Today is not Father's Day.

I have proclaimed it "Poppy's Day."

My dad has a special name, because he is special.

He is special because:

He is a farmer.

He has killer boots.

He tries to tickle my feet whenever he walks by me when I'm in the recliner.

He sometimes lets my mom and I bring a cat in the house....sometimes.

He eats ice cream like it's going out of style.

He can spend hours looking at an Atlas.

His eyes are sparkly.

He typically has 3 sock tan lines during the summer.

Sometimes he hikes up his pants and acts like a nerd.

He has a hat with a built-in fan that runs from a solar panel on the top.

He likes to grill delicious burgers.

He taught me how to fake spit for a musical.

He always put the worm on my hook and took the fish off when I went fishing because I was a wussie.

There were mornings where he'd have Mom get my brother and I out of bed to come look in the back of the truck. There was often a big snapping turtle inside and he would make it bite and let us watch.

He is so flustered when you wake him from sleep.

When he gets to laughing really hard, he sounds like a school girl.

We like to watch the "Father of the Bride" movies together and get choked up.

And, he loves me and cares for me, and vice versa.

I could not have asked for a better father, a better poppy.

So, Happy Poppy's Day!

I love you.

Smile like you mean it.

I've found lately that I sing songs that relate to how I'm feeling.

It's strange- I will start singing out of nowhere.

Sometimes I surprise myself with the lyrics

the honesty

the embarrassment that I'm singing a song that reflects my true mood or thoughts.

Like, today was a down day.

I found myself singing "Smile Like You Mean It"

by The Killers.

This song thing may help me to recognize my true feelings

behind what I'm portraying.

Though I do my best to live being authentic,

sometimes my heart or mind tricks even myself.

My soul is multi-faceted.

Such a maze. Sometimes a haze.

Songs will guide me through the days.

There's a little something

that has been sparked in my heart.

A little something

that has made me feel a bit more alive.

Has given me hope and joy.

That has made all things a little brighter.

The fun thing is

I can't put my finger on it.

It'll be fun figuring it out.

I'm sure it's probably a mixture of things.

Lovely little things.

Lovely little life.

Lovely big life.

It all gets me so excited!

Season 2: complete.

I. am a Gleek.

I love the show "Glee." It makes me so happy!

I must admit, at first I was bothered by the liberal undertones that were everywhere in the script.

Then I got over it, accepted it for what it was, moved on, and LOVED the show.

I love the various characters, so I decided to put my opinions of each of them into the world of the internet.

Here goes:

Rachel- she's pretty obnoxious, but I love her drive. It makes me laugh how dedicated she is at times. Also, I think she and Finn together is awkward.

Finn- He is adorable, sweet, lovable...and really dumb. Poor guy.

Quinn- Her talking voice annoys me at times. It sounds like Brianna Wallace from MK & A's movie "Holiday in the Sun." The way she got pregnant (drinking w/ Puck and feeling fat) is hilarious.

Tina- I always forget about her. I think her pretending to stutter before she brought up that she was faking wasn't stressed enough. Plus, she has Arty.

Arty- He makes me smile whenever he is on camera. He has this special cute/sexy nerdness about him that makes me squeal. Also, his voice is delicious.

Terri- So clueless- she lost Will because she was an airhead. 'Nuff said.

Sue- She is hard-driven, but I sense a good heart deep inside her. Her lines are some of the best of the show. "You think that's hard? Try having hepatitis, that's hard!" "And that's the way Sue 'Cs' it."

Emma- She is completely adorable. She's not good at standing up for herself, but her clothes and mannerisms are precious. When I am sad, I find myself shrugging and screwing up my mouth, just like her. What a role model. (PS- but, if you're going to be a guidance counselor, don't just hand out pamphlets, aight?)

Puck- I just recently realized that he has an amazing voice. BUT, he's a skeeze. He does have his moments where I think I see a good person shining through, but then he reminds me of the straight-up bad-boy he is Pool-cleaning business my butt.

Kurt- He dresses so funny, but I still enjoy it. And I love how he pushes back his hair. He sings so high, sometimes I wonder if he's missing some parts down there. I love how the writers of Glee created his character after the actor auditioned for the part of Arty. Cool beans.

Mercedes- I often find her personality annoying, but she definitely has pipes. I just wonder when she'll finally do a song where she doesn't feel the need to sing really loudly and hit a high H.

Ah, I feel better now.

And that's what you missed on, inspirEd!

Googoo for GaGa?

I don't know about you, but I think Lady GaGa is weird.

And fascinating.

And theatrical.

And high fashion.

And avante garde.

And provocative.

And InterEsting.

Some of the complaints I hear about her include:

Her clothes are ridiculous.

Her make up is stupid/crazy.

What in the world was that VMA performance?

She is just weird.

I don't really like most of the things she sings about

but her music is catchy, different

addictive.

And as for her clothes/make up/performances?

They are out there- and they are making her famous.

Oh Fame Monster,

I look forward to your next crazy thing.

I have been quite the hermit lately.

When I am not doing house or yard work alone, I can often be found

reading on my bed

or playing on my computer.

By myself.

And I enjoy it- but I know I want time with my friends.

But my family is home, so I stay.

Then I am asked to cook

or clean

or pick up

or whatever.

And I feel stuck in a silly cycle of hermitity and servitude.

Ah well, I know it will change soon enough. I just feel funny.

This summer WiLL rock. I made a list.

My, how time has changed.

It's interesting (and sickening) how the perception of the beauty of a woman has changed over the years.

A plump woman used to be the ideal;

one that had big hips and could bare children.

Pudge was in.

Now it's more thin. No muffin-top for the boys now, no sir.

Pudge is out.

I just watched a British documentary called "Super Skinny Me." 2 healthy-weighted female journalists took the challenge to fit into size 00 jeans.

1 succeeded but hated the process and being that thin.

The other was close, but also nearly developed an eating disorder.

It messed with her mind.

She started lying to cover her bingeing and purging. She didn't see it coming.

Young girls need support.

They need help with their self-esteem.

They need to be taught to recognize the media brainwashing garbage.

They need to know how to take care of their bodies in healthy ways.

They need to know that they are beautiful.