Sunday Currently

I saw this on my sister's blog, and thought it was a cool, easy blog post idea to try sometime.

Reading: Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories Volume 1

Writing: A short story called Fairy Dust and Toadstool Huts

Listening: Second Chance by Rend Collective Experiment


Thinking: I'm trying to think about what I'm thinking about. Mostly church.

Smelling: I don't know; I've been sick and can't smell a thing, even though I'm starting to be able to breathe a bit through my nose now... happy!

Wishing: My ear would unclog so that I can hear better; so tired of feeling isolated from the rest of the world.

Hoping: That I'll be feeling better by Wednesday so that I can go to youth group.

Wearing: A nice blue, green, and white striped dress shirt (that's slightly too big) and black dress pants.

Loving: God, my friends, family, and this song I'm listening to right now; True Intimacy by Rend Collective Experiment


Wanting: To be feeling 100% myself again; I hate it when a cold lasts for almost a whole month!

Feeling: Slightly nostalgic, a tiny bit melancholy and mostly content. Life is a beautiful balance of pain and beauty.

Clicking: Umm... the keyboard? If this has something to do with the internet, I've been trying to organize my zillions of bookmarks.

Under the Fairy Lights

Today's prompt: "Imagine you are only seventeen right now, and your big 18th birthday bash is happening next month. How are you going to plan for it?"

First of all; I’m seventeen right now. No imagining needed.

Second; “big birthday bash” is not a part of my vocabulary.

Third; I’ve held for a long time that age doesn’t have any importance; so turning 18 or 30 would mean nothing special to me except that I’ve stayed alive for one more year. I refuse to let a number dictate how I’ll act and view life.

If I had everything my way, my 18^th birthday wouldn’t look very much different from my last few birthdays. I’d spend a quite day with my family and we’d eat out at a restaurant of my choice. One year I ventured out of our normal spots and chose this place called The Anchor. Best English fish and chips I’ve ever eaten (can’t compare it to much though, since that was the first time trying the dish!), but the darker pub atmosphere was a little intimidating. After eating we’d come home and open presents and have cake. Not that amazing, I know, but it’s the way I like it.

But if I had to use my imagination and go all out; I wouldn’t find the task very difficult. I’ve always been good at dreaming up big impossible plans. Perhaps it would be a big Elven feast in the middle of a birch wood, with bright yellow leaves standing out against the pure white branches. There’d be a long table full of dishes inspired by Middle Earth, and everyone would be dressed up as the different races of Middle Earth. Magical looking fairy lights would be strung up among the branches and at night they’d be all lit up; dancing orbs of different colors. I can dream up this big surreal scene in my mind, which is very much like something that happened in The Fellowship of the Ring, because I don’t need to worry about anyone taking me serious about actually wanting something like this. 

I don’t need anything special for my birthdays. Birthday wishes from friends and family are nice, and that’s really all one needs to have a perfect day.

Indulgy

A Lock with no Key

Today's prompt: "Enumerate the ways that a guy can win your heart."

Despite my exclamations of the fact that I'll never marry... there is one thing a guy can do (or rather, be) to win my heart.

And that thing is...

1.  If you're Jesus Christ.

This would be a pretty short blog post if I left it there. Instead, I'll reword the prompt so that it reads;

"Enumerate the ways someone (a guy or girl) can be your friend." 
 
8. Don't go easy on me (at least, don't let it look like you are) 

7. When I actually do talk, don't act as if the president's talking; treat me like everyone else

6. Be the first to start a conversation 

5. Be comfortable with silence sometimes

4. Understand that when I'm quite, I'm not being anti-social or angry at you; simply that I'm an introvert

3. Challenge me to do things out of my comfort zone; but also know when to let me be

2. Help me laugh at my own mistakes and not take myself too seriously

1. Make sure I know I'm not a ghost

The Yellow House

Today's prompt: "Tell us a bit about the place where you grew up."

It’s a small yellow house on a quiet suburban street surrounded by other houses. The five bedrooms inside it have seen many different occupants as the three girls and three boys grew up under its roof and swapped rooms. This small house was shared by eight people for the majority of my childhood… and there was only one bathroom between us all. There’s really nothing too amazing about this house; so all the kids created several urban legends to add a bit of spice to it's history.

Just down the street was “the duck pond.” That’s all we’ve ever called it. Bags of molding bread used to be brought there; charity for the ducks. But then the city put up the signs that said not to feed the waterfowl. It made them make too much mess on the sidewalks. Even though those signs are up, those sidewalks haven’t been any cleaner.

You walk down the street one way, go a few blocks over and there was the “big playground.” Go the other way and take a few other confusing turns and you’ll arrive at the “purple dinosaur playground.” Sadly, that purple friend that I loved to ride is gone now. 

Our backyard became cluttered over the years, so that it was hard to play any real sports easily. A deck, a patio, a gazebo, a swing/clubhouse, a couple gardens, and several big trees took up most of the space. As a result of the limited open space in the back, we spent most of our time in the front yard. We’d play baseball, with the three trees as the bases; or throw a football around, or ride our bikes up and down the driveway. I never cared if the neighbors were watching.

There are a lot of memories tied to those walls, and that are held within the boundaries of our yard. Those memories add character and bring life to these otherwise unanimated places. 

Kindred Spirits

Today's prompt: "Write a letter to someone whom you judged by first impression."

Dear Tanya (or so I feel the name fits you),

                That day at testing, you sat in front of me at the next table; but I didn’t take much notice of you – or anyone for that matter, because at testing my rule is to keep my head down, get the work done and get out of there as soon as possible. I remember a fleeting thought passed through my mind of whether you were a guy or a girl; with your short blonde hair and your back tuned towards me. But I knew it was a silly thought because you were clearly a girl. I noticed, while we were waiting that you were drawing in your notebook; the way you ignored everyone else around you and looked as if you were completely comfortable with being yourself made me begin to take notice of you. I sensed that you weren’t that talkative and that you preferred to be left alone; a little Gothic or Emo I felt; and I began to think you were cool. Our first beak came, and all the other girls filed out of the room to whisper quietly in the hallway or something. I stayed in the room with the guys and you did too. When you walked past me to look out the window I noticed your outfit more, the same style that I like to wear; slightly feminine but mostly like a guy. That’s when I knew for sure; you were cool and I liked you. Somehow I sensed that you and I were similar; although you looked much more confident and comfortable with being yourself. After our second break, I didn’t really notice you much more; once testing was done I was just focusing on figuring out where I was supposed to be. But when I finally figured out to get my meal and come to the teen lounge in the first grade room, and everyone else was already there; the only open seat was between you and another girl. I felt as if you had purposely left that seat open between you and her for your own space; it’s what I would’ve done, but there was no other spot. You showed me you were friendlier than I had thought, and probably just as quirky as me, when you broke the silence first and pointed to the first grader’s name tag on the table and said that was your name. Finally I made a remark about how the soup was scaring me with all its onions, peppers, and other iffy looking things. This led to us both finding out we eat the same way; small meals with TONS of snacks. When we both found that we loved writing and playing video games; I feel like we became instant friends. We really didn’t stop talking until my Mom finally found me and said it was time to go. You and I were so alike, the only thing we found different was that you’re a night owl while I’m a morning person. We talked about our cats, favorite video games, and favorite drinks; surprisingly yours was milk just like mine. I found out we were both introverts and when you said you wouldn’t have any kids and I said I’ll never marry, just live in an apartment by myself; you didn’t look shocked like everyone else, you completely understood. You said that sometimes all you want is a log cabin in the middle of a woods all to yourself. We were, as Anne Shirley would put it, "Kindred Spirits." Thanks to my wonderful social skills, I never even got your name or any other way to get in contact with you after we parted. The sad truth is we’ll probably never see each other again; but I know I’ll always call you my friend.

The Fictional Day

Today’s prompt: “If you could hang out with a celebrity for a day, who would that celebrity be? Why did you choose to hang out with him/her? What would you do or where would you spend that day?”

First of all, I’d like to point out that if I had a chance to hang out with any famous person for a day, I’d do everything I could to get out of it! I’m way too shy to want to do that kind of stuff.

That being said…

The choice for who’d I hang out with is obvious. There wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation when I read this prompt. I’d hang out with Elijah Wood.

It may be weird, and a sign of my extreme isolation from the real world, but I consider famous people that I like to read interviews with and follow a bit on what new movies their working on, to be my friends. And Elijah Wood’s been one of those friends since I was thirteen and watched The Lord of the Rings. 

Why would I choose to hang out with Elijah Wood? I’ve probably read a bit too many of his interviews, but I feel like we’ve got a lot of similar interests. We’re both geeks, love video games and music and good food, and we both play around with photography. So this is what a day hanging out with him could look like;

We’d roam the streets of New York City, taking street photography and checking out curious little shops and places. At lunch we’d find a little eatery that’s got some of the best food around. Then we’d play video games all evening long at his place while listening to music.

This pretty much sounds like a day that I’d spend with my older brother, minus the New York City part. And I also think it’s kind of creepy to talk about famous people like this, they’re normal people just like us; but this is what the prompt wanted. 

Always and Forever: Elijah Wood