LifeScouts: Ballet!

Listening to Justin Timberlake TKO - not sure how I feel about it yet. I want to like it, but I'm just not sure. Plus I'm pretty sure I can hear a guinea pig in the background.
Overwhelmed with homework.
    Normally, I write these posts when I don't have anything else to write about. Today, I just felt like giving myself a prompt and going with it.
    Ballet was a huge part of my life. I danced for nine years in two different ballet studios. I quit just before auditioning for company, and part of me regrets that so much. See, my feet naturally turn out. I walk like a duck, or a penguin, or some other absurd animal. And you don't even wanna see me run. If you didn't already know I danced, you'd figure it out pretty quick, even though I'm an absolute klutz. When I was a baby, my parents worried something was wrong and took me to get my feet checked out. The doctor said, "Oh, she's fine, just put her in ballet." So in kindergarten, that's what happened.
    I did everything but hip-hop and tap, really. Ballet, jazz, pointe, modern - I would've done tap and hip-hop if given the option. I learned Thriller when I was eight, danced to Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend from Moulin Rouge and A Hard Knock Life from Annie. I got to be a fairy in two different performances (I was fairy-obsessed as a child, and still want to own anything Tinker-Bell related). I was in the Nutcracker almost every single year. I was a Christmas Tree Doll, one of Mother Ginger's Children (twice), a Little Angel (twice), a Toy Soldier, a Big Angel. I quit the year I would've been one of the Party Girls, which is the one thing I regret most.
    Before you get excited, I don't mean the current definition of party girl - I would not have been playing beer pong in a tutu. The story of the Nutcracker is that a little girl named Clara receives a nutcracker doll for Christmas, and on Christmas Eve he comes to life, battles the Rat King and his minions, and takes her to the magical land he comes from where a bunch of different countries dance for her (girls on pointe from China, a belly dancer from Arabia, Mother Ginger and her Children, The Sugar Plum Fairy). Before all this occurs, she is given the Nutcracker at a Christmas party that all of her friends and their parents attend. I would have been one of the friends. They had beautiful Victorian-style dresses, got to wear their hair down in bouncing ringlets (not buns like everyone else), and got to do a little play-acting on stage while other people danced. It was every little girl's dream, just short of getting to be Clara herself, or the Sugar Plum Fairy. Personally, I wanted to be a Party Girl, then dance in Tea (the Chinese dance), then Coffee (the Arabian dance), then the Russian dance, and lastly the Sugar Plum Fairy, so I could get a chance to do all my favorites. But I never got to do any of them, because I quit to be in colorguard, which as I've previously stated really wasn't worth it. What sucks is even if I got back into ballet, I'm so out of practice and out of shape, I'd never be good enough to do any of those parts I loved. So I've missed my narrow window of opportunity.
    But I know if I'd kept doing ballet, it would have taken over my life - we're talking practicing like twenty hours a week - and I never would have met Corey. In missing my first goal in life, I met the one I never knew I wanted, until I did. So I guess I really don't regret anything.
    Except maybe not transferring to UNCW while I still could. ha ha.

 

What's something that was once a big part of your life? Something you thought would shape your future, or maybe something that has? Tell me below!

Endless Rewrites

Listening to Blue Ocean Floor, by my man JT. I really cannot get enough of this album.
Thinking about writing and the many issues that accompany it.
    I was reading old posts to be sure I still wanted them on the blog. Just on a whim. I stumbled on one from the December I'd first started this blog. I'd just finished my first NaNoWriMo, and I was filling in the blanks between big events in the story. The same story I'm working on now, only this is a complete rewrite. I was having problems, I wrote, with the boring and the mundane. The every-day events. Now that I've changed so much of the story, I'm trying to tone down the big events so that they don't take so much stage. I don't want them to be the center of the story, to stand out from it. I want it to all be one continuous line. The way the novel should end, were I to put it in musical terms, is on a softer note, and the whole story should lead up to it at the same tempo, but still with a sense of forward motion. Does that make sense?
    The thing is, I took two short story writing classes, and my strength, unbeknownst to me, is writing the mundane and still making it entertaining. I would take small vignettes and make a story out of them, and though nothing huge happened, it was still a moving and engaging story. That's the feeling I want to evoke in this novel. It doesn't lead up to the big bang ending you want, but you're content with it nonetheless. This is apparently my strength, isn't it?
     So why do I find myself struggling with it? Someone de-riddle this for me, because I'm losing my patience with myself.
***Added*** Shout out to my good friend Hannah from Hannah Cynthia Lane for being such an awesome reader and writer, for that matter! (Y'all go check out her blog ASAP; she makes me giggle like a hyena during a hostile takeover.) Hope you have fun in Fiction Writing this semester with Big Daddy Platt. Also known as the Plattypus. (Side note, don't call him any of these names. We kinda got him angry a few times.)

Five Faves and a Flop: July

Listening to Ingrid Michaelson "Are We There Yet?" and the rain outside.
Craving almonds and dried cranberries. Look at me. Being so healthy.

    So initially, this blog wasn't meant to be much about style, make-up, etc. Admittedly, when I started this blog, I didn't wear a lot of make-up. Concealer, powder, mascara. Eyeliner if I was feeling fancy. But last year when I moved out, and didn't have cable, I got into following a lot of people on YouTube, many of them being beauty vloggers. Make-up suddenly seemed more accessible and fun, and I developed a bit more in terms of my own personal style. So like it or not, these things are likely to stick around.* Also, I am aware that July is not yet over, but I already have things to write about!
    On that explanatory note, here are my Five Faves and a Flop





Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquers
(aka Apocalips) in Celestial, Big Bang, and Luna

Being the YouTube junkie that I am, I'd heard quite the buzz surrounding these products for absolutely months from countless beauty vloggers... from the U.K. They came out in the U.K. at the beginning of the year and took a full six months to make it across the pond. Which, personally, drove me nuts. Everyone was obsessing over these things and I couldn't get my little paws on them. I saw Celestial on Fleur, and right away I knew I would love that one. Then of course, I saw Zoe wearing Big Bang and about lost my marbles it was so adorable. So, after raving upon the purchase of Celestial, my mom went out and bought one for herself (I cannot for the life of me remember which one) and Big Bang for me. Then I went a little mental and bought two more - Luna, and Nude Eclipse. I swear I don't have a problem. (Forewarning, if I've convinced you to go get one, they're only available in Walgreens at the moment. Very reasonably priced too, only about $5!)






American Eagle Corset Skater Dress

I desperately wish I had a photo of this dress on. It is so cute I can't even handle it. And it has this adorable big bow in the back with a keyhole detail. (I couldn't find a photo of the back as it's no longer in stores.) I nabbed this little number just before the Fourth to pair with - you guessed it - bright red Rimmel lip lacquer. And red undies that no one else could see, but they just made me feel more patriotic, you know? I have a deep and abiding love for American Eagle and aerie, but everything is just so expensive.  I've taken to waiting until things go on clearance, then waiting for the clearance to go on sale. By way of these methods, this dress (originally $50) was reduced to $40, then $20! That's the way to go, yo!



Mossimo and Co. Braided Rose Gold Sandals

I didn't expect these to be anything special, really. I simply needed sandals because I typically wear mine until they're falling apart. I grabbed them because they're simple and felt comfortable on, and I felt like rose gold hadn't really made a big appearance yet, so they were a little different. But they just go with everything! I've been wearing them non-stop - even more than my rope gladiator sandals from two years ago that I had been obsessed with. I also happened to be wearing them the night Coco proposed, so there's a pleasant memory associated with them as well.






Perfect Scents an Impression of
Marc Jacobs Daisy

Alright, now I feel a little guilty posting this one, but it was just such a good deal, and I really do love it. CVS has released a bunch of "impressions" of high-end perfumes, like Clinique Happy, and Viva la Juicy, and (as you can see) Marc Jacobs Daisy. They're under three ounces (read: perfect for travel), cheap ($10), and accessible (read: I hate going to the mall for stuff, please don't make me go). Now, one of the companies got a little angry and filed a law suit about it. I don't know how everything panned out, but I now feel slightly guilty about my purchase. I know the scents aren't precisely exact, but they're close enough. I have to say, though, that I love the Daisy "Impression."



PaperMate Inkjoy Pens

I've been writing a lot recently. Physically writing, working on yet another revision of one of my novels. Who knows if it will come to anything, I'm just happy I'm writing again. Those of you who know me personally know my scary obsession with office supplies. I love paper, notebooks, pencils, staplers, and especially pens. I like actually watching the ink being soaked in by the paper when I write. Writing at the most basic level. I'm weird, and I'm not sorry. These pens have been awesome. I won't go into the details for risk of further distancing the few readers I have, but yeah. I like these pens, y'all.
And... The Flop. Wah-wahh...





Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer
 in Nude Eclipse

It's really not the actual product that I dislike here. Honestly, it's just the color. And part of it I blame (in jest) on Zoe. You see, she has this beautiful porcelain complexion that almost any color compliments. She wore Nude Eclipse in one of her videos and it looked so chic and gorgeous. I thought, "I should like to look chic and gorgeous..." So I bought Nude Eclipse when I bought Luna. I am not porcelain. I am also not tan. I am a confusing and lonely somewhere in between with my weird yellowy undertones that wreak havoc with potential lipstick loves. Most unfortunately, Nude Eclipse on me is flesh. My flesh. When I wear this color, I have no lips. I have skin. It's just depressingly unattractive. I don't blame Rimmel, I don't really blame Zoe. I have no one to blame so it's just sad.

What have been your favorites this month?

 *N.B. I have not had anyone complain. But should anyone be thinking about doing so, I won't listen. 'Kaythanksbye.

LifeScouts

Listening to Bust a Move by Young MC on repeat (because I want to drive myself insane. No, I'm going to use it for a school project so I have to keep listening to it.)
Thinking about how incredibly relieved I am that this stupid summer course is almost over. One day left, guys. One. Day.
    So, I don't know if any of you frequent YouTube like I do ("frequent" here means "visit every twelve and a half minutes"), but there's a dude called Nerimon whose real name is Alex Day who's pretty cool. And he makes entertaining videos. He also started this thing called LifeScouts. Which is also pretty cool. Just kidding, it's actually pretty awesome.
    The concept is that you're sharing stories and experiences with people by reblogging these little badges and describing how you "earned" them. You can also buy physical badges, but as I don't wear pin badges or have much use for them, I prefer the rebloggable badges. Plus, I realized something. I'm horrible about starting things and not sticking with them. And I love to write and really need to keep myself doing it, so I thought what better way to keep blogging than to tell you (the general public of the internet) a story every time I can't think of something to write?
    So here's the first one:

Empire State Building!

    My freshman year in high school, I joined the color guard in the band. Now the band at my high school was pretty intense. They were third in the nation my sophomore year at Grand Nationals. That being said, they run the program like the military. They have multiple week long rehearsals in the middle of the summer in the middle of the day, outdoors, where kids were dropping like flies. Oddly I didn't pass out until I quit color guard, but that's not important. The band was selected to march in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is in New York City, of course. We all got to go see multiple landmarks, the Empire State Building being one of them, where the most memorable fact that I learned was not the number of floors, or how long it took to build, but that if you throw a penny off the top and it hits a person in the head on the ground, it will kill them. Then the next day, I woke up at three a.m. to trudge through ice and snow with a giant freezing cold metal pole, get trampled by a fat trumpeter, and fall on some spectators during our big performance. But I still caught my flag from the toss after I got up! 

I'm Back!

from here

Listening to Clopin Clopant by Django Reinhardt. I'm learning to love this guy. Reminds me of the music from this Pixar short.
Contemplating what to make for dinner. Veggie Pizza? Chicken with goat cheese and lemon butter herb sauce? The possibilities are endless! Actually the possibilities sort of end there... I need to expand my cooking abilities.
    Hey, peeps! I'm back! I think life has officially calmed down enough for me to begin blogging semi-consistently again. Stop laughing. I'm going to get better at it. So, an update, yes?
     Finally reached the end of the semester, and got my grades back - two As, a B, and a C. I know, I'm not super happy about the C either, but the class was difficult, and I didn't enjoy it even though I worked hard for it, so I'll live with it. I'm pretty sure one of the Bs was borderline C, but my final project really made the difference in my grade. And the As were in my two favorite classes, so they were expected.
    Back in the last week of April, Coco was deployed. I'm not sure I'm allowed to say exactly where he is, but I'll just say middle east. I get to hear from him once a day if I'm lucky - a little facebook message if he can get access to the internet - and yes, it does suck. He could be there anywhere from seven to nine months. So if y'all could keep him in your prayers, that would be delightful.
    On Saturday night, my sister and I took my mom out to the Cheesecake Factory for Mother's Day. It's a tradition because Maggs and my mom love cheesecake. (My dad was out of state visiting his mother.) The dinner was absolutely delicious, as per usual, but I got the wrong dessert. I ordered the Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake, which is not in fact a cheesecake, but chocolate cake layered with chocolate mousse. I got it last year and only had three bites the first night then put it in the fridge at home, and by day two, everyone else in my family had eaten it for me. Even though they had their own cheesecakes to eat. So I didn't get to eat my own cake. This year, they gave me a truffle cheesecake instead. I hate cheesecake. So I didn't get to eat my cake this year either. Sadface.
    On a brighter note, I started a writing group with some friends this summer. We're meeting every other Wednesday to discuss what we're working on and critique each others' writing. Four of us are actually working on novels, and then the other one is doing short stories. For the sake of their privacy, I'll use the following nicknames: Kelly Kapowski, Moose, GI Bob, and This Friend. I'm pretty psyched about it. Finally letting people read the book I've been working on for the past four years - it's been four years now, guys!
    So yeah. Gonna be a fun summer. Gird your loins. Ha.

On NaNoWriMo (and other things) And a Letter

Listening to I've Got the World on a String by the one and only, Frank Sinatra. My lover. Like no other. Okay, I'll stop now.
Stressing over school. Mainly stats. Only stats. Please kill me with a blunt object.

Dear Statistics,

    You know that feeling of impending doom you feel before you get on an airplane? No, well, you know that feeling of impending doom I feel before I get on an airplane? Every time I do one of your problem sets, that's what I feel. And my brain gets scared and locks itself in a lead box, through which I cannot communicate with it. That's your fault. It would be really cool if you didn't make me cry anymore. It's not nice. 
    Sincerely, 
Sarah Jane Eller
    So, those of you who know me personally (probably the only people who read this blog are people who know me personally. Except for you random folks in Germany and Russia - shout out! Whaddup?) know that math gives me rashes. It also gives me panic attacks, hot flashes, and causes hyperventilation. They seriously need a warning label for statistics. I received a particularly poor grade for my last test, which I went to extra study sessions for, and actually studied for (as opposed to my first test, for which I did little preparation).
    That being said, I still have not completely decided if I'm going to participate in NaNoWriMo this month, as I have the last two years. (If you are unsure what NaNoWriMo is, click here for the full run-down... or write-down... sorry. ha ha. But to be brief, it stands for National Novel Writing Month, and you write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November.) I realize that my school work (read: stats) is going to require a lot of extra time and effort, but I also don't want to ruin my little record. I've won every time I've attempted it, and I don't want to stop now. It feels good to know that I can do it, and it feels even better when I do do it. (ha. doo-doo. Sorry. Again.) Know what I'm sayin'?
    Also: I do want to be a writer. Biggest ambition, right there. I will be teaching Latin, but in my down-time, I will be writing. Don't I need the practice now? I can promise you two things right now: first, I will never use stats again in my life. I will avoid it like those creepy zombie babies at Halloween stores (anyone else? I almost wet myself the first time I saw one). Secondly, if I don't pump out 50,000 words this month, I will regret it until the day I get published (I probably won't care after that, because, hey, I've got my book on the shelves, yo), and that day may never come.
    I'm not asking you, surferdudes of the interwebs, to justify my writing of a novel in lieu of applying myself in statistics. There is no question here. I will be (forcibly) choosing stats over my novel. So if it doesn't get finished in the 30 28 days left, that's why. And I want you to know. WITH THE INTERNET AS MY WITNESS (that's a lot of you) MY POTENTIAL FAILURE IS NOT MY FAULT.
    Blame statistics. 99.9% of the time, you're failure can be blamed on math. Math is always at fault. In the language of logic - shoutout to Brother Gil of eighth grade who taught me logic - "Math is always a fault-haver." Why couldn't I take logic instead of statistics?

Letters to Inanimate Objects 9/20

from chelseyannn on iconator.com

Listening to All About Us by He Is We featuring Owl City. No lie, this song has been on repeat for a good three weeks now. 
Pondering what I'm going to do with my short story for fiction writing - it's due Thursday!
    It's been a while since I wrote some letters. Although I still do it out loud frequently, none have them have been funny enough to post here. So here are a few I found scattered through my notes over the past few weeks:

Dear Lucille, 

It's good to have you back, friend. I must say, I was a bit put off by your new look, but I'm sure it will grow on me (it has). Now that we've been through this traumatic experience, I think we will value one another much more in our future endeavors. I promise to be as respectful and considerate of you as you are of me. This is a two way street, you know. Respect goes both ways. If you promise not to crash again and lose lots of valuable information, I promise I won't "accidentally" drop you. Deal? Deal.

Dear Future Sarah Jane,

You'd better be just as awesome (read: completely dorky) in the future-present as you are now in the past-present. Don't be ashamed of your nerdy geek-hood. People will at least respect your confidence if they don't respect you yourself.  And please, for your own good, keep up with the chiropractor. Yeah, I know you hate it when your joints pop, but it's for the sake of your well-being. Remember that time your third year in college when you didn't want to move your head because it made your whole back hurt? Yeah, I knew you didn't want to go back there. 

Dear Back, Neck, and Shoulders,

I'm sorry I haven't kept you healthy. I'm also sorry that I've been stressed and have caused your muscles to harden until they feel like they're made of piano strings instead of muscle fibers.  It sucks, I know. I feel your pain. Literally. But we'll get through this. I'm taking you to the chiropractor again next week.

Lucille's Tragedy

from MOViESTARxMATERiAL on iconator.com

Humming Starlight by Muse
Craving Pretzel M&Ms. I had a bag earlier. And by a bag, I don't mean 99 cents at the register. I mean, search for it by the five-packs of gum in the candy aisle.
I swear I have an excuse this time. No, really, I do. My hard drive crashed. Lucille - my laptop - was in the shop for two weeks, and she now has a new hard drive and none of my old data. Except for my book, which I thankfully had the insight to rescue and move to a jump drive. I now understand the importance of "backing up" one's hard drive. I now also know the definition of "backing up" in reference to a hard drive. Yes, I am that technologically illiterate.
    At least I'm not grammatically illiterate.Which would be unfortunate for an English major.
    Or just illiterate. Equally unfortunate.
    Poor joke.
    So there's that. Also, I have been working quite a bit, and babysitting (which I honestly haven't done in quite some time), and some other things which I shall probably tell you about tomorrow(ish) or Saturday. And classes started yesterday. I'm taking fifteen hours, which is really not that bad, but the load will be heavy, so I'll have to get on a set schedule for posts.
    Here's what I'm thinking. Letters to Inanimate Objects (and Random People) at the end of the week - think Saturday nights, so I can write letters to Panera's new toaster. Let's call 'im Squealer. And either Sunday or Monday will be "Punday," depending on when I have time to be clever, and how much cleverness I can remember. And if I can think of any other clever posty ideas, I'll definitely squeeze them in. Along with a few sporadic ramblings about books, literature, and writing. I am, after all, in two English classes. And this blog is, in fact, called Dang Write! I might as well write at least a bit on the subject of writing itself.
    On that note, I've been reading The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Now, the movie The Secret Garden (yes, the one with Maggie Smith, who plays Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter, as Mrs. Medlock), was always a favorite movie of mine as a child. I loved the gray, Gothic moors and how much it contrasted with the beauty of the garden once Mary and Dickon had tended to it. I loved the magic of Colin's walking, and how he acted like a little Rajah, and how Mary was the only person who could control him at all. The whole thing was just so magical, and as a child obsessed with magic, you can understand the draw. Well, when I was about ten, I got my hands on a copy of the novel from the church library (which was also the school library) and readied myself to be equally impressed with Burnett's writing.
    But I wasn't. I was impatient, and though the writing really wasn't that heavy, it was just too much for my ravenous mind to chew. So I returned it to its shelf, and didn't look back.
    Until a week and a half ago at Barnes and Noble. It called to me from the Classics shelf, I swear. My mom was in the bathroom, and I already had a twenty dollar hardbound collection of Poe in my grip, but I reached for it. I haven't been able to put it down since. The book, as they almost always are, is so much better than the movie I remember as a child; I am, however glad I saw it first. I still have those actors' faces and voices in my mind's eye (and ear) as I read, and it's like I can see it so much more clearly for being familiar with the characters already.
    Anyway, I digress. The purpose of this was to recommend it to you. It's fantastic, a quick read, and everything is simply put. I didn't have to re-read a single sentence, unless I wanted to. And some were just so beautifully written, that I did. So go buy it. It's cheap, and wonderful. (Which sounds dirty.) Get your mind out of the gutter and into The Secret Garden.

Hot Cross Puns

from sissykazam at iconator.com

Listening to People Watching by Jack Johnson. Go listen to this song now. It's so cute.
Laughing at my own pun-dividuality (okay, that one was a stretch...)
    For anyone who knows me personally, you know that I am completely obsessed with puns. For those of you who don't (all five of you), here it is: 

 

    So I've decided to add a new weekly post, dedicated to the really terrible puns I make, and the ones I hear and laugh at like a crazy person. If you don't like puns, you don't have to read these posts, but I'm an English major, and I love words, and playing with them. So here are your first puns!

• Three weeks ago, I had some friends visit me at work (at Panera Bread). I took a break to sit with them for a bit, but was worried that I'd be late when I got back on the clock, so I kept checking the time on my phone. My friend Caroline said I was "Paneranoid". Ha! 
• Yesterday, at work (again), I asked one of my managers how she was doing. She replied, "Oh, you know, another day in paradise." I added, "Yep, we're in Paneradise." Sorry I have a thing for playing with "Panera."
• Today - surprise! - at work, I bagged up a pecan sticky roll and a pumpkin muffin top for a customer. I put them in separate baggies explaining, "The pecan rolls don't play nice with other pastries; they have a bit of a nutty temperament." Ha!! Yay. 

    There you have it! The puns of the week! Hope you at least managed a chuckle. If not - loosen up!

Thanks to Haley for the punny post idea. I'm on a roll, here.

 

And Then Life Happened

from MagicShyStars on iconator.com

Listening to La Vie En Rose by Louis Armstrong
    I'm sorry. I know I've slacked. For the two of you who probably read this blog, I apologize profusely. It seems that even though I'm on summer break, I'm always so incredibly busy!
    For one, I'm trying to move out. Trying being the operative word. I've found a great place, and have one definite roommate, and one potential. And Potential Roommate says she can suggest other Potentials. It's a two bedroom two bathroom apartment, so it would be a bit squished, but I think we can handle it. The main problem is that it costs money. Money that I don't have. But it's okay; I'm working on that, too.
    I've been writing and editing a ton. If the words I've written in the last week and a half were given measurable weight, they'd crush me in a millisecond. It sort of feels like they already have. But in a good way, if that's possible.
    Next Friday, Corey graduates from basic training, and I'm so incredibly excited for him. I'm planning on driving down to see his graduation with my sister, which should be super fun. Well, seeing him will be. The driving down may kill me. I'm not a fan of the interstate. Neither is my 14-year-old car.
    But I don't care. I promised I would see him graduate, and I am not breaking that promise. Even if my car breaks down.
    Anhoo, here are a few Letters to Inanimate Objects to make up for my slacking:

Dear Pandora,

You know, you really just get me. I feel that this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I have extremely eclectic musical tastes, but you seem to know me better than I know myself. In one sitting you played La Vie En Rose by Louis Armstrong, then The Hat by Ingrid Michaelson, and then Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer. Well played. Ha, radio pun. 

Dear Future Roomies,

I'm super psyched about potentially living with you. If this blog is any indication, you can gather that I'm super nerdy, and a little bit weird (okay, "a little bit" may be a slight understatement), but I'm fun! And I love Disney. LOVE. 

Dear Summer 2011,

We're going to have a great season. We're going to meet all of our goals, and succeed in every possible way. You're going to use your gloriously bright sun to give me a good tan, and I'm going to use my writerly skills to finish my book and start querying! And it's going to be all Awesome Sauce and Happy Sprinkles! Blog Five! ^5


Sincerely,
Sarah Jane

Busy Bee!

from xVoLcOmShOrTiex at iconator.com

Bobbing about to Lovefool by The Cardigans (It's Big 90s weekend on Star94 - I can't help it.)
About to go to work. Yay..
    Ciao, Bloglets!Thought I'd throw in a quick post to let y'all know I'm still alive! For the last two weeks, I've been writing papers galore and finishing finals, and working, and having no social life, but I'm finally finished! I fought my way out with three Bs and one A, and I'm pretty happy about that considering I probably shouldn't have passed Italian. Hey, it's cool - he just gave me a B. For the heck of it. I'm not complaining, I promise.
    My goal, however, is to have my book finished by the end of May so that I can start sending out query letters and such, so if I happen to disappear from the blogosphere (that totally rhymed), you know why. :) Don't worry, I won't leave you forever. I'll try to keep tossing in a few posts here and there to keep you on your toes.

The Finals Frenzy

from ViNTAGE_iS_lOVEe on iconator.com

Jumping up and down like a crazy person to Galaxies by Owl City. I am in complete infatuation with this song. I've had it on repeat for almost a week now. It's probably unhealthy, but I'm not looking to improve my health habits in the midst of all-nighters-and-fast-food-so-I-can-study-and-write-week. Yes. That's what it's called. Didn't you know? ANAFFSICSAWW. It's all over the news.
    Yeah, I totally changed the blog name and URL. I'm sorry, but I like this one much better, and I think it fits a little better. As you can probably tell, I have a thing for puns/playing-on-words (and with them, for that matter). Dang Write - Dang Right. And now The Soul, Unquiet Thing. It comes from a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge called "Frost At Midnight." Contextually, my title doesn't make much sense. But in my mind, it's perfect. Explanation:
    Here is the first stanza of the poem:

The Frost performs its secret ministry,

Unhelped by any wind. The owlet's cry

Came loud—and hark, again! loud as before.

The inmates of my cottage, all at rest,

Have left me to that solitude, which suits

Abstruser musings: save that at my side

My cradled infant slumbers peacefully.

'Tis calm indeed! so calm, that it disturbs

And vexes meditation with its strange

And extreme silentness. Sea, hill, and wood,

This populous village! Sea, and hill, and wood,

With all the numberless goings-on of life,

Inaudible as dreams! the thin blue flame

Lies on my low-burnt fire, and quivers not;

Only that film, which fluttered on the grate,

Still flutters there, the sole unquiet thing.

Methinks, its motion in this hush of nature

Gives it dim sympathies with me who live,

Making it a companionable form,

Whose puny flaps and freaks the idling Spirit

By its own moods interprets, every where

Echo or mirror seeking of itself,

And makes a toy of Thought.

    I realize this is a little heavy compared to my regular "I lost my car again" blog posts, but bear with me. I'm about to go all English major on you. The speaker of the poem is looking out at a silent winter night. Everything is completely still; everyone else in the house, the "inmates" are asleep. It's so calm and quiet that he can hardly thinK. Nothing moves, not even the flame in the fireplace - it burns without flickering. The only thing that moves at all is the "film, which fluttered on the grate, / still flutters there, the sole unquiet thing" (I even highlighted it for you - I know, I'm so good to you).  Because this "film" (which means a piece of soot) is the only other thing moving, it is a "companionable form" to the speaker, stirred by some "idling Spirit".
    The soul is a very unquiet thing, too. In fact, while some people can be very subdued and quiet, I can guarantee their soul has much to say. I know my soul isn't the "sole unquiet thing," but I'd like to think by being an "unquiet thing," my soul can be companionable to yours. :) Cheesy, I know, but get over it.

~

    Alright, now that you've had your daily learnin' from me, let's move on to less dense subjects. Like bubbles. (See what I did there? 'Cause bubbles aren't dense? Ha..) 

    This week and next week are my last two weeks of classes, and I'm kind of dying. I'm more or less a zombie. And with all these lovely storms ravaging the southeast, my internet and computer and printer decided to go on holiday. Convenient. Let's just run through my schedule for this week:

• Thursday: Massive research paper for English 2145 due at 9:30 (and I'm nowhere near finished) and Poetry Reading I, and decidedly smaller paper for World History due at 6:30 (only 1500 words, and I've done all the research. Cake.) also review day for WH Final
• Friday: work from 4-close (which will be around eleven once I finish closing)
• Saturday: special sekrit trip for book research. SO EXCITED!
• Sunday: Church. Work from 4-close (we close an hour earlier on Sundays, but will still be there until at least ten)
• Monday: Italian Final (I'm hoping for a C at least, and unfortunately that's wishful thinking), British Literature 1600-Present Survey Final. Work 4-close (around eleven)
• Tuesday: Reflective Essay for English 2145 due and Poetry Reading II, World History Final.

    If I'm a zombie now, imagine what I'll be by this time next week. Someone, please, have pity on this unfortunate unmentionable and cut off her head now while she can appreciate it.

Coping: Grammatical Errors

Nodding my head to Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Soundtrack (the videos can be found here) 

Dying for Douceur de France... Mmmmm...

    So, I recently noticed, and not for the first time, that grammatical awareness is collectively dropping. It's really not something that's difficult to grasp - the use of apostrophes, commas, and the correct homonym (those three really get me). But there are more that I've noticed, especially on Facebook. I know many people argue that on Facebook it's not important to have proper grammar (spelling is another matter entirely), but is it really that difficult to throw in an apostrophe or a comma where needed? Or use "well" when necessary?
     Anyways. I've developed a few ways of coping with frustrating grammatical errors. Although I don't run into this error as often as others, the phrase "a lot" can be easily dealt with. Simply imagine the Alot, a friendly cross between a bear, a yak and a pug who eliminates anger at the misuse of "a lot." 

When people forget their commas, I imagine the phrase was meant to be worded that way. For example, on Facebook, someone said, "Thanks for hanging out with me lover butt." So this is what I imagined:

See where I'm going with this? With a little creativity, even the most irritating grammatical errors can become fun! (No, my butt is not really that big. I edited it. Now it's bursting with love.)
    So, I'm heading into snow day number four! This was my first week back in college for the semester, and still no classes! How fantastic is that? 

    [Subscribe if you wish your butt were as huge and love-filled as mine!] 

    Added: Have problems remembering how to spell simple words like awesome and awful? "'E's are for 'Awesome,' not for 'Awful.'" 

While Experiencing an Unfortunate Lack of Inspiration and/or Creativity...

Mentally playing Two Birds by Regina Spektor... How I love that girl...
Suffering from Absentmindeditis, a horrible disease that strikes many, often those who least expect it. Together, we can conquer this. Be strong, reader, be strong.
    I really think my little caption up there says it all at the moment. I'm just not all here, right now, and in my preoccupied state, I have taken it upon myself to read up on a few of my favorite writers' blogs. It is an addiction, and also an unfortunate side effect and/or symptom of absentmindeditis. I swear, it's killing me slowly.
    Enough of the pity party. Let me just say a few words about Maureen Johnson, and how almost every time I read her blog, I burst forth in glorious and uncontrollable laughter. No joke, the woman is hysterical. Albeit, absentmindeditis and 1:30 in the morning combined make almost anything funny for me, I have to say, her rendition of O Spider Tree here was top-notch. "La la la la la Nightmares." Ha, oh how I laugh!
    I've been sitting on my bed for an hour and a half now, pen in hand and notebook perched on my criss-cross-applesauce legs, its wordless blue lines stretching out in endless silence. Why can I not think of anything interesting to put into my book? It is because, dear reader, I am simply filling in the blanks at this point. Writing about the mundane and the every day. I spent NaNoWriMo writing about all the big exciting high-action parts of the story, which while it kept me going and I got my fifty-thousand words, left the most boring things for me to fill in afterward. Let's face it, the book can't be all action, because by the end of the story, the action will have become boring after permeating every page and circumstance. I'm not writing about boring every-day normal life, sure, but everyone has those days, so I have to write them into my book. A lot of conversation and contemplation are included in these days, which is important, but tedious. Every time I start to write something down and start up a page about doing laundry or making dinner, I immediately cross it out because I feel like it's going to be one of those pages that the reader instantly wants to skip over to get to the good parts. I'm having trouble making it seem as important as the rest of the novel. I just can't focus enough to really put everything into it right now.
     I blame absentmindeditis. That and the fact that I just finished City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare, and I really want the next book to see what happens. Only I really don't have money to spend on myself right now. Sad day.