Explanation of my Sudden Return from Deliberate Hiatus

Well it is Friday night and I'm at home watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall on my bed while eating frozen fruit from a bag, and I figure this is as good a time as any to write a little life update. People (okay, about 3 people) have asked me if I've written anything new on my blog lately, and I had to say, No. And they say, Why? And I say, because I'm trying to take myself seriously, that's why!

Hold on, Jason Segel is stabbing a pig.
"Are you crying?"
"No, I'm not crying. You're crying."
"I'm not crying, I'm not a baby."
"Really, cause you look like a gigantic baby."

This mango is delicious.

Anyways, as I was saying, I'm trying to figure out how to be a real writer, and I need to stop wasting my good writing on a blog, because guess what, anything written on a blog is considered previously published, which means that I can't get it published anywhere else. And I don't think I'm one of those girls that can make money by simply writing a blog. So, I mean no offence to my loyal readers, because you know I love you, but if I get published you can read my stuff in a real magazine. If.

But I like writing for enjoyment too, and I know that some people have expressed enjoying reading my blog, so maybe I can find a way to do both. Sorry for deserting you there for awhile, but I'll try to find some sort of balance, as long as I am not distracted by sunshine or Mexican food or beer.

On another note, that god damn "Do You Want To Build A Snowman" song from Frozen has been stuck in my head for about a solid week, in all three voices; mostly the toddler version, and sometimes I find myself singing it out loud in public. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your opinion of my singing voice), I don't know any other words than the title, so I end up singing that part and then just stopping. Then singing it again, muttering what I think the words are, then just feeling like a fool. Luckily, I am mostly alone in my office for the majority of the day, so no one can hear my sporadic, albeit creative, rendition of a soon-to-be classic Disney princess song.

Do you want to build a snowmaaaaan
Or ride our bikes around the hallllllllll
I think I'll play a game of ping pong
But I can't find the ballllllllllll
You used to be my partner, and kind of slow
So I always kicked your aaaaaassssss
Do you want to build a snowman
Okay, I'll use the wall

Or something like that.

In other news, I'm going to have an adventure soon! In a month I'm heading off by myself to Prague to begin a trip around Eastern Europe for four weeks, a decision that I am absolutely ecstatic about, but about which my parents tried gallantly to refrain from screaming frantic words of caution.
My mom said, "That's exciting! Please, bring your cell phone. I pay for your phone bill so you have to. My orders."
My dad said, "Be careful. I don't have special skills like that guy in that one movie. There is a war in Ukraine you know, do you ever even watch the news?!"
Even my grandfather had some advice: "That would be a great time to be on an alcohol detox."

All great ideas, thanks everyone.

My biggest challenge now is to fit an adequate wardrobe into a backpack; my mission is to be cute AND versatile. But don't worry, I have pinterested strategies on packing, and as everyone knows, Pinterest has the answers to everything; if you have not joined this website, DON'T. It will suck hours of productivity from your life... but those hours will pass quickly and joyfully because you will be lost in the world of wonders that is Pinterest. Proceed with caution; that is my only advice.

Alright, there is a vague, random update for y'all! I'm going to eat the rest of this mango now. Ahhh, bliss.

Ideas to Action - A Little Wednesday Inspiration

People are truly inspiring to me. Last week, my boss said to me, "Let's figure out how to plan some free clinics, to provide people with free immigration consultations. Maybe on a Saturday. Go."

So I started calling around, to current clients and previous clients, people who I knew were connected with their communities and the immigrant population. And what resulted pretty much knocked me on my ass in admiration. It seems that some people only need a slight push, an inkling, a spark of an idea, for them to spiral away into full-fledged plans. One of my clients did just that.

"Hey, Anna, I know you are involved with the community, do you have any ideas about setting up some sort of free clinic for Rachel to give consults?" I asked.

"Oh my God, what a great idea! I can ask my church, I'll let you know what they say, maybe we can have a bunch of other free services that day as well, like health screenings and translations services, and maybe someone can make and sell tamales! This is brilliant!" She replied, and I could feel her plan forming around her, swirling like a storm. And suddenly, three days later, she sends me a detailed email with the times, the free services that will be available, the news that the radio will be advertising about it, and even the name of the event: Ama a tu Projimo. Love your Neighbor.

Wow. One little poke, and something wonderful was created. With one little suggestion. It's amazing where an idea thought up in someone's head can go, what that idea can become.

For instance, has anyone ever said something to you and you think, "Well, shit." As in, "Well, shit, you are absolutely right, what the hell have I been doing all this time? Why didn't I think of this before?" Last weekend, while drinking tea with Julie (we have decided to substitute tea for alcohol this month, as we both are detoxing), we were having a conversation and I said, "Live is pretty great right now. I just wish I could travel."

"Then go." Julie said simply.

I stared at her. "Go?"

"Yes, go. All you have is a job right now. No husband, no kids, no mortgage. Just a job. And a boss that's cool with you traveling. So GO."

"Well, shit."

She is absolutely right. I had even been planning something like this before, last year, before the plan sort of fizzled out and I didn't end up doing anything. Why? I don't know. I guess it wasn't the right time. But NOW is the time. Because if not now, when? I could stay in Oregon my whole life if I wanted to. I could stay at the same job, live in the same place, eat oatmeal every morning, do the same thing every day. But I could also do something completely different. It's in my hands. No one else will plan this for me. If I want something, I need to go after it.

My biggest pet peeve is when people complain about something, but then don't DO anything about it. You want a new job? Then take the steps to find one, you know what they are. But stop complaining that you don't have the job you want, then avoid the putting in the effort of actually finding a new one. Because honestly, no one else really CARES what you do. They have their own lives to live, their own goals to attain. You want to travel? Stop whining about it and plan a trip. Nothing will happen if you don't take action and FORCE the course of your life to change. It's in your hands.

There are a million reasons to not do something. I can't travel: I have a job, I have rent to pay, I shouldn't be away that long, my parents will worry, it will be expensive, I could get lost, I could get robbed... Yes, there are a million reasons not to do something, but there are also a million reasons in opposition of that. I can travel: My boss will let me, I can afford it, I will see the world, meet new people, try new food, dance new dances, hike new mountains, be pissed off in new train stations, get sunburned on new beaches... but most of all, I will have realized that I have the power to create what I want in my life. And if the right idea is found, the path will unfold before you, as if it had been waiting for you to find it all along. A simple idea, blossoming into action, into plans, into new life and new experiences. This is the beauty of free will. This is the beauty of your life: It is yours to command.

A Brief Glimpse into the Magical World of Fable

“I’m going to make some money, buy a house, seduce a rich man and get married, then have a child. Then kill some bandits.”

“That could be some people’s real life plans.” Claire replies casually, focusing on her knitting.

“Oh, maybe kill bandits sooner than later. Die, DIE! I will MURDER you, sons of whores!” I scream at the screen as my hero’s axe strikes a downed enemy right between the legs. Who’s next?!

It’s probably a good thing that Max took the Xbox 360 away from us, and Fable II with it. I do live with gamers, but I had never been interested in video games myself (besides the Sims in middle school) until Claire’s boyfriend brought this game consul over to our house circa Christmas time. It is a dumb game, but Claire and I couldn’t resist it. Our hero’s went on quests and battled enemies and there was a Sims-like essence to it as well, probably to intrigue players of the female variety, in which you could have husbands (yes, plural), children, and houses, create drama, etc. Claire, in fact, divorced one husband and killed another, and her child was confiscated by Child Protective Services. By the time Max took the Xbox 360 back to his house, Claire’s hero was a badass, and mine was just at the precipice of badass-ery because I had to actually go to work and be a productive member of society. 

“You know, girls can make a lot of money streaming their games.” Peter mentions.

“What do you mean? DAMNIT! You did NOT just hurt my dog, you bastard!” I yell at the screen as I lop off another enemies head. My dog whimpered in pain.

“Give it healing potion.” Claire advises.

“What?” I can’t hear her over all the taking-people-down. I shoot a fireball in someone’s face. I have a strange desire to cultivate this ability in real life.

“Here.” Max helps and pushes one of the buttons on my controller. My dog is magically healed. Phew!

“I mean, people pay good money to watch girls play video games.” Peter continues.

“That’s creepy.” I say, murdering the last bandit with my magical skills. Finally, I can continue exploring this area. “Treasure!” I exclaim gleefully, as my dog leads me to a treasure chest. “Good dog!”

“I swear, you like your Fable dog more than any real dog.” Claire says, rolling her eyes.
“Shut up.”

“It’s not that creepy. Girls can make a lot of money streaming, you just play and talk to your viewers.” Peter says. “And it helps them if they wear low-cut shirts and a lot of makeup.”

“Psh, I would NOT do that… Whoa crap, more bandits! Will the killing ever end?!” I wail. I just want to explore! “Feel the wrath of my crossbow!” I shoot an enemy in the face, point blank. Oops. Probably should switch to the axe.

“People would definitely pay to watch this.” Kyle chuckles as my hero swings her axe wildly and misses.

“You need to get more Accuracy.” Claire states unhelpfully.

“Thanks, Claire.”