Tattoo Tuesdays: Hello Mister Misfortune

I remember the days when I didn't like to read. "Ahhh . . . Maddie don't say that," I'm sure is what you are thinking, but it is true. Regardless I had this innate sense to horde books when given the chance. A bookshelf in my room growing up (only one?) was slowly filled with books received as gifts or books I glimpsed at school book fairs. The gifts, more often than not, were given by a relative with thoughts of spurring me onto reading . . . what they deemed 'appropriate' or 'enticing', meaning young Maddie was unlikely to read it. I kept the books because that innate sense said "Keep these books, smart people, bookish people, have books and lots of them." I was facinated by this magical breed of humans.

I had quite the hodge podge collection; from basketball memoirs to self-help books to Christian themed chapter books (fiction and non-fiction). Even now I want to ask people what they were thinking with their book choices. It is obvious they were not taking into consideration that children and adults do not have the same motivational igniters.

One such horded classic was The Borrowers by Mary Norton. I have never read it. I tried over and over again to read it, but as I said back then I was not a reader. The cover so intrigued me, three 'little people' gathered round a giant wooden block in the act various tasks. I wanted so badly to be the bookish type and perhaps I kept it in lieu of that day coming. Sadly I don't have the book anymore. I may have purged my shelves at some point or donated it, I can't remember. This post has decided for me that the book will make it back to my shelves and to my tbr pile.

Why am I telling you this on a Tattoo Tuesdays post? The first thing I thought of when I saw today's tattoo was little people, Borrowers. (insert smile) It took me down memory lane and I wanted to reminisce with you.




“Misfortunes make us wise” ~Mary Norton (The Borrowers Afield)



The 'Misfortune' of my youth (of which I have many) would be that I can't claim to have always loved books and reading. However, just as the quote says, and the tattoo shows by the butterflies fluttering away, is that this bit of history from my past has made me wise. I can use it my writing. I can instill it (or maybe enforce would be a firmer rhetoric to follow, insert grin) in my children what I neglected to do in my youth; love books, love reading, and everything that goes with it.


Other Features for today:




COLOR! I would agree with the Tumblr person's sentiment "I want to kiss it."

 

 

If you haven't listened to Lydia, go now and do so!
This is Lydia's Illuminate cd cover*.
My favorite song (not on that album) is It's In Your Blood.

*According to the click through link the tattoo is by Kyle Berg at Dark Water Tattoos in Illinois.

Mundane Mondays: Keeping Moments

If people ever have the opportunity to carry my purse or for any reason pick it up, their first response is typically, "Holy cow, what are you carrying in here?!?" Sadly I can't claim to be Mary Poppins, but wouldn't that be awesome? I am quite certain if someone attacked me, for my purse, A. They would be slowed down and B. I could easily turn the purse into a weapon. It is easy folks, no bricks needed. (insert smile)

Among the many 'treasures' my purse holds, is my camera. I just realized I've never named this camera. Which strikes me as odd because I name most electronics that I own (thanks to a co-worker/friend); so for the duration of this post, for the sake of clarity and to negate the necessity to repeat "my camera' over and over, we will call my camera Old Fella. I suppose if I did some digging I could locate Old Fella's birth certificate, but suffice it to say . . . he is OLD. He is long overdue for a replacement.

Maybe you remember or are new to my blog, but earlier this year I did my annual New Years Resolution List and a new camera managed to make the list at goal numero due. I'm excited to tell you that this goal is seeing the finish line Friday, if not sooner! It has been a long time coming, as Old Fella causes me more tantrums and my passion for photography plays 'havoc' with my senses.

I can't claim to be a Dorothea Lange or a Thomas Hawk* or even the next greatest happy snapping photo taker out there. Photography is a fairly new creative outlet for me. As recent as 2009/2010, when I really started to delve, although tiptoe is more accurate, into what the world of what pictures had to offer me. Once I was inspired to begin and then signed up on Flickr (Pro-account, though I'm far from it) it was all history from there.

While the fame I can't claim, I can claim the passion. It is my belief, or rather what I tell myself, that passion is where it starts. If we try to pursue anything, be it photography, be it writing, beekeeping, farming, or what have you, without passion soon we find we are invested and stuck in something we can't pour any more effort into without losing self and sanity. The sacrifice is too much to go on another minute and we long for the days when passion feed us, dangling choice fruit before our eager lips.

In a nutshell I'm saying my passion equals fuel for more photos. Hopefully more photos means practice and you know what they say about practice. No? Okay then . . . practice makes perfect. Of course in my case I'm hoping not for perfection, but for honed photography skills and maybe . . . well . . . Flickr FAME.

Old Fella will either find he is stored in a box suffocating until I decide to donate or toss or . . . he will be a hand-me-down for my Mum. I know she wants a camera, but I'm not sure how much life Old Fella truly has left in him. When he sees his competition he will run screaming I'm sure. Even though, Old Fella and the new camera share the same parents, Canon, Old Fella is just not ready or equipped to put up much of a fight.

"A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away."

~Eudora Welty

*He is one of my favorite photographers to follow on Google+ and his blog is awesome.

Tattoo Tuesdays: One of These Things Is Not Like The Other

"Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality.
All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration."
~Niccolo Machiavelli

A rare occurence for me . . . I have very little to give you in terms of words today. I didn't want to miss sharing some awesome tattoos with you, even if I'm running a little late. After some mental rest I'm hopeful to be back on my game and bringing you more of my 'nonsense'.

I decided not to focus on one tattoo today, but several. Each tattoo is not as it appears. Enjoy!



Mundane Mondays: Which issue is your favorite? I'll take 'Lack of Commitment' for $250.00...

Ahh the sweet smell of a Monday morning. Well really there is often nothing sweet about Mondays and I can't really say (at least with any true sense of honesty) that today is any different. However, Mundane Mondays bring the 'joy' to be found in this 'cramping my style' day of the week.

For one be glad you didn't sprain your ankle and are now accessorizing with a lovely pair of wooden crutches . . .  like the klutz typing this. I'm trying to see the blessing in it, but all I can come up with is my Mum saying to me "Maybe this is proof that you shouldn't learn to skateboard." Back up a minute, I know what you're thinking and no spraining my ankle did not grant me the power of telepathy (if only, right?). It is not that I want to learn to skateboard the cool way; where I'm flipping in the air, etc. No, I'm saving for a longboard. Which if I'm correct, in what others have conveyed to me, is not for tricks, but essentially cruising. I can cruise, in fact I love cruise control on my car. Perhaps a little too much because when it decides to be finicky and not work for a bit, I start pounding on the steering wheel screaming "No, no, no! Come back right this minute or else*!" I'm rabbit trailing I know, but now you know: Maddie is saving for a longboard. It sounds so cool, right? Longboard. Longboard. Better yet say it like this "Landyachtz Longboard.**" Oh yeah!

I do have a purpose in mind for this post other than to brag, boast and complain. I'm noticing more and more this growing pile of, namely, Magazines. The cover is cool. The topic is cool. The magazine is eye candy that will help people to perceive me in a different light (i.e. the opposite sex, which visit my home often . . . NOT). I don't read these magazines. It is not because I don't want to read them, but because I have commitment issues. I can't persuade myself that no matter how 'cool' these magazines are, that taking the time to read them is not worth it. I hate this and I mean stomp my feet go mutter in a corner, hate.

The pile keeps growing and my enthusiasm is still not any closer to picking up the magazine and reading it. In fact I'm quite certain I would enjoy, if not each of the magazines in question than at the very least one or two. Do any of you have this issue? I wonder if it is because Magazines can't be added to my end of the year reading list goal total? Maddie read 55 Magazines and 10 books! See doesn't sound as an impressive. I know the reading, in many cases, can be just as beneficial as reading a book. The sad thing? I'm at this very instance contemplating subscribing to at least 2 more Magazines.

Let's hope this 'trivial' lack of commitment does not foretell of such issues with my fellow man. For the record don't talk to my sister or friends about my blatant (?) disregard for reading challenges. (insert blush) I never said there wasn't room for improvement . . . "Hello my name is Maddie and the last time I ---"

"Hi Maddie."


*Or else what? Your guess is as good as mine.

**For added effect and to annoy little brother intentionally mispronounce it and call it a Land-Yahtzee (like the board game).

Tattoo Tuesdays: Ahhh Screw It . . .

I'm beginning to wonder, not that I haven't before, if no creative outlet for nearly 7 days is a healthy thing for me. Regardless of the fact I was on vacation, I'm seeing now (too late) that I shouldn't have 'vegged' on life completely. That is not to say I watched TV the entire time, because that is far from the truth. I simply rested, but now I feel so agitated that I'm liable to say things I may regret.

All part of the blogging experience is to be 'real' with your readers, right? Today based on my post title alone#, I think you can sense the realness is coming out full force. Perhaps you've not had this experience and if not good for you, just sit back and listen as one of the lesser mortals gives you the what's what.

Being an example, setting a precedent, and living up to the expectations of those around you, are some of the foulest 'medicine' you can taste when the mood strikes you to be, well  . . . not so nice. While I type this I can't help singing the lyrics "You spend half of your life trying to fall behind*." I think we -- I think I'm guilty of getting so caught up with living the example that fits other's molds and attempting to have my life weigh in well with the expectations, that it drives me to the brink. Let me retract. I don't think, I know.

Thus the 'Ahhh Screw It' mentality enters and I do much more damage than good as I attempt to express that I want to EXPRESS more. I want a tattoo. No. I want several tattoos. I want to pierce my nose. I want to pierce my ear a dozen more times just to catch creeps in the grocery store starring, wondering what I was thinking. I want to live like a hippy, but then change my mind and be a farmer. Then change my mind again and live penniless on the streets of some city, dreaming of the day. Maybe even change my mind again . . . Of course, me personally, I know I need to consult with the Man upstairs and not get so caught up with what I WANT as much as I need to get caught up with what HE WANTS. That's not to say these feelings are erased or that I will or can ignore them for much longer.

My thoughts being voiced**, today's tattoos (yes multiple feature) theme around the very thing I'm telling you, and because I'm music driven much of the time I have to reference another song, "Express Yourself!"

# Slightly in defense of my post . . . I've had bad news in various forms since I got home. For one, that I won't detail, I hate Facebook so much sometimes. Two, my dog was hit by a car and died while I was gone . . .
*Regina Spektor's Eet
** If you haven't ran screaming "TMI, TMI," at this point, kudos to you.

Mundane Mondays: Where have all the Mondays gone?

For the past few weeks I have looked at the calendar and realized it is Monday, but for various reasons, that might sound like excuses, I haven't found the time to write. I've also lacked motivation, but that is not your fault . . . well the first isn't either.

The mind (should we be worried I talk about my mind as a separate entity?) has been caught up in a web of Google+ madness, reading like mad on my Kindle (for some reason), trying to catch up on sleep and other menial tasks that make up my life.

I've gained a crazy 800 followers in the past 2 weeks on Google+. Wow! Huh? How? Wow!?! I don't know either; you let me know if you find out.

The Kindle is feeding on my soul. I'm looking around worried someone is going to find out and add more kindle (pun intended) to my heretic fire planned for these ‘traitorous’ acts against the REAL book world. I'm devouring books left and right. eBook authors! You need to stop writing series and making them so darn good.

Sleep? Ha, ha, ha . . . don't make me laugh. I have a faint sense that the Kindle has something do to with this, but I'm not one to point fingers.

In other news . . .

I have the winners of the Reading Road-Trip: Indiana! (I apologize for the delay.)

• Randi M.
• Erika W.
• Christina T-S.
• Brooke DeSpain

Your emails will be coming shortly; requesting mailing info, etc.

Sadly no one requested the other two books* I was giving away (give classics a chance folks (insert sad face)). In lieu of the lack of interest, I decided the winners can pick from the other two, more popular, books, John Green's The Fault In Our Stars and Mike Mullins' Ashfall. I'm not too surprised, but I guess I was hopeful it would have turned out differently. However, I'm never one to force or disappoint, so I opted for this path. (Of course if two additional people want to give these classics a chance, leave a comment, I'm more than willing to supply the risk takers (insert smile).)

Thank you to everyone who participated in my give away and the overall Reading Road-Trip experience! It really blessed my heart to see the amazing feedback I got and encouraged me greatly. I just hope you continue to follow the adventures of my blog!

And she is off . . .

If by some miracle I have WiFi access this week, I will try to post. I leave for my annual Ohio trip on Wednesday, bright and early. This means my wallet is about to harbor moths and dusts because . . . well . . . there are always numerous book buying adventures when I go to Ohio. Ohio must see me coming and put all the stops in place. Hello book wealth and hello real world poverty! (insert grin)

Thanks again everyone!

*A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter and The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington