So, I have been gone from this website for some time, quite obviously, however, I am now returning on a minimal basis and have done some good things lately and have some great projects in the work. Essays, art, and a podcast are all coming within the next month... Stay tuned!

I will not be sharing the entire contents of the letter, as it was sent to me, and me alone, however, I will be sharing some of what I learned from it in a blog post within a week. Spoiler Alert: I was pleasantly surprised.

I also have another blog post in the works about amazing books everyone should have.

Please check back soon for these great upcoming posts!

This week has been mostly nice and relaxing, and with that, I’ve managed to work in time to paint a landscape again. Very satisfied, indeed. 😊

So, yes. I actually did it. I sent a letter to every US Senator’s D.C. Office, and they likely arrived yesterday or today, unless the weather held them back, which is also a possibility. Regardless, here are my take-aways from this experience:

1. The Senate is surprisingly more diverse than I thought. I did not expect there to be many females in the Senate, and there certainly isn’t an equal amount of men and women, but there are more women than I expected. Wikipedia tells me the number is currently 22, almost 1 out of 4. And a lot of them have names starting with T and M.

2. I will forever remember the ZIP Code of the Capitol and its office buildings, being 20510.

3. If you ever wish to send a letter to every US Senator, please plan your time better than I did. I did everything, aside from typing and printing, within 3 1/2 on a Sunday, and I was rushing it and therefore made mistakes. My hand was awfully cramped and by the end of it, I wished I had split the tasks of signing the letters and addressing the envelopes. I also found out folding letters works some muscle in your arms. And my left arm felt more like gelatin than my right, and I’m right-handed. Who knew 100 letters could cause achey muscles?

4. For some reason, I find it hilarious that Bernie Sanders’ real name is Bernard.

5. I learned, above all else, how to analyze these 100 people, and try and appeal to this elite group, despite them seeming so far away, but physically and emotionally. (To put it into perspective, on average, these people represent about 3.26 million people each. Writing to each and all of them, I could use the average, and I lose the advantage of living in a less populous state, which would normally increase the likelihood of my letter being read.)
Trying to appeal to all of them, I had to put my own political views aside, despite having to voice my political views. I had to use both Ethos and Logos (modes of appeal, being ethical and logical), but most importantly, Pathos (emotional). While I’m not going to include the contents of the letter here, I will admit it was regarding gun laws, but included measures members of both parties have expressed interest in pursuing.

All in all, I still believe it is important to remember one thing: despite what you may think about any or all of our senators, they are people, too, deep down. So even though it may be tough, you can, at the very least, try to appeal to them. And if all else fails, try, try again.

Stephen Hawking was born on January 8th, 1942, the 300th Anniversary of Galileo’s Death. He died in the early morning hours of March 14, 2018, the 30th Celebrated Pi Day, and on Einstein’s 139th Birthday. He was also the same age as Albert Einstein at the time of death, 76 years old.

Stephen Hawking was an inspiration to me. He was an advocate for curiosity and lifelong learning, without ever exactly stating it. He clearly lived the value of perseverance. Having heard about his death, I shed a tear, and I’m not afraid to admit it. It still doesn’t even seem real. And yet, the world today lost a great man and mind.

For a list of great quotes by this great man: www.bbc.com/news/uk-43396627

Before you leave, remarking me simply as crazy, let me be clear: I’m aware this is crazy, so hear me out.

I am aware this is an expensive thing to do. Postage alone with be almost $50, and that’s a significant chunk when you make very little income. This doesn’t even take into account printing costs and the amount of time it will take hand-writing the address on each of the 100 envelopes.

However, clearly I am passionate about what I’m writing about. I know we, as Americans, don’t always see eye to eye on many things, and therefore I try to stay away from expressing my individual political views. But, I think we can all agree something needs to be done about all of the gun violence in this nation, regardless of what you think that should be. I just so happen to think it should actually be a lot of tiny, common-sense things.

More updates to come on this venture.

Wish me luck!

But now it’s a new year, and it’s Spring, meaning a new season, and I’m back!

I’ve been busy with a lot of writing projects, but what’s great, is now I can bring you a lot of great writing, as well!

All coming soon:

- My take on current events
- Writing
- My take on life as a student
- My take on growing up in the Midwest
- Perhaps some gardening things
- Much, much more!

So, first of all, I am terribly sorry I haven't blogged in so long. School got in the way through most of May, and then I had company, and then I needed a break, and then family troubles popped up. I'm surprised I'm even being able to make time for this post.

However, I will say, I've been writing throughout most of this time, and I have started multiple blog posts that just haven't come to fruition.

The title of this blog post has a double meaning, however. In case you've missed some interesting events in the news, I'm going to recap them for you. I know of many people who pay less attention to current events for whatever reason during the summer.

The top four most interesting things to have happened in the news this month in my opinion, are:

1. John McCain, a highly respected Senate Republican, had a brain tumor removed recently. Whether you agree with his politics or not, he is a tough man, and I hope he's tough enough to battle through brain cancer.

​2. OJ Simpson was granted parole today. His release is scheduled for October.

3. The Revised Senate Health Care bill was on delayed vote, because of McCain's surgery, however, two more senators have since come out saying they would not support the bill, meaning it would fall short of a majority to pass through.

4. An Australian bride-to-be was fatally shot by a police officer while she was on vacation in Minneapolis under mysterious circumstances. This is still under investigation.

Today, on May 9th, 2017, James Comey, FBI director, was fired from his position by President Donald Trump. Why is this significant? Just hours earlier, Federal Prosecutors issued "Grand jury subpoenas to associates of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn seeking business records, as part of the ongoing probe of Russian meddling in last year's election" (1).

A subpoena can be simply defined as a court order to testify. It would be illegal to not show up in court if you have a subpoena. Chew on that for a minute. I'm not here to tell you my opinion on whether or not Russia meddled in the election, however, this is indicative of something serious, especially when you consider the subpoenas and the ongoing investigation. The firing of an FBI director has only happened one other time in history.

James Comey is a good man, who doesn't deserve to be fired. As a lawyer, he has been appointed to positions by both Democrats and Republicans. Even Senate Republican John McCain said he was "disappointed" by the decision to fire Comey.

Please watch your choice of news station for further updates regarding this situation.

​1: Perez, Evan, Shimon Prokupecz, and Pamela Brown. "CNN Exclusive: Grand Jury Subpoenas Issued in FBI's Russia Investigation." CNN. Cable News Network, 09 May 2017. Web. 09 May 2017.

I know I haven't posted in a while, and I apologize for that, but I'm going through quite a busy stretch of time, and haven't had much time to work on any of my writing projects. So again, I apologize, but please know I'm not just blowing this off to the side.

Thank you all very much for the continued support. :)