Santa - The Ultimate Stalker

Alright everyone. This is meant to be a humorous, yet extensively creepy observation. I am about to point out some characteristics of Santa Claus, and why he is the ultimate stalker. First off, my parents never told us Santa was real, and I am very glad. I will not play Santa games with my children either. Okay here it goes..

He knows your identity: For starters, Santa knows who you are. When constructing his list of good and bad children, he obviously has to know your name. He would have to know how old you are so he can deliver an age appropriate gift, and also where you live.

He knows what you do: Santa delivers gifts based on how good you are throughout the year. He is always watching you. Do not think you can hide what you do from Santa, he is going to find out. He knows when you hit your brother, steal a pack of gum, or color on the wall. He keeps track of everything you do on his list [next to your name].

He knows your sleeping patterns: He sees you when you are sleeping. He knows when you are awake. This goes hand in hand with knowing what you do, but on a creepier level. He knows if you are sound asleep in your bed, or sitting up with insomnia. Maybe he sends elves out to keep track of your consciousness status, but still. Ultimately, Santa knows your sleep patterns.

He sneaks into your house: This particular stalkerish act that Santa partakes in makes me thankful for our gas fireplace. We do not have a chimney for him to get down. But, what do parents tell their children who have gas fireplaces? Do they tell them Santa can still get in? Because that would honestly creep me out if I was a kid. "Don't worry Junior, Santa will find a way to get in the house. He will check your bed to make sure you are asleep, and then leave your presents under the tree."

He likes kids: Maybe this is taking the whole stalker thing a bit far, but letting kids sit on Santa's lap seems like a pretty weird tradition for him to start. That is all I am going to say about that.

So basically, Santa Claus is like, the ultimate stalker. Maybe the first line in that song says it all.. "You better watch out." Kids, hide. Adults, you should hide as well. Santa Claus is coming to town. The end.

Helplessness

So we have a pet hamster. We have had him for about a year, and his name is Cookie. Today I am observing how helpless some creatures are.. and how greatly they rely on us as caretakers. Our hamster has a cold. As funny as that sounds, it is affecting his poor little body in numerous ways. He has no energy. Not even enough energy to curl up in a ball when he sleeps. When I came home from school, it looked like he had just kinda.. plopped down on his side. My family had placed a lamp overhead to keep him warmer.. and he has some medicine he has to take.

Currently I have Cookie up in my room, wrapped in a dish towel and laying on a heating pad. All of us love him because he is our pet, and we are doing everything we can to take care of him. He is so helpless.. because he cannot drink anything for himself, or move around, or take his own medicine. He needs us to do all of that for him. Poor little guy.

This is allowing me to view how valued life is. He is just a pet hamster.. but he is part of our lives. He is in our care, and we are doing everything we can to nurse him back to health. The end.

Cheating

So we had a music test yesterday, and I observed a sad, sad observation.  I have actually been observing this topic the past few weeks.  Since I was always home-schooled, I was never exposed to cheating like I am now in college.  It makes me very sad and disappointed in our young people today.  So here is my story.

A few weeks ago, we watched a video in music class, and were given a paper with a list of matching questions to answer during the video.  A few of us in one section of the room were trading and comparing answers because if you were not paying full attention to what the video was saying, whether you were reading a previous question, checking some answers, etc., then you would miss an answer.  In these videos they never touch back on information they previously gave.  So since all the answers were being provided by a video and not personal knowledge, I didn't have a problem giving some people some answers that they missed.

Now, fast-forward to the test we took in Music class yesterday.  Before the test a group of us were sitting around talking waiting for class to start.  Some of the girls that I gave some answers to on the video analysis looked at me and Tim and told us to pass them some answers after I was finished.  I was somewhat shocked that they would even consider asking that on a test.  I had studied with Tim the whole class period before, and we kind of looked at each other.  I decided that the knowledge of the topics on the test was MY knowledge.  So I looked at the girls that were inquiring answers from us, and told them that I don't give answers out on tests because my work is my work.

Here comes the sad part.  The girl that initially asked for our answers, looked at us and asked, "Oh you guys actually believe that?  I cheat on tests because if I don't know the answer, then I need to get it somehow."

This is the reason that people cannot graduate, struggle through tests, and cannot function in a world outside of school.  The end.

Parking Lots

I am typing this from the library at Tech.  I was going to come a bit early and work on some stuff, so I figured my best bet was to get here around 9:30.  The next batch of classes would be starting, so no one should be driving around the parking lot looking for a space.  Apparently though, everyone gets here for 9:00 classes, because there was not a single parking space.  I ended up driving and looping, turning and trying to get around people for 15 minutes.  Finally a car backed out and I pulled in faster then lightning.

I am very glad that I do not have a 9:00 class that I was trying to get here for.  I usually come at 11, and that is hard enough to find a place to park.

Not only are the parking lots here crowded, people seriously do not know how to park.  This is college people!  Pull all the way into your parking spot, but not too far, because someone might be  trying to park across from you.  If you pull too far in, then they cannot pull in far enough, and then no one can get through the aisles of the parking lot.

So that is my ranting and raving post for the day.  The end.

Journeys

I love journeys.  I enjoy getting in my car, and driving.  Somewhere.  Anywhere.  I especially adore long drives.  Today I took a journey all the way to Bennettsville.  I have never been there, so it was quite the adventure.  My favorite part of the whole trip though, was the drive.  Those back roads through the fields and countryside.. mmm.  Words cannot describe.  

It seems to have tapped into my artistic side.  On the journey there I loved looking at all the fields, the older buildings, the cute one story houses, some horses, etc.  As I started heading home though I was hungry to see all that, as well as the old rusty buildings and rundown shacks.  I loved it!  I know this might sound weird, but I was tempted to get out, and photograph it.  Every single rusty, rundown store.  However, due to the fact that I was alone, I did not.

There is something significant about seeing beauty and art in an old building or a pile of junk.  To me, it seems like the feeling God has when he looks at us.  Sinners.  Dirty, horrid sinners.  Every single one of us.  But God does not take notice of that.  He looks beyond all we have done, all the mistakes and regrets we have acquired over the years.  He looks deeper then the scars and shame, underneath the rusty layer of insecurities, and He sees beauty.

So that is my observation of the day.  As a result of today, I am now researching and looking into purchasing a nice camera.  If/When I get one, it is back to Bennettsville for me.  The end.

Smelly Shoes

This post is going to make up for the past few days.  I seemed to have come to a stand still as far as observations, because I was sick.  Nothing interesting to observe in sickness.  My brain could not function enough to come up with anything witty.  So I did not blog.

However, today, I observed smelly shoes.  Like my knock-off Bierkenstocks [which I will never be able to spell] that I got around 4 years ago.  I used to wear them all the time.  ALL the time.  The soles are wearing off on the bottoms, but other then that they are still in pretty decent condition as far as appearance.  I love them.  But they smell.  They are fine when they are on my feet, but as soon as I take them off, they smell.  They are just so old.

So here is my parallel.

Ready?

Some Christians are like a smelly shoe.

Think of it this way.  In our lives, we look great on the outside.  We really do.  The human race is beautiful.  Not only in appearance, but in actions.  When you walk into a church, we help people.  We smile at people.  WE have it all together.  The perfect example of a perfect Christian.  We might go to church.. a few times a week.  We see a lot of the same people, week after week after week.  But who are we when we are not at church?  All of that is just outward show.  When we take our spiritual shoes off, do they stink?  When we go to work, go to school, go to the grocery store, go to our homes.. who are we?  Are we someone different everywhere we go?

When we hang out with our family, when we hang out with our church friends, when we hang out with buddies from school, are we different then too?

All I gotta say is I do not want to be a stinky shoe.  Lately I have been evaluating and reevaluating every aspect of my life, making sure they all match up to who I am, and making sure they ultimately match up to who GOD is.  You might be thinking, "But Carissa, some shoes just can't help it.  They always end up stinky."  So here's my thought.  Either wear some socks, or throw them out.  The end.

Chick-fil-a

Today, I went to Chick-fil-a with some friends, and we got free chicken sandwiches because we wore a team logo.

Chick-fil-a can compose an amazing chicken sandwich.  I was watching a guy prepare one in the window.  Spread butter across the buns, slapped some pickles on, pulled some fried chicken out of the frying basket, tucked it into the bun, and slid it down the line to be packaged.  Yummy.

Another thing about Chick-fil-a that I absolutely LOVE.. is that they are closed on Sundays.  Plus, they play Christian music.  It is a great family restaurant, with decent prices and good food.  The end.

Respect

We live in a society where women have as much power and standing as men do.  We are equal genders.  The corporate ladder is overlapped between the male and female leadership that we find in businesses around the world.

I feel like that for these reasons, gentlemen are diminishing.  Chivalry seems dead [NOTE: seems].  But I think in this day and age, being a "gentleman" is different then it was in the days of escorting ladies by the elbow and opening doors [besides that most doors are automatic now].  Ladies who are bosses, CEOs, executive leaders, musicians, artists, authors, composers, etc., are independent.  We do not feel the need to let a guy pick up a pen when we drop it.  However, just as chivalry seems non-essential, apparently so does respect.

I have been observing that more and more these days.  I have learned a ton from my own past mistakes and regrets, and those of other women and girls around me.  Not all men are animals, in fact, most of them are quite civilized [haha].  But I have learned to be slow to trust.  I have learned that I am a woman of God who deserves respect, and am not going to settle for anything less then what I deserve in the way a girl should be treated.  If you are a girl out there, no matter how old or young, you should realize that too.  No one can define who you are but God, and no one can make you do anything you don't want to do.  You are an independent woman.  Do not let anyone, whether male or female, tell you that you are not worth anything, that you will never be good at such-a-such, or that you are a mistake.

I must say, this is the most random post yet.  I was about to write about healthy eating, and mid-way through my typing I switched over to writing about men respecting women [not quite sure how that came from healthy eating].  I hope nothing in this offends anyone.  I tried not to use dangerous words such as "all, every, never, always, etc."  And of course this whole post could be switched around the other way too.  Every single human being on this planet deserves respect.  From everyone.  An amazing person, and someone I look up to very much once warned me to "never sell yourself short."  Never settle for less then what you deserve.  :]  The end.

Internet Access Failure

Yes.  I am typing this on a measly 2 bars of internet connection.  It's not even our connection.  I'm mooching off of someone else.  Is that illegal?  Nah.

This post goes hand in hand with yesterday's post on technology.  Kinda?  Basically technology is not very dependable.  Sometimes it can go out at the worst possible times.  Like now.  I was so upset when I got home that I couldn't post my observation.  But I guess difficulties like this gives me something to observe?

The internet.  The internet can be a bad place.. if used for the wrong reasons.  However, it can be so amazingly helpful.  It keeps us all connected and plugged in.  We lose connection, and it is like a part of us is slowly being cut off.  Like a numb foot.

Well I'm gonna go ahead and post this.. so that Jaye.. whoever that is.. doesn't get mad that I'm on his connection.  Even though he will probably never know.. muahahaa.  I wonder why our whole house has no internet?  Go figure.  The end.  :]

Technology

The other night at work I watched a family eat dinner.  There were 3 kids, a boy who was around 9, a girl who was around 11, and another girl who was around 14.  Then there were the parents, an aunt or something, and grandparents.  A nice family dinner, at an amazing restaurant called Athens [sorry had to get my advertising in there].

So through the course of their meal, I was.. observing them.  The adults talked.  The kids talked.  But here's the kicker.  The adults talked to each other.  The kids were texting.  The 14 year old was typing away on her slide up phone.  The 11 year old was typing away on her zebra print phone.  The 9 year old was playing Nintendo DS.  It was driving me crazy to watch them.  Those kids are the reason I don't have texting!  But I'm not bitter.  Just saying.  ;]]  Love you Mommy...

It was just so sad to watch a family "be together" but not BE TOGETHER.  If you know what I mean.  So that's my observation.  I could not stop thinking about how frustrated those parents must have been.  Or how completely oblivious they are.  Of course I don't have much room to talk since I sit at the computer all day.  But I'm getting better.  :]

The end.

Busyness

Perfect example of today's random observation.. it is 11:57 and I'm just now typing this.  Now 11:58.  Cramming to get this up before 12 so it counts as today's observation.

I know busyness.  I have always been a busy body.  This summer, I was so busy I was hardly home.  I am one of those girls that never says no [in the right context however, I do.. but you get the point].

Today was class, running *coughwalkingcough* on the railtrail, home to do laundry, shower.. then Starbucks for a meeting.  Now I'm here.. typing this, and about to start typing some Biology notes.

Then I sit back at the end of the day, and now is the time I realize that I did not do my quiet time this morning.  I wonder how that affected me.  Did I miss an opportunity to speak with someone that could have made a difference in their life?  Did I miss a great blessing that God had in store for me, but He watched me say "I'm too busy to read Your Word today" and so decide that He was too busy to fulfill a blessing?  I know that is not the case, because God is never too busy for us, but if you think of it that way it really makes you wonder.

We are never too busy.  We need to pound that into our little human brains.. because think about it.  We can sit around on Facebook, hang out with our friends, stay up late and study, sleep, etc.. but we have a problem with immersing ourselves in God's Word every day.  Something is backwards.  The end.

Hangnails

I observed the inconvenience of hangnails today.  I had the corner of my nail hook onto my sweater.  That was painful, and ended up making the hangnail worse.  Later on this evening, I also had one pull through my hair.  Why oh why must pieces of fingernails just hang around as if they had a right to?  Because they do not.

On a side note, my shirt got hooked onto my earring tonight.   Go figure.

The end.

Secrets

Sometimes secrets can be harmful, but sometimes secrets can be fun.  Birthday surprises, inside jokes, crushes.. all of that is fun and harmless.

Why did I just post a random post about secrets?  I have two answers for that: 1) it's a random blog, so of course it's going to be random.. and 2) I can't tell you why.  It's a secret.  :]

The end.

Comfort vs. Fashion

"Wow Carissa, you look like crap today."  --Amanda.. haha.

That is what I heard while sitting in Biology class.  It did not even offend me.  I knew I looked really slack.  Why did I look so slack today?  I honestly do not know.  I was really tired, so I probably looked like I just rolled out of bed and walked to class.  Actually though, I woke up, showered, dried my hair, then decided that because it was a rainy day I was going to pull it up.  Realizing it was cold, I threw on some jeans, a clean t-shirt, and a huge hoodie.  Put on a little bit of make-up, but not much because I just did not feel like it.

So yes, I looked uber-slack.  However, I was very comfortable.  The huge floppy hoodie kept me warm, having my hair pulled out of my face was a miracle, and walking around in 4 year old mock-beirkenstocks was great, except for the squeak that develops in the sole of the right foot when it gets wet.  Is that even how you spell beirkenstocks?  Oh well.

So that is why I looked slack.  You know what though?  I do not care what I look like.  As long as I am me.. I can skip the make-up and the cute clothes.. and just be comfortable.  Looking cute is a lot of fun, but on a rainy day like today, comfort was the way to go.  The end.

Exhaustion

Today I am observing exhaustion.  Fatigue.  This weekend started off with glow bowling on Friday night.  It was a ton of fun.  However, I did not leave till 2, so I went to bed around 3.  Saturday morning I woke up around 9 so I could drive to Columbia to visit Kelly.  Then came home, went shopping with Bekah, then math all night long.

Today was another long day.  Woke up early for church, came home and did school, then the Cassie Curtis/Tenth Avenue North concert.  It was amazing.  I had such a busy weekend though.  It's only 11:30 and I am wiped out.  Falling asleep just sitting here.

Our bodies are only made to handle so much change to their patterns and habits.  I guess that means I need to try to regulate a healthy sleep schedule.  Caffeine only lasts for so long..

Oh well.  The ducks are quacking at 5:30 tomorrow.. so I'm gonna turn in.

The end.

Friends

Good friends are amazing.  I do not know what I would do without some of my friends.  I am super excited, too, that Kelly is only an hour or so away from me now, instead of a whole day.  It was like having a little slice of Pennsylvania here.  Memories of the good old days.  I enjoyed the drive, hanging out in Bojangles, driving through the city, going to Target, then back to her apartment for a little while before I began my journey home.

But this time it was not a "goodbye".. just a "see ya later."  :]

Acquaintances come and go, but friends stay by your side forever.  The end.

Eyelash Curlers

My random observation for today.. caused me pain.

If you pinch your eyelid into your eyelash curler, it hurts.  Also, it might bleed.

But at least my eyelid is curled?

The end.

Faith

The other day I heard someone ask why God does not do miracles like he used to.  Why we cannot perform healing acts like the disciples did when Jesus was alive.  That question has had me thinking.

Tonight I watched the whimsical movie, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium with a few friends.  The lesson in the story is something like.. believing is seeing.  We hear that a lot.  That little elf, Judy,  in The Santa Clause puts it this way.  "Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing."  Kinda puts a prologue on the phrase from Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.  In the movie, Molly Mahoney doesn't believe in herself.  When Mr. Magorium passes his magic toy store to her in his will, she turns around and decides to sell it, because it's not magic anymore without Mr. Magorium.  What she fails to see, is that the store is only magic if she believes it's magic.  So while Mr. Magorium was alive, it was easier for her to believe it was magic, because HE believed it was magic and that kept the store alive.  Once he was gone though,  she stopped believing.

Soon though, we reach the climax of the story where the "Mutant", Henry, explains to Mahoney that she is the one who has to believe to make the store magic, so Mahoney finally gets the big picture.  She believes that the store really is magic, and it comes back to life as her own.

After watching that movie, I've really been thinking about that question.  God still performs miracles.  I'm learning that in Biology.  That's not the way the teacher words it, but if you break down life.. look at the smallest abiotic [non-living] forms that CREATE life.. you see miracles.  the pH level in your blood has to be between 7.35 and 7.45.    if it goes down to a 7.2 .. or up to a 7.6 .. you die.  There are chemicals in your blood that serve as buffers.  They regulate the pH level in your blood, by regulating the hydrogen ions that are in your blood.  I know that sounds really nerdy to explain all that.. and maybe you don't understand some of it.. but THINK ABOUT IT.  Those are miracles.  Everywhere.  The conception and formation of life in the womb.  A flower blooming every spring.  The sun rising.  The tide flowing in and out.  Everything in nature is complex.. and designed by God.  He still performs miracles today.

As far as the question about why we cannot heal people like the disciples did, I feel like it is because we do not have to.  Miracles were used to show people that Jesus was the Messiah.  Now we can do that in our own lives.  Stuff we have gone through in the past that God has gotten us through reflects how amazing He is.  Who couldn't believe?

The end.  :]

Maturity

We all have those people in our lives that we know are immature.  I am sure you can think of some one younger than you, as well as someone older than you, who is immature.  Why are they immature?  These past few weeks I have been around a lot of people.  I can pick out the ones who handle difficult situations maturely, with a level-head, and I can pick out the ones who make a big deal about it till it is blown out of proportion.

Immaturity is apparent in today's society, by the lifestyles of people around us.  The group of boys at the table behind me in the cafeteria today were talking about getting trashed tomorrow night.  Drinking is a privilege that comes with age.  If you're 21, you can legally drink.  So because they are at a legal age, they drink.  Because they can.  Maturity, however, would reach the level of 21, realize they could drink, but still be smart about it.  Now I'm not preaching on drinking, I'm preaching on maturity.  Haha.  To that group of guys, hanging out on a Thursday night, getting wasted together was fun.

Now here's the kicker.  When getting trashed tomorrow night was mentioned, I heard one guy ask "who's driving?"  The reply went something like, "not sure, we'll figure that out when we get there."  Scary huh?

Age and maturity are two completely different things.  Age is inevitable.. maturity is a choice.  The end.

Laughter

Some say that laughter is the best medicine.  I like that saying.  Laughter is good because it keeps the heart light.  Also, it is good to laugh at yourself.

In Best Buy today, when my mom and I were at the check out, the cashier couldn't get a pack of pennies to open.  In the process of attempting.. half the pennies flew all over the ground behind the counter.  She stood there and laughed at herself, then explained how it just wasn't her day to get things right.  She told how she couldn't pick things up from the counter when the last customer was there, and how silly she felt.  I laughed with her.  Her, laughing at herself, made my day.  Plus she and I seemed to have a connection.. since when I was leaving, we both threw our arms in the air and made a high-pitched noise.  I don't exactly remember why.. but then we laughed again.

I love people who love their jobs.  I love people who love life.  I love people who love laughing!  The end.

Learning

Learning.  We do it everyday whether we realize it or not.  Most of us associate learning with K-12 grades, and college years.. no matter how numerous they are, and what degree you end up with.

Sometimes, however, we learn through other materials.  Life experiences.  Mistakes.  Other people's advice.  I could go on and on.

We go through stuff every day.  We learn stuff every day.  Sometimes in the classroom.. sometimes out of the classroom.  However, we don't learn when we look past the life-lessons.. and just pass blame.. discriminate ourselves.. or ignore our problems completely.  Sometimes we need to go through things over and over and over until the lesson sticks.  Remember when you learned how to write?  You had to write the same letters over and over on those little lined notebooks.  It's the same way now.  Until we figure out who we are.. until we get something right.. until we accept the lesson that is placed before us, we're going to go through problems and hurt. 

However, nothing in our lives is in vain if we can take something from it.  The end.

Babies

Today I observed that babies are cute.  Example.  Jordan and I went to the bowling alley for an hour or so.. and the lane beside us had a little baby there.  He was about, one and a half or two.  They had that little ball ramp so he could bowl.  He pushed the bowling ball down the ramp, and smiled as he watched it roll down the lane.  Then when it hit the pins, he laughed and clapped his hands.  Then high-fived his mom and brother.

There was also a baby at the place we went to for lunch.  She was younger, in a carrier, and had her leg sticking straight into the air, biggest smile I've ever seen.

So random observation of the day?  Babies are absolutely adorable.  The end.

Annoying Itches

Today's random observation covers those annoying itches.  Whether they are the itches that you cannot reach, or the itches that just won't go away.

Itches that cannot be reached include the back area, and the feet.  To scratch your back in a way that relieves the itch, you need a back scratcher or a friend to help you out.  Because using the your fingertips to push around the area of the itch does not usually help.  Another hard to reach area is your feet.  Now.. feet are not hard to scratch, unless you're in public.  Then you have to strategically rub your shoe around till the itch subsides.  I am sure you know what I am talking about.

The itches that will not go away.. typically involve the face.  Usually my nose itches, and I think it is from those small whispy pieces of hair that blow around it.  Then.. there is the semi-rare, completely annoying roof of the mouth itch.  I go insane when the roof of my mouth itches, because there is no way to scratch it.  I rub it with my tongue, and that just tickles and makes it worse.  If I can, I try and scratch it with my thumb, but either that looks weird.. or honestly does not work.

So those are my observations on itches.  They tend to be annoying and pointless.  I wonder why our bodies itch.  Maybe I will have to research that.. because I'm sure there is a reason.  Well my nose is beginning to itch, I think because I'm talking about itches.  So.  The end.

Grocery Stores

You can tell a lot about a person, their family, and their habits by observing them in the grocery store.  

Big families are easy to pick out.  The other day I was at Piggly Wiggly, and the lady in front of me in the check out line had about 15 jars of baby food, 2 loaves of bread, two boxes of popsicles, 10 yogurts, and two packages of some meat that I'm not sure what it was.  Obviously she has kids.  And quite a few of them.  Or maybe she just stocks up so she doesn't have to run to the store as often. 

Some people are health freaks.  They are mainly found in the produce department, and usually pick up the lean meats from the meat department, and pass the processed food aisles completely.  Almost like if they were to even walk down them.. the frozen pizzas and ice cream would jump out of their displays and carry them away into a land of carbohydrates and sugars.  Scary thought.

Then there are the junkies.. complete opposite from the health freaks.  They start in the produce, maybe grab a handful of bananas so they don't look like complete junkies, being sure that the bananas stay in view for anyone who might be analyzing them.  From there they continue through the store, packing in chips, sodas, cookies, crackers, etc.

There is a saying that goes, "you are what you eat."  I guess it works pretty well.  You can tell a lot about a person by the food they eat or purchase.  The end.

Hello There :]

Here I am, starting a second blog to upkeep.  They're completely different though.  I promise.  I was going to try and combine my random observations with my random ramblings.. but observations are meant to be short and funny.  My ramblings tend to be deeply thought out and lengthy.

So alas.  Another blog was born.  I like blogs.. a lot.  I can be who I am.. speak my mind.. etc.

So welcome to this second addition of my life, hope you enjoy following along the random observations that a Spazio has.  :]