Vashti Quiroz-Vega's Blog, page 47
December 15, 2014
It’s That Time of Year Again! – 2014
Welcome everyone! It’s that time of year again! Is everyone ready for Christmas? I’m not but that’s okay. Ha, ha! Last year it took me a while to get into the Christmas spirit but it’s different for me this year. I guess I have a lot to be happy and thankful for––my dad is still with me, for one. That’s a biggy. Also, after a year I’ve finally found a house. It’s half the size of the house I used to live in but that’s exactly what we wanted and I couldn’t be happier with my cozy little home. Anyway, enough about me.
Even though I’m happy as a clam in high tide and busy with my new house I know it isn’t the same for everyone. So I decided to put together some fun and interesting posts and information that will hopefully inspire you in some way and put you in the holiday spirit. I hope you enjoy!
I found this beautiful and inspiring quote by Edith Sitwell at Mrs. AOK, A Work In Progress. I loved it and I thought you might too.
Music always inspires me and Christmas music can really get those juices flowing. Tricia at The Good Mama put together a great workout playlist of 20 Christmas songs.
I also love movies and there’s nothing like cozying up to a great Christmas movie during the holidays. Maybe with a hot cup of cocoa baptized with a little brandy––or not, whatever. ;) Erin, from No Bohn’s About It put together a great list of Christmas movies. Check it out!
Some people dread the winter months but there’s a lot of fun to be had. Her Campus gives us a great list of things to do over the winter. 25 Festive Things To Do This Winter
Not everyone travels for the holidays. I plan to stay home this year and I’m sure many of you are too. I found a great article that lists some ways to enjoy the holidays at home. Apartment Therapy lists 9 Things to Do Around the House Just for Fun
Children often get restless while on winter break. Parents often find themselves at wits end trying to keep them entertained. Tess from The Bold Life gives us 101 Things To Do With Children On The Holiday Break. Hallelujah!
Some people become depressed during the holidays for different reasons. One of the reasons being that they’re alone. Well, I found a great post that lists 10 Things to Do If You’re Alone for the Holidays. There’s a lot of pressure to be happy and in love during the holidays when in reality that isn’t the case for most people. Check out this post it’s very inspiring.
I found an awesome Christmas Bucket List on FIKED and I just had to share it. So much fun!
What are your plans for the holidays? Are you staying home or are you visiting family? Are you single? If so how do you feel about being single during the holidays?
Love to hear from you!
Tagged: Christmas, Christmas movies, Christmas music, Christmas spirit, Holidays, It's that time of year again, single, winter, winter break
December 12, 2014
Haiku Friday – Jacob’s Ladder
Hi! Welcome to another Haiku Friday! This week’s haiku were inspired by RonovanWrites Weekly #PHOTOgraphy #HaiKU Rewind #21Climb&Heavens. The prompts are Climb and Heaven. The moment I saw those words on Ronowan’s post I thought of two things: 1. Jacob, a biblical Patriarch’s dream about a staircase to Heaven, and 2. Jacob’s Ladder the flower. So I wrote a haiku for each. Let me know what you think.
Jacob’s Ladder
As the end draws near
My soul climbs up the ladder
Closer to Heaven
♥
♥
Jacob’s Ladder
Found in my Garden
Clusters of purplish flowers
Climbing toward Heaven
♥
What do the words Climb and Heaven make you think about? Do you enjoy haiku poetry?
♥
Tagged: bible, climb, flower, haiku, haiku friday, haiku poetry, Heaven, jacob's ladder, poetry, RonovanWrites
December 5, 2014
Wordless Haiku
Russian Mother Relives Nightmare of Seeing Dead Daughter Turned Into a Human Doll. Sometimes real life is stranger than fiction.
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Welcome to Haiku Friday! So my friend Ronovan from Ronovan Writes came up with this very cool challenge called ‘Wordless Haiku Challenge‘ in which the participant has to create a haiku using images. You may use the prompts he gives you or not. Take another look at the pictures above. What do you think they mean as a whole. What am I trying to say? Then check out my haiku. ;)
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The Making of a PSYCHO
by Vashti Quiroz-Vega
Ψ
Ψ
Love mommy dearest
A child trapped in darkness cries
Bleached corpse with doll face
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Were you able to guess the story I was trying to tell? Have you seen Mommy Dearest, best selling memoir, turned motion picture? Have you seen any of the Psycho (Hitchcock classic) movies?
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Tagged: Child Abuse, haiku, mommy dearest, poetry, psycho, RonovanWrites, wordless haiku
November 29, 2014
Haiku Friday & Criminal Minds
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I’m a day late for this post. Sorry about that. I had a lot on my plate this week and I’m not talking about turkey and stuffing. Ha, ha! Get it . . . turkey and stuffing . . . never mind. I have always enjoyed reading haiku poems. Now, I’m enjoying writing them. They are so much fun to write and really get my creative juices flowing. That’s why I started Haiku Friday! Every Friday I will post a different haiku. I will feature my work, as well as haiku poetry written by others. I love infusing my haiku with a touch of horror, so most of my haiku will have a bit of a dark side.
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One of my guilty pleasures is watching a show called Criminal Minds it’s one of my favorite TV dramas and the inspiration for this week’s haiku.
My favorite characters on the show are Dr. Spencer Reid, Hotch, and JJ but they’re all great.
Hotch, JJ, and Dr. Spencer Reid
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Haiku
Black Market
by Vashti Quiroz-Vega
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Fall leaves blow in the wind
Chilled night air through open door
Kidneys on ice
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Missing
by Vashti Quiroz-Vega
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An icy pond shimmers
A blanket of snow
A corpse hidden ’til spring
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Do you watch Criminal Minds or any other crime drama on TV? What are your guilty pleasures? What inspires you to write, cook, craft? Have you ever tried writing a poem, song, or story?
Tagged: black market, crime drama, Criminal Minds, Dr. Spencer Reid, guilty pleasures, haiku, haiku friday, haiku poems, Hotch, JJ, poem, Vashti QuirozVega
November 21, 2014
Angry Mountain – Haiku
Hello and welcome to ‘Haiku Friday’. All poetry stem from somewhere. Whether it was something beautiful you saw in nature, a great movie you watched, a foreboding you have, a dream or perhaps a great feeling you got from listening to a favorite song or from tasting something scrumptious. Well, that brings me to today’s haiku. Most of us have at least one person in our lives that seem to live only to try to make us miserable. She’s a negative force that tries to crumble your bright ideas and taint your good nature with her evil venom. She is rude, unpleasant, malevolent, and can’t stand to see a smile on your face. Trying to get along with her is futile because that’s not what she wants. You try to get away from her, before she makes you sick with her diseased nature, but you can’t, because you’re tied to her in some way. That toxic character I’m forced to live with inspired this haiku.
Angry Mountain
by Vashti Quiroz-Vega
ψ
ψ
Black mountain spews fire
Bright red lava streams wreck all
My will you won’t break
Ψ
Do you have someone like this in your life? How do you deal with it?
Tagged: angry mountain, haiku, haiku friday, nature, poem, poetry, toxic
November 16, 2014
Autumn Fruit – Haiku
So this is my second attempt at writing a Haiku poem. You tell me if I did better this time.
Autumn Fruit
by Vashti Quiroz-Vega
♥
Crisp, juicy apple
Scrumptious to eat
In paradise a lover’s kiss
Love to hear from you.
Tagged: apple, autumn, challenge, fruit, haiku, Haiku poem, poetry, student, Vashti Quiroz-Vega
November 12, 2014
Online Dating – Haiku
Okay, so this is my first attempt at writing a (or is it an) Haiku poem. First of all, some of you may be asking yourselves, what is a haiku? I will tell you. A haiku is a japanese poetry form. Don’t worry, I’m going to write it in english. A haiku uses just a few words to capture a moment and create a picture in the reader’s mind.
Traditionally, haiku is written in three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line.
I write horror, among other genres, so hopefully my haiku will create a horrifying picture in your mind. Just kidding––or am I?
Here it is. My first haiku. I’m so nervous . . .
Online Dating
by Vashti Quiroz-Vega
*
Smile on a website
Is that a head in your fridge?
There’s no second date
Well? What did you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Thank you!
Tagged: haiku, Haiku poem, horror, online, online dating, poetry
November 9, 2014
Read & Win Giveaway! The Search for the Last Flower
Author Hugh Roberts
Hugh Roberts has a blog called, Hugh’s Views & News. You should check it out, it’s a blast. He has short stories, poetry, photo challenges, and a page where his doggie Toby speaks his mind. Yeah, so hurry over there and enjoy.
Here’s a bit about Hugh in his own words . . .
Based in Hove, East Sussex, in the United Kingdom, I write about all kinds of everyday life and what it brings to us all. Nothing too serious, most of the time just about the little things in life and how important they can be to all of us. Some of my posts will be humorous, while others may bring a tear to the eye.
I have always enjoyed writing and the fact I suffer from a mild form of dyslexia has not stopped me. Yes, I get things wrong with my reading and writing, but I always find those mistakes humorous and always laugh about it. I have never let dyslexia get in my way. Now in my fifties, I thought it about time I let my writing become public and becoming a blogger seemed to be the perfect way for me to do this. I lead a very happy life and always try to stay positive. I share my life with my wonderful Civil Partner, John, and our Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Toby, who I both cherish with all my heart.
I write about life, because I find it so fascinating. I have many stories to tell, some of which I have started to put into a book. My life has been incredible and I want to share it with anybody that wants to listen. I am also a wonderful listener and I love to be interactive with other people. I guess you could say I am a people person.
I have only recently got interested in photography and my blog now includes some of the photos I have taken. You will also find some of my short stories and poetry on my blog and I hope you enjoy reading them.
I welcome any feedback on my blog (good or bad) and hope my readers will engage with me by leaving comments on my posts. I promise to try to respond to all of them. After all, if somebody has taken the time to read one of my posts and leaves me a comment, then it is only polite for me to respond to that comment and engage with my reader. I want you all to enjoy reading my blog and hopefully you press the follow button and join me on my journey. I would love to have you come along for the ride.
Toby
Click on Toby’s picture and it will take you to his posts.
Please don’t forget to congratulate Hugh on his win! Thanks!
November 6, 2014
The Search for the Last Flower – FINALE
Caleb had to leave this place as soon as possible. Already yellow eyes glared in his direction. He would not be responsible for Armageddon. He could find the answers he needed in his lab. If he could find a cure, maybe all could be set right again. But how could anything be right again?
Caleb ran outside the hospital. The walking dead were all around him. They overran his car. They smelled Lolita’s blood. How would he get to his lab? He couldn’t make it on foot. Already there were so many of them. But he had to make it. He was the only one who could end this.
He spotted an ambulance and ran to it. The door was open and he jumped into it, closed the door and locked it. The keys were in the ignition. It was lucky for him but not so lucky for whoever had to leave the vehicle in such a hurry. He sighed deeply, turned the key and fled the hospital parking lot.
He drove as fast as he could, which was faster than he’d ever driven. He scrambled around the ambulance’s dashboard and found the switch to turn on the siren. He flew past red lights and stop signs on his way to the lab. He was high on adrenaline, and he was certain he could fix the problem he had started if only he could make it to the lab.
He made a sharp turn and heard a thump in the back of the ambulance. He focused his hearing while continuing to keep his eyes on the road. He heard a crash and a slam. His heart began to thump.
Something pounded on the small window between the back of the ambulance and the front seat. Caleb’s eyes opened wide. Part of him wanted to turn and look, but the other part just wanted to drive on. He turned his head. It was one of them.
A large man, judging by the size of his fists and neck, was pounding on the glass. A dark, triangular nasal cavity stood where his nose once did, and his lower lip, as well as the skin of his lower jaw was missing. His entire face was red with blood, which made his yellow eyes stand out even more.
Caleb faced the road again just in time to avoid crashing against a building. His mouth quivered and his hands shook, even while he gripped the steering wheel. He had to make it to the lab. If this malady spread to other states or countries, it would mean the end of everything. He stepped on the throttle.
All he had to do was cross the bridge and he would be a mere minute or two from his lab. He would work night and day until he came up with a solution to reverse the effects of the elixir.
The thing on the other side of the small window did not relent. He shook the vehicle every time his large fists pounded on the glass. Caleb glanced at the window and saw evidence that the glass could shatter at any moment. He slammed his foot on the throttle but the vehicle could not go any faster.
He finally reached the bridge. The dead man kept striking the window causing damage to the edge of the glass. It began to crack and the next hard impact caused it to shatter into pieces.
Caleb gasped when he saw the pieces of glass fall to the front seat, and heard the man’s growl. The man stuck his head through the opening and tried to squeeze his wide shoulders through. He snapped his teeth at Caleb like a rabid dog.
Caleb shifted away from the monster and pressed against his door. The man backed away from the window. Caleb panted and kept taking glimpses at the opening as he swerved through traffic. It grew quiet. Caleb’s thoughts were muddled. Where did the man go?
The man crashed into the opening sticking his head, left arm and shoulder through––reaching for Caleb.
Caleb kept pressing his body against the door, but that was not far enough from the man’s reach. His driving kept getting more and more erratic as he tried fending off the monster with one hand and driving with the other. He veered into the next lane and almost collided with another vehicle. His pulse raced. He was midway on the bridge. Would he make it?
As he watched the road, the man grabbed his arm, tore into the muscles of his forearm with his teeth, and pulled them away. Caleb howled as the man gnawed on his arm. He caught a glimpse of his ulnar and became lightheaded. His eyes were rolling in his head. He wailed and yanked his bloody arm away from the man.
He was bitten.
Caleb sobbed and shook his head. He groaned in pain, shock, but most of all at the knowledge that he would soon die and become one of them. He would no longer go to the lab. There was no time for him to find a cure for this affliction.
He looked to his right and then his left. The poison course through his body. He was dying.
He swerved the vehicle to an ongoing lane, onto the shoulder and then off the bridge. As he plummeted over two-hundred feet to his death in an icy river, Caleb cursed the day he went in search of the last flower.
Copyright © 2014 by Vashti Quiroz-Vega. All rights reserved.
I want to thank all my readers for their time. I hope this was a good ending for you. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section.
November 4, 2014
The Search for the Last Flower – (Part 11)
Caleb snatched his keys, opened the back door of his car, grabbed Lolita and shoved her in.
Lolita groaned and squirmed in pain.
“Stay with me, Lolita.” He got into the front seat and started the car. He pushed the pedal to the metal and sped away, just as Dr. Smith placed his face against his window.
“Talk to me, Lolita.” Caleb drove recklessly, weaving through traffic, ignoring stale green lights and stop signs, trying to get the girl to the hospital as soon as possible. Her wails and shrieks were making his head throb. He sobbed and pounded on the steering wheel.
By the time Caleb had reached the hospital, Lolita was quiet and still. He slammed on the brakes in front of the emergency entrance. He swung his door open and jumped out. It was hard to stomach what he saw when he opened the back door. Lolita lay sprawled on the back seat, naked, completely covered in her own blood and gore. How would he explain this? What the hell––he had to do the right thing. This woman needed medical attention. He grabbed her and carried her out of the car.
He rushed inside the hospital, leaving his car parked askew with the passenger side front and back doors wide open. His car could be stolen, but the only thing on his mind was to save the girl.
“Help me! This girl needs help!” He ran into the emergency room bellowing. “She’s dying! I need a doctor!”
Some people sitting around stared wide-eyed, others gasped, screamed, and some jumped out of their seats staggering backward in shock.
Several nurses ran to him, followed by paramedics pushing a stretcher. Caleb placed her limp, motionless body down on the stretcher. A young doctor came running while putting on his stethoscope’s ear tips. He tried to find a heartbeat. His brow knit tightly. He shook his head and grabbed her wrist to feel a pulse and then he auscultated her again. Nothing. “I-I’m sorry sir. The girl is dead.” The doctor looked at Caleb and pressed his lips together. He placed a hand on Caleb’s shoulder.
Caleb pushed his hand off. “No––no, check again! She can’t be dead!” The doctor opened his mouth to speak but Caleb yelled, “Check again! One more time––please.” The doctor stared at Caleb with a pitying expression and auscultated Lolita once more. He took longer than the last time. He looked up at Caleb, still maintaining the stethoscope’s diaphragm on Lolita’s chest and shook his head.
Lolita’s eyes sprang open.
The nurses gasped and recoiled. The young doctor stared at the corpse. Caleb looked into her eyes. They were cloudy, wild, and yellow. The doctor placed his hand over them to close them. Lolita reached and bit three of his fingers off with one bite. The doctor stared in shock at the stumps on his hand as blood jet out from them like geysers.
Lolita sat upright and grabbed the doctor from behind. She bit right through his lab coat and shirt into his upper back. The doctor howled in pain and pulled away from her. He stared at her with a confused expression.
A nurse ran to help the doctor. Lolita jumped off the stretcher and seized the nurse by the hair. She bit her on the neck. As the nurse screamed and struggled, Lolita continued to bite pieces off her until she lay still, and someone else got Lolita’s attention.
The emergency room was in an uproar. Nurses, paramedics, doctors, and patients were running, crying, screaming. Caleb backed into a corner of the room and watched––immobilized by fear and dread. Lolita moved differently from Dr. Smith. She was faster, stronger, and more agile. She grabbed one person, took a few bites and then grabbed another. At least eight or nine people were bit so far, and she showed no signs of slowing down.
She must be stopped. Every person she bit would eventually become like her. He knew that now. She must not leave this place––everyone she’d attacked must not leave this place. But it was too late. Many of the bitten had already left the building.
As Caleb watched Lolita chase several screaming people out of the emergency room, he became lightheaded. He slid down the wall. He hugged his knees, rocked, and held his head. This would never end now. It would spread until everyone in the city was a crazed––can someone dead be called crazed?
Caleb knew he should not sit still. This was all his doing and he had to fix it. He could return to the lab and figure out how to stop this before it truly was too late. He was the only one who could do it. Therefore, he had to find the strength.
Caleb made an attempt to rise, but his legs trembled, his knees faltered and he fell on his rump again. He looked at his hands. They trembled like leaves in a windstorm. He took a deep breath. He had to calm down and take ahold of himself. The longer he lingered, the more victims of his elixir there would be.
He rose and looked around the emergency room. There were two paramedics lifting the young doctor, who had attended Lolita, off the floor and onto a stretcher. One of the paramedics bent over to lift the stretcher, his head too close the doctor’s face.
“No––get away from him,” Caleb said under his breath as he ran toward them. The doctor opened his eyes and ripped the paramedic’s ear off with his teeth. The paramedic staggered away, howling in pain. His partner dropped the clipboard he was holding and went to help him.
“It’s too late for him!” Caleb yelled at the paramedic who was trying to help his friend. “Get away from him and leave this place or you, too, will end up like the doctor.” The paramedic looked at his friend, Caleb and then the doctor, who had already jumped off the stretcher. He left his friend and ran away as fast as he could. The other stood in shock, putting pressure on the hole that was his ear. The doctor launched at him, knocking him to the floor.
He pulled his shirt apart, buttons flew everywhere. He gnawed on the paramedic’s belly until he made his way inside and began to feast on his intestines, while the man still squirmed and squealed.
Caleb staggered backward, retching violently. He looked around. Others who had been bitten and died were beginning to rise, animated by the synthetic essence of the Brazilian tribe’s last flower.
This was his doing. Could this be undone?
Copyright © 2014 by Vashti Quiroz-Vega. All rights reserved.
Thank you for reading! Leave your thoughts in the comment section.
