Monday, January 20, 2014

That's Life...

The Hollow has been quiet lately. Its not like I haven't planned things to write about, I have. I was going to post about a cupcake experiment that I never got around to. I was going to attempt costume makeup and share the results. I was going to have a twitter party and hangout with all of you. That last one seems foolish because I have no followers.

And I haven't been that busy to be honest. I've been working on my NaNo novel. I've been rewriting, trying to get a decent first chapter done so that I can get some feed back. Nearly everything I write sounds like garbage and reminds me of the poorly written/plotted fanfics I used to write in highschool. I'm struggling with that.

I've planned a few trips for this spring. Thinking about visiting T and B for a weekend. Going to comic con with my brothers. Even traveling a few cities over with Mom to go on a thrifting adventure. That last one is what I hope to do for my birthday at the end of this month. Unfortunately it might be postponed for couple of months.

Honestly I've been busy doing a lot of nothing.

Oh! Sherlock premiered in the US last night. That was thrilling. Dad sat and watched it with me which was a lovely surprise. For someone who hasn't watched the first two series he enjoyed it.

I enjoyed the premiere as well. I felt like it was a celebration of the fandom and all of the theories, fanfics, fanart, and whatever else the fandom came up with during the hiatus. The Sherlock crew practically gave us a highfive and then set us straight at the end of the episode. Loved it.

So what now?

I still want to do a costume makeup. I'm thinking about an Elsa (Frozen) inspired look. Or maybe ladybug. Or maybe a fairy. Or a pirate. Or a Half-Blood. Or a weeping angel. Or Scar. Or a Gnome. Or a mermaid. Or... Or.. Or..

So yea, lots of ideas.

I'll get to work.

-Awel

Sunday, January 5, 2014

2014

Hey! Did you know that its the year 2014? There was a big world wide celebration early morning on the first of January in case you missed it.

For those of you not present at the moment I am writing this directly after the previously posted entry. Disclaimer aside i had an idea while writing that post and it made me smile.

What if we treated 2014 like a person?

DONT type pinterest.com into the search bar just yet. Stay with me for a second. I promise my wild tangents are hysterical.

Still here?

Good. Okay. Here's the evil pink bunny that makes the trail we are about to embark on.

What if we treated 2014 like a person? A close and personal relationship that would only last a year starting from midnight Jan 1st and end on December 31st at 11:59 pm. Think about this for a second. You would never be alone at parties, concerts, or any formal social gatherings. You could be all like 'rsvp me and my plus on" and then eat both the chicken and the fish at your cousins wedding.

Okay so that tangent might not have been as awesome as i promised but its only January 5th, i'm just warming up.

Speaking of 2014 and the new year does everyone know what their resolutions or goals for this year are? I have a few.

1) obtain learners permit
2) obtain drivers licence
3) write second draft of novel
4) get a job
5) decide if i want to go to college
6) attend a comic-con type event.

That was more than a few things, agreed, but all of them are big life choices for me.

Even if i manage to achieve all of my goals for the year i know that those wont be all of the positive decisions i will make in 2014. There are little everyday hurdles that i will face along the way. Its my unofficial goal to record all of my 'yes's this year.

I dont mean "yes i want to eat an entire bag of salty potato chips by myself." I mean the yes' that will mold me into the 2014 version of myself. Although now that I think about it, eating all of those chips would still be a yes but not a positive one.

As an example I'd like to share that my yes jar already has a yes in it. I woke up in a panic that my two best friends (basically the only two human beings that aren't family that I talk to) had made the rash decision to not be friends anymore. I don't live in the same state as them so the Internet is the only way we communicate. I think that its a unspoken rule that phone calls are for emergencies only. What i'm trying to get at is that I worried about it for a few hours and would have for the entire day and not said anything to them. That's how I usually handle things. But that morning I messaged them and asked if everything was okay and blah blah blah. Turns out i'm still a worry wart and everything was perfectly fine between them.

And that's the very long winded story of how my 2014 yes jar acquired its first entry.

Like I said, I am a worry wart and I usually worry until I make myself sick. I am very proud of myself for asking. It may have taken me a few hours but I did it.

Some of my yes' from 2013 included going to the dentist's office by myself (I hate going in for any medical checkups). Another was going to Denver without my best friends unlike we had planned. There was a lot of hurt in those moments and I needed a change of scenery. Thankfully my Dad was still willing to go on the trip wit h me.

I also went and watched nearly all of the kid movies that came to our local theater with my youngest brother. My 2013 yes jar was PACKED with ticket stubs.

Its moments like these when I say 'yes' to something that I normally would say 'no' not that make me happy. Its because I am making decisions  instead of avoiding situations. Because I am choosing even though I hate change. Because I am living.

That's the importance of my yes jar, to remind me of what I am capable of.

What are your goals for 2014? Have you taken any steps towards reaching your goals?
-Awel

Friday, January 3, 2014

Goodbye 2013

2014 has finally arrived in the Hollow!

Okay, to be honest, time works in the Hollow exactly the same way it does in the real world.

Before 2013 is kicked out the door forever I wanted to share some highlights from the year. Some of which I shared with you, some I did not.

I turned 21 and spent the weekend in Vegas. That is something that i never thought i would ever do. My two best friends in the entire world took me out dancing - which i regret not doing more of then. This year perhaps i'll get out on the dance floor more.

This was the year of goodbyes for many of the groups that i liked. Everlife, Honor Society, Allstar Weekend, and the Jonas Brothers all retired this year which wiped out my future music collection by about half. The Youtube channel Indy Mogul also retired this year which was sudden and sad. I really liked their channel.

I went to Denver! That was a first experience that i dont plan on forgetting anytime soon. For better or worse that was a moment in my life when i had to make choices.

I wrote a book and won NaNoWriMo! Granted it is still in the first draft stage but i conquered something that i've been trying to achieve for three years. 50,000 words is an incredible feat for thirty days. Congrats to everyone participated.

I also had my wisdom teeth removed which was painful! The first dentist (yes, first) was afraid to remove the last tooth (it was nearly wrapped around a nerve) and my mom then had to drive me two and half hours mid extraction to another city to have the last one taken out. That was a fun ride. theres a lot to be said for pain killers. That last tooth came out in splinters. Thats how much drilling, yanking, and splicing happened in my mouth that day. I have the other three teeth as trophies for my victory!

I also started Awel's Hollow in October. No one reads this of course. Its okay I guess. Would i like people to read my stories and enjoy my badly formatted tutorials? Sure. But i am free to write what i want and you are free to read what you want. Life is just one choice after the other but more on that next time.

I didn't share the official new year countdown with you but i figure its my blog and i can do what i want. Will you ring in the new year with me? My birthday is this month and that is the start of my new year. I'll be celebrating all month long on Awel's Hollow. Feel free to come along for the ride.

Here is to 2013, a year of good, bad, and sad but all of those moments have molded me into this 2014 version of myself. Thanks 2013, you were amazing.

-Awel