Limitless Ramblings

Life's been BUSY BUSY BUSY. Oof. I feel like I've been pulling 36 hour days... and today I had to be up early on my one day off for Mexico training. It was, however, so totally worth it.

For those of you who don't know, the high school group at my church goes down to Mexico over spring break and does missions work for a couple of churches down there. And we aren't talking the fun parts of Mexico, either. The area we go to is covered in trash. This will be my second year going, and I honestly can't wait.

I've been helping here and there with the Mexico stuff, but Mexico Training is when it really hits that it's getting close... and it really is exciting! It was such a different experience this time, because I'm going down as a "vet", and I was able to - instead of being the one that listened to everyone talk about their experiences - reminisce with other people about things that happened last year. ("OH NO! It's the butterfly craft all over again!" "And then we were all like 'mariposa body! mariposa body!' cuz people were just leaving them lying around...")

It was fun being on the other side of things, and it was really fun sharing with others why I wanted to go back... which is, ultimately, to see the kids! It's amazing to me how close you can get to people in 5 days. I remember most of my kiddos' names, and I am dying to see how they're doing and what not... there's one little girl in particular I want to check up on...

Anyway, that's what I'll be planning for in the next month. And, with Drabble a Day coming to an end (Thank GOD) I'll hopefully have more time to focus on actually blogging.

Sorry about the lack of blogging going on here!! Life is incredibly hectic!!! XD

I tried my hand at audio booking today... and it was really fun! I've always loved audio books, hearing other people act out books that I'd either already read or was "reading" for the first time, and I've wanted to try my hand at it for a long time.

So, I used yesterday's "Drabble a Day" entry, The Changed, as my audio book trial... and like I said, I had fun! It's like acting, kind of. You have to put a lot more into your voice, because people can't actually see you.

But it is kind of interesting, recording something like that and then listening to it played back. Needless to say, I think I'll make it a side project to audio-ify all 4 or 5 chapters of The Changed, just to have it, and see how it turns out. Who knows, maybe it could be a new thing... lol.

So, a little while ago, I put together a winter reading list, because I felt I hadn't been reading enough. I read a total of 2 1/2 of the books on it, but one of them was The Running Man by Richard Bachman*, and I really enjoyed it.

It's one of those books set in a dreary world, stuck in an unofficial cast system. The rich and privileged are very much so, while the poor and unfortunate souls are all but ignored. And no one tries to change the status quo, because - while it isn't full blown - the world TRM is set in is a pre collectivist society. They're all zombies... harmless, but zombies none the less. And sometimes, just sitting on your rear end can do more damage than trying to pry someone's brain out of their skull.

But I digress. The upper class offers the lower class one chance at redemption, one way to break out of their poverty and finally live the high life: A series of games. An organization called "The Network" puts on games for people to win however many new dollars they can manage... but these aren't normal games. Each game pits you against some sort of weakness. For instance, people with heart disease or asthma would compete in Treadmill to Bucks, where they basically run on a treadmill until they have a heart attack. The longer they go, the more money they win.

The largest viewed game on The Network is The Running Man, where the competitor literally runs for his life, while being hunted. Viewers are told to view the contestant as a criminal, to turn him in whenever they find him, or even kill him if they can. And sightings and/or killings result in cash prizes for the killer. The risk is high, but the payout is even higher, which is why we have the story to begin with. Ben Richards has a sick daughter and needs the money, and so he competes.

I was really really impressed with the book. The pace is quick, it isn't bogged down by a lot of slow background introductions. It hits the ground running, and is full of surprises. What's most intriguing about the book, however, is that none of the characters are completely likable. Each and every one leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and at times you don't know who you should be rooting for. But that doesn't make you want to stop reading. It's done in such a way that, even though you may hate the protagonist at times, you hate the antagonists so much you want to see that they get theirs.

The ending was one of the best I've ever read. Bachman wrote the book to tell the tale of the guy that doesn't win, who doesn't walk away with a happy ending, and he does it very well. There is such a mixture of emotions when you finally close the book, that you really don't know what to do with them all. You're sad, you're happy, you feel mildly triumphant - even if you personally didn't do anything - and you feel as though you wasted your time. But you don't mind having wasted that time. It's satisfying in a really empty, tragic way.

And when things like this start popping up, it makes the book fairly terrifying.

All in all, a very good read. Quick, interesting, and very well written. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes the collectivism, small-guy-trying-to-beat-the-man type stories, but I warn that it isn't a cushy, fluffy, happy go lucky book. There is never a moment where your heart gets excited, never an instant when you get a warm fuzzy. It's written in a way that makes the reader feel like they're on the run as well... it's stressful and intense and always on. But I guarantee you, it is well worth the read**.


*Richard Bachman is Stephen King... but the writing styles are completely different, so when referring to works King wrote as Bachman, I will use Bachman's name. They are the same person, but they aren't, and it's easier for me to refer to them as two different people.
**You can pick up a copy at your local bookstore or Target, as well as purchase it online here.

today's story was inspired by the above photo, from Shaggyshoo at flickr.

enjoy... even though this one is particularly crappy. :/

Center Stage

- Figure out who your audience is and give them what they want. This can very easily become a ‘chicken and egg’ situation: you’ll attract as readers the kinds of people who like to read what you publish, but if you want to keep them reading, you have to keep providing them with what attracted them to your site in the first place.

There are very few things that rub me the wrong way to the point that I'll get angry about them very quickly... but one of those things is trying to be someone else to impress other people.

I am a form supporter of being yourself, and kind of get upset when people say you should change who you are if you want friends or a boyfriend. Needless to say, when I read the above criteria for How You Can Increase Your Blog Traffic, I got kind of upset.

I understand that it's not exactly saying to change who you are or what you post, but the gist of it is, post what others like so they'll keep reading... to which I have to say, what's the point of having a blog.

The internet is full of sites where people can go and find things that interest them... it isn't my job to make my blog one of those sites. I suppose if you're hungry for blog traffic, this may seem like good advice... but seriously, is internet popularity really worth that?

A blog is about you, what you like or don't like, what you're striving for, what you want to do with your life... a blog is about anything YOU want it to be, not about tweaking it so others will read it. If people want to read what you have to say, they will. If not, they won't. That doesn't change the fact that you should still blog how YOU want to, to make you happy, not to please others.

I started this blog so that I could have a place where I could journal publicly, and say what I felt needed to be said... to get it out there... but at the same time, I really couldn't care less if no one read it. I'm not going to change what I say, how I post, or what this blog is about so that I can get more readers.

Because when it comes down to it, Limitless Ramblings is a place where I can put what's on MY mind, not try to figure out what's on yours. And if our thoughts happen to overlap, then more power to it.

Today's story is very special, because it was co-authored by Camden Gudgel, who's blog can be found HERE.

He came up with the characters and the key plot points, and I filled in the rest. Good team effort!!

So, I hope you enjoy it!

Camden's Story

**Neither Camden or I own Toy Story, or any of the characters related to Toy Story. All rights belong to Pixar.



The Authors

Alright... so, this is based off a prompt given to me by Jenny. Here's the prompt:

Write about the word Cleave
Start with "I remember when"
And: character- about 6'2", balding hair with blue eyes and long arms. Plot: your character is very sad. Prompt: They would have been ok if they hadn't stopped for the stranger

I didn't keep all of it. My character is balding, the story starts with "I remember when", and my character is very sad. And they would have been fine had they not... bumped into... the stranger.

Just a side note: Prompts like the one above are VERY welcome... if you have one, leave it in the comments here, or at the Entwash, on my Formspring, or e-mail me at bleureivers@live.com.

Anyway, without further ado, here is Confessions of a Sparklepire, special thanks to Jenny Nagy!

(In case you can't figure out where to click to get to the story... click... HERE.)

Every once in a while, I come across something that fascinates me so much, words cannot begin to describe. Not like an obsession, but a healthy, pure, fascination. I actually don't experience them as much as I like, because I like taking things apart and figuring out what makes them tick. If I can't figure out why something does what it does, it just fascinates the hell out of me. And once it does, I start to sort of play this game where I try to understand how it works, knowing full well that I never will and my mind is, in effect, blown every time. But the best thing about these "somethings" is that the not knowing, the fascination, the inability to understand... it makes me happy.

Reflections are like that for me. I understand that certain surfaces reflect light in a certain way, be they flat or concave, and that sometimes - most of the time - that results in a copy of yourself, or various objects that are placed near the reflective surface. But as much as I "get" it, I don't get it even more.

Take you, for example. When you look in a mirror, you see your reflection. It's you, but it's not. What you see is an illusion, but it's real. It copies your every move... like a shadow, but with a face, and definition. Reflections contradict everything ever. No 2 snowflakes are the same, but look. A perfect doppelganger is staring right back at you. They reflect depth and yet have none. A mirror could reflect a truth, but the very fact that it's a reflection makes it a lie.

Is your mind blown yet? It may just be me, but this love for reflections has been a type of gateway for me. It's really gotten me into art and photography. A fascination for reflections led to a respect for those who seemed to capture the magic. I'm rubbish myself, but I've been able to get into works of other great artists due to my fascination.

Take my favorite artist, M.C. Escher, for example. The first drawing I saw of his was the Hand with Reflecting Sphere. It was love at first sight. Something about how he was able to so perfectly capture the magic of a reflection... how he seemingly uses it to open up this entire world we wouldn't be able to see, were it not for the sphere. And then there's the lie factor. He's drawn a reflection, taken something unreal and made it even more unreal. A lie of a lie. And you have to trust him. Going in, knowing you're looking at a drawing of a reflection - a lie of a lie - you have to trust that that's what that room really looks like, that that's what HE really looks like. Because who knows? Reflections are tricky like that.

Salvador Dali's "Swans Reflecting Elephants" is a great example of this. Jordan showed me this last night, and I absolutely love it. Another entrancing thing about reflections is they could be so much more than what we see. There could be a whole world on the other side of that mirror, a parallel world with subtle differences that change everything. Every time you look in a mirror, someone on the other side could be asking themselves if you're real, or just a reflection of light. Improbable? Sure. But fascinating and intriguing none the less, and Dali captures it so perfectly. It took me a little while before I saw it, but once I did... I gained that much more respect for him. It's a reflection but it reveals so much more.

Photography also reveals a lot of fascinating aspects of reflections, the most prevalent being how different angles reveal different things. Take this shot of John Barrowman* for example. Perhaps there's some science or mathamatical voodoo that explains why he reflects the way he does but, looking at the shot, I would not have guessed it would reflect that way. The way he faces the camera, you would think only his back would be reflected, but instead we see almost a perfect profile of his face. To me, that adds tons more depth to the photo, and gives it more layers. It tells you more about how he's sitting, where the camera is positioned, things that would be slightly skewed had the mirror not been there. And it's not just mirrors. Reflections from windows, water, types of stone, all reveal so much more to the looker, as if opening another world.

And perhaps that's what the whole fascination comes down to. Whether it's a literal new world, or just something you wouldn't have seen had there not been some means of reflection present, there is so much going on there than just a mere light illusion. And for that reason, I hope I never truly understand them. There's so much beauty in not knowing, and we completely miss it because we're so hungry to understand.

Knowledge is great, but sometimes, a little bit of ignorance can be magical.


*I used this picture, not because it was Barrowman, but because it was the shot that spurred on the discussion I had with Jordan last night that led to this blog. I'm nothing if not grateful.

Alright so... today's story was a bit longer and took a few hours to write, so instead of giving a big meaty post, I'm just going to link you all to the post I wrote for my friend Justin over at his blog.

The Apple iPad: The Missing Link...?

Now, for today's DADC, this is basically a "what would happen if" that continues from an episode from S3 of Heroes. The story takes place after Pinehearst explodes, and centers around 1 specific Heroes character, as well as 1 other that isn't in Heroes, persay. It was a prompt given to me, so I hope I fulfilled it satisfactorily... lol. Is that a word? XD Anyway, enjoy!!

Everything Ends: Chapter 1

Few... today ended up being a little bit more blog-hectic than I thought it would be!! BUT, ALAS, I have completed Day 1 of my "Drabble a Day" challenge... which, I've been informed, my friend Jenny is doing as well! So everyone should take a peek at her blog for some more interesting literary tidbits!

Anyway, today's blog isn't going to be nearly as meaty as some in the past, because - along with today's drabble - I was also given the opportunity to fill in for my friend Justin over at his blog.

So, this is just a quick little post to let everyone know I accomplished the goal for today, and have written my first drabble thing...

Also, There's a vlog to come in the next few days (hopefully), so keep your eyes peeled for that.

I suppose I should set up the story... it's called the Blanket because, well, it's about a blanket. A particular blanket, actually. One of the little boys I watch lost his favorite blanket a few days back, and for whatever reason I just really wanted to write this. I'm hoping to be able to write a few children's drabbles while I do this, get a few stories under my belt or something. Who knows. Anyway, without further ado:

The Blanket