| | I leave for Osaka in just over five weeks. It would be a lie at this point to say that there wasn't an icy ball of stark terror forming slowly in my gut, but overall I am excited but more than a little sad at the prospect. To leave everything and *nearly* everyone I know and care about, particularly Jer behind, is a frieghtening prospect. There is still so much that I have to do and want to do, but I'm doing my best to fill the days between now and November.
This week was Writer's Group on Monday, in which I wrote some backstory for this years nano. It was nice to actually write the characters that are slowly filling in the blank spaces within themselves and my notebook. It is, possibly, my favorite part of writing. When I make notes, it's like a pencil sketch. A form, a name, a few details, and then I have to write them, and suddenly, it's like I'm approaching them at great speed, the distance between the idea and the pen shrinks to nothing, and suddenly they are living people, filled with breath and color and movement nad life. Making ART doesn't feel any better than that.
On Tuesday, I met Jer, Mike and Liz for dinner at the Five Star China Buffet, which is, strangely, next door to the unafilliated Five Star Northern Bank. After the meal, we headed to UB and sat in on Anime Club's showing of "Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door." It is an excellent film, one which I had seen before, but always watch when I come across it. The only thing that irked me was that they stopped the movie during the credits. There is a clever, and in my opinion, important bit after them, so I was a little angry, but no matter.
On Wednesday, I again met my friends and others, and we participated in a small tournament of the game "Settlers of Catan" at a local games store. It was a nice atmosphere, and I haven't been to a real local games store in a while. I was pretty disapointed when Syracuse's "Altered States" changed their name and closed the doors of their main branch. I have yet to bother to visit their newer, more family oriented location, but I have no desire to. I actually managed to place second, behind a two person tie for first place! I won a five dollars to spend in the store, and purchased the Cheapass Game, "Give Me The Brain," which I have yet to play.
Last Night was quiet, a few other friends came over to the house, two of whom I had not seen in some time, and we played more games and generally shot the breeze. A few more tenuous plans were made for an upcoming Halloween party, but that's about it.
Tonight, despite that I have to work during most of it, I will be attending the very end of a benefit for my friend Dave, who has had a series of health problems, but hopefully these for the most part behind him.
This weekend will be the last that Darien Lake, the local theme park, will be open for the year, and if the weather holds, and possibly if it doesn't, I will go on the coasters a few more times before it's too late. The rumor is that Six Flags is trying to sell the place off, so I am worried about whether it will still be there when I return. That place is very important to me, so I'm a little nervous.
Here's a flash fiction piece to end with, which also includes broad strokes of characters in my nano, who have different names, as well as other slight tweaks. The goal was to write a story in which a character leaves chaos in their wake.
I looked across the table at her. She was, as usual, sharpening things. She had picked up the nickname amongst the group of "Pincushion Girl." Not to her face, of course. As if she knew what I was thinking, she flexed her wrist, idly. A two inch iron spike fired from the shoulder of her armor. It hit the wall with a splintering crunch, and she got up to retrieve it.
"Ha!" She called from across the room She ran over and showed me the needle. A roach was swerved neatly on the tip. I blinked, snapped my fingers, and the bug was on fire. A bit of indiscrete warning that I was unimpressed. She dropped the spike and crushed the fiery insect under her foot. She shot me a withering glare, and I smiled back before tuning back to my book. I heard her leave the room, but I didn't look up as she slammed the door.
I did look up as I heard the crashes along the wall. The slamming of the door had knocked something loose on the shelves above, and it was raining pottery. Diving aside, I avoided a fatal collision with a ceramic water jug.
When it was safe, I followed her out the door. If she was going to throw a tantrum, I should apologize before she hurt somebody. Last time she was in this sort of mood, she destroyed more than pottery.
I went through the lounge and out into the courtyard. There was a trail of broken flagstones leading to the training grounds. I had a trail to follow. The training grounds were one of the largest areas of the building, practice took up more space than anything else, as we gained more and more members. Tara was working doing weight training, or at least she had been. The bar had snapped in half. Tara herself was sitting on the bench in a dazed expression.
"Angela passed by this way." It wasn't a question. She nodded, not saying anything. "which way did she pass?" She pointed left, toward the library. I nodded, and kept going. This was getting out of hand.
I found her sulking in the library, a trail of spineless covers led up to the space where she was sitting, staring up at the ceiling.
"Angela?" I called softly from behind her. She turned around, and her eyes went wide.
"What happened?" She asked.
"What do you mean, what happened? I've been following your trail of destruction."
"Trail of... What? I just walked over here and sat down. What happened to those books?"
"You didn't..." I paused. "Didn't you hear that racket behind you?" She shook her head. "The pottery? The flagstones? The weights?"
"I was reloading the shoulder mounted x-bow. it makes a terrible racket."
"Fuck." I sighed. "Go find Laurel. We have an intruder."
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| | Posted 9/29/2006 10:17 AM - 29 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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