A Completely Absurd Conversation about Pretty in Pink

Fighting Nun: Why the hell did you buy Pretty in Pink? (Picks up copy of Pretty in Pink and looks at it sternly)
Bloody Munchkin: I didn't! I won it fair and square!
FN: How did you win it?
BM: I donated to that Donor's Choose fundraiser that Tomato Nation holds every year. I closed out a project for seventy bucks and got this prize in return.
FN: Seventy bucks for a twenty dollar crappy movie. Hardly seems fair.
BM: I didn't enter just to win a prize. I did it to make kids happy. And I'll have you know that this movie fills a void. Other than Ferris Beuller's Day Off, I don't think we have any John Hughes movies in our collection. We don't own Breakfast Club. Do you know how empty I feel sometimes because "You mess with the bull, you get the horns" is not something I can watch instantly?
FN: Whatever (rolls eyes). As long as you didn't pay money for that movie.
BM: Oooookay.

Harry Dean Stanton, National Treasure? via

This little conversation is all thanks to The Tomato Nation fundraiser and the copy of Pretty in Pink I won. Fighting Nun is not a Pretty in Pink fan and thinks pretty sternly that Duckie got screwed. Which yes, he did. But he got Kristi Swanson as a consolation prize! I don't see what the big deal is. It's not my favorite but you can't beat that ending. Well you can, with the ending from Sixteen Candles, with Jake Ryan waiting by his car while Molly Ringwald comes out of the church, but the Pretty in Pink ending is a close second. And also, I take offense that something with Harry Dean Stanton in it would be considered anything less than stellar. That man is a national treasure! Everything he's in turns to gold just by dent of him being in it. Want proof? Watch Seven Psychopaths. He didn't have a speaking part, was in that sucker for two minutes, if that, and was the best part of the whole movie. And that's hard to say when Christopher Walken is in a movie.

Ahem. Conversations like the one above, DVD copies of 80s movies and more could be yours if you donate to the Tomato Nation Fundraiser today. If we reach 50,000 we get a Tomato Nation prom which is bound to be a thousand times better than the two proms I went to. One of those proms, gum from my date ended up in my cleavage. A root canal is bound to be better than that, but still. A Tomato Nation prom is going to rock! Also, you can donate and help some Oklahoma school that were affected by that tornado at the same time! Doesn't that sound great?

Trifecta's Weekend Challenge

 Trifecta caught me off guard with one of their challenges again. This weekend extra was to use three of the six words they chose. I decided to use underneath, honey, and loop.

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The dead bodies aren’t going anywhere. I might as well lie here awhile, watching them above me flit from flower to flower to hive. Underneath the honey loop I feel alive.

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I've always found the idea of having beehives in cemeteries to  be oddly beautiful. Honey seemed to be the triggering word for this. Watching a place teeming with life while there's so much death around is such an interesting idea that I might have to expand on it.

Trifecta Challenge: Deliberate

A new week a new trifecta challenge. This time the word is deliberate:

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Ilieana was deep in thought. She should’ve been focused on the escalating conversation between Gonjuri, the emissary for the Golrathians , and Dathraka, a Djokian who had helped set the daring raid that aided her escape into motion. All of it seemed so hopeless. She got the feeling that no matter what she did, she and the child she was carrying were bound to die.

As if in reaction to her thoughts, the being in her belly kicked with some force. It was its first movement. This brought her back to the present moment. Gonjui and Dathraka were in each other’s faces, other members of their respective parties were on their feet. If Ilieana wasn’t careful, the two groups could tear the ship apart.

“I say we take her to Djoki!  We’ll have a tactical advantage if Geori comes for her!” Dathraka growled, raising his weapon in defiance as Gonjuri did the same. Ilieana would have to put a stop to this.

“Enough!” She barked, jumping to her feet, forcing her concealed arm blades into both of their throats.  “I’m seconds away from vomiting again, my head won’t stop throbbing and I have to piss! I’ve got enough problems of my own to worry about that I don’t need spilled Golrathian blood to be amongst them, but if it is to be one of my problems, it’s because I spilled it along with some Djokian. Make no mistake.”

Both the emissary and Dathraka softened and looked at her. She dropped her hands, and the arm blades retreated under her sleeves again. She took a long deliberate sigh and decided to show her hand. “We can’t retreat to either of your home planets.”

“Why not?” someone asked.  

“The Holemaker is operational.”  They all gasped in her direction. “Geori can make a black hole whenever he wants and he can be light years away when it happens. And he will use it if it means the death of this child.” She said, patting her belly.

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I've had this sci-fi story in my head for awhile and I finally decided to use the Trifecta challenge as a way to to sat least start writing part of it. I really want to write something in which the heroine is pregnant or with child but instead of impending motherhood softening her, it hardens her, makes her stronger, more fierce. I think the only way that really happens is if that character feels threatened. I'm not sure if that comes across quite yet, but we'll see.

 

An open letter to my dad: Trifecta Challenge: Blood

Dear Dad;

I remember the phone call as I played in the den, the serious face and the concerned voice. I remember the look on your face as you hung up the phone. I remember balking at the words you said as soon as they came out of your mouth. I remember my own tears. I remember you rushing to my side and scooping me up, letting me cry until I could cry no more. I remember some version of this happening over and over again.

Who did you run to when the deluge hit and you were overcome by grief that you didn’t show? Where did you turn when mom was at their funerals all those hundreds of miles away? What did you do when you put me to bed heartsick at losing each one of them?

They were not of your blood, but that didn’t seem to matter. They were your brothers just as much as they were her brothers. Mom jetted off to be with her family through every death. And you were with me while I navigated the sadness and loss that my youth made me ill-prepared to handle. But who was there for you?

I've always thought about those times in terms of mom's heart break, my heart break, grandma's heart break. But your heart break was just as palpable, but you kept it at bay for me and mom.

I look back now and see how alone you were with your own grief and how you may not have taken the time to grieve at all. I just wanted to say I’m sorry and thank you.

Love;

Your Daughter

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 This is my entry into the Trifecta Challenge this week and it's inspired by this blog post I wrote about my dad forever and a day ago. I still wonder how he got through those challenging times as well as he did. i have more to say about this, but I'm not sure I can without breaking down in tears.

BLOOD (noun)

1

a (1) : the fluid that circulates in the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins of a vertebrate animal carrying nourishment and oxygen to and bringing away waste products from all parts of the body (2) : a comparable fluid of an invertebrate

b : a fluid resembling blood

2

: the shedding of blood; also : the taking of life

3

a : lifeblood; broadly : life

b : human stock or lineage; especially : royal lineage blood

>

c : relationship by descent from a common ancestor : kinship

d : persons related through common descent : kindred

e (1) : honorable or high birth or descent (2) : descent from parents of recognized breed or pedigree

TV's 80s Nostalgia Week?

So, I'm pretty slow about this, but did the eighties just have a nostalgia party all over my favorite shows last week? Fighting Nun was gone most of the week, so I didn't watch any of our favorite shows until this weekend and every show we watched felt like one stop after another on the 80s nostalgia tour.

I mean for starters, Bob Newhart KILLED IT on the latest episode of Big Bang Theory. At first, I didn't think he'd work and it felt like he was working too hard or he wasn't working at all, but then his cameo just paid off in spades and I couldn't stop smiling.

And then, AND THEN both Ralph Macchio AND The Zabka (yes I know he has a first name, I just like calling him the Zabka) on How I Met Your Mother? And Zabka had one of the most inspired parts ever. He's the clown at Barney's Bachelor party and then reveals himself in the last minute? Genius people, genius.

But the absolute most genius cameo that made my 80's loving heart soar this week? Booger was the Metatron on Supernatural. I'm just gonna wait for a minute while that statement sinks in. Booger (from Revenge of the Nerds) was Metatron! The guy who won the belching contest is the Word of God (as it should be I think). That might be the most awesome thing ever thought into existence. And he did an incredible job. I hope beyond all things that they bring him back before the end.

And, if you'll allow me, I'd like to talk about Supernatural for a bit. Finally, It's going somewhere and the somewhere it is going is pretty damn awesome. Once they finally left that 'Sam's got a girl in Kermit Texas' business by the wayside, it finally went somewhere. I was about at my wit's end with this season. But now that it has decided to throw out all the stops, I'm quite enjoying myself. Two more episodes ya'll!

If only Mike and Molly had seen fit to have Max Perlich do a cameo, then my 80's loving heart would've truly been all aflutter. 

Trifecta Challenge: Door

“They say when God shuts a door, he opens a window.”

Lena tried not to snort derisively at the comment but it escaped her mouth anyway. She was about to ruin the nicest day out she’d had in a long time. She was dressed in actual clothes not covered in her son’s bodily fluids, she was bathed for once, and miracle upon miracles, she’d even brushed her teeth! That was as much of an oddity as being be out in the sunlight and drinking a cup of coffee was. Despite herself, she was about to eviscerate it all with a snicker.

“What?” Adriana was a friend, and she meant well but it was as if she hadn’t heard a word Lena had said. Lena poured her heart out, told this woman that she’d just signed a Do Not Resuscitate order on her own son, that, based on his failing condition, she might have to use it and soon. The best Adrianna could muster was a well-worn cliché.

“Nothing,” Lena said. “It’s just that from my personal experience, God hasn’t so much closed the door but slammed it in my face and if he sees fit to crack a window, I have to crowbar that sucker open and seize that opportunity, fighting tooth and nail to do so. I’ve been crawling through window glass trying to get what Jacob deserves, what I deserve and all I’ve gotten through that window is a lot of scrapes and cuts for my hassle.”

“You have more than that.” Adrianna stated. Lena shot her a look, getting up to leave angrily. “You have Jacob. No matter what he’s going through, at least you have him. That’s more than some of us ever get.” Lena heard the break in Adriana's voice and saw the forlorn look on her face. She stopped and sat back down, realizing she needed to listen instead of talk. 

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This week's Trifecta Challenge:

This week's word is:

DOOR

1: a usually swinging or sliding barrier by which an entry is closed and opened; also : a similar part of a piece of furniture
2: doorway
3: a means of access or participation : opportunity

 

The second I read the definition, this was the first thing I thought of.  Enjoy. 

3 Silly Questions with: Steven Luna

The very awesome Steven Luna, Author of the Joe Vampire book series, co-purveyor of the Dumb White Husband blog, witty twitter person, and all around cool guy has decided to indulge me by answering my three silly questions. 

Question 1: Did you have a favorite character to write/read when you’re rereading/reviewing Joe Vampire, other than Joe himself? I'm an author myself and when I reread my own book, I'm drawn to rereading certain characters. With your book, I was especially drawn to the Louise parts because she is Joe's fairy Vamp-mother and seems like a total hoot. I also loved Hube because he reminds me of my best friend, who can totally deliver the get-a-grip speech when needed. No choosing Bo! He's too easy.


Steven's Answer: Louise and Bo are awesome…they were a lot of fun to write. But I’d have to say Hube is without a doubt my favorite non-Joe character in the series. He’s the friend everyone should have: loyal to a fault, sensible and reassuring when things are at their most insane. More than this, though, I think I dig him because he provides Joe a connection to his own humanity - even when Joe resents him for it. He also provides me, as a writer, a vehicle through which to pose certain questions and aspects of Joe that Joe wouldn’t necessarily ask of himself…which is necessary, because 99% of the novel is Joe talking to the reader rather than the characters in the story. He can’t have the answers to all of his questions – or all of the questions, even – or he’d have nowhere to which he can progress. In that sense, Hube ends up representing some of the missing pieces of Joe, but in an entirely separate character. And really, because their interaction is so limited in the first book, I gave Hube a much more prominent position in THE AFTERLIFE so I could expand on their dynamic. Without spoiling too much, they switch spots, in a way; Joe matures a bit and becomes the more Hube-ish voice of reason, and Hube spins a little and becomes more self-centered and Joe-esque. And in THE NEW PARANORMAL, they both get an opportunity to grow as equal people within the greater Joe Vampire universe. 

Question 2: Let's talk about charities for a second. As everyone who has been to this site knows, my favorite is George Mark House. Here's your opportunity to talk about organizations that make your heart go aflutter and your skin get all goosebumpy with the happies. If you'd like, take a second to talk about a charity or organization that you support or you'd like to mention and why its important to you. 

 Steven's Answer: My family and friends been greatly affected by cancer in the last several years, so cancer charities always draw my support. I have a good friend named Lanette Veres, a long-term brain cancer survivor, who now devotes her life to assisting those afflicted with brain tumors, and helping their families. The work she does through her charity Gray Matters Foundation is pretty incredible. She provides personal support and guidance for so many people who might not know the first thing about dealing with such a huge situation. She becomes their angel. It’s really amazing.

And as a sort-of sideline to that, I recently participated (by shaving my head- and my eyebrows…) in a fundraiser for an organization called St. Baldrick’s. They raise money for research into treatments and cures for childhood cancers. An awesome dude by the name of Gui Eberhard heads up the team that I was part of. He puts a ton of heart into making the experience uplifting and positive every year. His energy and enthusiasm for the cause made the choice a total “Hell yes!” for me this time. I’m figuring on doing it again next year.

[Ed. Note]  The Gray Matters Foundation does sound pretty incredible and your friend Lanette sounds totally awesome! I'll probably throw a couple of bucks their way and grab up a t-shirt. Thanks for enlightning me about it Steven! Also, St. Baldrick's is totally worthwhile. My local Children's Hospital does a St. Baldricks fundraiser and it always seems like a fun and uplifting event. 

Question 3: This is important! You will be graded! What is your favorite character in the movie The Goonies and why? What that character choice says a lot about you as a person and I WILL judge you accordingly. (For example, if Mouth is your favorite character, I'm not sure we can be friends.)

Steven's Answer: I'd say my favorite Goonie is Short Round, because he totally kicked the zonkers out of those crazy child-slave drivers in that creepy-ass mine, and helped Indy save Steven Spielberg's wife from Mola Ram. No, wait - that's not the right movie, is it?

[Ed. Note]  Steven rather sheepishly admitted that he hasn't seen The Goonies in a very long time and didn't have a quote/unquote favorite, but he promises to remedy that oversight with a rewatch with his kids very shortly. "Hold on lady! We're going for a ride." is almost as good as "I'm wondering what is in that bag." in terms of awesome line reads by the ever awesome Jonathan Ke Quan so I shall let this answer stand.

About the Author

Steven Luna was relatively quiet when he was born; that all changed once he learned to speak. Now? Good luck getting him to shut up. He’s the author of JOE VAMPIRE and THE AFTERLIFE, the first two books in the JOE VAMPIRE THREELOGY. Book three, THE NEW PARANORMAL, is due in late summer 2013. 

Website: http://thestevenluna.wordpress.com

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Joe-Vampire-ebook/dp/B00736WAZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340715824&sr=8-1&keywords=joe+vampire

GoodReads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5757470.Steven_Luna

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/thestevenluna

Twitter: @joevampireblog