Here are a few things that I am not embarrassed to admit (though I probably should be).
1. Billy Ray Cyrus was my first celebrity crush, and like one's first love, will not be forgotten. I still love him (whether it means laughing at him on an occasional episode of "Hannah Montana" or smiling every time I hear "Achey Breaky Heart." Furthermore, I have at least 3 full Billy Ray albums on my iPod... and not ironically.)
2. I'm usually asleep by 9:30pm on weeknights. 11pm is late. Anything after that and I will be a wreck the next day. If I don't get a full night's sleep I don't function. Even near the end of my college days I was asleep by 11:30pm on weeknights.
3. One of my favorite Pandora Stations is the one I have that is heavy on Pat Benatar, The Bangles, and Tiffany.
4. I will wear red EVERY FRIDAY before a Chiefs game once football season starts.
5. I still have and cuddle my childhood teddy bear. His name is Francis and he is ragged and tattered.
6. It's not unlike me to read a full book (300 pages+) in its entirety on a Friday night. Also, yes, I am 24 years old with a public library card. Proud of it.
7. I LIKE school. A lot.
8. I have mowed my own lawn exactly one time in 4 years of living on my own. That has been the one time I have ever operated a lawn mower at all. It took me 30 minutes to get it started.
9. I wear jeans until they get a visible stain on them before washing them.
10. I kind of want to read the dictionary.
11. On Saturday I went out to a bar and ordered "a virgin long island iced tea" just for kicks.
12. I eat something small every two hours so I never feel hungry. Hungry puts me in a bad place. You won't like me when I'm hungry.
13. My signature dance move - "the flail."
14. Freerice.com? A favorite.
15. Newest goal? To take practical measures to make my life more like a broadway musical.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
I'd like to die with the songs I love stuck in my head.
At any given point, on any given day, I've got music playing. If I'm in a place where this isn't feasible (like class, or a meeting), then I have a song in my mind. It's likely one of the most recent songs I've heard, but I am occasionally surprised by what I find myself mentally karaoke-ing.
I've often marveled at my attachment to music. I don't just enjoy it... I rarely do anything without it. It's almost a physical need I have in my life like air, water, and food. It's a form of sustenance to me. I don't know why this is, though I am certainly not alone in my love of music and language arts in my family. I say language arts because my attachment to music, though instrumentals can certainly move my heart, lies primarily in the lyrics. I'm fascinated by the metaphors of life illustrated in song. A pretty melody and some outstanding accompaniment is certainly important... but it's the lyrics that usually truly get to me.
I find myself looking for ways to get and hear more and more music, of many varieties. My taste is described most accurately as eclectic. Old, new, fast, slow, loud, soft, it doesn't matter. I can usually find something to like about it. I just love the experience of it all.
I'd like to take that passion and desire to know the music, lyrics, and artists and apply that to people in general. What if everyone is just a different song, with lyrics and instrumentals that sing of passions and experiences? I'm certain there is at least one thing to if not LIKE about everyone, at least to appreciate.
Back in high school, my best friend and I used to have a rule where if we caught ourselves speaking negatively about someone, we would stop and think of 3 positive aspects of that person. Sometimes it was a stretch, and sometimes our motivations weren't necessarily pure, but I still found it helpful. That might be something to reconsider doing again. Lately I've been making snap judgments in my head, which I believe to be harmful to myself as well as how I treat others.
I espouse a lot of unconditional positive regard and acceptance, but inwardly I find that I don't always adhere to a value I claim to be so important. We're all hypocrites sometimes. If we can recognize that and work to counteract it, I can't help but believe that we'd all be a little happier.
I've often marveled at my attachment to music. I don't just enjoy it... I rarely do anything without it. It's almost a physical need I have in my life like air, water, and food. It's a form of sustenance to me. I don't know why this is, though I am certainly not alone in my love of music and language arts in my family. I say language arts because my attachment to music, though instrumentals can certainly move my heart, lies primarily in the lyrics. I'm fascinated by the metaphors of life illustrated in song. A pretty melody and some outstanding accompaniment is certainly important... but it's the lyrics that usually truly get to me.
I find myself looking for ways to get and hear more and more music, of many varieties. My taste is described most accurately as eclectic. Old, new, fast, slow, loud, soft, it doesn't matter. I can usually find something to like about it. I just love the experience of it all.
I'd like to take that passion and desire to know the music, lyrics, and artists and apply that to people in general. What if everyone is just a different song, with lyrics and instrumentals that sing of passions and experiences? I'm certain there is at least one thing to if not LIKE about everyone, at least to appreciate.
Back in high school, my best friend and I used to have a rule where if we caught ourselves speaking negatively about someone, we would stop and think of 3 positive aspects of that person. Sometimes it was a stretch, and sometimes our motivations weren't necessarily pure, but I still found it helpful. That might be something to reconsider doing again. Lately I've been making snap judgments in my head, which I believe to be harmful to myself as well as how I treat others.
I espouse a lot of unconditional positive regard and acceptance, but inwardly I find that I don't always adhere to a value I claim to be so important. We're all hypocrites sometimes. If we can recognize that and work to counteract it, I can't help but believe that we'd all be a little happier.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
So close to reaching that famous happy ending...
I've been heading out to the Indian Creek Trails after work on days when I don't have to go to class. It's a lot of fun. Anyhow... I'm usually by myself with my music. Today, however, was a little bit different. About 2 songs into it my run, I glanced up and saw a black lab coming from the bushes.
Now initially, he gave me a bit of a start. But I saw pretty quickly that he was friendly. He ended up following me for the majority of my run. It was nice to have some company. I began to worry about him though. Where did he come from? Would he follow me all the way to my car? Could I leave him alone in the park and still be able to live with myself? What if he got lost or hurt?
Of course, I've got an overactive imagination and I'm a little pathetic. My mind began to wander while I ran next to the dog. We'd been running together for about 10 minutes and I already had written a Meg Ryan movie in my head. You know the type. Boy has dog. Boy's dog runs away, girl finds dog, calls the number on the collar, meets boy. Boy turns out to be handsome, smart, sensitive but still manly, pretty much perfect. Girl and boy fall in love but then have to overcome some sort of obstacle (maybe Gonzo and the dog don't get along, or the guy finds out that I don't really like dogs). Eventually there's a happily ever after.
In my version of the movie, Demetri Martin plays the dog owner. I don't know though, I wouldn't want him to "sell out". I would settle for George Clooney. Anyhow, that's how it would go if it were a movie.
I never got to find out how it would go in real life because as we were running on the part of the trail that goes by the street, a silver SUV pulled over. I stopped to make sure that the dog stopped, because I knew what was going on. What we had here, was a dog owner. Out of the car stepped a pretty good looking guy. For a moment I thought that this could be like the movie afterall! Of course, then I remembered that while in a move, the star on a run would have a slight glow, a friendly smile, and and would barely be fatigued. I, on the other hand, was disheveled, with messy hair, and I likely had eyeliner running down my face with the sweat. Who knows what this guy saw. Anyhow, he thanked me, took his dog (who's name was Beau) and was on his way.
I suppose I'll live out my chick flick love story another day.
P.S: Confession time. I was tempted to quote both Taylor Swift AND Miley Cyrus in my title to this post. Of course, I would have been doing it ironically and not genuinely. I had to nearly physically restrain myself.
Now initially, he gave me a bit of a start. But I saw pretty quickly that he was friendly. He ended up following me for the majority of my run. It was nice to have some company. I began to worry about him though. Where did he come from? Would he follow me all the way to my car? Could I leave him alone in the park and still be able to live with myself? What if he got lost or hurt?
Of course, I've got an overactive imagination and I'm a little pathetic. My mind began to wander while I ran next to the dog. We'd been running together for about 10 minutes and I already had written a Meg Ryan movie in my head. You know the type. Boy has dog. Boy's dog runs away, girl finds dog, calls the number on the collar, meets boy. Boy turns out to be handsome, smart, sensitive but still manly, pretty much perfect. Girl and boy fall in love but then have to overcome some sort of obstacle (maybe Gonzo and the dog don't get along, or the guy finds out that I don't really like dogs). Eventually there's a happily ever after.
In my version of the movie, Demetri Martin plays the dog owner. I don't know though, I wouldn't want him to "sell out". I would settle for George Clooney. Anyhow, that's how it would go if it were a movie.
I never got to find out how it would go in real life because as we were running on the part of the trail that goes by the street, a silver SUV pulled over. I stopped to make sure that the dog stopped, because I knew what was going on. What we had here, was a dog owner. Out of the car stepped a pretty good looking guy. For a moment I thought that this could be like the movie afterall! Of course, then I remembered that while in a move, the star on a run would have a slight glow, a friendly smile, and and would barely be fatigued. I, on the other hand, was disheveled, with messy hair, and I likely had eyeliner running down my face with the sweat. Who knows what this guy saw. Anyhow, he thanked me, took his dog (who's name was Beau) and was on his way.
I suppose I'll live out my chick flick love story another day.
P.S: Confession time. I was tempted to quote both Taylor Swift AND Miley Cyrus in my title to this post. Of course, I would have been doing it ironically and not genuinely. I had to nearly physically restrain myself.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
We're only just as happy as everyone else seems to think we are.
I've decided to give grades to years/parts of years. That way I have a quantitative measure of how my year went. I tend to be positive, so I always think things are pretty good... which is fine. However, the second half of 2008 got a D (ick) in my mind and the first half of 2009 is sitting at a C.
Why am I doing this? Because I want to be better at journaling/blogging/what have you and because I can. I'm not going to go into detail as to why past full year (2 previous half years) has gotten an undesirable grade. That's over and done with. What I am going to do is work on recognizing the good things (and the challenges) that I am presented with and acknowledge them as such.
So, like I said, 2009 did not start off on the right foot. (Think: family health problems, job loss, similar drama.) I have faith that it can come back and at least average out at a respectable "B." Part two started on July 1st, and I believe has kicked off positively. I spent the first weekend of the second half of 2009 (and also Independence day) in Lake Ozark with my family.
Ultimately, I am hoping for this project to be an illustration of the fact that there can be good in life amidst bad things that happen to everyone. I believe, that if everything is noted comprehensively, I'll find that overall things are really good. It is just that when bad things happen they tend to replace the good in one's mind and make it hard to recall them. I don't want that to happen. So, I'll be keeping a log of good and bad things that happen and giving them weights. When 6 months is up, I'll tally the scores. Don't be surprised to find that the good outweighs the bad.
Why am I doing this? Because I want to be better at journaling/blogging/what have you and because I can. I'm not going to go into detail as to why past full year (2 previous half years) has gotten an undesirable grade. That's over and done with. What I am going to do is work on recognizing the good things (and the challenges) that I am presented with and acknowledge them as such.
So, like I said, 2009 did not start off on the right foot. (Think: family health problems, job loss, similar drama.) I have faith that it can come back and at least average out at a respectable "B." Part two started on July 1st, and I believe has kicked off positively. I spent the first weekend of the second half of 2009 (and also Independence day) in Lake Ozark with my family.
Ultimately, I am hoping for this project to be an illustration of the fact that there can be good in life amidst bad things that happen to everyone. I believe, that if everything is noted comprehensively, I'll find that overall things are really good. It is just that when bad things happen they tend to replace the good in one's mind and make it hard to recall them. I don't want that to happen. So, I'll be keeping a log of good and bad things that happen and giving them weights. When 6 months is up, I'll tally the scores. Don't be surprised to find that the good outweighs the bad.
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