<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5562307773889706445</id><updated>2011-09-26T09:05:36.851-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Heart on My Sleeve</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://onmysleve.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5562307773889706445/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://onmysleve.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Christa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03424300737172041602</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='20' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LwlblIM3vNE/TDfWgIYCVhI/AAAAAAAAAAg/mu2M6AKyZPc/S220/41628_1144140522_7097_n.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>3</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5562307773889706445.post-2609400658593938776</id><published>2010-12-08T06:31:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2010-12-08T06:38:59.368-08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>The Edge&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You like to live on the edge&lt;br /&gt;Is what you always said&lt;br /&gt;Like to suck the most out of life&lt;br /&gt;That you possibly can&lt;br /&gt;Yeah, you take all you can get&lt;br /&gt;And you leave little behind&lt;br /&gt;You like to extend your world&lt;br /&gt;Until you are also ruling mine&lt;br /&gt;But me, I know better&lt;br /&gt;Than to get pulled into your trap&lt;br /&gt;At least I like to tell myself that&lt;br /&gt;But you’re a smooth talking boy&lt;br /&gt;And I wear my heart on my sleeve&lt;br /&gt;Where anyone can steal it, where anyone can see&lt;br /&gt;Oh yeah, I know you’re bad news&lt;br /&gt;But in my way, hey I am too&lt;br /&gt;So we are perfectly suited&lt;br /&gt;We are expertly paired&lt;br /&gt;We are the ideal couple to lead to despair&lt;br /&gt;Tearing each other apart&lt;br /&gt;It’s a game of mutual abuse&lt;br /&gt;‘Till all the strings are breaking, and the pieces coming lose&lt;br /&gt;Oh we hold our heads high, but I don’t dare look you in the eye&lt;br /&gt;‘Cause my guilt is all over my face&lt;br /&gt;And your hands are stained with your shame&lt;br /&gt;And neither of us is willing to take on the blame&lt;br /&gt;I wear these bruises, and you bare the cut of my words&lt;br /&gt;We are playing with fire and we are both getting burned&lt;br /&gt;But no one else would take my shit&lt;br /&gt;And they sure as hell would not take yours&lt;br /&gt;So in a way we are both getting exactly what we deserve&lt;br /&gt;We stay on the point of this knife&lt;br /&gt;Playing chicken with our fear&lt;br /&gt;Unwilling to admit that we need a way out of here&lt;br /&gt;‘Cause we are killing ourselves&lt;br /&gt;Slaves to our own cruel game&lt;br /&gt;And when we are both the villain there is no one left to save&lt;br /&gt;So pull me down farther and I will drag you along&lt;br /&gt;Just let the world sit back and watch our deadly swan song&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lolita Speaks&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He is a villain &lt;br /&gt;With a pretty face&lt;br /&gt;And blue eyes&lt;br /&gt;He is charming&lt;br /&gt;The perfect prince&lt;br /&gt;All the girls are under his spell&lt;br /&gt;Making themselves fools in the fawning&lt;br /&gt;It would be humorous&lt;br /&gt;If it were not so sad&lt;br /&gt;Because I know the truth&lt;br /&gt;I know that the “prince”&lt;br /&gt;Is the monster in this fairy tale&lt;br /&gt;I know his secret&lt;br /&gt;Because I was a victim&lt;br /&gt;“Hello Little Girl”&lt;br /&gt;Said the wolf, the beast&lt;br /&gt;Who lured the child into his lair&lt;br /&gt;With sugared words&lt;br /&gt;And wide toothed smiles&lt;br /&gt;He is a murderer of innocence&lt;br /&gt;One who feeds on youth&lt;br /&gt;And spits out the bones&lt;br /&gt;I was the prey&lt;br /&gt;Fell for the trap&lt;br /&gt;But now I’m older and am fighting back&lt;br /&gt;This Lolita is stronger now&lt;br /&gt;Has found her voice&lt;br /&gt;And has a story to tell&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bluebeard's Room&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are dead girls in the walls&lt;br /&gt;Of this dilapidated house&lt;br /&gt;Rotting corpses festering&lt;br /&gt;Behind the stone and grout&lt;br /&gt;In a secret chamber&lt;br /&gt;Locked up with a key&lt;br /&gt;There shut up in their tomb&lt;br /&gt;A sacred mausoleum there&lt;br /&gt;A temple to the doomed&lt;br /&gt;Fresh young wives&lt;br /&gt;Starting the prime of their lives&lt;br /&gt;But there inlay their fault&lt;br /&gt;For being curious of future bliss&lt;br /&gt;Is what lay them in their vault&lt;br /&gt;Pretty treasures, pretty girls&lt;br /&gt;All neatly on display&lt;br /&gt;To be observed by master dear&lt;br /&gt;As he watches their decay&lt;br /&gt;A crime? A crime!&lt;br /&gt;What crime is this?&lt;br /&gt;They are his property&lt;br /&gt;And any master has the right&lt;br /&gt;To be rid of what displease&lt;br /&gt;Such pretty girls, but lying whores&lt;br /&gt;Who do not obey decree&lt;br /&gt;A simple thing, really nothing&lt;br /&gt;But they had to turn the key&lt;br /&gt;Ah well, too bad&lt;br /&gt;But she doomed herself the silly bitch&lt;br /&gt;By probing far too deep&lt;br /&gt;An in striking blood her own must she shed&lt;br /&gt;To deeper bury secrets &lt;br /&gt;That she should have known to keep&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Leaving Shallot&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am leaving Shallot&lt;br /&gt;I have had enough of this tower&lt;br /&gt;And these mirrors and this thread&lt;br /&gt;They tell me that I am cursed&lt;br /&gt;And that may be&lt;br /&gt;But I am tired of waiting for my doom&lt;br /&gt;I’ve had enough of playing chambermaid&lt;br /&gt;To my own ill fate&lt;br /&gt;If it wants me so badly&lt;br /&gt;It can give chase&lt;br /&gt;Pursue me like a desperate suitor&lt;br /&gt;I do not need to wait for a knight&lt;br /&gt;To give me reason to dare escape&lt;br /&gt;And I will not give a man the opportunity&lt;br /&gt;To be my undoing&lt;br /&gt;I will leave, not by boat&lt;br /&gt;But by my own two feet&lt;br /&gt;Set on the road to Camelot&lt;br /&gt;Throw my face up to the blinding sun&lt;br /&gt;Because I am so sick of shadows&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5562307773889706445-2609400658593938776?l=onmysleve.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://onmysleve.blogspot.com/feeds/2609400658593938776/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://onmysleve.blogspot.com/2010/12/edge-you-like-to-live-on-edge-is-what.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5562307773889706445/posts/default/2609400658593938776'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5562307773889706445/posts/default/2609400658593938776'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://onmysleve.blogspot.com/2010/12/edge-you-like-to-live-on-edge-is-what.html' title=''/><author><name>Christa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03424300737172041602</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='20' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LwlblIM3vNE/TDfWgIYCVhI/AAAAAAAAAAg/mu2M6AKyZPc/S220/41628_1144140522_7097_n.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5562307773889706445.post-8309189783216249762</id><published>2010-12-08T06:13:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2010-12-08T06:26:28.238-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Hello there.</title><content type='html'>I didn't really &lt;span style="font-style:italic;"&gt;forget&lt;/span&gt; about this blog per-say, but I just haven't updated it. I could say that it's because I haven't had time... but that would be a lie, I'm just lazy. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But I'm writing now! That deserves a pat on the back, right? No? Ah well. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, since I wrote last. I have started school at Columbia College Chicago, and  I am now a week away from the end of my first semester. I'm loving it here. I love my fiction classes, and I really love living in the city. I've found that I really am a city girl at heart. Now I don't think I can ever see myself back in the suburbs... not that I really saw myself there anyway, I just have confirmation now. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let's see what else is new...&lt;br /&gt;I have a tattoo, a heart on my inner right wrist (my heart on my sleeve). I have wanted this tattoo for over ten years, and honestly getting it felt like finally seeing something on me that was supposed to be there all along. It feels natural. The whole idea of wearing my heart on my sleeve is something very important to me. Living honestly for the whole world to see. For me part of that means being outspoken about the important issues that affect my life, and that I know affect the lives of many others. Being honest about living with mental illness, about being a survivor of sexual abuse, about a struggle with an eating disorder. All of those things and more. It's not being proud of that, it's not being an exhibitionist, but it's being honest and open. It is being comfortable talking about it in your daily life. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't have much more to say at the moment, this post was really just to say that I am going to make more of an effort to write here. Perhaps I will make a second post sharing some poetry?&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5562307773889706445-8309189783216249762?l=onmysleve.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://onmysleve.blogspot.com/feeds/8309189783216249762/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://onmysleve.blogspot.com/2010/12/hello-there.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5562307773889706445/posts/default/8309189783216249762'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5562307773889706445/posts/default/8309189783216249762'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://onmysleve.blogspot.com/2010/12/hello-there.html' title='Hello there.'/><author><name>Christa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03424300737172041602</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='20' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LwlblIM3vNE/TDfWgIYCVhI/AAAAAAAAAAg/mu2M6AKyZPc/S220/41628_1144140522_7097_n.jpg'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5562307773889706445.post-5037023519371453867</id><published>2010-07-09T19:14:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-07-09T20:05:00.533-07:00</updated><title type='text'>This seems like a great act of narcissism...</title><content type='html'>Creating a personal blog seems like an utterly self-absorbed endeavor to take on. A diary, a personal record of one's life and feelings on those personal happenings is one thing, a very healthy thing. But plastering anything that crosses your mind on the internet? Eh, well.&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;It's one thing to give constant status updates on Facebook... or God forbid, &lt;i&gt;Twitter&lt;/i&gt;. But to really have the arrogance to assume that anyone gives a rat's ass about what you have to ramble about at length, that is stretching your own self worth, admit it.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;But--- apparently a lot of people do just this. It seems that I even have a handful of friends who do this. People whom I respect and who I do not at all consider to be narcissistic attention whores. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;That and it's getting to the point where it is impossible for even some one with literary sentimentality as old fashioned as mine has to acknowledge that literature is heading in a very digital direction. (And I won't lie, as someone who loves books, physical ink and paper books, it's a bit heartbreaking to see that change take place).  But I'm going to school to be a Fiction Writing major. I'm planning on being a writer as a career. So realistically I should be getting as much  experience as a writer by any means possible. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;So I've crossed the line of no return and created a &lt;i&gt;blog&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Which I guess means I have to have a topic to write on. Because really, I'm not even going to try to pretend that my day to day life is anywhere near interesting enough to be engrossing reading. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;"&lt;i&gt;Dear Readers, I had such a thrilling day! &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;Woke up, looked at the clock-6:30. Hit the snooze (x3)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;7:15 ate a bowl of cereal, 2 cups coffee&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;shower, more coffee&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;8-work.... more coffee&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;12 home. more coffee&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;I think you get the idea. Unless you really want a detailed description of my daily coffee intake (for the record, bold with vanilla soy cream) I think that a blow by blow would get old really fast. I mean even that little sample up there is hobbling along on a walker by the last line.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;A topic. A purpose to this madness that is what I need. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;I won't just write about myself here. But I figure that I &lt;i&gt;can&lt;/i&gt; write about the issues that I face and the topics that I care about. My life is boring, but I can use the few important bits of my life as a starting point. Writers are always told to write what they know after all. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;What do I know about? What do I find importance in based on what I experience in my life? Off the top of my head  what are the things that come to mind?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; I know what it is like to live with a mental illness. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;i&gt;Gasp! Yes I did just go there&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; Yeah, it's really not that huge a thing to come out about. Well it should not be anyway. I am one of nearly &lt;b&gt;6 million&lt;/b&gt; Americans who live with Bi-Polar Disorder.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;I know what it is to be a vegan, trying to live a compassionate lifestyle that is true to my morals. And trying to find delicious, fun ways to do that. Which can be an adventure in a very non-vegan world. Hunting down good food, quality clothes and other items that are cruelty free and fit my personal taste. It can be a challenge but it is the right way to live in my mind, and is really not near as difficult as most people think. Anyone can do it!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;And I am a lover of literature and a writer. Which is the point of creating a blog. To write! So this could be a venue for me to put out writing, and maybe even get some response if I am very very lucky. Even if that response it to tell me that it is absolute shit, I mean honestly if it &lt;i&gt;is shit&lt;/i&gt; I would like to know so that I know what I need to work on to improve.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Well, Dear Reader.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Thank you for taking the time to read these ramblings, I appreciate your patience in humoring me. Feel no obligation to bother doing so in the future, I can honestly say that I have no idea if it will be worth doing so.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; But who knows? &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Your Reluctantly Self-Indulgent Narrator, &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Christa&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5562307773889706445-5037023519371453867?l=onmysleve.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://onmysleve.blogspot.com/feeds/5037023519371453867/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://onmysleve.blogspot.com/2010/07/this-seems-like-great-act-of-narcissism.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5562307773889706445/posts/default/5037023519371453867'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5562307773889706445/posts/default/5037023519371453867'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://onmysleve.blogspot.com/2010/07/this-seems-like-great-act-of-narcissism.html' title='This seems like a great act of narcissism...'/><author><name>Christa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03424300737172041602</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='20' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LwlblIM3vNE/TDfWgIYCVhI/AAAAAAAAAAg/mu2M6AKyZPc/S220/41628_1144140522_7097_n.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
