It's The Little Things

Me, yself, and I are easily amused. More often then not I find myself drawn to small, yet ironic and humorous facts or happenings that have little to no importance to anyone other then me. Earlier today, during my World Civilizations class, while reviewing the military strength of the ancient Assyrian Empire, I wondered about grappling hooks and how they may have played a roll, however, my World Civ teacher didn't think they played a roll, despite the fact that Assyrian military was so advanced that they dug trenches, climbed over walls with ladders, and burst through doors with battering rams. I then became curious about the history of grappling hooks, and when I googled it (I love the fact that google is a verb) about five sites down, wookipedia, the Starwars Wikipedia, appeared, with facts about the Jedi grappling hook likentool, and an ewok princess who was known for her superb skill with a grappling hook. The fact that Starwars has made such an impact on history and society, that the make-believe history of the Starwars universe would appear for a serious search for a historical weapon. Some could say that this is a downfall of society, but I, being me, found it amusing, and it made my day. As sad as that sounds.
So that's what made my day today, and I hope you stumble across something, be it of great importance or small significance, that makes your day. Have a good one!!!

Matters of the Heart

There are a great many phrases that relate to the heart, and how simple, yet extremely complex it truly is, it is fragile, and prone to yearning for things it really doesn't need at all. It can be tricked, broken, pieced back together, and it can swell in your chest to the degree that you can feel your emotions physically. And despite all attempts to lock it away, to keep it protected in a fortress, and to save it from inevitable heartache, we still trip and fall into traps that seem set up specifically to ensnare our hearts and push us further into ourselves, two afraid to open up. I know my hearts been trampled on many times, but still it beats on, and it swells during the days I feel loved, or just days that compassion seems to overpower me. Today I received two lovely, and unexpected hugs. I was told that I'm beautiful, for the first time in a very long time, and was called an affectionate nickname I had nearly forgotten all about: Eckybear (a nickname which I shall explain a little later on). So just over the course of a Friday, my heart has swollen to the point that I can feel it beating against my chest, and spilling out of my eyes, down my cheeks. And I began to think about the phrases that deal with the heart, and evaluated them based on my own personal experience. 

• "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." 

This phrase makes sense to me, although I feel it may be a bit inaccurate. Through absence of a certain someone, the imagination can overpower your heart, which, although it knows the truth, gets so caught up in the romanticized version your imagination pours forth, that it forgets to reject your ridiculous ideas. And during this weakness the imagination glorifies the absent party, into a beautiful and delightful figment. Thus making the heart "grow fonder."

• "Follow your heart." 

Oh what a simple, yet complex phrase. I tend to relate these particular words to passion, and drive, to become something better, and to reach goals that seem beyond the bounds of reality. If you have a love for something, in my case art, go after it, with all you've got. 




But I don't its always a good idea relating to relationships, so as a follow up quote from Fireproof:

• "And don't just follow your heart, man; 'cause your heart can be deceived. But you gotta lead your heart" 

There we go! How easy is it to give in, to forget all you know, and just go with it? How easy is it to throw wisdom out the window, just to feel a moment of love, or a small dose of admiration? And in the process, throw away the chance for long term love because of a simple lack of patience. I'm a high school student. I see this everyday, and my heartaches for the girls who throw away their futures just to feel appreciated and cared for, for just a small amount of time.

Stress can take a toll on the heart as well, and just a few kind words can make all the difference. That's how I felt today, so stressed out, and so overwhelmed with everything life has been throwing at me. and those few kind words, as well as some wonderful hugs, helped me tremendously. The nickname Eckybear was given to me by a friend of mine named Joe. Joe enjoys Pig Latin, and so a couple of years ago he started calling me EckyBe, and one day it sounded like he called me Eckybear, and it stuck. Its one of the nicknames I actually enjoy, and I'm glad to hear it every now and then.

Comfort... stuff?

Many people, including myself, have an individual menu of comfort foods. Mine, for example, consists of cheesecake, chocolate (of course), mac-n-cheese, white rice, toast, saltine crackers, apples, and strawberries. These are not necessarily meant eaten together... Just so ya know. Interior designers are known to use comfort colors, such as light green, light purple, creamy yellow, and a variety of neutrals. But I, I have comfort music, comfort books, and comfort movies.

When I feel the need for comfort music I ussually find myself drawn to Jazz. Tony Bennett, and his song I Left My Heart in Sanfrancisco, or Billie Holiday singing I'll Be Seeing You. If I don't turn to Jazz, I ussually turn to Folk music, like Priscilla Ahn's song Dream, or Don't Let Your Hair Grow Too Long by Oren Lavie. I really love these kinds of music, because they sound as if they come straight from the soul. They aren't superficial, they arent trendy. They're emotionaly, but not dramatic. Heartfelt, but not mushy either. Gotta love it. But if that just doesn't cut it, I'll listen to good old fashioned Rock n' Roll. The 70's and 80's are the best. Eurythmics, Meatloaf, Looking Glass: Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) is my favorite! Rock and Roll is American, and it's fun, and spunky, and it has a bit of an attitude. And of course, the comfort music of all 90's children: the Disney music. My favorite animated Disney flick is Oliver and Company: Why Should I Worry? Streets of Gold. Once Upon a Time in New York City. All time favorites. You can't forget Hakkunah Matattah, or Bare Necessities. Be Our Guest, Friend Like Me, and Just Around the River Bend are always great. Disney music is generally relaxing, and even though it's written for kids, it's got a lot of deep meaning to it, and some, kind of life advice, I guess. I'm not a big fan of A Whole New World from Alladin or Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid, like the rest of the universe is, but Disney music will always be among my favorite songs of all time. And music from the Sound of Music is also quite comforting, like My Favorite Things, and Edelwiess. Beautiful, and while fun most of the time, it's also soulful. Because of my love for it, music is aways playing at my house, and you never know exactly what it is I'll be singing next.

Me? A bookworm... naw! I just, ya know, live in books most of the time. That's not bookworm behavior, is it? Yeah. Yeah it is. I'm a big fan of the classics, Gone with the Wind, being one of my all time favorites. Rhett butler is one dreamy fella, and I aint ashamed to admit it. I also love Pride and Prejudice. Oh Mr.Darcy, you lovable, lovable jerk-face. Jane Austin has such a nack for writing deep, meaningful love stories. And not just another old Valentines Day, Roses and Chocolate, love stories. So superficial, and fake, and phoney, and full of fraud! (Holy cow, thats a lot of alliteration!) Another one of my favorites Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, and I've been known to read it once every year. It's so easy to get lost in the story, and the words, and the language of the author, I just can't help myself! It transports you into another world, where you can feel the steamy heat of the jungle, and hear the noise of the forest floor, and the calls of all the feathered friends, and chatter of the monkeys. The book I probably turn to the most for comfort is Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers, which ironically enough, isn't an old book, but a contemporary classic. And it's definately a must read! But beware, if you don't pace yourself while reading it, you'll find yourself emotionally drained, because you get so in touch with the characters that you stress when they stress, and when horrible things happen, you find yourself crying too! But when hope takes over, light shines, and you find it's so easy to be content with life. Another comfort... well series, actually, is The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. They're just so peaceful, and they fill you with awe, and wonder. Gorgeous. I just finished The Help, and although it's a wonderful book, I doubt it will be one of my comfort books. But read it anyways, it's a great story!

Comfort Movies!!! Lord of the Rings! Starwars! Gone with the Wind! You've Got Mail! And yet again, just about anything Disney. Lord of the Rings, while being violant and kinda scary, is a wonderful adventure, and, intesting fact, is actually based on Christianity. J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of Lord of the Rings actually introduced C.S. Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia, to Christ. How cool is that? Starwars, because of the numerous amount of time I've spent watching it is an easy fall-asleep-to movie, but is always good after a long, stressful week. It brings me back to familiarity. George Lucas' wonderful imagination has made that film an immortal story, and I will love it for all time. Gone with the Wind is another movie filled with danger and violence, but Scarlett has such a strength about her, that it spills over, and gives a confidence back to the audience. Life doesn't end when war happens, it still goes on, it is possible to overcome, as impossible as it may seem som days. And again, Rhett is just dreamy. You've Got Mail is a contemporary classic, as far as I'm conserned, and I'm afraid it's terribly underrated. It's poetic, and deep, and a simple way, and it just fills you with true, heart-felt emotion. It also has wonderful sayings that make you smile and beautiful quotes. You must definately go see it!

So there you have it. Comfort foods, music, books, and movies. A nice list of some of my favorite things, and another glimpse into who this Becky person is. She's kinda wierd isn't she? Yeah, I think so too. =D