Finding What Has Value

One of the realities of being an adult is that money is important.

I know, shocker. If you need to sit down or take a breather while taking in that information, I understand. The remainder of this blog post will be still be here when you're done processing.

Saying money is important isn't artistic, it makes me feel like I'm giving into "the man," and bowing down to evil corporate America. In case you missed the memo, I got a new job recently at a hotel. I don't know the rules with talking about work in social media and stuff so I won't say which hotel. But let's just say... I work for a pretty big hotel franchise which I'm pretty sure EVERYONE has heard of and I kind of feel like I'm in a forever episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Which, makes me feel like I'm selling my soul to "the man."

Then I remember "Oh wait, I really like my job. I think I'm good at it. And I get awesome perks."

Then I'm okay with it.

And being in an ongoing episode of The Suite Life isn't too bad either.

Let's be honest - if we say having money (at least some) isn't important, then we're kidding ourselves. I'm not saying you have to be rich and have money rolling around everywhere. But you know, paying off debt and being able to pay bills and get food and have a roof over your head etc. all requires money.

Unless you live in the wildnerness or something. Then that's awesome. More power to you. I wish I could be that wild and carefree. But... I like the Internet, coffee, books, and indoor pluming. So, wildnerness living isn't in the cards for me.

Because of this, landing a good job and getting a decent size paycheck becomes a major priority for people. It makes sense. A large portion of our lives is dedicated to working, finding work, getting a degree for a specific job, getting ready for work. Our schedules revolve around the ones our bosses make for us. (Unless you're one of those lucky people who get to make their own.) As sad as it may sound, for a big portion of us, our lives revolve around our jobs.

It's so easy for everything to be about what we get paid to do.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw this quote on Twitter:

Don't be seduced into thinking that which does not make a profit is without value. - Arthur Miller

Don't be seduced into thinking that that which does not make a profit is without value. ARTHUR MILLER #amwriting pic.twitter.com/NoVEXIqC1l

— Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters) May 9, 2015

Isn't it so easy to lose sight of this?

This past month, I've had to do a lot of adjusting of my schedule and figuring out my priorities for how I'm going to spend my time on. I'm so used to working a part-time schedule where I work right away in the morning, adjusting to a full-time schedule where I tend to work more in the afternoon/evening, it's been difficult to figure out how to balance everything.

The other day, I was talking with one of my co-workers and I mentioned how I really value my free-time. He looked at me like I was a crazy person and joked, "Free time? What's that?" 

I was almost embaressed to admit I cared about having free time. But, it's true. As much as my job is a priority for me, so is my free time. Because that's when I get to see my family and friends. That's when I get to write, work on my blog, make videos, be in community theatre, and practice ukulele. With this new job, I have great perks for staying at hotels when I travel. If I don't have free time - I can't use those awesome perks.

Sometimes I'm embaressed to talk to people about my blog or my YouTube channel or my writing because I don't make money off of them. I'm not a big blogger or YouTuber, and most likely never will be. And I'm okay with that. But, I feel like there's this expectation when you talk to people about it that it needs to be really popular and/or you need to make money off of it in order for it to be worth your time.

But that's not true. 

As important as earning an income is, it's not the only important thing. 

It's good to have hobbies and to do things you don't necessairly get paid to do. They're important because it feeds your soul. Sometimes, I feel like there are certain things where if I were to get paid to do it, the thing would be ruined for me. Because then it would become all about how I can promote myself and earn more and do more. 

For some people, making their hobby their career is the perfect option. Which is awesome! There are some people who can making their hobby into a living and love every single moment. 

I don't think I'm one of those people.

Although, yes, someday I'd love to have a published novel. But, I also know it's incredibly rare to make a living off of just writing. Most authors have another job in addition to their writing. I'm okay with this. 

My other hobbies though? No, I don't get paid to do them. But that's okay. I kind of prefer it that way.

Also, spending time with people doesn't earn a profit either. Does that mean it's not importnat? Absolutely not! We need to invest in our relationships with people around us too. 

So, yes. My co-workers might think I'm crazy for valuing my free time and not jumping at every single opportunity to work overtime. I will at times though of course! Because I enjoy what I do and support the hotel where I work. It's all about finding a balance though. I'm absolutely dedicated to my job and will do my best at it and work hard. 

But I'm dedicated to those things which don't give me a paycheck too, and that's okay.

Then over on YouTube in case you missed it:

Let's Go to Neverland

My Reaction to the Mockingjay Part 2 Teaser Trailer

Pop Culture Chicken Soup

June TBR Pile

Book Worms Talk - I Love You Beth Cooper

Speak Up!: Picnic

It's time to link-up with Amber and Annie for Speak Up! We link-up the first Friday of every month with vlogs based on the topic. This month we're talking about: If We Were on a Picnic.

Next month we're talking about Independence!

Go ahead and film your own videos, and check out Amber and Annie's blogs and everyone else linking up!

Theatre-Going 101

Last night, I spent a wonderful evening with two of my friends to go see the musical Once. It came on Broadway the same season as Newsies and won best musical at the Tony awards that year. When I went to New York to see Newsies, I would have loved to see Once as well. However, my bank account wouldn't let me see more than one show at a time. It was quite sad.

Don't you just love my bad Instagram photography?

The show was completely lovely, and wonderful, and bitter-sweet, and perfect. I'll be having dreams of musicians in Dublin for the next several weeks I'm sure.

As I was getting ready to go last night, I was thinking since I go out to the theatre so often, and I've been in theatre productions for so long, maybe I should give some tips for theatre-going for those who might be new at it.

What to Wear

I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit of a theatre snob and a firm believer in looking nice when you go to see a show. You don't have to dress in a formal gown and a tux or anything like that. But, whenever I go I try to do a little more than just jeans and a t-shirt. Especially if you're going to classy theatre in the city. It's a bit more of a formal occasion than simply going out to the movies. Depending on the show and location, you can dress a bit more casually. If I'm going to a community theatre show or something along those lines, I might dress down a bit more. But, I still try my best to look put together out of respect for the performers. They're doing their best for us, so we should do the same for them. Here is what my friends and I wore last night:

See? Nothing outrageously fancy. But still put together and done well. I would also suggest bringing a light sweater or jacket just in case. Even in the middle of summer theatres can get cold from time to time.

What to Bring

When going to the theatre, I try to pack light. The rows and seats can get narrow and you may not have room for a gigantic purse. Here is what I brought last night:

My purse was on the smaller end but still had plenty of room to keep my stuff. It was a vintage Nine West (well... I think it was vintage. It used to be my grandma's) and had a small mirror inside which was handy in case I had to touch up my makeup. Inside was:

- My pink glitter pen/stylus. You never know when you need a pen!

- My cell phone (turned off during the show! More on that later.).

- Lip balm because my lips are always chapped.

- Lip stick for touch-ups.

- Binoculars because I usually end up in the back. While usually visibility is still great, sometimes it's nice to see the actors faces up close.

- Wallet with my ID, credit cards, cash, etc. What if you want to buy souvenirs?

And don't forget your tickets! Mine were not pictured because one of my friends had purchased them and were holding them for us.

Tickets

Let's be honest here - going to the theatre can get expensive. If you're on a tight budget like me, you need to learn how to work the system a bit. Even sitting in the back at a show, tickets can still cost you up to $40+. 

First, I learn to prioritise which shows I want to see. Unless I purchased season tickets for Broadway in Chicago, there is no way I would be able to see every single musical which came my way. When I see the ads for what's going to be in town, I make a mental list of the ones I know I HAVE to see and be sure I have money set aside for when they come.

It also helps to know people in the business and how to go around extra Ticketmaster fees. A lot of shows will have tickets you can purchase at the box office directly and you can avoid those. If my friend hadn't picked ours up in person, our tickets would have cost $51 instead of $40. Also, look out for deals. I follow Broadway in Chicago on social media and they'll have contests, a monthly deal of $25 on the 25th for certain shows, and some shows will have a raffle before the performance starts for great seats. You also can google for discount tickets and see what you can find on other sites. 

Just remember, you do sometimes get what you pay for. A few months ago I went to see Beauty and the Beast, and I got back row tickets for $18. Usually, even if you sit in the back, you can still see everything so I didn't mind. Then, when I arrived, I realised why they were so cheap. We were in the middle of a noisy Jr. High group and one of our seats was on a step which made it very uncomfortable!

Also, if you're hard-core about theatre or you see in a certain season you want to see almost every show, buying season tickets would be a smart choice.

Then of course, don't forget to support your local community and school theatres! Tickets tend to be less expensive, they tend to do shows which are tried and true crowd-pleasers, and you'll be supporting people in your own hometown. I'll be honest, when I lived in Missouri, the local Jr. High musical was almost always one of the best shows in town! Those kids were so talented!

Etiquette

Okay... here is where more of the snob in me comes out.

- PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE. Last night there were one or two moments when the show was so quiet and lovely and perfect - then I heard someone's ring tone and it ruined the moment. Even if your phone is on silent, don't take it out because just like at the movie theatre, it's very distracting to everyone around you. Sometimes even the actors can see you on your phone! Can you imagine being on stage singing your heart out and out of the corner of your eye you see an audience member texting? Also, if you can, turn it completely off. Sometimes cell phones can mess with the sound system (especially if it's a lower-budget theatre) and that throws everyone off, 

By all means, tag, Tweet, share, take selfies, etc. In fact, you might even get a like or share from the theatre, or if you're really lucky - one of the actors! Just not during the performance itself.

- DO NOT SING ALONG WITH THE SONGS. Yes, I know this might be your favourite show of all time ever. I get it. It's hard to not sing along. But you, along with everyone else, paid to see the professionals perform. If this is hard for you, go ahead and get the soundtrack before you arrive and jam out to your hearts content before and after the show. Or if you want to sing a couple lyrics during intermission that's fine too. Just not during the performance. This goes for lip-syncing too. You might think you're not distracting anyone because you're not making sound, but you are.

- DON'T TALK DURING THE SHOW. Again, it's like going to the movies. Does anyone want to be at a movie with someone who talks the whole time? Nope. Granted, sometimes the nature of the show might allow for some audience interaction. When I went to go see Motown the Musical, one of my favorite parts was how the audience reacted with their "mmmmmHHHHHMmmmmms" and "AMENS!" So, be sure to read the audience and the show to know how to react appropriately. 

- ARRIVE EARLY. I like getting to the theatre a little early for a few reasons. If you're late, the ushers may not let you in right away. When I went to see Les Miserables, we were running late, and we had to watch the entire prologue on a screen because they wouldn't let us to our seats yet. Then, when we finally sat down we disturbed everyone else around us, and it took a little while to get adjusted and we weren't able to enjoy the beginning of the show as much as we would have liked. Or, at least that's how I felt. I can't speak for everyone else.

You also might miss something awesome if you get there late. A perfect example was when I went to see Once last night. The bar on stage was open for patrons to buy drinks and the performers were playing music as everyone was getting their drinks and sitting down. Then, they transitioned from there to the show, and it was one of the best beginnings of a show I've ever seen. If I had arrived late, or even "just on time" I would have missed it. 

Also, if you get there early you have time to go to the bathroom and stop by the merchandise table. It's annoying when people get up in the middle of a performance to do those things. ;-)

- PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE DURING CURTAIN CALL. I know, I know, you want to beat the crowds and traffic. I get it! But curtain call is very important for theatre. This is your time to thank the actors for their performance, but also their opportunity to thank you for coming. Can you imagine being a performer and putting your whole heart out on the stage and when you go to take your bow you see people leaving? How heart breaking! Even beyond that, more and more shows are adding extras at the end where they do an encore song, or a mash-up of all of the numbers. You don't want to miss that do you?

So, those are my tips for going to the theatre. Anything I missed? Anything you'd like to add?

And in case you missed it, here are the videos I put up on YouTube this week:

- May Reading Wrap-Up

- My 1st Fandoms

- I Love You Beth Cooper Discussion Part 2

- My June TBR List

- Showtunes, Books, and All of the Things

Hidden Huntress- Book Review

Hidden Huntress

The Malediction Trilogy Book Two

Author: Danielle L Jensen

Publisher: Angry Robot Books

Release Date: June 2, 2015 (TOMORROW!)

Basic Summary:

Hidden Huntress is the second book in The Malediction Trilogy  by Danielle L Jensen. The first book was Stolen Songbird which I reviewed here. I enjoyed Stolen Songbird, so I was excited for the release of this book. Thankfully, I was able to get it as an eARC to review it again. Cecille is now living with her mother in Trianon as an opera singer, but secretly her purpose is to find the witch Anushka. While Tristan is still in Trollus being tortured by his father and dealing with the fallout of the events of Stolen Songbird.

If you plan on reading this book I will try my best to not include spoilers.

What I Liked:

In an odd way, I enjoyed the first half of the book when Cecile and Tristan are separated. They were together so much in the first book, which was wonderful since it was a love story, I liked seeing how they functioned individually as a characters. This didn't take away from my being glad at their reunion later in the book. 

I also, again in an odd way, liked it when Cecile and Tristan argued. While I'm not happy when the characters are unhappy, I appreciate showing fiction couples having to figure out problems in their relationship. Every couple has spats, arguments, and disagreements. When these are shown in fiction, I appreciate it because it makes it more real. 

I liked how when Cecile returned to her world, everything with her family and friends wasn't simply "We're so happy you're home! Everything is normal now!" There were consequences to her being gone for so long and her family and friends had their own problems to deal with because of everything which happened in Stolen Songbird. It added more layers to all Ceciele had to deal with in the story.

What I Didn't Like:

I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I did the first one. Hidden Huntress had a severe middle of the story syndrome. While it is the middle of a trilogy, and therefore needs the book ends of the first and third books, it still didn't have much of it's own story. The sole purpose of this book was transitioning from the beginning of the trilogy to the conclusion in the next book. 

Whenever I read a second book in a series, especially in a trilogy, I expect it to step up the game. New characters, new elements of the world, and then taking all of the rules set in the first book and breaking them. While there were a couple of new characters, there wasn't much else to expand the world of Trollus and Trianon. The end of the story was exciting, but there wasn't much building up to the end.  When in the middle of the story it is difficult as a writer to keep it interesting, and when looking at this book as the middle in the grand scheme of the trilogy, it is understandable. But as a book on it's own, this would never stand. 

Much of the book also felt rushed, while also having nothing going on. It was an odd feeling while reading. Then, when something major did happen, I didn't feel anything and it happened so quickly I didn't even comprehend what was going on. 

The end, also, was rushed, and ended abruptly. When I was reading the last chapter and it was over it threw me off balance. While it's fine to have an ending with a cliffhanger or be more mysterious or obscure, it's another to have it abrupt and barely end at all. 

Overall Thoughts:

I was disappointed in this book. I enjoyed Stolen Songbird so much and thought it was such a fun twist on a Beauty and the Beast story and wanted to know what happened next. While there were elements I enjoyed and I was glad to be connected to the characters again, the plot fell short. This book easily could have been divided up into the first and third books (I'm assuming, even though the third book hasn't been released yet) because there simply hadn't been enough story in this one. It was an odd mix of feeling rushed while also having nothing happening. Although, because I am invested in the characters, I do plan on reading the conclusion of the trilogy.

I gave this book three stars on Goodreads. 

I received this book as an eARC from NetGally.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Compliments Kids Get We Never Will As Adults

This week wraps up my time at the preschool. I've been there for a little over a year now and while I'm so excited for my new job and going down to working only one job from here on out (yay for being able to get decent sleep at night!), but I will definitely miss these kids.

There are a few things I've learned while spending so much time with these kiddos, and one of them is that kids get complimented on things we as adults never would.

Coloring

We could have no idea what the child has just drawn on the page. The colors are all mixed. They didn't stay inside of the lines in the coloring book. Half of the crayons/markers/paint got on the chairs, tables, clothing, hands, and your face than on the page. It doesn't matter! They're brilliant artists!

But what about me? I have a very pretty picture of Snow White I colored one day during project time hanging up by my stuff in the classroom and does anyone compliment me on it? Noooooo. I even colored inside the lines! Do you know how much of an accomplishment that is for me?

Eating

You hear this a lot especially when people have babies. "Are they a good eater?" With preschoolers when they eat plate after plate after plate of food, we tell them "Great job! You're such a great eater!"

When we as adults go back up to the buffet to pile more onto our plates, suddenly we're overeating. What if I just really like food? I don't get praise for eating an entire box of Girl Scout cookies by myself in one day?

Sleeping

This is another big one for babies. "Are they a good sleeper?" When kids and babies sleep for hours at a time, it's as though God has shined down on us from heaven reaping blessings upon our heads. A sleeping child is every parents and preschool teacher's fantasy!

Needless to say, no one celebrates when I sleep in or take random naps during the day.

Going to the Bathroom

"You went pee on the potty! YAY!!!!! You went poop too? BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!"

Seriously, the amount of times we celebrate this at the preschool is astounding and it seriously is ridiculously exciting.

Granted, I don't need to be complimented for going to the bathroom. But you have to admit, it's kind of a funny concept that we cheer kids on for going #1 and #2.

Have you all noticed these things, those of you who have kids or work with kids? What are some things we say to them that we would NEVER say to an adult?

And, in case you missed it, I did the TMI tag over on YouTube and tomorrow I'll be posting my May Reading Wrap-Up on there as well.

Motivation and Insecurities

I tend to talk about my insecurities and doubts about blogging and social media from time to time on this blog. While, I'm sure my thoughts on this may get tiresome, I do think it's good to have moments to sit back and really think about "why am I doing this?"

Yesterday, I was watching a video from Carrie Hope Fletcher about this topic, and I thought I'd made a video of some of my responses to what she had to say. Since I talk about writing and blogging, and not just YouTube, I felt it would be appropriate to post it here.

Carrie's Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMusUuAL8xk

When I Make a Mistake

At my new job, they're big on fixing problems and mistakes which have been made. Which is an awesome thing. When a mistake happens, you shouldn't just sweep it under the rug and pretend it didn't happen. You have to fix it.

But let me tell you, there's not much more humbling than grabbing the blank card, hand-writing your apology, and walking it to the guests room. Yup. We hand write cards when we make a mistake. (Along with giving the guest some sort of freebee with the card.) I think it's an awesome touch, but writing them out sometimes is quite the humbling experience.

When starting something new, whether it's a job or a relationship or a project or whatever, we always want to put our best foot forward. We want to show people what we're made of and prove "Yes! I can do the thing! I am awesome at all of the things! Look at how great I am!" I don't know about you, but I hate making a mistake in these situations.

It reminds me of being at the preschool sometimes. We do a lot of conversations with the kids about saying I'm sorry and learning how to apologize. There are some kids who end up sitting in time out WAY longer than they originally would have simply because they refuse to step up and admit they did something wrong.

Admitting you're wrong is a hard thing to do.

The other day, when I walked into work, the manager on duty that day said they had seen some of my cards floating around. At first I asked "Is that a good thing?" To me, having the cards floating around meant I was screwing up. I kept making mistakes. He happily said it was. It meant that I was doing what I could to help take care of the guests. My apologies floating around was a good thing.

Later that evening I had made a big screw up. I mean... a BIG screw up. And I didn't even realize how big it was at first! Then I saw the manager's face and how he talked to me about it. Even the cook later who had been there during the conversation told me "We didn't mean to scare you Emily..." Because it had completely terrified me! But the manager then said "Just use this as a learning experience" and later in the evening teased me about it to show all was okay.

A day or two before, I was having a conversation with my boss about some things I needed to work on and I had shared how I kept letting my mistakes get to me because I knew I could do better. She reassured me that she doesn't expect me to be perfect. That we all make mistakes and that was okay and how she made them all of the time too.

A few weeks ago I had seen a quote on Tumblr which said something along the lines of "Self-love is important, but I think self-awareness is even more important. Sometimes you have to know that yeah, I can be an ass-hole." That's not a direct quote, but it was something along those lines.

We absolutely need self-love. We should celebrate the things we love about ourselves and what we're good at and our strengths. I love how our society is trying to be more encouraging and uplifting for people.

But we need self- awareness too. It's impossible for people to be perfect at every single thing. We need to know where we fall short. We need to know when we've messed up or said something mean or did something wrong. If we don't, we're lying to ourselves.

This isn't so we can dwell on it though. I know sometimes it can be a dangerous cycle of picking at the things we don't like about ourselves and dwelling on them and never focusing on anything else. That's why we need self-love.

When I was talking with my boss and the manager on duty, they said it's all about learning experiences. Taking that mistake, seeing why it was wrong, and then not doing the same thing again.

 At the preschool when we teach about apologizing, we also address forgiveness. When a student says "I'm sorry" to another student, the other needs to say "I forgive you" and then not hold the mistake over their heads. The kids who learn how to admit their mistakes and move on from them usually end up in time out far less than the kids who don't.

It's all a learning process. It's impossible for us to have everything right all of the time. In fact, I find it stressful to have it right all of the time. If I expected every single move, call, word, and action I took to be perfect, I think I would drive myself insane. The pressure of feeling like everything has to be right and perfect all of the time I think is exhausting.

It's not making excuses about what we've done wrong or saying it's okay. It's not. But knowing how to learn from them, fix it, and moving on. That's how we grow as people. If we never made mistakes, how would we grow?

Having to admit to these faults is hard and humbling. There will be times in the future when writing those apology notes will be hard to do. There will be times when I don't want to tell someone I'm sorry because I don't want to admit I did something wrong. But, those days will still happen at work and outside of work, and I need to still step up and make that apology. Because that's how I'll grow as a person and be able to finally move on.

Ramblings on Blogging and Vlogging

This is the time when the bad and neglectful blogger apologizes yet again for being bad and neglectful of their blog. Dusting off the dust of their blog and giving various reasons why the blog has been silent as of late and making big grandiose promises that "I'm back to blogging for real this time. FOR REAL!"

I am not immune to this blogging trope.

Because I am sorry for being a bad and neglectful blogger. I also have reasons for being so. These reasons are: Vlog Every Day April, getting another job and having zero time to do anything, and a severe case of writers block.

In April, the VEDA excuse was legitimate. I was busy making videos every single day so my inspiration for the blog was all going towards that. For the writers block thing, a ton of bloggers have the same problem and push through anyways, so I should be able to do the same. As for my having two jobs, that excuse will only work through May since once June hits I'll be down to one job and will hopefully have a bit more time then.

Then, I wonder, what about June? In theory, I'll have my blogging mojo back and be ready to go. But what if I'm not? What if I just don't have any more ideas to write about? For a long time now I've seen my writing on here going downhill and I've been struggling more and more with finding topics I find worth writing about. I also have seen myself being drawn more and more to YouTube. Does this mean the time of my blog is nearing an end?

That's such a sad thought to me. I love this blog. I love my friends I've made through it and how I can keep in touch with people better than I would if I stuck with only Facebook statuses and Twitter updates. I like having my blog as an Internet "home base" for myself. A place where I can have almost everything all in one place. If someone wants to know how to contact me, I can just give them my blog link and they'll find my posts, my YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

I then think of my YouTube channel. When I try to sit down and brainstorm what I want to write or vlog about, I've been having a tough time deciding what should go on YouTube and what should be on the blog. I tend to do the same things in both places. If that's the case, what's the point in having both? Do I even have the time or energy to keep both up?

These are all of the things which have been going through my mind lately. At least a summary of what I've been thinking about. Particularly while I've been driving (practically living) on the tri-state to and from my various jobs. Having a commute gives you a lot of time to think and listen to audio books.

Here is the plan I've come up with, and I think it's a pretty awesome one. At least for the time being.

http://essaylab.org/

I want to keep up my blog and my vlog. I love both of them and can't stand to see either one go, but, I do want them to be different. I shouldn't just be replicating what I have on the blog over on my YouTube channel. That would just be silly. So, I'm going to try and keep the tone of each of them separately.

Over on YouTube, I'm going to spend more time focused on books, musicals, fandoms, and other fun things. Booktube is HUGE over there and I feel like it's the perfect place for me to share my love of books with reviews, to be read piles, book hauls, book tags, reading wrap-ups, etc. It's also where I can play my ukulele, talk about musicals, and do fun tags and topics. Especially during VEDA. As of right now, I don't think I'm going to have an official "schedule" for YouTube. But I will try to have something up on there at least once or twice a week.

Over here on the blog, I want to go back to the style I had more towards when I first started. Talking about life, faith, family, friendship, love, etc. I've noticed when I try to be more sentimental and serious on video, it never turns out the way I hope it will. I'll have more updates on what I'm doing in life, thoughts I've been having, honesty posts, and the like.

For the blog I will for sure have a post up every Wednesday. This way, I don't only rely on having inspiration to write and I can force myself to be sure I write something and have some consistency. It also will give me a chance to really focus on writing a single blog post and being sure it's good quality, instead of quickly writing something every day just for the sake of having something up. Periodically I may have something on other days as well, but Wednesdays for sure.

Now, naturally, there will be some overlap. My blog would be ridiculously boring and gag-worthy if I was only serious and never had any fun. My love of books, musicals, and random fandoms are of course going to seep into my other thoughts and posts. Then vise versa. There might be moments on my YouTube channel I have a specific topic I want to talk about, or I might be in a more contemplative mood. I know for sure I want to do Letters to Advent this upcoming December where it's a bit more mellow.

For the most part, I want to try my best to have something different in each place so I'm not just putting the same type of content only in different spots. I hope that makes sense.

So, that's my plan. Check back next Wednesday to see if I actually follow through!