A Selfish Nation

     I have to say, I have been severely disheartened by this country. Let me preface that by saying my heart goes out to those in Newtown. Now, for the harsh words.
     What are we doing? Are we really so selfish? Those people are suffering, and we're making it worse. If you lost a loved one, lost a child, would you want the press watching your every move? How are you supposed to grieve properly like that? I have never lost anyone that close to me, but for other losses, I sure as heck did not want it shoved in my face every two minutes. I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to relive that with people. I wanted to stay home, and be sad. Go online, and attempt to move on. And I got that luxury. But those poor people, they don't. How can they? America is the nosiest nation. We need our story, need our gossip. We need to "sympathize," when really, we don't, we can't know what those families are going through. We just want to be able to pretend we understand. Unfortunately, there are probably a few people who can sympathize. But the brunt of our country, we can't. We live in our sheltered little bubble,  insensitive to the problems of others as long as we get what we want. And what we want right now is a sensation story, that brings the world's attention to us. Nevermind that the people in the story probably wish they could crawl into a hole and make the past two weeks disappear.
     I believe I have mentioned this before: America is the "fat" nation to the rest of the world. And yeah, I know I should be loyal to my country, but frankly, this is ridiculous. We are fat, we are gluttonous. We work for whatever we want, and don't care who gets in our way, and pitch a fit when we don't. Don't you see yourselves? We are a fat nation, living hand to mouth, want to want, never stopping to stretch that hand out to others, or giving. We do the small stuff, sure, but most people do it for the image, not for the good it causes. We see the Salvation Army on the streets, and maybe put in a dollar so we don't feel guilty. What happened to giving just to give? Just to help, not to look good? Roughly 240 years ago, we began the fight for our independence. We had some dignity then, fighting because we wanted freedom. We earned our help on our merit, not by money or schemes. We fought, we won, we proved we were worth it. Would anyone help us now? We help people by coming to their country and killing people. Yes, in some situations that can be viewed as necessary (I am neutral on the subject of Iraq.), but others? Not so much.
     We are an interfering nation. All we want is power, and attention. America is the spoiled youngest of the world. We have forgotten what decency is. So, America, I challenge you: make a difference. In this holiday season, can you put others first? Can you put them first without needing to know every detail about them? Can you care?

Who Are We and Why Must We Fry Everything?

   NOTE: Looking back at this post, it is really kind of an identity post; a post about being yourself (and about the badness of friedness). You are warned.

  Although I thought I had previously decided this, I am now making it official. I am typing what I want to type, not what I think will get views. I would rather get random views or views for what I write as ME, than get views because I'm catering to the public. This is not a catering company, therefore I don't cater. Anyhoo, continuing on.

     Apparently fried turkey is becoming a big thing now??? Or maybe it's deep-fried... either way I don't get it. I mean, I'm sure it tastes good (if cooked correctly), but aren't we a bit hypocritical in this country? And fyi, this country refers to the lovely overweight and in debt US of A. Back on topic. How can we complain about the fact that everyone thinks we're fat? We're frying a TURKEY, for crying out loud. I can see it now...

"What are you thankful for sweetie?"
"Oh, Mommy, my cholesterol went up again!"
That's great, honey!"

Wouldn't that be so sad? Come on, people! We don't need fried food. Sure, it tastes awesome. So limit yourself, to, I don't know, fast food less than twice a month? Delayed gratification (hahaha I learned that in a finance class but I'm using it for food): it will taste better if you have it less because the taste won't become "normal." God forbid it ever does; we'll be rolling out the door.

I am out of things to say about unhealthiness, so... RANDOM PICTURES!!!

It's a CAMERA. Made of SODA CANS!!!! If this actually worked I would totally buy one.

I love Victoria Justice!! Not a luv love, but more of an OMG YOU'RE AWESOME AND I LOVE YOUR SHOW AND YOUR MUSIC AND THE FACT THAT YOU'RE FAMOUS BUT STILL A DECENT HUMAN BEING kind of love.

Here is another thing that I take issue with. Why are we girls no longer allowed to EAT? I don't get this. Especially since half the time we do it not to stay thin (which is totally healthy), but because we don't want boyfriends or friends who are boys or that guy to see us as pigs. Hello? Practically every "advice for what guys like" article says they are not into sticks. Would you be into a stick? That makes you feel fat. So why put the guy through that?

And so I end with:

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

~Steve Jobs

Rain Rain Go Away

     Hello to all my East Coast readers... I just wanted to wish everyone luck with Hurricane Sandy and all the hell she is bringing with her. Be safe, not stupid. This is WORSE than Irene; no one is stronger than a hurricane. Parents, I know (I hope) I'm stating the obvious here but, even if school is open PLEASE don't take your kids out if it doesn't look safe. Missing school because of one of our worst storms ever is FINE.

Good luck everyone!

Awesome Alaska

     First, my sincerest apologies for not posting in TWO MONTHS!!! But after that post I was in Alaska... which is AWESOME!!!! And it actually isn't that cold. I live in New Jersey, so I can say (for any New Jersey readers) that late August in Alaska is like September/October in New Jersey. If you go to Alaska, I recommend Anchorage, a boat into Resurrection Bay down in Seward, and a bus into Denali National Park.

     Anchorage is full of awesome stuff. Especially food. The Glacier Brewhouse has the BEST seafood ever. Likewise, the Moose's Tooth has the BEST pizza ever. No joke. The place seats about 300 people, if I remember correctly, so plan to spend at least 45 minutes waiting. In other words, go at around 4:30, 5ish so that you still eat at a reasonable hour. It is WORTH IT!!!

     The boat company we used was Kenai Fjords Tours. The trip we took also involved an all you can eat salmon dinner. While the captain said that we saw an unusually large selection of animals, the trip would still be fun. Although there is a heated indoor cabin, I would recommend dressing warmly because it is SO much more fun to be outside.I saw seals, a sea otter, sea lions, bald eagles, orcas (they are VERY rare to see), a humpback whale, puffins, seagulls (duh), and probably some other stuff. It was awesome! And yes I know how much I'm using the word awesome. Don't Judge.

     Finally, Denali is beautiful, and no matter what, you will see a ton of wildlife. And yes, there was its first bear mauling in August, but the guy was an idiot (no offense to his family). He disregarded the whole GIVE GRIZZLIES AT LEAST HALF A MILE IF YOU ARE ON FOOT and kept taking pictures as the bear was coming towards him!!!!! Anyhoo, Denali is gorgeous. But I would be selective about how many pictures of mountains you take. Yes, they are all beautiful and different. No, they do not still look that way after you have been sorting through 200 mountain shots.

     And thus ends my little rant about Alaska. So... RANDOM PICTURES!!!


LOVE THIS


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... yes it is THAT funny.


Ok now, be truthful. How many people saw Tangled and then wanted a chameleon?

And that concludes my predicted fit of randomness! I hope you enjoyed it!

Mainely Magnificent

Hello my devoted (or not so devoted) followers! No I have not died! Clearly, as I am posting and ghosts can't type? Or can they? That is a topic for later times.

Firstly, forgive my ridiculous pun; I am overtired and therefore ridiculously cheesy. But I went to Maine this weekend and it was SO much fun! Aside from sitting between my dogs. And before some people find a dirty meaning to all that, let me clarify. Family friends of ours live up near Saco, Maine. We drove up for the weekend to visit. They have five dogs and an enormous yard. We have two dogs. It is my job to be smooshed in between the two of them for as much time as possible. But we had a blast up there!

I have an English Setter and an English Setter mix. The purebred, Gracie is fullblown bird dog and only 19 months old. She discovered the beach on Saturday, which was ADORABLE!! A little known (I believe) tip for Maine folk; Saco beach is open to dogs all the time. But I think they have to be leashed.

Anyway, Gracie has the superpower of unbearable cuteness. So even though my legs ached Sunday and Monday from all the running back and forth on the beach as she chased seagull after seagull, I can't be mad at her.

Does anyone out there have an adorable (or maybe not so) dog/cat/pet/animal? I would love a comment about it. Double points for anyone with a platypus. Actually, nevermind, I think it might be illegal to own a platypus...

Sigh...YAY!!! Wait...

     Wow. Ok, I feel totally not efficient.... So on July 8th I went to see the play Harvey (what is the proper annotation for a play? if anyone knows, TELL ME) at Studio 54 in NYC. And I had a fanTABulous day, so I was going to post about it the day after. Well. So. Ok, it is now 10 days later. I feel really unproductive.

     Anyhoo, I GOT JIM PARSONS' AUTOGRAPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is playing Elwood P. Dowd, the star of the play. For those of you who don't know, Harvey is about Elwood P. Dowd, who is best friends with a six foot tall invisible rabbit named Harvey. Pardon me, six feet three and a half inches. As I was saying, Elwood's sister Veta doesn't approve of his friend. Not that I can blame her; it is hard to get your socially awkward daughter married off when your (formerly) respectable Uncle Elwood wants company to meet an unseen rabbit. The entire play consists of Veta's attempts to commit her brother to a sanatorium (sanitarium, sanitorium, tomato, tomahto...), and all the events that happen along the way. It's,  hilarious.

     For you poor souls who either have no time for a half an hour of tv, or live as hermits, Jim Parsons plays Dr. Sheldon Cooper on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Before you think I am a nerd, rest assured that very little science actually shows up in the show and I usually wind up rofl. Jim Parsons is one of the rare stars who is actually a good person. Naturally, when Jim Parsons steps out of the stage door (where all true theater buffs or New Yorkers wait for autographs), the crowd suddenly forgets the concept of personal space. So I stuck my playbill and Sharpie in between some sweaty people, accidentally (somewhat) hitting a few people. Who got annoyed and shoved their stuff over mine. Jim Parsons, who had been about to sign mine, paused, moved everything out of the way, and signed my playbill. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but you have to truly like signing autographs to fix something as opposed to just continuing to sign down the line, finishing it as a chore.

     My other fun thing (that I will mention) was pistachio gelato from Balducci's. NEW FAVORITE FOOD!!!!!!!! It wasn't artificial (as shown by not being bright green), and absolutely delectable. Ha. That's a good word. I think I'll use it again. DELECTABLE!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha- ok random laughter over.

And thus concludes my post from a weekend long overdue. After one picture poking fun at our overseas friends the Brits.

I am slightly concerned as to the security of Great Britain. Or they have a really worrisome sense of humor.

Ok! That's the END!!!

Oops!

Hello! This post seems to get a lot of views... so if after reading you could leave a comment as to what you thought of it, I would be most grateful. Proceed!

So, I just found out (via my Goodreads quote of the day) that my earlier quote about weirdness apparently from Dr. Seuss may be from a guy named Robert Fulghum. I have no idea if this is right or not... there are equal amounts of Google results for either side. So I edited that post, and if anyone cares to actually look it up, that would be kinda cool but it's 11pm and I'm going to bed instead. Hope I didn't crush anyone's dreams; if I did, then you seriously need to find some new ones.

UPDATE!!!!
I am adding to this post because I don't feel like creating another for this issue. I have concluded that Dr. Seuss said that particular quote and Fulghum perhaps paraphrased it for his own purposes... Looking at things more closely, Robert Fulghum's quote is slightly different. It reads:

“We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.” 

Fulghum's quote is taken from his book, True Love. Which I haven't read. But if you are wondering who this guy is, he has also written All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, which I have read some of. It is very good.

Dr. Seuss's quote is:

“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” 

His quote seems to have been spoken (and sounds like it), because no offense to the man, but his books tend to rhyme, and the quote, well, doesn't. Fulghum's quote, on the other hand, sounds like something not even the stodgiest, most pompous man would say (if they happened to believe in saying words like weirdness), but rather sounds like something one could easily write in a book.

Hopefully, since this was literally a stream of conscience (if that's the phrase), it makes some sense to someone. And, to make your day fantabulous, here's a fanTABulously random picture that makes my head hurt trying to figure it out.

And yes I sounded like a five year old who just ate all their Halloween candy. I'm tired. Don't judge.

Thinking of the World

     So, I've gotten a few pageviews, but none recently, probably because I haven't posted in over a month. So I totally understand why. But rather than try and go two months without a post, I decided to break the streak! So, here's a post for all my wonderfully random readers!

     I've decided that I liked my random pictures out of nowhere from my last post (if you can remember back that far) so I'm going to keep that up. With that said...

While I don't necessarily believe in the whole not thinking about anyone at all thing, the message is still cool. If I have to tell you, that's sad, so I hope you can figure it out yourself.

I'm in an empowerment mood, so... yeah.

I love the concept of fairy dust! It can make you fly, it fulfills dreams... and for all those with dirty minds, this has nothing to do with drugs whatsoever. Think back to your Disney Princess days.

And that concludes my random pictures with a (slight) theme!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     So what I wanted to write about in this post was the world. Hence my title. Duh. By the way, I'm feeling really sarcastic today, so don't take anything I say seriously. Or maybe a little seriously but not too much, because then you'll just be really confused.

     I was thinking (Scary concept... it was a Monday when I came up with this post and I was thinking on a Monday.) of the world, as my title says, and I wondered, what makes us tick? Why are American girls obsessed with British and Australian accents? Why do we care who loves whom? And yes I'm fairly positive I screwed up that grammar. But to continue, what happened to children thinking that a four letter F-word was frog? When did name brand versus Target become a valid set of cliques? Why do action movies suddenly have to go BOOM every two seconds? Why is a boy band trying to be the Beatles? (Sorry to all One Direction fans, but once those boys did an Abbey Road picture, they lost my (never present) adoration forever.) What happened to Toy Story being an action movie (of sorts)? Why do children now know what we learned in high school? What happened to a shirt costing less than half a paycheck being uncool?

     Now, I'm not saying that I want to go back to the "good old days" of barely there air conditioning and flip phones, but I am saying that some of our values have changed. In the "land of the free" many people... aren't. Not because we made slavery legal again (thank God that hasn't happened) but because we, the "normal" people of America, have decided that because some people have more money, they are now "better," or that because some people are confident in who they are, they are "freaks," or that the people who like the "other" music are "uncool." 

     We are all "freaks," we are all "uncool," and no one is "normal." Freak means a unique take on life, uncool means finding the trend before it exists. Normal is copying everyone else. But since no two people are exactly alike (even identical twins), what is normal? Normal isn't straightened hair plus a tshirt from that band's concert. Normal isn't a tattooed face and hot pink shoes. Normal isn't a neat bun and a suit. Normal isn't a lake house or a yacht. Normal isn't doing drugs or smoking. Normal isn't real because normal is impossible. You can't copy everyone's image if everyone isn't an image. 

And so, I close with a quote from one of the greatest poets of all time. Read it, think about it, digest it, and believe it:

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."

-Dr. Seuss

I Don't Care (Yes I Do)

     No one is reading this as of yet, both this post (which I am typing) and my blog. That's fine with me... I don't want any stalker person reading this as I type it, and honestly, I'm still getting used to the idea of having a blog. But even if no one ever reads this, I don't really care.

....

     Ok, that was a big fat LIE: I do want people to read this. I do want to reach people, to help people think more. But even if nobody reads this for the next decade, I am still going to write/type/blog/whatever you might say. Why? Because at the very least, I am helping myself to speak my mind...or at least the chaos that passes for my brain. I have this weird thing, you see. I can be all strange and goofy for my friends (i.e. reading something with ridiculous accents or emphasis), but I can't do that in front of anyone else. I can write it, but I can't do it. So maybe by blogging on this blog in the blogosphere (haha that sounds cool :), I can be that person  a little more. Because the more I write like me, the more me has to leak out into the world of being. If that makes any sense. By the way, if I make sense to anyone out there, kudos to you! Because half the time I don't know what I'm saying. Which is depressing, because I thought of it in the first place...

     Anyhoo (like that. if you understand what that means, please tell me), this whole post isn't going to be about why I'm still writing to an audience of a grand total of one. I'm still going to write about caring, though. But first, some random pictures...

Yes, that is indeed a treehouse. No, I don't have any idea how to get into it.

Yes, that is Hermione's point of view. But I know a few people who I think have that as their life's philosophy.

Is that sick or WHAT??

Ok, I'm done with random photos. I may actually repeat that in other posts. Just because I have a small attention span and typing gets BORING. Now for my actual post.

     Why do people care? More importantly, why do people care and not tell you? Because then you say something, for example a hilariously funny joke (and don't expect one, I don't have any), and then the person you told it to is all "Oh no you DIDn't!" and you're still on the joke and laughing your head off. How were you supposed to know that they're sensitive on the subject of pineapples, or donuts, or, I don't know, puppies? Why don't people communicate? Why do we have to be "strong"  and hide how we feel, so that then it explodes out at extremely inconvenient moments? Maybe that doesn't happen to you, but I am a firm believer in (and strong evidence of) Murphy's Law: If anything can go wrong, it will. So why don't we say what we believe outright? Granted, there are some people who just want to pick a fight, but surely everyone in the whole world doesn't feel like that.
     But what makes us care about something? And why aren't we proud of what we care? Why do we have to hide that? Sometimes people hide the best parts of them away. I don't get that. Humans are proud people. Shouldn't we therefore brag about everything we've got? I know there humble people out there, but what they care about shows, so it doesn't matter. But why are people ashamed to say, "YES! I care about my family." or "YES! Being 'green' matters to me." I don't see how that is a bad thing. Obviously, if you are in one of those unfortunate areas where caring is frowned upon, I can see why you would hesitate, especially if you could get shot. But you can still show you care. Wear a bracelet, or a shirt or even a piece of string. No one else knows why you are wearing it, but you know that is a reminder of who you are. Even if it's just an old shoelace. Because even if we do care, if we hide that and bury it and pretend we don't care at all, eventually, we won't anymore because we've forgotten how.
     So don't stop caring! Remember why you care, what you care for, and tell the entire world about it until they yell at you to shut up. And even then, keep caring. Just maybe be a little less vocal. Ok?

The Hunger Games

     So, I FINALLY saw The Hunger Games. It was AMAZING! Of course, being the kind of person who reads the books first, I had some issues with it. You're going to have to guess what they are, though, because I don't want to spoil the movie for those who have yet to experience its awesomeness. And considering that I sang loudly off key just so I didn't hear my friends talking about it, you aren't getting any specifics. I will tell you that the Seneca Crane... event... at the end is changed, but in a good way. The creators of the movie also added a riot in District ___, to keep things interesting. But then they went and took stuff out! What happened to Katniss telling Peeta she lied? Or the Avox scene? I can see leaving the Avox scene out, but are they going for some sort of love triangle now for Catching Fire?

     It seems to me that for every BIG teen series, they copy someone else. Except Harry Potter, which started it all. They split the seventh book into two movies (both of which I NEED to see), so then the Twilight people split their last book into two movies. Twilight had a love triangle, so now The Hunger Games seems to be expanding on that. They already had one, but not to the extent that I think it will be if there is a Catching Fire movie.
     On a different note, how many people want Katniss's hair? Those braids are awesome! And is anyone else feeling the irony of the fact that Jennifer Lawrence, a blonde, got dyed brunette, while Josh Hutcherson, a brunette, got dyed blonde?
     So... are you Team Peeta, or Team Gale?

What's the Big Idea?

     So this is my first post. Ever. I was trying to think of something deep and meaningful to write about, but I figured, what's the big deal? No one is going to be reading this for awhile, anyway. Besides, the best pearls of wisdom are said by accident. Wow. That sounds really cheesy, but there was no other way to put it. If you spend forever attempting to come up with words of wisdom, you have no time to get the prerequisite, experience. Or in some cases, dumb luck. Without either of those, you just sound stupid. Or crazy. And I can sound like both at times.
     All I'm saying is, well, nothing at all actually at the moment. But that's the point. This is a blog. More importantly, it is my blog, which means that while hopefully at some point there will be a purpose to this blog, at the moment it is nothing but a subjection of the general public to my randomness. So do yourself a favor and don't expect to find anything on this blog, okay?
     Sometimes I'll blog a really long post about absolutely nothing. Or I'll post nothing at all. But sometimes a precious bit of thought might make its way onto this website. A cute little story. A song or a poem that means something to me. A funny photo, or a video. And maybe, just maybe, I'll say something that makes someone's day. Or something that makes someone, just one person, stop somewhere and think. That is the point of this blog.
     I want people to think. Think about why they do things, or why one thing is allowed and one thing is not. Wonder why things are the way they are. I'm not saying that I want to convert everyone to how I think, or what I believe. Because everyone is their own person, with their own thoughts and ideas. But I believe in change, and if you don't think, you don't change. I don't want to change you, whoever you are. I want to change the world. One little sentence at a time. Because every big idea, every meaningful event, was triggered by something small. And maybe, just maybe, my small sentence will trigger your big idea.