Christmas Cross Post

So this Christmas season has been an extremely busy one [my first out of school, with a real job even!] and with four family Christmases in a row I'm fairly exhausted! But overall it was a fun week, and I'm glad I got to see all of my family, and Kalin's without any major arguments [which is good on both sides!]

I also got lots of good presents for our modest Christmases, and a few that Kalin and I got for ourselves! Let's see if I can list them:

Kalin and I Presents! [we bought together]
New Printer/Scanner [now I can truly update!!]
Carpet for our hallway [now it's not as cold!]

Kalin got me:
The Acts of King Arthur and His Knights by John Steinbeck [I had been coveting this book at the used bookstore for months]
Brightly Burning by Mercedes Lackey [one of my favorites in hardback!]

Mama/Granma got me:
Lots of nice clothes [for work and such]
fun socks
The Jim Henson Collection [Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, and MirrorMask, which I took back because I have them already and got IronMan and TombRaider 2 Cradle of Life, go Lara Croft!]
The Sweeney Todd Soundtrack [I'm getting the movie off Amazon!]

Other Gifts:
First seven books in The Edge Chronicles! [Kalin's Dad/Stepmom!]
Amazon Giftcard 25$
Barnes and Noble Giftcard 25$ [got City of Falling Angels yesterday!]
Applebees giftcard [that we're saving for Valentines!]
A nice pretty glass bowl to fill with peanut m&ms
the promise of an afghan
other various and sundry items I can't remember now


And I know it's not about the gifts, and I did have a lot of fun being with all of my family, but I am verrrrrrrrrry thankful to have some alone time now to play with all of my presents, and a lot of the stuff I got for Christmas was stuff I needed [the clothes/scanner] or it was nice someone remembered that I liked it [books/movies] and I hope everyone else out there had a wonderful Christmas and has a fabulous New Years!

As far as this past year goes, all I'm going to say is that it has been a year of change and that it's now time to "Keep moving forward." More art, more theatre, more writing, and more love for everyone: that's my goal for this next year!"

Ciao!

Hmm...

You Belong in Amsterdam

A little old fashioned, a little modern - you're the best of both worlds. And so is Amsterdam. Whether you want to be a squatter graffiti artist or a great novelist, Amsterdam has all that you want in Europe (in one small city).

What European City Do You Belong In?

I find this interesting because...I know nothing about Amsterdam. Other than that I have a cat in my lap and it's a little cold in here. Christmas stories arriving soon...[when I feel like typing that much!!]

Strange dream...

So I had a very vivid and strange dream the other night, and here is all that I can remember of it.

I was in a car driving up a mountain, there were two other people with me: a boy and a girl.  I had the feeling that they were brother and sister.  There were trees and snow all around us as we went up this curvy road [felt a lot like the road I took to Blue Ridge].  All of a sudden the trees cleared and there was a huge mansion in a clearing on the side of the mountain next to the road.

the next thing I know we are inside the mansion, but we're sneaking around, looking for something.  The house was all white and icy blue, but I remember a black and white checkered tile pattern in the main hall with a grand staircase.

 We get split up, and after awhile something happens and I see the boy running outside being chased by whoever lives in the house [I think there are a lot of them].  I was upstairs and the girl came running upstairs and said I had to create a distraction by dressing up like a bride.  This involved wearing pieces of light blue and lavender silk, draped around me which I had trouble holding up as I went running down the stairs.  The group of people at the bottom of the grand staircase looked at me and then started chasing us too, we went out into the snow behind the house and somehow ended up back in our car driving away...

See, I told you it was strange...but at the same time seems like there's potential for a story in there somewhere...that's why I write these things down.  You never know...

Musical Images....

I really love Aaron Copeland.  His music is so rich in texture and variety of rhythm and sound, and not only is it sound, but it is American sound- things I associate with all that makes America what it is: bold but soft when needed, delicate and sophisticated but strong, and full of adventure. His music spans from the Appalachians to the wild lands of Texas and every beautiful country lane and big city in between.

His music visually, tactilely, olfactory, and physically inspires me to such beautiful images of America as it was in the days of the Old West, and what it can be again. I know that sounds a bit melodramatic, but that's how deeply his music stirs me.

I'm not a patriotic person by nature, but this music makes me love my country in a way I don't feel every day.  I also do not know if the bleak economy has anything to do with my constant looking back to the past, because things weren't all peachy back then-it's just something different and exciting.  That feeling is just exaggerated by Mr. Copeland's music that is full of that same energy...but I digress, I am starting to not make sense even to myself so I will stop...

The Moon...

 So the LiveJournal Writer's block question for today was about the moon:  It's the full moon today. Almost every culture has its share of lunar lore, from werewolves to lunacy to true love. Do you believe that the full moon affects our behavior or do you think it's a myth?

I have two answers to that question.  First as a human being on this earth, I think the full moon affects some people more than others.  For example I have horrible insomnia in the several days leading up to the full moon, and during and my dreams are twice as vivid as normal.  Do I think it affects everyone that way?  No, the fact that my brother and sister sleep through everything short of a bomb leads me to suspect that no, they don't have the same reactions to a full moon as I do.  I think, not to sound too new age-y, that the moon affects those more in tune with earth and it's rhythms as a whole.  I have a very strict sleep pattern that is very much dictated by light, the suns processes.  I can go to sleep whenever, but as soon as my brain sense light outside, it says time to wake up!  To me that explains why full moons keep me awake.  So I suppose just as people are affected by the earth and her cycles in different ways so too are they affected by the moon in different ways. [Sorry that was sort of long and round about way to say that.]

The second answer to that question, or perhaps its more like pondering, is as a writer.  I think as far as literature and myth go the moon represents the mystical unknown.  It is that celestial body hanging in the night sky, that for the longest time no one knew what it was!  And I think sometimes that it is that very aspect of the unknown that affects people when they see it.  Even today we can see the moon, and we know we have the technology to get to the moon, but that does not mean that me, Lainey Elise Welsch, will ever get to set foot on the moon.  That inspires awe in me, at this unsolvable mystery, that I see waxing and waning every month.  The moon has always represented mystery, and I think it should stay that way.

In my own writings my goddess of the moon Menai is represented as dark, mysterious and representative of all that is not seen, and by that I mean that which is intangible and cannot be verified by mortal senses.  I like it because it is a juxtaposition to Solaren, her sister who is the sun.  That which illuminates and makes things seen and known.  I tried to take the idea of people being affected by the moon and making it much more literal.  Menai is a meddlesome goddess who may or may not be linked to the God of War...I haven't decided yet wether or not to actually put her in Children of Destiny or save it for the mythology but she might make an intriguing companion for Ramis, and a very interesting opponent to Raoul [God of Wisdom]

Well, this has rambled on quite long enough!  I think I will actually go write now, I'm on a roll with CoD...if my wrist would just stop hurting!

Hiding...

So Kalin had his wisdom teeth out this morning and is now zonked out on the couch to my right, and Carter is laying in between the curtains looking out the window to my left and I am sitting right smack dab in the middle with nothing to do...well that's not entirely true.  I have things I COULD be doing [writing novel, drawing, working on Hook painting, re-learning how to knit...]  but my brain is just not used to doing nothing.

I really want to work on my play but I don't know how to begin the re-writes not having a freshly updated copy printed.  Maybe I'll just go off what I have printed out [if I can read through the coffee stains!]  and keep my computer on to see what I've re-written on there, and work out stuff by hand.

"Keep moving forward."  Keeps flowing through my mind and I want to have something to send Maggie like I promised, and I'm frustrated with not making any money at anything I do, and always being in debt, and...well, enough of that.  I'm going to write now...hooray escapism...

Realization

I just realized in total,[although not all updated!] I have five actual blogs!  And that is not counting Facebook notes and my DA notes, but then again I usually just cross post from my other blogs so what I have to do in order grasp some sense of sanity and keep everything updated I will create a schedule, and write it on my calendar!!  

Haha!  That will kick my butt into updating my life for all denizens of the Internet to read!

Monday:  Writing Blog

Tuesday:  Steamgear Tavern [used to be a writing group, now epistolary novelization of my steampunk play!]

Wednesday:  Tofu Toast Studios!

Thursday:  The Lamppost Beyond the Door 

Friday:  Psychedelic Llamas Present!  [this one!]

I am not sure if this will help but it will at least keep me in line with what all I have out there to keep updated.

I will have to finish outlining Steamgear and Lamppost before I can really start on it, but hopefully I will have some impetus to do so now!

More later back to work.

Grendlesmere...

For those of you over here in Blogger-ville who would like to see what rattles around in my brain while I spend most of my life driving!

My Writing Blog!

In the mean time I am trying to sum up the craziness that was this past weekend.  I will post more when my thoughts and or sanity are properly collected.

Movie Review

Today Kalin and I watched Wall-E before I left for work, and it is one of the most exquisitely created animated movies I have seen since Sleeping Beauty.  Now, you might be saying that exquisite is quite a strong word to use to describe a movie about a dirty robot, but I mean it!

The animation was beautiful, the writing was clever but not too self aware, and the humor was brilliant.  They managed the subtle humor that the adults would understand coupled perfectly with the funny 'falling down bits' that the children would love in a way Shrek could only dream of, without sex or potty humor!  [And you said it couldn't be done!]  In addition to that, there was a lovely and very meaningful message of: This is what happens when we rely solely on technology, and we don't take care of our planet. And the best part is that the film did not beat you over the head with it which only enhanced the intricacy of the writing and the movie as a whole.

It was this balance of subtle and slapstick humor that allowed the creators to craft a film where the first fifteen minutes or so had no dialogue whatsoever [or at least any we could understand] and that just made it that much more interesting!  Also the fact that the 'bad guy' was not really a bad guy and was kept that way by clever use of circumstances and how robots work made me appreciate it that much more.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good fairy tale with the hero and the 'evil' sorcerer [or whomever] that is defeated and the day is saved, but this was refreshingly different.   

I will keep this short because I could gush all day about this movie and every little bit that I like, but I will say that not only is Wall-E a great movie, with love, humor and danger but it is an important movie.  It is important not only in the message that it is sending, but the way in which it was made to send that message. 

 Take note writers, artists, animators, filmmakers, this is something to strive for!

Surviving...

So...I have survived...there were times I wasn't sure...but yes I have made it!! Through Christmas Carol-ness AND Thanksgiving Craziness!!!  And now that I have gotten through all of that I would like to make my list of things I am thankful for [borrowed from Jarred's blog]

This is in no particular order...

1. Wood fires.

2. Mornings laying in bed with Kalin and Carter under a mound of blankets.

3. Kalin's smile.  [And Kalin in general! ^_^]

4. Fingerless gloves.

5. Bic pens [cheap and reliable!]

6. Laughter in any form.

7. Heather 

8. Serena

9. My family [as crazy as they are!]

10. Painting.

11. Warm summer evenings when the mosquitos aren't so bad.

12.  COFFEE! [and not just for the caffeine content]

13.  Warm weather.

14. Trees, lots of trees.

15.  My health.

16. Kalin

17.  So far having not having to experience any major traumatic events in my life.

18.  Clean air.

19. Mountains.  

20.  My imagination, and creative abilities.

That's just a short list, there is a lot I am very thankful for this is just the beginning.  This week is a lot of preparation for my art show on Sunday.  I am very excited, but right now my main goal is keeping my fingers warm...I cannot figure out WHY her house is so cold....

More later...at a warmer time...Off to go type some more on my novel and watch more X-Files!