Stories By Van

Hello, and welcome to another installment of: Actually posting blogs that are relevant to its name! Starring me: Van, and my special guest... My imagination! Anyway, I've got another story for you guys. It's about a woman named Marcie. She had a dream, a plan to succeed, and almost didn't follow through. She thinks back to her struggles and how she was stuck in a rut. It wasn't until she got advice that showed her the importance of taking that leap for her dreams, no matter how scary it seems. I hope you all enjoy the story. Leap of Faith Marcie stirred in her sleep as the sharp smell of black pepper and pig fat invaded her dreams. She opened her eyes and took a moment to adjust herself to the ceiling above her, which rocked back and forth like a giant crib. Sitting up, she slipped her toes into the fluff of the new plaid slippers Jacque had gotten for her while they were docked at the Tamil Nadu coast in India 2 weeks before; or was it longer than that? She coul...

GLOBAL WARMING IS HERE! EVERYBODY RUN! OH GOD, THE WORLD IS COOKING ME ALIVE!!! What's up everyone; staying cool today? I hope so because it is one hot mother out there right now, and I have a feeling it might be this way for a while. Does anyone think it's funny when people say global warming isn't real? I mean, I'm no scientist, but I know when it's unusually hot for an unusually long time. Remember when it used to snow in December for most of the month? I barely do, because it hasn't happened since I was really young. We all remember last winter, right? No? Well, that may be because it never really felt like winter. I remember walking out of work in the middle of the day with t-shirt and shorts, and being extremely comfortable. It was crazy, and odd, and a little disturbing. I was genuinely getting worried everyday that I woke up to fifty degree sunny skies. That can't be a good sign. I also feel like that even if we all start recycling everything...

Hey there party people! Hope everyone is doing just great today. Let's get right down to it and talk about exercise. I love to exercise. When I had a gym membership I did it everyday for about an hour and a half, and before that I'd spend twice that time in the gym at my college. Now, though, I don't have access to either of those facilities. Which sucks, but it doesn't mean I can't still try and be healthy. It's just more bodyweight and cardio then lifting weights. I always try and motivate my friends when they tell me they're too lazy to work out, or they don't know how to get started. I love helping people start their fitness journey. It feels good for me, and I hope it helps them feel better at themselves, too. And, I don't force people to work out or tell someone that they need to shred some pounds. That's super rude, and there are plenty of times when I go a few days sometimes without doing anything. Staying motivated is hard, ...

What's going on, everyone? Let's cut to the chase... Artists. The question is: Can you have enough money to live easily and still be an artist? Let's talk about that. There's that phrase that everyone knows. Starving Artist. People say that because, usually, an artist of any kind struggles before they make any money on their art. You've got to work at at it, and work at it, and starve, and live in a small apartment, and then you get some break and start making a little money for lunch. That's what brings artists, comedians, and writers into the same group. Poor, at first. We're also included in that "workaholic" group, and I've got an idea of why that is. We have no money, and we hate normal work. The 9-5 jobs; manual labor. Not for us. We go for art for two reasons: the first is that it's fun and we enjoy doing it. The second is because it seems easier than regular work. Artists are both really lazy and really hard-working. It's an...

Hello everyone! Great to see you all again. I hope the day is going well. I want to discuss the differences I've found in writing books and writing screenplays. Not that I'm a professional in either of these art forms, but I've been dabbling with scripts for a few months now, so I thought I'd share what I've discovered so far. The first thing is the type  of writing. That much should be a little obvious. Books are written in a paragraph form (for the most part), and screenplays are written in script format. Which is heavy-dialogue and short descriptions. Books and short stories are made so that the reader can imagine everything that's going on in their head. The author must describe all of the detail that is important to give the reader an image of what's happening since they're only looking at words on a page. There are paragraphs moving the story along from one piece of information to the next. And, the book is all that you get really when it com...

What's up you crazy animals? Listen up, for some reason, I don't know why, but my neck is killing me today. I didn't sleep on it wrong or anything, but it might be a weird pinched nerve or something that happened when I went on my run today. Anyway, no one cares because I can still write my blog, and that's all anyone cares about. So, let's get to that why don't we? I want to talk about Independence. Not from the British, but from your immediate family. Leaving home for college, for example. Getting an apartment and having to live without the need to tell your parents where you're going or what you're doing. Things like that. I've always thought of myself as independent. I could always cook my own meals, buy my own groceries, and I had a job. I've also never liked having someone to help me with things. I wanted things done my way, and I didn't need help doing it. My grandma once told me that when I was really young (maybe 4-7) I always lo...

Another day, another question for me to ask that no one will answer. How's that sound? There I go doing it again. Who loves a good rom-com? Let's talk about them; romantic comedies, for those of you not in the loop. Those funny love-stories that your girlfriend is always dragging you to on Valentine's day. Also, known as "chick-flicks" or, as Urban Dictionary defines: A romantic plot interspersed with light comedy, usually starring Meg Ryan or Sandra Bullock. Everyone has their guilty pleasure movie, and it's usually a romantic comedy. There's just something about them that draws people in. Maybe their recurring theme: finding love. Usually, finding love in unusual circumstances, but let's make this as simple as we can. People love love stories. Everyone wants to find their true love, and they like hearing how other people found their true love. It gives people hope that even they will have their day in the sun. Some people, though, enjoy the sex...