Blue Collar

The Blue Collar Comedy group is probably a group of the 4 funniest men on the face of this planet. I don't care if you hate Larry the Cable Guy or whatever, all 4 of them are hilarious and there is more than just him on the show anyway. Personally I love all of them and Anne Marie and I enjoyed throwing jokes from them back and forth yesterday. Here's a video from YouTube of the end of their second movie Blue Collar Comedy Tour: Rides Again. (I think the first movie is funnier but that's just me.)

My Sneakers

Okay, many of you over the past few years wonder why I write on my sneakers. I'm here to tell you why right now. My sneakers are a mere reflection of who I am, who would have thought right? What is written on them you ask? Why, its just all of the concerts I've ever been to. They show the kind of music I like, which bands were there, and everytime I add one on its just one more experience I've had in the music world. Whenever I look at my feet I see those shoes and think about where they've been with me. They had those memories with me, and even though they aren't alive, obviously, they remind me of all the amazing times I have. Especially Warped Tour '06. That was when I met my favorite artist William Beckett, from The Academy Is...
One of the concerts on there is the first one I ever went to with my sister, Rachel (if you're reading this I miss you tons). It was a Panic! At The Disco concert with The Academy Is... (who I didn't even know at the time but look at me now), Hellogoodbye and Acceptance. Most of those bands were not even famous like they are now and that was only 2 years ago. So my shoes will be with me for many more concerts to come. =]

Leave Stuff Alone

I know I know, very broad title and what the heck could this be about ( I haven't said heck since the 5th grade...weird) but I am going to make a valid point I promise. May of you I have a job I'm guessing and most of you seniors more likely than not work in retail. Do you ever have to fix something 65,000 times because customers mess your display up? Granted I understand they are shopping but seeing it done is just very, very annoying. But I get past that and move on since its my job. Except yesterday I ran into an interesting problem. A co-worker of mine was unpackaging jewlery and I was going to take over for her. She just finished the necklaces had about two more to go and a bunch of earrings still to do. She had the necklaces all nice and straight so they wouldnt get tangled. I moved that box so that they wouldn't get messed up because that was a lot of hard work she put in. a few hours later I happened to look down at this box and notice all of the necklaces were intertwined. WHO DID THAT? Who in their right mind picked up ALL of the 3 different kinds of necklaces up at the same time? They were in a huge knot and then it became my job and a different co-worker of mine's job to pull them all out and fix them. When my shift was over we weren't even halfway done so I felt so bad leaving her with it to finish. I really wish customers had some courtesy towards the things we have to do for our store but I guess they will stop at nothing.

A Day in the Life of Cleo

I have written about Cleo before, this devious little animal. She is my pet, cat if you will or felis domesticus for you bio folk. Many of you may wonder what in the world your pets do while your gone... I am going to give you some theories, test them at your own risk.
Upon coming home early I went looking for my cat because well sometimes I love her, sometimes. She was sleeping on my sisters bed. You see this is theory number one my cat just sleeps all day. ALL DAY. This is not a joke, want to know why? Because she was surprised to see me when I walked into the room to greet her. She knows it wasn't time for me to be there yet and she was pissed to see me there so early, like I ruined something. What Cleo did I interrupt some more of your plotting to take over my bed or rip my comforter? Sorry that I may have disrupted your 6,009th nap of th day.
Next theory is the reason I must close my bedroom door before I leave in the morning. There is a tiny hamster in my room (which I prefer over said cat at times but don't tell her) and Cleo will eat it. Well I mean she hasn't yet but her will power is strong when she wants something especially if its food. She has knocked over the cage many a time and I don't know how that tiny thing hasn't died of a heart attack yet. I think Cleo plots ways to try and get into my room and eat that thing for breakfast. Too bad you don't have opposable thumbs Cleo, Humans one Felines zip.
One of the final things I think she does is play with things she isn't supposed to. For instance headphones to my MP3 (that she broke I may add) which she thinks are alive, that idiot. Maybe she attempts guitar hero sometimes and thats why the calibration was off. Either way Cleo, if your reading this because somehow you gained enough brain power to know how to use a computer back off my stuff and start being normal. Much love.

Blogging About Blogs

So in my long grueling search for a blog to blog about (that sentence makes me giggle) I found one that really touched me. It is entitled A Girl For All Status with the bi line of Ex-Wife, Mistress and a Single Mom in Manila. I don't know where Manila is but that doesn't matter. The post from today is about her daughter that was diagnosed with autism. I just found it amazing that she was able to talk about it with such confidence and poise. She is a very informed woman who has a bright outlook on life. She is so open, but not in a way that gives you too many intimate details of her life, just gives you the truth of situations, for example her ex-husband and her views on sadness or her birthday resolutions. I really liked this blog because it was another real person blogging about life, you didn't have to guess about what happened or anything. I mean, I guess I don't really know how to explain it other than that. You can tell this woman has a story to tell, and it is a very interesting one, perhaps even inspiring at some points, but its also something to learn from.

Elmo =]

I just happened to look down and saw a book with Elmo, the furry red monster from Sesame Street, on it. It made me think about how I used to have this Elmo stuffed animal that I would take with me everywhere. I would play with it everyday, and I couldn't sleep without it.
When my little sister was born I used to take the step stool from the bathroom and stand on it to talk to her while she was in her crib. One day I decided to give my Elmo to her. I remember telling her that I loved it so much and I wanted her to have it because I thought he could go on more adventures with her. To this day she still has this stuffed animal even though it is slowly falling apart. But it made me curious if anyone else had one of those security toys or blankets from when they were little, the ones you could go no where without and cried forever when Mom or Dad decided it was time to get rid of it. Let me know!!

Contents of a Living Woman's Purse

So I heard you can keep a lot of interesting things in your pockets, but has anyone ever wanted to venture through a woman's purse? If it is anything like mine its a bottomless black whole abyss. There are so many things in there that you wouldn't even know what to do with. Most important: the Electronics! I have my camera, MP3 player, cellphone and calculator at all times. Next up are my agenda and italian-english dictionary. In my agenda there are many papers and random sticky things reminding me to do stuff, doodles, grades, and even a gift for Mrs. Krieger upon my return to school Monday (I think you'll like it). On top of this, I have a plethora of pens. And we aren't talking just a few pens to get by. I have so many pens in my purse its not legal. Due to my pen fetish I have a very hard time picking which pens to give to people if they ask for one because I am going to want it back, especially if its my one from Italy or the one from Oswego since that is where I want to go to school. Rarely you will see a pencil in there, for instance right now, but I couldn't tell you how it got there. Obviously theres a wallet. Stuffed with little cards, papers, and recepits. Occasionally theres money and there is ALWAYS a load of change, usually pennies but whatever (Sorry Mr. Lincoln, I mean I really do love you but you just have no use for Senior Study Hall vending machines). For this particular season, though they served no purpose on my recent vacation, I have a pair of gloves for those blistering cold walks up from the pit since holding coffee doesn't cut it anymore. And finally miscellanious (bear with me on the spelling there). In the MISC. section we have a mini bottle of perfume, a travel deodorant, mini lotion, lipgloss, chapstick, Advil, nail file, HAND SANITIZER (this is a must, must, must), tissues, lint roller patches, band aids and gum (on occasion as well), my jump drive, sticky notes and a bottle of water. All of these things come in handy each and every day whether they are for me or other people, so I bet when you have a headache or a handwashing issue you'll know who to run to: Women with very large purses.

L'aeroporto

I really am just not in the mood to fly today. Or maybe I just don't want to go home. Either way airport navigation is my least favorite thing in the world. Yeah I know, follow the signs and what not, still not my favorite thing. Then theres the whole oh you're flight is delayed. What kind of crap is that? No one wants to wait longer than they have to get where they are going. I don't know maybe I'm just in a bad mood because I'm scared my flight might be cancelled due to snow in Detroit, or at home. I don't want to be stuck staying over night in an airport! I'm going to be alone and that just will be so nerve racking. I guess this is all until I can write another post. See you all when I make my return to ENY a.k.a the armpit of the United States.

Stereotypes

Now I understand that stereotypes are bad and I personally don't like them myself. But I also know people can't help it when they see someone who fits one. I wondered that today while I was in a SUPER Wal*Mart with my cousin. There was a McDonalds there and that was when I saw these two men.
Just for a second I want to try something. Ready? I want you to get an image together when you think of the word Southern. And I mean Southern as in Southern United States, you know like all the ones below the Mason Dixon Line or whatever its called. I bet I can guess what you were just thinking to a certain extent. I am guessing you imagined famers, or men in overalls, women in poor dresses, run down schools, and non-hygenic people.
These two men sitting at McDonalds personified this to a T. But the funny thing is I just couldn't believe what I saw when I saw them, I mean no one here is like that in the least, so to actually see what you imagined in the paragraph above just boggled my mind.
I wondered why if people hated stereotypes so much they would tend to do that and fit them. I'm sure if approached these men would be nothing but nice, but the point I'm trying to get across I guess is that if people don't want to be classified into a certain category why do they act the way they do to get them put in that category in the first place?

Texas

Oh the weather is just lovely here in Texas, pretty much always 60 and sunny with a nice breeze. I would definitely compare it to a nice fall day, like the ones we had this past autumn, in Endicott. I've been running around all of Texas with my cousins and it has been so much fun, though I am sad to report, no armadillos yet Mrs. Krieger. Leah has had school this whole week so today I got to go to her classroom and help all of her classmates read their weekly book assignments. It was so much fun, I even made a new friend! Her name is M.E. (kind of like our ME school district though they don't stand for the same thing obviously) and she is 6 years old.
Catherine has just been so bright eyed and bushy tailed this whole time. Eager to show me everything her new house has to offer since now when she talks you can actually understand her!
I've gotten to spend a lot of time with my older cousins as well. We went shopping today and I didn't realize how much I have missed them until I actually got to spend time with them. They are all Moms now and its just amazing to watch them at home and work, they are truly an inspiration.
Tonight I'm going to Dave and Buster's baby!!!! I love it there, its a huge arcade slash place to eat and you can just hang out and have fun. I'm so excited that I get to go there and whatever other sweet places in Texas they want to take me. But I better go I have to get Catherine at the neighbors!!

Dream Job

Ahhh, the third grade. I wish I could be back in the third grade again. I remember the exact moment and my exact seat when I decided, in third grade, that I wanted to be my teacher. I thought she had the coolest job in the whole world. To go to school everyday, be animated to teach us math with Oscar One's, Tina Ten's, Harry Hundreds and Thelma Thousands, read to us, and inspire us to be whatever we wanted to be. No matter what kind of mood you came into that classroom with you always left with the attitude of wanting to come back for more the next day.
That is my dream job, Elementary School Teacher. I know so much more about children now than I ever did from watching and taking care of my two cousins (in the picture, ages 5 and 2 now I can't believe it). I want to be just like my third grade teacher, having that positive energy always around me and fascinating the kids I will someday teach. I love the whole aspect of learning, its amazing what you can teach a child and how they will carry it throughout their life, I mean I've always had Oscar and Tina whenever I needed them for math! Teaching is my ultimate dream job.

Travelling

So yesterday I didn't get to blog because I spent the whole day saying my goodbyes and making my way to Texas (Mrs. Krieger I hope that's okay I missed a day). Anyway, it was the first time I had ever travelled by myself and had to like navigate an airport alone. It was soooo weird! I was really scared at first but looking back it wasn't bad at all. The worst part was getting into Texas because it took us 2 hours to even board the flight, it kept getting delayed. Then when I finally arived at my cousins house it was midnight so I haven't even seen anyone yet because they're at school or the gym and what not. The view from the plane was awesome. I've only seen LA at night from a plane window but Dallas was soooooooooooooooo cool! When you're further up everything looks like little handheld areas of Tinkerbell's Pixie Dust. Once you get close you can see the lay of the land and everything just looks so peaceful.
I will be the first to say and probably repeat EVERYTHING truly is BIGGER in Texas. My cousins house is huge. I mean they're old one in Connecticut was big but you haven't seen anything until you've been in this house, it's ridiculous. Just to give you an idea, I feel tiny in this house and I'm pretty tall. I'm going to go explore some more but I'll blog later to catch up on any blogs I missed and whatnot from yesterday.
Other than that, Greetings from the LONE STAR STATE!

GO GREEN! (please.)

Sooo yeah besides procrastinating packing, which is what I am supposed to be doing right now, I wanted to talk about going Green. Many of you may have heard this term tossed around be it on television or in your own homes, but it is becoming more and more of an issue everyday. I believe that all homes should try and go somewhat green. Now I'm not saying go out and paint your house green and get you're interiors to look like the rainforest, if you have any common sense you would know this is about being eco-friendly.
Let's start off with energy saving light bulbs. BUY THEM!!! They work wonders and they use a ton less energy than regular light bulbs. I hate it when people say "They aren't bright enough," Dude give them a freaking second to warm up, they will be bright I promise.
Next up, eco-friendly cleaning products. My cousin uses these avidly and not only do they smell better, they are all natural and don't have harmful chemicals in them that you could potentially breathe in. I mean who wants to be cleaning their counter and then when they go to prepare dinner on it be eating something dangerous from the cleaning product, not me.
Also on the list... dun dun dun da..... RECYCLING. It really isn't that hard. I try as often as possible to recycle. Its so important because guess what, what you're recycling gets REUSED and made into another one of whatever it is you are recycling. This saves trees, so for all you nature lovers out there recycle or you'll have nothing to hug.
I'm not saying become a hippie or anything but seriously try and save the environment just a little. You'd be surprised at how a little bit of help from everyone can go a long way, especially since Global Warming is threatening us with its Iron Fist or whatever that metaphor I'm looking for is. Well, my suitcase (of which I've finally located) is calling me to fill it with useful items, so ta for now.

When a Bad Day Gets... Better

Usually bad days tend to get nothing but worse. Today I woke up late, forgot I couldn't eat meat, had to make a whole new lunch, and stumbled out of the house in pajamas. Well, the pajama part may have been on purpose but that's besides the point. I was NOT looking forward to a math test I'm most certain I did horribly on and my day was not looking like anything short of a trip to hell, since you know to cap it off I would have to work later that evening.
Then I went to second period and Mr. Phinney always makes me laugh with his jokes and after that is Communications which always puts a smile on my face. So I was doing better than I thought by the end of the day but I dreaded work. I don't know why I loathe going so much because it really isn't all that bad but I really hate two of my bosses so I was praying they weren't there.
As soon as I walked into work I forgot the code to the back room door and stood in front of it just staring. I know, I'm off to a great start right? Then I see my least favorite boss. I think to myself "Just smile and say hi then she'll leave you alone." But it turned out she was leaving and my fav. boss Jenn was there!!! After that, I saw basically all my favorite people to work with (Matt M, Erin, Cassandra, Scott D. etc.) and realized it was going to be wayyyyyy better than expected. We basically did nothing the whole night and talked which was awesome because everyone is really cool and I got to know them a ton better. They don't know this but they really made my day, I felt like complete crap upon entering work and without even trying they made it 10000x better. I'm just grateful to have people like them around me =].

V-a-l-e-n-t-i-n-e that spells Valentine, you see

The title is a song I learned at George H. Nichols (represent) and we used to sing it every year on Valentine's Day. I too went through a stage of hating this holiday. But I've come to realize it isn't that bad. So what if you don't have a lover? You have friends you love in that friend way, so why can't you be around them? Plus, um hi there is a TON of junk food to eat today i.e. chocolate, lollipops, sweetarts, cookies, brownies etc. How could you not like a day where people are handing out free snacks?! I make cupcakes on Valentine's Day every year (cupcakes are food for the soul) because for those people who are a little down in the dumps on this particular day because they hate it or whatever, I try to make them feel better by giving them a cupcake and just letting them know that, hey they aren't alone and so they get a little something to feel special. I love it when people do things like that, just to make someone smile. So everyone, I hope you had a great day, Valentine or no Valentine.

Dreams?!

Now, it is to my understanding we are supposed to write things that people can argue about or debate about. But how about a topic that raises a lot of questions and challenges what a lot of people may think they know? By the end of my little rant today I hope many of the people reading this will comment and give me their knowledege on the topic so that we can maybe discuss and figure something out about dreams.
I actually did some reading on dreams prior to writing this because I wanted to know if what I had heard was written anywhere. You see, I just woke up from a nap. Well my Mom says what I constitute as a nap and what a nap really is are two different things. (So what Mom, 3 or 4 hours is a nap to me.) Anyway, I had a dream about one thing or another but when I woke up I thought it had really happened. I mean I was in a straight panic for a little bit. Then I collected my thoughts and realized it was a dream. How did I even know it was a dream though? How does our brain even begin to understand that? In the article I read it says dreams are tightly tied into the REM cycle becuase that is when during your cycle of sleep that they happen. It also said the unconcious part of the brain during sleep processes the procedural memory while the concious part of the brain will descend to a low level as its inputs from the sensory are disconnected, then the brain begins to stream parts of the memory into the concious part of the brain and VOILA dreams.
Kind of creepy your brain disconnects something right? Yeah, I know. Now what I found interesting was that it said you only dream about a full two hours every night. So all that stuff about you are always having a dream may not be true. Dreams also tap into emotions, most often axiety. A higher percent of females have recurring dreams, but there are some main themes that everyone has such as: school related situations, running in slow-mo, being chased, sexual situations, falling, being late, a person alive or dead, teeth falling out, embarassing moments, failing a test, and a car accident. It also said 12% of people dream only in black and white.
If there is anyone who knows anything more about dreams, please feel free to say something because I've become fascinated with how they work.

Snowy Day Memories

I love the first snow of the season. I love how crisp and clean the air is, the way it smells outside and the pure clean look the snow seems to give everything it touches. Considering it is now February I know this isn't the first snow of the season, but it is so pretty to see everything not covered in that dirty, disgusting, brown mush anymore. I've been catching myself staring out my window being mesmorized by the snow several times now, but I found that as I'm watching the snow fall (on this lovely day off from school) my mind drifts towards simpler times when snow meant exciting fun. I've always thought snow had sort of a magical aspect to it and as I am remembering these moments in my life when I was in the snow, I realized just how magical it is.
There was this one time, Anne Marie and I used to call it the blizzard of '96 or something, where I remember going outside atleast 50 times with my sister because we wanted to play in the snow. We had several failed attempts at making igloos with the recycling bins, snowmen in any spot imaginable, snow castles out of the swing set in the backyard, and this one wicked sweet snow tunnel we made that actually worked and you slid on your belly like a penguin through it. Another time we made an ENORMOUS snowball, like that of the base of a snowman but way bigger, and just kept sliding over top of it. Many an afternoon were also spent on my grandparents hill sledding until we couldn't feel our faces. There was also the time I broke my wrist in the icy driveway, but it was worth surfing down I swear. So many enjoyable memories were made on days just like today. I hope that spirited youth, that child inside each and everyone of us is, not lost on a day like today.

Education!

I'm really excited to write about education since that is the field I'll be going into for my career. But all I have to say about education is that I am extremely glad it is evolving. I once heard, and I can't exactly remember where, that all anyone wants out of a high school graduate (technology wise) is that they know how to make a powerpoint. Now yes, powerpoints are a very useful tool in a school or business setting but I think there is a bit more to technology than just that. I think that more use of video cameras, cell phones, YouTube, website creation etc. should be incorporated into the curriculum. The world of technology is flourishing and every new generation is becoming more adapt to it than the one prior, so it is important to stay up to date. More importantly though, technology plays a big part in student life. They find it fun and entertaining so why not include it in education? It may actually keep a teenagers interest for longer than their suggested attention span.
One other thing about education is that I don't really appreciate it when the faculty and administration of a buliding asks the student body for their opinion on certain situations or events in school, or for their new ideas on certain topics. The reason I don't particularly like this is because when they ask for it, yeah they mean well but did you ever notice how they don't even listen? Nothing ever suggested by a student body ever gets done! Maybe if they listened more often the students would return the favor.

International Calling Catastrophe

So today I tried to call my sister via her Italian cellular phone. First of all let me just get out there that Italian phone numbers, or international phone numbers in general, are completely obnoxious. They are like, 15 digits long and take forever to connect.
(Side note to the public: If you are listening to music and singing out loud when calling a foreign land, my advice to you is don't. Because you never know when the phone is going to be answered, ever.)
Anyway, once I finally get a ring, and or beeping as it appears to sometimes be, all of the sudden I hear the Italian version of that annoying Verizon lady talking 60 miles per minute. Yes, I know what you're thinking- "Liza you take Italian, so you must have gotten the basic idea." Well, turns out you are very wrong. I think I understood maybe three words of that whole schpiel. And after that whirlwind of words hit me there was about 5 minutes of silence. I decided I'd stay on the line just incase my sister's voice would grace the speaker at any moment. Instead a British woman attacked the phone line next. Apparently she was explaining what the Italian VZW woman spit out at me mere minutes before hand. Once she finished and I realized the phone call was no longer relevant, I hung up and decided to just instant message my sister. Atleast the internet won't fail me unlike the phone system.

Music = Life

"Music the great communicator." (Red Hot Chili Peppers; Can't Stop)
There is a lot that stems from that one lyric. Music can be used to show so many different emotions. How many of you have a favorite song for when you're angry? Happy? Depressed? Exactly. There are different types of genres for this exact reason. Muscians are people too, they just know how to express their thoughts and experiences in such a beautiful artistic way that when the music hits your ears through the soundwaves, a certain feeling washes over you. Suddenly, the words they are speaking are relatable to your life. You can understand exactly what they are talking about. It's as if they have known you their whole life and know what you're going through. The best part of listening to music, for me atleast, is that your favorite song may not be relevent to you until later in your life. You may not have gotten to that part in your life yet where that song fits in and makes sense. So for now, kick back, relax and listen.

Support

I find that support is something people need almost everyday. It is a way of reassuring someone that it's okay to be themselves, or that you believe in them. This is definitely something people need, for instance the other day I bought my Mom a cupcake. Now this was not any ordinary cupcake, it was a black bottomed chocolate cupcake from Starbucks. (If you haven't had one, GO GET ONE!) But the thing is, I knew she was having a bad day, so I tried to show her I was thinking about her and that I was behind her all the way. Needless to say she's been talking about the cupcake ever since, seriously they are that good.

Cat Takes Over Bed

So everyday that I come home from school my cat is sleeping on my bed. She doesn't seem to care if its made or not, or if there is a mountain of clothes on it. She just sleeps on it like there's no tomorrow while she continues on taking over my bed. And forget me trying to actually fit on the bed too, people may think cats are small, but they could actually take up an entire bed and leave you no room. I'll just have to wait until she wakes up... or stick her in my sisters room =].