It's Almost That Time Again

Now that we're almost half-way through December, Christmas is right around the corner. It's funny... Christmas is my favorite holiday, but this year I couldn't help but want it not to come. It's been one of those years where nothing seems to go as planned and you just can't wait for it to get over.

I still have well over half of my shopping to do, and that's something that I'm just not looking forward to one bit. The Tuesday after Thanksgiving we put our tree and decorations up, and after a week and change the house still doesn't feel like it usually does around the holidays. We, like every family, have our "Grinch", but usually that doesn't stop anyone from having fun and enjoying themselves. This year, however, even the most festive of people just can't get in to that holiday spirit.

All we can hope for is that something great will happen and that our luck will turn around and that next year will bring nothing but the best of everything. High hopes are what I've found can get a person through the toughest of times. All I know that I'm looking forward to next year is my baby brother getting here! February 12 is the day that my dad, Audra (my step-mom), and I are all waiting for!

Italy, Here I Come!

Those are 4 words I want to hear come out of my mouth like you would not believe. I've always wanted to go to Italy, but over the last few months, the urge has become greater than ever. Just today, I finished reading "Italian for Beginners", by Kristin Harmel which, no doubt, fueled the desire even more. It was an amazing book and one that you'll just have to read to find out more.

My family on my grandfathers side, came from Italia-Sicily, to be exact-and that's been part of the reason I've always wanted to go. I want to be back in the home country and experience Italy like so many family members must have done in the past. The country itself is home to some of the most beautiful landmarks the world has and will ever see, and I can't imagine myself never getting over there to see them.

I'm hoping that, at least one of my friends-she knows who she is-will be able to go over with me when I'm finally able to. I'm sure that Italy would be a great place to escape to, but it's one those places, to me anyway, that you shouldn't experience on your own. (Besides, who's going to take my picture in front of the Colosseo and the other places that I know I'm going to visit???)

I'm sure that millions and millions of people will be able to have those "stories" that will be told for years and years to come about the fantastic time they had in Roma, and I just want to be able to join the ranks of Americans who have been to Italy and can just say "been there, done that".

I know this post wasn't much of anything and was kind of just put together in a hurry, but it was something that I wanted to get out there. Someday, you'll be getting a post while I'm sitting at a cafe in some piazza in Italy sipping some espresso, prosecco or limoncello just having the time of my life.

Sometimes I Just Don't Get It

I often find myself thinking of random things throughout the day, but at times I surprise myself by thinking of something on topic. Granted, that topic may have just come up because of something that I just came across, but it's on topic nonetheless.

I know you're not suppposed to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes it's just hard not to. Many times throughout the day I was trying to figure out why some people are attracted to and/or marry the people they do. Some people are just so standoff-ish at times that it just seems impossible that they're not like that all the time. What could have possibly happened in a person's life that they can't even say hello or bring their nose down, stop being a little snob, and join the real world for two seconds when I'm trying to talk to you.

I really do try and be nice to everyone I come across, after all, first impressions make a lasting impression. At least that's how I still see it. Sometimes there are circumstances that you just can't help, but about nine times out of ten, there is no reason you can't be polite to the people around you for the brief moment you have to have contact with them.

After 9/11 this country turned it's attitude around. It seems like we're back on the "piss off, I'm too important to be dealing with you" bandwagon. What's pathetic is that it took an event like that to make people realize that life is too short, yet almost 8 years later, we're back to the way we used to be!

I just there are just some things we're not meant to understand.

"Man In The Mirror" cover by Jay Brannan

There has never been a better time to pay tribute to Michael Jackson. The Man. The Legend. The Icon.

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I found these quite interesting...

Here are some links that I came across while working my way through some online newspapers and news websites. If you're my friend on Facebook or if you follow me on Twitter, you may have already seen these, but, in case you haven't, I thought I'd post them here.

World War III w/ the North? @HuffingtonPost "North Korea May Fire A Missile Toward Hawaii" http://twurl.nl/5gmib3

The Princes and Combat Time? @HuffingtonPost "Prince William Hints At Ambitions for Combat" http://twurl.nl/7gfx6m

A Sign of the Times @NYTimes "Army Challenges Older Recruits, and Vice Versa" http://twurl.nl/5unax7

What Next? @MikeAlvear (www.mikealvear.com) "Perez Hilton throws Dustin Lance Black under the bus" http://twurl.nl/m65btu

Brady & Cora's Day at the Park, Part 3

Brady & Cora's Day at the Park, Part 2