Dear God IT'S ALIVE

*cue dramatic thunder and pipe-organ music*

Anywho, yes, I am alive despite not posting to this blog in a while. Sorry. Bad habits die hard. For the numerous people invested in my life- oh. Wait.

Sorry, that's supposed to be sarcasm. But people are, supposedly, reading this blog now? Why, I've no clue, but their presence is not unacknowledged or unappreciated. Shout out to the lovely ladies Kristen and Miranda for enduring my teenage ennui and far-too-purple prose! Everyone who reads this blog deserves a ton of ice cream for their troubles. Though Ms. Claire may get 2 cartons because I think she puts up with the majority of my teenage idiocy. (Thanks Claire c :)

Ben & Jerry's for everyone!! Or whatever your preferred ice cream brand is < 3

But update! Things are better here at Casa de Alice. My mother has come to the realization that I'm not socially stunted, my aunt is off on a weekend getaway and my sister is as adorable as ever. And, apparently, not going to college. Or at least not yet.

My mother and I had one of our Talks tonight. The Talks aren't like the "Birds and the Bees Talk" insomuch as they're really awesome, impromptu discussions that just sort of happen and end up leaving me feeling happy and optimistic. You can see some of the aftereffects of another such Talk here and here. But we talked about the divorce and how awesome today was (the whole family [save for my aunt] watched the 70's movie of The Great Gatsby, with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow in it. We took a shot of sparkling grape juice every time we heard "Old sport") and a lot of other things.

Bubble Over

So.

I, ah. 

I won

???

30 Covers, 30 Days is an event the Office of Letters & Light (OLL) puts on every year, spanning the course of National Novel Writing month. 

Basically, 30 novels-in-progress are selected from the official NaNoWriMo forums. And every day for a month, a different graphic designer creates a cover for the book in under 24 hours.

Back in October, someone emailed me and said I was in the running for a cover. I didn't tell any of my friends, because I didn't want to get my hopes up. And as weeks went by without any further contact, I figured I hadn't made the cut. 

But apparently, I did. 

Authorial Addiction

I, um.

Wow. 

Tonight is unprecedented. Which I've said before but um,

Wow.

One Summer's Day

It's 3:45 on a Wednesday afternoon, and I am feeling bittersweet.

The Misconstruable Title of NaNoWriMo

Even though November is about a month away, I'm already getting inproportionately excited over the prospect of NaNoWriMo. Despite having showcased my badges from YWP, Camp NaNo and now NaNo 2012 on the sidebar of this blog, I don't think I've ever really mentioned NaNoWriMo? If I have, please forgive me for the following repetition. If I haven't, then allow me to welcome you to the wonderful world of NaNo.

Pretty Bird, the One-Eyed (Pigeon) Pirate

Meet the best avian pirate throughout the whole Gulf of Mexico!
That's right; it's Pretty Bird!

. . .let me explain. 

When September Ends

Okay first thing: I'm sorry. For everything. Including, of course, the last two posts. And myself. And everything.
Seriously, I'm sorry.

But now I have good news! As in, not depressingly teenage mope-y news where I bitch about my dad!
It's a miracle of the Lord, I know.

Stereotypical Teenage Postings of another Variety

I threw together a new playlist the other day, and it's been on eternal repeat since. In spirit of summer, and in effort to branch away from my typical melodramatic musings, the following post will now be devoted to my top 6 Summer songs.


1. "Every Teardrop is A Waterfall" from Coldplay's new album Mylo Xyloto, is a surprisingly upbeat song, despite it's misleading title. It's currently the most played song in my iTunes, and I wouldn't be surprised if it because the unofficial anthem for this summer.

2. "Radio" by Hot Chelle Rae dangerously borders on stereotypical pop music, (nothing against that, however) but I'm kind of a sucker for them and it's a fun song anyway. It's a cute love song of sorts, without going too in-detail about how wonderful the theoretical girl is.

3. "C'Mon (with Fun.)", the latest single from Panic! At the Disco was played on constant repeat for almost a week when I first discovered it. It's not necessarily a dancing song, per se, but it's unique and catchy in that special way Panic! At the Disco seems to exemplify- vaguely marching band reminiscent, almost.

4. "Cousins" by Vampire Weekend is an odd little song, that I first heard during a promo for "Life in a Day", and have been smitten with since. It's quirky and energetic, and I always try and sing along, despite the fact that I only know roughly 3 of the lyrics. You tend to feel happier just by listening to it, I find.

5. "All About Us" a collaboration between Owl City and He is We, is the most saccharine sweet love song I will ever hear, and I absolutely love it. It's lovely and smooth and the soft acoustics and vocals make you feel like swaying. It's atrociously adorable, without being specific to the identity of the singers in particular, thus making it the most flawless love song I have have ever heard.

6. "All Men are Pigs" from the mysterious Studio Killers, is the exact opposite of a cutesy love song, and it is wonderful.  It's essentially a sassy explanation of how all men are the same and, well, pigs. You can't just walk when this song comes up on your iPod- you swagger. It's like pure confidence in audio form.

Hugs, Shopping Sprees and Packing Tape

I'm not sure why, but I simultaneously need to buy things, and be hugged today.

Welp. When did I become such a chick?

But seriously, I've got some leftover money burning holes in my pocket, and a desperate need of hoodies and other geeky gear. Along with the completely random, out-of-the-blue, longing for a hug. The type that you just kind of melt into, y'know? All warm and soft and snuggly and everything people imagine a hug to be, but isn't. They're always brief and sometimes stiff, necessary and not an actual desire- just a daily requirement of life. Wake up, hug your family members, walk out the door. Eat dinner, hug your wife, go to bed.

I don't want that. I want an actual hug- But then again, I want a lot of things that "should be", those dreamy ideals, and I'll never get them. So I'll be fine with the hugs I get, and I actually shouldn't complain, anyway.

Now, time to address the actual topic of this blog post:

A Love Letter, of Sorts

There's a person on here, on Blogger, who I admire greatly.

They're intriguing and quirky and talked to me once. And they made a shy, awkward little girl feel like someone out there was listening, which was pretty amazing at the time.

It kinda still is.

But that was years ago, and their memory of this blog, and the odd teen who made it, has probably dissolved. 

Probably for the best, actually. 

But sometimes I stumble upon their blog in my bookmarks bar, and I just spend my time idly scrolling through the posts. They're the kind of person I want to be when I grow up. They write and they travel and take really great pictures. They have lots of equally intriguing friends, and a significant other, and they're a bit of a hipster I suppose, but in a good way. 

The Secret Warmth of Solitude

The opening topic that I'm touching on extraordinarily briefly today is true love.

(The groan of everyone who read that is entirely well-earned)

After many years of searching, I've determined that my one true love is none other then my Macbook Pro.
Seriously.
I fucking adore this thing.

Meet Pandora

It's been a while, but I find this evening that there is still yet hope.

What a wonderful and blissful sensation: Hope. This evening I told the advisor I was leaving. Of course, they asked numerous questions as to "Why?", and I'm surprisingly pleased with myself for not going down any dark strains of conversation and not letting my emotions get the best of me. I wasn't sure what to expect, waiting for the advisor to arrive, but I don't think I could've done a better job. In a way, it makes me proud, I suppose?