ScrapHappy IV

Things have been pretty quiet in the scrapping world as of late.  I’ve been busy with other things and when I do scrap, I don’t find the time to upload things…especially to ScrapJazz.  I had begun planning baby projects, so that sort of hindered my scrapping mojo.  I think it may be making a comeback now, though.  Now, if I could only find the time to execute all of the wonderful ideas floating around in my head!!

Here are a few that I’ve executed so far (meaning in the last THREE months…I KNOW, there isn’t much here)…and PLEASE excuse the scans.  I think my scanner is taking a crap on me.

Summer Says - This was done for a challenge.  I had to ask someone all of these questions and then use the answers on the page with a picture of that person…I feel as if something’s missing…

My Guitar Superstar - This is a TERRIBLE scan.  For those of you who are crafty, I used SnoTex on the word “guitar,” so it’s really bumpy and didn’t like being smooshed to be scanned.  This one looks WAY better in real life.  I love this picture of husband…

And then…using scraps.  I make cards with aLOT of my scraps.  Don’t be surprised if some of you see these cards in your mail sometime soon…

      

    

**a few words about the cards…my scanner is having a bad day.  All of these scans are off.  The bottom part of the “Happy Day” card is actually a graph-looking paper with designs on it.  The “Hello” card is much brighter in real life.  And now that I really look at the “Thank You Very Much” one, I think I’ll just throw it away.  I hate it.

So, anyhoozy, that’s a little of what I’ve been doing.  There’s more, but I’m running out of time and patience with the effin’ scanner…so more soon.

AND…if you happen to be a scrapbooker/cardmaker/crafty person, or you would like to take up scrapbooking/cardmaking/etc., let me know.  I just purged about a quarter of all of my scrap stuff and realized that it’s enough for a person to actually start the hobby.  I will GIVE most of it away.  Let me know if you’d like any of it.  Otherwise, to charity it goes…and there’s some GOOD stuff in there.

Toodles, all…and happy MOANDAY.

LOTS of traffic in my sky…

So much traffic that there may be a tragic accident in which the entire sky blows up.  And we don’t want that.  That would be extremely messy and very inconvenient for husband.  So, I’m going to attempt to land some of these planes.  But just the little two-passenger ones.  We’ll save the 747’s for later…

In The Middle

I just had the MOST uncomfortable experience…one that will come back to get me.  See, I have two family members who I am not very close to, but I see them both maybe once a week.  I do see one significantly more than the other, but still not often.  They hate each other.  Just despise each other.  Maybe they don’t even remember what they’re fighting about.  Or maybe they do and it still hurts.  Maybe they should talk.  Or maybe they should just stay the hell away from one another.  It’s difficult to say.  Because I do NOT know the details of their qualms, nor do I care to become involved. 

I saw them both today.  I was talking to one (the one I see less often, A) when the other came in the door (the one I see more, B).  B walked in, got what she needed and left.  A never missed a beat and continued to talk.  I, on the other hand, had a wave of cold air pass through my body as if something of demonic nature was about to happen.  I froze.  What do I do.  I see B more often.  Maybe B now thinks that I’m taking A’s side.  Maybe I’ll have many a day of seeing B where I continue to feel the cold air, but now it’s toward me, not A.

Or maybe I’m reading into something WAY too deeply.  Maybe all is well.  I just know that I do not pledge allegiance to anyone because I don’t “have a dog in the fight.”  I don’t even have money on it.  So, why would I choose a side?  But, mark my words, someone in this mess will think I’m choosing a side. 

Heart to Heart

So, after watching a TV show last night, I began thinking about the vast amount of people I call my friends/family/whatever that I haven’t had a heart to heart talk with.  To me, these talks can really seal a relationship…one way or another.

In 2003, I had a heart to heart with a girl, J, who worked with husband.  See, we all worked for the same organization but at different locations.  I started to hear rumors that Chris and J were very CLOSE.  I have never been a jealous person.  I ignored the rumors.  I wanted to meet this J.  Who was she?  A threat?  A friend?  A bitch?  A sweet innocent girl?  A husband-stealer? 

On “bonding night,” a group from our location and from husband’s location all went bowling together.  There were approximately 20 people in our group.  I mingled and drank and acted stupid…as did the majority of the group.  Husband doesn’t act stupid.  He just doesn’t.  I’ve seen it happen all of about 5 times in 9 years.  I expected him to sit and laugh at the rest of us.  It’s what he does.  J did not leave husband’s side all night.  What the hell?  Then I was pissed.

So, 3 days later, J calls me on the cellular and asked if she could come over to my house (I was there alone) and TALK to me.  She did make me promise not to kill her and hide her body in the basement…which I would have never done.  I know better than to hide a body on the premises.  Anyhoo, I digress…she came over and we had a 4-hour long talk about everything from hairstyles to dad issues.  And she’s one of my very best friends to this day.  See?  Sealed.

Why are people so very afraid of opening up?  It isn’t opening up to a room full of people…just one person.  I know all the fears…vulnerability, admitting guilt, hearing something one isn’t ready to hear, saying something one isn’t ready to say, taking responsibility for our actions, crying in front of someone, etc.  There are soooo many fears that accompany actually talking to people.  A series of text messages is NOT a heart to heart.  A series of emails is NOT a heart to heart.  A few sentences to one another at work by the water cooler is NOT a heart to heart.  I’m talking about looking someone in the eye and saying, “We need to talk.”  Even if it isn’t what that person wants to hear.

Who cares if you don’t know what to say?  Who cares if you look stupid?  Who cares?

And you are saying, “Who has time for that?  I certainly don’t have time for a 4-hour conversation.”  This is like saying you don’t have time for breathing.  Human interaction is a vital part of living, as is breathing.  Forcing yourself to be an island is hard work…much harder than talking to someone.

More

I had another subject to add, but decided the flight had been upgraded from small two-seater to that new airbus thingy with double beds and stuff.  Yeah, sooo much bigger than I thought.  So, let me fix the landing gear and maybe then…(I hope it doesn’t run out of gas…)

Yes, I AM a nutjob.

While catching up with one blog that I frequent, I came across a post that led me to this article.  Please click on the link and watch the twirling dancer BEFORE you read the article.  Note whether you see her turning clockwise or counterclockwise.  This is very insightful.

When I first began watching her, she went counterclockwise.  Then I read the article and learned a thing or two.  I use mostly left-brain functions most of the time.  When I watched her for a second time, I learned that I can make her turn the opposite way at will. 

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

When I read the above left-brain functions, I learned that I really identify with them.  The “order/pattern perception” thing is CRAZY.  I see an order or pattern in almost everything.  I look at floors, count stairs/tiles/steps, etc, I look for patterns in peoples’ sentences and words, and things MUST have consistency or I get a little nutty.  If I begin to type something with no uppercase letters, which I often do in emails, if I happen to switch to a mix of upper and lowercase, I have to change the whole email so that it’s consistent.  If I journal on a scrapbook page and make the pronoun “I” uppercase in one sentence and lowercase in the next sentence, I have to redo it.  Yes, I AM a nutjob.

“Uses logic” is another one that I identify with in a BIG way.  I can NOT feel a feeling that doesn’t have a reason attached to it.  If I cry, I have to know why.  If I don’t know why, I will rationalize things to death to find a reason for my sadness.  I can’t feel without logic behind the feelings.  When I first started working with children, they would do things for NO reason whatsoever (hit someone, throw something, etc.).  I now know that kids just do these things JUST BECAUSE.  I would get so angry (no, not at the kids, just the circumstances) because when I would ask them, “Why did you do that?”, they would not have reasons for me.  People don’t do things JUST BECAUSE…there is a reason for everything in my mind.  Yes, I AM a nutjob.

Let’s see…where was I?  (I think I type that question in every entry.)  Oh…”past and present.”  I do have a very difficult time looking into the future.  I think that this is the reason that I am not afraid of death.  It just isn’t a reality to me at this point because I perceive it to be sooo far into the future.  When I want something, I want it NOW.  I have a difficult time waiting for things.  When Chris and I decided to have children, I wanted to be pregnant the next day…and I didn’t want to wait the necessary 9 months to have the baby.  I can’t deal with or wait for the future like most people can.  Yes, I AM a nutjob.

“Words and language”…don’t even get me started on this one.  My dear mother will vouch for me on this.  I correct everyone all the time when it comes to speech and grammar.  I try very hard to control this, but it makes me crazy.  I hate the word “ain’t.”  I hate the misuse of pronouns.  Trust me, this doesn’t mean that I don’t slip up every now and then.  I could go on and on and on and on and on and on….forever on this subject.  But I will spare all of you.  Yes, I AM a nutjob.

And then there’s “can comprehend.”  Oh, man.  I can’t stand to know something and just KNOW it.  I have to UNDERSTAND it.  I heard through the celebrity gossip grapevine that women who practice Scientology are to be completely silent during childbirth.  I couldn’t leave it alone.  I have to understand why.  And after a little (or a LOT…you know, you just can’t trust Wikipedia anymore) of research, I understand why.  I almost failed calculus in high school even though I KNEW how to do it.  I didn’t UNDERSTAND how to do it and that got in the way of my learning ability (Thank You Mrs. Gaerte for putting up with my ENDLESS supply of “Why?”).  I can memorize to NO end, but if I don’t understand why, the simple fact that I don’t know why consumes me and wipes away everything I’ve previously memorized.  I think this one is very, very closely related to “uses logic.”  See, there I go…Yes, I AM a nutjob.

These are just a few of the issues I have with…um…myself and my brain.  I won’t even get into the rest of the left-brain or ANY of the right-brain (yes, I have issues with some of them, too…surprise!).  I will attempt to revisit this topic at a later date.

I just take things WAY TOO FAR.  Everyone has these functions, no matter how pronounced or concealed they are…but I just can’t let things go most of the time.  Most of my issues do not directly affect others except that “language and words” thingy.  I’ll get to work on that, mom.

So, yes, I am a nutjob.  I guess we’re all a little crazy.  Are you?  Do you see her going clockwise or counterclockwise?  Do you have severe issues with some of the functions or are you an a fairly even plane?  I’d love some insight from my faithful readers…

Blah

So, there isn’t much that I feel entitled to.  For the most part, I feel like I have to earn things.  I am entitled to a few things though, just as all people are.  And this entry will probably, in the eyes of a few, contradict a few of my previous entries.  But isn’t LIFE one big contradiction?

I feel like I’m entitled to have a bad week every now and then.  There seems to be an overall disdain for the fact that I’d really just like to have my bad week, have a nice, relaxing and quiet weekend and start over next week.  I haven’t really been mean to anyone, just quiet and distant.  I don’t want to talk about anything or have someone make things better for me.  I don’t want to be judged for being weak or too sensitive or lazy, etc.  Look in the mirror first.  Just let me be quiet for a few days.  Sometimes I really DON’T have anything to say.  It’s that simple.

My good weeks outweigh my bad weeks by about a bajillion.  I sometimes have bad days, but the bad weeks don’t come often.  There are people out there who have many bad weeks and if I were one of them, I’d probably do something different.  But my bad weeks are few and I will do something different next week.  So, I’d just like to have a bad week.  Period.  Smiles and optimism are for next week…or if the Sox win tonight, for tomorrow.

 Haven’t ANY of my faithful readers ever felt this way?

Who Needs Sleep…

The Barenaked Ladies said it best…and if my college roommate reads this, she’ll get that right off-hand.  I can’t sleep.  I can’t sleep at night.  I can’t sleep for a nap.  I can’t sleep after taking NyQuil (yes, I really needed it for a cold…I didn’t just take it to go to sleep…I’m not a junkie…), I can’t sleep if I go to bed early.  I can’t sleep if I stay up late.  I can’t sleep on weeknights.  I can’t sleep in on weekends, although I desperately tried.  I. Can’t. Sleep. Period. 

I’m getting, on average, about 3 hours of sleep per night.  I’m used to 7.  Seven is good.  Seven is perfect, actually.  I like 7.  Three is NOT enough.  And in those 3 hours, I have dreams like you wouldn’t believe…very symbolic dreams.  It’s scary.  Like I have unresolved issues which would be the reason that I can’t sleep in the first place.  But the dreams are like the “Na Na Na Na Na” of my sleep…the teasing classmate when she gets to the last available tire swing before I do.  That bitch.

Umm…where was I?  Oh, unresolved issues.  Don’t we all have those?  And don’t we all have those EVERYday?  Meaning…why would THESE particular unresolved issues keep me awake when others don’t?  Do they affect my future?  Do they involve others who I care about other than myself?  Am I dealing with them all day, everyday?  Is my lack of patience with the matter/s at hand (whatever it/they may be) getting the best of me?  I think the answer to that last one is a definite YES!  My lack of patience almost always gets the best of me no matter what is happening…

I suppose I’ll have to do some soul/brain/mind/thought-searching (whatever you’d like to call it) and figure out what has me in it’s grips.  And that isn’t as easy as you’d think.  It usually involves alcohol and either severe laughing or crying (hey, no one’s perfect when it comes to dealing with emotions…so don’t you judge me!).  So, we’ll see…

 OR…maybe I already know and I’m just not telling you…

Some Nonsense About Me

This came from a friend’s blog… 

What were you doing 10 years ago? 

Ten years ago, I was a few months into my senior year of high school…which was pure hell.  Yes, I did well in high school and had friends and was involved…but high school SUCKS and I wouldn’t go back for any sum of money.  Okay, maybe 10 million.  Anyhoo, I was deciding where to go to college and what to do with my life and had not the slightest clue that every decision I made would be reversed less than a year later…

What were you doing 5 years ago?

I had been married for a few months 5 years ago.  I worked for the Monroe County school system and was going to IU part time.  It was wonderful!!!  I would go back to that time of my life for a mere $1.00.

What were you doing 1 year ago?

One year ago, I was probably sitting here doing something or other…and then trying to decide whether or not to have children…

Five Snacks You Enjoy

1.)  Grapes

2.)   Peanut butter chip cookies

3.)   Cheese

4.)   Chips & Salsa

5.)    Ice Cream 

Five Songs That You Know All The Lyrics To

1.)   The Nurse Who Loved Me - A Perfect Circle

2.)   The Best of You - Foo Fighters

3.)   Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin

4.)    Regulate - Warren G

5.)   All I Really Want - Alanis Morrisette

Five Things You Would Do If You Were a Millionaire

1.)    Never drink cheap beer again

2.)   Pay off everything I owe.

3.)   Build a house which would include enough land for all of the dogs I would rescue…

4.)   Help out family/friends.

5.)   Save so I could retire at 35.

Five Bad Habits

1.)    Procrastination  (I’m with ya there, Holly.)

2.)   Nail biting (With ya there, too.)

3.)   I’m very impatient…when I want something, I want it now!

4.)   Too much honesty.

5.)   I start too many things at once and then have a difficult time finishing them all.

Five Things You Like To Do

1.)   Scrapbook

2.)   Drink beer

3.)   Take my dogs to the park

4.)   Hang out with Chris

5.)   Actually SEE my friends…verses phone/email.

Five Things You Would Never Wear Again

1.)    Tightrolled pants

 2.)   IOU sweatshirts

3.)   Hair scrunchies

4.)   Jelly shoes

5.)   Huge earrings

Five Favorite Toys

1.)   Computer

2.)   Camera

3.)   Scrapbook supplies

4.)   Nintendo Wii

5.)   Guitar Hero…we don’t have it for Wii yet.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…

I will attempt to make this comprehendible.  Hopefully I am successful at atleast that…

 I need to change.  And most of you are reading this and saying to yourselves, “Yeah, don’t we all…”  But, seriously, folks…it’s for real.  About every six months or so, I go through this “thing” where I have the best of intentions, but nothing ever permanently changes.  It’s quite sad.  Really, it is.  I say this quote to quite a few people in my life…who, arguable, have WAY bigger problems than me, but that just isn’t the point: 

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”

And there it is.  In black and white for the world to see.  I said it.  Out loud.  And more than two or three people heard/saw/read it.  And once it’s in writing, it’s true.  I can think something for weeks, months, years…but until I actually say/type/whatever it, it is just a thought.  Now it must become an action.  If I don’t DO anything, nothing will change.

I realize I’m being vague up to this point.  There are just so many things to change…or just say out loud.  I really don’t know where to start.  I’ve become a poor manager of my time.  That is probably what is weighing on me the most.  I spend countless hours cleaning, organizing, watching TV, thinking about doing things instead of actually doing them, blah, blah, blah.  I don’t count blogging because I really don’t spend that much time blogging…and blogging is my therapy.  I DO count MySpace time, which has rapidly decreased since I found almost everyone I was looking for…except one.  Or two.  However you want to count it.

I don’t spend enough time EXERCISING, reading, playing with my dogs, talking to husband, SEEING (not emailing) my friends, etc.  I do realize that cleaning is imperative, but come on.  Seriously.  I can only do it so much.  I need to work on KEEPING things clean instead of letting it get out of hand and then addressing it.  Our house is teeny, so the clutter consumes the house very quickly.  If I’d just put shit away to begin with, the world would be a better place. 

Exercising was in caps for a reason.  Okay, I lied up there.  The time management issue is second.  My self-image is first and foremost.  I don’t like where it’s going.  There are days when I just FEEL unhealthy.  I look bad in my opinion.  And everyone is entitled to a bad day every now and then, but when I go from 1 day of feeling/looking bad to 10 days of looking/feeling good to maybe a 3 bad:10 good ratio, it’s bad.  20 pounds would be perfect.  I just need to DO it.  Don’t talk about it or write about it or sulk about it (which seems to be my favorite these days)…just effin’ DO it.  It isn’t that difficult.

And what am I worried about?  Does it matter?  NO.  It doesn’t.  No amount of fear should stop me from changing the way I feel about myself.  I think everyone is just a little afraid of change.  But it’s a good thing, right?  Right?  Hello?  Anyone?

That’s right…no one wants to admit it.  But change IS good.  It helps me grow as a person…and that IS sort of my life philosophy.  When I stop growing, I stop living.  I can never learn too much or know too much or be too healthy or be too happy.  And all of those things are related to my inner-growth.  And it’s not a tumor!  It’s good.  A good thing.  I’m rambling.

So, where was I?  Time management-check.  Image of self-check.  Oh yeah…my neuroticism about people coming to my house…actually, people in general.  I am, at this point, not mad at anyone.  I was never MAD at anyone.  And I will not attempt to explain everything.  If you’d like to know, let me know and we’ll talk.  I think Holly and my husband know about my issue with people, but that’s it.  I’m just going to have to stop planning things out so strictly and just go with it.  I had a great time at our party on Saturday…and only 10 people were there.  I planned for 16.  20 said for sure that they’d be there.  There were a few people who I was unsure of…who I either invited at the last minute, they had other plans/had to work, or they have kids.  But there are others who just didn’t make any attempt to let me know I would not be seeing them.  And if I would have planned for 10 people, 20 would’ve shown up.  That’s just the way the world is.  So, out with the planning.  In with the “just going with it.”  And this one will be very difficult.  And will take precious time.

So, enough rambling.  I’m in a funk and could write about it for hours to come, but that doesn’t CHANGE anything.  It just doesn’t.  And it brings to light more things that I need to deal with.  But, for now, we’ll go a little at a time.  And this is enough for me for now.  I’ll start working on these….right…..NOW.

In the Land of Slapdash

I have a mountain of things to say, but no two are related.  It’s just whack.  My mind is all over the place lately.  And it’s all attributed to the 25 people who are going to be at my house this weekend.  I LOVE to have my friends at my house, but I stress myself out about things like:  1. will there be enough food  2. will there be enough alcohol 3. will anyone make an ass out of themselves, and if so, who  (it will probably be me…I really should learn some self-control, but that’s just no fun).  4. will people be bored  5. will everyone get along  6. will my house be clean enough  7. will my neighbors get pissed, and if so, who cares  8. will people actually have fun and want to come back again.  And the list goes on and on from there.

Then lies the question…why, oh why, do I do this to myself?  I suppose because in the end, it’s all worth it.  I love my friends and love it when they’re all together.  It’s wonderful.  So, I’m wishin’ upon a star that things go as planned (and that I get one of those ice cold fish heads-that’s for you, husband). 

A guy I went to high school with was shot and killed by a police officer yesterday.  I haven’t seen or talked to him since the year after we graduated (which was quite a while ago now), but so many of the people I do keep in contact with were still in contact with him.  It is a very sad situation and is weighing on me more than it should…more than I thought it would.  He and his ex-wife have both passed away now and they’ve left behind 4 very young children.  The world just seems to get smaller everyday.  It seems that so often I hear of horrible things happening to people I know…or knew at one time.  The children and family and friends of these two people are in my thoughts.

I still struggle with the miscarriage.  I continue to count the weeks that would have been.  I don’t do it on purpose…I just haven’t forgotten about it or gotten past it yet.  I am okay physically and mentally.  I just still think about it from time to time.  Today would have been 11 weeks…

We are still trying to “fix” and rearrange our house.  I HATE termites!!  I also hate the fact that I want to move so badly and it’s just not possible right now.  The housing market sucks and we’d have a difficult time selling our house.  We’re still trying to make room for a baby and I think it’s going to have to live in a closet.  Just kidding…don’t go calling the authorities.  It was a joke.  Fitting a million guitars and 860 pounds of scrapbooking stuff in a 12×10 bedroom is effin’ impossible…

My day began badly…and that sucks.  It’s Friday!!  I want to have a great day!  But that’s just not gonna happen, is it?  My hair wouldn’t straighten out, which made me late for work.  So I took my makeup with me to put on at work.  I didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast, so I stopped at the local fast food place.  I sat in the drive-thru for 15 minutes, making me even later!  So, I decided to put my makeup on in the drive-thru line.  Half of my make-up spilled out of the bag into the basket that is at home on the shelf…so I only have half of my makeup on.  And here is what I learned today…when you’re wearing a form-fitting shirt and you have a seatbelt on, putting on deodorant is inconceivable.  It just doesn’t work. 

And, finally, the Jokes of the Day:

Three old guys are walking down the street.  The first guy says, “It’s windy, isn’t it?”  Second guy says, “No, it’s Thursday.”  Third guy says, “Me, too.  Let’s go get a beer.”

 A grasshopper walks into a bar.  The bartender says, “Hey, we have a drink named after you.”  The grasshopper says, “You have a drink named Stanley?”

Happy Friday to you all…

My Heaven

Anytime I get into a philisophical debate (which is atleast once a week…I feel I have to put my degree to use), my closing thoughts are usually, “It all comes down to perception.”  This may or may not be a cop-out, but think about it…you interpret things different than I do-different than anyone else in the world.  Our perceptions are unique to us.  While I perceive an obstacle in life as a challenge to be overcome, some people perceive an obstacle to be a reason to give up.

 I watched one of my all-time favorite movies this weekend…What Dreams May Come.  If you haven’t seen it, go rent it, then stop by the store and buy a whole box of Kleenex and then go home and watch it.  And be prepared to cry.  I do not cry at movies.  I just don’t.  But everytime I watch this movie, I cry like a baby.

 One of the basic premises of the movie is that you make your own heaven and hell.  Where you go when you die is based on your personal perceptions of heaven and hell.  It’s very interesting.  If I perceive heaven to be Santa Monica, California, my heaven will be Santa Monica, California.  If I perceive my hell to be the BMV, it will be the BMV (and trust me, that’s as close to hell on earth as you can get!).  And how do we know this isn’t true?  What if your heaven (and hell) is based on your perception?

One big argument against the perception theory is that, if everything is based on human perception, then there is nothing “true”…”true” in the sense that these things are bigger and more powerful than just human perception or knowledge.  Again-that’s based on perception.  Some people believe in “true” love.  How do we know if it is “true?”  Is it the simple belief that it is “true” that makes it so?  Does compatibility have a hand in there?  Does marriage make love “true?”  And if your spouse cheats on you the entire time you’re married, but you never find out, is the love still “true?”  You never knew, so what’s the difference?  Your perception would never change because you never had the knowledge that you were being lied to.  You can’t base your perception on something you do not know.  I’m not saying anyone’s spouse is cheating…love is just the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of “true.”  And it’s just something to ponder.  Maybe love itself is just a perception…and there isn’t really such a thing.  Again, not necessarily my views.  Just something to think about.

So, I’ve spent a great deal of time in the past few days thinking about what my heaven and hell may be.  I suppose my hell would be the absence of a few key people (and animals) in my life.  It doesn’t matter “where” my hell takes place, I just know if Morgan isn’t there, it’s hell.  I’m still working on the heaven.  I don’t think I’ve experienced heaven yet. 

What is your heaven?  What is your hell?  Is the world based on perception, or are there “true” things?  Think about it.  You may be surprised by your own answers.