A Resolution

I don’t typically DO resolutions, but I glanced at the clock and saw 11:30 on the first day of the year. I thought briefly, but realized that this is something I can’t analyze and think about too much... I am going to write every day. My writing can be anything, at least ONE word, from any project I may be working on, it can be creative jumble, it can be crap, heck- I could write “this is my sentence of the day, I hate this.” and save the document. I’m going to put a progress bar which will document how many words I’ve written this year. I need to be less focused on simply one project, and more about making writing an everyday habit. I may decide to focus in on one single work, but I’m always working on bits and pieces of many. I’ll keep you updated, but for now I need to pack, and shower and be ready to drive home from my Florida escape tomorrow. Cheers!

Merry Christmas!

I have several very exciting announcements, but those will probably have to wait until tomorrow. For today, I just encourage you to have a happy Christmas. Enjoy the family and friends you get to spend your holidays with. Hug those near you, and treat yourself today. After all, calories don't count on holidays, right?

Much love!

I have some new info to post on "This Week," but I'm choosing to post last week for this post, and next week (this week) next post. Confused yet? Oh just read.


I listened to: The new Ministry of Magic Album, especially the song Lily- it was on repeat all week.

I watched: The Grinch, and back episodes of Glee. :)

I read: Anna and The French Kiss. It was completely wonderful.

I wrote: Down plot idea, and critiqued a query.

I wish: That this snow would melt JUST ENOUGH so that I could drive home and not have to hike up the mountain to get home.


So what did you listen to, watch, read, write and wish this week?

Follow for a free copy of Anna and the French Kiss!

92. What is 92, you may ask? 92 is the number of people needed (as of 4:17 on Saturday the 20th) to give me 400 followers on Twitter. When I reach 400, I am going to give one personalized (As in, "Molly, I hope you enjoy every minute of Anna, I had so much fun writing it! XOXO, Steph." or something of that lot) autographed copy of Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins away to one of those randomly selected followers.(and breathe)Anyone is eligible, all you have to do is follow me! Here is a pre-written tweet with a link, but you can make up your own as well. Happy follow/RTing!

Hi!

Hi!

My name is Molly. You might remember me from this blog... I used to post here until I didn’t. I feel REALLY bad about it. But, thank goodness you all are loving individuals who will read by blog even when I don’t post for a month, and tweet at me in the mean time! :)

I have been RIDICULOUSLY busy- with what, you may ask? Well, from October 27th- November 3rd, I was working on a political campaign for Marco Rubio, senatorial candidate from Florida. I work with a student political activism organization that pulls [primarily homeschooling] students from around the country to work on campaigns for pro-homeschooling candidates. I had an amazing experience, and met some really great people. I also collected some thoughts on our lovely political process, both in terms of voters, and bitter partisanship. That should get up soon.

Congratulations to everyone doing NaNoWriMo this year- I am really glad that I’m not doing it this go around. The fact that I have gotten NO writing done for my novel, and haven’t posted on my blog since mid-October is proof enough that writing a book in 30 days is not practical for me. Right now.

I got an iPhone! Gone is THE cheapest, tackiest phone known to man (it didn’t have a camera, speakerphone, or the ability to play anything but MIDIs. Ahhh!) I bought the 3GS, because I’ve heard too many bad stories about the 4. Oh, and the thing was $107 including tax, which is pretty cheap compared to some of the phones on the market right now. I love being to google anything I want WHENEVER. Nerd freedom! If anyone has app suggestions, I’m definitely willing to take them! Oh, and this brings my Apple total to a PowerMac, a (I think) G4 tower, a MacBook, two iPods (one 2nd Generation, one touch) an an iPhone. Considering getting an apple tattoo.

Vegetarianism- is still going strong. I didn’t expect to be able to keep it up while on campaign, because you spend all week eating food that someone else buys, but there was only ONE instance where I had meat, and that was at my cousin’s house. We had ribs, and they were good. During the campaign we were given gift cards with our meal allowance for the week- we had breakfast and lunch out. Therefore, I was able to choose meat-free items. I’m almost finished with a half-gallon of Silk, and bought Almond Breeze today. I also got a B12 supplement, which I’ve been told is recommended for vegetarians as B12 is pretty essential and apparently found primarily in meat. I feel great!

I think this is where I am going to leave you all- (after “This Week,” of course. I plan on getting back into Monday posting, so I will see you then!

I listened to: The ‘Ones Who Fly, Twos Who Die’ station on Pandora. On my iPhone. :D

I watched: Well, I’m not going to watch YET, but tomorrow (Friday) I will be watching HARRY POTTER!!! (Can you tell I’m excited??!)

I read: This post. It’s a call to action any geeks in the world (um, hello) to support Katie, a first grader with an awesome Star Wars water bottle.

I wrote: Nothing. Homework. Oh well.

I wish: You a Harry bliss-mass at the Friday premiere. (I’m getting punchy. Somebody stop me.)


So what did you listen to, watch, read, write and wish this week?

It's still Monday in Seattle!

This was supposed to go up on MONDAY NIGHT, but my internet was tied
up. SO, instead of Monday night, it shall be posted Tuesday morning at
12:45. Heh.

Vegetarian Update! I really feel good. If I can stay this way, I know
that I can make this a long-time thing. I started out last week with
the intention of going completely dairy-free, and that didn't quite
happen. I had a birthday, see, and my dad makes A-freakingMAZING
cheesecake- mocha cheesecake, in fact. So I didn't keep up with it
over my birthday, but from that point out, I was pretty much as
dairy-free as I could go. It's actually not hard with work (Hi Kayla!)
because we have soy milk. (Actually, a soy coffee frappuccino is
REALLY REALLY good. You can hardly tell a difference.) I've heard from
SEVERAL people to be supercareful with soy, making sure that I don't
go overboard, and make sure to add some variety, and I plan on it. I'm
going to try rice milk next, then almond.

It's amazing how much of a difference I can tell in my sinuses when
I'm not having dairy. I never thought I had any problems before, just
the normal stuffyness. But I woke up on Tuesday (after only ONE DAY of
soy, and have felt the same way when I go dairy-free since) with
completely clear sinuses. It's weird! I like it!

The next step for me is to go meat-free, which I'm already enjoying.
My parents are pretty healthy eaters themselves, and my dad is a chef,
so I've grown up with some unusual foods, many of them from my mom's
favorite cookbook, which is vegetarian meals with five ingredients or
less. I got a soy toffee-nut latte at work, vegetarian pad-thai (vegan
to my knowledge... I asked for no egg, but that doesn't guarantee no
honey, etc.) and my mom made pasta with a zucchini-tomato sauce (no
meat, parmesan optional.) I want to look into getting some vitamin
supplements just to make sure I'm getting everything that I need, but
like I said, if it was this easy ( know it's not going to be like this
forever, um HELLO I've been at it for a week) I'd be a vegetarian
(with vegan tendencies) forever.

No writing this week, just homework and workwork. I'm getting mail
(with applications. *gulp*) all the time, and I'm trying to figure out
scholarships and grants and SAT scores... Stressful, let me tell you.
I also (yay!) got my full license Thursday, so I can now legally drive
whenever. I have a more writing-centered post to go up later this
week, so for now I think I'm going to go to la-la land and end this.
But not without:

THIS WEEK!

I listened to: The podcast "Stuff Mom Never Told You." Two co-hosts
(one of which is named Molly!) talk about some of the most RANDOM and
awesome topics, answering those questions you always wondered about.
Like, "Is Miss America relevant?" "Do men go through menopause?" "Does
my colon need cleansing?" :)

I watched: Easy A! It watches like a good teen novel reads. There's
language, but there's language everywhere. Really funny, and
surprisingly content-free for a movie about a girl who supposedly
sleeps with [practically, or so the rumor goes] her entire senior
class. I'd see it again, AND buy it on DVD.

I read: Scrambled Eggs and Midnight (Actually, I'm readING it.) and,
Tales of a Female Nomad. Love them both.

I wrote: Thank you notes.

I wish: I had Hermione's Time Turner.

So what did you listen to, watch, read, write and wish this week?

Monday! Vegetarianism! SBS!

I'm going to be a vegetarian for awhile. Just because. This post will have next to nothing writing related, just letting you know now. :)

I love a challenge, I love an adventure. I love EXPERIENCING, and being to look back, having realized that I survived. Which is why I'm attempting to be a vegetarian! I'm not doing it for health reasons, (but, hello side benefit!) or moral (although, I don't like the thought of dead anything so why the HE!! am I eating flesh?!? WILLINGLY!) I just am. I'm also not doing this to judge myself (or- heavens, anyone else), or show off, it just seems interesting.

Starting today, Monday, I will be going off dairy for the week. I want to test the water cutting out one major protein source, to see how it goes. If (by the end of the week) I'm still feeling okay, I'll cut out red meats, then chicken and turkey (don't really eat much fish or pork) but with some dairy allowance. At that point I'll be a vegetarian with vegan tendencies. ;) I would go all the way with the veganism (no animal products whatsoever, including gelatin and honey) but I'm not willing to make that kind of commitment. My life is stressful enough.

In other news, I think I might have Second Book Syndrome. I'm scared that I'm writing the same material [as March], just with different characters and a leap across the country. Stephanie Perkins told me that strong coffee and dance music helps, though- so I am going to take her up on that. :) Have you ever experienced SBS? Have you ever tried something just for the heck of it, just because you want the challenge?

THIS WEEK!

I listened to: Coldplay's The Scientist over and over and over and over, AND a customer who came into Starbucks talk about her life living in Crete for 8 months, just because. Oh, and she also traveled in Ireland, and recommended this book. I WANT HER LIFE.

I watched: Runaway Bride.

I read: Hex Hall, by Rachel Hawkins. Really enjoying it so far!

I wrote: very little- oh, except for my name for my LEAKYCON registration!!! :D

I wish: That someday my prince will come, riding on a shooting second star to the right somewhere over the rainbow. <---- I want to see that movie. Oh, and that my inbox didn't scare me as much as it does.

So what did you listen to, watch, read, write and wish this week? (Oh yeah, I'm starting season 6 of friends!  8 hours of show over 9 days.... :D)

I'd like to thank the academy...

As a reader, I loved books for their stories, cover art and such. But now, as a writer, I love a different part. I love acknowledgments (thank you’s, the part of the book where the writer gushes about their amazing support systems, whatever you call it.)

 If you’re a writer yourself, you know how solitary writing can be. After all, your job is basically listening to the voices in your head, and writing them down... Not a whole lot of room for social activities. At least, in my experience, social writing is not very productive. The acknowledgments are so important to me, because I can only imagine how many personal sacrifices those people make because they love the writer.

There's a quote that says that women are like teabags- you don't know how strong they are until you put them in hot water. I think relationships are the same way. You can be fine, and have a GREAT relationship (or friendship) but when the going gets tough, or boring, or you lose time for each other, what happens? The test of any friendship is how they can relate to you when you're writing, and not being very interesting. It's NOT easy being friends with one of us, especially when we can't go out and do stuff because we need to get another couple of thousand words down. We don't make our part of the friendship easy- the voices in our head tend to dominate.

I want to throw this out there to anyone who cares, and anyone who knows me, and still speaks to me. Thank you. Writing is something so important to me, that I couldn't imagine living without it, and I owe you so much- for times when I had to cancel something fun, or wrote while we were on the phone, only managing to get out "Mhmm's" and "Oh, definitely. I get you." Without a great support system, we writers would take to the bottle before ten, and that would NOT be pretty. I’m not naming names, because anyone reading this blog, or anyone who has has some kind of interaction with me over the past year deserves this. So, thanks.

Who do you want to thank? Who supports you, despite the cost?

THIS WEEK:

I listened to: Dinah Washington, and ALL CAPS’s new album, lowercase.

I watched: Oliver! Live! With my lovely, lovely friend GloriaTangerine. “Who will buy this wonderful morning...?”

I read: Paranormalcy!

I wrote: “Everything alright?” Annie said from the kitchen.
“It should be. But next time, leave the parenting of MY daughter to me, okay?” She gathered up the bags, and ran back up the stairs. Jenny knocked again At Callie’s door, silently praying her daughter hadn’t changed her mind. The door handle twisted and the whitewashed door groaned as Callie opened it and let her mother in. She placed the colorful bags on the bed, and turned, ponytail whipping around behind her, to face Callie- one bag in her grasp, and an excited look on her face.

I wish: You joy and happiness, but above all this, I wish you love.

So what did you listen to, watch, read, write and wish this week?

Could it be? An ACTUAL post on a Monday?!

Today's post will not be a long one, partially due to the fact that I have seven minutes before work, partially because there's not much to tell. I've been working, and watching Friends, and doing Geometry. Bleh! But despite my boring, I hope your week was/will be productive and coffee filled. I've certainly got the coffee part down. So without further delay, I present: the end of my post.

THIS WEEK, I:

Listened to: The Ingles Advantage song, which plays every 45 seconds at work. Look it up on YouTube, and you, too will start crying.

I watched: Ross and Rachel get together, and break up, and fight, and not hate each other QUITE so much...

I read: Coffee cups. Decaf? Shots? Milk? Drink? Custom?

I wrote: X[decaf], 3, N PSL, XH (I bet Kayla can translate!)

I wish: I had five more minutes!

Time to whip out the Write or Die. {UPDATED}

I’m not getting any writing done, and I need to... So, I’m whipping out the WoD, setting it for 500 words in 30 minutes. Won’t be too hard, I just need the challenge. I would make this a live blog, but it’s two in the morning, and I doubt any of you are crazy enough to be awake with me. I’ll update this post, and answer questions once my half hour is up. *gulp*

UPDATE:

I am finished, awake, and rather pumped.



Like I said, the time limit wasn't TOO challenging. I can now sleep, and wish that I could write my entire novel that way. It's REALLY late, but if my calculations are correct, I could write a 50,000 word novel in 19 hours if I kept up that pace... Something to think about!


I listened to: These guys.

I watched: Temple Grandin- the movie. You can read more about this AMAZING woman here and here.

I read: This fablulous article on "boy books," by Maureen Johnson, two posts by Stephanie Perkins- one about hope for teens after high school, the other about censorship. I also perused the blogs of Glenna Walsh, Abby Stevens, and Kayla Olson. (Thank you for the comments! I love them all!)

I wrote: The guy came into the store again today, you know the cute one? His name is Brian, I don't remember if I mentioned it. I think he kind of asked me out, and I think I said yes. Oh, and get this- he's picking me up at my house! It's like a real date, only instead of a stern, "Young man, you treat me daughter right" father, I have a grandmother with a shotgun and 23 years of teaching experience. I wonder what will happen tomorrow. If things go well, will I be his girlfriend? I know that implies asking me out again, but where is the line between friends, and friends who go out, and friends who DATE?

I wish: That the dishwasher would load itself, and I could get caffeine in an IV.

See that message below?

The blank one? It had a post. It was eloquent, and BEAUTIFUL. Blogger ate it. I am sad. SO, for your updating convenience, I am posting an older version of that post that was supposed to be on here two weeks ago. I am tired, and it's not updated for modern times. SorrySorrySorry!

Happy Thursday! A Starbucks job, an explanation, list of links and why I'm not doing NaNoWriMo...

So, last week I had this great post written out, and blogger had an issue, and it all went away. The rest of the week was COMPLETELY booked, so Monday became Tuesday, which became a Wednesday, evolving into a Thursday, and here we are again. There's been a lot of major news happen in my world recently, and I'm glad that it's FINALLY online. That makes it official, right?

The first bit of news is great, not quite as fantastic as the second, but amazing anyway. I got a job! At STARBUCKS! For hours a day, I am surrounded by coffee, and calls of "Chai Tea Latte!" or, "Breve Americano!" "Caramel Frappuccino!" Yes, in case you're wondering, I get an occasional free drink. ;) You would not believe the number of people who make it in the door, saying, "You know, I've been having a pretty crappy morning, but I know that when I come to Starbucks, there will be friendly people who will caffeinate me, which will get me through the day." It's a really nice feeling when we get to help.

The job also means that I am now am no longer megabroke, and am about 99.9% positive that I'll be able to go to LeakyCon 2011 next year, which I'm PUMPED about. My library hours changed a bit from summer to fall, in that I now get two hours a week, totaling about $30 dollars per paycheck. My cell phone bill is usually around $20, (I'm on the family plan) and Netflix is $9 per month. Yes, that is correct, I can cover my bills and that's it. With this new Starbucks job, my coffee costs are, well- lesser, and any money I get goes directly to my bank account, not to Netflix or ATT. Of course I say bank account...you had better believe I'll be doing a fair amount of online shopping pretty soon!

But there is bigger news, and this time, it's not about me. Okay, okay, it's SORT of mine: My dad got a job!! March of 2009, his employer said, "We love you, but we're cutting costs, so we can't pay you any more. Buh-bye!" Which, you know... sucks. He searched and worked at a grocery store deli for a few months before a seasonal executive chef position opened up at one of the bajillion summer camps in my area. Nice job, but seasonal. Then he heard about this job as a the catering chef at our local hospital- they are really working on changing their image food wise, and the job seemed like a perfect fit. He got fantastic references, and went to THREE levels of interviews, then one day, an email saying that they had hired someone from inside the company, but thanks anyway. You can imagine how bummed we were. A few weeks pass, and he gets a mysterious phone call from the guy doing all of the interviews. He says for my dad to call him back, and nothing else. Long phone call short, they decided to slightly modify the position, open it up once more, and weren't going to make a decision until the beginning of September. They had him come in last Tuesday, and offered him the job. Over a year and a half, and he finally has a position that he is qualified for, which will provide just the right amount of challenge! This has been a really long time coming. :)

Sooo, we had family in town last week, and then I started my job, AND we officially started school Tuesday. Basically, about a thousand words have been written this week. I also have a bit more news, which is not the happiest: I don't think I'll be able to do NaNoWriMo this year. As much as I would like to be SuperGirl, a job, senior year and some semblance of a life all together do not equal time for NaNoWriMo. I'm not completely ruling it out, because I could drop everything for two crazy weekends and wipe out my word count, 8k a day for six days, plus two 4k writing days... We'll see. I would really LOVE to do it this year, but I don't think I'll be able to do it without giving something up, and that CANNOT be my grades or my job.

Now I need to address a pet peeve. As you now know, (uh- read above) I have a job at Starbucks. It's really great, and most people know EXACTLY what they want to order before they walk in the door. Then there are those poor unfortunate souls (name the reference, anyone?) who walk in, and have NO IDEA what they want, and no idea what anything is. Therefore, I have created a guide, complete with tips and tricks for your ultimate Starbucks Experience. Go with me here.

*****************************************************************

THEKNITTINGNERD'S ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STARBUCKS!

Paying with a card is EASIER than cash. Before working as a barista, I always thought I was inconveniencing someone with a swipe. It's not a problem. We hit buttons, and don't have to count up change.

[Starbucks] Baristas are THOROUGHLY trained. We have (I think) a minimum of 35 hours of book training, throughout 11 manuals.

Just because it's not listed on the menu, (drink wise) doesn't mean we can't make it. Also, ask a barista what THEY like. My co-workers and I all have favorite combinations of syrups that create a new drink. One guy I work with created a neopolitan Frappuccino, as well as one flavored like orange sherbet. I love Pumpkin Spice lattes with vanilla syrup, and chocolate drizzle.

Bring in your own cup and get cheaper coffee!

Starbucks makes their own whipped cream out of heavy whipping cream and vanilla syrup. This might seem kinda minor, and "why would I care?"ish, but it's actually kinda cool. No whipped half-chemicals for us!

You're not inconveniencing us by having us MAKE a drink. If there are no dishes to be done, and the coffee is all brewed and ready to go, there's not a lot for baristas to do. We get bored. Order something, PLEASE?

As a stereotype, we [baristas] actually tend to LIKE our job. I've heard this from my coworkers, and my best friend works at another Starbucks in a neighboring town- same feelings there. :)

So what goes into a drink, you may ask?

A (grande) latte is two shots of espresso, and steamed milk- you hold the foam, and add a little to the top.

A (grande) cappuccino is two shots of espresso, and steamed milk- except the milk is poured (called free pour) without holding the foam, like when you make a latte.

You can get a latte on ice, which is just espresso, milk and ice, but you cannot get a cappuccino iced, because the basis of the drink is that there is more foam than in a latte. (A latte may or may not have foam, depending on your preference. It's not uncommon to get a latte with no foam.)

A (grande) caramel macchiato is syrup, steamed milk, and three shots of espresso poured in at the end, to "mark" the foam. (I believe macchiato is "mark" in Italian, but don't quote me.) then caramel drizzle is added to the top.

An americano is espresso with hot water... which we can add to taste.

A mocha is mocha syrup, two shots of espresso, and steamed milk, no foam and whip.

A chai latte is made of of chai concentrate, hot water and steamed milk. Buuut, the water is optional.

A Frappuccino is made with whole milk by default. If you love fraps, substituting 2% milk and no whip is a great way to have your drink taste pretty normal, (not light, which we CAN do- light syrup, sugar-free flavoring, nonfat milk, no whip) while saving calories.

A Frappuccino is also made with our specially-made coffee starter. You can substitute espresso as your coffee starter if you would like, you just need to ask. :)

The pastries (at least OUR pastries) are either one day, or two days, depending on the item. I've had numerous people ask "Is it fresh?" Each pastry is either hours, or one day old. I still count that as fresh.

~()* ]  <---- (it's a coffee cup!)

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And now I have just a few notes, updates, links to insanity, stuff like that. Not afterthoughts, just coincidentally after those ^^ thoughts. :P

First off, I want to thank Myrna Foster again, for my prize package. I had a post written up (written on time, I swear) but didn't post it to the blog, so I had mentally written it off, but didn't quite follow through. THANK YOU, MYRNA! Goodnight, Good Knight is totally cute! (and the Nutella? Gone.) Myrna sent me some candy from Prague, PENS, and a pre-order of Paranormalcy, and Anna and the French Kiss. I haven't gotten Paranormalcy yet, (I live on a gravel road on the side of a mountain. Delivery prejudice happens all the time. You should have heard what happened when I tried to get my computer! Nightmare! BUT, I got it, and expect to get Paranormalcy soon!)

The Blue Lipstick Samurai rocks my socks off. I think this on an hourly basis.

Abby Stevens is home from England! I'm going to get her to take ME next time!

It blows my mind that you amazing people COMMENT on my blog! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

CONGRATS to Kiersten White on [Paranormalcy] debuting at #7 on the NYT Bestseller list!!


Sorry for the massive post this week... It's to make up for the two weeks minus real post, and I like to talk a lot. In a LOT of YouTube videos and blog posts, there is a standard set of statistics or questions answered and asked to readers/viewers. Kristina Horner lists the number of Chipotle burritos she's had this year so far, and what her last google search is. MY version (aside from WC) is going to be this:

This week:

I listened to: Glee. I can't wait for it to return! (So, UPDATE: Saw Glee. Laughed, SO EXCITED it's back!)

I watched: Friends! Just starting season 2 now. :D (Another update... FINISHED Season 2. Still love, but lots of doubt as to if I'm really spending my time well- NAH.)

I read: I Heard the Owl Call My Name, for my religions class.

I wrote:  Quiet nights after everyone had gone to bed, she would stare out the window of the small kitchenette, and imagine she was laying on a rooftop somewhere. Her fingers would be sticky from the watermelon she'd had earlier, and a quiet breeze would drift through the tar beach, and bring warmth up with it. Someone would  have a guitar, and they'd be so high up that the city noise would be indistinguishable, more like the crash of the ocean than horns and car motors. The popcorn ceiling glared back at her, a dank reminder that she was nowhere with stars worth watching.

I wish: That this 1,900 word blog post counted towards my novel word count.


So what did you listen to, watch, read, write and wish this week?

In my world, it's still Monday.

*grumble* I had a post written out. GAH.

I had a post, but it is gone. I will update later in the week. :)

Six o'clock already? I was JUST in the middle of a dream...

(You need to skip to 0:22 to get to the actual song)

So here it is. Monday. The day of shared dread, the poor victim of our beginning of the week stress, and obviously part of the title of a song by a pretty awesome girl band of the 80's... Worthy of a Gilmore Girls cameo. As I mentioned in my last post (it's online, so it MUST be true) I'm now going to start posting EVERY Monday, and some days in between. So here it is. Why am I having so much trouble coming up with something to write about? Oh yeah- because there's no room left in my brain! Why? Howabout we take a look at my upcoming school schedule and see?

World Epic Lit
American History
Geometry
Micro Economics
World Religions
aaaand
French 2.

I'm exhausted just reading that list. But I'm also reminded why I do it all, why I've loaded myself with so many classes- it's because of a dream. Or, well, dreams.

I distinctly remember (and my friend Abbey will back me up on this) that as a 9-10-11yr old, I wanted three things in my life. I wanted to go to Hawaii, visit American Girl Place, and get my OWN laptop. Yes, I wanted a laptop as a nine year old. What can I say? I am happy to report that I have been to American Girl place, (I went during a visit to Chicago. It was amazing) and I have my own laptop. It only took me 8 years, but here I am. And the Hawaii thing? I might like to visit, but I really have no strong desires to go anymore. If I could choose one place to visit, it would either be somewhere in Europe, (probaby Paris or London) Seattle, or New York. Can you tell that I love cities?

When I was 13, I remember sitting on a blanket during an easter egg hunt (it was for the younger kids. I always liked hunting easter eggs) and someone suggested that I go into journalism. I had always said that I wanted a career as a writer, whatever I could get. Age 13 to... oh, 15 I was GOING to be a journalist. Ideally someone who worked for BBC, so I would have to travel back and forth from London (where I would live most of the time) to New York (only temporary, of course) all the time. But dreams change.

Like I no longer want to go to Hawaii, I don’t really want to be a journalist. Sure, it would be neat, but I like creating stories. I always did. It’s true that life is often stranger than fiction, but I wanted the strangeness to be my own creation. My dreams now are really different.

Through this college road trip, the one place I have fallen in love with more than any other, is New York. As of September of last year, I had never really considered writing a novel, until I opened a word document on my fancy-dancy new laptop, and began to write. I found out about this crazy thing called NaNoWriMo in October, signed up, and wrote 5011 words the next month, what would become my first completed novel.

My dreams are different now. I no longer want to live primarily in London, I really adore New York. I want to have a novel published (and NOT self-published) and I want to live in the city. I’ll work as a waitress to cover the bills,(if I have to) but hopefully pull an Ann Brashares, and work in publishing/editing/marketing while writing at 2 am. (Of course, my MAJOR dream right now would be to have a novel on the way to publication before college, write for four years, and have enough income to write full time, and live in an apartment with no more than one roommate. Dreaming here.) The point is that I want different things now. I see the world through potentially naive eyes, yes, but without the dream of something bigger, and the hope that I’ll reach those dreams, all I have is right here.

I have a laptop, and a head full of ideas, and a 3.somethingnottoosucky GPA. Those things in conjunction won’t get me anywhere. My grade point average isn’t going to convince an agent to sign with me, or Dutton to make an offer, or a college to fall at my feet. Dreams are what move us forward. The laptop holds a novel, and a dream. The Nottoosucky GPA holds the hope of college, the head full of ideas thinks big both academically and writing wise. But without that dream, I don’t go anywhere.

Without work, we rarely get what we want. But without dreams, we don't have something TO want. I'm excited about these dreams, but nervous that I won't achieve them. What will happen if I fail? Will my dreams change? What were your dreams when you were younger? What are they now?

 

5326 / 60000 words. 9% done!

Rules.

I’m not really a rules person. I’m a bookish knitting hippie who likes to hang out in yoga pants all day, listening to Franz Ferdinand while reading Zelda Fitzgerald. I have a need to be surrounded by a computer, cell phone and book all at once, while wearing a “Save the Earth!” t-shirt. I de-stress by checking my email, or writing, or watching Gilmore Girls. I dream of living in a teenytiny apartment in New York, writing at three in the morning, waiting for my takeaway sesame chicken and lo mein to arrive. I would rather stay up really late and sleep in, rather than get up early, at the same time I love the energy early in the morning. It’s sunrises and coffee, and the fog/smog (I live in what is considered a rainforest- it’s actually fog here) is slowly disappearing from where it settled the night before. If I didn’t enjoy that thing we call sleep so much, I would live my life without it. I would run my life by freedom in my very basic security.

But, as much as I’m pained to say this, I think this might be a time for rules. I’ve been blogging when I could/thought of it for quite awhile now. I enjoy it immensely- I would have quit long ago if I didn’t like it. But with the school season steadily approaching, (SENIOR FREAKING YEAR) I need some structure. Again, in pain writing all of this. I have decided to post on Mondays and the occasional Friday. There is a certain degree of guilt involved in NOT posting- I like so many things that it’s difficult to just focus on one sometimes. If I’m in a position to write a blog post, and don’t already have something lined up, I’ll write something, and who knows- post it in the moment. That is my rule. Definitely post on Mondays, maybe on Fridays, and occasionally days in between.

Of course there’s much greater motivation behind this new policy, other than just school and life, and all that jazz. It’s something I never talk about on this blog- ever. Writing. If everything goes according to plan, I’ll have three novels (“draft” is a dirty word) written (I don’t care how bad they are. They count.) by December 1st. I’m only 17. My goal right now is to finish Alaska Junction by November 1st, which currently gives me a little less than three months to write 55,000 more words than I have now. If I can write at least 734 words a day, I’ll have a 60,000 word novel by then. Wooohoo! The reason for the schedule both writing-wise and posting wise, is that I want to jump out of this amateur zone. I want to live this. I want to write, and this is how I will do so. Or, at least try to do so. :)

Your ULTIMATE guide to college tours!

I’m not an expert on college tours, but after eleven of them spread out over thirteen states, I definitely have something to say, and a bit of advice.

You will get a feel of a campus within the first five minutes. This shouldn’t completely turn you off to a school, often times you’ll need re-evaluation, but some campuses will click, and others won’t.

Student-directed tours are your best bet. Faculty members are great, but students will know where the hangout spots are, and what the school is like. I’m sure there’s a certain amount of, “I was taught to say this”-itis, but most students will give you their honest opinion.

An info session AND campus tour might not be necessary everywhere. Depending on the school, the info session will be redundant. Every tour I went on had time for Q & A, throughout the tour. You’re able to SEE parts of campus, and get information about the different departments, which is often enough, especially if you’re just looking. If this is your dream school, use the resources, go to the information session, talk to everyone you can. The info session is a higher-level tour without the visuals, which are important. It’s possible to love an educational philosophy, but hate the campus.

Locate the undergraduate admissions office, and have a phone number. This will save you time, hassle, and energy when you first arrive on campus. It’s as simple as a quick google search. If we had gotten the number of the Yale admissions office, we wouldn’t have walked from our old campus parking spot to the admissions building clear across campus, then proceeded to walk the school grounds.

Be prepared with quarters. We spent over half an hour in Cambridge, MA trying to find quarters to feed the meters. Especially in smaller towns, the parking will be limited, and parking decks might not be around.

Find a guide with your ideal major, similar interests, and one who SPEAKS LOUDLY. It seems obvious, but in the moment won’t occur to you.

Be prepared to sweat, walk and hear repeated information. Most tours take place during the summer. If you manage to tour during a breezy day, be grateful. If you do both the tour and the info session, you will hear repeated information. Wear comfortable shoes, because the goal of the tour is to get an accurate picture of what campus living would be like, not just the pretty parts.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions, BUT some questions are best with a personal answer. At the same time, don’t ask stupid questions. You can find a lot on the website. We had several people ask things like, “Do you teach Latin?” or, “Do you have this major?” Google, people. GOOGLE.

Talk to your guide while you walk, and after the tour is finished! They are people after all. I found out some really interesting info by talking to the guides, like obscure history facts, or where to get the best cup of coffee nearby. ;)

Bring a notebook. Take notes. Even if you don’t plan on reading them again, or even using them, they’ll help you stay awake during info sessions, and can be useful when comparing colleges.

Grab literature. Reference for later. Just do it.

COMMUNICATE. Communicate with the FA advisor, admissions department, faculty, students, whoever you come in contact with. Don’t stalk them or anything, but if you want to get into a school, knowing the system will help you out.

Ask about financial aid, loans, work study programs, grants, scholarships. Just because a school says that they have great financial aid, perhaps even meeting you 100%, doesn’t mean that half of that won’t be loans that you get to pay off five years post-graduation. Work study programs are great- most have you working 10-12 hours a week, which is not a lot of time, and a lot less money that you have to pay.

Use your resources! Twitter, social networking, etc. I asked several people for advice on places to eat, or see, which were far more useful than what I could find in a guidebook. (If you’re ever in Portsmith, Rhode Island, go to the creperie just off the Brown campus. Trust me.)

See the library. You will use it, so you better love it.

Ask about greek life. Dartmouth has heavy involvement in Greek life, and that’s not something I’m interested in. If you’re dying to rush, then Dartmouth may be your cup of tea!

Survey your surroundings. Gonna pick on Dartmouth again- Sorry! Dartmouth has a beautiful campus, in what I like to fondly describe as “Nowhere, New Hampshire.” I already live in Nowhere, North Carolina, so hopping from one to another doesn’t appeal to me. Loving the campus is important, but loving the area is of equal importance.

Ask what YOU’RE looking for in a campus, and out of your education. Not just in a major, but extracurriculars, study abroad programs, even the curriculum style. What do students do on the weekends? Do people stay on campus, or go into the nearest city?

You CAN visit during the school year. In fact, I think I would recommend this. You get a REAL experience of the campus, instead of the watered down version of summer. I’ve also heard of schools giving credit or excused absences for visiting colleges.

Act like a normal person, PLEASE. You are not in competition with every person who is touring. Be nice. Again, this is NOT a contest. That stage comes during applications, silly! Your space will not be compromised by everyone in the info session. So, don’t act that way.

Be comfortable. Most people don’t dress up for tours or info sessions. Interviews call for a more formal outfit, but every interview I had dictated business/business casual attire. The best outfits can be more or less casual depending on what everyone around you is wearing, and won’t wrinkle easily. Tours and info sessions are even more relaxed. Don’t be a prep, wear your non-torn jeans, and nicer shorts, ideally ones without something written on the bum. :)

#YACinema

I'll be attending... Will YOU? http://yacinema.blogspot.com/2010/08/first-movie-penelope.html#comments

The dangers of writing to a trend... Basically a long tweet.

Think about the publication process. Not only is the journey to creating an original piece difficult, it's also time consuming. I'm not an expert in the market, but any book start to finish will take YEARS. Now, your trend might last for years, (I do think this vampire thing has lasted awhile) and you could possibly have your work bumped up if it meets a need, but do you want to play like everyone else? By the time you give your work the time and attention it deserves, the trend will either be OVER, or people will be getting... Well, bored. Write something different. Don't abandon your project, but make it unlike any other. Write out of your comfort zone, write something you want to read- that doesn't already exist. ;)

Stealing from the other blog again. Stay Tuned!

I'm totally scatterbrained right now, so there is a strong likelihood that this post wont make sense. Here we go. IF you haven't realized, all of my posts that aren't several paragraphs long have been text updates. Great for brief, in the moment stuff, but not for actual info. It's Sunday morning around 12:30 AM, of course I haven't been to bed yet, so I consider today Saturday night. I'm FINALLY in a hotel with WIFI, and I don't have to get up at six tomorrow. Finished the last of our tours, Georgetown was absolutely gorgeous. I have a whole list of our likes and dislikes about these schools, and several REAL posts, but those will have to wait. This has been a whirlwind trip, nine days of campus security, and needs-blind financial aid, and SAT scores. I've waved at Glenna's (The Blue Lipstick Samurai, who happens to have a CONTEST going on!) MOM in a car on a highway, and stayed in a New York apartment, toured the Pentagon, and ate crepes in Rhode Island. And that is only the beginning. Give me a bit of time, and I will tell all. Thanks for going on this trip with me! :)

In which I cheat. New York, Little India, and Georgie's Diner!

Hey everyone- Happy August! I'm having a great time on this crazy road trip- here is one of the most recent posts on my trip blog, www.shobust.blogspot.com!

There was little to do but drive. Our goal was to arrive by a decent hour in West Haven, Connecticut in order to visit Yale and Brown Monday (today, as I write this). The GPS was helpful to a point, but after awhile,
“Turn right, then turn right,” and “Oh dear, turn around when possible.” gets OLD. On the way, we found ourselves on I 90, just around New York City. That’s when the trouble began. In order to travel over the George Washington Bridge, only a three mile stretch, we sat in the car during horrible, rush hour traffic. It took us about an hour and forty-five minutes to get from the beginning of the three miles to the end. Of course, we had been waiting all day to reach a certain gas station in New Jersey which sold FlexFuel, which our car would take. When we had three miles to go, this would have been no problem- an hour and forty five minutes later, however, we were running on fumes. This meant that we had to get off somewhere once past the three mile hell streak, and that place was New York, and we had to get there FAST. We reached the toll at the beginning of the bridge, and asked the attendant where the best place to get gas would be. Her answer?
“Best place was before the bridge.”
Helpful, right? The best gas station was behind us. Onward we drove, narrowly missing the crazy drivers of both New Jersey and New York. They are completely fearless, zipping in and around anyone going too slow, creating their own lanes, pulling out in front of a car if they want to or need to, no ten-second blinker time, no, ‘Will you let me in?’ they go. We drove over the bridge, this time going much faster but even more dependent on fumes, and suddenly found ourselves in a jungle like no other. New York. Suffice it to say, that driving in and around and over and under and stopping and starting and LOTS of car horns were a part of our lives for the next twenty minutes. We were on the phone with family members who were sitting safe at their computers looking for the nearest gas station for us, freaking out over the six cars who almost hit us, and worrying about the fact that our stopping and starting could soon become a permanent fixture, running out of gas in the middle of the Bronx, what we later discovered to be Harlem... How’s THAT for daunting? Thankfully, after much honking, trial and error, along with directions from several people who didn’t speak English, we made it to a BP, our last choice in refueling, but filled up all the same.

Then, we reassessed. Five, polite non-New Yorkers driving through Harlem in a rental car. We drove and stopped, and almost got “t-boned” whatever the heck that is. Finally, once moderately safe, we pulled over and laughed for about twenty minutes, part stress, part, “Oh my gosh, we just about died” and a heavy dose of exhaustion.

Eventually, we got to our hotel- sorry- motel, lovingly renamed “Little India.” The place smelled like curry, and not in a good way. It was nine pm when everything was moved into our room, and we were all starving. Back to the car we went, stopping at a restaurant that had Chicken in its name. We stopped in, sat down, and twenty minutes later after the waitress finally came over, were told that there was absolutely no chicken in the restaurant, meaning that they had hot dogs and rice. Obviously, we had to leave. Found another place, whose entrees ranged $15-20. Great for roadtrippers 3,000 miles away from home.

Isn't it cute?

But finally, FINALLY, we saw a small diner which was adorable, and open. In we walked, met a fantastic waitress, had amazing food, and brought take-out menus so that we could tell our friends. SO. Anyone in West Haven, or visiting Yale should DEFINITELY check out Georgie’s Diner, at
http://georgies-diner.com! :)

In which I bore you to death.

This will likely be one of my last updates for the next week and a half... Like I mentioned a few posts back, I'm going on a road trip! I have bought a TUB of Twizzlers (the essential road-trip food) and am now in the process of cleaning my room, doing a LOT of laundry, finding the discs to all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls, and not freaking out over the fact that this trip will likely kill me. If all goes well, all FIVE of us, (Me, my mom, a friend of mine, her mom and younger brother) will climb into our camry-sized car at 9:15 Saturday morning, and magically appear in Lancaster, PA, 9 hours and 15 minutes later. Like I said, scary.





Sunday will be a tour of Princeton,
Monday will cover Yale and Brown,
Tuesday, Wellesley and Harvard,
Wednesday, Dartmouth, Champlain and the Ben & Jerry's factory! :)
Thursday, Middlebury and Vassar,
Friday, The King's College.
Saturday, we're going to Georgetown, and tour the Pentagon.
Sunday, travel home.
This will total 2,350 miles, with 50 hours in the car.

In the mean time, I will be updating (as regularly as I can) our trip blog, found at www.shobust.blogspot.com.
As to writing, I have 5,000 words of Alaska Junction to send to a certain pair of Irish Musketeers by tomorrow night, but that's about it. I hope you all have cell service, unlike me! Sorry I'm such a drag/spaz today- much to do, not much time! BUT, to make up for the boredom of this post, I invite you to check out this video I threw together... When Viral Videos Collide!



Later!