What a run.

This post is short but deep. Just a thought that occurred to me recently...

Sometimes after trying to change yourself for so long you realize you had it right years ago.

Deep much? But seriously, learning from the past is more than growing from mistakes. It's the only place where the real you lives, and sometimes you can take pointers from that person that you have long since forgotten and left behind.

I miss a lot of things from the past, but one of the biggest things I miss are the parts of me I left behind that are better off than I am now. I only want to retrace my steps and pick those things up again.

What a fool I was to think I had to change, to think I was so unsatisfied with someone so great.

So thanks, Past Nicole, for being a shaping example for me. What a run.

Something on my mind...

There has been something buzzing around inside my head lately, and it's time I let this one out. I'm going to get straight to the point here:

Society norms when it comes to appearance suck.

Did you know that by Hollywood's standard of 'obesity', Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games's 'Katniss') fits the bill? How atrocious is that?

This girl is obese, apparently:

“I eat like a caveman. I’ll be the only actress who doesn't have anorexia rumors. In Hollywood, I’m obese. I’m considered a fat actress...I’m never going to starve myself for a part, I don’t want little girls to be like, ‘Oh, I want to look like Katniss, so I’m going to skip dinner.’”
-Jennifer Lawrence

This is why I love Jennifer Lawrence, she's human. She eats. She has no problem with it.

Now here's another thing I find atrocious- when people look at a girl who is considered above average size and think, "Oh, she must be a sweet spirit."

A sweet spirit. Because, obviously, that's the only saving grace for someone like her.

How close-minded that is. I wish I could remember where I read this, but somewhere on the internet someone wrote that "you need to find someone who loves you because of your body and never despite your body." How true that is! You can't live life thinking, maybe I'll find someone to look past my chicken legs and  see me for who I truly am. As important as it is to find someone who loves you for your spirit, they need to love your body as well. And I promise with full sincerity of heart, there will be people who find society dubbed "un-attractiveness" attractive. Ladies, there are men who prefer curvier women to the sticks you see on-screen. I know, because I've talked to some. They exist. And they're more numerous than you think.

I'll admit, there are aspects of men I find attractive and some unattractive. I have friends who disagree with me. If it's that way with women, it's that way with men.

(Side note, I also believe people can slowly fall in love with looks just like slowly falling in love with personality. You've heard stories of people hating someone else and eventually finding they really do love that person. Same goes with physical appearance. People can and do fall in love with looks.)

Which brings us to one more thing that people often say that bothers me: "Looks don't matter".

Oh, yes they do.

I once overheard a conversation (okay, I admit it, I'm a little bit of an eavesdropper) where one girl was telling her friend that if she were to lose weight, maybe her crush would like her back. He immediately retorted with the famous, "Looks don't matter!"

I chimed in at that remark.

"Don't they?" I asked him.

He immediately went on saying how people should only love each other based on what's inside, because that's what counts and we shouldn't just care what people look like.

I told him that I agreed with him on one account; that we shouldn't care just about looks. But what's the point in a relationship if you don't feel physically attracted to the other person?

Here's the thing. Speaking as someone who believes in the afterlife, we will take our bodies with us once we die. Our bodies are just as important as our spirit, or else we would leave those behind. So yeah, I'd say looks matter just as much as personality.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the girl should lose weight to get her crush's attention. Here's what I'm really trying to say:

Rather than thinking, "looks don't matter", think instead

"Looking stick thin doesn't matter" (I'll even go as far as to say, "looking curvy doesn't matter")

"Looking like Megan Fox doesn't matter"

"Looking like a blue-eyed blonde Californian doesn't matter"

"Looking like me does matter"

(I'm going to throw this in here, looking healthy DOES matter, because you need to take care of your body if you really love it. Same goes for people who are too dangerously skinny or too dangerously fat.)

Because like I said before, there are people who find things socially deemed "ugly" to be rather beautiful.

I know how hard it is to live in a world with our society's standard on appearance. It's hard to think you're really beautiful when you don't have a million guys flocking around you to tell you so. But, like Kermit the Frog once said,

“Maybe you don’t need the whole world to love you, you know? Maybe you just need one person.”

That being said, I hope society starts to adopt changes, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

So until then, I THINK YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!

Love Nicole

A Confession (but not really)

...because it's not so much of a secret as it is just not having been brought up very frequently.

I confess... I really love stuffed animals.

I'm in college and I still have a pet net hanging in my room to carry the stuffed animals that don't fit on my bed.

The ones that live in the net:

Left to right, Row 1: Brass Granny (one of a kind), Pinky, Minnie Mouse, Cat in the Hat,
2: Best and Friends,  Jack the Monkey (from Pirates of the Carribean)
3: Baby Blue Bear (or BBB or Bebe, has a red twin my sister owns), Shampoodle, Sunshine Bear, Spotty
4: Lil' Kitty, Jingle, Patches

Missing in action: Lottie, Goldie the Unicorn, Tappy Cow, Cookie, Luau, and I think I still own Petey?

Stuffed animals have populated my room since I've been a baby, and I've let go of a lot of the ones from the past, but some I can't seem to get rid of. I have somewhere around 20 that will probably stay with me forever. Hah. Sorry future husband, but that's how it's going to be.

The ones that live on my bed:

Big Pooh, Ewok (I don't even own that one...)
Chester, Cocoa the Cuddle Monkey (he sings and dances!)
Little Timmy, Huggles, Jasper

And there's Jimmer in the corner!

I wonder why people get so attached to stuffed animals? And don't tell me I'm the only one, because I know I'm not. I hope. Gosh, I feel really weird now...

...ahem. Anyway.

I still want to collect more, but I tell myself that if I really want one, I'll have to give up one I already have first, or else it'll be like grade school days when I had to arrange my heaps of animals on my bed every day so it wasn't a disaster. It was nice when I had a bunk bed to myself, I could sleep on the top and keep the animals on the bottom. BUT I don't have that anymore, so I have to lessen the obsession...

However, sometimes I have to cave:

Who wouldn't want a cuddly Appa and Momo?

And of course, we can't forget my REAL animal:

How flattering, Pepper.

That is all. Sorry if I've bored you with my childhood. Shout out to all the stuffed animal lovers out there!

--Nicole

Some Thoughts

Here's an opinion I think everyone in the whole world needs to hear.

If this is not for you, you don't have to read it. If you disagree with what I will say, feel free to state your belief and reasoning in a stately manner. I am not intending to create friction with this.

I was looking through some news articles online today when I came across a few similar ones having to do with recent celebrity breakups and their having babies and such. What came most astonishing to me was the fact that I didn't know who most of those "celebrities" were. Say I live under a rock, but who is Michelle Williams and Jason Segel? Will information on their divorce change my life forever? Why do I need to know about some person's latest haircut? Will knowing about so-and-so's drinking problem make me a better person?

Then I started thinking about why celebrities are so popular. It's because they get attention, that's why they're called "celebrities". It has little to do with actual talent or worth, it's really about how popular a person is with the media. Talent helps, naturally, but if talent was the only deciding factor then how in the world did Paris Hilton manage to become so celebrated?

So if attention is how people become celebrities, how do you make unworthy celebrities go away?

You stop talking about them. Period. Not even talking about how bad they are, because negative attention is still attention, or else Rebecca Black would have never gotten popular. Doesn't that make sense? People talk about how horrid her song "Friday" is, yet I hear it at almost every dance party I go to.

But here's where I'm actually headed in this post: How come we live in a world where I can openly worship Andrew Garfield and my friend can openly worship Toby Maguire and have no problem or moral obligation to each other, but we can't openly worship our choice of religion?

I go to a specific university (nice try, stalkers, I'm not telling you where), but do I feel threatened or oppressed when I pass a house that hoists the flag of the opposing university?

No.

I work at Kneaders, so when a person sporting a Wendy's uniform comes inside the café, do I tell them to immediately take it off?

No.

I am a Christian, but do I get angry or upset when a Jew says to me, "Happy Hanukkah!"

No.

In fact, I'm pleased when someone offers me such a kind greeting as that. Most strangers don't bother to say hi to me at all. The same goes for a person's display of a menorah. I find their traditions really fascinating. I don't feel oppressed and unable to worship the way I want to when another family displays the signs of their faiths.

So my question is, when did America become an atheist country? When did we forget that this is a country that was supported and built on the backs of people who believed in God to show them the way to create a better land, free of oppression? And with freedom of religion? Wasn't that the whole point the pilgrims came to this free land?

I'm not saying everyone needs to believe in God now because our forefathers did. That's against freedom of religion. But can I be honest with you?

Atheism is a religion.

You don't have to believe in a God to have a religion. The way I see it, religion defines a person's lifestyle. People who live daily life listening to and playing music literally have music as their religion. That doesn't mean it's their only religion, but it most definitely is a part of what makes them them.

So why does America have to all pretend to be atheists?

This is how the world works: you have to oppress in order to fight oppression. If a small community fights against a larger community that oppresses the smaller one, the smaller one will have to oppress the freedoms of the larger one in order to win the war. That's just how it works.

I'm sorry, but I'm bringing an Avatar reference in here. Amon believed the non-benders were oppressed by the bending community, so what does he do to stop it? He tries to oppress the benders.

So, if I'm right in saying that atheism is a religion, then aren't they fighting oppression of people who worship God by oppressing us from open worship the way we want to?

Just a thought.

I know I should consider myself lucky for being able to worship as much as I can here in America. Other people don't have even the slightest choice.

But when the community tells its government to take honorary crosses down from the sides of highways that showed support and gratitude to passed on Christian soldiers, then I start to feel concerned.

When a person walks through their high school halls as the minority of their of religion or beliefs and have to hear everyone try to change them to what they think he/she should believe, then I have a problem.

When a person wearing a cross on their neck is told they cannot walk into a proudly atheist store, then I question the government's reasoning.

(All true stories, by the way).

So instead of making all religion disappear by not talking about it, can't we worship openly like our forefathers did, why America was founded in the first place?

We can freely worship whichever celebrities we choose, with good reason or without.

A personal philosophy I like to live by is as simple as "live and let live".

If you want to worship the way you want to worship, fine by me.

I don't feel pressured to worship the same as you do.

I don't feel threatened.

I don't feel oppressed.

I just feel free.

-Nicole

Avatar: The Last Question Bender

Everyone who knows me knows I'm probably the biggest Avatar nerd (Avatard, get it yet??) in Utah county. And by Avatar, YES I mean the last airbender, NO I don't mean Shymalamamalan, and NO IT'S NOT THE BLUE PEOPLE ONE so stop asking.

Today I'm going to have a display of just how nerdy I am when it comes to my favorite TV show.

Because people know me as an A:TLA freak, I get a lot of questions about the series. Most of the time, I know the answers*. So I'm going to have a little Q&A for other fans!

*(How do I know so much about Avatar? Because I'm a nerd, that's why. Haha. But you should know that every answer I give here is LEGITIMATE to the story according to the creators Brian and Michael unless otherwise stated. Following the Q&A are some references where I got the this information. If my answer is a theory, I will let you know beforehand.)

Caution: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN THE WHOLE SERIES. I suggest you have seen the entire Legend of Aang and the entire Legend of Korra before reading. I am not responsible for ruining the show for you if you continue on.

So here it is: dun dun dun DUUUUUUUN!

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AVATAR: THE LAST QUESTION BENDER

Q&A's

Q: What martial art influences are they basing bending off of in A:TLA?

A: Kung fu, mostly. However, if you know anything about martial arts, there are a lot of different types of Kung fu. Firebending comes from Northern Shaolin style Kung fu. Earthbending comes from Hung Gar style Kung fu. Airbending comes from Ba Gua style Kung fu. Waterbending comes from Tai Chi.

Q: Why does appa have six legs?

A: Because he's based off of the Catbus in Totoro. Brian and Michael love Ghibli films, and integrated a lot of ideas into the series. Koh, for instance, is another design drawn from Ghibli.

 <--- Catbus

Q: So... did Jet die?

A: Yes, I'm sorry. I know they don't come right out and say it, but yes, he died.

Q: How come firebenders don't need a source to bend?

A: (This is kind of my theory.... I guess...) They do. Remember when Hamma was teaching Katara some tricks about waterbending? She pulled water out of thin air. That's practically what firebenders do, but it's easier for them because there's also a fire's fuel source packed in the air: oxygen. At least, that's how I like to think of it.

Don't listen to Shamamalaman. What does he know. Firebenders don't need a torch in order to bend.

Q: How do genetics work as far as being able to bend/what you bend goes?

A: THIS IS VERY MUCH A THEORY HERE. I don't know the answer according to Brian and Michael. But watch this video, this girl explains her theory on it and it seems to make a lot of sense to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yji6Hn315PY

Q: Why does the avatar have to keep being reborn? Why can't he just be like an all-powerful God to help the people?

A: This is actually explained in-depth to Aang by the airbender avatar before him, Yangchen. When Aang is hurt by Azula, he is seemingly asleep until the start of book three. He is actually in the spirit world with Yue as she guides him to his past lives. When he meets with Yangchen, he asks her the same question. Her response is similar to having to be human. The avatar has to experience birth and death and love like a human in order to understand and sympathise with humans.

Q: Woah, woah, woah, hold on. Aang goes into the spirit world with Yue when he almost dies?

A: Yes. This is a digital comic on one of the bonus discs. But later, Aang is told he won't remember his experience there.

Q: Okay, this has been killing me since the series finale. When will we find out about Zuko's mom?!

A: Good news! Dark Horse (hired by Brian and Michael) is publishing a three-book comic series called The Search that is about Zuko searching for his mom one year after the 100 year war. Whether he actually will find her in this series, I'm not sure, but hey, it's something.

(Fun fact: Joaquim Dos Santos (director) created a storyboard for the final episode that had Zuko reuniting with his mother. However, Michael requested that it was dropped for reasons of his own. M. Night also planned on explaining what happened to her in his next movies, but luckily he was cut off from the production of any more. Thank goodness!)

Here is something I do know for a fact (warning, spoilers!): In the Legend of Aang finale, Zuko confronts his dad and asks directly what happened to his mother and it cuts off there. But guess what? You see the end of this conversation in The Promise trilogy. However, Zuko's father tells him nothing. Ozai ends up changing the subject and talking about how Zuko knows nothing about the responsibility of being firelord. First the finale, then with Jinora and Ikki, and now in The Promise. THAT'S THREE TIMES YOU GOT MY HOPES UP, BRIAN AND MICHAEL!

Q: So we don't know where she is, but why did Ursa disappear in the first place?

A: This answer will be part fact, part theory on my part. But I'm actually pretty positive on my theory here.

When Ursa says goodbye to Zuko, she tells him that she did what she did in order to protect him. Then, in the episode "The Day of Black Sun", Ozai tells Zuko his mother was banished for doing "vicious, treasonous things."

This supports my theory that Ursa killed Azulon in order to save Zuko. Remember how Azulon told Ozai he'd have to feel the pain of losing his firstborn son? Ozai was planning on killing Zuko, and the only way for Ursa to save him was by killing Azulon.

Q: What are the airbender tattoos for? Why do some airbenders have them but some do not?

A: When an airbender masters all 36 forms of airbending, they are given tattoos in honor of the markings of a sky bison.

Fun fact: Aang never did master the 36 forms. He could only master 35, but his invention of the air scooter was used to complete his mastery. He achieved his status at the age of twelve, the youngest to reach airbending master in Air Nomad history.

Q: After Zuko and Iroh run from the fire nation, why do they cut off their ponytails???

A: Most people will tell you it's because they're disguising themselves. This is only partially true. To put it very basically, in some Eastern cultures, famlilies with high statuses (such as royalty) will have certain "hairstyles" that marks being a member of that elite family. Cutting off your family's "hairstyle" is symbolism of leaving (or in Zuko and Iroh's case, betraying) the family. By cutting their hair, Zuko and Iroh also hide their identity as members of the fire nation family from the people in the earth kingdom.

Q: Zhao mentions to Iroh about his experience in the spirit world. What happened there? Why could he see Aang and Fang when they flew by?

A: Prepare yourself, this is a sad one. After the death of his son, Lu Ten, it is explained in the series that Iroh was devastated. So devastated, in fact, Iroh attempted to cross into the spirit world to retrieve his son and bring him back. Evidently, he failed.

After venturing into the spirit world a first time, Iroh became extremely spiritually aware, which is why he saw Fang. The same goes for Aang, as well, if a dragon were to fly above him.

Q: What happened to Azula after Katara left her chained to the drain?

A: Before I answer, I have to say one thing: Katara's chaining wasn't the thing that ultimately defeated Azula. It stopped her, yes, but what really defeated her was herself. She went crazy. What happened to her, then? She was admitted into a fire nation insane asylum.

Q: Does poor Sokka ever find his space sword and boomerang again?

A: Maybe. I know, a super wishy-washy answer. I say maybe because he is seen with a boomerang and sword again, but who's to say they're the same ones? So it's a maybe.

Sokka has a boomerang again a year after the 100 year war, but it may or may not be the same boomerang.

A picture titled "Old Friends" with grown-up characters from LOA depicts Sokka with a sword on his belt. Whether it's the space sword, I don't know, but I like to think it is and he got it back:)

Q: What happened to the fire nation after Ozai was killed?

A: The Harmony Restoration Movement, that's what. It's a plan made by Zuko, Aang, and Earth King Kuei (the guy with the bear, yes he has a name) in order to move all off the fire nation colonies out of the earth kingdom. Read The Promise trilogy to find out more, there's a whole story arch with this.

Q: Who does Toph marry?

A: I haven't a clue. She obviously has some romantic partner because there's Lin... so until Brian and Michael come out with the real answer, enjoy this awesome explanation: http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4enmePuEb1qmknuno1_r1_1280.png

Q: How does Aang die?

A: I'm not sure how, but I do know he died at the biological age of 66. Why so young? Especially when Bumi was 112 during 100 ASC?  Because of Aang's freezing in the ice, it shortened his lifespan. Kind of sad, but reasonable. Also, before his death, Aang instructs the white lotus to protect the next avatar.

Q: Where's the rest of the group now?

A: I'm assuming by "now" you mean Korra's time. Well, Katara mentions that "my brother and many friends" are dead, so Sokka's kicked the bucket by now. The others, I'm not positive. Except for Zuko, though, I do know he is alive. Three years before the events of LOK, Zuko turned over the position of Firelord to his daughter and he left to travel the world to ensure peace.

Q: Is General Iroh Zuko's son?

A: No, actually, and this seems to surprise a lot of people. General Iroh is Zuko's grandson.

Q: Who are all those air nomad looking people in the start of LOK living on air temple island?

A: Air acolytes! All non-benders, these are descendants of an Aang fanclub, actually. Aang didn't like the idea at first, he thought it was a mockery of his people. But, everntually, he warmed up to them and decided to teach them about his culture which they adopted and became acolytes.

Q: Where did republic city come from? Why was it built?

A: After the harmony restoration movement, Aang and Zuko decided to create a central city where benders/non-benders of any tribe can live. More is explained in The Promise.

This is also when a government was created with Tarrlok and the other council members, centralized in Republic City.

Q: I know about Tenzin, but how many children did Aang and Katara have, and who are they?

A: Three: Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin. Kya, named after Katara's mother (and ironically Katara's original name), is a waterbender and is old during Korra's time, but I think she's appearing in the next book. Bumi, named after the king of Omashu, is a non-bender that appears at the end of LOK book one for five seconds, but is already a character favorite. And we all know about Tenzin.

Q: Well, Kya and Bumi have people they're named after. Where did Tenzin come from? What about baby Rohan?

A: Tenzin Gyatso, a famous, real-life monk. Remember Aang's old mentor, Monk Gyatso? Yeah.

As for Rohan, he's named after one of the creator's nephews.

Q: I don't understand probending... are there even rules to it?

A: Yes, there are. You can find the official rule book on "Welcome to Republic City"
(I was going to leave a link on here.... but it didn't work. Sorry.)            

Q: Why are there so many metalbenders now in LOK? I thought it was a specialty thing Toph created.

A: Well, yeah, it is a specialty thing still. Not just anyone can be a metalbender. A year after the 100 year war, Toph opened up a metalbending academy to train metalbenders. She began with three students, and the students were handpicked by Toph only if she could feel her space-armlet vibrating in passing.

Q: So do you think that, now that there are inter-bending marriages, there will be double-benders?

A: (This is a theory one) I get this one a lot. And my answer is always no. Here's why:

First off, I don't think these are the first inter-bending marriages. I'm sure somewhere in the past there have been some before.

Second, even if these are the first, Aang and Kataraa's children are either/or. In The Promise, we also meet children of fire/earth bender parents, and they are also single benders. Same goes for Mako and Bolin.

And third and most important, having a person able to bend more than one element is the avatar's duty. If everyone started being able to bend multiple elements, it would diminish the purpose of the avatar. That's an extreme plot killer, if you ask me.

So, as cool as lava bending would be, I doubt there will be double-benders.

Q: Korra was able to restore a person's bending, so do you think she'll be able to give non-benders bending abilities?

A: I don't know. It really depends on whether the ability to bend is spiritual or genetic. If it's genetic, then I really doubt it. But if it's spiritual, like, say, a lit or unlit candle, then sure, maybe Korra could bestow bending.

If you watched the video about bending genetics, then you'll see that everyone probably has a bending element inside them, whether they can bend it or not. So if Korra can ignite the ability to bend, then sure, it may be able to happen.

But I honestly don't know. Who's to say that's how genetics workin the avatar world? Who knows what Brian and Michael have in store?

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Here are some of my sources:

The Promise trilogy published by Dark Horse

Avatar: The Last Airbender (and bonus disks! Don't forget the bonus disks!)

Avatar: The Legend of Korra

The avatar wiki (very seldomly, though, because I don't know how much I trust it...)

MY BRAIN (for those theory ones)

"Welcome to Republic City" by Nickelodeon

WELP. That's all the questions off the top of my head that I've been asked.

And what a nerd I am.

At least I know it....... right?

If you have any more avatar related questions, feel free to ask in the comments or email me at brightbluebubblegum@gmail.com and I'll be happy to answer.

We all do stupid things, except for Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman. Deal with it.


Shoot... it's been a little while since I last posted. I've just been sooooo busy I haven't had time to work on this!

...LOL jk I've had more time than I can deal with. I just haven't been able to come up with anything I really wanted to write about. Which doesn't excuse today. I still don't know what I'm going to write about, so we'll see where this goes.

------------------

Let's start with some updates. I haves some good news and some bad news:

Good news is I got into that choir I was talking about! And it's so much fun, I didn't realize how much I missed being in choir.

Bad news is, because choir goes noon to one, they can't have me work the day shift at Kneaders. They told me they'd just put me in the night shift, which would be no problem for me. Turns out they can't fit me in the night shift and they've already replaced me even though I'm still working there. Super bummer. So now I'm in the job market again. Woo. Hoo.

And let me just say I have even MORE exciting news, but guess what? I'm gonna make you wait a little. Why did I bother telling you? Because I can.

And to finish the update corner off, I'm getting my wisdom teeth out next week. Yeesh. I am not excited.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Right. So. Now for words.

Do you ever have a day when you are sitting and reading a book, or scrolling through facebook, basically just relaxing and letting your mind wander, when something stupid you did in second grade pops in your head and it kind of ruins your evening? That happens to me more frequently than I'd like it to.

And then you start thinking of all the stupid things you've done. I mean, I remember once in seventh grade I was hoping to get Belle in the upcoming performance of Beauty and the Beast so I actually asked the director if I could get that part.

Face. Palm.

Sometimes I hope people don't remember these stupid things I do. Then I think, "Well, if I don't remember stupid things other people do, then no one else will remember the things I did!" So I'm good here.

Wrong. People remember. They always remember. Sometimes someone will come up to me and say things like, "Hey Nicole, remember that time in kindergarten you tried to convince me you had a beard that grew so long your parents had to cut it off? I never believed you."

True story, by the way. I wanted to make friends with someone so bad I told them that to impress them. But hey, I was in kindergarten, so that makes it okay, right?

...Ahem. Anyway.

So, question is, what do you do when all your stupid-ness comes flooding in like an overflowing toilet?

You plunge it down with all the COOL things you've ever done.

Let me tell you another gradeschool days story.

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Nicole. Every day at recess she liked to hang out with the skater boys for who knows what reason. She would some day look back and question why she ever did. No one would believe that's who she used to hang out with. But while she was young, the skater boys convinced her to join them on a mission: to dig a hole to China. It sounded fun despite the improbability of the mission.

So, the four skater boys and Nicole snuck plastic spoons with them out of the cafeteria doors during recess. An ideal tool to dig across the Earth, the plastic spoon. Behind the trailers was a patch of grassless dirt, the perfect spot to begin the dig.

That's right, my friends. Me and some of my old mini-skater friends dug a huge hole in the school grounds. We spent every recess for a week just digging with plastic spoons. The other kiddies would come over and just stand there watching us dig. After the first few days, crowds of other kids would circle around and watch, some bringing their own spoons, but we refused their help. It was just the five of us. Digging.

But it gets better. Days after we started the hole (of course only being able to dig during recess), our teacher saw the gathering of kids and came to see what it was all about. And what did she find? Five filthy kids and a gaping hole in the ground.  I could say she screamed at us and we were sent to detention to teach us a valuable lesson, but that's not what happened. She laughed. She laughed so hard, she let us keep doing it.

"As long as you fill it in when you're done," she said.

So we kept digging. I knew we were getting closer to China. I could smell the bamboo, cooked rice and dumplings. And, just when we were close to breaking soil, the principal appeared and made us finally fill in the hole, still with no punishment because she, too, though it was funny.

In actuality, we got the hole about three feet deep. The tallest of us *boys stepped in and it came to his waist. It was fun while it lasted.

Sometimes the other kids would ask us to do it again. We felt satisfied, we had no desire to. But I felt so popular. Maybe that's why I hung around those weirdos. But something about the fact we did something so stupidly horrid to the school grounds and got away with it has really stuck with me. It's was so stupid, in fact, it was borderline smart.

It was awesome.

And that's all I have to say today. Sorry there are no pictures, I know how they really make a post. I just didn't feel like it tonight.

Maybe next time.

Bye bye!

--Nicole not a boy Smith

*I was kind of a tomboy in grade school. Might I remind you my last post was all about makeup.

Makeup, Money, and Ronald McDonald

I auditioned for a choir a while back, but I had a conflicting schedule so I couldn't be in it last semester. Even so, the choir director told me I don't have to audition for this semester and I was already on the roster. So, a few months pass, and it turns out I really wasn't and I'm not in the choir next semester even though he told me (and everyone in his current choir) that I was going to be. Yeesh.

Except now I hear a girl dropped out and I might be able to take her spot, so cross your fingers.

In other news, I'm getting a "promotion" at work! I put parentheses because it's not technically a promotion. One of my full-time coworkers ended up quitting so they're putting me in her position! I worked it today and time goes by so much faster, I think I'm going to like it.

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So, today I'm gonna share something that most girls know about but not every guy does. This one's for you, gentlemen.

Over Halloween, I helped a friend with his bald cap for his costume (he was Aang) and he had to go buy some colored base to blend the cap into his skin. While I'm working on him, he tells me how he couldn't believe how expensive the base was and that he doesn't know how girls can buy all their makeup. Let me just put this out there; the stuff he bought was the cheap crap.

I don't think any of you guys realize how much money women spend on making themselves look pretty for you. Being a girl is expensive. I just spent $30 today replacing just a few of the makeup things I was running out of. That's just a little bit of makeup. And not to mention all the other products girls need. Shampoos, conditioners, feminine products, brushes, irons, lotions... I can go on. And that's only the basic stuff. Then I can get into other things like mousse, bronzer, facial scrubs...then we can go into jewelry...

...I know what you guys are thinking, "If you don't want to spend so much money on all that unnecessary crap, then don't. You girls look pretty without it."

You guys don't get it. And you never will so I won't try to explain. But this comic is more true than you will ever understand:


Here's the thing: makeup and hair/skin/facial products are about presentation. Did you know that the LDS church actually promotes the use of [natural looking] makeup? It's because it lets women give a more presentable appearance, just like a guy wearing a tie and socks with his shoes.

But, as always, there are the two extremes. There can be the girl who will never touch makeup because she either doesn't know how to use it, doesn't need it, or doesn't like it, and in most cases, that's okay. Just don't get into the mindset that you should never, ever, ever wear makeup because it is a thing encouraged for a more presentable appearance.

Then, on the other end of the spectrum, there are the Nicki Minaj's:

"Which way to the circus tent?"

So guys, here's the basic gist of what I'm trying to say: be thankful us women spend so much to look pretty just for you. Time, money, and effort. I know, sometimes the effort can go too far, and that's not okay. But seriously, unless we look like Ronald McDonald, let us know we look pretty (really, only if we actually do. Don't encourage bad makeup habits). You let us know we're pretty and putting forth a good effort, seriously, it will make a girl's entire day. She'll walk around like a goddess.

And most of all, just appreciate how much FRIGGIN' MONEY WE SPEND FOR YOU.

Okay, one last thing. I made a quiz to see whether you can tell if a girl's wearing makeup or not. Take it. If you pass, congrats. If you fail, you have to ask a poor girl out on a date and tell her how pretty she did her makeup.

Tell me which girls are wearing makeup and which girls aren't:

     <-- lol, jk

ANSWERS (don't look before answering for all 8):

1. Yes 2. Yes 3. Yes 4... actually they're all yes. Surprise! Even #2 and #4.

I promise you, 90% of the time if a girl tells you she's not wearing any makeup, she's wearing makeup.

Now go ask one out!

With lots o' love,

Nicki (not Minaj) Smith