A (long) Explanation

So this past week was a little more insane than normal. First of all, let me start by saying that I have some pretty wonderful friends like Stephanie and Adriane that say very nice things about me that I do not deserve.
It started last weekend:

Almost everyone that I normally love to hang out with was gone for the weekend, and a winter storm was raging outside, so I spent most of Saturday and Sunday by myself in the dorm room. On Sunday evening, I remembered that I had started writing something for a potential video about the character of Troy Barnes from NBC's Community back in December. So I decided that since I obviously didn't have anything better to do, I should finish writing it, and then produce it. So I did. And by a little after midnight on Monday morning, it was finished. I uploaded it to Facebook the next evening, and then after some encouragement from Stephanie, I uploaded it to YouTube on Tuesday. I follow Community on twitter, so I sent them a link to the video, and they ended up posting it on their own page.

Now here we are, over 800 views later. That doesn't make it viral by any means, but it does mean that people around the country and the world actually watched it, liked it, commented on it, and sent it on to their friends. There is a reason why this feels so huge to me, and I think I need to let you know why it is that I do what I do.

Near the beginning of Sophomore year, I was having a lot of trouble figuring out what exactly I wanted to do after graduating. I absolutely love the feel of small towns, and I believe that I would be truly happy living in one for the rest of my life, working in an old book store or bakery. But I also felt like Los Angeles was pulling at me. The whole entertainment industry can be a pretty dark place, and I felt like maybe I was being called to be a part of it in order to love those people specifically working in it. These people are incredibly successful; they live the American Dream and have more money than they know what to do with. But I know that they are also broken, cynical, and depressed.

I got some advice to not only pray about this idea in general, but to pray for God to speak to me specifically by giving me a verse from the Bible that would confirm that this was what God was calling me to do. So I did. And while I was praying, "Jeremiah" popped into my head. At first I was disappointed, because I thought for sure that it was going to be the "For I know the plans I have for you..." verse, which is nice and all, but very vague. But then "12" entered my mind, and finally, "1". Jeremiah 12:1. It was a verse I didn't remember ever reading before, but it says this:

"You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice; why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?" 

This spoke to me because of my own feelings, as well as those of many others I know, that celebrities and those that work in Hollywood get everything they want and more without being tied to a relationship with God. How do you present Jesus to someone who supposedly already has it all? I think it's simple: everyone on the outside thinks those people have everything, but the people themselves know that something very large is missing. They just don't know what that is, yet.

I really believe that God confirmed this plan for me, and that this is why certain things have been happening to me recently. So every time I make these videos and it results in me winning a contest to meet Ke$ha or getting recognized by what I believe to be the funniest show on television, it makes me emotional because I believe that God is reassuring me that he is working through me, though it might not be in the most conventional way. Every time I turn in something for one of my creative writing classes and a professor thanks me for giving them the privilege to read it as a "reader" rather than a "teacher", it makes me feel like crying because it reassures me that maybe God really has given me this gift, and that it can actually lead to a successful and fulfilling career. I really don't know why God chose me for this, and I have no idea what will happen next week or five years from now. But I hope that you will continue on with me in this journey, because I would love nothing more than to have you with me, every step of the way.




If you actually got through all of this, thank you so much for reading! Feel free to talk to me about any of what I have shared, whether you have questions/comments/concerns or something different. Catch you on the flip side,

Jordan Johanna

Soup or Bowl?

It has been a good amount of time since I have written here. For a bit, I was attempting to see if a move to Tumblr was necessary. It's tempting, really. So many famous blogs, so user friendly, so trendy. But I figure since everyone and their third cousin (twice removed) is using it now, all of the hipsters are coming back to Blogspot in protest. So by never really hopping on board the Tumblr Train, I have a leg up on the hipsters and their patchouli-scented dreadlocks.

Or am I getting hipsters confused with hippies? This might warrant a few minutes of research at Urban Dictionary.

In any case, hopefully I'll be writing here more often again. But for now, all I have to say is this:

Puppy Bowl VII

Never have "ridiculous" and "adorable" come together in so perfect a marriage.

Dressed in 2D

I've been obsessed with a certain idea for the last month or so, so hopefully I'll actually act on it soon...once I have a slightly more disposable income.

Perhaps it stemmed from the experience this semester of essentially wearing the same thing every day, but now I want to have different outfits that are inspired by cartoon characters. The one that has occupied my mind the most is that of Chuckie Finster.

I felt the need to use an earlier rendition of him, in protest against all episodes that aired after Rugrats in Paris. Kimi was annoying as all get-out, and I count "All Grown Up" as sacrilege.


Cartoons were never meant to age. Notice that nobody actually likes "For Better or for Worse."




Now, I don't plan to exactly recreate these outfits. That would come off as too Halloweenie (laugh if you're immature...I did) and lame. I would just like to honor these characters appropriately and hopefully brighten anyone's day who realizes what I am actually wearing. Therefore, a Chuckie Finster outfit might look something like this:

The purple glasses

A light blue tank top

With the red and yellow Saturn logo painted on it

And green shorts










Someday...it's gonna happen. 'Cause a baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do.

Overhaulin'

I decided that this blog was in dire need of a face lift, on account of I haven't written anything for it in 3 months and when I read (past tense...that word is tricky) my past entries, I was mostly just embarrassed. SO it is time for a shiny new era: an era in which I actually write things that are hopefully worth reading.

And it shall start with a recap of this semester.

1. Somehow, 16 credits=about 10 times more work than 15 credits. In case you were not aware, I am an English major and this semester, I decided to fill most of my time with creative writing classes: Intermediate Poetry and Fiction, Intro to Screenwriting, and writing for the campus TV station. The up side is that I feel like I've grown more creatively in this short amount of time than I ever have. The down side is that I now feel as though I might have a concentration disorder brought on by stress and too much time distracting myself with YouTube.

2. For a number of reasons, I decided to try an experiment with my wardrobe by spending every weekday in a plain white t-shirt and jeans. It was fulfilling and fun for me, but nobody in my classes ever asked me why I was wearing the same thing every day. Maybe they figured it was a sensitive subject...

3. I met Ke$ha. How 'bout them apples?!

4. I spent time talking to God about future plans for my life. They hopefully include writing professionally (please don't judge the blog...this is my down time) for the screen and being a Light to people who work in the entertainment industry.

5. I cut all my hair off last week. I had been growing it out and relaxing it for about two years, and I was getting tired of it. I knew that I didn't want to relax my hair for the rest of my life; it made me feel too high maintenance, I knew it was terrible for my hair, and I wanted to be able to see the beauty in my natural texture. So here is the new me:

Notice I am not staring at the camera. This is how you achieve a certain level of feigned sophistication--it makes you appear as if you have more important things on your mind than the computer screen.

6. I still love James Dean.

Let me know how you guys have been doing these past three months. It has been too long.