Happy Rare Disease Day

I feel like celebrating! It's Rare Disease Day and it's a day I'm actually really excited about. I'm excited because it's a day that raises awareness for all rare diseases and is happens I do have a rare disease called hydrocephalus. Quick science lesson: everyone has fluid that cushions your brain and spinal cord, sometimes in babies like me or in people who have a traumatic brain injury, the fluid enters the brain (which is what gives hydrocephalus its name- literally translated it means water on/in the brain) and makes the brain expand. Never fear, there is treatment for it, a tube with a valve on one end is put into the brain has been successful in getting (and keeping) the fluid out. Best of all, my brain has been kept fluid-free by such a tube. Fun fact: Roald Dahl, (the man who wrote kids books like Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach) had a son who had this disorder  and so he helped make a shunt called the "Wade -Dahl-Till valve shunt" and it helped his son and I suspect many other people get well. So not only was Road Dahl an awesome author, he helped save lives!

Anyway, all that aside I'd like to celebrate Rare Disease Day because it brings more awareness and maybe even cures to illnesses. Although I like holidays and am choosing to celebrate this one, it is one holiday I hope that one day we won't need anymore. I hope I'll see the day when there aren't many diseases left to deal with. As it stands, I'm using this day to put the "ease" back in disease! I figure that if I can find some good things about having a rare condition then at least to me it's easier to have. I think the biggest thing I've learned from having hydrocephalus is that it's helped me to have a lot of faith in people. My family and friends have always supported me through everything and that was something I've always known that I can count on. I'm really grateful to all of them as they've done so much for me in helping to make having a medical condition seem like a walk in the park! (To read more about Rare Disease Day click here.

Maggie takes a selfie!

I'm really happy tonight because the organization I work for, (and am very proud to be a part of as it seeks to ensure people have access to the best quality health care, ) Community Catalyst  got an award for its services to the MassEquality advocacy organization. While I was at the awards ceremony  I met some really great people including the two of the event's volunteers in the picture below who are part of a group called the Boston Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. They are also a non profit and I really like this group's principles which are: service, education, and activism to support the LGBT community. To me, this group and the two people I met are all about doing good and helping all people live full and happy lives. In any case, these two individuals' spirit and cheeriness really brightened my day and so I got into the selfie craze and took a picture with them. They made the ceremony even more fun and I hope they continue to spread happiness everywhere!

Welcome!

After successfully auditioning, I recently joined the Liberty Belle Chorus which is a competitive singing group in Arlington, MA.  After I passed my audition I suddenly received e-mails from chorus members welcoming me into the group. For whatever reason, I never really thought before about how good it feels just to be welcomed somewhere. Whether it's into a group, or being welcomed home by one's family after a trip, it's so nice to know that people are happy you're there and that you belong with them. I hope everyone always feels welcome somewhere. Even though I may not be able to welcome you in person, I'm really happy you came to this blog and you'll always be welcome here. I hope that you enjoy reading it. As always I wish you the very best!

An inexperienced heart

"The heart is forever inexperienced." -Henry David Thoreau

Although I've had a lot of experiences already and I hope for many more, I hope that my heart will always be the one part of me that remains at least somewhat inexperienced just because I believe that there are so many different kinds of love that there will always be a new kind to experience. To all who read this, I hope that love finds you in new ways throughout your life. I may never meet you but I still feel that when I write posts on this blog, I put a bit of my heart in each post and through my words I send my love to everyone who reads this.

Audrey Hepburn was thoughtful!

"I decided, very early on, just to accept life unconditionally; I never expected it to do anything special for me, yet I seemed to accomplish far more than I had ever hoped. Most of the time it just happened to me without my ever seeking it."-Audrey Hepburn

I always liked Audrey Hepburn's movies and although I realize she was just playing a part, this quote seems to fit how I thought she might be like in reality. I like the quote because a I feel like so many good things have happened to me in ways that I better than I could have thought possible. Often, as Audrey says these things come randomly. This doesn't mean I don't work for good things to happen but the spontaneity of some good things make life more exciting for me. Regardless, even if we aren't Audrey Hepburns, I still think everyone is a star to me as I feel everyone's spirit shines brightly without even trying.

How I learned to appreciate country music

One of my friends was giving me a lift home today and it became apparent that she's a big fan of country music. I'm not always a fan of it (I guess I get that from my Dad who says that if you sing a country song backwards, the wife comes back to the cowboy, his pickup truck doesn't break down and his dog comes back. No offense to country music lovers.) That aside, I found that the songs that we listened to weren't bad. Although it didn't play on the radio during the car trip with my friend, I do like the song "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw (listen here). If you haven't heard it, it's a man singing about what he'd do if he was told his last days were coming more quickly than expected. I like the song's message of the need to live life to the fullest. In many ways listening to country music was a bit of living life to the fullest for me because it was something I didn't do a lot and I'm glad I had the new experience. Plus it's fun that a friend shared that with me because doing something seems so much nicer to me when it's done with a friend. So here's a toast: To new music, new experiences and good friends!

Things I believe in

For whatever reason I've been thinking more about things I believe in and just because I can, I thought I'd list some of the things I believe in. I figure writing them down makes it more official! (The list is in no particular order.)

*Love-it's the best thing there is.

*God- I like the idea that when I feel like everything in my life is crazy at least there's always something there to help me get by.

*My family- I love them. Enough said.

*My friends because I love them too.

*Myself-I feel like if I don't believe in myself then what can I believe in?

*Laughter- it's the best medicine!

*Being happy-  choosing to find something to be happy about helps me get through things- and write this blog of course.

*Having fun! It's one of the many things that makes life worth living! 

*Public transportation. It's revolutionized my life!

*People in general because there's a bit of awesomeness in everyone!

One great thing about humans!

One thing that makes me feel so good about being human is that people have a tendency to help each other, even to go as far as saving the lives of random strangers. Here are some stories from this year that make me feel good that I"m part of a race of beings that helps save each other.

Last night a photo journalist got out of her car on a crowded highway to help a woman who was screaming that her baby wasn't breathing. There must have been a police vehicle/station close by because while the mother was performing CPR on her baby the journalist ran through traffic to get help from emergency officials. The baby is now in the hospital in stable condition. (To read the story click here.)

Two from Indianapolis saved the life of another man who was trapped in a burning building. The two men saw that a house close by them was burning and went to see if they could help.Somehow they realized someone was trapped in there. Although they had to break down the door to do it, the two men were able to get the injured man out.(To read the story click here.)

Earlier in January a woman from California saved the life of a woman whose car had flipped over also on a highway. This was actually the second time the woman had saved someone in that way. In 2011 saved a man by pulling him out of his car that had had flipped over and burst into flames. (To read her story click here.)


All this makes me think of a Jewish text that's often cited that says that if you save one life you save the whole world. I like that idea because it shows how everyone can save the world. Go humanity!

Things I'd fight for

If I were to take up a cause and fight for it, I could get all moral and say I'd fight for the rights of people with disabilities or I'd fight against world hunger or something like that (and yes I'd really fight for those things). However I thought it would be interesting to find out about odd things that have been banned  that I could  fight  for. The things below are worth fighting for to me!

• Scrabble was banned in Romania during the reign of Nicolae Ceausescu. I happen to be rather good at Scrabble, if it was banned I'd seriously make my own scrabble board and letters and start playing it outside the house of whoever banned it. (Yes I'd probably get arrested but at least I'd have something to do in jail-providing I could teach the other prisoners to play it with me and I wasn't in solitary confinement.)
• The book Where the Wild Things Are- I really liked this kid's book! It was banned in the 1960s. How monstrous!
•  Happy Meal toys- I realize that it's trying to stop kids from eating fast food but the toys were just so fun when I was little.
• Lemonade stands are banned in some states because they're "unlicensed enterprises"-gosh people really are out to make kids' lives less fun. Plus it takes away a parent's learning tool-when parents tell their kids "when life gives you lemons make lemonade" the kid could fire back "but only if you have a license to do so!" 
• A New Jersey school banned hugging as a violation of personal space. Why ban hugging? I'm almost tempted to go start a random hug event outside the school. 

So if you're fighting for any of the more current bans to be lifted I salute you! Keep fighting the good fight!

The first Cracker Jack prize was created today!

Today in 1913 for the first time a prize was inserted into a box of Cracker Jacks. Although I didn't really eat Cracker Jacks as a kid, I used to really like getting prizes out of cereal boxes as a kid. There was something nice about the idea that once my family finished a box of cereal there might be a prize left in it. Sometimes as an impatient kid I seriously thought about simply dumping out all the cereal, get the prize out and have done with it. I never acted on this idea although it was tempting. I think a part of me wanted to keep the surprise the way it was meant to be. I remember pulling a plastic cereal spoon out of one box once and thinking it was so cool because it changed color when it got wet. To me sometimes little surprises are the best. Even though I might not look for prizes in cereal boxes so much anymore, I still do look and hope for little surprises on a daily basis. For example, the other day I found that my workplace had hot chocolate for common use in the staff kitchen. To me it was a nice surprise because it meant that there was something warm and sweet waiting for me if I ever forgot to bring my own hot drink. It is little things like that, that when I find them, make me happy and in this case, warmer!

 

My Fair Lady Was Registered today

One of my favorite movie musicals My Fair Lady was registered today in 1957. Although I do admit it's a very long musical, it has always made me feel happy. I really like the songs in it, especially "I Could Have Danced All Night" because it's romantic and because I hope that at some point in life everyone feels so happy they could indeed dance all night! I also like the song   "Without You" because to me  the song is about how the main character, Eliza Dolittle finally realizes she can be her own person, stand on her own two feet, and that she's not going to let anyone hold her back. Even if you don't dance all night (as it does get rather tiring) I hope that you do follow your goals like Eliza did  and just bloomin' don't give up!

Fun Facts about George Washington

Since it's Presidents Day, a day to recognize George Washington, I thought it would be interesting to point out some of the more interesting facts about the man. I just think that the following facts make him seem even more interesting in my eyes. So for your viewing/historical pleasure, here are some things I found out about one of my country's Founding Fathers:

 From Scholastic.com:

• He really liked hound dogs and had one that he named Sweet Lips.
• He never lived in Washington, during his time the nation's capital was New York City and Philadelphia (later)  respectively.  

From Washington's World 

• He came up with the greeting of "Mr. President."
• He personally wrote over 20,000 letters-more than any other president. (If he lived today I wonder how many e-mails he'd have sent out.) 
• He fired the first shot of the French and Indian War (Well someone had to start it!)

From About.com

• Washington's second inaugural address was the shortest ever given- 135 words. (I guess he really believed in the idea that a good speech is a short speech!) 
• Washington grew marijuana on his farm. (No, he didn't inhale it. Apparently, back in his day people grew it as a soil stabilizer and for hemp.)

From classroomhelp.com 

• At one point he was the largest whiskey maker in Virginia. (Wow, he made booze and grew marijuana -what a rebel!)
• The story of George cutting down a cherry tree isn't true. (I didn't like the idea of him cutting down his dad's favorite tree anyway.)
• During the Revolutionary War he banned his soldiers from using curse words. (Even if they did kill people at least they weren't foul mouthed about it, thanks to him.)

Everyone should have a chance to read no matter where you are

I love reading and so I was pleased when I was recently able to help some people read too albeit indirectly The other day I went and volunteered at Prison Book which is an organization that works out of in Quincy, MA that provides books to people who are incarcerated. Prison Book gets letters from people in jails all over the country asking for books and the organization mails the books to them. The books are donated from individuals and Lucy Parsons Bookstore as prisons largely require that donated books have to come from bookstores. Prison Book rents out space from the United First Parish Church which is where I went to volunteer. Fun fact: two US Presidents -John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams are buried in the church, which is pretty cool to me.

Anyway, I went to the church and helped wrap up books to send off to the people that ordered them. I met some great people who were working there and the idea that I was doing something that helped people read and have something to look forward to was a nice feeling for me. I think that no matter who you are what your situation might be, reading is something everyone should be able to do. The thing I love most about books is that when I'm reading them I feel free, like anything is possible. I hope that the books I wrapped up help give that feeling to someone else because it feels so good.

Prison Book is always looking for volunteers and you can pretty much just show up on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-9pm at 1306 Hancock Street, Suite 100, Quincy, MA 02169.  (Although if it is your first visit they like it if you get there at 6). They also have special Saturday hours once a month (The next one is Mach 15 from10AM-4PM.)If you have a big group who would like to help out they ask that you call 617-423-3298. Volunteering for Prison book was a great experience for me and I hope even more people do it because reading is a gift for everyone.

Happy Birthday to my Dad

Today is my dad's birthday and so I thought I'd share my favorite memory of time spent with my dad. One of my earliest memories is of riding in an old British sports car car with my dad to get doughnuts. Every so often when I was about five or six my dad would take me out in his TR3 car which he only took me out in on those specific days because it made getting doughnuts more special. I remember liking how the wind went through my hair and how I felt like I was a bird. We always used to go to this doughnut shop which I remember specifically because it had chairs that I'd spin around in until I felt giddy. Then we'd get the doughnuts and take them home to my mum and siblings. It may not seem like that big of an event (or series of events) but I still remember it because it was fun and it was something my dad and I loved to do together. Even though I live apart from my family I still remember that time and I feel closer to them. So happy birthday dad!

Valentine's Day Music

According to Shakespeare music is the food of love so in that spirit, here is some music I like to listen to on Valentine's Day.

• L-O-V-E -Nat King Cole-It's classy and spells out out someone's love for someone else which is nice! (listen here)
• At Last-Etta James-It's nice when love finds you! (listen here.)
• I Just Love You-Five for Fighting- think it's about a father's love for his daughter which is sweet! (listen here)
• For Once In My Life-Stevie Wonder- it's just so happy which is the way love should be! (listen here)
• Come Rain or Come Shine-Norah Jones- love is rainproof! (listen here)
• Here Come Those Eyes-Chris Rice-it's relaxing and it describes falling for someone pretty well! (listen here).
• Love Me Tender-Norah Jones- I realize this is an Elvis classic but this version sounds really pretty! (listen here).
• Dream a Little Dream of Me- Mama Cass-If you're far away from someone you love I believe they're still with you, especially in dreams (Listen here).
•  Somebody to Love-Queen (as sung by Anne Hathaway) - Everybody needs somebody to love. (listen here).
• You got what I need-Joshua Radin- As long as you have love you have something everyone needs! (listen here). 

Funny Valentine's!

I think love is a funny thing and as such, I came across some Valentine's day -themed jokes that I thought were funny!

1. What did the valentines day card say to the stamp? Stick with me and you'll go places!

2. Did you hear about the romance in the tropical fish tank? It was a case of guppy love.

source: http://www.jokes4us.com/holidayjokes/valentinesdayjokes/valentinesdayjokes.html

3. Q: Why is lettuce the most loving vegetable? A: Because it's all heart!

4. Q: What did the cholcolate syrup say to the ice cream? A: "I'm sweet on you!"

Source: http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/valentines/jokes.php

5.  What did the boy owl say to the girl owl on Valentine's Day? Owl be yours! http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/valentines-day-jokes

Olympic sports I'd like to be able to compete in

As the Olympics is happening, it got me thinking of sports I'd like to compete in if I had amazing athletic ability. Here are some Olympic sporting events (some of which aren't Olympic sports anymore but I still think they're cool)  I'd like to take part in (from both the winter and summer Olympics)

• The Luge: I just like the idea of jumping in a big sled and going down a slide at a bgililion miles an hour. In Michigan where I'm from there's a big sledding hill (well it seemed big enough when I was little) by our house and my siblings and I would rush up it and slide down-it's the closest I've come to a luge but it'll do.  I  I realize the luge is rather dangerous especially because steering might be a problem for me but I figure sometimes living a little dangerously can be rather fun!
• High Diving: I like jumping off diving boards. I don't have a lot of depth perception so I don't always know quite how high up I am and I figure if one doesn't know how high up one is then it can't be so frightening. Plus, I like the way people who are really good at diving can do all those cool back flips and such. I think that would be fun.
• Figure skating-it just looks so pretty. Plus, I'd love to learn how to spin like a top without going giddy!
• Fencing-I always wanted to fight Jack Sparrow!
• Tug of war-yes it was an Olympic sport once. I like a good tug of war, especially with a sheepdog my family once had-he'd beat any Olympian hands down!

To the people who are Olympians if you read this I wish you the very best! I may not be the most athletic but I'll endeavor to be brave and strong like you.

Be Electrific!

I was really amused to see that someone had established the word "electrific" in honor of Thomas Edison's birthday. To me being electrific is to be full of energy and light which is how I'd like to be. I'm rather glad the word electrific was created as it's less shocking than describing oneself as electrified which would be disturbing in every sense. Anyway, I hope being electrific becomes a trend so there can be more light and energy everywhere. For now, at the very least I'm thankful to Edison for inventing the lightbulb so I can see well enough to write this!

Outtakes!

I'm quite taken with outtakes (or tapes of mistakes celebrities make when they're filming a movie or TV show)  mostly because when I need a good laugh they're fun to watch and it's refreshing to know that celebrities can laugh at their mistakes and have fun doing so. For your viewing pleasure here are some of my favorite outtakes from TV shows and movies.

Here are outtakes from the Ellen DeGeneres show from a commercial that she and Sofia Vergara were shooting for Cover Girl. Sofia's too funny and combined with Ellen the whole things is hilarious!

 

Bloopers from the movie Enchanted-even princesses mess up their lines sometimes. 

The Devil Wears Prada bloopers-I think God might laugh at them too!

Best Day of My Life!

I've heard yet another new song today. (Ok it's probably not all that new in reality but it's new to me.) The song is called "Best Day Of My Life" and it's by the group American  Authors. I like the song's lyrics as they inspired me to start off each day like it is/will be the best day of my life. I like what the song says about never looking back or giving up and how people dance through the night. As the song suggests, I want to dance a little each day even if it's just in my head. The future does hold so many awesome things and I want to seize them all without looking back!

Wherever you are, I hope that you've had many really wonderful days. Somehow I know there are still more yet to come and I keep hope alive for when such days arrive. After all, to me, hoping for something makes life fun! 

To listen to the song follow this link: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y66j_BUCBMY

I have a soft spot for people who fall even at the Olympics

I was watching the Olympics today and I saw a ski jumper fall as he was landing on the ground after jumping. Watching it my friend and I winced when we saw the guy fall and yet I was thinking about how weird it was that I admired the guy more for falling. It's not that I wanted him to fall, I didn't want that at all, it's just that it reminds me that everyone falls sometimes. I feel people are better because they fall. I think about winning and I think about how it might not feel so good if people won without facing any setbacks.

Watching the skier reminded me of a commercial I saw recently about how moms help their kids get back up. I also remember seeing another story about a man in one of the summer Olympics who fell when he was running. What was moving about the story was how he insisted on finishing the race and walking the rest of the way to the finish line with the help of his father who ran out on to the track to help his son. To me, these people are still winners because they got to the Olympics and I know that their hard work will pay off. I cheer most for the people that fall because they always get back up again!

Home should be a little bit of Eden

I met someone today from Guyana (which is on South America's north coast for those who are geographically challenged like myself) who described his homeland as the Garden of Eden. I have to admit that I'm inclined to agree with him as the pictures I've seen of Guyana do look really beautiful. Even if one doesn't live in a place like Guyana I still feel like a home is somewhere that should be like a sanctuary as Eden was supposed to be. Growing up, I remember thinking of my home as somewhere where I knew that no matter what happened that day, when I came home to my family I'd feel safe and loved. While I live away from my family now, I still see my apartment as a peaceful place. I hope everyone can think of their home as a similar peaceful place and in that sense, a little bit of Eden too.

This is the Kaieteur Falls in Guyana-I thought it was really pretty.  Photo source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GuyanaKaieteurFalls2004.jpg

Things I just plain don't understand

It's amazing how there's so much to learn and so much that leave me absolutely befuddled.  (By the way I really like the word befuddled I've decided, it has a strange and yet fun ring to it.) Anyway, as I was saying, there are a whole bunch of things that I can't seem to figure out so I thought I"d write them down as incentive to figure out why things are the way they are (or alternately get someone nice to explain things!) So here's my random list of things I just don't understand.

• Why is eggplant called eggplant? I mean, it doesn't look like an egg and it doesn't taste like an egg either and it doesn't have an egg attached to it in any physical way. Plus, I have yet to see a chicken lay an eggplant, or a chicken come out of an eggplant for that matter. (I'll be really impressed if that ever happens.) The only thing I can think of is that someone must have just decided that calling something "plant" wasn't enough so they stuck the word "egg" in the name to make it slightly more interesting.
• Why more things aren't catered to the needs of left handed people?! The other day I managed the amazing feat of finding a birthday card for my dad (who like me and all my siblings, is left handed) that opens to the left for left handed people! (I'm very excited about this!)
• Why is it that the musical alphabet stops at the letter "G." There are 88 keys on a piano so I'm sure that they could have used up all  26 letters of the alphabet but I guess stopping at G makes things less complicated but I still think they could have at least gone up to M-it just has a nice sound to it!
• What is the purpose of a feather duster if it doesn't live up to its name? I have yet to see someone dust a feather. 
• Why my jar of peanut butter has a warning sign under its nutrition facts saying it "contains peanuts." 

Despite the fact that so many things remain inexplicable to me, one thing that has always somehow made sense to me is love, because it's everywhere and it never fails to amaze me.

Way to bounce back!

I love to hear when people bounce back after going through something really hard. I heard of two stories today where people who have gone through a lot in a fairly short amount of time still bounce back. While watching the Ellen show I saw an interview Ellen did with a family whose son was found to have a massive tumor in his brain. Six weeks after undergoing 4 brain surgeries and 6 weeks of 33 radiation treatments the boy went skiing!

I also read about a woman who, while training to take part in a triathlon,  had been hit by a car driven by an unlicensed driver. It was feared that she'd never walk again. The next year, with the help of her boyfriend who pushed her wheelchair through a half-marathon, the woman walked across the finish line. After a lot of training this past year, the woman was able to walk the whole half marathon on her own last Sunday. (To read her story click here.)

These stories make me think that as long as people keep going I don't think there's a limit to the awesome things people can accomplish, which is one of the many things I love about humanity. Hooray for the resilience of people! Keep rocking on!

Funny signs

I've seen signs posted in random places in doctors' offices and sold in stores that have made me laugh a lot. I thought I'd share them.

• "If you are grumpy, obnoxious or just plain rude, you will be charged $(insert amount of money) for dealing with you." I saw this quote on a sheet of paper on the wall in a doctor's office somewhere and thought it was funny. I figure if it gets more people to be pleasant then it's amazing!
• I don't actually know where the sign below is from but I saw it on the internet and thought it was sweet although I have a suspicion that hyper children with puppies would be difficult to handle!

  

  Photo from: http://izismile.com/2010/04/22/funny_signs_about_unattended_kids_.html

   
• One of my really good friends saw this sign below in a store and couldn't resist holding it-I like to think there's a rebel in all of us! (With our without a cause!)

 Whatever signs might be in your life, I hope that you feel more cheerful for seeing them!

 

 

 

 

Odd contest prizes

I have never won a sweepstakes competition, granted I've never entered a sweepstakes competition which would of course be the first step towards winning one-minor detail. Why am I thinking about this now? Well this morning I needed a Band Aid (or an elastoplast to all you Brits who might be actually reading this.) Anyway I couldn't find one so it got me thinking of how nice it would be to have a lifetime supply of those wonderfully useful healing helpers  that I could have on hand in crucial moments. All this of course got me thinking about the best (and perhaps slightly odd) things I'd like to win if I entered a sweepstakes competition. The list is as follows:

• A lifetime supply of trail mix-it might be a bad idea considering I'm semi addicted to the stuff but it is a marvelous thought.
• Books of crossword puzzles-increases brainpower plus it supposedly wards off Alzheimer's disease which is incentive enough to do crossword puzzles like they're going out of style.
• A good umbrella that refuses to blow inside out no matter what. I haven't yet found such a thing but I'm sure it exists.
• A Volkswagen Beetle-I always wanted that type of car mostly because I like how at one point they were sold with vases of flowers on the dashboard which I still think is cool. Never mind the fact that I can't drive-I'd get a friend to drive me in exchange for good company (and money of course.) 
• An unlimited amount of matching socks-I always seem to lose socks and end up with socks that don't match -which can be quirky but is slightly irritating after a while. (It may be the result of doing laundry in a laundromat-if people are stealing my socks in the laundry and are reading this, this message is a plea to get them back as I quite literally am missing them!)
• Free movie tickets for two for a year. I like going to the cinema and I'd like it if I could invite a friend each time to come with me! (So I'd always have someone to laugh with when the movies are funny and complain about it if the movie is bad!)

Even if I never win any of this stuff I think I'll start entering sweepstakes now just to see what happens!

Things a person who still doesn't understand football can actually appreciate about the Super Bowl

Ok so I still don't think I have the greatest understanding of American football other than that the game  involves two groups of men running at each other at high speed to grab at a ball that one of them is clutching for dear life, that a touch down is really good and worth 6 points and then they have to kick the ball again to get the 7th point. Why touch downs aren't 7 points I don't know.  Anyway, even though I may not know everything there is to know about football I actually liked watching the Super Bowl this year for the following reasons:

• As always, it's fun to watch it with friends and cheer like the teams can hear us
• Some of the commercials are actually funny (and this is coming from someone who hates commercials.)
• I liked how this year they saluted the soldiers overseas and included messages from them to their families at home. 
• The half time show is pretty good and this year was no exception with Bruno Mars and fireworks. Big events seem even bigger with fireworks and I like Bruno Mars!
• Since I'm impartial as to who wins, I'm really happy for whichever team wins!

National Freedom Day!

Today in 1865 Abraham Lincoln signed the13th Amendment outlawing slavery and it became law. The idea that there is a National Freedom Day got me thinking about all the things I'm free to do (that I actually like/would like to do.) I've recorded a list of some of the things I thought of. Since I think celebrations should always be fun, the list below is created in that spirit!

Things I feel glad I'm free to do

• Travel
• Wear clothes I like
• Eat egg rolls!
• Listen to music I like (such as the song below)
• Get my ears pierced (still haven't done it yet!)
• Sleep late on weekends
• Read books -still haven't finished Les Miserables by the way
• Watch guilty pleasure shows like Downton Abbey/Scandal
• Protest about something (haven't figured out what issue to get a bee in my bonnet about yet but when I do I'll protest about it!)
• Write this blog!