You might be wondering, “What is a ‘neocon’?” A definition that I believe sums it up best can be found on merriam-webster.com :

“A conservative who advocates the assertive promotion of democracy and United States national interest in international affairs including though military means.”

Neocons are generally not receptive to libertarian ideas, and thus the ideas of Ron Paul.

Which is why I enjoyed this satirical video…

I have a new resolution to BLOG MORE. So expect more posts soon

Peace, Love and Liberty,

Ann

I will have to spread out updates among multiple posts to accurately recount everything.

But here are some things in a nutshell:

• By far the biggest thing that happened in the past 74 days was that I went to Iowa for eight days during caucus season to help campaign for the good Doctor…Ron Paul! It was, hands down, one of the greatest experiences in my life. I will without a doubt need to devote an entire post to my experience during those eight days.^With my friend Nash on caucus night in Ankeny, IA. Never mind the fact that I look like death…

• I received an iPhone for Christmas! I no longer have a “dumb phone” (as opposed to a smart phone) as Tyler puts it.

• Shortly before leaving for Iowa, I made an attempt to take control of my health. After weeks of NT Daily articles, research papers, finals and the stress of LIFE, I had put in many, many hours hunched over a computer and eating junk food. Toward the end of December, I became inspired by the ripped women in Oxygen magazine and began weight training. I decided to not necessarily focus on weight loss but on fat loss. It was going well until I took my eight day break, of course, during which I did not exactly lead the most healthy lifestyle (but I had a good reason not to!).

Upon returning from Iowa, I have been making a big effort to regain control of my health. So I have started using a juicer and experimenting with different fruit and vegetable juices.

^ 1 beet + the stem and leaves, 2 stalks of celery and some parsley juiced together and then mixed with carrot juice.

^I’ve never referred to soup as “pretty” before I made this last night. It’s 1/4 of a cabbage, 2 celery stalks and some parsley juiced together and then mixed with 1 cup carrot juice, heated up and eaten as a soup.

^Breakfast juice: 1/2 a lemon, 2 medium oranges and 1 cup berries juiced together. This picture was taken before I added a packet of green superfood. The green superfood usually tastes disgusting by itself, but the fruits drowned out the taste.

All pics taken with my new iPhone

I hope everyone is having a great start to the new year.

I will be blogging more often from now on! Hopefully, anyway. I want to chronicle my health pursuits, political exploits, and life occurrences in general.

Peace, Love, and Liberty,

Song of the Day: Melanie’s Melody by The Black Angels

Then I began doing homework and I was like

And then I was like

So I got some coffee

But that fueled my anxiety and made me like

So I ended up sleeping anyway

Stay up until what most would consider “too late” taking too long to do homework. Get up the next day and do it over again.

I’m breaking my blogging hiatus to do some promotion for my favorite politician ever – RON PAUL.

I could write a book about why I support Ron Paul. But I’ll keep this brief.

Ron Paul is having a moneybomb today – meaning, he is trying to receive as much donations in one day as possible.

I encourage EVERYONE to donate what they can here.

I’m a broke college student, so I could only donate $20.00 last time. But still, it all adds up. And, purchases from the campaign store count! So today is as good a day as any to get yourself an awesome RP’12 t-shirt or bumper sticker.

Why support Ron Paul? Briefly speaking: out of the current pool of candidates, Ron Paul is the best hope we have.

For those who still need convincing watch the video below. Or, simply Google “Ron Paul.”

Don’t believe the mainstream media. Ron Paul CAN win!

Peace, Love and Liberty,

Ann

Ten years ago today, I was ten years old. It was a regular morning in fifth grade at Gattis Elementary School in Round Rock, Texas. Class had just started an I was sitting at my desk, when my teacher, Ms. Newell-Byrd, answered the phone. I remember her stopping what she was doing, seizing the remote, and turning the TV on to the news. There was an image of the World Trade Center with smoke billowing out.

I don’t remember how many towers had been hit at that point, but it was before either had collapsed.

My teacher said, “A plane has hit the World Trade Center, and it wasn’t a mistake,”

I remember being completely confused by her statement.

She also told us that that day was a day that would go down in history books.

Later that day my mom came and picked me, my brother, and sister up from school. I told her about what I saw on TV, as if she didn’t already know. I don’t remember what she said to me, but she was uneasy. My dad had been on a business trip, I think it was to California, and was supposed to fly home that day, but not until later. All flights everywhere had been cancelled. My dad and his colleagues ended up renting a car and driving all the way back to Texas.

My mom told me later that after she heard of the terrorist attacks, she went and filled our mini-van up with gas. She was prepared to take us out of harm’s way, anywhere, if she had to.

I didn’t understand the magnitude of the attacks then. And while I have learned a lot since, I still don’t. In the past few weeks, I have been researching 9/11. I don’t know why, I guess just to make better sense of it.

I’m stopping because I don’t know why i’m writing this. I feel like, as a person, I’m pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things. That’s what this event is causing me to realize.

9/11 has helped me to realize that evil, real evil, truly exists. But, so does pure goodness and kindness. And I thank God for that.

___

Where was God on September 11?

(God explains)

“I know you’re mad at Me right now. That’s alright. People have been mad at Me before and will be again. Being mad is part of being human. My Son got mad, too. It’s all right to be mad sometimes at injustice, for example, or the lack of charity.”

“You probably think I am unjust and uncharitable when an airplane goes down like that. All those people lost. The children gone. It doesn’t seem right; it can’t be loving. You ask, ‘Where was God?’ Why did He allow that to happen?”

“I allow it to happen because I allow you freedom. I could have left you on a string and made you dance all day without getting tired. I could have moved your mouth for you and made you sing all night without growing hoarse. I could have pulled a wire that would have let you soar skyward and never fall.”

“I could have, but I didn’t because I love you so much. I want you to be free to decide when to dance and sing. Free to determine when you will come to Me in faith and hope. Because you are free, some of you choose not to dance or sing. Some of you select hatred over love, revenge over forgiveness, bombs over a helping hand. As you choose, I watch. I do not disappear. I listen to both the songs and the bombs. AND I REMEMBER.”

“Where was God?” you wonder…I was there. I whispered in the ear of a little girl, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am with you.’ I held the hand of a business woman as tightly as she clutched mine. I cradled a pilot against my shoulder as if he were a baby again.”

“Amid the paralyzing fear, I was there, as I was there with my Son in the garden. Amid the unbearable pain, I was there, as I was with Him as He was whipped. Amid the terrible realization that life was ending too soon, I was there, with Him as He hung on the cross and asked, like you, “My God, why have you forsaken Me?”

“I had not forsaken Him. I did not forsake them. I was there as they fell, and as they rose to eternal joy. I listened to their anger, answered their questions and showed them why they had been created. Not to end that way, but to live with Me forever.”

“In an instant, they came into existence. As you did. In an instant, they left this world. As you will. But beyond that last instant, I kept my promise… A little girl dances, a business woman sings, and a pilot keeps his wings forever.”

___

This month of August has consisted of: wrapping up my stats class with a project and final exam and all that fun stuff (which I passed BTW!), trying to make my deadlines for NT Daily articles, moving to a condo (it is AWESOME), cleaning/furnishing the condo, fixing my schedule for the fall semester (it got screwed up; long story), beginning the fall semester, and, um…trying to keep my sanity.

I’d say I did a pretty good job at keeping my **** together, except for not getting sleep and not exercising. Both of which I plan on fixing ASAP.

I may not have blogged, but I thought about my blog a lot. And cultivated some ideas.

-The Photo Thing-

There was a time when I had a really good digital camera. I took it with me practically everywhere and snapped a million photos that I would post on my MySpace and Xanga page (mind you, this was 2005). Unfortunately, that camera broke around my junior year of high school. And my photography has been pretty scant since.

I have a point-and-shoot that is broken beyond repair. RIP. I also have an SLR that is wonderful, but not very portable. I happen to be the queen of losing USB cords, so with my old laptop I would just put the memory card into the card reader. My new MacBook has no such card reader.

I am tired of finding pics on other websites and putting them on here. Not cool.

So my goal is to save up for a good point-and-shoot that I can use to take a plethora of photos for my blog. I’ll hold tight to my USB cord and make sure it doesn’t escape into oblivion (SRSLY, I have lost at least three so far…where do they go?!)

I’m thinking of getting this bad boy.

-Video: yea or nay?-

What if I posted a video of myself talking? You know, a vlog. Would that be cool, or…awkward?

Several bloggers I follow vlog every now and then, such as Rachel Getting It and Julie Borowski. They do a great job.

I could just see myself posting a video of me going “OHAIMYNAMEISANNIDKWHATTOSAYLOL…”

Plus, I haven’t exactly figured out everything on my new MacBook, including how to take video from the webcam. So as soon as I improve my awkwardness and my Mac-savvyness, you *may* see a vlog on here

-Political Blog-

I like keeping up with politics and am a Poli Sci minor. I want to write about politics as a career. I have considered writing my political musings on this blog, but have decided against it because political posts may turn people off. So, I’m seriously considering starting a political blog. Actually, plan on me doing this. I need to start on political writing so I can develop a style, become familiar with the lingo, etc. This will be especially enjoyable with the elections of November ’12 coming up!!

If anyone reading this enjoys political blogs, political conversation, or anything else related to politics, HOLLA ATCHA GURRRLLL!!!

[source]

I would be a professional blogger if I could be. That would be awesome.

GOAL.

Peace and Love,

Song of the Day: Eclectic Prawn by Dumbo Gets Mad

A REAL post is coming soon, I promise!

I hope everybody is having a great summer.

Peace and Love,

[source]

happy (comparative happier, superlative happiest)

1. Experiencing the effect of favourable fortune; having the feeling arising from the consciousness of well-being or of enjoyment; enjoying good of any kind, as peace, tranquillity, comfort; contented; joyous.

I chose a recipe that I found on another blog: Turkey and Veggie spaghetti from Just A Titch. Thanks Amy!!

In my opinion, spaghetti is a pretty good staple food to make in college. It’s not easy to mess up. It doesn’t take very long. You can make a lot at once to put in the fridge and eat for a couple days. And, you can make it as healthy (or unhealthy) as you want it.

I used whole wheat spaghetti noodles – the thinner kind. I also used the same veggies as Amy did: asparagus, bell peppers, and broccoli. I used spaghetti sauce from a jar, and ground turkey that had Italian seasoning.

I live in a dorm that’s about 60 years old, give or take a couple years. It actually comes with a little kitchenette! Nothing fancy and a little dinky, but still a step up from the kitchen-less dorm rooms I have lived in before.

Kitchen view one – note the cell block walls and the 70′s-style groovy yellow counters. Don’t mind how it’s semi-messy :3

Kitchen view two- the stove. This was my set up while I was cooking the noodles. I have Teen Mom (yes, the MTV reality show, one of my guilty pleasures) on my laptop. The FiberOne is on the counter because of lack of cabinet space…

I followed the recipe pretty much verbatim as Amy described it.

And…how do I put this? I had never…um…browned meat before. (Surely I’m not the ONLY one, right?) But I found this AWESOME how-to on StartCooking.com. I’m going to check the rest of that website out because it looks pretty straightforward and useful.

This was the end result:

I mixed it all together in this bowl. I was talking to my boyfriend on speakerphone and said “Uhhh…can I call you back while I scarf down some of this pasta? It looks delicious…”

Scarf it down,  I did.

YUM!

It was delicious. Such a good break from the crappy, stereotypical college kid meals that I usually eat. And, I have enough left over for me to eat tomorrow, and probably the next day; and probably enough for my roommate, Bonnie, to have some as well.

This was my dessert:

I’m a fan of FiberOne products (you probably noticed the cereal on my counter earlier in the post). When I found out that FiberOne was coming out with brownies, I thought, HELLZ YEAH! And the brownie did not disappoint.

It was just the right size and had the right amount of sweetness to taste dessert-y. It had chocolate chips in it, which earns kudos from me, because my favorite brownies have chocolate chips in them.

And not only was it chocolate-y and peanutbutter-y (the perfect combination) it contained 90 calories and 20% of my daily value of fiber!

When I finish the spaghetti leftovers, I would really like to cook another college-living-friendly meal and blog about it on here. So I’m on the lookout for recipes now!

Have a delicious week, everyone.

Peace and Love,

Song of the Day: Awake and Alive by Skillet

What I’ve been reading

I love books – physical, print books. They can’t be replaced. Which is why I have been reluctant about reading eBooks, Kindles, Nooks, etc.

But, I gave in and started using eBooks.com. I don’t have a nifty tablet reader, so I buy the books and download them onto my computer to read them in pdf format. I have bought two books so far, and have finished one.

Book #1 – The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I usually don’t read fiction books – non-fiction tends to be my genre of choice. But I am so glad that I deviated from my usual preferences to read this book.

Oh. My. Gosh. It was so good.

The Help is set in early-1960s Jackson, Mississippi. It tells the story from the perspective of three narrators: Skeeter Phelan, a recent college graduate and aspiring journalist; Aibileen, a maid who has lost her son to racial violence; and Minny, another, younger maid with several children and an abusive husband. Skeeter’s childhood friend, Hilly, introduces a law called “the home help sanitation initiative,” which makes houses with African-American maids required to build separate restrooms for the maids to use. Frustrated by this initiative, and the racial prejudice in Jackson, Skeeter sets off to write a book in which she interviews African-American maids to get a tell-all perspective on working for white families. The good, but mostly the bad.

Aaaand the story goes from there. There are a couple of other sub-plots, but I won’t give those away. You’ll have to find them out for yourself.

A movie adaptation of this book comes out next month, and I am DEFINITELY going to go see it! I love Viola Davis, Emma Stone, and Bryce Dallas Howard – they all have starring roles. I have high expectations for this film and I hope it meets them. The trailer looks good enough.

Book #2 – Game Change by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann

Here is where I return to my love of nonfiction. Game Change is written by two journalists, and is about the 2008 Presidential election. It was made from a compilation of interviews from several people involved in the election – from low-level staffers to the candidates themselves (according to the book). I’m not very far into it yet, but it has sucked me in and hooked me already. My boyfriend is farther into it than I am, and he says he wishes there were books like this for every election. I wish the same thing. The candor with which this book is written is truly unique.

And, being the government nerd that I am, reading this book makes me wonder what’s going on in the playing field for the 2012 election…which I am excited for. This book has reminded me that anything can happen.

…oh yeah, I also made a GoodReads account!

Magazines

[I have issues. HAHA-get it? ]

Confession: I have a magazine addiction. Every time I go to the store, it’s hard to check out without a magazine. I love the articles, attractive layouts, alluring pictures…everything. And then there’s the fact that each month (about) there’s a BRAND NEW one! New stories, new pictures! I can’t get enough.

I don’t want to admit how much I have spent on magazines recently. Actually, I’d rather not know.

BUT, I realized how my love for magazines was growing, and progressively draining the cash from my pocket. So I’ve come up with a plan to help that…

I’ve decided to only pick a couple of titles (maybe 2-3 that I like to read the best, this will be hard) and buy online subscriptions to them.

I have already done this with Shape Magazine. I’ll buy one, *maybe* two subscriptions more. I’m considering Reason Magazine and/or Texas Monthly.

After I do this, I will try my best to refrain from buying magazines off the stand. Online editions are cheaper, and more environmentally-friendly than buying them at the store every month. Plus, you receive them sooner.

What I’ve been writing

SPEAKING of magazines, I have been contributing to “On the Record,” a student-run summer magazine here at UNT. The most recent issue, which is all about Denton jobs, came out on Friday. You can pick it up in several locations on campus and around Denton, or you can read it online here. I am particularly proud of my “Brewing the American Dream” article, on page 25.

I’m still doing my best to contribute to ntdaily.com as well.

While trying to write my articles and keep up with deadlines, I’ve been learning a lot about time management, dealing with stress, and trying to not be so hard on myself. Fun things, yes… I know I will emerge from this experience a better, more well-rounded person and journalist.

Now I’m going to stop blogging so I can continue my reading and writing exploits.

Peace and Love,

Song of the Day: Pick up the Pieces by Average White Band