Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Running and Ice. Do not Mix.

Early morning dawns. Her worn blue tennis shoes hit the rocky
pavement. It’s the same, simple road she runs every morning, yet each
day the meanderings of the path calm and refresh her. Left. Right. Left.
Breathing deeply, she forces her legs to keep moving. “Push. Push.
Push,” she softly murmurs to herself. “Just a few more miles.”

Uncomplicated, undemanding, this simple path requires nothing of her.
Her jumbled thoughts, overwhelming to-do lists, and stressful demands
of the day all seem to fade into the background. Everything becomes
still, quiet even. It’s simply her and the pavement. She can’t help
but feel free.
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I love running. It's true.
I love the rush of feeling my heart beating quickly, sweat pouring down
my face, and the achy feeling in my legs as I finally round the corner
of Jenkins on the final stretch. Forcing my legs and knobby knees
to cooperate with me is such a challenge, and one I am sure I will
never grow weary of.

There's something about listening to a good country song and
letting the wind carry you where it will.

This week, however, ice decided to grace us with its unloveable
presence. Throwing a severe problem into my already-so-behind
running schedule, I couldn't help but be supremely frustrated being
stuck in my apartment for four days.

Even today, finally venturing out into the world, I was unable to
run my usual route. Let me just say, running is all about the
route you take. As a good friend of mine once said, "Running is
about the journey, not the destination."

With treadmills, this journey is completely thwarted.
Let's just say these horrid machines suck the joy out of strapping on
my favorite pair of blue sneakers.
It's... just... awful.

Instead of being surrounded by beauty and life, you're stuck in a gym
next to a double-zero Pi Phi, who seems to be in an unnannounced
competition with you. Her thick, blonde locks bounced perfectly in sink
with her strides, whereas my short strands struggled to stay in place.
Her thumb presses the "Increase" button with resounding confidence
as I continue praying I don't collapse mid stride.
That'd be embarrassing.

I miss running.
By myself.
Without the monotonous treadmill setting the pace for me.
Going from street to street.


Ice melt away soon, please.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Bored?

The sun is beaming. Its brilliant rays are soaking up all this
January gloom.
Spring sprung forward.

School interrupted my peaceful break of sleeping ridiculous amounts
and reading absurdly grand novels for no real reason. I just
wanted to. Isn't that such a great concept? Reading for pleasure?
I'm afraid the tediousness of copyediting may drain me of my intense
desire to read everything on the Barnes and Noble shelves.
Is it a curse to do what you love? Will we all be eventually broken of
our passions?

I'm currently conjuring a story in my head about a man who
undergoes just that. Chris Daton is his name, a man who got everything
he wanted, but in the end he is alone, bored, and miserable.
(Coming to stores near you in 2012).

Boredom. It's definitely one of my most prominent fears. I don't
want to simply "get through" my days, post-graduation. I want to LOVE
my job,fixing dishelved plots and twisted characters. I want to live
zealously, fully, and abundantly. Isn't that what Christ called us to, after
all? This desire, I hope, will not allow me to be satisfied with
mediocrity or passivity in any aspect of life.

I fear the same thing with the schlump I will one day marry. Poor guy.
Too often, couples get bored.
But, unlike your profession, you're simply stuck. Conversation drains.
Interests collide. You both are morphing into these old, saggy versions
of yourselves. The scary thing is, are you transforming together?
Or apart?
Who is to say in 5, 10, 50 years from now you will still be as madly in
love, if not more so? The thought is terrifying.

I just don't want to be bored.
I don't want to regret anything.
Life is but a moment.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

School officially begins tomorrow. I'm more excited to start this round
of classes than I was the first day my turquoise moccasins hit the
Norman pavement back in 2007. The fact that I'm taking a whoppin'
TWO classes may have something to do with this unexpected enthusiasm.

However,
it could also be attributed to the joy joy joy I got down in my heart :)
It's amazing how God can completely turn your perspective on its head.
This semester is just going to be so wonderful. It already is.
Great friends. Internship with the bff. 7 hours of pure writing. New
people. RUF. Phi Lamb. Nannying. Great roommates. Reading.
Dink (my new car).

Bliss. Bliss. Bliss.

I'm so thankful for new beginnings.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Cars and Copy Editing

The past few days I have been doing two things: copy editing
and car shopping.

Currently, I have been working some post-production corrections
for an interesting novel, Betwixt.
This isn't a book I would necessarily gravitate toward in one of
my waste-my-life-away-in-a-bookstore days. However, it has
adequately managed to keep my attention. Poor Ms. Watson. I'm a
bit too harsh, I suppose. Although her writing technique is flawless,
or quite nearly so, she struggles with keeping her readers'
(or at least, this reader's) curiosity. And what's a book, after all,
without intriguing characters and engaging action? Who really
cares if your sentence structure is exquisite and your adjectives are
perfectly descriptive, if you aren't really saying anything?

I'm nearly done with it.
It's strangely exciting to me.
I'm probably making myself sound entirely more important than
I should. [Need I remind you, I am at the bottom of the publishing
food chain.] In spite of this, I eagerly look forward to sitting in my
quaint "office" space with its teal colored walls every morning. I get
to hear the lovely Kacie Kinney's voice on the phone throughout the
day as she is housed in the same area. Tate just continues to be a
wonderful place to work. And in a few days, it will be even better! Hooray
for Tiffany Anne.

Between commutes from Norman to Mustang, editing and nannying,
I have been onthe phone with my dad more frequently than usual. We
usually talk once a week, or so. However, today is a special day. Seven calls,
to be exact.

He'll excitedly tell me to look up a type of car. Ford Fusion. Nissan Sentra.
Matrix. PT Cruiser. They're all starting to blur together, really. Not that
I has any real working knowledge of cars to begin with.

Certain models have different gadgets, better gas mileage, a pretty
exterior (which, let's face it, is all I really care about).

All the cars are already "good" candidates, quality vehicles. They will
all get you from Point A to Point B, easily. However, the art in car purchasing
is finding the ones that truly shine, the cars that make you want to roll the
windows down and scream sing to "Party in the USA" while cruising
down the highway. :)

Who knows? With a little luck, you may see me down I-35 next week doing
just that.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Well, This is New

So much new. So much excitement.
The past 24 hours have made me constantly smile. Not something I have been doing a lot of the past few months, quite frankly.

Today I awoke completely bright-eyed. After a fitful night's sleep, I eagerly jumped out of my leopard print snuggie and into the shower. Today was the day! I couldn't help, but belt "Don't Rain on my Parade" in between my usual lather, rinse, and repeat cycle. Oh, bliss.

I donned a pair of sleek grey slacks from New York and Company.
My trusty pair of black heels and purple scarf completed my professional ensemble. I was ready in 25 minutes despite the hour I had allotted myself. I left my apartment with ample time to spare. This was mostly due to a lack of sleep/anxiety about not being able to find this place. With my mapquest directions in hand, I jumped into my (er Sam's) Yaris. RIP little Camry.
John Mayer did an excellent job of calming my nerves as I ventured toward Mustang, Oklahoma. Have you ever noticed that there really isn't that much to notice in Oklahoma?

Forty minutes later, I arrived. Funny. I was 40 minutes early. To avoid any embarrassment of being spotted in the parking lot,
I took a little detour around the small, quaint town. I quickly found a Wal-Mart and decided to get something for my lunch, like a true grown-up at work. I finally made my way back.

Tate Publishing and Enterprises.

My boss soon met me at the front desk and gave me the grand tour. She didn't seem to hear my heart beating wildly, or at least she pretended not to notice. We went through several offices. All the while, the grand process of publishing books was being explained. I caught glimpses. I tried to soak in as much as Kalyn was pouring out.

I entered several rooms with 10-15 individuals frantically working behind computer screens. Lucky for me, I'm not shy, for Kalyn proceeded to introduce me to the entire room. Conceptual editors, copy editors, illustrators, multimedia, and marketing departments. Besides concentrating on not tripping, I was truly engrossed in the whole place, the people, the process.

This is where books HAPPEN.
This is where great literature comes to life.
I couldn't help but smile.

My status as the newbie intern currently involves filing COA forms in some rather uncooperative drawers. Other tasks will come. My knicked thumbs will appreciate the break. Honestly, it doesn't matter what my future responsibilities entail. I just love being there! Obviously, I want to learn as much as possible... and that will come. :)

I am so relieved, so excited about my future in the publishing industry.
It's all just so new! (Including this blog. Eek!)