I’ve been working all night on a story that I started in college.
Clearly during the days when I was overflowing with sarcasm, because this character is full of it!
I think it’s a novel; right now it’s around 35,000 words. I may bulk it up for NaNoWriMo, if only it wasn’t the same month as the picture book thing.
Decisions, decisions.
I also went back through some old essays and things I had written in college.
Mostly stuff for school, and some journal entries and stories about some kid I was in love with at the time.
Totally misguided, of course.
I honestly have a folder named,
“Poems and stories based on relationships. Warning: These are pretty sucky.”
Hey, at least I’m honest.
But the gem came when I vaguely remembered something about writing down my hopes for 10 years in the future, and describing myself in words. I think they’re pretty funny/ good, so here they are, in their glory, from 2004.
Comments are added in italics because I love to comment, even on my own writing!
Here’s the description of me:
It’s hard to describe myself physically. I have never been good at physical descriptions, and am terrified that someday it is going to me in the police station, struggling for accurate details to give to the police sketch artist.
(I am still kind of afraid this will happen…)
But for now, I guess I’ll just try to describe me. The first thing that people usually notice about me or comment on is my hair. It’s not like the pin straight neatly kept hair you see everywhere, on tv, in the magazines, on the heads of the people in front of you at the supermarket. It’s anything but. It’s red, curly, and thick. It’s never the same from day to day. Some hairs get more brave and curl up more while some others get lazy and just lay straight. I have stopped fighting with it and let it be messy, and I think it looks much better that way.
( I stand by this 100 percent, though now my hair is more wavy. Good description, me!)
Well, if you couldn’t find me by the hair, I guess there are other things. I’m 5’4”, the best height to be, falling somewhere between a little short and average.
(I am still this tall, though most times I think of myself as bigger…weird…)
I weight 140 pounds, which probably no one would guess by looking at me. All the weight is in my muscles. I’m not huge, but I’m solid. It would take more than a faint wind to blow me over.
(140! I weighed 150 when I was in AmeriCorps, but that was when I was firefighting and hiking in heavy boots everyday carrying a pulaski! But this was college, I was playing two sports at the time…it’s probably right. I’m the same now. I’m still solid baby, like a rock! Iron stick figure, that’s me.)
I also have a very white complexion that changes slightly with the weather, but not enough for me to ever get what I would call tan.
(Sadly, this is still true. SIGH.)
Finally, my face. I am almost always smiling, showing my dimples and my semi white but perfectly straight very little teeth.
(Still smiling…yay me!)
I have a little nose that sits perfectly in the middle of my round slightly pudgy face. My eyes are hazel, and intriguing word, but mostly they are just green with a little bit of brown dropped in, like in the paints of little children when they forget to rinse the brush off before going to a different color.
(Is my face still pudgy? Not sure. I love how I described hazel…again, go me!)
Around all of these features there are freckles, tons of them, all over my face, and if you look hard enough, on my legs and arms too. Well, that’s all I have. If you can’t find me now, I don’t think you ever will.
(And yes, I have tons of freckles. So there I am. Pretty good I’d say…)
Now, get ready for what I think my life is going to be like in 10 years! So at 31!
This was from 2004, in February, so I’ve still got 2.5 years to pull this off….
Ten years from now, I don’t ask for much.
(Read on, I really don’t!)
I might be married, I might not, but I would like to be.
(This may or may not have changed…I like how I say I may not, but I would like to be. Way to not commit.)
To the love of my life of course.
(I am laughing so hard right now that I can hardly type this. I think I was serious.)
I would like there to be kids too. A couple at least.
(See, I always knew I wanted kids. And a couple! Well, that would mean I really need to get on this getting married thing and get some kids going right away, OR hope for twins and a quick wedding!)
I would like to be doing something that I really enjoy for a job, which is hard for me to predict right now because I have no idea what job could make me happy.
(Very honest of me. I think I know what that job is now, though I think I’ll need another one too, because all the jobs I like don’t pay well.)
I want a nice house too, in a nice neighborhood, near my family and friends.
(This is SOOOOO not happening. I guess to make that come true I would have to live in Plattsburgh. Do I have to say again how this is SOOOOO not happening?)
I don’t care what kind of car I drive.
(Good, because it’s probably going to be a crappy one!)
And ten years from now I still want to be friends with, or at least in contact with, people that I know today.
(Hmmm….I think that holds up…I’m in contact with a few….)
I want to be healthy in the mind and body, and strong, in the body and soul.
(Hooray me! What a lofty goal! I think I can pull this one off!)
I want to be able to do most of the things I do today, even if I have to do them a little slower or go to bed a little earlier.
(True story. I used to be able to just wake up and run and be fine. Can’t do that anymore, but I think I stay up later now. Well, I’ve got 2.5 years to work on it….)
But I think this is the best sentence of all, and my little 21 year old self knew it:
In ten years, I mostly want just to be happy, healthy, and satisfied with the life I am living.
And I know that is TOTALLY DOABLE, because I’m doing it right now.
Wow.
Memory lane is sure fun to skip down.
ok, off to bed, you know, since I’m trying to do that earlier now,
KE
