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It is time for an update!

First, thanks for all of your feedback on my previous post. I love to get audience participation and see who likes what. It appears as though the “Childhood” piece came out as the winner. Oh, if only we could return to the days of bright colored crayons and chocolate frosted cupcakes.

Mild Wish
Maybe it’s Florida’s fault. Or perhaps it was that 65 degree tease we had a couple of weeks ago. Whatever is the culprit, my recent wish has been for warmer temperatures. The fact that we will be in the 40s this week makes me happy. Now I know it’s just February, and furthermore, I live in Central IL. We get snow in May and 70 degrees in December. But a girl can have a wish, right? So until further notice of a blizzard, I’m going to keep checking weather.com for sunny skies and mild air.

Coffee
I used to despise it. In fact, I always thought: How can anyone drink this? It’s awful. It’s bitter, and it doesn’t do a thing for me.

Then, I went to Starbucks. I ordered a mocha frappucino. It was good, albeit a little strong for my taste. But then I kept drinking them, and pretty soon I was adventurous enough to drink coffee with hot chocolate mix in it. Before long, mocha fraps became a “sweet” drink to me, and I was hooked on hot mocha coffee drinks and drinking coffee straight up.

That’s my story about how I developed my coffee addiction. Actually, it’s not that bad. As with soda, I am very strict with how much I allow myself to drink. No more than one a day, and I make very few exceptions. Otherwise, I’d be up for the next 72 hours with my heart beating out of my chest. I can’t subject my body to too much caffeine or else I might fly to the moon and back with the resulting boundless energy. BUT, I’m not past driving through a Starbucks, stopping in at the local coffee shop, or brewing a cup in the afternoon for a nice little pick-me-up.

TV
In my “old age,” I have discovered one truth. I don’t really care for TV all that much. Now. Don’t get me wrong. There are a few programs I watch and enjoy. Such as:
Gilmore Girls- I could watch this show everyday and not tire of it with its witty dialogue and timeless characters.
Roseanne- *gasp* I know, you may be thinking I’ve completely lost it, but I think she is hilarious.
The Cosby Show- Bill Cosby=hilarious.
Full House - Who doesn’t love Stephanie, Michelle, and DJ?
Fox News- to catch up on world events.
American Idol- Season 8! This is one show I will not miss.

So I have my little list there. And there are times that I do just crash and watch a good show or two. But most of the time, I just can’t make myself do it. Unless it’s something I really want to see, I can’t make myself sit still. I usually end up a) restless, b) thinking about what I should be getting done, c) appalled at what they actually put on TV these days, or d) all of the above.

The same goes for movies. Now. I LOVE movies, and I love going to the theater. It’s so dumb, but that is one of my favorite things. There’s nothing better than getting a big old bucket of popcorn, a coke, and sitting in a dark theater to see a show. Actually, I have always secretly wanted to go to a movie by myself. Not because then I would be able to eat more popcorn (although close friends may suspect that as the reason ☺) but because there would be something so empowering and cool about that. Maybe someday I will.

Anyway, my point is: there are a lot of really great movies out there with a neat message, but then, there are also a lot of meaningless films with nothing much to gain. I have made it a conscious decision to choose wisely. I especially love the ones based off of a true story or that hold some sort of inspirational/motivational value to them. Chick flicks, action films, and fantasy movies are all great, yes, but what do they teach us? What kinds of values do they subtly instill within us? At the end of the day, were we better off for seeing it?

I don’t know. Part of me thinks that if I never watched TV or a movie again, I wouldn’t be missing much. Please don’t think I shun TV, movies, or those that watch them, because that is far from the case. In fact, I partake just as much as the next guy. I guess I just wanted to bring it up because over the past year or so, it has really been on my heart to be more careful about how I spend my time with that kind of entertainment.

Family
Lately, I have reunited with the joys of family. I have always, always loved my family and I really like being with them. However, the blessing of each member and the fact that everyone lives so close has really stuck out to me. I have had the fun pleasure of being with two of my older nephews this past week, and it’s so great. It’s like reliving childhood. We play Nintendo, tap out songs on the piano, beat up on each other, and watch Disney movies.

Also, I have had fun with my older siblings, too. Just tonight, I was at my sister’s house. I was reminded that my love of dessert runs close in the family as she was cutting me out a piece of cookie dough cheese cake, and after making a cut, said, “Wait, that piece isn’t big enough,” and promptly sliced me a piece double the size. That’s right!!

And my brother. Growing up, he was always a) my playmate and b) someone who beat me up. These days, he has been both of those and more to me. I hang out with him quite a bit, actually—we often “rock out” in his basement or enjoy coffee and jazz while chatting. It’s great!

Skype
Does anyone else use Skype? It’s actually very cool. I was introduced to it about 6 months ago. It’s a free, easy-to-use messenger service that you can download online. You may then use it as an instant messenger service. You can also call others and hear them as a phone call for free (anywhere in the world), as well as use the video chat feature if you both have web cameras. It’s a great tool for chatting long-distance, although I use it mostly for chatting w/friends around here.

Dairy Queen
Just opened on Friday. I worked there for 6 years back in my high school/early college days. That was probably one of my most fun jobs of all times. Oh man. Good memories. You work there with all of your girl friends, listen to music, fill candy ingredients, decorate cakes, make dilly bars, and get customer orders. On busy nights, especially during the summer, you’d be running around on your feet for 4-6 hours at a time, but it’s such a blast because you see all kinds of people. DQ is like hangout central in the summer. Anyway, going there always reminds me of those times in my life. And to this day, I can tell you nearly everything on the menu. I can’t wait until it warms up and I can walk up there and place my order without freezing in line!

Closing
Well… I should end it here. It’s late and I’ll be up early to walk w/a friend. I just wanted to pepper in a fun little update that was a bit more lighthearted since my posts lately have been more of the ponder-session nature. I’ll likely venture into that direction again soon, but until then, here’s my categorical contribution.

Love you all!

T