As I was watching a commercial today from Toyota, the character in the commercial was puzzling about the "best time to buy."
I'm curious why people are so anxious about the best time to buy, whether it's cars or houses or purses or shoes or cell phones, people seem so obsessed with waiting for the best deal. I understand that financially, a lot of people have a lot to be concerned about and saving a few bucks is a priority, but really, gambling with predictions about when will be the best time to buy? Is that not still gambling? In my humble opinion, the best time to buy something is when you need or want it.
The best time to buy a car.... waiting to get the best deal on a car is ridiculous. If it is a luxury car that is extra, that is one thing, but if you need a new car, and are trading in your old one, as the deals on new cars gets better, your old car devalues. How long do you really want to wait to strike the perfect balance over what, a thousand or so dollars that translates to $10-$20/month? How, in the long run, does that save you money if you have to put that thousand into your old car so that it will last until your "best time to buy?"
Clothes, again, the same thing. How does it help you to wear tattered clothes until something goes on sale?
Rather than set your sights on the best time to buy, how about looking for the best product to buy? A car that costs a bit less, rather than waiting for something specific? Clothes that cost a bit less...
Consider this for a moment. Black Friday. The biggest shopping day of the year. For a lot of people, it's about the fun and excitement and hub-bub. But people always think that they are saving money. From a retail perspective, Black Friday is the money maker. If you bomb on that day, your entire fiscal year is down the toilet. With the margins so low on everything that day, you might wonder how it is that retailers can make a profit. Easy, volume of sales. On Black Friday, the "best time to buy" many people, not everyone, but many many people, buy crap that they don't want or need simply because it's marked down.
There is no "Best time to buy." Buy what you need, when you need it, and buy products in the price range that you can afford. Don't wait for MacBooks to go on sale if you have an Acer budget. Settle for what you can afford and save that extra for what you need next. Spending more than you can afford on a product that is above and beyond what you need, because it costs less than what it normally does is akin to living outside of your means. I can't afford Kobe beef every night. So either I buy better meat and eat it less often, or I buy cheaper meat. I don't wait, and wait, and wait for Kobe to go on sale and then fill my freezer. That's nonsensical. Someday I will be able to afford it whenever I want, that is the goal. But right now, I try to live according to my income and not by stretching every penny to the most luxury things I can manage and sacrificing everything else for the sake of it.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Adventures in my life
Well, since the world deserves to know of my awesomeness, I thought it might be time that I wrote another blog post. It's kind of been a while.
Making the decision to completely change my entire life and life's plan is really super scary. I've got so little to keep me here, and yet so much less anywhere else, unless you count hopes and dreams. I'm certainly rich in those.
So, for those of you who might not know, I had planned to go on to a Bachelor's in Education, with a double major in psychology. Then, I "discovered" neuroplasticity. Yes, that caught my attention. Stole it, you might say.
Reading up on neuroplasticity brought to my attention four people in particular.
Dr. Brenda Milner, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Montreal Neurological institute. Her work with patient HM, and her landmark discoveries regarding his unusual memory loss, are fascinating. What caught my attention more is that the woman is 92 years old and still loving what she does! Not that I don't ever want to retire, but when you find a field that captivates you in that way... well, I hope that I can spend my life doing something I love so much as to still be doing it at 92 years old!!
Barbara Arrowsmith Young, founder of the Arrowsmith Program for treating students with learning disabilities. I first learned of Young's work through Dr. Norman Doidge's book The Braint that Changes Itself. Young is a woman who took herself, through her own ingenuity and dedication, from multiple learning disabilities to a Master's degree. She then took the approach that worked so well for her, targeting individual difficulties through brain based exercises, and turned it into a patented methodology that has helped students with specific learning dysfunctions for the past thirty years.
Dr. Paul Bach-y-Rita, a neuroscientist whose work in the field of neuroplasticity, and more specifically, sensory substitution, has helped him help others whose lives were torn apart by stroke, sudden onset sensory disorders and congenital blindness. He is the perfect example of how fearless persistence in the face of dissent, wild imagination and outside-the-box thinking can lead to amazing advances in science. His work is not knowledge for the sake of knowledge. And it's not all about inventing chemicals to mess around in the brain and "help" people. From what I've read on him, his work takes the idea of the brains natural inclination toward achievement, and assists it in figuring out the direction to take to correct problem areas.
And finally, Dr. Michael Merzenich... pioneering scientifically tested brain based exercises to address normal loss of memory and function, to improve language skills in students, etc. And let us not ignore his greatest achievement to date; controversial though it may be, working with a scientific dream team to develop the cochlear implant.
I've always had an interest in psychology. I've always had an interest in language. While studying education, I had a lab science requirement which, through sheer curiosity, I decided to fulfill with an Anatomy and Physiology course. While I found the entirety of the material we covered fascinating, it was the section on the Central Nervous System which really drew my attention. It was a physical base for human behavior. Not only is it an amazing, delicate, intricate system, but, it has the potential to explain why and how we function; individually, socially, societally...
Between studying the anatomy of the brain, and the interaction between neurons, and learning that perhaps what we thought was so definite (functioning of specific neuronal regions) might not be (as demonstrated by various experiments in neuroplasticity) I finally decided to go for it. I dived into books like The Brain that Changes Itself and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (by the renowned Dr. Oliver Sachs). I began investigating various areas of neuroscience as a profession. I finally decided on neuropsychology. Having significantly more coursework in psychology than in science or math, I decided to shift my focus to neuroscience as a background. I will focus on that for my Bachelor's, with many more electives in psychology, I hope, and then combine my psychology and science backgrounds toward a PhD in neuropsychology.
I had always wondered why I oughtn't go to a fantastic school. A challenging school with an excellent reputation. So, in investigating my options, I set my sights on Johns Hopkins (for the PhD). But what an intimidating school for an undergraduate. They have relatively large, and notoriously competitive classes. While I don't mind working hard, studying hard and mastering incredibly difficult concepts (would I dare venture into this field if I did) the large class size (and Baltimore) hold no interest for me at present. If I am to develop the strong base of knowledge that I will need for this field, I feel that I would succeed much better at a smaller school. After much research and deliberation, I've set my sights on Colorado College.
1. Size. They are a relatively small school, which leads me to believe that I have a shot at personalized attention when necessary. That is, I prefer feeling welcome to discuss difficult concepts with my professors, rather than being brushed off because s/he has 300 students per lecture to deal with, and well, if all of them had questions... just go learn it... etc. I prefer the opportunity to build a rapport with my professors, as nothing is so valuable in a career as a strong professional network. And while they may be my professors now, someday, I hope, they will be my colleagues. And how much easier if they actually have a shot at remembering my face among the crowd.
2. The Block Program. The infamous block program. I know my own learning style. I know that I have a strong tendency to favor one course over another. It's only natural that some subjects would be more fascinating than others. I've noticed in my own education that, while I make great effort not to neglect courses, I also do have a tendency to work harder in those that captivate my attention more. I feel that the block program will provide me the opportunity to focus, wholly and completely, on the subject at hand, which will assure that each subject gets the attention it deserves. In this manner, I hope to actually retain the information that I've learned, beyond the final exam.
3. Colorado College has a reputation; one that is nothing to laugh about. This was not something of which I was aware when I began looking at the school. It was only when I began discussing this decision with various people (customers who teach at Middlebury, former Professors, and other people generally well versed in academia) that I came to understand just what that reputation was.
4. And finally, given the education I can expect from that school (which of course depends just as much on the effort I put in) and the reputation of the school itself, I feel that, of all the schools I was considering, Colorado College would be the best stepping stone toward acceptance at Johns Hopkins' Psychological and Brain Sciences program.
And so, it is with high aspirations, strong direction, and hoping really really hard that I get accepted, that I am picking up my life and heading west.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
A Dream
I miss the you I knew last night
Once upon a dream.
I love the you I kissed last night,
But then the morning came.
Will you return again to me
When I fall to sleep?
Can I ever hope that you
Might be there when I wake?
I dreamed of you
I long for you
stranger though you be,
I long for you
The you I knew
Once upon a dream.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Short anecdotes of odd happenings recently in my life.
Once upon a time, I was working at the video store. A customer came out of the back room, and, chuckling, says to me, "I could get lost in here, it's like a candy store."
Maybe I'm wrong, but that's just a little odd. Certainly not the oddest thing, or even close to the creepiest thing that's ever been said to me at work, but odd nonetheless.
I was driving down the street in Burlington, down Shelburne Road. In the middle of the afternoon, amidst quite heavy traffic, and between two lights (and hence between two crosswalks) three women stepped out into the road. Well, as much as I recognize that's a dumb idea, they clearly had plans to go ahead and cross four lanes of busy traffic without so much as a second thought about it. Naturally, my own survival instincts kicked in, aka, I didn't need a lawsuit for running over a jay-walker, and so I slowed down my car. Then, the strangest thing happened, one of the women stopped, dead center in my lane and just stared at me for a few seconds. So I gestured, somewhat impatiently for her to hurry up and get the hell out of the way. When she finally did, she screamed at me as I drove past her. I replied in a louder-than-normal voice, "Well don't stop in the middle of the road." To which she responded by throwing her coffee at my car. Normally, I get very irritated by such things, but at this point, an interesting thing happened, I realized two very important and highly amusing things. 1. No matter how angry I get, she's still going to enter the Darwin competition day after day. 2. Though she may have gotten her aggression out a bit, she is still without coffee. Oh, and for the hell of it, 3. It was going to rain that night, so I didn't even have to worry about cleaning it off my car.
Poor stupid woman.
And also, I hope my ficus is recovering... I trimmed off some branches that just couldn't seem to grow more leaves. And I gave it another shower. So, hopefully it's all good. You see what happened was that it got thrips. So I used some pesticide to kill them, but I had to let the tree dry before I could bring it inside so that the cats wouldn't get poisoned.
But, I left it on the porch to dry, and while I was at work, the temperature dropped. So I think it got a bit of temperature shock. So... hopefully, it's recovering. It looked really happy after the shower, so... And my viney thing... I think I need to re-pot that. I think I'll do that Tuesday. I'll just pull them all out, wash off the whole vines that are still healthy, and put it in new sanitary soil. I'm pretty sure it has spider mites, so...
Anyhow, there you have it. Odd happenings. I posted more than once this month.
You're welcome!
Maybe I'm wrong, but that's just a little odd. Certainly not the oddest thing, or even close to the creepiest thing that's ever been said to me at work, but odd nonetheless.
I was driving down the street in Burlington, down Shelburne Road. In the middle of the afternoon, amidst quite heavy traffic, and between two lights (and hence between two crosswalks) three women stepped out into the road. Well, as much as I recognize that's a dumb idea, they clearly had plans to go ahead and cross four lanes of busy traffic without so much as a second thought about it. Naturally, my own survival instincts kicked in, aka, I didn't need a lawsuit for running over a jay-walker, and so I slowed down my car. Then, the strangest thing happened, one of the women stopped, dead center in my lane and just stared at me for a few seconds. So I gestured, somewhat impatiently for her to hurry up and get the hell out of the way. When she finally did, she screamed at me as I drove past her. I replied in a louder-than-normal voice, "Well don't stop in the middle of the road." To which she responded by throwing her coffee at my car. Normally, I get very irritated by such things, but at this point, an interesting thing happened, I realized two very important and highly amusing things. 1. No matter how angry I get, she's still going to enter the Darwin competition day after day. 2. Though she may have gotten her aggression out a bit, she is still without coffee. Oh, and for the hell of it, 3. It was going to rain that night, so I didn't even have to worry about cleaning it off my car.
Poor stupid woman.
And also, I hope my ficus is recovering... I trimmed off some branches that just couldn't seem to grow more leaves. And I gave it another shower. So, hopefully it's all good. You see what happened was that it got thrips. So I used some pesticide to kill them, but I had to let the tree dry before I could bring it inside so that the cats wouldn't get poisoned.
But, I left it on the porch to dry, and while I was at work, the temperature dropped. So I think it got a bit of temperature shock. So... hopefully, it's recovering. It looked really happy after the shower, so... And my viney thing... I think I need to re-pot that. I think I'll do that Tuesday. I'll just pull them all out, wash off the whole vines that are still healthy, and put it in new sanitary soil. I'm pretty sure it has spider mites, so...
Anyhow, there you have it. Odd happenings. I posted more than once this month.
You're welcome!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Hello there
Is there anything more pleasing than the sound of crisp leaves racing across the pavement? There is something so unique about that sound. It is made possible by us, by the human race. Without us, across what similar surface could leaves scuttle? They might blow over a rock outcropping now and again, but really, it's not the same.
I love the country, and I love Vermont. I really really do. Driving up the road today, the mountains were finally coloring. The trees have been changing for a little while now, but even when they first start, the mountains still look green, overshadowed by the conifers that refuse to change. As the season progresses, though, there becomes a point when the horizon just bursts into color. The mountains come alive!
Alright, sure, it's cheesy. But if you live here, you know what I mean, and whether or not you'll admit it, you feel the same way.
It's a time for fuzzy sweaters and scarves, hats and gloves. It's the time of the year where you more and more often find yourself saying, "I have got to remember to start my car in the morning. Brr." Or, at least if you're out the door by 8:00, you're saying that.
But the city has it's own draw, doesn't it? Even at the crack of dawn. There is a mystery about the city. You don't know what lies ahead because your view is obstructed. The city, it forces you to look more closely in front of your face, both physically and metaphorically.
While the country inspires us, reminds us to stand in awe of nature in all her majesty, it is the city that reminds us to stand in awe of ourselves. And our cities are becoming ever more sustainable. With increased awareness of our own carbon footprints, we are taking steps to bring a little bit of country into the city. First we thought up green roofs, which help insulate a building while also providing a nice landscape. Then we thought of rooftop gardening. Now we can keep ourselves warm and put dinner (or a contribution thereto) on the table. Standing on a quiet street corner in the foggy evening, the only thing you can see in the city is what's right in front of you. The only concern to which you can attend is yourself, and the magnificent creations of man that surround you. And if you're lucky, you are smart enough to appreciate that.
I love the country, and I love Vermont. I really really do. Driving up the road today, the mountains were finally coloring. The trees have been changing for a little while now, but even when they first start, the mountains still look green, overshadowed by the conifers that refuse to change. As the season progresses, though, there becomes a point when the horizon just bursts into color. The mountains come alive!
Alright, sure, it's cheesy. But if you live here, you know what I mean, and whether or not you'll admit it, you feel the same way.
It's a time for fuzzy sweaters and scarves, hats and gloves. It's the time of the year where you more and more often find yourself saying, "I have got to remember to start my car in the morning. Brr." Or, at least if you're out the door by 8:00, you're saying that.
But the city has it's own draw, doesn't it? Even at the crack of dawn. There is a mystery about the city. You don't know what lies ahead because your view is obstructed. The city, it forces you to look more closely in front of your face, both physically and metaphorically.
While the country inspires us, reminds us to stand in awe of nature in all her majesty, it is the city that reminds us to stand in awe of ourselves. And our cities are becoming ever more sustainable. With increased awareness of our own carbon footprints, we are taking steps to bring a little bit of country into the city. First we thought up green roofs, which help insulate a building while also providing a nice landscape. Then we thought of rooftop gardening. Now we can keep ourselves warm and put dinner (or a contribution thereto) on the table. Standing on a quiet street corner in the foggy evening, the only thing you can see in the city is what's right in front of you. The only concern to which you can attend is yourself, and the magnificent creations of man that surround you. And if you're lucky, you are smart enough to appreciate that.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Good Golly, I've done it again!
Not a very good blogger, me. Well, tons of exciting things have been going on.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Huzzah!
Oh, I am so excited about this psychology bit. I had considered psychology as a child as a possible career choice, but I dismissed it because I just didn't think it was what I would want to do. I want to teach. I think it's going to be a lot of fun, and a lot of work. But I have been advised by the lovely Diane Hermann-Artim that it would not be that much more to take psychology as a second major instead of just a course concentration. So that is what I have decided to do. I don't really know why it never crossed my mind before, but now I am just thrilled. I mean, listen to some of the super awesome courses I get to take:
Biological Psychology
Philosophical Psychology** (intellectual orgasm?)
Psychology of Gender
Psychology of Religion
Psychology of Addiction
Controversial Issues in Psychology
Sexuality and Intimacy
Culture & Personality
Ok, I don't get to take them all. I want to, and I will likely beg and plead with the advisor to let me, but seriously, I love psychology. I also love philosophy. And education. (I always laugh at the thought of loving philosophy. Philosophy being a love of knowledge by definition, it just seems redundant. I love loving knowledge... hmm. Well, I do..)
ANYWAY....
On the education side there are some really exciting classes too...
Besides all the great classes I've already taken, I get to take...
Rhetorical Expression, though I can test out..
Literacy Instruction
Educational Psychology (look, there it is again, that psychology. Love it!)
Methods in Health and Physical Education for Elementary School Teachers
Elementary Student Teaching** so excited for this one!!!! Hooray practical experience!
Social and Natural Science Methods
Methods and Materials
But yeah...
Ok, I know whatever, you all aren't so excited for my classes, but you took time to read my note, so you should at least be excited for me. Seriously, though.. hmm.. the possibilities. Who knows, maybe I'll move on to a Master's in both studies. Maybe even a doctorate in psychology. That would actually be kind of awesome.
Someday, I'm going to have my own theory. It will be published, and years down the road, it will be included in textbooks. Yes! Ah a renewed outlook on my future. How refreshing.
G'day.
Biological Psychology
Philosophical Psychology** (intellectual orgasm?)
Psychology of Gender
Psychology of Religion
Psychology of Addiction
Controversial Issues in Psychology
Sexuality and Intimacy
Culture & Personality
Ok, I don't get to take them all. I want to, and I will likely beg and plead with the advisor to let me, but seriously, I love psychology. I also love philosophy. And education. (I always laugh at the thought of loving philosophy. Philosophy being a love of knowledge by definition, it just seems redundant. I love loving knowledge... hmm. Well, I do..)
ANYWAY....
On the education side there are some really exciting classes too...
Besides all the great classes I've already taken, I get to take...
Rhetorical Expression, though I can test out..
Literacy Instruction
Educational Psychology (look, there it is again, that psychology. Love it!)
Methods in Health and Physical Education for Elementary School Teachers
Elementary Student Teaching** so excited for this one!!!! Hooray practical experience!
Social and Natural Science Methods
Methods and Materials
But yeah...
Ok, I know whatever, you all aren't so excited for my classes, but you took time to read my note, so you should at least be excited for me. Seriously, though.. hmm.. the possibilities. Who knows, maybe I'll move on to a Master's in both studies. Maybe even a doctorate in psychology. That would actually be kind of awesome.
Someday, I'm going to have my own theory. It will be published, and years down the road, it will be included in textbooks. Yes! Ah a renewed outlook on my future. How refreshing.
G'day.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Oops
It's kind of been a while, and you've all been so patient. Truly, I appreciate it.
I have nothing to rant about these days. I mean, I'm in school, except now it's out for the summer, and life is good. I hate bad drivers, and poor grammar is infuriating.
But, I guess if those are the biggest complaints in my life, what the hell right?
Yeah, I don't have a very interesting blog, I'm afraid. Someday when I have nothing better to do than blog I will write more insightful posts. But for now, well, whatever. Have a nice day.
I have nothing to rant about these days. I mean, I'm in school, except now it's out for the summer, and life is good. I hate bad drivers, and poor grammar is infuriating.
But, I guess if those are the biggest complaints in my life, what the hell right?
Yeah, I don't have a very interesting blog, I'm afraid. Someday when I have nothing better to do than blog I will write more insightful posts. But for now, well, whatever. Have a nice day.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
I was just thinking...
I was reading about this Philip Markoff, the alleged Craigslist Killer....
And I was thinking that if I was a hooker, I would take a picture of my client to SMS to my pimp every time, at the onset of every encounter. It might kill business a little bit, but if anyone ever killed me, it would be a good way to catch them right off.
I don't know, I think a guy would think twice before killing a hooker who already sent out his picture...
And I was thinking that if I was a hooker, I would take a picture of my client to SMS to my pimp every time, at the onset of every encounter. It might kill business a little bit, but if anyone ever killed me, it would be a good way to catch them right off.
I don't know, I think a guy would think twice before killing a hooker who already sent out his picture...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
16PF
| Cattell's 16 Factor Test Results
|
personality tests by similarminds.com
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Well, this is fun
So I am taking this class, Foundations of Education. We are learning pretty much everything I have to dread about becoming a teacher. Financing, policy and bureaucracy, curriculum work, basically, just how tough it is going to be.
My brain is fried just thinking about it, honestly. But I also don't have a class full of kids to cheer me up right now, just my textbooks and my computer screen.
I am, however, really enjoying my other classes.
Also, I'm too tired to even write this post.
Goodnight.
My brain is fried just thinking about it, honestly. But I also don't have a class full of kids to cheer me up right now, just my textbooks and my computer screen.
I am, however, really enjoying my other classes.
Also, I'm too tired to even write this post.
Goodnight.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Coming Distractions for February 10, 2009
Here's What You'll Find on Our Shelves This Tuesday, they are new, and will have not been there before, so come and check them out.
Also, thank you all so much for keeping us in business during these lean times. We really appreciate you.
For the kids we have
Madagascar Escape 2 Africa
and finally on DVD we have
Our Man in Havana
So, come on in and rent them. What are you waiting for?!?!
Oh, Tuesday, right.
Well, come in Tuesday then.
Also, thank you all so much for keeping us in business during these lean times. We really appreciate you.
Nights in Rodanthe
My Name is Bruce
Gospel Hill
The Romance of Astrea and Celadon
The Best of Wholphin
The Times of Harvey Milk
W.
Soul Men
Miracle At St. Anna
Frozen River
Blindness
My Name is Bruce
Gospel Hill
The Romance of Astrea and Celadon
The Best of Wholphin
The Times of Harvey Milk
W.
Soul Men
Miracle At St. Anna
Frozen River
Blindness
For the kids we have
Madagascar Escape 2 Africa
and finally on DVD we have
Our Man in Havana
So, come on in and rent them. What are you waiting for?!?!
Oh, Tuesday, right.
Well, come in Tuesday then.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
I've got no blog to blog...
Today, I haven' much to say that I would make so public. But for you, my adoring fan, I thought I should at least poke my head in and say something.
I was out at a friend's party last night, and what a wonderful time it was. My host, quite inebriated, began waxing philosophic on change. We all change, and there is nothing you can do about it. Sometimes we grow together, other times we grow apart. But the mistake that you should not make, which is commonly made, he said, is to view who you were before the change as a bad or immature thing. You were just different.
Now, that is paraphrased, of course, I was not, between shrimp and white wine, jotting down notes in a steno...
But an interesting thought, nonetheless, and one that I feel we should all come to terms with sooner or later.
I have changed quite a bit in the past few years, and I never cease to amaze myself. I constantly disappoint myself also, but I try to overlook all that.
So, there it is, I have written down someone else's thoughts for the day, and hopefully you will find them inspiring.
~Katie May
I was out at a friend's party last night, and what a wonderful time it was. My host, quite inebriated, began waxing philosophic on change. We all change, and there is nothing you can do about it. Sometimes we grow together, other times we grow apart. But the mistake that you should not make, which is commonly made, he said, is to view who you were before the change as a bad or immature thing. You were just different.
Now, that is paraphrased, of course, I was not, between shrimp and white wine, jotting down notes in a steno...
But an interesting thought, nonetheless, and one that I feel we should all come to terms with sooner or later.
I have changed quite a bit in the past few years, and I never cease to amaze myself. I constantly disappoint myself also, but I try to overlook all that.
So, there it is, I have written down someone else's thoughts for the day, and hopefully you will find them inspiring.
~Katie May
Saturday, January 17, 2009
On Life
I was having a thought the other day about a particular style of writing in which you cover the majority of the span of a persons life by focusing in on very important moments, and kind of summarizing the in between parts. I was thinking to myself, why is it that our lives can't actually go by like this. Then I remembered that for the most part they do.
Think back over your life, what do you remember? Do you remember that you took a bath instead of a shower on June 2 1992? Probably not, don't ask me how I know.
More likely you remember the important parts, your first kiss, a great date, your first day at a new school, when you aced that science project on which you had worked so hard...
But in the meantime, we still have to live the everyday time, most of which we generally spend looking forward to the moments we anticipate remembering. Most of them we forget.
I recently found an old diary from when I was about fourteen/fifteen years old. Need I say more? But I will. I found in those pages the undue sense of drama characteristic of early adolescence. Everything was a big deal. He smiled at me, I know it means true love. Ha! Take that teenage self.
And what will I think of myself in another decade when I look back on my twenties? Will I admire my courage, facing life for the first time? Will I denounce my optimism as naivety? Will I grow nostalgic for the simpler time that I can only assume this will seem to have been? Will I mock my open heart, my frivolity, my presumed adulthood? Time will tell.
For now, I look impatiently forward to the next memorable moment of my life.
Katie May
Think back over your life, what do you remember? Do you remember that you took a bath instead of a shower on June 2 1992? Probably not, don't ask me how I know.
More likely you remember the important parts, your first kiss, a great date, your first day at a new school, when you aced that science project on which you had worked so hard...
But in the meantime, we still have to live the everyday time, most of which we generally spend looking forward to the moments we anticipate remembering. Most of them we forget.
I recently found an old diary from when I was about fourteen/fifteen years old. Need I say more? But I will. I found in those pages the undue sense of drama characteristic of early adolescence. Everything was a big deal. He smiled at me, I know it means true love. Ha! Take that teenage self.
And what will I think of myself in another decade when I look back on my twenties? Will I admire my courage, facing life for the first time? Will I denounce my optimism as naivety? Will I grow nostalgic for the simpler time that I can only assume this will seem to have been? Will I mock my open heart, my frivolity, my presumed adulthood? Time will tell.
For now, I look impatiently forward to the next memorable moment of my life.
Katie May
Sunday, January 11, 2009
It's my generation...
What's with kids these days, huh? Don't they understand that the world is a scary place. People I know just meet each other and trust each other for no reason. How many people have I known to just go home, or worse, camping with a complete stranger? Sure, nothing bad has happened to any of them... yet.
But what is the world coming to when people just meet over the internet on places like couchsurfing.com and craigslist and they just trust one another. How naive can you be to just let some stranger come and stay at your house? Or to go and stay at the house of someone you have only met online? I mean, sure there are ratings, blogs from people who know them and have stayed with them before, and sure the worst thing to happen so far off of couchsurfing was a money scheme, that was mostly due to stupidity on the part of the host who got took, but still.
Kids these days just put it all out there. Pictures, phone numbers and e-mail addresses, what town they live in, where they work...
With all that goes on in the world, wars and terrorism and kidnappings and killings, with all of that, how can these kids be so foolish.
What kind of world are we living in where trust and kindness are freely given? What kind of world is this that kids value life experiences and meeting new people over the slight chance that one of these days, they might meet a crazy person and never be found?
People buy and sell stuff from strangers thousands of miles away. People form relationships with people they have never met, and then agree to actually meet them in person. People publish content that was once locked away in a diary on blogs for the world to see. Where did all the trust come from?
That's my generation.
Katie May
But what is the world coming to when people just meet over the internet on places like couchsurfing.com and craigslist and they just trust one another. How naive can you be to just let some stranger come and stay at your house? Or to go and stay at the house of someone you have only met online? I mean, sure there are ratings, blogs from people who know them and have stayed with them before, and sure the worst thing to happen so far off of couchsurfing was a money scheme, that was mostly due to stupidity on the part of the host who got took, but still.
Kids these days just put it all out there. Pictures, phone numbers and e-mail addresses, what town they live in, where they work...
With all that goes on in the world, wars and terrorism and kidnappings and killings, with all of that, how can these kids be so foolish.
What kind of world are we living in where trust and kindness are freely given? What kind of world is this that kids value life experiences and meeting new people over the slight chance that one of these days, they might meet a crazy person and never be found?
People buy and sell stuff from strangers thousands of miles away. People form relationships with people they have never met, and then agree to actually meet them in person. People publish content that was once locked away in a diary on blogs for the world to see. Where did all the trust come from?
That's my generation.
Katie May
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Well, this proves it...
Your result for The Ultimate TRUE IRISH Test...
Finn MacCool
You scored 91 Common Sense, 69 Irish Facts, and 90 Irish Soul!
I am honored to be in your presence. You know your stuff. You are Irish in your heart. You probably talk like an Irish person after a few pints. You sing the rebel songs. You drink, and probably bleed Guinness. You may have even been interned in British Prisions. You impress (or annoy) all your friends with your vast Irish knowledge. If you are a female, I am in love. If you are a male, we are brothers. We should have a pint.
Please don't forget to rate my test...
Please don't forget to rate my test...
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Yeah, that could happen to me.
So there I was, sitting on the dock, fishing pole in hand, cold brew and the sun coming up when it hit me. Literally, something falls out of the sky, and hits me. So I'm all like, what the fuck, you know. I still to this day don't know what it is. I keep it in a case in my office. Honestly, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. You see, one minute I'm sitting there by the lake, and the next thing I know I'm in a freakin' ambulance. Flying through town, sirens blaring, machines beeping... an ambulance, for Christ's sake.
Now I know, you're thinking, what the hell does that do to suggest that this is the best thing that ever happened to me right? Well, shut up and I'll tell you.
So I'm riding in the ambulance, flying off to the emergency room. Well, I get to the hospital and I am like all strapped down and I can't move and people are all screaming and I can tell there's blood and a lot of it by the way I keep blacking out and coming too, right. And they're all talking like, oh she was drinking, and we found this thing and what the hell is that. So I make it into the local paper, and all of a sudden, I'm a freaking celebrity. Scientists want to know what the heck this thing is, I get a commercial deal for Coors cause of all the publicity, and the next thing you know, I'm quitting my job and getting more ass than you can imagine. Yeah, a bit more interesting now, huh?
So I'm riding the wave of success in light of being smashed in the head by some random object when I remember I didn't get to finish fishing. Not that it was all that important, but I grabbed the hottest ass I could find and bought myself a damn fishing boat right. Well, it turns out that this guy is heir to some lotion fortune or something, and here I am in Bermuda chilling on the beach. Just married.
Yeah, that could happen to me.
Now I know, you're thinking, what the hell does that do to suggest that this is the best thing that ever happened to me right? Well, shut up and I'll tell you.
So I'm riding in the ambulance, flying off to the emergency room. Well, I get to the hospital and I am like all strapped down and I can't move and people are all screaming and I can tell there's blood and a lot of it by the way I keep blacking out and coming too, right. And they're all talking like, oh she was drinking, and we found this thing and what the hell is that. So I make it into the local paper, and all of a sudden, I'm a freaking celebrity. Scientists want to know what the heck this thing is, I get a commercial deal for Coors cause of all the publicity, and the next thing you know, I'm quitting my job and getting more ass than you can imagine. Yeah, a bit more interesting now, huh?
So I'm riding the wave of success in light of being smashed in the head by some random object when I remember I didn't get to finish fishing. Not that it was all that important, but I grabbed the hottest ass I could find and bought myself a damn fishing boat right. Well, it turns out that this guy is heir to some lotion fortune or something, and here I am in Bermuda chilling on the beach. Just married.
Yeah, that could happen to me.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)