Who is Mary Sue?

Who’s the girl that in implausibility’s face flies,

Who can do the impossible the first time she tries?

The youngest ensign to join the fleet,

Who saves the ship from utter defeat.

The long-lost daughter of an elfin queen,

Who rescues the hobbits and steals the scene.

She’s cute and clumsy, with a past that’s tragic;

Beloved by all, she can also do magic.

Her heart is pure, her aim is true,

Do you know who? It’s Mary Sue!

 (poem by Cat Carlisle)

Part of the problem of living off in my own little world is that I start to assume that things that are obvious to me are also obvious to everyone else. Case in point: I wrote the above poem, posted it on Facebook without the last two words and asked my friends to fill in the blank. I thought it would be a fun, easy riddle and was extremely embarrassed when NOBODY knew what I was talking about. I only had two guesses: "Mr. Magoo" from my brother and "Ashley Judd" (Huh?) from my husband.

My Texas Saguaro: Two Years Later

I went back to Texas for another visit a few weeks ago and got a chance to check up on the saguaro in my parent's backyard. My how it's grown!

Here's how tall it was in 2009:

Quite a few inches short of the fence line

In 2010:

At the fence line

In 2011:

Above the fence line

Looks to me like it's grown at least a foot, maybe even a foot and a half. I guess the weather in Texas is agreeing with it!

I Meet the Little Belgian Detective - 100 Word Short Story

I have a run-in with my favorite fictional character, Hercule Poirot.

Me: "Help! Help!"
HP: "May I be of some assistance, madam?"
Me: "That man stole my purse!"
HP: I see. Well do not trouble your pretty little face. Hercule Poirot will use his little grey cells to track down the thief!"
Me: "We don't need to use your little grey cells, because that's him right there! The man running with a ladies purse!"
HP: "Mon dieu, then we should catch this villain!"
Me: "Hurry, he's getting away!"
HP: "..."
Me: "Aren't you going after him?"
HP: "..."
Me: "Right, sorry I asked. Could you hold my shoes? I can't run in heels."
HP: "Certainement! Anything for you, dear lady!
Me: *Eyeroll*

***

Writer's Digest Writing Prompt:

Meet Your Favorite Fictional Character

"You and I" - A 250 Word Short Story

Music is playing in the darkness. We stop to listen. “Where’s it coming from?” I ask. We’ve taken our moonlight walks on this same path for years but have never before heard music.

“That way,” you say, pointing in to the woods. You take a step in that direction but I hesitate.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I am imagining all the dark and scary things that the woods can hide.

“Listen closer.”

I close my eyes and concentrate. A few seconds later they fly open again. “That’s our song,” I say, grinning like a fool. You offer your hand. I take it and we race through the darkness, tripping on roots and stumbling over dead branches but somehow never falling. As we get close I can make out a clearing, lit up by a lantern floating between two trees. We step in to its light to find an elegantly laid table with champagne and dessert, and a stereo nearby with our song on repeat.

“Happy anniversary,” you say, holding me close.

“It’s amazing. I can’t believe it! How could you do all this without me knowing? How did you get a table out in the middle of the woods? Did you have help?” I look around.

“No more questions,” you say, gently turning my face towards yours. “It’s just you and I.” We kiss and I lay my head on your chest as we sway to the music that floats softly by.

***

The prompt for this was to write a story that begins with the first line of my favorite song, which is currently "You and I" by Queen. I expanded on the prompt by also incorporating some of the imagery from the lyrics as well as the last line. You can listen to the song below.

E-book Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

 

Title: Ready Player One
Author: Ernest Cline
Page count: 384
Price when I bought it: $11.99
How I read it: Kindle

Description: 
Thirty years in the future, the world has gone to pot. Nearly everyone escapes their bleak, horrible lives by playing a virtual reality game called OASIS. When the creator of OASIS dies, he leaves behind a hidden "Easter Egg" in the game. Whoever finds it first will inherit his vast wealth as well as ultimate power within the game. With nothing left to lose, orphaned high school student Wade Watts makes it his life's mission to find the Egg.

Opening Line:
Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest.

E-book Review: Dark Souls by Paula Morris

Title: Dark Souls: A Novel
Author: Paula Morris
Page count: 304
Price when I bought it: $9.99
How I read it: Kindle

Description: 
After recovering from the car accident that killed her best friend, Miranda's parents take her and her brother along on a work trip to York, England to get their minds off the tragedy. But the accident left Miranda with more than just physical and emotional wounds; it also gave her the ability to see ghosts. So far she's been able to avoid facing the spirits that ask for her help, but in the "the most haunted city in the world" there's nowhere she can hide.

Opening Line:
At night, cornfields looked like the ocean.

My Thoughts:
I visited York a few years ago so when I saw that Dark Souls was set there, I knew I had to download a sample on my Kindle. The sample lured me in and though the price was a bit more that I usually pay for ebooks, I paid it and was not disappointed. In fact, I couldn't put it down and stayed up past midnight to finish it.

Confessions of a Cat Mommy Blogger

My husband and I moved to the Salt Lake City area in June and are fascinated with the city's TRAX commuter train system. A new branch is opening soon in our area and we've been watching the test trains come and go with excitement. That is, until we saw an article in the local paper detailing how a number of Salt Lake's "mommy bloggers" were getting a special sneak preview ride on the train in the hopes that they'd blog about how awesome it is to ride on it with their kids.

For some reason that made me insanely, irrationally jealous.