The Method To Happiness

Over the years of having this blog, I've mentioned suffering from depression time and again. There are certain times of the year where he hits harder than others, and that is usually around the holidays. The summer months are also a difficult. Finding a way to be happy all of the time is difficult, and I've always felt there is no way to always be happy. You can try to find it, but it might not happen. Today I was reading about a program called The Sedona Method which a method used to face the negative in your life and deal with it in order to find your own happiness. The program caught my eye because it has the name of a city here in Arizona attached to it. Granddaughter to Ernest Hemingway is one of the lead people working with this program with her happy for no reason plan. Another one of the programs teachers is Hale Dwoskin. The program seems to work for a lot of people to help them find a new level of happiness. Right now, they are offering a free DVD and CD about the program to learn more about it. I know I am all about being happy, and sometimes you just need a new way of thinking in order to find happiness.

Thursday Thirteen #10

Yes, I know its been awhile since I did one of these. I'm going to call January my black period. I needed some time to reenergize and deal with a few things. The beginning of the year is always harder than most to deal with for me. That said I had to think of a topic for this week, and in honor of Lost returning tonight. which I've been waiting for for months! Here is my thirteen favorite shows this season in no particular order. I can't wait for Lost to premiere tonight!

1. Moonlight
2. Dancing With The Stars
3. Kyle Xy
4. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
5. Damages
6. The L Word
7. Californication
8. Big Love
9. Grey's Anatomy
10. Ugly Betty
11. Ghost Hunters International
12. The Gauntlet III
13. The Tudors

Now what are you watching this year?

Leaving an impression

Growing up, my family and I were always going on little trips places. Never all that far. Just hopping in the car and driving off for a few days to get away. We'd go places like San Diego or Las Vegas. Sometimes we'd even just hit one of the amusement parks for a day and that would be just enough. Living in Los Angeles, we had all those theme parks around. I lost count of how many times I went to Universal Studios over the years. Magic Mountain was also popular. Whenever we went to these places we would always find these little penny machine things, and every single time I always wanted a smashed up penny from whatever place we were at. It was just a little something to take back with me. I always told myself it was just a penny, but of course I didn't even think it was also the cost to make it. Machines like that are still popular today. When you really think about it, it really isn't anything more than an elongated coin, but it is the memories attached to it. You can look at it, and you can remember that moment in time in your mind, and sometimes those memories can last a life time.

Even Angels Fall

It's been a week since the sudden death of actor Heath Ledger. I was working on an article talking about the sudden death of another when the news broke out about Heath. I have always been a huge fan of his work, and the news of his passing almost seemed unreal to me. Here is a young man, younger than me, with his whole life ahead of him. A young daughter and friends enough for anyone, and yet he has left us. Apparently, there was more to this young man's life than we in the public knew of it. He had his own demons, and his latest role as the joker in Dark Knight apparently added to those he already had.

I don't know how many times I've seen Ten Things I Hate About You, and I've always enjoyed his work. This is a case of gone much too soon, and it has oddly hit me quite hard. It has given me time to think of my own life and the things I do. It might sound odd to some, but I know there are things in my life I'd want to change now. Sometimes all you need is a small wake-up call to make changes in your life. It is sad that usually death is the way to wake you up. At least this was the death of someone known to the world and not someone close to me. Those are the worst kind. Heath Ledger was a wonderful man and actor, a caring father and loved by many. He will be missed.

Brushes and things

Time and time again, I've mentioned in this blog how I love playing paint shop and other graphic type programs. I'm no wizard with them by any means, but I can make pictures look pretty and a few things to them quite easily. With those kinds of programs, you add those things using program add-ons called brushes, and today I found a site full of Photoshop Brushes. The site was easy to navigate, and they look to have a great collection of brushes for just about everyone. I haven't done much playing around lately, but I might need to take a look and do that today.

Manic Monday #6

If you could have a servant come to your house every day for one hour, what would you have them do?: Clean. Clean my room. Clean the house. Do laundry. Cook food. The normal stuff. My room is a mess, so sadly they might spend two of those hours every week just cleaning my room. Yes, I know. Horrible.

Has your life ever been changed by an apparently random occurrence?: Yes, I think everyone's life has at one point or another. There are times when you do something, and it ends up setting off a chain reaction of events, or you meet someone you might not have met otherwise. Sometimes this is a good thing, but there are times I've actually wished I hadn't done what I did in the first place because the person I met just wasn't worth the events or the headaches that followed. Everything does happen for a reason though.

You're having dinner with several friends and acquaintances. They all criticize a close friend of yours (not knowing he/she is a friend). The criticism is unjustified. What would you do?:I would speak up and say something. If what they are saying about my friend isn't the truth, especially. If my friend isn't there to defend themselves, I would not let them be criticized unfairly. If they were there, I'm sure they would speak up for themselves.

Manic Monday #5

If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?: Most of the states are weird, so I'll just go simple and say Georgia.

Where do you go for advice?: My family, mostly my dad. When I was younger, my mom. Nothing like getting advice from those that know you best. My best friend too. She's never steered me wrong.

What is the sickest you've ever been? Back when I was six, I was always getting sick. I don't even remember how many days of school I missed. It was constant though. I do remember that much.

Time loves to fly

Juat this morning a friend of mine was telling me that Valentine's Day is soon. It's hard to believe that just a couple of months ago it was just going to be Thanksgiving, and now here we are getting ready for February. My birthday just passed, and it didn't even feel like it was time for it. It is though, and as I mentioned before I'm a big online shopper. I shop online a lot in fact. Probably too much, and I'm always looking for the best deals. I usually end up going to this one site full of promo codes. With the holiday in mind, it is fun to look at all the deals you can get and try to figure out what to get for who.

With Valentine's Day, it is traditional to get that special someone in your life flowers. I'm actually one that likes sending flowers out to that someone in my life, and there is 1-800-Flowers deals to be found at that one site. Of course there is also always getting away too. Taking a trip. My dad and I keep talking about heading someplace, and I checked out that site, and they even coupon codes for Travelocity with a trip to Vegas. The possibilities are really endless when you think about it. Time should just stop moving so fast!

Wordless Wednesday #9

I've always loved cats, and I love this one site so much. So many cute cat pictures with a bit of humor attached. Today I tried to take in an abandoned cat in our building, and it didn't go very well. Within a couple of minutes of bringing her in, she was already fighting with my cat. I hate hearing she's abandoned, and she looks like the sweetest thing ever. My cat comes first though. Still it would have been nice.

Do you Yawp?

In this day and age, online video content is becoming more and more popular. Once sites like Youtube started to pop up, people got more and more into sharing their own video creations. If you have a web cam or a video camera, you can jump in with your own videos. Some do simple ones, but I've seen a great many that are detailed and complexed turning content into mini-movies and television shows. I know there has even been a few that have jumped from an online forum to the small screen, and with more people doing it there should be more in the time to come. Today I found YawpBox which is a site where people can upload and share their videos. It looks like a small site, but it will more than likely catch on.

I watched some of the videos on the site, and my favorite was this one where a romantic first dance by a couple that just got married turned into a hip hop dance off with husband and wife shaking their butts. Definitely good to see some people having fun at a wedding! And yes, baby got back! By posting your videos to sites like YawpBox, more people will get to see them. They might even be inspired by your video and post one in response. Your video might even hit television. Right now, two guys named Lex and Terry and going through those videos posted on the site to pick ones to air on YawpBoxTV, a thirty minute television program where all the show's content will come straight from the site. Lex and Terry are challenging people to create content for their show each week. Is your video good enough to make it? Reminds me a bit of America's Funniest Home Videos back in the day. Of course now with online media that show would take on a whole new look, and it might look something like this.

Manic Monday #4

Which sex do you think has it easier in our culture? Have you ever wished you were the opposite sex?: I think men have it easier. They don't have to carry children. They get more noticed in the work place. They just seem to do less and get more. As for if I ever wished to be a man? Yes, at least one day a month. Trust me!

What books from your childhood would you like to share with your children?: There are so many books I loved as a chiild. I think one of my favorites is Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. i would hope to share these someday with my own children.

What is one talent or skill you don't possess but always wanted?: The talent to draw. I don't have an artistic bone in my body. I always wished for the ability to draw or paint, but I just don't have it. I paint my pictures with words.

A piece of heaven

With my feeling better tonight, I've found myself surfing along the internet a bit more. I'm not planning to push it though because the first day of feeling alright you can overdo it and end up sick all over again. I definitely do not want to do that, but right now I'm enjoying not feeling sick.That is the first step to being well anyway. Tonight, I'm looking at clothes. I keep telling myself I want to buy new clothes, but I never end up going out to actually do it. The stores can be a nightmare to deal with, and there is just something about shopping for clothes online that just bugs me.

What if it doesn't end up fitting? What if there is a hole or rip in it? I know these are questions easily answered if I ever wanted to venture into shopping for clothes online, but it is still fun to look. Tonight, I found a junior clothing store with some great deals. Every thing is under $17.95. Not one cent more. I saw some cute tops there that I wouldn't mind picking up. This is adorable, and I'd love to own it. I love how everything is so reasonably priced there. I might have to give them a serious look. I'll have to just tread carefully.

Friday's Feast #3

Appetizer
What is your middle name? Would you change any of your names if you could? If so, what would you like to be called?: Jo. It's my dad's name, so I don't think I'd ever want to change it.

Soup
If you were a fashion designer, which fabrics, colors, and styles would you probably use the most?: I like simple things. Cotton, basic colors. I like red, black and white, so I could see myself using those a good deal if I was to ever go down down that path.

Salad
What is your least favorite chore, and why?: I hate doing laundry. I always have, and I always will. I'll do it, but if I can get out of doing it somehow I will find a way to do just that.

Main Course
What is something that really frightens you, and can you trace it back to an event in your life?: Bugs. I hate bugs. I also am scared of fire, and there really is no event in my life that I can trace either fear back to. I am also scared of the dark, and there is no set reason for it.

Dessert
Where are you sitting right now? Name 3 things you can see at this moment. : At my desk. My TV, my stereo and my bed.

What a week!

Sorry I've been missing for most of the week everyone. I try not to do that, but I was finally hit by the flu bug this season. I knew it would happen sooner or later, and it finally did. I've been so exhausted this week, and I am not fully over it yet. I'm getting there though, and I'm sure in a few days I'll be completely better. I hate the flu though. I didn't even want to get out of bed some days, and I didn't even want to think about doing anything really. Showering even seemed a chore, and I love to shower. I just felt totally exhausted.

Today, I learned of a new product that might have come in handy this week. I'd never really heard of such a thing before, but there is such a thing as dry shampoo. It will clean your hair without the benefit of water. It sounds kind of odd, but it might work in a pinch. I don't even know how many times the hot water in our building has shut off, and having a bottle of this shampoo around would definitely be good. Sometimes you just to freshen up and you don't have the time for a shower. This would be good to them. All you have to do match your color hair, and it will brush out easily leaving no sign you used it behind. I'm tempted to pick up a bottle of this myself actually.

You find something new everyday. For now, I'm off to take a real shower.

Manic Monday #3

What was the last thing you regret buying?: A stereo online at Wal-mart. It came broken, and I had to take it back and buy another one. Never get lured in by the cheap deal with a high ticket item online. I ended up having to spend sixty more anyway and wasted my time in the process.

If you had a crystal ball that could tell you the truth about any one thing you wished to know about yourself, life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?: I'd want to know if the one I left behind years ago was really the one I was meant to be with or if I made the right decision in letting him go. A big question, but its one I'll always have that little tiny what if about.

How do you know when you're in love?: That's a hard question to answer. How does anyone know they are in love? Is it a feeling? Is it this need to be around someone? Finding someone that not only makes you feel good about yourself, but also knows how to point out your flaws and pick you up when you fall. I don't know if there is something I do or feel when I'm in love. It's a picky subject. Love is just love, and when I'm in it I'm not even sure I know it. It just is.

Happy New Year everyone!

More on Terminator!

It seems the thing that I'm most looking forward to in 2008 is only getting closer and closer. I've been waiting on the premiere of the Terminator series on Fox since it was first mentioned as a possibility months ago. Now it premieres next weekend. Over on Teevio today, I mentioned that Fox is showing a free preview of the pilot of the series tomorrow over on Yahoo! I really like these little sneak peeks the networks seem to do. They did it for The L Word too. It's been online for the last few days, and it will premiere this Sunday night on Showtime in an all new time slot. I've been excited for that season premiere as well. Season four didn't grab me all that much, but I'm hoping they change things up again for season five. I guess I just have to wait and see on Sunday, unless I go look for the preview online before then.

Web Pondering

For the last couple of months, I've been thinking about finding a place to move my blog off of this site, and I've also thought about doing something about my personal site. Perhaps combining them all together, or just getting a domain name for my blog here. I've given it a lot of thought, but actually going through with it and doing it is something I haven't really done yet. Today, I found a great deal on web hosting with the Rudolph plan. A website that will last your entire lifetime with just one fee now. It isn't a high fee either. Not even a hundred dollars will get you disk space, bandwidth and even a domain name for life.

It really does sound like a great deal, and it makes me think about making the leap onto my own space in this great big world web something even more appealing. Maybe I'm just lazy. That could be it. Definitely. I've been thinking about doing this for years now really. This blog will be three years old in March, and I've been here this whole entire time. My website is covered in advertising. I keep telling myself once I get more established publishing I'll make some changes. I'm thinking that will happen this year. 2008 is promising to be good.

Thursday Thirteen #9

My AlmostThirteen Favorite Movies of 2007

1. Lucky You
2. Music and Lyrics
3. Romulus, My Father
4. Live Free or Die Hard
5. Spiderman 3
6. Knocked Up
7. The Simpsons Movie
8. Transformers
9. Arctic Tale
10. The Ten

Didn't quite make it to the theaters much this year. What movies would be on your list? What are looking forward to buying on DVD or already have? Some of these I have the DVD's of, and they have been added to my collection. Others will be added in the months ahead. There are quite a few movies coming out this year that I know I'm looking forward to seeing.

And 2008 begins ...

Even though I just typed 2009, the year is 2008. Instead of typing 2007, I keep typing 2009 instead. That is just a bit insane, but whatever works. It's a year with a renewed outlook in which I hope to leave the past behind. Things have been tough in 2007, especially the last four or five months. I think I came out stronger in the end because of it. They do say what doesn't kill you does make you stronger. I'm not even sure how many times I've heard that infamous saying. Well, I'm not dead.

Money has been extra tight, so I didn't get the iPod I've been wanting. I might just save up and get it for myself. I was looking at this site today where you can buy a ipod case. They also have cases that work for cell phones and even laptops and macbooks. They protect your screens and covers from scratches. I know I'm hard on things, and my brother is even worse when it comes to his cell phone. This might just be perfect for him. I know it'll be perfect for me. I just need to save up and get me an actual iPod to go with it!

I won't think about you when I'm older.

2007 is done, and here we are in 2008. A new year with hopes and dreams that it is better than last. 2007 was a crazy year. I allowed some people to come into my life I now regret letting them ever even near me. We all make mistakes. Some people come to you with what you think are good intentions, and they really are lying behind your back. I've had it happen before, and I know that it will probably happen again at some point. It is what life is made up of. Mistakes and failures to learn from. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. I'll be the first to admit I'm nowhere near perfect. I do my best though. That's all any of us can do.

I've had some people in my life for years. Some have been good for me. Some have helped more than they hurt. Some have made me smile even when I don't think I can. Then there are others that have been in my life just as long where they haven't been all that good at all for me. They make me want to scream. They make me want to rip my hair out. They frustrate and aggravate me more than anything. Yet, I kept them around for a long time. I don't even know why. I finally made a choice to break away though. There was no chaos or some huge fight to cause it. I just slipped away without a word, and I know I'm a happier person because of it.

There are just some people that are not meant to be in your life, but it isn't all that easy to remove them once they are there. They get entrenched there in your life. They dig a hole and plant roots. You might not want them there, but really it isn't easy to move away from them. Then one day you wake up, and they are gone. You're free, and as much as you know you'll miss them just a little. Time will pass, and you won't miss them for long. You know its for the best. Sometimes blessed freedom is all you need.

2008 won't be a repeat of 2007. I won't let it be. Happy New Year everyone.