Fear and Fishing

I went and saw a movie last weekend. It was about evil of a residential nature. I think the genre and the format (adding an extra D to the equation) had a lot to do with the previews that they decided to show. There was either horror, 3-D, or horror shot in 3-D. I'm not a die-hard horror fan, but I'm finding the reasons that people are interesting.

My father-in-law is currently a regular viewer of a newer fishing show that profiles an "extreme" fisherman that goes after river fish of the "OHMYGODITSMOBYDICK" variety. The last episode was on location in/on the Amazon river attempting to track down a catfish that can theoretically grow to a big enough size to eat a man whole. During the set-up, there was a lot of narrative supposition on the existence of such a creature. The funny thing was that each time the possibility of the man-eating fish came up, my F-I-L scoffed at the idea and repeated to himself how ludicrous and impossible it was.

Now, I suppose that your curious as to why I jumped from the topic of horror to the topic of fish (but, to be fair, it was the topic of a man-eating fish). Now I've had (past-tense for good reason) friends that loved the horror genre for the vicarious kicks. I have friends that love the genre for the story, the special effects part and parcel to the experience. And I have friends that love the genre because of the social, political, and economic statements that are allegorically woven into the piece. But I think that the good portion of horror fans love the genre because maybe it give them a safe outlet to control fear.

Now, as your average modern citizen, despite what the news screams at us on a nightly basis, we live pretty safe lives. We don't have to worry about huge cats jumping out of tall grasses as we look for tubers. We don't have to worry about unseen terrors bursting from a calm river as we gather water. We don't have to keep a roaring fire burning at the entrances to our homes to keep the unknown killers in the night from dragging us from its safety. But the fears that kept our ancestors safe for so many millennium are still lurking around in our DNA, prompting random reactions of terror from sources that aren't all that scary.

Watching a terrifying movie or reading a chilling story lets us fire that fear up without ever having to really worry about consequences (big cats, sharp teeth, and such). So, next time you're enjoying a good and scary flick, thank those jumpy ancestors of yours, and rest assured that everything is alright. At least until the zombie uprising. :)

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I have the blahs today, so here's a picture of an adorable chick. :) Have a great day!

Put Down the Tambourine.

I'm the black sheep of my family. Well, in the context of this anecdote, the tone-deaf one. A bunch of my family and friends were hanging out the other day, and the good majority were in the mood to jam. My little brother was trying to get me to pick up one of the instruments in the house, assuring me that it was "in the blood." Besides, there were a few people there that were picking things up, despite being inexperienced at the instruments, and substantially kicking ass . Inexperienced did not mean talentless, and I know which acts not to follow. :D Besides, I'm more of a visual person. Once they get their thing going, I'm thinking more along the lines of stage design or management. It's been a while since I've busted out the ol' scarf and beret.

So I got bored and decided to make a genre band. To tell you the truth, I'm only about 65% satisfied with the line-up. What do you guys think? Who would you cut/change/add in your genre band?

Mainstream Fiction- Vocals.
Romance- Keyboard.
Horror- Runs the lighting.
Science Fiction- Synthesizer.
Fantasy- Lute.
Action/Adventure- Guitar.
Comedy- Kazoo.
Mystery- Horns.
Western- Harmonica.
War- Drums.

What Was That Again?

I'm link-happy lately, mainly because I've been spending a lot of time online trying to keep my mind busy and typing as little as possible.

This article got the old cogs turning. The idea of losing a language that has been around for thousands of years to something that has been around for less than one hundred is mind-boggling.

*Shuffle, Shuffle*

Okay, so I have a love/hate view of zombies. I'm a huge weirdo. I know I've mentioned that I really don't like scary things, and zombies are scary things. So I have no idea why I'm so into the idea of submitting to a Zombie Anthology.

There are tried and true components with your average zombie: the slow shuffle, the tattered clothes, and the unsightly complexion issues.

But I read a fun article the other day that made me rethink my thinking on zombies. The realistic approach is a little bit more horrifying than the traditional interpretation, don't you think?

Maybe my lil zombies need a teeny revamp. Hehe.

Change of Scenery.

I've spent the last two weeks in Texas Hill Country. There were things that required attending to for the past few years, during the height of summer, in 90+ temperatures and 70+ percent humidity...*sigh* I've never been tortured before (unless you count my friends love for the books that shall not be named), but I imagine that combination of heat and humidity is as close to water-boarding as I ever want to get.

But as much as I hate the weather, though, is how much I love being around the family and friends that call that area home. <3

It also tends to give me SO much material to work with and things to think about. From random thoughts inspired by random (really, really random) conversations to the situations I find myself observing, the trip is always interesting.

I sometimes forget how useful a change of scenery can be. Although, I think from now on I'll visit during the fall.

Filler.

I used to draw. Years ago, for some unremembered reason, I stopped. Lately I've been trying to get back into the habit. When I have a pause in my writing, I'm filling up the margins with random doodles and whatnot. It's not much, but it's something. The act alone has me thinking of non-doodle projects. It also seems to help me get the brain jump-started when I sputter out. So it's win-win.