Smiling all the Way From A to Z -- T

Many things make me smile but the today's letter super-duper-with-sugar-and-the-kitchen-sink-on-top makes me smile. And big time. It is...

 

TRAVELING

 

I love being immersed in new cultures and seeing different places, especially if it requires taking a plane. Turbulence is a must at least a couple times while I'm in the air. Oh, just thinking about dropping in altitude makes me giggle. Yet, oddly enough, I don't like roller coasters so much. Go figure.

 

I've been all over the world and still have many a place to go! Before I kick the can (ugh, morbid, sorry), I plan on visiting every continent, even Antarctica. Yup, I'll play a game of tag with some penguins (I'll win, obviously) and most certainly wear bundles and bundles of warm clothing. Brrrr

 

Here's a list of places I've traveled to so far: Canada, U.S. (30 states), England (lived there), Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, South Korea, China, and Taiwan (lived there).

 

My favorite place I have been to is the Cinque Terre in Italy. Sigh!

 

Do you like traveling? Where have you been to? Where's your favorite place to vacation? Starting with the letter T, what makes you smile?

 

Writing Jewels

PS: Sorry I didn't check out many blogs yesterday, especially those people that commented on my "Sleeping In" post. My laptops power charger kicked the can (this is twice in all of a month). I had to purchase a new one. The person that let me borrow hers couldn't get it to me until later on last night; therefore, blogging wasn't able to happen. Plus, I was feeling a bit sick yesterday. So, long story short, sorry dearest followers. I hope I can do better today. :)

 

PPS: Refer to the blurb on the very top of my blogs sidebar to know why I am posting about what makes me smile. Go forward and smile!

 

 

Smiling all the Way From A to Z -- M

I don't smile about the following narrative, however I will get to what I do smile about in a paragraph, so hold tight. When I was 19 I had an accident that resulted in neck problems (totally freak bear mauling--note sarcasm). I moved to London a week later without the ability to seek out medical care. At age 22, as I stopped because of standstill traffic on the freeway, the "smart" guy behind me (probably was texting or some stupid thing like that) rear ended me going 75 mph. My car (well, dad's car--bless his heart), did a few 360's, hitting all the cars around me then stopped facing oncoming traffic. Talk about frightening. Needless to say, that exacerbated the pain a ton. When I was 27, another "intelligent" person rear ended me. I want to slap rear enders. Oh, that had double meaning there, you know what I meant though. haha

 

I suffer from neck all the way down my spine problems now. Super grrrr!

 

So, to the point: I smile big when I get a...

 

MASSAGE

 

You've heard of the five love languages, right? Well, my dominant love language is touch. I spoke this language before the said accidents, but it has intensified triple-fold. If someone even taps me on the shoulder, for the briefest of moments, I feel relief from pain. Let's put this in the context of getting a massage, just think of the euphoria I experience. A-freaking-mazing!

 

Although, I had one massage that made me literally whimper and moisture developed in my eyes. It hurt that bad and resulted in a nasty week long flu. But the knots dotting my neck down my back had to be worked out, even if it was like medieval torture. I'm serious! I'd have taken the box with spikes over that... Well, not really! Spooky!

 

For the most part, massages are heavenly for me. Sigh

 

I don't write all this to pull out the I-want-your-sympathy card; it just explains why massages make me smile. But I'm sure there are plenty of you out there that can empathize with me, unfortunately so. I feel your pain, friends. Let's start a club!

 

Anyway, do you like massages? Have you ever had a massage that made you cry? And starting with the letter M, what makes you smile?

 

Writing Jewels

PS: Refer to the blurb on the very top of my blogs sidebar to know why I am posting about what makes me smile. Go forward and smile!

Great News

I've got some great news for you all. No, no... I don't have a publishing deal. Aww shucks. But I did find a new job! It's located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It will be a fresh new change for me, since I've worked at my current job for three years now. Change is good, right?

Right!

I'll be moving again...to Salt Lake City which will be incredible. I've lived in England, California for a brief stint, and Taiwan, but never anywhere outside of Utah County, Utah. This will be a new adventure for me.

This is happy Julia!

Anywho, I start my new job on October 1 and hopefully will be living in Salt Lake City before then. I'm so not going to commute. This is all sort of crazy and whirlwind. I'm nervous, not only for the move, but for the "new job learning curve". I hate not being able to dive head first into a job without being able to do it perfectly from the get go.

This is similar to writing (at least for me). I want my stories to be flawless from the beginning. That stems from having to go through my first book so many flippin' times, more times than I have fingers and toes. Talk about exhausting. It has gotten to the point that I don't want to look at it anymore. Ugh! Sucky.

But writing, as for day jobs, is a work in progress. We've got to realize that Rome wasn't built in a day (pardon the cliche). Good things will happen when they happen--sometimes not on our timetable, either. Thus be the writing industry.

Well, I feel blessed right now. I am getting the chance to have a needed change in my life and to progress professionally. If it weren't for a lot of rooting on from family and friends, including a whole bunch of Facebook followers, I'd have bombed the interview. I nailed it, though and what do you know, I got the job with high compliments from my soon-to-be employer.

Not to brag or anything. haha

Well, now you can congratulate me... LOL Anyway, how is your writing going? Day jobs? Life in general?

Loves and hugs from...

Writing. Jewels.

PS: Another piece of good news: I'm getting my hair trimmed and colored tonight. Goodbye splitends and grey hair.

The Way You Speak





The other day I grabbed a bite to eat at a fast food restaurant. I zoomed into the drive-through and gave the employee my order, and then she asked me if I wanted a coke.

Instantly, I was taken aback because "coke" is not the norm for me to hear in Utah. When I want a cold refreshing drink with carbonation in it (which isn't very often), I say "Soda Pop". That's how I've always said it. Maybe it's a Utah thing or a King Family thing. Who knows? 

Anyway, I've heard people say the following when referring to this kind of beverage:

"Pop"
"Soda"
"Coke"
"Soda Pop"

Depending on where you live can contribute to how you speak, not just the accent but the slang or specific words you use. For instance, Utahns tend to drop the "t" sound when speaking. Example: Mountain sounds like Mounain or Fountain sounds like Founain. Or when a Utahn says the word For it sounds like Fur. Yes, very hickish, I know. I lived in England for a while. Every so often, I find myself calling the garbage can a rubbish bin. Don't ask me why of all the phrases I could have picked up on, rubbish bin won out. haha

My WIP is from the POV of an Irish girl. I've had to add in certain phrases or just little words here and there to make her sound authentic but not to the point that I'm going overboard. It's been fun to build my MC into a bubbly little Irish lass. Oh, she's so adorable. Just you guys wait!

Well, what do you say when referring to a nice cold carbonated beverage? What types of slang do you use or do you pronounce words differently because of where you are from? Have you ever written a character with a different accent? Do tell...

Writing. Jewels. 

The Hunger. The Games. Begin.

I'm going to watch The Hunger Games movie tonight. Yes, and I've had a ticket for over a month now. Haha Anyway, I'm excited to see how the movie pans out. If it's good. Up to par with the book. Gives justice to the story. And if it shows all sorts of gore. Man, that book was a bit graphic.

This got me thinking about the time I saw the first Harry Potter movie. Now, this could be thought of as showing off right now, but... Okay, I'm totally showing off. I saw the first Harry Potter movie while I lived in England. I nannied for a family while there. We went to the midnight showing. It was super awesome and neat to say I was in ENGLAND where the author is from when I first saw it.

Well, I hope I like The Hunger Games movie as much as I enjoyed reading it. But if anything, it'll be a great Friday night hanging out with my sister.

Are you going to see The Hunger Games? Did you like the book? What was your favorite part?

My favorite part was when Katniss sings to Rue. So special. It brought tears to my eyes. For sure.

Writing. Jewels.

Moving. Moving. Moving.

Today's post is going to be on a personal level. No, I'm not going to drag out all the skeletons in my closet, of which are not very many. . . No comment. I'm just going to tell you some great news! After a while of living with my parents, I've moved. Finally! 

I know you are all gasping at that, but hey in other cultures adults live with their parents for their entire lives. I would know cuz I got a degree in Anthropology. So don't give me any crap about it. Bahahaha! The good thing was while living with my parents I was able to pay off some debt that was nagging at me. So all in all it was a super good excuse to have some Mommy and Daddy time. 

Well, I knew it was time to get out of dodge and find my inner independent self again. I've lived away from home many times, though. Let me tell you, the first time I ever left the nest, I moved to England. If that's not a drastic change for a first-time-out-of-the-house-nineteen-year-old girl, what is?

Being in my new place (which is wicked nice) is liberating. I've put my life on hold for far too long and now its time to fly like a bird in a great new life and experiences. I'm going to encounter lots of new people including two room mates I've never met before. It's going to be great. And I'm happy about it! 

And what's even better is it is way closer to where I work. Great for a girl that has a hard time getting her butt out of bed in the morning. 

What new things are going on in your life? Have you had a time where you felt like you've put your life on hold? How did you break free from the chains? 

Well, I better get back to unpacking all my books. Sheesh, I'm glad I had some muscle help me move.

Writing. Jewels.