Where do you want to go?

As usual, I couldn't think of a blog topic. I decided to randomly search the internet for inspiration... but as I couldn't think of a topic to write about, it was equally hard to think of a topic to google.

I ended up checking out Geography U, Dr. Helmer's blog. (I have to admit I haven't been keeping up-to-date with it, as interesting as it is.) He had a blog topic concerning pictures being worth a thousand words--so I clicked on the link to National Geographic to check out some of their photos. I'm a big nature person, so it's no surprise I ended up in that section.

This picture grabbed me. It's a U.S. temperate rainforest in Washington State's Olympic National Park. I've never been west of Colorado--much less to the west coast--but I still found it hard to believe that a place like that exists in our country... or in real life, for that matter. It looks like something out of a fairy-tale or dream. I was actually reminded of Alice in Wonderland, and half-expected to see the Cheshire Cat's tail poking out from behind a tree.

So then I started thinking about the movie/book, and the part where Alice encounters the cat in a tree near a fork in the road. “Which road do I take?” she asked. “Where do you want to go?” was his response. “I don’t know,” Alice answered. “Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter."

I remember laughing as a young girl at this line, but I never really thought about it till now.

Where do you want to go?
I honestly couldn't tell you.
Then it doesn't matter.

--AEM

Sugar - Less

When I was a little girl, I lived in a no-sugar household. I mean it. Unless it came in natural form, in fruit, in honey or other such products, that was the best it got. I used to have to eat Kix with no sugar, Cheerios with bananas on top, sparkling water instead of pop, popsicles made in those Tupperware molds from juice that came out of a can. Imagine if you will, licking frozen orange juice while your neighbors have lips of blue from their plastic tubes of Mr. Freezes. I was always embarrassed to bring birthday treats to school because my mom would make Carob (anyone know what this is) Cupcakes with fructose or Spiced Cake with honey frosting. Everybody hated them.

The only time this was different was when we had tomatoes from our summer garden. I guess it was something that my mom couldn't imagine not having sugar alongside. So what would I do? I would sprinkle sugar on top of my tomato until my mom would threaten, "Laurie, I think that's enough" and I'd always try to get one more sprinkle on the tomato.

The funny thing about me and if you know me well, you know I hate tomatoes. I hate their texture; I hate their seeds; I hate the slimy-ness of them, the sound they make when squeezed. When I watch Rachael Ray or another Food Network star squeeze them over a pan, I shiver.

And I knew when I was allowed the one pleasure of sprinkling sugar on those summer tomatoes that I would have to eat the tomato. But I ignored the tomato at first. I would literally take my fork and slide my tomato-topped sugar onto my plate and lick it with my tongue. Yes, there were some tomato guts attached to it, but it didn't matter. The sugar was for once not forbidden. But eventually, the sugar would be gone and all that would be left would be the tomato, guts, seeds and slimy redness left on my plate. I would have to sit there until I gagged it all down. Usually after another ultimatum from my mother - "You have until the big hand is on the ____ to finish eating that tomato."

As I think about that memory today, I wonder how I still do this in my life. How I know the tomato is under there, slimy and evil with each gag-reflex capacity. But I still pile on the sugar. Knowing that eventually, the sugar will be gone, the lovely sweetness licked to kingdom come. And I will come face to face again with that tomato.

What if I would put less sugar on top? What if I made the gagging down of it quicker? What if I chose not to ignore the fact that I do the same thing over and over again, always knowing what the outcome will be?

It makes me wonder what the sugar in our lives covers up. It makes me wonder why I desire it there in the first place -- that to mask, is better than to taste. That to relish first artificially is more important than to pay attention to what lies there naturally.

Tonight, I am frustrated by sugar.
~LZH

Of Convenience and the Digital Age

I know the subject is far from new and a number of people have beaten the topic to death, but just hear me out on this one. There still might be some semblance of life left in it.

Facebook has gotten the strangest and most confusing reputation I've seen in anything. People complain about how intrusive it can allow others to be [often referred to as stalkerbook for this reason] and how addictive all its functions make it. At the same time, people are flocking to it on a regular basis. I don't think we've come to be dependent on a parasitic entity, though. It's more of a symbiotic relationship born from mere convenience. Messaging, sharing links, sending invites to different events, creating digital 'clubhouses' for groups to meet and interact...Facebook makes it all so easy. It has so many functions built into it now that one doesn't really need to go anywhere else to socialize online. This makes it awesome for me because I don't like to use the phone anymore than I have to. In some instances, the phone is nicer and more convenient than anything online, but it is far from my preferred medium of communication. Above all else, I treasure face-to-face communication, but when that isn't an option, instant messengers and Facebook become my medium of choice. I don't mind txting too much, but unless you have Verizon [I can txt people on my network for free] we won't be having many conversations that way.

Anyways, the reason the whole topic of Facebook and our relationship with it came to mind was because of an occurance that I became aware of today. There is a person, of whom name, gender, and all other identifiers will be withheld, whom my acquaintance with has been manic-depressive, to put it quite mildly. I went onto one person's page to leave them a message and I saw this acquaintance had left a wall post there. This acquaintance had changed their profile picture and I decided to go to their profile to get a better look. Instead of being directed to their page, I was given the pop-up giving bare-bones information about the acquaintance and the set of options that include 'Add as friend.' Not much more than a month ago, this person and I spoke with decent frequency. We never had an argument or fight. I had noticed the acquaintance completely ignoring me when our paths cross anymore, which is frequent, but I figured it was nothing mroe than a phase like all the other phases. It didn't quite strike me as serious until I found out I was no longer their friend on Facebook.

Now, I know the initial reaction by most people I know about this sort of thing is 'See how seriously people take occurances on Facebook? It's sad.' I know this because I've been one to say that time and time again. This little event changes my perspective, though. When we want to know something and can't/won't use any direct methods to gain that knowledge, we become little sleuths that search for evidence to prove or disprove our personal theories and others we've heard. Facebook is a major method or interaction among people now, and it makes the gathering of evidence much easier and faster. We're not doing anything different...we're just using a faster and more convenient method to do the same things.

With that explained, you can't really blame me for taking the news that my acquaintance and I are no longer Facebook friends as a slightly serious matter. As far as I've ever observed myself and others doing on Facebook, the removal of someone from your friends list truly marks the end of any interaction you hope to have with that person. Now, I have my theories as to why this has happened, how serious this really is, and all that blah blah blah that in the end doesn't matter. That's not what is important here. What is important is analyzing Facebook for what it truly is instead of tacking on opinions and ideas that have only scratched at the surface. I challenge you all to take a close look at all the many parts of Facebook and create an educated point of view on it.

-Josh

Hard Writing

To be completely honest, I have been putting off writing my "hard" essay since the beginning of this class. I have avoided this subject as much as possible, scanning my mind, trying to come up with another topic that I could use as a cover and claim that this was my hard piece. But I cant. I've known since the minute we started talking about hard writing what that is for me. Do you ever bury something so deep that sometimes it really almost does disappear? You've worked so long and hard to supress it and lock it away that to risk opening it up, even just a little, is absolutely terrifying. I know what I need to write. I even think I know what style I want to write it in. But I don't want to start it. The thoughts and emotions this topic might bring out are going to be overwhelming. It will not be easy write about, hence the "hard" writing. Therefore, I will put this off as long as possible which is why I am blogging about it now and not starting my first draft.

SRH

Past and Pending
A great song by The Shins. If you don't know it, you should look it up. Incidentally, one of the innumerable songs he played for me, for my pretty little ears he claimed to like so much. It has an undeniably fantastic French Horn part in the song, to which I say this: any musical group that can incorporate a French Horn into a song so well deserves my total respect.

French Horn
My second instrument, after the saxophone. I was always second or third chair, never quite good enough at it. But I did love it, and still do- the sound of the French Horn seems to fill any empty spaces that reside inside myself inevitably each day. His girlfriend at the time played the French Horn and he reminded me of this often.

Girlfriends
Annoying, a lot of the time. I've been one once in my life. I have not been one since, for going on three years.

Three Years
My nephew, Jake, is three years old. He's great and my self-proclaimed "only man in my life." I can't imagine a world without him. My other nephew, Wyatt, will be one-year-old in March.

One Year
The amount of time I've spent wishing I were his girlfriend. I hope that in three years I will have forgotten him, and that I can't imagine a world with him.

Forgetting
I don't remember how I got here.

Dinosaurs

The Land Before Time:
This is the movie that began it all for me. After watching the adventures of Little Foot and his dino friends I became a dinosaur fanatic. My bedroom was dinosaur themed; including a dinosaur mural, wall paper, comforter, and sheets. This film was intended for children, but the scene where Little Foot's mother dies could bring adults to tears. This movie was so good that the producers decided to make 12 more sequels.

Dinosaurs (the television series):
Aside from Full House and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this was the only television show that I faithfully watched. With such memorable lines as, "Gotta love the baby!" how could you not fall in love with the Sinclair family. I recently watched a few episodes of this show on DVD and realized that some of the themes were semi-serious including drug usage and sexual maturity. Yikes! I'm glad I never picked up on that as a kid.

We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story:
This is the poor man's Land Before Time. Kids who never got to see Land Before Time when they were younger maintain that this is the best dinosaur-themed animated film. I admit this film is entertaining, but lacks the heart that Land Before Time emanates.

Valley of the Gwangi:
Okay, I haven't actually scene this one, but I couldn't pass it over. This movie is about cowboys (some where in the dessert) that fight dinosaurs. Yes, you read correctly...cowboys vs. dinosaurs. Could you ask for a better, more American combination? Just watch the trailer for it on Youtube...you'll be laughing for hours.

Jurassic Park:
One of the best films of all time...according to me. When I saw this as a youngster I was amazed at the unbelievable realistic nature of the film's dinosaurs. Great acting, great special effects, and a great story. Thank you Steven Spielberg for bringing Michael Crichton's book to life. This movie will live forever in film history.


Carson-osaurus

Movies

So, I just watched the Oscars and it prompted me to want to share some of my favorite movies with you:

Steel Magnolias

In Steel Magnolia's there is a scene in a cemetery where Sally Fields is, essentially, freaking out. She is sobbing and hysterical and then talking quickly about things she needs to do and then sobbing and then talking and then laughing and this is something that I 1) can relate to and 2) cannot see without weeping. I think this is such a great testament to life. It can change in the drop of a hat. That makes it unbearable at times, but brilliant at others.

Crossroads

You will all LAUGH when you read this. But I really like the Britney Spears movie, Crossroads. I know I know. It is awful, maybe this says something about me... but I just love it. It is about friendship and love and roadtrips. It's about how friendships can fill the holes that we have in our lives and I think that is a beautiful expression.

Knocked Up

I'm not gonna lie, this movie is just dang funny. I mean, really. Successful woman get's knocked up by worthless man. What a horrible situation. Yet, the moral of the story is that the result of such horribleness is something so beautiful. I think this is a great message. That things happen for a reason and that even in the worst of times there is an ending worth waiting for. It reminds me of the fact that the end of a caterpillars world is the beginning of a butterfly's.

The Dark Knight

Sounds cliche (especially with Heath just winning the Oscar, yes!) but this is one of the best movies ever. Seriously. IT is like 3 hours long and I didn't even care. I still saw it like 4 times in theaters. What a great flick. So many metaphors in that piece of work. About life. About death. About living for good or evil. And the credit you get for each. Plus it is jam packed with awesome action and amazing acting. *sigh* It doesn't get much better than that.

When Harry Met Sally

I love this story. Best friends falling in love after a long time of being just friends. What a great story about God's plan working out EVENTUALLY... even 12 years later. It just reminds me of Hebrews 11:1 (Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see).

Pride and Prejudice

Just artfully and beautifully done. The details in this movie are amazing. It makes you fall in love with the characters completely. As someone who considers themselves in the "Creative Field," I find myself appreciating this fact so much. The subtle way the movie shows Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's love. It is the type of movie that makes you want the fairy tale. While I don't know that the "fairy tale" is smart to desire, I also think that high expectations will ultimately bring what you want the most. Even if it takes longer and is harder.

Pineapple Express

Not gonna lie. I had to throw this one in there... it has some good messages about friendship... but in reality I just think it is super funny.