My First Writing Assignment

The assignment was to finish one of five sentences, of which I picked "Looking at Paris in this light ...," and to finish it in roughly five minutes and under 300 words. Here's what happened:

Looking at Paris in this light really reminds me of walking down Champs Elysee close to midnight, after a lovely evening with Jean-Paul. I wonder where he is now? What ever became of him? Does he still set up his easel at Luxembourg park every morning and watch that beautiful group of people do their tai chi? Does he stroll along Rue du Fabourg smoking his Galoise, telling some beautiful young woman she should become a model. I wish I had listened to him back then. Back when I still had the looks and

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And that's as far as I got in five minutes ... I seriously think there was something wrong with my egg timer! Well, a little bit discouraged, especially since I made the mistake of reading some of the other entries, I had to do a lot of talking to myself (is that a bad thing?!) to get the courage to try again. I tried planning my story a little better, and here is my second attempt:

Looking at Paris in this light takes me back to that night when I met Jean-Paul. I wonder what ever became of him. Does he still take his easel to Luxembourg park and paint while the others are doing their tai chi exercises? Does he still walk along Champs Elysees with a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth? Does he still tell that young lady that she should become a model? I should have listened to him. I should have taken that bold step back when I still had the looks.

"Mammy!" the voice of my grand daughter brings me back to the present.
"Bubby!" I give her a big hug, grateful for the love she is willing to share with her ailing grandmother.

"Mama, what are you doing with that old shoe box?" My precious daughter, always looking out for me and my well being. "Are you looking at those old postcards from Paris again?"

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Now I wasn't at all happy with that new beginning, so back to the drawing board, so to speak. I wanted a combination of the two, so this last one is after five minutes of writing (from the beginning) and about seven minutes of editing. I'm a terrible typist, which is my second excuse for not being able to produce nearly as many words as everyone else. That and that dang egg timer!

Looking at Paris in this light really reminds me of walking down Champs Elysees close to midnight, after a lovely evening with Jean-Paul. I wonder where he is now? What ever became of him? Does he still set up his easel at Luxembourg Park every Saturday morning and watch that beautiful group of people do their Tai Chi? Does he stroll along Rue du Faubourg smoking his Gauloise, telling some beautiful young woman she should become a model. I wish I had listened to him back then. Back when I still had the looks and ...

"Mammy!" The voice of my grand-daughter, Barbara, pulls me back to the present.
"Babby!" The name she called herself when she was just learning to talk became my sweet nickname for her. I lean over and give her a hug, grateful for the love I always get from her.

"Mama, what are you doing with that old shoe box?" My precious daughter, always so full of concern for my well-being. "Are you looking at those old postcards from Paris again?"

"Yes, dear. Come sit here," I pat the space next to me on the bed. "Tell me about this one," and I hand her the post card with the upper left corner folded over and the little notch on the bottom. My daughter begins to tell me of the river running through the scenery on the card with the Eiffel Tower on the right-hand side. Just like I remember it when I had folded that corner over when my sight was starting to fail me. (261 words)

The Dress & The Boots

So, the dress (from I.N.C. International Concepts at Macy’s) I purchased about a week or two ago, and now I’d love to have the boots to go with the dress ... yeah, I don’t think it’s going to happen. Not exactly in my budget (check for yourself here). But I can drool, can’t I?! Yeah, I’ll be doing that ... hm ...

What is it with being caught between a very conservative look and a rocker chick? I just can’t seem to stay in the same department, always mixing up the lacy with the leather. And yes, this dress is as much lace as I’m ever going to wear! I guess that’s the fun of it, though, making it my own style. This should in effect keep me from following trends, but alas, I am very much drawn to what’s in the stores at any given time. I do try to avoid buying the obviously trendy accoutrements, if only to save myself from cringing six months later when I see the item hanging in my closet after wearing it maybe twice. I try to fill my closet with classics. Lots of black slacks, black shoes and black boots. I go a little bolder with tops now than I used to. Have a little more fun. Try a few more different colors and cuts. Play a little. Why don’t you try a little more color?

And the winner is …

So, I have lived with my new hairstyle for 10 days now and I am loving it! I was just so set on donating my hair and just putting up with short hair until it grew out again, but now I think I will just leave it short. For now. For a while!

And for another change in my life, I am contemplating going back to school. Not physically, since that would be impossible, but school nonetheless. Kennesaw University has Continuing Education classes online and I am seriously thinking about signing up for a Creative Writing course. It starts tomorrow, so I guess I have to make a decision soon! Hm ... ya think?!

One Haircut, Three Hairstyles

I just found this and really like the versatility of this cut. Look at all the options! I even love the slicked-back look, since that’s kind of what I’ve been doing on the days I’m too lazy to wash my hair in the morning. I know, it’s really short in the back, but my hair is going to have to go really short to get the full 10 inches Locks of Love requires. I also think this cut would work with the coloring on the upper right or lower right photos in my previous post. It’s just nice to know I don’t have to go, you know, crew!

My latest obsession

I don’t usually obsess over clothes (no, really!), but as soon as I saw this on my very innocent trip to the mall at lunch today, I was had. I want this Trina Turk dress. Now. Can someone please buy it for me!!! Well, I thought it was worth a shot. Hm ...

Exploring New Hair Styles

So, I have a few more weeks before the big cut, but I thought I needed to start looking at different hair styles and color options. For those of you who don’t know, I am donating 10 inches to Locks of Love. I am ready! I realize I won’t have much hair left in the back, but at this point, I don’t care! I am tired of this long hair that is neither straight nor curly, but just something in between that is far from easy to handle and most days less than flattering. Not actually sure what would be flattering at this stage in my life, but the main thing is that at least one child who has no hair left due to chemo will get something to make them feel pretty again.

These are the best styles I have found so far. And I may even choose to go back to blond, just for kicks. It’s easy to become a brunette again, if I feel it’s too much. I just think that if I’m going this short, might as well have fun with it!

Vacation Memories

If I had to sum up our two-day mini vacation with three pictures, these would be them. All three are from Rock City, which I realized on our way there is actually situated in Georgia. We visited Ruby Falls, a one-time visit for me personally, Tennessee Aquarium, the IMAX Theater and the Incline Railway, another one-time visit. Tennessee Aquarium has been a favorite of ours in the past and it didn't disappoint this time either. But my new favorite is definitely Rock City. I had no expectations before going there, so it was a pleasant surprise to get to enjoy this beautiful outdoor garden of plants, trees and rocks … lots of rocks!