World's Most Difficult...

I did it. 

So, this looks like an ordinary puzzle, right? Well... First off, it's a picture of Dalmatians. That makes it pretty hard in the first place, right? There's 529 pieces, so it's not huge, but it is a considerable size. 

It's double sided. The second side is rotated 90 degrees. The pictures are the SAME. 

Oh, and the pieces are all cut to the same shape. 

And if you didn't already think THAT was hard enough...

(Wait for it...)

When you have a normal jigsaw puzzle, you can feel along the edge to find out which side is the bottom. Not this one. The designers made one cut vertically, then FLIPPED the puzzle over and made the horizontal cut from the other side!! It's impossible to tell which side is which. I mean, seriously?!?

So, yeah, I'm kind of bragging, I guess. Cause I finished it. (Does happy dance around room)

This puzzle is named (quite appropriately, in my opinion) "World's Most Difficult Jigsaw Puzzle." Yep. That's literally what it's called. 

It took around 20-25 hours total to completely this puzzle. (Over the course of a busy month!) Luckily, all of the things the designers did to it came with a few advantages. 

Because it's cut on both sides, you can divide the center pieces into "left" and "right" categories. 

I also discovered early on that every center piece (minus one diagonal row) has a sister piece that matches on both sides. Most of the time solving was spent matching pieces up. (Or rematching because the box was bumped)

I had to solve the puzzle in two halves because the surfaces I was using weren't big enough. 

I finished it. (Sighs in relief) I think I'll take a break from jigsaw puzzles for a while. Well, there's my random story for the day! See you later!

M.

Creative Writing Prompt #6 (Randomness Included Free of Charge!)

Hi all!

So....This entire week I would notice at the little blogger bookmark on my screen and cringe. Humble apologies for the lack of posts. I really need to post more. But I digress.

Here's my writing prompt for today. I thought I'd try my hand at some poetry, but I don't think I got the rhythm quite right. Well, I hope you like it anyways.

Writing Prompt #6: The Little Girl in the Window

Her ragged hair hung down in her face,
No smile; she wore no hair bow
Through the pouring rain I could see
The quiet little girl in the window.

A freckled face and haunting eyes
That cut me through the soul,
as much as I'd try, I'd not forget
that little girl there in the window.

The face withdrew and the door opened wide
She was short, and walked quite slow,
The thunder and rain could swallow her up,
That little girl from the cracked window.

I then caught one last glimpse of her
as her frail body shivered from cold
I hoped to help her someway, somehow,
The poor little girl from the window.

...................................................................................................

I guess it's the little things, right? I love clouds. I couldn't look at the sky enough this week.

Uhhh... Yep. That's all I got. Shout out to E! It's her birthday on Saturday!!! (does happy dance around the room) Hope you all have a blessed evening!

M.

Zombies and Frozen!

Here is my latest drawing! I love how it turned out, as I was skeptical about drawing it in the first place;)

And I couldn't decide on a funny wallpaper until I remembered this one:

Isn't it soo cute!!;) hope you have a great weekend!

~E

Creative Writing Prompt #5

Hello! I have successfully finished my second CWP! (Man I gotta write more of these) I hope you enjoy it!

Creative writing prompt #5: You wake up trapped in a basement. Tell the story of how you end up in there. (not how you get out.)

...I walked quickly down the street, my long dress flowing like silk over my legs. I want so much to turn my head and look behind me, at the man I knew was following. I forced myself to slow my pace, but after a few moments I gave up and continued to step to the pace of my heart. It was beating so loud and hard I though it might burst. 

   There, up ahead the taxicab that was to take me...where? I knew not...he only told me that I would get in and...and what?...he didn't give me any directions. He told me I would be followed, but that I must not trust them, or believe whatever they told me. He only asked that I trust him. Did I? I wasn't sure. He promised me my freedom, what more could I want? 

   I heard the footsteps behind me increase their pace, my heart raced to an impossible speed. I made a run for the cab, threw open the door, launched myself in, and slammed it behind me, locking it for good measure. The driver was obviously expecting me, because he slammed on the gas, and began to swerve madly to avoid hitting anything. the car squealed in protest, as did I. I hoped I was now safe, but I wasn't sure. The driver glanced up at his rearview mirror looking very worried. I finally gave in, and looked behind, following the gaze of the driver. 

   

   I knew then even before he said anything, that, of course, I was being followed..again. As I looked back, only confirming what I knew, my fear grew as I noticed that the car in pursuit of me (for It was me they were after) was not even attempting to be hidden. The man who was driving the car was violently jerking the steering wheel back and forth, weaving his way through the many cars honking in protest. Coming quickly closer and closer. I urged the driver to go faster, unfortunately he was unable to, there where two cars in front of us that had 'conveniently' decided to stop in the middle of the road. My heart sunk as I realized why. 

  

   Three men emerged from the cars and ran straight for my taxicab. In my fear and stupidity I unlocked my door and made a run for it. I dodged the still honking cars and ran into a dark alley hoping it wasn't a dead end. Thankfully it wasn't, but the men giving pursuit quickly surrounded me.  They stood there watching me as I stood there panting in fear. I quickly realized escape was impossible, and yet they didn't do anything, it was like they were waiting...

   

    And then...there he was...he walked toward the men and they stood aside for him. he smiled, "Hi Kat!" I frowned in disgust of his pet name for me, but he refused to call me anything else. He continued, "well, you did trust me, unfortunately that's not enough, so I can't let you go. But have a nice ride!"  My mouth dropped, I shut it just as fast. He looked amused of all things! Then one of the men slapped a wet cloth over my face, and I knew, he had betrayed me...I didn't understand...He had promised, promised, my freedom, and remembered why I never trusted him. Because, of course, you can never trust a liar.

                 *          *            *

  I cracked my eyes open slowly, aware of a growing headache. I couldn't  see a thing, it was dark, and I noticed the cold of the floor I was laying on. My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and I vaguely saw that I was in a small room with a short flight of stairs leading to a door (it was locked as I had expected) ,a sliver of light was squeezing through the bottom, barely illuminating the room. 

   I now saw that I was in a basement.....

                  *       *        *

Goodbye... until next time!

~E

Umm... Well... Hi! by too lazy to write a better title (An Adventure Novel)

Hi Everyone!

Well, I have been experiencing a good level of writer's block lately. (what is it called when you are typing instead of writing? Or tapping on your phone screen? Just wondering.) 

But... I am a professional here. I must force myself to blog more often. (Stop laughing at me!)

Anyway, stay tuned for another creative writing prompt that E. gave me! (When the writer's block decides to move to Florida for a vacation and never returns)

Umm... Yeah. I got nothing. 

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Uhhh...

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A review of school: good so far. (of course; it's January!)

An answer to those who wonder what I do with my time: well, I'm working on a very difficult piano piece to potentially play for my graduation! (Wow, we're SO interested. Tell us more! [does sarcasm hands] yeah, no.) Actually I spend most of my time on homework, at classes, or on Pinterest. ;)

A Definition: Sarcasm Hands are achieved by placing open hands, palms up, near the ear and moving the fingers back and forth away from the ear. Takes place of quotation marks and ONLY for use in life-death situations. (E. and I need to use this often)

A Bible verse for you that I found interesting: (actually two) Psalm 90:5-6 "You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers."

It reminds me of "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis, where heaven is symbolized by a fulfilled reality. Heaven is more true, more real than this life. This world is but a shadow of what life will be like there. 

Well, that's better than nothing. See you later!

-M. 

(P.S. I really like this cute fluffy penguin. Jus sayin.)

What Did You Say Again??

Hi everyone! M. here with a random, funny, and (well, kind of) simplex story. 

(E., feel free to correct me on any details!)

On Sunday night E. and I were at AWANA (a youth group/bible study) and on the way home, we came across a box in the road. It looked full so I drove around it. A couple hundred feet ahead, a truck with a bunch of similar boxes was slowing down. Someone else in the car suggested that it had fallen out of the truck. 

Somewhat sarcastically, E. replied, "Well, there might have been a little fairy throwing the boxes out!" (something to that measure, but it included a fairy!) My brother asked why a berry would throw boxes out of a car, and I was wondering who on earth owns a ferret and puts it in the back of a truck! We had a good laugh when E. finally explained what she had said.

Later, my brother and I went to E.'s house to watch a movie. (It's called "Now You See Me" and I could talk about it for hours, but don't get me off on a bunny trail!) After the movie, E. and I had both consumed a good amount of sugar (Dr. Pepper for E. and a 1/3 of a box of Nerds candy for me!) and we were both quite hyper.

We were in the kitchen, discussing some assignments for school, when E. mentioned that she was going to have to do "a lot of research" for a project for school. Both my brother and I mistook her again! I thought she said something about "water research" while my brother thought she was talking about the lottery!

Anyway, those two occurrences were a funny highlight of my week, but a few days ago I was thinking about them and suddenly realized, that's how we are with listening to God! We aren't always paying attention and the noise of the world around us can cause us to confuse His words for something else. Sometimes, we just hear what we want to hear! We have to be walking with God all of the time and studying in His Word, or we may get quite confused. I hope that I can always be listening to God's voice and knowing (and obeying!) what he says, even if I can't understand what on earth my friends say!

Talk to you later!
-M.

Creative Writing Prompt #4 (stranded)

   Hey people! E here! This is my first CWP, I hope you like it;)

Creative Writing Prompt #4: Jack Sparrow, Dr. Grant, Paul, Noccoló Machiavelli (author of 'The Prince') are all stranded on an island, what did they do? And how do they get off?

   "We'll friends", Jack decided, "we should elect a captain, I vote me!" 

   "What!? No the obvious thing to do is to erect a prince!" Argued Machiavelli, "I vote me!"

   Paul was looking at them, and then muttered "I think both of those are not very good ideas". "Oh stop it, all of you", Sighed Dr. Grant, "what good is it to elect a captain, or a prince right now? All we are trying to do, is figure a way to get off this place!"

   They where walking along the beach of a small deserted island, in quite a muddle, as they had no way off. 

   "You know", Jack remembered, "the last time I was stranded on an island, I was given a pistol, with one shot, while I watched a man sail away with my ship".

   "We'll seeing as how your still alive", Paul pointed out, "how did you escape?"

   Jack grinned and bragged, "Sea Turtles, mate!"

   "Not true!" A voice suddenly shouted, it was Machiavelli, "you told me, that island was a popular route for the rum runners, and you bartered your way your way onto their ship!"

   Jacks grin faded and he sighed, caught red handed, he confessed "I know. But it sure does Make for a great story!" He leaned down to pick up a stray rum bottle that had conveniently washed up on the shore, but then threw it over his shoulder when he found that it was empty. "Why is the rum always gone? And where's my pistol?" He asked, "did you take it Grant?"

   "Doctor Grant," Machiavelli corrected, "he prefers, Dr. Grant".

   "That's alright, Machiavelli". Dr. Grant replied, "no Jack, I didn't take your pistol"

   "Captain Jack to you!" Jack smirked.

   Dr. Grant continued talking as if jack wasn't there, "you know, when Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the island Elba, he just had an army come and rescue him. Do we have an army?" 

   "No, but we do have a lamp!" Jack offered.

   "Ooh! Won't a genie pop out if we rub it?" Machiavelli asked excitedly.

   "Well," Dr. Grant cautioned, "yes, probably, but have you ever heard the saying, 'ideas have consequences'?" 

   "No, but thats a good point!" Machiavelli thought for a minute, "well I guess we won't rub it. Paul what are you doing?"

   Paul had been staring at some of the palm trees on the island for some time now, he suddenly explained what he was thinking, "My friends, if I'm not mistaken, those trees right there are excellent trees for making rafts with. If Captain Jack would be so kind as to lend us his sword, and if anyone happens to have some rope, I believe that we could build a raft!" 

   They all stared at him in bewilderment, as it was the most sensible thing that anyone had said since they had been here. 

   Finally Dr. Grant asked, "Now why didn't we think of that two hours ago?"

   "Because," Machiavelli answered, "two hours ago we were debating what the wind velocity of an African sparrow would be if it was carrying a coconut halfway around the world! Oh, and I've got some rope here!" 

   "Oh...uh...yes rope!" Paul remembered, "well, lets get to work!"

*     *     *     *     

   Roughly five hours later, the raft was finished. They pushed it to the water. If you had been there you would have seen quite a comical sight. Once it was floating, three of the men got on board while one pushed it out to sea, it moved so fast, that he did not have time to quickly jump on, and so swimming for all he was worth, he went after the raft. While on it you would have seen one man waving his arms madly about, obviously giving orders that no one was listening to. The other two men were trying to paddle the boat in two different directions. Finally the first man reached the raft, and some order was put into place. Then they sailed of to, who knows where...

               

*     *     *     *

   I hope you enjoyed it! I look forward to writing more prompts, but for now, goodbye!

   ~E

Me-aka-E.;)

 

   Hi readers; E. here!

   

   Well as you can see, I haven't blogged much...mostly because I have forgotten (shhhhh I'm innocent! Not really...) so I am officially making myself post at least three to four things a week! Those of you readers who know me, (and M) I'm holding you accountable to make sure I do this. More like I'm hoping you will ;);)

   And be looking out for my first creative writing prompt! :)

   Thanks  ~E.

After All We've Been Through...

Dear Blog,

I'm terribly sorry. You're already up to 13 posts! And over 400 pageviews. I wish it didn't have to end like this. I knew the day was coming, but I didn't think it would come this soon.

Today is that day.

Today, I start school again. (gasp)

I start work again, too. (oh, no!)

I am sorry in advance for the uninvited neglect you are likely to receive the next few months.

All my love,
-M.


Dear Reading Audience,

I'm sure I'll post again soon, I just have to be a little more, shall we say, sensitive to my dear blog's feelings than I used too. I didn't even give it a Christmas wallpaper or any sort of present, and the blog is taking it a little hard. (just don't tell it that I told you that!)

Please excuse any lack of posts and feel free to remind me to clean out the cobwebs every once in a while. I can't speak for dear E. but I have a feeling she will be here more often than me!

Thanks for reading!
-M.

Drawings

  Hey guys! It's E here!

  

  One of my hobbies is drawing! I love it! And i love looking for funny wallpapers as well! So I have decided to post one of each here every week, so here's one of my recent drawings and a funny Doctor Who wallpaper:

I hope you will enjoy them!! 

   ~E

Creative Writing Prompt #3 (And Some Housekeeping)

Hi everyone! M. here with a new story!

(By the way, I love this site. It's where I get most of my writing prompts, including the one for today. You should check it out. Seriously. Right now. Like, stop reading this and click on the link already!) ;)

For those of you who didn't obey that last sentence (you know who you are!!) here's the prompt for today's story. (Sorry in advance for the length. I find it difficult to be concise sometimes.)

Writing Prompt #3 - Tell this story: There it was, finally. Our island. Our very own island. It looked beautiful above the waves of fog, but there was still one question to be answered: why had [he] sold it to us for only five dollars?

I'm still not really sure why we bought it, either. Tim and I had been married for two years now and looking for a place to settle down. He was a physician who had just finished his PhD, and I had received my degree in psychology. When the young agent met with us in Los Angeles, we had almost settled for a flat that would have put us severely in debt and left us dissatisfied.  He promised that he had a deal for us that we couldn't resist.

Tim was suspicious, but the man seemed honest enough. He showed us pictures of a house, beachfront property. It looked like heaven to me. As he pulled some other pictures out of his bag we realized that the house was, in fact, on a private island. I shook my head, knowing immediately that there was no way we could pay for a house that extravagant, but the agent quietly offered the property for five dollars.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

"We're going to land soon, Claire." Tim walked up to the rail beside me as his voice cut through through my distracting thoughts. His eyes were longing to explore the island, to set foot on our own little paradise. To actually have our own island; the words sounded so foreign in my mind. We had been at sea for the past 6 or 7 hours, and the sun had set a while ago. The stars were beginning to peek out at us from the world's ceiling.

I noticed a small house on the far left, near the sandy, beachy-looking side. The main amount of the land was rocky or covered with forest greenery. Tim sighed impatiently and walked back to the wheel of the boat. "We'll finally be there; we're only few minutes away!" He informed me. I slowly faded back into the memories of the past two months.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

My jaw had dropped as my ears had tried to reprogram what I had just heard. Five dollars for an island? Ridiculous. Impossible. "Why on earth would you sell us an island for five bucks what someone else would pay millions for?" Tim demanded.

The agent put both palms outward. "No questions. Five dollars and the island is yours." He pulled a contract out; everything looked legal. "Hope you both enjoy it!" The agent shook our hands and was gone, leaving his half-finished coffee, a copy of the contract, and a slip of paper containing the address of, now, our island.

It was all a blur after that. We packed the few belongings we owned, bought a used boat that could take us to the island, and tied up our loose ends within five weeks. Tim was ecstatic, as was I, but a question had begun to bother me. Why did that agent want to sell us this island?

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

The sand glistened in the moonlight as we walked hand in hand. I shivered, noting that the temperature had dropped considerably in the past two hours. The house stood just across the beach from us, almost seeming to be out of place where it was set. The vegetation on this side of the island was simply charming, with several types that were foreign to me. "Where exactly are we?" I wondered aloud, breaking the sweet silence that wasn't dared to be otherwise interrupted except by the softly whistling breeze. 

"I believe we're about  400 miles east of San Francisco." Tim replied. We had reached the house by now, and were standing in front of it.  "Ready?" He asked me. I nodded.

Tim stepped onto the porch with me, pushing the door open. It creaked loudly with protest. But why did he sell all of this for five dollars? The question now refused to leave my mind. I flipped the light switch on, trying to push back the waves of fear that began to creep over me. Everything so far that had happened to us had the trademark feeling of a horror story. A deal that was too good to be true. An abandoned house in a remote area. The two of us together in an unfamiliar place.

It was then I saw the picture on the wall. A young and elegant woman, with intense hazel eyes and chestnut hair stared back at me. The rest of the room was entirely empty. No furniture, no rug on the floor. Just that picture. I flinched, keeping close to Tim. His brow was creased as we walked through the rest of the house. Other than a solitary bed in one of the rooms, the entire building was empty.

Tim and I quickly moved back to the front room, where I began to pace. Why did that man sell us this island for five dollars? What does this picture mean? Who is this lady? The waves of fear crashed over, and I became irrevocably certain that someone wanted to at the very least, terrify us, but likely worse. So many questions.

Tim slowly pulled the picture off of the wall and a piece of paper fluttered to the floor. I snatched it with slightly trembling hands and began to read aloud. If you've found this note, good for you. I am the agent who likely sold you this island. This portrait is of my sister, Anastasia. She disappeared from this island, which she owned. The authorities believe she is dead, and I was the heir to this home given in her will. I can't bear to keep it. Feel free to do what you like with it. If you ever happen to find my sister, I would be indebted to you. I wish I could assure you that this island is safe, but I am not certain. Thank you and the best of luck to you. (any information on Ana, call 415-395-5486) 

The paper fell to the floor. The first question was now solved, and my fears were unfounded, but with this answer came new questions and new fears. I looked at Tim and he nodded. "We need to find her." He stated.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

That was the day we unknowingly decided to become detectives, and the beginning of our first of many cases. His medical background and my degree in psychology made us a fairly decent team and gained us a reputation, along with a few enemies. I could tell you the rest of Anastasia's story, but I believe I'll save it for another time. It is a quite a tale, and one worth listening to.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Hope you liked it! I may or may not continue the story, a good plot line seems to be eluding me at the moment, and this prompt is long enough as it is. E. told me she is planning to join me with these writing prompts, so look forward to those in the future! :)

I've noticed that I haven't necessarily kept this blog to the original idea of the "simplex" but I am planning to, for lack of a better word, try to organize or plan better what I'll be posting. Then again, I may leave it the way it is. Random is pretty easy for me!

In other news, I got my senior pictures done recently! I am also starting school again next week, so I will probably end up posting a lot less than I intend to. I'm super excited to see what this upcoming year will bring. See you next time!

-M.