5 Minute Magic

 

 (photo credit)

I don't know about you guys- but I have not had the best of days today. The January blaghs have rendered me into being a mindless zombie that craves carbs and communicates in grunts and shuffles. I have all too recently learned that this is, unfortunately, pretty normal. Both Sarah Von and Gala Darling have helped save countless lives (a slight exaggeration?), with their wonderful words of wisdom.

As it so happens, it is also Thursday- and what I have tried to make a habit of doing is to make a list every Thursday of the things that have made me happy in the past week. All the little bits and pebbles of gratitude in one place! Somehow, it just helps to put me in a much better mood mentally, that the I actually forget why I was ever mopey in the first place! (Well, at least temporarily!)

I've taken to calling these lists Sure Happy It's Thursday Lists. Or, S.H.I.T lists for short. (And also to satisfy my inner snark!)

What I recommend this week is taking five minutes to sit down and compile a list of your own. It doesn't matter how silly or trite something is, so long as it makes you happy just to think about it! It's hard to get started, I'll admit. But once you do, I promise it'll be hard to stop! At the very minimum, try coming up with at least ten things that get you going.

Here's my list for starters!

<3 Good friends & Family.

<3 I job that I actually enjoy!

<3 And having people that I actually enjoy working with! (Drama Llamas not included!)

<3 My really swanky apartment

<3 Learning to cook more healthy things

<3 Belly dancing every Thursday night! (Hip shimmies just thinking about it!)

<3 Shag dancing on Tuesday. (Went for the first time by myself and had a blast!)

<3 Geeks that make life worth living- you know who you are!

<3 The promise of impending apocolyptic snowstorms! (A predicted 19in snowfall by Saturday! *bounces*)

<3 Random happy dances around the apartment!

<3 Grocery shopping with Mah Mama!

<3 Geeking out with my Pops

See? Not a bad way to end the week! So, what are you grateful for me lovelies? ;)

Childhood Calling 2: Electric Boogaloo

Well, then, dear reader. I made good my promise to reclaim a bit of my childhood magic and I had a tea party. More specifically, I had a rather bohemian tea party with Miss Lucy. We had a tea pot with a fruit motif on it, the milk and sugar dish from my own 50s era tea set, the delicate and beautiful cups from Miss Lucy’s set, and blue bowls for the soup. Yes, we had soup with our tea.

It was a blast; we drank tea with our pinkies out while talking about music and acted very civilized. For about five minutes that is. Then we devolved. Conversation turned from music to men and we began to call the soup pornographic.

Still, it was all good fun. And now I am reliving more of the childhood innocence that I called magical last week.

I am currently sitting curled up in my chair, in my pajamas, eating cookie dough and I’m watching Jeremy Clarkson drive some Royal Marines into a beach assault in a Ford Fiesta. I know, it doesn’t make much sense, but it doesn’t have to. This, what I’m doing, is the grown-up equivalent of watching Saturday morning cartoons.

And that’s exactly what I wanted.

It’s jolly hard to find something innocent and child-like to do that is also interesting to you when you’re 25. So then, my answer was to upgrade. Playing dress up and having a tea party with stuffed animals has given way to talking about the attractiveness of Shemar Moore’s abs with your best friend while drinking tea from a mismatched set.

It’s not enough to simply act out what you thought was magical in childhood. You have to adapt it to fit who you are now; so long as you feel that childlike thrill, does it really matter what form it takes?

If it ever clears up and the ground again is firm beneath my feet, I may go into the woods and find my cache of dragon eggs. And although I am a bit beyond frolicking, I may just sit and imagine what it would be like to have a host of dragons at my beck and call; you know, for world domination.

Being Obstinate

The Great Wall of Slush

Have you ever felt like the odds are against you? Then you find out they really are? Last week, I read that agent Jennifer Jackson signed five out of 8004 queries in her slush. That’s 0.06%. Of those five, two were debut authors. Janet Reid signed fewer.

I knew the statistics before I read the post. Industry experts estimate there are four million unpublished manuscripts out there, and all those authors want their babies to find a home. Usually those numbers make me work harder. Last week, however, I had a case of the I’m-ruining-my-life-with-this-writing-crap blues.

During the I’m-ruining-my-life-with-this-writing-crap blues, I obsess over what I could have been doing instead of writing. I could have called my siblings. I could have heard my baby sister plead with me to ease up on her boyfriend. (Never!) I could have actually learned tennis scoring from my brother. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Or I could have faced the legion of dust bunnies hiding in the laundry room. I could have played Mario Kart and finally kicked my husband’s fine fanny.

Those things are important to me, but so is writing. And, apparently, it is important to my husband. Last Thursday, he rescued my jump drive when I threatened to throw it into the garbage disposal. He talked soothingly as I huddled on the couch certain I’d ruined my life. It was tough love when he said this fear and doubt is a form of self-sabotage.

So I slunk to the computer the next morning and started to write. I remembered that most days the odds don’t bother me because the writing is enough. I don’t need to have my worth as a human being validated by publication.

It turns out that I’m not the only one who feels this way. Just a day later, the World of Blog affirmed I am not the only lunatic—I mean, bipolar artist--I mean... Nathan Bransford calls this feeling the “Am I Crazies?” Anne Allen’s response made me proud to be part of the team of crazies slaving away for the Tralfamadorians.

So what is the point? I’m choosing to be obstinate. I am a fairly level headed, well educated woman who’s deciding, with the support and prodding of her husband, to pursue a dream that by all definitions is out of reach. I'm sticking with it during the I’m-ruining-my-life-with-this-writing-crap blues.

What do you want? Are you cowering on your sofa watching whatever inanity prime time television offered up, hoping that the desire will go away? Or are you spitting in the eye of statistics, giving a wedgie to reason, and biting your thumb at doubt? Are you following the Dori philosophy? Are you willing to make magic in a world where it is as rare as glass slippers and condominium-sized peaches?

You Are Lovely

The post for today is short and sweet. First, I want you to remember you are lovely.

Second, I want to remind you (and "me") to always trust your heart. Never compromise who you are, or your own happiness, for anyone including yourself... because, let's face it, we can undermine ourselves sometimes.

Third, don't forget to go out and make magic this week. Go to a used book store, take a walk through your neighborhood or park, have a bon-fire, set off fire crackers, make yourself laugh by googling jokes, take pictures of all your favorite places, make cup cakes and eat them at your office desk very noisily and messily, light candles that smell nice and clean up a room and make it your own space, sit and people watch, drive to another town and visit a restaurant or coffee shop to which you have never been.

This week, be yourself without explanation. If you're the "weird" kid that collects dead bugs and makes necklaces out of them - proudly wear that necklace. If you're the quiet one, the noisy one, the pretty one in pink tulle, the grunge one in flannel... be all of you - every last sparkly, combat boot wearing, dragon loving, loud laughing, book reading, hot chocolate making, drop of you.

Yep, that's it.

5 Minute Magic

(photo credit)

Hello friends & Fiends! Welcome to the 3rd installation of "5 Minute Magic"!
(The first two may be found here & here!)



This week is all about getting your laugh on.


We've all heard how "laughter is the best medicine", and have felt the effects of a good chuckle hopefully more than once in our lives. Multiple studies have shown the positive effects that laughing has on our body. Affecting our hearts, blood flow, cortisol and endorphin levels, immune systems, and blood sugar! Proof? Try looking here, here, here, & here!


Now while I would recommend spending more than five minutes with a friend or three, cracking jokes and weaving tales, sometimes all we have time for is a quick pick-me-up to get us to the end of the workday.  Often while on my lunch break, I'll plunk myself down in front of my computer and pull up a never-fails comedic clip on ye olde youtube. My personal faves are: Robin Williams, Top Gear, Tim Minchin, anything from Monty Python, and Louis C.K. (for the more raunchy comedic moments!).


Here are some of my favorites!:

Because the Boys from Top Gear are nothing short of awesomesauce.

Christopher Walken meets Pokerface? I dare you to try to keep a straight face!

And of course... how can one go wrong with "Who's Line is it Anyway?" :)

So me Dears, what makes you giggle with sheer delight? :D

Childhood Calling

I told the lovely, and very understanding, Miss Lucy that I wasn't going to write anything else heartfelt and meaningful. You see, I've nothing against meaningful things (I mean, I cry every time I see an ASPCA commercial), but I am not naturally given to being twee and warm and gooey.

For example, when it comes to watching movies, I will inevitably choose explosions, gun fights, and gratuitous violence over romance, weddings, or Amy Adams. (Just kidding, Amy Adams is the cutest thing on this planet.) My television viewing consists of two programs; one is about profiling serial killers and the other is about sexy supercars (oh yeah, anyone else loving the new Ferrari 458?)

The only romantic thing I truly love is Romance era composers and poets. (Although Byron could still kick your ass six ways from Sunday.)

So, I was bound and determined to write something snarky and completely unrelated to real life. Once again, though, the font of my wit was dry.

Then, my mother reminded me of something. She told me she had been in the woods and that she had found my cache of dragon eggs. And then it all came flooding back.

I grew up in the country, so there was no TV for us as kids, apart from the news and public broadcasting. We had to be resourceful if we wanted to keep ourselves amused. That's when I found my dragon eggs. They were just a few large, oval rocks, but I was absolutely convinced they would hatch if I kept them warm. I put them in amongst the roots of an elm and covered them with moss and leaves.

And I went back for years after to check on them; I reasoned that as dragons are such long lived creatures, it would make a certain amount of sense that the eggs would take a while to hatch.

It seems a little silly now, of course, but isn't that what childhood is all about? Being silly and thinking that there would be a whole slew of dragons in the woods given enough time. I could very easily imagine that I would walk down there one day and discover the wee things gamboling in the dried leaves. Then we would have a blast running through the trees and playing in the creek.

You know what, folks? I miss that. I miss waking up with the hope that there were dragons behind my house. I miss playing make believe and dress up. I miss believing that magic really does exist.

So, here is my plan. I will have tea parties at every possible opportunity. I will play dress up, even if it is just while sitting at my computer to write. And while I don't think I can convince my brain to believe in dragons again, I will imagine what it would be like if they did exist.



What am I, chopped liver?



Oh, bugger, forgot about him.

The Magic of a Dream

The magic of the long weekend is when you can forget it’s Monday and go about your day until seven o’ clock rolls around and your husband looks at you and says, “What are you going to post today?”

And you have a harried few minutes as you go through your list of ideas, marking off some as too serious, some as too tedious, some as too trivial. And then you remember there is a reason that you didn’t have to report for duty today, a reason you could have spent all day working up the perfect post.

It is a day when a tiny notation was added on the calendar block to remind us what came before. I leave the words of today’s name sake to remind us not to think of only what came before.

We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, ‘When will you be satisfied?’

…We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

-Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963

Today we think of what will be. We think of how we can walk into tomorrow, seeing how far we’ve come but not turning a blind eye to the civil rights of the immigrant or the lesbian, the refugee or the child. We care about the civil rights of the person battling the pernicious legacy left in our jokes, in our media, in our minds, in our perceptions of our histories, and in our gut reactions to one another. We pledge that our concern will last beyond today.

Will we be satisfied? Will we believe those before us healed all the world’s wounds? Will we believe the magic of dreams ended? Or will we pour the waters that cleanse and heal?

Mixed Magic

The mixed tape is some kind of magic to behold. When I was younger my friends and I would make mixed tapes for each other by waiting for our favorite song to play on the radio. Sometimes we would get dj commentary at the tail end of a song as they talked over the music, but if we could wait long enough to get our favorite songs on one tape it was a feat worth the stupid peanut gallery remarks.

Then, when music cd’s came out we could mix our tapes from recording directly from CD. We didn’t have to wait for our favorite song to play on the radio. It was cleaner but it still took a long time and sometimes you wouldnt have the CD that had your favorite song and you would have to wait until allowence builds up to buy the CD. Then of course the mixed tape became the mixed CD.

Now it's so easy to get your favorite songs. Download from iTunes, royalty free music sites… pirate… *cough* not endorsing pirating music *cough*

But, there is still the magic in making the perfect mix for a friend. There's is an art to mixes.

Certain songs lead in to other songs even if they have no connection by genre. You start off the cd with a bang and coast to about number six with various ups and downs. Number six is always tight. From there the mix progresses to the softer songs, if you must, then picks back up and ends with a bang or a heart-wrenching song that makes you feel like you could break or fly – take your pick, its your mix.

It's also a challenge to pink songs that your friend would actually like. I know I could not put Coal Chamber or OTEP on a mix for my friend Ben. He would probably disown me. I could put certain punk songs on Christal's mix but no Bad Brains. These two have a certain style and its fun to find music they would like in my style.

So you ease them in with something familiar, something they recognize. They may not know the band or singer but if they catch a twang or a sound of a voice that resonates with them it can work.

It’s also a challenge to throw something silly into a mix of serious music, or rap in with indie chick. These things can be done, but it takes massaging, it takes tweeking, it takes a bit of magic to make that perfect mix.

Here are two play lists one for Ben and one for Christal.

For Ben/For Christal

5 Minute Magic

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(Note*: Part two of a series, the first part may be found here.)

Let's face it, there's nothing that says fun magical happiness like jumping on the bed. We've all known a toddler or two that has mastered the art of bed-hopping.

These days, we seem to be more concerned, and even consumed, by thoughts of progress that doing anything else seems childish and immature that we wouldn't be caught dead being foot loose and fancy free on our freshly made mattresses.

Well enough of that!

This week's 5-Minute Magic is all about reconnecting with your inner child, (wouldn't our therapists be proud?). For at least five minutes, feel free- you have my expressed permission- to let inhibitions take a hike. To forget about being progressive and productive. To be unafraid to look silly in front of the mirror, (or your lover-the more the merrier!), and jump to your heart's content! Bonus points will be awarded for the use of props such as pillows and for blaring 80's dance music.

So what'dya waiting for? Hop to it! ;)

What if?

Well, folks, you’ll have to forgive me. I had been planning something heartfelt and meaningful, but I’ve just spent the past 30 minutes chatting live with what must have been a particularly dull witted robot about the bizarre sounds emanating from my modem. And believe me, when I say bizarre, I mean bizarre. It sounds like a mix between a southern truck driver on his CB radio and the weird ghostly voices from the original “The Haunting.” In short, freaky.

Whoever or whatever I was chatting with had a real knack for not understanding the problem I was having and that actually got me thinking. Knacks. Some people really do have knacks for things. Haven’t you ever watched someone do something neat and tell them they have a knack for it?

Then I remembered that this has been written about before, and by a far better writer. Orson Scott Card wrote a series of novels called The Tales of Alvin Maker, about an early America that had a little bit of magic left in it. There are people in the story who use magic, but Card calls it “a knack.” Some of them can start fires, others can heal wounds, and still others can read people like open books.

Any of this sounding familiar? Haven’t we all heard of stories like this in the real world? There are people out there who can do some mighty out of the ordinary things. Haven’t you ever wondered, what if?

What if these people really do have some kind of magic in them? What if magic isn’t something mystical and shrouded in superstition and legends? What if magic, in some form, is real?

Is it possible that these people are the wizards, mages, witches, and enchanters of our dreams and fantasies? Doesn’t it give you a wonderful feeling to think back to all those fairy tales and myths and wonder if there is a grain of truth in them? Morgan le Fay could have been a real woman who simply had a knack for seduction.

I wrote last week that music had the power to move the soul. What if those composers who are considered the greatest had a knack for music? What if the artists we treasure had a knack for painting?

Interesting, isn't it? If there is any modicum of truth in what I've written, think of all the magic out in the world.

Now doesn't that just make you happy?