Sticks and stones may break my bones, but how can pixels hurt me?

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but how can pixels hurt me?

Lately I’ve realized that people spend about half of their lives hiding behind a computer screen, and the other half trying to be the person that they’ve created through their twitter feed.

Social Media is a major source of comparison for a lot of people. We think, she has more friends on facebook than I do, or one of his tweets have more favorites than all of mine put together, and her life is so much more interesting than mine, just look at all of her instagram photos.

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram also encourage competition. Twitter is the modern “humble brag.” In 140 characters we can tell people how amazing our lives are, and it’s fine, because “that’s what twitter is for.” We all want more friends, more retweets, and more likes, to show to our peers, my life is better than yours.

This is a problem. Comparison and competition are huge sources for stress and anxiety. People want to know that they are loved and accepted, but it’s easy to think yeah people like me, but not as much as they like her, when we are staring at a computer screen.

Our social media selves are only show the highlights. People post the good, and leave out the bad. We aren’t vulnerable and real online. It’s impossible to compete with someones best, when you are stuck competing with your bests and worsts and everything in between. And the same goes for comparison. Don’t compare your whole self to someone’s social media self. It’s not fair to you or the person you are comparing yourself with.

I’m not saying you should go delete all of you social media accounts. That would be counter productive. Social Media does great things in our modern society. It allows us to stay in touch with old and new friends, and it lets us share events and memories with our family. Social Media is a really good thing, when we use it the right way.

It’s fine to check Facebook and go through your Twitter feed. But know that there is so much more to a person than their Social Media profiles. Keeping up with people through Social Media is a wonderful thing, but it’s also important to keep up with people in real life.

Social Media doesn’t have to be a source of competition and comparison.

Photo Credit: http://www.techbead.com/positive-and-negative-effects-of-social-media-on-society/

 

 

I won’t know until I know.

How do you know when you know?

When do you know exactly what you want to do with the rest of your life?
Where you want to be in 5 years? Ten?
Is it just a feeling? Or like a punch in the gut?
Do you just wake up one day and know?

What if other circumstances prevent you from doing what you know?
What if the stars just don’t aline?
Or fate never steps in to save the day?
What if you missed your chance?

I don’t know when I’ll know.
One day I’ll open my eyes, or look around, and I’ll know.
When I know, I’ll fight for what I know.
The stars don’t need to aline, and fate doesn’t need to step in.

There will be second chances. And thirds, and fourths.
I hope I won’t need them, but I know I probably will.
Know what you know, when you know it.
I won’t know until I know.

It’s alright to not know right now.
Because when you know, you’ll know.

Photo Credit: http://www.wordsonimages.com/photo?id=79639-Quotes+about+the+future+

Found Haiku No. 2

Here’s a Found Haiku taken from the poem: Riches I hold in light esteem
by Emily Jane Brontë (March 1, 1841)

Love I laugh to scorn
,
Lust of Fame was but a dream
–
Vanished with the morn

If I am the rain

If I am the rain:

If I am the rain
Then you are the oil (the blood of flowers past)

I fall down in a flurry
(one
two
three)

You wait patiently
But the wind is my guide
I can’t sit (and wait –
to see you)

If I am water, dripping down
You are not in sight

Off in the sun (with another loved one)
I will never reach your light

We do not mix
We sit
(We look
and stare
and question – each other, everything)

For the blood of flowers
Is thicker than (even the snowflake
on your check)

I melt away,
Until one day – The ice
(It, breaks the heat)

And even so,
Never do we (truly) meet
(But, I am yours)

 

Ashlyn Skaar (© February 2014)

Photo Credit: http://www.sketchoholic.com/linneastrid/images/8919/the-night-and-the-rain-oil-on-plywood-30-5-x-44-cm

All the Shingles Ladies

I’m 20, and I have SHINGLES. What? I thought only old people got shingles. Yeah, me too bro, until the right side of my face became a blistering swollen canvas of the shingles virus.

Shingles attacks you nerve endings. Which means – pain. All up on my face. But I did buy (or my mom bought me – thanks mom) some pretty sweet hangover sunglasses, that cover the majority of my face, so that’s a plus.

And while I have been metaphorically dying and feeling like someone is constantly stabbing my face, I have rewritten some songs for the pity party I’m going to have until this rash on my face is gone.

So here is my Shingles Ladies lyrics, because Beyonce makes everything better.

All the shingles ladies, All the shingles ladies
All the shingles ladies
Now put your hands up

Up all night, with pain in my eye, I’m icing my own little face
I thought it was a stye and now I want to cry
‘Cause another blister is forming
I’m loaded up on pain meds, blisters all up on my face
But don’t pay them any attention
I might just die, cause I have shingles on my eye
Ya can bring me Pringles any time

‘Cause if you have shingles, then you should put some cream on it
If you have shingles, then you should put some cream on it
Don’t be mad at the chickenpox virus
‘Cause if you have shingles, then you should some cream on it

Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow
Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, OUCH

Photo Credit: http://www.dynamicsworld.co.uk/12-days-of-christmas/

Cancel Everything

Stop whatever you are doing. Because: snow.

Here are some good things to understand about snow in Georgia:

First you need to check twitter and instagram just to make sure that it is actually snowing.. if it is, 9 out of every 10 tweets will approved by snow-loving dentists.

In Georgia, anything that is cool and wet falling from the sky in about 32 degree weather counts as snow.. even if it’s actually rain

People will cry from happiness twice: when the snow starts falling and when the snow starts sticking.

It’s okay to throw some of the ice from your freezer outside and say you can’t drive to work and/or school.

This weather event is so rare that it will be commemorated with a hashtag #snowday2k14

In the words of @UGAsnowalerts “school closes at 3:30, bars open at 3:30…” so that’s how some people deal with snow in Athens.

Everything that you are not whole-heartly attached to in your apartment becomes fair game for a makeshift sled: this may range from an old cardboard box to your mattress.

Kroger will be like the set of the movie Battle: Los Angeles – Civilians will destroy each other to get a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread.

Everything will get canceled… eventually.

Photo Credit: http://vimeo.com/34099015

Bieber Tweets

Here is a compilation of the best Justin Tweets (of the 50 or so I cared to look at):

@VickyMenchaca_ is a belieber… Gosh Vicky, belieber is so NOT fetch.

What? Something else is going on in the world? Who knew?

Yes, Lord. I pray that Justin tweets would go away. #endjustintweets

Accurate.

Shania has the right idea.

Speechless at the beauty of this tweet. Cribs was the bomb dot com back in the day.

Kim K is very upset. Don’t mess with that sass.

Scientific proof that Justin and Miley are the same person.

If you find anymore awesome Justin Tweets post them in the comments!

Eyeball Pimple

There is a possibility that I have a stye on my eye. And yes, every time I say or think that I giggle because it rhymes.

Anyways. Being the hypochondriac I am, I webMDed that shiz. And I found out some pretty crazy stuff.

For example: a Stye is a PIMPLE on your EYE (or eyelid)

EW! I might have an eyeball pimple.

Some other eye infections consist of eye HERPES, like an eyeball cold sore. And oh my stars, please don’t google image these things, because you might experience PVE (post vomit euphoria – after you puke from the gross-factor)

Also there was an alarming amount of warnings telling me not to stick things in my eye… WHY WOULD I STICK THINGS IN MY EYE? What is this.. a center for antz?

Overnight I developed some it-ie-bit-ie blisters around my eye / eyebrow, which are oozing some kind of liquid. So, steer clear of me and my eyeball disease.

I think I have the black lung pop.. *cough* *sniffle*

Parody Party

There isn’t anything much better than a good song, Lorde’s Royals was a good song. Until it was severely overplayed on every radio station and through every hipster’s loud over-the-ear headphones.

And although I can barely stand to listen to the original version, the PARODY has saved this melody for me.

Here is a compilation of the Best Royals Parodies:

Ratchet:

White Girls:

http://tv.yahoo.com/video/white-girls-040000964.html

Finals:

Even though it’s not the product of UGA’s fine minds, it’s great

Thanksgivukkah:

Social (or lack thereof):

There are also a lot of written parodies of Royals floating around the web. Check them out! There are a few Lorde of the Rings ones that are brilliant!

If you find any more amazing Royals parodies post them in the comments below!

Girl Fight

I’m not super confrontational, but there is this one girl… who sometimes I want to get into a fight with.

I don’t hate her, or wish her harm (she would probably win in any girl fight). There is an entirely logical possibility that she might have some experience in the matters of Girl Fights. There is just something about this girl that makes me want to flick someones nose (or something else mildly harmful).

Don’t lie. You have a person. Everyone has a person. Or a few… or a running tally. People that you dislike in a loving kind of way. You find them oddly strange and unsettling. And if you ever happened to get in a fight, you’d want it to be against them (unless they weight more then twice your size – then go with the second person on your list).

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to get into a fight… I’d undoubtedly loose. But  I would throw my first punch gracefully into their blocking forearm, with that cool slow-motion effect. And then I would loose, I would loose quicker than five-year-old on Jeopardy.

Honestly, I would have somewhat considered making a move, or at least mentioned something about a fight to a friend, but I feel like this girl (who I dislike in a loving way) would probably be a biter.

Hair pulling – that’s always fair, but biting – I’m just not about that life.

Photo Credit: http://thealphabetisletters.tumblr.com/post/25186516693/retrogasm-chick-fight