Missing Magic

This weekend I took a little time to look through an old journal. It was fascinating to read how much I trusted and believed that anything was possible. I knew there was a life path for me that I had no doubt I would find, and when I did, my life's meaning would be fulfilled. I smiled as I thought of how naive and optimistic I once was. That was back before I moved to Boston, back to when my world was Utah, and even back before I had chosen a major. In other words I had not yet experienced anything in my life, and that was when I believed in magic.

What do I mean by magic? Well, what does a magician do? He performs the impossible. We all know you can't pull a rabbit from a hat. Yet a magician can do it. You can't saw a person in half and then put them back together without harming them. Yet a magician can do it. A magician laughs at the thought of impossible because he/she knows how to harness magic. If a person believes in magic there is no such things a limitations. Anything is possible.

As children we often experienced magic in our everyday lives. Impossible things happened around us all the time. Almost everything you learned in school or in lessons or from the older kids at first seemed impossible. Take for instance riding a bike. You can't tell me the first time you got on one of those things you weren't absolutely convinced that magic was the only way those things stayed up right. Yet 10,000 bruises and a concussion later, you too could do the impossible. Add to that everyone in your life--teachers, parents, and even Mr. Rogers-- told you everyday that you could be anything you wanted. You were capable of absolutely anything. You my friend had magic in your back pocket and the world was a beautiful, exciting place.

I'm not sure when it happens, but eventually the magic starts to fade. Perhaps you just get caught up with the necessities of life. Or perhaps you suffer too many set backs, but eventually you start to look at the impossible as, well, impossible. And that's when the magic is gone. Some adults are better at holding on to it than others. I for one want to hold onto magic until the very end. But I must admit my magic supply is running low, and I can tell you the world is bleak without magic. I want to continue to believe that the impossible is indeed possible, and I will because I believe having magic in your life is a choice. Look for it, and I can assure you that you too will see it. And once you can see it, you'll see it everywhere, even in your own life. So here's to a return of magic and the belief that anything is possible.

Why I Should be Scottish.....

I came up with a list the other day justifying my desire to up and move to Scotland.

1. My name is Gaelic: Aileen is Gaelic for "light bearer."
What's that you say? You thought my name was Aleigh. Well it is.......sort of. It's a contraction of my full name, Aileen Leigh, so I guess I should write it A'Leigh, but that's beside the point. My real and legal name is definitely Gaelic.

2. Half of my celebrity Crushes are on Scottish guys.

• - Gerard Butler: My all time favorite. His best movie is "Dear Frankie"
• - Ewan McGregor: If you don't know who this is you've been living under a rock. ;)
• - Kevin McKidd: I loved him in the TV show Journeyman.
  
• - James McAvoy: Mr. Tumnus from Narnia. Yes, the faun.
  
• - Billy Boyd: Pippin from Lord of the Rings. Yes, a hobbit.

I'd include Sean Connery to the list, but he's old enough to be my grandpa and that's a little weird.

3. "All Scottish food is based on a dare." ~Mike Myers~
It dawned on me the other day that most of my cooking concoctions are the result of someone saying, "You can't do that." To which I respond, "Watch me." A few examples include Avocado lime cookies (very good), Peanut Butter Bacon Bread (disgusting), Banana Chocolate Cake (delicious), and Zuchini Crisp (very good). Granted most Scottish food involves meat, and I'm more herbivore than carnivore. But, it's their interest in food creativity that seems most fitting for me.

4. Hot or Cold
I hate hot, sticky, humid summer weather. I get lethargic. and miserable. But give me an overcast day with a slight chill in the air, and I'm ready to go out for a run. And that's saying something because I hate running. Generally speaking the weather in the UK is fairly cool whether summer or winter. Sounds like paradise to me.

So why haven't I made that jump across the pond? That's simple enough........immigration laws. Regardless of what country you live in or what country you want to move to, I can guarantee there is a litany of rules, regulation, and laws to tie you up in red tape for the next 40 years. Therefore I will continue to pine for Scotland from a distance, until one of my Scottish celebrity crushes whisks me away to the isle. :)

Holiday Mash-up

So what holiday are you celebrating this weekend? Don't tell me Valentine's Day. Why would you celebrate that silly holiday when 2010 has provided you with a cornucopia of other holidays this Feb 14-16?

You've got President's Day which is probably giving you Monday off from work. Thank you Presidents Washington and Lincoln. We salute you.

And let's not forget the Chinese New Years. This one is all about good fortune, not resolutions. All the traditions--from the colors you wear to the food you eat--are stacking the good fortune deck for next year, and aren't we all in need of some good fortune. It's the year of Tiger so if you were born in 1962, 1974, 1986, or 1998 this is your year; you're going to make things happen this year. For all you non-tigers out there check out your horoscope for 2010 at http://hubpages.com/hub/Chinese-Horoscope-2010-the-Year-of-the-Tiger.

Then there's Marti Gras otherwise known as get-drunk-off-your-butt-act-really-stupid-and hope-you-won't-remember-any-of-this-tomorrow day. I usually prefer to enjoy this holiday as a spectator. :) However, this year my ward had a Marti Gras party last night (sans alcohol) and I got all dressed up, was part of a float, collected strings of beads (for benign things), ate gumbo, made a king's cake, and listened to Dixie-land music. I'm glad I wasn't a spectator this year. (Disclaimer: Marti Gras doesn't technically occur until Tuesday, aka Fat Tuesday.)

Doesn't this all blow Valentine's Day out of the water with it's paper hearts and chalky candies. But wait I'm not done yet. For all you sports fans out there, this weekend is extra special. You've got the Winter Olympics and.....wait for it.......the Daytona 500. See pretty cool stuff right? What? You're still stuck on celebrating Valentine's Day? Really? What about Arizona Statehood Day? That's today too. I don't really know what you would do to celebrate that one. I guess drive over the state line and yell, "Happy Statehood, Arizona!" or maybe sit on your couch and think maybe someday I should visit the Grand Canyon. Regardless, we're talking a zero effort holiday.

And yet with all this, you'll still wish at least one person a Happy Valentine's Day today. I can see you are going to be hard to sway on this. Perhaps we could just compromise. You can celebrate all of these together. You could wish everyone a Merry Val-inese Presi Gras Day and Happy Arizona Statehood. And then gather your close friends and family together to watch some car racing or speed skating. It seems like a fine idea to me. :)

Teasing Target

Some people are the object of affection. Other people are cruising for a bruising. I am a target for teasing. What do I mean by that? Well, I'm not sure how I do it, but people really, really, really like to tease me.

I ran into someone yesterday that I haven't seen in about 8 years. I walked up to him and reintroduced myself. We talked briefly about our common past, but he couldn't quite remember me. About 10 minutes later he came back up and said, "I remember you now. I was so mean to you. I'm so sorry that I was so mean." I had left that detail out when speaking to him earlier. He really was. He used do anything to get under my skin, and there was nothing I could do about it. We were co-chairs of a committee so all I could do was give him the evil-eye and wish the ground would open up and swallow him whole. I still remember the Grinch-like smile he'd give me when he knew he's won yet another round of teasing. While I despised that smile, I'd never say I hated him. It was teasing after all. It's not like he was throwing rocks, rotten fruit, or small animals at me*.

And that really got me thinking. Teasing is a huge part of my life. My brothers and sisters tease me. My parents tease me. My nieces and nephews tease me. My bosses tease me. My coworkers tease me. My friends tease me. My ex-boyfriends tease me (before and after the break-up).

Later when I found myself being teased by one of my friends, I asked why teasing me was such a fundamental part of our friendship. He then replied, "You're fun and I never have to worry you're going to take it too serious." He also paid me a lovely complement of telling me that I am one of only two girls at church he would choose to sit and talk with because we are both so easy going and friendly.

So here's a question I will pose to all you readers out there, what makes me so teasable and is being teasable a good thing or a bad thing? I'm really hoping it's a good thing because after all these years, I beginning to think this is a basic component of my existence. :) Talk to me here. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

*if he had thrown, say a wolverine, at me, I might have considered hating him, unless that wolverine happened to be Hugh Jackman. If that were the case, I would have given my teaser a big hug and thanked him profusely.

Never Fail Pick-up Line

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single person must be in want of a good pick-up line. And it would just so happen that a few years back I stumbled upon a pick up line that has yet to fail. Would you like me to share it with you? Of course you would.

First select an appropriate guy. Might I suggest someone you know on a very casual level. Examples might include a coworker in another department, a guy you see on the subway, or that cute guy at church, who you’ve only smiled at across the room . (notable exceptions: the stalker sitting outside of your bedroom window, your roommate’s ex-boyfriend, or your prison penpal.)

Walk up to the guy and ask:

“Do you have a piece of paper?”

If he has one, he’ll give it to you. Then ask:

“Do you have a pen?”

If he has one, he’ll hand it to you. Then ask:

"What's your number?"

This will catch him off guard, but he’ll give it to you. Then ask:

“What time are you picking me up on Saturday?”

To which he will reply:

“Seven?”

Works like a charm. You can then give him your number, and have a lovely conversation about your plans for Saturday.

I have many theories on why this always works. The first is the yes theory. If you can get someone into the pattern of saying yes, they are more likely to continue saying yes. If you can get him to agree to little things like letting you have a piece of paper and lending you a pen, he’s more likely to go along with giving you his number. Once he’s given you his number, it’s not that big of a deal to commit to a date. So there you have it.

You also have to consider the element of surprise and curiosity. You have to admit this whole process is a little unusual. Any normal guy will naturally be curious about where you are going with this line of questioning. The final question will catch him so off guard and amused, he’ll just agree to it. At least that’s been my experience so far.

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If the pick-up line seems too long, and convoluted, you may want to employ the cliff notes version recently created by my friend Michelle. It goes like this:

Walk up to a stranger and ask:

“What time are you picking me up on Saturday?”

It worked for her. (Disclaimer: Actual result may vary. Michelle is tall, thin, and blond). :)