Murder Anyone?

This past weekend I went on a camping trip with campus ministry. I had a really good time despite the fact that the majority of the day was spent swatting misquitos. Despite our best efforts, everyone left with at least ten bites, but that is beside the point.

I wish that I had managed to get more writing done over the weekend than I did; I only got a few lines for a couple of stories, but I think I came up with a rather good idea.

One of the pieces that I'm rather attached to is a murder mystery/thriller. Even though I know everything that happens, and I think I know how it ends, there is something still missing, but I think I found part of the problem. When I'm working on this piece, I keep seeing scenes acted out, not from movies I've seen, but what these scenes are supposed to look like. But whenever I try to write them, they never turn out the way they should.

So I made a decision that I will no longer write this story as a novel but as a screen play. Everything seems to work out better that way, because then I can just describe how everything looks rather than try to make it sound like it fits in a novel. I just hope that people are still interested in psychological/thriller dramas, because that is the way this story is turning out to be right now.

Work Frustration

I'm sure that I am not the only one who is rather upset by the small amout of progress that the construction crews on campus are showing. For those involved in theater, God only knows when that will be finished, and if they would get their butts out of the Field House, we may have a few less internet problems since they won't be there to cut the cord with their back hoe. And of course, if they would hurry up and finish, everyone would be able to get into the library again rather than sharing the circulation room with everybody and their cousin.

But the problems with the library construction are causing me particular problems, such as, because the construction crews were so incompentent this summer, we of the library staff are forced to do part of their job for them. I can tell you right now that this is not what I signed up for when I applied for the job. On the nights that we work, we are downstairs in the basement shifting books from one shelf to another for at least an hour. Keep in mind that the basement is not air conditioned and those books are extremely heavy.

Tonight we started moving the last of the books that were upstairs to the basement. While I was just pushing carts from the upstairs into the elevator and then into the basement it wasn't too bad, but then I started emptying the carts in the basement. I can tell you right now that a short person and a very tall bookshelf do not go together, but I filled at least twenty bookshelves tonight, and I probably sweat off five pounds. Three separate times I had a number of heavy books nearly fall on my head, I fell off the stool about ten times, and all and all nearly passed out from heat after an hour.

The thing is, it wouldn't be so bad if we had known that we would be doing all this. If we had been informed that moving books was a garuntee for when we came back, then I wouldn't have liked it, but I would have accepted it. But that is not the case here. Thanks to the construction crew deciding to take a whole month off without informing anybody, and also screwing several things up because they weren't communicating with everybody else, we are three monthes behind schedule and the whole staff is doing work that we weren't supposed to do in the first place. To be perfectly frank, it pisses me off. And it's not my bosses fault at all, and I don't blame her in the least. I blame the construction crew entirely, and I also blame the other construction crews for all the other problems on campus this year. Whether it's right or not doesn't really matter at this point.

New Obsessions

Does anyone else find it amazing at how quickly we can get obsessed with something after only one experience? I find it a little frightening personally. Of course I am referring to myself, and seeing as I'm such a dork, I may be the only one who can take on a new obsession at lightning speed.

My newest obsessions are Humphrey Bogart films, the movie Howl's Moving Castle, Shojo manga, buying books on Wales, and locating and buying Scarlet Pimpernel books.

I know that to most people, part of that list makes absolutely no sense, but don't worry, I'm not going to leave you in the dark.

Whether you believe me or not, I only just saw Casablanca for the first time this summer. Yes, I pretty much have been living under a rock. Before that, my prefered movie genre was any movie with a lot of fights using whatever weapon of choice, I'm not picky. Anyway, I had heard so much about Casablanca that I became sufficiently interested. I was lucky enough to find it at my local library and I watched with my mom and fell in love with it, enough so that I bought it before I came back to school. Since then I have been in love with Humphrey Bogart, and I am trying to get my hands on as many of his films as possible. One big problem, the Blockbuster in this town does not carry any of his movies. Fortunatly, there is a wonderful professor here who is letting me borrow the ones that he has. I just wish there were other places to find them around here because he only as three of them. Oh well, I'll find them some time.

Next obsession, Howl's Moving Castle, a cute Japanese anime movie that I found at blockbuster and am now watching any time I can. Its a wacky movie about wizards and witches and the one normal girl who gets caught up in the whole mess. Yes, its slightly cliche, and some of the lines are really corny, but I love it. And it really helps that Christian Bale and Billy Crystal supply some of the voices for the English dubbed version. I'm sorry to admit that I am not above watching a movie simply because an actor I like is in it. It really is a good movie, and if you can manage to beat me to renting it, you might want to check it out.

Shojo manga, Japanese comics for girls. A lot of drama, a lot of relationships, a lot of tears, and all that other sappy stuff. If you think that really doesn't sound like me from my description of myself through the movies I watch, then I agree with you. I never thought I'd like that sort of thing, but wrap it up in a Japanese manga, and I will read it and love it. If you don't get it, I don't suggest you try, I'm not sure those of us who like manga really get it either. And by the way, if any one knows where I can buy the latest addition of Shojo Beat magazine in this barren little town, please let me know right away, my subscription does not start until next month.

For anyone who does not know, I am planning on studying in Wales for a semester next year, so I am constantly buying books on Wales so that I can get a small idea of what I am getting myself into. Sadly, I have almost no time to actually read them, so I now have about seven books on Wales, but I'm not learning anything. Oh well, I'll get around to it at some point.

And last but certainly not least, Scarlet Pimpernel books. Honestly, this is not a new obsession, I've had this one for about four or five years now. What makes right now different and worth mentioning is that I just recently managed to find three of the series that are almost impossible to find for prices under twenty dollars on amazon. I know what you're thinking, twently dollars is a lot of money for a book. I agree with you, but when the normal price for one of these books is two hundred dollars, I'll take the twenty plus shipping. This discovery has lit a fire under me again, and it has made me quite happy as well.

Sorry for rambling again, Ill try to actually put something substantial up here soon.

I hate this feeling

So I know I said this blog was supposed to be a place where I could put up my latest writing, but it is turning into more of a rant space instead. Oh well, when I have something decent that I have written for one of my stories I'll get it up here.

By the way, sorry it has been so long since my last update, between the internet being down and my being sick on and off for the past week, I haven't been able to post.

So I actually have another question to pose this week, is it really a good idea for me to keep going to classes and work when I don't really feel that great? For the comfort of anyone who has come in contact with me, I am not contagious, that I know, so no worries. But besides the risk of getting others sick, is it really a good idea to be doing anything other than resting when you don't feel well?

In highschool, most of my teachers told us to stay home if we didn't feel well, because we would not be able to concentrate, and we'd just end up making ourselves even more sick. Hence to say, very few people actually listened, and of course, the teachers were always right.

Along with not already feeling well, we stressed ourselves out because our brains were working slower, and we were holding debates in our heads about what we might miss if we actually went home, and then stressing out more about what we would miss if we stayed home the next day.

By my junior year, I had figured out that if I missed one day of school, there would be time to make up the work, because as long as you asked, the teachers would be more than happy to fill you in on yesterday's topic.

Unfortunately, now that I am in a fairly new environment, I am relearning when it is time to just stay in bed rather than go to class. I'm starting to draw the line at seriously feeling like I am about to throw up, which I experienced more than once last week and over the weekend. But there are still a few classes that I am taking right now that I would drag myself to if I was dying, which I'm not sure is the best policy.

I'm hoping that this sick feeling will leave when the weather decided to finally settle down. Either that or when the stress from this past weekend fades away, which it is taking its sweet time doing.

Anyway, I really hate feeling like this, and I wish it would just go away, but I'll have to deal with it till it does. If anyone has any opinions on how to take care of an annoying stomach ache, or on whether or not I should even be moving around among everyone else, please let me know.

Because I couldn't say it before

So I literally just came back from a play audition, and I need to say this to someone because I couldn't say it at the audition.

Yes I know I posted something earlier this evening, but I think this is good enough to write down, it is my journal after all.

I read for three different people tonight: one was a man, one was a woman sitting in a bar waiting for her date, and the third was an ex-pornstar. I seriously messed up the monologue I read for the guy and spent the next forty minutes without reading anything. But I listened to the others reading their parts, and there was one who dropped the f bomb. I sat and had fun wondering to myself what people would think if I read that part and actually said "Fuck him!"

Of course I was only imagining this because I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be asked to read again. For some reason I mentioned to one of my friends that I'd like to read that, and she told me to say it with a straight face, so I obliged. I honestly have no qualms about cussing, I just don't tend to do it in public because cussing does not really have a place in polite conversation.

To my complete surprise, I was asked to read one of the three parts in the very play that I had been thinking about. I promptly asked the other two girls if I could read for this particular part (the character's name is Janet.) They said I could, and after reading through it once, the three of us took our places. I truly enjoyed shocking everyone in the vicinity when I clearly said "Fuck him!" Being viewed as a complete innocent has its good and bad points, this was one of the good points, getting to impress people with your "boldness". I then read the pornstar's part in the same scene. I made myself cry a little, and I think I impressed them again. A few minutes later, I was asked to read another speech for Janet, and I got an ovation, even from the guy directing the play. I didn't read again, but I was fine with that.

Just for the record, I do not have my heart set on any part, and I won't be bitter if I don't get a part, I haven't auditioned for anything since I was a sophmore in highschool, and before that since fourth grade.

Now after all that babbling, this is the point of this update. If I could choose any part, I would choose Janet. She is sitting in a bar waiting for a guy show up, a tedious and often hurtful task, I would know. I've never waited for a guy in a bar, but I have waited for a guy to come around, two actually. Thankfully, I no longer care, but I still remember what it was like. Waiting for a guy to come around or show up makes you vulnerable. Every time you think you've gotten one step closer, you feel elated, only to lose more than what you've just gained when you realized that you've taken three steps back rather than one step forward. It hurts, it makes you cry, it makes you feel like a victim, and you spend so much time hoping that he'll come around, that you miss out on other fun conversations that you could be having with your friends because your too busy crying about how much you want him to notice you.

For those of you who are going through this right now, I don't mean to be mean or disrespectful; I know all to well what it feels like. It took being stood up for a couple of cans of beer at a party to shove me out of it. To get back to the point I was trying to make, I would like to play Janet if I could because I remember clearly how she feels, and I think I could get that across pretty well.

Anyway, thanks for reading my rambling, I hope I didn't bore you too much.

Good idea, or tired out cliche?

Recently, I managed to write a new scene for my book Patria, which is my story based off of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I now have another new idea for a scene, but I'm not entirely sure it would get a really good response, because it is used a bit in literature.

This new idea would take place shortly after the last scene I wrote, which involved Patria getting into a fight with her mother, and Patria leaving the house in a panic, right into Enjolras' arms. On top of Patria being very upset and frightened, it is raining very hard, and she does not have a hat or a shawl. The following conversation results in Enjolras inviting Patria to stay in his very large uptown home until things cool off at home for her. Now please don't get any ideas; my book is entirely clean. Patria accepts the invitation, and they head to his home.

Now we arrive at the scene in question. This idea I kind of took from Pride and Prejudice, but anyway, when they arrive at Enjolras' home, Patria is worn out and chilled. By the morning she is ill. I know this does not happen as much in our time any more, but keep in mind this is the 1830s. Enjolras is very concerned, so stays with her most of the time. For those of you whom I have not explained this to before, Enjolras is in love with Patria, but she has told him not to be, and though she has feelings for him, she is not sure its love. So that night, Patria starts talking in her sleep, begging someone, I'm not sure who yet, not to tell Enjolras that she really is in love with him. She's afraid that if he finds out, he will lose some of his passion for justice which she loves so much in him. Obviously, Enjolras is right there, hearing every word. What happens from there, neither of my characters have informed about yet.

So my question to you is: is this way too corny and cliche? Or is it a really good idea? Please someone help me, no one involved in the books action are informing me of anything, and I am getting really upset with my pseudo writers block.