Well

I set this to callistra before, but I thought I'd throw it out there to you guys; I like challenges.

I will write a romance story. Not sure as to the length, really depends on how the characters grab me.

I need from you the following:

* 2 names for protagonists. If I get more that I like, I'll weave them in. I'd prefer 2 that mesh...you know? That just go together.
* A place (town/city/hamlet)
* Something that needs to be overcome - could be anything from not liking driving, to loss of best friend to something stupid like phobia of ferris wheels.
* A few phrases you'd like for me to weave in (I will put in 1 phrase per person, unless there is more than one that I like immensely from each person)
* At least one occupation for the people involved. Like I said to Calli, give me something reasonably innocuous, or I will make them accountants, and they will have boardroom table sex, and then go back to their GL account recons. ;)
* A piece of jewellery that means something significant to somebody - I can pick the relationship, or you guys can.
* Whether you'd like me to give it to you piece by piece, or if you'd like a CYOA typed thing.

I will take all ideas, compile a survey for the multiples (ok multiple surveys for the multiples :P) and work on this. I need a deadline, and I need to figure out how much time I will need....I don't imagine it'll be longer than standard M&B novel, but it could well just be a short story.

Setting a deadline for input for Wednesday evening at 10pm WDT *grin*

*waits*
Let me know, peoples. I need some challenges. I'm interested to see if this works...

Bold what you've experienced...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumping
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible - Old and New Testaments
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Started: 10.24 pm

Have you ever licked the back of a CD to try to get it to work?

No???

What's the largest age difference between yourself and someone you’ve dated?

1 year.

Ever been in a car wreck?

Nope, just bingles.

Were you popular in high school?

Not in the slightest.

Have you ever been on a blind date?

No.

Are looks important?

Depends which looks. Dark looks, no, "come to bed now" looks, yes. ;)

Do you have any friends that you've known for 10 years or more??

Absolutely.

By what age would you like to be married?

Yeah, how about I've already done it and don't want to think about it right now?

Does the number of people a person's slept with affect your view of them?

Not in the slightest.

Have you ever made a mistake?

Absolutely. Have I learnt from it/them? Absolutely.

Are you a good tipper?

Only if the service is fantastic.

Have you ever had a crush on a teacher?

No.

Have you ever peed in public?

Yes, unfortunately.

What song do you want played at your funeral?

Something pretty.

Would you tell your parents if you were gay?

I think my parents really don't give a crap either way, so yes.

What would your last meal be before getting executed?

Prawns, largest fillet steak with pepper and mushroom sauce, perfect mashed potatoes, asparagus, and creamy pasta carbonara.

Beatles or Stones?

Stones.

Beer, wine or hard liquor?

Depends on my mood. Mostly hard liquor.

Do you have any phobias?

Yes.

What are your plans for the future?

Waking up each day.

Do you walk around the house naked?

Absolutely.

Hair color you like on someone you're dating?

Really depends. Blonde or black.

Would you rather be blind or deaf?

Blind. Pity I'm already starting to go deaf in my left ear. :/

Do you have any special talents?

Several. Some are even SFW ;)

What do you do as soon as you walk in the house?

Put bag and keys down.

Do you like horror or comedy?

Yes

Are you missing anyone?

No.

If you weren't straight, what person of the same sex would you do?

Yeah. Am I straight? If I'm not, do I just put one of either sex? :P

Where do you want to live when you are old?

Somewhere on the beach.

Who is the person you can count on the most?

Changer & Callistra. Not just one.

If you could date any celebrity past or present, who would it be?

Sean Connery.

What did you dream last night?

Sex.

What is your favorite sport to watch?

Wrestling. Shhh. Don't tell anyone ;)

Are you named after anyone?

Uhhhh, yes. If you knew my name, you'd be able to tell. If you don't, then too bad ;)

Favorite Non alcoholic drink?

Coke. Coke. Coke.

Have you ever been in love?

Yes.

Do you sing in the shower?

I used to.

Have you ever been arrested?

No.

What is your favorite Holiday?

I don't know?

Would you ever get plastic surgery?

Yes.

Have you ever caught a fish?

Several

Where did you get this SURVEY?

Stole it from goth_kittie

Ended: 10.34 pm

of nature...yes you all know you were singing that silverchair song with me ;)

I have no hair...well, ok, I have tiny little stublets of hair that are fuzzy and feel like some sort of carpet, but honestly, yes, I'm bald.

I raised over $1,500 with more donations coming in, and it was great to be able to do something that meant something; I'm so grateful to everybody for their love, support and donations!!! Mostly their love and support though.

My mother really amazed me today; rather than hitting the roof at me shaving my hair, I told her why, and she offered to donate some money immediately. I could almost hug her. ;)

So yes, I will post pictures when I eventually get my arse into gear and organise the camera to have photos off it, and will post them.

Thanks again, everybody, love you all :)

It looks like I am shaving my head tomorrow morning for one of my colleagues who has cancer.

The aim is to raise $1,000 for said colleague, and off it comes.

I have $820 so far, and I haven't been going around asking.

So, it's bye-bye hair tomorrow, hello to bald and wigs.

I'm surprised by the hype, but if it works, then so be it.

See you all on the bald side... *grin*

I have now caught up on the backlog of everybody's life...I have missed so much!

I'm feeling really run down right now, and spent a good 2 hours last night/early this morning absolutely burning all over; couldn't get cool for a couple of hours. Have theoretically narrowed it down to excessive red bull consumption, and have had last red bull today for a while at least.

Hopefully, I can get to sleep tonight, and the big bad week from last week goes bye bye, and this next week is more bearable.

Hope you all have a wonderful week.

xxme

She looked at her hair in the mirror. A single grey peeked back at her from amongst the raven locks. This simply was not possible, she was NOT old! Well, when you look at it, she wasn't. Seriously, people lived to like what, 100 now on a more frequent basis? Sometimes beyond!

She sighed, and sat down on the overstuffed couch, which immediately gobbled her up, and made her feel like a child. She picked up her red wine, could never remember which damned grapes made which, but it was dry, and red, and it soothed the savage beast that was housed within her body at this moment.

Sighing again, she took a sip, which turned into a gulp. Her ex-boyfriend, he who was known as "Small-fry" used to ask her whether that same gusto for imbibing alcohol applied to everything she did with her mouth. Yes. It did. Which he found out very soon, and thus she found a reason to call him Small-fry.

A smile escaped her lips at the memory, before being replaced by a scowl. Poor, poor Emma. She really deserved better. After all, it was her 30th birthday, and here she was, all alone in her reasonably nice flat, in her reasonably nice clothing, drinking a reasonably nice wine, and sitting on her reasonably nice couch, listening to some gods-awful whining ...wait. That was just her internal monologue! The sarcasm was apparent even to her - why the hell did she have to have a sarcastic head-narrator? Couldn't she have a nice English accented narrator? No. She had to have a sarcastic bitch, who funnily enough sounded exactly like she did, only sassier.

Slamming the glass down on the coffee table in front of her, she snapped herself out of her self-inflicted misery - so fucking what? 30. Yes, good-bye sexy 20s, I never liked you anyway. Bring it on, fuckers, I'm ready.

She jumped to her feet, and decided that she was going to get dressed up and take her sorry old arse out. Ok, self-depreciating humour wouldn't work tonight, she thought. I will be taking myself out tonight, because A) I'm worth it, and B) It's my birthday. I deserve it, and it'll be fun! Surely, if I keep saying it to myself enough, I'll start to believe it myself? I'm worth it. I'm worth it...

Chanting this as her mantra, she grabbed out something black from her wardrobe out of habit, but when she looked at it immediately nixed the idea. Stefan would kill her if he saw her in something black, and frankly, she didn't feel like mourning or hiding. Placing it back in her cupboard, and saying goodbye to the comfortable idea, she grabbed the red dress. This had been bought on a whim when Stefan had taken her out shopping to get over Brad. Yes, Brad. Gods, why had she dated him? It certainly wasn't because she resembled the man that was currently brood-father with that sexy woman Angelina, but ....anyway. Loneliness is not an excuse for bad choices.

Red dress. Halterneck. Think Marilyn and steamy grate. She shivered a little, thinking how wonderful she could look with the right everything. Shoes - little red peeptoes made from some shiny something. Sexy black convertible bra, and matching black lace french knickers...

I just don't know where I want to go. I'm not ready. I don't want anybody to peel off my clothing and see the damaged me. Why would I even think I was ready?

Throwing down everything into a heap, Emma stormed out of the room, grabbed another bottle of the red, apparently it was a Cabernet Sauvignon, opened and poured. Being a Friday night, there would be something on television...she flicked until she found what she wanted. Bruce Willis' face filled the screen, sweaty, bloody, and shiny. Wow, how hot did he look when he was younger? she thought. It's no wonder Demi fell in love with him and had 3 children with him...where did they go wrong? And how did they manage to make it work?

Wait. Just wait a minute, she thought. Where the hell did that come from? That didn't sound like the inside-me.

Walking back to the bedroom, she first looked down at the clothes heap, then up at the mirrored door. Something wasn't quite right. Looking at herself again, she looked like she had 10 minutes ago. Hair, trackie dacks of comfort. Uggies... Standing in a room painted a neutral sandstone with one feature wall .... RED? Wait.

Turning around quickly, she checked out her feature wall. No, it was aubergine. She looked back into the mirror, and it was red. Utilising a trick she had from when she was younger, Emma let her eyes unfocus, and looked at the wall in her room with one, and the wall in the mirror with the other. There was a shimmering, which was normal when she unfocussed, or tried one of those stupid 3D hidden picture things, but other than that, it was like 2 different rooms being cut and pasted in some weird way.

Ok, thought Emma. I'm going to stand still and...

I don't want to go anywhere, and I don't even want to live any more

Whoa. Hang the hell on. What. Is. Going. On.

You heard me? Great, add crazy to the list of things, can hear voices too....