My backyard

This morning while cleaning a bowl to eat my delectable Cap'n Crunch out of, I happened to gaze out my kitchen window.

I was admiring my back yard, and how it looked like a brisk fall day.

THEN, every single tree seemed to come alive with movement. Birds en masse my friends, tons and tons of birds.

They were flying everywhere.

I was like, "Oh, that's nice. Look at the little birdies." I mean I hate birds, I think they're terrifying. But on this occasion, with them being outside and me inside, they were ok.

THEN, I notice this squirrel hoping down my apple tree. Yes, hopping. Apparently squirrels hop everywhere, or at least this one did. (side note: I also hate squirrels.)

At this point in time I wondered where the hidden Disney princess was. I half expected one to waltz on out, and start enchanting all the little animals with song and dance. Then, said animals would invade my house and clean it.

That's all folks.

No, no small animals are cleaning my house.

On a serious note...

I don't normally write about too many serious things, but this is one issue that truly breaks my heart. Human trafficking.

What sparked this post was an article I just read yesterday about a major sex-ring bust right here in our very on U.S. of A.

For me it happened mainly in my own backyard. The Everett-Seattle-Tacoma area had the largest number of children rescued. 23 of the 69 child prostitutes were from this area.

Kind of scary to think about isn't it?

Up until about a year ago I didn't even know what human trafficking was. I thought it was smuggling people to be honest. Which is part of it, but not the whole story.

During my time in the Movement, down in LA, we'd get a variety of speakers coming to talk to us about random things. Sometimes it'd be ministries inside the Dream Center, or people coming to encourage us. The one that stuck with me the most was a lady from Oregon who talked to us about raising people's awareness of human trafficking.

There are five types of human trafficking:

1. Prostitution: by far the most wide spread, and well known.

2. Forced labor: kind of self explanatory, normally people come to the US looking for a better life, and are forced to "work off" the cost of the trip which was paid for by their employer. But the work never ends, they usually sleep, eat, and live all in the same place. They aren't usually allowed to leave, they're slaves basically.

3. Child soldiers: completely self explanatory.

4. Organ theft: by far one of the most elusive forms of human trafficking is the black market for stolen organs. Either the people are promised a large sum of money for their organ (usually a kidney), and are paid very little. OR they just take your organs by force if you either refuse the offer, or try to back out at the last minute.

5. Forced begging: think "Slumdog Millionaire." You know the scene where they're blinding the children. It's very sad, but very true. In many foreign countries this does happen.

Well, that's a little bit of a downer isn't it. I feel like it's good to know the facts. It's heartbreaking but it happens.

Now you're probably thinking what can I do about this? I know when I heard all this for the first time, I was couldn't help thinking, "Why have I never heard about this before?"

I was outraged, and sick to my stomach. I wanted to find a way to help, a way to make a difference.

Here's some people making differences. I encourage you to check out these websites, and see what people are doing to put an end to this horrible crime, and see about ways that you can get involved.

Stop the Traffik: http://www.stopthetraffik.org/

Not for Sale: http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

A21 Campaign: http://www.thea21campaign.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=132&Itemid=305&lang=en

Coffee Drinkers Unite!!! anyone... anyone???

This all started yesterday. I was talking to one of my friends, and she was telling me how lovely non-fat white mochas are. I told her that "Non-fat tastes like crap." She said "No it doesn't, it's just thinner milk."

I mean who knew that that was how they made non-fat drinks? I didn't know that they just used non-fat milk.

Back to my saga.

I decided that I had to try one of these. Just to see if she was really right. Purely for science of course...

So, this morning I had to drive my mother to work because I need the car so I can go to work.

Whilst I was driving back home, I thought to myself, "Self, there is a Starbucks on the way home. Let's do it!" And operation non-fat white mocha was born.

First of all getting into the jankey (for those of you who don't know the meaning of jankey, it's like saying something sucks, or is sketchy (for those of you who don't know what sketchy is, well there is no hope...)) little Starbucks parking lot is hard enough, but I did it. I was now parked. One step closer to coffee-dom.

I walk into the door foolishly expecting no one to be there. I mean for crying out loud it's almost 9:45. Don't these people have money to be making? Jobs to be doing? Bosses to be sucking up to?

I take my place in line. One step closer to coffee-dom.

I order. Almost there.

I pay. Even CLOSER!

The baristas are joking, laughing, having a great time. This always makes any coffee experience more enjoyable.

It seems like everyone in here is a regular. It makes me want to be a regular...

Anyway! On with the story!

So, one step left, just waiting for my drink. Muahahaha!

Well, it took them several minutes to make it, which is ok by me. I had plenty of time to people watch.

I have never seen so many wedge-shaped, clunky-heeled boots and shoes since the 90's! I mean come on now people.

As I look around it's an interesting mix of people. Lots of business professionals, some older ladies in their sweat-suits out doing their morning errands, and best of all this guy standing behind me who looked just like Bill Murray.

So, I finally get my drink. Mission SUCCESS!!!

Thank the Lord. Because by now I'm starting to feel very, very under-dressed.

I had just rolled out of bed. My hair is crazy, I'm in basketball shorts (thank God I shaved a day or two ago!), a nasty old sweatshirt, and Converse. I looked pretty glorious.

But I'm assuming, that everyone else assumed that I was just a UPS student. Hee hee...

My non-fat white mocha is delicious.

And thus concludes my story. Have a lovely day all.

Mmmm...

First and foremost, I would like to say that I love water. I think it is by far the most delightful liquid.

Well, when you're drinking it. I don't much care for swimming in it, or being caught out in the rain.

Now that that has been said. I have decided to run the Sound to Narrows this coming year. June 11, 2011. Here I come!

When you have double words (like the "that that" grouping in the previous statement) it really throws me off.

My parents are watching some show on Discovery Channel about bugs, but the cool part is that it is narrated by Oprah Winfrey. She has a very soothing narrating voice I must say. But now they have turned it off because they don't much care for her narrating voice...

Run, run, run

I have found a new addiction in life. Running.

I mean I have two real addictions here: Jesus and running... Well and this on again off again thing with playing my guitar.

I quite enjoy it. The feeling of your pulse pounding as your feet are pounding the pavement.

Feels good.

I've decided I want to run a marathon in the next year. Which sounds a little crazy to me when I sit and think about it.

Which is exactly why I can't sit and think about it. I must.

Like Yoda says to Luke, "No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try." (yes, I had to look it up to make sure I quoted it right... I'd hate to have a million little Star Wars nerds bustin' down my door...)

I feel that's the way most things in life are, or at least the most worthwhile ones.

Either you do it or you don't.

You may fall on your face. You may not. You never know if you don't do it.

But all this to say, I'm going to run a marathon. Heaven help us all. ;)

Fau-kets, and other such nonsense

Fau-ket: a fake pocket, usually seen in dress pants and some jackets. (term coined by a co-worker of mine).

I find these things to sincerely annoying. I usually rip them open because I try one too many times to stick my hand inside the non-existent pocket.

Or how about this a sestina. You may be wondering what exactly a sestina is. Well here I'll tell you.

In a traditional Sestina:

1. The lines are grouped into six sestets and a concluding tercet. Thus a Sestina has 39 lines.

2. Lines may be of any length. Their length is usually consistent in a single poem.

3. The six words that end each of the lines of the first stanza are repeated in a different order at the end of lines in each of the subsequent five stanzas. (This kind of recurrent pattern is "lexical repetition".)

4. The repeated words are unrhymed.

5. The first line of each sestet after the first ends with the same word as the one that ended the last line of the sestet before it.

6. In the closing tercet, each of the six words are used, with one in the middle of each line and one at the end.

I mean really, some bored poetry buff had nothing better to do with his time but sit around and think of these things. Now, I am forced to memorize this and be able to recognize it should it appear on my test. Well, I dare you to try and say "six six-line stanzas" five times fast. (The phrase "six six-line stanzas" being the only way I can remember what a sestina is.)

In other interesting news, I was at a Bible study tonight (don't hate, it's legit), we're doing the Beth Moore study "Breaking Free.'' Now, I think she was talking about family reunions or something. But that is not the point I wish to bring up. She was watching Oprah, and they were doing a world record breakers show. There was this lady who could fold herself into a suitcase AND zip herself inside in NINE SECONDS FLAT! Now that is impressive. Why or how you would ever want do that, I don't know.

Well folks that is all the random stuff that I had learned in the past week. Hope y'all feel enlightened.

Charity

Charity:

• a foundation created to promote the public good (not for assistance to any particular individuals)
• a kindly and lenient attitude toward people
• an activity or gift that benefits the public at large
• an institution set up to provide help to the needy wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• In modern usage, the practice of charity means the giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charity_(practice)

I feel like charities/charitable acts have been in the spotlight for the past couple of years. Down in LA I swear everyone owned at least one pair of TOMS, and drank out of eco-friendly metal water bottles. Everyone wants to end world hunger, fight AIDS/HIV in Africa, rebuild Haiti, and a multitude of other things. Now, please don't misunderstand me, I am all for all of these things. I think it's great that America's young people want to stand up and fight for something. I think it's great that businesses are getting involved. I am all for it. Going green (I own a cool eco-friendly metal water bottle), helping orphans, feeding the hungry.

But, what happens when it's no longer trendy? What is really motivating people's generosity? I don't mean to question every single person's motives, but is it really the want to do good and spread love that spurs us on. Or is it simply the cool thing to do?

I personally want to be involved in charitable organizations, and love the idea of them. But that's my heart. I love to help people. Yes, my awareness of what is going on in the world around me was in fact started by this fad. But I'm not going to fade out with the fad. It's not about doing what's cool or in, it's about doing what is right.

So, just think about it. Give yourself a little heart check. Will you fade out when it's not the cool thing anymore? Or has your heart been touched, and this is what you feel is right?