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Big Girls Don't Cry? Yeah, Right

I had my first of two cavity-filling visits yesterday, but of course, it's in the stars that normal dental visits are not meant to happen to me. One of my already-filled teeth turned out to have decay underneath the filling, so that by the time both the filling and decay were removed, I was left with a shell-like tooth, with practically nothing inside. I now have two options: root canal and crown or extraction, tooth implant, and crown. Do you think I broke down in the doctor's office? You betcha!

Since my wisdom teeth are scheduled to come out in a few weeks anyway, and since there's not much left of this tooth to save, I'm leaning towards option B. He's already going to remove four teeth from my mouth. At this point, what's one more?

I am the worst dental patient ever. If only I had kept up on my six-month visits like a good girl, none of my current troubles (except for the wisdom-teeth pulling; that just has to happen) would have taken place. And I have no excuses. I've always been covered under a good insurance plan.

When I have children, it will be my mission in life to make sure they understand the value of having good teeth. Not saying that my parents DIDN'T do that; I was just a stupid, stupid girl.

After my ordeal with the dentist, I went to return an overdue new release at Blockbuster. As soon as I handed it over, the clerk removed the "New Release" sign, allowing the "One Week Rental" banner to show. "This movie just became a one-week rental?" I asked. She nodded.

Of course it did.

I'm Gonna Be Published!

Kind of. My screenwriting professor asked me if she could include my documentary treatment in her upcoming book! How cool is that?!

For the same class, I watched Bowling for Columbine last night. Really great film. Powerful message. I highly recommend it.

I wish I had more, but I don't.

Nailbound

It's been a busy few days. On Wednesday I visited the nail salon again and had my fake nails shaped into less of a square shape and more of a rounded one. I like them a lot more now, so it looks like they're here to stay. I look at them a lot, and I'm surprised at just how much I do like them. This kind of thing is not something I've ever been into before, but it's so nice to have my hands look pretty on a daily basis and not have to do a thing. It also keeps me from chewing on my fingers - definitely a plus.

In Screenwriting, we've moved away from the dramatic script in order to focus on the documentary. We shared our treatments (proposals) with our group members on Thursday, and everyone (professor included - she sat in on my session) seemed to really like my idea, which is to follow the trials and tribulations of my sister Samantha as she works toward earning her teaching license.

I really love this class and the work we've been doing, in a way that's much different than my love for fiction. It's nice to be learning a new kind of writing, to get a fresh perspective on what you can do with words and how you can use them to affect others. I'm viewing movies in a brand-new way, even finding myself attracted to films that wouldn't have sparked my interest two months ago. Maybe this summer I'll buy a video camera and bring these scripts to life.

And finally, today: my sister, Ryan, graduated from high school. My family pulled double duty with the Mass and commencement ceremony taking place one right after the other. We were all very proud of her.

I'm a Star!

Yesterday, I was interviewed for an article about literacy programs in the city of Chicago for a magazine called The Reader. A woman in my fiction class was contacted by the reporter and she suggested that I give him a call as well. It was fun - he asked me about my reasons for choosing DePaul, what I thought of the program, my goals after graduation, etc. The issue will hit newsstands on June 4th.

Because I work in PR, I'm usually the one asking the questions, so this was a nice change of pace. The interview also got me thinking more about what I want to do once my time at DePaul is over. I assumed that I would just start looking for a different job closer to Chicago, but I also know that I want to earn an MFA in Creative Writing. Would it be wrong of me to enroll in another graduate program before paying off loans for my first two degrees?

I love school. I love learning new things. And I love being around people with whom I share this one common interest: we have something to say.

F - U - N at the B and N

Another great Sunday, another great hour spent at Barnes and Noble. Today I bought a large-print edition of The Fountainhead (one of the greatest books ever written), The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, 1984, Animal Farm (both books I've read and deeply love), and a memoir by one of the actresses from Days of Our Lives. Once the spring quarter is over (three more weeks - woo hoo!), then I can get busy on my summer reading list. I'm currently in the middle of The Neverending Story, which is very good and much more involved than the movie, and I bought Haven Kimmel's first fiction novel a while back. I'd also like to dig into The Chronicles of Narnia series, and then, of course, there's my blog book. Busy, busy, busy.

One book that ALMOST made it into my pile was The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, the inspiration of the film Adaptation. I had to watch that for my screenwriting class and thought it was great. It also inspired a newfound interest with screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Luke and I watched Being John Malkovich on Friday night and saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind about a month ago at the show - some really great stuff. Has Kaufman done anything else?

In other news: I received an A- on the rough draft of my screenplay. My professor thinks it's very strong but that the plot is a little overwhelming; she suggested editing out the mother-in-law's murder. But Lifetime will never buy it then!

Decisions, decisions....

Grads vs. Undergrads

Thursdays are the days that I spend in class at DePaul University in Chicago. By next June, I will have my very own Master of Arts in Writing.

In my Writing For Fiction class, there are several undergraduate students that didn't form a large enough group to create their own class, so they've been mixed into the graduate section - something I'm not thrilled with. I've only been out of undergrad for two years, but being with these students makes it feel like decades ago.

First, I'm amazed at the language they use in class. It's "F*** this" and "F*** that," with the professor right there. I'm not a prude or anything, but there's a time and place for that talk, and the classroom is not it. Secondly, they're constantly not completing assignments and constantly giving BS excuses - "I had a big test to study for and I didn't have time." "I didn't have the assignment written down so I didn't know what we were supposed to do." Never mind the fact that the assignment load isn't that heavy in the first place and that it is NOT acceptable to pick and choose the work you feel like completing for a particular week. Never mind that our professor created a sheet filled with students' names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses JUST SO that we can contact other classmates if need be, AND that these undergrads are all friends and could've gotten any one of the assignments with little effort. And these excuses aren't just presented to the teacher during the designated break - for some reason, these students feel the need to share their cockamamee stories with the entire class. They constantly interrupt the professor when she's talking with inappropriate outbursts, and one student even said that she had probably read more on a particular subject and was therefore probably more knowledgable. The gall of these people!

As much as I enjoy Writing For Fiction, I'll be very glad when it's over.

The Dentist: Friend or Foe?

I visited my dentist today for a teeth cleaning and found out I have four cavities. Four! I also made an appointment to have my wisdom teeth pulled out next month. Joyous.

My love affair with the dentist began about two months ago, after my first visit in three years. Today was the first visit I didn't leave crying - but then again, it was just a cleaning. In February, I found out that my wisdom teeth had to go and a crown was needed on a tooth I had cracked. I bawled on and off all day. The day I received my temporary crown - definite eye leakage. The day my permanent crown arrived: "This will be a piece of cake," the doctor said. "You don't get numb, there's no pain - you're in and you're out." Not only did I have to be numbed, I had to use the special laughing gas mask in order to keep from jumping every time his finger was in the vicinity of my mouth. Tears followed.

For my first (and hopefully last) tooth-pulling experience, I've decided not to go under and instead pray that numbing and laughing gas will be enough to get me through. A co-worker joked that they would get me drunk the night before my extraction. With my track record, it's not a bad idea.

What Makes Me Happy

In no particular order...

1. Grapes - preferably red, preferably seedless
2. Harry Potter
3. Spinach dip
4. Freshly painted toe nails (I just did this last night)
5. Good hair days (with special attention to the bangs)
6. Sunshine
7. Mint chocolate chip ice cream
8. Rainbow sherbet
9. Friends
10. New clothes
11. Vacation days
12. The Legend of Zelda (for Nintendo)
13. Books
14. Massages
15. "These Are Days" by 10,000 Maniacs
16. Creative writing
17. Pizza Hut breadsticks
18. My actual friends
19. Clean clothes
20. Family
21. Bunnies
22. Squirrels
23. Babies
24. God

Little-j Journalism

Well, what do you know - this blogging thing is really catching on! My boyfriend Luke and his good friend Tom started blogs this weekend (see links on the right; Tom's is actually a concept blog).

I purchased a book last weekend called Never Threaten to Eat Your Co-Workers: Best of Blogs, and it is said that blogging (also referred to by this book as "little-j journalism") will take over the print medium and reshape literature as we know it. I feel like I'm part of this neat club that only the truly creative types care enough about to join.

Bloggers of the world, unite!

Fake Nails - I'm Lovin' it?

Aesthetically, this has been a big year for me. I'm feeling more comfortable in my own skin, allowing myself to wear clothes of a more revealing nature, and "tainting" my hair color with fun summer highlights that I love enough to keep permanently. My newest venture - fake nails.

Huh.

Let me first say that these nails are beautiful - a French manicure, no less. I've never had a French anything before. (Well, I guess that's not entirely true.) And wearing them makes me feel a little more grown up, a little more sophisticated, even a little more womanly. It's like my normally ugly, chewed up fingers are wearing a Halloween costume that can safely stay put for three to six months. That being said, they're also a major pain in the ass. The first day was the worst. I couldn't turn the key in my car's ignition without my nails clinking against the steering wheel, and I almost broke one just by opening my car door. Handling towels and wash cloths are now brand new experiences, and I must take extra care when removing clothes from the washer and dryer. I had to get a brand new wallet because I can no longer thumb through my plastic cards. Picking my wedgies are a thing of the past. Hell, I can't even get my fingers through my hair in the shower without fear of the nails breaking off and getting lost. How has this phenomenon caught on with so many women?

Upside - I haven't chewed my fingernails since Tuesday because - well - it's simply no longer possible.

I have an image of this wonderfully sophisticated woman I want to be one day, and I thought these nails would bring me one step closer to that woman. Now I'm realizing that maybe she's not as cool as I once thought. I think I'd rather be able to pick my wedgies.

Other news: I have fallen in love with my screenwriting class and the art of writing for film. I recently turned in an 18-paged dramatic story filled with lust, betrayal, vomit, and murder. In it, a married woman feels trapped as the caregiver of her 82-year-old-dying-of-lung-cancer mother-in-law, has an affair with the neighborhood handyman, and kills the old woman with a pillow. Not a masterpiece, but definitely worthy of a Lifetime movie. Maybe one day I'll post it....

Today is also my two-year anniversary as an employee for Saint Joseph's College. I'm not sure whether to feel really proud or a little bit sad. It's probably both.