The Madly Spinning World

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Thu, 08 Nov 2012 08:01:06 -0500

luckieststudent: The Student Life Network is giving away the...

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 14:57:04 -0400

The Student Life Network is giving away the best prize pack in Canadian student history. It starts with $20k for school and five Dell XPS Ultrabooks to share with friends.

Register to win at: http://luckie.st/Pokwls Canadian students 13+ only.

10 Lies You Were Tricked Into Believing

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:10:05 -0400

thelovewhisperer:

1. Alone means lonely. – ‘Alone’ doesn’t always mean lonely, and ‘relationship’ doesn’t always mean happy. Being alone will never cause as much loneliness as the wrong relationship. If things don’t feel right, take a break and spend some time with number one – you. Find yourself first. Appreciate your own worth. And next time you’re in a relationship that’s sinking, you’ll be prepared to swim to safety.

2. Happiness comes when you have everything you want. – To be happy doesn’t mean you don’t desire more, it means you’re thankful for what you have and patient for what’s yet to come. Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to accomplish something big, that we fail to notice the little things that give life its magic. So appreciate today for all it’s worth. These are the good old days you’re going to miss in the years ahead. ReadStumbling on Happiness.

3. Pain is something you can see. – Never underestimate the pain of a person, because in all honesty, everyone is struggling. Some people arejust better at hiding it than others. You don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. Passing judgment is an unnecessary waste of time and energy. If you have time to judge other people, you have way too much time on your hands. Get off your behind and do something meaningful.

4. Life is supposed to be a certain way. – It is ultimately only our own thoughts that hurt us. Simply feeling what we are feeling, and dealing with it honestly, can be very healing. We always have the freedom to choose how we wish to respond to whatever life presents to us. Let go of how you thought your life should be, and embrace the real life that is trying to work its way into your consciousness. Change what you can change, change your thoughts about what you can’t change, and move on in peace.

5. You are supposed to be a certain way. – When you stop comparing yourself with other versions of yourself, real or imagined; and when you stop comparing yourself with other people, real or imagined; that is when you taste a peace that is real, not imagined. Read The Road Less Traveled.

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nbcnews: Penguins return to the sea following oil spill in...

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:25:21 -0400

nbcnews:

Penguins return to the sea following oil spill in South Africa

(Photo: Schalk Van Zuydam / AP)

Some two hundred penguins found covered in oil on Robben Island following a spillage by a stricken bulk carrier were washed, fed and restored to health. Thirty of the birds were released today.

View more photos.

teachingliteracy: amandaonwriting: The Top 10 Writers Block...

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:16:06 -0400

teachingliteracy:

amandaonwriting:

The Top 10 Writers Block Quotes

1. Writer’s block? I’ve heard of this. This is when a writer cannot write, yes? Then that person isn’t a writer anymore. I’m sorry, but the job is getting up in the fucking morning and writing for a living. ~Warren Ellis

2. I learned to produce whether I wanted to or not. It would be easy to say oh, I have writer’s block, oh, I have to wait for my muse. I don’t. Chain that muse to your desk and get the job done. ~Barbara Kingsolver

3. All writing is difficult. The most you can hope for is a day when it goes reasonably easily. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block, and doctors don’t get doctor’s block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it? ~Philip Pullman

4. I’ve often said that there’s no such thing as writer’s block; the problem is idea block. When I find myself frozen–whether I’m working on a brief passage in a novel or brainstorming about an entire book–it’s usually because I’m trying to shoehorn an idea into the passage or story where it has no place. ~Jeffery Deaver

5. You can’t think yourself out of a writing block; you have to write yourself out of a thinking block. ~John Rogers

6. There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write. ~Terry Pratchett

7. I haven’t had trouble with writer’s block. I think it’s because my process involves writing very badly. My first drafts are filled with lurching, clichéd writing, outright flailing around. Writing that doesn’t have a good voice or any voice. But then there will be good moments. It seems writer’s block is often a dislike of writing badly and waiting for writing better to happen. ~Jennifer Egan

8.Writer’s block doesn’t exist…lack of imagination does. ~Cyrese Covelli

9. Writer’s Block is just an excuse by people who don’t write for not writing. ~Giando Sigurani

10. Discipline allows magic. To be a writer is to be the very best of assassins. You do not sit down and write every day to force the Muse to show up. You get into the habit of writing every day so that when she shows up, you have the maximum chance of catching her, bashing her on the head, and squeezing every last drop out of that bitch. ~Lili St. Crow

soulist-aurora: Way Home

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:26:38 -0400

soulist-aurora:

Way Home

atavus: Mia Liu - Can’t Stop Rolling It Up

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:11:47 -0400

atavus:

Mia Liu - Can’t Stop Rolling It Up

I am surrounded by books.

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:09:59 -0400

teachingliteracy:

johnnyryallwithcheese

32 Moments That Make A Day Awesome

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:54:21 -0400

thelovewhisperer:

1. When you wake up in a fit, thinking that you missed your alarm, and then look over at your clock and realize you just woke yourself up too early and can still go back to sleep for a little bit.

2. Actually having time to eat a decent breakfast in the morning, and having something really good like fruit salad or Greek yogurt with granola (the food of a true adult).

3. When you buy something delicious for yourself at the grocery store and forget about it, only to stumble on it in your cabinet and hi-five your previous self for having the foresight to buy Toaster Strudels.

4. Getting a seat on the subway and therefore not having to spend your commute pressed into some man’s armpit as the car slams to a halt at each station.

5. That ~30 minute period where the caffeine in your body is making you just alert enough to fully enjoy the day, and not that tweaky, stomach-turning feeling after you’ve had too much.

6. Knowing all day that when you go home, there is going to be a big takeout box of leftovers waiting for you.

7. Seeing a dog while out that is just really friendly and chill and okay with strangers petting it, and not one of those mean, skittish dogs where you’re just kind of like “Why do you bring this thing outside when it so clearly hates society?”

8. Passing by a public park and catching a few minutes of a basketball game going on amongst some neighbors.

9. Finding a reaction GIF that perfectly encapsulates your complex emotions about Channing Tatum’s stomach.

10. A marathon of your favorite show being on when you’re sick, which is somehow more effective than NyQuil or chicken noodle soup when it comes to healing a ravaged soul.

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teachingliteracy: justintheamazingallan: Confessions, public...

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 18:31:49 -0400

teachingliteracy:

justintheamazingallan:

Confessions, public art project, The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, Nevada by Candy Chang.

For one month, Chang lived in Vegas. Visitors could stop by, enter a booth, write whatever thoughts they wanted to share, and drop the confession into a box that mixed anonymously with other slips. Chang then took the anonymous slips and displayed them on the walls, painting selected responses in white against a larger red canvas background. According to Chang’s website, “This project seeks to create a cathartic sanctuary for this temporary community and help us see we are not alone in our quirks, experiences and struggles as we try to lead fulfilling lives.”

Woah, there is no such thing as too much cheese.

artgalleryofontario: Seated Old Man, c. 1666Adriaen van de...

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 09:41:06 -0400

artgalleryofontario:

Seated Old Man, c. 1666
Adriaen van de Velde, Dutch, 1636 - 1672, Dutch
Red chalk, traces of black chalk on laid paper, Overall: 28.2 x 20.5 cm,
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Gilbert Bagnani, 1988
2012 Art Gallery of Ontario

Photo

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 23:30:25 -0400

Keep your coins, I want change.

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:05:53 -0400

A smart girl would have run the other way; but frankly, I don’t know whether I’m smart or foolish at this point.

I’m attracted to the charity cases. The men who are having a rough go of things; the ones who are perhaps a little jaded, but who need someone that’s not going to give up on them. I’ve been told by close friends that there are just some hopeless cases out there who don’t want to, and thus never will, change. But change is a funny thing.

To change is a verb. It’s a decision. It’s an action that must be carried out by the person intending to change.

But some of us are just so set in our ways that even wanting to change is like a declaration of war: the conscious mind and the heart together on the eastern front, habits and fears dominating on the western front. It’s an impossible battle. One that, in some cases can take a lifetime.

Fortunately, the presence of a single outside party can be the difference between winning that battle now, or winning it years from now. A shoulder, a late night phone call, a few reassuring words, are sometimes enough. Because when it comes down to it, almost all we wish to change are the things we don’t like about ourselves; our insecurities. In the end it’s just a matter of confidence. And when someone else believes in us, suddenly we have the support to take on our personal challenges. And triumph!

Photo

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:13:54 -0500

Too little, too...

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:03:00 -0500

You think I would have learned

from all my past mistakes;

the aches and pains at night

that keep me wide awake.

You’d think that maybe someday

my timing would improve.

What’s the harm in trying?

What have I to lose?

So now I sit here waiting,

‘til I see your handsome face

caref’lly contemplating

my most recent chance.

I’m hoping I’ve not blown it,

Im hoping there’s still time;

time to find the words I need

and use the words I find.

"What I am, I am of myself."

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:47:41 -0500

“What I am, I am of myself.”

- Ludwig von Beethoven

Wisdom # 6: Little Things

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:46:12 -0500

Life is really all about the little things. There are so many small accomplishments, and tiny comforts throughout any given day. A hearty, homemade lunch packed to take to work; a made bed; an financially savvy decision… These are all little things that add up. So be proud of yourself for all the little things you do in a day; little things that maybe don’t mean much to anyone else, but things that make you happy. For me, these are things like:

cooking a healthy, tasty meal
organizing a drawer that was overflowing with crap
putting hot water in my mug to heat up the ceramic before pouring my tea; that way I have a nice warm mug to hold

These little things may mean nothing to anyone except for myself, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter. These little things make me happy; they make me proud. And although big accomplishments are fantastic, they don’t happen every day. That’s why we need to relish in the small things. It’s the little things that keep us going.

Wisdom # 5: Life is about the moments

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:43:38 -0500

Our lives are made up of moments; like a collage of snapshots, capturing a vast array of emotions and experiences, both exceptional and unfortunate. Although we cannot always control our circumstances, we can control our reactions and outlooks. So make your moments count for something.

Maybe...

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:32:00 -0500

Maybe it’s not letting someone love me that’s the issue. Maybe I’m not frightened of having someone care about me. I think I’m scared of what I’m capable of in terms of love. Suddenly, I see how much I can love. And that freaks me out.

At least when I love someone who doesn’t love me back, there’s a limit. There are barriers, which don’t allow me to love to the fullest extent I can. I don’t know how much I can love.

So maybe I’m not scared of what I thought… maybe I’m not scared at all.

It’s a very comforting thought.

Maybe I’m not scared at all… :)

Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping … waiting … and though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir … open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us … guides us. Passion rules us all. And we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love … the clarity of hatred … the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we’d know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank. Without passion, we’d be truly dead.

JOSS WHEDON

Things You May Never Have Known or Thought About...

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:35:48 -0500

1. At least five people in this world love you so much they would die for you.

2. At least fifteen people in this world love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyones would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don’t like you.

5. Every night, someone thinks about you before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. If not for you, someone may not be living.

8. You are special and unique.

9. Someone that you don’t even know exists loves you.

10. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

11. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.

12. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won’t get it, but if you believe in yourself, probably, sooner or later, you will get it.

13. Always remember the compliments you recieved. Forget the rude remarks.

14. Always tell soemone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know.

What can you add to this list?