Musings

Pride is a funny thing. We grow up hearing people tell us that we should be proud of ourselves for the things that we do and for what we achieve. However, pride isn't always about the good things...it definitely can have a negative connotation. You can have too much pride, where you indulge yourself, despite the feelings of others. And, really, who wants to be on the receiving end of that? Not me...I've been there and it doesn't feel good.

That's where humility should come in...that is, admitting to your arrogant pride...no excuses. Because, what are you covering up with that false pride? The truth. You're too afraid to let the truth be known, so arrogant pride is a much easier way to go. But, in the end, not only are you hurting someone else...you're also hurting yourself.

They say "Ignorance is bliss"...but is it really??

Merry Christmas!

Unique Christmas Gifts

Want to give someone a gift that you can guarantee he or she doesn't already have? Because I'm cool like that, I've put together a little list for you. While these will make spectacular Christmas gifts, they will also bring cheer to your family and friends year-round!

My Top 10 Unique Gift Ideas:

Music and Games:


1-The iCarta - Stereo Dock for iPod Bath Tissue Holder

2-Soduku Toilet Roll

Apparel:

3-Wearable Instrument Shirt (WIS) - (make sure to check out the video)

4-Pacman Tie

5-Old School Video Game Scarves

Relaxation and Stress-Relief:

6-Pebble Pillows

7- Stretchy Brain Stress Reliever

Miscellaneous Fun:

8-Shut Up Tape

9-Mounted Jackalope

10-Holy Toast Stamper
(Hey you might even be able to sell your toast on eBay!)

**Disclaimer: No liability is held by me if your friends or family do not like your unique gifts or you somehow find out they've been re-gifted.

I'm In Heaven

Pearl Jam + The Who = Happy Colleen...

I've got some Pearl Jam-related news I must share. Browsing the popular fansite, The Sky I Scrape, today I discovered a link to a trailer for an upcoming Adam Sandler movie called "Reign Over Me." The news bit said Eddie Vedder can be heard singing The Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" in the trailer. I immediately went to check it out, and sure enough, a little past halfway through the trailer, I hear Eddie singing one of my favorite Who songs. (If you have never heard The Who's album, Quadrophenia...shame on you!). I'm not sure if this is a whole band cover or just an Eddie cover. Needless to say, I can't wait to hear the entire track...hopefully it will turn up on the movie soundtrack or as a single.

Oh, and the movie looks good too......it will be a serious role for Sandler, which we don't see too often. It also stars Don Cheadle and Jada Pinkett-Smith. It's current release date is March 9, 2007.

View the trailer here!

Child Goes Ballistic Over...N64??

So I used to think the commercial using this video was funny...

But, here's the thing...having seen the actual full-length video clip, I now can't stand it. Wow.

However, I must say I find the slo-mo exorcist voice quite hilarious.

New Photos

I've added new pictures from Thanksgiving and my 10-year high school reunion to my online photo album here.

Forget the King

Right now, Burger King happens to have my current favorite commercial-- the whining parents...."You totally lied!...You totally said we could get a Whopper!"

Click here to see the commercial on Burger King's website...you need to click on the first reel, "Manipulation."

I'm hoping that commercials such as this have replaced the creepy "King" ones. I'm glad I haven't seen them in awhile...I just need to continue to avoid them on YouTube. I've gotta say, this picture creeps me out way more than V ever did...

Be A Mindsticker?!

I was watching the Ellen DeGeneres Show today and she showed an old '70s commercial for Tab Diet Soda. I've never heard anything like it in my life...honestly, it looks and sounds like a fake commercial skit they'd do on SNL...it is really that bad ("When you can't be with him, be in his mind...be a mindsticker.").

I had to listen to this again so I of course found it quite easily on YouTube. I especially love the line "Don't you want to have a good shape? He wants you with a good shape."

WOW.

To Catch A Predator

If you haven't yet seen this series of reports on Dateline NBC, you must. I've been enthralled with it this Fall. The series is nothing less than shocking, disturbing, and maddening, but it's also not something one can easily turn away from. Watching it, you will see that just about anyone could be an internet predator...by that, I mean your neighbors or people you see around town every day...people you might never suspect. That's what makes it so frightening.

Dateline has some interesting insights and articles on their website about internet predators, such as Where are the female predators? and Is predator an Internet or social problem?

The latest installment in the "To Catch A Predator" series will air this Saturday, November 4th, at 8:00. It is part 2 of Chris Hansen's investigation in Harris County, GA.

Much recognition should also be given to an organization called Perverted Justice who are the ones responsible for making the online contact with these predators and aiding in bringing them to conviction. It seems that some people think "PeeJ" (as they are tagged) use entrapment to catch these predators...but as PeeJ has stated on their site, they do not in fact use entrapment:

"So are the files we post 'entrapment'? No. Not on any level. First, entrapment is a term created and judiciated against law enforcement officials. We are not law enforcement officials. Secondly, these people IM our names first. We don't IM them. They choose to say the things they say, to agree to the things they agree to, and to give their phone number for the verification call."

Today also happens to be "Verizon Cuts the Cord Day" when they will aid PeeJ in shutting down over 40 pedophile websites and organizations by cutting off their streams. To read more about this, as well as to find out more about what Perverted Justice does, take a look at their site.

Post-Halloween Fun

Last night I was watching Jimmy Kimmel (who, by the way, cracks me up) and caught a video segment of Jimmy's Cousin Sal, handing out candy to neighborhood kids. One of the best parts about Halloween is looking back at the tricks you play and laughing about them...even better, sometimes, is when you can laugh at the tricks other people play. You must see some of these kids' faces (my favorite is the little boy with dirty blond hair from Part 1, who freaks at the scary sound at the door).

Head to ABC's site to watch "Cousin Sal Trick or Treat" Parts 1 & 2 (videos are in the "Now Playing" List):

http://abc.go.com/fsp/index.html?channel=JimmyKimmelLive

Happy Halloween!

(Click to enlarge)

Just Call Me Glenda

...That's right, Glenda, as in "The Good Witch." Why, you ask? Well, I got asked to work a Hayride & Bonfire Event tomorrow night (Friday) that a local township (which I work for in the summer) is running. My summer boss, Mike, who works for the township year-round, needs someone to fill in as the Witch, and well, he thought of me. Now that I am sitting here pondering this, why did he think of me??

Actually, I know the answer to this question, well, because Mike told me...my job as "The Witch" will be to supervise the high school volunteers who will actually be doing the work at the event. And since this is basically what I do in the summer at my camp job (supervise high school-and-college-age staff) I guess I am qualified to be the Witch. I feel so honored!

On another happy, yet totally unrelated, note...I was supposed to have jury duty tomorrow too....and my service is not needed, so that means I don't have to go! You may now jump up and down for me!

Ahem...Why aren't you jumping??

Are You Superstitious?

Ahhh, yes, it's...

FRIDAY THE 13TH

Why do people go crazy on this day?...some will not fly or do any travel on Friday the 13th. In fact, I'm sure there are some that won't even leave their homes. Well, the reason for this behavior is very much rooted in superstitions.

I'll admit I have a few superstitions, but I don't think any are unreasonable. Growing up, I was told these superstitions as passed down from my great-grandmother on my mother's side. Maybe it's because she was Italian...maybe it's not...or, maybe it's because of the time period she grew up (early 1900s)...maybe it's not...I don't really know.

These superstitions were always passed along to me as I did something "superstitious." It's not like my mom sat me down and said, "Look, here are some superstitions you need to know." No, that's not how it happened...they were always said in context, seemingly more for historical value.

So, onto the examples of my family's passed-down superstitions...

• Putting a hat on the table is bad luck
• Putting shoes on the table is bad luck
• Opening an umbrella in the house is bad luck
• If you spill salt, make sure to throw some over your shoulder

And this one, an Italian superstition...well, it speaks for itself!! :

Apparently, if you are feeling overall tired, lousy, and worn-out, someone may have given you the "evil eye" or malocchio (in Italian). This is from someone you don't trust and who is jealous or envious of you. If you know someone that tends to be jealous or envious of you, when you are in their presence you are supposed to make the sign of the "horns" with your hand in your pocket (which is only the index and little fingers sticking out). This is said as "giving the horns", or fa i corna (in Italian)...it's supposed to keep the effects of the "evil eye" away. (Oh wait, there's more!) If you suspect that someone has given you the evil eye but are unsure, you can talk to someone who knows a certain saying or ritual to find out. (BUT, if you want to learn the ritual yourself, it can only be taught on Christmas Eve!) If this person yawns as they are doing the ritual for you, it means that someone has, in fact, given you the malocchio.

Now, how's that for a superstition?? I just heard about that one about a month or so ago and I was hysterical listening to my mom-mom, aunts, mother, and cousin telling all about it. I, however, did some research of my own and it is a real Italian superstition (not just an Italian-American superstition). Here's a site (roughly translated into English) that talks about the malocchio: Dialettando.com

To find out more about superstitions and Friday the 13th, check out the following links...and don't forget to tell me about some of your own superstitions!!

http://www.oldsuperstitions.com/bad_luck.html

http://www.netglimse.com/holidays/friday_the_13th/index.shtml

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/friday.html

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/13may_2004mn4.htm

http://skepdic.com/paraskevidekatriaphobia.html

http://urbanlegendsonline.com/

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/columns/?article=fridaythe13th

Frogs Are Fun

You must try this...but please, don't send me any hate mail if you can't figure it out!


www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/2nd_grade_computer_test.xls


(P.S. It's completely work-safe too)

A Second Home

I've been working on a new blog site for the BloggerBeta. Eventually this site will be upgraded as well. My new site is called Just Me From Here. It's function is not to replace this site. Say Anything will remain open, more as a public journal...more for updates on what I'm doing, news and headlines, interesting articles, song lyrics, books I'm reading, etc...basically, my random commentary (if that makes sense!).

Just Me From Here's function will be more as a photoblog or travelblog (did I just make up a new type of blog??). Anyway, the intention is to post pictures and observations of people, places, or things around the world. Visit the site...you'll get the idea!

So, now my friends, you have two sites to visit! I hope you enjoy my observations and will continue to send me your comments. It's nice to know that people are reading ;-)

Drama is Drama in Any Language

I've never been much of a fan of soap operas. My mom, however, tapes her shows every day and watches them religiously every night. I just could never get into them...well, not for very long anyway. Yes, I know it's mindless entertainment, but it's just a bit too cheese for me.

So, the other day I was flipping channels and caught a glimpse of subtitles across the bottom of the screen. I figured it would be Spanish I would hear, but to my surprise, it wasn't. Since I have digital cable, I hit the "info" button to see what it was, but all it said was the title Ros na Run. After watching the drama unfold and listening intently for a name (to confirm what I was thinking)...sure enough, I start seeing the likes of Mack, Maire, Tadhg, Deirdre.

In case you still haven't guessed, it happened to be an Irish soap opera, in the Irish language. After doing some research online about the show, I found out that Ros na Run is actually a made-up name for a town set in Western Ireland (it does however closely resemble names of real towns and villages in that region).

Well, anyway...this is a soap opera I could definitely get into. The English translations made me chuckle and some of the "drama" that went on seemed very inherently Irish. Maybe if I watch it more often, I'll pick up some Irish words!

In case you're interested, check your local listings. Those in the Philadelphia/Tri-State area can find it on public television (WYBE).

[Whatever you do, make sure to check out the show's website to view the synopsis...just a note, the Catholic priests don't need any more scandals!!!]

Hurricane Schwartz and the OFA

I'm sure many of you have heard of the Old Farmer's Almanac. Every year, the big deal is their supposed forecast of the kind of winter we will have (temperature- and precipitation-wise). Just last week, I heard on the radio that this year's forecast said a bad winter for most of the U.S. and a lot of snow for the locations that usually see that type of precip. I've always taken their forecast with a grain of salt, and I look at it more for entertainment value. The best part of the OFA for me has always been the random bits of history and trivia (because I'm a nerd like that).

Anyway, Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz of the NBC10 Weather team in Philadelphia has recently posted his own blog about this, which I found interesting. It does well to debunk the myths of the OFA without slandering it. And, to my fellow Penn Staters, take note...Hurricane mentions his course work in Meteorology at Penn State...yep, he's a Nittany Lion too!

Jump to the article...

My Movie Must-Sees

It’s Movie Season!...well, for me, anyway. I consider Fall & Winter to be a great time for movies. Maybe it’s the colder weather or shorter amount of daylight, but in any event, it’s something I look forward to every year. Don’t get me wrong, I get excited by the Summer blockbusters too, but more and more it seems I’ve been overall disappointed by the Summer releases lately. Hopefully, someday that will change!

So, I’ve been looking around at the upcoming releases and thought I’d share some that are piquing my interest. However, there are way too many that I'm interested in seeing, so I'm just going to post some for now.

The first few are ones that are already in theaters, but I haven't gotten around to seeing yet. I’ve included a trailer for each, as well as a link to it in Quicktime format, according to your preference. So, here goes:

(In order by release date)

The Illusionist - 8/18/06 (Limited) - A turn-of-the-century mystery where nothing is as it seems.

Quicktime: Trailer at Apple.com

Little Miss Sunshine - 8/18/06 - Steve Carell...'nuff said.



Quicktime: Trailer at Apple.com


The Wicker Man - 9/1/06 - Despite the fact that this movie is not getting many rave reviews, it looks kinda freaky, so I'm still interested in seeing it. Hopefully it's better than that other W-Man movie Nicholas Cage was in (The Weather Man)...ugh, awful.



Quicktime: Trailer at Apple.com

Hollywoodland - 9/8/06 - Anytime a scandal in Hollywood can be revealed, I'm up for seeing it.

Quicktime: Trailer at Apple.com

The Last Kiss – 9/15/06 – This one just opened on Friday. However, I really want to see this. I’m a huge fan of Zach Braff’s work, especially Garden State, so it’s making my list of must-sees.

Quicktime: High or Low Resolution at Apple.com

The Science of Sleep - 9/22/06 - This comes from the same writer & director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Michel Gondry.

Quicktime: Trailer at Apple.com

The Last King of Scotland - 9/27/06 - I don't know...this just seems different and interesting.

Quicktime: Trailer at Apple.com

Driving Lessons - 10/13/06 - This looks quirky and funny. Plus it stars Rupert Grint aka "Ronald Weasley" of the Harry Potter films. Awww, little Ron is growing up.

Quicktime: Trailer at Apple.com


The Grudge 2 - 10/13/06 - Well, the first Grudge scared the bleep outta me, so I gotta see this one. Sarah Michelle Gellar is back, as well as Newcomer-to-The-Grudge, Amber Tamblyn of The Ring and Joan of Arcadia fame.



Quicktime: High or Low Resolution at Apple.com


The Return - 11/10/06 - Rotten Tomatoes says 11/17 release, while Rogue Pictures says 11/10. Regardless...not only do we have Sarah Michelle in the Grudge 2, but in this thriller as well. Bring it on.



Quicktime: Trailer at Apple.com


A Good Year - 11/10/06 - Um, yeah, I love Russell Crowe. This is also directed by Ridley Scott, who directed Crowe in Gladiator (one of my all-time favorite movies).



Quicktime: Trailer at Apple.com


Happy Feet - 11/17/06 - I love penguins! Not only does this movie look cute, but funny, especially since you can't beat singing and dancing penguins. Plus, I hear Robin Williams' voice in there too.



Quicktime: Trailer at Apple.com


Well, that's it for now. I'll add more as I come upon them. Feel free to comment on any of my selections or let me know of something that might look interesting to you.

Funny Stuff

Some comics I find enjoyable...

New Pictures

I went to Penn State with friends this past weekend. We had a lot of fun, although our beloved Lions lost against Notre Dame. Also, the weather was beautiful, aside from a quick shower late Saturday afternoon.


You can view all my pictures at Yahoo Photos.

Here We Go Again

Aren't we getting just a little too politically-correct?...Or is it just oversensitivity?

Emmy Plane Crash Skit Called Insensitive

While I feel terrible for the people who lost family members in the Kentucky plane crash, the skit was simply a spoof on the TV show LOST. The skit, by the way, didn't even show a plane crash. I truly believe that for someone's comment or action (or in this case, skit) to be considered "insensitive," it would mean that the person would need to do so with mal-intent, which was obviously not the case in this situation.

If this is the way we, as a nation, are going to start thinking of situations such as this, then Hollywood might as well stop making movies, television shows, and music...because there will never be a time when our lives will not relate in some way to what we are watching or listening to. It's human nature to think of your own life's experiences when you view images or hear lyrics...but when you take it out of context, it's not fair to blame that artist, actor, comedian, whatever, as being insensitive.

Well, that is my opinion...

What do you think? Leave me a comment.

Let Me Whine About My Spine

You may remember me talking about the lower back pain I've been having. I posted about it a few times in February; I talked about when it started and the testing I went through. I recently went back to see my Primary Care Physician because I'm still having stabbing pains on the lower left side of my back, as well as weakness and pins & needles in my left foot. So, he referred me to an Orthopaedic Specialist, who I saw today. I brought my MRI scans with me and it turns out I have a herniated disc and mild arthritis in the same area. At least this explains why I haven't been able to do anything overly active for the past 5 months without being in pain!

Isn't it lovely? So, now I am taking a prescription Anti-Inflammatory and will be going to about 4-5 weeks of Physical Therapy with the hope that it will help. Apparently, the disc that is herniated is at the L5-S1 area (L=Lumbar spine, S=Sacrum):


Because I'm so fascinated by this, I took some pictures of my MRI scans to email off to Patrick (my favorite Physician-Assistant-To-Be) and Erin (my sister who just happens to be an Athletic Trainer). Below are a couple of pics...Isn't my spine so cute?? Ha ha!

The arrow is pointing to the protrusion, or the herniated disc:

This is a view of my spinal column from above. In the second
view, I put a question mark, because I'm not sure if this is the
correct scan showing the protrusion (there were so many to
look at!). But, it's cool nonetheless:

Party Animals and Poltergeists

So, yesterday, my parents, as well as my two sets of aunts and uncles, and my grandparents had a wedding to go to. The children/grandchildren (meaning my sisters, cousins, and I) were not invited, so Kelli and I offered to take care of the younger ones for the afternoon and night. We had decided to take our cousins Jimmy & Gina to see a movie, but Jimmy ended up ditching us because a friend had asked him to come to a sleepover for the night. Hmph. I guess our plans weren't "cool" enough. So...it was just me, Kel, and Gi. We had talked about seeing either Barnyard: The Original Party Animals or The Ant Bully...but, in the end, we went with Barnyard because the theater where that was playing was closer to where we were going to be. It was a fairly funny movie, but very cute. Not as funny as I had hoped; but, I'm still not disappointed either.

We were three of only about 20 people (if that) in the theater yesterday...so we had lots of space around us as the previews began...until (dunh, dunh, duuunh) this lady and her two kids had to come in and sit one seat away from us on our left. And, what made it worse was, since I had an empty seat on my left, I decided to put my purse and Gina's purse there because the floor was all gross and food-riddled. So, what does this lady do? Yes, she sits on the other side of that "empty" seat and proceeds to put herrrr purse and bag of popcorn in the seat with myyyy stuff! Don't ask me why I didn't get Kelli and Gina up right at that moment and move down to the other end of the row (where no one was sitting). I thought, okay, well, as long as she doesn't bother me, I'll be fine. But, then again, I should have listened to my instincts...I knew that there were about 15 or so other rows this lady could have chosen because, as I said, there was hardly anyone there...and I immediately had this feeling of "this lady will be annoying"...but, alas, I ignored those observations and feelings, trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Not long after the movie started, the annoyance was building...she kept bringing out her cell phone and looking at it (which, by the way, had the brightest light ever, next to the sun) and she kept talking to her little daughter who was sitting next to her. From the beginning of the movie, her daughter wanted to sit on her mom's lap, so, she obliged...but she says to her daughter, "Oh, honey, you're ready to head home, aren't you?"...her daughter says, "Yes, Mommy." That didn't change anything though, because they still stayed....lucky me. Every time mother and daughter would talk, mom didn't even whisper--only talked at a normal tone of voice. Finally frustrated as the woman got up and left her purse with her two kids as she went off to the bathroom, I got Kelli and Gina and we moved to the other end of the row, which I should have done in the first place.

After the movie, we picked up some salads and headed to my house to eat them (we weren't all that hungry after having a little popcorn at the theater). We also made a stop at Blockbuster because Gina loves scary movies (as do Kelli and I), so we figured we'd try to find something good and also appropriate for Gina's 10-year-old age. We settled on Poltergeist because it was PG, Gina had never seen it, and Kelli and I hadn't seen it in a long time. Plus, Gina was going to sleep over that night, so she thought it would be fun to watch it in our pajamas.

After eating our salads and watching Gina's own magic show, we made some milkshakes, turned down the lights, and settled in to watch Poltergeist. Needless to say, we all enjoyed it, but it certainly freaked Gina out. After hearing the dog in the movie barking at the strange things happening, Gina got scared because a little while later Murphy (my dog) was barking at something out the front window. As I went to see what he was doing (knowing full well that he barks at neighbors and passersby all the time) Gina ran up behind me, grabbing my arm and saying, "Collllll, I'm scared!!!!" So, I shooed Murphy away from the window and closed the blinds, and we went back to the movie. Gina buried her head in my arm a few times, but she loved it nonetheless.

After the movie, we turned on all the lights, at Gina's request...but, before we could do anything else, the phone rang...it was our neighbor, as I could see on the Caller ID. I was a little worried thinking maybe our TV was too loud or something...it does sound like a movie theater in our den when we watch movies...plus the windows were open because of the nice cool air coming in. But, no, he was calling because he noticed the lights were on in my car when he was outside in his garage. After I thanked him and hung up the phone, this sent Gi into a frenzy because Kelli and I were going to go outside and see why the lights were on (even though no one had turned them on earlier). Gina said, "You're not going out there and leaving me in here!...I'm coming with you!" So, she hung on my shirt as the three of us went outside to check the lights in my car...turns out the back window hatch was slightly ajar somehow...in any event, though, all was well.

We were all still awake when my parents returned home around midnight and we recapped the night for them; they laughed at our silliness though. Surprisingly enough, Gina did not ask to share my bed last night after the Poltergeist experience...she felt brave enough to sleep in our spare bedroom. I made her pancakes for breakfast this morning (what service!) and we talked more about the scary movie. It was a very fun night...one I can't imagine spending any other way.

Moving Right Along

Yeah, so I have already finished Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas. It was a very quick read...three days and done. Tears were shed, but I cannot say whether they were happy tears or sad tears (Dana may be reading this...I wouldn't want to spoil it for her!) Dane--hope you're reading this book...you would definitely like it!

Oh well, on to the next book...hmmm...what will it be??

Goodbye Bette, Hello Suzanne...

So, I just finished reading the book Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger; it was a book I chose to read after hearing Alicia rave about it. I loved it, by the way...thanks for the suggestion, Aleesh.

Recently, my book club has started up again and we are reading Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas by James Patterson, as you can see listed in my sidebar.

Here's the thing though...as I finished the last page of Everyone last night, I felt a little sad that I was done with it. I can't say that I feel that way about every book that I've read, but Weisberger's character description and writing style hooked me. It was as if I had gotten to know the characters (in particular the main character, Bette) so well that I was, in a sense, "lost" in the storyline...well, maybe "immersed" is a better word. I want to know what happens to Bette next! I'm not ready to say goodbye yet!

Have you ever felt the same way about a book? I'm really not crazy, I swear...although Kelli will probably tell me I'm a nerd...that I can handle.

A No-Work Monday / Decisions on My Plate

I slept in today for the first Monday since starting my summer camp job back in June and it felt good. No, I didn't play hooky today; camp is over for the summer. We all said our goodbyes on Friday. Now, onto the next phase of my life...decision-making time.

Well, I have already decided I will not be a Sub for another year...As a teacher, I want my own space. I don't want to be a guest anymore. When you have a taste of something that is all yours, and then you need to give it up, it is hard to accept. I want to play by my rules again, not by someone else's.

So, what does this mean for me? Well, first and foremost, I will find a job doing something else in the meantime. I have also spent a lot of time thinking about pursuing my Master's Degree. It was always something I planned to do...it was just figuring out the what, where, and when. My Master's Degree will not necessarily be in Education, however. I considered getting my certification in Special Education--which is still a possibility. But, I am also strongly realizing a want to pursue a Master's of Science in Psychology (after all, Psych was my intended major in my Undergraduate studies before deciding on Education).

Right now, I am looking at a program that would ultimately lead to a career working in Psychological research, wherein I would like to specialize in Developmental Psychology. I don't, necessarily, want to be a Clinical Psychologist where I would actually see patients and provide therapy (but who knows?...that could change!) At the present time, I am more interested in the research end of it...so we will see. The program also requires a Master's thesis, which would then prepare me for a Doctorate program, if I so choose. So, yeah, I've got a lot of thinking to do...I wish I could blink my eyes and the decisions would appear before me. Where is Jeannie when you need her?

Interesting Autism Study

Scientists continue to learn more about Autism, which has always been a subject that interests me. I just recently found this NPR story, which describes some of the latest research. Click on the link for the full article from NPR:

New Autism Study Shows Discrepancy in Brains
A new study by scientists at UC San Diego and the MIND Institute at UC Davis shows that men and boys with autism have fewer neurons in a part of the brain involved in memory and emotion. It's the latest evidence that this area of the brain, called the amygdala, may be one of the keys to understanding autism.
Wed, 19 Jul 2006 17:24:00 EDT

Wild Weather

Last night I had an experience like no other. This is one of those water cooler stories. The camp that I work for in the summer puts on a one-night carnival every year; this summer's was last night.

Every summer, when there is a threat of bad weather, we usually are prepared to hold the carnival the following night. When bad weather has come in past years, it has usually always come during the day, in the hours before the carnival actually began. However, this year, the carnival had already started...we were a little over an hour into it, and had another hour-and-a-half to go. The carnival is set in a local park under trees, surrounding a picnic pavilion. We always have games set up as well as a dunk tank, a food tent, a prize tent, and a ticket sale tent. I was manning the ticket tent at the start of a path leading to the game area. All went well for the first hour...people came by mentioning they heard we may get some rain...but there wasn't even a cloud in the sky. So, we figured we'd get through the night without any problems. Well, we were very wrong.

A storm came in and hit so fast that it literally sent people running madly to their cars. Just as the sky was beginning to get dark, the wind immediately picked up and began throwing debris into the air. The long (and heavy) table that I was sitting at lifted up and just about toppled onto me in my chair...my boss just happened to be coming over to tell me to be prepared just as this was happening...he saved me from the table crushing me as well as from the tent (poles and all) collapsing on me.

At that point, most of the patrons had gotten to their cars. However, all of us camp staff, as well as park staff, were still there hurrying to get all of our equipment under the pavilion. As we did this, the wind continued to whip up even stronger--throwing food, paper, napkins, tickets, etc. everywhere and lifting up our tents and tables! We got all of the important stuff under the pavilion just as sheets of rain began driving down and lightning was striking throughout the sky. It was so bad by this time that we were safer staying underneath the pavilion rather than trying to run through the trees out to our cars. It was not long before we began to see trees falling around us, almost landing on someone's car. Fire whistles were blowing, sirens were sounding, hail was falling...basically, it was chaos. Although we had a roof above our heads, we were still soaked as rain was driving sideways with the wind. So, we were wet, we were freezing, and yes, some people started freaking out. It took a little bit of humor and group leadership to get everyone to stay calm. And, yes, there was also a little bit of Milli Vanilli to help out. Some of the counselors were just waiting for the perfect time this summer to start singing "Blame It On the Rain" and actually mean it...who knew we'd have such an apropos chance?

I am happy to say that after about 45 minutes to an hour of being stuck under the pavilion during the worst of the storm, we were able to then get all of our equipment put away, and everyone did get home safely. However, driving was treacherous. All of us saw the majority of traffic lights in the area completely out, and trees down in the road, as we drove home. It was the talk of today as many people in the area had power outages (which were still out throughout the day)...trees are still down, some roads are closed, awnings were blown off, and small branches are all over our streets and yards. We also spotted a news helicopter hovering overhead this afternoon, surveying the damage. There was some talk and speculation of whether or not a tornado had touched down anywhere, but this has not been confirmed.

It definitely was a night to remember--not one that I want to experience again anytime in the near future.

Some Pics

I still have many Disney pics to put online, but here are a few other recent ones in the meantime.

The following two are from a night out in Philly at Fado's Irish Pub:

It was *almost* like a high school dance...girls at one table,
guys at the other...
except for Adele and Nancy messing it all up!

Also, you can see pictures from my friend Lauren's wedding here.

Disney pics coming soon!

I'm Still Here

It's been quite a while since my last post...I've been sooooo busy with work that I haven't had a chance to do any updates here. Let me just prepare you, this will not be anything special either!!

Just wanted to say that I just got back from Disney World this week. I should have some pictures up pretty soon, when I get the chance! I had a really great time, but honestly it was just too hot!

Since I really don't have much to say at this particular time...I will just leave you with a song that is currently stuck in my head...

Fix You
By: Coldplay

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse.

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream, down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I..

Tears stream, down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I..

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you.

Congrats to My Sis

My sister, Kelli, graduated from high school this past Friday. It was a very nice ceremony and a beautiful day. Something very funny happened when one student's name was called out to receive his diploma...someone in his family blew an air horn in the church! Fortunately, it wasn't a mass, just a ceremony, so most people laughed.

Anyway, below are just a few of the pics taken after the ceremony.

Kelli, the Graduate

3 Sisters - Colleen, Kelli, Erin

Kelli with her friends, Mari & Meghan

With our Mom, Dad, & Mom-Mom

Peace, Air

The Twins

New Pics

I've added new pictures online from Pearl Jam's June 3rd concert in East Rutherford, NJ. I went to this concert with my friend Patrick...we had an awesome view from our floor seats! One of the funniest things we saw that night was crazed fans running from one merch stand to the next, looking for posters that were selling out all too quickly. We decided not to join the poster people, though...we bought a few cool stickers instead.

You can view my concert pics here.

My Eventful Week

I just got back today from visiting my sister, Erin, who lives outside Baltimore, Maryland. She's been bugging me for quite some time to come down and stay for a few days, so we finally made it work for the both of us. While I was there, I went to the community college where she works as an Athletic Trainer. She even put me to work on the computer for a little bit...well, actually, I volunteered. It was very impressive to see her in her element. She's very good at what she does (which I already knew), which has earned her the nickname, "Dr. Erin."


She, of course, apologized for dragging me to work with her, but it wasn't all day long...really only a few hours on each day, Tuesday and Wednesday. With all the new things to look at, and the overall quiet in the training room, it gave me plenty to learn about while I was there. And well, I somehow always manage to keep myself busy.

I met some of her co-workers and colleagues, and saw some of the facilities. Her friend & co-worker, Kate, stopped in a few times to say hello, and we visited her as well. Overall, I didn't mind being there because I received some much-needed therapy on my lower back. So, I can't complain.


Going to Erin's training room wasn't the only thing we did...far from it, actually. On Tuesday night, we went to see Pearl Jam at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. I had bought a pair of Fanclub tickets and decided to take Erin as an early birthday present. She hasn't seen them since 1998 (yikes)...and so, it was about time! This also worked out perfectly in planning my visit. We took the Metro down to DC a little ahead of rush hour, and made it down there around 5:15. After picking up my tickets at the Will-Call window, we had to wait until just about 6:40 for them to open the doors...people outside were hot and tired of waiting. Upon getting in, we rushed to the merchandise stand so I could get my poster and a t-shirt.

We then went to get some food to bring to our seats, in hopes of catching an acoustic pre-set by Eddie Vedder. When we got down to the floor, I was happy to find out exactly where my seats were (as I had not looked at a seating chart since I picked up my tickets)...we landed 10 rows back from the stage, dead-center! I was flying high (on life only!). While we waited, I pointed out some of Pearl Jam's road crew and security to my sister, who looked at me with a mix of marvel and fright. Not more than 20 minutes after we sat down, sure enough Eddie came out and performed a cover of Cat Stevens' "Don't Be Shy." Many seats around were still empty, so we were happy to catch the pre-set with a great view and without being bothered.

They played a very good mix of songs...hitting every album from their first, Ten, to their current self-titled one. The setlist was as follows:

Set 1: Release, World Wide Suicide, Severed Hand, Corduroy, Animal, Do The Evolution, Given To Fly, Low Light, Unemployable, Grievance, Even Flow, I Got Id, Present Tense, BetterMan, Inside Job, Wasted Reprise, Life Wasted, Why Go, Rearviewmirror

Encore 1: Man Of The Hour, Masters Of War (by Bob Dylan), Small Town, Come Back, Alive

Encore 2: Comatose, Leash, F***in' Up (by Neil Young), Yellow Ledbetter/Star Spangled Banner

A note about "Betterman"...it was a beautiful, re-worked version, starting out slower with a piano intro by Boom Gaspar. Because I can't comment on all the songs, I'll say the highlights for me were: the overall mix of songs, calling the opener ("Release"), hearing the intro music to Ten as the band walked on stage, the re-worked Betterman, Matt Cameron throwing drumsticks out to the crowd and them landing not even 5 feet from our seats, hearing "Leash" live for my first time, hearing "Inside Job" live (amazing!!) and, of course, seeing the concert with my sister. Even though the guy behind me spilled beer on my chair and the back of my leg, I had a great time...Pearl Jam never disappoints.

Wednesday was my last full day in Maryland. In the morning, I had an opportunity to meet some people at an educational writing/editing company that I've done some freelance writing for. Erin's friend, Jocelyn, works there...she's the one that got me started on the freelancing, so she invited me to come in and see around her office. Then, the three of us spent the late afternoon and evening walking around the Inner Harbor. It was a beautiful night considering we had sweltering hot days this week. We had hoped to make it into the Baltimore Aquarium, but we ran out of time. That will be the plan for the next time I visit my sis...Thanks again, Air!!

You can see the above pictures and many others from the concert in my online photo album.