#10 : Rainbows Blow My Mind

They really do. If you think about it. a rainbow really is the most bizarro thing ever. Its this weirdest and most amazing phenomenon. It is a momentary glance at just how small we are and a moment just to think, "Man, I'm going to make it!" So for those of you, like me, who are blown away by this little diddy, here's a quick explanation of what a rainbow really is:

In a rainbow, raindrops in the air act as tiny prisms. Light enters the raindrop, reflects off of the side of the drop and exits. In the process, it is broken into a spectrum just like it is in a triangular glass prism, like this:

The angle between the ray of light coming in and the ray coming out of the drops is 42 degrees for red and 40 degrees for violet. You can see in this diagram that the angles cause different colors from different drops to reach your eye, forming a circular rim of color in the sky -- a rainbow! In a double rainbow, the second bow is produced because droplets can have two reflections internally and get the same effect. The droplets have to be the right size to get two reflections to work.

Thanks howstuffworks.com, you've been very helpful. 

#9 : I LOVE Shoes

 

I know, I know, what woman doesn't right? But I'm telling ya, I have a deep obsession with footwear that goes beyond your normal day to day activities. This state of mind is totally contagious too. If you spend significant amounts of time with me, you too will develop the love. I came up with a mini questionnaire that will help you determine if you are an addict. Its a public service.

1. Do you keep your shoes in their original boxes?

2. Do you organize said boxes by brand, color, season, height, or a general feeling? (I rotate these bases on my mood)

3. Have you ever bought a shoe to just look at? and never worn?

4. Do you own more than 100 pairs?

5. Have you researched a shoe storage system? 

6.  Do you own the same shoe in more than one color? how about 4 colors?

7. When you're upset, do you like to look at the shoes?

8. Do you show your shoes to people?

9. Do people who have seen you're shoes, talk about your shoes with other people?

10. Have you ever hallucinated that you bought a pair of shoes, then gone looking for them in your closet?

11. Do you fear co-habitation with someone because they might try and take half of your shoe storage?

If you answered yes to 6 or more of these questions, you are well on your way to being a full fledged addict. If you are at 2 or 3, you have plenty of time. 

Peace, Love and Shoes!

#8 : I Hate Snakes

All snakes you ask? Yes, all snakes. The reptile unit at the zoo is strictly off limits to me. Now you may be thinking... hey I don't like snakes either... what you makes you unusual? Three words. Natural History Museum. You think I went into the reptile area there? Uh, no. Does it matter that there are no living snakes there? Uh, no. Do I believe that there may be some small chance that the replicas will somehow come alive and touch me? Uh, yes. I don't trust them.

 I think it started when I was a kid.. surprise surprise. I have this memory of visiting my aunt and uncle in this town outside of Portland. The kind of town where it rains all the time and everything kinda smells like mold. I know you know what I mean if you've been there. Anyway, They had this field/yard out in the side of their house that had completely overgrown with grass. So of course... we went exploring through it and as we walked all we could see were snakes jumping to get out of our way. I stopped right there in my tracks, turned around and booked it for the house. I was not about to touch or feel or step on one of those little suckers. 

Cut to Lehi, Utah. I've never really lived in a desert and apparently there are an abundance of snakey like creatures here. So many in fact that its not unlikely that you may see one squiggle out in front of you when you are walking home from school. You may also come across a few that didn't quite make it across the road on their flight to freedom. 

Add all these encounters together and you get a deep and sound hate for snakes. (shudder) I can never be friends with you if you have a pet snake. I'm sorry. Well, I guess we can be friends if you never require me to touch, meet, pet, see, or be in the same room as said snake. That's how much I hate them. (shudder) 

#7 : I Love Dance Movies

Yup.. all dance movies. Even the ones devoid of all plot and just have gratuitous dancing. Exhibit A : Step Up 3D. They break-dance fight. Enough said. (p.s. It's streaming on Netflix right now. Que it up folks. Que it up.) Exhibit B: Honey. Jessica Alba, you crazy. Exhibit C: Save the Last Dance 2. The first one was plot less enough, then they go for round two.

I think I can trace this deep seeded love  back to Dirty Dancing. And come on now ladies, can't we all trace most everything in our lives back to Dirty Dancing? There I was, my little 6 year old self, going crazy for Swayze and wanting MY family to take our summer vacation to Kellerman's.  I have to be honest. I didn't fully understand the adult undertones in that movie (i.e. knocked up Penny and illegal, dangerous abortions) but who needs to understand it when you have cabin love scenes mixed with dirty dancing. Literally. Filthy and Hot. I'll carry a watermelon anytime.

This love continued with Strictly Ballroom ( a little gift from Australia), Footloose (Thanks Kevin for putting Lehi on the map), Girls Just Want to Have Fun (SJP, I loved you before Sex and the City), and don't even get me started on musicals made into movies. Grease, West side Story, Chicago.. the list goes on and on.

What's that you say? You love dance movies too? Well, I challenge your love. Take a peek at IMDb's Best Dance Movie list and use it as your guide. I have seen and love every movie on that list. In my opinion, this could also be the list of movies that the Academy shamefully overlooked. Your bad Academy....your bad.

#6 : I Don't Hate Birds

Ok, Here's the scoop on my tattoo. I don't have it out for birds, its based on a nursery rhyme.

There was a little girl

Who had a little curl,

Right in the middle of her forehead.

And when she was good,

She was very, very good.

But when she was bad

She was horrid.

I wanted a tattoo of the sweetest faced little girl doing something really, really naughty. I think that pretty much sums it up. 

#5 : I Miss My Dad

I miss my dad. When I turned 30, the volume on this statement got turned way up. I realized that there about 1 million things that he is going to be missing out on in my life and that make me miss him even more. 

I want his opinion. Isn't that funny? We spend our whole teenage and young adult life fighting against our parents opinion and now I would kill just to hear what he thinks about me. Am I how he thought I would be? or how he hoped?

I want him to come to my wedding. (if there ever is one that is) I'm totally blessed to have a great step-dad that has stepped into my father role in my life and I know he'll have a big role in this, but there is something special about a dad and his daughter on a wedding day. I'll miss that.

I want him to intimidate my boyfriends. That's right girls. If you have an overprotective pops, count yourself lucky. I would kill for my dad, a front porch and a shotgun.

There are probably 1,456 more things I could think of that I'll miss, but all of those things feel OK when I remember that what happens to us shapes who we are. Now don't get me wrong, I would trade everything in this world to have my dad back, but I understand that losing a parent at 7 years old has helped shape me into the person I have become. 

When it boils down to it, experiences are all we have and all that we are. Unfortunately, sometimes tragedy shapes us more that victory and happiness. I hold myself lucky today that I have an amazing mom, a wonderful step-dad and I had 7 great years with my dad. 

#4 : I Think Everyone Should Have a Power Song

power song

[pou -er] [saung]

- noun

1.      a rhythmic melody that will instantly make you smile

2.      the first song you put on when you are in a bad mood to elevate your spirits

3.      a pop song, modern or otherwise, that you think your friends don't appreciate or understand until their iPod is on shuffle and "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys comes on and you both.... just let it play

4.      any song that sounds best sung at the top of your lungs, off key

5.      your jam

Some examples:

Don't Stop Believeing - Journey

Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

Underneath the Radar - Underworld

Danger, High Voltage - Electric Six

Life Magazine - Cold Cave

and of course, any show tune from Rent... or Oklahoma.

Thank you and enjoy!