One of the Scariest Commercials I've Ever Seen... (seriously... ever.)

Hey. First of all, I'm here to say I'm baack! Yes, it has been nearly a year since my last post... all the stresses of junior year, procrastination, and overall sluggishness on my part have kept me away from here I guess. Basically, I realized that I missed blogging! Yay! I've figured out that I still have random thoughts that need somewhere to go, so why not here? Nothing feels better than posting it on the internet, I suppose. Anyway. I happened upon this very creepy commercial just yesterday... so I present you with: Baby Laughs A Lot!!!





If I had seen that as a kid... *shudder*

Good Book

My social justice class has, over the past few weeks, been reading books in book groups. We had five books to choose from, but no group could read the same book. My group of three ended up with The Freedom Writers Diary, which inspired the recent movie called Freedom Writers. None of us were really eager to read the book, as it wasn't our first choice, but we were soon to be surprised. The Freedom Writers Diary was a really great, moving book about troubled teenagers in Long Beach, California, and one teacher who turned their lives around. Over the course of 4 years at Wilson High School, Erin Gruwell turned 150 "unteachable, at-risk" students into young adults with hopes for a future. The book is comprised of exerpts from the journals that each student kept during their four years in her class. I felt as though, through the pages, they had connected with me - they told me their story. The obstacles and the fears they've had to face touched me. I was forced to evaluate the society in which we live, but it also allowed me to see that changing the world can begin with one small step. The book not only made me feel thankful for the life that I am able to live, but it also gave me hope that the world is still a good place. The Freedom Writers Diary was an eye-opening but heartwarming book that I strongly recommend! My book group may have lost out on our initial first choice, but we ultimately won by getting to read The Freedom Writers Diary.

The Road

The road is long.

It winds,

Goes up, goes down.

Twists, turns.

It will never be easy.

You might not always be able to see where it goes next,

Or what you might find along the way.

But the road will always continue on.

No matter the twists and turns

Or ups and downs.

As it stretches out before you -

Embrace it.

And move forward.

*Picture taken by me in the beautiful hills of Maryland.

Orange Juice

"When life gives you lemons, make orange juice...

... and then watch the world try to figure out how the heck you did it."

Do the unexpected. Life might not always go the way you want it, but it's still your life. No matter what the situation is, you can still do something with it. I find this quote to be inspiring. It teaches me that I can't let small obstacles ruin my life.

Things will always work out - maybe a change in plans is what you really needed. Life will always go on. Show the world that you are strong.

My Attempts at Art... Maybe

Here are two pictures that I took this summer on vacation. The first is one of the ropes on our boat, along with the sunset in background. The second is an off center ish picture of a bouy that I took on a moving boat. It actually turned out pretty well, I think.

I enjoy photography a whole lot - it's one of those things that I've recently discovered. I love the thought of being able to capture life's moments and the things we see. It gives me an opportunity to view the world in a new light. I've never really been confident that I have an artistic eye for anything, but occasionally, I'll manage to capture a few good ones - like these.

Power

This past Saturday/Sunday, I realized an important thing about our modern world. As remnants of hurricane/tropical storm Hanna made its way through Pennsylvania, we saw lots of wind and several fallen trees. And, unfortunately, one of those fallen trees happened to crush one of the power lines on my street - destroying our transformer, and leaving us without power for 22 hours.

The first few hours were okay - it was still dayish. I settled down to do my homework, figuring that I could get it out of the way without procrastinating. Plus, we had no idea when we would get power back, but we guessed that it would be soon. Obviously, we were wrong... As the night progressed and we ate cold pizza by candlelight, I began to realize just how much we rely on power for everything. The hours passed along and I was feeling more and more desparate for some good ol' technology. Some TV, some computer, some light... it was painful - but also pathetic. Less than a day with only a few flash lights, candles and a bit of family bonding, and I was going crazy! I really wanted to plug in my cell phone, turn on the computer, and watch some tv, but I couldn't. How shallow is that? We rely so much on electricity; it's scary. I am quite guilty of becoming attached to technology, and I really don't like the thought of it. It makes me wonder what this world is coming to. It was quite an experience.

Thoughts

"We're so busy watching out for what's
just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are" - Calvin (Calvin
and Hobbes)

I love quotes. I can always seem to find great quotes to help me cope with the situations that I am dealing with. It's always heartwarming to know that there are people in this world who have great ideas about this life and how it is (or should be). Today, that person is Bill Waterson, through the voice of my favorite comic strip character, Calvin.

It seems that nowadays, we, as human beings, are always in a rush. We're always thinking about what we have to do, where we need to be... constantly worrying about our futures. In all of this frenzy, we fail to notice the present! It's as though we have blinders on - we can only look straight ahead. As a junior in high school, this is becoming more and more apparent. The courses you take are "essential" to your career, your life, and your happiness! We are so preoccupied with what seems to be important, that what is around us becomes simply a blur.

For once in our lives, we should stop to take a look around us - absorb the true beauty of what we usually ignore. We should enjoy ourselves more in the present, because it is truly a gift.

Reading a simple quote has really opened my eyes to what I (and the rest of the world) am missing.