Christmas

This past Christmas wasn't as great as it could have been, and a lot of things happened that I would wish to keep private from the web, but one thing happened that I have hoped for all my life...I got to see SNOW for the very first time! It was only just a little bit, but it was enough to give me a good viewpoint of what snow really is...it's wet and soft. The snowflakes gave little kisses as they fell on my face. But I also learned that it gets dirty and sticks to your shoes. But I loved it and hope to see more in the future.

Here's a couple of examples of pictures taken yesterday. 

My dog witnessing her first snow!

My relative's stuff in their yard.

 

Classic Christmas Videos

I found these classic Christmas videos on the web. I really love these old movies!

The Night Before Christmas

Video Source: YouTube's tvdays channel

Christmas Toy Shop

Video Source: YouTube's tvdays Channel

Treat for the Occassion 2

I L.O.V.E this book, The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt (the author/poet) and Tony DiTerlizzi (the illustrator). It was originally a poem written by Howitt and made into a book format by DiTerlizzi. The words are pure chilling with brilliance, and the illustrations are just mesmerizing and look like old screen caps from a 1920 movie. The story itself is haunting, in a nice way, and affirms the moral of being careful who you trust, and making sure not to fall for vain traps. 

I figured I'd share the video version that I found on the web. It's almost as good, simply because it literally is the book, but one must actually feel the pages between one's fingers, and read the story for themselves to really treasure this wonderful cautionary story.

The Spider and the Fly

Video Source: YouTube's ynotawoody Channel.

Mr. Spider!

Just wanted to introduce Mr. Spider. I bought him because I thought I would use him for a lesson presentation, but I changed the topic after buying him. He still might become a handy little helper in the future! I love his silhouette in the picture.

Treats for the Occassion

Since Halloween arrives in only a few days from now, I figured I’d post something to set the mood. The first is an animation mini movie of Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Tell-Tale Heart.” It's a bit spooky, considering that the story itself is spooky. The third is a video of Tim Burton’s early animation titled “Vincent,” which has some traits that seem similar to Poe’s stories.

The Tell-Tale Heart

Video Source: YouTube’s jmcusack channel.

Warning: Could be spooky.

Tim Burton’s “Vincent”

Video Source: YouTube’s emfoco Channel.

Some Days Are Going to be Blue...

Today really was a bad day for me. There's been a lot of personal worries and problems surface and cause me to think about. Today, I've tried my best to keep my head held high and resume my life with a smile. The only hard part was trying to make conversation with others. I felt vulnerable, so my emotions wanted to fall apart, but I had to guard myself from falling to pieces. This meant I had to fight myself to talk and make conversation with others.

These worries (personal, educational, financial) make me want to fall into Christ's arms and just be held by my Holy Father. He is my rock and my salvation. He is my strength, even during the dark skies. I love my Lord, my Jesus. He makes these blue times bearable. It's hard to say that I have to trust in Him, but I know that by doing so that He will handle this and lead me through them.

The Purpose of Facebook

Clipart from Microsoft Office

The Purpose of Facebook : A Short Parody in Chat Form
By R.Andrew
__________________ 
jonboi_16: what do U mean facebook's for social networking

Paul_Lighthouse: I mean it is a place to connect with old friends, new friends, co-workers... 

jonboi_16: yeh, whatev, facebook is a gamin' website
  
Paul_Lighthouse: No, it is the purpose for communication and networking with those near and far.
  
jonboi_16: dude, your wasting my time with this nonsense. i need to login and update my frontierville.
  
Sarah_Sparkle4: Ooh, while you're updating your homestead, send me some food for my energy count!

Kyle_knight106: I thought Facebook was for stalking liking statuses of random happenings and sayings.

Sarah_Sparkle4: No, it's for adding strangers to your 'friend' count so that you appear as though you're very popular in real life.

Sarah_Sparkle4: Crap, Facebook is going so slow. It's taking forever to gather all my crops.

Kyle_knight106: Guys, I need more friends. Log on and add me.

Sarah_Sparkle4: No, thanks!

jonboi_16: no

Gothic_chik has joined the chat room.

Paul_Lighthouse: Sorry, no.

Kyle_knight106: Please?

Gothic_chik: I will.

Paul_Lighthouse: [sighs] I cannot believe this is how I am spending my Friday night.
__________________

Was edited to add more content.

A Summer Memory

     I couldn't sleep this morning so I got online and thought I'd do a bit of fantasy online shopping - which is just me browsing and searching books and DVDs and imagining myself actually having enough money to buy interesting books and being able to afford to buy complete collection DVDs of my past favorite TV shows. It's a fun hobby, and it doesn't drain your wallet or purse! I came across some interesting TV shows that I used to like - most of them all being cartoons from my childhood past - which brought about nostalgia. This got me thinking about past summers of my childhood and I couldn't help but recall one specific summer that still is fresh in my mind.

     The summer I am referring to happened in the mid 90's; I had passed the second grade and was dreading the soon approach of third grade. My mother allowed me the chance to spend a few weeks at my great-grandmother's house in Georgia, with my great-grandmother. I am possibly one of the few who has ever enjoyed spending summers with their grandparents as opposed to their parents. One of the main reasons I enjoyed it so much at my great-grandmother's house (aside from my deep love for my great-grandmother) was that she had cable, so I was able to watch shows that I never could on regular TV at home. My favorite network channel was Nickelodeon, and it had all of my favorite shows that I loved watching whenever I visited my great-grandmother: Salute Your Shorts, Rugrats, Doug, Clarissa Explains It All, Rocko's Modern Life, Are You Afraid of the Dark, All That, and the complete anticipation for Saturday to arrive for Nickelodeon's Snick.(They're linked to YouTube videos, in case you wanted to take a look at what they are, if you have never heard of them).

     During that summer, I battled tonsillitis and had severe sore throat moments and terrible fevers. (It wasn't until I entered the third grade that I had to have that taken care of.) During these bad moments, when I wasn't watching Nickelodeon, I was watching a network (I believe it was CMT) that showed country music videos (it being Georgia after all), which was something of a discovery for me. I was amazed at this genre of music and, especially, of its fellow singers like Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, and Garth Brooks. I was so enthused by this discovery that I had a habit of scheduling a certain time frame every morning to watch the network channel that showed the country music videos. One day, while watching the channel, there came a video by Ray Stevens titled "The Streak." It was a funny video about a cartoon person streaking through town and causing disruptions. He also had another music video that was always shown too titled "The Mississippi Squirrel Revival." That video became a favorite of mine, especially because of the setting - a church - and the humor. The video was a fun satire that had a nice message in the midst of the humorist commotion, and it was this video that I remembered this morning as I was feeling nostalgic about that particular summer at my great-grandmother's house.

     Part of the reason for the nostalgia isn't because of the TV shows - or the  specific music videos and music genre - I once loved. They represented a place that I once enjoyed being at (a place to where I only had access to these shows and networks of my childhood). I felt safe with my great-grandmother. I felt loved. Furthermore, she was, and still is, one of the very few people who has ever believed in me. She is someone I truly care about in this world, and I would greatly be at a loss if I ever lost her.

     After recalling that particular summer, and especially that one particular Ray Stevens video, I searched on YouTube for the video and it brought back so much memories of being in my great-grandmother's house, early in the summer morning, watching country music videos. What's still shocking is that it is as funny as it was when I first watched it way back when. Therefore, I conclude this post by including that particular Ray Stevens video.

The Mississippi Squirrel Revival

Source: YouTube's raystevensmusic channel

Why?

     Why do I continue to do this thing called "blogging?" Because a) it's fun, writing and sharing - I understand why some call it "therapeutic"... and b) it helps me know that I exist...Just being honest. 

     I also updated my alternate blog to include a movie suggestion from a movie that I really enjoyed watching the other day...head on over there to read it (I thought it seemed pointless to post it here, since I could easily link to it).

Library Routine

Clipart from Microsoft Office

Library Routine 
        By R.Andrew 

The time has come to make the call, 

to raise your voice and to count down out aloud.

 Flash all the lights, take a deep breath, and stare out at the beyond.

  

“The library is closing in: 30 minutes…15 minutes…10 minutes…

5 minutes…

THE LIBRARY IS NOW CLOSED!”

The lights are off and the chairs are pushed in; 

all doors are now locked, and no patrons are within.

 Goodnight, to all books, shelved orderly within each aisle. 

Adieu, to the warm computers, that will soon cool 
in the lone dark.  

  
Tomorrow will bring more books to be shelved…

more holds to pull down…But for now, there is only home.

Writing...and Faith

     I'm going to have to literally force myself to spend some time writing my stories this summer. I may not have the best verbal communication skills, but I do know that writing is one of my callings. I just get concerned in the final processes when I should worry about the beginning.

      Just the other day I decided to look through some of my old writings that I've kept in my file/folder and I once again had the same revelation that I had a while back. I was looking at stories I wrote in 3rd (?), 4th, and 5th grade, and they weren't that terrible - sure, they were weird and needed grammar help and a reality check at times, but they were still good. I guess my observing students in those same grade levels have made me realize that while I suffered in other academics, writing was always my stronger gift - mainly because I had such a big imagination.

      And then I looked to the story that resurrected this gift. A few years ago, for a college assignment, I had to write a fictional story about a topic the teacher randomly gave me (the topic was related to another classmate's personal experience of having a miscarriage). While classmates told me I couldn't/shouldn't write about it (especially the female classmates), my teacher believed in me and thought that I could. And I did. It wasn't that great, but my professor was right when she wrote that I had a special gift of storytelling...

      God gave me this gift, and it pains me to think that I have been wasting it on small writings just because I am afraid of starting fictional stories, because I see the ending and get scared of reaching that point from where I am right now. I get trumped down by thoughts such as "What if I'm terrible?" "What if the stories suck?" "What happens when I've finished and I reach a dead end?" It's those moments that mirror the same thoughts I have about teaching: "What if I'm terrible?" "What if I can't teach?" "What happens if I can't get recommendations from teachers?" "What if I suck as a teacher?" "What happens when I've finished school and I reach a dead end with no job hiring?"

      It is those moments when I fail God in trusting in Him. Have I not known of His greatest? Have I not seen His work in my life? Have I not seen His presence throughout my academic journey? I have not had a lot of people, especially family, who have believed in me, in anything that I have striven to do...but I should not equate my Abba with those kind of people, because He has always been faithful to guide me on my path.

      I need to be more than that small train in The Little Engine That Could. Instead of "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can," I need to be more like "I know I can, I know I can, I know I can."

      The end.