2008 resolution update
by V.E. on March 18th, 2008
filed under personal, to do, words
If you’ve been following my resolution for this year, you already know that I’ve failed thus far. I want to stop that… stop failing, that is. I fear I’ve been battling an addiction to shopping and stealing for longer than I’d like to admit. I discovered this while watching a short clip advertising heartsupport. At the beginning, a man says,
Well, if there wasn’t sexual addiction, how is it that I am 42 and I’ve been dealing with something that I started when I was 10. That’s an addiction.
and I thought to myself, Yeah, that’s me. Not the sexual part, but yes; an addiction is a long-term struggle against something that the addicted person dislikes but feels compelled to do. For heroin addicts, that means that the person doesn’t want to take heroin but something in his/her brain says “Take it” over and over and over, like a broken record. For me, I think it’s shopping. And, to a somewhat lesser extent, stealing.
According to Merriam-Webster, to be addicted to something is to “to devote or surrender (oneself) to something habitually or obsessively”—most medical dictionaries claim that addiction occurs only with chemical substances, but I think that’s a bit narrow. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but for me it’s not about reading the books or wearing those boots, it’s just about having them—just in case I ever did want to read/wear them.
Whoa.
I just realized I’m a hoarder.
Shit. More later when I’ve wrapped my head around this. This is three (well, two and a half) problems in one: [1] shopping and [1/2] stealing, and [2] hoarding. I’m going to need a bigger (metaphorical) box.
Day Three hundred one
by V.E. on March 18th, 2008
filed under powerof5
- The amazing regenerative properties of the human body.
- Got my grades; holding steady with a 3.5 GPA.
- Having a due date (May 1) for the first draft of my book.
- Wearing LOTS of green yesterday (in honor of St. Patrick’s Day).
- Though I don’t yet have a job, I have plenty of job prospects.
Day Three hundred
by V.E. on March 15th, 2008
filed under powerof5
- It’s the weekend.
- Girl Scout cookies.
- Knowing that people at Wilkes care.
- Talking to my mom on the phone, even though it’s (very) long distance.
- Living in an era (and an area) in which talking to anyone on the phone is possible.
5 Reasons
by V.E. on March 15th, 2008
filed under 5reasons, meta, powerof5
I think it’s high time I resurrect my posts covering the reasons I should be happy each day. You can learn more about my inspiration here. In the meantime, I will be continuing “Five Reasons I Should Be Happy Today” here in this journal, starting where I left off at #300.
To differentiate between posts I imported from my original journal and posts on this journal meant to continue listing my reasons, I have created a new category: “powerof5″… This entry is the only one in this journal that has been (and ever will be) tagged with the old category and the new one, so as to create a bridge between the two.
I’m doing this for my benefit, no one else’s; but, I do hope others receive enjoyment from my reasons, too. Maybe you all will post with your own reasons, should you feel so inclined. At the very least, one or two will make you think about the world around us and hopefully appreciate the things we regularly take for granted.
On to the happiness!
7 Great Ways to Become the Victim of a Poetry Contest Scam
by V.E. on March 14th, 2008
filed under writing
- Don’t do any research about the people holding the contest. Just trust that everyone is legitimate.
- Join contests that advertise big, big prizes. Lots of rich, nice people are willing to give away big prizes for a single poem. They just love it. Love it. Love it. Love it.
- Expect your poem (first one you ever wrote) to win a big money prize in a contest that thousands of others poets probably entered too. That is a reasonable outcome, right?
- When you win and they then ask you to give them money for a plaque, buy the book your poem is in, or pay for a trip to a conference, by all means, fork over your money. Everybody deserves to win an out-of-pocket trip to Las Vegas or Miami.
- Avoid becoming a part of the legitimate poetry community. The further in the dark you keep yourself, the better.
- Pay that reading fee. The higher the fee, the better your chance of winning the big money.
- Make this your personal mantra — if it sounds too good to be true, it MUST be true.
Example scam: Poetry.com; more information here
via _The Onion_
by V.E. on March 14th, 2008
filed under entertainment
This totally cracked me up:
Q: The Federal Reserve announced that they would be setting up a $200 billion program to assist struggling banks. What do you think?
A: “Giving money to institutions that failed at their only job, which was to have money, may not be the best strategy.”
Argh
by V.E. on March 12th, 2008
filed under personal
You know? I’m doing pretty well recently… I mean, in regards to Bennett… and, well, not having him near me anymore. So, I’m doing decently well; I was even okay on Monday evening when we went to dinner. We talked about cartoons and anime and spirituality and stuff in which Elivra apparently isn’t generally interested. It was fun, and I didn’t feel like I was going to die afterwards. Well, except I had/have blisters on the balls of my feet because I wore boots that I thought were okay to wear, but actually weren’t. But that’s neither here nor there.
Anyway, I’m feeling decently okay—like maybe I’m actually getting over Bennett [gasp]—and then… and then, I read something like this and I’m in love all over again. I wanted to call him and tell him I love him, but I didn’t. I haven’t. And I won’t, if I can continue to resist.
ARGH… [insert various and numerous curse words here]
