Six Songs of Me

Sing a song of sixpence, this ain’t. I’m just going to go ahead and blame Nicole for it, though she found it at Dustbury, who got it from Bayou Renaissance Man, who got it…. Well, you get the idea. But I figure it’s a short meme, and I have been lacking in blog fodder, and it’s bound to cause someone to get an earworm, so WINNING!!

What was the first song you ever bought?

I saved lunch money until I could buy Heat of the Moment, by Asia.

Yep, I still own it. I will NEVER get rid of it.

What song always gets you dancing?

It’s a statistical tie: Shook Me All Night Long, by AC/DC, and Dance the Night Away, by Van Halen. And I think the latter edges out the former, but not by much.

What song takes you back to your childhood?

The Emperor Waltz, by Johann Strauss II. Not a song, but my dad used to play it a lot while I was growing up.

What is your perfect love song?

This one is tough. Our song, mine and Hubby’s, is not a traditional love song. And since I wish to keep that tidbit of trivia to myself, I shall go with my second choice: At Last, by Etta James.

What song would you want at your funeral?

Well, since The Imperial March would be too cliché, and Who Wants to Live Forever? by Queen would be too heartbreaking, I shall go with Llama, Llama, Duck.

Y’all didn’t think I would be serious at my own funeral, did you?

Time for an encore. One last song that makes you, YOU.

I thought about this one for a while. Fire Woman, by The Cult. Smoke, she is arising 😉

I’m Not a Hand Model, Either

But I was inspired by my interwebby friends Laura and Nicole. Besides, it is a small vanity to have, one with which I can live. So, I decided to be a hand model for today, showing off Ladies and Magenta-Men by O.P.I. What can I say? I liked the name, and the color is a very bright magenta, to which my iPhone 3 GS camera doesn’t do justice.

Well, you know I was going to hold a knife. A gun would not have been clichè enough 😉

Memed

So I was minding my own business, reading the blogs, when I saw that The Real Dave had posted a challenge: just something to reveal a little more about myself. Like y’all don’t know enough about me already. But I’m feeling low on inspiration, so I will take the easy way out, and answer the questions.

#1– Book or movie, and why?

Well, this one is a no brainer for me. Books! There is far more detail in a book than in an adaptation of it on film. It also lets me imagine the scenario far better than if I were watching another person’s interpretation of it. I usually find myself disappointed in that regard.

#2– Real book, or e-book?

Oh dear…. Full disclosure: I own a Nook Color tablet and a Nook reader. And still I prefer the feel of the pages. I can’t help it. The anticipation of physically turning the page to read what’s next is palpable to me.

#3– Funniest thing you’ve done in the past five years?

Every day here is an adventure. Lately I have been having some issues, but that’s not to say funny stuff doesn’t go on. One of the funniest things was the horrible time I had trying to make some bread. I couldn’t find the blade for the bread machine, and spilled oil all over the floor, and slipped and fell on my derriere. The dog was very judgmental that day, too.

#4– Do you put yourself in the books you read/write, or the movies you watch?

All the time. Sometimes it’s disappointing in a movie, because you see the lead character through your eyes, and when they do something that goes against your beliefs or your facts, you want to yell and tell them to do it right. Once again, books win out.

#5– How would your best friend describe you?

Hubby is my best friend. I’m pretty sure the terms “naive” and “neurotic” would be used, but overall, he still thinks I’m ok.

#6– Favorite kind of car and why?

This is where y’all will hate Aggie. My answer is…. none. I view cars as utilitarian, their purpose to get me from point A to point B. End of story. Some cars out there have beautiful lines, and awesome engines, but I just don’t have a favorite in that regard.

#7– Would your choice of party be a catered meal, or a barbeque out back?

BBQ, for sure. The catered meal sounds awesome, until you take into account the social graces that you must practice with it. I’m not saying I couldn’t do it, but sometimes it strikes me as pretentious and phoney. A BBQ is laid back, and feels more natural as well as strikes a primal chord. I just can’t see me talking about Aunt Bunny’s mustache at a catered affair.

#8– What is your favorite season and why?

Hm…. I like all but Winter. I don’t care for cold weather. I happen to think sn*w is a four letter word. But if I had to pick one, I would say Spring. I love to see my bluebonnets bloom.

#9– What specific lesson have you learned: spiritual, educational, occupational?

I learned that you can’t take a break from giving everything you can.

#10– Besides writing (for the blog, or otherwise), what’s your favorite thing to do when you get some extra time?

Uh, what extra time? Does sleep count? If I get inspired, I do some altered artwork, or read. That always helps me gather myself.

#11– What is one place you can be found at least once a week?

Well, everyone knows I love bubblebaths. But you can also find me sitting under the tree out front. It’s the one place I can think, and hopefully, the one place where I can hear answers.

Well, if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged, and go meme yourself 😉

Stories in Review

Before I link the stories that so far have been written, I wish to thank all of you who participated, and those who are also planning on participating in the challenge. It isn’t always easy to find inspiration, especially when a harridan gives you a deadline. But I also wish to thank the readers for finding and lurking around our blogs. I hope y’all were as entertained as I was.

Here is a list of the stories written for the challenge, so far:

Autumn People: The Stockyard Girl

Epic Entropy: Rendezvous at Eight

Fountain Abbey: One Rainy Day (Part 1)

Jay in Ames: The Sithy Challenge

John D: Tight

Lemur King’s Folly: The Starkness of Being

Reluctant Rebel: Nightmarish Morning

Snugg Harbor: A Recollection of December (Part 1)

Soylent Green: The Transmogrifier: A Tale Of Terror

The Necromancer: Glances could kill. Love was outlawed.

Third World County: Well, It Ain’t Mrs. Murphy’s Chowder

Uncivil Peasants: The Breach

Yabu: Merced Recibida, Libertad Vendida

Make sure you stop by, and hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have. I can’t wait to read the rest!

Befitting the Sin

It was cold. She sat in the room, waiting her turn. Looking around in apprehension, she bleakly noticed how even the total whiteness of the room seem to clash with everything. Her eyes roamed, noticing the small details: the crack in the ceiling, the pulled loop in the carpet, even the peeling of the veneer on the bottom of the door.

The same door that would soon open, just for her.

Tensing at the thought, she tried vainly to think of good things, sweet things. She would give anything to be outside in the sun right now, letting the rays warm her again. But she had disobeyed. At first, it was so easy to adhere to the rules. Monotonous, even. But that monotony was the start of her disquiet. The need arose for something else to fill the void and the awful taste of it. One rule broken, just a small rule, just once, led to sneaking, and lying, and to where she sat now: awaiting her punishment. Her shoulders ached from the tension, her teeth chattered from the cold, her hands rubbed almost raw. Stealing a glance at her mother, she wondered what she was thinking. Her mother sat silently, staring straight ahead, her eyes far away, as if she could see through the awful white wall. She was afraid to say anything, afraid to break the spell that kept her mother silent. She would give anything to turn the clock back, to go back to before and to obey the simple rules. It was too late, she knew that. Now she was here, and she had to go through with it.

The clock mocked her, refusing to move its hands faster. She prayed quietly, the fervent litany cut short by voices emanating from beyond the door. She noticed the marks on the doorknob, wondering how they were made, feeling her heart stop as she realized they looked like claw marks. –This is a nightmare–, she thought. –A nightmare of your own making–, said the little voice inside her. –Shut up, Shut Up, SHUT UP!!!–, her mind screamed. She could feel the hot tears behind her eyelids. She heard the knob turning, her fear freezing her mind and her eyes watching the slow turn of the knob, counter-clockwise and grinding in her ears. Her mother stood up, resigned and looking so tired, turning to her and gesturing for her to get up. The time had finally come. She looks up to find a young woman, starched and rather pretty, smiling down at her. She swallows hard, the woman’s words ringing in her ears as she slides past:

Once Upon a Time….

I have done lists, I have done letters, and I have done open threads.

But I have yet to write a short story.

I’ll admit, I have a very fertile imagination. And it does tend to run away before I can tether it to the medulla oblongata. I think it comes with the melodrama gene. My teachers in high school always loved my short stories, and college professors borrowed them for their own classes. In retrospect that could have been a bad thing, but I like to pretend they were flattering me.

So here is my challenge to my blogger friends: write a simple short story. No word limit, no theme in particular. Just whatever you fancy writing, and post at your blog on Monday.

As always, just enjoy what you write, and if y’all go the scary route, please by all that is holy, give me a warning, ok?? 😀

UPDATE: for those of you that wish to participate but don’t have a blog, I will feature the stories here, just leave a comment and I’ll send you my email!

Under My Skin

A while back I challenged y’all to post some of your favorite things. That was not only fun, but also gave us an opportunity to get to know one another across the interwebtubenets. But there are always two sides to every coin, right? And so, I challenge you yet again. This time, to post the things you like least, or hate, or pet peeves, or whatever you like to call them. Here are my Top Ten of Things I Really Do Not Like™:

1. People with a shopping cart full of groceries in the 10 items or less lane. No explanations necessary.
2. Left lane vigilantes. It is not their job to dictate how fast I can go. If I want a ticket I will by God earn it!
3. Talking on cellphones while driving a vehicle.
4. History months.
5. Gum smacking. If you want to imitate a cow, do it out in the field.
6. Zero tolerance policies.
7. Airing of dirty laundry on social media sites. I do NOT need to know how about your love life. Or lack thereof.
8. Cajun food. STOP JUDGING ME!! It tastes like dirt to me.
9. Hair in my shirt. It drives me totally nuts.
10. Celebrity endorsements. I don’t trust someone who acts for a living.

So there you have it. My list of things I hate. Feel free to do a list at your site or social website and leave a link to it in the comments. I am sure that I can always add to mine.

For an easy going person, I sure have a lot of issues 😀

Sithy Challenge

I’m sure we are familiar with this stuff around the social networks, as well as our blogs. But I’m fairly new to having my own blog, so I thought I would challenge my friends in the interwebtubenets to do a challenge. Oh, nothing like the Letter a Month challenge I did at the start of the blog! Just a simple list of Ten Favorite Things. Here’s my list:

#1– Favorite candy: Chocolate. This is not news.

#2– Favorite movie: Casablanca.

#3– Favorite drink: Midori Sour. Mojito comes a close second. Very close. Some would say it’s a statistical tie.

#4– Favorite dessert: Creme Brulee.

#5– Favorite city: Venice. Even the slums were romantic.

#6– Favorite pasttime: Reading. There are 20 books by my side of the bed. Ten by the bathtub.

#7– Favorite clothing: Pajamas. No contest.

#8– Favorite animal: Owls tie with llamas. But in fairness, owls came first.

#9– Favorite flower: Calla lily.

#10 Favorite music: Classical ties with classic rock. Depends on the mood. And whether the kids are around.

So there you have it. Some of my favorite things. If you decide to participate in the challenge, do a list at your blog or at your favorite social site, and leave a link here in the comments 😀

Have fun!!

Letter to the Person in the Mirror

This is the final letter to the month-long Letter Challenge. I was supposed to have this done on Saturday, but I seldom post on the weekends, and then Monday was Independence Day, so naturally this got bumped to Tuesday.

This is not an easy letter to write. I am….not fond of looking too closely at my visage. Things tend to glare back at you harshly. But I’ll try.

To my reflection,

I used to see my father there all the time. As I grew older, and became a mom, I started seeing more of my mother. That dreaded “eleven” showed up between my brows, and I remember crying, thinking how angry it made me look. I paid attention to the mirror less and less, hoping that the person in it would no longer change. But that was futile, because you were there every time I walked past. But I started to see things differently.

I see the grey hair, and I think of the times my children drove me insane with worry.

I see the wrinkles, and think of the laughter they inspired.

I see the bags under my eyes, and remember staying up late with them, watching movies, rubbing tummy aches away, or searching for snakes.

I see chipped nails, and think of them asking for help with projects.

I see stretch marks, and think of the joy in earning them.

And now, every time I look in the mirror, I don’t see age. I see happiness.

At least until a fight breaks out, and the “eleven” comes back.

Sincerely,

The Me in this Universe

‘Fessing Up

They say confession is good for the soul, and this letter is about confessing something to someone. This will not be pretty.

But after 25 years, I feel it has to be done.

Dear In-Laws,

I love you to death. I do. You guys have treated me like your own daughter for over two decades. We’ve had our ups and downs, and even though life is like a roller coaster in our family, I have to confess something to y’all, and you won’t like it.

I despise Cajun food.

Dirt flavored ICK.

Ok, “despise” is a harsh term. “Loathe”  comes closer to the disgust I feel when I try to ingest Cajun food. It tastes like dirt to me. Dad always thinks he is fixing a special treat for me when he makes his famous Shrimp Gumbo. And he is, judging by the excited faces of the rest of the family as they wait, salivating for a bowl of your majikal stew. But every…single…time I have tried it, it feels like I am swallowing dirt-covered food. And I should know what dirt tastes like! In 25 years I have not been able to adapt to Cajun food, and I think it is safe to say, I never will. I’m sorry, but next time you are serving Cajun I am running to Sonic.

And don’t get me started on the Ox-Tail Soup.

Love y’all,

Me.