Lacing Up the Ol' Traveling Shoes

This weekend begins my travels. Please excuse me while I run down the street screaming and then vomit in excitement. 

*Moments pass*

Okay, that's all taken care of. 

So, I'm heading out. Which sadly means that my presence here is going to be limited. Particularly for the rest of this month, seeing as my internet access is going to be spotty. Well, that and I'm going to be real busy trying to befriend a whole passel of kangaroos. I'm assuming they run in passels, cause why not? If I was a kangaroo, I'd run in a passel. 

Then there's all the reading that needs to be done. I just downloaded a bunch of books. Had to wait until the week that I was leaving, because, let's face it. Had I gotten them any earlier, I would have read them already, thus defeating their purpose of being travel reading and illustrating my utter lack of will power. 

I'll be posting a bit more frequently during the rest of the summer, but I'll really be getting back to normal in the fall. 

Hope that all your summers are completely awesome and I look forward to catching up with all of you in June!

A Reflection, From A to Z

A very happy May 1 to you all! The new month is upon us, hopefully bringing flowers, sunshine and more consistent warm weather. This also means that I have survived my first A to Z Challenge.

* Cut to me running down the street high fiving confused passers-by.*

For anyone who came across it this month and is considering it for next year, I offer my highest recommendation.

First off, it's a great writing challenge. Coming up with something to say on every letter of the alphabet isn't always a walk in the park. Thank goodness for blankets and Scooby Doo or "Q" and "Z" would just be pictures of me scratching my head. Possibly with the letters written on my forehead...but still.

Secondly, I now have a whole slew of new blogs to follow. To all the folks who I've met through this, it's been a pleasure and I'm really looking forward to following all of you in the future.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm about to fall back into my alphabetically-blogging-induced coma.

See you all on the other side!

Zoinks!

Yesterday, I discussed my happy exclamation. Well, every once in awhile I also find myself in need of a less-than-thrilled turn of phrase and the run-of-the-mill interjections just don't cut it. When such situations arise, I am extremely grateful to be able to fall back on the stunning phraseology of Norville Rogers, known to his many friends as Shaggy.

Zoinks.

The first time I ever heard Shaggy utter the word, I laughed because it was so silly. And also because I was about five years old and it didn’t take much to prompt giggles.

I mean, it was just ridiculous.

Zoinks.

And then one day I found myself a little bit scared and I said it. Zoinks. I started laughing again at the silliness and some of the anxiety faded away.

So, I’m here today to recommend the phrase to you. The next time you’re feeling a wee bit scared, just give it a go. (Particularly if you find yourself being chased by a suit of armor come to life, haunted by a ghost hunting for gold, thwarted by an apeman who doesn’t like movies, or beleaguered by a counterfeiting puppet master.) I’m pretty confident you won’t be disappointed.

Zoinks.

Works every time.

I might have been a lot more anxious….if it wasn’t for those meddling kids.

Yodeling

Do you remember how when Peter Pan was really pleased, he just had to crow? He just had too much excitement in him to express with words. Crowing like a rooster was just more appropriate.

I get how he feels. Except I'm not big on the crowing. I favor the yodel.

You see, when was a kid, the extended family used to sometimes get together at my grandma's house. She was one of eleven, so those barbeques were pretty well attended.

I've been told that I once ran up to the porch, saw all those lovely white-haired ladies and stopped dead in my tracks. My five-year-old brain was apparently a little overwhelmed by the sight and I had to ask those around me, "Which one is grandma?"

So, I may not have always been able to tell one person from another right away, but there was one thing that I consistently expected.

As my great aunt Peggy would drive away from the curb outside my grandma's, beginning her trek back to New Jersey, she would roll down her car window and yodel.

Every single time.

The window would roll down and yodeling would begin. It was her way of saying, "Had a phenomenal time! I'll miss you!," when words just wouldn't cut it.

We'd run after the car, waving and yodeling back. Because what else do you do when someone yodels to you, but yodel back? Trust me, you hear a sound like that and it's almost impossible not to respond in kind.

Now it's hardwired into me. I hear yodeling and I feel happy. Simple cause and effect.

So, what's your happy cry?

X Marks the Spot

Around this time two years ago, the Roomie and I were down in Florida for the express purposes of going to the Harry Potter theme park. It was awesome….but that’s not really what this post was about. Nay.

You see, our hotel was about a mile from the park, so we decided to walk there rather than waiting for a shuttle. And thus had more time to fill up with conversation. I think it’s fairly normal to find that after living with someone for a prolonged period of time, your discussions begin to stray toward the bizarre. I mean, I already knew her favorite color and how she almost blinded herself with a golf club once. There aren’t really that many more questions to ask.

So we got creative.

By the time we reached the park gates, we had decided that come the following summer we were setting off on a high seas adventure to find the city of Atlantis. We considered the pros and cons each of our friends would bring to such a journey. Some made the crew, some did not. Perhaps we were harsh, but treasure hunting is serious stuff.

Now, I am sad to say that our timeframe was pushed back. Fear not! Plans are still a go. They’re just a going a little later. I’m in deep preparation though.

I’ve been looking into a number of books on the subject. As luck would have it, many of these individuals filmed documentaries during their quests. I’ve included clips below that have taught be particularly valuable lessons.

Adams, Morgan. By the Skin of My Father’s Scalp: Pursuing Cutthroat Island. (1985)

 Beware quicksand….and double crossing.

Brown, Casey. Love and Larceny: The Secret of Candleshoe. (1977)

 It doesn’t hurt to be a master of disguise.

Easton, Beth, Jody Salerno. Worth More than Gold: The Hunt for Molly Morgan’s Treasure. (1995)

 Be patient. Occasionally, you can go through the whole quest 

and still have to wait a couple days for your bags of gold.

Walsh, Michael, Brandon Walsh et. al. Never Say Die; The Search For The Gold of “One-Eyed” Willy. (1985)

 Have an inspiring speech in the ol’ back pocket. 

Just in case morale gets a little low.

Wilder, Joan. He Stole My Corazon: Emeralds and Emotions in Columbia. (1984)

Be careful who you trust. Oh, and it’s probably not a bad idea 

to wear something more practical than a pencil skirt.

Any other experts that you would suggest I look into?

Weakness

Weakness is important in the heroes who populate our stories. It is, paradoxically, what makes them strong. Perhaps not as individuals, but as characters. 

In real life, people are weak. Not every moment of every day, but some moments of some days. And depending on the day, it may be a lot of moments within that twenty-four hour period. We all have our shortcomings - the things we get defensive over if someone points them out, because we know they’re right. 

I, for instance, have a tendency to rely heavily on sarcasm. In high doses, this can take what otherwise would have been an acceptable joking remark and turn it caustic and cutting. After which, I feel a bit embarrassed because the biting nature of what I said was not my intention.  Left to my own devises, I may find a (definitively ungraceful) way of apologizing for the offense, but if someone points it out before I can? Back goes up and I…you know…say something sarcastic.

It’s a vicious cycle. 

And I know I’m not alone in such failings. So, if we all have to suffer the awkwardness of our limitations, why shouldn’t our characters? Misery loving company and what not. 

But really, it’s the balance between strength and weakness that makes these fictional folks relatable. If they weren’t so damned proud and prejudiced, but rather completely open minded and gave each other a chance straight off the bat, would the Darcy/Bennet romance be considered such a classic? I don’t know too many people who read that book for Jane and Bingley. 

Of course, even if they did, there’s plenty of weakness there. Bingley is so insecure in his convictions that it takes little more than a few choice words from his friend to have him walking away from the woman he loves. And for all her moral strength, Jane doesn’t have much vigor when it comes to fighting for what she wants. 

Still we love these characters, not in spite of their inadequacies, but because of them. 

Hey, if Bruce Wayne can be that emotionally screwed up and still save the people of Gotham City on a daily basis, we can probably deal with the fact that we have to sit next to that one person at our staff meeting whose personality makes us want to spit nails. And if you’re occasionally a bit of a know-it-all? Well, so was Hermione Granger and look what she accomplished. Even Buffy, for all her strengths, had moments of stubbornness and self-righteousness that bit her in the ass. Didn’t stop her from saving the world…a lot. 

We all have bad moments. Moments where we let ourselves and the people around us down. The fact that fictional characters do too, makes them relatable. And can provide us some necessary hope that even with these foibles, we can still be pretty damn awesome.

Vile Villains?

When I was but a wee thing, very little in this world scared me more than the villains from Disney movies. They were horrible. They were devious. They were manipulative. They were….possibly misunderstood.

It was after my stunning realization that the Wicked Witch might not be so wicked after all that I began to rethink my opinions on all my childhood villains.

Some of them are evil, no doubt about it.

Ordering your stepdaughter’s heart be cut out because a prince was singing her a love song? Not cool Queenie. Now considering that your stepdaughter was fourteen and the prince’s age was undetermined, I could see sending your huntsman after him.

Skinning puppies? Sorry Cruella, can’t talk yourself out of that one.

Killing your brother, telling everyone your nephew did it (including the kid himself), hitting on your sister-in-law and running the kingdom into the ground? That’s just hard to come back from, Scar.

But there are a couple who still have me on the fence. Two ladies whose actions certainly were not well advised, but were they evil? Maybe you can help me decide:

Maleficent

First Impression: She’s a demon. Has to be. All those flowing black robes and skin that sometimes seems to be tinted green, sometimes purple. She hangs around with ravens and can turn into a DRAGON. Evil. Evil. Evil.

Upon Reflection: Why is she so angry? Everyone in the kingdom is snubbing her. Have you ever been the ONLY person left off the party invitation? Wouldn’t that make everyone a little glum? Sure, her nickname is “Mistress of All Evil,” but she gave it to herself. Classic over compensation to mask deep insecurities. And the whole turning into a dragon and trying to eat everyone? If that’s not a cry for help, I don’t know what is.

Ursula

First Impression: She’s an evil witch trying to use the good king’s daughter to destroy him. She preys on wishers and dreamers, turning them into emaciated polyps. She can increase to massive proportions at will and tries to kill the young mermaid who was only looking for true love. Conclusion: Bad guy.

Upon Reflection: Ursula was cast from her home by Triton (who some report to be her brother) causing understandable mental anguish. But did she let it overcome her? No. She became a successful businesswoman. She has a lot of power, why should she be expected to use it free of charge? And can we really blame her for trying to take precautions against merpeople breaking contracts, particularly when it seems as though so many of them are less than reliable? If we are to judge based on her business with Ariel, she lays out her terms very clearly. She’ll turn Ariel human for three days. If Ariel gets a kiss of true love, transformation is permanent. If not, back to mermaid form and under Ursula’s power. Sure, these might be harsh terms, but they’re clear. And you know what Ariel does after they’re explained? Signs the damn contract. The whole pretending to be the woman of Eric’s dreams thing might fall in a morally gray area, but what it comes down to is that rather than meeting the terms of the contract that she herself signed, Ariel is complicit in killing the woman that she willingly entered into business with. Ursula was a tough businesswoman, yes. But deserving of being impaled on a ship? I don’t think it’s that cut and dry.

So what do you say, vile or simply vilified? Where do these ladies fall?

Unenchanted

I love fairy tales. Always have. Whether they’re the happy, upbeat Disney versions or the much darker originals, I just enjoy those types of stories.

Sadly, however, my life is not a fairy tale. And I’m pretty sure it’s my fault for the following reasons:

1. While I love to dance, I’m not that big on going to formalized dance events. Much more prone to the living room boogie.

2. It does not matter how good it looks, I would never gnaw on someone else’s house.

3. I don’t care if he hopped off his lily pad, recited sonnets and brought me a Dr. Pepper – I’m not kissing a frog. I am, however, willing to be just friends.

4. If I awoke from a deep slumber to find someone standing over me, my first instinct would not be to smile, but to throw a fist.

5. I see someone in shining armor I’m likely to assume that they’re either vain or just haven’t actually done anything yet.

6. If any woodland creatures ever showed up in my bedroom to help me get dressed, my gut reaction would not be gratitude.

7. I’d totally be down for a good quest, but if success means I’m bound to marrying a stranger? I’m tapping out.

8. If there’s a bright and beautiful object and I’m told repeatedly that touching it will lead to horror and evil, I’m not going to touch the damn thing. Look with your eyes, folks.

9. A strange wolf tells me that all the really pretty flowers are deeper in the wood? I’m going to say no thanks and run home to stick my carnations in some water with food coloring. Safe AND festive.

10. If I can have all my wishes come true, but only if I turn my back on everyone in my past, I’m going to find some new wishes.

Clearly, the lacking of fairy tale times in my life is my fault entirely. My brain just wasn’t wired to make fairy tale appropriate decisions.

*Sigh*

At least I burst into inappropriately timed songs.

That’s something, I guess.

Traveling Tunes

This past Friday was my last day of work. I’ve worked in this office for the last two and a half years and it was a very good experience for me.

But it was time for some change.

And I figured go big or go home, right? So, starting in about a week and a half, I’m off on an adventure. Australia, Ireland, some time back in dear old NY, a visit to Maine. These are the things definitely planned for right now, but more locales may pop up along the way. Ultimately, I’m not sure where I’m going to end up. Which is equal parts awesome and terrifying.

Anyway, the first step to any great trip is the proper soundtrack, correct? I decided to start with the tunes of starting journeys:

 

Tell me this video doesn't inspire you....That's right....You can't.

I’ll be compiling more of my summer of travel soundtrack at the various destinations.

But do you have any more suggestions for Part I?