Days of My Life

I met someone at The Misfit earlier who asked me what I would do if I were paid $1 million a year to do it. My answer was automatic: write. And throughout the remainder of the conversation, he repeatedly encouraged me to write my poetry and to publish it, because that might be the thing that I one day make a living out of. More importantly, it's the one thing that I know I love to do. Additionally, he reiterated the importance of relationships. In order to establish relationships with people who have the potential to change your life for the better, though, you must first be nice. After about 15 minutes of conversation, he left, turning back to remind me, "Write and publish!" Fortunate are those who do what they love for a living. Fortunate, too, are those who love what they do for a living. Of course, there lies a difference between the two. Those who do what they love love what they do, and, per something I'm sure you've read or heard before, if you do what yo...

It seems that by far, 2013 has been my slowest year with regards to blogging. But otherwise, it has been my busiest year with regards to the work-school cycle. On top of that, I am fortunate enough to add that this has also been my busiest year with regards to travel. To briefly recap an otherwise exhaustingly extensive life story: I resumed working two jobs in March, went to San Francisco and Portland in June, continued working and commuting between both jobs throughout summer, visited New York in September, started job hunting in November (to no avail thus far, but that's okay), visited Seattle and road-tripped back down to LA two weeks ago, and turned 22 last week. Turning 22 actually has nothing to do with anything, because it feels like I've aged so much in the last few years anyway. The view from my mom's friend's home, where we stayed in New York On the ferry to the Statue of Liberty New York Grand Central Terminal With regards to school, I was doing...

Auxiliary verbs: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been, has, have, had, do, does, did, shall, will, should, would, may, might, must, can, could . I learned these 23 auxiliary verbs in eighth grade, when Mrs. Heffner pushed us to learn and love grammar. And learn and love grammar I did. But I never really heeded the word "auxiliary," much less used it or saw it in writing. A few days ago, while thinking about everything that I have been doing for the past two and a half years, especially with regards to work, auxiliary came to mind. Initially, I thought it weird that such a word would occur to me in the middle of that thought process, but upon contemplation, I realized how applicable it is in relation to me. And by me, I mean what I do, because really, what are we but what we do, right? (Not necessarily, but that's a conversation for later.) Anyway, I am auxiliary . My current and past job descriptions can all be summed up with that one not-used-often-enough word. Lik...

...and school ain't one. Yet. I thought that work--and work only--all summer would mean no worries about anything. But I've been worrying a great deal about a great deal the past several weeks. From shady subletters and questionable checks to worn tires and creaking brakes, at one point everything just got overwhelming. Certainly, these things pale in comparison to other people's concerns. But I'm just so tired of everything, especially traffic. I've gotten to the point of actually being content with one-hour commutes that in late morning or middle of the night would take only a quarter of an hour. One hour and fifteen minutes is where I draw the line between annoyance and moodiness. It's just terrible. And the way that some people drive these days is ridiculous. I like to think that I have been driving more safely--I wouldn't say "better" just because I never drove "poorly" to have to get "better"--lately; for instance, I use...

I don't know -- --can be taken as a sign of nonchalant ambivalence or of true un-knowledge. The phrase bothers me immensely particularly when I know that it's employed for the sake of ease. Rather than explaining what or where something is, "I don't know" replaces an extended side of conversation and deems the preceding question insignificant, thereby making life slightly more difficult for the asker. It can also suggest an un-caring or indifference. Both cases are demonstrated below: A, while driving: What time does that place close? B, while on smartphone: I don't know. A: What do you want to do? B: I don't know. What about you? A: I don't know. In the case of true un-knowledge, life is still easier for the intended answerer, especially sans the supposed guilt from taking the easy way out by unthinkingly claiming "I don't know." The situation also remains the same for the asker. Either way, the asker may reiterate ...

Growing up, I couldn't wait to be 20 years old. I thought the 20-something years would be the best, primarily because of: driving : You can go anywhere, any time you want. Even carrying around a car key makes you look cool. Imagine actually driving the car. Having to drive every day now, and I often wish I didn't have to. Traffic is such a nightmare, gas is nightmarishly costly, LA parking is a hassle, other drivers are an even bigger hassle. It's just so stressful, and childhood me never suspected such a characteristic of driving. working, making money : You make your own money, so you can do what you want with it. In fact, the more you make, the more you can spend (on clothes)! Not as easy or simple as it used to sound. I neglected the first step of this process, which is to find a job. And even afterward, money still doesn't come easy. I also neglected paying bills, something a child doesn't necessarily think about when dreaming about the future. And on thi...

It was an exhausting, eventful month. There was a wedding in Fremont the weekend before finals week. There was finals week. There were graduations in San Diego and Riverside at the end of finals week. There was San Diego again the following Monday. There was a job interview the day after. There was Portland for the latter half of that week. There was another wedding--but in Alhambra/ Monterey Park--that Sunday. There was job interview (part two) and work. There was the company dinner. All this within the past four weeks, ain't it grand?  Life has been extremely hectic this month. The only time it was finally calm and quiet was the few days in Portland, where life and time happen exponentially more slowly than here in Los Angeles. While people in Portland certainly do work and do all the normal things Angelinos do, it's just so... tranquil, which I have rarely ever experienced down here unless I intentionally seek a quiet spot wherein to hide. But I...