Sleeping Beauty – in purple

Last night I went to a costume party. Fyi, this is as involved as I get with Halloween. Okay, so I did participate in a singing project for Sweeney Todd, but I mean as far as dressing up and doing creepish things on the actual day is concerned, I don’t.

It took me a while to figure out a costume. I had two and a half days to come up with something, and I don’t like going as some general thing. For example, Victorian lady is no fun unless I can give a character name too. Also, I’m shockingly uninspired sometimes and need reference pictures to put a look together.

At first I was going to wear the blonde wig my best friend keeps on hand for me and be Taylor Swift in a fun mockery kind of way, because it’s a very ME thing to do.

I will do this. Someday this will be my costume.

But bestest friend wanted to go in a medieval gown, and I wasn’t sure how many people would be coming in authentic kind of costumes, so not wishing to make her look alone I switched to Sleeping Beauty; basing it all on a dress she and her mother made for me a few years ago.

And no, the dress was not made to be a Sleeping Beauty dress. But I made it so anyway with the accessories–or I tried. Sara (best friend) did my hair, and as I wasn’t feeling adventurous enough to wear the blonde wig out (Someday! SOMEDAY!!) I went as “Five Years Later Sleeping Beauty.” Apparently, age wizened her into a brunette. ;P

Then I got home (after changing back into my jeans in the car) and realized I had no pictures of the full gown without the cape. So I shimmied back into the lavender gown. Which, by the way, makes full arm movement impossible.

Sorry about the background. I had to borrow my mother’s room because mine still looks like a disaster area and I have no cool places to photo shoot. I hate the yellowy color the lamp in her room makes my skin appear so I tried some editing tricks that only sort of worked. Also, I was too tired to set up the tripod, so my six year old sister took the pictures for me.

Hope you all had a lovely Sunday full of … being alive.

~B~

Missing in Action

This is a post full of excuses. I’ve neglected you, poor abandoned blog, and that makes me sad, but no less busy.

That sentence had a lot of commas. They bug me but I think they need to be there nonetheless.

As I was saying, I’m so busy! Aaah! I pulled out my hand written journal to document my birthday week, but things kept happening faster than I could write them out in detail. This week I’m doing so many little projects that… well, let me just list them so you know what my blog and challenge letters are up against.

I’m trying to finish three one-shots: Tierelyss, The Baffling Case of Emma Browne, and a secret project; edit a chapter in Turnings, finish a chapter in Secret Fan Fiction (not official title–I promise) and write Chapter 2 of Wind Blessed. Sheesh.

And HEY!! I got a job!! At least, I’m pretty sure I did. It all happened so fast! First I was sitting alone at a table eating a bagel at Panera’s, wanting to run away forever because of extreme nervousness at the thought of the impending doom that was my interview, and next I’m in a cozy corner of the cafe, sitting on a very plush leather chair and before I know it the interview is over and the manager’s saying, “You can breathe now” and he’s writing times for training on a catering menu! Whaaat! I’m so excited! Bread is my favorite food! Any baked carbs! And now I get to work all the time in a bakery/cafe! YES!! But now I need to shop for polo shirts. I got rid of all mine years ago because they make me look even more like a kid than I usually do. Anyway, point being, having a job will be wonderful, except for having less and less time to write!

I went to a soccer game today! There’s a costume party on Saturday I definitely want to go to. That means I need to put together a costume. It’s my breakfast shift tomorrow. At least I finished my ballots so those can be turned in. I need to send a thank you card to friends from church. My room is still/again a disaster. Next week I have my first day of job training and am going to a Celtic Thunder concert!!

Also a very exciting event took place tonight in a whirlwind of amazing circumstances that will require me to inform my father about some holiday plans and beg for his blessings upon them. For I intend on taking advantage of my new “Biblical adulthood” and saying, “Well, dad. I’m going. I hope you’re okay with this. Because I’m going.” It worked for Europe!

So. Two of these writing projects are optional really, because they don’t have other people waiting on them. They’re just for fun because I thought of them and was like, “Ooo! Write it, Beth!” Or rather, le muse, Almaund said “Write this, wench!” I think maybe I’ll post a snippet of each and you can give thoughts on which one deserves to be worked on more. Possibly I can give one up for now.

The Baffling Case of Emma Browne

Excerpts from the honorable Dr. Lynsford’s Diary
November 1844 – May 1845

My new patient was brought in by the police, screaming like a savage and wearing men’s clothing. I do not think this is a case of mistaken identities for she seems to know she is a woman despite the confusion of dress. She claims to be a Miss Emma Browne of —–Street, though no record of any Brownes residing in that area can be found, and no one I have interviewed remembers ever seeing her before.

In short, there is no record of her or any of her family’s existence.

-x-

Tierelyss

Torin was feeling the least bit celebratory of all those attending his engagement banquet. His betrothed was beautiful, to be sure, but cold as the cellar’s stones. She was perfect for a young king, his uncle said; so respectful and quiet and proud. Yes, perfect indeed, all his advisors confirmed, and an alliance was made through letters and documents with impressive looking signatures in a rush so mad that Torin could hardly say how it all came about. Now he was sitting in the large banquet hall, drumming his fingers noisily on a gold-threaded tablecloth and making several servants nervous with his scowling.

-x-

Those are by no means the final stages of first paragraphs. Very non-edited. Non-beta’d as they’d say on the FP/FF sites. Do either of those sound the least bit interesting to anyone other than myself? I guess you should know that Tierelyss is a fantasy. Also, both one-shots are planned from beginning to end (as far as plot goes) in my head. It’s just writing them that I can’t find the drive for. And I notice I have a fondness for writing about arranged marriages. I simply find it comforting to know my characters are already stuck with each other and their only choice is to learn how to get along. That’s the fun part.

I hope my absence isn’t too lengthy, but I’m quite short of time these days and have very little to spend for even my most beloved pursuits.

~B~

P.S. We watched the newest version of Sense and Sensibility again which is quite lovely, though often a bit on the “sensibility” side to prevent it form being a perfect Austen movie. I almost subscribed to another WordPress blog for their period drama reviews but they had too much praise for the Romola Garai Emma. I don’t like it much. I don’t like that take on Emma. She’s too uncivilized. Furthermore, that Mr. Knightley is very short. I don’t hate that production. No, I learned what hate is when I saw Kiera Knightley try to chin-jut her way into the ranks of period drama heroines through a terrible assault on the character of Elizabeth Bennet. There are moments of that Emma I liked… the music was lovely… but yes, I refused to subscribe to a blog simply for praising it too much. I’m quite a stubborn little thing.

Googley Woogley

Say it. Go on, say it.

“Wow, Beth. Real mature.”

Like I know, right?

Want to know something funny? Of course you do. I get the most views from the search term “Fred and George Weasley.” Second highest is “Fred Weasley” and the third is “Emmy Rossum.” I also get a lot from Prince of Persia fan fiction searches and “Elijah Wood.” Have I ever mentioned him? Ever? Oh… once I think.

Here’s a fun little chain game (like a chain gang, but less Miserables) that I picked up a while back from somewhere I don’t remember.

Google Me! Or iGoogle or I Googled Me. Whatever tis your wish to call it. The gist of the thing is that you type in the phrase with your name and see what Google gives you. I’m alternating with Beth and Bethany because one is technically my name and the other is what I type by 98% of the time.

“Bethany does” pose a set of issues…
[I dooo.]

“Beth looks like” Gambit from X-Men pictures.
[The next one says "Beth looks like a dude." ]

“Bethany eats” A GOLDFISH
[Naaooooww!! I don't even like normal seafood!]

“Beth needs” to go back to school.
[Oh shut up! I want to travel and write, okay? I'm an artist!]

“Bethany wants” loved ones but wants to take it slowly.
[I think someone has 'loved ones' and 'lovers' mixed up.]

“Beth yells” Dammit!
[Must have been the angst talking.]

“Bethany said” about the ordeal that, “Once it hit me, I could hear bubbling and sizzling in my skin.”
[Aw, man, this is about that one girl who spilled acid on herself to bamboozle a bunch of folks out of money!! I don't like her having my name.]

“Beth spills” is on Facebook.
[Apparently, it's a last name.]

“Bethany bites” the Bullet.
[I can catch bullets between my teeth!? How Davey Crockett of me!]

“Beth listens” as Patrick Jones speaks.
[It was a "Mary Beth" actually, listening to a creepy-looking guy talk about library teen services.]

“Bethany has” landed.
[..."If you looked into my brain you would see millions of Bethany's running around, bumping into each other." True that.]

Ya’ll know you want to do it too.

~B~

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20 at 2:00 in 2010

Twenty years ago at roughly 2:04 in the morning, I was born.

 

1 week old Beth

 

 

Twenty years ago. That picture was taken twenty years ago! That’s two decades! How in the world does this happen??

God is amazing. It’s only by His careful preservation of me that I’ve made it this far. I’m the girl who can get a paper cut from a receipt, fall out of any tree, choke on my own saliva, trip on flat surfaces, get abused by ten-year-olds, and still get lost with a map and roadsigns handy. Those are not exaggerations. They have all happened to me. Still do!

Okay, that feeling just came over me again. The one that twists up my stomach and makes my eyes watery. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe the thought of leaving the teen years completely behind me. In theory, I’m rather glad for that. Considering what being a teen means in this culture, I don’t at all mind the general concept of being a Biblical adult. But on the other hand, there’s that sense of something gone; lost in the past as only memories. Well, not only memories! Some of the best memories I’ll have took place over the period of time that I spent in my teen years. I went to Europe, graduated high school, started four or more stories, went to Phantom, saw an opera, entered some writing contests…

Here are 20 things I learned this year in no significant order.

1. Jobs are stupid hard to come by.

2. I can speak survival French. Enough to eat and figure out where the toilets are.

3. Secrets between best friends are not acceptable. Unless they’re temporary and you say, “I have a secret you can’t know just yet.” This falls under the category of “surprises” and is therefore alright.

4. If directions become too involved, I zone out.

5. The Bible has amazing historical context.

6. I’m very socially awkward.

7. I am able to hear my recorded voice without plugging up my ears and running away.

8. I’m more prone to blushing than I thought.

9. Some kids learn better when you don’t give them too much help.

10. Everything can be a musical.

11. I can be quite the texting queen when I have the right people to talk to and a phone with a qwerty keyboard.

12. I’m slow to change, but when forced to I adapt well.

13. The Eiffel Tower is overrated.

14. Jonathan Edwards is probably my favorite reformer.

15. First impressions are never enough.

16. I often feel responsible for things I have no control over.

17. I feel things deeply but have a tendency to hide that fact with sarcasm and humor.

18. I sleep better on couch cushions than air mattresses.

19. Secret’s Coco Butter Kiss deodorant is AMAZING.

20. There can be a fine line between learning from the past and holding a grudge.