Sunday, January 29, 2012

Playing

Why don't adults "play"? I know some adults talk about "playing," but it usually seems to mean going out to eat, to a bar or some other appropriate "adult" activity. I want to know why adults can't get together with their friends, pick up a few sticks in the backyard, and have a huge sword fight. Why isn't it socially acceptable for adults to run around the neighborhood, pretending to be on a quest? These are things I think more adults would be interested in doing than we might realize.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Regret

One of my life's regrets is that I never allowed myself to fall in love as a teenager.

Writing

Each time I write a new post on my other Provo blog, (pro(vo)cation), Wordpress updates me on how I'm doing with my blogging "goals." That's funny, because I have no specific blogging goals and indeed don't really like the whole concept of goals in general. Today, for example, I was informed that I just met my goal of 105 posts. Huzzah... I guess.

Anyway, one thing I actually enjoy about these computer generated goals is that they also come with quotes about writing from famous writers. Here was today's:

The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe — Gustave Flaubert

While I know this quote was made specifically for me to the same extent that a fortune cookie fortune is made for me (so not at all), it is nevertheless serendipitous because that is how I feel. When I started blogging years ago I had a series of objectives (not goals!) some of which were met and others which weren't. In the time since, however, I've continued to blog even as my objectives, interests and circumstances have changed.

The point I think is the one that Flaubert makes: that writing itself is the point.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

New Girl

I'm really enjoying New Girl, the Fox sitcom starring Zooey Deschanel. But one really bizarre thing about the show is how they're revealing more and more about the setting.

Maybe I missed something, but when the show began I would have bet money it was set in New York. However, as far as I could tell (and I watched several episodes twice), they never explicitly said where the show was taking place.

Then, bam! Like a punch to the face, several episodes in the show gave us an establishing shot of LA. It was startling. And fascinating. Since then, I'd argue that the show has gradually asserted a stronger sense of place — scenes in the mall, at a very California-esque party.

Anyway, I think this method of revealing the setting (or perhaps choosing the setting) is both interesting and odd.