Bloggerstock: The Story of What's on Your Desk

It's Bloggerstock time again!  Sorry, I just love saying that.  If you don't know what it is yet there are places you should go.  I am absolutely thrilled to be hosting the lovely Amber of Fugitive Firefly (see bio below).  I, in turn, am making an appearance over at Ms. Harmony.  Who is, btw, responsible for the insanely cool new badges you'll see kicking around the blogosphere today.  Visit these links, you won't regret it.  And now I bring you the point of today, the guest post.

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The story of what's on my desk? Well we'll just ignore the pile on the right. There's no story there, just pure laziness preventing me from sorting through the stuff and filing it away. There are, however, a couple items on my desk that are itching to tell you a tale.

"Did you know that she didn't even want me? Yeah, it's true. She wanted that spiffy green Dell, not me, a bland HP. That must be why she treats me the way she does. She force quits various programs, grumbles at my slowness, all the while placing a water bottle dangerously close to me. I've tried to tell her it's Vista, not me, but she doesn't care. I got her through three years of college so far, but my time may be up when she gets her degree. Nothing like spending your life unappreciated."

"I sit on the shelf just above the weeping HP and I used to make her cry. Amber, that is, not the HP. For a long while she saw me as something that had been lost, that couldn't be revived. She used to wonder why she kept me around, why she hadn't swapped me out for some other photo. Honestly, it's quite simple. I'm a fond memory and she's realized that the present shouldn't sour the past. After three years, I still smile at her... and now she smiles back." 

Wow, the HP and photo made me sound like a horrid, emotional person. I swear I'm not really like that. Ok, maybe a bit emotional once a month, but not I'm not that mean to my computer. Most of the time.

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She's an athlete, a book worm, a math and science fanatic, a part time rennie, and a college student who, for reasons unknown, doesn't like writing in first person.

Visit her truly genuine blog Fugitive Firefly

It Tastes Like You

It tastes like you.  The rush, the thrill, the novelty.  Pressing it to my lips.  The driftwood behind my back.  That endless lake, the setting sun, our handprints in the sand.

Salt tears and blood.  The tensity and an allergy.  The cold that I'll inhale.  Bruises and your hand at my waist.

Bandanas, denim and soft plaid shirts.  Mine and yours and maybe a mix.  Sweat beading at my neck before I lift my hair.  Leather cuffs and the tang of their metal buckles.

Daisies and a hard dirt trail.  Labatt beer, wild strawberries, foam and that photograph.  Dust.

It tastes like you.  I'll hold my breath and wait for the bitter aftertaste.

The One Where I Apologize

So, I try to avoid the whoe "I've been so busy I can't post."  But I feel kinda like I should explain.  My computer finally broke and I am far to busy on top of it.  So, no internet+ no time = pretty much no blogging.  I will fix that as soon as I can.  And yes, I'm doing this... thing.  It's not a meme!  Do you see any questions?  Let me know if you do it too!  I snagged it from Christy and her 25 Before 25.

1. started your own blog

2. slept under the stars

3. played in a band

4. visited Hawaii

5. watched a meteor shower

6. given more to charity than you could afford to

7. been to Disney

8. climbed a mountain

9. held a praying mantis

10. sung a solo

11. bungee jumped

12. visited Paris

13. watched a thunder and lightning storm

14. taught yourself an art from scratch

15. adopted a child

16. had food poisoning

17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty

18. grown your own vegetables

19. seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. slept on an overnight train

21. had a pillow fight

22. hitch hiked

23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. built a snow fort

25. held a lamb

26. gone skinny dipping

27. run a marathon

28. ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. seen a total eclipse

30. watched a sunrise or sunset

31. hit a home run

32. been on a cruise

33. seen Niagara falls in person

34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. seen an Amish community

36. taught yourself a new language

37. had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person

39. gone rock climbing

40. seen Michelangelo’s David in person

41. sung karaoke

42. seen old faithful erupt

43. bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. visited Africa

45. walked on a beach by moonlight

46. been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. gone deep sea fishing

49. seen the Sistine chapel in person

50. been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris

51. gone scuba diving or snorkelling

52. kissed in the rain

53. played in the mud

54. gone to a drive-in theatre

55. been in a movie

56. visited the great wall of china

57. started a business

58. taken a martial arts class

59. visited Russia

60. served at a soup kitchen

61. sold girl scout cookies

62. gone whale watching

63. gotten flowers for no reason

64. donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. been sky diving

66. visited a concentration camp

67. bounced a check

68. flown in a helicopter

69. saved a favorite childhood toy

70. visited the Lincoln memorial

71. eaten caviar

72. pieced a quilt

73. stood in times square

74. toured the everglades

75. been fired from a job

76. seen the changing of the guard in London

77. broken a bone

78. been a passenger on a motorcycle

79. seen the grand canyon in person

80. published a book

81. visited the Vatican

82. bought a brand new car

83. walked in Jerusalem

84. had your picture in the newspaper

85. kissed a stranger at midnight on new year’s eve

86. visited the white house

87. killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. had chickenpox

89. saved someone’s life

90. sat on a jury

91. met someone famous

92. joined a book club

93. gotten a tattoo

94. had a baby

95. seen the Alamo in person

96. swam in the great salt lake

97. been involved in a law suit

98. owned a cell phone

99. been stung by a bee

100. Ridden an elephant

Fifty!  Ok, I exaggerated one or two.  A band, only sort of.  Africa is the eqivilent of Morocco and Egypt, and I never actually entered the sistine chapel (ps, have been IN Venice, though, ect).  But that was still fun.  Sorry.  I will try get my computer back next time.

What's Your Happy Song?

So in Mexico, as in any third world country, you can buy bootlegs off any street corner.  They'll have crackly speakers set up blaring Ranchero, cheap American hits and general noise surrounded by displays of dollar c.d.s in plastic sheaths.  The difference between Mexico and most other countries where I've indulged my criminal side is that the Mexican vendors have a fondness for creating their own mix c.d.s.  You can buy albums called "Coca Cola Cowboy Americano."  The cover art will be a milk cow and Laura Croft Tomb Raider on a psychedelic purple background.  Got the picture?

My sister brought one of these mixes home for me once.  This one is "Exitos TAZAMANICOS 2007" and has a very mild cover with Taz ripping something to shreds.  The play list is, as always, very hit and miss.  However, there was one song that promptly jumped out at me as my happy song.

How, exactly, is a happy song defined?  Basically if it is impossible to be crabby well the song is on, it's a win.  It won't be it the same for everyone.  The first friend I knew with a happy song would proudly blast Celine Dion and declare how it made her cheerful.  I didn't find it had the same effect for me, but to each their own.

Now, this one is awesome, though.  Listen to it!  I'm sorry, but how can that not pick up your day?  It's Yofo by Molotov.  Honestly, I have no idea what sort of nonsense they're on about.  I've also never listened to anything else by them.  But I love whistling along with this one.

Tell me your personal happy song.  I will do my best to look it up.

Not an Award Post

Don't run away.  This is not an award post, and it's not a meme.  It's some sadist wondering where I think I'll be in ten years.

So, I like Alex.  Really, I do.  He's smart, artist, and really good at computers without being all geek about it.  He's also got his life together (as a theatre professional, photographer, and long-term relationship guy).

So, I read his post with a sort of fear and dread.  Yes, all justified.  Apparently Alex wants to know where I think I'll be in ten years.  Thanks, man.  Here we go.

I don't have a clue.  See, in ten years I'll be 33.  Thirty-three!  I have a hard time thinking past the summer.  Unlike many intelligent blogger friends I don't have a career.  I don't have an education, a kid or even a relationship (serious or otherwise).

All I do have is a vast array of experiences, a love of written words, a passion for challenges and a wanderlust.

I also have a bit of a fear of commitment.  Probably based on a strong sense of follow-through.  But that follow through is best served in, oh, eight month doses, for a stretch.

Last year I returned home from traveling around the world, failing to bond with my sister, and finally managing to heal from one heck of a boyfriend.  What I didn't realize was that this definite conquering of a life-time goal would leave me in such a predicament.  Do I want to settle down, farm, travel more, go to school?  I couldn't and can't decide.  I'm in the same place now, a few experiences richer and a year older.  The only thing I know is that sitting stagnant is hard on me.  Change is a necessity.   So, where ten years will take me I really can't say.

I could be married to a farm boy with a baby on my hip.  I could be living in an seventh story apartment rambling through assignments that are making me hate a topic I love.  Or I could be waitressing with a drive to see a new place and meet new people.

Know what?  I like it that way.  Maybe it'll hurt me in the end, but that thought of having a pretty good idea of ten years down the road kinda stresses me out.

Facebook Feed: Today's Highlights.

I simply can't get over how amusing people can be.  Here's what's coming up on today's feed.  Couldn't help but share.  Please remember, the grammar is not mine.  


"NEW RECIPE!!! try this and let me know what you think. Get a banana or two and mash it good, then mix in a handfull of raisins, then rap it in large sliced dill pickels, then garnish with mushroom. SOOOOO amazing."


"the Scrabble gods are trying to screw me over: 'AAAAIII'. What are the odds...."


"Justin Bieber: You may think he is manly but then you compare him to.... Bruce Lee, Sylvester Stalone, Jackie Chan, Arnold Swarzenblabla, My aunt, Antonio Bandaras, Nicholas Cage, Tom Cruise, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Mila Jovich, and Roberto Luongo. DOESNT SEEM SO MANLY ANYMORE DOES HE."


"We made it to new mexico! And no we did NOT arrive in a yellow submarine. Now to find this horse and haul buns back home!"


"all good is hard. dying, loseing, cheating, and mediocrity is easy. stay away from easy."
Ok.  That one isn't particularly funny.  It just stood out.


"Welcome, everyone, to TBG! We're very excited for kick-off, and are happy to have you on board! We hope you choose to participate in the internet's first ever random acts of kindness contest.
Remember to visit our website! www.goaheadmaketheirday.com"
-You mean to tell me you haven't visited our Facebook Page yet?  That's even as bad as the fact that you haven't visited the homepage.  Click the link.  Click it now!  No, wait.  Finish the post and then visit.


 "...Likes old trucks now. Time to trade in the Dodge."  
-This one is compliments of an Alberta Boy.  I believe we've discussed them before.


"a que TROP hâte à demain soir...pour être avec lui TOUT le Week-End !!! :D"

-For my Francophone friends, little taste of the Quebecois Frenglish that constantly show's up in my feed.

I actually drafted these out last week, which is why the timing may seem a little off.

The Notebook Chronicles

I once knew this girl

Now she wanders the world,

Against her I know my frustration is hurled.

Her bag is nigh empty

Her cares are nigh none,

She'll throw caution to the wind then take off at a run.

I think of her sometimes

When all else is slow,

The trigger is locked, set to signify, "go."

I remember her passion,

Her daring,

Her love.

She thought she'd win out when push came to shove.

I know that she's somewhere, somewhere out there.

At first I forget, then it's too much to bare.

And yet, she is still there

Deep in my mind.

We once were so close,

Like two of a kind.

I think she is gone now, our paths will not cross.

Unless I go out.  Get throughly lost.                                                                                                              

I'll grab hold of life,                                                                                                                  

Let my soul from inside.

I'll push this one down,

So it won't run and hide.

I know she is out there,

I'll find her one day.

I'll catch her,

And free her,

And then come what may!

Photo Source: In-dark on Deviant Art

Skewed Hope

Well, you've been dead a year now.  Is it everything you imagined?

Was it worth it?

I hope you watched your funeral.  I hope you heard the birds singing and saw the eagle soaring above us.  It was nice, you liked the outdoors.  I hope you saw your little sister crying so hard she couldn't read your eulogy.  Did you see your son?  I hope you heard how he broke in pieces when they stopped at your old place and he found your fishing gear.  He was a man about it, though, sitting in the only row.  You better find a way to tell him you love him.  He'll never believe it was enough.

I hope you heard me sing The Climb to my Dad's acoustic guitar.  I personally think it's hilarious that we sang Miley Cyrus in memory of your life.

And afterwards, when people were leaving, we played the song you chose.  Out of a pick-up in the parking lot with the doors open.  Life is beautiful.  I hope you saw the people who cried at your funeral.

And those letters you left.  Rambling on making clear, through the scrawl, the mess you'd made.

Good job.  Way to insult the one person who loved you enough to always welcome you regardless.  Way to maim her because she gave a damn.  Really, Jamie?

I know you came into life poorly, but I know you were lucky with the chances you were given.  And I know you were deeply injured, I'm sorry that you never overcame it.

I cried.  I cried for the waste of life, and the pain you caused everyone else.  I cried because it was sad.

Your death became a monument to your mistakes in life.  Just tell me this.  How could you be so damn selfish?

Give Like You Mean It

Well, it's almost here.  We've been plotting, planning, conniving.  And now we're going to shot-gun it all by scooping you!


We launch everything in a few days, and that's when you'll really see this hit the internet.  However, for now I just want to invite you, my favourite followers in the world, to check it out.

What you're about to see is the internet's first ever random acts of kindness contest.  But, that's not all.  The prize pack is intense.  Go look at it.  It's still not all up!  So, plan your give now.  You can sign up on the tenth.  I know, that seems a long ways away...  But it will be here before you know it!

So, what exactly does the contest entail?  We are asking you to give like you mean it!  Within a budget limit of twenty dollars US the challenge is go find the biggest way possible give to whomever inspires you.  Use your time, talent, creativity, imagination...  Find a way to stretch that twenty dollars to make the biggest impact you possibly can.  Then find a way to present it all to our judging panel.

Why am I giving you this little insider?  Honestly, I like you.  You can also join our Facebook page, and scoop your friends.  If you want to blog this, or anything, I can send you pictures!  We all like pictures...

But, seriously.  Think about entering!  I would love if one of my readers won any of those prizes that I so desperately want to try win for myself!  All you need is twenty bucks, a creative medium (you do blog, right?), and talent!  I know you've got that last one.  And you've got good taste, too.  I'd say, let's take this contest together!  Or, you know, you could just enter for yourself, and thank me for how kind I am...

Rachelle

We have a history.  I think that's worth something.

I know you never liked me that first summer.  I was fifteen and obnoxious.  You were sixteen and insecure.  A good mix, I know.  We slept in that tent, rode in the back of pick-ups, napped in the afternoon sun.  We listened to a lot of Rebecca St. James.  I was on the right, you were in the middle, the glue was over there on the left.  We were a trio, so obviously meant to be thrown together.  Funny how we were opposites despite the circumstances

I never understood.  I was young.  Of course I knew everything.  I want you to know I still cared.

You've gone a little skate punk and stayed a little preppy.  I've gone a little hippi and stayed a little tomboy.  Are we a study in contrasts?  Still each on those opposing and identical journeys to figure out where we fit.

I remember working it out.  What we couldn't do face to face we said over e-mail.  Yeah, you were in Virginia and love, with so much discovery left.  I remember crying to you on my couch as I told you part of my past.  I never knew why I showed you that hidden vulnerable side of myself.

Boys, travel, school.  We've both grown through a lot.  You've become a beautiful woman.  Much different then anyone thought.  An artist, athlete, thinker and adventuress.

We've never been best friends.  I know we never will be.  I just want to thank-you for the effort.  The fact that, after it all, we can still sleep in a tent.  Maybe I'll be on the right and you'll be in the middle.  We can talk about how it doesn't make sense.  We listen to that mix c.d. and drive with the windows down.  You've taught me a lot with your searing honesty and occasional disdain.  Things your patience and frustration needed me to know.  I hope I've been a little bit worth it.

Photo source: Janne-landet on Deviant Art

Carnival

It's great when the carnival comes to town.

I love the lights

The Friends

The music

And the late nights feeling like something's happening
Traveling carnivals just have a feeling about them...