More often than not, I feel like there is simply not enough time in the day. I mentioned it in a previous blog post, but I keep a crazy schedule, with color coding and endless checklists. Some days I wake up and look at everything I have ahead of me, and I think, "Maybe I will just curl up in bed today, make some *Nutella hot chocolate*, and watch a movie."That moment of implausible thought is enough to make me realize that I can't stop, that I just need to keep moving. But in that small moment, I begin to ache inside for peace and quiet. I love for a day or two to myself, with no required schedule or deadlines to meet. This year, in an attempt to do everything possible my Senior year, I think I have booked myself too full. From fifteen credits to work to conferences to planning committees and more, I just feel like I am run on schedule that will not stop. I find myself worn down, feeling like a horse that has run too far without stopping.
In these times, I wish for a way to stop time. To simply press pause on my life and take a break from the chaos. It would be the greatest gift in the world. I would love to just take a day off. I know this is a first world problem, but I have been in school for four straight years. I have worked a full time job during most of that time. I just feel tired, and I know that this is only the beginning. Adulthood is calling, as my senior teaching classes keep reminding me. I hope that Thanksgiving Break and Christmas Break will be enough to really help me relax, take it easy, and re-cooperate. And next semester, I will definitely re-evaluate my schedule.
Tonight, I had plans to take a step away from the posts about random dance parties and British chocolate. I wanted to turn my attention to a more serious topic and discuss my thoughts after watching the PBS Documentary Half the Sky. It was inspiring, incredible, powerful...insert your own intensifier here. I watched it tonight online because it is expiring at midnight, and I decided it was more important than my other homework or cleaning checks. My assessment was correct: it was the best thing I could have done for myself today. I recommend every checks it out. Half The Sky will change the way you look at improving the lives of women around the world.
Anyways, I was going to devote my whole blog post to the topic until I entered the necessary pastime of all college students- watching YouTube Videos and looking at blogs about animals. I was reminded that sometimes it is good to keep the troubles in check with some hearty giggles and belly-aching chuckles. I want to fill the world with smiles, and I think that sometimes the best way to do that is through sharing what I find inspirational and sometimes just a little silly. So here are my top five pics for the night:
5. Squirrels with Day Jobs- Yes, you read that right. It is a slideshow of pictures of squirrels dressed up in costumes. Hopefully, it is not too ridiculous to bring you at least a smile or two. Here is a teaser image for you:
4. Extreme Sheep Herding
There are LED lights, photo imaging, crazily talented dogs...just watch it. You will not regret it. And make sure to tip your hats off to talented Brits with mad sheep herding skills
2. The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party- This video is proof that Saturday Night Live can still be funny. I know way too many of these girls and guys. We need to stop pretending we care, and actually start listening to ourselves, rather than staring at our phones.
And my #1 Pick.....Drum roll please....
Cuties and Their Equally Cute Canines- This slideshow changed my day. I loved it more than words can express. It was the ultimate inspiration for this blog post. The commentary below is even better. I know that it will make anyone smile. I mean, just look at Ryan Reynolds and his canine cutie.
I hope you find reasons to smile everyday. It is the small moments that really make a difference. And that is just a musing of a marvelous me. :D
Well, its time to come clean: I am obsessed with British chocolate. My obsession fixates particularly around Cadbury chocolate, manufactured in the United Kingdom. (The distinction is important because the majority of the Cadbury chocolate available for purchase in the U.S. is now manufactured by Hershey's. The quality is not nearly as good....These facts are simply proving the extent of my obsession.) Roald Dahl's autobiography Boy tells of how he got the idea for Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory when he was a young boy in British boarding school. Cadbury would send little packages of their chocolates for the boys to try and then rate on a form they would send back to the company. I can attest that this chocolate really is that powerful. It could inspire a legendary tale like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
My obsession is not something to be proud of, and it does not mean that I only eat chocolate from across the pond. I still enjoy a good bag of M&Ms or Reese Peanut Butter Cup. But it will never warm my heart like a Cadbury Milk Chocolate bar does.
The obsession started young. My family and I went to England when I was twelve to visit my grandparents who were living there at the time. We took a trip to Bournville, England, to visit Cadbury World. It is a place of magic and wonder. Our entrance tickets really were like Golden Tickets. They handed us each three full size candy bars with our tickets. At that moment, I knew then that I would never be the same.
I went back to England on study abroad with an express responsibility to my family to bring back an entire suitcase filled with Cadbury. When I stepped off the plane at Heathrow, I discovered another magical site: a Cadbury chocolate vending machine. I knew I was in the right place. I would buy it in bulk and store it at the flat, enduring a lot of teasing from my professors and fellow students alike. But I knew it would be worth it. Real Cadbury chocolate is hard to come by in the U.S., and my stash would hopefully last for a while.
Unfortunately, it ran out quick, and I knew I needed to find more. That is when I discovered Blickenstaff's, a marvelous candy/toy store in the Riverwoods. There I found my Boost bars, my Twirls, my Cadbury Dairy, and even my mint Aero bars. Without their supply of British chocolate, I would be paying a crazy premium for Cadbury chocolate flown in from overseas. I love going to Blickenstaffs, and I love seeing the large tollbooth filled with my favorites.
So here is my slice of life: go to Blickenstaff's, and try a piece of Cadbury chocolate. It will bring a bit of magic into your life. There is a reason that chocolate is a cure for the despair of Dementors...but remember, its British chocolate they're eating. And that's just the musing of a marvelous me.
