Hidden Notes to (Hopefully) Get Noticed

So a completely and totally random idea just popped into my head. I am going to leave notes inside of library books that I check out and love for the next person to find that will invite them to visit my blog. Since google hasn't picked up my blog and the only people who view it now are people in Germany, Indonesia and Korea (I have no idea how they found it, but that's what my search engine says) it will be a creative way to hopefully get noticed by the intended crowd. Also, who doesn't think that finding a random note inside a book is intriguing?
So, if you find a note inside of a library book that looks along the lines of this :

Then that means I have read the book and enjoyed it. Now all I have to do is return these library books...

An Interesting Concept

In my Child Development class I'm learning about the importance of play for a young child. The teacher gave the class a poem to read about play and it really interested me. Here is just a small part of it (because it's quite long) that will be enough to get the point across.  

Just Playing
by: Anita Wadley
Gateways to Learning
Edmond, Oklahoma.

When I'm building in the block room, please don't say I'm "Just Playing".
For, you see, I'm learning as I play about balances and shapes.
Who knows, I may be an architect someday.

When I'm getting all dressed up;setting the table, caring for the babies,
Don't get the idea that I'm "Just Playing".
For, you see, I'm learning as I play;
I may be a mother or a father someday.

When you see me up to my elbows in paint, or standing at the easel,
Or molding and shaping clay; please don't let me hear you say, "He is just playing".
For, you see, I'm learning as I play;I'm expressing myself and being creative,
I may be an artist or inventor someday.

When you see me sitting in a chair, reading to an imaginary audience,
Please don't laugh and think I'm "Just Playing".
For, you see, I'm learning as I play;
I may be a teacher someday.
              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I really think about this concept it makes perfect sense to me. As children play they aren't just "playing" they"re learning and expressing themselves. It will, believe it or not, have an impact on their lives when they are older. When I was younger I would play with figurines, dolls, and blocks all the time. It wasn't just useless banter with the toys either. There was always a common theme to what I'd play and a problem that needed to be solved. I'd spend hours in my room with my toys building towns with blocks that spread out all over my room with dangerous mountains and forests on my bed or under my dresser. On nice days I'd be outside going on adventures with a backpack full of items ready for an exploration. I had a vivid imagination as a kid. Sometimes I'd even take whatever I was playing and turn it into a story and write it down the best I could.

I find this poem interesting because it's true. All my imaginative play as a child is translated into the imagination I have now to create stories and write all the time. A child is never "just playing" they are discovering interests that will stay with them as they grow up.

Little Imperfections

The other day I was listening to the radio on the way to school and they were talking about how in London it's a new fad to get freckles because it's seen as beautiful. The radio host went on to say how she thought that was a stupid idea because freckles are "ugly" and "an imperfection" and "a sign of sun damage" so "why would anyone want freckles at all?"

That really hurt. I have a ton of freckles all over my face and didn't think of them as ugly at all. Even though the radio host wasn't directly insulting me personally I felt like she was. I'm self-conscious and the slightest remarks have a huge impact on me.

Unfortunately I let her nasty opinions get to me and I started to feel really bad about myself. That's when all my imperfections started to become prominent to me.  

There is also a London mascara commercial where the model has a gap between her front teeth and there are people making fun of her all over the place. On social media sites there are pictures of her in the commercial and then someone pretending to hit their front teeth with a screwdriver and a hammer. People joke and say that's how you get "the London look".  I also have a natural gap between my front teeth and I'm extremely self-conscious about it.  

I listened to Natasha Beddingfield's song "Freckles" and started to feel better. She is spot on when she mentions how when you look in the mirror you instantly hate what you see because of all the influences from the media about beauty. Now that I think about it, all my imperfections truly are traits that make up who I am as a person and what makes me unique. I spent so much time hating all my freckles but I decided to embrace them and love them instead because they're a part of me. 

http://youtu.be/ybrHR_O5D18

This isn't my own personal video, but it's perfect to show the song I'm referring to.

(I did some research about the freckle fad in London and it turns out that it's really just about getting one on their face because in the 18th century it women were viewed as "irresistible" if they had a mark near their eye, above the lip, or high on the cheekbone (Giles). It wasn't about  having a whole face covered in them. The radio station should get their facts straight before sharing them and then going on to insult everyone who has freckles.)

http://www.traciegiles.co.uk/beauty-spot-or-freckles-treatments.htm

Too Many Ideas, so Little Organization

I haven't written another blog post in quite a while. Even though I've had about a million ideas on what to write about. My problem is that I have so many ideas all at once that it starts to get overwhelming and then I can't concentrate on making ONE post. Plus I like to thoroughly plan out EVERYTHING and think ahead. Perfect for homework and projects, yet not so beneficial for making a blog post.

Then this leads me into my next slight issue: What the heck should I be writing about? Does there have to be one common theme or can it be random things that I suddenly think up and post? That's what my blog was before but I thought it was pointless and stupid. Now I'm back to only a few old posts and nothing new. This is way more difficult than I thought. Or maybe I've just been over thinking it?

Oh, I know what the problem is. I'm so set on trying to write something that I think other people will like that I completely discard anything I personally think is amazing. But, you know what? Who really cares what other people think? It's MY blog and I can write about anything I want. (Even though nobody really reads it yet anyway...)

That's how I have to approach this. Write about whatever I want to and eventually it will appeal to someone somewhere and they'll appreciate it.