home

“Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go.”- Sarah Dessen

While I've been away at college, I've been thinking of what defines 'home'. I've thought about this every time I ask my roommate, "When are you coming home?" or when someone asks me, "I'll drop you off at home" or, "Hey, I just got home!"

It's weird to think that I have more than one home now, that I'll probably have more than one home for the rest of my life. I don't know if I feel at home here just yet, but it's becoming more and more comfortable each day, and I don't think it's my body adjusting to it. I think it's more than familiarity that changes what you call home. It's people. I wouldn't feel at home if I had never made friends.

And it's odd to think that anywhere in this entire world can be my home. I'm at this weird life-limbo, where I can end up anywhere at this point, depending on where life drags me. I like that while at the same time, it scares the hell out of me. 

Maybe I'm thinking about it too much, maybe I don't need to define everything in my life so quickly. I feel that way about a lot of things; defining my career, my friendships, my passions. I always feel like I need to be 100% sure of everything, when that's just not possible when you're 18 living on your own for the first time. 

But back to what I was saying about home. Like the quote above says, home is a moment. I feel at home when I'm laughing until I feel like I'm going to pee my pants with my best friends. Home is when I hug someone I haven't seen in months. Home is where my family is, but it's also where my heart is. And maybe I'm just too sentimental of a person, but I feel like I keep the places I go in my heart all the time, and build this 20 story building of homes in my heart, and I keep it all there. 

I like the idea of that; I'll always have somewhere to call home. 

WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY #2

                                                        
What I’m Reading: Right now, I'm reading Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike. I picked this book up on a whim, not knowing what to expect. I absolutely loved her book Wings back in middle school, so I was really REALLY hopeful for it. I haven't picked up a quality fantasy that's pulled me in from the first line in a long time, and I'm so happy because this one did. I can't even tell you what the book is about yet because it's so mysterious right now. I just really recommend it as of right now.
What I’m Writing: Well, as of right now I've only been writing a paper for one of my classes, so I haven't even touched my manuscript; I haven't even had time to update my blog in the last couple of days. So hello, college workload, thanks for creeping up on me like that.
What Inspires Me Right Now: Well, I would love to say that the beautiful city I'm living in right now is inspiring me, but I've yet to go out and see any of the sights of this beautiful place, besides the campus. But I have been meeting SO many different kinds of people here, so many different majors and lifestyles and personalities. I just really like it. I wanted to come here and find people that were just like my friends at home, but I'm starting to realize that that's not what I should be doing. I should be wanting to meet people that I would never have talked to if I hadn't come and lived here. I like that I'm surprising myself with the people I'm surrounding myself with. I feel like I'm unwrapping all these little packages as I meet and get to know new people. Maybe that sounds weird but when you go to school with the same people for so long, even just through high school, you forget what it's like to make a million different friends. It's exciting to not know who I'll be best friends with by the end of this year. I like that a lot.
What Else Is New: I've just been studying a lot. And not writing a lot. And I joined the newspaper. That's pretty exciting, but other than that I've just been living life and going day by day.

a simple life update

I'm sure you're all DYING to know what's going on in my life right now (just kidding, i highly doubt any of you are that curious) so I figured I'd give you a quick update on what I'm up to.

So as I've mentioned before, I'm venturing into my first year of university! I'm about 4 weeks into the school year, and things have been going really well.

I will admit, in the beginning, I had a really hard time adjusting. I'm far from home, had no friends, and felt exceptionally lonely. With that being said, I obviously am doing a lot better. I'm not as lonely (thanks to my awesome new friends) and although I miss home a lot sometimes, and mostly miss the people back home, I'm still happy here. I love my room, my friends, and being independent for the most part. My class are alright, but I'd love a writing course next semester.
I know this blog post is painfully boring, but I figured I'd throw this into my daily posting just so you all know how I'm doing and what I'm up to.
I guess all I'm saying is I'd doing really well, and I think college is such a great time to find yourself and create yourself. I don't think you should go to college and feel like you NEED to change into some super cool outgoing show stopper person, but you can be anything, you can change your habits, you can try new things; these people don't know you the way everyone in your home town does, and that means a clean slate. I think that's awesome. It feels refreshing and scary and exhilarating all at the same time.
Hopefully I'll be coming up with a book review or a writing post soon, so stay tuned for that! If you've been reading my blog at all, thank you so much for even caring, you all rock. 

strengths

I haven't felt very comfortable trying to give advice here, because I am deeply unqualified to be advising ANYONE on anything, but I thought it would at least be okay to talk about my strengths as a writer.
I think the hardest part of being a writer is the fact that we are so critical of ourselves, so that 90% of the time we aren't even aware what we're good at. I think it's important you sit down, especially if you're doubting your writing abilities, and put your strengths on paper. If you're feeling REALLY shitty, ask an honest friend what it is that makes your writing so "you". So here's a list of what I (and good friends) consider my strengths:

• Prose
• I've been told I'm particularly good at this, or at least attempt to be good at it. I feel like I base this solely on the fact that I read a lot of prose, and learn from what I read.
• One-liners
• A creative writing teacher once wrote on a draft of mine that I was exceptional at one-liners. This brought me immense joy, and I'm still proud of this compliment to this day. 
• Beginnings
• I always find my beginnings to be my strongest part of my writing, and also the easiest for me to pick up. They hold the most passion in my story.
• Dialogue
• My high school creative writing teacher once shared with me that my dialogue was realistic and real. Yay! 
• Evoking emotion
• I asked my friend just now what I'm good at writing wise, and she said, "I don't know, it just makes me feel."

Maybe I have more strengths, but as of right now I'm not really aware of them. I'm proud of what I'm good at, and I'm not ashamed of the things I'm not so good at! 

**what are some of your strengths??**

you are a sunset

“People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don’t find myself saying, “Soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner.” I don’t try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds.” - Carl R. Rogers

When I read this quote, I feel a sense of peace. We are just as beautiful as sunsets, and I think we forget that a lot. We forget that people are beautiful and stunning and special and one-of-a-kind and breath-taking. We forget that we're all these things, and we look in the mirror and pick at things we hate, and we walk past girls on the street and pick at things we hate about them, and it's a never ending circle of over-analyzing everyone.

I try and go every day with noticing one thing I love about myself. I was never self-conscious as a little girl, or into my pre-teen years. I wasn't really that self-conscious throughout high school either, but I was acutely more aware of how a shirt fit me, or if my smile looked good in a selfie or not. And I never want to be one of those people who rant about social media and how it's ruining our youth or whatever, but I do see how selfies and taking pictures of myself affect the way I see myself. 

I think as I get older I get more frustrated with how I feel about myself. Which is normal, and I just have to pull myself back and remember that I am who I am for a million reasons, and that's just fine.

And when you look at someone, and feel the need to  pick apart their image, you're doing it all wrong. 

My favorite part of this quote is, "I watch with awe as it unfolds", because I think we forget to look at people, and the way their eyes light up when they talk about something they love, or when they cry at movies, or how someone's laugh can make them the most beautiful human being on earth. I think we forget to stop and watch the beauty of someone being THEM. Personally, I don't think there's anything beautiful than getting to know someone, and as I go through this time in my life where I am meeting so many new people, it feels like watching sunsets, getting to see people become more themselves the longer I get to know them. 

So appreciate sunsets and appreciate people and realize how similar the two are, and watch in awe at just how beautiful it all is. 

MUSIC MONDAYS #2

So, fitting in perfectly with the schedule, I attended a concert last night, so it only seem fitting I do my music monday on my concert experience!

The concert I went to was Twenty One Pilots, they're a band, well, more like a duet. Their music is VERY different. They're kind of new age, rape, electronic, alternative indie, punk I-dont-even-know. Just look them up, they're awesome and a category of their own.

Now, this is not my first concert to say the least, but MAN this one was different. I guess since it was an electric/dance/rap concert thing, it wasn't the atmosphere I was used to. But regardless of that, I really liked the crowd and the vibe they were giving off. If there's one thing I learned from this concert, it's that Twenty One Pilot fans are DIE HARD.

Now onto how the actual concert went. We were pretty far back at first, but as the excitement rose, people started pushing around (which was slightly irritating but whatever) and somehow we got pushed to almost the front, which I'm not complaining about. After the opening acts (I didn't find them very interesting, sorry) the guys FINALLY came on, and I swear the crowd packed together like a can of sardines. I was okay at this point, because I was expecting that. But when the guys came out with their starting song (Guns For Hands, my FAVORITE) everything went insane. There was a lot of jumping and pushing and overall craziness. I loved every second. I loved watching the stage through all the hands, I loved seeing people being lifted into the air and screaming out the words, I loved it all. Maybe not the sweaty backs and stuffy air, but hey we all have to make sacrifices.

I'll admit, I had to bounce out before the last couple songs, I thought I was going to vomit. (I hadn't eaten before when I REALLY should have) So we watched the encore from the back, and I'm a little upset we didn't stay in because the crowd held the guys up on these boards and they performed from the crowd and that was AWESOME to see. But regardless I loved watching it.

These guys are honestly full of so much talent, and their lyrics are revolutionary. They can speak to so many people on so many levels, and I love that. The lyrics are everything to me when it comes to music, and Twenty One Pilots don't even come close to falling short lyrics wise. I'm so happy I got the chance to see them, especially in a small intimate setting.

Everyone go check them out right now!

growing into love

Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new."- Ursula K. Le Guin

I think that people often think that once a couple is happy, it's so easy to keep it that way. The way I look at it is this: People are always changing, and this doesn't exclude people who are in love. I think that especially young love is the most difficult kind of love, because from the age of 14 to 20-something, you don't have a damn clue what you're doing. If you do, you're lying to yourself.

Hell, you could be 68 and still have no clue. But that's beside the point. What I'm saying is that growing up is hard enough, but being in love and growing up at the same time changes the game. Guin compares love to bread, which seems weird at first, but it's so true. Love can go bad. It happens all the time, but it's the people that know that love involves constant changing, on both partners side, that love each other unconditionally and forever. 
Sometimes bread goes stale, or rots, but that doesn't call for the end of everything. You toss out the loaf, and you bake some new bread. I may be someone who forgives easily, but I also believe that starting over can make a hell of a difference when it comes to love. When you grow, you mess up, ALL the time. As a teenager, I always felt like relationships we're given enough slack. That sounds awful, but I mean, we're teenagers. When aren't we going to screw things up? So I learn to bake a new loaf of bread. I learn to make new of my love, and remember why I'm here in the first place. 
I'm a hopeful romantic, I always have been. I was before I was in a serious relationship, and I am one while currently in a serious relationship. 
I've always been a person who chooses not to talk about my relationship, because no one needs to hear about it. I don't mind, I don't feel the need to tell anyone anything about my partner and I's "problems", because it feels wrong sharing those things with someone who's not him, it's between the two of us and in the end someone else's opinion shouldn't help make a decision that involves only him and me. Maybe people disagree with this style of handling it, but I like it better this way. It's a lot less messy in my opinion. 
I'm straying from my original point, though. From the 3 1/2 years that I've be growing up and falling in love, I feel like I know a thing or two about how to make new of my love as my boyfriend and I change. And with the amount of change that happens from my freshman year of high school to my freshman year of college, we're champs in my eyes.
I don't know how we do it, I don't have some nifty pocket book or something like that. We just keep going, and that's harder than it sounds. So many times you want to give up, but it's just not that simple when you love someone. 
This quote means something to me just for the fact that when I read it, I felt it. I felt like whenever someone asks me, "How do you stay together for so long?" that's what I needed to be saying. And it will be what I say from now on, because I don't know if I've read a truer statement regarding love. 
You cannot just BE in love. You have to GROW in love, together. 

mattering

During my senior year of high school, my AP Literature teacher assigned us the "This I Believe.." assignment (link to the website: http://thisibelieve.org/). I was immediately excited about it, because it was one of the first "creative" assignments we had all year. This was the outcome.

Mattering

This I believe is true: “What matters to you defines your mattering.”

It is the belief that someone or something has the power to change you, the power to move you, and the power to define you. I have spent the last 18 years of my life trying to define my mattering. Who am I? What makes me me? I’m still not sure who I am, and that’s okay. It’s okay to not know where I’m going, or what I’m going to do, because I know what matters to me and I know that I matter. I used to struggle with the idea of being “average”. I struggled with the idea that I didn’t have a right to struggle. I thought my life was too “good” to have a right to complain about anything.

“There are kids in Africa dying, you know?”

“Be grateful.”

“You’re lucky.”

“Your family is perfect, I’m so jealous.”

This is what I defined my mattering as. I believed I didn’t have the right to be sad, angry, or feel like life isn’t fair. I let these things define me, I let them tell me who I could and could not be. I let them dull my feelings and deemed them less important. I let them lessen my mattering.

This was wrong.

I can move mountains with my words; my words can start revolutions, move people, and make someone feel something. One day I will see my name on the cover of a Bestseller. One day I will change at least one person’s life. This matters to me.

Words, music, and the people I surround myself with; these define my mattering. It is the way a pencil felt against the thick journal pages when I first started writing when I was 9 and the stories I’ve carried with me to this day. It is the books I read when I was 10 and it is the books I read now. It is the songs that make me cry and the songs I can’t help singing in the car (no matter how much I hate them). It is the friends I had in second grade, and it is the friends I have now. It is the best friends I don’t talk to anymore, the ones I still love, even if I avoid them in the halls. It is the boy I’ve grown up with for the last 3 years, and it is the boy who I will spend the rest of my life with one day. It is the image I have of myself; that I can do what I love and love who I am.

These are the things that define me. These are the things that matter. It is not their opinions of me; it is not my struggles or my successes or how others define these struggles and successes. I define myself.

And this I believe

 is me. 

cheating on my manuscript

I know, the the title is oh so scandalous. Yes I'm cheating on my manuscript. I can't help it, it just needed to be done.
I haven't said a lot about my main manuscript, because I don't want to give any information away if I one day (hopefully) get it published. So all that I'll really say is it's an untitled realistic fiction piece I've been working on for about a year now, which is weird to say because I feel like I've been writing it since the day I could type a full sentence.
But as I mentioned in a previous post, I hit a roadblock in the middle of my manuscript. Well, more like the middle of the beginning, I'm not really sure where I am in regards to beginning, middle, and end. Which is fine, it's a new story, I'm still growing and learning and figuring the whole thing out. However, I got to a point where the thought of writing it DISGUSTED me. So I took a leap and I starting writing a YA novel idea that my older sister and I came up with. The only word I can think to describe it is fresh. It's really fresh, and likeable. I could really picture it going somewhere.
So I pulled up a blank document, and started writing it. Obviously, I don't know what I'm doing yet. I like what I'm writing, but I don't know if the voice is what we want. I don't know if it's too cliche, or predictable. I can't tell if my character is pretentious or not, I don't even know major points for each of the characters.
But the point is, I had fun writing it. It was really fun, and I whipped out a good 2,000 words in a matter of 15 minutes, just because I wasn't over thinking, I was just writing. And it might not even go anywhere, I may never look at it again, but it made me love writing because I was starting something new, and I love writing the beginnings, it's always the middle and the end that trip me up. So obviously I'll suck it up, and I'll keep writing my untitled manuscript, because that's my baby, and I'll always go back to it. But I will, every once in a while, take a little visit to my mistress of writing.
So for all of you feeling guilty for "cheating" on your manuscript, don't feel bad.
We all need it sometimes.

P.S. please do not take this advice if it refers to ANYTHING other than writing, I don't condon cheating on your partner, just putting that out there.

**Having any trouble with your manuscripts? Feeling like you may need a little escape?**

WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY #1

                                                      

Well, looks like I'm doing this! Here we go. 

What I’m Reading: Right now, I'm reading Isla And The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins and The Coldest Girl In Cold Town by Holly Black. I'm REALLY enjoying both of them, and they're very different plot wise, so it's nice to jump back and forth between the two depending on what I feel like reading on the day.

What I’m Writing: Okay, I have a blog post coming up on this very soon, but I have started something that may or may not be part of my manuscript, and I'm a little pumped about it, but I don't want my manuscript to be left in the dark. Look, I'll explain soon, but yes I am writing quite a lot right now, which is better than where I was a week or two ago!

What Inspires Me Right Now: Well, I am feeling quite inspired by the beautiful city I'm currently residing in, and all the cute places I can sit and work at (Crow's Coffee) and of course my favorite writing buddy, Bailey, who LITERALLY forces me to work and tells me I'm awesome to keep me motivated, she inspires me just by the fact that she's written so much and her mind is so open to so many different ideas. I'm also inspired by this whole blogging thing, it gets my mental gears turning more often than not, and that's always a plus!

What Else Is New: Hmmm, well, life is a little wild right now, I'm moving out of my current dorm situation and moving in with a friend in another room (VERY long story, and I'm not sure if I should write about it or not) but yes I am one of those people with a roommate "horror" story. But I'm happy to be moving in with a friend, thank god, and that'll be happening this weekend(?). I am enjoying my classes right now, there's nothing too difficult as of right now. I have a Twenty One Pilots concert on Sunday (!!) which I'm super excited for. Oh! And I may be joining my school's newspaper staff! I'll keep an updated on that very soon!

**That's all I've got for this What's Up Wednesday, tell me what's up with you at the moment!**

overcoming writer's block

I will be 100% honest with you here, and say that I have not been writing as frequently as someone who aspires to be a published author should be. I will not blame any outward sources; it is all my fault. I simply have infected myself with writer's block.
I'm not even sure if I should categorize what I'm going through as "writer's block", because it very well feels like I'm just lazy and unmotivated. Regardless of what it is, I haven't been writing. And it's really hard, having to tell people you're a writer when it's been countless weeks since you've even read your ow manuscript. So I'm not sure if this post is about how I will/am overcoming it, or a desperate plea for HOW to overcome it.
I've been hit with a wave of writer's block this large only once before, and to get over that I simply discarded the piece I was working on and started out fresh. You can see where I would run into some issues when I start dropping stories left and right and making 0 progress in reaching my goal of completely something. 
I've read what other people have said to do, and honestly, that all sounds much too productive for my taste. So here is a list of the things I do when I have writer's blog:

• I read; no better way to distract myself from my own work than reading someone elses!
• Comfort food; let's be real, nothing beats a giant bowl of frosted flakes when you're feeling down about yourself.
• Napping; this is really a flip or flop deal. I either wake up refreshed and ready, or feeling like I've been hit over the head with a bowling ball.
• Shopping; I do this no matter what I'm feeling, book shopping especially gets me goin'. 
• Music binge; I get some of my best inspiration from music, and sometimes I like to have an impromptu dance party to calm my nerves.
• Chokers; this is weird, but I make chokers to occupy myself, and it's my favorite distraction.
• Journaling; this is considered writing in my mind, so I've accomplished something! 

Okay, so clearly most of those points don't help my writing process AT ALL, but I'm just being honest with you. I get lazy, quit, and then complain about quitting while I sit on my butt and watch Youtube videos. So maybe don't take my points too seriously, but also, sometimes a good nap or break from your piece can be really beneficial. Just don't let your break become long term, because trust me, it's not fun trying to get back into the game when you've been AWOL for weeks. 

And in regards to my writer's block, thanks to much support from fellow writers, I've started writing, slowly but surely.

**Care to share any realistic writer's block cures for me??**

MUSIC MONDAYS #1

So since I'm at a lose of what to blog about, I thought it would be cool to start doing MUSIC MONDAYS! I'll pick a song/album/artist, and basically just elaborate on why I'm digging it right now. Let's get into it.

Music Monday #1: Kids Again (Ft. Amy Allen)- Artist Vs. Poet

This song is a relatively new release by one for my all time favorite bands (AVP). I always love anything they put out, because they're AWESOME, but I love the simplistic approach of this one especially. I wouldn't know how exactly to categorize their specific music genre, because they've evolved greatly over the years, but I think it's worth the listen for anyone. 

About The Song: AVP and Amy Allen collaborated on this song, that's about a couple who make each other feel young again. They describe each other and it's just a simple love song about two people feeling like, well, kids again. 

Why I Like It: Besides the fact that I'm a SUCKER for a good duet, I think Amy Allen's voice suites the lead singers vocals really well, I think sometimes duets sound like each vocalist recorded in a different studio, and it just sounds separated. I think AVP and Amy Allen did a duet that sounds like two people TOGETHER, singing to each other. I also love the metaphors in all of the verses, the lyrics are raw and beautiful, and sound almost like poetry to me.

Favorite Lines: "She wears her loneliness just like a crown, but when she smiles all the kings will bow down"; "But he can listen like a rainy day, and drown it out"; "Leaves her desires at the welcome mat when she walks in" 

P.S. if you'd like to follow me on spotify, my name is Abby Jamison (spotify url: 1254130342) 

**So let me know, what's been your latest music obsession??**

understanding

“There’s nothing wrong with not understanding yourself.” - Jonathan Safran Foer

Another quote post; this should surprise you all less and less as you get to know me. I felt personally connected to this one when I stumbled upon it on tumblr. I think so often people feel like they need to have their lives together, especially at my age (18), from the time we were 16 and being told to pick our future college, we've thought we had to have it all figured out.

I have never agreed with this. I haven't even lived half as long as the average human being, there's so much I haven't learned. So why do I, and every student I know, feel like we have an obligation to have our shit together? Because lord knows we don't, we just pretend to.

So I am telling everyone (including myself) that there is NOTHING wrong with not understanding myself. I may live to be 102 and still never fully understand who I am or who I want to be. And that's fine. We are all here climbing the same mountain, and we're all a little lost sometimes. I believe that not understanding yourself can even be a good thing. Not understanding yourself means it's time for some exploration, maybe a little adventuring; it's a time to TRY NEW THINGS! (I'd like to pat myself on the back for trying something new aka this blog).

Look, my point is this: Do not let someone tell you that you have to understand yourself to move forward in life. We are always moving, changing, growing, and in turn we are constantly losing understanding for who we are. And hey, if you feel content and feel like you have full control of your understanding, good for you! I only hope the rest of us can get on your level some day.

I'm rambling now, but I do believe that there should be no shame in having no idea what you're doing with your life. Whether you're 15, 18, or 102, keep being you, exploring your understanding, and I promise you have nothing to worry about.

**what are your thoughts on this quote?? I'd love to hear**

noticing when you are happy

"I urge you to please notice when you are happy."- Kurt Vonnegut 

If you haven't already noticed the reference to this quote in my blog title, this is it. It's become my latest quote obsession, and I already know it's one of those I'll always keep in my pocket for bad days (and good ones). I just want to reflect on this quote a little.

It's from Vonnegut's book A Man Without A Country. I will be upfront and say I never have read this book, I've never even heard of it until I looked it up. But I did find it through a novel (Lets Get Lost by Adi Alsaid. Haven't finished it but it's at about 3 stars for me at the moment) and the moment I read the words, I stopped everything and wrote it down. In my phone, in my journal. I just had to make sure I NEVER forgot those words. It was just one of those quotes.

So after lusting over it for several weeks, I still have that same butterflies-in-my-stomach happiness every time I re-read it. And now I've come to the conclusion that this should be the #1 quote to live by. And trust me I've read through thousands of quotes, but this one just keeps sticking to me. I think it's a beautiful perspective to have on happiness, because so often we don't realize how happy we are until we're looking back on something. And all we have left is the memories to reminisce on and fill ourselves with could'ves/should'ves/would'ves. 

My point is, I want to always notice when I am happy. And just as Vonnegut said, I urge you all to do so, as well. I think there would be a lot less negativity in the world, if we would just realize the joy we experience, the moment we're experiencing it. 

So that's my extended explanation for the title of my blog and my current quote obsession.

***What's your current quote obsession? And why?***

the beginning

I'm not sure how I feel about this whole blogging thing. I've decided to give it a shot out of pure boredom in the hopes that it will somehow occupy my time. I'm not sure how to start things like this, or who will be reading this, but I'll tell you some things about myself to get this ball rolling.
1) I am a writer. Not published, or even close, but a writer none the less
2) I am a first year college student. This also tells you a lot about me (broke, young, and stressed)
3) I will probably talk about books, quotes, and songs more than anything else
4) I am a very long way from home, and I miss my family, friends, and boyfriend DEARLY
5) I'm still trying to find my place in this new city, and it's proved to be more difficult than I imagined
6) I am an English major, with an emphasis in Creative Writing and I'm excited for what school has to offer me
7) I'm quite un-extraordinary
8) Tea enthusiast and journaling obsessed
9) I have nothing else to say at this point

So this is me, in my entirety. I hope I can curb your boredom the way I'm trying to curb mine, so if you're willing to stick around, thanks for listening.