3 things to be inspired by

Some things for you to consider, process, and get inspired by as you start a new day:

If you have a spare hour to watch this entire video, you will not feel like you wasted your time. It documents the physical abuse that Clayton Moss endured as a 6 year old and how he is living now at the age of 19.
 The messages I got from this video were to (1) always be considerate and treat people with more respect than you'd give yourself, (2) trust your gut, always always always, and (3) reach out to people; be kind and friendly. I was reminded of a quote I heard over the summer: you never know when you'll be the answer to somebody's prayer. By doing any of these three things, you may save someone's life (and cause a chain reaction).

If you've ever wondered why our pets have such short lives, read the answer that a little boy gave after he witnessed his dog's death.

 

(via: aplacetolovedogs.com)

Again, I was reminded that our mission on this earth is to love others and do good. Yes, do good. Just like Mr. Feeny says...

(via: ology)

(I was flipping through channels so I could multi-task while folding laundry when I saw the last episode of Boy Meets World was on. Cue ugly cry fest. Nothing makes me feel as nostalgic and old as this episode does.)

Spread the love today!!! And then share what you do to make a positive impact on our world so that we all may be inspired afresh.

The effects of negative thinking

For the research class I'm in, we had to write a 20 page paper on a topic of our choice. Monday was the due date for our rough drafts and since then, we've been reading 6 papers written by our peers per week and giving them our feedback. Today, I read a fantastic essay on the ramifications of modernity in Nepal. For a first draft, it was nearly perfect. I found myself intrigued by a topic I never would have willingly read about because of how well the words flowed off the page. It was so good. And I was jealous.

The author of this paper is in my creative writing poetry class too where I also marvel his work. Finding out that he wasn't just a pro at writing creatively, but that he could master formal essays too, I grew horribly disappointed in myself. While he wrote 20 pages of perfection in two weeks, I couldn't even write that much or that well if I were given two months. With his ability to create a paper so well written in so little time, I was reminded of how it takes hours and hours and revisions upon revisions to come up with something I'm proud of. With people like him in the world, I'll never amount to anything.

Then I think of the other people I know who are better writers than I am who don't even have an interest in perusing a career in writing.  I hate to say it's not fair, but it's not. I like writing, but it just takes me so darn long to write something that people won't regard as boring or underdeveloped. (I know this post isn't quality writing, but I'm sharing it anyway. This is my blog. I vent without the intention of impressing.) At least I'm aware of what sucks about my writing; this way I can work to improve.

Negative thoughts like these swelled in my mind for the next few hours which made me very depressed and down on myself. I thought about ditching my English major and giving up on my dreams of becoming an author. What's the point in continuing this path if no one will ever react to my writing the same way that I reacted to a college student's work?

The only person I can remember who said she sincerely liked my writing is my best friend Erin, but even then she was referring to the style I take to when writing emails. I am very very thankful for her and if I do continue writing, I see it being because of her. She's the only one who faithfully reads my blog posts anyway. So Erin, this one is for you. How do I keep myself from thinking I suck so much?

Tights for every day of the week

There are so many fun tights available these days. Here are some of my favorites:

I love how you'd never see anyone else wearing these around.

(via: modcloth)

This pair of paisley print tights would work with a girly or edgy look.

(via: Emerging Thoughts)

How sweet would these look under a pair of denim shorts?

(via: modcloth)

Where have you ever seen knee pads on tights? So cute!

(via: asos where they're originally $72!!!)

Not fishnet-y enough to be trashy, so great!

(via: modcloth)

The color of this pair is gorgeous!

(via: Target)

You can never have too many pairs of black tights.

(via: Kohl's)

My favorite place to buy unique tights used to be Urban Outfitters, but it seems they've stopped carrying them! Now I can only ever dream of owning fun tights from modcloth (unfortunately too expensive for me). Which ones are your favorite?

On Repeat: "To Love and Back" - This Century

I'm Craving: hashbrowns, omelettes, breakfast food...yummmmm

Winter Haiku

The squirrels have grown fat.
Each day a new reminder:
I hate wearing jeans.

A Day in the Life of a College Procrastinator

As expected, I waited to write my 20-page research paper until the weekend before it's due. Yesterday, I wrote 3 pages in 12 hours. Today, I plan to write 14 pages in 15 hours (since only the rough draft is due, I'm gonna slack and only reach 17 pages). Some people can write 3 pages an hour, but that ain't me. I'm only good for writing a paragraph every 2 hours. So I'll document my progress every hour and you'll get to see how sucky I am at staying focused. Woooooo let's gooooo!

12:00 pm: I, along with a few other hardcore studiers, waited outside the library's doors until it opened at noon precisely. It was like waiting for Willy Wonka to let the winners of the Golden Ticket into the Chocolate Factory.

12:20 pm: My phone's inbox is 99% full, so I can't get any work done until I clear it out. Also, I'm a little hungry so I'm gonna eat this bagel I smuggled out of the dining hall.

1:00 pm: My inbox is now at 84%, iheartradio keeps breaking, and I have to pee. Time to work.

2:20 pm: Eating applesauce. Wondering what direction I can take my paper in. Wishing the library weren't so quiet so I could chomp on some carrot sticks without getting annoyed looks from everyone. Realizing how heavily my life revolves around feeding myself.

3:40 pm: An actual thought that struck my mind: "I want to quit my life." So far, I've written a paragraph. I'm going to write for another hour and then get coffee.

4:40 pm: I still only have a paragraph written, but the good news is that I know what I can devote another 350 words to! But I need food first. Let's see if I can convince my poor roommate who has been in the fetal position all day with cramps to go to dinner with me.

5:25 pm: COOOOFFFFFFFEEEEEEEE!

6:25 pm: Going to the bathroom for the sixth time today. Oh yeah, I wrote a page!!! Just 13 more to go. 

6:45 pm: Eating the apple walnut turkey wrap that I snuck from the dining hall to eat as a midnight snack because I'm a fatass who can't concentrate without having food in my mouth.

7:20 pm: Starting to panic because the library closes in less than 5 hours and I still have so much work to do. In case you were wondering about my bladder, I just went to the bathroom again.

8:00 pm: I just had a moment with the girl sitting next to me where we smiled at each other with equal expressions of "Yup, it's gonna be a long night for me too."

9:00 pm: I found a new direction to take my paper and I'm really enjoying it! I wish I had started this journey weeks ago so that I could actually write something that isn't word vomit and be proud of what I uncovered. Let this be a lesson, kids.

10:00 pm: Listening to Ellie Goulding's "Tessellate" because I needed a dance party in my head. Triiiiangles are my favourite shape. Made it to page 6!

11:00 pm: I'm just gonna end this now because I already know how my night will go. At midnight I'll begrudgingly leave the library and take a shower. Then I'll set up camp in the basement of my residence hall and probably stare at nothing a bunch more times. At 5 am I will cry as the janitors come in to start their day of work. At 6:45 am I'll give up and drag myself to my room where I will then sleep for 3 seconds (1.5 hours).

 I have failed.


On Repeat: "Latch" - Disclosure
I'm craving: chocolate and a cat to hug

Hey you, try harder.

John Green, on how he asked his wife, Sarah, out for the first time:

"So I sent an email to 7 of my friends, including Sarah, and I said, 'Does anyone want to go see 'Lost in Translation' tonight?' and then I sent an email immediately afterwards to the 6 of my friends who weren't Sarah and I said, 'NOT YOU.'"

If only I heard more stories of guys I know asking their romantic interests on dates before asking them to be their girlfriends. Isn't there any tradition anymore? Where's the fun without nervousness, enjoying conversation together, or going on an actual freaking date? Honestly, treat a girl to dinner and a movie, or take her on a special date to a park/fair/concert/seasonal venue/scavenger hunt/foreign planet that you think she'll like before you commit to anything serious. 

Do you want her to think you're the most awesome guy who knows how to have a good time and makes it his priority to make her feel like the only girl in the world? (No Rihanna reference intended) Or are you gonna set the bar low, show her she shouldn't expect anything more than flirty text messages and parking in your mom's PT Cruiser? 

She can do better than you. 

Try harder next time.

Well this quickly turned into a frighteningly poisonous rant. There's no way to end this without awkwardly pasting smiley face everywhere, so, ummm, check out the New York Times bestseller list for Young Adult literature! John Green is on there 4 times if you bump it to the top 15. Way to go Nerdfighteria.

On Repeat: "Rude Boy" - Rihanna (don't even ask...)

I'm craving: carrot sticks

Your book sucks

There are few things I love more than breakfast for dinner, movies where the main characters risk their lives for the ones they love, and reading book reviews that tear apart an author's work.

Yup, I get my kicks from the trash talkin' book reviewers of the world.

When I finish reading a book that was so awful I wonder how it even got published, I head to Goodreads to find the dirtiest reviews. I can't really explain why they're so fun to read, but it's kinda like being told juicy gossip in jaw-dropping detail. The good ones usually rate the book two stars or less and file it under shelves like why-author-why and wish-i-never-read. They're even more entertaining when they use gifs to illustrate their reactions.

A few golden snippets come from a reader's review of Simone Elkeles's Wild Cards:

Derek is the hot, troublesome bad boy (except that he's NOT, why does everybody keep SAYING THAT, he literally goes around charming little children and doing the yard-work unasked, he's not bad at all you idiots).

Also, Ashtyn, just because a guy knows how to make breakfast, doesn't mean he must have spent a lot of time with his mother. Guys are capable of scrambling eggs and do not actually require women to show them how. They, like females, require sustenance for continuing to be alive.

And even better from someone's thoughts on Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti:

In college, some of my friends and I would entertain ourselves for countless hours by playing a game in which you have to quote the price necessary for you to do a task. For instance, they might ask me how much it would take to let one of them slap me across the face. (probably like 10 dollars) Or for me to take a shot of my own urine--ehhh, probably like 50 bucks. Relevance to this review? I think someone would have to pay me about 100 dollars for me to ever listen to another Susane Colasanti audiobook.

I know I already ranted in a status update about the stupid reasons the two main characters believed they were “soulmates” in this book but here are a few in case you missed it: they both like raspberries, they both like to abbreviate words while speaking, they both like to watch hot air balloons, and they both compare the bottled water they drink to colors and shapes. (WTF?) Put me in a room with anyone, ANYONE, and I can find at least that much random crap that we have in common. 

Are you addicted yet? There's no way I'm the only one who enjoys these reviews like they're crack. Think of a book that left you disappointed and then look it up on Goodreads. Find the worst reviews and maybe you'll understand why they're prime entertainment.


On Repeat: "Tessellate" - Ellie Goulding (Alt-J cover) (Her version makes me feel like a different person, like I'm in a different world. It's breathtaking and sexy and timestopping and ahh I love it)
I'm craving: Cheetos