Via
For me, 2012 is the year of optimism. What about you?
Amazing
All At Once
I’ve heard quite a few times that you should never start querying a book while pregnant. The stress, anxiety, excitement, and disappointment are enhanced due to hormones and general craziness. Well, thankfully, I’m not pregnant, and don’t plan on being for a while. HOWEVER, I am querying during a different type of stressful time.
Job hunting.
My temp job at the library (which I love) is ending in April. It was actually supposed to end earlier, but they gave me to the end of the semester. If I get offered a job prior, of course I’ll just switch jobs sooner. My bosses here are incredibly nice and supportive. (In fact, before each interview, my co-workers literally cheer me on. I can almost imagine pom poms. I love them.)
That said, I’ve been practically glued to my e-mail and phone. Each message could dictate my future! It’s crazy, and incredibly nerve wracking. And the thing is – it’s every day. Query responses don’t come in overnight, and neither do decisions after applications or interviews.
On top of it all, my best friend is in labor. Today. I’ve been texting with her husband (who, incidentally, I befriended first back in college) all morning, getting every update. (Latest update, which has been my favorite: “They broke her water. There’s a baby insider her running out of water!” If you get this reference, we’ll be friends forever.)
So perhaps this wasn’t the best time to query, but honestly…I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Despite the stress and anxiety, it’s thrilling. Each “1 new message” could change my whole future. I live for moments like that.
You never know what might happen, right?
A Very Special Glee
I had a very strong reaction to last night’s episode of Glee. I know that sounds silly – it’s just a show, but I can’t stop thinking about it. If you haven’t watched it yet, and plan to, please don’t read this post because it’s extremely spoiler heavy.
Spoiler spoiler spoiler.
Okay.
So last night’s main story revolved around Karofsky being “outed” as gay, and then, after being bullied, trying to kill himself. Juxtaposed by Blaine’s song, the whole scene was incredibly heartbreaking. And while it was extremely sad, what, to me at least, was sadder was that these things happen all the time. I read a story last week about gay youths taking their lives after constant bullying and it brought me to tears. It’s not that I wasn’t aware of this situation – I was, I have quite a few gay friends – but I just can’t imagine how bad it must be for them. Especially right now, when politicians are practically trying to fight over who hates gay people more. I can’t imagine being a person who says liking someone is wrong. Or, more appropriately for today, marrying someone is wrong. It just feels so outdated. All of these hateful words are convincing kids to take their lives. Who’s the bad guy in that situation?
So that whole plot line was emotional and true and horrifying. But then the show went on and in a -admittedly sweet- scene, Mr. Schue has all of the characters list things they’re excited for, to show them that there are events and people worth living for. It’s true, there are. Quinn, who’s had a weird season, is excited about finally being on track and going to Yale. She even, later in the episode, becomes a cheerleader again. A character went through a lot, survived, and came out okay.
The kids sing and win regionals. Despite being a sad episode, the songs made me smile.Kurt goes to visit Karofsky in the hospital and, in an incredibly tender scene, shows Karofsky that there are good things to come. He imagines his future, where he has a son and a husband and everything is okay. They agree to be friends. It’s a sweet scene and again drives home the sadness some youths go through.
And that is where the episode should have ended. It would have been a complete story, with a nice message. Bullying is bad. Look for good things in your life. Honestly, they’re around the corner.
But, of course, it didn’t. Rachel and Finn decide to go and get married. Quinn drives clearly across the state to get her bridesmaid dress. And here’s when the writers went all Niffenegger-like (this isn’t saying Audrey Niffenegger is a mean person, it’s saying that she clearly loves destroying her characters. Read her books. You’ll see why I say this. BTW-I love her books, despite the destruction. I think it makes them more interesting. End of derailing.). While texting and driving, Quinn is hit by a car. End of episode.
Okay.
Now, clearly the creators had the Quinn plot put in for two reasons:
1) To stop the Rachel/Finn wedding. If this was the primary reason, I would have been so upset. It’s senseless, really.
2) To show the dangers of texting and driving. There are dangers, clearly. People shouldn’t do it. It’s killing other people. This is obvious.
Here’s the thing, though. I understand wanting to preach those dangers, I just feel like they should have done it in a different episode. The episode was complete without the Quinn situation and I think the whole car accident took away from the episode. Here’s why –
Quinn had a difficult situation. She overcame it. Good is coming her way. That’s the message of the episode, right? Conquer your challenges and you’ll be okay! But just as things are going well BOOM. Now I highly doubt she died – that’s a lot for Glee – but I find it wrong that just as a character figures themselves out, they get thrown back. That cheapens the message they’ve been spreading.
So that’s my reaction. I’m sure there’s a whole reason behind the car accident, but I just feel like the episode was very, very good without it.
And as a side note – as mentioned in the post, I have quite a few gay friends. I’ve been there with them through the ups and downs, the coming outs and the accepting oneself. If anyone EVER needs someone to talk to, you can talk to me. Things to get better. I promise.
2012 Update
Remember my resolutions from January 1st?
Well, beside the whole “work out” one that I never keep, I’ve actually managed to – for the most part – conquer the rest! Let’s observe.
1. Learn to knit.
Done and done. I’m not fantastic by far, but I’m really enjoying it. The above project was originally going to be a scarf for my friend’s baby, but I messed up a bit. So, rather than gifting it away, I made it into a bracelet for myself. I’m excited to start my next project. Knitting seems to relax me – go figure.
2. Do everything in my power to get TNWSY agented.
I am! I’ve sent quite a few queries out, and entered two contests. Right now I’ve had a few rejections, and a few partial/full requests (which is, might I say, extremely exciting).
3. Start Book 2.
While it might not have had the best of starts, Book 2 is in progress! It has a plot, all mapped up, and three characters I’m absolutely in love with. And most importantly, I’m excited to be working on it. Takes my mind off the rejections, too.
UPDATE:
S reminded me of our fourth, unofficial, resolution. I must include it.
4. Do something different every week.
S and I have decided that each week we’ll go somewhere new or try something new. It’s an easy way to better explore the city, or at least have a mini adventure. In this effort we’ve: tried new restaurants, gone to new areas in town, and, most oddly, went to bars in both a grocery store and a furniture store. Also, we stumbled upon a Civil War reenactment behind an antique complex. It’s true. Orlando has some where places. We’ve really been enjoying this little addition to our weeks.
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So that’s where I stand, almost two months in. I feel good. I’m nervous, of course; it’s scary how much I want TNWSY to succeed. But I take everything day by day. I’m still new in the game, after all.
What about you all? How are your resolutions coming along?
Music in Books – THE DISENCHANTMENTS
After reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, my first reaction was “That was AMAZING.” My second was “I need to make a mixtape.” It’s true; music played such a huge roll in that book, I felt compelled to hear the songs Charlie heard, so I rushed to Napster (kind of dates how old I am, doesn’t it) and downloaded every song mentioned in the book. I still have the mix CD. It’s fantastic.
I haven’t really been inspired to do that again…that is, until I read The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour. About a not-so-great girl band touring the Pacific Northwest, the book has it all – road trips, small towns, coming of age, and music, music music. After first reading the description, I knew the book was for me…and after actually finishing the book, I know I was right to assume that. I really quite loved it.
Colby and Bess had a pact since the end of middle school – once high school ends, they’re taking a year off and exploring Europe. But as they set off on Bess’s band’s tour, Colby learns Bess doesn’t plan on leaving with him anymore. She wants to go to college. What follows is Colby learning where everything went wrong, and figuring out what’s right for himself. There are realizations, basement gigs, kisses, photographs, graffiti, wrong turns, and everything else that makes road trips great.
So once finishing the book, I had to find all of the music that framed it – the songs by Sleater-Kinney (of which I already had), The Runaways, Heart, The Supremes. As it turns out, technology got the best of me. Apparently a playlist has already been created on Spotify.
And how cool is that? With books and technology changing, what a neat way to keep up with the times.
That said, I highly recommend The Disenchantments if you’re looking for a fantastic coming of age young adult novel. And while you’re out it, check out the playlist to soundtrack your reading experience.
Lauren Gibaldi 