a play for the writing challenge.

It's hard to format with plays on this thing.

****

SCENE - IN A MUSIC LAB

JAYSON (23) leans over a worn guitar. He admires it, runs a cloth over it. After a moment, he begins to pluck out a melody. It lasts for a few moments. He is soft spoken and shy.

BANG! The door to the music lab slams open, and in pops ELISA (22), holding another bright shiny guitar.

ELISA

Hello?

JAYSON

Oh, hello Elisa.

ELISA

Hi.

An awkward pause. JAYSON beckons her in.

JAYSON

I didn’t know you played he guitar.

ELISA

I’ve wanted to learn.

ELISA sits next to him on the bench. JAYSON scoots over.

JAYSON

Have you learned any chords?

ELISA

Only one.

It takes a few tries, she finally gets one. Jayson cringes.

JAYSON

You need to tune that up a bit.

ELISA

Can you show me?

JAYSON takes the guitar, starts tuning it by ear.

ELISA

You know, it’s somewhat strange how you’re always in here by yourself.

JAYSON

(soft)

I like the guitar.

ELISA

Yeah, we know. You just always used to hang out in the apartment, always be cooking, always watching that old T.V. Show.

JAYSON

Dragnet?

ELISA

Yeah.

JAYSON

I finished the series again.

ELISA

But we wish to see you again.

JAYSON shrugs.

JAYSON

I like it here. It’s quiet.

ELISA

But we miss you.

JAYSON

I’m sure you do.

ELISA

No, Jayson, all of us do.

JAYSON

I doubt that.

JAYSON hands her the guitar back.

JAYSON

It’s tuned.

ELISA

Thanks.

JAYSON picks up his guitar again and picks out a tune.

ELISA

How do you do that?

JAYSON

It’s just a E minor Chord with a B diminished minor. Here. Put your hands like this.

JAYSON covers her hands on her guitar, presses her fingers down.

JAYSON

Now pluck the third and fifth strings. Then switch.

He moves her fingers again. They make music.

ELISA

It sounds so pretty.

JAYSON

It’s just something I like.

ELISA

Why don’t you play it in the apartment.

JAYSON

I...could.

ELISA

Wonderful!

ELISA stands up, almost dropping her guitar. JAYSON catches it.

ELISA

We’ll go right back and you can play it for Kevin and Nick and Andy!

JAYSON

I...don’t know.

ELISA

Come on, we’ve missed you!

JAYSON

I’m sure you have.

ELISA

No, everyone’s missed you. Kevin and Nick and...

JAYSON

(vicious)

And Andy?

ELISA

Yeah. And Andy.

JAYSON

You really think he “misses” me?

ELISA

Well, I think so.

JAYSON strums a harsh chord.

JAYSON

You really think that he actually pauses to think that hard about me.

ELISA

(awkward)

Jayson, we all miss you.

JAYSON

I’m sure they miss the background noise.

ELISA

No, we miss you. We miss talking to you, seeing you around, hanging out, playing video games -

JAYSON

Andy doesn’t.

ELISA

I think Andy does.

JAYSON

I think Andy just lays around with his new boyfriend all day. Or wait, is he dating a girl this time?

ELISA

Jayson....

JAYSON

It’s hard to keep track.

ELISA

That’s unfair.

JAYSON

So is he dating around so much. You’re holding the guitar wrong.

He corrects her grip.

ELISA

Jayson...

JAYSON

What.

ELISA

Jayson, he was never dating you.

JAYSON

I know that.

ELISA

I know...I know you had a...a... “thing” for him, but you can’t expect him to just be there.

JAYSON

And he can’t expect me to just be there whenever he feels like it.

ELISA

He’s not trying to keep you away.

JAYSON

He’s doing a good job.

Quiet. Jayson strums along on the guitar, frowning.

ELISA

I miss you.

JAYSON

I miss you too.

ELISA

You could always hang out with me and Kevin instead. We’d like to see you.

JAYSON

I’m usually kept here.

Well, things have a way of settling themselves, I guess

So, you know how about 3 hours ago I posted a blog about the car accident and had to save up for the 500$ insurance thing?

After pestering the girl for a few days for her insurance information, she told me through a text that they're not going through insurance.

Which means I might not have to pay a thing.

I'm so deliriously happy.

Still going to save money, but not as hard.

I HAVE to cut back on spending.

Or else I won't make rent next month.

So, as you may or may not know, I got in a minor car accident that's looking like it will cost me around 500$.

I have 300$ of rent each month.

I have to pay for a hotel room for Cramer's wedding. That'll be upwards of 100$, possibly 150$.

I have enough in the bank for that...but not much more.

So I can't spend on anything that's not necessary until I get my paycheck on August 1st. That should be doable, yes? It's only 18 days.

So here's what I can't spend money on:

• Lunches at work. It's back to packing lunch for me.
• starbucks. If I need caffeine at work, it's 99 cent coffee from 711 for me, and even then only once a week.
• Snacks at work. I can bring them, I don't need to go down to Rubios for them.
  
• I already bought groceries for this week, I'm going to stretch them until august 1st. I should have enough between the frozen dinners and the sandwich meat and the hamburgers. I'll just have to work out some more.
  
• No buying anything for myself until then. No buying clothes, music, books, wine, drinks, accessories, nothing. Not even if it's on sale or at a thrift store.
  
• No eating out, unless absolutely dictated by social stuff. And even then, only buy the cheapest thing.
• Buy cheap cheap cheap gas. Since I'm coming home on Wednesday, ask parents for help, cause I visited them. Drive as least as possible.
  
• Don't let friends free-load. Yes, I do have a job. This month, however, I can't really spot you for everything. This includes food.
  

You know you work in a weird work place when....

You know you work in a weird work place when....

....the sole warning you get that your boss is in a foul mood is there's a picture of a squirrel flipping people off hanging up on his wall.

....a secretary gets upset and decides to take her houseplant outside for sunshine and fresh air, and she stays out there.

....The press secretaries congregate around the printer to badmouth UCSD

....a homeless woman walks in and asks to use the computers, then cusses at the secretaries who say no.

....you have a programmer who doesn't like Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, or Monty Python.

writing moments

Just some stuff I want to remember for writing:

****

I just had a homeless lady ask me to help feed her family...but she was walking out of starbucks with a full frappachino.

****

"I don't ask for work cause that then bogs him down in trying to find stuff for me to do, so it wastes company time.

*****

HOLY CRAP THIS MAKES ME ANGRY!!!!

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/942002.html

yay

I just had the marketing director ask me to stop sneezing too loudly.

Amazing.

First week of writing challenges.

So here's a semi-freewrite. It doesn't make much sense.

******

I got my first knife when I was thirteen. Found her in daddy’s drawer, picked it up and it immediately fit in my hand, cool and small and wickedly sharp. I call her Maude, like Mod, cause she’s all metal with a curved blade with all designs. The internet says she’s Damascus steel which is why it’s so sharp to make Damascus steel they take steel and fold it hammer it and heat it then fold it and fold it until the different pieces of metal are all intertwined and swirly in the blade and it’s like ten times stronger than just regular steel but Maude isn’t made for cutting people. Maude is made for opening things like boxes and cutting rope and strings and ties and plastics, the guy at the flea market said Maude’s for U-til-I-ty. so I bought Hissatsu.

Hissatsu is more for cutting people, he said, he’s long and thin and straight and designed to go between ribs without any problem which is confusing cause he doesn’t cut boxes or paper or plastic or rope very well. He’s not so sharp on the edge, I tested, and he’s not good for cutting robe but Hissatsu is really heavy, so heavy I can rest him in the palm of my hand and if I squeeze my eyes shut enough he’s the same weight as daddy’s baseball that we used to throw to each other on bright sunny days with sunscreen on our noses.

But if I wanted to I could hurt someone pretty bad without actually having to take Hissatsu’s blade out cause he’s so heavy and I could just punch. But if I did take him out I can slash with him and take the hair off your arm or just thrust him into someone’s gut and he’ll go right in as if you were made of warm butter.

Like the small little squirrel that had been hit by a truck and was laying all shaky and bloody and quivering and grimy with two or three broken legs. Me and my dad were walking to the store and he kneeled down and prodded it with the toe of his boots and it kept twitching and twitching and twitching and it’s little paws stretched and stretched and stretched and wouldn’t stop and Dad looked at me and said “pull out your little Hissatsu folder I’m gonna show you something” and he held his big old soft hand out and I pulled it out of my pocket and put it in the hand. He said “No” and took my hand in his and his was so much bigger and put the Hissatsu right in my palm and closed my fingers around it “sometimes you have to show mercy.” And he grabbed my hand and thrust the edge of Hissatsu into the little squirrel and the paws stretched with its little claws and the dirt stuck under them and it was as if it wasn’t there.

Hissatsu hit the dirt, crunched, I jerked back, dad caught me and the squirrel slipped off Hissatsu with a squelch and glopped into the dirt, making mud.