Well folks, I’m getting back to my roots…literally. I have chopped of all my hair into almost a pixie cut and what remains is my au natural ash colored hair. Why would I do this? Well, first I look good with short hair. And secondly, I just got fed up with dying my hair.
I suppose my desire to consolidate my spending this year did contribute. Now that I coupon, that impulsion to save money is driven into me even harder. The need to save money is so strong currently that even the access to a very good and very cheap stylist could not sway my mind. (Side note: Thank you Jenny!)
(Not my house.)
(Veronica and I at Hogwarts)
I’ve wanted to write a dedication to Harry Potter for some time, but I’ve always refrained because I fear it will be inadequate. Screw inadequacy! I love Harry Potter. Even if I only convey a third of what I love about the series, that’s still a third of love that I put out there and may or may not encourage another reader. (HP fans: You all know that the weapon we have is love!) Though I’ve been successful in the past in getting others to read (cough Twilight cough), I don’t think I’ve done the same for Harry Potter. And that’s a shame because it is definitely my favorite book series. Heck, I’ve even got a quote tattooed on my shoulder and I’ve seriously considered getting more.
According to Wikipedia:
A backhanded compliment, also known as a left handed compliment, or asteism is an insult that is disguised as a compliment. Sometimes, a backhanded compliment may be inadvertent. However, the term usually connotes an intent to belittle or condescend.
A backhanded compliment may fool the listener, but the compliment remains "backhanded" because the speaker is being intentionally slighting and insulting. In some cultures, backhanded compliments are considered a genteel or polite way of expressing disdain.
Examples of backhanded compliments include:
"That dress is lovely; it does wonders for your figure."
"You're smarter than you look."
"You drive very well, for a woman."
"Your son is more handsome than I would have expected."
In each instance, there is an initial compliment: praising a piece of clothing, a person's intellect, a person's driving ability, or a person's looks. However, each instance also includes an implied criticism: the person's figure desperately needs improvement; the person appears unintelligent on the surface; women don't drive well, and therefore any skill at driving is noteworthy; the son's parents are unattractive.
I’m no stranger to the backhanded compliment. All of my examples are weight based. I’m sure if I thought long and hard enough I would find more that aren’t, but I suppose it’s the backhanded compliments that hit a sore spot that actually stick out and are easily remembered. Plus it’s the most recent one I received so it’s fresher in my mind. So let’s dive right into my pain. (I’m joking; I have thick skin after all.)
At one our after parties for the Rockford Rage, I was approached by a gentlemen who wanted to give me a “compliment.” I wish I could remember his exact words because my jaw dropped when he said it. The gist of what he wanted to say was I have a lot of energy and he liked it. What came out was that he was so surprised that someone my size would be dancing so much after having just bouted for an hour. He tied in my weight to the compliment. Like someone my size should be lethargic, tired, half-assing it on the dance floor; like I’m some type of miracle worker that I can still walk after having skated for an hour. Seriously?
While I’m on the topic, I remember a time when a man approached me and said “I like my ladies kind of chunky.” Chunky! Really, you want to open up with chunky!?! And another I have received “You’re pretty for a big girl.” Let me give you guys a tip. Whether you’re a chubby chaser or not, I can guarantee a woman does not want to know that you find her attractive despite her size. In fact, you want to hear the best compliment I did get? It was simple and made my night. (Granted it was from an older drunk man who I found kinda repulsive, it was still nice.) He said “You are stunning.” Nothing quite trumps a stunning gentleman. Never be in doubt boys, leave weight out of it.
A friend of mine *cough Ernie cough* is a backhand complimenter by nature. I swear almost everything she says can be twisted into a backhanded compliment. It’s to a point now that I don’t read into the implied because she’s usually not implying. My favorite instance was a photo I found of another roller derby team that was just starting up. One of the girls kinda resembled me and wore a similar outfit that I did. When I asked her if she thought I looked like that, she said “You don’t look that bad.” LOL, meaning I look bad just not as bad as this chick.
I’m not immune to using a backhanded compliment, I don’t think I’ve ever used one intentionally though. It’s usually those slips of the tongue ones, that as soon as I hear it, I’m already correcting myself by saying “What I meant was.” I hate those moments because even if you don’t mean it in that way you can’t help but feel like they think you think that way. Did that make sense? Anywho, the moral of this story…well, there isn’t one. The end.
(My angry duck face inspired by my Snooki hair, no I'm not a Jersey Shore fan.)
I have been coloring my hair since 7th grade and I had never looked back. I’ve been blonde, black, all shade of reds and browns and each time I think I’ve found the perfect look. But I’ve always been too whimsical to stay with any one look for long, and now that I’m aging and it has come to my attention that gray hairs aren’t so far in the future, I’ve decided to change.
Michael, my silvering fox, is currently plucking out random gray hair. My other half is starting to get gray hairs!!! That makes me feel so old. And I can’t even properly make fun of him because I can’t really say I don’t have grays because my hair has too much unnatural coloring to tell.
So this weekend, I decided to chop the hair off. It was overly needed. My roots were almost two inches long and the dark red had faded to an orange. I just couldn’t walk around feeling so dishelved, the hair had to go.
So this weekend, I decided to chop the hair off. It was overly needed. My roots were almost two inches long and the dark red had faded to an orange. I just couldn’t walk around feeling so dishelved, the hair had to go.
And I love it! Takes me two seconds in the morning to do. I’ve got a new fascination with headbands and I’m dying to get some earrings that will actually show. I highly recommend giving short hair a go sometime, it feels so good. I’m overjoyed to report that I have yet to spot any gray. So for now, I will rock my natural ash color and leave the coloring for later.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
That House
(Not my house.)Yup, I will confess. My house is that house in your neighborhood. I am the proud owner of the shabbiest house on the block. It’s not that the house that is in shambles but the yard. The yard is a disaster zone. When we first moved in, I was so excited about the idea of having a yard. I could have a garden, plant some trees, some bushes and just personalize the crap out of our yard. What I have now, two years after moving in, is my cute little garden, which is hardly recognizable with the weeds overwhelming what has dared to bloom. The grass is hardly cut and dry. And I’m thankful for the dry weather lately because it means the grass has grown slower which really translates to only having gotten one notice from the village to cut our grass instead of the two or three we had at this point last summer. My husband and I just don’t have time to give it the attention it needs and when we do find free time, we just don’t want it to be spent in our yard. I miss having our townhouse for this reason alone sometimes. So for the 5% of the time I feel guilty, I say sorry neighbors.
With that being said I figure you got a clear picture of what my house looks like. (And for another reference see picture above, it’s really not far off the mark.) What baffles me sometimes is my neighbor’s behavior. They have a nice yard. They cut the grass regularly. They refresh the mulch around their trees and they even take the time to water it to keep it looking green. Good job neighbors! But the baffling part is that they leave one lawn-mower length of grass uncut for us. Since the moment we moved in, we noticed they do not cut a strip of grass that is attached to their yard. It is on the outside side of our driveway and it looks like where their yard begins. The driveway seems like a clear border between their yard and mine. So I can only assume that it must fall on our property and they leave it uncut. Fair enough. BUT, they see how we are. We hardly cut our grass. So instead of them having a really nice yard, they have a really nice yard with one ugly strip on the side. I wish I had taken a picture before the last time we cut our yard because it’s comical to see. And it’s really a 10 second clip of grass that needs to be cut. It’s not a big deal. But always, they skip it. Though I realize it’s 100% my responsibility to cut that grass (I assume, where are the property lines when I need them?) I can’t help at be annoyed at my neighbors stubborn behavior. We have no problem mowing it if it really is our small slice of yard but being we aren’t the best landscapers, I would just think they would want to spend an extra 10 seconds to make their lawn look finished.
I realize we’re jerks because of this but you can’t be a saint all the time right?
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Ode to Harry Potter
(Veronica and I at Hogwarts) I’ve wanted to write a dedication to Harry Potter for some time, but I’ve always refrained because I fear it will be inadequate. Screw inadequacy! I love Harry Potter. Even if I only convey a third of what I love about the series, that’s still a third of love that I put out there and may or may not encourage another reader. (HP fans: You all know that the weapon we have is love!) Though I’ve been successful in the past in getting others to read (cough Twilight cough), I don’t think I’ve done the same for Harry Potter. And that’s a shame because it is definitely my favorite book series. Heck, I’ve even got a quote tattooed on my shoulder and I’ve seriously considered getting more.
So let me start at the beginning…how I got started with Harry Potter. I understand people’s hesitancy to pick up the series. I myself was one of those hesitant people. To this day, I have a harder time picking up a novel that involves witches, wizards, magic or anything of that nature. Plus throw in the aspect that Harry Potter is only 11 in the first book and you’ve got a whole book about a pre-pubescent wizard. Not so exciting. Ohhhhh…but that’s where you and I were wrong. And I can only more forward with my tale by saying one thing first. Thank you. Thank you Veronica for constantly pushing Harry Potter in my face and not giving up until I had finally agreed to give it a try. It has forever changed my life.
Wow, really? Changed my life? And I think I could say honestly yes. First, like I mentioned before, I’ve altered my body to have Harry Potter permanently apart of it. It has cemented a lock tight bond between me and one of my closest friends. It has provided many late night movie excursions. It has given me a new reason to travel to Florida. It has given me something to look forward to sharing with my son. It has brought nothing but joy and I just thank the heavens for giving J.K. Rowling the idea to this story.
So what’s so fabulous? Everything. I mean everything. I took a rode trip this summer with my sister-n-law and we asked ourselves boundless amounts of would you rather questions. We contemplated sex, marry kill scenarios…but the one and only question I can clearly recall is when she asked me about Harry Potter. She started off by saying “What would you change about the Sookie books?” And I had a ton of suggestions. (Am I the only one to hate the most recent book?) Then she moved on…”what would you change about the Black Dagger Brotherhood books?” Again, there were a few things. And then she asked the inevitable, “What would you change about Harry Potter?” And my honest answer was nothing. It is pure perfection. And part of what I like is that it’s not all happy joy lucky. Harry is an orphan and has had a sad lonely life until he goes to Hogwarts. And he doesn’t just lose his parents but there are significant deaths throughout the series that are awful. Of course those deaths upset me. (I wore a black hair band around my wrist for a week in honor of Dumbledore because I read Gary Oldman did the same. Figure he could show tribute I could too. I’m crazy weird, I know.) But if you changed anything about these sad scenarios the books wouldn’t be the same. Harry would be a different person. The outcome could have been different and I love exactly where the book goes.
So what makes it a good book? Here is where things get tough for me. I fear the inadequacy here the most because when I read a book, I feel a book. The way a book leaves me feeling is a huge factor in whether I enjoy it or not. I’ve always been one of those people who puts themselves in other people’s shoes. So as Harry Potter moves through each year of Hogwarts, so do I. I felt the loss of his parents everytime he thought about them. I felt the loss of his godfather. I felt nervous when he asked Cho Chang to the dance. And I definitely felt the horror and shock when Dumbledore was killed. I felt. I felt. I felt. (Not to be confused with Tom Felton.) And I won’t ruin the last movie but I cried, no wait that’s not accurate enough, I was a giant mess of tears (Cry me a River is most accurate) when it is revealed what “I open at the close” means for Harry Potter. That will forever be my favorite part of the last book. And it is the scene I’m most excited to see tonight at midnight. If there is one thing to get right, it’s this scene. (And perhaps one scene with the most excellent Severus Snape….that one should be a gem too.) I suppose it left me with a over whelming feeling of joy, accomplishment and love. Reading these books is satisfying to your soul. Go ahead, feed your soul. Feels real good.
And though it feels like it’s really ending now, it’s not. It’s been over. (Last book came out in 2007) Though I have enjoyed going to see the movies, it has always been about the books for me. So I need to stop tearing up when I see the trailer because I’m not seeing anything surprising. (Yes, that happened last week when I went to see Super 8….which was fantastic by the way). Because though the last book has been written and the last movie will be over, it will forever be a favorite and I am happily awaiting the day that I can experience these books with Desmond. My torch for Harry Potter is still lit and will continue to be.
Gah, I just re-read what I wrote. I sound spastic and unconvincing. So I will end it with this. If you enjoy reading. And you must be a reader, not someone who dabbles once in a while in reading if a fantastic vampire romance novel is out. (Cough Dayna cough) Then I will say, you will enjoy these books. Overlook the book jacket if you normally find books about magic and wizards unappealing because you are going to find that there is so much more within these books. And if you still can’t bring yourself to read them, that’s ok too. But you might want to get checked out by a psychologist because you’re crazy. Guaranteed. But I still like you anyways.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Roar of the Tiger
It’s been a rough two weeks. My husband has had some deadlines at work that has required him to work late…very late! I’m talking catching the last train at 12:30am and making it home and in bed around 2am. I’ve had to miss two weeks of practice. I miss it but I’ve also dug the break and spending more time with my son, plus it’s got me thinking…of how much I do.
Now, I’m not looking for praise. (Really Michael, you can relax.) This is about how much I feel I can take on. I stress. I worry. Yet it doesn’t stop me from getting the job done. For example, the other night in a 3 hour time frame, I grocery shopped, dropped off a calendar to my sister (who lives in the Cary area), started a new load of laundry, folded a dry load of laundry, did the dishes, took out the garbage/recycling, had dinner with Desmond and put him to bed. I don’t know about you but I think that’s a shit load of multi-tasking. Plus I could throw in playtime with Desmond because lord knows my kid can’t leave you alone for one chore, so throughout my night I’m entertaining a two year old. When I reflect back on my night, I feel accomplished. I swear I can hear my inner and outer mother ROARRRR!!!! (Also, insert grunt noise from Home Improvement here.) Its nights like this that I feel really good and I just wanted to focus on that feeling. I’ve written before that focusing on the positive is never done enough now-a-days. So here I am, focusing on my positives. (Your yesterday can’t be all bad, what was your favorite part?)
It baffles me that I used to be addicted to television. How did I ever manage before? I swear when I turned our cable off and handed our dvr over, we had 30 plus programs that we recorded and watched. And when I say we, I mean I because I confess, 90% or more of those programs were mine. And though I still enjoy watching TV when I do, it’s not a focus anymore. No wonder I was down the beginning of last year, where was my ROARING? Nothing roar-able about sitting and watching a dozen or so programs a night. Thank god for derby and having a job loss scare that made me turn the cable off, my life feels more free and satisfying because of it.
But I’m not one to sit around. I really do feel like I have a full plate but it doesn’t stop me from having more ambitions. I have a long reading list that I’m actually putting a dent in. I’m participating in the National Novel Writing Month in November. I plan on doing a 5K in September and most recently I’m thinking about organizing a mob flash. That’s right, a flash mob. (If this comes to fruitation I will definitely let you all know.) Yup, I’m not helping my stress but damn it feels good to ROAR!
Now, I’m not looking for praise. (Really Michael, you can relax.) This is about how much I feel I can take on. I stress. I worry. Yet it doesn’t stop me from getting the job done. For example, the other night in a 3 hour time frame, I grocery shopped, dropped off a calendar to my sister (who lives in the Cary area), started a new load of laundry, folded a dry load of laundry, did the dishes, took out the garbage/recycling, had dinner with Desmond and put him to bed. I don’t know about you but I think that’s a shit load of multi-tasking. Plus I could throw in playtime with Desmond because lord knows my kid can’t leave you alone for one chore, so throughout my night I’m entertaining a two year old. When I reflect back on my night, I feel accomplished. I swear I can hear my inner and outer mother ROARRRR!!!! (Also, insert grunt noise from Home Improvement here.) Its nights like this that I feel really good and I just wanted to focus on that feeling. I’ve written before that focusing on the positive is never done enough now-a-days. So here I am, focusing on my positives. (Your yesterday can’t be all bad, what was your favorite part?)
It baffles me that I used to be addicted to television. How did I ever manage before? I swear when I turned our cable off and handed our dvr over, we had 30 plus programs that we recorded and watched. And when I say we, I mean I because I confess, 90% or more of those programs were mine. And though I still enjoy watching TV when I do, it’s not a focus anymore. No wonder I was down the beginning of last year, where was my ROARING? Nothing roar-able about sitting and watching a dozen or so programs a night. Thank god for derby and having a job loss scare that made me turn the cable off, my life feels more free and satisfying because of it.
But I’m not one to sit around. I really do feel like I have a full plate but it doesn’t stop me from having more ambitions. I have a long reading list that I’m actually putting a dent in. I’m participating in the National Novel Writing Month in November. I plan on doing a 5K in September and most recently I’m thinking about organizing a mob flash. That’s right, a flash mob. (If this comes to fruitation I will definitely let you all know.) Yup, I’m not helping my stress but damn it feels good to ROAR!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Getting the Backhand
According to Wikipedia:
A backhanded compliment, also known as a left handed compliment, or asteism is an insult that is disguised as a compliment. Sometimes, a backhanded compliment may be inadvertent. However, the term usually connotes an intent to belittle or condescend.
A backhanded compliment may fool the listener, but the compliment remains "backhanded" because the speaker is being intentionally slighting and insulting. In some cultures, backhanded compliments are considered a genteel or polite way of expressing disdain.
Examples of backhanded compliments include:
"That dress is lovely; it does wonders for your figure."
"You're smarter than you look."
"You drive very well, for a woman."
"Your son is more handsome than I would have expected."
In each instance, there is an initial compliment: praising a piece of clothing, a person's intellect, a person's driving ability, or a person's looks. However, each instance also includes an implied criticism: the person's figure desperately needs improvement; the person appears unintelligent on the surface; women don't drive well, and therefore any skill at driving is noteworthy; the son's parents are unattractive.
I’m no stranger to the backhanded compliment. All of my examples are weight based. I’m sure if I thought long and hard enough I would find more that aren’t, but I suppose it’s the backhanded compliments that hit a sore spot that actually stick out and are easily remembered. Plus it’s the most recent one I received so it’s fresher in my mind. So let’s dive right into my pain. (I’m joking; I have thick skin after all.)
At one our after parties for the Rockford Rage, I was approached by a gentlemen who wanted to give me a “compliment.” I wish I could remember his exact words because my jaw dropped when he said it. The gist of what he wanted to say was I have a lot of energy and he liked it. What came out was that he was so surprised that someone my size would be dancing so much after having just bouted for an hour. He tied in my weight to the compliment. Like someone my size should be lethargic, tired, half-assing it on the dance floor; like I’m some type of miracle worker that I can still walk after having skated for an hour. Seriously?
While I’m on the topic, I remember a time when a man approached me and said “I like my ladies kind of chunky.” Chunky! Really, you want to open up with chunky!?! And another I have received “You’re pretty for a big girl.” Let me give you guys a tip. Whether you’re a chubby chaser or not, I can guarantee a woman does not want to know that you find her attractive despite her size. In fact, you want to hear the best compliment I did get? It was simple and made my night. (Granted it was from an older drunk man who I found kinda repulsive, it was still nice.) He said “You are stunning.” Nothing quite trumps a stunning gentleman. Never be in doubt boys, leave weight out of it.
A friend of mine *cough Ernie cough* is a backhand complimenter by nature. I swear almost everything she says can be twisted into a backhanded compliment. It’s to a point now that I don’t read into the implied because she’s usually not implying. My favorite instance was a photo I found of another roller derby team that was just starting up. One of the girls kinda resembled me and wore a similar outfit that I did. When I asked her if she thought I looked like that, she said “You don’t look that bad.” LOL, meaning I look bad just not as bad as this chick.
I’m not immune to using a backhanded compliment, I don’t think I’ve ever used one intentionally though. It’s usually those slips of the tongue ones, that as soon as I hear it, I’m already correcting myself by saying “What I meant was.” I hate those moments because even if you don’t mean it in that way you can’t help but feel like they think you think that way. Did that make sense? Anywho, the moral of this story…well, there isn’t one. The end.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Shell The Cunning Couponator
If you haven’t heard anything recently about couponing then I’m assuming you live in a cave. I hear non-stop talk about couponing among strangers, co-workers and friends ever since the show Extreme Couponing premiered on TLC. I don’t have cable so I haven’t actually seen the show, but I can imagine exactly what it’s like from the constant chatter I overhear of it. I soon realized how nutty it was getting when on the morning elevator at work, three men were discussing the show. I kid you not, one said “did you see the one where she got like $900 worth of groceries for like $50 bucks!” I suppose it’s foolish of me to think that only woman use coupons but it really was surprising to see three young men discuss the awesomeness of coupons. Overhearing this much about it was like a constant voice saying “hello, get with the program and check this out.”
Luckily for me I have a friend who has recently gotten into couponing and her enthusiasm for the “sport” is what tipped the scales. I could no longer say I didn’t want to teach myself how do it because I had a willing and very able teacher for free. On top of that, could I really say “No, I don’t want to get awesome stuff for free. I’d rather pay, thank you!” Nope, couldn’t do that either. So began my journey into couponing.
My adventure begins with watching an instructional dvd that my friend had purchased online. (Check out supercouponing.com) It’s cheesy but majorly informative. It shows you how you are currently couponing wrong, how to do it right and how to organize yourself to make couponing as fast, easy and simple as possible. It really is a good dvd and I highly recommend you order one. (Or make a date night with me…you can pay me in wine for my time.)
Now, let me ask you this? Do you buy toothpaste? Toothbrushes? Soap? Shampoo/Conditioner? Body Wash? Mouth Wash? Contact Solution? Razors? Deodorant? It’s a very safe bet that you answered yes to almost all of these. What if I told you that you would never have to purchase these things again? Hard to believe? Well, it’s true. If you learn how to super coupon, almost every personal care item you get can be free. Even make-up can be heavily discounted if not free too. You just have to know how to stack your coupons and wait for the right sale. So ask yourself, would you like these items for free? Now that I’ve gotten a few this way, I can honestly say it would be really hard ever going back to paying full price or even the sale price again.
Now, I don’t want to get into specifics. If I were to explain how it all works, it would take many blog entries and to be honest I’m still learning . What I will say is…give it try. Even if you don’t have time to watch that dvd at my house, or you don’t’ have the money to buy it for yourself, there are websites that teach you for free and at whatever time is convenient for you. (Couponmom.com has a series of videos, haven’t watched these to verify if they are good or not.) For those of you who are willing to give it a try and have questions or need help, message me. I’m even apart of a yahoo group that posts good deals and we all help each other out with questions or sometimes we just trade coupons. You can get into that too. The resources are out there to make this super fun and easy to do.
Below is a picture of the very first day I went out. Everything was FREE! I only had to pay tax which only amounts to a couple of cents. Not bad of a scoop when I only had one newspaper to work with. Now-a-days, my gets are much more impressive
(Side note: I'm sending the items I have a stockpile of to my adopted soldier. Just think you could donate your free items to charity or help out your own family.)
Luckily for me I have a friend who has recently gotten into couponing and her enthusiasm for the “sport” is what tipped the scales. I could no longer say I didn’t want to teach myself how do it because I had a willing and very able teacher for free. On top of that, could I really say “No, I don’t want to get awesome stuff for free. I’d rather pay, thank you!” Nope, couldn’t do that either. So began my journey into couponing.
My adventure begins with watching an instructional dvd that my friend had purchased online. (Check out supercouponing.com) It’s cheesy but majorly informative. It shows you how you are currently couponing wrong, how to do it right and how to organize yourself to make couponing as fast, easy and simple as possible. It really is a good dvd and I highly recommend you order one. (Or make a date night with me…you can pay me in wine for my time.)
Now, let me ask you this? Do you buy toothpaste? Toothbrushes? Soap? Shampoo/Conditioner? Body Wash? Mouth Wash? Contact Solution? Razors? Deodorant? It’s a very safe bet that you answered yes to almost all of these. What if I told you that you would never have to purchase these things again? Hard to believe? Well, it’s true. If you learn how to super coupon, almost every personal care item you get can be free. Even make-up can be heavily discounted if not free too. You just have to know how to stack your coupons and wait for the right sale. So ask yourself, would you like these items for free? Now that I’ve gotten a few this way, I can honestly say it would be really hard ever going back to paying full price or even the sale price again.
Now, I don’t want to get into specifics. If I were to explain how it all works, it would take many blog entries and to be honest I’m still learning . What I will say is…give it try. Even if you don’t have time to watch that dvd at my house, or you don’t’ have the money to buy it for yourself, there are websites that teach you for free and at whatever time is convenient for you. (Couponmom.com has a series of videos, haven’t watched these to verify if they are good or not.) For those of you who are willing to give it a try and have questions or need help, message me. I’m even apart of a yahoo group that posts good deals and we all help each other out with questions or sometimes we just trade coupons. You can get into that too. The resources are out there to make this super fun and easy to do.
Below is a picture of the very first day I went out. Everything was FREE! I only had to pay tax which only amounts to a couple of cents. Not bad of a scoop when I only had one newspaper to work with. Now-a-days, my gets are much more impressive
(Side note: I'm sending the items I have a stockpile of to my adopted soldier. Just think you could donate your free items to charity or help out your own family.)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
A Year of Self Discovery
(My angry duck face inspired by my Snooki hair, no I'm not a Jersey Shore fan.)In February I wrote a blog titled “Should I Stay or Should I Zombie.” It was about this idea for a zombie story that randomly popped into my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days. It got to a point where I started a scribble page with notes and ideas as they came to me. Not all of those ideas were keepers but I wanted to capture it all. It was the first time I was inspired to write something that wasn’t a blog. It wasn’t my opinion on any subject. It wasn’t a retelling of a funny story. It was an original idea. Something I could create and it seriously made me consider trying to attempt writing a story. Though I always enjoyed the books we read in English classes, the assignments were the part I didn’t enjoy. I never felt like a writer because everything I was asked to write felt forced. So using my past bad experiences with writing overwhelm me, I let the creative feeling pass. The ideas stopped coming but I did hold onto my scribble notes incase inspiration ever strikes again. But what I can’t get out of my mind was the feeling that something exciting was about to happen. One comment on that blog particularly stepped out to me to. Jac wrote “If you write, you are a writer.” This person, who is one of the few followers I don’t actually know, lit a small fire within me. They made me realize that I am a writer. As insignificant I might be right now as a writer, I write therefore I am. It’s just that simple. I’m not writing the next bestseller or news worthy reports but I’m writing for me. Because it feels good.
The biggest change I’ve made to my writing, is writing what I know. I’m not writing an introduction paragraph followed up by facts. I’m not researching topics. I’m not forcing to quote references, focusing on any grammar or worrying how small my vocabulary is. I type as fast as the thoughts and ideas come to me. I highly recommend it; it’s almost therapeutic. Like releasing the pressure in my brain. And now that I’m excited about writing, I’m actually more interested in proper grammar and expanding my vocabulary. I’ve already signed up to receive a Word A Day email from Webster. There’s still time yet to become a word junkie right? As for proper grammar, well I imagine that will always be an issue. I want my words to sound like me. And until I can speak properly, it’ll always be a little off. Plus, it may be because I’m naïve but I like to think that if I wrote something great one day, I’ll just have an amazing editor to put a good polish on my work.
And I have to say, starting this blog has been great. I love running into friends and family who come up to me and actually discuss something I wrote. I can’t help but glow a little bit when a few of my crazy awesome aunts say I have a talent for writing. Though I do believe they are a bit biased because I’m family, they wouldn’t say that if I was god awful either. So I suppose I can say I’m winning! And it never fails to amaze me which blogs get the most feedback. I think to date most of my woman readers responded to the “MILF Me” blog. And that one made me a little proud because my husband wasn’t too crazy about it. But I had the proof right in front of me, I’m not the only one. And that’s one other great thing about writing; you receive support and realize that your never the only one.
So my writing pilot is still lit. And I’ve begun looking into creative writing classes. I mentioned this to my dear old husband and I was actually a little offended at his response. After asking me how much a six week online course at ECC would cost, Michael responded “So it’s basically a $100 journal.” Ok, I will agree he has some merits. I am a beginner writer. Nothing from this class will probably evolve into anything but I suppose my gambling side is coming out because I can’t help but think what if! What if I take this creative writing class and it helps me get my start. I’ve already had more random story ideas pop into my head. What if one assignment blooms a small paragraph about one of those ideas. Then that paragraph grew into two pages, into a full chapter and before you know it, I have a novel. It could happen.
Don’t get my husband wrong, he’s supportive. And he’s smart. We’ve been together a long time and he knows that I get excited and ambitious whenever something new has caught my attention. What he also knows is that my attention can wan when the going gets tough. So I’d like to point out it’s been one year. One year of what? One year of blogging my friends. I have written 50 blogs in the past year. That’s almost an average of one per week. I honestly can’t see it stopping anytime soon either. So Mr. Vicious, time to embrace the new writer in the family.
(The scariest thing for me about this creative writing class is sharing my writing and getting feedback from my fellow students. Because I don’t’ see it like this blog. I’m comfortable with this. It’s like a journal, justing describing how I see my day to day life. What I’m hoping to get out of the class is starting a story that’s completely made up. Little spooky.)
The biggest change I’ve made to my writing, is writing what I know. I’m not writing an introduction paragraph followed up by facts. I’m not researching topics. I’m not forcing to quote references, focusing on any grammar or worrying how small my vocabulary is. I type as fast as the thoughts and ideas come to me. I highly recommend it; it’s almost therapeutic. Like releasing the pressure in my brain. And now that I’m excited about writing, I’m actually more interested in proper grammar and expanding my vocabulary. I’ve already signed up to receive a Word A Day email from Webster. There’s still time yet to become a word junkie right? As for proper grammar, well I imagine that will always be an issue. I want my words to sound like me. And until I can speak properly, it’ll always be a little off. Plus, it may be because I’m naïve but I like to think that if I wrote something great one day, I’ll just have an amazing editor to put a good polish on my work.
And I have to say, starting this blog has been great. I love running into friends and family who come up to me and actually discuss something I wrote. I can’t help but glow a little bit when a few of my crazy awesome aunts say I have a talent for writing. Though I do believe they are a bit biased because I’m family, they wouldn’t say that if I was god awful either. So I suppose I can say I’m winning! And it never fails to amaze me which blogs get the most feedback. I think to date most of my woman readers responded to the “MILF Me” blog. And that one made me a little proud because my husband wasn’t too crazy about it. But I had the proof right in front of me, I’m not the only one. And that’s one other great thing about writing; you receive support and realize that your never the only one.
So my writing pilot is still lit. And I’ve begun looking into creative writing classes. I mentioned this to my dear old husband and I was actually a little offended at his response. After asking me how much a six week online course at ECC would cost, Michael responded “So it’s basically a $100 journal.” Ok, I will agree he has some merits. I am a beginner writer. Nothing from this class will probably evolve into anything but I suppose my gambling side is coming out because I can’t help but think what if! What if I take this creative writing class and it helps me get my start. I’ve already had more random story ideas pop into my head. What if one assignment blooms a small paragraph about one of those ideas. Then that paragraph grew into two pages, into a full chapter and before you know it, I have a novel. It could happen.
Don’t get my husband wrong, he’s supportive. And he’s smart. We’ve been together a long time and he knows that I get excited and ambitious whenever something new has caught my attention. What he also knows is that my attention can wan when the going gets tough. So I’d like to point out it’s been one year. One year of what? One year of blogging my friends. I have written 50 blogs in the past year. That’s almost an average of one per week. I honestly can’t see it stopping anytime soon either. So Mr. Vicious, time to embrace the new writer in the family.
(The scariest thing for me about this creative writing class is sharing my writing and getting feedback from my fellow students. Because I don’t’ see it like this blog. I’m comfortable with this. It’s like a journal, justing describing how I see my day to day life. What I’m hoping to get out of the class is starting a story that’s completely made up. Little spooky.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)