Lucky Number Seven

I thought I'd start this week off by sharing a bit about my self via my favorite number: 7.

7 Everyday Things I Couldn't Live Without

1.  My Car:  We live in east Jesus nowhere.  I need my car for survival.
2.  My Phone:  This is the sad truth.  This is my time killer when I'm bored and my savior when I'm shopping.
3. A Book: I seriously take one with me everywhere.  It's just one of those things I don't leave the house without.
4. My Laptop:  This is another sad one but I do everything on here.  Even netflicks since our Xbox died.
5.  My Comfy Chair:  This is where I sit to unwind after the day.  I'm someone who has to chill out before going to bed or I wont sleep.  My comfy chair is where I do that.  (Overstuffed chair and ottoman).
6.  Uncrustables (wheat bread):  Seriously, these things are in my lunch bag on the daily.  I eat way to many of them!
7.  Josh:  Ok, so he's not a thing but I still couldn't live without him.

7 of My Favorite Songs

1. Back in the Day by Brantley Gilbert
2.  I Was Here by Lady Antebellum
3.  Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks
4.  How 'Bout Them Cowgirls by George Strait
5. Alone by Heart
6. Relentless by Jason Aldean
7.  Drink a Beer by Luke Bryan
 (I'm usually not a Luke Bryan fan but that song really hit me also, this was such a hard question)

7 Adventure I Want to Have

1. Skydiving (hopefully soon)
2.  Moving to a new state
3.  Swimming with Dolphins (which I will be doing in November)!
4.  Traveling to all 7 continents
5.  Riding in a hot air balloon
6.  Cross country road-trip
7.  Marathon or triathlon

7 Pastimes I Never Tire of Doing

1.  Baking Christmas cookies
2.  Reading
3.  Going to the Renaissance Festival
4. Picking a pumpkin at a local farm
5.  Cutting down our own Christmas Tree
6.  My nightly soft pretzel
7.  Learning

7 Treats I Could Eat Every Day

1.  Pizza
2. Mac and Cheese
3. Cupcakes
4.  Doritos
5.  Pretzels
6.  Spaghetti
7.  Gummy Snacks

7 People I'd Be Lost Without

I've decided to skip this one and do a post just on this question at a later date.

7 Places I Want to Visit

1. Botswana/Zimbabwe
2. Slovenia
3. Tennessee/Kentucky
4. New Zealand
5. Ecuador/Galapagos Islands
6. UK and Ireland
7. Indonesia
(I thought about writing each of the continents, but I guess that doesn't count)

Book Club Friday: City of Glass

City of Glass

By: Cassandra Clare

Read: 3/1/2014

Pages: 541

"To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of the New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments."
{GoodReads}

I still love this series but I think this was my least favorite so far!  This book was a bit more serious than the last two but it's definitely fitting for what happens.  This is also the book where a lot of questions are answered and where a lot of information is given about different characters.  However, I found Clary super annoying in this book.  It almost ruined the book for me.  And Jace was sort of annoying me too because he went from badass to super softy ... like, can we not.  And I really think the whole series could have done without Simon.  What I did really like was the ending and the whole angel Raziel scene.  I was totally not expecting that and I really liked it.  This book was sort of a mixed bag for me because I liked the story but the characters were getting on my nerves (Luke is definitely my favorite).  I'm definitely reading the 4th one to see where it goes from here.  Right now I'm thinking it would have been good as a Trilogy but we'll see.

I gave this book a 3/5 on my GoodReads.

Lets Talk Ridiculousness

Let's talk about a commercial I watch recently.  And I know its just a commercial and all but this really irked me. 

Ok, so WTF.  Since when do parents have to ask permission to eat food that they bought.  I saw this and was like aww hell no!  Like I said, it's just a commercial and it shouldn't make me this mad but it totally does.  I mean really, what does that say about parenting this day in age.  I paid for those halos I'll eat as many as I damn well please!  And holy entitlement!  Argh, I really don't know why this bothers me so much but every time I watch it it makes me angry.

What makes me more angry is seeing this in real life.  I've seen it so many times working in the restaurant business and in the customer service industry.   I see parents trying to be BFF's instead of parents ... and then wonder why their kid is an asshole and runs around the restaurant/store like a raving lunatic.  A lot of the time this happens because parents want their kids to like them.  I mean, I probably told my Mother I hated her a million times in elementary school ... because I was a kid and that's what kids do, but since she didn't give in to my brattyness I now have this rare disease called respect for my parents *gasps*.  If your 3 year old tells you they hate you, who f**king cares - they are just trying to test you and they're way to young to actually understand the concept of hate.  They don't really hate you, they just want you to give in to what they want.

My Mom's actually pretty funny, my sister told her one time because she wouldn't let her get an Ice Cream, "your the meanest Mom I ever had" so my Mom yelled back, "so go live with one of your nice Mom's then!"  my sister got this confused look on her face and then just stomped away.  Mom was standing with me and some of the neighbors and after my sister walked away everyone just busted out laughing.  If you take that approach rather than being all hurt about it, it's definitely better for the kid in the long run.  And if one of us started screaming in a store because she wouldn't give us something she'd just ignore us, she wouldn't give in.  Instead of being all embarrassed about us being kids, she taught us that throwing a shit fit does not get you anywhere.  So now I get super pissed when I see parents giving in to their screaming kids just because they're embarrassed ... get over it.

... OK, enough ranting for today.   All that from a commercial.  I think I need therapy.

The Franklin Institute: Philadelphia, PA

In 2012, the Franklin Institute housed the Dead Sea Scrolls (which will have it's own post).  As a lover of all things Anthropology, I refused to miss it!  I had never been to the Franklin Institute, so Josh and I made a day of exploring.  We arrived a few hours before our time to see the Sea Scrolls, so we checked out the other exhibits.

The Sports Challenge Exhibit
This exhibit is obviously based around sports and physical activity.  There is a small climbing wall, a surfing simulation, a figure skating simulation and more.  Josh and I spent a good deal of time in here - it was definitely entertaining.

Above is Chase Utley's uniform.  The Phillies are Josh's favorite baseball team.

Sir Issac's Loft
This exhibit basically has all things physics.   There were a lot of lifting things and the bowling ball of doom which will come within inches of your face.  This was the coolest exhibit, in my opinion.

We also had time after seeing the Sea Scrolls, so we visited a few other exhibits such as Electricity, Changing Earth, Space Command, and the Train Factory.

All in all, we enjoyed the Franklin Institute but I don't think we'd ever go back unless their was a traveling exhibit that we want to see.  The museum is definitely more geared towards kids.  If you have kids, I highly recommend taking them here, they'd definitely enjoy it, especially if they like science.

101 Quotes: Part 3

One of my goals for the year was to make a list of 101 quotes that inspire me.  I'll be sharing these quotes randomly throughout the year.  This is the third installment of quotes, the first can be found here and the second here.

This installment happened to be all Harry Potter related. 

... now I'm going to go binge watch Harry Potter.

Book Club Friday: City of Ashes

City of Ashes

By: Cassandra Clare

Pages: 453

Read: 2/21/14

"Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? Clary would love to spend more time with her best friend, Simon. But the Shadowhunters won't let her go--especially her handsome, infuriating newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil--and also her father. When the second of the Mortal Instruments os stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor suspects Jace. Could Jace really be willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?"
{GoodReads}

Once again, loved it!  I had heard that the story gets better with each book and so far, that seems to be the case.  I love watching the characters develop and their relationships change.   I really don't have much to say that I didn't say about City of Bones, but I can't wait to read the rest of the series :)

I gave this a 4/5 on my GoodReads.  

 

Passion

I was recently asked to think of different things that I am passionate about.  Of course, that immediately sparked a blog post!  So, I'm going to share with you today, 4 things that I am passionate about. 

1. Travel

 This is probably the most obvious.  I love to travel and it's a love that started when I was very young and traveled to Canada.  I love going somewhere that I've never been before.  I love meeting people whose way of life is different than mine.  I love learning about different cultures and hearing stories from people who live so far from me.  I love the experiences and the knowledge and acceptance I've gained from traveling.   Each of my trips have been a unique experience that I'll always treasure and the people I've met will always have a place in my heart.  I also think that due to the nature of some of my travels, I have a different perspective on things than others on certain subjects.  Because I have witnessed such extreme poverty, I have learned that I need to be grateful for what I have and I do not concern myself with things such as brands or having the newest "thing".   I've learned that I can live minimally and still be happy.  I get by on what I need and the rest of my money gets donated or put in savings.   Travel can teach so much and that is definitely something I am grateful for.

2. Reading

This is another one that is probably pretty obvious.  I love to read, and do so every chance I get.  I am one of those people who gets so lost in a book that if you try to talk to me while I'm reading, I probably wont hear you.  I love being transported into someone else's world and going through the ups and downs with the characters.  It also amazes me, people's ability to write these stories!  J.K. Rowling just amazes me, the world she created is so complex and detailed and I'm amazed at her ability to create that world in a way that feels so real to the reader.  I often get so emotionally invested in books but I love that.  I still get sad thinking of Dumbledore and Fred.

3. Animals and Animals Rights

As I mentioned in this post, I love animals and usually like them more than people.  I am passionate about animal rights because for the most part animals are defenseless against humans.  Dogs are so loyal and trusting that humans have the ability to take advantage of them and break them.  Horses are such beautiful animals, but are often mistreated especially in the racing industry.  Elephants are incredible creatures but people kill them for money.  It absolutely breaks my heart and infuriates me that people can be so selfish and hateful.   Most of my donation money goes towards animal shelters and rescues because I want to help give a voice to those who can't speak.  Also, I make myself aware of the products that are tested on animals and am sure to avoid such products.  There are lists online that I check quite regularly - I just started doing this within the last  year so I am definitely still learning.

4.  Education

I think education is one of the most important things a person can have.   I believe that everyone who wants an education should be able to get one and that college tuition rates keep intelligent people from getting the education they should be allowed to get.   This is one of the reasons I love Coursera.  Even though I can't get a degree from taking the classes, I am taking classes taught by professors I'd never be able to take classes with and learning things I otherwise wouldn't have has access to.  It makes me so angry that funds are being used for millions of other things but our schools are barely getting any funding.   It infuriates me that the children of Baltimore City are getting a lesser education than they deserve because people in power don't believe it's worth it to invest in them.  I could go on about this topic for hours.