Observations/Conclusions/Ponderings

Observation #41

2008-05-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry that these posts are so few and far between, but I only write when I have inspiration and when I'm interested in what I have to say. Quality above Quantity, you know?

Speaking of bicyclists, that makes me think of the other cyclists I resent: motorcyclists. Now, if you love motorcycles, I don't hate you. But quite frankly, motorcycles aren't cool. NOW WAIT! Let me tell you why.

Motorcycles are supposed to be soooo cool. But when you really think them over, you'll realize they aren't. First, they're noisy, trying to compensate for how exposed the rider is to the world around him/her. They make a bunch of racket and for what, I ask? To draw attention to itself? The largest motorcycle is smaller than the smallest compact car. (Also, the bigger they get, the more the rider looks like he/she is doing the splits...really uncool.) Second, motorcyclists, like bicyclists, rely heavily on other drivers. The cars have to be very careful that they don't collide with the proud motorcyclist because if one does...the rider could die almost instantaneously! Cars have to go out of their way to give room for the motorcycles because if they don't, the rider could be easily injured! I hate it when I see a motorcyclists zipping through lanes of traffic, passing in front of cars and riding between the cars along the dotted lines. And you know why? Because like all reckless car drivers, motorcyclists who drive like that put the responsibility of their lives and safety on the car drivers around them. Like a drunken bafoon who jumps off of a tower and screams "Help me, Superman!" waiting for Clark Kent to hear his scream (Superman has super hearing, remember that Lois & Clark where some tramp calls for help when she doesn't need it and leaves lipstick on his suit and Lois finds it and is all "WHAT THE HECK"??), then rush out of his house (start recording 30 Rock) and save him! The cars, like Superman, have to dodge and beware of the little motorcyclists at all costs!

Last, I hate how motorcycles, for however little they are, can take up an ENTIRE PARKING SPACE! THAT AIN'T RIGHT Y'ALL!!

I'm done...but don't get me started on those super dependent motorcyclists who don't wear helmets or protective clothing! They're worse than Peach getting caught over and over again by Bowser and waiting for Mario to save her and the best she gives poor Mario in return is a kiss on the nose and a crumby cake. She is testing her luck for next time...believe me, boy...

Observation #40

2008-05-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

It's the big Four-O and it's a good one. Bicyclists. I hate 'em. And so does every other driver. I mean, just think about it. You're in traffic, driving along, when suddenly, with no warning, a bicyclist is right in front of you! You feel anxious, worried, and nervous all around. You want to give the cyclist more space because you're afraid you'll bump into the cyclist and KILL HIM/HER!! But you can't give the cyclist more room because the left-hand lane has a car driving in it. So you bite your lip and squint your eyes and drive faster to pass the little bugger up. You finally do, and to your delight, you've made it safely away without hurting anyone! Until you get to the stop light, that is. Then the cyclist catches up, drives through the red light (BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY DON'T HAVE TO OBEY THE LAWS OF TRAFFIC), and ends up in front of you again!!!!!!!!

Now isn't that crazy? YOU end up feeling vulnerable in your giant car beside a weeny, little BICYCLIST! When you drive past one, you feel like they're all around you--beside you, a little in front of you, behind you, and IN YOUR WAY! YOU FEEL LIKE A GIANT ELEPHANT TRYING NOT TO STEP ON AN ANT ON THE PAVEMENT!! Ahem. All I'm saying is: that's a crazy relationship. And that's a great observation. ^_^

Observation #39

2007-12-10T21:37:00.000-08:00

"Rain, rain, go away, come again another day." Ridiculous. Who thought up that kid's rhyme? Kids? That's like asking someone, "Don't punch me today, instead punch me tomorrow." How about, "Rain, rain, blow away, don't come back or I'll beat you back to yesterday"? Yeah, yeah, "but Danielle, isn't rain good?" I'm only arguing according to the logic of the song. "But aren't they acknowledging it's necessary by only postponing it?" Point taken.

Observation: I talk to myself.

Observation #38

2007-09-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

The Parent Trap movies were both pretty good in my opinion. One thing I noticed almost immediately when I saw the remake with Dennis Quaid and Lindsay Lohan was that in the older movie (with Maureen O'Hara), the mom had red hair and the twins had blonde hair. In the remake, the mom has blonde hair and the twins have red hair. I remember thinking, "If only the moms could switch places so the twins would look like them." Strange, but true.

Observation #37

2007-09-17T16:56:00.001-07:00

Batman and Daredevil. Both comic book superheros, both are now in live action films. After finding out Daredevil was a literally blind guy with super powers, I realized their names should be reversed. Afterall, bats are blind. So, Daredevil should be called "Batman". It's not as if Batman has any reason to refer to himself as the "Batman" when he has nothing to do with bats except that there are some living in his filthy cave. Ok, ok, I like Batman, he's one of my favorite superheros. But he should really call himself "Daredevil" and allow Daredevil to use a name that will actually make sense.

Observation #36

2007-09-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

Now, don't get me wrong, I love driving safe. I dislike going over the speed limit, I like to leave plenty of room between the car I'm driving and someone else's, but what I can't abide is when people won't drive up to the line at a stop light. It looks like they're afraid to be first in line so they've decided they'll be second to some ghost car. Maybe they think it's safer that way, but I still think it's pretty nerdsy.

Some of you may say, "Oh, well, she's only saying this because she finally has her driver's license and thinks she knows everything." Well, that is very true, but actually, I've always felt this way. When I was in my early teens, I first noticed this and I promised myself on my dog's bones I would never do that. Well, I didn't promise on my dog's bones, but I did promise. And I've kept it.

So next time you think, "Oh, maybe I'll stop way back here before the line" at a stop light, remember other people think you're seeing a ghost car in front of you and are probably on their cell phones calling the nearest asylum.

Observation #35

2007-09-12T16:56:00.001-07:00

Is anybody really smarter than anyone else? Seriously think about this. Obviously some geniuses do inhabit this earth, but I think the main chunk of the population is smart. Everybody really. Except maybe people who have real mental problems. Think about it, doctors are only doctors because they were taught things that somebody else discovered! They went to college and got their degree. Doesn't mean they're smarter than the rest of us. If the rest of us had gone to college for a doctorate in medicine, we'd be doctors too. Obviously you have to work hard to get there, but the average person who works hard and doesn't psych himself out can do whatever he wants if he goes to college.

So why do some people seem dumb? How come some people get D's in school, you say? Well, either they aren't trying or they aren't being taught in their learning style. If you look at the statistics, most of the population is around the same in I.Q. tests. (Personally, I don't trust those tests because if you never went to school, you'll do poorly, but it doesn't mean you aren't smart...you just haven't been taught.) Some people are "fast learners" just because they happened to have the same learning style as the professor who was teaching them.

The only thing that makes someone termed "smart" more intelligent than you is that they've had either more training or they've absorbed more information. Big deal, it's not like they thought up calculus. So who are the real geniuses in this world? Well, I'd say the people who are thinking up the newest complex things. Everybody else is about the same. The only thing that keeps you from being "smart" is your own effort. Even if you're not being taught the way you need to learn, you can always talk to your teacher about it. Think it over.

Observation #34

2007-09-12T16:52:00.001-07:00

You know how most shirts now (like hanes, etc.) say they're tagless? Well, they're obviously not. They don't put the tags on the back of the collar of the shirt any more because it irritates your neck. But I find the place they put it now is almost as irritating. Do you ever have a pain or itch on your side and then realize it's your tag? It's really annoying. How about they find a real way to be tagless? OR IS THAT ASKING TOO MUCH?!! ---a line from some old movie I can't remember (possibly with Katherine Hepburn, you know, the one who was always in a bad mood?). >:P

Observation #33

2007-09-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

I was making myself lunch in the kitchen today and thinking over how stressful these first 2 weeks of my college semester has been, when I realized that I only know what "stressful" is because I've had times in my life when life wasn't stressful.

I realized no matter how tough life can seem, we've all had great experiences and happy memories. If we didn't, we would hardly notice that we were going through rough times and hardships. I just realized how wonderful God is to make sure each of us have happy times in our lives. Even if life seems horrible and maybe you have a lot of unhappy memories, you have to remember that there were wonderful times in your life as well. And it's those times that contrast the hard time you're having right now.

Ironically enough, we would be content with our lives if we didn't realize that pain and hardship wasn't normal. We only get depressed because we realize we've felt happiness before and we aren't feeling it right now. I'm just realizing that we have to try to be content where we are and trust God even when things are overly stressful. That way, we'll have more happy memories even when times aren't great.

I've gotten to the place where I'm tired of being anxious, scared, unhappy, and stressed out. Those feelings may throw themselves at us, but we can chose whether or not to agree in our thoughts with them. And the great thing is, when we overcome them, the next time they throw themselves at us, we have an easier time trusting God.

To sum it all up: Life isn't easy, but we've all had good times. It's because we've had positive emotions that we know we hate the feeling of the negative ones.

I think we can choose to be fed up with the sickening emotions that make life miserable and just reject them by not focusing on them and not agreeing with them. The hardest part of a bad situation (for me, anyways) is the discomfort and torment we get from negative emotions. If we didn't feel those emotions while we had stressful times, life would be a lot easier. Thankfully, we can choose to overcome them and ask for God's help.

Observation #32

2007-06-11T23:28:00.001-07:00

For those of you who hate spoilers and/or are planning to see The Holiday with Jack Black, Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, and Jude Law, stop reading now. I'm going to spoil it for you. For those of you who don't care about spoilers and will see the movie anyways, or never planned on seeing The Holiday, you can keep reading.

I don't really have to go into the plot of the movie to express the frustration of the ending. Basically, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law have fallen in love, but alas, she's just on a holiday from L.A., while he lives in England. Let me mention that his character is the perfect guy--sensitive, reads cookbooks, has 2 adorable little girls who he adores (he's a widower), actually owns a cow, and is a great dad. He's actually the one who says "I love you" to Cameron Diaz. She doesn't say it back when he says it, however.

For the rest of the movie, I'm waiting for it. They both agree it won't work if she goes back to the United States. At the very end of the movie, when she packs up and gets into the taxi, she cries (for the first time in over 10 years). Then she gets out of the taxi (the taxi had driven quite a distance by then) and runs back to the house where Jude Law is. She looks so happy. You just know she's going to announce that she loves him and everything is going to be fine. She runs into the house shouting "Graham! Graham!" (his character's name). She finds him (and he's been CRYING!). And she says, "I can stay until New Years Eve."

HOLD UP! I wanted to scream. WAS SHE INSANE?! That didn't solve anything. And she never told him she loved him, by the way. Big whoop; she can stay 2 more weeks. That's basically 2 more weeks for him to wait until she leaves him for good. WHAT ABOUT A COMMITMENT?! The ironic part is, her character is so stinkin' rich, she could have just quit her job and moved to England and still have lived the high life. Dang it, I put up with the whole "living together" thing that Hollywood presents, but now they're throwing away even commitment? Pathetic. No wonder no one raved about the movie. It did so many other things right. But this, for me, was the last straw. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but it really looks like Hollywood is trying to take away anything that's good or decent in the world. It's like they're trying to belittle what true love is. It's as if the world view of the movie is: "You don't have to commit yourself at all to the people you love. Love doesn't require commitment, or at least, not any more. BWAHAHAHAHHAH!"

All I can say is: if it requires no commitment whatsoever, it's obviously not love. And that's the truth. SO THERE!!

Observation #31

2007-05-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here's the next post God's put on my heart. It's another look-how-I-failed-dangit-learn-something-from-this-PLEASE post. It was a dark night. The lights were out in our room as Abby and I closed our eyes and started to drift off to sleep. *Knock, Knock* "Come in," I said as I squinted my eyes to the light that was streaming in through the opening door. Okay, enough drama, I wanted to spice it up a bit.

So anYYYways, it was our mom. She wanted to talk to us about her offering message. But when Mom saw we had our lights out, she said she could talk to us about it in the morning. About a moment after she left, God was all, "You should go talk to her about it now." I was totally like, "Whaaa?! Please tell me this isn't God." So I asked Abby if she thought we should talk to Mom about her offering now. Abby was all, "Nah, it can wait until morning." Then, of course, I started doubting. "How can it be from God if Abby says we should wait till morning?" I thought as I remembered that Abby's totally wise. But I had this feeling--you know, the one where you feel something urging you to do something you really don't want to do, like, say, talking to your mom about her offering when you really really want to sleep. I got out of bed and went into the living room area of our unit (we were at a resort) and lo-and-behold Mom's Bible and study notes were on the table--but Mom was no where to be found! Actually, I could hear she was talking with my dad in their room. Still, I felt I needed to wait for her. After about 3 minutes, I gave up. I went back into Abby and my room. I asked Abby, yet AGAIN, if we should talk to Mom about the offering that night. AGAIN, she said, "No, it can wait until tomorrow." Reluctantly, I gave up and went to sleep.

The next day, Mom gave her offering message and I realized I NEVER TALKED TO HER ABOUT IT!! It was God talking to me, even though it was an unpopular message.

The moral of the story: You should do what God tells you even when other people tell you otherwise. It is God, even if other peopel don't agree. Deep down, you know what's right. Especially when it's something that your flesh, aka, your tired brain, doesn't want to do. (And, by the way, never ask someone for spiritual guidance when they're drifting in and out of sleep--they'll usually just figure out a way to get you to leave them alone)

Observation #30

2007-05-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

Whew! That was a close one, or it seemed like it. Yep, it's another testimony/observation. Well, what can I say about Drawing II? Well, it was my least favorite class this semester overall and I've promised myself I won't take another drawing class from that college unless I'm directed by God. Blech. "So what happened?" you say? I didn't try my best. I didn't do my best. And it looked like I was going to have to take the class over. Yep it looked like I was going to FAIL!!! *Psycho Music Plays* Sheesh, I was concerned about this all weekend. I knew I would know my grades on Wednesday and it was freaking me out--I was afraid I was going to get a C- which would mean I would have to retake the class. Well I decided to trust God...sorta...two words you should never have next to each other in the same sentence (hence parted by periods!). Yeah, I admit it--I panicked. But anyways, on Saturday I thought I was supposed to post about trusting God and that He would come through for me in this situation--before I had the evidence that He did. Well, I chickened out.

The sad part is: I got a B- for the class (better than I could even imagine praying for: I was hoping for a C+ maybe) and I should have posted. But I didn't trust God! Trusting God, when you really do, is totally exciting. One area I actually did trust Him about was getting this amazing house we now live in. I really did trust Him so I had no problem passing out our "new address" before it was securely landed (at the time the realtor lady and the home owners were making a mess and trying to keep us from getting this place). But when you trust God, you don't worry about the physical details. And in the end, I was able to tell my friends that I gave them the address before we had even signed a contract.

Observation: You should take the leap of faith you feel God nudging you towards because He WILL come through for you.

Observation #29

2007-04-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay, this isn't an observation, but more of a conclusion. But it involves a story and I need to share this somewhere.

So anYYYways, I had this really crazy design project to do this past week. It entailed a very, very complex model (which takes forever to build) and some pretty complex (and confusing) drawings of the model. Because my model was so hard to build compared to most everybody else's, I inevitabley got behind. Instead of only having the drawings to worry about this week, I had to figure out how I was going to finish this project and all the other homework I had for other classes. I worked on it for quite a few hours these past two weekends, but it wasn't even half-way complete by Tuesday. Sadly, the final critique (the day you hand in the last project and give a PRESENTATION O_O on it)was Thursday. Wednesday, after my two finals tests in 2 other classes, I worked in my design studio for about 12 hours working on the model and the drawings. By the time I got home, which was around 11pm, I still had quite alot to do. So I worked through the night on it. I thought I might possibly be able to get it all done before 1:30pm on Thursday.

Through the night, I would sometimes feel panicked, but I'd keep praying and stay away from the secular music which I found makes me panick, even if it's not a depressing or angry song! Then at around noon on Thursday, I really started to freak out. I had a lot of the pieces of the model, but they weren't gluing together correctly. I freaked out. I started praying and then, sheesh, I got mad at God. Yeah, I know that's stupid. I always get into some crazy situation and freak out and then say, "AHHHHHHHHHHH, GOD!! WHERE ARE YOU?!! HELP ME OUT!! HEY, I SAID HELP ME OUT!!" Problem was, I didn't believe He already was helping me out. I actually said something like that about 5 minutes before we had to leave and my model was still not dry. In critiques, you have to hang your model up by pins, so if it's not sturdy or at least dry, it will fall apart!! Then I just had this thought to get the blow dryer. I used it on the model and it actually worked!

At the time, I didn't realize that that unusual thought was from God. Thinking back over the night of model building, I realize God had been helping me all along, in spite of my wavering attitudes. I had some very good ideas that night concerning cutting out some small, oddly shaped pieces of the model. I needed to cut out 36 of them, and they all had to be the right size. They basically looked like a thick, short L because they needed to be able to be glued on to the corner sides of the model. I suddenly had this idea to draw a grid out that would basically be the pieces interlocked with the others. I was able to cut them out quickly, 2-by-2 at least. This way was WAY faster than cutting them out individually and drawing them out perfectly each time individually. I know this was from God because when I made the study model, I cut all of the pieces like this out individually and when I started making the real model, I planned on doing the same thing.

So anyways, my final critique (presentation) went really well. I don't like giving presentations and actually, at the beginning of the semester when I had to give my first presentation for this class my heart was racing so hard it almost hurt. As I was forced to give presentation after presentation, I got more charismatic of sorts. Less fearful, more confident. And the great thing about this presentation was that I actually loved and believed in my design. I was able to present the model intelligently and although I know I didn't sound like a world politician, I know I did well. The most unusual part about this was that although I was praying like mad about my model, I never even thought to pray about my presentation. This may sound really bad to you but to me it shows me I wasn't afraid to give a presentation. This really is miraculous, seeing that all my life I've been petrified of public speaking. And usually I hate presenting my designs because usually even I don't know what's going on with the design!

This time was different. I knew my design. I knew why I put certain elements in the design. I knew why I placed them where I placed them. And I know I didn't think this up on my own. I guess to a non-christian, this may sound like I did this out of my own strength, intelligence, and adrenaline. I know me. My family knows me. This is very unlike me. And although I know that a class can teach you stuff and help you to mature, this understanding of this new design we were working on happened almost overnight. But in spite of that even, the Bible says that "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shiftign shadows" (James 1:17). This basically means anything good that happens, anything at all, is from God. This is true even when you refer to non-christians. Matthew 5:45 says that God blesses both. So all of these good things that happened to me are because of God and not myself. I do remember praying over each new revamping of the design (with this class you start out with a design idea and keep improving it until the time you have to make the official model and drawings)and I know God helped me understand the design.

Long story short (heh, heh, this has been the longest post I've ever written) my professor said the design was "excellent" (not a word he usually uses and he doesn't give away compliments unless he really means it) and that it demonstrated all the design elements the assignment called for. I found out later, that when he critiqued the other group (we were divided into 2 groups for the critique), he refered to my design (in a good way, lol) when he was critiquing someone else's design.

The observation I found when this was all over is that God is helping you even when things look bad, when things look like they won't work out. I mean, 5 minutes before my presentation, my design was literally falling apart. I didn't think I would make it. But the main thing is: don't freak out just because of circumstances. God is God, as Steven Curtis Chapman would say, He works beyond the realm of reality and facts. Doesn't matter what the situation looks like; He'll make a way where there seems to be no way. Wow, that's from another song. http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/makeaway.html
That's the lyrics to the song, "God Will Make A Way." I find songs really help me with my faith in God. I don't think I've ever mentioned this, but when I have doubtful, fearful thoughts and I direct them at God, like, "Oh Lord, how can this work out?!! Please help me!!" A song will start playing in my head that replies, such as "God Will Make A Way" or "Don't Worry the Lord Will Provide". One time, I had a Christian song in my head that was from God, I turned on the radio and IT WAS PLAYING!! GET THIS: IT WAS AT THE SAME SPOT IT WAS IN MY HEAD!! ooOOOOooo!! Spookay.

To sum up: God does cool stuff. Trust Him. Meditate on good things, especially good songs. Talk to God even though you're in a bad mood, He'll reply in innovative ways! Good grief, that was a long post, I apologize. O_o

Observation #28

2007-04-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

It happened again in Bethlehem... >_< Oh well, I guess I can't keep all of my posts to videogames and pointless ponderings. I was thinking about Christianity vs. other religions the other day and I realized that if I was an atheist or any other sort of secular person, if I was going to choose a religion just based on logic, it would have to be Christianity. I just realized this is the only religion where the God made the sacrifice for His people. Not the other way around. With any other religion you basically have some offerings and things you have to give the god for your standing with him. But our God actually made the sacrifice Himself, not to mention He sacrificed Someone most parents would never sacrifice: His only Son. I don't know why it struck me as so new and amazing; I mean, I had read the Bible, I obviously know God's sacrifice for us. But stepping outside of it, in thought, thinking as an outsider, I couldn't imagine a better religion. It really is the "too good to be true" Gospel.

Observation #27

2007-04-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Life is like a video game. HA! Now that you you've finished gasping, I'll continue. I told my brother one time when he was trying to beat one of the Link games, "Eventually you'll beat it. You have to. This game was created for you to beat. How can you not beat it? It's inevitable." Life is like that too, if we'd actually believe what the Bible says. Trust me, anything you keep trying at, you'll succeed at. Just ask me how I beat the boss bad guy in Kingdom Hearts--by trying over and over and over and over....Sheesh, don't even ask me how many times it took me. This realization also helped me in my designs; I realized I would get to a successful design eventually, I just needed to keep sketching things out. It's the same with anything else. It's inevitable: the more you do something, the better you get at it. Human beings are like that. Now go grab your Yoshi and get Peach back.

Observation #26

2007-04-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

I don't usually do posts like these, but this only really struck me today. I was in Psychology and my professor was telling us the average absences and the average scores on quizzes for the class. He saw a correlation between the test scores and the absences. He said, "In life, basically, all you really need to do is show up. It doesn't really matter how well you do as long as you show up." It just struck me that this is what it's like with obeying God. Just doing what He says is as a habit, no matter how well you carry out the task, is worth something. Chances are, the more you do what He says, the more you will be willing to obey and have less hesitation, whether it's just telling someone about God or going and praying for someone. Even if you mess up, God really wants an obedient heart. It doesn't matter so much if you do it perfectly, as long as you obey Him. The fear of failure keeps us from doing what's right. Sometimes it's just good to say, "I'm going to do this, no matter what the outcome."

I've seen this first-hand in my Design II class. When the class started, I was one of the weakest students in the class. I really disliked going to class, sometimes I would consider skipping. But I never did. I decided to ask questions and keep trying and actually trust God. Right now, I'm working on my strongest design so far and my professors actually like it. I was thinking about it yesterday and I realized that it was now my favorite class and I got an A- on my last project!

I say all this to illustrate that if you just keep showing up and keep trying, eventually you'll get it. The people who give up in my classes (and do the poorest) have the greatest number of absences. Just showing up is putting in effort. With God, you don't literally "show up" (you're always with Him, duh), but you have to go where He tells you, so to speak. Fear of failure shouldn't be able to keep us from obeying Him at all. Basically, just keep doing what you should be, with regard to God and life in general.

Observation #25

2007-04-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

Today I realized a great way to know if someone knows your name is to see how they refer to you in the third person (when your name has not been previously mentioned). If they say your name, you know they know your name, if they use a pronoun, you know they don't!!! In one of my classes today, a guy refered to me as "she" and because of the context, I knew he didn't know my name! I actually started laughing because I realized I couldn't remember his name either. Then I started to wonder if I ever knew his name. A few moments later, someone said his name and I realized I had only momentarily forgotten it. What's funny is that we usually think the other person won't notice. I know I've done that thousands of times and I always think it's so sneaky and sly. Now I realize it's very obvious and I'll try to not refer to the person at all if I don't know their name (so they won't notice).

Observation #24

2007-04-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

After having my sister beg for yet ANOTHER bite of my spaghetti the other day, we concluded that food tastes better if it belongs to someone else. Haven't you ever had the experience where you took a bite of someone else's food and loved it, got a plate for yourself and realized it wasn't all that great? Abby and I usually joke about this by saying, "I love it! I like it! It's pretty good. Eh, it's ok. Man, that's gross." That's happened to me so many times! In fact, just a few weeks ago, I took a bite of Abby's Take 5 candy bar and loved it. A few days later I bought it for myself and then remembered why I hated pretzels so much--they are salty, hard, and dry. Blech. I'll never eat a Take 5 again...that is unless Abby's got one and I can take a small bite. Maybe it's like that because if it belongs to someone else you know: a) you don't have to finish it, b) you didn't pay for it >:D, and c) it's probably a bother to get one for yourself so you really want this bite! Eh, just a theory...AND A DARN GOOD ONE AT THAT!!

Observation #23

2007-04-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

After watching my brother try to vaccuum his room with the very weak, light vaccuum we keep upstairs (and then watching him have to pick up some of the stuff he was trying to vaccuum by hand), I realized people will go through a whole lot of bother to avoid a different sort of bother. As I remember the microwave + noodles incident, I realize it's all just pure laziness. The sad thing is, the bother you're often trying to avoid (such as carrying the heavy, more efficient vaccuum up the stairs) is usually less of a bother than the trouble you go through trying to avoid it (like picking up particulate matter by hand). Have you ever used a tissue or a piece of paper towel to dust something instead of getting the dust wand? And then ended up having to keep getting several new pieces as you go? Wouldn't the dust wand have been easier? Yeah it would have. But you were too lazy to go get it. Remember this the next time you think "but getting ___ is such a bother!" I guess this is really a post to myself, but still...

Observation #22

2007-04-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

Everybody (well, almost everybody) hates pennies. I know I do. It's almost impossible to get rid of more than 5 of them at a time! The vending machines won't take them, most cashiers look at you like you're crazy if you try to use a bunch of them, and they're almost worthless! Sometimes I dream of using a huge bag of them (instead of bills) like that episode on Seinfeld where Cramer totes like 5 pounds of them around using them to buy stuff (it makes the cashiers really mad).

I was thinking about it and I realized we should get rid of them and just round up to the nickel. Then I realized that would make the nickel worthless and it would become the new penny (rejected by vending machines eventually, I'm sure). Thinking it over, I realized there was such a thing as a half-penny (in England) and that thing was so disliked it was obliviated. I wonder if that will eventually happen to the penny.

NOT IF I CAN HELP IT! You may think, "but you just suggested getting rid of pennies!" Well, if that's what you really did think, you forget I presented a problem--the nickel would probably take its place and inflation would also occur, now that I think about it...HAHA! I have thought of a way to get rid of a ton of those pennies (without using expensive Coinstar or having to wait in line at the bank)--it's called the self-checkout! YEAH!! >:D That machine accepts tons of pennies! To be honest though, it was Jeremy who told me to use the self-checkout. >_< Still, it's a brilliant idea. I'll never use dollar bills at those machines again...

Observation #21

2007-04-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

I had another amazing experience! This one wasn't half as disgusting as the last, thankfully. I got to eat an apple that was neither sweet nor sour! It tasted like an apple but it was almost flavorless! I had a blowpop before trying the apple and it still didn't taste like anything. It was really weird. But it was also really invigorating to eat fruit and candy without any sour consequences! I'd probably buy another apple like that from the store if they sold it (intentionally).

The real observation is: I'm easily amused.

Observation #20

2007-04-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

This isn't so much an observation as much as what I can only describe as an amazing experience. I was at the cafeteria today for lunch and I dared to try the lemon meringue pie. It was so tart that I actually said, "Wow." I really couldn't process the flavor. It was so sweet and yet it was overwhelmingly sour. My jaw was still tense after the flavor had dissipated! I still can't believe my college called that lemon merange pie. A better name would have been lemon suprise.

I tried another bite about 5 minutes later and I inadvertently said "wow" again. My friend tried it too. About a second after she took the bite, her face looked shocked as she said, "Wow." It was truly an amazing experience. I don't think I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I tried that stuff. It was so different from anything I had tried before that I respect the pie for it. I much prefered that experience to the banana "sundae" pie I also tried today. The banana sundae pie also disgusting, but in a very ordinary, boring way. I'd rather eat the lemon meringue, thank you very much. At least it gave me an unexpected thrill! Hence the observation: better a disgusting thrill than an ordinary revulsion. -Contemporary proverb copyright Danielle G. Flanagan 2007.

Observation #19

2007-04-05T23:42:00.000-07:00

Recently, Office Depot has been airing a commericial that involves a hand in an office depot box "helping" people out. It's got to be the dumbest commercial of all time because 1) it makes you wonder who's hand it is, 2) where the rest of the person is, and 3) what the people in the commercial thought they were holding before the hand popped out of the box. Also, all the hand does, basically, is point at things and maybe hold some stuff. That's not all that helpful. Quite frankly, the hand in a box would frighten me and I'd probably want to smack it with whatever paper work I was holding and then sue Office Depot for scaring me.

Observation #18

2007-04-05T23:29:00.000-07:00

Uncooked noodles + water + microwave = one stupid idea. It did cook the elbow noodles, but suprisingly enough, it took twice as long as it would on the stove! Combine that misfortune with my dumb decision to put spaghetti sauce on the noodles and you've got one annoying meal. Elbow noodles and spaghetti sauce don't mix; or rather, they shouldn't! Blech, and all this happened just because I didn't want to use a pot on the stove...

Observation #17

2007-04-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me why, but I was thinking about the Sound of Music again. Big suprise, I noticed another inconsistency. Think back to whichever one of the little girls said, "But we don't know any songs!" If I was Maria, I would have said, "Yeah right, kid. Does 'raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens' ring a bell?! I taught you that song like just yesterday!" Either those kids have a memory problem or they've got Maria wrapped around their little fingers!

Observation #16

2005-12-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

Scarves are treacherous. They are really trying to choke you each time you put one on. As a test, try eating a sandwich while having a scarf on. You'll see that you're having trouble swallowing. This is the scarf's trick. It is slowly and sneakily (without you knowing) choking you. It's getting tighter and tighter around your neck. Scarves are a communist plot to take over the world. Oh alright, they are warm, but just remember, they are treacherous and should not be trusted.

Observation #15

2005-12-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

Three words: spam and bologna. Who eats that stuff any more? How do those companies stay in business? No one eats that stuff any more, or if they do, they don't like it. And if someone tells you that they like spam and/or bologna, they are lying. And don't come to me and say, "But they sounded very sincere!" I'll give you a test to find out if they are sincere. Ask them if they would want to eat that stuff for their birthday meal. Hahahaha, see? The truth comes out.

Observation #14

2005-12-14T21:06:00.000-08:00

This observation is not actually my own. But I got it from a person who is, quite frankly, more aware than I am. I would never have thought of this myself. You know how people these days are trying to make Christmas less about Christ and more about the gifts that they give to their little brats? They say, "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" now. Well the jokes on them! >:) They're too ignorant to realize that the word "holiday" actually comes from "holy day"! Ha! Wait, I didn't realize that either...hmm...I guess they're not exactly ignorant as much as uninformed...hehehehe...

Observation #13

2005-12-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

I watched Everafter with Drew Barrymore yesterday and I realized that the story was supposed to be set in France. Barrymore's love interest was supposed to be the prince of France. But everyone, including the royal family of France, had English accents!! I mean, I understand they didn't want to do the movie in French, but how about some French accents?! Not to mention that Barrymore is American, so she must have put that accent on just for the movie!!! Veeeeeeery interesting. Talk about not doing your homework.

Observation #12

2005-12-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

Oranges are actually just sections of juice. Think about it; I'm right. Yeah, I knew you would admit it. HA!

Observation #11

2005-12-02T15:28:00.000-08:00

I've come to the conclusion that hair straightening kits should be used as a torture device. Even the strongest and bravest men would cry after that. They would give you whatever information you wanted, just to get the junk rinsed out of their hair. And you know what's interesting? I've gotta have this done at least once every 6-8 weeks. I don't know how I do it...or any other girl for that matter.

Observation #10

2005-12-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

Now this one takes the cake. Empire Carpet is offering FREE turkeys with carpet purchases. Now who's gonna want to eat a turkey that was from a CARPET PLACE???!!!! "Where'd you get this turkey, Jenny?" "Gulp!! It came with the carpet..." That doesn't sound too appetizing, I've got to say.

Observation #9

2005-11-28T19:44:00.000-08:00

This isn't so much an observation as it is an opinion: David Letterman is a dirty, old man. Ok, that was it. Observation #9 is concluded. Thank you.

(And if you got a problem with me calling Letterman a dirty, old man, you don't know NOTHIN'!)

Observation #8

2005-11-27T21:25:00.000-08:00

I just beat the video game, Shadow of the Colossus. I loved it, but it had one thing in common with most Japanese stories: it didn't make sense. I just want ONE video game, with good graphics, to have a GOOD, LOGICAL JAPANESE story. Now, I ask you, is that too much to ask???

Observation #7

2005-11-27T21:14:00.000-08:00

Now, this observation is basically a statement to a certain museum (and you know who you are): Putting a Cabbage Patch Doll on display just because it's from the eighties DOESN'T MEAN IT'S AN ARTIFACT!!! I also didn't enjoy that "display" of prom dresses from the eighties when you're supposed to be a museum about that particular city. Couldn't scrounge up enough real artifacts for your museum, huh?

Observation #6

2005-11-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

Speaking of Disney animated movies...Beauty and the Beast. What was up with what the Beast turned out as?...He was basically a weird, girly man. How did Belle not RUN away?! I would. He was more attractive as a drooling beast than as a femine, long-haired man. To sum it up, I'll quote Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) from the Incredibles: "Now that ain't right."

Observation #5

2005-11-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

Speaking of "shoot her down." Did anyone else notice that in Peter Pan (the Disney animated version), at the beginning of the movie, Peter's like, "What's a kiss?" to Wendy. But then later, he KISSES Princess Tigerlily!! Now I personally believe that Peter Pan was a lady's man (ooo, a rhyme) and he just wanted to sound innocent in front of Wendy. But man, was he dumb to kiss Tigerlily in FRONT of Wendy.

Observation #4

2005-11-26T16:22:00.000-08:00

Having just watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, I've come to realize that flying on a broomstick is insane. Not only does it look uncomfortable to ride (nigh impossible), but it's also a cleaning tool. Now, many will tell me, "Part of the magic of flying on a broomstick is not being unable to bear children afterwards." BUT WHY A BROOMSTICK?!! Why not a bicycle? I loved seeing the witch neighbor lady flying around on her bicycle in the Wizard of Oz. And how would you feel if you saw me flying around on a mop? Obviously you'd be like, "FREAK!! Shoot her down!" That's how I feel when I see Harry flying around on a broomstick instead of, say, a really cool bike. Not to mention that a bike would automatically have a SEAT on it.

Observation #3

2005-11-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

It's weird that I've notice this: people who don't like marshmallows often don't like Jello or cotton candy. It's all about the texture, apparently. I'm like, "Good. More for me."

Observation #2

2005-11-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

My second observation is something that a few distinguished souls have noticed as well. In the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the Gorons are boo-hooing about how they are starving because they can't eat the rocks in Dodongo's Cavern. What makes them think they have a right to the rocks in the DODONGO'S Cavern?!! Even so, Link ends up slaying the big Dodongo so that the Gorons can eat what doesn't belong to them. Seems mighty unfair, that does indeed.

Observation #1

2005-11-21T18:15:00.000-08:00

I'll start of with this one because it is the most annoying to me. In the Sound of Music, all of the kids tell Maria that they "don't know how to sing." Little did Maria know that Leisel had been singing with her secret boyfriend only the night before! Not to mention they said that they didn't "know any songs." Does "I am 16 going on 17..." ring a bell? Oh come on, Leisel!! Everybody knows you know how to sing! >:( (And what's with how she goes, "WHEEEEEE" after Rolf kisses her?! She looks like she's missing teeth!!)

Intro

2005-11-19T21:18:00.000-08:00

Basically, I'm going to be stating fairly obvious and pointless observations about whatever I choose. Although some will, most likely, have moral value.