Game Time!

Today was a looooong day. I had to take my pup to the vet to investigate this really disgusting mole (maybe?) on her leg. She's 11 and is, what I'm calling... "moling out". (Moles, moles, and more moles. Everywhere she has moles!) Only this one is the size of a nickel and within her reach. She's been gnawing away at it and I was fairly certain it would need to be removed. I know...GROSS. Thankfully, nothing bad showed up in the tests so now it's just a matter of removal to keep it from irritating the heck out of her. They have to put her under, so my vet suggested getting her teeth cleaned at the same time, and even offered to remove a couple of other moles while he's at it. I know, bonus? Too bad teeth cleaning is big monies. Ah well, gotta bite the bullet, I guess. It's wrong of me, but I want the dang mole on the top of her head to go -- it makes her look so funny. Vain. I'm vain about my dog's looks. Sue me.

Anyway, because of said vet visit, I stayed late at work and didn't get home until about 8 o'clock. A fount of energy to write this does not make. I could barely muster the energy to think of something to post tonight. And I'm cheating in the end.

I decided it's game time. I have no idea who's out there reading this blog -- doesn't seem like all that many, but I'm hoping some of y'all will join in.

If you're a writer -- use your current WIP to play. If you're not a writer, but love books, use the book you're currently reading to play. That way, we can all play. :)

First -- figure out the number of pages in your WIP/book. Then go here and get a randomly generated number between 1 and said number of pages.

Got your page #?

In the comments, post the entire page if you choose -- or bits that you really enjoy. It's up to you. If using another author's work, be sure to include proper credit. If you blog, please pass on the game and see if we can really get it going. Don't leave me hangin', yo!

My number was 256, and I'm going to post the entire page. So, without further ado... from WALKING IN SHADOW, pg 256:

"I love you, Mac," he slurred.

"Aw," I said. "That's sweet, but if you touch me again, I'm going to remove every one of your appendages. That includes the little one, stud." I gave him a soft pat on the chest and walked away.

It was only then that I realized Jenna was gone.

"Shit," I muttered, scanning the crowd. People milled about, some still in their cars, some paired off, others in large groups huddled around the kegs someone had brought with us. I paced the perimeter of light thrown by the fires blazing in the center of the lot. She wasn't anywhere. Neither was Mike. That meant they'd gone into the surrounding woods.

Cursing myself for letting her slip out of sight, I searched the crowds again. This time for Melanie and Ty. Neither of them was present, and I could only assume they'd pursued the couple. Caleb, however, caught my attention. Chelsea was suction cupped to his side. I met his eyes, shaking my head at his unspoken question.

His eyes hardened and swept the area, coming up empty a moment later. I motioned for him to stay where he was, but as always, he didn't listen. He disentangled Chelsea's arms from around his chest and came up even with my already fast pace a moment later.

"Can you hear them?"

I shook my head. I'd tried that already. "No one's exactly

~end~

Your turn!!

On a side note, my horror fest continues.

This last weekend I watched The Stand. I have to say, I like the book soooooo much better. The movie just seems really low budget. So, if you're unfamiliar, it's basically about a contagion that wipes out most of the worlds population. There's a devil like character and a God like character, and they draw the survivors to them, pitting the good against the evil. I have to chuckle about some of the choices the filmmakers made--especially the opening scene. In it, an army base worker is alerted to a leak from one of the "vaults" on site and is commanded to "close the main gate, soldier!" He doesn't. He runs off to retrieve his family and then books it off base. The clincher is when the camera cuts back to the gate -- a friggin' chain link fence. Bwhaha. I love it. Who knew holey metal was such a paragon of safety against airborne contagions. Too bad he didn't roll it closed before beating it out of town. *snort*

I also squeezed in Killer Party. Ha. This movie is so cheesy but I LOVE it. It's centered around three friends rushing a sorority and the haunted frat house they keep throwing parties at. HILARIOUS but surprisingly freaky toward the end. It has the funniest opening to a movie ever, if you ask me. (This opening is long but soooo worth its weight in cheese. It just keeps on giving.)


Hair bands rule!!

Finally, as I'm typing out this post, I'm watching The Fog. Not the remake, but the original with Adrienne Barbeau. Again, LOVE it. Creepy lepers that come out of the fog! How much better can movies get??

Old Friends

Do you ever buy a new CD from a favorite musical artist only to discover that they've changed their style? Inevitably, your expectations are dashed. True, you may grow to like, maybe even love, the new style -- but it's still not quite what you wanted when you first popped that CD in to play. Well, this weekend I had the pleasant surprise of two artists I absolutely love living up to each and every expectation I had.

Rilo Kiley's new CD RKives (New meaning April -- I'm a little behind. :))

The first single on the CD is called Let Me Back In. I have to tell you, this song just brought a smile to my face. It's got such an old-fashioned sound, but with that certain Rilo Kiley twist that I love. Plus, the feeling behind the song reminds me that no matter where I go or what I may do there's always one special place that will always be "home." This video is good fun, too!



Plumb's CD Need You Now (February -- really behind on this one)

I love her CD Chaotic Resolve because it has a lot of songs with a real rock edge to them. The kind of songs that make you want to hit the dance floor -- and trust me, y'all... I never want to do that. Cage reminds me so much of her sound from Chaotic Resolve and I was sold at first listen to this number. And what about that kickass picture on her cover! LOVE IT!



It's been a very happy music week. :) *satisfied listener*

I also got the newest A Fine Frenzy. I'll be sure to share once I have a listen.

Good Job!

Way to get it right, Amazon! You do know me so well.

*definitely interested*

WTF

So has anyone seen the movie Something Borrowed?

Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin...best friends... sorta? Anyone?

I caught this flick a couple of weeks ago and it's been on my mind ever since. Not for the usual, feel-good, I really loved this movie reasons. It's just that it provoked such opposing emotions for me that I don't know whether or not I actually liked it. And once it was over, all I wanted was to see it again so I could try to puzzle it all out.

Okay, let me break it down.

Ginnifer Goodwin plays Rachel, who is best friends with Darcy (Kate Hudson). Rachel is your typical girl next door. Sweet, giving, a bit of a doormat when it comes to taking the back seat to Darcy. Darcy--the cool, popular, as deep as a puddle, pretty girl. They've known each other forever. And for some reason, despite their obvious differences, and despite the fact that they don't particularly seem to like each other a lot of the time--they're presented as closer than close.

The movie starts with Darcy throwing Rachel a surprise 30th birthday party. She gives this wonderful speech about how Rachel is like a sister...and then proceeds to steal all of Rachel's thunder by gaining and keeping everyone's attention on herself. She's obnoxious, egocentric, and had they not pronounced themselves as best friends, you'd swear they were actually enemies. Frenemies.

As it turns out, Rachel is a bit of a brainiac and went to law school. (Boy did that bring up memories. Especially when all of the flashbacks centered around her Torts class. lol) During her first day of Torts, Rachel meets Dex -- cute, nice, and oh so heroic when he comes to her rescue by lending her a pen. (It was quite dramatic.) They become study partners and when Dex finally asks her out--under the guise of celebrating the end of finals--lo and behold, Darcy sweeps in to interrupt what might've been the beginning of a very sweet romance. Rachel, being the nice door mat that she is, is intimidated by Darcy's level of cool and immediately steps aside, believing she can't compete. Dex, misreading the situation, believes Rachel isn't interested in him after all. His expression is like a puppy dog that's been kicked, HARD, when he thinks Rachel doesn't return his affections, and rejected, he turns his eye to Darcy. Seriously. Anyone with half a brain could see Rachel and Dex were head over heels for one another. But in less than 3 minutes, everything does a complete 180 for them.

Flash forward to Rachel's birthday party -- where we see that Darcy and Dex are now engaged and about to get married. (So wrong.)

One thing leads to another and Dex and Rachel find themselves out that night together for a drink. And ta-da! Rachel reveals that she once had a crush on him...and again, here comes the weepy puppy dog expression. Could she have really liked him?? How could he have wasted 6 years with Darcy when he could've been with Rachel the entire time??

Wait for it.

They sleep together that night, thus embarking on one of the most effed up romances I've ever seen.

Why? Because despite having sex with another woman, Dex continues his sham engagement to Darcy. WORSE! The trio end up renting a summer house together with a group of friends and Dex and Darcy get it on--porn-style--so that the entire household can overhear them. And despite this, Rachel and Dex keep seeing each other.

OMG.

There are a lot of other horrible things that happen, but the end result is that I found myself rooting for Rachel and Dex to get together. Even though I thought they were both sort of gross --no, fully gross -- for their behavior. Even though Dex drove me crazy for his inability to just walk away from Darcy and go for the girl he really wanted. Even though Rachel had absolutely no backbone or self-esteem to believe herself worthy of something better. I.Still.Wanted.Them.To.Get.Together.

I wanted them to get together. *hand meet forehead*

This, y'all. This is the puzzle I've been trying to figure out since watching it. Why in the world did I root for these arseholes?

As despicable as Rachel and Dex behaved, I have to admit that I thought Darcy was much, much worse. Maybe I rooted for the former two because Darcy was so self-absorbed that she either didn't notice or just didn't care that she basically stole Dex away from Rachel in the first place. Maybe it was because of some of the other awful things she did during this movie (I don't want to spoil it too much). Was it because Darcy represents all of the things we love to hate about some girls--pretty, not all that bright, but able to get whatever guy's attention she sets her sights on? The mean girl who can be nice to you when she needs something, and turn around the next second to completely cut you down? Darcy is the MASTER of backhanded insults. Did I root for Rachel because she's "nice" and well, played by Ginnifer Goodwin who I think is ADORABLE?

In the end, I fear I rooted for Rachel and Dex because, of all the arseholes in this movie, Darcy was the biggest one. I think I was able to forgive them because the movie makers made Darcy's actions sooooooo much more unforgiveable. She out arse-holed them. Simple as that.

Does this relate to writing? Of course it does. :) I'm just not sure how to use it quite yet. lol

If you've seen this movie, I'd love to hear what you thought. Maybe it was me. *shrug* (g)

Honestly, the cutest part of the movie. Darcy and Rachel reenact their childhood dance performance to Salt N' Pepa's Pushit.

Exploring New Ideas

I have really vivid dreams sometimes. I mean, crystal clear, hard to forget dreams that stick with me. When I was younger, I used to have a recurring nightmare about this demonic little girl in this rundown house. I probably had this dream a dozen or more times, and I would actually say to my dream self, "Oh no, not again." Seriously. SCARY stuff. The worst part is that it would be the same each and every time. And even though I'd experienced it on such a consistent loop, it still scared me senseless. To the point I wouldn't want to go back to sleep out of fear of dropping back into it. And yes, that happened on occasion.

Thankfully, I haven't had that dream in a long time. Let's hope I haven't stirred it up by talking about it here. (g) I can still remember bits and pieces of it, but thank gawd, it's fading around the edges. I would gladly give up the few brain cells that are still clinging to its memory in order to have it gone for good. JUst sayin'.

Don't even get me started on my dreams about sharks. Holy moley. I mean, really??

You could say my imagination has always been overly active. I suspect this has a great deal to do with the fact my mother introduced me to horror films at a VERY young age. Five, to be exact. And yes, this will age me -- but my mother took my sister and me to see the original Halloween. Y'all, I think we lasted until the girl bit it in the garage. We screamed non-stop and she was forced to take us out of the theatre. Let's hear it for the good parenting decisions made by young mothers. LOL. At any rate, and probably completely unbeknownst to my mother at the time--she kicked off what would be a life-long love/hate relationship between me and horror movies. I love to be scared. I hate to be scared. And dang it, I can't lay off.

Where was I going with this?

Yes. Dreams.

As a writer, my dreams have started becoming quite useful for generating story ideas. Oh, I have enough waking ideas to deal with, and as with most people, my dreams can be somewhat scattered and completely random. But there are the occasional dreams (little girl in the house, anyone?) that really tell a story that my waking mind can't let go of. I recently had one such dream -- well, actually, it was quite a few months ago. But no matter how much time passes, I can't seem to let it go. It sparked an idea and I'm dying...DYING... to play around with it. A real pickle when I have an overdue book I need to write. (MEH!)

I see the characters, I see the story, I feel the tension and emotions involved. I want to write this book!

But yes, it will have to remain on the back burner for now. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

That said, I stumbled back to CompuServe Writers Forum this month--after a very prolonged absence--and writers exercises was hosting a 5 week, 5 act story exercise -- with each act limited to 100 words. It was too tempting to pass up. I had to join in. These probably aren't the prettiest words I've ever written--some spots are just downright MEH to me now--but it was a great opportunity to explore this new idea and see what I could come up with. Oh, and did I mention that each week we had five random words chosen for us that we had to incorporate?? Yeah, tough one. And you really had to think about each word to make it beneath the word count. I'm happy to say, I ended up with exactly 498 words in the end. SHAZAAM!

So, I thought I'd share it with y'all -- if there's actually anyone out there reading, that is. LOL. This idea doesn't even have so much as a working title -- it's that fresh. And despite the point of the exercise, I'm not sure I wrote a complete story. It's more of a thread of a thread, that yes, ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Hey, did you expect anything less from me? (g)

~
Week One: Intro of setting and characters and inciting incident.
incite, endless, drive, pact, over

Week Two: Act I - Rising action, development of conflict
astray, blood, toast, cursed, boardinghouse

Week Three: Act III - Twists and reversals
grain, obey, approach, backward, eyetooth

Week Four: Act IV - Climax and resolution
bizarre, forgotten, abomination, feast, black

Week Five: – Denouement
Inner, pinch, belong, treasure, dove
~

The barren landscape stretched before Charlie’s eyes, endless and unforgiving. She wanted this to be over, to lay her weary body down on the hard ground and lose herself in a dream. Only in sleep’s embrace could she go back to the way things were before. She staggered, almost giving in. But no, it was unforgivable to lose herself to this fantasy. Her father was gone. She must press on. Drive harder. Spencer’s actions had incited the wraiths into attacking. By God, if she had to make a pact with the devil himself, she would make him pay.

~

Several days passed before Charlie stumbled upon Spencer’s trail. Exhausted, she shuffled toward a cluster of abandoned buildings, convinced she was being led astray by delirium. Thankfully they were real. She pushed through the rotted door of what appeared to be an old boardinghouse. Its rooms were numerous, but she dropped her pack on the main floor, too tired to explore. It was there she spied the remains of a fire. She plunged her fingers into the ash and cursed. It was cold. Had Spencer toasted his toes here? She smiled. At last, she’d caught the scent of his blood.

~

The uneven grain of the wood floor made sleep nearly impossible. She’d have given her eyetooth for a real bed. When sleep at last found her, it was an uneasy and dreamless sleep, her mind unable to give her even a brief reprieve from this waking nightmare. On alert, she jerked upright, not knowing what had awoken her until it was too late. Spencer. She hadn’t heard him approach and cursed her own body for its weakness. Spencer looked as beat up as she felt. Gun in hand, he motioned for her to move backward, against the wall. She obeyed.

~

Growth covered the planes of Spencer’s face, his eyes black in the pale moonlight seeping through the window. For some bizarre reason, Charlie wanted to see his eyes—eyes blue as the sky she’d longed for her entire life. She shook herself. These feelings were an abomination to her father’s memory. Ones best forgotten. Calculating her chances of disarming the boy, Charlie was surprised when Spencer unceremoniously flipped the gun and pressed its grip into her palm. Her fingers curled around the gun. At last she could feast upon her anger and have her vengeance.

“Charlie,” he said.

She faltered.

~

One beat, two. The thud of metal meeting wood.

Her fingers dove into his hair, fisting around the thick strands to pull him close. Just one taste, her inner voice argued. One small moment to treasure during the dark nights to come.

Cursing herself, Charlie snaked a belt around his neck, pinching off his ragged breaths with one hard jerk. She made quiet shushing noises against his temple until at last he succumbed, crumpling to the ground, unconscious.

Tears wet her eyes. The decision of whether he lived or died no longer belonged to her.

“Please, God. Help us both.”

~The End~

It's not great, but it's something to use once I'm able to focus on this story. Until then, it will continue to simmer in the back of my mind. :)


OH...and yes, my horror movie fest continues. Of course, it does! How else am I going to take in enough fodder to have some freakishly scary dreams?!

Tonight's feature: 30 Days of Night

I'll be honest -- I've only seen it once, and I don't really remember much about it. Not even whether or not I enjoyed it. But I'm willing to give it another shot. It has Josh Hartnett in it, and he's a cutie patootie.

Check out this little freak-a-doodle. Vampire children are scary.

Tonight's Feature

I had an extremely long day. I'm not feeling well. At all. That said, the horrorfest continues. Mostly because I can't find the energy to do much else. Vegging in front of the TV is doable at the moment, and I highly doubt I'll last long doing even such a non-energy requiring activity. Most likely I'll be conked out in the next ten minutes. :)

Tonight's choice: Wrong Turn

COME ON, people. This movie is actually pretty dang entertaining. The backwoods inbred freaks in this movie are SCARY. I mean, look at this guy!!

Plus it stars Eliza Dushku of Buffy fame. Hot girls, hot guys... inbred freaks... What's not to love?