Based on something from HolliesQuotes.com

Who I am....well....for right now. 

I have commitments to people I need to keep. But I know that sometimes, things come up. Like sleeping.  And if a friend is in need, I try my hardest to help them. Even if it means I give them a bit of tough love. I know that these relationships that I'm forming will mean more to me in the long run.

I love my family. I want to spend time with them. What's more than that ... I (sometimes) enjoy spending time with them. If you don't like it, too bad. Family values are important to me. Eating as a family is important to me. If anyone talks bad about my family, they'll get an earful. Because though they may annoy me sometimes, I will defend them to the death. Even if they're wrong ... if you badmouth them ... I'll defend them. That is something I can promise.

I like going on walks ... I like holding hands. I like looking at the stars for hours.  I love falling asleep in the arms of someone who loves me ... and I love waking up in his arms as well. I like being kissed on the forehead and having my back rubbed. I love massages no matter who they're from. If you give me one, I will melt. Guaranteed. I love taking pictures; I don't like when people complain that I take too many. I love laughing, I love being silly, I love when people aren't afraid to be silly sometimes. I love cartoons. I love to swim and play in the water and I love board games. Singing is one of my favorite things to do. Music is important to me and I will not tolerate music that is degrading or crude in any way. I love snail mail ... I love cards. I love writing.  Even the simplest language is beautiful if phrased correctly. I don't like when people use "their" instead of "there" or "your" instead of "you're". Once in a while, a mistake is okay. But if I see either on a store sign, I automatically feel that editing isn't important to you and think about wanting to go into your store or not. 

I have strong opinions ... I will share them, but only when I feel so inclined. Generally speaking, I think before I speak -- especially in large groups. But once you get to know me, I am an open book.  I love when people open doors for me and pull out my chair for me ... but I usually forget and try to do it myself. I want to be respected -- I want my feelings to be respected and my thoughts to be respected. More than anything else, I want my body to be respected. I know how to be sexy, I know how to be desirable. I choose not to be those things because I do not want what comes when one intentionally creates a sexy persona. I like being told that I'm beautiful, but I'll always think I don't deserve a compliment like that.

I'm never as confident as I seem ... there are many nights and many days when all I want is to be held. I love being held. Always. Sometimes I don't want to talk about what is bothering me ... sometimes I just want a hug ... someone who will let me cry. I like when boys cry in front of me -- when people aren't afraid to show what they're really feeling. I don't like when people run from their true feelings because it doesn't do anyone any good. I wear my heart on my sleeve, but I am not naive. I know what it feels like to be completely broken and I am all too familiar with what it means to be hurt. I know what it's like to see something funny and not laugh. My feelings have been blatantly disregarded. But I still believe that all people are good at heart ... and my trust in people has not diminished. To be completely honest, I hope it never does. Ever.

I'm not useless in terms of computers, I know more about them than the location of the "on" button. If I don't know, chances are, I will try and fix it/find it myself ... and then ask for help or I will choose to find another way to do what I'm trying to. However, I know nothing about cars and will always ask for help. However, if it's something I can do ... like checking the oil ... I probably won't let you do it.

I'm not afraid to get dirty ...I hate being sweaty because I start to itch. It's  not a good feeling. I don't like to run, I'd rather walk. My nails are not my top priority -- they never will be. I love long showers and the feeling of my teeth after they have been brushed. I do not like the dentist or the doctor ... I'll probably gripe about going to both of them, no matter how necessary it might be. Needles are a phobia -- so are spiders, snakes, and bugs of any kind. Buzzing is my least favorite sound and it can easily drive me insane. 

I like food, even if it's not good for me. I love Shakespeare, even though it takes me reading something four times over to understand him.  I love to learn -- I ask a lot of questions. Even if you honestly don't know, I will probably continue to ask until you give me an answer. I'm very gullible -- please don't abuse that fact. I like things that make you think, things that make you reexamine your beliefs. I'm not comfortable talking openly about sex.

I do not like being told things just to make me happy. I would rather be told the truth and be hurt than be "protected" and happy. I overreact all of the time. Don't be afraid to tell me I'm wrong or out of line. I like people who are strong enough to face me when I'm raging ... people who will let me be angry for a little while ... people who won't think less of me for my somewhat sporadic mood swings. When I'm hurt, I withdraw. I threaten to run away from the situation that is causing me pain. All I want is to be told honestly that I'm loved. I'm indecisive -- there are too many things I would really like to do ... and I'm afraid you won't like what I choose.

I am afraid of being lonely. Of people not knowing how much they mean to me. I'm afraid of drowning, of choking and of not understanding. I'm not afraid to be myself or of interacting with people who are different than me. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm wrong, but I will rarely admit it publicly.

My best friend in the entire world ... above anyone else ... is Nichole. Regardless.

I like hot popcorn and brand new sharpies. I'm a huge packrat. Boy Meets World is my favorite show. I love the smell of new books and new houses. I love bread and soft serve ice cream. I love sweatpants ... I love having my hair in a messy bun. I love being comfortable and I love being told that I'm beautiful, even if I'm in sweats and my hair is a mess. I am just as comfortable in a skirt as I am in sweats. I don't wear make up ... but when I do, I don't like it to be a big deal. I love to work, it makes me feel productive and useful. It keeps me from being idle. I hate feeling useless. I love staying up late and I love sleeping though I will never sleep enough. Coloring is fun ... drawing is not. My dog is better than your dog -- I don't care if he's small and barks constantly.

I love kids. I want 2; one boy, one girl.  I know it's a lot of work, you don't have to tell me. My favorite color is blue. I don't like math but I understand it.  I love reading for hours on end. I love the sun ... I love being warm. However, I love playing in the rain and sitting outside when it's stormy. I like making snowmen and snow angels ... and I like the handprints in the middle when I get up.

I support and appreciate people who can argue their point in an educated manner, who have a logical reason for things -- even if I don't agree. I don't like when people can't support themselves ... I don't like laziness. I'm trying to learn how to disagree without being disagreeable and I admire people who know how. I also admire people who can hula. I like mismatched decorations and sappy letters. I love praying ... I love studying Scripture. I'd rather be cold than hot. I love birthdays and Christmas because they bring people together. I admire integrity and honesty -- I love when people aren't "too tough" to forgive. I love best friends and old friends ... and I love when new friends become old friends.

I don't like alcohol ... or cigarettes ... or drugs. I don't like what they do to people.

 I love wearing a guy's sweatshirt when it smells like him. But only when that smell is good. I love when guys are ticklish ... and I love laughing so hard I cry. There are certain four letter words that the world would be better off without and I don't swear because I choose not to. 

I believe in love. Real, true, amazing, passionate love. I believe in myself ... I believe in other people. I will never give up on the people I really care about, even if they break my heart a thousand times. I believe in God and I know He will never give up on me ... even if I break His heart a thousand times.

I want to be a soccer mom. I want to be a teacher, yes, and I will be. But I want to be a wife, a mother, and a friend first. I want to help others ... starting with my family. I want to love others ... starting with myself.

I love blankets -- even in the summer. I love fans ... even in the winter. Fresh air and natural light cure just about anything. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a purpose ... that it is up to us to discover that purpose ... and that more often than not, we won't understand ... even if we find an answer. Regardless, I believe that everything works out for the best. Always.
In the words of Langston Hughes --
"I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.
I like to work, read, learn, and understand life."

I like not wearing shoes, but I think my feet are ugly. I wear flip flops in the winter, even when it's raining. I like making sandcastles and playing in the ocean. I'm bad at foreign languages, I don't understand Marxism. Love songs are amazing, period the end. Herman Melville is an awful writer and I don't understand how he became so popular. I love Christian music ... and I adore the hymns of the Church. 

I'm allergic to everything that is outside in the springtime. I like the inside. 

I like people who can make me laugh ... I love making people laugh. I don't blush easily, but if I do, it means something. I like people who make me think about things ... people who willingly put up with my absentmindedness and like it. Common sense has never been one of my strong points. I'm not afraid to laugh at myself ... nor am I afraid to laugh at other people. I have a hard time letting go and when I love, I love deeply. I'm sincere and genuine ... and I like people who are sincere and genuine. People who respect themselves, boys who love their moms. I want to be adored. 

 I like homemade cookies and handcrafted gifts. I'd rather give you something sentimental than something practical ... but I'm not against practicality. If I'm shopping and something silly catches my eye and makes me think of you, chances are ... you'll be receiving it shortly thereafter. Silly gifts make life enjoyable. :)

Inside jokes are amazing. Getting together with three of your best friends from high school and looking at middle school yearbooks -- a year and a half after graduation -- is one of the most amusing things in the world. I love applesauce and apple juice. I don't like eating apples whole. If something is broken, I'll probably leave it broken until I need it next. My room is usually messy because I usually don't have time to clean it. But eventually I will clean it ... and the next day, it will probably be messy again. It happens. I would rather carry out the plans than create the plans. I love beginnings, but I know that endings have to come before beginnings can happen. Some of the most beautiful things in my life have ended ... but endings bring about strength and teach lessons that could never have been learned otherwise. And I can definitely appreciate that.


Adapted as my own, based on an article by Samantha Mott

Where's my Green?

I had this dream about two weeks ago, and it’s been hanging around since then. Well, that’s not really true; it was more of an idea that I woke up to than a dream, but it was planted in my brain for a reason, and somehow it’s stuck there, not wanting to go away. 


Before I explain about it, I need to give some background as to why this idea has been stuck. When I was a freshman in high school, I was just coming out of what I call my Dark Days, or the depression that plagued me for most of my middle school career. My parents and I had just transferred from one parish to another, and some of the adults from my previous parish came to the same one I was at. These adults, God bless them, took on the task of starting a youth group. 


Before I was old enough, there had been this awesome youth group at the parish I had attended before. It always looked so much fun, and I waited for the day I could join in. So when we moved and this new youth group started up, I was apprehensive, but I had an idea of what we might do. I met a bunch of new people, and we weren’t instant friends, but it was pretty quick. 


We had so much fun those years; fundraising for a workcamp we never went to, going to Youthfest and Steubenville East conferences, and just plain volunteering around the parish. We even acted out skits during the homily in Mass. It was such a blur, but I still remember the feeling I would get every time I would walk into the church. 


Then, all of a sudden, things just . . . stopped. I remember there was something that happened; I think the funds for Youth Ministry were pulled from the Diocese or something. I just remember there was a solid reason why we didn’t get together anymore. Then, it’s like the community just forgot that there were a bunch of teens in church. Our lives went on, we grew up, and now the youngest member from the group is now a senior in college. I can’t help thinking that I’m not the only one who wants kids to be involved in the Church. Youth Group made being Catholic fun. 


This brings me back to my dream: I want to bring Youth Ministry back to St. Joe’s. Now, I realize this would mean a lot of work and I’d probably have to get paid for it and I can’t create a full functioning Youth Group on the side which means I’d have to quit my job and get hired by the diocese. Still, there’s a big enough hole in my church community that could be filled by at least some programs in the summer (Vacation Bible School, trips to Jordan’s for the older kids).  Plus it would take some time to get a whole program running. 

My ideal program would be as follows, and I know that this would be way too much to handle myself. The whole goal is to help kids to learn about service and show them it’s not a bad thing. I’d start off with a high school-aged group, and we’d come together once a week to eat and talk; maybe get a movie to watch some weeks. Together we’d plan to do things for the community. Then I’d start a younger group, and they would do things like make decorations for bulletin boards and help serve coffee and donuts (I'd do the coffee, I'm not that stupid). I’d want to create a younger group that would feel like family for them when they do get older, it's an easy transition.

I know that I gained so much from hanging out with young Catholics like me. Even if it was just for an hour or two each week, it was an hour or two with people who have the same beliefs as me. It rooted me in my faith; showed me that I wasn’t the only one my age who believed like I believed. 

I have so many different ideas and thoughts that I can’t help but get super excited when someone brings it up in conversation. Working in Cornish is fun and I’m getting a lot out of it, but I just can’t afford the gas and it’s kind of lonely riding up by myself. Youth ministry would be my dream job, and I find myself really wishing my priest or the DRE would pull me aside, offer me  $20,000 a year (which is more than I’m getting now, but less than a teacher gets), and ask me to start Youth Ministry again. *Sighs* That would be so awesome. Not awesome as in surfer awesome, but full of awe, awesome. 

There’s a passion inside of me, and there’s a need for it. I’m pretty sure that I have the talent for teaching kids about God. Plus, I’d be around my parish family. It’s the perfect job for me, and I really hope and pray that something like this comes along.

And they all lived...sad and depressed for all eternity?

Every girl has their favorite fairy tale, whether they believe in fairy tales or not. We all grew up listening to Disney versions of magical lands and happily ever afters. Soon we all grow up and we have one of two opinions about them. I would like to  call the first group the Gloomy Ones, and the second group the Hopeful Ones (can you guess which group I’m in?) The Gloomy Ones believe that fairy tales are stupid and idiotic and none of it comes true, so why should we believe it? The Hopeful Ones believe we develop this hope that Prince Charming still exists (even though he may be a janitor), magic is still in the world, and there are such things as happily ever afters.

The reason why I bring this up is that there’s a lot of talk about fairy tales these days; “Once Upon a Time” on ABC, two different movies coming out JUST about Snow White (lucky...), and have you counted all of the versions of Cinderella Disney has released with teen heartthrobs and pretty girls? Yeah. That’s because all of us ‘Hopefuls’ are taking over. Watch out you ‘Gloomys!’

Personally, I view fairy tales as stories that can happen in reality, but they’re fluffed up and less scary...or whatever. The coffee shop clerk falls  in love with the lawyer that gets coffee every morning? Cinderella. A girl who still has hope in humanity and becomes a teacher only to eat an apple and get sick and falls in love with a doctor? Snow White (admit it, it could happen...). The girl who tricks her boyfriend into thinking she can do the impossible? Rumpelstilskin.

Fairy tales are apart of our lives whether we want them to be or not. Eventually, when we have our own children, they creep up into our lives and make themselves known. So why not embrace that? Why not keep that spirit and hope alive? Stories have a lot of power. They help us look at something differently, or they help explain a situation with a simple phrase. Ask any Catholic about the DaVinci Code(remember how up in arms people were?), or how EVERYONE knows that there’s no place like home. They’re not just stories.

There’s always that one fairy tale that sticks with us, too. I remember in college, a bunch of the girls in Feeney Players (of whom I hung out with only two) decided they would decorate their dorms with the Disney princess they emulated or had the closest personality to. Those tales stick with us for the rest of our lives.

Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale. Yes, yes, the Disney version was my first exposure to the story, but it went deeper than that, and when I was old enough to read more about the story, B&B really DID become my favorite fairy tale. There are a lot of versions of the tale, and honestly, pretty much all of them have the same storyline.

I related to Belle (and yes, that it what I’m going to call her, not Beauty) the most because she read books like I did when I was growing up, and she loved her father so much, she was willing to let him and her whole family go to make sure they were safe and sound. That kind of love isn’t found in a lot of fairy tales.

My favorite version of B&B is Beauty by Robin McKinley. I actually have to find it so I can read it again because like an idiot, I lost it when I moved to Maine. I like it because it’s the story that makes the most sense, and it’s the most believeable too. In it, Belle isn’t beautiful (she nicknames herself Beauty as a joke); she’s tall with mousy brown hair and big hands and feet. The Beast isn’t mean at all; he’s actually quite sweet and kind right from the get-go, just a little too overprotective of his roses (which happens to be in every single rendition I’ve read interestingly enough).

The lesson we all are supposed to learn (as there is a lesson with all fairy tales) is that people shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. That’s where the idea of Belle being a bookworm came about. Now, the lesson is the same in every version, but Disney did it somewhat backwards. Belle already can see beyond what she sees and accepts everyone by their character. Everyone in her town is kind of summed up by Gaston’s comment about Belle’s choice of leisure, “How can you read this? There’s no pictures!” By the way, when I knew enough about the subject, my first comment about Gaston was that he should go back to school and learn some grammar--I realize he’s French, but come on Disney.

The other versions of B&B, Belle is still a reader, but she doesn’t realize the lesson until she tells the Beast she’ll marry him. When she leaves the Beast and comes back late and can’t find her way back, she realizes that she loves him and it doesn’t matter what he looks like.

Isn’t that why we hear stories in the first place; to know that those characters got it right in the end and we can too? The basis of fairy tales is to give us hope of a happy life; to plant it into our hearts and let it sit, waiting to be used as a reminder when we need one. Because whether we’re a ‘Hopeful’ or a ‘Gloomy,’ it’s still there. The question is if we use it or not.

There’s always that part in the story that things are not good at all. It seems impossible that there would be a happy ever after. That’s where people get stuck and they stop believing. In the end, though, everything turns out wonderfully.

I take comfort in that even though life is wicked hard right now, there IS a point where things will be better and there’ll be a happily ever after. There’s one problem I’m having though: I can’t really see it right now. I know it’ll happen, I have faith in God that it’ll happen, and I trust Him. I just cannot for the life of me find a stopping point of all this challenge in my life. I feel like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof when he asks God if He can choose someone else once in a while. Even a poor teacher is entitled to some happiness, right?


...There must be more to this provincial life.

Love.

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted, and needless to say not a lot has been too exciting to report. Life is pretty much going along for me.

I did just get back from seeing Jake, and let me tell you…he introduced me to a new artist….well, mash-up artist anyway. Titus Jones. Look him up. His stuff is awesome.

Like right now, I’m listening to Pokéstar. Well, that’s a lie. I was just listening to that; I switched to Slacker because I needed chill music for this blog. Listening to some good Billy Joel, “Just the Way You Are” and picturing a nice drive down Loudon Rd. in Concord. No explanation as to why that particular image, but oh well.

SO onto the real thing: While I was visiting Jake and his family, I had a book that I was reading called The Love Dare by Stephen and Alex Kendrick. The book is based on the movie “Fireproof” and has the actual dares that the main character does in the movie. Kirk Cameron is in it if you can’t place it.

I can hear some of you going, “Hey wait a second: You aren’t married…what’s the deal?” The truth is that I didn’t read it as something to try right away; I wanted to learn how to love others more than I have been. Lately I’ve been kind of complaining about almost everything, and I haven’t been the best Aimée I can be in a long time. The purpose of reading and doing the dares is to try and improve my outlook and to try and love everyone as I know how.

This leads me to the back of the book. Yes, most of the book is about marriage and including God into your relationship. But at the back of the book, there are some good references and exercises to do. One of them is to ask your spouse a bunch of questions. When I looked through the questions, I thought about my own answers and decided to blog them. Yes, folks. I decided to do one of those silly surveys you used to see on MySpace and that sometimes pop up on Facebook. But I honestly think that these questions are more important, and I am encouraging everyone to try and at least think about your own answers. 

1.  What is your greatest hope or dream?

The first thing I think of when I think of my greatest hope or dream would be to be happy in my life; to have a wonderful husband who’ll love me forever. But then, when I REALLY think about it, my greatest hope is that I am a mother. I want to feel that love that only a mother has for her son or daughter; that pride and joy that I see in my mother’s eyes every time I get up and sing or she sees me teaching. Maybe I’m jumping the gun a little bit, I know. I’ve got my whole life ahead of me, but that’s always been my hope in my heart. Being a mother would bring the greatest happiness in my life. I know, cliché, isn’t it? But it’s all true.

2.  What do you enjoy the most about your life right now?

This is a hard question for me to answer because I just left Jake’s YESTERDAY and I’m feeling all emo and crappy. Things can be wicked worse; I realized that once I gave up being a huge drama mama. I honestly think that it’s okay that I’m not enjoying much in my life though because then there wouldn’t be times when I can truly appreciate and enjoy life the way it should be. With that said, there are some things I’m loving about my life: my best friend is getting married soon, and I love the fact that I am her maid of honor. I really wish I could be a part of more weddings to tell you the truth. And the fact that I have air conditioning now. I’m really loving that.

3.  What do you enjoy the least about your life right now?

As I stated before, I’m feeling really emo and crappy so I need to be careful as to not start complaining all night.  It all breaks down to one thing, I think: I’m not enjoying not knowing what’s ahead, and I’m not enjoying where I am career-wise. I don’t make enough to pay bills right now, so that’s scaring me a lot. I don’t have a lot of patience, and yes, I am working on that, but it’s hard not to break down and cry and stomp around and throw a tantrum. It’s not going to help in the long run, but my inner child is screaming because everything is unsure.  

4.  What would your dream job be if you could do anything and get paid for it?

I love little kids, and I love teens too. I love to sing, and I love to witness my faith. So if I could fly around the country singing and witnessing my faith to children of all ages, and get paid for it…that would be what I would want to do. OH or sing at wedding ceremonies. That would be awesome.

5.  What are some things that you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t had the opportunity to do yet?

6.  What are three things you would like to do before the next year passes?

One: Lose more weight
Two: Get my own classroom
Three: Make enough money to get my own apartment and pay my own bills.

7.  Who do you feel the most “safe” with? Why?

Jake. Anything can happen to me, but as long as I’m with Jake I can get through anything.

8.  If you could have lunch with anyone, who would it be? Why?

Oh man, I would have lunch with Dr. Kassy Clements, head of the Department of Education at St. Joseph’s College. She was such an awesome professor and great advice-giver to all of us.

9.  When was the last time you felt filled with joy?

Jake and I had the house to ourselves for a while and I made him Hamburger Helper.

10. If you had to give away a million dollars, who would you give it to?

I am going to revise this a bit: If I had one million dollars to give away, I would split it up a bit. Half would go to my parents; $500,000 to do whatever they wanted. I think the rest would go to Jake’s family, because, they truly are my family as well.

So there you have it. I hope the questions linger in your mind as they did mine.

Conservatism Comeback? (Non-political, promise)

There has been a wave of TV networks that have taken a step back and tried a more conservative aproach to what they air. TLC is an example. A lot of their programming they offer is kid-friendly, and kind of wholesome. For instance, 19 Kids and Counting is a show about a family who is EXTREMELY Christian. The Duggar fam are very much into Christian values and explain their beliefs so others can understand. The same thing applies to another show TLC has called Sister Wives. They explain their lives for us to view and discuss (I feel like Mike Meyers in Coffee Talk). With that being said, I need to be perfectly clear that those families are the extreme end of what I personally stand for, and they're a little bit nuts. Really nuts. Okay, WICKED nuts. Plus I think TLC plays that up a bit, and exploits the families to get an interesting show.

But TLC isn't the only network out there going back to a more conservative, value-centered outlook on TV. It seems like the big networks are doing the same; adding family-oriented shows to their Fall lineups or toning down some content on their returning shows. Yes, some shows and networks push in an opposite direction as well, but for the most part, there's a choice on TV; you don't have to settle with something that you don't agree with.
With this wave comes an issue of what's socially acceptable nowadays and what parents are allowing. I was talking to the woman I team teach with, and she and I were commenting on how we need to teach about what's socially acceptable. It seems like there isn't a limit as to what you see on TV, and students seem to not pick up on how to act in a public setting. Part of that reason is what they see at home and on TV.

It's the parents' prerogative (I had to google that, and it still looks completely wrong) to monitor what their children do online and what they watch; I can't control their home lives, I know that. But when these kids come to school and think it's okay to be punching because they saw it on Alias (okay, I get that it's a semi-old show, but I loved it when I was in high school), there's a problem.

My point is that it's nice to see these conservative shows are becoming popular; it makes me kind of hopeful that I wont be teaching all delinquents for the rest of my life.

I think I've gone past the deep end...............

What's considered private these days? Good question. I've noticed with my students that their definition of private is completely different from my generation's definition; I'm also noticing that it deals with their definition of respect too. For those you know me, that's all I talk about when you ask me about my students, the lack of respect that they show (honestly, it's the age, I know).

But all complaining aside, I honestly think privacy is a serious issue that needs to be taught these days. Sure, the argument used to be it's the parents' responsibility, and I believe that it still should be. However, the technology jumping leaps and bounds these days makes it hard for parents to keep up with their kids. No offense to my mother but I still need to show her how to work her digital camera some days, let alone Twitter or Facebook, or using both. Granted, the parents of my students are in fact younger than my mother, but still; what's next?

With that said, these kids are going onto the Internet and taking EVERYTHING they see at face value. They're going to be faced with making new friends in high school, and "friending" (in quotes for the computer-illiterate) kids they see once a day in their biology class, or friending kids who are in the same school as they, or friends of friends, friending for the sake of getting the most friends on Facebook---see where I'm going with this? I've done it myself (friending people from SJC just for the sheer fact of we both went to the same school); what stops them from doing the same?

The next thing you'll say is that Facebook and Twitter have privacy settings and it's easy to monitor who is looking at your profile. News flash: You need to be introduced to those privacy settings to enact them, and a Facebook stalker has ways around the settings.  Plus, if you want everyone to see your pictures or see your info and you trust that no one's going to use it to their advantage, that choice is available to you.

I'm not even going into identity theft. 

What should be private then? What should someone reveal on their Twitter? How do you know where to draw the line?

That's where my project idea comes in: I am teaching a lesson to seventh and eighth graders on social network privacy, and I need some help with that. I've decided that in order to really show how to protect themselves, that I needed to actually use Facebook. I'm not using my profile just as a heads up, I'm using hers. She's fake. It's really me, but I wanted to make up something ligit. I need for her to actually look like she's alive, and in order to do that, I need for her to have friends. Use the page to "invite" her to Mafia Wars or something...(Mafia Wars? Did I really just say that? Who plays that anymore?). I just need her to have friends who post something on her wall; preferrably a bit sketchy things too, but nothing completely red flag.

I'll be doing the lesson on June 20th, and I am going to be deleting the page after that, so don't worry about little eighth graders trying to stalk you or pester you. And I understand if you don't want to at all, and don't agree with what I'm doing. I'll make it work...trust me.

All I want to do is really teach these kids to protect themselves online. Some things yes, parents should teach, but some of these kids don't have that, and I don't want to let them go to high school without someone stepping up to show them how to stay safe.

I'm crazy....I know...totally nuts for doing this.

What I've Been Doing:

Ugh, migraines completely suck. Literally. They suck the life out of you. That's what happened yesterday, and I'm actually thinking seriously about just going home and sleeping because the screen in front of me is kind of blurry and pulsating a glow of ickyness. It's that bad. Blech.

These past few weeks when I've had a blogging break, I haven't blogged because I'm kind of branching out on this story that I started last year at school. I don't want to jinx it, but honestly, it's not a very good one. The story is pretty predictable, but there's no huge conflict, either. I love writing the story, and I have shown it to a few people, but it's not a big huge thing that a publisher would want. But see that's the thing: I know I am writing it for myself, but something deep inside of me wants this to become a novel that people would actually read.

The story revolves around these two characters: Emily and Matthew. Emily is literally a princess (I tried really hard not to base her on Mia from Meg Cabot's stories, but it kind of ended up that way) of a small nation that borders Matthew's country. Matthew is the son of one of the leaders of the country and is kind of in line for his father's seat. The idea of the story is that they meet and fall in love, happy ending and everything.

I guess my point is that I wanted to write a story not of 'star cross'd lovers' but of a situation where it's kind of expected that they fall in love. I think that's the conflict that Emily and Matthew face; they do fall in love, but not because they're supposed to. To the world around them it's a no-brainer.

That's where my problem comes in; it's not exciting to read/watch two people who are from similar backgrounds, have personalities that compliment each other, and are SUPPOSED to fall in love. That's too much like ordinary life to most people.

So in short, that's one of two reasons why I haven't been blogging much. The other reason is based on the fact that a lot has been going on and a lot of it is stuff that I shouldn't talk about (mainly, what's going on at work), and things that I'm unsure of. My life is kind of a mess at the moment, so blogging about it seems like I would be misrepresenting some things. The people around me know what's going on, and that's enough for now. Although I probably will be saying my side of the story some time soon.