2 May 2008

*skulks in*

I can't begin to say how sorry I am for not updating sooner.  You see, there were several...disturbances.  (To add an air of mystery, haha.)

First off, I've been preoccupied with a new story I'm writing.  If you know me fairly well then you'll be surprised to hear that this new story is not set in Middle-Earth, nor is it fanfiction of any kind.  I was so inspired by Nimrodel and Queen Flora's story that I decided to create a fantasy realm of my own instead of borrowing from Tolkien's.  Strangely enough, I'm actually really fired up about it!  I've already written a plot outline, drawn a map of the country (and digitalized it in Paint Shop Pro 9!), and sketched various portraits of the main characters.  I'm in the process of writing a summary, which I'll post on my writing blog for you guys to read.  (Speaking of my writing blog, I've taken the liberty of adding a few of you to the friends list---hope you don't mind.  The username is 'elvenwriter'.)

Unfortunately, being inspired to write my new story has made me less inspired to do anything else, including blogging.  However, I decided an uninspired post is better than none at all.  Besides, I've procrastinated long enough, and some of you are probably wondering if I haven't dropped of the face of the earth.

How did you guys like my little joke?  As you can see, I never really died (sorry, Mister Cool), but writing a fake will helped cheer me up in my time of  utter tribulation.  In other words, a poem recitation.

Remember the poetry contest my local library was holding?  I entered 'When Shadow Fled', as well as a shorter, less significant poem called 'Motes of Dust'.  Well, imagine my shock when the library called and told me that one of my poems had made the finals!  Naturally, my jaw nearly hit the floor.  My mom's head was in the clouds all that day, but I couldn't shake off the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.  (And everywhere else, for that matter!)  You see, being one of the finalists meant I had to attend a special banquet held by the library, where they would present the awards for the poetry contest.  Worst of all, I had to recite my poem to a roomful of strangers!

Something you guys may or may not know about me:  I am dead terrified of public speaking.  Aside from speaking on the telephone (which is another embarrassing phobia of mine), public speaking is truly my worst nightmare.  I know most people have this fear, and that I'm not alone, but that knowledge did not make my task any easier.

The day of the banquet arrived all too soon.  As I changed into a fancy skirt and blouse, I felt like I was getting dressed for my own funeral.  Throughout the day I had been reciting 'When Shadow Fled' over and over in my head until I had memorized it completely, so as not to be unprepared.  Finally, my parents and I crowded into my dad's car and off we drove.  I am not prone to carsickness, but my stomach was in absolute knots.

We arrived.  The banquet was being held at a golf course not fifteen minutes from our house, and to my somewhat relief, there weren't many people attending at all, and the majority of them were elderly.  (I am more comfortable around elderly people than peers.)  Still, my anxiety grew.  There were supposed to be two other high school finalists at the banquet, but I was the only one there, and felt incredibly alone.  As uncomfortable as I am around peers, I didn't want to be the only high schooler to recite a poem!

After a time of mingling (which I spent alone by a large window, avidly reciting my poem inside my head), it was time for dinner.  There was roast chicken (I can't say that without saying it like Frodo), green beans, baked potatoes, and wheat rolls, but I only picked at my food.  Dessert was Italian ice, but knowing that the winners would be announced right after dessert made me too nervous to eat any.  Besides, it was too tart for my already uneasy stomach to handle.  During this time, one of the other high school finalist arrived---a girl.  She looked every inch as nervous as me, which helped...a little.

Finally, the epic moment arrived.  A man (one of the library workers) walked up to the podium and started rambling on about the contest, how it was started, and what an honor it was to hold it every year.  It was as if he knew how he was torturing me!  Then he announced the winners.

I couldn't have been more surprised.  Not that I won third place (which was actually a relief, although I had been hoping for second place), but that the poem that the judges had picked was not 'When Shadow Fled', but 'Motes of Dust'!  That meaningless, whimsical little poem that I had entered only as an afterthought had actually won third place!  Slightly disappointed, but amused by the irony of it all, I made my way up to the podium to receive my award.

The man asked me if I wanted to recite my poem.  I was floored.  To have had a choice all this time and not to know about it!  Nonetheless, my parents were watching me expectantly (as were the other guests), and so I put on a brave face on and recited the thing.  It was over before I knew it, and I found myself making my way back to my table and plonking myself down on my chair, a huge burden lifted off my shoulders.  I had done it!  It wasn't even mandatory, and still I had done it, after all.

The other winners were announced, and after that we all went home.  Nimrodel, who was babysitting, was pleased to see us home earlier than expected, and there was time for us to take a nice, long walk in the twilight.  The perfect remedy for my frazzled nerves!

Anyway, that was April 19th.  Since then, I've mostly been working on my story, doing school, and coping with my crazy family.  Nimrodel and her family were gone all last week, and my dad was out of town with all my brothers for the last four days of the same week.  So for almost the entire time it was just my mom, my sisters, and me.  Which would have been really awesome, except I was struggling with a bad fever the whole time.  (Not fun at all!)  Even so, we got to watch chick flicks and talk about girly stuff, which was a nice treat.  Most of the time, however, we wandered around the house like wraiths.  It's amazing how quiet a house can be without brothers to disturb the peace!  It was actually quite unsettling, to tell you the truth.  We were all relieved to have them back, even if it meant more chaos.  (But hey, when you're in a large family, chaos is part of the package!)

I'm worried about Jasper, one of my rats.  The other day I was holding him and noticed that he had gotten dangerously thin.  I immediately came upon the cause: his teeth have grown so long it's gotten dificult for him to eat.  In order to fix this, his teeth must be trimmed, and for that he needs to be taken to a vet.  I was going to call the nearest animal clinic to see whether they treat rats, but my mom just volunteered to do it in my stead.  (She knows how I hate telephones.  Please don't laugh, but it's true!)  I'm praying poor Jasper can hold on until then.

Let's see, anything else of note?  Yesterday was my dad's birthday, and since he has always wanted a German chocolate cake made from scratch, I donned my apron and fell to work in the kitchen.  I had never made a cake from scratch before, but Nimrodel came over to assist me, and it proved to be an altogether enjoyable (if somewhat messy) experience.

We were supposed to make homemade marinade sauces and grill steaks for my dad's birthday dinner, but that plan soon proved disastrous.  My mom fell mysteriously ill right after breakfast and barely made it to the grocery store to buy the ingredients, and when she finally got home she crashed in her bedroom for hours.  It was while she was napping that we discovered that she had picked up the wrong ingredients, but by then it was too late.  So in the end, we decided to eat out.  Our whole family (with the exception of my mom, who was still sick) hopped into our 'bus' and drove off to the Rainforest Cafe.  We had never been there before, so it was very...unique.  I would write more, but Mister Cool plans to write a blog entry about our 'rainforest adventure', so check his blog if you want details.  ;)

Thus ends my longest entry ever!  Knowing me, there are probably some things I've forgotten to mention, but hopefully this will suffice for now.  ;)  Again, I apologize for taking so long to update.  I'll try to reply to all your comments and messages during the next few days.

Cheers,

Tinuviel

2 May 2008 - Untitled Comment

2 May 2008 - Untitled Comment

4 May 2008 - Untitled Comment