Monday, February 27, 2012

Monday Funday

Mondays are never fun. They are after Sunday and the first day of a usually long week. BUT never fear. Its all in the thinking. Today, think about Monday as the beginning of the greatest week of your life. Set a mini goal and strive to meet it by Friday. For example, maybe its drinking one less cup of joe a day or cutting that extra spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down. Do it everyday this week and maybe you've just formed yourself a nice little habit! And it will make you feel good about accomplishing something this week so that even if everything else goes wrong, this little thing went right! You go Glen Coco!

Heres a little song to get you up and excited about the day to come! The world is waiting for you. Go make some noise.

Don't forget to check out Skinny Girl Thoughts brought to you by the one and only, me. This week is the decision between P90x and Insanity. Suggestions welcome!

What are you going to do to change your life today?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Brain Guts

Don't worry, I'm not going to describe the oozing that is my brain at this moment. So much to talk about! So to stop the ooze, I'm getting it out on this incredibly quick and witty blog that is mine. I was going to make this a vlog(video blog) but my face sprouted twin Mount Everests so thats out...To start off todays post, I would like to talk about Hershey's newest candy coming out. It's called Hershey Air Delight. There are little air pockets throughout the chocolate bar that are somehow supposed to make the chocolate better. REALLY? They are making you pay for AIR! First off, especially in my current situation of changing mah body, if I'm going to actually eat a chocolate bar, it isn't going to have holes in it and it wont be Hershey. I'm goin for the fancy Swiss stuff that actually tastes like real chocolate. Secondly, chocolate isn't wine, it doesn't get better the more air its exposed to! It just gets old and crust. Like a person....(insert drum badum here). They are even bringing it to the Hershey Kiss form. You barely get a piece of chocolate already, putting holes in it isn't going to fix those issues.... AND, if we all are really going to die at the end of December, there sure as hell will not be holes in my chocolate. Plus, you breath while eating, hopefully, which exposes the chocolate to air, not that it needed it.

(I literally have an agenda for all the things I want to write.....I warned you)

I came home today at an unusually early time. My parents were gone. Since moving home, the roles have completely reversed. I'm the one who sits at home and does nothing while my parents go out and party it up at the casino. I have to beg them to do things with me. As I found out in my communications class this week, I'm a very extroverted person. Now, I didn't need a personality test to tell me this obviously, but still, I need to be with people (that I like) pretty much all the time. In my current situation that has become really hard. So I try to hang out with my parents. Epic fail.... They have to set up date night to hang out with my sister, and they invite me off hand. I live with them and I have to be invited to family date night... #peopleproblems I almost went to that new hottie movie with Channing Tatum, The Vow, BY MYSELF tonight. Then I thought twice about it and decided against wallowing by myself at the back of a theater... Good choice. So instead I did a little GTL without the TL. Go me.

School. Is. Awesome. If I had known about Metropolitan before, I would be a much richer person right now. I go to class twice a week for three hours and twenty minutes and thats it. Then I do some homework, pretend to be smart, sign in to my online classes once in awhile and I'm good. I can still work while still getting a really good education. I've learned more in my two months here than I did in my two years at Marquette. And its all because of the style. I'm not up doing homework till the wee hours of the morning because I have a week to do it. I'm not pressured into learning. I can do it at my own pace. That being said, you're allowed to miss 10 hours of class, which is three classes. Thats so much. And people complain about it and actually use it. I feel like I would never be in school if I actually used the time. Spring break is coming up. But why do I need it. At Marquette it was a god send to escape the hectic life that is Milwaukee and I was so run down from doing school, and other things, 24/7. But now, its seems kind of useless. I mean I have to work so I don't really get one anyway, but I feel like I never go to class. At least I'm learning.

That brings me to my major. Someone gave me shit this week for wanting to be a juvenile probation officer. They told me I was going to be poor the rest of my life and end up depressed. This may very well be true, but thats why I'm here, in my parents basement. I know I'm not going to be rolling the cash. But I'm preparing myself for that now. And this job isn't about the money for me. So many kids are written off the minute they enter the system. I want to be the person that helps them escape that cycle. A beacon of hope in a shit world. I started out my freshman year wanting to be an International Business Major. I changed that dream the second semester there. I'm not cut out to sit behind a desk all day and make people money. Not up for that. So I switched to Social Work. Took the intro class and dropped that major the second the class ended. I would definitely be depressed if I went down that path. Not only would I have to get my masters, but the world is just a very depressing place and I don't want to have to deal with that. So I switched to Criminology wanting to be a big bad FBI agent someday. And maybe I still do, but I still want to work with kids and help people so its the best of both worlds. Then I tacked on the Law Enforcement double major because of the first day I walked onto the Brooklyn Park campus last fall and was surrounded by about a hundred men in uniform doing narcotics training and felt home haha. It would be nice to know how to use a fire arm......WATCH OUT! I'm comin.

As we reach the end of this hodge podge of a post, I hope you're still with me. If you are, thank you and I appreciate the time you devote to my words of wisdom. If you aren't then you won't read this and I don't care. There is this awesome website called 8tracks. http://8tracks.com It's an amazing website with all kinds of musical playlists. Its I get most of the music I have on my Ipod right now and am listening to it as I right at this moment. Check it out. Its absolutely fantastic.

Don't forget to check out Skinny Girl Thoughts brought to you by me. What are you going ot do to change your life today? I decided not to buy chocolate with holes in it.....What did you do?

PS! The fashion blog had to be postponed due to lack of time and not being home. Tune in Friday for it!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Bang Bang Club

I don't know what it is lately, but I'm having trouble being content right now. Don't get me wrong, I've made my decision, as I've stated many times before, and I'm fine with it. But I don't want to be here forever. My freshman year of college was the first time I contemplated leaving Marquette. I didn't feel like I was accomplishing anything or making any kind of impact on the world. The wound was still pretty fresh from not being in Switzerland and freshman year is hard for everyone. I'm glad I stayed as long as I did. I met amazing people and had amazing experiences that a lot of people don't get to have. But I feel like I'm stuck now. I can't help being jealous of my friends who are traveling the world and doing their thing. Its feel like its natural to feel abandoned. Even though that is probably a bad choice of wording, its what I feel. But at the same time, I'm so proud of those people who are doing something greater. But I'm still unsatisfied. I want to be in those places, experiences those things, having my mind blown every single day. I want to by an old camera, pack a backpack with the bare essentials and go on my merry way. But that isn't how the world works. Money controls every single thing and I hate that.

I watched a movie last night called the Bang Bang Club. Admittedly I only started it because the one and only FNL hottie Taylor Kitsch was in it. I finished it because the story was truly amazing and really made me think about the world we live in. It is about 4 photographers in the time of the Nelson Mandela election when mass fighting was breaking out. It was all about getting the shot and selling the pictures to make a living. These 4 photographers went right into the fighting but because they were white, they wouldn't be harmed. It gradually became less about sharing the stories and more about getting the better pictures. One man even wondered what he would do when it was over and there was no more action. I don't want to give the movie away because I feel that everyone should watch it. Its based on a true story and really worth it. But the point is, we can take these pictures of people dying and being slaughtered in front of your eyes. We can open the eyes of the world to the problems happening around us. But what are we doing to fix these problems? My American Nature writing class has made me think about a lot more than just critiquing works about nature. The theories of how we help the world apply to all facets of life. We can donate as much money as we want to nations less fortunate to us, but what are we doing directly to help people. I'm not saying that we should all fly to third world countries and save them. It is an unrealistic proposition. There are people here in America who need help. Right around the corner from any one person is someone less fortunate. I just want to help everyone. I want to hear their stories and get them out there. But more than that, I want to actually, physically help them.

I have never really been one to want more things than I have. But I want this. And I want it so badly it keeps me up at night. Through all the changes I have made throughout this last year, I still want more. It may be some selfish need to feel good about myself, but doesn't everyone deserve that at some point in their life. The feeling that they matter, that they are making a difference or some sort of impact on the ever changing world around them has to be the greatest feeling in the world. I have yet to feel it. Sure, I've probably had glimpses of this throughout my short life, but not enough to be satisfied. The Peace Corp isn't some hippy dream of mine. Its something I really want to do and something I'm really passionate about. I love the work they do and the opportunities they provide. Whether I do that right after college or later on in life, I'm going to do it. But I want more than that. I want to throw myself into a water conservation project in India, teach kids to read in Russia, play with children in Africa, save animals in Cape Town. I want to do it all. I can talk all I want about these things, but like I've said before. Taking the first step is always the hardest. For now, I start small. Find a charity I believe in and become a part of it. I will help someone someday. I'm not going to save the world from itself. But someone out there is going to have their life changed and their story heard one day. This I promise, not only to myself but to that person.

For now I change my health one day at a time. Don't forget to check out Skinny Girl Thoughts but yours truly. What are you going to do to change your life today?

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Internationally Known

I would just like to give a little shout out to my international readers. I have a lot of friends studying abroad so thank you for taking time out of your travels to read! I don't actually know how many of them are friends since I don't really know where they all are butttt if you aren't a friend, thank you for taking time out of your random lives to read! It makes me feel important to see all the different countries go green from having readers in them. So thank you for the confidence boost. Tune in on Monday for an epic epic epic post. Lets just say I'm making a parody of a fashion blog. If you know me, I'm not the most fashionable person on the planet. My idea of fashion is whatever I can get off the rack at Goodwill for under 2 dollahs. This isn't bad, but I also don't really follow the gender sections. So tune in on Monday for a great winter outfit. (Get it, not only making fun of my fashion but also winter since we haven't really had one...) GET EXCITED! For now, a song to recognize my international celebrity. The song sucks but is funny because I'm weird like that. They can't sing and can barely work the auto tune button.....

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Ordinary People Who Have Changed The World

I've always grappled with the idea of being ordinary. What does that word really mean? And I don't just mean in the literal sense with the dictionary definition. I want to know what it means to every single person who has ever thought they were "ordinary". I know I have. And I know that I am. To me ordinary is extraordinary. Now I find this to be a very very funny sick joke. Ordinary is something with no special distinctive features. Extraordinary is something very unusual or remarkable. But look at the word. EXTRA and ORDINARY. Those may the literal definitions, but to me, ordinary is special. Being extraordinary is just taking it to the next level. I haven't done anything that had impacted the world in any major way. But there are things I do every day that impact someone's day, and maybe even the rest of their life. I don't know if anyone has every watched Pay It Forward and not been a puddle hot mess of tears at the end of it. But that movie inspires an idea to be better. Good deeds don't have boundaries. They are an endless sea and when brought together as a whole, the impact has been great. The whole idea of pay it forward is to help three people then they help three people and it spreads throughout the world. This isn't just a movie idea, its real.

This is a story from a website I'll share with you call Ordinary People Who Have Changed the world. There was a massive storm one night that washed tons and tons of starfish onto the beach. A little girl was walking the beach the day after the storm and was picking the starfish up and tossing them back into the ocean. Eventually, a group gather to watch this girl. At first they thought it was funny how she thought she was going to get them all back into the water. A man finally went up to her and asked her why she was doing that. She was never going to get them all back in so what impact was she making? She looked at him, picked up another starfish and threw it as far as she could back into the water. She turned to him and said "I made a difference for that one". The man thought about this, then bent down and started to help her. Eventually a whole group joined in and save all of the starfish.

What makes this story so good is the fact that she is a child. We often think that children don't really know what they are doing and just do whatever they fancy at any point in time. In reality, children see the world as it is. It isn't clouded by wars, protests, money, politics or hate. Children love unconditionally and think about things in the simplest ways. That is what is wrong with the world. We grow up and think we have everything figured out. That could not be farther from the truth. I don't think anyone will really have anything figured out. Its all an illusion to make us feel comfortable. But life isn't comfortable. Life is supposed to be exciting. This is the time when we should be seeing the world through a child's eye. Just one "childish" idea can change the world in more ways than any adult could. There is this lack of trust between people these days that clouds the world. Believe it or not, everyone isn't out to get you. Yes, there are those people who stomp on anyone to get to where they want to go. But not everyone. Just opening the door or helping someone carry their groceries changes the world. If everyone were to do five nice things a day, and I mean every single person in the world, think about how the world would be. This is a pipe dream, but dreams are good. What's a world without dreams? Nothing in my opinion. Dreams can lead to realities.

So here's to dreaming and believing that we can be better than who we are today. Do something nice today. You might just inspire a revolution.

http://www.ordinarypeoplechangetheworld.com/

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Covers

I was inspired yesterday (while driving in the car of course) to do a post on covers. Covers can go either way in my personal opinion. There are few of my list that are better than the original and others that just ruin the song. So, I'm leaving it up to you. So I present to you my top 5 rap covers by acoustic artists in no particular order except for number one because it's my absolute favorite!
Note: This is my opinion. You don't have to agree with me. I shouldn't even have to say this, but we all know what happened last time ;) Enjoy!

5. All of The Lights(Kanye West) Cover Artist: Cris Cab

4. Whatever You Like(T.I) Cover Artist: Anya Maria

3. Whip My Hair(Willow Smith) Cover Artist: James Vincent McMorrow

2. 99 Problems(Jay Z) Cover Artist: Hugo

1. Pursuit of Happiness(Kid Cudi)  Cover Artist: Lissie                    

Don't forget to check out Skinny Girl Thoughts by yours truly for stories about kickin fat in the face! What are you going to do to change your life today?

Thursday, February 2, 2012

February

There is going to a wealth of information thrown at you all today! February started off with a bang! I love it!

First off, I can't believe its already February. Where did January go? With all the warm weather, it felt more like spring than what was supposed to be the butt of winter. Not complaining at all! I leave my workouts in my tshirt. I'm okay with that. Secondly, I finally got a little recognition from the job that has been a pain my butt this whole year. I didn't expect it from them, but I really appreciated it. Its nice to hear that you're good at cleaning out refrigerators and folding laundry. Skills recently acquired by myself. Its surprisingly therapeutic. Next on the list is a high note in the music industry. The Pines newest CD came out on January 31st and it does not disappoint. Its absolutely amazing. You will certainly not make your day worse by listening to this work of art. And now, for funny things that have happened to me this week. Mind you, its only Thrusday :)

1. Went to the bathroom on Tuesday. Not out of the ordinary. Went back into the bathroom about an hour later. Went to grab some toilet paper and it had all unraveled off the roll. By itself. There's a toilet paper ghost in my bathroom. And it like to play pranks on me. That was really tedious to have to re roll the toilet paper back onto the cardboard.

2. Someone asked my to "borrow" a piece of paper in class the other day and it got me thinking. You borrow a pen. You can keep a piece of paper. What are you going to do? Give me back the piece of paper with all of your notes on it? And same for tissues or toilet paper(popular topic today). I'm definitely not going to ask for those things back after you used them. Its funny how many times people ask you to borrow something when you know you aren't going to want it back. So yes, you can have a piece of paper. Yes, you can have a tissue.... Just some food for thought.

3. Orgasm noises while lifting at the gym. Tune into Skinny Girl Thoughts for the story about this one....

4. Clyde got a solo in the variety show! I just cannot imagine how good of a singer he is. This isn't the first time he's gotten a solo in a show, but the choir he's in didn't even get into this show! So I'm excited to see how this will all play out at the show this Saturday. Which brings us to the next funny thing!

5. I haven't see the mom of Bonnie since I first met her in August. We talk on the phone all the time about schedules so it doesn't feel like it, but thats a little weird! I've worked for her for over 5 months now. Haven't seen her once. But all will be right in the world since the whole family will be going to the show this weekend!

I feel like funnier things have happened to me this week but just can't recall them. And I'm sure they were only funny to me and wont be to everyone else. So! For something that really is funny. I'm sure we've all heard of the Ellen show. Kristen Bell was a guest recently and brought a little video of herself. Lets just say she really like sloths. Here's to sharing a couple laughs today! Enjoy.