Intimidation

By definition, intimidation means:


Intimidation


I have never felt that I personally could be a very intimidating person but, a recent experience has left me questioning whether or not my countenance might invoke fear or discomfort within others. This recent event has me thinking about how to put my "best face forward" - and made me more aware of other people's expressions. In many cases, the eyes truly are the window to the soul (even when you're wearing sunglasses), but not always. Some folks are very adept at hiding their feelings but, unfortunately or fortunately, I typically wear my feelings on my sleeve. You can usually tell exactly what mood I'm in by one glance at my face. Of course, there are times that I can hide my feeling but those times are few and far between... Sigh.

Unraveled

Unraveled

Withering grass, brittle and dry,
Ravens soaring, call out their cry,
Endless asphalt, black and curled,
Calls me back, I rise and unfurl.

Gale of sand, stinging and sharp,
Wind wails to a screaming harp,
Pulling me tight, he breathes my name,
Darkness shrouds, he sheds his shame.

Cries of love, passion and fear,
Parting the night, suddenly clear,
Holding me close, higher we rise,
Pain of past, lingers not and dies.

Beating hearts, attuned as one,
Blood rushes and ebbs, undone,
Quietly seeking, skin damp and warm,
Knowing this man, will do no harm.

Further and further, into the sun,
Woman I am, no longer I run,
Together in life, our spirit now tied,
Unraveled we burn, together we ride.

By: Christy Henderson

"30 Days of Night" Movie Review

Directed by: David Slade
Written by: Steve Niles & Stuart Beattie
Plot Summary: (so to not spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it yet)
Genre: Horror / Thriller

IMDB Link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0389722/

This is the story of an isolated Alaskan town that is plunged into darkness for a month each year when the sun sinks below the horizon. As the last rays of light fade, the town is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires bent on an uninterrupted orgy of destruction. Only the small town's husband-and-wife Sheriff team stand between the survivors and certain destruction.

Since we missed this when it was in theatres, we opted to purchase it this weekend and, with popcorn in hand, watched it immediately. While this does not rate as my all-time favorite vampire movie, it does rate in my top 10. I found it to be more creepy than scary but it really takes a lot for a movie to scare me! I'm glad we bought it though because it really is a great movie! For those who love or live for vampire movies, this is a must see!

Film Location Scouting

I've been "helping" my hubby scout out potential filming locations around our lovely countryside. Yesterday, we met up with a friend of ours and checked out an old house that he owns and we may use for an upcoming film. Prior to Hurricane Rita, this house had been rented but the storm really did a number on it. No one has lived there since, and it's in pretty bad shape - perfect for the film! The ceilings are starting to cave-in and there is water damage everywhere. I think the place has really good potential for this film but, I'm no expert! We'll have to see what the director says.

On a different note, my hubby found me the coolest lounge pants! Guinness loungewear! I LOVE them! Comfy and cool at the same time! Yes, I can tell how excited that news flash is to you but, I just wanted to share in my happiness! LOL!

Enjoy your day!

"There Will Be Blood" Movie Review

Genre: Drama
Tagline: When Ambition Meets Faith
Plot Outline: A story about family, greed, religion, and oil, centered around a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.


For the entire synopsis, follow the link:


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469494/synopsis

This movie was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Daniel Day-Lewis is magnificant in his role as Daniel Plainview, a greedy, cruel, violent oilman (who I tried to like but found it next to impossible)! The movie, inspired by Upton Sinclair's novel, "Oil!" (1927) was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and Robert Elswit as the cinematographer. Both did outstanding jobs with this film but for me, it was how mesmerizing Daniel Day-Lewis was in this role. I'm not going to go into any details, since I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't already seen this movie. If you haven't, I highly recommend it! There's an Oscar in here for sure!

Awesome Photoshop Photos!

http://www.vertustech.com/blog/2008/02/11/32/

OMG! Check out the link above - the photos are amazing. For Christmas, my hubby gave me an awesome SLR digital camera - (Nikon D40), and I'd love to be able to tweak photo's like theses folks have... really extraordinary! I particularly like the woman with the horses emerging from her hair. WOW!

I have to start really playing with my camera - I have hopes of entering into a few photo contests once I'm obtained some top quality pictures. One of the blogs I read regularly is doing photos of colors - for example, this month, it's the color yellow. Basically, you find things that are yellow and photograph them. I think there is a contest, or maybe you just submit them and the best are posted on the web. Still pretty cool idea and I'm thinking of doing my own version - for practice!

My hubby and I talked about photography this weekend, and I told him that I'd like to take photos of cemetary's and old, old churchs, especially Gothic type. So, I plan to do exactly that - I'm going to make a list of local cemetary's and we're going to scope them out and let me take pictures till my hearts content! Then, once I have 10-20 that I really like, I'm going to create a portfolio and post them on the web!

I'll keep you posted on any new photography developments (excuse the pun!) LOL!

Styles of Love

I'm rewriting my post about Styles of Love (hopefully without infringing on anyone's turf). I found the following from Wikipedia which is a simplier version of my original post but still fairly clear. I've included the link if you would like to read a more indepth description.

I think I'm mostly Storge with a little bit of Pragma, Mania and Agape thrown in at different times in my life/relationships. With my hubby, it's pretty much all Storge though. It's kind of interesting to look back on how my past relationships and figure out which "style" ruled my life at that point. Very interesting indeed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_styles

Love styles - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Love styles are models of lovers developed by John Lee (1973, 1988). He identified six basic theories -- also known as "colors" of love -- that people use in their interpersonal relationships:

Eros — a passionate physical and emotional love based on aesthetic enjoyment; stereotype of romantic love
Ludus — a love that is played as a game or sport; conquest
Storge — an affectionate love that slowly develops from friendship, based on similarity
Pragma — love that is driven by the head, not the heart; undemonstrative
Mania — highly volatile love; obsession; fueled by low self-esteem
Agape — selfless altruistic love; spiritual; motherly love

Clyde Hendrick and Susan Hendrick of Texas Tech University have conducted extensive research on the love styles since the mid-1980s. They have found that men tend to be more ludic, whereas women tend to be storgic and pragmatic. Mania is often the first love style teenagers display. Relationships based on similar love styles were found to last longer. People often look for people with the same love style as themselves for a relationship.

Wasting Away

Wasting Away

Walking along the dark path edge,
Emotions full, creating their wedge
Carving a hole, deep from within
Full of resentment, aching with sin.

Hatred heavy, lies on my soul
Deceit closes in, taking its toll
Pain and suffering, wasting away
Darkness abounds, I have no say.

What I've become, a hard empty shell
Deeper and deeper my life living hell
Swallowed bitterness, churning inside
My spirit undone, yet quiet it hides.

Black stony silence, harshly it stares
Looking so boldly, in anger it glares
Earth's dank pit, holds nothing but death
Memories in ashes, nothing is left.

By: Christy Henderson

The Brink of Insanity!

Walking along the dark path edge,

Emotions full, creating their wedge

Carving a hole, deep from within

Full of resentment, aching with sin.

Hatred heavy, lies on my soul

Deceit closes in, taking its toll

Pain and suffering, wasting away

Darkness abounds, breaking the day.

What I've become, a hard empty shell

Deeper and deeper my life living hell

Swallowed bitterness, churning inside

My spirit undone, quiet it hides.

Black stony silence, harshly it stares

Looking so boldly, in anger it glares

Pit of the earth, nothing there death

Ashes of memories, nothing is left.

Unbroken Pain

Unbroken Pain

Silence, an unbroken span of quiet,
Emotions on edge, the very brink of riot,
My feelings screaming to be heard,
Yet my mouth, speaking no word.

Do you hear my thoughts, left unsaid?
The voices that tumble around in my head?
Careening along, faster and faster they go,
My face a mask, no emotions will show.

My spirit is dying, tired, broken, un-whole,
Weeping skies above, clouds crash and unfold.
Darkness entreats, it beckons, softly it calls,
Invading and cold, thick blackness falls.

Lying alone, I grow still, in shuttered light,
No longer of interest, your bold new fight,
Raising eyes to the stars, heavens appears,
The song of the night, piercing it sears.

The grayness slinks in, a mist in the night,
Touching all it nears, leaving its blight,
Consuming, it takes the essence of me,
Left as a shell, for those who can see.

Happy thoughts pass, remember a name,
Follows the arrow to carry your shame,
No blame, no pain, no worries, no cares,
Unburdened and cleansed, my soul laid bare.

No more hurt, no more despair,
Deep wounds healed now in repair
The silence is broken, voices now dare,
Loves one true secret, no one will share.

By Christy Henderson

A Moment of Truth

Truth NOUN
1) Conformity to fact or actuality.
2) A statement proven to be or accepted as true.
3) Sincerity; integrity.
4) Fidelity to an original or standard.
5)
a. Reality; actuality.
b. often Truth That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.

Oh the horrors of Reality TV - A recent commercial touting the latest to join the ranks of annoyingly stupid shows called "Moment of Truth"... ah yes, nothing like being strapped to a lie detector and forced to air every bit of dirty laundry you could possibly have! What are these people thinking? And who, in their right mind, would agree to participate!

But really, is telling the truth all it's cracked up to be? We all tell the occasional "white lie" - 'no those pants don't make you look fat' to telling really big whoppers of lies 'no officer, I haven't been drinking'... so is the truth always better? Are there things that we should never lie about? Are there things that are okay to lie about - like our age or weight? What do you think? Are some lies okay and others not? What defines the difference for you? I guess I believe in, for the most part, telling the truth... throwing in the infrequent white lie now and then. (as long as it's not hurting anyone, right!?) Interesting...

Poem

The other day, I found several poems that really spoke to me... and thought I'd share another one...

You Are In Me

Brightest of beings

In sun-surprised February

Flower out of season

You illuminate the night

A falling star

Shower after shower

My sky is empty now

You are in me

By Gabriel Rosenstock

Story Time

Last night the writers group met at a local coffee shop and conducted a class on "Time Management". I should have paid attention (heaven knows that as of late, I've lost some of my 'super-duper, time-organizing skills'!), but I was distracted with thoughts of writing and poetry. Since quite of few of the group were in attendance, I moved over to a small table and set up my laptop - to afford myself a bit of privacy and the ability to concentrate. I have had an idea about a short story, floating in my head and felt it time to put some thought to paper (so to speak). No plans to go into any details about this story idea at this time... perhaps down the road as it unfolds. As someone who has minimal "writing experience", I simply started with what came to mind... basically the opening scene of my story. When it came time to address characters and their names, I fell off into a world of research, investigating names and lineages. It's amazing the things one can discover in the Internet! The research I did last night has given me more ideas about how to tie my story together... and that was awesome! I let my hubby read what little I had written and he gave me some pointers and tips on what direction to take from here... plus advice on character building and outlining. I have a long ways to go... but I must say, I am looking forward to the journey.

Ah, Beloved Love

A POET TO HIS BELOVED
by: William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

BRING you with reverent hands
The books of my numberless dreams,
White woman that passion has worn
As the tide wears the dove-grey sands,
And with heart more old than the horn
That is brimmed from the pale fire of time:
White woman with numberless dreams,
I bring you my passionate rhyme

THE SORROW OF LOVE
by: W.B. Yeats

HE quarrel of the sparrows in the eaves,
The full round moon and the star-laden sky,
And the loud song of the ever-singing leaves,
Had hid away earth's old and weary cry.

And then you came with those red mournful lips,
And with you came the whole of the world's tears,
And all the sorrows of her labouring ships,
And all the burden of her myriad years.

And now the sparrows warring in the eaves,
The curd-pale moon, the white stars in the sky,
And the loud chaunting of the unquiet leaves
Are shaken with earth's old and weary cry.

Have you ever read something that struck a chord within your heart? I've been trying to find a bit of stress relief and have discovered poetry. Some of the poems that I've read, I really enjoyed and others, perplex me. I guess one of the joys of poetry is the discovery of what means something to you, and, as I am finding, it is definitely a learning experience and journey to savor...

I like both of the poems above - for different and many reasons. Both are poems of love - yet are very different. Was Yeats speaking of his true love, his love of country, or something mysterious that those reading cannot imagine? The more I read, the more questions I have... but best of all, I learn.