Crohn's/UC Liteature & Websites

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Quoth the Raven, "Meow?"

Meet Raven. We got her for free over the summer.
Head and tail of a Siamese, black coat with hidden stripes, and
 brown eyes.

She's very curious and nosy.


She loves to help me read,

and enjoys watching TV; particularly,
Scooby-Doo.
Her fashionable carrier, decorated by yours truly!

She's very modern, loving to watch the keyboard and
mouse, and uses touch screen devices.

Here she is in a deep, deep sleep.

She used to fit under the bathroom vanity, but those
days are long gone. 

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Diary of a Picky Eater: Week 2

This week, unfortunately, there was not much I tried in terms of "new food." Finding foods that (A) I can eat with my colitis and (B) are healthy for me is a struggle. I wish I had the time to endlessly cook these things at home (and the skill, now that I think about it), but my days are filled with work and writing. The only time I have to cook is at night, with my mom.

On the plus side, I have been adding more fruit into my lunchbox, and hummus! A year or so ago, if I'd eaten hummus, I would have felt as though I was going to vomit. It was something about the texture. Then, one summer afternoon, my grandmother took out hummus and bagel chips for a snack, and I tried it. What happened, taste buds? I can't get enough now! Of course, since I can't have raw vegetables, I eat hummus with--you guessed it--carbs, but it's a start to the healthier lifestyle I need.

At my house, once I got back from college, I started to realize we ate, for the most part, the same things every week for dinner. We'd have pasta, steak, hamburger, take out, and cycle through them the next week, occasionally adding in something different. And most of it is beef--for my colitis, meat like chicken or fish is a better option. It is now my goal to add more of this into our dinner.

Let me tell you, it's a struggle.

The good news is, with winter approaching, we've started to make Sunday nights our soup night, which means endless possibilities for yummy cooked vegetables, meat, and nutrients that will help me feel better. Last week, I helped make a chicken noodle soup that turned out delicious!


This week...

Manhattan Clam Chowder. Like hummus, this is something else I thought I hated until I ate it a couple of summers ago at a local eatery. Taste buds, you shock me again! Except this time it was homemade, so we added whatever our hearts so desired, and it came out amazing. We made Manhattan style because I cannot have dairy, eliminating what I imagine is a delicious New England Style Clam Chowder from the menu.

Raspberries. I tried this at the request of my brother, who was munching them down one by one. It tasted good, except rather sour. I don't mind the flavor. But it was the texture that got me; it was all squishy and blech! I'm the type of person who enjoys fruits like grapes crisp and crunchy, not to mention cold. I think I'll try this in a smoothie soon.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Letting Go of a First Love

From underneath my bookshelf, I pull a Harry Potter Deluxe Journal, complete with built-in light and an illustration of Harry on the cover, riding his broom. I remember receiving it, probably from a Scholastic book fair, eager to begin writing in it. This is my first journal, from 2004, when I was in fifth grade. Settling down on my bed, I start to read--noting that most of it has to do with Harry Potter, making my life more Harry Potter, and becoming increasingly more obsessed with Harry Potter as the year progresses in my journal. Well, nothing's changed there. 

Turning one page, I read to the end and stop. Up until this point, I make references to story ideas and what short story I am working on at the moment. Here is what I found, the reference to the next story I was working on, just a blip, but it's there, nonetheless.

Currently, this is the revision I am working on,
what once was just the "Silver Necklace Legend."

Laying the journal down on the bed, I cover my mouth with my hands in amazement. Eleven Years. Of course, it hasn't been a constant eleven years. Between then and now, not only have I worked on other stories, but I also have worked on school papers and taken breaks from writing. Yet throughout those years, this story has transformed.


Basically me with this story. 
And this revision I started a little more than a week ago will be my last. Once I write it and complete editing afterwards, that's it.

I believe I'm having a hard time letting go of this story since it is so ingrained in my mind. Some of the characters are even completely original; meaning, their character arc may have matured, but their name, place within the story, and entrance into the story have not. Writing for them is like writing about myself; they are close friends. How can I let go of something that intimate?

The answer? Because I have to.

In middle school, I moved "The Silver Necklace," which since then has changed titles many times, onto my laptop, a Dell 2000 whose only purpose was to serve my writing needs. I completed 80 pages of pure, inventive creativity, or twelve chapters. And then, one afternoon after reorganizing folders in My Documents, I'd opened my story only to discover I'd deleted it by accident. I had clicked on the shortcut to the document, and deleted the actual document--emptying the recycle bin in a burst of organizational inspiration.

All of it was gone. I was in eighth grade.

I wrote about this event in my journal at the time:



Although at the start it was still a tragedy, it became a blessing as I worked to rebuild. In a notebook, I timelined everything I could remember (I still have it filed away), and came up with an ending to the first installment of "The Silver Necklace." I know that because I deleted that 80 page copy, I was granted the gift of looking at it critically.

Drafts later, a short break where I thought I was "finished with that story for good," and here I am, at the end of it all. Can it already be the end? I'm not sure I'm ready to say goodbye to all of my favorite characters, one of which will probably end up being THE ultimate favorite, simply because he is the oldest character in my story. It'll be a challenge, but I know this is a challenge I have to complete. Finishing a story, adding "The End," and starting fresh--without ideas for "The Silver Necklace" turning over in my mind in the background--is the first step. The second is letting go.

I've still got plenty of time before the final goodbye. For now, I will enjoy every minute I'm in my character's heads.