Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Mr. Darcy Responds

Another moment of fun, though given recent events, mostly nonpolitical ones, these chances to relax and unwind have been wonderful.
Dear Miss,
I must apologize for my baffling social faults, though it does me good to find that you saw past them all. While it is true I came with a head full of bulleted notes to discuss, one glance of your smile scattered my thoughts beyond recall. All there was left to do was simply hope and wonder. The food was well prepared, and out did my own attempts, now I sit and wonder about the opportunities that may still exist.

Bless the boon that brought your words to me, for now I know the truth of what I failed to see. It’s here where I admit my shock about how we met, given your glamour and how I was rather unkempt. While I removed my hat as good manners suggest, past that I was floundering to hold your interest. While my camera gave my hands something to do, it blocked everything I wanted to say to you. I wished the night wouldn’t end, but to my chagrin time swept past us both.

I confess that I knew neither what to say nor what to do, my wits battling with my heart. Understand I think I might love you to, but my minds been waging a war of worth the whole time since. Would my jokes bring a smile to your face, so filled with grace that that ballets don’t compare? Could our love make us feel like we were walking on air? While I’d give you everything I could, every joy we might reach, would you ever regret loving me? These fears, how they raged against the wall, wondering if it was better we hadn’t met at all. Doubts like these had brought to my knees, whilst the words you wrote have reinvigorated my soul.

So, dear miss, please pardon my hesitation, and let us try this again. Though my palms may sweat, and anxiety goes on, I’d sooner risk failure than suffer regret. I would love to learn the truth of the something fierce you hide, so please let it show true and let us bare it all with pride.

The Bravest Thing

Another geekly inspired blog post follows.  For those coming here for my punditry, a political piece is in the works, but I think it is past time for a volley from the rest of me. Balance in all things, or some such.
I am man enough to admit when something draws me to tears. Primarily, it’s the notion of those who stay behind to save their friends. Wonderfully cinematic moments, complete with Lens flares, depicted the abrupt change in the building blocks of CAPT James T. Kirk, his father defiantly driving the U.S.S. Kelvin into the Romulan mining ship. Literature is filled with instances of a defiant few defending their fellows, usually dwarves (R. A. Salvatore, I’d recommend a read), despite the odds. Events such like this exist in our media as a lesson for the upcoming generations.  The aim is to instill ethics and morals, a sense of community, and an understanding about the notion of self sacrifice.
While the following poem isan answer to the creative writing task from Marian Call’s Adventure Quest, it has been floating through the note book for a while. Now it has a title.
The Bravest Thing.
Much is said of the brave few who stay behind
The courageous defending the units retreat
Memorials are constructed by the thankful
The names of the fallen inscribed in memory

Their families are celebrated for their acts
While the be grieved only wish they were home
Medals and ceremony is given in thanks
Each paling against the sacrifice of those few

Less is said of those who escaped and survived
Those who owe their lives to the men they left
Riddled with guilt for deserting their fellows
Hoping to live a life of merit in their honor

It is a great thing to give your life in service
Sacrificing yourself for the betterment of others
It is another thing entirely to have to watch
While your friend sacrifices his life for yours

Sunday, November 4, 2012

A Zombie's Endorsement

What follows will be almost one hundred and thirty-five degree turn from everything previous. For a time, let us set aside the cynic and embrace the geek, but keep the social motif.
Everyone, at some point or another, wonders about their contribution to society. Most wish to leave a lasting mark of their existence. Whether it is on the grand scale of creating history, or a modest aspiration to be remembered fondly and carried in the hearts of those we touched. Even a minor impact such as that will leave lasting impressions. Bypassing the clichéd metaphor of ripples in a pond, look at the world around us. A college student creates a social media site and it blossoms into a power house. The digital age has wrought havoc on legacy news media, and the weekend yard sale and classified ads have evolved into Craigslist and EBay. An Alaskan singer/songwriter arranges, and coordinates an all state tour of the United States, plus some Canada, via Twitter and Facebook.
This entry is part review, part show of appreciation, part celebratory and all congratulatory of the music styling and showmanship of Marian Call. An independent musician, home based out of Alaska, that has shown us the worth of an old typewriter as a percussion instrument, the dulcet tones of a kazoo, and even her Cat zippy joined in the fun. I have had the pleasure of attending four of her concerts, two of them in person (disclaimer: Caught the Thinkgeek HQ and 50-State Victory concerts as they streamed). Each show enjoys its own nuance, and at each event I watched as she endeavored to speak to everyone. From hello to goodbye, she speaks with sincerity and kindness, succeeding in getting a smile from even the most socially awkward, like myself. The greatest part is that you aren’t there to watch the show, but to be a part of it. As the opening notes of the folk version of We’re Out for Blood (back story shortly), expect her smiling face to offer words of encouragement to join the chorus of this stress erasing song. “It’s Good To Have Jayne on Your Side” begs for the dark wood of an Irish Pub, pints of liquid courage, and twenty or so of your newest friends for a rambunctious sing along.
The joy and sense of community gives the memory of every concert a warm radiance, but that is simply the benefit of meeting Marian Call. For background, consider the origins of We’re Out for Blood, (hoping to do it justice). Marian Call was approached by the Creator of Zombie Cheerleader Camp, who hoped she could provide a punk rock theme song to help make the movie. Baffled at his request, she pointed to her stock of folk songs, and asked why her, given the conflict of the styles. His response, “I heard you would do it for free.” That aside, the situation was resolved, and the punk version is now available on in the Songs of the Month and Singles.
That is the nature of her personality. As she stated, while introducing the folk version of We’re Out for Blood, “How do you say no to making a song for a zombie movie?” That adventurous side step has set the tone for the strongest portion of her fan base, her Zombie Cheerleaders. It is that same geeky passion that provided the impetus for the newest rendition of humor and spunk, her Shark Week Song, a bubbly upbeat ditty celebrating the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. Rhymes, exclamation points, and guest appearances of TV personalities followed, each another note in the anthem of awesome produced by Marian Call.
Now, she is touring Europe, taking her music across the pond, and working the triumphant rerelease of her new album, Something Fierce. From the first through the thirteenth of November, she has invited her fans, among which I number (guess that’s a given), to join in the adventure, tasking out word games to incite interest and buzz. The title is the embodiment of the wonderfully jazzy number, Dear Mr. Darcy, a tale of love that wasn’t, or rather a confession of confidence and self assurance. The latter a banner that Marian has continuously to wave with authority. A female celebrity in geek culture, standing as a role model for the future generations of geek girls; a personification of the “Forget Barbie, buy your daughter a ray gun” philosophy (not a knock on Barbie, but on gender type casting). Her entrepreneurial spirit, drive to succeed, and passion for the art, serve as sterling examples for us all.
So, take a lesson from this artist’s labors of love. Strive for greater achievements; act to leave a lasting impression on the world, even if it is only your little corner of it. Show the world that you too have Something Fierce Inside. I wish all of you happiness and everything short of contentment, so you will always have something to strive for.