ROAD TRIP

(A HOLIDAY TALE)

She felt like they had been driving for hours. Had it not been but for the hum of the engine, underneath the heat of the rusted hood, Sarah could have believed the world had ended while she was asleep. 

The old Buick was nothing if not faithful. Even though the paint had begun to peel.  Spots of rust decorated the automobile from hood to fender, like liver spots on wrinkled skin. Sarah knew the vehicle was just as predictable as the winding roads on which she drove.

On this November Afternoon, splashing dead leaves in a dark cloud of Exhaust, Sarah wasn’t worried about fixing turkeys or catching early-bird Christmas specials. Sarah was only interested in driving.

Sarah looked over at Dwayne. The blue of his eyes were hidden underneath the blinds of his closed eyelids. For the first time this morning, he’d been completely quiet. But today, the antichrist slept peacefully.

She looked into the rearview mirror. Her left eye still surrounded in the plum color of a fresh bruise.

He hit her hard.

She didn’t even see it coming.

She accidently knocked over a cup of coffee, splashing it in his lap while he read the morning paper. The scream had been as sharp as a knife in the stomach, and it bounced off the walls like the springs of a mattress underneath the weight of a working hooker.

The antichrist hit her hard. The punch was a home-run into her face.

She saw stars as bright as light through punched-tin before she felt the spray of blood drip and flow from her nostrils.

The second punch busted her lip and sent a splash of spit and fresh blood sailing through the morning air like the fall of an evening sunset.

The third punch turned her eye to the bright color of the ripening fruit.

Her laughter echoed in the cab as the tire jutted across a series of small potholes.

“You just never knew when to stop did you, Dwanye? Never knew what was good for you! You never saw what was in front of your face until it bloodied your nose, did you! Fuckin’ Creep!”

The world was as silent as a church on Friday night when Sarah parked the car.

The hole was big and deep. When she looked into the ground, she could see the earthworms and beetles crawl beneath the sheets of fallen earth.

The branches of the willow tree whispered soft secrets in the brush of the autumn winds.

Sarah hadn’t noticed how deep she had cut Dwayne until now. The wound bled openly under her touch, sending small rivers of blood underneath the weight of her fingertips.

When Sarah had finished burying her son, she prayed for God’s mercy.

She prayed for God’s forgiveness.

Mostly, she just bowed her head in Thanks.

The Thanksgiving air promised an early winter with a cooling kiss.

Sarah hummed an old hymnal while the Buick’s engine came to life under the screams of tightened belts.

She had to hurry.

She couldn’t remember if she had turned the oven off after basting the turkey she had prepared for dinner.

She accelerated down the winding county road.

 (c)2009 by John Braxton Sparks

Devoted Reader!

Hello and I want to thank you again for stopping by on your visit to the information super-highway!  I want to thank each of you for your support!  This post is going to be a lot of fun! First of all, I want each of you to know that Ledge is coming along very nicely. However, in honor of the holiday weekend, I have prepared a special story that I will post right here for your enjoyment! I hoped to have it posted by Thanksgiving, but better late than never, right Devoted Reader!

The story is called Road Trip (A Holiday Tale) and if you enjoy it, I encourage you to check out similar pieces of this type of writing at my Redbubble Homepage.  Simply click the link on the “Redbubble Writings” page and enjoy these little twisted tales.

Again, Devoted Reader,

I apologize for the late posting, but it is my hope that you enjoy this Thanksgiving Tale over the best leftovers and I wish you all a fulfilling feast!

Enjoy and Best of Everything-

John Braxton Sparks

Thanksgiving was fun. Great food. Great friends.

During the Euchre tournament (cards), I got the opportunity to watch my wife play with the other card sharks, but more importantly I got in a few hours of doodle time.

Home Alone 2 was on, and the part where the kid is roaming around New York tripped me out when I saw the Twin Towers. Very chilling to think about that the whole landscape there is changed. I know that the directors and writers wanted to choose landmarks that would help the film be enjoyed for years, but that part yanks us back to reality that nothing stays the same. Even in our safe country.  Change is a constant, never settle for the way things are, or the way things were. Just be ready for it.

Random doodles abound, ink on Zona’s high-quality Thanksgiving napkins. I also wanted to memorialize Pat’s incredible reflexes when he caught a flying bear puppet like some kind of ninja.  This event is toward the bottom left.

More to come.

So you can’t wait for Black Friday to jump-start your holiday shopping?  Well, Old Navy will be open on Thanksgiving day from 12 -7 p.m.  

It’s called Gobblepalooza, where shoppers will enjoy great deals (50% off all outerwear, $15 sweaters for the entire family and buy 2 t-shirts get one free) and fun in-store festivities (Rock Band anyone?).  Also,  The first customers in line will receive a free Rock Band guitar! Plus everyone can enter to win a $200 shopping spree.

And starting Black Friday, Old Navy will open at 3 a.m. until midnight.  For more details on participating stores and hours, click here.

With inventory levels expected to be low this year, according to industry research firm IBISWorld, savvy shoppers will need a leg-up on the season to ensure they get all the gifts on their list.  Otherwise, the last-minute shopper could be left in the dust.

Holiday Hours

Black Friday 9:00am – 9:00pm

Monday – Saturday 10:00pm – 7:00pm

Sunday 12:00pm – 5:00pm

The library will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday on November 26th to November the 28th. We will be opening for regular library hours on November 30th. We hope that you enjoy your Thanksgiving  Holiday!

Thank you,

Librarian Laura Hubler

Please note our hours next week in observation of Thanksgiving:

Closed Wednesday, Nov 25th at 5:00pm.

Closed all day Thursday and Friday

Regular hours resume Saturday, Nov. 28.

Remember: you still have access to the computer lab in Room 1C65  during the Thanksgiving Break! Stop by the Security Desk to get the code for the computer lab door.

Regular Library Hours:

The Bad Gastein, in its transformation into a new ski resort, has luxury hotels that provide lavish and comfortable accommodations. These hotels are complemented by mountain restaurants that served traditional Austrian cuisine. With this setting, how is it then that few skiers are aware of Bad Gastein’s existence?

The reason is simple. The Austrians do not advertise. At the same time, the icy slopes of Bad Gastein are not for every Julia Mancuso hopeful. Beginners will not want to practice on the challenging pistes of this new ski resort.

However, the intermediate and expert skiers will find the new ski resort of Bad Gastein a skiing paradise. There are 102 individual long and tough pistes. There are more than 155 miles of ski runs and most of them are classified as reds. And there are pistes found above the tree line for a genuinely exhilarating ski experience.

If the winter skiing vacation is longer than a weekend, the skiers can obtain a Lift Pass that can provide access to nearby ski resorts, such as the Bad Hofgastein, the Graukogel, the Dorfgastein, and the Sportgastein. This lift pass is called the New Ski Alliance Amadé tickets. But there is a great chance that skiers will find the new ski resort in Bad Gastein enough for an exciting winter holiday. It is a low-altitude location but snow is assured because the new ski resort uses 120 snow cannons to supplement the natural snow. Aside from skiing, the place is also great for snowboarding.

After skiing for several wonderful hours, there is a unique feature in the new ski resort of Bad Gastein that skiers will appreciate. It is the existence of a network of off-slope facilities. These facilities continued the spa resort tradition of providing comfort, tranquility, and relaxation. Skiers can unwind and chill out in these off-piste facilities. They can be reinvigorated to take on more of the new ski resort’s challenging ski runs.

There is, however, one logistical setback that skiers must go around when planning a winter holiday in the new ski resort of Bad Gastein – the transportation. The area has a bus service but it is not efficient enough to handle the needs of the skiers. Thus, skiers will be stuck with expensive taxi fares if they want to go to all five mountains in this valley. There are two possible solutions. First, the skiers may bring or rent their own car. If this is impossible, the skiers may choose a base where they are likely to ski most of the time. For example, if the skiers like to cruise, they may want to stay close to the Schlossalm sector.

Despite this little difficulty in the new ski resort of Bad Gastein, it is easy to reach the area because of several nearby airports, the Klagenfurt (1,5 hours away), the Salzburg (1,5 hours away), the Munich (2,5 hours away), and the Innsbruck Airport (3 hours away). And when skiers reach the new ski resort of Bad Gastein, they know that the traveling was worth it. The mountains with their snow-covered peaks not only promise but provide exhilarating skiing experiences. This new ski resort is not yet as popular as other European destinations but several trinket shops have started to appear. These shops, obviously, will cater to more and more tourists.

American 1 branches will be closed this Thursday, Nov. 26 to celebrate Thanksgiving. Our branches will reopen on Friday, Nov. 27 at our normal hours.

Check out our What’s New page for a full list of holiday hours.

The Daily 49er discussed the University Library opening hours during the final week at:

http://www.daily49er.com/news/library-to-stay-open-all-hours-of-finals-week-1.2090295

One of the concerns that I see is a potential “rave” at midnight–a ritual/celebration that happens at many state universities. I post here a video clip just to demonstrate this phenomenon:

at UNC Chapel Hill

The BSC Library will observe these hours during Thanksgiving week:

• Monday, November 23 — 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Tuesday, November 24 — 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 25 — 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m
• Thursday, November 26 — Closed
• Friday, November 27 — 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Saturday, November 28 — Closed
• Sunday, November 29 — 3 to 7 p.m.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Some days it feels as though time is just dragging by and I count every minute just waiting for the day to be over. Then there are those days that you just dont feel as though there are enough hours in the day to get everything done.  I am currently having one of those days, although I do admit a lot of it is due to me just putting stuff off and wasting my time doing other things such as posting on here!

Anyhow back to the topic, I had an extremely busy day at work, from the moment I wake up I am just go go go, always something to be done or thought about, I made it home and made dinner which was a slight disappointment ( more on that later), I had loads of stuff to catch up with online, I still have stuff to do and I want to watch I`m a celeb on tv tonight so I need to get it done before then!

The reason I`m in such a rush is I have decided to apply to Uni for next year to do Radiography, so I`m in a major hurry to try and get my application form submitted. This means I have a personal statement to write and if there is one thing I am useless at, it is writing essays, so I`m in a total pickle. I also have to pick my choices and I am utterly clueless about all the Unis in England offering it and the towns they are in, I dont want to apply somewhere and then find out I hate the place.  I have been pondering this decision for a while and Im not sure its really what I want to do, I really dont want to go to Uni but at the end of the course it would be a job with a certain amount of job security, so I figured I may as well pop in an application while I think about it.

I`m  being tempted more and more every day by my eating disorder. Although I did cut out my supplement drinks and stopped trying to gain weight, I still followed a very rigid plan with a good intake to ensure that I didnt lose and also that I didnt screw up my metabolism. My ed now though is saying to me daily but your not trying to gain anymore so why bother forcing yourself to eat something higher in calories, you dont need to do that anymore, its ok to eat things lower.

Grrr, I can just never win, I terrified to gain weight and Im terrified to lose and I`m annoyed I`m maintaining at times. I worry constantly about feeling hungry, I am scared to feel hungry. This sounds bizarre coming from someone who is recovering from anorexia but its like when I feel hungry I dont know how to cope with that, I cant tell if I truly am hungry or if its an emotional thing.  So to stop myself feeling hungry I tend to fill up on lots of healthy options and now I am scared that I have got my body used to expecting always being fed these amounts and frequent meals. How will I ever manage to cope on maybe the same amount of calories but in less volume?

I think I get scared to if I`m hungry, I`ll turn to binging on nuts and stuff. Sometimes if I drop my intake out of guilt I`ll eat some nuts and then that ends up being alot and I feel guilty and the whole cycle goes on again. I`m always so fearful of that and I think thats partly why I am so rigid with my eating, I`m so scared of that happening.

Ugh, I dont know if any of that made sense. I guess what I`m really after is just wanting to get back to a normal relationship with food, how I ever get there I dont know. How do you ever stop counting? Balancing? Pre-planning? It sounds almost impossible!

So now for my disappointing dinner, I finally decided to try my pumpkin. I was a little lost as to what I should do with it. I tried tinned pumpkin once and wasnt impressed but this was a proper one. So I decided to chop it up, blast it in the microwave and then roast it in the oven. I then stir fried some chicken in sesame oil with a mixture of veggies and adding the pumpkin in at the end and covered all in soy sauce.

Hmm, well it looks pretty and colourful! Sounds quite tasty and everything was, I loved the mix of the veggies since I dont normally eat that sort of mixture: cabbage, sprouts, red onion, carrot, leeks etc. The problem was my pumpkin just tasted so, well bland?

I had it sitting in my kitchen for ages so maybe that had something to do with it but overall it tasted really bland. So if anyone has any tips or advice on pumpkins please pass them on!

Well, we’ve experimented with our stores hours for the two months since we’ve been open.

We had been open only five days a week and had closed on Sundays the past month and a half. Part of the reason was that there are so few places open in our area on Sundays. The Library, both nearby pharmacies, the Chinese restaurant and the neighbouring barber shop among other are closed on that date.

We kept our official hours as ‘closed’ on Sundays but decided to do a test run just in case.

Lucky we did! For some people, Sunday is their only day off in the week or the only time they are free from other obligations. While we still are going to close at 4:30 (though last minute stragglers are always welcome!) we may experiment with evening hours in the future.

So for now, we are now open each and every Sunday, 1 to 4pm.

And the added Sunday bonus? Free parking!!!

The Library will be closed Thursday, November 26 through Sunday, November 29. We will re-open at 7:30 am on Monday, November 30 for the final push to finals. Gooble, gooble!!

I have some and couldn’t be more excited about it.
While this probably makes me sound like some addicted nutcase, I’ve actually had a wicked bad cough for the past week, and have been sleeping fewer and fewer hours each night, resulting in a bit of a daily haze for me. So, I am going to remedy this.
Plus, I’m going on an airplane on Tuesday and would rather not be forced into wearing a mask or having everyone terrified of me.

Well, we’ve reached double figures!

I am still feeling a bit “car sick” every day. It last all day and fades in the evening time. I think it might be slightly less than a week ago, so hopefully it’s starting to go away as all the books promise. My boobs are now very tender for the first time this pregnancy too.

Went out shopping for maternity jeans today – my belly is pretty big already and although I can still squeeze into my jeans I don’t really like to in case I’m putting pressure on my tum. I tried on three pairs in Next and then swapped the ones I wanted for a size smaller as they felt a bit loose. When I got them home, I realised I’d picked up a different style…. grrrrrrr…. these ones make me feel like Kris Kross cos they fall down when I walk!! So, back to square one on that front.

Aside from the pregnancy, we’ve had news on T’s job. He works as a courier driver for a fairly small local company. The run he currently does, a cheque clearance one for a big bank, is going as his company have lost the contract. He’s been lucky as they want to keep him on and he has been spared redundancy for the second time. But his new run involves working 3pm until midnight every day – which means we won’t be seeing much of each other during the week, and we’re having to totally rethink all our childcare arrangements. Currently, Tony goes to work at 5.30am (which admittedly wasn’t great either!), I get Lilly up and drop her off at nursery on my way to work. Tony finishes work at lunchtime and has a couple of hours to himself before picking her up at about 3pm. As of next week, he’ll be dropping her off at nursery late morning, I’ll be finishing work early everyday to pick her up from nursery around 5pm and doing the bedtime routine by myself.

Neither of us are looking forward to this, and I think it’s going to be pretty lonely in the evenings once Lilly’s gone to bed, but at least he still has a job. Which is something we can only be greatful for in the current climate. And we’re taking heart in the fact that it won’t be forever – all being well I’ll be on maternity leave in six months time, so even if he hasn’t found anything else by then, at least we’ll have all day together with our babies.

Now we’re looking forward to the 12 week scan – only a week and a half to go – although I feel so nervous about it, I think i’ll be a wreck! I just want to know everything’s all right.

Oh, and I had my first slightly sleepless night last night thinking about the birth. I’d been having a conversation with T’s mum yesterday about Lilly’s birth and how unhappy I was with the way the consultant handled things. When I woke up last night about 3am to go to the toilet, my mind started racing about what would happen this time and I couldn’t get back to sleep for about an hour. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come…

Devoted Reader,

Hello and thank you for taking the time to stop by on your tour of the world-wide web. I know you must be extremely busy! The check-out lines are long, the shopping lists get bigger, and many hours spent slaving over the hot burners of a steaming stove are well at hand. But before you carve that Turkey, I want to say HAPPY THANKSGIVING! To each of you!  I want to thank you so much in your continued support and I am so lucky to have each of you at my side through this process.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and give sincere thanks for all that you are grateful for! Well, Devoted Reader, this is an honest entry: I am grateful for each of you! I am truly thankful to have such loyal readers and the support you show me is truly wonderful and I can’t thank you enough for all that you so freely give me! I am truly thankful to each of you; I’d be useless without you! The ideas would stop, the monitor screen would become a haven for dust, and my inspiration would become a drought of dessert sands! You keep me going, and I am so grateful to have you at my side! I couldn’t do it without you. So this holiday season, let me just take a few moments to say “Thank You” I am very grateful and humbled by each of you! I couldn’t do what I do without you! Thank you for all you so freely give me! You’re the best and I wish you nothing but that as we start the holiday season!

Now, on to this week’s post:

I want to address some questions here, and as a creator of workshops for writers offer some kind advice and support!

First of all, if you are wondering, I do not have a literary agent! (Well, not officially), I am an independent writer and I have assigned a “Author Representative) through my publishing company, Xlibris.  Second of all, I have an editor and publisher for “Lamplight Publications”, but both these organizations are as independent as I am.

I am currently working on a resume in which to send out with a manuscript to more general publishers.  For an independent author, a resume is crucial. This is why most novelists start out on the road with self-publications. It gives you credit and is a great way to build your resume as a writer. This is important, Devoted Reader, and takes time to build. I have experience with two publishers, and this helps the resume and that is what my goal is at this time. This will change in the course of the next 24 months, but for right now, it’s what I’m doing continuing to work on those crucial credentials.  All novelists do this, and I am thankful to be on this road at such a very young age.

Second of all, for those of you who want to pursue the same thing as myself, I encourage each of you to do so. I’m sure that there are many a great stories out there that won’t get told unless you tell them, and I encourage each of you to do so.

There are two books I want to mention in this. Both books are reference books and are the building blocks for the publishing foundation for an independent writer.

The First is

The Guide to Literary Agents (revised yearly)

This book is a comprehensive list of literary agents and the genres they represent. It is crucial to note, Devoted Readers, that you should never pay an agent upfront. Most legitimate agents get paid when your manuscript is accepted by the publisher from your advances (usually 15-20%) and then they get a portion of those funds. You do not have to pay upfront for a literary agent. More is explained in this reference book, and you can find it wherever most books are sold and it is crucial for all those who are serious about following their dreams as a writer.

The Second reference book

The Writer’s Marker (revised yearly)

Is a comprehensive book made of listings and articles about literary agencies and publishers. It is a list of publishers and agencies that are taking submissions in the type of genres and what they look for in qualifying inquiries. This saves you time and a few rejection slips by sending out your inquires only to those who are accepting submissions in qualifying areas and genres in which you write.

When you are sending a submission (called a query) to a publisher and literary agent, there are a few thing s you must know. First, never send a completed manuscript.  In your query, send only an author summary (something like you would read on the dust jacket of a book) about the work. Make it short and to the point, but make sure it summarizes the book effectively.

Next, send a resume or author credentials with your query. This introduces you and your accomplishments to the prospective literary agent and publisher and lets them know a little bit about you.

Next, send a piece of the manuscript in your query. The standard rule is the first 30-35 pages of the manuscript or the first 3 chapters of the work.

Compile all that together, and you have a completed query. Send that out to literary agents and publishers. (The first rule of thumb is to pursue and obtain a literary agent before you pursue a publisher as they will act as a representative of you and your work to the publisher).

I promise you this: You will be rejected, but keep it going! Find motivation in that rejection to become better and it will make you better.) Even Stephen King was rejected over 200 times before he obtained success with Carrie.

Whatever you decide to do, Devoted Reader, I wish you nothing bust the best as you truly deserve it! Keep reading and writing (if you choose), because I know each of your stories are as beautiful as the creator who tells their tales!

Happy Thanksgiving, Devoted Reader !

Best Of Everything-

John Braxton Sparks