Craft Blogs

I follow so many crafting blogs, it's a little crazy.  I just enjoy learning about techniques and special products and seeing people craft.  I love it so much.

And seeing all of their crafts makes me wish I had taken pictures of all the cards I made.  Not as a how-to.  That's time-consuming, and I appreciate and admire the people who make how-to's for me.  I just want those people to see what I've done, because sometimes I use their techniques, even for things they might not have thought of doing.

Crafting is exciting stuff, and there are those of us who love sharing it.  I wish I did it more often.

The Boy in Striped Pajamas

For some reason, I submit myself to movies and books dealing with the Holocaust.  I know it's not an inspiring time period.  I know it's not uplifting.  In fact, it makes you feel like absolute crap most of the time.

But somewhere, even in the most depressing of stories, even when I'm bawling my eyes out and trying not to make sobbing sounds (because as everyone knows, those are just the ugliest and most hurtful sounds in the world), even when I'm so distraught...

There's usually love somewhere in it.  There's usually some sort of brotherly bond, whether it's bonds between prisoner and prisoner, or if there's a soldier/citizen who really cares about the Jews, there's something there that tugs my heart and says "see? not everyone was evil at that time."

and i just watched a movie i've wanted to watch since it came out: the boy in striped pajamas.

it is a bawl baby movie, and i could not help making sounds as i sobbed my heart out.  it has a literary ending, and if you know my opinion on what constitutes as a literary ending v a hollywood ending, you'll know that this was a beautiful movie--well written, well executed, and it made a point (a really sharp one).

if you are someone like me, if you are one of the people in the world that appreciates this genre of film and literature, then read the book or watch the movie.  and if you aren't someone like me, this movie is at least a good excuse to cry if you are too macho to cry on your own.

Burgeoning

Anyone know what that word means?

I'll use it in a sentence, because it's pretty easy to figure out:

Brand equity is a burgeoning field.

Web definition provided by Webster:

Bourgeon (v): 2-To grow and expand rapidly. Synonym: flourish.

So how about that?  You have a cool new word for "flourish" now.

I thought it was exciting...

hmmm...continued

so i met a guy friday night and we went to a bonfire and walked around in the mountains with one of his friends and one of my friends.  since then, we've been together on saturday night and monday night, and we've texted sunday night and tuesday night.

i'm simply recording this because i usually freak out (in a scared way) at the concept of a date, no matter how much fun i think it will be or how into the guy i am.  i'm recording this because this blog is pretty much a journal of sorts (just without details that i don't feel comfortable giving the public), and it is a significant event for me to spend so much time with a guy and for me to feel more curious than nervous.

that is all.  also, i have been having a good time, if any of you would like to know.  he's a spontaneous and nice guy, and we seem to click well so far.  but that is all.  so if you've been wondering why i haven't been blogging lately, it's because i've been working on final projects for school and spending time with my friends and this man.

hmmm...

he's intriguing

i'm curious

he's nice

i'm skeptical

it was a good date

so what's my problem?

stop freaking out

just have fun

oh, and be safe

the star crunch that shifted the earth crust

I was eating a star crunch on my couch, and then I started wiggling--not on purpose. my body was jiggling, wiggling, moving, and all other appropriate synonyms.  the first thought that came to my head? try this on for size:

"Is this what it feels like to get fat?  I don't think these make me fat that fast. Do you wiggle while you put on weight?"

then i thought, maybe i'm imagining it, because I imagine lots of stuff. but i put the star crunch back in the cupboard to finish later, just to be safe.  for all i knew, it was going to make me explode.

then people came home and asked if i felt the earthquake.  it all made sense then.  so i returned to my star crunch. 


sorry if my unhealthy eating habits started a 5.0 earthquake

Letters to Lizzie

You GUYS!!!!  I got 6 followers overnight!  Thanks for helping me progress toward my goal!  Now I only have to get 9 more followers by April 13, 2011.  That is much easier than 15.  :)

There is a specific follower that has one of the most creative blogs I've ever seen.  She's a huge Jane Austen fan (which is completely understandable, because Miss Austen ROCKS!), and her blog is in the format of

...

wait for it

...

Letters to Lizzie!

She writes letters to Miss Bennett instead of just making regular posts!  It's that amazing?!

Check her out, read a few.  It's quite possibly the coolest idea I've seen on blogger.

365 for 44

I am so happy for one of my favorite bloggers.  She just got 100 followers of her blog.  Her blog is Chester the Bester, and it's AWESOME!  The all caps doesn't do it justice.  It's so much more AMAZING than caps can communicate.  But it made me realize something.

After pretty much 2 years of blogging, I have only 29 followers, one of them being myself.  I don't want 100 followers.  I want 44 followers.  At this rate, I will have 44 followers in about another year.  So, I am asking for your help.  I need to get 15 more followers to meet my goal.  On April 13, 2011, if I don't have 44 followers, I will quit blogging.

Not really.  I love blogging.

But it will not be a good day, because I will have had a whole year to earn 15 more followers, but oh no, my friend, I will have failed.  I don't take failure well at all.  So spread the word?  Get me heard?

Thanks guys, you're the best!

Monday Michael

So for the past 3 weeks, I've gone to my Monday institute class later in the day rather than at 9 in the morning.  This morning, I resolved that it would be the last week I slept in, that I was going to go to bed early so I could start the day early and invigorated (...probably not invigorated).  And then...

A boy sat next to me.  Didn't think much of it. I had an open seat next to me, and someone was bound to sit there.  And then the lesson started, and it was very interesting.  It was so interesting, in fact, that I forgot that I was sitting next to a complete stranger and I whispered something to the boy next to me regarding the subject of the class.

Before I had time to be embarrassed, he smiled and responded to my thought with a thought of his own.  It was very nice of him.  It was so nice, in fact, that I liked sitting next to him and commented two more times during the class.  And he continued responding and being friendly and nice to me.

So maybe it wasn't exactly an encounter of chemistry and sparks.  I never said it was.  I simply said a boy sat next to me.  I just made a friend.  And at the end of class, before he left, he asked my name and gave me his.

So maybe it's not such a bad idea to keep sleeping in.  It's fun to have a once-a-week friend that you can look forward to seeing.  Too bad we met so late in the school year.  I'll see you Monday, Michael.

One of the Best Things

Two posts in a day, I know.  But I want everyone to know something that I can't imagine living without.

Laughter.

Little kids at the grocery store.  Friends walking around on campus.  Co-workers who found a solution to a long-sustained issue.  When people laugh, it warms my heart.

But the laughter that melts my heart is the laughter of my friends and family.  I love how I feel when I laugh, and I assume other people appreciate the touch of joy that laughter brings into their life.  Knowing that people I care about are laughing just makes me so happy.

Laughter is the song of the soul.  It's the hug of the human race.  It carries many tunes and has more arms than a millipede.  It reaches many ears and many hearts in ways that words cannot begin to fathom.  It's created by happiness and it can create joy.

If you don't notice these things in laughter, open your eyes a touch wider.  Never mind the dark laughter in the world, the laughter born of the cynics and pessimists.  I believe if you look for the true laughter, and it will look for you.

The Mute of Shame

I would like to blog about a phrase I got going around our apartment now.  It's made a few people defensive, but I'm pretty sure we all think it's rather funny because of how truthful it is (most of the time).

Let me share this from my perspective:

I love Bejeweled on Facebook.  It's a minute-long game with colors, explosions, and a score that constantly goes up (as long as you are playing), three of my favorite things (I like watching numbers increase,okay?).  Naturally, it's a great way to relax and de-stress because it's fun and it only takes a minute (granted I play more than a few rounds...don't judge me).

However

This game is quite possibly the loudest game on Facebook, so whenever I start the game, I have to make sure my sound is off.  Usually I mute my computer by clicking on the sound icon in the system tray, because if I press the mute button on my keyboard, then it makes a high-pitched beep that annoys me and lets people know that I don't want them to hear something.

It used to be that I could rest assured that people would assume I was muting a blog with music on it, but not so anymore. Know why?

Because sometimes I forget to mute before I start playing.  So then I jump at the sound Bejeweled makes and quick press the high-pitched beeping-mute on my keyboard.  But it's too late.  Everyone knows I'm playing Bejeweled like the addict I am.

I call it the mute of shame, because right after you mute it, you feel ashamed (whether you should feel ashamed or not is up in the air for debate, so hack away at that issue if you'd like, but I really don't care--I just know that I feel ashamed) for one or two reasons: you just annoyed people with a loud, startling sound, and maybe they were trying to study or nap or do something more important than you are obviously doing (because in all honestly, Bejeweled isn't important), or you feel ashamed at your addiction.

And don't say you aren't addicted.  If you know what I'm talking about, you are most likely addicts. And I live in an apartment with other addicts who mute shamefully.

So welcome, addicts anonymous.  You now learned a new term for your behavior: The Mute of Shame.

To Amanda

Dearest Friend,

I have recently made some observations that impress upon me the need to explain to you what I know about a sneeze.

A sneeze (also known as a sternutation) is an involuntary compulsion in which air suddenly heaves from your lungs and through the nasal canal and mouth usually to expel foreign particles which are bothering something in your nasal canal.  Sometimes people sneeze in reaction to bright light, viral infections, or even a full stomach (little known fact/s).

Furthermore, you often feel great after a good sternutation because leading up to the expelling of the air/particles, pressure builds to prepare you for the involuntary action.  I am not sure if your eyes will pop out if you sneeze with your eyes open; however, I am aware that if you hold a sneeze, the built up pressure could pop some vital blood vessels in your head/brain, and you could die.  Therefore, I urge you (and everyone) to sneeze no matter the circumstances you find yourself within.

A sneeze does not, however, make you cold.

Hence, when I heard you say, "That sneeze made me cold," I felt obligated to tell you that's not quite how sneezes work, and while it would be significantly intriguing if they affected the temperature, that is not one of their effects.

I hope this encourages you to grab a jacket or blanket next time you feel cold, and I hope you aren't afraid of future sneezes stealing the warmth from your soul.

Yours truly,
Brittany

150 150 150 150...WAIT! 151?!!!

ohmigosh!

i have been waiting ever so patiently for blog post number 150, and i passed it! this is blog post number 151.

drat. curse my over-zealous frustration at the idiotic soapsters. i was so frustrated i forgot to check the post number before i wrote.

well, I suppose I will dedicate this post to my forgetfulness.

I know you hear the same stories every single day because I forget I told them to you.

I know you answer the same questions repeatedly because I forgot I asked you and/or your answer.

I know you're tired of me going back and forth between the living room, the kitchen, and my bedroom because I forgot what I was doing.

I know you're annoyed because I forget I'm cooking so often.

I know sometimes you're offended because I forgot to call or text you back.

I know sometimes you're hurt because I forgot to say I love you or simply hang out with you.

I know you get mad when I forgot I left my stuff somewhere that was clearly in your way.

I know you don't like it when you try to tell me something exciting about a celebrity/friend, but I have no idea who you are talking about because I forget names almost instantaneously.

But I also know that you forget things sometimes too, and overall, my awesomeness outweighs my forgetfulness (yeah, I know, that's a lot of awesomeness, right?), so that's probably why you still like me so much.

HA HA.

Well, sorry 150.  Hopefully you don't mind being the soap post.

Dirt Fools

There's a commercial for a motion-activated soap dispenser.  I find it appalling.  This is what they say to convince people to buy the dispenser:


Ever worry about how many germs live on your push-down soap dispenser?  Those pump-soaps are touched by so many dirty hands, it's disgusting!  But not anymore!  Now there's soap with a motion sensor!  No need to touch, just put your hand there, and viola! Bacteria-free dispensing!

Now that's not a direct quote, but you get the picture...so now that you get the picture...

Does ANYONE see anything wrong with the logic this product is based on?

If you don't, allow me to enlighten you: you don't need to worry about the bacteria on the soap dispenser.  Why?  Let's walk through the simple and effective way that we wash our hands.

Wet hands.  Get soap.  Wash hands.  Dry hands.

See it now?  If you don't, try it this way:  Wet hands.  Get soap.  WASH HANDS.  Dry hands.

You don't need to worry about the bacteria on the soap because YOU WASH IT OFF RIGHT AFTER YOU TOUCH IT!  If anything, you should get a motion-activated faucet, because that's the thing you touch before you wash your hands (thereby contaminating it) and then after you wash your hands (thereby contaminating them).  But you don't even need to worry about that much.  Chances are that your hands are soaking wet when you turn off the faucet, so flick off the extra water after you turn off the faucet and dry your hands, then settle down because you just flicked and wiped off whatever minuscule amount of bacteria you caught from re-touching the faucet.

REALLY people.  The only reason anyone should buy this soap dispenser is if they like how cool motion-activated stuff is.  That's justifiable.  If you want something cool, spend more money to get it, that's fine.  But purchasing it because it's healthier?  It's not!  It's just a stupid trick.

Besides, dirt isn't going to kill you.  People who are afraid of dirt are going to end up spending more money in their lives, and this product proves it.