Hurricane Irene

I am okay. The hurricane brought a lot of water and my backyard is flooded. We lost power last night around 8:30p and regained it around 11a this morning. Winds are slow but strong when they gust. I wonder if any of our tall pine trees will fall. In case of another power outage due to wind, or possible more rain, Dad is making beef jerky with our slightly new de-humidifier. Yum.

Well, I just wanted to give you all an update. I am fine. Also, Justin from "In My Write Mind" is fine, too. He visited me on Friday night, which I really liked. =)

Everyone, please take care!

-Tara

Rain!

So, it's been raining since yesterday, I think. I say I think because I wasn't home yesterday. I was in MD. My family drove down there to pick me up and bring me back home. The car ride took hours. The rain was pouring down and visibility was "eh" for quite some time. Here at home, roads are flooded, collapsing and bridges are washing away. Yeah.

Oh yeah. Where I am, it's been declared a "State of Emergency". And it's still raining....until the weekend, apparently.

-Tara

Writing #5

It is on a drab and dreary day, such as today, where one is inspired to stay indoors and actually work on the book that they have been focusing so hard on writing. Of course, distractions are also inevitable and, so, the vicious cycle goes. You sit down, ready to write, determined to write and, yet, something hinders you each and every time. A game has caught your fancy, or perhaps you really should start organizing your inbox (you've put it off for so long now), you get hungry, the dog wants your attention, or maybe you're giving yourself a time limit for that favorite television show that comes on in just an hour.

So, what do you do when everything seems to get in the way of when you want to write? Well, sometimes you just can't escape it. Sometimes, it could be your own way of telling yourself, hey, maybe I just need a break from writing and, let's face it, you deserve a break. While it is good to shell out those 1,000+ or so words a day (whatever goal you have set for yourself each day), it is also equally as good to take a break every now and then from the daily routine.

When it comes to writing, I think that imagination plays a key part, whether it is fiction or non-fiction. Imagination, the capability to visualize many possibilities and such, is something that can be tested. There is the strain of every day life that can bring along a road block that we are all familiar with: "Writer's Block".

So, the next time you are determined to hunker down on that rainy day, seriously ready to commit yourself to a day of hard-core writing, if your mind starts to wander away from your work to other things, maybe it is (just a little) okay to take a break, just for one day. Besides, who's to say that the spark of genius won't strike while doing another task? Perhaps the Muses will humor you and take away the Writer's Block that taunts you so meticulously and you will finally be able to overcome how to write that scene or dialog after you have cleared your mind by taking time away from your story, because, don't worry, it is okay to do that every once and a while. ;)

-Tara

Weatherfest

So, I have decided to enter this fest, rather spur of the moment and last minute, of course, my style. Anyway, the following is something that I wrote for my Creative Writing class this past Spring 2010. Um...I wrote it in February during a blizzard-ish snowstorm. Comments would be nice. Critiques welcome as well, as this is my first blogfest. Thanks! =D

Plus I can be sort of skeptic about posting my work on-line. XD So...yeah. XD Anyway, ta-da.>

The Weather

The sky is white, but not a bright white. It is almost a very pale gray. It is late morning and there is a chaotic array of swirling white flakes dancing outside the windows. It is a heavy shower of white, that slips sideways and under, then over and back the other way. It is a waltz of these white flakes. The large and small specks alike mingle together in their peaceful dance through the sky before they slowly settle on the already white and frozen ground from a previous storm.

And...that's it. It's so small compared to everyone else's but this is just my first trial at this sort of thing. Thanks for reading my last-minute entry into the blogfest! =)

A Good Place

There are things that I miss about Florida and as the count down draws to an end I can only continue to wait a bit more.

Suprisingly enough I miss the thunderstorms. Ironic, as I am not a big fan of them, but with today's rain (and its absence of thunder and/or lightning) I was only a tad bit disappointed. Even with the thunderstorms we get here at my home, they are not the same. I find that after living in Florida for some time, I miss the strength of the storms there. How, during a really bad storm, the sky can turn black and the lightning, you can actually see it streak and split across the sky. It's really something. Really. And it isn't so bad, to listen to the storm as it rumbles in or as it rumbles out. I prefer the sound of the rain pattering against the stone and windows, and the dull echoes of thunder in the distance, but when it's all up and around, well...I guess it depends. =)

Another thing I miss is the heat. I am not a fan of the cold, and I love the weather in Florida (even when it rains in the middle of the day). Sunshine and heat, that doesn't bother me. Even when there is humidity. As long as it isn't freezing or below freezing (like in the Winter) then I love it. Don't know why, just do.

I miss my friends down there, I miss getting to see them every day. I miss seeing one person in particular. I miss our strolls "around the world" every day we had off (practically). I miss the fireworks we would watch together (even though we had seen them every other night before). I miss the rides and the pushes and shoves I would get just to go on one I wasn't a fan of. I enjoyed trying new things and meeting new people. I miss the company we shared, haha.

BUT! ...Soon, very soon! I will see this person again, and a few other friends I have not seen in almost a year. I think that it will be a very good time, and I cannot wait.

Current Mood:

Twitter

Did you know that I have a twitter? No? Oh, darn. You should follow me, I'll follow you too! =D Well, if you want me to. Anyway, here's the link: Tara's Twitter . Won't this be fun? I made it like a year ago when I was down in Disney, but I lost track of it. Now that I'm going back to Disney, I figured that I should pick up on it again (Haha, and Justin seems to be addicted to it, so...Idk). =)

I ordered new frames today for my glasses. The, uh, paint started to chip off of the frames I have now and it was bugging me so I went to the store and the guy who helped me said that it will probably take two weeks for the new frames to come in. That's not too bad.

A thunderstorm hit while Dad, Phil and I were in a tent held up by metal poles, so we ran out of there and back to the car. We ran to the food store, which was interesting. We didn't buy anything, just looked around while it rained outside, but when we left it was still raining anyway. XD

We had Church tonight because we didn't go yesterday afternoon or this morning. We didn't go yesterday because we went to the fair instead, and we couldn't go this morning because Top had work from like 8a-3p? Yep. We do make the attempt to go every weekend though, which I like. =)

Justin came over and we watched Wall-e. Well, first we went to a wonderful place, where he got coffee (a ridiculous amount, too, by the way) and I got a milkshake. Phil came with us and he got a "Cookies & Cream"-flavored milk and some Cowtails (Yum!). Dueled Phil tonight, it was great. I won again. =D Sorry, Phil!

Anyway, I tried to work on Book 3 today, but I feel that I didn't get as much done as I could have, but sometimes it's nice to take a break from writing. Yes, I know, how dare I say that? An author who is seeking representation by a Literary Agent! How could I even say that I wanted to take a break from writing? Well, sometimes I do like to take a break. I like to go out and hang out with my friends or just be with my family. I guess I'm just a people person. =D

Current Mood:

Toy Story Marathon

Tonight I watched Toy Story and Toy Story 2 with Justin and my parents, since it was a double-feature on Disney Channel. Of course, Phil and Top where off at band practice at another friend's house. They missed both the movies, but we had fun. Justin and I went to get milkshakes between the movies.

Anyway, went to a fair today down by the shore and it was pretty cool. I love the smell of salt air, but I didn't really notice it this time. =( It was windy though and I liked that. Wind is awesome, haha. I got to see some people building a canoe, saw tiny little crabs in the sand and a horseshoe crab. I stood and listened to a guy talk about a turtle he had caught and learned how to tell a female turtle from a male turtle, and I learned the difference between a turtle and a tortoise, which was actually pretty interesting. I saw some family friends, one that lives by us and another family that we know through Dad's work. I haven't seen them in a while but we once went to Tennessee with them (I remember Tennessee, it was so pretty there. Maybe someday I'll get the chance to go back.) =D Anyway, by the time we left, we had stood in some BBQ smoke long enough that I still smell like the BBQ, haha! It's a nice smell though. The smell of burning wood. That's a nice smell, too. It's like camping. =) Kind of...XD

Just beat Phil in a duel...but maybe none of you know what I'm talking about with that, haha! Maybe Justin...haha.

And...I'm just being lazy and I don't want to upload the picture of my table right this minute, but maybe later today. =D

Current Mood:

"The Write Mind"

Okay! So, my best friend Justin!---(Who now has a blog of his own so I can use his name on mine instead of calling him JW, haha!)---has started a blog of his own! I ask that you please follow him as well, since it seems he writes far more interesting posts then I do! At least, he seems to have a better idea of what he wants to do with his blog, rather than my random ramblings (no, wait...that's the whole point of this blog...in fact, it's the TITLE! =P)

Anyway, joking aside, please give him consideration. Just like me, he is struggling to get his foot into that little tiny door, with the doorknob face and mouth, that you have to shrink in order to enter it. You know, the one that leads to WONDERLAND!!!

Wait...what?











*cough, cough*

Er...I mean Representation and Publication! So, here's his link! http://jwparente.blogspot.com/ Please visit him, too! Please, please, please? =P

Hm, so I think that (even though he is my best friend) Justin has taken up enough of this blog entry today. (Oh, did I mention that he'll be doing that DCP with me later this year? 63 more days!!! XD)

Right, down to the point of this thing. Today, after work of course (which went fine. Once again I was the voice over the box in the Fast Food place...yeah.... Did I ever tell you guys how interesting the people who come through the drive-thru are? I love talking to them, but it didn't seem like too many people were in a talkative mood today...it was kind of raining. Maybe that affected it. Eh. Who knows. Anyway, I'm getting side-tracked, back to the main story. After work today!...I came home and tried to work on the chapter that I finished writing yesterday...today...uh. Today. I think. Hm, yeah, today. Anyway, but I couldn't focus on it. So, I started looking up new songs to add to my mixpod playlist that I have on here. For those of you who all ready follow me, perhaps you will now notice the music of "Peter Pan: Return to Neverland", "Finding Nemo" and a few others. Please enjoy my selections (though they're mostly Disney =P)

I accompanied my Mom with Top and Phil to Karate tonight. I miss participating, but I just can't afford to pay for my classes. XD So, I guess I'll just have to sit and watch until I can start paying for my lessons. My brothers are doing well. Tonight, one of the classes (they did 3 tonight, we were there from 540pm-ish until 8p-ish.) was Sparring! I really wanted to watch them face off against one another, but they weren't lined up together. XD

After our return home, I worked on my new (#10! XD) Query Letter! I found a new Agent who I would like to send it out to tomorrow, if I get the chance.

Friday I get my PAYCHECK! XD

Days until Toy Story 3? : 9! (I think...)

Current Mood:

Premier

A rainy day, raining all day long, but it is not a bad one. Rain is so nice and I love listening to it. =)

Today, I got a call from my teacher. Someone wanted to buy one of my paintings that I had put up in the school art show. I told her no, but that I wouldn't mind doing another painting for them.

I need that painting for my portfolio. XD