Prompt #1 (Out of Order)

Julianne McKinney was outraged.  She didn't know how to approach her boss about what she believed she had figured out.  She didn't want the chance of losing her job at such a well established company.  The following Tuesday she finally gathered enough courage to address him:

JULIANNE:  Excuse me, Mr. Dawson. (knocking on his office door)

TRENT:  Yes, Julianne, please, come in.  

JULIANNE:  Sir, we need to talk... (She nervously murmurs under   her breath.)

TRENT:  About???

JULIANNE:  I don't know how, but somehow you have been managing to fool the entire world. 

TRENT:  Excuse me?!  And, please, enlighten me, tell me what on Earth you are trying to accuse me of.  I could use a little humor today.  

JULIANNE:  We both know you know exactly what I am talking about.

TRENT:  If I told you, you wouldn't believe me...

JULIANNE:  Try me.

TRENT:  I...I'm a time traveler...

JULIANNE:  What are you talking about?  I knew something was up with you.  You're crazy aren't ya?  Yup, I always am intrigued by the crazy ones.  Next, you're gonna tell me you're a spychic aren't you?  All right Mr. Spychic, will I find a cute outfit at the mall tomorrow?  I don't know whether or not I should waste my gas driving to the mall.

TRENT:  Ha, I knew you wouldn't believe me.  

JULIANNE:  And he continues... Oh man... Let me go along with it.  How do you travel?  By bus, train, airplane, car?

TRENT:  Real funny...it's not like that.  I close my eyes, and my mind brings me to what seems like a dream.  It's everytime I fall asleep.  The only difference is, it's not a dream...it's real life.  It's the future.  It varies.  Sometimes I travel a week into the future, sometimes a month, sometimes 20 years.  I don't know how... I don't know why...It just happens.  That's how I always know what is to come.  I have been living alone for so many years because no one understands or believes me, despite all of the concrete evidence with these lottery numbers and my investments.  Anyone who ever asks to know just thinks I'm crazy...but you don't think I am crazy, do you? Do you?  I just want to be normal.  I want to live in the present.  I don't want to know my future of all time. I am done.  Or at least I want to be.

JULIANNE:  Wow...this seems like the most absurd thing.  I don't want to believe you...but your voice, and the tears in your eyes can't seem to be fake.

TRENT:  You believe me?!

JULIANNE:  Not yet, but can you show me?

TRENT:  I'm afraid it doesn't work that way.

JULIANNE:  Well, lets try to figure this out together. I can't do much in life, but I've been told I'm good company.  

TRENT:  You know what...that's exactly what I need right now.  I need to live in the present.  There is nothing I would love more.

Prompt #3A

My Silver Lining
I have concentrated all of my efforts for so many years, in and out of school, on doing whatever I could to place myself in the best position to secure admission to the college of my dreams.  After a substantial amount of research, I determined that USC is just that - the college of my dreams.  This past Saturday, I sat before the computer with my parents behind me (as they have been throughout this entire experience), opening the letter that I believed would be reflective of all of my hard work and accomplishments; the letter that would determine where I was going for the next four years of my life; the letter that would prove that all of my efforts had finally paid off.  Needless to say, when I read the letter denying my admission, it really hit me hard.  I began to shake uncontrollably as tears poured down my face.  I'm embarassed to share this with you, because this is not me.  This is not who I am; but I had invested all of me, emotionally, into this one goal, and I had never before experienced failure to something that meant this much to me. On top of this crushing experience, there was more to follow.  There were so many people eager to hear whether or not I had been accepted.  I was dreading all of the inevitable conversations with family and friends.  After spending a considerable amount of time feeling sorry for myself and questioning what I could have done differently, I reached one conclusion: I can either dwell on my failures, or I can use them as motivation to try even harder.  I realized that everyone fails at some point in life, but it is how we overcome these failures that define who we are.  This was my silver lining.  I put the peices together.  Everything happens for a reason, and I have yet to discover mine.  However, I believe I will find my answers within my experience in Urbana-Champaign next year at U of I.  I know that I am an immensely hard-working and determined person. I know that, if afforded the opportunity to attend, I will excel at USC; and more importantly, make a significant contribution to the impressive list of alumni who have attended.  I am not giving up on my dream of attending USC.  I am determined to do whatever it takes. Until then, however, I am looking forward to attending U of I, and discovering the reason I wasn't supposed to go to California just yet. 

E v e r y t h i n g   h a p p e n s   f o r   a   r e a s o n .

W h a t ' s  m e a n t  t o  b e ,  w i l l  b e.

Prompt #2

Once upon a time… there was an intelligent, creative, beautiful woman.  This woman was envied by all other women, and wanted by all of the men.  Considering it was back in the day, she had so much going for her, but her only aspirations were to marry a handsome man and live in a pretty house.  She had never believed herself to be capable of much more. 

Growing up, she was told to always stand by and look pretty.  No one ever took her seriously.  She had been laughed at so many times when she suggested plans of becoming anything more in the future.  Everyone underestimated her, and because of that, she began to underestimate herself.  She began to believe the criticism, and forget any other serious dream.

As the story goes on, she meets a very handsome man at a local club.  They began to see each other more and more often.  They always seemed to meet at night and have a night on the town with his friends and some of hers.  She was so caught up in the excitement, that when asked to be married after only a few months, she agreed.

She fancied her fiancé very much so.  He bought her pretty diamonds, expensive purses, and finally, an enchanting house to live in.  She was so consumed with his showering of gifts and parties, that she never took the time to time to fully get to know her husband to be.  All of friends congratulated her on finally reaching her happily ever after.  Yet, somehow, there was an emptiness she felt when the thought of being his “forever” crossed her mind. 

She came to the conclusion that maybe something was missing in her life.  Maybe there was something wrong with her marriage.  Maybe it wasn’t right.  Maybe she didn’t know him as well as she thought she did.  Maybe she wanted more out of life.  She had planned to sit him down, shortly after, to share these feeling that she couldn’t help but feel.

He arrived home after a long night of poker.  She had been waiting up for him.  He wreaked of alcohol and cigar smoke.  She began to worry that tonight wasn’t the night to tell him how she felt.  However, her compulsive mind kicked in and she shared how she felt regardless.  She shared how she feels that she needs to do something for herself to feel complete, and that they should take a break.  He was stunned, and he was angry.  In response to her proposal, he back handed her and continued to throw and kick her around until she was unconscious.

When she finally gained consciousness, she looked at herself in the mirror and began to panic.  She had to escape, but she didn’t know how.  Could she really survive on her own?  Could she really be independent for the first time in her life?  She felt that she had no choice.  She had to.

That day, she packed her bags and finally gained the courage to do things on her own.  She was free of men controlling her.  She decided to follow her dreams consisting of independence and capability.  She decided to begin her dream life all by herself.  She picked up an ax and began to get to work on building her dream home without needing the approval of a superior male figure.  She was strong and capable.

Review #3

DIVERGENT:
Let me be the first to tell you, I did not expect this movie to be good.  I did not read the books, but I saw the commercial for it, and I wasn't very impressed.  Also, the main girl, Shailene Woodly, was in that I am not fond of, "The Secret Life of an American Teenager".  I describe this show as being, quite possibly, the worst acted show on television.  When I saw that she was the main charcater, I was even more uninterested in seeing the movie.  However, I was proved to be very wrong.  I saw this movie and absolutely loved it!  I was ready to see it again a few hours after I had just seen it.  It was magnificent.  The acting was surprisingly very good.  The story was very compelling.  It was a story that can appeal to an array of audiences.  I saw it with my parents, and each parent really liked it.  This movie is not targeted to just one gender or age group which is what I loved about it.  In addition, the male lead is very attractive.  He doesn't make it so difficult to watch.  Yet another celebrity heart throb to keep the girls occupied.  I would give this movie five stars out of five.  It kept my attention throughout the entire thing.  I had to use the bathroom when it first started but I didn't want to leave at any point during the movie because I didn't want to miss anything.  Bottom line, see this movie!!!

Review #2

Dave Matthews Band Concerts
I have been to four DMB concerts in my life; and let me tell you, they NEVER get old.  In my opinion, they are the most talented band from my era.  The band, from a musical stand point, is amazing.  The vast array of instruments contributing to a single song is ridiculous.  The musicians that they have in their band are so talented.  When you go to one of their concerts, they will just have random jam sessions on stage.  The band gets so lost in the music, it's pretty beautiful.  Watching people excel at some something they enjoy so much is inspiring.  I am inspired everytime I watch one of their concerts. That's when you know what your listening to is meaningful.  In addition to the outstanding instruments being played, their lyrics are brilliant.  Dave, the singer, plays his guitar when he sings each song.  This man is crazy talented.  I know I am being repetitive, but it needs to be emphasized.  The songs each have such a deep meaning behind them.  They write all of their own music.  One of their songs, Grey Street, is probably one of my favorite songs ever just because of the emotion that you hear when he sings the song.  That kind of emotion in a voice, makes me emotional just to listen to it.  If you're ever in need of some direction or just a great quality jam session, turn on any of their songs or go to one of their concerts.  Trust me, you won't regret it.

Review #1

SHWAYZE
SALLY IS A HIPPIE GIRL ONE DAY...
SALLY IS A ROCK CHICK THE NEXT...
SALLY IS A HIP HOP BABY...
THEN A DRIP DROP LADY...
BUT THERES ONE THING SALLY SAYS EVERYDAY& IT'S
SHE LOVES ME...SHE LOVES ME...
JUST THE WAY I AM.
 SOOO....Shwayze is a pretty cool rapper. My very best friend, Megan Magurany, introduced him to me.  I am very happy that she did.  His chill and catchy sounds make you want to listen to his music on repeat constantly.  The weather has been getting warmer, which means it's Shwayze time yet again. He's best to listen to on a beautiful summer day with the windows rolled down and the music cranked up.  Well, this is what Megan and I like very best at least.  I recommend Shwayze to anyone looking to be in a good mood.  His music always finds a way to turn my mood into a positive one.  His music is very simple, but just what you need for a good smile.  Megan was lucky enough to go to his concert last summer and meet him.  I am very jealous, however, I will meet him next time with her.  To sum it up, he is a great artist to listen to when you're cruising around this summer.  Check him out.