Aerilyn

When I first picked up Steven King's "On Writing", I was expecting an excruciating slog through disjointed morsels of advice. Instead, I was greeted with a genuinely enjoyable memoir of King's life with sincere writing advice peppered throughout. Many books required by instructors tackling the topic of writing rarely entice me to read more than what is required, but "On Writing" has been a breath of fresh air. As I was reading through the first 18 sections, many of the childhood events King described resonated with me. One such event was the story in sections seven to eight when he copied "Combat Casey" books and showed them to his mother. He loved how his story made his mom smile and was inspired to write his own when she encouraged him to write something even better than comics. The desire to please and amaze one's family members was incredibly familiar to me. I had no siblings or friends to talk to when I was younger, so I gravitated ...

Although morning light filtered through the empty parking lot across from my house and into my bedroom, I could not escape from my sleeping body. Eyes still welded shut, I told my legs about all the places and things that are worth getting up for. I pleaded with my arms, explaining all the hobbies I have to enjoy, the work I must complete, and the life I need to experience. My body lay there, silent and unmoving. I felt foolish for trying in the first place. Out of arguments, I awoke instead at 2:45 p.m. To slow the spread of a global pandemic caused by a new form of coronavirus, millions around the world quarantine themselves in their houses. While many people grapple with the distress of being alone for so long, I stare at my dusty bass guitar in the corner and wonder how I became so comfortable with this isolation. In June of last year, I felt just as trapped as everyone does now. Without a high school to attend, I had no way to force myself to interact with other pe...

Hey there! My name is Aerilyn and I’m in my third term of college. I've never had a blog before, so it's a bit nerve-wracking to create something entirely new at a time like this. Despite my nervousness, however, I think this entire term will help me out of my comfort zone. I wouldn't consider myself that good at cooking, but it's something I like to do. My favorite dishes to make are Italian soups and chicken tikka masala. Although I love experimenting with spices, I don’t plan on pursuing a culinary career. Instead, I intend to study botany and geographic information systems (GIS). I love learning about all the plants living in my backyard and collecting as many field guides as I possibly can. I know it’s probably not possible, but I love the idea of being able to recognize any plant I come across. As someone aiming for a career in the sciences, I realize how important it is to relay information to the rest of the public in an engaging way. I decided that the be...