Let's Talk Surface Level Politics

I've only paid attention to politics for about the past 2 or 3 years and over that time I have unconsciously become a Libertarian. I never considered myself anything but when I ask myself my stance, that just happens to be where I fall. You should ask yourself the same questions, because half of people are Democrats or Republicans for the title or maybe the stigma that comes with the name, not what is the actual beliefs behind the title. I never really included myself in a party but just for the sake of giving you a foot hole, that's just where I am placing myself. Just to briefly explain the ideals of being a libertarian, it is completely people centered. The Libertarian belief is that everyone should be able to live, act, and be however they want. So yes, the Libertarian point of view is to legalize... everything really. Gay marriage, pornography, drugs, abortion, and prostitution. I clarify right now, I will even bold it for you I do not agree with, advocate, or support these lifestyle choices. I support one's freedom to choose. I do not encourage pornography, I actually discourage it, but by it being illegal, along with all of these others issues, simply forces people into the mold that is known as "The American." The government should not have a say in relationship affairs. People should be able to live as they want and although my morals may not support that, they aren't me. I think that is what is wrong with society today. We have this par. We have the level and standard that each and every one of us need to reach in order to be considered a useful and productive member of society. This thought process is unconstitutional. I fully support groups being formed that are not "bashing" prostitution but instead developing awareness of better alternatives. Approach the situation in a caring way instead of a, sorry to be blunt, "You're a whore and we are shamed by you," way. Forming awareness groups unites people with similar beliefs, creates caring roots for a better society, and keeps the governments hands out of our lives.
In the Presidential Running for 2012, the Libertarians, under the title of Republican (blah) have two major candidates to choose between for the Republican vote.
Gary Johnson and Ron Paul.
For awhile I was a Ron Paul supporter. He is covered more often with the media and I was simply exposed to him more. He is a great candidate and if chosen I will be just fine, but I will admit that I am leaning more toward Gary Johnson. He is younger, he is fresh, and if not chosen he can try again, where as this really may be the last run for Paul. Johnson and Paul have very similar viewpoints, so when it boils down to it picking between the two is difficult. Because of his time in the limelight, Paul has developed a bit of baggage that is very likely to be thrown at him during his campaign. Like most media coverage, a lot of the accusations that Paul faces may very well be false, but the media as already planted them in our minds and sometimes that is enough. Paul, in 2008, was targeted for harassment and marginalization because of content published in a newsletter. Some of it included racists comments like "blacks are more likely to commit crimes" and something about Martin Luther King Jr. being a "pro-communist philanderer." These thought clearly don't reflect anything that Paul has ever stood for, but he won't give out the name of the author and won't hold him responsible. Admirable in my eyes, but the public will be ignorant and use the comments against in his campaign. On the contrary, Johnson really has no dirt under his shoes that the media has gotten their hands on. He did go through a divorce a few years back, but besides that he is clean. I'm the media will try to find something, but for now he is good. 


I consider myself to support both candidates but when it boils down to it Gary Johnson in my #1 and Ron Paul a close 2nd. His key goal if elected is to significantly lower government spending by $.43 of every dollar spent by Big Brother and lessen our nations debt. 


"As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others." 

Letters From Colorado

Although in college I have met some of the best people, there are always those couple of people from high school you never fall off from. Obviously one of those would be my roommate Kinsey. Kid won't leave me alone, so I have no choice! Another would have to be my little Colorado student Courtney. Although we were very close in middle school and the beginning of high school, we stopped hanging out for a bit and I've no damned idea why. I love this girl to death and have received a letter from her today :-) it is in a fantastic vintage envelope and is handwritten. These are my favorite type of letters and Courtney is one of the few people that share that taste . She is my friend that I could make a handmade gift, it turn out like crap, and she would still love it and twist it into a new hipster fashion. You have to be a whole new level of awesome to appreciate my homemade gifts..

Moral if the story: find those people. The people that appreciate you no matter what, love your homemade pieces if shit, and write you letters from Colorado.

A Spoon Full of Sugar Helps the Sugar Go Down

Me

Just a little background on what brought this blog about. When I was younger and my parents weren't home, maybe even when they were home, I would do handstands like a crazy woman. I don't know why but while I would watch T.V. I would just do handstands over and over. I was just now sitting in my dorm and I had a brief memory of this and it made me want to do a handstand. So I stood up and attempted a handstand and I'm pretty positive my legs went 30 degrees in the air and my fat ass came right back down. Then I came to the sad truth I had been pushing away.... I have gained weight since I entered college. The only thing that is keeping me from busting out is that I walk to all of my classes across campus, besides that I do not exercise in comparison to the 30 miles a week I did in high school. I've had to buy new bra's (I AIN'T COMPLAINING) and my jeans, the stretch ones..... (you know its bad when the stretch jeans don't fit) are getting a bit snug. I never thought I would have to diet in my entire life.... but the day has come. By diet I of course mean not eating corndogs and maybe throwing a salad in for lunch instead of ramen. I'm not counting calories or eating egg whites are anything else ludacris. I ain't obese just a little thick, okay?

I will begin this diet.... after Thanksgiving. Maybe after Christmas, but the months after Christmas are depressing and I need comfort food. I need help.

Attempt at Presidential Assissnation

Ortega, Picture by the U.S. Park Police

Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez has been charged with attempt to assassinate the president. He reasoning was the belief that he, himself, is Jesus and President Barack Obama is the Antichrist. I partly believe the second half...
"Well, you know the president is getting ready to make an announcement that they're going to put GPS chips in all the children, so they're safe," said Ortega.
He claimed that President Obama was planning on implanting chips into all children, therefore giving the mark of the Antichrist. Personally, if the president does end up saying that he plans on doing anything remotely close to that... I may just go crazy too.
Ortega actually succeeded in breaking a window to the living quarters of the President and first lady Michelle Obama. He was found in a Pennsylvania hotel and arrested on Wednesday.

I guess it was the facial hair that led him to believe he was Jesus? I wish I could grow facial hair.

Moral of the story: If you're president.... Avoid all "O" names.

Guinness World Record, snaps

Peter Glazebrook, record onion 8.15kgs!

Attempt for most dogs surfing

Guess what today is? Yes, it's November 17th, but more importantly it is Guinness World Record Day. All around the world today people will be doing the utmost ridiculous things in order to set a record and make it into the Guinness World Record book. Most of these record are silly and useless and a lot of people blog about the absurdity and pointlessness of it, but I feel this is a great way to bring everyone together for a day and drop all seriousness and have fun.

A few records that were set this year include:

-The Largest Cream Tea Party set in Essex, England. 334 tea party-ers
-The largest gathering of people dressed as leprechauns set in Dublin, Ireland. 262 leprechauns
-Bernice Mary Bates set the record for the oldest yoga teacher, 91 yrs old.
-Longest hula hoop workout was set by 221 elementary students in New Port Richey, Florida
-The largest rice cracker in Japan
-The most arrows caught by hand... blindfolded.. in Germany
-The largest 3D painting in London
-The largest speed dating event in China

Puggy, the worlds longest tongue

All of these awesome folks will be inducted into the next edition of the Guinness World Record book, and well deserved! I wish I was creative enough to come up with some wacky plan to make it into the book.
Best Blogger Ever?

Three Thumbs Up for Greg!

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Today I read a small article about a barber in Canton, Ohio that has taken a new approach to business. Gregory Burnett opened his barber shop but because of the downward economy he has had little business. Understandable. I'm not sure if he is a wise guy or just an oblivious goofball but he said "It is one of the first things that people cut back on." Thumbs up for being awesome Greg. 


Anyways, he has made a deal with his customers... Pay what you can. That's right, as much money as you can afford for your haircut. Burnett said that his original pricing was $12 for a men's cut but right now people are paying as little as $5. His motto is "The haircut is free. I charge you to sit in the chair."


My favorite part of this story is that Burnett's thinking is that a haircut could mean a new job opportunity for one of his customers. To have the mentality that something so mundane and often overlooked could impact someone so much is awesome. Greg get's more thumbs up! I only have two though so I guess that's done.


This is a great example of somebody doing something for the common good. People talk about it all the time, but somebody has actually taken action. If we all had this mentality, who knows where the world would be. Greg get's to do what he loves and help people out. Sure he isn't making a six figure salary, but he is just a happy guy and that is all you really need. 


Now let's talk about the salaries of Congress.....

Facebook Introduces the Cherry on Top of Your Lie

Chaucer, that little Facebooker

I read an article today that legitimately scared me. Apparently, Facebook is introducing a new feature soon that allows a user to alter the date and time of a status or post. That sounds completely innocent and unimportant, but if you take into consideration the impact that Facebook has on people's life's today, you will understand the significance of this feature.
Facebook is no longer a social medium, it is life. That sounds dramatic, but for my age group give or take a decade... Facebook is a big deal. With this new feature Facebook has made it easy for anybody to lie. It has opened a door to complete deviousness. So many scenario's are flying through my head of how this could go so wrong. I really do not understand why Facebook would incorporate this feature. What is it benefiting? Why can you not just post a post and you're done with it? All of these changes are really beginning to complicate things.
This is like a haven for cheating spouses, criminals, and lying children. They can simply move around dates and times and observers are completely oblivious. I cannot tell you how many relationships that I know of that have negatively been impacted by Facebook, and this new feature only allows the lies to flow deeper.

I know we've all lost our voices and don't know how to communicate via mouth anymore, but let's at least be honest shallow brained robots.

Over The River And Through The Woods, Into The Earth We Go

For all of you afraid of heights, Mexico City is introducing a phenomena known as the "Earth Scraper." Essentially it is an inverted pyramid (har har at Journalism majors) that is 60 stories into the earth. Just a little background, Mexico City bans any building to be more than eight stories tall, which I can imagine isn't very space efficient. So the idea of a building actually going the other way is kind of nifty. It will have a full, glass top allowing sunlight to come in, because of its pyramid design the entire building will be very well lit. It is intended that it be a sub-ground city with some of the storied being residential and some being commercial.

I find this building idea very iffy. A couple of questions that I had when I first read about this idea was what if there is a fire? Going down stairs is hard enough, GOING UP? I'm about to pass out right now just thinking about it.
I'm no earth scientist but is the earth not constantly shifting? Wouldn't that cause serious architectural issues? I mean, the foundations of houses on the surface are affected by the earth plates shifting, I can only imagine how that would affect a building 60 stories into the ground.
I'm also curious as to how the driving situation would work. Being enclosed in this underground city I wouldn't want cars driving around cluttering everything and polluting the air. So would there be a massive parking lot/garage nearby that is on the surface of the earth? If I were to live on one of the residential stories I would probably not enjoy having to park in a parking lot and go down 40 stories to get home. And if I left something in the house that I needed.... good God.



In my honest opinion I do no think that this idea will really take off, although I do applaud architectures for using the left side of their brain. Clap clap.

About To Bee A Bizzy Blogger

Y U NO LIKE THIS PICTURE?

So I am taking a course called Writing for Mass Media. That is pretty much a dolled up way of saying Journalism.... I'm not sure why they cannot call it just Journalism, but whatever floats their boat. Anyways, I have been assigned to write a blog every day this week... LUCKY Y'ALL. I figured since I will already be blogging for class I will include them on my actual blog. So for the next five days, starting tonight, I will be posting blogs that deal with mostly news.

Since this is for a class, I will be sounding all smarts and what not. Proper grammar, correct punctuation, etc. I was just warning you so that you are not fooled by my pretending to be intelligent. It is a complete facade, do not pay any mind to that.


Also, on a funny note that is completely irrelevant to this post. I was eating my roommates Honey Roasted Nuts just now, and I realized I had eaten' half of the little can and said aloud "Okay, I need to stop eating Kinsey's nuts." Made me laugh. I laughed with myself a good bit on that one. It is nice to have a best friend in yourself.

Apryl in 10 Years

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In a few days I will have to sign up for my courses next semester, and in order to do this I had to be advised. In order to be advised you have to have a major. For some reason they no longer allow you to be undeclared... Which makes no sense to me but whatever. So right now I am a Communications major taking basics. But next school year I am considering a secondary education major with a focus on English. Thoughts? I have like 10 months before then so I'm not rushing into anything... but is this a good choice for me? Blogging these past few months was just kind of something I did and I never realized... hey, I'm kind of a writer. Maybe I could be an English major. Then I thought, what can you seriously do with an English major... pat yourself on the back, that's what. So that's what got me in the secondary education route. I could teach English, teach writing and literature. In my head that sounds awesome.
I told a couple of people this and they said "I would much rather do elementary because the kids actually listen and respect you etc." My answer is... be the right kind of teacher and you don't have to worry about that. Yeah high school kids are all assholes, I was just one a year ago, but they remember you. My junior year English teacher and senior year psychology teacher (same person) will always stay with me. He was the best teacher I've had and that made me never want to act up, never be on my phone, I always did my work.... it wasn't because he was strict it was just because of how good of a teacher he was.
So that is my goal. To be that teacher that is so much of a badass that I don't have to worry about my little asshole students not loving me.

If worse comes to worse, it was nice in theory.

I've ran this theory into the ground recently, but I feel it's a good one. If you're struggling to figure out your major think to yourself.... "What can I wake up for EVERY SINGLE MORNING and not hate going to."
I feel that is just a good way to think about it.

2011 Bucket List

I'm not much of a list follower, I am way more of a "on a whim" kinda person, but I was inspired by my sister's blog and have taken her advice to attempt to set goals for myself over the next 2 months. If you want to check out her original post and her 2011 goals go here!

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1. Buy a bucket to make my bucket list.
2. Crochet a scarf.... or at least a coaster.
3. Fill out at least 5 scholarships
4. Spend an entire day completely to myself. 
5. Write a letter to a solider. 
6. Go a day without a phone.






It's not a ton, but the year is almost over and I don't want to deal with the guilt of not finishing something. By that I mean that damn scarf.....

Jump Off The Bandwagon

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This will be my brief argument for Rebecca Black.

First point: I am a music critic to the fullest extent. Throwing that out there so you understand that I somewhat have more than a shallow understanding of music, taste, blah blah.

I haven't heard a single nice thing about the song "Friday" by Rebecca Black. A few people in the beginning judged the immature lyrics and of course everyone else in the world has no opinion of their own and jumped on the hate bandwagon.

So, some things you probably didn't know about that song:
1. Black didn't write the lyrics, nor really had a say in the song choices. She was told to pick from two different songs and she picked the less crude because... she was 13 years old. I would be way more concerned if she was singing of getting shwasted and banging a bunch of guys etc.
2. All of the money that was made from that song went to the Tsunami victims in Japan.

Essentially what I'm saying is... she was 13. Give her a break. The song was good for her age demographic. And, have an opinion of your own! Just because everybody and their brother is an uneducated hater doesn't mean you have to be as well :-)


(Also, I've been waiting for a post to use this picture... well I decided that a fitting one would never come so I just threw it in there. Makes me smile.)

The Best 3 Months of the Year

One month down, two more to go in the best three months of the year. Can everyone not agree that October, November, and December all have way more to offer than the other months? Hell, my name is Apr(i)l and I hardly enjoy that month in comparison to these three.

Halloween weekend (Left to Right)
Carmen, Shelly, Lexi, Chelsea, and some random girl

October: The weather starts to change so you can pull out your new wardrobe and transition into fall colors and of course there is Halloween. Halloween offers so much fun. I love every single Disney Halloween movie and even at my age watch them every year. I almost didn't get to watch the Halloweentown's and Hocus Pocus and was about to go around town smashing pumpkins. (Also I will admit that I am listening to the Disney's Greatest album as I type.) Halloween also is a decorating holiday, and I love decorating. Anything festive is just really exciting to me. Even in our dorm we had a skeleton on the door and purple and black garland everywhere. And lastly... Halloween weekend is just one of the best weekend's in college.

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November: The anticipation and preparation for Christmas starts now. People are shopping, buying decorations, planning parties, gifts, etc. Personally I love waiting for Christmas much more than actual Christmas Day. Movies start to come on T.V. that you can only see that time of year, stores start to put out Christmas specials... and most importantly, BLACK FRIDAY. I'm only 18 and have participated in Black Friday maybe 3 times, but for some reason I just love waking up early and pushing people around for sales. It is strangely exhilarating. It is also the kick off to the Christmas season... which you will come to realize I might as well be Santa with my yule-tide spirit.

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December: I am a singer, and if you dislike Christmas music then do not be around me during this time of year. I live and breathe Christmas music. I sing it every day, all day. I do this normally, but due to the season it obviously transitions to Christmas. December is my absolute favorite month of the entire year. Just typing about it makes me happy. My dad and I have kind of started this thing where we watch every single Christmas film on the tube. The cheesy 15 minute movies, the low budget films, and of course all of the abc family movies. I love this time with my dad. Him and I also decorate the house together. Even when I don't live at home I plan on coming home for a couple of days solely to have this time with my dad and decorate our house.


I love these months more than anything, but with this love comes a very sad depression from about December 26-Mid January. I get over it around then, but it does take awhile... It's like knowing you're in the happiest relationship but he is going to break up with you and you know it before it even happens :-( Regardless I am going to be in a very good mood the next couple of months so if you've ever needed something from me... now's the time.