Now, this sounds like a simple task, right? I mean, it’s ice cream.
Tag: life
When You Can’t Kick Or Punch, Write A Book
Writing can be very cathartic. It’s a great way to get out your aggression, release some tension, and just feel better about things. People, jobs, situations, etc, can make us … Continue reading When You Can’t Kick Or Punch, Write A Book
Moving In Silence
Have you ever heard of “quiet quitting” ? It’s when an employee does the minimum that is expected of them at work. In other words, doing just enough to keep … Continue reading Moving In Silence
My Brain Keeps Crossing Canva and Photoshop
I’ve been using Adobe’s Photoshop for several years now. I haven’t completely mastered everything that can be done with the program, but I know enough to create the things I need, such as flyers and catalogs, and covers for my books. Lately, I’ve been using Canva, another platform for creating, even if you don’t have stellar graphic design skills.
The trouble is, I have Photoshop on my old laptop at home, and Canva is on the computer I use at work. Lately, my brain has been confusing the two: when I’m at home, I tend to try and do things in Photoshop I can only do in Canva, and vice versa. The same thing used to happen to me when I first learned how to use Photoshop in art school. My class used Macs, and my laptop is a Dell. So, the shortcut keys are slightly different, depending on which device you’re using. I’d be at home on my Dell, trying to understand why CTRL + another key was’t achieving any results, only to remember I wasn’t using a Mac at the moment.
Oh well.
Birthday Wisdom
My birthday was on Sunday, December 1st. In the days leading up to this joyous occasion, I began to think about my life; where I’ve been and where I’d like to go, things that have happened, etc. I suppose I should pass along some nuggets of wisdom, for people who are younger than me. So, here it goes.
When I woke up on the morning of my thirtieth birthday, I felt a mild sense of panic. I thought, “Oh God, I’m thirty! I’m single! What do I do now?” I had ended a long term relationship about a year and a half prior to this, and there weren’t any prospects on the horizon. Then I got over the shock, enjoyed my birthday, and moved on. In fact, that’s what I’ve done with every birthday since then.
My little nugget of wisdom is simply this: live your life the way you want to live it. We set goals for ourselves, and we have such high expectations of where we’re supposed to be at certain stages of our lives. When we don’t achieve those goals or meet our own expectations, we begin to feel like failures. I had to teach myself to get over this.
live your life the way you want to live it
I don’t need to impress anyone. I don’t owe anyone an explanation of my life. All I need to do, is wake up each morning, be the best me I can be, do no harm to others, and just live my life. When I woke up yesterday on my birthday, I decided not to put any pressure on myself. I’m past that point where every birthday needs to be celebrated fabulously (thirty-seven isn’t a milestone, but forty will be). I spent the day with my mother, eating Thanksgiving leftovers and watching football. The gifts I ordered online are on their way, and I’ll celebrate when payday rolls around again. My Patriots lost, but Julian Edelman got a touchdown, which is what I wanted, so that’s my little b-day gift. Thank you, Jules.
Aside from my birthday, it’s also Woolaston Entertainment’s birthday. My creation is twenty-five, and I’d like to think over the years, we’ve gotten better together.
The Top 12 Books That Influenced My Writing
Every writer can look back at some point in their life, and recognize the person, place or thing that encouraged them to start writing in the first place. Or, something that had an impact on their style of writing. For me, there have been many, many books which have influenced me. The number one book: Bunnicula by James Howe. My second grade teacher read it out loud to my class, and I was instantly hooked. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was receiving a lesson on personification (giving human attributes or qualities to a non-human object). I was already creating short picture books for myself, but this book made me want to be a WRITER.
The actual list of influential titles is too long to post here, so I managed to narrow it down to 12. I still feel like it should be 15 strong, but we’ll stick to 12, for time’s sake. Here it is, in no particular order:
- Bunnicula and Nighty Nightmare by James Howe (couldn’t have 1 w/o the other)
- Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz (all 3 in the series)
- Hellsing (manga series) by Kohta Hirano
- Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- Revolutionary Girl Utena (manga series) by Chiho Saito, Be-Papas
- The Spiral Dance by Starhawk
- Grey by Pete Wentz
- Just Kids by Patti Smith
- Sailor Moon (manga series) by Naoko Takeuchi
- Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers and Emo by Andy Greenwald
- The Haunting of Grade Three by Grace Maccarone
- Odyssey from River Bend by Tom McGowen
this book made me want to be a WRITER.
It’s a pretty eclectic list, isn’t it? Childrens’ chapter books, Japanese manga, horror stories and fiction. I have to give an honorable mention to Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman as well.
So, which books would make your list? Feel free to share in the comments below!
Success and Failure
“To do something that you feel in your heart that’s great, you need to make a lot of mistakes. Anything that’s successful is a series of mistakes.”
―
School Daze
September is here, and the primary focus of the month seems to be “Back-to-School”. That’s reasonable: while some students attend school all year ’round, and some go back in August, most students return to school in September. I went to school in Hampton, VA, and the first day of school was always the day after Labor Day. This year, Labor Day fell on September 2, so students went back on September 3. This made me feel a bit nostalgic. I’m currently living across the street from the elementary school I attended as a child. On my first day of school, I wore a white shirt, red bowtie, and suspenders—see, I was always a nerd! Still, its a fun memory.
Do you have any fond Back-to-School memories? If so, please share them in the comment section below! I look forward to reading them.
I’ve Had A Sarcastic Advice Book In Me For Years
I keep a list of book ideas on my flash drive (and admitedly, on my phone). I’ve maintained this list for over ten years now. Whenever I manage to write one of the books on the list, I hilight it, and add another idea or two. There’s one book idea that has been on the list from the very begining, but I never got around to writing it. It’s an advice book. It’s a sarcastic advice book.
While I didn’t write the book, I did make notes and write a few drafts of potential chapters. Each time I considered starting the official rough draft, I’d read over my materials, and think, “No, that’s way too mean. People are going to be too deep into their feelings if I publish that.” But, maybe that’s a good thing. Sometimes, people need something that stirs a reaction of some sort. Somethimes, people need a good solid kick in the butt.
So, I’m drafting the manuscript now. I’m pulling out all of my old notes, and making new ones. We’ll see what comes out of it.
My New Day Job Forces Me To Eat Healthy
Everyone has a McDonald’s near them, right? You probably pass by one on your way to work, or on your way home. Maybe its near your house, or your job, or your favorite shopping center…either way there’s a McDonald’s near you. I’ve had a McDonald’s near every job I’ve ever had…until now.
Its nice to be able to step outside for thirty minutes (or more) and grab a burger or a taco
My new day job is in a public library, and there are NO FAST FOOD PLACES NEARBY!!! I’m used to having the option of a McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Arby’s…something! But this time, there’s nothing at all. My only solution: bring lunch to work everyday. The downside: no tacos or fries. The upside: I’m saving money and I’ll probably lose some of the weight I recently gained. Still, its nice to be able to step outside for thirty minutes (or more) and grab a burger or a taco. But, for now, its sandwiches and left-overs.
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