Invisible?

You know the saying that goes: If a tree falls in a forest and no one's around to hear it, does it really make a sound? Well, I was wondering, and if a blind man is all alone, is he really visible? It's the same concept.

Just something to think about...

Party in the USA

So, if you've read 'about me' you probably already know that I would like to pursue a career in Sign Language. Though I don't personally listen to this kind of music, this guy's signing is amazing! His expressions are so clear that you don't even have to know Sign Language to understand what he's saying.

Check it out:

A Beautiful Quote

I don't know who said it, but it's one of my favorites:

"To the world you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world."

My Security

I wrote this poem yesterday afternoon and it was originally going to be about insecurities, but as you can tell by the title, I had a different thought as I went along.


My Security

It feels as if I'm in the spotlight now
I want to run, but I've forgotten how
But You are there to rescue me
You are my security

When I'm crashing into the sea
And when I'm sinking into the deep
You are there to rescue me
You are my security

So I bow my head and say a prayer
Knowing that You're always there
You're always there to rescue me
You'll always be my security

LOOK!

Despite my doubts, my Carnations sprouted Monday! Now they’re all approximately one centimeter tall. I might not have a green thumb but at least I can’t be called a plant killer any more.

It’s so exciting!

Women’s History Month

Since March is Women’s History month I knew I had to blog about a great woman and the first person that came to my mind was Margaret Mary Tobin Brown. Now she is better known as the Unsinkable Molly Brown.

Margaret was born in Hannibal, Missouri on July 18th, 1867. She lived in a little house near the Mississippi River with her parents and five siblings.

When she was eighteen she moved to Colorado with her sister and met a miner there named James Joseph “J.J.” Brown. The two were married on September 1, 1886. They had two children and bought a house in Leadville where James continued in the mining business. Over the years he became on of the most successful mining men in the country. The Browns had struck it rich. But later in life, it is said that their marriage was coming to an end—even though they lived in the same house, they completely avoided each other.

In 1912 Margaret got news that her grandson was sick while she was traveling and made the quick decision to go to New York on the first passage available. Because of her hastiness, hardly anyone knew where she was going or what ship she was taking.

On April 10, 1912 she boarded the RMS Titanic from Cherbourg France.
The voyage was pleasant and the weather was good—they were even due to arrive in New York early—until four days later when the Titanic struck an iceberg. Margaret though, showed no fear. She helped gather women to be put in the lifeboats until she was put into one herself.

Even when Quartermaster Hichens (who was in charge of lifeboat six) had given up all hope for rescue, Margaret stayed strong and threatened to throw him overboard. She told the women to row and kept their spirits up.

When rescued from the Carpathia, she still did everything she could to be of assistance. She helped aid the survivors and by time they reached New York, she raised $10,000 for destitute survivors.

For her heroism she was nicknamed the Unsinkable Molly Brown, but not until the 1930’s. She was never known as Molly when she was alive, though her friends did call her Maggie.

Margaret Brown is mostly known for her bravery that fateful night of 1912 but she also did many other great things. She was an advocate of human rights, she worked to establish the first Juvenile Court in the U.S., worked with the relief efforts during World War 1 and was also a Suffragist. She really played a big role in women’s history.

“Typical Brown luck. We’re unsinkable.”

                                        ~Margaret Mary Tobin Brown

An "F" Waiting to Happen

My science teacher assigned an experiment perfect for spring time but not so perfect for me: growing a plant.
I started it yesterday but I don’t have much confidence about it. You see, last year I tried growing ten plants and all of them died (except for one that my dad saved before I killed it all the way). I don’t really have a green thumb.

I got a package of carnation seeds “guaranteed to grow”. I made a light hut ( a box covered with aluminum foil, slits for ventilation, and a light bulb at the top) and I planted the seeds with extreme care. I even used a ruler to be sure I wasn’t covering them with too much dirt.

According to the package they take ten days to germinate. So if I don’t see anything by March 20th, I’ll be upset.

Now, if this project does work out, I think I should get an A+ after considering my bad history with plants.

They should grow…they’re guaranteed to.

A Funeral for a Fish

Phelps

September 19, 2009 - March 5, 2011

My fish, Phelps has died and this time it's for real. There were two other times he was about to "swim to the light", but as my mom said: third time's a charm. For a beta fish, he was very old and everyone was surprised whenever I told them how long I had him.

So, in his memory, I will share the story of the second time he almost died:

I had just finished cleaning his bowl and I was ready to put him back in it when he jumped out of the net. I reached to get him out of the sink but when looked, he wasn't there. Standing there a little confused, it took me a few seconds to realize that he slipped down the drain. I never thought he would fit through the tiny hole.

After telling my mom what happened, she went into the bathroom to take off part of the pipe under the sink. We were really hoping he would be in the P-trap (that's the part of piping that looks like a hook) but sadly, he wasn't there.

When my dad came home about an hour later, he went to put the pipe back together and sitting on a towel under the open drain pipe was Phelps. Surprisingly he was still alive. After he was back in his home he swam around more and acted better than ever.

Apparently he was stuck at the top of the piping and didn't get dislodged until no one was looking. It was amazing that he was able to live through a trauma like that.

For a fish he lived a full life and at least he only died of old age this time.

But of course we had to have fish for supper...

Helpful Hints

A while back my dad gave me a paper with some tips that that he got in an email. I kept the paper because all of them are so logical. I thought I would share some of them because you never know when they might come in handy.

1. If you’re choking on an ice cube, simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat. Presto! The blockage will instantly remove itself.
2. Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold the vegetables while you chop.
3. If you can’t fix it with a hammer, you’ve got an electrical problem.
4. A mousetrap placed on top of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

**Since doing things like pouring boiling water down your throat can be painful and dangerous, please use common sense and do not attempt these tips—they’re only for a good laugh.**