Bloggity blog ding dong

I really don't have much to blog about.

Nor can I think of a word to rhyme with about.

If I were a better poet, I think this literature would be great.

But alas, I am not. Tis ok, I accept my fate.

I think now is the time for me to go,

because this jam sesh is starting to blow.

** and this is pretty much the extent of my poetry skills. Dr. Wilson wasn't down with it my junior year in Honors Brit lit either.  : (  He is down with the gansta life though.

Say what?

Today one of my precocios students asked if I have ever blacked out? Obviously, I then delved into personal details about my life and how I absolutely love partaking in beverages and how totally insane it would be if I ever had NOT blacked out. Ya dig?

So that obviously didn't happen, but I was not about to put it past this 9 year old kid that he knew what the term black out meant. Though how or why he was asking me about black outs blew my mind. I mean, I didn't know what the term meant until I was 19 or so. I told him no, but that if by black out he means being knocked unconscious or passing out, then I have never blacked out. I didn't really tread on the other type of black out.... anyhowsers no sooner had these words left my lips when he responds with "Oh, really? I've blacked out before! It happened today in gym!" Obviously, those juice boxes got the better of him.

Acculturating my roommates

God bless my current roommates, but they have their moments when I seriously wonder what era they grew up in! I've taken it upon myself to make the current roomies more hip and "with it." Here's how tonight's convo at dinner went:

Deb: Your sister has quite the walk back from Mirror Lake this year.
Me: Yeah, and I though walking 1/2 a mile in freezing tempuratures back to my place after jumping in a lake was hard to do.
Deb: I hope she brings a blanket or something to keep her warm on the way home.
Me: Oh I'm sure, she'll have her beer blanket with her.
Deb: What's that? Is it a blanket because drinking the beer makes you warm, or does somebody pour beer on her?
Ed: (spits out his milk because of laughter)
Deb: Ohhhh.... I take it it's from drinking the beer.

As you can imagine, it's quite the undertaking I have for the next year.

Whorey Potter is Not for Midnight Premieres

Last night, I took my old and weathered body to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter. Ok, really wasn't terrible, but I did feel a tad old at the premiere even though the majority of the population present were high schoolers which sadly I am still mistaken for all the time. And really why should I feel old, because Harry has been around for half my life! I guess I'm just not used to venturing out at 11pm on weekdays like back in my college days. Anyway, there we were, my friend Sarah and I, dressed in sweats settling down in our second to the last row seats when we noticed the first fatality of the night: Whorey Potters. Teenage girls wearing booty shorts and tight button up blouses that well were, um not buttoned all the way. I mean whore-ish outfits have a time and place: Halloween. Not the premiere of a Harry movie. Dress up by all means (I would have if Bethany was present...) but no need to fashion after B.Spears in "Hit me baby one more time."

Then there was the the second fatality. Some young and probably unwed mother brought her infant to the movie. It's really not totally mind-blowing to think that there are die-hard Potter fans who are now introducing their own kids to the magical world of Harry. Like I said, Harry has been around for half my life and believe me, I know plenty of people my age who are married and have kids. I guess I'm just a late bloomer. So I get that your young and unwed and it's a little bit weird to call a babysitter and ask them to watch your child from the hours of 11-midnight without them getting the idea that you're working the streets, but do you really have to attend the midnight premiere in that case? Amazingly, the babe did fall asleep.... as did I. I mean, really, who are we kidding?

And then the 3rd fatality was Hedwig. Although maybe she deserved to die for trying to protect Harry but ultimately gave him away. However in that case, you could argue that Hedwig's love saved Harry from Voldemort for the upteenth time when he was trying to get away to The Burrow and not Lucius Malfoy's malfunctioning wand.

And the final fatality happened to be Dobby. Truthfully when I read the book, I did get a little sad. I mean  J.K. Rowling kinda went on a killing streak of supportive characters in the final book. However, that is not to say that it was a little pathetic that the girl in front of my had to take off her glasses and defog them she was crying so hard. Needless to say, Sarah and I turned to each other and laughed and then Voldemort found the Elder Wand.

Kids Say the Darndest Things Part II

I run an after school care program at a school for gifted children. While I do have conversations with some kids that are completely over my head (give me some credit the kid is 10 and in 7th grade...) most of these conversations are pretty normal, or if anything made me shake my head and ask myself, "aren't you gifted?"

Me (talking to a kindergartner): "Can you read?"
Child: "I don't know, but I can spell cat!"

Child: "Is it raining for snowing outside?"
Me: "You tell me, is that rain or snow?" ok not what I said... I told him it was rain.
Child: "It was hard for me to tell because the precipitaion looks to be falling slower than rain." also, this explanation went on for about 10 minutes, most of which I tuned out.....

Child: "You can't use reverse psychology on me!"

Child: "yes, I am at Edison Club late night edition!"

1st grader: "It is now 4 o'clock. On the first day of school at 4, I was on I-90 crossing Columbia. So if we went back to the first day of school, I would be in the car with my mom."
Me: "I am impressed you know all those details given that it's November."

Me (talking to first graders): "I know that you guys are really good friends, but it's not appropriate to be kissing and touching one another."
Child: "You can't stop young love!"

Child: "Today the President is being voted out of office."
Me: "Noo he's not. It's not that easy."

Child: "Yeah the world's going to end within the next 10 years so I'm building a rocket with my friends to save me."

Same child as above: "Yes, the rumors are true, I DO have a girlfriend."
Me: "So what do you guys do? Play in the sandbox together?"

Me talking to a 2nd grader: "K----, what's wrong?"
K: "I'm upset that J--- is playing with those girls over there and not just me!"
Me: "Well don't you think 8 years old is a little young to be exclusive?"

And without a doubt there will be more to come! Peace out homeskillets.

Parents these days are Gleeking out!

For all you parents out there outraged by the newest issue of GQ, you need to take a step back. Yes, it may feature stars of Fox's hit "Glee" in somewhat provacative poses, but it's GQ, not Tiger Beat.

  

I'll admit this one is a little awkward, though...

...but as Dianna Agron said in her blog if your 8-year-old has a copy of GQ, how did it get there? I'm a diehard Gleek who sometimes pretends I have the vocals of Rachel Berry, so I watch the show, but I'm not completely sure that "Glee" is appropriate for an 8-year-old. It may have an 8 o'clock timeslot, but just because the time and your child's age conincides does not make it appropriate.  The stars may come off as more light hearted and cheery than Fox's other cult hit, "The O.C" but they still deal with everything from teen pregnancy, gay rights, and teaching religion in schools. Sounds like some heavy issues waaay above the heads of most elementary aged kids I know.

So to the parents who do allow their youngsters to watch the show I ask you this:  If you're ok with discussing the topics on the show with your kids, then why can you not explain to your child that Rachel, Finn, and Quinn are played by young adults in their mid-20's who chose to pose for a  monthly men's magazine focusing on fashion, style, and culture for men through articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books (thanks, Wikipedia). And then ask yourself why your child is reading a men's magazine.

Buzz Kill

I firmly believe that my brother is the curse that afflicts OSU and Cleveland Sports teams which prevents them from winning any post-season championship games. Need proof? Here are the past big games that brother has attended. I don't know the final scores of all of them, but the bottom line is that we lost.

April 2007: NCAA National Championship OSU vs. the Florida Gators (this is like somone pouring 151 on your birthday cake since OSU lost the football National Championship to Florida a mere 3 months prior). I would also like to point out that I called my brother to tell him to bring home a t-shirt for our ailing sister in the hospital. When he gave her the souvenir, he tried to play it off like he came up with the grand idea himself. Obviously, I made sure credit was given where due.

June 2007: Game four of the NBA finals. The Cleveland Cavs vs. the San Antonio Spurs 82 to 83. It's not exactly like the Cavs had won any games in the series yet, but if they won this game, they still would have been in.

January 2008: BCS National Championship held in New Orleans, LA. TOSU Buckeyes vs. the LSU Tigers. I actually don't feel this bitter about this loss because Eddie refused to give me a ride down to the NOLA, baby, forcing me to sell my ticket. So he deserves this loss.

October 2010: OSU vs. the Wisconsin Badgers. This was a harsh blow, but at least it happened in the regular season. Although due to recent press it seems as if Pryor and Lebron James are pretty tight. Given that, I'm not shocked to see that Pryor played horribly letting down his teammates and fans. He learned from the best. (Also, I'm saying it now: should Pryor leave after this season, I wouldn't be too shocked.)

Know the game Buzz didn't attend? You guessed it! The 2010 Rosebowl in which The Ohio State University Buckeyes defeated the University of Oregon Ducks, 26-17!

Ban this man from the games!

The New Hugh Hefner?

Whether or not you like reality tv, I'm sure you've heard of both Sister Wives and The Girls Next Door. I think the differences between the shows is obvious enough, but have you noticed the similarities?



vs.



First, and foremost: 1 man with 3 girlfriends. Kody may actually have 4 "wives" but you have to consider that he is legally only married to 1, which pretty much makes the other 3 girlfriends.

Second, lots of relations. Neither show really gets into the topic that much, but it happens. It's hard to say who gets more because Hef's girls are WAY  better looking, although plastic, but Kody does have 13 kids to show for it. And he has a schedule which totally means business.

Third, all 6 women need stylists.

       

I realize "The Girls Next Door" is obviously trying to sell sex, but some of Holly's outfits are just terrible. Tubesocks do not go with every outfit. Nor am I a fan of turtlenecks. This applies to both shows, but especially if you're living in LA (cough-Holly-cough). Bridget was also the oldest but why does she dress like a baby? Kendra doesn't dress terribly, but she just doesn't dress. I suppose the Sister Wives do dress their age, but they could use a few lessons in the hair and make-up department. I was expecting vibrant purple eyeshadow on one of Hef's girls, not Kody's!

Fourth, both men like women born in the year 1973. Bridget, Hef's ex, and Christine, Kody's 3rd wife are the same age. In the above photo of the 3 women, Christine is wearing the red get-up. Pretty rowdy if you ask me.

Fifth, Holly, Bridget, Kendra, Meri, Janelle, and Christine are all stripper names. I don't really have any guidelines on what a stripper's name is and isn't but just trust me on this one.

Sixth, they both live in mansions. Obviously, the Playboy mansion is much grander, but fitting 17 people under 1 roof is no easy feat.

Seventh, all women hail from the west coast. Obviously, not the best coast. Buncha weirdos if you ask me.

Last, but not least, both shows capture unconventional family structure and living arrangements. As intriguing as the lifestyle of Hef is, I undoubtedly found it absurd. Until I heard of Sister Wives. At least Hugh has the decency to not bring in loads of children to his exotic lifestyle.

I bleed scarlet and drunk

Hah I meant to say I bleed scarlet and grey, but hmm obviously my subconscious got the better of me. Yikes. Anyway, I can't post currently because the game just got really intense. If Jimmy shows emotion, then you know he means business!

Gosh, I love that man.

I bleed scarlet and drunk

Hah I meant to say I bleed scarlet and grey, but hmm obviously my subconscious got the better of me. Yikes. Anyway, I can't post currently because the game just got really intense. If Jimmy shows emotion, then you know he means business!

Gosh, I love that man.

Eeeks!

I can't believe it's been 7 days since I blogged! And I was doing so good, trying to do a post a day. Ok, so what really may have motivated me is that I pretended I was a columnist a la Carrie Bradshaw, but what gets the work done, gets the work done! No worries, faithful blog followers, I will be back to my usual bloggy self starting now!


And because nobody likes a blog without pictures....




That is all. For now.

There's a church for that???

See that nose ring? Believe it or not that little speck has sparked a lawsuit between a high school in North Carolina and the American Civil Liberties Union. Ariana Iacono who you see pictured above was suspended because her nose ring violates school dresscode. Dress code also prohibits abnormal hair color, short skirts, sagging pants, and other facial piercings. ACLU has gotten involved because Iacono and her mother belong to the "Church of Body Modification" which means the school is violating her civil rights because her nose ring is part of "church doctrine."

If you were wondering the "Church of Body Modification" believes that piercings and tattoos are direct lines to the divine. I found this "church and religion" completely bogus that I stopped reading the article for more information. I know there's an app to make everything in your life easier but I think the "Church of Body Modification" should have a new motto: There's a faith for that.

22 years, 4 months, 10 days

On occasion, I like to hit the link at the top of the page "Next blog" just to check out what other people are doing with their blogs. Some are really creative, some are interesting -- like the woman who imagines what her baby is dreaming about and sets up a photoshoot around this idea. I give her props for her elaborate shoots, but seems risky dressing up and posing a sleeping baby. Others are weird, and most seem to be young families keeping in touch with distant family members. Today as I'm perusing, much to my astonishment, and a tiny bit horror, I found a woman who blogs every day and the title of her blog is 2 years, 6 months, 5 days or however old her child is for that day! Yes, this woman knows how old her daughter is down the day! Yeah, sure it's easy to figure out, but can't you just say 2 1/2? Who needs a running tally? It's kind of like when you shop for clothes of kids and some of them say age 30-36 months and then you have to do the math and be like, "oh yes, for my 3 year old!" (or in one of my psych books when it referred to a 4 year old as a 56-month-old) When have you ever heard someone say "now is that how a 36 month old behaves in public?" when reprimanding their child? Never! Truth of the matter is, I feel sorry for this child. If her mother is this neurotic about making sure everyone knows how her child's exact age, imagine how nutty she is about other important aspects of her child's life? What a nutjob!

A few of my favorite things

Actually, one of the many things I strongly dislike are commercials. I will admit that I watch way too much tv, and most of it is trash, but I feel that I need to keep up with my celebrities. I am no where near the level of Perez Hilton, but I do admit that it would be a dream job to blog about celebrities and actually be famous because of that. (Dear Perez, SHOULD you happen to come across my blog, do you need an intern or assistant? I'll be greedy and let you know this upfront: I won't be doing the work for free, but really any salary would be appreciated. Shift-comma-3 Megan).

Back to the topic, which I never actually got into yet before I went off on a kajillion tangents. The thing I hate most about tv is the amount of commercials. Since when is it ever acceptable for a person to have to flip to their 8th station of choice to actually find anything BUT a commercial on tv. Thanks heavens for DVR because these days I just don't know how I would survive, but I do have a few commercials that are faves of mine:

1.) ipad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpo__xhTSv8

I just love the music. Unfortunately, this snipppet does not show the person playing about the piano notes on the ipad, but one day I am going to sit down at my piano and learn that song. I play close attention to this commercial, and I know which notes to play, so I don't think it will be too hard.

2.) Reebok Easy Tone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9ZaAkYEES8

also love the music (song: Mickey Smid "Shake It Up"). I just think it's such a catchy little tune. I also think in real life I would get along with the characters of the commercial because I LOVE having dance parties by myself in the middle of the day no matter if I'm on the beach, at work, on the phone with my friends! I just love to dance!

And... just so you all know here is the commercial I hate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqwnyVRWRd4

It's just so stupid. Dropping your shoes is not at all dependent on how fast it takes an app to download on your phone. Also, you should note that the dance directors are right in front of the girl without the iphone when she drops her shoes, so I think they could have easily taken note of her dropping something. Also, it would probably be more likely that the girl without the iphone WOULD land the spot after her audtion because she auditioned at a less prestigious company. Ballet technique is not at all dependent on how fast it takes an app to download on your phone. Also, I can sympathize with the woman in the audience wishing SHE was the dancer on stage. The dance world is a very hard world to break into, it takes years of training, and natural talent, and every dancer wishes she could be principal. So really this commercial is just plain stupid because few can relate to the main character and really none of that shit that happened is dependent on how fast it take an app to download on your phone.

So merry christmas and sorry if you're confused by my ramblings, but hey the blog ain't called Real Life Ramblings for nothing!

Kids Say the Darndest Things

     I've taken baby steps and have landed me a job that is somewhat respectable to hold after college. Long story short is that I'm running an after school care program at a school for gifted children, however since everyone likes to inflate their ego once in a while I think of it more as an after school enrichment program. Sideways smiley faces. Working with gifted children is not exactly a heavenly helping of Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcakes. These kids are bonkers, God love 'em. Didn't know that you can use the underside of a table as a jungle gym? Welp, you can. Didn't know that a hoola hoop can be used as a whip? Also possible. Straight from the mouths of these gifted children:

"I was born with powers."
"Oh really, what kind of powers?"
"I don't know yet, I'm going to start practicing them soon?
"Well, I hope you have good powers, not bad ones."
"Me too!"

"My ribs are broken."

"I'm having trouble breathing."
"Do you have asthma?"
"No, I think I have a collapsed lung."

"I need another cupcake, mine fell apart."
(I look and see crumbled cupcake all over child's hands and table setting.)

"My finger is gushing blood!"
"Ok I need to see it.... looks fine to me."
"Then it's broken! I need and ambulence."

"I just ran over my fingers and I think they are really hurt."
"If you can bend them, then you will be ok."
"I'm starting to panic!"

"I just hit my elbow and I think it's bleeding." (child pushes up sleeve.)
"I can't see anything, I promise you're ok."
(child pinches skin) "Well, I think it's going to start bleeding soon."
"Not if you stop pinching yourself."

"I'm dying."
"Now what makes you say that?"
"Because I am."

"What kind of dog do you have?"
"An eagle."
"Do you mean a beagle?"
"Oh, yeah! I have a beagle!"

And some of my favorites:
"I know how to hang someone without killing them."
:: speechless ::
"I just threatened to break my friend's arm."

"---- just bit me!"
"Why did you just bite your best friend?"
"Because she tastes good!"

Here's volume 1 after 1 month of working with these kids. Stick around for more later!

Clearly, I'm just a cold-hearted b*tch!

Today, my mother had the audacity to tell me that I am neither tender-hearted nor sensitive like my sister. And maybe the fact that I took the tiniest bit of pride in this statement does show that she speaks the truth, but it sure takes a cold-hearted insensitive person to know this! I'm just resilient! Reason she told me: today my sister called in hysterics because SHE erroneously parked in a handicap spot in the streets and SHE receieved a whopping $500 ticket. $500 is a bit steep when most other handicap spots are only $250 but anyone who has gone to OSU knows that Columbus loves preying off poor college students and the easiest way to do that is to slap an orange ticket on someone's windshield. I did feel the tiniest bit of compassion for my sister because no one wants to throw down $500 for a mistake that could have easily been prevented, but as the old saying goes, shit happens. Unfortunately for my sister, this compassion slipped away the 10th time my mother brought the subject up in 30 minutes and uttered such phrases as "the poor child" (um, she's 20!) or "she doesn't deserve this" (tell that to the handicap person who needed that spot). After the 3rd time my mother spoke to my father about the subject I was ready to gag. As my father delved into the details of what he told my sister to calm her down ("it happens to all of us... at least you aren't injured... etc") I quickly cut him off. I just couldn't handle the sappiness anymore. Not to mention, that I had to remind my mother I was the poor innocent victim of a ROBBERY not even 2 weeks ago! My credit card, my bank card, my health insurance, all my cash just GONE! For gosh sakes, I can't even go to the bank! And then my mother, bless her heart, uttered those words "well, you just handle things differently than your sister. You're not as tender-hearted or sensitve as she is."


I mean, it's not as if I didn't raise $100,000 for kids with cancer my senior year of college, I didn't give one of my students and her mother a ride home after work yesterday because their car broke down, and I didn't volunteer at a place for the terminally ill with no money. Just call me cold-hearted and ruthless.

Take me "Home"

If you kow me, my taste in music is eclectic. I listen to a little alternative, a little R&B, a little pop (ok a lot, but I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson), aaand Michael Buble. He is one of my guilty pleasures that I have kept secret from most people. But I have to admit that sometimes his songs are just so soothing. Back when I took dance in high school, we would do our tendus so whenever I hear "Home" by MB, it brings back wonderful memories. Here's a little Michael Buble for you all to enjoy now!

1+1 apparently does not equal 2

The other night as I'm enjoying my Honey Flavored (as opposed to my beloved peach flavored) Lipton Pureleaf Iced Tea, I decided to check out the cals on this tasty little number. Now believe me when I say that I am NOT obsessive compulsive when it come to monitoring my calories. Have you witnessed by sweet tooth? If I was at all concerned with the number of calories I consume in one day the first thing I would worry about would be the amount of dessert I eat, rather than the calories on on iced tea. The real reason I was interested is because the other day someone at work mentioned that iced tea has more calories than diet pop. Since I don't drink diet pop, or any pop for that matter unless it's mixed with whiskey or rum, I really had no idea how many calories are in pop. Anyway, I decided to check out the number in my drink for the evening. Upon reading the label I discovered the honey flavored tea has 60 calories per 8 fl. oz. Per bottle, the caloric intake of the drink was 130 calories. So I flip the bottle over to see exactly how many ounces are in the drink and discovered that the bottle is only 16 oz.  60+60 equals 120, not 130. Math has never been, nor will ever be my strongest suit, and I am perfectly ok with that, but I am more than capable with simple addition. I thought perhaps Lipton made a mistake and I thought, wow, someone at headquarters must be hating themselves. However, upon examining the other bottles stocked in my fridge, they all had nutritional facts which did not add up. All I want to know is, where did those extra 10 calories come from? Or in the case of the raspberry flavored tea, how do you lose 10 calories in the second helping? 80 + 80 = 160, not 150!



For those of you wondering, Diet Pepsi has 1 calorie. So I'm sure you're just ingesting numerous chemicals which are probably soo much better for you than simple sugars.

Road Rage

I have road rage. I admit it. So sue me, but other drivers "drive" me nuts. No pun intended. So here's a few ways  to keep me happy on the road:
1. Follow the road rules -- since this seems to be tricky for many, let me clarify...
2. When I am the ONLY car on the road, DO NOT back out of your driveway and cut me off.
3. Then do not preceed to go 10 miles UNDER the speed limit should I be tailgating you. Which, let's face it, you deserve it.
4. In fact, NEVER go for a joy ride and go under the limit. Yes, I understand that some cars are fun to cruise around in, but some people have places to go and I do not enjoy being delayed due to the antics of others.
5. If you're going to turn around at a snails pace, causing me to slow down to 2 mph, don't be surprised if I honk, I mean, blare my horn at you. Horns were installed in cars for a reason and I am not afraid to use mine.
6. I don't give a rats a** if you are from another state. The signs on the road are there for a reason -- to direct you where to go and to b). tell you how fast you should be going. I have even less sympathy for you if you are out of state and driving with a GPS because congratulations, that makes you look even more stupid.
7. Get off the road.

Arms

So here is the picture of my weird elbow trick. Reference April's entry "Domination" for a full explanation. Like I said earlier, don't mind our appearances. We were all on our feet for over 24 hours. FTK.

See the Month of April

So apparently if you start a post, say back in April and just get around to completing it say 4 1/2 months later it gets posted where it would have been posted had someone not forgotten about the post and published it on time. So for my newest post previous to this, refer to the month of April. Also, does anyone (cough Bethany cough) know how to post pictures off of Facebook? Mine won't upload :*(

Welcome to the Season of Buckeyes

Ahh the thing I love most about fall? Buckeye football! Duh. Nothing else symbolizes the arrival of fall to me like the scarlet jerseys of Ohio State. A little bit intense? Maybe. But who doesn't like to feel like they are a part of something? Probably no one and if filling a stadium with 104,000 other rowdy people doesn't do that for a person than I don't know what else does.

Admittedly, this season is much more bittersweet than the previous years. No longer am I on campus and although OSU will always hold a tender place in my heart, it's no longer my home. Yes, waking early to drink with my friends was a big part of gameday, but the excitement and happiness on campus is truly indescribable. I can't help but be flooded with remarkable memories of making friends with random strangers in the Shoe or rushing the field to sing our alma mater with my closest friends at the 50 yard line. OSU has had it's defeat over the years and while it is heartbreaking to walk through campus after a major loss, we bounce back. So no, we are really never truly defeated. Our honor defend, we will fight til the end for O-HI-O! ..........O-H!

Aaaannnd I'm Back!

If anything I'm back because now I actually have friends with blogs so FINALLY somebody will read this and it won't seem like I'm writing to myself. Although I do have a tendency to talk to myself so why should I care if I write to myself?

Domination

Over spring break, it was pointed out to me by my fellow travel companions that I am a one-upper. By this they meant that anything you tell me, I will follow up with something that is better/cooler/more awesome-er than whatever you just said. And this is completely true. Now that it has been pointed out to me I find myself catching myself when I am about to one-up someone or am currently one-upping someone. When this post was first drafted, way back on April 28th, 2010, I had become quite aware of my one-upping tendencies. In class that day we were asked to go around mention one thing that made our bodies unique from anyone else. Sounds weird, but given that it was in a modern dance class, it was a relatively normal class activity. Anyway as people went around sharing their eccentric body tales, naturally, I knew that I had to top them all. Which I successfully did of course. Way back when I was a senior in high school, we were trying different stretches in a dance class. One person bent their elbows forward and a partner would lightly pull their partners arms together. Painful? Not for me, but most people find it quite discomforting. I however, have a unique ability to make my elbows touch. I am quite proud to say that I have never met someone else who can pull off this feat. Anyway fast forward to April of 2010 and there's my class in which I whip out the double whammy. The dance world is a competitive place, people are always trying to be better than the next person which just may be where I get my one-up tendency. So while everyone else is saying "I've got 1 toe that's longer than the others" -- don't a lot of people? or "I have freckles that look like this constellation" -- wow, nobody studies astronomy anymore, I bust out the elbow trick and of course nobody in the class can do it, and once again, I one-up everyone! Take a look at the picture itself... And don't mind the people in the background. We just got done throwing a dance marathon and many of us were awake for over 24 hours.

Since when is it a disorder to be accepting of others?

One of the headlines on msnbc.com this morning was about a "rare genetic disorder" that erases social anxiety and racial bias know as Williams syndrome. Isn't it a good thing to be racially unbiased? Last I checked it wasn't so bad to accepting of others, but apparently now I have to make an appointment with a clinical psychologist to be diagnosed as such. What really gets me is the use of the term disorder. Disorder implies that to be accepting is against the norm. Personally, I would be proud to say that yes, I am clinically accepting of others since that's what I've always been taught; to accept all no matter their race, color, sexuality blah blah blah. Now these poor kids are going to grow up with a stigma thinking that they are the different ones. I'm shocked that a name has been put out there to identify racially unbiased people. I would expect this disorder to have surfaced many years ago, but as recently as into the 1960's. In the present day, I find this disorder totally absurd. My guess is that the person who came up with Williams syndrome was a racially biased fundamentalist who had an issue with his son or daughter being friendly towards others regardless of their race and decided that something had to be wrong in that child's head. As to how this disorder got a name totally boggles my mind. I admit that racism exists even subconsciously. As a psychology major, I've taken classes on racism and discrimination. I've taken the tests that measure just how racist you are. I've taken numerous classes on various psychological disorders. Never have I encountered Williams syndrome. I question what group of psychologists and researches decided that yes, to be racially unbiased is a valid disorder. If you can place a disorder on someone who is racially accepting and goes out of their way to help others, what is the name of the disorder for someone who is racist and does everything to make hell for people of other races?

Now to be fair, I will present the other side of the disorder. Individuals with Williams syndrome may put themselves at great peril to help someone in need as they are unable to register signals of danger. "As a result they are at increased risk of rape and physical assault." So now you're telling me that some victims of rape are at fault? Gee, that would really make me feel better about myself and get over the trauma of what happened. I'm also going to make the assumption that the person who came up with this disorder was a sexist male who believes in the rape myths that women secretly want to be raped by encouraging rape by their dress and actions. let me make this clear: No one wants to be raped. Once again, I question the team of researchers who decided that this "disorder" was valid and seems to be plaguing this country. Beware, you may be racially unbiased.

Let me try this again...

Totally did not mean to post my first blog with only "I finally did it." Somehow it managed to post without me hitting anything that said 'post', but like most things in my life, things happen without me being aware of much. Talk about a royal failure. With that cleared, I'm sorry to say that I'm off. Which is too bad because I'm really enjoying this moment sitting near my kitchen window typing on my computer. I feel very Carrie Bradshaw-esque... but really I must run.... or should I say dance because that's where I'm off to!

I finally did it