No motivation, no inspiration, no dedication

I’m so tired. Tired of empty conversations. Tired of misdirected anger. Tired of plans falling apart.

Honestly, I’m just tired of being tired. My geometry grade is falling. I’ve got a project due in history tomorrow. I’m trying to keep up with the perfect vision the lacrosse coach has of me as her manager. Trying to plan a party for a friend. Trying to keep everyone happy.

It sucks. It sucks trying to please everyone when they don’t care about you. It just sucks.

On top of everything, I can’t get my feelings straight. Maybe I’m just scared to fall in love, but that wouldn’t be without reason. I just want someone to sit me down and say, “He likes you, and you like him. Be happy together.”

High school is so stressful. It’s like I’m swimming hundreds of miles away from the shore and every time I get my head above the water, another wave comes crashing down.

 

This is a depressing post. I’m sorry, bloggers. It’s just one of those days. I’m not asking for pity. I’m really not. I just wanted to let you know that life really sucks sometimes. It gets better, though. I have to hope so. Of course, geometry will never get easier. That will always suck.

 

Remember to follow me at www.papertowns-paperpeople.tumblr.com! I’ll love you forever!

I have made the switch to . . .

TUMBLR

Yeah, I did it, guys. I just don’t have the time to post regularly on here anymore, and Tumblr’s a quicker option. So, I may post on here in the summer, but until June, you can find me at www.papertowns-paperpeople.tumblr.com (If you know where the reference is from, you’re an awesome person.)

So, if you like Josh Hutcherson .gifs, random quotes, and cute-guy fan-girling, head over to Tumblr and follow my blog.

Here are a few of my favorite .gifs in case you’re not convinced . . .   

Inkpop, Josh Hutcherson, and Sleep

I know I’ve been M.I.A. for quite a bit, and I apologize for that. I’ve been struggling with geometry homework and trying to finish “The Things That Break Us”. While neither of those tasks have been a complete success, I have read a lot more recently than I have been in the past few months.

So, I’m guessing you all already know that inkpop has been sold to Figment. Which basically means, inkpop is gone. There’s no way to sugarcoat what HarperCollins did, but it’s done and over with. I’ve made the switch to Figment, and it’s not too bad. Look me up on there and shoot me a message or follow me (My username is Ashley C. Nicole)

In other news, I’m stoked for the release of The Hunger Games. I went and saw Journey 2 with my family and my friend a week or two ago. Josh Hutcherson did not disappoint, I’ll tell you that. Look at him, so modest!

In case you can’t tell, I have a strong love for this boy. If I were older, or if he was younger, and I was famous, or he wasn’t famous, we’d totally be together. (Read: there’s no chance of me having Josh’s babies. Ever.)

Anyway, here are some other Peeta/Josh pictures that I love.

 

So, yep. There you go. You can thank me later.

I talked about inkpop and Josh, so what’s left? Oh, yeah. Sleep. I am exhausted. I think I’m getting sick, but I’m not ready to admit that, because I’ve got a health final on Monday that I can’t miss. (I know, health? What the heck?) I actually took a nap earlier, but I am tired yet again. I hate falling asleep so early, but it’s not like I’m doing anything productive besides Facebook-stalking and scrolling through pages on WeHeartIt.

Well, I think that’s all. Feel free to email me (in the side bar, for publishers/authors) if you’re an inkie dealing with the change. Otherwise, I’ll be posting again soon!

Falling All Over Myself

Lately, I’ve been more clumsy than ever. As in, falling in mud or bringing down a whole shelf of my closet. As for the mud incident, it’s happened twice.

In public.

I run. I slip. My feet go up. My butt goes down. Mud embeds itself into my skin and clothes. Truly tragic, I tell you. The shelf issue wasn’t really all that bad. I just managed to fall sideways off of my stool in my closet, and the shelf did not want to support. (The wall didn’t want to support the shelf, either. I think we all are in need of a better support system.)

So, what’s the point to this rambling? Well, I hope you can work a scene like one of those into your story for comic relief. Or have your character trip up the steps in a school of 2,000 people that are always moving, always going places. (I was fine, of course. Just a bit pink in the face.)

The other point to this, though, is to bring up embarrassment. In life, we’re all faced with times when we trip (and fall) or spill something down our shirt on our way to the bus stop and we’re forced to explain it all day. I think, what matters more than the actual event, is how we choose to handle it.

Example 1: When I slipped and fell in mud for the first time, I was at a carnival that was bursting with people. I was chasing my friend one moment, and the next, I was on the ground with my jaw dropped. It hadn’t even rained in weeks, and yet there was a lovely mud puddle for me to fall right into. I got up, walked over to my friend, sat down next to her on the curb and refused to leave until my mom pulled up in front of us half an hour later.

Was that the right thing to do? Probably not, but it felt like it. It felt safer than walking around with my shorts glued to my butt with mud.

Example 2: When the mud took me the second time, I was on a retreat with my church. I was with the same friend as before, and we were outside for “free time”. When she went over to sit down on a bench, I followed. It was muddy, so I tried to hop over to her to not get my shoes dirty. I fell, of course. I was on the ground, soaked in muddy water. And you know what I did? I laughed until I couldn’t breathe. I laughed until tears were streaming down my face, because I knew there was no use in getting up and running.

Was that better than example 1? I’d like to think so. I didn’t feel the burning embarrassment as much. It was easier to laugh, too. Laughing’s healthy for people.

So, yeah. I just rambled about how klutzy I am for a few paragraphs, but the message is simple. Laugh at yourself before other people get the chance to. It leads to less embarrassment on your part, less awkwardness after, and you’ll be happy if you’re laughing.

 

P.S. How do you like the new layout? The new theme? My new signature?

I’ve found a new favorite author . . .

John Green. He is hands-down amazing, and I am in love with his books. I know it’s been a while since my last book review, and I really do apologize, but I’ve been reading only crap for school that no one really wants to read a review about. Anyway, here’s my review of a John Green book.

Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Summary: Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs... for now.
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumors tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Stars: 5

Rate: 9

Pros: This book is realistic, as in life happens, and it’s not a sugar-coated happy ending. The characters were three-dimensional and not perfect, which made them in a very hypocritical way, perfect. Green really made everything come together in this story in a way that made sense.

Cons: I cried. I bawled like a baby with tears streaming down my face. Legitimate cons? The relationship was a bit fast, but Green made that work all right, too.

Overall Recommendation: Read it. It is one of my top five favorite books that I have ever read. The characters, the story, the ending . . . it’s all perfect. I loved this book so much that I went and bragged about it to three different people right away. If you’re looking for a good book about growing up and young love, read it.

Don’t forget the tissues.

This ain’t a fairytale . . . .

Oh, Taylor Swift, how you sum up my life.

Recently, I started working on a new project of sorts with two other girls on inkpop. It’s a collaboration of letters, actually. They’re all from us to three different boys. I think it’s really unique just because we don’t know if there’s a happy ending in the future. We’re playing it day-by-day and writing these letters daily. If it sounds appealing to you, go here to read: http://www.inkpop.com/fiction/memoir/words-i-didnt-say 

I’ll love you forever!

All right, so my self-promoting is over. I figured I would update my blog in honor of this lovely holiday. Friday the 13th is one of my favorite days, honestly. I don’t really know why, but it’s pretty amazing to see of all of the superstitious hype, don’t you think?

So, a few updates . . .

In the music world: We the Kings is going on tour with Mayday Parade, which is so amazing. If you snag tickets, let me know. Who doesn’t want to bring their favorite blogger along?

In the movie world: In the distant future, I’m looking forward to seeing The Hunger Games even though I haven’t read the books. If you’re looking for something a bit closer, Beauty and the Beast is coming back to theaters. Make sure to check out The Vow, starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams in February!

In the book world: I’m reading a series by Donita K. Paul, which is really good. It’s a little religious, but not overbearingly so. If you’re looking for more general reading, I recommend preordering Lauren Oliver’s sequel to Delirium, Pandemonium. I know that is one book I can not wait for!

In my world: (You had to know it was coming) I’m finishing up my first semester of high school and enjoying it. Finals are sure to make me a bit more dreary in the upcoming weeks, so be warned for depressing posts about mindless teachers. I’ve heard a lot about high school sweethearts and taking every chance you get to fall in love, but I’m kind of losing hope. Seeing as the boy I like is one of those popular, gorgeous ones. As in, our relationship is basically:

(Me being the random citizen) Nah, I’m just kidding. We do talk, and he’s really sweet. I just don’t know if I should let myself really like him. He’s already got a line of followers. Eh. High school.

 

So, there are your updates for movies, music, and books. If you don’t care about my guy troubles, that’s all right. I know I’m nothing interesting, but hey, don’t hate.