Aftermath of the Book/Bake Sale

Well, I was originally scared that people would react negatively to the whole “Hey, I’m a local author. Would you care to indulge in something new to read?” thing, but it went over a lot better than I thought it would.
I am so elated. I have more dates booked as an author than I expected to; I have an interview that will be published in the newspaper and circulate online at some point.
They all reacted so well to the cover of the book that I may do a spread with the woman on the cover. She doesn’t want to be a model, but she said she’s willing to assist me with this entire project. I have such amazing friends and they all support me so much in this that it makes my heart hurt.
No, that’s not a euphemism. It literally makes my heart hurt to think about it because it’s so… unreal.

I’ll keep pushing forward. Anything is possible if you put your heart into it.

Stand Alone Complex

As I sit near the river, my head’s in the clouds
There were no distractions, only natural sounds
Alone, I am, and always will be
A Stand Alone Complex, you’ll sail by me
Float on by, with your nose to the sky
Gaze down upon me, with no reason why
I’m a temporary stop, to fill your heart
With the love you need, but not the love you thought
No need to be scared, we’re not actually friends
At least not in this life, but I’ll help your heart mend
What am I? You ask for a glimmer of proof
I’m the Angel of Hope, of Love, and of Truth.

Friendship?

What does it take to determine a friend?
This is me asking a serious question. I’ve sat down and I’ve looked at the list of those that I consider real friends, and those that I consider to be nothing more than acquaintances. My system of considering friendships doesn’t feel as humane as I believe it should. A friend is someone that’s there for you, regardless of consequences or achievements, right? I’m completely blind when it comes to that state of mind. That may be why I’m at where I am now, memory problems and the like. I talk to people, strangers, acquaintances, and friends alike. I don’t talk much in public anymore for… reasons. Personal ones. Being around too many people at once can be a problem, as well.
I hear people say that beyond a certain age, you should be able to cope and deal with anything, and I am here to inform you that this is not the case. People use psychological terms as a weapon of choice in social warfare nowadays with no real understanding of the meaning. Whatever happened to the time where you could just simply hang out with friends and acquaintances and not have to worry about being hurt by some megalomaniac? To be able to do something fun? The digital era has brought a rather dark, or should I say malignant? strain of issues along with it.

I ask you again, what does it take to determine a friend?