Jazmee27 
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Mom's not ready to order yet
"I'm still collecting my thoughts. If you haven't heard from me by 8:30, call me." |
Reply #1421. Oct 02 11, 5:53 PM
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Jazmee27
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More stories while i wait:
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Character Development
It’s amazing to me how I could have lost interest in writing the drama like I did. It’s not the first time, either. And the main problem can be summed up in just two words: character development.
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Reply #1422. Oct 02 11, 5:55 PM
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Jazmee27
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Latest Idea
Certain inspirations are easier to analyze than others. For example, my main evil character is a combination of ‘The Riddle and the Rune’ and Mike.
And sometimes, a particular incident will present itself as being the primary inspiration for a certain scene. For instance, I’ve just finished redoing side a of tape 7—and the part where Anastasia seems so much older than 11 is directly from recent experience—in which *I feel older than my age!
Experience tends to do that to a person.
On tape six, she threatens bodily harm on Brendyn the next time she sees him. But on tape seven, though still very much grieving, her perspective changes: “I’ve turned a corner, so to speak… We keep forgetting that just because we’ve been gifted with powers, that there are certain things we can’t do. As Maria’s fond of telling us, ‘superhuman Powers doesn’t mean superhuman emotions.’ We’re just as vulnerable as anyone else… The Dark can’t take our soul, not if we don’t allow them to… It’s not as simple as that, but there’s a certain strength of character—as long as we remain true to ourselves, They can do whatever They want to us… We may not survive the war, but They cannot break our spirits like They can our physical bodies. Remember that.”
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Reply #1423. Oct 02 11, 5:55 PM
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Jazmee27
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Desperate
I redid the whole “Realm of Nightmares” bit, focusing more on psychological, rather than physical, torment—though as Qydra’s temper frays more and more, he gets decidedly more violent. I’m not sure what I based the previous tapings of this scene on, but this time I relied more on certain experiences than any reading I’ve done—except for the physical bit, where at one point I use a combination of imagination and modern literature.
I also taped over part of side b of tape 7. In it, Alonso’s already regained consciousness—as has Brendyn—but Maria has serious doubts about whether Ontario will as well. “Times are really desperate when…”
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Reply #1424. Oct 02 11, 5:56 PM
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Jazmee27
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Eight times four
It must be my unlucky number or something. Four tapes in the trash, none of them quite complete. Two were pitched months ago, the other two just a few days ago. And maybe I was upset at first, but eventually I found myself giving thanks—for each time, I was forced to begin the scene anew, and each time wound up with something better than before.
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Reply #1425. Oct 02 11, 5:57 PM
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Jazmee27
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Earthquake
When Mom came to help me with the laundry, she asked if I’d felt the quake. “Since when do we have earthquakes?” The answer: they’re rare, but not unheard of. Put another way, “Pennsylvania experiences a low level of earthquake activity compared to active states such as Alaska or California (Pennsylvania Geological Survey Web Site).
The quake, which was centered around Virginia, was listed in some sources as a magnitude 5.8, whereas one Public News outlet said 5.9.Regardless, it was felt as far north as Canada and as far south as North Carolina.
I remember the only thing I thought when the ground was shaking was, ‘what the hell?’ Actually, that was my first thought; my second: ‘whatever you do, **don’t *move!’
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Reply #1426. Oct 02 11, 5:58 PM
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Jazmee27
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Night Terror
“They’re gonna find you, just believe/You’re not a person, you’re a disease.” – Daughtry, “All These Lives”
It’s been about a year since I read “Zeitoun,” but last night certain details came back to me. In spite of the AC, it was still very hot in the apartment, reminding me of how stifling it must have been in the story before Katrina hit. Over and over, I kept hearing the phrase “it’s the calm before the storm.” And as I sank deeper and deeper into sleep, I became conscious of a loud roaring in my ears; and each time I needed to use the bathroom I found it difficult to rouse myself, and harder still to wake up this morning.
I’ve known nightmares—even had recurrent ones—most of which involve either running through a forest or being otherwise trapped. Those times, the vivid images fly away as soon as I wake; if anything, I’m left with a pervasive sense of terror. But just this week, there have been two exceptions to the rule, although last night’s was certainly more vivid, presumably due to how frayed my nerves were yesterday, what with the upcoming storm and Michael going to the hospital. But the other dreamwas just as terrifying—the only difference is, for the most part it faded when I woke, except for the terror—and the knowledge that I’d been running away from two *names. Not people, just the names of said people.
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Reply #1427. Oct 02 11, 5:59 PM
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Jazmee27
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Just a bird
On January 6, 2005, Edy and his two childrenthen ten and eleven, came home from the YMCA like they did every night around that time, to find me crying hysterically. My 6- or 7-year-old parakeet, Ellie, had just died in my hand. “It’s just a dumb bird,” Edy told me harshly. Later that same night, Edward came to my room to apologize for his father, saying what he’d said to me was rude. I don’t know what Elysha’s thoughts on the matter were—she always kept to herself—except when it came to her hateful, resentful attitude. Part of me knows Edy didn’t necessarily mean to be insensitive; according to him, (1) only people are deserving of grief, and (2) animals should be allowed to roam free and thus should never be someone’s pet.___
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Reply #1428. Oct 02 11, 6:00 PM
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Jazmee27
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Not conceivable
At the beginning of tape eight, there’s a hilarious scene between Qydra and Viktorio in which the Fairy Lord’s good humor comes to the surface:
Viktorio (furiously): Inconceivable!
Qydra (trying to suppress a grin): You know, our enemies are right—you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Viktorio (indignantly): Of course I do.
Qydra: Then… what’s the dictionary definition of the word?
Viktorio: Uh… Not conceivable!
Qydra (shaking with uncontrollable laughter): That tells me nothing.
It should be noted that certain dictionaries *do define inconceivable this way—and every time, it makes me roll on the floor laughing.
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Reply #1429. Oct 02 11, 6:00 PM
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Jazmee27
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Oh, the games we played
My heart clenches whenever I think of the countless hours spent with Edward and Elysha when they were younger, playing various games. Some were played outdoors, but most were indoor—and, though it got me in trouble, I didn’t force them to sit sstill and listen to a book, or play cards or a board game, that Is unless they wanted to.Mom, and their father, thought I set a poor example for them; but I was, and still am, of the opinion that attempting to stamp out their creativity and need for constant action was a bad idea. Therefore, I let them dictate what we did.
When we first moved into the same house, I was 21, and Edward and Elysha eight and nine. Some, but by no means all, of our games were:
- Bird;
- Vampires;
- Quentin, Ariel and Victorio (and later, Bianca);
- Ruler and servant; and
- School
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Reply #1430. Oct 02 11, 6:01 PM
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Jazmee27
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Sentimental
En route to Park City this afternoon to look for school supplies for his birthday present, Edward let Mom know he’d canceled plans to go to church that evening because he wanted to spend more time with her: “I rarely see you; can’t we just spend the day together?” Of course, Mom had other plans—and with the storm coming…
Anyway, Mom and the kids got to the mall and began their shopping. Mom wasn’t too crazy about going to Park City, but as that’s where the kids wanted to go, she agreed—on the condition they watch their spending: “I put them on a budget,” she explained to her friend Stephanie.
And all went well, except for “at one point, Elysha started acting out because she wasn’t getting enough attention. I tried redirecting her, which really doesn’t work because she gets even more of an attitude. Edward called to me from the tee-shirt aisle, saying he needed help. When I got over there, he told me, ‘I don’t really need anything. I just don’t want you two to start bickering. I don’t want her to ruin the day.’
“I feel kind of bad, because he’ll bend over backwards for her, but she can be so manipulative… she can be sweet as honey when she wants to, and other times she’s real nasty.” And that’s why, in the end, I distanced myself from her. I’d tried, again and again, to befriend her, to be nice, but… The one time, she stole my bus money—about fifty or sixty dollars—then lied about it! I didn’t have the box locked because I’d broken it somehow—and I never expected dishonesty from either of the children. From that time on, I (a)bought a lock for my bedroom door, (b) had next to no respect for the innocent-sounding girl, and )c) kept my cash in an undisclosed location.
Then again, thinking back, Edward has always gotten in trouble with his teachers for his behavior—and there were several times he snuck into my room in order to scare me. But when he found stuff on the floor, he’d pick it up and give it to me—there may have been one incident with him taking a cell phone bag or something, but he apologized later and gave it back. And, whereas Elysha always had an ulterior motive when she called me “Big Sis,” Edward didn’t—he’s always been the more sentimental of the two.
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Reply #1431. Oct 02 11, 6:02 PM
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Jazmee27
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Precautions
From what Mom saw on the TV, Maryland’s being hammered by Hurricane Irene. “The most we’ll have to deal with is flooding, but you won’t have any flooding,” Mom said when we were on the phone earlier. The most you’ll have, and even that’s doubtful, but the winds might cause your windows to break. In that case, the fire department’s down the street from you, and it’s fully staffed. BvcThey’re all volunteers, but given this oncoming storm, they’re awake and ready to help anyone who needs it. And I have your key, so if you need me I can get in.”
Then I told her about my own precautions: “Really? Are you sure you want to do that? Will you be comfortable on the couch?” Forget for a moment I’ve done it before—several times in the winter, when the wind whistled outside my window.
“Are you lying with your head facing the window, or down toard Ethan’s cage?” Well, come to think of it… “I’d put your head at the other end.” OK-that makes sense. “And his cage is partially covered, right?” Well, no—the cover fell down and I didn’t think to pick it up.
So, when I hung up I went over to the light switch so I wouldn’t scare the poor bird, then sat on the stuffed chair to retrieve the cover so I could put it back on. I also changecd into a shirt and pants set instead of the nightgown I’d had on. Only then did I rearrange the pillows so my head was at the bottom of the couch by Ethan’s cage. I may be overreacting with these precautions, but one can’t be too careful. Plus, if we get the high winds and thunderstorms we’re supposed to, I’ll be comforted to know Ethan’s still in the room. And last night’s dream is still with me.
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Reply #1432. Oct 02 11, 6:03 PM
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Jazmee27
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Outages
As of 4:39 in the morning, I was back in my own bed. Before that, I’d made some wrong movement, and pulled a muscle in my back. And I fell on my way back from the bathroom—which was when I went into my room.
Before that, there was a moment in which the silence was so profound I thought I’d lost electric—but trying the light switch proved otherwise. It’s just another reminder that sometimes the refrigerator makes noise, and at other times it doesn’t.
When I finally got moving, around 9:10, I immediately flipped one of the two switches on the wall in the bathroom. I may not, under ordinary circumstances, need the light or the fan, but it’s a good way to test for power. So far, it’s holding—but Mom’s out, as is her job. As a result, she had to go into the office.
From what I can glean from the radio, the winds are supposed to die down sometime tonight, and both a ‘flood warning,’ and a ‘tropical storm warning’ have been issued.
So far, Grandma has electric and no water in the basement—surprising, as the creek’s overflowed its banks. She was talking to Anita earlier, and she said Charlie’s stuck down in Baltimore, and a tree smashed down on Darlene’s car. Other than that, all is quiet.
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Reply #1433. Oct 02 11, 6:04 PM
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Jazmee27
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How Strange
My mind goes back to a conversation Tiffany and I had when we began working on the drama together. One of her comments was that it was hard to say my main character’s name as it reminded her of a place. Well, yes—and that’s probably why it’s tough for me, too—but what’s so strange about it? I mean, there are other place-people names: Virginia and Carolina spring to mind.
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Originally called Why Strange?
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Reply #1434. Oct 02 11, 6:05 PM
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Jazmee27
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Violation
It’s one of those times I sit there thinking, ‘what?’
When Mom called earlier to ask what I was doing, I replied truthfully that I was reading one of the Virtual Blogs on FunTrivia. I explained, as best I could, what makes it “virtual,” and she asked if I had one. I told her I did, and that I mention different aspects of my daily life.
- Mom: Am I in there?
- Me: Yes.
- Mom: Anything I should be worried about?
- Me: No—nothing but good, Mom.
- Mom: Do you include an ything personal out there?
- Me (hesitantly): It depends what you mean by “personal.”
- Mom: Do you mention my name?
- Me: No.
- Do you mention where I work?
- Me: I don’t think so.
- Mom: Do you mention my title?
- Me (hesitantly): Yeah.
- Mom: Don’t do that again… You realize you just violated my privacy?
Oops.
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Reply #1435. Oct 02 11, 6:06 PM
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Jazmee27
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I hate October. More often than not, I have unlucky days in October (today's date is one, though the only reason I remember for this is I once broke my tape recorder on October 2)
October 31 is easier, as I hurt my knee and was in hospital the next day (which also places November 1 on my list)
I may have had other days in there, but I don't remember anymore (December's surpassed October now, but that's for another day)
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Reply #1436. Oct 02 11, 6:11 PM
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Jazmee27
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Tiffany loves Halloween, as he gets to dress up like a dead person
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Reply #1437. Oct 02 11, 6:16 PM
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Jazmee27
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The following names have been changed to protect those involved.
Clarice works at a nursing home, and her friend Carla used to work there, too. So when she saw an obit about Mrs. Carson, she immediately thought of her friend Clarice. ‘How could I not have read about this,’ Clarice thought.
Well, it just so happens that Clarice is in a meeting a few days later, and who should she see in the crowd but Mrs. Carson. So she texts Carla a message which says, “I see dead people.”
At first, Carla didn’t believe it—then admitted that she didn’t read the obit correctly. The last name was indeed Carson, and she had a husband named Richard, but it wasn’t the resident who resides at Clarice’s Home.
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Reply #1438. Oct 02 11, 6:23 PM
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Jazmee27
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Well, it looks like I won't be purchasing Digital Basic:( "Yes, it's an exclusive online offer, but when I put in your address, all that comes up is the 64, which is the price you were quoted."
So I may end up paying $65 for Cable--but Mom's looking into other options as we speak
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Reply #1439. Oct 02 11, 6:42 PM
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Jazmee27
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"Verizon offers a Cable Service as well, but they do it through Direct TV, and it's not available in your area."
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Reply #1440. Oct 02 11, 6:56 PM
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