Explanation for this awesome blog

I haven't had a cold in awhile.

Not that I'm complaining. Being sick, especially away from home, is the least fun thing ever. Still, I thought it was a little weird that I've gotten through flu season unscathed (so far).

And then I saw this:

"In a 1985 study, scientists found that laughter increased levels of salivary immunoglobulin, a vital immune system protein, which is the body's first line of defense against respiratory illness."

I always knew laughter was good for the soul, etc., but I didn't know there were actual medical benefits to breaking into hysterics. Oh but there are. Many!

Anyway, that's one of the many reasons I'm starting this blog. Not only is laughter vital for your health (see above!), but it's basically vital for sanity. Especially during terrifying life changes, such as...oh I don't know...the first year of real life post-college.

This blog idea actually came from one of my very best friends in the world, Anna. Back in the day (middle school, I think?), I discovered Anna kept a journal with two entries each day: "I smiled today when..." and "I'm thankful for..." I thought it was a great idea and decided to copy it myself. Except apparently I was pretty self-centered back then, so I dropped the "thankful."

I started January 1, 2001. And lasted about six weeks.

But this is going to be different. First, laughter is even more fun than smiling. Then, everyone has been telling me "start a blog! start a blog!" but it all seemed too complicated until I realized that, exactly eight years later, I could pick up the "I laughed today when" thing, and call it a blog. Then I could document my life, while entertaining myself, and hopefully others, at the same time! So simple...but awesome.

Seriously, I hope other people will chime in with things that made them laugh. And to get the ball rolling, I'll re-write an entry I found in my old journal, dated Jan. 15, 2001. It deals with another one of my very dear friends, Rachel. I believe this was the time she had to stay at my house for two weeks while her family was in Florida during freshman year of high school.

"I smiled today when me and Rachel were listening to the Bloodhound Gang on the radio, and my mom asked, 'Are those lyrics inappropriate?' and Rachel responded, 'Yes, they deal with pre-marital, inter-species sex.'"