"Because every playlist needs some Avetts."

Yesterday the weather was perfect.  Absolutely perfect.  Mild and balmy and with whisper of the crispness to come.  It made me want Fall to come soon!  But, the first day of Autumn is September 22, in 22 days.  I hope I can wait that long.

On to business.  I have many links to share and... stories from work!  I've been feeling bad lately about posting so much that other people have written, so I'm very excited to actually do some short story writing of my own.  Also, if you're here now and you've been here before, you may notice a layout change!  I was inspired by a few things here: Kelly's pristine blog, meandering around template websites, and my friend Molly's idea to begin a blog.  Sorry for changing my mind so often, but I'd like this one to stay for a while. It's clean and fresh and outdoorsy.  I think it'll work.

Ok, here are my stories!  They all happened yesterday, by the way.

I was finishing up a transaction with a middle aged customer.  I'd been particularly chipper, I guess, because he said to me, "You are so pleasant!"
"Aw, well thanks.  I try."
"You're like the Progressive lady."  (And here's another one!)
"Haha.  Well, I just hope I'm not as crazy-over-the-top as her, I guess."
"Well, you're more attractive."  Heh.


----------------------------------------------------
We had two managers on duty, R and D.  D was speaking over our radios giving the hourly sales report.  She paused to take a breath (it's a long ordeal, you see), when R pipes in and asks her over our radios, "Did you send that to our regional manager yet?"
"R!  Don't interrupt me when I'm giving the sales report!  Rude!"
Oh, I laughed so much!  Just like Bon Qui Qui, but I think I was the only one in the whole store who caught the joke.  (I don't think D knows Bon Qui Qui, either, actually.  Bummer.)


----------------------------------------------------
I was straightening the binders when a young lady stops in front of me asks, "Do you have any bells?"
"Bills?"
"Bells."
"Bells?"  I put out my hand as if I'm tapping on one of those call bells.  "Like ding ding?"
At the same time, she said, "You know, like ding ding."
We looked at each other and giggled.

----------------------------------------------------

Ok, now for some cool links to share.

Here you can make your own solar-powered glow jar.  I really wish I were crafty enough to do this.  Never too late to learn new tricks, though.

Here's a neat experimental video that shows footage of your childhood street.  There wasn't enough info on Google Maps for my Puerto Rico street, but I want to try it again with my Georgia addrss. 

I love this picture from Threadless.  I wouldn't wear the shirt, I don't think, but it's pretty to look at.

Star Cross'd Lovers by Alice X. Zhang and Chow Hon Lam

Another thing I wish I was crafty enough to do: a Yellow pages graffiti lamp shade!

Along the same lines, who knew you could make newspaper nail art!?  I'm totally going to try this!  Totally cool!

This birch bark cuff has my name all over it.

Last of all, I read this on groupon's website, thought it hilarious, and had to share it with y'all.

Snap, Crackle, Popularity

Donning the latest designer fashions is a good way to achieve popularity. What are some other ways to climb the social ladder?

• Buy a cool car, or write the word "cool" on your regular car using animal bones.
• Annually change your name to the year's most popular baby names. This year, choose between Stryder, Gallon, Dorrito, or Vampirebook.
• Looking young always makes someone more popular, so tape a baby to your face.
• Give to charity while wearing sunglasses.
• Pretend you're from one of the cool countries, such as Jamaica, Europe, or The Matrix.

Happy things

One of the blogs I follow, The little Things We Do, has a Fill-in-the-Blank-Friday game.   I decided to play this week.  :)

1. The most adventurous thing I've ever done is   hiked 3 hours up a remote mountain in Mexico to where there's no running water or electricity to share the Gospel and encourage Christians there.  We spent the night there.  It was freezing.  I shared a bed with 4 natives who didn't speak English, (I knew a little Spanish), and they were all shorter than me so my feet stuck out from the covers.  We were on a wooden bed with a couple blankets for a mattress.  I think I slept a total of 1 hour that night, but it makes for a great story.
2. If I were a pair of shoes I  would be   canvas Toms.  Jungle or forest green, I think .
3. My preferred mode of digital communication is    either FB chatting or talking on the phone.  Even though it can be awkward sometimes, it's so much easier and better to catch up via phone.
4. I feel happiest when  I'm with my friends/immediate family, I'm laughing my head off , and I know that they love me.
5. A little dream I have for my life is  to be a wife and mother (maybe even a stay-at-home mom).
6.  The one modern convenience I could NOT do without is  cars.  I live so far away from everything, while I'd be in great shape if I had to walk or bike everywhere, I'd spend hours a day getting from place to place.
7. Music, movies, TV or books:  if I could only choose one to enjoy I would pick  music.  Books would be hard to live without, but it would be harder without my piano .

Bryan College: The years have closed around me

All of my friends still at my Alma Mater began classes today.  Their facebook statuses have been buzzing about going back to school for a week or more.  I feel inspired to make a list of what Bryan College has done for me.

Bryan College...

• introduced me to more friends than I could ever really keep up with.
• reformed my theology.
• arranged my first boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.
• picked me up when that relationship broke.
• sparked my creativity in the kitchen.  Eating in a cafeteria necessitates such things.  (And, boy were those sandwiches deluxe!)
• helped me finally understand the importance and the beauty of "girl time."
• introduced me to Harry Potter!
• helped me value my own quirks.
• showed me that soccer is worth being celebrated.

Celebrating soccer at the biggest game of the year

• showed me how much I love dancing.
• taught me how to improvise in music, especially on the violin.
• defined community.
• revealed one of my vices: wedding websites.  Mom has helped me understand that "wedding websites are of the devil. [...] they make you waste time and make you feel like you're missing out on something."  Point noted.
• gave me an appreciation for good speakers.
• developed an appreciation in me for all fields of study.  I had friends in each major, after all.  Learning to respect the people involved in the major led me to respect the major itself.
• taught me to not expect fun mail in the mailbox.
• taught me about worldview and its importance.
• proved that it's awesome to be ridiculous during homecoming week.  It's so much more fun to be one of the crazies who goes all out with dressing up.  (Kirsten Meberg, you're my hero!)

Dressed up as the Spice Girls.  Oh yeah.  (I'm Scary Spice in the middle, and, yes, I'm wearing velvet leopard-print pants.)

Snow really is a big deal!

• allowed me to experience my first all-nighter, along with the other 14-ish of them.
• solidified my notion that snow is a big deal.
• introduced me to the wonderful world of sharing clothes!
• inspired me to be more interested in fashion.
• taught me that it's ok to put all of your different colored clothes in the washer together, as long as they aren't new.
• gave me the opportunity to give a report on the zombie apocalypse.
• made me appreciate being able to dress like a bum (or worse) because, hey, we're at college, we all want more sleep, so sometimes we just don't care about how we look in the morning.
• made me appreciate getting dolled up.
• showed me that I don't just enjoy being organized, I actually enjoy clerical and administrative work, and, guess what!  People pay you to do that if you work for them!
• revealed that I'm confrontational in that I don't mind addressing an issue that needs to be addressed, especially when others would rather leave the issue alone.
• entrusted me with life-long best friends like I've never had before.
• introduced me to the PCA.
• introduced me to the brilliance of Malcom Gladwell.
• introduced me to half.com in all its money-saving glory.
• let me explore the worlds of acting and vocal performance.
• gave me experiences that made me highly value grace.
• left me with a strand of purple Christmas lights I don't really want anymore.
  

  

  Pranked.  At 2 in the morning.

• blessed me with a new nickname: Linja.  Yeah, it's like "Ninja," but with an "L."  Good times.
• gave me plenty of speaking opportunities, most of them in class for project reports.
• gave me my first experience cutting hair (my own and a couple guys').
• gave me my first real experience with pranks, being on both ends of them. 
• left me with the story about how my class SGA and I built a friggin' tree!
• showed me how not to deal with conflict.
• showed me the value of bobby pins and some good hairspray.

These are just some of what Bryan College has blessed me with.  I truly am so thankful for my time there and what I've gained.  Most of all, I'm thankful for my friends.  ...and I learned a lot in my classes, too.  :)

A short story and some fun

I have just finished eating the last two pieces of my birthday cake (yes, two - it was a long day).   I honestly should be focusing more on recording life in my journal right now instead of on my blog.  I've had a whirlwind of 2 weeks, and I barely have any of it in my journal.  Tsk.  So, I won't spend much time here.  I have a short story from work and a few other tidbits for now.

Two days ago, this groovy cat walks into the store to ask if his computer's ready.  I asked his name.  "Avent," he said.
"Wait.  Avett?  As in The Avett Brothers?"
"Haha, no, I wish.  That'd be so cool.  But it's Avent.  A-v-e-n-t."
"Ah.  So, are you an Avetts fan?"
"Oh, yeah, man, they're awesome!"
"Rock on!  So cool!"  We hi-fived.  I was super excited to find another Avetts fan - he's the first one I've found outside of college - and he was my age, too!  (Clearly I should have asked him to marry me then and there.)  There weren't any other customers in the store as we waited for his computer to come, so I asked him if he's really into folk.
"Oh yeah, I love it.  You should check out Phish, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Railroad Earth. I've been to, like, 50 or 60 shows, but these guys, they rock the house.  The dude next to me started crying; the music was so moving."
"Wow.  And do you know Mumford & Sons?  No?  You've gotta check the out, man.  They're superb."
At the end of our exchange, I asked for his name and I told him mine.  We're friends, I guess, and that's awesome.  :)

I saw this for the first time this week, and I love it.  Also, never thought I'd ever say this, but, I'm thankful for what Neopets taught me about HTML and such.

From buzzfeed

To continue to revel in nerdiness, here's a fun one from xkcd:

via XKCD

Now to go to the polar opposite of subcultures, cheerleaders are totally awesome. Observe:



And!  My last post mentions the beauty of the How to Train Your Dragon score.  Well, What the goodness!  I found free piano sheet music this dude arranged and transcribed, all for free!  http://httyd.sebastianwolff.info/  Heck yeah!  I printed out a lot of pages when I found this.

Lastly, I want to share with you what quickly became one of my favorite books.  The Jesus Storybook Bible.
  It's Millie's birthday present to me, and I love it.  We met up last weekend to check out job and apartment opportunities in Chattanooga.  It's been a dream of ours to live there together and to do the young independent chick thing there.  It's a lot harder to make those dreams come true than to just fantasize about them.  We were both very, very stressed, frustrated, and upset from all of the hard work, dead ends, and dashed ideas we'd collected by the time I made it up to Chatty.  Millie took the time to read me the story from this book about Jesus telling the crowds to not worry.  The lilies don't worry about where their clothes will come from, and the birds don't worry about where their food will come from.  You are more precious than the lilies and the birds.  You are God's child.

I cried.

New favorite movie

Here's your dose of green for the week:

"An Eco-Shower Equipped with Water Filtering Plants"  This just looks weird, but it's kinda cool, too. 
"San Juan, Puerto Rico to Get Green urban Design Upgrade"  I lived in Puerto Rico for three years and visited San Juan multiple times during those years.  I'm very glad to see a city I know and care about doing something that will be beneficial to them.

Movies I've seen this summer:
Beautiful Mind (finally)
Big Fish
Freedom Writers (Loved it!  Very inspirational)
Leap Year (Led me to consider a chick flick fast)
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (Complete and shameful waste of time)
The Pursuit of Happyness (Heart-rending)
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief  (Straight up disappointing and not worth it)
The Princess and the Frog  (Not Disney's best, but a happy retreat to the olden days of traditional animation)
Invictus
Toy Story 3 (Wonderful and brilliant; lived up to expectations)
How to Train Your Dragon  (I.  Love.  This.)
500 Days of Summer (Glad I saw it, won't need to again)

via Collider

My favorite by far is How to Train your Dragon.  In fact, it's my favorite movie period right now.  It has a wonderful soundtrack, a heart-soaring story, an eye-dabbing message, and beautiful animation.  It comes out on Blu-ray and DVD October 15th!  And, they're making a sequel due to premier in 2013.  Of course I'll say a bit more about the soundtrack which you can preview at Amazon.  You see, we modern day folk don't really know what the vikings sounded like, but the guys at Dream Works think they sound Scottish, hence their accents that are definitely not Norse.  The music sounds like Braveheart+Mulan+a little bit of Prince of Egypt as you can clearly hear in "New Tail."  My favorite scene uses this piece, "Forbidden Friendship" which almost makes me cry again just listening to it.  I've only seen the movie once and done some minimal listening online, so I'm limited in my recommendations right now, but here's one more.  "Test Drive" has a good flavor of some of the heroic action.  It's delicious, the whole album, and I really like bagpipes.  :)

For the heck of it, and because it's late (I've been listening to "Forbidden Friendship" and "Define Dancing" from Wall-E for the last hour.  This music makes me remarkably happy and it keeps me from doing anything else, like going to bed.), here are some things about myself I feel like writing out.

• Favorite bird: barn swallow
• Favorite vegetable: steamed asparagus, steamed artichokes, or mushrooms
• Most prized possession: my violin, my Bible, and my journals
• If I could play any instrument: (beyond what I already play) The guitar, or possibly the Uillean pipes (Listen here and feel the urge to jump on a horse with William Wallace.)
• If I could do anything once without getting hurt: swim with hammerheads
• If any animal could be real: Pegasus
• Always wanted to try: scuba diving, frog legs, marriage, a nose stud
• I have too many: stuffed animals.  Left over from childhood.  And papers and pictures and other sentimental things from 22 years of life I keep in a memory drawer.  I can't imagine ever getting rid of those things, though.

Rule #32: Enjoy the little things

With all of the craziness that spilled previous post, it seems appropriate that I balance this blog out with some things that make me happy.

I found another awesome blog oh hello friend that posted some beautiful things recently.

From thehomeport.com

From shopplasticland.com

Dream bed right here.  From ditteisager.dk

From Anthropologie, from a while back, I think.
Isn't this freaking awesome?!

Awesome leaf canopy from Ikea!  My kids will have one of these!  Heck, I want one of these.

I'd love to have enough framed butterflies to decorate a wall one day.

Dark chocolate via World Wide Chocolate

Birch wood cake stand and coasters from Martha Stewart

Avocados via Terra Organics

Baked salmon via Great-Salmon-Recipes

  +   

Avocado with chilled baked salmon - I had this for lunch today with some lemon juice, and it was fantastic.  The only thing I would have changed is having the avocado chilled, too, so it would have been the same temperature as the salmon.  Delicious!

It's a daily battle I fight with my emotions and with my tendency to freak out.  God is using the chaos at my job right now to keep me from focusing and worrying about what doesn't need worrying about.  I'm remembering how I told myself and the Lord about trying to Chatty as hard as I can, then leaving the rest to Him.  We'll see what happens.

Stress is not my friend, but it seems to think differently.

Frankly, I have a lot on my mind and on my heart.  In a way, everything that made my life explode this summer caught me completely off guard, but, on the other hand, what else can you expect when #1 - you're human, #2 - you live around other humans, #3 - you're human.

I feel like I'm getting a bathtub full of life lessons right now, and I'd better learn them quickly so that everything I have now will be easier to swallow and so that hopefully won't have to learn these lessons over again.

Life lesson 1 - It's okay to not have a plan.
Last night, I noticed two glaring things: At the ministry training info meeting, the leaders said, "We don't have a 5-year plan..."  They don't know what God's going to have them do in five years or even next year.  They just know what God wants them to do now.  Secondly, in Personal Leadership, Dr. Myers had us set goals (6 month goals, 1 year goals, and 5 year goals).  Each of these goals was to be specific, achievable, and you needed to be able to know when you had achieved them (so nothing nebulous, you see).  Actually, I'm just going to list what Dr. Myers explains as SMART goals right here:

Specific - What do you want to accomplish?
Measurable - How will you know when you've accomplished it?
Attainable - Can you accomplish this based on your gifts and resources?
Relevant - How does accomplishing your goal advance you to your overall agenda?
Time Specific - By when will you have accomplished this?

Example of a smart goal: I want to be up to the level of violin proficiency I was at my peak in two years.  It meets all of the requirements.  It's specific, measurable, attainable, it's relevant to how I want to use all of my gifts to the glory of God, and I want it to be finished in two years.

Attainable.  That's the facet I thought was okay to dismiss.  They tell us to "reach for the stars," don't they?  "Be the best you can be!"  I don't know yet what the best I can be is!  Straight up, I can't do everything.  I will never be an astronaut, I will never be a veterinarian, and I will never be a marine biologist.  I don't have the resources for those things.  Right now, I don't have the resources for living and working in Chattanooga.  When I told people that this was my plan, I wasn't considering how I needed to be realistic about this goal.  I wasn't even being realistic about how it's okay to not have a super-sounding awesome plan.

I repeat (for my own benefit): It's okay to not have a super-sounding awesome plan.  It's okay to stay in the same town and live with your parents as you try to stand firmly on your own to feet.  It's okay to bloom where you're planted.  And it's definitely okay to pour your heart out into what God has for you now.

Life lesson 2 - Success does not equal "the American dream."
Large, furnished, artistic and beautiful house; 2.5 pretty, educated, and well-behaved children; two status-implying cars; large, chic, never-the-same-twice wardrobe; dog and cat; adoring husband; enough happy friends to make 25 butterflies happy...

I was in Ikea this past Wednesday.  I was facing a nicely decorated corner with a large window letting in the attractive natural light.  Because I was facing the corner, I felt like I was actually in a house instead of in a store.  There were no other people, just me and the furniture and the light.  A very strange thought came unbidden: Is this what I'm supposed to be striving for?  Is this what I'm supposed to be striving for?  Stuff?  Looks?  Appearances?  Worldly pride?  Hmm.

The American dream barely allows room for God, when you think about it, and I did think about it when a guy spoke about this very topic at Bible study a couple weeks ago.  God wants us to depend absolutely on Him.  He wants us to the point where we say, "God, without You, we're screwed."  The American dream encourages pride.  It suggests we can do it on our own.  It tells us that we don't need anybody's help.  This is a lie.

Life lesson 3 - A good Christ-following community is crucial to overall well being and growth.
Spiritually, I grew more in the four years I had of college than in the 17 years I had before.  I almost feel like I've grown more in this past summer than in the four years of college, but that might be a stretch.  I sure have grown, though.   A ton.  Circa, my Bible study, brought me into fellowship with the most radical Christians I've ever gotten to know (except Bryan Rudolph, and those of you who know him know what I mean).  Circa has facilitated so many intense encounters with my God, it's so exciting.  The relationships I've been blessed with there have shown me what true Christianity is supposed to look like.  Bryan College is great and taught me a lot, but it's not exactly a real life experience.  There are certain expectations, requirements, and facades.  Circa is, for most people, real.  I have never been so challenged to grow closer to the Lord before in my entire life.  I have never known His riches to be so delicious before.  I feel safe and loved, valued, respected, and enjoyed.  These people show me a glimpse of how Christ feels about me.  ISN'T THAT AWESOME!?!?!

Life lesson 4 - People should be able to tell what you are waiting for by looking at what you are working for.
Thank you to Mike Manning for sharing wisdom from his father.  This can be (and needs to be) applied to every aspect in my life: Chattanooga/Home/Career, my relationship with God, my relationship with each of my family members, violin proficiency, being in shape, having a clean room, etc.

Life lesson 5 - Do no worry about letting people down by not accomplishing what you said you're going to accomplish. (See LL 1)
I am having serious trouble with the tension about my career future.  I freaked out, spilled my guts, and cried on my dad's shoulder this night.  In fact, that experience led me to write all this.  Back to what I was talking about...
Fact: I have been saying that I want to go work in Chattanooga and live with Millie in the Fall for about a school year.
Fact: I will not move to Chatty without first having a job there.
Fact: I don't have a job there.
Fact: I do have a job here at home.
Fact: I do have awesome opportunities here at home, opportunities to keep on with my Bible study group and take a ministry training course that I'm stoked about and that I really, really, really want to be able to fully commit to and invest into.
Fact: Because of this opportunity at home, I could not, in good conscience, immediately accept a Chatty job offer if I were given one tomorrow.
Fact: I also don't want to look like a quitter.  I don't want people to think,"Well, Linja has been saying she's going to Chatty for so long, but she's still at home, with her parents, no less.  Lame."
Fact: I experienced something similar last year when I had broken up with the guy I'd told everyone I was going to marry.  No one judged me like I expected them to.  True friends will still be true friends.  I have no need to worry about this.  No need at all.
Fact: I don't want to disappoint Millie.
Fact: Millie will love me unconditionally. Duh, I should know this by now.
Fact: I still don't know what to do.  It may seem like I should go where I know the Lord is working, where I know the Lord would grow me, where I know I could afford to life, where I know I would continue to have a strong support group.  However, perhaps He wants me to continue to pursue what could also be an opportunity for growth.  Who knows what could be in store in Chattanooga?  I don't.  I don't know.  Which leads me to the final
Fact: I am stressed.  I wish I could know whether I should cut off my energy-sapping efforts to find a job in Chattanooga or in Georgia or maybe I should stay at the job I'm at.

Life lesson 6 - When you don't know what to do, do what you know the Lord has told you to do.I have a friend who's in a similar situation where he doesn't know exactly what the Lord's calling him to do.  He does know, however, that God tells us to care for the widows and the orphans, so he's looking into getting involved with an orphanage.  He knows that God tells us to love and to serve, so he's loving and serving right now where he is.

Love God.  Love people.  Be a servant.  Seek Him.  Trust Him.  These are the things I know God has called me to do.  These are what I need to be doing until I'm given further direction.
 Dad says I shouldn't worry about decisions I don't need to make yet.  "Don't waste a good panic.  You might need it later."  God's taken care of me today, and I know He'll take care of me tomorrow.

I crave any words of wisdom you might be able to share.  I crave counsel right now, and I know that I need to seek the Lord.  I'm begging Him that He'll open my eyes and ears and mind so that I will able to recognize and hear His voice.

Worship expressions

“Exactly how, and how much should we encourage our people to follow the numerous commands throughout Scripture of bodily expression (as a natural outpouring of the heart)?"

Bob Kauflin, author of the blog Worship Matters, answers this question asked by a worship pastor.  I've read the entire answer (posted in a 5 part series) and I've found it challenging, convicting, and freeing.  I heartily recommend it if only for the extra questions and intrigue it's bound to dig up.

"How Do we Grow in Physical Expressiveness in Worship?"

Part I

God commands us to love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. That certainly includes the bodies he’s given us.

Part II

I’ve known more than one person who was exuberant in corporate worship who lived in unrepentant sin. I’ve also known people who exhibit little physical expression on Sundays but have a thorough knowledge of Scripture, an exemplary life, and a profound love for the Savior. We never prove our devotion to God by external acts alone. God looks upon the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). 

Part III

Our responses to God are based on His worthiness, not some image or reputation we may be trying to protect.

Some think it’s hypocrisy to express honor towards God physically when they don’t feel anything in their hearts. On the contrary, it’s only hypocritical when we act a certain way to give others a false impression of our spirituality. A better response is to acknowledge our lack of desire for God as evidence of our innate sinfulness, and to begin to fill our minds with truths about His kindness, mercy, holiness, grace, and goodness, especially expressed to us in the Gospel. We then act in faith, trusting that God will give us a greater passion for Him.

Part IV

 ...God is worthy of our deepest, strongest, and purest affections. And that our bodies should show it.

Part V

We too easily justify ourselves before God by what we do or don’t do, and end up missing the weightier issue of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Rather than arguing whether a specific command applies to us at this specific moment, it’s better to ask, “Do our minds, hearts, and bodies reflect the overall biblical case for how we are to respond to God?”

Image via Music and Faith via Waggle Tales

Wow, wow, wow.  Such heavy stuff.  And it comes in a season when I need it, too.  God is so good.
 
For the most part, I grew up Baptists, then I went to college and was exposed to many different kinds of worship: Family Church happiness, Westminster Presbyterian sincerity, Old Tim Holiness excitement (thank you Dr. Legg...), and Bryan College chapel diversity.  After experiencing all of this and returning to my parents' church, I found I no longer felt like I fit in.  My church style had changed.  I needed different teachings to feel filled after a sermon.  I awkwardly felt like "Dave's daughter" during the fellowship times.  I didn't feel connected with but a few in the entire congregation, least of all the pastor.  To top it all off, my heart and mind didn't jive with the music at all.

I've been attending a different church in town that has made Sundays exciting and anticipated, and I have been going to a Bible study that's given my ideas of worship expression a good shake and some questions.  All that to say, yeah, these articles came at the right time.

YeeHaw, Shark Week!

Hammerhead!  (My favorite shark and 2nd favorite animal ever) Image from Discovery Channel's website

If you're not familiar with Discovery Channel's Shark Week, you need to be.  It's 9:27, Sunday night, and I'm watching this year's kick off.  I've been watching for three summers now, and it makes the warm nights so much more exciting.  I haven't had any shark dreams to date, but some of the shows freak me out so badly, it's a miracle I still go in the ocean.

Remember: Conserving energy helps the planet and its ecosystems!  Save the sharks: turn off the lights when you leave the room.

Image: Google

For some other Shark links:
How Sharks are Helping Humans
20 Ways to Avoid a Shark Attack
Shark Conservation Projects
20 Most Endangered Sharks
Shark Activity projects and such (Good for teachers!)

For a few years during high school, it was my dream job to be a marine biologist.  I lived 7 minutes from the beach for three years when my family was in Puerto Rico (I was ages 6-9).  My room was (and still is some) decorated with ocean-inspired things (yes, like those dorky rooms you see in magazines).  I even looked into going to UGA for their marine biology program.  Anyway, enough about that.  The gist is, I eat this stuff up.  An animal lover from way back, and a fan of all things aquatic (favorite animal = sting ray), I'm super pumped about Shark Week and you'll know where to find me every evening this week.

And, I want to finally add Finding Nemo to my DVD collection.  And Planet Earth.

Great White!  Image from Discovery Channel's website