Having something to look forward to

I was feeling frustrated today. I can't really explain why except to say that things weren't going quite the way I'd hoped. In order to help myself buck up and get on with things I decided to go to the Boston Public Library as it was something to look forward to since I hadn't been there in a while. It's a beautiful building and it's air conditioned which is a real plus as it was about 90 degrees in Boston today. While I was there I rented a film called The Waitress, which as the title suggests, is about a waitress who wants to enter a pie making competition as she's really good at making pies. She's frustrated with her life on many levels but despite all that she still hopes for something better. On a personal level, renting that movie was just the ticket to help me carry on. Even though it was only a small thing, I think it's lovely to have something to look forward to and to help for. Those are the things that make life beautiful and worth living!

Walking on Stilts in Michigan!

Although this news is slightly outdated, I was poking around the internet for some happy news stories and I came across some awesome news from my home state of Michigan!  A man from Deerfield, Michigan  named Neil Sauter walked 350 miles from Ann Arbor to the Upper Peninsula and down to finish in Jackson, Michigan from April 12th to May 19th of this year. The best part is he did this walk on 9 foot stilts!  He did the 350 mile stilt walk to raise money for the United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan charity and was able to raise $6,284. Mr. Sauter has a mild form of cerebral palsy (a birth defect that causes problems with movement.) What I think is awesome about this guy is that he's done other walks on stilts before this. In 2008 for example he walked 830 miles across Michigan's two peninsulas and raised $85,000 to benefit the same charity. According to his website Sauter does about 22 miles a day when he walks  (this takes 8 hours) and he walks for this charity on a yearly basis. It's enough to make me want to learn how to walk on stilts myself! Check out his website (linked above) to learn more and support his efforts!

 3 cheers to Neil Sauter! Here's to walking tall! Hurrah, Hurrah, Hurrah!

When you're smiling!

I heard this song today on Pandora (an internet radio site where you enter in music you like and it finds music that's similar. To check it out click here.) and I really liked it. It's called "When You're Smiling" and the version I heard was sung by Louis Armstrong. I felt I had to share the lyrics as the song made me smile!

To listen watch this video:

 "When You're Smiling"
 

When you're smilin', when you're smilin'
The whole world smiles with you
When you're laughin', when you're laughin'
The sun comes shinin' through
 

But when you're cryin', you bring on the rain
So stop your sighin', be happy again
Keep on smilin', 'cause when you're smilin'
The whole world smiles with you

 
When you're smilin', when you're smilin'
The whole world smiles with you
When you're laughin', when you're laughin'
That sun comes shinin' through
 

But when you're cryin', you bring on the rain
So stop your sighin', be happy again
Keep on smilin', 'cause when you're smilin'
The whole world smiles with you!

To go along with my earlier post about Sherlock Holmes.....

Since I'm in the mood for Sherlock Holmes, I found the joke below that applies. Hope you enjoy it too!

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson were going camping. They pitched their tent under the stars and went to sleep.

Sometime in the middle of the night Holmes woke Watson up and said: “Watson, look up at the stars, and tell me what you see.”

Watson replied: “I see millions and millions of stars.”

Holmes said: “and what do you deduce from that?”

Watson replied: “Well, if there are millions of stars, and if even a few of those have planets, it’s quite likely there are some planets like earth out there. And if there are a few planets like earth out there, there might also be life.”

And Holmes said: “Watson, you idiot, it means that somebody stole our tent!”

The veterans in my life

I've always had a soft spot for veterans and since it's Memorial Day, I thought I'd write about two (of the best) men I know who are/were veterans. Both my father and his father before him served in wars, my grandfather in World War II and my father in Vietnam. My grandfather flew planes in World War II and was shot down twice in the Pacific and survived. He went on to run a business, helped raise 8 kids and lived to a ripe old age. My father in turn served in the Army Corps of Engineers in the Vietnam War and afterwards married my mum and has worked hard and has been a great dad to my my siblings and me. Plus I'm happy that as of July 1st of this year my parents will have been married for 35 years. 

I really admire my grandfather and my dad because they did what they felt was right. I'm happy to that I'm my father's daughter and even though my grandad is no longer here, I'm still proud to be his granddaughter. I love them both  very much. I feel like the best way to honor people that have died, especially in the armed forces, is to go on living and I want to do that in a way that would make them proud.

I'm Sherlocked!

I just finished watching season 2 of the BBC's Sherlock TV series from 2010, (yes I'm a bit behind the times but as they say, better late than never.) For those who haven't seen it, the show's premise is basically Sherlock Holmes is a modern guy living in modern London and it follows the stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle quite faithfully. Things I like about the show:

• Sherlock is typically at least 10 paces (e.g. brain waves) ahead of everyone else. (Although this seems to be rather irritating to him.)
• Even when you think Sherlock's finally  been beaten he always manages to come back and win.
• Sherlock tells people exactly what he thinks -even if his opinion is rather hurtful to the person he's talking to. I don't know how much I like this aspect of his personality but I like the fact that at the least he's honest.
• I have a soft spot for Dr. Watson, he puts up with so much of Sherlock's eccentricities, still manages to keep sane and still ultimately loves Sherlock.
• The show keeps me interested, I can't seem to quite figure out the mystery til the end. (Maybe that's just me but still... it makes the show more intriguing for me.)
• I like Sherlock's housekeeper, she's really quite clever and loveable at the same time.
• The fact that the ringtone on Sherlock's archenemy Moriarty's  phone is "Staying Alive" is awesome although to me it kind of makes him seem a little less evil. (Maybe it's naive but I still like to think there's a little bit of good in everyone. Even if that little bit is tiny!)
• His brother Mycroft is annoyingly funny and I like the name Mycroft- it sounds as dignified as the man likes to think he is.
• Irene Adler is my favorite of Holmes' adversaries. She's smart enough to (almost) outsmart Sherlock and outside of Moriarty she's one of the few people I think Sherlock respects.
• I like the show's theme song. It's adventurous!

I chose to write this post because today I (very happily) found out that more episodes have been planned! They're supposed to come out in September (according to IMDB.com.) I'm not sure if that means that they come out in the UK in September and not the U.S. until later. (That scenario would greatly annoy me but I suspect I'd survive somehow!) The game's not up yet!

I've decided I'm a trekie! (at least for today!)

I just got back from seeing the latest Star Trek movie and this is what I thought of it all: (Warning: SPOILERS)

• Never argue with Dr. Spock-he's so damn logical/precise/moral, it's just, well.... downright irritating (but that's why people still love him-myself included I guess.) 
• Captain Kirk (e.g. Chris Pine) is eye candy at its finest. The fact that his character (and I suspect he himself in reality,) is smart and typically saves the day is just an added bonus of course.
• I think I'm in love with Scottie, I don't know why, maybe it's just that I think he's really funny and he fixes random things and doesn't mind telling people exactly what he thinks of their plans-even if they don't want to hear it. Plus, I like his alien pet friend.  
• Never trust prisoners that willingly surrender very quickly and without too much of a fight. It apparently just leads to really bad consequences.
• I wish I had blood that miraculously heals every human injury. It would just feel so nice to know that no one ever had to be in pain ever again. (Even if the blood would have to come from a maniacal being that would have to be overpowered- I guess everything comes with a price.)
•  Being able to speak Klingon apparently doesn't get you all that far (e.g.almost leads to a strangling) it's probably a good thing that language isn't real then.
• Don't keep punching a man that can't be injured by hitting/punching him. It doesn't work. Although it might relieve some frustration/aggression you feel after the nasty man kills your loved one, it also leaves you with a hand that's injured from hitting the guy so much and the guy doesn't get hurt one bit for all your trouble. 
• I felt rather sorry for the guy that had to give up his life so his daughter could get better-even if he did take a whole load of people with him when he died and it was his choice. In a way it's a testament to how far people are willing to go to help save their kids, even at the cost of losing life/killing others.
• I'm glad I don't have to drive a space ship, it just seems so complicated, plus if it really breaks down you almost literally have to kill yourself to get the damn thing to work again. I'm also glad I'll (hopefully) never have to land myself in the middle of a volcano to stop it erupting. Even if it does save a planet, it just seems like a rather nasty way to end one's life.
• I'd like to be an explorer like Spock and Captain Kirk. Even if I don't go to the ends of a universe, I'd still like to be able to go where no one else has gone before-just so I can stick  a flag (of my own making) in the ground I find-just to prove I'd been there and done that!

Food to help you sleep

Going off of my earlier post about the importance of sleep I thought I'd share this interesting tidbit of information. The other  day I saw  a man who is a food expert, on the Ellen DeGeneres talk show. ( I like her show so much because she seems to have the most interesting people on it.)  According to the food expert she had on her show, if you have trouble sleeping you should yawn and stretch your arms out 4 times about 30 minutes before you decide you want to go to sleep and apparently you will sleep better. (This is still supposed to work even if you have to force yourself to yawn.) Also, if you find you wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back to sleep,  if you eat two pieces of bread with nothing on them, it releases serotonin in your brain which  will help you go back to sleep again. Finally, pasta dinners also help make you sleepy although you shouldn't have any meat in it as meat/chicken makes it harder to sleep. This surprised me as I always found I slept so well on Thanksgiving  day after eating so much turkey, stuffing, vegetable etc (as I suspect most other Americans eat to excess on that day too-which is what I love about that holiday-it makes overeating excusable on just that occasion!) Anyway, if you have trouble sleeping I hope the strategies above will help! Sweet dreams! (To watch the food expert clip click here.)

Feeling sleepy?

So it really is true that movie stars can get attention for doing almost anything-even falling asleep. I saw a clip of Morgan Freeman falling asleep at an interview about a new movie he's in (if you really want to see it click here).  I think for all the flack he might get for falling asleep,  falling asleep at an interview seems to be quite a feat to me, after all there are lots of lights and people talking at you. (Granted I once fell asleep at a crowded and very loud nightclub-I was really tired but anyway...) Maybe it wasn't his finest performance ever and maybe the interview was really boring for him but I still admire the guy for pulling it together at the end and it reenforced to me how sleeping sufficiently is strangely important. No idea why but there it is... :)

So now I'm going to go to bed so I don't get caught saying "I'm huhready for my hucloosup huMr. Dumillee!" Goodnight!

Just a short message today

This is just a short message to say that I wish everyone the best and send you all my love-because it's the best gift I can think of to give to everyone. Keep smiling!

Pictures (especially cute ones) are worth 1000s of words and awwwws

I don't know about you (and maybe it's because I'm a girl) but certain photos especially of babies and animals (or baby animals for that matter,) make me smile. I found a few and post them here so they might have the same effect on others.

 (It's good to share! Especially when ice cream is involved!)

(It's good to be curious -as this little man seems to be!)

 

 (I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter and make believe you sent me a kitten too!)

(I love penguins!)

(Apparently I loved it when my dad threw me up in the air like this but it did scare the heck out of my mum!)

Something to help when things don't go as planned

I always loved the saying "When the Lord closes a door somewhere he opens a window."  Even if you don't believe in God I think it's just nice to hold on to the idea that when things don't go so well it means that something better is coming and it's just a matter of holding on until the "better" comes along. I believe that good things always come in the end, they might not come in the way I've expected them to but they've always arrived in one form or another and have given me strength. I don't think one has to be a bodybuilder to be strong, we just have to hold on and carry on!

Toy stores-Funusual!

I've always loved toy stores and today I was walking around Quincy Market (or Faneil Hall Marketplace if you want to be all official like) with a friend who introduced me to this awesome store called Funusual. Although the store was fun on it's own because it all these fun wind up toys, puzzles, silly signs to put on doors and even puppets (!) I think it was even more fun because I had a friend who was there to show me the awesomeness of it all. It just goes to show that things are more fun in general when you have someone to share the fun with! 

If you go to Funusual I'd suggest checking out the puppets, they have there own back stories. Then of course there's spinning tops and the windup toys-they're excellent things to watch go whirr when one is bored. Then there are the doormats that say things like "Come back with a warrant!" I could go on and on but I guess it suffices to say that there's still a kid stuck in me and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. After all, someone once said that old people are just young people who've been around for a bit. I totally agree and when I'm getting on in years I'll still be like that!

PS-I like the store's name best because fun should be usual!

An awesome Walk for Epilepsy today!! Thanks Boston!

Today was Boston's Walk for Epilepsy that I've been going on about on this blog. It was an amazing event! The weather was so good, the band was live (and really great!) the barbecue was scrumptious and a lot of people came! The money we raised will help fund so many programs that the Epilepsy Foundation of New England offers to help people with epilepsy. People came from all over Massachusetts to walk at John Paul II park (in Dorchester)-which is beautiful by the way. I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all.

I love the people of Massachusetts and the Epilepsy Foundation of New England for supporting people with epilepsy and helping to make lives better and even more fulfilling! 

Thank you so much to everyone who came!

Everyone can save a life!

Kids are amazing. I've seen so many examples of how in crises kids sometimes just seem to know what to do and really for all intents and purposes save the day. Here are a few:

• A 4-year-old boy knew to call 911 when his mother collapsed due to insulin shock. To read the full story click here.
•  A little boy in New Jersey who saved his dad's life. After seeing his dad have a stroke the 5-year-old knew to call his mother and to help her find them he spelled out store signs to her until she figured out where they were.  To read the full story click here.
• A 6-year-old girl in  California saved her best friend by doing the Heimlich maneuver on her when her friend was choking at lunch. To read the story click here.  
• A 9-year-old boy saved a baby's life by teaching the baby's mother how to do CPR To read the story click here
• A  10-year-old girl saved her baby nephew's life by translating CPR instructions to the baby's mother in Spanish. To read the full story click here.

As much as kids can make a big difference and save people, everyone be a hero and can save someone pretty easily. Register on your state's Organ Donor Registry! (http://www.organdonor.gov/becomingdonor/index.html. ) I realize it's a very personal thing but I joined it today just because I liked the idea that even when I'm gone a part of me will help someone live a better life. I can't think of a better legacy!

This joke is here just because I love penguins!

A man was driving down the road with twenty penguins in the back seat. The police stop him and say that he can't drive around with the penguins in the car and should take them to the zoo. The man agrees and drives off.
The next day the same man is driving down the road with twenty penguins in the back and again. He is stopped by the same police officer who says, "Hey! I though I told you to take those to the zoo."
The man replies "I did. Today I'm taking them to the movies." 

(I know the picture doesn't quite relate to the joke but I still thought the picture was funny!)

The joke came from: http://www.wnd.com/2012/12/back-seat-penguins/.

Appyhay Igpay Atinlay Ayday!

Iyay avehay ecidedday hattay odaytay isyay Igpay Atinlay Ayday! (Implysay ecausebay Iyay ancay ecideday hingstay ikelay hattay!) I ovelay Igpay Atinlay ecausebay tiyay akesmay emay eelfay llay ysteriousmay henway Iyay riteway niyay  Igpay Atinlay! Iyay ikelay akingmay eoplepay hinktay!  Osay Iyay opehay ouyay llayay adhay ayay ovelylay ayday odaytay nday Iyay ishway ouyay ayay eryvay Appyhay Igpay Atinlay Aday!!

Clue to reading this post: all I did was take the first letter of each word and put it at the end of the word and added "ay" to the ending. If the word started with a vowel I put the first letter with the letters "yay" at the end of the word. The first person to figure out what the above message says, wins....my everlasting appreciation! Happy Pig Latin Day!!

A cure for starvation!

The U.N. has apparently discovered the key to ending world hunger: BUGS! Currently, the UN is promoting feeding people with various insects. This isn't entirely unusual as according to NPR 2 billion people on this planet enjoy eating the little critters on a regular basis. (FYI: the favorite eats among this 2 billion individuals include: wasps, locusts, caterpillars, beetles and crickets.)  Plus, bugs are extremely eco-friendly and excellent sources of protein and nutrients (locusts produce about 8-20 milligrams of iron.) There are even insect-making kits to help keep the food supply going! Bugs were also used experimentally by a man in South Africa who won a prize for using them to feed chickens and salmon. Personally though, I think you'd only get me to eat bugs if I really were starving!

To read the full article where I got this information click here.

Google goes all bespectacled!

Google really is everywhere now. Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining since I know that if I didn't have Google maps on my phone I'd probably end up in God knows where when I'm trying to get to an unfamiliar location. Also, when I'm looking for information I even say "I'll just Google it" like "Google" it's synonymous with the word "search." Coincidentally I also have a Gmail account and even this blog is run by Google. (It is apparent to me that Google pretty much runs various aspects of my existence-mostly for the better though, again no complaints from me!)  Now it seems that Google has come out with Google Glass which appears to be a pair of glasses which are voice activated and interacts with the internet so you can translate stuff and take pictures and search the web. (Wow!)  (To read more about them click here.)

Although I don't have one of these Google Glass thingamajigs, the pessimistic side of me (and yes I do have some pessimistic tendencies) worries about what would happen if it didn't understand me. For example, I might go shopping with it looking for tablecloths and I'd try and tell it to look up pictures of them so I could pick out one I like before heading to the store. I can only imagine my frustration if it persisted in showing me pictures of  something like bottles of mouthwash instead! Perhaps it means I should consider taking elocution lessons as to ensure I speak extremely clearly before buying one of these glass thingys? (In fairness to Google, I'm pretty sure they've been working hard to ensure that the glasses will be very understanding instruments-though perhaps not in a therapeutic sense of course, but I guess it could look up understanding therapists on command.) 

Since I already wear glasses by prescription I can't use Google's glasses anyway.  Personally, I'd be much more impressed (and I think it would revolutionize my life) if Google came out with windshield wipers for glasses. When it rains and I have to take them off to de-fog/wipe them off just to have them get wet all over again, I've often thought how nice it would be if some gadget could just get the water off for me. Yes, I know they'd probably look bizarre but I still think it would be useful! If I could get glasses to help me see in the dark that would be pretty awesome too. Maybe I'll become an inventor and figure out how to do all that and rival Google one day.  Oh the possibilities!

You Know You Have an Awesome Mum When.....

Since I feel like I have awesome parents and love bragging about them I wanted to take this opportunity (and especially because it's Mother's Day) to brag about my mum! After all, you know you have an awesome mum when:

•  She gives up her career to take care of her kids.
• She drives over 700 miles in 12 hours to be with you when you're in a hospital outside of the state where she lives.
• She attends (along with your Dad) every single concert, school play, and soccer, basketball, and tennis match you ever played in.
• She stays up with you to help you get your homework done.
• She is willing to tell you when your answers on your homework are incorrect but won't tell you the answer until you've done some work towards figuring out where you went wrong.
• She teaches you the difference between right and wrong and also how it's important to be good to people in general and treat them with respect.
• She makes a point of reading to you in bed at night even when she's exhausted.
•  She puts up with your weird taste in music and permits you to play it (sometimes) when you're riding in her car.
• She influences you to go to college out of state because she knows that it'll help you grow in ways you can't do if you stayed home.
• She has excellent taste in fashion and ensures that you always look your best! In fact, she really does everything she can to help you be your best self all round!

There are many more reasons why I feel like my Mum is awesome and I could go on and on about it all but I suppose to end, let it suffice to say that I love my Mum very much and am very proud to be her daughter!
 

Please share this video and help the Special Olympics!

 I saw this advertisement by P&G on Facebook about the Special Olympics. Apparently, if you "share" a video they created about the Special Olympics P&G will donate $1  for every person who shares it. (To that end, please go to: https://www.facebook.com/thankyoumom) Although the Olympics in itself is inspiring I really think that the Special Olympics is even more so, not just because people with disabilities compete but because it shows how all inclusive sport can be. I think in many ways to me, the Special Olympics also shows the power that families and most of all mothers can have in helping people excel regardless of the barriers they face. I believe that while the will to excel has to come from within, that desire also has to have some sort of influence. For example, I was born with a disability and when my parents were told by a doctor that  I probably wouldn't be educable my mum wouldn't stand for that. My mum and dad had made it their mission to help me and my siblings to be whatever it was we wanted to be and they've stuck by that mission.  I think that if they hadn't done so, that doctor's prediction about my lack academic potential might have become an unfortunate reality. Thankfully, as it happens, what that doctor told my parents has in fact proven to be wrong and I'm really happy that I've done well academically.

Getting back to the Special Olympics, I have to believe that people who are talented enough to be part of that event had someone like my mum and dad behind them who believed in them and refused to give up on them even if their medical prognosis wasn't so great. There's so much people with disabilities (and people in general of course) can do in life and I think the Special Olympics embodies that idea. So I hope that everyone who reads this will share the video linked above. You can also watch it below as well. To end, what I love most about the Special Olympics is its motto: "let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt!" I'm really grateful to my mum (and dad) for helping me to be brave (and to win, of course!)

The things I learned in school....

For the most part I really liked school and my teachers. If they ever read this I hope that they'll be pleased to know that I did learn quite a lot from them. I especially liked it when they went out of their way to make learning fun. Here are some of the more amusing things I learned from them.

• Greenland was called Greenland by Erik the Red (after he got kicked out of Iceland for murder by the way,) to make it sound more appealing to other settlers. I guess he was a real trendsetter despite being an ex-con.
• If you don't know the answer to a test just write "Brazil" because according to the laws of probability there's always a chance that that will be the right answer someday. (This came from a math teacher in my high school who actually gave points on quizzes to people who wrote Brazil for an answer to a question-providing that they showed that the had done some work to answer the question but just couldn't figure out the right answer.) 
• Fizzy drinks like Coca-Cola is corrosive enough to rust a penny.
• President William Henry Harrison died after only 32 days in office. Apparently he refused to wear a jacket or hat on a really cold day when he was giving his inauguration speech. All he got for his attempt to be a "tough guy" was pneumonia and a premature death. (Gives new meaning to the phrase "you'll catch your death of cold.")
•  Things are prettier when you don't color between the lines-it's called "abstract art!"
• Creative spelling is awesome-it's basically spelling out everything phonetically-it was amusing because it helped me learn to write-even if my actual spelling remained terrible for a bit-it's improoved, right??

What I wish I could tell book characters

I love reading but certain book characters irritate me. Maybe that's why I read the beginning of the book and the end of a book and only read the middle if the beginning and the end are happy (or significantly intriguing enough to make me read the middle.I figure if the beginning and the end are sad then things only go downhill in the middle so what's the point?) Anyway, as I said certain book characters bother me and the do gooder part of me wishes I could make  their poor little fictional lives easier. If I could give these characters a piece of my mind this is what I'd tell a few of them: (Please note that some of this may be plot spoilers so I apologize in advance.)

• To Tess Durbyfield/D'urberville: Stay away from Alec D'urberville-he's bad news. Also stay away from Angel Clare-he's a wimp who'll just leave you because you aren't a virgin (Never mind the fact that he isn't a virgin either.) In fact it might be best if you  just took a vow of celibacy, it would save you so much trial and misery!
• To Frodo & Bilbo Baggins: If you want a more peaceful existence, leave off wearing jewelry-especially rings.
• To  Jane Eyre: Don't hook up with/get engaged to Mr. Rochester -he's spoken for. To Mr. Rochester: Yes your wife is insane (literally) and that you want to have a life but seriously do you have to ask another woman to marry you when you know you're still married? Tisk, tisk, tisk, it's just self, self, self for some people!
• To Edmund Pevensie: Stay away from the White Witch even if she does offer you Turkish Delight. The White Witch is more trouble than she's worth. Exhibit A: She banished Christmas. Exhibit B: She's got serious anger management issues, she turns all her enemies to stone. She'd give Voldemort a run for his money! Long story short, if you really want Turkish Delight, go to a shop.
•  To Scarlett O'Hara: Ashley is married, get over it. Go off with Rhett Butler, he's more handsome, has more brains, and is madly in love with you.
• To Oliver Twist, don't for goodness sakes ask for more food. All you'll get is more grief for it!
• To Odysseus: Don't piss off Greek Gods, they'll make it so it takes you 20 years to get home which is way too long a trip!
• To Katniss Everdeen: Gale has too much hate-all you need is love (e.g. Peetah.) 
• To Cathy Earnshaw:  It really frustrated me you didn't hook up with Heathcliffe and instead just settled for pining away for each other. What's the point of that when you could have run away together, which have been so much more romantic to me. (sigh.) 
• To Ebenezer Scrooge: Unless you want to be like that poor little bugger in The Sixth Sense and start seeing dead people in the middle of the night, be nice to your fellow man.

Even though I would love to knock some sense into the characters mentioned above, those books probably wouldn't have been even a smidgen enjoyable if I had given these people all a piece of my mind. Ah well, I guess the moral of my story is the show must go on even if it gets messy as it goes along!

Second Appeal for Boston's Walk for Epilepsy!!!

I'm a big fan of the Epilepsy Foundation of New England and although I've posted about this before, their Walk for Epilepsy is coming up on May 18th. If you'd like to participate please register here. If you preregister the cost is $10. You can also register at the event at a cost of $20.  If once you register you'd like to join a team please feel free to join the "Epilepsy Support Group" team as I'm also a member of that particular team.

The walk will start at around 10 am on the 18th and will be held at: DCR'S Pope John Paul II Park Hallet Street Entrance. Dorchester, MA 02124. 

 Again it's a really fun event with a picnic and a live band as well as popcorn and face painting for kids. I've always had a great time! This is a cause I really care about as it would raise money for services offered by the Epilepsy Foundation such as support groups, advocacy projects and workplace training about what to do if someone has a seizure. I've directly benefited from some of the Foundation's programs and I want other people to be able to have some of the awesome experiences I've had. These activities wouldn't exist without funding from donations as well as grants. Therefore (and this is the one and only time that I'll use this blog to solicit donations for a cause) even if you can't go to the walk, if you would like to donate money please feel free to do so on my profile on the Foundation's  website. If you can't donate or go to the walk, anything you can do to spread the word about the walk to friends or colleagues who might want/be able to participate would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks so much everyone in advance for your help and support!

Perhaps I would have enjoyed math more as a teen if...

 As a child/teenager I had a pretty strong dislike of math. Part of this may be due to the fact that in order to help us all to get better at math my parents enrolled me and my brother and sister into an after school math program. At the end of each month each student got a report of the progress they made that month. I remember one month they had us all in a line and my brother was first and when the instructor showed his progress line it was off the charts because he'd always been very good at math. "That's really great work!" I remember the instructor saying to him, "keep it up!" My sister was next and she was pretty good at math too so her progress line was also rising fairly well and the instructor told her to keep up the good work too. I happened to be the 3rd in line that month so when the instructor got to me and showed my progress report with a flat line, she said "Maggie, don't feel bad, there's always something to be said for consistency!" I remember distinctly bursting out laughing after she said that and feeling slightly better because at least I hadn't gotten worse. Anyway,  for whatever reason this joke below reminded me of that event and regardless I just thought the joke was funny!

A boy was teaching a girl arithmetic, he said it was his mission. He kissed her once; he kissed her twice and said, "Now that's addition." In silent satisfaction, she sweetly gave the kisses back and said, "Now that's subtraction." Then he kissed her, she kissed him, without an explanation. And both together smiled and said, "That's multiplication." Then her Dad appeared upon the scene and made a quick decision. He kicked that boy three blocks away and said, "That's long division!" (the joke came from: http://www.ajokeaday.com/Clasificacion.asp?ID=41&Pagina=3.) 

Another great quote

"I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best." -Oscar Wilde. 

Since "the best" of everything is extremely satisfying, I don't think we should settle for less! So here's to loving the best, living the best life, and most of all being the best we can be!

So much beauty....

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." -Helen Keller

It's a good thing that everyone has a heart because as Helen says, there's so much beauty in the world and it would be really horrid if we missed it all! I think the heart grows bigger every time it's touched by the beauty in the world and the goodness of people. To me, everyone has a bit of beauty inside their hearts whether it's recognized or not.  If I had one wish that could be guaranteed to be granted, I'd wish that people could find the beauty and good inside themselves and use it to help someone/help make things a little better in the world, even if it's in a small way. I think it would make me happier than anything to know that I helped make that action happen! I know,  I know, people say you aren't supposed to share wishes because if they're shared with others they won't come true but I think that's a load of crap. I think this wish is worth sharing as I'm hoping that there's more than one person out there who feels as I do and might want to help grant this wish so that it isn't just a wish but an eventual reality!

Here's to the gerbils!

 Why should pet shows just be for dogs and cats? Well, now it's the gerbils' turn! Today the American Gerbil society held it's annual pageant in Bedford, MA  to pick  America's next Top Gerbil! Apparently these cute little furry animals are judged by their agility in terms of how they can overcome obstacles (when they're put through a course they have to get through by rolling around in gerbil balls). I think it's kind of inspiring the way they're picked based on how they overcome obstacles. It makes me kind of wish other pageants for people were like that. I think I'd watch Miss America pageants religiously if I knew that the contestants had to find a way to show how they could overcome obstacles. Granted seeing a poor girl running an obstacle course in an evening dress seems rather cruel. Perhaps they could show how they could resolve a fight between friends or something, it would really show their commitment to world peace!

Anyway, the idea of this pageant for gerbils got me thinking about what, if gerbils could talk, would a gerbil say upon winning the Top Gerbil prize. In my head the acceptance speech would go something like this:

" Oh my God! I'm so excited I could spin around in seven wheels consecutively and not feel a bit worn out! (That's how impressive I am!) In fact,  first off, I'd like to thank whoever invented gerbil wheels! They've really helped me stay fit and trim to win this competition! I'd also like to thank the people who invented vegetable pellets because they're yummy and of course I'd like to thank my owner for buying me the yummy pellets and the wheels! (Although I suspect she does it because I've got her wrapped around my little paw.) To end, I'd just like to say: long live gerbils because we rock and roll!"

Fun children's games

Going off of my last post since I don't want to grow up and kids like to play games I thought I'd write about 3 of the games I liked to play when I was younger.

• I really liked a game called "The Ha Ha Game." You need at least 6 people for it to work well. All participants lay down in a line and each person lays their head on another person's stomach. If there are 6 people for example, the first person starts out by saying "ha" and then the next person says "ha ha," third person: "ha ha ha" and it goes on down the line with each person saying one more "ha" than the person before them. The point is to get all the way down to the last person without actually laughing-which is virtually impossible to do but that's precisely why the game so great! Laughter is the best medicine for everything!
  To get a visual image of the game watch the video below: 

 

 

• Another game I liked was Marco Polo which I found to be more fun when played in a swimming pool for some reason. It can be played with 2 people or (optimally) more with 1 person (who is the designated "it" person) closing their eyes and calling out "Marco!" The rest of the participants are supposed to shout "Polo" and then the person who is "it' has to catch someone else by following their voice. The person that get's caught first is the next person to be "it." 
• A final game I liked was "telephone." At least 4 people are needed for this game. All people playing the game stand in a line and the first person whispers a short message in the ear of the next person and the next person has to whisper the message to the third person exactly as it was given to them by the first person. The goal is to get to the end of the line and have the last person be able to repeat the first person's message word-for-word. I liked this game because by the time the message got to the end it was usually a lot funnier than when it started!

 So if you have kids you need to entertain/you feel like the kid inside you needs some entertainment my hope is that these examples prove to be useful!

Growing up is overrated...

 I don't think I'll ever grow up. Now this doesn't mean I won't gain a small measure of maturity but I hope that I never lose the kid in me that still thinks Big Bird is awesome, that refuses to go to bed on time (perhaps to the cost of my health but oh well....) and still likes playing with slinkies every now and again. A song that I think embodies this sentiment is "I Won't Grow Up!" from the play Peter Pan. The lyrics are below and I hope they inspire people to rebel and never let the kid inside leave you!  (Please note that I didn't include the whole song because it's long. Even though the song is written for a boy to sing I think the essence of the song still applies to everyone!)

I Won't Grow Up

I won't grow up,
I don't want to go to school
Just to learn to be a parrot,
And recite a silly rule.
If growing up means
It would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree,
I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up
Not me!
Not I,
Not me!
 
I won't grow up,
I don't want to wear a tie.
And a serious expression
In the middle of July.
And if it means I must prepare
To shoulder burdens with a worried air,
I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up
Not me,
Not I,
Not me!
So there!
 
Never gonna be a man,
I won't!
Like to see somebody try
And make me.
Anyone who wants to try
And make me turn into a man,
Catch me if you can!
I won't grow up.
Not a penny will I pinch.
I will never grow a mustache,
Or a fraction of an inch.
'Cause growing up is awfuller
Than all the awful things that ever were!
I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up,
No sir,
Not I,
Not me,
So there!

I won't grow up!
I will never even try
I won't grow up!
I will never grow a day
And if someone tries to make me
I will simply run away!
 

Amusing absent minded people.....

Ok, so sometimes I can be a bit absent minded but after seeing the following  joke I didn't feel so bad about occasionally being slightly less attentive. Anyway, the joke made me laugh quite hard I have to admit!

"Three absent minded writers were busy discussing a writing project on the platform, while waiting for the train. The announcement was made, and the train finally arrived. There was complete panic among eagerly waiting passengers as the train made its way to the platform. Passengers rushed inside the train, and the train left. However, one of the writers was not able to catch the train in the confusion.

A passerby who saw all this came up to the writer and told him not to worry and catch the next available train. The writer replied, “I am not worried for myself, but the real problem is that I was the one who was suppose to catch the train, and the other two people in my group who went on the train, had actually come to the station to see me off!"

Read more jokes: http://www.ajokeaday.com/LosUltimosChistes.asp?Pagina=3#ixzz2S6Ijb8e4