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Snapshot!
Previously...
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Dollface in the Dark
I wish I had that passion when it comes to my clothes and shoes but I do not. Instead I wear a steady uniform of black and grey; tight pants and a sweater with knee high leather boots in the winter, tank tops and skirts or dresses with greek style sandals in the summer. I'm rarely fashion forward but never sloppy and I suppose if I had to describe my style it would be elegant-casual with a touch of street fighter.
When I was 13 years old I saw the horror anthology film Creepshow 2. I fell in love with the story "The Raft" and would watch it over and over again. Eventually I had seen it so many times that I started to feel unfulfilled by its familiarity. It was then that I decided to sit down and write a short story called The Midnight Lake Blob. It was essentially the same story as "The Raft" but with a completely made-up beginning and all new character names. Of course, I had no idea at the time that "The Raft" already existed in short story form written by Stephen King. What I wrote wasn't an original story, no. But it was the first time that I ever thought to myself, I want to be a writer.
Enter our heroine, Katniss Everdeen. She lives in District 12 and is 16 years old. Her sister, Primrose Everdeen has recently turned 12 years old and this Reaping will be her first. The day of the Reaping comes and Prim's name is pulled from the lottery for this year's District 12 female tribute. Katniss, a strong willed young woman who has been providing for and protecting her family since her father's death and her mother's mental breakdown, steps up during the Reaping and volunteers to take Prim's place as tribute. And from here we are are thrust into the 74th Hunger Games, where we follow Katniss's fight for survival and the bold choices that she makes along the way.
Flash forward to Portland 2008. I made a deal with a friend that if she watch my favorite TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then I would read her favorite book... Twilight. SIGH. Even as I was making that deal I was remembering the months before when Entertainment Weekly had the newly cast Twilight lovers, Edward and Bella, on their cover and I stood there with that magazine in my hand and made fun of it for a good ten minutes. But a deal was a deal. I went to the bookstore and sheepishly made my way to the Children's Young Adult section and picked up a copy of Twilight. When I approached the cash stand I was mortified when I saw that my cashier was a cute boy with a cute smile and ... oh god I'm so embarrassed. I considered turning around right then and picking it up at a later date but then I thought, fuck it. Who cares? The cute boy cashier smiled and said nothing as he rung me up but I just couldn't let it lie so I said, "I'm joining the ranks of the crazy teen vampire lovers, I'm must be insane." He laughed and said, "You're not alone. My girlfriend loves these books." And so it began.
Today Commodore turns 13 years old. It's true that these are perhaps his golden years of life, and in these golden years he has gotten progressively attentive and tolerant and wise, but he still loves a good chase and the old man is still fast. And he may be bigger and older and less white than he was 13 years ago, but to me he will always be my little white kitty. For Commodore's story, you can visit a previous birthday post here. |
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If you've ever been inside my home you know very well that my decorating tastes are extremely eclectic. My furniture ranges from family antiques to thrift store finds with some Pier 1 and even a few pieces from Ikea. The art that adorns my walls are from hundreds of different artists; many pieces are from local indie comic book artists, there's my fondness for pin-up art on display, my collection of vintage horror posters, a variety of strange masks and other random pieces scattered throughout. The statues and small figurines that live here tend to be of the animal kingdom, with an unintentional 
One of the heaviest questions to hear when you're a kid is "What do you want to be when you grow up?" It may be the first time that we imagine ourselves "all growed up" so the question is both liberating and terrifying at the same time. Luckily, kids being what they are, they rarely seem to dwell on such things. Instead this loaded question is met with the excitement of endless possibilities. Suddenly it's not, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" it's, "What's the coolest thing you can imagine yourself doing when you're big enough to rule the world?" My answer to this question when I was about five was that I wanted to be a veterinarian (animals - yay!). A few years later I added ballerina to that dream (ballerina veterinarian, anyone?), and then a few years after that I replaced them both with, "I want to be a detective." I don't really know where I came up with that one. I liked solving puzzles, enjoyed the intrigue of mysteries, and my eye for noticing the small details of my surroundings was (and still is) impressive. I wasn't a fan of Batman or Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew, but it remained my "future occupation" for many years.
Synopsis: The land that was once regarded as North America lay in ruin. State lines no longer exist and what is left of the country is instead divided into 13 districts. The districts are controlled by Panem, a strict capitol city where wealth and technology are commonplace for the privileged who are permitted to live there. Alternatively, life in a district means hard work, poverty and for some, starvation. Each district produces a necessary export for the Capitol and as such they are subject to the constant presence of Capitol guards and their ruling hand. Seventy-four years ago there was an uprising and District 13 rebelled against the Capitol, sending war, hope and rebellion all across the land. The Capitol eventually overthrew District 13, leaving the district citizens dead and the district itself destroyed. As a result of this war the Capital developed the Hunger Games to punish the districts for their rebellion. Every year, for the past 74 years, one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen, are chosen from each district by a lottery called The Reaping. These 24 chosen children are called tributes, and they are taken to the Capitol and forced to participate in the Hunger Games - a brutal game of survival where the tributes are thrust into an outdoor arena and are forced to fight to the death - there can be only one winner. The Hunger Games is broadcast live on TV and it is required viewing for all district citizens. Yet in the Capitol the Hunger Games is everyone's favorite annual sporting event. When the tributes first arrive to the Capitol, before the actual games begin, they are given stylists, a parade, are interviewed and trained and coached by their assigned mentors to play to the audience to win their favor, because winning the favor of the audience means you get sponsors, and the sponsors are allowed to send you gifts while you are in the games, like medicine or food.
When the Harry Potter phenomenon swept across the land I did not partake. Not only did I think it was silly that so many adults wanted to read a series of books written for children, but books about a school for wizards? Um, no. No, thank you. Now, I'm no snob when it comes to my reading material. My shelves are littered with the likes of Stephen King, Robert McCammon, Patricia Cornwell and Dennis Lehane. I have a smattering of really bad horror novels by random authors you've never heard of, and I even own a handful of Star Trek novels that hold a special place in my heart. I read comic books, trashy magazines, and still own my collection of Archie books from childhood. There's no rhyme or reason why my line was drawn there, at young adult fiction, but there it remained for many years.
Happy Birthday, Commodore! And here's to many more.
