Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, people! I know there are only a few hours of it left, and in the East Coast and other places, it's already gone, but whatever. Happy Valentine's Day, anyway. I hope you use these hours well and  spend them with the ones you love. If Valentine's Day has already passed for you, I hope it went well for you and your special someone. That's all I really have to say. Bye. Happy Valentine's Day. Again.

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong did drugs. We all know it. He admitted it recently. Still, I don't think we should hate him for it. He was recovering from cancer, for God's sake. He was an inspiration to everybody, and maybe that was his sole purpose. I know it must be a huge disappointment to all of his fans, but we shouldn't be too harsh on him. The French accused him of taking drugs long ago, but I don't think they knew. I think they were just trying to be cruel because they were upset that he beat their own bicyclists in the Tour de France. Everyone who accused him of taking drugs had their lives destroyed because he was so popular, but that wasn't really his fault, I don't think. I know what you're probably thinking right now: you probably think that I was and still am a huge supporter of Lance Armstrong. I'm not. I never was. I'm only defending him now because I feel sorry for him. I believe he's truly sorry for what he did, and even though his career and reputation have been pretty much ruined, I think we should still forgive him. It's good that the truth has come out, but I don't think we should make such a big deal about it all over the news and everything. Much bigger, more important, more significant things are happening, things that affect everybody's lives. The crooked things going on in the White House, for example, and the recent recalls on smoked salmon. In the long run, those things impact us more than the fact that Lance Armstrong doped.

The End of 2012

Well, 2012 is almost over. We survived the Apocalypse, which I guess is good. That's pretty much the ONLY good thing I can think of that happened this year, because you know, you never hear about people's good deeds. You only hear the bad things, like the shooting in Connecticut, for example. Some things can be interpreted either way, like Obama's re-election. Personally, I see that as a bad thing. No offense to you Obama supporters out there, but I actually think he mostly got re-elected because lazy, ignorant people didn't do their research and just decided to vote for whoever was currently in office. But I'm getting a little off-subject here.

This is a list I've made of bad things that have happened this year. I didn't bother making a list of good things, because frankly, I don't think there were any, really. You can call me pessimistic or simple-minded or whatever. I don't really care.

BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN 2012

• Wisława Szymborska died
• Whitney Houston died
• Davy Jones died
• Dick Clark died
• Maurice Sendak died
• Donna Summer died
• Ray Bradbury died
• Sally Ride died
• The blackouts in India
• Neil Armstrong died
• The attack on Benghazi and the killing of our ambassador
• The Princess of Norway, Ragnhild Alexandra Lorentzen, died
• Super Storm Sandy
• Obama's re-election
• The shooting in Connecticut

I know a lot more things have happened in 2012, both good and bad, but this is all I can really think of right now. But don't let all these depressing things get you down on New Year's Eve. Have a party, drink a little (and by that, I mean ONLY A LITTLE), and reminisce about auld lang syne, and all that. Happy New Year, everyone.

Why I Hate Chewing Gum

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's chewing gum. Especially when people chew all the flavor out of it and then stick it on walls and furniture and things like that to harden. I HATE THAT!!!! It drives me absolutely insane! It looks so disgusting when it's wet, and it looks even grosser when it's dry. I live with people who stick their gum all over everything when they're done chewing it, and you know what? The gum is still there, because no one wants to peel it off. It's disgusting because it's been in someone's mouth! Once, in a parking lot, I stepped in somebody's freshly-chewed chewing gum that they left on the ground, and it just made me want to vomit! I actually thought my insides were going to come spilling out of my mouth! Sorry if that was too much information for you.

I don't like actually chewing chewing gum, either. The flavors are all artificial and usually some kind of minty crap, and once the flavor is out of it, it feels really gross and wet in your mouth. I want to throw up now just thinking about it. If you like chewing gum, that's okay. I'm happy for you, I really am. Just please, please, PLEASE don't spit your gum on the ground, or stick it on walls, or furniture, or anything like that. JUST THROW IT AWAY!!!

The Night Before Christmas

Today is Christmas Eve! I'm sure you've all heard of the classic "The Night Before Christmas" story, but many of you probably don't remember it. Some of you have probably never read it. So to save you the trouble of running out and buying a copy of the book, I'm going to type it all out for you right now.

"'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their bed, while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.
And Mama in her kerchief, and I in my cap, had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash, tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave a luster of midday to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, and he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
"Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen! On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall! Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew, with a sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas, too.
And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof, the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head and was turning around, down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes--how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, and the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying a finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

I know the punctuation is kind of weird, but that's not my fault because I didn't write the story. I just copied it as best I could. I may have messed up a few words, but there are a lot of versions of this, so I don't think that will matter. So yeah, that's pretty much it. Merry Christmas Eve!

Musicals

At this very moment, I am being forced to watch "The Sound of Music." You know, that classic musical? And you know what else? I really freaking HATE musicals!! Some of you are probably thinking, Who doesn't like musicals? Well, I DON'T!! Musicals are really cheesy and stupid. The plots are predictable and pathetic, the songs are unbearably annoying, the main characters are always stupid, goody-goody Pollyannas, and everything looks fake. There are often unnecessary scenes, just so there can be more singing! No one wants to hear those crummy actors sing their obnoxious songs! At least, I don't. Of all the musicals in the world, "The Sound of Music" has to be one of the most intolerable, fake, pathetic ones I've ever seen! In fairness to the writer of "The Sound of Music," I haven't seen that many musicals in my lifetime, and I'm sure there are some I'd hate more. But I can't think of any at the moment. I am not trying to offend anyone with this. If you enjoy "The Sound of Music" and/or other musicals, that's okay. Personally, I just can't stand them, and that's my own opinion, and I have a right to it, okay?

Smoking

A friend of mine mentioned smoking on her blog, and I agree with pretty much everything she says. She has two posts that discourage smoking: No On Tobacco and Smoking Sucks.

When I went to Disneyland, a companion of mine took me to a designated smoking area so he could have a few cigarettes. I saw two children standing nearby, playing some video games on a Nintendo DS. They were only about eight or nine and seemed oblivious to how much harmful smoke they were breathing in. There were two people smoking on a bench, and I'm pretty sure they were the children's parents. It broke my heart to see that both the parents were smoking. When I was a kid, my mother used to smoke around me, but my father never did. It was hard enough with just her, and I can't imagine what it would have been like if both of my parents had smoked. I wanted to tell the children to stay away from their parents when they were smoking, but of course, I couldn't. The kids wouldn't have listened to me, and it was none of my business. But I know I'll never forget how depressed it made me feel, especially since I also second-hand smoked when I was young.

An amusement park for children should not have any designated smoking areas. No place really should. People should either try harder to quit, or not start smoking in the first place. What really bothers me is that a lot of heavy smokers know smoking is bad for them, yet they don't even try to quit because they believe they're too addicted. I'm sure that if all smokers tried a little harder to quit, they could. I'm not saying it's easy. I'm not pretending to understand their addictions, either, since I've never smoked a cigarette and never will. I just think a lot of smokers would be surprised if they realized how quickly they could kick the habit.