Lola goes for a walk

How Facebook Ruins Lives

FACT: Facebook ruins more lives every day than bulldozers, angry monkeys, and televangelists combined.

Scenario: You wake up to a beautiful morning. The sun is shining, the smell of bacon is in the air, and you feel fantastic. 

That one simple decision to check Facebook right after you wake up will be your downfall. 

As you are checking Facebook, you think of a clever status to post. After a few hours, you get back on Facebook, looking forward to the thousands of "likes" your clever post must certainly have.

Depression sets in. You begin to question your own cleverness, and your "like-ability." The world turns bleak and dreary. After hiding in a dark closet for a few years, you decide to try cheering yourself up by looking at inspirational quotes that people have posted. 

THE INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES STRIKE AGAIN!! At this point, you are almost hopeless. The ray of joy that accompanied the beginning of your day is beginning to fade. Desperately seeking some form of comfort, you click on your photos, certain that seeing a good picture of yourself doing fun things with people you don't really care about will lift your spirits. 

Unfortunately, your "friend" posted a few pictures from the recent sleepover you had. She caught you at a rather unfortunate moment...

That little ray of light you started the day with is instantly squashed by a giant black bear wearing a black cloak and breathing horrible black fire, skating on black ice. Life as you know it is over. The walls begin to close in around you, and mocking laughter seems to be emanating from every crevice, nook, and cranny of your house. The Facebook Depression completely takes you over, and you seek solace in the arms of a childhood blanket, which you find to be infested with cockroaches. 

Hide in your closet of shame, little person! The Facebook world has deemed you unworthy! 

FACEBOOK RUINS LIVES! DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU.

English

The English language is strange and confusing. Have you ever said an "sts" word over and over again? "Wrists, wrists, wrists..." And how about "fth" words, like "twelfth." Their, there, they're, your, you're..... 

Sayings can be strange as well. For instance, my mom and grandma sometimes say something is, "higher than a cat's back!" How high is a cat's back? And what about, "....waiting 'till the cows come home." Where did the cows come from? And why aren't they home? It sounds like some shotgun-happy father is sitting outside on his porch, anxiously waiting for his child to come back late from a date.....except the child is cows. Strange.

One that always gets me is, "Let me sleep on it," meaning, of course, that someone needs more time to think about something and make a decision. But if I was a burrito-eating foreigner trying to learn English, I would be confused if anyone said this to me.

Animals are cool.

This digital drawing pad is addicting. I can't stay away from it! So I hope you don't mind putting up with my simple cartoons while I try to figure out all the tricks and techniques. 

Also: I'm serious about the slug/alien thing. 

Lately I've been trying to figure out what to do with my life. I've been researching different options, praying, reading my scriptures, meditating, and wondering why on earth I wasn't getting any direction at all. I felt like my life was completely stagnant, which was really frustrating. Then I got some fantastic advice that made me take a second look at my current situation. I really am very blessed with what I have and where I'm at right now. My happiness and progression does not depend on me making one perfect choice. There is no perfect choice! The Lord has given me agency, and sometimes I forget what it is and how to use it.

Anyway, my Dad helped me understand that I have to relax, and be happy with where I'm at right now. This is one of those things that I have to be reminded of---over and over and over again. Funny how easy it is to forget things we have already learned. 

I have been making a conscious effort to relax, and just enjoy where I'm at, even though I do pretty much the same things every day. I sleep, I work, I clean, I play with my new toy and my ukulele, and occasionally I find a way to go on a hike in the mountains. (I did that this morning, and it was amazing. I love the mountains! Although, I didn't love being attacked by a herd of butterflies. Mock if you will, but butterflies can be vicious.) It's amazing how much happier I am when I relax and decide to be okay with where I am and what I am (or am not) doing. 

I'm also trying the "natural" way of life. (Don't worry, I still wear clothes, shower, and use toilet paper.) I've started drinking raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Apparently it has a truckload of benefits. To be honest: it's disgusting. I have 1 to 2 tablespoons a day, and I have to mix it in with a smoothie or apple juice. People say that you get used to the taste after a while---but that just means your taste buds shrivel and die, so you can't taste anything. No thanks to that. I haven't been taking it long enough to notice anything, but if nothing seems to be improving after a few weeks, goodbye apple cider vinegar. 

Ehh....a bird.

A greeting card for the world

New Toy

I got the coolest gadget. It's a Bamboo Splash by Wacom--essentially a digital drawing tablet. It has LOADS of possibilities, and it will take me a long time to figure it out. But it's SUPER fun! Here is a taste of what it can do. Keep in mind, this is only the second day that I've had it, so my work is obbbbbiously in the amateur range--the extreme amateur. But I'm looking forward to getting better at this, and then my cartoons on here will be really cool! (Hopefully.)

The 4th Art

The fourth was sort of different for me this year. I stayed home by myself for most of the night, and just sort of did whatever I wanted to. I watched a movie, ate popcorn (WAHOO FOR POPCORN!!!), made some mac n' cheese, and ate some mini stroff waffles that I found at Walmart (I don't know how to spell stroff. Sorry Dad.). I got bored around 6 pm. So I started experimenting with art! Here are the results.

It's a crazy wire tree! 

I had some extra wire sitting around from one of my art classes sophomore year. So, I made a tree. The base is masonite with someone's color barf on it. Mostly I did it so my brain wouldn't explode. It was really fun to do, except that now my hands have cuts and scratches all over from the wire. Casualties of war. It's sort of a strange little guy, but I like it. I might re-paint the base a different color, but for now the color explosion works. (ps: if you ever want to try this at home, be warned: wire is a BEAST to work with! I broke a dowel and strained every single muscle in my arm while doing this little project. But don't let that stop you!)

After that I finished the gouache painting I had been working on. It's mostly just a study in color, ink, and  form, but I think it turned out alright. 

Annnywhays, I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! Hooray for America!

***UPDATE***

I decided I wanted the focus of my wire piece to be on the tree, and the base was competing with it. So I repainted it.

I let some of the color show through under the sculpture, and I let some of the color bleed onto the wire.

I think it looks better. Wazoo.

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiit's RAPPIN' TYME KIDS!!

Rat yer hair with a real rat. Spray it till it looks like a mat. Then get a bump-it, maybe two or more. Sometimes I like to use four. Put on some makeup, put on some clothes, walk outside, wave at yer bros. UTAH POOF! This is not a spoof! 

This is a rap cuz I'm a sap and I like to think I'm kewl. so...okay. I win the Grammy this year.

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