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Welcome to my blog. I will post whatever I am working on, whether it be a creative writing piece, random blip that has made my day, or an opinion I would like to share with the world. I hope that you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing!

All ideas are my original work. I do not take credit for work that is not mine. I may borrow pieces such as comics, definitions, or quotations, but will never pass someone else’s work off as my own; I will either credit their source or make it clear that I am not their author. I merely use these as either bouncing boards from which my own ideas can take off, or wish to share something that I found worth repeating.


Remember, today is not simply something to get through, but something to treasure. So smile and enjoy it!!!

Monday, December 31, 2012

So Long 2012! Hello 2013!

2012 has been one heck of a year.  I would say for me personally, it has been one of my most eventful (with London, LA, and whatnot).  I'm hoping your 2012 was one to remember as well.

As we say goodbye to 2012, we are also welcoming in 2013. No matter what this past year has held for us, this is a brand new start.  A time to make resolutions we won't keep through January and pay a great deal of money for gym memberships and weight loss programs we will drop in a few days to weeks.  

It can also be a wonderful opportunity to get your life in check.  Take a look at yourself.  Is this where you want to be in ten years?  If it isn't, what do you need to do in order to get there?  Help to better yourself and others in 2013.

Happy New Year's Eve.  Be safe, be smart, and be ready for whatever tomorrow may bring...the rest of your life.

Friday, December 28, 2012

What's Eating Gilbert Grape - By Peter Hedges


This is the first non young adult book I have read in awhile.  If you have not picked up on the theme yet (or are randomly searching the web for this book you would never know), I am trying to read my way through books my favorite films were based on.  My favorite movies just happen to have Johnny Depp in them.  So here we go:

This is the story of Gilbert Grape, and how he deals (or evades dealing with), everything in his life that is eating away at his soul.  For his entire life, he has lived in Endora, Iowa, a small and dull place where everyone knows everyone’s business, and there is never anything exciting going on. 

Gilbert is the man of his house, ever since his father hung himself and his older brother (Larry) moved away.  He has two older sisters, one of whom also got out of Endora (Janice), and another, Amy, who takes care of the house.  Gilbert has a younger sister, Ellen, who is a conceded pain in the butt, and an intellectually challenged younger brother, Arnie, who was never supposed to live past ten.  They live with their mother, who has not stopped eating or left the sofa since her husband committed suicide.  Who was once the talk of the town for her beauty, Bonnie Grape now weighs a few hundred pounds.

Arnie is turning eighteen, which is a huge milestone his mother claims is all she wants to see reached; that would be a miracle.  Gilbert has to deal with his dysfunctional family, his mundane job at the local food store (being squashed by the major food store that recently moved in), self loathing, a secret affair he has been having for ten years with an upstanding woman in the society, and looking after Arnie. 

Among other things, a gorgeous girl (Becky) comes into town to visit her grandmother, whom Gilbert becomes smitten with (as do all of the men of the town).  He struggles with his feelings for Becky, as she is a mixture of a tease and a woman wise beyond her years.  Gilbert just can’t figure his life out right now.  One thing is for certain, and he does not want to die in Endora; he just needs a way out.  By the end of the book, things begin to fall into place for Gilbert, who can finally start life anew.

I liked the book, but it was not my favorite.  I personally like the movie, and even reading with the cast in my mind, this book did not compare to the film (although the author also wrote the screenplay).  A book such as this, the reader desperately wants to empathize with Gilbert, but he comes off as a jerk.  Not that certain people don’t deserve to be happy, but the author makes it really difficult to feel sorry for him.  When bad things happen to good people, it is an outrage.  When bad things happen to self-centered sticks in the mud, it can be more easily brushed aside.

I’m glad I read this book, but do not see myself reading it again anytime soon.  The ending had such potential, and then fell flat.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

And if you do not celebrate Christmas, I wish you a very happy December the 25th.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Well That Was Pointless...

So if you did not get the memo, the world did not end yesterday.  Silly prediction.  Now what am I going to do with the bomb shelter I built?

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Words of the Moment – Christmas Carol Edition


Around this time of year, we have been inundated with Christmas songs in stores, on the radio, and at parties.  Even if you do not celebrate Christmas, the songs are difficult to evade. 

This year I have been realizing how extensive the vocabulary in the songs actually is.  Aside from the ever-present words such as “merry,” “bells,” “snow,” “Christmas,” “tree,” etc, there are some interesting gems.  These are only a few I heard the last time I had the radio on.  There are plenty more good ones out there.  I hope you will listen to these carols a bit differently after thinking about a few of the words:

Cloven – adjective – split; divided

“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”

“Still through the cloven skies they come.  With peaceful wings unfurl, and still.”

Laud – noun – a song or hymn of praise

“What Child is This?”

“Whom shepherds guard and angels sing. Haste, haste to bring him laud.”

Lowing – noun – the calling sound made by bovine animals, such as cows

“Away in a Manger”

“The cattle are lowing, the poor Baby wakes.”

Noel – noun – is an alternate word for “Christmas”

“The First Noel”

“The First Noel, the Angels did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay.”

Wassailing – verb – engaging in the act of drinking; toasting

“Here We Come A-Wassailing”

“Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green.  Here we come a-wand'ring so fair to be seen.”

Yore – noun – time long past

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

“Here we are as in olden days.  Happy golden days of yore.”

Yuletide – noun – a religious festival that has been absorbed into and equated with the celebration of Christmas

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas.  Make the Yuletide gay.”

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Friday, December 14, 2012

Prayers for Newtown Connecticut

If you have not heard the news yet, this morning there was a terrible shooting at an elementary school in a town in Connecticut. A tragedy. 20 students and 7 adults so far have died. The children were no older than ten years old. It is unthinkable, and yet it happened. This is one of the worst school massacres ever.

My heart, thoughts, and prayers are with all who have been affected by today's events in any way.



Thursday, December 13, 2012

Secret Santa


Do you have just too many people to buy presents for this year?  You have your friends, your parents, your children, your spouse, your siblings, their spouse, their children, your cousins, your godchildren, your child’s teacher…AHHH!!!  Before you know it, not only are shopping the entire year, but your paycheck is gone.

Here is a money and time saving idea.  If you have a close circle of friends or distant (but close) family members you all exchange presents with each year, why don’t you try a Secret Santa?  Around November, you write each name on a piece of paper, and you draw to see who you’ll be shopping for (unless you pull yourself – redraw!).   That way each of you only has to buy one present (for that group anyway).  You can spend a little bit more on it, and have more brain power to think of a thoughtful gift.  And when you set a dollar amount beforehand, everyone knows they’ll be getting a decent gift (unless you have bad shoppers in the circle, in which case you need to plan better on who you invite).

This is also a great way to include people who may be a little lonely around the holidays.  They do not have to shop for everyone they know, just one special friend.

This is the season for giving.  Whenever that can be made a bit more easy, why not?

Monday, December 10, 2012

Friday, December 7, 2012

Cookie Swap!


Almost everyone loves cookies.  And at Christmas time there are so many yummy types of cookies, that not many people have the time to bake them all (not to mention the expense).  Even if each batch only made a dozen, making twelve kinds of them would be insane!

So, why don’t you collaborate with a few friends and do your own cookie swap?  If you had even six people, each with a family of four, making two dozen cookies would allow everyone to get the variety of the holiday without all of the wasted cookies (if there is such a thing).  And if you doubled that, everyone could even have two of each cookie!

This way you could make your favorite recipe (even if you double it so you have extras), and when your friends come together, you have a smorgasbord!

If you are like me and love your sugar products but don’t have the time, money, or energy to bake everything, gather some friends, plan out who will bake which, and have a cookie swap!  Also a perfect opportunity to have a small party, and perhaps even a contest for the best cookie!  Have fun with it!  Happy baking! 

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

You Can't Always Get A Wonderful Life


Who is ready for our favorite Christmas movies and songs to be played over and over and over again, until we want to run away screaming and pleading for summer?

Me!!!

Enjoy your Christmas Season (unless you do not celebrate Christmas, in which case I hope you have a marvelous December)!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

December?


     Is it just me, or does it feel as if 2012 started…yesterday?  Time seems to be going by quicker and quicker as I get older.  I could only imagine if I had children.  When five years goes by in the blink of an eye, a baby will have grown into a child.  It is surreal how fast time is moving, and yet it always seems as if what I want is a day away. 

     Take time to enjoy the now.

     Relish today.

     Yesterday is over, and tomorrow is not here yet.  2013 will be here before you know it.  And then 2014.  Then 2015.  It doesn't slow down, so enjoy the ride while you’re on it.