What is it with every housewife in the country suddenly needing to write a blog about cooking, photography, crafting, and their kids? The story is always the same -
"Hi, I'm so-and-so and I have been married to my wonderful husband for 7 years and we have three overly cute children! I go to school and work and I'm a full time mom. There never seems to be enough hours in the day, but in my spare time I am able to blog, craft, cook, scrapbook, take photos, and do everything in the world! Thanks for stopping by my little old blog!"
Gag! I'm not sure why these blogs bug me so much because I still read them, and I am a blogger. The ultimate hypocrite. All I can say is I don't understand why they all seem to be so cookie-cutter, and why they all give off an impression of desperately trying to fill a void in their lives with crafts and blogging. Maybe I am the same (except for the crafting part), but at least I can recognize it. Most of these bloggers seem oblivious to their sameness and to the overall insignificance of what they do. Why not write about something that will make people think? Why not get over yourself and your perfect, crafty life for a second and write about bigger world issues?
We live in a time where every person seems to have an incredible need to show off their uniqueness and to be remembered after they are gone. Guess what? Very few people are truly unique and even fewer will be remembered in any significant way. All the blogs in the world won't change that. So why not accept that? Live your life for yourself and the ones you love, and stop worrying about posting your every thought, picture, and accomplishment on the internet. You know the importance of your life, so stop trying to get everyone else to validate it. What matters is not being remembered, but knowing in your own heart that your life is worthwhile.
I like cooking and crafts as much as anyone, but even I can see there is more to life. Are these women using their blogs as an escape from the real world, or are they trying too hard to preserve their own memory? Either way, I will probably still continue to read them, but only for a little bit of lite entertainment.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Bountiful Baskets
How do you like the new look of my blog? I know it's really not that different, but it seemed to take forever to accomplish. Maybe it's just me and my computer-illiterate ways, but changing the look of my blog seems to be incredibly difficult. I spend long spans of time staring at the blog interface screen trying to find the right place to click. Even now I have no idea how to center the picture at the top of my blog, even though I have probably spent hours trying to accomplish that one simple task. Sometime you just have to let it go........ By the way, do you like the new picture? I like it a lot, and I think it says, "Welcome to my blog!" As much as I love the old picture of Mike and I, I get bored of the same thing all the time. If I was a master at designing blogs, I would probably be changing the look of my blog at least every week. But since I am not, I focus mostly on the writing part for my own sanity.
Last Saturday Mike and I got our second ever Bountiful Basket, and I have to say it is almost like Christmas every time I get one of these. I said ALMOST. If you are not familiar with Bountiful Baskets, take a look at their web site. They are a non-profit co-op that distributes baskets of fruits and vegetables at a low cost. The only catch is they ask you to volunteer once in a while, and you have to get up incredibly early on a Saturday to pick up your basket. The baskets are supposed to contain about 1/2 fruit and 1/2 vegetables, but so far ours seem to have more fruits than veggies. What do you think?
That's fine with me since I LOVE fruit. Mike, on the other hand, may be slightly disappointed. There is also an option to get an organic basket for $10 more. I would love to get one of those, but $10 is a little pricey for my meager budget. Still, I have been very pleased with the produce thus far. It's a little much for just Mike and I to eat all by ourselves, but attempts to find other produce-lovers to share with have failed.
Speaking of food, I had this awesome fruit pastry at the Clearfield Grounds for Coffee last weekend.
Oh, it was soooooooooooooooooooo good! Now if you will excuse me, I need to go eat something because all this food talk is making me hungry.
Last Saturday Mike and I got our second ever Bountiful Basket, and I have to say it is almost like Christmas every time I get one of these. I said ALMOST. If you are not familiar with Bountiful Baskets, take a look at their web site. They are a non-profit co-op that distributes baskets of fruits and vegetables at a low cost. The only catch is they ask you to volunteer once in a while, and you have to get up incredibly early on a Saturday to pick up your basket. The baskets are supposed to contain about 1/2 fruit and 1/2 vegetables, but so far ours seem to have more fruits than veggies. What do you think?
That's fine with me since I LOVE fruit. Mike, on the other hand, may be slightly disappointed. There is also an option to get an organic basket for $10 more. I would love to get one of those, but $10 is a little pricey for my meager budget. Still, I have been very pleased with the produce thus far. It's a little much for just Mike and I to eat all by ourselves, but attempts to find other produce-lovers to share with have failed.
Speaking of food, I had this awesome fruit pastry at the Clearfield Grounds for Coffee last weekend.
Oh, it was soooooooooooooooooooo good! Now if you will excuse me, I need to go eat something because all this food talk is making me hungry.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Presidental
If you know me you know I am not very into politics. In fact, I think politics suck. The only way to have harmony in the government is to be fair and upstanding, and to always compromise. But no politicians these days seem to be able to do that, so we end up with a lot of bickering, and nothing being accomplished.
Despite my dislike for all things politics, once in a great while, there comes along a politician who I don't mind too much. A politician who is imperfect like the rest of us, but who nevertheless seems to want to do the right thing and help as many people as possible. I think President Obama is one of those kind of politicians. So it bothers me when people criticize him for not fixing every single problem with our country and government. First of all, I don't think any mortal being is capable of fixing EVERY problem with our country, let alone a single one. Presidents can try their best to make our situation better, but it is very difficult if not impossible to solve most political problems. Why? Because people are not willing to compromise.
Secondly, major problems do not get fixed overnight or even in a few years. People seem to expect the president to fix things in a short time, and if he doesn't they start to dislike him. That is so stupid to me. That is like losing faith in your dad when he can't do everything Superman can do. The expectations are way too high considering what is possible.
All I ask when it comes to politics is honesty, fairness, and compromise. Obama seems to have those qualities. I am satisfied. To all those people who voted for Obama and now bash him I would say, "Why do you still believe in Superman?"
Despite my dislike for all things politics, once in a great while, there comes along a politician who I don't mind too much. A politician who is imperfect like the rest of us, but who nevertheless seems to want to do the right thing and help as many people as possible. I think President Obama is one of those kind of politicians. So it bothers me when people criticize him for not fixing every single problem with our country and government. First of all, I don't think any mortal being is capable of fixing EVERY problem with our country, let alone a single one. Presidents can try their best to make our situation better, but it is very difficult if not impossible to solve most political problems. Why? Because people are not willing to compromise.
Secondly, major problems do not get fixed overnight or even in a few years. People seem to expect the president to fix things in a short time, and if he doesn't they start to dislike him. That is so stupid to me. That is like losing faith in your dad when he can't do everything Superman can do. The expectations are way too high considering what is possible.
All I ask when it comes to politics is honesty, fairness, and compromise. Obama seems to have those qualities. I am satisfied. To all those people who voted for Obama and now bash him I would say, "Why do you still believe in Superman?"
Friday, September 16, 2011
Magpie
Last weekend Mike and I went camping with some friends. I wanted to go because I hadn't been camping all summer and I crave the outdoors like a fat person craves food. Mike wanted to go because I made him.
It was only a one night event and not too far from home, so Mike actually didn't mind it, and I loved it. Two nights would have been even better but work doesn't let us off our leashes for too long. Anyway, here are a few pictures from out campsite which was right by the river and so beautiful.
Our friends, Bryce and Robin, brought this hammock which Mike and I fell in love with. It's super relaxing and comfy. It's from Brazil so we may just have to make it a priority to travel to Brazil to get one.
These next pictures are of Bear playing in the river with Robin. She would kick at the water and Bear would dig in the riverbed to find out where the splashing was coming from. A good time was had by all.
There was a sort of slanted tree in our camp which both of the Robins climbed. Even Bear went into mountain-goat-mode and scrambled up the tree. I know I look like a total wimp, but that tree was harder to climb than it looks.
Finally, here are a few random pictures. Thanks again to Bryce and Robin for going with us and especially to Robin for cooking an amazing campfire breakfast! My mouth still waters every time I think of it.
On a side note, I am very impressed with the new version of blogger. They have made it about a million times easier to add photos. No more cutting and pasting all that HTML text. I might add more photos now just because I don't have to struggle through it for hours. Kudos to whoever makes this thing.
It was only a one night event and not too far from home, so Mike actually didn't mind it, and I loved it. Two nights would have been even better but work doesn't let us off our leashes for too long. Anyway, here are a few pictures from out campsite which was right by the river and so beautiful.
Our friends, Bryce and Robin, brought this hammock which Mike and I fell in love with. It's super relaxing and comfy. It's from Brazil so we may just have to make it a priority to travel to Brazil to get one.
These next pictures are of Bear playing in the river with Robin. She would kick at the water and Bear would dig in the riverbed to find out where the splashing was coming from. A good time was had by all.
There was a sort of slanted tree in our camp which both of the Robins climbed. Even Bear went into mountain-goat-mode and scrambled up the tree. I know I look like a total wimp, but that tree was harder to climb than it looks.
Finally, here are a few random pictures. Thanks again to Bryce and Robin for going with us and especially to Robin for cooking an amazing campfire breakfast! My mouth still waters every time I think of it.
On a side note, I am very impressed with the new version of blogger. They have made it about a million times easier to add photos. No more cutting and pasting all that HTML text. I might add more photos now just because I don't have to struggle through it for hours. Kudos to whoever makes this thing.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Sin Does Not Mean Evil
Bet you were wondering where I have been. Why haven't I been writing? Well, I just didn't feel like it. I don't have a good excuse at all and I figure everyone is sick of me apologizing for not writing often. So I'm letting you know now that you get what you get with this blog. I'm not always in a writing mood and I've decided there is no reason to stress about a blog. I realize I have complained in the past about other bloggers not keeping up with their blogs, but I'm over that because I now think a stress-free life is way more important than any blog. Writing should be about de-stressing. It shouldn't cause stress. So to all you bloggers out there - Blog as much or as little as you like! (I'm sure everyone was waiting for my permission to do that.) Anyway, onward to the topic of this post.
Evil. Does it exist? I think it does, but far less often than most people think. Most people think people who commit horrible crimes are all evil, but I beg to differ. I would say truly evil people are few and far between. I think people who commit crimes are usually victims themselves of bad circumstances. Being a victim doesn't justify committing a crime. It just means that the person commits the crime because they are hurt, scared, or angry. Not because they are evil. Of course if you are a victim of a crime, it doesn't usually make you feel better to think that the person who committed the crime is not evil. You still feel hurt, sad, or angry. But notice those are similar to the feelings I wrote to describe the person committing the crime. So we have something in common, and I think that allows for empathy and forgiveness toward the criminal.
Maybe I just tend to see the good in people, but I don't see most criminals as monsters who have no soul and no feelings. I see them as imperfect humans who are damaged in some way and who made bad choices. Can anyone of us 'non-criminals' claim to have never made a bad choice?
Evil. Does it exist? I think it does, but far less often than most people think. Most people think people who commit horrible crimes are all evil, but I beg to differ. I would say truly evil people are few and far between. I think people who commit crimes are usually victims themselves of bad circumstances. Being a victim doesn't justify committing a crime. It just means that the person commits the crime because they are hurt, scared, or angry. Not because they are evil. Of course if you are a victim of a crime, it doesn't usually make you feel better to think that the person who committed the crime is not evil. You still feel hurt, sad, or angry. But notice those are similar to the feelings I wrote to describe the person committing the crime. So we have something in common, and I think that allows for empathy and forgiveness toward the criminal.
Maybe I just tend to see the good in people, but I don't see most criminals as monsters who have no soul and no feelings. I see them as imperfect humans who are damaged in some way and who made bad choices. Can anyone of us 'non-criminals' claim to have never made a bad choice?
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Machinehead
When I think about how many machines most people use on a daily basis I am surprised at how common they have become. I feel like a pretty self-sufficient person, but when I consider all the machines that help me do daily tasks, I am blown away by how much I rely on them. I use all these machines either directly or indirectly -
Car
Microwave
Computer
Cash Register/Computer
Washing Machine
Dryer
Cell Phone
Refrigerator
Television
Factory Machines
Airplanes
Lawn Mower
I-Pod
Electric Tools
Blow Dryer
Straight Iron
Iron
Radio
You get the idea. The list could be much longer. I don't mind that we have so many great machines that enhance the quality of our lives. What I do mind is the fact that machines are getting more complex while people's understanding of them is getting more limited. Do you know how how to build a television? Could you make a computer.........from scratch?! Can you even begin to comprehend how your cell phone works? What I'm getting at is, what good is all this technology if we don't know how it works and we can't fix it when it breaks? We get so used to using all these machines, so when they stop working, we don't know what to do without them. For example, if the power goes out at the grocery store, the grocery store shuts down. Why? Because they can't sell anything when they don't have their fancy cash resisters to scan every item and add it up. What happened to the days when the clerk at the store used MATH to add up what you were buying? Do we really need modern cash registers? If you say yes then you best be learning how to fix one.
Even if we use machines, I don't think we need to always make them as complex as they are. Consider cars. When they were first invented they were little more than a motor with a seat and wheels. These days cars have all kinds of complex systems controlled by a computer. While this technology can be helpful and even amazing, if it breaks it is infinitely harder to fix than the older machines. Is it that hard to go without something like power windows if it means less worry and maintenance? Why do people need gas-powered lawn mowers when rotating blades on wheels work just fine? I use machines as much as the next person, but I think there is a point when enough is enough with newer and more complex gadgets, because if we rely to much on machines, we will have no idea what to do if they all stop working one day.
Car
Microwave
Computer
Cash Register/Computer
Washing Machine
Dryer
Cell Phone
Refrigerator
Television
Factory Machines
Airplanes
Lawn Mower
I-Pod
Electric Tools
Blow Dryer
Straight Iron
Iron
Radio
You get the idea. The list could be much longer. I don't mind that we have so many great machines that enhance the quality of our lives. What I do mind is the fact that machines are getting more complex while people's understanding of them is getting more limited. Do you know how how to build a television? Could you make a computer.........from scratch?! Can you even begin to comprehend how your cell phone works? What I'm getting at is, what good is all this technology if we don't know how it works and we can't fix it when it breaks? We get so used to using all these machines, so when they stop working, we don't know what to do without them. For example, if the power goes out at the grocery store, the grocery store shuts down. Why? Because they can't sell anything when they don't have their fancy cash resisters to scan every item and add it up. What happened to the days when the clerk at the store used MATH to add up what you were buying? Do we really need modern cash registers? If you say yes then you best be learning how to fix one.
Even if we use machines, I don't think we need to always make them as complex as they are. Consider cars. When they were first invented they were little more than a motor with a seat and wheels. These days cars have all kinds of complex systems controlled by a computer. While this technology can be helpful and even amazing, if it breaks it is infinitely harder to fix than the older machines. Is it that hard to go without something like power windows if it means less worry and maintenance? Why do people need gas-powered lawn mowers when rotating blades on wheels work just fine? I use machines as much as the next person, but I think there is a point when enough is enough with newer and more complex gadgets, because if we rely to much on machines, we will have no idea what to do if they all stop working one day.
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