My Top Ten, Those Whom I Idolize?

I've been meaning to create a list of this nature for quite some time. There are many people, most of whom are considered "eccentric" or "quirky," who have inspired me to become my own being. This being said, let the list commence!

1. Stephen Colbert

Where to begin? Satire is what I enjoy most in life, and satire just happens to take form in the very being of Mr. Colbert.

2. Quentin Tarantino

Being one of the more controversial figures in the creative world, I immediately found myself respecting Mr. Tarantino.  He is a stylistic genius, referencing numerous cultures and works of art in all of his creations.  He is, in my opinion, one of the most talented people in all of the world.  

3. Tim Burton

Creepy. Amazing. Pure genius.

4. Gwen Stefani

I used to pretend to dress like Gwen.  She is her own person and I love that about her (also, she loves the Harajuku culture as do I).

5. Seth MacFarlane 

He's so absolutely offensive, but does so to prove a point. A true prodigy as far as I'm concerned.

6. James Thurber

My personal favorite American author, artist, and doer of awesome.  I was first inspired by Thurber when I was in the third grade, and he has yet to let me down.

7. Groucho Marx

The king of comedy, and that which I one day hope to evolve into.

8. Kristin Wiig

I have a strong feeling that Kristin and I could be best friends. 

9. Marty Feldman

Some people have difficulty understanding his humor.  I believe that those people need to reevaluate their lives.  Marty is a boss.

10. Robin Williams

Robin Williams can play anything.  He is completely mental--partially because of drug use--but hey, that's why we love him.

Honorable mentions: Ellen DeGeneres, Woody Allen, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, John Hughes, John Belushi, Chris Rock, Gene Wilder, Bette Davis, Billy Bob Thorton, and of course, Joaquin Phoenix

Sure, the majority of the people listed are "just" some comedians, but they are comedians who have nonetheless affected the way that I look at humanity. 

I Love Food

 

I love food.  I would spend all day eating food if I could, which I basically already do.  I have around five a six meals daily.  Small meals yes, but meals nonetheless.  Actually, my absolute favorite foods are mushrooms, sweet potatoes and pineapple.  And raspberries.  And almonds.  Now this, my friends, is where the paleolithic commences. 

I have recently begun dabbling in the so called "paleolithic diet."  The name alone is very interesting, referring to the caveman's ancient diet of plants and animals.  In short, you can eat whatever the heck you want, as long as it isn't processed crap.  There are so many delicious recipes that go along with this lifestyle, and to be perfectly honest, I am seriously considering going full paleo within a few months (only I plan on eating yogurt forever because no one puts baby in the corner).  Rather than being used as an aid to weight loss, the paleo diet is carried out with the intention of lowering and eliminating the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, cancers, and depression, along with other avoidable diseases that harm the quality of life.

I plan on giving my final thoughts regarding the paleolithic diet after a few months of participation, so wish me luck! Stay healthy my lemondrops :)

Bullying, a Complicated Subject? (inspired by the documentary "Bully")

No.  There is nothing "complicated" about the topic of bullying.  If I were an authority, I would have shut bullies down yesterday.  When a person is bullied, it legitimately breaks my heart.  It is beyond frustrating when authority turns a blind eye when people are being targeted by bullies.  Children are taking their lives because of the cruelty of others, what more proof do you need?  When you hear authority say that "boys will be boys," and that "they need to work it out for themselves," know that a puppy is getting smacked with a phone book.  Take some responsibility for your incompetence, and reprimand the bully for once. 

Somewhat Personal Confession Hour!

When I was in sixth grade, I would make myself a sandwich every night after dinner. I called it the triple decker. It was three layers of peanut butter and bread, and I would eat it all. I would always hide the evidence once I was finished, because I didn't want my parents to know that I was stuffing my face after dinner.  Sometimes, I would even have a bowl of ice cream after my sandwich. 

 

That is the story of how I developed an addiction to food.

Three years later, I restricted myself to a bowl of cereal or oatmeal for every meal.  If I ate more than the allotted amount, I would throw it up and then exercise for an extra hour.  I even went so far as to use detox treatments.  I got down to 104 pounds, which is eleven pounds underweight for a girl who is 5"6.  To put this into perspective, I went from having a BMI of 23.0, to a BMI of 16.8.  Sometimes I would get really depressed, and binge on anything that I could get my hands on.  This of course resulted in more exercise and the occasional trip to the bathroom.  I didn't realize how out of control this was, until my friend asked me why I was exercising at one in the morning, after spending the day walking around Spain.  I had such a distorted sense of self, that I actually believed that I was still too "fat."  Fast forwarding to the present, my bulimia has been under control for over a year and a half, and I can honestly say that I am more than content with my body.  

This post may seem kind of random, but I was doing a lot of thinking about people my age and younger, who are bullied for their weight.  The thought of the pain of these people, made me really emotional.  Every malicious word or gesture made in reference to these people, breaks them down.  In fact, it destroys every once of self-confidence that they may have.  Too many of them feel ugly and worthless, when the fact of the matter is that they are all amazingly beautiful.  Eating disorders are not fun, and after years at both ends of the spectrum, I was able to learn this for myself.  

My advice to you?  LOVE YOURSELF.  Not in a narcissistic or pretentious manner, but in a way that exudes confidence and helps to make you even more beautiful. 

What Theater?

This week has really frustrated me.  My high school has again demonstrated it's preference to athletics.  Don't get me wrong, we have immense talent when it comes to our athletics, and it is wonderful that we do appreciate their accomplishments, but it would be nice if other our organizations got some recognition.  How often do you hear about the success of Theater, or Band, or Science Olympiad?  The answer, unfortunately enough, is rarely.
I'm not going to lie, but this is extremely disheartening.  The One Acts are this weekend and I have yet to hear a single person mention them.  Of course I am a bit biased, seeing as I take part in theater and obviously want that it be broadcasted throughout the state, but I'm not sure if my bias is the actual issue here.  So many extra-curricular activities accomplish amazing things, but remain unknown because the school fails to really appreciate them. 


Does anyone else feel this way?  Comment away! Your opinions are always appreciated :)

We Can No Longer Tolerate Anti-Intellectualism

Ignorance is, in my opinion, one of the most abominable sins.  How many people even read the news nowadays?  Not very many.  I am beyond ashamed of those who have no idea of the happenings that are occurring on a global basis.  Being unaware of the revolution in Egypt is one thing, but not even knowing that the Inauguration took place this past Monday is inexcusable.  How are we supposed to move forward, when we coexist with an abundance of anti-intellectuals?  It is disgusting. 

My advice to you?  Form your own *explicative* opinions based on the information that you take the time to acknowledge. Get off of your lazy asses, stop being so egocentric, and maybe--just maybe-- inform yourselves about the world.  It is not that difficult.

The battle against anti-intellectualism has begun.

I'm a Gamer and Proud of It

I will never understand why video games are stigmatized.  Sure I have a DS.  Yes, I do play this DS.  Sure, Pokemon may be my favorite series.  Why now, is this a bad thing?  Playing video games is a perfectly healthy way to release stress after a long day at school or work, and playing games certainly doesn't make you any less of a person.

This mini-discussion was sparked by a story that I heard the other night, about a high school kid that was made fun of for playing his DS on the bus.  I found this to be really sad, mainly because the bully in this situation is obviously unaware of how awesome video games are.  To be completely honest, one of my BIGGEST pet peeves is when someone makes fun of video games, and the people who play these games.  Is being "nerdy" a bad thing?  No, being nerdy is fricking awesome. 

Why the Insolence?

This will be one of my few personal posts, so here it goes.

Today I was standing in line at Urban Outfitters, minding my own business, when a very mean looking woman started yelling at me for "cutting" in front of her in line.  This woman was standing across the aisle at the jewelry table (which is quite a distance from the front of the line) when she began griping out me.  Rather than call her an incompetent noob, seeing as the line in this particular store traditionally starts in the trail of miscellaneous merchandise that has be placed in front of the registers, I expressed my embarrassment and told her that I was genuinely unaware that she was in line to begin with.  She, surprisingly (or should I say not surprisingly), replied with a rude response to my apology, and stormed in front of me.  Her insolence!  I was literally on the verge of tears, and probably would have smacked her in the face if she said one more thing to me.

This rant was inspired by the impatience and egocentric attitude of the people of the modern era.  I, in all honesty, am sick and tired of people being rude to one another, especially when they are rude without reason.  I would understand discourtesy if it were triggered by a legitimate cause, but to be rude to a stranger?  To be rude or dislike someone that you do not truly know, is just malicious. The past couple of months have really deteriorated my already lacking self-esteem, thanks to the inconsideration of others.  Why can people be so mean without justification?  Believe it or not, peoples words hurt.

The moral of this story?  Maybe if you took the time to be nice to others, you would feel a little bit better about yourself

I may or may not be referring to multiple occurrences other than today's happening at Urban.

Born to Die?

Is God a sadist, or does he just lack the power to control his own creation?  Why is it that Christians cannot provide me with a direct answer to these inquiries.  Sorry for my disrespect toward your God, but I am just extremely frustrated with the amount of evil that has occurred in the past sixth months, and cannot even begin to understand why this could happen in the first place.  Just, why?

Oh the Places I'll Go?

Amherst
American
Arcadia
Bennington
Macalester
Middlebury
or
Ursinus

Sexy Free and Single I'm Ready Too, Bingo?

The other day, someone asked me what kind of guys I normally go for.  Jack and Marcus, now they're my type.

To Tatt or Not?

 

I've been wanting a tattoo for a while now, and not because it "looks cool," or to make a statement of some sort, but to express some of my innermost feelings.  Tattoos, when done in good taste, can be truly beautiful--unfortunately, not everyone feels this way.  Anyways, I'm interested to hear other opinions regarding tattoos!  Comment away.