Wednesday, May 22, 2013

getting back to ranting (plus a few pics from everyone's new favorite app)

Day 22, Wednesday: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)

You know what? I'm not in the mood for ranting today. I haven't been in the mood for ranting in a while, actually. Back in law school, I was always ranting. You seriously didn't want to be my facebook friend at the time, because I always had something to say about a case I just read or something I saw in the news. I thought that whoever wasn't ranting wasn't paying attention. I still think that. And I know now that I'm not ranting now because I'm really not paying attention. And this bums me out. I don't want to be complacent or apathetic- especially with all that is happening in my home country these days. But it's hard to keep up with it all from so far away. I'm "just" a stay-at-home-mom now. I don't have legislation to keep up with or colleagues to argue with between classes. And that's my fault, really. Just because it's not as convenient or unavoidable to keep up with current events doesn't mean I shouldn't. I definitely have a lot more time on my hands now. 

I used to think that life would be less stressful if I stopped paying attention to what the government was up to- if I lived my life convincing myself I wouldn't be able to change anything anyway. But it's really not. At least in my "ranting" days, I felt like I was doing something. On several occasions I actually had people tell me I changed their mind about something. This was phenomenal to me. On other occasions I worked with groups that were actually successful at changing legislation (and some that are still in the process of doing so). These groups were filled with people ranting. People who rant do make a difference. People who rant are the ones that change the world.

Wow, I started this post thinking I had absolutely nothing to say. It ended up inspiring me to get back to ranting. Don't worry, I'll refrain from doing so on my blog (like, for the most part, I've always done). But I need to get back to spending more time learning about things like why Big Bro was spying on news orgs and what they really knew about Benghazi. Because if the people don't hold them accountable, nobody will... and I certainly don't know enough about it to rant... yet.

One thing I definately won't rant about? The new A Beautiful Mess app. I never could get into the blog, but I'm all over the app bandwagon. Yes, I'm mostly just using this as an excuse to include pictures in an otherwise-pictuerless post. ;) Here are a few I've made so far:

Netflix for Kids: My Lifesaver


This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of NETFLIX; However, all stories and opinions are my own because, in the words of my friend Bettina, "There ain't nobody who can afford them!"
People often ask me what I do with my daughter while I'm on my morning run. Luckily, she's finally into watching a little television; but not just any television- it has to have singing and dancing. Since we don't have regular cable, Netflix has been a lifesaver in this regard. I've been a loyal customer of Netflix for 6+ years now, but I only recently discovered the Netflix "Just for Kids" section. It has family favorites for kids from toddlers to pre-teens, by networks like Hasbro, Disney Jr., Cartoon Network, and PBS. All content is selected with help from Common Sense Media to provide ratings, reviews, and informations so parents can easily make choices for their kids.

Evita's favorite show is Sesame Street. While I'm running on my treadmill (conveniently located in the living room), I put it on Netflix. I have one of those fancy smart TV's so it streams directly to my television, without having to hook my laptop to it or anything like that. It is so convenient, and it keeps Evita entertained long enough for me to run in peace. Actually, I think it also gives me an ab workout because I can't help but laugh when I see Eva shaking her booty and spinning around in circles to the music.
Another great thing about Netflix is that it's so easy to stream on-the-go. Netflix offers free apps for hundreds of devices, including iPads, smart phones, and gaming devices. If you're on a computer, you can visit Netflix.com and stream from there. This comes in handy during car rides, airport layovers, and other places where you have to keep kids entertained for a good amount of time. 
...but my favorite thing about Netflix? NO COMMERCIALS. Commercials are a guaranteed way for my toddler (and me, really) to lose interest and find something else to do (climb the coffee table, clear out drawers, etc.). I've been a huge fan of Netflix for years, and now it's something I can use to distract entertain and educate my toddler, whether I'm running on the treadmill or running errands. 

What are you watching on TV with your family? Netflix has family favorites from Disney, Disney Jr., Hasbro, Cartoon Network and Dreamworks that are available to stream anytime, anywhere.

And streaming is easier than you think! Download the free app on your iPad, click on the Netflix app on any gaming device, go to the website on your computer – and you’re in business. Check it out here!

Again, this is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of NETFLIX.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Safari, Part 4: The Road Home

It seems like this road trip was ages ago now. I wish I would have written things down while everything was still fresh in my head, but you know how it goes. I guess I'll have to let the pictures do most of the storytelling. I think I was able to get some pretty awesome ones, if I do say so myself. Some of the animal pictures are even better than the ones I took while on actual safari, and these are just ones we saw on the side of the main highway. 
Traditional housing in the villages we passed.
Overlooking Mikumi, Tanzania
We stopped for pictures when we saw these elephants crossing.
And then we came across this family.
They were bathing in the mud.
The babies were adorable.
An evil-looking baboon.
I left the truck in this picture so you could get an idea of how close he was to us.
Sorry about the quality... it was taken out a dirty windshield.
There were lots of maasai hearding various animals. We saw a whole heard of cows (about 14 of them) dying in the middle of the road (along with the bus that plowed through them). It was too depressing to take pictures of.
There were a bunch of waterfalls flowing down this mountain. Reminded me of Hawaii.
Tons of mosques here.

Best Of

Day 21, Tuesday: A list of links to your favorite posts in your archives

Wow. This took entirely too long. I planned on writing descriptions under each post, but no way. Maybe one day, but definitely not today. I apparently have way too many favorites. Some are my favorites because of the pictures, others because of the words. I categorized them to make some sense of them; not sure it helped. It was worth it, though. I've been meaning to do this for a long time- if not for my readers then for me. I like having some sort of table of contents, making it easy for me to look back on the memories I love the most. The funny thing is I even had more I wanted to add. Again, maybe one day.
INTROSPECTIONS
TEXAS, FAMILY, AND CULTURE
HAWAII
ON EXPATRIATION
TANZANIA
ALL ABOUT BABY
STUFF I LOSE FOLLOWERS OVER
OTHER