So, I've been talking with a good friend who happens to be an aspiring author. Talking with him about getting writing done in general, and reading a short story of his he made before the new year, I was reminded of how much I love to write. I have many ideas and concepts, but I seem to lose time to write, which in turns makes me lose motivation if it happens too much.

Lately, however, I've been making some good progress on a series that, as of this journal, I haven't posted anywhere. I feel like it's one that I need to write all the way through, then revise and edit, then publish on here in its entirety. In the meantime, to avoid burnout from working on just that project, I'll probably start one or two little one-and-done stories. I might write a quick continuation of the short story I posted here recently, Drifting Among the Stars.

I'm gonna ride this high tide for as long as I can, because I know it won't last forever, maybe not for much longer even. But I'm gonna keep with it, and I'm gonna enjoy it while I can.

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas
In every store I find
It's not even Thanksgiving
And autumn is still a thing
Please cut the crap before I lose my mind

I need it to stop, I'm already going crazy from it

I don't usually do this whole journal thing, but if anyone is gonna read this, I figure I might as well try to make it interesting.

I was chatting with one of my coworkers, when I realized that pretty much every stimulus is tied to something else in people's brains. The smell or sound of someone cooking may remind you of a relative, or a memorable moment from a TV show or a movie. The taste of a food or drink may remind you of a joke someone told you, or a song that impacted you in some way. It's something that I find very interesting to think about.

For me, I'll never be able to hear the songs, "Heat of the Moment," or, "Eye of the Tiger," without thinking about how Supernatural made me and my mom laugh. I'll never be able to smell grilled bell peppers without thinking about how my dad never complained about how spicy his cooking was, only to end up eating his words a few minutes later. I'll never be able to set foot outside after rainfall and not have the humidity remind me of when I would get dragged to my brother's RC races. And the scent of strawberry will always remind me of my girlfriend, who always seems to wear it, much to my delight.

Anybody else have an odd correlation in their head? Let me know, I'm genuinely curious.

It's been 20 years since that fateful morning in NYC. 2,996 people died that day, and the event poisoned some of those brave men and women who responded to the tragedy. An unprovoked attack, that has lasting consequences to this day. The Global War on Terror began on that day, and not just for Americans. People like these attackers are dangerous and driven, rewarding anyone who disagrees with them with death. The War on Terror may not have always been perfect in its execution, but in my opinion, it is a necessary retaliation.

My heart goes out to the first responders and civilians who were at ground zero on that day. To the people who lost their lives, and the family members who still mourn their passing. To the men and women of our armed forces, who displayed aggression and lethal force against those who orchestrated this tragedy. To those in the armed forces who didn't come home, giving the ultimate sacrifice for their nation and its people.

Never forget

I unfortunately am a little strapped for cash at the moment, and it's really a bummer for me. While I'm perfectly fine with my poorly-made ref sheets, I'd ideally like to get a better one for my main OC - Adam Longfang. Specifically, one that would comply with my specific interests (crinkle crinkle). That being said, if I could get so much as a picture of roughly the same thing, I'd definitely be happy. I'll be posting an updated version of Adam's poorly-made ref sheet, and if you or somebody you know is willing to make either a better-made ref sheet or some art, I'd appreciate it. I'm willing to trade for a short story if some form of compensation is desired.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, everybody who's LGBT knows what happened. Now the entire month of June is dedicated to sexual minorities because of a bill passed a few years ago.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against LGBT folks. Hell, I might be bordering on being bi myself. However, instead of making a big deal about this, why not just keep it quiet and think about the future instead of concerning yourself with a bill passed years ago in favor of minorities?

To recap, I hate pride month, not because of the people who celebrate it, but because of the presence of it ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE. We get it, you're proud, keep it in your pants and move on already. If it were handled like that, I'd probably be able to stomach it a bit better.

Sharing something personal with somebody else has an edge of uneasiness to anyone keeping something secret or hidden. Perhaps the edge is even more intense when sharing with somebody familiar. You tell yourself that they'll understand, that they'll still accept you for who you are, even if there's more to you than they realized. In the end, you can only hope for the best outcome, even when you internally prepare for the worst. It's not easy to do, but don't let that stop you from saying something that would make you feel guilty for not sharing later down the line