With the invention of facebook's "Question" function, I fear for the future of the inquisitive world. Much of research today has turned its head towards the world wide web. Most research assignments in college require that you have at least one internet siting on your bibliography amongst the required encyclopedias and hard copy research studies. However, even for those classes which require us to 'surf' the internet, instructors firmly remind us before our projects begin that those internet sources must be reputable ones. For example, world renown Medical and Psychiatric Journals or websites from industries at the forefront of research and procedures when it comes to the sciences, agriculture, etc. Even government sources because they have many experts who have participated in conducting their studies and writing up their thoroughly sought-out findings. While the question function will allow people to ask questions who might not have felt comfortable seeking out information before, but how will they learn to really get down to the nitty-gritty of it all? They'll be able to ask a question, but how will they learn to separate the fact from fiction? When you pose a question on facebook, are people going to say, "These are my credentials," so that we can more accurate in judging the merits of their commentary? Maybe, maybe not. I'm guessing many of the respondents obtain their information from "hearing it somewhere from someone a few years back" and they've never done the back research, or their friends of whoever asked the question. We're inclined to trust our friends and their knowledge, but does our loyalty make their statements correct? Who knows? I only hope that the people in the world will continue to seek out good information and fight for the accuracy and truth of it all. It's like statistics--in all information/data there is a margin of error. How great a margin are we willing to accept?
I throughout the day Saturday I thought, "What can I write about in my journal today?" and "What pearls of wisdom do I have to impart upon the world?" Wanna know what I came up with? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. All week I've been sleeping more than any healthy person would (funny how I've been sick since Monday evening so I have an excuse) and just doing what I have to to get by in life and on the road and to not want to kill the other drivers. So basically I had absolutely ZERO NEW OR REFRESHING THOUGHTS to share. HOW BORING! I don't like being boring. Too bad that's just how I am. :-=
So even after getting sick from drinking part of a soda I didn't make the connection until today. Maybe there is a reason I'm not obsessed with any particular type of sweet, and why I'm not the typical female with chocolate or sweets cravings--sugar makes me ill. I don't mean I'm a glutton and I eat too much and become sick to my stomach. I don't mean it ruins my teeth. I mean that it literally makes me ill, thus the throat swelling and soreness, the occasional dizziness, and the neck pain. So it's a good thing that I've never been addicted to sugar. Sure, I have my favorite candies. Sure, I like cheesecake and pie. But I really don't like cake. I don't like a cake if it's too dry or if it's tres leches. If you are my family or very close friend and you made the cake, or it's your wedding and you're staring at me waiting for me to eat it, I may take a bite. But it's no guarantee unless your name is Corinner-elly. (If Corinner-elly makes it I will always try it because it will always be yummy.) If a brownie is too sweet, get it away from me! Would I like a doughnut? Half only, please! Of course, I don't think I'd be having such an adverse reaction if I'd been putting myself to bed on time. Oh, well!
You Know You're Getting Old When...You get sick from drinking part of a bottle of pop to keep you awake at work. I mean, really? My immune system sucks so badly that I miss a day and a half of work? Because of not even a whole little bottle of POP? Yeah. Lame.
Well, life overall is good. I was depressed for a few days last week because I had to drop my Grant Writing and Stats classes, but I got to keep my tap class so I can't complain that much...even though it is the hardest of the three classes which I was signed up for. But it will probably be the best for me. By best I do not mean the most productive but it will suit my health needs the best. Dance and music have always been something I've needed for my emotional, physical, and spiritual health. Not having them seriously depresses me, more than anything else in life. The second thing I can't complain about is that I will now be forced to keep my house in order because I now have far more time to do so. It will give me a chance to finish my online classes, plan on time with my husband, and spend time with my needy and very jealous puppy.
Another good thing which has come about the past few weeks is Mindy getting on a graveyard shift. For those of you who don't know why that is a big deal or who the heck this "Mindy" person is, Mindy is the mother of my faux child, Harley. Zach & I met Mindy while they were both working at a hotel a while back. We've been watching Harley since mid to late January about 2-4 times a week, and since Mindy's schedule's been kind of crazy so has ours. Luckily Zach would be home for the few hours before I could get home and them would usually need to leave when I got there. Thank goodness for opposite schedules or it would have been difficult for Harley to have somewhere to go, but then Fall Semester came and our schedule's just wouldn't allow us to help during the week at all, and since Mindy's current employer never gave her a consistent day or shift it was sort of sucking, but during the week it usually meant Harley didn't leave until... well, past my bedtime. That equated to my not sleeping properly most of the time. However, with Graveyard shifts Harley will come at bedtime, I will put her to bed, I will go to bet myself, and we will wake up ready to start the day on time. I'm SOOOO excited! I'm going to finally get myself back on track health/sleep-wise and Harley will be on a more consistent schedule. Thank you, Mindy, for being willing to drop her off early, especially since she's started school and needs a schedule!
Well, my journal from here on out may appear to be more quantity than quality because I've made a goal to try and write 5 times a week. Hopefully I'll find a way to make them all different and insightful. I always get bored just recounting what has happened in my day. I mean, it's difficult to feel different from one day to the next about the things that happen the same way everyday. If my blog begins to grow too mundane I'll just... well,quit uhm, modify my goal. :-= I was going through some entries in an old journal (which I will NOT be putting the URL for here :-=) and I was much more expressive once upon a time. Heh...I guess getting old doesn't just make my health fail, it's made me more boring! Well, that's all for now!
Except for this: my favorite punctuation is the ellipsis, in case you hadn't yet noticed... ^^V
...eyes are the window to the soul and my eyes don't come out well in a picture, does that mean I have a crappy soul? :-=
...Peaceful and Passionate, and Stunning and Strong. It should expand the entire being of those involved. It should be Laid Back but Fierce, and always Magical. It should involve a deep connection as well as a shallow one. All dimensions of the individuals should connect to make one. Love should make you so crazy that you never want to stand still and that you are constantly evolving, an so is that Love, and so that you cannot keep silent. Lovers should love each other for who they are but want them to be their best.
Love is desiring, connecting, wanting, waiting... Kind of a mix of "Hey, Soul Sister" (Train), "Your Body Is a Wonderland" (John Mayer), "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" (Nat King Cole, Harry Connick, Jr.), "Come On Get Higher" (Matt Nathanson), "Just The Way You Are" (Bruno Mars), "If I Had You" (Adam Lambert), and "Butterfly" (Crazytown). Oh, and for kicks let's just through in "Animal" by Neon Trees, because the feeling it expresses to me is that crazy franticness that come with loving someone everyday and wanting them over and over again throughout all the insanity. There is SO MUCH music that I could throw into the mix, but these are some of the basics for me... Yes, I know there are A LOT, but it's kind of like love itself--it has so many faces!
Hmmm... If you'd asked me to put my love to music when I was younger there'd have been a lot more hard rock. Interesting. But, like I said, love evolves.
I ran across this poem today and just thought I'd post it. I was far less emotionally blocked when I wrote poetry. I was more passionate about life and those around me and better understood myself and my place in this world, even though my writing was mostly to aid in understanding the people I was close to... I pretty much stopped writing when I began to write for myself instead of to connect with other people. Every now and again I'll read something I wrote and feel disgust at how much I sucked at it and embarrassed because of all the encouragement I received from those who read EVERYTHING I wrote... I would REALLY like to try to begin writing poetry again. I have never been creative aside from that, and I think that is why I was more connected to my sense of self. There are many who write music, create their own dances, build computers, build engines, cook fabulous meals... I was never one to create, aside from my poetry. The things that I did as a performer were following someone else's direction or choreography, or following a recipe made by someone else--doing something that was unremarkable, overdone, or used before by people better and more skilled than myself. Poetry was mine and mine alone, to build emotions or create worlds that nobody could influence or change but myself.
Regarding the following poem, there is not MUCH history to it. The basic gist is that a friend was at my house and we were talking. I have NO CLUE what else we spoke about and he probably couldn't help me remember if he tried. For some reason he held up a plain sheet of blank white paper and asked what I saw in it. (Again, I have no idea what the context was...) and the poem was suddently blurted out of the shallow depths of my mind. And with nothing more to add at this time, here is the poem that sparked this post:
I see the world
in a single sheet of paper,
Memories and
the future.
A baby born,
or a life moving on;
the story,
fresh and new.
I breathe in Love,
on a single sheet of paper,
a note to those
held dear.
I view Eternity
and room for anything,
and see the world
in a single sheet of paper.
--November 28, 2001
--Falling Stars
Hopefully, with age and time, my heart can still feel the beauty and newness of the life which lies before me. My gratitude goes out to the one who provoked these thoughts because, while they may not be the most eloquent or inspirational to others, they inspire me. (That sounds narcissistic, but it should NOT be taken that way. :-=) They remind me of the way I once viewed the world, and how I can again. They remind me that even the most fleeting of interactions can change the heart and mold the soul. They show me that inspiration can be found in anyone or anything if we leave our hearts open to the tendrils of creativity and love which crawl gently through the cracks in our minds.
