It's a love/hate sort of thing...

A lot of things have been making me angry lately and I feel like listing them for others to read will make me feel better, so here it goes! (These are in no particular order)

#1 Slow drivers. Especially drivers who cut me off and then decide to drive way under the speed limit. Worst. Pet. Peeve. EVER!

#2 Close-minded people. Living in Utah, it happens a lot. People here just don't realize that they don't have to live their lives like robots, they can choose to live morally and still be interesting at the same time. The majority of them don't though unfortunately.

#3 Health food. Now don't get me wrong, health food is great. But not for every single meal. My mom has been on this new health food kick and I honestly haven't eaten a home cooked meal for weeks. Everything she buys takes a million hours to cook and doesn't taste good anyways. So I've been eating out almost every day and it's definitely starting to show :/

#4 Men. Honestly, do men these days date anymore? "Hanging out" is not a date. If a guy is worth the time, he will ask me out either in person, or over the phone, otherwise he doesn't have a date. ESPECIALLY not by text!!! And he will pay for my meal and open every door I intend on stepping through or else he can kiss his sorry butt goodbye.

#5 Snow. I miss green grass and the feeling of hot pavement under my bare feet. I especially don't like snow when it transforms my car into an ice cave and turns my steering wheel into ice. 

#6 People who think they know everything and make sure everyone knows it. All I have to say to this one is, SHUT YOUR FAT FACE! No one, and I mean no one, likes a know-it-all. 

#7 People who hold grudges. So I dumped chocolate syrup on your driveway 4 years ago. Get over it. I was over it the moment I did it.

#8 People who hate. So I dumped chocolate syrup on your friend's driveway 4 years ago and dated your boyfriend when I was FIFTEEN freaking years old and haven't said a word to you in my life. Get. Over. Yourself.

#9 People who do everyone else's jobs but neglect to do their own. (This means you boy-scout-man.)

#10 Having to grow up. I have Peter Pan syndrome. I want to be a kid forever.

Thanks for listening to me rant. I feel much better. Here are some things I do like so you all don't think I'm a total Grinch.

#1 My puppy. Brody is my little buddy. He always listens and never gives me opinions or lectures. He wakes me up right on time every morning and loves to snuggle. He likes to wear sweaters and sit on the back of the couch like a cat. I love him with all my heart :]

#2 My heated blanket. It's the only thing that gets me through the winter. I have it cranked up on high as we speak.

#3 My friends. I have amazing friends. I honestly couldn't imagine a better bunch of rascals to hang out with all the time.

#4 Crushes. They are thrilling to have, but at the same time kind of heart breaking. 

#5 Disney movies/Disneyland. This goes right along with my Peter Pan syndrome. There is nothing better than curling up in a cozy blanket, sipping hot cocoa and watching a Disney movie.

#6 My family. We may not get along 100% of the time, but boy to we have good times. There's a whole lot of OCD, misnamed places, whining and complaining, poncho hating, repeated question asking and jokes that aren't funny which makes them funny, going around.

#7 Awesome sound systems. I'm a big fan of loud music. The best sound system ever made was in RayCray's old car Unreliable. It had a bass so BA it would blow your lungs out. I sure do miss that car :[

#8 Free stuff. Free food, free music, free t-shirts, free bags, free shades... some of the many reasons why college is so awesome. 

#9 Feeling important. Like when someone comes straight to you because they know you can help them. Or when you get a special assignment because your boss knows you'll do a slamming job. Just knowing people appreciate you is really nice :]

#10 Writing. I wish I had time to do more of it. Especially when it comes to my blog. I'll try to keep up on it a bit more. Maybe reinstate my favorite things?

What's the rush?

FACT: 

The State of Utah has the lowest average age of marriage in the U.S. 

ANOTHER FACT: 

I know well over 20 people who I grew up with who are now engadged/already married/have kids.  

So what I want to know is... What's the rush?

One answer I get over and over again every time I ask this question is, "Why wait?"

I personally don't believe that after knowing someone for hardly a month or two, you know for a fact that they are the one and only person for you and you must marry them as soon as possible... honestly now. What ever happened to getting to know someone before "taking the plunge"? I don't think you can know enough about a person to take said plunge in such a short amount of time.

So here is my reply...

Live life slowly.

Live life deeply.

Live life lovingly,

and

live life knowingly.

If you're "meant to be" with someone, they'll stick around. Just enjoy getting to know each other better. There is no rush on love. And if there is then you have a problem.

I want to see the world before I settle down. I want to take every adventure that comes my way before I continue on to the next chapter in my life. I want to know who I am and what I need before I get to know my someone else. 

So you want to be a writer?

Are you thinking of becoming an author? Well, here is some advice that you may find a bit helpful from someone who works with books all day...

1. Don't make your name bigger than the title. Nobody cares what your name is, in all honestly, they just want to read your book. It makes you look desperate for fame. It's like guys who drive huge trucks, you know their trying to compensate for something else ;] There are some books where you literally have to squint to read the title. Nobody likes squinting, and no one will read your book.

2. Put your full name on the binding. Especially if you have a common name like Smith, or Brown. It will not only be easier for shelvers to find the right spot for each book, but it will be beneficial to you because all you're books will be together instead of crammed in with all the other Browns'.

3. While we're on the topic of names, use the same font for your name on each of your books (DON'T use tight cursive or weird fonts that are hard to read). It also wouldn't hurt to keep your books all the same size and with the same sort of layouts and/or color schemes. That way whoever is scanning the shelves looking for a book can tell that your books all belong together. It'll make your books stand out from all the others.

4. If your book is in a series... INCLUDE THE STINKIN' NUMBER! Put it on the spine, the cover, and on the cover page in the inside! There are so many series out there that aren't numbered and people get frustrated when they go home with a book and realize they picked the wrong one in the series. AND if you end up writing other books not included in a series, they will all get mixed in together. Take the Twilight series for example; Stephanie Meyer didn't include the numbers on her books so they are all out of order on the shelf, and her other book 'The Host' is right in there with them.

5. If you are wanting to write a mystery book, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE... don't include any of these words in the title: Dead, death, dying, bones, case, murder, blood or bloody. I would bet you $20 bucks right now that almost half, if not more, of the mystery titles have these words in the title. Come on people! You can be a bit more creative than that.


Anywho, these are some of the things that have been driving me nuts the past few weeks. I know that some of these things are all up to your publisher, but at least let them know what you want and work with what you're given. You will sell more books, and the people who work with them all day won't have a deep seeded resentment for you.

Pet Peeves

1. Milk comes from boobs... not nuts.

So I was watching HGTV tonight and became extremely annoyed when a commercial for almond milk came on for what seemed like the tenth time. Milk comes from mammals, not almonds or soy beans or rice. Last time I checked, those things have never been, nor ever will be, milk producing mammals. Why can't they just call it juice?? It doesn't even taste remotely close to milk! Posers...

2. The current "Disney Channel Stars" are LAME! Get over it.

I swear every time I turn on the radio they are playing that stupid Miley song that sounds just like that equally as stupid 'Climb' song, and Selena's 'It Comes Naturally' crap about thunder and lightening. Honestly? And then they announce that We the Kings just released a new single called 'We'll Be a Dream' and I get super excited, only to find out that Demi Lovato is in it as well. Why ruin a perfectly good song with a Disney wannabe? Miley is a skank with tattooed boobs and old men boyfriends. The JoBros at least are good eye candy, but come on... their music is horrible. Every song sounds the same. I can't wait for the day when people finally realize that these people don't deserve to be famous. Which leads right into...

3. Being famous for no reason.

I'm not going to lie, The Hills was one of my favorite shows back in the day when Lauren Conrad was still on the show. It was when Spencer Pratt came into the picture and turned Heidi Montag into *see picture above* that I decided to stop watching. Now they are writing books giving advice to other celebrities on "How to be Famous". Seriously? Somebody give these two a wake-up call!

4. Utah weather.

Yesterday it was nearly 60 degrees, sunny, and I didn't bother wearing a jacket. Today it was in the 20's, snowed all day long, and I wore so many layers I looked like I weighed 400 pounds. Tomorrow it will snow in the morning and then bounce back up to the high 50's. Welcome to Utah my friends. I blame all the people down in Happy Valley that pop anti-depressants like balloons cause this weather is bipolar. Mother Nature, please make up your mind. And if you could, make it up on being WARM! K, thanks :]