Christmas Eve Eve

SO.

It's the day before the day before Christmas. I know. Crazy, right? How did this happen? But I'm so stoked for Christmas there oughta be a law against it (I don't really get that phrase). I mean, who doesn't love Christmas, right? Every time I drive by a house and see a Christmas tree in their window, my faith in humanity grows. (When I go on google images, that faith lessens. But that's another story.)

Anyway. Whether you celebrate Christmas, like me, because it's Jesus Christ the Savior's birthday; or whether you celebrate just for the fun and joy of a holiday, Christmas is a wonderful, joyous occasion, and I hope each and every one of you; every person in the world, has a fantastic and endlessly happy Christmas. JESUS LOVES YOU! :)

December Playlist (once again courtesy of Bella)

1. Alice's Theme by Danny Elfman
2. Paradise by Coldplay
3. I Turn My Camera On by Spoon
4. Snow by Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. Karma Police by Radiohead
6. Jigsaw Falling Into Place by Radiohead
7. If I Ever Feel Better by Phoenix
8. Lost Coastlines by Okkervil River
9. He Doesn't Know Why by Fleet Foxes

Merry Christmas, my darlings! And a Happy New Year!,

Sienna The Red-Nosed Writer

(professional wrestler in all 60 states)

© 2011

Nibble part 32

"Remi. Geez, you are so secretive. You can't hide anything from me. You know you can't. Tell me."

"Nothing happened!"

"Did you kiss? Did he kiss you? I bet he did. He kissed you, didn't he? Look at those rosy cheeks. He definitely kissed her." Gabby grinned, "What happened, Remi?" She darkened her voice and whispered, "I thought we were past all the secrets." I laughed, "We went out to dinner, that's all." Lindsay narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, and then crossed her arms over chest. She wasn't satisfied. "And we went bowling," I added, blushing for a reason I couldn't explain. "Bowling!" Lindsay yelled, attracting several pairs of eyes in the hall, "Aha! That is a step. That is a step forward in your relationship. They went bowling," she said to Gabby, as if she hadn't heard me say this just a moment before. Gabby rose an eyebrow at her, "Thanks for the memo." Lindsay nodded and turned back to me. "So you went bowling," she said, "That's big. That's, like, huge."

"It's, like, bowling," I informed her, my eyebrows far up on my forehead. Lindsay rolled her eyes, "Do you know nothing about anything?"

"Apparently," I agreed, shooting a look to Gabby, who snickered. Lindsay huffed, "Bowling is a slow sport, right? Sometimes tedious; boring?" I made a face in response, and Lindsay continued, "Therefore, obviously, if a guy takes you bowling, he trusts his ability to converse with you easily." She cocks and eyebrow, her expression reading, Do you get it now?, and then she continues, "He's comfortable with you. He trusts you. You see?" My expression must have been confused at this point, and she turned back to her locker and said, "Big step."

"What's a big step?" He always did that, appeared as if out of nowhere, right at the moment when, if he's come a second earlier, it would have been very uncomfortable for me. "Hello, Angel, darling," Lindsay said. Nick bowed, "Morning, fair Lindsay."

"I heard that you took our Remi here bowling last night." Nick grinned at me in way of response, and Lindsay, satisfied, continued, "Well, how was she?"

"Oh, terrible," Nick said, smirking, "I told passerby's that I didn't know her." I stepped forward and smacked his upper arm. "Like you can talk! I've never seen somebody get so many gutter balls in my life."

"Well, what kind of a guy would I be if I let my girlfriend lose every round?" Lindsay's eyes sparkled and I felt my eyes widen and my cheeks burn at the word "girlfriend". "He's got a point there, I must say," Lindsay admitted. The bell rang, and Lindsay hooked her arm through mine, pulling me away from Nick and giving him a wave of her fingers and a, "Tootle loo, Angel, darling!"

I looked over my shoulder at him as Lindsay pulled me away, and he grinned that half-grin at me, making my heart pound like McCartney's bass when it drowned out the rest of the Beatles.

© 2011

Sienna's Book Reviews #5: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

***** The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater is undoubtedly in my top three favorite authors, and this book reminded me why. She truly blew me away. Every second I wasn't reading about the cool Thisby air; the lapping waves and rocky cliffs, the clomping of hoofbeats silenced by sand...every second I wasn't on Thisby, I wanted to be.

It should be known by anyone reading this that I am a hopelessly hopeless romantic. The fact that the main characters of this book did not meet until (Spoiler alert? Sort of?) page 103; you would then assume, would infuriate me. But, actually, it didn't. The subtlety of the romance between Sean Kendrick and Puck Connolly was quietly elegant and violently delicate. It made every meeting of their eyes set your heart on fire, and if their hands should brush, you felt your chest might implode. Their relationship went beyond not only sexual longing but also desperate obsession. Sometimes, two people in love are constantly filled with thoughts centered only on each other, never on themselves, and this is not necessarily a bad thing– this is sort of how the relationship Sam and Grace, the magnificent stars of Maggie Stiefvater's The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, played out. But sometimes, as with Sean and Puck of The Scorpio Races, this sort of fixation; or at least the voicing of this fixation, is not necessary for the reader to understand the depth of these people's love for each other. Sean and Puck's romance was made up of echoes off of beach cave walls and shadows cast by enormous capaill uisce, and it was achingly beautiful.

This being said, there was so much in this book besides the love story that I adored that I canhonestly say I would have read and loved this book– even if it had no romance at all. For me, for a young adult book, that is saying something.

The fear cast upon you by the violent and massive water horses, yet the yearning you feel to ride upon one of them as Sean describes the feeling of flying. The smell of sea air in your nose as you walk along the beach with its blood-tinted waves, the feel of the sharp rocks on your hands. The sound of the people celebrating during the Scorpio festival, the sight of people dancing and the delicious smell, and later, taste, of honey-dripping November Cakes making your hands sticky. The aching you feel when you think of Gabe leaving, of Corr being taken away forever. The affection you feel toward Finn and the sadness in your heart when Fundamental drowns. The sound of Dory Maud's bells as she shakes them in your face, the fondness you feel toward George Holly and his silly sweaters. I could go on and on and on and on.

This book is incredible. This book is brilliant beyond words. Despite the fact that it might put my life on the line, I wish my life was this book.

It's wonderful.

Read it.

My age recommendation for readers: 14+

© 2011

An Amnesiac & a Phantom

The tears fell down her cheek like sliding diamonds, and the wind blew goosebumps onto her forearms. It was startlingly quiet; so quiet the echoes of the silence made music in your ears.

He sat in a crowd of people, glancing up anxiously ever so often, every muscle in his body longing to stand up and walk away. A girl raised her eyebrow at him, but he made no eye contact with her, moving closer to the fire and staring at the ground.

She was barefoot, and the sharp rocks cut her feet as she walked, leaving a trail of bloodspots behind her. The air was freezing, and her teeth chattered as she wrapped her arms around herself.

He pushed up from the ground and turned from them, walking towards the magnetic force which pulled him from this spot. Away from the fire, it was devastatingly cold, and a shiver ran up his spine as he zipped his jacket and folded his arms against his chest.

She tripped over a thick tree root and fell to ground, the rocks cutting her knees. Blood got on her dress, and she pressed it against the scratches before standing up and walking again.

He walked without thinking, as if someone was calling his name and he was moving toward them. His shoes crunched on the small rocks and he heard the sound of the creek rushing in the distance.

She pressed ever forward, breathing deeply through her nose; her tears making the breaths shaky. Her feet stung from the cuts and she could feel sand implanting itself into them.

It was beginning to get dark, and he felt that he should probably turn back, but somehow, he couldn't. Something kept him moving forward, though he had no idea where he was going.

She heard footsteps in the distance, finally, making their way towards her, and she clasped a hand over her mouth and cried out quietly, joyfully, her tears flowing more freely; now tears of exultation.

He heard something like a voice up ahead of him, a quiet, gleeful noise, and his heart began to inexplicably pound in his chest.

She removed her hand from her mouth and broke into a run.

He heard footsteps in front of him, and something made him run.

She saw his shadow before his body.

She was beautiful and bloody, a white dress lapping at her knees.

She fell to her knees in front of him and reached for his hands.

He collapsed to his knees and felt his fingers intertwine with hers.

She leaned into his chest and let out a sigh of relief. "I missed you," she sighed.

He put his hand on her hair and rested his cheek on her head, closing his eyes. He did not recognize this girl, but there was something familiar in her touch.

"I missed you, too," he whispered, with confusion and relief in his voice.

© 2011

The Shoreline

It's different on the shoreline

Not sure if I can explain

It's different on the shoreline

The concept's simple, it is plain

It's different on the shoreline

Though I can't quite tell you how

It's different on the shoreline

Different then than it is now

© 2011

In Restless Dreams I Walked Alone

"In restless dreams I walked alone/Narrow streets of cobblestone" – Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

It was cold and dark, and I was inexplicably tired.

I moved forward as if on a conveyor belt, only because I felt my legs moving, not because there was anywhere I wanted to go.

My footsteps echoed on walls that weren't there, and the wind whispered words into my ears, but they were in foreign languages, and my frustrated attempts to decipher their meanings were worthless.

I heard water in the distance, but I walked through a barren-looking city; with nature nowhere to be seen, and it didn't make any sense.

But I didn't notice the strangeness then. I just kept walking.

A banker pulled up in a long black automobile and his door flew off, hitting the ground with a thud and spinning along the cobblestone, coming to a stop at the sidewalk opposite the vehicle. The banker stepped out and pressed a button on his keys, and the door jumped up and flew back to the car, reattaching itself.

I cleared my throat, and the banker sent me a weary glance but said nothing, then setting off on foot toward the bank a few buildings down.

I brushed my hair behind my ear and looked at the ground, and when I looked up again, I was in a small town bursting with color, hooves clattering on the cobblestones and children shouting gleefully as they ran through the streets. People wheeled carts full of souvenirs and pastries along the roads, chatting loudly with each other or yelling out in announcer-esque voices what they were selling.

I was still walking, and I turned my head as I walked so as to see everything.

It was really quite a spectacle.

But I still felt exhausted, and the whole town only made me feel more so.

I looked down again, and when I looked up, I was lying in a bed.

It was warm and the covers dark brown, wrapped around me delicately. The pillow was soft and the matress comfortable.

But as I stared at the ceiling above me, sleep evaded my tired eyes.

I heard footsteps on cobblestone outside a window I hadn't known I had, and I turned to look.

I was so tired.

But I couldn't fall asleep.

© 2011