Random Blogging

I know, I know. I promised pictures of New Years Eve. Well I haven't gotten around to it yet, so just chill already! ;-) My excuse is that I'm waiting for pictures from Besi and Maria because they have the best ones. I was very lax with my camera duties on New Years Eve, so I really only have some of the men in their suits and the girls in our dresses at the house. Not many of the club. So yeah. I promise that I'll have them up eventually...

Anyway. In other news: School started last week. I am taking three classes this semester. Political Ideologies, Intro to Imaginative Writing and Yoga. My favorite by far is Yoga on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I like it so much that I am thinking about actually going to the Yoga classes at 24 Hour Fitness on Mondays and Wednesdays. My lower back hurts like hell because I haven't stretched it out nearly enough over the weekend, so I don't think I'll make it till Tuesday to work it out.

The other two courses are online (which is how I prefer to take classes nowadays). The Political Ideologies class will be interesting. We've only had one discussion so far (an "Introduce Yourself" discussion, nonetheless) and just about every hot political issue has been brought up and debated relentlessly. I'm not really one to argue politics, which I am hoping won't be a problem. From the syllabus and the course description, though, it's not supposed to be an ongoing debate. The course is supposed to be an introduction to Political Science, and to the different political creeds that exist in America today. But of course, people will do what they do, so there will be debates about everything. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy getting people to think about things--but the problem with that is that most people already have all their opinions made up, and there will be no questioning or changing of the mind. That's what is going to bother me the most. Arguing politics in Utah is like running repeatedly head first into a brick wall. Do you know what the definition of insanity is....?

Intro to Imaginative Writing should be as, if not more, interesting. I have always been a creative writer and reader (I don't remember the last non-fiction book I read to be completely honest--A Million Little Pieces, by the way, doesn't count as "non-fiction"), so learning more about the different creative genres and writing styles will be fun. It was quite a relief to discover that I am not the only writer out there who begins a story with all the intention of seeing it through, only to give up after the first chapter (or a few paragraphs in more than one of my cases). It took Dad a good six years to complete his novel, and that is without all of the editing that took place. That was just the amount of time it took him to get the thing down on paper.

My biggest issue is that I'm so critical of myself (blah blah blah, I'm my own worst critic...I know, we all are). As many of you that know me can attest, I strive to be original in just about everything. So, when it comes to writing (fantasy, mostly), it's just this side of impossible to be completely original. Let's face it--there are a lot of books out there, and there are really only a handful of story lines. But I really want to just hunker down and get something finished. Once the foundation is in place, I can move on to writing out the bones, so to speak, and then go back and fill in the details. I don't make resolutions like "I'm going to finish a book this year..." because that is just a completely unrealistic expectation. "Start at least 5 new writing projects" is way more realistic.

I've lost track of what else I had in mind when I started this blog. The pain in my back is being exacerbated (I love that word, don't you?) by this chair to the point that my brain is struggling to remained focused.

Oh yeah. Britney Spears. Well, not Britney in particular--more like celebrities in general. Though, Britney is certainly worthly of her own post (the girl has lost her freaking mind), she's really only part of the problem. I found myself reading today about Tom Cruise (yet another newly-dubbed nut job) and Katie Holmes taking Suri to a toy store in NYC. I was struck by the thought "Why the hell should I care?" And of course, the answer is I really shouldn't (and don't). Yet, I seek these kinds of things out. So, I'm going to go ahead and admit it publicly:

My name is Jessica, and I am a celebrity gossip addict.

It's true. I am. As is the case with most addicts, I want to say that I could stop any time I want to. Well, we all know that's just not gonna happen! I can't even imagine not checking MSNBC Entertainment, People.com, TMZ.com every day, and watching E! every chance I get...my day would just not be complete. More productive? Certainly. But not complete. I should try it, though--even if it's just for one day. I don't know why I feel the need to keep up with these people's lives. They have no affect whatsoever on my own. I guess I find the priveledge life style intriguing. I am interested to see how people with too much money spend their money. I shouldn't care (and, again, I don't), but it's entertaining. So, I guess, if being entertained is wrong then I don't want to be right!

=D

Speaking of which. I'm going to go find out if Britney showed up to the custody hearing today.