Guest Post: Elizabeth's Top 10 Things to Do on A Snow Day (That Don't Include Technology)

IT'S SNOWING! Surprise of all surprises, right? It's the millionth snowy day of 2014 here in Central Pennsylvania, and I asked my best friend Elizabeth to share with us a list of 10 things to do on a snow day! She's very much not dependent on technology like I am, so here is her list of things to do that don't involve sitting in front of a screen! Enjoy!

-S.

1. Spend some time with God: Read your Bible, pray, just sit and spend some time thanking Him for the blessings He has given you. I promise you won't regret it.

2. Read a book: Any book. Do it. It can be a kid's book for all I care. Just do it.

3. Be creative: You know that painting/scrapbook/knitting/woodwork etc. project that you have been wanting to do/finish but have been putting off because you don't have time? Well guess what, you have time now! Get to work!

4. Write. It can be a journal, a book, or a letter to someone! I mean, come on, everyone loves to get mail!

5. Bake or cook: We ALL have a recipe board on Pinterest of deliciousness that we want to try. Even if you aren't a good cook/baker, this is the perfect time to practice!

6. Clean: I know, I know. This sounds boring and not fun at all, but seriously. You have all day, why not get some of your weekly cleaning done! Even if it's just light cleaning, you have the time. Or if you want to be really ambitious and deep clean something, go for it!

7. Play in the snow: Build a snowman, have a snowball fight, make snow angels, or just take a snowy walk! Embrace your inner child!

8. Play an instrument/sing: Practice makes perfect! So go ahead and play away! I personally don't do this as often as I would like to, but when I do get the chance, it's so relaxing and calming.

9. Work out: Yea, this isn't one I do very often. You'll feel better after you do it though! (Or so I've been told...)

10. Play a game: Board game...card game....just have fun!

BONUS!!

11. Snow day photo shoot: Seriously, grab your camera and document your snow day! Make some memories!

Guest Post: Top Ten Reasons Why I Am in Love with Pretty Little Liars and Not Ashamed to Admit It

Today's post is from my friend Abby. She just acquired her B.A. in English Literature, and likes mashed potato sandwiches. I admire Abby's ability to love and accept no matter where people are in life. When presented with the offer to guest post, she was stumped for awhile, but I am so proud of what she shares! Read on, and enjoy! Comments are always welcome! 

-S.  

         

My thirteen-year-old cousin introduced me to ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars two months ago, and two full seasons later I am hooked. When I tell people I love PLL, they usually give me either an understanding “guilty pleasure” laugh or they nod and raise their eyebrows, automatically reassessing their impression of me. I admit – when people told me they love the show before I’d actually seen it, I offered the exact same responses. I stand before you as a reformed believer with a list of why, despite those negative reactions, I love this show and you should too.

1.  It’s a murder mystery. Something weird is happening every episode. People break bones or die left and right. They’re trying to find out who killed their friend while being mercilessly followed and threatened by an anonymous person named “A.” Hello, need I say more?

2.  The four main characters are women. This is actually super rare. Think of how many TV shows feature primarily women. Now think about most of those shows’ reputations. Yeah. Not only does PLL have a heavily female cast, but Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Emily – as well as almost every other female character – are multi-dimensional. You’d be amazed how rarely we see female characters that aren’t all good or all bad. We still don’t often see women who have flaws but are still good people with full personalities. In other words, women who are fully human. The girls, as well as their peers and mothers, make mistakes and even hurt people intentionally, yet they also sacrifice themselves to protect others. What a relief it is to see women with both strengths and weaknesses, who are not wholly perfect or wholly imperfect.

3. They’re not only women – these four characters are teenage girls. One of the most hated demographics in America. Everything teen girls like, the rest of the country hates – Justin Bieber, Twilight, even Uggs and leggings. The fact that teen girls are the main characters without also being the butt of a national joke about the way they talk, act, dress, and spend their time is huge in and of itself. But PLL also gives these teens so much power. Completely deserved, I might argue. Think about it – how many people do you know that hate Twilight passionately? A lot? Doesn’t matter. Teenage girls helped the films alone make more than five billion dollars. And if it weren’t for teenage girls, Justin Bieber would still be some nobody freezing his butt off while making YouTube videos in Canada. Teenage girls have the power to rocket someone from anonymity to stardom, and that is terrifying. Imagine what they could do if we let them make the kind of decisions they are capable of.

4. The girls are the primary actors. By that I mean they are the ones facilitating the action. Their decisions propel the storyline. They’re the ones finding clues, solving mysteries, uncovering secrets and following shady characters. They use their intelligence and resources to progress in discovering who killed their friend Alison. Say what you want about their many agape facial expressions – that is pretty badass.

5.  PLL doesn’t avoid violence. The girls’ lives are often in serious danger. The main anonymous aggressor, “A,” doesn’t hold back his/her punches because he/she is after young girls. But that still doesn’t stop the girls from saving themselves and their loved ones over and over.

6.  It represents LGBT characters fairly and equally. Emily, one of the main characters, comes out of the closet in the first season and the show chronicles her journey with herself, her parents, her peers, and her love interests. She’s even shown in romantic scenes with her girlfriends just like the other girls are with their boyfriends. However:

7. Their love lives are not the primary focus. Sure, they have boyfriends (and girlfriends), but their purpose and airtime is not consumed by romance. In fact, most of the times relationships are discussed heavily are when the problem is how to keep their loved ones safe from “A.” Yet at the same time, the show gives them freedom to worry about little things like what to give their partner for their birthday. It makes sense – if there’s a murderer on the loose, is this really the time to be obsessed with Ezra/Caleb/Toby/Maya? This is not to say the girls stand alone – in fact:

8. The central relationship in the show is not romantic, but platonic: the four girls’ friendship. That’s the relationship tying the whole show together. And what an amazing friendship they have. So often we see depictions of girl friendships as full of cattiness, emotional manipulation, and competition. PLL reminds us that four teenage girls are capable of having a strong friendship, one in which the girls are honest, supportive, and not afraid to openly need one another. I wish I had seen this in high school.

9. It tackles the digital surveillance era head-on. We live in a time of the private becoming public. We put our lives online. Politicians’ pasts and presents are under constant scrutiny, and so are ours. In PLL, the girls are literally being watched 24/7. “A” sends them texts offering snarky comments on their every move, threatening to expose them or the people close to them. Sound familiar? In a time when it seems like we are already exposing everything, it calls to attention the crucial difference between exposing ourselves and being exposed without our consent. Appropriate, no?

10.  The name of the show itself deceives us. My mom listened to me rattle off this whole list of why PLL is such a great show before saying, “Alright, if it’s such a good show, why does it have such a stupid and belittling title?” I thought about it, and I think Pretty Little Liars speaks for itself. The title seems dismissive, weak, and petty – just as the characters, and all teenage girls, are dismissed. And just like we discover on the show, casting aside a story or entire group of people because they sound inconsequential is a mistake. So the harmless title Pretty Little Liars is itself a lie. I’m not trying to get you to like this show, but I do hate when people write it off as stupid and not worth their time. Don’t let yourself be deceived. What could you be missing?

If you want to read more on this, see the article that helped shape a lot of my own impressions, or get more info on the show, check this out.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday.

Happy Wednesday! Today, I have a guest post! The rebel who wrote this is still in search of a life. I encourage you to think about your own life while reading this. Who have you become? Where do you place your value and self-worth? -s. 

…we are pathetic.

2013’s 7th graders have wedding Pinterest boards. Depression and self-diagnosis has become mainstream. We have the ability to access any piece of information with a swipe of our finger across an oily LCD phone screen but we can’t retain any of that information. We rely on the advancement of technology instead of trying to remember anything. We buy things we don’t need. We criticise others for not wearing famous brands. We have become the number of Twitter followers we have. We are our Tumblrs. We are our biased, uninformed sociopolitical opinions that we are fed from one biased, nonfactual source. We ‘care’ about causes the minute we hear from them. We know the food we eat is genetically modified and terrible for our system. We know the soda we drink is packed with so much sugar yet we rely on it for ‘nutrition’. We care too little about the things we should care too much about and we care too much about the things that shouldn't matter. We become enraged at the simplest things like our “pick” not winning an Oscar or an Emmy. We keep unheard artists to ourselves so we can have the satisfaction of ‘knowing’ we were first to hear it. We can’t agree on the most absurdly simplest things. Some of us justify the abuse and hatred of others. We have become our filtered pictures of food because, somehow, we miss the “old days” of terrible, relentless photography. We have become our hatred of all that is mainstream. We have become the blame we toss around. The things we own have ended up owning us. 

You are not your tumblr. You are not your cup of Starbucks. You are not your North Face and UGGS. You are not your religion. You are not your wallet. You are not your taste in music. You are not cable package. You are not 140 characters. You are not your political party. You are not your haircut. You are not your sexual orientation. You are not your iPhone.

We used to be people. We used to speak, not type.

We used to live. 

                                             - No one. 

Original Post: We Are Pathetic