No, this is not going to be a post where I write down all my silly New Years Resolutions and 5 months later tell you all how they didn't work out. Besides, I made my NYR's a little different this year. I was inspired by the movie New Years Eve. My favorite character in the whole film was the old lady played by Michelle Pfieffer. Hot shot Zac Efron helps her accomplish everything on her list of NYR's, which is more like a bucket list. Now I'm not an elderly woman, nor do I have a cute boy tackling my bucket list with me, but I have made some progress on my New Years Resolution Bucket List (NYRBL).
I'll admit, the first item on my NYRBL was to quit my job, and it was actually really easy. Easier than I expected, at least, and it has made me so much happier. I wasn't crazy about one of my managers, I hated the random hours, and I could not stand the call-in shifts.
The second, all-encompassing NYRBL was, in the word's of one of the smartest people I know, "F*ck it." You're probably thinking that I sound like a lunatic, but there is a method to my madness. I only have one more semester of high school, a few short months before I leave my friends, frenemies, and family. Although it's a sad thought, it's also liberating. Who cares if I make a fool out of myself at this point? I'll be high-tailing it out of this hell hole I call high school soon enough. Now, I don't want to go around insulting anyone who breathes, that's not what "F*cking it" it all about. No, I want to live my last few months here with confidence. I am not going to care what these people think anymore. I am going to go for what I want, regardless of what anybody else says. I'm going to stand up for what I believe in. I'm going to do what I like. I am not going to live in fear of the world around me. I am just going to live. To be Greta. To do me.
An exciting thought, you might say. And trust me, it is. I've applied this thinking in the past couple of weeks, and it has worked out well. But I have to be honest. After I have a total confidence moment, I freak out. I scare myself; I'm not used to acting like this, and I don't always know how to handle it. It's like this new version of me- still adventurous, curious, thoughtful, hotheaded, and caring- is emerging, but 10 times louder, 10 times more sure of herself, and 100 percent ready to take on the world.
(Or, at the very least, college.)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Thursday, December 1, 2011
I DID IT.
I did it folks. I've been published. Not to the literary magazine that only a few people actually care enough about to buy or on the Internet on some silly blog. My words were published in a real live (school) newspaper. I can honestly say that seeing my name in print was one of the most satisfying moments ever. Knowing that the paper that students were pouring over all day long had my words and my name in it gave me an unexpected, though not unwelcome, thrill
For a while I had been questioning whether or not writing was really something I wanted to pursue. A couple of experiences had kind of gotten me down. However, printing something in the Trojan Tribune, even though it was only an Opinion Editorial, reminded me that I do love to write. I liked getting feedback (both good and bad) from my classmates and I can't wait to publish again!
For a while I had been questioning whether or not writing was really something I wanted to pursue. A couple of experiences had kind of gotten me down. However, printing something in the Trojan Tribune, even though it was only an Opinion Editorial, reminded me that I do love to write. I liked getting feedback (both good and bad) from my classmates and I can't wait to publish again!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
I've had an emotionally charged senior year. With college applications, work, school, sports, and friends on my plate, juggling it all can be a challenge, and I often feel stressed out. I don't ever want to be crabby, but that's how I find myself feeling a lot of the time. But who wants to hang out with crabby people? Nobody does, so I fake it. Or at least I try to pretend like I'm in a good mood, but I am guarded. I put up my walls, and it takes a lot for me to be comfortable around people. I thought that I didn't really fit in- that people still saw me as the nerdy Harry Potter girl or a prude church girl. The truth is, people care a lot less about me and my reputation than I do. What's getting in my way is my own perception of myself. And while learning to believe in myself isn't going to be easy, it is entirely up to me. Nobody else can get in the way of that.
Monday, October 31, 2011
THAT AWKWARD MOMENT...
Anyone who is familiar with Twitter has probably seen the hash tag "That awkward moment when..." some event occurs that the user thinks is awkward. The truth is, most of these moments aren't really that awkward. People mention things they do that are embarrassing or stupid, but rarely are they situations that would make somebody feel really uncomfortable. The word "awkward" has become so overused that we don't even understand what it really means anymore. The dictionary defines "awkward" as an adjective to describe somebody that "lacks skill, social graces, or manners; clumsy."
It is true that we all have moments when we feel truly awkward. For example, when I am around the boy that I am attracted to, I feel like a tactless nincompoop. Maybe it's because I actually am, but I think it's because the idea of "awkward" has been so ingrained in my head as the word's usage became more widespread. We all are a lot better at handling social situations than we let ourselves believe.
A few days ago, some good friends of mine challenged me to eliminate "awkward" from my vocabulary for a day, mostly because it's a trait I convince myself that I possess. However, it's a good idea for all of us to stop using "awkward" so much and expanding our lexicons a little bit.
I'm just saying a thesaurus can be a beautiful thing.
It is true that we all have moments when we feel truly awkward. For example, when I am around the boy that I am attracted to, I feel like a tactless nincompoop. Maybe it's because I actually am, but I think it's because the idea of "awkward" has been so ingrained in my head as the word's usage became more widespread. We all are a lot better at handling social situations than we let ourselves believe.
A few days ago, some good friends of mine challenged me to eliminate "awkward" from my vocabulary for a day, mostly because it's a trait I convince myself that I possess. However, it's a good idea for all of us to stop using "awkward" so much and expanding our lexicons a little bit.
I'm just saying a thesaurus can be a beautiful thing.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
HARRY POTTER.
I can guess what you were thinking when you saw the title of my latest blog post. "Typical Greta, talking about Harry Potter."
That's the problem.
I remember seventh grade- it was the year before the seventh harry potter book was published. At that point in my life, I had read all of the books once, but I didn't remember much. I thought it would be a good idea to re-read the entire series in preparation for the next book. It was at that time that I realized that the series was pretty amazing. The magical atmosphere adds a fun and interesting twist on the struggles that every teenager faces. I read the books again, each time catching new details or making different connections to the characters. I was obsessed. I read analyses of the series, listened to podcasts, bought t-shirts... You name it- I probably did it. By eighth grade, I was a full-fledged fanatic. I avidly read fan-fiction, and even took a stab at writing a story or two. Ninth grade proved to be more of the same. It was all Harry, all the time. But by sophomore year, the passion I had felt for the books started to decrease. I still liked to talk about the books (and occasionally sport my time turner) but I could feel the obsessive-ness dwindling. When the premiere of the seventh movie rolled around during my junior year, I hardly even had time to get excited. What used to occupy nearly all of my waking thoughts had become a fun thing to do on a Thursday night.
It's not that I don't like Harry Potter anymore. I still think that JK Rowling is a genius and that the books are phenomenal. But it isn't my life anymore. In hindsight, I think I liked the attention I got in middle school from being such a big fan. Everybody knew that I was the girl to talk to about Harry Potter. Now, it isn't such a big part of my life. I am no longer the squealing fan girl I was freshman year. The hard part is getting everybody else to see it. While I have changed, people's perceptions of me haven't. I'm still the obsessed geek in the eyes of a lot of people at my school, and I'm struggling to show them that I am so much more.
That's the problem.
I remember seventh grade- it was the year before the seventh harry potter book was published. At that point in my life, I had read all of the books once, but I didn't remember much. I thought it would be a good idea to re-read the entire series in preparation for the next book. It was at that time that I realized that the series was pretty amazing. The magical atmosphere adds a fun and interesting twist on the struggles that every teenager faces. I read the books again, each time catching new details or making different connections to the characters. I was obsessed. I read analyses of the series, listened to podcasts, bought t-shirts... You name it- I probably did it. By eighth grade, I was a full-fledged fanatic. I avidly read fan-fiction, and even took a stab at writing a story or two. Ninth grade proved to be more of the same. It was all Harry, all the time. But by sophomore year, the passion I had felt for the books started to decrease. I still liked to talk about the books (and occasionally sport my time turner) but I could feel the obsessive-ness dwindling. When the premiere of the seventh movie rolled around during my junior year, I hardly even had time to get excited. What used to occupy nearly all of my waking thoughts had become a fun thing to do on a Thursday night.
It's not that I don't like Harry Potter anymore. I still think that JK Rowling is a genius and that the books are phenomenal. But it isn't my life anymore. In hindsight, I think I liked the attention I got in middle school from being such a big fan. Everybody knew that I was the girl to talk to about Harry Potter. Now, it isn't such a big part of my life. I am no longer the squealing fan girl I was freshman year. The hard part is getting everybody else to see it. While I have changed, people's perceptions of me haven't. I'm still the obsessed geek in the eyes of a lot of people at my school, and I'm struggling to show them that I am so much more.
Monday, September 26, 2011
HELLO, AGAIN.
Hello again, blogger world! I've decided to come back to blogging after a three month hiatus. It wasn't intentional, mind you, I just got so busy this summer that I didn't take the time to sit down and write. Now that we're back in the swing of things, three weeks into the school year, I figured it was time to come back. More posts to come!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
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