The Time Machine

I think I read this when I was younger; I have Swiss-Cheese memory.

If you are basing your knowledge of this book on this movie:



(Samantha Mumba, remember her? David had a huge crush on her.)

then you are sadly sadly mistaken. I don't even know where all the movie plot points came from. No attempts to save a lost fiance, no human-sized future people who miraculously speak English, no creepy Gary Oldman character.

The Time Traveler is a man who has invented a time machine in the 1800's. He's telling the story of what he did and saw to a group of people who have come to dinner in his home. He has traveled over 800 thousand years into the future. The human race split into two species; a kind, minuscule child-like group of above-ground dwellers, and the pale-skinned, large-eyed ape-like subterraneans.

After a harrowing experience with these two groups, he moves further into the future, where the devolution is scarier. Single-celled organism scary. The Traveler returns home, replenishes his supplies, and is never heard from again.

The book deals with the evolution/devolution of man. The more technology we have, the worse off we will be until some cataclysmic event lead to the downfall of man kind as we know it. Humans devolve. What do we know how to do anyway? Can you kill, clean and cook a chicken or deer? Can you make bread from scratch in a coal oven? Can you make your own clothing? Can you live without electricity? Grow your own fruits and vegetables? Can you defend yourself?

Doom and Gloom, the future is.

Literal Videos

Literal videos are something I found through a post on Facebook. People take a music video and write lyrics to what is actually going on in the video. Remember the 80's and how whack-a-doo those videos were? Where the videos had nothing whatsoever to do with what was going on in the lyrics? Those.

They write new lyrics and replace the singing with their own. Most are mediocre, but some, like our favorite, are hysterical.

I give you the literal version video for "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Persuasion

I love Jane. I do. I own 4 of her 6 completed novels and think she is amazing. But so far, this book is my least favorite.

The book deals with a 27 year old woman, Anne Elliot. Twenty Seven?? Egads, almost a spinster, she was! No really. Back then, 27 was cutting it close in the "get married have kids" part of life. She refused the hand of a man she loved 7 years ago because she was persuaded to do so by her rather dismissive father and eldest sister, as well as her godmother, Lady Russell. The man Anne chose was not rich enough, not highly ranked in society for her family's taste. Seven years, and no prospects later, she meets back up with the man she refused, who is still angry and hurt at her refusal. There are other back stories; conniving house guests, young male relatives trying to insinuate themselves on the family fortune, etc.

Written while ill, right before her death, "Persuasion" feels rushed. There's not enough witty dialogue. There's no back & forth between the characters. Instead of this:

Anne said "blah blah blah, and blah blah." Mr. So-and-So smiled and replied "Oh really, that's marvelous, etc"

it was more

Anne told him how she felt and he said he felt the same.

Less conversations between the characters, and more Ms. Austen dictating from the side what happened. I LOVE how Ms. Austen wrote her characters' speeches and interactions, and this book threw me for a loop. It was a novel with less dialogue than usual.

I did still enjoy the "witty, sweet, kind woman gets her happy ending," while all the evil people get their comeuppance. Ah, if only life were that way.

Sunday Boxing

Sixteen. That's right, 16 boxes found yesterday. We headed out with The Gamecock (Mo) on a downtown Orlando letterboxing adventure.

We started off with lunch at a fun place,



where Isabel splashed in puddles.



We went by a park to find another box, and stopped by the place David and I got married, where Isabel played in the fountain. We were married on the steps behind her.




Several boxes on several streets later, we stopped for Starbucks, where Mo proceeded to have my daughter sing the "Baum Chicka Bau Wow" music to everyone. Mo, Mo, Mo. :)

We headed to an art museum where we found 3 boxes by one person and one by another on the beautiful grounds. Here I am, inky-fingers and all (and got my butt wet in the process.)






Mo and Isabel in front of some lawn art.

Creepy Harry-Potter thestral looking thing!

Huge-mungous tree.

Two tired travelers.

Cheese!

We got rained on a few times, but had a fun time!

Harshing My Mellow

I've been wondering. Are negative people more tired than positive ones? It must be tiring to be a pessimist.

I cannot abide the negative. It's life-energy sucking! It harshes my mellow. I can't help their situation. What I can do, is help MINE. I am positive, most of the time. I am helpful, I am happy (except for 4-5 days a month). *snort*

Trust me, there was a time when it was not all happiness and joy. There was the "before," where everything was drama, and no money to pay bills, and craziness not of my own doing. But I chose to get away from that. I chose to take my kid and take a hike.

The only person I could blame was myself. Yup, I let it happen. Now, I let "Happy" happen.

Hey, new Motto:

Happy Happens.

It happens if you choose it. Surround yourself with positive people who lift you up. DO what you say you'll do. Be polite. Be nice. Follow the rules; remember the world owes you NOTHING! I am a realist and crappy stuff happens to everyone. Just don't let those moments cloud you and shape your personality into something no one wants to be around. If you don't like it, change it.