Levitating

I wish I could. Levitate, that is.




But since, for the time being, I cannot; at least I know a way to trick people into thinking that I can.

Things that need to happen before it gets warm

I know it's only February, and I think it's 25 degrees outside right now, but I got to thinking about Spring for some reason. Then, it made me sad at the possibility of bidding adieu to winter. So, I've compiled a to-do list of things that I would like to do before Spring hits:

1) One more snow, please?
2) One more snow day, followed by a 2 hour delay
3) Chicken Soup
4) Use Crock-Pot 1-3 more times
3) Find cute spring dress to go with boots
4) Order 10,000 lbs of allergy medicine in preparation for spring pollen
5) Fire
6) Make myself sufficiently sick of red wine, so that I will be ready for white
7) Find out if I will be running the New York Marathon in 2011
8) Find out if I will be attending school in the Fall
9) Wear scarves and hats as much as possible
10) Write a children's book

I'm scared

People, video games are messed up!
Between my job and blogging I do a fair amount of google image searches. Inevitably, when I do a google image search for anything these days, I come across some pretty weird and scary stuff. Crazy pictures of people tied up, dead bodies, shootings, kidnappings, etc...all from video games. All digital but trying to look like real people engaging in these horrific things. Why?

It would seem to me that there is already enough horror in the world without people needing to simulate more for entertainment purposes. No wonder our kids are so disturbed. No wonder.

I guess this officially makes me old, talking about "kids these days". I will now story you about how I used to walk ten miles up hill in the snow when I was your age.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Elizabeth Gilbert!

Or better known as "that lady who wrote EAT PRAY LOVE"...

We saw her last night at the Durham Armory. She's on tour now promoting her new(ish) book Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage. She was spectacular. Not only was she well-spoken, intelligent and every bit as hilarious as she seems via book, but she was warm, poised, well dressed and just plain gorgeous! I was most impressed with her answers to questions. For every question that she was asked, she possessed a perfect well-thought out, yet seemingly spontaneous, answer riddled with wisdom and humor.

I want her to be my cool aunt.

Super Bo(wl)ring

Today is the Super Bowl. I am in no way excited about or interested in football or the Super Bowl. I don't know why, but I've never been able to get in to football.
Here's what I do know:

1) No matter how hard I try, or how many people I ask, I do not understand football. Numerous boyfriends, friends and sports enthusiasts have tried to tutor me, but it just won't stick! Downs, goals, touchdowns...what?

2) I do like to drink beer and eat snacky foods and get belligerent with people, so therefore, I like to go to Super Bowl parties even though I don't watch the Super Bowl or care about it at all. Shouting and ranting at the TV? I'm in! I confess, I pretend. I pretend to like a team based upon colors, emblem, city locale, mascot, or under-doggedness. This year I pick the Steelers because I know 3 people who like them; plus Pittsburgh and I have a history.

3) I am not entertained at all by the commercials. Most Super Bowl pretenders at least find some solace in the commercials. I, however, find them, well...too commercial.

4) I do not like the intermission show (I mean half time- is that what you call it in football?) even though as a female and former studier of the show biz, I feel that I am supposed to feel tethered to the half time show and excited about the potential entertainment of it.

5) Even though i'm not much of a traditionalist, I do enjoy the camaraderie of the Super Bowl. It is somehow comforting to know that a majority of the people the United States are doing the same thing at the same time, like voting or Christmas.

So, I'm off to partake in American culture. I'll eat and drink too much and regret it tomorrow. It's the American way.

Happy Super Bowl friends! Go...Steelers?!

The Things They Put Into Our Heads

I wonder if worrying is an innate biological process meant to somehow evolutionarily protect us from larger predators; if those who worry somehow protect themselves and survive the natural selection process?
OR
is worrying something that is passed down, embedded in us by our families and the social constructs within which we live?

I got to thinking about this yesterday on my run to the top of Occoneechee Mountain in Hillsborough. Parts of this run are fairly remote and at times have prompted me to worry about my safety from rapists, serial killers, AWOL rednecks, and the like. But why? Why do I fear these things? I believe it is due to years of 1) socialization from the fear driven media- news, lifetime movies, crime obsessed TV shows and 2) being taught that because I am a girl I am somehow at more of a risk. This may be true, but why instill a worry into all women because of it?

As I began to ascend the mountain, I looked ahead and saw three large men. My heart began to race, and thoughts of the many horrific things that they would do to me prior to disposing of my body began to fill my mind. As I got closer, the men began to appear harmless: three young chaps sharing in friendship atop the mountain over an herbal cigarette, perhaps. Ah Ha! No use in worrying.

I came to the conclusion that worrying about these things has no effect on the actual situation. Some could argue that worrying makes you more aware of a potentially dangerous situation, providing you increased chances of escaping. This may be true, but I would argue that if something horrible is meant to happen to me then it will happen either way, and having worrisome day dreams during my run is in no way protecting me but making me crazy, rather.

When I reached the top of the mountain, I deduced that, yes, the aforementioned "sketchy" men were indeed sharing in some fellowship atop the mountain. Then, I noticed something. The truly worrisome thing. These were bad men! The summit was a gruesome crime scene littered with the remains of their victims: fast food trash. Disembowled fry boxes, fully drained 40 oz. sodas, and cheeseburger corpses.

Rapists indeed! Raping the environment.

Now you're speaking my language

This year's best picture nominees...as LEGOs. I love it!
Can you guess what is what?












The Social Network, Winter's Bone, The Kids Are Alright, 127 Hours, The King's Speech, The Fighter, True Grit, Inception, Black Swan, Toy Story 3