Wednesday, April 27, 2016

And the Truth Comes Out


Last week, I shared with you five truths and four lies, and I had you guess which “facts” were true and which were false. (If you haven’t read that post yet, I recommend you do so before continuing with this one.) I thoroughly enjoyed reading your guesses. And now it’s time to provide the promised answers. 


1) I’m probably hiding in your closet right now. You got me. This one was a lie. Or was it? *evil laugh* But seriously, how many of you compulsively checked your closets even though you knew I was lying? (Because I totally checked mine.) 

2) I don’t suffer from caffeine-withdrawal headaches when I go without coffee. This one is actually true. The only caffeine-related headaches I get, that I’m aware of, are ones from drinking too much caffeine. (Admittedly, I do have frequent headaches—ranging from low-level to migraine—but I haven’t noticed a direct correlation between the times I get headaches and the times I go without coffee.) Every few months or so, I go off coffee for about a week, because it always tastes better after a break, and I don’t experience an uptick in headaches. I don’t know if my periodic breaks have any bearing on my lack of withdrawal issues, or if I physically can’t get addicted to caffeine. *shrugs* I’m still waiting for Marvel to realize this gives me Avenger potential. *sits and waits by the phone* 

3) I am ambivalent about Nate Ruess’ singing abilities. This was a dirty, rotten lie, and it hurt me to type it. Here, have a link to a brilliant example of why I love Nate Ruess’ singing. And here, have another one for good measure. I was a little surprised that not many of you have heard of him, but looking back, I should probably have linked to some of his music so you could get an idea of his singing voice (as I am doing now). My bad. I should probably have also specified that he’s the lead singer of Fun., for those of you who don’t know band members by name. (He also has a solo album.) 

4) I love Panic! at the Disco. This was a lie. *hangs head* I’ve tried to get into P!ATD multiple times, and it stands to reason that I should love their style because it has a lot of the elements that I normally go for in music, and because I tend to like the kind of musicians (like Nate Ruess) signed by their record label, Fueled By Ramen. But I just don’t, and I’m not exactly sure why. *hides from rabid fans* 

5) My favorite numbers are one and eleven. This is true. I have a super secret reason for these being my favorite numbers. Obviously I will never tell you that super secret reason, because then it wouldn’t be super secret anymore (logic, I know). But it’s fun to rub it’s super-secretiveness in your face. 

6) I love reading the classics. This is also true. I grew up on the classics, and I’m still in love with them. I haven’t read nearly as many as I would like to, and there are so many I want to reread. SO MUCH READING. *runs around in circles* *has small meltdown* 

7) Chickens are my favorite kind of bird. Many of you thought this one was a lie, and I don’t blame you at all. Chickens are not known for their intelligence or beauty, and it appears I strike people as a more majestic-bird-loving type (which is quite a compliment, I think, so thank you), but it is in fact the truth. Normal people lose it around adorable puppies. I lose it around chickens. I just—they’re just— I love chickens. 

8) I am deathly afraid of spiders. This was actually a lie. But let me clarify before you peg me as a psychopath/not-very-nice person/public menace. I do not like spiders. I do not keep them as pets and give them names and cry when people kill them. I actually do have a soul. But I am not deathly afraid of them. I don't run away from them or freak out when one crosses my path. When I see spiders, my first instinct is to puke because they are revolting creatures with an unreasonable number of legs, and my next instinct is to kill, kill, kill. Approximately 2.5 seconds after I see a given spider, I have taken care of it and disposed of the body. Killing spiders gives me joy. Some people get high on drugs. I hunt out the dark corners of my room where spiders are likely to be hiding, and then I kill them all. Nothing beats that sort of high. Many try to flee, but none survive my wrath.  I am a hitman, a spider serial killer. Spiders fear me. *evil, slightly unbalanced laughter* *brandishes flamethrower*

9) In kindergarten, my fellow classmates frequently got upset with me for reading too quickly. This is actually true, and it’s part of the reason why my mother started homeschooling me in fourth grade. I only attended the last third/fourth (approximately) of kindergarten in America, and that was when the trouble started, and it was the same for first grade (not for second grade because I spent part of that in a missionary school in Africa, where I wasn't given any trouble, and part homeschooled), and third grade. My classmates weren’t all mean, but a lot of them complained that I read too quickly, or that I wrote too much for the writing assignments, or that I answered too many of the questions in class. (Peasants.) My various teachers also complained that I was reading too quickly and making the other kids feel bad. (Poor them.) I got picked on a lot, and I even got a couple hate notes.  (Side note: If you're going to send an anonymous hate note to someone you dislike for being smart, you might want to consider that they're smart enough to figure out who wrote the hate note. At least try to disguise your handwriting.) It’s been my experience that kids who try to do well in school don’t get much respect. It’s also been my experience that kids are a lot more cruel and messed-up than their parents are willing to admit. Not that I’m bitter or anything. *attacks school yearbook with  aforementioned flamethrower* 


And that is all for today, little coffee beans. Last month, I said that I would resume posting twice a week come May, but because I am going to be busy moving to a new apartment in May, and because I still haven’t caught up with blog reading and comment answering yet, I’m going to post only on Wednesdays until June (unless I start feeling like I have a lot of free time on my hands). Sorry. In the meantime, what is your favorite bird? Are you afraid of spiders? What is/are your favorite number(s)?

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Five Truths and Four Lies


Once upon a time, in an age long past (so, about a month ago), TT @ Intro to Blurb tagged me for the Dragon’s Loyalty Award. I did this tag a while back, but not only is this tag great for repeat offenders like yours truly, it’s also been altered since the last time I did it. Which means I'm up for round two. 

Here are the new and exciting rules: 

Say nine things about yourself. Either four can be true and five false, or vice versa. 

Tag people—share the lies (I mean, the love). 

I have elected to share five facts about myself and four lies. It’s your job to guess which ones are true and which ones are not. Let the fibbing games begin, and may the odds be ever in my favor. Or something like that. 


1) I’m probably hiding in your closet right now. 

2) I don’t suffer from caffeine-withdrawal headaches when I go without coffee. 

3) I am ambivalent about Nate Ruess' singing abilities. 

4) I love Panic! at the Disco. 

5) My favorite numbers are one and eleven. 

6) I love reading the classics. 

7) Chickens are my favorite kind of bird. 

8) I am deathly afraid of spiders. 

9) In kindergarten, my fellow classmates frequently got upset with me for reading too quickly. 




And there you have it, my little coffee beans. Now it’s your turn. Which ones do you think are facts, and which ones are lies? Next week I shall spill the beans. 

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

A List // The Sequel


Last week, I briefly explained what happened to my pastor two Mondays ago, and you were all so wonderful and supporting. Thank you so much! I’m happy to give you some positive updates. 


Although my pastor sustained multiple stab wounds, he was released from the hospital a few days after the incident. 

He was able to preach last Sunday, and you can watch the sermon here. I could give you more information about the situation, but he talks about it at the end of the video, and I figure it's better for you to hear it from him because it's not my information to share. Even if you don't watch the rest of the sermon, I highly recommend that you at least watch from the 51 minute mark to the 60 minute mark. 

He will take an indefinite break from preaching while he and his family heal.

God is good. 


Thank you again for praying for him, my little coffee beans. 

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

A List

I was going to post a tag today, but something happened on Monday, and I figured I should tell you all about it. But I haven’t really been able to gather my thoughts yet, either, so I’m just going to give you a list of the basic details. 


At around 3:15 on Monday, my pastor was stabbed in his house. 

I was there when he was life flighted out from the field at our church. 

I watched them load his stretcher onto the helicopter. 

The wind was whipping the grass, and the helicopter was yellow and black. 

I splashed a bit of coffee on one of my nicest books. 

Somehow those were the only details I could focus on for the rest of the day. 

Sometimes the mind can only handle the small stuff. 

I really like my pastor. 

He likes to comment on how much I read. 

He is expected to make a full recovery. 

Over a hundred people gathered in my church last night to pray for him and his family and the assailant. 

There was a very short, scary time before the assailant was caught, but he is in custody now. 

Please pray. 

God is still good.

Friday, April 1, 2016

Tired Brain


This post is going to be super short because I just wanted to give you a quick update. I’ve been behind on commenting on other blogs and answering comments on mine. I’ve also been behind on reviewing books on Goodreads. And I’ve been trying to pretend it’s not a problem and that I’m just busy, but the truth is, my brain is really tired, and it’s having trouble keeping up. So, for the month of April, I’ve decided to take a bit of a break and only post on Wednesdays. My goal for April is to catch up on reading other blogs, answering comments, and editing. I really want to prioritize finishing the final draft of DRACONIAN so I can (hopefully) be ready to start querying agents in May. And as much as I love blogging, with my current level of brain power, I need to cut back on something.

I’m sorry if this is disappointing for you. I promise that I’ll get back to blogging at least twice a week come May, and my posts will be all the better for it. But right now I’m really looking forward to a mini vacation, and since a lot of you are going to be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo anyway, I think this will work out for the best. So, with that said, I’ll see you on Wednesday.


What about you, my little coffee beans? What are your plans for April? Are you participating in Camp NaNoWriMo?