Last Day of January, WOOHOO!

Today is January 31^st.  YESSSSS!  I hate January. 

Updates, really quick……Carson has to have his FINAL surgery in April.  I haven’t nailed down the exact date yet because the lady hasn’t returned my call.

Cute things that the boys are doing…..Carson says “I’m Being Haben” for “I’m behaving”.  I love that.  He went pee and poop on the potty last week, out of the blue.  So exciting.  Sorry, to all of you who don’t have kids.  I realize that getting excited about bodily functions is maybe morbid to you.  Ha ha.  He also can operate the remote control, which he calls "Marote." 

Dylan says “Theeeee two one BASSSSOOOOOOFFFFF!” like 27 times a day, as he catapults himself across the room, or throws his cars and planes.  It’s dangerously cute.

Logan was chosen to represent his community at school for a writing contest.  It’s a lot like a spelling bee.  Whoever wins the community represents the school, then the schools compete and it goes all the way through the state.  He has been writing every free second of the day.

Lindsey lost a molar last night, her first one.  Dentally, she is like 3 years behind everyone.  Now we know why.  Her tooth has been loose for like 3 months.  She talked about it last night and we said “That same tooth?  Pull it!”  When I got home from Zumba it was in a baggie.  I asked her why she refuses to wiggle her teeth and she said that it feels nasty, and she hates blood and the empty pouch in her gums afterward.  (I agree.  Remember in "12 Monkeys" when Bruce Willis pulls out all of his teeth?   Ughhhh, scarred me for life.)  Of course, she waited so long to pull the thing, the new tooth has already popped through. 

She asked if we were going to pay her for her tooth and I looked at her like she had three heads.  I said “If you are asking your parents to pay up for a tooth, you are too old for the tooth fairy and she isn’t coming.”  Ok, she delivered a fairly dramatic episode; she claimed to be confused about the whole tooth fairy thing.  Huh?  Anyway, here are the pictures I took from outside her door:

The envelope, where the fairy was supposed to leave her dough.

Her note after she "found out" the fairy isn't real.

That cracked me up. 

Lindsey also twisted her ankle on Sunday, leaving the gym.  One of the guys who works at the gym said that on the weekends, when he is there, I can let her come to yoga.  She did really well.  After class was over she danced in the room for about 20 minutes; she loved that.  All is well, and then on the way out she skipped in her stupid clogs and she twisted her ankle.  She's fine now, but it really hurt her.

I cut three inches off of my hair and it's still down to the middle of my back.  It was so long, I couldn't take it anymore!  I also had a ton of layers put in.  It dries like 4 times as quickly and feels so much lighter.  Ahhhhh.

Have a great day, here's the Word.

idoneous \ahy-DOH-nee-uhs\, adjective:
Appropriate; fit; suitable; apt.

Was That You, Drunkie?

I am going to make this extremely short because Carson has a doctor’s appointment this morning; he has a check-up for his leg. 

After I had Carson and Dylan I began to notice that when I ate meat or especially and bread and meat together, it would get stuck in my throat.  I can breath, but it looks like I am choking and it’s very painful and I do sort of freak out.  The reason that it’s scary is that if I drink water to get it to go down, the water piles on top of the food and then I throw up.  I asked my uncle (a doctor) about this and he said that from having two sets of twins, the acid reflux injured my esophagus.  A muscle has developed at the bottom of my esophagus and it completely closes and shuts off access to my stomach, or wherever your food goes before your stomach.  I am not eloquent when I speak medically.

I have never talked about this on my blog because it sucks and it doesn’t happen often.  I can still eat meat and bread with meat, but I have to be very careful and chew a lot.  I have always said that I could never be bulimic because I think throwing up is like THE worst thing ever.  (Just one reason I would never be bulimic.)  The reason that I am telling you about it is because my worst fear came true….it happened at a restaurant.  Since it’s a funny story and I am known to laugh and poke fun at myself, I have to tell it.

Don’s Christmas party was in December; I posted pictures from the night.  It took place at a Brazilian Steak House.  First of all, the floors were like a skating rink and I had new shoes on.  Most of the girls were sliding all over the place, holding on to one another so they would not fall in their heels.  I was clinging to Melissa (works with Don) and she was calling me her “bitch” because I looked like her girlfriend.  Ha ha.  She’s hilarious.

Anyway, everyone was sitting down, food looked delicious, and I cut into my first piece of delicious Filet Mignon….it got stuck.  The very first piece!  I started sweating, I wiggled around trying to get it to go down, and finally, I started frantically tapping Don.  Long story short, he had to walk me to the bathroom twice so I could throw up the one stupid piece of meat.  Remember, I was hanging on him trying not to fall on the ice-floors. 

Ok, so here’s why I am writing about this….here’s the funny part.  I ran into a guy that I knew from yoga; he was sitting at a table near our room.  He was with his girlfriend and another couple.  I said hello at the beginning of the night.  When I kept going back and forth to the bathroom, he saw me and was looking at me curiously.  I was trying to avoid looking at him.

I saw him at yoga on Friday.  We started talking about the restaurant and he said “Man, you were wasted!  You couldn’t even walk!  We were all laughing at you, in a friendly way.”  He was still laughing.  He said “You’re so small; I’ll bet you can’t drink much!”  I laughed and said “I wasn’t drunk!  I don’t even drink!”  I told him the real story.  I don’t know why I did.  I honestly think that it would have been better to be known as “The Drunk Girl at the Christmas Party” rather than “One Who Quietly Barfs Meat at a Brazilian Steakhouse”….but anyway, I felt inclined to tell him the truth.  At the end of the conversation, he said “The cool thing about having two sets of twins is that you can do whatever you want and no one can say anything, in my opinion.” SCORE!  Ok, no.  Barfing at restaurants doesn't count as a perk.

Here's the Word of the Day:

neoterism \nee-OT-uh-riz-uhm\, noun:
1. An innovation in language, as a new word, term, or expression.
2. The use of new words, terms, or expressions.

The Girl Effect

A couple of years ago I read a book called “Half the Sky, Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.  They both won the Pulitzer Prize. 

It is an amazing book and it’s quite eye-opening; I highly recommend it.  I can’t believe how mistreated girls are in other countries and how few options, if any, they have.  It's horrible.  You can Google "Half the Sky" and find out how to make a difference in these girls' lives.  For now, watch this.  It's the same concept......

http://www.girleffect.org/video

Have a great Sunday! 

Through the Looking-Glass

I’m not sure what has prompted me to think about this, but I suppose it’s some of the conversations that I have been having with my friends about the reality of life—lately I have begun to wonder if creative people have a harder time living on this planet.  On one hand, I feel like as long as they have an outlet, they are very healthy.  On the other hand, I can see how having a creative mind can create a struggle. 

When you are a creative, you tend to be a passionate person and you see life through a looking-glass and expect more than is possible….out of people, yourself, the world, etc.  For me, growing up was difficult.  I don’t mean growing up like “being a grown-up”.  I had twins at 20.  Trust me; I became a grown-up a long time ago.  What I mean is, letting go of the way that I thought things were and becoming more logical and realistic...it was hard for me. 

Creative people pull from the world around them constantly for inspiration, and yet they are supposed to stay firmly on the ground.  Unless I am in the moment with my family, my mind is always analyzing, thinking, and daydreaming.  I am curious most of the time.  The bad thing about this is that it’s distracting, and sometimes the lines can blur.  I am very logical about relationships, marriage, raising kids…..but all it takes is for me to watch a stupid-ass chick flick to get sad about reality.  (This isn't to say that I am not happy with my life....I am, extremely.  But, there isn't some grand ending where the clouds part and God tells you why everything happens the way it does.)  When I was little, I didn’t realize that everything was so hard, everything was a trade-off, and every action has a consequence.  I think that if you are always logical about the how the world works, you are less heartbroken the older you get.  But how can a fluttery child, like me, not grow up thinking that the world is something else?  90% of the time, I was tapping into my creativity.  I played violin for years, I was into acting, writing, reading, listening to music…..where is the reality in these things?    

I have been thinking about my writing a lot lately.  A professor once told me that I was going to “write things that would scare the s*** out of me, but to let it out.”  It bothered me when he said this because I realized that to be the type of writer that I wanted to be and knew that I could be, I would probably have to be brilliant and moody like him.  I would have to have a beautiful, tortured soul, and willing to surrender to my creative impulses.  Well, I have worked really hard to be more realistic and to kick that part out of me.  And come on now.....I'm a sunny person.  I'm not moody.  I am happy almost every day of my life.

I was the little girl who would have chased the rabbit down the hole and licked the mushroom to see if I would grow.  My mind was always in the clouds and I was happy that way.  I think that I struggled in school as I grew older because I was always daydreaming about things that weren’t going on.  One of the reasons that I did well in English and reading is that I loved it and I could float off into the clouds without someone yelling at me.  My mom called me her “ball of passion” because I threw myself completely into what I liked, and if I wasn’t passionate, I showed absolutely no enthusiasm.  Part of this is being a child, but the problem that I had was that I wasn’t growing out of it like everyone else. 

I entered relationships that I shouldn’t have entered because I was passionate and words flung me off my feet.  I was swept away and distracted too easily as a teenager and although I was a pretty good kid…..this is due to God, my friends, and the fact that I was smarter than I realized.  I had a lot of anchors holding me to planet Earth even when I hadn’t developed my own.

When I had Logan and Lindsey, I changed. I had to become more logical out of sheer necessity.  I no longer wanted people to hurt me due to the fact that I wore rose-colored glasses.  Life isn’t a movie; it doesn’t end with a bang like a book…..it flat-out sucks sometimes.  It’s been hard for me to accept that and become more realistic, because it isn’t in my nature to be logical.  I am happy to say that I have become a very grounded person….with effort. 

I have almost become too cynical, especially for my craft.  I know where I can let my mind go and what I can write, but I can’t let myself do it.  I have pretty much decided that if I am supposed to write, I am not going to write the type of stuff that I respect and read myself.  Just saying “Screw it.  I am going to delve into this daydreaming and not come out until I am done” isn’t fair, responsible, or possible for me to do at this juncture in my life.  Plus, I got yelled at so much for being in La-La Land, I suppose I am afraid to let myself go back.  How do we keep reality from eroding our creativity?  How do we remain grounded when creativity always sweeps us away with the wind?  How many people think I have ADD?  :)  Seriously.  This entry should be in a text book. 

And if we could float away,

fly up to the surface and just start again

and lift off before trouble

just erodes us in the rain, just erodes us in the rain.

Just erodes us and see roses in the rain.-Coldplay

Flashback Friday-Paula's Awesome

For my first ever Flashback Friday, I have to start with a certain 80’s chick. 

Remember this video?  It was so awesome.  I loved this song!  I loved this whole CD….I mean tape!  I used to play it over and over on my Walkman.  Ha ha, Walkman.  As I write this blog, I am singing "Rush, Rush".  And all I want from you is what you are, and even if you're right next to me it's just too faaaar away....."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_lvy6hdFHM&sns=em

Keanu Reeves and a Grease theme?  If this video came out today, I would still love it.  Keanu Reeves was so hot.  Is so hot.  Remember him in Speed?  That is the only action movie I have seen a thousand times and it isn’t because of a great script.

Back to Paula Abdul……In fifth grade, Katie and I called the boy we liked and played “Blowing Kisses in the Wind” into the receiver and then hung up.  Adam, that was us.  You were the cutest boy in the whole wide world and we were the hugest nerds!!!  Lindsey is so much better in fifth grade than I was.  She would never call a boy and do something lame like that.  She also doesn’t have to tape her mouth shut in class.  I really think that I had ADD.  Who has to tape their mouth shut so they won't talk?

Back to 2012 for a second.  Has anyone seen that new JCP commercial?  I almost pee my pants, I laugh so hard when it comes on.  Click on this link and see if you don't laugh.  Maybe it's just me.  If you read all of the comments under the video on You Tube, people hate it with a passion.  I think that they need to lighten up.  I also think that people who take the time to comment on You Tube are major losers, too.  Rarely can they spell, and rarely do they have anything intelligent to say. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj3PfcPuauM&sns=em

Here’s your Word of the Day:

conciliate \kuhn-SIL-ee-eyt\, verb:

1. To overcome the distrust or hostility of; placate; win over.
2. To win or gain (goodwill, regard, or favor).
3. To make compatible; reconcile.
4. To become agreeable or reconciled.

Sorry, Ron Paul

Someone asked me why I didn't talk about Ron Paul last week in my blog about the debate.  Honestly, I forgot about him.  I don't have any opinions about the guy.  The fact that he was so irrelevant to remember to write about.....yikes.  Not a good sign! 

Sorry, Ron Paul.  Maybe it's the name.  Ron Paul.  It's forgettable.  President Paul.  No.  Gingrich?  Awww yeah.  Now that's a spicy name.  Ahhhh, some days I'm an idiot and I choose to display it on the Internet. 

By the way, from now on I am doing something special on Fridays. "Flashback Fridays" will contain anything old school....products, music, memories, etc.  Tomorrow will be the first one.  If you have known me for a while, pictures and funny memories will be considered. 


Here's the Word of the Day:

bleb

\ bleb \ , noun;

1.

A bubble.

2.

Medicine/Medical. A blister or vesicle.

Carson's Night Out

Carson was so excited about the game all day, but he was unbelievably patient.  I told him that we would go when Daddy got home from work.  When Don walked through the door, Carson couldn't even speak.  He just smiled and hugged him, then he started asking about going. 

I can't even imagine having one child.  Showing THAT amount of attention to one kid is not only awesome for them, but it's awesome for the parent.  I love having twins, twice, but it's amazing hanging out and giving that amount of attention to one child because you don't have to feel torn.  He loved it.

We took him to eat at CNN; he had a "cheeburber", fries and milk.  He was a little bewildered because the building was so big, there were so many lights, and the TV screen was gigantic.  He looked around more than he ate.  I still get excited when we go to CNN because I wanted to work for them, but, ah well, maybe in another life.  You can't have two sets of twins AND become a reporter for CNN.  At least, I can't. 

Finally, we went to the game.  Again, there was so much to look at; he was quiet while he took it all in.  He loved everything about the game, but especially loved Buzz. (The mascot, for you non-Tech fans.)  Don caught a t-shirt and then when Carson and I went to get ice-cream, a random guy gave him a t-shirt because it was too small for him.  The guy was a tad drunk.  He said "I looked up and there was this white thing coming at me, so I caught it.  I think it'll fit your little boy though!"  It was very nice of him.  I teased Carson by asking him if I could have it, but he said "No!  My t-shirt!" 

I'll shut up now.  Here are some pictures.  I am also posting a few that are not from last night, just because I finally emailed them to myself from my phone.

See that guy in the background?  MOST annoying fan of all time.  He isn't just annoying, but
he never says anything that makes any sense.  The guy that went to the game with him looked
so embarrassed.  I almost threw a cup at his head.

SO serious.  He was taking it all in.

Showing the camera his hoodie.

Showing the camera his pockets.  This was right before we left. 
He was tired.

Here are the other pictures, NOT from last night.

Dylan with Bo at the grocery store.

Dylan eating breakfast with his friends: Bo, Teddy and Lighting McQueen

I took this when she didn't know I was looking.  She looked so old, so I
snapped a picture.

Ok, I look like the biggest dork ever, but THIS IS THE DRESS that I talked
about, the one that needed its own blog entry because it's the cutest
dress ever???  I took this on New Year's Eve so my sister could see my dress that
Don's mom and dad bought me. I'm a dork, AND my bathroom is messy.  Towel on the floor, jeans hanging
from the towel rack.....lol

Tech Game

Don and I are taking Carson to the Georgia Tech basketball game tonight.  He is so excited; I can't even describe how cute he is when he talks about it.  I will be sure to take some pictures.   Carson LOVES every single sport and pays attention to games even when on they are just on TV, even golf, so I think he's going to flip.  I want to take Dylan to a Monster Truck show or something like it; he loves cars.  I have never had any desire to go to one of those things, but a child's happiness is worth it.  The boys both love sports and cars, but Dylan pretty much plays with cars all day.  Carson would probably choose a ball over a car.

I am going to Pilates this morning and doing some things around the house and that's about it today.  The gym is still crowded, but it seems to be mainly in the evening now.  I went to Zumba last night and I had to park so far away, it was ridiculous. 

Lindsey has been drawing me pictures on her Kindle Fire.  Here is one of them.  I remember when I used to get pictures for the fridge......now I get them by email.  Ha ha.

Lindsey, 2012

 

By the way, Don and I were watching a car auction on some car channel over the weekend and I found the car that I am going to get once I don't need a thousand seats.  A '55 Ford, four door.  Because the thing has four doors, you can get one for like $13,000!  They are so cool.  Old cars are so cool.  Here's a picture:

Here's the Word of the Day:

educe \ih-DOOS\, verb:

1. To draw forth or bring out, as something potential or latent.
2. To infer or deduce.

Fantasy Fungi

Last night I dreamed that I grew an extra toe.  It was so gross.  The extra toe grew because I caught a fungus from a yoga mat at the gym.  (In real life, I bring my own because the idea of touching someone else's sweat freaks me out.)  Anyway, I was attending the royal wedding (Kate and William's, the wedding that has already happened) and I was freaking out about the extra toe.  I was yelling "I can't attend a royal wedding with an extra toe!  I am wearing strappy heels!"

Bizarre.  Utterly bizarre.

I looked up "toes" in a few online dream dictionaries.  The three sites that I checked all said the same thing.  They said:

To dream that you lose or gain a toe(s) suggests that you are lacking determination and energy needed to move forward in some situation.

Gee, you think?  It has been dark and rainy for a month.  No one has energy.  When you throw in the fact that we have five kids, uh, yeah! 

I am glad that there isn't really a "toe-growing fungi".  Ughhhhhhh.  It's so sick!  Every time I think of it, SHIVERS!  UGHHHHHHHH!

Here's the Word of the Day:

slimsy \SLIM-zee\, adjective:
Flimsy; frail.

1 Corinthians, 4-7

Last night I was watching "A Walk to Remember" with Lindsey.  Mandy Moore's character is in a hospital bed and she and her boyfriend read a Bible verse.  It's used in a lot of movies and it's very popular at weddings.  I told Lindsey that it is one of the most important verses because if you could simply remember what love is, any time that you were doing the opposite, you would know that you weren't doing what Jesus would do.  Jesus always loved, always.  I am taping the verses to my bathroom mirror and the kids' bathroom mirror.  Maybe seeing it every day will help us to be less human and more like Jesus. 

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth.
It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres. 


Here is the Word of the Day:

natheless \NEYTH-lis\, adverb:
Nevertheless.

By the way, I finished "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" and it gave me anxiety; it was so upsetting.  I never want to think about McMurphy again.  I am reading "Jane Eyre" because I love it and I need to read something that I love after that.  WHY on earth did they ever think that lobotomies made sense?????  It angers me and makes me happy that I was born in 1980.  They probably would have lobotomized me because I talk too much!

So you don't care about Sopapilla or whatever it is?

My bro-in-law, Matt, sent this to me.  If you don't like the F word, don't look.  It's not terrible, but Jen (who is a total dumbass) says the F word.  Just thought I would warn you, since I don't use that word in my writing.  This little conversation is SO true, but Jen is SO stupid. 

http://i.imgur.com/eTLiv.png

Here's your Word of the Day; have a wonderful Saturday!

remora \REM-er-uh\, noun:

1. An obstacle, hindrance, or obstruction.
2. Any of several fishes of the family Echeneididae, having on the top of the head a sucking disk by which they can attach themselves to sharks, turtles, ships, and other moving objects.

Tell him, Newt!

I had an idea of what I was going to write about today until I watched a bit of the news this morning.  I don’t know who I am supporting for president yet…..definitely not Obama…..but I have to say that after watching the clips from the debate, I am beginning to develop some opinions about the GOP nominees. 

I believe that it’s important to focus on what the candidates stand for and not to get completely distracted by the sensationalistic stories that the media tries to distract us with.  Of course, to a certain degree, a candidate’s personal life matters.  If you are crooked in one arena, you will probably be in the next.  For example, John Edwards…..bastard.  He was a bastard in his personal life and would have been a bastard in the Oval Office.  I hate that guy.  He may be the biggest bastard on the face of the planet.  If I ever saw him on the street, I would spit in his face and tell him that he deserved to be cleaning out the sewers.  Actually, that may be too good of a job for him.  He makes my skin crawl.  When it comes to severe bastards, like Edwards, that stuff matters to me, but generally, I try to blown off a lot of the personal stuff for the sheer fact that if I allowed it to matter completely, we’d be without a president. Every single candidate is crooked in some way.  The cleanest president that I ever witnessed was George W. Bush.  (Go ahead, roll your eyes.)  The media tried to expose him and all they came up with is that he did cocaine once and the stupid thing about “not serving in the military”.  There were no juicy affairs, bastard children, etc.   Say what you will about him, but this is true.  Because I try to take the personal stuff with a grain of salt, I have to pat Newt Gingrich on the back for his answers last night.  I'm not saying that he's my guy, but I respect how he handled himself.

When moderator, John King, opened the debate with questions about his ex-wife’s allegations that he asked for an open marriage, Gingrich lit into him.  Gingrich said that it was despicable to open a debate with these types of questions.  He added that the "destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run for public office.”  He said that he was appalled that King would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that. 

Whether or not he asked his ex-wife for an open marriage, I was impressed with his answer.  Good for him.  Maybe people would know who to vote for if they weren’t constantly distracted by National Inquirer crap. Give me the issues, where they stand, then the personal stuff, if you must.  Doesn’t anyone remember the 90’s?  While we were obsessed with whether or not Clinton had sexual relations with Monica Lewinski, Osama bin Laden grew stronger.  Geeez.  We learn about as fast as slugs do.  Good for Newt.  I don’t care if he asked his wife for one or not.  It was immoral if he did, but it isn’t surprising.  Maybe she was a pain in the ass and he was having a moment of weakness.  Honestly, I just want our country to improve economically.  I only care about us now.  How can we help other poor countries if we are suffering like this?  Get on with it, fix it, I don’t care.  Just give me the stinking issues. I care about me and my family.  I care that my grandparents get their social security checks.  Create jobs, fix the education system, make sure that the banks do what they are supposed to do. 

Having said all of this, I do get “feelings” about the candidates during the debates, not factual or scientific, just instincts.  So far, this is what I am sensing....issues aside.

Newt Gingrich

Confident, smooth, maybe trust-worthy, maybe not.  Knows his stuff, experienced.  Still need to look at his political history and decisions. 

Mitt Romney

Hiding something and seems shady, but I am not sure why I feel this way.  Maybe because he said that he had to look at his records before deciding how many years of his records to release?  Huh?  Strange answer.  Either he’s hiding something or just not smooth at all and doesn’t deal with nerves as well as other candidates.  (That's not necessarily a bad thing at this point.  I don't want a liar, maybe he is just bad at lying?)  Time will tell.

Rick Santorum

Who is this?  Get off the podium.  You are going to drown and I don’t want Obama to win again.  He seemed like a little kid up there. 

Here’s the Word of the Day.  Hey!  Dictionary.com must have known I was going to write about John Edwards today!  Bastard.  Deucedly.

deucedly

\ DOO-sid-lee \  , adverb;

1.

Devilishly; damnably.

Intellectual Property

I really should have written about the SOPA protest yesterday, but I had to wish my blog a happy birthday and I really didn't feel like getting into it. 

I will quickly mention that as a writer, it's an understatement to say that I fear censorship, even if the censorship protects intellectual property.  I think that the whole thing is a slippery slope.  We have worked very hard as a country to preserve the right to speak freely, with the exception of yelling fire in a crowded theatre.  Whether or not you support Occupy Wall Street, I find it disturbing to see law enforcement spraying pepper spray in peaceful protestors' faces on the news.  What the hell is going on here?  Where am I?  And why are the officers in full militia get-up?  It's scary, if you ask me.  Occupy may be a nuisance, but they have the right to protest peacefully and they represent YOUR right to speak freely.  When I see them getting messed with, it makes me realize where I stand in the eyes of the people in power.  I know that this is a separate issue, but not fundamentally. 

I don't fully understand SOPA or PIPA, therefore I am not ready to contact my Senators or sign a petition, but I do get uncomfortable any time that the government talks about censorship and any time that the First Amendment is fondled.  I had to write a paper on the Patriot Act in my Communication Law class and at first, I thought "Well, I think I support it because it will keep us safe."  Honestly, by the time I had all of my research and was ready to write the paper, I was against it for the sheer fact that I don't trust people that much.  What price are we willing to pay for peace of mind?  I'll just move to North Korea if I want the government controlling everything.  No thanks.  Give me my mouth, my mind, my freedom....I don't need you telling me how to breathe.  And hey, government, if you are reading this.....no one listens to me anyway, so move on to a more popular blogger. 


One of my professors in Chicago, Les Brownlee, was a well-known reporter and a pioneer in many ways.  First of all, he was the first black on-air reporter in Chicago and he interviewed Martin Luther King, Jr.  I interviewed him about the civil rights movement, which was amazing.  Anyway, the first thing that he made us do in his class is memorize the First Amendment word for word, and he tested us on it.  He said that as journalists, if we didn't have that, we didn't have anything and that it was one of the most important things that we would learn in school.  He was right.  (He passed away a few years ago.) 

Back to SOPA and PIPA…..On one hand, I definitely feel like intellectual property needs to be respected and that artists need to be protected. I write every day and of course, I wish that every word I wrote could be protected.  I have a copyright at the bottom of my blog, but I know that anyone could steal anything that I write.  Who would want to steal anything I say, I have not a clue.  On the other hand, I feel like technology changes everything and we need to adapt without infringing on others' rights.  It seems that no matter what we do, someone is being hurt and I really just don't know what the answer is and I don't know yet where I stand on the whole deal. 

I know one thing.....the reason that we have so many problems is because people are just rotten.  People are selfish, immoral and arrogant and that's the real problem.  You know that Beatles song "All You Need is Love"?  It's true.  The Bible says that love is always the answer.  Look at any religion (which we fight about all of the time, which is the dumbest thing ever since God says to love each other) and love is the basis.  I know that when 80% of the resources belong to one person and everyone else is starving, there's something wrong fundamentally.  If we were all fair to each other then people wouldn't be so defensive, but that's why I look forward to Heaven. 

I guess this is where I stand.....I would rather have freedom and no censorship.  I think that when you start controlling one thing, it slides into another area.  They are all related, and as much as I feel this entry is all over the place, it isn't.  It's about freedom. 

If someone wants to steal my stuff, well, I guess they can answer to God.  I'm not wasting my life worrying about it.  I don't want the government having all of the power.  It's scary. Let artists get themselves out there and figure out how to protect themselves without big corporations being involved.  The big corporations are the reason that the laws are being made anyway, right?  It’s for their protection, not the artists, right?  Ok, not going there.  I am tired.  Feedback, anyone?

By the way, I realize that this is confusing, since I am fine with airport security being invasive.  I guess when I am getting on an airplane, I want more protection.  I'm not meaning to be a walking contradiction, but I am.  Ha ha.

Here's the First Amendment instead of a word. 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Happy Birthday, Haphazard Daily!

I created this blog exactly one year ago today.  I wrote 327 times out of the 365 days this year.  The 38 days that I didn't post were due to sickness or vacation.  I can promise you that when I began writing a year ago, I thought that the number of days that I was going to fail to write would be much higher than 38.

Thank you for reading this year. I  hope that I can continue writing things that will keep your interest.  As you know, there are good days and bad days, exciting days and boring days.....but I am writing about my life.  Writing about my life has made me realize just how much it really does resemble a roller coaster.  Like the old lady in "Parenthood" says, I like the roller coaster.

Thank you for taking an interest in my life, my family, my thoughts and my opinions.  This little project of mine has brought me a lot of creative happiness and has sometimes kept me sane.  Knowing that people are reading it has sometimes thrown me into a panic in the middle of the night, but most of the time, it's brought me peace. I know by the emails and comments, you all relate to me.....at least sometimes.  Thanks again, and have a great day!

-Brittany



Here's the Word of the Day.  By the way, do you feel any smarter this year?  Heehee.


alate \EY-leyt\, adjective:
1. Having wings; winged.
2. Having membranous expansions like wings.
noun:
1. The winged form of an insect when both winged and wingless forms occur in the species.

Ok, So, I am a Pinner

OMG.  I am addicted to Pinterest.  It is awesome.  So far, I have used things around the house to complete projects.  I haven't had to buy anything; I have just used the resources I already have to improve others. 

I made a lamp shade, or decorated it, I should say. 

I put my make-up brushes in coffee beans.  Not only is the smell nice, but it keeps the brushes clean and organized. 

I made a tent for the boys out of a hula hoop and old material that I wasn't using.  It's now the boys' reading fort.  I also made pictures out of crayons; together they say "READ".  I glued blocks together to say "I LOVE BOOKS".  (It's on the shelf.)  This is also a nice place for their animals.  Their stuffed friends were piled in the corner, so now at least they have a place to live. 

Dylan posing with his "Cars" book.

This picture isn't very good, but in real life, you can't see lines and stuff.

I should make this for my room, really.  Huge nerd.

I made a charging station from a cool box that I didn't know what to do with.  My chargers are never together, and all of my stuff is always dead.  Now I don't have an excuse.  I put holes in the front and out the back.  There's a power strip inside the box. 

I have a trash can in my car now; a plastic cereal container.  You know, the ones that you buy (like Rubbermaid) and pour the cereal into?  There is a hole in the top and a Publix bag inside.  (No picture for that, not needed!)


Things that didn't turn out well:  I dipped strawberries in yogurt and froze them.  UM.....they froze solid and I had to thaw them.  Also, in my blog yesterday, one of the things mentioned was using velcro to hold stuffed animals.  It didn't work for me.  I am leaving the velcro on the wall for something else.  I'm sure it will become useful for something.

Last week I took some pictures of the boys at Chick-fil-a.  Carson said "Take a picture of me and my brudder."  I could die, so cute.

Carson and Dylan

CHEEEEEESE!

Here's the Word of the Day:

perspicacious \pur-spi-KEY-shuhs\, adjective:
1. Having keen mental perception and understanding; discerning.
2. Archaic. Having keen vision.

25 Great Ideas

These are some of the BEST ideas.  You really will say "Now, why didn't I think of that?"  It makes you very thankful for the Martha Stewarts of the world.

Once you click on the link you'll know what I am talking about......I tried the strawberry trick last night.  It was cool.  I also glued magnets to Lindsey's cabinet for her bobby pins.  Genius.  Pure genius.

http://www.thedailybuzz.com.au/2011/11/25-clever-ideas_household-tips_storage-ideas/

Oh, and by the way, I DID join Pinterest.  IT ROCKS.  OMG, I am addicted.  I was getting so jealous of all of the things that I was seeing from that site, so I finally joined Twitter so I too could begin pinning.  I am hooked.  I used a fake name though because things are passed along thousands of times and I really don't like that.  My pinning name is Britta Chanel.  (Close enough.)

Have a great Monday!  Logan and Lindsey are home today for MLK's birthday. 

No Word of the Day today.  I deleted it on accident.  I have such trigger-happy fingers sometimes. 

Death of Pretty

My mom sent me this article.  She thought that it was relevant to my blog from a few days ago. (Fashionably Fascist.)  The link takes you to a Catholic blog, but even if you aren't Catholic, I think you might agree with what the author says.  It's about the "pretty" look dying and the "hot" look taking over. 

I remember thinking as a child, even a teen, that the innocent, virginal look was romantic and beautiful.  Not only did I think that the LOOK was beautiful, but being a virgin was beautiful to me too.  I do believe that society has changed a lot because girls are more like guys now.  We totally sell-out claiming to be empowered, when in reality, guys just get more of what they want in the short-run rather than the long.  My grandma used to say "Why buy the cow when you can have the milk for free?"  Every grandma says that, and they are usually right.  I've always believed that guys will give you attention if you look like a streetwalker, but they never marry you.  Maybe it's changed, but I don't see why it would.  Some girls leave nothing to the imagination.  If it weren't for cute shoes, I doubt that some would bother wearing clothes at all!  Thank you, cute shoes, for sparing us. 

Personally, I prefer the Taylor Swifts to the Miley Cyruses.


http://www.ncregister.com/blog/the-death-of-pretty#ixzz1jAqZcxCS

Girls, while I am on the topic of leaving something to the imagination.....please stop wearing booty shorts to yoga.  It is completely inappropriate and you look desperate for attention.  Seriously.  Yoga already presents somewhat compromising positions; we don't need to see all of that.  Please wear pants.  It's just wrong.

These are called pants.  Get some.

Here's the Word of the Day:

viscid \VIS-id\, adjective:

1. Having a glutinous consistency; sticky; adhesive.
2. Botany. Covered by a sticky substance.

Today's SHATurday!

I went to the dentist on Wednesday and I was told that I have to stop grinding my teeth and clenching my jaw.  I do it all day, all night and any time that I am not talking.  (Ok, so the talking time helps a lot.)  Sometimes I feel my jaw lock up in the middle of the night and I have nightmares about it being stuck crooked.  I also have dreams about my teeth turning into chalk and crumbling.  It's terrible!  It was the worst when I was in college because every time I would have a long day of classes, I could barely open my mouth at the end of the day because I had been quietly grinding, listening to my teachers. 

Anyway, the dentist said that I have to wear my top teeth bleaching tray at night AND in the day for two weeks so I will train my brain to stop grinding.  I don't have to wear it in public, but basically, at home I will talk like the babysitter from South Park for two weeks.  Call me for a good laugh. 

SHTOP IT, KIDSH!  I SHAID ENOUGH!  I am sure I am about to get a lot of reSHpect from the kidSH!

Here's your Word of the Day:

spicknel

Spick"nel\, n. [Contr. from spike nail a large, long nail; -- so called in allusion to the shape of its capillary leaves.] (Bot.) An umbelliferous herb ( Meum Athamanticum) having finely divided leaves, common in Europe; -- called also baldmoney, mew, and bearwort.