on my phone, so I wanted to type up a quick blog explaining some of my new favorite choices!
- Living Social: An app for shopping, basically, Living Social offers discounted deals in your area. Some things that I have purchased from Living Social includes 1 year magazine subscriptions for $5 each and a $10 Starbucks gift card for $5. Many of the deals are similar to the Starbucks offer, including a gift amount for half the price. It's a really neat website for those of us who don't like to pay full price for anything!
- Blogger: I figure you guys had to see this one coming! I love blogging at the most random times, and inspiration can come when you least expect it. Since I always carry my iPhone but rarely take my computer everywhere, I love the ability to write, post, update, and comment on posts all from my phone. It's awesome! If you have a blog, I highly recommend downloading it.
- AP: As a journalism major, I'm obsessed with new. My phone contains apps for NBC, Huffington Post, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN, CBS News, Yahoo!, ESPN, and the AP Mobile app, which I am highlighting in this post. The AP is one of the more "in the middle" news providers, and I like how thorough their coverage is. I like to have a variety of different news apps so that I can read a story from many different points of view, so if you like news and current events, I highly recommend not only this app, but having a variety in general.
- Snapchat: Okay by now the majority of you probably know what this is. In case you don't, Snapchat is an app that is used to send and receive pictures, but the catch is that the pictures you send and receive can only be seen for up to ten seconds before they are erased forever. A lot of people claim that it's the perfect app for naughty photos, but considering that there is always a ways for someone to take a picture of their phone screen or use a screenshot (however if a screenshot is taken, the sender is notified, so that's cool!), so no matter what, it's a BAD IDEA. I personally use it to send funny faces to people.
- Multi Edit: For those of you who don't like having an actual address book and worry about losing your contacts should something ever happen to you phone, Multi Edit is a perfect solution. It not only tells you details about your contacts such as the number you have and any duplicate contacts, it also tells you any duplicate email, phone, and email fields, as well as entries without phone numbers, email addresses, names, etc. You can see fields by Company, Job Title, Email Domains, and Birthdays. It's awesome. Plus, you can also back up your contacts and email a link to yourself in case your phone ever has a problem. and you lose your contacts. GENIUS!
- Relax Melodies: One of the simplest yet most favorite apps ever! I never really liked falling asleep to noise until I realized that it was so quiet when the power went out. Relax Melodies is a noise maker app for when you fall asleep, but it also has a "concentration" mode, allowing you to put in ear phones during tasks that you need to be alert for. It plays a certain melody that is known to perk you up. It's so awesome. It also allows you to mix your favorite noises together at different levels to form your own unique noise board. My favorite is probably Relaxing at the Ocean or Stormy Night. They're great and remind me of being back home in the woods during a thunderstorm.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
The Best in the World
Last night, I got into a debate about the true meaning of "good sportsmanship" and the effect that it is having on kids today. After seeing a video about a middle school wrestler who intentionally lost to a member of the opposing team who had severe cerebral palsy (CP), I posted the video on my Facebook page, stating that I thought the act by the student who intentionally lost was an act of good sportsmanship. This ignited quite a debate about why or why not the act was positive, or if it was in fact a negative. After doing some research, it was rather apparent that the students were not engaged in an actual match at the time, the main reason being that they were not in the same weight class. The backstory that I found was that the student with CP has the physical capability of an infant, but the mental capability of his peers. He wanted to wrestle, and so his coach made a phone call to the coach of the opposing team, who happened to be a friend of his. His only request was that the student who wrestled Jared, the student with CP, had a kind heart. It wasn't about weight class, it was about finding someone who wouldn't treat the match as a competition, but as a way to fulfill Jared's desire to get out on the mat like the rest of his teammates, despite his disability.
The majority of the comments that have been posted in relation to the video have been positive. However, the people who commented on my Facebook post took a different side, stating that if the student wanted to show true sportsmanship, he should have forfeited instead of helping Jared "pin" the opponent.
Although I didn't necessarily agree (and there was some very good private discussion about the matter), another good point was brought up through the comments. A former classmate of mine pointed out that allowing someone to win encouraged the mentality of "everyone is a winner" and provided kids with a sense of entitlement. I think that this is a very good point, and one that I wanted to talk about today.
I was recently at the craft store and saw a rack of ribbons that designated First Place, Second Place, etc. As I passed the display, I noticed something odd. The ribbons didn't just go up to Third Place and Honorable Mention, but instead had titles such as "Sixth Place" and even "Eleventh Place." I think that we have to draw the line somewhere, and that somewhere comes WAY before Eleventh Place in my opinion. I am an only child without children of my own, so maybe there is a small lapse of judgement in my opinion.
In our lives today, we place certain people on pedestals, giving them titles such as "Sexiest Man Alive" or "Best Swimmer in the World." What these people do to earn these so-called honors is without a doubt impressive, but the honors themselves are what baffle me a little bit. Take "Sexiest Man Alive" for example. When Channing Tatum was bestowed the title earlier this year, women all over the world flocked to buy People Magazine in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Tatum shirtless. In the effort of full disclose, I may or may not have been one of whose women...anyway, moving on. What makes someone sexy? It's a description the definition of which is argued across the globe and where no two people may define it the exact same way. One person likes blondes, the other brunettes. One likes muscular arms while the other goes for the abs. Just people People Magazine dubs someone the "Sexiest Man Alive" doesn't really mean anything in terms of the general consensus of the world's population.
Or how about the fact that Michael Phelps has been called The Greatest Swimmer of All Time. Sure, the guy definitely earns substantial bragging rights for his 22 Olympic Medals, 18 of those Gold, 33 World Championship Medals, 26 of those Gold, and the 39 world records he has set over his competitive swimming career. However, does that really make him the "Greatest Swimmer of All Time?" No. It means that out of everyone he has competed against or everyone who has competed and registered a specific time, that he has beaten them. Who knows, there could be a swimmer in some country that is better than him but has just never swam professionally or for the goal of achieving a specific time record.
All of this in consideration, I'm sick of people telling kids that they have to be "the best" or kids thinking that they have to compare themselves to others in order to achieve self worth. People need to realize that winning a sport, a challenge, or a game doesn't mean that you're the best. All that matters is that you did YOUR best. I have been so proud of Brian's wrestlers lately, not because they were wining their matches (far from it with the exception of the most recent one) but because they had continued to improve on their skills and performance. I'm not saying that you can't encourage kid's dreams, but I personally think that having fun and improving each time you attempt something is much more important than getting a ribbon for 11th place.
(For the record, the only instance this doesn't apply is to my blog, which is, in fact, the best in the world.)
The majority of the comments that have been posted in relation to the video have been positive. However, the people who commented on my Facebook post took a different side, stating that if the student wanted to show true sportsmanship, he should have forfeited instead of helping Jared "pin" the opponent.
Although I didn't necessarily agree (and there was some very good private discussion about the matter), another good point was brought up through the comments. A former classmate of mine pointed out that allowing someone to win encouraged the mentality of "everyone is a winner" and provided kids with a sense of entitlement. I think that this is a very good point, and one that I wanted to talk about today.
I was recently at the craft store and saw a rack of ribbons that designated First Place, Second Place, etc. As I passed the display, I noticed something odd. The ribbons didn't just go up to Third Place and Honorable Mention, but instead had titles such as "Sixth Place" and even "Eleventh Place." I think that we have to draw the line somewhere, and that somewhere comes WAY before Eleventh Place in my opinion. I am an only child without children of my own, so maybe there is a small lapse of judgement in my opinion.
In our lives today, we place certain people on pedestals, giving them titles such as "Sexiest Man Alive" or "Best Swimmer in the World." What these people do to earn these so-called honors is without a doubt impressive, but the honors themselves are what baffle me a little bit. Take "Sexiest Man Alive" for example. When Channing Tatum was bestowed the title earlier this year, women all over the world flocked to buy People Magazine in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Tatum shirtless. In the effort of full disclose, I may or may not have been one of whose women...anyway, moving on. What makes someone sexy? It's a description the definition of which is argued across the globe and where no two people may define it the exact same way. One person likes blondes, the other brunettes. One likes muscular arms while the other goes for the abs. Just people People Magazine dubs someone the "Sexiest Man Alive" doesn't really mean anything in terms of the general consensus of the world's population.
Or how about the fact that Michael Phelps has been called The Greatest Swimmer of All Time. Sure, the guy definitely earns substantial bragging rights for his 22 Olympic Medals, 18 of those Gold, 33 World Championship Medals, 26 of those Gold, and the 39 world records he has set over his competitive swimming career. However, does that really make him the "Greatest Swimmer of All Time?" No. It means that out of everyone he has competed against or everyone who has competed and registered a specific time, that he has beaten them. Who knows, there could be a swimmer in some country that is better than him but has just never swam professionally or for the goal of achieving a specific time record.
All of this in consideration, I'm sick of people telling kids that they have to be "the best" or kids thinking that they have to compare themselves to others in order to achieve self worth. People need to realize that winning a sport, a challenge, or a game doesn't mean that you're the best. All that matters is that you did YOUR best. I have been so proud of Brian's wrestlers lately, not because they were wining their matches (far from it with the exception of the most recent one) but because they had continued to improve on their skills and performance. I'm not saying that you can't encourage kid's dreams, but I personally think that having fun and improving each time you attempt something is much more important than getting a ribbon for 11th place.
(For the record, the only instance this doesn't apply is to my blog, which is, in fact, the best in the world.)
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
B.A.? I Think I Got a B.S...
It's not often that I give out life lessons and advice, but I decided that since this has carried me pretty far in life, I should pass it on.
Here's a bit of the back story: My boss sent me an email this morning asking me if I knew how to capture screen shots from iMovie. My first thought is, "Definitely not..." The I remembered a little piece of advice I was once told.
If you are asked to do something you don't know how to do, but you have time to Google it and learn, ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE AND SAY YES.
(This does not apply to nursing students, doctors, lawyers representing people in important cases, law enforcement officers, etc. I'm more talking about people like me...)
I took about 2 minutes to Google how to use iMovie to create stills, and then I emailed my boss back and told her heck yes I knew how! After reading the Google tutorial (MacWorld) completely, the project took me less than 5 minutes. My boss's response?
Earning tech points for about 5 minutes of Googling feels great. All that you need to do is have faith in your ability to follow directions from a tutorial, and you should be able to do more than you could ever dream of. Don't sell yourself short.
Just because I got a B.A. degree from college, I really think they should have given me a B.S. instead!
Here's a bit of the back story: My boss sent me an email this morning asking me if I knew how to capture screen shots from iMovie. My first thought is, "Definitely not..." The I remembered a little piece of advice I was once told.
If you are asked to do something you don't know how to do, but you have time to Google it and learn, ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE AND SAY YES.
(This does not apply to nursing students, doctors, lawyers representing people in important cases, law enforcement officers, etc. I'm more talking about people like me...)
I took about 2 minutes to Google how to use iMovie to create stills, and then I emailed my boss back and told her heck yes I knew how! After reading the Google tutorial (MacWorld) completely, the project took me less than 5 minutes. My boss's response?
You rock! You’ll have to show me how!
Just because I got a B.A. degree from college, I really think they should have given me a B.S. instead!
Monday, December 3, 2012
Oh Come All Ye Faithful
Thanksgiving is basically the gateway holiday to all of the fun and festivities that Christmas and New Years bring. When I was growing up, Mom used to throw "Cookie Parties" for me and all of my friends where we would take baked cookies and decorate them with frosting, sprinkles, and other sorts of fun candies. I think I always took advantage of this growing up, because once I was in high school and college and wasn't having any more Cookie Parties, I really began to miss them. So what's a recent-adult to do? Throw a party, of course!
Without much thought as to how to pull off a Christmas party, I decided to go ahead and creative a Facebook event and throw what I hope to be my first annual Christmas party. I definitely told Brian about my plan after I created the event...oops. I think I created the event a little over a week before the scheduled date, which gave me approximately 7 days to not only plan a Christmas party but also to actually execute my plans. Cue a week of intense cleaning, decorating, shopping, cooking, and more cleaning.
Saturday was ridiculous in terms of errands. Brian and I woke up early and made our list of errand goals: Sam's Club, Walmart, Aldi, Petco, A Cleaner World dry cleaners, Starbucks, and Wells Fargo. Our first errand was to pick up our dry cleaning at A Cleaner World in Hickory. I have nothing but good things to say about them! They have great prices, frequent sales (check out their Wild Wednesdays!), and they remember me even though I had only been there twice before. So great! We also stopped at Starbucks, where the barista managed to scramble together the very last Caramel Apple Spice for Brian because it's the only thing he will drink, and they only had enough for one. They had even been telling people they were out all day, but they pulled one together for him. Chase had an appointment for his first ever grooming at Petco Saturday morning, and I can honestly say that the whole experience was incredible. From the moment that we walked in the door, the staff was polite, welcoming, helpful, and an absolute dream to do business with! The groomer was absolutely incredible. She automatically made Chase feel at home and comfortable, and even waved to us as we were walking through the store. Chase received the holiday package bath, a shave and a brush-out, and a nail grinding. He came out smelling like sugar cookies with perfectly shaped nails, more even eyebrows, a lovely little ascot, and clean ears, all for $31. He's a good 50 lbs, and considering the time, effort, shampoo costs, and amount of cleanup it would have cost me to bathe him at home, I will be making grooming at Petco a much more frequent purchase. If your dog needs to be groomed, especially if you live in the Hickory area, go to the Petco on Highway 70/McDonald Parkway in the same shopping center as Olive Garden, Michaels, Rack Room Shoes, and Ross. Everyone there is incredible and I will definitely be taking him again. Chase also got the added bonus of visiting with a few volunteers who knew him when he was up for adoption at the shelter. He got some good social interaction and attention from people, and we are definitely going to be making weekly trips to Petco to help socialize him.
After dropping Chase off to be groomed, Brian and I did our grocery shopping at Aldi, then went to Walmart and Sam's Club for the rest of our Christmas Party needs. Unfortunately, our trip to Walmart had to be repeated because we didn't buy enough tree lights and our stand broke and leaked water everywhere, but everything turned out great. I bought enough cookie dough to feed our entire town, and so all of our neighbors and coworkers will be getting Christmas cookies for the holidays. Sorry to ruin the surprise if you're reading this.
I ended up making about 50 Christmas cookies, included crushed peppermint, red and green sprinkles, red and silver sprinkles, green and silver sprinkles, and sugar cookies filled with different flavors of Hershey kisses. If you like cookies, you should let me know so I can send you some! Chase also learned that when Mommy makes cookies, she does so on parchment paper spread on the coffee table, and that sometimes she leaves sprinkles unattended. This caused a rather big ruckus when Mommy heard a licking sound and came around the corner to find Chase with a red beard from eating sprinkles. Looks like everyone was feeling festive that day.
Even though the planning came down to the wire and included the help of some incredible friends (Kassie & JJ!), we did it! Our house was a winter wonderland, or at least as much of one as it could be in 66 degree weather, complete with various types of cookies, a South Florida-style Christmas tree, mom's famous Mexican dip, homemade hot chocolate, a veggie platter, salsa and guacamole, and good old fashioned lemonade. Some of our wonderful guests brought fudge, cheesecake, chocolate covered pretzel and cookie dough bites, and beer. I'll include some of the recipes at the bottom in case you want to make some of the same foods!
For the record, I would definitely do it again. Having a relaxing afternoon with all of our friends was an absolute blast. Here are some photos that we took to commemorate the occasion! Look for an update when I find my camera card reader and can upload real pictures, instead of the phones that I took with my iPhone.
2 avocados
1 tomato
1/2 a sweet onion
Squeeze lemon juice
Minced garlic to taste
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
This is super easy as well (if you can't tell, I like easy foods). Slice the avocados long ways so that you have two matching sized halves. Very carefully, use the knife to remove the pit. (I do this by taking the blade of my knife and hitting it against the pit, causing it to get stuck. I then turn the knife clockwise and counterclockwise loosening the pit enough for it to come out stuck to the knife. BE VERY CAREFUL. I do not assume responsibility if you cut yourself, and so I have provided a nice YouTube video for you to consult. How to cut an avocado) After removing the pit, use a spoon to scoop out the green goodness that is avocado. Place your avocado in a bowl, and using a fork, mash it until it is about 75% smooth and 25% chunky. On a cutting board, dice the tomato and onion into small pieces, or bigger if you like a chunkier guacamole. Stir in the onion, tomato, garlic, and the juice from about 1/2 of a lemon. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. The lemon, garlic, salt and pepper can be adjusted to your taste preference. I like more garlic and pepper, but it's really up to you. Serve with chips, on sandwiches, with crackers, as a dip for veggies, etc.
Without much thought as to how to pull off a Christmas party, I decided to go ahead and creative a Facebook event and throw what I hope to be my first annual Christmas party. I definitely told Brian about my plan after I created the event...oops. I think I created the event a little over a week before the scheduled date, which gave me approximately 7 days to not only plan a Christmas party but also to actually execute my plans. Cue a week of intense cleaning, decorating, shopping, cooking, and more cleaning.
Saturday was ridiculous in terms of errands. Brian and I woke up early and made our list of errand goals: Sam's Club, Walmart, Aldi, Petco, A Cleaner World dry cleaners, Starbucks, and Wells Fargo. Our first errand was to pick up our dry cleaning at A Cleaner World in Hickory. I have nothing but good things to say about them! They have great prices, frequent sales (check out their Wild Wednesdays!), and they remember me even though I had only been there twice before. So great! We also stopped at Starbucks, where the barista managed to scramble together the very last Caramel Apple Spice for Brian because it's the only thing he will drink, and they only had enough for one. They had even been telling people they were out all day, but they pulled one together for him. Chase had an appointment for his first ever grooming at Petco Saturday morning, and I can honestly say that the whole experience was incredible. From the moment that we walked in the door, the staff was polite, welcoming, helpful, and an absolute dream to do business with! The groomer was absolutely incredible. She automatically made Chase feel at home and comfortable, and even waved to us as we were walking through the store. Chase received the holiday package bath, a shave and a brush-out, and a nail grinding. He came out smelling like sugar cookies with perfectly shaped nails, more even eyebrows, a lovely little ascot, and clean ears, all for $31. He's a good 50 lbs, and considering the time, effort, shampoo costs, and amount of cleanup it would have cost me to bathe him at home, I will be making grooming at Petco a much more frequent purchase. If your dog needs to be groomed, especially if you live in the Hickory area, go to the Petco on Highway 70/McDonald Parkway in the same shopping center as Olive Garden, Michaels, Rack Room Shoes, and Ross. Everyone there is incredible and I will definitely be taking him again. Chase also got the added bonus of visiting with a few volunteers who knew him when he was up for adoption at the shelter. He got some good social interaction and attention from people, and we are definitely going to be making weekly trips to Petco to help socialize him.
After dropping Chase off to be groomed, Brian and I did our grocery shopping at Aldi, then went to Walmart and Sam's Club for the rest of our Christmas Party needs. Unfortunately, our trip to Walmart had to be repeated because we didn't buy enough tree lights and our stand broke and leaked water everywhere, but everything turned out great. I bought enough cookie dough to feed our entire town, and so all of our neighbors and coworkers will be getting Christmas cookies for the holidays. Sorry to ruin the surprise if you're reading this.
I ended up making about 50 Christmas cookies, included crushed peppermint, red and green sprinkles, red and silver sprinkles, green and silver sprinkles, and sugar cookies filled with different flavors of Hershey kisses. If you like cookies, you should let me know so I can send you some! Chase also learned that when Mommy makes cookies, she does so on parchment paper spread on the coffee table, and that sometimes she leaves sprinkles unattended. This caused a rather big ruckus when Mommy heard a licking sound and came around the corner to find Chase with a red beard from eating sprinkles. Looks like everyone was feeling festive that day.
Even though the planning came down to the wire and included the help of some incredible friends (Kassie & JJ!), we did it! Our house was a winter wonderland, or at least as much of one as it could be in 66 degree weather, complete with various types of cookies, a South Florida-style Christmas tree, mom's famous Mexican dip, homemade hot chocolate, a veggie platter, salsa and guacamole, and good old fashioned lemonade. Some of our wonderful guests brought fudge, cheesecake, chocolate covered pretzel and cookie dough bites, and beer. I'll include some of the recipes at the bottom in case you want to make some of the same foods!
For the record, I would definitely do it again. Having a relaxing afternoon with all of our friends was an absolute blast. Here are some photos that we took to commemorate the occasion! Look for an update when I find my camera card reader and can upload real pictures, instead of the phones that I took with my iPhone.
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| Chase after his first grooming ever! Petco is incredible and I highly recommend it! |
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| Our lovely South Florida tree :) |
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| What can I say? I like sparkly ornaments! |
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| The red sprinkles thief. |
Recipes
Mom's Famous Mexican Dip
1 round glass pie dish
1 package softened cream cheese
1 can refried beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chiles (I use mild)
1 cup shredded mixed cheese (I use the Mexican blend in the bag from Aldi)
1 can black olives
1 grilled and shredded chicken breast
This is probably the easiest recipe ever. Preheat your oven to 350 deg. F. In your glass pie dish, spread the package of cream cheese on the bottom of the dish followed by the can of refried beans, then the chicken, then the tomatoes, and then the chiles and black olives. Top with heaps of shredded cheese and bake for around 20 minutes, or until the cheese becomes bubbly and a bit crispy on the edges. Serve with tortilla chips, veggies, crackers, etc. Enjoy! This dip is always a hit at every party that my mom has, and has become an easy dish that I serve as an appetizer as well. It's also the only Mexican food that Brian's grandpa likes that we know of. Win.
Stovetop Hot Chocolate
1 large pot
1/2 gallon 1% milk
1 bag of mini chocolate chips
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
This is so easy. Place your pot on the stovetop over medium heat. Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk and about half of the 1/2 gallon of milk into the pot and whisk together until combined. Slowly add the chocolate chips making sure to stir thoroughly, especially at the bottom so the chocolate doesn't stick and burn. At first, the mixture will look like the chocolate chips are just breaking up and not actually melting, giving the mixture almost a speckled look. This is normal. Add the vanilla extract and keep stirring slowly. Turn the heat down to low, almost as low as it will go. Cover and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes or so and paying close attention to the bottom of the pot. After the mixture looks like a dark chocolate milk, add the cinnamon and cloves. Serve with marshmallows and Bailey's (only if you're 21!). This took me about 15 to make and was a pretty big hit at the party. I just left it covered on the stove with the burner turned off and turned it on occasionally if the mixture would get a bit cool. The spices gave it a nice nutty taste and added a tiny tiny bit of heat as well.
Mild Chunky Guacamole
This makes enough for about 4 people to munch on
1 tomato
1/2 a sweet onion
Squeeze lemon juice
Minced garlic to taste
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
This is super easy as well (if you can't tell, I like easy foods). Slice the avocados long ways so that you have two matching sized halves. Very carefully, use the knife to remove the pit. (I do this by taking the blade of my knife and hitting it against the pit, causing it to get stuck. I then turn the knife clockwise and counterclockwise loosening the pit enough for it to come out stuck to the knife. BE VERY CAREFUL. I do not assume responsibility if you cut yourself, and so I have provided a nice YouTube video for you to consult. How to cut an avocado) After removing the pit, use a spoon to scoop out the green goodness that is avocado. Place your avocado in a bowl, and using a fork, mash it until it is about 75% smooth and 25% chunky. On a cutting board, dice the tomato and onion into small pieces, or bigger if you like a chunkier guacamole. Stir in the onion, tomato, garlic, and the juice from about 1/2 of a lemon. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. The lemon, garlic, salt and pepper can be adjusted to your taste preference. I like more garlic and pepper, but it's really up to you. Serve with chips, on sandwiches, with crackers, as a dip for veggies, etc.
Friday, November 30, 2012
It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Friday...
Unfortunately for me, Friday didn't exactly start out like a Friday. It started out more like a Monday...Thursday night even ended up like a Monday...what's the deal?!
So let's rewind for a minute. Thursday evening Brian had his second wrestling match of the season. The match was at Newton-Conover Middle School, where Brian's dad had taught and coached wrestling for a long, long time. After Brian's parents moved to the beach, one of Brian's former teammates became the new head coach of the wrestling program. Knowing that Brian went to school at N-C, I wanted to come out and support him at his match. Since I know nothing about wrestling, I enlisted the help of one of Brian's other former teammates, Philip, to come with me and not only help cheer on Brian's kids but also to help explain to me what the heck was going on.
Fast forward an hour. Hickory lost, but there was a definite upside. Brian's solo FEMALE wrestler absolutely dominated her MALE opponent. Never been more proud of my gender. Fast forward two hours. I'm at home watching Netflix after cooking dinner. Brian was still not home from school since he has to wait on every kid to be picked up before he can leave. This didn't exactly put me in a stellar mood. Okay...I was in a terrible mood and it showed. Big deal. So he comes home, one thing leads to another and there is a fight in the Mulligan house. We both went to bed mad and in silence.
The next morning when I woke up, not only was my nose ring missing (not quite sure how this keeps happening, but it does), but I hadn't slept well and I just wasn't in a good mood. Brian leaves for school while I'm still asleep, so we didn't really talk at all about the night before. After waking up, getting ready, and arriving at work, I spent the morning in meetings and finishing up my projects for the week. Around 10 a.m., the start of Brian's planning period, I receive a phone call from him asking me for my address to use as a reference for a grad school application. At first I was rather annoyed because not only did I not know he was applying to grad school, he was acting like it was no big deal. So after I give him my address, I sent him a text and told him that I didn't like being kept in the dark about a decision that is rather life-impacting. His response? "Oh sorry it's a spur of the moment thing." Really? Grad school is a spur of the moment thing? No. It is not. So then he tells me that the whole thing will make sense later today. What? That only confuses me more, Brian. Way to go.
Fast forward three and a half hours. My friend Latelle locked his keys in his car, so I offered to go to Walmart and bring him my AAA card so he wouldn't have to pay for a locksmith. After grabbing lunch and checking on the dogs while I was out, I arrived back at the office to an almost immediate telephone call. Our hilarious receptionist Kellie said, "You need to come out here..." At first I was thinking I was in trouble, which isn't exactly what I wanted to happen on a Friday. So I walk around the corner and there is a huge vase of roses on the counter. Kellie looks at me and asks, "Is it your anniversary or something?" I immediately start laughing and tell her no, he just screwed up last night and was a jerk. This elicits quite a few laughs from Kellie and everyone else standing in the reception lobby. What can I say? I'm funny.
Today has continued to get better and better, and tonight I get to not only decorate my Christmas tree and clean for the party on Sunday, but I get to hang out with Rebecca and a hot tub. Can't beat that! Look for posts over the weekend about Chase going to the groomer for the first time (I'll be giving an in-depth rating of Petco on this one!) as well as how well I survive throwing my first party at our house.
So let's rewind for a minute. Thursday evening Brian had his second wrestling match of the season. The match was at Newton-Conover Middle School, where Brian's dad had taught and coached wrestling for a long, long time. After Brian's parents moved to the beach, one of Brian's former teammates became the new head coach of the wrestling program. Knowing that Brian went to school at N-C, I wanted to come out and support him at his match. Since I know nothing about wrestling, I enlisted the help of one of Brian's other former teammates, Philip, to come with me and not only help cheer on Brian's kids but also to help explain to me what the heck was going on.
Fast forward an hour. Hickory lost, but there was a definite upside. Brian's solo FEMALE wrestler absolutely dominated her MALE opponent. Never been more proud of my gender. Fast forward two hours. I'm at home watching Netflix after cooking dinner. Brian was still not home from school since he has to wait on every kid to be picked up before he can leave. This didn't exactly put me in a stellar mood. Okay...I was in a terrible mood and it showed. Big deal. So he comes home, one thing leads to another and there is a fight in the Mulligan house. We both went to bed mad and in silence.
The next morning when I woke up, not only was my nose ring missing (not quite sure how this keeps happening, but it does), but I hadn't slept well and I just wasn't in a good mood. Brian leaves for school while I'm still asleep, so we didn't really talk at all about the night before. After waking up, getting ready, and arriving at work, I spent the morning in meetings and finishing up my projects for the week. Around 10 a.m., the start of Brian's planning period, I receive a phone call from him asking me for my address to use as a reference for a grad school application. At first I was rather annoyed because not only did I not know he was applying to grad school, he was acting like it was no big deal. So after I give him my address, I sent him a text and told him that I didn't like being kept in the dark about a decision that is rather life-impacting. His response? "Oh sorry it's a spur of the moment thing." Really? Grad school is a spur of the moment thing? No. It is not. So then he tells me that the whole thing will make sense later today. What? That only confuses me more, Brian. Way to go.
Fast forward three and a half hours. My friend Latelle locked his keys in his car, so I offered to go to Walmart and bring him my AAA card so he wouldn't have to pay for a locksmith. After grabbing lunch and checking on the dogs while I was out, I arrived back at the office to an almost immediate telephone call. Our hilarious receptionist Kellie said, "You need to come out here..." At first I was thinking I was in trouble, which isn't exactly what I wanted to happen on a Friday. So I walk around the corner and there is a huge vase of roses on the counter. Kellie looks at me and asks, "Is it your anniversary or something?" I immediately start laughing and tell her no, he just screwed up last night and was a jerk. This elicits quite a few laughs from Kellie and everyone else standing in the reception lobby. What can I say? I'm funny.
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| I have to admit, though...they're gorgeous! |
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Finding the Right Words
I have to admit, I haven't had the heart to blog the past two days. I have always said that I express myself better through words, but that just hasn't seemed to be the case this time, so please bear with me. Yesterday, I received a phone call that no one ever wants to receive.
My former boss messaged me on Facebook and asked me to call her as soon as I could. After I finished up the project that I was working on, I phoned her to ask what was up. Her voice just sort of said, "This isn't good." She proceeded to tell me that one of our local doctors, who happened to have been my doctor growing up as well as the father of a very dear friend from middle and high school, was rumored to have been killed in a car accident Monday evening. I think she was hoping as much as I was that it would turn out to be just that; a rumor. After an hour or two, however, the fact that this wasn't going to turn out to be a rumor had sunken in.
To say that I was in shock was an understatement. As a 22 year old, I know that loss comes to those who you least expect, and to those who often least deserve it. However, having graduated from high school just over four years ago, reconciling with a loss such as this was absolutely devastating. I can't begin to imagine the grief that my friend and her family are experiencing, but I know for a fact that they are not in this loss alone.
Dr. David Wheeler was an essential part of our small town. Not only did he have a private practice, but he was also on the staff of the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital for more than 20 years. After hearing about his accomplishments and hobbies, one would never guess that he was in a wheelchair stemming from a motorcycle accident in the 90s that left him partially paralyzed. Many people would have simply given up, but not Dr. David. Instead of letting his accident derail his life, he had wheelchair-accomodating additions made to his office and went back to work, both at his practice and at the hospital.
I still remember the first time that I ever stayed over at Dr. David's house. Sally, his daughter, and I were in the same grade at school and wanted to spend the night together. Dr. David said of course, as long as it was okay with my parents. So as we're all sitting in the kitchen, he hands me the phone to call my mom. I get her on the line and as I'm asking her if it's okay, Dr. David yells in the background, "MAKE SURE SHE KNOWS YOU'RE STAYING WITH A CRIPPLE!" His humor and smile never left him, and were a constant joy to everyone who came into contact with him. Not only did he love spending his time watching Sally and her younger brother Samuel compete in athletics, he was constantly doing something, like working out at the gym in town or taking the boat to the lake.
I have taken the extra time to reflect back on the incredible moments that I got to spend with Dr. David. The picture of me as a toddler sitting on his lap at his office, hanging out at his house and on the lake, driving his Audi to pick up Sally in Scaly Mountain one night, and the time that he came home late from the hospital and Sally and I had fallen asleep in the living room watching a movie but after the movie it changed to pornography and we woke up having to give a very awkward explanation...I remember the breakfast of Pop-Tarts or pancakes and the dinners of pizza or grilled cheese. I remember sitting at his computer desk with Sally and calling to tell my mom that I wasn't taking the PSAT for some reason that I can't even remember making up, but the real reason was that we had stayed up too late the night before. I will always recall each memory with a huge smile on my face and a warm place in my heart.
Even though I can't imagine the sadness that his family feels, I am pretty sure that I speak for our entire community when I say that we each feel the loss of Dr. David in a monumental way. There are some people who come into this world and do more for others during their short time than many of us could do in ten lifetimes. I truly believe that Dr. Wheeler will be missed by not just our community, but by people across the country who had the blessing of meeting him.
It's is these times more than ever that we realize how truly short and sweet life is. I have spoken more with some of my classmates and friends from high school in the past two days than I have in the past two years. The times that we spent together were an absolute blessing, and I will cherish them always. I don't think I'll ever live down calling Michael and admitting that maybe, just maybe, I didn't hate him...not even close. Looking back on high school and these memories makes them feel as though they happened yesterday. Somedays, I wish they had.
If you're reading this, please take the time to re-connect with me, or with your long-lost friends in general. I know we hear it all the time, but you never really understand how much your relationship with someone means until you don't have it any more. If I could re-live some of my days in high school, I would. The friends that became more like family and the laughs that we had until we cried. I can't believe how far we have all come in four short years.
My former boss messaged me on Facebook and asked me to call her as soon as I could. After I finished up the project that I was working on, I phoned her to ask what was up. Her voice just sort of said, "This isn't good." She proceeded to tell me that one of our local doctors, who happened to have been my doctor growing up as well as the father of a very dear friend from middle and high school, was rumored to have been killed in a car accident Monday evening. I think she was hoping as much as I was that it would turn out to be just that; a rumor. After an hour or two, however, the fact that this wasn't going to turn out to be a rumor had sunken in.
To say that I was in shock was an understatement. As a 22 year old, I know that loss comes to those who you least expect, and to those who often least deserve it. However, having graduated from high school just over four years ago, reconciling with a loss such as this was absolutely devastating. I can't begin to imagine the grief that my friend and her family are experiencing, but I know for a fact that they are not in this loss alone.
Dr. David Wheeler was an essential part of our small town. Not only did he have a private practice, but he was also on the staff of the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital for more than 20 years. After hearing about his accomplishments and hobbies, one would never guess that he was in a wheelchair stemming from a motorcycle accident in the 90s that left him partially paralyzed. Many people would have simply given up, but not Dr. David. Instead of letting his accident derail his life, he had wheelchair-accomodating additions made to his office and went back to work, both at his practice and at the hospital.
I still remember the first time that I ever stayed over at Dr. David's house. Sally, his daughter, and I were in the same grade at school and wanted to spend the night together. Dr. David said of course, as long as it was okay with my parents. So as we're all sitting in the kitchen, he hands me the phone to call my mom. I get her on the line and as I'm asking her if it's okay, Dr. David yells in the background, "MAKE SURE SHE KNOWS YOU'RE STAYING WITH A CRIPPLE!" His humor and smile never left him, and were a constant joy to everyone who came into contact with him. Not only did he love spending his time watching Sally and her younger brother Samuel compete in athletics, he was constantly doing something, like working out at the gym in town or taking the boat to the lake.
I have taken the extra time to reflect back on the incredible moments that I got to spend with Dr. David. The picture of me as a toddler sitting on his lap at his office, hanging out at his house and on the lake, driving his Audi to pick up Sally in Scaly Mountain one night, and the time that he came home late from the hospital and Sally and I had fallen asleep in the living room watching a movie but after the movie it changed to pornography and we woke up having to give a very awkward explanation...I remember the breakfast of Pop-Tarts or pancakes and the dinners of pizza or grilled cheese. I remember sitting at his computer desk with Sally and calling to tell my mom that I wasn't taking the PSAT for some reason that I can't even remember making up, but the real reason was that we had stayed up too late the night before. I will always recall each memory with a huge smile on my face and a warm place in my heart.
Even though I can't imagine the sadness that his family feels, I am pretty sure that I speak for our entire community when I say that we each feel the loss of Dr. David in a monumental way. There are some people who come into this world and do more for others during their short time than many of us could do in ten lifetimes. I truly believe that Dr. Wheeler will be missed by not just our community, but by people across the country who had the blessing of meeting him.
"It is better to have a meaningful life and make a difference than to merely have a long life." Bryant H. McGill
It's is these times more than ever that we realize how truly short and sweet life is. I have spoken more with some of my classmates and friends from high school in the past two days than I have in the past two years. The times that we spent together were an absolute blessing, and I will cherish them always. I don't think I'll ever live down calling Michael and admitting that maybe, just maybe, I didn't hate him...not even close. Looking back on high school and these memories makes them feel as though they happened yesterday. Somedays, I wish they had.
"It is not length of life, but depth of life." Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you're reading this, please take the time to re-connect with me, or with your long-lost friends in general. I know we hear it all the time, but you never really understand how much your relationship with someone means until you don't have it any more. If I could re-live some of my days in high school, I would. The friends that became more like family and the laughs that we had until we cried. I can't believe how far we have all come in four short years.
There are two things which are guaranteed to us in life: birth and death. We are born as equals and die as the same. It's not our birth or death that makes us who we are. It's what we do between the two.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Lying Makes the Waist Grow Smaller
Oh, don't I wish this was true. I've had body issues since I was a kid. After 8 years of ballet, tap, and jazz, I was very judgmental of my body in terms of weight, size, strength, flexibility, etc. My weight went up and down all throughout high school, and I finally was (mostly) content with myself during my senior year. Cue freshman year of college. I broke my foot in October and gained about 10 lbs more than the Freshman 15. After a crazy breakup sophomore year, I finally got back to within 5 lbs of my senior year of high school weight.
Cue graduation from college and the start of a desk job. I'm back up 15 lbs again, and absolutely miserable. Here are my favorite things to tell myself whenever I step on the scale:
Cue graduation from college and the start of a desk job. I'm back up 15 lbs again, and absolutely miserable. Here are my favorite things to tell myself whenever I step on the scale:
- "You can't penalize me for my brain, and that has to weigh at least 10 lbs. I'm smart."
- "SCREW YOU SCALE, YOU LYING BASTARD!"
- "I guess I forgot to pee this morning."
- "STOP LYING SCALE!"
- "Blasted water weight."
- "DAMN YOU MEAN AND HATEFUL SCALE!"
- "Muscle weighs more than fat...muscle weighs more than fat."
- "THE SCALE HATES ME!"
And my favorite...
- "I guess my boobs got bigger."
I've already accepted that anything below a size 6 just isn't in my future, and I'm totally okay with that. The hardest part is dealing with my mom and grandma. Mom used to be a solid size 10, and very petite. When she found out she had Celiac's disease, she stopped eating all bread products (which I am too addicted to them to do...) and went from a size 10 to a size 0. Grandma, mom's mom, has always been petite. She's probably a size 4 right now. Their sizes don't bother me, but it's how they act to be regarding weight that has always gotten to me.
For example. Grandma was talking about a cousin of ours while we were getting ready for dinner on Thanksgiving. She made a comment that she, the cousin, and lost weight recently, and that she "used to be heavier like you, Amanda." Thanks for the confidence boost there, Grandma. So Thanksgiving night I was rushing around trying to find my outfit that I packed for dinner. I found everything except my brown tights, which were basically essential because the dress I was wearing was a bit short, and it was very cold so I wanted an extra layer. For some reason, this made me absolutely lose it. Probably because I was so frustrated that I packed not only my clothes but Brian's as well, and I was just upset and frustrated (and yes, PMSing) about the fact that I had forgotten one of the most essential parts of my outfit. So grandma comes in and offers me a pair of her tights. They were a petite size small. This was probably my breaking point. I started yelling at her that not only was I definitely NOT a petite small, no matter how often she made comments about my weight, there was probably no chance that I would EVER be a size petite small. The whole situation just escalated until I was locked in the bedroom crying. It was a mess. I finally found my tights and Grandma apologized saying that she never intended to hurt my feelings. That's the problem, though. It's not like they purposefully say hurtful things, but what they do say is hurtful and they never realize it until it's too late.
Today marks exactly one month until I fly to Florida for my friend Carson's wedding. I have 30 days to lose about 10 lbs. I personally have all the confidence in the world that I can do it. Luckily we have a gym at the office, so I'm going to start doing the elliptical for at least 1.5 miles every day during lunch as well as working out after work with Rebecca. Lunch is either trail mix or a salad, and I can only have coffee after I drink at least two cups of water.
However, in my defense, my boobs HAVE gotten bigger, and I HAVE been working out my arms heavily at the gym (strapless dress for the wedding...gotta beast those dumbbells) and I'm hoping that 5 lbs is muscle...at least that's what I'm going to tell myself.
I guess the moral of the story is that sometimes, people portray a higher self confidence than they actually feel. Take time to consider how your words could hurt someone before speaking. Trust me. People like me hate on themselves enough without help from others. As a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, our Confidence Coalition program helps young girls all over the country realize their beauty and raise their self esteem. I know first hand how important it is to instill these ideals in our children, both male and female, at a young age. Growing up in the world today isn't easy. Magazines tell us how to look and dress, how to attract a boyfriend or girlfriend, and what to do for every part of your body that has a bit more to love.
So instead of continuing my cleanse challenge, I'm starting a new one; half working out and clean eating and half self-confidence boosting. Much of what is wrong with the world today doesn't start with people having kick-ass hips and a banging booty. It comes because we are constantly told that these things make us "fat" or "heavy." So as I take a step in the right direction, I'm not only going to focus on my body, but my mind as well. After all, I think we could all use a mental health day once and a while.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Feasts, Fights, & Football
As the Thanksgiving holiday comes to an end, I get to look back on a great week full of new memories. My first Thanksgiving with Brian was great. I think we ate four or five Thanksgiving dinners. No joke. We had our main dinner on Thursday evening, a dinner with Dad on Friday evening, leftovers with dad as a late lunch Saturday after the football game, and then a dinner of leftovers with Gram on Saturday night.
I'm almost sick of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pie...almost.
I've officially learned how to deal with an influx of tourists, family members, and food over the course of this week. Tums and alcohol. Best advice I can give someone. Pack lots of Tums and alcohol. The first shopping trip that I took to Ingles during this break was to purchase a turkey and fixings for dad, cold medicine for Brian, and champagne and wine for me. Brian also got hard cider, which he has taken to more than beer, believe it or not. Oh, I also learned that I am no longer in college, and that drinking an entire bottle of champagne (that's a lot of mimosas, just so you know...) plus three glasses of wine will knock me on my butt. I've never had a hangover. I was never a huge drinker, but I could hold my own. I am officially a grandma. What was going to be a bit of Black Friday shopping turned into a headache fest and rest. Brian and I ended up walking around Highlands a bit, and then we just came home and napped.
We also learned this weekend that Charlie and Chase will basically do everything except kill each other. The video posted below is just an example of what they find fun. Charlie runs between Chase's legs, Charlie runs under the table and hides, Chase barks, Chase uses Charlie like a mop and spins him around the floor...the fun goes on and on.
Here are some pictures to commemorate the joyous Thanksgiving holiday!
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| Our Thanksgiving breakfast of blueberry pancakes, courtesy of Gram. |
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| There is always time for cuddles with Mr. Bear and Grandma. |
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| The beginning of the end. I didn't even bother to buy half decent champagne. |
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| I'm a princess! Celebrating my half birthday and Thanksgiving all at once. |
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| This is basically what everyone looked like after Thanksgiving. |
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| Passed out after a day of eating. |
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| Up early? Time to play dress-up. |
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| Lenoir-Rhyne @ Carson-Newman. |
Thursday, November 22, 2012
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Although according to the song, it's Christmas, I disagree. I LOVE Thanksgiving. It is seriously my favorite holiday. Whenever my mom asks me what dinner I wanted for my birthday when I was home from college, I always said "Thanksgiving." What can I say, I'm weird. I think I like it because it's a transition between fall, which I love, and winter, which I also love. It's also a constant celebration between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's like two holidays spread out over a month. It's the best ever.
We woke up this morning to freshly made coffee and Gram ironing the table cloth for tonight's Thanksgiving dinner. I'm currently sitting and writing this with Charlie in my lap. We're bonding. Brian has been tortured with the fact that Gram doesn't have wireless internet. It's good for him. Our plans for today include lots of eating, watching the Macy's Day Parade, bonding time with friends and family, and drinking. I'm starting at 9 a.m. I know, it's awful. Excessive family time drives me to drink. It's not that I don't love them. I do. I just love them more with a few mimosas in me...Currently Gram is talking to her Aunt in Nova Scotia, Canada. She wished them a Happy Thanksgiving. Turns out they don't celebrate it there in November. It's in October. I got a few laughs out of that one.
Tomorrow should be absolutely awesome. Not only do I get to hang out with my friend Jack, but I also get to pick out Brian and my first Christmas tree together. I'm so excited. Mom has all of the ornaments that I made my godmother Debbie when she came up for Christmas two years ago. She's from south Florida and so the ornaments were clear ornaments stuffed with sparkly tensile in all different fun colors. I can't wait to put them all up in our house and decorate. I'm seriously holiday obsessed. On Saturday, Dad and Kap are taking Brian and I to LR's football game for the second round of playoffs at Carson-Newman in Tennessee. I can't wait. I love family bonding!
So, as everyone rushes around cooking, celebrating, and watching the parade, take a few moments to be thankful for everything that we have. I'm so thankful for my family, Brian and his family, my friends and our pets. I'm also so thankful for all of the troops overseas and here at home who are sacrificing the time with their families and friends during this holiday season to keep us safe and protect the rights that we have here every day.
Happy Thanksgiving, and a Happy Holiday season to all of my wonderful readers...at least all 4 of you!
We woke up this morning to freshly made coffee and Gram ironing the table cloth for tonight's Thanksgiving dinner. I'm currently sitting and writing this with Charlie in my lap. We're bonding. Brian has been tortured with the fact that Gram doesn't have wireless internet. It's good for him. Our plans for today include lots of eating, watching the Macy's Day Parade, bonding time with friends and family, and drinking. I'm starting at 9 a.m. I know, it's awful. Excessive family time drives me to drink. It's not that I don't love them. I do. I just love them more with a few mimosas in me...Currently Gram is talking to her Aunt in Nova Scotia, Canada. She wished them a Happy Thanksgiving. Turns out they don't celebrate it there in November. It's in October. I got a few laughs out of that one.
Tomorrow should be absolutely awesome. Not only do I get to hang out with my friend Jack, but I also get to pick out Brian and my first Christmas tree together. I'm so excited. Mom has all of the ornaments that I made my godmother Debbie when she came up for Christmas two years ago. She's from south Florida and so the ornaments were clear ornaments stuffed with sparkly tensile in all different fun colors. I can't wait to put them all up in our house and decorate. I'm seriously holiday obsessed. On Saturday, Dad and Kap are taking Brian and I to LR's football game for the second round of playoffs at Carson-Newman in Tennessee. I can't wait. I love family bonding!
So, as everyone rushes around cooking, celebrating, and watching the parade, take a few moments to be thankful for everything that we have. I'm so thankful for my family, Brian and his family, my friends and our pets. I'm also so thankful for all of the troops overseas and here at home who are sacrificing the time with their families and friends during this holiday season to keep us safe and protect the rights that we have here every day.
Happy Thanksgiving, and a Happy Holiday season to all of my wonderful readers...at least all 4 of you!
Monday, November 19, 2012
Hear No Evil...
I learned a lot of good lessons this weekend.
- When tailgating at the first post-season game for the L-R Bears in 50 years, the practice football field for the PEF/Bears Club tailgate is the PLACE TO BE! Mimosas, screwdrivers, Krispy Kreme donuts, and corn hole make for awesome tailgating.
- Having 4 nosebleeds in 2 hours makes for one very dizzy, tired, and annoyed Amanda.
- When L-R Bears win, we do it with class. Not like #17 from the other team who tried to punch the ref. Classy fail.
- Netflix needs to have more shows that I am interested in because all I do is get completely absorbed in one show, watch every episode in a 3 day period, and then have to find something new.
- If I could go back and get a new major, it would be storm chasing. That stuff is just awesome.
- "Guinea pig" is really hard to spell.
and last but not least...
- When you think someone is breaking into your house, you realize that the bathroom is the room with the least amount of defense weapons, and of course that is the room that you are in.
So let me start out with saying that it is a good weekend to be an L-R Bear! The football game on Saturday was absolutely incredible, and I was so excited to be a part of it. Brian and I tailgated with some of his fraternity alumni, which included drinking on the practice football field and donuts. You really can't beat that. Downside is that I ripped my tailgating dress. Sad day. Looks like I'm shopping at Wit's End when I go home. Thanks Grandma! Here are some pictures and video from the game:
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| Everyone celebrating the 21-6 win by the Bears over Fort Valley State. |
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| Brian and I taking a Starbucks detour before the game. |
So moving on to how I learned about the whole bathroom-intruder thing. Sunday night Brian went out with some of his friends while I stayed at home to relax and get a few things done before Monday (today). I decided to take a shower and wash my hair so that I could sleep in a bit longer this morning, so around 8:45 I blasted the heat in the bathroom and hopped in the shower. Just as I'm about to finish washing my hair, the dogs start going absolutely insane. I figured that they had just seen a cat or something, so I didn't think much of it. However, then they started running around in what sounded like circles, which usually means someone opened the door. I thought that this was really weird, because no one should have been in the house except me. Brian wasn't supposed to be back until almost 10, and it was barely 9. So a bit confused, I turn off the shower and grab a towel. Just as I step out of the shower it sounds like someone is walking around in the living room, which shouldn't be possible because, like I said, no one should be home. Well, of course I freaked out, quietly locked the bathroom door, and texted my roommate. Since JJ is a police officer, Kassie is one of the most rational people to ask intruder-related questions. I figured that since I lived next to a police officer as well as the fact that I have a big dog should make my house a really stupid target for a potential robber. Unfortunately, Kassie said that JJ advised me that dogs and neighbors aren't really good deterrents for people trying to break in. Especially since I'm home alone and I live at the end of a cul-de-sac that people rarely drive down. Awesome. There is a potential intruder in my house, I'm in a towel, and there are very few weapons in a bathroom. JJ said to call the police, but since I was trying to convince myself that I was imagining this, that didn't seem like a viable option. Plus, if it turned out to be nothing, that is embarrassing. So, I did what most rational people would do. Picked up my face toner (since it is made of an alcohol-based solution and would cause someone serious irritation if spilled in their eyes) and grabbed the lid off of the back of the toilet. But really. You wouldn't necessarily think of that, but it's large, it's heavy, and it's made of most-likely porcelain. You're gonna at least knock someone the eff out with that thing. (I would like to point out that I learned this from watching Abby on NCIS. Thanks TV for potentially saving my life.)
Long story short, after creeping around my entire house in a towel while wielding face toner and the toilet lid, I didn't find anything. Since the fireplace is open to the outside through the top, I'm guessing that the wind blew down the chimney and rattled the glass doors, sounding like something much creepier than it actually was. At least that's what I'm telling myself. That didn't stop me from cuddling with the bb gun on the couch until Brian got home though.
So as you can see from above, I had a fun-packed weekend, minus the nosebleeds and possible intruders. The upside is that I learned that if you are in a bathroom, grab something to irritate someone's eyes and the heavy toilet back lid. Aside from that, I can't really help you.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Unspeakable Hatred
As I have stated earlier, I am a proud supporter of homosexuality. I have some incredible friends and family who are gay, and I wouldn't change a thing about them for the world. I know people who disagree with it as well, but when they do so in a respectful manner, I am totally okay with that. Not everyone is going to have the same beliefs as I do, which is what makes our country so unique. Unfortunately, I saw this morning that there are some people who take their hatred to a whole new level.
Here is the headline that I read this morning:
Here is the headline that I read this morning:
Uganda Wants a Kill the Gays Christmas
I literally thought it was a joke. I mean, no one can seriously believe that killing people as a Christmas present is okay, can they? Yeah. They can. Upon further reading of this article, my stomach was turning, I was filled with rage and anger, and I wanted to scream and cry for all of the people that this will affect in Uganda.
Check out some of the lines that stood out to me.
"Speaker Rebecca Kadaga told The Associated Press that the bill, which originally mandated death for some gay acts, will become law this year. Ugandans “are demanding it,” she said, reiterating a promise she made before a meeting on Friday of anti-gay activists who spoke of “the serious threat” posed by homosexuals to Uganda’s children. Some Christian clerics at the meeting in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, asked the speaker to pass the law as “a Christmas gift.”"
"The bill was inspired by American evangelicals who, not content with a rising tide of gay rights legislation in the U.S., have decided to export their anti-LGBT agenda abroad." Great. So they're essentially blaming this on Americans.
"The bill that, under international scrutiny, came to be known as the “Kill the Gays” bill has many more outright offenses to human rights than just the death penalty mandate. These include:
- A 7-year jail sentence for consenting adults who have gay sex;
- A life sentence for people in same-sex marriages;
- Extradition and prosecution of LGBT Ugandans living abroad;
- The death penalty for adults who have gay sex with minors or people with disabilities, consensual or no, or gay sex with a partner who has HIV, regardless of condom usage or consent;
- Jail for anyone who doesn’t report suspected gay people within 24 hours;
- A ban on the “promotion” of homosexuality so open-ended that it would endanger HIV/AIDS treatment and sexual health clinics in the country, and could effectively exclude gay people from petitioning the courts by making those representing them liable for criminal action;
- A mandate to break all ties with international commitments and laws opposing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill."
Okay so let's be honest. Where would we be without homosexuality? What wouldn't we have? All of you super conservatives out there are probably thinking, well, less people would be going to hell. You know what I'm thinking?
- Less people would be laughing because we wouldn't have Ellen DeGeneres or Wanda Sykes.
- More people would be dressed like idiots because we wouldn't have Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
- Women would be heartbroken because Matthew Bomer wouldn't have been in Magic Mike AND he wouldn't be available to play Christian Grey. Yeah. Get on board with that, haters.
- We wouldn't have Jody Foster, Anderson Cooper, Neil Patrick Harris, JIM PARSONS, Sean Hayes, Lance Bass, Ricky Martin, Heather Matarazzo, Chris Colfer, Alan Cumming, T.R. Knight, Elton John, AND COUNTLESS OTHERS.
PLEASE sign this petition urging Uganda to abandon this bill.
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