Post by amber on Nov 4, 2011 18:05:44 GMT -5
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LWSqSNpIToc/TYZTxT60WjI/AAAAAAAAAUg/kX0kRj5ZB6k/BlackWood.jpg); width: 437px; padding-top: 30; padding-bottom: 30;] THE ELIZABETH JANE ALEXANDER EDITION  SIXTY-TWO , GUIDANCE COUNSELOR/CAREER COACH , MERYL STREEP "HELLO THERE. I'M SO GLAD YOU MADE IT HERE TODAY, BUT I'VE SEEM TO FORGOTTEN WHAT YOUR NAME WAS, IT WAS PAT... OR SOMETHING, RIGHT? NO, WELL, WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME IT THEN? FIRST, MIDDLE AND LAST, PLEASE. OH, AND PLEASE DO TELL ME ANY SCRUMPTIOUS NICKNAMES." Do what? Who told you my name was Pat? [Chuckles] Actually, it’s Ellie. Well, Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Ellie. Actually, not everyone. Some people call me El or Beth or Lizzie… or Mrs. A. I’ve even been called ‘Hey, you!’ before and I answered to it. And I’m not even gonna tell you what my husband calls me. [Giggles] Anyway, my whole name is Elizabe—hey, did you notice that there’s a spider crawling around on the ceiling? Oh, don’t kill it! It’s not going to hurt you, I promise. It’s just a little spider. They eat bugs…like flies and stuff. What? Oh, right! I was telling you my name. It’s Elizabeth Jane Alexander. But nobody ever calls me Elizabeth… except for my mom when she was alive, but even she called me Ellie most of the time. Oh! My great-grandma—she called me Elizabeth. And I think my granddaddy did, too, because he said it was a lady’s name. [Shrugs] Oh well. Times have changed…and there’s no such thing as “ladies” anymore. "I HAVE TO SAY, THAT'S QUITE A NAME YOU GOT THERE. I DON'T THINK I'VE HEARD IT BEFORE. TELL ME, HAVE YOU ALWAYS LIVED IN PORTLAND OR HAVE YOU COME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE?" Actually, I’m from New Jersey. You probably couldn’t tell ‘cause I don’t talk like most of them. If I told you my little town’s name, you wouldn’t know where the hell it is. So, I won’t bother. I went to college in Connecticut—Yale—then moved to New York. That’s where I met my husband. We stayed in New York for a while, and I went back to school—Vassar. That’s when we moved to some rinky-dink part of California because my husband got a job there, but…we’re not going to talk about that because it was a horrible experience. We were only there about a year or two before we finally moved to Portland. [Shrugs] "OH, I DIDN'T MEAN TO MAKE YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE. HERE, LET'S LIGHTEN UP THE TOPIC A LITTLE BIT. OUT OF ALL OF THE WORDS IN THE WORLD, WHICH FIVE DESCRIBE YOU BEST AND WHY?" Uncomfortable? Do I look uncomfortable to you? [Chuckles] Actually, I’m doing pretty damn good. Or at least I was until you asked me to talk about myself. Seriously? You want me to tell you about myself? Well, fine. Okay then… I guess I’ll start by saying that I’m really absentminded. I mean, you ask me a question or tell me something, and I’m off in my own little world. I do it a lot when I’m talking to people, and especially when there’s students in my office. Sometimes they have to, like, snap their fingers or call my name a million times. Part of the reason I’m so absentminded is because I’m disorganized. I can’t keep anything in order, least of all my thoughts. My office is a pretty good indicator of my disorganization, but my house takes the cake. I mean, my house isn’t messy, but it’s very lived-in and homey. Nothing really has its own specific spot on a shelf or in a cabinet—just wherever you can put it. I haven’t taken time to clean the Kool-Aid stains out of the carpet from when my granddaughter spilled her sippy cup. I think the cleanest bedroom in the entire house is mine and my husband’s bedroom, but only because he makes sure it stays clean and picks up the dirty clothes I throw on the floor. I’m such a horrible housekeeper. Disorganization of my thoughts makes me talk a lot—I’m very talkative and I talk fast. I’m sure people just want me to shut up once in a while, and I can’t. I just keep going, and going and going. Kinda like the Energizer bunny. [Giggles] If I start talking too much, just tell me to stop. I’m usually pretty good about stopping. Or maybe not. I don’t know. Oh, and I’m random. One minute I’m talking about my daughter and the next I’m talking about what happened seven years ago in Vegas. No, I haven’t been to Vegas; that was just an example. Hmmm, let’s see…what else? Oh! A lot of people like me. I’m just a likable person, I guess. [Grins proudly] I taught for a while before I became a counselor, and my students loved me. But then again, I was teaching a drama or music class and didn’t give a shit about what they did. As long as they looked like they were working. I mean, I’m not a slacker and it’s not like I don’t pay attention; I just don’t want the students to get bored and stop caring. I think that it’s important for kids to be interested in the arts, and that’s why I went into teaching the arts. I taught drama for a while and music for a while, but then I realized that I’d probably be a better counselor than a teacher, especially with my kids. I didn’t want them to be raised by a sitter or just by their dad or something. I guess you can say I’m devoted. I’m a devoted wife, a devoted mother, a devoted educator, a devoted counselor. I think that that devotion is what makes me successful. I mean, no, I’m not rich, but that’s not the type of success I’m talking about. When I think of success, I think of the working relationships in my life—all the friendships and all the love. I might not have money, but I’m rich in that sense. I have a wonderful family, a job that I love…Who could ask for more? People call me crazy sometimes, and sometimes they use words like eccentric, unorthodox or “out there”. I’m not gonna deny it—because I am all of those things! Just ask my kids and the students. I like to think of myself as a good-natured person. I’m outgoing and friendly, and I don’t give a damn about what other people think—“my give-a-damn’s busted!” [Laughs] Anyway, sorry. I’ll let you talk now. [Chuckles] "I'M NOT GOING TO LIE. YOU SEEM LIKE QUITE THE CATCH. I'M SURE YOU'RE ALWAYS BUSY, HUH? DO YOU LIKE WATCHING TELEVISION OR KNITTING? WHY DON'T YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?" I do like knitting, actually. I’m not very good at it, but I try. I’ve made a few scarves and…a really bad hat. My kids and grandkids have asked me not to make them anything. [Laughs] Other than knitting, I really enjoy just lounging around. Actually, I knit when I lounge around… I’m such a lazy person sometimes, and I hate waking up early, so… if I can stay in bed all day, I will. Having the hubby’s company makes things better, but...I can never get him to stay in bed all day. [Winks] I’m gonna tell you something and you can’t judge me, okay? Alright, well, I really like making love. Young people think it’s gross, but what’s the problem if you’re healthy enough to keep at it, huh? [Giggles] But yeah, I do stay busy all the time. Between work and home, I never have a minute to myself, not that I mind. I hate not having anything to do, so I make sure there’s never a free moment in my schedule. So I’m always busy running around town, taking the grandbabies to soccer practice or dance recitals. It’s tiring sometimes, but…I wouldn’t change it for anything. I love my life. What are some of my strengths and weaknesses? Oh. Hm. You’re really making me think. Well, I think I touched on some of these before—absentminded, disorganized, talkative, devoted, friendly… The list goes on, I’m sure, but those are a few. I think my biggest strength and weakness is my modesty. I don’t mean in the sense that I dress modestly, although I usually do, but in the sense that I underestimate myself and take compliments too loosely. And I guess that my major, major, major weakness is my tendency to not give myself enough credit. Surprisingly, it was hard to admit that because I’ve never thought about it, but… [Shrugs] I’m just being honest. Because I’m an honest person. "YOU SOUND PRETTY FEARLESS, BUT THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING YOU'RE AFRAID OF. ANY JUICY SECRETS?" I’ve never taken an elevator in my life because I’m scared I’ll get stuck in one. And I refuse to fly because I’m scared of heights. As for a secret? I don’t know. That’s a hard one. I don’t really keep things to myself. I know that seems unreal, but I talk about anything and everything. Hell, I talk about my sex life and what it’s like to have menopause. What should be more secret than that? "DON'T TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY, BUT ARE YOU GAY? I MEAN, IT WASN'T SOMETHING YOU SAID OR ANYTHING. I'M JUST A CURIOUS OLD BADGER. UM. WHAT DO YOU FIND ATTRACTIVE? IS THAT BETTER? I GUESS YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO." What?! Oh, honey, I am far from being a lesbian. I mean, I’m not gonna lie, I’ve had a few lesbian encounters—back in college—but I love men. I love the male genitals, hands down. And I’m married. My husband has dark brown hair, blue eyes. Nothing really special about him, just sweet. He’s really quiet and to himself, completely opposite of me, but that’s why I fell in love with him. It lets me be the dominant one in bed, but he has taken control a few times. [Chuckles] Anyway, maybe you should ask your next question, because I can go on about my husband and our sex life if you let me… "ALRIGHT, ENOUGH WITH THE HEAVY STUFF. LET'S TALK ABOUT... MUSIC. I THINK YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT POP OR HIP HOP EARLIER. WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LIKE? RAP, COUNTRY, JAZZ? WHAT ARE YOUR TOP FIVE MOST PLAYED SONGS ON ITUNES?" My boys all pitched in and got me an iPod last year for Christmas. It holds like… 160 gigs worth of songs, but I definitely don’t have anywhere near that many. Most of the music I have is classical, just instruments playing, but I do have some opera, mostly in Italian. I also have a few French songs here, a few Spanish songs there. I don’t play them all a lot either, only when I’m running or in the park with the dog. I don’t keep up with a lot of music trends—probably a bad thing since I used to be a music teacher. But in all fairness, I taught piano and choir, so… [Shrugs] "LISTENING TO MUSIC LIKE THAT? YOU'RE SURE TO BE A STAR IN THE NEAR FUTURE. YOU SEEM LIKE A WELL-ROUNDED YOUNG PERSON, MY DEAR. WHERE DO YOU FIND YOURSELF TO BE IN FIVE YEARS FROM NOW?" Five years from now? I’ll be sixty-seven and hopefully still alive. I don’t see myself going anywhere anytime soon, but you never know… "IF IT MEANS ANYTHING, I'LL BE ROOTING FOR YOU WHEN THE TIME COMES. I'M SURE YOUR PARENTS WILL TOO. SPEAKING OF YOUR PARENTS, WHY DON'T YOU TELL US THEIR NAMES AND WHAT YOU THINK OF THEM! DO YOU HAVE ANY SIBLINGS, PETS, OTHER RELATIVES?" My mother died in 2001; her name was Margaret. She was a lot like me, so I grew up around a very optimistic, outgoing person, and she impacted my life greatly. She was an artist-turned-housewife, but she kept a studio out back even after she had me and my brothers. My father died in 2004; his name was Henry. He worked as a pharmaceutical executive. We didn’t see him a lot since he was busy working, but… He had an influence in my life. I have two younger brothers—Dana and Oliver. They’re both married with kids of their own. They live in New Jersey still. I got married to the most wonderful man, Donald, in 1974—thirty-seven years ago. People ask us how we’ve kept the love alive, but it has to do the fact that our relationship is based on friendship. My husband and I have five children, five boys. They’re 35, 32, 28, 23 and 17. They’ve keep me on my feet for the past thirty-five years, but now they’re all growing up. Once the youngest leaves, I’ll have any empty house. Just me and my husband. "OH, I SEE. WELL, WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. WHY DON'T WE WRAP THIS UP WITH YOUR STORY? HOW DID YOU END UP IN PORTLAND, OREGON?" I already told you that I was born in New Jersey. I had a pretty average childhood, and it was boring as hell. All the good stuff starts in high school. I was pretty popular. I was part of the SGA for my class every year; I held the vice president, treasurer and secretary spots. I was also a cheerleader, in the school choir, helped with the school newspaper, was the morning announcer, participated on swim team, played intramural sports, won Homecoming Queen, and graduated as salutatorian—not all at the same time, of course. I would probably list more things, but… I won’t. Anyway, I graduated from high school and went to Yale in Connecticut. Yes, the Yale. I got a degree in Drama and another in Music; it took about five years. I also got a teaching license while I was there. Then I moved to New York and tried to make it to Broadway, but that didn’t happen. I was in a few plays here and there, but I never got that far. Then I met my husband, and we married six months after we’d met. It was my idea. I went back to school and got a full-blown degree in education and a minor in psychology. We stayed in New York for a while, before going to California after he got a job offer. By that time, we had three kids. We weren’t in California for very long before we found a house here in Portland, and this is where we’ve been for the past twenty-twoish years. I’ve been working at the high school since we move to Portland. I was the drama teacher for a while, but then I decided to take the counseling position when the previous counselor left. So I’ve been the counselor for about seventeen years now. ROLEPLAY EXAMPLE [[ This sample post was taken from another site and is probably a year or two old. My posts generally range from 500-1500 words on average, depending on my RP partner, the topic of the thread, my mood, etc. ]] A place of solace was what she needed, so a place of solace she would find. Carolyn Porter had never been a spontaneous adventurer, but she was smart enough to find her way around the castle, even in the dark. She had her wand poised in front of her with a light protruding from its tip; it was the light to guide her in the darkness. The spell was simple, no more than ‘lumos,’ which all students were taught during their first year at Hogwarts. Personally, the History of Magic never understood the point of teaching students how to project light from the tips of their wands; it only gave them a reason to venture around the castle when the professors were supposedly in bed. The professor had caught many students out of bed during her patrols, all of which had been given a detention in hopes that they would not do it again. But alas, students were curious, rebellious and disobedient, which meant that she would only continue giving detentions. If not to be rebellious, the students would venture out just to spite her. The kids nowadays were like that. If they hated someone enough, they would conspire against him or her. Unfortunately, the Ravenclaw Head was one of those professors that the students hated the most, simply because she was rigid in her way of teaching and in her way of disciplining. If they got to know her—but wait, Carolyn Porter did not want to be known; she barely wanted to be seen. Good thing she had an Invisibility Cloak to—wait, that was James Potter. The professor had been on the seventh floor of the castle numerous times—to talk to the deputy headmistress, doing her rounds, finding the Room of Requirement. Of course, no one knew that she came to the seventh floor in search of the Come-and-Go room, or at least, she hoped no one knew. It was one of Carolyn’s greatest secrets now that she was in Hogwarts. She had stumbled upon it during her third year as a professor at Hogwarts. She was doing her evening rounds one evening when, suddenly, out of nowhere, a door appeared on the wall. Naturally, Carolyn was curious, being a Ravenclaw alumni and all-around knowledge-seeker. She had pressed the door open, only to discover that the inside held everything she had been thinking about. She couldn’t remember now what was on her mind that made the door appear that night, but she had discreetly asked Dumbledore about it in his office the next morning. He had explained that the room came and went as it pleased and could be found by someone in need of something. He then explained to her the process by which the door had to be found, which happened to be by walking along that particular way three times. Only then would the door appear. Since then, Carolyn had taken occasional, very secret trips to the Room of Requirement for various reasons. Tonight, her reason was simple: She just wanted someplace quiet, other than her office and living quarters, to think. By this time, the castle was eerily quiet and almost frightening to walk around, but she braved the darkened corridors and walked from the first floor, in stilettos, to the seventh floor, where she would find the very special room in which she held some very personal, very private meetings with herself and a Grand piano. After reaching the seventh floor, Mrs. Porter stopped in the middle of the corridor and looked around. Even though she knew no one had followed her, she still felt the need to look around to make sure she was not being watched. The truth was, she was always being watched. The walls at Hogwarts had eyes and ears, and nothing was ever truly safe from being overheard. She cleared her throat quietly (to make sure it didn’t echo) and then looked at the wall where the door to the Room of Requirement was usually found. She inhaled deeply and began pacing, concentrating hard on what she wanted. Soon the door appeared, and she glanced over her shoulder one last time and stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind her. The doorway disappeared from the outside, but the inside remained intact. Carolyn flicked her wand, and the light went out. The room did not grow dark; candles were lit all around the room. When the woman looked around, she realized that the most illuminated place in the room was around the piano. She approached the piano slowly and ran her hands gently over the top, which was down. She gently lifted it and propped it up so the inside of the piano was exposed. She looked at it with admiration, her eyes slightly widened, before lowering herself onto the piano bench. She pressed down gently on the pedals to make sure they worked and then lifted the key cover so she could see all the piano keys. Her slender fingers ran gently over the length of the piano keys, but she did not press them down. She was just admiring their beauty. After only a few minutes, Carolyn resituated herself on the piano bench and straightened her back. She placed her fingers on a small selection of keys and played a small warm-up exercise. The piano’s sound carried from one side of the room to the other before finally dying out. A small smile appeared on her face, although it seemed almost out of character for her to do something as ordinary as smile. She replaced her hands and began playing a gentle tune, possibly something by Mozart or Beethoven or Tchaikovsky. The truth was that Carolyn had learned to play piano before she started school at Hogwarts and so she was not entirely familiar with the famous composers or their music. She just played songs given to her by her teachers and perfected them with every bit of ease. Now she played them when she could remember them, if she could remember them. She didn’t have a piano at home, so the only time she could play was when she was at Hogwarts. Even then, her chances of playing the piano were slim. She sighed quietly, and the song changed from something somewhat upbeat to something slow—and somewhat familiar. Slowly, the sound of “Brahms’ Lullaby” filled the air. It was a common lullaby sung by many mothers to their children when trying to lull them to sleep, but Carolyn had never been given the opportunity. The only chance she had been given to do such a thing was a failed pregnancy about twenty-five years ago. It was actually in the back of her mind, the child she could have had, but the lullaby was being played at the tips of her fingers. It was like some magic force that was causing her to play. For all she knew, it could have been some form of magic in the room. Could the Room of Requirement do such a thing to a person? She removed her fingers from the piano keys and placed her hands on her lap. She looked down. A set of mismatch rings circled the ring finger of her left hand. She twisted them gently and had a sudden sense of longing. She swallowed and cleared her throat. Without a warning, the door opened behind her. She stood quickly to her feet and moved away from the piano in fear that it was someone she had no interest in talking to. When the person stepped inside, the candlelight reflected off a long mass of silver hair, much like her own, and a pair of half-moon spectacles. She sighed in both annoyance and relief. Why did this have to happen to her, tonight of all nights? She was really in no mood to talk to anyone, especially not Albus Dumbledore. “Headmaster,” she said in her usual cool tone of voice. Her eyes looked at him through the dim light in the room. He was so much taller than she was even when she wore her heeled shoes. She glanced over her shoulder at the piano and then looked at the headmaster with her set of deep blue eyes. She had a feeling that they were about to have one of Dumbledore’s forced heart-to-heart conversations, but she desperately hoped that he would spare her, just this once. But the other part of her hoped he would talk to her, ask her some questions, maybe force her to talk (in his way, of course). She sighed. “I was just…” She stopped in mid-sentence and shrugged her shoulders, which was something she did not usually do. She hated when people shrugged their shoulders and always told herself she never would, but there she stood, shrugging her shoulders. AMBER, SIX YEARS, ADVERTISEMENT, ADMIN EDIT |
