a wish is a strange and beautiful thing

Jiminy Cricket told us "When you wish upon a star, Your dreams come true" and we watched a wooden puppet get his heart's desire to become a real boy. So we wished on shooting stars. We wished on eyelashes and dandelion puffs, coins being thrown into a fountain and birthday candles.

And then there was Cinderella, the ultimate dreamer. Living life under the iron fist of a wicked stepmother, plagued by ugly stepsisters and a never-ending staircase that always needed to be washed. Sure she had her friends- talking mice who could sew a mean ball gown- but she dreamed of a Prince and a castle and true love. She made a wish and a Fairy Godmother popped out of nowhere to bippitty bop her all the way to the ball. And she met her prince and fell in love, and (after a few plot twists) lived happily ever after.

As children, we were encouraged to wish... and to whole-heartedly believe that those dreams would come true. They told us we could be anything we wanted to be: Astronaut, Teacher, President, Ballerina, Fireman, Musician, Princess, Dog-Walker, Football Legend, or Ice Cream Store Owner.

Then we got old. We were no longer told to follow our dreams. We were told to choose majors and career paths that would bring us wealth, or at least job security. We settled for what we could get, rather than continue to strive for what we wanted. They said to be careful what we wished for, because we just might get it. But isn't that the point of making a wish?

So I say: dream on. Because after all, "a dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep." And nothing is quite so beautiful as the complete assurance that anything is possible.

update

we did NOT win the powerball. oh well, a girl can still dream...

jackpot

What would you do if you won the lottery? A lot of people have an easy off-hand answer to this question: buy a sports car, travel the world, have plastic surgery, quit your job, buy an island complete with cabana boys and endless margaritas…

But what would you REALLY do? Would you keep working if you liked your job? Would you quit and start volunteering for charities because you don’t need the money? Do you tell everyone you know or try to keep it a secret? What would your friends say? Would they start calling more often only because you have money? What about your relatives? Would they expect you to put them all up in nice houses and pay for their children’s college tuitions? And the general public? Are you going to be mobbed by the media and fortune hunters and “long-lost relations”? Are you going to have to second guess the motives of every person you talk to?

Would you have to move to the other side of the world and change your name just to buy some peace of mind?

Luke and I bought some Powerball tickets. I know that it’s not even remotely likely that we will win the jackpot, or even some smaller sum of money. But it has me thinking… what would I do?

I probably WOULD quit my job. I don’t hate my work. I’m not half bad at it either. I make a decent living doing what I do, but it’s not what I love. Nor what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. I would buy myself a Canon DSLR camera and start taking pictures. Take a photography class. If I turn out to be any good and people are interested, I’d sell my prints or hire myself out at freelance… maybe. I would probably be happy to just wander around with my camera. That’s what I would love to do with my life if I did not have to worry about financial security.

I think Luke might still want to teach. So maybe we would buy a house in Chestnut Hill. They have some beautiful old stone homes there, with big yards and pools, and near the woods. And we could buy a storefront downtown to open up the “434 brewery”. That would give me something to do with my time, help the boys get that thing running. I could learn how to bartend, help them plan the menu and decorate. We could hang my photos on the wall :)

Of course I would add a little extra to the wedding budget… probably buy plane tickets for those I loved who couldn’t afford to come on their own. And our honeymoon would be amazing. We would probably spend our summers travelling. And I did promise Luke we could get puppies. IF we won the lottery…

TFLN

I have recently become obsessed with http://www.textsfromlastnight.com/ . People send in text messages they have sent/recieved, usually during or after a night of drinking. FML can be funny, but sometimes it's just depressing. This is much better. I love reading this website.

Probably because it reminds me of the good old college days. Some of the things posted on this site have come out of one of our mouths at some point. Some of them sound like things certain of my friends would say. And some of them are just hilarious.

Sometimes waking up the next morning and piecing together your night was better than the night itself. Photos, phone calls, IMs, and facebook wall posts were all searched through. My roommates and I even kept voice memos and lists of hilarious quotes that people had said. The more outrageous and irrelevant the quote the better.

It may seem silly to find joy in the random things that people say, but seriously why not get laughter from wherever you can? Besides, how can you NOT love this stuff???

(678): why did i wake up with a kid named Raphael in my bed this morning?
(770): I dont know but you did call last night to tell me you found the last ninja turtle

tales from the cup

Is it weird that I select what kind of coffee I drink in the morning by the contents of my inbox? I always have 2 or 3 cups, but I decide which flavor based on what level of disaster I will have to deal with that morning.

Every day when I come into work, I sit down at my desk and open up Microsoft Outlook. Sometimes there are 30 emails, sometimes there are 5, sometimes there are none! All it takes to know is one heinous email… sometimes you don’t even have to open them. You see who it’s from, or the subject line, or even the time it was sent and you know you’ll need some fortitude to handle the situation.

Then I head over to the kitchen and select my brew. We have one of those individual-cup Keureg machines. No emails to worry about? Mix half Island Coconut or French Vanilla, and half Kona Blend. A few minor requests to deal with? A medium roast like Spring Blend… or Wicked Winter, or Pumpkin Spice. Depends on the season.

And then there are the mornings you open up your inbox to find a desperate, “high importance”, 7:30 am or pm email. Double Dark Roast is the only thing that can get you through something like that.

it's all in the perspective

It isn't hard to see why in today's world someone would have a negative outlook. War and genocide, a declining economy and a rising unemployment rate, illiteracy and obesity overtaking our youth, the endangerment of the global ecosystem... and that's just the 6 o'clock news. Somewhere along the way, it all seeped into my system and I became a pessimist. It's just become my natural way of thinking... to assume the worst, to worry about things large and small, and to be cynical and sarcastic about everything as a defense. And I've realized that I'm sick of it.

I’m tired of focusing on the negatives in life and I’m ready for a positive change. Sure, there are a lot of things to worry about, but does it really do any good? One person can only accomplish so much. I can only do what I can do. It sounds a little defeatist, but really it's the truth. I can't control everything, and I should be thankful to not be burdened with that kind of responsibility. My pessimism about remaining a pessimist has forced me to become an optimist.

Is the glass half full or half empty? Look at the glass and quantify what is actually in there… You have 50% “empty space” (air) and 50% water (or milk or beer or whatever beverage you measure in). That’s the rational, scientific answer. The glass is BOTH.

You make the choice which 50% you focus on. What is there, or what is missing. What you have, or what you don’t. It may be obscenely cliche, but it's the truth: You cannot change what IS. You can only change how you look at it.

electric feel : MGMT

All along the western front
People line up to receive
She got the power in her hands
To shock you like you won't believe
Saw her in the Amazon
With the voltage running through her skin
Standing there with nothing on
She's gonna teach me how to swim

I said ooh girl
Shock me like an electric eel
Baby girl
Turn me on with your electric feel

I said ooh girl
Shock me like an electric eel
Baby girl
Turn me on with your electric feel

All along the eastern shore
Put your circuits in the sea
This is what the world is for
Making electricity
You can feel it in your mind
Oh you can do it all the time
Plug it in and change the world
You are my electric girl

I said ooh girl
Shock me like an electric eel
Baby girl
Turn me on with your electric feel

I said ooh girl
Shock me like an electric eel
Baby girl
Turn me on with your electric feel

Do what you feel now
Electric feel now
Do what you feel now
Electric feel now