Friday, April 27, 2012

Fairy Tale Friday: Mad Masterpieces

So many fabulous participants madly adding to the fun. Here's today's Fairy Tale in 10 Mad Masterpiece renditions -- click on the pic to enlarge:



The Enormous Bumblebee
Adapted by Z









The Ball Cutter Fish
Adapted by Shaun







link to original here




The Reddish Eel
Adapted by Shasta









The Sleepy Joe (in a Bad Mood)
Adapted by Sleepy Joe









The GMORK
Adapted by DR








link to original here


The Knock-Knock-Knock
Adapted by Heth (aka Kins)










The Voodoo Doll
Adapted by Chubs and Slim Evans






link to original here


 


The Joker (as played by Heath Ledger)
Adapted by Caitlyn









The Plaid Barney
Adapted by Hubs (of course I wrangled him into this?)










East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Original by Asbjornsen and Möe, Condensed by dbstevens
This is only a snippet, the story continues here (though I had nothing to do with the SurLaLune abridgment (and definitely check out the annotations on their site -- they make the story so much better)).




link to original here

So many thanks to everyone who participated. If there are any mistakes, blatant or otherwise, I apologize. The fault is on me, not those who did the adaptations.

Happy fairy tales and weekend wonders, everyone!

Moment of Magic today:

I had 10 of them, and they were all so awesome.





Thursday, April 26, 2012

300 Words or Less: Call for Madness

300 Thursday again, where I'm posting bits of original work -- teasers from the novel I'm working on, some of my favorite poetry or prose I've done in the last few years, maybe some flash fiction or short essays, etc. -- all within 300 words or less.

Today's tiny pleasantry is a plea for participation:

Call for Madness  

Are you mad for mad libs like me? Yes or no, friend or foe, please answer my plea -- these are my needs:

1. Number
2. Two things you need to survive
3. Favorite Season
4. Onomatopoeia for something repeating three times (ex: “thwack, thwack, thwack”)
5. Size adverb **Update: me thinks I was tired when I wrote this? I meant to say adjective. Appologies for any confusion.
6. Color adverb **Update: again, I meant adjective. Sorry y'all.
7. Scary person, thing, or animal
8. Common greeting
9. A complete thought, random or otherwise
10. Verb ending in “ed”
11. What would your reply be to someone saying, “You don’t look like you want to do this. Are you afraid?”
12. Place
13. Type of building
14. Flat object
15. Verb

There are multiple ways to reply: in the comments, any of the "contact me" options, or answer on your own blog/FB (or whatever social networking forum you prefer) account and then let me know so I can come take a look. 

Check back tomorrow and you'll have your very own Mad Masterpiece. What better way to start off your weekend?

Thanks y'all, and just one more day til Friday? Righteous.


Moment of Magic today:


This is exactly how I was saying, "Righteous" above. And does anyone else feel like this has been how their week's going?  

 

Friday, April 13, 2012

Fairy Tale Friday: Fairy Ointment

It starts out like this:


First of all (and I apologize that this may be a tiny bit off topic?), I'm not sure who May is, but I do know that if Hubs started anything with the dedication of, "To my Dear Little Deb," I'm positive I would just melt in the most delicious way. For whatever that's worth.

So have we all heard of Joseph Jacobs? I hadn't until recently, and if you're like me in this you can find some basics here and here.

His English Fairy Tales begins with the above introduction, and continues on to retell a bunch of old favorites. He classifies them as: "Of the eighty-seven tales contained in my two volumes, thirty-eight are Märchen proper, ten sagas or legends, nineteen drolls, four cumulative stories, six beast tales, and ten nonsense stories."

You can find the book in its entirety in many places online. For an amazing archival experience I suggest going to Project Gutenberg. If you just want the book with easy links to each story, Philipp Lenssen has put together a great page here where you can do that.

All this is to say that it's from Jacobs' book that I bring you today's Fairy Tale, which actually includes fairies this time. Fabulous? Yes. It includes the word "squinny." Even more fabulous? Most definitely yes.

Enjoy:


Fairy Ointment

Dame Goody was a nurse that looked after sick people, and minded babies. One night she was woke up at midnight, and when she went downstairs, she saw a strange squinny-eyed, little ugly old fellow, who asked her to come to his wife who was too ill to mind her baby. Dame Goody didn’t like the look of the old fellow, but business is business; so she popped on her things, and went down to him. And when she got down to him, he whisked her up on to a large coal-black horse with fiery eyes, that stood at the door; and soon they were going at a rare pace, Dame Goody holding on to the old fellow like grim death.

link to original here
They rode, and they rode, till at last they stopped before a cottage door. So they got down and went in and found the good woman abed with the children playing about; and the babe, a fine bouncing boy, beside her.
Dame Goody took the babe, which was as fine a baby boy as you’d wish to see. The mother, when she handed the baby to Dame Goody to mind, gave her a box of ointment, and told her to stroke the baby’s eyes with it as soon as it opened them. After a while it began to open its eyes. Dame Goody saw that it had squinny eyes just like its father. So she took the box of ointment and stroked its two eyelids with it. But she couldn’t help wondering what it was for, as she had never seen such a thing done before. So she looked to see if the others were looking, and, when they were not noticing she stroked her own right eyelid with the ointment.

No sooner had she done so, than everything seemed changed about her. The cottage became elegantly furnished. The mother in the bed was a beautiful lady, dressed up in white silk. The little baby was still more beautiful than before, and its clothes were made of a sort of silvery gauze. Its little brothers and sisters around the bed were flat-nosed imps with pointed ears, who made faces at one another, and scratched their polls. Sometimes they would pull the sick lady’s ears with their long and hairy paws. In fact, they were up to all kinds of mischief; and Dame Goody knew that she had got into a house of pixies. But she said nothing to nobody, and as soon as the lady was well enough to mind the baby, she asked the old fellow to take her back home. So he came round to the door with the coal-black horse with eyes of fire, and off they went as fast as before, or perhaps a little faster, till they came to Dame Goody’s cottage, where the squinny-eyed old fellow lifted her down and left her, thanking her civilly enough, and paying her more than she had ever been paid before for such service.

Now next day happened to be market-day, and as Dame Goody had been away from home, she wanted many things in the house, and trudged off to get them at the market. As she was buying the things she wanted, who should she see but the squinny-eyed old fellow who had taken her on the coal-black horse. And what do you think he was doing? Why he went about from stall to stall taking up things from each, here some fruit, and there some eggs, and so on; and no one seemed to take any notice.

Now Dame Goody did not think it her business to interfere, but she thought she ought not to let so good a customer pass without speaking. So she ups to him and bobs a curtsey and said: “Gooden, sir, I hopes as how your good lady and the little one are as well as––”

But she couldn’t finish what she was a-saying, for the funny old fellow started back in surprise, and he says to her, says he: “What! do you see me today?”

“See you,” says she, “why, of course I do, as plain as the sun in the skies, and what’s more,” says she, “I see you are busy too, into the bargain.”

“Ah, you see too much,” said he; “now, pray, with which eye do you see all this?”

“With the right eye to be sure,” said she, as proud as can be to find him out.

“The ointment! The ointment!” cried the old pixy thief. “Take that for meddling with what don’t concern you: you shall see me no more.” And with that he struck her on her right eye, and she couldn’t see him any more; and, what was worse, she was blind on the right side from that hour till the day of her death.



Moment of Magic today:

Time for you to share...what was your magic moment today? This weekend? 

  

Thursday, April 12, 2012

300 Words or Less: Home is a Guild Hall

300 Thursday again, where I'm posting bits of original work -- teasers from the novel I'm working on, some of my favorite poetry or prose I've done over the last few years, maybe some flash fiction or short essays, etc. -- all within 300 words or less. 

So shall we try a little poetry again? Here's a little something about home:

link to original here
Our Guild Hall

Written on,
I'm spitten on.
By me,
by you,
by them.
On I spit,
on you I spit,
turning you on
the spit of my fire.
Dawning,
you're fawning,
I'd sing to you with my lyre.

Liar.

We're all liars.
We burn on our own funeral pyres.
And eat each others'
funeral potatoes.
The day is grey --
perfect for a lot of cheese.
That's the way I smile:
cheesy.
For you, especially.
Because you are special.
A blue-light special,
that only I can buy.
If anyone else tries?
I will sever their heads:
an out-of-body experience.

You and I, we will love,
armor and all.
We'll build a guild hall.
Our cape will be beautiful and proud --
like you are beautiful and proud.
And I am beautiful and proud.
Cloud-living.
I am sitting,
waiting for you.
I know you.
I will wait for you through forever.

And if that wasn't your favorite image of home, here's an alternative:


And if that still doesn't hit home for you, feel free to share your version in the comments. What is home to you? A certain fish tank? Perhaps a certain pair of shoes/sandals? Maybe it's your dog, or your partner, or your child who makes you feel at home. What are your thoughts?


Moment of Magic today:

Giving advice to a friend this morning, I paused mid-sentence to realize I was talking to myself. Not in any literal sense, because she was obviously listening (though not very happily so), but rather in a, "Oh, I suppose this would be good advice for me to apply in my own life as well," sense. Huh. So I suppose the magic was in the friendship, the pause, the advice, the recognition.



 

Friday, April 6, 2012

Fairy Tale Friday: Happily Ever After & the Easter Bunny

My calendar shows me that today is many things: a full moon, Good Friday, and Passover starts at sundown. It’s the beginning of Easter weekend, with all sorts of yummy candy and baskets and brightly painted eggs. 

I woke up this morning to a yard full of snow. Blech.

link to original here
But this afternoon the sky is blue, the sun warm and powerful. Now it’s the frozen water that's clinging desperately to branches, rather than the delicate green leaves. Score one for the blossoms. 

The seasons have officially turned, rogue winter storm or no (Heh. Did two X-Men characters just inadvertently pop into your head like they did mine?).

So today’s Fairy Tale Friday brings us two things: “Happily Ever After,” and the Easter Bunny. Interesting mix? Let’s see where we can go with this…

The phrase “Happily Ever After” is so intrinsically tied to the fairy tale that one would not really exist without the other. Even original fairy tales, with their darker outlook on life, had endings wherein the main characters are rewarded as their conduct deserves. The wolf may have eaten Little Red Riding Hood in the end, but duh, she shouldn’t have talked to a stranger.

Granted, that’s not how our current version of Little Red ends, which very much makes me wonder…bah. I’m losing focus.

Happy endings. Yes. Our favorite characters may have ghastly trials along the way, but as One Thousand and One Nights says,“they lived happily until there came to them the One who Destroys all Happiness (i.e. Death)).”

link to original here
Ah yes, Death, there is that. Yet so many people I know think true happiness doesn’t come until after they die. Heaven? Nirvana? Elysian Fields? Olympia? The Happy Hunting Grounds…I can go on, but I think we get the point. 

The last couple of weeks have been thoughtful for me, even painful at times. An unusual string of events led me to searching, pulling out old books, asking friends and mentors for tips and bits of strength, ideas that could give me courage and hope. 

One phrase especially stuck out, and leads me to believe the idea behind “Happily Ever After” isn’t so much an ending, but rather a continuation of things in a new light of understanding:

“Follow your bliss.”

Uh. What? 

Live Happily Ever After starting this moment.

Right. Meaning what, exactly?

Do what makes you happy. Think about, believe in, fixate on, whatever makes you happy; rather than on what makes you uncomfortable, hateful, confused, full of grief. You can only think one conscious thought at a time, so why not chose to make it a good one?

This isn’t so much “thinking positively,” as it is believing, feeling, and doing positively. Knowing that life right now is just as valuable and wonderful – regardless of whatever pain and deprivation we’ve survived thus far – as it will be after Death takes us to whatever paradise we believe in (even if that paradise is simply Nothing). 

I get stuck in my head, a lot, thinking about Winter. For some reason I think that if I can just figure it out, I won’t have to experience it any more. No more hard times, no more frustration, no more tears. 

But then what’s really happening is that I’m stuck in Winter when it’s Spring blooming around me, and then it’s lovely Summer, and isn’t Fall magnificent? Yet I haven’t been experiencing anything but snow this whole time.

link to original here
Spring is here, my friends (including you). It may be Winter in your world still, but know that underneath the snow and ice are millions of powerful little seeds just waiting to come up. Chose to shine some light on them, rather than focusing on the cold around you. 

Make your “Happily Ever After” your continuum of life right now.

The bliss phrase was my Easter Bunny, my little messenger of Spring, but maybe yours is something else. And if it is, maybe you can share in the comments? Or blog about it, and we’ll link some stories up so there’ll be many rays of sunshine from all over the world in one place at one time.  Hope and love magnified.

Meanwhile, I wish you happy celebrations for this weekend, whatever that looks like for you. Don’t have anything planned? Well today’s Fairy Tale Friday is your first seed. Grow from it what you will.


Total pages logged as of today: 183 but visit my Deadline Updates page for more info

Moment of Magic today:
As of right now, I'm putting in my request to be Jackie Chan in my next life, yo. Here's why...


Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Tip Jar: A Smackerel of Something from Benjamin Hoff

I'm thoughtful, lately, with lots of (emotional? spiritual? seasonal?) changes going on. I moved the furniture around because I don't want to cut my hair, but I needed to feel in control of something. As if, huh? [Insert here any number of proverbs about the idea of control.]

I've always been a wallflower, my usual preference hanging out by the punch bowl rather than dancing. This works for me, and I've garnered many skills that help me stay in the shadows. Quietly quiet. Comfortably comfortable. Avoid eye contact and think invisible thoughts.

But now I'm being asked to dance. Uh. *Looks helplessly around?* Damnit.

Reaching out for some of my old favorite books is a nervous tick, and will only fend off the querents for a little while, but maybe this time around reading them I'll pick up on something I can use on the dance floor?

So today I pull from the Tip Jar the following quote -- 

"Christopher Robin has just asked Pooh a question:

'What do you like doing best in the world, Pooh?'

'Well,' said Pooh, 'what I like best --' and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.

The honey doesn't taste so good once it is being eaten; the goal doesn't mean so much once it is reached; the reward is not so rewarding once it has been given... That doesn't mean that the goals we have don't count. They do, mostly because they cause us to go through the process, and it's the process that makes us wise, happy, or whatever...

What could we call that moment before we begin to eat the honey? Some would call it anticipation, but we think it's more than that. We would call it awareness. It's when we become happy and realize it, if only for an instant. By Enjoying the Process, we can stretch that awareness out so that it's no longer only a moment, but covers the whole thing."

-- Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

So rather than a) wishing the querents would just ask someone else to dance instead; or b) wishing that the dance was just over already; I'm trying to see the joy, the peace, the beauty in this process. I'm trying to be teachable, rather than turning away. And I'm trying to be awake.

What do y'all do when you're asked to do things that are extremely uncomfortable for you? Things that may or may not make you a better person for having done them? And let's not forget, none of us live in a bubble -- obviously whatever decision you make will have positive or negative (or more likely, both) affects on your loved ones. How does that play a part?

I would love some new tips, if you'd be so kind as to proffer them?
 

Total pages logged as of today: 183 but visit my Deadline Updates page for more info

Moment of Magic today:

Beta crawling up to the shiny black door of the dishwasher (a dishwasher, in and of itself, could be considered magical in my life -- I've never had one before and I love it. I still wash the dishes like I used to, but they're not taking up all my counter space on drying racks now. Is this shallow? I don't know. Maybe.) and giggling at his image reflecting back. Putting his hand up on the surface, patting the simulated hand in an ethereal high-five. His laughter, his crawling. Magical.
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