Daily Prompt 2/5/2016 | Second Time Around

The Daily post’s Daily Prompt 2/5/2016 | Second Time Around

“Tell us about a book you can read again and again without getting bored — what is it that speaks to you?”

I wish I could say that I was the type of person who could retreat back to my favorite books for comfort, or just for the sake of memories… but I’m not. I’ve been an avid reader my entire life, and I’ve read over 1,000 books since elementary school (I got an award at my senior assembly in high school for having checked out more books than anyone in the school, a total of 937 book over the course of 4 years). However, since graduating high school in 2008, I’ve read a lot less. Having moved from small town to small town several times in the last nearly 8 years, access to a decent library has not been easy to come by. There was also no book store within 45 minutes of where I live, up until 2 years ago, and it isn’t a very good one.

I’ve probably read… maybe 12 books in the last 6 or 7 years. Since having my son, the amount of time I even have to read has all but vanished, but even if I did have a few moments to myself, there are a dozen other things that I should be doing instead of reading. But even if I wanted to blow off showering, or vacuuming, or feeding myself to read a book, I just can’t. Why not? Because I can not reread a book that I’ve already read. I just can’t do it. There are only a handful of exceptions to this rule, and they are all from the same series, I’m sure you can guess which. The same goes for movies, as well as most TV show episodes.

I can not re-watch/reread anything. I need that element of surprise to push me forward. If the element of surprise is ruined, like if someone spoils it for me, I won’t watch or read whatever it is. I just won’t. Is that weird?

The ONLY exceptions to my weird little rule are the Harry Potter novels (but only in chronological order). They are just that good, and I relate to them so much. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was the book that set the wheels in motion for me, and literally changed my life. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever read any other books more than once. As far as movies go, I can watch the Harry Potter movies over and over, but I do lose interest after a while. I’m easily distracted. The one movie that I have seen at least 200 times, however, is Spaceballs. Quite possibly the greatest movie of all time. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I used to only be able to sleep if I had this movie playing, and used to use it as background noise in my old apartment, before I had internet or cable. It’s just such a great movie! A few others I can handle are David Bowie’s Labyrinth, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Mirrormask.

So, I think I might be broken. Any time I’ve ever told anyone that I can not reread a book that I’ve already read, they think I’m crazy. I can’t explain it. Well, I can, I guess, since I just did…

I’m going to go now. Anyone else out there have a hard time getting through movies and books that they’ve already finished?

Thanks for reading, friends!

Jan

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Daily Prompt 1/14/2016 | Headlines

The Daily Post’s Daily Prompt 1/14/2016 | Ripped Into the Headline

“Write about something that happened over the weekend as though it’s the top story on your local paper.”

This past weekend, as well as this week so far, has been filled with nothing but heartache for myself and so many others. After the death of David Bowie, and the announcement of the death of one of my favorite actors, Alan Rickman, this morning… I don’t think I can handle anymore headlines of any sort. I went browsing online, trying to find anything to lift my spirit this morning, and came up horribly short.

Nothing but stories of death and murder.

Even as I sit here typing this, I have two other tabs open. Both are stories about the horrendous murders of young children. Maybe some day, these stories won’t make the headlines, because they will cease to happen.

My heart is shattered. I don’t want to write today. I don’t want to think. I just want to cry and mourn.

J

Daily Prompt 1/11/2016 | Idols

The Daily Post’s Daily Prompt 1/11/2016 | Teen Age Idol

“Who did you idolize as a teenager? Did you go crazy for the Beatles? Ga-ga over Duran Duran? In love with Justin Bieber? Did you think Elvis was the livin’ end?”

Before I start in on this prompt, I think that it is appropriate to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of a great man, Mr. David Bowie, who left us this weekend after an 18 month long battle with cancer. He was an unparalleled talent, a member and advocate for the LGBTQ community, and a phenomenal human being, who touched the lives of millions, and inspired many. He will always be the Goblin King in my heart, and I will be watching Labyrinth today with my son, as it has always been a favorite of mine. I am glad that he is no longer suffering, but many hearts have been shattered today. You will be missed, Major Tom.
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I was a teenager between 2003 and 2009, and I can honestly say that I did not idolize any one artist or group in particular during that time. I grew up in a time where the world was transitioning from the good music of the late 80’s and early 90’s, to the… well… stuff that influenced the weirdness that you hear on the radio today.

I grew up listening to my mom’s varied collection, which included the likes of David Bowie, The Beatles, Billy Joel, Elton John, ACDC, Madonna, Savage Garden, Led Zeppelin, Goo Goo Dolls, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Guns ‘N Roses, Hootie and the Blowfish, The Rolling Stones and whole lot more (she had a pretty killer taste in music, if we’re being honest here). Being so young at the time, it was hard to for me to relate to any of the lyrics, and I hardly remember any of the songs today, but it definitely shaped my taste in music in the future.

Sure, I was guilty of singing along to catchy pop songs on the radio, and bought a few J-14 magazines with Britney Spears, N’Sync, Backstreet Boys, or Christina Aguilera on the cover… but I never related or looked up to them either.

My mom’s preference for electric guitar and loud, in-your-face lyrics caught back up to me into high school, where I started listening to bands like Breaking Benjamin, Anberlin, Red, Blue October, Evans Blue… and then later I got into Atreyu, Bullet For My Valentine, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Muse. You get the idea. I was one of those kids. I went to a few concerts, got a few posters and CDs signed, and that was that.

I wouldn’t say any of these artists were really the type you’d want to idolize, and I never really believed in idols much anyway. I’ve always been perfectly capable of enjoying an individual or group’s music without becoming a crazed fan girl… or a stalker.

And you know what… I don’t really listen to music much these days. When I do, it is the same stuff I listened to growing up. If I turned on the radio right now, and put it on a Top 100 station, I guarantee you that I would not know 85% of the songs. Or the artists. I think I migh be a boring person…

Thanks for reading!

Jan