Pick Me Up of the Week

I know you all will like this one! Here's some more Pogo for all of you.


Pogo-Expialidocious. This video doesn't trip me out as much as Alice does, but I think this song is very beautiful. Expialidocious was composed using a sine wave bass, custom drum sequences, and sounds from Mary Poppins. As Mary Poppins is filled with musical numbers, you can hear their beautiful singing voices throughout this video. Listening to this song not only lifts me up, but watching the video does too. It's always a special thing to be reminded about something you've forgotten. I love Disney.

A fan commented on Pogo's YouTube page, and I think we can all relate to what he says...

"I have said it once, I will say it again. You can change the world with this music man. It takes the mind somewhere when u listen, I cant explain it, its unlike anything I have experienced. Your music lifts peoples hearts. Thank You man"


I hope you all have enjoyed the Pick Me Up of Week as much as I have enjoyed posting them. Know that every week when I posted these, I genuinely hoped that it would brighten someone's day. After all my selfish actions in the past, I now find great happiness in bringing joy to other people. I hope I've made y'all smile!

To Believe or Not to Believe

Yesterday in Literary Journalism Lough asked us all to respond to different aphorisms he gave us. I chose to respond to the aphorism "If God didn't exist, it would be necessary to invent Him". I was proud of what I wrote. It was one of those moments where you realize you still have the ability to surprise yourself. I ended up having this conversation more than once yesterday so I wanted to share my thoughts...

It's far better to walk through life with belief in a divine power than it is to walk through believing nothing. We stand to gain much more by looking at the world from a mystical standpoint, pondering the cosmic mystery that is existence, as opposed to Nihilistic views that life holds no purpose and the world happened for no reason. Belief in a higher, cosmic power promotes a creative and open view of this world. Without God we would be slaves to reason, seeing the world as fact and not abstract.

I'm not Christian. I left the church when I was still in high school. I don't believe in heaven or hell, and I'm not sure if I believe the Jesus story. Honestly I don't like talking about it at this point in my life. It makes me uncomfortable. I agree with what Lough said that I am definitely in the position of "I don't know" with my religious views. I don't know, and that's all right. I spent twelve years being told what I should believe, and after it all I just want to come to my own conclusion about everything. It could take years, but I don't care. Why do I have to decide where I stand now? I've got the rest of my life.

I do still strongly believe in one thing, and that is believing. Despite how far I've fallen from my faith, I still believe in a higher power. I really do think that your life will be better off if you view the world as a beautiful, mysterious place, and ponder the signs and connections in everyday life. It's better to wrap your mind around what cosmic being created the world and all it's wonder than to believe this is all just a random accident. People can try to tell me that the world has no creator, but it won't matter. This is what I want to believe. I don't care if it isn't real.

I am Jack's hard-on.

It's been almost three years.

We weren't even in a relationship back in the time we lived in the SCAD bubble with all the other freshmen. We had amazing sexual chemistry. You gave me everything I ever wanted from a man. You made me feel the way I'd always wanted to in bed--we were perfect together. In spite of, or perhaps because of our amazing sexual compatibility, we had connection. I knew it. You knew it. But you wouldn't accept it. You wanted to look cool to your friends over having me as your partner. You treated me like shit in public to save face. You did everything you could to reject me and make me feel beneath you. You passed me up. We could've been something great together.

A year and a half later I fell in love. I no longer had to pine for you because I found someone else to fulfill my fantasies--someone who wasn't afraid to take on all the thrill and abstraction that is me. I replaced you. I moved on. I want no one else but him. Everything I have his is alone.

In the year and a half we've been together, you still won't leave me alone. I know how much you regret what you did, and I do too. I've thought about the past, and at times I do miss you. But after all that you've done I just want you to go away.

You call me late at night telling me that I'm the perfect woman. I'm the most beautiful, amazing woman you've ever been with. You tell me you fantasize about me everyday. You tell me how sorry you are for choosing your friends over me, friends you don't even have anymore. There's desperation in your voice as you tell me you'd do anything and everything to satisfy me. "No one will worship you the way I will".

I told my boyfriend about the calls. I blocked you on Facebook. I've done everything I can to break our ties forever. I won't have you getting off to thoughts of what could be again.

Today I sat down in the computer lab and worked on a computer that already had someone signed into it. After printing out my document I went to log out of the computer, and I saw your ID displayed on the log in screen.

I couldn't believe it. After all this time of trying to erase our ties to each other, we are still connected. I still find traces of you wherever I go.

Why won't this connection go away? Why are you still here after all this time?

Go away. You're history to me.

Dinosaur Jr.

I can't believe it took me this long to discover Dinosaur Jr. I was an idiot. Because of their name I thought they were going to be some trendy scene band. Oh the years of my life that have been wasted!! I highly recommend the album Green Mind to everyone. Their music is a sound that anyone can get into.

This video reminds me of something out of PeeWee's Playhouse. It makes me nostalgic for the 90s! I miss all the good bands and the good MTV....

Life List

When I was in my World Masterpieces class I wrote down a list of everything I wanted to do for each day of this weekend. It didn't take long. It wasn't a big list. Writing it all down made me feel a lot better about everything. When I was reading it all over I thought "This isn't that bad". In fact, I even started to wonder why I was psyching myself out in the first place.

All I need to do is STICK WITH IT and actually DO the things I say say I'm going to on each day. That has been my problem my entire time I've been at school. I always pile all my work on top of each other instead of spreading it out over the weekend. I always hate that I feel like the way I work during finals should be the way I work the WHOLE quarter.

Writing down my weekend list reminded me of another list I've been trying to keep--my life list. If you recall, my life list was one of the firsts posts I made. I wrote down all the things I want to accomplish in the near future, and said I would keep it up throughout the course of the blog. Well, as I have not kept up with my life list in this blog, I have not been true to a lot of the things I said I would do. I haven't completely slacked, now. There are a couple things I have done, but I need to be more sincere to my list than this.

I can't think of a better time than now to revamp my life list. Thinking about the things I want to do during the summer will defiantly take the edge off of finals...

LIFE LIST: THE COMEBACK

1. Write down a list of all the stories I have in mind about future Connect articles, and always have a story idea in advance.
2. Make rag dolls with recycled material.
   
3. Paint something.
   
4. Make more time for personal reading.
5. Keep ARTANDFIST hype alive through the summer.
6. Make more time for yoga.
7. Have tea time frequently.
   
8. Make my new house the best one I've lived in.
9. Keep up with my green beans, and plant more seeds in the new house.
10. Save money.

Paranoia sets in...

After a whole quarter of feeling WAY too detached from my college experience and like I've hardly done any work at all, why do finals have to come so harshly and suddenly like they always do?

I have feelings of dread I can't shake. Not only concerning finals, but in other places of my life. I have these looming paranoid feelings that I'm going to get fired from my job at Pedicab. I know it's probably an irrational fear since I've only worked two shifts, but I can't get the picture out of my head of me messing something up so bad that they fire me on the spot. I don't think I could handle that helpless feeling.

I'm worried that I won't be able to pull of everything I need to for finals. I already feel I've failed by not doing enough work at this point in the game. Are all of these thoughts I'm having real, or are they just paranoid delusions I'm creating? Am I making the delusions real by fixating on them? Maybe the best thing for me right now is not to think, and just do.

I'll contemplate it more while in my dreadful World Masterpieces class....

Pick Me Up of the Week

Because I slacked a little on getting the pick me up out this week, and I think it's been a difficult weekend for all of us with finals, I've decided to put up two pick me ups for today. I read a few blogs today that told me everyone might need it, particularly Elyse's. You're right, Elyse. The hellacious rain did make this weekend crappy. I really hope this weeks edition(s) will give all of you a spark.

I'm not much of a Chris Crocker fan, but this video never fails to make me laugh. NEVER. That gay, hissy fit tone he says everything in, and how he whips his feathered hair around while running with the camera always gets me.



The Go! Team- Get It Together. They're called The Go! Team for a reason. Every time I hear them I want to get up and be active. Their songs are great to listen to when you're sad because all of them are so happy. You can't listen to them without feeling a little perked up. Get It Together is one of their more magical songs. I love listening to it when I'm driving or when I'm outside. Everything feels so much more alive. I feel adventurous and like the world is a playground. Try listening to it and see if it makes you feel the same.

I hope everyone can find some relief during the upcoming finals week. Don't lose your head.

Affirmations

• Always rely on a happy mind alone.

• Remember to acknowledge the angry stirrings in your mind for what they are, realize that allowing them to grow will only result in suffering, and then make a free and conscious decision to respond more constructively.
  

• It's through your own anger and hatred that you transform people into enemies.

• By training yourself to look at frustrating situations in a more realistic manner, you can free yourself from a lot of unnecessary mental suffering.

• Because it is based on exaggeration, anger is an unrealistic mind.

• Problems do not exist outside your mind, so when you stop seeing other people as problems they stop being problems.

Photo: Soto Zen Buddhist Association of North America, SZBA.org

Pick Me Up of the Week

Sometimes we all just need to laugh. It's the pick me up that never fails. With that in mind, I would like to share with all of you my selection of the most epic FAIL blogs ever!! I love FAILblog. I go there whenever I want to laugh my ass off. If you need to do the same then watch these videos. They still make me laugh after all the many times I've watched them.

I love that epic Superman dive right into the ground! HA!!


I want to be friends with this guy. I'm so glad that the cops laughed at this.


Holy crap, this woman. WE WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT TREES!! This video is the fail that keeps on giving.


That's so bad! Can you imagine being in church and seeing that happen? Wow.

And my favorites:




What a shining example of John Mayer's fan base! I hope all of you saw at least one that made you crack up. Check out the website for more FAIL-tastic hilarity. I'm also a big fan of Totally Looks Like. Some of those things are just damn clever. Enjoy!

Affirmations

Repeat these Buddhist affirmations to yourself whenever you feel taken over by anger. When I was in a disgusted state with myself and my output on the world, they helped change my life. I will keep posting more regularly so that everyone will hopefully find one affirmation that speaks to them. Anyone has the power to become a better person if they truly want to with all of their heart.

• Being patient means to welcome wholeheartedly whatever arises, having given up the idea that things should be other than what they are.

• Don't expose yourself to great personal danger merely to extract petty revenge.

• "Conquer anger by non-anger. Conquer evil by good. Conquer miserliness by liberality. Conquer a liar by truthfulness." (Dhammapada, v. 233)

More to come...