I am so excited to have our first tattoo tail on Tattoo Tuesday. I promise, I am done with the alliterations. My first guest is Kate Byrne. Here is how her beautiful back piece came about (That one was unintentional).
The first is a piece of Bahraini street art from early on in the Arab Spring. The Arabic in the corner roughly translates into “our weapons are but flowers”. You’ll see the English in the petals of the rose in picture two and the antique rifle barrel in picture three.
I went to my tattoo artist with two different ideas. I knew I wanted a book (books are an integral part of my life and being) and I knew I wanted Yggdrasil, the Norse tree of wisdom, but I didn’t know how or where. It was my artist’s idea to incorporate those two into the piece on my back.
One of my favorite things about the experience of getting tattoos is taking your ideas to an artist you trust and then watching him bring your ideas to life in art.
Thanks so much for sharing Kate. Beautiful tattoo. Please visit Kate’s Blog at Waiting for that Rocket or follow her on Twitter at @burnsy06
Anyone else want to share their tattoo stories. I would be happy to feature you on the next Tattoo Tuesday.
The ladies over at Falling for Fiction have created the Hookers & Hangers Blogfest. What a great idea? I know I said I wasn’t going to look at my WIP until September, but I thought this would be a fun exercise and a great learning experience.
So, here it goes. Some choice 1st lines from chapters of my novel – I’m Coming Home.
Even after making this trip about 2 times a year for the last three years, Sydney still has it in her mind that a 16 hour plane ride is something to avoid at all cost.
Again, Sydney was surprised at how flirty she was being, but it felt so natural, talking to him like this; well, more like texting him like this.
Sydney woke up at 6:00 am the next morning, surprisingly not tired and, with a smile on her face.
Sydney came down in the elevator looking cute on the outside and feeling like she was going to throw up on the inside.
Stepping out of the club onto Bourbon Street among all the lights and sounds and people, Sydney realized she was more drunk then she thought.
Even though they had made up, Sydney was shaken by the little argument when she woke up the next day.
At the end of the day, the crew went to watch the leaders finish on 18 while Sydney stayed behind to clean up.
A little embarrassed by the scene they were making, Sydney wiped the tears from her eyes, “You almost missed me.”
June went by fast at the Academy and in a few weeks, John would be coming to visit.
John woke up around 4:00 am, still getting used to the time difference, he rolled over and put his arms around Sydney and kissed her neck to wake her up.
Sydney spent the next couple of months home doing exactly what she wanted to do; slept, reconnected with family and it gave John the opportunity to get to know her family.
What an eye opener. These need a lot of work. I would appreciate any suggestions. Click on the badge to read other writer’s Hookers. And, come back on Wednesday to see my Hangers.
I have been tagged by my blog buddy A.M. Schultz. I am stealing his little skull star guy in order for you to remember the man and the myth. Besides, I think it is too cool. Click on the skull to visit his new site Head Spit. The guys got talent.
Eleven Things about Me:
1. I am moving to Shanghai next month.
2. I broke my iPhone yesterday by dropping it on a concrete floor.
3. I play golf.
4. I am unusually loyal to TaylorMade Adidas products.
5. I am obsessed with reality cooking show competitions; Top Chef, Master Chef, Chopped.
6. I can’t cook.
7. I am currently reading Foreign Identity by my new blog friend Becca J. Campbell. Just a few pages in, but Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory meets the movie Saw keeps popping into my head. It is really good.
8. I wonder why Apple doesn’t make printers. It is preventing me from having an all Apple workstation.
9. I currently have three types of currency in my wallet. Can you guess which ones? Hint: I don’t have any American dollars.
10. The title of my next novel is tentatively Ink: A Permanent Love Story. Corny?
Now on to 11 questions by AM Schultz. I have to admit, I am a little scared. Here we go:
#1: Better Song: Happy Happy, Joy Joy or Peanut Butter Jelly Time?
Happy Happy, Joy Joy. I have no clue what Peanut Butter Jelly Time is, but I will look it up.
#2: What song must you dance/sing to, even at the risk of looking like a ginormous dorkface?
In the fantasy version of myself, I sing and dance like Beyonce. Dance for You is my favorite song from her last album and whenever I hear it, I have to sign and dance. It’s pretty hot. Let me know what you think.
#3: If you could take any historical figure to lunch, who would it be?
I have a fascination with female leaders, so I would probably pick Cleopatra. The historical accounts of her versus how she is portrayed in movies and T.V. shows is so different. I would love to ask what what’s the real deal.
4: Where would you go?
I would take her to Craft in New York. Tom Colicchio’s food is fit for a queen.
#5: What do you think they would order?
She would probably order the entire menu and take a small bite of each thing. She is a queen after all, she is allowed.
#6: What book do you wish you had written?
There aren’t any books I wish I could have written. I think that would be pretty arrogant of me to think I could write a book I love better than the writer.
#7: If you could be one character from literature, who would you be?
#11: What is the maximum number of times someone should take a bath/shower per day (excluding those with medical conditions, etc)
At least once a day, unless you are really busy and don’t subject other to your funk, then you can get a way with once every two days.
Also, a shout out and thank you to Ella Medler for the One Lovely Blog Award she bestowed upon me last week and Megan Paasch; Rhymes with Smash! for the Inspiring Blog Award. Last but not least, big thanks to Emma MC at Write Away for the Sunshine Award. Please check out their blogs.
Badges are on my Blog Work Tab. As far as the responsibilities, please forgive me, but I don’t think there is anything that you don’t know about me. I need to go do more stuff so I have more to talk about. But, I am very grateful for the love nonetheless.
I wake up at 5:30 am. Open up the office, answer a few emails and then meet the car and driver I hired for the day to take me to the bank in Shenzhen, which is an hour away. I don’t drive in China. I don’t have the patiences for it.
I typically enjoy a long car ride because my usual commute is five minutes in a golf cart. I use this time to catch up on my blog reading (convenience of the iPad).
I arrived at the bank early, grab some coffee at a nearby Starbucks and enjoy some free wi fi for 45 minutes until my appointment at 9:00am. Productive morning.
And, that is where my productive day ended.
Now, I am not one of those people who walk into a situation blind, if I can help it. I do my research. I prep. I call ahead and ask questions. What I am trying to do at the bank isn’t simple and I understand that. But, I trust that the people who the bank hires to organize the debit and credit of billions of dollars would know more about this stuff then I do.
I go up to the counter and hand the bank teller my paperwork. “Oh, ma’am, I am sorry, you are in the wrong office.”
“Ok, which floor?” I say.
“No, you are at the wrong office. You need to go to our office in Dongguan.”
“Dongguan?” Did he say Dongguan? The Dongguan that is an hour in the opposite direction of where I just came from.
Let me back up for just a second because I want you to understand my predicament. To go anywhere specific in China I have to have my assistant order a car and driver, she has to google search the location and print out a map in Chinese to give to the driver. I can’t just jump in my car and go.
This new turn of events was not in the plan, but I have to get this stuff done today.
1 hour and 45 minutes later, I am at the Dongguan Bank office. I head up in the elevator to the 11th floor. I walk in the office and ask for the bank representative I am supposed to see. “I am sorry ma’am. That representative is in the transaction center across the street.”
I am still surprisingly calm when I say, “Well, can she come over here and help me.”
Apparently, she could not. I go back out to the elevators.
It is lunch time so every elevator that stops at my floor is full.
After the 10th elevator stopped, I decide to be smarter then the elevator. I push the up button.
I get on the elevator and ride it up to the 30th floor and then back down to the ground level. It stops at every floor going up and every floor going down. Did I mention there is no air con in the elevator? You know what 40 people crammed in a elevator smell like after 20 floors. Not good.
I get off the elevator and proceed across the street where I have to dodge, dogs, cars, bikes, scooters and dump trucks to get across this four lane road. I feel like I am in a game of Frogger.
I go into the bank office, find the person I am supposed to talk to and hand her my paper work. In broken English she proceeds to tell me “The person who handles these type of transaction is in the building across the street.”
One of the cultural differences between China and America is that our facial expressions sometimes don’t translate. Because, if you had seen my facial expression at that moment, you would have known to get as far away from me as you possible could. She didn’t get it.
So, off we go. Back across the street, dodging dogs, bikes, scooters and dump trucks to go back to the building, back to the 11th floor and back to the same office I left 35 minutes ago.
They put me in a room with no air con and give me a cup of warm water (it’s a China things). “She will be with you shortly.”
10 minutes later, a young girl walks into the room and sits down next to me. She looks like she is about 10 years old. I thought is was someone’s daughter. Is it take your daughter to work day? Do they even have that in China? “What can I help you with today?” she says.
As calmly as I can, I say, “I would like to convert and transfer this amount and then get this amount in cash.” I even manage a smile because I am being lulled into submission by this innocent child.
“We can’t do that today.”
You have got to be kidding me. “Yes, you can.” And, I proceed to explain/educate her on what and how to do exactly what I needed her to do.
Then, she says, “Let me get my manager.”
At this point, I was about to throw myself out of the closest window. And, if I happen to live, I would be in significantly less pain then the pain caused by talking to these bank employees.
The manager comes and again I repeat my request.
“Oh, no problem, ma’am. Just sign this, fill this out, copy this, stamp this and you will be all set.”
OMG! Finally, someone who knows what they are doing.
I sign, stamp, copy, and give them an ounce of my blood. I am almost giddy with the realization that someone is finally able to help me. “Ok, come back in 3 hours and you can have your cash.”
3 hours? 3 hours! My left eyelid starts twitching and I notice that my jaw is starting to hurt. It takes all my strength and my desire not to be thrown in jail today to refrain from throwing her out the window.
I gather all my bags and walk out of the office. Do the elevator trick again and go next door to a little cafe outside the bank and wait. The cafe has bad coffee and no wi fi. And, I sit and wait, for 3 hours.
I return to the transaction center across the street in exactly 3 hours. I called ahead this time. See, I am learning.
I am signing and stamping and she is explaining and smiling and I am not listening to a thing she says. I am chanting to myself “It is almost over, It is almost over.”
I find myself day dreaming about following this women home and suffocating her in her sleep. Then I started to get concerned because I seem to have gone to a very dark place.
The bank representative pulled me out of my day dream and handed me my money. It took a little effort, but I did say thank you and walked out of the bank. As I was getting into my car, my phone rings. “Ma’am, you have one more document to sign, can you come back?”
I turn to my driver and say, “When I walk in front of the car, please run me over.” He doesn’t speak any English so I felt fairly certain he didn’t understand me. And, if he did, I really didn’t care at this point.
I walk back into the bank, sign the last document and hand it back to her. As I was leaving this time, she says to me, “Have you enjoyed your service today?” With the biggest smile on her face. Was she mocking me?
I looked at her and the darkness returns instantly. A montage of images of death, war, and destruction, run through my brain. My eyes glaze over and every muscle in my body tenses up. I take a deep breath AND I SCREAM.
It was the loudest, craziest, gut wrenching, psycho sounding scream I have ever heard. I surprised myself. Everyone in the bank turned to look at me. When I was done screaming, I smile at everyone, took a little bow and walk out the bank.
I feel much better. Sometimes you just have to scream.
I really enjoy movies about people who are searching for something, both figuratively and literally. This movie contains both. Young Oskar lost his father in 9/11. In search of a way to stay connected to his father, he goes on a systematic quest for the lock that fits a key he found in his father’s belongings. As you can imagine, the quotes that stood out to me, perfectly convey the emotion of someone desperate to find sense in a situation that didn’t make sense. Tom Hanks (Thomas) as the father, Sandra Bullock as the mother (Linda) and introducing Thomas Horn (Oskar) elevate the words to another level of emotion that you feel throughout the movie.
The flash backs of his father instilling in Oskar the need to find answers and solutions was his way of getting Oskar to interact with people, something that early on you see is very difficult for young Oskar.
“If things were easy to find, the wouldn’t be worth finding.” – Thomas
And encouraging Oskar not to get discouraged when it gets difficult.
“Another way of looking at it is, how can you ever be wrong?” – Thomas
Gives Oskar all the tools he needs to for the journey is about to embark on.
Many people encourage Oskar along the way:
“You never know what a key is going to fit. There are a million possibilities. That’s what I like about keys. They all open something.” – Lock Smith
No one is going to get in his way.
“Nothing was going to stop me. Not even me.” – Oskar
Some, appear to discourage him:
“It’s never going to make scene because it doesn’t.” – Linda
You get glimpse of just how difficult this journey is for Oskar by several rants throughout the movie. This was the most compelling and showed what he had to do to find the answer to this question:
“I count there are 472 people with the last name Black. There are 216 addresses. Some of the blacks live together, obviously. I calculated that if I go to 2 every Saturday plus holidays, minus my hamlet school plays, my minerals, coins, and comic convention, it’s going to take me 3 years to go through all of them. But that’s what I’m going to do! Go to every single person named black and find out what the key fits and see what dad needed me to find. I made the very best possible plan but using the last four digits of each phone number, I divide the people by zones. I had to tell my mother another lie, because she wouldn’t understand how I need to go out and find what the key fits and help me make sense of things that don’t even make sense like him being killed in the building by people that didn’t even know him at all! And I see some people who don’t speak English, who are hiding, one black said that she spoke to God. If she spoke to god how come she didn’t tell him not to kill her son or not to let people fly planes into buildings and maybe she spoke to a different god than them! And I met a man who was a woman who a man who was a woman all at the same time and he didn’t want to get hurt because he/she was scared that she/he was so different. And I still wonder if she/he ever beat up himself, but what does it matter?” – Oskar
Others along Oskar’s journey learned some valuable lessons as well and father son relationships are central to the plots in the movie for several characters:
“He wrote about all the things he wanted to do but didn’t and all the things he did do but, didn’t want to.” – William Black
In the end, whether he finds what he is looking for or not, Oskar and his mother become closer and realize that they can help each other remember what they lost.
“I miss his voice telling me he loves me.” – Linda “Me, too.” – Oskar
I really enjoyed the complexity of this movie, from the sub-plots, to the conflicting journey’s for the different characters and at the center is this little boy who desperately wants to stay connected to his father. It is a 9/11 movie, but the events that take place after “the worst day” are relatable to anyone who has lost someone.
Based on a novel by Jonathan Safran FoerScreenplay by Eric Roth
Sydney Aaliyah Michelle 