Write or Wrong

Someone asked me today if I was a writer. I told him I wasn’t, which is true for the most part. Perhaps a more accurate answer would have been, I’d like to be. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to be a writer. I used to write stories and fanfiction all the time.

I remember writing a story in seventh grade called ‘The Terrible Truth About Six Flags’. It focused on a group of friends who went to the amusement park and hid so that they could stay after closing. They somehow managed to stay in the park and work some of the rides, but began disappearing one by one as the night wore on. 

Round about the same time I discovered fanfiction. More specifically BTVS fanfiction. I would spend hours writing about Spike and Buffy and the Scooby Gang. I would even write stories in class and let my friends read them for entertainment. Not so much now.

Another of my early works/still a work in progress is called The Never Ending Mystery. Not the cleverest of titles, I know. If I ever did manage to finish it, that would probably need to be rectified. I wrote the entire thing in my bathtub. In one day. Maybe I should consider spending a little more quality time with that tub these days. 

TNEM has been through many a change. Originally it was a one shot story with a dire ending. From there it became the first in a mystery series about two girls who opened their own detective agency with $1,999. I actually wrote a prequel to TNEM called The First Big Case. I typed it sometime in my middle school days. All in caps. On Word Pad. You can imagine the spelling and grammar errors on that one. But I’ll give it to younger me, she knew how to finish something.

I saw a quote recently on Pinterest talking about rough drafts. It basically said, it’s called a rough draft for a reason, but we’ve all got to start somewhere. Goal #1 when writing should be to finish that first draft. That seems to be the most challenging part for me. What happened to all of my ambition? The stories I wrote as a kid may not have been the best, but at least they were complete.

I can’t help but think about Nick from New Girl right now. He wrote his entire story when no one thought he could. And yeah, it was crap, but he finished it. I think it’s about time I followed suit. 

Having read a ton of books in the last 15 years, I feel more pressure now to add in the details and descriptions that didn’t cross my mind when the first draft of TNEM was completed. And those things are important, but I think what is most important right now is figuring out the bulk of the plot and worrying about the details in draft two.

The next step in my new life mission to figure me out is to write a complete rough draft of TNEM, even if it sucks! And all short term goals must have a deadline. Mine will be April 30th at midnight. A little over two months to get this thing together. I know technically it's a list item that doesn't have to be completed until December but if I can finish the rough rough draft soon, maybe I can make it worth reading by the end of the year. Fingers crossed.

Even though I've wanted to be a writer for most of my life, I'm still not convinced I'm that good at it. But how will I ever know if I don't try? If I don't put my work out there? So that, my friends, is exactly what I plan to do.

Updates to come!

27 at 27: January Update

It has officially been one month (and 3 days) since I turned 27. I thought it was time for an update on my progress. I've blogged about most of my accomplishments but not all of them. And I thought I'd update on those tasks that are in progress. You know, in case anyone is actually reading this blog. :)

Here we go!

1. Visit a place I've never been. Only a few months left until I step onto the beaches of Hawaii!!

2. Take a Class. 

3. Write a rough draft of a novel or short story.

4. Get in the shape I want to be in. 

5. Eat healthier. This is a work in progress. I have discovered Whole Foods and have made quinoa in about four different ways (some better than others). I've also been cooking asparagus and cauliflower mashed potatoes (which taste nothing like potatoes btw). 

6. Try a new vegetable. 

7. Go to a concert. 

8. Save more money than I did this year. 

9. See a play. 

10. Try my hand at photography. 

11. Do a wine tasting. 

12. Eat at a restaurant I've never eaten at before.  For my friend Lesley's birthday, we ate dinner at PF Chang's. I'd always heard about it but never eaten there. Courtney and I split the dinner for two ($40 total). We had lettuce wraps, outstanding egg drop soup, Mongolian beef, honey chicken, and fried wantons with vanilla cream for dessert. And margaritas because... because. It was a bit expensive but the food was good! Also, if you plan to go to this restaurant you will want to make a reservation at least a day or so before. The wait for non-reservations is around two hours. 

13. Try new kinds of sushi. 

14. Run a 5K. I've already registered for two 5Ks coming up this spring!

15. Watch Breaking Bad. 

16. Make a craft and attempt to sell it on Etsy. I've come up with a few ideas for this but no progress has been made so far.

17. Make a T-shirt quilt. 

18. Attempt a new activity. 

19. Have at least one themed party. 

20. Bake a new kind of pie. 

21. Make a crafty map of the United States. 

22. Learn how to curl my hair. I've curled my hair three times now with my new curling wand I got for Christmas. It has actually turned out pretty good so far but I'll wait on this one.

23. Go to a drag queen show. 

24. Go glamping. 

25. Do something that scares me. 

26. Re-organize my closet area.   Don't think I blogged about this one, but I finally got my closet organized! It only cost me $80 in storage containers. :/  I will say that it looks good though. 

27. Blog more! 

So yeah, I've managed to cross 6 things off of my list. Not bad for one month. 

2015 Reading List

Okay, boys and girls. It's 2015 and that means time for resolutions and challenges. I already have my 27 at 27, but what's another list to complete?

My friends shared this reading challenge from PopSugar with me so I thought I would share it with anyone who may stumble upon this blog. 

The goal is to read as many as I can because, let's face it, reading a book a week might be a bit of a stretch for me. But who knows? I'll try to update my progress each month. Try. 

Try.

Yummy in My Tummy

What a dumb blog title. Who am I? DJ Lance?

Oh well.

This past week I checked two more things off of my 27 at 27 list. And only two weeks in! I don't expect this streak of accomplishment to last but who knows. Maybe turning 27 has really improved my motivation. 

Courtney and I visited a little Greek/Persian/Italian restaurant called Shiraz Cafe. The meal I got, which was similar to chicken parmesan, featured a vegetable I've never tried. Eggplant. 

I've always thought I wouldn't like eggplant, based solely on its name. 

Aside for a life story!! I played basketball in middle school and in 7th grade we (someone on our team, don't remember who exactly) decided one of our plays should be called eggplant. We thought it was hilarious or something and it became a running joke. At the end of the season, our coach bought us all a plastic eggplant. I still have the thing. 

Anyway, I never thought I would like the taste of eggplant. However, in this particular dish, it actually wasn't bad. Its texture reminded me of a cooked cucumber (or what I imagine a cooked cucumber would feel like). I'm not sure about the taste but it was interesting. I'll have to try it again sometime. 

The second item I checked off the list was to try new sushi. Courtney, Hillary and I went to Osaka, our favorite Japanese restaurant, on New Year's. 

I tried two new types of sushi: the Indian Roll (crab and cream cheese) and Shrimp Tempura (shrimp and idk even know what all...). I liked the Shrimp Tempura better, but it was more flavorful. Crab and cream cheese is a little bland. Though, I did add ginger and soy sauce. :)

I know I could technically mark another item off of my list: visit a restaurant I've never been to. But I feel like that might be cheating a bit so I'll save that one for later.

So yeah... I'm making progress on my list. 4 down, 23 to go. 

Dragalicious

Only a few days into being 27 and I've already completed another item on my list. For my birthday, some friends and I went to Lips, a drag show in Atlanta.

After reading some of the reviews on Yelp, I wasn't sure that it was going to be worth it. But it definitely was. Sure, it was overpriced, but it's in Atlanta. Everything is overpriced. The show was very entertaining and we had a great time. 

A few things to note:

There is a $10 cover charge per person for Friday and Saturday nights (we went on a Friday). 

If you have less than 10 people, there is a $15 food minimum per person (more than 10 is $25 I think, we had 5 people). 

The food was actually pretty good, I thought. It was the equivalent to most bar food I've ever had. We ordered mostly appetizers and one entree to share amongst all of us. We had garlic bread, coconut shrimp, calamari, two of the combo appetizers which had chicken fingers, hot wings, pot stickers, crab cakes and spinach and artichoke dip, and one order of chicken fingers with fries. Nothing tasted bad to me. I actually really liked the shrimp and pot stickers. The chicken tasted like the kind you buy in the freezer section at the grocery store and heat in the oven but it was still fine.

The drinks were $8.50 each and really good. I had the Drag-o-Rita, Kick the Bitch to the Curb, and Yvonne Lame' Frozen Cosmo.

If it is your birthday, they give you a crown to wear during the show. They also call you up on stage, give you a brownie and insult you a little. It was quite funny and only moderately embarrassing for me. There is a $10 charge for this that is added to your bill. They don't tell you this but it is written on the menu. I knew this ahead of time from reading other reviews. If you don't want to be charged, don't tell them it is your birthday! My friends thought it was worth it to see me embarrassed. :)


The performers were also the servers but we didn't experience any problems with getting our food. We ordered our drinks separately directly from the bar each time. The only thing that took a little longer than we would have liked is getting our regular drinks re-filled. I was pleased with the service.

The show itself lasted about an hour, which is what I expected as there were two shows that night. 

All in all, it was a great birthday experience that I will definitely never forget. 

Getting Crafty- Cork Board Map

I've wanted a map of the US to hang on my wall for a while. I thought it would be neat to have one I could use to mark states I've been to. I found a few different ideas (adding photos in the shape of each state was a good one!) but ultimately decided on a cork board map. I made one for myself and one for Courtney, my oftentimes travel companion, for Christmas.

What you'll need:

• Cork board
• Printout of the US
• Pencil
• Sharpie
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Hot Glue
• Push Pins
• Stickers (optional)

I bought two cork board's from Walmart (about $8 each). I printed a map of the US using Microsoft Publisher so that I could make it larger than a regular 8x11 sheet of paper, the only size paper I had. I cut out the map and traced the outline on my cork board. Then, I cut out a few states at a time, tracing them from West to East. 

Once I got it all traced, it looked like this. (Side note- I drew Hawaii in the wrong direction on the map below. This was the first map I drew so the second one turned out better.)

I traced back over my pencil lines with a sharpie to make it stand out more.

I found stickers in the scrapbook section at Michael's of all state license plates ($3 each) and I bought large push pins at Office Depot ($4 for 50pk). I hot glued the stickers on the push pins so they wouldn't fall off.

Next, I, with the help of my co-worker, made bows with ribbon I bought a Michael's. I cut a longer piece of the ribbon and attached it in two spots on the back of the cork board with staples and hot glue and then hot glued the bow to the top of the ribbon. (Note- It is better to attached the bow separately so that it does not pull loose once you hang it on the wall.)

I attempted to paint my cork board frame black (they only had one black one when I bought them) but paint wouldn't stick to the frame too well. It worked out though because now it looks artistic. :)

They turned out better than I expected. Now I just have to fill in all of those states!

Also that's one thing off of my list! Technically I'm not 27 yet, but I'm still counting it!

27 at 27

27 is my lucky number. I can't remember exactly how it got started, but my friend Lesley and I have been semi-obsessed with this number since high school.

Anyway... I'm a a few weeks away from turning 27 and thought it would be appropriate (and fun) to make a list of 27 things to do whilst I'm 27. This is also a way to accomplish a few goals. I do much better when I have deadlines. I've searched the internet and my own brain for ideas of what to include on this list and this is what I came up with:

1. Visit a place I've never been. In my case this will be Hawaii. I have been planning this trip in my mind for years and it is finally in motion. This, at least as of now, is the most exciting event happening in my life next year.

2. Take a Class. I'm not sure what kind of class. Maybe painting or cooking.

3. Write a rough draft of a novel or short story. I'll never reach my goal of publishing a novel if I never finish the rough draft.

4. Get in the shape I want to be in. Some people would argue that I'm already in shape just because I weigh less than a certain amount...but to me being in shape isn't about a number. I want to be stronger, more toned and a little thinner. I hope to have this accomplished before my Hawaii trip in May.

5. Eat healthier. I know this is a goal one should always have, and I've been doing better lately. But I would like next year to be about eating more veggies and less Hamburger Helper.

6. Try a new vegetable. There are so many vegetables out there and I'm sure I've only tried a handful of them. I've met many a vegetable I didn't like, but in order to complete goal 5, it would be helpful to find more that I did like.

7. Go to a concert. The last few years I've been an avid concert-goer. I feel like I should carry this on into next year. 

8. Save more money than I did this year. I've managed to save around $1,400 this year, which is pretty good. But I'd like to save even more next year. After all, one does not want to live with one's parents forever.

9. See a play. Another recent obsession of mine. I love plays, high school and professional. My goal is to see at least one if not more next year.

10. Try my hand at photography. I bought myself an expensive camera last Christmas ($450 = expensive to me!) and haven't used it that much this year. Whether I decide to photograph scenery or people or objects, I hope to take more pictures than ever.

11. Do a wine tasting. I've tried a few wine samples at wineries in TN before, but never gone to an official wine tasting. I'm not a big drinker but when I do, I prefer wine. Or margaritas!

12. Eat at a restaurant I've never eaten at before. About a month ago, I went with my cousins and their boyfriends (yes, I am often a 5th wheel) to a Korean Bar-B-Q restaurant. I wasn't even aware such a place existed and no, they do not have what Americans consider BBQ. It had hints of hibachi (they cooked the food in front of you) but was unlike any food I've ever eaten. We had pork, chicken and steak marinated in an assortment of spices, spicy cabbage, bean sprouts, all on either rice paper or large radish slices. Plus we were given several sauces to dip our meat in. The food was really good and I've been dying to take my other friends there. Basically, I want to try a restaurant with food I've never eaten.

13. Along the same lines as 12, try new kinds of sushi. I've had sushi at a Japanese restaurant, a bar a grill (Drake's in Florence, KY) and once from Kroger, but I usually stick to the same kind (shrimp, crab and cream cheese). I want to branch out and try something new. Maybe I can find a good sushi bar to go to.

14. Run a 5K. My friends and I ran in the Color Run this year and had a great time. I'd like to find a new 5K to run in next year. Something fun. Maybe a mud run!

15. Watch Breaking Bad. I've heard this is an awesome show but I've never seen it. I think next year will be an excellent time to do that very thing. Netflix marathon!

16. Make a craft and attempt to sell it on Etsy. I love Etsy and have probably spent too much money on neat things I've found on there. The next step is to sell something myself. I'm not the most crafty or artistic person, but maybe I have an undiscovered talent for jewelry making.

17. Make a T-shirt quilt. I have a collection of T-shirts from back in the day that I do not wear but kind of want to keep. The solution: T-shirt quilt! I could send them off and let someone make the quilt for me (easy way) or I could purchase fabric, dig out my mom's old sewing machine and try to make it myself (possibly disastrous but more fun way). As I get older, I feel like I should really learn to sew. The only thing I've ever sewn in my life was a small pillow in an interior design class in high school.

18. Attempt a new activity. I have a few things in mind that all relate to Hawaii.

19. Have at least one themed party. I love themed parties! My biggest problem is I often spend too much on said parties. We may have to cut back next year, but I still intend to have at least one! (For party themes and ideas, see my other co-blog ourmcworld.blogspot.com.)

20. Bake a new kind of pie. So far in life, I have only attempted two homemade pies, blueberry and sweet potato. Yeah, I know, healthy eating and all that, but I love pie. And everything is okay in moderation...

21. Make a crafty map of the United States. Since one of my bucket list items is to visit all 50 states, I've always wanted a map that I can put push pins or photos of my visits on.

22. Learn how to curl my hair. I am terrible at styling my hair, which is why it is straight most of the time. I bought myself a styling wand on Black Friday so my goal is to learn to use it correctly.

23. Go to a drag queen show. I love watching Rupaul's Drag Race and think it would be awesome to see a drag show in real life.

24. Go glamping. I haven't been camping since I was a teenager and none of my friends want to venture into the woods. The compromise is glamping, or camping with style.

25. Do something that scares me. It doesn't really matter what exactly.

26. Re-organize my closet area. I say area because I don't actually have a shut in closet. It's more of a racks hanging on the wall kind of thing. I'm not sure exactly how I want to re-do it, but I know I want more hanging space for my bags (I have a bag problem!) and a bigger rack for my shoes (I also have a boot problem!).

27. Blog more! I've started a few blogs before and quit them before a year had even passed. And I haven't posted as much on my co-blog this year as I had planned. So next year I vow to try and update my blogs at least once a week.

So there you go. 27 at 27. Can I do it? Stick around to find out!