The room was alive with bright decorations. Confetti flew from different poppers, buzzers buzzed and janglers jangled. The party was kicking off to a good start.
"Here's to another good year, tubby," Easter said to Santa. Santa laughed and socked him playfully on the arm.
"Gonna give up on the eggs and bring the kids something they want this year?"
Easter laughed and wiggled his long ears. He took a drink from his wine glass of carrot juice and clicked at Santa.
"Come on, let's not start this again," Groundhog said from behind them.
Santa smirked at him and flicked some sparkling dust at him. Suddenly, Groundhog's shadow swelled up twice the size it was and snarled at Groundhog. He let out a squeek and hid underneath the refreshments table.
Santa and Easter roared with laughter. "Looks like more winter," Easter laughed.
"Yeah, yeah. V-very funny, guys," they heard Groundhog squeek from under the table.
"Ladies and gentleman, holidays government and religious, please, put your hands together for the man of the hour. It's 2007!!!"
Santa and Easter turned to the big double doors and a skinny old man with a long white beard hobbled into the room. He was ancient and gnarled, and he helped himself along with a knotty old sticking, using it as a cane. Around his neck, a gold chaine with a little medallion that said "07."
Easter and Santa went forward and helped the old man down the stairs. He hadn't been around as long as them, but Years always retired early. It was just the way things were.
"How you doin', ol' timer?" Easter asked.
07 patted the rabbit's paw and smiled. "Doin' good. How're you, long ears?"
Easter chuckled.
They all winced from a whistling that dug into their skulls and nested there. Easter started waggling his ears, trying to get it out. Then, smoke started to swirl around and encircle the three. Lightning flashed and Easter and Santa felt 07 begin to tremble. Wind began to blow like a hurricane, and they felt like they were standing in a tornado.
Suddenly, a loud voice bellowed a sinister laugh from nowhere and everywhere at once."Mwahahahahahaha!"
Horrible, clawed, drooling beasts, beasts that oozed and cracked, began to pop out of the smoke, screaming and licking them, gnashing their teeth and drooling, rolling their eyes wildly at them and staring at them hungrily.
"What's going on?" 07 exlcaimed.
Suddenly, they felt the wind cut off, like someone had instantly built a wall in its path. They heard the sounds of struggle and a cry of pain in the smoke. When it cleared, they saw a mountain of a man that reminded Santa of the humans' stories of Paul Bunyun. He was wearing an expensive looking tuxedo, and fierce black shades hid his eyes. He stared at the man in his arms--it looked like someone dressed up as Dracula.
"Halloween, you know the rules. No using your powers on someone else's holiday."
"Aaah, Santa did."
Easter raised an eyebrow. "I didn't see anything."
The man in the suit nodded and walked off, carrying a wimpering Halloween by his shirt collar as he left.
"Who was that," 07 asked.
Santa laughed, "You haven't met him yet, have you?"
07 shook his head.
"That's the new year, 2008," Santa said as he patted the old man's arm.
The old man laughed and shook his head as they lead him off.
"It's going to be a big year," he said.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
New Years Resolutions
The new year is around the corner, and I've heard lots of people talking about their New Year's Resolutions. I usually avoid making resolutions. I dislike being told that I'm not good enough to enter the new year, that my ticket will be voided and I'll have to get off at December 31st and wait until the next train, or pay the fee to be let on through. First of all, that's awful. What would that do to me? Would I just disappear and then reappear in 2009, or would I be a year behind everyone and have to live December 31st for a year?
But, since I don't make the rules, I guess I'll make up some resolutions. How about:
But, since I don't make the rules, I guess I'll make up some resolutions. How about:
- I resolve not to lose my patience with my college career and go nuts and go on a city wide rampage, spray painting naughty symbols on old lady's bottoms while wearing a fake moustache.
- I resolve not to shave the neighbors cat and tape it to my face and pretend to be Santa Claus (it was itchy, and I'm allergic to cats, so it made my face break out and look like I had a strawberry for a head).
- I resolve not to wear a skin tight leotard and a pair of olympic swimmer's goggle and race through the Walmart parking lot in one of their shopping carts.
There you have it, my list of resolutions. There is one more resolution, however. I do want to write more. I have absolutetly failed at that this year, and I want to do better. So here I go again, saything that I will. Hopefully I'll stay to it this time.
How about you guys? Got any New Years Resolutions you want to share?
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Strange Dreams and a Merry Christmas Wish
Here's something weird. I hardly ever dream, but I've been having some weird ones over the past couple of weeks. One from the other night had me punch the wall in my sleep. This one was the one I had the night before last:
The village was in an uproar. Mothers grabbed their children and turned them away, others weeped uncontrollably. Men stood still and hard, keeping a brave front for their families, but their fears shone in their eyes like tiny suns. Some began to panic, they were unsure of what this could mean. What would cause someone to do this? It was begging to be punished by the gods.
Attanak thundered into the area on his mare, it's beautiful black mane blowing in the breeze, looking both fierce and lovely. The horse seemed to have been made from the black clouds that had been covering the village for the past few hours. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled, and both accented the horror of the day.
Attanak was immediately put off by the crowd. Something felt wrong; he could feel it in the marrow of his bones. He dismounted and noticed a stray peddler walking with his hat in his hands, wringing it absentmindedly and muttering to himself as he walked. He looked half mad, but Attanak needed answers.
“You there,” he said, trying to keep his voice casual and curious. He thought he did pretty well, he thought he hid the terror that was gripping his balls pretty well. “What's happened?”
The man was very short, and his large ears pointed sideways from his head almost like tiny wings. The rain that soaked his hair poured down his head and splashed behind his ears, making it look like two tiny waterfalls were on the sides of his head. His eyes were wide with horror, so wide that his red veins were easily viewable. He bit at his lower lip while scanning with his eyes, as if searching for an answer.
“I never seen nothing like it, and I thinks I never wills again. Things is gonna start happening, guardsman. Bad things, and I isn't gonna be one to stick around for them to happen to, no sir. No sir, I isn't.” With that, he wandered off, repeating that same thing over and over again, while continuing to shake his head and wring his hat in his hands.
Attanak walk forward, terrified to see what could scare the villagers so. He heard women, housewives, whispering to each other, gossiping already, but few were doing that. Most were being held by their husbands, or they were holding their own children and consoling them.
“What could make them do such a thing?” Attanak heard on lady say. Another to his left said, “What would make them choose eternal damnation. The gods have surely forsaken them now.”
Attanak paused, his eyes closed as he took deep breaths to calm himself and hopefully loosen the vice-like grip that his fear had on his stomach.
The town looked drenched and dreadful already, and seemed to have thrown off the happy, healthy look that had been there only yesterday, on the last day of the Celebration of Waning Nights. The whole week people had been eating and drinking and playing music and dancing. Now the village had taken on a cold and deadly feel, as if whatever had happened had frightened not just the villagers, but the very trees themselves seemed to be drooped with fear. Lighting crashed again, and in the distance, a wild cat's woman-like scream sent chills through Attanak's spine.
Turn around. Just turn around, pack your things, rent the soonest ship you can, and move to an island where to the south where you can escape all this. Duty, responsibility, danger, you don't need any of those things in your life, he thought to himself, but as he thought it, he knew he was lying to himself. He parted the people before him sternly, swallowing the lump in his throat and looked.
“No...” and that's all he could say.
Attanak stared up the tall tower, the Holy Tower of Western Light, that marked where the sun set and the god of Light conceded his power to the god of Darkness. In the night's darkness and the ferocity of the storm, the turrets looked twisted and perverted, a horrid black hand clawing for the sky, like a corpse crawling its way from its grave. Attanak's heart stopped, and he felt nausea and horror course through ever vessel of his body. His legs gave way and he vomited until he was empty and continued to retch. People tried to help him, but he threw them off. They didn't understand. No one could understand what this meant, the ignorant fools. No one, save for him. He had to get the warning out. He had to spread the word.
He climbed to his feet, falling several times before enough strength returned for the task. He rushed to his horse, clambered into the saddle, and reached in his saddle bag for his wine skin. He took a deep, long draft from it before replacing it.
One of the villagers approached him, a portly man wearing a white apron. He was the butcher, Lesmiof. A once, fierce looking man, he looked like a small petrified child behind his big, bushy mustache, and rolls of fat.
“Hey, what do we do?” he called to Attanak.
Attanak turned and raised an eyebrow grimly. “What?”
“You're supposed to protect us and give us advice. What does this mean? What do we do?”
Attanak laughed coldly and the smile that he bore reminded the villagers of the grins skeletons wore. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, there was no light, no humor, no fear, nothing. Only emptiness.
“Pray,” he said, and kicked the horse into an instant gallop. It gave a startled yelp and began charging through the town as fast as Attanak could force it to go. At the edge of the town, Attanak couldn't help but look back at the horrible sight. The wind whipped and blew the bodies of the five priests who used to reside in the tower as they hung from crude, self-made nooses. Attanak wiped his rain soaked hair from his eyes, and rode off with the Tarranian Bells' Death Tolls following him out of town.
Thunder exploded again, and all knew that doom was approaching.
Pretty weird, eh?
That might be all for me for a while. I might be back on once more before Christmas, but if not, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a absolutely great New Year.
The village was in an uproar. Mothers grabbed their children and turned them away, others weeped uncontrollably. Men stood still and hard, keeping a brave front for their families, but their fears shone in their eyes like tiny suns. Some began to panic, they were unsure of what this could mean. What would cause someone to do this? It was begging to be punished by the gods.
Attanak thundered into the area on his mare, it's beautiful black mane blowing in the breeze, looking both fierce and lovely. The horse seemed to have been made from the black clouds that had been covering the village for the past few hours. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled, and both accented the horror of the day.
Attanak was immediately put off by the crowd. Something felt wrong; he could feel it in the marrow of his bones. He dismounted and noticed a stray peddler walking with his hat in his hands, wringing it absentmindedly and muttering to himself as he walked. He looked half mad, but Attanak needed answers.
“You there,” he said, trying to keep his voice casual and curious. He thought he did pretty well, he thought he hid the terror that was gripping his balls pretty well. “What's happened?”
The man was very short, and his large ears pointed sideways from his head almost like tiny wings. The rain that soaked his hair poured down his head and splashed behind his ears, making it look like two tiny waterfalls were on the sides of his head. His eyes were wide with horror, so wide that his red veins were easily viewable. He bit at his lower lip while scanning with his eyes, as if searching for an answer.
“I never seen nothing like it, and I thinks I never wills again. Things is gonna start happening, guardsman. Bad things, and I isn't gonna be one to stick around for them to happen to, no sir. No sir, I isn't.” With that, he wandered off, repeating that same thing over and over again, while continuing to shake his head and wring his hat in his hands.
Attanak walk forward, terrified to see what could scare the villagers so. He heard women, housewives, whispering to each other, gossiping already, but few were doing that. Most were being held by their husbands, or they were holding their own children and consoling them.
“What could make them do such a thing?” Attanak heard on lady say. Another to his left said, “What would make them choose eternal damnation. The gods have surely forsaken them now.”
Attanak paused, his eyes closed as he took deep breaths to calm himself and hopefully loosen the vice-like grip that his fear had on his stomach.
The town looked drenched and dreadful already, and seemed to have thrown off the happy, healthy look that had been there only yesterday, on the last day of the Celebration of Waning Nights. The whole week people had been eating and drinking and playing music and dancing. Now the village had taken on a cold and deadly feel, as if whatever had happened had frightened not just the villagers, but the very trees themselves seemed to be drooped with fear. Lighting crashed again, and in the distance, a wild cat's woman-like scream sent chills through Attanak's spine.
Turn around. Just turn around, pack your things, rent the soonest ship you can, and move to an island where to the south where you can escape all this. Duty, responsibility, danger, you don't need any of those things in your life, he thought to himself, but as he thought it, he knew he was lying to himself. He parted the people before him sternly, swallowing the lump in his throat and looked.
“No...” and that's all he could say.
Attanak stared up the tall tower, the Holy Tower of Western Light, that marked where the sun set and the god of Light conceded his power to the god of Darkness. In the night's darkness and the ferocity of the storm, the turrets looked twisted and perverted, a horrid black hand clawing for the sky, like a corpse crawling its way from its grave. Attanak's heart stopped, and he felt nausea and horror course through ever vessel of his body. His legs gave way and he vomited until he was empty and continued to retch. People tried to help him, but he threw them off. They didn't understand. No one could understand what this meant, the ignorant fools. No one, save for him. He had to get the warning out. He had to spread the word.
He climbed to his feet, falling several times before enough strength returned for the task. He rushed to his horse, clambered into the saddle, and reached in his saddle bag for his wine skin. He took a deep, long draft from it before replacing it.
One of the villagers approached him, a portly man wearing a white apron. He was the butcher, Lesmiof. A once, fierce looking man, he looked like a small petrified child behind his big, bushy mustache, and rolls of fat.
“Hey, what do we do?” he called to Attanak.
Attanak turned and raised an eyebrow grimly. “What?”
“You're supposed to protect us and give us advice. What does this mean? What do we do?”
Attanak laughed coldly and the smile that he bore reminded the villagers of the grins skeletons wore. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, there was no light, no humor, no fear, nothing. Only emptiness.
“Pray,” he said, and kicked the horse into an instant gallop. It gave a startled yelp and began charging through the town as fast as Attanak could force it to go. At the edge of the town, Attanak couldn't help but look back at the horrible sight. The wind whipped and blew the bodies of the five priests who used to reside in the tower as they hung from crude, self-made nooses. Attanak wiped his rain soaked hair from his eyes, and rode off with the Tarranian Bells' Death Tolls following him out of town.
Thunder exploded again, and all knew that doom was approaching.
Pretty weird, eh?
That might be all for me for a while. I might be back on once more before Christmas, but if not, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a absolutely great New Year.
Monday, December 17, 2007
When You Don't Know What You're Doing...
I've been trying my hand at writing a bit over the past couple of days. Not much, but a little. It feels good to get back into writing again, although it feels strange. I make a lot more typing errors than I used to for some reason, and it takes me a little bit to get started. Today, however, I wrote a scene I'm very happy with, based on a dream I had last night. I rarely ever have dreams so when I do, it's usually pretty vivid. The last time I had a very vivid dream was when I worked at Sonic and I dreamed that tiny demonic clowns and zombies were attacking me.
These scenes have mostly just been practice so that I can eventually write something. I may or may not decide to post these little snippit scenes on here. I'm still thinking about it, and I'm not sure anyone would be interested in my random little scribblings as I try to get back into the swing of writing. Anyway, it's something I'll think on over the next couple of days.
Christmas time is in full swing here at the house. We got the tree up, the lights up, and all the presents wrapped and put under the tree. Now I'm just counting the days, the agonizing...waiting...until...the best...day...ever...the clock...ticking...IT'S MOCKING ME!! ...sorry... Anyway, we've been making cookies and drinking cocoa and listening to my new Christmas cd I bought, "Let It Snow, Baby, Let It Reindeer" by Relient K. Good stuff, and one of the only Christmas cd's I can find in the Alternative Rock genre.
Also, I've been reading a lot. I finished Holly Lisle's Secret Text trilogy (two words: Freakin' Awesome!) and now I'm reading Sherman Oak and the Magic Potato by S. William Shaw and The Husband by Dean Koontz. Once I'm done with those two I'll start on Vincalic the Agitator by Holly Lisle, cause the world of Matrin is just awesome, and it will keep me occupied until Hawkspar comes out.
And, because I haven't scared you guys with enough odd ramblings yet, I've been watching an anime called Death Note. It's absolutely fantastic. It's about a boy who finds a Death Note, which is what Shinigami (japanese "death gods") use to kill humans. Because he found it, it now belongs to him, but he also gets to basically keep the Shinigami who originally owned it, as a pet...sorta. Anyway, the boy, Light, decides to kill all the evil people of the world and create a perfect world where he will rule as a god, while evading a detective aliased L who is just as smart and freaky as Light. It's a very exciting and intriguing series, and it makes you ask yourself, if you had the ability to kill anyone you wanted just by writing it down in a book would you? If you did, who would you kill and why? Very dark, but very interesting.
These scenes have mostly just been practice so that I can eventually write something. I may or may not decide to post these little snippit scenes on here. I'm still thinking about it, and I'm not sure anyone would be interested in my random little scribblings as I try to get back into the swing of writing. Anyway, it's something I'll think on over the next couple of days.
Christmas time is in full swing here at the house. We got the tree up, the lights up, and all the presents wrapped and put under the tree. Now I'm just counting the days, the agonizing...waiting...until...the best...day...ever...the clock...ticking...IT'S MOCKING ME!! ...sorry... Anyway, we've been making cookies and drinking cocoa and listening to my new Christmas cd I bought, "Let It Snow, Baby, Let It Reindeer" by Relient K. Good stuff, and one of the only Christmas cd's I can find in the Alternative Rock genre.
Also, I've been reading a lot. I finished Holly Lisle's Secret Text trilogy (two words: Freakin' Awesome!) and now I'm reading Sherman Oak and the Magic Potato by S. William Shaw and The Husband by Dean Koontz. Once I'm done with those two I'll start on Vincalic the Agitator by Holly Lisle, cause the world of Matrin is just awesome, and it will keep me occupied until Hawkspar comes out.
And, because I haven't scared you guys with enough odd ramblings yet, I've been watching an anime called Death Note. It's absolutely fantastic. It's about a boy who finds a Death Note, which is what Shinigami (japanese "death gods") use to kill humans. Because he found it, it now belongs to him, but he also gets to basically keep the Shinigami who originally owned it, as a pet...sorta. Anyway, the boy, Light, decides to kill all the evil people of the world and create a perfect world where he will rule as a god, while evading a detective aliased L who is just as smart and freaky as Light. It's a very exciting and intriguing series, and it makes you ask yourself, if you had the ability to kill anyone you wanted just by writing it down in a book would you? If you did, who would you kill and why? Very dark, but very interesting.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Going Ho, Ho, HOME!!!
Well...not today, but tomorrow, as soon as I can. I have one final left, and that's tomorrow and then I'll be leaving. I'm prepacking and getting stuff in the car so all I have to do is get in and leave, no hassles.
The biggest bummer so far has been that I didn't get to leave today, when all my friends did. I'm the only one left, stuck in my dorm all by myself with nothing to do. I already have most everything unhooked--except the Internet, let's not get stupid--so there's not much to do. It's actually really interesting being alone. I learned that when I'm not being distracted by hussle and bussle, I will do almost anything to avoid being bored.
The really cool thing is, when I'm alone, I start going over character ideas, story ideas, and other stuff like that. I think tonight, for the first time in a long time, I'm gonna sit down and plan out a short story. Nothing long, something I know that I can finish, but something that will get me writing again. It feels great. Just considering writing again makes my heart feel all fluttery and excited; it's like when you're hungry, but you don't know it until you take a bite of something good. You're instantly ravenous. Well, just the prospect of playing with a few short story ideas that I haven't thought about or started yet because I was working on this or that is making my muse's mouth water, and I like it. She's ready to talk, and I'm ready to listen.
I think one of my problems has been that I've been so concerned with doing things in one way or another, so careful to watch out for mistakes that beginners make and stuff, and approaching writing so business like and organized that my muse was instantly turned off. She's been rejecting me like a bad date who keeps calling and talking about "the connection that the two of us share." I took all the fun out of writing, and I didn't realize it until just now.
Well, that's really all. The next time you hear from me, I'll be home for the holidays. Happy Holidays to you all.
The biggest bummer so far has been that I didn't get to leave today, when all my friends did. I'm the only one left, stuck in my dorm all by myself with nothing to do. I already have most everything unhooked--except the Internet, let's not get stupid--so there's not much to do. It's actually really interesting being alone. I learned that when I'm not being distracted by hussle and bussle, I will do almost anything to avoid being bored.
The really cool thing is, when I'm alone, I start going over character ideas, story ideas, and other stuff like that. I think tonight, for the first time in a long time, I'm gonna sit down and plan out a short story. Nothing long, something I know that I can finish, but something that will get me writing again. It feels great. Just considering writing again makes my heart feel all fluttery and excited; it's like when you're hungry, but you don't know it until you take a bite of something good. You're instantly ravenous. Well, just the prospect of playing with a few short story ideas that I haven't thought about or started yet because I was working on this or that is making my muse's mouth water, and I like it. She's ready to talk, and I'm ready to listen.
I think one of my problems has been that I've been so concerned with doing things in one way or another, so careful to watch out for mistakes that beginners make and stuff, and approaching writing so business like and organized that my muse was instantly turned off. She's been rejecting me like a bad date who keeps calling and talking about "the connection that the two of us share." I took all the fun out of writing, and I didn't realize it until just now.
Well, that's really all. The next time you hear from me, I'll be home for the holidays. Happy Holidays to you all.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Pre-Semi-Mid-Week Finals Report
Well gang, they’re here. The dreaded finals are in full swing, and I’m already feeling the effects of them. They’re taking my strength with them like some kind of…strength…taking…thing… I can’t even come up with decent metaphors anymore. I’ve had two finals so far, and I have two tomorrow, which I’m NOT looking forward to. Tomorrow is that devil’s spawn Biology. The sooner I get done with these the better.
On the plus side, I read a lot before I had to get sucked into the finals studying frenzy. Right now I’m almost halfway through with the final book in Holly Lisle’s Secret Text trilogy. They’re absolutely fantastic! Very rarely do I read a book with so much depth and originality, but Holly Lisle does it every single time. I have a whole bunch of her books that are on my “To be read when things return to a safe level of insanity” shelf, and I can’t wait to get started on them. If you can find them, and you get the chance, I definitely recommend Holly’s Secret Text trilogy.
Also, I’m reading Sherman Oak and the Magic Potato, by S. William Shaw. They’re kids novels, but Shaw has a great, quirky way of telling the story that I absolutely love. The story itself is very original, and Shaw proves just how crazy he is with the different wacky monsters that Sherman meets in his quest. This is another one that I recommend if you want a good read. Definitely pick this up for your kids, parents. It’s totally worth it (you might even want to read it yourself).
Well, I’m going back to the grindstone. Three more finals and I’ll be out of school for a month! Then comes Christmas!! Before too long I hope to have some writing news to give you, but as many of you know, a bug at all my stories, and all my notes, and I haven’t had time to get anything back with College poking its nose in my business all the time. Well, wish me luck, and for those of you who are going on trips for the holidays, good luck, and travel safely.
On the plus side, I read a lot before I had to get sucked into the finals studying frenzy. Right now I’m almost halfway through with the final book in Holly Lisle’s Secret Text trilogy. They’re absolutely fantastic! Very rarely do I read a book with so much depth and originality, but Holly Lisle does it every single time. I have a whole bunch of her books that are on my “To be read when things return to a safe level of insanity” shelf, and I can’t wait to get started on them. If you can find them, and you get the chance, I definitely recommend Holly’s Secret Text trilogy.
Also, I’m reading Sherman Oak and the Magic Potato, by S. William Shaw. They’re kids novels, but Shaw has a great, quirky way of telling the story that I absolutely love. The story itself is very original, and Shaw proves just how crazy he is with the different wacky monsters that Sherman meets in his quest. This is another one that I recommend if you want a good read. Definitely pick this up for your kids, parents. It’s totally worth it (you might even want to read it yourself).
Well, I’m going back to the grindstone. Three more finals and I’ll be out of school for a month! Then comes Christmas!! Before too long I hope to have some writing news to give you, but as many of you know, a bug at all my stories, and all my notes, and I haven’t had time to get anything back with College poking its nose in my business all the time. Well, wish me luck, and for those of you who are going on trips for the holidays, good luck, and travel safely.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Randomosity
I don't have much to say at the moment. I'm home for the weekend, and this weekend will be the mother of all cramming weekends, because finals start next week. Talk about pressure. On the plus side, I did well on my Biology test, and that always makes me happy.
So, what's going on in the Blogosphere?
PBW has a link to a free download of a story she wrote once.
S William Shaw has a contest to get free books for Christmas. Definitely check it out, he's a great writer.
S. M. Duke makes a really interesting point on criticism on religion and on anything in general.
So, that's all I have right now. Tomorrow I'm going to see The Golden Compass, and then celebrate with my friend. It's his birthday. Have a good weekend, all.
So, what's going on in the Blogosphere?
PBW has a link to a free download of a story she wrote once.
S William Shaw has a contest to get free books for Christmas. Definitely check it out, he's a great writer.
S. M. Duke makes a really interesting point on criticism on religion and on anything in general.
So, that's all I have right now. Tomorrow I'm going to see The Golden Compass, and then celebrate with my friend. It's his birthday. Have a good weekend, all.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The Finals are coming!!
The finals are coming, and so I have almost no time to do anything but study and weep. As it stands now, if I do good on all my finals I should be able to keep my scholarship. I just had a Biology test today that was pretty scary. I don't know how I did on it, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The problem is, I'm running out of fingers and toes to cross, and people are starting to look at me funny. Anyway, wish me luck. Can't wait until things clear up (Christmas break I hear you calling my name!).
Friday, November 30, 2007
One Project Down
Peaking out of my bunker to let you know that I got my Biology project done yesterday. So that's one research paper/presentation down, and one paper to go. Then I have two tests to study for, and all my finals. Hopefully I can keep my grades up through the rest of the semester. College is so much fun...
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Digging in for the storm
I've got two research papers, a test, and all my finals coming up in these few weeks, so if you don't hear from me for a while, I'll be up to my neck in the college avalanche. Wish me luck.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Happy Belated Thanksgiving
Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. We had a blast. Hope you guys have a good holiday weekend. Today, we're preparing for Christmas! Up go the lights!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Night Walk
*This post would have been up sooner, but my internet went out and, sadly, it took me three days to figure out it wasn't the college network, it was my ethernet cord... I never claimed to be a 'Net guru.*
Last Thursday, I did what I haven't done in a while. I took a walk. It's amazing what you notice when you let yourself go. You get so wrapped up in your everyday lives, in your rush to get things done, in your rush for the next paycheck, or to beat traffic, or to beat the lunchline, that you can get swept away in it all. It can swallow you up like a wave from the ocean and pull you into a constant state of hustle and bustle.
Last Thursday I decided to change that. I got done with my homework early, and my roommate was fixing to "study"--meaning he was going to lay on the bed for a good 15 minutes to a half an hour sleeping before he reads through his notes twice before he goes back to sleep--and I had nothing to do. I decided, what would be better, than taking a walk around the campus.
I stepped out the door and the first thing I saw was someone's ID card. So I returned that. It felt good to know that they got their card back and they'd never know it was me. They's just have the mental picture of the mysterious kind stranger giving back one of the most important things that the students here have.
After that was done, I continued my stroll. The bite from the cold air felt good. It burned in my nostrils and reminded me why I loved autumn and winter so much. The cold air felt good in my lungs and I savored each breath. As I walked, I watched people. Some people were out jogging, listening to their Ipod; focused intently ahead. A few couples were taking midnight strolls, holding hands, cuddling, keeping eachother warm. I move along, and leave them to their private time.
I crossed at a crosswalk and got into the less busy part of the campus. It was darker here, and fewer people were out. I watched some squirrels run around and chase eachother, and as I walked, I let my mind wander. I thought about things, random things. I thought about my family, I thought about Christmas coming ever closer; I thought about my trip home this Thanksgiving weekend. I thought about writing and how I haven't done it in a while. I turned over characters and plots in mind, just messing around.
Nothing much to tell, and you might be wondering why I devoted an entire post to my stroll through the campus. The next time you have free time, take a walk around your neighborhood or local park. You'll feel better when you get back, your writer's block might have cleared up, and what better way to get a new take on describing what your characters are seeing than seeing for yourself.
Last Thursday, I did what I haven't done in a while. I took a walk. It's amazing what you notice when you let yourself go. You get so wrapped up in your everyday lives, in your rush to get things done, in your rush for the next paycheck, or to beat traffic, or to beat the lunchline, that you can get swept away in it all. It can swallow you up like a wave from the ocean and pull you into a constant state of hustle and bustle.
Last Thursday I decided to change that. I got done with my homework early, and my roommate was fixing to "study"--meaning he was going to lay on the bed for a good 15 minutes to a half an hour sleeping before he reads through his notes twice before he goes back to sleep--and I had nothing to do. I decided, what would be better, than taking a walk around the campus.
I stepped out the door and the first thing I saw was someone's ID card. So I returned that. It felt good to know that they got their card back and they'd never know it was me. They's just have the mental picture of the mysterious kind stranger giving back one of the most important things that the students here have.
After that was done, I continued my stroll. The bite from the cold air felt good. It burned in my nostrils and reminded me why I loved autumn and winter so much. The cold air felt good in my lungs and I savored each breath. As I walked, I watched people. Some people were out jogging, listening to their Ipod; focused intently ahead. A few couples were taking midnight strolls, holding hands, cuddling, keeping eachother warm. I move along, and leave them to their private time.
I crossed at a crosswalk and got into the less busy part of the campus. It was darker here, and fewer people were out. I watched some squirrels run around and chase eachother, and as I walked, I let my mind wander. I thought about things, random things. I thought about my family, I thought about Christmas coming ever closer; I thought about my trip home this Thanksgiving weekend. I thought about writing and how I haven't done it in a while. I turned over characters and plots in mind, just messing around.
Nothing much to tell, and you might be wondering why I devoted an entire post to my stroll through the campus. The next time you have free time, take a walk around your neighborhood or local park. You'll feel better when you get back, your writer's block might have cleared up, and what better way to get a new take on describing what your characters are seeing than seeing for yourself.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
It's Been A While
Whoo, it's been a serious while, hasn't it? I opened up this thing and I swear, it was like opening one of those old boxes in the attic that you keep because you want to look back later and reminice. You know, every now and then, you add something new before you bury it in boxes and dust. Just a second ago, I think I saw a virtual spider attacking a helpless family of flies.
Sorry, I'm feeling rusty. I've disappeared, because college life is not as easy as it looks on TV (who would have thought?), but I think things are gonna work out okay. It was a rough ride, though.
Damn it all, I missed Halloween. Here, there was nothing, but this coming weekend my friends are having a very belated Halloween party, and that should be fun. Nothing like Halloween in November. I wonder if that's like Christmas in July? Thanksgiving is coming soon, the perfect chance to eat a whole hell of a lot and spend the next three days suffering from the side-effects of making yourself look like a pig. I can't wait. It will be the first Christmas with my best friend, and I'm sure he'll get a kick out of my uncle, he's quite the character.
Let's see, what comes after Thanksgiving? New Years Eve, April Fools Day, Groundhog Day...oh yeah, CHRISTMAS! Oh, I can't wait for that one. I've already started shopping, ha ha. I'm definitely NOT one of those last minutes shoppers.
If I used to go to your blogs, I'd love you to post the link to them in the comments. Both my laptop and my desktop at home had to get wiped out, and I lost all my links that I've been collecting for the better part of four years. *sigh* I was sad to see it go. That was a nightmare. My laptop was littered with errors that brought up a pretty striped screen of death. It turns out it was the graphics card, but that was before we wiped out my computer. It probably needed it, but I would have liked to have had a backup record of links and files that are now spiraling into the abyss.
Then, my desktop got a pretty worm virus on it and I had to wipe out the entire thing. That pissed me off a little, because that computer was the dumping ground. It had EVERYTHING I loved on it. All my old stuff, old stories from the sixth grade, essays I wrote to get into college, songs lyrics, music sheets, drawings, lots of stuff, gone in an instant. But that'll teach me. I should back up my stuff.
Oh, and in other news, it's NaNoWriMo! For those of you who want some fun, Lynn Viehl has some great stuff on her site in the archives, and she usually posts every year. More news on NaNoWriMo when I get some. I never participate because I never have the time to dedicate that it requires. I barely have time to write as it is.
Anyway, that's all my catching up for now. How's everyone else?
Sorry, I'm feeling rusty. I've disappeared, because college life is not as easy as it looks on TV (who would have thought?), but I think things are gonna work out okay. It was a rough ride, though.
Damn it all, I missed Halloween. Here, there was nothing, but this coming weekend my friends are having a very belated Halloween party, and that should be fun. Nothing like Halloween in November. I wonder if that's like Christmas in July? Thanksgiving is coming soon, the perfect chance to eat a whole hell of a lot and spend the next three days suffering from the side-effects of making yourself look like a pig. I can't wait. It will be the first Christmas with my best friend, and I'm sure he'll get a kick out of my uncle, he's quite the character.
Let's see, what comes after Thanksgiving? New Years Eve, April Fools Day, Groundhog Day...oh yeah, CHRISTMAS! Oh, I can't wait for that one. I've already started shopping, ha ha. I'm definitely NOT one of those last minutes shoppers.
If I used to go to your blogs, I'd love you to post the link to them in the comments. Both my laptop and my desktop at home had to get wiped out, and I lost all my links that I've been collecting for the better part of four years. *sigh* I was sad to see it go. That was a nightmare. My laptop was littered with errors that brought up a pretty striped screen of death. It turns out it was the graphics card, but that was before we wiped out my computer. It probably needed it, but I would have liked to have had a backup record of links and files that are now spiraling into the abyss.
Then, my desktop got a pretty worm virus on it and I had to wipe out the entire thing. That pissed me off a little, because that computer was the dumping ground. It had EVERYTHING I loved on it. All my old stuff, old stories from the sixth grade, essays I wrote to get into college, songs lyrics, music sheets, drawings, lots of stuff, gone in an instant. But that'll teach me. I should back up my stuff.
Oh, and in other news, it's NaNoWriMo! For those of you who want some fun, Lynn Viehl has some great stuff on her site in the archives, and she usually posts every year. More news on NaNoWriMo when I get some. I never participate because I never have the time to dedicate that it requires. I barely have time to write as it is.
Anyway, that's all my catching up for now. How's everyone else?
Friday, September 14, 2007
Blogger Hiccup
I had a whole post written out and stuff. It was pretty funny if I do say so myself, but Blogger is apparently going to crap out on me today. So here's a replacement post, if it goes through: random doodles from some of my classes. Not much, but I'm too agrivated to rewrite the whole post.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
So, here's what I've been doing.
Hey, just so you know, college is busy. I know in the movies they always show those college kids going out every night and partying all night and sitting in coffee shops and stuff. Lies, all of it. Now, the first week was like that, because it was pretty much a meet and greet--all the freshmen got to meet eachother and get adjusted to living at home. I'm sure you're all wondering how it worked out. Well...
My roommate likes pretty much everything I like. He owns the entire series of Trinity Blood, a series I got into watching but didn't have time to finish, and both he and his girlfriend like to write, so we've sat around talking about our stories and discussing things about each of them.
Not only does he own Trinity Blood, he owns pretty much every Miyazaki (I think that's how you spell it) ever made. He has Howl's Moving Castle, Steamboy, Princess Monoke, Appleseed, and tons more; also, he owns just about every movie made in 2006. So if we're bored, we have plenty of movies to watch.
The third or fourth night there I went to a concert that was taking place on campus. I wasn't really excited about going because I've always assumed that anything the school wants to hire is going to suck. However, what got me to go was that the year before they got Nickelback to come, and if you read PBW's blog, I share her sentiment on Nickelback--(hint: we don't hate 'em.) Anyway, I'm really glad I went. The band is called Midnight to Twelve and they have a myspace page here. If you haven't heard of them, you need to go check them out. They along the same genre as Nickelback, they're so awesome. I screamed myself hoarse, but I had a great time, and I went out after the concert and bought their cd. I say again, if you haven't heard of them and you like alternative music, give these guys a shot. They're worth it. Midnight to Twelve - King of Spain.
Anyway, classes have started and I learned something. My hometown is very undiversified. We have two African-Americans and that's about it. So when I saw that my college offered Japanese, I couldn't figure out where I would use it. It sounds like a cool language, but where would I use it? At my college. There are Japanese people everywhere. Apparently there's a sister school in Japan, so they've come over as foreign exchange students. I wish I'd taken Japanese instead of Spanish, but I still may take it. I'll have to see how my schedule looks next semester/next year.
I've made several friends, and I'm going to the gym 2 or 3 times a week. All in all, it's busy but so much fun. It's not the horrible fiasco I originally imagined it would be. No horrible faux pauxs--although I did get distracted and almost fall off the tread mill in the gym earlier this week. I'll probably change my tune when finals come around, ha ha, but let's just go with that for right now.
The one downside with college so far? No time to write...at all. I really miss it, and I want to write, but everytime I sit down to write, something else is happening and I get pulled away. But when Christmas Break comes around, I'll have quite a bit of time to catch up on my reading/writing, two things I haven't had much chance to do in college. I've been drawing a lot, but that's because I go to class early and start a drawing before the class. I can usually get them done by the teacher walks in the room, but I'm trying to work on refining my drawings--improving how I draw the hair, getting more consistent with my eyes and mouths, and general anatomy on girls. They always come out looking like long haired guys, and that's just sad.
So, I've been busy with classes, but I've liked them all so far. The teachers are great. Each one has their own plusses. In Spanish, the teacher is really nice; in English Comp, the teacher is extremely laid back and patient; in Biology--as much as I hate anything science or math related--I look forward to seeing more of how our Biology teacher is adjusting to America (he's from Sussox, England). His reaction to seeing a tick for the first time was pretty funny.
So, anyway, I hope I can post more often, because I miss posting on this thing! How've you guys been while I was gone?
Also, thanks to those of you who wished me a smooth move, it worked, the move was easy and no horrible problems.
My roommate likes pretty much everything I like. He owns the entire series of Trinity Blood, a series I got into watching but didn't have time to finish, and both he and his girlfriend like to write, so we've sat around talking about our stories and discussing things about each of them.
Not only does he own Trinity Blood, he owns pretty much every Miyazaki (I think that's how you spell it) ever made. He has Howl's Moving Castle, Steamboy, Princess Monoke, Appleseed, and tons more; also, he owns just about every movie made in 2006. So if we're bored, we have plenty of movies to watch.
The third or fourth night there I went to a concert that was taking place on campus. I wasn't really excited about going because I've always assumed that anything the school wants to hire is going to suck. However, what got me to go was that the year before they got Nickelback to come, and if you read PBW's blog, I share her sentiment on Nickelback--(hint: we don't hate 'em.) Anyway, I'm really glad I went. The band is called Midnight to Twelve and they have a myspace page here. If you haven't heard of them, you need to go check them out. They along the same genre as Nickelback, they're so awesome. I screamed myself hoarse, but I had a great time, and I went out after the concert and bought their cd. I say again, if you haven't heard of them and you like alternative music, give these guys a shot. They're worth it. Midnight to Twelve - King of Spain.
Anyway, classes have started and I learned something. My hometown is very undiversified. We have two African-Americans and that's about it. So when I saw that my college offered Japanese, I couldn't figure out where I would use it. It sounds like a cool language, but where would I use it? At my college. There are Japanese people everywhere. Apparently there's a sister school in Japan, so they've come over as foreign exchange students. I wish I'd taken Japanese instead of Spanish, but I still may take it. I'll have to see how my schedule looks next semester/next year.
I've made several friends, and I'm going to the gym 2 or 3 times a week. All in all, it's busy but so much fun. It's not the horrible fiasco I originally imagined it would be. No horrible faux pauxs--although I did get distracted and almost fall off the tread mill in the gym earlier this week. I'll probably change my tune when finals come around, ha ha, but let's just go with that for right now.
The one downside with college so far? No time to write...at all. I really miss it, and I want to write, but everytime I sit down to write, something else is happening and I get pulled away. But when Christmas Break comes around, I'll have quite a bit of time to catch up on my reading/writing, two things I haven't had much chance to do in college. I've been drawing a lot, but that's because I go to class early and start a drawing before the class. I can usually get them done by the teacher walks in the room, but I'm trying to work on refining my drawings--improving how I draw the hair, getting more consistent with my eyes and mouths, and general anatomy on girls. They always come out looking like long haired guys, and that's just sad.
So, I've been busy with classes, but I've liked them all so far. The teachers are great. Each one has their own plusses. In Spanish, the teacher is really nice; in English Comp, the teacher is extremely laid back and patient; in Biology--as much as I hate anything science or math related--I look forward to seeing more of how our Biology teacher is adjusting to America (he's from Sussox, England). His reaction to seeing a tick for the first time was pretty funny.
So, anyway, I hope I can post more often, because I miss posting on this thing! How've you guys been while I was gone?
Also, thanks to those of you who wished me a smooth move, it worked, the move was easy and no horrible problems.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Still in moving process
We're gonna be heading out soon, so I just thought I'd drop you all a line and let you know that I don't know when I'll be able to post again. I'll try to post soon, but it may take a little bit for things to settle down, so if it's a couple of weeks, don't worry, I'll be back.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Moving Madness and a Meme
Whoo, man has it been a week. I've been scrambling around trying to clean the house (especialliy my room which looked like a bomb had been set off in my garbage can) and packing for THE BIG MOVE. It's coming, and I'm terrified. I'll have a room mate, but that doesn't mean that I'll like him or that he'll like me. He could be a royal jackass, or I could have a whole series of horrible misadventures. For a list of things that could go wrong, see this post.
Anyway, so we've been scrambling around like chickens with our heads cut off for the past couple of days and it'll only get worse as we get closer to THE DAY of THE BIG MOVE.
So, because I'm bored and because it looks like fun, I got a meme off of MerylF's blog which I will now do. Instead of doing it about me, I think I'll do it about The Dark Lord Sauron from the Lord of the Rings (before he was turned into a crazy, fiery eye), just because I'm crazy like that.
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yes, it just so happens that I'm named after my Great, great, great grandfather The Dark Lord Marian-Stacy...he wasn't Dark Lord for very long.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
I always get a little teary eyed during Leo's death scene in Titanic. *sniff*
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
My handwriting is horrible. It's hard for your handwriting to improve when you have people to write your letters and death threats for you. The only time I write is during December when I have to send thank you cards to my grandmother.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Hobbit. If you fry them in a pan with some onions and then put them on a couple of slices of sourdough bread, I swear, you can hear angels sing.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Unfortunately, no. It's hard to go out and find a girl when you're busy taking over Middle Earth...and when you do get to go out, the girls are always afraid of my spikey helmet and black armor. You'd think they'd understand that Dark Lords get have feelings, too.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Of course. I don't know anybody better than me.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Noooo! Not me! I'm always straight with what I'm saying.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes. To tell you the truth, I'm a little afraid I might need them out sometime soon. My dad was 562 when he got his tonsils taken out, and I'll be 562 next fall.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Hell no! I'm terrified of heights and amusement park ride supervisers.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Sauron's Cinnamon Swirls. I ordered my best men to create that for me.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No, I wear metal boots.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Well...I don't like to brag, but take out an entire force of men in one swing of my mace.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Oh, Rocky Road is to die for.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their shoes. If they're not Italian or Dwarvish, they're just not worth wearing.
15. RED OR PINK?
Oooh, that's a tuffie. I like red...it's the color of blood and fire, but I think I'll have to go with pink, because it brings out my eyes.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I care too much. I only maimed a family of Hobbits because they were having a birthday party.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My stuffed teddy bear, Mr. Fluffums. I lost him last week and haven't been able to find him.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO LINK THIS BACK TO YOU?
You mean with a chain, Why would I want someone to chain themselves to me by my laptop.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS (Or Kilt) AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black leg armor, black leggings, and spaceship underwear.
20. WHAT WAS The LAST THING YOU ATE?
A salad. I'm trying to watch my figure.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The dying screams of the tortured...and a Yani cd.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Robin's Eggshell Blue. They're so beautiful in the spring!
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Fresh grass, rain, flowers, baking bread, and the rotting remains of my enemies corpses.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My mum. She called to remind me to brush my teeth after my reign of terror.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO LINKED THIS TO YOU?
Again with the linking. Look pal, whips and chains and stuff is okay for some people, I'm just not into it.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Hobbit squashing and golf.
27. HAIR COLOR?
Well...technically I'm bald.
28. EYE COLOR?
Bloodbath red.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Duh, did you think the eye color was natural?
30. FAVORITE FOOD(S)?Hobbit calves, Dwarf tricept, and chocolate moose
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Our orc training video: "Working like an Orc: How not to piss off your boss and die in the first week."
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Black
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer. I like warmer (or even hot) weather.
35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Hugs!
36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Chocolate moose
37. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
"Be a Better Leader, Take Charge of that Army of Doom"
38. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Hello Kitty!
39. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
The Shire, Middle Earth, yes, I'm 1/4 Hobbit. I just had a growth spurt, and then a run-in with a mystical, disfiguring gem.
40. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Gandalfs! He's such a riot. And Bilbo if he has time to do this!!!
Anyway, so we've been scrambling around like chickens with our heads cut off for the past couple of days and it'll only get worse as we get closer to THE DAY of THE BIG MOVE.
So, because I'm bored and because it looks like fun, I got a meme off of MerylF's blog which I will now do. Instead of doing it about me, I think I'll do it about The Dark Lord Sauron from the Lord of the Rings (before he was turned into a crazy, fiery eye), just because I'm crazy like that.
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yes, it just so happens that I'm named after my Great, great, great grandfather The Dark Lord Marian-Stacy...he wasn't Dark Lord for very long.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
I always get a little teary eyed during Leo's death scene in Titanic. *sniff*
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
My handwriting is horrible. It's hard for your handwriting to improve when you have people to write your letters and death threats for you. The only time I write is during December when I have to send thank you cards to my grandmother.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Hobbit. If you fry them in a pan with some onions and then put them on a couple of slices of sourdough bread, I swear, you can hear angels sing.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Unfortunately, no. It's hard to go out and find a girl when you're busy taking over Middle Earth...and when you do get to go out, the girls are always afraid of my spikey helmet and black armor. You'd think they'd understand that Dark Lords get have feelings, too.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Of course. I don't know anybody better than me.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Noooo! Not me! I'm always straight with what I'm saying.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes. To tell you the truth, I'm a little afraid I might need them out sometime soon. My dad was 562 when he got his tonsils taken out, and I'll be 562 next fall.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Hell no! I'm terrified of heights and amusement park ride supervisers.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Sauron's Cinnamon Swirls. I ordered my best men to create that for me.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No, I wear metal boots.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Well...I don't like to brag, but take out an entire force of men in one swing of my mace.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Oh, Rocky Road is to die for.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their shoes. If they're not Italian or Dwarvish, they're just not worth wearing.
15. RED OR PINK?
Oooh, that's a tuffie. I like red...it's the color of blood and fire, but I think I'll have to go with pink, because it brings out my eyes.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I care too much. I only maimed a family of Hobbits because they were having a birthday party.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My stuffed teddy bear, Mr. Fluffums. I lost him last week and haven't been able to find him.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO LINK THIS BACK TO YOU?
You mean with a chain, Why would I want someone to chain themselves to me by my laptop.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS (Or Kilt) AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black leg armor, black leggings, and spaceship underwear.
20. WHAT WAS The LAST THING YOU ATE?
A salad. I'm trying to watch my figure.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The dying screams of the tortured...and a Yani cd.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Robin's Eggshell Blue. They're so beautiful in the spring!
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Fresh grass, rain, flowers, baking bread, and the rotting remains of my enemies corpses.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My mum. She called to remind me to brush my teeth after my reign of terror.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO LINKED THIS TO YOU?
Again with the linking. Look pal, whips and chains and stuff is okay for some people, I'm just not into it.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Hobbit squashing and golf.
27. HAIR COLOR?
Well...technically I'm bald.
28. EYE COLOR?
Bloodbath red.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Duh, did you think the eye color was natural?
30. FAVORITE FOOD(S)?Hobbit calves, Dwarf tricept, and chocolate moose
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Our orc training video: "Working like an Orc: How not to piss off your boss and die in the first week."
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Black
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer. I like warmer (or even hot) weather.
35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Hugs!
36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Chocolate moose
37. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
"Be a Better Leader, Take Charge of that Army of Doom"
38. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Hello Kitty!
39. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
The Shire, Middle Earth, yes, I'm 1/4 Hobbit. I just had a growth spurt, and then a run-in with a mystical, disfiguring gem.
40. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Gandalfs! He's such a riot. And Bilbo if he has time to do this!!!
Friday, August 10, 2007
Explanation about Absense
Yeah, sorry about being gone for so long. It's actually been quite the busy past few days. Just before I posted Fates post 1, my back went out. I couldn't walk for the better part of two days. It wasn't fun, and I still cant' figure out how I did it. Then I went visiting a friend I haven't seen in a couple of months.
After that, we went to the town where I'll be going to college, just so I could drive the route and try to memorize it. On the way up there, though, we saw a car in the middle of the road. It's front was smashed, and a little distance away, a motorcycle was wrapped around a hospital sign. The driver of the car was panicking and the motorcyclist was lying in the ditch. We helped him stop the bleeding from his face and called 911 and stayed with him until the ambulence came. His left leg was broken--apparently she turned right into his leg. He was really really lucky, because he got hit at the end of the driveway to the hospital. Obviously we were late getting to our destination, so we decided to spend the night.
Then, when we got back, I left again to go hang out with another friend I haven't seen in a few months. So, yeah...it's been quite a week.
After that, we went to the town where I'll be going to college, just so I could drive the route and try to memorize it. On the way up there, though, we saw a car in the middle of the road. It's front was smashed, and a little distance away, a motorcycle was wrapped around a hospital sign. The driver of the car was panicking and the motorcyclist was lying in the ditch. We helped him stop the bleeding from his face and called 911 and stayed with him until the ambulence came. His left leg was broken--apparently she turned right into his leg. He was really really lucky, because he got hit at the end of the driveway to the hospital. Obviously we were late getting to our destination, so we decided to spend the night.
Then, when we got back, I left again to go hang out with another friend I haven't seen in a few months. So, yeah...it's been quite a week.
Friday, August 3, 2007
A Night Out With the Fates Pt. 1
A Night Out With the Fates
Part One: The Odd-yssey
As the sun is setting behind Mount Olympus, Clotho looked out across the lake that surrounded most of the base of the mountain and smiled. It was Friday, it was the end of the day, and it was time close up shop. Most of the people don't know that when they're not spinning the fabric of life, they also have a lovely weaving shop where they make a good chunk of money.
"Clo! Will you get in here and help me put up the Fabric?"
Clotho sighed and went inside to help her sister, Lachesis, put up the Fabric. It was a big dusty thing and was quite a handful. It was really important, though. They had to go through a lot of trouble of making sure that the last thread is run through properly and that it won't unravel during the night or over the weekend. That would be a disaster. The gigantic oak cabinet that held the Fabric stood at the other end of the room. And there was Lachesis, trying to carry the Fabric across the room by herself. Stupid girl.
"What are you doing!? You might drop it or make it unravel! Remember what happened last time? Do you remember the Dark Ages?"
Lachesis flipped her blonde hair out of her eyes with a jerk of her head and giggled. "Sorry."
Clotho thought she was gonna puke.
"Do you girls have that put up yet? I wanna get outta here."
It was Atropos, the oldest of the sisters. Clotho got so sick of Atropos "holier than thou" attitude. Just because she was the oldest she got to decide the Fate of time.
"Yeah, yeah, we're going."
The two girls hobbled the rolled up fabric over the cabinet and strained to set it on the shelf. Atropos started sighing and tapping her foot. Clotho thought of ways she could get rid of her sister, some of the ways involved sewing needles and a big back of beads. Simmering in her own dark thoughts, she almost dropped the Fabric.
"Will you be careful!!! I don't wanna come back on Monday and have to redo our work from today!!"
Clotho growled and dropped the Fabric on the shelf, smiling inwardly at the crash it made as it landed.
"Ow!" Lachesis slapped Clotho on the back of the head. "That was my hand!!!"
Clotho slapped Lachesis back. "That was my head!"
Lachesis' hand slammed across Clotho's face, knocking her glasses off her nose. "Don't hit!"
Clotho returned the gesture. "You hit me first!!"
"You dropped the Fabric on me!"
"If you had some upper body strength maybe I wouldn't be lifting it all by myself!"
"Well we can't all be built like Minotaurs now can we? I swear, Aphrodite was right, you're more a guy than Hercules!"
"Oh, you and Aphrodite were talking about me behind my back again, eh? Figures, you two are two birds of a feather."
Atropos flew across the room and slammed the doors of the cabinet shut."Will you both just shut up! Damn, you giving me a headache!" She spun on her heel muttering to herself and stormed out of the white marble room. Clotho and Lachesis followed after, arguing back and forth. They all got in the carriage and sat in silence as they rode down the mountain and into Athens.
"So what are we gonna do tonight?" Lachesis asked.
Atropos sighed and looked out the window. "I dunno, let me think."
I guess being the decider of Fate means you get to plan our weekends, too? Clotho thought as she shot dirty looks at her sister.
After a few more minutes of silence, Atropos sat up in excitement. "We could go to the bar and try to pick up a few guys. There's this guy Jason. He's a sailor, and he's got a whole bunch of men that follow him around...the Aristocrats or something. I'm sure we could score a couple of them."
Lachesis giggled and sighed, dramatically leaning in her seat. "I do love a sailor. Mmm...and they've been without...companionship...for so long."
Atropos smiled and clapped her hands together. "Right, so it's decided."
What will the Fates decisions do to the course of history? Find out in Part Two:
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Make the Itching Stop!
Hey guys, long time no blog, I know. Last week we had to mow the yard. I was weed-eating the ditch (weed-whacker, whatever) and it turns out, all of the poison ivy in the entire state is located in our ditch. So I've been spending the past several days trying to get the itching to stop. It got so bad I had to go to the doctor to get some medicine that'll get rid of it. Calamine lotion doesn't work, anti-itch cream, herbal remedies, I tried everything. It's starting to go away, and I feel much better. It should be gone pretty soon, maybe by Wednesday. Wish me luck.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Finished!
Finished it at 5! It was fantastic, a great ending, and it wrapped everything up very finely. I really liked it. I've been busy the rest of the day. I'll be back to trying to figure the plot out of its sticky mess tomorrow. It's been a great break, though. It's amazing that a series I've grown up with is ending, though. Now what'll I occupy my time with?
Saturday, July 21, 2007
In Hiding!
What's this? Another Thursday's Doodle? No! It's my "Special Edition Celebration of the Release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Doodle!" And then, I'll be in hiding, because I'm super paranoid about getting spoilers before I finish the book. So, I'll be absent until I finish the book. I can't wait to get it and I hope you guys enjoy it, too. This is pretty big for me. I've grown up with this series, so its ending is monumental. I can't imagine what J. K. Rowling is going through, she's spent more time with the cast than I have.
Happy reading everyone!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Free Books! REALLY?!
But not from me. Nope, they're from good buddy S. William Shaw. He's having an awesome give away to promote his novels The Santa Mysteries and Sherman Oak and the Magic Potato. He's giving away free e-book copies of his book to anyone who e-mails him, and! (as if that wasn't enough!) he's giving away ten free paperback copies of one of his books away too. All you have to do to get the free e-book is e-mail him with the subject "free book" or to win the paperback copy, mention the contest on your blog/website, and send an e-mail with "book contest" as the subject and a link to your post. Then he'll draw the names. What are you waitng for??!! Send those e-mails!!!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Exhausted Thursday's Doodles
Okay, so let me fill you in on where I've been. I had a friend come over Tuesday, and I was very excited about that. It won't be long and I'll move away and leave my best friend behind. It's sad when I think about it. Anyway, then after he left yesterday, we had a very rough day. We had family problems that escalated into some very bad stuff. I won't go into details, but my family was called in as a peace keeper. I worked on my storyline, although I hit a snag I'm trying to work around. So between company, peace keeping, and trying to work around my story problems, I had very little time to doodle. I have a couple of drawings, but didn't have time to scan them, so I'm posting a picture that I sketched that's on the main site. I really like this picture. It's Garra from the anime Naruto. He's my favorite character on the show. Anyway, enjoy! Here's hoping things clear up.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Writing Update
I'm still plodding along. I finally got inspired last night, and typed like a mad banshee for several hours. I didn't go to bed until about 2:30 in the morning. I was exhausted, and I wasn't finished with the plotting yet, but I felt like I understood the characters a whole lot more. I gotta give some nice ladies some credit though. The method of plotting I'm trying I've really never heard of before. It's kinda a mash up of what I learned from Rosina Lippi's workshop and Lynn Viehl's workshop. If I finish this thing this time I'll owe them big.
I just finished reading Diplomacy of Wolves, which was fantastic, by the way. I really like the way Holly Lisle designs her worlds. There always so rich and distinct and original. Everytime I read her I get big green goosebumps of envy. I've started on Vengeance of Dragons and I'm enjoying it immensley too. Of course, if I don't finish it before the seventh Harry Potter book comes out, I'll lock myself in my room like I did when book 6 came out and go on a marathon reading spree until it's finished. Ever since I saw a video on the internet where a guy ran down the street shouting the end of Harry Potter 6 while people were still reading it, I've been extremely paranoid. If anyone did that to me, I'd make sure that no one ever found their remains, mwahahahaha!
Anyway, that's all the updates I have for now. Not much going on in my point on the world right now.
I just finished reading Diplomacy of Wolves, which was fantastic, by the way. I really like the way Holly Lisle designs her worlds. There always so rich and distinct and original. Everytime I read her I get big green goosebumps of envy. I've started on Vengeance of Dragons and I'm enjoying it immensley too. Of course, if I don't finish it before the seventh Harry Potter book comes out, I'll lock myself in my room like I did when book 6 came out and go on a marathon reading spree until it's finished. Ever since I saw a video on the internet where a guy ran down the street shouting the end of Harry Potter 6 while people were still reading it, I've been extremely paranoid. If anyone did that to me, I'd make sure that no one ever found their remains, mwahahahaha!
Anyway, that's all the updates I have for now. Not much going on in my point on the world right now.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Photoshoot
As you all probably remember, I recently suffered the loss of one of my dear friends, my laptop. I think you all remember the story, where I faced terrible odds and went face to face with the deadly gorgon...I mean Vista...in order to subdue the beast and save my family from its evil. Well, I lost, and finally, a few days ago, I got my new laptop. What better excuse to pull out the digital camera and have a photoshoot? It's perfectly normal for a man to want to photograph his new computer...shut up...
Ooh la la. Say there, do you come here often? You know, I'm a photographer, right? Ooh, come on, just strike a pose.
Ooh la la. Say there, do you come here often? You know, I'm a photographer, right? Ooh, come on, just strike a pose.
Oh that's just perfect. Yeah. Now lets see you lift up that top.
Bow chicka wow wow! Turn to the side.
Oh, that's sexy.
Okay, I'm all done now. I think I'll go seek some mental help and then get back to my writing.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Sweet Revenge
A little news first: I finally got to quit my job!! I'm so happy! Now I'm free to do what I want for a few more months. In celebration from being out of the job from hell and graduating a few months ago/getting away from the teacher from hell, I'd like to bring to you, this post! Oh, and Happy Friday the 13th!
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for America's favorite gameshow!
Crowd: Blast that Bastard!!! Whooo!
Announcer: And now, the host of your show, it's Preppy McTooeager!
Preppy: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, we have a great show for you tonight. All the way from Nowheresville, USA, it's Jason Rayburn. Jason, say hello to the crowd.
Jason [sheepishly]: Hello.
Preppy: Alright, do you know the rules of the game?
Jason: I'm supposed--
Preppy: Whoah there buddy, let's explain it for the folks at home, shall we?
Jason: But if this is "America's Favorite Gameshow", then--
Preppy: Alright! The rules of the game are, you have to guess the identity of each bastard that we bring out from behind video screen. For every one you get right, you get 200 points! Whether you get it right or not, those bastards will be brought out and sat on stools while you get to stand a minutes torture from each of them. If you can survive a full minute, for each minute you survive, you get 300 points.
Jason: Wait, what?! Tort--!
Preppy: After that round, the points will be tallied up and if you win enough points, what does he get Johnny?
Announcer: He gets to blast one of those bastards right outta here!
Preppy: But you can only pick just one.
Jason: No way! I get tortured by all three and I can only hurt one.
Preppy: This game teaches that revenge is a family event, and that lifes not fair. [rubs Jason's head] Alright, it's time to play...
Audience: BLAST THAT BASTARD!
Preppy: And now it's time for round one. Can you guess who this person is?
[A silouhette of a short fat lady with frizzy out of control hair is brought into the video screen]
Jason: That's my old boss--
Preppy: Hey! [rushes over to Jason's chair and begins patting on the face...well more like slapping him] [whispers] Shut up and let them talk. The studio is kind enough to sponsor this show even though we're flopping. Shu'up and play the game right! [to the screen] Hey! Bastard Number One! Go!
Bastard 1: HELLO!? IS THIS THING ON?? IT BETTER BE! I HAD TO LEAVE MY JOB WHERE I MAKE FOUR TIMES AS MUCH AS EVERYBODY ELSE TO COME DOWN HERE! I DON'T MAKE A LOT OF MONEY, SO THIS BETTER WORK! LOOK AT THIS PLACE IT'S A WRECK! DUSTY, COBWEBS! IT'S WONDER YOU GUYS AREN'T SHUT DOWN!
Preppy: Alright, let's here our player's guesses.
Bastard 1: ...WHAT IF THAT WERE TO FALL ON MY HEAD! GET OVER HERE AND PICK THIS UP! I MIGHT SLIP AND FALL!
Preppy: [into his sleeve, quietly] Johnny cut her mike!
[Bastard 1's mouth continues to move as she shouts, but no sound comes out]
Preppy: Do you have any guesses?
Jason: Like I tried to tell you before, that's my old boss Sheila O'Shreekerton. Say, she's a girl, so technically wouldn't she be a--
Preppy: Alright, let's bring out our next bastard!
(40 minutes later)
Preppy: Alright, we're back, and were just about to enter the final round! Jason got some bonus points when his old gym teacher tore through our video screen and began pounding Jason to a pulp. You okay, Jason?!
[Jason wearily raises his hand. He's holding a bloody rag to his nose with his other hand and a bag of ice is propped on his head carefully.]
Preppy: That's great!
Coach Sassy Quatcha (Phys. Ed. Coach): I always hated that little pansy. He never like wrestling or anything like that. Always writing stories in his little notebook.
Mrs. Crani K. Britche (Art Teacher): And he was never reading like he was supposed to. He always spent all his time doodling in his notebooks and writing those stupid stories than reading like he was told to. Maybe if he'd been any good at drawing instead of drawing those ugly little creatures...what do you call 'em? Amine? Animeat? Anyway, everyone knows those aren't real art.
Preppy: Okay, guys, that rounds over, remember?
Jason: I'm getting dizzy. I think I need to go to the hospital.
Preppy: Nonsense! You're a trooper!
Jason: I think I'm dying...
Preppy: And now it's time for the final round! Judges, what's his score!
Announcer: It's 2600 points!
Preppy: Aww, I'm sorry. That's too bad. Looks like you didn't earn enough to blast one of 'em! Until next time folks!
Jason: Wait, what? No way, I'm getting my turn!
[Jason rushes forward, laughing maniacally and grabs one of the laser cannons from the shelf]
[crackle! crack! sputter! flip-flip-flip...]
WE'RE SORRY. THE SHOW YOU ARE WATCHING IS EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. PLEASE STAY TUNED TO CHANNEL 8--"AMERICA'S NEXT TOP RADIOACTIVE MONSTER" IS NEXT.
_____________________________________
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for America's favorite gameshow!
Crowd: Blast that Bastard!!! Whooo!
Announcer: And now, the host of your show, it's Preppy McTooeager!
Preppy: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, we have a great show for you tonight. All the way from Nowheresville, USA, it's Jason Rayburn. Jason, say hello to the crowd.
Jason [sheepishly]: Hello.
Preppy: Alright, do you know the rules of the game?
Jason: I'm supposed--
Preppy: Whoah there buddy, let's explain it for the folks at home, shall we?
Jason: But if this is "America's Favorite Gameshow", then--
Preppy: Alright! The rules of the game are, you have to guess the identity of each bastard that we bring out from behind video screen. For every one you get right, you get 200 points! Whether you get it right or not, those bastards will be brought out and sat on stools while you get to stand a minutes torture from each of them. If you can survive a full minute, for each minute you survive, you get 300 points.
Jason: Wait, what?! Tort--!
Preppy: After that round, the points will be tallied up and if you win enough points, what does he get Johnny?
Announcer: He gets to blast one of those bastards right outta here!
Preppy: But you can only pick just one.
Jason: No way! I get tortured by all three and I can only hurt one.
Preppy: This game teaches that revenge is a family event, and that lifes not fair. [rubs Jason's head] Alright, it's time to play...
Audience: BLAST THAT BASTARD!
Preppy: And now it's time for round one. Can you guess who this person is?
[A silouhette of a short fat lady with frizzy out of control hair is brought into the video screen]
Jason: That's my old boss--
Preppy: Hey! [rushes over to Jason's chair and begins patting on the face...well more like slapping him] [whispers] Shut up and let them talk. The studio is kind enough to sponsor this show even though we're flopping. Shu'up and play the game right! [to the screen] Hey! Bastard Number One! Go!
Bastard 1: HELLO!? IS THIS THING ON?? IT BETTER BE! I HAD TO LEAVE MY JOB WHERE I MAKE FOUR TIMES AS MUCH AS EVERYBODY ELSE TO COME DOWN HERE! I DON'T MAKE A LOT OF MONEY, SO THIS BETTER WORK! LOOK AT THIS PLACE IT'S A WRECK! DUSTY, COBWEBS! IT'S WONDER YOU GUYS AREN'T SHUT DOWN!
Preppy: Alright, let's here our player's guesses.
Bastard 1: ...WHAT IF THAT WERE TO FALL ON MY HEAD! GET OVER HERE AND PICK THIS UP! I MIGHT SLIP AND FALL!
Preppy: [into his sleeve, quietly] Johnny cut her mike!
[Bastard 1's mouth continues to move as she shouts, but no sound comes out]
Preppy: Do you have any guesses?
Jason: Like I tried to tell you before, that's my old boss Sheila O'Shreekerton. Say, she's a girl, so technically wouldn't she be a--
Preppy: Alright, let's bring out our next bastard!
(40 minutes later)
Preppy: Alright, we're back, and were just about to enter the final round! Jason got some bonus points when his old gym teacher tore through our video screen and began pounding Jason to a pulp. You okay, Jason?!
[Jason wearily raises his hand. He's holding a bloody rag to his nose with his other hand and a bag of ice is propped on his head carefully.]
Preppy: That's great!
Coach Sassy Quatcha (Phys. Ed. Coach): I always hated that little pansy. He never like wrestling or anything like that. Always writing stories in his little notebook.
Mrs. Crani K. Britche (Art Teacher): And he was never reading like he was supposed to. He always spent all his time doodling in his notebooks and writing those stupid stories than reading like he was told to. Maybe if he'd been any good at drawing instead of drawing those ugly little creatures...what do you call 'em? Amine? Animeat? Anyway, everyone knows those aren't real art.
Preppy: Okay, guys, that rounds over, remember?
Jason: I'm getting dizzy. I think I need to go to the hospital.
Preppy: Nonsense! You're a trooper!
Jason: I think I'm dying...
Preppy: And now it's time for the final round! Judges, what's his score!
Announcer: It's 2600 points!
Preppy: Aww, I'm sorry. That's too bad. Looks like you didn't earn enough to blast one of 'em! Until next time folks!
Jason: Wait, what? No way, I'm getting my turn!
[Jason rushes forward, laughing maniacally and grabs one of the laser cannons from the shelf]
[crackle! crack! sputter! flip-flip-flip...]
WE'RE SORRY. THE SHOW YOU ARE WATCHING IS EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. PLEASE STAY TUNED TO CHANNEL 8--"AMERICA'S NEXT TOP RADIOACTIVE MONSTER" IS NEXT.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Thursday's Doodles!
And because I'm an anime junkie, here's my doodle for the week (more of the post below):
For those of you who don't know, or can't tell from my drawing, this is Goku from Dragon Ball Z. I spent the night at a friends house the other night and drew this in the down time.
You might notice that my blog has been a little quiet. I can blame that on a few things. 1) I'm about to go to college and I'm getting stuff ready to go, 2) I'm spending a lot of time with my friends because I know that I'll be leaving soon, 3) PBW and Rosina Lippi are having awesome workshops this week and I've been participating, and 4) see below post.
For those of you who don't know, or can't tell from my drawing, this is Goku from Dragon Ball Z. I spent the night at a friends house the other night and drew this in the down time.
You might notice that my blog has been a little quiet. I can blame that on a few things. 1) I'm about to go to college and I'm getting stuff ready to go, 2) I'm spending a lot of time with my friends because I know that I'll be leaving soon, 3) PBW and Rosina Lippi are having awesome workshops this week and I've been participating, and 4) see below post.
Monday, July 9, 2007
The Three D's: Doubt, Depression, and Disgust**
Okay, I'm going through something right now. I may just be blowing this out of proportion, but I'll just rant here. Maybe I'll feel better.
Today I tried to re-plot my novel. You remember Jivtor, and all the trouble I had with that story, right? Well, I'm still having trouble. Maybe I should just kill the story, I dunno, or leave it and come back to it. Let me explain, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Lately, I haven't really been in the mood to write. Everytime I look at the page, I get up and do something else. I try to run through things to get my novel going. I always have a pretty good start, but not long after that, I just fizzle out. I don't know what to put in the middle. All my plots always fizzle out by then. I've tried a thousand different ideas, and I just don't know what to do. It's not just this story either, I'm just learning it on this one sooner than the others.
On all my other stories that I've ever started, I fizzle out about 30-40 pages in. It never fails. I never know what's going to happen to make the story progress. I've got a whole folder full of ideas that I just can't bring myself to throw away because they've got promise, I just don't know where they're going. The difference between those stories, and my current two isn't much. On the current two that I'm writing, I've tried plotting out what happens instead of just writing by the seat of my pants. Apparently, my butt can't write. So anyway, most of the advice I've ever heard says, "If you're fizzling out in the middle, then you should try plotting it out. It's not like it's set in stone, and you can always change something, but it gives you an idea of where to go." The problem? I can't think of anything to put in the middle, even when I'm plotting it out.
At first I thought this problem might be the genre I write in. Maybe fantasy, as much as I love it, just isn't my thing. Maybe I should write something else. But it doesn't matter what genre I write in, the problem is the same. I can never think of what should happen to the person. Maybe I just don't have a theme that's defined enough? Maybe I don't have my story developed enough? Maybe I should just pack up all my writings, all my papers and research and books on writing, and my computer, dig a big hole in the backyard, dump my stuff in there, cover it in gasoline and watch it burn while dancing naked around the blaze chanting Native American war chants...*sigh*.
And it's not just that anymore. Now I'm terrified that if I try to drop these stories, like I did all the others, maybe I'll run out of ideas. So the situation is: I can't work on the stories I have because I hate all the ideas that I come up with--they're too weak, there's not enough of them, they're not interesting, they're just filler scenes, etc; I'm afraid that if I leave these that I'll never end my streak of starting novels and never finishing them; I'm afraid that I just don't have what it takes to be a writer; I'm afraid that I'll eventually just run out of ideas because I can never finish one and I'll use them all up.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Is it normal for writers to go through this sort of thing? Is it normal for them to question giving it up and working as a door-to-door vacuum salesman? Is it normal for a writer to hate every idea they come up with? Is it normal for writers to eventually just think that every idea they have is trash?
*sigh* I'm going to bed.
** -- 2/3/2008 -- I fixed the title. I'm glad that someone searched my archives to find a spelling mistake from almost 7 months ago.
Today I tried to re-plot my novel. You remember Jivtor, and all the trouble I had with that story, right? Well, I'm still having trouble. Maybe I should just kill the story, I dunno, or leave it and come back to it. Let me explain, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Lately, I haven't really been in the mood to write. Everytime I look at the page, I get up and do something else. I try to run through things to get my novel going. I always have a pretty good start, but not long after that, I just fizzle out. I don't know what to put in the middle. All my plots always fizzle out by then. I've tried a thousand different ideas, and I just don't know what to do. It's not just this story either, I'm just learning it on this one sooner than the others.
On all my other stories that I've ever started, I fizzle out about 30-40 pages in. It never fails. I never know what's going to happen to make the story progress. I've got a whole folder full of ideas that I just can't bring myself to throw away because they've got promise, I just don't know where they're going. The difference between those stories, and my current two isn't much. On the current two that I'm writing, I've tried plotting out what happens instead of just writing by the seat of my pants. Apparently, my butt can't write. So anyway, most of the advice I've ever heard says, "If you're fizzling out in the middle, then you should try plotting it out. It's not like it's set in stone, and you can always change something, but it gives you an idea of where to go." The problem? I can't think of anything to put in the middle, even when I'm plotting it out.
At first I thought this problem might be the genre I write in. Maybe fantasy, as much as I love it, just isn't my thing. Maybe I should write something else. But it doesn't matter what genre I write in, the problem is the same. I can never think of what should happen to the person. Maybe I just don't have a theme that's defined enough? Maybe I don't have my story developed enough? Maybe I should just pack up all my writings, all my papers and research and books on writing, and my computer, dig a big hole in the backyard, dump my stuff in there, cover it in gasoline and watch it burn while dancing naked around the blaze chanting Native American war chants...*sigh*.
And it's not just that anymore. Now I'm terrified that if I try to drop these stories, like I did all the others, maybe I'll run out of ideas. So the situation is: I can't work on the stories I have because I hate all the ideas that I come up with--they're too weak, there's not enough of them, they're not interesting, they're just filler scenes, etc; I'm afraid that if I leave these that I'll never end my streak of starting novels and never finishing them; I'm afraid that I just don't have what it takes to be a writer; I'm afraid that I'll eventually just run out of ideas because I can never finish one and I'll use them all up.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Is it normal for writers to go through this sort of thing? Is it normal for them to question giving it up and working as a door-to-door vacuum salesman? Is it normal for a writer to hate every idea they come up with? Is it normal for writers to eventually just think that every idea they have is trash?
*sigh* I'm going to bed.
** -- 2/3/2008 -- I fixed the title. I'm glad that someone searched my archives to find a spelling mistake from almost 7 months ago.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
The Plunge
Well, I'm taking the plunge and putting some real writing online. It's kinda nerve wracking. I know it's not my best, I already established that, but the thought that a whole bunch of strangers from all over the world could be looking at and judging me because of what I write is a little jitter-inducing. I can't imagine how I'd feel about a book being published. Even still, I'm glad I'm doing this. As Jaye Patrick said, "We learn by doing."
A while back a wrote a detective-type story that I thought about sending to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, or Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. This is making me think about taking that thing back out and seeing if it's worth sending off, and if it's not, maybe I should try writing another to send off.
Anyway, enough rambling, I'm just stalling because I'm nervous. Here's Battle of the Wastelands. I'll be posting it as a link on my sidebar so anyone who wants to can read it, download it, etc. It's free, and free is my favorite flavor, I'm sure it's other people's too.
(Small update: I've also changed my template because I like this one a lot better. I wasn't very fond of the light blue.)
A while back a wrote a detective-type story that I thought about sending to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, or Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. This is making me think about taking that thing back out and seeing if it's worth sending off, and if it's not, maybe I should try writing another to send off.
Anyway, enough rambling, I'm just stalling because I'm nervous. Here's Battle of the Wastelands. I'll be posting it as a link on my sidebar so anyone who wants to can read it, download it, etc. It's free, and free is my favorite flavor, I'm sure it's other people's too.
(Small update: I've also changed my template because I like this one a lot better. I wasn't very fond of the light blue.)
Saturday, July 7, 2007
So I Was Wondering...
Hey everyone. You might notice a new addition to the side over there. That's right, I'm the winner of the Rockin' Girl Boy Blogger award. I was awarded by MerylF and I'm proudly displaying the badge at the top of my site to show I'm a good Girl Boy Blogger.
I'm supposed to pick 5 girls to award this to. Hmm...do I know 5 girls who haven't gotten the award yet?
I'll award this to: Pam, Jaye, Aurelen, Anne, and Misswriter. There, five! Wow, I didn't think I could find anybody.
Pass it on to five more rockin' girls that you know.
On a different note, I was wondering something. I have a short story on my hard drive that takes place in Jerucia, and I was wondering if you guys wanted to read it. See, I've been wanting to put a free e-book on this site for a while so that a little sample of my writing could be out there for people to see. The problem is, I wrote it a long time ago, and it might be kinda rough in spots. I tried to clean it up the best I could, but there might still be some errors. Despite all that, I've always like this short story, and if you guys want to read it, I'd be more than happy to put it on here.
So whaddya say? Yay or nay? (Haha, quite the set of rhymes there, eh?) Post in the comments to let me know.
I'm supposed to pick 5 girls to award this to. Hmm...do I know 5 girls who haven't gotten the award yet?
I'll award this to: Pam, Jaye, Aurelen, Anne, and Misswriter. There, five! Wow, I didn't think I could find anybody.
Pass it on to five more rockin' girls that you know.
On a different note, I was wondering something. I have a short story on my hard drive that takes place in Jerucia, and I was wondering if you guys wanted to read it. See, I've been wanting to put a free e-book on this site for a while so that a little sample of my writing could be out there for people to see. The problem is, I wrote it a long time ago, and it might be kinda rough in spots. I tried to clean it up the best I could, but there might still be some errors. Despite all that, I've always like this short story, and if you guys want to read it, I'd be more than happy to put it on here.
So whaddya say? Yay or nay? (Haha, quite the set of rhymes there, eh?) Post in the comments to let me know.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Thursday's Doodles...a day late...
Yep, the reason I didn't have a doodle yesterday is because we went to go see Transformers. I can sum the movie up in one word: awesome. It was one of the best movies I'd seen all year. The Autobots and Decepitcons were amazing, as a matter of fact, all the effects were amazing. The story was awesome, and Shia LaBeouf gave an awesome performance. He's really come up since I was little and used to watch him on Even Stevens. The movie was great, and if you haven't seen it, you really should.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Tagged!--Eight Random Things
I've been tagged for the eight random things meme by MerylF over at Characterisensation. I've done this meme before, but it's fun, so I'm glad to do it again! So here's the rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each participant posts eight random facts about themselves.
3. Tagees should write a blogpost of eight random facts about themselves.
4. At the end of the post, eight more bloggers are tagged (named and shamed).
5. Go to their blog, leave a comment telling them they’re tagged (cut and run).
Now...eight random things...what can I tell...?
1. I didn't always want to be a writer. I've told people that because it's true in part, but writing has been an on again, off again idea since I was in Kindergarten. Other careers I wanted to pursue: movie actor, archeologist, cartoonist, rock band lead singer, and a photographer.
2. The first thing that inspired me to be a writer was the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine. It was what got me into scary stories, and a good chunk of my story starts were supposed to be scary stories. In fact, one of my most prized possessions is an autographed book by R.L. Stine. Funnily enough, what I considered to be my first complete story, I also considered it a scary story. I later realized I had written a fantasy long before I knew what it was and long before I actually liked fantasy. See the other eight random things for my history with fantasy.
3. I like to draw. I draw little doodles and cartoons all the time...mostly during class, ha ha. I get bored pretty easily, and drawing those doodles helps me stay awake. I listen and draw at the same time, so I can absorb the info, but I'm actively doing something so I don't fall asleep. Note taking isn't the same.
4. I'm very anal about my books. If I let my friends borrow any of my books, I lecture them about how they should try not to crease the spine, try not to open it too much, try not to bend the pages--not rabbit ears!--and so forth. I nearly destoryed my copy of Dreamcatcher by Stephen King when I was in middle school, and I haven't treated a book like that since then. I want to keep them as new as possible.
5. I love dogs. I have three right now, and when I move out on my own after college I'll probably have more. I have a half dachsund (I have no idea if I spelled that right...) half scottish terrier dog named Socks, I have a full blooded dachsund named Jimi Hendrix, and I have a half miniature doberman pincher, half teacup chihuahua named Ebony.
6. Another random book fact about me: I have to have my series all in one form. If one book is paperback, they all have to be paperback. If one book if hardcover, they all have to be hardcover. My Maximum Ride series is in paperback, so I'll probably wait to buy the third until it's in paperback, my Chronicles of Narnia series is all paperback. My Dark Tower series and my Harry Potter series is mostly hardcover, but a few are paperback, so I plan to buy the offending books in hardcover to fix it.
7. I'm extremely clumsy. Just a few minutes ago, I tried to leave the bathroom, kicked the door as I opened it, fell forward, and shut myself half in and half out of the bathroom with the force of my kick. Then I had to find something to grip so I could regain my balance enough to open the door and pull myself out from between the door and the door frame.
8. My body spray of preference: Old Spice. The smell really has nothing to do with it. In fact, I really can't tell many of the body sprays apart--most of them smell too similar for me to tell. The reason I buy Old Spice is because of the commercials. I'm a huge fan of the Evil Dead movies--stupid as they may be I love to watch them and laugh at them--and since Bruce Campbell, the star of the Evil Dead series is in the Old Spice commericals, it is immediately my new favorite spray.
Okay, reading this, I realize how boring of a person I am. Next time I get tagged I'll probably only be able to come up with three things. Anyway, I don't really know enough people to tag so...TAG! If you read this, you're tagged. Do it if you haven't yet, and make sure to link to it in the comments so we can check it out.
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each participant posts eight random facts about themselves.
3. Tagees should write a blogpost of eight random facts about themselves.
4. At the end of the post, eight more bloggers are tagged (named and shamed).
5. Go to their blog, leave a comment telling them they’re tagged (cut and run).
Now...eight random things...what can I tell...?
1. I didn't always want to be a writer. I've told people that because it's true in part, but writing has been an on again, off again idea since I was in Kindergarten. Other careers I wanted to pursue: movie actor, archeologist, cartoonist, rock band lead singer, and a photographer.
2. The first thing that inspired me to be a writer was the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine. It was what got me into scary stories, and a good chunk of my story starts were supposed to be scary stories. In fact, one of my most prized possessions is an autographed book by R.L. Stine. Funnily enough, what I considered to be my first complete story, I also considered it a scary story. I later realized I had written a fantasy long before I knew what it was and long before I actually liked fantasy. See the other eight random things for my history with fantasy.
3. I like to draw. I draw little doodles and cartoons all the time...mostly during class, ha ha. I get bored pretty easily, and drawing those doodles helps me stay awake. I listen and draw at the same time, so I can absorb the info, but I'm actively doing something so I don't fall asleep. Note taking isn't the same.
4. I'm very anal about my books. If I let my friends borrow any of my books, I lecture them about how they should try not to crease the spine, try not to open it too much, try not to bend the pages--not rabbit ears!--and so forth. I nearly destoryed my copy of Dreamcatcher by Stephen King when I was in middle school, and I haven't treated a book like that since then. I want to keep them as new as possible.
5. I love dogs. I have three right now, and when I move out on my own after college I'll probably have more. I have a half dachsund (I have no idea if I spelled that right...) half scottish terrier dog named Socks, I have a full blooded dachsund named Jimi Hendrix, and I have a half miniature doberman pincher, half teacup chihuahua named Ebony.
6. Another random book fact about me: I have to have my series all in one form. If one book is paperback, they all have to be paperback. If one book if hardcover, they all have to be hardcover. My Maximum Ride series is in paperback, so I'll probably wait to buy the third until it's in paperback, my Chronicles of Narnia series is all paperback. My Dark Tower series and my Harry Potter series is mostly hardcover, but a few are paperback, so I plan to buy the offending books in hardcover to fix it.
7. I'm extremely clumsy. Just a few minutes ago, I tried to leave the bathroom, kicked the door as I opened it, fell forward, and shut myself half in and half out of the bathroom with the force of my kick. Then I had to find something to grip so I could regain my balance enough to open the door and pull myself out from between the door and the door frame.
8. My body spray of preference: Old Spice. The smell really has nothing to do with it. In fact, I really can't tell many of the body sprays apart--most of them smell too similar for me to tell. The reason I buy Old Spice is because of the commercials. I'm a huge fan of the Evil Dead movies--stupid as they may be I love to watch them and laugh at them--and since Bruce Campbell, the star of the Evil Dead series is in the Old Spice commericals, it is immediately my new favorite spray.
Okay, reading this, I realize how boring of a person I am. Next time I get tagged I'll probably only be able to come up with three things. Anyway, I don't really know enough people to tag so...TAG! If you read this, you're tagged. Do it if you haven't yet, and make sure to link to it in the comments so we can check it out.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Introducing "Thursday's Doodles!"
First, a little news. I finally completed my class. My last day was Monday, and I'm lucky enough to have passed with an 86%!! As some of you may remember, I mentioned my guidance counselor really screwed me over academic wise. I suppose it could have been worse, but it was far from good. I started that class a week late with the teacher telling me she didn't think I could do it. "I advise strongly against it. You've missed a week of classes. In a summer course, that's like missing a month, there's no way you can catch back up." But I did, and now I'm free. Free!!! I can write again! But not today. Today I'm gonna hang out with my friends who I haven't seen in more than a month and won't see for a long time when I move in August.
Anyway, enough school stuff. I know why you all came here. You wanna see my new weekly thing I'm starting. May I introduce "Thursday's Doodles"! It's going to be where I post a drawing every Thursday (betcha couldn't figure that out). I hope you enjoy them. I'm not guaranteeing quality stuff, here. If you want proven quality drawings and great humor, you can visit here, or here, or here, or here. But I hope I can at least entertain you. So here you go, my first Thursday Doodle:
Anyway, enough school stuff. I know why you all came here. You wanna see my new weekly thing I'm starting. May I introduce "Thursday's Doodles"! It's going to be where I post a drawing every Thursday (betcha couldn't figure that out). I hope you enjoy them. I'm not guaranteeing quality stuff, here. If you want proven quality drawings and great humor, you can visit here, or here, or here, or here. But I hope I can at least entertain you. So here you go, my first Thursday Doodle:
Monday, June 25, 2007
Tied to the Tracks
I was over at Rantings and Ravings of an Insane Writer when I found a link to this: Rosina Lippi is spreading the word about her new release, Tied to the Tracks. The meme looks absolutely fun, and even though there's a prize, I didn't know it when I found the meme. I'd have done it anyway, just because it's fun.
Five Reasons the Best Writers Come From Hogwarts
Tied to the Tracks by Rosina Lippi. July 3, 2007. ISBN: 0425215326
"[This] is a hilarious, smart, sexy novel with a heart of gold." -- Susan Wiggs
"[Lippi] turns her buoyant creative talents to the romantic comedy genre with an effervescent tale of a trio of offbeat Yankee filmmakers plunked down deep in the heart of Dixie." -- Booklist
Read an excerpt. (Adobe Reader required) Watch the book trailer
You can find Tied to the Tracks at Amazon , Barnes & Nobel, Borders, Powells, or at your local independent bookseller.
This meme has been entered in the Tied to the Tracks contest, originating on Rosina Lippi's Storytelling2 weblog. If you'd like to enter the BUCKS & BOOKS meme contest, get the rules here.
Five Reasons the Best Writers Come From Hogwarts
- With all the ghosts you always have reliable research.
- It's the deadliest safest place in England
- The constantly changing staircases would make visitors finding your writing room rare.
- Bogarts are perfect for getting scary ideas.
- If your muse is in a particularly bad mood, you can always find what you need at the Room of Requirement.
Remember to check out Rosina Lippi's new release. And the meme is just plain fun!
Tied to the Tracks by Rosina Lippi. July 3, 2007. ISBN: 0425215326
"[This] is a hilarious, smart, sexy novel with a heart of gold." -- Susan Wiggs
"[Lippi] turns her buoyant creative talents to the romantic comedy genre with an effervescent tale of a trio of offbeat Yankee filmmakers plunked down deep in the heart of Dixie." -- Booklist
Read an excerpt. (Adobe Reader required) Watch the book trailer
You can find Tied to the Tracks at Amazon , Barnes & Nobel, Borders, Powells, or at your local independent bookseller.
This meme has been entered in the Tied to the Tracks contest, originating on Rosina Lippi's Storytelling2 weblog. If you'd like to enter the BUCKS & BOOKS meme contest, get the rules here.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Home Stretch
Today was my weekly test and project in college algebra. I think I did okay, but I won't hold my breath just in case. I'm holding a pretty high C at the moment, so if I can just pass today's test, make a decent grade on my project, and pass my final I'll be in good shape.
Today is Friday, which means the Friday Snippet is being hosted on a lot of sites. I'd have participated, except I haven't been writing for several weeks, I've been doing homework. I'll have to get back into the habit, but first I gotta get this final out of the way.
Some bad news: my laptop took a dive. Apparently Windows Vista didn't agree with most of the programs on it--and they were default programs that came with the laptop. The webcam was the first to go. It only lasted a couple of days after I got it. I just shrugged it off. I mean, I've never had a webcam before, why would I need one now? Except then more programs started to fail. Windows would bring up error messages saying "An error has occured. Searching for solution." Then another would pop up and say "No solution can be found. We'll notify you when one is available." Thanks, that means so much. Except then core programs started to fail. Adobe Reader failed. Then one of the core programs in Vista--Superfetch--failed, which kicked me off the internet. Then Internet Explorer failed.
I turned the laptop over to my mom to try to fix it. She ran a check and the computer had 19 programs that Vista had blocked/had errors and had failed. She tried to configure the webcam software. The window read "configuring..." and then another window popped up that said, "Uninstall complete" and my webcam software was gone forever. Then she tried to restore it back to the day we got it. It said an error occured in the restoration process, no settings had been changed. In the hour my mom worked on it, the computer got worse. My mom tried to view the Control Panel and it closed by itself and Vista told us that an error had occured so the window had to be closed.
When mom looked back at the errors to see how many there were, it had jumped from 19 to 32*. It was like a virus, but it was Vista! We sent the computer back, got a refund and now I have a Dell laptop with XP coming in the mail. It should arrive soon, and I can forget the nightmare that was Vista, but...*shudders*...it'll be hard.
That right there is one of the reasons I seriously want a Mac. I'll get one someday, but right now I don't have near enough money. Someday. Maybe after college. But for now, I'm excited to get my Dell, and get a laptop that actually works.
So...how's you week been?
Added: Also, I'm thinking about having a weekly thing I'm gonna put on here, probably on Saturdays or Sundays because those days are hard for me to blog on. I'll be posting drawings. I don't know if I'll do it, but it's in the works. I'll let you know.
*--fixed. It didn't jump to 23, it jumped to 32.
Today is Friday, which means the Friday Snippet is being hosted on a lot of sites. I'd have participated, except I haven't been writing for several weeks, I've been doing homework. I'll have to get back into the habit, but first I gotta get this final out of the way.
Some bad news: my laptop took a dive. Apparently Windows Vista didn't agree with most of the programs on it--and they were default programs that came with the laptop. The webcam was the first to go. It only lasted a couple of days after I got it. I just shrugged it off. I mean, I've never had a webcam before, why would I need one now? Except then more programs started to fail. Windows would bring up error messages saying "An error has occured. Searching for solution." Then another would pop up and say "No solution can be found. We'll notify you when one is available." Thanks, that means so much. Except then core programs started to fail. Adobe Reader failed. Then one of the core programs in Vista--Superfetch--failed, which kicked me off the internet. Then Internet Explorer failed.
I turned the laptop over to my mom to try to fix it. She ran a check and the computer had 19 programs that Vista had blocked/had errors and had failed. She tried to configure the webcam software. The window read "configuring..." and then another window popped up that said, "Uninstall complete" and my webcam software was gone forever. Then she tried to restore it back to the day we got it. It said an error occured in the restoration process, no settings had been changed. In the hour my mom worked on it, the computer got worse. My mom tried to view the Control Panel and it closed by itself and Vista told us that an error had occured so the window had to be closed.
When mom looked back at the errors to see how many there were, it had jumped from 19 to 32*. It was like a virus, but it was Vista! We sent the computer back, got a refund and now I have a Dell laptop with XP coming in the mail. It should arrive soon, and I can forget the nightmare that was Vista, but...*shudders*...it'll be hard.
That right there is one of the reasons I seriously want a Mac. I'll get one someday, but right now I don't have near enough money. Someday. Maybe after college. But for now, I'm excited to get my Dell, and get a laptop that actually works.
So...how's you week been?
Added: Also, I'm thinking about having a weekly thing I'm gonna put on here, probably on Saturdays or Sundays because those days are hard for me to blog on. I'll be posting drawings. I don't know if I'll do it, but it's in the works. I'll let you know.
*--fixed. It didn't jump to 23, it jumped to 32.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Saying Goodbye and Update on School
One of my best friends is moving to Alaska. I know that as people grow up, friends grow up and move away, but she was supposed to go to a college that was only a few hours away. She was still in driving distance. Alaska is all the way across the country. Her flight was this morning. Still, she's really excited to go, where she'll have a great job and be living with her aunt, so I'm happy for her, but I'll still miss her, and I hope she stays in touch, but even if she doesn't, I'm glad that this happened, and I wish her luck.
Now, onto school. It's school. Is there really anything left to say? I'm up to my eyeballs in work, so I'm writing this quick and then I have to get back to work. Not much to report. I pulled my grade up from a D to a C. (For those of you that don't live in the states, an A is excellent, a B is good, a C is average, a D is poor, and a F is failing.) What does that mean? That if I can keep my good grades up than my credit will transfer, I won't lose my scholarship to my college and I won't have a math in my Freshman year. (Can someone say, "Booyah!"?)
So what's going on in the blogosphere?
Holly Lisle's having troubles, so she'll be offline for a week. If you have the time, send your good wishes to her, she sounds like she needs them.
PBW is still having trouble with blogger. Apparently she can't save any drafts, so most of her entries will be improved until it can be fixed. She's also having a give away of what she's read this week. (She reads more in a week than I have in two months. She's like the bionic woman or something!) So that's worth a look as well.
Jean is having a Summer Bookpack Giveaway.
PJ is waiting on news for her Viable Paradise submission.
Meryl just got a really great job, so head on over to her job and congratulate her.
Well,that's all for now. Back to work. Ugh, math...
Later!
Now, onto school. It's school. Is there really anything left to say? I'm up to my eyeballs in work, so I'm writing this quick and then I have to get back to work. Not much to report. I pulled my grade up from a D to a C. (For those of you that don't live in the states, an A is excellent, a B is good, a C is average, a D is poor, and a F is failing.) What does that mean? That if I can keep my good grades up than my credit will transfer, I won't lose my scholarship to my college and I won't have a math in my Freshman year. (Can someone say, "Booyah!"?)
So what's going on in the blogosphere?
Holly Lisle's having troubles, so she'll be offline for a week. If you have the time, send your good wishes to her, she sounds like she needs them.
PBW is still having trouble with blogger. Apparently she can't save any drafts, so most of her entries will be improved until it can be fixed. She's also having a give away of what she's read this week. (She reads more in a week than I have in two months. She's like the bionic woman or something!) So that's worth a look as well.
Jean is having a Summer Bookpack Giveaway.
PJ is waiting on news for her Viable Paradise submission.
Meryl just got a really great job, so head on over to her job and congratulate her.
Well,that's all for now. Back to work. Ugh, math...
Later!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Friday Snippet: Getting a Chance to Breathe
Hey, guys. Class is going better. Better, not great. We just had a test and our project was due today. We don't have any homework over the weekend, but I might get a head start on next week's project. And it's Friday, and I don't have many things to get snippets, but I figure this scene might make an okay one. It's from Jivtor, about the villain Vinproo. Well, here's my snippet. Enjoy!
______
Hey, you! This material is copyrighted. It's the first draft, so it's probably littered with grammer mistakes, continuity errors, and other funny or annoying problems. Regardless, do not quote this material or repost it anywhere in any form, or in any other plane of existence, okay? Thanks!
______
Vinproo had entertained himself with things of that nature all day. He had teased a little girl with a bug, made the wind create designs in the sand, and drew water up from beneath the surface--which tired him quite a bit--before he quit for the day. He made it back to his resting spot just as his parents arrived.
“Hello mother, hello father!”
They greeted him with tired grunts and began to climb the stairs to their room. He followed them up, and when night time came, he said his good nights and went to bed like all children in Jivtor were supposed to do.
Vinproo did not sleep well that night, however. In the middle of the night, he heard someone messing with their door. He rolled over groggily to see identify the sound. A gloved hand covered his mouth. He struggled to get away, but it was no use. He saw several people, everyone wearing black cloaks that hid their faces. They grabbed him and bound his hands and feet. One of them produced a foul smelling cloth from within their cloaks, and they pressed it over his mouth and nose. He looked at his parents, who were standing just behind the group, and tried to plead with his eyes. They only watched, looking slightly amused. Then the darkness took him.
When Vinproo came to, his back and arms were sore. He felt of his wrists and cringed at the rope burns he found. He sat up and looked around. He was in the middle of nowhere. He spun in a circle, but all he could see all the way to the horizon was sand dunes and a few scrubby brush patches.
I need to move, he thought to himself. He didn’t know why, but he knew he needed to walk. As he walked, he heard something rustling. He walked faster. The rustling, like something crawling through the sand, continued. He walked faster, and faster, but the sound just kept coming. Suddenly, something had his foot. He went down hard, smacking his face on the sand. He looked to see what had him. He had his foot in the mouth of a skull of a wild animal. The hollow eyes stared at him, peering into his soul. He shrieked and raced off. He ran blindly, tears flowing down his cheeks in rivers. As he ran, he thought of the kids in the village. Had they known what was going to happen to him? What about his parents? They hadn’t acted worried or surprised at all. He ran until he collapsed in the sand, exhaustion filling his every limb.
From behind, he heard the something coming toward him. Rage filled him. He was tired of running. Let them come! Then, he crossed his legs, closed his eyes and focused on slowing his breathing. Suddenly he could see everything. He saw a mouse as it was killed by a desert fox. He saw the wind as it picked up a bug and threw it a few yards away. And he saw his stalker. It was a boy from his tatbio. He knew the boy, and knew his name…what was his name? Oh, well, it didn’t matter. The boy had a weapon, and he must be dealt with.
With a precision that would have startled any grown man, Vinproo tore the boy apart, staining the sand with his blood. He found a perverted joy in it, a sense of wonderment as he learned how the body worked. Beyond anything else, he learned he liked killing. It made him feel free. The boy was helpless, under his control, at his mercy. It was an amazing feeling. Then, the rush as he felt the boys life expend. Oh! There were no words to describe the feeling. He had to have more.
A lot more.
“Hello mother, hello father!”
They greeted him with tired grunts and began to climb the stairs to their room. He followed them up, and when night time came, he said his good nights and went to bed like all children in Jivtor were supposed to do.
Vinproo did not sleep well that night, however. In the middle of the night, he heard someone messing with their door. He rolled over groggily to see identify the sound. A gloved hand covered his mouth. He struggled to get away, but it was no use. He saw several people, everyone wearing black cloaks that hid their faces. They grabbed him and bound his hands and feet. One of them produced a foul smelling cloth from within their cloaks, and they pressed it over his mouth and nose. He looked at his parents, who were standing just behind the group, and tried to plead with his eyes. They only watched, looking slightly amused. Then the darkness took him.
* * *
When Vinproo came to, his back and arms were sore. He felt of his wrists and cringed at the rope burns he found. He sat up and looked around. He was in the middle of nowhere. He spun in a circle, but all he could see all the way to the horizon was sand dunes and a few scrubby brush patches.
I need to move, he thought to himself. He didn’t know why, but he knew he needed to walk. As he walked, he heard something rustling. He walked faster. The rustling, like something crawling through the sand, continued. He walked faster, and faster, but the sound just kept coming. Suddenly, something had his foot. He went down hard, smacking his face on the sand. He looked to see what had him. He had his foot in the mouth of a skull of a wild animal. The hollow eyes stared at him, peering into his soul. He shrieked and raced off. He ran blindly, tears flowing down his cheeks in rivers. As he ran, he thought of the kids in the village. Had they known what was going to happen to him? What about his parents? They hadn’t acted worried or surprised at all. He ran until he collapsed in the sand, exhaustion filling his every limb.
From behind, he heard the something coming toward him. Rage filled him. He was tired of running. Let them come! Then, he crossed his legs, closed his eyes and focused on slowing his breathing. Suddenly he could see everything. He saw a mouse as it was killed by a desert fox. He saw the wind as it picked up a bug and threw it a few yards away. And he saw his stalker. It was a boy from his tatbio. He knew the boy, and knew his name…what was his name? Oh, well, it didn’t matter. The boy had a weapon, and he must be dealt with.
With a precision that would have startled any grown man, Vinproo tore the boy apart, staining the sand with his blood. He found a perverted joy in it, a sense of wonderment as he learned how the body worked. Beyond anything else, he learned he liked killing. It made him feel free. The boy was helpless, under his control, at his mercy. It was an amazing feeling. Then, the rush as he felt the boys life expend. Oh! There were no words to describe the feeling. He had to have more.
A lot more.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Meme the Second: The iPod (or Mp3) Meme
Here we go! I finally get to do this meme, which looks like it's going to be tons o' fun. I got this meme off of Jean's blog, who got it off of MerylF's blog. Let's do it!
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn’t make sense. NO CHEATING!
How do you feel today?
There's A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought Of It - Panic! At the Disco
What’s your outlook on life?
Home - Chris Dawtry
What does your family think of you?
Big Ten Inch Record - Aerosmith
What do your friends think of you?
I Want It All - Queen
What do your exes think of you?
Hum Hallelujiah - Fall Out Boy
How’s your love life?
The Carpal Tunnel of Love - Fall Out Boy (Heh, that's ironic)
How will your love life be in the future?
House of Wolves - My Chemical Romance (Hah, so is that.)
Will you get married?
Dizziful Bliss - Lemon Demon
Were you good at school?
Cold - Crossfade
Will you be successful?
Headstrong - Trapt
What song should they play on your birthday?
Rag Doll - Aerosmith
What song should they play at your graduation?
Pretty Fly For a White-Guy - The Offspring
The Soundtrack of your life?
Sky Is Not Blue - Lemon Demon
You and your best friends are?
Elvis Porn - Lemon Demon
Happy times:
The Only House That's Not On Fire (Yet) - Lemon Demon
Sad times:
You're Pitiful - "Weird Al" Yankovic
Every day:
Grammer Police - Possible Oscar
For tomorrow:
Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Fray
For you:
Savin' Me - Nickelback
What does next year have in store for me?
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Creedance Clearwater Revival
What do I say when life gets too hard?
How You Remind Me - Nickelback
What song will I dance to at my wedding?
Let U Go - Ashley Parker Angel
What do you want as your career?
When Robots Attack - Lemon Demon
Your favorite saying?
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
How will I die?
Bad Day - Daniel Powter (Somehow, I believe this one.)
That's a bit creepy. Ha ha, I knew it'd be fun. I tag anyone who reads this and wants to.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn’t make sense. NO CHEATING!
How do you feel today?
There's A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought Of It - Panic! At the Disco
What’s your outlook on life?
Home - Chris Dawtry
What does your family think of you?
Big Ten Inch Record - Aerosmith
What do your friends think of you?
I Want It All - Queen
What do your exes think of you?
Hum Hallelujiah - Fall Out Boy
How’s your love life?
The Carpal Tunnel of Love - Fall Out Boy (Heh, that's ironic)
How will your love life be in the future?
House of Wolves - My Chemical Romance (Hah, so is that.)
Will you get married?
Dizziful Bliss - Lemon Demon
Were you good at school?
Cold - Crossfade
Will you be successful?
Headstrong - Trapt
What song should they play on your birthday?
Rag Doll - Aerosmith
What song should they play at your graduation?
Pretty Fly For a White-Guy - The Offspring
The Soundtrack of your life?
Sky Is Not Blue - Lemon Demon
You and your best friends are?
Elvis Porn - Lemon Demon
Happy times:
The Only House That's Not On Fire (Yet) - Lemon Demon
Sad times:
You're Pitiful - "Weird Al" Yankovic
Every day:
Grammer Police - Possible Oscar
For tomorrow:
Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Fray
For you:
Savin' Me - Nickelback
What does next year have in store for me?
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Creedance Clearwater Revival
What do I say when life gets too hard?
How You Remind Me - Nickelback
What song will I dance to at my wedding?
Let U Go - Ashley Parker Angel
What do you want as your career?
When Robots Attack - Lemon Demon
Your favorite saying?
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
How will I die?
Bad Day - Daniel Powter (Somehow, I believe this one.)
That's a bit creepy. Ha ha, I knew it'd be fun. I tag anyone who reads this and wants to.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Returning Alive with a Meme
First of all let me thank you all for your support. It's been rough going but I'm finally caught back up. The only thing I have left to do is a quick project for them and then it's back to a semi-normal schedule. Thank you all again, it's meant a lot.
Oh, and I'm registered for college. No word on dorms, roomates, or anything like that, but I know my schedule.
Okay, I don't have much to post beyond that, so I'm going to do the first of two memes that I've been saving up. I'll do the other tomorrow (maybe) when/if I get my mP3 player. This first one is "Five Things I Want to Write" a meme created by SMD. Here's the post about it.
So here is how it works.
1) Write about the top five writing projects you want to do. Books, short stories, whatever.
2) Post the rules and the link to where you got the Meme from in the first place.
3) Tag people.
Alright, let's get started:
1) I'd like to finish Jivtor. It's the first story I've ever done a lot of worldbuilding on, and I'd like to at least finish it. I'd like to know I can stick to my stories without them fizzling out.
2) I'd like to write my Clairvoyant (Medium, Seer, etc.) story. It was a lot of fun to write, and I got some ideas that make it even better (in my point of view) and adds more to the story--event wise and humor-wise.
3) I'd like to re-try on an old story that's been collecting dust on my harddrive that I have saved as "Drifter." It wasn't really planned out--I had literally no idea what was going to happen--and I quickly learned that I can't do seat of the pants writing. The story was about a man who could leap from one dimension (world) into another at will. Obviously it's harder than it sounds, but beyond that I didn't really have much planned, but it still intrigues me and I'd like finish it someday.
4) I'd like to finish Jerucia. I like that one, and I've been working on it on and off for about 4 years. It's a fun story to write and I'd like to finally put to rest the story that's been kicking around for so long.
5) I'd like to write a sequal or series of sequals to my Medium story. I'm not sure if it would be for adult audiences or teens like the Maximum Ride books, but I'd love to follow the characters after the events of the first novel and see more of their world.
Well, that's all for now. Hope it was interesting. I'll try to do the second Meme tomorrow and get that posted, but it's been a crazy week. On top of all my homework, our toilet broke, and my glasses snapped in half. I'm wearing a pair of too-small, old glasses.
Oh, yeah. Who I'm tagging. I tag misswriter, specifically, and anyone else who reads this and wants to do it.
Oh, and I'm registered for college. No word on dorms, roomates, or anything like that, but I know my schedule.
Okay, I don't have much to post beyond that, so I'm going to do the first of two memes that I've been saving up. I'll do the other tomorrow (maybe) when/if I get my mP3 player. This first one is "Five Things I Want to Write" a meme created by SMD. Here's the post about it.
So here is how it works.
1) Write about the top five writing projects you want to do. Books, short stories, whatever.
2) Post the rules and the link to where you got the Meme from in the first place.
3) Tag people.
Alright, let's get started:
1) I'd like to finish Jivtor. It's the first story I've ever done a lot of worldbuilding on, and I'd like to at least finish it. I'd like to know I can stick to my stories without them fizzling out.
2) I'd like to write my Clairvoyant (Medium, Seer, etc.) story. It was a lot of fun to write, and I got some ideas that make it even better (in my point of view) and adds more to the story--event wise and humor-wise.
3) I'd like to re-try on an old story that's been collecting dust on my harddrive that I have saved as "Drifter." It wasn't really planned out--I had literally no idea what was going to happen--and I quickly learned that I can't do seat of the pants writing. The story was about a man who could leap from one dimension (world) into another at will. Obviously it's harder than it sounds, but beyond that I didn't really have much planned, but it still intrigues me and I'd like finish it someday.
4) I'd like to finish Jerucia. I like that one, and I've been working on it on and off for about 4 years. It's a fun story to write and I'd like to finally put to rest the story that's been kicking around for so long.
5) I'd like to write a sequal or series of sequals to my Medium story. I'm not sure if it would be for adult audiences or teens like the Maximum Ride books, but I'd love to follow the characters after the events of the first novel and see more of their world.
Well, that's all for now. Hope it was interesting. I'll try to do the second Meme tomorrow and get that posted, but it's been a crazy week. On top of all my homework, our toilet broke, and my glasses snapped in half. I'm wearing a pair of too-small, old glasses.
Oh, yeah. Who I'm tagging. I tag misswriter, specifically, and anyone else who reads this and wants to do it.
Monday, June 4, 2007
And then it all blew up.
No, not my story. As a matter of fact, I haven't seen it in several days. No I'm talking about Real Life. She stuck her fat nose in again, and now I'm worse off for it. Turns out, my guidance councelor told me at the beginning of my Senior year that I only needed 3 math credits. I asked what I'd need a 4th for (This being my last year at the school, if I wanted 4 math credits, I had to take one that year) and she told me it was just for a scholarship that I hadn't even been trying for anyway. Imagine my surprise when my college sends me a letter telling me that I have to have a fourth math credit, that I'm short one. I went so freaking crazy insane angry. I stomped around the house condemning the entire school to the blackest pits of the underworld (insert maniacal laugh here).
It gets worse. The college algebra class at the local community college that I have to take to make up for the missing credit is a summer course, and has already started. The class is an entire semester of math crammed into four weeks. Algebra Crash Course is a better name. And it has already been going on for 4 days. So now I have 7 assignments of make-up work, the rest of the weeks assignments, a project, and a test, just this week. Oh yeah, and I have to miss another day--Wednesday--to go to my college to register for classes. And I have to work everyday (except Wednesday). As weeks go, this one isn't exactly great.
I have some Meme's I want to do, but they'll have to wait. Here's hoping I make it through the storm unscratched.
It gets worse. The college algebra class at the local community college that I have to take to make up for the missing credit is a summer course, and has already started. The class is an entire semester of math crammed into four weeks. Algebra Crash Course is a better name. And it has already been going on for 4 days. So now I have 7 assignments of make-up work, the rest of the weeks assignments, a project, and a test, just this week. Oh yeah, and I have to miss another day--Wednesday--to go to my college to register for classes. And I have to work everyday (except Wednesday). As weeks go, this one isn't exactly great.
I have some Meme's I want to do, but they'll have to wait. Here's hoping I make it through the storm unscratched.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Rollercoaster day.
Not a bad day, not a good day--an up and down kinda day. For example:
Bad: Good news that might or might not work out, didn't work out.
Good: Other good news opened up that will work as good or better.
Bad: Caused enormous avalanche of metal pots and pans by coughing (not kidding.)
Good: Got replacement Lemon Demon t-shirt.
Bad: Was the wrong size.
Good: Got Vengeance of Dragons and Courage of Falcons today!
Bad: Late to work.
Good: Other good news that got canned has new hope!
So, like I said, it's been an up's and down's kinda day. My plotting is going okay, but not great. Mostly, I find that I can't concentrate very long on it because I'm too burned out from work. I'm trying to work on that right now. I can't wait to get started on the Secret Texts books, but first I have to finish Armageddon's Children. So that's really it for now. I'd love to go more into depth about my 2 good news items or how much or how little progress my writing is having, but I can't share the first two yet (don't want to jinx them) and writing wise...you know everything. Writing has been slow going/not at all through this week. I need to catch back up because I want to write, I just don't have the energy.
Here's to a better week.
Bad: Good news that might or might not work out, didn't work out.
Good: Other good news opened up that will work as good or better.
Bad: Caused enormous avalanche of metal pots and pans by coughing (not kidding.)
Good: Got replacement Lemon Demon t-shirt.
Bad: Was the wrong size.
Good: Got Vengeance of Dragons and Courage of Falcons today!
Bad: Late to work.
Good: Other good news that got canned has new hope!
So, like I said, it's been an up's and down's kinda day. My plotting is going okay, but not great. Mostly, I find that I can't concentrate very long on it because I'm too burned out from work. I'm trying to work on that right now. I can't wait to get started on the Secret Texts books, but first I have to finish Armageddon's Children. So that's really it for now. I'd love to go more into depth about my 2 good news items or how much or how little progress my writing is having, but I can't share the first two yet (don't want to jinx them) and writing wise...you know everything. Writing has been slow going/not at all through this week. I need to catch back up because I want to write, I just don't have the energy.
Here's to a better week.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Plodding through plotting
So far I've been plodding through trying to re-plot the novel but it's going slow. Part of it is my frustration over having to start all over again, but part of it is stress from work. I've had a really, really...(repeat reallys for about an hour)...crappy week at work. If I have to see one more burger I'm gonna lose my damn mind. But tomorrow is my day off and there might (might) be some good news in the future but I won't say anything until it pans out. The karma demons are just watching and waiting for a chance to bite me in the ass.
Anyway, just thought I'd update you all. Back to work.
Anyway, just thought I'd update you all. Back to work.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Maybe I'll just become a vacuum salesman
Okay, I did a lot of thinking, a little moping, some head beating, and a lot of complaining. That's all anyone heard me talk about for the past couple days. Here's what I came up with: the worldbuilding is pretty solid, but the outline has to go. I have to completely think up a new outline because I got waaaay off track. My original goal was forgotten in my mad rush to think of something, anything, because I wanted to write. Well, it's had time enough to cool and when I actually looked at the outline with a stern eye, it sucks. Bad.
A big problem I have, though, is with some bare bones stuff. I had a number of solutions that I came up with but one of them would mean a change in the mythology, the other would mean I would have to redesign the map, and the other ... I need an ibuprofen.
At least I figured out why Ressto wasn't working. He's is a member in an active branch of the Revolutionaries trying to expose and overthrow the conspiracy. He should not be playing Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman. The widespread sickness that I have for both the hero and the heroine came out of left field and has me scratching my head and thinking...well...what the hell was I thinking? Regardless of where the idea came from, it left the entire Revolutionary group standing around and whining like bunch of ninnies. Instead of hunting for medicine, he needs to be spear heading an operation to infiltrate the conspiracy and become a double agent so that he can expose them when the time is right.
Forget trying to hide the conspiracy from the reader, my damn teaser on my site says that there's a conspiracy. What I need to do now is try to figure out how to get Falovri into the loop. If she finds out she's been lied to all her life, that's going to cause some mega issues, right down to decisions involving her kids. Also, what I need to keep reminding myself is the main idea isn't to find out about the conspiracy, it's to find out about it, expose it, and overthrow it.
*sigh* I really need an ibuprofen. Anyway, back to the grindstone.
A big problem I have, though, is with some bare bones stuff. I had a number of solutions that I came up with but one of them would mean a change in the mythology, the other would mean I would have to redesign the map, and the other ... I need an ibuprofen.
At least I figured out why Ressto wasn't working. He's is a member in an active branch of the Revolutionaries trying to expose and overthrow the conspiracy. He should not be playing Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman. The widespread sickness that I have for both the hero and the heroine came out of left field and has me scratching my head and thinking...well...what the hell was I thinking? Regardless of where the idea came from, it left the entire Revolutionary group standing around and whining like bunch of ninnies. Instead of hunting for medicine, he needs to be spear heading an operation to infiltrate the conspiracy and become a double agent so that he can expose them when the time is right.
Forget trying to hide the conspiracy from the reader, my damn teaser on my site says that there's a conspiracy. What I need to do now is try to figure out how to get Falovri into the loop. If she finds out she's been lied to all her life, that's going to cause some mega issues, right down to decisions involving her kids. Also, what I need to keep reminding myself is the main idea isn't to find out about the conspiracy, it's to find out about it, expose it, and overthrow it.
*sigh* I really need an ibuprofen. Anyway, back to the grindstone.
BWAHAHAHA!
Wind blew across the desert wasteland tracing patterns in the sand. Ressto drew his sword, a lone figure in the ocean of sand and sneered at the scaley monster before him. He pointed his sword threatingly at the monster.
"Give Falovri back!"
The monster chuckled in his gravely voice and lifted Falovri's unconcious body into the air.
"How about if I just snap her scrawny neck right here?"
Ressto gasped. "No! Falovri!"
He raced forward, his sword clutched in his white knuckled hands. Halfway to the beast, though, he slid to a stop, his animal skin boots leaving a smooth trail in the dust. He stuck his sword into the ground and leaned on it like a cane, smiled his crooked smile, and turned his back to the monster, who's gruesome claws still clutched Falovri.
"You know what? I don't feel like it."
"What?" the monster and Falovri said in unison.
"I don't feel like it."
"Cut, cut, cut! What is this!"
From above them, the clouds parted and a musty green carpet rolled down, crimping as it did like it was unrolling on invisible stairs. As it unrolled, a medium height blonde man in crooked glasses and a blue checkered bath robe rushed down the stairs, taking two at a time. To add to the man's odd appearance we wore a blue sleeping cap, the kind shaped like Santa's hat, and pink bunny slippers, whose heads seemed nod in agreement with his furious shouting and swearing.
"Jason!" the monster said.
Falovri opened her eyes and looked down at the estranged man. "Jason? What are you doing here? We're trying to do a scene."
"You!" Jason said with venom in his voice. He pointed a shaking finger at Ressto and stomped up to him. "What do you think you're doing?"
"What?"
"You're supposed to be saving Falovri!"
Ressto laughed and stuck his tongue out.
"I didn't feel like it."
"Didn't feel like it! Who said you had a choice? Get in there and do the damn scene!"
Ressto laughed and stuck his tongue out. "Nanny nanny, boo boo!"
Jason growled in frustration.
"Why do you always do this to me? When I started planning the novel, you didn't cooperate, when I wrote your first scene, you didn't cooperate. Why won't you cooperate? I gave you a job, didn't I? Remember? You could be selling vacuums door to door like you were."
"I had more fun selling vacuums."
"What!"
Ressto sighed and leaned against his sword. "You've stuck me in all kinds of danger. You want me to risk my neck exposing a conspiracy, help out a delinquent girl that I don't know from Adam, and fight to the death with a monster? You don't even know if I'll live!"
Jason sighed. "I told you, I have to work on that."
"What's in it for me?"
"Just do the damn scene!"
"I don't see why I should." To prove his point he flopped down on his butt in the middle of the desert.
"You're acting like a child!"
"You wrote me this way."
"I'll make you!"
Ressto let out a dry laugh and jumped to his feet. Uprooting his sword from the ground he spun it in a fancy display before crouching and motioning Jason forward.
"Bring it on."
Jason snarled and reached inside his robe. He pulled out a small black gel ink pen, pulled off the lid and rushed forward. Ressto stared for a second, stunned, but regained his composure. The two weapons met, pen and sword. Sparks flew and Ressto let out a gasp as the pen was still whole.
"Ha! The pen is mightier than the sword!"
Ressto clenched his teeth and swung again, but the pen was there to block his blow again. Jason reached inside his robe and pulled out another pen, jabbed it forward, and sent Ressto flying several feet away.
"There!" Jason said putting one of the pens back and pulling out a small writing tablet. "I tried to be nice, but you wouldn't cooperate. Try this!"
He began to write.
"What are you doing?"
Jason laughed and wrote some more. He read outloud as he wrote:
'Ressto, dressed in the finest of ladies fall fashion, stood in the desert before the monster.'
Ressto gasped as his Revolutionary uniform was transformed into a frilly pink dress.
"Stop it!"
Jason laughed and continued to read, " 'Hopping on his white mare, Petunia, Ressto rode off to model his sexy underwear and dance for his friends at the pub.' "
Ressto cried out as a white mare appeared before him and he began to walk towards it.
"Stop it! Stop it!"
"Will you do the scene?"
Ressto continued to struggle, trying, to no avail, to turn from the horse.
"Will you do the scene!?"
Reluctantly, Ressto shouted, "Yes! Yes, I'll do the scene, just don't let my friends see me in this."
Jason laughedin triumph and tore the page out of the tablet, crumpling up and stuffing it in his pocket. He nodded curtly and began to head back for the musty carpet.
"Hey, you're gonna throw that away when you get back, right? Right?"
Jason laughed as he climbed the stairs, into the clouds, rolled up the carpet, and disappeared.
"Give Falovri back!"
The monster chuckled in his gravely voice and lifted Falovri's unconcious body into the air.
"How about if I just snap her scrawny neck right here?"
Ressto gasped. "No! Falovri!"
He raced forward, his sword clutched in his white knuckled hands. Halfway to the beast, though, he slid to a stop, his animal skin boots leaving a smooth trail in the dust. He stuck his sword into the ground and leaned on it like a cane, smiled his crooked smile, and turned his back to the monster, who's gruesome claws still clutched Falovri.
"You know what? I don't feel like it."
"What?" the monster and Falovri said in unison.
"I don't feel like it."
"Cut, cut, cut! What is this!"
From above them, the clouds parted and a musty green carpet rolled down, crimping as it did like it was unrolling on invisible stairs. As it unrolled, a medium height blonde man in crooked glasses and a blue checkered bath robe rushed down the stairs, taking two at a time. To add to the man's odd appearance we wore a blue sleeping cap, the kind shaped like Santa's hat, and pink bunny slippers, whose heads seemed nod in agreement with his furious shouting and swearing.
"Jason!" the monster said.
Falovri opened her eyes and looked down at the estranged man. "Jason? What are you doing here? We're trying to do a scene."
"You!" Jason said with venom in his voice. He pointed a shaking finger at Ressto and stomped up to him. "What do you think you're doing?"
"What?"
"You're supposed to be saving Falovri!"
Ressto laughed and stuck his tongue out.
"I didn't feel like it."
"Didn't feel like it! Who said you had a choice? Get in there and do the damn scene!"
Ressto laughed and stuck his tongue out. "Nanny nanny, boo boo!"
Jason growled in frustration.
"Why do you always do this to me? When I started planning the novel, you didn't cooperate, when I wrote your first scene, you didn't cooperate. Why won't you cooperate? I gave you a job, didn't I? Remember? You could be selling vacuums door to door like you were."
"I had more fun selling vacuums."
"What!"
Ressto sighed and leaned against his sword. "You've stuck me in all kinds of danger. You want me to risk my neck exposing a conspiracy, help out a delinquent girl that I don't know from Adam, and fight to the death with a monster? You don't even know if I'll live!"
Jason sighed. "I told you, I have to work on that."
"What's in it for me?"
"Just do the damn scene!"
"I don't see why I should." To prove his point he flopped down on his butt in the middle of the desert.
"You're acting like a child!"
"You wrote me this way."
"I'll make you!"
Ressto let out a dry laugh and jumped to his feet. Uprooting his sword from the ground he spun it in a fancy display before crouching and motioning Jason forward.
"Bring it on."
Jason snarled and reached inside his robe. He pulled out a small black gel ink pen, pulled off the lid and rushed forward. Ressto stared for a second, stunned, but regained his composure. The two weapons met, pen and sword. Sparks flew and Ressto let out a gasp as the pen was still whole.
"Ha! The pen is mightier than the sword!"
Ressto clenched his teeth and swung again, but the pen was there to block his blow again. Jason reached inside his robe and pulled out another pen, jabbed it forward, and sent Ressto flying several feet away.
"There!" Jason said putting one of the pens back and pulling out a small writing tablet. "I tried to be nice, but you wouldn't cooperate. Try this!"
He began to write.
"What are you doing?"
Jason laughed and wrote some more. He read outloud as he wrote:
'Ressto, dressed in the finest of ladies fall fashion, stood in the desert before the monster.'
Ressto gasped as his Revolutionary uniform was transformed into a frilly pink dress.
"Stop it!"
Jason laughed and continued to read, " 'Hopping on his white mare, Petunia, Ressto rode off to model his sexy underwear and dance for his friends at the pub.' "
Ressto cried out as a white mare appeared before him and he began to walk towards it.
"Stop it! Stop it!"
"Will you do the scene?"
Ressto continued to struggle, trying, to no avail, to turn from the horse.
"Will you do the scene!?"
Reluctantly, Ressto shouted, "Yes! Yes, I'll do the scene, just don't let my friends see me in this."
Jason laughedin triumph and tore the page out of the tablet, crumpling up and stuffing it in his pocket. He nodded curtly and began to head back for the musty carpet.
"Hey, you're gonna throw that away when you get back, right? Right?"
Jason laughed as he climbed the stairs, into the clouds, rolled up the carpet, and disappeared.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)