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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Barnes & Noble Blogging

Yeah, yeah. Long time, no blog. I know. But let's spare ourselves thirty seconds: I won't write a long paragraph apologizing and making excuses, and you won't have to read one. Instead, let's all take a deep breath (are you doing it? Breathe!), exhale slowly, and exchange a virtual hug. The past four weeks have been a refreshing break for my fingers, but it's good to be back. I've missed you. You look nice today.

I'm currently at Barnes & Noble, enjoying the complimentary wifi and an armchair that was clearly intended for America's ever-growing asses, as I feel like I'm being engulfed in green canvas. I'm comfortable, though, and this slightly ethnic Muzak is somehow making me feel intellectual, even though I just got done reading an American Girl publication that suggested I make crafts out of tissue boxes. An elderly man with one of those phlegmy voices that seems to require a lot of effort is sitting adjacent to me, reading a novel with large print. I just tilted my head as surreptitiously as possible to try and see the title, but the two of us ended up exchanging awkward eye contact. So now I'm blushing and you're going to have to carry on with your life, never knowing what the old guy at Barnes & Noble is reading. I'm sorry I failed you.*

Anyway, I'm not just here to stalk geriatrics and learn about the many uses for old mason jars (a homemade bank! a pencil organizer! a flower pot!). For about a week, I've been devising plans for a new writing project, and since this is my first night I've had free, I decided to isolate myself in an inspiring environment** where I had no other option but to research and brainstorm. My wrist is now sufficiently covered in black ink, I'm riding on a high of the omg-I'm-good-at-something-yesss variety, and I've probably managed to creep out all the mothers in the children's section with my constant hovering and blurb-reading. But judgments aside, tonight has been quite successful. It feels good to be excited about something again.

On an unrelated note, but while we're on the subject of excitement, I've had a handful of noteworthy experiences in the last month. Every summer, I work as a camp counselor for local kids from the foster care system. For a week I live off s'mores and disgusting bile-blue fruit punch, kill spiders, have my life changed by eleven-year-old girls, and usually end up mopping urine at least once. This was my fourth year working for the camp, but it was much more trying and difficult than the first couple... I know I'll be going back next July, but I may have to accept being involved slightly less for the next time. Nevertheless, I learned a lot, and I don't regret stretching myself to that extent. At its toughest point, camp is at least worth the feeling of relief and joy that accompanies going home afterwards.

Since we last spoke, I also had the opportunity to meet a long-time Internet friend of mine, Adam (of whataboutadam fame on youtube), as well as two other youtubers I've watched and liked, Paige (hopeonatenspeed) and Travis (whattravissays). Adam and Paige have been roadtripping through the country all month, and went out of their way to stay at my house for two days, and Travis made a short pilgrimage from his hometown in another part of Ohio. We ate corn, we gossiped about the intricate dramas of internet life, we made stupid jokes. It was pleasant and fun, and for those of you interested, there may or may not be footage of a cute Irish guy in my fiveawesomegirls video this week!

Let's see... I also saw Inception, which blew my mind in a million good ways, and Ramona and Beezus, which SHOCKINGLY did not disappoint or anger me. I consider myself a connoisseur of Beverly Cleary's books, so I went into the theater expecting to complain left and right, but it was actually a very accurate and fun interpretation of the series. I saw it with my mom, who introduced the books to me when I was a kid, and we both embarrassed ourselves by crying through the entire thing. So. See those movies.

On that note, it's just about ten o'clock, so I'm about to be kicked out of the bookstore. A lady with glasses and an employee lanyard is giving me the fisheye. I apologize for the disjointedness of this post. I know I frequently end blog entries with half-hearted "I WILL BLOG MORE OFTEN" promises that are left unkept, so once again, I'll spare you. However, I think I can let you in on a little secret.

You know how Maureen Johnson is doing Blog Every Day in August? Well... winkwinkwink.

Chipotle burritos this year: 22
Subscribers: 31,508
Nail color: "Go on Green," OPI

P.S. The Barnes & Noble lady literally just walked over to me and made a finger-snap/point gesture which I have chosen to read as "Ugh, seriously, LEAVE already."

*So how desperately did you always want to be Harriet the Spy? Me too.
**There's an enormous display of Twilight paraphernalia within eyeshot, inspiring me by serving as a constant reminder that anything can be published.

44 comments:

J said...

Oh Hayley it's good to see a new entry from you!

Loved the Mason jars line...my family has a plum tree in our backyard and we make homemade plum jam every summer; we often overstock on mason jars, and I must admit that I do in fact have a jar filled with loose change up in my room. xD

I'm also happy to hear that Ramona and Beezus was a decent portrayal of the book series. Beverly Cleary basically DOMINATED my choice of books I checked out of the library (along with a couple others like Avi and Judy Blume), and her Ramona books were always my favorite (though Dear Mr. Henshaw holds a special place in my heart too).

And August is only a few days away. ;)

J said...
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Julia said...
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Ms Rodgers said...

Ah... I have missed these posts! I keep seeing you pop up in other youtube videos and keep thinking "where is a blog post, I miss Hayley!"

Glad your summer is going well :)

And I can't wait for August!

Emily said...

Woop! :P That's pretty much all I have to say. At least it's something, right?

Kaitlyn said...

WOW. this was so weird. i knew you hadn't blogged in a long time, then i was randomly just like, "you know, i think i'll check hayley's blog and see if she updated." and what do you know.

good to be hearing from you again! i always enjoy your blog posts. so i'm very excited about this hopeful blog every day august :D

Julia said...

Hayley, you're my idol :) I'm an aspiring writer myself, and your vlogs and blogs are little highlights of my day that never fail to cheer me up. I literally just sputtered with excitement when you mentioned Blog Everyday in August, so know that you will have one very disappointed fan on your hands if you don't hold up to your hint. Just wanted to let you know :)

Anonymous said...

Yay, you're back!
I'm glad the Beezus and Ramona movie was acceptable. I just watched Prisoner of Azkaban with my sister and, having not seen it since I was fourteen, was reminded why it's a) my favorite book, and b) my least favorite movie. I HATED the movie, even if Daniel Radcliffe was as adorable as ever. Just isn't enough to make up for the film's other qualities, which are irredeemable.

to_thine_own_self said...

Wow...strange coincidence story is about to go down in 3...2...1:

***Today I made pizza rolls and every time I have them (which isn't too, too often, btw) it makes me think of your Pizza Rolls vid (which is probably one of my favorites of yours for some reason) and that, in turn, makes me think of you. So I was like, Hey...I have nothing better to do. Why not watch all of hayleyghoover's videos from start to finish today?
And so I did. Well...not really, but kind of. I've gotten all the way up to this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u61Kfyk1g3c
And then I took a little bit of a break. But then I came back to finish them and I decided to check your blog on the off chance that you had written a new post...AND YOU HAD!
So, basically, it's been a pretty Hayley-filled day for me. Even if that does sound slightly creepy. Ahah...I watch most of your vids on the one day that you decide to write a new blog entry after a month of not.
So that's pretty cool.

Anonymous said...

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY
<3

Alice said...

ooh the bookstore people, I always feel like they're watching and judging me. And these days the ENTIRE young adult section is human/supernatural romance, so that when I walk in the store, they all GLARE and assume I'm one of THOSE girls. oy.

Nicole said...

Yay! Missed you! I too often go to Barnes and Noble or Borders to draw inspiration to write and be generally creative. :)

Those two movies were the best that I have seen this year! :)

<3

Courtney said...

A new blog post AND finding out my dorm assignment? What a great birthday :)

I've definitely missed your posts, but it's always more about quality than quantity for me. I'm glad you take these breaks because it's always awesome to see one after a few weeks of waiting.

Unknown said...

Lovely as always to hear from you Hayley! If you do end up doing another BEDA (or even if you don't), I'd love to see an entry with advice for incoming college freshmen, such as myself.

Crystal said...

You're a busy girl; we all know that. You don't need to apologize for your absence of thirty-four days and five hours. (I counted.)

I'm excited for BEDA. :)

Catherine said...

It is delightful to hear from you again Hayley. I'm glad to hear that you have another project in the works. I'm sure it will be pretty cool. Wasn't Inception spectacular? I love movies that make you think. It's also good you went to RFKC, even if it was a bit more stressful than usual. I like what you're able to do there with those kids.


You better not be teasing us about BEDA! It's good to read your blog, I miss it. =)

Anonymous said...

Hayley, you (yes, you) just made my day with that blog post! I've missed your words. I also need to thank you for mentioning the Jessica Darling series - just finished the fifth one today and oh my god, I wish I would have taken your literary advice earlier.

Raz said...

I could fan girl over the fact that I'm excited you posted or attempt to converse on the atmosphere of book stores but I won't.

Instead I'll just say this : that virtual hug felt good.

:)

Sarah said...

Good to have you back, Hayley! I have been checking your blog constantly for a new update and when I saw one tonight I almost screamed in excitement. I just got back from seeing Ramona and Beezus. I never was introduced to those books as a kid but I wish I had, that movie was adorable <3

I'm excited that you're doing BEDAugust, it excites me that I'll have at least 2 new blogs from you and MJ on my birthday (which is exactly a month away ^_^ )

Emily said...

I'm so glad you were satisfied with Ramona and Beezus, especially after seeing that you'd tweeted about it being a book that made you want to become a writer. I had a sort of similar-but-actually-different experience with movies last week. Unlike you, I've been pretty indecisive about what I want to do with my life (unfortunately), until about a year ago when I finally realized that I want to become a director (which is, you know, good timing since I am now 20 years old and a junior in college...), and now it's all I can think of doing with my life. Unfortunately, I never had that one favorite movie that all film students are supposed to have that proves how snotty you can be about movies (mostly because I am so not snotty about movies), which makes me the film kid outsider. Until last week, when I FOUND MY FAVORITE MOVIE!

I saw Inception. And it amazed me. Almost beyond words. I feel like it's a milestone for me in my career as Pretentious Film Student. I finally have a legit movie that I can call my favorite (as opposed to the many nerdy scifi adventure movies and animated gems from my childhood I've put in that category already that the other film kids tend to scoff at).

Anyway, I realize that's pretty uneventful to most people, but it makes me happy, and I thought I'd share that story with you since you're back here sharing stuff with us (yay!) and you always seem to genuinely take in interest in your readers, which also makes me happy. :]

I'm so excited that you may be doing BEDA! <3

Katherine said...

Hey hayley.

I camped too. Obviously a different camp but the same 'lets take kids out of a maybe a little bit bad environment and show them an absolutely freaking good time' kind of spirit. I consider myself an experienced camper and just wanted to say I had a challenging week as well. You may get sad but you learn and you grow and you plan to go back because in the end, it's not about you. It's about them. And your presence has made all the difference in the world.

I hope you are having a good week.

M. said...

Blogging is a very interesting art. I personally think it all comes down to story-telling, which you do naturally and very effectively, Haley. But it can also be hard to think of what stories to tell. I made a vlog (private for friends and family) about a month ago using story-telling and haven't thought of what to tell next! Anyway. I wanted to say I empathize if it sometimes seems hard to write a blog post, even if you want to.

VTBurninator said...

Welcome back HGH! Looking forward to August and hearing more about your new writing venture :) Best of luck and Happy Summer!

The Vagabond said...

This post was definitely NOT a disappointment. You had me giggling quite a few times. And I guess I should see Twilight as a sort of inspiration as well instead of loss of hope for the minds of people the world over. I mean if I really wanted to get an entire picture book of photo copies of my ass I COULD! Thank you, Stephanie (or however the hell she spells her name. I know it's weird) Meyer!

I'm excited to see both of the movies you mentioned! I too grew up with reading everything by Beverly Cleary I could get my hands on. She was brilliant. I must search my house for those books!

Rosanna said...

Ahhh I just love reading your posts. I am dieing to see Inception so am on the look out for some poor fool to drag along. And you may just make my summer 100 times better if you Blog everday in August...like really, sounds perfect when I need a cheering up! xox

Jordiekins said...

Hey, Hayley!

I don't have much time to write a long, meaningful comment, but trust me when I say that it's great to see you back!

I can't wait to read your blog in August, but I have a bit of unfortunate news: Maureen's not doing BEDAugust. She says she has some super seekrit author things to do.

Well, I have to run.

--Jordan

Kendall said...

Welcome back, Hayley!

Kat said...

Dude, they took out the couches in my local B&N. Like, they don't want you to sit there. It's mildly obnoxious. (But then again I suppose it's also obnoxious for me to sit there reading entire books instead of, ya know, purchasing them. Hmm...)

Ida Ruda said...

Your words just made my day a whole lot better.

I also saw Inception and it exceeded my expectations even though they were very high to begin with. Now every time something strange happens I whisper "inception..." in a mysterious voice.

smorasnki77 said...

Hayley! It's so nice to read your lovely opinions and hilarious moments. I have missed your blogging so much. Surprisingly this is one of the first times in over a month that I have been online and I got the great surprise of seeing your new blog post.

Thanks for blogging!

Snottlebie said...

You're back! Woo!

I just saw Inception yesterday. Mind = blown. As always, your blog posts are a pleasure to read.

Kelly said...

Yay! I've missed you, Hayley! Whenever you go on a little blog hiatus I find myself thinking, "I wonder what color Hayley G. Hoover's nails are today..."

I can't wait to hear what your new project is all about. And, on a side note, I don't for one second believe that you don't get a yay-I'm-good-at-something feeling at least three times a day, because you're good at about fifty-five different things (I counted).

Visit us again soon!

-Kelly

Kelly said...

Also, I'm sorry I laughed at you that time you got diarrhea at Barnes & Nobles. And I'm sorry for telling everyone about it. And I'm sorry for repeating it now

nerdy_writer_girl said...

Those eleven year olds must have blown your mind to have changed your life once again, Hayley. Enough said there.
And I am curious to what writing project you are going to get yourself into. if it includes staying in Barnes and Nobles, annoying weird ladies with glasses at all ends of the day, well I wish you luck and I believe that This shall be intresting.

Alex Dahlberry said...

Apparently you really like OPI. Maybe it's worth the investment. By the way, I did notice your nails when I met you, and they are quite as nice IRL as they are online, you'll be glad to know. I'm sure you were stressing about them. ;)

Okay, pointless part of the comment over, now:
Yay for new projects, and yay for BEDA. I'll be doing it too. :) I really do need to spend more time in coffee shops/book stores writing. It seems healthy.

-alex

Bel said...

It's always good to hear (well, in this case read) from you! Your blog posts are really inspiring, funny, insightful - you don't have to promise to write more often, seriously. It's your blog, you can post whenever the hell you want (and people will still read it!)

On a quite random note, I'm wearing a similar nail color as you are right now. What a coincidence!

Enjoy your summer!
: )

Anila said...

Hayley, as a B&N employee, I feel like I have to tell you that those cushy chairs that look so comfortable? Yeah, hobos sleep in them. Sorry.

I'm glad you've been having a good summer~

Anna said...

Yeah, as a former employee at Barnes & Noble, I have to tell you...stay away from those cushy chairs. Resist the urge to even get within five feet of them. Just walk away and sit on the less comfortable cafe chairs, or the plain wooden chairs. People take their shoes off in those chairs, and do God knows what else. And those chairs NEVER get cleaned. Ever.

Jenkatclaire said...

Hey, I have recently found 5AG and have been watching all of the videos posted since 2008 (big task, nearly done...) and came across your blog. I absolutely love your posts! I think you're awesome! And I know you always apologise when you post something that isn't "happy" or whatever, but I like that you're more honest about day to day life (and I respect that you keep some things private).
Stuff more related to this blog, I saw Inception the other day. It was awesome. Do you think the spinning top fell or not?

Katyisgoing said...

You're a wonderful writer, which I'm sure you've been told many times before. Thanks for putting up awesome blog posts for the rest of thw world to read. :]

Maddie said...

Dear Hayley,

In all my life, I never thought I would ever fall in love with a fish. Then I began following Atlas on twitter, and, well, never say never, I suppose.

<3

Sammie said...

I was out of reach of the internet for 5 days...and on sunday, I got up, and while eating breakfast yelled that OMG...it is now August, and I bet Hayley is doing BEDA....to which all of my friends said...who is Hayley and what is BEDA....haha. I think i'm a touch obsessed.

Anonymous said...

I would like to exchange links with your site hayleyghoover.blogspot.com
Is this possible?

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