Please stop shouting at me. I know I haven't posted for a while but I'm trying to study here. Actually, I'm staring at the words pretending to study, but what's the difference. This stuff is sooooo boring.

DO YOU . . . Continued . . .

IT was a long and hard decision for me to use my own name when writing. I'm sure it was equally as hard for all authors making their own first foray into the writing world. I worried about the backlash from family and friends. I worried about the stigma. I worried about all the effects writing would have on my life.

But if there is one thing that I always try to do is to be true to myself. And for me that includes not only writing but also being published using my own name. I'm still nervous about the repercussions. And quite frankly, I haven't even told my family what I write. Some don't even know that I do write. But it is something I just gotta do.

But let me tell you, if being true to yourself involves the use of a pseudonym, go on guys and gals do you . . . Express yourself in any way you want. Always do what you love . . . And continue to do you in whatever manner suits you.

Oh and BTW, watch Happy Feet it's a lot of fun.

Do You . . .

The one thing that I have noticed since starting this journey is that no matter what anyone says is the next big thing, you have to do you. You have to write what you feel comfortable with, and you definitely have to write in the genre, style, theme, category that you like. The only way to produce an excellent product for you is to not force a style upon yourself that doesn't fit.

The fact is not everyone is going to like what you write. And not everyone is going to like you. But so what? People will hate you for no other reason but because you are breathing (alive). It is the same with writing. There are people out there who will hate your stories. But there are others that will devour it and check everyday for the next story to be released.

But isn't that how life always is? Isn't it expected that life will be filled with people that hate you and people who love you? Otherwise, wouldn't life be just a tad too boring.

Courage . . .

It took me a long time to screw up enough courage to submit any of my work. I thought it to death. I hummed and aahed. I went back and forth. I was afraid of the disapproval of others, but I have lived for others for so long. I decided enough was enough. This is what I wanted to do with my life. And this is what I would do.

So what in the long run will make you happy and what's my advice as the novice in the room.

Always remember to DO YOU . . . .

School almost at an end . . .

In less than two weeks, school will be over and then I'll be able to get back to my writing. But I have been having a bit of a problem lately. I seem to be having a writer's block in relation to my school assignments, one of which is due this Tuesday.

What a stupid problem to have at this late stage of the game. *Rolling my eyes.* And instead of trying to finish it now, I'm here trying to complete this post for Blogger. Go figure.

Graduation . . .

I'm scheduled to walk on May 2 at 9:00 am. My classmates (some of us have become very close) and I are planning an exit party that will probably span the whole darn weekend. Then sleep the whole week that follows.

We have been extremely lucky. We all went through this process together from start to finish. We have helped each other, guided each other, and encouraged each other when necessary. We each understand what the other has gone through, all the obstacles we each faced whether personal, professional, or academic. And we have all grown stronger because of them.

Support systems . . .

I'm a loner by nature and I don't like crowds. I am more comfortable in smaller (more intimate) groups. I do my own research, dig for my own answers, and only ask questions as a last resort. But I did see the value of being a part of a larger group when it came to a support system for school. This could be study groups, bouncing ideas off each other, comparing notes and answers to see where we went wrong.

And now that school is almost over, I am recognizing the beauty of another kind of support system: one that is directly related to my writing. I am joining groups and communicating with other authors and doing my best to live in this writing world that is so new and exciting for me.

So, do you use support systems (not the familial one, which I tap into regularly)? But ones that are related to your passion or work or studies, if applicable? Let me know. And until next time . . .

People being rude . . .

Why do people who are supposedly in authority feel the need to talk down to people, to shout at them, to be verbally abusive?

I have worked in the Libraries Division for a little over four years now, and my coworkers constantly feel the need to be rude and condescending to me. They shout at me, call me names and I am quite frankly tired of it.

I don't get involved in the office gossip or politics. I am close to a total of three people in the whole damn division which has over 800 employees at any given time. I'm polite and don't ask anything of anyone but to do their damn jobs.

So why does everyone act like shouting at Anika is a part of their job description?

So what if I'm younger than you? I still have a brain. And even if I haven't worked there as long as you have, I can still use common sense and my reasoning ability to figure things out.

What most of these people don't understand is that their job can be taken over by any of a number of other people tomorrow and it would still get done and get done right. This work does not require genius. There is no great skill in these functions. But for them this job is their life, their very identity.

These people will never develop the cure for cancer, or compose a beautiful song, or write an engaging story.

This job, as a friend of mine loves to tell me, is only necessary to put corn flakes on the table. So get over yourselves.

Abdicating Responsibility . . .

At work, at school, in life.

What do you do when the people getting paid to do their jobs do not want to do their jobs? Or worse assign someone else to do it for them. This really irks me, not so much about the pay but about the credit. I slave over an assignment and someone else takes the credit. Then they don't even have the decency to tell me 'good job'.

Argh!

Hunger . . .

I don't do well with hunger. I get miserable, pouty, downright cranky. I literally am unable to function properly or work. I'm also a very picky eater. And I firmly believe that the food pyramid should peak with the good foods instead of the the boring ones (the so-called healthy foods).

What's worse, I don't cook. Not that I can't cook, I just don't cook. But now that I'm on my own, I have to be fending for myself a little more. I just don't know how people with kids do it though. I go home and if I'm too tired to be bothered, which happens a lot, I eat chips and salsa for dinner.

How do the people who starve themselves do it? Or what about the ones who do not have a choice? Scary.

Why did I bring up this hunger thing, you might ask. Well, the fact is a few days ago my friends made me wait an extra half hour before going to lunch. And I'm still bitch, moaning and groaning about the delay. Yep, I really hate being hungry.

Hi all:

The cover for my book Dessert Box is complete. :-) I love it.

Dessert Box is an African-American Lesbian Romance with Light BDSM.

Story Blurb: It’s Valentine’s Day and Sandra has set the scene. Carmella will have a delicious feast filled with everything she loves. By the end of the night, Carmella will discover which is sweeter: her woman or her chocolate.

Taking simple things for granted . . .

I am sometimes naive in my thinking. Then something happens and I realize how lucky I am to be able to do simple things. I feed myself, cloth myself, support myself, drive myself wherever I want to go. These simple things I take for granted daily.

Yesterday, a wheelchair-bound person was in the ladies room when I walked in. And that's when it hit me, they don't just walk in, utilize the facilities, wash their hands and walk out. They must contend with handrails, bigger stalls, lower sinks, etc., etc., etc. It is marginally more complicated for them.

But even if my thinking is sometimes naive, I do realize that there are a lot of wheelchair-bound people out there who have experienced more, are much braver, and have accomplished more than I have so far in my life. My understanding of this fact has helped to strengthen my naivete because with all the obstacles people with disability face they strive to and have achieved their goals.

So I'll gladly hold onto my naivete. I think it would do the people with disability more of a disservice if I wised up. ;-)