Be There For People

     This is Andrea reporting live from my bed. I have a story for you this evening. I went to Costco earlier to buy chicken noodle soup and as I was checking out at the self check-out kiosks, I witnessed an old man belittling his wife. Somehow she accidentally made him drop his wallet and he said some condescending and unpleasant things to her. I was disturbed by what I heard and I wanted to say something right away, but I bit my tongue and exited the building. I was so upset by it that I decided I was going to drive around the parking lot and put this old man in his place. Maybe it wasn't my place or my business, but I can not sit back and let someone be disrespected and belittled like that. I found them and I said, "Sir, I did not like the way you spoke to your wife in the store. You never know how long you have with your loved ones and you really shouldn't speak to her that way." She walked up to me, grabbed my arm, and thanked me. I cried the whole drive home.  If you don't respect yourself, other people won't. I think it's important to stand up for others and to stand up for yourself.  There is zero excuse to treat someone poorly or to take anger out on them for no reason. If you are in a verbally abusive relationship, you need to get out. Seek help, seek counseling, but do not sit there and tolerate it. People often undermine the effects of verbal abuse, but the effects of verbal abuse can be with you for a lifetime.

Thoughts....

     I've kept my mouth shut for the past five days, but I feel like letting some of my opinions out.....
I am tired of people complaining about the French Flag profile picture layout. Yes, other countries deserve just as much support as France, but I don't see the wrong in people using the layout. It was easily made available to FB users. If Facebook had made a layout of the Lebanese flag or a layout of the world, I'm sure people would use those as well. Stop hating on people for trying to do a nice thing. Why not use that energy to ask FB to make a globe layout if you are that upset about it?   Or why not make a donation to the Red Cross?  Don't let a layout on FB make you that angry. Unfortunately, people know less about other terrorist attacks because the media doesn't give them equal attention. If somebody uses the French Flag layout, it doesn't mean that they don't care about the other recent attacks, some people never heard about the other ones and this is the only layout option FB made available. They're just trying to show their support and I see no wrong in that. Paris did this to show support for us after 9/11/2001. It brings tears to my eyes.

      Another thing that has been bothering me is people comparing the Paris attacks to other attacks. All terrorist attacks are tragedies. One does not outweigh the other.  I saw a picture with the caption "While thinking about France, don't forget 9/11 where over 2,000 people died." Obviously we will never forget, but insinuating that the French attacks are less important is not really fair and it's just plain rude. Same thing with comparing Beirut to Paris.
     One thing that was a huge disappointment to me was people using the attacks as a political gain. These attacks should be bringing us together. We should be showing our supporting to one another. Why does everything have to be a competition? I also saw some distasteful comments about people wishing the liberals of the US had died in Paris. Why would you even joke about death? One of the worst comments I saw on a news website was that "Obama should go help his cousins (ISIS)." I also saw people blame the POTUS for the Paris attacks. He had nothing to do with it. His comment that he made about "ISIS being contained" was unfortunate, but give the guy a break, please.  He's doing what he can.  No matter what your political beliefs are I don't think we should hate on our president as much as we do. I said the same thing about former President George W. Bush.
     I'm not going to get into the subject of Syrian refugees. It's okay to have different opinions, but let's try to be less hateful toward one another.   My thoughts go out to those affected by the recent terrorist attacks.

To donate to Nohemi Gonzalez's memorial fund.
http://www.donationto.com/The-Nohemi-Gonzalez-Memorial-Fund

To make donations to Beirut and Paris, this website will give you the links.
http://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/How-Donate-Victims-Beirut-Paris-Attacks-39100804



 
    

My Thoughts on Fear the Walking Dead Episode 3

Tonight was a snore fest for me. Not really, I stayed awake the whole time, but I was once again left disappointed. I want to see more zombies and more action, dang it! Here are some of my ideas that would have made the episode better.
    Travis, his baby mama, their son and the Salazars got away too easily from the barber shop. Yes, the construction site fell on Griselda's leg, but they easily lifted it off of her and got away. It would have made the episode a lot more interesting if some of the looters/rioters held the group at gunpoint and had stolen their money and car keys, therefore making Travis' journey back to Madison's house nearly impossible. Imagine them walking through the city as the lights are going out. All hell would break loose and Travis and his group wouldn't be able to differentiate between the infected and the rioters.
     As for the party of three that stayed at home playing monopoly... I think Little Ms. Priss (Alicia) got over her boyfriend really fast, didn't she? Instead of having them play a board game, Alicia should have stolen her mom's car to go check on her boyfriend. Madison (the mom) would have to make the decision of chasing after her daughter or staying at home with Nick and wait on Travis and Alisha to come back.
    What happened to the neighbors across the street that were having a party for their daughter? They (the writers) could have made them turn into zombies and have them trying to get into Madison's house. 

There's my two cents. I don't dislike the show. I look forward to watching it every week, I just want more from the show.

24

  I'm turning 25 this year. *gasps*  I have approximately two months and one day left as a 24 year old, so I wanted to share some valuable things that I've learned these past 24 years.

1. Follow your gut. It's almost always right.   If you get bad vibes from someone when you meet them, you're probably right about them.

2.  Getting a good night's rest is better than being social sometimes.

3. Home cooked meals are better than restaurant meals.
  Going out to eat is nice and fun, but sometimes it gets old.

4. Some people don't deserve second chances. 


5. Say "No"

6. Being alone for a while after a relationship can really help you.
       There's no need to rush into another relationship after a breakup. 

 7. Take a risk or you'll regret not acting on it.
     My senior year of college, I did something kinda silly, but I don't regret it at all. I am really shy when I like a guy. My last week of college, I had the choice of going on an audition to be on my favorite show or to see this cute guy that rode the same subway with me from school for the last time and to make a move. I had to go with the audition, but I made my friend give him a note that said... "Hey, I haven't met you. And this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me maybe." Guess what? He called. The date sucked and there was no second date, but now I don't have to sit here and wonder what could have been.

8. Spending money on vacations or excursions to make experiences is better than having lots of material things. 

9. Family is everything.
 My family has always come first to me, but as I get older I appreciate the ones who have been there for me even more and you realize how important spending time with them is. 

10. Wear sunscreen
  I've never been much of a tanner. I never got spray tans or went to tanning beds, but that doesn't mean I am safe. It's important to wear sunscreen even if you don't spend that much time out in the sun. I had to get a spot from my back removed. Luckily we found it before it turned into anything serious.
  
11. Tell your grandparents you love them. Call them as often as you can.
  
12. Mom is almost always right!! 


13. Being honest with people and yourself will make you feel so much better.
People may not always like what they hear or what you have to say, but you have to stay true to yourself and be honest with people. It will help you and them in the long run.

14. You gotta take care of yourself.
     I had a diabetes scare a few years ago. My toes felt numb for a week and I was terrified that I would get diagnosed with diabetes. It made me change my eating habits, my exercise routine and my mentality. It's important to eat healthy and to exercise. Not to look good, but to feel good and to live a long life.

15. You will lose touch with a lot of people/lose friendships. 
   Some people won't understand your busy schedule. Sometimes you just don't mesh with people anymore. Sometimes you simply just lose touch and don't communicate anymore

16. Age is just a number.
  I certainly don't feel like a 24 year old. There are people that are older than me that are more immature than I  am and there are people younger than me that are more mature than I am. Age doesn't matter. Everyone has their own story and grows differently. Don't judge a person based on their age.

17.  Regular checkups at the doctor/dermatologist are important.

18. Everyone has their own timeline.
  Don't compare your life to other people's lives. People will experience things at different times in their lives and that doesn't mean it won't happen for you or that you have to accomplish something by a certain time in your life.  I am in no rush to get married or settle down. I still have many things I'd like to before I take a big step like that.

19. A film degree doesn't really help you get work.
  It's all about who you know and your reputation to get a job in production. Do I regret spending all that money on college? No. I met some amazing people in college and had some amazing professors. I don't regret spending the money, but it's still hurting my wallet.

20.  Being single is awesome.
In high school, I was a little bummed to not have dates to the school dance or to not have a boyfriend. Now I could care less, I don't need a relationship to be happy. Happiness comes from within. You have to love yourself before you can love someone else.  I am not saying I don't want to date. I just don't need to be in a relationship to be happy.

21. Be nice, but not too nice.

22. It's important to make time for yourself.

23. You have the power to make your dreams come true.
  14 months ago, I was a terrified, soon to be college graduate that had no job lined up. I never though I would actually get to work on a feature film. I thought I would mostly find work on indies or that I would have to find a job having nothing to do with film. 14 months later I have had the honor of working as a crew member on two feature films and on one awesome TV show. You have the power to make your dreams come true if you try really hard and put your mind to it and never give up!  

24. Your opinion of yourself is the only one that matters.
 Someone is always going to have something to say on the decisions you make, the people you date, the people you like, what you wear, what you think/say etc. The only person's opinion you should really care about is your own. Do what makes you happy. You only live once. It's not their life to live.

Let It Go

Here I am, wide awake, at 2:33 in the morning. I have a lot of things on my mind. For starters, I'm turning 25 this year!! When I was younger, I always used to say that I wanted to get married by the time I was 26. I don't think that's gonna happen and I actually really don't care anymore. I decided that I would be ok if I never got married. I don't need to rely on someone or a stage in life for happiness. I always dreamed of getting married, but that's no longer my goal in life. Of course I would love to have children, but you don't have to be married to have a kid or to raise one (adoption etc). It's a little harder to do it all on your own, but its not impossible. I'm not gonna get into that, but, sometimes you just have to learn to not have a plan or expected timeline for your life. When I started college, I expected myself to graduate in four years. That totally didn't happen and it's okay. Everybody has their own path and you don't have to copy theirs or live up to people's expectations. I think a lot of people my age see that our peers are engaged, married or have kids and they feel bad that they aren't in either one of those situations. Sometimes you just need to let it go and realize that things will start happening when you least expect them to.  Everything happens for a reason and our time will come one day. Live in the present and enjoy your life.

It's Okay To Be Different

     My mom and I just had a great heart to heart and she told me that she's always admired how little I care about what others think of me. I was pretty different than most of the girls I went to school with  growing up. As a kid, I dressed as a vampire, grim reaper, and one year even as a female devil for Halloween, then as a teenager I was a zombie for a few years. No, I am not a satan worshiper, it's just that I have always been a huge horror movie/ zombie lover. If I gave a hoot about fitting in, I probably would have worn girlie Halloween costumes. I have always done what I like to do and I have always hung out with different groups of people.
      In high school, I didn't belong to any clique, I was friends with people of all different kinds of cliques. Some of my popular or preppy friends would not understand and they would ask me, "Why do you hang out with those weird people?" Because I liked to. I like to see people for who they are, their popularity or unpopularity didn't matter to me and it still doesn't. If they're nice to me and to others that is good enough for me.
     Another thing I didn't give a hoot about is what people thought of my college degree. I was told that I was going to "starve to death" if I studied film in college. I have no regrets and I am so glad that I did.
      I feel like a lot of people just settle in life. They take the safe route. If they fit in with the crowd, study the right degree, and get a "stable" job they think that they will be happy.  I know many people who have always fit in with the crowd and have stable jobs and they are unhappy with their lives. I wish people would follow their dreams and do what they like to do more without caring so much about other people's opinions. I know you have to be realistic and have to pay bills, but that doesn't mean you have to give up on your dreams completely.
      Had I not pursued film, I would not have had the chance to see or work with people I have always dreamed of working with and I would not have met some of my best friends. Were the people who told me I would ,"starve to death," right? Partially- I am not rich, but I am not starving,  but what matters most is that I am HAPPY.  It is okay to be different, it's okay to do what you want to do even if people don't support or agree with you. You have to care about your happiness and sometimes you have to be a little selfish.