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Sunday, December 23, 2012

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Memories from the Storm Part 1

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Hello all our bloggers at Blog for Joy. I'm sorry I haven't been posting as much as I used to. You see, I didn't have electricity for a month due to Hurricane Sandy (which hit the east coast of the U.S. near the end of October, for those of you that haven't been paying attention), and of course, I have so much homework that I don't get enough sleep. But that's completely out of my control. What I can control is the writing of this memoir, part one of a long list of writing pieces which described my experience of Sandy. Tell me what you think!
 
 
My mom was unceremoniously informed that another hurricane was coming, perhaps even larger than last year's. "It's bad that it will be the full moon. Tides are already high then," said our neighbor. He was a fireman, and he wasn't playing around. The man stocked up on water and candles. He also wisely relocated his car to the mainland. "There might be no water for a week," he mused. I had known that another tropical storm was approaching from school. Everyone couldn't wait for education closure on Tuesday. Sandy had been a gentle reminder on the news, but my mother had assumed that it was solely Florida's problem. I, however, had forebodings about this.

I spent all that Sunday before the storm working on my Global History project, and scratched colored pencils onto poster paper. The left side exploded with tans, oranges and reds, the official color theme of Ancient Mesopotamia. I'd often run to the balcony window to gaze out at the resentful ocean, its usual powerful waves morphing into mountains of choppy white foam pummeling the boulder jetties. I was mutinous about its incoming arrival so I mocked the force of nature in my head, which I regretted later. To underestimate something that colossal is dangerous.

I hurried back to my project, letting the right side (which represented Egypt) dance with violets, regal indigoes and bright greens. I decided upon this color scheme since purple is often associated with royalty. As I sketched the notable statue bust of Nefertiti, I listened to the mayor speak in a melancholy manner about "storm surge", and utter warnings quite frequently to evacuate Zone A as soon as possible. The last subway leaves at seven pm, while the last bus rides off at nine.

I had evacuated last year during Irene, but it had been a stressful stay with friends in Brooklyn. We were agonized with questions of what was happening on back home. We weren’t doing that again, I must admit. I wasn't particularly worried that we might die, since our apartment complex was built to withstand hurricanes. Proof of this: 168 families could nest snugly into one of the sturdy large buildings during one of the gales which batter our skinny peninsula often. It was the other houses that I was worried about. They were constructed of toothpicks.

As I waited for my mom to return I regularly inspected the window, contemplating what parts of my life would be terminated as they took their final stand against the turbulent Atlantic Ocean: the flagpole that had endured so many winds over the time that I have lived here, the flowers which greet our residents, my beloved pines. I gave a sigh. As soon as I glued seagull feathers onto the finished poster I drew, talked to my mom about the hurricane, and went early to bed. There was going to be no school tomorrow, anyway.

Night fell, but I still couldn't sleep. A wind howled through the neighborhood, but it wasn't any more special than usual. That Monday morning, however, brought several changes: that giddy excitement over having an absence of school, and of course, the dread that Sandy was to make landfall at eight pm tonight. Harsh wolf howls spun through the corridor between our long apartment building and the next, and rain needles shot towards the ocean. The sky was a dismal gray, since this was a storm from the tropics and not a furious and crackling thunderstorm.

Around four o'clock an eight-year-old girl's mother called. This girl was Isabel, who has golden hair and bright blue eyes. She would be considered pretty if she wasn't so obnoxious. I was to go and play with her since she was experiencing a dull day, as usual. This would have been strange if Isabel wasn't the younger sister of Ivana, whom I had known for nine years. In a way I was glad. I have people to spend the hurricane with; I wouldn't be so alone.

Ivana is my oldest enemy, though we sometimes pretend that we are friends. On the other occasions we are bitter rivals, through no fault but hers. Ivana has somehow managed to make every member of her vast social clan hate her at least once. Tonight was therefore a surprise: she is a companion again. I told her comfortably how a group of pigeons were trying to desperately to escape the peninsula, flying foolishly in circles. They nearly all crashed into our building.

Even Isabel was pleasant that night. Their mother (who ironically has dark hair) glowed with welcome. However, this may very well have been because I have to entertain her picky daughter half the time. She sees nothing wrong with the fact I am the same age as the older daughter. Isabel decides upon beading. She cuts us two pieces of magenta yarn, and I struggle to get her wooden beads through the unwilling fibers. There are so many colors which I want to use, all too small to fit: peach, plum, green, gold, chestnut...

We consistently scrambled to Ivana's room, which has a window overlooking the shore. On one such occasion, we heard a massive crash. One of the construction board-works had fell onto a van. "Great. Now it has no windows," Ivana groaned. Their unintelligent British Labrador slept luxuriously on the bed, with not a care in the world. Outside, as the weather conditions continued to deteriorate and winds reached a reported 90 miles per hour, people practiced for the Sunday’s marathon. One of them lightly jogged by the heap of fallen construction boards when it flew up in the air. He or she wisely ran away. "Idiots," Ivana muttered. "Go kill yourselves." There were even more such bright individuals who strolled on the boardwalk, and even sat on benches watching the ruthless ocean wash in. Suddenly, one of the construction pieces spun 50 feet in the air and nearly hit one of the geniuses on the head.

I returned to my beading, and nearly got all the peach beads on. There soon came another shout from Ivana. "Come look!" We threw everything on the carpeted floor and ran to her, who was behind her computer flicking through Facebook photos. "Look," she breathed. My stomach dropped. Many of the places I had known since the age of six were completely submerged. Their cat meowed, who was anxious as her world tore apart, emitting strange yet loud death cries. Her beautiful tabby flanks heaved as she circled us, flinching at the noises outside.

I was almost finished with my bracelet when the ocean spilled over the boardwalk. It felt disturbing to witness black foaming seawater roll over the park, the only thing blocking its way of complete conquest. The damaged car filled up with the water as the ocean crashed over the streets. I returned to tie my bracelet, glancing out at the balcony window, only to gasp. Shiny black waves rushed past our building, changing the parking lot into a raging river, dragging all the cars. A force that could move cars... We all felt stunned and terrified. At that moment, all the street lights went out, plunging the nightmare into utter darkness. “Get away from the window!" Isabel's mom commanded as a plastic container crashed into it. It flopped around like an angry eagle but thankfully caused no fractures.

"Your mom could come over too, you know," Ivana informed me. "We can all sleep over." I thought this proposal over, surprised at this sunny side in a dark night. I agreed. Her mom was calling mine when the electricity went out and the phone call was cut off.

I let out a groan. Their mother put on a head flashlight, the kind one sees used only by cave explorers with a smile. "See, it's not so bad," she grinned.

There came a knock on the door: my mom, carrying a toy flashlight, the only thing she could find. I was grateful to have her back. We settled down in the living room and Isabel's mother lit two tall scarlet candles, and we talked deep into the night. I touch my mother's hand, trying to find her in the dark. Isabel and I shared the blow-up mattress, since her grandma had gone to her room to sleep. Outside, there were wild thuds and the brute might of the hideous wind, which sounded like five individual airplanes going off. It was very difficult to fall asleep with the traumatic chaos in my ears.

Ivana received a phone call from Rebeca, who, "is practically crying because she's alone." Her parents were caught at their work in a senior center, and wouldn't return home soon.

"Can I get her?" Ivana pleaded.

"Fine, but be careful!" her mother nervously answered.

Ten minutes later, Rebeca returned with her frightened curly white dog, which promptly scampered over to Ivana's British Labrador. Together we spent that night of Hurricane Sandy. Even when I discovered the destruction that occurred the next day, I was more prepared, thanks to people who seemed more human that night. Later on, I would experience a lack of electricity just like the Ancient Egyptians of Mesopotamians, as well as the winter cold and isolation from the outside world.

I kept that bracelet from the storm as a souvenir. Every time I glanced over I would be quickly reminded of candlelight, wind and water. In the weeks that would follow, I continued to witness friendship in the most unlikely of situations. Dark times bring the real essence out of everyone.“During times like this we truly know what people are like,” my mother would say, commenting on the jealousy that would emerge out of people we knew personally. When we must deal with the worst scenario, we let our guard down and let others carelessly see who we really are.

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roleplay - ignore - half finished

1 comment:

Sunday, December 9, 2012

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Poems

2 comments:
Invisible

I turned invisible not long ago--
Thought I was seen; I wasn't, though.
Friends' eyes slip past, and when I wave and smile
They talk to other, closer friends for a while.
So then I sit alone, live in thin air,
Or, turning others visible, I stare.

Marbles

I live in the clear space of a marble;
No-one else can see
The way that it is inside of there,
But that's what makes me me.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

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Autumn

2 comments:

Autumn

Has let itself be known.

 

Beyond this point crimson fire

has burned through the horizon.

A shower of leaves blaze through

the swaying brown wheat, mournful

at its harvest.

The pink berry lives in the fields of orange.

Sleek pines counter the fluid movement of color.

We have lived through the world together,

Gazing at the textiles of fall.

The yellow shores and the azure bay;

The russet meadows and the neon wildflowers.

Draping vines move their petaled fronds

with their transparent silver and shades of gold.

And here are the chestnut oaks as we speed towards the

Rising Sun,

the world

gray in the

morning.

Friday, December 7, 2012

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Guilty as charged

3 comments:
Here is a poem I wrote recently. Please tell me what you think.

Guilty as charged

Oh my tummy be quiet

This is not another diet

This is your fault for yearning

such a delicious yummy craving


The chocolate was sweet and creamy

The icing melt in the mouth

And now we’re both suffering

And you keep shouting

“Oh please just one more bite”


But I’ve made up my mind

Nothing but a lemon rind

And maybe some salad

To go with that ballad


It’s a new year

And I promise you this

No more cake for us

No sir not a bit


But Easter is only up the hill

And I’m running out of will

For the shop is gloating

With it’s chocolate egg coating

And me, poor me in despair


That is it, I give up

Call the cops, I’m guilty

But remember this and remember it true

Life needs some frosting and so do you
x

Thursday, December 6, 2012

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Seashore Explorations

1 comment:
Hi! Here are some photographs I took.







Thoughts? Do you have a favorite among the sand pictures? (I'm trying to decide which one to keep.)

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

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Works I'm Proud Of...

4 comments:
Well, it has been several weeks (or was it more?) since I've last posted something here! So, I decided to post a little something. The pictures below are my newer manipulation works...a HUGE improvement to my old ones!

This is my first series, or, actually, trilogy, in this case, of pegasus manips. These are all in deviantART, and below each picture is the link to the actual work.

Have any ideas on what I should work on next? If you are on dA, please here: [Vote or Veto!]  If not on dA feel free to leave a comment! Critiques are welcome!

Enjoy!


#1 :: Amidst of the Storm




#2 :: In the Middle of the Night



#3 :: Betwixt Light and Darkness

Sunday, November 25, 2012

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Hello!

2 comments:
Well I am so honoured to be part of this AMAZING blog as I've been dreaming of this since I've first layed my eyes on it. I joined 'Blog For Joy' because I want to bring something speical to this blog and un-cover that talent I thought I never had. Thank you so much Jade for allowing me to contribute and it is a real privilage.
May of you know me, some may not. My name is Abbie and I am nearly fourteen years old. I'm a Twi-hard fan, have an obsession with music and love being creative. I blog over at Abigail's Treasures which is mine and it is individual, Lilac Daisies which is mine but a group blog and The Teen Queens which I've been invited to blog at.
I'll be blogging here maybe once a week as I have a-lot of priorites in my life right now. But don't worry - you 'Blog For Joy' readers won't be neglected by me for sure.

To see my blogs click on these links -
Abigail's Treasures - www.welcometomypalace1998.blogspot.com
Lilac Daisies - www.mydreams-mydays-mylife.blogspot.com
The Teen Queens - www.alltheteenqueens.blogspot.com 

I did say above that Lilac Daisies is a group blog which I created so if any of you that are interested in participating then please let me know and I'll send you the invitation as soon as possible
And if you have any questions on anything or simply want to chat, then e-mail me at abbiehur@gmail.com.

Plus here is sone tunes I am loving right now. (I post about music a-lot so you'll see a-lot of songs and opinions on singers for sure). Here they are:

 Well that is it for now and I am SO EXCITED to come back and post more and more and more.
Plus I love recieving comments and your opinions so please get commenting! Thanks for listening! x

Friday, November 23, 2012

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Tiny Dancer ~ for Lily Mae

2 comments:
This song is remake of Elton's John's "Tiny Dancer".  200 people sang their hearts out, all for a little 4 year old girl, Lily Mae, who has Neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer of the Nervous system.
This song has already reached no. 1 in the Irish itunes chart.
Hopefully it will be a Christmas hit around the world!

I was really emotional after watching the video and listening to the power coming from all those voices. I hope you get the chance to listen to it.
Sending our best wishes to Lily Mae!
x

Saturday, November 17, 2012

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Groovy Art

2 comments:
Sorry for not blogging in a while. I hope my creations make up...





Monday, November 12, 2012

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HI!

No comments:
Hey all,
For people who isn't familiar with me, my name is Abbie originally

Monday, November 5, 2012

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My fave pics...

1 comment:
from around the web. None of these images belong to me, credit to Google Images :)







Sunday, October 28, 2012

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Our life in shoes

2 comments:
To some people shoes are just merely a covering for two feet. Clunky things that hold them hostage. The first things to be flung into the corner after a day of school.
Even though this is true to me too, I feel they are so much more than that. Remember your first pair? You were just a little child, still probably couldn't pronounce "shoes" not to mind "stilettos". You were being influenced by shoes all around you. Where would Cinderella be without her glass slippers? As you vigorously moved on to your black school shoes favouring the ballet pumps but compromised with the parents only to get the doll that was hidden in the sole. As you grew, your feet grew and so did your pile of shoes. Strutting around in your big sis's heels and accidentally snapping them then hiding them way under her bed, acting all innocent. Those football boots you wore as your team won while you looked on from the sidelines.Then came converse and they were a must!
Face the facts: Shoes are a part or your life. They can tell so much about the person. They have been with you through rain, hail, sleet or snow. Thick and thin.
This is our life in shoes!
 
 

Saturday, October 27, 2012

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Photos, Primroses, and Psh

2 comments:



Hey everyone! This is Morgan, from What's Hawt and What's Nawt! I am so excited to be part of Blog for Joy! So now, onto what I really want to talk about. 

First, since it is Halloween, I'm posting photos! Do not use my pictures without permission, please.



 
 I know, it's not many, but I am having some writer's block. I shall follow my tips I posted on my blog previously, and am going to take a walk later to get new ideas.
Anyway, I love and am obsessed with the Hunger Games, and I always wanted to know what a Primrose looked like!
 

This is the evening  Primrose from where our lovely Prim Everdeen gets her name. You can find this picture here.
Finally, before I go on a walk, I am going to say what I think about psh. I use that word a lot. I use it in:
"psh, I knew that" mostly though. How do you use it? <3 comment and email me and tell! Thanks! 

<3



Wednesday, October 24, 2012

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Forever behind me....

1 comment:
In the mirror
You're behind me
Your shadow to never die
I turn around
You're gone again
Just stay still, I cry
I want to know you
Know your pain
But you reject me every time
Just stay for once
And let us talk
Even about the most heinous crime.

Another little poem....

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

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In Front Of A Screen

4 comments:
Sitting alone
In front of a screen
Laughing at HP memes
On Pinterest
Then eating ice-cream
While watching YouTube
Sitting with friends
Still in front of a screen
This time
Revising
Trying
For French
While eating Pringles
Fun

Two hours later
Pinterest has crashed
YouTube is boring
Friends have gone home
Pringles finished
Still Fun.

Monday, October 22, 2012

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Money is so inconvenient...

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I'm sorry Molly. And Trinity. And Emma.
I'm having a party, where me and a few (lot) of my mates are coming shopping with me to a shopping centre. My mum and dad are divorced, so my mum's paying for the party. I was gonna have twelve people, but, I've had to cut back to nine. I feel so bad. I've already handed Trin and Em the invites, so I had to leave them a voicemail saying they couldn't come. I've called Moll. She's okay with it.
I'm crying. 
I'm so sad.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

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Conquering Nanowrimo

3 comments:
Hi everyone! I'm back, with some tips on conquering Nanowrimo, a competition I believe every aspiring writer should enter.
This is my third year participating and I'm looking for my third win this year!  You can add me on Nanowrimo, I'm ilovepurple.

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, you can visit their website (click on Nanowrimo above) or read this short tidbit about it.
It's a month long noveling competition, starting November 1st and ending November 30th (so it starts in 10 days!!). You win if you write a 50,000 word (OR MORE!) novel in that period of time. It's really great to cure writers' block (see my last post, click here!) or to get experience with writing novels. I really recommend you do it if you want to be an author, and add me as a writing buddy, ilovepurple! :)

1.)  Make an outline. So, by this point, if you're participating, you should have a rough outline of chapters, or at least a basic idea of where you want your novel to go. Because it starts in ten days, I recommend you have a chapter outline, or at least your plot, character outlines, and conclusion written down somewhere. This will help you so you don't have to waste time during the month to think about what you want to happen next.

2.) DON'T EDIT. I CAN'T say this enough. While you're writing, don't stop to change ANYTHING. After the month is over, and you've successfully written 50,000 words, go back and edit it! (If you want copies from Createspace, you'll have six months to edit it!) Please don't waste time by changing things around (unless you want to add things in, of course!)

3.) No contractions! Don't, shouldn't, won't. NO!!! Do not, should not, will not. That's better. :) Separating words definitely makes a difference in your word count.

For those of you participating, good luck!
Please come visit me and my blog by clicking here.
And, I now have an Instagram! (Free app for ipods/iphones/android) Add me @apurplesky

Thanks!

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Winter ~ A Poem

1 comment:
Just a little Poem I wrote about winter.

Dancing and glittering, snowflakes fall
Red noses and pink cheeks of children out playing
Jolly christmas carollers at your door
Mince pie, roast turkey, yum!
Presents unwrapped from novelty paper
Reading traditional tales on Christmas Eve
Long walks through the snowy park
How everyone loves winter

Peace Out,
Erin x

Saturday, October 20, 2012

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The Computer Art Theme Again

1 comment:


I created her...
from her, using picmonkey.com. Try it out!

2
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All this JOY

2 comments:
All this joy
Quite a lot
Of happiness to share
On this website
We contribute
And for this blog we care
So how about
You get comfy
And read a few little posts
Because you might
Find some joy
In the one you love the most.

Hi! I'm Isabel and this is my first post. I hope you liked my little poem about Blog For Joy. I am looking forward to blogging here!
Isabel xx

Thursday, October 18, 2012

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Four little photos

4 comments:

  • School has been hard on me by giving me too much homework. 
  • Thus the reason why I haven't been able to post.
  • However, I'll try to post more often.
  • And bullet points are fun. 
  • Also, dear 'old' Stacy is turning 16 today (on the 18th of October)
  • But I won't be getting my driver's licence yet because I still don't have my permit. 
  • So don't expect me to drive with anyone anywhere yet.
  • However, I'll still be writing stories, poetry, and taking pictures. 




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Wishlist :)

1 comment:

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