Colorwonderful

Mike bought me some new fingernail polish this weekend, and this is the result -



Besides the fact that I don't think my feet look too great in this picture, I love the color! I have quite a few fingernail polishes, but I can never seem to get enough of these little bottles of color. Maybe that's because I love color in general. It's hard for me to pick a favorite color (even though green is right up there near the top) because I have always loved all colors.

When I say I love color, I don't mean a want to surround myself with bits of every color imaginable. I mean I love each color individually and I like to experiment with different color combinations. Color can totally change the look of a room, an outfit, or a piece of artwork. Color can even change your mood, make you hungry, or show your personality through your aura. (I know not everyone believes in auras, but I still think they are an interesting concept to consider.) Color can affect people on so many levels, and, for me, color usually brings happiness. Just that little bit of color on my toes makes me smile every time I look at it.

I even sometimes buy things based on their color. Christmas ornaments, notebooks, lip gloss, dishes, wrapping paper, clothes. All of these are things I have bought because I liked the color, and if I am honest, everything I buy is probably influenced by what color it is. What can I say? I am a sucker for color.

Not So Important

Have you ever noticed how some people think they are better than other people? The people who think they are better usually have a college degree, or lots of money, or good looks, or a high-paying job, or are really intelligent. Well I am writing today to say to those people, "GET OVER IT." You are not more important than anyone else. I am a firm believer that people are all special and important in their own way. Some people may be better at reaching their potential than others, but that does not mean they are more worthy of a happy and fulfilling life.

What some rich or high-power individuals don't seem to realize is, their lifestyle is possible because of those who do the menial jobs. Who would make your fast food burger, or clean your hotel room, or mow your lawn, or fix your toilet if it was not for those who do these jobs? Everyone in the world can't be rich and have a white-collar job. The way I see it, blue-collar workers are just as important as white collar workers because they fill a necessary role, and in many cases, these workers work much harder for what they have than white-collar workers.

Most people seem to believe that if you don't want to have a low-paying, physical labor job, then you should work harder and get educated to improve your circumstances. While I believe hard work and education are important, it is not always possible to get out of where you are. Sometimes, factors beyond your control keep you down. Well-to-do people need to realize more often that if not for their good fortune, they could just as easily be in the place of that homeless person, or that person living on welfare. While hard work and good looks and intelligence can take you far in life, don't assume that you are immune to bad fortune or that you deserve what you have more than any other hard-working person. The good life may sometimes be achieved by hard work, but I think, sometimes, it is just luck.

Fly Wars

I finally got over being sick, only to be sick AGAIN. I don't know if it is the same cold with renewed energy or something new altogether. Frankly, I don't care. I have given up trying to decipher which sickness is what or even trying to not get sick. I will just lay here until something changes......

So I get bored just laying there, so I made this -



It is a fly trap that I learned how to make online. It is my attempt at waging war on all those little flies that roam my house. However, since one just lazily drifted past my computer screen, I would guess it is not working. If you can't tell, the mixture in the bottom is a combination of water, applesauce, and bologna. Maybe you just threw up a little in your mouth at the thought of that, but is was a very well thought-out concoction. OK, I lied. The internet was not very clear on what to put in this fly trap. Suggestions ranged from fruit, to sugar, to water, to vinegar, to dish soap, to meat, to store-bought fly bait, to a million mixtures of any of these ingredients. So I winged it. Judging by results, my personal mixture is not very popular with the flies.

Maybe I need to get into the mind of a fly.
-I'm flying though the air.
-Maybe I will just run into that wall over there.
-Now I think I will fly up someone's nose.
-I hate my life. I think I will fly into some standing water in a sink full of dirty dishes and die.

Well that didn't help much. On to Plan B. But first, figure out a Plan B.

Head For The Hills

The weather has been steadily getting warmer during the last few weeks, which makes me want to break out the hiking gear. Then yesterday happened. About a foot of snow decided to make an appearance, and Mike and I spent the day shoveling rather than hiking. Maybe it's for the best because even though I think I like hiking, I usually start to hate it once I start. It is always either too hot or too cold and I always start to sweat, which never makes me happy. I get tired, hungry, and thirsty, yet I never seem to bring enough snacks or water and once you start a hike, well, there is no way you are getting back to the car unless you move your own two legs. While hiking, I quickly turn into a two-year-old with no sense of of the past or future. There is only my current misery and my need to pout about it even though I put myself in that very situation.

There are things I do like about hiking, so let me explain what those things are so everyone does not shun me as a hiking partner. I LOVE the beauty in nature. I have seen things in nature that take my breath away. I can't say that so much for any man-made structure. Sure, a structure can be massive, and awesome, and even beautiful, but it never really compares to something like a sunset or a giant, ancient tree, or a mountain range.

Another thing I like about hiking is the exercise. I don't like exercise in general, but if I can do it in the wilderness, it almost makes it tolerable. I like that there is usually a goal to get to when hiking - a waterfall, a meadow, a lake, the top of a mountain, or a campsite. It makes me want to get to end, so see what is there. I am always curious what might be around the next corner, so I want to keep going in spite of my two-year-old mentality. Come to think of it, hiking is not so bad.

Blessed a.k.a. Thankful

I just finished reading another book called Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. It's a memoir about Augusten's childhood, and it's not at all for the faint of heart. It's gritty and graphic and brutally honest because Augusten had a difficult childhood. He was basically abandoned by his alcoholic father and mentally ill mother, and raised by the strange family of his mother's psychiatrist, Dr. Finch. The Finch household was anything but stable because anything was allowed, including: not going to school, drinking, smoking, sex, and making a mess. The family fought often and also did a lot of strange things like: eat dog food, leave the Christmas tree up until May because no one would take it down, or move their living room furniture outside for the summer.

I'm not one to usually use the word "blessed" because I think it implies that someone is doing the blessing and if that someone decides they don't want to bless you anymore then they can take away your blessings. I prefer the word "thankful" because I think so-called "blessings" are more luck or karma than gifts from above. Whatever you want to call it, not a day goes by that I don't feel thankful for the things I have. I may not have had the perfect childhood, but compared to Augusten it was downright awesome. Also, I'm sure most kids from broken homes or in foster care would have gladly traded places with me. I'm so thankful for my family, my husband, my dog, my home, my health, every little thing that I have. I don't take any of it for granted. I know how quickly everything can be lost. Do I deserve all these blessings? Maybe. Maybe not. But I don't believe that I deserve more than any other person, except maybe someone who is not thankful.

A Bright Spot

WHY?!?!?!?!?!? O THE HUMANITY!!!!

OK, I just felt like freaking out for a short moment because I am sick.....AGAIN! It's not really that bad. A little cough here, a sneeze there. But you would think I could get a break. The fates have not been kind to me this winter, and unless they decided to get every sickness of my entire life over with in one season, I kindly ask for a good long break.......like forever......seriously.......leave me alone.

One thing that brightened my mood was this -



and this -



The first picture is the chocolate frogs that Mike got me for Valentine's day. Chocolate frogs may seem disgusting to some people, but I think they are the cutest things ever invented! I'm not usually into chocolate, but I can't keep my hands off these little guys. YUM! The second picture is the flowers and card that came with the frogs. I love how my husband puts thought into getting a flower arrangement and vase that are not typical. I love the artsy-ness of the arrangement and the smell of the flowers. Any woman who doesn't like flowers is a mystery to me because I think they are so beautiful. Thanks for a wonderful Valentine's Day honey. I love you.

Captain's Log: Year One

Happy Valentine's Day! So today is Valentine's Day and also about one year since I started this blog. I can't believe the time has gone so fast, but I have also enjoyed writing a blog immensely. What I do not enjoy is waking up today feeling slightly sick. You know the feeling. Not sick enough to declare to the world, "I am sick!", yet not well enough to feel like you could tackle the world.....or even yoga. Yep, yoga was skipped today because of my icky feeling. I don't know how some people manage to exercise even when they are full-blown sick. For me, it is difficult enough to get myself to do it when I am feeling well.

I have noticed an unusual amount of people this year have decided it is funny to say "Happy VD!" for Valentine's Day. I will admit I chuckled the fist time I heard it, but it got old really fast. It's not funny anymore unless:

A. You are a 13-year-old boy or
B. You live in a isolated town and you just got the internet for the first time today.

Unless those two situations apply to you, please keep your VD to yourself.

Valentine's Day seems to be one of the more disliked holidays. People dislike it because they don't have a significant other or because they feel it is a pointless holiday created by companies. For me, neither of these things matters when it comes to whether or not I enjoy Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day to me is a day to remember those you love, whether they be family, friends, or spouse. It is a day to cherish what you have. It doesn't matter how it started or how commercial it may have become. YOU make it what you want it to be. If you think it is too commercial, then don't buy anything for the occasion. Just spend time with the ones you love and tell them how much they mean to you. Our time in this life is not unlimited, and I, for one, would rather spend it next to someone I love than worrying if I get flowers or chocolates.

Gymnastics For The Athletically-Challenged

I have been doing yoga here and there to try to keep in shape. I like to do it at home because even though I think yoga can be beautiful, it's not so beautiful when I do it. I have never been the most coordinated, athletic person. Yeah, I played the usual sports growing up: soccer and softball. But I as the years went by I never improved much. (I can't say that I practiced much either.) After a particularly mortifying incident in gym class where I couldn't hit a softball to save my life, I decided sports could go shove it.

If I had any athletic ability, I would have been a gymnast. As a kid I would watch gymnastics on t.v. and long for the skills to do what those gymnasts did. Sometimes I would even try out some of the moves. (Usually with unfavorable results.) Now that I am an adult with poor athletic skills, the closest I can come to my gymnast dream is yoga. Yoga is like gymnastics for the athletically-challenged. It has some difficult and beautiful poses, but it is slow enough that if you don't get it the first time you can just keep trying. In gymnastics, if you you don't get it right you could possibly kill yourself. So I am sticking with yoga until such a time as I am willing to risk my life or at least my dignity.

The Good Kind Of Noise

I can't say I have ever been one for background noise. I would much rather have complete silence than any sort of nondescript noise. Noise makes it hard for me to concentrate on anything. I am perplexed by those people who always need some sort of background noise. Silence is as irritating to them as noise is to me. But I have found one noise-maker that I love, love, love. My relaxing sound maker.



It has six sounds: rain forest, heartbeat, ocean, summer night, rain, waterfall. I enjoy all the sounds except heartbeat. That's just a little creepy. My very favorite one is rain. Can't get enough of it. Then again, if it was up to me, the weather would rain me to sleep every night. At least with this thing I can imagine it is raining every night. Even in the winter. (It has probably rained more than snowed this winter anyway, so I don't have to imagine too often.) The only problem I have run into is when I leave it on too loud at night and it wakes me up. It's not that I don't like it, but I am so used to silence when I sleep that any noise can propel me out of a sound sleep and leave me dazed and confused as I try to process what all the noise is about. As long as I leave it on quietly, though, I'm just peachy.

Promises

It kind of bothers me when people start a blog and write in it regularly for a while, and then slowly stop writing in it altogether. I know life gets busy, yada yada yada, but then don't commit to it in the first place. I am the type of person who likes to finish everything I start, and it bothers me when others don't do the same. If I start a book and decide that I don't like it, I will still finish it. If I am working on a task, it is very hard for me to take a break until I am finished.

Blogs are certainly an optional activity for most people. However, I think starting a blog and then not continuing it, or at least telling people you are ending it, is like making a promise and not keeping it. I don't believe promises are something to be taken lightly. If you make a promise to me, you better intend to keep it, or........Well there isn't much I can do, but I will give you a very stern look. The point is, I think many people take promises too lightly. If you don't think you can do what you promise, DON'T PROMISE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. Also, if you don't make good on your promise, don't make excuses. Excuses bug me.........A LOT. Just admit that you didn't do what you promised. Excuses don't make it better. They actually make it worse because they mean that your promise never meant anything. How can a promise mean anything if you know you can just get out of it with an excuse? I will probably end up eating my words in the future if I have kids and I start to slack on my blog. At that point you are allowed to give me a very stern look.

Close Up

I figured out how to take close-up pictures with my camera.

Lookey here -






Well I thought it was cool.

Do Good, Feel Good

I like quotes. Not really sure why. Maybe because other people can express ideals that I can never seem to put into words. So when I find a quote I like it is because the quote expresses exactly how I feel. I just couldn't ever put it into words myself. The latest quote that I have found is this one -

"When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion."
— Abraham Lincoln

I love the simplicity of it. No fancy "100 rules to live by" or long-winded philosophies or complicated rituals. Just do what makes you feel good. Of course this doesn't work for everyone. Different things make different people happy, and what makes a person happy might not be "good". But I think it is a good starting point.

I am not a particularly religious person and I hate how so many conflicts and wars occur over religion or differences in general. Why can't people just "do good" and "feel good"? Don't make life so serious and complicated. I feel like my religion is to do good and feel good. I don't try to force anyone to believe a certain way, and I hope people will be kind enough to do the same for me.