Last night I watched "Piers Morgan Tonight," a current events show on CNN. It was an incredibly intense show! Here's what happened: piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com. I got pretty fired up about it and this is my response to last night's show.
I just got my teaching degree, my fiancé is a high school teacher, my sisters and brother are all teachers, and my parents are both teachers. None of us would feel comfortable being required to carry a gun at school. In Kentucky (where I currently reside) law it is required that the gun course is "no longer than 8 hours." I am a very quick learner, but I would absolutely not feel that less than eight hours would be sufficient training for anyone, let alone teachers. Schools are not the place for guns.
I feel like tragedies such as this bring out what is closest to everyone's hearts. Piers is intensely passionate about gun control. Dr. Gupta talked about how he thinks that mental health needs to be taken on in a "homeland security" type fashion. Other people are concerned about video game violence. I agree so much with all of these things! But I think that while we need to pass the laws on gun control, change our healthcare system, and crack down more on video game content, we need to use all these things to change our culture. It's our job as parents, future parents, teachers, and, ultimately, humans, to model and teach a safe culture.
We need to change the way our culture sees gun violence, starting at home and going all the way to Washington. At home, we need to put away the video games, turn off the television, and play with our kids. At school, we need to enforce the "zero tolerance" policy against bullying and threats. In communities, we need to educate people on mental illness and change the way we deal with it. In our country, we need to pass laws that make it illegal to buy weapons like the ones that have been instrumental in three mass shootings this year alone, as well as change our healthcare system to actually help mentally ill people.
Above all, we need to, as a society, stop glorifying violence. Our movies are more violent than ever, the media shows incredibly graphic things from tragedies all around the world, and video game graphics are getting increasingly "real." While I understand that movies are just movies, the media reports what it sees as being relevant and important, and games are just games, developing brains have an incredibly hard time distinguishing what they see on the TV from what's "okay" in real life. We are more violent right now as a society than ever before and, contrary to what one of your guests said tonight, it is a culture specific to America. We need to make sure that our children are not seeing violence on a daily basis, and we need to start that now.
I am so impressed with Piers and CNN's work covering this tragic story. It's hard for us all, but we at home can turn off the TV and go do something else; they will be covering this for a long time. Piers had a brilliant show last night and I can't wait to see Cory Booker tonight!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
5 DIY Holiday Gifts
Last Friday I promised a post about "5 Easy DIY Holiday Gifts." Well, they're not all easy, but they're doable! I've only got official guides for three of them because I wasn't sure if the other two would work out or not. They did, so maybe I'll do real guides for the other two next year. So here they are, from easy to hard!
1. Candy Cane Marshmallows.
2. Christmas Oreo Truffles.
3. Sheet Music Christmas Ball Ornaments.
4. Ho-Ho-Hot Chocolate.
It took me about two hours to figure out how to make this work, but I love it! It's a little Santa put on a bag of hot chocolate powder. Perfect for a "Secret Santa" gift or a stocking stuffer!
Supplies:
- Skin-toned card stock
- Red card stock
- Brown paper bags
- Small bell
- 2 black beads (larger than seed beads, smaller than pony beads)
- 2 small buttons
- White furry yarn or fabric
- 2 small plastic bag
- Glue stick (for the paper)
- Mod Podge or tacky glue (for the fur)
- Black thread
- Red thread
- White thread
- Needle
- Scissors
- Regular scotch tape
- Double-sided tape
- Hot chocolate powder
- Mini marshmallows
Instructions:
1. Cut Santa face, beard, and hat shape (all connected) out of skin-toned card stock.
2. Cut hat shape out of red card stock, a little larger than skin-toned hat outline.
3. Using the glue stick, glue red hat onto larger skin-toned piece.
4. Sew bell onto end of hat using the red thread and only a couple of stitches. If you use too many, you will ruin the point of the hat. This step can be done at the very end if you don't like bell sounds. It got a little bit annoying. :)
5. While you still have red thread on your needle, sew the red buttons on Santa's cheeks.
6. Swap out the red thread for the black and sew on the eyes.
7. Using the Mod Podge or tacky glue (do not try to use the glue stick; ask me how I know that doesn't work...!), glue on the material you have chosen for the fur on the hat.
8. Cut little curls from the fur material.
9. Using the tacky glue or Mod Podge, glue the curls on for the mustache.
10. While you're letting Santa's face dry, place one of the little plastic bags in front of you with one of the corners pointing at your belly button. Sew two lines with the white thread "up" to make a little pocket shape. This is the "beard."
11. Fill it up with mini marshmallows.
12. Cut the excess of the bag off, including the zipping part of the bag.
13. Fold any excess as well as the open top to the back of the beard.
14. Tape it down.
15. Using the double-sided tape, tape the beard to the card stock face.
16. Fill the other little bag with some hot chocolate powder.
17. Wrap it with the brown paper bag.
18. Using the double-sided tape, tape the face to the bag. Whew! You're done!
5. Stockings.
I hand embroidered these with our names. I cut the letters with my Cricut and taped them on while I did their outlines. It took me about six hours to outline and fill the names, but they look great. The red outside shell is polar fleece and they're lined with white flannel. The "fur" is a remnant I found a while back that I knew would be perfect for these. It's my own pattern but I definitely didn't come up with this idea, seeing as it's been around for decades. Don't forget the bells on edge of the fur--if you try to peek in your stocking before Christmas morning the elves will hear you! ;)
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
1. Candy Cane Marshmallows.
2. Christmas Oreo Truffles.
3. Sheet Music Christmas Ball Ornaments.4. Ho-Ho-Hot Chocolate.
It took me about two hours to figure out how to make this work, but I love it! It's a little Santa put on a bag of hot chocolate powder. Perfect for a "Secret Santa" gift or a stocking stuffer!
Supplies:
- Skin-toned card stock- Red card stock
- Brown paper bags
- Small bell
- 2 black beads (larger than seed beads, smaller than pony beads)
- 2 small buttons
- White furry yarn or fabric
- 2 small plastic bag
- Glue stick (for the paper)
- Mod Podge or tacky glue (for the fur)
- Black thread
- Red thread
- White thread
- Needle
- Scissors
- Regular scotch tape
- Double-sided tape
- Hot chocolate powder
- Mini marshmallows
Instructions:
1. Cut Santa face, beard, and hat shape (all connected) out of skin-toned card stock.
2. Cut hat shape out of red card stock, a little larger than skin-toned hat outline.
3. Using the glue stick, glue red hat onto larger skin-toned piece.
4. Sew bell onto end of hat using the red thread and only a couple of stitches. If you use too many, you will ruin the point of the hat. This step can be done at the very end if you don't like bell sounds. It got a little bit annoying. :)
5. While you still have red thread on your needle, sew the red buttons on Santa's cheeks.
6. Swap out the red thread for the black and sew on the eyes.
7. Using the Mod Podge or tacky glue (do not try to use the glue stick; ask me how I know that doesn't work...!), glue on the material you have chosen for the fur on the hat.
8. Cut little curls from the fur material.
9. Using the tacky glue or Mod Podge, glue the curls on for the mustache.
10. While you're letting Santa's face dry, place one of the little plastic bags in front of you with one of the corners pointing at your belly button. Sew two lines with the white thread "up" to make a little pocket shape. This is the "beard."
11. Fill it up with mini marshmallows.
12. Cut the excess of the bag off, including the zipping part of the bag.
13. Fold any excess as well as the open top to the back of the beard.
14. Tape it down.
15. Using the double-sided tape, tape the beard to the card stock face.
16. Fill the other little bag with some hot chocolate powder.
17. Wrap it with the brown paper bag.
18. Using the double-sided tape, tape the face to the bag. Whew! You're done!
5. Stockings.
I hand embroidered these with our names. I cut the letters with my Cricut and taped them on while I did their outlines. It took me about six hours to outline and fill the names, but they look great. The red outside shell is polar fleece and they're lined with white flannel. The "fur" is a remnant I found a while back that I knew would be perfect for these. It's my own pattern but I definitely didn't come up with this idea, seeing as it's been around for decades. Don't forget the bells on edge of the fur--if you try to peek in your stocking before Christmas morning the elves will hear you! ;)
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Monday, December 17, 2012
Newtown and the Nation: Looking Forward
I know that all of you have been inundated with the news of the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting on Friday. There's some part of me that feels like I shouldn't write about it, since that's all we've been hearing about since Friday. There's a larger part of me, however, that sees this as something that warrants pause and thought. So here goes.
The children and teachers who were senselessly killed on Friday will leave a hole in the hearts of not only their parents and families, but our entire nation. We've been hearing stories over the last couple of days about those children: their favorite activities, what they'd hoped to do in the future, and the joy they brought to their families and everyone around them. They sound like amazing kids. The faculty who were killed sound like stellar teachers and administrators. They will not be forgotten.
Last night President Obama attended the interfaith memorial service in Newtown. The speech he gave was, in my opinion, one of the best he's given. The overall message was incredibly poignant: "...every parent knows there's nothing we will not do to shield our children from harm...This is our first task, caring for our children. It's our first job. If we don't get that right, we don't get anything right. That's how, as a society, we will be judged. And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we're meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we're doing enough to keep our children, all of them, safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we're all together there, letting them know they are loved and teaching them to love in return?...I've been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we're honest with ourselves, the answer's no. We're not doing enough. And we will have to change...For those of us who remain, let us find the strength to carry on and make our country worthy of their memory."
While some people take the most obvious issue from this tragedy (gun control) and talk about it, I think we can do better than that. Yesterday, like every Sunday in the fall, I watched football. During the commercials, there were a few previews for television shows that were incredibly disturbing. At the end of them, they all had "Viewer Discretion Advised" written at the top of their last frame. But the previews were shown during the day in the middle of a football game: something that's on in millions of households across America. There was another commercial during the game for a new video game (I don't remember, nor can I find the name of it) in which you have "kill or be killed." It was horrifying. Even though it had an "M for Mature" rating, little kids saw that commercial during the football game and the ones without strict parents will get it if they say that they want it.
We can let the people in Washington argue about what laws they feel are important to pass. A lot of us have opinions on that, too, and that's fine, but that's just the political side of it.
We need to change our society. We have to decide to change. We have to turn off the TV when our kids are home and we know there will be scary things shown, even if it's "our game" that's on. We have to choose to parent our kids and tell them "no" about certain things. We have to teach our kids to love by showing them the love we have for them from the minute they take their first breaths. We have to teach our kids what's right. We have to teach peace. We have to work to "make our country worthy of their memory." We cannot depend on laws to change our society and instill peace in our nation. It starts at home with the family.
And it is work. I love football so much and I hate to think that I'm going to miss watching a lot of "my games" once I have kids, but I'm not going to let my kids watch that. It is work to be a good parent. You have to fight those fights that are hard. But you have to fight them. I was such a stubborn kid when I was little and my parents fought those fights with me and never let me win. I was so angry with them every time I lost those fights. But now I understand why they fought those fights with me and why they were right. Parents need to remember that it's not a popularity contest with their kids and they don't need to be their kids' friends when they're 10 years old. If parents do the hard parenting when their kids need it, the friendship will come later.
Tonight, hug your kids. Talk with your husband or wife about how your family will get through this hard, sad time. Let your kids feel whatever they're feeling right now and express those feelings in the safe ways they need to express them. Never forget this tragedy and victims of it. Let's work together to make sure that we "make our country worthy of their memory."
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
The children and teachers who were senselessly killed on Friday will leave a hole in the hearts of not only their parents and families, but our entire nation. We've been hearing stories over the last couple of days about those children: their favorite activities, what they'd hoped to do in the future, and the joy they brought to their families and everyone around them. They sound like amazing kids. The faculty who were killed sound like stellar teachers and administrators. They will not be forgotten.
Last night President Obama attended the interfaith memorial service in Newtown. The speech he gave was, in my opinion, one of the best he's given. The overall message was incredibly poignant: "...every parent knows there's nothing we will not do to shield our children from harm...This is our first task, caring for our children. It's our first job. If we don't get that right, we don't get anything right. That's how, as a society, we will be judged. And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we're meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we're doing enough to keep our children, all of them, safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we're all together there, letting them know they are loved and teaching them to love in return?...I've been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we're honest with ourselves, the answer's no. We're not doing enough. And we will have to change...For those of us who remain, let us find the strength to carry on and make our country worthy of their memory."
While some people take the most obvious issue from this tragedy (gun control) and talk about it, I think we can do better than that. Yesterday, like every Sunday in the fall, I watched football. During the commercials, there were a few previews for television shows that were incredibly disturbing. At the end of them, they all had "Viewer Discretion Advised" written at the top of their last frame. But the previews were shown during the day in the middle of a football game: something that's on in millions of households across America. There was another commercial during the game for a new video game (I don't remember, nor can I find the name of it) in which you have "kill or be killed." It was horrifying. Even though it had an "M for Mature" rating, little kids saw that commercial during the football game and the ones without strict parents will get it if they say that they want it.
We can let the people in Washington argue about what laws they feel are important to pass. A lot of us have opinions on that, too, and that's fine, but that's just the political side of it.
We need to change our society. We have to decide to change. We have to turn off the TV when our kids are home and we know there will be scary things shown, even if it's "our game" that's on. We have to choose to parent our kids and tell them "no" about certain things. We have to teach our kids to love by showing them the love we have for them from the minute they take their first breaths. We have to teach our kids what's right. We have to teach peace. We have to work to "make our country worthy of their memory." We cannot depend on laws to change our society and instill peace in our nation. It starts at home with the family.
And it is work. I love football so much and I hate to think that I'm going to miss watching a lot of "my games" once I have kids, but I'm not going to let my kids watch that. It is work to be a good parent. You have to fight those fights that are hard. But you have to fight them. I was such a stubborn kid when I was little and my parents fought those fights with me and never let me win. I was so angry with them every time I lost those fights. But now I understand why they fought those fights with me and why they were right. Parents need to remember that it's not a popularity contest with their kids and they don't need to be their kids' friends when they're 10 years old. If parents do the hard parenting when their kids need it, the friendship will come later.
Tonight, hug your kids. Talk with your husband or wife about how your family will get through this hard, sad time. Let your kids feel whatever they're feeling right now and express those feelings in the safe ways they need to express them. Never forget this tragedy and victims of it. Let's work together to make sure that we "make our country worthy of their memory."
 |
| An angel hand-painted by my great-great aunt Ida Collins. It seemed appropriate for today. |
Friday, December 14, 2012
6 Gifts Men Really Want
When Christmas rolls around, I find that the men on my list are the hardest to shop for. Here are 6 things that prove to always be opened with a big smile.
1. What they have specifically asked for. A lot of time we lovely women think we know best (we're usually right!). When it comes to gifts, though, if the man in your life has specifically said, "I would really like _______ for Christmas," that's what he wants. Really. Even if we think it's incredibly low-key or we don't understand why he could want something like that, it's what he wants and he'll love it!
2. Something that hearkens back to their childhood. Last year I got my fiancé a University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey jersey. He grew up in North Dakota and went to their hockey games with his family when he was young. UND just had to relinquish the name "Fighting Sioux" for political correctness reasons and I knew I wouldn't be able to get him something after the name was changed. I loved getting to see his face when he opened it! He didn't expect it and he's worn it all year.
3. Little things they wouldn't buy for themselves. Stocking stuffers can get expensive with guys, especially if they're techies. So forego the tiny expensive things and get a few stuffers they would never even think of, but will enjoy: backscratcher brush for the shower, nail clippers that they can keep exclusively in their bathroom so they don't take yours, little bags of their favorite snacks, scented candle for their bathroom, pens (they always lose pens!), or an iTunes gift card.
4. Something that you don't necessarily like, but they do. Giving gifts is all about giving something that you know the other person will love. The first birthday my fiancé had when we were dating, I got him a Tempurpedic pillow. Boring, right?! But I knew he would love it; and he did! He still sleeps on it every night.
5. Handmade gifts from the heart. I know this might sound like something "lame" for guys, but it's really not. I made my future father-in-law a scarf last year and he loved it! Photo albums, old letters, and scrapbooks are other ways to show that you care. Coupon books for the leading gentleman in your life are always a hit.
6. Homemade food. We've all heard the saying, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." It's true. If you give them homemade food, of any sort, done up in a festive way, it will be appreciated by being eaten by lunch time...!
Have a great holiday weekend! Coming on Monday: 5 Easy Handmade Holiday Gifts.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
1. What they have specifically asked for. A lot of time we lovely women think we know best (we're usually right!). When it comes to gifts, though, if the man in your life has specifically said, "I would really like _______ for Christmas," that's what he wants. Really. Even if we think it's incredibly low-key or we don't understand why he could want something like that, it's what he wants and he'll love it!
2. Something that hearkens back to their childhood. Last year I got my fiancé a University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey jersey. He grew up in North Dakota and went to their hockey games with his family when he was young. UND just had to relinquish the name "Fighting Sioux" for political correctness reasons and I knew I wouldn't be able to get him something after the name was changed. I loved getting to see his face when he opened it! He didn't expect it and he's worn it all year.
3. Little things they wouldn't buy for themselves. Stocking stuffers can get expensive with guys, especially if they're techies. So forego the tiny expensive things and get a few stuffers they would never even think of, but will enjoy: backscratcher brush for the shower, nail clippers that they can keep exclusively in their bathroom so they don't take yours, little bags of their favorite snacks, scented candle for their bathroom, pens (they always lose pens!), or an iTunes gift card.
4. Something that you don't necessarily like, but they do. Giving gifts is all about giving something that you know the other person will love. The first birthday my fiancé had when we were dating, I got him a Tempurpedic pillow. Boring, right?! But I knew he would love it; and he did! He still sleeps on it every night.
5. Handmade gifts from the heart. I know this might sound like something "lame" for guys, but it's really not. I made my future father-in-law a scarf last year and he loved it! Photo albums, old letters, and scrapbooks are other ways to show that you care. Coupon books for the leading gentleman in your life are always a hit.
6. Homemade food. We've all heard the saying, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." It's true. If you give them homemade food, of any sort, done up in a festive way, it will be appreciated by being eaten by lunch time...!
Have a great holiday weekend! Coming on Monday: 5 Easy Handmade Holiday Gifts.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Thursday, December 13, 2012
12/12/12 Time Capsule
Yesterday, I spent the whole day working on a time capsule honoring "12/12/12" to be opened on January 1, 2101 (01/01/01). I love numbers, so I thought it would be fitting to celebrate the last triple number of this century by doing something fun!
First, I thought about what I wish I could see from 90 years ago. Next I went around my house looking for little things I think are "iconic" from 2012. Then I went to Target and picked up glow sticks. I really went out to look for Twinkies. I thought they would be the perfect thing to put in the time capsule because 1) they went out of business in 2012 after being iconic for "childhoods" for years and 2) they would last for 90 years! But, after a grocery store, three gas stations, and, finally, Target, I gave up my search for the elusive Twinkie.
Here's a list of everything in the 12/12/12 Time Capsule along with its description that I put in the letter:
First, I thought about what I wish I could see from 90 years ago. Next I went around my house looking for little things I think are "iconic" from 2012. Then I went to Target and picked up glow sticks. I really went out to look for Twinkies. I thought they would be the perfect thing to put in the time capsule because 1) they went out of business in 2012 after being iconic for "childhoods" for years and 2) they would last for 90 years! But, after a grocery store, three gas stations, and, finally, Target, I gave up my search for the elusive Twinkie.
Here's a list of everything in the 12/12/12 Time Capsule along with its description that I put in the letter:
- "The Joy of Pi" by David Slatner - I guess the most obvious place to start is the book, “The
Joy of Pi” that is in the capsule. I love numbers! The number π is
somewhat in vogue right now. I have always found it interesting. When I was in
high school I memorized π to 279 digits. I hope that’s more common when you
read this than when I did it. I was considered a “nerd” when I did that. But I
continued loving π through college. I bought this book for fun once and read it
a few times. Today’s society is very interested in numerology and it’s a fun
book for a rainy afternoon. The last time I read it was on a trip to Wisconsin
this last summer. It took us about nine hours to drive from Kentucky to
Wisconsin and I took a few books with me. This was one of them!
- Sue Grafton bookmark - Following along the lines of books, I’ve included a bookmark from the Boone County Public Library in Kentucky and my library card from Louisville, KY. One of my favorite authors is Sue Grafton. She wrote the “Alphabet Mysteries” (A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, etc.). The main character’s name is Kinsey Millhone and she is a detective. I love her! Also, Sue Grafton went to Atherton High School in Louisville, KY, which is where I went for the last couple of years of high school! Janet Evanovich (the author on the other side of the bookmark) writes mysteries that are a little too gory and graphic for me. She is also, however, a best-selling author.
- Library card from Louisville - My library card is just for fun. I assume you don’t have to carry library cards anymore, so I thought it would be silly to see one. Ignore my signature—terrible handwriting!
- Harry Potter "Golden Snitch" - Harry Potter has been part of our culture now for over a decade and I've been with it every step of the way. J.K. Rowling had her first book since the Harry Potter series come out in 2012: “The Casual Vacancy.” I haven’t read it yet—the library has a waiting list of 93 people and it’s still too expensive for me to buy. For the record, if Harry Potter is not popular for some reason and you have no idea what a “snitch” is, bring it back! Hunt it down in the alcoves of the library or the Internet or whatever you have right now, and make it popular again.
- Legolas action figure - "The Hobbit" comes out this December, building on an empire of epic stories from the last decade. Hopefully this, too, will still be part of common literature. As with Harry Potter, if you don’t know what this series is, go find it. I should be clear: read Harry Potter first, then watch the movies. With “The Lord of the Rings,” unless you absolutely love reading about every blade of grass that they pass on their journey, watch the movies first, and then if you’re intrigued, read them. Reading-wise I only made it through “The Fellowship of the Ring” and half of “The Two Towers.” Never even touched “The Return of the King.” Brilliant stories, though!
- A mini Battleship game - Wouldn't it be cool if you don't even know what a "battleship" is?
- Purple cornflower seeds - I love gardening! Do you have room for recreational gardens?
- A pin from the Bureau of Land Management in its "Made in China" package - 3 reasons for this one: my grandfather worked for the BLM starting in the 1950s, I got the pin on Josh's and my engagement trip at Pompeii's Pillar in Montana, and the package for a pin for one of our national programs says so obviously "Made in China." We make a lot of our stuff in China right now. There is a push being made to get some of our jobs back to the USA, but it’s much cheaper to have jobs overseas because other countries don’t have the same laws we do when it comes to how much we have to pay their citizens. It’s not right, but it’s how it is right now. I really hope that has changed.
- Campaign paraphernalia - There is a lot of stuff in here from the Obama-Biden campaign. One of the biggest things that happened in 2012 was Barack Obama getting re-elected President of the United States. I volunteered for the campaign for the last two months of it in Cincinnati, Ohio. I got to see both Barack and Michelle give speeches. I do have my tickets from those events, but I’m not including them because I want to put them in a scrapbook (which, if you’re my family, you hopefully still have!). The blue bumper sticker is the same kind I have on my car. I wore both of the campaign buttons on my coat through October. The blue stickers are from a roll of them. And the white one was handed out at the event we saw Barack Obama speak at. Working on that campaign was a fantastic experience and I hope that you still talk about President Barack Obama.
- One each of a quarter, dime, nickel, and penny - I wanted to include it because it’s what we as a society still use on a daily basis. The only time I use it is when I have to do laundry, which is at a coin-operated laundromat in the apartment complex we live in. If I were a betting woman, I would say you probably aren’t still having to carry this around.
- Patriots and Packers polar fleece helmets - I love sports! I so hope you all still do, too! I have a feeling that there will be arguments about American football and its safety until the end of time. Josh and I watch football every weekend! I am a huge New England Patriots fan and Josh is a huge Green Bay Packers fan. The Patriots were in the Super Bowl in February 2012, but lost (again) to the New York Giants. The Patriots are currently 10-3 and the Packers are 9-4 with three games left in the season. I’m desperately hoping the Pats make it back to the Super Bowl next year! The polar fleece helmets are what the Patriots and Packers helmets look like right now.
- Louisville Final Four 2012 t-shirt - Not only are we football fans, we are also basketball fans! Josh and I both graduated from the University of Louisville in May 2012 (Josh with his masters, me with my bachelors). During “March Madness” the UofL Cardinals made it to the Final Four. That’s what the T-shirt is from. Josh’s parents actually got to attend our Final Four game. Unfortunately, we lost to our rivals (University of Kentucky Wildcats), who went on to win the National Championship. Wow, that still hurts to have to write that. We hate UK. A lot. But in a good way. Nothing crazy. I really hope they’re still rivals. If you don’t live in Kentucky (which I really hope you don’t!), look it up and find out!
- Un-popped microwave popcorn - If there is a food that is not a Twinkie that will make it sitting in a box for the next 90 years, it's microwave popcorn! Our society is also crazed about food. We know that there are foods that are bad for us, but we still eat them. I am including one of those favorites: microwave popcorn. It still has trans fat in it. Please, please don’t eat it! I’m sure it’s terrible for you in about 15 new ways you’ve found out since 2012. It’s actually amazing: in 2012, there was a man who got “popcorn lung” and successfully sued the company for millions of dollars. I hope so badly that you have gotten over the fad of suing everything that moves just for the fun of it. I also hope that your media is reporting stories that have a little bit more substance than now.
- Used StarbucksCard - Fast food restaurants are incredibly popular right now, too. I don’t eat it (I haven’t in years), so the closest I could come to sharing anything from the fast food industry is the used StarbucksCard. I wish I’d left you money on it (maybe it could gain interest?!), but I love coffee enough that I’m not that nice. I expect Starbucks to finally take over the world.
- Pages from the Elle Fall 2012 Fashion Edition - I wanted to fit the whole magazine in, but it wouldn't fit. I took out some of the most iconic ads of 2012 fashion and included them: Michael Kors, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta...I'm sure there were others, but those are the ones I remember off the top of my head.
- The New York & Company Fall 2012 Catalogue - It has the prices as well as "current" fashion. Could be fun to look back at. I hope with everything I have that if only one thing in fashion changes between 2012 and 2101, it’s that you’re using real-sized women for women’s clothing, not little stick-figure girls. It’s killing our young girls, expecting them to be tiny all the time. Anorexia and bulimia are running rampant through our schools. Girls as young as five are starting to think about the way they look instead of just playing in the sandbox like we used to. It’s crazy.
- "White" by Vera Wang Spring 2012 Collection catalogue - Definitely looked at this while I was thinking about the style of my wedding dress.
- Pages from the David's Bridal Fall 2012 Bride Book and Wedding Party Book - Again, wanted to put the whole thing in, but I couldn't, so I put in some of my favorite dresses and the style of bridesmaid dress my bridesmaids are going to wear this summer.
- Unopened Louis Vuitton (inspired) mints - Mints in a baby briefcase.
- Michael Kors tag off a shirt I bought - He is one of the biggest "household name" American designers of 2012.
- Travel-sized "Noir Tease" from Victoria's Secret - "This is what 2012 smelled like." Well, kind of? I wonder if it will still smell "good"...
- Neon pink nail polish - How many times will the 1980s have "made a comeback" by 2101? I don't even want to think about that.
- Glow sticks - I haven't ever thought these weren't cool. I really hope they're still around!
- Wireless USB Microsoft mouse - I’ve also included a mouse that wirelessly connects to the USB found on the bottom. It says “Microsoft” on it, which is one of the biggest computer companies right now. The other big company is “Macintosh.” I use almost everything Mac: computer, iPhone, iPod touch, iPod nano, and iPad. I am almost 90% sure that you have no idea what those are, but they are the latest technology right now. Well, not the latest because I have the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 5 came out in October 2012. The iPhone 4S came out right after Steve Jobs (its co-founder) died. Anyway, this mouse is one I used during college for gaming.
- Unopened waterproof disposable camera - I am pretty sure that you won’t have the ability to use the item contained in the silver package, but I thought it would be fun for you to see. It’s a waterproof disposable camera. They’re obsolete now, so I’m sure they don’t exist in this capacity when you read this. They were always fun to use, though, if you went on vacation and wanted to take really terrible-quality photos!
- Empty black printer cartridge - If you're not laughing by this point, you will be now...!
- A shell from the beach in Vanuatu - The last few things are personal. I put in a shell from when I lived in Vanuatu. It’s in a bag just in case it contains any sort of anything that could be considered a disease or bad or whatever. It shouldn’t, because it’s been in the U.S. in open air for almost eight years, but I just wanted to, again, let you know. I lived in Vanuatu for about five years when I was younger. We always went to the beach and collected shells. I hope it’s still around. The ocean levels are rising drastically right now, and parts of Kiribati are already underwater. With Vanuatu being an island nation, it’s only natural to worry about it being underwater in 90 years…
- A Hallmark card - The card is from my parents to Josh and me for our housewarming (apartment warming, really) party. It was on Labor Day, 2012. We had my family and Josh’s family up for the day and it was great! I just thought it was nice since it’s our first apartment together.
- A flower I made with my Cricut Expression 2 - This is the best technology there is when it comes to "papercrafting." What do you have now?!
- Some photos of Josh and me (engagement), Emily and me at Obama campaign events, and Mom and me with the scarves and hats we sent to victims of Sandy.
I think that's a pretty exhaustive list of 2012. I worked all day making video clips that I was going to put on a USB drive...and then somehow in transferring it to my video editing software it deleted itself. So in the letter I wrote I asked if they still had fun little glitches like that with technology. I'm bummed out about that, though, because I thought it would be fun to have a little "time capsule within a time capsule."
I'm so sorry it took me a whole day to write this up, but I got really into it. I think it's going to be the best New Year's present ever! Maybe I'll still be around to see it...I'll only be 112.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Mannequins that "See" You?
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| Kitten snuggle time. :) |
The down side of all this "awakeness" is that I'm seeing a lot more. The first thing I said when I sat up in bed this morning was, "Omigosh. Apparently I didn't do laundry last week." Josh laughed and said, "I mentioned that multiple times." Oops. Then, I walked into the kitchen and realized that the floor needs to be washed. And the counters need to be washed. And the sinks. I guess I haven't done anything for the last month!
I'm awake and don't feel groggy, but I still am having vision problems. Also, not surprisingly, the pain has come back with a vengeance. But I am in such a great mood, I don't really care. I am coherent, I got to kiss my fiancé goodbye, and I can remember things! I was definitely right: not having something for a month makes you so much more thankful for it!
So, I guess in line with my "name" being "ChickOpinion" I should have an opinion today about something on the news. Here you go!
There has been a development in technology that is hitting the stores. This BusinessWeek article explains the EyeSee, a mannequin that uses facial recognition technology with a camera through a pupil in the mannequin's eye to collect shopper demographic information so the store better understand its customers. Does this sound creepy to anyone besides me?
While the article claims that the mannequin doesn't store any images or data, I call bulls#!t. I don't believe that at all. If you stop to look at a dress or top on a mannequin it's taking in all of your visual data. The fact that the above-mentioned article mentions this has already changed store displays and layouts means that it obviously stores and assimilates data for a certain amount of time. What's keeping the store from downloading those images and data?
I like the person in the article who says, "If you go on Facebook...you can see exactly what information they're going to collect and what they're going to do with it. If you're walking into a store, where's the choice?" Agreed! I have not given any of the stores I go to permission to take my image. The article also mentions that the company responsible for these EyeSee mannequins is also working on "ears" for the mannequins so they can eavesdrop on what the shoppers looking at the display are saying. Wow. That's not an insane invasion of privacy at all...*sarcasm*
So, I think the moral of this story is, if you see a mannequin with a pupil and you don't want to have your image recorded, cover your face. As for me, I think I'll be utilizing fake mustaches and lots of hats.
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| Well, maybe it's not really my look... |
Monday, December 10, 2012
5 Things to Keep Me Going
Today marks the start of a journey for me. I'm going to start titrating down off of my pain meds. That means I'll be in pain, but hopefully I'll have my brain back. I've felt like I've dropped about 30 IQ points in the last month and I've decided that I would rather be in pain and learn how to manage it the best I can. The following things are what I need to remember while I'm starting to feel the pain again.
I have a wonderful fiancé. One of the reasons I want to get off the meds is so I can be back to my old stubborn sparkly self. I want to remember the times I have with him and I want to be cognitively available for him. I am so incredibly lucky to be with him.
I live in a house where we have a room solely dedicated to computers and crafts. My craft room is for stuff. We have a whole room just for things. That's more room than about 5/6 of the world has. It's amazing if you think about it.
I am close to a lot of my family. So many of my friends aren't close to their families. They "hate" their mom or their dad's never been in the picture. I live only an hour and a half away from my parents and my sister and love going back and hanging out with them. The rest of my family is out west and, while I'm not physically close to them, I get to talk with them on the phone and there's no bad blood in my family. I like that and am thankful for it.
Even though I've got fibromyalgia and I'm in pain, it could be so much worse! I could have a disease that could kill me or a degenerative disease or something like that. Yes, I'm in pain, but honestly, I'd rather have this and be able to think and work from home than be in the hospital for the next few years until I die.
I have food that is nutritious and tasty. The fact that I have incredible choice in what I eat is something that, again, 5/6 of the world doesn't have. I am so lucky.
So, the next few weeks are going to be hard. But I have everything that I just mentioned, as well as the site (that I'm really excited to be updating soon!), so I need to remember all of this when I'm hurting. Thank you to all of you for allowing me to have this wonderful job!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
I have a wonderful fiancé. One of the reasons I want to get off the meds is so I can be back to my old stubborn sparkly self. I want to remember the times I have with him and I want to be cognitively available for him. I am so incredibly lucky to be with him.
I live in a house where we have a room solely dedicated to computers and crafts. My craft room is for stuff. We have a whole room just for things. That's more room than about 5/6 of the world has. It's amazing if you think about it.
I am close to a lot of my family. So many of my friends aren't close to their families. They "hate" their mom or their dad's never been in the picture. I live only an hour and a half away from my parents and my sister and love going back and hanging out with them. The rest of my family is out west and, while I'm not physically close to them, I get to talk with them on the phone and there's no bad blood in my family. I like that and am thankful for it.
Even though I've got fibromyalgia and I'm in pain, it could be so much worse! I could have a disease that could kill me or a degenerative disease or something like that. Yes, I'm in pain, but honestly, I'd rather have this and be able to think and work from home than be in the hospital for the next few years until I die.
I have food that is nutritious and tasty. The fact that I have incredible choice in what I eat is something that, again, 5/6 of the world doesn't have. I am so lucky.
So, the next few weeks are going to be hard. But I have everything that I just mentioned, as well as the site (that I'm really excited to be updating soon!), so I need to remember all of this when I'm hurting. Thank you to all of you for allowing me to have this wonderful job!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Friday, December 7, 2012
Are You Defined By Your Diagnosis?
Today I was watching "Good Morning America" (people who think I'm one-note, please keep reading; this isn't a political post) and Catherine Zeta-Jones was on the show talking about the movie "Playing for Keeps." After talking about the new film, Elizabeth Vargas asked her about her bipolar disorder. Catherine said something that struck me: "I'm tired of talking about it. I never wanted to be the poster child for this. Everyone has their own thing and we all deal with it the best we can and then keep going."
I feel like even though Catherine Zeta-Jones doesn't want to be a spokesperson for bipolar disorder, just saying what she said will inspire people with bipolar disorder. She has it and is coping quite well. People who have bipolar disorder and are struggling will be able to see her success and be inspired to get their lives back on track.
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia almost a year ago and narcolepsy six months ago. While I don't want to come across as a victim or define myself by my medical diagnoses, I feel like it is important to talk about it. I agree with Catherine in that playing a victim is not the way to handle it, and everyone has their own thing going on in their lives. I disagree with her, though, in that I think it's important to talk about it and raise awareness.
I have been on experimental medicine for the last month and am going off it next week. I can't wait! I feel like it's made me lose 20 IQ points, I can't focus on anything, and I've gained six pounds in a month. When I get my brain back, I'm planning on writing an e-book about being a young person with fibromyalgia. So many young women are being diagnosed with it and coping is incredibly difficult. I want to write the book to help people, not to whine.
When I was diagnosed in January and having a breakdown about it, my fiancé told me, "This is something that will make you stronger in the long run. Right now it feels like you're in the furnace, but you will come out a stronger person." It's so true. I feel like I'm on the cusp of getting out of this metaphorical furnace. It hurts every day and it will continue to be hard, but it's going to be okay.
Actually, it will be great. I won't settle for anything less.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
I feel like even though Catherine Zeta-Jones doesn't want to be a spokesperson for bipolar disorder, just saying what she said will inspire people with bipolar disorder. She has it and is coping quite well. People who have bipolar disorder and are struggling will be able to see her success and be inspired to get their lives back on track.
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia almost a year ago and narcolepsy six months ago. While I don't want to come across as a victim or define myself by my medical diagnoses, I feel like it is important to talk about it. I agree with Catherine in that playing a victim is not the way to handle it, and everyone has their own thing going on in their lives. I disagree with her, though, in that I think it's important to talk about it and raise awareness.
I have been on experimental medicine for the last month and am going off it next week. I can't wait! I feel like it's made me lose 20 IQ points, I can't focus on anything, and I've gained six pounds in a month. When I get my brain back, I'm planning on writing an e-book about being a young person with fibromyalgia. So many young women are being diagnosed with it and coping is incredibly difficult. I want to write the book to help people, not to whine.
When I was diagnosed in January and having a breakdown about it, my fiancé told me, "This is something that will make you stronger in the long run. Right now it feels like you're in the furnace, but you will come out a stronger person." It's so true. I feel like I'm on the cusp of getting out of this metaphorical furnace. It hurts every day and it will continue to be hard, but it's going to be okay.
Actually, it will be great. I won't settle for anything less.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Cultural Interest: Sex or Quality Stories?
I guess I should be happy that I'm getting a spike in traffic right now. The frustrating thing is, though, that yesterday the post I wrote a long time ago about Victoria's Secret models has gotten over nine times the traffic the post I wrote yesterday about family has gotten. For those of you who have forgotten what post I'm talking about, here is the link to the original post.
Now, while I admit that my writing has faltered in quality a bit over the last month due to a medication I'm trying out for my fibromyalgia, overall what I write is pretty good quality. Conversational, yes, and so a little more casual than some people like, but overall, decent quality. I also admit that I like couture fashion and, therefore, support the fashion industry. I am so frustrated, though, with the fact that 90% naked underfed women are getting this much attention for walking in a straight line down a catwalk and back up the catwalk while I work my butt off and go essentially unnoticed unless I have a post in which I am 90% naked (not something I'm really into).
I don't necessarily want to be famous. I don't want "celebrity status." I don't want to have to hide from paparazzi. I just wish that our society cared more about quality work that actually matters instead of 5'11" girls with concave stomachs who wear bedazzled wings and lingerie. I know this sounds like a massive case of envy, but it's not. I've done the super-skinny thing, and I'm fine. I don't need to do that anymore. What this little penned outburst is about is that our society doesn't care about what we need to care about when it comes to thriving and not just surviving (cliche, I know, but it's what I mean).
I think when Hurricane Sandy tore up the Northeast we all saw how people of every tax bracket and political party and race and sexual orientation came together and helped the people who needed help, no matter who they were. Going back even further, I think we all saw the nation come together right after the 9/11 attacks happened. The thing is, though, it shouldn't take a catastrophic event to bring people together for a common cause.
Now I know that fashion isn't something we all need to come together against or anything crazy like that. But I do know that there are better ways than watching unrealistically skinny women walk around in next to nothing to discover your fantasies. That's Victoria's Secret's "thing" whenever anyone says anything about their print ads or their runway shows: "It's about fantasy." Gag me with a spoon. That's absolute bulls#!t, in my opinion. I worked for them for a summer and their schtick to sell overpriced lingerie is by attempting to make you look like the girl in the ad.
By taking a quick look around, it seems to me that I'm on the outside this time. Sex sells and just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's going to change. While I understand it's not going to change, I am disappointed. I don't mean to sound snobbish, but I guess I just expect more from people than I should.
Goodness, I've allowed myself a rather excessive rant. As always, thank you so much for reading and continuing to support my site. I'll see you tomorrow!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Now, while I admit that my writing has faltered in quality a bit over the last month due to a medication I'm trying out for my fibromyalgia, overall what I write is pretty good quality. Conversational, yes, and so a little more casual than some people like, but overall, decent quality. I also admit that I like couture fashion and, therefore, support the fashion industry. I am so frustrated, though, with the fact that 90% naked underfed women are getting this much attention for walking in a straight line down a catwalk and back up the catwalk while I work my butt off and go essentially unnoticed unless I have a post in which I am 90% naked (not something I'm really into).
I don't necessarily want to be famous. I don't want "celebrity status." I don't want to have to hide from paparazzi. I just wish that our society cared more about quality work that actually matters instead of 5'11" girls with concave stomachs who wear bedazzled wings and lingerie. I know this sounds like a massive case of envy, but it's not. I've done the super-skinny thing, and I'm fine. I don't need to do that anymore. What this little penned outburst is about is that our society doesn't care about what we need to care about when it comes to thriving and not just surviving (cliche, I know, but it's what I mean).
I think when Hurricane Sandy tore up the Northeast we all saw how people of every tax bracket and political party and race and sexual orientation came together and helped the people who needed help, no matter who they were. Going back even further, I think we all saw the nation come together right after the 9/11 attacks happened. The thing is, though, it shouldn't take a catastrophic event to bring people together for a common cause.
Now I know that fashion isn't something we all need to come together against or anything crazy like that. But I do know that there are better ways than watching unrealistically skinny women walk around in next to nothing to discover your fantasies. That's Victoria's Secret's "thing" whenever anyone says anything about their print ads or their runway shows: "It's about fantasy." Gag me with a spoon. That's absolute bulls#!t, in my opinion. I worked for them for a summer and their schtick to sell overpriced lingerie is by attempting to make you look like the girl in the ad.
By taking a quick look around, it seems to me that I'm on the outside this time. Sex sells and just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's going to change. While I understand it's not going to change, I am disappointed. I don't mean to sound snobbish, but I guess I just expect more from people than I should.
Goodness, I've allowed myself a rather excessive rant. As always, thank you so much for reading and continuing to support my site. I'll see you tomorrow!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Family Never Goes Out of Style
Part of me feels like I should write about the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show that aired last night, but I didn't watch it. That, and you all already know exactly what I think about that show. I felt that there is something a little bit more important than the fashion show.
I spent 11 years of my childhood in Montana and lived only an hour away from my grandparents. We went to church and had lunch with them every Sunday. Even though we moved away, I've done my best to stay in touch with them. I try to call once a week and I know it really makes them happy. It makes me happy because I get to stay in touch with people who helped shape my childhood.
My grandmother had surgery last week to remove a cancerous tumor from her colon. She's 88 and my grandfather is 86, so of course, we were a little bit concerned. She is fine, thank goodness! It really made me think about my family, though.
My fiancé and I visited them in Montana this last summer and they gave us copies of all their genealogy stuff: letters, family trees, transcripts of tapes, birth records from family Bibles, etc. My grandma was tired of having to spread the family tree out over the whole living room floor to see it, so I said I would work on it to make it so it could fit where she could see it. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.
I've been working on this for a few weeks now and I thought getting five or six generations on one piece of paper was going to be the hard part. But then I started trying to find some of my ancestors' birthdays and places they'd lived and actually traced one line back to 1492 in England! So now I have a giant problem, because there is no way to fit that on one page. And I haven't even started my grandfather's side of the genealogy; or my mom's parents' sides!
But it's been absolutely fascinating to see who is in my family, what they've done, what their traditions were, and where they come from. I'm (distantly) related to five U.S. presidents just in my grandmother's line! I'm most closely related to General Grant and the other presidents are FDR (!), Lincoln (!), Pierce, and Taft. One of my ancestors helped found Dorchester, Massachusetts. One of my ancestors was an apprentice to one of the men who came to Plymouth Mass. on the Mayflower. One of my ancestors was the Secretary of State to Queen Mary of England. And one of my ancestors is my grandmother.
She is amazing; an absolute rock. She raised four children as a stay-at-home mom. She hand quilted dozens of quilts. She had a huge garden that she cultivated herself every year. She made doll clothes for my sister and me. She canned fruits and vegetables every year. She cooked amazing meals that I can only dream of recreating. She is a fantastic grandmother. I have been truly blessed to have her and my grandfather in my life, both during my childhood and for many years to come! I told her last week the day before her surgery that in our family, if you don't make it to at least 90 years old you're not really trying! It's true, though; my family lives forever.
I can honestly say that the genealogy work I've been doing is the best gift I could have gotten this holiday season. Living so far away from my family out West, it's easy to take them for granted. This has made me really connect with my family roots, which, in turn, makes me really appreciate my current family! It also makes me incredibly excited to start our new family in a few years. Family is the one thing that never goes out of style, no matter what role you play in it.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
I spent 11 years of my childhood in Montana and lived only an hour away from my grandparents. We went to church and had lunch with them every Sunday. Even though we moved away, I've done my best to stay in touch with them. I try to call once a week and I know it really makes them happy. It makes me happy because I get to stay in touch with people who helped shape my childhood.
My grandmother had surgery last week to remove a cancerous tumor from her colon. She's 88 and my grandfather is 86, so of course, we were a little bit concerned. She is fine, thank goodness! It really made me think about my family, though.
My fiancé and I visited them in Montana this last summer and they gave us copies of all their genealogy stuff: letters, family trees, transcripts of tapes, birth records from family Bibles, etc. My grandma was tired of having to spread the family tree out over the whole living room floor to see it, so I said I would work on it to make it so it could fit where she could see it. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.
I've been working on this for a few weeks now and I thought getting five or six generations on one piece of paper was going to be the hard part. But then I started trying to find some of my ancestors' birthdays and places they'd lived and actually traced one line back to 1492 in England! So now I have a giant problem, because there is no way to fit that on one page. And I haven't even started my grandfather's side of the genealogy; or my mom's parents' sides!
But it's been absolutely fascinating to see who is in my family, what they've done, what their traditions were, and where they come from. I'm (distantly) related to five U.S. presidents just in my grandmother's line! I'm most closely related to General Grant and the other presidents are FDR (!), Lincoln (!), Pierce, and Taft. One of my ancestors helped found Dorchester, Massachusetts. One of my ancestors was an apprentice to one of the men who came to Plymouth Mass. on the Mayflower. One of my ancestors was the Secretary of State to Queen Mary of England. And one of my ancestors is my grandmother.
She is amazing; an absolute rock. She raised four children as a stay-at-home mom. She hand quilted dozens of quilts. She had a huge garden that she cultivated herself every year. She made doll clothes for my sister and me. She canned fruits and vegetables every year. She cooked amazing meals that I can only dream of recreating. She is a fantastic grandmother. I have been truly blessed to have her and my grandfather in my life, both during my childhood and for many years to come! I told her last week the day before her surgery that in our family, if you don't make it to at least 90 years old you're not really trying! It's true, though; my family lives forever.
I can honestly say that the genealogy work I've been doing is the best gift I could have gotten this holiday season. Living so far away from my family out West, it's easy to take them for granted. This has made me really connect with my family roots, which, in turn, makes me really appreciate my current family! It also makes me incredibly excited to start our new family in a few years. Family is the one thing that never goes out of style, no matter what role you play in it.
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| 2008 Christmas Dinner (L to R) Grandpa, Aunt Kate, Grandma, and Me |
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Clear Out Your Closet this Holiday Season!
Every fall I look forward to unpacking my winter clothes and putting on my favorite soft sweaters. I love the warm feeling I get on those cold, rainy days with my old friendly sweaters.
This year is the first winter I've unpacked my sweaters and gotten an unfriendly surprise: the sweater I still have from high school doesn't fit anymore. It's turned into a bit of a belly shirt; or belly sweater, as the case may be. I love this sweater! It's a warm purple color and it's so soft. I love it because it just fits perfectly with the fall colors.
I decided I wasn't going to give up without a fight. I put a cami on under the sweater. That way, the sweater could ride up and I wouldn't show my stomach. Perfect. And then I looked in the mirror. Not so perfect. And did I just say that it would be perfect to allow my sweater to "ride up"?! My god, that is so disgusting.
This sweater is the one I wore in high school to look cute. Now, I'm engaged and have a college degree. New life, new sweater. What else do I have that I have clung to because it was so perfect?
I started going through my clothes and found all sorts of things that I never wear anymore, but I have great memories about, so I've kept them: my first ballroom Latin competition skirt, a few very sparkly dresses, sky-high heels, some amazing graphic tees, a few suits, and some really short shorts.
It's amazing how many things I don't wear, but still have. I can always use the But-What-If-I-Need-It-Again argument to talk myself into keeping all my clothes.
But what if someone else can use my clothes right now? I think it's probably more important to share my clothes with other people than keep them in my closet or boxes. So I'll donate some of them. After all, it is the season of giving. :)
Do you have clothes you aren't using this season? Donate them! There are always people who need clothes more than we, who are so lucky to have the luxury of excess. Find your local Goodwill or Salvation Army and drop off your clothes!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
This year is the first winter I've unpacked my sweaters and gotten an unfriendly surprise: the sweater I still have from high school doesn't fit anymore. It's turned into a bit of a belly shirt; or belly sweater, as the case may be. I love this sweater! It's a warm purple color and it's so soft. I love it because it just fits perfectly with the fall colors.
I decided I wasn't going to give up without a fight. I put a cami on under the sweater. That way, the sweater could ride up and I wouldn't show my stomach. Perfect. And then I looked in the mirror. Not so perfect. And did I just say that it would be perfect to allow my sweater to "ride up"?! My god, that is so disgusting.
This sweater is the one I wore in high school to look cute. Now, I'm engaged and have a college degree. New life, new sweater. What else do I have that I have clung to because it was so perfect?
I started going through my clothes and found all sorts of things that I never wear anymore, but I have great memories about, so I've kept them: my first ballroom Latin competition skirt, a few very sparkly dresses, sky-high heels, some amazing graphic tees, a few suits, and some really short shorts.
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| Less than half of my closet...so many clothes! |
But what if someone else can use my clothes right now? I think it's probably more important to share my clothes with other people than keep them in my closet or boxes. So I'll donate some of them. After all, it is the season of giving. :)
Do you have clothes you aren't using this season? Donate them! There are always people who need clothes more than we, who are so lucky to have the luxury of excess. Find your local Goodwill or Salvation Army and drop off your clothes!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Monday, December 3, 2012
Are Elected Officials Civil Servants?
This weekend I saw the film "Lincoln." What a brilliant movie. When we got home as I built the fire, I got to thinking that the Lincoln that was portrayed in the film was such an incredible "civil servant." This led me to think about the political figures we elect today. Are they the civil servants we elect them to be?
And, even if our elected officials are not voting in their constituents' best interests all the time, do their constituents know and/or care? I am a rather politically-minded person, and to be completely honest, I had to look up the representative I was voting for last month the day before Election Day. I moved here in July and I knew nothing about local politics or who our representative was. But what about the rest of the population who isn't as politically-minded? Do they just vote straight-ticket?
The thing is, back in Lincoln's day, there wasn't all the extra crap we have in our lives now. It used to be that if you lived in town, you would get a weekly paper if you could afford it. If you lived on a farm, you might get the news once a month, if you were lucky, and it was the only news you had for the next month! It really gave you time to understand the news and care about it before you moved on to the next thing.
Now, if we're listening to the news as we're starting our day or reading one of the hundreds of daily newspapers we have access to, we can hear one minute about something our congressman has said in passing, then the next minute hear something terrible about how a building has been blown up halfway across the world, and then hear about how some pop icon has gotten her hair dyed and "Oh my god, what a fashion faux pas." And then we go about our day, getting inundated with more stimuli with everything we do, so that by the end of the day we don't even remember what our congressman said.
Even though it's harder for us to keep up with our congressmen and congresswomen because we have so much going on in our lives, it's important that we do pay attention to what they're doing. We live in a democracy and part of our job is to vote for the people we think will do the best job in our best interests. Our job goes deeper, though, than just voting. We need to be informed voters, and not just informed the day before Election Day!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
And, even if our elected officials are not voting in their constituents' best interests all the time, do their constituents know and/or care? I am a rather politically-minded person, and to be completely honest, I had to look up the representative I was voting for last month the day before Election Day. I moved here in July and I knew nothing about local politics or who our representative was. But what about the rest of the population who isn't as politically-minded? Do they just vote straight-ticket?
The thing is, back in Lincoln's day, there wasn't all the extra crap we have in our lives now. It used to be that if you lived in town, you would get a weekly paper if you could afford it. If you lived on a farm, you might get the news once a month, if you were lucky, and it was the only news you had for the next month! It really gave you time to understand the news and care about it before you moved on to the next thing.
Now, if we're listening to the news as we're starting our day or reading one of the hundreds of daily newspapers we have access to, we can hear one minute about something our congressman has said in passing, then the next minute hear something terrible about how a building has been blown up halfway across the world, and then hear about how some pop icon has gotten her hair dyed and "Oh my god, what a fashion faux pas." And then we go about our day, getting inundated with more stimuli with everything we do, so that by the end of the day we don't even remember what our congressman said.
Even though it's harder for us to keep up with our congressmen and congresswomen because we have so much going on in our lives, it's important that we do pay attention to what they're doing. We live in a democracy and part of our job is to vote for the people we think will do the best job in our best interests. Our job goes deeper, though, than just voting. We need to be informed voters, and not just informed the day before Election Day!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
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