Pages

Thursday, January 27, 2011

T3- Guilty Pleasures

Happy Thursday, everyone! I've been incredibly busy this week and it's only my fourth day of school, but I always sometimes make time for Three Thing Thursday (T3)! You ever have those days that really make you lose faith in society? I have those days a lot, but today was the exact opposite! I went on a hike today and everyone that I passed along the way was so pleasant and said hello. It really opened my eyes to the fact that there are more great people out there than I generally assume :) That has nothing to do with today's post, but I thought it was a nice little anecdote. This week's T3 will cover three of my many guilty pleasures, so go ahead and laugh at my expense:

1.) Used bookstores- This wouldn't be embarrassing at all if it were a pleasure and not an obsession. I love every single thing about used bookstores: the smell, the products, the people, the potential coffee, the price, the disarray, everything. If I could do anything in the entire world for a living and not worry about finances, I would simply work in a used bookstore. I'd love to own one someday...preferably something small in an unusual downtown area. There would have to be a free coffee area when you first walk in, a couple of gigantic, comfy chairs in the corners, low-volume chick music playing in the background, and books, books, books everywhere. I haven't thought about this or anything...it's only one of my biggest dreams. I'm just not sure that I could sell the books; I'd just want to keep them all and live there in my giant book-fort. With my cats...don't forget about my cats (I guess my boyfriend can come too if he still loves me after realizing that I'm insane).

2.) Homework- I don't know if I've ever actually admitted this one to anyone, but I couldn't make something like this up. The sweet thing about homework is that you really don't think about anything else; no finances, no family problems, no drama, nothing but homework. I like reading a writing for leisure, so English homework is a given...I obviously enjoy it whether it's an assignment or something I'm doing in my free time. I wouldn't do math for fun, but I actually do not mind doing it for homework. I think it's a really amazing feeling when I initially look at a problem and say "oh hell no, screw you, problem" and then eventually figure it out; it makes me feel like a smarty pants. 

3.) Lifetime- I sound like my mother, but I love Lifetime. What other network can you watch a movie about a hobo that impregnates an underage girl and eventually gets on his feet and follows through for his child and 15-year old lover who he eventually finds out is his long-lost little sister? Exactly my point.

Have a great Friday, readers! :)


Thursday, January 20, 2011

Three Things That Will Ruin Our Youth

What's today? Oh that's right...it's THURSDAY! I'm writing my Thursday post on its designated day for the very first time in weeks! Go me for being responsible and being able to correctly operate the calendar on my computer :) This year, I made a suggestion to myself that I should start writing more meaningful blogs on the rare occasion that I actually post. I love Three Thing Thursday (T3) and everything that it stands for, but lately I've been getting a little deeper with them every week...I hope you guys like it as much as I do. This week I'm tackling the three things that I believe will eventually ruin our youngest generation- here we go!

1.) Television- If today's youth is spending 28 hours a week in front of the television, what is our future going to be like when they are the leading generation? Very stupid and very fat. That's 28 hours that our children are not physically active, mentally engaged, or learning anything valuable in just one week. That is 1,456 hours that they have lost in just one year due to TV. Television is not only causing the majority of our youth to become obese, lazy, and ignorant, but also potentially violent as well. Statistics show that the average child will watch 8,000 murders on TV before finishing elementary school. By age eighteen, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders. Our adults TODAY are already terrible (average 9 years of non-stop television per lifetime), but I hate to imagine how it's going to be when these children grow up. What happened to children playing outside or reading? Get rid of this garbage, parents!

2.) Fast food- When I was younger, I remember that getting a Happy Meal from McDonald's was a huge treat- it only happened once a month if my sister and I had been really good. Children now would think of that as punishment, but it wasn't because we were poor (we were) or because my parents were jerks (they could be), it was because eating out everyday was practically unheard of 15 years ago. I know people that feed their children fast food at least 3 times a week and I want to shove a Happy Meal toy up their asses. Fast food is garbage! A cheeseburger happy meal with fries and a Sprite at McDonald's has 640 calories and 24 grams of fat; this is over half of the total calories many children should be eating in an entire day! These "restaurants" spent over $350 million on marketing messages aimed at children in 2009; they do it because it works and parents fall for the scams, too. Our youth is going to be even fatter than our adults are today and this country does not have room to get more unhealthy.

3.) Anger & Intolerance- I don't have any impressive statistics for this bullet-point, but I think it's the most important of them all. With the economy declining, the global warming crisis looming, and moms and dads getting increasingly stressed-out, children are picking up on the bad attitudes that our adults have about them. If you grow up around constantly bitchy people, you're bound to end up with a negative attitude after a few years. We should be teaching our children to accept others and live happily and not waste time with hatred and judgement. We're going to end up with a bunch of stupid, fat, bitchy people if we stay on the track that we are journeying down. I don't like the amount of stupid, fat, bitchy people we have now...this needs to be fixed. 

I hope everyone has a great day! I start school on Monday, so I'm sure I'll have more to write about in the future! Yay for really, very, extremely, expensive education that will eventually get me a job that I can do now (before I even start college)!

Oh and here are my sources :) - csun.edu, nytimes.com

See ya!

Friday, January 14, 2011

T3- Things We Need to Change!

Happy Friday, everyone! Hopefully when I start school next week, I'll begin recognizing days of the week again like a successful adult, but I make no promises. I've been thinking so much lately about the everyday habits of our citizens in this country and I'm seeing a HUGE problem made up of several smaller issues that we could work towards fixing if we really put our minds to it. I'm really going to try to take it easy with my harsh opinions throughout this post, but I'm angry about these things and it's going to be difficult to remain politically correct. I could express changes I believe should be made all day long, but taking little steps is the key to success, so we'll start with three today.

1.) Recycling- I don't think there is an excuse for not recycling anymore. With curbside pickup and convenient drop-off locations, it's become just as easy to recycle as it is to not recycle in today's world. I do understand that it isn't as easy as it should be, but with the incredible benefits that it delivers, a little extra effort is worth it. According to greenanswers.com, only 40% of Americans recycle all of the time; that simply isn't enough for the change that our world needs. I'd estimate that for the past two years, I have recycled at least 75% of my household trash, but I am striving towards improving this. I purchased recycling containers last week for less than $20, but even if they had cost $100, I'd buy them before I'd be happy with living in a world full of garbage. 

2.) Bottled water- Why? By one estimate, 50 billion bottles of water are consumed per annum in the United States and around 200 billion bottles globally. We've allowed water, by volume, to become more valuable than GASOLINE. And why? Because corporations like Coke, Pepsi, and Nestle spend billions of dollars every year to convince us that tap water is dangerous and unhealthy. So instead of drinking the chemical-free, practically cost-free water that is available to us, we spend over $60 billion on chemically enhanced, plastic-clad, bottled water every year. We're trusting the same corporations that pump out syrup-heavy, diabetes-causing soft drinks with our drinking water and we assume that it's safe? The day that we analyze that the companies care about money and money only is the day that we'll stop giving into the garbage that they are feeding us. Do yourself and your planet a huge favor and inform yourself on these facts; do some research, take back the power from these corporations, and stand up for yourself and your health.

3.) The FDA- Dear FDA, I hate you. According to their own website, the FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring that foods are safe, wholesome, sanitary, and properly labeled. I think they're full of shit. Until an additive is shown to cause cancer, allergies, chemical sensitivities, or some other medical problem, the FDA allows it to be used without regard to the possible human health risks it may have- these additives include growth hormones, trans-fats, ammonia, antibiotics, GMOs (genetically modified organisms), etc...AKA things that shouldn't be in our food AKA things that the FDA is supposed to be protecting us from. BPA (bisphenol A)  found in many plastic containers, water bottles, and baby bottles, has been banned in many countries and few states. Despite hundreds of studies conducted by scientists and universities proving that BPA is harmful, the FDA continues to allow this toxin in products, this decision supported by only two studies conducted by industry trade groups. Here is my question to you: do you think the FDA is doing their job? I certainly do not. 


This country is being run by corporations that only care about finances. I hate to imagine where we'll be in 30 years if we don't begin taking some of our power back, but if I have to take a guess, we'll all be really fat, really disease-ridden, and really unhappy. Stick that in your bottled water and suck it, America.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

3 Things Right Now

Thursdays don't really exist to me anymore; actually, days of the week don't really exist to me anymore. When it doesn't matter what day of the week it is, they all just start meshing together and I stop caring if it's Sunday or Tuesday or Friday. I don't have a job or many responsibilities, so I hardly pay attention to the day it is. Today is Thursday for us right now because I have things that are irritating me that I'd like to write about, so happy Thursday on this here lovely Sunday!

1.)  Walmart- I'm done shopping at Wally World now. I've made this decision to stick it to the man once again; first I went vegetarian and now I am swearing off the world's largest corporation. There are obvious reasons for doing so: the parking lot, the people within, the smell, the low quality, etc; meanwhile, there are behind-the-scenes reasons that most people are unaware of. Walmart treats their employees like garbage; they are underpaid, overworked, and barely appreciated by customers and employers alike. Almost all of Walmart's employees are on government aid programs (Welfare, food stamps, Medicare, WIC, etc.) because their employer DEPENDS on these programs (and cheap Chinese products) so that they can underpay employees and provide shoppers the low prices that everyone is so concerned with. By shopping at other markets and spending an extra dollar or two, we're standing up for ourselves and our fellow citizens by cutting back some of the power that this corporation has on our country and our world. Plus, if you can avoid all of the electric carts containing people that are too lazy to walk, loud children that continually run into you, the garbage food that they promote, the ridiculous amount of time you spend standing in line, and the demographic of people that you fall into just because you shop there, why the hell wouldn't you?

2.) Marriage- Every little girl dreams of their wedding day; walking Barbie and Ken down the aisle that  you've fashioned out of toilet paper, imagining what your dress will look like and where you'll go on your honeymoon. Little girls grow up, date a few piece of shit boyfriends, get their heart broken, and eventually find someone that they fall in love with and decide to marry. What was the key phrase in the last sentence? "LITTLE GIRLS GROW UP". I've met a few couples that have been together since age 18 and make it work; they wouldn't change a thing even if they could go back in time- they're supposed to be together...they're the exception to the rule. I feel like everyone around me is getting married so young and so quickly without knowing their partner for long at all. I simply do not understand the rush. What happened to dating someone for a year or two and enjoying the process? Call me old-fashioned, but I really believe in knowing the person that you are vowing to spend the rest of your life with. Oh and the baby excuse isn't valid anymore...it's 2011 and obviously if you are that worried about religion, you wouldn't have been making babies anyway, so you can wait for marriage. 

3.) Buffets- Ew! I wasn't even aware that people still ate in these "restaurants"! They're absolute breeding grounds for bacteria and low-quality food. I may be too cautious, but I find it entirely too difficult to trust an eating establishment that serves chicken fingers and chinese food next to the imitation crab meat and the jello. All out in the open like that, it makes me nauseous to think that my food has mated with 100 other people's food. I want virgin salad mix- I don't want the same salad that the guy in the corner eating the ice cream and picking his nose just ate...at least I don't want to know that we are eating the same salad. I ate at a Chinese buffet last week because I was invited by my wonderful father. I was actually really surprised because the food was pretty tasty and there were plenty of vegetarian options for me to pick from. I was surprised again when we all ended up with some unpleasant bathroom time for the next few hours. I would rather not be surprised like this again- goodbye, buffets!


Don't be pissed at me if you got married yesterday to your partner of 2 months and you are now eating at a buffet and planning your honeymoon in a Walmart. You should be pissed at yourself :)

Monday, January 3, 2011

New Beginnings

Excuse me, 2011, but where the hell did you come from? Last time I checked, it was 2007 and now here we are embracing ANOTHER new year that crept up on us too quickly. Quite frankly, 2010 was less than desirable; a lot of unfortunate things happened, but among the shit (losing my job, losing my apartment, enduring family controversy, etc.) emerged a few really wonderful events that I am very thankful for (being with my amazing boyfriend, moving in with my father & sister, getting my lovely cats, learning new things, etc.). 

In order to grow into a stronger, more confident and self-sufficiant being, gradual improvement and evolution is extremely necessary. In order to create improvement and evolution, one must accept and activate change in their lives. 2011 is going to be a year of change for me and I am looking forward to implementing processes to get me where I'd like to be in a year. 

On the first of the year every year, friends and family discuss new year's resolutions, usually involving one of the following: getting in shape, quitting smoking, eating more healthfully, becoming more financially stable, etc. I'm not sure that I've ever heard someone mention a goal that wasn't superficial like these. Granted, quitting smoking and becoming healthier are very important, but I don't want a cookie-cutter resolution this year. I want to take advantage of the year ahead of me, become a better person, make essential life-changes, and accomplish things I've been putting off for a while. 

Here are a few things that I'd like to see in 2011:
  • More consistent, meaningful blogging from your's truly.
  • A stronger relationship with my family and my boyfriend.
  • Forgiveness for the people that have hurt me in the past.
  • Better dedication towards my passions and hobbies (writing, blogging, hoop-dancing, knitting, etc.)
  • New & stronger friendships.
  • Exploration of new activities, environments, and personalities. 
  • A healthier lifestyle.
  • Risk-taking and adventure.
  • TONS of reading and learning.
  • Better acceptance of other points of view and opinions.
  • Release & acceptance of events & people from my past. 

Those are just the most important for now. I will explore in more detail as I go through these things in the next year, but until I make things happen, it's just a list. I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. Now that it's finally over, I'll be blogging and sharing a lot more than I have been. Happy new year to you all!