The BCS National College Football Championship game between No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Alabama was on Monday night. It was a truly terrible game; the score at the half was 28-0 with Alabama trouncing Notre Dame. The final score was 42-14. I quit watching when it was 35-0 and went to bed. However, no one is talking about the game.
The Alabama quarterback, A.J. McCarron, is dating Miss Alabama 2012, Katherine Webb. ESPN's Brent Musburger kept commenting about how gorgeous she was and they were showing her on TV more and more as the game got worse and worse (or better and better for her, seeing as her boyfriend was making great plays). Musburger has since apologized in case anyone thought he was being creepy (he was, in my opinion), but Katherine says that she's "flattered."
Before the championship game, Katherine had somewhere around 1,200 followers on Twitter. By the end of the game she'd hit 100,000 followers. As of now, Good Morning America has reported that she has over 221,000 followers on Twitter! WOW.
Now, Miss Webb has said that she just wants to date A.J. and not be concerned with or capitalize on the fame and publicity she's suddenly gotten. But I'm just wondering, what if she did capitalize on it? She suddenly has almost a quarter of a million people who are going to read whatever she tweets! She can promote anything and people will talk about it. What better opportunity to either publicly support an existing non-profit organization or start a new one?!
With great power comes great responsibility, and I hope that Katherine Webb uses this power for good!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Wedding Priorities...$25,000?!
The last couple of days I've been working on wedding plans! I absolutely love fantasizing about our special day and I've got the important things (colors, bridesmaids, dress, etc!) picked out. But moving forward, I'm running into some major problems: $1400, $1000, $350, and $2500.
These are the costs of the typical reception venue, the bar that is required even if you don't want alcohol at your wedding, one floral arrangement, and the catering for the reception. Seriously. The average cost of a wedding is $25,000, not including the honeymoon. That is insane.
Now the reason I'm so upset by this is not because we can't afford it; both sets of parents have been more than generous in being willing to help us out financially. I have such a visceral reaction to these obscene prices because I grew up in two places where $25,000 could change an entire village or town's way of life.
In Roundup, Montana, a town of 2,000 ranchers, farmers, and small business owners, $25,000 could renovate the park, start an after school program for kids, start a community beautification program, or give every family about $25 to spend on whatever they wanted.
In Vanuatu, $25,000 could feed a village of 100 people for a year. It could buy 1,250 pairs of $20 shoes for kids who've never seen a sneaker, let alone wear a pair. It could build 250 new houses for a village that has to move their location because of the rising sea level. It could build a school so more students can have the opportunity to get an academic education.
Who am I to spend $25,000 on anything, when I know it could change an entire community's future? I am so aware that this is the one wedding I get; the one day where I get to decide everything (!) and not worry about anything. It's a day that is so important and a day on which you begin something so special; but $25,000? Note: Just to be very clear, we do not have a budget of $25,000; a fifth of that at the most.
How did our society get to the point where it's acceptable--no, expected--to spend this kind of money on one day? What happened to love? Isn't that what the day is about: two people loving each other so much that they want to commit themselves to each other in front of every person in their lives that matters to them? So why should we pay ourselves into debt to have the day we want when the day is perfect if the two people involved go home together that night?
So. I'm designing and making my own dress. My bridesmaids, family, and I are making the decorations. I'm designing and making the invitations. We're getting married where my dad works. I'm going to buy single stem flowers and make my own arrangements and bouquets. We're not having alcohol. There is so much we can do that will cut the cost and still give us a beautiful day.
We need to bring weddings back from this crazy show of wealth to what they're about: love. I love my fiancé and I can't wait to share that moment I become his wife with my friends and family--with the budget and meaning I want.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
These are the costs of the typical reception venue, the bar that is required even if you don't want alcohol at your wedding, one floral arrangement, and the catering for the reception. Seriously. The average cost of a wedding is $25,000, not including the honeymoon. That is insane.
Now the reason I'm so upset by this is not because we can't afford it; both sets of parents have been more than generous in being willing to help us out financially. I have such a visceral reaction to these obscene prices because I grew up in two places where $25,000 could change an entire village or town's way of life.
In Roundup, Montana, a town of 2,000 ranchers, farmers, and small business owners, $25,000 could renovate the park, start an after school program for kids, start a community beautification program, or give every family about $25 to spend on whatever they wanted.
In Vanuatu, $25,000 could feed a village of 100 people for a year. It could buy 1,250 pairs of $20 shoes for kids who've never seen a sneaker, let alone wear a pair. It could build 250 new houses for a village that has to move their location because of the rising sea level. It could build a school so more students can have the opportunity to get an academic education.
Who am I to spend $25,000 on anything, when I know it could change an entire community's future? I am so aware that this is the one wedding I get; the one day where I get to decide everything (!) and not worry about anything. It's a day that is so important and a day on which you begin something so special; but $25,000? Note: Just to be very clear, we do not have a budget of $25,000; a fifth of that at the most.
How did our society get to the point where it's acceptable--no, expected--to spend this kind of money on one day? What happened to love? Isn't that what the day is about: two people loving each other so much that they want to commit themselves to each other in front of every person in their lives that matters to them? So why should we pay ourselves into debt to have the day we want when the day is perfect if the two people involved go home together that night?
So. I'm designing and making my own dress. My bridesmaids, family, and I are making the decorations. I'm designing and making the invitations. We're getting married where my dad works. I'm going to buy single stem flowers and make my own arrangements and bouquets. We're not having alcohol. There is so much we can do that will cut the cost and still give us a beautiful day.
We need to bring weddings back from this crazy show of wealth to what they're about: love. I love my fiancé and I can't wait to share that moment I become his wife with my friends and family--with the budget and meaning I want.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Monday, January 7, 2013
Weekly Resolutions
Well, here we are: almost a week into 2013. The excitement and dedication to New Year's resolutions is wearing off a bit. Some people are still going strong, but others of us (including myself for some of mine) have already fallen off our resolution plan and are trying valiantly to get back on it.
I got to thinking about resolutions and the month or so during which we all try so hard to keep them. While it might be pessimistic to assume that everyone is going to fail (although statistically, most people do fail), I love the feeling that January has. Everyone is trying hard to do the "right" thing: eat better, work out, be nicer to coworkers, rekindle the flame in marriage, be more patient with kids, etc. Everyone is actively trying to do a better job in their lives. I love that! To me that means that no matter if (or when) people stop doing their resolutions, the first part of the year, whether it be a week in January or the first few months, is infinitely better than it could have been if people hadn't tried.
So what if, instead of making resolutions for a year, which is an awfully long time, we made one resolution for a week or a month at the most? I understand that it takes about three weeks to form a habit, but what about the person to whom three weeks seems like a lifetime? How can they possibly commit to that?
Weekly resolutions. That's all it would take to make our world an immensely better place. Because if you commit to something for a week and honestly try, you will see a positive difference. Then how could you not re-resolve that resolution the next week with new commitment and fervor?!
Also, weekly resolutions instead of yearly ones allows people to try more things. For example, I am an incredibly rigid perfectionist when it comes to schedules and tracking things. If I mess something up, I will almost certainly not continue it. Likewise, if I find something I would like to pursue in the second week of February, I will not add it to my "New Year's Resolution List" because I didn't start it in January, and it will soon be forgotten. Weekly resolutions would allow me to choose anything, anything, I wanted to resolve to try that week, regardless of when I discovered it. This would allow me to broaden my horizons without feeling guilty or "messing up" my schedule.
So. My weekly resolution for this week of January 7 through January 13 (Monday through Sunday) is to do yoga every day. I know it's incredibly good for me, I used to do it on a daily basis, and I have a time for it in my daily schedule. I am committing to following that for one week. I know it will make a positive difference in my life because I know it reduces my stress levels, which lessens the pain I'm in. The less pain I'm in, the more I can focus on helping the people around me which, in turn, makes me happy. Full circle!
Who knows? Maybe I'll end up with a habit again!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
I got to thinking about resolutions and the month or so during which we all try so hard to keep them. While it might be pessimistic to assume that everyone is going to fail (although statistically, most people do fail), I love the feeling that January has. Everyone is trying hard to do the "right" thing: eat better, work out, be nicer to coworkers, rekindle the flame in marriage, be more patient with kids, etc. Everyone is actively trying to do a better job in their lives. I love that! To me that means that no matter if (or when) people stop doing their resolutions, the first part of the year, whether it be a week in January or the first few months, is infinitely better than it could have been if people hadn't tried.
So what if, instead of making resolutions for a year, which is an awfully long time, we made one resolution for a week or a month at the most? I understand that it takes about three weeks to form a habit, but what about the person to whom three weeks seems like a lifetime? How can they possibly commit to that?
Weekly resolutions. That's all it would take to make our world an immensely better place. Because if you commit to something for a week and honestly try, you will see a positive difference. Then how could you not re-resolve that resolution the next week with new commitment and fervor?!
Also, weekly resolutions instead of yearly ones allows people to try more things. For example, I am an incredibly rigid perfectionist when it comes to schedules and tracking things. If I mess something up, I will almost certainly not continue it. Likewise, if I find something I would like to pursue in the second week of February, I will not add it to my "New Year's Resolution List" because I didn't start it in January, and it will soon be forgotten. Weekly resolutions would allow me to choose anything, anything, I wanted to resolve to try that week, regardless of when I discovered it. This would allow me to broaden my horizons without feeling guilty or "messing up" my schedule.
So. My weekly resolution for this week of January 7 through January 13 (Monday through Sunday) is to do yoga every day. I know it's incredibly good for me, I used to do it on a daily basis, and I have a time for it in my daily schedule. I am committing to following that for one week. I know it will make a positive difference in my life because I know it reduces my stress levels, which lessens the pain I'm in. The less pain I'm in, the more I can focus on helping the people around me which, in turn, makes me happy. Full circle!
Who knows? Maybe I'll end up with a habit again!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Pursue Quietness
I grew up in a rather old-fashioned household by modern standards: no TV out in the country. My parents still don't have cable and only rarely watch movies. Over the holiday break I stayed at my parents' house in Louisville for a few days before traveling to Wisconsin with my fiancé and his family. The quietness we had over the vacation was incredible! It was so nice to all be in the same room with conversations and handcrafts going quietly, without constant noise from a television set in the background.
While we were in Wisconsin, we visited my fiancé's family's farm that has been in the family since the mid-1800s. The stillness out in the country was perfect. No televisions, no societal pressures, no extra worries.
Coming back to "reality" has been difficult. Since I blog, I'm always on my computer, always watching the news, always on my phone, checking my tweets, posting status updates, etc. It's insane how much I pay attention to things other people are doing, what other people are saying, and allowing other people's stories to invade my life and my "job." My anxiety levels (and pain levels) have definitely increased since we got home because I'm being inundated with news of economic woes, health concerns, and wars. Finding quiet is incredibly hard.
One of my New Year's resolutions is to pursue quietness every day. I've changed up my routine a little bit to accommodate that: instead of starting my day with the news and blogging, I'm starting it with yoga and a healthy breakfast. I have a set (albeit flexible) schedule now instead of just having ideas of things I want to do and not really having a defined way to get there. Being more organized and rethinking my priorities allows me to find quiet. I can take 20 minutes here and there to knit, play piano after I eat lunch, or take a quick nap without feeling guilty about it.
Today find quietness, however you can.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Happy New...Fiscal Cliff?!
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| Who doesn't love a cartoon to start their day? |
You have got to be kidding me.
We live in America, where we have the opportunity and responsibility to elect our own leaders. But you know, our elected leaders have the opportunity and responsibility to do what is best for the country that elected them. Leading does not mean sticking by your idea no matter what. Leading is taking a step back, looking at the big picture, and compromising to do what is right for the country without a bunch of petty partisan complaints. While personal beliefs are important, giving a little bit of ground to gain the trust of a nation is essential and so much more valuable in the long run. Private citizens have the luxury to be stuck in our ways and refuse to see the other side. Elected leaders do not.
I am not an economist by any stretch of the imagination, but I can't imagine that we are handling our economic problems appropriately. If I needed money for something, I would never go to one of those "Quick Loans" places to get an instant check with an astronomical interest rate. It would end up costing me between two and four times the amount I initially borrowed. That's kind of what it feels like the U.S. is doing right now, though. We're looking for quick fixes for things that cannot be fixed quickly, and then we have bigger problems later because we refused to do it right the first time.
This post is not about blaming any specific party or person for the way we are handling our economy. It's simply my wondering out loud if our leaders (all of them, on both sides of the aisle) are really interested in helping our country the way their constituents want them to, or if they are more interested in their own personal agendas and getting ahead in their careers.
So. We've given ourselves less than two months to get another "deal" cut. I know that I don't get to choose where my tax dollars go, but I don't like them going to the salaries of a bunch of congressmen who refuse to make some permanent changes for the betterment of our country. I do not want to be another one of those citizens who sits in front of my TV and is the "Couch Coach." I refuse. I don't see the point in complaining from my couch if I'm not doing my job as a concerned citizen by taking action and making my voice heard. So let's make our voices heard! Let's pressure our senators and representatives and president to make the deal that must be made by March 1st a more permanent solution for our nation than what we've been in the habit of doing.
"Be the change you wish to be in the world." --Gandhi
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Piers Morgan Tonight: Societal Change
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
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
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
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