AndyLand: Signs.

Often times, we dismiss the signs. The signs that something may be wrong. Or off. Or actually right. We are blind. Blind to happiness and blind to sadness. Accepting the truth is the biggest sign we ignore. Denial is only one tactic. Merely ignorance can get the job done. The amount of pretentious people in this world is astounding. No one knows what's best for anyone else, let alone themselves. Pretending to be happy is sometimes even worse than letting sadness consume us. Fake. That's all we are. We are fake people in a fake world. Ignoring the signs. Rejecting the joys. Taking the sadness for granted. Let's be real. (And I mean that in the most literal and figurative sense) : You don't know who you are. No one does. It's still a mystery. Our personalities, our deepest fears, our most precious desires are all mysteries. A layered life we live. With each passing moment, peeling a layer away to expose our raw selves. Our real selves. Ignorance, denial, they're just adding to the layers. You don't have to go looking for the signs, but don't go avoiding them either.

AndyLand: Watch Where You Walk

You hurt someone today. It's a sad fact. You said something without knowing how it would affect someone. You cut someone off in traffic. You stepped on someone's foot. You neglected to hold the door open for a teacher. You did something to put a damper on someone's day. The difficult thing about other people's feelings, is that you don't even realize when you've hurt them half the time. It's unavoidable, too. There's no way you can know every time you stepped on someone's foot, or confidence, or feelings.

I can't fix that. No one can. We hurt someone every day. We're human. It happens. But I do try to make up for the things that I've done. So, for me, I want to help ten people for every one person I stepped on. It's an easy task. Smile in the hallway. Open a door for someone. Wave at them. Pick up something they dropped. Ask them how their day was. The list is infinite. You never know when one harsh word could push someone, teetering on the edge, overboard. In the same situation, one nice word could throw them a rope of saftey.

The thing about being nice is that after a while of remembering to do it, it becomes routine. It's YOUR routine. It turns into YOUR actions. Which turn into YOUR reputation. For those of us still in middle or high school, this is the time when our feelings are going to be most vulnerable. But one thing most people don't realize is this: Our feelings don't just vanish the minute we enter the workforce. They're still there. So choose to be a kind boy or girl today, and become a kind man or woman tomorrow. Pick up your feet and watch where you walk. 

AndyLand: Forever

Forever is a commitment,
To never never end.
Forever is what's meant,
To be a loyal friend.

Forever is a gift,
From God up on high.
Forever doesn't shift,
Until the day we die.

Forever is an endeavor,
The juice that tests our will.
Forever is always sure,
The cup will never spill.

Forever is a road
That continues mile by mile.
Forever is a code,
Ingenuity finds very worth while.

Forever is an adventure
That always seems to say,
"If you can, make forever,
Last forever and a day.

AndyLand: The Spiral of My Notebook

A little something I wrote about three years go. How I've changed, I can't even begin to tell you.

Yesterday, I stared at the clock.
Hoping it would move faster.
I drifted to a sudden shock
While English class couldn't be longer.

What a look!?!
Could it really be?
The spiral of my notebook,
Was staring back at me!

The green eye was clear,
The blurred images, seemed to vie.
A bond would form here.
Between my notebook spiral and I.

We had an adventure,
Together we fought.
You see, the time had to move faster.
We had one clear thought.

Settle the anchors!
A sea battle it is.
Raise the flag, ye sailors!
We can't miss!

The warriors of seconds attacked.
They gave us a gain.
These seconds really did lack.
Any sense of game.

I climbed to take cover,
And held down fast.
This battle was not over
Until the time was the past.

The seconds were defeated,
But the minutes,
They had not yet retreated.
They worked against their pivots.

"The time must move on!"
the blurred images shout.
I glanced there upon,
And the minutes grew stout.

The minutes grew short,
I reached for the bell,
A ring with support,
And the minutes fell.

Class ended that day,
And I couldn't believe,
My imagination went astray,
To place I'd never before weaved.

AndyLand: Ten Things I Want To Tell Teenage Girls by Kate Elizabeth Conner

I am sharing this blogpost by Kate Elizabeth Conner because I believe in it to the greatest extent.
1. If you choose to wear shirts that show off your boobs, you will attract boys. To be more specific, you will attract the kind of boys that like to look down girls’ shirts. If you want to date a guy who likes to look at other girls’ boobs and chase skirts, then great job; keep it up. If you don’t want to date a guy who ogles at the breasts of other women, then maybe you should stop offering your own breasts up for the ogling. All attention is not equal. You think you want attention, but you don’t. You want respect. All attention is not equal.

2. Don’t go to the tanning bed. You’ll thank me when you go to your high school reunion and you look like you’ve been airbrushed and then photoshopped compared to the tanning bed train wrecks formerly known as classmates – well, at least next to the ones that haven’t died from skin cancer.

3. When you talk about your friends “anonymously” on Facebook, we know exactly who you’re talking about. People are smarter than you think they are. Stop posting passive-aggressive statuses about the myriad of ways your friends disappoint you.
4. Newsflash: the number of times you say “I hate drama” is a pretty good indicator of how much you love drama. Non-dramatic people don’t feel the need to discuss all the drama they didn’t start and aren’t involved in.
5. “Follow your heart” is probably the worst advice ever.
6. Never let a man make you feel weak or inferior because you are an emotional being. Emotion is good; it is nothing to be ashamed of. Emotion makes us better – so long as it remains in it’s proper place: subject to truth and reason.
7. Smoking is not cool.
8. Stop saying things like, “I don’t care what anyone thinks about me.” First of all, that’s not true. And second of all, if it is true, you need a perspective shift. Your reputation matters – greatly. You should care what people think of you.
9. Don’t play coy or stupid or helpless to get attention. Don’t pretend something is too heavy so that a boy will carry it for you. Don’t play dumb to stroke someone’s ego. Don’t bat your eyelashes in exchange for attention and expect to be taken seriously, ever. You can’t have it both ways. Either you show the world that you have a brain and passions and skills, or you don’t. There are no damsels in distress managing corporations, running countries, or managing households. The minute you start batting eyelashes, eyelashes is all you’ve got.
10. You are beautiful. You are enough. The world we live in is twisted and broken and for your entire life you will be subjected to all kinds of lies that tell you that you are not enough. You are not thin enough. You are not tan enough. You are not smooth, soft, shiny, firm, tight, fit, silky, blonde, hairless enough. Your teeth are not white enough. Your legs are not long enough. Your clothes are not stylish enough. You are not educated enough. You don’t have enough experience. You are not creative enough.
There is a beauty industry, a fashion industry, a television industry, (and most unfortunately) a pornography industry: and all of these have unique ways of communicating to bright young women: you are not beautiful, sexy, smart or valuable enough.
You must have the clarity and common sense to know that none of that is true. None of it.
You were created for a purpose, exactly so. You have innate value. You are loved more than you could ever comprehend; it is mind-boggling how much you are adored. There has never been, and there will never be another you. Therefore, you have unique thoughts to offer the world. They are only yours, and we all lose out if you are too fearful to share them.
You are beautiful. You are valuable. You are enough.

http://kateelizabethconner.com/ten-things-i-want-to-tell-teenage-girls/

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength. -Maya Angelou

I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass. -Maya Angelou

AndyLand: I'm a Cancer, Which Means:

I'm a #Cancer, which means: I was born to argue.
I'm a #Cancer, which means: All my favorite books are fictional, but about real life problems.
I'm a #Cancer, which means: I can't pinpoint a favorite music band. There are way too many.
I'm a #Cancer, which means: I'm a sucker for nostalgia, antiques, and anything vintage.
I'm a #Cancer, which means: I'll never forget the little things that said the biggest things.
I'm a #Cancer, which means: I'll probably tune you out when I honestly don't care.
I'm a #Cancer, which means: I'll probably knock you off your feet with my mood swings.
I'm a #Cancer, which means: I make plenty of mistakes, but I'm honest enough to acknowledge them.
I'm a #Cancer, which means: I'll pick you apart and judge you within the first fifteen seconds that we meet.
I'm a #Cancer, which means: It's a strong possibility that I'll make an extremely harsh first impression of you.
I'm a #Cancer, which means: a) I won't trust you right away b) I won't like you right away c) both a and b
I'm a #Cancer, which means: I'll probably knock you off your feet with my mood swings.
I'm a #Cancer, which means: Ultimately, YOU WON'T REGRET MEETING ME.

Find me on twitter, where I rant and remember: @andy_lion_roars  --Andy Sp- something

AndyLand: I'm From Dinner Table Stories

I’m from dinner table stories
Of good ol’ Italian Brooklyn boys.
Neighborhood stickball games turned to quarries.
Yankees, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, carnivals; their summer joys.
The nuns with long rulers, yard sticks perhaps,
Reprimanded their tricks with a small, swift smack.
Mushrooms with dinner, but if they ever ate them last,
Grandpa knew better, they got mushrooms for breakfast.
Ferris wheel worker, cotton candy machine,
Got their tattoos at seventeen and eighteen.

I’m from dinner table stories
Of grungy boys turned gentlemen, young girls turned women.
Harley-driving guys and horse-back riding ladies.
Las Vegas, Bahamas, Illinois; each one, a road’s bend.
Drag races, walks down Fremont; and when Mom was four,
Moved to Bahamas, eighteen months they adored.
But Grandpa could never sit comfortably,
Off to Illinois, the only Easter grass factory.
And finally they returned to Vegas, the Southwest.
My parents first meeting place; that adventure, the best.

I’m from dinner table stories
Of laughs, cries, giggles, and sighs.
All become unforgettable memories
To tell the young kids that will be mine.
Sunday pasta, with tales of old pleasures.
They’ll know of many generations’ adventures.
And one day, when my time is up,
It’ll be their turn to finish them up.
I’m from dinner table stories.

AndyLand: The Twilight Zone

     "You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone."
     Chills, shivers, the creeps. Each was guaranteed. You knew you'd experience something off, something different. Sitting on your couch, yet teetering between reality and what is known as the twilight zone. Long before vampires were the focus of the term Twilight, the black and white series captured the attentions of many, dragging them in closer to a world of haunting imagination.
How could this erect the hairs on the back of your neck, though? It was make-believe. It was never before done. It was to become infamous. It was a beloved terror How could situations so unrealistic really hit home, striking fear into the hearts of many?
     Maybe you felt insecure, unsure about your appearance. Maybe you felt average but not beautiful. Where you happy with the way you felt? What if that were to be taken out of your control. The way you look can affect the way you think.
     Maybe you just wanted to read. Books were your best friend and there was nothing eve wrong with that. Reading was your life. That could never change. Yet, in an unfortunate turn of events, when all that was left was books, your only gateway to them: your reading glasses, we're irreplaceably broken.
     Maybe money was the answer to everything. To go to any length, lie at any risk mask yourself at any expense. But what if one day, the mask of greed could no longer be lifted.

     Or maybe it was your thirst for fame and for legendary status that ruled your life. Striving to be the best, publicizing your confidence, gambling your life for a title. A harmless virtue: the strive for success. Until it changed you for the worse.
     Or maybe it was a childlike fear. The in capability of treating Talking Tina with care and respect the way a young girl could. A simple task that became terribly twisted. A mindset altered to meet it's own demise.
     Perhaps the fear of fear itself was what really crawled into the deep corners of your heart, mind, and consciousness. A life lived by caution. Never taking risks. Never facing that confrontation. Never standing up to your own bully. Nothing you did was right. Off to the cornfields you went, doom imminent.
     The nature of the Twilight Zone was the perfect sword for the stab of fear that made your heart skip a beat. Supernatural occurrences with shocking resemblance to your own every day life. The connections seemed to be spanned across stars, yet they were made. For maybe that's why it was called the Twilight Zone. An American pastime, and endlessly beloved series. "There's the signpost up ahead. Your next stop - the Twilight Zone."

AndyLand: Breakfast

     Traditions make a family. Breakfast in my house has never been one, though. However, we always find a way to make it a grand adventure.
     Everyone likes something the other doesn't. The dislikes are way too abundant to call us a functional family. We are picky about our food the way Peter Piper picks his pickles.
     Whether it be Mom's signature whole wheat pancakes on the grill. (an ancient family recipe) Or Laura's cinnamon rolls in the oven. (not so ancient) Or Sam's struggle with reaching perfectly crisp bacon in the skillet. Or dad's freshly squeezed orange juice. (made only two days out of the year) Or Louie's secret recipe eggs. (not so secret: add pepper) Or everybody's quick fix cereal bowls. (everyone likes a different kind), living in the Sposato house, one can always wake up to smell the bacon... Or to hear the bickering.
But that's just entropy at its best.

AndyLand: Change

     I think the reason we so desperately hold on to the past and the memories it contains is because it's the only thing that doesn't change when everyone else does. People change without them even noticing. Sometimes for the good. Sometimes for the bad. We can't control anyone, even ourselves. At this very moment, all of us are changing. No matter how strongly we cling to the past, it's an irreversible process. All we can do is adapt. The fear I have of adapting is conformity. I don't want to be like anyone else. Existentialism proves that I'm constantly searching for my own identity. However, at the very core, all of humanity is alike by way of nature and by way of grace. To me, meaning and purpose are two vastly different ideas. On both a world and individual level, everyone is searching endlessly for their meaning and purpose. For me, the challenge is distinguishing the two obviously.

AndyLand: 100 Most Beautiful Words of the English Language

Ailurophile A cat-lover.Assemblage A gathering.
Becoming Attractive.
Beleaguer To exhaust with attacks.
Brood To think alone.
Bucolic In a lovely rural setting.
Bungalow A small, cozy cottage.
Candor Frank and sincere in speech or expression. *
Chatoyant Like a cat’s eye.
Comely Attractive.
Conflate To blend together.
Cynosure A focal point of admiration.
Dalliance A brief love affair.
Demesne Dominion, territory.
Demure Shy and reserved.
Denouement The resolution of a mystery.
Desuetude Disuse.
Desultory Slow, sluggish.
Diaphanous Filmy.
Dulcet Sweet, sugary.
Ebullience Bubbling enthusiasm.
Effervescent Bubbly.
Efflorescence Flowering, blooming.
Elision Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.
Elixir A good potion.
Eloquence Beauty and persuasion in speech.
Embrocation Rubbing on a lotion.
Emollient A softener.
Ephemeral Short-lived.
Epiphany A sudden revelation.
Erstwhile At one time, for a time.
Ethereal Gaseous, invisible but detectable.
Evanescent Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.
Evocative Suggestive.
Fetching Pretty.
Felicity Pleasantness.
Forbearance Withholding response to provocation.
Fugacious Fleeting.
Furtive Shifty, sneaky.
Gambol To skip or leap about joyfully.
Glamour Beauty.
Gossamer The finest piece of thread, a spider’s silk.
Halcyon Happy, sunny, care-free.
Harbinger Messenger with news of the future.
Imbrication Overlapping and forming a regular pattern.
Imbroglio An altercation or complicated situation.
Imbue To infuse, instill.
Incipient Beginning, in an early stage.
Ineffable Unutterable, inexpressible.
Ingénue A naïve young woman.
Inglenook A cozy nook by the hearth.
Insouciance Blithe nonchalance.
Inure To become jaded.
Labyrinthine Twisting and turning.
Lagniappe A special kind of gift, giving a little extra.
Lagoon A small gulf or inlet.
Languor Listlessness, inactivity.
Lassitude Weariness, listlessness.
Leisure Free time.
Lilt To move musically or lively.
Lissome Slender and graceful.
Lithe Slender and flexible.
Love Deep affection.
Mellifluous Sweet sounding.
Moiety One of two equal parts.
Mondegreen A slip of the ear.
Murmurous Murmuring.
Nemesis An unconquerable archenemy.
Offing The sea between the horizon and the offshore.
Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its meaning.
Opulent Lush, luxuriant.
Palimpsest A manuscript written over earlier ones.
Panacea A solution for all problems
Panoply A complete set.
Pastiche An art work combining materials from various sources.
Penumbra A half-shadow.
Petrichor The smell of earth after rain.
Plethora A large quantity.
Propinquity Proximity; Nearness
Pyrrhic Successful with heavy losses.
Quintessential Most essential.
Ratatouille A spicy French stew.
Ravel To knit or unknit.
Redolent Fragrant.
Riparian By the bank of a stream.
Ripple A very small wave.
Scintilla A spark or very small thing.
Sempiternal Eternal.
Seraglio Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem.
Serendipity Finding something nice while looking for something else.
Summery Light, delicate or warm and sunny.
Sumptuous Lush, luxurious.
Surreptitious Secretive, sneaky.
Susquehanna A river in Pennsylvania.
Susurrous Whispering, hissing.
Talisman A good luck charm.
Tintinnabulation Tinkling.
Umbrella Protection from sun or rain.
Untoward Unseemly, inappropriate.
Vestigial In trace amounts.
Wafture Waving.
Wherewithal The means.
Woebegone Sorrowful, downcast.

*bolded words are my top ten favorites.

AndyLand: Chance

I believe in chance. I think chance doesn't happen by chance at all, but I believe in it. Because, chances are that half the things that happen to us aren't what we plan, or expect, or hope for. Chances are, the road to success is going to be full of detours, constantly under construction, and possibly even made up of some dead ends.
Chances are that if you miss the train, the white horse will come instead. I believe in the almighty 'Plan B' because Plan A is always the most desired choice. Chances are, we won't ever get what we want, but instead, what we need. Chances are that when we know we've done right, it's because we've previously done wrong.
Chances are that if a door shuts, there's a window cracked open. No triumph is ever present without a little hard work and stress. Chances are that if at first you don't succeed, you may not succeed several more times. Chances are, the greatest successes are born from the ashes of the worst fiascos.
Chances are that when all is said and done, there will still be things left unsaid; and there will still be things left undone. Chances are that as soon as you are finished, you will have to start again. Chances are that every road has a dead end and a road on the other side.
Chances are that people are strong because they've known weakness. Chances are that people are wise because they've made mistakes. Chances are that the learner himself, has the most to learn. Chances are that everyone is made perfect by their abundant imperfections. Chances are that everything has a reason; it's whether we are granted the chance to embrace it that matters.

AndyLand: Books

Books are like wine: the older the better. I couldn't agree more. Every book is a classic waiting to happen. What makes a book great is the perception of it. What's great about the perception of books is that everyone's view is different. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Judge it by its scent. Some may find it crazy, but before you check out a book from the local library, give it a good whiff. I can promise it won't disappoint. Excite your senses and conquer your thirst. A book will never go out of date. I believe books to be the only things are indeed timeless treasures among us. Books and Betty White. Come on, who doesn't love her, huh?

AndyLand: English Education Elevates

My English teacher just assigned that my class read Fahrenheit 451. This is potentially the most worth-while assignment all year. The book is wonderful. It contains a lot of figurative language which I am a huge fan of. This leaves room for many open discussions in class. The book really grabs my attention. Ray Bradbury is a very unique writer. I wish I could convey detail the way he achieves with such ease.