Shoutout to Madeleine. Happy birthday, love.

Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.
-Ellen Goodman

I like a quote that makes me go "huh, they're right..." or at least makes me stop and think for a minute. Our consumerism fuels itself. Want want want want want want want... I mean, there are definitely needs in there that we must find ways to meet, but the very core needs most of us have--food, water, shelter, love--don't demand the excess the majority of our society enjoys.

Also, after researching to see if the above quote was accurate, I found this one by the same columnist:

We are told that people stay in love because of chemistry or because they remain intrigued with each other, because of many kindnesses, because of luck... But part of it has got to be forgiveness and gratefulness.
-Ellen Goodman

I remember learning somewhere pure love is gratitude. That's stayed with me, and when I'm feeling obstinate about someone or something, if I get myself to start thinking about what I'm grateful for in regards to that person or thing, I almost always feel my heart soften. Truly, I have a lot to be grateful for. Most Americans do.

So, as a random bonus, here are a few things I'm grateful for today:

• My husband ♥
• Air conditioning
• Trying out new restaurants
• Computers
• INTERNET! (I have friends if I have the internet!)
• Truffle's (my dog's) muffled sleep barking
• Finding new songs or artists to enjoy
• Chocolate
• Good lotion
• Learning new things
• Friends like Leon texting me weird pictures or things that make me laugh
• People that plant too many squash/tomato/cucumber plants and want to give away the deliciousness
• My family
• Mazda3s...and driving them...
• Getting to talk to my friend SaccharineWrath; she has this way of making me feel useful, important, and loved
• My new mascara, it's awesome

Summer's almost over, I can't believe it! Last year I practically lived on tv.com--I've found some really good friends on here, enjoyed a lot of the blogs and the Bleach forum, and even used their messaging system to all get-out. This year's been a bit different...I dunno, I guess I just got bored with the forums, and blogs are either too frequent or too infrequent. Such is life, right? It's never exactly as I've pictured it in my head. So, if you even noticed I was gone or not commenting on your blogs, I'm sorry.

I've enjoyed these warmer months, kicking it off with a trip to California then cruise with my husband's family. Spending time with the fam (especially a non-stressed husband XD) was fabuloso, my brother came home from Russia after two years abroad, I got to hang out with two of my favorite people for a few days, I met a "clone" of myself online...she's totallyaninja's friend and a total sweetheart...oh, and there're all those family reunions and parties that fill a summer. Still to come, floating down a river in a tube, buying a new car (hopefully a Mazda3!! I inexplicably LOVE them), a picnic or three, and hopefully a few more hikes. Then, I get to go to Arkansas to visit my best friend, Willa, for our birthdays, which are only a day apart. ^_^ I'm excited.

So anyway, what have you guys been doing all summer?

Yup! I totally did. 'Twas awesome--there were muppets, spaceships, and Thai food involved, too.

SsriTelQuessir's great, folks. Funny, friendly, kind, and not smelly at all (like he'd have you believe)! My husband and I were in his home town for a day, so we met up with ST'Q after he was done with work, went to a sci-fi museum, and out to lunch to a sweet little Thai place. ^_^

I'd post pictures, but for some reason I haven't posted any pictures of me here on tv.com, so I guess I'll continue that streak.

Have you ever met anyone in real life that you've only met online previously? How was it?