A Yiddish Proverb with Graphics to Explain!

It is a perhaps unknown or widely held Yiddish proverb that explains "When brains are needed, brawn won't help".

My friend, Thom Peters from American Papist and Catholic Vote
offered this link on his Gmail Buzz.

I promise: If you click on this link, you will be entertained. =) If not, I promise to dedicate a whole post to you. (You will have to comment to tell me who you are. hehe)  

हैप्पी रेअदिंग! (That means Happy Reading in some foreign language. =)

http://www.simoleonsense.com/infographic-how-to-have-a-rational-discussion/

This One's For The Girls

Dear readers,
I found this while sorting through my old email account and, as I don't have current emails for all of you, decided to post this on here. As with all good passages, this still holds true 6 years after I first received it. So for all of you females reading this.....Thank you!

This says it All:
Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Love waxes and wanes.
Hearts break.
Careers end.
Jobs come and go.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Men don't call when they say they will.

BUT...........

Girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you.

A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach.When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it for yourself, your girlfriends will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end. Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you. Or come in and carry you out.

Daughters, Daughter-in-laws, sisters, sisters-in-law, mother, mother-in-law, aunties, nieces, cousins, extended family, and friends bless our life!
The world wouldn't be the same without them, and neither would I.
When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Every day, we need each other still.

Pass this on to the women who help make your life work.
I just did.
Friends are like fat thighs, they keep in touch.( I loved this part!)

To all my dear girls......you have kept me sane and kept me going! Please know that you are all in my prayers. May you have a blessed Lent!

xoxo,
Mona

REAL Estates - A Link or Two

I am going to live here one day. It is ugly as sin on the outside (although oddly enticing.....) but just read all about it: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=5

Or I could live here: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=7

This is just weird, and odd, but cool? Yes: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=8

A house that lets you cheat death?....or not: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=10

This would just be neat to walk through, although perhaps to creepy to own: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41371897?slide=11

When you think about it.....these are surprisingly inexpensive for the novelty and awesomeness they hold!

Happy 7th day of Lent!

"Let's Snort Some Vitamin C!"

Bonjour ma peeps!

Ok, so I don't snort anything, but the title was in honor of my brother, Stevo, coming home. He has bronchitis, and so was taking powdered Vitamin C and, being the goof that he is, starts going all Gollum on the Vita-C and proclaimed "Let's snort some vitamin C!" in a creepy tone that ended up being hilarious to me.

And then I found $20....... aka That-Story-Is-Not-As-Funny-Written-Down-As-It-Was-In-My-Head.

But truly....I love my little brother. He and I share a similar sense of humor and we "get" each other. I'm just sad that I only just got to see him this evening and found out that he has to leave for school tomorrow. Which leaves not nearly enough time to hang out. =( But I'm happy I got to at least see him! I am always laughing when he is home, even if I am annoyed with him. Gotta love siblings!

Lenten Thoughts

Hi everyone!

Wow. Being off Facebook is HARD. But what surprised me about the whole thing is WHY it was so hard. It was hardest for me not knowing what everyone else is doing and what's happening everywhere. THE SUSPENSE is KILLING ME (softly. with it's song. ......)

Which then brought me to the thought....."am I really that addicted to being in the center of things? Being a busybody knowing everything about everyone else? Or annoyed if people find out about things before me?"

It was kind of like knowing there's a huge party going on but your mom grounded you so you can't go. SO LAME. (Side note: my mom grounded me constantly but would often forget so I don't *really* know what this feels like as I haven't really been in that position before. GAH. I hate learning through experience sometimes....)

I have decided therefore, that my blog posts will be reminiscent of my activity on FB, so prepare yourselves to what at first might seem TOTALLY random.
So tell me people (I.E. LEAVE COMMENTS*!): are you finding your Lenten resolutions harder to keep than you had figured on?

*My love language is physical touch and words of affirmation. I crave both, so if I cannot get one, please indulge me with the other! It makes me feel connected and not so alone-screaming-into-a-black-hole. Thanks!

Euphemize Me

Hi lovely people who read my blog (or who will *start* reading my blog)!

Ok, so I stayed up late last night, and had early adoration this morning, which is where this blogpost is coming from, so I apologize for any skips in my train of thought. But there is something about the wee small hours of the morning that catches us off-guard and allows us to dig into our brains for what we're REALLY thinking about.

Now.....that being said, you may expect something profound to follow. If so, you clearly have not seen Finding Nemo and are CLEARLY not associated with how Dorie works. Random thoughts, yes. Profound, rarely.

But my thought is this: We have so many lovely euphemisms for unsightly or awful things in our language. If someone dies, we soften the blow by saying "they passed on". That euphemism gives the illusion of one's death as a sort of floaty passage into a better world. No pain, no suffering. While that can be annoying, it IS the point of euphemisms to make something unpleasant, pleasant. My point of aggravation comes with the word "fart". I know, I know.....it's one of "those" hush-hush, pre-teen-awkward words that, let me say, is just plain awkward. Now, you could argue that I only think it's an awkward word because of the way I was brought up. And to some extent that plays a part. But there is nothing redemptive or un-awkward about the actual word "fart". It rolls off your tongue through your lips in a very unattractive way. Even saying it leaves an unpleasant sensation in your mouth. And the oddity of it all, is that the euphemisms for this word that I have heard are almost more awkward and unpleasant than the word itself!

To date, here are some of the keepers: "To pass gas" (Eww.....), "To 'poot'" (really?), "To putt" (Now I can't go golfing anymore) and......that's it. I'm sure I've heard more, but none come to mind besides those three.

Here's where it gets interesting for you, dear readers. I am challenging YOU all to save our everyday language (because, let's be real....everyone farts at least once a day, or should) by coming up with a word that can serve as a correct euphemism: referring to an unpleasant word by replacing it with a pleasant word.

So as not to taint my adoration hour.....I will put my musings from that in a separate post. Have a happy and joyous Saturday!

- Mona

Musings from a Sleep Deprived PTA student....

Hello friends! At least, I'm assuming that the only people who are reading this are friends or at least friendly in nature. =) Beware, I am in a particularly emotional mood right now, which i'm hoping is due to mere hormones and nothing more serious. However, this past week was still crazy, trying to get everything(classes, finances, new city, etc.) in order and still failing. well, at least failing to get them written down in order. ha-ha. I'm not trying to have any sort of that order here, so this post will be more along the lines of Dorie, than anything else. Right now i'm listening to a CD my sister Chribber made me ages ago, and the current track is Maria Maria by Santana....a personal favorite that somehow always reminds me of Torie Wyant nee Zmuda. Speaking of which.....HAPPY 1st ANNIVERSARY, WYANTS!!! But the real question(and the reason why i started this post) is to ask you all what might be a purely hypothetical question, unable to be fully answered objectively: What makes a "home"?? Is it merely the sentiment/familiarity that a certain place holds?? is it ONLY "Where the heart is"?? At some point after one moves, they stop clarifying which home they're talking about when they say "home". When does that happen?? and when pushed....do you ever stop referring to the place you grew up as "Home"?? Is it love or familiarity that makes a place "Home"?? AGGHH!!! do you see my dilemma?? Let's put it into a physical setting for you visual people(you know who you are =P): 

I grew up in Ann Arbor, MI. I consider myself lucky in that most of my childhood was spent in one house....we didn't move alot after I was born. hmmm....that might be food for another post. At any rate....I will say that for the most part my childhood was happy, with normal ups and downs. But I will say in the same vein that it wasn't SUPER happy(at least in my memory). That being said.....I've moved around alot, especially in the past few years, and with this move....i feel like i could set up camp here in St. Paul. So what is it that makes me unable to think of St. Paul as home?? I definitely love it more than Ann Arbor as far as the actual cities goes. And it is and has been a much more positive environment for me, with a good group of friends who support me 100%; a fantastic school where a positive learning atmosphere is promoted; and a good base of support for my spiritual needs, with good churches within a mile of my apt in either direction; and a good variety of social events and interesting places to hang out. So I have many different loves present here, not to mention that I feel like this is where I'm supposed to be. Finally. So what IS it that pulls my heartstrings towards Ann Arbor?? Is it a certain kind of love that makes a home, "Home"??? and if so.....why isn't it "Home is Where a Certain Love Is?? WHY DAMMIT??? That would certainly clear things up for me and not pose such problems. I guess my conclusion is: Don't Trust Proverbs Or Life Sayings. THEY LIE/DECEIVE. 

Ok, i have to go actually start my day and get on with my life. PLEASE COMMENT!! I really want to know what you all think!! As always I remain,

Missing You From St. Paul.

Ok, God, Ok.

Ever have those Meg Ryan days?? More specifically, those Meg-Ryan-in-You've-Got-Mail days? Well, in case you are completely flabbergasted by this idea and have NO IDEA what I'm talking about.....allow me to explain:

To be Meg Ryan, you must have an optimistic view on life and be somewhat happy-go-lucky and cutesy. To be Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail, you must be the above with a little something extra: having your parade rained on. A specific scene comes to mind: Meg Ryan is in bed with an extreme cold, while her store is being crushed by a corporate giant. When she thinks life can't get any worse, who shows up on her doorstep but the one man who has single-handedly taken her down.

I don't know how that really applies to me, except that my allergies are acting up, making me all sniffle-y and sneeze-y and that just makes me think of Meg Ryan in that scene. That, and the fact that I wasn't able to rent a car today, a fact which supplied the necessary depression. Also like Ms. Ryan.....I came out on top. Not *quite* with the guy, the love, and all that jazz.....but at least with a way to continue on to St. Paul and with my sanity intact. =) Enter my GODSEND: My sister, Christina. She has been my angel of mercy and without her, I would be.....a disaster, alone in Chicago. But who really thinks this post is about anyone else but me?? So back to yours truly and my pathetic attempt at a move.

NEWSFLASH! THIS JUST IN:
I'M OFFICIALLY OFF THE WAITLIST AND CAN START MY PROGRAM THIS FALL!!! I am BEYOND ecstatic!! Apparently God just wanted to see if I was truly serious about this PTA business or what.

So, Chribber's computer is about to die so I have to sign off for now. Cheers faithful readers!!! May God bless you wherever you might be and in whatever you are doing!

25 things of random.

Dear readers,

I realize that most of you who used to be faithful readers, after almost two years, don't even check this anymore. However, lack of an audience never daunted other authors before, nor should I be the one to break that tradition. Not to mention it has always been my disposition that things are better left said than unsaid, if one has alot to say.

Now.....do not be alarmed that I have alot to say and so therefore you should fetch your favorite slippers and get comfortable. Nay nay......I doubt what I have to say will take more than a few short paragraphs. But perhaps if I can add bullcrap as I have been able to do in this introduction alone, it might end up being a bit more.

*deep breath*......here goes:

Well, ALOT has happened in the past year and a half. I DID in fact quit my job down in Texas, but for better reasons than my previous rant would suggest. In fact, I find that I owe the Reads and Texas a huge favor, if only in the discovery through them of what I do NOT want. But I must also add that it WAS while working with Ruthie, taking her to Physical Therapy, that I decided that PT was my destiny. "Haha.....destiny? come now, be real!", you might say. However, I truly believe that I was made to practice physical therapy. And seeing as this is the first thing in my life that I am TRULY convicted about and from which NOTHING would deter me, I think I can say that I am honestly destined to be a PTA. So.....hence there was alot of entreaties on the Reads end for me to stay, but I was firm and booked my flight home. I appreciate leaving now so much, because I've realized that the more I leave, the nicer it is to come home and be with my family. Not that my family and I don't get along.....it's just that I am able to appreciate them much more, having been away. That being said, I tend to stay too long and that lovely forgiving view fades away with time.

Skip forward a year. I am now finished with prerequisites and have decided that Chicago, while lovely, is *not* where I am supposed to be. Not to mention, I picked the worst time to not be in school and search for a temporary job that will pay enough for me to save. A novel idea for me, I know, but a necessary reality with the prospect of moving, a car, and more school in my future. Enter Starbucks. I know I know, they support everything bad and are well-versed in extortion. However, they are pretty much the only company in Ann Arbor who hire for temporary positions while offering insurance if one works more than 20 hours a week. which is what one was planning on doing anyways. So in July of 2008, I joined the multimillion dollar corporation and became known as a fullfledged "barista".....a modern term for "slave". It's true, with a smile and a joy that most Starbucks managers have yet to come across in a "newbie", I entered ranks. It is.....truly AMAZING....how detailed people can be about a simple cup of coffee. It also amazes me that anyone would be rude to, complain about to their face, or disrespect someone who is MAKING YOUR DRINK. I shudder to think of the number of people who have unknowingly drunk someone else's spit. That's right, I said SPIT. because let me tell you......it is only through my AMAZING self control, that I haven't spit in anyone's drink. The thought of throwing their hot drink in their face has also crossed my mind. In case you've never thought about this, and have on occasion been a bitch, I give you this advice......just don't. Your baristas/servers/whoever CAN and WILL get you back for every jab or rudeness. What do you think we think about in between customer lines or on our days off?? OUR JOB CONSUMES US IN A VERY NASTY WAY. on the bright side however, I really love interacting with the people, especially if they're nice. Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but talking to tons of people throughout the day is like crack to me. I get a high from it. Honestly. And it has been a TON of fun learning how to make all the million different kinds of coffee drinks, and make them well. I never thought I would see the day when I would get so excited about "good foam". trust me....there is a HUGE difference between good foam and bad foam, looks AND taste.

But enough about Starbucks. I'm in California for the first time in my LIFE!!! Let me just say right now so I can get it off my chest: No trip is ever free. And I mean that in so many different ways. But for the past three days I've been in Heaven, staying @ Mary Twaddle's(a good friend from school) condo in Laguna Beach. Yeah.....you heard me right.....I said LAGUNA BEACH! and no, I don't watch those silly shows, but it's exciting nevertheless! I am very easily entertained and amused and yes, my mom was amazing at teaching me to never lose my sense of wonder. Not only that, but my brother is on his way to pick me up and show me LA!!! The funny thing is, is that I'll be excited to come home. California is a beautiful place, but I don't want to live here, oddly enough. My sister Christina, on the other hand, NEEDS to move here. "Well, it'll be nice then for you to be home soon.", you say. Not so......I go home a day and a half from now, only to be home for a few days, then off again on another adventure! This time, however, I'm staying in the midwest and visiting MN. Good friends, awesome city, and a meeting with a fantastic school await me there.

Oh goodness, there are just times when my heart swells and it's SO GOOD to be alive!!! those moments come and go, but they happen enough to where it makes the other times more endurable. I spend my days wavering between the view that life is this scheduled, monotonous daily regime and all I have to do is get through it and the view that life is this crazy exciting winding road with new adventures just brimming over with fun are around every bend. So right now, I'm going to let you all go and I'm going to savor the sweetness of this moment and thank God for it, for I think we don't ever just stop to thank Him enough. Goodnight, and who knows?? perhaps this is a good start to a more regular posting habit.

......we'll see. =)

Ps. because I think that every author should always have a postscript about something, here's mine: I just realized that I didn't tell you why I chose the title I did. Let's see if you can figure it out......=P

"When In The Course Of Human Events...."

Dear Readers....

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!!

i hope all of you experience great fun, great food, and great FIREWORKS today!!!! and may we all just take a minute and thank the dear Lord for our freedom and country.

Even with all of our screwed up ways.....there's still greatness to be tapped into here, and hopefully it will shine through in the years to come!

I, for one, am HAPPY to be an American!

here's an excerpt from an online site that i found about the meaning of our COLORS.....

In the language of the Continental Congress, which defined the symbolic meanings of the colors red, white, and blue, as used in the flag, “White signifies Purity and Innocence; Red, Hardiness and Valor; and Blue, Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.”

May we do all in our power to bring those meanings back to representing our country.

Truly.....may God bless the USA!!! =) =) =)