Alone in the Woods, part 3

I sat down on a tree stump and waited.

And waited.

I recited the alphabet, counted up to a hundred and tried spelling my name backwards a few times. My friends hadn't come back for me. The sun was getting closer to the horizon line and I did not want to be out here alone in the dark.

I had two choices. I could go back to the cave and sleep there until morning or I could try to walk back to town.

Both held little appeal. Janice was the girl scout, not me. I didn't even want to go on this stupid camping trip. I hated the outdoors! I longed for my clean bedroom, with my pink canopy bed and princess telephone. I wanted to paint my toenails, while watching The Tonight Show. Slumber parties beat camping trips any day of the week.

Deciding there was no way I'd make it back to town before nightfall I headed back to the cave.

Alone in the Woods, part 2

How could my friends just up and leave me like that? I walked down the hill back to our campsite. When I reached the clearing it was empty. It was as if we had never been there at all. Even my own belongings were gone!

"Not funny, gang!" I yelled. If those jerk-offs thought I would be going camping with them ever again they had another thought coming.

I checked my watch again. The time read 1:15 pm, the same as when I had checked several minutes ago. I lifted my wrist to my ear. Silence. "Dangit!" I thought I had wound it before we left! I turned the fob until it wouldn't go any further. The second hand started running again, but I had no inkling what time it really was. By the position of the sun in the sky, I would guess it had to be close to dinnertime.

And I had no food or water. Or shelter.

My friends were going to be back any second. I was sure of it. Then we would all have a laugh.

Ha ha, very funny.

Alone in the Woods, part 1

I stumbled outside and pain shot through my head, bringing me to my knees. I had to shut my eyes against the brightness of the sun's rays. How long had it been since I had seen daylight? It seemed like I had been wandering around in that cave for days. I squinted and checked my watch. Two hours? That couldn't be right!

I glanced around. Where were my friends? "Hello!" I called out, getting no reply but an echo of my own voice. I was alone.

-

This story started out as merely a description of my headache. Interesting how one thing leads to another.

Star Wars is Back!

We just got home from seeing the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens. I give it two thumbs up! I am a lifelong Star Wars fan, so I was going in with a critical eye.

When we first sat down in the theater, the guy next to me said this was his third time back, so that was a good sign.

I did keep the negative reviews in mind. Some said that there were too many scenes that blatantly copied the first film. I did see some familiar elements, but I don't think they copied the scenes. Dialogue was used again because there are certain lines that always have to be in every Star Wars movie, such as "I have a bad feeling about this.". That didn't bother me at all.

I had read all the spoilers. Sorry, but I've always been a spoiler junkie. I don't like surprises. I'm very happy to know the ending of a movie first, then watch the character journey to that end. I knew what the big climactic scene was going to be and I was ready for it.

SPOILER ALERT: Someone dies. (You're shocked, I know.)

Honestly, I was more upset when Luke lost his hand in The Empire Strikes Back. I won't really miss the character and it was good drama, pivotal to the story. I look forward to the aftermath in the next film.

One thing I was pretty upset with (mini spoiler alert) was the fact that Luke Skywalker was not in the film! Okay, we do get to see him in the last moment of the film, but that was not enough for me. I love Luke Skywalker, always have. I wanted this movie to be about him training the new generation of Jedi warriors. I think we will get that in the next film, though.

All in all, I think J. J. Abrams was the perfect choice to direct this new trilogy. He's a fan and it shows.

Living Clouds

I pause from my work and look up out the window. The sun shines through the white puffy clouds that dot the blue sky, making them glow from within.

I notice them changing shape. It's fascinating how bits of the same substance can break off and become living beings. There are swirls and brush strokes on one side, but on the other are what appears to be animals.

A hippo opens his mouth wide, probably trying to intimidate another animal.

Elephants march along in parade formation, each one getting smaller down the line.
A dragon swoops down to obliterate everything in its path.

Then it all dissipates until the next time I look up.

Reopening The X-Files

I had heard that my favorite TV show of the 1990s is being resurrected next year. My daughter was excited to see it because I had shown her some of the old episodes. But I told her, "You can't watch the new one without catching up on the original series!"

Seriously, there is so much that went on over the 9 seasons of one of the greatest TV dramas ever, I cannot imagine new viewers getting into it without the backstory. Maybe the show will touch on it, show clips, have flashbacks, whatever. I wanted my daughter to see it firsthand and really appreciate the characters and their journey. Thankfully Netflix has all the episodes. We have been binge watching for weeks and are only on season 3.

In order to get through it faster, I have been telling my daughter which episodes are integral to the ongoing story: anything that mentions UFOs, aliens or government conspiracy. Of course we've also had to watch some of the episodes that I remembered being really cool or scary, like the one with the killer cockroaches! I'm also looking forward to the haunted house, where Scully and Mulder found their own corpses buried under the floor. Eeek!

The truth will be out there again in January, and I can't wait!

Happy Holidays 2015

Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. I was busy all day and night, just like today.
I will be back to my regular posting tomorrow.