Day 69: Montana Drivers

I have a love-hate relationship with Montana drivers but today I love them. 

I awoke to the news that there was a blizzard and it had been snowing all night.  I had a doctors appointment to get to so I got up and got ready, thinking I would have a mountain of snow to get off of my car.  LUCKILY the wind had swept most of the snow off of my car (in)conveniently to the entire drivers side. I made my way through the mini hill of powdery snow and got into my car and started out the drive way.  

Now... sometimes when it snows here, it just looks pure white with no real clarity on where the ground might, or might not, be. As I started down our hill I realized I would have to guess on where exactly to keep the car - I mean, it's a road, but it's on a hill with pasture so it's not defined when you can't see it. Heading down the hill I was reminded of gliding down mountains on skis and countless sledding parties that have taken place over the course of my life. It made me excited to drive through this snowy day.

As I was driving I was imagining what traffic might be like: 

• In Denver, if it snows, which it does..every year..., it seems like there are 400% more accidents, people drive 25mph everywhere and it's just annoying. 
• Of course, it's better than if it snows in Oregon, which it doesn't do as much, but when Oregon gets an inch it's as though the whole state has shut down. Anybody on the interstate drives 15mph and it makes any commute excruciating.
• In Montana, however, when it snows, everybody just keeps going.  In fact, I would wager to say that they slow down, but they slow down enough to go the speed limit - maybe 2-3mph under - and use discretion (most of the time).  It's a completely different experience than any other place I've lived in my life and I really do appreciate it.

(Sidenote: I also love sliding around in my car on ice. Yes, I am weird. Yes, I like spinning brodies, and yes... today I accidentally slid but did not hit anything.  And it was fun.)

I don't know if I'll EVER post about loving Montana drivers again, but I'll say this is definitely one thing I like about 'em.  (That and their lead feet to match or surpass mine!)

Day 68: Puns

Perhaps it's because I have a dad that tells classic dad jokes, but I just love puns.  I realized my affinity for them while I was in college and some music friends and I were running through a handful of music puns that were cleverly crafted in music theory. They made me laugh and still do.

When this thread came up on my Facebook newsfeed, I was laughing at every response despite how terrible the original pun was...

A few weeks later I saw this BuzzFeed article:

 21 Epic Pun Battles

And then last week this one popped up... in my Facebook feed (chopped up a bit more as many responses didn't participate in the pun madness):

And please note: this is the first time I've participated (and it was today).

I love puns! I also love cheesy dad jokes.

Day 67: Blake

Generally speaking, I'm not the type to name inanimate objects, but I have noticed some key things I've named are my instruments and my car.  I think it's perhaps because they are a large part of my life, and even a part of the depth of my life.

I named my car on a road trip down in 2008. From my hometown in Montana down to Denver to Salt Lake City, Sacramento, up the Oregon Coast and back over to Montana.. it's a really long drive, and it was the first of many road trips I took. I figured if I would be spending so much time with just my car, it ought to have a name.  (I'd also only had the car for a few weeks at the time, so the timing was right.)

Having discovered the beauty of cruise control while driving the monotonous terrain of Eastern Wyoming, I thought about naming it Cruise. Moments later I started thinking about Tom Cruise and really didn't want people to think I would name my car after an actor I didn't even like... so I figured it would need a different name. I thought about Blain... but the car was smooth, cruisin, and I felt like it deserved something a bit more crisp than a name like "Blain."

So I was playing with words until I said, "Blake." It just seemed perfect - crisp, awesome... Blake.  (It may or may not have helped that there was a totally awesome skier guy in my high school named Blake - he may even still do the X-Games, which I found to be pretty B.A.)

Blake and I began our countless amounts of road trips with 45,000 on the car.  Nearly six years later and we're clocked at about 117,000 miles. Most of those trips have been just me and Blake, and they've been fantastic.

Yesterday when I stopped my car and ran down a road to get a picture of some mountains (because I love mountains) I looked back and saw Blake looking like the stud he is (yeah, Blake is male). I do not look forward to any day of parting with him, but luckily Subaru Outbacks last quite some time... so I'm looking forward to several more years of adventures with this fantastic car.

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P.S. Here are the mountains I had to stop for... no picture will EVER capture the beauty of them, but even stopping to take a look was worth it.

Day 66: Shark Tank

Okay, it may seem odd to write about a TV show.  Especially about a TV Show like Shark Tank, but I started watching it out of some curiosity mixed with boredom last week and I actually really like it.

Shark Tank is a reality show where self made millionaires, and veteran entrepreneurs, are investor "sharks" to whom aspiring entrepreneurs pitch investment opportunities.  The entrepreneurs walk into a room with a panel of five sharks, make a pitch and then answer any questions and negotiate with the sharks to make a deal.  Some walk away with a new investor (amounts I've seen range between $50k-$2 million for varying amounts of equity in the company that will utilize the investment), some walk away knowing they have a good product but could not get an investor, and some walk away with nothing.

I think it's inspiring and enlightening to watch how successful people choose to invest their money and also how people go about getting investors and running a startup business. The sharks may be harsh at times, but I think it's really amazing when they see a product they truly believe in and want to invest and help someone live out their dreams.

I know all of these reality TV shows, in essence, might only highlight the success and sweep the failure under the rug, but I feel like Shark Tank includes real investors and real entrepreneurs all looking at how to make it in the world. There have been times where they show a snippet of some of the invested businesses and they have even shown some of those businesses having real struggles - but it doesn't change the fact that the business received an investment - or whatever they received in the midst of their negotiations. There are sources that demonstrate the sharks actually losing money, and there are also articles pointing out how the entrepreneurs actually lost money by making a terrible deal.  Nonetheless, the show offers a place for people to ask for support to pursue their passions.

I also find myself amused and thoughtfully influenced by some of the comments from the sharks. I find it interesting when one investor feels like an investment will be a bust - or that it will be a hit - and another disagrees somehow.  It is in these moments that they tend to get a little educational, even if they seem egotistical in some of the things they say.

It's an odd thing, but for some reason I like the show.  Perhaps it's the element of support, or the element of pursuing passions...  having no regrets.  All of it.  I like it - and that's okay.

Day 65: My Bed

I often forget how marvelous beds are while I am traveling. Every few nights (at least) I am generally relocating to new couches, floors, or space people have for me. Occasionally I am lucky enough to score a bed and remember how nice that is. 

I feel like my travels are nearing their end so having a bed in Montana until I re-establish my bed elsewhere, I look forward to many nights kindling the relationships I have with each bed.

Sometimes it truly is the small things. Today and tonight it's my bed, my pillow, and a room to myself. Bliss.

Day 64: Healing and Choice

"Time heals all wounds."  

A phrase frequently thrown out for anybody going through any sort of turmoil and something I've found to be true and relevant to my life the last few years. Whether it was healing a friendship that went through some rough patches or through something else emotional, time certainly helped.

Here I've been waiting for my ankle to heal for the last four months and questioning the prospect of some emotional and relational healing at the same time. While I may still have to wait for the ankle to heal, I was happy to see some relationships seeming to have healed over time and distance.

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On another note, I was reminded last night about our choice to be happy. While I felt anxious to return to certain things in Denver, I was thankful for the opportunity to choose how I felt in situations. I reminded myself of the choice and decided to push all negative thoughts out of my mind and focus on the positive thoughts and feelings I was experiencing. Honestly, it was a big win for me, so I am happy we have these choices.

So I'll put up this picture for the second time in my blog:

Day 63: Tea, Friends, Movies from Childhood

In contrast to my day yesterday, I have nothing but happy things to think on today.

First, I love tea. I have had times where I forget this, but it's honestly one of the most delightful things I think I can have in my day whether to just warm up or soothe a sore throat or a good evening treat. Especially after nights of dehydration a cup of tea is welcome and wonderful.

My favorites:

Secondly, much like other days, I saw a lot of friends today but I am beginning to take special note how those interactions feel. Today they were all natural and fantastic. Breakfast with my most recent roommate and her husband, dinner with friends from college, and dessert and movies another dear friend. I left each interaction feeling refreshed and energized rather than exhausted and that in itself makes me quite happy. I cannot complain about the laughter and comfort shared amongst these friends.

"Lastly" (I put this in quotes since there are plenty of other happy things to consider today), as we scanned Netflix we noticed The Prince of Egypt (the cartoon) in a long list of children's movies. Oh man, Netflix is STACKED with movies I loved when I was younger right now so we began watching them. 

Remembering that I owned the soundtrack to The Prince of Egypt and had all of the songs memorized, as I would listen to the CD on repeat in my discman, and the movie itself have provoked so many great memories. I cannot wait to watch others - 101 Dalmatians, the movie, Robin Hood, Ants, Pocahontas, The Fox & The Hound, The Great Mouse Detective -- and so many more!

Day 62: Good Conversation

Whenever I am visiting a place where I have an abundance of friends it seems like there are not enough hours in the day to see everybody.  I enjoy seeing them and catching up and talking but it's always a pleasant surprise when I go out with someone, or some people, and can just have a good, healthy, life-giving conversation beyond the catching up.

That took place yesterday while stopping in a coffee shop to gain some warmth. And I'm very glad for that pocket out of my otherwise exhausting day.

Day 61: Cooking

I believe I may have posted about it before, but I suppose repeat posts are bound to happen - and may also tell my trends in what adds to my happiness. I've always known I love traveling but posting in this blog has just reinforced that idea over and over again. 

So.. cooking.  I love cooking - and I recently started developing my own recipes.  Of course, they are inspired by other recipes, but I'm developing them for myself since I have allergies and food restrictions. 

So today on the menu I had a cheeseless pesto chicken wrap.  I made the pesto by roasting pine nuts, adding them to basil and parsley with olive oil and lemon juice and mixing them together in a food processor.  When it came out I questioned the amount I had so I ended up also making a garlic aioli.  Unfortunately I misread the aioli proportions - there is a large difference between a tablespoon and a teaspoon - and ended up making more of a sauce which I combined with the pesto.

In the wraps I put sun dried tomatoes, sautéed green peppers and caramelized onions with grilled chicken. On others I used mozzarella cheese and I think they came out fantastic - served with sweet potato fries and the garlic aioli sauce...

We had a group of five and there is something truly wonderful about sharing a meal with people, so we all ate together and shared laughter and friendship.

I had made a dark chocolate and a milk chocolate mousse and layered with berries for dessert so when we all finished our main meal we moved our desserts to "the sitting room" and just continued in our good conversation.

I think I love cooking because it opens up a time to offer a time of community bonding.  I love trying new things and seeing how the ingredients work together.  I love the conversation that takes place over meals and I just enjoy all the benefits that come with cooking.

Todays opportunity to cook was truly a blessing for which I am immensely grateful.

Day 60: Second Hand Stores

This could be viewed as a shallow happy-making element but... I just love shopping at good second hand stores.  I tend to gravitate towards Plato's Closet and Buffalo Exchange and stores such as that, but I just think they often have cute clothes for little money.

Today I made my way to a Plato's Closet and tried on 13 dresses - four of which I liked and two of which I bought at $8 each.  I just think... styles are constantly changing and body and personality changes as well - why not get new clothes for cheaper?

So I felt like it was a win of a trip!  PLUS I got a couple of blazers unsure whether I would want to keep them or not but their return policy will enable me to try them with other clothes and bring them back later if I decide they aren't something I need.


On top of that, it was really sunny today and I was able to go without wearing a jacket for much of it.  I could tell that it substantially improved my mood.

Day 59: Flying

Ahhhh I love travel! I love driving, I love trains, and I love flying. 

I love skymall magazines because they have things like this:

...I love flying...

(And I love turbulence.)

Flew to Denver today. Win.

Day 58: Differentiation

I don't know about everybody else in the world, but comments like, "You look familiar," and "Do I know you from somewhere?" have become quite normal for me.  I get phone calls and texts from all of the places I've lived asking me if I'm visiting because they "just saw me" - and one time, I even saw a picture and asked myself, "When did I do that?" only to realize it wasn't me.  So... apparently I have doppelgängers enough to even confuse myself.

It opens a lot of conversations, mostly slightly awkward, but I guess it's a good conversation starter anyway.  Some blame it on my hair color (as it's not the most common), others on my smile or whatever. I even had the following conversation after posting a picture with a friend on Facebook - her dad had commented on whether he'd had triplets (as she is already a twin) and she responded first:

I don't know.  It's a weird phenomenon, doppelgängers; it reminds me that people aren't so different. It is only when I am mistaken as someone else entirely that I care.  Someone who does not share my hair color, my smile, or whatever other features. And unfortunately that happened through a photo on Facebook today - which provoked me to remove my profile picture altogether.  Because I am different.

Perhaps it's an odd reaction, but taking the photo down was my way of empowering myself in my independence and my differences. Although I am glad people are similar, I am also glad people are different. It almost comes back to the Principles of Individualization and embracing one another as unique individuals.

I don't want to come off as misunderstood, as that's not really what I'm getting at, and I also don't want to pretend like what we develop as a community of individuals isn't also empowering. I just think it's important to recognize others in their differences.

To be acknowledged as myself is a wonderful thing - even if I'm the only one who sees it in certain moments.

Day 57: No Regrets

7 Habits of Incredibly Happy People (<--LINK)

The unembellished habits are:

1. Be Busy, But Not Rushed
2. Have 5 Close Relationships
3. Don't Tie Happiness to External Events
4. Exercise
5. Embrace Discomfort for Mastery
6. Spend More Money on Experiences
7. Don't Ignore Your Itches

A friend of mine tweeted this article this morning and as I read through it I found myself really agreeing with the points as I read through... Spending money on experiences has been great, exercise always makes me happy, etcetera. It was when I got to the 7th point that I really started being thankful for my recent adoption of "No Regrets" in my life.

I made some big decisions, quit my job, let my lease end, became nomadic and started exploring what life would look like in a multitude of cities. While on my journey I had developed a pretty good speech about the purpose of my adventures and what I was doing - and ultimately there was a big element of having no regrets in my life.  Eliminating the, "what if?"  Reading this and seeing that, "When the Guardian asked a hospice nurse for the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying, one of the most common answers was that people regretted not being true to their dreams..." I felt truly affirmed in my decisions to quit and move on.

There have been moments where I've wondered about why I didn't stay.  I mean, I didn't hate my job - I liked my co-workers, I had great benefits and I was making enough money (and they offered me a raise!)... but I do not regret quitting for this.  I don't regret my traveling with no income, I'm glad I did it.

So... To no regrets. To responding to itches and impulses.  To pursuing dreams and passions.  To happiness.

...things we should all aim to do...

Day 56: Arriving Safely

Things that I liked today:

• Spontaneous trip
• Passing (other cars)
• Exploring alone
• Driving
• Arriving safely

When I left this morning it was cloudy and dry and as I explored in the distant town the weather became a bit more dreary, and snow storms in prediction for the next few days, I found it in my best interest to head home.

As I started driving it was raining and dusky.  I typically hate driving at night in the rain so I was doing my best to make good time in the light while still being safe.  Eventually it got dark and the rain did not let up... Side note: It's interesting how good line painting can make all the difference on the road - unfortunately the lines were not in my favor and they were near impossible to see.

So I'm thankful for these things that I think helped me make it safely home:

• My glasses (which I wear while driving at night)
• These things:

Day 55: Valentine's Day

I realize this may be a little weird to like Valentine's Day - especially with the varying amounts of controversy it can cause with the whole St. Valentine Massacre and such, but I guess I just kind of like the holiday it's become in the US.

I know a lot of people don't love Valentine's Day - they call it Singles Awareness Day, Singles Appreciation Day, or my favorite, Trophy Day - but I love it and I've been single for all of the Valentine's Days in my lifetime.

Why?

1. I enjoy giving gifts!  I enjoy writing notes.  Therefore I love making Valentine cards (which I wrote about earlier this week) and on Valentine's Day, I am able to exercise all of those things I love shamelessly.
2. I enjoy reminding people that they are loved.  As many walk around feeling that their singleness was just highlighted by the fact they aren't receiving flowers from their loves or having some romantic dinner planned, I like to remind them that they've been fine and complete all of the other days, friends that love them, and things to appreciate in life.
3. My mom started sending me the most ridiculous (read: awesome) care packages while I was at college when she realized I didn't eat the cupcakes/cookies/candy she sent. They evolved into ridiculous boxes with heart adorned pajamas, love games, a chick flick, a card and anything else that was pink or red and would fit in the box.  It cracked me up and I came to anticipate those boxes above all other mail I might receive.  She still goes over the top - I think one day she even waited until the day after Valentine's Day to get everything on clearance and just went to town.
4. Love should be celebrated.  Always, though.  That perhaps is my hint of dislike at the holiday (and any holiday, for that matter) is that it can discredit all of the other days of the year where flowers or kind notes are appreciated.

"Trophy Day" may be a downer... or it can be amazing.  If you're single, show some love to yourself.  Make a nice meal, get yourself some flowers and find a way to start showing love to everybody else.  Perhaps you'll feel a little bit better about it next time February 14th rolls around.

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Oh... and all of these hilarious Valentine's Day Cards:

• Valentine's for Singles to Give to Themselves
• 21 Awkward Valentine's Day Cards For Your Confusing Modern Relationship
• Horrible Cards by The Oatmeal

Day 54: Interesting Lighting

Far too often I find myself fascinated with interesting lighting.  Usually provoked by natural light (which I also love) and even more in recent months that I've been noticing the way the light hits even a blanket.  I realize it's not art, but it's interesting to me.

The picture of the blanket I took on a day in Seattle when the light was pouring in through the large windows.  The other picture was from today.  The picture definitely doesn't do it justice, but I just noticed that the room had a good feeling about it and looked out to see the trees looking as if they were in a movie with lighting to highlight the deep greens and reds.

Absolutely marvelous on both counts. Stunning. 

We even kept the lights off in the classroom in which I was subbing today because the natural light was much more welcoming and comfortable than the harsh lights above.  It was lovely.

Day 53: Tax Refunds

The first few years of paying taxes I felt extremely unlucky as I was seemingly earning less than my cost of living and still owing tax money each time I filed.  

The last two years have proven to be quite different and I'm OHSOTHANKFUL for the tax refunds I've been blessed with.

I honestly...I don't even know.  Alls I can say is, enroll in school - it's fun to learn new things and offers a good tax break.  

Also, file your taxes!  It's healthy and even if it seems like the odds are against you (like my first few years) the odds might be for you in other years.

Day 52: Spontaneous Trips

I'm not sure if it's come up yet (it's come up a lot..) but I love traveling (surprise).  

Most of the trips I've been taking have been mostly planned out, with room for flexibility.  The flexibility comes from driving my car, but with the weather and being in the heart of a valley in Montana, it's kind of hard to imagine driving anywhere sometimes.

That said, earlier today I started making plans to travel down to a town a bit further south over the weekend - they have the luxury of a mall and a pet store that we don't have up here.  I actually think they might have some nice restaurants like Olive Garden and stuff.  Anyway, that plan was already a "risk" but made me pretty excited... until I was pressed with urgency to visit Colorado!

I've been meaning to go to Colorado but braving the roads has seemed tedious and stressful so I've continuously put it off.  A conversation from last night, however, pushed me to make the trip earlier in February.  Why? I need to decide if I want to move back towards Colorado or back towards Oregon.

So, that on my mind, I looked up flights out of my own town, the town further south, and even Spokane, WA (because that airport is generally $200-300 cheaper to fly from/to (ridiculous)).  A short discussion of why I needed to make the trip, reviewing my availability with the substitute system, and perusing flights, I booked my flight to Denver.

Stoked to be making the trip and seeing people I haven't seen in 6 months (or more!)  We'll see what happens... but for now, I'll just be excited for the trip.

Day 51: Sending Packages

Okay, when I say sending packages makes me happy, I don't mean the time it takes to be at the post office trying to get everything sorted together and sent, but I mean just being able to give people things through the mail.

Getting mail is pretty exciting and getting gifts can also be exciting, so pairing the two and being able to provide those moments for others really makes me quite happy.

With Valentine's Day on Friday I figured I would make some Valentine's and send them to some friends and finally got around to getting to the Post Office today. I made the Valentine's last week, wrote the notes over the following days and today went to the store to pick up things I thought each of the individuals might like.  Once at the Post Office I folded boxes, filled them, addressed them and sent them on their way.

Crossed something off my to-do list also while sending people gifts.  I'd say it was a win.

Home-made Valentines.  And a blanket that also makes me quite happy made by my mother :)

Day 50

50 DAYS OF HAPPINESS!  

Which have included moments of other emotions and growth, but the focus on being happy.  And I do believe it's making a difference!

Day 49: SoundCloud

A few years ago I was a little low on funds and decided I wanted to try to work on homemade Christmas presents - I'd heard that Sufjan Stevens' Christmas ablums had actually began by him recording CD's for his family and thought it was actually not a bad idea.  I'd intended to record all of the songs seriously but someone requested I record Jingle Bell Rock and it kind of took the songs in a new direction.  Serious and silly - classical, jazzy and acoustic... acapella with vocal instrumentation, and so on.  Really the sky was the limit - though I was recording everything on my mac through my mac ear buds or computer audio input.

I opted to ask for a mic for Christmas that year without telling them my project - and they got me a mic.  So this last year I was able to record more Christmas songs with a better microphone and started uploading more onto SoundCloud.  (And also learned about the difficulties of finding good recording space, as background noises exist everywhere.)

I also started recording originals for SoundCloud so that I might be able to collaborate with other musicians better - getting feedback and so on.  While it has helped with that, it's also enabled me to listen to all of these fabulous musicians I've met in my life.  I really just think it was just a great idea to create a space specifically for sharing music.

Here are a couple of songs I was listening to tonight:

• America (Simon & Garfunkel Cover)
• Say Something (Brave New World Cover)

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Also... this video made me laugh...
"Runner Eats It Immediately After Interview about Running"

Day 48: Classes of Fun Kids

Picking up substitute teaching jobs while I've been in Montana has been pretty great in enabling me to make some money with little to no commitment.  I am on the prospective sub-list until I request to be removed, so when I'm here I can pick up anything.

I've been apprehensive to pick up elementary classes because they require 1) Being with the same class all day and 2) Teaching a lot of different subjects.  Bonus reason: They are children and have the potential to be hard to control.  

I've picked up mostly High School English classes and music related classes in lieu of this, but today they called me to see if I could possibly sub a 5th grade class for the afternoon.  I agreed...

I went to the school and read the lesson plan complete with specific timeframes and instructions (for the most part) on what the kids were to be doing with their time. We began with DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) and then moved into class lessons.

I had introduced myself as "Miss Kim" as it seems appropriate enough in an elementary classroom. This provoked the following dialogue:

• Girl: Is your last name really Kim?
• Me: No, my last name is ________
• Boy: Oh.  Let's stick with Miss Kim.

That made me laugh, but there was more laughter to follow during the spelling test.  I would use the words in sentences as there were words like "through" and "already" which can be mistaken or "threw" and "all ready" (man, 5th grade is so tough!) so I would say, "The word is 'opinion' as in, I don't care about your opinion, mine is the only one that matters," and, "The word is 'necessary' - it will be necessary for you to be quiet while we continue the test." They thought these phrases were funny and would tell me if I came up with a good line, but I suppose my favorites were with the words "weird" and "forty."

• Me: The word is weird - as in something or someone is weird.
• Student: THAT'S ME, I'M WEIRD. *pointing to self proudly*
• Me: I guess that is Daniel... Daniel is weird.

• Me: The word is forty, as in I am not yet forty.
• Student 1: Our teacher is!!!
• Student 2: How old are you?!
• Student 3: She's twenty!
• Student 4: She's twenty-two!!
• Me: I am between twenty and thirty years old.
• *continue with guessing until they reach the appropriate number*

By the end of the class - which included the spelling test, reading assignment, reading practice, social studies, free time and "planners," I had heard "I LIKE her!" "You're a good teacher." And, "Will you please come sub for us all of the time!!" so many times that I was reminded of how great it is to work with kids occasionally.

They are a handful so I cannot imagine teaching them regularly, but it was fun for the day and so much better than my morning classes with High School Freshmen. (no offense to HS Freshmen...)

Day 47: Connections

"It's all about who you know." 

I think I've been lucky with my connections in life - and as time goes on, they only seem to get better.

Places connections have benefited me:

• Travel

I've gone nomadic/gypsy three times in the last while and between the three, lasting 3-6 months each, I've stayed in a total of two hotels.  And I did not pay for the hotel either of those two times due to reward points or other people donating their reward points.  Without connections to people or through people that would not have been possible.

• Jobs

I've always been able to find jobs - short term and long term - regularly.  Connections to bigger companies and all of my prior experiences building me up with a skill set to work in a variety of places now have enabled me to be employed.  Beyond those connections into specific work worlds, simply knowing people from my daily life has given me good reference to others in their lines of work.

• Friends

I've feel lucky that I've been able to find new friends in new places through mutual friends or someone guiding me to the right locations.  With my friends I feel it rings true that birds of a feather flock together.  I seem to find similar friends everywhere and because of this have no qualms about sending someone else in their direction if there is a need or desire.

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Certainly I'm thankful for these connections as I'm sure I would not be who I am today without them.

Today they apply because I am working as a substitute and simply by having connections to some teachers, I am able to connect with more teachers and find more opportunities within.  I am lucky.

Day 46: Individualism

Okay... So I had started to write about individualism yesterday but got distracted and in the end was too tired to continue the post.  So I'd like to write about it for a minute today, as it's something that has come up numerous times recently.

I love how different people are.  How there can be a shy extrovert or an outgoing introvert, a social butterfly that pines for alone time... there are health nuts, gym fanatics, book worms, gamer geeks, technology nerds, etc, etc. This list could go on forever simply because there are so many types of people - and many people share attributes from several "types" of people.  For example, I say "gym fanatics" and "healthy nuts" which seem like they should go together, but I enjoy the gym and working out, but I also love reading and playing nerdy board games.

It's so easy to put someone in a box in our minds - however they may fit the stereotype as we've seen it in the past.  We compare them to ourselves and to the people we've already known in our lives.  We find ourselves saying things like, "You remind me of _________."  Generally, this statement might mean we've concluded we already know their type, since there is another human that demonstrates similar attributes or personality traits.  I'm just as guilty of this, but I am reminded over and over again that it is important to recognize people as unique individuals.

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I sat in on a conversation the other night to discuss community building amongst a larger group of people. Some people in the group found the conversation worthless as they are already working to build community with various individuals. Their efforts were put into a few select activities and shared interests amongst the people, and did not include any thought for the people that may not share those interests.  It seems easy, to me, in those cases that they assume everybody else is doing the same things they are - finding others with shared interests and going about their business.  However, this is where the individual comes back into play - not everybody operates the same way.

The discussion continued and eventually a woman in the group started to speak on how it has been more difficult for her as she has circumstances that have seemingly prevented her from being able to truly build relationships.  It was not until this woman spoke up that the others were open to hearing that different people may require different approaches and work in different ways.

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Another learning experience for me has been with emotional development.  When I was younger I was not very emotional.  In fact, I found that I felt I was being looked at as weak whenever I cried - even by myself - so I rarely cried (unless provoked by a movie or song that I could shamelessly blame for my own heartfelt tears). That said, it made it hard for me to know how to act around someone who was in a state of emotional turmoil. 

In the last couple of years I've come into more understanding of emotions - or ...perhaps not understanding as much as experiencing - and realizing that we all react to things in different and unique ways.  We feel things and we are taught in society that our feelings are nothing compared to some other happening in the world. We find ourselves feeling guilty about having an emotion and have two options: suppress the emotion or let the emotion live and experience it.

After some time of thinking on the topic of emotions, I do feel it's important to let the emotion live.  Recognize that our own feelings are valid - and instead of looking at someone else as weak when they seem to be going through something, recognize that they are also valid in their feelings whether we understand them or not.

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We are all different.  We are all the same.  But we are all different. We go through similar experiences.  We share interests and stories. We all walk upon the same earth.  So why are we living in judgement and comparison of one another?  I don't know.  But I do know that I appreciate that we are all individuals.

This isn't to say that I hate BuzzFeed quizzes because it uses some algorithm to place us in one of twelve categories, or personality tests, or even that I dislike noticing similarities between people. It's just to say that I appreciate the unique offerings everybody has to this world. And perhaps showing that appreciation to other individuals will encourage more people to embrace what makes them who they are, rather than who someone else decided them to be.

Day 45: Good Books, Sleep, Coffee, Crafts, Heaters

I had full intentions of writing about individualism for today, but I'm actually so tired I decided to save it for tomorrow or another day.

I did not get much sleep last night so I'm really excited for a good nights sleep tonight.  I was kept from sleeping due to the reading of a good book and was only kept awake, after getting up early this morning, with coffee.

Since the night/morning turned out to be rough I went to the animal shelter and hung out with dogs for a while - I may have made a new friend but it's unlikely he'll be there long, he's an adorable akita mix with a sweet face and lopsided ears.

After the animal shelter I ventured to the craft store so that I might begin making Valentine's (it's next week!!) and craft stores can be overwhelming, but they have such fun things.

Now I'm just indulging in some time by the space heater before retreating to my room where my pillow awaits me.  Doubtful I'll last much longer, but it's quite nice for the time being.

Day 44: Nickel Creek

Nickel Creek (not to be confused with or even slightly related to Nickelback...) was the first professional touring band I ever saw in concert (over ten years ago).  I have to admit I only knew a few songs before the concert so long ago but after that concert, I was sold on the band.  

They had an incredible mandolinist (Chris Thile), a great fiddler (Sara Watkins), and a fantastic guitarist (Sean Watkins). All three could sing and all three had mastery over instruments. At the end of their performance they all came out to perform individually and really showcase their incredible amount of talent.

It was sad, but not surprising, when the band decided to "break up" and pursue their music apart from each other.  Each found their own success and path along the way and we learned to enjoy them as solo artists.

Today they announced that they will be releasing a new album - and also that they will be going on tour.  All of the Nickel Creek fans are beyond ecstatic - and all day I've continued to look at their website for potential tour dates I may want to pursue.  Chicago...Nashville...DC...Boston.  Who knows?!  Unfortunately the dream place they will play - Telluride Bluegrass Festival - is sold out.

But Nickel Creek is back together.  And that, my friends, is much to be happy about.

Check out their website and their new song:

NickelCreek.com

.....SO excited.

Day 43: Things

Let's just get it out of the way.  The Broncos lost. I felt like they didn't even really play in the Super Bowl.  Who was that?  Where did Peyton go? Wes? Hello???? So I've been toying with what made me happy today for a while.

Random things. 

• Making homemade tzatziki sauce from scratch (yum).  
• Vegetable trays (yum).  
• Children learning to catch and throw (precious). 
• Vodka soda (lightly necessary occasionally over whiskey...?!).  
• Babies in onesies (oh my word, cute!).  
• Putting said babies in onesies to sleep (win).  
• Finishing my Fitness Nutrition Exam (YES).
• The hope of Olympics, Baseball and Soccer in the future...
• Clean rooms (oh hey, just like my first post?)
• New friends (even if they are rooting for the opposing teams!)

All that to say... while the game was less than ideal, there are still plenty of things to smile about.

Day 42: Silliness

I found myself back at the Speech & Debate Tournament today and ended up judging a couple of speech events - expository (which is meant to teach on a topic of the participants choosing) and humorous interpretation (which is derived from something published and then interpreted/performed by a participant).

In the expository speeches I was happy when the speakers incorporated humor into their lessons.  One girl gave a speech about eyes, hitting on scientific, aesthetic and optical elements of the eye - all of which I enjoyed, but I think I liked her speech even more with all of the puns she incorporated.  "Let's not lose focus," it was just silly.

Another young man in the round gave a speech on origami.  While I wasn't particularly blown away by much of his speech, he did use the origami fortune telling game at the beginning and end of his speech.  While I don't recall the first fortune he found, the last one he found was that he saw all of the judges circling "1's" in the round - which means we would be giving him first place.  It was ridiculous, but I loved it.

Into the humorous interpretation, it's expected that people will be silly - as they are trying to make you laugh.  I love laughing so I felt pretty excited to be placed in the finals round of such an event.  Anyway, the thing about these speeches that it's usually only one person speaking - and there are usually quite a few characters.  So here you see a person switching between characters by the way they stand, the direction they face, their facial expressions, and their voice.  

Imagine a 17 year-old-boy putting on the face of an old woman in a walker - this in of itself is silly.  But I think a favorite moment came from a young man moving like a caterpillar and singing various songs at a fairly high pitch in relation to his speaking voice. Another noteworthy moment involved a girl playing the part of the long-term smoker, snow-white with a dwarf named slappy - who could not stop slapping himself (or anybody else).

Surely I cannot explain to you exactly how all of these images looked, sounded or even remotely convey the humor, but I was laughing.  It was silly. And I loved it.