And That's How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Podcast Playlist

Everyone tells lies. You tell some, your best friend tells some, I bet even our teachers tell them sometimes. But how can people tell the difference between when we’re telling little white lies, or massive fibs? In a TEDxWinnipeg talk, Jeff Hancock takes a closer look at modern human communication and the problem we have developed with deception. He informs us that the technological era we live in has forever changed our modes of interaction. We all know it is easier to express disrespectful remarks about others over the Internet than it would be in a face to face confrontation, but could it possible that we are more honest over the digital social network we envelop ourselves in, day after day? Check out his talk @ The Future Of Lying

My Literary Hero

On a scorching July afternoon, I was transported to the scene of a front porch with the most beautiful garden below in the yard. I felt the spring breeze whisk across my cheeks and through my hair. I heard nothing but the fluttering of the most delicate wings of the hummingbirds roaming about the flowers, even though my siblings were wreaking havoc in the pool behind me.  Nicholas Sparks created these images in The Best of Me, my favorite read this past summer; a story of two high school sweethearts that take very different paths in life and unite twenty some years later over unique circumstances, and then become faced with the ultimatum of rekindling their love for one another.  Through several other novels by Sparks such as The Notebook, Dear John, The Last Song, and A Walk to Remember, I found a joy in reading that I hadn’t experienced before I stumbled upon his magnificent work. I read these books during the summer months specifically because I had the opportunity to examine my conscious on a deeper level, take a break from the stresses of school, and ponder what my life is really about. He books are inspiration for my future, since the majority of the characters find themselves in ambivalence toward others in terms of love, and their worries always end up working themselves out in the end; I know there is a happily ever after waiting for me somewhere. The intricate relationships and heart rending dilemmas he created in these stories demanded that I take a closer look into my life as an individual and find what I wanted out of my relationships with the people I surround myself with. Nicholas Sparks is my literary hero because he made me realize the strength I have in my heart and that there most certainly is a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how close I may be to the darkness.  This idea was demonstrated through a plethora of his characters who ride emotional roller coasters through their lives, and by reading his books I know I am not alone. He is my literary hero as I desired more of his stories because I enjoyed what he has produced, whereas with other authors I finished one book and was done with their collection forever. And even though most of his novels turn into motion pictures, I still enjoy reading these fictitious romance novels while simultaneously working on my summer tan.