Welcome Back Lisa

I know it's been a while, so I must beg your forgiveness right off the bat (and by the way, just because it was on my nerves all morning as it was repeatedly flashed on a screen, yours is not a possessive term therefore it should NEVER be spelled as YOUR'S!!!! Come on people, get some grammar).

I don't have much to discuss or even a theme that's been running through my head that I can share with you all. I've been incredibly busy this past week and the week before.

I saw Mamma Mia three times this week (although I should have volunteered for positions outside of the theater two of those nights because once is really more than enough in my opinion.) Let's discuss why I don't think this is an appropriate show.

• The music of ABBA was never meant to be turned into a musical (unlike American Idiot which Green Day fully intended to be turned into such). I find that most of the show thoroughly confuses me as to the interpretation of the song with the surrounding dialogue. It feels like more often than not the show is a bunch of unrelated dialogue and the actors sporadically burst into a disco number just for kicks. And while we're on the topic of random disco numbers, did anyone else ever notice just how many of ABBA's songs have innuendo hidden behind every word or did the creators of the show just decide it would work to their advantage to spin the lyrics this way?
• The entire premise of the show is that the mother was so loose in her youth that she had escapades with three men resulting in the lack of knowledge of who the father of her child is. Now, I know this is one of those things that popular culture has taught us all to accept as something that happens all the time, but I refuse to accept this. It makes my skin crawl. Such things were not meant to be observed outside of marriage and I'm pretty sure the script never so much as hinted at the fact that she was married to all three within the course of what I'm assuming had to be just a few weeks, so I'm pretty sure my disdain with this major detail of the show has a firm foundation. And you may be going...gracious, this girl is so uptight. You'd be incorrect in that assumption; I simply have a moral base. You must be lacking some.
• I saw many young children being brought to the performances as a special treat for them. While I am an avid supporter of raising our children to love musical theater, I believe this is a terrible choice for one to expose such a young mind to. Not only are the lyrics slightly to fully dirty, the choreography at points was also equally raunchy. While the music is fun, I don't really think you want your children to be singing some lyrics like "Voulez Vous?" or "Lay all your love on me" etc.

That's just one lady's opinion though.

Witticism of the Day: Shoot for the stars; you never know how high you'll land. Lame, yes. True, yes.

What About Love?

I'm sure some of you are thinking I'm a sap, so of course I'll be needing to post a Valentine's blog about all the wonders that surround the holiday. However, as I am tragically single (or thankfully, depending on your point of view), I have decided to instead share with you some helpful tips for planning around the holiday for different sorts and share some tips for what to do and what not to do.

Here's how you plan the perfect unconventional and therefore ideal Valentine's date if you happen to be in a relationship.

• DO NOT go to a restaurant the weekend surrounding or the day of. Waiting around outside is not ideal in anyone's mind and this is indeed quite unoriginal.
• DO NOT go see a movie. This is for people who don't actually have anything to say to each other. It's good for a first date, perhaps, to avoid awkwardness, but for V-Day you need to try a little harder to converse with this person. After all, if you're in a relationship, you must enjoy conversing with this person!
• DO NOT buy flowers. They're expensive, and they die rapidly. Unless you want this as a sign of your relationship, I suggest you try Hobby Lobby and get some silk flowers which are significantly cheaper and also last much longer (unless you're like me and you take the flowers off the rods that are supporting them and move them to a vase for decoration and then your sister tells you you're the only person she's ever know to actually allow fake flowers to wilt).
• DO NOT buy jewelry. I'm sure you're scratching your head at this one. "All girls want jewelry as gifts!" False. If you're going to buy jewelry, it should be a random gift not given for a specific holiday. That's how you know thought was put into it rather than..."Oh, I suppose I should get something for the lady I'm dating. Perhaps I'll join the ranks of the other thoughtless men this year and flock to the nearest jewelry store because expensive gifts equal thoughtful gifts." This is not true.
• DO put thought into your gift. I think this is pretty obvious. I think my "favorite" gift I received for this holiday was a gift card. How...thoughtful? NO. It doesn't take funding to come up with something that will make your date cry (happy tears...this is of course the goal of a gift). All you need is a little bit of insight into what your significant other really enjoys. Remember, handcrafted gifts are often the most memorable. This being said, don't just color a card and consider that a gift.
• DO NOT be afraid to employ the friends of your Valentine to help you figure out what your other may like. This is mainly true of couples that have not been together long. This gesture shows that you're really trying to get to know the other person as well as you possibly could. Beware, however, to be sneaky with this but not so sneaky that your other thinks something is awry.
• DO NOT plan a night in just to cop out of actually putting effort into doing something original. It's very transparent when you do so. If you're trying to save money on the date, try going on a picnic. Find an outdoor theater that plays shows for free if you're on the lawn. Go to the public beach. Find a friend with a projector and lay a blanket out in your backyard and project the movie onto a tarp. Go to your local playground and act like children on the equipment.
• DO remember chocolate is never taboo.

If you find yourself single this Valentine's Day, try the following.

• Plan a night in (or out) with your friends. Ladies, plan a girls' night. Gentlemen, plan a poker/video game marathon (or whatever it is men do when ladies aren't around). Plan a general party/mixer with your friends.
• Don't wait for someone else to buy you some chocolate; buy some for yourself! Chocolate fixes everything; I'm convinced.
• Avoid sappy movies. Also, avoid overly vindictive movies. Try watching old Disney films. Stay away from Lifetime.
• Stay busy if your mind will wander back to the fact that you're single. Focus on work, school, event planning, networking, or whatever it is you do on a regular basis.
• Don't treat the day like it's something special if it bothers you. This being said, avoid moping around or asking to skip over the day in general.
• Remember that even if you don't have a significant other on which to place your feelings on this day, God loves you and wants your love in return and He is the greatest Valentine of them all.

I realize the day before probably isn't the best time to give advice on the subject, but perhaps your a last-minute person, in which case, I hope this helps.

Witticism of the Day: Patience may be the hardest virtue of all to practice, but once you're able to do so you'll find that life is much more pleasant.

For Such a Time as This

Today was super, so I have a lot to ponder here tonight. This could be good news for you, or it could be bad news for you in which case...why are you even reading this?!

First off I must pause because the vertigo has just struck me in a strange fit, so I need to take care of that. It's really quite a hindrance to have this problem, but fortunately it tends to come at times when I'm not doing anything terribly important.

Now that I've settled that issue I'd like to discuss scheduling and stress management. I just put in all the dates that I had left to schedule for the semester, and I realized that I have ONE free weekend that's not involved in spring break left until graduation. ONE. So in order for me to avoid losing my mind completely, I'm going to be trying to breathe as much as possible and spend as little time at events that I don't REALLY want to be at.

While on this topic, I'd like to formally apologize to the individual who tried to convince me over the summer that I didn't have time for them when I was at school due to the insanity of my schedule. While I can't fully believe that the best of intentions were behind this statement, I realized tonight that this statement holds truth. Even if I wanted to make time I couldn't.

And why, you ask, is this such an issue? I've finally found a bit of courage within myself to go after what I really want. One of the things I find that I increasingly desire every time I'm in the correct company is the exact thing I have absolutely no time to sustain. However, while this will cause me to sigh heavily every night before I fall asleep, I know it's for good. I know God is weaving a plan in my life that I can't yet see and that there are obvious hindrances here, but sometimes my patience wears a little thin. It's at those times that God puts someone in my face to remind me that my immediate desires can't even hold a candle to my eternal reward.

Perhaps tomorrow I'll do a "My Favorite Things" blog again with more force than the last to spice things back up here. I know not everyone ACTUALLY wants to read the details of my life.

Witticism of the Day: There is nothing more satisfying than meeting new people who exude your favorite qualities.

Hello Again

Why, hello. It's been a while. I apologize for my absence as of late, but it's been a madhouse around here on a regular basis. I haven't really had much to say either, but I'll try to muster something random up tonight just for you.

I've recently been suffering from some onset vertigo which is really less fun than it sounds. Fear not, I have been medicated for it and am currently trying to figure out when I should make time to see a specialist to figure out what the real issue behind this year-long phenomenon is.

My social calendar is filling up fast which I suppose I should be flattered by. I suppose it means I have a lot of friends, or that I have a few friends who want to do a lot of things. I'm quite excited about most of it, but I must say that which I am still most excited for is BILLY ELLIOT. Three weeks now, boys and girls. The suspense is driving me crazy!

The past two nights I've been in the theater. I find every time I go in there I have this overwhelming sense of belonging. I can't, however, determine which side of the stage I feel I belong on more. I must admit that there's a sense of accomplishment that comes with ushering (despite the conventions you would assume to go along with the job). Something about assisting other theater enthusiasts to have a memorable evening makes me feel important. On the other hand, being on the stage is exhilarating in ways that I can't even begin to comprehend or explain.

It's freezing here. No, literally. Completely inexcusable in my opinion, but of course God works in mysterious ways, working all things together for good. Obviously He's hiding the good here, but we'll find it soon; I'm sure of it.

That's all I've got. Disappointing, I know. Perhaps I'll have something inspirational to say when I come home tomorrow night after my retreat tomorrow. We can only hope!

Witticism of the Day: If you have to be dead, you may as well be drop dead! (I just heard this on the Nanny. I'll try to have my own witticisms again soon.)