Last spring I was enrolled in a fiction writing course where I was prompted to write two short stories. Having never actually succeeded in finishing a story, literally ever, I had my doubts. Come to find out, I'm not half bad. More importantly, I really enjoyed it. Once I had the stomach to share these … Continue reading The poetry I wrote this semester (for class)
If there’s one memory in my life I’ll never forget, it’s trapping a cat-sized blackbird in a plastic storage bin. When someone says they’ve been to Australia, you wouldn’t expect them to talk so intently about the birds. “How were the people?” someone might ask, not “what were the birds like?” Even my strangest of … Continue reading The birds in Australia can sense your fear
Under one elbow is my plush cat-shaped pillow pet, and the other, my Vera Bradley bag stuffed with tights, tacky group t-shirts, and enough hairspray to stiffen a small village. I've been excused from the rest of my Friday classes so that I, along with 49 other tween-agers, can embark on a coach bus journey … Continue reading MTV True Life: I was in a show choir cult
One minute I'm peacefully dreaming of beaches with sand made of Funyuns, and the next I'm being violently shoved awake by the touching down of plane wheels on a salted Nebraskan runway. My neck does this thing where it lunges forward and I release a small snort, but as soon as I realize what I've … Continue reading going home for the holidays
After traveling on my own, I’ve learned that hotels actually blow chunks and hostels are where it’s at. That extra “s” is life changing. If you’d classify your lifestyle as hoity-toity, I would not advise you to stay in a hostel. They will not meet your needs, but they sure as hell exceed mine.
That title is going to get me on TSA's watch list, but that's a price I'm willing to pay. My love for the airplane window seat is more than just a phase, it's a lifestyle. He might cost extra, but so does quac, and what am I gonna do, say no?? If you're an isle … Continue reading 5 reasons why I’ll fight someone for the airplane window seat
Unless you've been on a four-year social media cleanse, or literally have no friends, you're whole heartedly aware that birthdays are not at all what they once were. A simple "birthday dinner" is a thing of the past. Sure, that term is still tossed around, but it has no right being called that. If you're … Continue reading every college girl’s 21st birthday
Travel + Leisure's #1 City in the U.S. welcomes a little over 5 million tourists each and every year. That city is one I have the pleasure of calling home. Living in the heart of the downtown tourist playpen, I've had firsthand experience when it comes to dealing with travelers (& college students). My stories … Continue reading Dumbest things to do on a night out in Charleston, SC
My most recent assignment in my Poetry 220 class was to pick an author or poem we particularly enjoy and attempt to recreate their piece. If you really know me, you'd be well aware that I'm obsessed with David Sedaris. If you haven't heard of him, plz keep reading because you will learn to love … Continue reading David Sedaris Remake
Your WCW pays top dollar for an hour long workout class, shows up, and then does bare minimum in the back corner. It's me. I'm your WCW. I can practically hear the yoga mats fishtail across the gym floor as several perky middle aged women gladly assert their superiority in their strut toward the mirror. … Continue reading workouts for weaklings
Let me guess, last night you partook in the act of consuming ungodly amounts of fermented beverages. After pre-gaming with two tall-boys of twisted tea, you happily helched at the pregame and proceeded to rally for bars. Those tequila shots you had? Worth it. Not because you had an amazing night, but instead because it … Continue reading the beauty of a sunday hangover
Hello my name is Scout Petersen, and I feel personally victimized by excel spreadsheets. Those tedious tiles of terror are single handedly funding anxiety medication companies across the world. You realized you missed one date while you were entering data? Congrats. The next 200 cells are incorrect. And while this is (kind of) a quick … Continue reading microsoft excel is ruining my life
In honor of World Mental Health Day, here are 6 ways to practice good mental health for yourself and others. 🙂 wash your sheets You & a clean bed. Name a better duo, I dare you. There's truly no better feeling than going to sleep in a warm and freshly made bed. A good nights … Continue reading be kind to your mind
Contrary to popular belief, I have literally no idea what is happening. My brain is the confusion meme, verbatim. All. hours. of. the. day. I often find myself asking the age old question of, wut? Occasionally I switch it up with a smile closely followed by several head nods. Yet each time the conclusion is … Continue reading i have no idea what is going on & neither do you
This blog, this one right here. I've wanted to write this for quite some time. You see, I've conducted an experiment over the last few years, strictly for educational purposes. It involved me downloading several, quote/unquote, "dating" apps. "Dating" is a polite way of saying it's a way of pairing up two sexually aroused strangers … Continue reading Why your tinder profile sucks
The time is 3 am. I'm lying in bed, on top of my comforter, but under my throw blanket. Sleeping this way allows me to never make my bed but also never feel real comfort. The only people awake other than myself are either cat fishing on Tinder, or texting the blonde in their Bio … Continue reading What should my caption be?
I hate to be the one to break this to you guys but VSCO is a dying app. A fallen soldier, as one may say. Pouring one out for my first real editing app. RIP. Before you send me hate mail let me explain. VSCO is great. It's like the gateway drugs of editing apps. … Continue reading wtf is a preset
Anyone attending a college on the southern east coast knows the in's and out's of a hurricane, far too well. I'm 3 for 3 on evacuations, or "hurrications", as they're much better known on campus. An excuse to go visit your friends at other schools while a hurricane and it's impending doom force you to … Continue reading rock me like a hurricane
This morning, like most mornings, my cell phone alarm blares from a mere three inches away from my face, still clutched between my sleep deprived hands. My poor pinkies have lost all feeling, so I say a prayer to god, thanking him for inventing the pop socket. This glorious invention allows me to rightfully feed … Continue reading A harsh day in the life of an upperclassman
What better time than summer to unironically read a fluff summer romance novel while lounging by the pool? I'd love to say I spend the summer reading Emily Dickinson, Moby Dick, or some other intellectually challenging works of writing, but no. I decided to read a mix of summer romance, humor and whatever sounded good … Continue reading The 5 books I read this summer
Hello! I recently started an Instagram page called @scooties_doodies. On this page I edit photos using the app YouDoodle. I can't really explain what it is I edit, because I'm not really sure myself. Basically I'm going to show you how to cut out parts of a photo and paste it on another. Any who. … Continue reading How to edit photos using the YouDoodle app
"Do you enjoy being the center of attention?" Disagree, slightly disagree, neutral, slightly agree, agree. Well I can't say that I agree because that would make me sound full of myself, and while I am, I'm going to pretend like I'm not. Disagreeing would be a fat lie and in order for this BuzzFeed 7 … Continue reading Best personality quizzes
spontaneity. that's what my blog posts are starting to feel like. For anyone who follows me on social media you likely know that I spent 6 weeks this summer in Australia. Studying and traveling abroad was amazing and I could go on for days telling you about all the adventures I had and insanely cool … Continue reading Spontaneity
Hair Cuts Helen looked over at the sleeping stranger. He was definitely drunk enough earlier in the night that he wouldn’t suspect her slipping a few sleeping pills in his drink, none of them ever did. She leaned over and tugged off a few strands of his hair. She couldn’t just cut off a … Continue reading Short Story #2
There's a buddhist quote that goes, "any time we suffer misfortune, two arrows fly our way." The arrows are the emotional pain we feel inside, and they come in two waves. The first arrow is the initial pain we feel when something hurts us. I'll give you an example, say you drunk text your EX … Continue reading 2nd arrow optional
Little preface to this short story. I wrote this as an assignment for my creative writing class to be turned in for a grade that I have not yet received. This is my first ever official story, and first draft for that matter, so by no means is it perfect. I'd love to hear … Continue reading “Electric Chair” — short story by scout
Tumblr is a social media that is seriously under appreciated. That website is full of poetic assholes that I want to be friends with. The other day I came across a quote that really hit home, and I wanted to share it with those of you who haven't yet discovered it via the internet. Sadly … Continue reading proposing a purpose
Back in high school my old english department would force all of the graduating seniors to complete a BARP. If you didn't happen to attend Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska that word probably means absolutely nothing to you. Now I can't recall what it actually stands for, maybe "big annotated research paper", but I … Continue reading best prepared abroad affairs
Okay mom before you get scared of that title, I'm not dropping out. But I can't say that I haven't thought about it on numerous occasions. When I was in high school I remember hearing all of those ~scandalous~ rumors along the lines of, "did you hear so and so's brother dropped out of school?!" … Continue reading The College Dropout
When you live in a dorm, or in an apartment, finding time and a space to cry is hard. That sounds ridiculous, but being able to cry and not having to explain yourself is the best. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I, without a doubt, need an hour to myself every single day. And … Continue reading social vulnerability
Upon walking home from class, I almost always, out of habit, check my mail box. I get on my tip toes and reach in, hoping to find something, while at the same time hoping I won't. I absolutely love receiving snail mail, but only if it's not from the city of Charleston, or my BFF … Continue reading The power of snail mail
life has been too wonderful lately, so naturally something bad is bound to happen. Forming those words, I know how ridiculous it sounds. I'm complaining about the wonderful aspects of my life, under the assumption that soon it'll be taken away. Since my life has been ravishing recently, I'm sitting here pining, because sooner rather … Continue reading the guilt of having it good
here's a hint. you can't. So a better title would be, how to cope with not being able to please everyone. I know that I'd describe myself as a "WOO", meaning that I attempt to Win Others Over. My soul is unsettled knowing that someone is mad at me or that we're on bad terms. … Continue reading How to please everyone
We all have those days where absolutely nothing seems to be going right. Where even moving out of bed is a stretch. Where you want to quit pursuing your goals and just be a waste of space for a hot sec. THAT IS OKAY. WE ALL DO. And today, October 3rd 2017, I experience a … Continue reading take a mental health day
Tips and tricks on how to grow your Instagram account. First off, I am not Insta famous, nor am I claiming to be Insta famous. Although how freaking fun would that be? (side not: you may still follow me @scout_petersen) Sadly I am not, but I have learned a TON about the art of social … Continue reading so you wanna be insta famous?
If ever in your life you felt motivated for a few months, and then lose all momentum, you are about to relate to this post. For the past 5 years of my life, I've either been in two places. Working toward a weight loss/fitness goal, or enjoying that I've pretty much reached it. The catch … Continue reading Fitness rollercoaster
What it's really like when your city gets evacuate. Having lived in Charleston for year now, I'm finally exposed to hurricanes and the natural disasters involving the coast. Last year hurricane Matthew sent me packing and headed for home. College of Charleston ended up letting us off school for around 5 days. Except this year … Continue reading The panic before the storm
A few ways to help you time manage. With school finally kicking into gear, I know I'm completely overwhelmed with the amount of responsibilities I recently have. Waking up for class, walking to be there on time, hitting the gym, making sure I have time to eat, spending time with friends, leaving time to make … Continue reading Taming the clock
personality leech. Those words have a bad connotative ring to them. I'll explain it the same way I begin my intro paragraphs for most of the papers I've written in college, with a definition. Urban Dictionary defines personality leech as "Someone with absolutely no originality, who tries their hardest to mimic everything cool they see … Continue reading the upsides of being a personality leech
My nikon D5300 holds a near and dear spot in my heart. I love photo shop and light room and all the fun that goes with creating the perfect essence of a photo. But polaroids. One click and you're done. No altering the lighting, no repositioning yourself. Just an absolutely genuine picture of that moment. … Continue reading polaroid pictures are the best thing since sliced bread
Charleston is known for it's phenomenal views. If you're an outdoor runner like myself, then you should definitely invest in visiting Charleston to come appreciate the southern views. OR if you're lucky enough to live here, then should already be aware of how amazing this city is for an outdoor runner. With the exception of … Continue reading the best places to run in Charleston
Life update!! I recently moved back to my college city in Charleston, SC! (If you start seeing "y'all" in my writing, now you know why). When you live two plane rides away, it's hard to decide what comes and what stays. Luckily, my parents came with me and helped me get situated in my first … Continue reading new home base
This is just the veganing. I've been attempting to become a vegan for the past week. don't knock it till you try it!! Hate me, but I watched a documentary that ~changed my life~ (I live for drama I'm sorry). But really, it opened my eyes to a lot of health things that I completely … Continue reading just the vegan-ing
Alright, we all have seen how amazing the iphone 7 camera is. It's beauty has inspired me to write this post, because a good camera is nothing if you don't know how to utilize it. I am not apart of the iphone 7 club, but I do have lots of iphone photo experience and thought … Continue reading how to take and edit your best iphone photo
scout's not bummer summer full of successes and failures. No BS. Just the cold hard truth. SUCCESS -Making that cheddar. Working two jobs this summer has had some down sides, but my bank account is thanking me for all the early mornings and late nights. wow I sound like a 30 year old. No offense … Continue reading my happy medium of failure
Everyone in this world should at some point in their lives work an "entry level" job, like being a waitress. Why? Likely it's not for the money (minimum wage and bad tips), but for the life lessons that you learn through working a job where, to be brutally honest, the customers can really suck. Commence … Continue reading why we should all work in food service
In our lives we all need a sense of reason. I preach on my blog posts about how you cannot move forward in life without actively seeking out your goals, but sometimes that's really difficult. When your feet feel like they're stuck in the mud, we all need something to help us up, and that … Continue reading quotes for clarity
We all are aware that there's a stigma around mental illnesses and eating disorders. Serious subjects like this are often overlooked and judged by others who haven't had enough information about the subject. We've all experienced symptoms of these disorders and can at least relate on that level. I'm here to try and give you … Continue reading the truth about stress eating
I can't even begin to fathom how many times I've gone to a hair salon and left not loving what I just paid over $100 for. If you're anything like me, you're far too nice to stop and tell the stylist that you don't like what they spent 2 hours creating. I can't help you … Continue reading getting your money’s worth at the hair salon
pre-review: The famous "alchemist". It's traveled through word of mouth and finally I've gotten around to committing to it. All 171 pages. Good first impressions aren't everything when it comes to books, but they definitely help! Now lets talk cover. The sun shaped center draws in the eye while leaving you with a sense of … Continue reading the alchemist book review
