This will be a short post, but there has been news from the Scottish isles! Apparently Apple maps has picked up an image that may be proof of the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland's Loch Ness. Here is a link to the short article along with a picture:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/loch-ness-monster-satellite-pic-sighting-stirs-controversy-article-1.1761909
I'm not saying this really is the Loch Ness Monster, but it would be kind of cool to be able to see something on my trip to Scotland...and it's exciting to know I will get to visit this mysterious place in a few short months! Who knows, maybe I'll get my own sketchy picture of the famous Loch Ness Monster. How exciting!
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Friday, April 18, 2014
Growing Up
Growing up is no fun. I know your parents warn you about that when you're little, but until it actually starts happening, you don't believe them. My own epiphany came as I was heading home today for Easter weekend. This summer, I will not come back to live at home. I will stay up at school to do research in the summer. And it suddenly hit me that I may never, truly live at my childhood home again. And that, my friends, is truly terrifying.
I have spent my life, as I'm sure most people have, waiting in anticipation for the next "maturity marker" to arrive. I was anxious for my 13th birthday to arrive, to finally be a teenager. I wished for my 15th birthday, so I could finally learn to drive. I needed my 16th birthday to come, so I could drive by myself and achieve more freedom. My 18th birthday could not come soon enough, so I could graduate and vote and finally be considered an adult. And even now, I'm just waiting to graduate college so I can move on to the next step. Why?
Because society has taught us that something is always better in the future, that the future will bring something new and exciting. This may be true, but the future also brings uncertainty and responsibility. It may bring loneliness, it may bring heartache. It brings trials and tribulation, because we are expected to grow up and out and learn to be independent. It can be a beautiful thing, but it is not always an easy thing. It means leaving things behind. It means change. But it also means learning, it also means growth.
But we don't have to grow up quickly. We don't even have to grow up completely. You can always have those days when you return home, have your mom help you with your laundry, wake up to your dad making crepes for your breakfast. You can go shopping with your mom, play games with your dad, see movies with your family, have your parents pay for things. The difference between childhood and growing up is having the choice to be independent. Sometimes we make the choice for ourselves, and other times life will make the choice. But it will always be there. Until next time...
I have spent my life, as I'm sure most people have, waiting in anticipation for the next "maturity marker" to arrive. I was anxious for my 13th birthday to arrive, to finally be a teenager. I wished for my 15th birthday, so I could finally learn to drive. I needed my 16th birthday to come, so I could drive by myself and achieve more freedom. My 18th birthday could not come soon enough, so I could graduate and vote and finally be considered an adult. And even now, I'm just waiting to graduate college so I can move on to the next step. Why?
Because society has taught us that something is always better in the future, that the future will bring something new and exciting. This may be true, but the future also brings uncertainty and responsibility. It may bring loneliness, it may bring heartache. It brings trials and tribulation, because we are expected to grow up and out and learn to be independent. It can be a beautiful thing, but it is not always an easy thing. It means leaving things behind. It means change. But it also means learning, it also means growth.
But we don't have to grow up quickly. We don't even have to grow up completely. You can always have those days when you return home, have your mom help you with your laundry, wake up to your dad making crepes for your breakfast. You can go shopping with your mom, play games with your dad, see movies with your family, have your parents pay for things. The difference between childhood and growing up is having the choice to be independent. Sometimes we make the choice for ourselves, and other times life will make the choice. But it will always be there. Until next time...
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Scotland Part II
The next step has been completed! My plane ticket to Edinburgh has been purchased! (Thanks to my Dad for searching around for a good one because I didn't know what I was doing). One step closer to the big adventure. With this new development, I thought it would be nice to share some more interesting facts about Scotland.
Scotland has about 790 islands, only 130 of which are inhabited. (Haunted, mythical lands everywhere!) The shortest schedule flight occurs in Scotland, lasting only 1 minute and 14 seconds. Why this is necessary, I have no idea. Scotland boasts the birthplace of golf, at St. Andrews, which I will get to visit this summer. This would be more exciting if I was really into golf, but whatever. It still looks like a gorgeous place to visit. Scotland also boasts the oldest tree in Europe, which has been standing for 3,000 years. It's even rumored that Pontius Pilate was born under this tree and would play around it when he was younger.
Moving on from geography-related topics, the raincoat was invented in Scotland by a Mr. Charles Macintosh, who was actually a chemist. Apparently in Great Britain they still refer to raincoats as "Macs." Other inventions of Scottish men include the television - John Baird - the telephone - Alexander Graham Bell - and even penicillin - Alexander Fleming. The author of one of my favorite book series, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was a Scotsman as well (he wrote the Sherlock Holmes series, for those of you who may not know). Lots of good things apparently come from Scotland!
3 languages are recognized, English, Scots, and Scottish Gaelic. The same number of Scottish people live in Scotland as they do North America, which is really surprising. There are 19 colleges and universities - including the University of Stirling, which is where I will get to study! Scotch, which is thought to be from Scotland, was actually invented in China, and did not reach Scotland until 100 years later. And last but not least, Scotland has the highest proportion of redheads in the world, around 14 percent. This one really isn't surprising, especially thinking of Disney/Pixar's movie Brave.
Well, I hope you feel more educated now. I love learning new things about new places, especially when I get to go there. Just a note, I got most of those facts from www.telegraph.co.uk. Learning things about new places is so exciting! Until next time...
Scotland has about 790 islands, only 130 of which are inhabited. (Haunted, mythical lands everywhere!) The shortest schedule flight occurs in Scotland, lasting only 1 minute and 14 seconds. Why this is necessary, I have no idea. Scotland boasts the birthplace of golf, at St. Andrews, which I will get to visit this summer. This would be more exciting if I was really into golf, but whatever. It still looks like a gorgeous place to visit. Scotland also boasts the oldest tree in Europe, which has been standing for 3,000 years. It's even rumored that Pontius Pilate was born under this tree and would play around it when he was younger.
Moving on from geography-related topics, the raincoat was invented in Scotland by a Mr. Charles Macintosh, who was actually a chemist. Apparently in Great Britain they still refer to raincoats as "Macs." Other inventions of Scottish men include the television - John Baird - the telephone - Alexander Graham Bell - and even penicillin - Alexander Fleming. The author of one of my favorite book series, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was a Scotsman as well (he wrote the Sherlock Holmes series, for those of you who may not know). Lots of good things apparently come from Scotland!
3 languages are recognized, English, Scots, and Scottish Gaelic. The same number of Scottish people live in Scotland as they do North America, which is really surprising. There are 19 colleges and universities - including the University of Stirling, which is where I will get to study! Scotch, which is thought to be from Scotland, was actually invented in China, and did not reach Scotland until 100 years later. And last but not least, Scotland has the highest proportion of redheads in the world, around 14 percent. This one really isn't surprising, especially thinking of Disney/Pixar's movie Brave.
Well, I hope you feel more educated now. I love learning new things about new places, especially when I get to go there. Just a note, I got most of those facts from www.telegraph.co.uk. Learning things about new places is so exciting! Until next time...
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