Bliss

I’m just sitting outside, enjoying one of the most beautiful days ever here on campus. It’s a delicious 62 degrees, the sun is shining, the sky is that perfect shade of blue, and the wind is just frisky enough to kick up some leaves and tousle the hair. In other words, it’s a perfect day. If you ask me.

It’s days like this that make me really want to stop and smell the flowers. In fact, it’s days like this that make me really understand how appealing stopping and smelling flowers can be. But not just flowers. Also freshly mowed grass. Or crisp, clean air.

I’m one of those people who likes to sit around. And not just in the “couch potato” sense of the word. On a beautiful day, I can just…sit outside. There doesn’t have to be a book to read, or a laptop to distract me with internet and YouTube, or an iPod to listen to (although that can be quite enjoyable as well!).

No, sometimes the best afternoon is spent sitting under the shade of some lovely trees and just being. I love listening to the wind in the trees, birds, heck I’m in such a good mood right now that I don’t even really mind the distant sounds of construction. It’s the outside noises, those are the ones I’m loving right now. There are people walking by, talking on phones, talking to eachother. Footsteps. They can sound so different, it’s kind of amazing. Bikes. Skateboards. Or, my favorite, the cadets boots clack-clacking on the concrete.

Days like this remind me that no matter how bad things seem, or how down I get, or how stressed classes make me, there will always be another great day somewhere along the line. It might not be tomorrow, it might not be next week. But it will come. Just like this day did. And when it’s time, I’ll love that one, too. Life is precious, so so precious. And it is, indeed, a terrible thing to waste. That’s what days like this make me think. And you know, it’s kind of really comforting. My life, even on the worst of days, can be revitalized by the sun and the sky and a breeze and some time spent just existing, without worry, without care, without a deadline.

And I call that bliss.

3,000, Thanks Very Much!

You guys are awesome! My blog has officially reached 3,000 visitors! I'm thrilled, honestly thrilled! Thanks so much for hanging out with me here—reading, commenting, telling your friends. It's working! 3,000 is a pretty big number, and a number to be proud of if you ask me.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you!

I'd also like to take a second to point out a few new features I've added to my blog! First, if you'll notice, there's now a bar up at the top with three selections; Home, About Me, and The Writing. These are the spiffy new editions that I'd like to make you aware of.

First, Home:

This is pretty self explanatory. Wherever you are on my blog—a particular post, or any of the other pages—selecting this will take you back to the home page. Not much elaboration necessary, I don't think.

Second, I've added an About Me page. Here you can read a little bit about me, who I am, why I'm here blogging. There's also an email address you can reach me at in case you feel the need.

Lastly (for now!) I've added a tab called "The Writing". Here you can find a list of all of my writing here on this blog. The specific writing, not just the blogging. I've split the lists up into three categories: Poetry, Fiction, and Non-Fiction. So if you're here and you'd like to read some of what I've written, now there's a quick and easy way to do it without having to search through all of my previous entries.

So that's the new stuff! Hope you find it useful, interesting, and/or fun. And again, a big huge whopping thanks to all of you for visiting my blog!

Now, on to 4,000!

:-)

Spring Break '10!

First, an aside: I googled "spring break" to try and find some kind of cute and fun picture to post along with this entry.  Sadly, all I got when I hit "search" was pictures of girls, bikinis, and boobs.  So...no "spring break" picture.  I'm tired of sifting through the crud to come up with something appropriate.  But, here's a nice St. Paddy's Day picture so that this entry isn't text only.  =)

This past week has been my Spring Break—a week off which I have desperately needed.  School has been particularly tiring this semester, causing several bouts of hair-pulling-out and some late nights spent worrying about tests and papers due.  And really, I have some of that I should be worrying about a little more over this break, but I've been all too happy to distract myself with family and friends.  I figure I still have the weekend before school starts back up again to worry about that stuff.

It's been a busy week, but a really fun week.  I've seen a lot of friends, although not nearly enough!  Time flies when you're having fun.  That's what I've always been told, anyway, and that seems to be as true as ever.  I can't believe it's already Thursday.  I'll probably be heading back to College Station on Saturday, which is too early for my liking.  Another week off, please and thanks?

No?

Well, that's too bad...

As it is, I'll be making the most of the rest of my days off and trying to pretend like those days don't end too soon.

Also, Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! Yesterday, that is.  I spent the evening going out with a few friends.  We tried to get our green on at Sherlocks—a pub in Arlington—but they were...let's just say, completely full.  There was a line of at least 50 people just waiting to get IN.  But as we'd just paid the valet $5 to park the car, we decided not to waste it.  So we walked over to Friday's and had ourselves a really good night.  What did YOU do for St. Patrick's day? Did you wear green?  I had green socks... Fortunately nobody pinched me.  I always forget I don't really own anything green.  Maybe by next year, I'll have something worked out.  =)

Off topic—There's still time to sign up for Script Frenzy!  If you've been thinking about it, and you've decided you want to join the crazy ranks of us who aspire to write 100 pages in 30 days, then head on over to their website and sign up!  April will be a frenzy, indeed.  But it will be a lot of fun, too, I promise!

I hope everyone is having a safe and fun Spring Break! Or, if your Spring Break was last week, I hope it was safe and fun, and that you're rested and ready for whatever you've got going on now.

But right now, I'm going to get out and make some more fun happen before the day is out.

Monday is coming up all too fast...

Script Frenzy!

Exciting news! April is coming up! And that's when Script Frenzy takes place.


The challenge: To write a script.
The catch: You have 30 days to write 100 pages.

It may sound impossible, but I promise it isn't! It's fun, it's frazzling, it's feverish...probably why they call it a script frenzy. But the good news is, you can't lose! Literally! If you reach 100 pages, congratulations! You win! If you don't, then good for you for trying, and maybe next year!


For example, last April I signed up for Script Frenzy. I was excited. I wasn't sure what to write, but that wasn't going to stop me. And it didn't. But what did, it turns out, was getting busy with school and work. So trust me, there's no shame in it. I won't judge you.


This year, I'm thinking I'm going to ask my Dad if he'd like to partner up with me. Which is allowed, by the way. So even if you don't know what to write about, maybe you could find a partner who has a brilliant idea. And as an added bonus, you'll have someone encouraging you along.


There are lots of ways to get involved, too. Besides signing up on Script Frenzy's website, you can also follow them on Twitter, and become a fan on Facebook.


So, are you in?


Hope to see you in April, pumping caffeine into your veins for those late nights spent writing, pulling out your hair when the dialogue lags and just won't pick up, staring at your computer screen wondering why the words won't type themselves...


It's going to be so much fun!