We’ve never been much for celebrating New Year’s.  I hate large crowds so we never go out, and on any other night of the year we’re up past midnight, but we always seem to go to bed early on New Year’s eve.  This year will probably be the same, which is fine by me.

It’s probably safe to say that this year has been one of our most interesting yet (and I can assure you, none of them have been boring!).  It’s been full of almost all of Adeline’s firsts, our falling in love with the Orthodox faith, and more blessings than we could have imagined. We’ve watched Adeline become her own person this year.  It’s been over the past twelve months that we’ve learned that she prefers peas to all other veggies, would rather read than play with toys, and is quite the social butterfly.  I’m so grateful that Matthew and I have had so much time with her despite working and graduate school.  These past few months, in particular, have been wonderful.  With Matthew taking classes only part-time, working part-time, and me taking online classes and working part-time, one of us has been able to be with her always.  Financially it has been a struggle, but it’s for the best currently.

Though the year has been full of blessings, we’ve experienced our share of difficulties and pain, too.  Our struggles with the Episcopal and Anglican churches, and the frustrations we felt with our diocese within them were painful.  Ultimately, though those frustrations allowed my heart to open to Orthodoxy, we lost friends and are still watching many of our dear friends struggle with similar issues.

Also this year we’ve had to put Reagan, our dog, to sleep, and change our seminary plans midstream.  Perhaps most difficultly, for me, was the loss of some very important relationships.  The losses came about unexpectedly and painfully, and I think of those people every day.  They are never and will never be spoken ill of in our home, and Adeline and I keep them in our evening prayers. It seems that they have been able to move on, and I hope the same for myself soon.

So, today I thank God for all that was and all that is to come.  I am okay with saying good-bye to 2009, and am looking forward to what I hope will be a wonderful 2010.  I pray the same for all of you.

Let’s watch the old year die
With a fond good-bye
And our hopes as high
As a kite

-“Let’s Start the New Year Right” from Holiday Inn

Greta Alison (Lily)

Olive Audrey

Alex Chloe (Jack)

Bess (Ella)

Haidee Elaine & Alyssa Rose (Lucas)

Iris Vita (Harriet, Phoebe)

Vivien Rosemary (Lily)

Helena Antoinette

Lauren & Honor ( Lucia)

Olive Elizabeth (George)

Elsie-May Ellen (Bailey, Ephraim & Marita)

Polly Frances

Aurelia Grace (Isabelle)

Portia Alice

Neve Jennifer (Rylee, Fletcher)

Penny Mary (Hamish, Felicity)

Sacha Tui

Kahlan Lillias (Hayden)

Maggie Iris Rosa (Ruby)

Freyah Lily (Tahlia)

Sabrina Mary

Elsie Olivia (Joel)

Milla Juno (Bodie)

Maeve Ellen (Cormac)

Sidney (Lennox & Munro)

Hugo John

Jasper Stan (Jonty & Tilly)

George Banjo (Hugo)

Tahere Hunter

Albie Murphy

Jack & Keygan (Thomas)

Wilhelm David

Josiah James

Jag Archie

Edward Montgomery (Benji & Samuel)

Wilfred Otis (Theo)

Deaths

Rosanna Jane, Adeline Anne, Sally Elizabeth, Grace Muriel, Margaret Winifred, Ruby Evelyn, Sylvia Winifred, Adele Mary, Violet Hope, Hazel Margaret, Beatrice Mary, Helen Adeline,

Hector Leslie, George Basil, Quentin Phillip, Henry Percival, Leo Charles, Archibald Ralph, Sydney Benjamin.

Wilhelmina Elizabeth Jane, Kate Augusina, Monu Christina, Edith Isobel, Winifred Maude, Alice Maud,

Noeline Alice Mary, Clara Elizabeth, Adeline, Isabella Maude, Etta Florence, Alice Melinda May, Violet Naomi Lillian,

Asabella, Constance Mabel, Flora Emily, Lucy Elizabeth, Katherine Eliza, Grace Myrtle, Helen Fidelity,

Alford, Ian Francis, Barnabus Waugh, Enos Ivan, Bendix Hallenstein, Fritz Julius, Berkley Reginald, Frank Harvey, Julian David, Antonius Cornelius,

That’s where we’re living these days.  Lately, our dear, sweet little Adeline has begun to blatantly defy us (mostly me). Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Maybe she’s not defying, maybe she doesn’t understand what you’re telling her.”  That is not possible, friends, that is not possible.  For you see, as she does the naughty thing, she runs away laughing and hides behind the curtain.  Whether it be hitting, running the opposite direction when I ask her to come to me,  or throwing fits, the blessed child engages continually in behavior that drives me insane.

And it does! My goodness, it does.   The fits are the worst, especially the squeals.  I don’t lie when I say that this behavior often shakes my spirit to the core.  My blood boils almost immediately when, for the twentieth time in ten minutes, I explain to Adeline that the dishwasher is not for toddlers, and she may not pull dirty steak knives out while I load it. Why, oh why, must she do that which she know she oughtn’t do and not do the things she’s supposed to do?  Oh wait, this sounds a bit familiar.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  (Romans 7:15)

Ah, so maybe how I feel when Adeline disobeys is a tiny, tiny bit of how God feels when I do what I know I am not supposed to do – when I’m quick to anger and quick to speak, when I turn and run from Him clutching my sin as Adeline clutches tissues stolen from the box.  There is pain, frustration, and anger when you know so well what is best for your child and she just won’t do it.

I understand Lord, I understand what You are teaching me in this season of our lives.  Once again You have used my proudest accomplishment, my daughter, to humble me and teach me about myself and Your love for me.

For what does He do as I defy? He loves me and allows me to learn from my transgressions and when the stakes are too high, quickly corrects  my errors.

O God, our heavenly Father, Who lovest mankind, and art most merciful and compassionate, have mercy upon our child, Thy servant, Adeline, for whom I humbly pray Thee, and commend them to Thy gracious protection. Be Thou, O God, her guide and guardian in all her endeavors; lead her in the path of Thy truth, and draw her near to Thee, that she may lead a godly and righteous life in Thy love and fear; doing Thy will in all matters. Give her grace that she may be temperate, industrious, diligent, devout and charitable. Defend her against the assaults of the enemy, and grant her wisdom and strength to resist all temptation and corruption of this life; and direct her in the way of salvation, for the merits of Thy Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, and the intercessions of His Holy Mother, and Thy blessed saints. Amen.

]]> http://appellationmountain.net/2009/12/03/name-of-the-day-elke/ Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:31:39 +0000 appellationmountain http://appellationmountain.net/2009/12/03/name-of-the-day-elke/

Heidi screams of the Swiss Alps, but how about this unusual related name?

Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting Elke as Name of the Day.

With apologies to the stylish Miss Klum, there’s little fashionable about Heidi.  Johanna Spyri’s character is enduring, but today the name seems stuck in the 70s.

If you remember your bedtime stories, you might recall that Spyri’s  was christened Adelheid.  From the Germanic elements adal – noble – and heid - rank, Adalhaid, Adalheidis or Adelaide has serious history.  Back in the tenth century, the wife of Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great wore the name.  She later became a saint.

Fast forward nearly one thousand years and King William IV of England married a German princess called Adelaide.  She was aunt-by-marriage to the future Queen Victoria, and beloved by her subjects as well as her regal niece.  Queen V named her eldest daughter Victoria Adelaide; the Australian city was also named in her honor.

Today, Ad- names are in favor:

• Addison (#12 in 2008) is the new Madison, along with predictable variants like Addisyn (#556);
• Antique Adelaide currently ranks #551, with shorter-but-similar Ada at #598;
• The equally vintage Adeline (#361) has inspired spin-offs like Adelyn and Adalynn, too.

What’s all this got to do with Elke?  Head to Northern Germany, bordering the North Sea.  In Frisian (a language that apparently owes a little something to German, Danish, Dutch and English), Adelke is a diminutive form of Adelaide.  Shorten it even more, and you arrive at Elke.

I’m a bit unclear on pronunciation – I’ve seen both el KEE and EL kah suggested.  In Germany, Elke was bestowed as an independent name in the 1940s, but has been on the decline for some time.

In the 1960s, Berlin-born Elke Sommer was all the range.  Discovered while vacationing in Italy, she went appeared opposite famous actors like Peter Sellers, Dick Van Dyke and Dean Martin, snagging a Golden Globe for her role in The Prize, with Paul Newman.  She also appeared in the pages of Playboy.

Before she was a pin-up, Elke was a literary character.  German author Theodor Strom penned Der Shimmelreiter – Rider on the White Horse – in the nineteenth century, featuring a heroine called Elke.  I’m not clear how influential Strom’s work might have been – and I’m not even sure if his Elke was a worthy namesake.  But he was from Northern Germany, so there’s more confirmation that she was in use.

A second possible source is Hebrew.  The Old Testament includes several minor – masculine – characters named Elkanah.

Just like Adelaide is boosted by Addison, Elke could rise with a cluster of El- names:

• At #19, Ella is the most popular, followed by sweet Ellie (#167) and trim Elle (#494);
• Elizabeth and her variants (Eliza, Elise, Elsa) are also in use;
• Other El- classics include Eleanor or Elinor.

Elke also shares something with the name of JLo’s daughter Emme.  She might even serve as an alternative for the oh-so-popular Zoe.

Pronounced either el KEE or EL keh, Elke manages to be both brief and complete, unusual and accessible.  If you’re hoping for a little bit Hollywood, a little bit German heritage, Elke could be the right choice.

Telling a story:

Signing a few words (This was on our Boston trip)

Voilà une dizaine de jours que je rédigeais un article inhérent à une requête simple: la mise à disposition de conteneurs et bacs poubelle.

Le message est visiblement très bien passé puisque depuis hier, c’est chose faite à proximité de mon immeuble d’habitation.

Et pour l’occasion, ils n’y sont pas allés de main morte, pas moins de 4 gros conteneurs poubelle qui arrivent d’un coup d’un seul, à point nommé. Les riverains ne sont pas habitués à cela, car évidemment ils n’en ont jamais eu à disposition! Ils n’auront que l’embarras du choix, quel conteneur pourront-ils bien choisir pour déposer leurs déchets n’est-ce-pas?

Mais en tout cas, je m’en réjouis pleinement et c’était là tout le sens de ma requête, c’est plus de propreté dans les rues de notre ville et plus de responsabilisation des habitants, les invitant à non plus déposer leurs sacs poubelle sur les trottoirs mais dans les conteneurs prévus à cet effet.

Adeline does.  This video deserves a bit of explanation.  When we were in Boston, Matthew ran to the Seven-Eleven across the way from the hotel to get something to drink.  While there, he saw that they had Domo Kun stuff: slurpee cups, key chains, stuffed Domos, etc.  Matthew, always intrigued by the Japanese monster, decided to get Adeline a stuffed Domo Kun (just what a little girl wants, I’m sure).  She loved it!  So, we taught her the world “Domo” which comes out more like “Momo”.  Matthew showed her a video short on YouTube and now she is addicted.  She will run to the computer and say “Momo! Momo!”  This is what she does when we turn it on:

Serge Pugeault se vante constamment de la rapidité de la majorité municipale à entamer la réfection de la Halle du Boulingrin, alors que par le passé ce dossier paraissait au ralenti.

C’est clairement de la mauvaise foi car si Adeline Hazan et son équipe ont eu la possibilité de lancer aussi vite ce dossier, c’est grâce aux travaux d’études réalisés par l’équipe précédente. Il serait bon qu’ils ne l’omettent pas!

M. Pugeault met en cause la lenteur du déblocage de l’aide de l’Etat à la réfection qui était bloquée depuis 1996…C’est aussi objectivement l’une des causes du non avancement du dossier par le passé !

Surtout, c’est la preuve que gouvernements de gauche comme de droite n’avaient pas rempli cet engagement, alors même que Serge Pugeault se répand partout en affirmant que l’enveloppe accordée dans le cadre du plan de relance n’est que le rattrappage de cette promesse non tenue.

Enfin et c’est important de le souligner, c’est Jack Lang qui a classé ce bâtiment pour des raisons politiciennes en 1985, alors que sa qualité architecturale est très largement décriée.

M. Pugeault a la mémoire bien courte et une lecture partiale et partielle de ce dossier, il n’a même pas le souci de la cohérence dans les propos qu’il tient, trop occupé à politiser à outrance et à vouloir discréditer l’Etat et l’Exécutif…

Adeline is her mother’s daughter, for certain.  She will take a book over a stacking ring, green stuffed giraffe, or toy vacuum cleaner any day, and we read about twenty a day (no exaggeration!). She obviously prefers some books to others, and counts a few special books as friends.  Today we found that if we recite a phrase from a book, she will retrieve that book.  She will also ask for her favorites by name.  While I would love for her to love the books that I do, I am learning to love the books she does   .

Her favorite book at the moment is Ready, Set, Skip! by Jane O’Connor

She asks for it by saying “Dzip! Dzip!”  It seems to be her favorite because it rhymes, has a dog in it, and repeats the word ‘Hop’ (which she does repeatedly throughout the story).

She also is a huge fan of Goodnight, Gorilla

Adeline asks for it by saying “Illa! Illa!” and likes to find the banana that the mouse is carrying in each picture.  It’s primarily a picture book and a quick bedtime read.

Dr. Seuss’ Ten Apples Up on Top is also one of the favorites around here lately.  She signs ‘apple’ and ‘book’, meaning “Mama, if you do not read the apple book to me, I will throw it in your lap until you do.  I do not care if you are reading, making my dinner, or trying to schedule a doctor’s appointment.”

She also loves The Icky Sticky Frog which is not one of my favorites. She seems to like it because of the repetitive phrases, and it has a butterfly in it.  She loves to sign ‘butterfly’.

She also loves her collection of nursery rhymes – though she only wishes for me to read “Peter Piper” fifteen times in a row.

The first two of these books were sent to Adeline through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.  A local non-profit adopts the project, and pays for one book a month to be sent to any child under three from the Imagination Library.  The books really have been wonderful!  Nashotah friends, this is not available locally, unfortunately.

Of course, we’re always looking for new book suggestions.  So, what is your little one’s favorite reads?

Ce stade, qui il faut le dire, a été un véritable gouffre financier, avec un coût de 57 millions d’euros, est bien loin de répondre aux attentes que l’on pouvait en avoir.

En effet, ce stade ne peut accueillir d’autre événement sportif car il n’a pas été conçu pour. Ainsi, il a été précisé au dernier Conseil Municipal qu’il manquerait 1 mètre de pelouse pour pouvoir y accueillir des matches de rugby du Top 14! 1 mètre de pelouse, vous rendez-vous compte?!

Ensuite, ce stade vraiment mal situé et très mal ouvert sur la ville. Aucun commerce ne peut se développer autour comme cela peut se faire dans les autres villes disposant d’un équipement digne de ce nom.

Enfin, il est impossible d’y installer une scène pour des spectacles, les poids-lourds ne pouvant avoir accès à l’intérieur du stade!

Que dire de la pelouse dont la piètre qualité empêche, sauf à payer un prix prohibitif de réfection, la présence de publics et de l’insuffisance des loges pour les mécènes et entreprises, l’absence de couverture des coursives…

D’où l’intérêt de réaffirmer l’impérieuse nécessité de construire un Zénith à Reims.

Ce zénith est primordial pour l’attractivité de nos territoires, notamment envers la jeunesse et en terme d’image.

Coté professionnels, la demande est unanime, tous les producteurs locaux sont favorables à ce projet, mais surtout l’exemple le plus flagrant, est la demande de Messieurs les président et directeur de programmation des Flâneries Musicales de Reims qui souhaitent tous deux une vraie salle de spectacle de grande capacité.

Non vraiment, le stade Delaune, même s’il  présente une belle esthétique, est bien loin de correspondre aux attentes des rémois(es) et des champardennais.

Lundi s’est déroulé le débat d’orientations budgétaires de l’exercice 2010 sur fond de projet de réforme territoriale, de réforme de la Taxe Professionnelle et de transfert de responsabilités de l’Etat sur les collectivités locales.

Cette séance de Conseil municipal avait comme un air de déjà-vu ce lundi, chacun restait campé sur ses positions, comme il y a un an. Normal me direz-vous, majorité et opposition dos-à-dos dans un débat stérile, avec des critiques maintes fois entendues et des réponses redondantes contrant ces mêmes reproches, entre petits coups de griffes et phrases pseudo humoristiques. Des échanges verbaux rappelant les discours d’entraîneur de football dans les vestiaires, toujours la même litanie, le même verbiage, les mêmes remontrances, les victoires et les échecs passés… une sorte de bouillie verbale indigeste pour certains et appétant pour d’autres.

Morceaux choisis de ces passes d’armes à fleuret moucheté.

-Jean-Marc Roze (UMP) : « Comment pouvons-nous débattre, nous n’avons pas tous les éléments comptables pour apprécier votre gestion (…),  27 pages de chiffres pour éclairer le débat, mais il n’y a pas la lumière à tous les étages (…). Investir sans nous endetter relève de la science-fiction ».

-Adeline Hazan : « Comme d’habitude pour suivre Monsieur Roze, il faut se munir d’une calculatrice. Depuis plusieurs mois, vous affirmez que les dépenses de personnel vont augmenter de 13%, ce chiffre est purement fantaisiste et peu sérieux. La hausse n’est que de 0,5% ».

-Jean-Marie Beaupuy (MoDem) : « Vous jouez avec les variations de compétence entre la ville et la CAR, il est difficile de comparer d’une année sur l’autre (…)  Il manque un plan de relance(…)  Il faut aller plus vite, plus fort, plus loin (…) Madame la Maire, vous parlez des errements du passé et en même temps de la richesse culturelle et sportive de Reims, mais il faut mettre en exergue le grand écart entre les errements et ce dont vous vous rendez fiere (…) c’est sans doute un pêché de jeunesse ».

-Adeline Hazan : « Vous avez utilisé le terme de schizophrène, restons courtois (…)Vous parler de pêché de jeunesse Monsieur Beaupuy, tout le monde ne peut pas se le permettre (…) Je n’ai aucun état d’âme d’avoir soutenu certains projets sous la précédente municipalité, mais je dénonce certaines gestions financières antérieures (…) Le projet de tramway était dans mon programme en 2001, contrairement à la liste concurrente. En 2008, j’ai soutenu ce projet dès le début, ce n’est pas le cas de certains membres de l’opposition actuelle ».

-Stéphane Joly (Verts) : « Avec ce débat d’orientations budgétaires, en sortant de la salle, nous serons moins inquiets et rassurés ».

-Catherine Vautrin (UMP) reprochant le manque d’un véritable plan de relance et l’instauration d’une taxe sur les enseignes des commerçants…

-Serge Pugeault : « Concernant les enseignes Madame Vautrin, nous appliquons la loi que vous avez votée (…). Puisque l’on parle de plan de relance, l’Etat avait alloué 8 M € en 1996 pour la rénovation des Halles, cette même somme plusieurs années après est allouée à l’édifice au titre de plan de relance de l’Etat ! ».
Finalement, pourquoi créer un festival culturel « Reims Scènes d’Europe », quand une séance de Conseil municipal peut parfois se muer en vaudeville.

O.M-L

Source: http://www.lhebdoduvendredi.com/Conseil-Municipal-un-air-de-deja

Adeline, Eleanor, Amelia, Theodora, Beatrix, Sidony, Madeleine, Clementine, Henrietta, Ione, Lila, Delphia, Adele, Adela, Dora, Vera, Evelyn, Greta, Ingrid, Fern, Opal, Finola, Olive, Lyra, Willa, Angeline, Petra, Mina, Pearl, Mehitabel, Ellen, Keisha, Thora, Lucinda, Ramona, Naomi, June, Sarai, Thea, Evanthia, Thomasina, Tilda, Mirabella, Iole.

What do you think of these? which do you like? dislike and why? which could you see on a child born in the next couple of years?

is what I call Adeline when she’s being trying…which is often these days.   It helps me remember!

Of course you’re saying, “Adeline?  No, not with that face!”

Yep, with that face.

I threw the baseball as hard as I could, just testing my strength. I was standing beside the castle, looking back over the front lawn. The ball soared through the air and over the wall, landing somewhere out of my reach. If it was easy to get out of this place, I would have already escaped over the wall, but there were people stronger than me who had been assigned to watch the large stone structures surrounding the castle.
With a groan, I fell back down to sit on the grass. That activity was over.
It was probably about two in the morning, and the visitors on their hunting trip still hadn’t come home. I was out in the front just to watch for them. At this rate, Mr. Atherton wouldn’t have much time to pack before leaving, unless of course he was already packed.
As if triggered by that thought, the smells and the sounds of the visitors came floating toward me. I smiled and stood up to see if I could possibly see over the wall at this angle. Nope.
It wasn’t long before the large wrought iron gate opened and I saw the visitors and Mr. Atherton coming down the dirt driveway.
I noticed Mr. Atherton smile and pick up his pace, ending up beside me in just a few seconds. “I believe,” He said, taking my hand, palm up in his. “This is yours.” He put the baseball in my hand and curled my fingers around it.
I couldn’t help but blush. I wasn’t completely sure why! “Thank you.” I said with a smile. His hands were so gentle!
He laughed and ruffled my hair before going on into the castle. My smile disappeared. I was still a little kid to him! That thought in mind, I threw the baseball as hard as I possibly could (Which actually turned out to be harder than before) at the wall. Dust flew all around the small object and a noticeable dent was created in the wall. I hadn’t wanted it to be THAT bad! Well, as long as no one noticed it, I would be fine.
“Careful with that, you could hurt a poor unsuspecting human on the other side of the fence.” I jumped. I hadn’t realized Mr. Atherton was behind me.
I turned around to face him. He had a suitcase in one hand, and what appeared to be a lap top bag in the other. “You’re leaving?” I asked. He was supposed to give me at least a small amount of time to get ready!
He laughed at the expression on my face. “Not right at the moment. My car will be here soon, and I want to get my stuff in it early. It’s only an hour until sunrise you know.”
I looked up at the sky. Maybe my mind clock had been wrong earlier.
“See? Here it comes.”
My head came back to it’s normal position as the gate opened again. A really old car came through. It was a light cream like color with strangely tinted windows. My eyes wend wide. “What happened to your car?” Last I remembered he’d had one pretty up to date!
“I wanted something new, a change. I thought it might be interesting to ride in something back from my day.” He shrugged as the car came to a stop in front of us.
My stomach did a funny flip. So he was younger than me? That was just plain weird. But I couldn’t go with just my imagination, I had to ask. “How old are you anyway?” Sure, in the human world it’s not the best thing to be asking an adult, but in my world, people tended to brag about how old they are.
“Four hundred and two.” He answered, shoving his suit case in the back seat of the car.
“I thought you said this car was from your era.” I pressed, feeling much better about the ages.
He laughed again. He seemed like such a happy person. I liked that. “It’s not from mine I guess, but it’s from my favorite period of time so far. The 40s.” He smiled as he closed the car door, turning to face me.
“Oh.” I simply said. I didn’t know that much about the 40s, just about the cars.
“How about you? How old are you?” He asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the car. Even though that was a position that would show unhappiness, he still looked quite pleased.
“One hundred and twenty-three.” I answered, making a slight face. I really did feel like a little kid now compared to him.
“I see. How old were you when you were changed?” He looked just plain curious now.
“16.” I said, watching the look of total surprise cross his face as he realized I wasn’t 12. I would have asked how old he had been, but, like humans, that version of the question wasn’t always the best one to ask.
“Hmm. I see.” He said, thinking for a moment. He looked like he was going to ask something but then changed his mind, choosing something else. “So what’s your favorite era?”
“I wouldn’t know.” I said, being sure to put plenty of sourness in my voice. “I’ve been stuck in this place for all but 16 years of my life.” I crossed my arms, doing the negative version of his pose.
“Oh. I’m sorry.” He actually looked sympathetic, unlike most of the visitors who came through here. He looked up at the sky for a moment. “You may want to get on inside. It looks like the sun will rise really soon. I’ll get the rest of my stuff and then be on my way.” He led the way back into the castle and took two other suitcases of his and walked back out to the car. I stayed inside by the door, watching him go. He opened the trunk of the car and tossed the rest of his luggage in there, closing it and locking it after him. He then went to sit in the car. Thankfully, as I had expected, they didn’t leave immediately. They would probably wait until the sun actually started to rise in the sky.
I bit my lip and ran to the kitchen, grabbing a tiny, but long, nail from the ‘everything drawer’ then ran back to the door. I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to go. Now.
I raced outside, being careful not to close the door all the way in case it would create a sound. I managed to get to the back of the car, keeping low to the ground so the driver wouldn’t be able to see me in the rear view mirror. When nothing happened, I carefully put the nail in the lock of the trunk and moved it around, looking for the little thing to get it to open. I smiled when I heard the pop and lifted the trunk just enough for me to crawl inside. I closed my eyes tight as I crawled in and shut the trunk. Hopefully those guard people were watching the walls, not me, and hopefully the passenger of the car didn’t hear me.
I waited for what seemed like forever until it finally began moving. It was uncomfortably hot in the trunk, which told me the sun was probably up. What gave me complete evidence was the crack under the handle of the trunk. The sun came shining through that little hole. I tried my best to scoot as far away from it as I could, but it kept moving with every bump of the road. Thankfully though, it didn’t always hit me. I closed my eyes tight and tried to block out the sunlight, praying silently it would stop moving when we hit the highway and stay in some place away from me.

© FairysHeart 2009

I followed my father and the visitor quietly, peering around the door frame and into the giant living room. Currently, we had probably a dozen guests, but only about six or seven of them sat in the living room. My father gestured to the other guests and introduced them one by one, I had never even tried to keep track of their names, they didn’t hold any interest to me. I wanted to escape with someone who wasn’t with their ‘family’. It would probably be easier to fit in if the vampire I escaped with was a loner. What would make it even better was if the guy I escaped with was cute, just like our newest guest.
That thought in mind, I strained my ears to listen. That wasn’t that hard, we have extraordinary hearing, just when people didn’t want to be heard, they’d make their voices REALLY quiet.
“How long did you say you were here for?” My father asked.
“Only a few days, I’m stopping here on the way to England.” He answered promptly.
My father nodded. “We will try to make your stay as comfortable as possible, Mr. Atherton.” He gestured to the room and began introducing the other vampires to the newest guest.
‘Atherton…’ I thought, leaning against the wall. It had an interesting ring to it. I sighed and headed back upstairs. I had found out what I wanted to know for now, he’d be here for a while, and I had his name. I’d wait a while before requesting to join him. He wouldn’t be leaving for a few days anyway.
I went back to my section of the tower to look over the castle grounds again. Just a few more days and I would be free! Hopefully.

I sat on the huge stone windowsill and leaned out of it, just testing how far I could go without falling. Of course, if I fell from this high up in the tower, I wouldn’t die. But it would hurt. A lot. I didn’t care at the moment. I was just extremely bored. It was the second day Mr. Atherton had been with us, and currently, he and two of the other guests, a husband and wife from some place in the US, were out hunting. He’d announced that morning that he planned to leave around sunrise.
I personally thought he was crazy to leave in the daytime. The sun isn’t really the most comfortable thing for a vampire to feel. Unlike the popular myth, we don’t sparkle, and we don’t burn up in the sunlight. The rays just hurt, nothing more. But who really wants to go into something that hurts? Then again, he DID have a car with tinted windows.
“Adeline!”
I groaned and crawled back inside. “What!” I shouted down.
“Just making sure you were still here. You tend to get awfully quiet up there.” My father said, his voice much calmer than before.
I pressed my back against the wall and crossed my arms. I could tell he wasn’t on the first floor. My guess was that he was halfway up the stairs leading up to the tower.
“You don’t have to worry about that.” I murmured, just loud enough so that he would hear it. “You probably have me stuck here for the rest of my miserable life.” Hopefully, I would be able to prove myself wrong.
I wasn’t surprised at all when my father appeared in the circular room. “I’ve explained this to you thousands of times already, Addy!”
I forced myself not to groan. What a stupid nickname! I’d had it since I was probably two. ‘Daddy’ and ‘Addy’ somehow went together.
“Only two hundred and ninety two.” I corrected. I actually had a tally of it in my room downstairs. When you could remember literally everything, it wasn’t a surprise that I had the actual count.
“Listen, I’m not going to allow you to go out there and murder people!”
“But you do it!” I interrupted.
“Because I have to! We have to eat!”
“Exactly! We’re vampires Dad! It’s what we are! I can’t just sit here rotting away like this!” I said.
“We don’t die! Here you are safe from other vampires who would want to kill you, and safe from ever having to kill a human being.” He said, leaning against the wall opposite of me.
“I know we don’t die.” I snapped. That was something I’d known since I’d first been changed. “But I eat the human’s don’t I? I suck their blood! Whether you killed them for me or not, I’m still a monster! I’m just tired of being one cooped up in this jail!”
“Adeline, I will not allow you out there. I can’t have my daughter running around the world looking for people to kill! I can’t do that to you!”
I growled and left the wall, starting my way downstairs. I’d heard this too many times before. I was done with it. There was nothing he could do to stop me. I would get out of this place this time. I would!

© FairysHeart 2009

Again, I would like to point out that this is JUST FOR FUN. Don’t go nuts over grammar errors or anything. I just write this, read it over, then put it up. If you don’t like it, suit yourself. Also, this is for polyvore and myspace so it’s shorter than the chapters in other books I write.

Darkness crept up the stone walls as the sun continued to set, making the room look like it was suddenly in a horror movie. In all reality, it was.
I looked out the window at the large yard of the abandoned castle where I lived. Or rather where I was imprisoned. Though it was the 21st century, the whole place looked like it was from the 1700s or something.
A tall, rock wall surrounded the entire property, going up at least twenty feet. Then the gate was even taller made of solid black iron. Through that gate was the only view of the outside world I’d had since 1902.
I was a total of 123 years old, but I was eternally 16. I was stuck inside this pale body with the eyes that would change colors from a black to a reddish brown, to a bright red. Depending on how hungry I was. Stuck with bright red hair, and stuck with the baby face that I had never managed to loose before being changed.
I was a vampire. And I was trapped.
My father had been changed a year before I had, a tragic accident. He talked about that day frequently, though it was something I did not want to discuss. In a nutshell, he and his friends in the city were attacked by a clan of vampires. He was the only survivor. He thinks it was probably an accident that he was left alive, able to change.
My mother and I didn’t even know what had happened to him when he suddenly disappeared from France, or so it seemed to us. Then, one night while I was walking toward home from my friend’s house, I was attacked by a lone vampire. This one however did seem to want me alive. He drank his fill before leaving me to lie on the deserted, dark stone street.
With the venom in my body, I slowly began to change. It was a painful process, one I hope I never have to experience again. Eventually, I was able to pass out from the intense pain after a long while. When I finally awoke, it was early morning. Early enough that the people in my town were probably just starting to stir.
I stood up carefully and began to think about what had happened. My hand had immediately gone to my mouth. I knew the old fairy tales, of when you were bitten by a vampire, you would turn into one as well. That was all it took to confirm my fears. I had the long incisors, ones that cut into my finger when I pressed it against them.
I wasn’t sure what to think, so I started wandering around. My first goal was to get away from the town. Get away before my mother found out what I had become. But before I got far from the town however, I was met by a man who looked very much like my father. He looked different of course, he was paler, and had bright red eyes. Before I could react, he had grabbed me by the arm and had dragged me to this castle, trapping me inside.
It took a long time for me to finally accept what he had told me. He’d said that he was a vampire, and first told me his story. He also told me that he was my real father. I was so excited to see him, to have someone close who could help me figure out how to live this new life. Instead, he disappointed me greatly. He told me that he didn’t want me becoming a monster, he didn’t want his little daughter to kill like he did. That was why he had put me in the castle to live with him, and never come out.
I was allowed outside of course, but not past those large rock fences. At first, I really didn’t mind being in this place, it gave me plenty of time to do what I had always enjoyed. Drawing. But after a few years, I began to despise it. Seeing the same things day after day, the same people day in and day out. New people arrived for short amount of times every so often, giving me the closest to an adventure I’d had in years. I vowed that as soon as I could manage it, I would escape with one of these people.
“Adeline! There you are! I thought for a while you had left me.” I turned from the window to see my father, a forever 42 year old man with slightly receding hair and bright red eyes coming toward me.
“Not possible.” I muttered.
“I brought home some food for you. It’s downstairs.” He said with a slight smile. He tried to make me like him again, but he’d lost that privilege long ago.
I simply nodded and began making my way down the long, winding stone staircase. My favorite place to be was up in one of the towers. It took forever to get down them, but I preferred it over where my father would hang out with all his vampire friends. The visitors we sometimes had.
My father would go out of the gates to hunt. He’d get a human for himself, them leave some of the blood for me in the human’s body. He would then bring home the leftovers so his daughter could survive.
When I reached the first floor, I immediately went to the massive kitchen. The body of the now dead victim was on the table. Without a second thought, I went over to it and finished him off within a matter of minutes.
I had to admit, even the life he allowed me to live was monstrous, but we couldn’t survive any other way.
“Adeline, we’re getting another visitor tonight. I just thought I might warn you before you go and attack him like you did the last one.” My father said once he caught up with me in the kitchen.
I had to smile at that thought. The last visitor who had walked through the doors, no one had informed me of. I thought it was some man coming in to take away all we had. I had to defend our property! But, of course, when my father found me with my mouth going towards his neck, he told me why the man was actually there.
New visitors was something I enjoyed. When they came, I would sit up in my tower and wait for them. Finally, when they would get close, I’d race as fast as I could to the bottom and greet them. Sometimes they were hansom men, or just beautiful women. Or sometimes they were whole clans of vampires. They would normally stay for a while before leaving. The castle was sort of like a vampire tourist attraction.
Would this one be the one I could escape with? I had tried with the last few visitors, but they either found me before I even got close to their cars or would just give me an outright no when I asked if I could go with them. I had always been very careful to ask at a time where they wouldn’t be able to go back and talk to my father about what I had just asked them.
I ran over to the window by the front door when I heard the sound of a car going through the large gates.
“Hmmm, he must be early.” My father murmured. I didn’t mind. Early was better than late!
I waited impatiently for my father to help the man inside. He had probably been changed in his early twenties. He had light brown hair and the typical vampire eyes. I estimated he was about 6′4”, he was several inches taller than my father.
“Good evening.” I said politely when he came inside.
He smiled and nodded at me before continuing on toward the living room.. “Such a cute little thing.” He said to my father.
I frowned and crossed my arms. I was cursed with being adorable. I had the baby face, and I looked like I was probably thirteen instead of sixteen. It drove me nuts. But, he noticed me. It was better than nothing.

© FairysHeart 2009

Starting from today, to spice up my blog, I will try to put up pictures of beautiful ladies for my readers.

The honours of the first babe of the day goes to ….. Adeline Mocke!!!
Saw her in a local FHM magazine, she was absolutely captivating….

Can I just remember every moment, please?

-  Going in last night to check on a crying Adeline, I patted her little rear while she fell back to sleep. A few minutes into a good sleep, she started to whisper “Mama, Mama, Dee Dah (Jesus), Dada, Dada”.

- Adeline learning to sign ‘please’ and ‘thank-you’ when she wants/receives something.  When she really desires something, she signs ‘please’ frantically!

- Adeline learned a new word this week – dip.  When she says it (and she says it very clearly), it means that she must dip whatever food that is on her tray into a condiment, preferably ketchup.  It’s kind of adorable, and kind of frustrating!

- Working with Matthew on a project.  We work awfully well together.

(That’s homemade play-dough, by the way)

(New Hair)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ADELINE !

BALADE FOR ADELINE-(na$ul )RICHARD CLAYDERMAN

MARIN MIHAI-HAI, ROMANIA!-BLOGUL ROMANILOR DE PRETUTINDENI (http://mihaimarin.wordpress.com)

En pleine période de pandémie grippale inhérente au virus du H1N1, nous avons trouvé un autre virus, plus local cette fois.

Ce virus, il s’agit de la “Taxation Aigüe” et ayant touché Adeline Hazan et son équipe municipale.

Concrètement, quels en sont les symptômes constatés:

- cela a commencé par l’apparition d’une première Taxe d’Enlèvement sur les Ordures Ménagères (TEOM) au taux maximal de 9,95%, créant ainsi une augmentation de 27% des charges foncières des rémois(es).

- puis il y eut l’apparition d’une Taxe de Séjour à l’attention des touristes qui se verront taxer lors de leur passage dans la Cité des Sacres par les professionnels de l’hôtellerie et de l’hébergement touristique (camping etc…).

C’est grave docteur? Plutôt oui!

Car pour la première, ce sont les rémois(es) qui en ressentent les effets secondaires, ce sont eux qui mettent la main au portefeuille!

Et pour la seconde, ce sont nos commerces et notre économie qui en ressentiront les effets secondaires! Le fruit de cette Taxe de Séjour sera autant d’argent que nos commerces vont perdre!

Cette photo, prise la semaine dernière sur le boulevard Lundy, illustre le triste spectacle que l’on pouvait voir sur cet axe de circulation: des déchets éparpillés jonchant la voie publique.

L’oeuvre de qui me direz-vous? Peu importe au fond, mais cela montre une réelle négligence de la municipalité.

En effet, les habitants déposent dans l’indifférence leurs sacs poubelle, parfois mal fermés, sur les trottoirs et devant leur résidence. Régulièrement, on se retrouve donc dans l’obligation de pratiquer un parcours du combattant, slalomant entre les détritus et les sacs poubelle qui garnissent nos trottoirs.

Pas étonnant dès lors que des animaux errant, ou des personnes mal intentionnées se livrent au genre de spectacle qui illustre cette photo!

Que cherche-t-on? Faire fuir les touristes?

Notre ville n’est déjà pas agréable à visiter, sans parler de la circulation rendue très difficile (ces deux faits étant conjointement liés aux travaux du futur tramway), n’y ajoutons pas la saleté!

Alors plutôt que d’augmenter scandaleusement les charges foncières de 27% des rémois(es) avec la mise en place d’une Taxe d’Enlèvement sur les Ordures Ménagères (TEOM), Madame la Maire et son équipe devraient songer à fournir des bacs poubelle à tous les rémois(es).

La qualité de vie de notre ville en dépend.

Le mois d’octobre a été très riche en rebondissements faisant état d’une équipe municipale qui dépense sans compter l’argent des rémois(es) qui se serrent encore et toujours la ceinture. Madame Hazan et ses adjoints se livrent à des dépenses exorbitantes de l’argent public à l’image de ces exemples:

Début octobre, lors du Conseil Municipal, la municipalité a voté (sans l’opposition) en faveur d’une subvention à hauteur de 160 000€ pour l’association Destination Reims, avançant la justification de vouloir améliorer l’accueil touristique et des nouveaux arrivants via internet et la création d’un site.

Cette subvention ne devrait absolument pas avoir lieu dans la mesure où ce projet fait doublon avec ce que fait l’Office de Tourisme, qui, rappelons-le, s’est vu retirer 120 000€ de subventions.

A cette subvention s’ajoute la création d’un poste en charge de ce projet dont la mission et le profil restent flous. On évoquait le fait que ce soit l’épouse du Directeur de Cabinet de Madame Hazan qui serait l’heureuse élue pour ce poste, dont on ne connait ni le montant du salaire, ni les avantages en nature qui seront perçus…

On a eu ensuite à faire au raté fulgurant de l’auto-partage qui est devenu un vrai fiasco financier.

L’auto-partage, cette idée inspirée du dispositif “Vélib’” que l’on trouve dans la capitale parisienne, était adaptée aux véhicules dans la Cité des Sacres.

Sans aucun appel à la concurrence, Adeline Hazan et son équipe ont décidé de faire porter le projet par Champagne Parc Auto (CPA), structure qui gère les parkings publics de la ville de Reims dont le président n’est autre que Stéphane Joly, également adjoint à Madame la Maire. Cette manœuvre comportant un risque juridique lié au fait que l’entreprise CPA n’ait pas été soumise à la concurrence d’autres entreprises, a du contraindre la municipalité d’abandonner le projet au bout de 6 mois.

Résultat: un dédit de plus de 100 000€ ! Les véhicules loués et n’ayant pas roulé ont dus être rendus au concessionnaire pour un coût de près de 28 000€, s’ajoutant la facture à régler au cabinet  de recrutement et les assurances avoisinant les 56 000€ !

En soi, ce projet était véritablement une bonne idée, qui aurait pu permettre de baisser le taux de pollution dans notre cité par exemple, mais il aurait fallu une municipalité vigilante et sérieuse, qui sache emmener un projet en ayant à l’esprit l’intérêt général.

Il est un mot qui me vient à l’esprit après cette mascarade scandaleuse à laquelle s’est livrée la municipalité de Reims durant le mois qui vient de s’écouler : gaspillage.