Singlehood is no less important to a person's identity than being in a "relationship"

Here's something I find annoying:

Even Facebook considers single people to be somehow less than married, engaged, or relationally occupied people.  Not only does a single person's single status not appear on their feeds or profiles, people aren't even notified of a friend's single status when they break up or end a relationship.
There's something intensely wrong about that.  You know what?  I love being single.  I've noticed something over the past however many years.
I'm actually happier and less stressed when I am single than when I am in a relationship.

So why doesn't my singleness get to be shouted to the world like other people's relationships or engagements?

At the very least, it should show up on my profile.  That's only fair, really.  Marriage isn't the final goal of everyone's life, after all.  God can use single people often more effectively than he can use married people, since married people have a commitment to each other, whereas single people don't need to focus on loving and honoring anyone but God.

Just saying.

It's like an adventure for my soul

My reaction to reading a new book by one of my favorite authors (this all occurs over the course of several hours):

• Haha!  I totally get it!  It's because they share a bloodline!
• Ooh!  Ooh!  I think I know!  She was the first Ellcrys!
• Dude, he's totally in love with you.  Stop being an idiot!
• Aw, man, you didn't see that coming?  Seriously?  He's a freaking politician, what'd you expect?
• Oh, no, don't die!  Why did you kill him?  He was like the coolest character ever!
• Okay, the prince is a turd.
• Nope, it's the boy.  It was all a set-up.  Why am I the only one who sees this?
• Wicked shot.  I'm totally in love with him now.
• Ha!  I was totally right!  She became the first Ellcrys to make up for her bad love decisions.
• Fly, my pretties!
• Uh-oh.
• Whoa, okay.  Did not see that one coming.  Even though I cheered.  A lot.
• I've got a bad feeling about this.
• Heehee, I like the green mist monster of Paranor.  It makes all the bad guys scream and wet their pants.
• Can anyone spell TRAP?!
• No, stupid, don't walk through the mysterious curtain of light!  That's what they want you to do!
• Ooh, a dragon!
• How am I the only one who realizes that this is the same trap Grianne fell into a hundred years ago?
• See, I told you.
• Well, at least you're not dead.  Even if you are so stupid I can't even see why you're still alive.  Idiot.
• Stop being such a whiner-baby and man up!  Or woman up.  Whatever, you know what I mean.
• Your mom is totally possessed.  Or maybe she's evil.  Or maybe she's possessed by evil.  Well, those are your options unless you want to accept that she's really that cold-hearted and bitchy.
• Well, of course they're chasing you.  Did you expect this to be easy?  Amberle did it a thousand years before you and she had a worse time of it, believe you me!
• Stop whining and get over yourself.
• Oh look, they're still following you.  And you're surprised by this?
• Don't do that, they'll find you.
• Didn't I just say-
• Run!  Run, you idiot, don't just stand there!  It's your own damn fault for not listening to me in the first place!
• See, I told you he was in love with you.
• When he says 'everyone's going to die', does he mean, like, everyone everyone?  Because this isn't supposed to be a George Martin book, you know!
• OMG, kill it!  Kill it!
• I'm totally going to marry an Elf!
• It's a trap.
• See?
• Why doesn't anyone listen to me?
• She's creepy.
• Aw, man, come on!  She's just using you!
• Well, that was dumb.  
• Eew!  Okay, massive death count and now heads on pikes?  You are not turning the Four Lands into Westeros!  Not, not, NOT!
• Well, that was unnecessary.
• And that was even more unnecessary.
• Stop killing off all the cool characters!  Especially when you do it with stupid decisions instead of assassins and massive violent epics and magical battles!
• Aw, that was sweet.
• Ugh, and that was not.  Gross!
• Run!  RunrunrunrunrunrunRUN!

And when I finally finished the book...

• Man, am I exhausted!  I need a nap.

Árstíðir - Heyr himna smiður (Icelandic hymn) in train station

Listening to this gave me unbelievable chills.

My Daughter Made A WWII Veteran Cry

My Daughter Made A WWII Veteran Cry



I read this and I cried.  I read this and I am still crying.  Everyone needs to read this.

It goes a little something like this...

Here's the conversation:

P.S. This is how I see the world ALL THE TIME.
"A wild imagination" from dArtist thatoneangelfish

G. has been given the impression that E. is a man-hating shrew.  So he spends all his time dreading having to talk to her, just knowing that her sharp tongue is going to flay him alive.  The scene is them working together on a project.  E. starts to doze off, and, afraid he's going to join her, G. runs to Starbucks for some coffee for them both.  When he returns, he has to wake her up so they can finish their project.  When he wakes her up, he discovers that she is a far cry from what he expected, and actually quite erudite, if a little linear in her thinking.  They discover that they actually have a lot in common.

However, this is not one of those "meet-cutes" which leads to hopelessly falling in love, happily ever after, everybody lives on in romance and rainbows and unicorns.

In fact, E. is still as anti-marriage as she ever was, G. is somewhat bemused but still loveable, and there are some crazy aunts, a hopeless romantic or two, and a couple of men try to lay down the law on their women (and we can all guess how well that goes).

In short, there is chaos in my head, AND I LOVE IT!!!

What did you do this weekend?

Eureka!

You know how, when you're writing a story, and you're not entirely sure what the drama is going to be or where the characters are going to end up, so you just start writing scenes and hoping that somewhere, they'll start to resolve themselves?
I hit that point today.  I was just doodling, filling space with a Sunday dinner, scene, and all of a sudden, it came to me, and I was like, "Eureka!"
Okay, so I didn't actually shout Eureka (nor did I in any way say it out loud), but I had my 'aha!' moment, and it was good!  I am officially on my way to finishing this book.  I'm so happy!

I know I've found my writing "groove" when I start to have trouble separating myself from the characters when I stop writing.  This is the point I have reached.

It feels like my birthday again!

I logged into dA this morning, and look at what I found!

I just about had a heart attack.  I mean, Brooke has done this character for me before, but never in color, and never so...so...and the wonderful things she said about my girl!    I love it when people draw my characters.  I love it even more when people love my characters.  And Brooke is one of those artists I love anyway, so it was even more insanely AWESOME!

Monday is my three year anniversary at work.  Isn't that insane?  I love my job.  I love this company, too.  It's just phenomenal, how wonderful it is to work for a company that appreciates its employees.

In fact, today just feels good.  I feel like I've accomplished a lot, even being at work.  We've listened to music and looked at photo books and gone for a walk, and my client has taken two naps, so I had the time to write a little character sketch and balance my checkbook.  Always nice when that happens. :)

Welcome to an awesome Friday!

Marines singing frozon let it go

I love these videos, of people singing Frozen songs.  Also, Marines!  Just AWESOME!!

Aaaaaand…done!

Much more entertaining than politics.

So, tell me how exciting this sounds: six pages on habeas corpus and the war on terror, with particular emphasis paid to the detainees (or 'enemy combatants') of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Yeah, that's what I thought.  That is the topic of my final paper for this class.  And all I can say is, I'm so glad it's over.  My new class is a math class, and I'm almost 99.99% positive there will be no papers for this class.  How would one go about writing a paper for a math class, anyway?  I'm not sure.

I'm not even entirely sure how to take a math class online.  I guess I'll learn, eh?  I really do wish I hadn't taken two years off of school, though.  I now have to take an algebra class because it's been more than five years since my last one.  This is why you shouldn't procrastinate, children! 

Oh well, so my graduation date gets pushed back a little more.  So what?  At least I like math.  To a degree.  I like algebra, anyway.  It fascinates me, even though I don't actually enjoy it.  Isn't that a paradox?  I like math, but I don't enjoy it.  Hmm…

I have discovered the joys of loose teas, and now, there's no going back!  So!  There's a tea shop called Teavana in Bayshore.  I'm tempted to schedule an evening with Sarah and then drag her over there to check it out.  From what I hear, it's about as awesome as you can get.  And seriously, if you could smell some of these teas…my client's daughter went, and she invited me to try some of the teas she bought.  I tried her blueberry acai blend, and OMG, I just wanted to sit here and stick my nose in the bag all night!  It's so ridiculously fragrant, I bet even my 'tea just tastes like colored water to me' boyfriend would like it.

SO!

Puff pride!

Guess what, guess what!

I am going to be a bridesmaid for the first time ever!  I know, I know, it doesn't seem like a big deal.  And maybe in the grand scheme of the world, that's true.  But do you know what?  My little brother is getting married to the woman he loves, and I am invited to be a part of that.  So, as far as I'm concerned, the "grand scheme" can suck it, because I am utterly thrilled!

I'm kind of feeling sassy at the moment.  I'm so proud of myself for finishing a paper I really, REALLY didn't want to write, for a class I really, REALLY didn't like or even want to take.  Yes, I put it off until the last possible moment, BUT!  But I finally finished it, and I'm proud of myself.  Even though I have a pounding headache and a belly full of cramps, and I'm really, really overheated right now.  Because I did it, even though I didn't want to.

FYI, I could have passed the class even if I had totally blown off the paper.  But I still did it anyway.  So, go me!

My life may be boring, but it's mine and I enjoy it.

Because it's the most adorable little
Firefly/Harry Potter crossover in existence
(if you don't understand the reference, I pity you.).

I am a little bit of a goof.

Okay, I'm a lot a bit of a goof.  I knew I shouldn't.  But I did it anyway.  I stayed up last night to read.  Wow, I haven't actually done that in a while.  Not for pleasure, definitely.  Some for research papers, or to watch TV, or just because I had insomnia, but it's been a while since I stayed up all night to finish a book.

I remember when the last time was, though.  July 22, 2007.  It would have been July 20, 2007, but I was with Mom in Chicago at a Women of Faith conference, and I didn't even get home until Sunday afternoon.  Some of you, if you're like me, will remember the significance of 7/20/07.  It was the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the actual Deathly Hallows, people, not the first movie part!).  I had to work in the morning, and I still stayed up all night to finish it.

Do you know what it's like to be physically unable to put a book down?  If not, I pity you.  It's one of the strangest, most exhilarating, most wonderful feelings in the world.  It used to happen to me all the time.  Then, I guess, I just read too many books.  The feeling cannot be repeated or recaptured by going back and reading the book again.
It can be renewed, though.    Personally, I like Rick Riordan for that.  The Kane Chronicles were the first, then the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.  Now it's going to be the Heroes of Olympus (I've already pre-ordered the next book in the series).  I love this feeling!

There are so many books out there that can cause that feeling, too.
I intend to read them all. :-)  The days of staying up all night reading Harry Potter books for the first time is back- with a vengeance!

Try these