What's in a name?

This week I've been developing a slideshow about myself for class, and it's going really well I think. I just turned it in today actually, so I'm not really developing it anymore. It's made up of my first and last name, only it's spelled out in different pictures that look like the letters of my name. These pictures are all of ancient architecture/art. History is something that I love, and is one of the things that I've always wanted to be a part of, maybe even teach it after I graduate college. Ideally I'd love to teach church history at a college level. For some reason, it's one of those subjects that I excel in, for what ever reason.

My favorite part of the whole show is the last bit though, when the pictures tell something about me. It's got everything from nature to music and heart pics. It's all set to "April Come She Will" by Simon and Garfunkel. It's one of my favorite songs- my dad used to play it on his guitar when I was little. Like the slideshow, the song reminds me of my earliest days, but the song also has relevance now. Like the words "April... come she will... resting in my arms again..." always reminds of this one guy I know who's always there to give me a hug when

~misstaylorannie

Saturn Has a Shadow?

Okay folks, how does a heavenly body such as the incomparable Saturn have a shadow when it's simply suspended in space with nothing around it? I DON'T KNOW EITHER! IT EXCITES ME GREATLY! I love learning about new things like that... it's all so amusing to me! My resource says that the robot spacecraft Cassini drifted past the planet just as it eclipsed the sun, and now we have this 

ah-maze-za-zing photograph! Check it out! 

Part of the reason why it looks like that is because of it's rings, my source says. The rings somehow amp up the lighting, making for a gorgeous view of the planet. The colors were exaggerated, but then again, it makes for a great view. Also, because of this magnificent view, new rings were discovered! All this happened last month!!! Supposedly, there's a blue speck in there somewhere that is supposed to be Earth... maybe if you squint your eyes, turn your head, and count backwards from 99 to 1 you can see it... nope. I can't see it! NOOOOOO!!! 

(Source:  http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090111.html)

I love this picture! It's ethereal and artistic almost. Quite a beautiful example when you look at it from the stand point of an artist (if you enjoy art as much as I do!) 

With Love,

MissTaylorAnnie

Love Moderately: A Tribute To Valentine's Day

So maybe this title is a bit confusing... haven't all great thinkers told us to open our hearts and love freely? To love everyone and everything? Well, I have something to say to them- to much of a good thing can be a bad thing. 

How many times a day do we hear the words: 

"Oh my gosh! I so totally love your shoes!" 

"I love pizza! It's like, my favorite!" 

"Brad Pitt is the most amazing actor ever! I love him so much!!!" 

It disgusts me. 

Well, love doesn't disgust me. The word does. Love used to mean a feeling that one person had for another person; it was never meant to be a general word used to describe anything and everything that we find amusing. By using the word so many times we weaken it. "Love" isn't a new pair of really great heels, no matter how cute they are. It isn't a word that guys should use on their girlfriends to get "lucky." It's not a word that should be used in the descriptions for one's favorite food items or actors. 

No. It should be used when telling someone how you really feel. If they're your parents who have always been there for you and care for you, use love. If they're your best friend who's been your crutch when you were suffering, use love. If you are so romantically involved with someone that you cannot live without them and you want to be with them because they make you want to be a better person, use love. 

Remember, don't get so involved in the word that you forget it's meaning.  

I don't suppose that any of you viewers have heard of the recent problems with the incredible Michael Phelps or the seemingly unstoppable A-Rod? Is it just me, or has the media had too much of a field day with this? Please, let these people have some space! Heaven forbid that they slip up! I'm not condoning weed and steroids, but people make mistakes, including us "nobodies," so who are we to judge? Yeah, they slipped up... but who hasn't? I'm not going to judge, and neither should the paparazzi or the rest of the world. It stinks that they have to be put under a microscope. Their privacy should be respected, not violated. Would you like it if people were constantly prying into your lives with cameras asking you questions that you don't want to answer? If "normal" people get caught with drugs, we get yelled at by our parents/family and then go to rehab. The paparazzi almost makes it glamorous and acceptable. By showing the world this behavior, the photo hounds make bad behavior alright because that's the standards that we are given to emulate whether it's right or wrong. Does any one remember Brittany Spears? Her life went down the drain and the press made it into such a huge saga that people hardly paid attention to anything more than the fact that she was getting attention. What's that saying to the world, especially the youth who still have minds that can be easily influenced?  

Hello All!!! 

I love writing- poetry, music, stories, everything (writing is my ramble for this week!!!)! Most of my stories are about young relationships. Watching people and how they interact with others fascinates me and I frequently incorporate those observations into my stories. I love listening to others too (I also love to talk! I'm awfully longwinded when it comes to writing, as you can probably already tell!). Could anyone out there give me some inspiration? My poems usually come out of extreme emotion; anger, love, hate, the works (All of them enjoy presenting themselves on a weekly basis when you're 16!). When it comes to music, I get lost... a lot. I got a great song going on my guitar, but there aren't any lyrics yet, and it has to be elaborated on from a musical standpoint. Usually lyrics come first for me, but I found a great chord combo for a sad song, and I can't think of any lyrics to go with it. HELP!!! 

For me, inspiration lasts for a fleeting moment. It's like a balloon: when you have it, it's beautiful and full and complete... let it go, and it drifts away- the further it goes, the more distant and unclear it seems. As sad as it is, it's true. One moment I'll be sitting in Biology Class daydreaming and the next I'll be frantically scrawling in my notebook margin the lyrics for a new song or even a new concept for one of my stories. Sometimes I feel crazy doing that, when I look around and no one else seems to notice me and I feel detached. I know that I'm not the only one in this world that gets that sensation, but it's strange and wonderful, being able to look in at the world from the outside perspective. It's surreal and strange. If you aren't careful, it's easy to detach yourself and not jump back in. It gets lonely if you consistently think that you're on the outside looking in when no one is on the outside with you. It's odd and incredible to look at things at a different angle. Life gets dull if you don't step outside life's frame and take a peek inward. 

On that artistic note, I'll elaborate into music in general. One of my favorite bands ever is The Hooters (this is before the restaurant and the girls). If anyone gets the chance, listen to the songs "And We Danced" and "Day By Day."

These are some of my favorite DAY BY DAY lyrics: 

"Give me what you can tonight,

Time is all we have to play,

tell me you cant live without me,

tell me every day by day by day,

Day by Day...

Nothing lasts forever,

Only fades away,

Day by Day..."     

I love that song!!! It's so sweet. The group is so passionate about their music- you can hear it in their voices and choices for instrumental music. "All You Zombies" is also a good one- they took the Christian stories of Moses and Noah and turned it into this stellar rock-ish song. 

So what do you think? What are your favorite songs/topics/themes? I'm always looking for new inspiration!  

Alright readers, unless you've been living under a rock these past few months, you've been exposed to the economic difficulty of foreclosure. People should know that if they don't have the money to keep something, then they should not attempt to purchase it in the first place. It is quite obviously straining our economy when people cannot afford to keep their own homes, then cannot pay off home loans, and in the end wind up owing the banks a ton of cash. The banks cannot function on such a limited income, and now we've plummeted into a vacuous black hole with out a penny in our pockets. I think that the government should step in... and help get these people some education. Forget about anything that is a "personal" problem (what I mean by that is, it's a nice idea to help people with STDs, but that's their personal problem that isn't impacting the economy at the scale that the housing crisis is.) Stick to the basics- what do we need most? Honestly, if you aren't sure that you don't have the money, don't spend! Think about the future- is that brand new home that you're looking at but don't need, don't buy! That money might be useful later if you get into medical problems or if a "new addition" to the family arrives. Look to the future, and stop continuously living in the "now." It's a nice, wonderful thought to be able to constantly live in the present and never worry about the consequences, but come on people, get real! There are consequences to everything, and if you aren't sure that those consequences are beneficial or not, be wary. Better safe than sorry!!! 

I don't mean to say that I know what I'm doing when it comes to money, because I really don't know much about it. I really would be lost if my home were to be taken from me, but at the same time, it would be totally my fault if my house was taken from me (well, my family would have to have something to do with it too). I wouldn't be happy about it, but then again it was me who dug that hole. That's why I say that you lie in the bed that you make. It's no one's fault but yours-  not you boss, not the economy, not anyone but yourself. It stinks that America's going through so much right now, but it doesn't get any better if we keep on throwing our earnings out the window! SAVE YOUR MONEY!!! The only way to get through this is if ALL of America wakes up together!