I'm Not Aphrodite, but I'm Sure as Hell Not Medusa Either

You know, I'm not some beautiful goddess by any stretch of the imagination, but that doesn't mean anyone in the universe has any right to say I'm ugly, either. Yes, I'm flawed. Everyone is, even Hollywood starlets and international supermodels and the everyone else who thinks they ARE those graven images of perfection. And you know what, ladies? Every one of you is amazing. No matter how many things you don't like about your face or your body, you're incredible. And I know how hard it is to believe that, because I can't really see it in myself either, but just look around you. You know those friends who see only flaws in themselves, whether it's weight or attributes, and all you can see is how beautiful they are? THAT IS HOW YOUR FRIENDS LOOK AT YOU. When you complain about the mole on your cheek or the ten pounds you need to lose, there is someone looking at you and thinking, "Why does she think she needs to change a thing?" There's someone looking at your photo and wishing for your face, for your body, for your smile that makes everything brighter--that same smile you hate because it shows too much gum. I hate that we live in a world where everyone compares themselves to Halle Berry or Jessica Alba or whichever other star of the moment. Yes, it's good to eat the right things and do a little cardio now and then and keep yourself healthy. But if I had my way, every woman in this world would realize how beautiful she is and stop looking for the flaws in herself, or in everyone else to make herself feel better. You ARE beautiful. And a hell of a lot more real than Halle Berry.

Operation NaNoWriMo Is A Success!

世界对你来说没有不可能！
^ That right there was probably the most awesome thing anyone told me this month about my ability to write a novel. Per my friend Kelley, it roughly translates to, "There is nothing in the world that is impossible for you."

It's been a crazy month. Somehow in between an anime convention, a birthday, Black Friday, overtime, and getting sick the very last week of November, I just validated my novel at 50,483 words over 13 chapters. (It's still incomplete, but I'll let you all know when I cap off those final chapters.) I still have laryngitis, need a shower, my room needs cleaned, I have a stack of books I want to read and video games I want to play that have piled up, and I need to wrap a metric ton of Christmas presents, but I've never felt more accomplished in my life.