WHY I STILL WRITE

As long as I can remember, I’ve been a writer. In third grade, sometimes my friends and I would ask to go out to the hall during story time after recess. Instead of hearing other people’s stories, we wanted to write our own. We wrote these stories in my Garfield notebook. They were about our school mascot, E the Eagle. We imagined he went inside the Internet and met a hologram named Holly the Hologram. I don’t remember much beyond that, but it shows me how long storytelling has been a part of my life.

Even before that, one of my best friends and I would pass back and forth a paper yellow folder filled with pages and pages of handwritten stories about a talking dog named Ripper. On white computer paper, we made up the adventures of Ripper the talking dog and his two teenage female companions. We imagined we would play them in the movie version.

I wish I still had those pages, even if just to see what our wild little imaginations could dream up. It’s crazy how much we lose our imaginations as we get older. I always protested. I said it would never happen to me. I chose a creative field, therefore, I should get to keep mine. Right?

Wrong.

I never dreamed how wrong I could be. I wouldn’t say I don’t have an imagination; we all do to some degree. But it is nothing like that of a child. We use phrases like “thinking outside the box.” Kids — they aren’t thinking about how to think outside the box. They are already five steps ahead, using the box as a portal to another universe. One filled with adventures that are now beyond our wildest dreams. They’re innocent, but also naive to the world. And for once, that’s a good thing. They don’t have the biases — we like to call wisdom — of living. They haven’t learned logic or reason. And to me, that is a beautiful thing.

I can’t explain why I started writing. The words pour out of me. The floodgates opened the moment my number two pencil touched the page for the first time. I get little flashbacks to my earliest memories of writing — like how I got the word “of” wrong on a spelling test in first grade. I remember the red dash next to the “ov.” I remember the story I wrote about journeying through Candyland in third grade. And I remember writing my AP Comp essay my junior year about how I wanted to help people through my words — giving myself the pen name Dr. Wordsmith.

The most valuable thing I’ve learned through writing is how important is for me to keep writing. It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of life. We’re going and going and going — until don’t know where we’re going anymore. Writing grounds me. It heals me. Like I said, I hope that my words can be healing for other people, too.

I’ve had people message me telling me how much they related to something I wrote. Others tell me that they actually laughed out loud or had to share my words with someone else. To me, that’s the best feeling in the entire world.

Even if it’s just a line that resonates with someone, I feel like I’ve done my job. But more than that, it reaffirms why I still write.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT CHEESE CURDS ARE HERE

There's a lot I didn't know before moving to Florida. For instance, did you know that despite being called the Sunshine State, it rains pretty much every day for about half the year? Didn't know that? Funny, neither did I before moving down here. And we're not talking about a little sprinkle in the afternoon. We're talking about trees down, aggressive lightning, and flooding on the roads so bad sometimes that you might as well just commit to life as a hermit because you don't want to be caught in the massive puddles.

Okay, so that last part was a little melodramatic. But in all seriousness, I thought I moved to Florida, not Seattle.

Moving to a new place both excited and scared me. It was something that I had wanted to do a for a long time, but I knew that it would make the transition into adulthood even more challenging. The move meant a new start--a fresh start--but it also meant starting from the beginning.

It meant making new friends, learning how to navigate a new city, and figuring out who I was when I was completely alone. With no one to fall back on, I was forced to start learning how to live on my own. That part was a little scary.

But what I never expected was how much I would miss home.

Now, over the last four years, I've had two homes: Minneapolis and Madison. It only took being away from both to realize how much love I have for them.

No one knows what cheese curds are here. I didn't even eat cheese curds that often in Wisconsin, but I never realized that they were a concept people in other parts of the country didn't understand. The other night I found myself struggling to explain a concept that I've understood since I was a little kid. It's just a curd of cheese??

The Humidity is killer. Honestly, if you've never been to Florida in August, you don't even really know what humidity is. Imagine walking into a sauna every time you set foot outside. There's no relief. Your only choice is to stay inside in the A/C. Even the ocean and pools usually don't cool you down that much because they get so hot. At least up north, even on a hot day, when the sun goes down, so does the temperature. Here, you can walk outside at 2 AM and it's almost as humid and sticky feeling as it was at 2 PM.

People drive like maniacs here. Slow down there, Vin Diesel. We're just trying to get to work, not film Fast and Furious 9.  And don't even get me started on how the older people drive here. I cannot even imagine what it is going to be like "in season" (when all the "snowbirds" come down).

I've become 77% sand. It's everywhere. My car is covered. My flip-flops have to stay outside. You can't escape it.

There's no Caribou here. And it's a serious problem -- not for my bank account. But sometimes a girl just wants a good cup of joe.

My 7-year-old sister keeps asking why I can't come home, and it's breaking my heart. When my little sister first asked why I moved to Florida, I told her it was because I got a job here. Her response? "There are jobs in Minnesota too. You could work at Target, Dairy Queen...." If only she understood why her big sister couldn't be satisfied serving Blizzards and Dilly Bars. The other day she said, "Don't you want to be with me?" That girl really knows how to tug on the heart strings.

I'm going to miss the Minnesota State Fair. And that means I can't eat my weight in Sweet Martha's cookies and Fresh French Fries, and that's a huge problem. The Great Minnesota Get Together is one of my favorite times of the year.

I miss the city. I really took for granted how much there was to do in Madison and Minneapolis. Bored in Fort Myers? Well, I guess I'll go to the beach again? Not that I'm complaining about going to the beach. I will gladly soak up some sun while everyone up North is huddle around the fire in their parkas.

 Lauren, Becky, Taylor, and Shelby ( at 17) in line for the concert of our lives outside Fine Line Cafe

But more than anything, I miss my friends and family. Yes, I have made friends here, and I'm so lucky to have them. But sometimes you just want to sing Anna Sun in your car and know that your friends are there to harmonize and reminisce about that time that you discovered one of your favorite bands. I miss watching movies with my parents, and freaking out over Big Brother with my little brother. And my mom's cooking. Boy, do I miss my mom's cooking. And Grandma's baking.

All right, before I get too sentimental, I better remind everyone why I'm here. As much as I miss Minnesota (and Wisconsin), I know that I'm where I'm supposed to be. After all, this blog was founded with the goal of inspiring other people to pursue their passions. So, here I am showing you that it's possible.

Four years ago, I wrote a post right before college wondering if I could really make it happen. Could I actually make a career out of writing?

This is for 18-year-old Taylor.

THE SKY'S THE LIMIT--AND OTHER LIES FROM MY CHILDHOOD

Note to readers: read this first paragraph in your head to the tone of one of those commercials that claims you may be "entitled to" something if you had x, y, or z happen to you.

As a child, were you often told things like, "you can be anything you want when you grow up" or "you can do anything you set your mind to?" Did your grandma constantly overwhelm you with love and tell you just how *special* you are? Were you in any way mislead by your parents to believe that you really were one of a kind? If so, you may be entitled to--wait, wait, wait.

This is just what they want. They want us to admit that we are "entitled." Everyone in our generation clearly believes that the world owes them something and that they should be handed free money while they galavant around Europe, yearning to "find themselves" post graduation.

Or at least that's how certain people have described my generation to me.

Now, I'm not off to start a war with my elders. I agree with you--you may be wiser and more experienced than me. But I wish that I would stop hearing people refer to my entire generation as lazy and entitled narcissists.

I reject this notion that technology and social media has made everyone Google-crazed robots who only care about how many likes they got on their latest selfie.

The fact of the matter is social media is here to stay, and we will always have these fancy devices that know way too much about us and track our every move--literally. But I believe that we can use these things to our advantage. 

When we were little, many of us were repeatedly told that we could do or be anything that we wanted. We were given basic ideas at a young age: teacher, doctor, lawyer, police officer. But as we got older, new professions and ways of earning a living started emerging. We started to see ways of living that previous generations never considered.

Now, we can choose from a myriad of paths to go down. You don't have to be a salesman or a dentist. You can be a food blogger, social media strategist, founder/developer of a new popular app, YouTube star, Uber/Lyft driver, and the list goes on and on.

The thing is not everyone accepts these new professions as serious means of making a living. Suddenly, all the 'dream big's become 'think realistically's. Some might not see these unconventional career paths as legitimate.

I'm here to argue that technology has afforded us with new opportunities, so why wouldn't we take advantage of them to their fullest extent? A few years ago, naysayers claimed that all these social media strategist-type jobs were going to be short lived because they never believed in the power of these little apps on our phones.  Now, social media is one of the top priorities of companies when deciding how to market their brand in a digital age. Many taxi companies are literally going out of business because of these ride-sharing services powered by our smartphones. And some YouTube stars are now earning millions of dollars from ad services.

So, maybe it wasn't a complete lie. Maybe the sky is the limit, and the lie was that these people might not have believed it when they were saying it to us. 

When I was little, I secretly wanted to be an actress. I knew I couldn't be anything because what I really wanted was to be Hannah Montana--can you blame me? She was an eleven-year-old secret Popstar who doubled as a regular kid at school. But I digress... I wanted to be an actress, but I told everyone for years and years that I wanted to be a doctor. Because even as a little kid, I fed into the baloney that the only way I would be successful in life was if I chose one of the five career options they offer to elementary school kids. 

Maybe your Grandma was right and you are the next Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg of your generation. Maybe you really are one of a kind. But on the off chance that you are just like the rest of us--hopelessly trying to be anything but mediocre--don't despair. You have two choices: you can work a little harder to prove to your friends and family that your life choices are valid and meaningful or you can accept that despite no matter how much something means to you, some people might not always get it.

Hoping to find success or land a job after spending thousands of dollars on education, doesn't make you entitled. It makes you reasonable. You want a return on an investment. It doesn't mean that you are expecting a job to be handed to you. But it means that after years of hard work, whatever you end up doing with your life--whether you become a world renowned scientist or a vegan mommy blogger--you want to know that what you are doing matters because, once upon a time, when you were told that the sky was the limit, you believed them. 

Now is that such a crime?

TLDR: You can be anything you want to be--as you long as you really believe that.

LIFE STAGE: EMERGING ADULT

In Aziz Ansari’s book Modern Romance, he says that there is a fairly new stage in becoming an adult in the modern age. This is a person who is post-college but not yet settled down with a family. They are not a teenager, but they are not really a full-fledged adult either. It's this awkward transition phase. Aziz says Psychologist Jeffery Arnett calls this stage “emerging adulthood.”

EMERGING. I am emerging into being an adult. Gross. 

So, this term was coined to describe this new stage of life that young people are experiencing due to more people pursuing careers and getting married later than previous generations.

Arnett says emerging adulthood particularly applies to young adults in developed countries that don't have children, don't live in their own home, and don't have sufficient income to become fully independent in their early or late 20s. 

This person was previously viewed much more negatively. If you were post-college, single, still living at home and didn't have a stable income, you had somehow failed. Now... you're just average. 

Still, looks like us single young adults, wandering aimlessly into unknown territory, have some work to do. Much to our chagrin, we didn't come out of college with diamond rings or six-figure incomes. Lousy let downs, right? Must be because we're all self-absorbed, entitled millennials. 

In all seriousness, every generation faces the challenge of trying to get older generations to take them seriously. Generation after generation, the older people will always think "Ugh, kids these days" while shaking their heads. And young people will continue to push back against what that they believe is outdated and irrelevant. Some people like to think everyone my age is lazy, entitled and narcissistic. 

I don't buy that for a second. But that's for another day.

For now, just know that we're not all like that. We're just stuck in this weird phase of not totally knowing what we're doing. It's no wonder we turned out like this. We were fed lines like, "You can be anything you want when you grow up" our entire lives. And now that we're here, everyone's like "Oh... yeah, uh, forget that. We're were just saying that so you'd go to college. Now, be realistic, and good luck surviving in the real world with all those 'dreams.' Oh, and social security probably won't be a thing by the time you're a senior; guess you should have started saving for retirement when you were in diapers." Cool. 

As I journey into this awkward transition phase of trying to prove myself as a "real adult," you can join me each week as I attempt to describe the rollercoaster ride that is emerging adulthood. I'm starting the "Emerging Adulthood Series."

Week by week, I'll have a new tale of navigating through things like living on your own for the first time, having to sit at a desk for nine straight hours, and trying not to crawl under said desk to hide from your responsibilities. 

Up Next Week: The Sky's the Limit--and Other Lies from my Childhood. 

WHAT I WISH I COULD TELL MY GRANDMA ON HER BIRTHDAY

Today is my Grandma's birthday. Or at least, it was. They say with time it gets easier, but no amount of time can bring back my Grandma. No amount of time can change the fact that every day I miss her more and more. All it does is put more strain on my memory, threatening all I have left of her. I know that she wouldn't want us to dwell on what we cannot change, and so instead, I want to focus on the light that she brought and continues to bring to me. And so on her birthday, I can't stop thinking of what I want her to know.

Grandma Barb,

Not a day passes that I don't think about you. I know you're watching. Through my good times, through my heart aches, through my failures and triumphs, I can feel you with me. You taught me to believe in God, and I haven't always had the most conventional beliefs about religion, but I can feel your love and His love with me every day. Some days I want nothing more than a Grandma hug and reminder that everything is going to be okay. And most days I still don't truly believe that I can't do that anymore.

A few nights ago, I stumbled upon some old really poor-quality videos that I took of Sydney on my phone when she was a baby. In both of them, I heard your voice and I heard your laugh. And it was one of the happiest and saddest moments that I have had in a long time. It felt so good to hear your voice again, especially when I didn't think I had any record of it.

Every time someone brings up Joel Stave, I think of you and how much you liked him. Can you believe he went on to play for the Vikings? Everyone always rags on him for not being a very good football player, but I think you mostly liked him for his cute blonde-hair-blue-eyes-look anyway, right?

PS: Sorry, Grandma. This picture was pulled from an article called "The Utterly Replaceable Quarterback"

This semester has challenged me in ways that I never saw coming. And there were so many times, I pulled out my phone ready to dial your number, because I needed to tell you everything. I needed your advice. I needed you to know how much I valued your opinion and how much of a role you played in who I am today. You always made a bad day better. 

Recently, I have met some incredible people--people that I couldn't help but wonder if there was a purpose for meeting them. That's what you would have told me after all, isn't it? And now more than ever, I truly believe that. I think that there are certain people that we meet just when we need them most. They might not know it, but they can have a profound impact on our lives. I've never felt more convinced to go after what I want in life. Not just career-wise, but in life in general. 

It's been a messy and confusing time in my life. I have never been so certain, and at the same time so uncertain, about what I want in life. And I know you would tell me that's okay--that I don't need to have it all figured out this minute. 

I can't help but think back to my freshman year of college, when I first told you that I had planned out a class schedule to become an engineer, and you told me that you would support me, but that you thought I was making a mistake. You told me that you had always been able to see the spark writing had given me. And I want you to know, that I think you were right. There's nothing that has given me more happiness, and I think it's all because of you. Some of the times we spent chatting about books are some of my fondest memories.

On your birthday, I want you to know how much I wish I could call you to wish you a happy birthday. As you always told me, thinking of you lots.

Happy birthday, Grandma.
Love,
Your Honey Girl

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF TODAY WAS YOUR LAST DAY?

Ted Mosby once said, "But that's the funny thing about destiny: it happens whether you plan it or not. It turns out I was just too close to the puzzle to see the picture that was forming."

I've spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not I believe in destiny. Do we have a set path that we will end up following no matter what we choose? If so, does it really matter what we choose? Because if that was true, wouldn't everything just happen like it was supposed to anyway?

But if we are in charge of our own destiny, then we are also to blame when things don't turn out how we want them to.

I have spent my entire life wondering what my life will eventually be. I spend so much time trying to figure out what comes next that sometimes I forget that life is happening right now. Sometimes I actually have to take time to remind myself to live in the moment.

So, it got me thinking: what if I only had one more day? How would I spend it? Who would I spend it with?

If today was my last day, I would spend it with my best friends and my family. I would play hide-and-go-seek with my little sister as many times as she wanted. I would let everyone in my life know how much they really mean to me and how much they affect who I am every day.

If today was my last day, I wouldn't spend so much time on my phone, because nothing on Facebook is really ever that interesting. And yet, I find myself glued to my phone more than I care to admit.

If today was my last day, I would get better at texting people back and call my grandma. I'm sorry, Grandma. I really do mean to call more.

If today was my last day, I would eat the ice cream, because sometimes happiness is about more than your waistline.

If today was my last day, I would stop taking everything so seriously. Life is a funny thing, and I think we all need to relax a little and just enjoy it.

If today was my last day, I would spend time in my favorite place: the ocean. If I could live anywhere in the world it would be right off the beach.

If today was my last day, maybe I could stop being so afraid of the future.

I don't know if I believe in destiny. I like to believe life is more "choose your own adventure" than it is a set path. But maybe it is time we stop thinking in terms of what our lives will become in the future. I love Ted Mosby. How I Met Your Mother is and always will be one of my favorite shows. But while Ted spent his entire life waiting for his life to start, he sometimes lost sight of what was right in front of him.

The worries of the future can consume you. They can eat you apart. But don't let them. Happiness seems to be this elusive goal that we all search for, but it doesn't have to be something we strive to attain in the future. You don't have to wait. Whatever your "destiny" is (if you believe you have one), it is important to try to find happiness in the present, because you can never be certain of what the future holds.

And that's okay.

What would you do if today was your last day?

SHE CALLED ME "HONEY GIRL"

It's gloomy in Madison today. The sun is hiding. It's much cooler than the last few 90 degree days we have experienced. But I find it fitting for the news I woke up to this morning. In March of my freshman year I found out that my Grandma Barb was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Ever since then, I was positive that she would recover. She had to. She was the strongest, kindest person I knew. She taught me to believe in God, so I had faith that she would make a full recovery. Some time my sophomore year she entered remission, and I was confident that she had beat it. A few short months later, the cancer came back with a vengeance. And it was here to stay. 

This morning I woke up to a notification from her Caring Bridge page saying that she had transitioned to her final stages of life. I knew last week when I came home that it was probably the last time I would see her, and it was one of the hardest days of my life. But she wouldn't want me to focus on the negativity. 

Right before we left I started crying, and she told me to find the humor in everything. She never stopped cracking jokes. So, instead of focusing on her illness, I'm writing this, because I want to share the impact that she had on my life. 

She played a big part in who I am today. Whatever I wanted to do, she made me feel like it was possible. When I told her freshman year that I was still considering pre-med, she urged me to follow my passions, because she knew that I wanted to be a writer more than anything else. She wanted me to be happy. 

She took care of us when my mom was working. I loved coming home from school and getting to talk with my grandma. It was the highlight of my day. She was always telling me about books she was reading and giving me books. I was always so impressed by how many books she could go through so quickly. And I wanted to be just like her. 

Grandma Barb and her father

She wanted us to be happy. She walked down the aisle to Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" when she married her current husband when I was a kid. I keep listening to it on repeat, because I can feel her energy just listening to it. Even in her dying days she was more concerned about everyone else than herself. She wanted everyone else to be happy. She apologized to my mom for the inconvenience she caused by falling and breaking her hip one day when they came over. Who does that?! She broke her hip! And she was more concerned with the distress it caused my mom and siblings. 

She impacted everyone she met. From her random acts of kindness to constantly making people smile, she touched everyone around her. She was someone you could never forget. My grandma is filled with a type of energy that is contagious. I liked to say she was spunky. Her style was amazing: She always had the most colorful clothing and beautiful earrings. How could you not be happy around her? She taught me to be kind to everyone that I met and to try to make someone else's day, because you never know what they are going through. 

She called me "Honey Girl." This is one of the things that I will miss the most. I will miss her hugs. I will miss her pep talks. And I will miss her calling me "Honey Girl." I don't know what it is about it, but it always made me feel comforted. Whenever I was upset, I was embraced with a "Honey Girl, it's going to be okay." And I really believed her. 

There is so much more that I am thinking and feeling, but I couldn't possibly express it all in one post. What I hope that you can take away from this is to always remember how much the people around you are impacting your life. Don't be regretful for lost time, but be thankful for the time you had with them. I am so grateful that I got to be her granddaughter, and while all I want is more time with her, I know that she will always be with me. 

Whether it's a smile to someone at Target or calling a loved one you haven't spoken to in a while, please pass along some joy today for Barbara Jean.

Though you will probably not get to see this, I am going to miss you more than you will ever know. I love you so much, Grandma. 

A BAD CASE OF WANDERLUST

I love traveling. In an ideal world I would be able to spend a year just exploring. There are so many places I want to see and things that I want to do abroad. 

My freshman year the first project we had in my production class was making a TV poster with an idea of what your show would be about. I decided mine would be an ABC Family show about friends that went on a summer road trip before college that turned into so much more than they ever expected.

As someone who has a passion for television and telling stories, this was the perfect project for me. I won't go into specifics about the show--who knows, maybe one day I could be in a position to pitch this idea. It could happen!

Sometimes I wish it was more common to take a gap year between high school and college. One of my good friends visited Australia last winter break, and she said that a ton of people did that there. I think it would be such an amazing opportunity to learn more about the world. Perhaps, you might even learn something about yourself along the way. 

Now, the idea of traveling for an extended period of time in my life seems impossible, other than through study abroad, because right after college I'll have to find a job and start paying off student loans. But if you did it before college, you wouldn't have to worry about paying anything off. 

That list that I am holding in the top left corner is an actual list that I have been working on for years of all of the places that I want to visit in the world. I started it a couple of years ago with the hopes that one day I would find the time/resources to be able to visit these places. Since then, I have already been able to cross a couple of places off the list.

But it's not enough! Next spring I intend to study abroad in Europe, which may be just the cure I need for my wanderlust. I know it will never truly go away, but a girl needs to try to ease it, doesn't she?

Where do you want to travel?

Related: Why Spring Break in DC is Better than in PCB

YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW...

Stories are fun. You get to tell a little information about yourself and something you have experienced. One of the things I love about blogging is that you get to know other bloggers through their stories, but there is still plenty you never get to know about them.

Here are a few things you probably don't know...

I secretly wanted to be a child actress. In middle school*, I wished that they would have a spin off of Gilmore Girls, and that I could be on the show. I have since then learned acting is not exactly my thing, but I secretly used to get so excited when the commercials about casting for new Disney shows came on the radio.

I was a bit of a tomboy in elementary school. This wasn't always the case. But I went through a couple of years where the idea of wearing a dress or skirt was repulsive.

My guilty pleasure snack is potato chips. 

I used to get really bad hives as a kid. One day in first grade, I convinced my mom let me go to school with them, because I wasn't sick otherwise--and I was the weird kid that begged to go to school even when I was sick. During our free time some kid drew a picture of a girl with red dots all over her face and said, "Look, it's Taylor!" I never went to school with hives again. 

I once named a fish Duke after Channing Tatum's characters in both She's the Man and GI Joe.

I used to say I was never going to wear makeup. This only lasted until 8th grade--where I experimented with wearing purple eyeliner. What was I thinking?

My favorite movie series is the Back to the Future movies.

I have been trying to teach myself the guitar since 4th grade. Similarly, in 4th grade my friends and I were convinced we were going to start a band. We used to spend hours coming up with names for it. 

In middle school I asked for a medical terms book, and I would spend hours studying it--to the point that I understood some of the stuff they were talking about on House M.D. more than most people would. I thought I could get a head start on studying for medical school.

One summer I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl nine times.

What's something I probably don't know about you? 

Join the linkup at Helene in Between!

*Many of my awkward moments and stories of course come from middle school. 

CURRENTLY // JUNE '15

Listening to // "I Need Your Love" by Shaggy. I heard this song on the radio the other day and instantly loved it. The lyrics are pretty simple--it says "I need your love" a million times. It's a good one, though. 

Shopping for// I have been focusing on eating more fruits and vegetables lately, so I was excited when my mom wanted to go to the Farmers Market when I got home. My little sister loves her fruits and vegetables, but I think she was most excited over the cheese samples. As soon as we got there she announced that she wanted the cheese you could eat with toothpicks. 

Watching // "Parks and Rec." I love Amy Poehler. She is one of my idols, and I have been meaning to watch it for the longest time. Hopefully I will be able to watch the whole series this summer.

Following // Shaylen Carroll on Vine. Wow her voice is great. I don't go on Vine that often, but when I do I am always so impressed. One of my favorites on Vine is "Us the Duo." I saw them for the first time last summer when they opened for Eric Hutchison during a short concert for Oake on the Water.

Working on // Learning calligraphy. I have wanted to learn this forever. I plan on spending some time practicing this summer.

Playing //  Lately I have been trying to get better at volley ball, because a lot of my friends seem to be pretty good at it. Last week my friend Jessie and I sat on the sidelines and colored, because we were too tired to play. We made signs cheering on the teams with names like "Glitz and Glamor" and "Why Do You Like Fishsticks?" It was a good time. 

Reading // "Screenwriting Tips, You Hack." I have been trying to get through this book for a while now. I really enjoy reading it, but I feel like I need to dedicate more time to actually practice the things I am reading.

Writing // I keep telling myself that I am going to practice screenwriting. My goal by the end of the summer is to be doing it a few times a week. For now, I am trying to get some posts out and practicing when I can.

Catching up on // My sleep schedule has been turned upside down by work. One day I will sleep four-five hours and the next day I will sleep for ten hours. Thankfully work is settling down, so hopefully I will be able to establish a better sleep schedule.

What have you been up to lately?