Innovation or Nine Years of Blogging . . . Umm, Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder, I Guess

in·no·va·tive
/ˈinəˌvādiv/

adjective
1. (of a product, idea, etc.) featuring new methods; advanced and original.
“innovative designs”
o (of a person) introducing new ideas; original and creative in thinking.
“an innovative thinker”

I watched a Wired YouTube channel video of Nick Offerman and Seth Rogen testing and rating gadgets I never knew existed. (Click here if you want to see that.) Like a machine to measure the humidity in wood. Um, okay. Or a magnetic wristband to hold nails and screws. I guess there’s a need for that.

I’ve never been a gadget inventor. My father likes to come up with labor-saving gadgets. My grandfather and uncles on my dad’s side tinkered with machines and other gadgets. They also were good at fixing and building things, because they were taught to do so at a young age.

When it comes to writing, I’ve been taught to be innovative, to go beyond the usual and press toward the unusual. But, hold the phone, I hear some of you say. Is it hard to be innovative when you see the retellings, adaptations of existing works, and other things being bought and marketed? Or maybe it’s just me asking that. But I know you’re thinking that. You are also thinking, What has this got to do with blogging? I’m getting to that.

When I first started this blog, I didn’t know what I was doing. I still don’t, by the way. I was challenged by my younger brother and a guy I barely knew at church to start blogging. So I thought to write about what I knew: writing and life. I see that look in your eye. Both are very broad topics. And I’m no expert at either. But when has that stopped anyone from sharing an opinion? I also chose to write the blog under a pen name because that was the name I would use for my fiction.

And here we are—nine years later. Actually, my blogoversary was at the end of February. But I’m still in the ninth year. I’ve learned a lot about myself in nearly a decade of posting. For one thing, I didn’t think I would last even one year as a blogger. So I learned that my predictions can be wrong. For another, I didn’t think anyone would read my posts. I learned otherwise. So I’m grateful that you found your way to my little neck of the blogging woods. I’ve met many wonderful people who are not just bloggers or people I happen to know—they are family.

If you came here looking for the weekly challenges that many other bloggers follow, you’ll be disappointed. I determined at the outset to do my own thing, mainly because I’ve never been good at a routine like that. But if you came here looking for posts like the perfect bathroom reading (an actual post—click here), you’re in the right place!

Blogoversary image from somewhere online that might no longer exist since I used this image seven years ago. Innovation image from inventhelp.com.

So Yeah, Eight Years

Technically my eighth anniversary happened toward the end of February. But last week I was researching for a picture book and writing a short story, and time got away from me. The following occurrences didn’t help:
• My computer went crazy. (It’s old and cranky like me and probably needs replacing, because the keypad is difficult to manage now.)
• Someone hacked my Messenger account and started requesting money from people.
• Microsoft Word crashed and needed to be replaced.

What did help was a care package from Laura!

The mug rug as she described the following seems too pretty to set a mug on, especially the way I have been known to overfill mugs and spill liquid on surfaces. But I love it nevertheless.

There’s something about hot chocolate with cinnamon that makes me want to break out the castanets and shout Viva! I don’t own castanets, but I shouted, “Viva!” anyway. Hope the neighbors appreciated it.

And there’s something about a blog anniversary that makes me want to give stuff away. What better thing to give away than the gift of light?

“Okay, that’s totally random,” I hear you thinking. Yes. I can hear your thoughts. It’s a gift. Anyway, as the dark of winter slow eases its grip to make way for spring, some of us in colder climates need a little somethin’ somethin’ to help us in the gap. Even if you live in a warmer place, a little bit of light is still welcome, isn’t it? So, you choose . . .

alpacas,

sunflowers (for some reason, I couldn’t copy the image from Amazon, so please click on the link in sunflowers to see the lights),

or eufy by Anker, Lumi Stick-On Night Light (same deal as with the sunflowers).

Or if none of the above grabs you, let me know in the comments, and if your name is chosen, you can pick one you like from Amazon or Amazon UK and I’ll have it sent to you.

“But why light?” you ask. “And what does that have to do with your blogoversary?” Well, to answer your questions, I can’t help thinking of something Galadriel said in The Fellowship of the Ring.

She held up a small crystal phial: it glittered as she moved it, and rays of white light sprang from her hand. “In this phial,” she said, “is caught the light of Eärendil’s star, set amid the waters of my fountain. It will shine still brighter when night is about you. May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” (423)

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book (though the image below is from the movie adaptation), because I know what light meant to the hobbits. They were often frightened and desperate. (And who hasn’t been in this pandemic? Light was s life saver.)

Light is a symbol for hope and revelation. Light pierces through darkness.

So that’s why.

Listen, I don’t have anything profound to say. I wish I did. Anniversary posts have a tendency to make you want to get your Winston Churchill on and impress the masses with a stirring speech. But for some reason, I wanted to come to you just as I am—no big speech, no clever rhetoric. Just the opportunity to bring a little light into your world.

So with this anniversary, I wish you light.

P.S. Comment below to choose which set of lights you prefer. Winner to be announced sometime next week.

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. New York: Random House, 1954. 423.

Product photo found at Amazon. Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins photo from namelessone.co. Other photos by L. Marie.

Easter Eggs or Seven Years A-Bloggin’

Though I posted the above photo, this post is about what’s described in the quote below from Wikipedia. Check this out:

While the term Easter egg has been used to mean a hidden object for some time, in reference to an Easter egg hunt, it has come to be more commonly used to mean a message, image, or feature hidden in a video game, movie, or other, usually electronic, medium.

So I really mean images like the one below from Star Wars: The Force Awakens with Boba Fett from Return of the Jedi superimposed on it, which points out an Easter egg. You have to check out WatchMojo’s website or YouTube channel for the explanation. Easter Eggs are for fans who eagerly pour over scenes from movies, hoping to find characters, objects like spaceships or flags, dialogue, or even sound effects from other movies, TV shows, graphic novels, video games, etc. Finding a sly reference to another work can be as satisfying as finding Waldo in a crowded scene—something that’s very relaxing to people like me who are uptight and prone to road rage. (Ah, the life of an irate driver.)

Nowadays, it’s not enough that filmmakers or television producers provide an epic ending to a film or show. Many go the extra mile to entertain fans by hiding Easter eggs. Perhaps they feel they have to keep up with the Joneses by including Easter eggs, since so many other films and TV shows do so.

Easter eggs might seem like an odd topic for a blog post. But as someone who has participated in many an Easter egg hunt, hiding eggs in friends’ backyards over the years, I guess you can say I’ve earned the right to talk about them.

Do you look for Easter eggs in movies? What are your favorites?

P.S. Because this is my seventh blogoversary (the actual date was February 19), throughout this post I have included seven Easter eggs from my first seven blog posts. Big hint: I used phrases from blog post titles, rather than pictures. You’ll have to go alllllllllll the way back to the 2013 posts to see which titles I mean. I was so tempted to do thirteen for 2013—the year I started. Seven will have to do. Happy hunting!

Kitty desperately wanted to talk over the Easter eggs she saw in a movie. She asked Henry, “Did you find the Easter eggs?” When Henry nodded to an empty bucket, before he could open his mouth to say anything, Kitty added, “No. Don’t speak.” Obviously, he didn’t have a clue what she meant.

Easter eggs from somewhere on Pinterest. Star Wars image from WatchMojo.com. Other photo by L. Marie.

Music to My Ears—Five Years A-Bloggin’

I was sitting at my desk the other day, contemplating what I would have for breakfast, when I suddenly realized, Oh my goodness! My blogoversary passed!

As of February 19, I’ve been blogging for five years. I didn’t think I’d last five minutes, let alone five years. But here I am. Like the proverbial bad penny, I keep turning up. I’m grateful to all of you who discovered this blog and keep coming back. Rest assured, the weirdness will continue. (Or, run away while you still can.)

On with the show. Recently, a friend who is taking a writing class shared the following video with me.

In case you elect to avoid spending almost eight minutes watching the video (though it was well done), its creator, Nerdwriter1, discusses the recurring musical themes (leitmotifs) of the Lord of the Rings movie soundtracks, composed by Howard Shore (movies directed by Peter Jackson, based on books by J. R. R. Tolkien). These are my favorite soundtracks of all time, so of course I had to take a look.

I was already well aware of Howard Shore’s genius. But the video was a lovely reminder of what you get when a powerful musical score is wedded to a powerful story.

   

See, kids? These are CDs. We used to play these back in the day.

On many days, I had the soundtracks playing in the background while I wrote. I can remember writing scenes that matched the tempo of Shore’s compositions. These soundtracks made me want to write the kind of story that would merit a skillfully written score played by an equally skilled orchestra.

So yeah, I love those soundtracks. But not just Howard Shore’s. I love the soundtracks from Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) (movies directed by Christopher Nolan), which were composed by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. These soundtracks, with their edgy orchestration, are an interesting contrast to the Lord of the Rings soundtracks. But they all have an epic quality that evokes emotion. (If you look at the list of musical selections on the Batman Begins soundtrack, you’ll note that each was named after a bat genus. Also, BATMAN is spelled out.)

    

    

I have music in my head, even as I write this blog post. I’m hearing the horns from The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack. Being a blogger is a kind of fellowship. You post something and hope someone will read it. And when someone does, and you get to know that person, relationships are forged. I’ve met many great people through this blog. People like you. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Kitty and her interns. Somebody’s gotta get the coffee.

Batman Begins movie poster from geekynerfherder.blogspot.com. The Dark Knight movie poster from popcritics.com. Other photos by L. Marie. Snow-Fro and Kissy Boo Shoppets are registered trademarks of Moose Toys.

Tiny Treasures—Blogoversary Time!

Ever have one of those weeks when you almost forget your own name? Last week was a really busy week for me, which culminated in a jury summons. So on February 19, I was taken aback when WordPress sent me this note:

 Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!
You registered on WordPress.com 3 years ago!
Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging!

Thanks, WordPress! I had totally forgotten my blogoversary!

You might wonder about the post title—“Tiny Treasures.” Don’t let the photo at the beginning of the post fool you. The kitty in the teapot is less than two inches tall. This is a tiny treasure—one of the Littlest Pet Shop blind bag pets. (Um, I can totally see you yawning or fidgeting. There is a method to this madness. Really.)

When I was a little kid, I loved to collect tiny things. This was one of the reasons also why I loved to visit the Colleen Moore Fairy Castle at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. It’s filled with miniature furniture!

Colleen Moore Fairy Castle @ the Museum of Science and Industry

One Christmas I was given a box of 100 small, pink plastic ballet dancers. I played with them for hours. I’m glad I found a picture of them on the internet, since I no longer have the set. Some internet wag referred to these as the girl version of those little green Army men.

These days I still collect tiny treasures, but mostly in book form. (Okay, yes, I have a few Shopkins and characters from series like My Little Pony and the Littlest Pet Shop. I also have a small throwing knife and like to crochet tiny envelopes. Eclectic is my middle name.)

  

I love fantasy and science fiction books. I realize these types of books are not everyone’s cup of tea. But to celebrate my blogoversary, I’d like to give away a tiny treasure—a book under 200 pages in length—to a commenter. Normally I love a long book. But some books pack a punch in a short amount of time. I chose two that have inspired me over the years. They’re oldies but goodies.

   

Why these books? Well, The Ordinary Princess represents everything I love about fairy tales. And I love the way Le Guin explores the different cultures in her tightly written classic, A Wizard of Earthsea.

Comment below to let me know which book you would like to receive if your name is chosen. (Do not be alarmed. I am not giving away my old, beat-up copies of these books.) It’s okay if the answer is “neither,” and you just wish to comment without participating in my book giveaway. Just know that I appreciate the fact that you found your way to my little corner of the internet. 🙂 You deserve some cake for that. Feel free to take a huge bite.

I’ve enjoyed writing this blog. Still, I never imagined I’d reach a third year! Thanks for putting up with me over the years.

What tiny treasures, if any, do you collect?

 

Book covers from Goodreads. Plastic dancers from onemoregadget.com. Cake from clker.com. Fairy castle from msichicago.org.

Two Years, One Post, and One Ring to Rule Them All

Today is my two-year blogoversary. If only print could convey my amazement. Two years. When I began posting exactly two years to the day, I wasn’t sure I’d last two months, let alone two years. But here I am!

My amazement is sorta like this.

I won’t take up too much of your time today, however. Anniversaries are all about celebrating and giving presents. So this post is to announce a blogoversary giveaway: a $25 Amazon card (or some equivalent at Amazon.uk) to one reader. Woot! A winner will be announced sometime next week. (I have another giveaway to coordinate first.)

This giveaway is my way of saying thanks to all who welcomed me as a new blogger or to those who continue reading my posts even when I talk about books or magazines I read in the bathroom. Please comment below to be entered in the drawing. If you feel like mentioning what you’d get at Amazon, that would be lovely. Don’t feel obligated though. You could instead tell me about the weather in your neck of the woods (it’s freeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzing here), your favorite movie, or about an epiphany you had recently. Two years ago, I talked about a movie I enjoyed, so sharing your favorite movie would be very fitting. 🙂

While I wait for you to respond, I’ll continue mainlining Skinny Pop Popcorn and Reese’s. (Does one cancel out the other?)

  

By the way, thanks for all of the memories we’ve shared over the years. (I can say that now. Years.) There have been many that still make me smile, especially as I think about your comments—the best part of having a blog. But reminiscing would only make me cry, and I’ve had enough of that recently, thanks to The Legend of Korra, Book Three: Change. (That’s not a spoiler by the way. I cry easily, at happy or sad moments.) So while you think of how you want to spend that gift card, I’ll go back to my popcorn and the series finale of The Legend of Korra, Book Four: Balance. (I’m bingeing on both seasons.)

     

Thanks again for visiting my little space.

P. S. If you’re wondering where the “one ring to rule them all” fits in, you can stop wondering. It doesn’t. I just threw that in.

Jordie and Kitty have put aside their differences to celebrate this blogoversary. Each, however, has decided to look for the one ring to rule the other.

Skinny Pop from the Skinny Pop website. Legend of Korra, Book Three from animationmagazine.net. Legend of Korra, Book Four from ign.com. Cupcake with candle from go4costumes.com. Macaulay Culkin from musiceyz.co.uk.