It's Official

I'm officially a published author!! I received a copy of our new issue of the Wasatch Journal yesterday, and what lovely surprise did I find on page 114? My article! Well, it obviously wasn't an actual surprise, but what a great feeling to see my name in print. I've been a part of the entire process for this issue--writing one of the articles, proofing the whole issue. It's great to have a physical representation of the work I've been doing for the past few months. With a lot of jobs, you do all the work and never have anything tangible to show for it, so it's really rewarding to open a box of freshly printed magazines that are polished, finished versions of the work you've been toiling and debating over for months.

Around 2 years ago, I decided I wanted to go back to school. I still wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to major in, which was the reason I had taken a break in the first place. When it came down to deciding on a major, though, I just thought, " What would I enjoy? What job can I actually picture myself doing?" I didn't decide on a specific job, but I knew I could possibly see myself writing or editing. In fact, as I was getting closer to starting school again, I wrote a journal entry about liking the idea of writing for a magazine, but really having no idea how to even begin going about it. I came across this entry a few weeks ago, and what an incredible feeling to see myself accomplishing the lofty goals I had envisioned a couple years earlier.

I don't know what job (if any) I'll end up with after graduation, and I have a few hurdles to overcome before I'm officially done with school (classes, homework, finals). But at least for today, I can open my magazine, re-read my article for the millionth time, and feel at least an inkling of confidence that I'm on the right track.

Zombie Costume

To celebrate the fantastic holiday of Halloween, of which I'm an absolute fan (aside from scary movies, haunted houses, and things that are creepy in real life), I've decided I'll give everyone a sneak peek at my costume. This may not seem like a photo of a very convincing zombie, but let me explain.

Considering the fact that I've spread myself a bit too thin the past few months, I've been trying to find a good description of how I feel. It came to me today: I feel like a zombie. Definition of a zombie: someone who looks or behaves like an automaton (similar to a robot); according to voodoo belief, a corpse that has been revived by a supernatural power; an animated corpse; a person who is listless or machine-like; a tall mixed drink made of various rums, liquors, and fruit juice (okay, this definition may be a stretch...I don't really feel like a mixed drink, though ask me in a few weeks and I might have a different answer).

It seems that the common image one's mind conjures when thinking of zombies is a fairly grotesque corpse-like being, dragging his body around, begging for "brains." Whelp, as of late, due to ridiculously useless attempts at sleep (which I'll get to in a minute), I look semi-corpse-like. Also, my brain seems to be turning into mush--I can't remember what day it is, I find myself staring into space quite a bit, and I'm finding it more and more impossible to focus (mainly with homework, of course). So I wouldn't put it past myself to start wandering the streets looking for spare brains.

As far as the whole sleep thing goes, I, along with my sisters, have some ridiculous issues with sleeping. Number 1: insomnia. It's been a problem for the last 6 or so years. I'm often jealous when new moms say their children are up 2-3 times a night--that would be a great night sleep for me. Secondly, as my sisters can both understand and attest to, I seem to lose all logic once I enter REM. I scream a lot--sometimes because of weird dreams, sometimes for no reason at all. And as of late, any anxiety I'm feeling chooses to rear its ugly head between the hours of 12:06 am and around 4:30 am. I wake up with a start, often exclaiming something like, "crap," "oh no," or more choice words. I then stare at the clock forever. Fearing that I've slept in or missed something important, my eyes see the correct time, but my brain refuses to register that it's the middle of the night and I can go back to sleep. So, I just sit there, pondering the time...confused, sleepy, startled. Bleh, it's really quite a scene--kinda like a one-man, three-ring circus. And it literally happens every night--except Fridays and Saturdays, luckily for me.

Needless to say, I should really only have about 8 more weeks of zombie-dom. Then, I'll graduate and hopefully the school will return my brain when they give me my diploma. Until then, don't be alarmed if there's word of zombies in the area--it's likely that it'll just be me counting down the days to my graduation :)

Tag, I'm It

I'm new to the whole tag thing, so here goes...

8 TV Shows I Like to Watch:
1. Project Runway
2. So you Think you can Dance
3. Top Design
4. Project Zoe (guilty pleasure)
5. Sex & the City (on DVD)
6. Flight of the Conchords (on DVD)
7. presidential debates :)
8. Family Guy

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. The Dodo
2. Gourmandise, The Bakery
3. Citris Grill
4. Biaggi's
5. P.F. Chang's
6. The Artisan
7. The Union Grill
8. Cutler's (not really a restaurant but I eat there every week)

8 Things that Happened Yesterday
1. I worked at the dental office
2. I worked at the Wasatch Journal
3. I went to a mass comm law class
4. I worked at The Chronicle
5. I watched the vice presidential debate
7. Betsy ruined my upcoming fall break/semester/LIFE!!! :(
8. I had a MAJOR breakdown!!! (see #7)

8 Things I'm Looking Forward to
1. Finishing school
2. Finishing school (it's really all I think about)
3. Getting my own house/apartment
4. Finding a "real" job (hopefully before I graduate)
5. Our yearly Halloween party
6. our new issue of the Wasatch Journal coming out in mid October (I'm officially going to be published--a 3-page article in a great magazine--everyone should buy it when it comes out)
7. my next haircut :)
8. visiting Steve & Vye in Victoria (not quite sure when, but I'm excited)

I'm tagging Alicia, even though she's already been tagged...