Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Early Morning Predicaments: Segment I

This piece took longer to compose than I thought it would, but (as you can see) the below chunk of writing is rather lengthy (I hope that it isn't too long). At first, this story was to be sent to a friend, through email, but I decided that I'd spice it up by transforming it into an actual story in three parts. Writing about myself in the third person was harder than I originally thought it would be; though, I definitely enjoyed the challenge.

Anyways... Pull up a chair, pop some corn, and prepare yourself for my week's most interesting (if nothing else) adventure.


*clears throat*

Keys to Self-Confinement


Brooke clumsily fumbled through her purse. The air was cold and her hands, searching desperately for her keys, trembled while her body shivered. Her light jacket was barely able to keep the chill out, let alone, the warmth of her body in. Key now in hand, she unlocked her car and jumped in, closing the door behind her. Inserting the key into the ignition, she started the engine and instantly turned up the heat.


The car ride home was one of silence. Her mind was racing-- full of memories of the past and thoughts of the future. After pulling into the driveway, for a moment, she sat there and savored the heat as it rushed out of the vents and brushed against her skin.


Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against the steering wheel,as images from the past few weeks rolled into view. Christmas break had come and gone, for most of her friends, and it was time for them to go back to school. Because of this, she couldn't help feeling a bit depressed. It had been so wonderful to see her old chums and now the time for goodbyes had returned. She hated the thought of not being with them and equally loved the idea of their return. "Then again," she whispered to herself, "it seems like the more I'm with them, the more I become attached, and the harder it is to say goodbye."

At this, she sighed, turned off her car, got out, locked it, and headed into her house. Before she made it up the drive, though, something caught her eye. Turning around, she saw that her dad had left on his truck lights! She laughed, remembering other examples of his forgetfulness/ADHD and then went on into the house to snag a key to his car.

It was about midnight and her parents had already gone to bed. The Christmas tree gave a dim glow, but it was not enough light to assist her in such a quest. Hoping not to disturb her family, she flipped on a few lights, stashed her purse on the counter and began to look for her father's lunchbox (his basic man purse). Due to the fact that he usually carried it with him everywhere and used it to hold all of his things, she figured that it would be a good place to start. It would have been perfect, indeed, had the lunch box been in its usual location.

Instead of a pile of work clothes nestling it against the wall, next to the bathroom. Brooke found only carpet. Seeing the bathroom, though, she realized that it was about time to empty her bladder, but-- because there were more important things to accomplish, first-- she pushed this thought to the back of her mind and continued walking.

Being unsuccessful in spotting her dad's keys out in the open, she decided to check a few drawers and cupboards. Finally, in the kitchen, she came upon a bunch of random solo keys. "I've found the mother load," she sarcastically said as she gathered a handful and headed back out into the cold. "One of these had better work or his lights will just have to stay the way they are." Endeavoring to fit the key into the lock she urged every one of them on, in hope of a match. "Ugg! Come on, little buddy, please work... I have to pee and it's insanely cold out here!"


Finally, just as she was about to give up on the whole charade, the last key of her plethora actually fit into the lock. "I'm in!" she exclaimed. "Now, lets get down to business." Up and in she climbed. After habitually closing the door to her side, she noticed that it was mutilated and momentarily freaked. Reassuring herself, she recalled how her dad had rolled down his window each time he needed to open the door. Doing this made it possible for him to reach the handle from the outside. "No problem," she thought, "I'll turn on the car, fix the lights, and then roll down my window like Dad always does." She then reached into her pocket and grabbed the key that had let her into the truck. After jabbing it into the ignition, she was shocked to find that it wouldn't allow her to start the engine.


"Well, crap... Now what am I supposed to do?" Since it was impossible for her to unroll the window without having the truck running, she was forced to try the other door. It wouldn't let her out, either. The passenger-side door was open enough to keep the dome light lit, but not enough to be of any service. Remembering that she had only unlocked the one door, Brooke quickly clicked the button to unlock the passenger's side door, too. This didn't change a thing.


Pushing and pulling, she used every ounce of her strength to try and move the door enough so that it would either close or break open. She even attempted a few donkey-styled kicks with her feet. Nothing seemed to jar the door more than half and inch. Not even holding the handle and ramming her body against the door did much for her situation. Feeling completely helpless, she pulled out every single key from the pocket of her jacket and tried to squeeze them into the ignition. It was no use and, to her despair, none of them would fit well enough to start the car. As pathetic as it may seem, Brooke had locked herself in her dad's pick-up; she had opened and closed the door to her own self-confinement!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

It's Been Awhile

Since my last entry, there have been many moons and seasons. Summer has come and gone and I am about to finish up the first semester of my Sophomore year at BSU. Can you believe it? CRAZINESS!!!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

"I'm a Big Girl, Now!"

I remember, when I was a little girl, that I'd crawl up on the counter tops and stand as high as I could. I wanted to know what a big person's view of the world looked like. At the time, it was pretty scary. I'm glad we, as humans, grow a little bit at a time. Can you imagine the torture of one huge growing pain, the disgustingness of the stretch marks, and the awkwardness of growing tall-- all at once?

Another memory just popped into my head! When I was still a little girl (probably around the same time that I crawled up on the counter) I had a dream that my family was going out to eat at a Burger King when, all of the sudden, I started to grow! It was the weirdest thing (kind of like when Alice (in Alice in Wonderland) eats the pastry and grows really huge). I remember saying "Hold on guys, I'm growing. Wait for me!" like it was a normal, everyday, little kid thing to do. I'm glad we don't all shoot up in a matter of minutes. It would be fast, yes, but I like doing some things bit by bit. I'm not sure I could have handled one huge zip to 5'7". The elevation change would have killed me and I'm afraid of heights enough, as it is.... hehe.

Los Libros

Do I have any favorite books? Yes. I love books and am in love with the idea of books. Having the chance to read makes for a lovely get-a-way. Nothing compares to being able to picture the scenery, characters, and basically everything that is within the pages of a well written piece of literature.

How does one go about envisioning a story? All it takes is a wee bit of an imagination. It is like going to the movies only better because it broadens one's vocabulary, there is no positive or negative influence of a movie director, and it is just better.... :)

Peter Pan is my all time favorite book.


J.M Barrie's idea about kids not having to grow up fascinates me, I guess. Staying young forever and growing old both could be considered curses and blessings.... I like to think about all of the different factors and then try and picture myself as Wendy. I often wonder, if I were her, whether or not I would have stayed in Never Never Land or decided to grow up.

Anyways, it is such a magical little story and every time I read it, I feel like I am reconnected to my childhood. It is a nice little reminder that I don't ever want to lose such a connection, ya know?

Plus... Any story with pirates, mermaids, fairies, flying, magic, and fabulous word usage (i.e. "Proud and insolent youth, prepare to meet thy doom!" "Dark and sinister man, have at thee!" (doesn't that just make you want to whip out a sword???)) is bound to win my favor.

My Spirit's Nocturn

Stars are shining above me
The wind tickles my skin
And I smile 'cause my heart's free
Beating and soaring within

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Home Sweet Home

I am finally back from from my summer travels and have decided that there is definitely no place like home! I enjoyed the majority of my trips to California and Washington, but they both had their stressful moments.

As I mentioned, in a previous post, my brother decided to get hitched. Little Davey is now a married man! Can you believe it? I wouldn't be able to, were it not for my presence at the temple and their receptions.

...Sorry, but this post is being cut short and by "cut short" I mean that it is done.

Would you like an explanation? Well, let me just say that time's been a tickin' and I've been a slackin'. Because of the amount of time that has lapsed from when I first started typing, my creative juices are pulling me on to bigger and better (or, at least, more recent) topics.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Inspired Compositions

What is it about some music that makes a person's heart stir? I swear, from my own experience, that some pieces of music give me goose bumps, bring tears to my eyes, and take my breath away. Why is it that music can enter our very souls with such ease and magnificent power?

I adore music. I always have and assuredly always shall. I love to sing and play instruments. One day, I hope to be able to compose my own works of music. How amazing it would be to portray the whole spectrum of emotion through the perfect usage of melodies, motifs, key signatures, cadences, dynamics, and similar devices.

I have started several pieces and am planning on completing (or at least furthering my efforts) on each, throughout the rest of the summer. Any advice for an experimenting musician?