Knickknacks

I have a confession to make.

I’m a knickknack person.

You know, someone who likes buying cute little things that serve no real purpose other than to look festive?

That’s me. And generally, I’m happy with this life choice. Except when I’m getting ready to move. Then I battle the sudden urge to BREAK ALL THE THINGS.

Each time I move, I go through the same thought process:  

This next place is going to be different. I will not, I repeat: WILL NOT, be such a slave to my sense of aesthetic presentation. I feel like I’m living in a Tennessee Williams’ play with all these little glass creatures. Too many!

*The sound of tinkling glass whilst I am crushed under the weight of tiny figurines.*

Of course, declarations such as this are similar to when the fall rolls around and I decide I’m going to ORGANIZE ALL THE THINGS. It lasts a couple of weeks and then I’m back to “filing” my papers on the top of my dresser in between my Quidditch goggles and the gorilla head made out of a towel.

It’s really no use, you see. As much as I hate having to pack them up, I love the little touches bizarre knickknacks give a home. The Lego Captain America on the TV stand, the Wizard of Oz thimbles in the hanging display cube, the magnifying glass/letter opener set on the sideboard – they make the place my own.

So, if I’m being honest with myself and all of you lovely folk, I am always going to be a knickknack person. Even if it makes moving more annoying. Even if it means that every time I pack up, I will, without fail, find something that’s origins are a complete mystery to me.

Never been opened. No recollection of purchasing or being given this. Where did it come from??

Is that you, Knickknack fairy?

Jubilation

 

Happiness is the best, isn’t it? Whether there’s an obvious reason for it, or you just woke up in the right frame of mind. Happiness just feels good.

This is obvious, of course. What’s a little less obvious is the reasoning behind some of the ways we choose

to express this glee.

For instance, I would really like to know who was the first person to think: 

Sweet baby monkeys, I am so completely thrilled with what just happened that I can think of no verbal way to express this feeling of utter joy. Nay, words will not do. The only manner in which to show this level of merriment is to smash my limbs together!

I have to assume that the first person who ever started clapping got a lot of “what the hell” looks from those around him.

Of course, once this milestone was reached, it opened a plethora of doors.

The slow clap, for one. Who in the world doesn’t enjoy a good, solid slow clap? The origin of this one is pretty easy to figure out. I mean, once clapping was a thing, it was only a matter of time before some intrepid human thought: 

Nope, just not dramatic enough. I have joy, you see. But mine is a deep, abiding joy. Nothing that can be expressed so simply in a random burst of excitement. It must be nursed, it must build. For at the top of that mountain, you will see the light that I now see. And we will be together in our jubilance.

But what about once we’re together?

I’m so happy with you. You’re just the best. Wait? You think I’m this best too?!? I can feel the elation growing. My fingers are tingling. But it seems wrong just to clap, almost like I’m leaving you out. I know! I’ll take one of my limbs and smash it against one of yours!

And thus the high-five was born, paving the way for low-fives, double high fives, air fives and fist bumps. Also, of course, the “Up high/Down low/Too slow.” But you’ve got to take the bad with the good, I guess.

You know what? I still don’t know exactly why all this hand smacking started, but thinking about it sure has put me in a good mood. How about you?

Cyber five!

Influx of Ideas

I’m not sure if you know this, but this past Monday was Rex Manning Day. An exciting time for any Empire Records fan, it gives us one more excuse to quote random lines to our friends.

One of my favorites?

However, despite my love of saying this, I don’t actually believe thoughts just appear out of nothing. At least not the majority of them. I get the occasional rando-s whose path I can’t trace, but for the most part, if I think something I can generally figure out what prompted it. Even if it takes a few minutes – and it's not at all clearly linear.

For instance, the other day I was packing up some books and got to a shelf with a few X-Files novels and began singing Shania Twain’s “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.” At first, these are two completely unrelated things, until I remember that I got the first of the novels when I was visiting my cousins in Washington state. And while I was out there, they taught my sister and I to line dance to Ms. Twain. Hence, seeing the book and singing the song.

This same process holds true for story ideas. Sometimes I feel as though they just appear to me out of no where, but if I go back and really think about it, I can usually determine what spurred things along. Which is really beneficial because then when I’m feeling stuck I have ideas as to what inspires me, giving me a place to start my creative searches.

Here are a few of my tried and true Idea Stations:

-          Movies from my childhood

o       Particularly cartoon musicals. They put me back in the mindset of believing that anything’s possible and once I’m feeling that way, it’s easier to create pathways through difficult plot points.

-          Airports

o       When I was a kid, I used to like to watch people talking and try to make up conversations for them based on their facial expressions and mannerisms. No better place to people watch than an airport. Plus airports have such a wealth of emotions – anticipation or dread of a coming journey, relief or disappointment at the end of a trip.

-          Painting ceramics

o       It calms the mind, making it easier to fix the problems that have been tripping me up. Also, I get to take something home….like this bitchin’ flying saucer nightlight:

 A fabulous addition to any home.

So, when you feel like you’re running in circles ideas-wise, where do you go to get untangled?

Helping Hands

There are two things that I love doing above all other things. I love to write and I love to laugh. After I’ve sufficiently snoozed my six alarms and finally rolled myself out of bed, those are the two activities I plan my

day around. Thankfully, laughing doesn’t require any real time scheduling. It can happen at pretty much any moment. And does. Because, let’s face it, life on the whole is pretty funny.

Writing requires a little more time management. Though, I’ve found, as long as I carry a pen and some scrap of paper, I’m good to go. The scrap of paper isn’t really even necessary. I mean, I can always write on my hands, right?

So, most days….easy peasy. But we all have some days where things don’t quite line up the way we want them to. Maybe we’re chasing an idea around and can’t quite get a handle on it. Or perhaps we’ve misplaced our laugh throughout the day and can’t remember where we left it.

When I run into these situations, I know it’s time to reach out to some helping hands.

Writing myself in circles? Here are the folks who get me back on the straight and narrow:

-          Miss Snark’s First Victim

-          Query Shark

-          TerribleMinds

Need help finding my laugh? I go bee-lining in these directions:

-          The Bloggess

-          Hyperbole and a Half

-          Memos From Fury

Who do you look to for help?

Gorgons, Gargoyles and Griffins.....Oh My!

I had a really hard time coming up with a G topic. Mostly because there were too many options. So, finally, I just decided…what the hell, talk about them all.

You see, I found that a whole slew of my favorite fantasy creatures start with the letter G. 

I’ve always been a fan of the Gorgons, ever since my father started calling me Medusa when I was a kid and would put my hair in dozens of little braids so that it would be crimpy when I took them out (thank you 1990s childhood). And I’m going to be completely honest with you here, I was always rooting for her to win out over Perseus. Dude comes to her home with his sole intention being to kill her and she’s the bad guy? Team Medusa all the way.

And who doesn’t love gremlins? Whether they enter your home as an occupant of one of your appliances or you pick one up in an antique store, these little pranksters are a sure fire guarantee that you’re not going to have a boring night.

A girallon is basically just a big gorilla, with one slight difference. These guys have four arms. FOUR ARMS. Sure, Planet of the Apes was scary, but if it had been Planet of the Girallons? Tell me that wouldn’t have made you cry a little.

By Beau from Houston, TX

Now if I had to transform into one fantasy creature, I'd go gargoyle. I mean, come on, how kick-ass are they? They’re made of stone, but can fly. Gotta love that kind of contradiction. They’re ugly to the point of being cute. And they ward off evil spirits. Sign me up.

As to my dream pet, it's a Griffin. Head and wings of an eagle, body of a lion, tail of a scorpion, and some talons for good measure. Your cocker spaniel doesn’t stand a chance. Plus, good bye gridlock. Being flown to work would totally give me the extra five minutes of sleeping time I'm always looking for.

Then there are gulons, giants, genies, gnomes, goblins, the Garuda, ghosts, and ghouls. Just to name a few.

The letter G is the doorway to a fantasy wonderland. Of which of these greats would you want to be a guest?

Fate or Free Will?

I’ve never been able to reconcile fate and free will. In my mind, it’s got to be one or the other. If we have the ability to make choices that impact our future, then I don’t see how there can be any one destiny. And if there is one inevitable end to our journey, then the choices we make don’t really matter in terms of changing our lives. They might color our days but in the long run, we’re just along for the ride.

So, which do you believe in?

I, personally, am a big believer in choice. I don’t think that we’re on one track for our whole lives, unable to change the direction we’re rocketing into. I think we make our own decisions and, in doing so, determine where we’re going to end up. And this final place can change daily, even hourly, with every choice we make. This is my philosophy for real life, but it’s also something I pay a lot of attention to in stories.

Characters need free will. They need the agency to effect change in the world they inhabit. Otherwise, the story loses interest fast.

If a character is told that her destiny is one specific thing, no ifs, ands or buts, and she just says, “Okay,” and goes about doing it, there’s no story. At most there are a few sentences.

She was told it was her fate to be killed by a rabid ostrich. She was surprised – because she’d always gotten along so well with ostriches – but accepted the inevitable. When the animal charged all those years later, the last sound she was heard to make was a resigned sigh.

Too bad for her, but nothing all that compelling there.

Soul mates destined to find each other regardless of the years or lifetimes that pass? There’s a romance to this, absolutely. There’s something comforting about the thought of such a guarantee. But having read or watched a number of stories in this vein, I’m always left with the question of whether or not these people truly want to be together or if their love is the result of someone else’s doing. I’m much more interested in the stories of two people who choose to be together even though they have no guarantee of a happy ending. There’s a courage there that’s much more interesting than the complacency of soul mates.

I like stories with prophesies or predictions of the future. But I like them because I enjoy watching the characters find a way to change their paths. I like seeing them prove fate wrong.

I like tales where the character who has been heralded as a savior of the people shows up. And wants no part of it. Or is happy to lead the people if necessary, but does so in an unexpected way, not just by falling in line.

I like seeing characters make choices. And I like seeing that those choices have definite consequences, both good and bad. They’re not just words thrown out into a never changing void.

So, I vote for free will.

But what about you? Where do you fall on the Fate/Free Will spectrum?

Earth Girls Are Easy Time Capsule Extravaganza (Bad Movies/Good Party Themes)

What better way to celebrate both the first Friday of the month and the letter E than with some eighties entertainment enacting extra-terrestrial’s & easy earthlings’ exploits?

Or something like that.

This cinematic classic (starring gEEna Davis and jEff Goldblum) tells the story of three aliens who receive a broadcast depicting human women. Seeing as space travel has cut in on their dating lives, they decide to make a little pit stop on our fair planet.

Hijinx ensue.

And who hasn’t thought about the arrival of aliens at some point in their lives? Whether you’re in the Independence Day/Alien/etc. camp and believe that their only purpose is to blow us out of the universe or you lean more towards the they-just-want-to-be-friends mentality of E.T. and today’s recommendation. We’ve all thought about it. Are they coming? Do they want to serve mankind? If so, in what way? That’s right, I’m not just assuming it’s in a way that’ll be good for us. Fool me once, Twilight Zone…..

But perhaps a more important question, is why are they choosing this planet to visit in the first place? I’m going to assume it has something to do with things like the Voyager Golden Record and other like projects. (I mean, who wouldn't want to come somewhere that you can eat grapes in the grape aisle??) Well, I personally would like some say in what aliens know about us. Wouldn’t you?

Of course you do.

So, get a group of your best-ies together and play this piece of celluloid history. More importantly, decide how you want to be introduced to the aliens. Everyone should bring something they would like included in the space rover time capsule. But this isn’t an unlimited-space sort of situation. Only a handful of things can fit in the capsule.

Everyone has to make their best arguments as to why their piece of humanity should be included. Majority rules.

Choose wisely. You never know who you’re going to attract.

Crackerjack dialogue to look forward to:

-          “As if things weren’t bad enough, now I’ve been abducted by aliens.”

-          “Well, I see split ends are universal. Lost in space with no conditioner?”

-          “Have a mental margarita.”

Tagline: An out-of-this-world, down-to-earth comedy adventure.

For an Earth Girls Are Easy Time Capsule Extravaganza of your very own, here’s what you need:

-          Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)

-          An appropriately sized capsule to contain all of your earthly treasures. I don’t know why, but in my mind it’s a popcorn tin. But go with your gut.

-          Table laden with all the runners for Capsule Inclusion.

-          Snacks. Always snacks. For this particular party, I would go with the foods that you would want the aliens to try first. Remember, best foot forward!

-          A group of time capsule packing experts to maximize your space and/or folks who are hoping the aliens have the technology to transport them back to the eighties and/or people who are ready to remove their tin foil hats and great our extra-terrestrial brethren with open arms.

Dance Break

Thursday is always one of the hardest days, in my opinion. It is just….so…..close….to being Friday. But it’s not and that’s a bummer. I have, however, found something fool proof to get me through the final push of the week.

The dance break.

Now, to be clear, you do not need any actual dancing talent for this mental getaway. For while I do love dancing, I am not particularly rhythmically blessed. What I do bring to the table is raw enthusiasm and willingness to look like a total idiot. And that, my friends, in something I truly believe we can all find inside.

So, pick a place – be it your office, a vacant bathroom stall, a parking lot, a hallway (empty or otherwise) – and a favorite tune and go to town. I promise that in the span of one song, you will find the energy needed to finish out the work week. And if someone happens upon your little dance party, invite them to join in. If they don’t? Know that in their heart of hearts, they wish they did.

At least that’s what I tell myself.

Now, to get you started, here are five pick-me-up songs from my favorites list:

 Come one, who doesn't wish they could have been part

of Motown group?

I just wish I could dance as acrobatically as all these folks.

This one is almost pathological. I can't not dance when I hear it.

In fact, I'm dancing right now, just thinking about it.

Hello, my childhood. 

 It starts off with some simple foot tapping.

Next thing I know, I'm skipping around the room.

No matter what, know that you’re not alone in your doldrums relief.

I’m already dancing.

Carbs and Characterization

When I was a kid, there was a short period of time when my mom worked nights. She would always be there when we got home from school, waiting to hear all about the details of the day. After that, she’d try for a few hours of shut eye before heading over to the hospital
I was in fifth grade at the time and wanted to help out. Dad would be getting home from work by 5:30, mom would be heading off to work about a half hour later. The least I could do was chip in with dinner.

And so I did.


I might have only been ten years old, but let me tell you my culinary skills were far beyond my age. Plus, at the ripe age of seven, my sister was a very able assistant. Which is how we ended up with a beautiful meal of rice, egg noodles and biscuits.

In case you’re worried about the meal consisting only of carbs and butter, fear not! I slathered the rice in barbeque sauce. So….you know…that’s different.

It is a testament to parental love that both mom and dad ate what we put on the table. And that they bothered with coming up with a story about how my dad like to unwind after work by making dinner, rather than just telling us this was the most ridiculous meal imaginable.

So, I walked away, patting my back, confident that I had helped out. It wasn’t until years later that I realized that the meal might not have been delicious to anyone over a decade old.

The reason is, of course, clear. People like variety. More than that they need it. In both their nutritional content and more importantly (in my mind) their stories. Some folks, myself included, may enjoy hearing the same story more than once. But no one wants it to be the only story we ever hear. We don’t want to watch shows or movies where every character is a clone of the other. Unless it’s a show specifically about clones, but, even then, I’d expect differing personalities to emerge eventually. Otherwise, it’s just boring.

If Harry, Ron and Hermione had all been fish-out-of-water heroes or comic relief with an inferiority complex or brainy know-it-alls, it wouldn’t have been as interesting. But combine the three and you get one of the most famous literary (and then movie) trios in the world.

Because people love variety.

One of the best ways I’ve ever seen this handled on screen was in Firefly. Not only was each member of that crew immediately distinguishable from all the others, but from the word go, each of those relationships was complicated. Sure, as the episodes progressed, the audience learned more little bits about each character – sometimes just enough to have you screaming, “Where did you come from, Shepherd???” – but from the opening episode watchers were given enough to provide solid descriptions of each character.

Differences complement each other. If there are two characters who are almost identical personality-wise in a story, odds are one of them is unnecessary.

After all, one carb covered in butter is generally enough for a meal.

Body Swap

Who hasn’t enjoyed a few body swap stories? Whether it’s the parent/child Freaky Friday/Vice Versa plot line or the criminal/cop pairing of Face/Off or the teenage neighbors of It’s a Boy Girl Thing who just can’t understand each other until they temporarily switch identities. Seeing as I was ten years old when the Disney channel released the gem, Wish Upon a Star continues to be a favorite of mine. And I’ll admit to being a little nervous about the ramifications of Buffy and Faith flip flopping in season 4.

It’s a popular story line because we all wonder sometimes what it would be like to be someone else. When we whitewash someone else’s live into being something perfect, these body swap stories are there to remind us, You may not realize it now, but you’re totally the only person you really want to be.

Which is a sentiment I totally agree with.

But still…..

It would be kinda cool. For a little while. Especially if you knew that you were going to get your own body back eventually. Though, I’m less interested in doing this with real people and would be more into some temporary body swapping with literary characters myself.

First of all, you probably know a little bit more about these characters than you do about real people – their weird habits, what they do when no one else is around, how they really think about the people around them. This would give you a moderately better chance of pretending to be them without anyone else noticing. After all, it’s much harder for literary characters to keep secrets that it is for real people. Or is it? I’ve always wondered if characters keep secrets even from their authors. And this would be one way to find out.

Downside? The character doesn’t even know you exist, so they’re probably going to wreak havoc on your life during the swap.

Still, I think I’d risk it.

And at this very moment, I think the character I would most like to body swap with would be Abby Sinclair from Allison Pang's urban fantasy series.

I really want to spend some time in the Hallows and hang out with the whole gang. Mostly so I can get a chance to get more details on Mel's story. Plus that enchanted iPod would be pretty fun to play with. I would also love to be more conscious of my dreams. What is the heart of my dreaming? I have my suspicions, but I’d like to know for sure. And since Abby doesn't always know what's going on, I could probably get away with asking the occasional question.

On top of all this, since Abby's fairly used to being dropped into strange situations without all the details, I could totally trust her to roll with it and not cause too much chaos in my life whilst vacationing in my body.

Who would you switch with?