Gratitude

Life is going very well. Sure, I’m as busy as it gets, but everything in my life is a blessing. If I ever stop to whine, I try hard to remember this fact. The things I tend to complain about are also the things that make me an incredibly lucky person. Getting an education, preparing for marriage, organizing, cleaning and otherwise dealing with the components of having a place to live. Where do I get off being ungrateful?

Yes, there is much to keep me busy, and I miss writing my blogs and reading books at leisure, and so far I don’t feel like I have either the time or the money to take guitar lessons like I had hoped for, but I am well. I dare say I am at an all-time high when it comes to spirituality, academia, and love. In some instances this may be a sad thing to admit, for I am surely a novice in many, many respects. But it’s onward and upward, and the evidence of this just keeps pouring in.

As clichéd as it may sound, there isn’t a day that goes by that I am not grateful for my family. This is not hyperbole. This is not just a convenient way to express the deep appreciation that I feel for all of them. I literally don’t think a day goes by that I don’t spend some time in solemn gratitude for them. I hope I treat them accordingly. Sadly, I know I fail at times. I hope they will be quick to forgive me.

With the attitude of gratitude abounding in this post, I will now share with you some of the most delightful happenings of recent weeks.

• Melanie and I got our wedding invitations back from the printers, as well as our engagement photos. They all look absolutely perfect. Everything we have done to prepare for the wedding has gone as smooth as fondant. Let’s hope it stays that way!
• Mountain Dew was recently on sale. Two-dollars for a twelve-pack. How lovely!
• The new Mental Floss magazine showed up recently. For those who aren’t familiar with this fine periodical, which is probably almost all of you, I highly suggest checking it out. It is a bimonthly publication that revels in interesting facts and trivia. I cannot imagine anyone who enjoys the art of thinking not liking this magazine. It is written in a fairly whimsical style and includes such interesting articles as “The 20 Most Annoying People in History” and “The 5 Shocking Origins of National Anthems.” They give you interesting tidbits on everything from foreign countries and classic works of literature to the Muppets and Colonel Sanders. Check it out today!
• Speaking of having fun with your brain, I was completely blown away by an optical illusion found on the Skytopia website. The illusion is called the “Checker Shadow Illusion,” and I promise you will be astounded if you put it to the test. To whet your appetite, the image is that of a black (well, dark gray) and white (well, very light gray) checkerboard. A green cylinder sits in the corner of the checkerboard, casting a diagonal shadow across the board. Well, it turns out that the “white” squares in the shadow are actually the same color as the “dark” squares lying outside the shadow, but there is no way you can even begin to believe it! They look VASTLY different, and I simply could not buy into it until I tested the image myself (by saving it on my hard drive, going into an image editing program, cutting the “white” square out and dragging it right up to the “black” square—lo and behold, they ARE the same color!) Don’t be lazy, people, at least look into this. The illusion is located about halfway down the page. If you go the page (click here to go), simply begin scrolling down the page. The page will go from having a green background to having a blue background. When it finally turns green again, that is exactly where you should find the illusion. It’s unbelievable. Go now! (Also of note, check out the Rotating Snakes.)
• I have just discovered the comedy of Eugene Mirman. Quite funny stuff, but incredibly vulgar and profane at times. So far, I have mostly just watched his videos, which can be found here. One of the funniest vids is the “Swift Boat Video.” It makes light of the whole Kerry-Bush Vietnam controversy, and aside from a couple of mild profanities, it is safe for all ages. Check this one out if nothing else. Otherwise, if you get offended easily—or perhaps at all—steer clear of most everything else on this site! If you enjoy the recommended video and are desperate for more, I’ll do my best to point you to other “clean” ones. Just let me know.
  

Peace.