My Cardboard Balcony

Watched a high school production of  Beauty and the Beast tonight. It was cute. I thought the show was fun, and it was the first time I ever got to saw it live. And for some reason I want to play Belle...? Keep in mind, I never wear dresses. Yet somehow, I think I can forgive a dress on me for the sake of this role. It's weird because I haven't officially been in a show since 2007. Yes, I've done little film performances, especially in my girlfriend's videos. But I don't do a whole lot of acting. And I have kind of mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I really do love acting and wouldn't mind performing in some of my own projects. On the other, I don't want to be in a company play because I have to audition. I hate auditioning because I think, in many respects, I don't show my real, natural attitude in front of a group of critical onlookers. Who knows. Maybe one day, I'll be onstage again. Hell, I've never been in a musical - that could

"Caramel Kisses" is an unfinished novel I began to write back in 2009 and stopped working on in 2010. The two main characters - Adriana Maguire Reynard and Emma Burking - would ultimately be revised for my later completed novella, "The Liffey Is Half-Asleep," in 2011. Several elements of "Liffey" can be found in their original forms in "Caramel Kisses," such as the characters' names, the haiku scene, and Adriana's penchant for writing. Because of its influence on my later writing, I figured that this story, though incomplete, was worth sharing. Caramel Kisses: Chapter Eighteen by Belinda Roddie “Emma?” “Hmmm?” “What do you really want the most out of life?” She smirked. “That’s a stupid question.” “Why?” “Because you should already know.” “Then I’ll say I want to be sure.” I smelled the hot chocolate that Emma had been heating in the microwave. I heard the whirring of the tired appliance as it quieted down, whining an

"I've avoided that man like the plague," griped Sarah as she sat down on the couch with her tall mug of chamomile tea. "He was the embodiment of everything bad for me. I gained too much weight around him. Then I lost too much weight. Then I started smoking, then switched to hard liquor. Another year with him, and maybe I would have been on the street with cocaine dust in my left nostril." "Was he really that influential?" "No," said Sarah, shaking her head for emphasis. "He just bullied me into a lot of things. Influential isn't the right word - abusive is."