An Aries (Who Knows Some Stuff)
Two weeks until Breaking Dawn: Part 1. Lindsey told me she’ll go to a midnight showing with me on opening day if they have one. No one else at the table volunteered for this mission. I think they’re afraid of ‘Tween Nation.
A Tim canvas provides the backdrop.
You can see Penny and more of the wonderful at Scout’s Adoption Event, from 10 am to 3 pm, in the Heights at 1128 Heights Boulevard (between 11th and 12th Streets). Even if you can’t adopt or foster another dog at this time, go by to take the dogs out of their crates for bio breaks, walks, and cuddle time, and to visit with the amazing Scout’s Honor volunteers who are the best friends possible to Houston’s abandoned, stray, and rescued dogs and cats. You can also meet Tim, Man’s Best Friend’s Best Friend, and who knows–The Big H has made a guest appearance in the past and may show up again.
The challenge: Contestants must create a piece of POP art that captures the popular culture of their time as effectively as Andy Warhol did with his Campbell’s soup can.
I created a painting to add to my Friends and Bottle Caps series, with this explanation:
“There are events or moments in our lives which we recognize as ‘before and after’ points. As a girl, I really did want to teach the world to sing and live in perfect harmony, and Coke gave my generation one of our first points of visibility in the advertising world with that song.
As part of my Bottle Caps pop art series, I show that most American icon, the Coca Cola logo, as a cluster of balloons floating away against the sky. What replaces them in my life is a different visual: white balloons released at AIDS memorial services and funerals. These five white balloons are goodbyes to my friends Steve R, Jeff C, John M, Tim R, and Pete M.”
You can see more Work of Art challenge pieces on the blog Lindsey maintains for them. If you want to participate, Lindsey welcomes works for older or current challenges. It’s NEVER too late to create!
The reasons this scenario makes me laugh:
1. That is Marika’s beloved Malibu PJ doll from her childhood. She sent it to become part of The Compound Barbie Collection, knowing I would take good care of her little PJ.
2. I redressed PJ in my own design, a Cheshire Cat dress, because Marika loves the Cheshire Cat.
3. Marika sent me a set of magnetic words that she designed to indulge my whimsical enjoyment of all things Twilight.
4. I used the term “pretty in pink” knowing Marika doesn’t like John Hughes’s movies.
5. Marika’s words and my dolls have now brought poor PJ into GRAVE DANGER from the vampire Victoria.
We live in tragic times.
I have to get back to watching The Vampire Diaries on Netflix now.
Thanks to Tim for the backdrop. Don’t know what I’ll do when he takes his paintings away.
Since 1949, the U.S. has celebrated National Authors Day–it’s funny I can find it written that way as well as National Authors’ Day and National Author’s Day–on November 1. I’m not sure if that’s why this month was picked to be National Novel Writing Month (better known now as NaNoWriMo), but I wish success to everyone who participates. And by success I mean this. Some of you will finish your novel and may even bring it in around the targeted 50,000 words. Some of you won’t finish, but you will start something that can continue to be developed even after the month is over. And some of you will just have fun–nothing wrong with that!
Regardless of how much you write or whether you follow through and finish, hopefully you’ll experience the satisfaction that comes with flexing your creative muscle. You may also acquire a greater appreciation for the amount of energy and effort that goes into writing. Such understanding might make you hesitate the next time you decide to trash a published writer. To actually finish a novel and revise it to publishable condition, to seek out and find an agent and/or a publisher, and then to promote it once it’s on the physical or electronic page–it’s an enormous undertaking. Even if you don’t like a particular writer’s work, if someone believed in it enough to put forth all that effort, then there are readers who will believe in it, too, when they find it thanks to booksellers, librarians, and other readers.
Today one of my favorite photographers, Joseph Holmes, retweeted from @lpvmagazine: You know you’re a real photographer when you spend your free time on the internet mocking amateurs & complaining about copyright. I think that sarcastic assessment applies to any creative endeavor. The people who are really creating in the arts don’t put their time and energy into belittling or taking shots at the efforts of others–they put that into their work. Sure, there are times an artist may compare his or her work to other people’s and think, Mine is better. It’s good to believe in your work and to think it’s the best! But mostly when I hear or read people taking shots at others’ creative accomplishments and efforts, I think of the Ram Definition of Snark:
Snark: when people who don’t do anything or make anything or accomplish anything mock the people who try–and call it “humor.”
You can answer in comments here, or on your own blogs, journals, Facebook pages, or Tweets: What authors have meant the most to you and why?
A little girl came to the door in a group of other little kids. I didn’t recognize their costumes, not being always up on what kids are into, but hers was an easy one.
“Trick or treat!” she said.
“You look great! Are you a witch?” I asked.
“Nooooo.”
I’m stumped. Pointy hat. Shiny black dress. Striped stockings. Is that the trick? I’M TOO OLD TO RECOGNIZE SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE A WITCH BUT ISN’T?
It’s the first time in three years we’ve had trick-or-treaters. Maybe things have changed during those years. Or maybe the kid hasn’t embraced method acting yet.
A neighbor came by with her daughter-in-law and two grandkids. The kids are about waist-high and chest-high on me. The last time I saw them, one was crawling on the neighbor’s front porch and the other hadn’t been born.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Sunday night, Tom and I went to Johnnie and Matt’s house because they had a pumpkin carving party. It’s the first time I’ve ever carved a pumpkin. I got lots of help and advice. Mostly, it got me into the Halloween spirit. (See what I did there?) So I actually went to the grocery store and bought candy today. Even though, as I said, it’s been years since anyone ate it but Tom, Tim, and me.
And they came! Lots of them. Some of them wanted to reach into the bowl themselves to take the candy. Clearly, they did not understand that an Aries was in charge.
Now they’re all home, dividing up the spoils, getting it checked out by their parents, and hopefully it will be doled out to them over time. I loved trick or treating as a kid. And a ‘tween. And even a teen, though of course Lynne led me into misbehavior on Halloween night. Such a bad influence…
It makes me happy to see kids out again, dressed up, carrying their little plastic pumpkins and Halloween-decorated bags. I like to live in a world where that still happens.
As for our pumpkins:
Tom did the wolf. I did the Barbie silhouette. As you can see, though Victoria and Jane lurk above her, Barbie magic and Wolf strength are keeping Bella safe. Well, that and Jacob, Edward, and Alice. These six know what it means not to break character. Where’s that little witch?
The next Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn, Part 1, opens on November 18. Thanks to the special set of word magnets Marika sent me, you can expect a theme with the poems and photos for the next couple of weeks. Blame Marika! Like Lynne, she’s a bad influence.
Here are some more pumpkins from the carving party Sunday night:
I was drinking my Community Coffee (Hello, Louisiana! This is my last friendly shout-out to you until after this weekend!) in my Starbucks travel mug. I went to take a shower. When I came back to my desk, THIS!
The magic of Halloween has begun!
In other news, thanks, Tim.
