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gunterfan1992 · 3 years

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Interview with Half Shy (the songwriter of “Monster”)

For the last few months, I’ve been collecting information for a second edition of Exploring the Land of Ooo that will also cover the production of Distant Lands. This means that I’ve started to look into the new songs that we have been graced with this year, and this of course includes “Monster,” the beautiful track from the masterpiece that is “Obsidian”. And so I reached out to the song’s writer, Half Shy, who was kind enough to chat with me via email about the songwriting process!

(Photo courtesy of Half Shy)

In many ways, Half Shy is living the creative Adventure Time fan’s dream: She got asked by Adam Muto himself to write a song for “Obsidian” after he heard her music through Bandcamp! (I’ve dabbled in fan music before, and the fact that someone from the show might listen to it just blows my mind.) What an opportunity; I am so excited for her!

Since a second edition of my book won’t be coming out until after all the Distant Lands episodes air, I thought it would be best to share my Half Shy interview now. Read on for the fascinating behind the scenes story of how Half Shy and “Monster” came to be..

GunterFan: What is your origin story? How did you get involved in music, and how did the Half Shy project come to be?

Half Shy: I’ve been making music pretty quietly since I was in high school with a keyboard and guitar. I played one or two shows a year after college when I could find a friend or my brother to get up on stage with me, but I don’t really have that performer gene in me naturally. I get too much in my head and forget what the lyrics are to the song I wrote, or what the next chord is. Total brain freeze. So that whole experience is a bit of a mental drain. It’s something I think I’d like to dig into and figure out, but right now I’m really enjoying the time writing.

Even playing a song for my friends I still get pretty nervous. That’s where the name Half Shy comes from. I’ve always been interested in making things that by their nature draw a bit of a spotlight, but at the same time, I am just really quite nervous about the attention.

I recorded my first songs under my old name Hey V Kay in my bedroom and started putting them up online one at a time. When I got enough I thought about packaging it up into an album, but then got really distracted by learning how to fix up motorcycles and going to automotive tech school. When I eventually got back around to it I named the album Gut Wrenching.

After a few years I realized that I didn’t want the day-in-day-out life of a mechanic, I just wanted to know how to fix cars for myself and to have that knowledge in my back pocket. I got back into making music but grew frustrated at the process of writing and recording songs. I felt like I wasn’t able to capture the ideas I had in my head. Like trying to draw on your computer with a mouse. Doable, but it’s not going to come out like you’d hoped.

So these last couple of years I’ve focused more on learning the technical aspect of it, from the initial ideas and lyrics, to the recording and mixing. During that process I put out Bedroom Visionaries, and while writing I happened upon the name Half Shy in an old Thesaurus which felt instantly right. Learning all of that has been fun, I even went as far as to create my own book to solidify a daily writing routine (lyricworkbook.com). All that has been a bit of a tangent from actually making much music though. I should be getting my books in December from the press so I’m really looking forward to getting back into making more music instead of dealing with printing presses, setting up websites, and sourcing ribbon suppliers.

GF: What is the story behind "Monster"? How did the show get in contact with you?

HS: I keep a log of “Song Starters” with neat things I’ve heard in the world, and I would look through it every now and then and notice just how many came from Adventure Time. Eventually I thought well, I have to make a song about this show that just keeps breaking my heart. It was around the time I was nearly done with the first [Adventure Time-inspired] song “In My Element” that I got an email from Bandcamp saying “someone bought your album (Bedroom Visionaries).”

I get maybe one or two of these a month at most so I love to go in and say hi to the person and say thanks, be curious about who they are, [and] what they’re all about. Turns out it was Adam Muto, the executive producer of the show. (I asked and he has no idea how he happened upon my stuff. He guessed that I must have tagged something #adventuretime and he just happened to see it.) So I sent him an email saying, “Hey wow thanks for checking out my tunes. Also... holy crap you’ve made the best show I have ever seen in my life.” [I] played it real cool like. After finishing up writing my second [Adventure Time-inspired] song “Betty” I couldn’t help but fangirl real hard [and I sent him another message saying], “I’m sorry this is probably awkward, but I really love your show and I wrote these songs about it.” He was incredibly kind and shared them with his Twitter Universe, and a while after that I got a random email from him saying basically, “Hey, I’m working on this thing I can’t talk about, would you be interested?” I was like… well you know I’m pretty busy working at a sign shop so I’m gonna have to pass on this once in a lifetime opportunity (J/K. Obviously I fan-girl squealed and said yes immediately).

We chatted a bit about what the project was going to be and the direction. He mentioned there [would be] two Marceline songs in the special, [and he asked if I] would I be interested in giving the love song a try? Trying real hard to suppress my instant imposter syndrome I was like, “Yea, totally I’d be into giving that a shot!” So I read through the story and loved the idea of the dragon mirrored in Marceline, thinking through how they’ve both built up a protective shell, how she grew tough for a reason, but now she can open up and be vulnerable with PB.

From there I wrote the initial demo with the first two verses mostly intact and we went back and forth a few times editing it down into the final version. I recorded the final parts for the show in my little home studio in Seattle.

GS: When you were writing the song, what emotions, thoughts, or ideas were you channeling? Was there any sort of memory of event that you were trying to artistically "catch" or "recreate" with the lyrics or music?

HS: As far as channeling an emotion, generally I’d say just the experience of existing as a human. It can be so hard to open up and be vulnerable. I can remember that feeling even as a young kid—getting really excited about something and having someone completely trash it or look at you like, “Why are you so interested in that? It’s dumb.” [It causes us to grow] a little more weary to share ourselves because we know that hurt and embarrassment. The pain of being misunderstood is something I think a lot of us can relate to. Then having to decide whether to keep sharing those vulnerable parts of yourself or think, “They’re just not going to get it, I’m going to get hurt, so why bother?” and then stop putting yourself out there. You lose a lot with that thick armor though. You might feel protected, but you’re not feeling a whole lot of anything else other than the weight and chafing of it (I had a whole lot of armor-related metaphors that I didn't end up using.).

I struggle with this in songwriting too. I’m not the bolt-of-lightning type. There are pages and pages of cliches, total garbage, bad jokes, and cheesy lines that I have to get through in order to get to something that I am excited to put out there into the world: “Here I did this thing, I know it’s a little (this or that), but I made it... What do you think?” It’s hard to open yourself up to hearing the other end of that question.

I filled about 5 little pocket notebooks just thinking through the story, ideas, and trying to get this song right. I wanted it to feel familiar and honor the past songs of the show ([e.g.,] using the ukulele and referencing a few of the familiar chords from “I’m Just Your Problem”) but also be pretty open and vulnerable and different for [Marceline]. [I wanted to] show that she’s going through some tough emotions but also figuring herself out and growing.

GF: I feel like “Monster” is, at its core, an ode to the “Bubbline” ship. How do you feel about your song being intimately connected to one of the most famous LGBTQ+ relationships in animation? Do you have any general thoughts on Marcy and PB, Bubbline, etc.?

HS: Oh, I’m a total fan girl of Bubbline. The whole story of how Rebecca Sugar and Muto slowly morphed it into this deeper relationship is just great. As a part of the LGBTQ community myself it really means so much to see the representation of characters like yourself portrayed in an intelligent way. Growing up I was too young to fully understand what was going on but I saw Ellen getting cancelled, and [I] heard people around me saying they’d never watch her show again after she came out. That stuff sinks in as a kid and so to have these characters who are not only intelligent, but funny, complex, and unapologetically strong who also happen to be queer is really great. I love that the story here isn’t about their orientation, but that they’re people struggling with how to be open and vulnerable in a relationship.

It feels like something sci-fi and animated shows do so well—to show that ridiculousness of limiting who a person should and shouldn’t love. Marceline is a 1000+ year old half-demon/vampire and PB was born from the Mothergum of an apocalyptic radioactive world, but you’re going to get hung up on them loving each other? It sort of brings it into perspective in a really interesting way.

GF: Do you have any other thoughts about the experience that you'd like to share?

HS: Just how lucky, thankful, and honored I feel to be a part of my favorite show, writing a song for one of my favorite characters. It’s also incredibly cool how the people on the show are so willing to connect and collaborate with their fandom. Everyone [on the production crew] was very open and a real joy to work with.

I’d like to give a huge “Thank you!” to Half Shy for agreeing to participate in this interview; she really was quite amiable! If you’d like to hear more of her music, check out her website and her Bandcamp. You can also follow her on Instragram here and on Twitter here. And of course, here is Half Shy’s awesome video of “Monster”.

#adventure time #atimers #adventure time distant lands #atdl #half shy #monster #bubbline #marceline #marceline the vampire queen #bubblegum #princess bubblegum #pb #adam muto #interview

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punkscowardschampions · 3 years

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Ronnie & Joe

Ronnie: [is gonna rock up late despite literally living with Charlie so enjoy the entrance everybody]

Joe: [when you weren’t invited but still gonna show up like you have somewhere better to be, love that for you, the effort we’ve not gone to because we live here so it’s kinda okay but not really Joseph, also I imagine kinda shook she ended up showing]

Ronnie: [likewise in the sense that she dresses the same everywhere she goes unless it’s a job interview or court appearance lol but we know she looks good if you’re Joseph and into it, I imagine her zoning in on Jamie immediately like who the fuck is this and then oh I’ve heard nothing about you kinda energy soz gal]

Joe: [rude but not untrue in this case, at least Charlie can make it seem like you’re joking and Joe can go get you a drink like soz this is all we have energy ‘cos in jokes]

Ronnie: [I highly doubt they have enough seats around that table so I also imagine her dragging up something to sit on like yeah I’m here to stay bitches and drinking Joe’s drink while he’s gone as a throwback to when she did when they met at that gig and cos we’re obvs claiming him LOL]

Joe: [we know the food is gonna be studenty anyway so having smaller portions won’t kill any of us lmao, just dying at how shocked Sophie is having to conceal she is, host on queen, boring boyfriend having no opinions of course]

Ronnie: [don’t worry gal depending how much of a jealous rage we get into we probably won’t be eating it so you’ll still have brownies left, her face would be iconic and I totally picture Marc on his phone the entire time because Paul used to do that when he was with Trace]

Joe: [giving nothing to this bizarre situation, too real, Charlie and Sophie holding this together, soz guys, Joe jus amused af, do we sit opposite or next to hmm]

Ronnie: [read that as soz gays, ILY mum & dad, I think he needs to sit opposite Jamie so that she can accuse them of eye fucking each other or whatever so probably next to]

Joe: [okay yes gather ‘round everyone]

Ronnie: she lives here

Joe: yeah I told you, Silent Bob’s gf

Ronnie: you said he had a bitch not shes been chained to the radiator since youse lot moved in

Joe: maybe that’s his secret

Ronnie: whens he letting you have your go

Joe: got my own radiator you can have a go on when this is over

Joe: not to brag or nothing

Ronnie: wont be over til the fat flatmate sings & the other one sucking you off while her & mariah duet and the boyfriend pretends he aint watching youse instead is fuck all to brag about

Joe: be lucky if it got close to that level of mildly interesting

Joe: where are you in all this then

Ronnie: under the sink looking for drain cleaner or whatever else i can drink

Joe: why do you get to have all the fun?

Ronnie: i dont waste my time asking bullshit questions

Joe: how are we gonna waste our time

Ronnie: im gonna kill your shared girlfriend & youre gonna cry about it

Joe: I don’t think I am

Joe: no amount of tragedy is gonna breakthrough the chemical fog

Ronnie: you would if you could

Joe: [🙄 at her]

Ronnie: [tips however much is left of her drink into his lap not at all accidentally but we know Charlie and Soph will pretend it was]

Joe: [whip them off to go get changed boy]

Ronnie: [when you wanna follow him but you just gotta glare instead]

Joe: [probably taking whatever we’ve got in to make this go easier, ‘scuse us, so much missing out]

Ronnie: [you know she turned up already on something so do what you gotta do Joseph]

Joe: [Jamie should be talking to you about uni things thus alienating everyone else a lil ‘cos that is a bit rude and will annoy you gal]

Ronnie: [fully just opening up a wound over here literally cos she was already jealous but did not realise they had this much shit in common or anything in common actually so we’re just livid and bleeding]

Joe: [Sophie just running with the kitchen roll like omg do we have bandages guys like oh babe you truly only mean well, Charlie just giving the can you not looks of it all, Joe just jealous because we’ve obviously got our long sleeves]

Ronnie: [a spoken out loud fuck you at everyone but mainly Joe as we go to the bathroom to not deal with this but instead evoke the energy of when Mae downed that mouthwash because she definitely would and also go through the cabinets for anything sharp obvs]

Joe: [at least you can go under the guise of checking on her but really you’re just seeing what she’s doing]

Ronnie: [1000% have not locked the door because we wanted him to follow us but that won’t stop her telling him to get out because walking contradiction forever]

Joe: [locks it behind him in response]

Ronnie: [the most intense glare in response because could not be more livid rn]

Joe: [grabbing wherever the wound is like we’re gonna kiss it better or something like Soph for a casual bit of blood drinking]

Ronnie: [obviously have to push him away really hard because we’re obviously really into it and excuse you boy we’re trying to be angry and hate you, soz to all the flatmates when you hear that crashing about]

Joe: [lmao this tiny bathroom getting destroyed, steady yourself and her despite that clearly not being what she wants right now, roll up a sleeve ‘you never did the X’]

Ronnie: [the glorious visual of trying to get past him to leave/push him away again at the same time in a small space so you just end up pressed up against each other and the door making eye contact and it’s hot af ‘you never took me anywhere’]

Joe: [‘so let me’ do you mean let’s get out of here or in a saucy way either or you skinny as hell girl so if you not really trying to leave it’s easy not to let you]

Ronnie: [‘she’ll let you’ because we’re not just dropping this even if we want to]

Joe: [‘who?’ like an oblivious boy ‘cos clearly not where our head is]

Ronnie: [a really vicious read of Jamie based on what we’re learned this evening that I’m not gonna do because I am not that mean but it’s obvious it’s her and not Sophie we’re talking about, hope you don’t hear us gal]

Joe: [‘I’m not interested’ in every sense right now ‘and you know that, stop pissing about’]

Ronnie: [‘wasn’t any other cunt round the table hanging on her every fucking word, I know that’ because that was blatant Jamie]

Joe: [‘I can’t help it that her fella’s an accountant’ what do you do Marc, do any of us know lol, shrugs ‘we go to the same school, that’s it’ and a look like whatever the fuck this is is clearly more]

Ronnie: [she would wanna lol but we can’t because still mad ‘that’s it?’ not actually a question though more like you better be telling the truth boy ‘why the fuck have you never told me about her then?’]

Joe: [‘I thought I had when I said he had a girlfriend’ not not a lie ‘none of them are what I want to talk about, that’s it’]

Ronnie: [‘you were thinking with this’ grabbing his dick when we say so ‘that’s it’ cos even if that was true Joseph we shade the rest of the flatmates often and you know damn well we love doing it]

Joe: [shakes head even though we are very clearly into that ‘she’s no Soph’ like it wouldn’t be as funny soz]

Ronnie: [‘is right’ like yeah I know you actually seriously wanna get with her, and moving away but not to leave but to pick back up whatever implement we were gonna hurt ourselves with before he came in but didn’t get chance to because we’re genuinely upset]

Joe: [literally putting ourselves in front of it like no ‘Ronnie’ like I don’t know how you’re going to even put it into words boy so it’s mainly a !!! look]

Ronnie: [a look that starts out like don’t try and stop me/fuck you but turns into !! when his does like say something/do something if you mean it]

Joe: [got to go in and kiss you whilst making her push whatever she was gonna use on herself into him, now or never, enjoy the tension finally getting released]

Ronnie: [obviously we’re kissing you back so we all know what’s gonna happen next lol, soz flatmates I really hope you can’t hear anything, especially Charlie cos you actually know they’re related]

Joe: [it is not a big flat so keep quiet, just think he’s comforting her for all this time or what, god bless]

Ronnie: [she would be trying to keep quiet but not for y’all more so he thinks she’s unimpressed/not that into it but that would literally last all of a second because she’s obviously very into it]

Joe: [the levels you aren’t gonna wanna go back in but can’t be seen as being romantic lads]

Ronnie: [I could easily have her leave if we want though because it’s a fact that she doesn’t wanna be here and everyone would be relieved except Joseph]

Joe: [that probably makes sense, honestly, and you’ve freaked them all out, as was the point]

Ronnie: [and lbr you’ve freaked yourselves out with how good that hook up was too so]

Joe: [just go hide in your room like you’re very taxed by that in an acceptable way boy]

Ronnie: [god knows where you’re gonna go gal but please don’t OD again like you literally did in Margate no time ago]

Joe: [the headfuckery]

Ronnie: [poor Charlie just like UMMM WTF cos she must look bad even for her rn and we’ve behaved terribly and then literally legged it so]

Joe: [thank god you’re such a natural party go-er so you can make up some excuse to put them all at relative ease but yeah, for sure like excuse me]

Ronnie: [might be fun to do a convo between them when we’re done with this one]

Joe: [I’m down even though I really haven’t used him yet, I’ll give it a go]

Ronnie: [yeah it’s been forever since we did the group chats with them and Bronson and Bea it feels like another life, I can send you the convo we did where she told him she met Joe if you like cos I re-read that the other day and it was pretty good]

Ronnie: [but the real question is who’s gonna break first and start a convo and how long are we leaving it?]

Joe: [please do ‘cos did not realize we’d done that tbh]

Joe: [I could make a case for either of them, him to prove he meant it as he left it last time but her so she can’t automatically be on the ‘it meant nothing’ total defensive hmm]

Joe: [some hours later when the party is over, or could be]

Joe: Charlie was going pub, he’s left here though

Ronnie: [even later because whatever she’s doing she’s messy and can’t reply to the extent that she doesn’t need to because he won’t be expecting her to and yet here we are]

Ronnie: did whitney ask you to pass it on to us cos hes still disappointed like

Joe: couldn’t say

Joe: just letting you know that you’ll have a free gaff for a while longer

Ronnie: where have i chucked the other one for the sake of this free gaff in your mind mckenna

Joe: alright, free rooms better than fuck all

Ronnie: its his emmy oggie i aint there either

Joe: anywhere good?

Ronnie: compared to what

Joe: established it’s no brag compared to tonight

Ronnie: not gonna stop you comparing me & her

Joe: compare to what?

Joe: pleasantries over cocopops

Ronnie: youll be interested in eating her out now youve got what you wanted off me

Ronnie: 9 is easier to carve than an 8 and you wont look like youre trying to copy the infinity sign one of your other exes wouldve got inked on her

Joe: it’s not remotely the fucking same

Joe: if I was arsed about getting my numbers up there’s millions of girls in this city I could hit up before you

Ronnie: yeah youre not related to any of em and theyd have less clue how to shoot up than you do

Joe: even if the related bit was ringing 100% true, you’re the only user in town now?

Joe: you don’t have to pervert it when it already was

Ronnie: youre already romanticising it like a fucking 13 year old so yeah i do cause one of us has to get real

Joe: you reckon I’m so okay with it just because I can admit I wanted it

Joe: who do you reckon you’re lying to like I weren’t there

Ronnie: who do you reckon youre talking to like i didnt fucking leave you there for a reason

Joe: Fuck off

Ronnie: i did

Joe: for someone who reckons they’re so open, you chat so much shit

Ronnie: open to what soft lad infection

Joe: scars and trackmarks on your sleeve

Ronnie: yeah

Joe: you didn’t miss much

Ronnie: no shit you didnt just invite me cause you wanted to fuck me

Ronnie: can do that anywhere

Joe: yeah and you didn’t just wanna come to make Soph cry, like

Ronnie: i owed you

Joe: get it off your to-do list then

Joe: well done

Ronnie: stop crying youll never look as ugly as horse girl doing it or go for as long as her

Joe: you love her, we all 👀

Ronnie: i said shut up

Joe: no, you say something that’s not stupid

Ronnie: what for fucks sake

Ronnie: what did you reckon id say when you started chatting shit like nothing happened

Joe: alright, I don’t know

Joe: it happened, right

Ronnie: you werent hallucinating

Joe: nothing that makes that happen in the bathroom cupboard

Joe: I don’t regret it, I know that

Ronnie: meant to be made up to hear it am i

Joe: nah, probably not

Joe: but you wanted me to talk about it so I am

Ronnie: i wanted you to take the fucking hint when i legged it as soon as

Joe: you could’ve blocked me, so

Joe: pardon me for not taking it that seriously

Ronnie: not your crazy ex & i couldnt deny you your bullshit heroics

Ronnie: mary aint carrying me anywhere and i know how bad you wanna see me turn blue

Joe: you like having a stalker, is what you mean

Ronnie: block me and get your whore flatmate to tell you what she likes about you

Ronnie: weve established i aint got the talent to sing no cunts praises

Joe: we’ve established I’m not interested in that

Ronnie: cause you want me to tell you how smart you are at fucking me instead of beat the shit out of you

Ronnie: it wont last

Joe: familys forever, sis

Ronnie: not to your ma baby

Ronnie: did i look enough like her for you

Joe: what do you reckon

Joe: your theory, not mine

Ronnie: mustve youve still not fucked off

Joe: you’ve got room for another face tat or two

Ronnie: go do that then

Joe: you can leave out the yes sir

Joe: not my fantasy

Ronnie: no shit like youve been my bitch since you hit send on facebook

Joe: 😂

Joe: I’ve been worse

Ronnie: you trying to turn me on or what its a bit late for it

Joe: just the once, alright

Joe: bit cliche but probably for the best considering

Joe: very sensible of you

Ronnie: cliche that my da didnt stick around long enough for his side of the family to properly cut or sew me up so ive gotta regret not getting chance to put a razor blade inside me before you 💔

Ronnie: now youre gonna reckon i care youve said the once ll do when i just hate you & hate how you fuck even more

Joe: Could’ve said it was about as much fun as

Joe: it’s alright

Joe: both confused, clearly

Ronnie: youre not confused youre fucking smug

Joe: hardly another achievement for the fridge door

Joe: what’s to be smug about

Ronnie: probably for the best i dont answer that if thats how you feel

Joe: come on

Joe: aside from proving you were full of shit about not wanting to as well

Ronnie: fuck you

Joe: you don’t want me to say how I really feel

Ronnie: making me cum earlier dont mean you know what i want now

Joe: right, you want me to declare my love so you get more out of telling me to fuck off, that’s more like it

Ronnie: do i fuck

Joe: then what do you want

Ronnie: like you give the slightest shit

Joe: I do too

Ronnie: no you dont

Joe: I fucking do

Joe: [prove it in a way only y’all would, carve her name or something]

Ronnie: [send him your own pics of the bite marks you’re covered in which is a self harming thing you’ve not done since you were a kid because it’s been a headfuck every second since you two met and we’re not coping honey]

Joe: you hungry?

Joe: you didn’t eat fuck all, I mean

Joe: could get something not dubiously prepared by Soph

Ronnie: hungry as you are funny

Joe: I weren’t trying to be

Joe: on the spectrum, or whatever you said

Ronnie: you wish you had the excuse or the musical prodigy status

Joe: 💔 about that genuinely

Joe: just a dickhead

Ronnie: yeah

Joe: I don’t know what to say

Joe: there’s no point saying I’m sorry

Ronnie: no point is right youre not sorry

Joe: nah

Joe: it’d be lovely for you if I’d found you and you were fine

Joe: but like you said, it ain’t about me or her, it’s about loads of shit and you clearly weren’t so

Joe: just seems pointless

Ronnie: im made up you finally got your head round it

Joe: Yeah well, I didn’t tell you I was a good person

Joe: don’t mean I don’t give no fucks, just ‘cos I ain’t trying to save you

Ronnie: you keep telling me you aint like it matters to me who you are

Joe: yeah, it doesn’t in why you’re fucked

Joe: but what do you want from me

Ronnie: its your fucking fault im like this climbing the walls same as when i was a kid

Joe: yeah ‘cos you were doing really great before weren’t ya

Ronnie: all you give a fuck about is letting yourself off the fucking hook

Joe: Blame me then what does it change

Joe: do something about it other than fucking yourself up, I don’t care

Ronnie: stop lying that youre bothered if your only answer to me losing my mind is that i was before

Joe: I can’t help you

Joe: If you thought I could, though why the fuck you would

Joe: then I am sorry

Ronnie: 💔🖕

Joe: I’ve got my own problems

Joe: if I had any solutions, I’d light ‘em up and shoot them into myself first, naturally

Ronnie: youve got a solution i gave it to you

Ronnie: why the fuck would you make me feel something

Joe: Selfishness

Joe: pure and simple

Ronnie: on your way to a grown up habit im dead proud

Joe: what more could I want

Ronnie: that to scab over seeing as youve finally admitted its bullshit

Joe: I still think about you constantly

Joe: I still want to know everything about you

Joe: I’d rot with you

Ronnie: youve got your own problems to think about

Joe: yeah, and that’s hell

Joe: I’ve done plenty of that

Ronnie: yeah and youve got your escape

Joe: take yours

Joe: can have plan bs and cs even if a is the best

Ronnie: youre the kid who tells the rest to jump off a bridge

Ronnie: cute

Joe: you’re implying I wouldn’t and all

Ronnie: i dont give a shit what you do but i aint giving you the satisfaction of being the last fuck i ever had

Ronnie: youd cling to life long enough to write a pathetic song about it

Joe: that’s the nicest thing you’ve said

Joe: which is saying something ‘cos you’re so sweet, like

Ronnie: youre welcome

Joe: I’ll do a Dylan style ballad about all your 👼🏼 deeds

Ronnie: thats the biggest turn off out of everything youve ever said or done

Joe: thank god, you’re insatiable 😏

Ronnie: once you said

Joe: not for my benefit

Ronnie: its all only for your benefit remember

Joe: if that were true you’d still be here

Ronnie: if it was true i could be

Joe: come back

Ronnie: cant ive got a face tat to get done

Joe: I understand

Joe: my art isn’t there yet

Joe: won’t ruin your beauty

Ronnie: go ed and chuck yourself off a bridge you dont have to wait for me to boot your door in & do you in for chatting shit

Joe: well I am already devvo I’m not a prodigy so yeah, add lack of a steady hand to the list of failures

Joe: probably the meds

Joe: you know being poetic is all I do, why have we downgraded it to chatting shit 💔

Ronnie: why are you calling me beautiful when you could write it in your suicide note for your ma theres your downgrade

Joe: you’re too romantic for your own good

Joe: I wouldn’t be writing a note, sorry to dash your illusions

Ronnie: not me saying i get you mckenna thats your delusion

Ronnie: what are you gonna draw on me then

Joe: you do but it’s more fun to take the piss and pretend you don’t so

Joe: That is the question

Joe: won’t brand you, don’t worry

Ronnie: if i dont want it ill cut it out no pressure

Joe: it’s just skin right

Ronnie: yeah

Joe: how olds your oldest scar

Ronnie: older than you

Joe: what did you do

Ronnie: i used to take headbanging literally

Joe: ah, the floor never saw you coming, yeah

Joe: I have a head scar too [cos he either does or did on the stalker show idk but there we go with a photo like she probably knows hun]

Ronnie: [I just imagine her smiling to herself like yeah I know nerd]

Ronnie: cant both be poets had to express myself somehow before i pushed a safety pin through my cheek

Joe: that explains the permanent 😾

Joe: fucked the muscles, like

Ronnie: your shit jokes do

Joe: it was always easier to just start fights to get hurt

Joe: when I was a kid

Joe: though you work out ways to be sneaky fast, if you have to

Ronnie: they didnt wanna fight me

Joe: everyday sexism strikes again

Ronnie: fuck off not cos im a girl

Joe: why then

Ronnie: wouldnt be me getting hurt and if i was i didnt care

Ronnie: all those mental problems you told that call centre cunt about like

Joe: ‘course you were too proud to make it count

Joe: have to let them get some punches in or there was no point, yeah

Ronnie: no point in fitz flouncing in either fun though

Joe: true

Joe: I’ve got a brother and all, I remember what it’s like

Ronnie: scraps never went far enough

Joe: yeah

Joe: most kids aren’t that psycho

Ronnie: 💔

Joe: being misunderstood served me so well for the whole musician thing so whatever, I guess

Ronnie: i mightve bothered keeping some of my bastards about if they were guaranteed nutters thatd serve you well

Joe: you’d get your own room then, like

Joe: even if you had to pack them to the rafters

Ronnie: for a stalker youre dead concerned about my privacy

Joe: nah, ‘course not

Joe: I’d rather have a place to do the gear without the possibility of Soph or Charlie 🥺ing at us obvs, nothing but selfishness

Ronnie: theres loads of places

Joe: you can show me

Ronnie: is she there now she can let me in

Joe: no idea

Joe: their room is near the door, makes sense they’d be your first victims

Ronnie: youre too selfish to get off your arse and do it

Joe: if you’re coming I’ll carry you in myself, you know that

Ronnie: ill be there and youll still be going on about what youre gonna do

Ronnie: no wonder the other kids kept smacking you

Joe: yeah, all mouth me, deffo what I was known for

Joe: not a euphemism and I don’t think they were wishing it was but who knows

Ronnie: you sure you dont want charlie giving you the eye

Ronnie: how it sounds

Joe: I’m alright, tah

Joe: pretty sure he’s over it now I’m enabling you

Ronnie: hes over everything thats not horse girls from kent but reckons the fucking lost causes are us

Joe: He clearly just gives a shit about appearances

Joe: looking nice, polite

Joe: they’ll never speak again, like

Ronnie: forget him

Ronnie: open the door

Joe: [do that boy]

Ronnie: [boop his little head scar as you come in like oh there it is]

Joe: [‘s’not even a good story’ and producing some takeaway moment from the kitchen as you go through ‘cos the dinner party was not heavy on the dinner bit]

Ronnie: [a look like ffs because people caring in any way ew no but we are gonna eat it because probably haven't since that Margate moment]

Joe: [shrugging like bitch I’m hungry as we tuck in, obviously]

Ronnie: [kick him while you've still got your big boots on but playfully not aggressively]

Joe: [😏 but in a more genuine way than that cocky face looks, I am vibing Chinese not that that matters but there we go]

Ronnie: [weirdly I also thought that maybe because it's one of the grossest haha but yeah eat your food lads]

Joe: [greasy greasy goodness, love the subtle shade if any of them come out for a cuppa or whatever like oh hello again lol]

Ronnie: [I hope it's oblivious Marc just living his life]

Joe: [that’d be most amusing, unbothered, casually]

Ronnie: [I just imagine them doing stuff to try and make him notice like when people stack stuff on a sleeping person but idk what you could do in that little kitchen]

Joe: [for sure, just being subtly annoying/weird and he is just like does not compute ‘cos we mind our own business, so childish]

Ronnie: [love that for you two]

Joe: [we stan the regression for you]

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enchantedcass · 6 years

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And ode to Howler Con redux

I need to talk about something important to me. And it’s going to get kind of long.

If any of you have followed me for any sort of time you’ve probably heard me mention a convention called Howler Con. It was a small fan-run convention for Teen Wolf. It was in New Jersey and it ran for four(ish) years.

This time last year, the last Howler Con was wrapping up and I have some things I’d like to say.

Howler Con wasn’t a big convention. At its max, it had 600 attendees. But that didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that it was in a small hotel in a small state. It didn’t matter than not many people know what Teen Wolf, is, so explaining the idea of a convention dedicated to the show was impossible. None of that mattered. What mattered was what it meant to the people who went. To me.

Howler Con was a home. It was a once-a-year escape from life. It was a family.

Teen Wolf was an escape for me. I had gone through a traumatic family death and Teen Wolf was my escape. The show, the characters, it was about loss and love and fighting through hell to keep going. So when my friend told me about a convention, where other people who felt as strongly about this show would be going, I jumped at the chance. And that was how I first knew this would be something special. I couldn’t afford the ticket on my own, and within a few hours people I didn’t even know had donated to help me pay so I could meet the actors of this show that meant so much to me. I was floored. Looking back though, it makes sense. These were Howler Con people. They were about to become my family.

Every year this con welcomed me home with open arms. I made friends that first year, and in the years since, that have changed my life for the better. I met the best friend I could have ever asked for. I met people who genuinely care about me as a person, not as anything other than who I am. I solidified my own identity by being around people who didn’t care how I identified. I have friends who only want me to be happy and to feel loved. There’s something about that, at the base of friendships, that makes for the most genuine connections I’ve ever experienced.

The con itself was magical too. I emailed one of the heads of the con before I attended, just saying that I was nervous but how much it meant to me that they were doing this. She responded so kindly, and in a way that made me know I wasn’t just being heard, I was being understood. I attended that girl’s wedding this year.

The staff of Howler Con CARED. Do you know how rare that is? The staff felt the same way the attendees did - they wanted us to have the best time possible. They wanted us to meet new friends, create new memories, and feel safe and respected while doing it. And they succeeded 1000 percent. Every year I came away with memories I carried with me through the whole next year. When times got tough, not only did I have a group of people who I could reach for, but I could think back on moments of an entire weekend that was fueled with love and positivity.

And at the core of it, that’s what this is about. The attendees felt it, the staff felt it, hell the actors felt it. I know that because they said as much. They talked about it the same way we, the fans, did. Howler Con was a family and a home. It didn’t need to be more than a place where people who loved each other entirely came back to each other every year.

To me Howler Con was everything good in life. Every good feeling you might get made up Howler Con. That feeling of running into the arms of someone you missed. That feeling of hugging a friend tightly in welcome. That feeling of being around loved ones. That feeling of smiling so hard your cheeks hurt but you can’t stop. That feeling of singing in front of crowd when you’ve got major anxiety, or dancing with kids half your age, or laughing about a joke that makes no sense to anyone else. That feeling of heartfelt talks at 2 in the morning, and hungover looks seven hours later. That feeling of lying on a hotel room floor laughing and talking and singing and being so happy your heart feels ready to burst. That feeling of not feeling alone for the first time ever. That feeling when you know you’ve found someone who gets you That feeling of deep, complete, and devoted friendship. To quote Stitch, “this is my family. It’s small and broken but still good. Yeah, still good.”

That’s what Howler Con was.

But everything has to end. And endings are hard. I don’t have any good words for this part. I cried my ass off last year for weeks after it was all over. Of course the friendships and memories are still real and still with me but the anticipation of coming back, the knowledge that Howler Con would be there for me again this year wasn’t there. And that was really hard. And its been really hard ever since.

There’s a different kind of sadness from loss. When you know what you had and you don’t have it any more. It’s a deeper sadness that hurts more than imagining what might have been. It sucks. Endings suck.

But that’s not the point of this post. The point here is about what I did have - and what I do still have. The connections. The love. The memories of being happier than I’ve ever been. The knowledge that it’s possible to feel that way. The knowledge that there are people right now all over the world who adore me for whoever I want to be.

There’s an irony to the fact that for the past 3 years Howler Con was on the same weekend as NYC Pride. Because I think Howler Con sums up what the point of pride is. No matter who you were or are, no matter how you identify, no matter who you love, Howler Con was a family and a home and a safe place. The most comfortable I ever felt in my own skin, as a trans queer person trying to figure their mental illness out, was with these people, at these conventions.

I could never thank every person involved enough. I could never do justice to the emotions I have with the limited words I’m given. I’m trying, but even now I’m so tempted to delete this post because it feels so little compared to how much Howler Con gave me. What it meant to me and still means to me. I don’t have a grand ending here. I’m still not sure how to feel okay but it all being over, and yeah I hope it’s not over forever, but still. I needed to get at least this much out there. I needed to talk about this convention, one year after its ending. Because when you leave home, you still miss it, and you still want to talk about it.

I love every single person I met at Howler Con. I love every single person involved in making these conventions happen. I genuinely can’t express it enough but I owe you all my life.

And that’s the thing I don’t talk about a lot. But coming back to the beginning of it all, I need to mention it. Right before that first convention, this was November after the death that happened in May. I hadn’t been doing well. At all. I was failing out of school and I was falling apart. I’ll be honest. I wasn’t going to make it to that New Year. I just couldn’t handle the pain in myself anymore. I decided to wait until I at least got to thank Tyler Hoechlin in person for what he did for me. So I decided to go to Howler Con. And the convention - everything I mentioned about it - saved my life. I decided not to kill myself because of the people in that little hotel in a little state who were fans of a little TV show no one really knew about. That’s what this all means to me. It means I’m still alive.

And since then I’ve had some bad times, I’ve had some relapses. I’m not all cured. But every year it was like a new dose of remembering why I stuck around that first year. And I still have these people in my life. I can reach out for them whenever I need to. And yeah, maybe I don’t have Tyler personally asking me not to do anything to hurt myself, but I have the memory of him asking me not to every year I saw him. I have the memories of all these actual famous people caring about little me, and what I did and didn’t do with my life. And I have my friends, and the people I love more than anything.

They’re still here. And I’m still here. And I think that’s a good place to end this.

#Howler Con #This is all mixed up and I repeated myself but #I needed to get this out #suicide talk

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antarestyl · 6 years

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So you watch a lot of Gordon Ramsay now? What would happen if Ramsay came to Grillby's bar? (lets say they are on the surface for this one)

Oh god I got so many ideas for that one. XD I wish I could share everything but a lot would be spoilers so… I try to keep it small for now.

So let’s say Grillby’s is slated for Kitchen Nightmares or something. The producer expect something spectacular, Ramsay might expect something dreadful because monster are not used to cook with human products and honestly, many humans would still be freaked out by monster and monster cooking and fire monster especially.

So he gets there and the bar is nothing special at first. Brick-wall aesthetics, kinda old and rustic and it shows that Grillby’s tastes developed quite some time ago. Grillby would still be the only employee at that point so Ramsay is like “you are the owner, the cook AND the bartender and waiter at the same time?” all unbelievable.

Then he gets the food. The plating could be better, still all simple and rustic and maybe a bit outdated but okay. Ramsay jokes about the burger in front of him and tries it.

And holy fuck the ode to joy can be heard from his expression itself. The food is delicious! Really delicious what the fuck?

So Ramsay investigates, watching Grillby cook and is impressed because Grillby taught everything himself. So he asks him how long he cooks already and Grillby’s answer:

“For about 900 years now.” (he signs of course, there will be a translator for him)

Ramsay blinks. The filmcrew blinks. The translator insists that was what he said. Nobody checked the facts. Grillby is over 1000 years old. He knows stuff about food no human can remember. He makes the most delicious food out of nothing and really cheep stuff. Grillby starts signing more, explaining some things about the Underground, about how they had to do with what the had.

Ramsay finally asks why the fuck the business isn’t booming then because fuck this stuff is delicious! Grillby shruggs.

Ramsay offers Grillby a job at his restaurants but Grillby wants to stay with his family.

Ramsay finally just helps with some re-decoration of the bar, getting out some PR for the bar and Grillby’s is booming like a week later. He gets out there and says something like:

“Grillby’s, despite being owned by a fire elemental, was exactly the opposite of a nightmare or hell. To be honest, the food there was like biting in a piece of heaven.”

And that is how I imagine a episode of Kitchen’s nightmares with Grillby.

Also Swabby and Fellby would be there too, telling Ramsay that Grills is a workaholic and needs to take breaks and Ramsay might be able to convince Grillby to hire some staff. The whole drama of the episode would come from that. The episode would mostly be flames with drama and some really great cooking and Ramsay being amazed.

Also the kids would be there too but in the background and maybe tell a sop story about how Grillby took them in and adopted them. Also Glitter. And Ramsay would NOT swear much around Grillby because the glare of a fire elemental is kinda… heated. XD

#Undertale #TrioBlasterSets AU #Grillby #Gordon Ramsay #Fellby #Swabby #Sans #Papyrus #Kitchen nightmares #I am thinking way to much about this #questions #answered #questions answered

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rosyredlipstick · 7 years

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important facts & quotes from hidden oracle reread #4 part one

i cited everything from the hardback edition bc im a nerd

- page one apollo is already making pop culture references (1)

- meg is such a badass oh my g od (14)

- riodan does such a beautiful way of explaining things in this novels. awe-inspiring. mind blowing. example: “Her eyes glinted darkly like a crow’s. (I can make that comparison because I invented crows.)” (14-15) wow. beautiful.

- so i understand this series is going to be about Apollo’s redemption and ~~~~finding himself~~~~ or w\e but JESUS PLEASE RICK you can’t just say “She [Meg] reminded me of the strays my sister was always adopting: dogs, panthers, homeless maidens, small dragons.” (15) WITHOUT PROVIDING SEVERAL BOOKS AS EXAMPLE FOR SAID SENTENCE all i want is a book focused on artemis and her army of small dragons and lesbians dear gods please

- omfg can you just imagine sally having to go over to Percy’s room and having to tell him that the greek god of the sun apollo was there to see him omfg. imagine the salt. imagine both of them just groaning. imagine.

-”If I had still been an immortal, I might have flirted with her [Sally Jackson] myself.” (30-31) l o l Sally is a middle aged married woman seven months pregnant and still bringing in the gods you go girl im proud of you

- Sally Jackson is one of the best characters in the entire series. citation: every riodan book ever even the non-pjo it’s a fact

- i 10000% support the idea that percy gave apollo the led zeppelin shirt as a sneaky joke he’s so smart i love him so much

- “Percy laced his fingers. They were long and nimble.”(35) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

- He [Percy] would have made an excellent musician.” (35) f u ck

- literally all percy wants is to “stay alive” long enough to go to college, meet his baby sister, and see his mom get her book published my heart is broken for this boy (35-36)

- the return of the seven layer dip fuck me up (40)

- jfc that poor Prius it’s been through so much (52-54)

- page 67 and Percy’s already made two comic book references he’s such a canon nerd

- “Cops love me almost as much as teachers do.” god Percy Jackson what are you doing to me

- apollo tried to order a pizza to CHB and honestly same (73)

- g o d will solace jfc wow

- we’re to assume Will’s a skier (his Okemo Mountain jacket & skiers tan) (82) and now i have to write the inevitable fic that comes out of this fact

- Will’s mom was a alt.-country singer from Austin, Texas (83) which wow and honestly makes the fact will is a horrible singer 1000% better

- yellow daises grow year-round in the Apollo cabin, and it smells like fresh linens and dried sage. (83)

- kayla is aiming for the olympics and honestly im so proud already

- fact: any and all solangelo interaction have me crying into my book

- “Will put his hand on Nico’s shoulder, ‘Nico, we need to have another talk about your people skills.’” lol this implies that they’ve had this talk before and im dying to hear it

- the Hermes kids are big fans of Rocky Horror Picture Show (95) and now i have to write a seperate list of headcanons for this fact

- speaking of, Apollo used to cosplay as Rocky bc why not. (95-96)

- listen i know im solangelo trash BUT - “Will and Nico sat shoulder to shoulder, bantering good-naturedly. They were so cute together it made me feel desolate.” im destroyed (110)

- “but if I sit alone at my table, strange things happen.” “it’s a mood disorder” “i cant control it” stfu nico u nerd u just want to sit with your boyfriend im dead (110)

- Will nodded serenely. “It’s the strangest thing. Not that Nico would ever misuse his powers to get what he wants.” death to goody-two-shoes will solace 2k17

- off topic but CAN YOU JUST IMAGINE CHIRON THO. like. this happens and will and nico are just standing there. in front of him. telling him they have to sit together OR NICO WILL JUST HAPPEN TO PUT CRACKS INTO HIS CAMP. just imagine. him staring at them. sighing. deciding not to fight this one. agreeing & watching them giggle away bc they’re so SNEAKY & now they can EAT TOGETHER WOW

- lol when Meg was going to town on the hot dogs and “Julia and Alice watched her with a mixture of fascination and horror.” (111)

- “Will and Nico exchanged a look that might have meant, here we go.” (112) okay im sorry im just sO GONE FOR LITTLE MOMENTS LIKE THIS I JUST WANT NICO TO BE HAPPY AND COMFORTABLE IN HIS RELATIONSHIPS OKAY

- apollo refers to the seven as “the A-list” (112) same tho

- Jason, Piper, Coach Hedge, Mellie and baby Chuck are all in LA with Piper’s father like???? (113) THIS IS SOMETHING I NEED TO SEE? What’s the living arrangement? Is Jason living with Piper? OH GOD IS JASON LIVING WITH HEDGE AND MELLIE? DO THEY ALL LIVE IN SOME BIG PLACE PIPER’S DAD RENTED OUT???? do Piper and Jason babysit? do they have family dinners? how’s baby chuck doing??? how are they all adjusting to domestic life?? I NEED TO KNOW THIS IS ALL VERY IMPORTANT TO ME

- lol nico’s just as pissed as eveRYONE IN THE FANDOM about Leo’s not-death and im living for it (113)

- also nico carries around Leo’s lil ‘IM ALIVE LOL’ letter\hologram\thing? like i get it was completely for the plot but?????? “i look at it whenever i want to get angry” (114) like ok nico u lil bean whatever u say u little emo shit

- apollo’s little ‘lol when u have a headache in olympus hephaestus just cracks open your skull and removes whatever brain god\dess u just birthed up lol it’s so much easier ugh’ (116) w h a t t h e f u c k

- fact: harley is adorable no citation needed

- also you’re telling me chiron, basically as old as time itself tbh, doesn’t speak portuguese? k (120)

- “i am merely assessing how well paolo’s arms are functioning after surgery” (120) those are some big words william u nervous or something??

- “hmph” - nico di angelo, 2016 (120)

- this isn’t really important but there’s a satyr named herbert and he’s my new favorite character sorry i dont make the rules (124)

- ok so there’s an unnamed random camper who mutters in Italian (127) and now i’ve got the BIGGEST headcanon that this random girl and Nico (omg maybe a few others????) meet a few times a month just to rant to each other in Italian so none of them get sloppy with the language and u g h im such a bitch for nico di angelo frienships

- “A boy in the crowd gasped, ‘she’s a communist!’” (127) i fucking hate this book omfg

i’ll do more later in order to mentally prepare myself for the dark prophecy but it’s 3 am and im tired

#solangelo #of course #nico di angelo #trials of apollo #the dark prophecy #the hidden oracle #rick riordan #will solace #apollo #percy jackon and the olympians #headcanons #reading: the hidden oracle #again i know

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consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis · 7 years

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Gluten Free Goodie Box Giveaway + 5 Ways Blogging Has Made My Life 1000% More Awesome

New blog post! You can research the best blogging platform, experiment with tons of blogging apps and read all the blogging for beginners books you can find. However, some blogging lessons can only be discovered from personal experience...and that's exactly what I'm talking about today!

To celebrate four years since I started blogging at Casey the College Celiac (and four years since my celiac disease diagnosis), I'm hosting a gluten free giveaway (featuring 20+ products). This post isn't sponsored and there is no purchase necessary to enter this giveaway; I'm just going to mail one lucky winner a box loaded with gluten free treats. A blogging celebration wouldn't be complete with a toast, though - so I'm also sharing five ways blogging has made my life 1000% more awesome.

What is blogging to me? What do I think of making money blogging? And how can you win a delicious gluten free goodie box? Keep reading to find out!

1. Blogging has taught me that, sometimes, you just need to plan less and start ASAP.

If you're anything like me, you may want to spend months researching how to start a blog before you officially join the blogosphere. However, sometimes you just need to take the plunge and dive in!

That's exactly how I started blogging four years ago. I had no idea what I was doing, what the best blogging platform was or what to even call this new website of mine. (Fun fact: this blog started as "Casey the Celiac Sealion" in an ode to my college's mascot. Thankfully, that name didn't last long). So, in a process full of trial and error, I just started publishing my thoughts on the internet.

My first photo on the blog...

Do I recommend you do a little more research than I did before launching your blog? Yes. I wish I'd started on WordPress, and I wish I'd known even a little about social media marketing and SEO. Yet, my blog has still done pretty dang well (in my modest opinion), and my blogging experience reminds me that, sometimes in life, you need to plan less and act more. (A motto I'm taking to heart as I begin my grad school adventure this month!)

2. Blogging has helped me connect with people all over the world.

One of the most rewarding parts of blogging has honestly been the connections I've made with others. When I was hospitalized, people from all over the globe - ranging from London to Canada to Brazil - sent their love, prayers and healing thoughts. And, ever since I announced that I'm moving to Mankato, Minnesota for grad school, bloggers from that area have messaged me with restaurant recommendations, winter weather advice and invitations for a local tour.

I won't deny that I've met my share of creepy people over the Internet, which is why you should be careful about how much personal information you share and whom you exchange messages with. However, blogging has continually prevented me from feeling alone with celiac disease. Anytime I want to cry over being glutened or vent about an ignorant comment, I have someone to reach out to who completely understands. If that's not an awesome blogging benefit, I don't know what is.

3. I've learned how to make money while doing what I love.

I didn't start Casey the College Celiac with the goal to make money blogging. In fact, I think anyone who has purely financial motivations for blogging will have a hard time. Why? To put it plainly, blogging is a LOT of work if you want to do it well. You need to research, write and edit blog posts. You also need to get people to actually read what you write. Not to mention that, in my experience, most bloggers can't monetize their site from day one.

However, the more I blogged about gluten free recipes, living with celiac disease and college tips, the more companies reached out to me. And, in my mind, that is how you want your sponsored partnerships to start. Instead of trying to contact as many companies as possible, just do your thang and, eventually, brands will start to notice that you do it well.

My college roomie when it rained Foster Farms corn dogs and chicken tenders...

Nowadays, I turn down more product review and sponsored post offers than I accept, and I try to only partner with brands who I honestly support and believe will benefit my readers. Sometimes it still blows me away when I get a package in the mail full of gluten free products. I mean, what college student - or celiac on a budget - doesn't feel blessed when the mailman drops off an edible gift? What I always remember, though, is how lucky I am to have a semi-professional hobby that lets me taste and promote the gluten free products and companies I love!

4. I've discovered that I'm so much more capable than I ever thought.

The truth is, blogging is more complicated - but also more rewarding - than most people realize. Like I've hinted at above, when I clicked "publish" on my first blog post, I knew nothing about SEO or coding or even social media. The more I connected with readers, though, the more dedicated I became to learning how to improve my blog. At first, it was just publishing more regularly. Then I started to experiment with blog marketing. Just a few weeks ago, I finally got brave enough to give Casey the College Celiac a major facelift.

I still wouldn't ever classify myself as "techy." But I now know how to use social media to my advantage, how to make blog posts go semi-viral (like this one and this one did), and even how to tweak some coding here and there. Not only that, but blogging jobs - and jobs that utilize blogging skills - really are out there. One of the reasons Entity Magazine hired me was because I had an online following and was familiar with online publishing.

Me from teaching my class to other Entity interns...

So what am I trying to say? Basically, if anyone ever tells you that blogging is a waste of time, don't believe them. Sure, not every blogger might land a job related to their website. However, all bloggers can gain valuable skills - from learning how to keep readers' attention to designing a killer quote card - that can help them grow as writers...and people!

5. Blogging has proven that my dream - making a difference in people's lives through writing - can really become a reality.

When you're a college student or a recent college graduate, it's pretty common to be asked, "So, what do you want to do?"

My answer has never been one particular job title. Instead, I've always said something like, "I want to make a difference." Maybe that's by working for a company with a mission I believe in. Or maybe that's by being a college writing professor (my most recent dream). Either way, blogging has proven to me that I can make a difference using my writing skills and degree.

I'm not the most popular or well known blogger in the gluten free community - not by a long shot. However, all of my hard work is worth it when I read even one comment thanking me for raising awareness or one comment about a reader's own similar struggles. Readers have said that some of my posts made them cry, but, the truth is, so have some of their comments.

I don't know where my writing will take me during or after grad school at Minnesota State University, Mankato. I don't know where this blog will be in another four years, either. Yet, I know that I will keep writing - on and off the blog - the words I and others need to hear.

The Gluten Free Giveaway!

Now, I'd say that was enough food for thought...so how about we talk about the gluten free food one lucky person will win in my blog anniversary giveaway? As a Love with Food ambassador and gluten free product reviewer, I often end up with a bunch of extra gluten free goodies throughout the year. Sometimes they have other allergens that don't agree with me (like dairy or soy); other times, I've already eaten my fill. So, to celebrate four years of blogging, I want to spread the gluten free love to one randomly-picked winner!

What exactly will this winner receive? A box LOADED with 20+ products (around a $40 retail value), ranging from meal accompaniments to healthy snacks to baking ingredients (the gluten free baker in your life would love this 12-ounce bag of almond flour!) to desserts.

Some giveaway highlights:

- Delallo Gluten Free Lasagna Sheets - Annie Chun's Seaweed Crisps - Pereg Natural Foods Almond Meal Flour - A bunch of nut/nut free butters, including Peanut Butter and Company Powdered Vanilla Peanut Butter, Wowbutter and more - Savi Gluten Free Dessert Protein Bar - Buff Bake Protein Cookie, Snickerdoodle flavor - And much more... Whether you've recently been diagnosed with celiac disease, follow a gluten free diet or just want some new treats to try, this goodie bag would be a delicious surprise. It is important to note that these gluten free goodies do contain other allergens, like dairy, egg and soy. However, I'm sure the foodies in your life wouldn't mind receiving the products you can't eat yourself!

Ready to win this gluten free goodie bag? Read the giveaway rules and then enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below!

Giveaway Rules

The giveaway ends on July 14, and the winner will be announced here before July 16. This giveaway is only open to US residents over age 18, and whoever is randomly selected as the winner will have 24 hours to respond to my email and claim their prize. There is no purchase necessary, the number of eligible entries received will determine the odds of winning, and this giveaway is void where prohibited by law. Best of luck to everyone who enters! a Rafflecopter giveaway It's been a crazy surprising and exciting four years of celiac disease and blogging, and I can't wait to see where the next year takes me...and what blogging lessons I learn along the way. Until then, I'll keep writing, eating some delicious gluten free food and, of course, blogging about my adventures. What gluten free product from this goodie box would you like to try most? What blogging lessons have you learned? Tell me in the comments!

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dallasareaopinion · 7 years

Text

Next up: Logic?

Greetings everyone, (see end of post for action requested and trying to stay productive)

I cannot believe I have not thought of this before, yet then again it is me and thinking about stuff way too late is pretty standard.

Last week I saw an article where President Trump (excuse me I must throw up while I type these words) met with the CEOs of leading healthcare companies. So, I got to thinking.

I have never read nor heard anyone in Congress spending time with people who are consumers of health care to talk about the Affordable Care Act or any replacements. There has been much discussion from some corners about repealing the ACA, however, in all the original machinations of the bill and subsequent conversations about replacing or coming up with something better I have not heard any serious engagement with us.

Maybe there were some focus groups and I am sure some demographic studies were done, yet and I may be wrong, has anyone heard about Congress or the Executive branch of either the current or previous administration sitting down with large swaths of the American people and discuss what the word AFFORDABLE health care really means? Or even what health care means? We, the people and consumers, are most affected by this legislation and yet; what say we.

I just think it is a wonderful idea for Congress to spend large amount of time talking to people who must pay insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, lab work, prescriptions, over the counter medication, hospital bills, and the whole host of products we pay to take care of ourselves. Does the leadership in our country understand we are at the mercy of the health care providers and them? A person can get the impression they like it that way. Not me, though.

And what about insurance companies, you would think they might be hyper vigilant to monitor costs of health care to help us (their customers) reduce our and their expenses. A person might think this would be a primary function of their business model. And yet…..Healthcare costs AND healthcare premiums continue to rise at significant rates above inflation. Why? We pay more and get less coverage year after year.

Remember back in the 1930’s two significant pieces of legislation were passed to protect mutual fund customers. The Mutual Fund companies were charged with a fiduciary duty to protect their customers. Maybe our Congress can pass a bill similar for insurance companies to be held accountable to their customers,,,,, oh wait,,,, I forgot Wall Street just lobbied away consumer protection for customers of Financial Representatives saying they needed to act in the best interest of their customer. My God that just sounds wrong doesn’t it, yet lo and behold…… we have a new sheriff in town and he loves Wall Street no matter what he says.

Oh well, back to healthcare, which is back to square one for the American Consumer because Congress, Our President, Insurance companies, AMA, Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and all the companies who make a profit off health care could give a rat’s back end about the one person that matters the most: US

So, the next time someone talks about the ACA, Obamacare, repealing it, or replacing it, ask yourself one question. Why am I not beating the door down in Washington D. C. to get better representation?

Think about it, you know better than anyone how much this is eating up your budget, your future, your family, your life. What controls do you have? Now some will say it is our responsibility to take control since this is our life. I agree which leads me back to why aren’t we more active in lobbying Congress ourselves for something better that puts us first. Yes, I and maybe you could spend hours of our day researching every decision we make, yet how many times are we faced with deciding in the heat of the moment when you or your family member is sick, in pain, injured, or being told catastrophic health news. Yes these are the exact moments when we have to make these decisions, not on a cloudy Saturday afternoon when we are running errands, cleaning the house, yardwork, chasing the kids around, running from one event to the next kid’s birthday party, trying to cook or run into a fast food restaurant to feed everyone, yeah, I can squeeze in a few hours for a few weeks to maybe figure out which lab companies are in my insurance network because if I don’t my lab bill is hundreds more.

Yes, it is my responsibility to take care of myself, but it is not Congress’ responsibility to take care of big business especially when there is a conflict between our interests and theirs. It is Congress responsibility to write legislation that balances the needs of the whole country and represent us the people.

The Affordable Care Act was mislabeled from the start and never should have been passed in the first place, yet no one in Congress has come up with anything better and all the while listening to the medical industry’s lobby groups on what should be done. I am glad the current replacement is in a secret room and hopefully it stays there.

I hope that somehow some way Congress really decides to talk to us, to sit down with many of us and really go through our medical bills one by one for a whole year or more, looking at what we are being charged for the bill, what is being charged, do they think we need this much care, our deductibles, what our insurance companies are doing for us since we pay them for their services, see what happens to our families when someone is diagnosed with Cancer or dementia, how much is long term care insurance, and sit with us when we make decisions for something there is no control. Yeah, tell a loved one, this is just life and there is nothing we can do. Come on Congress come sit and talk to us, not in a focus group, but when we are struggling to pay bills and buy glasses so we can see or come up with another $1000 to pay for dental work or sit with us while our child is in so much agony you can’t think straight. Yep sit with us then and then go back and write health care laws.

So here are the links to write your Representative or Senator:

http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Of course, when you click on their link they want you to sign up for their newsletter, yet you have to do a couple of clicks to find how to contact them. So, check out their webpage if so inclined and write them an email or send them a real letter and let them know how you feel. If unsure what to say, please see the paragraph below to give you an idea or tweak it a bit for your benefit. And the link below is some resource information for writing your own letter or email. Cheers all

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/letterscongress.htm

“The best letters are courteous, to the point, and include specific supporting examples”

Example:

Your name and address (especially if you want a response)

Insert your salutation and Congressperson’s name

I am writing you to express my concern over healthcare legislation. My understanding is you are working on either replacing or repealing the Affordable Care Act. This action will affect many of your constituents including myself. I hope you consider my concerns.

Healthcare is continually consuming more of my time, energy, budget, and unfortunately negatively affects my overall health. It is hard as a consumer to navigate the amount of material to make informed healthcare decisions. Too often I find myself having to make healthcare decisions at inopportune times such as in the emergency room or when I am in pain or with a very sick child. Unfortunately, I find myself at the mercy of the situation and then come home to face medical bills I am not prepared to pay or eat up much of my savings instantly. And I have noticed the costs to me are increasing year over year while my insurance premiums continue to increase and provide me less benefits.

I look to you to represent me and your other constituents in these matters. Too often I hear that the medical profession is heavily involved in the discussions and I hear very little what is being done to include the most important part of healthcare and that is people like myself, the consumers and patients, of healthcare. At this point I see no bill that best represents my interest so until you see legislation that makes the consumer come first I urge you not to vote for any new proposals. I also urge you when you are in our district that you seek out many consumers and have deep discussions with the people you represent so you have a better understanding of what we need.

Sincerely,

(and of course, your signature here)

And in the last sentence, change district to state when writing your senator. Also, please share this with your family, friends, coworkers etc so they either create their own letter or send a version of this one so we can make a difference in this very important part of our lives.

And people say lead by example, I can say to you, I wrote my representative and both state senators

Cheers all and have a great evening

#ACA #obamacare

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