It’s time to kick Monday’s ass…

Could be the weather (hot, humid, and stormy… thanks Houston).

Could be the sleep study I did last week that threw off my schedule for days.

Whatever the reason… I had a hell of a time thinking up something to write about today.

How am I gonna tell all my people to go kick Monday’s ass when I’m not feeling very ass-kicky myself?

It actually reminded me of something I learned in my very first screenwriting 101 class. That brings us to this week’s..

Kick Monday’s Ass Video

I have a Master’s degree – that seems to shock some folks when they find out. I don’t know if I just don’t seem the academic type, or what.

The fact is at 24, my whole life plan completely shattered when I filed for divorce. I had no idea what to do with my life if I couldn’t be the Marine Corps housewife I thought I was “supposed” to be (don’t laugh – I was young and bought into the “these are the steps to happiness” myth pretty hardcore).

When faced with a choice – I kinda-sorta made one. In reality, I bought myself more time to figure out what the hell I was doing with my life by going back to school. School was the thing I knew I was good at, so why not go back (ay, young stupid me and her lack of fear at student loans – if I could go back and slap me, I would).

I had this idea in my head that I needed to tell stories. Be a screenwriter. I love TV… why not write for it? Nevermind the only work experience you’ve ever had, Angie, was as the consummate Jack-of-all-trades. I’ve been a trash picker-upper, a math tutor, a bartender, a server, a lifeguard, a firefighter, a credit card account slinger at Home Depot… time to be a writer too!

I made it my mission to learn storytelling, and thought I had it all figured out but just needed to put it into script format.

Turns out that screenwriting 101 class changed the way I look at the world. Here’s what I mean:

(here’s a link to the video in case you don’t see it embedded below)

But that’s kinda the point too… you don’t have to invent entire worlds to be a respected creator. Tell the stories you see and hear. Tell the stories you KNOW.

That is how you connect.

Badass of the Week

My badass of the week is my father.

Once upon a time I called him in tears to tell him about a hard choice I had to make… stay in California and lose my apartment, or go home to Texas and move back in with mom while I got on my feet again.

I couldn’t articulate it at the time, but something in my gut told me I needed to be in California.

To quote The Emperor’s New Groove: by all accounts, it doesn’t make any sense.

I chose living in my car, broke and desperate.

But that night, on the phone with dad, psyching myself up to tell him my seemingly stupid choice – he said (I’m paraphrasing), “as your father I can’t say I’m happy at the idea of you living in your car. But as your dad, who am I to tell you how to follow your dreams?”

Y’all, I went into snot-bubble tears meltdown mode during that conversation. Here was my dad wanting to protect me from the hard road I’d chosen, but giving me permission to follow my own path.

And that has made all the difference.

On Repeat This Week
I’m feeling mellow this week… and typically when one thinks of mellow, Slipknot is not immediately the band that comes to mind.

But I love this one, for the words and the harmonies.

And I won’t let this build up inside of me.

It’s Monday y’all… get out there and kick some ass.

Rock on,
Angie