Guest Post from @MIH_Hitman

The following is a "guest post" from @MIH_Hitman.  It has to be one of THE BEST emails I have ever received.  I can't believe someone so young has such a great outlook on life.


From 12.22.10

You're quite welcome.  It's the only thing that has kept me going.  I literally wake up everyday and say to myself, "today will be a good day" and then give myself a high five and I'm ready to go.  Granted, it looks like a retarded clap, but it's the principle behind it.  I decide that no matter what, I'm going to have a good day.  And very rarely do I let things get to me and ruin anything that could be positive.  When you have nothing, everything is a small victory.  I think Michael Jackson said it best in 'Man In The Mirror' with the chorus, which says:

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change

Everything from your mood, outlook on life, how you perceive others, to whether or not the little inconveniences of daily life send you flying off the handle...they all start with a conscious choice that you make.  People don't seem to understand that.  Everything in their life doesn't have to stress them out or send them into a fit of rage.  They choose to act that way.  It's kind of sad.  I used to be that way, now I decide that life is way more than being pissed off at every little thing and getting worked up because there is always one pizza roll that is still cold no matter how long you microwave them.  I've learned a lot the last 2 years, and the main thing I've come away with is that, no matter what, I decide if I have a good day or not and it starts when I wake up and decide that I'm not letting life defeat me.

I love Weeds!

I'm so addicted to this show and I can't fathom why. I just finished season 5, which stinks because who knows when season 6 will be available. But I wanted to share a funny twitter convo (I laughed, so you will laugh or else) that stemmed from someone telling me that they don't smoke pot so they don't watch Weeds, to which I let them know I have never partaken in my life, but find the show to be super fantastic.

on twitter:

me: just cause you like Weeds doesn't mean you have to smoke pot
@mattstratton: That's like assuming I love to drink since I watch Mad Men. Oh, wait.
me: and like assuming I love to snuff people because I watch Dexter... oh, wait.


Ah, I slay myself.

Hamsterkitten To Do List

Okay, so now the holidays are over (I don't count New Year's Eve, cause I don't do anything special) and I can't believe I still have almost four weeks until school starts again! That is awesome. So, I now have time to do some of the things that need to get done before now and then. They include:

1) Updating my Miss Advice blog. If you haven't checked it out, please do! It's my creative outlet that I don't get from this blog or school. (Creative writing is not really encouraged there.)

2) Getting rid of some of my junk on ebay. I've had piles of stuff waiting to be sold on ebay for months, and I'm tired of looking at them. I hate clutter, but seem to be surrounded by it 24/7. Our daycare told us we couldn't take a month off, so the kids will still go two days a week while I'm on break (otherwise we'd still have to pay for them to not be there) and I will probably use these days to get a lot of stuff done.

3) Lose 1,000 pounds. I don't believe in making New Year's Resolutions that I know I probably won't keep, so I never resolve to lose weight. But, I wanted a treadmill for Christmas and hooray for the convenience of my parents having one they no longer wanted. A free treadmill is a good thing to have. I originally wanted to take up outdoor walking because it seems like everyone I ask about they weight-loss success have done it just from walking. One of my new friends lost 100 lbs by walking and eating a little better! Of course she said she walked like 12 miles a day, so enter the treadmill idea. Ideally I'd like to walk outdoors, but realistically, it's winter and I can't load both the kids up and walk 12 miles and expect them to be cooperative. So, I'm hoping that if I park the treadmill in front of the tv, it won't be so monotonous. I think I could probably read and walk, too... but I better now chew gum and walk.

4) Tweet more. Over the summer, I was a tweeting machine. Of course I had nothing to do, so that's why, but I used to have a lot of people that I talked to daily on Twitter- who knows where they went? Now I get occasional folks, but hardly anyone talks to me much and therefore no one comments on my blog anymore... I miss it. It feels weird to make blog posts and not have anyone comment on them... makes me think no one reads them!

Okay, that's enough for now... I like to set my goals low so I can achieve them. Do you guys have any to-do lists that really need to get done?

Hilarity!!!

As you know, I love me some Twitter! As you might also know, I love me some Stephen Colbert! Well, from time to time whilst on Twitter I will check out the trending topics and the other day when I saw that Jeff Goldblum was one, I looked at why. Apparently people had stupidly started a rumor that he had died, too. It was the same day that Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died. Of course, it was a lie and a moronic one at that, but in true hilarious form, Jeff Goldblum addressed "his death" on the Colbert Report. Enjoy!

Tell Me How Much You Hate Me!!!

This is just a little post where I touch base with all my adoring (and hating) fans. First, I wanted to thank anyone that reads this blog because it's nice to know that people care! I question whether I fit into that typical "mommy blogger" mold, but I accept that people think that I do. Oh, well!

In terms of things coming up, I will continue to write original content as it comes to me. As you know, I don't just write because I feel like I should. I write when I'm inspired. And sometimes, I'm completely uninspired, so I'm not going to force a blog post. Also, I will continue to be doing movie reviews. Why? Cause I get the movies for free to review and no amount of complaining is gonna make me think that's bad! I loooooooooove watching movies... and I love free stuff. Sooooo... sue me! Also, I'll continue to post giveaways as things come in for me to give. Hopefully at some point all of my followers will win SOMETHING. Maybe I'll giveaway a lock of hair...

Anyway, the other point to this post was that I am welcoming feedback. Are there things that you like or don't like? What kind of posts do you prefer that I do? Also, you can tell me if there's anything about the layout that you'd like me to change. Chances are I won't cause I love it, but it never hurts to say.

Lastly, starting this Friday, I'm going to do Follow Friday posts where I recommend ONE new person that I think you should follow on Twitter. Again, my twitter is @hamsterkitten, so feel free to check me out!

Thanks again, guys! I've got mad love for you all!!!

Remember When Vampires Weren't Cool?

Neither do I! I recall elementary school when the library got in a crisp new copy of an abridged version of Bram Stoker's Dracula. I was hooked. I wanted to know more about these immortal bloodsuckers. As I got older, I continued to be fascinated. I wanted so badly to see Interview with a Vampire, but it was rated R and there was no way I was going to convince my parents to let me see that. So, I opted to read the book. I recall doing a book report on it in eight grade, in fact.

Well, years passed, my interests went elsewhere, and I slightly forgot about my love for all things vampire. Oh, there's been things here or there, like the revival of Dark Shadows on TV, that didn't live long, the excitement of the rumor they were going to make it into a movie and the bummed outness when it didn't happen.

And then of course came Twilight. I'll admit, I had vaguely remembered my sister in law telling me about it, but at the time, I was way too busy to read for fun. Then the movie came out and I really wanted to see it. I forgot how captivating the stories of immortality and undying love could be. I think we all fear death at some point and who doesn't love the idea of love and it being all consuming and all encompassing? I was smitten and had been bitten- by Twilight fever.

I ventured into reading all the books in the saga, but was incredibly disappointed at how not well written they were! The story was superb, but the writing was not. So, 600 pages into Breaking Dawn when I could not bear to read one more word, I googled the ending. I love happy endings!

Of course this is old news. But, I am so surprised by all of the websites, blogs, chats, twitter characters devoted to the romantic world of the vampire! Recently, I was dragged into a chat at Olympic Coven and was amazed at how detailed these people are! They have created a whole world of characters, inspired by Twilight. Each character is portrayed by a real person and they each have a twitter account for that character. The dedication these people put into these roles is mind blowing! But IRL, they are some of the nicest people you could meet!

As aforementioned, I know I am not first in line to talk about this newly surged love in all things vampire, but have only recently been reintroduced to an idea that is delicious in its theory and design.

If you'd like to follow some of these characters on Twitter, check out:
@EternalEsme
@CelticGirl1913
@ScarlettDane
@Go_Ask_Alice
@GarrettDenali
@Renee_D
@AngelaVampire

Friday Randomness

My mind is a jubblyjoo of things I want to say, but are brief, so I'm throwing them in one blog as a stew. Enjoy and hopefully your brain doesn't explode.

1) So, the UPS guy has come TWO DAYS IN A ROW. I am super stoked about this and think that means good things. Because life is sad when UPS doesn't come around for weeks.

2) I need to thank Annette at Fairy Blog Mother Blog for giving me a "Let's Be Friends" award. How sweet! Apparently (according to my husband) no one wants to be my friend, so it's always nice to prove him wrong, lol. Much love to her!

3) Twitter: I love twitter. If you're not on twitter, you're a dinosaur. And people who give "tips on how to succeed at twitter" annoy me. Guy Kawasaki annoys me. Ashton Kutcher (on twitter) annoys me. Just enjoy it and people will come.

4) Online friends: I'm one of those "friends when I feel like it" kinda people- I know, sad, but true. I do have a handful of friends in real life, but only for the occasional instances when I feel like going out. I've got a few friends that I used to be friends with IRL, and am now reconnecting with online and enjoy that bond. Then there's new online friends who I enjoy. So, it's like they're there when I want cause I only talk to them on the computer, lol. Okay, maybe not the best friend ideals, but I want to give them a shout out! (Nellie, Crystal, Misty, more to follow.)

5) I AM DONE WITH MY UNDERGRAD!!! Thursday I took my final test and I am DONE! I don't officially graduate until May (who knows when they'll mail my diploma), but I have nothing left to do in order to graduate but twiddle my thumbs! I'm so excited, because off and on, I've been in college (3 different ones) for NINE stinkin' years! I've never taken more than a semester off and never taken less than 6 hours when I was enrolled. Hallelujah and way to go, me!

6) I have come to the realization that my favorite food is mashed potatoes and gravy. I should have known this awhile ago, but only have since realized it as the truth. I used to say my dad's chili or tacos. Sorry to my dad's chilis and tacos, but you have been bounced from the number one spot!

7) Am I forgetting anything? I don't think so. I have more giveaways coming up, like dvds and what not. Some of the Twilight sponsors would like another go of it and I'm more than happy to oblige! I'm hoping to be inspired by some more original content soon. I have one brewing in my mind, but have to think about how to approach it so as not to draw mass hate mail.

Hope you are enjoying your spring! (Not that it will affect me in any way.) Keep the comments coming and don't forget to check out my sponsors listed to the left because that makes them like me.

The Ups and Downs of Internet Communication

Ah, the wonderful world of the internets. (We miss you, G.W., lol)

Ever since I started my blog in late November, I've become a machine of useless social media knowledge. I started using Twitter around the same time as I started my blog because I was told that to not tweet was to be a useless stain on the Gucci dress that is humanity.

So, I embarked on the whole Tweeter/Blogger past-time and have since come to several conclusions about the good, bad and ugly of internet communication.

On a side note, I am a pop culture fanatic. I live in a small town in Iowa and don't want to be thought of as a corn growing, pig wrangling, toothless farmer. Not saying that many Iowans are, just saying I know the stereotype is out there and I don't want to add to it by being out of the loop with the rest of society.

So, here's a few things I've learned:

1) Don't trust anyone. Now, I haven't sponsored any Nigerian princes or anything like that, but it never pays to get your hopes up about something until it has actually happened. All that happens is the person on the other end drops off the face of the earth and you're wondering what you did wrong. You did nothing wrong, some people are just commitment-phobes.

2) A good blogger reads other people's blogs. You would have to be awfully cocky to just assume that if you write it, people will flock to you in droves. Just like a good author needs to know what other people are writing, a good blogger needs to do the same. My theory is that if you're a fun person to tweet with, you probably have a blog worth reading. So, I love to check out new blogs and find myself subscribing to them left and right. It enables me to see what they're doing right and also get a few kicks reading their posts. A few that I've come across that I love are:

The Juggling Homemaker
Jackass Letters
His Boys Can Swim
24/7 Moms

3) It's okay to be friendly. So many people that are trying to gain notoriety or fat wallets off their site/blog are robots. Seriously, it seems like they have robots generating their content or their tweets. All they do is shove their guides/tips/training whodads down your throat. And to these people I say, "Boooooring!" I don't want to follow people that are snooze-fests. Nor do I want to go to your website and watch your training videos. I want to talk to people with personalities as lovely as mine! Okay, so we all have different thoughts and you can't please everyone all the time, but I want to get noticed for my witty repartee, not my SEO, CEO, VIP, LMAO, XYZ status.

4) You and google may become best friends. You don't just wake up one day with all the knowledge there is about blogging, tweeting, html, acronyms, etc. If you did, I'm jealous. So, familiarize yourself with google and wikipedia. For instance, I was dying to have a three column blog, but being the tightwad I am, didn't want to pay someone to do it for me. Alas, after many attempts to find my answer on google, I finally found something that worked! I learned to make button links, create my own header, what abbreviations and application names mean on twitter. You name it, I googled it. Knowledge is power and google has made me the Queen of Sheba.

Well, that's enough points for now. Four IS my lucky number, you know! I hope with this post that I might have helped at least one person. If not, at least it gave me something to do to pass the time until the mail gets here.

Is the Art of Conversation Dead?

When I was in high school, I was not a "partier," but would not be averse to going to parties because I loved rooms full of people. I'm quite the opposite now! My idea of a good time would be a quaint gathering of a few people just mingling or playing games. I love conversation!

But am I one of a rare breed of conversationalists? We've gone from actually calling someone to texting them (which I, too, am guilty of.) I had one friend who said she preferred texting so she didn't get stuck on the phone. On the other hand I had a friend who didn't answer texts because "if you were a good friend you'd want to talk." Look at twitter. I'm a big fan of twitter, but you are restricted to X amount of characters in your posts- hard to carry on a conversation. But, on the other hand with that, would you have conversations with these people in real life? Perhaps, perhaps not.

And then there's the times when I TRY to have conversations with people. It's like beating a dead horse. Sometimes I feel like I should take a vow of silence because either I am that uninteresting that no one cares what I have to say or fewer people these days are actually into intelligent conversation. Has television fried are brain in that we can't respond, only listen and not intently?

I would like to bring back the conversation. Put down the remote, give your text fingers a break and call someone! Invite them for coffee, have a chat over a game of Monopoly or speak your woes to a psychiatrist- hey, it's a thought. Let's revive this past time- perhaps we'll drudge up some brainwaves that had been growing cobwebs since our school days.

Oooh, the technology!

Ever since deciding to do a blog, I have been jumping head first into all these websites that I had yet to experience. I joined twitter (www.twitter.com/hamsterkitten) and twitter moms- hamsterkitten again, joined blogs, looked at blogs, uploaded pictures and did more googling than normal. I'm exhausted, lol! And of course I have to do most of this during naptime or after the kids go to bed because L does not like me to be on the computer and A likes my company for some odd reason.

Anyway, I have had to get advice on how to do things along the way (thanks to those who helped) and now I just hope that people will start to mosey on by and see what kind of thoughts I am sharing with the world.

Oh, the internets, lol! (quoting good ol' G.W.)