The Nerdy Nook

The City of Mirrors

There’s just one vampire left: Fanning.

Amy and her friends may have defeated have defeated Eleven of the Twelve, with the help of Brad Wolgast, but Zero, the vampire who also goes by the name Tim Fanning, is still out there.

The Twelve

Amy and her friends are busy trying to destroy the remaining Twelve–the vampires who were death row inmates, who were supposed to be soldier’s for the military–an experiment that went horribly wrong.

My current knitting project that I’ve taken up is knitting an Afghan. I’m using the moss stitch, which is where you knit one, then purl one for two rows before switching to purl one, knit one for the next two rows.

It’s been a long time since I’ve tried following an actual pattern, but so far, I’m loving it! I enjoy reading/listening to music or my audiobook while working on my Afghan.

I have almost finished the first of four skeins of yarn. I love watching my Afghan take shape. I’m very proud of myself!

The Passage

Thirty-two minutes.

All it took was thirty-two minutes for one world to die, and for another to be born.

blank page

white screen,
blinking cursor.

white dotted line,
hovering pen.

one letter after the other,
one syllable follows another,
rhyming isn’t my rhythm
I tend to clap on the off-beat
I prefer the feat of clever rhyming,
clapping in-between the beat.

it’s unexpected,
tripping up the stairs,
like tripping over your own words,
but you reorganize your sentences,
you put your pen to paper,
your fingers to the keyboard,
you pick yourself back up again

one letter after the other.

M.B.B.
11/15/19

The Loss of Innocence: How Tone Changes in Puella Magi Modoka Magica

I’ve watched Modoka Magica a few times, and I feel that there are two important things that can be gleaned from re-watching this anime: 1) the deception of innocence that these young girl’s possess and 2) the loss of innocence that these young girls experience.

shushing snow

shushing snow flutters through the aspens,
tiny as pinpricks,
light as feathers of blue jays,
thick as a cloud of mist
heavy as a boulder on the mountaintop

white as the ivory keys on the klavier
white as the incisor in the dirt,
covering the earth like a wooly blanket,
stark against the darkness coming on,
the darkness rolling through the blue-black sky
like a horse-drawn chariot

M.B.B.
11/7/19

german to english translation
klavier: piano

Brendan Wolf

So you’ll become like your hero, Alexander Supertramp, I think, closing Brendan Wolf.

#brendanwolf

Just finished reading this lovely book by Brian Malloy, and now I’m kinda bummed about it. I’ll miss Brendan & his interesting life.

My 6 Favorite Rammstein Songs

I’ve recently become engrossed in the music of Rammstein, a German metal band. I love the lead singer’s voice, love how he rolls his R’s, and how the lyrics of their songs aren’t too hard to learn. I love catching how the lines to songs sound like they rhyme, which is fun. As someone who is German and English heritage-wise, it’s fun to hear German being spoken and sung.

The Perfection

I watched this film on Halloween night. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how good it was, considering I knew nothing of the actual plot.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) and Charlotte are both prodigies of an elite music school, one where young girls are trained to become amazing musicians. When they meet in Shanghai, Charlotte gushes over Lizzie, and Lizzie tells her to not be so nervous. They are both each other’s idols. Fueled by a mutual attraction, they end up in bed. Lizzie explains she’s going away on a trip, because she has time off for the first time in forever. Charlotte agrees. The next morning bodes ill for Lizzie: she has a hangover, and is in desperate need of ibuprofen. Charlotte gives her some, and they continue their whirlwind journey.

Time Capsule: The Mystery of Dog Love

Hello, dear readers!

Whenever I come home from work, Bogan and Bentley–my long-haired standard Dachshund and my golden retriever–rush me. Bentley will snatch up her pink piggy stuffy (without the stuffing) and vigorously wag her tail. If she’s really glad I’m home, she might even jump on me, gleeful that I have returned from my place where I sit in my metal car. Because Boggie is older than Bentley, and less hyper these days, he’ll be the caboose in my greeting party. Still, his brown and black tail whips back and forth, as delicate as any banner fluttering in the wind.

Thank You, Thank You!

Hello, dear reader!

I just want to thank you for reading my blog. (I’ve been blogging since college my senior year at the University of Minnesota, Morris.) I’ve loved creating this new blog, a place where I can be myself, and share my passions with others.

Thank you for reading and following Nerdshelf Life! It really means a lot to me.

Sincerely,

Meghan B.

Leben Blut (Life Blood)

Little stream,
so small,
so swollen with Gatorade-blue liquid
full to the brim of the bank
with fresh life blood.

Wasser,
you give us life
in clear cold droplets
of your blood

Little stream,
you are life blood for the scrawny brown doe,
life blood for the woman
and her tiny child only knee-high
with a ribbon of blue in her dark hair.

Wasser,
you are
life blood for the thirsty pine and birch trees
for the tawny birds, fluttering their wings in your cool bath

Wasser,
you are
richer than gold’s coveted glint,
more precious than any blood diamond
more coveted than the green dollar bills in my wallet.

Wasser fur alle:
this is my hope
flickering like a candle
in a gusting autumnal wind.

M.B.B.
10/29/19

photo credit: shutterstock images

translations

leben blut: life blood
wasser: water
wasser fur alle: water for all

Note: I’m trying my hand at using what German I’m learning from songs in poems. Let me know if my German words are incorrect! (I used the power of Google to write out my German phrases.)