Smell

In response to reading Ray Bradbury's "The Emissary," I found it necessary to write this.

This (or a version of it) will also be posted on Sam Weller's Ray Bradbury blog, once it's up!

Well hello, smell. Where have you been in all my stories? Because here you are in Mr. Bradbury's story, all perfectly described so I can actually smell the words. But you haven't been hanging out with my writing lately, or maybe ever. (Oh, smell, meet Logan, my writing. He's incredibly sexually frustrated at the moment, so please don't tease him.)

So smell, what's the deal here? Because I'm kind of pissed. Why? Why am I pissed? Do you really need to ask? It's it obvious that I'm pissed because clearly you've been ignoring me for much more accomplished writers, like Mr. Bradbury, and that is so not cool. I thought we were friends, smell! Isn't it you who triggers basically all my memories with nary a word? Isn't it you who clues me into the coming changes of season? And isn't it you who reminds me a boy has been in my bed when I put my face in the pillow at night? I thought we were pals, smell, but if we really were, wouldn't you have shown up in at least one of my stories? Pretty much all my friends have, but noooooooo, smell, not you.

What's wrong, smell? Are you too good for me? Is that it? You don't want people to know we hang out? You wouldn't call what you did "ditching me for better writers" per se, more like "taking a breather from my claustrophobic co-dependency issues"? So not cool, smell. You know I'm sensitive about my issues!

Fine, smell. Fuck you! Just go! Go hang out with Mr.Bradbury and be all perfectly described. Go be The sense in "The Emissary." See if I care! Me and Logan my writing won't miss you.

OK, maybe we will, but like hell if I'll let you know it!

Disaster Strikes Unit 3

We seriously need to do our dishes. Let it be known, though, that less than one third of those are mine. Maybe two mugs from all the tea I drink, and a POM glass, but definitely not any of the other dishes, since I'm too broke to buy food right now. And yes, I'm starving.

Things About Me That Are True

-- I want to live in a house on a lake (or the ocean) in the woods with a boat and a lover.

-- My dream car: 1967 Chevy Chevelle

-- I want a garden. Mostly for vegetables and herbs. but I wouldn't object to a flower or two.

-- When I move to Asheville, I would like to get a dog. I will name him Atticus Finch.

-- I want a whole room to write in with big windows and walls and walls of books. I want it to be in an attic, under the eaves.

-- If I could be outside all the time, I would. I would sleep on a porch and write under a tree and kiss in the long grass.

-- Pentel R.S.V.P = my pens of choice. I love, love, love them.

-- Tea is my favorite drink; cold or hot, doesn't matter.

-- I did some painting in high school and I liked it, but I'd much rather take photographs than paint pictures.

-- I like breakfast, but I hardly ever eat it.

-- I like watching old movies with people, and new ones by myself.

Life Takes A Turn For The Awesome(er)

So I had a month and a half off for Columbia's Winter Break, and toward the end of it, I was feeling miserable and unproductive and horrible and so not creative... it was a tearful, depressing few weeks.

BUT classes have started again-- my final semester of undergrad-dom-- and with them, life is looking better. Here's why:
1. My classes are amazing and so are my teachers. I have a Critical Reading and Writing: Ray Bradbury class with Sam Weller, who is Bradbury's authorized biographer, which is amazing. I mean, how many classes with a focus on one author do you get to take with the one guy (besides the author him or herself) who knows the most about the author? [Did that make sense? I can't tell] AND how many classes do you take where you TALK TO THE AUTHOR ON THE PHONE at the end of it? I mean, this thing is amazing. The only downside is there are not a few brown-nosers in the class, so I anticipate I'll be doing lots of mental eye-rolling and silent groaning. So that class rocks, but my other class rocks, too. It's an Advanced Fiction class (basically just writing and writing and writing) taught by Joe Meno, who is one of my favorite authors. I've been wanting to take a class with him since I came to Columbia and found out he taught here, and finally, in my last semester, I am! It's almost a little intimidating, and I hope I can actually be productive and not just write to impress JM.

2. My internships. I have two of them right now. One, I haven't started yet, so I can't say whether it rocks my socks or not. But one of them, I have indeed started, and I am in love with it. It's my dream internship. It's the internship I wanted from the second I started thinking about internships. I'm interning with the crew at featherproof books, which is an awesome indie press based in Chicago and run by some awesome sauce people. I'm just way, way too excited about everything, I think.


Anyway, I feel much, much better about life now and I had to write down why, because it feels more real when I write it down.

I Like To Take Pictures Of Things

Reading "Into the Wild" Again Is Changing My Life

"The very core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new encounters, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." - Chris "Alexander Supertramp" McCandless

Priscilla and Malificent

So back when I had a crappy job but made a lot of money because I worked more than I did anything else, I bought this camera:



Canon Powershot SD 1000 Digital Elph, 7.1 Megapixels, pre Maria Sharapova ad campaign. I named this camera Malificent. Malificent and I went everywhere together. She completed me. Then, in April of 2008, my drunk cousin dropped Malificent while using her without my permission, breaking her and ending forever the relationship I thought would last at least a few more years. I was devastated. Went for months without a camera, always mourning the loss of Malificent, promising never to love again. After a while, I forgot what it was like to have a lover and constant companion as sweet as Malificent had been to me. I thought I was fine without her. But on December 25th, 2008, everything changed; Priscilla arrived.



She swept into my life, all shiny, new, browny-red and 8 whole megapixels. It was love at first sight. And in the few days I've been hanging out with her, I've realized this: I am happier when I have a camera. Even if it's just a nice point and shoot as opposed to a fancy pants beaut of a camera. I just love taking pictures of people and things and places. I can't believe I went from April to December without having a camera. Malficent, I will always love you, but Priscilla and I are for real.