You know what I love?
Stories.
Stories are why I am an English major, why I love to read, why I love to write. They are the reason I see the world for what it is, to love this place and these people and this chance we have been given to explore and discover and feel and know. The reason I have battled the biggest and the smallest monsters, traveled through time, died and been born again and again, defeated Voldemort, survived the zombie apocalypse, met the Doctor, learned what love means at the end of it all. The reason I know that the human imagination is probably the most important part of our collective existence, the reason we have survived, and will continue to do so.
This week, with finals approaching and the number of square meals I get in a day reduced to one-ish, I have been lucky enough to have time to experience some pretty amazing stories. Stories that have absolutely nothing to do with school, or academia, or studying, or learning, but have magic and meaning in them just the same.
The first was Firefly, the early-2000s TV show about space cowboys. My brother has been pestering me to get on the hipster bandwagon for years, and only now that I have succumbed and watched the tragically short fourteen episodes plus one movie do I realize how effing awesome it is. Everything you would ever want in a series -- danger! a gang of rebellious outlaws! romance! intrigue! humor! -- all wrapped up in a story of smugglers aboard an outdated spaceship travelling throughout the galaxy evading capture. When you add in Nathan Fillion and a bunch of other likable/badass characters, the story is irresistible to the lover of post-apocalyptic space epics known as Myself.
The second was Life of Pi. I had the pleasure of reading this book in Ms. Kremer's class freshman year of high school, and while I loved and appreciated the book and its general genius, which was very new to me at the time, I promptly forgot about it until the announcement for the movie. Last night, several friends and I went to see it at last, and I was totally blown away. This was by far the best book-to-movie adaptation I have ever seen, effectively capturing, not only the detailed plot and its complicated twists, but also the essence of the book itself, all its subtleties and nuances and themes and the feel of the story. For this, I respect Ang Lee (the director) and Suraj Shurma (young Pi, who had never acted before) immensely.
Lastly, I spontaneously decided to reread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows earlier this week, which, despite being time-consuming, has been completely worth it. It's been well over a year since I've read a Harry Potter book, and every time I return to them I am astounded by their sheer genius. These are books that will last generations--and rightly so. This story is so epic and perfect and human, and it holds a special place in my heart as the one that, so many years ago, got me hooked on this beautiful art form.
Sorry this post is long, but if you've made it all the way to the end, I'm going to give you some advice: stop studying, stop stressing, stop whatever you're doing for just a couple of hours and go watch a great movie, read an excellent book, and revel in your favorite stories. Get away, if only briefly, from your own life and problems and worries and experience someone else's for a while.
:)
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
The Most Adventurous Day in the Life of my Shirt.
I am Ariel's shirt. She usually wears me to sleep in, which is why I was concerned when yesterday I was far, far away from her at bedtime. I knew she'd be confused and worried, but as I have no legs, it was a hopeless case.
Let me tell you a little about myself. I may be old and have holes and stains, but I have The Beatles on me, so that makes me awesome. I used to belong to a boy for a long time, but he gave me to Ariel, which makes me happy because she wears me aaaaaaaall the time. :)
So that's why I wasn't too surprised when she threw me on top of the bag that I live in with her other clothes when she was hurrying to leave in the morning. She even looked at me and muttered, "Yeah, that'll be fine there, no need to put it away." You know, I'm kind of glad she didn't.
So there I was peacefully sleeping when the door opens and two ladies come in with a big cart. They start vacuuming and putting the sheets back where they belong (silly sheets, always running away). But when she brought the towels out of the bathroom, she dropped one right on top of me! And that towel was big and fluffy and MEAN, so when she went to pick him up again, he took me with him!
We got thrown in to a giant cart full of towels, all squirming and white. I figured, since I am dark grey, someone would see me and put me back where I belonged. But we went down the elevator and no one even noticed!
I was starting to get seriously concerned - who would know where to bring me home to? We'd been sleeping in lot of different beds lately - what if Ariel left without me? :(
Suddenly, I felt a hand pluck me out of the towel bin! Hope rose in my collar. Someone found me and would put me back!
I heard voices talking in words I didn't understand, and rough hand balling me up. I was tossed to one side and left there for hours.
Ariel would be back by now. Maybe she would even be looking for me. But I was gone. I was probably going to be composted. My sleeves were limp with despondency.
Then I felt someone pawing at me, unfolding me. Words of admiration in that strange tongue. Smelling me gingerly, but I smell just fine, thank you. I had a bath not two days ago! The person shoved me awkwardly into a jacket pocket and walked a short distance and sat down.
It was definitely full night now. Ariel was probably asleep. I wondered who she was wearing and if I would ever . see her again. The person went into a place that was very noisy and very smoky and had lots of people inside. There's no way I would smell good now. He say down, and I flopped around a bit before he took off his jacket - with me inside - and slung it over a chai. I was almost touching the ground now, and maaaaybe, if I tried reeeeeally hard, I could escape onto the floor.
As the night progressed and my captor kept on sitting there talking, I inched my way out of the pocket, stitch by stitch. Just before the man stood up and took his jacket, I managed to yank the last corner of my hem down onto the carpet.
I waited there for just a few hours, uncertain of the future. Then two ladies picked me up, talking and laughing at me a little, before throwing me in a box with some old, grimy socks and a depressed scarf or two behind a counter. She talked to a couple of people about room reservations. I was still inside the hotel! Hope flared up again.
Still, I waited and waited and waited and no signs of Ariel. That is, until the lady fished me out of that stinking box. I heard someone ask, "Does it have the Beatles on it?" and a faint reply, "Yeah, it does," then Ariel was there, grabbing me! I was flooding with joy, from the tips of my sleeves to the edge of my hem.
But the lady was speaking:
"We did not find it in your room," she said. And then with a grin, "It was in the bar. We figured someone was getting naked there last night."
"Ummm..." Ariel said awkwardly, "I have no idea how that happened. That's actually a little creepy. But it's definitely mine."
So the lady handed me over and Ariel put me away in my home. It was such a relief to see my old friends again! Though I hope I get another bath before Ariel wears me again. It's been quite an adventure for a shirt - even more than when the boy owned me and he would do crazy things. I am very, very glad to be home! :)
Let me tell you a little about myself. I may be old and have holes and stains, but I have The Beatles on me, so that makes me awesome. I used to belong to a boy for a long time, but he gave me to Ariel, which makes me happy because she wears me aaaaaaaall the time. :)
So that's why I wasn't too surprised when she threw me on top of the bag that I live in with her other clothes when she was hurrying to leave in the morning. She even looked at me and muttered, "Yeah, that'll be fine there, no need to put it away." You know, I'm kind of glad she didn't.
So there I was peacefully sleeping when the door opens and two ladies come in with a big cart. They start vacuuming and putting the sheets back where they belong (silly sheets, always running away). But when she brought the towels out of the bathroom, she dropped one right on top of me! And that towel was big and fluffy and MEAN, so when she went to pick him up again, he took me with him!
We got thrown in to a giant cart full of towels, all squirming and white. I figured, since I am dark grey, someone would see me and put me back where I belonged. But we went down the elevator and no one even noticed!
I was starting to get seriously concerned - who would know where to bring me home to? We'd been sleeping in lot of different beds lately - what if Ariel left without me? :(
Suddenly, I felt a hand pluck me out of the towel bin! Hope rose in my collar. Someone found me and would put me back!
I heard voices talking in words I didn't understand, and rough hand balling me up. I was tossed to one side and left there for hours.
Ariel would be back by now. Maybe she would even be looking for me. But I was gone. I was probably going to be composted. My sleeves were limp with despondency.
Then I felt someone pawing at me, unfolding me. Words of admiration in that strange tongue. Smelling me gingerly, but I smell just fine, thank you. I had a bath not two days ago! The person shoved me awkwardly into a jacket pocket and walked a short distance and sat down.
It was definitely full night now. Ariel was probably asleep. I wondered who she was wearing and if I would ever . see her again. The person went into a place that was very noisy and very smoky and had lots of people inside. There's no way I would smell good now. He say down, and I flopped around a bit before he took off his jacket - with me inside - and slung it over a chai. I was almost touching the ground now, and maaaaybe, if I tried reeeeeally hard, I could escape onto the floor.
As the night progressed and my captor kept on sitting there talking, I inched my way out of the pocket, stitch by stitch. Just before the man stood up and took his jacket, I managed to yank the last corner of my hem down onto the carpet.
I waited there for just a few hours, uncertain of the future. Then two ladies picked me up, talking and laughing at me a little, before throwing me in a box with some old, grimy socks and a depressed scarf or two behind a counter. She talked to a couple of people about room reservations. I was still inside the hotel! Hope flared up again.
Still, I waited and waited and waited and no signs of Ariel. That is, until the lady fished me out of that stinking box. I heard someone ask, "Does it have the Beatles on it?" and a faint reply, "Yeah, it does," then Ariel was there, grabbing me! I was flooding with joy, from the tips of my sleeves to the edge of my hem.
But the lady was speaking:
"We did not find it in your room," she said. And then with a grin, "It was in the bar. We figured someone was getting naked there last night."
"Ummm..." Ariel said awkwardly, "I have no idea how that happened. That's actually a little creepy. But it's definitely mine."
So the lady handed me over and Ariel put me away in my home. It was such a relief to see my old friends again! Though I hope I get another bath before Ariel wears me again. It's been quite an adventure for a shirt - even more than when the boy owned me and he would do crazy things. I am very, very glad to be home! :)
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