Does it Ever Get Easier?

I am doing the hardest thing I've done in my life: I am training for a half marathon. But there is something special about this half marathon... it is my third. You'd think that would make the actual training go by easier... Yeah, i thought so too. If you think that, you are wrong (don't worry, it happens to the best of us). This is, in fact, the hardest half marathon I have trained for yet. I am not really sure why, maybe my body knows what to expect and is protesting, or maybe my body enjoyed the time off from running far too much, and is now protesting the fact that I am running again.

I don't know the reason. I only know that I should be able to keep up with the ladies I am training with. They seem to be handling the training so much better. Oh well, I recover a lot faster, that's my consolation.

I have often wondered why we crazy people submit ourselves to running. It's not easy, it's not fun (believe me, I know). Yet, I still do it! After considerable thought, I have come up with the answer that I am crazy. Truly, beyond fixing, crazy.

Just kidding--not really crazy... I mean, if you honestly think of the benefits of running, who can blame us crazies? I am in shape, I feel more awake during the day, I feel like I have accomplished more than sitting down doing homework, and I am a lot more healthy!

So keep laughing, all you non-runners. When you are on your respirator, I will be running circles around you.

Do You Got the Skills?

I was talking with a coworker a while back, and he said something really wise. She said "I love to read, and I can tell whether I have read a good book, but I can't identify why it's good!"

I was impressed. She put into words what I was unable to do. I love to read; ask anyone. If I am not in the middle of reading a book or looking for another good book to read, something is definitely wrong. So why is it so difficult to explain why you love a book?

I don't have an answer today, I just thought I'd pose the question. Thoughts, anyone?

Appreciate the Weird

I watched a Brian Regan show a few nights ago; don't you love how comedians can make everyday occurances seem so much funnier than they actually are?

Comedians take a lot of material from things that seem funny to them in the things surrounding them. There are a lot of funny things in life, if you think about it. In fact, if I were as expressive as Brian Regan, I think it would be awesome to be a comedian.

The problem would be coming up with fresh, new material that's entertaining for everyone. Because, well, let's face it; the things you think are funny, I might not find amusing in the least. I know: what a revelation, huh? I think that's what requires talent in a comedic career. who knew that making crowds of people laugh (with you, not at you) is a talent?

I do have one bit that might be "comedian worthy." But since I don't ever plan on doing stand-up comedy, and I am feeling generous today, I am going to share that comedy bit with you! Here goes...

I once watched a television show about giraffes. For some reason, a giraffe had to be moved from one zoo to another. I hadn't really ever thought about how one goes about moving aa giraffe, but I was a little surprised to see a semi truck pull up.

Don't get me wrong, semi trucks are big...but a giraffe? Not so much of a saquare shape. But who am I, the viewer, to question the moving authorities? I figured they would have some nifty way of making the giraffe comfortable. It wasn't until they rammed the giraffe into the truck, with its neck bent parallel to the road that i realized, 'That's as good as it's gonna get!' I mean, at least could they cut a hole in the roof of the semi? It's be cool... like a convertible top for the giraffe!

But, it didn't take long to realize that my brilliant plan had one fatal flaw. A flaw that can be described in three words: Low-clearance overpass. If a giraffe were to stick its head out of the semi at an inconvenient moment --and there's no way to say this nicely-- it'd be decapitated.

Can you imagine, some cute little family on vacation following the semi in their minivan? Dad points out thw window, "Hey! Look kids, that's how they transport the...wait!! Close your eyes! My mistake!" as the giraffe head lands--plop-- on the front of the van.

What would you do in that situation? I mean, the head is obviously not yours to keep, and there's no way you would want it on your van for longer than necessary, but what would you do? It's not like the driver of the ruck has a top-view mirror to check!

Behold, the glory of the "How's My Driving?" sticker. I think this qualifies as an excellent excuse to use your cell phone while driving. Imagine the conversation that would follow:

Dispatcher: Hello, this is 'How's My Driving?' how can I help you today?
Driver: Hello? Yeah, well, I am calling to report a truck...
Dispatcher: Okay, what is the truck number?
Driver: (Craning his neck to see around the giraffe's head) Well, I can't really see the nimber right now...
Dispatcher: That's all right, we can get that information momentarily. What seems to be the problem?
Driver: Oh--the driving is superb, but--
Dispatcher: --Great! We appreciate you taking the time to report the--
Driver: --HEAD!! There is a HEAD on my car! The giraffe didn't quite make it through the intersection in one piece, and now it's head is sitting on my car, staring at me!
*silence on the other end of the line*

Well, what do you think? Sure, it's a work in progress, and would have been a lot more funny if I had been able to act it out for you, but why don't you practice and perform it in front of your family and friends? I'm sure it would be a hoot!

Oh--and be sure to let me know how it goes! And I would love to hear any funny happenings you have noticed that would make for funny comedy!

Let's Give a Hand to Walt!!

Recently, my family and I went to Disneyland. First off, can I tell you how much I love that place? It has the power to make even the most grumpy people grin. Not to mention that most rides that would be deemed "childish" in other theme parks are fun to ride on in Disney! Here's proof of it below: My sister Aly and me (I am in the pink), usually two level-headed individuals, sitting on the Dumbo ride grasping our magic feather (a placeholder to tell the ride attendants that it was our turn to ride) as if it were actually going to grant us flight.



See what I mean? We're having a grand time! Disneyland is great! That being said, Disney has some great rides; it's impossible for me to choose just one "favorite," but the section of the park that seems the most magical to me is Fantasyland.

Fantasyland is home to many Disney classics. It includes great rides such as: Peter Pan, Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, and Dumbo. One thing I realized while wandering about Fantasyland is that most of Disney tales and characters are based off of old tales: myths, legends, fairy and folk tales, etc. Many of these tales, though I am sure they would still be around without Disney, owe much of their awareness to Disney's genius. I am almost positive that some of the stories would have faded into near-oblivin were it not for Disney. So let's give a hand to Walt Disney and his people for years of family-friendly entertainment!!

I add emphasis on "family friendly." Disney has a great way of giving us a great story, without a lot of the depression or graphics of some of the original tales. I'm not saying Disney movies don't have drama, bloodshed, unease, etc. Because they do. It's what makes a story great. I may regret admitting this, but there is no other movie that can make me cry quite as hard as the Lion King does. But that's okay! Because with Disney, you know to expect the "happily ever after" end, no matter what happens throughout the story. Unfortunately, it seems that not all of the original writers to the now-Disney-classics had Disney's positive outlook on life.

Take the little mermaid for example. Have you read the original story by Hans Christian Andersen? If you haven't, you ought to. Here's the URL to the story online: http://hca.gilead.org.il/li_merma.html. In the Disney version, the little mermaid and prince get married and live happily ever after, right? Well, let's just say (for the sake of those who don't want to know the real story for fear of ruining their favorite Disney tale) that the real story doesn't end like that. It is quite different.

At least we still get the gist of the story, right? So once again, let's give a hand to Walt Disney and all that he stands for!

Allow Me to Introduce Myself...

Drum roll, please! I am Darcy; a twenty-year-old showstopper who stands about 5'4", and possesses brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. That's all true--except possibly the showstopper part--but even though it tells you what I look like, it doesn't really tell you who I AM.

I am an English major with an emphasis in technical writing; my minor is in multimedia technologies, and I am so close to being finished it's somewhat ridiculous. Only one semester left, in fact. But... I won't be finishing that last semester for a while (but that's a story for another day).

I chose English because I love to read and write, and technical writing because I've never finished anything that I've started to rite. That and...I love editing, which is what I plan to do when I graduate.

I work at a bookstore, which is a great job; I always learn what's hot off the presses, as well as what the masses like to read. Not to mention the hundreds of books I have easy access to; can life get better? I don't think so!

When not working or doing school-related things, I have a lot of hobbies to fall back on; I love to read, write, sing, knit, play piano, run, listen to music, ski (both snow and water skiing), hike, watch movies... and the list goes on.

Originally, I created a blog called "Dolittle's Bookshelf." It was created for the purpose of reviewing books and sharing my love of reading with the general populace, but I didn't realize before I started ow difficult it would be to tell why I love a book. I learned that loving a book and recommending a book are two very different things!

From that learning experience, I decided to give blogging another attempt, but this time I decided to broaden my horizons a little. The result is this blog, lovingly classified as a "hobby blog" (with a few adjustments).

I plan to cover a number of my interests and random acts of the day (thus the title, "Random Acts of Darcy"). I plan on making this blog better than the last, and hope you will come along with me for the ride.