It's Ohio, Wait Five Minutes

2011

Emily Mock — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:22:28 +0000

We round the end of yet another year, and I don’t find myself wondering where it all went. I probably only really speak for myself when I say that, but it feels pretty good. Did I do everything I wanted to do? Nope. Is that okay? Yeah. It is what it is. All I can do now is hope that everything goes well next year. All we can do it work towards making next year great. I don’t want to roll around here in a year and be saying to myself how I wish I’d taken more chances, been more outgoing or lost more weight. Next year, at this time, I want to look back and think about how hard everything was, and also how worth it it was. I think sometimes we get caught in our own self pity and don’t think about how we could’ve done better and then just wallow until it’s too late. I want to read all my books and get good grades and be a better friend. I don’t have to wait until January first to get started on that, because in a week, I am going to wish I’d started today. Carpe diem they say. Well guys, they’re right. Don’t wait until a new year to do all the things you want to. Start today, that way next week, you wont be wishing you stopped all the waiting.

About Writing

Emily Mock — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:58:43 +0000

Some folks say that writing is a process. Hemingway only wrote in the morning, and he was one of the best writers of his time, maybe all time. Does that really mean we should all write in the morning? Probably not. If you can’t tell or don’t read my blog often, I write at all times of day, or night. You can search back and find posts from two in the afternoon to three thirty in the morning and so on. I don’t really believe in a writing process. There is nothing inside of me that says I must write at eight a.m. in my living room with a cup of coffee. Sometimes I’m listening to music, sometimes it’s completely silent. This fine morning I do happen to be in my living room with a cup of coffee (Ironic). But it’s almost ten o’clock already and I have yet to shower or even change out of my pajamas. If you write with a process, that’s awesome. Write with what works for you. It’s a lot like living, if you get the analogy. We’re essentially all doing the same thing we just have different ways of doing it and getting there. I write when the little writer man in my brain says “I’ve got something to say, let’s write a piece!” Maybe you’re like Hemingway. You like writing everyday, early in the morning. Go for it. Notice though, even Hemingway knew not everything he wrote was great. He told F. Scott Fitzgerald once “I write one page of masterpiece to ninety-nine pages of crap. I try to leave the crap in the wastebasket.” He was a rather humble man. That’s really the whole point here. Understand that to be a good writer, you don’t have to use the same process as Steinbeck or Hemingway. You just have to write.

A New Tradition

Emily Mock — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 03:18:31 +0000

I used to read a lot. Not that I don’t read much anymore, but as my father so elegantly pointed out, I read trash. Which is depressing considering the fact that I used to be a very avid reader of classic novels and good news. So, I have started a new tradition. Every year, on the evening of Thanksgiving Day, I will write up for myself a book list. Now, speaking ideally I will be finishing up one list as I make another. That’s not the case this year, as this is my first go ’round with this whole mess. To fix this lack of book awesomeness in my life, I’ll read Harry Potter backwards until 2012. Then I’ll start the new list. Here it is, if there is something I’ve missed and MUST READ, leave it in the comments:

1) Gone With the Wind –Margret Mitchell (You will read the whole thing…)

2) The Glass Castle -Jeannette Walls

3) Pride and Prejudice –Jane Austen

4) Jane Eyre –Charlotte Bronte

5) The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe –C.S. Lewis (It doesn’t matter that you’ve already read it)

6) Martian Child –David Gerrold

7) A Farewell to Arms –Ernest Hemingway

8) The Last September –Elizabeth Bowen

9) The Sound and The Fury –William Faulkner

10) The Sun Also Rises –Ernest Hemingway

11) The Great Gatsby –F. Scott Fitzgerald (Also a reread, but it’s beautiful and you love it.)

12) The Grapes of Wrath –John Steinbeck

13) Little Women –Louisa May Alcott

14) Johnny Got His Gun –Dalton Trumbo

15) The Jungle –Upton Sinclair

16) Saturday –Ian McEwan

17) Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy –Douglas Adams

18) Vanishing Point –David Markson

19) The Girls With the Dragon Tattoo –Stieg Larsson

20) Great Expectations –Charles Dickens (Even though you hate Dickens)

21) The Strange Cas of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde –Robert Louis Stevenson

22) The Catcher in the Rye –JD Salinger (Again)

23) War and Peace –Leo Tolstoy

24) Les Miserables –Victor Hugo

25) Walden –Henry David Thoreau

26) Moby Dick –Herman Melville

27) The Scarlet Letter –Nathaniel Hawthorne

28) Vanity Fair –William Makepeace Thackeray

29) The Pit and the Pendulum –Edgar Allan Poe

30) Sense and Sensibility –Jane Austen

31) To Kill a Mockingbird –Harper Lee (Even though this will be the third time)

32) Catch 22 –Joseph Heller

33) The Hobbit –JRR Tolkien

34) The Time Traveler’s Wife –Audrey Niffenegger

35) The Kite Runner –Khaled Hosseini

36) Winnie the Pooh –AA Milne

37) The Da Vinci Code –Dan Brown

38) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night –Mark Haddon

39) The Inferno –Dante

40) The Color Purple –Alice Walker

41) The Five People You Meet in Heaven –Mitch Albom

42) Tuesday’s With Morrie –Mitch Albom

43) Adventures of Sherlock Holmes –Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

44) Hamlet –William Shakespeare

45) Life of Pi –Yann Martel

46) My Sister’s Keeper –Jodi Picoult

47) Three Cups of Tea –Greg Mortenson

48) The Help –Kathryn Stockett

49) Things Fall Apart –Chinua Achebe

50) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory –Roald Dahl (You can’t even count how many times you’ve read this one)

So, yeah if there really is something else I have to read I will get around to it in the next couple years. If you want to use my list, go for it. You’ll be seeing the occasional post about these books. Actually, there’ll be around fifty of them. Give or take. Some may show up again next year, some may not get read this coming year. We’ll see.

The Point of No Return

Emily Mock — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 08:32:43 +0000

I should be in bed.

It’s 3:30 a.m. and I should be asleep. I have to get up in four hours. This has become a bit ridiculous. I’m also pretty sure my dog just went to bed. Dang.

Sometimes I really wonder why you read my blog. Is it really for the random 3 a.m. posts? Or is it because sometimes I make sense? If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked.

I feel like I will probably be regretting this soon. I seem to gget to a point of no return after about midnight-ish. Like, my brain thinks that after a certain point sleep is just irrelevant which is no good. I have to work tomorrow and made plans for the evening. You know that was a good life choice. I think my dad just woke up, maybe. My dog keeps pacing.

I’m going to bed.

I

Emily Mock — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:40:00 +0000

People ask me a lot why I won’t be a writer when I grow up.

I never actually know what to say. I know that I want to be a surgeon. I know that I want to go help in a third world country. I know that I want to go into pediatrics. But, I’ve never been able to come up with a good reason for why not to be a writer.

I’m a good writer, not a great one, but good. I could write for a living. It’d be fun and easy. I wouldn’t have to get up at all hours of the night. I could spend the whole day in my pajamas if I wanted. Or I could sit in coffee shops and write until I can’t keep my eyes open any longer.

It sounds great, in theory. But, I know better than to think that I can write for a deadline or for any type of prompt. We know that sometimes I can update every couple of hours, days, or months. Writing gives me a good feeling, but it doesn’t satisfy one basic need. I need to help people. I’ll make a great surgeon. I’ve always wanted to just help people. The funny thing is, is that earlier in my life, I wanted to be a writer, but then I realized that all I want to do is help people. That’s the drive behind Sole Purpose. It’s the drive behind every compasionate or kind thing that I say.

So yeah, I’d probably make a great writer. I will probably write someday. But, it’s not my purpose. Writing is helpful to only a small group. All of the skills that come along with what I really want to do can help hundreds, maybe thousands of people who would have never had a chance. And that alone is worth it. That alone is the driving force.

Stay

Emily Mock — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:08:32 +0000

Did you know that river otters hold hands when they sleep so they don’t drift apart? True story. Maybe people should try that. Not holding hands, just maybe not drifting away.

Worry

Emily Mock — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 03:44:22 +0000

For the past three days I have been absolutely positive that I was failing my college chemistry class. The following inner monologue went about in my brain:

“I’m failing. f a i l i n g. That is a major problem. Okay, well I’ll just go check my grades…Oh SWEET JESUS this is not high school, there is no grade checking. So just do the averages of all the grades…..WHY DO I KEEP GETTING 27….crapcrapcrapcrap. My folks are going to kill me dead (insert more panic)”

So as fun as that was, I’d really rather never ever ever do that ever do that again. Nothing is fun about worrying so bad that you don’t want to eat (not even cake or mac and cheese) or play soccer or do anything other than refresh your computer screen until midterm grades appear. That’s just not good for your health. Or mine. Yeah, really bad for my health. I’ve neglected other things. Not because of worrying, mostly just because I’m lazy. BUT! While I was worrying about being to horrible at chemistry to become a doctor and figuring I’d have to spend the rest of my life becoming a writer (gah) I could have a) cleaned my room b)cleaned my car c) gotten decent sleep d)all of the freakin’ above. Right now, I could be in bed trying to disable my brain from firing equations and science through my head. Instead though, I am writing for you. At 20 minutes until tomorrow, I’m writing. Because it’s so much easier than trying to shut off my brain.

Oh, and for you nosy people, I am in fact NOT failing chem.

For you who worry: 50% of the stuff you worry about, never happens.

For those of you who want to web stalk me:

twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/emilymock

pinterest: http://pinterest.com/mock/

Goodnight Children

A Very Special How To: How To Manage High School

Emily Mock — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:07:16 +0000

Note Little Ones, I said manage, not get super happy about, or do exponentially great. I said “manage”

1) Get yourself an agenda. If your school issues you one, it is probably to small and rather sucky. Get one that fits your needs. Here’s mine: http://bit.ly/pry9fg

2) Make sure you have a crapload of pens and pencils. If you lose stuff often, get even more than normal people. Which I guess would be the big box. If you’re a writer, keep pencils EVERYWHERE (this is important for step 3) Make sure that you have these things around so you can grab one without wanting to tear your eyeballs out.

3) If you do happen to be a writer, save everything you write. You may want it for an upcoming paper. Did you write “Poodles have weird hair” on the coffee collar on your Starbucks cup? Keep that sucker. It may or may not be useful. Keep writing implements everywhere. You’ll thank me later.

4) Put your name (IN SHARPIE) on important things (ex: calculator, your sacred planner book, binders, and other important stuff) More likely than not, someone will turn it into the office if it has a name on it. Better chance of getting it back.

5) Make friends. I know that sounds dumb, but make real friends. Ones that you WANT to hang out with, or just sit at home in track pants and t shirts and watch old TV reruns with. You will need them just as much as you need the planner book. If not more so.

6) Play a sport or be in the Band. It will keep you in fairly decent(ish) shape and give you something fun to do/ help you make friends. Plus it’s a great way to set goals for yourself.

7) Don’t be afraid to wear sweats more than once a week. No one else gives a crap.

So boys and girls, I hope this is helpful. Sorry I haven’t been around much. Soon soccer will be over (Sadness) and I might have some free time to write more for you. To keep up with my crazy follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/emilymock or on pinterest http://pinterest.com/mock/ OR follow Sole Purpose and all of its glory on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DFSolePurpose

Alrighty, have a great week.

We went, we danced, and we had a pretty good time.

Emily Mock — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 16:27:07 +0000

On a lighter note…

Homecoming was last night. In true fashion, I found a dress, we bought a tie, he ordered flowers and payed for tickets. Dinner was at my house. A small group of friends gathered in my dining room for a wonderful meal my parents made (*low country boil and cornbread with key lime pie and red velvet cake for desert ) We took a gazillion photos from all different angles and many pleas from the photographers of “Oh, just one more!” and “Smile!” Over all it was quite a success.

Around 8:30 (about a half an hour late for the dance) we made our way to the high school. What a great night. Meeting up with everyone else was fantastic. Shouting to the other girls over the music “You look so pretty! Who did you’re hair? That’s a great dress!” and watching the boys stand and talk probably sound cliche, but it happens and it’s fun. When we gathered for the first “slow song” we were there for he and I made so many jokes about “room for Jesus” and he kept pointing out all of the weird couples trying to get me to look.

The dance was wonderful, the people were just gorgeous, and for an evening popularity almost didn’t matter. It was a great time.

*http://www.coastalliving.com/food/entertaining/lowcountry-boil-00400000001984/ (low country boil)

Adversity

Emily Mock — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:01:47 +0000

10 years ago on this day was the event that would spark the war that our generation has grown up with. It wasn’t a day that Americans always look back at with pride, because for once, we couldn’t protect ourselves. All we could do was scramble around and pray that the fireman and police and everyone else could do all they could, and they did. We were totally exposed. However, instead of our whole lives falling to pieces we did something great. We became unified. They tried to destroy us, to show the world that even we could fall. We didn’t let them. What we did do, was show everyone that in the face of adversity, America will rise. Any struggle, any challenge, we get up, suit up, and fight as one. Not everyone is pro- war. But on a day like today, how can you be anything but Pro- America?

Everyone keeps saying that we should stop and think about that day. I don’t remember it perfectly, but I was in first grade. One of the other teachers called my teacher out into the hallway. We all were laughing and joking and playing around. She came back into the room, and walked to her desk at the back and cried. We were stunned. Once she had collected herself she walked to the front of the room and said that a very bad thing had happened in New York. None of us understood. We just sort of sat there quietly. She went back to teaching math, I believe. It wouldn’t be for a few more years, that my first grade class would know, just how bad it was. We would have no idea.

We’ve become young adults during the war. We know what happened. And finally we understand. I’d like to think that if anything were to happen to America in the future, we’d be able to do the same thing our parents, grandparents, and teachers did. We can unify, and fight for our country. Because that’s what we’ve been taught to do. So yeah, think back about this day ten years ago. It shaped us, but in no way did it break us. Don’t look back on it sadly. Look back on it with pride. For it was a day that America proved just how great it is.