One Year Later (Or: Where I've Been)

I think the reason I write, above all else, is to make myself believe things. Putting something on paper makes it more real and tangible. It becomes a thing that was actually created, no longer just a dream floating around in my head that no one else can see or feel. It's like watching a thought or sensation turn from a cloud of abstraction to a handful of substance you can squeeze or drop to the ground. Creating something other people can interact with also increases accountability and the drive to do better, at least in my experience.

This why I write about myself a lot. It's been about one year, three months since I graduated from college, and sometimes I need to go back and jot down everything I've accomplished since then, in order to convince myself that I can keep going, keep getting better. So, I apologize in advance for the amount of horn-tooting soon to follow.

The past year and a quarter hasn't been entirely glamorous. Many unflattering parts of my personality have been exposed, as if I've been playing strip poker with myself. I also accumulated six months' worth of meat and cheese on the bottoms of my shoes working at Harris Teeter. However, some of the more awesome things I've done include:

-landing a job at UNC-TV through my own hard work
-Producing my own segment for an Emmy-winning series (http://video.unctv.org/video/2365288554/)
-gaining hands-on experience directing, producing, writing, negotiating, and maintaining a website
-working at Trailblazer Studios in Raleigh
-experiencing the true meaning of Christmas (see my last Christmas post)
-getting to know the incredible city of Charlotte and some incredible people who live there
-driving on some of the most dangerous roads in North Carolina without getting killed (including roads covered in ice, water, and legions of crazed Bon Jovi fans)
-making new friends right in my hometown, one of whom is basically Jack Sparrow
-having a story published in a magazine (http://www.thricefiction.com/)
-working as a production assistant on a reality show
-discovering great places to eat, drink, and write about in my area that I didn't even know were there
-finally getting a haircut I love
-going from playing a few chords on the guitar to playing whole songs
-buying a ticket to Dragon Con
-trying venison (it was really good...sorry Bambi)
-going to a real, honest to goodness pig pickin' where we ate a whole dang pig
-seeing Ralph Stanley, Robert Randolph, Joe Pug, and Tinariwen in concert
-seeing a capybara in person
-getting a hug from Scott Myers of Go Into the Story

Maybe I can actually take all my crazy, ridiculous, dangerous dreams and hammer them into a reality someday. Stay tuned later this week for a new post with less back-patting, I promise.