Life Highlights: The End (Her Majesty)

It's officially been over a month since I've posted on here and just over 3 days since the official anniversary of this blog.

To say the past few weeks have been exhausting is an understatement.  I ended up facing a slew of both internal and external obstacles - moving apartments for the third time, officially applying for my current posiiton at HBO, planning a fall trip with my mom, learning how to be a handy woman in my new apartment, and to top it all off, and a positive note to end this chapter of my life, at least, seeing Ike for the first time in almost a year tonight!

However, despite this year being one of immense stress - pushing my mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health to its limits - I can't help but also be so so SO grateful for my first year out of university.

I've learned even more about myself than ever before (including all that "self discovery" I did in college), learned more about the Lord's unfailing faithfulness and merciful graciousness than I ever thought possible, and overall feel like my life is better than it has been in a while.

I'm definitely not perfectly healthy and every day out here in New York City still feels like I'm clawing and fighting for my place to stay in the City.  I still haven't made as much progress as I would've liked in some areas of my life, but I've made leaps and bounds in others.  And I hope to move back to the west coast by spring of next year.

But no matter what, New York has solidified its place in my life and my heart by foundationally shaping who I am and who I will be as I continue trying my best to "adult" in the real world.

I don't have plans to completely abandon everything about this blog, but updates will definitely be quite sparse in the future, as although I feel like this blog has helped me process things and keep up with writing, I've taken to a more private, non-hackable mode as of late - journalling by hand in a beaten up old notebook.

So that's it for now, at least.  I've found out more about God (and Bowie as I have also come to love his favourite places in New York as my own), than I ever would've thought possible.  And now, I'm off to go pick up my best friend from the airport.

Creative Writing: Sonnet Update

Trying to write a poem for my collaborative poetry project, and for fun this month I decided to try out difference styles.  This week I landed on Shakespearean sonnet and wow is it difficult.

Currently, Google has given me the following tips:

The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

In the first quatrain the exposition of the main theme/metaphor is introduced.  In the second quatrain the theme/metaphor is extended/complicated with an imaginative example.  In the third quatrain the twist/conflict is introduced (the 9th line usually starts with "but").  And in the final couplet the poem summarizes with a new concluding image.

It is written in iambic pentameter, in which each line is 10 syllables; five pairs of "iambs", in which each iamb has a stressed/unstressed syllable pairing.

So far I've been trying to write the general theme and imagery before working it into an actual sonnet form, but figuring out syllables is super difficult for me.  I even have an online syllable counter to help me figure out the syllables and an online rhyming dictionary for easy inspiration.

The submission is due at the end of every week, so I have some time, but I have a feeling I'll be needing every day for it if it keeps proving to be as difficult as it has today.

Each month also has a theme, and I chose the one for this month, so I have a frame work for what I want to talk about.  However, I don't want to reveal it here, as I know we will want to publish the entire series in full at the end of the summer.

Creative Writing: Poem 15 // 16

Home is a long way from here
Located within the depths of my memories
Populated with long gone characters
Stuck in eternal autumn

The future is always bright
And the past is always present
At the home in my mind

//

When I left home I did not know
It was a one-way ticket to go
Far far away from there
So I boarded without care
The ship that sailed ever onward
Toward a future where I wander
Aimlessly without end
Until - perhaps - one day when I shall send
My regards to the ever fading past
And find my rest at last.

Wardrobe of Moral Imagination: Chart Addition

So the other day I was inspired by this Buzzfeed post to track how often I talk with my friends.  Obviously, this is just my "Top 10" list, but there are a few other people I could include as well that also need to be charted.

I don't normally participate in Buzzfeed activities, but this one was quite useful.  Since it was the end of May, I took the opportunity to reflect on the month and I was rather surprised by what I learned.

Firstly, I took the idea to the next level by also colour-coding the way that I talk with people (text, facebook messenger, etc.), and I was surprised to learn that traditional texting is still more predominant than other messaging platforms.  Although, because I didn't save all my Snapchat correspondence when it happened, I could potentially use that app more than the chart reflects.

Secondly, I was also intrigued by the fact that I actually do contact my inner circle regularly - the only difference is the frequency and depth of conversation.  Obviously a texting conversation was less "in depth", in terms of the subject material we talked about and length that we talked about it, rather than a phone call.  However, phone calls were obviously less frequent than texting too.

And thirdly, I was interested to realise that although I don't feel like I "talk" with some friends, I actually communicate with them quite frequently - and vis versa.  Some people I feel like I talk with a lot, I actually only talk to about once a month (which is pretty much the same no matter who it is).

So in short, I would also recommend graphing your communications so you know where exactly you stand in terms of your friends and keeping up with them.  It really is easy to let life distract you from talking with your friends and staying up to date, so this is a good way to keep yourself accountable to all of your meaningful relationships.

Creative Writing: Poem 14

Forty-three point nine eight two six

That's where my heart ticks

One two four zero nine nine eight

That's where my thoughts like rain percolate

Wardrobe of Moral Imagination: Buddy Series Addition

Yesterday I finally broke down and signed up for a free trial of YouTube Red.  I am an avid YouTube devotee - it's where all of my "shows" are located, as I really don't watch a lot of television shows or movies in my daily life.  However, I had yet to break down and purchase a YouTube Red subscription because most of the content I wanted to watch was free.

However, because this week I finally have time to relax a little, I decided to binge watch Rhett & Link's "Buddy System" Season 2 (originally released last fall) yesterday, but it's only available if you subscribe to YouTube Red.  And now that I binge watched it, I can say it was definitely worth it!

The series was a huge improvement over the first series (which I watched today), and absolutely hilarious.  Full of charm, humour, and impressive production quality, I highly recommend it for anyone who's a fan of Rhett and Link or curious about the concept of a YouTube series in general (as a series made for streaming distribution/the Internet, rather than Netflix or Hulu).  I felt like it was a mash-up of a lot of film-making elements that show a commercialised product made by professionals in the industry, but with an independent studio-small crew feel, which I really enjoyed.

In the first season, the basic concept was a dramatised version of Rhett and Link and their adventures as they try to recover Link's phone from their mutual high school ex-girlfriend who is an infomercial queen bent on taking over their YouTube channel.  Although fun, the stakes felt rather shallow so it felt like a variety of high-jinks and sketches more than an in-depth, cohesive comedy show.

However, in the second season the basic concept was a lot better in terms of comedy, stakes, and cohesive narrative.  It's set in an alternate universe where Rhett and Link don't become friends in first grade, and the crazy adventures that ensue.  The tone of this series felt more developed as it riffed on jokes and props and actors from the original series, but re-worked in a fun way that totally took advantage of the "Alternate Universe" plot device.  Not to mention that the production quality was elevated and each individual episode longer so story lines had time to properly develop.  And they certainly weren't afraid to go into some crazy and ridiculous lengths that challenged gender roles and boundaries in the best way possible with their continual expansion of hilarious side characters.

I particularly loved the variety of material they were able to do in this series - even more music videos, different animation styles, better props, actors, and general elements.  My favourite episodes were definitely "To Kill a Robot" (2x01), "Virtual Rhettality" (2x05), and "A Frontier Story" (2x06).

In the first episode, which is free, Rhett and Link do a great job at establishing their characters and concepts with an interesting cliff hanger - it also sets up the right tone wonderfully for the rest of the season.  In short, a perfect season opener that is much more interesting than the first season.

In the fifth episode, Rhett and Link participate in a humourous love triangle with Link's friend Vanessa, in which they play the role of mother, son, and father (respectively) in the virtual world, while in the real world Link tries to have a "normal" (if not extremely comedic) romantic relationship with Vanessa.  And in the sixth episode, Rhett and Link participate in a "flashback" episode set during the mid-1800s that explain the origin of nougat.  It even includes a hilarious music video set in a parody style of the "Manifest Destiny" video of "Schoolhouse Rock".

Overall, this was definitely an enjoyable show that I would highly recommend.  In particular, as someone who is interested in the extent that independent series productions can go on a shoe string budget, it was really inspirational and exciting to watch all the while chuckling throughout the series.

Life Highlights: Drabble 15

Today is the second day of summer Fridays and I already know I'll be hard pressed to give them up (come September)! Even though it was a short week with Memorial Day weekend on Monday and a short day today, this week still felt way too long!

Next week, with so many people out of the office next week in London, I'm hoping for a fairly quiet time, but we'll see! Mainly I'm just excited to enjoy this short day by going to a park with a friend after work.  The sun looks like it's finally decided to make an appearance after weeks of April gloom extending throughout May - so fingers crossed that it holds up so I can go enjoy it in about three hours!

So far my time at HBO has been filled with long days of boredom interspersed with short periods of activity.  Although I do love New York, I know the side of film I'd rather be in is located in Los Angeles (symbolically, not literally).  Even if I'm not thrilled to LIVE in LA, I am excited about the idea of going back to the Best Coast West Coast next year to be closer to all my friends and family.