"Christmas" Concert: BEDSY Day 90 (Tuesday Jan. 31st, 2012)

It's the last day of January. Thank goodness.

For some reason, this month hasn't felt...right. I'm sure you guys could probably also tell by my rather 'emo' entries at points.

I'm gald it's over, though. Just over four months 'til graduation...

Tonight was our first official concert of the season. Our first one usually happens in December and is our Christmas concert, but we were without instruments (as they were being shipped back from Hawaii) right before Christmas. So it got pushed to mid-January.

Then the snow-pocalypse hit, and we had to push it back another two weeks.

Concert, overall, went really well. There were a few small hiccups, but...there always are. But not enough to be that big of a deal, really. Like I said, every performance has its hiccups.

We played pretty much every song we've been working on since the start of the year. We payed two Christmas songs (because we had to). We played some of the patriotic stuff we prepared for Hawaii, as well as two Fleetwood Mac songs we played at a local fundraiser. Plus our parade rotation. Like I said, it was a hodgepdge of all kinds of things.

It's weird to think that, for all of the performances we've done this year, this was our first official concert. We've done several parades, football games, basketball games, fundraisers...and yet tonight was the first time this year we set up in our school's auditorium and performed for our parents.

Something else that happened at the concert was some talk about Hawaii. Grams (my director) put together a little slide show of pictures from the trip. He recognized the chaperones that put more time and effort into making the trip run smoothly than most people probably realized. (Truly, they're the unsung heroes of this entire endeavor).

Tonight, though, I felt something that I haven't felt for some time: I am very fortunate to be surrounded by the people that I am, they're good people. I love being where I am, with this band. I'm so glad I'm here.

I know I've been saying this for a while now, but, after tonight, I think I'm finally ready to write about Hawaii. Look for it some time this weekend.


Still have a ton of homework to do. I think I'll pop in a movie or two and just power through it all.

'Night, guys.

Odd Feelings: BEDSY Day 89 (Monday Jan. 30th, 2012)

Gah...don't want to talk about anything tonight...again.

This is getting bad, guys. I'm not finding the motivation to write entries as of late (as you can probably tell), and I'm sorry. I just...I don't know...things haven't been feeling right for the past few weeks. I get ideas for days...but when it comes time to write every day...it doesn't come. I feel exhausted (mentally and physically) and I don't want to write.

Maybe it's just January.

Have no fear, though. This shall continue until June 8th, the day I plan to walk across the stage and accept my high school diploma. Hopefully this is just a phase of writer's block.

At the Movies: BEDSY Day 88, plus the weekend (Sunday Jan. 29th, 2012)

It's a movie day.

I'm on my third movie of the day, Forrest Gump, the first two being the second Sherlock Homes and Dick.

(For clarification, Dick is a spoof on the Watergate Scandal of 1972, not anything....weird.)





I really wanted this post to be longer, but I guess I got caught up on homework and stuff. Oops...

Beat: BEDSY Day 87 (Thursday Jan. 26th, 2012)

I'm beat. Physically and mentally.

Lately, I've felt like I've become a verbal punching bag...for several people. And it's exhausting. It's nice to have a friend to whom you can vent and whatnot when you have a bad day...except when it happens all the time. Almost every day, to be exact. And stuff like that has been keeping me up at night for the past few weeks, thus diminishing my already small amount of sleep that I'm getting every night. And then I'm tired and grumpy the next day and don't want to talk to anybody and yet the punching bag continues to be used.

I'm tense and agitated and sad and...Nobody asks if I'm okay, or wonders why I'm not talking or being a grumpy-pants...but I feel like I couldn't tell them because all hell would probably break loose from my mouth, and we don't want that. That could get really messy really quickly. And I feel like I can't tell some people this because apparently, their problems are worse and more important than mine...not that mine are particularly important either, in the scheme of things, but it's a bit annoying when someone undermines all your problems with theirs. It makes you feel insignificant. And nobody should ever feel like that.

I'm sorry for the broodiness of this post, guys. But I've been feeling really down lately, and I think it's because I have all of this negative energy around me. The thing to do is make it all disappear.

It's 8:20 here. Might actually be in bed before 10, though...

BEDSY Day 86 (Wednesday Jan. 25th, 2012)

Just got home from a boys basketball game at school. We won. I'm exhausted, though...So this may be all that you're getting for tonight. Sorry...

Half day tomorrow and Friday, set aside for the End of Course math exam that some people in my school have to take in order to graduate. For those who do not have to take it, like me, we get the option to go to two different classes to get help and whatnot. I'm doing a session with band and a session with calculus. Should be a fun day. Seriously.

Disection of an iTunes Library: BEDSY Day 85 (Tuesday Jan. 24th, 2012)

We're gonna talk about music tonight.

If you were to look inside my iTunes library, you'd find many songs/artists typical of today's adolescents: Coldplay, Foster the People, the Glee cast, The Beatles, Lady Gaga, Dave Matthews Band...the works. But there are also some selections that may or may not be known, such as the Benedictine Monks (the ones that chant), Credence Clearwater Revival, and Flogging Molly. It would be an understatement to say that I have a wide variety of music within my collection. There's classic rock, show tunes, Flamenco/jazz fusion, movies scores, Irish punk rock, big band era, dance, 90's grunge, obscure independent artists (and I mean obscure), a dash of country (just a smidge)...And did I mention the monks?

I don't necessarily have a favorite artists or genre. I could pinpoint a few, but I couldn't narrow it down to just one or two. I was talking to someone a few months ago (I think it was my driver's ed teacher) about this, and he said that's pretty common nowadays. When he was a teenager, people did have a favorite genre, and they had huge collections (tapes, records, CDs) that exemplified their passion. Today's collections (or libraries) are just as large, but far more extensive. Part of it is due to the fact that people, within the past few years, have gained greater access to music through digital downloads, making purchasing music cheaper and more convenient than forking over twenty dollars for an entire CD when you only really liked two or three songs on the entire album. Individual tracks can be purchased. It's peculiar, how many people have access to all of these artists, old and new.

For the record, the most played songs in my library currently include (but are not limited to):

-"Lily's Theme" Alexander Desplat (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 soundtrack)
-:Love Love Love" The Mountain Goats (The Sunset Tree)
-"Never Going Back Again" Fleetwood Mac (Rumors)    <--This one is probably in my Top 5 favorite songs of all time

-"Club Can't Handle Me" Flo Rida (Step Up 3D soundtrack)
-"Roll Away Your Stone" Mumford and Sons (Sigh No More)
- "You Should Know" Mike Lombardo (You Should Know)
-"I've Got A Dream" Mandy Moore (Tangled soundtrack)
-"October"-Eric Whitacre

So there's that. My colorful ,albeit sometimes strange (and still growing), collection of music. Because there's nothing else to talk about tonight, but I actually felt like writing something.

It's really windy here, and my power is in danger of going out any second. Guess that means it's time to go to bed. 'Night, all.

BEDSY 84 (Monday Jan. 23rd, 2012)

IT'S MONDAY!!!!!!

Too much?

Okay...

I don't care, though.

Many things to do this week...big test in government tomorrow after having tests in chemistry and AP Calc today. Wheeeeeeeeeeee...After tomorrow, though, I'm kind of done for the week. We have half days on Thursday and Friday (yes, even after having all of last week off). This week may not be so horrible after all.

Short blog is short yet again. Back to studying. Peace out, girl scouts.

Books read: 3

BEDSY Day 83 (plus the weekend) (Sunday Jan. 22nd, 2012)

Sorry guys, short entry is short again. I really don't feel like talking or writing much tonight. I may go do homework instead...

Talking about Perks will have to wait another.

See you all tomorrow.

BEDSY Day 82 (Thursday Jan 19th, 2012)

Another snow day.

Finally went outside and messed around in the snow. Worked on building a snow fort, but finishing it will probably have to wait until tomorrow (no school, either). Kind of an epic snow/ice storm we're having here.

Short blog is short for today.

Books read: 3 (<--I'll talk about this later)

The Sun is Bright and the Powder's...: BEDSY Day 81 (Wednesday Jan. 18th, 2012)

Welp. Another snow day today. We actually got snow last night, though. Like, four inches. And it's still snowing.

Spent the day doing homework (AP Psych notes) and watching the entire first season of Glee.

Probably will not have any school tomorrow, either, considering that while it's not supposed to snow any more, it's not supposed to melt and get warmer. Looks like this stuff will be hanging around for a few more days. Truly, four inches isn't that much. However, we don't get a lot of snow around here, so when it does snow, our region pretty much goes into lock down. Nobody's on the roads, all the government buildings and schools are closed...It's a mess. But it does give me an excuse to stay inside and drink hot chocolate and read all day. Pure bliss.

First 'Snow' Day: BEDSY Day 80 (Tuesday Jan. 17th, 2012)

Called it. No school today. Probably won't have school tomorrow either, as the big snow storm is supposed to be coming in tonight.

The best part about this whole thing--there's absolutely NO SNOW where I live, but apparently there are some spots in my school district where it's still snowing quite heavily. So, that's that...

Actually, I'm genuinely thinking about just posting this now, at 9:00 a.m., since I'm not sure if there's anything else that I'll add for today. Since the roads are clear today (and they probably won't be tomorrow), I'm going out for a dentist appointment this afternoon. Probably will just spend the rest of the day getting ahead on homework and watching movies/old episodes of TV shows that aren't on TV anymore (I've just recently discovered a whole collection of old Disney shows like Phil of the Future and Lizzie McGuire on YouTube...yes...).

I guess that's it, then. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Anna and Our Stars: BEDSY Day 79 (Plus the weekend): Monday Jan. 16th, 2012

(Three-day weekend...No punishment.)

For once, I actually feel productive. I've done a lot this weekend--finished all of my homework (at least all that's due tomorrow, though I'm just about to start on stuff due Wednesday), finished two books (and on my way to finishing a third). It feels nice to be ahead of things again. I honestly don't think I've been ahead in my homework since...last school year.

So I thought I'd do something I haven't done previously on this blog: review a book. Or two.

Friday afternoon, I finished Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Cutest. Book. Ever. Honestly, I think that book was the only thing that kept me from offing myself during this awful past week. No joke. 

Quick summary for those who haven't read it: Anna gets sent off to boarding school in Paris for her senior year and falls in love with one of her classmates, who just so happens to be hot and British (even though he's actually partially American). Adventures around Paris, heartbreak, and falling head-over-heels in love ensues.

In short, it's a romantic comedy...in book form. Like Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling would be playing these roles if this were a movie (and they were about ten years younger). It's very innocent in a lot of ways (but not all ways...there were a few choice swear words tossed around quite frequently), but it's not unrealistic by any means, which is sometimes how these types of YA (Young adult) novels go. But not this one. It wasn't sugar-coated to the point of potentially contracting literary diabetes and wanting to gag every time Anna and St. Clair (the aforementioned hot British boy) had a scene together. You laughed at their genuine silliness that endearingly reminded me of me and my friends' day-to-day antics, you cried a little inside (or a little outside) when they fought, you gushed when they finally got together...It's wonderful, and I'm glad I chose to finally read it when I did. I think I needed that little bit of happiness. As you may have noticed in the previous blogs this week, my week was going absolutely terribly, school-wise and with stuff going on at home. I hardly felt happy at all this week. Except when I was reading Anna. I felt happy and light-hearted. There was a point when I actually craved to read the book (yet another level to the I-couldn't-put-it-down occurrence that often happens when encountering well-written books). Friday afternoon, I got home at 2:30, sat down on my couch, and read for the next two hours, determined to finish the book. I needed to absorb that last little bit of happiness that I seemed to be lacking this entire week. And I did.

At the moment, I'm also getting kind of obsessed with the last lines of books/poems (like some people are equally obsessed with the last lines of famous people). There are some books I've read in the past few months whose last lines have duly summed up my feelings on life at the moments. (The day the last Harry Potter movie came out, for example, I finished reading Maureen Johnson's The Last Little Blue Envelope, whose last line was, stated by Ginny "It's always easier to say good-bye when you know it's just a prelude to hello".) Anna was no different: "...home isn't a place. It's a person. And we're finally home."

At several points during the book, Anna struggled with the concept of 'home'--being torn from her childhood home in Atlanta, exchanging it for the dorms at SOAP (the school she attends) and the streets of Paris...discovering that 'home' is the place in which you feel like yourself, and you aren't afraid to be that person in the slightest. Like you aren't forced to compromise yourself in any way. And, for Anna and St. Clair, it was any place where they were with each other.

And I found myself struggling with this at the moment as well, taking Anna's observation into consideration. I'm in my senior year of high school but, unlike Anna, I'm in the same place with most of the same people I started out with in Kindergarten. Groups of friends have changed over the years...There are people who were there for a really long time and now they're not there nearly in the sense that they used to be...and things aren't feeling like home to me anymore. Maybe that means it's time to find somewhere else to live. Then again, I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to move.


Now for the other book, John Green's The Fault in Our Stars (often referred to as TFiOS). FAIR WARNING: Spoilers, ahoy!



Like, seriously, if you haven't read the book and want to read it with as an unblemished impression of it as you possibly can, scroll down to the end of the post, where the stars are.


Like, seriously. Last chance. Stars...





Are they gone? Good. Now, for those of you who have read it/don't care about getting spoiled (if so on the latter, shame on you)...

This book...wow.

From the time I opened the book to find the purple Sharpie J Scribble (the name of John Green's signature...he promised to sign all pre-orders of the first printing of the book) until I finished it a day later, I could not put it down.

I'd come to the conclusion, due to the hype in the weeks leading up to the release, that this was going to be a tear-jerker. Now, I don't usually cry while reading books. And I didn't cry while reading this book, either. But don't immediately count me off as heartless. That's just not how my feelings escape while reading. (By the end, I resolved to calling John Green a rotten bastard...John, I apologize. Please don't stop writing books.)

Honestly, I found myself smiling a lot more during this book than I thought I would. It's a book about kids with, essentially, incurable cancer. They're terminal. To paraphrase Hazel, their futures are written for them with their diagnosis. But it wasn't one of those "cancer" novels that Hazel (and, frankly, Anna...didn't notice the connections until I was halfway through TFiOS) despises, in which a completely innocent child fights like a champion until the very end, but ceases to pull through or is miraculously cured by the camaraderie and loving support of his/her family/community. It couldn't be. It wouldn't do justice to the story at all. But Augustus and Hazel do have their struggles, and their families have very different ways of dealing with their disease...and yet there were some endearingly uplifting moments that had nothing to do with their sickness, such as when Hazel and Augustus (in the novel, Hazel calls him 'Gus', but I can't bring myself to call him that) have dinner together along the canals of Amsterdam, drinking the stars...or when they received cheers from innocent bystanders when they kissed in the Anne Frank House. There's a lot of love in this book, and not just the love that suddenly crops up when someone you know develops this potentially life-sucking illness (Augustus's siblings, I feel, are completely guilty of this). It's real love, when you feel you can't live without someone, like you're completely happy while you're with them, and you don't care that they have to cart around an oxygen tank or are restricted to bed rest or have their eyeballs cut out. You love them in spite of all that, and you feel at home with them.

This is, by all means, very delicate subject material, and if anyone could hadle it elegantly and with humor, all while writing about and for teenagers, it would be John Green.

That's not to say, of course, that there aren't heartstring-slashing moments in this book as well. When Hazel and Augustus go to Amsterdam to meet their favorite author but get ruthlessly rejected...when we find out that Augustus's cancer has returned bigger and badder than ever.

A little background information: John Green worked as a chaplain at a children's hospital for five months, so he encountered a lot of sick kids, really sick kids. That was twelve years ago, and he'd been trying to write about his experiences there ever since. And I have to say he did a smashing job at it. Like I sad before, it isn't a stereotypical book about cancer. There's so much happiness that engulfs this book, right down to the very end after Augustus dies (ope, spoiler alert). This isn't a book about cancer. The characters in the book have cancer. But it's about falling in love and being a teenager and not having to give up the right to be a teenager, even when your life's circumstances have, at times, prevented you from doing so, when your circumstances determined that you have to be an adult and make adult-like decisions.

It's incredibly smart as well, one of the many things I admire about John Green and his writing style. He doesn't write down to his readers, who are mostly teenagers. He writes with impeccable intelligence, making his characters equally (but not obnoxiously) intelligent. As I read the book, I was brought back to my AP junior year English class, filled with William Carlos Williams, T.S. Eliot, and Wallace Stevens poetry. This may have become my favorites JG novel simply because Augustus seduces Hazel with lines from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock". Oy vey...

This one screams to be reread, but I don't know how soon. Maybe some time after the end of this year. I'm even surprised I'm talking about it this soon after reading it. I'm still letting it settle in my mind. I'll let you guys know if I think of anything else.

It also didn't occur to me until just now how much these two books have in common. Totally didn't mean to read them together. But I'm glad I did.




*****People who haven't read TFiOS are now welcome back. But seriously. Go read that book.*******

Definitely one of my more lengthy posts. But I liked it. I hope it didn't bore you guys at all.

Still chewing away at Perks. Hope to finish it sometime within the next week so I can talk to you guys about it. It's a book I really want to talk about...

This week and next week should be better. They're short ones. This one may be super short since snow's is projected for the next few days.


Books read: 2

Go ahead and leave a comment if you guys want to...I'm giving you permission.

BEDSY Day 78 (Thursday January 12th, 2012)

Gah. Yet another long night of homework Except I've actually been working since about six o'clock. And  have nothing done. Again. I can't manage to find a case study for psychology on which I have to write a 1-2 page report.

Gah.

And I have to read...nay, get to read. I actually am quite enjoying the book we're reading for English at the present time. Even though it is terribly depressing.

Longer entry tomorrow. I promise. We have lots to talk about.

Worldsuck: BEDSY Day 77 (Wednesday Jan. 11th, 2012)

Today is full of suck.

Partly because The Fault in Our Stars still hasn't come.

But that's not the main reason. It's because I'll probably get very little sleep be tween now and Friday. Definitely not very much tomorrow night.

I had this whole plan to be very productive this week and get all of this stuff done and accomplish things...but...other things happened.

This week is full of suck.

BEDSY Day 76/Try Something New Revolution Day 10 (Tuesday Jan. 10th, 2012)

SO many things to do tomorrow. It seems that, since we got back from Winter Break, every Senior in my school seems to have been stricken with the notorious Senioritis disease. Most think it's because of Winter Break. We go off school for two weeks and have almost no motivation when we get back. But my friends and I calculated it, and we determined that we have somewhere around 13 full weeks of school left (excluding weeks where we have Monday/Friday off, or where we have half days at any point during the week). I think we might be able to do this.

Considering my AP classes (the classes in which I have the most work) are pretty much done in May, when the tests take place. That leaves three other classes, one of which is band, leaving two classes to "worry" about for the remainder for the year.

I might just be able to survive.

Today was weird, truthfully. (I blame the full moon.) Some really off things happened today (didn't get home 'til six, didn't get to school on time to re-take a quiz, still have a ton of homework to do)...but then some really awesome things happened as well. My chemistry test was pushed back a full week. We read some really cool pieces in band today. It was actually sunny for once...

Oh, and another thing that didn't really go right today...My book didn't come in the mail :( Perhaps it will be waiting for me when I get home tomorrow. I want to start reading it as soon as possible...

Today's challenge was to watch the sunrise/sunset. Didn't manage to see the sun rise this morning on account of the fact that it was overcast. But the sunset was quite lovely. Sunsets are always the best on this side of the country.

BEDSY Day 75/Try Something New Revolution Day 9 (Monday Jan. 9th, 2012)

It's a study night for sure. Made a list of  the school-related things I have to do between now and Friday. Added up to around eleven things. Yikes. Only thing to do it power through them. Midterms are coming up quick...

Nothing special to report today, really. Again, just the fact that I have many things to accomplish this week. So I guess I should probably get back to doing them.

Today's challenge: Pick up a book you've been meaning to read for months and read it whenever possible throughout the entire day. Even though I've already been reading, my book of choice for today was Stephanie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss. Truthfully, I've been wanting to read this book for a long time (ever since John green mentioned it in one of his videos). I've just never had the means of doing so. And so that is what I plan on doing with all of my spare time. It's funny, witty, charming, heart-warming...it's flat-out adorable. And it takes place around an America-based boarding school in Paris. Need I say more?

Deciding to take a break from studying and go to bed and read. As a part of my plan to read more this year, I'm trying to read for at least half an hour before I go to sleep every night...So far, it's working out pretty well.

Books: still 0, but getting close to more...

P.S. My copy of The Fault in Our Stars is being shipped as I type and will hopefully be waiting for me when I get home from school :). Another book to add to the pile. Though it might just get pushed to the top...

Marathons: BEDSY Day 74/Try Something New Revolution Days 6, 7, 8 (Plus Weekend) (Sunday Jan. 8th, 2012)

Thinking about changing the format of this jsut a little bit. I'm thinking about, on a more regular basis, posting my Friday blogs on Sunday, encomapssing the entire weekend so I can just make one big post instead of having to post mulptiple entries over the weekend...

So, here's the first installment.

Friday was jam-packed. I barely made it through the day having gotten minimal sleep the two previous nights...but I survived. First basketball game. We won. Our girls team is now first in our league (which is no surprise, since they have been for the past four years).

On Saturday, one of my friends came over and we attempted the (previously) unattempted: watch all eight Harry Potter movies in a row. Sadly, we only made it through the sixth, leaving both parts of Deathly Hallows for another occasion. Only reason we failed is because we have to go to school tomorrow. And we're good students who have to do their homework.

And that's a thing that's happening once I finish up here.

Sorry I haven't posted about the last few days' challenges. They've been quite odd, to say the least. Friday's challenge was to order something at a restaurant that you wouldn't normally eat/order. Me, being quite boring and unadventurous, simply ordered the "special" for lunch in my cafeteria at school. Yesterday's was to seek out a new source of entertainment. Again, being my typically unadventurous self, simply vied to watch survival programs on the Discovery Channel and home improvement shows as a part of my Saturday morning regime.


Today's challenge was the most challenging so far, in the sense that I'm not sure if I can complete it: get on the first bus you see and ride it to its final destination. Once there, get off, explore, take pictures, interact with the natives, etc.

There aren't that many buses around my house, and the ones that do run only go as far as downtown...which isn't that foreign of a place. I'll figure this one out...

Adding yet another challenge to my attempt to spice up my life this year, I've decided to take part in the 50 book challenge. Pretty simple: I have to read 50 books over the span of one year. Since I'm determined to read more this year, why not set a limit on myself?


Books read: 0

Movies watched: 6 (HP 1-6)

BEDSY Day 73/Try Something New Revolution Day 5 (Thursday January 5th, 2012)

And thus begins the long and winding slope toward the end of the school year...and graduation...which just so happens to be six months from Sunday...if anyone wishes to care...

Either way, school is in full swing yet again, and will be so for a long time. Nothing much happened today. My teachers were awesome and had nothing due today (and only one assignment due tomorrow). So I can't really complain about anything. Just that I'm tired. Like, really tired. After I post this, I'm going to power through the rest of y Calculus homework (though, honestly, there isn't much left) and go to bed. My body isn't accustomed to waking up at 6:05.

Aaaaaaaand....

Today's challenge was to smile as often as possible to whoever you just happen to pass.Wasn't too hard for me, since I'm typically a smiley person in general. So, no real challenge there.

Tomorrow's the first b-ball game of the season (for band, at least), so tomorrow night should be fun. We're playing one of our rivals, and this game determines who is first in the league. Should be an intense game.

Try Something New Challenge Day 4 (Wednesday January 4th, 2012)

Today's challenge: Say 'yes'. To everything.

It's a lot harder than it sounds. This challenge made me realize how much we are faced with yes/no questions every day...and how often we say 'no'. I did pretty well all day, earning myself a drink from Starbucks by saying yes...but then failed miserably when asked if I wanted a straw with my drink. Fudge.

I hope nobody got any unwanted marriage proposals today...

BEDSY starts up again tomorrow! :)

Try Something New Revolution, Day 3 (Tuesday January 3rd, 2012)

Today's challenge was to make a bet with a friend. So I did. I bet one of my friends that I could read three books in three weeks.

Since one of my realizations from last year was that I needed to read more, I found it appropriate that I start off the year with a few works under my belt. And these are non-academic books, mind you. Books that I want to read.

Thus far, I've decided on only two books, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (a second re-read), and Anna and the French Kiss. I can't decide what my third book is yet (probably either One Day or The Name of the Star...or The Fault in our Stars). But I still have three weeks to decide.

Try Something New Revolution Day 2 (Monday January 2nd, 2012)

Today's challenge: Give something away.

I thought about this one for a long time, about what and how I was going to give away...whatever I was going to give away. It couldn't be somewhere more than a few minutes away from my house, since I was without a car for the majority of the day...which also limited me in my choice as to what I was going to give away.

After a few hours of wracking my brain, figuring out if there was anything in my house that I didn't need anymore, or at least thought someone else would like more, I came up with an idea.

Out in my garage sat on old basketball, one that had not been bounced, spun, or passed in several years (probably around five or so), and it probably wouldn't any time soon. By me at least. There's also this little park a few blocks from my house that I used to play at when I was younger which, coincidentally, has a small basketball court.

I dug out that old basketball, tried to inflate it a bit, but failed to do so (as I couldn't find the special attachment to our bike tire air pump). It was still a little too flat to really bounce, but you could still shoot hoops with it or kick it around like a soccer ball.

And then I wrote a little note on it for whoever decides to pick it up:

Hey!
Here's a basketball. I'm sorry it's kind of fault. But just because it's kind of flat doesn't mean it's completely useless, right? Kick it around, shoot some hoops, whatever. However you choose to use it, have fun! It's yours!! I know it's January and it's still cold out, but make a promise to go play outside more this year, okay? You can even pass it on to someone else :) Just make sure to at least put some more air in this...But like I said before, enjoy it and HAVE FUN. Best wishes :)

So I walked down to the park, finding it significantly smaller than I recalled, and left it by the old hoop for someone to find.

And as I stood there in the drizzle, I was reminded of the afternoons of my youth when my dad would take me to this very same park and teach me how to play, probably with this very ball. But those days have come and gone for me...but hopefully it'll bring some joy for someone else.

Things That Are New (Special Holiday Post: Sunday January 1st, 2012)

First off, Happy New Year!!!

Hope you all had a safe and enjoyable time ringing in 2012.

Now let's get down to business.

Usually, people make resolutions...and then give themselves an opportunity to break it within the first few weeks of the new year. So I've never really been one to make resolutions. Why should you be restricted to making lifestyle choices for one year? Shouldn't you strive to make these choices all the time?

So I'm not making any resolutions.

Instead, I'm starting a new project.

BEDSY will continue as scheduled, but there's something else I'm adding to the mix. I came across a month-long challenge sponsored and powered by the British television company Channel 4 called the Try Something New Revolution. This challenge consists of daily "tasks" that you must complete throughout the month of January (there are also two other challenges including a fitness and financial challenge...might also take part in the fitness one...).

Today's challenge was to say 'thank you' to somebody for something that you wouldn't normally say thank you for or to someone who you wouldn't normally thank. I left a comment on a video from one of my favorite YouTube channels...it's a start, right?

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I'll also be documenting this challenge throughout the month (which includes weekends in addition to my normal BEDSY posts).

I guess that means I'll see you guys tomorrow. :)


Here's a link to the New Year Revolution site :) http://revolution.channel4.com/