I hope everyone made it safely into the new year. I myself am glad for the arrival of 2012. I look forward to a trip to Chicago, a list of “maybe” destinations (Las Vegas, Seattle, England), one of my good friend’s weddings, and graduating college. I do expect this to be a big year for me. Because of that, I would like to talk about something important to me: health.

I’ve been slacking majorly in this area lately, but I’ve been through dozens of attempts since I was ten years old to lose weight and get healthy. It took about a decade for me to realize that I’ve been doing it wrong. When I started working at my job, I finally received the wake-up call I needed. Health isn’t just about losing weight.

True health can be obtained by not only eating healthy and exercising, but also by sleeping right, managing stress, and supplementing with vitamins and minerals that the body cannot get on its own or from today’s foods.

I attempted the above a few times since accepting the above reality, but it didn’t stick. Why? In my opinion, it was because I didn’t look for support. I’ve always done this on my own, and I’ve always failed. I’d lose weight, sure, but I would gain it all back and then some.

Instead of trying it on my own this time, I joined a website the other day called My Fitness Pal. Don’t let me tell you that this is the best site out there, because honestly a friend said I should try it and I said okay. I love the site so far. Being able to scan products to enter my daily food intake is awesome. I haven’t had time to look around for support buddies, but that’s the next step.

Snape is my life coach.

I hope to have another post up soon, but that’s all for now. I’m sure I’ll update my blogging friends on my progress as I go along. It’s going to be a long journey, but I have the tools and means to do it. One day at a time.

Cheers!

Have you ever joined a website like My Fitness Pal?
Any New Years resolutions?

I just finished finals week by writing a paper on Julius Caesar. To celebrate, I made a mug of cocoa and decided to write on my precious blog. Problem: I didn’t know what to write about. Because I was already texting my friend Jem, I asked for a solution…

Harry Potter was mentioned, so obviously I had to take his advice. We all need a little self-confidence boost in our lives, so below I wrote out seven things that make me awesome, no shame attached. I could write more, but seven is a magical number (Thanks, Harry Potter series) and I’m too lazy right now to think of more.

The Top Seven Reasons Why I Am Awesome

1. I have amazing people in my life.

2. I travel often and see wonderful sights.

3. I admit to proudly being a Harry Potter nerd.

4. I (almost) have my Bachelor’s in English Writing.

5. I am writing a novel.

6. I make others laugh.

7. I enjoy every moment.

To cover the seven above, I love my family and my friends. I am grateful for the people at my job and those I encounter in my academic life. Travel is my passion, something I try to do as often as possible and make the most of. Harry Potter is something that makes me nerdy, yes, but it has also saved my life in ways that I will discuss in another post. Obtaining a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing is a year or less away, and with that I will hopefully be able to help shape the written word in some form or another, which could possibly come from my novel, once finished and published. Laughter is the cheapest form of medicine, in my opinion, so I enjoy laughing and making others laugh. I’ve stopped taking my life for granted and have vowed to make the most out of every opportunity, no matter what it is.

I suppose I should also talk about why I’m hopeful in order to properly accept the challenge. I am hopeful because I know who I am and what I want out of life. I might not know my exact future, but I know who and what makes me happy, and I know that I am happy despite the little twists and turns that come about. I know a lot of people who are worried about their futures because people with degrees have trouble finding jobs in their fields, but I’m not concerned for myself. Location, career, and family will all come when they come. I may not make an absurd amount of money and I may not get recognized for my writing the way those I admire do, but I don’t need either in order to be happy. If I have enough money to survive and manage to get a few strangers to appreciate my writing, life is good. If I have people who love me and I love, life is awesome.

Cheers!

What makes you awesome?
What gives you hope?

Day 18: Your Beliefs.

I’ve been sitting on this one for a long time. My last post on this series was several months ago now, so it’s been a while. I wasn’t sure I knew how to answer this question before. I think most people would start talking about their religion, but I covered that already in a previous post.

I am read Iris Murdoch’s “A Severed Head” for my Modern Irish/English Literature course, and the character Honor Kleine’s simple statement “I believe in people” was enough to convince me that I already knew the answer to this question.

I believe in people.

I don’t feel connected to a religion. I don’t believe in heaven and hell or a one, true god. I accept that people believe what they want to believe on the matter and hope they can do the same for me.

The world is full of destruction and madness. You can turn on any form of technology or open a newspaper (yes, those things still exist…paper) and chaos unfolds before your very eyes. But the world is also full of contribution and happiness. Everyone has some light and dark inside of them. We live in an imperfect society with good and bad, but it’s not split up into something so black and white as that.

This will come as no surprise to admit that I have been wronged several times in my life, but I will also own up to the fact that I have wronged others. Such moments of trouble are necessary. We learn and grow from these experiences. We must lose and get knocked down before we can rise and overcome. I happen to enjoy challenges and feel better when I succeed instead of sitting around and waiting for life to go exactly how I want it to. I feel the same way about people. I believe in them, and they can be good and worth the battle.

People are what I believe in. Some of them will let you down, and others will surprise you. My goal in life is to be as honest and true of a person as possible.

Cheers!

Side Note: I hope to get back to regular blogging soon. This semester has kept me rather busy. I miss writing on here and my blogging friends. Hope to connect more with you all again soon.

I am posting two things below. First is my stats page as of today. I’m not far behind my goal, and I also have the rest of today to write (apart from a little homework). I expect to be on track by the end of today or tomorrow.

I’m going to be selfish and admit that I’m not letting anyone read the novel apart from one friend who is also doing NaNoWriMo, who has experience in editing, and is simply an intelligent reader. Apart from her, no one is reading this beast until it’s written, edited, and ready to go. However, I will include an excerpt below that I shared on my writing page. I welcome any input on the contents below.

Excerpt

The body knows when it has been left behind. An invisible film takes form over it and announces instant protection from additional harm. Pain is inevitable at the first sign of abandonment, that moment where the hands reach out and find nothing. Lips smile while the brain pleads insanity. Knees shake in need of structure. Pulse beats faster and slower without warning. Without warning, faster and slower beats everything.

Loneliness isn’t news, that much is certain. Putting on a face of contentment has never been difficult, but the ticking clock growing louder and deeper with each additional reminder of being by one’s self causes irrevocable melancholy. There is no out from this reality, but the reality was never sweet to begin with; it was passable at best.

The world continued to turn outside into new beginnings. Sounds of early morning car horns and church bells echoed from the streets into residential chimneys, down to the burning fireplaces where bodies are meant to be kept warm. Burning embers—shifting from eccentric orange to flirtatious blue—are the only reminder that life continued inside the flat, for the face staring at the flames hadn’t moved in hours. There was a heartbeat, but little more. Eyes shifted, legs crossed and uncrossed, hands produced occasional trembles. The only sound heard throughout the space was the crackling of wood. A glass of brandy was finally lifted from the inhabitant’s lap, sipped, and set down again.

Beside the breathing body was a small stand, and on it an envelope, unopened. Written in a fine cursive, the name held meaning: Rodney. Whoever it was from, the recipient didn’t feel too compelled to open it, for Rodney took another drink before setting the glass down on the stand, covering a portion of the envelope. His eyes never left the flames.

When he finally moved to stand, his knees performed a slight crack that came with the combination of sitting too long and aging. The suit he put on the morning prior was still on his person, neatly tailored, but no longer freshly pressed. Forced to carry on the day, Rodney left the flames inviting privacy and walked down the hall into his bathroom. He opened the glass shower door and turned on the water, letting it heat to a nearly scalding temperature as he took off his suit, neatly folding every article of clothing and setting the small pile on the counter. He stepped into the shower and closed the door, letting the hot pellets consume him.

UPDATE: The giveaway is closed. I will draw & contact winners on Tuesday and announce them on the blog soon after. Thank you all for entering! – Jenna

Welcome to another Read, Write & Live book giveaway!  I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm are the hosts for this fantastic giveaway. There are HUNDREDS of bloggers participating in this giveaway hop (422 total), so be sure to check them out as well at the host links.

THE RULES:
1. You must be 13+ years old to participate.
2. You do not need a blog to participate.
3. No restrictions on location. This is an international giveaway.
4. Winners will be picked at random (random.org).
5. One form entry per person.
6. FILL OUT THIS FORM.
Note: You must fill out the form above in order to be entered into this contest. While comments are appreciated, leaving one will not enter you into the giveaway.
Optional (+2 entries on the form): I am participating in the Reader’s Digest Contest on Facebook. If you (1) “Like” Reader’s Digest and (2) Vote for my story, you will automatically get 2 extra entries. Check the box in the form if you do this. (Note: Please be honest about voting. I can only know by number of votes how many I’ve received. It doesn’t show names or dates, so I’m going to trust that if you check the box, you actually voted.) All help with this contest is greatly appreciated either way.

The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email I send them. If there is no response by that time, I will pick a new winner.

The giveaway is open from October 24 – October 31.

THE PRIZE:

I normally give out as many as three books with a giveaway, but since so many people are participating in this hop, I’m going to double that number. For every 15 registries, I will give away one book, with a maximum of six books total. The book must come from the Barnes & Noble Classics section. I’m a poor college student, so that’s as much as I can do this time around, especially since I’m upping the number. Please check the entire list here.

Good luck to everyone!