Funny Video from Petsami

I've watched this video a few times in the past and just find it hilarious.  In this video from Petsami on Youtube, a kid goes to retrieve a ball that is over in another yard. Problem is, in order to get the ball, he has to climb over a fence and get past a dog. What will happen when he gets over the fence?  What will the dog do to him?  I'm sure you'll be surprised just as I was. :)

Credit: Petsami from youtube.com

Want vs. Need

Photo Credit: Coolest Gadgets

"Do you want it or do you need it?"

I hate it when my boyfriend says this to me.  I feel like a little child been lectured by my dad who's asking me a rhetorical question. I always try to put up a fight that I never win in response to this question that really isn't a question.  Yet, I must agree, he is right.

When I buy new clothes, my boyfriend usually shakes his head and tells me I have enough and that I have so much that I have no room to put it.

I try to explain to him by saying,"Well, I need it!  It goes with my new shoes that doesn't match anything else and it's super cheap.."

I think he zones out after I'm half way through the second sentence.  I don't blame him.

I don't need most of the things I buy.  I just want it and I try to make myself feel better about the purchase by saying I need to have it.  It's like I'm playing mind games with myself!

A few months ago, my boyfriend gave me a challenge.  I could not buy clothes for four months.  In front of him, I tried to act like I was strong...four months, please I could do that! But, of course, secretly I was struggling to stop myself from buying.  He knew it too and would smile in front of me, telling me I would not make it.  I did though, but only because I simply skipped going to clothing stores and avoided online merchants (which also meant unsubscribing to store emails).  When my four month deadline was up, I gloated in front of my boyfriend.  He admitted that he was shocked I was able to make it that far. I was happy then for some reason.  Possibly because I was so proud of myself.

However, with the deadline over, I went back to my old habit.  It started out slowly, but then proceeded to go back closely to my usually rate of clothes shopping.  I noticed this and actually got really scared.  What had I learned?  Nothing it had seemed.

I hated wanting things!  I decided then that my new plan of attack was to curb my spending through budgeting.  Yes, I started to see the light then! I kept track of how much I could or couldn't spend, along with how much I planned to save up.  I've always saved money, but putting a number down made it more real to me.  This all limited my spending, but it didn't really stop me from buying clothes.  In the end, I had to think about what my boyfriend said to me, "Do you want it or do you need it?"

Looking at a shirt I saw while back-to-school shopping with my brother, I thought about that question again as I held this sparkly black dress in clearance.  The dress was cheap, fit me well, and I could possibly use it in the future...like every other dress I have bought.  But, did I need it?  No, I'm simply wanted it. So, off it went back onto the rack.  As I left the store that day, I found myself smiling because for the first time in a long time my purse never felt as heavy as it did then.

Book: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson has been one of many books I had on my reading list.  I've seen my coworkers reading this nonfiction book, and I've seen high schoolers read this for their class. So, it's great to say, yes, I have finally finished reading it too!

If you love history, this is a book for you.  Being a history major, I found The Devil in the White City to be enjoyable and knowledgeable at the same time.  Larson writes history the way it should be, like a riveting story that makes you wonder what will happen next. 

Court of Honor, World 's Fair, Chicago 

I would say that this book is divided into two main parts (though there are other various additions to the story here and there), one being of the people who were behind the creation of the World's Columbian Exposition, also known as The Chicago's World Fair (1893) in Chicago, such as architect, Daniel Burnham and the other being the story of the serial killer, Dr. Henry Howard Holmes who lived in Chicago and created a business there in anticipation of the money that would come in with the fair.

The sprinkling of interesting facts here and there, and the dropping of names like Mark Twain coming to see the fair (He was unable to actually visit it, spending his days in a Chicago hotel recovering from an illness.) is blended well together with the pace and flow of the story. I really found the chapters about Dr. Holmes intriguing.  Perhaps that is because he keeps killing and luring his victims in with such ease that there's this reader anticipation for what will happen next and who will ultimately catch him in his tracks. 

1st Ferris Wheel, World's Fair, Chicago

What I liked most about  The Devil in the White City was that it made me wish I could have been at the World's Fair in Chicago.  I wanted to see the White City, and I could image it in my head as I read.  To see the presentation of new technology, art, and entertainment and know that the whole country and world wanted to be there too must have been an amazing feeling.  The Word's Fair  was a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival to the New World in 1492, yet it was also a showcase of everything that was changing in the United States.  It's a shame we don't have anything like this nowadays. 

Poem: I've Known You For How Long

I've known you for how long?
It seems like an eternity
Dare I exaggerate?

I've known you for how long?
Seven years of loving you
Two other years of knowing you from afar

So it's true, I've known you for nine years
Almost a decade I'm scared to say
Almost all my life
Of knowing you

I've known you since we were young, so naive, carefree, and sometimes reckless
I've known you since then
Almost all my life you know?

What was I without you?
What were you without me?

It's been so long, I can't seem to remember

So how does it feel?
This you being with me and me being with you

Is it too early to say we made it or too late to say we can't go back?

You've made me cry, you've made me laugh
You were the person that made it last

So, it's true, you do know all about me
Those things I've hidden behind closed doors
Those thoughts I've had that were once unexplored

You've known me for so long

But I also know what makes you mad and makes you feel guilty...oh so guilty, it's bad
I'm reckless in pursuing your weakness, no doubt I am

You say I'm evil, like the devil no one knows
I agree, loves changed me
Brought out the me I never knew

It's been almost forever, and we're getting old
Our relationship hasn't changed
I know what you like, you know what I hate

I've known you for so long...

Your simple ways, your kind heart
You changed me, you know?
You made me into a better me
You made me see my flaws
You gave me a bigger heart
And I learned how to share

You taught me that you know

But what did you learn from me all these years?
All these seven years...

*************

I don't know anything about poetry nor do I even claim to understand it.  I just so happened to be on my phone today typing this randomly in my notes.  Now it's posted here, unedited, and simply as it is. 

Do you ever get those moments in your life where something just pops in your head?  An idea?  A simple thought?

Lost But Found

I'm forgetful, I admit it.  I'm always busy running from one place to the next, trying to multi-task, and then I'll forget where I put something simple, such as the set of car keys I just had in my hands, say two seconds ago.

Recently, I was at the laundry mat helping my younger brother try to wash and dry out the ticks that were on his clothes.  A long story in itself to say the least, but as I walked outside with him to my car, I couldn't seem to find my keys.  I literally dumped my purse out trying to look for it and then checked my pockets too.  I then looked on the ground and went back and traced the path I had taken to the car.  Still, it was not there.  So, I went inside the laundry mat and proceeded to look at every place or thing I touched.  Sure enough, I spot it on top of the washing machine I had used.  That's when I remembered I had put the keys there while I was trying to free my hands to pour the laundry detergent into a cup.  Feeling stupid and relieved at the same time, I head back to the car to go home.

Incidents like this make me realize how losing things, whether a key, toy, an unsaved document on the computer (I think this has happened to at least everyone!), or person in your life can cause so much unwanted stress.

Years ago, my brothers and I found a stray cat, whom we adored to pieces, but could not keep.  We ended up taking her to the animal shelter, where I was informed a few days later that she had been reunited with her owner.  Imagine how this owner must have felt?  To have lost something so precious, but to have also been able to find it back? For myself, I was happy the cat had  returned to her home, but I was sad to know I would never see her again. So, my find became my lost.

Back in school, kids would lose everything or have it stolen.  It was either one or the other. Someone was always forgetting where they put something or someone always wanted what others had.  When things were found though, it was always put in the "Lost and Found" bin, where some of it was picked up and where others remained lost forever, with no one to claim or care to find what they had lost.  I used to tell my friends our school bin should be renamed, "Lost But Found" since nothing is no longer lost after it's been found.

What happens though when you lose something you can never find or replace?  The stress stays and it lingers, creating a heavy burden on you mentally and physically.  When my grandfather died, I was in fourth grade and to be honest, I didn't shed a tear.  I continued wandering around playing games and wondering when the adults would serve the pizza after they were done saying their prayers to him.  It wasn't that I didn't care or love my grandfather, I just think I was too young to have it really register.  Years later, I found myself missing him and feeling guilty for my lack of emotions or complete understanding of his death.  He was gone and he was never ever coming back.  It took me some time to get over my guilt and allow myself to heal.  Even though I had lost him, I learned to find peace later on with his death.

The loss of anything causes stress, but you can't or shouldn't live in the stress. What's done is done.  You can't fix a problem by dwelling on it, but you can sometimes try to solve it or make it better.  A loss is by no means an end.

Book: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst is one of my favorite childhood books.  Recently, when my dad was cleaning out the bookshelves downstairs, I discovered I still had a copy of it hidden amongst all my older children/young adult books.

Remember those Scholastic book order forms from elementary school?  I LOVED those and bought a book each time my teacher would pass them out.  Who doesn't like the specials they had in the front offering a brand new book for a mere 95 cents?

I don't recall getting Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day for that price, but I'm sure it was well around there.  I was a reader on a tight budget then (and still am now)!

What's so amazing about this book?  Well, I can't think of anyone I know who has not read this or had someone read it to them.  Anyone, whether young or old can connect with this book because lets face it, we've all had bad days that we wish would just end.  Bad days usually are triggered by one incident that leads to another negative situation.  For the main character, a young boy named Alexander, his day starts out bad right when he wakes up...when he first realizes the gum he had in his mouth during bedtime was now in his hair! From there, everything goes downhill, to tripping over a skateboard, not finding any prize in his cereal box, being unable to sit near the window seat in the car ride to school, having a cavity in his teeth, you name it, he went through it.  And the worse part?  Everyone else seems to be having a better day than him.

The story also uses repetition for the line, "I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" and uses it consistently throughout the book following each "bad day" incident, along with varying lines about moving to "Australia."  It's definitely a great read aloud.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is also illustrated by Ray Cruz, who does a wonderful job bringing the book to life.  Sketched in simple black and white, it's also surprisingly very detailed and Cruz captures each character's expression and action well.

Oh course, the second to the last line in the book sums up pretty much everything with, "My mom says some days are like that."

******

I did an Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day online search and found that an animated TV musical adaption of this book was made by HBO for a special in 1990.

Check it out for yourself here:
                       

Credit: thom8omb at youtube.com

Definitely not comparable to the book, but nonetheless, it is pretty darn cute and stays true to concepts from the story (the screenplay and song lyrics were written by Judith Viorst herself).  Moreover, it brings back memories of how it's like to be an elementary student or anyone else who is having a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."

Renewed Energy

Photo Credit: ?

I woke up this morning realizing I shouldn't think about "what could happen or what should happen."  Instead, I have decided that I need to be more proactive. 

Hence, the reason I finally did a follow up post and decided to start really working at this blog and well, life in general. :)   I haven't quite decided what I will actually post about or do in this blog, but I'll test things out and hopefully, figure it out eventually.