In So Many Words Volume 1

I actually finished Volume 1 of this project.  It's difficult to realize just how big a deal this is without taking into account that I recently learned about the "Justify" format option and how to make a Table of Contents and Index.  I sat down on Saturday morning, worked through two solid days, and had a finished project by Sunday evening.  My eyes burned, but the fact that I actually have something to show for the effort is phenomenal.  To give you an  idea of what I'm yammering about, take a look.

(excerpt from the Introduction)

"Four years ago, I faced a major transition, graduating high school and moving to a new state, a new culture, and an entirely different niche in the world of my peers. I wanted to take something along with me to keep me connected to my origins. Thus was born this project.

"Sadly, I didn‘t complete this project in time to bring it with me to college. In fact, it sat on the backburner for all four years due to more pressing priorities. It took the end of formal schooling and additional homework to complete, and now that I‘ve had a chance to look back on it, I don‘t think I could have ever appreciated the contents of this book without the experiences of the last four years.

"The works in this volume originate in the most innocent part of my life. They are, for the most part, adorable, silly, and perhaps a bit saccharine. However, the progression is what intrigues me. In the Prologue, I can see the buds of a thousand issues that would come back to bite me in adolescence, though it is also comforting to see, as I read my ultra-condescending eighth grade Valedictory speech, how much progress I have made since and how much more the coming years will bring.

"What you are about to read is a compilation of every document I have ever written that I have been able to salvage from the drawers, cabinets, basement piles and old books where they sought to hide. Many ended up in the landfill, but I have recovered my favorites. I have done my best to preserve their original flaws and charm, and I hope that in so doing, the delight I felt upon revisiting them will be contagious. Happy reading."

It's 361 pages long. It's full of pictures and irregularities. But it's awesome. This is one project I can gladly say has been smitten. Now, I just have to figure out how to make myself an affordable hard copy.