SHOES

These two guys, Tim and Eric, have made multiple crazy video clips that are absolutely insane! Some of my favorites are "Hard Hitting Questions", "Muffins", "Love Letters", and many more. The clips I have here on my blog is called "Shoes" and I get such a kick out of it. I think it's hilarious how the same actor plays so many different characters, and does such a great job imitating adolescent girls that think that material possessions make a break their popularity... plus how airheaded they can sound! Anyway, if you watch the clip and want to comment at all, I'd love to hear people's reviews! Enjoy!!

A barbeque stain on my white T-shirt...

It never fails, the last month of school seems to drag on. The second hand on the clock seems to get slower and slower, and assignment and end of the year projects start mounding up. Not to mention, the motivation behind the completion of these projects becomes almost inauspicious. Our minds are filled with thoughts of hot days by the pool, on the beach, or in a boat. Our friends become an accessory to our everyday apparel, and we live each day like the summer will last forever. Those three months are pretty much the best thing a college student could ask for! So how do we get motivated for this last month of dreaded exams and projects??? Good question. Honestly, I haven't quite figured it out yet. The only motivation behind my view on this last month of school is ending the year with the grades you wanted at the beginning of the semester. So many student start out the semester working hard, going to every class, being responsible, etc. and then as the semester progresses, the motivation seems to start to die a bit. Well, for the last month of school, remember how much you wanted those good grades at the beginning of the semester, and just imagine yourself looking at your grades in a month in a half or so. What a waste of time it would be to not get the grades you wanted after you worked so hard in the beginning! Are you really going to let the last month of school ruin it all??? Good luck fellow classmates, andmore importantly, have a great summer!!!

Rawlings

One of my good friends recently showed me the Rawlings website. He works for Rawlings as a product manager, and took a lot of pride in the company's website. I was actually pretty impressed with the graphics, however I told him that I would make a post on my blog so that anyone who wanted to could give their personal opinions on how to make the page even better! If you have any suggestions, just let me know!

Bark at the Moon

You know those things in your life you know will eventually happen, it's inevitable, but you just try not to think about it, hoping it will never happen? Well, last Wednesday was exactly that for me. For some people, this story is a completely foreign language to them; for the others, they can relate to how I felt.

The summer before my first grade year was my 6th birthday, and all I wanted was a puppy! I'd been begging for one non-stop ever since my mom had my little brother, and I was upset it wasn't girl! So I begged for a puppy... a girl puppy! For my birthday, we drove about 30 minutes away, walked into a kennel, and about 7 caffeine pumped little white balls of fur came racing towards me and knocked me over. I couldn't have been happier. It was then that I saw her! She was perfect... andI named her Reba, after the country singer.

Over the next couple years, she chewed up shoes, and garden hoses, and flower beds. She dug holes in the yard looking for rodents she would never catch, and she barked at possums at night and kept the neighbors awake. It didn't matter though, she was still the greatest new addition since my baby brother! Years passed by, I finished grade school, high school, and then packed my bags for college. It was the day I left for college, when Reba came outside to say good-bye, that my dad looked at her and said "you know Andrea, she's not a puppy anymore, dogs don't live forever."

Now, of course I knew this, but I wasn't going to actually think about it! She was still that crazy little puppy I remember. My freshman year rolled by, no problems, and now my sophmore year was coming to a close. Over Christmas break this past year, I could tell she was slowing down, and her breathing was inconsistent... but in my mind, she was still healthy. Then came the call on Thursday morning. "Andrea, you remember how slow Reba was around Christmas time? and, do you remember how she was struggling to get up and down? Reba isn't with us anymore... she passed away last night."

My immediate reaction was "Yeah right... good one dad! You really fooled me!" But he wasn't joking, and I knew it deep down. The hardest part was when my dad said that she laid down in the front yard while my brothers and my dad were playing baseball, and then my mom came outside, and everyone was there for her for her last moments alive. Everyone except me! My dad said she kept lifting her head and looking down the road, almost like she was waiting for something.

I don't think people always understand how personal pets can be. Animals really can become part of the family, and an important part. I will never forget my dog, or how I used to dress her up in little baby dresses, and put her in wagons and pull her around the yard. Or even when I would build tree houses and she was the guard dog! She will always be our family dog, no matter how many we have. She will be missed, but she will never be forgotten!

Women's Football League- Seriously!

I was recently looking on MSNBC and found that there is actually a women's football league. It isn't getting much recognition yet, just because the lack of respect our society still gives to women in contact sports, but it is slowly gaining popularity. There are women from 23 to 43 playing this game. It is growing and growing with more teams being added every year. The women however are still having to pay for their own way to be players in this league, because of the lack of support. I think that women should have the same respect and the same priveleges as men do in this sport. There is no reason why two guys that tackle each other should be held at higher honor than two women! Many of these women are moms too! Can you imagine going from dropping your kids off to school, to working for eight hours, and then going to football practice, and still having to put dinner on the table and help your kids with homework??? Plus I'm sure there's a lot more to it! These women deserve the attention that they are working for!

My Experience with "The Secret"

After reading the book "The Secret" for my spring break reading assignment, I have been very excited to put it to the test. In small ways, I have seen it work! I've found good parking spots when I'm late for class. I've talked to friends that I haven't had contact with for a year or so. But even more recently, I think I might've cured my flu! Now, I know this sounds like a load of bologna, but I truly am starting to see the true powers of it. After getting the flu, and spending a night in a half on the bathroom floor, I decided it couldn't hurt but to try to use "The Secret" once again. After setting my mind positive, and in "Secret" mode, I was perfectly healthy within six hours. I know this might sound like I had the 24 hour flu, but I truly feel like there was more power behind it all. I'm really starting to see the real power and truth behind the message "The Secret" is saying.

Kids with Special Needs

One of my co-workers came up to me recently and asked if I would be interested in babysitting her eight year old son this Tuesday and next Tuesday. She told me that he had been suspended for 10 days, so she was kind of in a bind. I was extremely hesistant until she explained the story. The incident is about her son, Paul.

-Paul is eight years old, and he has autism. Paul occasionally gets upset, or throws fits to which he needs to be removed from the classroom. The last couple times they have taken him to the principal's office, where he become extremely overwhelmed and upset. Paul's mom and dad have talked to the staff and asked them to take him to a conference room, or a counselor's room, but not the principal's office. Last week, Paul was having one of his fits, and they took him to the principal's room where he became, like usual, very upset. A local police officer was called to the school, and eight year old Paul, with autism, was handcuffed because he was said to be a threat to the principal and teachers. Paul was suspended from school for 10 days. A couple days after his suspension, Paul's doctor reported that his incident was the cause of a bad reaction to his new medication. Even though the school was notified of this, the 10 days of suspension was not shortened or even thought to change.

This story really upsets me because I don't feel that the school district was meeting the needs of Paul. He is a child with special needs, and one request (not to take him to the principal's office) was completely ignored. Not only that, but an eight year old child should not be put in handcuffs unless someone's life is in extreme danger... not for throwing a temper tantrum.

Tiger gets Second

For any golfer, or any fan of golf, you probably watched the Master's this past weekend. This course was extremely hard and you could tell how frustrated the players were getting. But this wasn't the only shocker of the event. The biggest shock was the outcome of the match.... where Tiger Woods came in second. Who was the winner??? An uknown golfer named Zach Johnson who couldn't even go to his hometown state university for golf. Zach Johnson was ranked no. 56 in the world, and only had one PGA victory to his name. But this golfer took hold of the reins and knocked the mutiple timing champion to number two! Go Zach Johnson!

Happy Feet

While I was recently at home, my 11 year old brother and I watched the move "Happy Feet". At first I was hoping that I could maybe get a nap in during the movie, because I thought the movie was going to be boring, or too childish. The movie was suprisingly really good! The voices of Britney Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Robin Williams, and Nicole Kidman really bring life to this movie. The songs are all recognizable, and are redone in a very respectable way. Not only that but the overall message of the movie is so touching, and it is such a good message to spread to people of any age, but especially kids. I would recommend to anyone to sit down and watch this movie. It made me laugh, and even tear up a couple times. In a way I think we've all felt like the main penguin "Mumble" at times.

Tattoos

I think tattoos are a form of self-expression and it's personal. I think they are very special, and to everyone they are important for different reasons. I really don't understand why society today has labeled them as being so trashy, or unprofessional. I mean, I don't think that "Sexy" tattooed on a girl's lower back is exceptionally nice or personal, but tattoos that really stand for something, and are respectable should not be held against people. The reason I am frustrated with this topic is because I have a cross on my inner right wrist. I did this not spontaneously, but after lots of thought, and it has a very personal meaning behind it. My parents and other people have commented on how it may cause problems when it's time for me to look for a job. Why should my talents and my work ability be lowered of held at different standards just because i have an image on my body that most people don't have??? It's not hurting anyone, and it's not affecting my focus of my work habits. I think that this view from society has become seriously warped. Still, I do not plan on getting it removed, and I do plan on getting another one!

New Artist- MIKA

One of my favorite new artists is the unique sound of Mika. He had been compared to the lead singer of the old favorite "Queen", Freddie Mercury, Elton John, David Bowie, and the Scissors Sisters. He was born in London and trained by the Royal Opera House. His music is different, and his sound is new and fresh. His first hit "Relax, Take it Easy" was released in the United Kingdom and made a huge bang. His first hit for the U.S. however was "Grace Kelly" which was shown on MTV, VH1, and other music television. Another one of his hits it "Love Today" which is one of my personal favorites. In many other countries his album charted in the top 10, but in the U.S. it was only #29. I really feel like this album should've charted higher, but I think he has plenty of time to get a top 10 album. Mika has become one of my personal favorites and I hope more people can open up to his music and learn to love it as much as I do!

"The Secret"

I just got done reading "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. It was a very good book, and I will definitely take a lot of advice from it, however I'm a little skeptical to the fact that all the success in the world will be achieved and all of your dreams will come true as long as you tell yourself you will. If you think about fortune, love, success, etc, you will have all of those things. In my opinion, it doesn't work that easily. Thinking about it is only half of the process... but actually working hard and taking the steps to achieve those goals, are a big part of the process. I loved the book and realize that keeping a positive attitude makes a huge impact.