then just when we belive we could be great, reality it permeates

for 10 minutes at the beginning of every english class, we do a journal entry. carmen (the prof) usually puts a quote on the board for us to reflect on in our writing, but on wednesday she handed out a paper instead. this is what was on it:


the miniature earth

if we could turn the population of the earth into a small community of 100 people, keeping the same proportions we have today, it would be something like this:

61 asians
12 europeans
14 americans (from north and south america)
13 africans
1 australian (oceania)

50 women
50 men

10 are homosexuals

33 are christian (catholics, protestants and orthodox)
18 are muslims
16 are hindus
16 are non-religious
6 are buddhists
11 practice other religions

41 live without basic sanitation
16 live without an improved water source

6 people own 59% of the entire wealth of the community

13 are hungry or malnourished
14 can't read
only 7 are educated at a secondary level
only 8 have a computer
only 4 have internet connection

1 adult, aged 15-49 has HIV/AIDS

of the village's total annual expenditures of just over $3,000,000 (US) per year, $181,000 is spent on weapons and warfare...
$159,000 is spent on education...
$132,000 is spent on health care.

if you keep your food in a refrigerator and your clothes in a closet
if you have a roof over your head and have a bed to sleep in
you are richer than 75% of the entire world population

if you have a bank account, you're one of the 30 wealthiest people in the world

25 struggle to live on $1.00 per day or less...
47 struggle to live on $2.00 per day or less...

work with passion
love without needing to be loved
appreciate what you have
and do your best for a better world.


some of the statistics were pretty amazing to think about, but what really hit hard were the last few lines. they speak huge amounts of truth about how we need to live and what each person really wants to be, whether they achieve it or not.

thoughts?

old dirt road, knee deep snow...

i lost all of the motivation i had earlier today. i was planning to do so much. this seems to happen to me all the time. i feel like i want to get a ton done, but as soon as i start to do it i lose all of my motivation. luckily this time, none of it needs to be done right away. i was just going to get it done before the weekend started....maybe i will get motivation later tonight when i turn on the christmas music! :)

have a good night!

get up and see the sarcasm in my eyes

this is just an accumulation of things that have been on my mind recently.

last night my family went to jon and jo's for dinner. it was very fun and the food was great. we went for my dad's birthday. it's weird to think about how our family celebrations keep shrinking in size. we usually get together with all of my dad's side of the family for his birthday and my mom's side for hers. (that should have been obvious, but i decided to explain) this year, we are having a very small party/desert with aunt shell and my grandparents. that's it. it suddenly decreased from 12(?) people to 6. uncle ron won't be able to join us since he will be working, so i guess there really should be 7. but it's weird for me. i'm suddenly the only young one in the group! humph.


on another note- i'm going to be in honor society, so i have the "induction" (not a fan of this word...) tonight. it's pretty cool to be part of. it pays to be a teacher's pet! ;)


has anyone else noticed that thanksgiving is in 2 WEEKS!?!?


hhhwow. that came really fast! i think it's a good fast, though. i love the holiday season. i hope that since it came fast that doesn't mean it will leave fast too, though. i can't wait to start getting out the christmas stuff. it makes me so happy to think about!


i'm excited for this weekend. i'm taking my first excursion to olympia without either of my parents in the car :) i will have the freedom to speed at my discretion, turn the music up as loud as i want, and text A LOT while driving. i follow the examples that have been set for me by the wonderful influences in my life.


i really like sarcasm. it's a gift.


i think i'm going to purchase some toms. here is a picture of my favorite ones. tell me what you think.

i get to have coffee with kristen this sunday. i can't wait. i haven't seen the lovely kristen in a very long time. it will be great fun to catch up and, i'm sure, enjoy many laughs.

i think that's all i have for now.

i'll buy you rogaine when you start losing all your hair

i've been noticing lately how much i love being with my friends. i mean, i've always loved them and loved being with them, but i have just recently realized how much i would miss them if they weren't around anymore. i love that pretty much all of my friends live close by and that i can see them whenever i need a laugh or a good kick back in line. i know this sounds kinda cheesy, but i really do think about it.
another thing i've noticed about my friends is that almost all of them are older than me. except for molly, sara, judy, and rachel, i think all of my "close" friends are anywhere from 3-10ish years older than me. some even more than that. i love all of them for different reasons. some will give me advice, some know when i need cheering up and exactly how to do it, some know me a little better than others, but care just as much, and some are just bad influences ;)
i'm just very thankful for all of my friends and for them being there for me when i need them most. i hope i'm the same kind of friend to you.
i love you guys!