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Sunday, December 24, 2017

Kira (Part 1)


She could smell the smoke still seeping from the building down the street even though this part of the city hadn't been touched by the army in days. These days the smoke never really stops; it just receeds for a little while. This city used to be grand but now it was nothing but a wasteland. It was hard for her to believe that it was just 4 years ago that she graduated from college here in this very city. Oh how things had changed, including her.

She cowers in the corner of the alley with her bag over her shoulder and listens. She could hear someone running nearby and she wasn't about to get in the way. In the past four years, she had learned how to survive. She had learned the hard way to only come into town at night and to only stay in the shadows. The shadows offered the only layer of protection from both the army and the criminals. To her, the army were as much criminals as the thieves - maybe even more so. They were the ones that had stole her city out from under her. They were the ones that had ruined everything. They were the reason she was all alone, hiding in the shadows.

The running was getting closer. She could now tell that there were only two people, and from the sounds they were making, one was running from the other. Their steps were not in sync like they would have been if they were running together. She sunk back farther into the shadows.

This city had been a normal American city before the war - before the bombs and the invasion - before that dreaded December night when everything changed. She had been a pretty normal, although quite shy, 23 year old girl. She had her small group of friends, went to her Yoga classes, would occasionally play online games that would suck her time away. Yes quite normal. Back then her favorite past time was to read. At one point she tried to read the whole fantasy section of the library. These days, she still reads. In fact, she is probably the only person in the whole city who still possesses some books after the army-ordered book burnings.

The war had been a surprise to everyone. She awoke one day to the sound of a bomb dropping on her neighborhood. She never saw her friends again. Even she didn't survive unharmed. When she had tried to run to safety, she had been caught at the very edge of a bomb blast, which knocked her unconscious into a drainage ditch. When she awoke, her city was rubble.

These days most of the people lived either in the army's work camps or in various refugee camps throughout town. The only people to live on the streets were the outlaws... and her. That bomb blast had changed her life in another way as well. She didn't know what exactly happened, but that day had thrown her head first into a world that she had only read about. She had changed.

Now the running people were getting closer. So close, in fact, that within a few seconds they would run right by her alley. All she had to do was stay in the shadows and she would be safe. But then she saw a ghost from her pass.

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Back then, when her life was still whole, Kira Tailor had a pretty good life. She had a group of friends, a good job, and nice place to live. She spent her Friday evenings at game night with Brandon, Luke, Ginny, and Tina. They would laugh and have a good ol' time. It was those Friday nights that now haunt Kira more than ever. Brandon and Tina were killed in the initial round of bombs, and Ginny had been killed shortly afterwards when her apartment had been torched by the army. She had never heard about Luke, but since she had hadn't seen him or heard of him since the invasion, she had presumed the worst.

That is why she was shocked to see him running past her alley. In fact, she was so shocked that for about half a minute, she didn't move. But then with catlike gracefulness, she jumped into action. She dropped the bag she was carrying and jumped over the boxes that she had been hiding behind. By the time she landed, she could feel her body changing form. The muscles in the limbs began to grow and stretch. She landed on her front legs and began to run after the two men.

She never completely understood what had happened to her that night that she spent in the draining ditch. Was it the head trauma? The gas from the bombs? Something had changed her very being that night. When she awoke, she had the power to change shape. She could sense that something was different, but it wasn't for a few days later, when she had witnessed Ginny's apartment burning with her inside it that the anger had changed her. She felt herself growing and changing, and panicked a little from the seemingly lack of control. If she had had then the control she had now, she could have flown up and saved her friend.

Kira still hadn't figured out what she could become. She knew it was some sort of black, very large cat. She could feel the cat reflexes pulse through her body, and yet she had wings. In the year since the invasion, she had gained control over the form so that now the wings were optional. She would just stop the changing process before they grew.

In cat form, she raced after the two running men. By that time Luke's pursuer had chased him into an alley and was slowly backing him into the wall with a gun. He began to cower, believing that these moments would be his last. He heard a something snap behind the man. Then out of nowhere, a large creature came leaping off the dumpster and tackled the man. He had been wrong. It was the guy's last few moments to live. But now there was a giant cat standing a yard from him with the limp body of his pursuer in its mouth. Fear flooded through his body.

Kira looked down at the man she had just killed and then back up at the terrified Luke. She wished the change back was as easy as the change into cat form, but it wasn't. She could become a cat almost instantaneously, but switching back was a difficult process. This is one reason she never became a cat in town. She was just going to have to win over her terrified friend as a cat.

Leaving the dead man where he was, she lowered her head and began to inch towards Luke, who looked like he was about to pass out from freight. So she did what any good cat would do. She rolled onto her back and began to purr.

Crushing and Awkwardness

(This was written as part of a prompt, but I don't remember what the prompt was.)

I was fine in a group. All of my friends hanging out. Of course my attention was on most the person that I was talking to least. The guy sitting next to me was adorable and had stolen my heart the first time we met. Of course, every time I opened my mouth around him I ended up regretting the words that came out.

But now the night was coming to an end. My friends were all heading in separate ways and my crush offered to walk me to my car. Inside, I was thrilled. He knew I existed! He was being nice to me! But then the panic sat in. We were going to be alone! My friends were leaving us alone! They were my safety net and they were leaving me alone with the one person that I actually wanted to be alone with. How dare they?!

As we started to walk to the car, I repeated my mantra over and over in my head. “Don’t be awkward. Don’t be awkward.” My one desire in that moment was to not embarrass myself in those few minutes between the restaurant and my car. Just don’t say anything stupid! Why can’t I just have a normal conversation with this guy?

The truth struck me. The more I cared, the harder it is to not be awkward. I couldn’t just admit that I liked him. I have enjoyed getting to know him too much. I don’t want to lose him as a friend. I don’t even know if they guy is straight. I don’t want to do something to ruin the friendship that we were slowly building by adding an element that I can’t even follow through with.

So I stand on the precipice between admitting my feelings and what I really actually wanted. Stupid feelings.

A Bad Day At School

You know you had a bad day when you end up covered in mud. I was a bit of a naive twit in elementary school. I liked to boss people around and I didn’t have many friends. But I wasn’t actually aware of that fact. I had a best friend and that is all that mattered. It turned out that other kids, and one girl in particular, didn’t like me.

One day, we were all out on the playground and I had an idea that there was buried treasure under the swings and I wanted to dig for it. I had a very active imagination. Well I apparently got in the way of Katie. I don't remember exactly what happened except that she ended up calling me bitch. Except I didn't know what that meant. I had only heard the definition of "female dog". So I said thank you. I don’t think she knew how to respond so she just pushed me in the mud.

Dear Being Upside Down

This piece is from a prompt where we were suppose to write a love letter so something that we loved. I love being upside down....
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Dear Being Upside Down,

I love you. You are the feeling of freedom that comes when I am upside down. You are the connection that I get when I’m on someone else’s feet during an AcroJam. You are the strength that I show when I’m holding my entire body on my hands. I love you.

When I am sitting at my desk trying to focus on a boring meeting, there is a part of me that is with you. There is a part of my subconscious that are doing barrel rolls and, despite not actually moving, I can feel myself swing one leg over and back as I transition from inverted bat to bird. Or maybe a part of me is internally doing a handstand against the wall that my manager is speaking in front of.

You are always with me because you are freeing. You show me ways to go beyond the limits of my own body. You build me up. And sometimes you literally knock me down, but in a good way that I can laugh about. Like when I try to do a handstand after drinking a beer. Alcohol lowers my inhibition to stay upright, but it also makes my arm muscles a bit.. Okay… majorly unstable. So you keep me honest.

Why do I love you? Why do I feel more natural upside down? I’m not super sure. But I hate being stuck in my same chair every day. Sometimes I just want to sit in it with my feet hanging over the back. I can’t be very productive like that, but it mixes things up. It’s also a good way to practice back bends. I really need to work on those.


So yes, being upside down you are a big part of my life and I hope that you stay that way. I hope that we have many more days together. And many more meetings where I’m just not paying attention because I’m practicing acroyoga in my head. Whether it is in Yoga, Acro, Aerial, or just handstands, let’s have more fun together!
x

Reviving this Blog

It is now the end of 2017, over 3 years since the last post on this blog. I definitely didn't finish that blogging challenge. A lot has changed.

For one, I have an RV. I live in it full time. I have a day job that I actually like. I don't want to be a blogger or make my money through marketing that I have to do. And I'm good with that.

I spent a few months in Thailand earlier this year. When they say that traveling changes you, they were not lying. I'm not the same person I was when I left. I still have fear, but it doesn't hold me back anymore. I'm more in touch with myself. I understand that the dream that I was pursuing and failing at so badly wasn't the right dream for me.

This has been the best year of my life! And now it's ending with a bang! :)

So why am I writing this? I have recently started taking a creative writing class and I want a place that I can post random writing stuff. These are unedited and likely will have typos and whatnot. But I want to get them all in one place.

I want to tell my story. I need to discover who I am.

And since I haven't posted in a while, here is my 2017 song of the year, just for fun!


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

5 Guys I Find Attractive

Note: This entry is a part of the October Blogging Challenge

So I have been told that I have an odd taste in guys. Of course, it seem perfectly normal to me. :) I tend to like longer head hair and no facial hair. And I tend to hate mustaches. A lot.

So here are five guys that I find attractive. Not in any particular order.

Take, for instance, Lord of the Rings. Typically the debate is over who is more attractive, Aragorn or Legolas. But not for me. I think that the cutest guy in the whole movie is Pippin, played by actor Billy Boyd. He'd definitely make this list of guys I find attractive.


See what I mean?

Next on the list would be another guy from Scotland.. David Tennett.

So I love Dr. Who. Seriously love it!! But I wasn't the biggest Matt Smith fan. David Tennant is my favorite Doctor so far (although Peter Capaldi is doing wonderfully and might well give Tennant a run for his money).

Anywho, one thing about Tennant is he is adorable.






Which brings me to another TV show that I absolutely love.. Supernatural. I'll let an image tell it for me:


The guy on the bottom there is Misha Collins who plays Castiel on Supernatural. Another very attractive guy! Here is a better picture: 



Misha is known for doing crazy stuff. If you want a laugh, go to pinterest and search for "Meanwhile Misha Collins". Another image I found on Pinterest: (The angels have the phone box!)



Now that I'm three down, I'm starting to see some similarities. All three of these guys have amazing hair, great smiles, and very deep eyes. Apparently I'm a hair, smile and eyes girl. :)

My next guy on the list would be Aamir Khan. If you've never seen 3 Idiot, go watch it. Seriously! It is a really amazing movie. And Aamir is absolutely adorable in it.


And here is a picture. :)


So that brings us to the last guy on the list. I had a debate for this spot, but the longer hair won out.. (It always wins out). The last guy on my list is Bradley James. Absolutely adorable!!



So there you have it! Five guys that I find attractive. :) I love how only one of these guys is American. Although that probably just means I watch too much BBC. :) I'll be back tomorrow with a more personal / less fun post.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Playlist Shuffle! (aka. Hailey posts Music Videos)

Note: This is a part of the October Blogging Challenge

Today's prompt is super fun!!! It's to put a playlist on shuffle and write about the first 10 songs that play. :)

I'm a bit behind on the blogging challenge, but I'm just going to skip ahead and post today's post so I don't get too behind. I'm going to try to catch up on the missed posts soon.

I love music so this is going to be awesome! I use spotify for my music, including when I DJ (I DJ fusion swing dances). My username is mystand if you want to find me.

I have a list called Current that includes all of my current favorite music. It changes regularly as I find new stuff and get tired of old stuff. I'm going to use it for today's prompt. Here we go:

1. Eric Church - That's Damn Rock and Roll

So I get to pick the first song that plays, so of course I pick my 2014 song of the year. I always pick a song at the beginning of the year to represent how I want the year to go. I love this year's song!!

"It's ain't about the money you make when the record gets sold. It's about doing it for nothing because it lives in your soul"

"It's the first one to stand and the last one to fall."

"It's doing what you want instead of doing what you're told."

"Give all you got until there ain't nothing left."

Be prepared for happy dancing!!!!


2. One Republic - Counting Stars

So I recently bought the newest One Republic CD and I really love it! This song is especially awesome.

"I don't think the world is sold on doing what we're told."

"I feel something so right doing the wrong thing. I feel something so wrong doing the right thing."

My feelings exactly!



3. Infected Mushroom - Now is Gold

This is a really pretty song mixed with dubstep. I love dancing to it! So much fun. I can do rave/flow dancing and this song nails it.


4. Ellie Goulding - Tesselate

This song is a cover of an Alt J song. If you've never listened to Alt J, you are missing out. They are amazing! But I love this cover. Ellie does an amazing job with this song.



5. Hozier - Take Me To Church

This is a recent find. It is such a pretty song! I love dancing to it. I don't really like the words of this one all that much, but the song is so good to dance to that it still makes my current list.



6. Lindsey Sterling - Crystalize

This is another fun song to dance to. It is also fun to do flow dancing to. It's quite hipnotic. The genre is "Dubstep Violin". How awesome is that!!



7. Dierks Bently - I Hold On

This song is amazing. Truly amazing. This could have been a song of the year for me. It might well be one day.

"I hold on to the things I believe in. My faith, your love, own freedom. To the things I can count on to keep me going strong."

Of course, I'm probably keying in on the word freedom in there.



8. Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love You

Very pretty song. Not really sure what to write about it though. It would make a really good wedding song.



9. Kongos - Come With Me Now

I shazamed this song the very first time I heard it on the radio and loved it ever since. Amazing beat! Seems to have a cajun flare to it.



10. Miranda Lambert - Automatic

Listen to the words. I can't quote the whole song. I love all of them! This song really resonates with my heart. I sometimes wish that things are not so automatic. Although I do love the internet. :)



Techinically that is 10. But this is so much fun! I'm going to keep going for a few more songs. :)

11. Fitz and the Tantrums - The Walker

"Crazy is what they think about me. Ain't gonna stop because they tell me so."

Yeah. That's a good description of me. :)



12. Colt Ford/Jason Aldean - Driving Around Song

This song is for all of the small town people reading this. If you get it, you get it. :) Here's to having country roots!



13. Imagine Dragons - Demons

This song will never get old. It really won't. It's such a pretty song and great to dance to as well.



14. Zac Brown Band - Free

This song has been in my current playlist for a really long time. I'm glad it showed up today. If you know me at all, you know that I'm pretty obsessed in buying a van. This is the only popular song that I know of that talks about living in a van AND freedom all in one song.

"We live out in our old van and travel all across this land."

"Just as free as we'll ever be"

Oh, just listen to the words. It's great!




15. Dierks Bentley - Drunk on a Plane

Let's end on this fun note. This song makes me smile. It's fun and very catchy. It's a song about a guy who was dumped right before his wedding and ends up taking the honeymoney trip by himself. Sort of a sad situation, but he sure makes a good song about it.



So there you have it. 15 songs on my current playlist. Just in case you wondering, there are about 70 songs total on this playlist. Hope you enjoyed that!