Hair (And why blond Protagonists must exist)

I've got too much of it, and I'm officially sick of my "long, golden tresses."

Because the truth is that those tresses look more like hay than gold, and long hair is a BITCH to de-snarl. I come to this conclusion every few years, and decide to cut it in one ridiculously short style or another. Why so short, you ask?

It's guilt. Everyone says I have good hair, and even though I don't always believe it, I can't let however many inches go to waste. Inevitably, I decide to donate to locks of love, and this time is no different.

So here I am, committing to it now: On June first (give or take a few days), I am cutting off AT LEAST ten inches of my hair and donating it to locks of love.

But come on now, I've done this twice before. Let's spice things up a little. I will also DYE MY HAIR. Yes, people. I will dye my hair permanently. The closest I've ever come to that was a poorly-chosen bottle of purple dye from Hot Topic. This is the big leagues, and I'm a bit nervous. Let's do it! I'm treating myself to a professional dye job, to minimize the risk of catastrophe.

Now should I go for black? Or brown? Red, maybe? Or should I try blue, green, and pink (in varying streaks)? I need suggestions, as I'm probably not qualified to pick a proper color myself.

It should be said, however, that I do not hate blond hair in general. It should also be said (because I love to tie EVERYTHING back to writing) that my MC is not blond because I am blond. I made her blond because I am SICK TO DEATH of the brunette heroine and the blond bimbo stereotype. All (or most) blonds in the books I've read are either weak, evil, or stupid. Take your pick from this trifecta of terrible personality types, but I'll have none of it.

So, um, that's my rant about my blond MC, pictured above (look familiar?).

A Monogamous Relationship with Blogger

I've decided to commit to this blog, after a hiatus in which I took LiveJournal for a spin. It didn't work, all of the switching between the two although hypothetically, it was necessary. See, I have strong opinions. Opinions that may or may not offend or anger other people. Usually, I tell people to deal with it, that I am who I am, and you can take it or leave it.

But. (And there is a but)

I think that any public figure needs to be professional. And I understand that a published author may or may not count as a public figure, and I am aware that I'm a far cry from being a published author, but I don't want to start off on a bad note.

So I separated my writing life (and put it on LiveJournal) from my personal life (which had long since been posted freely on this blog), and ended up neglecting both blogs. Womp womp.

I gave up on that plan, so here I am, back in action.

Hi! (Waves at readers)

Now, to today's post:

I love twitter. It's become an obsession worse than facebook because quite frankly, it's better than facebook. There are so many cool people on twitter (really on it, as opposed to their agents or publicists on it for them), and sometimes I actually get to talk to them!

Well, not talk, per say, but... communicate! It's like a 140 character fan letter, and sometimes they write back! (Like yesterday when Paulo Coelho informed me which of his books he'd previously quoted! I flipped out!)

If you have doubts, check out this informative post by Kiersten White. Oh. Then subscribe to her blog, and pre-order her upcoming novel of awesome, Paranormalcy.

Then follow me on twitter!

Then go watch Supernatural, because it's amazing, and Dean is hot. Look at the top of this post for proof. See? I told you.

I'm going to go work on my papers, because I'm a college student and life sucks. But not really, because I have iced tea!

Quarter System

It sucks to be on the quarter system.

No, really. It's the most depressing thing in the world to be working on midterms as your friends gab on facebook about how many weeks until summer vacation.

Weeks, people.

I'm just about ready to tear my hair out in anticipation of my amazing summer, but today especially, I feel like there's so much standing between me and freedom.

Which is not to say that I'm completely defeated. No, despite the hormonal Chicago weather, the mountain of reading and papers, and teachers who talk to hear the sound of their own voice, I will survive. I will trudge through, and cling to the little things.

And the not so little things, like the wonderful Saturday coming up in which REGINA SPEKTOR is coming to campus.

You heard me. REGINA EFFING SPEKTOR!

I love her. If you don't, watch this video, and then you will:

As this dreary quarter rolls past, I cling to the crazy (but inspiring) songs of Regina, and I cannot wait until she comes to campus.

Other than that, there's not much to say about my life. I'm trying to learn to be funny (though I've yet to make it to a meeting... yes, it's because I'm a wuss). I'm working on the book (despite the rejections that pour in from all sides), and I'm writing the second one (which is WAY more fun than revising the first).

Oh yeah. My weight loss goals. I'm trying to lose weight for my friend's wedding (well, more using the momentous occasion as the catalyst for something I've been attempting for a while), and this involves heavy gym-age, a lot less sweets, and my hesitant (albeit exciting) enrollment in a belly-dancing course. Yeah. We'll see how this turns out, as my first class is on Thursday. You'll be hearing from me, if I live to tell the tale.

Hope your week is more sunny than mine is here in Chicago!

Green Tea

It's awesome, and I'm becoming slightly obsessed with it. Arg.

My life is going well I suppose. Not to sound like a bitter girl living the upper middle class life, or anything. This quarter is going well, the weather is increasingly beautiful (although last week was so damn warm we got to go to the beach and this week... not so much), and I'm writing like a fiend.

Summer plans are almost finalized: About a month in Puerto Rico (bumming at a combination of my amazing relatives' houses and a hotel), A bit more than a week in Florida (A bit at the Queen's house near Orlando and a bit in a Key Largo hotel), and a whole bunch of time in Texas. I think I'll spend a grand total of two weeks in my hometown, Milwaukee, which will save me my sanity.

I like my hometown like I like my coffee: In small doses and only when I need it. Don't get me wrong, I miss my mom, I miss my friends, and above all, I miss my cat, but I can't take Milwaukee for very long before the insanity factor starts to creep in.

In fact, I can't foresee finding ANYWHERE I'll be able to live for very long before I get antsy and ready to leave. I'm not quite that kind of person.

I blame it on Eliza and the Thornberries, one of my favorite cartoons. The show is about a girl who can talk to animals, but as cool as that is, it's not why I loved it. See, their parents dragged Eliza and her sister all over the world, and as a result, they saw so many things that I'll probably have to work my entire life to see. I just think that would be so cool, you know?

Just traveling and living my life. That's what I want to do. Which brings me to my post-college plans:

1) Sheepherding in New Zealand. No, seriously. It's a legit thing. You live in someone's house and herd sheep as a part time job, and in exchange, you get free room and board.

2) Sailing. There's a training program in the last two weeks of July, and after that, you're pretty much certified to work in most tall-sail ships. It's a lot of hard labor, but an alumnus from NU does it, and she loves it. Traveling, drinking, sailing on the high seas? Count me in.

3) Farming. Similar to sheepherding, except on a farm.

4) California. Ok, that's not a job title, but similarly to one of my possible summer plans, you can work at a national park doing maid service or working at a shop, and you get to live in a cabin smack in the middle of the red wood forests. Except for the bears, spiders, and tics, this sounds golden to me.

5) I guess Grad school should be on this list, shouldn't it? Sigh. I'm not sure if grad school is right for me, but I am sure of one thing: I'm not going STRAIGHT out of college. It's just not happening. I need a breather, time to live my life before spending it studying somebody else's.

6) Writing. I'll do this no matter what, but if I could be a full time writer from the get-go, my life would be made. I'm up for it. 8 hours of writing a day? Yes please. Getting mad money for it? Even better. Now, I'm not foolish, and I don't expect this to happen exactly like I've dreamed. But it's just as foolish to rule a future like this out as it is to expect it with open arms. (Note, this is my eventual goal in life...)

7) Literary Agent. I'll soon be applying to be an intern, and I'd sift through the slush pile. I just think it'd be cool to help some good writers get a foot in the door of the publishing world.

8) Hunter. Not the redneck kind. More like Sam and Dean Winchester, minus the apocalypse. But that's probably because I've been watching Supernatural like it ain't no thang. My bad.

That's all I've got right now, though the list keeps growing as I meet more people.

Off to bed, as I have a 6am shift at work tomorrow. Kill me please (but not really cause I'm in the middle of a book).

And Tarleton Drops the Ball

The background information you need to know:

Tarleton is the college my dad teaches at, located in Stephenville, Texas. A guesstimation shows that 85% of the faculty are fairly liberal, while only 15% of students would fall under "liberal." It is safe to say, considering the bible belt location and a church almost LITERALLY on every corner, the town itself is quite conservative.

The Story as far as I know it:

For a project, a group of students were assigned to perform a play of "questionable moral standing," in which Jesus Christ and the apostles are portrayed as homosexual. This was NOT a public production. It was an assignment to be performed, viewed by invitation only (i.e. family members and close friends). Let me repeat, it was not open to the public.

The Complication:

Someone got wind of this, and the media promptly went berserk. Fanatical people (the crazy religious ones that may or may not burn crosses on people's lawns) began death threats, bomb threats, etc. The professor did not bend. Townspeople debated, the subject dominated headlines, and I was excited to see the campus flash its liberal side (which every university should do at least once in a blue moon).

The Immense Failure:

The night before the plays were set to be performed, officials notified everyone that they had been cancelled. Cancelled?!?!?

Cancelled?!?!?

In my opinion, this is a huge disappointment. Really? Really? The worst thing to do is give in to threats from the crazy people. Now, instead of being known for pushing the bar, Tarleton is the weak conservative university that lets the town tell it what to do. I feel like this was Tarleton's chance, and the ball was dropped faster than a hot potato.

Maybe next time, Tarleton.

Still in Texas, don't want to leave

I think spring break should be a few months longer. It's ridiculous (Or as my dad has been saying, riDONKulous) how quickly the time passed, and now I'm scurrying to pack my things as the clock brings me closer and closer to spring quarter.

I do miss Chicago, a little bit. Maybe I need some MORE absence to make the heart grow fonder, but I don't have that right now. Right now, all I have is an hour to shower, finish laundry, pack, and post this to my blog. Then it's high flying to the windy city, and a whole lot of work. Damn.

Yesterday, the pops and I went to a huge get together down in the real country of Texas, hosted by the guy who basically helped me get into NU. There was BBQ, corn, brownies, beer, wine, mashed potatoes, bacon-wrapped jalapenos, and this really amazing yummy pie called "buttermilk pie." I'd never heard of it before last night, but it's amazing! It's like pecan pie, but on crack. Good, tasty crack.

The host's daughter is my new favorite ten year old. The adults were cool and all, but she was freaking awesome. Once we found out that we were fans of Harry Potter, we gabbed about how disappointing the movies were, how awesome the books were, and then promptly exchanged "must read" lists. I told her about Neil Gaiman, and she told me about a series involving "Septimus." I still need to figure out the specifics of that. We also both LOVE the Percy Jackson series, which you should read if you have not done so already.

But it really made me smile to know that she was taking initiative, writing stories, reading anything she could get her hands on, and learning bits of Greek (How cool is that?!?!?!?). I want to be besties with her, or at least guide her towards a writing career as she grows up. I know, she'll be whatever she wants to be, but she'd make an awesome writer.

Anyways, it was really fun, and she was very cool. Wish I met more kids like that. Wish I met more adults like that.

In other news, there was supposed to be a student play performed on the Tarleton campus. Usually, I wouldn't care, but because of the circumstances (portraying Jesus and the apostles as gay, and the play being cancelled) I took interest. My next blog, which may or may not be today, will focus on this craziness.

Until then,

Adios!

Texas

It's strange how sweet a place is once you've been absent for a long time. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, or something like that.

I'm in Texas right now, enjoying (slightly) warmer weather than Chicago, and even though I'm up painfully early, life is good. I've been eating good Mexican food, God-honest BBQ, and WAY too much Starbucks. Such is life with my dad. He's a caffeine addict, to the extreme.

I spent a little time up in Denton with my friend Laura (who just happens to be getting married soon, WAZA!), and I had a blast being girly. It's something I haven't done in a while, and it was just what the doctor prescribed. A day at the spa (don't over-fantasize it, because it was definitely a nail salon), a nice Italian restaurant, shopping at an outdoor mall, and getting a home-cooked meal. Basically amazing.

Did I mention the anime? It's a series I'm now obsessed with, called "Devil May Cry." It's about a half demon who slices bad demons in half with his SIX FOOT LONG SWORD. He's a badass.

Did I mention the puppy? A four year old pug, Paco won my heart (even though I'd met him before). He is not a badass though, haha.

Alright, since I posted on my dilemma about summer plans, I wanted to give you all a quick update: California hiking and Delaware sailing are out. Puerto Rico wedding and Florida Keys wedding are IN.

Yes, you heard it first here, my dad is getting married. It feels weird and awkward, but his fiance seems nice enough and if he's happy, I'm happy. As long as she doesn't turn out similarly to Snow White's step mom, if you know what I mean.

So I'll be spending a month (I'm thinking optimistically, here) in Puerto Rico, then run back to Texas for a week or so. Then it's off to Florida for the weekend (Maybe longer? I have to check with people)! Palm trees, my 21st birthday, and walking down the aisle (not MY aisle, per say. Just AN aisle). Sounds pretty sweet if you ask me.

My only problem? I'm afraid my attention hog tendencies will kick in, and the bride should not have to deal with a Leo on her wedding day. I'll try to keep it down, though.

New post coming soon, probably to rant about spring classes (in either a good or bad light... we'll see).

Toodles!