Welcome to the crazy world of Melanie

Journal entry and such

Mon, 25 May 2009 17:51:37 GMT

This is the first entry I've done in probably three months or so. I would love to say I've been too busy to post but the truth is I just keep putting LJ on the back burner. I have to blog in peace and quiet, and it's a rarity when you have a two year old. I love her though, I can't believe she is already two.

Anyway, I was possessed to blog today because I had a great idea for a story yesterday and I wanted to post it before it becomes a distant memory. The idea involves a guy and a girl who meet in a very inconspicuous manner (something like accidentally dialing the wrong number) and start a "relationship" of sorts based solely through technological means (i.e. the phone, IM, email) until one day the national weather service breaks in with news that a meteoric event is about to take place and that the world as we know it will likely disappear in a matter of a few hours. This causes the two people to decide to meet and spend the day together because there is noone else they would rather spend the end of the world with.

Now, the upside is I really enjoy this type of story. I love romances where there is only a short window of time because basically everything goes out the window. I can think of two downsides to this story: the concept has been done before (Before Sunrise etc.), and it likely will have a very depressing ending and people will accuse me of ripping off Cloverfield. Still, I really do love this story so I might just have to write it or I would never forgive myself. :)

Okay, it's been fun but now it's time for me to depart. Until, we meet again.

~Melanie

Something I haven't done in a long time...

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:12:07 GMT

This weekend I made some icons for the first time in probably three years. They aren't very good (though a couple I must admit I did okay with). I stuck with Harry Potter and Lost. It was interesting doing icons again..I'm not sure I'm going to keep doing these or not but it does give me something to do when I get bored and makes me feel productive. Yay. Comments and credit are appreciated and loved. Thanks :)

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5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:26:35 GMT

So I highlighted my hair blonde last week. Apparently, blondes do have more fun or get more attention from boys because yeah very interesting. Nothing else has changed at all! It's odd.

Anyway, yay Barack. Just had to post that. LOL Lily is going through her terrible twos about 5 months too early and she's driving me crazy. This entire week she has basically decided she will not sleep. I don't know what to do with her. :(

~Melanie

The essential duties of a Community organizer..

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:08:09 GMT

I think I've honestly missed my calling in life, and I'm not even kidding when I say this but the idea of working as a Community Organizer is a great job! Anyway, I'm tired of everyone saying that Barack Obama's job as a Community organizer does not qualify him to be president simply because they are unfamiliar with the term, and the republican party is too lazy to do research. I decided to help them out a little bit in this regard. I didn't have to search very hard, a simple search of the word provided a multiple of sites on the subject. I found a good one that combined most of these job descriptions into one simple and I am borrowing this from this particular blog: http://www.bluegrassredstate.com/2008/07/job-descriptions-community-organizer-vs-potus.html

Is this exactly what Barack Obama did in Chicago? I don't know, every job is different, and every city is different as Sarah Palin so aptly put it last night. However, I hope that Sarah and John and all thier friends take note. :)

Job responsibilities and Abilities

1. Building, sustaining and expanding the relationships between communities
2. Implementing community outreach activities and community building events
3. Conducting research on issues that will create opportunities for effective action and help to move strategic campaigns on the issues that affect the people within the community
4. To be able to identify community and regional assets
5. To understand the dynamics of working with diverse populations
6. To secure funding for activities, events and positions

Skills and Abilities

1. Elicit effective engagement of parents, concerned individuals, agencies and organizations in regional collaborative efforts

2. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing (probably without a teleprompter)

3. Effective problem solving skills

4. Competently facilitate large and small meetings

5. Successfully build relationships at interpersonal and organizational levels

You will notice that the blog that I took this from is not too positve of Barack Obama, I feel that is not really the point. The job description was still very fair. I personally disagree with the assessment that these skills and the background listed above would not provide a solid foundation for an individual wishing to be to be president. I personally believe that anyone running for president should have a background in empowering the community and encouraging people to take action in thier government and community. It also shows that the individual has a background in fundraising, grant development, and activity development and implementation. In many ways, that is what a president does on a very large scare. Granted, a president does a great deal more than that as well but it is definitely a good foundation to start with.

Now, I think I might go and try to persue a career as a community organizer....

Hmmm

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:14:28 GMT

Okay yeah since I have nothing really interesting to say about John McCain's running mate (except apparently if I somehow manage to become Miss Ohio and get elected to public office maybe I can be Vice President too, yay!) that hasn't been said but my smarter, and eloquent bloggers than myself but I have to comment on this lady's choice in names. Her five children are named: Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig. Okay, Piper and Willow I might be okay with. Actually, I kind of like the name Willow. :) But the rest of these names are just odd, which makes you wonder. Is she really a hippy in disguise? Hmmmm This whole good girl wife thing may be an act ladies and gentlemen, their is another side just waiting to come out. I'm on to you, Mrs. Palin.

I've found the perfect personality test

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:26:07 GMT

It was two questions long and wow:

Your result for The Quick & Painless ENNEAGRAM Test...

4- the Individualist

you chose BY - your Enneagram type is FOUR (aka "The Romantic")

"I am unique"

Romantics have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.

Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.

Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.

Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.

Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being a FOUR

my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level

my ability to establish warm connections with people

admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life

my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor

being unique and being seen as unique by others

having aesthetic sensibilities

being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being a FOUR

experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair

feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved

feeling guilty when I disappoint people

feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me

expecting too much from myself and life

fearing being abandoned

obsessing over resentments

longing for what I don't have

FOURs as Children Often

have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games

are very sensitive

feel that they don't fit in

believe they are missing something that other people have

attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.

become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood

feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

FOURs as Parents

help their children become who they really are

support their children's creativity and originality

are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings

are sometimes overly critical or overly protective

are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Renee Baron & Elizabeth Wagele

The Enneagram Made Easy

Discover the 9 Types of People

Harper
SanFrancisco, 1994, 161 pages

You liked the test?

so S P R E A D I T ! tell everyone!!!
(use Quick-Paste below)

you wanna know MORE?

so check out, what Wikipedia says about your type...

...even more you'll find in Google

or do you prefer to

You are not completely happy with the result?!

You chose BY

Would you rather have chosen:

AY (EIGHT)

CY (SIX)

BX (NINE)

BZ (FIVE)</div>

Take The Quick & Painless ENNEAGRAM Test at HelloQuizzy

I don't know how it described me so perfectly..but it did. Crazy, anyway. :)

After 15 months...

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:29:09 GMT

Mike has decided that he wants to see his daughter. I'm not sure how I feel about this. :( On one hand Lily should have a father, and on the other I'm worried that he will try and turn me into the evil witch from hell. I don't know.

We shall see. I told him that I didn't want her to be alone with him yet. He said that was cool. I don't know.

Movie recap

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:02:52 GMT

I started renting movies from blockbuster again so I felt the need to sort of give a recap of some of the movies I have seen lately. I should have known that last year was a blah year for movies when Juno (an okay movie..but still just the average coming-of-age romantic comedy with a couple highly dysfunctional families thrown into the mix) was considered one of the best movies of last year. So here it goes. I do my ratings on a 5 star system. One being the worst, and 5 being the best. :)

Movies to be reviewed under the cut Juno, P.S. I love You, Cloverfield, Bella, Atonement, Disturbia, and Grace is Gone

Juno So the better acting version of Napoleon Dynamite has hit the screen. Yay, let's all cheer for this. It wasn't very good. It was cute. However, am I supposed to believe that Juno was wise above her years? Because she was this immature, 15 year old girl who never thought to ask her boyfriend to use a condom. I know I'm not one to talk, but I did take precautions as far as I know Juno did not. Why would Jennifer Garner's character want this girl? I mean is really a fantasy of men to run after a poor 15 high schooler from the wrong side of town who is 7 months pregnant? Strange...It had funny moments. I really did enjoy Ellen Page and they did make Jennifer Garner likable (which for me is a miracle because while I'm sure she is a nice woman, I have absolutely hated every character she has played from Hannah to Sidney Bristo. I live in fear that they are going to bring her in for some huge, integral part in the final season of Lost and I'm going to hate her then too). Still, the movie was just okay. **

P.S. I love You Okay, the only reason I even went rented this movie was that it had James Marsters in it. I love you James. Was the actual book this bad? Are all of Nicholas Sparks novels this terrible? Is Lisa Kudrow always this annoying? These are some of the many questions that I have after watching this movie. James was sweet and so was Jeffrey Dean Morgan (I miss you on Grey's too).

Cloverfield Okay so I've already seen the movie and wasn't crazy about when I saw it the first time. Maybe I had my heart set way too high. It was penned by one of my favorite Buffy writers (Drew Goddard) and it was the creation of J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves. There are a million reasons that people were drawn to Lost in its first season, some people were fans of David Fury (which I was as well), some loved "Alias," but I loved "Felicity." "Felicity" this was not, but it was not bad. It definitely had the post-college, successful in life but still not happy vibe. I enjoyed the contrast between the emotional angst of the characters and the "big bad" outside. I even like the idea that it doesn't have a happy ending (which is very Abrams/Reeves and not so much Drew Goddard so I'm surprised by that). I just wish the characters were more interesting. I feel like I barely got to know them and they were dull to begin with. From a group of filmmakers that have created some of recent TV's most memorable characters I expected better. Maybe it was an actor issue? I'm not really sure. ***1/2

Bella This is the movie that I would suggest everyone go see. It made me laugh and cry. It was Toronto Film Festival's fan favorite last year. It is basically the story of my life recently which may be why I'm so close to it but it is really well done. I'm not going to go into a huge review, mostly because I've gone on too long on everything else and I don't have time now. The only problem I have is that I think the script is slightly unrealistic at times (I'm not going to go into it because it gives away a huge plot point but it has to do with Jose and why he stopped playing Soccer). LOL ***1/2

Okay, the rest of the movies are going to have to wait. I hear Lily waking up from her nap. Enjoy!

Lily's first year pictures

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:09:36 GMT

Here are pictures of my baby girl at age one :) Enjoy!

Yay for Barrack!

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:04:06 GMT

Barrack Obama won the nomination! Yay!! Okay when did I become a liberal? Woohoo :) I'm excited :).

Heroes Mid-way Season One review

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:35:56 GMT

First off before I begin I want to state for the record that beyond some very basic casting spoilers, I am a Heroes virgin, so if what I say about the show seems elementary feel free to laugh at me.

The tag-line of the show "Save the Cheerleader..Save the World" has always intrigued me. This shallow, insignificant child is the key to saving the world. I was happy to find out that this is actually not just a tag line but the concept held true inside the show. For characters such as Claire, Peter, Hiro, and Isaac finding their powers meant finding out who they truly were as people. For the first time, they have meaningful lives and they like who they are. That is a very important lesson, one that is often not found on television. I never even saw it present on Buffy. She never embraced the concept of being the slayer fully. While Claire had issues with her powers, she came to terms with it much quicker than Buffy ever did.

Why is there a need to keep these "special people" so quiet? Why must they mind rape them? I don't understand it. I understand the concept of testing so that one might be able to duplicate powers for their purposes. However, the whole idea that families must be kept in the dark has always seemed odd to me.

I am very intrigued by the contrast of Sylar and Peter. However, I am also extremely worried about the progression of Peter. It is interesting to me that they are essentially the same character. I am afraid that Peter will eventually become Sylar, and I hate the idea of that happening. However, I can't imagine what would become of him if something would happen to Nathan. Speaking of Nathan I gasped when we found out that he was Claire's biological father. I'm sure that all this upset the already millions of Claire/Peter shippers that had develped accross the internet. Oh well, at least Hayden and Milo are doing well.

So I have to say that I'm shocked that they killed off Simone. I'm actually very upset by this because I loved Isaac/Simone very much. I'm not sure why I was shocked that they killed her off because if you do NOT have super powers and your name is not Mohinder your time is probably pretty limited on a show called "Heroes." I adore Isaac; he is actually my favorite character on the show. What is it with me and the tortured men? Spike, Sawyer, Daniel, Mason...now Isaac. Considering, their are a great many biblical references in "Hero" I'm waiting for Isaac to be sacrificed. Peter is definitely being set up to be the "rock" to which all the other heroes will be stand with. He is what is going to hold them together, he is going to either destroy or save the world. Like Mohinder said, it is Peter who is the most important person to study because he accumulates every other type of talent possible. He is the key to the puzzle, not Claire she is more a stepping stone along the way. She made a nice tagline.

Although, like I said I could be wrong about all of this and if I am I hope you had a nice laugh. :)

Atonement

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:28:25 GMT

I'm very proud of myself due to the fact that I have been reading a great deal lately. My most recent book is "Atonement" by Ian McEwan. I have to admit, I was very taken by the title of the book. Finding atonement for ones actions a message that has been explored time and time again in literature and other forms of media. For example, the TV show "Angel" is really all about a man trying to atone for sins of his past.

The book is brilliantly written and the story is moving. I love the contrast between the "real war" that consuming the entire country and the inner-personal wars that each character is fighting within his or herself. Atonement at the heart is a story more about growing up and finding things about others, and yourself, that you could not fathom. It's about coming to the realization that life is full of complex emotions that only get harder as we age. At heart to me the story is about a girl who wishes life was as simple when she was a whimsicle child who lived inside her head, but as we age we find out that life isn't as pretty as fairy tales. :)

Good book, but I will warn you that the characters are at times unlikable so if that is a requirement for your enjoyment you may want to pass on this book.

B+--I would give it an A, but I found the second part of the book to be dreadfully dull.

My AI picks for the week--Birth year!

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:58:00 GMT

I am never right with these but I thought I would give it a shot and see how I do. :) These are not song spoilers. They are just my ideas..

Brooke White (1983) Total Eclipse Of The Heart, Bonnie Tyler

David Archulata (1990---god he's so young) This One's For The Children, New Kids On The Block (Sorry I can't help it he has such a Joey MacIntire feel to him..he has to sing NKOTB)

Carly Smithson (1983) Stand Back, Stevie Nicks

David Cook (1982)--I am calling Eye of the Tiger right now. However, I would love to hear him sing "Jack and Diane"

Syesha Marcado (1987) (I've Had) The Time Of My Life, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

Ramiele (1987)Somewhere Out There, Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram (I actually think this might be good!)

Jason Castro (1987) Here I Go Again, Whitesnake Or "Livin' on a Prayer" Bon Jovi (very stripped down accoustic version :).

Chikeze: Absolutely nothing...okay I'll go with "You're the Inspiration" Chicago..and I am cringing thinking of that..

Kristi Lee Cook: "Lucky Star" Madonna...and hopefully this will be the death of her.

Michael Johns: Just The Way You Are, Billy Joel

I hope everyone loves the music of 1987 because apparently that's the year we are going to hear a lot of tonight.

Can someone explain the point of the strike to me?

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:34:51 GMT

Honestly, I'm not really sure how the strike is going to be effective when all you are doing is refusing to post for just one day. The only way to get the message accross would be if you completely closed your journals and moved them else where. However, most of us are going to buy paid accounts, keep posting, and keep LJ going. I personally have no problem with the paid account system (I love paid accounts because I'm addicted to icons). I don't know, the whole thing just makes absolutely no sense to me.

I might be moving to SC, my company offered me the office manager position for the Charlotte office (which is actually located in Ft. Mill, SC.). I'm not sure I'm going to take it though, even though it's a salary position ($650.00/a week). I have to think about whether or not it is reasonable for me to live on that salary in S.C. I have to take into consideration that I will have to get daycare for Lily (at one of those after hours daycare places because I'll be working from 3:30-10). But I do like the hours better, the 9-5 shift gets old because it's hard to get things done without taking off work. So we shall see, I haven't told my boss one way or the other. However, I think I would like the climate in SC a lot better than Ohio.

On another note someone posted that Johnny was in Columbus this week. I was ready to jump in my car and go searching..then I found out that it was Columbus, Wis. Who has ever heard of Columbus, Wis? I bet this is the most exciting thing to ever happen in that town. Of course, for me Johnny Depp in Ohio would be the most exciting thing to happen here as well.

Fun Lost quiz

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:19:39 GMT

I stole this from a Lost group I am on. I thought it was cute :).

1. Name the scene in LOST during which you jumped up and screamed at the TV? There have been soo many. But lately the one that stands out in my head was when I found out that Sayid was working with Ben.

2. Which episode made you laugh uncontrollibly?
I have no idea which episode but I still crack up thinking about "Who steamrolled Harry Potter?" :)

3. Which scene in LOST made you cry the most? Aaron's birth coinciding with Boone's death. It's probably my favorite contrast in the series.

4. Which remaining "mystery" are you most eager to see revealed? Who/what is Jacob.

5. Which of the now "departed" characters to you miss the most? Eko and Charlie...though, I do miss Shannon's sass every now and again.

6. Which character do you dislike the most? Locke, I can't stand him right now!

7.Which character do you like the most? Sawyer, Sayid, Jack and my boy Daniel. :)

8. Which current story line on LOST do you care the most about? The whole Desmond/Sayid/Michael boat saga.

9. Which current story line on LOST do you care the least about? Miles and his stupid grenade.

10.Biggest WTF moment so far on lost? Sayid working for Ben (okay I know I put that on twice..I"m still getting over the shock).

Deathly Hallows in two movies...WTF????

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 05:38:15 GMT

Okay I heard the Deathly Hallows two movie rumor a long time ago but honestly I can't say I believed it at all. TWO MOVIES??? Is there really enough material for that. I mean half the book was Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting in a tent. Gee really compelling drama (and I'll take that back..Ron wasn't there most of the time). I love Harry and I don't want the fandom to die but seriously let the story rest before it's ruined.

Hola

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:11:36 GMT

Ahh so we have about a foot and a half of snow outside. It's gross, very gross! I hate snow.

I'm really wishing I had my photoshop or psp back (it's on my other computer which is completely dead to the world). I can't seem to find my cd anywhere! It really ticks me off because I spent about $200 on that program. Oh well it'll turn up somewhere I suppose. I miss icon making :( I was just starting to get fairly good. Now, I feel like there are so many other fandoms that I want to explore and can't.

I'm also thinking about starting fanfic up again. I've been working on a VM fic for a long time now. I am considering putting it up on one of the Veronica Mar's fic sites but I doubt there is much interest in the show anymore and besides I would hate to post a big work-in-progress like that and never finish it ("Spike: Soul Survivor still haunts me).

Oh and can I just add how much I adore Jeremy Davies. :) I think Daniel Faraday is probably the best thing that has happened to Lost. This season is quite possibly better than season one for me and that's really saying a lot. :)

A quick note about the comics: Buffy is a lesbian and Gunn is a vampire?? Er WHAT???? When I read synopsis's of the show it really makes me think that these comics are actually written by 15 year olds that they selected from fanfiction.net. Seriously, half of the "plots" from the comics really give me the "bad" fanfic vibe.

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 06:22:16 GMT

So Lily is 9 months old as of Feb. 15. I can't believe it's already been that long. She's just growing up soo fast, I want her to slow down a little. Her doctor, well actually it was a nurse practicioner who likes to play pretend, ticked me off saying that she is developmentally behind. WHAT???? Oh her reasoning is that she hasn't started to crawl. I was sooo mad at that because I know perfectly well from schools that babies aren't considered behind unless they are 12 months and haven't even attempted to crawl. She definitely makes attempts just isn't very good at it yet. She wants me to take her to these Help Me Grow classes. I don't know maybe I'm just being partial. :(

Anyway, in two weeks I become a democrat officially. Yay me! Go Barrack! Although, I'm sure there is absolutely no way he is going to win Ohio, I will try my best to see that it happens. :)

Just a little Lost note before I go to bed. Daniel Faraday is officially my new TV boyfriend. I adore him and want to give him a hug. :) And Sayid...oh don't even get me started. :(

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:51:13 GMT

Introduction: This is just review of Lost 4x1. At the end of the review I will discuss any new theories that I find worth talking about. Feel free to comment on this review, send me hate mail, or comment on my theories. I love to hear what other people think :).

Episode: 4x1-"The Beginning of the End"
Central Character: Future Hurley
Rating: 4.5/5
Best Actor award: Jorge Garcia, showing a dark and sensitive side of Hurley while still staying true to the character we have grown to love
Character to watch: Jack......a murderer?

Last season left us with a tragic flash-forward featuring a drug addicted, guilt-ridden Jack who would give anything to return to the island, and persumably the survivors, he left behind.

Episode 4.1 continues this sentiment with the ever-troubled Hugo Reyes. Hurley also managed to leave the island. However, he soon found that life L.A. was not going to be a happy one. Hurley once again found himself in the mental institution, however, this time it is not Dave who is haunting him. It is his dead friend Charlie who is appearing to him as a ghost (or is he a ghost?). Charlie tells his friend that he was wrong to leave the island and he must find a way to get back.

In many ways this episode was about Charlie. It was Charlie's message "Not Penny's Boat" that sparked a debate about the freighter's true motivations for coming to the island. In the end the lostie's would end the bond of togetherness they formed in the pilot and would break into two factions: one lead by Locke and the other lead by Jack.

What will happen once the frieghter's arrive on the island is anyone's guess. However, one thing we do know is that six people make it off the island and those six share a secret that they have vowed to keep.

Personally, I really enjoyed last night's episode. I thought Jorge did a magnificent job working through the death of his friend. His friendship with Charlie is an important one if you consider that he really was a lonely man back in L.A. I also enjoyed seeing Jack attempt to kill Locke. We have never seen Jack go that far..and now we know that in the end he is really no different than Kate, Sawyer or Juliet. They will all kill to get what they want. It's odd but I almost think that by making Jack less likable they make him more likable. Maybe I just have a thing for bad boys. :) I also liked the splitting of the group. We knew one day this would come, but the idea that it would be the very concept of getting rescued that would be the dividing is very clever. The one thing that has kept them together ended up tearing them apart, it's very poignant without being too cheesy. I am curious as to how Hurley goes from hiding out in the barricks with Locke to leaving the island for good, but I'm sure all will be explained in time. The only real complaint I have about this episode was there was not much Sawyer (although, I loved how he asked Hurley if he wanted to talk...it was really sweet):).

Oh and I have a theory to throw out and see if anyone else thinks the same thing. I believe that Jacob is similiar to the First Evil on Buffy. I believe he can appear as any dead person but has no actual power unless the living give it to him. To me this explains the visions post-morten that we have seen on this island: Charlie, Christian, Boone, and Yemi. What do you all think? Have I gone off the deep end yet? Anyway, it's just a thought.

Well that's all for now. Thanks for reading this if you made it this far :)

Heath, politics, writer's strike, and 2008 :)

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:10:44 GMT

Hey everyone! As most of you have probably guessed by now my heart surgery was a huge success. Thanks to everyone who sent me well wishes (I really appreciated them). I wanted my first post of 2008 to be one that was full of insightful messages about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness :). Of course, instead of the constitution you are going to get my way over due rants about anything and everything that is going on in my mind. Firstly, though, I just wanted to say goodbye to one of my Hollywood boyfriends :). I first saw Heath, like most of you I'm sure, in the movie "Ten Things I hate about You." To this day the movie still remains one of my favorites. I adored Heath and I loved his curly hair, his endearing smile, and his laugh. While I was never incredibly impressed with "Brokeback Mountain" I did appreiciate his maturity and range as an actor. He was easily on his way to becoming one the most talented actors of this generation. Absolutely nothing good can come from this senseless tragedy. I'm not going to say anything about how he died, but it always sad to see someone throw thier life away. Although, I'm not going to comment on whether I think it was a suicide or an accidental overdose--which by the way IS NOT accidental, but it's sad when anyone values thier life so little that they don't take proper care of themselves. In many ways, Heath is a very lucky guy. He was able to have a successful career doing what he loved. I'm sure most people can not say that at 28 years of age. I know that at 27, I certainly can not say that.

2007 was a hard year for me but it was also a game changer in many ways. I'm now a mother and that is saying something. I haven't ruined her yet so I guess I'm doing okay :)

I am going to write out some of my goals for the 2008, and pray that I can actually get to them all. These are in no particular order, it's too early in the morning to figure that out.

1) Loose weight/get healthy :)
2) Work out at least three days a week (and try pilates)
3) Start dating
4) See more movies (I still haven't even seen Sweeny Todd, nobody will go with me :()
5) Make more time to write (maybe even finish that Lost fanfic I have been trying to write for the two years)
6) Make more time to read
7) Job Hunt, get a new job :)
8) Go back and seriously try graduate school this time.
9) Move back out on my own (I can't stand living with mom and dad).
10) Get a new car (though this will probably have to wait till next year).

I decided I'm going to comment on the writer's strike because I love TV and movies. Honestly, I think it's a ridiculous strike because to me it only makes sense that if your work is being used for profit you should be compensated. There are many people who use the Internet as thier primary source of TV, networks are selling ad spots during streaming video like they sell air time. They should share the profit, it shouldn't be looked at differently than if it were on TV. My biggest fear is the only way that the writer's strike is going to end is if we boycott these ridiculous reality shows they are putting on to fill up air. If they loose money, they will concede. I honestly hope they will concede before Feb. 20, because if they can do that we may actually get a full season of Lost, which will make me a very happy girl. :)

Finally, I want to say a bit about politics before I go. I usually stay out of such topics because I tend to be a bit on the conservative side (though I am vehemently against the Iraq war). However, I decided that I am going to vote for Barrack Obama if given the chance. Although, I question if a vote for Barrack will be pointless after next week. We shall see miracles do happen :).

That's all for now, I think I havetaken up enough space on your friend's page. Hopefully I will be able to comment on last night's LOST later today. I will say that it was absolutely wonderful and worth the wait.

Have a great day!

~Melanie

Soul Survivor Lives!

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 04:18:42 GMT

If any of you guys remember the web series that I started with a bunch of girls about two years ago called Spike Soul Survivor. The effort had pretty much been abandoned due to most of us having very busy lives and what not. I was recently looking at the old site, http://www.newsgarden.org/soulsurvivor/ss.shtml, and noticed that we still do a great deal of traffic. Approximately, 2000 hits a month and a small amount do still send us feedback every once in a blue moon. Anyway, there has been talk amongst the group about possibly starting the show up again. :) We are even talking about doing a podcast. So look for the show to resume in some form in 2008. :)

~Melanie

Heart Surgery

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:12:42 GMT

I am posting just to let all of you know that my heart surgery is scheduled for Dec. 4 at Columbus Children's hospital. I will be there at least a week. I'm extremely nervous about this whole situation so I would appreciate any prayers, well-wishes, good vibes etc sent my way. :)

The surgery itself doesn't sound too bad he will just go in and remove the extra muscle that has formed where my hole used to be located. The surgeon is really young though (but he's kinda cute). I guess he's only performed this procedure a few times before. Of course, he did specify that it was an unusual condition. It still makes me nervous. At least get the whole month of December off! Yay!!!

Wish me luck!

~Melanie

Lily pictures

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:04:14 GMT

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Heart Catherization and Surgery

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:33:07 GMT

Hey guys! I'm going to be uploading some pictures of Lily in a coupole of weeks. I just got a new scanner so that process should be much easier. It turns out I'm going to being having heart surgery after all. They are fully confident that the surgery will make my heart 100% and the surgery is medium risk (which scares me!) They hope to have this surgery by the end of the year. So I'll be spending at least 7 days at Children's Hospital in Columbus (yuck!). However, hopefully everything will turn out great and I'll be healthy Mela again. I just hope so because I don't want to die at like 35 because I never got this straightened out. Prayers are appreciated!

~Melanie

I think I'm going to kill someone.

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:47:10 GMT

So I'm back working at my old job at the travel agency, which is fine I make a decent living and I can come and go as I please (mostly). HOWEVER, they hired this new office assistant and are forcing me to train this woman. She has never used a computer before. She does not know how to type (it takes her 10 minutes to type her name). She doesn't even know how to turn the computer on!!! Some of it isn't her fault, English is her second language but they are expecting me to train her. This is so hard!! I think they are trying to make me quit. It's a conspiracy. I've been really bored lately with life. I had a date last week that didn't go very well....he told me I was a dull person. Oh well, maybe I am. I'm not upset anyway the man was just strange he kind of scared me in person. However, the weird guy did tell me about a Fantasy group in Dayton called Camelot (I think that's the name?). I have never heard of it so I may check it out. Although, truly I think I have about a year to go before I can actually have a social life.

It was about a year ago since I found out I was pregnant. It was also approximately a year ago since Mike and I broke up (in early November). Ordinarily, I would be really upset that I've been alone for so long but right now I am to a point where I don't feel it is that bad. I'll find someone eventually but I truly can't just go with the first man that comes along (unless he's the right one). I can't keep allowing myself to get hurt like that, and to be honest I'm better than that it's been the one lesson I have learned since being a single mom.

Oh and Lily said "Mom" last night! Okay, she probably didn't say it but she was fussy and grandma took her and she reached out to me and said something that sounded like mom. She's a genius let me tell you!!!