Scotland, two days.

Yo.

On the right I hope you see I have added a link to my other blog that I will be using for my trip to Scotland. Hooray!

13

DAYS until Scotland.

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Hmph.

Is it tragic or beneficial to see only the things we want to see? I am learning lately that we begin to become as similar as our surroundings, and in my case, I go months without noticing that I have strayed away from who I want to be. Our choices in who and what we surround ourselves with have such an affect on our values and outlook. I feel enriched when I surround myself with art, nature, music, and creative and genuinely kind people. I feel like I have not exactly kept up with these environments, and remained in unhealthy surroundings, slowly digging up to the surface of contentment. Hmm...there is a balance though. I do think that there are some things we don't want to see or experience that we should, just to gain a broader perspective. I don't know. I just want to be in a place where I'm like a tall weeping willow, firmly grounded and strong but freely moving with the wind, uninhibited. ding.


All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

nature, and literature. :)

Apparently my parents get the AAA "Via" magazine and recently I noticed that they were getting copies at their house for me as well. I love reading this magazine because in addition to having extremely useful gardening and "going green" advice, they show all these amazing places to visit in California. This state is full of amazing places to go. We have so many aspects of nature that I love. I always get a pleasant feeling when I think about the trips I took to Yosemite, Mt. Hamilton, Monterey, etc. I just feel so connected to the world through nature and appreciate life a little more after being outside in nature's beauty. Mr. Binkley, my 7th grade science teacher, was a main reason why I love science and nature today. (Alison, I'm sure you can attest to his awesomeness.) Both my sister and I participated in Project Access, a program in which a few selected 6th grade females got to go on amazing science/technology-related field trips that emphasized women in science careers. I believe we looked at leaves near Alum Rock, went to the tech museum, visited the Lighthouse and tide pools at Pigeon point, among other things. It was grand.

Speaking of literature and nature, I love John Muir. He was of the first modern preservationists. Oh, and is it FATE that he was born in Scotland? :) Anyway, there is a really interesting collection of his writings that I want to read, it looks fantastic. I am constantly amazed by people who are selfless, passionate and have an unfailing attitude toward a cause.

Selflessness is a rare and valued quality. Today I read that a woman, Irena Sendler, died today at age 98. She was regarded as a Holocaust hero because she saved almost 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto. She risked her own life in order to save children who have since been able to keep their family's generations alive. So amazing. Read this: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080512/ap_on_re_eu/obit_sendler for a detailed story.


Okay, I LOVE how science, technology, and the arts enrich my life and are all interconnected in making the world a pretty place.

Love Anna

Times Like This from Lucky Stiff

Annabel:
All I have to say is I am happy to be sitting here,
Doing what is meaningful to me
Working on behalf of the Universal Dog Home
Not barking up a strangers tree
Now my idea of company would be

A friendly face, the kind of face
That melts you with a grin
The kind of eyes that welcome you
The minute you walk in
A tender glance you simply can't refuse
At times like this a girl could use.....
A dog.

He listens when you tell him things,
There's nothing you can't say
And unlike certain people you can teach him how to stay
And if the world is giving you the blues
He cheers you up by chewing up the news.
It's things like that that make you choose
A dog

Other people need romance, dancing, playing around
Other people need constant fun, well I'm not one
I have my feet on the ground

Give me a quiet night, a stack of books
A tuna melt on rye.
A simple walk together
Underneath the starry sky
And suddenly the night is something rare
And all because there's someone special there.
Who's gazing at the views.
His head upon your shoes.
At times like this, I sure could use
A Dog


I would LOVE to use this song for an audition!

Peace out.

heart libraries

At the beginning of this semester, I feared writing the research paper for Humanities 100W. The idea of writing a paper solely based on other sources was intimidating and overwhelming. I had been accustomed to writing reflective papers in my Creative Arts major, and being able to capture my emotions in a memoir or a story. Never had I been asked to take a subject, dig in and discover what people said about it, and analyze it fully from all ends. Or at least, I had never been asked to write an extensive paper about a seemingly tiny subject. Until this semester, I was not familiar with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. My classes thus far at San Jose State have required me to attend dance performances or theatrical shows as opposed to researching aspects of media or events. My experiences using the Martin Luther King Jr. library has aided in improving my writing skill as well as widen my knowledge of scholarly and professional sources.
In class this semester we looked at professional writers who made grammatical and logical mistakes. The most prominent newspapers and companies have made fools of themselves by publishing work that is sloppy and nonsensical. Educated professionals who make obscene amounts of money and have much power in society lack knowledge in writing. I realize that one can improve their own writing by consistently looking at other good writers’ works and truly taking the time to enhance and progress in their writing ability. At the MLK library, I was exposed to different kinds of scholarly works that were well written.
The scholarly journals I looked at were abundant in vocabulary, concise, and straightforward. Compared to the other libraries I have visited, the research section of the MLK library was awe-inspiring and interesting.

Some thoughts on love

And love.

Love is the best thing ever. We have the ability to love friends, family, life partners, companions, and very importantly, ourselves. Love is this amazing gift that people abuse or manipulate sometimes. Love is a deep friendship with equal participation. Love is looking into the mirror and being happy with what you see. Love is listening, giving, and evolving. Love is a first kiss, holding hands, a long gaze from across the room.

And me, and love.

Something I have learned about love is this: in order to be in a healthy relationship, you have to love and take care of yourself. I think the idea of that sounds so easy, but as days go on, it's easier to go about day to day responsibilities than to think to oneself, how am I doing today, what am I feeling? Coming from a thespian/dancer/singer girl, I'm almost surprised that I don't do this often enough. But when I look back on old diary entries or the past relationships I have been in, I realize that I do not take enough care of myself. And that's just not loving yourself. Sometimes it's hard to do the right thing when others are involved. We feel guilt, comfort, or something that hinders us from progression. In my case, it has been lack of assertion or fear or being deeply depressed.

Hmmm.....

oh LOVE.

Picture blog

I love love LOVE my family, and here are some pictures I dug up today and wanted to post here. Afterall, a blog is about me (*ding*) and my family is probably the most important thing in my life.

Alison Marie:

here we have the most adorable blonde ever!
Next up, Alison's school picture from elementary school, her brunette hair comes in!:
Here is my baby picture:
And now my wonderful picture from elementary school, gotta love the bow:
I am corey matthews in this next picture:
And my lovely dad as a teen:
Two pictures of my beautiful mother:

I am feeling icky and should go to bed early tonight. :)