There's no end to this quest, just another chapter

This time last year I was contemplating what 2013 would bring and hoping that this year would be a good one. I was also thinking about personal growth and how I would tackle my 34th year on this planet. I settled on being the leading lady of my own life. Eventually, I selected a few key ways I thought I could quantify this quest. Throughout the year, I've chronicled my progress on these items along with my musings on movies, music, and how we're all doing everything wrong. As the year draws to a close, I can honestly say that I feel less like the best friend and more in charge of my leading lady life. I did a lot of what I set out to do: try new things, bring new people into my life and spend time with those already there, be more adventurous in fashion, and travel somewhere I've always wanted to go. My year looked something like this:

• I wrote a novel in a month (November). Now I know that I can write a novel and now I can go back and edit this one and start on the next idea (which will not be written in a month and will require heavy research and maybe a visit or two to Detroit).
• Traveled to Paris (alone) for a birthday champagne toast at the summit of the Eiffel Tower. I did other things too but seriously this was pretty cool and definitely a highlight of my year. 
• Designed and created my first Lego purse. I had so much fun with this and will return to the world of Lego purse creation in 2014. I have several that I'm designing right now and hopefully will have them done by the end of January. Who knows where this will lead?
• Became an information desk volunteer at the National of Women in the Arts. You should come visit. 
• Wrote 66 Island posts this year (including this one). 
• Made some new friends, joined an album club, and went out more than I probably have since college. That's pretty good for an introvert like me.
• Shopped my closet, found a pair of boots I love, and added skirts and dresses into the rotation so I don't wear jeans every day of my life.
• Read 50 books this year. The national average is 4. And I took November off.
• Convinced several senior leaders to participate in a contest where one of them would have to dress as Santa and another as an elf. For the children (for charity). Shocked when most of them came through and it was a successful event overall. 
• Gave a short presentation on this blog at a work event that was very well received. This was the highlight of my professional accomplishments this year.

That's a lot of stuff. What's been most revelatory for me is that I focused on what I wanted to do and accomplish and not so much on what others might expect or want me to do. That's a change for me; I'm a natural counselor in the sense that I'm usually most concerned for others and what they're doing and how their actions impact their lives. And how I can help. That's why I was so good at being the best friend. What I discovered this year is that you can be both the leading lady of your own life while still being the best friend in others' lives. You don't have to sacrifice one to be the other. Like everything in life, it's about balance, focusing on what you want, and telling people the truth.

People often lament leaving a certain time in their lives. I read a lot of articles this year in which the author discussed his/her desire to relive their twenties and I can honestly say I don't want to go back. I'm more confident and interesting in my thirties and I'll probably be even more awesome in my forties and fifties and beyond. It has taken me 34 years to be good with the person that I am and this year has been particularly helpful in that journey. I am not perfect and I don't have to be. It's not easy to say that but it's true. Leading ladies aren't perfect - that's just something the movies has made us believe.

The quest doesn't end because the calendar does. I just move to the next chapter. A new year is all about possibilities. I don't have to have it figured out to know that it's going to be a great year and I'm going to do some amazing things. I just know. And knowing is half the battle (as G.I. Joe tells us). 

Thanks for visiting the Island in 2013. I hope that you'll come back in 2014. Lots of good things are coming your way: my love letter to Treme and New Orleans, a post about waffles, some more Lazy Movie Weekends, we'll make it to the 200th post, and I'll make my annual attempt to answer Pumpkin's questions on Answer Your Cat's Questions Day. It's going to be an exciting 2014 here on the Island!

Happy New Year from the Island! 

Make smart life choices - have a DD or take a taxi if you're out partying like it's 1999.

Lazy Movie Weekend: The Garland Family Christmas Eve/Day Movie Marathon

I love hanging out with my family. Some people find that odd but we're generally a pretty fun and entertaining bunch. My two favorite family activities occur during this time of the year: Christmas cookie baking and the annual Christmas Eve/Day Movie Marathon.

When I was little, we always watched the classic Christmas specials on tv: Rudolph (inspired this blog by the way), Frosty, Charlie Brown, and my favorite, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Boris Karloff's narration is outstanding and the animation is just so 1966 it's not even funny. But it's a great telling of one of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories. Max will always be my favorite part of the story. I had Max in mind when I was looking for reindeer antlers for Pumpkin this holiday; I thought she'd look adorable but also sort of Max-like since she's so tiny. Alas, no antlers for Pumpkin (and now she won't kill me in my sleep).

I think these annual viewings were probably the start of our movie marathons (and probably a way my parents kept us occupied while they were getting stuff done and you know, being Santa and all). Over the years, the lineup has changed but the spirit of the movie marathon remains the same. These are the movies we can all watch hundreds of times (and agree on) and they just get better each time.

Without further ado, the Garland Family Christmas Movie Marathon:

1.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) - the original and the best. In addition to Boris and my love of Max, isn't Thurl Ravenscroft's singing of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" absolutely marvelous? Thurl Ravenscroft is probably best known as the voice of Tony the Tiger. I like that Dr. Seuss was heavily involved in the film and he wrote the lyrics to all of the sounds. We own this on both VHS and DVD and still watch it on VHS most of the time.
2. A Christmas Story (1983) - This was probably the first movie we added as my brother and I got older. I would like to visit the house that was used for exterior scenes; a fan bought it off of eBay and restored it to look exactly like it did in the movie. That's devotion. He doesn't just watch this one every year like we do; he lives the movie.
3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Can you believe it's been 20 years since this movie was released? I saw a 20th anniversary edition at Target today and was shocked. My brother and I both like the oddness of this movie and enjoy that it's just a bit macabre while still being holiday themed. I love it when Sally jumps from the window and sews herself together. The songs are wonderfully clever and haunting and there are all these interesting touches throughout. Of course, the amazing voice talent makes it even better (Paul Reubens is Lock y'all).
4. Christmas Vacation (1989) - I'm not saying my dad is Clark Griswald but he has Clark Griswald tendencies (but only from this movie). This is probably my dad's least favorite movie on the list and that's probably why. He'll watch it but only because the rest of us are and that's the kind of dad my dad is. I truly believe this is Randy Quaid's finest film.
5. The Santa Clause (1994), The Santa Clause 2 (2002), and The Santa Clause 3 (2006) - These would be my dad's favorite movies on the list (although we all agree that the third film should not have been made). Tim Allen is pretty great as Scott Calvin/Santa Claus and the supporting cast is hilarious particularly David Krumholz as Bernad the Elf (he's what's missing in the third installment). And Judge Reinhold! These movies are just fun and easy to watch. We finally replaced our VHS copy of the first movie. I've always found the dialogue between Santa and Judy a little troubling but it's still charming. 
6. Elf (2003) - My brother doesn't care for Will Ferrell but I convinced him to give Elf a try because it's hilarious. There are just so many things to love about this movie: James Caan, Ed Asner as Santa, Buddy's enthusiasm, Zooey Deschanel's singing, Bob Newhart, smiling is my favorite. The list just goes on and on. There are only three Christmas movies I will watch throughout the year and this is one of them. It's charming. Also, there's a David Sedaris reference in the movie that I find amusing. I think there should be a sequel and it should involve South Pole elves.
7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) - I know a lot of people don't like this version of the Grinch because it's so different from the story and the original film. However, it's really well done and incorporates the original text and elements from the both the story and the cartoon really well. If you watch this movie on ABC Family (as I am doing as I type this sentence), it's actually different from the theatrical release. There's even more to the story in version shown on tv and that makes it even better. Molly Shannon and Christine Baranski's decorating competition gets more play which is awesome because they're underused in the theatrical version (Betty Lou wins but the Mayor cheats) and there's more to the Grinch's back story. The only thing I don't love about this version is that it's a little less kid friendly. I get it, Ron Howard, you can't make a movie with Jim Carrey and have it be G rated but there are some things (like some of the Marth May storyline) that are a bit much for a holiday movie.
8. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) - My mom added this movie to the marathon a few years ago. I think she bought it as a joke present for my brother. Anyway, we watched it for the first time two years ago (I think) and it's exactly what you would expect from a martian themed Christmas movie from 1964. The best thing about this movie is that it was on an episode of MST3K. It's the perfect movie for Joel and the bots to watch. This also means we can add our own MST3K style commentary to it (which we do). It's just really odd - you really should just watch it to get the full effect. We skipped this one last year so I'm thinking we either need to bring it back or replace it with a new movie (see my suggestions below). 

         

While I don't want to lose any of our classic lineup, I do think we should consider adding to or swapping out a movie or two this year. Maybe we need to make some movies every other Christmas movies to make room for new editions. My suggestions for new movies include:

• The Ref
• The Holiday
• Love Actually
• Home Alone 2 
• The Last Holiday 
• A Charlie Brown Christmas 
• Die Hard

I know, I know The Last Holiday isn't technically a Christmas movie but it's a holiday-ish movie and I love Queen Latifah so it gets to be on the list. I'm sure there are tons of other movies we could add; maybe one day we'll see them all

Happy Holidays from the Island! I'll be back next week to wrap up 2013, the leading lady quest, and see what's on the horizon for 2014.

Grinch image
MST3K image

At least I have Pumpkin...

Well kids, December is almost over. Can you believe it? In sixteen days it will be 2014 - crazy. Everyone always says they don't know where the time went but I can honestly say that is true this year. It feels like the year flew by. I'm guessing it's due to being busy and having a social life for a change. Time flies when you're not watching Hallmark movies on your couch.

Around this time last year, I was formulating my goals for 2013 since I don't make resolutions since they are, in fact, for chumps. Some might argue that a goal and a resolution are the same thing. Those people are crazy and annoying. Goals have moving parts and can be broken down so that you actually can accomplish what you plan to do. Resolutions always seem more like ultimatums - "I resolve not to do something" (or to do something) doesn't make me jump out of my chair to do it. I've always felt like there's a lot of judgement and pressure on a person when they resolve to do or not do something. As I explained last year, resolutions carry a certain amount of guilt with them. I prefer to keep my guilt limited to the times my mom brings up not going to church and when I tell people at work that something works that way by design.

Anyway, with just sixteen days left in the year it's probably a good time to check in on how I'm doing on this year's goal: to be the leading lady of my own life. The goal is based loosely on the character of Iris in the movie The Holiday. I'm not Iris but I have a lot of Iris tendencies: pining (artistically of course), self-deprecating behavior, thoughtfulness, a propensity for wearing comfy sweaters, and I live alone with a pet (she has a dog, I have a cat). I'm not English, don't wear blazers or accessorize as well as Iris, and have not discovered my Miles yet. I also don't have an elderly gentleman as a friend and motivator as Iris does. We all need an Arthur in our lives.

My last checkpoint was back in July. I did make a minor adjustment to my original list of ways I would achieve my goal and replaced taking a class with completely National Novel Writing Month. I did that so the only thing left to really focus on is dating. Yep, I left the most challenging item on my list to the very end. And frankly, I'm not really sure that I'm going to achieve this one anyway. I don't consider myself very good at dating. I didn't date pretty much at all in high school and very minimally in college and beyond. Occasionally when I discuss this with friends, I feel like I missed out on things in my younger years. Their dating stories are so colorful and interesting; mine are less although sometimes entertaining.

I have tried to be better at dating. When I turned 30, I tried online dating as a way to kick start a new decade of my life. I went on several terrible first dates and one that seemed promising but didn't go anywhere after a few more dates. Best moment of my online dating experience: running into one of the bad dates at a DC Rollergirls match while with my parents. This was the guy who didn't like his family and was amazed that I enjoyed spending time with mine. Yeah, that one wasn't going to work out at all.

I think that part of my problem is that I'm your typical introvert. I'm fine with doing things by myself (going to the movies alone is my favorite). I tend to let silences happen. I'm fine once I know you but I'm terrible at small talk and asking questions so I'm sure I'm not at my best on first dates. I also tend to ramble and I have a lot of odd interests so who know what people think. This is probably just me making excuses. Because of my introversion, I don't do things like talk to guys at bars or locations that would be perfect for "meet cutes."

Since embarking on this leading lady quest, I have done my best to up my fashion game (and done so successfully), be more social and spontaneous (getting better at both), I finished a 50,000 word novel in one month, and I went to Paris by myself. The long and short of it is that I feel like a leading lady so I should not let the fact that I am probably not going to fulfill this one part of my list bother me so much. Things happen when they are supposed to happen. Or something.

If all else fails, at least I have Pumpkin.

Lazy Movie Weekend: Kate Winslet is my spirit animal

Happy Holidays! I hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and survived the frenzy of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Valium Wednesday. That last one may or may not be a real thing - I don't know your life. I have been unusually excited to start the holiday season. I'm not normally a fan of decorating but this year I have, for the first time since probably junior high, been excited about putting up a tree. Granted I didn't put up an actual tree but made a book tree instead. I think it turned out quite nice; thanks to Emily for the idea.

The most important part of the holiday season is, of course, holiday movies. You probably thought I was going to say cookies or spending time with family or something more spiritual. This is not that blog (although I enjoy spending time with my family, baking cookies, and I enjoy church on Christmas). I've been watching Hallmark holiday movies for the last month (good background noise for my NaNoWriMo writing) but am finally ready to dive into the real deal holiday movies. We haven't had a Lazy Movie Weekend in awhile. What better way to bring it back than with one of the most underrated holiday movies, The Holiday.

Like all of my LMW entries, I love this movie. The Holiday was actually the inspiration for my leading lady quest this year. Here's the short version of the plot: Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) are both having mini-crises. Iris has just found out that guy she's in love with is engaged and Amanda's Type A personality has driven away her boyfriend and made her a compulsive workaholic. They do what any normal women would do when faced with these types of life issues: they swap houses for the holidays. Amanda goes to London and Iris to L.A. Amanda meets Jude Law; Iris meets Jack Black and Eli Wallach. People fall in love, hilarity ensues, and they have an awesome New Year's Eve party.

Let's discuss The Holiday in all its awesome, awkward, and lovely glory.

1. I really love the score. Hans Zimmer is the composer and for a movie that focuses on the movies (Amanda is a movie trailer designer, Ethan and Miles are film composers, Arthur was a screenwriter), it has a lovely score. It's characteristic of the film and the characters. 
2. Iris's opening monologue which includes this line, "I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should. I am constantly amazed by its sheer power to alter and define our lives." 
3. Another favorite from her monologue, "Those of us who fall in love alone." Unrequited love was never described so perfectly.
4. Jasper is terrible. There's the whole "let's exchange presents but I don't have yours" thing and the engagement he didn't warn her about. And poor Iris's face when she finds out. Someone should punch him in the throat.
5. I LOVE Iris's house. It looks cozy. And Surrey looks like Christmas.
6. I also hate Ethan. It's possible that I have a hard time separating Ed Burns from Ethan since I don't care for Ed Burns either. "You just don't want to be what I need." And I don't need a no-good cheater. Peace out Ethan, and here's a punch in the face. You go, Cameron Diaz.
7. I wish Kathryn Hahn and John Krasinski were in the movie more but then it wouldn't make that much sense.
8. "I want to eat carbs without wanting to kill myself." Preach Amanda.
9. In real life: I appreciate Amanda's desire to go away for Christmas but she would have to do way more research and planning than the five minutes she takes in the movie. And I don't think Iris would just be hanging out waiting for some nutty American to swap houses with her.
10. "We both know I need to fall out of love with you. Would be great if you let me try." Jasper, leave Iris alone.
11. I applaud Amanda for driving in another country. The idea of that terrifies me. 
12. And then Iris meets Miles and they have a meet cute before we even know what meet cutes are (the eyelash thing) and you know it's going to be magical.
13. And then Amanda meets Graham and they have sex. They skipped meet cute and went to "I've seen you naked" faster than most people do. In the bigger picture of the movie, this totally works.
14. Ladies, tell people you are going out of town. For real, you could be injured, arrested, killed, etc. Someone should know where you are especially if you are leaving the country.
15. Cameron Diaz's awkwardness as Amanda is awesome. I love their morning after scene and the later drunken scene. She actually seems like a normal woman in this movie.
16. I also dance around my apartment randomly and awkwardly. Pumpkin seems okay with it so I guess I'm more Amanda and Iris than I thought.
17. Stupid Jasper - no you may not send Iris pages of your stupid book to read. She is trying to fall out of love with you. Stop it.
18. Iris - stop it. You don't have to read his pages. Or let him talk about you in swimwear. You are better than him.
19. Why is it that I am not able to pack like either one of them? How many coats does Amanda take with her (I counted 4)? I want both of their wardrobes.
20. Arthur! Arthur is my favorite character (after Iris). He has some of the best lines in the movie and helps Iris to see what she really is - the leading lady. He also knows that she and Miles belong together and has the sweetest love story of all. I've always felt like the friendship between Arthur and Iris was the most unexpected and delightful part of the movie. This could have just been another holiday love story but the friendship between these two characters is special.
21.  "Iris, in the movies we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason you are behaving like the best friend." Arthur, you are my hero.
22. I've decided after this viewing that Miles is the perfect man. In my teens and 20s I was interested in the bad boy or Lloyd Dobler; now I just want to hang out with Miles and let him write melodies that are me. And we'd drink Coffee Bean drinks together and there would always be a lingering kiss.
23. Y'all, Graham's kids win this movie. Olivia and Sophie are the cutest things ever. "You look like my Barbie." And they give us Mr. Napkinhead, probably Jude Law's most important film moment ever.
24. The Dustin Hoffman scene was not planned. He was driving to the Blockbuster to get a movie (remember when we still did that?) and saw the film crew. He decided to see what was going on and Nancy Meyers, the director, decided to write him in. It's a funny moment.
25. "Why do I always fall for the bad girl?" The sequence that follows between Iris and Miles is brilliant. It ends with the second best Miles line, "It's Christmas Eve and we are going to celebrate being young and alive."
26. Is Christmas Eve fettuccine a thing? I find it improbable that Iris and Miles and Amanda would all have the same meal on Christmas Eve. Is it the Christmas Eve food of lonely people?
27. The entire sequence of Miles writing Arthur's theme music: "It's cheeky." To Iris, "I also wrote one that sounds like you. Iris, if you were a melody...(song plays) I used only the good notes." Swoon. Jack Black is just not Jack Black in this movie and it's wonderful. The accidental boob graze may be the Jack Blackiest thing he does in the entire movie.
28. Do people really fall in love in such a short period of time like Amanda and Graham? I want to believe it but I don't.
29. Stupid Maggie. She and stupid Jasper should end up together and be awful together somewhere far away from Iris and Miles. Just leave them alone already. Your awfulness is not wanted here.
30. Iris, put those pages down. Stop enabling jerkface Jasper. However, the pages do lead to her amazing moment when she lets him have it and find her GUMPTION!
31. Arthur is clearly the inspiration for this post about old fashioned dating habits.
32. I love his speech about movies, how we connect to one another, and ultimately, love. I need an Arthur in my life.
33. Iris and Miles post first kiss. Fabulous. This is how I imagine the characters in my novel and their first kiss.
34. And finally Amanda cries. She hasn't been able to cry since her teens and leaving Graham finally made her cry. I guess people can fall in love in less than 10 days.
35. Then there is a great NYE party, Amanda and Iris meet and become best friends (obviously), Miles has the greatest look on his face when he looks at Iris, and Olivia and Sophie get to wear fancy party dresses. House swapping is the only answer to what's wrong in your life and this movie proves it.

Kate Winslet's Iris is basically the person I aspire to be in my life. I see a lot of myself in the character of Iris pre-house swap and I'm trying to be more like her post-house swap. I know how she feels when it comes to the plot line involving Jasper; I'm awesome at pining artistically (as my friends and I used to say) and "falling in love alone". And I'm always the best friend. That's been my life for most of my life. I'm very good at being a supporting character even in my own life. So this year, I set out to change that. Next week, I'll give you an update on how that's going and what I intend to do in my sprint to the end of 2013.

Words are not scary...

I'm a winner! Yes, I completed National Novel Writing Month. I have the winner's certificate and the crippling addiction to salt and pepper Triscuits to prove it. It's been a month, well 26 days, and I'm looking forward to going back to the novel and fixing it. Editing is not the goal of NaNoWriMo; getting to the end is. There are lots of things I'd like to go back and add and finesse. And I will. After I take a little break from these characters and spend a little time doing other things like reading and eating real meals.

It's been an interesting month. I have spent at least 3-4 hours a day writing since starting the novel on November 1. This is in addition to going to work, seeing family and friends, running errands, doing chores, you know living life and all. When I wasn't sitting at my computer writing, I was jotting things down in my notebook or thinking about some plot point or little thing about a character. My daily word goal might have been 1667 words (although I did more than this almost every day that I wrote), but I was writing more that didn't make it in or was just for me to reference. There's actually an entirely different ending somewhere in the book. It would have been sadder but also true to the characters. However, other things would have had to happen that didn't for this ending to work.

Which brings me to the most fascinating part of NaNoWriMo: every single person I talk to wants to know either what I won or when my novel will be published. Here the definitive answers to both of these questions: a sense of accomplishment and I don't know. You don't really win anything by finishing a NaNoWriMo novel. There are contests you can enter that might help with the publishing part and we get offers for binding the book and other author-y things but there's not a novel that is voted the winner. Over 300,000 people participated in some way this year. How would a winner be selected? So my standard answer to what I won is a sense of accomplishment and knowledge that I can do this. I can take an idea (however small and odd to everyone else), create characters, figure out a plot, and get us to an ending that I enjoy. If you don't try something you'll never know what you're capable of and now I know that I am capable of writing a novel.

Then there's the second question: when are you going to publish it? I really don't know. It's not ready for publishing. First of all, it needs to be edited. I rarely went back and reread what I wrote. I knew that if I did that I would never finish because I would keep changing things and focus too much on something that may or may not matter in the larger picture of the story. BUT there are also lots of things I know I need to work on before I would feel confident letting people read it let alone consider publishing it. There are some plot points I want to tighten and a few I'd like to expand (I would like to spend more time with Marnie and Oliver in their first dating phase and definitely give Ms. Thompson and Mr. Webb some additional background) and I think I need to work a bit more on the Metro Counselor organization before we get to the big reorganization that takes place later in the novel. A month is not a long time and even if I had taken the extra four days (since I finished on November 26), I still would be exactly where I am today. So, maybe I will try to self publish it, maybe I won't. But I do promise that when I'm ready to, you'll be allowed to read it in its entirety.

So what does a finished novel and NaNoWriMo look like in numbers? Let's take a look at my experience this month by the numbers:

• Days to complete: 26 days 
• Average words per day: 1903
• Hours per day: 3-4 (although there were several days where I wrote all day and others when I wrote for 30 minutes)
• Pages: 100 (single spaced, 12 point Times)
• Chapters: 30 plus a Prologue and Epilogue
• Final word count: 52,217
• Words to finish (what I wrote on the last day): 3476 - this breaks down to 1259 to reach the 50K goal and another 2217 to finish the novel
• Number of Hallmark holiday movies watched while writing: 15
• Number of boxes of salt and pepper Triscuits consumed: 3
• Number of hours I owe Pumpkin in petting and attention: 624
• Number of times I asked myself why I was torturing myself this way: 75
• Number of times I listened to my "Lou Reed Dance Party" mix: 17
• Number of times I listened to the song "Gold Dust Woman": I wish I had kept track. I would estimate about 75
• New bands added into a writing mix during week three: 4 (thanks to those who suggested music)
• Glasses of champagne consumed upon completion: 1
  

Top five favorite things I wrote:

1. "Holy cats, Marnie! You've been Lloyd Doblered!"
2. "He hates scarves and unnecessary hats."
3.  "Later today I promise to walk into something in the office because I’m daydreaming of Oliver if that will make you feel better.”
   “Yes it would. Just don’t cause any real injuries. You have a presentation tomorrow and a press conference on the 30th. No casts, stitches or braces please.”
   “I make no promises.”
4.  Marnie and Oliver's second first date - second first dates should be a thing
5. A debate between Marnie and Oliver about the album Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica) - I agree with Marnie that it will age well.

I had a blast doing this and will definitely do it again next year. I plan to work on The Metro Counselor a bit over the holidays so hopefully I'll have something that I feel comfortable showing people sometime in the new year. Today is the last day of NaNoWriMo so if you know other people who are participating make sure to cheer them on in this last sprint to the finish. The last 5000 words are the hardest. I want to thank Neek Confessional and Bad Shakespeare for being my two biggest cheerleaders this month and for sharing their own novels with me (and the world). I wish Jessica and I had thought to get #hemingwaywasadrunk trending but alas, we did not. Maybe next year. They're both hilarious and great writers so if you haven't checked out their blogs, you should. It's good for your soul.

So you if you want to relive my NaNoWriMo posts, here they are in order starting at the beginning of the month:

• Let the writing commence!
• My main character is probably me
• That was unexpected
• Lou Reed Dance Party

I guess I should also thank the late Lou Reed. I had not intended for him to be such a big part of the novel but it happened. I like that his music was playing when my Marnie meets Oliver and that they share that musical moment. I like that Oliver made Marnie a mix tape called "Lou Reed Dance Party." I'm not entirely sure Lou would enjoy this novel but I hope he doesn't mind that he inspired some of it.

Up next on the Island: One month left in this leading lady quest so we'll check in on my progress and see what's left to do this year. And I promise the return of Lazy Movie Weekend with a holiday themed entry.

Lou Reed Dance Party

It's taken some time but I am finally ready to talk about Lou Reed. I've read just about every article that has been published since his death on October 27. The articles range from tributes to the ubiquitous "why Lou Reed matters" stories to his music wasn't that important anyway and his was a curmudgeon pieces that I have chosen to ignore. The one I like best is Laurie Anderson's wonderful love letter to him that ran in the most recent issue of Rolling Stone. We should all be so lucky to have someone write something so beautiful about us one day. I also love this video of her and fans at a tribute to Lou in New York last week:

When I was ten years old, I didn't know Lou Reed. It's possible that I had heard his songs; my aunt listened to that kind of music so I'm sure I "knew" who Lou Reed was but I was ten so I was way more interested in boy bands and Debbie Gibson. I was, as most fourth graders are, interested in being liked and what my friends thought was cool. I can tell you that fourth graders in Slidell, LA were not interested in listening to Berlin or Transformer. Fourth grade was not a winning year for me: that was the year I got glasses (and they were horrifying) and I believe I may have also gotten my first perm. I'm also certain I wore stirrup pants and over-sized sweaters in horrible patterns. Yep, I was awesome. I'd share a photo but well, I'm just not going to. I'd rather save those moments for my possible offspring to gaze upon in horror.

Anyway, boy-girl parties were also a big thing in the fourth grade. They were so novel and exciting. I don't remember which of my friends had the first one but I do remember it being a big deal. And of course, she had to invite everyone in the class because that was how things were done. I have no recollection of this first boy-girl party but I'm sure the girls sat on one side of the room and the boys on the other and we talked about each other. And probably ate pizza.

The other thing you have to remember about the late 1980s was that roller-skating was still a thing. I spent a good portion of my elementary and middle school years at the roller rink. I loved roller-skating and if I remember correctly, was pretty good at it. It was the closest thing this indoor kid was going to get to being into sports of any kind. There is something magical about roller-skating; maybe it was the music. Roller rinks, like bowling alleys, always have the best music. I often fantasize about the soundtrack of my life and I think that started with roller-skating.

The party I remember most vividly was a skating birthday party. I don't remember whose birthday party it was (it was not mine) but I know it was one of the girls and that the boy I liked was there. His name was Peter and he was super cute for a dorky fourth grade boy (all fourth grade boys are dorky - even the cool ones). I had no expectations that I would even talk to Peter at this party. We might have been school friends and talked frequently in class but this was a party. All bets were off at a fourth grade skate party. The other important fact to know about Peter is this: the Queen Bee of our class also liked Peter. She and I were what we'd now call "frenemies". I can't remember her name but I remember how fake nice she was to everyone and how much she liked Peter. I even remember her bragging about how she was positive that he would skate with her for every couple skate.

Bold words. He never asked her to couple skate but he did ask me. It was my first couple skate ever and it was to the song "Satellite of Love". At the time, I had no idea who sang that song or anything about it but I knew that it was perfect for couple skating and hand-holding. I didn't know anything about the song or the lyrics, I just liked it and liked skating with Peter. That was really all that mattered to me at the time. It wasn't until high school that I "discovered" Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground and glam rock and punk. It was then that I listened to "Satellite of Love" again and realized that it was the song from my first boy-girl skate party and couple skate. It's not even really a love song; it's about an unfaithful girlfriend but for me, it will always be about that one moment and that one boy. And it will always be perfect.

In my NaNoWriMo novel, Lou Reed is the reason that the character, Oliver, even exists. Both main characters give being a Lou Reed fan as the reason that they like the each other; people have gotten married over less. R.E.M's Michael Stipe described this best, "Lou Reed was massively important to “Island of Misfit Toys” kids. Every single child of the 21st century who is not square owes him a moment of reflection and thanks." Marnie and Oliver are those kids, thanking him with their devotion and loving the music.

I didn't expect to be this emotional over the death of a musician even one I love as much as Lou Reed. I've been listening to my favorite songs a lot since the end of October and discovering new ones with every article or tribute I read. I even had Oliver make a mix tape for Marnie called "Lou Reed Dance Party." It's part of his plan to go "Full Romantic Comedy" to get her back. The last song is Laurie Anderson's favorite.

Lou Reed Dance Party

1. Wild Child
2. Make Up
3. Candy Says
4. Oh! Sweet Nuthin'
5. Perfect Day
6. Sunday Morning
7. New Age
8. Who Loves the Sun
9. Legendary Hearts
10. Iced Honey
11. Rock & Roll
12. Satellite of Love
13. I Love You
14. Run Run Run
15. Pale Blue Eyes
16. Lady Day
17. Femme Fatale
18. White Light/White Heat
19. Coney Island Baby
20. Venus in Furs
21. Stephanie Says
22. Sweet Jane
23. Nowhere At All
24. Some Kinda Love
25. How Do You Think It Feels
26. Heroin
27. I'm Sticking With You
28. Power of the Heart

NaNoWriMo Update: As of 11.21.13, I hit 40, 518 words! I'm on track to finish before November 30. Will Marnie and Oliver end up together? Let's hope so. I mean, when you find your Lou Reed  soul mate, you have to do whatever you can to stay with them. 

Oliver is currently planning their second first date (they're getting a do-over; it makes sense in the larger world of the novel). His plan? To pull out all the stops by going Epic Romantic Comedy. I envision a little Say Anything, a little Sixteen Candles, a little Amelie, possibly some Love Actually, and maybe some sort of food related crawl (I've had a suggestion of a cupcake crawl - could work) - it could get out of control.

That was unexpected

There wasn't supposed to be a love story. When I started mapping out my NaNoWriMo idea in late October, there was no love story. I actually had a page in my writing journal about whether I should introduce a boyfriend for my main character, Marnie. At the time, the answer was no.

And then it happened. I sat down on November 1 after work and started writing. The idea for the Prologue came to me during the day at work and I had jotted some of it down in between my training sessions. I settled in on my couch to start writing. Originally, I was just going to listen to music while I wrote but Lou Reed had died that weekend and VH1 Classic was showing the 2007 concert film, Berlin. I couldn't not have that on in the background. It was my first time watching the film and it's a rarity since Reed hadn't performed that album in its entirety since the 70s. Hearing him sing "Lady Day" and his general Lou Reed-ness was what I needed to mourn the loss of such a talented performer.  It's a cool album that has aged well; I feel like one day I'll say the same thing about Lulu.

Lou Reed is the reason that Oliver exists.

I admit that I was listening to a lot of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground in the immediate lead up to NaNoWriMo so it was on my mind. I may or may not have cried when I listened to "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Perfect Day" over that weekend. I don't personally know a lot of people who feel about Lou Reed the way I do. It made sense that at least one of my characters would have strong feelings about him. So it just happened. Marnie walked into that coffee shop on her first day at her new job and Oliver was there and "Satellite of Love" was playing. That's was how it began. And of course, the appearance of Oliver changed the story significantly.

I'm not a good dater. Dating turns me into a rambling idiot. I'm not saying this is why I'm single but I'm sure it is a contributing factor because it means I have an aversion to dating. Which, of course, means I don't really date. So I didn't set out to write characters who would have to go out on dates and move through the stages of dating because it's not something I'm comfortable with at all. I guess that's the point - NaNoWriMo is supposed to be a challenge. It's been hard to write these sections of The Metro Counselor. I feel like I'm writing dialogue for a Hallmark holiday movie (and of course, you know I love those).

But Oliver is such a big part of the story now. He writes a blog about oddities and mysteries of DC so the secretive Metro Counselors is a story that's perfect for him. Marnie hasn't told him what she does for a living and this is creating conflict (I found my conflict!). On November 14, I hit the 25K word count (25,704 words to be exact) with Oliver's blog about the mysterious Metro Counselors. I thought I'd share that little nugget with you today. Soon Marnie will have to decide what she's going to do and if Oliver is going to be part of her life. Her answer should be yes because they are supposed to be together. I don't know if it's actually going to happen. I guess that's the beauty of novel writing and creating a world of my own - I get to decide what happens in that world.

Decisions are the worst.

Oddities, Mysteries, and Legends of DC

Are You Being Observed?

            Regular readers of this blog know that urban legends abound in the metro region. If you grew up in Virginia, you’ve probably heard of the Bunny Man; or in Maryland the Goatman – axe-wielding psycho killers who haunt overpasses and seek their revenge on the unsuspecting. Or maybe you’re a visitor to our area and you visited the Smithsonian to see the famous Hope Diamond and heard whispers of the curse. These are just a handful of the colorful tales of the DMV.

            Urban legends, like traditional folklore, exist for a reason. They help us deal with the harshness of reality or give us a way to explain something that seems unexplainable. It’s easier to tell your teenager, “Don’t go to the overlook, there’s an axe-murderer there” than to have an actual discussion about sex or values that you have. Legends and community stories give us a shared history even if they are outlandish and crazy.

            Most urban legends have some grounding in reality – there’s some truth in the legend even if it’s the smallest fragment of a shard of truth. Owners of the Hope Diamond met bad ends so there must be a curse. Why is there no J Street in DC? It can’t be because “I” and “J” look similar in print. No, it has to be because L’Enfant hated Chief Justice John Jay and this is how he exacted his revenge. Not true but it’s a fun story to tell.

            So what of the newest urban legend making the rounds in DC? People, residents and tourists alike, have been reporting strange things happening on the Metro. And no, it’s not haunted. At least not this time. It’s the feeling of being watched and of someone always watching out for them on the Metro.

            Paranoia is part of living in DC. It’s hard not to be paranoid when you live in the Nation’s Capitol. It’s not really surprising that people have reported being watched and sometimes even assisted by total strangers. These strangers seem to know exactly what to do and say to fit whatever situation. Are there witches on the Metro? Psychics? Is Metro trying to make the commuting experience more pleasant?

            Maybe it just seems weird that someone, particularly a total stranger, would want to help someone. We’ve become a pretty disconnected and suspicious society. Are we being pranked?

            So who are these silent watchers? Is DC really the base for something sinister and the Metro will be where the Hellmouth opens? Are they watching to keep this from happening or to make sure that it does? Two reports have included descriptions of these watchers as looking like “a librarian or teacher”. Is Giles waiting in the wings to find the next Slayer?

            Probably not. Those same reports also talk about how calm and at ease the person made the rider feel. Being helped made them feel happy. One person even said that it felt like he had a guardian angel.

            That seems like a bit much. In my research, I’ve found several supporting mentions in newspapers starting in the late 1990s. More recently, pages from a handbook of sorts for something called a Metro Counselor were uncovered. It seems like there is a group of trained professionals out there making the Metro more pleasant for riders. The paranoid DC resident in me thinks that something is up. The normal human in me wants to believe it’s just a group of people who want to make the city a nicer, more pleasant place to live and visit. Maybe they’re just Good Samaritans who enjoy helping people.

Who are these Metro Counselors? Why the secrecy? Does Metro even know they exist?