Meditating on Meditation

I’ve been thinking about taking up meditating.  I have enough nuisances in my life that a little quiet time might be welcome.  I also like the scientific evidence so far which shows that meditation helps to reduce stress and anxiety.

I have so many things that get in the way.  I can’t even go to the bathroom in peace.  No, I don’t have kids. It’s not that I don’t like miniature humans; it’s just that I haven’t gotten around to creating one yet.   I keep getting interrupted by my cats.  The very same creatures that choose to ignore my presence on a regular basis also can’t live without me for the whole five minutes it takes for me to complete my business.   Even sleeping is an ordeal with Emma constantly battling for my pillows.  The cats are clearly the owners and I'm the indentured servant. 

I figure that spending an extra 5-10 minutes in my car when I get home meditating couldn’t hurt. No interruptions (I can turn my phone off) and my car is fairly comfy. It sure is better than using that power of positive thinking type garbage like in The Secret.  You want to know the real secret about The Secret… if you bought it, you’ve been ripped off.   I still ponder if Oprah was getting a cut in The Secret profits, but then again she is very new agey. 

I’ll give it a couple weeks and if I don’t feel relaxed then I’ll give up.  There are other ways of blowing off steam.  I could just write more posts.

My Own Brand Of Rebellion

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."-Mark Twain

I’m the kind of person who often will surprise people.  I like unexpected things, and do unexpected things. I look like a nice unassuming girl next door, but I like goth punk and synchronized swimming.  I enjoy math and science and camping in the dirt (air mattresses are for old people and wussies).  This isn’t because I am crazy, but because I am a little rebellious and I don’t look it.  I was never the girl who dyed her hair black, got a bunch of piercings and tattoos, and began telling people to F off.  No I was more subversive.  If the band teacher kept pushing me towards the flute…well damn it I was definitely going to be learning to play the tuba. 

Whenever someone told me that I couldn’t do something (usually a skill or pursuit…nothing illicit) I sure as hell went out and did it just to prove a point. In fact, I would have never gone back to camp, and would have missed out tremendously, if one of the few bratty girls there (who really seemed to hate me) hadn’t said that I would never make it to the oldest group (a group who received some of the most wondrous privileges).  Her pathetic words held no power over me and I was going to make that clear. Although in the next five summers I came to love that camp and looked forward to visiting all year, I did feel a small sense of satisfaction when the final year came and I was there and the rude girl wasn’t.

My pushing back against dream killers is why I am always attracted to the kinds of artists that are a little off.  My favorite author is Oscar Wilde.  Known for his wit and unapologetic rebelliousness if he had been alive today I would actively try to work with or for him in some way.  I also love John Waters.  After watching one of his specials (This Filthy World) I realized that I had more in common with a 60 year-old gay man than most young women my age.  (Yes I have seen almost all of his wonderfully sick movies.)

Warning! Here comes the preachiness:

When you encounter these negative influences in life...these dream killers, tell them (in your head so that you stay productive) to go screw themselves and then prove to yourself that you can do whatever it is you want.

Don’t tell me that I can’t do something impressive, because you will be wrong…just letting you know!

A Call For Accountability

I am asking you readers to hold me accountable to something!   I need you to call me out if I don’t accomplish the following are goals by the conclusion of July 2013.


* Hot Air Balloon Ride in Sedona
* Dune Buggy Day in Yuma
* Road Trip to San Diego, CA
* Road Trip to Las Vegas 
* See the Painted Desert
* See Zion National Park
* Visit a Cave

I am asking for all out mockery if I fail to complete the above tasks!  I will tell you about each goal once it’s completed and try to bring something unique to the table about each experience.

Thanks in advance!

FYI: Guest Blog Today at The Guest Writer's Blog

Just letting you know I have my article "Where is Jill Nye the Science Gal?" featured on The Guest Writer's Blog.  This is a great blog created to feature various blogger's writing.  Go check it out and look around!

http://theguestwriterblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/where-is-jill-nye-science-gal-by.html

The Ronco Food Dehydrator

This story was inspired, in part, by a blog post "I'm an "As Seen on TV" Junkie" by Amethyst Mahoney.

My parents were cheap when I was young.  There was no cable or satellite TV in our house.  We would never have gotten a VCR if one of my relatives had not given it as a gift for Christmas.  Luckily I spent quite a bit of time at school and gymnastics, but on the weekends it was regular TV with only four channels (Fox didn’t come along until I was about 9 or 10). 

After Saturday morning cartoons ended the infomercials would come on.  I remember when I was about 8 I wanted the Ronco Food Dehydrator SOOOOOOOOOO badly!  It could make fruit roll-ups and beef jerky!  What could be better than that?  I wanted that food dehydrator more than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures (Michelangelo was the best), or My Little Ponies, or Barbie. Of course my parents couldn’t understand why a child would want a food dehydrator…clearly they never saw the most awesome infomercial of all time featuring Ron Popeil (who was the inventor!).

Looking back it is an odd thing for a child to want, but I was really into inventors at the time and was influenced greatly by the very convincing infomercial.  Also I wanted fruit roll-ups and beef jerky without having to beg my mom incessantly (she insisted that this sustenance was junk food).

I still don’t have the food dehydrator and probably won’t get it.  I’m not that into fruit roll-ups and beef jerky anymore.  I have since learned to yearn for infomercial products without actually buying them. Maybe I’m better off…At least I’ll have less crappy stuff that doesn’t work cluttering up my small apartment. 

Where Is My Chapstick?

What is the deal with Chapstick?  I always seem to be buying tubes of the stuff (two packs, three packs, and single tubes) yet when I really need it the Chapstick has seemed to disappear.  It is as if little Chapstick gremlins walk about my apartment as I sleep and pilfer every tube in my possession.

Meanwhile, the next day, I cannot concentrate because my lips are chapped and sore.  Damn you Chapstick gremlins! 

The Most Awkward Mother-Daughter Afternoon

Even to this day as a grown adult I find watching love scenes in movies to be, well….awkward.  I would prefer if I didn’t have to be subjected to sex scenes at all.  Even a long kiss makes me squirm.  So imagine you as a thirteen year-old and your mom going to see a movie together as a nice day out, and then imagine that movie being nothing but sex scenes. 

My mom had heard about the movie “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” from watching Oprah.  She thought innocently that it would be ok to watch with me; because why would Oprah recommend a movie that you wouldn’t want your kid to see?  We went to see the matinee showing.  Everything appeared normal at first.  My mom bought the tickets, we got our movie treats at the concession stand, and we found a couple of seats.
 

As the movie played my mom and I were caught by the incessant sex scenes.  I think we were both just hoping that each scene would be the last and the movie would progress forward…it never turned out that way.

Once the movie ended my mom and I left the theater and my mom said to me.  I’m sorry, I didn’t know the movie was going to be like that. 

So thank you Oprah for the most awkward, uncomfortable, afternoon spent with my mother when I was a teenager. 

FYI- I Just Started A Second Blog!

Just letting all of you know about my other new blog called The College Wallet.  The blog is about how to pay for college.  Tips will include both conventional and unconventional ways of paying for school.  The focus of the blog is on the methods of paying for school which aren't normally talked about.  Hope some of you will find this helpful!

http://thecollegewallet.blogspot.com/

Where is Jill Nye the Science Gal?

Warning:  I went a little serious again, but I had to get this off of my chest.  I know it's a little long, but I hope it makes you think a little.

I am in the process of trying to start an Association for Women in Mathematics chapter at my University.  I wasn’t really inspired to do this until recently when I came to a sad realization while viewing the “people who inspire you” section on my Facebook profile…none of them are women. 

Why Mechanical Pencils Suck

• I always break the lead every time I go to actually write something.
• The refills are ridiculously expensive.
• You miss out on using a pencil sharpener.
• The erasers are almost non-existent and they always fall off the top.
• When you go to erase something more lead comes out.
• They are easily mistaken for pens when blindly searching a pocket in your bag.

Just Another Thought Online Community Forum

Just Another Thought Online Community Forum

The Epic Battle

As I have mentioned before Emma is the feistier one of my two cats.  She seems to have some entitlement issues and constantly causes problems when she doesn’t get her way.  Joy on the other hand responds well to training and behaves most of the time.

Every night I brush my teeth, put on my pajamas, and prepare for battle.  I get into bed and get comfortable.  Soon afterwards Emma rears her furry head and sharp little claws.  You see, in her eyes, I just stole her pillows.  I have had to kick the cats out nightly to avoid the fate of a cat attacking my head in hopes of reclaiming my pillows.  The epic battle will continue…

Klosterman

Earlier this week I was listening to the podcast of Wiretap entitled, "Klosterman's Questions."

If you haven't heard of the Klosterman Test you should check out the short quiz on OKCupid.  Basically this guy named Chuck Klosterman came up with a 23 question test to determine whether or not you are worthy of being his friend.

Now you might say, "I don't know this Chuck Klosterman character and I refuse to take some egotistical jerk's quiz to see if I am worthy to be his friend."  I thought very much the same thing, but his quiz is actually quite entertaining.  Now I am not too satisfied with the answers available on OKCupid, so I thought I would answer one of the twenty- three questions the way I would want to.  

This is question 14: 

For reasons that cannot be explained, cats can suddenly read at a twelfth-grade level. They can't talk and they can't write, but they can read silently and understand the text. Many cats love this new skill, because they now have something to do all day while they lay around the house; however, a few cats become depressed, because reading forces them to realize the limitations of their existence (not to mention the utter frustration of being unable to express themselves).

This being the case, do you think the average cat would enjoy Garfield, or would cats find this cartoon to be an insulting caricature?

Garfield to cats would be what Dilbert is to office workers.   With the exception of loving lasagna Garfield seems to capture the angst many cats have from dealing with their dopey owners.  I don't know why cats would necessarily read Garfield because my cats would probably enjoy shredding the newspaper more than reading it, especially when there are far more interesting reads than the comics.   I think cats would be more interested in reading about the outside world, especially since many cats are limited to indoor living. 

I encourage you to give your opinion on cats possibly being offended by Garfield, or any of the other Klosterman questions.   Just to let you know I am only 52% compatible with Klosterman according to OKCupid. 

Guest Posting On AliLilly

If you haven't heard of the blog AliLilly you should check it out.  Especially if you enjoy making crafts and or cooking/baking.  You should also check it out Sunday because yours truly will be guest posting on AliLilly.  I will be sharing a how to on a useful craft, plus sharing a little of the disaster that occurred the first time I tried making that craft.

Check out my guest post, comment, and follow AliLilly if you enjoy crafting or if you are like me, crafting vicariously.

Here is the link: http://alililly.blogspot.com/

Black Socks Never Get Dirty

When I went to camp as a kid we would sing songs on the bus to pass the time when going on a trip.  I usually remember this one the most often:

“Black socks they never get dirty the longer you wear them the blacker they get.

Someday I’m going to launder them, but something keeps telling me don’t do it yet, not yet, not yet… “

I think I remember this one the most because I have expanded upon this song to other things in my life. The following is a list of items I own that are black:

Couch

Curtains

Bed sheets

6 shirts

Three pants

Sneakers (you may hear about these in another posting)

Trash can

Microwave

Lap top

Backpack

Futon

3 purses

One cat

All of my socks

Two belts

And much, much more.

Individually, these items may seem normal, but together this style of mine may come off as a little emo.   Not the case, couldn’t pull it off if I wanted to. 

You see I have an aversion to having things that look dirty.  Black stuff (except in the kitchen and with cars) tends not to look as dirty as lighter colored items.  If I wear a white shirt it is guaranteed to be stained by day’s end.   Even if you stain something that is black, if you wash it the stain is hardly noticeable.   Plus if the black begins to fade it is easy to buy some Rit dye to make it dark again.  Other colors are hard to match and you just don’t end up with the same teal shirt you loved before.

The downside to so many black items in my house is that things can look a little dreary at times.  The solution…many framed photographs on the wall.  I used to have colorful throw pillows, but the cats always find a way to destroy those…throw pillows are the mortal enemy of cats, second only to toilet paper.   I have also attempted to have wooden furniture and a multi-colored rug, but still I look like I live in a depressed Swedish house.

The other downside is that it can be easy to lose the cats because of camouflage effects in the bed.  As you can (or can’t) see here Joy blends easily into her natural environment.  

This leads to accidental sitting on cats, followed by muffled meows and sharp claws in my hind end.  The solution, do a quick hand sweep on the bed for cats before sitting on or flopping into bed.

It could be worse....everything I own could be white and covered in black cat hair.