Nineteen.

Writing Challenge Day #19: What's in Your Bag?
          My purse, or my backpack? I'll do both. In my backpack, I have my stats book, binder, folder, and notebook. I have a folder for environmental science. I also have The Fellowship of the Ring as well as two other, smaller notebooks. And an umbrella, my wallet, and a lunch bag. And that's just the big pocket! In the middle pocket I have a broken mini stapler and a picture, I think. In my smallest pocket, I have a calculator, three pens, a bag of almonds, and some leaves from the costume for Little Shop of Horrors (don't ask...) I believe that's all that's in my backpack.
         In the inside pocket of my purse, I have four bookmarks that I took from a library, three dollars, and a receipt from Meijer. In the main pocket, I have headphones, ten dollars, movie tickets (The Fault in Our Stars, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Maleficent), my planner, and my checkbook. In the smallest, front pocket I have random change, which consists mostly of pennies.

         I'm sorry this is so terribly short. I don't really have anything interesting in either of my bags. On a random note, it is very cold in Michigan, considering how warm it was not that long ago, and I am wearing two pairs of socks, sweatpants, a long sleeved t-shirt, and a sweatshirt (my Harry Potter sweatshirt, of course :o). And I am snuggled in a very fuzzy blanket that I got last year for Christmas. Needless to say, I am very cold. I despite the fact that the season of perpetually cold feet is coming up, I'm kind of excited. Or really excited. I love Christmas! And I can't wait for the first snow and the first time we turn on the fireplace and when Christmas music starts playing on the radio...And I have a bit of a confession...I'm actually listening to Christmas music as I type this. I'm home alone and I didn't want to wait until November. So judge me if you want, but I'm enjoying myself! Also, I had an interview today. I was so nervous that I could barely eat breakfast (you know how I am with people) and even now that it's over, I still can't eat lunch. It was very nerve wrecking, but I think it went well. The lady who interviewed me was very nice and made me feel more at ease. I think I might actually have a shot at this one...I'll keep you posted!

"It is a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up." -Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Day Eighteen

Writing Challenge Day #18: Your Zodiac Sign and if You Think it Fits Your Personality
          My zodiac sign is Libra. I didn't really know all that much about it, other than that Libra is mostly October and it has something to do with scales. So, I had to do some research. It was actually very interesting and I wouldn't mind learning more about astrology. Here's what I found out: Libra, the scales, is the 7th zodiac symbol in the wheel. It goes from September 24 to October 23. It is also a constellation, a quadrangle shape, and has the star Zubeneschamali in it. Zubeneschamali is a green tinged star 160 light years from Earth and is the brightest in the constellation. It is located between Virgo (to the West) and Scorpius (to the East). In Babylonian Astronomy, the scales were sacred to the sun god, Shamash, the patron of truth and justice. This is very similar to Roman Mythology, where Libra is meant to represent the scales held by Astraea, the goddess of justice. I find the Arabic idea of Libra to be more interesting than the first to. The scales can also be "an allusion to the fact that when the sun entered this part of the ecliptic at the autumnal equinox, the days and nights are equal," (Wikipedia).
          So I'm definitely getting the Justice! vibe from Libra. Now I shall share with you the characteristics that Libra's tend to have.

          Strengths:

• Diplomatic
• Graceful
• Peaceful
• Idealistic
• Hospitable
• Likes to be around other people (partnerships and groups)
• Can be very independent, but would rather be with others (not sure if this is strength or weakness..)
• Love excitement and new situations
• Adventurous 
• Artistic
• Excellent instincts and intuition
• Fair and respectful
• Courageous

          Weaknesses

• Superficial
• Vain
• Indecisive
• Unreliable
• Lazy
• Messy
• Very focused on money (this was actually listed as a strength, but I disagree. So I moved it.)
• Self-Doubt
• Underachievers
• Pushover
• Insecure
• Desperately requires love and approval

          Unfortunately, I have more of the weaknesses than the strengths. I definitely found myself relating to that list more. In fact, most of the things on the strengths list are the exact opposite of me. I am not courageous, nor am I adventurous. More often than not, I do not like to be around other people and I hate change and new things.  Whereas on the weaknesses, I am very indecisive, lazy, and messy. (You do not want to see my room...I think I'm messy on account of being lazy...) I definitely am insecure and doubt myself. In the past year I have become a pushover, which I hate. I never stand up for myself anymore. I am also desperate for love, unfortunately. I found something else that describes being a Libra a bit better than these lists however, on zodiac-signs-astrology-.com/zodiac-signs/libra.htm and I'm going to copy it here and highlight what describes me.

          "They are also likely to hide or bend their own true feelings in order to bring peace with a group and to make others like them. Sometime this results in them not really knowing what their true feelings are because they are trying to make everyone happy. Other people can see this and Libras have earned themselves a reputation for being indecisive, they simply do not want to hurt anyone's feelings or cause disorder or friction in a situation. This spills over inside the person and many times, Libras have difficulty making decisions. Inside, the Libra is very insecure , they suffer from a lack of self confidence, they are always searching for something to complete them. This is another reason why they are social butterflies, it is an unconscious attempt to find the missing peace through other people. By trying to appease other people all the time, Libras don't really know who they are inside. Libras desperately need love and approval, they will do the favors that people ask and and have a hard time saying 'no' or 'I'm too busy' in order to prove how nice they are, this gradually builds up resentment and negative self esteem issues inside. Libra's indecisiveness is caused by fear, their fear that a wrong decision will make everything come crashing down around them and cause turmoil in their lives. Life is not like that and the Libra that acknowledges the fact that life has ups and downs will be less emotionally wound up, not so hard on themselves and as a result, they will be a much happier person."

          Well, jeez. Maybe I just should have highlighted the stuff that doesn't describe me. It would have been less to highlight. Essentially, the only thing wrong about this is the social butterfly part. I am neither social nor a butterfly (still human, last time I checked...) I was actually kind of shocked at how well this paragraph described what goes on in my head. Good job, random website. I finally have a decent way to describe my indecisiveness. And now I have decided to be done. Until tomorrow!

"I am tired of trying to hold things together that cannot be held. Trying to control what cannot be controlled. I am tired of denying myself what I want for fear of breaking things I cannot fix. They will break no matter what we do." -The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Day Number Seventeen

Writing Challenge Day #17: What is Your Love Language?
          I didn't know what my love language was. So, I went to 5lovelanguages.com and took a quiz. My results weren't very surprising. It ranked my the love languages highest to lowest, highest being my love language and lowest being...not my love language. Let's start with the bottom, shall we? Alright...Love Language number five is......

          Acts of Service! Essentially this has to do with the whole 'actions speak louder than words' thing. People that have this as their language don't need to hear 'I love you', they need you to prove it by doing things for them. I am not surprised that this ranked lowest for me. I don't like it when people do things for me. One, I usually would rather just do it myself, and two, I always feel like I have to return the favor. I don't like being indebted to other people.

          My second last love language is....Receiving Gifts. Also not surprised that this one is in the bottom. I hate getting gifts. Well. No, that's not quite true. I like getting things, but I don't like it when people are watching me receive things, which makes me not want presents..you know what I mean? I'm just not very good at reacting. So feel free to send me something in the mail, where I can open it by myself, and then get back to you later about how much I love it.

          This one would seem awfully high on the list if it weren't for the bottom two. Can you guess what it is? Physical Touch. If you know me, you know that I am not a touchy person. I don't like holding hands (you know who you are...) and hugs can only last a maximum of five seconds. Well, I take that back. For most people, hugs can't last longer than five seconds. There are a select few where I would be okay hugging for maybe ten seconds, fifteen tops. Also, nobody touches my feet or shoulders. Ever. So back rubs and foot rubs are out of the equation. Now you know, if you ever meet me, don't touch me.

          Now, my top two love languages. These ones make sense, at least to me. Love language number two is Words of Affirmation. According to focusonthefamily.com, this one is described as 'spoken praise and appreciation will fall like rain on parched soil', and I totally agree with it. I personally have low self-esteem and I find it hard to fathom the idea of people liking me. So hearing people say the love me means a lot, you know? I feel like this is self explanatory...I like to hear that I'm loved.

         Are you ready for number one? My top love language is.......Quality Time!! Again, I am not surprised at all. To me, there is no better way to show me that you care than to put your freaking phone away and give me your undivided attention. That's all I ask for. I just like to spend time with the people I love. You don't need to do things for me or give me things. Just spend time with me and give me your attention. And for the love of my sanity, put the phone away.

"I cannot fix on the hour, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun." -Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Sixteenth Day

Writing Challenge Day #16: Something You Regret Not Doing This Past Year

          There are quite a few things that I regret not doing this year. I regret not running every day. I sort of regret not going to the winter formal. Not that much though...I'm not a huge fan of those. Let's see...what else do I regret not doing? I think that my problem is I don't usually regret not doing something. I tend to regret things I've done. Anyway, I think the thing I regret not doing the most is not really being there for a few friends. I was very close with three of them, but the other two? Not so much. It's not that I didn't like them, because I do. It's just...they didn't need me. And I suppose I didn't really need them. I definitely could have tried harder to stay close to them, but I already had the friends I needed, the ones that really helped me get through the past year. They were the ones that were there for for me. So I guess what I'm saying it's, I regret not trying hard enough to be close to my other friends. It's my biggest regret, because they are great people and I would love to be as close to them as I used to be. But I am pretty good at shutting people out and retreating into myself when things start to be rough. And I really regret it and I'm sorry.

"That was the thing. You never got used to it, the idea of someone being gone. Just when you think it's reconciled, accepted, someone points it out to you, and it just hits you all over again, that shocking." -The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Day Fifteen

Writing Challenge Day #15: A Place You Would Like to Move to or Visit



Stonepath

          I'm going to start this challenge off by saying that none of the pictures on this post are mine. I found them on Pinterest, and they are beautiful. If I knew who took them, I'd give them credit. As it is, I don't. So if you see a picture you or someone you know has taken on this post, feel free to comment and give them credit for it. And now I shall begin.

Rock of Cashel

          I want to go to Ireland, so bad. It is a beautiful place filled with beautiful people (and some not so beautiful...but every place has those, I guess.) And I love Irish music. It just makes me very happy. I especially love Flogging Molly, The Dubliners, and The Pogues.
          So. Ireland. Of course I would like to see Dublin and the Dublin Writers Museum. I want to see the Mourne Mountains and the Fanad Lighthouse in Donegal and the Tollymore Forest Park and the Stonepath in Newcastle and the dark hedges...I want to go to the Rock of Cashel. Guys, this place is amazing. Do you realize that the Rock of Cashel is where St. Patrick converted the people of Ireland to Catholicism? That is so freaking awesome and I want to go there so bad! I want to see all of the beauty of Ireland for myself instead of through pictures. I really want to. But I am in my first year of college, which means I don't have the money to go. I wish I didn't have to worry about the money. I wish I could just pack a bag, go to the airport, and buy the first ticket I can to get to Ireland. Someday, hopefully, I'll get there.


Dark Hedges

"He was a professor, a lover of stories, and he was building her a library in the same way other men might build their daughters houses." -The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith



Day of Fourteen

Writing Challenge Day 14: Your Relationship With Food
          Oh boy...food. I love to eat it, I love to make it, and I love to smell it, and I love to look at it. Food is beautiful. But...I also hate it. I hate when I eat too much, I hate that my favorite foods are all unhealthy (except strawberries. I love strawberries.), I hate that I have a low metabolism and can't eat all the food I want to. For example, the other night I had a bag of popcorn and about four cookies, which was delicious at the time, so good. But I ended up having a horrible stomach ache and a headache that didn't go away until halfway through the next day. And I expected it...I knew it was going to happen, but the cookies were just so darn good!! I'm usually pretty good at eating healthy though. I've swapped crackers out for almonds, dessert for granola bars, and cheese for apples. That's usually what my lunch consists of. And generally I'll eat some kind of healthy cereal for breakfast, although sometimes I'll cave and eat a bagel. (Blueberry is the best!) Dinner varies...usually some kind of chicken. Speaking of chicken...remember that list of things to do before my next birthday? Well I made something that was on my food board on Pinterest...chicken and broccoli stir fry. And it was delicious! Not trying to brag or anything. I also decided that I want to end my posts with quotes from my favorite books and authors. So that's what I shall do.

"The world is not in your books and maps. It's out there." -The Hobbit

Day Thirteen

Writing Challenge Day 13: Someone You Would Like to Meet

          This is a very good question. At first I thought maybe a band, but to be honest, I don't want to meet people that sing my favorite songs. I don't want to hear that they didn't even write the song, that it isn't personal, that they are just good at singing it...I'd rather pretend that each and every song means something to them, and they were written out of experience. Now, of course I know that this usually isn't the case. But still. I like to pretend. So that would have to be a no for a musician. (Unless maybe I met The Piano Guys. Or 2cellos. I love them regardless.)
          Then I thought...a historical figure? Or rather, an author that lived more than a century ago? Perhaps Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte. I wasn't really feeling that either. But I like the idea of authors. J.K. Rowling? I would love to meet her and discuss all things Harry Potter. Which ultimately led me to book/movie characters. But there are so many of them that I would love to meet! And I have a whole list of them. Care to see?

• Sirius Black from Harry Potter 3-5
• Poppet and Widget from The Night Circus
• Brom from Eragon
• Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings 1-3
• Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars
• Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice
• Warden from The Bone Season
• Wes from The Truth About Forever
• Basil from The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Javert from Les Miserables
• Brigan from Fire

          Well, you get the idea. There are several characters that I would love to meet. The one character I would choose above all of these, however, you haven't heard of. Unless you are one of the five people (including my sister) I've told this to, you don't know who she is. Her name is Azure and she is the main character in a book that I am writing. And I absolutely love her. I wish it were possible to actually meet her and talk to her. So that's who I pick as someone I would like to meet. A character that was born in my head.


P.S. Fall is coming...so I'm changing the look again! And I, for one, am very excited for the autumn season :o)