How I came to terms with walking

Walking. The simple act of placing one foot in front of the other. A natural means of getting from one place to the next. A thoughtless, instinctive function almost as inherent as breathing, eating and drinking. Sped up, it becomes running. Slowed it down it takes on the adage: "dragging one's feet". Walking. It is a needful human attribute that literally, keeps us moving. Yet why do we fight it? Why do we shun it? And so many times, why do we insult the very action that allows us to progress forward?

Case in point: a parking lot. How needful is it for us to drive circles around a crowded parking lot looking for a parking space? I am going to make a conjecture and say that we have trained our minds and our bodies to yearn for the closest possible spot to leave our car and effectually, limit our walking. Why? Because a few extra feet is five steps too many? Because since you can't actually park your car inside the desired location, it's imperative to get as close as possible otherwise? Truly, let us think about this. Will parking a few spaces down, a few rows across, or an extra block away be such a burden to recover from by walking just a little bit extra?

Which is why I say, EMBRACE IT! For this reason, not too long ago, I came to terms with walking and rather then kick against it, I decided to love it. Why come? Because it is a part of me. It is so much of who I am. I cannot do without it and to it I owe so much.

So, now instead of wasting time driving circles around meaningless parking lots of my life, I leave my car where it is and I walk. And in return, I have health, peace, a lowered risk of parking lot accidents (the second most common car accident) and more gas in my car. Life has been better ever since.

Join in me in coming to terms with walking. Accept it as a positive part of life and let it "walk" to your advantage. And when people in your car ask you, "Um, why did we park so far away? I'm sure there's something closer," you say to them, "'Close' is relative. I see this as an opportunity. Deny not yourself the nature of your being. Walk with me."

Glee: Music to my ears

I love this show! What is it about these television characters singing songs to each other that just makes me feel so happy? I love this show!

Since I started watching it there are only a few numbers that I haven't liked, but for the most part it is so fun to watch! I will say, the plot isn't anything special, but the singing is worth the hour invested every week. I highly recommend it to everyone!

I tried to find some of my favorite songs from the show, but Fox seems to be pretty particular about what they post online. Pretty annoying since there are so many good ones! YouTube has many postings, but only audio, which isn't as satisfying as watching the characters perform the songs. I've posted a couple from YouTube, but I recommend checking out the Glee website and starting from the first episode of the season. You'll love it!

Glee special guest Kristin Chenoweth singing Heart's "Alone"


Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"


"Defying Gravity" from Wicked

Nerds Disturb

For all of the reasons I have ever wondered why Wilky Wonka Candy Co. ever invented Nerd Rope, I now have my answer.

The other day in class, I heard what resembled the faint sound of gravel being poured into a steel wheel barrel. The gentle racket seemed to rumble through the virtually silent classroom as my professor lectured. Naturally, I looked around to see where the sound was coming from and just to my right, I saw my classmate tilting a theater-size box of multi-flavored Nerds candy into his mouth.

If you've heard someone eat Nerds, it's not an inconspicuous candy in the least.

Seeing my classmate pouring those little Nerds into his mouth made me wonder two things:

- Why Nerds? Those have to be among the most terrible candies of all time!
- Nerds? Really? Couldn't you have chosen a quieter candy for class time?

So, are they really that terrible? Now I am sure that Lee would likely take me down for speaking ill of his favorite candy. Turning to the internet, "Nerds" candy appears on both best and worst candy lists so it's really difficult to say whether Nerds are loved or hated.

For a little background, Nerds were first introduced in 1983. Nerds originally came in packages of two flavors to give consumers "control" over their eating experience. Nerds has since spawned several product extensions including: Sour Nerds, Giant Chewy Nerds, Nerds Cereal, Nerds Rope, Nerds Bumpy Jelly Beans, Techno Nerds, Nerds Gum. Amazing how a little, rudely-shaped spec of crystallized sugar can lead to such greatness!

I remember eating Nerds when I was little. Total sugar bliss! I would pour as many as possible in my mouth and swirl them around in my spit as the sugar dissolved. So gross, but oh what fond memories!

I guess Nerds can't be that horrible considering they are still around and if Wilky Wonka is making variations of Nerds over several types of products, they are taking a successful candy and milking it for everything they can.

In regard to question two, yes, marshmallows would likely have been a better choice, but doesn't it just seem like all the good candies tend to make a racket when eaten? In brainstorming notoriously loud candies, I came up with a few instantly.
Of course, my favorites are, er, used to be, Whoppers and Hot Tamales, but I also loved Tangy Taffy, Laffy Taffy, Starbucks, Mambas, actually, you name it and I ate a lot of it!

But, the answer to my question, is, yes, there are plenty of other candies to be eaten in a quiet setting. Which makes me wonder why they sell boxed candies at the movie theater...

And to answer my initial question of why they make Nerd Rope? So guys like my classmate can have their Nerds in class and eat it too - without disturbing the people around them.

Chelsea the Halfsy

Last night I had a dream that Chelsea Combs' mom was Asian. I am not sure what kind of Asian, but she was the short, spunky, funny kind of Asian that is sometimes common.

In my dream, the realization that Chelsea's mom was of the Asian sort was quite alarming. In my dream, I was under the premise that I had never met Chelsea's mom, nor was I aware of her unidentified cultural background. It was alarming to say the least as Chelsea, nor her mom, had ever struck me as the Asian type. With good reason. (Please see photo at left). But on the positive side, I immediately felt a stronger connection to Chelsea. As if she knew of and had experienced half of my life. As though she knew what life as half of Miriam was like. Not that I've been oppressed or anything, or that I have undergone such duress for being noticeably Asian, but it's just that connection that people from the same ethnic background end up sharing because they have lived such similar lives. That was our connection.

In my dream, it all seemed to make sense as to why Chelsea would be half Asian. Dark hair. Yup. And that in a nutshell totally explains it. While nothing else about Chelsea in real life screams, "I'm a halfy!" in my dream, it all made sense. And in that brief moment of sleep euphoria believing that Chelsea was Asian, I felt that we had never been closer and that we knew each other well, almost as Korean comrades.

Welcome to the fold Chelsea, well, at least half of you.