Confession 3

I stole the cookie from the cookie jar.

Well, more like from the cookie freezer at work. And it wasn't really stealing, I'm allowed to have a cookie. So I guess this is really all just a lie.

Big huge lesson from Astronomy

Today I learned that college students have about a 10 minute attention span...

....and I forget the rest.

Another (mis)adventurous day!

The more I think of it, the more I realize how "A Day in the Life" is such a fitting name for this blog (and it's a great song...)
I thought it funny how many misadventures I seemed to have yesterday. But i'm beginning to realize that these kinds of things actually happen to me quite often, I just forget about it. I must be used to it or something.
My proof lies in the misadventures of today so far:

I was a little late for class so was walking briskly to the elevator. As I turned the corner, I slipped (but did not fall...picture Bambi trying to balance on the ice...that was me). Luckily, this friendly old man witnessed it. So I said, "uhhh the floor is slippery right there" and we joked and stuff. Then on the top floor I realized the floor wasn't really slippery, it's my shoes.

Class is 2 hours long so we get a ten minute break. The doorway to turn into the Planetarium always comes earlier than I expect, so I have walked past it several times, to my classroom of witnesses. Well, today I was ready. I turned early and just about met the open door with the square of my forehead. So I stepped back, aligned myself with the part where you walk through the open door (not into it) and entered, with yet another sheepish smile plastered on my face.

After class I came back to work. The door was locked. My purse, with my keys, was inside (I had only taken my backpack to class). I tried calling my boss...no answer. So I ventured to the basement to the kind custodian's office. I explained my situation and asked if they would rescue me. They let me in.

I applied for a job today. When I sent the email, it came back as "undeliverable." I realized I spelled the recruiter's name wrong in her email address (and the message, come to find out). Luckily I got to change it in the email and in her email address. Instead of re-writing or even copy-and-pasting, I just forwarded the message I wrote before to her correct email. Only, it sent the email...and the error/undeliverable message....and the first email, in which her last name was misspelled. Unfortunately, undo only works for 10 seconds after the fact, so it cannot be undone (to my knowledge). Thank you, Gmail.
Think I'll get the job?

Now, I realize that recording my misadventures can seem like a pretty pessimistic thing to do. But instead of looking at these occurrences in a "my life is so awful" kind of way, I see them as funny, which is why I want to share them, to give you a good laugh.

On my second confession

Concerning Confession #2

I haven't stayed up til 3 am (or any time past 1 am) to read in ages. Especially for fun. The fact that Austenland was the one to get me there is interesting. The last books that did that for me were probably Harry Potter or something. I keep trying to read late but I always fall asleep. ALWAYS. But you should know I have every intention of staying up late. It just doesn't work. It's like how if I try to watch a movie too late I will fall asleep. Guaranteed.

I pulled off my late night with Austenland only because I had slept during the day because I was a little sicko, so I was wide awake later. So that's a little bit of a confession in itself. I haven't beat my pattern of sleeping early.

And that's the real story.

A little elaboration.

Concerning Confession #1

I read Austenland and I liked it

Tis true, I, the non-avid Austen reader, the one who doesn't even like Austen (though I'm willing to give her another chance), read Austenland, the book about an Austen fanatic.

....and I liked it.

The story goes a little like this: a girl can't settle on a guy because she's got Mr. Perfect (or Mr. Darcy) as the comparison for each one. Her rich aunt dies (not really a spoiler...don't worry) and bequeaths her a vacation to this resort thing where she can indulge in the 19th century English culture. A bunch of people there are paid to act like Darcys and what-nots so it's more realistic. She sort of falls in love but sort of doesn't because it's all fake but then definitely does yadda yadda.

It was entertaining, it wasn't devastatingly predictable and hello, there is a little love story there, which I like to nestle up with every once in awhile.

Read it. It's fun.

All in a day's work: some misadventures of mine

Today I ruined my favorite skirt. Well technically yesterday or whatever day I washed it. I want to blame it on the machine, but, no matter, it is ruined.

Today I spilled water on the counter and it got some files wet. I got lucky in this one because it barely touched the files. But it did get the pink folder, which, when I touched it, turned my fingers pink (and they still are).

Today when I was picking up the newspaper, I held it against me and then realized the gray print was all over my white shirt.

Today when I bit into my apple, I noted it was no good. So I introduced it to the trashcan.

Today I wore shoes that gave me blisters. So I took a break and went barefoot for a little bit.

Today when I was barefoot I stepped on a staple.

And today is only half over.

And today I'm actually in a very good mood despite these minor misfortunes. So there.

Confessions

#1 I read Austenland and I liked it.
#2 ...I actually didn't even put it down (and stayed up til 3:00 am reading it)
#3 I stole the cookie from the cookie jar.
#4 I'm sort of afraid of heights (wasn't aware of this one til last Friday night)
#5 I'm really good at not doing something because I simply don't want to (good luck persuading me)
#6 I just dripped orange popsicle on my white shirt
#7 I'm responsible for three of my siblings' scars
#8 My grammar pretty much stinks for an English major. (I made a spelling error in that sentence -- good thing I caught it).
#9 I can be a really big punk sometimes. And a ditz.
#10 Many of my favorite books are actually for young adults (like 14 yr olds)
#11 My favorite thing to buy is music.
#12 If I get embarrassed I laugh for a long time (and start all over when I think of it again). Then I get more embarrassed.
#13 Sometimes I get jealous.
#14 If I don't know what you said/are talking about I'll just laugh and say "ok" or just agree with you.
#15 I haven't had a boyfriend since high school
#16 Sometimes I really take criticism to heart and sometimes I care too little.
#17 I really really really don't like bugs
#18 I've gone tanning before. It didn't really do much...
#19 I'm really bad at small talk. I actually hate small talk.
#20 If you ask me a question that I don't want to answer, I'll reply with a question. I'm good at getting you off topic.

A change of taste

I used to hate chocolate covered cinnamon bears. Even the idea of it made me want to gag. Now I like them. Funny how that happens.

But I still hate peas.

More little lessons from Astronomy

• There is a sombrero galaxy (see above? Sombrero)

• Galileo, famous for his discoveries using the telescope, went blind from studying the sun so much. Lesson? Don't study so much, you will go blind.

• To all you little romantics: the twinkling of the stars at night sure is pretty, huh?

• Well it actually implies that the atmosphere is unstable, meaning astronomers won't be able to get clear images. So while you're swooning, they're cursing.

Gone Daddy Gone....

my hair is gone.

An anecdote of a clean apartment and burnt popcorn.

I have a roommate moving in today.
To prepare, I cleaned my apartment last night. As I was wrapping up, I decided to pop some popcorn and watch a movie. While the popcorn was popping, I was touching up some cleaning in my room and wasn't able to hear the pops die down, signaling the completion of the popped popcorn. Instead I heard the ding of the microwave, signaling the completion of transforming my popcorn into charcoal. I could vaguely smell that it was in a burnt state, but the thick of it greeted me in a thick smoke as I opened the microwave.
Oh, and it smelled awful.
I opened the bag, which was a bad idea, as it simply allowed the stink to burn through my nasal cavity, permanently lodging its rancidness in my memory. I kindly escorted the bag out the door and threw it in the dumpster, not wanting the smell to stay in my apartment. I then opened all the windows, hoping to get a draft to replace the stink with the fresh outside air (the same fresh outside air which now was contaminated with my burnt popcorn). It was hard to tell if the smell was going anywhere, since my window is right over the dumpster where my popcorn was relocated. I shut my door and hoped the morning would welcome no more stank.
Today I awoke and greeted my living room, which was freezing. Alas, the faint smell was still in the air. So, new roommate, sorry for the smell, and sorry it's so cold, but isn't this place CLEAN?!?

Little Lessons from Astronomy

Fun facts learned as I finally caught up on my reading:

• To you little romantics: unfortunately when you pay to get a star named after you or a loved one it is usually through some "unscrupulous commercial firm." The money you pay for the service is real, but the star names are not, seeing as none of them are recognized by astronomers. Rather, as my text kindly suggests, if you want to be remembered by astronomy, make a donation to your local planetarium or science museum. (Isn't it romantic?)
• The change in seasons is due to the tilt of the earth as it rotates, not due to the change in distance from the earth to the sun. Though the distance does change, it only undergoes a 3% distance variation in an entire year, hardly enough to influence seasons (besides, if this were the case, the seasons would be the same in the northern and southern hemispheres...and that's just crazy talk).
• A year is approximately 365 1/4 days long, which is why the leap year was introduced. And who was it introduced by? Julius Caesar! (That one Roman guy who invented salad). Unfortunately his system would have only been good if a year was exactly 365 1/4 days long, which it is not. He was actually off by 11 minutes and 24 seconds, which adds up to 3 days every 4 centuries. We can't have that...but his astronomical advisers blew it off...that is, until the first day of spring was on March 11th (and Easter kept moving earlier, which the Roman Catholics weren't down with).
• So Pope Gregory XIII reformed the calendar by dropping 10 days (Oct 4th, 1582 was followed by Oct 15th, 1582). Caesar added Feb 29th to every year divisible by 4, but Pope Gregory decided that only years divided by 400 evenly should be leap years. And ta da! We have the Gregorian calendar! This is far closer to the true length of a tropical year (which is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 mins and 46 secs long or 365.2422 mean solar days), seeing as the Gregorian system assumes a year is 365.2425 mean solar days.
• Sirius is a character in Harry Potter -- the dog-man. Sirius is also a character in...the sky. He's a star. And guess what he helps make up? a DOG. (Draco is a constellation too, a dragon, the little fire-breathing punk...) And my professor is named Moody. No joke. I love Harry Potter.

That's all from the book of the universe today. I hope you feel enlightened (the next chapter is on light...).

On Happiness Part One: Simplicity

Originally uploaded by Little Thoughts

"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections."

I wish I knew who I was quoting, but I don't.Regardless, lets talk happy. When you are happy, you are healthy (or at least have better chances of healing quicker when not healthy...it's true).

I'm most happy when I am just comfortable with the way things are. No more trying to change myself too much, and definitely no more trying to change anyone else. No more asking "why did this happen?" or "what if...?"

And when I quit worrying about things that aren't necessarily in my control -- I'm happy then. (Bobby McFerrin summed it up pretty well with "Don't Worry, Be Happy").

Happiness is being able to balance contentment with where you are at (and with who you are) with the motivation for positive change. It's "looking beyond the imperfections."

But also, happiness involves embracing simplicity. We hear all the time about how children have an impeccable ability to forgive. They also are pretty dang good at loving small things --like a sock. I'm not saying we should all laugh and clap with glee when we buy new socks, it's just an example. I'm just saying loving simple things can lend towards one's happiness. As childish as we may feel in doing so, it really does help in appreciating life a lot more.

I am happy when I have popsicles or fruit snacks. Or when I go run, or curl up with a book on a hammock in the sun (rhyme unintentional...just naturally poetic, I guess). Or make my niece laugh by the way I eat a grape, or listening to music, driving with the windows down, singing out loud, dancing weird (pretty good at this....), having a good conversation, getting flowers, giving flowers...really the list goes on.

It's hard when life is kind of blowing up in your face as it sometimes tends to do, but really, if there is always a selection of small things that really cheer you up stored away in the back of your mind, it can work wonders.

Anyways, call me a child or way too simple, but try to notice the small things and you may see what I mean.