Nienie

The first installation of an inspirational story...

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/stephanie-nielson-intro-120609.html

Thank You, Boston.com

Those folks over there at boston.com are looking out for me!

It's About Love

I didn't see this when it first aired, but saw it linked on multiple websites today and finally just took the time to sit down and watch it. I don't know what side of the issue you're on, but please take six minutes to watch this piece. Then share it with as many people as you can.

30 in 30

Inspired by MoMP, I have joined NaBloPoMo and taken on the challenge of writing a blog post a day for the month of November.

Stay tuned for more than you ever wanted to know about the inner-workings of my brain.

To Bling or Not To Bling

Yesterday I got the official offer for my new job, which included a start date (September 22) and a salary. The salary isn't huge but it's definitely decent by social work standards, and anything is going to feel like a lot after having no income for the past two years.

Today I had to run some errands that required that I go to a mall where there is both a Gap outlet and an Ann Taylor outlet. Naturally, I had to stop into both and see what kind of deals they had for some new work clothes. Though I don't have the income to purchase a lot of new clothes now, I definitely felt that I could justify a few new things - especially a new "first day of work" outfit (thank you, H, for putting that idea into my head!).

Sitting around tonight watching the Sox game, I found myself online browsing jewelry on craigslist (I accidentally clicked on the "craigslist" tab and then decided I should click on something I had never clicked on before, which is how I got to "jewelry"). Most of the pieces listed were entirely forgettable. But this one caught my eye:

It wasn't the gold band that did it for me (I'm more of a white-gold/platinum gal myself), but the setting. It's interesting. It's different. And according to the post, the diamonds were hand-cut by the seller's grandfather in Kentucky. That's pretty cool. 

However, despite using the change in my employment status to justify my clothing shopping spree earlier in the day, I did not use that same logic on the ring. I determined that only if my salary were 3-4x larger could I justify purchasing celebratory bling, and so the ring remains online. My two pairs of new pants and three new tops, on the other hand, are hanging happily in my closet.

A Summer Story

When I was eleven, I went to summer camp for the second summer. There was a girl there named Amy who was a few years older and had a kind of junior counselor role at camp. She had a beautiful smile and the kind of personality that lit up a room. She was incredibly talented musically and would often sing or play piano with a small group of younger girls all gathered around, singing with her.

On one such day we all gathered around her at the piano to sing. We happily belted out song after song until it was time to leave. As we all headed to lunch, Amy pulled  me aside. I was nervous about being singled out and was concerned I had done something wrong.  

"I just wanted to tell you that you have a beautiful voice," she said to me, "so keep singing." I remember just staring up at her, my idol, the young woman I wanted so much to be like someday, and being completely at a loss for words. I had always liked to sing - it had always been a part of my life - but this person was telling me that I was good at it and was encouraging me to make sure to nurture that talent. 

A feeling washed over me - a feeling I had never felt before. I was so honored and proud to hear those words of encouragement from her, and yet also somewhat overwhelmed. At a time when I was starting to feel the awkward insecurities of my pre-teen years, those words meant so much to me, and I found myself getting choked up from the emotion of it all.

I walked back towards my friends with tears streaming down my cheeks. They saw my tears and asked with concern why I was crying, and I shrugged because I didn't know. They asked if I was sad, and I found myself laughing through my tears and telling them that I was pretty sure I was crying because I was happy. 

I never saw Amy again after that summer. And I never became a professional singer. But I did carry with me the memory of how significant it was to be reminded of talents and strengths that I didn't even know existed.

This morning I received an email appreciating me for my honesty and caring and willingness to speak and act openly when many others do not. These are traits that are so a part of me that, like singing, I forget sometimes that they are strengths. The email spoke of the beauty that comes from making oneself vulnerable and the rewards that can come from being open to possibility, and as I read it I found myself full of that same mysterious feeling I felt 19 summers ago, with tears in my eyes and joy in my heart. Full of gratitude for all that is good in this world, and for the people who help me remember to appreciate it all, I share this with you now:

Food for Thought

A friend of mine just wrote this article and now I share it with you.

Stay tuned for The Big Dig post - in which I dig my bed out from the piles of clothes, books, and other debris left over from finals.

Important Research

I am long overdue for a post that has even the remotest bit of substance in it, but since I have just entered into my first full week of classes, internship, and multiple babysitting jobs, I am instead going to post this article heading:

Exercise unleashes a bounce bras can't handle
Breasts fly up and down a distance of up to 8 inches, study says


Thank you to MSNBC for making sure that my visit to your website was a most entertaining way to procrastinate.

Perspective

I have gotten rid of my rant from a few hours ago, and am replacing it with this link.

Watch it for a while - look at all the numbers and what they represent. And then when you've had enough of that, click on the "Now" button in the top right and spend some time looking at the numbers.

Even Convicts Like to Dance

I can't believe that this is for real, but I think it is, and that makes it just about the most awesome thing I've seen in a long time.

What Time is It?

Brilliant.

However, I have to say this: I know it's a cool idea and all, but how can you charge $50 for a watch that doesn't actually tell time? I mean, granted it is by far the most accurate timepiece ever created, yet if it can't help me be on time for an important meeting, I'm not sure it's worth $50.

It's All the Same, Really.

Many of you have already seen this. If you have, watch it again. It's still funny.

For those of you who haven't seen it, watch it a few times. It gets funnier every time.

(And for added amusement, check out this video with the hiker's reaction.)

More Tidbits

I fear I'm becoming more and more like The Burger every day I don't post, so I wanted to put something up so that I don't lose the 7 readers I have out there.

Thoughts on a rediculously hot and humid afternoon:

1. I'm not sure which is worse: a summer that is humid in a hot and disgusting "why bother to shower when I'm going to be sweaty in 5 seconds anway?" kind of way, or a summer that is humid in a "it's foggy and chilly and I haven't seen the sun in a week" kind of way? The jury is still out.

2. Mini-golf is awesome. I recently reconnected with a friend from college who is between jobs, and so we've been doing some daytime mini-golf. So far, we've hit both Billy McGolf Mini-Putt in Dedham, and Golf on the Village Green in Natick. I did significantly better in Natick, and though I like to think it is because I improved over the course of a week (never practicing between games, of course), more likely it is because of the good groundskeeping and lack of helicopters on the green, and the inspirational patriotic music being played all around the course (there's really nothing quite like putting while a rousing rendition of "Glory, Glory Hallelujah!" is playing in the background).

3. 30 Rock is hysterical. I was bored one night and browsing through my streaming video options online and I decided to watch a few episodes. It's great. (and so is the "The Disaster Show" episode of Studio 60 - recommended by LB).

All for now. I PROMISE (really!) that I'll write a post that is about just one topic and that has interesting photos in addition to links really, really soon (maybe even tomorrow!).

Drop Your Jaw

I know that I put a lot of links in my posts, and that many of you probably don't check them out, but THIS is something you have to watch.

It is honestly the most fascinating, disturbing, jaw-dropping documentary I've ever seen. I sat down to watch just one piece, and got sucked into all of them.

24% Dixie

I'm a Yankee Doodle!

http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/yankeetest.html