August 31, 2014

I had a strange experience this afternoon ... just for fun, I dug up some of my very old stories from many years ago, and I found a young-adult novel series I started about a homeschool graduate named Cecily Joy Sands and her police-officer-in-training boyfriend, Tyler Stevens. I remembered that I'd had high hopes for those two; so I pulled out the two stories I had begun and started to read them.

I was flabbergasted. Where had these two happy, innocent characters, with such a peaceful and uncomplicated friendship, come from? Did I really used to be that balanced and optimistic? Did I really used to be so unafraid of dating and falling in love? Tyler and CJ talk so openly and calmly with each other - in one story, they go to a relative's wedding together and talk about how to field the awkward questions about whether they're engaged or not; and in another story, Tyler is competing in a county rodeo after a bad accident and dealing with some nervousness about that, and Cecily Joy helps him overcome those fears. They each give encouraging hand-holds and pats on the shoulder when the other is having a bad time; they tease and joke with each other; they talk together like best friends. They don't have any of the creepy/uncomfortable/complicated thoughts that my tormented characters of today have to deal with.

And even though those stories were written 5+ years ago, when my contact with boys was extremely limited, Tyler is by far the most realistic young man I have ever written in any of my stories before. He flops on the grass and drinks Coke until it bubbles in his nose, but in the next scene he talks in a very manly way about how much he appreciates CJ's commitment to modesty and holy behavior. He whines like a kid on the phone about having to go to his cousin's wedding, but once he gets there, he is polite and considerate to everyone and talks soberly with CJ about how the solemnity of the wedding vows makes him more serious about their relationship.

Honestly - I kind of suspect that someone else hacked my computer and wrote these stories. I don't remember EVER having such relaxed, well-balanced views of men and romance.

Perhaps a closer study of my younger self's attitudes might be in order?

August 27, 2014

I want to have six children, three boys and three girls, and I want to name them:

Stephen

after this utterly fabulous dude from WarGames (1983)

Joshua

after this dorky and adorable dude
(unless I marry him, in which case it will be up to him to decide if he wants a Jr. or not)

Luke

after this good and noble sky warrior

Jane

after this strong and courageous woman

Anne

after this wild and independent spirit

Leia

unless I actually do have a Luke, in which case this would be a little too awkward

Honorary runner-up names will be options for middle names: Sydney, Darcy, Elizabeth, and Thomas. As in Hiddleston.

August 19, 2014

I'm listening to the sound of rain falling on the roof of a tent ...

... no, not my tent, unfortunately.  :-)  I wish it were. I'm crashed in my usual spot on the couch, finally crawling out of the fog of a really bad day. I woke up feeling nasty anyway, and unfortunately it seemed that most of my family did, too; so a chaotic morning tumbled headlong into a ridiculously busy day of work, which was also filled with bad food and media consumption choices, and so commenced and terminated under the presence of a very heavy self-pitying fog.

But I've apologized and learned, and am cleansing my mind with some quiet rain sounds and puttering through some pre-semester tasks. There is so very much to do to get ready for the fall. Which starts next week.

I think I'll putter off to bed, then ...

~ Vicki

August 11, 2014

I never saw Dead Poets' Society.

I also never saw Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Morning Vietnam, or even Flubber. I actually never heard of most of them before today.

But I did see this:



And this was one of my favorite Sesame Street moments when I was a little girl:



And because of that, and the knowledge that he was a terribly lost man, I was shocked and very saddened to hear of Robin Williams' death today. The black abyss of depression is a horrible place to face the end of life and eternity.

Goodbye, Genie.

August 1, 2014

Okay, since I just finished watching Tarzan on this lovely Friday night, I'm going to geek out a bit.

I think that, out of all of the Disney heroines available to those of us who have by virtue of age found ourselves in mentorship and parenting roles, we do not pay nearly enough attention to Jane Porter from Tarzan. 

- Jane has no nasty rebellious attitudes. Jane and her father are probably one of the most adorable parent-child pairings in all Disney. They not only mutually depend on each other, but they have a great deal of friendship and respect for each other, too. When Jane first meets Tarzan and she is overcome with shock and curiosity, she doesn't sit on a rock and sing a solo about how her restrictive world has just burst open; she runs straight to her father and pours out her whole story, with all the enthusiasm of a trusting little girl. And speaking of trust, when Jane begins to feel attracted to Tarzan, she doesn't get all mopey and withdrawn like other Disney princesses do. She trusts her father enough to talk with him about it and seek his advice. He may not be the wisest or most sagely father in the world, but he loves her very much and does his best to encourage her and give what advice he can. Their relationship is definitely one that I wouldn't hesitate to let my daughters (or sons!) watch.

- Jane is content to let the protecting men in her life ... well, protect her. Jane never tries to evade her father's authority or strike out on her own. He is the one who is leading the research team, and she follows him. When he gives advice, she listens to it. Later, during the ending music sequence after she and Tarzan are (married? It's a bit ambiguous because they're living in a jungle devoid of any other humans besides her father), she lets Tarzan lead the way through the vine and branch pathways because he knows them much better than she does. She possesses a submissive spirit - she cheerfully accepts that her father and husband are bigger, stronger, and more experienced than she is, and she is willing to place herself under their protection.

- Nevertheless, Jane is courageous and energetically pursues her dreams. Jane is an artist and scientist, brave enough to travel alone with her father and another man to uncharted Victorian-era Africa. She doesn't mope around about how she doesn't fit in with the other girls or how she's never found true love - she doesn't have time! Until she meets Tarzan, her energy is focused on discovering wildlife, experiencing a new country, and enjoying and drawing the beautiful things she sees. She actually has much bigger goals than most of the other Disney princesses do - and by cheerfully accepting her role as a woman under the protection of her father and husband, she goes much farther in her life than the princesses who rebel and fight against their authority.

- Jane is mature, open-minded, and willing to learn about what's important to others. How many girls would be willing to take the time to get to know a dirty feral man in a loincloth and teach him, not things like to dance or to eat oatmeal correctly, but to speak? To walk upright? And not just to teach him concepts, which could be done with self-righteous condescension; but to take time to actually talk to him, learn from him, and explore his culture and lifestyle, which would be horrific to a proper Victorian lady but vitally important to him? It's easy to fall in love with a gorgeous Prince Eric or a brilliant Flynn Rider; but it takes a thoughtful, mature woman to fall in love with a Tarzan.

***

I know she's not a Disney princess, and Tarzan will never get as much attention as the more lucrative girl-oriented princess movies; but you can take Frozen and stick it in your icebox - if I had to choose one of the Disney women to be a model for my hypothetical daughters, she would be my choice any day!

***

Your geeky friend,
Vicki