This is how today feels...

Seriously, how did I miss the LOLcat boat?? Is it unforgivably lame that I'm discovering this website 3 years after it was cool? Maybe the best question is "Was it ever cool?" You know what, I don't care. Adorable. And true.

Neosparin!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG-zD36LkZw

Just wanted to send this link along to everyone. This is a video I helped my friend Kurt make. Let me know what you think of it and if you enjoy it, subscribe to Kurt's YouTube channel MentalAccess!

100 Things

The things highlighted in blue mean that I have done them. I thought this was an interesting list; you can learn a lot about me from what I have and have not done. If you know me, does anything on this list surprise you? If you don't, but you've done something I haven't, why would you suggest that I do it? Enjoy!

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band - do school bands count? I played the flute for 7 years.

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland - nope, Disneyworld

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - from an airplane window...

80. Published a book - soon!

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper - pretty regularly thanks to my mom, haha

85. Read the entire Book of Mormon or Bible

86. Visited the White House - not the inside, but I stood outside the gates and took pictures.

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life - if I have, I don't know about it.

90. Sat on a jury - in mock trial!

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day

Election Day Insanity

This post is going to be a mash-up of different random things from Tuesday November 4, 2008. I'd organize my thoughts, but today is just too crazy to try to sort out. So, first I'd like to direct you to http://imageshugger.com/viewer.php?file=wjzyn8a43gu3zx013fa0.jpg. I'm still trying to understand how someone could even have such thoughts. I mean, talk about finding slanderous justifaction for hate. It really makes me sick that people's minds even go there. But the anger generated by the image was softened a bit when I saw that the post was made on the Fox News website. If we can tell a lot about a person by who their friends are (a big argument fox news has used over and over again against Obama), well then Fox News scares me that much more today.

I also wanted to give some shameless publicity to my buddy Kurt who just finished making a video parody in response to the election. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH_BqZ6SjP0 The skit presents an "untelevised debate" between Obama and McCain. Go check him out and leave him some love. And look for more from Kurt in the coming months. If you like what you see, do yourself a favor and subscribe to his channel. You'll be glad you did! *shameless wink*

So many of the people I've spoken with today just want all of this to be over. I can't explain how frustrating that sort of response is to me. I mean, part of me gets it, but I just wish people would care a little more. I heard a great comment on the radio this morning. The guest said that people are so tired of talking about politics because of the O'Reilly's of the world. If you aren't familiar with Bill O'Reilly, well, you're lucky, but for the purpose of context, all you really need to know is that he likes to yell -- a lot. He's apart of the shock culture of media that has taken over America. And as a result, lots of people get very heated when discussing politics. They can't see into the other perspectives, they just want to yell and scream their point until the other person gives up. So obviously no one wants to talk about it. But my boyfriend and I, who don't always see eye to eye politically have managed to keep things civilized. We have to try really hard and keep our ears and minds open - it isn't easy, but politics is an important topic for us and we're important to each other, so we make it work. I just want a little effort people. It doesn't matter how far removed from it all you think you are or want to be, it affects you. It just does. You can't avoid it. So please, get your facts straight, talk to other people (especially those who don't agree with you) and actively participate in the government in every way you can. And if the reality of politics gets a little too heavy for you, take a break and watch some West Wing. That's how I combat the crappiness of real-life political rhetoric.

On your mark, get set....

It's that time of year again. Halloween has just ended, we still haven't turned on our heat for the winter and I've got one month to write a 50,000 word novel. That's right (write?), it's National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo for anyone who knows what I'm talking about). It's time to write without a plan, without any preconceived ideas. Art for art's sake. I'm not sure exactly where the month will take me. I'm kicking around the idea of writing a sci-fi story. I haven't thought about it much yet, but I think that's what makes me more confident that I'll finish this year. If you put too much thought into it, you become invested in plot and characters. But if you just sit down and do it, the possibilities are endless. I'm ready for an excellent month! Wish me luck.