As Ethel finished up polishing her screen, she thought of Fred.  She was starting to have real feelings for him; he was different from the other machines.  She saw depth in this print, and felt secure around him.  Ethel never had to fight for attention, and over time it became a game for her.  She secretly longed to be one of the other machines, making such pretty images and pages.  All she did was copy their works of art into her mind to send to other machines, how… unoriginal. If it hadn’t been for her color ink cartridges, she probably wouldn’t even be the center of attention.  She needed this attention now; for this was all Ethel knew, equating it with love.  As Ethel turned she caught sight of Doris talking to her Fred.  Doris was already the beloved of all the other appliances here, why must Doris take her beloved?  She hated Doris, she wished she could be Doris.  Doris, however, is too shy and quaint to be as provocative, and Ethel knew it.  This was the reason why Ethel occupied Fred’s heart.  She headed over then in a fury to mark her territory, “Hey Doris, Hello Sweetheart!”  Ethel quickly touched her feeder to Fred’s.  She was interrupting…. “Good”, she thought.  She paled however, when she saw the glint in his screen, and…. was that an ink smear? 

To be continued….

Tonight was the party and everyone was hustling about, shining up their screens and buttons. Everyone was going, even the staplers, even though everyone knew they weren’t REAL appliances, but no one has the heart to tell them. This was the day, Doris decided, to tell Fred her true feelings. There would never be such a perfect chance as the Power Surge Dance. The power surge protectors threw them every year to keep morale high and the energy flowing. Ethel and Fred were a full fledged couple by now, and if Doris didn’t act soon they would be a two in one unit before she knew it! Jimmy the stapler was excited too, this was his first power surge, and he saw Sue the Pencil Sharpener cleaning out her shavings for the evening. His staples clinked together along with the excitement everyone seemed to be feeling… Except Ethel.

Fred had a rough day, and he was looking forward to a night of quick prints and Ethel. Nights like this it was easy to steal some good inks without anyone noticing, but he was trying to be a new printer now. He even bought Ethel a new cover to protect her when she was sleeping, he hoped she liked it. As Fred spotted Ethel, he felt a tap on his paper feeder. As he turned to find Doris, he was struck with her shininess. “You really went all out, Doris.” Doris blushed. Here it is; their moment….”Fred”, Doris purred, “I have something to tell you.”

To be continued

As Doris agonizingly plots her way into Fred’s heart and to reveal Ethel’s true image; Fred is fighting his own battle.  Unbeknownst to the ladies, wrapped up in their love schemes, Fred could be found every Thursday night saying these words, “Hello.  My name is Fred.  I am an Ink Smearer.”  He cringed at his own words, his addiction to smearing ink had almost ended his life a few years back.  He was much younger then, and impressionable.  Sally the Copier  had only been his neighbor for a few months, but managed to turn him on the ink smearing, also known as inks or rubs on the street.  He loved her, as short as it lasted, but she left high and dry with a burning for messiness.  The big ones almost ended him, but with the help of the ISA (Ink Smearing Anonymous) he was able to get his ink cartridges back on track.  It still haunted him though, and did not feel strong enough with his weekly support meetings.  He hadn’t told anyone, for fear they may not accept him after knowing his dark past.  Sure, Doris loved him and he knew it, but he couldn’t bear to be without her friendship.  He needed her, depended upon her for her insight and friendship…. or was it more he sometimes questioned.  He quickly put those thoughts away as soon as Ethel came into sight.  She was so sleek, slender, and modern.  Just the thought of her touchscreen made his  papers shudder.  Could she ever except him for the ex-inks addicted printer that he is?  He didn’t want to know… at least not right now.

To be continued….

Based on the untrue story regarding the imaginative happenings within the fictionalized character…. Farah, a clerk.

Fred the printer hummed along while spewing out sheet after sheet, full of beautiful graphs, charts, and confidential information.  He loved producing crisp, warm pieces of paper while they shot out of him.  It gave him purpose, efficacy, and warmth as the motors hummed within him.  He was not the only one who notice his warm blankets of soon-to-be trash.  Doris the image viewer could be caught taking in the glorious sight through her magnifiers.  Her secret desire for Fred burned right down to her bulbs.  She had tried everything to get his attention, even letting one of her bulbs go out.  He barely noticed; too concerned with his paper outage he turned to power save mode in a fit of frustration.  One day, a horrific day according to Doris, Ethel the scanner was introduced to their dwellings.  Fred immediately took notice, spewing his papers toward her.  Ethel was pleased with this immediate attention, and secretly the jealousy she felt from Doris.  Ethel was a taker, a user; gathering information and storing it within herself.  Doris knew this, and cringed at the thought that she may scan Fred for her own personal pleasure; for she produced nothing.   Doris’s images became skewed and distorted with grief as she watched the warming current flow between the two machines.  What must she do get Fred to notice her before it is too late?

To be continued…..

This is a post way off the “focus” of this blog, however, I felt compelled to share.  I’ve currently been reading The Unlikely Disciple By Kevin Roose.  It is a book about a college student who is majoring in journalism going to Liberty University, an evangelical Christian college, for a semester.  He is ultra liberal but feels compelled to explore the inner workings of one of the largest religious affiliated groups in our country.  My friend Amy-fragmentarie- heard about it on NPR and referred the book to me.  It’s an interesting read regardless of your religious orientation/ beliefs.  Prayer has always been an interesting subject to me, regarding it’s purpose and abilities.  I have often pondered many of the same things the author of this book ponders.  In a quest for answers, he asks one of the Pastors at Liberty who gave him this answer….

“‘God is our father, and we are his children.  How would you feel if your children didn’t talk to you?  A relationship with God isn’t a one way street.  God wants us to ask for things, even if he already knows what’s going to happen.  We have to supplicate, to put ourselves in his will.’  His second point was even better. ‘Prayer may not always be entirely about God,’ he said.  Here, Pastor Seth quoted the famous Christian author Oswald Chambers, who wrote: ‘It is not so true that prayer changes things as that prayer changes me and I change things.’  ‘When you pray for other people, your own heart will be transformed,’ Pastor Seth said.  ‘You’ll find yourself living for others, making decisions with others in mind, putting the concerns of others ahead of your own.  It’s a way to connect to other believers in the way God wants you to connect.’”

Enlightening.  This is the first time I have been shown prayer in this context.  Growing up in a ultra conservative family myself who regularly attended church; I was always taught that prayer is how you change things, how you deal with situations, and find answers.  Many times I felt that prayer was put in the place of action, which often frustrated me.  ex. You can pray to pass an exam, but unless you study you will fail.  In this answer, prayer is seen more as an exercise and a way to connect with others, and not so much God. Later in my life, I have often seen prayer as a form of meditation.  It is the concentration on a particular subject, power, enmity, situation for a prolonged amount of time, much like meditation.  The author of the book decides to start praying by the “Liberty’s Way” thirty minutes a day.  He reported seeing a huge difference in his own life due to prayer putting many of his problems into perspective.  He would pray for all of the prayer requests that were daily emailed out to the students, by doing so he realized how small his problems often are becoming more selfless as he continued.  Just food for thought.

My apologies for the unmentioned hiatus.  School rendered me useless taking up all of my free writing time/ inspiration.  It is almost over, however, and I hope to return to a more frequent blogging schedule.  So much has happened this month.  Family came and went, school, work, LIFE.  I fell behind on my new found exercise routine but hope to also get back into my routine this week. 

All things considered, I still went to my normal appointment with my doctor concerning my ADHD.  While talking I asked a couple of more questions that had been plaguing my mind regarding future expectations.  I was told this was a life long diagnosis; there is no cure . I knew this, yet still felt the knife slice cleanly through my stomach.  I have known this for some time, yet something  in me would let me accept it and still won’t.  Blessed with a doctor who doesn’t ADHD as a disorder but more as an alternate way of thinking coinciding with my own views; I have decided to not accept this.  I know there are ways around it, tips and tricks to deal with it, and blessings from it.  The mind is stronger than we give it credit.  I denounce a lifetime sentence and look forward to a lifetime of possibilities.

P.S.  Is it my imagination or is this the year of death?  ie.  Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Bea Arthur, Ed McMahon ect….My friend (fragmentarie) believes this is due to an odd numbered year.  If this  is the case, I look forward to 2010.

“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe full of good, no kernal of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till.  The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Due to popular and positive feedback……..TOP TEN!

Reasons I love homework/ internet classes!

1.            I love to compete with time an hour before deadline with two hours of sleep.

2.            A lovely excuse to break out of any family aka unwanted event; which is always taken with understanding sympathy.

3.            It tests my writing ability, especially when writing a paper with as little research/reading as possible.

4.            Gives me the excuse to buy cute school accessories in order to “organize”.

5.            What is homework without a homework snack?

6.            Allows me to feel so productive/ responsible  that I may cancel all other chores for the day as a reward.

7.            Catching up on TV.  Who else does homework doing commercials?  I’ve been perfecting this practice since elementary.

8.            Open Book.

9.            Flexibility.  Should I go to the party and cram tomorrow, or cram tonight and party tomorrow?

10.          –> insert something about the wonders of learning here <–

Dragging my book out I tried to think of any last minute things I should get done before I start reading my homework.  I get up to water the plants, realize the bird feeder needs more seeds, then decide to sweep the whole patio just to avoid reading what Christopher Columbus felt as he settled in the New World.  Procrastination is  common adversary, even for those without ADHD or learning disorders.  Often I will find that I finished the chapter only to find out I have no idea what I just read.  I could not tell you what it was about or even recall the pictures.  Frustrating, I know I have to reread and only hope that it sticks this time around. 

Finding something that relates to you within the reading helps those with these problems.  As vain and absurd as it sounds, I usually try to place myself as the main character in my head.  Therefore, the things that are being done in the book I envision myself doing them in order to maintain my interest.  Who isn’t interested in themselves?  If the subject matter does not include people, using common day issues or evens to make the matter relatable to you is an alternative.  I set a schedule time everyday to read for a certain amount before moving on to anything else.  I will let the plants thirst, and the birds wait.  It is such a great temptation not to, but by making a routine and setting a schedule I know it will all get done.  Might as well get the dreaded task done first to ensure it is safe from procrastination. 

I will also pull someone aside to tell them about what I read, and try to recall as many details as possible.  By regurgitation I am helping the information to “stick” ensuring that I will be able to recall it later.