If You Can See This

... it means that you have accepted my private invite to continue reading this blog. That, in turn, means that you kick ass.

Some of you already know that I have toyed around with different alias and websites before, and I understand if you are a bit skeptical. Too be honest, I am too. I have no idea if this other site is going to work. But the bottom line is that I've got to try. So please, if you do end up reading anything over there that inspires you to comment, don't hint that you know me in real life or of this other alias/site.

I appreciate it SO much... karma and I will hit you back, fo' sho'.

When You Miss the Boat...

you go ahead and build your own. We'll see how it goes.

Because I am turning my focus to the other site, this one is going private. Please, send me an email so I can invite you all in. I will keep posting anything that I do not want to associate with my new alias, or that I don't think is ready (so you can help me edit it) here.

Also, please remove any links you have to Among Starz. And I'd appreciate any you add for the new site.

Envious Inspiration

Girl at Play

SARK

exploding dog

dooce

1,000 journals

PostSecret

FOUND Magazine

way-finding

It's tough figuring out what you want to be when you grow up...
and then feeling like you already missed the boat.

Boondox: March 2007

bat cat?

That Lollipop Doesn't Lie.

Scatterbrained.

As much as I hate to move the glorious toilet down from the top of the page, my job today leaves me with plenty of time on the internet. While I begin this post without any real purpose or direction, I need to get myself back into the habit.

Practice.

So I guess I'll start with some small talk.

Yesterday I went grocery shopping. I bought an oversized bottle of Arizona Green Tea. Unfortunately, they are unable to find a picture of this item at this time. Nonetheless, I really dig this stuff. I hope it goes on sale more often.

Speaking of which, I have become a coupon cutter. So far, this hopefully new habit will let me eat at subway and quiznos over the next week or so, with a significant monetary discount.

Ok. Enough with the small talk.

What I should be doing is finishing up a letter to the editor I am writing in response to an article published in a school paper, and getting together my submissions to 2 different publications. But I'm not because I'm scared.

Part of me wants to put my rough drafts up on this page, but I don't know if that will piss off the publications. Part of me wants to link to the articles I am writing, but I don't know if I want to make my full name public to all of you.

This is hard, walking the line between personal journal and professional writing platform. Because what I'm writing is, in my opinion, no way professional. But I worry about my reputation effecting my other professions...

Should I write under a real pen name? Or should I make an example of myself. I know that I could benefit from my regular readers' feedback... but but but!!

I don't know what I want this blog to be. I feel like the "journey to a creative career" thing has been done to death already, but I don't know what else I could honestly offer the blogging world.

Some of you may think that I am blogging about this to avoid writing about something more important, but when it comes down to it, I think this might be the most important issue I've got.

I really need your thoughts on this one.

Happy Day After St. Patrick's Day...

With a toilet full of vomit and shit!!

Fear The Turtles: #1

So I accidentally started this project last summer (June '06) on my way to the Jersey Shore. At the Chesapeake Bay House rest stop, I noticed a statue that had an uncanny resemblance to this guy I had on my shirt (please forgive my knobby knees)...

Diamonds of the Chesapeake
Since then, I started to notice several of these little guys scattered about my neighborhood. I don't know why it took me song long to get curious about why there were so many of them, but it's really better late than never.

Stumbling upon the Official Website, I see that there are 50 terrapins spread throughout the state.

Let's see how many of them I can find.

Break. Fast!

So my brother is allergic to almonds. His throat gets all swollen and nasty and he has trouble breathing. And because I don't really want him to die... when he gave me this box of cereal that he bought by accident, I gladly took it off his hands. The fact that my food budget is $50 a week has no bearing on my willingness to accept aforementioned free food.

Anyway. I had my first bowl of Kashi's GOLEAN Crunch! (make sure you switch it to the Honey Almond Flax flavor) this morning, and well... it wasn't half bad.

But can someone please explain to me what the hell 500mg Omega-3s means...

and WHY this stuff is making me fart. SO. MUCH.

Maybe It's Time...

Force-fed Inspiration:

"Do it everyday for a while," my father kept saying. "Do it as you would do scales on the piano. Do it by prearrangement with yourself. Do it as a debt of honor. And make a commitment to finishing things."

I don't even get through the introduction of "Bird by Bird" without it knocking me on my ass.

This quote can be applied to anything, really. Just within colorguard alone, I have pushed myself to perform the same tasks over and over again until they become natural. Until I get good. I started my daily ritual of organizing my meals, going to the gym and dance classes all the time, flossing, cleaning my apartment...

WHY have I not applied this principle to my writing?

Why do I keep coming back to this idea that writing should be easy and magical and not forced?

Currently Reading #6: Bird by Bird

I'm really excited at how fast I am reading these books. Chokewas just incredible. My newest favorite supporting character ever.

Next up is a book on life and writing that I started in 2006, but only got through the first 50 pages of. I am rereading them, and taking her suggestions to heart. My project to read as many novels as I can this year needs to push my writing. Wish me luck.

Dental Damn.

Does anyone know anyone willing to give me legal advice about my current situation with my teeth?

I have been going to the same dentist my entire life. He stopped taking my insurance, so I switched. New dentist found a whole bunch of things that the old dentist missed, as well as decay underneath work that the old dentist did.

I have spent a lot of money on my teeth over the last 5 years or so, and am now going to have to spend more fixing problems that should have been caught way before this.

Should I take legal action? How do I go about doing that? What will I need to prove that he had been negligent?

This sucks so bad.