Eureka: An exclamation indicating sudden discovery.

Following is the epic chronicle of how I finally gained inspiration to write my ten-page play for Theatre Appreciation.

Yesterday, I had a math exam in the afternoon that was causing a stress headache. It's math, so that's to be expected. When I got out of class, I went with Monica and Lauryn to get coffee before our next classes. I figured caffeine would either stifle or intensify my headache, and anyway, my headache cleared once my stupid math exam was over.

But it took twenty whole minutes to get my grande white chocolate mocha because the only woman behind the counter completely forgot about me while she filled a dozen more orders placed after mine. By the time I got to my American lit class, coffee in hand, my perfect front-row seat was occupied -- by none other than Creepy Carl. I ended up having to sit right behind him.

By that point, I was fuming, but at least my coffee was delicious. And while I was only paying half my attention to my professor's lecture, something in the short story we were reading magically triggered a story in my head that I just knew would be perfect for my play.

Anyway, I completely stopped listening to the lecture while I wrote down my ideas. Afterward, I ran straight up to the computer lab, typed my brainstorm in a coherent and neat outline, emailed the file to myself, and started writing my script in standard stage play format.

Just as a note: I don't thing stage playwrighting is my thing. I liked it and all, but I think I'll need more practice and fewer restrictions (like I have on my assignment) to improve.

I can't expose a human weakness on the stage unless I know it through having it myself.

I was playing games on i'minlikewithyou today with Monica and I thought, Hey, I should write my play about people spending too much of their lives on the Internet. And now I'm blogging about it. Awesome.

Even those who fall short of the word goal will be applauded for making a heroic attempt.

Also, the deadline for my ten-page play assignment continues to creep closer and closer. I'm pretty sure it's due March 16th, which seems like far enough into the future except Friday is my last day of classes before such a date. I have spring break next week, when I won't be getting anything done.

I must, must, must get my act together and write most of this play before Friday. I need to change my theatrical form to something like realism, domestic drama, or play of ideas. I emailed my professor to change from tragicomedy because the ONE story I have in my mind that would work as a stage play simply couldn't be forced into a tragicomedic mold.

Help.

Oh, and NaNoWriMo's Script Frenzy '09 will be starting two weeks after my ten-page play is due, and I'd be an idiot if I didn't just use the assignment as the first 10% of the Script Frenzy goal of 100 pages. Because honestly, something like Script Frenzy is just an experiment, right? And I should take advantage of the opportunity, because there's nothing to lose.

One ought only to write when one leaves a piece of one's own flesh in the inkpot, each time one dips one's pen.

For the past couple of days, I've been getting inspiration to write from the most random sources. The 60-degree, thunderstorming weather we had on Friday became treacherous snow and freezing rain on Saturday, in turn transforming to a regular blizzard and 20-degree chill yesterday. I always get a longing for something awesome to happen during strange weather, especially thunderstorms. And the dangerous drive on Saturday night back from a leadership retreat to Bristol, VA made me irrationally excited instead of fearful for my life.

On top of the weather, everyday activities like listening to music, playing games, and Twittering the conversations I have with my friends so I can remember them for future material have made me wish I had more time to write. Even with today, a snow day, I was too busy to slow down long enough to let my mind rest in some breezy narrative. I can't wait until it's my full-time job and I don't have to let school be my first priority.

Math is like love: simple in theory, but easily complicated.

Today I did math homework for at least an hour and a half, and most of the time, I just wanted to cry. For some bit of understanding, please refer to my Twitter updates over the course of the hour: 1, 2, 3, then 4. There's are a reason I love something so completely opposite from math, and plan to make it my career.

I want you to say whatever is on your mind because you know we have a 7-second delay.

Tonight's 81st Academy Awards made me see the film industry differently. Maybe it's the combination of my theatre class, the close attention I paid during the four hour show, or my new endeavors in writing, but I was able to distinguish the art in filmmaking like I've never really done before. I know it's always been there and I'm kind of an idiot for only just now noticing, but since the last few months of my life have been terribly involved in a certain genre of art, I can see why a night like Oscars is so important in the filmmakers' lives.

Something about tonight's show made me want to be a part of that industry. Maybe someday I'll be the one, accepting my screenwriter's award, clamoring onto my soapbox and, at some point, thanking the Academy, and my mom, and God.

Also, one day it'd be fun to meet Hugh Jackman and thank him for being so incredibly adorable all night long. That had to be exhausting.

I was thinking how nothing lasts, and what a shame that is.

May I introduce you to the list of all the things I should be doing today?

• studying for American lit midterm tomorrow
• reading, quiz-taking, and essaying for American history
• writing a criticism for my university's production of The Crucible
• completing online homework for my math class
• brainstorming/markup for my ten-page play
  
• reading the Bible

Instead, I am:

• listening to music on Pandora
• thinking about spring break and the trip to New York City I'm taking with my roommates (in 17 days!)
• wondering how I'm going to get my hair cut when I go home for spring break
• thinking about the weird dream I had this morning, involving twin baby boys, Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and a Victorian-era finishing school
• trying to conjure a way to find time for the Oscars tonight, and wishing I'd seen more Oscar-worthy movies this year
  
• wondering why I like to put links in my blog posts -- though it can probably be attributed to my love for Wikipedia
• wishing I wasn't too distracted by the other stories in my head to keep moving forward on the project I have running now

So, that's what's on my mind. I'll let you know how all that works out.

The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom.

I have friends who I know exclusively online. Out of the whole group, I've met one of them in person. The rest I connect with their senses of humor, their frequent tweets, and their profile pictures on Facebook.

When I write, sometimes I think of them. I think of how diverse they are, and I'm challenged to write for them, because they are book lovers like I am. When I can, I'm going to write a character into one of my novels who is collectively all these girls I know thanks to a podcast. This girl will be intelligent, witty, analytical, sensitive, and beautiful. And they'll be the first ones to buy my book in their Barnes & Nobles all across the country (and in Norway, too).

Who, being loved, is poor?

Also, I forgot to mention that my Valentine's Day adventure turned out to be a really great night -- possibly the best February 14th I've ever had (which isn't saying much). If the relationships that were put into motion on Saturday night never pan out, at least I will always have the experience for writing material, entertainment for future readers who had a grim sort of Valentine's Day and need a little literary lovin'.

Which, honestly, is the way I try to look at everything nowadays. It's a nice outlook to have.

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.

The past couple of days, I've been working on all the preparations to get the free proof copy of my NaNoWriMo novel from Amazon.com-owned self-publisher CreateSpace. It's been stressful, yet oddly exciting. It's really been great to experience this tiny little glimpse into the world of publishing -- what my life is, theoretically, going to be like if I choose it as my career.

On another note, I apologize for posting such concise messages the past couple weeks. I've been busier than ever, and writing/planning in my spare time. I'm still working on the same story as of late, but I'm nowhere near burnt out on it, which is a good sign?

Anyway, writing has been my award for myself only after accomplishing the day's tasks. So as I settle down now in my bed, I'm exhausted, but not really sleepy yet. So, most likely, I've got a couple paragraphs in me.

This is the right job for me.