The next stage of the Project (Featuring Sweet'n'Elite)

This is part three of a tandem story written by myself and the fantastic Badriyyah. I know I keep pointing you in the direction of her blog, but it really is a great read and if you haven't checked it out, do so now.
Part one of our story is here.
Part two is here.
Part three is below.




He looked back over his shoulder to get the licence plate of the other man. It was a vanity plate and not hard to remember - "THEONE".
"Sorry I lost my cool" he said to her as they approached the car. It was then he heard his phone was still ringing. He hurried back inside and answered it.
"Hello" he said.
"Hello, are you at the airport?" he heard his brothers voice respond.
"Just on my way now. It's been a rough morning"
"Yeah, I just heard on the radio there was an accident on the freeway, could take them awhile to clear it"
That was the hold up he thought.
"Well we're just starting to crawl again now, so they must have cleared at least a few lanes. I'll call you when we've got mum and are heading to the restaurant."
"Okay, should I call ahead and let them know we might be late?"
"Sure, sounds like a good idea. Call me back when you've spoken to them, bye"
"Bye"He put the phone down and turned to her.
"That was my brother. He's calling the restaurant to let them know we might be a little late. Would you like to call your parents?" he asked, offering her the phone.


She shook her head. "Thanks, but I just spoke to them last night. I told them all about today. Besides, it'll be pretty pricey calling all the way to South Africa at this time, peak rates and all that." She smiled. Her parents were celebrating retirement by traveling around the world. So far, they had gone to Athens, Florence, Madrid, Washington and were now traveling around South Africa. They were really enjoying themselves. She herself was looking forward to her trip to Phuket in a few months' time. However, she hadn't gotten around to telling him about her little trip yet. It was a holiday to celebrate the upcoming wedding.


"Fair enough" he said, sliding his phone back into his pocket. He was glad she had refused. Every time she talked to her mother she was worried his surprise would be ruined. Her mother was a lovely lady, but found it difficult to keep a secret. Especially one this big. He had called her parents one night and organised with them to fly to London with them after her sisters wedding. There, her parents would return to their world tour, and he would propose to her. There was something about London and it's old style buildings. To him they held a certain romance and charm. Although he had worked out the way he wanted to propose to her, he had not yet worked out how to get her on the plane without making her suspicious.


She glanced at him. He had been acting rather out-of-character lately, practically jumping for his phone every time it rang. She wondered if something was wrong with him and had thought to ask him a few times. But he'd always been the type to talk when he was ready and she didn't want to push. The traffic was clearing up rather nicely, and it looked like they just might make it to the airport on time. "I'm going to order the chicken pesto pasta later, I think. And loads of garlic bread. I'm so hungry! And nervous. I hope your mum will like me." She started fidgeting in her seat, as she always did when she was nervous. Perhaps she should tell him about Phuket now? Or wait until they reached the airport. He can't yell at her in front of his mother. Hah. She decided to do just that. But first, she should prepare him. "So, mum and dad are having such a fantastic time traveling. I'm so jealous. I really want to go on a trip too, get a change of scenery." She glanced at him to see his reaction


The fun continued through this section. First she throws me a phone call from an unknown caller, then we finish with both of our characters planning secret trips. Communication, it's the key to any good relationship. If you learn one thing from our story, make sure it's that.


I had also planned on making having both families at the restaurant that evening, lovely isn't it? But apparently Badriyyah didn't want a part of that, and placed one family on another continent. It would have probably become pretty messy though, having that many characters to keep track of.

We still have plenty more of the project to share with you. There are plenty more twists and turns yet to come. As I said, be sure to check out Badriyyah's blog as well. It's a chance for you to hear both side of the story, and see how innocent I was the whole time she was frustrating me with little tests =p

Sweet'n'Elite

I would also like to take this chance to say that everyone's favourite person was mentioned in Patti Ann's blog here. If you haven't checked out her blog yet (I'm all plugs this evening- but she did call me sweet, so she earned a plug) have a look. It is the most creative layout I have seen, and the entries are always entertaining. (See how sweet I am? Even after she calls me an elitist. But because she called herself an elitist apparently that makes it okay to call me one as well. The thing I think really makes it okay however is that I am an elitist.)

She also gave me a few further ideas for my list, like "I don't dance, but that doesn't mean you can't. You go, have fun, and I'll wait in the car. You'll be gone what?.. Ten minutes?"

I shall call him...

Remember a few months ago when some psychopath showed up and posted a few entries on my blog? Sure you do, he posted here and here.

These entries are obviously the work of a deranged individual. A real sociopath. And emptiness that dwells within me.

I call him Matt. Matt Cangson. Yes Thrice like you have Ace, Anto and Antonella and Random Hiccups like you have Bertha, I have Matt.

Matt is evil. Matt destroys anyone and anything around him. I'm no shrink but I'm pretty sure Matt has Dissocial Personality Disorder. And that's not all Matt has. Matt has a Facebook. I'm pretty sure that makes him a person in his own right, and me not responsible for his actions.

And I'm glad I'm no longer responsible for his actions. I have a feeling he'll be back soon though. Last night he was screaming, but I was able to control it. Tonight, I hear him whispering, and that's when he's his most dangerous.

Twenty steps to a working relationship

As some of you may now by now, myself and yourstruly100 (whose blog you can read here) share a similar point of view on the concept of love. Sometimes, I'm reading her blog, and I think "I could have written that myself.. if I could write that good.. either way, I was certainly thinking that"

When the first post I read of hers (which is here) contained this quote

"1. If you say everyday you like a guy. Eventually you will be in love with him!
[ yep! I don't believe in love! And maybe that's the reason I never feel it!]"

I knew I would enjoy hanging out at her blog.

And so, when she did her list of 20 things her ideal guy would need (which is here), I thought I might as well copy, because I've been struggling for ideas lately, and do the 20 rules of any relationship I would stand a chance in.

1. the most important of all, must understand my incredible introversion. If I'm quiet, I'm reflecting, it's what I need to do to recharge so that I can be social at another point in time. If I'd rather stay in and read a book on a Saturday night than hang out with you and your friends, it's the introversion... honest...
2. intelligence is important. I like to be challenged.
3. must enjoy my music. Not only that, must be aware that Maynard James Keenan is a brilliant man, and should know and understand each and every one of his lyrics.
4. Sometimes I will set myself a challenge which will definately be more important than anything you're doing, and so I will be unavailable until that challenge has been completed. Sometimes, that challenge might be something like watching the entire series 2 of Dexter back to back over one day.
5. If I fall asleep whilst watching Test cricket, I am not to be woken up and the channel is not to be changed. Test Cricket is supposed to be watched like that.
6. must understand all of my jokes, even if you don't think they're funny. I will not explain them to you.
7. Not only that, I may be a vastly different person from one day to the next. One day I may be affectionate, the next I may be distant. You will respect and be ready for whichever mood I take (I think this is the same rule cats live by).
8. On that subject, I am not a cat person. There will be no cats.
9. I will not argue with you. That doesn't mean you win every argument, it just means I didn't think what we were arguing about was important.
10. Here comes my favourite phrase again.. I do not like irrational social rituals. This means Valentines day and New Years eve and my birthday will not be celebrated by me (except for perhaps the having of "brinner"). If you're good, we might celebrate your birthday.
11. My family is important to me and I will always take thier side. I am sick of a lot of my "friends" though, so if you could get rid of them I would be grateful (and we would celebrate your next three birthdays)
12. I will not be available to do anything during Bathurst weekend.
13. whilst I don't display emotion myself, I think they good things. They allow me to know what you're thinking, and they fascinate me
14. Not a rule, but older is usually better. I tend to get along better with older girls (there are certainly a few exceptions. You know who you are. Let's just make it easy, if you're a female who is younger than me and you're currently a follower of this blog, you are one of the exceptions)
15. If you want to do something, do it. If you feel I need to be informed, inform me. You don't need to ask for my approval (especially if me saying "No" would lead to me being yelled at)
16. I will worry about the future. I will not always share these worries with you. Don't be concerned.
17. I do not like the beach, or anywhere outdoors really. Or anywhere that there's people.
18. if you're upset, I won't be able to offer you advice to help you through the situation. The best I can offer you bad jokes.
19. I do not trust excitement and I do not know how to deal with over the top happiness.
20. Sex is messy. I would only be in a relationship for the companionship. Maybe I should just get a rabbit.

There you have it. Possibly an explanation for why I'm single. With some of them, I did go over the top (I tried to build some humor into it). But amongst it all I think the 20 points are there. It's like, there's a 20 piece jigsaw puzzle and I just gave you 50 pieces, you have to work out what's important and put it together.

Unfortunately, as I was writing the points, I was thinking of a girl I knew who probably would have been able to live with most of them. She's gone now. Fuck.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me. Remember pets, if there is anything you want to ask email askscoman@gmail.com before post 50 (this was 41). So far, I have been asked about 15 questions, so I may need to spill the answers over a few posts (or you might need to block out a weekend to read them.)

"But I like kids. I could never have them, since the idea of sex is no idea at all. Imagine doing those things- How can you? Where's your sense of dignity?"
"Darkly Dreaming Dexter"- Jeff Lindsay

You've got some catching up to do (The Project Part II)

This is part two of a tandem blog written by myself and Badriyyah. You can read the first part here.



Because we left you waiting so long for the first part of our project, we decided to give you another dose almost straight away.



Before I give you any comments or thoughts, have a read.



He smiled. She looked at him in that way that let him know she knew he was up to something. "It's a good thing you're sitting beside a former boy scout," he said "because they always taught me to be prepared." He enjoyed playing with her. She was so cute when she knew she was being played with. He motioned towards the glove compartment and she opened it. He knew she wouldn't have had time for breakfast, so he'd made her a sandwhich before he left. She smiled and he melted.



It was her favourite sandwich too, roast turkey on rye with mayonnaise and black olives. She hated green olives for some unknown reason. She was just about the bite into it when the car in front of them braked suddenly, causing him to brake suddenly as well. She cried out as the sandwich flew out of her hand and watched as the olives fell on her shoes. He started cursing the driver of the car. She started picking up the sandwich from her shoes and dress.



He looked at her dress. "Don't worry, it's fine" he said. He wondered why traffic had stopped ahead. Perhaps there'd be an accident. He certainly hadn't been expecting it. The squeal of brakes behind him woke him from his thoughts and he checked his mirror, just as the car behind slammed into the back of them. The impact shook the car violently, causing her to drop what she had recovered of her sandwich. He couldn't believe their bad luck.



She gasped loudly and turned to look behind. Traffic was at a complete standstill. The driver behind started honking at them, which made her seriously angry. First, she had turkey flung all over her dress and now the jerk behind them was honking at them when it wasn't their fault. That was it. She wound down the window and started yelling at the driver. He replied by honking again. She nearly jumped out of the car to go punch the guy.



While she was yelling at the other driver, he got out of the car to check the damage. The car still looked driveable, but there was a bit of damage to the bodywork at the back end. The other driver was still honking and yelling at her. He normally was not a violent man, but today he was being pushed to his limits. He took ten deep breaths, and walked towards the other car. As calmly as he could, he walked over to the other car to try and get the other drivers insurance information.



Meanwhile, she realised how silly she was acting and popped her head back in the car to pick up the sandwich. Her stomach was rumbling loudly now, from the effort she had spent yelling at the jerk. She tossed the remainder of the poor sandwich out the window and took out some wet wipes to try to get the grease out of her dress. At the rate they were going, they might not reach the airport. His mobile started ringing and she glanced at the incoming number. It was a private number. She looked behind and saw that he was still exchanging information with the other driver, who saw her looking and glared at her. She gave him the finger and smiled sweetly. The phone was still ringing. Should she answer? But she hated answering other people's calls. It felt like an invasion of privacy to her.



He couldn't see what she was doing now, but he just knew she'd upset the other driver because the guy started yelling and screaming at the car again. He gave the guy a shove and said "Leave her out of this. Let's just get this sorted before the traffic starts moving again" The guy shoved him back. He threw his hands up in surrender. He was already likely to be turning up late, his date with food all over her dress and with damage to the back of his car. The last thing he needed was a black eye and a bleeding lip on top of all that. "You're even more of a bitch than she is" the guy said. Today that was all the provocation he needed. He threw the first punch he'd thrown since he used to fight with his brothers as a child.



The phone had stopped ringing. She heard loud voices coming from outside and turned to look. The phone started ringing again, but she ignored it. She stared at the scene outside in disbelief before jumping out of the car and running towards the two men. By the time she reached them, the other driver had a split lip and a bruise was forming on his cheek. Luckily, her guy was unharmed. She pulled on his arm and urged him to get back in the car with her. The other driver started cursing at her, which didn't bode well with her. She kicked him in the stomach, which shut him up. It was her guy's turn to pull on her arm and coax her back into their car. Traffic was beginning to move as well by now.



We started to get a little bit braver here I think. The feeling out stage ended and it became a case of "The story won't progress unless we make it happen"



This is where I think the tandem blogging aspect started to show itself. We never knew what to expect when the other one took control of the story for their input, although and I always eagerly awaited Badriyyah's emails to see where our characters were heading next.

Just a reminder, you can read Badriyyah's blog, "Life, through my eyes..." here

Further comments on the first post

Here's a few further comments from each of us on starting out on the project.



She said:

Well, he wrote the first paragraph. I thought we were going to a wedding or a graduation, since it sounded like a really big event. That's why I decided to put her in a dress.At this point, we were both going in blind. I had no idea where this story would take us, and in fact still don't. Curve balls keep popping up. =DThen I found out we were actually meeting his mother and picking her up at the airport.But as ScoMan said in his post, we were still feeling out each other. It's good fun, though, not knowing which direction we were going. A cyber adventure.





He said:

I wrote the first paragraph thinking "Right, he's all dressed up nice and ready to go out, I don't know where he's going, hopefully Badriyyah decides that with her bit" Well, she thought I had something in mind, but I didn't, so I decided to think of something as unexpected as I could. Something where there was the potential for excitement and a few laughs along the way (you don't think meeting a mother is exciting? You haven't met my mother)I have really been enjoying working on this with Badriyyah. It is hard to plan ahead at all, because you don't know what is going to happen in the next paragraph. And time after time, she leaves me with a challenge to answer.