"I write, therefore I am."

I tell everyone all the time that I am a writer. But really, what do I write? Because I'll even confess to not writing as much as I should be. Part of this I attribute to laziness. Part to ADHD. Part to anxiety. Part to...I could make a really long list. Suffice it to say that a few days ago I dredged my computer for excerpts and scenes from my novel, and I found way more than I realized I had. Go me! I *AM* a writer! Including whole scenes that I think about and say "hmm this will be difficult to write." Yeah, except I already wrote it!!! :) So to help me overcome some of my obstacles... I've been trying to find ways to be more creative about my creativity. The newest foray: Choose-your-own-adventure-style collaborative decision-making. I've resurrected my other blog and will be peeling back the curtains on my writing. Which scares me to death. I'm also kind of excited. But I'm doing it anyway. I will be sharing characters, cities, world, etc., as

50/50 (Jan 7) - Grade: B. Triple play action! To celebrate my newly-rediscovered freedom, we went to the Dollar Theatre for a triple-flick extravaganza! Woo! First was this movie which I had seen slated as a "comedy." And Seth Rogen was in it too. So I was thinking your Superbad, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express type of comedy I don't generally appreciate. But I believe this film was mislabeled. It was serious, and actually rather heavy amid its light-hearted comedic quips. I really enjoyed this film. Real Steel (Jan 7) - Grade: B-. A lot of people have hated on this movie for being absurd, horrid, ridiculous, etc. You name the adjective, it's probably been thrown at this movie. But I don't really agree. Granted, it's not your X-men , but I didn't think any of the acting was poorly done. It's a camp story, but it was executed in the right ways, and I enjoyed this flick just as much as the next kid. The Help (Jan 7) - Grade: A. I haven't rea

James Dashner's The Death Cure - Grade: A. This is the third installment in The Maze Runner which, if you haven't started reading them, you should. Because they are pretty awesome. Again, I struggled to remember what happened in the previous book, especially some of the characters. I don't know if that's because they weren't developed well-enough to be memorable, or just that I suck at remembering. But again, Dashner is in his element, producing a heart-pounding, page-turning, gripping novel. As I got near the last 30 pages, I didn't want to keep reading, because THE END was coming! Nooooooooo!!! I don't WANT the end! My heart was racing for so much of the book. Dashner knows how to keep readers on the edge of their seats, that's for sure. I enjoyed this one alot. Rick Riordan's The Son of Neptune (second book in The Heroes of Olympus series) - Grade: A-. Another victory for Riordan. I struggled to get through this book at parts, but for the m

So here we are again, except this year I'm posting this in October. So 2010 clearly wins . And you've all been good and read the Best of 2011... , right? You better! Also, can I just say - part of the reason I think I procrastinate posts like this (and the Best of's) is because they take SO LONG! I can't just gush and his "publish." These posts take work, editing, setup, comparison, etc. This post took me like 4 hours to completely write. The numbers are pretty interesting this go-round, and I'd say they have definitely been affected by Pandora. Because I could listen to that at work, but not my iPod/iTunes. So my #4 from last year comes in just under the #1 for this year, but then I have 9 songs this year that received less plays than the #25 last year. So there's alot more disparity in numbers in 2011. I went on a shopping spree right at the end of 2010, so alot of new music, plus further buys in 2011 based on my Pandora loves. There's almos

So 2011. It was a year of routine, hard work, and changes. I definitely had my share of struggles in 2011, but overall it was a good year for me. This is going to be a really hard post to write though, because this information is all almost a year old now. Oh, I'm such a bad blogger! Best Trip of 2011: You're probably thinking I'm going to pick Cedar Point since it was my favorite trip in 2010 , and we did have our first Family Reunion (just my family, no extendeds) there this summer. But I'm going to have to pick a different one, to be fair. The winner? Pittsburgh. Because it was my first time to this City, and it happens to be home to two of my favorite people. Love ya ladies! We had a blast on this trip exploring and riding boat/cars, visiting the sights, spending time, good eats, it was just an amazing trip (so great that I went again this year!) Best Restaurant of 2011: What can I say? Old habits die hard. I'm cheating, I know. But I'm picking

6 Months without a blog. Has it really been that long? Man, I suck at blogging. Heh. And sometimes I dream about getting paid jut to blog. Yeah, not like this. Well. Some of you miss me, and I sort of miss me, so I guess I'll come back. :) Maybe I just needed a break? Or maybe I'm just lazy. It's kind of funny really, how things change in your life. When I was in college, you'd never ever find me without my journal. I wrote in that thing like a madman. 1000s of pages. About everything. And I don't regret it. I wish I had written more actually. And then when I started blogging, the scene shifted and I journaled less. And blogged more. Because then other people could read my "secrets" and react. And I liked that sharing aspect. Then things got more balanced, I figured things out, and my blogging tapered off. I guess I should be happy and chalk that up to the joys of "self-actualization" and adjusting to society. But I'll be honest - I m