For Thanksgiving this year I composed a poem! Click here to read it.
I had a lot of fun so I decided to do one for Christmas, too! It didn't come as easily, and as I was watching "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," I studied Dr. Seuss's genius rhyming and it made me realize how bad I really am! But still, it's good to challenge ourselves sometimes right?
My dearest Mr. Santa Claus-
Hi there, remember me?
I'm a blue-haired girl from New Mexico.
My name is Sarah Lee!
Your white hair shining, your blue eyes bright,
You're really looking well!
Are you feeling generous? Only time will tell!
As it happens, there are some things I'd really like for Christmas.
The fact I am an atheist, well, I hope you will dismiss this.
I truly believe in you, Santa Claus, could you ask for more?
To me you are the spirit of giving, not some myth or lore.
On my list are some material things,
Some on a deeper level.
And you're going to give them all to me,
Aren't you, you handsome devil! ;)
For this list I'll start out small-
10 new pairs of socks!
I'd like a better housework ethic and a bottomless litter box.
Though, that last one's not for me, but Amy, Three, and Shelly.
Having three cats can make life hectic, not to mention smelly.
About once a year my dog sheds. Once? Well, maybe twice.
So I could really use a good hair removal device!
On the subject of Otis, I have a request that brings me close to tears-
I'd give anything for her to live another 80 years.
I want there to be no more sadness, no more pain or fear.
Especially when it comes to those that I hold most dear.
I want there to be no more fighting,
hateful man against man.
I don't think we should hurt each other just because we can.
Of books and of perfume, this year, I'd like an endless supply.
To stomach acid and anxiety, I'd love to say a hearty goodbye.
I'd like a fifty pack of my favorite Chapstick!
A huge selection of hair dyes, the colors I'd pick.
I want humans to embrace our differences instead of living in fear of them.
Things like "genocide" and "prejudice", I hope our children never hear of them.
I'd like to go back in time and tell myself back then,
"You're stronger than you know, I swear this is not the end."
Santa, I hope you don't mind, but I want some more tattoos!
And since it is a very festive Christmas, maybe a little booze?
I'd like a flawless complexion, a stunning physique!
To see a spider and not need to shriek.
I want to hang with my sister,
A day-long Supernatural fest.
I want to be a good writer, and someday be the best.
I need to find my place in life- this I must discover.
I want to make next year count- this and every other.
Now, Santa, even if you do not get me a single thing this year,
Do what you do best and spread a little cheer!
For the record, you ARE allowed to write corny poems at Christmastime. That's a rule!
Merry, merry, merry Christmas to you all!
Sarah
Friday, December 25, 2015
Thursday, December 17, 2015
The Mystery Present!
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but today is my birthday! Woop-wooooop! I turned 24. I drove up to Pueblo for a doctor's appointment today and on the way I was mentally reviewing some of my past birthdays: some great, some... unfortunate.
My 17th birthday sucked, and it was all my fault. It was one of the last days of school before our Christmas break, so we were in the middle of taking all of our finals. Lucky me, I got to take my Pre-Cal final on my birthday! If you do not know me, I will tell you: I am not a mathematician. Just.. nope. I think the biggest part of it is some sort of mental block... kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy. I hate math and so when I do math I am unhappy and I feel sure I will fail, and then I do badly, and I hate math more. And that helps nothing.
When I was in my sophomore year of high school, I had to drop out for a while because the mania from my Schizoaffective Disorder was so totally unbearable, I couldn't cope at school. Mostly my teachers really worked with me and I kept up okay with the schoolwork. But with Geometry, I fell hopelessly behind and it was a huge mess. Honestly, I think that sensation of being so behind in Geometry is really close to what it feels like to be in debt... just working and working to catch up, but being unable to. Ever since then, I've just hated math with a passion.. I mean, I'm obviously no genius, but I'm not an idiot either. I'm certain my problem with math is much more an attitude problem then me being too dumb to do it.
Anyway! On my 17th birthday, I had my math final and I did abysmally. And I fessed up to my dad and he was angry and disappointed and yelled at me and I yelled too and I went to bed crying and miserable. But you know what? My dad forgave me and with the help of one or two absolutely incredible teachers, I got that math "debt" cleared up!
But then last year, on my 23rd birthday, everything was going pretty well, but since I had the day off I drove my Grandma and her dog, Earl, to the vet's because he was old and had been feeling poorly. Well, wouldn't you know, that was THE vet's visit where they told us "The dog needs to be put down." It just broke my heart a little. I'm a softy when it comes to animals, and I knew how badly it hurt my Grandma.
But! As I said, I've had some pretty awesome birthdays, too! Namely, my 12th birthday, which is surprising because I was pretty depressed back then. But "The Return of the King" came out ON MY BIRTHDAY and I went with my friends to see it and it was just so amazing. Then, one year I went with my friend, my dad, and my aunt to a Lamb of God concert on my birthday and that was great, too. Someone in the crowd brought in a bucket of KFC chicken and soon everybody in the audience was covered, greasy and slimy from having chicken thrown on them. My dad still brings up that concert now and then and laughs about it.
Today's birthday was a pretty great one! I got several birthday cards in the mail, and my Mom sent me some pretty, bright, shiny books! What can I say? She knows me pretty well!
As a birthday celebration, on the way back home from my doctor's visit, I stopped at Chef Liu's in Trinidad and met my dad, Emmy, and David there! The food was excellent as always, and we special ordered a bunch of Chinese donuts and Emmy put a birthday candle in each one!
The biggest part of our conversation at dinner was centered around... THE MYSTERY PRESENT!
Last night, I was watching "Supernatural" (surprise!) with my sister, and she instructed me to please clear off a sizable space inside my front porch for a "present", and that's all she would tell me. SO FRUSTRATING! All day today I was trying to figure out what it could possibly be, and I was clueless. So, at dinner, I tried to investigate.
"So," I said oh-so-casually as I cut into an eggroll. "Did you, uh, deliver the present?"
Emmy grinned into her cup of tea. "Yes," she said simply. "Any ideas what it is? You'll never guess it..."
I considered. "Well, I'm assuming it is pretty big, or you wouldn't have made me clean my porch. Wait!" I said as a horrifying thought struck me, "You weren't messing with me, were you? It's not a little thing and you felt like making me clean??"
She laughed. "No, but we should do that next year. So, ideas?"
"Well," I said thoughtfully, "I don't think you bought me a pony, because you would probably put it in my back yard instead of on my porch. How many people did it take to move it?"
Emmy opened her mouth to answer, but my dad cut in smoothly, "Somewhere between one and twelve."
While Emmy and David laughed, I scowled. "That is not helpful!"
"I know," my dad said sagely, as he swiped a snow pea from my bowl of soup.
I bounced up and down in my seat. "Hints??" I pleaded. I really do revert to childhood when it comes to presents.
My companions all glanced at one another, squinting shrewdly. "Well, uh, it's alive!" said my dad suddenly. "You're gonna have to feed and water it and stuff..."
"You bought me a plant?" I asked blankly.
"I don't know, Dad," said my sister. "It was pretty cold out on that porch.. might not make it!"
"You bought me a dead plant?" I amended. "Will Otis like it?"
"I would think so, " said Emmy, considering. "But she's kind of cranky. Who knows?"
From there I began receiving more and more odd and obscure "clues" that I felt more confused than before I heard them! After blowing out my birthday donut-candles, we made a quick trip to Walmart, then headed home. We all pulled up in front of my house for the big reveal, and my dad made me cover my eyes as they lead me up to the porch. My sister ran inside and turned on the light.
"Ready? One, two... three!"
In front of me stood a huge, magnificent... MATTRESS!! Still wrapped in plastic! My mouth fell agape and I blissfully fell against it, embraced by the soft, squishy fabric. A brand new mattress! The one I'm using now is at least 20 years old. Heaven in a bag! With it came a new comforter and sheets.
My companions laughed as I admired it. Suddenly, I giggled. "I thought I needed to feed and water it..?" I asked my dad.
He shrugged. "I had to throw you off the trail."
Like, I said, a pretty great birthday! I won't be sleeping on the new mattress just yet, but it won't be long now.
And Christmas is just a week away! If you're lucky, you might get a Christmas poem! ;)
Happy Birthday to me!
Sarah
My 17th birthday sucked, and it was all my fault. It was one of the last days of school before our Christmas break, so we were in the middle of taking all of our finals. Lucky me, I got to take my Pre-Cal final on my birthday! If you do not know me, I will tell you: I am not a mathematician. Just.. nope. I think the biggest part of it is some sort of mental block... kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy. I hate math and so when I do math I am unhappy and I feel sure I will fail, and then I do badly, and I hate math more. And that helps nothing.
When I was in my sophomore year of high school, I had to drop out for a while because the mania from my Schizoaffective Disorder was so totally unbearable, I couldn't cope at school. Mostly my teachers really worked with me and I kept up okay with the schoolwork. But with Geometry, I fell hopelessly behind and it was a huge mess. Honestly, I think that sensation of being so behind in Geometry is really close to what it feels like to be in debt... just working and working to catch up, but being unable to. Ever since then, I've just hated math with a passion.. I mean, I'm obviously no genius, but I'm not an idiot either. I'm certain my problem with math is much more an attitude problem then me being too dumb to do it.
Anyway! On my 17th birthday, I had my math final and I did abysmally. And I fessed up to my dad and he was angry and disappointed and yelled at me and I yelled too and I went to bed crying and miserable. But you know what? My dad forgave me and with the help of one or two absolutely incredible teachers, I got that math "debt" cleared up!
But then last year, on my 23rd birthday, everything was going pretty well, but since I had the day off I drove my Grandma and her dog, Earl, to the vet's because he was old and had been feeling poorly. Well, wouldn't you know, that was THE vet's visit where they told us "The dog needs to be put down." It just broke my heart a little. I'm a softy when it comes to animals, and I knew how badly it hurt my Grandma.
But! As I said, I've had some pretty awesome birthdays, too! Namely, my 12th birthday, which is surprising because I was pretty depressed back then. But "The Return of the King" came out ON MY BIRTHDAY and I went with my friends to see it and it was just so amazing. Then, one year I went with my friend, my dad, and my aunt to a Lamb of God concert on my birthday and that was great, too. Someone in the crowd brought in a bucket of KFC chicken and soon everybody in the audience was covered, greasy and slimy from having chicken thrown on them. My dad still brings up that concert now and then and laughs about it.
Today's birthday was a pretty great one! I got several birthday cards in the mail, and my Mom sent me some pretty, bright, shiny books! What can I say? She knows me pretty well!
As a birthday celebration, on the way back home from my doctor's visit, I stopped at Chef Liu's in Trinidad and met my dad, Emmy, and David there! The food was excellent as always, and we special ordered a bunch of Chinese donuts and Emmy put a birthday candle in each one!
The biggest part of our conversation at dinner was centered around... THE MYSTERY PRESENT!
Last night, I was watching "Supernatural" (surprise!) with my sister, and she instructed me to please clear off a sizable space inside my front porch for a "present", and that's all she would tell me. SO FRUSTRATING! All day today I was trying to figure out what it could possibly be, and I was clueless. So, at dinner, I tried to investigate.
"So," I said oh-so-casually as I cut into an eggroll. "Did you, uh, deliver the present?"
Emmy grinned into her cup of tea. "Yes," she said simply. "Any ideas what it is? You'll never guess it..."
I considered. "Well, I'm assuming it is pretty big, or you wouldn't have made me clean my porch. Wait!" I said as a horrifying thought struck me, "You weren't messing with me, were you? It's not a little thing and you felt like making me clean??"
She laughed. "No, but we should do that next year. So, ideas?"
"Well," I said thoughtfully, "I don't think you bought me a pony, because you would probably put it in my back yard instead of on my porch. How many people did it take to move it?"
Emmy opened her mouth to answer, but my dad cut in smoothly, "Somewhere between one and twelve."
While Emmy and David laughed, I scowled. "That is not helpful!"
"I know," my dad said sagely, as he swiped a snow pea from my bowl of soup.
I bounced up and down in my seat. "Hints??" I pleaded. I really do revert to childhood when it comes to presents.
My companions all glanced at one another, squinting shrewdly. "Well, uh, it's alive!" said my dad suddenly. "You're gonna have to feed and water it and stuff..."
"You bought me a plant?" I asked blankly.
"I don't know, Dad," said my sister. "It was pretty cold out on that porch.. might not make it!"
"You bought me a dead plant?" I amended. "Will Otis like it?"
"I would think so, " said Emmy, considering. "But she's kind of cranky. Who knows?"
From there I began receiving more and more odd and obscure "clues" that I felt more confused than before I heard them! After blowing out my birthday donut-candles, we made a quick trip to Walmart, then headed home. We all pulled up in front of my house for the big reveal, and my dad made me cover my eyes as they lead me up to the porch. My sister ran inside and turned on the light.
"Ready? One, two... three!"
In front of me stood a huge, magnificent... MATTRESS!! Still wrapped in plastic! My mouth fell agape and I blissfully fell against it, embraced by the soft, squishy fabric. A brand new mattress! The one I'm using now is at least 20 years old. Heaven in a bag! With it came a new comforter and sheets.
My companions laughed as I admired it. Suddenly, I giggled. "I thought I needed to feed and water it..?" I asked my dad.
He shrugged. "I had to throw you off the trail."
Like, I said, a pretty great birthday! I won't be sleeping on the new mattress just yet, but it won't be long now.
And Christmas is just a week away! If you're lucky, you might get a Christmas poem! ;)
Happy Birthday to me!
Sarah
Thursday, December 10, 2015
SUPERNATURAL! Ready! Set!....
SPEED-BLOG!
So, guess what! It's late on Thursday and here I am blogging quickly. Story of my life! But in this quick blog I hope to impart some wisdom that I learned today... You never know when you may need it!
Since it was my day off, I hung out with my sister all day and we binge-watched "Supernatural", my new favorite TV obsession. It has been around for a long time, but my sister just recently introduced it to me. If you are unfamiliar with the series, it is centered around two brothers who hunt and kill supernatural (WHAT!) creatures... kind of a CSI for demons, you know? Excellent television! Anyway, after watching 8 or 10 episodes with my sister in a row, I do have some practical advice...
So, guess what! It's late on Thursday and here I am blogging quickly. Story of my life! But in this quick blog I hope to impart some wisdom that I learned today... You never know when you may need it!
Since it was my day off, I hung out with my sister all day and we binge-watched "Supernatural", my new favorite TV obsession. It has been around for a long time, but my sister just recently introduced it to me. If you are unfamiliar with the series, it is centered around two brothers who hunt and kill supernatural (WHAT!) creatures... kind of a CSI for demons, you know? Excellent television! Anyway, after watching 8 or 10 episodes with my sister in a row, I do have some practical advice...
- Carry salt with you EVERYWHERE. It repels/traps demons
- Got some spare time? Work on your Latin
- It is both funny and maddening watching episodes that are new to you, but that your viewing partner has seen because she is practically bouncing out of her seat trying not to spoil plot secrets. Also, it is frustrating because she revels in your shock when crazy shit goes down
- Trust NO ONE you don't know! Especially pretty young girls... they're always trouble!
- It is almost a given that when you are eating something, a particularly gross or grisly episode will come on and make it hard to enjoy your snack
- You will never ever love your car as much as Dean Winchester loves his. Don't even try
- Holy water is one of the sneakiest and most effective tools in your arsenal
- When hunting, get ready to spend a LOT of time in libraries and on the internet. Knowledge is truly the best weapon!
- Just when you think you have FINALLY gotten rid of one of those awful, annoying characters (Meg, Gordon, Bela) another one POPS UP! Dammit
- The Winchesters make credit-card fraud look easy, but I wouldn't recommend trying it. Same with picking locks.
- Not just people are "Supernatural" fans. My sister's cats love watching it too!
- ALWAYS have a backup plan. Then a backup-backup plan. When all else fails, wing it!
- If, like me, you at some points become particularly jaded and cynical, sometimes you grossly misjudge characters, then you feel like an ass for the rest of the season.
- In Supernatural, no one is EVER truly dead
- In particularly cruel situations, your viewing partner can really mislead you into thinking one thing will happen, just for your expectations to be rudely interrupted. She thinks she's so crafty!
- The show is usually intense and exciting and funny, but every so often they put an "awwwww" moment in there to throw you off!
- After a day of watching Supernatural, the drive home in the dark can really make your imagination run wild!
Happy Hunting! :)
Sarah
Friday, December 4, 2015
ABC's With Sarah
Good evening, internet. Once again, I've postponed posting a blog til the last minute, and I am once again at a loss for inspiration. But! I promised myself I would post a blog every Thursday, dammit! No matter how poor the results are.
I'm really quite sleepy and I'd like to do a quick, easy blog. So! I am going to do word association. Or, rather, letter association. The FIRST thing I think of beginning with each letter. The brain is an interesting machine... let's see what mine will do!
A: Addison's Disease. I don't even know what the hell that is, but I've been watching a lot of House lately... tons of obscure diseases!
B: Belsnickel! A Santa-Claus-like character of lore, introduced by Dwight Schrute from The Office!
C: Canadians, don't ya know! Ya hoser
D: Duffus Castle! In Scotland. I went there years and years ago with some family, and at first we thought it was pronounced like "doofus". Heh.. whoops!
E: EXPECTO PATRONUM!!! From Harry Potter. I think my patronus would be Otis. Or, like, a turtle or something.
F: Friskie's Indoor Delights, my cat's favorite cat food of choice
G: Great White Sharks... the creeps
H: Harvey Dent! From The Dark Knight
I: Indentations
J: Jim Halpert... and Pam Beesly of course!
K: Katniss Everdeen
L: Laiho. Like Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom
M: Middle Earth!
N: Niles Crane! From Frasier.
O: Obi Wan Kenobi!! Ha! You thought I was gonna say "Otis", didn't you? GOTCHA
P: PAUL GIAMATTI!! Don't ask me why, but I'm kind of obsessed with him. Every time I see him in a movie I get all excited. It's kind of a joke with my sister and me... we'll be watching trailers at the movies and we'll see him and immediately look at each other and mouth "PAUL GIAMATTI!!"
Q: Quenya- Elvish!
R: Redneck... the song from Lamb of God, of course!
S: Sheldon! Record and Cooper
T: Targaryens. Look, I like the Starks too, but I've made Targaryen my house, okay?
U: Untying knots of Christmas lights
V: Vikings! The rough conquerors, not the sports team
W: Winchesters. From Supernatural, my favorite new show
X: Xenophilius Lovegood, editor of The Quibbler
Y: Yo-yo. Very original.
Z: Zzzzzzzz's... like sleep! Like what I should be doing now!
Good night!
Sarah
I'm really quite sleepy and I'd like to do a quick, easy blog. So! I am going to do word association. Or, rather, letter association. The FIRST thing I think of beginning with each letter. The brain is an interesting machine... let's see what mine will do!
A: Addison's Disease. I don't even know what the hell that is, but I've been watching a lot of House lately... tons of obscure diseases!
B: Belsnickel! A Santa-Claus-like character of lore, introduced by Dwight Schrute from The Office!
C: Canadians, don't ya know! Ya hoser
D: Duffus Castle! In Scotland. I went there years and years ago with some family, and at first we thought it was pronounced like "doofus". Heh.. whoops!
E: EXPECTO PATRONUM!!! From Harry Potter. I think my patronus would be Otis. Or, like, a turtle or something.
F: Friskie's Indoor Delights, my cat's favorite cat food of choice
G: Great White Sharks... the creeps
H: Harvey Dent! From The Dark Knight
I: Indentations
J: Jim Halpert... and Pam Beesly of course!
K: Katniss Everdeen
L: Laiho. Like Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom
M: Middle Earth!
N: Niles Crane! From Frasier.
O: Obi Wan Kenobi!! Ha! You thought I was gonna say "Otis", didn't you? GOTCHA
P: PAUL GIAMATTI!! Don't ask me why, but I'm kind of obsessed with him. Every time I see him in a movie I get all excited. It's kind of a joke with my sister and me... we'll be watching trailers at the movies and we'll see him and immediately look at each other and mouth "PAUL GIAMATTI!!"
Q: Quenya- Elvish!
R: Redneck... the song from Lamb of God, of course!
S: Sheldon! Record and Cooper
T: Targaryens. Look, I like the Starks too, but I've made Targaryen my house, okay?
U: Untying knots of Christmas lights
V: Vikings! The rough conquerors, not the sports team
W: Winchesters. From Supernatural, my favorite new show
X: Xenophilius Lovegood, editor of The Quibbler
Y: Yo-yo. Very original.
Z: Zzzzzzzz's... like sleep! Like what I should be doing now!
Good night!
Sarah
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Thanksgiving: A Poem!
Happy Thanksgiving, guys! For this special occasion, I wrote a poem! Poetry is not really a talent of mine, but I enjoy rhyming occasionally.
Thanksgiving: A Poem!
By Sarah Record
Today, we're all closed-
ACE, schools and the banks.
Why? Well that's silly-
It's time to give thanks!
Hey, you family! From West Virginia to Albuquerque-
Let's all get together and munch on some turkey!
It's really not possible, I know it. It's true.
There's too much distance between me and you.
But! In an effort to close that large gap,
I've compiled a list! Gasp! Your jaw hit your lap!
I know that it's shocking- what a plot twist!
But here is my "I am thankful for" list:
I'm thankful for Otis! My dog, my best friend.
Without her, my life would have come to an end.
When I was at my lowest, she brought me back up,
That silly, tenacious, potato-sized pup!
She's older now, of course, that fat, sassy pet
For the rest of my life I'll owe her an unpayable debt.
I'm thankful for family, each and every day.
They support me in every conceivable way.
They love me unconditionally, and that's saying a lot.
They've stood by me through every battle I've fought.
I'm thankful for my cats- they bring endless laughter,
Even when Shelly's hanging from the rafters.
I love them to death, and they love me back. I'm certain!
It's just hard to remember when they're ripping up my curtains.
I'm thankful for TV! For Sheldon, for Dwight!
For Supernatural creatures that go bump in the night.
For Dean and for Sam, the Winchester brothers.
For Game of Thrones dragons and their Targaryen mothers.
I'm thankful for books- the words trap me like cages.
I'm thankful for the wisdom, held in their pages.
I'm thankful for stories- Hobbits with a ring as their burden,
Characters like the Joker, Katniss and Tyler Durden.
I'm thankful for Clozaril, my miracle med-
It keeps things calm inside of my head.
I'm thankful for Youtube, for Facebook.com!
They make it easy to stay in touch with my mom.
I'm thankful for Dr. Pepper and beef Ramen noodles.
I'm thankful for blank paper on which I doodle.
I'm thankful for cameras, the click of the lens,
I'm thankful for Sharpies, colored pencils and pens.
I'm thankful for perfume, for Chapstick, and hair dye,
I'm thankful for computers, cell phones and Wi-Fi.
I'm thankful for my sister when we binge-watch TV shows,
For singing Zeppelin with my dad when we miss all the high-notes.
I'm thankful for cool t-shirts and stupid internet memes.
I'm thankful for sleep, and in my sleep, dreams.
To sum it all up, I'm thankful for a lot!
I wish I was a better poet, but I gave it a shot.
I hope you all had excellent Thanksgivings Day meals.
Now go out and find those Black Friday deals!
Happy Thanksgiving, guys!
Sarah
Thanksgiving: A Poem!
By Sarah Record
Today, we're all closed-
ACE, schools and the banks.
Why? Well that's silly-
It's time to give thanks!
Hey, you family! From West Virginia to Albuquerque-
Let's all get together and munch on some turkey!
It's really not possible, I know it. It's true.
There's too much distance between me and you.
But! In an effort to close that large gap,
I've compiled a list! Gasp! Your jaw hit your lap!
I know that it's shocking- what a plot twist!
But here is my "I am thankful for" list:
I'm thankful for Otis! My dog, my best friend.
Without her, my life would have come to an end.
When I was at my lowest, she brought me back up,
That silly, tenacious, potato-sized pup!
She's older now, of course, that fat, sassy pet
For the rest of my life I'll owe her an unpayable debt.
I'm thankful for family, each and every day.
They support me in every conceivable way.
They love me unconditionally, and that's saying a lot.
They've stood by me through every battle I've fought.
I'm thankful for my cats- they bring endless laughter,
Even when Shelly's hanging from the rafters.
I love them to death, and they love me back. I'm certain!
It's just hard to remember when they're ripping up my curtains.
I'm thankful for TV! For Sheldon, for Dwight!
For Supernatural creatures that go bump in the night.
For Dean and for Sam, the Winchester brothers.
For Game of Thrones dragons and their Targaryen mothers.
I'm thankful for books- the words trap me like cages.
I'm thankful for the wisdom, held in their pages.
I'm thankful for stories- Hobbits with a ring as their burden,
Characters like the Joker, Katniss and Tyler Durden.
I'm thankful for Clozaril, my miracle med-
It keeps things calm inside of my head.
I'm thankful for Youtube, for Facebook.com!
They make it easy to stay in touch with my mom.
I'm thankful for Dr. Pepper and beef Ramen noodles.
I'm thankful for blank paper on which I doodle.
I'm thankful for cameras, the click of the lens,
I'm thankful for Sharpies, colored pencils and pens.
I'm thankful for perfume, for Chapstick, and hair dye,
I'm thankful for computers, cell phones and Wi-Fi.
I'm thankful for my sister when we binge-watch TV shows,
For singing Zeppelin with my dad when we miss all the high-notes.
I'm thankful for cool t-shirts and stupid internet memes.
I'm thankful for sleep, and in my sleep, dreams.
To sum it all up, I'm thankful for a lot!
I wish I was a better poet, but I gave it a shot.
I hope you all had excellent Thanksgivings Day meals.
Now go out and find those Black Friday deals!
Happy Thanksgiving, guys!
Sarah
Thursday, November 19, 2015
I'm Fancy Because I Use Latin
Hi, hi, blog friends! This will be a quick one because my internet connection is being annoying and temperamental and keeps shutting itself down... it's a race against the clock!
I am so happy to report that it is FINALLY acting like winter here in Raton! Tonight my dad and I went over to Trinidad to watch the new James Bond movie, Spectre, and we drove past mountains of snow on the pass, thanks to our surprise snowstorm on Tuesday. When we got to the theater, I slipped out of the warm car and went inside to buy tickets, my fresh-from-the-box winter boots crunching across icy snow. I hugged my ACE hoodie close and half-ran across the parking lot, my breath fogging up the air. Once we got into the tiny, back theater, we were both happy we had jackets because it was COLD! By the end of the movie, the tip of my nose was frozen and I was questioning my earlier decision of getting something cold to drink.
We both enjoyed the movie very much and discussed it all the way back to Raton, where the outside temperature had plummeted. In town there are heaps of snow everywhere- dirty stacks in the middle of the roads, piles shoved onto salted sidewalks, and clumps of ice clinging to cars.
I love it all!! It's my favorite time of year. And with it comes the Holidays!
It seems as soon as stores get the Halloween stuff packed away, out comes the Christmas! And ACE is no exception, really. We recently brought in our Christmas racks, huge metal shelves that have been spray painted red and green for festivity's sake. Every year when we haul them in, we have to clean them up a little after they've been roughing it in a back shed for ten months or so. We scrub them down and touch up the paint if needed, then we put wrapping paper across the shelves, which looks a lot better then the bare, splintery wood slats. Then comes the merchandise! Box after box of lights and luminarias and window clings and wreaths and garlands and "NOEL" signs and lit-up deer and candy cane shaped pathway lights and Amaryllis kits and bows and Santa-Clauses and replacement bulbs and
Sunnuvabitch, my internet just cut out.
Aaaaaaaand we're back! Sorry, folks. Tempus fugit!
Last week before we got the huge snowstorm, the shop guys at ACE started working on lights for the building. It's always a spectacle! Unfortunately, a few lights here and there is all we can do anymore because people like to steal anything that's not chained to the building. But the guys always do a really nice job with the lights... long stands of white along the roof of the building, set with timers that turn on just as the day is closing, as the soft afternoon light fades into darkness.
And the rest of the town is doing the same! The city has begun putting up the holiday decorations and the other stores are filled to the brim with decorations. My dad LOVES Christmas time and is already planning his outdoor lighting. This will be my first Christmas in this house and I'm excited. I have made a vow, however, that I WILL take down my Christmas tree this year! I admit, a year or two ago, I put up my tree and left it up all year. After a while, it was just another piece of furniture! Like my mummy!
Anyway, guys, I couldn't be happier that it's winter time. I washed my nice winter coat today and I've been wearing a new beanie I got a few weeks ago... Supernatural! I'm hooked.
I promise next Thursday to write a Thanksgiving blog! I'm sorry this blog wasn't more interesting, but every now and then it's kind of nice to just sit and reflect about how good things are.
And I'm signing off before my internet has another conniption!
Stay warm out there!
Sarah
I am so happy to report that it is FINALLY acting like winter here in Raton! Tonight my dad and I went over to Trinidad to watch the new James Bond movie, Spectre, and we drove past mountains of snow on the pass, thanks to our surprise snowstorm on Tuesday. When we got to the theater, I slipped out of the warm car and went inside to buy tickets, my fresh-from-the-box winter boots crunching across icy snow. I hugged my ACE hoodie close and half-ran across the parking lot, my breath fogging up the air. Once we got into the tiny, back theater, we were both happy we had jackets because it was COLD! By the end of the movie, the tip of my nose was frozen and I was questioning my earlier decision of getting something cold to drink.
We both enjoyed the movie very much and discussed it all the way back to Raton, where the outside temperature had plummeted. In town there are heaps of snow everywhere- dirty stacks in the middle of the roads, piles shoved onto salted sidewalks, and clumps of ice clinging to cars.
I love it all!! It's my favorite time of year. And with it comes the Holidays!
It seems as soon as stores get the Halloween stuff packed away, out comes the Christmas! And ACE is no exception, really. We recently brought in our Christmas racks, huge metal shelves that have been spray painted red and green for festivity's sake. Every year when we haul them in, we have to clean them up a little after they've been roughing it in a back shed for ten months or so. We scrub them down and touch up the paint if needed, then we put wrapping paper across the shelves, which looks a lot better then the bare, splintery wood slats. Then comes the merchandise! Box after box of lights and luminarias and window clings and wreaths and garlands and "NOEL" signs and lit-up deer and candy cane shaped pathway lights and Amaryllis kits and bows and Santa-Clauses and replacement bulbs and
Sunnuvabitch, my internet just cut out.
Aaaaaaaand we're back! Sorry, folks. Tempus fugit!
Last week before we got the huge snowstorm, the shop guys at ACE started working on lights for the building. It's always a spectacle! Unfortunately, a few lights here and there is all we can do anymore because people like to steal anything that's not chained to the building. But the guys always do a really nice job with the lights... long stands of white along the roof of the building, set with timers that turn on just as the day is closing, as the soft afternoon light fades into darkness.
And the rest of the town is doing the same! The city has begun putting up the holiday decorations and the other stores are filled to the brim with decorations. My dad LOVES Christmas time and is already planning his outdoor lighting. This will be my first Christmas in this house and I'm excited. I have made a vow, however, that I WILL take down my Christmas tree this year! I admit, a year or two ago, I put up my tree and left it up all year. After a while, it was just another piece of furniture! Like my mummy!
Anyway, guys, I couldn't be happier that it's winter time. I washed my nice winter coat today and I've been wearing a new beanie I got a few weeks ago... Supernatural! I'm hooked.
I promise next Thursday to write a Thanksgiving blog! I'm sorry this blog wasn't more interesting, but every now and then it's kind of nice to just sit and reflect about how good things are.
And I'm signing off before my internet has another conniption!
Stay warm out there!
Sarah
Friday, November 13, 2015
(Not So) Secret Talents!
Hi, ho, there! Another blog being written hastily to meet my self-set deadline.
There are some things in my life that I talk about... All. The. Time. Pshhhhhhh! Look who I'm telling! If you are a frequent reader, you know! I'm obsessed with my dog, I like to write, I talk about my job, my family, my dog, I love taking pictures and stupid memes, I love my dog... you know!
So today (tonight) I thought I'd do a quick list of gifts and skills of mine that I don't talk about all the time. Granted, there are a lot of blogs on this page and I know I've mentioned some before.. but still. Changing it up a little!
Forgive me if this is weird.. I'm kind of loopy tonight!
ELVISH
So years and years ago, I discovered this little-known book series... THE LORD OF THE RINGS!! I, like the rest of the world, fell in love. The books are absolutely incredible, the films are great, and for nerdy fans like me, there is a whole WORLD of knowledge out there to immerse yourself in... and that's just what I did. I bought a bunch of books about the histories of Middle Earth and discovered all the different languages that Tolkien created. So I bought an English-to-Elvish dictionary!(Sindarin and Quenya, not to mention a bunch of other dialects like Dwarvish and some Uruk-Hai.) To this day, it remains the most dog-eared book I own. And I learned! Back about 10 years ago, I was basically fluent in Elvish! Speaking and writing. Unfortunately, I don't remember a whole lot of it, but I still love it to death. Little bits of it stay with me! When I'm nervous, there's an Elvish poem that I recite over and over. It calms me.
You mark my words, someday I will have a tattoo in Elvish!
Music
I'll be honest, for a while I was a bit of a music snob, but now I love ALL KINDS of music, regardless of the genre. If it's good music, it's good music!
Over the years, I have learned to play (at least a little): piano/keyboard, clarinet, guitar, bass guitar. I like to sing, I'm just terrible at it. Actually, I love to sing when I'm with my dad because neither of us are really good, but we sing at the top of our lungs and just don't care! You should hear us do "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" or "The Sky is Crying" or any AC/DC, ZZ Top, or Led Zeppelin! Lately he's been teaching me a lot of Eagles stuff and he loves to quiz me on Van Halen songs- Sammy Hagar or David Lee Roth?
Flexible hands
My hands have always been very flexible.. I swear they don't hurt at all! I know it's inaccurate, but the term I grew up hearing was "double jointed."Over the years I've learned ways to twist and turn them that make some people... uncomfortable! Haha! For example:
My incredible, bendable pointer finger! I can make it go pretty much all the way to the back of my hand.
And, just for you! I made a really, REALLY dorky video of it all! Enjoy :)
There is absolutely nothing to this trick, you just have to MAKE yourself do it the first time. It's kind hard because it's counter-intuitive. Your body's like "Nope! Bad idea..." Enjoy this high quality video from about 8 years ago!
Admittedly, this is an odd one! But it's accurate. I am, to my core, GUILTY. Which is ironic, because I'm one of the most honest, cautious, boring, law-abiding citizens you can find! One of the things I say most often is, "I'm sorry!" even if it's not my fault at all. Somehow, I still feel responsible! I just inherently feel this overwhelming sense of guilt. It's to the point that it sometimes annoys my loved ones! They say, "STOP SAYING YOU'RE SORRY!"
To which I squeak, "Sorr--- I mean! Okay..."
Sometimes I like to think what I and other people were in past lives. It's fun! For example, I'm convinced that at one time or another my dad was a famous rock/blues musician. As for me, I'm positive I was some sort of master-criminal. It's the only thing that I can think of that would explain why, in a different life entirely, I still feel bad! I just hope I was an excellent criminal and had a lot of fun, because I am STILL PAYING FOR IT!
Oh, I just realized that today is Friday the 13th! Which is pretty insignificant, except I MISSED MY DEADLINE ANYWAY!!
Have a good one! :)
Sarah
There are some things in my life that I talk about... All. The. Time. Pshhhhhhh! Look who I'm telling! If you are a frequent reader, you know! I'm obsessed with my dog, I like to write, I talk about my job, my family, my dog, I love taking pictures and stupid memes, I love my dog... you know!
So today (tonight) I thought I'd do a quick list of gifts and skills of mine that I don't talk about all the time. Granted, there are a lot of blogs on this page and I know I've mentioned some before.. but still. Changing it up a little!
Forgive me if this is weird.. I'm kind of loopy tonight!
ELVISH
So years and years ago, I discovered this little-known book series... THE LORD OF THE RINGS!! I, like the rest of the world, fell in love. The books are absolutely incredible, the films are great, and for nerdy fans like me, there is a whole WORLD of knowledge out there to immerse yourself in... and that's just what I did. I bought a bunch of books about the histories of Middle Earth and discovered all the different languages that Tolkien created. So I bought an English-to-Elvish dictionary!(Sindarin and Quenya, not to mention a bunch of other dialects like Dwarvish and some Uruk-Hai.) To this day, it remains the most dog-eared book I own. And I learned! Back about 10 years ago, I was basically fluent in Elvish! Speaking and writing. Unfortunately, I don't remember a whole lot of it, but I still love it to death. Little bits of it stay with me! When I'm nervous, there's an Elvish poem that I recite over and over. It calms me.
You mark my words, someday I will have a tattoo in Elvish!
Music
I'll be honest, for a while I was a bit of a music snob, but now I love ALL KINDS of music, regardless of the genre. If it's good music, it's good music!
Over the years, I have learned to play (at least a little): piano/keyboard, clarinet, guitar, bass guitar. I like to sing, I'm just terrible at it. Actually, I love to sing when I'm with my dad because neither of us are really good, but we sing at the top of our lungs and just don't care! You should hear us do "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" or "The Sky is Crying" or any AC/DC, ZZ Top, or Led Zeppelin! Lately he's been teaching me a lot of Eagles stuff and he loves to quiz me on Van Halen songs- Sammy Hagar or David Lee Roth?
Flexible hands
My hands have always been very flexible.. I swear they don't hurt at all! I know it's inaccurate, but the term I grew up hearing was "double jointed."Over the years I've learned ways to twist and turn them that make some people... uncomfortable! Haha! For example:
My incredible, bendable pointer finger! I can make it go pretty much all the way to the back of my hand.
My thumb, which can go straight down to my wrist:
Or back around to the outside of my arm:
And finally, a move that everyone learns in 6th grade to freak out your family:
My "put out the match" trick!
There is absolutely nothing to this trick, you just have to MAKE yourself do it the first time. It's kind hard because it's counter-intuitive. Your body's like "Nope! Bad idea..." Enjoy this high quality video from about 8 years ago!
GUILT
Admittedly, this is an odd one! But it's accurate. I am, to my core, GUILTY. Which is ironic, because I'm one of the most honest, cautious, boring, law-abiding citizens you can find! One of the things I say most often is, "I'm sorry!" even if it's not my fault at all. Somehow, I still feel responsible! I just inherently feel this overwhelming sense of guilt. It's to the point that it sometimes annoys my loved ones! They say, "STOP SAYING YOU'RE SORRY!"
To which I squeak, "Sorr--- I mean! Okay..."
Sometimes I like to think what I and other people were in past lives. It's fun! For example, I'm convinced that at one time or another my dad was a famous rock/blues musician. As for me, I'm positive I was some sort of master-criminal. It's the only thing that I can think of that would explain why, in a different life entirely, I still feel bad! I just hope I was an excellent criminal and had a lot of fun, because I am STILL PAYING FOR IT!
Oh, I just realized that today is Friday the 13th! Which is pretty insignificant, except I MISSED MY DEADLINE ANYWAY!!
Have a good one! :)
Sarah
Thursday, November 5, 2015
That Mummy is Invaluable
Happy November to you all! With the warm, balmy weather we've been having lately, it's been hard to believe it's fall. But this morning when I rolled out of my toasty-warm bed and let Otis outside, there was a fine dusting of snow on the crispy, dead grass of my back yard lawn. I could see my breath fogging up the chilly air and Otis' outside water dish was crystallized with ice. Hopping from one bare foot to the other, I hugged my arms close to my body and shivered as Otis happily crunched through the snow.
I know some people will be sad to see the nice weather fading away, but I love it! Late fall and winter is my favorite time of year.
I was, however, happy that we had pretty nice weather for Halloween! This was the first Halloween in a long time that I didn't dress up or anything. I just wore a Dunder-Mifflin t-shirt and pretended I was Dwight Schrute!
I was sort of disappointed in myself for not doing more! Last Halloween, I braided my hair, put on my renaissance festival crown, and carried around some plastic dragons, my version of a Khaleesi (Daenerys Targaryen) from Game of Thrones! Not too much work involved, obviously, but at least I did something!
Even back in mid-school when I and all my friends were in the inevitable "I'm Too Cool for This" stage, I at least put on some drippy eyeliner, because, well, I'm not sure. It seemed like a good idea at the time, okay? Shut up!
But to be fair, over the years, I did have some cool costumes. I was the Joker one year! When I was really, really small, my mom made me a tiger costume. I was Hermione from Harry Potter. When I was in about first grade, I was Meg from the animated movie Hercules!
Halloween is just cool! I've stated in previous blogs that I really love when they put out Halloween decorations because most people's "Halloween" decorations are my everyday house furnishings. And you know what? My neighbors told me the other day that the life-size mummy I keep on my front porch quite possibly prevented a minor theft from occurring! I had an empty (though the potential criminal did not know this) box left on my front porch and the crook came up to inspect it. Suddenly, they looked up and saw my mummy, got scared shitless, and hauled ass out of there!
Three words: Muah. Ha. Ha.
But, even though I did not dress up this year, I did (through work and trick-or-treaters) get to see other people's costumes! Costumes, and, of course, older women's Halloween sweater vests.
When I was younger, I trick-or-treated with friends, and sometimes my parents would have Halloween parties! We'd play games and hang out, and it was just fun. However, I missed out on one thing: giving out candy! Up where I lived, there were no trick or treaters! So when I got to be a little older, I went to my friends houses and finally got to experience the phenomenon. One of the funnest Halloweens I ever had, I was at my friends house and we sat on the roof of her garage and threw candy to kids and strangers, and twigs and small pebbles at people we knew.
For the past couple years, it had become kind of a tradition for me to hang out with my sister on Halloween, watch ghost-hunting shows, eat junk food and pass out candy. We tried to keep track of the trick-or-treaters and we usually got about 70 to 80. Well, this year I was on my own! It was kind of scary, I won't lie. You probably know by now I have anxiety when it comes to people, and I was pretty scared to be on my own! But, you know what? Not one single kid mugged me! It probably helped that Otis was in the house WOOFING like a maniac.
I got home a little later than usual, so I know I missed some trick-or-treaters, but I still had about 45! I tried to take inventory of costumes. There were:
I know some people will be sad to see the nice weather fading away, but I love it! Late fall and winter is my favorite time of year.
I was, however, happy that we had pretty nice weather for Halloween! This was the first Halloween in a long time that I didn't dress up or anything. I just wore a Dunder-Mifflin t-shirt and pretended I was Dwight Schrute!
I was sort of disappointed in myself for not doing more! Last Halloween, I braided my hair, put on my renaissance festival crown, and carried around some plastic dragons, my version of a Khaleesi (Daenerys Targaryen) from Game of Thrones! Not too much work involved, obviously, but at least I did something!
But to be fair, over the years, I did have some cool costumes. I was the Joker one year! When I was really, really small, my mom made me a tiger costume. I was Hermione from Harry Potter. When I was in about first grade, I was Meg from the animated movie Hercules!
Halloween is just cool! I've stated in previous blogs that I really love when they put out Halloween decorations because most people's "Halloween" decorations are my everyday house furnishings. And you know what? My neighbors told me the other day that the life-size mummy I keep on my front porch quite possibly prevented a minor theft from occurring! I had an empty (though the potential criminal did not know this) box left on my front porch and the crook came up to inspect it. Suddenly, they looked up and saw my mummy, got scared shitless, and hauled ass out of there!
Three words: Muah. Ha. Ha.
But, even though I did not dress up this year, I did (through work and trick-or-treaters) get to see other people's costumes! Costumes, and, of course, older women's Halloween sweater vests.
When I was younger, I trick-or-treated with friends, and sometimes my parents would have Halloween parties! We'd play games and hang out, and it was just fun. However, I missed out on one thing: giving out candy! Up where I lived, there were no trick or treaters! So when I got to be a little older, I went to my friends houses and finally got to experience the phenomenon. One of the funnest Halloweens I ever had, I was at my friends house and we sat on the roof of her garage and threw candy to kids and strangers, and twigs and small pebbles at people we knew.
For the past couple years, it had become kind of a tradition for me to hang out with my sister on Halloween, watch ghost-hunting shows, eat junk food and pass out candy. We tried to keep track of the trick-or-treaters and we usually got about 70 to 80. Well, this year I was on my own! It was kind of scary, I won't lie. You probably know by now I have anxiety when it comes to people, and I was pretty scared to be on my own! But, you know what? Not one single kid mugged me! It probably helped that Otis was in the house WOOFING like a maniac.
I got home a little later than usual, so I know I missed some trick-or-treaters, but I still had about 45! I tried to take inventory of costumes. There were:
- a LOT of pirates! Which is really cool, but kind of unexpected
- a couple evil clowns
- a few fairies
- one or two vampires
- some monsters
- a TON of girls wearing Day of the Dead skull makeup
- several princesses
- three or four superheroes
- some ghosts
- a couple Ninja Turtles
- a cowboy
- a ton MORE girls wearing Day of the Dead makeup
- and many more costumes!
I'll be honest, I turned off my porch light at 8:00. Most trick or treaters were gone, I was almost out of candy, and it seems like later in the evening you get the mid school and high school kids who are bored and want candy so they find a mask somewhere and carry plastic KMart bags "trick or treating." I suppose there's nothing really wrong with that, but sometimes it's like, "Come on. Get your own candy!"
Now that Halloween is over, Christmas stuff will be ALL OVER! And I'm fine with that. With the holiday season comes cooler weather, pretty bright lights, family crowed around the table for Thanksgiving, deep snows, City of Bethlehem, luminarias, creative Christmas crafts from Hobby Lobby, kids letters to Santa, the Christmas Carol at the Shuler Theater, candy canes, and my favorite, CHRISTMAS CAROLS! I'll be singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" til Cinco de Mayo.
I SWEAR I will take my Christmas tree down this year!!
I think.
Happy November!
Sarah
Sarah
Thursday, October 29, 2015
I'm Sure Michael's is Great, Too
So, here I sit, 11:45 on Thursday night, trying to come up with funny or insightful or clever or interesting blog ideas, and I'm drawing a blank.
All I can think about is Hobby Lobby.
I had an appointment up in Pueblo today, and afterwards, I did a little shopping. I went into Target and bought a cat-laser and some Halloween candy for Trick-or-Treaters. I ventured into the mall and bought Bring Me The Horizon socks and Supernatural sleep-pants. I spent a little time in Barnes and Noble, admiring all the books and soaking in the atmosphere.
But the majority of my time, money and enjoyment was spent in Hobby Lobby. I gotta say, I am sincerely glad we don't have a Hobby Lobby in Raton, because I would be penniless, my house filled to the rafters with piles of different craft supplies. Heaps of paintbrushes and egg-shaped Styrofoam. A tower of acrylic paints. A fort of unpainted, empty wooden boxes. A little forest of yarn. A river of hot glue gun sticks. A cardboard box full of clearance items that I didn't know what to do with, but couldn't pass up. Rock-like formations of pads of paper. Drawers full of Sharpie markers. Pens, pens, pens! Seven different pairs of scissors, one for everyday of the week. Sewing kits, even though I couldn't sew anything to save my life. A kitchen full of empty glass bottles with corks and a closet full of pretty fabric that I could never do anything with.
It is simply the most wondrous and delightful store imaginable! Every time I go in, I toddle around, mouth agape, in complete and utter awe of my surroundings. It is SO dangerous, because it tempts you with cool little creative ideas and tricks you into thinking, "Wood carving? How charming! I could be great at that!" even though you know you are no wood carver, and you accidentally cut yourself with butter knives, let alone deadly little razors in irregular shapes.
Or, "Oh! Calligraphy! Just because my handwriting is considered by most as "chicken scratches", doesn't mean I couldn't excel at the craft!"
And, "I should just quit my job! Open a little road-side stand of crappy, homemade crafts and live off people's pity money! Job security is for suckers!"
Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.
They have shelves after shelves crafts and holiday-related decorations, with prices that really sneak up on you. You don't realize the cost until you're getting ready to check out and have to start thinking critically, "Do I really need a Christmas wreath that's six feet in diameter? Or these awesome, yet impractical sets of doll-house furniture? Who's going to use them, my Borrowers?"
It's a slippery slope. But! It's pretty awesome, and brings out the creativity in just about everyone. And though I pick on prices, mostly they're pretty reasonable. Years and years ago, I got a full-sized, moving, Halloween mummy for $30.00. THIRTY DOLLARS, I SAY! I still have her! She lives on my front porch. If you come Trick-or-Treating, you'll see her!
It's nuts.
Before I sign off, let me just say, if you are related to me, you might just get a homemade craft for Christmas!
Sarah
All I can think about is Hobby Lobby.
I had an appointment up in Pueblo today, and afterwards, I did a little shopping. I went into Target and bought a cat-laser and some Halloween candy for Trick-or-Treaters. I ventured into the mall and bought Bring Me The Horizon socks and Supernatural sleep-pants. I spent a little time in Barnes and Noble, admiring all the books and soaking in the atmosphere.
But the majority of my time, money and enjoyment was spent in Hobby Lobby. I gotta say, I am sincerely glad we don't have a Hobby Lobby in Raton, because I would be penniless, my house filled to the rafters with piles of different craft supplies. Heaps of paintbrushes and egg-shaped Styrofoam. A tower of acrylic paints. A fort of unpainted, empty wooden boxes. A little forest of yarn. A river of hot glue gun sticks. A cardboard box full of clearance items that I didn't know what to do with, but couldn't pass up. Rock-like formations of pads of paper. Drawers full of Sharpie markers. Pens, pens, pens! Seven different pairs of scissors, one for everyday of the week. Sewing kits, even though I couldn't sew anything to save my life. A kitchen full of empty glass bottles with corks and a closet full of pretty fabric that I could never do anything with.
It is simply the most wondrous and delightful store imaginable! Every time I go in, I toddle around, mouth agape, in complete and utter awe of my surroundings. It is SO dangerous, because it tempts you with cool little creative ideas and tricks you into thinking, "Wood carving? How charming! I could be great at that!" even though you know you are no wood carver, and you accidentally cut yourself with butter knives, let alone deadly little razors in irregular shapes.
Or, "Oh! Calligraphy! Just because my handwriting is considered by most as "chicken scratches", doesn't mean I couldn't excel at the craft!"
And, "I should just quit my job! Open a little road-side stand of crappy, homemade crafts and live off people's pity money! Job security is for suckers!"
Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.
They have shelves after shelves crafts and holiday-related decorations, with prices that really sneak up on you. You don't realize the cost until you're getting ready to check out and have to start thinking critically, "Do I really need a Christmas wreath that's six feet in diameter? Or these awesome, yet impractical sets of doll-house furniture? Who's going to use them, my Borrowers?"
It's a slippery slope. But! It's pretty awesome, and brings out the creativity in just about everyone. And though I pick on prices, mostly they're pretty reasonable. Years and years ago, I got a full-sized, moving, Halloween mummy for $30.00. THIRTY DOLLARS, I SAY! I still have her! She lives on my front porch. If you come Trick-or-Treating, you'll see her!
It's nuts.
Before I sign off, let me just say, if you are related to me, you might just get a homemade craft for Christmas!
Sarah
Thursday, October 22, 2015
INFESTED
Alas! I am late with my Wordsday Thursday! Auchhhhhh! So it'll have to be quick one.
Lately, I've noticed some troubling things! Little odds and ends gone missing. Things left in places I swear I didn't leave them. My cats staring at walls and cupboards and other boring, unmoving objects. Little objects falling during the night. Feelings of being watched.
Ghosts? you say.
Nay!
It's...
THE BORROWERS!! I know it! If you are unfamiliar with them, they are little people that live in your house, stealing (oh, excuse me, borrowing) little odds and ends. Actually, here is a trailer for an old movie made about the Borrowers! Based on true events, I'm sure.
Anyway, I've got them BAD. An infestation! At ACE, we sell products to get rid of mice and spiders and wasps and flies and scorpions and weeds and poison ivy, but we don't have a single product for Borrowers!
I mean, normally, I wouldn't want to take such a violent course of action, but I'm desperate! I had to go to KMart the other day because I could not find a SINGLE pair of socks. During the last few summer months, I've worn sandals and my (lame, but extremely comfortable) Crocs. But now that the weather is cooling down, I need socks. But the jerks have taken them all! My socks are just gone! I assume they're perfect little sleeping bags for Borrowers.
And for whatever reason, they seem particularly fond of my hair ties! Actually, and this is really odd, my sister has the same elastic-loving Borrowers! We'll buy a pack of fifty hair ties, and over the next few days, we find them ALL over the house. In weird places! Like in the toilet or in the cat's feeding bowls. Bizarre!
During the day when I'm at work, they must really come out and party because when I get home, Otis's toys will be all over the house and stuff on the top of my refrigerator will be down and spilled all over the kitchen floor. The pets' water dish will be spilled. My plants will look significantly more beat-up. It's kind of mind blowing how destructive they are! And WHY?
The other day, I had made myself some dinner and I put the plate on my couch and left the room to get something. CRASH! Some little Borrower creep had snuck into the living room and pushed my plate on the floor. Ass!
I can't for the life of me figure out why they're so aggressive all of a sudden. And honestly, I'm really disappointed in my cats for not hunting them down. It would seem they'd cross paths often because a lot of Borrower activity happens where my cats hang out all day long. Weird!
Anyway, I'll keep you updated. Any advice would be appreciated! It looks like we might have an epidemic on our hands.
Happy hunting!
Sarah
Thursday, October 15, 2015
The WHEN List
Well, hello there!
Today was, as is every Thursday, my day off! I had all these plans and accomplished almost none of them. But it is Wordsday Thursday and I made a promise to write, even if the blogs are poorly executed and/or short.
So for today I thought I'd do a quick list of my dreams and aspirations. Deep stuff! But instead of calling it a "Wish List" I'm calling it a "When List" because, dammit, it's not a question of IF these goals will happen, it's a question of WHEN!
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Sarah's WHEN LIST:
Today was, as is every Thursday, my day off! I had all these plans and accomplished almost none of them. But it is Wordsday Thursday and I made a promise to write, even if the blogs are poorly executed and/or short.
So for today I thought I'd do a quick list of my dreams and aspirations. Deep stuff! But instead of calling it a "Wish List" I'm calling it a "When List" because, dammit, it's not a question of IF these goals will happen, it's a question of WHEN!
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Sarah's WHEN LIST:
- First, an old one: One day, I will walk into a bookstore and see MY BOOKS for sale on the shelf. I'll walk over and open one and read a random page and remember where I was when I wrote that. Maybe I'll have written that chapter one day when I was lying in bed with Otis dozing next to me, or one evening while I was waiting to wash a new shade of hair dye out. Trapped in those pages will be memories no one will see but me, and it will make it that much more powerful and wonderful.
- Before that happens, I have much more short-term goal. I have several ideas for books that I've been working on, but one is leaps and bounds ahead of the others. I work on it everyday and I'm thrilled with the progress I'm making. So, my goal: I want to have at least a very, verrrrry rough first draft of this book by Christmas this year. Not something ready to go out to publishers, just something COMPLETE that I can work on it as a whole, instead of a bunch of random parts that I've written here and there.
- I will travel to Finland and go hang out at Lake Bodom for an afternoon. Maybe pack a picnic! It is the inspiration for the name of my favorite band, AND it boasts some spectacular scenery!
- At work, we sell these kits to make your own "memory stone", basically a concrete slab that you mix, pour, then put handprints, words, etc. in. I want to do one with Otis's pawprints! Then, someday when she is gone, I will make a copy or the pawprints and get them tattooed, probably on my shoulder blades, like she is pushing me forward. She has left her mark on me for life, so why not make it visible?
- When I make my fortune from writing books, I have a list of people and organizations I will donate large sums of money to! For example, the Humane Society, and a couple of Foundations that gave me scholarships for college.
- At some point in my life, I will adopt more animals and name two of them "Dwight" and "Mose" (from The Office!) Though probably not for a while...
- At some point I will develop more conventional sleeping habits and become a better housekeeper. I'm the worst!
- I will have the means to travel around the world AND the country. Especially to West Virginia, any old time I feel like it! I miss seeing my Mom.
- I will also travel to New Zealand and go to different filming locations of The Lord of the Rings.
- One day, my heroes will become my peers! And someday, I will become as good a person as the people I look up to.
Here's to hoping, anyway!
What are YOUR dreams?
Sarah
Thursday, October 8, 2015
I Need to Read "1984" Again...
Halloween is coming up! You can't go into stores without seeing decorations and costumes and candy and trick-or-treating flashlights. Even ACE has a modest selection of Halloween items! Orange and purple lights and... um, extension cords to plug in those lights, and, uh, light bulbs for your porch light that you can turn off when you're tired of trick-or-treaters. ACE really has everything!
When I was at KMart the other day, I spent some time in the Halloween section. I paid special attention to decorations, because in my case my style of decorating is so unique, I tend to keep "Halloween" decorations up all year long. It fits my decor! Anyway, I also fished through a big bin of horror movies, and it got me thinking!
I remember several years ago in high school, my English class had just read the book "1984" and our teacher decided to show us the film afterwards. After setting up the TV and rewinding the video tape, he addressed the class quite seriously.
"Before I show the movie, I just want to warn you guys that some of the scenes are quite graphic," he told us. "Some may be kind of upsetting to sensitive people."
We all sat up in our seats a little straighter. Oooh! Gory? At school? Niiiiiice!
We were all kind of disappointed.
The "upsetting scene" our teacher had spoken of was, if memory serves, when the government is using the main character's fear of rats as a kind of torture technique. Which is pretty gruesome when you think about it! However, we all ended up laughing because the sad truth of the matter is that we are children of the "Saw Movies" generation. It takes a hell of a lot more than rats next to a mans face to shock and upset us!
And looking through the bin of horror flicks at KMart, it was easy to see why. Scary movies are very popular and very diverse. Some are supernatural and some are paranormal and some are realistic! Some are psychologically frightening and some are good ol' jump scare movies. You name it, they've made it!
I'm not a huuuuuuuge fan of horror movies myself. It is fair to call me "sensitive", perhaps even "wimpy" at times. But I have watched my fair share. What I'm sharing with you today is a list of "horror" movies I've watched that yielded unexpected emotions. I mean, you watch a scary movie and you get scared. But the following movies also made me experience feelings I was not anticipating!
*Warning!! SPOILERS AHEAD! Proceed with caution!*
"The Blair Witch Project"
Quick description: A group of filmmakers go into the woods searching for a legendary witch that supposedly lived (lives) in the area. They get horribly lost and are hunted by something that terrorizes them in the night. One of them gets picked off and the other two hear him screaming at night. Then the other two also die (thought not on camera.) In the beginning, it claims it's "Found Footage", meaning that someone just found all the film and they don't know what happened to the people who filmed it. Not very convincing, because in the credits they were obligated to include the "Entirely fictional, not based on any real people, living or dead" spiel. Anyway, I first watched it several years ago with my sister and her friend at night. It was sufficiently creepy! Then my sister's poor friend had to walk out to his car in the pitch black night, surrounded by woods. He made it, but admitted later he was pretty much scared shitless.
Unexpected emotion: ANNOYED. So! Semi-recently, I DVR'd the movie and rewatched it. There are very chilling parts, like when the witch leaves the poor guys teeth and blood as a present for the other two, but I was unable to feel very scared because there is so. Much. Pointless. ARGUING! Mostly about being lost, and who lost the map, and who should hold the compass, and who's fault everything is, and if they've seen that log before, and who's lying about being out of cigarettes, and why is she still filming? Etc., etc. After a while, it's like SHUT UP!
"The Sixth Sense"
Quick description: A renowned child psychologist helps a troubled little boy who is haunted by visions of ghosts. Absolutely infamous for the line, "I see dead people!", also for a huge twist at the end. Pretty creepy, but also just an awesome movie.
Unexpected emotion: TOUCHED. It's actually a pretty old movie, but I saw it for the first time fairly recently. Some of the scenes are downright freaky, but it's an excellent story. I was certainly not expecting to go, "Awww!" Because while learning about the little boy's problems, you get to know his mother, who loves him to pieces and is worried sick about him. Also, it's sweet at the end because the little boy isn't "cured" of his problems, but learns how to use them to become stronger, and to help other people.
This is the scene where the little boy finally tells his mom about what's been going on. It really gets me!
"Scream"
Quick description: A sleepy little town goes crazy when a string of murders happen by "Ghostface," an unknown person wearing a costume. A good ol' "Who dunnit?" because victim after victim is killed, and it's hard trying to figure out if there's a pattern.
Unexpected emotion: MYSTIFIED. Yeah, it's the definition of "slasher" movie, but I could NOT figure out the murderer(s) for the life of me! I was guessing and going back and forth til the end! Same with Scream 2 and Scream 3! Ghostface's identity just eludes me every time.
"Mirrors"
Quick description: I actually don't remember much about this movie, because I just saw it the one time, but basically a policeman battles evil forces that can slip in and out of the reflection in mirrors. I saw it with my friend and my dad because we wanted to go do something on a weekend. Bad decision on my part!
Unexpected emotion: ABSOLUTELY TERRORIZED. Yeah, I know, scary movies are scary. But something about this movie freaked the hell out of me. After we watched the movie, we went back home and my friend spent the night, but about 3:00 in the morning, I was so freaked out I had to go wake up my dad and talk to him. I couldn't sleep for a few days! Pretty embarrassing, really.
"The Exorcism of Emily Rose"
Quick description: Allegedly based on true events, a priest is pressed with criminal charges after a girl he was (religiously) helping dies. It follows the events that happened leading up to the trial, and also the trial itself. It's interesting hearing lawyers argue about speculative and theoretical ideas and beliefs, instead of laws and facts.
Unexpected emotion: CAPTIVATED. The majority of the movie is actually courtroom happenings, and a few people I know found this incredibly boring. I really enjoyed it! Which is also kind of odd when considering my religious beliefs (or lack thereof). It's just an interesting story!
*Bonus! Bonus! Bonus!*
"The Shining" (book)
Quick description: It is quite similar to the famous movie- snowbound family lives in a haunted hotel and the writer/father goes crazy and tries to murder them. But there are some subtle yet large differences that are kind of hard to point out. For example, in the book, the hotel is more like a character than just a place, with an independent mind, and instead of Jack Torrance just going crazy, in the book the hotel possesses him.
Unexpected emotion: SAD. There is one particular scene in the book that always makes me go "Aww." Jack Torrance is fighting a losing battle against the possession of the hotel, and he knows it. He also knows that when he is possessed, he will hurt his family, so with the last bit of strength he has, he tells his son, Danny, "I love you so much. You need to run away now! I'm not your daddy anymore," and then he hits his own face so he doesn't look like himself any more.
And then there are a million others that did just what they're supposed to... scare me!
What's life without a few scares?
;)
Sarah
When I was at KMart the other day, I spent some time in the Halloween section. I paid special attention to decorations, because in my case my style of decorating is so unique, I tend to keep "Halloween" decorations up all year long. It fits my decor! Anyway, I also fished through a big bin of horror movies, and it got me thinking!
I remember several years ago in high school, my English class had just read the book "1984" and our teacher decided to show us the film afterwards. After setting up the TV and rewinding the video tape, he addressed the class quite seriously.
"Before I show the movie, I just want to warn you guys that some of the scenes are quite graphic," he told us. "Some may be kind of upsetting to sensitive people."
We all sat up in our seats a little straighter. Oooh! Gory? At school? Niiiiiice!
We were all kind of disappointed.
The "upsetting scene" our teacher had spoken of was, if memory serves, when the government is using the main character's fear of rats as a kind of torture technique. Which is pretty gruesome when you think about it! However, we all ended up laughing because the sad truth of the matter is that we are children of the "Saw Movies" generation. It takes a hell of a lot more than rats next to a mans face to shock and upset us!
And looking through the bin of horror flicks at KMart, it was easy to see why. Scary movies are very popular and very diverse. Some are supernatural and some are paranormal and some are realistic! Some are psychologically frightening and some are good ol' jump scare movies. You name it, they've made it!
I'm not a huuuuuuuge fan of horror movies myself. It is fair to call me "sensitive", perhaps even "wimpy" at times. But I have watched my fair share. What I'm sharing with you today is a list of "horror" movies I've watched that yielded unexpected emotions. I mean, you watch a scary movie and you get scared. But the following movies also made me experience feelings I was not anticipating!
*Warning!! SPOILERS AHEAD! Proceed with caution!*
"The Blair Witch Project"
Quick description: A group of filmmakers go into the woods searching for a legendary witch that supposedly lived (lives) in the area. They get horribly lost and are hunted by something that terrorizes them in the night. One of them gets picked off and the other two hear him screaming at night. Then the other two also die (thought not on camera.) In the beginning, it claims it's "Found Footage", meaning that someone just found all the film and they don't know what happened to the people who filmed it. Not very convincing, because in the credits they were obligated to include the "Entirely fictional, not based on any real people, living or dead" spiel. Anyway, I first watched it several years ago with my sister and her friend at night. It was sufficiently creepy! Then my sister's poor friend had to walk out to his car in the pitch black night, surrounded by woods. He made it, but admitted later he was pretty much scared shitless.
Unexpected emotion: ANNOYED. So! Semi-recently, I DVR'd the movie and rewatched it. There are very chilling parts, like when the witch leaves the poor guys teeth and blood as a present for the other two, but I was unable to feel very scared because there is so. Much. Pointless. ARGUING! Mostly about being lost, and who lost the map, and who should hold the compass, and who's fault everything is, and if they've seen that log before, and who's lying about being out of cigarettes, and why is she still filming? Etc., etc. After a while, it's like SHUT UP!
"The Sixth Sense"
Quick description: A renowned child psychologist helps a troubled little boy who is haunted by visions of ghosts. Absolutely infamous for the line, "I see dead people!", also for a huge twist at the end. Pretty creepy, but also just an awesome movie.
Unexpected emotion: TOUCHED. It's actually a pretty old movie, but I saw it for the first time fairly recently. Some of the scenes are downright freaky, but it's an excellent story. I was certainly not expecting to go, "Awww!" Because while learning about the little boy's problems, you get to know his mother, who loves him to pieces and is worried sick about him. Also, it's sweet at the end because the little boy isn't "cured" of his problems, but learns how to use them to become stronger, and to help other people.
This is the scene where the little boy finally tells his mom about what's been going on. It really gets me!
"Scream"
Quick description: A sleepy little town goes crazy when a string of murders happen by "Ghostface," an unknown person wearing a costume. A good ol' "Who dunnit?" because victim after victim is killed, and it's hard trying to figure out if there's a pattern.
Unexpected emotion: MYSTIFIED. Yeah, it's the definition of "slasher" movie, but I could NOT figure out the murderer(s) for the life of me! I was guessing and going back and forth til the end! Same with Scream 2 and Scream 3! Ghostface's identity just eludes me every time.
"Mirrors"
Quick description: I actually don't remember much about this movie, because I just saw it the one time, but basically a policeman battles evil forces that can slip in and out of the reflection in mirrors. I saw it with my friend and my dad because we wanted to go do something on a weekend. Bad decision on my part!
Unexpected emotion: ABSOLUTELY TERRORIZED. Yeah, I know, scary movies are scary. But something about this movie freaked the hell out of me. After we watched the movie, we went back home and my friend spent the night, but about 3:00 in the morning, I was so freaked out I had to go wake up my dad and talk to him. I couldn't sleep for a few days! Pretty embarrassing, really.
"The Exorcism of Emily Rose"
Quick description: Allegedly based on true events, a priest is pressed with criminal charges after a girl he was (religiously) helping dies. It follows the events that happened leading up to the trial, and also the trial itself. It's interesting hearing lawyers argue about speculative and theoretical ideas and beliefs, instead of laws and facts.
Unexpected emotion: CAPTIVATED. The majority of the movie is actually courtroom happenings, and a few people I know found this incredibly boring. I really enjoyed it! Which is also kind of odd when considering my religious beliefs (or lack thereof). It's just an interesting story!
*Bonus! Bonus! Bonus!*
"The Shining" (book)
Quick description: It is quite similar to the famous movie- snowbound family lives in a haunted hotel and the writer/father goes crazy and tries to murder them. But there are some subtle yet large differences that are kind of hard to point out. For example, in the book, the hotel is more like a character than just a place, with an independent mind, and instead of Jack Torrance just going crazy, in the book the hotel possesses him.
Unexpected emotion: SAD. There is one particular scene in the book that always makes me go "Aww." Jack Torrance is fighting a losing battle against the possession of the hotel, and he knows it. He also knows that when he is possessed, he will hurt his family, so with the last bit of strength he has, he tells his son, Danny, "I love you so much. You need to run away now! I'm not your daddy anymore," and then he hits his own face so he doesn't look like himself any more.
And then there are a million others that did just what they're supposed to... scare me!
What's life without a few scares?
;)
Sarah
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
LIES
In just a matter of minutes it will be... OCTOBER! I'm super happy about that. JURY DUTY is over and done with, and I love this time of year. It's getting to be chillier and the holidays are coming. Halloween stuff is all over!
Lies are a very complicated business. What is truth to one person can be a lie to another. Over time, truth can become lie, and vice versa. For today's blog, I thought I'd write down some things that, at one point or another, I believed to be truth, but turned out to be false. In my case, anyway! As usual, some are stupid, and some are serious. Just like lies!
"It's just a little train-ride!"
My MOTHER told me this whopper before I rode my first roller-coaster. We were at a Six Flags a verrrrry long time ago, and I was staring up at the wooden, rickety contraption with absolute dread.
"Aww, come on!" she urged. My sister was already waiting excitedly in line. Overhead, one of the cars careened down the track, making frightening noises.
"See?" she said. "It's just a little train ride! Down the tracks, you see? It'll be fun!"
Famous. Last. Words.
Although, I DO like them now...
"Now you're going to turn into a cactus!"
An "I beg your pardon?" line, I know.
Years and years and years ago, I was on a road trip with my family and we stopped at a gas station for snacks. Well, my sister got a little box of TicTacs. They were bright green, spearmint! Unlike the crazy multi-flavor ones they have now. Anyway, my sister gave me one.
Now, I've always been a wimp when it comes to strong flavors, and when I ate the TicTac, it bit into my tongue with it's intense flavor.
Ever the convincing actress, my sister looked at me, aghast.
"You actually ate it?" she asked. "Oh no! Now you're going to turn into a cactus!"
In panic-mode, I did not stop to consider the facts. My mind skipped over the fact that my sister had eaten several, as had the rest of the world, and as far as I know, Willy Wonka is still working on a candy that can change your appearance. My mind went right to the bright green, cactus-ish color, and the spike-like sensation on my tongue. PANIC. PANIC. PANIC. Nice going, Sarah!
To this day, I'm not sure how she came up with "cactus", and last time I asked her, she denied remembering anything about it. Hmmmmm.
"Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me."
A very common saying, and a very incorrect one. Words can be some of the worst weapons imaginable. You could be wearing a suit of armor, a helmet and a bulletproof vest and be invincible to knives and guns and swords and arrows and axes (sorry, been watching LOTR!) but words can still penetrate that armor. Words worm their way into your mind and plant themselves, like seeds. If the seeds take, negative thoughts can grow in your mind. Very dangerous, and very hard to fight.
"Eat this. You'll like it!"
As a general rule of thumb, when someone tells you this, DO NOT BELIEVE THEM. Either someone is having fun at your expense, or it's something for your own good, which may be healthy, but probably not tasty.
The last blog I wrote was about food and I failed to include this cautionary tale, so I will tell it now:
Once, I was sitting at the dinner table with my family. We had just eaten dinner and my parents produced a few kiwis. As "dessert." Well, looking at them, I got a bad feeling. From the outside, they looked like.. horse's apples. Then, on the inside they were a scary color with lots of seeds. I was given no option but to try them. What happened next is still a bit of a blur, but basically, I nibbled some kiwi, desperately chugged some milk to get it down, and my digestive tract would have none of it. So, the kiwi came out my nose, into my milk. My instincts tried to warn me, but alas!
"Atheists are just wrong, wrong, wrong!"
I am, I believe, one of the least-confrontational people alive. But even if I wasn't, I think I would still try and avoid bringing up my atheism very often. Religion is just a sticky subject! It pisses people off. I do find it odd that oftentimes people consider it very rude and outgoing when someone says, "I don't believe in God and here's why..." but have no problem with passing out Bible verses and pamphlets and telling people they need to find God or burn in hell.
I will tell you that growing up, I was raised spending some time in Raton's First Presbyterian Church. I was part of the Bell Choir (Middle C and D!), and I went to Sunday School sometimes, and Church services. Vacation Bible School! Several times at church I was the acolyte, and once, the lay-leader! Sometimes on St. Andrew's Day my grandmother would hire a few bagpipers and they would play ear-splittingly loud on church corner for EVERYONE to hear. That was pretty freakin' awesome! When I was very young, while lying in bed at night I'd always try to say my prayers. I think my OCD was present even then because my prayers would go: "Dear God, please bless..." and I would go on to list just about everyone in my life. First immediate family, then grandparents. Pets! Cousins, aunts, uncles. Second cousins. Friends. Teachers. Kids I sat next to in school. Usually I'd fall asleep before I said, "Amen!"
But through the years I changed drastically and grew a lot and painstakingly became the person I am today. It's been quite a journey and it's hard to say just how I changed, and when. But the way people feel certain there is a god, I just feel there isn't one. I'm certainly not so arrogant as to say there's no way I could be wrong, it's just how I feel.
To the people who say all atheists are immoral, I beg to differ! I'm not plagued by fear that if I do something wrong, I'll go to hell. I'm just a decent person doing what decent people do!
"WARNING: Your computer has just been infected with a Trojan virus. Click HERE to turn on your virus protection!"
Ughhhhhhhhhh, if only I could go back in time! I could have spared myself so much grief and anguish! This has happened, I must admit, more that once. They're just so damn convincing! I see the message, get all worried and upset, and click the button. Surprise! The button WAS the virus. Congratulations, Sarah. You've wrecked your computer again!
"Don't worry, you'll hit your growth spurt soon!"
To be fair, I used to be very tall for my age. You know, back in like 3rd grade. Then I stopped growing and everybody else started growing. Here I am, age 23. Right about 5'4.
Back in Midschool people would be like "You're bound to grow soon right?"
Lies are a very complicated business. What is truth to one person can be a lie to another. Over time, truth can become lie, and vice versa. For today's blog, I thought I'd write down some things that, at one point or another, I believed to be truth, but turned out to be false. In my case, anyway! As usual, some are stupid, and some are serious. Just like lies!
"It's just a little train-ride!"
My MOTHER told me this whopper before I rode my first roller-coaster. We were at a Six Flags a verrrrry long time ago, and I was staring up at the wooden, rickety contraption with absolute dread.
"Aww, come on!" she urged. My sister was already waiting excitedly in line. Overhead, one of the cars careened down the track, making frightening noises.
"See?" she said. "It's just a little train ride! Down the tracks, you see? It'll be fun!"
Famous. Last. Words.
Although, I DO like them now...
"Now you're going to turn into a cactus!"
An "I beg your pardon?" line, I know.
Years and years and years ago, I was on a road trip with my family and we stopped at a gas station for snacks. Well, my sister got a little box of TicTacs. They were bright green, spearmint! Unlike the crazy multi-flavor ones they have now. Anyway, my sister gave me one.
Now, I've always been a wimp when it comes to strong flavors, and when I ate the TicTac, it bit into my tongue with it's intense flavor.
Ever the convincing actress, my sister looked at me, aghast.
"You actually ate it?" she asked. "Oh no! Now you're going to turn into a cactus!"
In panic-mode, I did not stop to consider the facts. My mind skipped over the fact that my sister had eaten several, as had the rest of the world, and as far as I know, Willy Wonka is still working on a candy that can change your appearance. My mind went right to the bright green, cactus-ish color, and the spike-like sensation on my tongue. PANIC. PANIC. PANIC. Nice going, Sarah!
To this day, I'm not sure how she came up with "cactus", and last time I asked her, she denied remembering anything about it. Hmmmmm.
"Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me."
A very common saying, and a very incorrect one. Words can be some of the worst weapons imaginable. You could be wearing a suit of armor, a helmet and a bulletproof vest and be invincible to knives and guns and swords and arrows and axes (sorry, been watching LOTR!) but words can still penetrate that armor. Words worm their way into your mind and plant themselves, like seeds. If the seeds take, negative thoughts can grow in your mind. Very dangerous, and very hard to fight.
"Eat this. You'll like it!"
As a general rule of thumb, when someone tells you this, DO NOT BELIEVE THEM. Either someone is having fun at your expense, or it's something for your own good, which may be healthy, but probably not tasty.
The last blog I wrote was about food and I failed to include this cautionary tale, so I will tell it now:
Once, I was sitting at the dinner table with my family. We had just eaten dinner and my parents produced a few kiwis. As "dessert." Well, looking at them, I got a bad feeling. From the outside, they looked like.. horse's apples. Then, on the inside they were a scary color with lots of seeds. I was given no option but to try them. What happened next is still a bit of a blur, but basically, I nibbled some kiwi, desperately chugged some milk to get it down, and my digestive tract would have none of it. So, the kiwi came out my nose, into my milk. My instincts tried to warn me, but alas!
"Atheists are just wrong, wrong, wrong!"
I am, I believe, one of the least-confrontational people alive. But even if I wasn't, I think I would still try and avoid bringing up my atheism very often. Religion is just a sticky subject! It pisses people off. I do find it odd that oftentimes people consider it very rude and outgoing when someone says, "I don't believe in God and here's why..." but have no problem with passing out Bible verses and pamphlets and telling people they need to find God or burn in hell.
I will tell you that growing up, I was raised spending some time in Raton's First Presbyterian Church. I was part of the Bell Choir (Middle C and D!), and I went to Sunday School sometimes, and Church services. Vacation Bible School! Several times at church I was the acolyte, and once, the lay-leader! Sometimes on St. Andrew's Day my grandmother would hire a few bagpipers and they would play ear-splittingly loud on church corner for EVERYONE to hear. That was pretty freakin' awesome! When I was very young, while lying in bed at night I'd always try to say my prayers. I think my OCD was present even then because my prayers would go: "Dear God, please bless..." and I would go on to list just about everyone in my life. First immediate family, then grandparents. Pets! Cousins, aunts, uncles. Second cousins. Friends. Teachers. Kids I sat next to in school. Usually I'd fall asleep before I said, "Amen!"
But through the years I changed drastically and grew a lot and painstakingly became the person I am today. It's been quite a journey and it's hard to say just how I changed, and when. But the way people feel certain there is a god, I just feel there isn't one. I'm certainly not so arrogant as to say there's no way I could be wrong, it's just how I feel.
To the people who say all atheists are immoral, I beg to differ! I'm not plagued by fear that if I do something wrong, I'll go to hell. I'm just a decent person doing what decent people do!
"WARNING: Your computer has just been infected with a Trojan virus. Click HERE to turn on your virus protection!"
Ughhhhhhhhhh, if only I could go back in time! I could have spared myself so much grief and anguish! This has happened, I must admit, more that once. They're just so damn convincing! I see the message, get all worried and upset, and click the button. Surprise! The button WAS the virus. Congratulations, Sarah. You've wrecked your computer again!
"Don't worry, you'll hit your growth spurt soon!"
To be fair, I used to be very tall for my age. You know, back in like 3rd grade. Then I stopped growing and everybody else started growing. Here I am, age 23. Right about 5'4.
Back in Midschool people would be like "You're bound to grow soon right?"
HAPPY OCTOBER, GUYS!!
Sarah
Thursday, September 17, 2015
My Culinary Universe
Big props go to my sister, Elizabeth Record, because I could not think of a single thing to blog about and she brainstormed for me!
I am a creature of habit. That is the understatement of the century! I like having routines. I like normalcy! If someone were to accuse me of being stuck in a rut, I would agree with them wholeheartedly, except to giggle and say, "You have no idea..."
This is especially evident in my culinary habits. I am very, very picky, and when I find something I like, I STICK TO IT! Why would you risk having something gross when you already have something you love?
If I had to pick, say, five foods/drinks to live on for the rest of my life (not including water) they would be:
As I said, I am extremely picky, and it would take wayyyyyyyy too long to make a list of everything I refuse to consume, but I will do a small one of the stranger ones:
I am a creature of habit. That is the understatement of the century! I like having routines. I like normalcy! If someone were to accuse me of being stuck in a rut, I would agree with them wholeheartedly, except to giggle and say, "You have no idea..."
This is especially evident in my culinary habits. I am very, very picky, and when I find something I like, I STICK TO IT! Why would you risk having something gross when you already have something you love?
If I had to pick, say, five foods/drinks to live on for the rest of my life (not including water) they would be:
- Beef Ramen Noodle Soup
- Dr. Pepper
- Orange Creme yogurt (see how health-conscious I am?)
- Milk chocolate
- Sour cream and onion chips
I would not be even remotely healthy, but I would be very satisfied! Although, I do have an issue with Gastronomic Redundancy and that would be unpleasant.
Still don't know the Stuck-in-a-Rutness I am speaking of? The following is a list of what I have at certain restaurants, just as an example. Basically if I eat somewhere more than once, I know exactly what I will be having way ahead of time. Saves a lot of time reading menus!
- El Matador: Chicken Strip dinner, Dr. Pepper, water, and some chips (no salsa, thanks, too spicy for this wimp)
- Taco Bell: T8 with soft-shell tacos, Dr. Pepper, Cinnamon Twists
- Chef Lius: Small order of Wonton Soup, two eggrolls and a Shirley Temple
- Subway: 6 inch, white bread, turkey. Yep, that's all. You can roll up the sandwich now!
As I said, I am extremely picky, and it would take wayyyyyyyy too long to make a list of everything I refuse to consume, but I will do a small one of the stranger ones:
- Whipped cream. Just....gross, man
- Pie. Of any kind. Don't like working with pi either, for that matter
- Green or red chile. I'm an embarrassment to the state of New Mexico!
- Strawberries. It's a consistency thing. Those stupid little seeds that make you want to gag and choke
- Cherries. Again, consistency. I won't even eat the ones that come in my Shirley Temples. One upon a time at a sleepover, I got dared to eat a cherry with ranch dressing on it. Scarred me for life.
- Pickles! This one isn't so strange... it seems that with pickles, either you love them or you hate them. I'm definitely a hater. When we go to movies my sister likes to eat them sitting next to me
- Ketchup. Don't like tomatoes, don't like mashed tomatoes, not even on fries. No thank you!
- Gravy. I think it would be quicker to say, I am not a condiment person. With the exception of a little butter or salt, nothing for me! I don't like eating things that are all mixed up, like when people take potatoes and peas and gravy and smush them all into one gigantic stack. I'd rather eat each ingredient separately.
- Beer. Sorry, just not my thing. It's just nasty. I'm a vodka girl!
- Nuts. Aside from in a select few candies and peanut butter, just keep them away from me, yeah? Why ruin perfectly good ice cream with nuts?
So there you have it! Written proof that I am an unusual, unhealthy eater. That actually sums me up pretty well ;)
Sarah
(the soup connoisseur)
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
O(de to)TIS
Happy Thursday to all of you out in Blog-Land! Actually, it is Wednesday night and I am (gasp!) ahead of schedule, which is a rarity. A scarcity. An anomaly! Usually it's Thursday night at 11:15 and I'm racking my brain for blog ideas.
Speaking thusly, for tonight's blog, I have chosen a subject you are (almost certainly, if you know me at all) familiar with: my dog, Otis. (Click here to see a ridiculous amount of photos of her.) I talk about her often, reference her constantly, and love her like crazy. You already know a lot about her, but tonight I want to try and explain my connection with her more deeply. To try and get you to understand just why and how she is so unbelievably important to me. A lot of it you'll already know, but please bear with me!
I met her by chance, one afternoon after a hellish day at school. I had recently attempted suicide and the whole school knew. I had just gotten back home after spending a week in a mental hospital/rehab place in Pueblo for troubled teens. I was miserable, and fighting my own brain and body, who kept telling me it would be better to die. But when my mom took me to meet this tiny puppy, my whole universe shifted! She gave me a reason to live, and taught me it was okay to love myself, too.
But that's not the end of the story! When my parents divorced, she went where I went- staying weekdays at my mom's, spending weekends at my dad's. She took me for walks anytime I needed them! And she turned into my shadow. Where I went, she went! Even something like moving from one room to another- she just follows! It's something that continues to this day. For example, as I write this, she is sleeping on my feet. She sleeps next to me in bed at night. She likes to follow me into the bathroom. Don't get me started on car rides!
But that's not the end, either. In my sophomore year of high school, the bipolarish-side of my Schizoaffective Disorder went crazy and my mania sky-rocketed, out of control. There was a period of a few months where I just didn't sleep. I couldn't. They put me on anti-psychotics and sedatives and sleeping meds, but my mind wouldn't slow down. I had to drop out of the rest of that year of school because I started to freak out. In classrooms, my mania would make my brain go crazy and my heart pound. When people did something like scrape a chair back on the hard floor, it was all I could do not to scream. I ended up in the bathroom a lot, locked in a stall, rocking back and forth, clutching my head, telling it to "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP." It was then I started getting crazy paranoia, too. Since I couldn't be in school, I stayed at home, which helped the mania because I could run and shout and do anything I needed to. But the paranoia took hold of my brain. Alone in the house, I was certain people were behind me, creeping up. Looking at me in windows. And short of sitting in a corner all day long, I couldn't keep an eye on everything. So I let Otis do that. She stayed by me day and night, and I knew she would never let anything get me. She would bark if a stranger was creeping up on me. It was a huge load off my mind. There were days I was afraid to take a shower because I didn't want to be alone and vulnerable in the bathroom when whatever it was came to get me. So Otis lay on the floor of the bathroom while I took a shower. She was my constant protector, and is til this day.
I think what makes my bond with her so strong is that she can do for me what nothing and no one else can: she can protect me from what it inside my head. I mean, I could get a home-security system and armed guards, but they couldn't do for me what she can. And on top of that, her personality helps make her who she is. As a tiny infant, that tenacious dog would NOT give in, and she's not about to let me give up, either.
I'm really not much of a poet, but I hope you'll forgive me being metaphorical here: I often think of her as a ship. (Kind of ironic I call her Oater-Boater) She saved me from drowning in shark-infested waters and she's carried me on this incredible journey ever since. Unfortunately, ships don't go forever. I know one of these days she's gonna drop me off on an island somewhere, and sail off without me. I dread this day more than anything, ever. I know she'll drop me off at a very safe place, but it's gonna take all I've got to not follow her. Luckily, I know that there could be no worse insult to her memory than to undo all of the good she's done for me, and I won't.
Some debts can never be settled. Some kindnesses can never be repaid. I will never be able to give back all that she has given me, but the thing is, I don't have to. We love each other to death, and that's all that matters.
So! Thank you for letting me go on and on about this silly old dog. I know it won't have much effect on your life, but it does me good to talk about her. All I can say to you is, if you ever get lonely, maybe... get a pet. I'm a living example of what good one animal can do.
HAPPY THURSDAY!!
Hey guess what??
I'm OFF JURY DUTY! Woo-hoo!
Sarah
Speaking thusly, for tonight's blog, I have chosen a subject you are (almost certainly, if you know me at all) familiar with: my dog, Otis. (Click here to see a ridiculous amount of photos of her.) I talk about her often, reference her constantly, and love her like crazy. You already know a lot about her, but tonight I want to try and explain my connection with her more deeply. To try and get you to understand just why and how she is so unbelievably important to me. A lot of it you'll already know, but please bear with me!
I met her by chance, one afternoon after a hellish day at school. I had recently attempted suicide and the whole school knew. I had just gotten back home after spending a week in a mental hospital/rehab place in Pueblo for troubled teens. I was miserable, and fighting my own brain and body, who kept telling me it would be better to die. But when my mom took me to meet this tiny puppy, my whole universe shifted! She gave me a reason to live, and taught me it was okay to love myself, too.
But that's not the end of the story! When my parents divorced, she went where I went- staying weekdays at my mom's, spending weekends at my dad's. She took me for walks anytime I needed them! And she turned into my shadow. Where I went, she went! Even something like moving from one room to another- she just follows! It's something that continues to this day. For example, as I write this, she is sleeping on my feet. She sleeps next to me in bed at night. She likes to follow me into the bathroom. Don't get me started on car rides!
But that's not the end, either. In my sophomore year of high school, the bipolarish-side of my Schizoaffective Disorder went crazy and my mania sky-rocketed, out of control. There was a period of a few months where I just didn't sleep. I couldn't. They put me on anti-psychotics and sedatives and sleeping meds, but my mind wouldn't slow down. I had to drop out of the rest of that year of school because I started to freak out. In classrooms, my mania would make my brain go crazy and my heart pound. When people did something like scrape a chair back on the hard floor, it was all I could do not to scream. I ended up in the bathroom a lot, locked in a stall, rocking back and forth, clutching my head, telling it to "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP." It was then I started getting crazy paranoia, too. Since I couldn't be in school, I stayed at home, which helped the mania because I could run and shout and do anything I needed to. But the paranoia took hold of my brain. Alone in the house, I was certain people were behind me, creeping up. Looking at me in windows. And short of sitting in a corner all day long, I couldn't keep an eye on everything. So I let Otis do that. She stayed by me day and night, and I knew she would never let anything get me. She would bark if a stranger was creeping up on me. It was a huge load off my mind. There were days I was afraid to take a shower because I didn't want to be alone and vulnerable in the bathroom when whatever it was came to get me. So Otis lay on the floor of the bathroom while I took a shower. She was my constant protector, and is til this day.
I think what makes my bond with her so strong is that she can do for me what nothing and no one else can: she can protect me from what it inside my head. I mean, I could get a home-security system and armed guards, but they couldn't do for me what she can. And on top of that, her personality helps make her who she is. As a tiny infant, that tenacious dog would NOT give in, and she's not about to let me give up, either.
I'm really not much of a poet, but I hope you'll forgive me being metaphorical here: I often think of her as a ship. (Kind of ironic I call her Oater-Boater) She saved me from drowning in shark-infested waters and she's carried me on this incredible journey ever since. Unfortunately, ships don't go forever. I know one of these days she's gonna drop me off on an island somewhere, and sail off without me. I dread this day more than anything, ever. I know she'll drop me off at a very safe place, but it's gonna take all I've got to not follow her. Luckily, I know that there could be no worse insult to her memory than to undo all of the good she's done for me, and I won't.
Some debts can never be settled. Some kindnesses can never be repaid. I will never be able to give back all that she has given me, but the thing is, I don't have to. We love each other to death, and that's all that matters.
So! Thank you for letting me go on and on about this silly old dog. I know it won't have much effect on your life, but it does me good to talk about her. All I can say to you is, if you ever get lonely, maybe... get a pet. I'm a living example of what good one animal can do.
HAPPY THURSDAY!!
Hey guess what??
I'm OFF JURY DUTY! Woo-hoo!
Sarah
Thursday, September 3, 2015
A Brief Listory
Happy September to Cyberspace! And to you, of course. I am SOOOOOOOOOO excited for the end of September. Why? Well!
- I'm tired of Summer heat! I like being cool and wearing hoodies and taking my hair out of it's ever-present Summer Ponytail.
- Fall and Winter are my favorite times of the year. I love Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years....and St. Andrew's Day!
- I WILL BE FREE OF JURY DUTY
I thought for today's Wordsday Thursday, I'd do a bunch of lists concerning my history... a Listory, if you will. The alternate name would, I suppose, be "Hist," but just because Pottermore sorted me into Slytherin, I don't have to act like it!
A few months ago, I was in the Medicine Shoppe waiting for a prescription to be filled (I'm there all the time) and I was struck with curiosity about my medical file... more specifically what and how many medications I have taken over the years. I must say, the staff was incredibly obliging and printed me out a list of all the prescriptions they filled for me over the past 10 years (they couldn't go back any farther). Now, keep in mind this is including repeats- say every time a doctor wrote me a new prescription for a medicine I'd been taking a while. It was 51 pages. Granted, there were quite a few one-time meds: for colds and flus and stomach problems, and painkillers for having my Wisdom teeth removed. Still, the remaining list is quite impressive, and I'd like to share it with you! There are a few on the list that are very similar, but not quite the same things. Everything in the list was used to treat, in part or in entirety, my Schizoaffective/Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders. Also, keep in mind back when this list started, they just thought I had an awful case of depression. It's been a long journey!
- Fluoxetine
- Lithium
- Welbutrin
- Risperdal
- Budeprion
- Lexapro
- Levothyroxin (used to counteract the damage caused by taking Lithium)
- Abilify
- Invega
- Geodon
- Lunesta
- Seroquel
- Risperidone
- Lamotrigine
- Lamictal
- Depakote
- Topiramate
- Divalproex
- Diazepam
- Zyprexa
- Clozapine
- Citalopram
- Numerous facial creams to combat my Lithium-induced acne (nice try!)
If it seems like I'm bragging, I am. Well... not exactly, but I'm proud of how far I've come. I remember one night, several years ago, I looked down at my hand just overflowing with pills that were just barely keeping me functioning, and thought, "I don't want to do this for the rest of my life. Something's gotta change." And it did! I finally found the pills that make me feel good and alive, and I'm doing better than ever. If anybody reading this is going through a similar struggle, just keep fighting! You'll get there, I promise.
My mind is really not a very quiet place. I have music on repeat. All. The. Time. And stupid, annoying music too! I mean, I know from time to time we all get "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" stuck in our heads, or some new song that's played on the radio all the time, but I've got a few "favorites" that keep inexplicably popping up:
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas (this affects me all year long, I can't figure it out)
- The Meow-Mix jingle
- This tune from the movie "Amadeus"
The top news headlines I remember most vividly:
- "AMERICA AT WAR"- I was actually home sick with a cold on September 11, 2001, so I saw the news about it all day. This headline kept popping up and it's bracing frankness was more than a little bit terrifying
- "NEW MEXICO ON FIRE"- More recently, when we had the Track Fire here in New Mexico, that same summer there were just dozens and dozens of fires all over the state. On the news at night they'd show a map of NM and it was almost entirely made up of red areas, indicating out-of-control wildfires. It was scary and depressing.
And finally, here is a list of all the world disasters that I shouldn't have lived through, but managed to pull through anyway:
- Y2K
- Swine flu
- The Mayans calendar prediction of the World ending in 2012
- Jury duty
Just kiddin'.... kind of.
;)
Sarah
Thursday, August 27, 2015
OBSESSED
For as far back as I can remember, I've have always had intense periods of obsession over certain books, movies, bands etc. Now that I have been diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, it's not so mystifying. Just my nature! It's just how I function, and always have! Always will, probably. I just get into a mindset where I think about it constantly, and can't think about it enough! I have this compulsive need to learn more and more and read and reread. I get so into some things I get a kind of anxiety. Weird! But not bad. We all obsess and we all have things we love. It makes life worth living! Here for you today I've compiled a short list (and LOOONG list of really stupid memes) of my biggest obsessions. I have certainly had many more, but these were, and are, the strongest.
HARRY POTTER
I've been an avid Harry Potter fan for, I'd say, about 15 or 16 years. And not just me! Most of my family and friends love it too. It is creative and funny and amazingly written. J.K. Rowling did an incredible job of showing what "evil" really is, and more importantly, what love really is. What sacrifice consists of, and what bravery means. That not all magic comes from a wand. J.K. Rowling might be a muggle, but she still has powers.
I think Stephen King summed it up nicely while comparing the series to Twilight:
"Harry Potter is all about confronting fears, finding inner strength, and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend."
LORD OF THE RINGS
Ahhhhhh, Lord of the Rings! One of my favorite stories of all time. I may have mentioned before, I loved it so much, I learned to speak Elvish. Like J.K.Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien made magic- he brought entire worlds from his mind and shared them with generations of fans. Though just a mixed group of strangers, the Fellowship saved Middle Earth from evil. That should help put your homework into perspective!
GAME OF THRONES
My newest obsession! Damn you, Elizabeth Record :P
When people ask what I like about it, it's kind of tough to answer, because it really is horrible. The nudity and language and graphic, awful violence is far from family-friendly. But it is still a great book series and show! So complicated and interesting and engaging. And though it is fictional, I do like history, and the series makes me think about how tough life would be like in medieval times, particularly for women. But some GOT women kick ass anyway.
Bonus! Bonus! Bonus! George R. R. Martin lives in Santa Fe! His closeness is super cool. Go, New Mexico!
DISNEY
Yes, Disney! While I liked a lot of Disney movies, my favorites would probably have been "The Lion King" and "Pocahontas." At the end of The Lion King, when Simba finally takes ownership of Pride Rock (goosebumps!) I would get on my hands and knees and do that slow-motion saunter up to the top of Pride Rock, then ROARRR right along with Simba. It was magnificent!
I wanted to BE Pocahontas, and very much liked playing with my Pocahontas Barbies. Except, I always lost her stupid blue necklace right away and it ruined it! Ughh. I remember my Granny once showed me a realistic picture of what Pocahontas actually looked like, and at first I was taken aback at how... ordinary she looked. The movie had Disney-fied her making her lean and tall and beautiful, not very similar to the picture I held in my hand. But then I felt better. She had actually been plain and accomplished quite a bit (yeah, yeah, before becoming sick and dying far away from home). It meant that just maybe plain people like myself can still do great things :)
CHILDREN OF BODOM
If you FORCED me to pick my favorite band, I'd end up here... Children of Bodom. From Finland! At the time of my strongest obsession, I was friends with several others who also loved the band. We wore the T-shirts and hoodies and we argued over the best songs and discussed lyrics. Seriously, one of the greatest times of our lives was when we got to meet the band in Albuquerque, then go see them play live.
One of my good friends, who's name I shall not divulge here, also squabbled with me over who could best write "Children of Bodom" in the correct font. This same friend took a Sharpie and wrote his best version of COB inside the door of my bright yellow locker. For the rest of the year I was paranoid about having my locker open wide enough that the teachers might see the defacement. Turns out, no one noticed and on the last day of 8th grade I wheedled some alcohol wipes out of the school nurse and scrubbed my locker clean.
OTIS
Need I really say anything?
;)
While I am certain that I will acquire more and more obsessions, and let up on old ones a bit, I know I will always love these things. Once I love something, I love it forever.
Here's to you and YOUR obsessions!
Sarah
Aaaaaaaaaaand because I'm obsessed with stupid memes, here are some more!
HARRY POTTER
I've been an avid Harry Potter fan for, I'd say, about 15 or 16 years. And not just me! Most of my family and friends love it too. It is creative and funny and amazingly written. J.K. Rowling did an incredible job of showing what "evil" really is, and more importantly, what love really is. What sacrifice consists of, and what bravery means. That not all magic comes from a wand. J.K. Rowling might be a muggle, but she still has powers.
I think Stephen King summed it up nicely while comparing the series to Twilight:
"Harry Potter is all about confronting fears, finding inner strength, and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend."
LORD OF THE RINGS
Ahhhhhh, Lord of the Rings! One of my favorite stories of all time. I may have mentioned before, I loved it so much, I learned to speak Elvish. Like J.K.Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien made magic- he brought entire worlds from his mind and shared them with generations of fans. Though just a mixed group of strangers, the Fellowship saved Middle Earth from evil. That should help put your homework into perspective!
GAME OF THRONES
My newest obsession! Damn you, Elizabeth Record :P
When people ask what I like about it, it's kind of tough to answer, because it really is horrible. The nudity and language and graphic, awful violence is far from family-friendly. But it is still a great book series and show! So complicated and interesting and engaging. And though it is fictional, I do like history, and the series makes me think about how tough life would be like in medieval times, particularly for women. But some GOT women kick ass anyway.
Bonus! Bonus! Bonus! George R. R. Martin lives in Santa Fe! His closeness is super cool. Go, New Mexico!
Yes, Disney! While I liked a lot of Disney movies, my favorites would probably have been "The Lion King" and "Pocahontas." At the end of The Lion King, when Simba finally takes ownership of Pride Rock (goosebumps!) I would get on my hands and knees and do that slow-motion saunter up to the top of Pride Rock, then ROARRR right along with Simba. It was magnificent!
I wanted to BE Pocahontas, and very much liked playing with my Pocahontas Barbies. Except, I always lost her stupid blue necklace right away and it ruined it! Ughh. I remember my Granny once showed me a realistic picture of what Pocahontas actually looked like, and at first I was taken aback at how... ordinary she looked. The movie had Disney-fied her making her lean and tall and beautiful, not very similar to the picture I held in my hand. But then I felt better. She had actually been plain and accomplished quite a bit (yeah, yeah, before becoming sick and dying far away from home). It meant that just maybe plain people like myself can still do great things :)
CHILDREN OF BODOM
If you FORCED me to pick my favorite band, I'd end up here... Children of Bodom. From Finland! At the time of my strongest obsession, I was friends with several others who also loved the band. We wore the T-shirts and hoodies and we argued over the best songs and discussed lyrics. Seriously, one of the greatest times of our lives was when we got to meet the band in Albuquerque, then go see them play live.
One of my good friends, who's name I shall not divulge here, also squabbled with me over who could best write "Children of Bodom" in the correct font. This same friend took a Sharpie and wrote his best version of COB inside the door of my bright yellow locker. For the rest of the year I was paranoid about having my locker open wide enough that the teachers might see the defacement. Turns out, no one noticed and on the last day of 8th grade I wheedled some alcohol wipes out of the school nurse and scrubbed my locker clean.
OTIS
Need I really say anything?
;)
While I am certain that I will acquire more and more obsessions, and let up on old ones a bit, I know I will always love these things. Once I love something, I love it forever.
Here's to you and YOUR obsessions!
Sarah
Aaaaaaaaaaand because I'm obsessed with stupid memes, here are some more!
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