Blibber Blabber

No rhyme, no reason

 

Seriously.

I need to stop worrying about what I'm supposed to be and just be.  Take whatever may come and deal with it.  Just. Be.

Probably ten, twelve years ago I was in a church group-- I don't remember what we were studying, maybe world religions-- and we were split up into smaller groups one night.  For some reason the talk turned to getting older, and how your outlook, your comfort level changed.  Several of the women, in their early forties, said they were so much more comfortable with themselves, and how they just didn't care what others thought of them anymore.

In many ways I'm at that point.  I don't fret like I used to.  So what if you're lookin' at me?  I'll most likely never see you again.

However... I need to lighten up on myself when it comes to doing what I think I'm supposed to do.  It really is a whirlwind in here sometimes, and I tend to let myself get dragged down into it.  I feel one way one week, then totally different the next.  Many times I feel like I'm artistically torn, or have bitten off more than I can chew.  One day I'm doing what I feel I'm supposed to be doing, the next day I don't.

Why can't I just embrace it all, that I'm a coat of many colors, and just be?  And be happy about it?

And on a lighter note: period headaches suck the big one.

posted by: athenawj at 22:54 | link | comments (2) |
the seriousness of it all

I can't believe I watched the whoooole thing...

A few thoughts on the Academy Awards:

What a happy surprise to see Alan Arkin win.  I've been an admirer of his since Escape from Sobibor, which I saw in high school. 

I loved those bendy shadow people.

ECSTATIC about Pan's Labyrinth's multiple creative wins... BUMMED about the loss in Best Foreign Film.  BUMMED about Children of Men.  Both could and should have been in the Best Film category and would have wiped the floor with most of the other nominees.

It sure was an Al Gore lovefest, wasn't it?  Too bad too many people don't give a damn what An Inconvenient Truth has to say.

United 93 deserved so much  more than the paltry nominations it got.  One of the most powerful movies in years, hands-down, and it was almost shut out of the noms.

Poor Beyonce.  Not.  Whatever, dear.  It was painful to watch her "I CAN ACT!" gyrations during the DG songs.

Martin Scorcese FINALLY won.  Should have won for Goodfellas.  Wonderful to see him ask "We won?" after The Departed won.  Hee.  I love oblivious nominees.

Helen Mirren and Forrest Whitaker were locks, and I was happy to see them both win.  Mirren: talk about aging beautifully and naturally.  Other Hollywood women should take note that you don't need to plastic it up.  Loved that she was the object of Will Farrell and Jack Black's lust.  Whitaker: I was expecting another hyperventilating quiet freakout, but his speech really moved me.  And loved the standing O he got from Leo DiCaprio, Ryan Gosling, and Will Smith.

Til next year, when most of what I want to win doesn't!

 

posted by: athenawj at 06:37 | link | comments |
movies

Don't think that you can get cute rat pictures.

Don't stick a normally calm rat in a light box.

The normally calm rat will totally freak out, start making scared snuffing noises, and turn into a hamster with no depth perception, making the six-inch leap from the edge of the light box to your camera.  There, he will perch atop it, wiggle his whiskers furiously, and give you an accusing look like, "WHY are you trying to blind me???  Do I LOOK like a MODEL???"

Hmm.  Maybe I should have stuck some cheese in there.

Or maybe he would have just thrown it at me.

posted by: athenawj at 19:14 | link | comments (2) |
photography, rats

As evidenced by the inactivity here, it's been one of those weeks.  Bah, I'm bored.  Bah, I'm bored.  I putter.  I sit.  Not much doing or going on.  I went over to my lightbox and took some pictures:

Thank God I'm not rich, and I have a brain, or I'd be in trouble.  I've been collecting pins since I was fourteen (mostly political, although "strikes my fancy" applies, too), so it was like paradise to go to Disney and see all the pins there.  I try to limit myself to special events, holidays, attractions I've actually gone on, and one or two that are just too lovely to pass up.  These are my most favorite Disney pins.  I should probably take pix of my campaign buttons, but they're in a shadow box and it's too much of a hassle to take them out.

After looking at some of the pictures in extreme closeup, I realized, "I really should have dusted first."

By the way, the "It's a Small World" pin is part of a "Disney Piece of History" collection.  The pieces are from one of the songbooks in the ride.  I picked that one up in EPCOT in June.  The previous day, I saw people in line who'd been in line for hours waiting to pick up that pin.  I'm a pin collector, but not that hardcore.  And while I'm trying to build up that particular collection, there's no way in hell I'll pay $250 for a "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" PoH pin on ebay.  Uh-uh, nope.  When you have a genuine McKinley campaign button that you got for $10, you know there are better deals out there.

posted by: athenawj at 08:15 | link | comments |
disney, pins

Eeewww

So, we had not one, not two, but three jars of possibly salmonella-tainted peanut butter in our pantry.  We'd already eaten out of two of them.  All three went into the garbage.

None of us got sick, but better to be safe than sorry, hmm?  I mean, I love me some peanut butter, but not that much.

posted by: athenawj at 14:34 | link | comments |
food

Back from walking around the mall.  I've been doing it the past two mornings and it's nice to only have five minutes driving to get there, and a nice, dry, FLAT place to walk.  I tell myself that I'm going to plan out the morning's writing, but with my earphones on and the music blaring, I find my mind drifting...

Day Thirteen and the writing's still going well.  Had to make a couple of adjustments, but it's nice to bound out of bed every day eager to write.  I think about the story during the rest of the day, but I'm not thinking too hard-- sometimes I have only the vaguest idea of what I'm supposed to be doing when I sit down at the keyboard, but it still manages to come out.  To put into words how I'm feeling would lessen the feeling, so I'll just say I'm very... content.  And that's saying a lot for someone with a temperament like mine.

Mr. Calm is taking the plunge and getting a new car today (I think? Depends on whether he gets his butt going or not on it).  I for one am glad, thrilled!  When he got his car eight years ago, he got it with no frills: no power steering, no power windows, stick shift, nada, just the basics.  So, he borrows my car quite a bit.  Sometimes I'll look out the door and find that I'm stranded.  He jokes a lot about how wonderful it must be for me to have a "nice" car (meaning, I have power steering, power windows, etc.).  I tell him I'm not the one holding him back from getting another car.  He wonders sometimes why I don't want to be stranded in the house and gets a little pissy.  Duh, Mr. Man.

I just let Salem out.  I was calling him "Rocky" for about a week or so.  Couple of weeks ago he got into a bad fight, and the skin around his left eye was swollen and cut-- one gash was (not kidding) an inch-and-a-half long.  Cut pretty bad, actually-- I'm pretty sure he'll have scars.  This is gross, but I keep finding black hair attached to scabs on the floor.  That I pick them up tells you that I'm definitely a mom.

Now my fingers are warmed up, and I'm off to write.

posted by: athenawj at 08:10 | link | comments (3) |
crazy kitties, writing

What are the odds if I go into my local comics store and ask for "The Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born #1" (a graphic novel adaptation of part of "The Dark Tower" series by Stephen King), the guy behind the counter will either a) be condescending, or b) be absolutely SURE it's not out yet, although it was released on February 7?

I'd say fair and 95%.  Hell, both things have happened before.  Last time I went in looking for a comic, he was absolutely SURE the one I was asking for wasn't out.  Hell, he was sure the FIRST one wasn't even out, and doubted me even after I'd told him a) the second one had been out for two months, and b) I friggin' reviewed the first one for Apex Digest.  He continued to doubt me until his buddy came in and confirmed what I'd been telling him.

He doesn't get my business anymore.

Comic stores and comic guys.  Too much like the stereotypical garages and mechanics of yesteryear.  Whatsamatta-- you never seen a "normal-looking" woman who likes dark comics?

I just shouldn't worry my pretty little head about it, huh?

posted by: athenawj at 21:52 | link | comments (2) |
people are just plain stupid

Miss Millificent's World

Did some site work today, streamlining and rearranging, and also adding an entrance page.  Any guesses as to who the girl in the picture is? ;)

Miss Millificent's World

I still have some pix to add, but those are already up at my Flickr account anyway.

I've been feeling buggy-eyed the past few days... don't know if it's because I'm writing a lot (although I've done that for years for the most part), I need new glasses, or I need a new monitor.  Hrm.

posted by: athenawj at 20:52 | link | comments |
art

Last night on American Idol there was a young woman who had an interesting, unique voice (a good one), but she made some really weird faces while she sang.  So much so that I did agree with Paula (yikes!) and Randy (Dawg) that it detracted from her singing.  They ultimately said no, which I disagreed with, and on her way out, Simon told her he would have said yes.  After she left, Simon said he thought she was someone they were going to regret letting go, so they called her back in for a second song.  She toned down the facial theatrics, but there were still some going on.

After she finished, Simon sat up straight and began telling her what the problem was.  As he was talking, his hands lifted and he began distractedly massaging his chest.  This continued through his whole speech.

Simon.  If you're going to lecture someone about strange affectations, perhaps you shouldn't massage your man-boobies while you're doing it.

posted by: athenawj at 08:03 | link | comments (4) |
silly stuff

Snow!

Snow!  Snow!  Yesterday we got snowsnowsnowsnowSNOW!

No, not much-- of course not.  But at least it was here.  And yes, because nearly no one in middle TN can handle it, the girls got a snow day.

YD and I both went out taking pictures.  I gave my old camera to the girls for whenever they need it.  I have to say, I'm a little jealous of YD's imagination in taking pictures.  I think this is one of the coolest self-portraits ever:

No retouching at all.  She just threw snow up in the air and took a picture.

At the risk of jinxing my progress, the novel's going well.  I can honestly say that for the first time in a long time, I'm having no trouble getting it out, and I look forward to writing every day.

 

posted by: athenawj at 07:15 | link | comments (5) |
photography, snow, kids