Posts in Thoughts on: [Things]
Simple Changes Towards an Environmentally Conscious Lifestyle
Simple Changes Towards an Environmentally Conscious Lifestyle

However, post-undergrad, I moved into an apartment alone for the first time, and I was forced to confront a difficult question: did my consumption reflect my environmentalist views? This was around the time zero-waste living (producing no plastic waste) was going viral, and it provided a new lens within which to examine one’s environmental commitment. So many of us grew up with that adage, “Reduce, reuse, recycle,” but how many of us actually paid attention to reducing—both consumption and waste—and reusing what we already have?

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Life, Thoughts on: [Things]Hannah Schultzenvironmentalism, sustainability, waste, zero waste, reduce, consumerism, reuse, recycle, paper towels, landfill, pads, tampons, menstrual cup, plastic bags, pollution, meat, vegan, vegetarian, amazon fires, clothes, fast fashion, thrift, poshmark Comments
Five Observations from a Southerner About Driving Through a Blizzard
Five Observations from a Southerner About Driving Through a Blizzard

This Thanksgiving, my mom told me to be safe driving back to Minnesota from Kentucky. There was apparently a winter storm system moving through the Midwest. Living in the North for the past year and a half, I’ve been lucky with road conditions. The one time I had to drive in heavy snow on the highway, I was able to park myself behind a plow and stay golden for most of the drive. However, this year, I managed to get stuck driving on the interstate in the middle of a blizzard during the most busy driving day of the year.

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Thoughts on: [Things], TravelHannah Schultzminnesota, iowa, illinois, blizzard, drive, thanksgiving, break, snow, plow, freezing rain, ice, tips, observations, southerner, north, northernerComment
Thoughts on: [Presenting at my First Writer's Conference]
Thoughts on: [Presenting at my First Writer's Conference]

This weekend, I had the pleasure to attend (and present at) the John R. Milton Writer’s Conference at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. The reading went well, and I really enjoyed USD’s beautiful campus!

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Education, Thoughts on: [Things]Hannah Schultzuniversity of south dakota, vermillion, john r milton, writer's conference, writer, author, panel, presentation, reading, USD, Minnesota State University, creative writing, short story, culture, literature, researchComment
Thoughts On: [What It's Like to Be a Writer]
Thoughts On: [What It's Like to Be a Writer]

Ever wonder what life is like in the noble profession of creative expression? What it's like to be a member of that wonderful community which your parents always kindly remarked would leave you poor and destitute? Well, here's five thoughts on what it's like to be a writer.

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Thoughts on: [Things]Hannah Schultzwriter, write, writing, Creative Writing, MFA, BA, master's, bachelor's, arts, master's in fine arts, master of fine arts, impostor syndrome, internship, career, aspiring, publication, short story, novel, novelist, author, rejection, acceptance, letter, feedback, teach, teacher, hobbyComment
What Not to Do at a Movie Theater—Sincerely, a Former Theater Employee
What Not to Do at a Movie Theater—Sincerely, a Former Theater Employee

I applied to Amstar Cinemas the summer after my freshman year of college. I stayed there, working with an amazing group of people at this mind numbingly boring job, until the spring of my junior year. I was recently going through my old files on my computer, and I stumbled upon some stories I wrote as an undergrad about my time as a movie theater employee based on a pet peeve prompt. And let me tell you—that job generated a lot of material. So here is a list of what not do next time you're at a movie theater from your friendly neighborhood former-theater employee.

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Thoughts on: [Things]Hannah Schultzamstar cinemas, movie theater, employee, former, ticket, sales, concessions, price, up-sell, seats, sold out, tips, what not to do, sneak, food, candy, drink, PDAComment
The Care and Keeping of Introverts
The Care and Keeping of Introverts

My junior year of college, I studied abroad with one of my best friends. It was one of the best experiences of my life, but also very difficult. Not because of Kayla or homesickness or missing my then-boyfriend—but because I didn't truly understand one of the core aspects of my identity: my introversion. 

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Life, Thoughts on: [Things]Hannah Schultzintroversion, introvert, oxford, INFJ, personality, personal space, alone time, myers briggs, physical, signals, drain, energy, recharge, self careComment
Thoughts on: [Getting Married Young]
Thoughts on: [Getting Married Young]

In honor of Valentine's Day, I decided to pick a topic for today's post based on love. In particular, I wanted to address a question about love that comes up in my own life a lot: How do you know you're ready to be married when you're so young? (Usually preceded by, "You have a fiancé??? How old are you??? And followed by, "But you've got so much of your life ahead of you." [I always like how this comment equates marriage with a premature death. It's particularly encouraging when it is then followed by a congratulations on my engagement.]) So today, I'm going to talk about the ways I knew I had found my future husband at 21 years old and why I feel only joy and excitement at the prospect of marrying him at 24 years old.

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Thoughts on: [Things], LifeHannah Schultzmarry, married, engaged, engagement, young, christian, dating, ring by spring, long distance, history, inside jokes, laugh, divorce, reflectionComment
Life Without a Cellphone: Thoughts on [being disconnected]
Life Without a Cellphone: Thoughts on [being disconnected]

Over the past month, my iPhone 6 has slowly been fading to an untimely death. After the iOS 10 update, the battery decided it would stay charged for shorter and shorter periods of time. Two weeks ago, my phone was on life support—it needed to be charging pretty much 24/7 to work. It frequently died at 60% or even higher. And with class and teaching schedules being the way they are, I would often spend half or more of my day without a cellphone. Then, suddenly, early last week, my phone decided to completely give up. It died and could not be resuscitated. 

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Thoughts on: [Things]Hannah Schultzcellphone, technology, communication, disconnect, motorola razr, blackberry storm, iphone, iOS 10, update, battery, dead, apps, snapchat, gps, 911Comment
Taking Down Kentucky Stereotypes (Or: Things Kingsman Got Wrong About Real Kentuckians)
Taking Down Kentucky Stereotypes (Or: Things Kingsman Got Wrong About Real Kentuckians)

Recently, I've discovered a serious problem. People seem to be very confused about the type of place Kentucky is. They don't understand the people, the cities where they live, or the climate. I've noticed this problem popping up more and more since I moved up north. Kentucky often gets lumped in with all southern states, or it gets stereotyped into unidentifiable oblivion. Two examples from the past two weeks come to mind:

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Thoughts on: [Things]Hannah Schultzkingsman, golden circle, Kentucky, louisville, lexington, fall, seasons, winter, snow, country accents, accents, appalachia, midland, cowboy boots, saloon, horses Comments
Hamilton in Chicago: The Dangers of Idealization
Hamilton in Chicago: The Dangers of Idealization

I'm the type of person who can't remember the lyrics to a song I heard five minutes before. Unless it's "All Star" by Smashmouth, chances are I don't know the lyrics. But then, I saw Lin-Manuel Miranda's Saturday Night Live monologue last year, and I was hooked. The monologue was based on "My Shot" from Miranda's musical, Hamilton, which is based on the American Revolution and the politics of early America. So, of course, I listened to the real version of the song. And then the rest of the musical.

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Travel, Thoughts on: [Things]Hannah Schultzhamilton, chicago, an american musical, idealization, zoo, buckingham fountain, navy pier, bean, lin-manuel mirandaComment
Cautionary Tales from a Psycho-Boss Survivor
Cautionary Tales from a Psycho-Boss Survivor

I've been working in the retail and/or service industry for the past four years while I've been in college, first at a movie theater, then at an independent bookstore. I've had many, many wonderful managers, some of whom I would still call friends; however, there is something about these industries that attracts crazy. In honor of putting in my two weeks' notice at the retail job I've had for the past two years, here are some signs for recognizing a toxic employee-manager relationship.

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Thoughts on: [Things]Hannah SchultzWork, Retail, Service, Bookstore, Manager, General manager, interim manager, signs, boss, psycho, crazy, movie theaterComment
What's your superpower? Five answers to help you learn about yourself and your needs
What's your superpower? Five answers to help you learn about yourself and your needs

Do you remember that question you were always asked as a child or during those corny orientations for work or school?

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? 

At first glance, this questions seems to reflect more on what superhero was your childhood favorite or the Marvel-movie craze of the late 21st century than anything constructive about you as a person. However, if you look under the cape and neoprene tights, your answer to this question can reveal important insights about your identity. Kayla (KM) and Kari (KE) Lutes, fellow students, writers, and self-taught personality experts, have graciously joined me this week to explore this super-charged question.

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Thoughts on: [Things]Hannah Schultzsuperpowers, personality, invisibility, strength, telekinesis, flying, teleportation, mind reading, psychology, traits, introvert, stress, toxic relationship, argument, control, anxiety, relationshipComment