Backed by Popular Demand

” Chuck Norris doesn’t endorse presidential candidates — he anoints political saviors.”

That is the first sentence of the article that describes Chuck Norris’ endorsement of Newt Gingrich.(http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/06/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/chuck-norris-endorses-newt-gingrich/index.html) Any intelligent person would wonder why a man famous for karate and a show named after him would even bother endorsing a political candidate. Sure, they like everyone have as much right to vote and have a stake in our country but since when do politicians care what Hollywood (even an actor whose career died long ago) has to say? Easy. When Americans became more concerned with the inner workings of the Kardashians than they were with how to increase troop morale for those stationed in Afghanistan away from their families and friends.

Don’t get me wrong; Hollywood and Politics go hand in hand, they’re each attempting to woo the average American out of their hard-earned buck so the relationship seems natural. I also understand (and am guilty of) that in times like these, people look for an escape and the turmoil within celebrity relationships provides a distraction from the fact that many struggle to put food on the table and keep clothes on their kids. The desire of Average Joe on the street has been happily met by the Kardashians, using their show to make the viewer feel as though they’re in the middle of a large dysfunctional family with money.

Let’s be honest though. The average American doesn’t make millions of dollars by sharing their wedding. Many can’t even afford to pay for a dream wedding, let alone a wedding with the “basic necessities.” So why do we choose to vote like a celebrity? Does it encourage the illusion that we too can become like the Kardashians if we only make similar decisions? By voting for the options that are currently on the table, doesn’t that just perpetuate the cycle of money circulating amongst the people who already have it?

Chuck Norris claims that his 6 time middle weight Karate belt has taught him to recognize fellow warriors but the argument could and should be made that Karate truly has nothing to do with the well-being of our country. Instead of picking up the latest People Magazine or checking out TMZ to see who your favorite celebrity has endorsed, why not sit down with your  neighbor instead. Someone in a similar state of chaos or stability depending on how optimistic you remain. Search out a warrior who values similar things and discuss the issues with them, then you’ll gain a new perspective without having to pay $29.99 a month for cable or internet to catch up with the Kardashians. You’ll have also checked off something from your bucket list: Do one thing that scares you. Don’t be afraid of discomfort because the more we perpetuate the same cycle the more uncomfortable we’ll continue to be. Use your ability to think critically and build relationships within your community because they’re who matters. Not someone who isn’t in the same tax bracket. Not someone who’s never had to worry about how to pay for heat a day in their life. Not someone who will never know what it’s like to be in your shoes.

The BIG Sacrifice and the BIG Thank You

I’m struggling with this entry. I know what I WANT to discuss. I want to tell everyone to write a letter to a soldier for Thanksgiving. After all, Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks, and where would we be if our soliders (regardless of your feelings towards this situation) just decided “eh, I think I’ll go home.” After 9/11, we grieved as a country and leaned on them as they left home to go fight for our freedom and try to erase the pain that we were feeling after the tragedy turned our world upside down. Today, we continue to lean on them even though they’re still thousands of miles away from their families during epic moments such as the birth of a child, and holidays like Thanksgiving.

As a recovering military brat, I was blessed to be able to have my Dad home for the majority of family holidays. The Coast Guard is a fairly forgiving branch in that respect unlike the Marines or the Army. No matter what he missed, I always knew that he was involved in something BIGGER than anything I could imagine, though as a child, it’s hard to understand what could be more important than your birthday or Christmas. As an adult, I have several friends serving overseas and all I can do is provide comfort to their families and pray for their safe return. The hardest part is when they’re the younger siblings to old friends. I can remember when he was shorter, his voice hadn’t changed and he ran around like a goofball. Now he’s taller than I am, deep voiced, and probably still running around, though for important reasons like protecting our freedoms. I have to say, I have never been proud of him or my other friends than I am now. So let’s show them.

I was lucky enough to live in Atlanta for several years so I became accustomed to listening to The Bert Show which is the morning show on Q100. This year, The Bert Show wants to send 400,000 letters overseas in an effort to reach out and thank every soldier abroad. Every little brother, son, daughter, friend, wife, husband, mother, and father who won’t be able to see their families on Thanksgiving and perhaps haven’t seen their families in close to a year OUGHT to receive a letter. I shouldn’t have to tell you that these letters will keep them going during the dark nights when the only audible sounds are explosions in the distance. Just because CNN isn’t covering every move the troops make, doesn’t mean that it isn’t ask risky as it was then. Their job is thankless and all consuming and I thank GOD everyday that there are people that care enough about complete strangers to risk their lives for them. Without them, I wouldn’t be here and I’ll bet it’s a pretty good bet that some of your favorite people wouldn’t be here either.

Listed below is the website for all the details on how to get involved with The Bert Show’s Big Thank You. It’s easy. WRITE a letter. Don’t email it, or type it on your computer. When I was little, Mom always said “oh you don’t have to buy me anything, handmade is always the best. it shows more thought and love than you can ever imagine.” Well these men and women have things typed and delivered all the time to them. After all, have you ever seen a military order? It doesn’t come handwritten with flowers and hearts drawn all over it. It’s cold and unadorned. That said, as you write a delightful letter THANKING the amazing person who is missing out on Turkey and green bean casserole, their child’s first tooth and football, be sure you leave out ALL negative juju. Including politics. More often than not, the soldiers are quite aware as to why they’re there and lecturing them about the correctness of the war won’t inspire feelings that will boost morale. Remember, we’ve leaned on them in the past and present, and if we knock down the post, we’ll have nothing to lean on at all.

After the lovely handwritten thank you letter is written, you may drop it off at any of the following places. If you’re like me, and live outside of Atlanta, Nashville and Indianapolis, get your debit card and go buy some stamps. Seriously. Mail the letter to the station. There is no excuse for ANY soldier to feel as though we aren’t grateful for the sacrifice that they are their families are making this year.

 

For More Information on The Bert Show (www.thebertshow.com) and the Big Thank You! (http://thebertshow.com/the-bert-shows-big-thank-you/), you may check them out on the aforementioned sites and of course, Facebook and Twitter. Thanks as always for reading and PLEASE, make a soldier’s (or 25 soldiers!) day and send a letter. It takes 2 minutes to thank a wonderful person.

Gone on Hiatus

Lately I’m finding it hard to be positive about anything. It’s not like I was Miss Suzy Sunshine before but I generally saw the cloud’s silver lining and was willing to take on most things that came my way. As I look back to discern what transpired to cause my positive outlook to disappear, I have to say it’s when I realized that I was going to lose my job. I’m not saying this job was ideal nor was I happy with the decisions that were being made by upper management but I was good at it and I loved the completeness that I felt when I was talking to patients as they came in and out of the office. In that office, I saw hope and despair and everything in between, sometimes all at the same time, all within the same person.

There was one person in particular that I will never forget. His name was Harry. He was married to a wonderful lady named Connie. They had 3 Great Danes and had lived in Georgia for years. He wasn’t like most of the patients that came in, he was sassy; always coming in with an iPod and jamming out while waiting to be called back. Despite his diagnosis, he was always chipper though the disease was weighing on him both physically and mentally. When I met Harry, he’d been a patient for a short time (relatively – in comparison to some of the others) but had a thick file. He’d come in because of a nodule on a CT scan that he had done and Dr. S was the best of the best. Shortly, he’d be diagnosed with Lung Cancer. Still, he maintained his optimism and sass. The first time I met Harry, he signed in asking why I didn’t have coffee and donuts waiting for him. I explained that it was his turn to bring them and he laughed and had a seat in the waiting room.

The last time that we ever saw him, he and his wife brought munchkins for us. We traded – we took the donuts and offered him a handful of jelly beans. He smiled and accepted. I promised that his next visit, I would bring the donuts without question. Harry wouldn’t last long after that – the cancer was building and spreading across his body. We had no choice but to encourage him to continue with an Oncologist and hospice, both of which would make his last days as comfortable as possible. It seems oxymoronic to combine comfort and lung cancer in the same sentence. You become a shell of what you once were, hardly recognizable to those that love you. Still, Harry never complained. At times he’d seem angry about the cards that were dealt to him but never did he complain about the pain. He taught Connie how to do “manly” things around the house, and insisted she treat herself to pedicures. They fixed their male Great Danes in an effort to make it easier on Connie after the painful inevitable.

The day that Harry passed away, I was going into my Theories of Personality class. It was a cold day, with a bright clear sky. The leaves were changing and it was fall. I’d returned to school because I felt empty going to work everyday with people who didn’t share my enthusiasm for people who deserved amazing care. Albeit, medicine is a difficult industry to work for and now more than ever people expect the world from a limited number of people but it angered me that the staff wasn’t willing to go above and beyond for most patients. Patients like Harry.

While I didn’t know Harry as well as I would have liked, I was privileged to meet him at all. The world lost a great person when Harry passed but all of us who were so blessed to know him and to still communicate with Connie have a little bit of light in our lives. No matter your belief on the afterlife or Heaven or Hell, I believe that when you pass, it’s merely a hiatus, a break from this world. I think that Harry and Connie will run into each other again soon. Now that I think about it, perhaps my positivity isn’t completely gone. Perhaps it’s on hiatus, just like Harry is right now, just looking for an excuse to jump this hurdle that has been standing in my way since March.

Keep the Faith: An argument against Forgiving Student Loan Debt

Once upon a time, college was a dream come true. It used to be that it was privilege to attend school past a certain age, and only a select few were able to make their way through college. (Yes, there were negative occurences that took place during that time but that’s a post for another day). Today, college is more accessible than ever, advertising to all people regardless of background, income, or high school GPA. The bachelor degree has become another high school diploma and because of the accessibility, college expenses have skyrocketed as universities attempt to generate enough of a profit to remain at the vanguard of their industry, whether public or private in nature. As costs rise, it’s the students that wind up picking up the tab for the President of the University’s lavish house (ahem, private universities) and valet parking for trustee dinners that take place on campus where they’re served better food than the students receive on a daily basis. Sure, there’s reason for pomp and ceremony. In order to generate revenue, one must cater to those that are donating money; that being said, what is being done to cater to the students?

Graduating with a college degree used to be a guarantee for obtaining employment. Today no such guarantee remains yet students are stuck with a bill for a useless service. Ordinarily, one could sue and claim that since no change has occurred in the years that service was being rendered that they should not be responsible for the bill. Ordinarily. Education seems to be immune to such suits (though they have taken place – one alum sued her NY alma mater for promising placement after graduation, but 6 months after, she was still struggling to search for a job that utilized her degree). Since we’re on the topic of payment, it should be noted that it’s estimated that 72% of college graduates leave school in debt thanks to, you guessed it, STUDENT LOANS. These loans are given and undertaken based on the assumption that the individual will be able to return the investment and then some depending on the type of loan that has been serviced. Obviously in this economic climate, the system has failed. Miserably.

A few days ago, I noticed the following petition that was circulating a few Facebook pages http://signon.org/sign/want-a-real-economic.fb1?source=s.fb&r_by=694622. It sounds like a God-send right? An answer to all our problems. After all, we’re forgiving major corporations, why not the common person who has more debt than they’ll make in a year. In an economy where jobs are few and far between, bankruptcies are increasing for graduates who simply can’t afford to make ends meet and pay their loans. While student loans are not eligible to be erased or reconfigured along with most debt that is targeted during bankruptcy proceedings, this petition aims to change that restriction by simply eliminating all of it. Ideally, I would sign this petition in a heartbeat. I lost my job back in March and since graduating with a second degree in May, I have yet to find a job. My parents have been amazing because I haven’t been able to pay my student loans since August and they’ve been able to help me. Let me reiterate, that is the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do. I was raised that if you worked as hard as possible, you would be rewarded by raises (unheard of in this climate) and employment in general (again, unheard of during the economic state that we’re in). It’s always been a source of pride that I was able to pay my bills and balance a budget. Now, I find myself relying on my parents for student loan help and my boyfriend for everything else. I’m not any different from most of the people who have signed the petition except I won’t sign it.

Signing that petition is asking for trouble. Most of us criticize the way that the stimulus money was spent and I can’t imagine that this would be any different. I won’t discuss whether the bailout was necessary because that’s neither here nor there, it’s done and we have to lay in the bed that we’ve made. HOWEVER, I will say that we have the opportunity to pull out of this with our dignity. If we create a student loan amnesty, our government would be required to take on that monumental debt, something that would only skyrocket the national debt, another point of division and contention amongst us as Americans. This is not going to be easy. You can criticize me if you want, after all, it may seem that I’m sitting on a pedestal as I write this, in a lap of luxury for which I don’t pay a dime. Remember that I’m the same as you are, I have debt, no job and my pride is hurt. I still have hope for our nation that we can make it through this economic disaster as soon as we find someone who has the experience in times of trouble. (No, that is not a dig at President Obama or any of our past leaders). We can all agree that our politicians are so busy arguing that they’re forgetting about us, the graduates. Perhaps our next petition should be that we post a great big sign on the Capitol and White House that says HELP WANTED. Until then, I encourage you to do the best that you can. Keep the faith, it is after all what we were founded on, at least that’s one piece of knowledge that can be retained from that expensive and seemingly useless college degree.

Please and Thank You: The Solution to the Demise of Manners

Growing up, manners were required. Sentences ended with “yes ma’am or no sir.” Requests began with “May I please” and ended with “Thank you.” I was lucky enough to have parents that instilled the desire to make others feel like they’re a valuable commodity. In my 21 years of communicating with others, I have found the best way to do this was by using manners.

Not to sound old or out of touch but society’s lack of etiquette in today’s day and age is unacceptable and detrimental to our future as a super power. Parents are again doing their children a huge disservice by not requiring the once obligatory please and thank you, yes/no ma’am/sir. They play a colossal role in any industry, including business and technology. Without finding a loyal customer base, the chance for succeeding is thin but how does one accomplish that? By using manners; thanking customers, mediating tense situations with yes ma’am, or no sir. Tense situations that have the potential of becoming heightened based on the person’s perceived value of their time expenditure.  For instance, while discussing the topic with a friend of mine, he said “This conversation is not producing tangible results. Therefore, only those that have a passion for it are willing to risk decreasing their value as a human being to pause and study
it (as opposed to studying “valuable” topics such as business and engineering.)”

That begs the question: if everyone wants to be valued and treated like the special snowflake they are then why not increase your value by learning how to communicate effectively with your fellow man. Efficiency does not always mean speed. It also means saying please and thank you. How do we remedy this? Do we take it to the schools? Add one more thing to the already overloaded teachers only for it to be erased at home because Mom and Dad don’t encourage or appreciate their children showing respect. Parents who ignore this topic of importance:  You are lessening your child’s chance for success when you behave in such a manner and when you hinder their chances, you hinder the world’s chances.

So parents this should be one of the earliest gift that you give your children. Take responsibility while you can, before they head out into society. You chose to raise your children, so do it right and don’t force society to clean up your mess. Teach your children manners while you have the chance. Teach them to value the time of others, otherwise they won’t value you at the end of your life. You’ll be reduced to semi-annual visits in a nursing home. As for us, we’ll continue to fall even further as a nation, no longer able to keep up diplomatic relations because you failed to teach your child please and thank you. Nobody wants that.

Please and thank you.

Sidenote: I encourage everyone to take a look at http://daneatscatfood.wordpress.com. As a graduate of the class of 2009, he shares his point of view candidly and respectfully all the while entertaining those that take the time to read his thoughts.

Overprotected: To the Parents of College Students

Dear Parents of College Students:

After writing a letter to your children, I find it only fair that I dedicate one to you. I have a mother and a father, both of whom were in tears when they left me at school the very first time. When they left, they gave me the greatest tool that a parent could give a child; their support. With their unconditional support, they promised that they would never give up on me or my dreams, and promised to help me succeed. Then they left.

The first night was daunting. I find that I was not like most college kids – I didn’t party that first night, I stayed in, ate ramen noodles and watched movies while my roommate and  suite-mates were out at Greek Row making the typical decisions that a college student might make with their first night of freedom. Looking back, I realize that I had all the makings of becoming a hermit, one of those students that possibly might not adjust well and have helicopter parents that fought all my battles, but I didn’t. You may be criticizing my parents for not instilling the social skills that might have encouraged me to go out with my peers. Or you may be thinking that I’m a little off upstairs, there must be something wrong with someone here. You’re wrong.

By leaving, my parents gave me the tools that I needed to become a success in college. I began to rely on others to aid in my development, something that never would have happened if my parents hadn’t backed off when they did. My parents allowed me to become an individual with opinions and a sense of humor. When you insist that your child fight a battle that they have no stake in or when you call regarding an issue that your child should be taking a stand on, you’re stealing something valuable in their development. It’s hard to leave your baby at school, I know. You’ve raised them since the day that they were born and couldn’t imagine not helping them achieve whatever their heart desires. That’s commendable and what makes you a great parent. Here’s what makes you a terrible parent:

The passive aggressive behavior that you display towards college employees, other college students and other citizens in general. Your children pick up on that. They’re watching every move that you make and instead of giving them the tools to succeed and attempt to get along with other people in the world, they’re learning to isolate themselves from people who are different and manipulate situations in such a way that nobody wants to work with them. Unemployment is high these days and I would hate to see your child on the street (ok, let’s be honest, they’d be living in your basement during your golden years) because they have never been able to do anything on their own.

So here’s my plea: DO YOURSELF A FAVOR! When your child calls complaining that Susie hogs the bathroom, or Ricky is gay and keeps looking at them, tell them that you understand that they’re having a hard time. After all, college is stepping out of their comfort zone and doing something different. Tell them to talk to Ricky or Susie, chances are, they don’t even know that they’re making your baby uncomfortable. Tell them if that doesn’t work to rely upon the same college officials that you look down upon for attempting to teach your children how to communicate effectively and mediate tense situations. It’s very hard to step back and let your child do the dirty work but it’s necessary. Do the world a favor and quit being the passive aggressive helicopter parent so that we may have faith in the up and coming generation. After all, they’ll be making all of our decisions soon, but only if you let them. Don’t limit them. Support them from afar, it’ll be the best decision that YOU ever make for them and us.

Sincerely,

Your College Student’s Frightened Peer

This is your time: A letter to Today’s College Student

Dear Undergraduate Students:

I’m writing this letter because I’m deeply concerned about your development. Many of you are leaving home for the first time (or once again) and are looking forward to getting out of the watchful eye of Mom and Dad. After all, college is freedom. Freedom to make your own choices, to succeed, to make lifelong friends, to change the world as you know it. As many of you move into your dorms with fellow newcomers to the semi-adult world, you’ll find that the comfort zone that Mom and Dad provided dissipates pretty quickly. Perhaps you aren’t living in the dorm that you wanted or your roommate doesn’t like to visit the gym seven times a day and dye their hair blond weekly to cover up their brown roots. Perhaps college isn’t what you thought it would be.

Instinct says to call Mom and Dad. They’ll fix it. They’ll make that roommate disappear. They’ll find you a different dorm. STOP! Take one of your many expensive and thick books and smack yourself in the head. Welcome to the adult world. It’s now up to you to figure out how to coexist with the person who isn’t from the same cookie cutter town. It’s up to you to figure out how to make college the best years of your life. After all, you CHOSE this school. You CHOSE this opportunity to make YOUR dreams come true and ensure a bright future. Mom and Dad are merely there for support. Not to fight your battles. If they’re fighting your battles now, how will you ever deal with conflict in the work place? How will deal with conflict in future relationships?

I guarantee that the University you attend provides you with the resources necessary to mediate any conflict you may have within your dorm. I guarantee that if you let them, they will help you build upon your social skills and increase your awareness of not only what’s going on with you but maybe what’s going on with Lily down the hall who’s moved several hundred miles away from her friends and family to make a difference. I guarantee that college will be exactly what you want it to be.

That’s only if you stand up to Mom and Dad. Attempt to fight your own battles. Ask them only for advice not to act as a shield or spokesperson. People are much more willing to help those that don’t hide behind their parents. They’re much more willing to get to know those that put themselves out there. Life is half standing up for yourself and half breathing in the victories. If your parents are always fighting your battles, you’re not living life.

With that said, I want you to enjoy college life. Enjoy these years because I know you’ll never have any other experience that compares with it. This is your time. Now do something about it.

Sincerely,

A Concerned Future Colleague

There are no words

It’s hard to put my feelings into words tonight. Ten years ago, this morning I was sitting in my freshman english class when the PA system came on and the Principal’s voice filled the room giving details of the attack. For high school students living just outside of Washington DC, it was terrifying. Most of us had parents that worked at the Pentagon or in the surrounding area. Following the announcement, there was silence. What were we supposed to do? Did we continue with class? Where do we go from here? The latter question though centralized at the time would spread nationwide.

We changed classes and my teachers felt that it was important that we continue on with the day as planned. It was difficult to focus and I have no idea what was discussed in any of those classes. When lunch rolled around it was pandemonium. People rushed to the pay phones in the front of the school, to the Principal’s office, to their lockers. Anywhere that they could to contact someone on the outside. To reach out for family, anyone that could reassure them that it was ok, that their mom or their dad was safe.  Parents came to pick up their kids, in case the schools were in danger. I was lucky. The office assistant in the Principal’s office was a close family friend and had been in touch with both of my parents and her husband. They were safe. It was only later during dinner with my family would I learn that we were safe by minutes. Just by minutes. Minutes that day, were like years.

As I re-watched the footage today, I sobbed just seeing the World Trade Center Buildings and the Pentagon. My heart breaks for the families who weren’t lucky; who never heard from their moms or dads; who never got to hug their friends or family just one more time. My heart hurts for those who sacrificed that day and have continued to do so, despite the price being so high. I will tell you, that never in my short life had I or have I been more proud to be an American than I was then or am now.

So the question remains. Where do we go from here? How do we continue to remember yet try and ease the pain and suffering of others? How do we explain as we get older, to the generations who weren’t around to see the World Trade Center in it’s glory days it’s true meaning, or make them understand why there’s a memorial in what seems like a random field in Pennsylvania? Do we show them the footage? Do we say that there was once a bad man named Osama that organized an attack that so deeply wounded our nation yet brought us together? Or do we say that we aren’t a perfect nation but we’re mostly certainly “one nation under GOD” dedicated to not only the pursuit of happiness but the pursuit of freedom for all peoples, not just those within our borders and sometimes, just sometimes we bite off more than we can chew. We are after all, humans but we are humans that are united under a set of principles that set us apart from all other countries.

How will I choose to remember and honor the memory of those that didn’t have just one more….? I think that by I’ll do that by dreaming as big as I can. By getting up and dusting myself off after i’ve been knocked down. By remembering that I may not have another chance and I certainly don’t have a do-over. I’ll remember that being kind is a necessity, no matter how someone else treats you. That you MUST get involved with the people around you if you expect things to get better. Things change on their own, that’s true but there’s always a catalyst. To honor those that can’t, I will be a catalyst for positive change.

 

More than 140 characters

So far, I’ve erased the first sentence of this blog 6 times. I find that I am very protective of the wheels that turn inside my head and am reluctant to let people inside. Not sure if that’s a fear of rejection, or perhaps the fear that yall will lock me up and throw away the key. On that note, I suppose it’s time for “show and tell.” Let’s see. I’m 24, a former military brat, recently acknowledged southern belle that’s made the decision to move to Michigan with my boyfriend of almost four years. We have a dog named Jake that keeps me smiling even when I know that’s the LAST thing that I want to be doing at that particular moment.

I used to think that every move was just like the last but after spending the last 7 years in Georgia, I’m not so sure. I knew I wanted to leave Atlanta, I was ready for a change but this has been totally different than any other move. As a military family, that’s what you have and you’re used to picking up and leaving friends but you always have your family in the end. My closest family is 6 hours away but my parents are 24 hours away now. Call me typical of my generation but I have NEVER been that far away from them. It’s daunting. Especially with the direction that society has taken. I digress.

After high school, I chose to attend Oglethorpe University where I received my Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 2009. After working for 6 months in a medical practice (that valued the opinions of the wrong people and treated all employees poorly), I decided that I was going to return to school. Rather than take the intelligent route and get a Master’s Degree or  Law degree, I enrolled at Oglethorpe again to obtain my second bachelor’s degree in Psychology, something that I genuinely enjoyed. Given the opportunity to go back and start over, I am pretty sure that I would have done Psychology from the very beginning.

The future is sort of grey right now. Eventually I would like to enroll in a dual degree or PhD program but money won’t allow that. I’m in search of a job here in Michigan but have proven to be less than successful. It’s a terrifying time to be in your mid-20s. Between the wars, economy and people’s general lack of consideration and interest for one another (something prominent in Michigan) I’m not sure how these are supposed to be the best years of our lives.

“Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are your’s.”
– Swedish Proverb

My goal for this blog is to work through my issues with change. Whether it’s moving to Michigan, the differences between the south and extreme north. Lack of socialization. Fears that all this could blow up in my face. That’s my goal. Eventually, someday, maybe I would love to publish REAL writing but we’ll see. Anything can happen.