"Four eyes, Four eyes, You need glasses to see-ee!"

I'd like to begin by stating that I eat a LOT of carrots. Got that? Good.

So I went to see the eye doctor this past weekend because I decided it was about time to do so and I discovered something about my vision, It's perfect! No, I don't mean 20/20. Unfortunately I'm near sided and as quoted by my ever so sensitive father I am also,"Officially four eyes." I'm referring to the vision that in the Websters pocket dictionary is described as -an image created in the imagination.I'll stop here to say yes, I do carry around a dictionary and yes, I do use it. Judge me if you dare.

Here's the thing I noticed at the Ophthalmologists; everyone who worked there wore glasses.I couldn't help but wonder if this was a mere coincidence or some right of passage in the world of eye care. Then, being my over-thinking self, I began to wonder if ten years ago these people envisioned themselves sitting here with wire rimmed glasses perched on there noses as they tested people's eyes. Maybe a few of them did envision this- and there's nothing wrong with that- but still, what if some of them had had other dreams for their lives?

I'm a control freak so I pretty much have  every aspect of my life mentally mapped out.I will be a published author at 21; a movie will be made based on my trilogy at 22. I'll get married to Bruno Mars at 24 and be rich enough to start a small side fashion line at 25. I imagined all of this without taking in account the inevitable bumps that could appear in my own road and completely change my course.

Every adult in my life has said, "God looks at your plans and laughs." Even as someone who thinks they have to be in control of everything, I know exactly what this means and believe it. It's a statement that terrifies me. What if my life is nothing at all the way I envision it so perfectly? What if I end up the one behind a desk; answering phones and seeing the world through lenses that aren't my own?

When I went to have my eyes checked, I was positive my sight was fine but unfortunately my own seeing spheres decided to retaliate against the long hours of reading and writing I put them through. There's no amount of eating carrots that could change that. In the same way, who knows what unexpected, unpreventable changes could happen in my life could happen to sidetrack everything? This brought me to the realization that I obviously need to stop controlling everything. It's not going to be easy but I'm ready to challenge myself.

Now that I've bored you with my dramatics, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you control too much? Whats your perfect vision of your future life? Most importantly, do you like carrots? If you don't like carrots, we can't be friends so uh, consider your choice wisely. :P

(Edit* after 10 minutes of googling images of carrots, I no longer like them. That means I'm not friends with myself anymore. That is all.)

The Ten Commandments of Writing

 A friend of mine on figment.com recently showed me this picture she created for when she reviews witing. She's an amazing reviewer so I take her tips very seriously. Except it's almost hard to take this seriously because I mean, it's kind of funny. At the same time if you dont take it seriously, it almost feels as if you'll suffer an eternity of writers haites. Wow, I'm making no sense so i'm just going to show you this, I thought it was super creative and helpful! 

I'm an alien

I'm beginning to think that either my fellow teenagers are engaged in some big joke that I'm not included in, or I'm an alien. I started noticing these symptoms even before I could certifiably call myself a teen. I think you could say it started in kindergarten. These were the days where i'd cry an awful ugly cry hours before the school bus came to pick me up. Why? Because my mom would always force me into some outfit that I really just didn't want to wear. In retrospect, I feel embarrassed, realizing how bratty I must have been to cry every morning and give my poor mom such a hard time but alas, this is not the point, so I should stop rambling about it. 

Lets try this again, one day my mom wanted me to wear something that six year old me hated and  somehow some way, I ended up in school with a pair of high water jeans with two large holes in the knees. I know what you're thinking, the same thing that every adult at my school had to be thinking, "poor little girl with the worn out pants. She must be poor, she must be starving, she must be neglected!" None of these things were the truth however, I just thought I looked awesome. That's awesome spelled M-I-N-I-A-T-U-R-E H-O-B-O . On the positive note, I can actually say that not only am I possibly and alien but im also physic, I knew ripped jeans would be in style one day and years later, my prophesy came true!

More to the point, ever since those early fashionista in training years I've always been a little out of the social normalcy loop. I wasn't an outcast or nerd but kids weren't jumping over themselves to be my friend. I usually ended up friends with the kid who didn't have friend because i was always new, which was fine because I never was pressured into becoming someone I wasn't the way most kids are during their school years. It also helped me to grow a thick skin because on more than one occasion the people I befriended somehow became popular and suddenly were too "in the loop" to deal with the likes of an alien.

Now, at 16 I can feel an obvious tear between me and other kids in the thread that makes up this generation of teens. It seems like every body is so alike and they make friends easier than me.Its because people who like similar thing or live similar lives tend to get along better. I know this sounds like I'm complaining but I'm not. i'm proud to be one of a kind. It's taken a lot of ups and downs to create myself so that I can't be placed in any stereotypical boxes.

I know it took a while to get to the point but without further or due, I'd like to sound off on the things that I find utterly and terribly odd and ridiculous as far as teen trends go. 

1. Twerking. I find it disguisting and senseless. However, the elders react to twerking video was probably the funniest thing I've ever seen.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTOmr9LAACk

2. Instagram. I just dont understand how people can really be enjoying their lives if they're stopping every other second to pose for a selfie. Then slapping a filter on it to make it fake. There's nothing genuine about that. Whatever happened to moms snapping pictures of us and capturing us in terrible expressions. It sucked! But looking back in photo albums at those imperfect picture is soo worth it.

3. Irresponsible Drinking. I have a fear of not being in control of my own mind. drinking does exactly that, except the next morning you dont remember anything. Irresponsible drinking also leads to many things that can deeply affect the rest of your life. And for what? A night of feeling on top of the world? No thanks.

4. Being overly flirtatious. Maybe I'm just envious of the girls who have the ability to get any guy they want and dump him at the drop of a dime.But personally, girls who call every single guy "hon" and post things on fb like, "texting my best guy friend. I love him sooo much.blah de blah blah, xoxox", these girls come off as desperate to me. But then again, this is coming from mrs. eternally single so, what do I know?

5. Mainstream Rap music. I can get heat from this one because I'm black and stereotypical america says that all African Americans love rap. i hate it. I used to like old rap and I love underground work from artists like hopsin, tech9, and slaughterhouse but thats where it ends.I like those artists because their music has a message and those are the only three groups that promote life outside of money, sex and fighting.  Listening to rap on the radio upsets me. It's derogatory and as a female, almost violating to the ears. I'm going to stop before I begin to sound very feminist.

The list goes on but I'm already sounding like a very opinionated mean persons so I'll stop while I'm ahead. While reading over this post, I am noticing that maybe you're thinking this list is why I dont make friends. Let me assure you, I actually dont bellyache this much in real life.lol I dont bother people about how they live their life, I just dont want to be the one doing these certain things.I forgot to write that at the beginning.

So what about you? What sets you apart? Or  if you disagree, tell me about it. :)

Nerdy And I Know It

Everyone has at least one thing that they totally geek out about, right? Unless you're like me, and then you have tons of things that you geek out about. 

And because of this, I occasionally come across as a "nerd" to some people. So if you're a nerd girl, these next few pictures are for you. :)

I personally think that everyone has something that brings out the inner nerd in them. Whether it be Harry Potter or The Hunger Games, John Green books, or even Star Wars, almost everyone does. 

So my fellow Nerd Girls, comment below what makes you geek out and turn into a bit of a nerd. ^.^

The Post in which I Rant about Bad Librarians and use an Alliteration

Have you ever had that awful feeling that you're being watched? Back at my hometown library, I always have this feeling. In fact, I think everyone who goes to my library does. Maybe they feel this way because its true, they are being watched. I should take this moment to warn you if the title hasn't enough already, I'm going to rant.

I absolutely and completely loathe the librarians at our library. I swear, if the Gods of books single-handedly picked the fourth cousin twice removed from your meanest teacher's strict mother's side of the family, she/he would be a better option.One of ours specifically, has a personality that says she was plucked straight from hell. I don't know if they read down there but if they do, she's be perfect for the job.

First, she's always watching you!(thought my opening didn't have a point, didn't cha?) I have personally verified for myself that she only has two eyeballs. On her face at least.Even at that, she manages to study everyone around her. Why?Because she's extremely nosy. That's why her books are so big, they're full of everyone's secrets!(Mean girls reference. Ba dum Bum!) The moment her greedy ears hear anything that doesnt have to do with her, she's immediately looking for someone to tell. And boy does she tell!

Literally, she stands behind her evil little librarians desk and announces the gossip so that everyone can hear. Then, she picks up the phone and calls people to tell them!

When she's satisfied with her daily dose of drama <------(alliteration! I did learn something in elementary school!) she's still hungry, but for actual food.She lets everyone know this as she pulls out a stack of coupons for meals and begins trading them with her librarian henchmen.At this point, I should be relieved but i'm not because no matter how loudly she talks about how hungry she is or about what a great deal she's getting with her coupon, she never really goes to lunch.

Unnamed librarian is extremely rude, especially to people who arent regulars there. If somone asks for help, she loudly exclaims how annoyed she is and lists all the things that are not her responsibility. If and when she finally helps them, she repeats an aggravated mantra of, "Ya'll don't do me right." and, "It's not my job to babysit yall." and finally,"I like hitting puppies with books." Okay,I added the second one is obviously but you get the point.

There are so many that she and her librarian buddies do that drive me insane so i'll just list them to spare you of an entire manuscript.
they also...
~loose every single book that I order to be sent to our branch with the online catalog. This is not a dramatization. Out of the many times I've put books on hold, only once have they ever actually not lost my book.
~leave the bathrooms void of toilet paper or soap
~play on their computers, making patrons wait until they are ready to pay attention
      -match.com   -facebook    -I'mastupidlibrarian.com
~converse loudly about patrons the moment one has exited the library
~dont know how to use the computer to check people out(I'm talking to you, spiky haired blonde)

Okay I feel much better after letting that all out. I also just discovered something.
 I spend waaay too much time at the library.

Update on my life

Ello lovelies!

So a quick wrap up of whats happened in my life and the life of this blog over the last week. Firstly, Payton came, saw, and conquered. I'm so psyched to see what she'll bring to Escaping normal. Second, I'm going on a road trip! We're at a hotel tonight and will be on the road all tomorrow! Third, a Starbucks is being built in town where I live and ohemgee I couldn't be happier! By the time I return from vacation in august it should be built, and I really hope to get a job there. Finally, I got this in my email and wanted to share my excitement with you,

Dear (hidden name)
Congratulations! The openings to your stories, "Unearth", and "Count to Ten" are among the Top 25 most voted submissions in our 2012-2013 solicitation period. Over 100 openings were in contention during this period (though many were later withdrawn and removed by its authors due to low vote count).

At this point, we request that you submit full manuscript(s) of your stories (or excerpt, if your story is a novel) in MS Word format, with your actual full name on the first page. Please attach the manuscript(s) in your reply to this email. In order to meet our publication timeline goals, we will not be able to accept manuscripts after August 1.

In addition, per the rules detailed in the website, we will be making a $50 donation to the middle or high school of your choice upon receipt of each of your manuscript submission(s). An additional $100 donation will be made for each of your stories if they are among the 15 that are chosen for publication in the anthology book. If you could, please let us know the name and address of the school you would like this donation to be made to, as well as the name of the school's Principal. All donations will be mailed out before the end of August. The school will also receive an equal share of any profits from the sale of the anthology.

Thank you for your invaluable contributions to Dull Pencil!

Sincerely,

Bethany
Dull Pencil Editor

AHHHH!! Okay so I know out of one hundred, the top 25 isn't totally aw-worthy but gosh this has to be the biggest thing I've ever won in the entirety of my life! I mean, besides a stupid pencil in elementary school, cheap school teachers, whatthe freak do I want with a pencil? Anyways, maybe I wont be chosen for an excerpt of my novel to be published but this alone has pretty much made my life.

So yeah, I thought I'd share that with you all and I promise next weeks post will be much more interesting and not so self absorbed :P

Talk to you all later!

Peace, love, coffee mugs xxx

Summer Ideas.

Hey, everyone! I just thought that I'd let all of you know that I actually have my own blog (something I neglected to mention the other day) so if you're interested in that, here's ya go. URL: http://starbucks-and-hipsters.blogspot.com/ If you follow me, I'll follow back. :)

In case you don't really want to follow me on there (leave me to drown in a pool of my own tears..no jk.), then that's cool too. But I actually have some fun summer ideas listed on there that you all can do when you get bored.

Sooo...I figured that I could write a couple on here. You know, just in case you don't feel like following me. ;P

1. Get Snowcones
2. Play Messy Twister
3. Play Yard Twister
4. Water balloon fight
5. Water gun fight
6. Wash a car
7. Paint fight
8. Photo bomb someone
9. Indoor fort
10. Fill a kid pool up with bubbles
11. Summer snowball fight
12. Shaving cream fight
13. Tie dye
14. Race shopping carts
15. Sidewalk chalk the street/sidewalk
16. Run through sprinklers
17. Sun tattoo
18. Go to the fair
19. Glow sticks or balloons in pool

If any of you are interested in some of these ideas, then feel free to use them and have fun! If you're wondering how to do something on the list (like if you need instructions on a summer snowball fight or whatever) just feel free to ask me! I can always make another blog post with the instructions on whatever you need help with, or I can just reply directly to your message. Whatever works for you. :D

Hello, everyone!

Hey! My name is Payton, and I'm now a contributor to this blog. To say I'm just a little bit excited to start writing for this blog is a huge understatement. I'm actually so excited that I've been stressing about what to write for my very first post! Leah, the owner of this blog, suggested just a few days ago that I tell all of you some stuff about me, so that's exactly what I decided to do. And now that the Fourth of July is over, I've finally found the time to!

But just a warning: I've never been that good at talking about myself. Just warning ya.

Okay, so like I said, my name is Payton. I love writing, reading, music, and of course...food! So here's a list of all my fave things. :D

Favorite Movies: Pitch Perfect, Tangled, Brave, Soul Surfer, The Hunger Games, The Blind Side, Mulan, Safe Haven, and basically anything Disney, as you can probably tell. I'm a Disney geek, no doubt about it.

Favorite TV shows: Teen Wolf, Pretty Little Liars, Switched At Birth, Supernatural, and Psych. I actually watch more TV than that, but I'm not going to list all of those shows. I will say that I like pretty much any show that has to do with weddings, though.

Favorite Bands: One Direction and Little Mix. Also, I'm beginning to like 5SOS.

Favorite Singers: Marina And The Diamonds, Lana Del Rey, Ed Sheeran, Cher Lloyd, Demi Lovato, P!nk, Carrie Underwood, and Miranda Lambert. I also enjoy Taylor Swift's music, but I'm not a Swiftie anymore.

That's all my favorites. But here are ten random facts about me that you can read if you wish to!

1.) I have two little brothers and one little sister. They drive me crazy!
2.) I'm a Christian.
3.) I want to dye my hair some crazy color, like pink, without warning anyone.
4.) I couldn't live without music.
5.) I'm sort of ready for school to start again, but just so I can see my friends.
6.) I suck at math. I almost failed. :/
7.) I was born in October.
8.) I used to run cross-country, but it wasn't really my thing, so I'm not doing any sports this year.
9.) I love hipster fashion.
10.) Starbucks is amazing. *_*

If you read all of that, I applaud you! You deserve a medal. Mainly because I'm sure that I have the most boring life ever. But whatever. ^.^

Like I said earlier, I'm really excited to start writing for this blog. I hope you guys like all my posts! Thanks for reading!

Writing Hangovers and Red Solo Cups

GAHHHH I feel like a vampire! The sun is so freaking bright!!!!! My head feels completely numb and my eyes are all droopy like trash bags full of wet cement. Right about now I'm wishing I hadn't stayed up until 4am but last night it was a whole other story.

The thing is, I lost some files to my very important W.I.P, Unearth, and after a few months of writers withdrawal, I have Finally recovered them!! So, it's only appropriate that to make up for lost time I spend every waking(or sleeping) moment reuniting with my highly neglected word documents. Because of this, I have spent every single night this week making up for lost time by sacrificing my sleep. Don't get me wrong, while I'm writing in a silent room with no light but the computer screen and no sound but snoring of my siblings or the tap of the keyboard, it's like heaven. I seriously live for those nights.
But  wake up with a writers hangover, which is totally alright.

Cause I'm a rebel.

Speaking of rebelliousness. Whats plastic, red and can be used in a variety of ways to provide some underage rebellious excitement? Red Solo Cups!

After watching pitch perfect, I was determined to learn the When I'm Gone cup song. It's really cool because all you need is a cup(preferably a plastic one, you wouldn't want to break your mom's glass) So far, I've actually got it kind of well. I'm going to try and perfect it though before I add in the singing.

Sooo, have you ever suffered from a writing hangover? And how did you feel about Pitch Perfect? I LUUUURVE it!

Im sorry this post is so short but I'm extremely distracted right now. I'm watching girl code, my guiltiest pleasure :P