Libraries

I think Libraries are underrated places. Books are underrated themselves, but people keep pushing them, which is good. However, we're getting more digital books, and Libraries are starting to sink into "the corrupt sands of commerce"--You've Got Mail.
I know a ton of kids don't use libraries. Even in my homeschooling circle I find so many kids who've only ever used a library for required school research. *gasp* HOW? I want to beg of them. I love libraries. They're this big cove filled with shelves and shelves of mysteries. Upon opening some of the boxes, you're met with boredom, junk, or interesting things at another time, but every once and awhile you find a treasure. I know; right now I'm being all cliché and tacky...but I do love libraries.
It's no different than bookstores in my opinion. I walk into Barnes and Noble, and aside from the coffee smell which makes me happy, I get kind of giddy thinking of how many unknown books I'm going to discover in the next hour. Seriously, when you take me into Barnes and Noble, I just walk through shelves, pulling out random books and reading the backs. Usually, I come home with about 4 new books I want to put on my "to-read" list.
Currently, I am still hacking my way through the Amazon jungle known as the novel Les Miserables, and I'm getting rather sick of it. I'm actually getting rather sick of just forcing myself to read it. It never ENDS!!!!! However, one of my friends just recently finished it, giving me hope that I can indeed accomplish the task I started about two years ago.
No matter, that's the book I'm in the middle of, but I've been waiting for Nicholas Sparks' book Safe Haven  to come in at the library. It was taking forever, and I was getting really tired of waiting because I kind of boycotted Les Mis till I got it. So, I didn't read a thing yesterday. So sad. But, today I went to the library, and they had my book and the CDs I requested; and I was super happy. Yay for libraries! I hope they never go out of style.

"Heaven help us, if the library caught on fire, and the volunteer hose brigades-man, had to whisper the news to Maaaaaaaaarian." -- The Music Man

Everyone is an Artist

What is an artist, exactly? The first thought might lead you to paint, thick strokes of green on a bumpy sheet of canvas. Or perhaps your mind took you to the concert stage, the sound booth, or the stacks of CDs on your bookshelves.

But then you're reminded to think in more general terms. Well then...I suppose people in the arts: the painters, the musicians, the dancers, the photographers, the writers, the actors.  But is that all? Is that where the term 'artist' stops? Only someone being involved in the arts? I say, no.

Everyone is an artist, in my opinion. I don't mean that in the way that everyone has the potential to write a poem or sing a song or dance to Tchaikovsky. No, everyone is an artist now! The term applies to everyone, currently, in exactly what they're doing. 

The chef who places the spring of mint on the left of the pastry instead of the right. The architect that slants the roof to this degree versus that degree. The room designer that wants a country feel. The weaver that has a whole box of red yarn beside her. They are all artists. 

To me, artistry is creation. If you can make something, then you're an artist. The home cook who pours the soup into one big serving dish. The engineer organizing steel beams to fit together. The teenager rearranging her room for the fifth time. And Grandma, as she knits that sweater for her ugly dog. All of these are artists. They have the drive, the ability, and the creativity to make something. 

I've been thinking about this subject a little lately. As a writer, I consider myself an artist. I might not consciously state it to myself, but if I were to think about it, I would say I was an artist. I write stories; I create. I am an artist. And you know what, so are you. You don't have to be holding a camera or a baton or a brush...you can be sitting at home making an EXCEL spread sheet. Because think about it, didn't you have to figure out which colors were going to be allotted to which categories, and what columns things were directed into? 

Enjoy the rest of your day! :)

With Speech Note Cards In Front of Me...

As I sit here with Disney music playing off of youtube and my speech note card in front of me (that I'm supposed to be working on), I think about how today is April 30th! The last day of April means that finals are just around the corner. This week is actually my last week of classes, and finals will hit the week after that. Spanish on Mon, Brit Lit on Tues, Biology on Wed, and Speech on Thurs. Yup, and then I'm done! Done with freshman year! Done with lonestar (except for a possible summer class, if it makes). Oh, I wore my HBU shirt today. :) It's all very exciting.

Today's going to be a bit of a fun day. Mom and I are going out as soon as she comes home from getting Dad's truck detailed. We're going to the mall, the movies, and who knows where else. :) I'm looking forward to it. Not really any homework to do today...except those speech note cards still sitting in front of me. Haha!

Oh, I am revising one of my novels at the moment: Elsewhere. It's at 52,8...and something words. Once I push it up to 60,000 I'm making a trip to Office Depot. Print. Print. Print. Fold. Stuff. Lick. Seal. Stamp. Mail! Yes, I'm going to take the Writer's Plunge. I'm sending off my first book to a publishing company called Shadow Mtn. Publishing. I've read several books that they've printed, and I like all of them. The style of site seems friendly and for some reason, it's constantly in my mind when I think about submitting. So, I'm gonna do it, as soon as the ticker at the bottom of my screen reads 60,000.

Well, that's about it. Not much going on except the usual. School. Books. TV. Family. Friends. Life. Yeah, that's how it goes. Well, speech note cards are staring me in the face...and Mom just walked in. Haha! So long till next time.

LOTR is most definitely Terrifical!

I personally love Lord of the Rings and the memes people match up with them are hilarious. This picture is often used, but I found this one especially funny since it's exactly how I feel. :D 

Have a Terrifical Tuesday!

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

Hola, everyone! I've been submersed in Spanish lately...actually, I'm usually submersed in Spanish so sometimes it just comes out. 

My world has been flipping itself around quite a bit, lately. Some changes are important, others are exciting, and one is just...well, sad. Very, very sad. Keep reading. :D

Change #1: My whole plan this semester has been to take the summer off from school, continue on at Lonestar in the fall, and transfer to HBU in the spring semester. About two weeks ago, the world flipped. ;) I had a meeting with a faculty member at HBU. It has now been so ordered by the Pope (a family nickname for Dad) that I have the ability to go to HBU in the fall semester. :D I am super excited and looking forward to a whole new experience of new teachers, new friends, and joining another Kelly kid tradition. 

Change #2: Tonight, I had an egg salad sandwich...and I liked it. What? You are not gasping in shock? Clearly you were not around for the 18 years of my life in which I heavily disliked egg salad. I think it all has to do with the amount of mayonnaise. I didn't put a lot in this time; I think it's kind of like milk in cereal. A little is actually good. Too much? Ick-wick!   

Change #3: A few days ago I was hit with a shocking reality that disturbed my mind almost as much as the time I found out Goofy is supposed to be a dog. Quite traumatic, I assure you. Well, this truth? Some of those call-in radio programs on the radio? Some of them are taped! Taped! They lied to me! Every night when Delilah says, "We're here with you tonight," it is a lie. She's not actually there. Another childhood fantasy dashed. 

Annnnyway, so that's what's been going on with me lately. Hope you all are doing stupendous! 

The Toast of Life

As I was making toast for myself this morning, I decided to write a blog post.

Today, Mom and I are driving down to HBU so I can speak with an adviser about my degree. You see, HBU is changing their degree plans over the summer and guess what they're introducing? A creative writing major! I couldn't be happier. It'll will be so nice to just be able to focus down into that specifically and also be able to tell people I'm a creative writing major instead of an English major. English majors are just asked. "Oh, so you want to teach?"

I'm going to repaint my room. I've selected green and found two really light, pretty greens that I like. I'm going to paint some drywall and put it in my room to see how the colors work with everything. Then I shall decide. Also trying to figure out what else I want to do in my room. I know a few things: where I want to put certain books, some things I want to put away, but the biggest problem is what I want most in my room. I want pictures, both prints as well as photographs. I want an area where I can just tack up photo upon photo of my friends and I. And, I'm at a loss how to do that. Maybe I should go search Pintrest for some ideas. ;)

Oh, and I wanted to share a verse with you that I read in my morning quiet-time; it really stuck out at me. Psalm 72: 18--"Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things." That's a pretty amazing verse when you consider it. Everything the Lord does is wondrous. The 75th person He healed was no more miraculous than the 1st. He is wondrous and everything He does is wondrous. :)

By the way, to explain the quote on the side, I had a quote from Kate and Leopold about toast that I wanted to post, but it's way too long and there's a word that I don't want to include on this blog. Haha! So, while scrolling through the quote section on IMDb for the movie, I found this one. It was just too funny not to share.

The Three World Wonders of Siblings

Today happens to be national sibling day, and so I am succumbing to internet pressure by writing a blog post about it. :D 

Brother 1--Ryan: Loud and quiet, living in another state but still around, encouraging, pushes the boundaries to get me to think about things, asks a question to specifically get me to find a position about something, no nonsense about certain things unless he feels like being goofy, the best pianist I know, makes amazing eggs but I had to show him how to make a real omelet, crazy driver, takes a real interest in my interests, will always be the big brother to ask questions, can make Julianne laugh more than anyone else, excellent deep-dish pizza maker, a friend not just a brother, and has the best laugh I know. 

Brother 2--Justin: Makes any situation better, the one to make up football plays for front-yard games, willing to run around with markers as phasers, really good at poker but loses at Omaha, never ever is going to lose a game of Stratego, more brilliant than I knew was possible, doesn't do so well making rice, a necessity for the proper and full enjoyment of watching Remember the Titans, can out talk you in any argument because he uses big words, chicken connoisseur, had a bed I couldn't sit on :P, always reliable, has the cool car, plays the piano and I'm 8 years old again, and has the best laugh I know.

The only sister--Kathryn: the person that know me best--to an ocean's floor depth, the only person that can fully translate when I'm speaking the obscure dialect of quoting, the most exasperating and most endearing, the first call and the first text, when there's nothing to talk about we still talk for an hour, always contributing to my books--even when I might not want her to, and she's always right about my books--even when I don't think she is, my best friends can't touch how "best" she is, amazing, complex, nearly opposite taste in music from me but has the same taste in fictional male characters HAHA!, Disneyworld lover, movie-holic, always willing to read anything I give her...even if it's poetry, doesn't mince words when I'm being stupid or overreacting, dependable, blue with pink polka dots, and has the best laugh I know. 

I couldn't love these three any more!