Recently, I’ve been on the Humans of New York website a lot looking at all the pictures and reading their captions. Something I’ve noticed is that a lot of people, when talking about things they have been lucky to receive like clothing or food, have mentioned God. They have mentioned prayer and faith and trust in God. For me, that’s really important. I’m Catholic and I believe whole-heartedly in God. Sometimes, however, it’s easy to doubt your faith and trust. But when I read the quotes about other people’s faith it restores my faith. Not only in God, but in humanity.
The creator of HONY has interviewed thousands of people on the streets of New York and the fact that these people spare a few minutes to talk to him and allow him to photograph them shows that people still care. People still want to love and be loved. Sometimes, the world makes this seem otherwise, but that’s the truth at the heart of the matter. We’re all just trying to make it in this crazy world and most of us don’t want to be alone doing it.
Anyway, I highly recommend checking out the website and the Facebook page for HONY. You won’t regret it.
On this Memorial Day and always, we thank those who fought for our country and for those who are still fighting to protect us. Their bravery is a statement of how we should all choose to live our lives – selflessly. I pray that one day we may no longer know war, but only peace. Until then, love and thanks to all those have have served or are serving.
So, in the news recently there have been a lot of stories focused on a certain singer-turned-hooligan. A young lad that goes by the name of Justin Bieber. Now, I don’t wanna give the kid anymore attention or fame because God knows he doesn’t deserve it and yet has enough as it is. I just want to take a moment to discuss some options we have here about what to do with the hoodlum.
First off, we can’t just send him back to Canada. Everyone might diss Canada with every opportunity they get, but Canada is a really lovely place with some very kind, polite people. Bieber apparently didn’t get that trait, however. So, we have to be the bigger people here and not torment Canada yet again with such a horrid human being. But we can’t keep him, either. So here’s the sitch:
We give him to North Korea. Yes, North Korea. The one that’s been having all the conflicts and whatnot. So, we hand over Bieber to them. At first, they’re confused. “Why do we want him?” They’ll say. Eventually, they won’t care anymore and he’ll just stay. But then he’ll start acting like a hooligan over there and everyone will get so sick and tired of him that they’ll ban together as one people. Together, they’ll forget every other conflict they were fighting against or for and stick together to get rid of Bieber from their country. Once they send him wherever, they’ll realize that working together and being one people is so much better than fighting and arguing all the time. Then, bam! Conflict with North Korea will be over. Solid plan, right?
So, enough with this court and trial and deposition thing with him. Just put him on his nice private jet and send him over the waters. Actually, no, don’t even give him his private jet. Send him off in a cargo jet like the characters had to do on iCarly. Soon enough we’ll have killed two birds with one stone. Sound good? Good. Let’s make it happen.
You can wink in North Korea, Bieber. Photo from Digital Spy.
So, spring break is officially over and I’m starting to get back in the swing of things at school. Let me tell you, though…it’s a bit rough. Spring Fever is definitely hitting me right now as the sun is out and so is the entire student body. The campus is finally alive again and it feels so good! It’s just a bit sad because I don’t really want to do any work as of now. I just want another week off to chill and do nothing. Because even on break, I was still doing something every single day. We were in Chicago, though, so of course that makes sense! And of course, everything we did was fun so it was all worth it. So what did we do in Chicago, you ask?
– Shopped
Madeline and I hanging out at Cloud Gate, aka the Bean.
– Saw Cloud Gate aka The Bean
– Saw the Wrigley Building
– Shopped
– Saw the Buckingham Fountain
– Saw the lion statues in front of the Art Institute of Chicago
– Shopped
– Saw the statue of the cow that
Chicago is beautiful!
started the great Chicago fire
– Went to a “Here’s the Story” event
– Shopped
– Went to an improv comedy night at the iO
– Explored the city
– Oh! And did I mention we shopped?
So that was the basis of what we did while we were in Chicago. And let me tell you, it was a blast! We got to spend time with family and friends and we were able to explore the city all on our own using the public transit system and everything. It was definitely a spring break to remember. I hope you all had as great a break as I did!
Cheers to the coming of Spring!
PS – I may be posting a blog post that goes more in depth of our trip later on. We’re writing a story right now for a publication we’re involved in, so we’ll see what happens with that.
We’ll be together soon enough, Chicago. Photo from A View on Cities.
It was a normal Saturday morning. Well, sort of. Waking up early, Madeline and I speedily got ready and prepared our bags as we headed outside to wait for the Go Bus to Cincinnati. This was the beginning of our Spring Break! We planned the trip entirely on our own, buying our bus tickets, and figuring out our rooming situation and everything. It was all taken care of.
Anyway, the bus arrived on time and we had a pleasant trip. The day also went quite wonderfully as we spent the day with some of my family. We then left their house as they drove us to the bus stop to get on our Mega Bus. It was supposed to take off at 8:15pm. The time came and went. Soon it was 8:30 then 9:00 then 9:30 and so on and so forth. Eventually people started calling, trying to find out what was going on. I swear, everyone was told a different story. The basic story was that the bus broke down and was waiting for repairs, then it got repaired and had a “smell problem,” then finally another bus was sent but they have to make other stops before they get to us. As I type this it is 11:05pm. Again, the bus was supposed to be here at 8:15pm. This delay is a bit of a bummer and inconvenient, but things could be a lot worse. And, honestly, I feel like the good still outweighs the bad. For example:
1. We got our bus tickets from Cincy to Chicago for $1. One. Dollar. I can’t really be mad about that. Annnnd actually, because of all of the ridiculous delays they’re refunding us our money for the trip. So we get our dollars back. Oh yeah….we’re eating good tonight, folks.
2. We got to meet some fun people. We met a freshman at Marquette University. We met another Bobcat. And we met this woman who was in Cincinnati for rehab – she fell down stairs and hit her head on hard wood floor. She had to go to rehab for speech therapy and physical therapy. She was a nurse practitioner before the accident and now she’ll soon get to go back to as a practitioner again. She’s a really sweet woman and said herself that she’s lucky to be alive and excited to get back to work. Really amazing tale, honestly.
3. This makes for a good story! Really, enough said there.
So, yes, we did kind of feel like we were homeless at times as we sat outside on a street corner eating some pizza, but, hey, eventually we went inside a dorm lobby area and were warm. (Although we do find it kind of odd that the doors were unlocked for us to get in.)
Anywho, we’re pretty lucky that the bus is even coming. All of the buses for tomorrow are cancelled because of precarious weather coming in. So you know what? As long as I get to Chicago I’ll be happy! This trip is very needed. It feels so good to just get away from school and homework and drama and stress. Madeline and I are going to explore the Windy City, hang out with my brother, her aunt, some of our friends, and do some much needed retail therapy. It’s going to be a great Spring Break! So we had a little difficulty getting there…oh well. We’re still getting there and that’s all that matters. Optimism gets you so much farther in life than worrying about everything. Don’t forget that, people.
Until next time, good readers…enjoy your week and happy Spring Break if you’re on it!
Well, this week starts off week 6 of my college career. How time flies! So, I figured that now would be a good time to go over some of the things I’ve learned in my first semester and a half of college. The ups, the downs, the all arounds….they made for some interesting times and some interesting life lessons. And you know what? I wouldn’t change one thing that happened.
Now, my friends have impacted just about everything that’s happened so far so I think it’s only fair that they have some say in some of the lessons we’ve learned so far. So, here are the lessons we learned outside of classes together. As told by myself, Madeline, and Sam. (Oh and check out Madeline’s blog here!)
1. Don’t knock it till you try it.
We’re all human – we judge everything before we even have a chance to experience it and really understand it. But it’s always good to keep in mind that until you try that new something or talk to a person, you have no idea what is going on. You don’t know what kind of person someone is until you talk to them. You don’t know if you’ll like that Zumba class until you try. So you know what? Go for it. If you don’t like it, you never have to do it again. But until you try you’ll never know…
2. Your friends last longer than your test will.
If you have the option of going out with your friends or studying, choose your friends. (So long as the test isn’t tomorrow). When it comes down to it, you won’t remember the time you spent studying, but you will remember going out on the town or building a blanket fort with your friends. As long as you balance your time and make sure you set some time aside for your class work, you’ll be fine. Study early in the day, then party at night. Do whatever it takes. But don’t deny hanging out with friends for one test.
Seriously. Make a blanket fort. By the way, that’s Sam, me, then Madeline. in case you were curious!
3. There’s nothing wrong with having multiple circles of friends.
You have so many classes and you know there’s no way you can line up your schedule perfectly with all of your friends, so you know you’re bound to make new friends. And that’s great! The more the merrier. And you know what? If you ever get annoyed with a friend in one circle, you always have another circle to go to. So there’s that. Don’t be afraid to open up your circle to newcomers…you might make a new best friend.
4. Go outside your comfort zone.
College is all about new experiences. Embrace them. Say hi to new people, join a new club, try a new food at the dining halls. Just do it. Trust us, you’ll regret it more if you don’t. You’ll learn more about the people around you and a lot more about yourself once you start opening up and trying some new things. We know it’s scary. We know you’re afraid and nervous. But baby steps, okay? Take it one step at a time and eventually you’ll be looking for new adventures to experience.
5. Watch what you spend.
College is expensive. Like, really expensive. Whatever extra money you have, you’re better off saving it. Don’t buy random stuff if you don’t need it. Always ask yourself if you need it, want it, or if you absolutely can’t live without it. That way you know you always have some spare cash if friends want to go out to eat or if you need any kind of essential items. Also, if you can handle it, try getting a job so that way you always have a little income.
6. Go for the free stuff.
While we’re on the topic of money, if anyone is handing out free stuff – get it. Food especially. Who doesn’t love free food?! We’ve gotten free food, coupons for free food, a free Build-A-Bear monkey, free flowers, some frisbees…you’d be surprised at how willing people are to hand out free stuff. So wherever there are free items, you should be there, too.
7. Do what makes you happy.
College is all about finding yourself. So do what makes you happy. Life is too short to do anything but. Choose a major that makes you happy, choose friends that make you happy, and join clubs that make you happy. Don’t surround yourself with any kind of negative people or negative energy. There will be enough stress going on in your life with homework and heartaches and God knows what else. There just isn’t enough time to waste being unhappy for no reason. Of course you’re going to have your down days where you just aren’t feeling it for the day and you’re just angry and sad and stressed all at once and don’t know what to do. Those are going to be the days where you have to remind yourself why you keep waking up day after day. And your reasons are going to be all of those things that make you happy. So find those things and hold on to them.
8. In the words of one of our favorite Frozen songs, “Let it go.”
Not everything will go your way. It just won’t. You might study your knickers off for that history test, and you get a D. You might try so hard to make that guy notice you, but he’s just so blind. You can’t control everything. What’s meant to happen will happen. We promise. Instead of driving yourself crazy trying to solve an insolvable problem, just let it go. In the words of Reinhold Niebuhr, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” Focus your time and energy on what you know you can change and just let everything else go. You’ll be happy you did.
Look how happy and content she is – and you know why? Because she just let it go. Bam.
9. Take lots of pictures and write down everything.
College is one of the most amazing times in your life, so make the most of it. Join every club, go to parties, stay up late talking with friends, and do what you can to remember those moments. You will never have the same moment or the same experience ever again, so every now and then, stop what you’re doing, look around, and take a mental picture of what’s going on. In addition to mental pictures, take lots and lots and lots of real pictures! Whenever you can, no matter what you’re doing take videos and pictures of every amazing moment with you and your friends! That way you can compile a fun memory video or scrapbook at the end of the year. Also, keep a journal, a blog, or a memory jar. Whenever fun things happen that you want to remember, write them down! Put them in a jar to open at the end of the year, tell your journal all of your feelings for the day, or express your thoughts on your blog. So much is going to be happening and you won’t want to forget a single moment.
Write down EVERYTHING.
10. Have patience. Be Flexible. Breathe.
Running around between classes, events, and meeting up with friends can be hectic. You have to keep a level head to prevent stress and be able to make it to everything. The only way to do that is to have balance and trust in yourself. You have to know your limits and know when you’ve hit the wall. Have patience. Not just with others, but with yourself as well. Learn to go with the flow and embrace change. It can be scary, yes, but most always it’s for the better. Also, remember to breathe. Just breathe. Remember, air is good! Sometimes it might feel like you’re going to die and drown in all of your responsibilities, but just take a step back and look at the big picture. The storm will pass. So just breathe, have some patience, and be willing to change directions at any moment in time. In the end, everything will work out. Maybe not as you initially planned, but in some way or another.
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So there you have it, words of wisdom from some college students who have “been there, done that.” Granted, we’re not even done with our freshmen year yet, but if we’ve learned these lessons already in this short time span, I can’t wait to find out what else is in store for us. Happy Monday, all!
I’ve never read the Judy Moody books so I have no idea if they actually relate to a person being moody or not, but the name rhymed so I went with it.
The thought for the evening is that of changing moods.
Basically, they kind of suck.
One minute you’re happy and the next you’re angry at the world. What is a girl to do?
I have no idea. Because I honestly feel bad when my emotions don’t want to decide what to do. It brings about the possibility of hurting me (because I want to just be happy) and hurting others by just being a jerk to them. And that’s not good.
As Hannah Montana once said, “Everybody has those days / Everybody knows what, what I’m talking ’bout / Everybody gets that way.” So hopefully that song relates in these situations, too.
Anyway, if anyone else is experiencing a shift of moods today or some day soon, push through! I know they suck, but your mind will decide what emotion you want to feel soon enough.
PS – Sorry for the lack of blog posts lately. You see, I write things and then decide not to post them and then don’t write anything else for a while. I’ll try to be better.
Words Left Unspoken 