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Was it Really about a Boo?

Criticizing presidents and politicians is the American way. It is our right as the people who these people are supposed to be working for. It’s our right as Americans to be able to express ourselves in a peaceful manner. We were given those rights in the constitution and we should be very thankful to have those rights, especially when you take a look at how people are being silenced across the globe. We shouldn’t take this for granted because I fear we may not have these freedoms for long.

When President Trump got booed at the Nationals game, it became a topic of discussion about how people should respect the office. I respect the office even if I may not respect the man holding it. But I don’t think that people should mistake blind loyalty as respect. There’s nothing respectful about blind loyalty. This is usually based on fear or ignorance, not respect. I get how an audience booing at a sitting president can be seen as disrespectful. I can see how chants of “Lock Him Up” can be disrespectful. But it’s not really about respect, is it?

When Obama got booed in public, conservative sites praised this. These were the American people using their God-given right to express themselves. These were true patriots. Now that Trump gets booed, these same people rant about the disrespect this president has received. The other side is just as guilty here because they have also flipped the script from taking one incident as disrespectful and the other as a proud moment for Americans. Make up your mind: is it disrespectful to boo a president or not?

It isn’t the act that is appalling; it’s the fact that these groups can’t get their story straight and the majority of people don’t seem to care. Would I boo a sitting president to their face? Probably not. But does that mean I don’t think other people should? I’m not entirely sure I like the idea of toeing that line of freedom of speech and disrespect. If it went to a side of violence or downright bullying, then I think there’s an argument for disrespect. Booing is something entirely different. You boo when you’re at a performance if you don’t like what you see; isn’t that all this president is? He performs on a daily basis, giving fodder to everyone around him through his unleashed Twitter account.

Now, what about the “Lock him up” chant? Was that disrespectful? I would argue “no”. I would argue that this is a precedent that he created himself when he did the same to Clinton as his political rival. This encouraged his followers to do the same. I’m all for the “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” approach. If it wasn’t disrespectful that way, then it isn’t disrespectful when it comes back to you. If it was good enough to say to another person, it’s good enough to be said to you. The point is, when you open that floodgate, you should accept it. Just like people who “applauded” Clinton’s deplorable statement about Trump supporters should accept the “scumbag” label from Trump. I think both people should be ashamed of themselves for this insulting approach because I think these terms help to further divide the country. We need to start working together, not growing further apart.

The problem is as long as people rationalize and blindly follow, things won’t change. The world doesn’t need followers right now; they need leaders. They need to know that disrespect doesn’t change because of what party someone follows. They need to know that if they say something awful that they should suck it up when it’s used back in their face. The people should stop rationalizing those grown-ass adults who are supposed to be running our country when they sling insults at each other. They should stop applauding something as “so powerful” on one side, but slamming it when it happens to “your side”. There shouldn’t be “sides”. There should only be “Americans”. United we stand… divided we fall…

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New Season, New Team?

This seems to be the model for many teams in the Overwatch League during this off-season. While the Uprising taking the time to completely implode their team into oblivion wasn’t shocking (the blasé trade for cash did sting a little.. but not shocking), other teams have decided to scrap 90% of their team and staff. I will take some time to talk about some of these interesting moves, my focus is primarily going to be on the Uprising. (Though, please Spitfire, you’d be dumb not to keep Fury. Please keep him, he’s the only reason I started following your team.)

There have been some changes already, some of which was already leaked during the infamous Sideshow accidental stream from last week. Kariv is now a member of the Defiant (though no announcement on Agilities yet. The theory is because they want to film some great teaser with him and Kariv. Maybe this didn’t happen yet due to World Cup scrims?) Space is now a Gladiator. Things are starting to fall as the “Sideshow” leaks said they would.

But what about the Uprising, a team that is more known for its cutting/trading their entire team at the end of every season? Most of us Uprising fans when into this time of year and get rid of everyone. At least we had the comfort of knowing that blasé, Colourhex, Axxiom, and Fusions would be around next year. Until the surprise announcement that they had traded blasé for “cash considerations”. At first when the trade was announced, I wondered what we got from it. Did we pick up the talented and chill Danteh? Seemed like a long shot considering the “No I don’t play for Boston” joke, but it would’ve been a good trade for us. Nope. It was cash. We just sold our most flexible and standout player. It wasn’t too shocking, but it did hurt almost as much as the NotE/Gamsu departures.

Now, with a few weeks left until the November 15th deadline to have 8 players signed, we have 3 players. Potentially 4 if the leaks are true that the Uprising picked up a solid flex support in Myunbong. That’s only half a roster. Boston has a reputation for being a “farm team” or “moneyballing” but how accurate is that? This could be smart on his behalf, considering some teams are rumored to have money problems due to overspending in previous seasons. This is partially due to the new investments in homestands and traveling, something that was a goal for this league from the beginning. Maybe everyone else had poor planning and HuK actually knew what he was doing after all. (Yes, this pained me to say.) Now he has the money to spend on talent and on travel, while still working to get a discount whenever possible. That’s the Kraft way.

Tonight, HuK is doing another Q&A which surprisingly didn’t go so terribly last time. In fact, I did find that he was as candid as he could be without A) bad mouthing a player outright or B) other secret constraints such as contracts being finalized. He promised us to be more transparent and this 2nd Q&A shows that he’s trying to keep that promise. There will be some interesting questions, like why trade blasé when he was easily the most reliable player on the team? What about everyone else? Do we have new signings that you are going to announce? What about a venue for the homestands? I personally haven’t bought tickets yet for two reasons. One, I don’t know where it’s going to be and I don’t want to suffer at an awful venue. Two, I don’t want to pay money to support a team that I don’t know will exist.

It’s hard to be an Uprising fan and I wonder how long they can keep up this business model of imploding their team every year. No one will buy named jerseys if a player is barely going to last the year there let alone the off-season. They might buy jerseys or you might piss them off enough that they go for another team with more stability. As a lifelong Patriots fan, I accept that this is the way things go for the team. But it’s a rough life, especially when you go from one of the top teams to one of the worst teams in the league. We got them to stop laughing only to become a joke again, and the fans aren’t laughing. Hopefully this Q&A can revitalize the fans into being the avid supporters again.

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The Leaks of the Overwatch League

The big talk this weekend on Reddit was the “Leaks Heard Round the World”. Full disclosure: I’m a huge fan of Sideshow. Not only is he incredibly entertaining, he also definitely knows his stuff. His insights are generally spot on, even if like Monte you want to get mad at what he says. The leak video that spread like wildfire on reddit disappeared as it was deemed against policy may or may not be true. But it brings up some interesting discussions if it is.

The video in question appears to have Sideshow, neptuNo, and Custa talking about trades in the works until they realize that they were accidentally streaming the conversation. The internet doesn’t forget and you can probably very easily find this video if you want to. Some of the important gems of this rumored trade includes reuniting former Boston tank duo and great friends NotE and Gamsu, with Gamsu reportedly being signed to the Dallas Fuel for an insane amount of money. OGE goes to LA Gladiators. Brothers in OW Kariv and Agilities are reportedly going to the Toronto Defiant together, along with Surefour. (Solidifying dreams of Toronto signing Canadian talent.) And SPACE jumped to the other LA team, making the Gladiators the winners of the off-season “Battle for the LAs”? The other big mention was that neptuNo said Defiant refused to trial him due to his reputation for toxicity.

Is this video truly releasing the juice or is it just a joke? Are these just rumors? Insiders seem to admit that these are all true leaks. But then the question was argued: What should the punishments be? Well, I don’t think anything should happen. Leaks can actually be good for a sport, especially in the offseason and especially when the eSports industry is constantly growing with more official Leagues. By having these leaks out there, Overwatch League is remaining relevant. Even with the World Cup coming up, after that we won’t see these players up on the stage until February. Things have become irrelevant in shorter time. Leaks up the hype, keep people talking about the league. It may not be good for the individual players and teams, but it is definitely still publicity they can milk to keep everyone talking about them.

Was it an accident? Of course. The teams might be upset over it, but the League probably isn’t that broken up about it. Because again, free publicity. The posts on reddit about these leaks are probably up in the 500s as far as comments go and this will only get higher. They should absolutely not let Sideshow go because of it because not only does he have a solid fanbase, he knows what he’s talking about. He’s amazing at his job. It would be the biggest mistake the league did. Especially after removing easily their best analyst when they pulled Reinforce off the desk.

So the moral of this story is that yes, leaks can be bad but this raises the hype for fans who are dying for news. There are teams that haven’t said anything about key players. Was Dante signed to Houston or is he heading to LA Gladiators? What about anything from Boston aside from Persia saying “Not LFT”? (Side note: Please not Boston.) The fans want to know about what’s going on with their favorite players and this gives them something to salivate over and debate about until official announcements happen.

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The Innocent Have Nothing to Hide

I live on the basic principle of “The innocent have nothing to hide”. Sure, it makes me a bit paranoid but this believe has served me very well in all my years. It helped me pick out the cheaters or weed out the friends that shouldn’t be trusted. This is probably what would make me a terrible juror as I would just assume that anyone lying or refusing to answer questions would be guilty. Though, we’re all guilty of something.

When the Clinton Email scandal happened, I said “The innocent have nothing to hide”. I didn’t trust her. I thought she was guilty of something. That’s why I didn’t vote for her. When Trump refused to release his tax returns as is customary, though not required, I thought this again. That’s one of many reasons why I didn’t vote for him. (#3rdPartyLife?)

Even today with subpoenas being ignored and other things that may be viewed as obstruction, all I can think is that innocent people have nothing to hide. It reminds me of something that I always say to the kids when they lie to cover up a misdeed: “The coverup is always worse than the crime”. I don’t care if you broke a plate but if you lie about it to my face after I stepped on the leftover glass shard that was missed during the cleanup, I’ll probably be really pissed and in pain.

While this is a much more important situation, the standard still applies. The coverup will always be worse than the crime. It wasn’t the fact that Clinton had the affair; it’s the cover up and blatant disregard of how betrayed others felt. He wasn’t impeached because he had relations with his intern; he was impeached because he lied about it and tried to cover it up.

Why would Trump hide his tax returns? Does he not want people to see what loopholes he used that all of the other businessmen use to keep more money in their pocket? Did he not make as much money as he bragged about and doesn’t want his poor ego shattered? Or did he do something shady? I think people would be less angry about using loopholes or that he isn’t a billionaire like he claims than if he committed fraud.

That’s really what this is about. Own up or stop complaining when people lose their trust in you. If you didn’t do anything wrong, then there’s nothing that needs to be hidden from the public. I don’t believe in blindly following anyone. I don’t believe in just trusting someone. Just because the Democrats say he’s guilty, doesn’t mean he is. Just because the Republicans call this a witch hunt, doesn’t mean it is. It just means politicians are more concerned about protecting their party than protecting the American people.

Eventually, the truth always comes out. That’s why it’s easier not to lie about it. Eventually someone will slip up or someone will blurt something out. But lies rarely stay hidden forever.

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The Best Marriages Appreciate the Little Things

I always get that look of pity or a lecture about prioritizing my relationship when I make a comment about how my husband and I only go out maybe once or twice a year for a “date night”. They assume its a backhanded comment about my husband refusing to take me out. They assume our marriage is broken somehow. That relationship can’t be that strong if you don’t go out to some fancy dinner where you blow $100 on food that lasts for 20 minutes in a crowded restaurant that is often either too loud you can barely hear each other or too quiet to want to bother the silence with a conversation. The thing is that this scenario isn’t fun for me. I don’t find it appealing. I’m awkward enough without putting myself in this position of feeling even more awkward.

The thing is that I enjoy being at home in sweatpants, curled up with my forever partner. We’re not “go out for romantic dates” people. We sit at home and eat trash food together while playing a board game with the kids or catching up on Netflix when the kids go to sleep or even playing video games together. That’s our perfect date night. We don’t need to doll up and pretend we are something that we aren’t to be considered normal. The whole point of marriage is to love your partner for who they are, not turn them into who you want them to be.

Every couple is different, but I think that the one thing that people need to remember is that it isn’t how much your spouse spent on your ring or how massive the diamond is. Rings break, they get too small/too big; it’s about making sure the marriage doesn’t break. I barely wear my wedding jewelry. I’m not a huge jewelry person, though I do have a weakness for bracelets. What does matter is how my husband just knows when I’ve had a long day or how he knows that I’m exhausted and brings me a coffee made exactly how I like it. How if I’m sick, he steps up and makes my life as easy as he can. Those are the things that are going to last. Jewelry will tarnish, but the person I chose as a partner should be as reliable as ever.

Marriage isn’t about the shinies or the parties. It’s about being in the trenches for even the most difficult times. It’s not about how many times you go out on dates. It’s about standing by each other’s side as your children undergo surgeries or dealing with their “quirks” as a team. It’s about having their back, even when you think they are wrong. It’s about fighting even harder when you know they’re right. They aren’t your spouse; they’re your partner. It doesn’t matter if you argue 1000 times as long as you resolve it and move on. No relationship will be perfect to the outside world; it only matters what’s perfect to you and makes you happy. Because if you aren’t happy, then what’s the point?

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Mommy’s Little Monsters

Anytime someone talks about how easy parenting is, I wonder how much they pay for a nanny every month. I have pretty awesome kids and I have it much easier than some parents, but I don’t think I’ve ever once said “This is easy. I’ve got this.” Usually, I don’t. Usually I’m taking a “hope for the best approach”. People tend to think that I’m a terrible mother because I have a more “sink or swim” approach to raising my children. As much as I want to control every aspect of their life to make sure that they don’t make the wrong choices, they have to learn accountability. Maybe if I regained control, I could have an “easy time” too.

For instance, I will help some with their homework sometimes. But they need to work through the things themselves. I won’t babysit them to make sure they do everything, because I can’t be there all the time. If they don’t finish their work properly because they wanted to speed through it or not do something at all, then they should face the consequences of that. Some people view this as harsh, but kids need to learn consequences or they never learn to be accountable for themselves. For my own sanity and their own level of responsibility, I can really only do so much.

The thing that we have to remember is that no matter how hard we think it is to raise them, imagine how much harder it is for them to grow up. They have those struggles of wanting independence, but still wanting their mommy to give them a hug or have brownies waiting for them. They want to do well, but they also want to hear you say how proud you are of them. Sometimes they forget that we love them unconditionally. Sometimes they forget that even if they get a bad grade or have a bad behavior report that we are still going to love and accept them. My youngest son got his first “yellow” card of the year a little bit ago after doing so well, and he was convinced that he was going to be punished forever for it. Some of it could be my own failings as a mother. Some of that is just your normal anxiety that young children have.

Kids think that they need to do 10000 activities to make us proud. That they need to be perfect and excel at everything. We may be well-intentioned in trying to keep them busy, but we may also be setting them up to burn the candle at both ends too much. My kids have the choice if they want to do an activity or not, but they need to something aside from screen time for a little bit each day. My oldest does sports in winter and spring, taking the fall and summer to relax. He does well in school and I think this is a perfect balance for him. Plus as a junior with 2 AP classes, CCD, volunteering, and college stuff, he shouldn’t take on much more than that. My youngest doesn’t really have any interests in those things. He prefers to play games or work on building/drawing something. That’s who he is. Rather than change that, I ensure he gets plenty of exercise, he goes out and has experiences, and get him to play puzzle games that are meant for critical thinking and not just fun. That works for him. Every kid is different. Plus, I think I’d go insane trying to juggle all those activities. This is as much for my sanity as it is for theirs.

My boys are Mommy’s little monsters. They fight with each other, they destroy my house, and eat everything in sight. But every time I want to yell at them for how hard they make things or because I’ve gone insane by 5pm, I just image what they are going through. Maybe my oldest had a bad day but because he’s a teenager, he doesn’t want to talk about it until he wants to or never. Maybe my youngest had an anxiety attack at school and he’s got his second wind of energy. Those boys are struggling as much as I am some days, and that’s something we can often forget.

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And It Just Breaks My Heart

I wasn’t the best student. Teachers would probably point out how bright they thought I was, but they would also probably point out that I was wasted potential. Some people would probably agree with that statement still today. Maybe they are right. Maybe not. But I understand it now, as a parent.

I worked hard to get into a good college, though it took me a couple of years to get back on the college track that I realistically was never on. I didn’t have any real goals. Then I was pregnant at 18 and my only goals became preventing my child to turn out like me. I was determined that he was going to be better. He watched me work hard every day at my hotel job. I know I worked a lot and it seemed I barely saw him. But he deserved the world and I wanted to give him everything. When I went back to school, I made sure he saw how hard I worked. I wanted him to have goals. I knew he was smart. But I didn’t want him to waste it like I did.

Things always came easy to him. When they didn’t, he became easily flustered. He was a perfectionist. I didn’t care about perfection; I cared that he did his best. I would never punish him for doing his best. If he needed help, I would make sure he got the help. He never needed it before but I would do anything to make sure he got what he needed.

Then, I saw him struggle with his homework. Homework in a subject he has always been fascinated in, despite never actually taking a course. He spent all the time he had on the assignment, and he kept getting one question wrong over and over again. He grew more frustrated. He began to get himself worked up. He snapped when I tried to help or told him to take a deep breath. He called himself “dumb”…

And it broke my heart. As adult as these kids think they are, they are just hormonal kids struggling and too afraid to ask for help. He knows he’s not dumb. I hope, anyways. I told him that he should ask his teacher for help. That was what he’s there for after all. He was determined to figure it out, even after the deadline that his homework was due. I saw him unravel and it just breaks my heart.

Junior year isn’t for the faint of heart. This is when things get real. The classes get harder. The expectations are raised. They have the added stresses of SATs and college fairs, driving school, the acknowledgement that adulthood is sneaking up on them. It isn’t easy for the parents, but it’s even harder for the kids. I’m hoping that we both make it out in one piece. But I’m worried that if he cracks this much now, it’s only going to get worse. And I only have myself to blame for that.

I see so much of myself in him. There was a time where I worked hard in middle school until I realized that I was a nothing that was getting bullied relentlessly. When you see your homework get tossed out a window and no one cares, you start to not care too. It’s easier to fail when you detach yourself than to fail when you tried so hard. But when you put everything you have into something and fall short, it’s hard. It’s how you deal with this failure that can determine your success in life. You can get flustered, but as long as you keep trying to succeed, that’s what matters. But sometimes, admitting defeat and asking for help is what the strongest person will do. This help could be exactly what you need to get to that next level. By getting stuck on the basics, you won’t have the building blocks that you need to stay on track.

I hope this was just a moment of being tired. That he burned the candle at both ends and needs to realize that you can’t do it all. Maybe now that driving school is done, he can refocus. But what happens when swimming starts? It’s hard to teach balance when you struggle with balance yourself. I hope this is a passing phase. I hope he realizes that life will get harder and that taking it too sensitively will only make things harder. That you have to accept that you aren’t a natural at everything just because it has been so easy so far. But most of all, I hope he realizes that he is loved and supported and that we are so very proud.

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Overwatch League Season 2 Stage Finals: Who Took Home the Trophy?

Prior to the game, my Facebook predicted a Shock win, with either Moth or ChoiHyoBin taking home the MVP trophy. (When I reiterated this quickly prior to the match, I accidentally said Sinatraa or Moth, but the sleeper OT was the one I had my money on. From one OT to another.) For a long time, it was predicted that the Titans and the Shock would face off in the Grand Finals for a match to make all other matches look underwhelming.

…Except the only thing underwhelming was the Titans. In what should have been a nail-biter, a close match that should have gone the extra mile to a map 8, ended with a 4-0 win by the Shock. It wasn’t a battle for the times; it was a slaughterhouse. It was destruction. Just when the Titans figured it out, it turns out they didn’t. This isn’t a knock to the Titans, who made some spectacular plays. It was just that they really couldn’t stop the Shock’s total annihilation of their team. If you thought Sinatraa and Striker were a dangerous DPS duo, then you sorely underestimated the power of Rascal and Architect. These DPS duos couldn’t lose. And Moth? I think if there was any doubt that he was the best western support, no one is doubting that anymore. He’s flexible and talented and such a huge asset to this team. Maybe this is a sign that the USA Overwatch World Cup team won’t suck.

It seems that there was a difference that ended up paying off in the end. The Shock was relentlessly mocked for their willingness to drop so much money on the underaged-at-the-time Sinatraa before he could even play. And when he got on the stage last season, he was criticized for being overpriced for his skill. Turns out, with a good coach to hone those skills, Sinatraa became such a force to reckon with. As someone who had a distaste for his arrogance in the past, I appreciate the newly humbled DPS starter who has learn to balance that arrogance and humility. Then they were mocked for stacking their DPS ahead of the GOATs meta, while other teams either focused entirely on GOATs or tried to balance. This is where the Titans may have made their mistake.

The Vancouver Titans seemed to center around their tank Bumper, who was seemingly unstoppable in GOATs. They had some DPS stars in Haskal and Seominsoo, but they didn’t seem as strong as other DPS stars particularly on the Shock. They were good, but ultimately they just weren’t good enough. They didn’t lose the match because they played poorly though; it was just that the Shock utterly dominated them and the Titans didn’t have an answer for it. The closest map seemed to be Anubis, where the second attempt at capturing the points seemed a bit slower for the Shock. Aside from that, there was really no competition who the better team was.

This week, you can expect the onslaught of trades or cuts from teams. I suspect this is particularly true for us Uprising fans. Aimgod will likely be the first announcement of players who have been let go. I’d love Axxiom stay in place of Fusions because I still believe he’s a more well-rounded and talented tank. But for the love of whatever entity, can we please keep blasé and Colourhex. Maybe even Stellar. I don’t care if you dump the rest of the team but I would really love these 3 players to stick around. It will be an exciting off season to match the awesome season. I think the league will be even better with the addition of traveling.

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Overwatch League Season 2: Grand Finals

As the league mourned the last Overwatch League games in the Overwatch Arena, many fans are excited for the new chapter. Except for those of us who can’t afford the insane prices for the matches, which in some areas are much more expensive than others. (No, I won’t pay that much to see a team that bombed last season and may likely just get rid of all of their players again as much as I love and support the team still.) But, there is still excitement to come: the Grand Finals!

I admit, I liked this format so much better than cramming in the playoffs and Grand Finals in a single weekend, burning out players and fans. This gives us the excitement we want, the drawn out money grab for the league, and the much needed break before the finals for the final 2 teams. But, who will take home this years title?

I’m rooting for the San Francisco Shock. I like the story of a team who struggled last year to becoming arguably the strongest team in the league. I like Striker, the Uprising’s former star. I like Crusty, who worked hard for the Uprising. I like this team. The Titans may be the new kids in the league who feel as though it’s already in the bag. But it isn’t. If the past is any indication on how this game is going to go, this will certainly be an exciting match between two of the best teams this season. The story of a Contenders team running the Overwatch League as the Titans did would make for a good story, but I like the rise from the ashes story from the Shock.

Why will they win? The Shock has more versatile players on their bench and they are not afraid to sub in to adapt as needed. They have solid DPS players that can play any roles depending on who they choose. Sinatraa has been a consistent force on this team and between him and Moth, can motivate their team. Choi is an insane off-tank. These are solid players that as long as they don’t get tilted too much can destroy any team in their path. As strong as Haskal and Seo are, I don’t think they are stronger than any DPS duo put up by the Shock.

The Shock may show signs of arrogance, but these are kids. They have shown an equal amount of humility. I don’t think I can say the same about the Titans, especially when one of their players is so confident that he says “I can beat any team as any player”. It’s no wonder that this level of arrogance and cocky play is why he didn’t end up as the tank for the Korean World Cup team. There’s aggression to take the win, and there’s aggression for your own stats. That’s the difference between a player like Tom Brady and a player like Peyton Manning. That’s the difference between a solid tank like Mano and someone like Bumper.

Fortunately for me, the Patriots game will likely be over before the Overwatch League matches start. 3:00pm EST means that the broadcast will start at 3 with a pregame show then a move into the musical acts and any other thing they do before the players take the stage. My estimate is the game will actually start at 4, so I won’t have to switch between my phone and television. This will be a great match to close out this intense season. I can’t wait until the new traveling mode of matches begins because watching your team play in the home field is always more exciting.

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Another Year, Another NaNoWriMo Challenge

Every year, I try to sign up for NaNoWriMo. I know that I may or may not succeed. I have succeeded more times than I have failed, but failures are still rough. Especially on those years when you put all of your sweat and tears into something, only to fall just short of your goal (last year, 30,000 words out of 50,000). I’m someone who does take those things hard, but I’m also someone who shakes it off and moves on. Maybe it was just that I chose a difficult thing to write about, like one year when a story hit too close to home that I scrapped it. Or maybe I just get myself into some knotted plot hole and I can’t get out of it. Or maybe I just run out of ideas on how to make the story go forward. Short stories are where I seem to excel. Writing longer pieces seem to trip me up.

I try to have a plan every year. I take book ideas that I have worked on and tried to figure out which one will be the “one”. This year, I have decided to again attempt a thriller of sorts. My business manager/husband thought the topic was interesting and he gave me his confidence that I could do it this year. His supportive nature allows me to keep going on this path, even when other people think it’s a joke.

As October rapidly approaches, the goal is to start doing an outline and get things planned out. I attempted this last year, but I feel as though my outline wasn’t as detailed as it should have been for the story. Then, towards the end of this when I take a weekend get away in my favorite place in the world, I intend to find a nice little spot to get some final details done before November 1 hits. My fingers are crossed that this year will be successful. And let’s hope for some workout time to indulge in my favorite “brain” food that tends to help my writing process. (Send Dunkichinos, Flaming Hot Cheetos, and Peanutbutter M&Ms my way if you see me in November.)

Challenges are meant to be overcome, and I intend to try my best to achieve my goal this year.