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Sunday, April 19, 2009

I'm a playwright! A bloody, red one.

First, a shout-out to my dear friend, Kristina, who managed to feel left out yesterday even though I talk about her constantly. Moving right along.

Hey there, blog. I really like you. I like thinking of things to tell you, I like seeing what comes out of my head, and I like rereading you the next morning when I check my comments. All in all, we have a pretty good relationship. Except for the part where, like, sometimes I have nothing of importance to say.

I guess I'll use this opportunity to tell you about Bloody Red Heart-- the stage play adaptation of the essay anthology I'm published in, Red: The Next Generation of American Writers--Teenage Girls--On What Fires Up Their Lives Today.  I submitted a random eighth grade diary entry to a writing contest I saw advertised on Myspace a few years ago, having no idea that it would turn into a real book, with a real NYC release party, leading to real publicity (We were in Vanity Fair and Teen Vogue, to name a few,) and, now, a real play. It's hard to grasp the idea of an actress in LA playing my fourteen-year-old self. My editor, Amy Goldwasser, says that if things go well, the play could become something and start traveling. I can't very well up and go to LA anytime soon, but who knows? Maybe someday I'll see my diary performed live on stage. If you live around the area and are interested in trying to catch a show, you can go to the Red website.


Much less excitingly, today I hung out with my prom date, Andrew. We watched Lord of the Rings and debated at great length the superior character: Gandalf (his) or Dumbledore (mine). The arguments were based in fact and well-executed, like "ALBUS DUMBLEDORE IS THE PERSONIFICATION OF A GREATER-THAN SYMBOL!" and "GANDALF THE WHITE MAKES ALL OTHERS HIS BITCH LOVER!" The discussion, at the end of the day, is pointless. I've never read his series, and he remembers very little of the Potter books. He was, however, extremely amused by wizard rock. Perhaps I'll allow him to accompany me to meet Potter people sometimes. Perhaps.

In youtubely news, I've decided to take a bit of a break from the internet. I'm going to try to limit my computer time to blogging, watching necessary subscriptions, answering my email like a responsible citizen, and uploading videos. I know that still sounds like a lot to some people, but I'm trying to ween myself off checking Mugglenet twenty times a day, obsessing over my Twitter @replies, stalking people on Facebook and looking at Dailybooth pictures. None of these add any joy to my life, so I'm letting them, for the most part, go.

Sexy: Being straightforward, saying what you need to say, and not sugar-coating your feelings. There's nothing you can say to shock people anymore-- especially me. If you think it, say it.
Unsexy: Closed-mindedness. I know that's hypocritical for me to say, because I'm a big fan of my opinions and don't take well to being told what to do, but I mean, like, rejecting religion of all kinds. Or blind affiliation with one political party. Truth is multi-faceted, and you don't know everything.

Weight: 138
Chipotle burritos this year: 12
Subscribers: 15,328
Days left of high school: 26

Bye, guys! See you tomorrow. <3

19 comments:

  1. Hi, Hayley. I'm a new blog follower of yours. Well, I've been a subscriber on your YouTube channel for at least a year now, but it was yesterday that I stumbled across this blog. And let me tell you, I am very happy that I did! I read all your posts -- present to past because I'm weird like that -- in one sitting, and I feel like I know you much more as a person than I ever did through YouTube videos. Don't get me wrong, I thought your YouTube stuff was poignant and funny and adorable, but your writing kind of blows me away, to be honest. It's not flowery, it's direct. It's not tedious, it's captivating. Your life is really entertaining and really easy to relate to! I think that's why I'm having so much fun reading your blog -- I can connect to what you're saying. I'm a junior in high school and like you, I'm so ready to move on. I've had my fun times in high school... but I'm ready to move on. I so look forward to reading your next posts. Usually the blog I mainly read is Kayley's, your fellow 5AG, but I'm definitely going to be checking up on yours too. Sorry for such a long comment, I hope I'm not boring you. I just think you're so cool, and you make my childhood dreams of becoming a writer come alive again. So thanks :)

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  2. I'm glad you have a good relationship with your blog. I don't have a very good one with mine. :S
    I enjoy reading your blog. And being straightforward is indeed very sexy. =)

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  3. Is this blog turning into a somewhat diary for you? I don't care, thanks for doing it anyway!

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  4. The whole play thing, it's kind of really cool. I'm glad you and your blog are on good terms. I like reading your blogs, they kind of make you more of a person (if that makes any sense).

    Also, I may have to steal "personification of a greater-than symbol" and use it as a closing argument for everything.

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  5. I would just like to say that I think we may be the same person. Like seriously. Except I'm like five years older (but that doesn't necessarily make me wiser). And you have this thing called talent and creativity that I've always wanted. But besides that, we're the same, I swear.

    That was a not-so-funny attempt at saying that I admire you. Keep up the good work.

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  6. break from the internet????
    when was the last time you were on skype, ho?

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  7. Thank you for validating my existence on this blog. :D


    Also, I like this internet-purge thing a lot of people seem to be doing. I've been thinking a lot today about what I can do without and I think it's time to stop letting my self refresh pages a bit too.

    This will give us more time to work on you-know-what, too. :D

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  8. I am leaving for vacation on Tuesday and one of the deals I made with my girlfriend was to not lose myself on the interwebs sitting at a desk infront of the computer. Imagine that, she wants to spend a week relaxing with me, Go figure, I am truly a huge fan of your blog and I am happy that I will still be able to read it while you find some you time.

    (thank heavens for my Iphone!)

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  9. Internet down-sizing is the new thing. And I like it :) I'm also cutting down a lot lately and it really becomes me.

    It's funny how non-chalante you say "oh, btw, my diary is in a play now and it might travel around the country" ;) yeah... you're casual like that.

    I think to compare Gandalf and Dumbledore is completely besides the point. One scale can't fit both.

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  10. That is reallllly cool... I've submitted my work to several contests on the request of my high school creative writing teacher in the past but nothing has ever gone as far as your essay. Maybe because I happy, Shel Silverstein-esque poetry instead of deep, thoughtful, moving essays.. ahaha.

    You are my favorite and remind me a bit of myself... which makes me happy. I love when I feel like I could realistically be best friends with the people I follow around the internet.

    ... hi, that didn't sound creepy at ALL. xD

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  11. *I WRITE, sorry, missing a very valuable verb there. hahaha.

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  12. You need someone to bootleg a performance for you.

    (Team Gandalf!)

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  13. And I'm just about to go to bed. The time zones strike again.

    Re: Comment on my blog, you know it would cost, like, 10x as much as the actual lollies for you to send them across the Pacific don't you? I mean, I wouldn't complain, but you have to know these things XD

    Talk soon though kay? <3

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  14. That's AMAZING! :D
    you're such a talented writer, you know that?

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  15. yes!!! aabout ur unsexy column. i am greek orthodox and so yesterday was my easter. a stupid, stupid boy told me i was a poseur for not celebrating the "real easter".
    he would NEVER have said this to a Jew about Rosh Shoshana or a Muslim about Ede. (is that how u spell it?) but just because im christian but A DIFFERENT kind of christian, he tells me this. ughh okay rant complete.

    btw i love how EVERYONE is commentingu and telling u theyre exaclty like u.... i wish i could say the same but unfortunatly ur out of my league :P


    and about the essay i think thats so cool! i won this holocaust poem and essay contest but its not a big thing, all the materials getting printed in lil magazine a think....

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  16. So. I work at a video/music/book store and a couple months ago I was working the book department and randomly saw the Red book. I spent like an hour sneakily reading your story, reading, like, a sentence or two at a time between annoying customers and actually having to work. Then I got caught reading. Then I got written up.

    But damn, was it worth it.

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  17. Truth is multi-facetedNot always. Thank God for pure cold soulless mathematics.
    :)

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  18. I would say it's better to reject all religions than choose one over another.
    However, still understand people's reasons for their religion - don't call them ridiculous for it or anything.

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  19. Quite an accomplishment - being a playwright - at such a young age.

    I think your videos, the few I have seen, are extremely well-written.

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