What would you say to your 20 year old self article

I wanted somewhere where I could look back at all of these snippets of advice in one place. Some are from the author, some from the commentators, and one from a wise quote on Facebook from a cool friend, that sounds similar to one passage from the bible.

1.       Failure is ok. If you don't fail some of the time, you're setting your standards too low.

2.       People will try to discourage you. Don't let them. Believe in yourself. Don't be afraid of not succeeding. (I don't say "failure," because there is only failure in not trying.) Be more afraid of NOT trying and living with regret. If you fall, pick yourself up, and keep moving forward. Twenty some years later, you'll be saying this to your kids a lot, too.

3.       Learn to be patient, uncomfortable and alone, because, as your mom likes to say, this too shall pass

4.       If you have self-esteem issues, don't expect a relationship to solve them. It's not up to your spouse to make you feel like the most beautiful person in the world. And you can't have much of a relationship while constantly being ready to walk away the moment your personal insecurities start twitching.

5.       “The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.”
― Maya Angelou

6.       Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

I  like the one with the don't be afraid of not succeeding. The biggest enemy is yourself. There's always someone ready to discourage you; they don't need your help. 

Today was a 1,2 and 6 day. I'd like to be done with it and just follow number six tomorrow.

Drizzling After Midnight

It was midnight and even after countless hours in the library, it was still drizzling. The sidewalks were empty and the road was blissfully silent except for one car in the distance rushing towards my direction. I crossed the road usually filled with impatient drivers who refused to yield for college students at the crosswalk. Day time, the dangers were from being nearly run over at the crosswalk. After ten, it was being run over by a random car going forty miles over the speed limit.

From the windows above the door, I could tell the lights of the room were off. Slowly, I turned the key and hefted open the heavy door. Both roommates were sleeping. My scuffed, black leather boots squeaked against the wooden floor reminding me of Charles Unwin's forever squeaking shoes.

Surrealist/Noir Fiction

Just finished rereading The Manual of Detection by Jebediah Berry. Interesting book. It is a blend of noir and surrealism. I see where the noir genre comes in: clerk, Charles Unwin is reluctantly promoted to detective when Det. Travis Sivart randomly disappears. The first thing he does as his first case is to search for Sivart to get his clerk job back. In this city, it never stops raining which kinds of reminds me of the Blade Runner. Alarm clocks are being stolen. Characters wipe their minds so useful information cannot be stolen through dreams (Inception comes to mind). The ending is predictably confusing. In Unwin's quest to find Sivart, the book stops going in a linear narrative and starts getting into dream within a dream sequences.