There is a Bee in My Bonnet, and I Will Now Step On It

Still to be blogged: Ireland's fascination with Elvis, observations on juice, and reviews of some local pubs around Dublin.

However --- something really got to me today. Diablo Cody, who won the Academy Award this past year for Best Original Screenplay for "Juno," just updated her blog. I'm absolutely not her biggest fan, Lord knows, and apparently tons of other people aren't either...her latest posting is a diatribe defending her self-created persona. Why that needs to go all over the internet? Your guess is as good as mine. But something she writes really sticks with me, especially after these first three weeks in Dublin.

So, what was that, Diablo?

""I may have won 19 awards that you don't feel I earned, but it's neither original nor relevant to slag on Juno. Really. And you're not some bold, singular voice of dissent, You are exactly like everyone else in your zeitgeisty-demo-lifestyle pod."

Mhmm. But that's not what really gets to me. She pities me, NYU film student, "shooting your failed opus at Tisch."

For the past twenty days, I have been surrounded with strong, witty, immensely powerful minds. I have the privilege to learn with, play with, fight with, and live with some of the most dazzling, brilliant people I've ever met --- people who do not and will not ever need to rely on name-dropping or pop culture references to tell their amazing stories. We're not just coining catchphrases in our writing. We're changing things. And no, we're not bold, singular voices of dissent, Diablo. There's no dissent here. We've been encouraged by our families, our teachers, and above all, by each other. The support system I've found at Tisch is incomparable. I'm sorry you never got to experience it.

So, homeskillet, enjoy your 19 awards. I'm having the time of my time writing with people who care about me and will stand by me, failed opus or not.