6-6:10pm. Narrate your day… tell us a story from today…
6:10-6:30pm: Your personal essay/story… share some paragraphs with us?
6:30-6:50pm: What are some of the more exiting dimensions to writing about yourself? Some of the challenges?
6:50-7pm: Without spoiling anything in your story, what do you want readers to leave with? That is, what do you intend on teaching them? What do you want your readers to do when done reading your writing?
7-7:07pm: BREAK
7:07-7:20pm: Samantha Irby…. Thoughts? Passages from her book that had you laughing, or LEARNING?
7:20-7:30: Describe her mood, attitude….
7:30-7:50pm: OPEN MIC
7:50-8pm: Close, tonight’s page…. Positive beats…..
HW: Final Draft of your story, keep reading Irby and type a reaction to her (wherever you are in the book…)…. Journal entries, be prepared to share next meeting.
#professormikey 
I want my readers to learn that life happens, and there’s no point regretting anything because there is no going back! Learn from your past and use it to your advantage in the future. Don’t forget about what makes you you and how you got here to this moment in life. Appreciate your experiences, the bad and the good, and realize they helped shape you to be who you are right now.
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All of these comments have me wanting to write more of my story tonight! feeling super inspired
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❤
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Yes!!! Enjoy your writing!!
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The vulnerability is the hardest part. I’ve spent most of my life proving I’m not “weak”. Instead I should have been embracing my flaws, my hardships and being kinder to myself. It’s been interesting reliving the past events that really shaped me.
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That is tough, yes..
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I love this and I completely agree!
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I want my readers to learn that even if everything isn’t done by the book, its gonna be okay.
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The easy thing about writing is that when I write about one part of the story, a million other details all come back to me that I had forgotten. But the challenging part is putting all my thoughts on paper and having it make sense to my readers like it does in my head instead of scrambled and all over the place. The more I write, the more I think of and my ideas tend to get jumbled as I rush to get all my ideas on the page.
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Finding that balance…
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This happens for me too! Sometimes when I am remembering as I write I just write certain words of the things I am remembering to get it all down, then I fill in the blanks after I write everything down. Hope that helps
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Oh thats a good idea! Thanks
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Yes! Organizing my ideas is really difficult for me.
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My main goal for my readers to leave with is that sometimes things happen for a reason, and yes, at the moment it may feel like you are drowning, but eventually, it will get better.
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Yes. This is so important, but also very hard to accept when you are in the moment. Love this message.
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What is one thing you want your readers to physically do when they finish reading your story?
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Find their passion. Find the thing that makes them the most excited.
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YES.
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ooo I like that!
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I want my reader to move beyond their past and if they need to, redefine themselves or take time to better themselves. I just want them to realize that they are going to be ok
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I want my readers to feel like they can relate and know that they aren’t alone in certain situations. I also want them to reach out to their friends and family and have more of an open ear. People don’t aways want you to respond to what they are saying, sometimes they just want a listening ear. Also, since mine is about mental health I want people who are struggling to not keep it to themselves, because keeping it to yourself will be even more difficult than talking to someone about it in the long run.
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I want them to think back to a time that made them smile, whether they write it down or not. I just want them to have a happy moment
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I’d like my readers to tell their mom (or someone you love) that you are thankful for her:)
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I want the readers to leave with a new perspective towards life. I hope they develop their own but I’d be satisfied if they were just able to see my perspective of it. ( Maybe just a glimpse of it)
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Nice!!
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I like this. Very positive
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My story is about hope and resilience. Being able to overcome life’s hardships.
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What do I want to leave my readers with?
A little laughter. Perhaps a little shock value. Reality?
I guess what I want them to do is be able to laugh at real story, but also hear a story you don’t hear everyday about child birth. It’s funny how I never heard these stories until after I had kids. Are people afraid to share their gruesome experiences? I am not sure.
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The goal for my readers is to feel loved and think about and appreciate the family we have
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I like that.
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I want readers to leave with a hmm i would like to say please don’t cause harm to others and its easier to spread love and joy then cause pain to others and scar them for the rest of your lives. or something along those lines
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Valuable message there, and one that is so very much needed today.
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I love that!
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I want my readers to understand that your favorite establishments, especially big cooperations such as Target, are not what they seam. At the end of the day all they care about is making dead lines and making their daily sales.
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I want my readers to know that it’s okay to feel their feelings and it’s okay to hold a grudge and work through things in a way that works for you
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I agree, It is definitely important for people to find a way that works for them; everyone is different!
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For tonight’s page… forget about the length of your story, this submission… just write, be truthful, and enjoy your writing. Enjoy the pain, the love, yourself, all of it.
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Ya. I’m gonna have like 50 pages. LOL!
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HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would read 50 pages written by you, my friend.
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I want anyone who reads the story I wrote to leave feeling like they don’t have to back away from potentially embarrassing moments. It’s basically Lawson’s message, but with a different context. It’s definitely a powerful message! I want them to laugh more than anything, because laughing is the most important part.
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I also think it’s similar to Irby’s message too!
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I can see that!!
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BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get some ZEN!!!!!
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so far from what Ive read from her book one of my favorite chapter titles and the chapter itself is “do you guys pay your fucking bills or what?”
and i learned a lot from the chapter since of how relatable it was especially the parts of when as a kid we never got main brand stuff but all the cheapest stuff and all my clothes were from goodwill and other stores like that so it was a really fitting chapter for me and connected with it a lot
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Any pages that really stuck out??
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hell yes my man! page 43 or at least its page 43 on my kindle but its the page where the line that I love most is ” I was making it rain dollar bills as I worked my way through the aisles at the Jewel, filling my cart with grape crush and DiGiorno pizzas and CINNAMON TOAST MOTHERFUCKING CRUNCH.”
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I loved that part!!!
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I love this book so much! It is my favorite book that we have read in this class. Samantha Irby is so relatable, especially when it comes to money and food. She is also so funny. The part where she had diarrhea on the side of the road had me cringing and laughing so hard! I mean come on! She also had two college frat boys cheering her on and telling her she was doing an amazing job. Sounds very mortifying yet she rolled with it. (I also love how she writes about her cat, making it seem like the worst cat ever! I really wish I could meet her cat.)
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😊
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“I am a simple person. Kind of. I mean, I don’t really have any dreams beyond comfortable pants and unlimited sparkling water.”
― Samantha Irby, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. That pretty much sums up my life….I have a real addiction to La Croix…I have about 20 empty cans sitting in my trash can….also comfy pants are always a good thing….like sweat pants are my best friend this week…
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It’s like an effortless comedy… I don’t think she intends much, she just IS.
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Samantha Irby, oh my! She is something else, in a good way of course. I must say, I find myself becoming a bit lost through her story telling considering it doesn’t have much structure. Regardless though, she makes me laugh from the very start! Her “Bachelorette Application” was humorous, honest, and realistic. She writes very much so like a human which I appreciate!
Something that made me laugh: “If there was an alternate universe where I could remake this show starring myself, it would be the best dating show in history. I smell a ratings juggernaut, and it smells of cat pee unsuccessfully laundered from a filter sheet, seared pork, and adult diapers. Fetch me a camera crew.” HAH
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Irby seems like someone who would have a great twitter. I love that she has good energy and I enjoyed her book…
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Samantha Irby is fun. She honestly “had me a t hello.”
I could literally picture any of my friends talking about tacos in their purse and the zipping up of a dress over shapewear ect. I think she’s really honest and really funny. I do find her a little exhausting to read. So I have been reading her book in small portions.
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She’s your friend before we even start reading..
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Totally.
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A line that I found hilarious was ” Isn’t it about time they had a bitch with a REAL 2 PERCENT LARGE COTTAGE CHEESE CURD ASS on this awkward date parade?”
Her ability to laugh at herself is great
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Definitely a strength of hers..
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“I could smell the methamphetamines cooking in the air. “IN A QUARTER MILE, TURN LEFT AT THE COW,” Siri cackled viciously. “IN TWO HUNDRED FEET MAKE A SLIGHT RIGHT AT THE HORSE ONTO A DIRT ROAD, AND TRY NOT TO GET MAULED BY A BEAR FOR THOSE FIG NEWTONS HIDDEN IN YOUR BACKPACK, STUPID.” I could’ve died out there for real.”
This part of her book made me die. Her interpretation of her navigation is so accurate and I just loved her take on the GPS.
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“you go and find some dude who thinks you’re rad and doesn’t mind wiping the sweat off your bottom stomach when you switch sex positions”
Laughed my ass off
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Yes!! Same. Still laughing while reading you re writing it.
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Her comedic vessel is much more resonant than Lawson’s or Sedaris’, in my opinion.
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I absolutely love that she writes about topics such as sex because it makes for a hilarious story and one that is super relatable. I haven’t read a book written with such a strong presence of sex but what makes this book stand out is how she writes about it. Its come out funny rather than sexual!! I love her writing so far!
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She also loves herself as she is
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I must agree, every book this semester just keeps getting better and better. This book had me laughing since the first chapter and all her stories are also extremely relatable especially the one about the bachelor. Im super excited to keep reading.
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I agree! Professor Mikey, how about a summer reading list??
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yes please!!
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Ha ha… maybe when we get this semester done with!! Great idea!!
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Thanks you, Ashley
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Irby’s energy in her writing is admirable and makes you want to never put the book down! She is super relatable and hilarious in every sentence she writes!!
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when she used the phrase “homeboy” I felt like professor Mikey co-wrote the book, they both love using that term, and it’s funny. I loved it!
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“These kids are going to find out real quick that my perceived intelligence is a web of lies built on a crumbling foundation of charm and quick wit.”
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Great quote there..
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Something that made me laugh: In the chapter the miracle porker when she talks about her cat… “ALSO HER PERSONALITY WAS TERRIBLE. THAT BITCH DIDN’T EVEN PURR.” haha, I hate cats so much
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can’t relate… my cat is my life! but I love you ave ahah
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I’ve only read a few chapters up to this point of Irby, but I immediately loved her as soon as I started. She demonstrates quite a good sense of self-awareness, to the point where she could usually turn it around on the readers head, so I liked that. The best chapter to me from my limited reading of her is the first one. She makes fun of the bachelorette by auditioning for the bachelorette, She explains that she loves, but hates the contestants, and then says she would make a better version of it in her audition. I just like that whole concept. It’s kinda funny.
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Her mood, attitude…?
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I find her mood to be rebellious, yet confident.
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Great words for Irby, that’s for sure..
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Ya she is definitely not bashful. She is honest
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One word that kept coming to mind as I was reading her book was, Bold. She was bold to write about some of these cringeworthy topics and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.
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I would say her mood/attitude is carefree and honest, but also really passionate. She doesn’t leave anything out and I love that!
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Very true!!
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Well said ,I definitely agree!
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It seems as though she gives no f***s. I love her confidence as well
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Her mood is carefree. She is a wandering soul and she is free. She writes with zero fucks and is iconic
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She is a mood
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I love this!!! YES!!!!
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I’m gonna say that when someone asks “how are you today”?
“I’m pretty Samantha Irby. How about you?”
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hahahaha
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For tonight’s page…. Sometimes, many times, the author IS their own mood.
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I love the way she writes and she doesn’t hold back her feelings she tells it just like it is and I really appreciate that and it always make me crack a smile, she is like a free spirit even though she has her own issues but we all do and its something we can also relate too.
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yeah I agree! She definitely doesn’t hold back on her own issues, but at the same time she does a good job of not coming off as pandering, or as bitter at all.
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Irby’s got a pretty witty attitude about her whole life. I think she explains her own biases knowing full well that everyone is naturally going to have their own, so why would her’s need to hidden? I think she also recognizes the good in people while at the same time keeping her distance for the most part. She explains things from an outside perspective for the most part, which I think really helps the reader see the bigger picture more easily.
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To describe her mood:
I feel like her confidence makes her seem indestructible. It almost feels like she is having a conversation with her best friends, she’s just so natural.
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Irby’s encouragement to readers in terms of different approaches to life and life situations is much more immediate and easy to incorporate that Lawson’s. What do you think?
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I agree with that! I feel like Irby has a much more natural approach to her writing. It’s even more unfiltered than Lawson in my opinion, making things feel more reactionary and “immediate”.
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YES.
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Yes. She just comes out and says it. Lawson doesn’t get to as many in-depth situations as Irby does.
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I agree with this. She writes in a way that makes the harder topics of life that can be intense more reachable and easier to discuss
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I very much agree
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I would say that Irby’s approach is easier to incorporate because she’s more relatable. Lawson had a unique childhood unlike anything I’ve ever read and with Irby, I find it easier to relate more to her stories.
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Irby is so clear with what she is writing. She just comes right out and says what she wants to say
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Also she is damn funny.
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How about some open mic, y’all….???? Who’s going first?
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I was diagnosed with depression at 18 years of age. Although the cutting and suicide attempt started much younger. I started self-mutilating in middle school as a cry for help, hoping someone would hear me. My biological mother never noticed or, even if she did, she didn’t care. Before long, I starting hiding the cutting. No one was coming to my rescue. No longer seeking the attention, I sought the release. I cut deeper, longer and more often. Not my proudest moment. The only explanation I can offer is this was my outlet. When life became too much or suppressed emotions were boiling over, I would cut. It was like spraying the nozzle on a hose. The first burst after you turned the water on. I could finally feel something. I could feel the pain that never had a face. The relief was instant and euphoric. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Embarrassed. That’s how I felt, confessing my sins over the years to numerous counselors and therapists. I tried so many drugs. These ones were legal because the doctors were prescribing them to me. The newest this and the strongest that. Be careful of the side effects though because you may only want to kill yourself a little now, but these pills might actually make you want to kill yourself a lot.
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As always, powerful and inescapable…
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I just want someone to know they aren’t alone. Lots of people suffer from mental illness.
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Very true, and this is admirable, this aim in your writing.
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Wow… your writing always makes me so emotional
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speechless..you are truly an inspiration and thank you for being so open and real
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So I don’t have a great relationship with food, I haven’t for a long time. I have been using my journal a lot recently to make some fake menus of healthy options that I could easily make, because I am pretty lazy when it comes to food and if I don’t have a specific thing to make I usually make quesadillas, which don’t get me wrong I loveeeee quesadillas and they are great, but I have way too many. I also always find myself at the cookie cabinet or the microwavable mozzarella sticks. The good thing is that Maddie is really into eating healthy and she has a huge plate of vegetables with every meal, so I am trying to incorporate more whole foods into my diet! It’s not that I have body image issues so much, it’s more that I am tired of feeling so sick after I eat like crap!!!! But I am not too hard on myself and everyday is a new day and a new opportunity to make healthy choices.
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❤
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Like the tone of this piece… not too serious, but not passive.
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I’ve been struggling with this as well. I’ve always been a bigger kid for as long as I can remember, not fat necessarily just bigger then everyone else. And I LOVE food. It doesn’t help that this pandemic is going on and I’m staring down the endless supply of food in my pantry. It’s been rough trying not to eat everything.
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IS there a manual for how to deal with neighbors that are…. what are they… I don’t want to give them a label, or category. Don’t want to give them this page but it looks like I failed there, so … this manual. It has to be out there somewhere. There are for-dummies books on chess, cooking mac n cheese, poker, cutting your own hair… What about these fucking people? Your dog just leaving its gut ordinance in front of the garage door, and the others that just are loud, and talk, and talk, and whose kids ride around like over-caffeinated meerkats that barely know how to ride in a straight line? Oh.. I have to write it. But I have no solutions, no plans or maps, graphs, research.. not a fucking thing.
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I live in the country. We can fire up our race cars and most everyone grows weed. No one bugs us out here. HAHA. I can’t imagine living in a concrete jungle
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I like that communication of where you live…. Can feel the jokes…
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This is not relating to your tone of neighbors, but i have like ten kids on my street, like little kids, and they have been riding their bikes and scooters up and down the street all day everyday but I honestly love it! At least they are having a good time lol, it makes me feel a little happier!
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one time we had a gang member as our neighbor and they tried to break in….love neighbors….*sarcastic fyi, I don’t love all neighbors*******
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Ha ha… Thanks, Maddie..
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As an avid reader of romance books, I find myself often disappointed with how romance really is. I love books with happy endings and cute relationships. I like the idea of a prince charming and finding true love, but one thing that real life has taught me is that “prince charming” i not realistic. Most days I am worried about my future, will I find someone? Most relationships outside of books I feel they end in divorce or cheating. Why can’t romance be more like books? I guess that is why I love reading them, they let me live out my hopes and dreams.
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Would love to see you build on this, Maddie…
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a snipbit from my journal I wrote a few days ago:
Man oh man times are still weird and no end in sight it seems, im more bored than a jackalope with no hammock. uh skyler that joke doesn’t make sense. who cares! this is me talking so just shut up and listen, ok me? yeah sure ok my guy. good and gooly jee if you use this outside your journal ill hate you. no you won’t. wha wha wha, you love yourself loser get accept that dumbass XD ( yes i use the XD a lot in my journals because i like it and its funny and it shows that it made me laugh but anyways) Ive been trying to get my body into better shape since I don’t want to be struck at Safeway forever and since im getting clean now i want to use my body for good but I cant since im not in peak physical stature for myself at least im skinner then i was 2 years ago yeah but im still not fit. oh we know skyler but you’ve been doing good exercising on days you don’t work and sometimes even on the days you do! so be proud of yourself. well I am proud of myself thank you very much! so what do you want to do once you get to the “fit” you so desire? well anything that I can put my body to good use and help other people because other people need more help than i do,I don’t really care even if it is at the expense of myself a little bit because there is too much sadness and hate in the world now a days and everyone should just focus on themselves and both others and be happy with that. isn’t that hypocritical since you just said people should focus on themselves? well yeah but in my case i am focusing on myself but all that extra energy and time i don’t mind spending on other people. well my man this has been a good chat until next time! yes until next time!
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also yeah i know my wiriting here is weird but in my journal writing like this keeps me entertained and helps me dig deeper into what im thinking about at the time.
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Love the journal-feel to it, and the rhythm it creates..
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Totally reminds me of Thompson! I love it. Thanks for sharing!!!
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Does have that HST feel… Very true.
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you know since you said something about you are right i didn’t notice it really but I did really connect on his book a lot since I was in an intoxicated drugged induced state for almost two years straight, so it was kind of like his book but in his book it was only a few days instead of two years but im a sober person now and it feels great
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Congrats!!!! That is a huge accomplishment!
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totally agree about Thompson… you kept me intrigued!
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I’ve been experimenting with describing my surroundings in order to grow appreciation for them, so this excerpt was just that!
Today feels warm. Perhaps that doesn’t make much sense. But it does, right now, under morning sun. The glow kisses my shoulders, bringing a golden tint among my skin. I am alone, still, making this morning especially lovely. The only noise present so far is the mama bird in her nest above my windowsill. She chirps and awakes what are, assumably, her babies. The neighborhood awakes, slowly. I hear them chattering, music playing one way, a child awaking in another. These are the moments when I miss living somewhere as desolate as my old house. There, I could awake to what seemed like thousands of birds. Right now though, the mama bird and a child screaming will just have to do.
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this is freaking amazing harmony!!! great descriptions and it really paints a picture for me and it personally makes me feel warm myself! so again i freaking loved this!
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