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A Brush With Success

Hey kids, time to share another one of my writing exercises for my Ficiton Writing class.....

Write a scene depicting a brush with success; your protagonist gets a glimpse/taste of attaining his/her desire.  Remember to keep in mind what the scene is.  The reader should learn something important about the nature of the protagonist's desire.  This scene represents a complication; this scene whets your character's appetite.  That he/she is thwarted will propel the story forward. 

The very first thought that Parker had upon waking was I need to pee. She knew before ever opening her eyes that she was in unfamiliar surroundings. With the nicotine, liquor and undeniable scent of sex blanketing the room, disorientation gave way to the realization that she was indeed not in her own bed. Lifting her heavy lids, she peered at the concert poster of some local band that she had never heard of and the pile of stuffed animals on the toddler race car bed beside the mattress she was laying on. Counting the legs on the fluorescent green caterpillar, no doubt won at some cheesy carnival game, she wondered what time it was but didn’t dare turn over to seek out a clock.

Hers and Mine

I remember we were both prepared
to suffer the unexpected gifts of Fate
as required and with a calm stoicism,
and perhaps with a little sarcasm.

But we were afraid of dying of tenderness
for each other- and this fear grew
and gradually filled the space
which so invincibly and with such
mourning lay between us....
which in fact it never came
into our heads to cut through.

~Anna Akhmatova

Tender introduction to this journey
deceived by familiar surroundings
hastily we set the course

Desperately wanting to choose a new path
looking to the torn and tattered map,
find it useless in application

Clumsily groping the darkness
blanketed in naivete
searching, confused, tiny and lost

Dancing together, yet separate
shhhh..... I know this music-

You gingerly take my hand
moving in polite and careful gestures--
hesitation answers our apprehension

Stumbling.....
your moving further, faintly and quietly away
Falling, our song fading, fading
Fear drowning out the last strains.

~me

His and Mine

the first of all my dreams was of
a lover and his only love,
strolling slowly (mind in mind)
through some green mysterious land

until my second dream begins --
the sky is wild with leaves;which dance
and dancing swoop(and swooping whirl
over a frightened boy and girl)

but that mere fury soon became
silence:in hunger always whom
two tiny selves sleep(doll by doll)
motionless under magical

foreverfully falling snow.
And then this dreamer wept:and so
she quickly dreamed a dream of spring
--how you and i are blossoming

~ e. e. cummings

Love, love, love that poem.

mine:

Such big dreams for two tiny selves
Both are tired, true, denied, decided
Veiled behind a soft curtain of lashes
Lulled by the whisper of your hopes and dreams

I fall silently
Want to match my breathing to yours
Drowning in your scent
Taste you on my lips

Draw us a bath of moonbeams
Tell me a story of a girl like me and
A boy as you
Abandon our fear, our pride
Decide to let me see you sleepy

Fading fast, blanketed in a delicate grayness

New morning’s twilight behaves like a thief
Raping our celestial bath with a sieve
Drawing out our moistness, our stickiness
Kissing the earth with our sweetest dew
~me

The Pantless Blogger Shakes Things Up

This was a hard round.  Having three of our ten players abandon us without sharing the URL to their blog, made it even more difficult to assign the proper name with the witty response.  With all her saucy spunkiness, Ms Monty, aka The Pantless Blogger, crashed Keb's party and takes home the tiara and the illustrious title that is Most Loaded.   Congratulations, Monty!  Send me your snail mail addy so I can get your fabulous prize to you. 

So, who was who?

Bob aka NotGood (ostrich?  Really  How does one eat that?  Fried?  On a bed of linguini?)

Chuck aka Animule?  Data?  I really don't know!!

Jane aka Andromeda (reporting you have read 90 million books this year gave you away!  Card shark, huh?  Remind me not to play Go Fish with you)

Keb aka Stella (Save me a spot on that beach.  I'll bring the tiny umbrellas for the drinks!)

lu aka whisper (Everyone who guessed this go around figured me out.  Am I really that transparent?)

mean girl aka Chase (I'd pay good money to see that trick you do with your tongue.) 

Monty aka The Pantless Blogger (You win for best secret identity!  As always, you had me giggling while reading your responses.  You smoke?? I did not know that!)

It goes without saying that Cam was sorely missed this round.  Come back!  Come back!  Oh, and that other guy, what's his name, yeah, I missed him too.   Miss October is such a tease....she keeps promising she'll come out and play with us, but she never does.  Sigh.

Mary was properly excused this round, Bonnie was on a break and Shari is knee-deep in moving boxes.  Cyndi, where did you go?  Brian, was it something I said?

Guess what I'm supposed to be doing right now?  Reading two novels, one of which I haven't even started and crafting another writing exercise for my Ficiton Writing class.  If I actually get something together, I'll post it so you can give me some feedback before I make a complete ass of myself turn it in on Tuesday. 

So, because I'm busy, I'm gonna copy and paste here.  Deja vu and all that.  Just deal with it.

On to Loaded Questions VI.  Most of you know the drill by now, but I am thrilled that we have scored some virgins for the last few rounds and I'm hoping that we can continue to seduce even more innocents into playing with us.  *Newbies, just be sure to read the fine print!!  Missing URL's make this confusing.*  So in anticipation of such:

Start out by reading the intriguing questions and  then post your titillating responses, remembering to sign in with an anonymous and NON GENDER specific nickname.  The deadline to play will be Friday, November 25th at midnight (CST).  Step away from the leftover turkey and lick that whippped cream off your fingers before you email me at skiplu@gmail.com  on Saturday, November 26th (again, by midnight CST)  to notify me  that you have posted your answers and that you are partying with us.  Don't fill me in before then as I want to play too!  I will in turn email you when I have posted the list of participating bloggers and the Q&A.

I'm especially curious as to :

What is the dirtiest word in the English language?

Happy Halloween

Jordan says, Meeeeoooowww....

And Kaleigh says,

Yes, Mother, you should start to worry.....

Oy.

Loaded Questions V

So you think you got what it takes to snatch that tiara right off the top of Keb's pretty little head, do ya?  Well, if the tiara wasn't enough of an incentive, the winner of round V will never again have to worry about being misunderstood as they will always have Knock Knock's Things You Must Do To Make Me Happier Pad at their fingertips. 

Highlights:  Consider me your muse, finish me off, feign jealousy, predict the future, plot the escape route and Get off your high horse....

The Loaded Questions:

Hypotheticals:

If you found a $50 bill on the street and had to spend it immediately, what would you buy?

If 50 people in your age group were selected randomly, how many do you think you would find leading a happier life than yours?

Anything Goes:

How many times do you normally hit the snooze button, after your alarm goes off?

Approximately, how many books have you read in the past year?

No-Brainers:

What is the most disturbing sound in the world?

What is the most exotic food you have ever eaten?

Personals:

What hidden talent do you have that most people don't know about?

What will you be doing 10 years from today?

Of course I am thrilled that we have some new players on board this round, but I'm shy three URL's.  I'm gonna go ahead and post everyone's answers, but if you are one of the mysterious participants, would you please give me the heads up so I can include your blog addy as well?  Thanks!

Some folks are/were confused as to what this whole thing is about... the idea is to play to get to know the folks you don't know and to get to know the ones you do even better.  You visit some blogs you might not otherwise and poke around a bit to get a feel for their personality in order to clue you in to what their responses might have been to the posed questions.

The first blogger to leave a comment here with a successful match of player to response, is the winner.

And the ultra cool kids are:

Bob

Chuck

Jane

Keb

lu

mean girl

Monty

mystery player one

mystery player two

mystery player three

And here's what they had to say for themselves:

Soup's On!

While Ms Monty is over at her place accepting applications for Prince Charming (I've asked her to toss her throwaways my way), I am willing to accept much, much less.  I really don't think I have unrealistic expectations or that I'm particularly demanding.  Yet, I just can't seem to find a nice boy, one to settle down with for keeps.  Sigh.  And Dammit.  And Sigh.

My pals have decided I need to start browsing the likes of eharmony (uh yeah, cuz look at the stellar results I have had thus far with online dating) and have even offered to give me a "gift membership."

Oy. 

As I roll my eyes in the back of my head, they argue, "But, you can tell so much about a person through their writing.... really get to know them and even exchange photos before you ever even agree to a first date."  Ummmmmm.....

Oh, can I just take this opportunity to say how sick I am of people telling me "Maybe you just need to spend some more time alone.  There's a big difference between being lonely and being alone, you know.  Nothing wrong with being alone...nothing at all."   AAAAGGHH!  Ever notice how the very same folks doling out this advice are NOT alone??   Maybe this is just my loved ones kind way of saying, "lu, you really, really suck at this relationship thing.  Perhaps you need to take a break, step away from it for a while.. or maybe, oh, I don't know, FOREVER."

Really, I think more to the point here is the difference between needing something and wanting something.

Here's the thing.  I have spent time alone.  I celebrate my independence.  I'm a kick-ass single mama.  I don't just get by, I do it with style and grace.  I'm not looking for someone to rescue me....someone to help "ease my load"-- no knight in shining armor fantasies over here. Well, ok, there is this one.... ahem, where was I?  Oh, yeah.  I'm not afraid of being alone.  I just don't want to be all. the. time.

I've found there is no magical number-- that whether or not I give myself two weeks, six months, or a year and a half in between relationships, it never gets any easier and they are all complicated.  Period.    I know.  I know. I need time to heal, to analyze and discover, to cry into my coffee....

Well, I don't drink coffee, and I have a very, very good therapist who's committed to keeping me from being committed.  So, let's roll. 

My short and sweet list of requirements for someone capable of rocking my world include:

Let The Games Begin

Loaded Questions V is on!  We've got six fabulous players (WooHoo!) on board and we are patiently awaiting your arrival.  You still have til Friday, October 29th to come out and play with us.  I promise it won't hurt a bit.  Just skip on over, read the thought provoking questions and leave us all  breathless and just dying to figure out who you are with the awe inspiring responses you drop.  To find out what you've been missing, take a peek over here.

...................................................

PHYSICS

Think of the present as a splitting atom/ one-half weighted, out of kilter,/ trailing its roots and trash,/ and then the liquid glamour of the other,/ swimming forward into foreign darkness/ and the soft folds of space./ If fate is a chromosome,/ a man and a woman might be/ capable of genetic love.

No one leaves for heaven anymore,/ that ill-lit, inhospitable/ planet the color of eggshell,/ sick with candles and flowers./ It empties itself of all things outlandish,/ that is its purpose./ It crushes the fossil stars/ for its fuel, clogging the sky/ with their dessicated seed.

One human body, female, shudders./ Think of her pleasure as a tiny engine/ or a unit of generated energy./ As something for nothing./ All over the earth the separate sparks/ flash quietly, with exquisite frailty./ A body holding more of a charge/ would come apart like the fractured atom,/ and heaven, inverted, be used/ as a bin for the debris.

When the music forces sadness on us,/ the coincidence of joy unnerves us,/ and the sexual lights flare up,/ we drift into a universe of disasters/ holding our slight, impractical instruments,/ navigating by instinct,/ as though that could save us.

You know what happens.

We survive straight through to the end.

We lie down together

on a hard, familiar bed

though each of us has been

already once or twice

a godsend to someone else.

Let love infect and reinfect us,

and endure in our blood

as a code of bright cells,

holy and incurable.

~Chase Twichell

When It Rains, It Pours

This week? 

Oy.

Three mid-terms, two novels to finish, four (!!) papers, one oral report, two doctor appointments, one visit to the dentist, one to the optometrist, story time at the library, two subsequent visits to the library, trips to the pharmacy, grocery store, Target for supplies for Kaleigh's social studies project and ,of course, the new Ashlee Simpson CD (what???  you haven't got your copy yet?), guitar lessons, losing my best friend and my lover in one fell swoop, laundry, breakfast, lunch and dinner x four, dishes to accompany breakfast, lunch and dinner, more laundry, tutoring Kaleigh in math, an invitation to join eharmony, a visit from the tooth fairy, three hours of computer lab for spanish, way too many glossy magazine covers at the check-out lane "How To Please Your Man In Bed" and "Signs He's Cheating", a phone call from the counting the days til it's official estranged husband who wants to chat about my plans for the Halloween weekend, our pending divorce, and oh, what, if any, plans do I have for Thanksgiving as he would like to take Jordan along to visit his girlfriend's (yes, the one he has been dating a mere four months and they are now living together )  family in Kansas, too many hours spent in the car taking each of the girls back and forth to school and getting myself to classes as well, my professor's giddy announcement that she's engaged to be married, bathtime, storytime, snacktime, I-miss-my-daddy tears to dry, boo-boo's to kiss, teen angst, and, and......

Thursday is my Friday and it feels so good to exhale.  Whenever my world starts to crumble around me (oh, yes it has happened more than once, believe you me) I'm reminded that I'm not doing this alone.  No doubt some omniscient entity has taken me on as a pet project and when things get particularly hairy, when I'm no longer laughing along, bails me out.  Skeptical? I give you:

Talking To Myself

It's all over-I told you

and you said

-don't worry about it

let go quietly

learn how to look at the stopped clock

with self-composure

be sensible

realize it's not winding it needs

admit it-it's your life

moving that way-

and don't you be fooled by occasional movements of the hands

it's got nothing to do

with you

come on down

dethrone yourself soberly

you were only taking a chance

at it

forget about it-smile

you had your say

~Kiki Dimoula