Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Lessons Learned Through Stuffed Animals

So I'm making stuffed animals for Christmas presents this year.  They are a blast to make: I knit them, then stuff them, then put features on them like eyes and noses.  Anyway, they are great. 

And what I've noticed is that even when I don't make them perfectly, I still absolutely love each and every one of them.  I love the flaws and the effort that I put into making them.  I love the yarn, the stuffing, all of it.

Basically, because I made them.  That's why I love them.  No one else made them; even though I followed a basic pattern, each one is uniquely mine.

I think this must be how God is.  I never could understand how God could love everyone so much, especially since we all have so many flaws in us.  (I know for fact that I am a bucket of crazy myself, lol...)  But now it almost makes sense to me. 

God loves us because He made us.  He followed a basic pattern and each one of us came out a little (or a lot) differently.  And just like I love the stuffed animals I make, flaws and all, God must be the same way.

If that makes any sense.  It made sense to me, but I don't always make sense elsewhere....

On a different note, Thanksgiving is tomorrow.  I have a ton to be thankful for and have started a small list in my head: being on break, bring my grades back up to where they should be (by my standards), a roof over my head, a family who loves me even though I sometimes feel like I can't do anything right, the ability to write and to express myself without censorship, yarn, friends, etc. 

And turkey.  Yay for turkey. =D

So anyway, be thankful this holiday season.  It's good for you.  Stop complaining, cause no one wants to hear it.

With that being said, I'm leaving now to finish gifts.  Happy Thanksgiving, folks.

~Meaghan

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I Need a Shock Collar.

No, not because I'm a disobediant dog.

It's actually something one of my best friends used to joke about.  Her attention span for things was usually very short, so she would occasionally say that she needed a shock collar to keep her on track.

Based on the fact that my own attention span is starting to rival that of a goldfish, and the fact that my blogs on here never seem to stay on topic (I'm super good at tangents, or at least that's how it feels to me), then I think I may need to second the motion.  That way whenever I get off topic, the collar would give me a quick-but-friendly shock to remind me that I need to stay on topic.

Which means that it would be going off all the time.

Maybe this is not such a great idea.  Hmm.  At least it would look cool.  I could get a black one with spikes or something and act like I'm underground punk.

But then my parents would have a moment.  Which could be funny, except that I really don't want to be responsible for giving my father a heart attack.

So no to the collar.  Let's pretend that I even brought it up.  Let's instead move to - well what do you know - another tangent.

It finally snowed.  As much as I loathe snow, I was so ready for it.  I'm ready for more, actually.  I need it to feel like November.  I loved the fall we had this year.  It was wonderful.  But without snow, my body and mind can't register that school's almost over and that the year is almost done.  The snow keeps me in line, on track.

Kind of ironic, considering I'm not from here originally.

And now for an abrupt ending.  I am tired and can not focus.  I will write when I am coherent, probably tomorrow from school.  (One of my classes is called off for the day, so I'll have plenty of time...)

Until then,

~Meaghan

Monday, November 8, 2010

You Know What?

I think it's almost ironic that they make us register for the spring semester while we're still in the middle of fall semester.  I mean, think about this.  You're in the process of getting papers done, pulling your grades out of the proverbial gutter (not like I have any experience with this...), and just trying to survive until winter break. Then all of a sudden, the school expects you to know what you want to do next semester and to get all the necessary paperwork in order before break.

Um, hello?  I'm a stressed college student, and while I happen to like registering for class, I still think it's kind of dumb that we have to do it so early.  Honestly, people.  I only know what I want to take next semester because I've been obsessively trying to figure out what I need to take to graduate sooner.  Otherwise, I'd have honestly no clue as to what I would want to take.

(BTW, guys and gals, as it stands, I should be able to get my degree in the spring of 2012.  So, before the world ends.) 

Another weird rant from the community college level: who decides when fall break is?

I like having Thanksgiving off and whatnot, I really do, but come on.  We get a week off only to have to come back for (in my case) two days of class to finish finals and whatnot.  Again, I'm not really complaining about having Thanksgiving off.  Don't get me wrong, I like being able to have turkey with the family and all that jazz.

But it would also be nice to have a week off in the middle of October.  That seems to be the burnout point for myself and all of my friends.  If we could have a week off in October, I think we'd be a lot more motivated toward the end.  You know, for whatever that's worth...

So now that that tangent is out of the way, here's what I'm taking for the spring semester.

1. English 122

 This is basically the second part of English comp.  It's a necessary evil and I'm not sure I'm looking forward to it.  Which, if you think about it, is kind of ironic in a way, as I am an English major of sorts.  But creative writing is so much more fun that traditional English writing.  So, papers and possibly boring, technical stuff.

2. Psychology 101

 This one knocks out the remaing requirements for my behavioral science catagory.  It was either this, Ethics, or Political Science (which might have been interesting.).  I chose this one because, let's face it.  It's fun getting into other people's heads and messing around.  Again, though, I anticipate lots of papers.

3. Public Speaking

 *shudder* Um, necessary evil.  Major necessary evil.  I do improv and I don't mind speaking in front of people sometimes, but anything that I write and then have to either read aloud or present freaks the heck out of me.  So, this is going to be character building as well as possibly horrifying.  And again, lots of speeches, so lots of papers.

4. Creative Writing II

 This is a requirement for the creative writing part of my degree, so I have to take it.  I'm in Creative Writing I right now, and I absolutely love it.  My writing has improved a lot, and I really want to keep it up.  So even though this is required, this is also a fun class that I am really looking forward to.  Lots and lots of papers/writing.

It all adds up to 12 credit hours, which is the most I've taken ever.  Normally I work while in school, but this year I'm not, so I should be able to handle it fine.  Spring is going to be fun, I think.  However, I feel like the commone theme is going to be paper writing...

And that's all we have time for today, kiddies.  I need to finish some homework for tomorrow that I pushed off this weekend.  I hope you guys have a great rest of your day.

~Meaghan

Friday, November 5, 2010

Oh Man, Really??

So, as you know, my dear readers, this semester has been kind of a rough one in the health department.  In fact, I dare to say it ties with the Summer 2009 semester (I had that stupid viral thing all summer, was sick on my birthday, and still managed to go to school with perfect attendence).  I can think of a two week period this whole fall semester where I was totally healthy.

As for the rest?

Starting the semester off, I had a cold/lung infection that knocked me flat on my back.  I took a while to get entirely over it and then I was able to enjoy my two weeks of relative health.  Then I started off with sniffles and ended up with a sinus infection and strep throat simultaneously.  I recovered but my immune system never quite got back up to where it normally is.

And now, this.  A stomach virus that brutally woke me up this week at ungodly hours and required running down dark hallways while everyone else is sleeping.

Granted, it's fairly mild, but it's just enough that eating is kind of uncomfortable and I'm exhausted.  I really want to sleep tonight without issue.

The funny thing about all of it?  As I'm sitting on the porcelin thrown, my humble bathroom trashcan before me, I realise:  I really need to start emptying the trash on a more regular basis. 

Yeah, that's right.  I was totally sick and all I could think about was how I should probably take the trash out and not let it pile up like I do.  Go figure.

Alright, well, I'm wiped.  Now that I have shared this information with you, I feel the need to sleep.  Have a wonderful Friday night, readers, and I'll report back later this weekend.

~Meaghan

Monday, November 1, 2010

Oh my gosh, guys!

So, I've discovered this new show that I absolutely adore.  It's got humor, great music, and wonderful characters who I just loved.  It also has a platypus in it.

That's right, guys.  I'm in love with the Disney show "Phineas and Ferb".

I think the last Disney cartoon I really enjoyed was "Kim Possible" which, let's be honest, is fantastic.  Even though it's no longer on the air.  Disney just comes up with these great shows.  (BTW, is Disney the one that did Teen Titans or was that someone else?  I never know who did it, just that I loved that one, too...)

So anyway.

"Phineas and Ferb" is great.  It's about how these two step brothers, Phineas (the one with red hair, a triangle face, talks all the time, and I'm pretty sure he's the younger) and Ferb (British, green hair, suave, and says like one sentence per episode with few exceptions), and how they spend their summer vaction.  They are always coming up with these crazy schemes that usually involve building (successfully) something out of the ordinary, like a roller coaster or something of the sort. 

Well, their older sister, Candace (she's Phineas' biological sister though the show makes it clear that it doesn't really matter cause she loves Ferb the same), is always trying to "bust" her brothers.  But whenever their mother gets home, whatever crazy invention or thing the boys have done usually has vanished.  Their mom is always non-chalant about the whole thing, secretly thinks Candace is nuts, and almost always offers them snacks.

BTW, their dad (British as well) sometimes sees them, sometimes not, and like the mom, is pretty laid back about the whole thing.

Oh, and the best part?  There's a whole sub-plot in each episode.

See, the boys own a platypus named Perry.  When around the family, Perry is totally normal - a little bug eyed, just kind of sits there, humors the boys, loves his humans, etc.  But when no one is looking, Perry becomes a secret agent with a hat and everything.  He works for this animal run organization that really doesn't have a very good name.  His nemisis, Dr. Doof (it's longer but I'm tired and don't feel like spelling it out), is always up to "evil" plans that are usually more humorous than anything else.  He and Perry have this relationship where they follow the same basic routine each time; one can not exist without the other.  And actually, it's my personal opinion that they would get along if one was not good and the other goofy evil.

So yeah.

And Doof's experiments are usually the reason the boys' inventions disappear.  It's a great show.

I love it so much!  So much.  The music is really great because the guys who created the show are musically inclined, the characters are well done, and it's just great.  I highly recommend you go look it up on youtube.

And that's the scoop for tonight.

~Meaghan

Public Service Announcement

My Dear Cyberland Readers,

As you know, I am not really afraid to voice how I feel on this blog.  I attempt to present myself in a way that allows me to come across as the intelligent individual that I (hopefully) am.  However -

It has been brought to my recent attention that someone has been slightly offended by my word choice.  I do not mean to be vulgar and to use words that may seem "rude", but it has been known to happen from time to time.  This is something that I will be attempting to work on as this blog continues to run.

That being said, if it bothers you, please, don't read it. 

This has been a PSA from your friendly, neighborhood BirdGirl90.

Thank you for your time.