It's not you, it's me....

Did you know it takes more muscles to frown than to smile?
Probably. People say it all the time.
Today is one of those days where I felt the need to build up my muscles, I guess, or at least it was. So as I was sitting here grumbling about how miserable my life is, I started laughing at myself. Like, out loud chuckling. Because my life isn't terrible at all, it's wonderful. So why do I slink around irritably letting every little thing my roommates and professors do (exist for example) bother me? Why does everything that happens to me trigger my thought process "God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
Spare me the melodrama.
But my real question was how do I stop myself from being so grumpy? Sometimes I go for a run, take a nap, read...but nothing was getting me out of my funk today.
Then I remembered a bible verse, Isaiah 30:18 "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion". Hm. The Lord wants to bless me, but I am doing something to prevent that, I'm being hateful. If we are to be more like Christ, and he rises to show us compassion, should we not rise to show others compassion? Shouldn't we get out of bed every morning simply in order to love others and show God's kindness. Eureka: I'm not grumpy toward people because my life sucks; my life sucks because I'm grumpy at people.
So I started smiling, and being nice, and got right back to my normal self. Problem; solved

Hellogoodbye.

So, tonight was my last night working at the restaurant (Antigua Guatemala) as I head back to James Madison University in four short days. It's hard to believe I'm leaving and feels as though I just walked in the door and asked for a job.I knew the restaurant would help hold my spanish over until next semester, but I had know idea how much the people there, who now feel like family to me, would help me to learn and grow. From picking up Guatemalan slang& learning how to make fried plantains, to experience what it feels like to be part of a huge hispanic, restaurant owning family, these people have changed my life. The Hispanic culture is a friendly, loving, family oriented phenomenon that takes your breath away when you're surrounded by the cell phone, internet, and appearance focus of American culture. Mishelle told me the other day, "You're white with a little Hispanic in you, because you're different, you know? You're friendly." I've never been more proud. I cannot wait to go back to the restaurant, despite the horrors of cleaning the mens bathroom and the hard-working mentality of a hispanic small business. The culture of the restaurant is intriguing, heart warming, and feels like home. I also can't wait for the chapter of life that I'm slipping back into as I move my new indie-themed decor into a small suite with some of my best friends=) Life is bittersweet &brimming with surprise endings.

Bearer of Bad News

Today, I am grateful that I never watch the news.
Now I am going to use this as a platform to rant.
The news. My question is, whose idea was it? Who was sitting there and thought, wow, what a great idea it would be to take all of the bad things that happen in the world and put it on TV? I get the whole vietnam exposure of reality, whatever sells and entertains....but should that really entertain us?? Teenage boy dies in car accident, local apartment complex devastated by fire, child with autism's bike is stolen, drunk driver kills four twenty year olds. All stories I've heard in the last two days from the kitchen, as my mother reads to the background noise of the world's tragedy. It's horrible, really, if you think about it. Taking all of the crappy things that happen to people and broadcasting it for everyone, replaying their pain on every news channel and talk show. That these things even entertain us, or are appealing to watch is bizarre. Ergo, I have decided to never fall into the habit of watching the news every morning. Although it helps to brighten my political ignorance and local oblivion, the news simply leaves me feeling sad and angry that so many horrible things are happening to so many people. You may argue that not watching it is just ignoring the problems of a radically corrupt world. Which is valid and I don't really have a rebuttal. I just hate the news.

The Little Things in Life

So today has been a superb day. I worked only HALF AN HOUR today, which is a little thing that made me happy. There are some other factors that have made today extra spectacular.

• The discovery of a new obsession- Green Tea Frappucino from Starbucks. It looks and sounds absolutely revolting, and no one would ever think to order it, but it is marvelous.
• The purchase of a new Phillies Hat, getting ready to go back to Virginia reppin my boys.
• A pink sippy cup bought for two dollars to drink my milk from in my dorm room. I spill a lot.
• ANOTHER AC Moore Trip (my other recent obsession) and $25 worth of arts and crafts
• An afternoon free of work and full of painting& glue gunning
• Learning how to play mad world on the piano

andd there ya go. My happiness triggers of the day. =)

Ronald my Ridiculous new best friend

SO lately I have been working approximately sixty hours a week, and have been in a rather grumpy mood, it's basically constant. To battle my irritability, I have decided to have some me time every night [blogging] where I sit down and think about the GOOD things that happened during my day- because happiness is taking the little things that make you smile and making them count more than the annoying irritating crap that frustrates you.
So every day [probably like once a week] I am going to blog about what I'm grateful for today, and today, I am grateful for Ronald!
So I work at a Guatemalan Restaurant, and there are about 8 little kids that belong to someone in the family that owns it, and there always there running around. Since the adults are working in the kitchen, and because I love these children, I love to play with them. One of them, Ronnie, decided tonight that we were best friends. Ronnie is like, the most ridiculous child, ever, with a gigantic and and....weird...imaginiation. So, what made me happy today, is this list of ridiculous quotes from Ronnie.

"Do you know what happened today? There was a man walking down the street who had long nails and hair and looked like a wolf. In fact, he was a wolf. A werewolf. And you know what he did? He scratched me! You can't see it though it's invisible. So, now I'm going to be a wolf. Up, yep, I feel hair growing, I'm definitely a wolf, that's a sure sign."

"Do you know what you just did? You just achoo-d" (after I sneezed)

"Do you know that you are a super hero? You're Megan Girl and you can freeze the bad people"

"Me and you we're buddies. I love you very much but only in the buddy way, in the best friend way, I just want you to know that I don't love you in the love way."

"I want you to vacuum me up, because I think it would be really fun to be inside a bag of dirt with the dirt people"

"We were buddies before, but right now I just decided that you can be my best friend. And before when I was talking about that girl that was my friend, I was talking about you."

"I know that was mean. I'm sorry I can't help it. Meanness is what happens when I get thoughts in my head from the devil instead of from God."

"I made a wish to God today and I'll tell you what it is but you can't tell anyone, it's  a secret. I wished to God today that I could have super powers like Shark Boy."

"Do you know how much more minutes you are gonna take cleaning? Because my dad said i have to go and i wanted some minutes to color with you."

So, this 6 year old precious little bugger is my newly self proclaimed bff and I am grateful for him today!

The New Things I Learn At Work

So, I haven't blogged in a really long time. Like, it's been ages. I figure no one wants to hear about my boring life and trippy thoughts. Probably no one does. But on account of it's 12:19 pm and I don't feel like going to bed, and I have a lame life and am not doing anything cool, I figured, I might as well.

I was recently hired at a small Guatemalan Restaurant in Pheonixville Pennsylvania called Antigua Guatemala  (check it out. it's rad.) I also work part time as a lifegaurd and swim instructor at the YMCA and babysit some pretty cool cats. Anyways, I work like 50 hours a week. But it doesn't even get that boring, because I learn so many interesting weird things. Like today, I learned

1) Some kids actually don't know their first names. um. actually.

2) Pregnant women can't eat fetta cheese?

3) The word "solo" in spanish can mean single (as in not having a husband) and also alone (as in you have some quiet time to yourself tonight". Learned that the hard way...

4) Urinals must be really hard to use...on account of how many people miss.

5) Hoolah Girl and julia (that's me, according to Kate, a little girl I babysit. My name is actually Megan) NEVER get caught by super jack (the villain, obviously, her little brother). at least not permanently.

you see? you learn something new every day

The "Love Grinch" 's Heart Grows 3 Sizes

Earlier this week, my friend Nicole dubbed me the "Love Grinch".  Thanks, Nicole. I suppose that kind of put my grumpiness towards anything mushy gushy into perspective. I mean it's kind of true. Let's be real...I tried to steal Valentines Day. I guess I'm just bitter. "Happily Ever Afters" never really seem to end very happily...at least that's the way I've seen it. My feelings for relationship junk was (still sort of is) much like the Grinch's feelings for Christmas: "hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. double hate. LOATHE ENTIRELY." Okay. That might be a little carried away. So let's just say, I'm flying solo, and totes okay with it.
Anyways, tonight, a couple of my best friends and I went to go see one of the newest Disney movies, "Tangled". Well. What can I say? The Love Grinch KIND OF melted. All of the little lanterns and glowing magic? It was KIND OF precious. So....what happened you say? Well in Hburg they say the Love Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day.