I haven't written a letter in a while....

I haven't written a letter n a while sooooo here it goes.

Dear PBS,

Was it really necessary to brutally beat and savagely rape my favorite character on Downton?? No, it wasn't. Why do you hate women so much? None of them on that show can catch a break. Oh...Lord Grantham you are sad after WWI because the nobles are no longer considered "noble". Are we supposed to feel bad for this guy? He has like 35 servants....I feel horrible for his daughters....and his wife who lives in this ignorant bliss half the time.

Quit it!!!!!!

Love,

Nicole

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Dear Job Seekers,

Here are a few tips. You may see them on monster.com but read them here too.

1. Proofread your resume.
2. Write a damn cover letter.
3. Don't single space the entire letter or...resume. 
4. Don't double space the entire thing either. 
5. Never, ever, ever..and I mean never..quadruple space in between jobs. You look like you are trying to too hard...
6. Write concrete phrases about what you do. Use and noun and a verb or 2.
7. Look up the definition of skill and then deduct from there what your actual skills are....then try again.
8. Research the company. Please..you look silly if you don't. 

Regards,

Nicole

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Dear People Who've Fulfilled Dreams,

How did you do it? I need to know.

Desperately Seeking a Career I Have Passion For,

Nicole

A little self awareness...

I know I am not a perfect writer. I do not even consider myself a “good writer” or one that writes well.  What I do know is  good writing... (see what I did there). I know it when I see it. I make no qualms  that I make mistakes and I forget things about writing. Here’s what drives me absolutely bananas: Someone who possesses absolute grandiose notions about their own hellacious writing. I will call them: Writer-Grandiopolis Ridiculouso. It's Latin. Look it up.

Why I am stepping on my soapbox about this subject?  I’ve experienced this anomaly twice this week. TWICE!!!! By weeks end, I may experience it THRICE! 

I’ve met and befriended several brilliant wordsmiths. I marvel at their ability to construct beauty out of lumps of jumbled letters, thoughts and experiences. They never brag about their existence. Okay, maybe humble brag about it but they deserve to. 

The individuals who fall under my  Writer-Grandiopolis Ridiculouso category do not deserve to brag yet they do. It really hurts me. I think why it bothers me so much is that I do not write for a living anymore. I barely edit. I do edit...for example, I continually have to someone that you need to pluralize certain verbs when you have a an actuaI subject of a sentence. Bygones....

I am not as crisp and clean as I once was. I wasn't even that crisp and clean. Can't ya tell?

I could be jealous. They  have so much confidence behind their subpar writing and I have barely any in my almost par writing. 

Will I ever get back to the level of par-ness I once possessed? I hope so. I can't take much more of this. 

Hello 2014..Nice to meet you.Say hello to your mother for me.

Welcome 2014!

I don't have any resolutions...well, maybe I do. I've resolved to write more and have a more positive attitude. So far...so good. I mean..I've already locked myself out of my house this year but hey...we can't have it all.

When it comes to writing, I am starting small. I am going to blog for a bit and see where it takes me. It might not take me far but at least I am writing. That is how I have to look at it.

I bid you adieu to go nap....

Closing it out

In news that is not a surprise to anyone, 2013 doesn't have much time left.

I will bid this year a fond farewell. It wasn't always easy or happy but it wasn't a total wash. I enjoyed several parts and loathed others.

For 2014, I want things to change. I feel they are starting to and that's great motivation to make more changes, to keep moving forward and to keep positive.

I will not bore you with a long reflective statement about 2013. I don't really have one. It happened and that's that. I've learned things and I've lost things. The typical year. Although, I am grateful to live through the ups and downs. As we all know, the things that try us, mold us and give us strength.

 Do I want 2014 to be typical? Nope..not at all...I want it to be different, fresh and exciting. I want new adventures and I also want to write about them.

2014...I am coming for you. Let's do this.

A few thoughts after Christmas....

For the past hour I've been attempting to write a post-holiday blog and I've come up with nothing. We now see why I haven't been writing in a long time.

I am itching to leave my parents house because I can only take so much of them and I miss my bed. I love the holidays but there is a nice collective sigh of relief when they are over. The pressure I've placed on myself to make perfect baked goods and food and buy perfect presents fades away and now I can enjoy time away from work and hopefully spend some time with friends. Heck even cleaning and organizing my house sounds like a party. (I think that may be because I want to move soon and I should start sorting things...)

With the holidays over, I would like to keep the spirit of giving and light-heartedness going and keep what's important in the forefront of my thoughts. Excel sheets and html are not the most important things in life....I do not want to get overly wrapped up in work. I can't..it is not worth it. I need to make changes and hopefully the end result will be positive.

A few thoughts before Christmas...

At this time of the year, people tend to want to take a look back at the year. Was it a good year or a bad year? Did it contain a lot of momentous occasions, etc? I, on the other hand, want to take a look forward.

For the first time in a long time, I want to plan ahead and do things. This is extremely rare for me. It could be that I am unhappy in my current career trajectory and the only person who can change that is me. I need to decide to what I want to do. Right now, I am very unsure. Am I scared? Heck yeah.

So, as I meddle around and wonder what I will do, I will offer up some some thoughts.

I hope in 2014:

1. People will leave behind bacon and kale as the new food fades. Seriously, quit it.
2. Miley forgets how to twerk.
3. The history channel plays history once again.
4. Idiots will forget how to use social media or have shows on cable and stop spewing hate.
5. I bake more.
6. I see more places across the globe.
7. I see more of my friends.
8. I live more.
9. I love more.
10. I dance more. (Seriously, three times a week is not cutting it right now. :) )

Happy Christmas!!

Attempting to get back on track...

I often feel like I lack passion and creativity. I used to care about writing. I used to want to write. Now, I never write. I don’t even want to. I would love to sit down and write and produce something. I just can’t. I don’t know what it is. I think it’s beyond writer’s block. I do not work in a creative environment. We conform to ridiculous “rules” and regulations regarding words, images, design, etc. After working in such an environment, you no longer have the desire to even try.

So, I sit here and wonder: what can I do? What should I do? Should I just write to write? Do paltry attempts add up to something? Could I product a diamond in the rough? Or maybe a low grade emerald at least?  Do I announce a New Year’s Resolution to WRITE EVERYDAY!?? We all know that resolutions rarely pan out but I itch for change.

As I stare at this familiar screen, I begin to wonder if writing was just a phase. But, isn’t life just a series of phases? Or do constants remain during those phases? Why is everyone so into kale right now? And why do some atheists act more like religious zealots than religious zealots? I have too many questions and not enough answers.

For now, I should take solace in the fact that I wrote something that broke the 200-word mark that was not an irate email.  Yay for me!! 

A final thought: Britney Spears got her life on track after a disastrous few years. I think I can muster up something after a few years of “writer’s block” and lackluster comma usage.