Dream Big

We're all dreamers, more or less, right? I mean, at least at some point in our lives, we've had a million and seven big dreams that carried us through boring math classes and people saying it worn't work and boring days where nothing gets done.

I like to think that my dreams, big and otherwise, are more like ambitions than anything, though. And I have a lot. And, since I'm a bit bored and feel like writing (which makes this blog especially handy, really), I'm going to tell you about some of my dreams. Cause why not?

• To get published. You know I've finished my first novel, and I'm fairly certain I'm done with editing (unless someone says otherwise). I've finally had someone read the whole thing, and she absolutely loved it. She's told me that she hates me, and I'm thrilled that she's emotionally invested enough to do that. (She doesn't actually hate me, of course.) I have another person reading it, which is great. I'm still game to have more readers, so feel free to drop me a line if you're interested. I might start looking into a literary agent soon, and a few publishers. I'll keep you updated here!
• To design a clothing collection. I'm not particularly good at sewing, and I just don't like it, much to my mom's eternal chagrin. However, I do love designing. They're not particularly technical, and I don't draw croquis or anything, but I love coming up with new clothing designs. I would be fantastic to work with a brand and come out with a line, but as I've got no technical skills, I doubt anything would really come of this. It's still fun to do, though. Maybe one day I'll post some of my doodles.
• A doctorate degree. Yeah, I'm going to be in school until the end of time, but I want to be Dr. Sarah Springer, scientist extraordinaire. I really just want to be among the best in my field.
• To travel the world. Every single place I can physically step foot on, including Antarctica. I'd actually really, really love to go there, and I'd love to do it with my one-day job.
• To own a sailboat, which needs no more explanation.

So, yeah, that was fun. What kinds of big ol' awesome dreams are swirling around in your head? What gets you through sociology classes you don't take seriously because of the professor and his annoying fonts? What makes your life a better place aside from cupcakes and campfires?

Good Coats and Denim Shirts

Pinterest is such a great source of style inspiration. There's a whole bevy of gorgeous outfit photos and items to drool over that you can't quite get from blogs alone. It's amazing!

But it's like subscribing to a bunch of fashion magazines in that it's a double-sided coin. On one side, you can just bask in the inspiration, beautiful and ordinary and any combination of the two. On the other, you're faced with pictures that almost always feature pretty, skinny girls in those pretty clothes you want.

Usually, I'm able to admire the look on whoever's wearing it, think about how it would look on my own fat body, and I'm content. I know that I can pull off nearly everything (except for surplice necklines and deeeeep Vs on swimsuits. I just can't). But I saw this gorgeous look and immediately thought, This would look better on me if I was skinny.

There is no escaping this mode of thought, it seems. You can fill your life with dozens of fantastic fatshion blogs, troll hundreds of sites selling amazing plus size clothes, all of that and still be faced with thoughts like that. You can be confident about your body 99% of the time, but that last percent can be crippling.

I don't dislike skinny people for being better able to pull off the parkas and trenches I don't think I can't pull off—that's ridiculous and counterproductive. I don't even particularly dislike major clothing brands for not selling clothes above, say, a size 14 (or 16, or 18, or 20). I just don't like that there still aren't enough companies who understand that fat girls want great clothes too! I love the many plus size companies whose sites I peruse almost daily. I really love those companies that offer both straight- and plus-size clothes. I really, really love those companies that offer extended sizes. On and on, I can be very enthusiastic about the lot of them.

I dunno, I just really wish that there were more great outfits like this on the internet for fat girls, or that there was more opportunity for great outfits like this.

If you don't follow me on Pinterest, then you don't know that I actually have two separate fashion boards. One devoted strictly to fatshion, the other for style in general. The general one features skinny girls almost exclusively, but that's because of one thing: I don't really like to double pin. So all of the fantastic fat girl fashions go to the other board. I'm torn about it because, on the one hand, I really want to showcase one in its own right, and on the other, I feel like the floor of Forever 21: I offer it all, but not together.

Blah, there is no right way to go about it.

College Kid

I've been in the college game for, what, three years? Well, the community college game. It's not as glamorous or full of hijinks as Community would lead one to believe. It's lame.
In high school, they told us that we could go to community college for two years, knocking out our gen-eds close to home and saving a ton of money. I know that I've saved thousands upon thousands by doing just that, but honestly, if I'd had the opportunity to go straight to university out of high school, I would have.
It's taken me three years of commuting, taking classes that I didn't want to take (hello, Sociology 101), and waiting around, but I'm finally heading off into a proper collegiate wonderland in August. Definitely expect lots of enthusiasm and stuff about decorating my dorm room (yes, I'll be moving into a dorm; yes, I'm stoked) and things like that.
But that wasn't the point of this.
Right, I've been going to community college for three years, and one of those years has been spent waiting. I'm not working on my major, or toward transfer units (I got all of those done in two years, with the exception of one class I had to take over the summer because my critical thinking class did not count as a critical thinking class), or anything. Last semester, I took drawing and Italian because they seemed fun. This semester, I'm taking a class on evolution, astronomy, and geology because I freaking love science.
I'm not the only one who's had trouble with the whole two-years-and-you're-good issue, either. Two of my friends, one of whom doesn't even attend the same school, are still working toward their transfer units. And, while a lot of my friends are having that problem, they're the most directly relevant because we talk about this stuff, okay?
Just know that if you are a high school kid looking at college, community college is a good choice. A really good choice. Just know that it will almost certainly take more than those two years you were promised. I'm not sure if I just had trouble, but I found out that you can't even apply to a school without all of those units down, and you have to apply a full year ahead. That is what's going to get you.
Just smile, work as hard as you can to get done, and take advantage of cheap for-fun classes while you wait, is all I'm saying. That's my take-away, and it ought to be yours too.