Grey Area Thursday

               This holiday season, Black Fridays has changed drastically for the majority of franchised stores across America. I have a very big problem with this though.  Black Friday, a time when buying all you can for what you believe is “Lower Pricing,” who wouldn’t love that? Unfortunately this holiday season has changed drastically. There are two BIG things that have changed for this black Friday. First, is that it now starts anywhere from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. The second big change that has occurred is at the super-center store Wal-Mart, and maybe other stores I just didn’t see it advertised, but at Wal-Mart they have now created the number system.

                The first change is the timing of the new what I like to call “grey Thursday.” This basically means that on Thanksgiving, there is a grey area in which stores can now start “Black Friday.” I personally feel like this is insane! They have officially cut a holiday and replaced it with a fully fake made up holiday. Now I understand that some people don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, and that is totally fantastic, but for those that do, having dinner cut in half because you want to participate in the deals that are going on is ridiculous. This past black Friday, I was watching the news and found out that 40% of the annual profits big stores like Wal-Mart and Target happen on Black Fridays. How crazy is that! That fact of the matter is that, even sticking to regular Fridays, these stores were making a huge profit, what’s the new reason for starting so darn early?

                The second change that has happened is that now, you have to take a number on their “big ticket items” and wait for it in line. Now, that’s great for not having any injuries… but is truly unfair. Basically how this new system works is, at anytime you can pick a number. But once you have that number, you cannot leave that item’s line (unless you need to use the restroom then you have a 10 minutes bathroom break. But you are not allowed to shop, or get in any other “Big Ticket Items” line. This I find truly insane, because there were a good 14 items on that list. That means that there are 15 items you can’t have because you have to stay in your line and not leave until you got that item. For me, I really wanted to get a TV and a laptop for my mom, I went to the TV line and without realizing it I took a number, the person then escorted me into the line and I said, oh wait, I want to continue shopping I just wanted to grab a number, but that was against the rules.

                Now, while some of these new changes have really cut back on injury or harm.  In the end I feel like these new regulations and changes are only going to hurt in the long run. With big savings you will always get people to shop, but in the end, is forcing them to go earlier and leave their holiday and family alone a great idea? I personally think that the time should stay to 12:00A.M.  But I do like the number system, so long as I’m still allowed to shop and get other numbers.

To Abstain From Listening?

I was chastised today for not listening to my friend as she ranted about her usual love life. Now, this is a newer friend to me, so maybe I should have actually been attempting to pay attention, but I had a lot of grants to apply for and very limited time to do it. As I sat there on my laptop typing yet again what the mission of the program I’m requesting funds for, she scolds me “Amanda! You’re not even paying attention to me!” I look up, dazed and confused as to what she was referring to, I then realize that she had been talking to me and wanted me to give her advice. Now, I really don’t like to give advice, and I’m not sure that I’m even good at it. So I asked her why she wanted advice from me?  She looked at me and said something along the lines of I was the only one around to help her. At this my mind went spinning.

                Do people generally ask advice of those near them? Or is there a certain comfort level that a person has to have with another person in order to tell them their problems. I guess in my case I tend to be a good listener, although today was not the optimal example of this, I usually put all my effort into what someone else is saying. The thing I often wonder about though is whether I should. Should I really give advice that may or may not work out for this person? I can’t predict the future, and if I could I’d definitely not be giving advice because I wouldn’t want people to find out. Why do I seem to get asked advice a lot. To be quite honest I’d prefer if people would rant to me, that way they could lay out all their feelings and problems, but wouldn’t honestly expect me to help solve them.

                I often struggle when other asks me for my advice, I’m not particularly worldly, and what type of decent advice could I truly offer? I guess though, that at the end of the day I tend to let others know and tell them what I would do in a situation. Maybe help them reword a text or email, but in the end, I tend to abstain from truly giving a direct this is what you should do. I say more, well I would do this, but that’s only if the situation were like this. So far, that’s worked out moderately well for me. Although, I’d love to abstain from listening when I have a lot of things to do if I were to be completely honest.

Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Crunchy or creamy? That is the question. I personally LOVE peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They are so delicious, especially with a big cup of milk. They really ease the hunger on a day when it’s fend for yourself night at home- especially when I’m the worst cook known to man. I really wish I were kidding about that last statement too, but unfortunately I was not blessed with cooking abilities. Oh well, life moves on, but sadly on a let’s be honest D list budget, fast food is not something I can get whenever it is fend for yourself night. So here I am making myself a Peanut Butter and jelly sandwich. And I’m stuck with the choice, Crunchy or creamy?

                The first option is very obvious crunchy, it is really good, but I don’t know personally it’s just not always something that I want to eat. Some days I’m just in the mood for some munchies and having a crunchy peanut butter and jelly sandwich really hits the spot. It has not fully crushed peanuts, in the peanut butter itself. While that’s good and all for some people, I just don’t really LOVE it like most people. The peanuts often get stuck in my teeth and then bother me for hours afterwards.

                The second option is creamy. This goes so good with milk it’s like a dream come true. Where the crunchy had uncrushed peanuts that got stuck in your teeth, creamy is so luscious that sometimes it gets stuck to the roof of your mouth and you really need to drink some milk. I do love creamy especially when I add a ton of jelly to the sandwich to even it out. The other positive to creamy is it really requires less time to each. Where crunchy I had to also clean my teeth out after eating it- with creamy I just eat it drink some milk and I’m good to go!

                In the end, I think right now I am really craving a creamy peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It’s now time to have some dinner and finish up the last of my homework. With milk and sandwich in hand, I am ready to study for all my exams for tomorrow. Good Night everyone!

Once Upon A Time

                I am addicted to the new show Once Upon A Time. This is a TV show on ABC that basically brings fairytales to life in a modern way. This is a fantastic show, from the plot, to the dialogue, even the setting of the shows. There is no doubt that this is one of the best shows on television this year.

                The plot is basically a woman, who has had a rough life. She has struggled through many obstacles and finds herself in a small town called Storybrooke. Storybrooke is a place where Emma (the female lead) finds her adopted son and tries to win back his affection. She succeeds and in the first season, Henry (Emma’s Son) tells Emma that her real destiny is to defeat the evil queen, who also happens to be his adoptive mother. The plot thickens as each character in popular fairytales comes out to play, each episode focusing on a certain character while also showing the underlying plot. Some of the characters that come into a main role are Snow White (Emma’s mother), Prince Charming (Emma’s father), Regina (The evil witch) and Rumplestiltskin (the schemer only looking out for himself). The interesting thing about this show is that each character has their Storybrooke life, and their other dimension/fairytale life. In Storybrooke, none of the characters in Storybrooke have any idea as to what their past held. All of the lead and minor characters; except Henry, Regina and, eventually, Emma herself who realizes that she has to save the whole town and help them to remember who they really are. It all culminates in the season finale and the season 2 opener when all the characters get their memory back. The plot to this show really shows how fantastic this show is, and that is one of the reasons it is one of the best shows on television this year.  

                The dialogue in this show also proves how fantastic this show is. It uses modern language and slang words while in Storybrooke, Maine where all the characters are living in 2012. But, the dialect, accents and dialogue all change when there are flash backs to the “Old country” which is the alternate universe where everyone in Storybrooke is from. The dialect, accents and dialogue all are old fashioned English. Some of the characters have thicker accents than others; this is because of where they are. The word choice in the dialogue also helps to give the effect that it is older English than what we use now. All of the differences the actors and actresses put into their dialogue, dialects and accents is another reason why Once Upon A Time is one of the best television shows of the year.

                The final reason why this show is one of the best shows on television is the setting and scenery. It has amazing imagery shown in this show. From the 2012 Storybrooke, Maine; a small town in Maine where all the citizens know each other and gossip can fly at the speed of light. It has a “Trapped in time” factor with modern conveniences such as TV and interne. The other setting is the Enchanted Forest; this forest contains several historical fairytale kingdoms from Cinderella’s kingdom to Belle from Beauty and the Beast’s kingdom. The Enchanted Forest is a land full of trees and Great Plains with fantastical stone buildings for the Kingdoms, and wooden log cabins for all of the common people to live in.  All of these factors and the scenery in each other locations show that the setting and scenery for this show aid in making it one of the best television shows of the year.

                So, if you haven’t seen this show yet, you are seriously missing out! From the plot, the dialogue, and the setting, this show will blow your mind. Especially if you like a modern take on classic fairytale