Dragonfly Symmetry

Dragonfly; flutter by,
Beat your wings in ecstasy.
Quick to live, slow to die,
Life aligning perfectly.

We could learn how to fly
Find out who we want to be.
Start your journey to the sky,
Life aligning perfectly.

Dragonfly, tell us why,
You know to never disagree.
Why you take to the sky
Intent on perfect symmetry.


We must take to the sky
Join the others flying free
We could flow, we could try
To live in perfect symmetry.


Who has any ideas about the meaning and message of the poem? Did you like it? Let me know. (It's my poem, by the way. Just to clear that up.)

The Final Countdown

So guess what I did last night?
I FINISHED A NOVEL.

And it feels GREAT.

Miriam's Isle was born. Weighing in at 154 pages and 21 chapters, she's but a child. She has a lot of growing up to do. Right now, she's just a sloppy little kid that people tend to coo over for two minutes (oh darling you finished a novel isn't that just nice?) and then turn their backs on. But first, I'm giving myself a bit of mat leave. A month or so with Miria and Tom out of my brain. And then comes the child rearing.

But who cares? Because I DID IT. The first draft (or "exploratory" draft, whatever) is the hardest thing to do. But it is far, far away from the final copy. I'm nervous to begin the revision process, but I'm excited too. I have never really done it before, not on a novel scale. 'Twill be something new.

Probably some of you are snorting and rolling their eyes, because I'm so amateur and childishly excited and proud. Really, the hard work is probably barely begun. All you accomplished people are going to go "get a life it's only a first draft the process has only begun." You know what I say to that?

Go to you-know-where and warm your toes.

Okay, I don't think everyone would be that hard-hearted. But still, I can't help but be proud to have finished my first novel the week before I start high school. I know I'm not the only thirteen year old in the world to have done this, however. Jehsyka did so last summer, and she was a lot more mature about it than I was.

Whatever. I'm in a happy bubble. I would just like to remind ya'll to check out MIRIAM'S ISLE at my Other Blog.

Today in my town a whole bunch of peeps are coming. Some Kraft TSN thing, I forget what it is exactly. We won some money for our dilapidated rink. I am going to go and frolic the crowds and run nude in front of the TV camera. Along with everyone else. Watch for me, guys!

Well, enjoy the rest of your summers. I love having Teacher Parents, because last night I printed off three copies of Miriam's Isle First Draft off a printer that is not mine. It even copies with holes in them. Also, I inconspicuously found a Photocopy goof of my class list. I snuck it home, but I don't like my class. You know how sometimes teachers let you pick out three people you want in your class? I would rather pick three people I DON'T want in my class.

There's a guy who's an obnoxious playuh. I've never been in his class before. So it should be interesting, the way watching a train derail and explode is interesting.

Midsummer Haze

Blogging life has been slow lately, and I haven't had any action on my Comments page. I thought you cared!! Wah!!

But then again, I can't complain too much. Because I've barely been online, either. My excuse? I don't have Wireless for my laptop up at the cabin. To check my blog, I would have to a) give up watersports time to sit inside, b) fight my way through the lineup to actually reach the computer (I have a big family), c) Wait for 3.5 hours while Google loads up or d) all of the above.

Good news? Miriam's Isle is going awesome! I really have it going along nicely! I have 136 pages AND COUNTING!! I'm really really eager to finally write THE END and to upload it to Lulu and have it bound and published. But I know it won't really happen that fast. Hopefully, the first draft (or "exploratory draft", as Laini Taylor puts it) can be complete by the time school starts. After that, I'm torn. I might want to immediately dive right back into it, adding and subtracting scenes, developing the plot lines a little more, making it perfect. I also might want to just shove it in a drawer for a month and come back later. Perhaps I could do a combination: the burning desire for the finished product might be gone, but I could idly skim through it and ask people's opinions. Give myself a little time off. That would be nice.

Man, I'm excited for school. Jeez. I shouldn't be. But I am! I'm going to high school! It's exciting!

We just had a lot of company up here. One of my cousin's friends, Neva, was also a part of it. I like her. She has a wicked camera, with one of those 2000 dollar telescope lenses or something. The other family visiting, some family friends, also have a photographer daughter, Meghan. We went on a nature walk and she showed me some of her pictures. They were awesome. She has a really good eye.

This inspired me so much I took a bazillion pictures on a solitary walk by myself and also on a boat trip up the creek. I picked and sorted and found about five that turned out nice. I like to edit them on Picasa, making them more interesting. I would LOVE to show em' to you, but THEY'RE ON MY COMPUTER, not the slow family computer. I hate this computer. I hate the crappy moniter and the clacky keyboard.

Oh well. I also decided I want to attempt to find a vintage wardrobe. I did a lot of research on my laptop (there's a tech guy up here that let's us borrow his wireless but he's not here) and I love it. It's so unique. And cheap, if you dig for stuff and thrift stores. I plan on doing that. I mean, at Value Village you can get a lot of stuff for 75 bucks. At another store, you could get a pair of jeans and some socks for the same price.

So, when I figure out how to use an old-fashioned cable to hook up my computer to the 'net, I'll show ya'll my beautiful pictures. It could be later today, actually. I've never made two posts in one day before. That would be interesting.

Bye, all, as I leave you groping for clarity in the midsummer haze.

I DID IT.

Gah. That title had the wrong effect. Don't be getting uptight, people.

Anyways, I DID IT. I made a Miriam's Isle blog.

I really wish I could make my own templates. I hate blogger templates, they're so lame. BUT I did add my own header thinger, which appears in larger form on the cover. The glory of paint.NET.

I like the blog. I just wish I could have a better template. I even added an ANTI-PIRACY warning, so that people will get scared. I don't know if you actually need a cop license or something to do that. MAYBE I HAVE ONE.

Anyways, if you want to check it out, click here.

Have Fun!

Cleaning Up of Cyberspace

One time, I had this weird fantasy that probably came from Scott Westerfields' science fiction series, Uglies. I imagined that they cleaned up the internet. Impossible, right? Like, instead of thirty million hits when you google Mars, there will be one site. Everything about Mars will be carefully and accurately written down. Basically, everything will have a site, and the websites would be perfect. Gone with the fake bribe ads and porno popups and websites baring fake info. To get an HTML space, you would need, like, a grant or something. You need a permit, and any bad info you put out will be immediately DISBANDED.

Insane, eh?

I mean, I know it'll probably never really happen, but you can dream. The only way it could actually happen was if someone formed a HUMONGUS international company that constantly monitered the 'net. It just makes me mad to see all of the crap over the internet that can practically corrupt people morally.

I like my cleanups. For someone that is not exactly a neat freak, I sure do like them. I don't like trimming around things, trying in vain to prune it back to near-perfection. I would much rather scrap it all and start fresh. For example (I know it's stupid) The Sims. If my neighborhoods get a little crowded, I don't delete a few families I made on a whim. I delete it. Then I start a new one. Oh, a better example: last spring I cleaned my room. I sorted through all my clothes and miscellaneous crap and threw out two garbage bags of stuff. It felt good to start clean.

That's what I'm doing with my blogs, now. I saved the writing on Clarabelle, just as a Microsoft Word document. I deleted "How To Be Weird" a while ago, because it was stupid anyways. I'm not positive what to do about my literary one--I never post on it, and it's hard to get into a habit that you never had.

I'm considering a "Miriam's Isle" blog. That's the novel I'm seriously working on right now. I mean, just posting bits and pieces would be fun. I would really enjoy getting your feedback on it. What do you think? (I might do it anyways, because I love creating blogs.)

~Heat Wave~

I love those swirly things. ~~~~~~~~~~
What are they?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who cares?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, they're getting old now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seriously.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, really, Jc, grow up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God, Jc, get a life outside of swirly things! I'm sick of them and I simply will not put up with them!
~

Gracious, I'm rude. But anyways, it's SOOOOOO hot out today. Killer muggy humid, blankety compressing damp constricting hot. I hate weather like this, because I'm not at the lake!
On a random note, July fifth was the year's anniversary for my blog. :)~~
Ew, my happy face has a beard.
Last year at this time, I was going stir crazy at the lake, not exiled to the coolness of the basement packing. Rawr.

My two fish, Christine and Coraline, have been alive for so long. I'm so proud of them. But guess what? They have to die! My mother suggested I put them in my aunt's pond. I've always liked ponds with fish, but the water is green and opaque, and all of her fish died. Maybe, since they were my fish, they are so tough and hardy they'll survive the pond. But I doubt it.

VOLLEYBLAST!

My brother Landon's baseball provinicals are coming to a close. They may have a chance of going into the finals!
My family and I are camping right now, and today I have volleyball camp! You're free to sign in from eleven thirty to twelve-forty-five, which is when the camp begins. I'm really excited to be going, but kinda nervous too. I mean, it's highly likely that everyone else will be fanatical skinny people that jog in the morning and can do the six-minute run without dying. I am none of the above. Plus, I'll be the only cripple there. But my volleyball knee pads will probably slide right over my braces, hiding the horror of my deformity. Ha ha, I sound like Le Fantome de la Opera. Who is awesome.
But who knows? I could have a blast. *snork* VolleyBLAST, get it? Har-dee-har-har. I mean, during the school year during volleyball I was, modestly, one of the best players on the team. During practices I would run and cheer and work like no one's business, but I wouldn't even feel my tiredness until we had to leave. Practices were always too short. And I've got a mean spike.
This going to be a cool new experience! Whee!!
P.S. Off topic, but I'm learning how to play guitar. I'm using my brother's guitar and book, and I'm just teaching myself. It's easier than I thought, though my fingers are practically bleeding when I'm done.