Writing Torture

So, I've been trying to write this young adult book for probably three years now. I think I have a good idea and my characters are interesting. I even think some parts are really witty - which trust me, doesn't happen often in my case. But the problem is that I can't seem to finish it. I have about 16,000 words at the moment, and I don't add very much at a time. I'll open it up and maybe write a paragraph, and then I zone out. Literally. I start thinking of something that has nothing to do with my book, like what I'm going to wear the next day, or if I need to go to the store or something. I have no focus, I swear.

My roommate Kathryn, who also writes, told me I just need to get it done. Just sit down and force myself to finish it and then I can go back and fix things. But you see, that's my problem - I can't make myself. I want it to be perfect NOW. So I'll write something and then I'll delete because I think it's lame. But no longer. I'm on a quest to finish this book. As of today I'm giving myself a deadline - it must be done my June 1. That gives me four months to finish it. I can do it in four months, right?

My Top Five Hollywood Hotties

Hugh Jackman - Really, do I need to explain why? He's gorgeous and funny, a dedicated family man, and he can sing! And if you've seen him riding a horse bearing a whip and covered in dirt or pouring water from a bucket all over himself, you'll understand my infatuation. And if you haven't, you should check out Australia. And the Australian accent is pretty hot too.

Daniel Craig - The most manly James Bond so far. He's got beautiful blue eyes, and every guy wishes he looked has good as Daniel does in those short swim trunks. Who wouldn't want to be rescued by him???

Christian Bale - I've had a crush on him ever since Newsies, watching him sing and dance. Then there was Little Women, where he played an adorable Laurie. And now of course Batman. He's got killer arms, and he's a pretty dang fine actor. I'll even forgive him the weird Batman voice. I think I have a thing for superheros.

Will Smith - Also very nice to look when he's not wearing a shirt. But he also just seems genuinely nice, like if I actually knew him he'd be the sort of person I'd go to for advice. I think he'd give good advice, and he seems like he has an awesome sense of humor.

Zac Efron - Some may disagree with me, but come on, he's just dang cute. He sings and dances, has a great smile and lovely eyes, and has a great sense of fashion. He's also my birthday soul mate, i.e. we share the same birthday - although he is five years younger than me. He'd make a great prom date.

Hope you enjoyed my list; I enjoyed making it. Feel free to add to the list in the comment section. I want to know who your favorite Hollywood hotties are too!

A Few of my Favorite Things

I'm sitting at work, not really wanting to work. Really, what else is new? But because I'm sitting here I thought I would blog about some of my favorite things or some things I'm currently obsessed with.

Michael Buble - The voice, the suit, the humor, the funny slidey dance moves. What else could you want in a swing/big band singer? Oh right, there is also the hair and the eyes. He is the epitome of sexy cool. At least in my opinion.

Brad Paisley - The voice, the hat, the humor, the awesome guitar picking. He is my all-time favorite country singer. I've seen him concert twice, and he puts on one heck of a show. And he's a super cute family man.

Musicals - I love all forms of musicals, old movie ones, and recent movie ones, and stage ones. I mean, why not break out in random song and dance whenever you feel like it? My favorites from all three categories: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Singing in the Rain, Hairspray, Rent, Wicked, and Les Miserables.

Books that make me laugh - I love to laugh, especially the laugh until your stomach hurts and your eyes are watering kind. When a book can make me chuckle I appreciate it that much more. The one I'm reading right now, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You, is utterly silly and unbelievable but it makes me laugh. Others: Knuffle Bunny; Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snoggings; All American Girl; Nick and Norah's Infinite Play List; A Year Down Yonder - just to name a few. If you need a good chuckle check these out.

Books that make me cry - As much as I love to laugh, I also enjoy a book that's a good tearjerker. A few examples: Summer of My German Soldier; Rilla of Ingleside; Bridge to Terabithia; The Kite Runner.

Asian movies/drama - So, in a year I'm planning on going to Korea to teach English. I'm really excited about this prospect, and I'm trying to learn about their culture. In my quest I found this website, www.mysoju.com, where you can watch movies and dramas from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong for free. They're all subtitled. Some are great, some are weird, some are totally cheesy. I think I've figured out that Asians love their romance. Some of my favorites: My Sassy Girl; My Little Bride; A Moment to Remember; Love Marriage; Coffee Prince; Anego; It Started With a Kiss. Warning: these are not for everyone; must be in the mood for romance, bickering between characters, and implausible/outrageous story lines. What can I say, I'm odd.

Ballroom/Latin dancing - Friday night I went ballroom dancing with my friend Lael. It was slightly humorous, seeing as how we were the only ones there under the age of 50. But it was still fun! I love dancing! I love it when I guy can lead really well, and I end up doing all these moves I've never done before. It's just plain great.

Oreos with peanut butter on top - And no, you can't just buy the Oreos with peanut butter cream because it's not the same. You must have the original Oreos with the white cream and then put peanut butter on top. It's utterly yummy. You also need a glass of milk to go along with it.

Shoes - I love shoes way too much. I probably own way too many, but I don't care. My ultimate goal is to have a pair of shoes in every color imaginable and then I'll build my own separate shoe closet. It will be heaven.

Quasi Maid of Honor

Okay, so my dear, dear friend and roommate Celeste is officially engaged. I'm excited for her. She and Kevin are thinking that they'll get married sometime in July or August. And this means that the planning begins. Celeste doesn't want bridesmaids - she doesn't see the point of them in a Mormon wedding. But as her best friend I have deemed myself her quasi maid of honor. I mean, who else would she choose anyway.

Well, I've been having tons of fun looking at wedding dresses online for her. She has an idea of what she wants, and I love surfing around for stuff. This has also led me to look at wedding dresses I would like, even though I'm nowhere near getting married. But I figure a girl can never be too prepared. I think I totally know what I want when I get married - now I just have to find a groom.

Celeste decided her wedding colors are going to be really bright for summer - pink, yellow, orange, and blue. That means I'm going to find myself an awesome dress. I think I'm picking yellow as my color. I've found some great dresses - but holy cow some of them are so expensive. But I figure, the wedding of my best friend is a once in a lifetime event so I shouldn't worry about it. I'm just hoping I can find a good deal. If you have any suggestions, please fill me in.

New York, New York

I went to New York Dec. 5-7 with my roomie Celeste. For further information, please see her blog. She wrote a very nice account of our trip, and I don't want to copyright infringe - or for that matter, write my own post.

Thanksgiving and other happenings

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Celeste and I dog/house sat. The dog, Bailey, is a chocolate lab that is super excitable. He jumped and ran a lot - and he was spoiled rotten. I was glad when we didn't have to watch him anymore. We also hosted Thanksgiving dinner at the house. Everything turned out fine, except we did have a minor turkey fiasco. Turns out their oven didn't really work, so Celeste had to take it back to our house to cook. We were planning on eating at 3:30, but didn't until 5:00. But all turned out in the end. There were 14 people there and it was a lot of fun with a lot of yummy food.

Kathryn moved in this weekend too. We're glad to have her here! But we had to move a lot of heavy boxes. She has so many books!

Saturday night Celeste and I went to the ballet. San Francisco Ballet Company performed Giselle at the Kennedy Center. It was very beautiful and sweet. I can't believe the things ballet dancers can do. Towards the end of the ballet the guy lead was picking up the girl lead like she weighed five pounds (she probably only weighed 90, but still). It was amazing and I'm glad we got to go. But I think I'll stick to salsa dancing.

Weekends are far too short

I love weekends - who doesn't? But they are far too short, especially when you have things to do all day long. Friday night I had a very pleasant girls' night out. I went out with five other girls to a Thai restaurant. The food was good - the funny part was afterward. Apparently we didn't leave a big enough tip and the waitress literally followed us out of the restaurant and asked us if her service wasn't good enough. I guess we didn't discuss well enough between the six of us to see how much tip we were leaving, and we had given her a 10% tip. We added some onto our bill, but it was so strange. I have NEVER had that happen before. And aren't tips conditional anyways. But whatever, I know it's how she makes her living. After dinner we saw the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. It had tons of action and I liked it - not as much as Casino Royale, but it was still good and Daniel Craig was still yummy.

Saturday I had play practice. All day. From 9 am until 5 pm. We got a lot done but it was tiring. Especially because I'm just getting over being sick and I had to prance around and sing. And the fire alarm in the church went of twice. We had to evacuate and the firefighters came, complete with gear and axes. Luckily the alarm just had faulty wiring, but it was annoying. And after the play we had a ward dinner - Thanksgiving style - so I didn't leave the church until 8 p.m. I was exhausted!

And then on Sunday I went to church, went visiting teaching, and to my friend Lael's birthday get together. So here I am again on a Monday, at work and I am totally not ready for it. Where did my weekend go?