Novel Thunks

Sorry, everyone.  No movie today.  I don't have the time.  Blame the college application process if you want to blame someone.  But cheer up!  I'm going to post the first section from that story that I talked about yesterday.  Yes, it's science fiction.  Yes, I know I'm ultra nerdy.  Enjoy!

Untitled Project

By Kaitlyn Thompson

Part 1

“Oh, Zeg.  What have we done?” She asked mournfully looking out at the once vibrant, blossoming landscape that was now a barren wasteland.  The towering buildings were toppled.  The people of the planet stared at the explorers with a mix of hatred and fear on their faces.  Every one of them had the question of ‘why?’ in their minds. 

             Zeg looked at the same scene and shook his head.  “Don’t let it get to you.” He said, turning away from the guilt.  He started walking for the spaceship behind them that was readying for take-off.  Readying to leave the problems they had caused behind them.

            She looked down at her hand and noticed the jar that seemed full of golden light.  Her grip on it tightened and she spun around to face the retreating Zeg.

            “Was it worth it?” she demanded.  Zeg stopped and turned part way to look at her.  “Was this,” she thrust the jar out, “worth destroying this?” she swept her other arm out at the desolate place.  Her face was contorted trying to hold back tears.  Zeg’s face hardened.

            “Get on the ship, Paic.” As if to echo his order, the whine of the engines kicked up an octave.  The wind of an approaching dust storm blew Paic’s hair around her face as she turned back to look at the scene once more.  The people had run for cover and she couldn’t control the tears anymore.  One ran down her cheek.  Briefly, the thought of staying crossed her mind but the roar of the engines and Zeg’s cry quickly squelched it. 

            She turned and ran for the blue lights of the gang plank.  The dust and her tears had erased any other sights except those lights.  Paic had to jump to get on the rising plank but she made it in time.  The roar of the storm faded in the calm of the ship as the hum of machinery took over.  She thrust the wretched jar at Scrogg, the ship’s engineer, who juggled to keep it from breaking and spilling its precious contents.  Scrogg cast Paic a dirty look but she had already moved to her seat.

            She sat down in the seat and the straps quickly snapped into place around her.  Paic rested her chin on her hand as she strained to forget the looks on the people’s faces, on Nyholm’s face.  Every time she closed her eyes she saw his iridescent, glowing green eyes looking quizzically at her.  They looked puzzled for a minute, then understood and finally looked betrayed.  Paic opened her eyes again, unable to picture his anymore.

            Zeg, who was in the seat next to Paic, reached out and took her hand.  Though she couldn’t really feel his hand through the body armor they both were wearing, she felt the pressure.  She turned to look at him, her earlier question still on her mind.  Zeg tried to smile and nod encouragingly and squeezed her hand.  Paic shook her head and withdrew her hand; she turned as far away from him as she could in the restraints.  She looked out the window and watched as the land slowly disappeared beneath them in a cloud of dust.

            “When did it happen?” Paic asked after some time had passed.  Zeg started to hear her speak, he had thought she was going to remain quiet their entire trip back to Earth.

            “When did what happen?” he asked, looking at her.  She turned to look at him, tear trails stained on her cheeks.

            “When did we go from explorers to destroyers?” she asked in a harsh voice.  Zeg looked furtively around to see if anyone else had heard her question.  But the rest of the crew was busy not listening.

            “We’re not destroyers-” he insisted in a whisper.

            “What do you call what we just did?” she demanded.  Several of the crew looked up and over at them.  Zeg waved them back to their work and gave Paic a look to remain quiet.  He sat back in his seat and adjusted the straps that suddenly felt very constricting.

            “We’re not destroyers.” He repeated. “We saved our entire planet from being plunged back into the Dark Ages.”

            “And where did we send those people?”

            “The Tuoma didn’t utilize the resources they were sitting right on top of.  Such precious commodities shouldn’t go to waste.” Zeg pulled again at his straps. “We’ll use it much better than they ever will.”

            “That’s your excuse?” she asked, disgust apparent in her voice.  Paic pressed a button to release the straps and stood up.  Zeg searched for an answer that didn’t make him sound like a chauvinist but he couldn’t find one.

            “Why do you suddenly care?” he said, his chocolate eyes glaring at her.  He stood up so he wouldn’t have to look up at her. “You were with us the whole time.  You begged me to go on this mission.” His voice rose with anger.

            “I didn’t know the mission was going to condemn an entire planet to death!” she shouted back.  The silence on the ship was louder than anything as everyone watched Zeg.  He was looking directly at Paic, a million emotions crossed his face but they all disappeared before he spoke.

            “You are confined to your quarters, Lt. Paic.”

            Paic’s face changed from one of anger to disbelief.  “You’re pulling rank on me?”

            “That’s an order.” He stared at her, waiting for her to follow it.  But she didn’t move. “Do you dare defy me?” For a moment, it appeared she was going to.  But Paic pulled herself up taller and saluted him.

            “No. Captain.” She said, somehow making it sound like a mockery.  Paic turned on her heel and left the main deck.  Zeg never thought that it was possible for air-lock doors to slam shut until that moment.

The End...for now. :) Until tomorrow, stay awesome!

~Kate

Christmas Carol Thunks

Movie: A Muppet Christmas Carol
Release Date:  1992
Favorite Line:  Scrooge: "Maybe the accountants should celebrate Christmas on the UNEMPLOYMENT LINE!" Accountants: "HEAT WAVE! Ay! Ay! This is my island in de sun!"

Of all the thousands of versions of Dickens' classic story, this has to be my favorite.  Yes, I know it is almost sacrilege to say this but it's true.  It is certainly not very true to the book but who can resist Micheal Cane as Scrooge and Kermit the Frog as Bob Crachit?  Not me, in the very least.

We've had this video (yes, it's still on tape) as long as I can remember.  It says Christmas to me like few things can.  I think I should make a list of all the things that say Christmas to me.

Things that say Christmas to Kate
1. The smell of our boxes of Christmas decorations
2. The first few notes of O Tanenbaum from A Charlie Brown Christmas
3. A Muppet Christmas Carol
4. Cold weather
5. Cookies...everywhere you go.

Yup, that's the list.  It's very Christmasy where I'm sitting right now.  I can see our tree with twinkle color lights and Hallmark ornaments all over it.  Our tree is beautiful even with an Esmerelda and Stormtrooper ornaments.  Perhaps that's what makes it so pretty.  I have yet to see another tree like ours.  I hope that when I have my own place, my tree looks as pretty.

I guess this is it for today.  I'm feeling kind of blogged out.  I'll post tomorrow so you can "Come in and know me better, man". ;)  Until then, stay awesome!

~Kate

P.S. "It's in the singing corner choir that's going home and getting warmed by the fire.  It's true wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas."

Returning Thunks

I find it highly ironic that my last post was celebrating the fact that I had successfully blogged for five days.  And then I don't post for five months.  I'm not sure if that's truly ironic...it's funny anyway.  Anyway, I'm back because a rash of my friends got blogs and I missed mine.

A whooooole lot has changed since I last posted.  I am now gainfully employed at a movie theatre!  It.  Is.  Awesome! :D The people are super fun to work with and I just like being around movies all the time.  Though I do wish I didn't smell like popcorn every time I come back from a shift.  I still live in the same place but my room is now semi-decorated.  Curtains make all the difference.  And I have a fish.  He was my eighteenth birthday present to me.  His name is Psi, like the Greek letter, because he's a 'beta' fish.  Get it?  Ha!  (Yes, I know I'm a nerd, all right?)

The story that I said would probably never make it past the first scene, remember that story?  Well, it's now 30+ pages long.  I'm so proud.  But I've hit a wall...so it's not moving further at the moment.  I have some decisions to make first.  I might post the first scene here in a couple days.  Haven't decided yet.

So I have figured something out about myself since last posting, I watch one movie a day.  Some days I watch two and some I don't watch any (or I watch the equivalent in YouTube videos).  This has given me an idea!  I will base my blog post on the movie that I watch, talk about the movie and then about what's happening with me.  I think it will work well, structure is a good thing. :)

Don't worry, this won't be the last free form post I ever write.  If I don't watch a movie, then I might just write to you lovely folks.  So this post is done.  I'll see you in the next!  Until then, stay awesome!

~Kate

Celebratory Thunks

So I can't believe that I forgot to mention this in my previous post!  But my blog has been posted on for Five Consecutive Days!! And it extends into older posts!! :D  Happiness abounds!!  Let's see if we can go for Ten Days!! Yay!!

~ Kate

Thunky Thunks

Do you ever have those days where you don't accomplish like anything?  And then, you go on Facebook (or whatever social networking site you prefer) and see all the cool things that people are doing and you feel lame as all get out?  I had that kind of day today.  I didn't go anywhere, except for Church, and didn't do anything except read and listen to music.

Okay, I did watch two episodes of one of those ghost hunter shows.  Yes, I am a pathetic human being.  Yes, I know that they're probably totally faked.  Yes, I know that ghosts don't actually exist.  But it would be so cool if they did and then I'd kinda want to be one.  And then I'd find those guys who are all asking questions like, "Are you there?  Do you want us to leave?" and then I'd appear blatantly before them and go all spooky and then laugh as they ran away as fast as they could.

Yup.  That's what I'd do if I became a ghost.  I once had a story about that...a girl being a ghost.  I don't think it got very far because it was kind of lame.  Not awesome like The Mediator series. Yes, another series by Meg Cabot.  I can't help it, I just finished the last book of the Princess Diaries so I'm kinda Cabot-high. If you want to know, the book was great.  It sufficiently satisfied the romantic teenage girl side of me.  I don't know if it was my favorite one though...it was really good.  But I've always really liked Avalon High...and Airhead, that was good too.  (Being Nikki will be better once I can find the next book in the series, cliff-hangers make me want to cry.)

So tomorrow I will be a functioning, contributing member of society.  I'm working VBS for our church and I'm seriously questioning my sanity in that I agreed to work the babies room.  I'm also questioning my sanity because we need to leave the house by 7:15...in the morning.  During Summer.  That means I need to be awake by like 6.  In. The. Morning.  I don't think I've had to get up that early since I left public school.

So I guess I should stop complaining to you about the fact I have to get up so early and go to bed.  Until tomorrow, stay awesome!

~ Kate

Silly Thunks

Yes, I'm back after I said that I was getting off.  But after I finished posting it, I realized that I wasn't feeling very tired.  And my headache had lessened a bit (I don't really like using painkillers unless it's a really bad headache.  I don't really know why, I just do.) Anyway, so I went downstairs to get some Nilla Wafers (there's just something so good about those cookies) and see what my parents were doing (got to keep an eye on those two. :D).  And they were watching some extreme engineering thing and my mom looked like she didn't really want to be there.

It made me wonder if my future husband will have a thing that he really likes but I just deal with because I love him.  Then that made me wonder what my future husband is like at all.  Or if I even have one, which I know many girls find the thought of being single their whole lives to be appalling but I think it's appealing in many aspects, just like marriage.  I digress, this made me wonder if my future hubbie is out there thinking about his future wife (ie me) and if we already knew each other (GASP!)**.

Then this made me wonder about whether other people think about their future mates, or if I'm more weird than I realized.  Do people wonder if their future husband will like science fiction as much as they do?  Do people wonder if their future husband will have weird sleeping habits, like the need to always have a fan running or a light on? (I'm not sure how I'd deal with the latter considering my room is completely dark when I sleep.)  Or do other people just let love and marriage happen and not pre-plan their wedding down to the flowers in the center-pieces?  Not that I've done that...much.  (Just the dress!  You can only watch so much Say Yes to the Dress before you start wondering how you'd look in that A-line ball gown with the sweet heart neckline and the beading/lace on the back...*happy sigh*)

So anyway, perhaps I'm totally odd in thinking about him as much as I do.  But I'd like to say just one thing.  If, by some miracle, this blog survives till I get married and I remember to show it to my husband.  I'd just like you, hubbie-dear, to know that on July 10th, 2010, I thought of you.  I wondered whether we would be able to eat Nilla Wafers together and agree that there is something just so good about those cookies.  I certainly hope we will.

So I think I'm finally done now.  I'll relieve everyone of my silly romantic thoughts and go to bed now.  Stay awesome!

~ Kate

** Let me explain that gasp in case, by another miracle, any guy that I currently know reads that and gets all offended.  It's not the fact that I don't know some guys who would make wonderful husbands, it's more the fact that I do...if that makes any sense.  The thought of already knowing my husband (without knowing that he will be my husband) makes me all giggly in a way that only a teenage girl can be about such things.  I'm giggling right now writing this, which makes me blush and giggle some more.  Especially considering some late-night sleep-over conversations I've had with some girl friends.  You do not know the meaning of giggly, silly girls until you hear us at 3 AM.  You know who you are. :)

Happy Thunks

(Unfortunately, I'm fresh out of pixie dust so these happy thunks won't make me fly. :P )

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing super spectacular happens but it's just a really good day?  I hope you can have one soon.  I had one of those days today and it was awesome!  You've probably already seen my afore mentioned job interview post and that's one of the reasons why today was such a good day.

Reasons why today was such a good day!
1. I got to sleep in for the first time in quite a while (with the whole job hunting thing).
2. The night before, I went to sleep before midnight so got more than like 7 hours of sleep.
3. The scheduled job interview.
4. It was Saturday but there were no chores!
5. I went to the library today and was able to find the last three books in a favorite series of mine by Meg Cabot.

Okay, so the series is the Princess Diaries series (the books make the movies look like milk-toast!).  And because of the no chores I was able to finish two books and start on a third.  I have the uncanny ability to devour books when I want to.  But I think it's also the author, Meg is hilarious.  Her books are always funny and interesting and believable.  Even if the circumstances don't seem to be believable, she writes them so that you can believe that a girl can save the president's life or become Princess of a small European nation.  I don't know how she does it but she makes us believe right along with the characters.

The only bad side about today is that now I have a headache.  So my quest is to find some painkillers and then go to bed so that I'm not yawning through church tomorrow.  Stay awesome!

~ Kate

Super Totally Happy Thunks

So this has been the best day since I've started this blog!! =]  Probably for the main reason that I have a job interview scheduled for next tuesday afternoon!!!  FINALLY!! And it's at the library!! YAY!!  Working at the library sounds soooo much more appealing than working at a fast food joint.  You know what I mean?

And today has also been a great day because I didn't have to apply for a ton of jobs today because today is Saturday!  Aren't saturdays the greatest?  You get to sleep in and just laze around.  That is until your parents decide that Saturday actually means 'Use-your-kids-for-free-labor-day'.  But mine didn't even do that today!!

But why do parents do that?  Why do they translate no school into chores?  I don't understand it.  Perhaps when I'm a parent, I'll understand.  But today I don't really want to understand. I just want to bask in the glow that I soon might have a awesome job and I won't have to apply for any more. YAY!!

I'll talk to you guys late today.  Until then, stay awesome!

~ Kate

Mini Thoughts

So today's post will probably be rather short in that I a. don't have much to tell you and b. am feeling very sleepy.  Probably because I had to get up at an ungodly hour to drive my dad to his carpool so I could have a car today. (Alright so it was 7:30 but this is summer time.  That translates to 5:30 at the very least!)

Random cool thing I saw today: I was driving to pick up our dinner and I saw a red balloon flying away.  It was overcast so the red of the balloon really stood out against the grey of the sky.  It was so pretty and I felt that it would be a good symbol for something.  What, I have no clue.  Perhaps I will have better thoughts in the morning.

Also, tomorrow's post will be longer than this puny little thing.  I apologize.  Until tomorrow, stay awesome.

~Kate

Writing Thunks

So I guess I lied to you because I never got back on yesterday.  My muses did hit me last night (like they do most nights) but they didn't hit my blogging side.  They got the novelist side, so I began another book that will probably never be finished like all the others I have started.

If any of you are unprofessional authors too, you will know what I mean.  You get this great idea for a book, you think it will be a New York Times bestseller and I'll be famous!   So you start writing.  Perhaps you prepared well, by thinking about the entire plot, working out the characters and kinks.  You write the first scene, maybe the second one and then BANG!  Writer's block swoops down from the sky and kidnaps any creativity you had.  And you stop writing.  Then one day you get another idea for another book and the whole cycle repeats itself.

Most of the time I try to plan it out some so that I don't end up with a bunch of first scenes and nothing else.  So I currently have only one story that has made it past the first scene.  But I am pretty proud of the story that did make it past the first scene.  It's over 70 pages long, hand-written.  I know that typing it would be much, much, much less labor intensive and then my spelling and grammar would be corrected.  But there is something just so satisfying about taking that notebook off the shelf and flipping through all the pages that I had written.  There's nothing quite like seeing it all in front of you like that.  I could almost compare it to seeing it in hard-back with your name slapped across the front.

I secretly hope that I can have that feeling someday.  That's the other thing I could see myself doing (this was mentioned in my first post).  So my career choices are working in Hollywood and then being an author.  Yes, I know that neither one sounds very realistic.  But they almost tie together.  My mom thinks I should be a screenwriter (ie write the scripts for the movies you watch) and I really think she's right.  When I write my stories, I can picture exactly what's happening, what the characters look, sound and act like.  What the world around them looks like, sometimes even the camera angles, it's like a movie that plays in my head.

What are my stories about?  Well, I don't think I'm going to tell you just yet.  I trust very few people with reading my works.  Perhaps one day, if I think it's good enough, I might post a scene and you can tell me what you think.  But I don't know if that day will come any time soon.

That's all for me today.  Until next time, stay awesome!

~ Kate

P.S. I did get to go to the waterpark!! =]

Today's Thunks

So all today as I was driving around 'pounding the pavement' (ie job hunting), I was thinking about what I was going to write for my post.  I was hoping that something funny would come to me, or that something awesome would happen, like randomly meeting J.K. Rowling.  But no such luck, she appears to still be in England.  Isn't that the way things always happen?  When we want them most to happen, they never do.

But I guess today wasn't a total bust.  I did get invited to go to a local waterpark tomorrow (let's cross our fingers and hope I can go!).  It's a nice waterpark complete with a wave pool, several slides and over priced calorie filled food.  The only complaint I have is that the water is warm.  It's weird how warm it is.  This being my first summer in the South, I never knew that such a thing could happen.  Up North, most of the time you can't go swimming because it's too dang cold!  Now we can go swimming any day but it's just not very refreshing.  There has to be a happy medium somewhere, perhaps Tennessee.

I suppose I never told you that I have recently moved.  Yup, I moved south of the Mason-Dixon line.  People ask me what I think about our new place and all I can (diplomatically) say is that it's very different from where I was from.  They aren't kidding when they say things move slower in the south.  On-time has gone from five minutes early to around 10 minutes later.  I guess because in the heat and humidity you don't want to move so fast but in the freezing cold you need to speed up to keep warm?  I don't know.  I think it's just an excuse for tardiness.  Wonder if it would hold up in a school situation.  "Sorry, teacher, that I'm late.  Things do move slower in the South..." ...Doubt it.

Well, that's all I've got for now.  I'll probably be back later this evening to write some more when my midnight muses hit. :)  Until then, stay awesome.

~ Kate

First Thunks

So I've never been all that great at keeping a blog...or a journal/diary thing.  Isn't that what most blogs are anyway?  They're diaries that you write but other people are supposed to read them.  And unless you're super careful about keeping your identity hidden, people are going to know exactly what you're talking about.  Because what fun is it to read the blog of someone you don't even remotely know?

Anyway, what was I talking about? Right! Keeping a blog.  I've always found that I post one day, maybe again the next day.  I promise myself that this time will be different!! But it almost never is.  About a month later, I log on and delete everything I posted.  So what's the point? Really.

Perhaps keeping the purpose of said blog more broad than previous attempts will make this venture more successful.  Who knows?

Anyway, so with those first thoughts out of the way, I suppose I should give myself an introduction.  My name is Kaitlyn (though I will probably sign this as Kate (it's my alter-ego.  She's much cooler than I am.)).  I am going to be a senior in high school this coming school year (a thought that scares me more than my mother realizes).  When I graduate, I'm kinda sure where I want to go to college...the question is of how we are going to pay for it. Eek!  And I'm also kind of sure what I want to do after college, work in the film industry.

Yes, I want to work in Hollywood.  I know many will probably consider this a bit of a pipe dream but I really want to do it.  I can't think of anything else that I would rather do with my life than work in the movies.  Well, that's not entirely true, there is something else but I won't tell you that just yet.  Have to save something for later posts when (not if!) they come.

So the way I am filling my summer days is looking for a job.  I don't live in a huge metropolitan area but it's a decent sized city.  One would think that at least one business in the area would be looking for part-time workers! Sheesh! Perhaps I just have to bide my time and wait for the public schoolers go back to school and then I can pounce and take their minimum-wage, day jobs!! Mwahahahaha!

*cough* Sorry about that.

I think that's it for tonight.  I promise, scout's honor (okay, I was never a scout but my brother is so it must count for something), that I will post tomorrow.  I'll tell you all about my ever so exciting day of job hunting.  A tout a l'heure!

~ Kate