words of others

this is a muffin.  it has nothing to do with this blog post, but gee whiz it was tasty.

yesterday was #MSWL on twitter and i'm really on a roll with my draft right now. (mswl means "manuscript wishlist," by the way.  it is a twitter mass hashtag-fest where literary agents describe what they would like to see in their query inbox... writer geek stuff etc).

as a result i'm going to be letting other people do the talking today.  apologies in advance for this quiet blogging week (there's a good chance i won't be posting friday as we'll be driving to virginia for feasting and partying of epic wedding proportions... how can you not be insanely stoked to see two people who have already spent a decade together get married?  personally i think everyone should have an emily and colin in their life.  it's a freaking testament to the modern concept of soul mates, public shout out, you crazy kids).

"people love to be thoughtful at the very end of a tragedy because that’s the precise moment when nothing more is required of them." - gladstone

"What I see is a good man, m’lady. And they’re not like buses: there won’t be another one along in ten minutes." - anna [downton abbey]

"Deviation from social conformity is increasingly seen to be something in need of a pill." - giles fraser

"i chose a half-measure when i should have gone all the way.  i'll never make that mistake again." - mike [breaking bad]

"The vanity of existence is revealed in the whole form existence assumes: in the infiniteness of time and space contrasted with the finiteness of the individual in both; in the fleeting present as the sole form in which actuality exists; in the contingency and relativity of all things; in continual becoming without being; in continual desire without satisfaction; in the continual frustration of striving of which life consists." - arthur schopenhauer
word count: 27,239

advice to my 21 year old self

know your beliefs in terms of religion.  it helps you lead a more intentional life.

understand the difference between a natural desire for property and the desire to fill an empty life.

learn to like breakfast food (even if you aren't a fan).  eating after 8 pm makes you fat.

the world is full of mediocrity.  take advantage of that to make sure your life is not.

you don't owe it to anyone other than yourself to be anything just because you were born a woman (misogynists nor feminazis).

just because someone asserts their opinion, that doesn't mean they are ready to constructively discuss it.

if the best is available to you, don't apologize for choosing the best, but don't criticize the choices of people without your privilege.

etiquette, beauty, and a genuine smile can get you a lot of places, but it helps to have more up your sleeve.

hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

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