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| So as many of the people who are probably reading this know, I've lived most of my life with my mother and sister after my parents divorced, often visiting my single aunt. The only man I really have in my close family is my father, and for my teen years, he lived in another state. However, at the beginning of summer I moved in with him, and I learned of the joys, and the nuisance, that living with men brings.
Pro: He doesn't wear makeup.
At least probably not. When you ask your man to take you the the grocery store, he doesn't respond with "Okay, just let me fix my mascara/pluck my eyebrows/curl my hair/reapply my lipstick." He grabs his keys and goes. Men seem to have discovered the valuable secret: spending hours in front of a magnifying mirror with a tweezers in one hand and a correcting cream in the other is wasting time! Now why couldn't we figure that out?
CON: He watches Sports.
Okay maybe he doesn't even watch sports. But he has his "manly habit", whether it's obsessing over warcraft, video games, automobiles, or hunting. The sad truth is, no matter how much he tries to explain his love for these things, in most cases, we just aren't interested.
PRO: He's simple and knows how to relax.
That's right. It seems that most men really know how to relax. Women are always thinking about the big picture, and after the day is done, they tend to go to bed with frantic thoughts about all of the things they have to do tomorrow, while their men snore carelessly beside them. For some reason, men have the superpower to not worry when they don't have to worry.
CON: He has belly hair.
Now this one is pretty hard to deal with. Whether it's the hair he leaves sitting there (just sitting there in plain sight!) in the sink after he shaves, he constantly "forgets" and uses your razor, he leaves the toilet seat up... our men can harbor some terrifying habits. Unfortunately, with a few exceptions we just have to deal with it and try to remind him again... and again to please clean up after himself.
PRO: He's a good Dad.
Even if he isn't really a father, most men are surprisingly good father figures when you need one. Even if men don't comprehend all of our minuscule problems, they know emotion when they see it. Although he doesn't have all of the deeply thought-out verbal support your girlfriends have to offer, a hand on your back and a shoulder to cry on can be all the help in the world. | | |
| Josh has been egging me on to make up a list, so I am. Not that it was easy, or that anyone will agree. Also, I want to make it clear that there are many songs that outdo these, but I was rating clearly on what full albums I thought were best, released over the past decade.
   1. A HUNDRED MILLION SUNS- SNOW PATROL (2008)
I'm a little biased, being a huge Snow Patrol fan and all... but this album rocks my world. It's so disappointing that all of the best songs on this album are overlooked. The lyrics are powerful and abstract, and I think this is Snow Patrol's best album yet.
BEST SONG: The Lightning Strike
 2. TRANSATLANTICISM- DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE (2003)
Out of all of Death Cab's albums, this one has the most artistic lyrics and the most flow between songs. Though it's generally less popular than Plans, I think this album has a very homey, genuine feel to it and that's what makes it so great.
BEST SONG: Transatlanticism
 3. PARACHUTES- COLDPLAY (2000)
I personally believe this is the best of Coldplay's albums, as outdated as it is. Chris Martin has a beautiful voice, and a very broad range for a pop-rock musician, and this album does a good job at showing that off. The musics not so bad either.
BEST SONG: Don't Panic
 4. A MARK A MISSION A BRAND A SCAR- DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL (2003)
This album never seems to get old. The lyrics do an amazing job at portraying strong feelings of desperation and hope. This band is truly unique.
BEST SONG: Hands Down
 5. A DAY WITHOUT RAIN -ENYA (2000)
Enya never fails to create beautifully unique music, and I believe this album is irresistibly likable to people who enjoy any genre of music. It has a very earthy, ambient feel and is great for anything from heavy listening to playing it in the background.
BEST SONG: Wild Child
 6. SONGS ABOUT JANE -MAROON 5 (2002)
Maroon 5's debut album has a very erotic, sensual feel to it consistently. The music is very relatable, attracting both sexes and many age groups pretty easily, and it's nice to finally have a jazzy touch to mainstream pop music.
BEST SONG: Sunday Morning
 7. LIFE FOR RENT- DIDO (2003)
Many people would argue that Dido's debut No Angel is better, but I just can't get enough of the laid-back coolness of this album. Each song has it's own story, and you can feel the personality jump out from behind the music.
BEST SONG: Closer (Hidden Track)
 8. HAPPENSTANCE- RACHAEL YAMAGATA (2004)
The whole album is really, really great in that basically every song is very catchy, like the have-it-in-your-head-the-rest-of-the-day kind of catchy. Her voice is beautifully modest and the music is so simply rhythmatic that you have to love it.
BEST SONG: Worn Me Down
 9. WRECK OF THE DAY- ANNA NALICK (2005)
This album is essential to anyone going through their preteens. All through eighth grade, it was basically the soundtrack of my life. I feel that the music is purely relatable and heartfelt, and it tells the story of all girls growing up and trying to make it in the world.
BEST SONG: Paper Bag
 10. ALL THE LOST SOULS- JAMES BLUNT (2007)
As overly criticized as he is, and although most would probably argue the debut, Back to Bedlam, was better, this is definitely a keeper for me. I wasn't sold on the album, though until I saw him in concert. But each and every song on this album speaks.
BEST SONG: Same Mistake
HONORABLE MENTIONS
- Saltbreakers- Laura Veirs
- Feels Like Home- Norah Jones
- 19- Adele
- The Reminder- Feist
- Spirit- Leona Lewis
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| I've recently rescued a dog who was a survivor from a puppy mill. Because of the workers' irresponsibility, he had acquired a broken leg, and they were going to "dispose" of him, before a rescue group saved him, and I adopted him. After watching him grow into the most lovable puppy I could ever hope for, it inspired me to fight for the banning of puppy mills around the nation.
I joined PETA. I learned a lot about all different kinds of animal cruelty within the meat and clothing industries, and even more that I was shocked to learn. However some of the movements and stands stated on PETA's website, well... shocked me. All around the site I find articles, banners, items, etc. saying "GO VEGETARIAN!" or "GO VEGAN!" that made me feel kind of guilty. I do eat meat, but I feel like it is more of a problem with the meat industry if there are cases of animal cruelty and neglect, not me, and I don't feel like I should feel guilty about my diet. After all, people are made to eat meat. Not to mention many of their campaigns are in good intention, but nevertheless, on the extreme side. For example, they encourage people to not shop at Lowe's at all, because Lowe's carries glue traps for mice. Sure, glue traps are a sad thing, but that doesn't the store line is "selling torture" as PETA states in their ad. And then I saw this:
Read Article Here
This article just plainly shocked me. PETA goes so far as to state that "eating meat is the number one cause of global warming". I don't think that's even remotely true. Of course I haven't done any research, but what I think they're meaning to say is that the meat industry is a main contributor to the carbon dioxide emissions which then in turn are a cause of global warming. They also state in the article that "By switching from a meat-based diet to a vegetarian diet for only 30 days, you will prevent the equivalent of more than 270 pounds of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the Earth's atmosphere." I also don't believe that this is true. Realistically, to stop the emissions of carbon dioxide caused by the meat industry, the meat industry itself would need to shut down, which it would not in result to one person refusing to eat meat products. Or a hundred people. Or a hundred thousand for that matter. They also say that Al Gore has a "meat addiction", and continue to insult his character in many other ways. Really, he's done so much to educate us about global warming, and this is how he's thanked.
Anyway, what do you think? Has PETA gone too far with this or is it just necessary to fight the cause?
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| TYRA BANKS
Not for her former modelling career, but for the years that she has dedicated through her talk show to the help of young women. She has begun the revolution to female self-righteousness. "My mom never taught me to be waiting for some prince on a white horse to swipe me off my feet."
GARY LIGHTBODY His exquisite voice and abstract lyrics will forever haunt me. "What I need is not therapy. What I need... is just to wake up."
CRYSTAL RENN The model who taught us that beauty is beauty at any size. "I'd like to see everyone take on the attitude that there are women of all different shapes and sizes as `the beauty ideal,' and that it's not one type or another."
ANNIE LEIBOVITZ Possibly the country's most prestigious modern photographer, her creativity inspires me to constantly see as if from the lens of a camera. This woman never ages. "A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people."
SARAH JESSICA PARKER This woman has been criticized for nearly every inch of her body, whether it was that her nose was too big, her face too long, her body too thin, her eyes too blue... and yet she always embraces her beauty, no matter how quirky or odd her features may be. She sets the example for every woman to break free of the stereotypes, and to create their own mark of beauty on the world. “I don't judge others. I say if you feel good with what you're doing, let your freak flag fly.”
SARAH MCLACHLAN The first musical artist who inspired me to sing, I believe my style has followed hers since the day I picked up the lyrics to her music and cranked the stereo. The charity work she has done for homeless animals has inspired America to stop looking at domestic animals as accessories or furniture. She is most unique in her music, and is unafraid to voice her opinions. "I think often sadness is a great place to get songs from."
JOHN LENNON He's contributed so much to the world with his music, his heart, and his harmony. His wisdom has marked us forever. "I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us."
SHERYL CROW You don't have to talk to her to know that she loves herself. It glows through her skin. She is beautiful at any age, and inspires us all to just have fun and love life. "I have a golden Lab who goes everywhere with me. He's a great leveler."
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| So I'm sitting at my computer at 3:32 AM. No school tomorrow for Columbus Day. I couldn't be happier about that since I have a ton of AP stuff to catch up on.
A lot of crap happened this weekend but I don't even feel like writing about it right now. I've spent half the weekend trying to talk things out and I've come to the conclusion that these things just need time.
Little Gizmo is asleep in my lap, his head bobbing while I type. His eyelids are twitching and his legs are kicking. He must be dreaming. I wonder what he dreams of, and if in his dreams if he's still a tiny puppy, or if he transforms into a giant magical bird who can fly beyond the boundaries of our quarter acre yard which terrify him.
My camera is still stolen. It has not magically run back to its master as I'd hoped. I still just have this grainy little camera phone to work with as far as photography goes. Times are hard. Real hard but I can dream and when (or, well... if) I get another, even better camera, I want to start shooting people. I already have a few people in mind that I would love to shoot and at the top of my list is Chelsey which... may be a problem considering her self-loathing and deep phobia of cameras. But maybe I can make it work. God I love Laura Veirs.
I'm gonna move to the country, where I can see the heavenly stars, the heavenly stars, the heavenly stars.
...Oh wait I already did.
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