The Moral Cost of Travel

From Tiny Bits of Tile Springs Forth the Beauty of the Artist Eye

Eternal Beauty

The Stolen Kiss and The Angry 7-Year-Old

On the commute from work this evening the radio hosts were talking about remembering that first kiss.

While I’m sure they were referring to the teenage years, the topic pushed me much further back in time. Flashback to 2nd grade and a little boy with a huge crush on me that he didn’t bother to hide very well. I don’t even know if we’re capable of hiding our feelings at that age.

The Kiss:

My parents picked me up at school that fateful day and for some reason gave this little boy a ride home, much to my chagrin! You see, I didn’t particularly like this little boy! I didn’t really have a reason to dislike him. He never did anything to annoy me except having this ridiculous crush. Which probably means he was always under foot, staring way too much and pestering me.

Of course they stick both of us in the backseat, which means he was too close for my comfort zone. He was in my space. Well, I withstood it out all the way to his house and thought good, now he’ll be gone, it’s over!

I had managed to survive what felt like a long, long ride! It was almost over thank goodness, all he had to do was get out of the car.

Then he did the unthinkable. This 7-year-old came at me with a purpose. I could see he had been laying his plan the whole time. He laid the biggest kiss on my cheek, jumped out of the car and never looked back! I died a thousand deaths of humiliation and anger!

I couldn’t wipe it off my face fast enough! Of course my Mother thought it was cute, even sweet. She tried explaining that he simply liked me, I knew he’d liked me. The point was I didn’t like him.

Sure I look back at it as funny now. But did I ever forgive him? Nope!

The 2014 Smithsonian Photo Contest Finalists

TwistedSifter

Smithsonian has just announced the 60 finalists for their 11th Annual Photo Contest. The winning entries were selected by Smithsonian editors from over 50,000 submissions by photographers from 132 countries around the world.

Ten finalists were selected from the following six categories: The Natural World, Travel, People, Americana, Altered Images and Mobile, a new category this year.

Voting for the Readers’ Choice Winner will be open until May 6, 2014 at 6:00 PM ET, and you can cast your vote once every 24 hours for your favorite. Smithsonian will announce the Readers’ Choice, Grand Prize and six Category winners on May 15, 2014.

Smithsonian’s 12th Annual Photo Contest will be open for entries on May 15, 2014.
The deadline for Smithsonian’s 2nd Annual In Motion Video Contest is May 31, 2014.

To cast your Readers’ Choice vote and see all 60 finalists, visit Smithsonian.com

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We Never Know Where Social Media Will Land…It Makes The World A Smaller Place…

Earlier in the month I sent out a tweet shown in the first photo. This week I received a response from a citizen of Russia shown in the second photo that lifted my heart!

With all the chaos continuing in the world this response reaffirmed for me the goodness of people everywhere!

The Man Who Drew the Picture

The most precious gifts are those unexpected…………….

Tears of Fear Not to be Mistaken for Joy

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides a rocket launching drill of women’s sub-units under KPA Unit 851, in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency on April 24.

Gauhati, India

A Greater Adjutant Stork flies by a ragpicker looking for recyclable items at a garbage dump on Earth Day, on the outskirts of Gauhati, India, April 22. People across the globe hold events to celebrate the Earth’s environment and spread awareness on how to conserve natural resources on Earth Day, observed annually on April 22.

Slovyansk, Ukraine

The body of Pavel Pavelco, 42, a pro-Russia militiaman is carried by pallbearers to a church during a funeral in Slovyansk, Ukraine, April 22. Pavelco was one of three people killed last Sunday in a shooting by unknown gunmen at a checkpoint.