Entry #5: Wall-E

I remember watching this movie as a little kid and thinking it would be so cool if technology became so advanced that life would really be like that. Now, I look at it and pray to God technology never becomes that advanced. 

This film does offer relevant commentary on our present culture and society because it shows that this is what society could come to wit ha ll the advances in technology. 

In the beginning of this clip when the two guys are sitting in their chairs next to each other, rolling down the hallway they are sitting there talking to each other through screens. THEY ARENT EVEN LOOKING AT EACH OTHER. They are five feet away from each other and they can't even turn their heads to look at one another?! They have to be talking through a screen. I hope technology never gets so advanced that when having a conversation with another person it really isn't even a conversation.

Entry #4: Drinking and Driving

Two weeks ago today one of my best friends, Amanda, was hit head on by a drunk driver. After hitting her and her friend, leaving them almost dead on the side of the road, he fled the scene. It wasn't until twenty minutes later when another car drove by, saw their car, and called for help. Luckily, their accident happened less than a quarter mile away from the Arrowhead Hospital so it didn't take long for the ambulance to get there. Once help arrived, the drunk driver came back to the scene to see if who he hit was okay. Where he was then arrested.

Once Amanda arrived at the hospital it was decided that her injuries was too extensive for that hospital's ICU. She was then put on a helicopter and flown to a hospital with a better trauma center and ICU. It was at that hospital where they found that she had 4 broken ribs, a broken leg, and a ruptured spleen; not to mention all the cuts and bruises she had all over her body. 

While in the hospital, Amanda was on a feeding tube, had multiple surgeries, and even came close to losing her life a few times. All because of someone's stupid decision to drink and drive.

A few days ago, Amanda finally got to go home. The look on her face when she pulled up to her driveway was something I will never forget.

Seeing everything my friend and her family went through really made me look at my life completely differently. It made me count my blessings one more time and realize really how great my life truly is and all of the amazing people in it. 

So please, don't drink and drive.

Here's a picture of her car from the accident:

Entry #3: Could You Give It Up?

Last week I went to my parent's house for dinner. While sitting at the dinner table, my dad yelled at my brothers, sister, and I for always being on our "gadgets." For him, he grew up in a time where technology wasn't this advanced so "family dinner" literally meant sitting down and having dinner with your family; completely uninterrupted. However, in today's society, that is completely different. 

My dad yelling at us got me thinking. Could we live without our cellphones and other technology? I know I couldn't. The first thing I do when I wake up is check my text messages, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc. Then throughout the day, I am constantly on my phone. Whether it is to call my best friend, check all my different social medias, or to listen to music when I am running. Then when I come home from work or school or wherever, I usually can be found sitting in my bed watching Netflix and scrolling through Tumblr on my laptop. I am constantly using technology.

While researching to find an article that would correspond with this topic I found this one.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/the-technologies-americans-can-and-can-t-live-without-20140227

In this article, a pole that was taken about what technology people believed would be the hardest to give up. It was concluded that 53% of people believed that Internet would be the hardest technology to give up. 

So now my question for you is, could you give it up?

Entry #2: "Get your S**t Together"

Today was the day, the first day that I got to serve at work. Unfortunately running behind I had to rush to work and it started off on the wrong foot. I ran through the front doors clocked in and tried to compose myself, but I just could not do it. Standing in the back of the kitchen having a total melt down my manager Clayton walked up and looked me straight in the eyes sayings with out a stutter," get your s**t together Hayley!" It took every last ounce inside of me to pull myself off what felt like the floor grab my note pad and get out there.

With no training and no experience in serving I had no clue where to start, but somehow I managed. Before I knew it there was three tables I was waiting on and doing it like a pro. Nothing could stop me, and I felt invisible. One table left and another sat down. With a constant flow of people I was in a complete cluster, but I continued onward until 5:15 hit and Clayton again said,"get your s**t together Hayley! You should have been out of here fifteen minutes ago!" Quickly I handed my tables off to the next waitress and ran to the time clock because it was Sunday and we all know how Saturday nights go. I said my quick goodbyes to my peers then walked as fast as I could to my car.

When I was finally in my safe zone with the cold air blowing in my face I grabbed my note pad to see how much I had made in tips during this insane day. To my surprise I counted and then continued counting until I got to 130 dollars. 130 dollars! I could not believe it so I counted again and again; over and over until I realized I had actually made all of that money in one day due to my outstanding service. Tonight I realized hard work does pay of, literally and figuratively, and just because something is new and intimidating does not mean that you won't succeed. Change is not always a bad thing.

Entry # 1: Just Blogs.

About a year and a half ago, my sister stared a blog for her little, ridiculously adorable family. While reading it I thought to myself, "this is so cute, maybe I should try it." Well, that idea lasted for about one week. So, for the sake of this class (and my grade), lets hope I can keep up with this one a little longer. 

While researching blogs this week, I found a blog that corresponds with one of my absolute favorite books: A Lifetime of Secrets: A PostSecret Book. This blog is called PostSecret. 

PostSecret is a blog where people anonymously send in post cards with one of their biggest secrets on it. One of the best things about this blog is that you can sit down and literally read for hours. You know the books where you just can't stop turning the pages because you HAVE to know whats going to happen next? Well, in this blog, you just can't stop scrolling. Some things you'll read and want to cry, while others you will laugh so hard you nearly pee your pants. 

Another blog I had the pleasure of reading was called, Dumb Little Man: Tips For Life. This blog was so true to life. I love it. It talked about everything you possibly need to know about life. From not spending all of your time (and money) on partying while you are in your twenties to learning to meditate. This is such a down to earth, truly funny, and informative blog. And what makes it even better is one of the best quotes ever is on it: 

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” - Nelson Mandea

This one is definitely worth the read.

The last blog I found was titled Getting Stamped. Honestly, when I read the title of this blog, I thought it was going to be about tattoos but to my surprise it was about traveling. Anything you would ever need to know about traveling, you can find on this blog. It literally has everything. Getting Stamped will tell you places to go, things to eat, and the best tips and tricks for vacation. But, the best article on this blog was posted by "Adam" and was titled Inside A Great White Shark Cage. In this piece, Adam talks about swimming with a great white shark in South Africa and he even posts a video of him doing it.