tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18057948197454028822012-02-01T07:53:26.065-08:00            Because vanilla is a flavor.Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.comBlogger1791100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-10144273883982657892012-01-31T00:01:00.000-08:002012-01-31T09:51:00.503-08:00

My Dear Reader,I was in junior high when they started making quarters that honored each state. One day, all quarters were the same, and the next, there were these cool new ones with what looked like Paul Revere* on them. I kind of hoarded them. A little. They were just so awesome!And guess what? There were more of them! There were quarters with trees and ships on them. One even had a peach! It

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-19171258405457064802012-01-17T00:01:00.000-08:002012-01-17T00:01:01.087-08:00

My Dear Reader,This story is brought to you by request.I love the bed that I have. It was given to me by my grandmother, and it's both legitimately vintage and elegantly beautiful. It's the same bed that Padre slept in when he was a little boy. The only problem is that the mattress that came with it is just as old.For the past few decades, the bed was used as a secondary guest bed, and until I

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-82779409369653880902012-01-10T22:33:00.000-08:002012-01-10T22:53:37.359-08:00

My Dear Reader,I just want you to know that I've written several drafts of several different posts, because I really feel like I should be blogging regularly again. I know. I've said it before, and who knows how long it will take before I make good on my promise. I really should have done what I did when I started this blog: write ten or so posts in advance and schedule them to be automatically

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-36256785245639376582011-12-06T22:13:00.000-08:002011-12-06T22:41:18.535-08:00

My Dear Reader,I know I've been away for a while, but here I am, with new entries planned. For now, please enjoy this randosity."Dear Gentleman, Dear Lady"By Cecily JaneDear Gentleman,You must understand that there are wolves at my door. I feel that I must be upfront about this at the beginning. I realize that everybody is stalked by a creature of some kind or another, and that the subject

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-75642111728467468982011-06-05T18:20:00.001-07:002011-06-05T21:39:45.662-07:00

My Dear Reader,I wrote this today while in Sacrament meeting. To prove it, I've also added pictures of the notebook I keep in my scriptures. So yeah."Sunday" By Cecily Jane I am waiting in silence. Perhaps it is not true silence. I can hear myself licking my lips. I can hear the soft bustling of the air conditioner. I can hear the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. And once in a forever, I

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-79463448857076444352011-04-26T00:01:00.000-07:002011-04-26T00:01:00.413-07:00

My Dear Reader,I wrote this piece of Mormon fiction a few months ago. Take it as you will.SacredMy mother thinks everything is so important.“Don't drink that!” she says, when I reach for some coffee at the gas station. I don't know why she gets so worked up about it. My friends' parents don't. Of course, they're not like us.They're not like her.I'm sacred, she says. Not special—sacred. Made by

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-42291435452900688882011-03-22T19:17:00.000-07:002011-03-22T20:31:10.697-07:00

My Dear Reader,If I know you, I love you.If I've met you once, and we never spoke again, I still love you.If you don't want me dead, I consider you my friend. If you are generally pleased with the fact that I'm alive, you are my good friend.If you and I knew each other a long time ago, and you really hurt me, I will remember all of the bad things you did to me only when I'm in a deep, dark place.

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-23486071164057236342011-02-01T19:46:00.000-08:002012-01-17T07:37:06.668-08:00

My Dear Reader,At the café where I work, we started selling Mexican Coke. (As in, the soda. This is a proper establishment, after all.)Mexican Coke is supposed to be better than American Coke, which is a complete reversal of the whole chocolate situation. This kind of Coke made with real cane sugar instead of corn. Very clever, Mexico. Very clever.Now, I'm not a really big or even almost medium

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-36695648685558348332011-01-25T00:01:00.000-08:002011-01-25T00:01:02.556-08:00

My Dear Reader,So yeah, sorry about December. And November. And most of 2010.To be honest, I should really apologize for most of 2009 as well. 2009 really bummed me out.Don't think that I've forgotten about this blog. Or writing. I definitely haven't. Cecily and I talk about it all the time. It goes like this:Cecily: Ah! It's Tuesday!I: And?Cecily: Well, I should post on Tuesdays. It's what I

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-68060424395126884362010-11-02T23:19:00.000-07:002010-11-02T23:35:19.555-07:00

My Dear Reader,Today, it seems that I have something to say. I will spare you the context on this one, because trust me, you don't want me to go into it. This week's diatribe is as follows:Right and Wrong are real things.They are eternal. They are unchangeable.Right and Wrong do not come into existence at our convenience. They do not appear once we pronounce them to be one thing or another. They

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-14027825851536474382010-07-27T13:16:00.000-07:002010-07-27T23:00:44.710-07:00

My Dear Reader,My new job as a barista at a cafe is strange, to say the least. Not because the job itself is weird, of course. As usual, weirdness is just one of the many things that I bring to the table all on my own. Any normal person who works selling coffee is one thing, but as a Mormon, me selling coffee is as strange as as Jew who sells bacon. Just to be clear, my job doesn't mean than I'm

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-29161321404602890692010-07-13T21:58:00.000-07:002010-07-13T23:13:51.504-07:00

My Dear Reader,I really hope that you don't hate me by now. Gosh. Please accept my sincere apologies for May and June. And most of 2010. I've seriously been in a funk.Let me tell you what's been going on with me lately, and we'll see if that helps you forgive me. A little.So, this past year-and-a-half have not been my favorite. All I can say is this: make sure you actually have plans after

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-34315618478224806112010-04-27T22:31:00.000-07:002010-04-28T01:01:39.792-07:00

My Dear Reader,PetiteSouer wrote a quite excellent blog post about contemporary racism, and I found that I had too much to say on the subject to fit it all in a comment box. So, I'm putting it here. I highly encourage you to read and comment on PetiteSoeur's post before reading what I wrote, because otherwise, it won't really make sense.I remember being in second grade when a new girl moved to

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-38791627416540638862010-04-20T21:57:00.000-07:002010-04-21T00:15:03.501-07:00

My Dear Reader,So, you know how a month ago, I told you that things were going to go back to normal? Yeah, sorry about that. I feel awful. I've just been writing so much fiction lately that by the time I get to personal non-fiction, I'm little writing-ed out. Just ask PrimerGemelo, who has yet to receive a letter from me the whole time he's been a missionary. (If I've been a bad blogger, I've

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-88646597547674740022010-03-16T19:51:00.000-07:002010-03-16T20:24:14.523-07:00

My Dear Reader,I don't know how to apologize for my recent absence, except for to just say that I'm sorry. I made the choice to temporarily focus on other projects, but I'll be back as usual next week, I promise.I wanted to write a post for you today, but I found out that someone else wrote it for me. I know it sounds like a cop-out, but the truth is that this is much better than anything I could

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-55334398727616789362010-02-16T13:52:00.000-08:002010-02-16T14:35:18.971-08:00

My Dear Reader,I think that everybody should take an English usage class at one point in their lives or another. It opens your eyes to so many things that you miss, and if you have the right teacher, you realize that language is absolutely hilarious. If you pay attention to things that people say every day without thinking, you start to notice that we often say things that we think are completely

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-32836393807444890242010-02-02T22:09:00.000-08:002010-02-02T22:46:26.896-08:00

My Dear Reader,One of my new year's resolutions was to spend more time reading The Book of Mormon, and since I recently acquired a Zune HD, I now have a device that lets me read scripture and write about it without leaving the comfort of my own covers. Sweet, right? I can be pretty lazy, so it works. I just pull up the webpage, pick a chapter at random, and if I can still keep my eyes open after,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-37308725733530171082010-01-26T13:42:00.000-08:002010-04-09T15:16:03.966-07:00

My Dear Reader,Our celebrity class is one of the most morally corrupt groups of people on Earth. We all know it; the evidence is there every time we turn on the television, or read the newspaper, or get on the internet. When it comes to morality in the celebrity class, things are topsy-turvy with respect to the rest of the nation: deviance is the norm, morality is the minority. In this day and

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-89161707848993801812010-01-19T00:01:00.000-08:002010-01-19T00:01:01.506-08:00

My Dear Reader,I've recently spent a little time as a Sunday school teacher for the gospel essentials class in my ward (read: congregation). It's been an interesting ride. When I went to BYU, I was required (and very much loved) to attend religious courses taught by the finest religious scholars Mormonism has to offer, and we spent a lot of that time learning the details about the scriptures. In

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com102tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-25267647621790431052010-01-12T00:01:00.000-08:002010-01-12T02:21:04.696-08:00

My Dear Reader,I suffer from Alzheimer's, just not in the way you think. So do you.When my beloved grandmother (and consequently, our whole family) fought a long and brave battle with the disease, I first became acquainted with the reality that a person can endure suffering from an illness that someone else has. Even after the battle is over and lost, the psychological effects remain. It's

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-88926539967799251432010-01-05T00:20:00.000-08:002010-01-05T00:20:00.441-08:00

My Dear Reader,My sister, HermanaMayor, just got married. So out of the three of us girls, I'm the only single one left. If you are well-acquainted with Mormondom, you know that I now have a large target painted on my back. Do not worry, Gentle Reader. Any self-respecting Mormon girl who has had the audacity to graduate college without acquiring a husband knows several ways to dodge the

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-88284011536005737022009-12-31T21:47:00.000-08:002010-01-01T15:21:23.717-08:00

My Dear Reader,Here's a peek at what I've been up to recently: That's roughly half of the screenplay I've written for a new web series called Drive Me Crazy. It's just a thing my friends and I are doing for fun, you know; no big deal. I saved the funny parts for later. See you in 2010!Regards, best wishes, and silliness,-Cecily Jane

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-81415213410028103272009-12-24T18:38:00.002-08:002009-12-24T22:25:51.461-08:00

My Dear Reader,Tomorrow is December 25th, which is traditionally overflowing with three of my favorite things: music, family, and Jesus. Yup.So, I'd like to take this time to thank you for reading this year! We had some great times, didn't we? I think so.Have a very merry Christmas, and I'll see you in 2010!Regards, best wishes, and Jesus,-Cecily JaneP. S. Speaking of family, my cousins are

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-85002796229943433792009-12-15T00:34:00.000-08:002009-12-15T00:34:00.141-08:00

My Dear Reader,Am I the only one who shies away from meeting famous people? Like, I prefer to avoid it, if possible?I'm probably weird for being this way, but I think that celebrities, famous people, should just stay on the computer screen. Even if I really, really like them. Even if I'm a rabid fan and I've watched every episode twenty times. I'd just prefer it if there was still a piece of

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-20543590563035507562009-12-08T22:36:00.000-08:002009-12-08T23:23:59.204-08:00

My Dear Reader,Sometimes, I just wish that I would open the website to my bank account one day and find that there was an extra million dollars sitting happily in my balance. Just once. I don't think that's unreasonable, do you?You never know. There could be some eccentric billionaire out there who, just to pass the time, works part-time as a bank teller. He could be an older man, grandpa age,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-52607319860805719572009-12-05T10:38:00.000-08:002009-12-05T11:00:02.639-08:00

My Dear Reader,Sorry that this is a bit late. I had a hard time trying to find something to show you, but I ended up choosing this because it will give you a real taste of what this story is about. The main speaker in this excerpt is one Admiral Alexander Chapman. He, along with his brother, Professor Angus Chapman, is trying to resurrect a special cadet training group (Red Squad) that had

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-30135289074069635562009-12-01T18:43:00.000-08:002009-12-01T19:05:14.322-08:00

My Dear Reader,The results are in: I won NaNoWriMo this year! For yay!It wasn't easy; I slacked off for the first few weeks, so I did the last half of the challenge (25,000 words) in one week. That's what I call intense! So, I hope you will excuse me if this post is a little on the short side. My fingers are a little drained.Those of you who have been following Plain Vanilla for a while know that

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-51341429493957055742009-11-27T00:18:00.000-08:002009-12-01T19:09:43.446-08:00

My Dear Reader,Here is another chunk of what I've been writing for NaNoWriMo. You may have noticed that I write about Carlotta a lot, but let's just say that I can identify with her. And sometimes, she says things that I wish I could have said to a bully or two, back in the day. Enjoy!Carlotta's Speech on EqualityBy Cecily Jane Carlotta tried to smile sweetly at Abigail, but the corners of her

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-70166757912381352852009-11-17T22:50:00.000-08:002009-11-17T23:20:05.342-08:00

My Dear Reader,I hate it when people refer to Thanksgiving as "Turkey Day." Yes, there is turkey. Yes, there is also a parade, and football. No one is denying that. Thanksgiving, however, is so much more. In fact, I think it's one of the most overlooked holidays of the year, sometimes not even seen as a holiday as much as a hurdle on the way to the Christmas season. Don't get me wrong--I love

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-40372993488946401182009-11-13T03:06:00.000-08:002009-12-01T19:10:08.100-08:00

My Dear Reader,The following is a snippet of what I've been working on for NaNoWriMo. (I'm writing a Star Trek-thing, in case you forgot. This story takes place in that universe.) It's a flashback that takes place about seven months before the main story. The main character's name is Carlotta Esposito, whose family runs an Italian restaurant called The Stradivarius, which has been in San

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-22871746005683934832009-11-03T22:12:00.000-08:002009-12-01T19:10:21.185-08:00

My Dear Reader,I'm on to you.I know what you've been thinking, as you refresh the main page of my blog over and over again, waiting for the next post to appear. This post. You've been up to it all day, haven't you? Yes, I know you have. Don't worry; I understand. I won't judge you.But back to the thinking you've been doing, and how I know what it is. Yes. Well, it's obvious, isn't it? I mean,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-41467156627355670952009-10-27T22:12:00.000-07:002009-10-27T22:54:00.391-07:00

My Dear Reader,Sorry about October.I mean it. I feel awful about the whole thing. I'm the worst person ever.I could say I was too busy, which would kind of be the truth. Of course, it would also be a lie.The truth of the matter is that, except for moms, people are rarely too busy for the small things. Especially something they've done on a regular basis for over two years. I hate it when people

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-10015656983170994542009-09-24T10:33:00.000-07:002009-09-24T11:45:55.926-07:00

My Dear Reader,(Sorry for missing last week's and this Tuesday's post! I've been working on another big writing project, and it kind of got in the way. Hopefully, when I post it here, you'll understand. And the Batman-y post is coming; I'm having a hard time with acquiring some additional media.)I count myself very fortunate that I am my Madre's daughter, especially on the day of the year that I

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-19554468668679686692009-09-08T13:56:00.000-07:002009-09-08T15:04:58.639-07:00

My Dear Reader,I have determined that it is time for something frivilous. Facebook counts.I probably got on Facebook before you did. Serious. I first heard about it back when mostly Ivy League people were on it (2005?). In fact, the only reason I really joined was that my Ivy League friend contacted me and asked me to create a profile. Back then, it showed all of the friends you had and what

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-5273109406305938892009-09-01T00:01:00.000-07:002009-09-01T00:01:04.605-07:00

My Dear Reader,I started reading Charles Dickens' novel Little Dorrit after I watched the fantastic adaptation that BBC produced earlier this year. The book, of course, is even better. As I was reading, I came across this quote in chapter 25 (page 322 in the Penguin edition):"[T]hey had a notion that it was a sort of Divine visitation upon a foreigner that he was not an Englishman, and that all

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-20325460345322814462009-08-25T00:01:00.000-07:002009-08-25T10:20:16.626-07:00

My Dear Reader,Has anyone ever asked you what you would do with a million dollars? Or if you won the lottery? Mormons don't gamble, so I'm never playing those numbers, but I've wondered what I'd do if I, by chance, came upon more money than I could count. My brother Youngest once told me that if he had a million dollars, he'd buy me a roller coaster. I think I'd give most of my million away.You

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-85200000429112729382009-08-18T00:01:00.000-07:002009-08-18T00:01:01.754-07:00

My Dear Reader,The other day, I was having a conversation with my friends that went something like this:Cecily: You know, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to get shot.Friends 1 & 2: WHAT?Cecily: You know, with a bullet-proof vest on.Friend 1: You mean bullet-resistant vest.Cecily: Okay, sure.Friend 2: Why on Earth would you ever want to be shot? With a gun? You hate guns!Cecily: Well, I'm

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-68563065407379438292009-08-14T21:41:00.000-07:002009-08-14T21:41:57.278-07:00

My Dear Reader,[Note: I know I promised something today, and even though what I planned isn't done yet, I figured I'd still deliver what I could. I've got the words now, and I'll try to get you the music either tomorrow or Monday.]I got the idea for this while I was listening to the Beatles' "I Will." Since I'm not very good at writing music, sometimes I try to write lyrics to the melody of a

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-67888398958941101332009-08-11T22:19:00.000-07:002009-08-28T21:07:12.369-07:00

My Dear Reader,Teaching isn't something I've ever really had to do in a formal setting before. I mean, unless you count class presentations, which, for me, can have a tendency to go horribly wrong. Or if you count being a big sister as teaching experience, and with four younger siblings, I can say I've done plenty of that. But the first time I actually had to prepare a lesson and actually teach a

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-10606327091516354882009-08-04T00:01:00.000-07:002009-08-04T04:23:19.769-07:00

[Note: Cecily probably has no idea what she is talking about, but she does have a college degree. In English.]My Dear Reader,You may be aware that Congress is now debating bill that will "reform" healthcare, or in other words, change every aspect of our healthcare system forever. Every aspect forever.Of course, you may have a different opinion on universal healthcare than I do. You may think that

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-52601298934581661592009-07-28T23:13:00.000-07:002009-07-29T00:22:39.948-07:00

My Dear Reader,The world just seems to be going crazy lately.2009, so far, has been extremely disappointing.People just seem to be dying left and right, don't they? Oh, and I don't know how this happened, but Obama has turned out to be even worse than I thought he would be. I feel so foolish now for thinking that an Obama presidency would, at least, better foreign relations. In a positive light,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-5720589249946605192009-07-21T00:01:00.000-07:002009-07-21T00:01:00.173-07:00

My Dear Reader,When I was in high school physics (which, BTW, has saved the world)*, I learned something that I have, at last, found useful: that horizontal motion is separate from vertical motion. Yes.Let me explain it to you this way: if you have two ping pong balls, and Ball 1 is dropped straight down while Ball 2 is hurled to to the side as it falls, the two balls will fall at the same rate,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-64120849514541304952009-06-30T18:11:00.000-07:002009-06-30T20:46:02.965-07:00

My Dear Reader,This past week, I had the opportunity to help out my aunt and uncle while they took their family on vacation. Essentially, my job was to answer phones at my uncle's insurance agency and then stay at their house and take care of their two pugs. It was a pretty sweet gig, all in all, and it was especially nice to get out of my routine for a while. Here are a couple of things I

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-16772070321716919782009-06-23T23:32:00.000-07:002009-06-25T14:38:54.531-07:00

My Dear Reader,Sorry about missing last week's post; I've been in somewhat of a creative slump as of late. I suppose that's okay, however, because all of Hollywood seems to be in the same predicament. I don't know, I guess I expected more after they came back from the writer's strike. I thought those writers would just have so many ideas backed up while they were standing in picket lines that

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-190237396835888322009-06-10T00:14:00.000-07:002009-06-10T18:53:17.009-07:00

My Dear Reader,So I absolutely had to buy a Mac for my new job. It turns out that you can't really edit video on a PC. Before May, the only real contact I'd had with a Mac was with an old (mid-1990s) model the my childhood best friend had. I remember not being very impressed at all, especially with the wallpaper. (When you're in elementary school, the wallpaper is what really matters.)I admit

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-52537169206350752072009-06-02T23:03:00.000-07:002010-04-21T01:12:28.525-07:00

My Dear Reader,It's official: I now have a Schwager, or in other words, PetiteSoeur is now 100% married. The reception was incredibly stressful, but once it started, it turned out just fine. And since I that's all I really have to say about it, and since I just inducted a new member into my family, I though I would take the time to do something I should have done years ago: explain to you why I

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-20726263831535800112009-05-26T21:14:00.000-07:002009-05-26T22:00:16.416-07:00

My Dear Reader,With everything that is going on in my life this week, I found it nearly impossible to write my regular one-topic, longer-than-my-Madre-would-like post. Instead, enjoy some vignette posts of the things I've been thinking about in the past seven days:I love my family. I love my crazy, crowded, musical Angl0-Italian side just as much as I love my quiet, reserved, homey Anglo-Irish

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-18786176038348953002009-05-19T18:46:00.000-07:002009-05-21T11:21:05.167-07:00

My Dear Reader,I am extremely pleased to announce that in the past seven days, I have not only acquired a vocation (as in . . . gainful employment), but I have finally settled on my pro-wrestling name.Both achievements required a lot of skill and took a lot, lot more time than I would have liked. A college educated person such as myself should have gotten a wrestling name years ago:Announcer:

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-14082181675075002692009-05-12T00:01:00.000-07:002009-05-12T00:01:00.470-07:00

My Dear Reader,I'm crushed.As a hard core Star Trek fan, I was really worried about the latest movie, but I tried to get past my reservations and started looking forward to it. Ever since the last Star Trek series was prematurely cancelled and the movie before that didn't do so well, a lot of people were saying that the franchise, which had been going on for the past 40 years, was dying. This new

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-69429809565408165962009-05-05T15:20:00.000-07:002009-05-05T16:26:20.478-07:00

My Dear Reader,I suppose that you could say that as the daughter of an actress and the grand daughter of a theater director, I have a definite flare for the dramatic. It's certainly true that I love good stories, the best having a mix of passion and conflict that gives great insight into the human condition. One of my favorite things in this world is a good, dramatic story, whether it's in the

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-78272901882877098102009-04-28T14:55:00.000-07:002009-04-28T14:56:51.813-07:00

My Dear Reader,As a very, very new driver, I know that I have a lot to learn about driving. I mean, I haven't felt this stupid since my first day at college! I'm getting the hang of it, little by little, and while I no longer feel the need to pray for the general population every time I put the car in drive, I'm pretty sure that it's going to take a few years before I get completely comfortable

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-45427079942013708782009-04-14T23:52:00.000-07:002009-04-15T00:29:45.168-07:00

My Dear Reader,This is the second part of a post in which I've tried to explain what I've learned about God through my own experiences and through His dealings with mankind. The first part of this post can be found here.5. God will allow us to feel pain, but for a reason.There are many in the world who reject the idea of God because of the pain that they have experienced. Some have been crippled

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-76104681151047278452009-04-07T14:36:00.000-07:002009-04-07T14:52:52.614-07:00

My Dear Reader,Joseph Smith, a man who I believe was a prophet of God, said, "Let us here observe, that three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation. First, the idea that he actually exists. Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes. Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-3536093980785106512009-04-03T00:01:00.000-07:002009-12-01T19:13:56.613-08:00

My Dear Reader,This is a small sample of the book I'm trying to write by the end of April. It's essentially about a group of super smart people—a think tank—who solves problems in order to better the world. The two characters in this excerpt are Dolores and Phillip, and while Dolores is the leader of the group, this conversation will prove that there's a lot more going on here than you might

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-34216166252263767002009-03-31T20:42:00.000-07:002009-12-01T19:12:40.118-08:00

My Dear Reader,Remember last November when I tried to write a 50,000 word novel for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and failed? Well, tomorrow I'm going to try it again.I was really disappointed with myself when I didn't get all the way to my goal, but it turned out that I wasn't the only one who didn't finish. A friend of mine from church was in the same position, and she asked me if

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-14061876794620686122009-03-24T23:56:00.000-07:002009-03-25T00:21:01.596-07:00

My Dear Reader,It somewhat confuses me that people when people say things like "If you didn't win[,] don't blame me[,] blame the universe," or "Sometimes, the universe brings you the wrong kind of French toast." I mean, since when did the universe become sentient? As far as I'm aware, it's still just a glorified collection of stuff. Some carbon over here, some iron over there, and a whole lot of

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-1765345832075631292009-03-17T21:21:00.000-07:002009-03-17T23:35:44.845-07:00

My Dear Reader,Imagine that one of the bigwigs at one of those big cable networks has a pitch for a new series called Bjudaism. You see, it's all about this fictional religious group of Americans with big, long beards and funny skullcaps who are trying to hide the fact that they sacrifice animals to their god. Oh, and it turns out that they have this weird thing against Germans. Hilarious, right?

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-60439373244580310552009-03-10T00:01:00.000-07:002009-03-10T00:01:01.549-07:00

My Dear Reader,On the 5th of March, in the year of our Lord two-thousand and nine, Miss Cecily Jane Harris, at the tender age of twenty-three, received a driver's license.I know.And just in case you're wondering, I've never had my license revoked or suspended or anything; I just hadn't gotten around to it yet. Yes, I used to be that lame. I'm the second oldest out of the six kids in my family,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-16640818585294343112009-03-03T22:58:00.000-08:002009-03-03T23:11:18.536-08:00

My Dear Reader,If you knew how much time I spend looking at baby name websites, you would probably be very much concerned. Sometimes, I wonder if I think about names more than expecting parents do, and I might. You see, it just so happens that baby name resources are also perfect when you have to name a fictional character, which I do a lot.I really like to take special care when I match a name

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-13150237370098288802009-02-27T19:44:00.000-08:002010-01-06T17:18:29.253-08:00

My Dear Reader,I apologize for missing my post last Tuesday. The truth is that I found out about the tragic loss of a friend just before I sat down to write my post and, well, it just didn't work out. I hope that you will instead enjoy a light-heearted story I wrote over the weekend. I often write stories to help me get over things, and this story acted as a kind of therapy to help me through an

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-65774698389371318192009-02-17T16:47:00.000-08:002009-02-17T17:35:35.962-08:00

My Dear Reader,When your little sister gets married before you do, you have to be a bridesmaid.And when you have to be a bridesmaid, you have to go buy a dress.I know what you may be expecting: that I'd be jealous because my younger sister is getting married first. The truth is that I'm not really the jealous type. It's also true that PetiteSoeur is going to marry a guy that I'd very much like to

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-37583950587241782372009-02-10T00:01:00.000-08:002009-02-17T17:38:26.487-08:00

My Dear Reader,As you may recall, I posted my English wish list a few months ago, chock full of some things we could add to our lovely language in order to make it even better than it is. It has also occurred to me, however, that we might improve our language just as well by taking some things as we might by putting some things in. And so, Gentle Reader, I will now present to you a small list of

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-84248157588145566182009-02-03T00:01:00.000-08:002009-02-03T00:01:01.920-08:00

My Dear Reader,If you would like to learn a little about Mormonism, or of you are looking for a way to explain your faith to those who believe otherwise, I have compiled a list of some terms and explanations that should ease the process. This first batch contains the definitions that relate to the Young Women of the Church, and there is more to come.The Mormon-Other Faith Dictionary: Young Women

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-16870065881168905922009-01-28T12:22:00.000-08:002009-01-28T14:21:48.490-08:00

My Dear Reader,I apologize for being a day behind; I was traveling yesterday and couldn't get to a computer. I also apologize for being too late.I've been meaning to write this post for a very long time, because I believe that I have a unique experience that, once shared, can comfort others. I have delayed writing it because I know that putting my feelings into words will be very painful for me,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-33622588604478453802009-01-26T13:26:00.000-08:002010-01-26T13:27:07.688-08:00

My Dear Reader,Our celebrity class is one of the most morally corrupt groups of people on Earth. We all know it; the evidence is there every time we turn on the television, or read the newspaper, or get on the internet. When it comes to morality in the celebrity class, things are topsy-turvy with respect to the rest of the nation: deviance is the norm, morality is the minority. In this day and

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-46641959183123320572009-01-20T23:55:00.000-08:002009-01-21T00:04:37.531-08:00

My Dear Reader,Out of respect for the historic inauguration of the first man of color as the President of the United States of America, I have decided to postpone the post I was planning to make today, which is of a decidedly different nature than the festivities which are taking place in Washington D.C. today.Let it be said that despite my personal political leanings, I feel honored to see the

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-47853692771874702462009-01-13T23:37:00.000-08:002009-01-14T01:41:17.774-08:00

My Dear Reader,First, I'm sorry that I'm writing another post about politics. This was too good to pass up.Second, I've been wondering about something lately. I am fairly certain that you, Gentle Reader, are aware that Sarah Palin gave a pretty bad interview to CBS's Katie Couric back in September. There were a lot of parts that didn't make Sarah Palin look that great, but one part in particular

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-14600505515873837912009-01-06T00:01:00.000-08:002009-01-06T00:01:08.564-08:00

My Dear Reader,I, for one, could use a really good year. Do you agree? How about a year where I have a job and my life seems to actually be going somewhere, for starters? Oh, and no more pesky economic meltdown might be nice. And if Obama actually changes some stuff, and that change turns out to be change for the better (which, as you recall, he never explicitly promised*), then I think I'll be

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-40011623444195749712008-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:002009-02-18T16:04:46.414-08:00

My Dear Reader,I usually never, never, never respond when people tag me in their blogs. Especially here. That's because blog-tagging is the new chain text, which is the new force-pointless-Facebook-applications-on-your-friends, which is the new chain e-mail, which is the new chain letter. It is perhaps the greatest travesty of our times that only one of the devilish practices mentioned above is

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-64889148251021295512008-12-19T22:21:00.001-08:002008-12-19T22:29:30.899-08:00

My Dear Reader,I wrote this a couple of years ago, so it may not be as great as stuff I've written recently, but I decided to post it anyway because I think that it captures a part of humanity that isn't documented often. Or something."Rachael and Sarah"Rachael was cutting celery in the kitchen when she heard the familiar jingling of keys outside of her door. She placed her knife down gently,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-76659713332218418032008-12-16T14:53:00.000-08:002008-12-16T16:24:35.355-08:00

My Dear Reader,The worst thing that could have ever happened to Salem, OR, happened this Sunday.It snowed.Oh, yes. A whole two inches. Sufficed to say, the city was in chaos. You see, it's illegal in Salem to use the best weapon we have against icy roads: salt. Salt is great for getting rid of snow, but it's not so great for the roads themselves, and I guess that Salem lawmakers decided that it

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-90189446644305487812008-12-12T00:01:00.000-08:002008-12-12T00:01:00.672-08:00

My Dear Reader,Here's that short story that I promised back in October. Enjoy!Oscar NightThe red carpet was so crowded with stars and paparazzi that some reporters had to put their hands over their eyes to shield themselves from the constant flashing of cameras. Two or three photographers buzzed around each couple as the actors were interviewed, testing the composure and professionalism of all

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-48922939423099221092008-12-09T23:09:00.000-08:002008-12-11T01:00:42.723-08:00

My Dear Reader,Okay, I think that the new Batman movie has been out long enough for me to talk about it, right? I've been postponing this post for a long time in order to ensure that the timing would be appropriate, since I talk about some things that would probably spoil the plot for you if you are still waiting to see the movie. I also talk about the last Superman movie, but I'm not going to be

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-57273609712773882272008-12-05T00:01:00.000-08:002008-12-05T00:40:51.468-08:00

My Dear Reader,Fiction Fridays are back! The return to Fiction Fridays will be kicked off with this Emily Dickinson-inspired puzzle-poem. True to puzzle-poem form, you have to figure out what the subject of the poem is based on clues in the text. (A great Dickinsonian example can be found here.) This particular poem is structured that way because I think it adds to the feeling of the poem, not

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-17054028389088013172008-12-02T14:10:00.000-08:002009-12-01T19:11:27.011-08:00

My Dear Reader,I didn't make it to 50,000 words this time. I didn't even make it to 40,000. Or 25,000. Or 15,000. This year, after being so psyched about writing my second 30-day novel, I finished at a mere 12,000 words. Pathetic, I know.Of course, I did write about 10,000 of those words in three days, which I find pretty awesome. I guess that that means I can write a novel in fifteen days, which

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-22186805585652048302008-11-24T11:36:00.000-08:002009-12-01T19:11:53.208-08:00

My Dear Reader,As of ten seconds ago, I have decided to keep my word and actually finish my second NaNoWriMo novel. It was kind of a hard decision to make, since I have less than seven days left to reach my goal of 50,000 words and I only have *gulp* 2,096 words right now.Am I crazy, you ask? No, no I'm not. I'm eccentric, that's all. The difference is fairly simple: crazy people get locked up,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-15007073818616644852008-11-18T09:48:00.000-08:002008-11-24T00:39:25.699-08:00

My Dear Reader,Okay, so I really thought that this blog would steer clear of politics after the election, but something came to my attention that was just too good to pass up. It turns out that upon being sworn in as the President of the United States, President-Elect Obama is going to have to give up his precious Blackberry and e-mail accounts. A trivial matter, you say? Not to the newsmedia,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-27018995347406105212008-11-11T23:44:00.000-08:002008-11-18T09:48:50.118-08:00

My Dear Reader,The post-graduation job hunt is not going very well! I've been pulling my hair out for the past few weeks and months, but I got my first interview yesterday for a glass/window place. It was great just to have an interview--after sending in so many resumes, and after searching through so many job listings. Of course, the job was going to be an hour away, so it was a long shot, but

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-17397198664354356622008-11-04T23:59:00.000-08:002008-11-05T01:45:20.493-08:00

My Dear Reader,Today, the citizens of the United States of America, exercising the power given to them by the Constitution, elected Senator Barack Obama to be their 44th president. Since Barack Obama is a man of African descent, this is a remarkable turning point in the history of our nation, and I cannot help but be proud of my nation for it.Sure, he wasn't the guy I voted for. He and I share

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-60442869051129702872008-10-28T20:03:00.000-07:002008-10-28T21:03:29.055-07:00

My Dear Reader,After my fifth-or-so attempt at registering to vote, I finally have the opportunity to do my civic duty. I say this to make it clear that I'm not a political slacker; the facts are that I have filled out registration forms three times without actually getting registered. I don't know what happened--maybe there was some kind of glitch, or maybe I'm just stupid at filling out

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-32563954662565132512008-10-21T23:39:00.001-07:002009-12-01T19:34:11.494-08:00

My Dear Reader,Things are going to change a little bit in November, since it is NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. It's essentially a group of writers who get together online and motivate each other to do an amazing feat: write a 50,000 word novel in only thirty days. The idea behind it is that everybody has a novel inside of them, but some need a little bit of help to get it out of

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-11831081599982134792008-10-14T14:55:00.000-07:002008-10-14T16:20:59.075-07:00

My Dear Reader,I've already posted more on politics than I ever thought that I would. At the same time, I feel that there is at least one more thing that I need to say on the subject, so please consider this post on California's Proposition 8, which would ban homosexual marriage in the state. In short, I absolutely, completely, support Prop 8. I think that voting to pass Prop 8 is the moral,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-289451698156622022008-10-07T00:01:00.000-07:002008-10-09T17:39:39.042-07:00

My Dear Reader,I was into my twenties before I ever actually read Frankenstein, and even then, I only read it because I had to. Ironically enough, I read that bulk of it on the deck of a cruise ship in the middle of the Caribbean, which made the experience even more strange than it had to be.* Of course, I knew all I had ever wanted to know about Frankenstein already: the green monster with the

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-8616742923885947422008-09-30T23:59:00.000-07:002008-10-01T12:49:10.818-07:00

My Dear Reader,I just have to say that I am one of those new Sarah Palin fans. I'm going with the crowd, I know, but I just can't help it. I have this weakness for strong, incredibly feminine women. Show me a woman who has that unmistakable boo-yah quality without sacrificing her femininity, and I become an instant die-hard fan. This explains my adoration for Captain Janeway, Julie Andrews,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-78616981594105544972008-09-26T23:44:00.000-07:002008-09-27T02:40:27.988-07:00

My Dear Reader,I take great care in naming my characters, something that I share with J. K. Rowling (I believe that she said on her website that she "collects" names, which explains a lot). I know all of the best baby name sites, because I always need to know the meaning of the name before I brand a character, sometimes picking a meaning and working backward.* Sometimes, when I come up with a

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-14508714416201380612008-09-23T20:56:00.000-07:002008-09-23T22:40:09.799-07:00

My Dear Reader,So, I've done something pretty new recently: I've started watching the news. I know. It used to be that the closest I got to the news was the small amount of space in my college newspaper that wasn't devoted to engagement ring ads (I didn't mind that much, since I was just there for the crossword). But something strange happened, in the form of me coming across the video podcast of

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-73215890677801597412008-09-16T23:36:00.000-07:002008-09-17T00:02:16.181-07:00

My Dear Reader,Here is the second half of my list of A-making tricks. (Here's the first half, if you missed it.) I figure that I might as well write it all down before it all seeps out of my head.6. Turn in everything, even if it's late, and do it right the first time.This is another one of those basics that I talked about in my previous post. If you're not turning in all of your assignments,

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-45433125787907401242008-09-12T19:26:00.000-07:002008-09-12T20:11:01.057-07:00

My Dear Reader,There are those who have said that my posts are too long; especially my Fiction Friday pieces. So, in order to drastically reduce the average length of my blog entries,* I will instead write you some six-word novels, a genre developed by Ernest Hemingway. Feel free to add your own (or title mine) in the comments.Novel #1: I won. He lost. And died.Novel #2 (or: Gone with the Wind):

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-11499766223793144462008-09-09T18:40:00.000-07:002008-09-17T00:00:18.196-07:00

My Dear Reader,As a college graduate, I feel that it is my duty to pass on the grade-earning scores that I have acquired over the years. It turned out to be a pretty long list, so I've cut it into two easy-to-digest installments. While I can't exactly say that all of these items are listed in the order of importance, I would say that these first five are the absolute basics, meaning that if you

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-90683132612261957052008-09-05T12:02:00.000-07:002008-09-05T13:08:41.327-07:00

My Dear Reader,Sorry about the lack of posts recently. I've been moving to Oregon, and was unexpectedly without internet access for the past two weeks. Not to worry, however, as I will return next Tuesday as usual, with a post entitled: "Ten Ways to Get 'A's in College.*" It's a two-parter, so get excited!Regards, best wishes, and see you Tuesday,-Cecily Jane*As in the grade, not to be confused

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-8404527330531305782008-08-22T09:27:00.000-07:002008-08-22T09:57:24.901-07:00

My Dear Reader, In honor of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, I have constructed several haiku poems that kind of run together to form one big poem. It's not exactly Emerson, but I think that I caught the spirit of this year's games.Yes, I know that haiku is Japanese.If my team has more medalsBut you have more goldsThan which team is the winner?Well, since I can't change the pastI'll say

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-89469775928204874962008-08-19T13:23:00.000-07:002008-08-19T13:46:41.340-07:00

My Dear Reader,I love our language. I majored in it, after all. We have a stunning vocabulary and we have written some of the best prose and poetry in history. But as lovely as it is, it does have some flaws. Yes, I think that "flaws" is the word. There are some things that we don't just have words for, and I'm not just talking about a what we should call some new Chinese confection or how we

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-87093925745602226052008-08-16T21:42:00.000-07:002008-08-19T13:26:25.450-07:00

My Dear Reader,I'm so sorry that this post was late. The truth is that with the craziness of my family coming into town and other stuff (like moving out of my apartment), I plum forgot. Worry not though, Gentle Reader, as I have something special prepared for you today. This is a small portion of the short film that I was going to make with my brothers and sisters before I left for college. It

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-63883732557663254402008-08-12T08:33:00.000-07:002008-08-12T20:01:39.082-07:00

My Dear Reader,As most of you already know, I work at the cafeteria of the Missionary Training Center as a dishroom supervisor. Once every three weeks, I am required to work on Sunday. Let me give you a taste of what that’s like.Since I work for the Church, there is a sacrament service provided for employees to make up for the one we have to miss. I always forget what time it's at, and end up

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-77883611963510202592008-08-08T00:34:00.000-07:002008-08-08T00:46:25.604-07:00

My Dear Reader,This should make you laugh.The following poem is proof that when a writer has a deadline, she will sometimes come up with some of the craziest things that any human being has ever thought up in all of existence, especially if that writer happens to be a big fan of Dr. Seuss. I recently dug up this poem that I wrote for a class a few years ago, and I promise that I was completely in

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-27520189808801308202008-08-05T00:19:00.000-07:002008-08-07T13:23:08.455-07:00

My Dear Reader,No, I didn't read the last Twilight book, and I don't plan to. I did, however, recently finish Persuasion. Can we still be friends? I mean, I know. I'm Mormon, and, you know, female. It's a fairly unnatural state that I'm in right now. It's kind of like that time when Star Trek stopped being cool* and I didn't exactly join that bandwagon. Thinking for yourself sure is hard

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-74786924055314356902008-08-01T00:01:00.000-07:002008-08-01T00:01:00.710-07:00

My Dear Reader,As you may have guessed by now, I love writing letters, which explains why all of my posts are in letter form. The truth is that any time I write in the first person, I tend to make it a letter. It makes it easier to justify why the narrator is speaking and who the intended audience is. It also lets me speak through the character, which is pretty fun. So I hope you enjoy the

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-49124434000073577972008-07-29T00:01:00.000-07:002008-07-29T00:01:01.193-07:00

My Dear Reader,In honor of Madre's fiftieth birthday, we all got together and wrote a memory we have of her. This is mine.My Madre is not your average woman. There is no way to deny it; the facts are obvious. First of all, she’s given birth to six children, a feat that is becoming rarer even among Latter-day Mormons. Second of all, she actually raised these six children, refusing to use day-cares

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-52671390549653314552008-07-25T00:01:00.000-07:002008-07-25T00:01:07.055-07:00

My Dear Reader,I'm posting this piece because it's a little different than what I normally do, not really because I think that it's the best thing that I've ever written. I wrote it when I was feeling slightly melancholy and trying to cheer myself up, and that definitely comes through in the words. Maybe someday I'll come up with a way to make it just a little better. By the way, I call it a song

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805794819745402882.post-14386115713109193742008-07-22T08:21:00.000-07:002008-07-22T08:24:20.641-07:00

My Dear Reader,I'm not exactly one of those girls that is into all of those girly Mormon-ey crafty things. You know, like scrapbooking, sewing, cross stitching, cleaning, and the like. Mind you, I admire those who are skilled in these areas, but I have never really cared to be one of them. But there is one thing that I love to do which is equal parts Mormon and feminine, and that is baking. I

Cecily Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869802891335483229noreply@blogger.com7