Category: feelings

feelings

superstitions

abby mumford

i expected to be writing a different post. one filled with springtime temperatures and babies and family and easter egg hunts as my family spent easter weekend up here with me. however, baby mac got sick and then got her mom sick, so sister J and family had to leave boston, which meant it was the parents, sister E and i left to weather the storms mother nature set upon us.

we were a bit soggy and chilly, but the more surprising thing is what happened after they left. i was busy packing up my room and was shifting from one task (shoes) to another (pulling down pictures) to this (spackling nail holes) to that (the mini bookshelf) to here (the top of the shelf) to there (cleaning the mirror) and back again. i’m usually very focused, but i guess a move of this magnitude brings out the A.D.D. in me.

i had finally finished up the shoes and was lugging the rather large box out of my room. a second after i stepped through the doorway, i heard a loud noise. i’m holding an awkwardly sized and not light box, so i continued onward with that and when i returned to my room, i saw this:

that loud noise i had heard? it was my full length mirror crashing to the ground and was now shattered. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME? seven years bad luck? a chance to buy a new one? a dangerous mess to clean up? a portal to another world that i should jump through? i suppose it’s really all in how you deal with superstitions, but aside from it being a really difficult word for me to spell, i am nervous about this.

wikipedia tells me superstitions aren’t based on reason or knowledge so i guess like most things in life, it’s all about what you decide to focus on. i could get stuck on the fact that i found out last night (mere minutes after said mirror broke) that i’m now saddled with a full sized refrigerator because my landlord is not from this planet and has no clue that it’s so much easier for him to buy this (only 7 year old) fridge off me than for him to buy a brand new one OR i could fixate on the fact that my coworker just left three chocolate eggs on my desk.

even if these two things don’t carry quite the same weight, i’m going to concentrate on the charming, delicious nature of the latter, BUT just in case, i’m going to keep this around my neck for awhile longer.

feelings

spring cleaning

abby mumford

due to an upcoming change of apartments, i’m finally joining the millions (thousands? hundreds? few?) who partake in a yearly spring clean. before having the gargantuan task of moving put upon me, usually i’d just tidy up a bit. i’m a neat, organized person, but dusting and scrubbing and throwing things out? forget about it.

but now? when faced with the option of having to lug all these things down three flights of stairs, into a moving van and back up another flight of stairs, i am suddenly objective and unburdened and can throw things out. this is a huge step for me because if there’s one time in my life that i procrastinate, it’s when throwing things out. “i may need that in june.” “i may need that if it rains.” “i should keep this for when, if, it snows in august.” “i’m going to read that. someday. i’ll keep it.” the excuses i used to make are now as big as the piles i’ve trashed.*pats self on back.*

and, in addition to dust bunnies that are bigger than the easter bunny, it’s amazing what i’ve found after not having looking at the bottom shelf of my bookcase or under that table or in my nightstand. i found a bunch of old college papers, poetry final exams, and my papers from my first and second creative writing classes. honestly, they’re cringe worthy, which is exactly why they landed in the “keep” pile. as much as i despair about the state of my writing now, HOLY COW, it’s miles different from where it started all those years ago.

one of the things i was excited to find was a comment from my very first (and scariest) creative writing professor. the comment that often rattles around in my brain because she managed to articulate what i never could about myself:

“…I think you might be the kind of student who makes great leaps between semesters as a result of study. Just a hunch.”

— LC

it’s not the most sparkling thing i’ve ever heard about myself, but it is the truth. my mind works at the speed of molasses. i can know something, but it takes time for it to sink through the layers to reach the part where i can be productive. it’s so freeing to know this because it’s a grand thing to know how my mind works. it’s also troublesome because it means i have to work overtime to understand the intricacies and be as productive as someone whose brain processes faster… but i’m always game for a little competition. it keeps things interesting.

who knew that spring cleaning would not only lighten the load, but dispense advice as well? it looks like i’ve got some wise dust bunnies. perhaps i should keep them around?

feelings

fact finding mission

abby mumford

i learned something new the other day. it started off with boredom. boredom with my hairstyle at the same time i had a very posh wedding to attend. clearly i couldn’t show up with the same old hairdo, but my hair is stick straight. if i can get the ends to bend under, it’s a good day. i thought about what to do and decided i wanted something like this:

one problem. i can’t french braid. trust me, i’ve tried. there’s something so elegant and chic and yet casual about it. my friend carrie has worn her hair in a similar style, but i wasn’t sure if she could recreate it on me. as i sat there on the bed and let her nimble fingers twist and twine my hair, i was struck by the thought that i’ve known her for 16 years and somehow didn’t know this one small fact.

she’s a master french braider.

even after all these years, there was something i didn’t know about her. i loved this, but yet, i am freaked out when the character i’m working with (one i’ve known only for a few months) does something unexpected? why is this? why can’t i embrace that newness like i embraced the news about carrie? sure, my character’s not french braiding my hair for me, but that doesn’t mean she’s any less entertaining.

i realize you’re only going to know what people/characters want you to know, but how do you make sure to ask the right questions? and what do you do when something unanticipated arises in the plot or with a character? do you roll with the punches? do you manipulate things to your satisfaction? do you let yourself (and your hair) get twisted up?

feelings

from their head to the silver screen + a winner

abby mumford

firstly, because i hate waiting, i’m going to announce the winner of the WHERE SHE WENT contest right now. yup, right here at the top of the post. you’re welcome.

congratulations, KELLY B, for this comment:

“She went for a ride
With her guy by her side
They stopped for a pop
And put down the top
He leaned in for a kiss
And trust me, didn’t miss
After, she floated home
Where was she…I say Rome”

because, poetry. enough said. (KB, email me your mailing address and i’ll get the book right out to you!)

and now onto other news. as you know, HUNGER GAMES by suzanne collins is one of my most favoritest books ever and if you didn’t know, it’s being turned into a movie. suzanne collins herself wrote the screenplay, so i’m feeling like this has a shot at reaching a level of awesomesauce that most books turned into movies don’t reach.

and then this week, the castings for the boys in the movie stopped being rumors and  started being confirmed. so now, the main three actors have been finalized. the ladies over at forever YA do a good job of breaking down their (and consequently, my) thoughts, so i won’t ramble on about that when you can just read it here.

it got me thinking though about why fans are so passionate about the actors chosen to portray their favorite literary characters when a book goes to the silver screen. it may seem like a silly thing to get riled up about, but really, it’s not because it goes a little something like this:

author writes book. it belongs to the author.

agent and editor read book. it belongs to author, agent, and editor, as they’ve all made their editorial suggestions, etc.

book is released into the wild where boys and girls and lads and lasses and men and women pick it up, read it, and it suddenly belongs to THEM. they read the author’s words, but they have to use their imagination to picture the characters and places and plots and you bring your own life experience to the page, so the author’s words may direct you here or there, but it feels like YOUR book, YOUR characters, YOUR friend and that is why we so desperately wish our voices could be heard in the casting room. we want to make sure the characters look on screen like they do in our brains.

i know movies and books have different limitations and strengths and weaknesses, so there is a reason most authors have no say in the movie making part of their book, but i can’t help but wish the author, the person who originally dreamt up the story, could have more input. as if movies don’t take long enough to produce, adding that step would probably muck things up even more, so that’s why they let the professionals decide and not the author or the public, but still, HUNGER GAMES is an important movie (to me) and i want it to be right. i don’t know much about the boys they picked, but sister E claims they are good choices, so i’m going to put aside my initial disappointment and hope their acting chops and hair dye match the characters in my head.

plus, THIS ARTICLE makes some valid points and will help me to trust in the professionals who are putting this movie together. and now, we wait until march 23, 2012.

are you excited about the HG cast? don’t care? have you had a book hit the big screen which made you fall in love with the story all over again? saw the movie and held an impromptu wake for the book that died on screen?