Today, Tomorrow, Forever

When the movie Annie was released in 1982 I was a month away from turning nine years old. The perfect age to see the movie since the orphan characters are in the same general bracket.

I don’t think it was one I saw in the theatres but I definitely learned every single song in the flick after seeing it numerous times. It was my foray into learning a few things about movies, music, what I liked about both as a kid and how the mashup of the two became a staple in my life.

First, musicals. Annie was probably the first one I’d ever seen, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last. From Disney gems like Aladdin to grownup plots like Grease, give me a movie with singing and dancing as part of the script and I’m in love.

And I’m also learning every single word so I can sing along.

Which of course prompts the question: Do I break out into random song and dance in my daily life because I watched musical movies or was I already predisposed to singing and dancing my way through life so the movies just feel normal?

So many of my favorite movies have a script punctuated by music that crosses over into the character’s lives.

Stand by Me. You may argue with me this isn’t a musical, which it isn’t in the traditional sense of the word. But the music of the time period in which the movie was set had such a heavy influence on the script and characters that I count it nonetheless. Go back and watch the movie and see how many times the kids break out into song or dance.

Another that falls into a similar category? Singles. A true ‘90’s classic with so much musical influence a bunch of the members of Pearl Jam co-star in the film. As another band who’s front man is one of the main characters.

My mom and I used to duet half of Xanadu. Okay, “used to” is a little overstated. I think the last time we did this was, what? Two years ago?

Rock Star? Without the music there would be no movie. Literally. The main character becomes the lead singer of his favorite band. Fame and all its tragic glory ensues. It’s awesome.

And that’s just scratching the surface because if my CD collection or iTunes are any indication, I have way more than a summer romance with soundtracks.

Because that’s the second thing I learned from musical movies: soundtracks are awesome. If I had to guess, I’d estimate 40 or 50 soundtracks exist in my CD/vinyl/digital collection. And that’s probably conservative because, of the seven movie posters hanging on my walls, I can say with 100% certainty I own four of the soundtracks.

Why?

Recently I finished binging Parks and Recreation and in episode 3, season 4, the characters Ben and April take a road trip. April, looking through Ben’s CD collection asks why he has so many soundtracks. The ones she listed off? I have all of them.

His character then sums it up so beautifully:

“I kind of look at it as your favorite directors making a mix tape just for you.”

Spot. On.

I mean, Guardians of the Galaxy wouldn’t have half of its plot if it wasn’t for the literal mix tape owned by the main character. And that’s a movie for dudes, right?

Many men wouldn’t admit to it but they love a good musical movie. Don’t believe me? Poll the men in your life, ask if they’re a fan of The Blues Brothers. Yup. That’s what I thought. Singing and dancing pretty much was their mission. They were so committed to music they tell the audience, through song of course, what type of music they’re representing in four little words: “I’m a soul man.”

What brings me back to today’s song choice is the last thing these flicks taught me. The promise of what musical movies provide. The knowledge that, after their final number, everything is going to work out okay despite the tragedies they face in the moment.

Annie almost dies on a drawbridge when another character chases her to the top and he’s got her hand then…okay I can’t talk about it, that scene scared the crap out of me as a kid. And the only thing that changed my mind about Tim Curry after that? You guessed it, Rocky Horror Picture Show.

But in the end, whether Annie was lamenting why It’s a Hard Knock Life or contemplating if Maybe her parents would be swell, the most poignant moment in her young life comes when she proves that she’s an eternal optimist.

Because no matter what dark cloud today throws at you, there’s always the promise of the sun coming out Tomorrow.

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In addition to this drivel I also write books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Learn more on my author page.

Winning Streak

Recently we refinanced our house. For the first time, I think ever, we qualified for a conventional mortgage. After years of the Springfield debacle hanging over us like a cartoon anvil it feels so great to have that chapter of our lives fully behind us now.

So, in moving forward, one of the reasons we did the refi was to reinvest cash from the home back into the home. In fact, a little over 90% of the money we’re taking out will go right back into this place – kitchen (finally), laundry room (fucking finally!), attic insulation, duct re-sealing, screened in patio, solar tubes, closet doors, landscaping - the list goes on (and on, and on...).

Yesterday I put together a fully detailed cost estimate and materials projection spreadsheet.

Of course I did.

As a full-on “Monica” my level of organization and detail can actually be frightening at times.

Anyway, one of the things we’re doing around here is bringing a real beach vibe to our entire home both inside and out. Yeah I know we live in the desert now but we don’t have to pretend like this is the place we really want to be. Matt and I are both beach bums so it only makes sense our space reflects that.

And here’s where things start to get good.

After putting together the spreadsheet (with actual numbers from countless scouting trips over the past six months) I discovered we’re going to have some cash left over to do a bunch of the decorating and accessorizing that will tie it all together and make this place feel like we’re living coastal!

I know what you’re all thinking:

“I think we should probably go tropical with this thing. Like sand from wall-to-wall…”

But no, bajillions of grains of sand all over my living room floor would be fine if we lived in a floorless hut on some tropical island somewhere (bucket list?). I can assure you, the only sand we’ll buy comes in bags for the pool filter. Our house will be adult beach, not frat boy beach.

In fact that’s one of the main reasons we’re going to do a little redecorating. Almost all of our small furniture pieces are hand me downs from family or crap we acquired over the years as filler pieces that we don’t need anymore.

Very cool that they still function and all that but none of it is our style and for once in our lives we’re going to have our home reflect who we are and what we like.

Novel concept, right?

One of the reasons I’m so excited is I finally get to use that Interior Design training and schooling to breathe our life into our home.

Only issue? The movie posters.

My sister brought it up a few weeks ago asking what we were going to do with all of them and I didn’t really have an answer. Because I can’t imagine for even a second getting rid of them but they don’t exactly go with a beach vibe.

Then I started thinking about my office, full of sports memorabilia like my Packers coozie, plush Patriots football, Red Sox Scrabble game. None of which screams beach either.

Guess I have more thinking and planning to do in order to make everything flow. Not that I mind. I mean, other than taking a little time away from my writing life there’s zero inconvenience having me as the GC on this renovation project.

I mean, I’m here all day anyway.

And can I tell you a secret? Some days I really miss my faux finishing work. Painting. Plastering. Pouncing glaze. Transforming something dull and lifeless, damaged, or good lines/wrong color into something that works to bring the right feeling to our space always makes me feel good.

I can turn off my brain, turn on some music and totally transform a space in no time.

Music that won’t be playing, however? The Rolling Stones. Despite the fact that (I Can’t get no) Satisfaction was what I woke up with today I am not a fan. Say what you will about their staying power or whatever but I never grew an affinity for the band.

But regardless of what melodies are flowing out of the old boom box I’m actually excited to get back to tearing the house apart only to put it back together again.

Fresh colors, finished kitchen, natural light in my bathrooms?

Sorry, Mick, I can (and will) be totally satisfied when all is said and done.

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In addition to this drivel I also write books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Learn more on my author page.

Life and Fairness

When I got up today, there was nothing in my head. No song, no remembrance of last night’s dreams, nothing. Which is not only rare but somewhat off-putting because at any given moment I can have about 500 thoughts racing through my brain.

Call it ADD, ADHD, daydreamer, or some undiagnosed syndrome that nobody has discovered yet, but living this way is all I’ve ever known. The thing that sucks about the racing mind is that it can be very difficult to hold onto anything at any given time.

As a kid I guess that didn’t matter as much. As long as I brushed my teeth, did my homework and ate dinner then the rest was pretty much a non-issue.

Back in the stone ages when I was a child it wasn’t a cause for medication when a kid was, uh, let’s just say spirited. Nope. We were called rambunctious or out of control, sent to the principal’s office. Or forced to contain our rowdy minds by hanging out in our bedroom, grounded for something we did “wrong”.

Let’s just say I read and wrote. A lot.

As an adult, however, I have responsibilities both to myself and to others. And I’m not just talking about things grownups have to do like paying bills, cleaning the house, accepting that they’re not 25 anymore by sending all their ironic/now-tragic clothes to the thrift store. No, I mean obligations that it would be ideal to have focus for completing.

For example, the third book in my Shaw McLeary mystery series.

Actually, hold up a second. Let me back up even further.

Because, before I force myself to focus on finishing that book, it might be helpful to remember a few things.

1. I self-publish.

2. Forced writing reads like shit.

3. Squirrel!

What I love about being this way though is the sense of freedom it allows. Because, not only do I work in a creative industry but I’m the only one who dictates terms of my daily workflow.

This is both good and bad.

Good, because I can allow myself breathing room in the creative process. Bad, because I might abandon something for a long time until the merry-go-round in my head comes full circle back to that project again. And if my half-finished stories in my half-filled journals are any indication, that could be a long way’s away.

So, in the past few months I decided to take the good and bad and mash them up into one middle-of-the-road personality trait. What does that mean? Well, it means I have four books in process right now. And you know what? If a fifth idea happens to come to me that feels like a fully fleshed out, solid concept for a full-length book then I’m starting that one too.

I’ve never tried this before. Working on multiple projects at the same time and fully intending to publish all of them. Usually I get inspired for certain characters and try to see it through to the end without further interruption. But now that I’m embracing myself in a more realistic way I’ve come to realize that all those personalities running around my head (as part of the 500 things) might not be me. They might just be my characters.

And that means I can hold onto them long enough to complete their stories, merry-go-round or not. They are the anchored horses. The stable poles I can grab onto in order to break my fall.

If Shaw is speaking to me one day, like yesterday for instance, then I’ll write her 2200 words. Other days I won’t have any voices pointing me in any direction so I’ll have to rely on myself to get words out. Those are the days my essay collections will likely see some love.

There’s something very liberating but terrifying about embracing my creative process. Saying that I’ve grown into a more productive and capable writer because of it isn’t something I ever anticipated but it’s a pleasant side effect and I’ll take it.

Makes me think I might just be able to adult forever. Maybe.

Oh right. Today’s song choice. (See? Squirrel!)

Since I woke up with nothing playing, I planned on taking the first song on Pandora and spinning it into something amazing. But I poured my coffee then opened Facebook and there was my friend Keith doing a Throw Down between Silver Spoons and The Facts of Life.

Come on now. Mrs. Garrett? Jo? Tootie? Up against Ricky Schroeder? Easy choice.

Also, the lyrics to the theme song pretty much say in 108 words what it took me over 1,000 words to blog. Hey, I said I was embracing the good and bad so I could focus on writing as a whole, not that I wouldn’t be loquacious while doing that writing.

So today I’ll leave you with one of my favorite television theme songs of all time. However, just a note for anyone who might be a fan of the show, this is the theme song that everyone knows. The original, season one lyrics were somewhat different and dropped out of favor when the show was given a major overhaul for season two so it wouldn’t get cancelled.

The Facts of Life

(written by Alan Thicke [yup, the very same], Gloria Loring, Al Burton)

You take the good, you take the bad,

you take them both and there you have

The facts of life, the facts of life.

There's a time you got to go and show

You're growin' now you know about

The facts of life, the facts of life.

When the world never seems

to be livin’ up to your dreams

And suddenly you're finding out

the facts of life are all about you, you.

It takes a lot to get 'em right

When you're learning the facts of life. (learning the facts of life)

Learning the facts of life (learning the facts of life)

Learning the facts of life.

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In addition to this drivel I also write books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Learn more on my author page.