From one of tonight's writing prompts

Rich and smokey, the campfire smell envelopes me. Four s'mores settle happily in my stomach. My toes wriggle contentedly in my thick socks. The stars light up the night through the thin summer air.

Peace.

Was that a shooting star? I didn't know they could be so low in the sky. Another flashes in the corner of my eye. But that was below the tree tops so it couldn't have been. Since when are there fireflies around here? And since when are fireflies green?

I've never been good at catching bugs, but this call for an investigation.

Ouch! I don't know much about fireflies, but I know they don't bite or sting.

Ow! Ow! Ow! Not only did I miss catching the firefly, but something is attacking me. This campsite's not so peaceful with these nasty bugs.

SMACK!

Ha! I think I got it. Must be one of the biggest mosquitoes I've come across.

But this is the wrong shape for a mosquito. The body's too thick and the wings too big. It almost looks like a tiny person. Oh my God! No one ever told me fairies glow in the dark.

My mom sent me the link for this and anyone who reads/loves YA should check it out.

Vote for the best-ever teen novels

Of course any list like this will have disagreements and leave out one or two greats, but the thing I find most interesting about this is the number of books on there that are either children's lit or adult books. There is nothing wrong with adults reading children's books or teens reading adult books and so we should call them what they are. I doubt Douglas Adams, for example, would have considered teens his main audience. As someone who reads kid's books, teen books, and adult books, I wish people would respect the differences between the three and not say that any one is better than the others.

And yes, the commenters are right and Ender's Game deserves a spot on the top 100.

Yep, I'm terrible with consistency and follow-through. I think about blogging and plan posts, and then other things get in the way, such as:

*Travel
Since my last post, I've visited New York, Israel, Los Angeles, Vancouver Island, Alberta and Saskatchewan and I have four more trips planned in the next two months.

*Gardening
I'm now taking care of two gardens instead of just one. Pictures will follow.

*Typing and proofreading the novella I wrote as a tween so that I could post it if I want to. Still haven't decided if I want to, but we'll see.

*Telling people about my friends' awesome new game Pyro Touch!
Check it out and if you have an iphone 4 then download it because it's fun!

First World Problems

I've been thinking about the idea of First World Problems recently, partly because I've been having a few lately. First, one of my favorite pieces of jewelry got slightly damaged. Then I discovered that a couple kinds of junk food that I used to really like just don't taste good anymore. Not only do they not taste the way I remembered, they taste bad to me. And today I learned that my Beckymobile was totaled in an accident. When put one way, I sound like a spoiled brat: "My diamond is chipped! Oreos are yucky now! My beautiful car is hurt!"

But if you look at what's really making me sad, I don't think many people, even in the Third World, would blame me much for being unhappy. I accidentally broke something I cherish that was given to me by a loved one, something from my childhood is still here and yet gone forever, and I didn't get to say goodbye to a large part of my youth. Those aren't super serious problems and I'm sure I'll be over them all fairly soon, but I don't like the idea that I should feel bad about feeling bad about them.

On the Rooftop*

From our spot on the rooftop we can see most of downtown. Hundreds of others are out as well tonight and the stars surround us like glittering gems. They are the only decorations this club needs. A current of celebration flows through the air. It feels like it's simultaneously carrying me around the city and bringing everyone here to us. But Elva, Jessica and I don't move.

We can't keep from staring at the Diamond Room. Revolving atop the cylindrical, black glass building, the Diamond Room has its grand opening tonight. The name comes from the room's shape, but it also characterizes the glamor within. Designed to be the best place on the skyline, I envy the people inside.

Partiers move about the skyline mingling. The group next to us has many visitors, and after a while a few stop by us as well. Everyone is friendly. One very cute guy flirts hard with me. He has a sweet smile and appealing sandy hair. I flirt back a bit, hesitantly, guilty because this won't go where he wants it to. It's hard to turn him down, but I've already found my true love and he's all I need.

Time passes, but morning is no closer. In this fairy-less fairy realm tomorrow isn't a worry and this night is all that will ever truly matter.



*A dream I had