Embracing the Darkness

A series of events transpired months ago that have lead this OLIT to a two day spree of violent and hellish entertainment. Last night WWE Smackdown proved to be quite the spectacle but thanks to having the privlege of sitting next to an iCarly clad young man and his pierced tongue Barney doll I ended up enjoying the scene. Tonight, I am afraid, will be a different story. While I attended WWE on my own accord (a sort of anthropolgoical study of American Wal-Mart culture if you will) tonight's event is entirely dreaded...

Awhile back I was on a crusade to enrich the lives of my friends by trying to gift them with the Anne of Green Gables viewing experience. Anne Shirley was a childhood hero of mine and her love story with Gilbert Blithe still inspires. I simply wanted to share this inspiration with those I care for the most. My cause was so great that I was willing to play "let's make a deal". In exchange for adventuring with Anne I would participate in almost any activity friends could think of. The only taker of this bargain was my heavy metal loving friend Colin. He would allow me to bestow upon him the gift of bosom friendship, raspberry cordial, and carrot hair (i.e. Anne of Green Gables) only if I would expose myself to a torturous evening of ear bleeding rifts, rib crushing mosh pits, and steel toed boot bruises -- yes, a heavy metal concert. Since he had no particular concert in mind I felt this exchange seemed safe. Without a set date it might never happen and so I agreed. We watched the film, it changed his life for the better, I dried my inevitable tears that go along with Anne's story, and then moved on giving very little thought to my end of the arrangement. Oh! What a fool am I?! How desperately Colin had waited for someone, anyone, to agree to attend one of his concerts with him! He was not going to let this opportunity pass him by and soon enough he had located and purchased tickets to a March 10th performance featuring Killswitch Engage.

And now here we are. March 10th. My personal doomsday. Given the events that led me to my particular predicament I thought it only appropriate to ask, "What would Anne Shirley do?" Knowing Anne almost as well as she knew herself I can confidently say that she would immediately begin plummeting into the "depths of despair" thinking about her impending hearing loss and unavoiable broken toes (not too mention the headache from overzealous head bangers yanking on her red pigtails). But while I know beyond a shadow of doubt that this would be her initial reaction I also know that right before she deemed the event "the most tragical thing" to ever happen to her she would realize that this was the perfect opportunity to imagine her circumstances away. Due to the decibal level alone at the concert I don't think it will be possible for me to imagine this event as entirely different from what it is but I do think that I could inject it with a little romanticism simply by imagining what similarities I might share with the possible kindred spirits I will be surrounded by. A tall task for certain but I am up for a challenge. Where to start? A visual perhaps:

One thing is clear -- black is back and this I can run with. How long have I myself been dreaming of my very own blackscape? How many hours have I spent pouring over images of black kitchens, black bathrooms, any sort of black wall dreaming of the day that one can be mine? I am POSITIVE that at one moment or another the lead singer and I were both being inspired by the same images of dark luxury...

Do not be fooled. I might enjoy the lighter things in life but I too can embrace the darkness and if Howard Jones, the lead singer of Killswitch Engage, and I have a love of black paint in common then think of all the other similarities we might share? I am nervous with anticipation for the bosom friendship just waiting to be formed and so in preparation to make it through this evening's descent into musical abyss and come out with newly fostered friendships I have put together my "top 5 reasons to embrace the darkside" pictoral list:


5. The Halloween specials are my favorite Roseanne episodes...

4. Overcast days in Seattle can be just as breathtaking as cloudless skies...

3. Without darkness there would be no need for romantic candle light...

2. The darker the berry the sweeter the juice...



1. I can think of nothing better to embrace than my dearly departed sweet Molly dog who even had a tongue of black...

Pooch Dog Molly
? 1995 - March 10, 2008

All I need to do is print a copy of this out and share it with any kindred looking spirits at the concert tonight. With an all encompassing dark list such as mine I am sure to come away from this experience with a renewed faith in humanity and a sense of unity amonst man/woman-kind.

Wish me luck.

Respectfully Yours,
OLIT

P.S. A special thanks to my cousin Alex for creating my beautiful banner!

25 By 25

As the end of my first quarter-century of life grows near I am feeling inspired to get a few things accomplished. It is said that the part of your brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully formed until you are 25. If this is the case than I have 12 days left to make poor decisions and blame it all on my age. But what decisions might those be? Initailly when I wanted to write a "25 things I want to do by the time I turn 25" list it looked a little something like this...
1) Pay off my standing fine at the Seattle Public Library.
2) Return overdue volumes of The Tutors to Video Isle.
3) Drink only 1 beer a week.
4) Be in bed by 11.
5) Wake up at 6:30 am and squeeze in a run before work.
6) Locate and purchase King's Crown Cranberry Candy Dish of my very own.
... I won't continue because I'm sure the reader gets the point. While these are exciting to me they would hardly constitute recklessness. By nature I am a fairly cautious individual. I don't see myself running out buying a gun, dancing on tables at clubs, and sky-diving within the next two weeks. However, despite my cautiousness, I do enjoy an adventure or two and while aspiring to well rested responsibility is all well and good perhaps these next two weeks could be focused more on little adventures that remind me how great my first 25 years were and also get me excited for my next 25. At this point I have no specific explorations in mind just the goal to see each day as an oportunity to take a chance and start a few little adventures!

Respectfully Yours,
OLIT

A Beginning to the Inevitable...

After badgering and begging friends have finally succeeded in convincing me to start a blog. When I sat down to begin the task I thought about the blogs I enjoy reading. I spend countless hours pouring over design and lifestyle blogs. I did not think I could write a compelling blog based soley on design as I lack experience and perhaps a sound opinion of my own when it comes down to it. But this being said I cannot imagine who wouldn’t want to read about my forays into interior decor in addition to my culinary, exercise, and shopping endeavors. A lifestyle blog it is! Now that I had deemed my day to day compelling enough to write about I needed to brand it.

“Self, what sort of lifestyle do I lead?” The question had to be asked and the only way to get to the essence of me was to explore my surroundings and my day to day activities. Looking around my apartment I made note of the thrift store deals and estate sale treasures. I admired my floral paintings and the smattering (okay, a tad more than a smattering) of animal artwork and collectibles that litter my windowsills, walls, and shelves. Looking around I felt proud of the personal design aesthetic that I had always attributed to my “Granny-chic” sensibilities. Keeping this in mind for a possible blogosphere moniker I moved on and thought about today’s activities. I started my day off bright and early enjoying a cup of a tea with a neighbor and soon met up with a friend for a brisk walk. Then I hopped over to the senior center’s Chinese New Year celebration where I helped serve food and chatted with patrons. It started off lovely; the participants dazzled me with their sweaters featuring embroidered owls, their magenta pleated slacks, and blindingly beautiful crystal clip on earrings. But all glitter fades and when the raffle winners were announced the meal’s sweet and sour sauce suddenly lost its sweetness for me. As a volunteer I was not able to participate in the raffle. This seemed fair… … initially. But as each wrinkled raffle winner unwrapped her prize to find delightful doilies, beautiful bird figurines, and charming heart-shapped candy dishes the green monster inside of me wanted out. Why should I be discriminated against because of my age? Why do they get the magnificent prizes simply because they’re old???? What’s so different about us anyways?? I get up early and drink tea! I take morning strolls to keep the old joints working!! Don’t I deserve an addition to MY miniature spoon collection too????!!!! After reliving this shameful memory I ended up in a very uncomfortable place. Perhaps the label of “granny-chic” that I had always proudly awarded to my lifestyle needed to be rethought. What had started as a search for a blog name had turned into self discovery of catastrophic proportions. Soon I realized I had been living a lie and the true nature of my lifestyle was not one of flea market fancy with a slight tinge of geriatric glamor. What I truly am is “granny-envious” and this is simply un-bloggable.

In all reality this painful self discovery came not a moment too soon. Luckily I have not yet carried out any of my schemes such as the well planned “trick the sweet old lady into ‘donating’ her exquisite hand-embroidered monogrammed hankerchief her mother sewed for her as a child to a fake charity helping little people with chronic sneezing disorders” or my favorite “convince the old man with the to die for walking cane featuring a dog’s head as its handle that he walks just fine without it and that his nursing home crush had been overheard talking about how cute he would be if he just got rid of the darn stick”. After this self exploration I’ve realized that, God willing, someday I too shall be old and I will be able to reap the benefits of aged-ness. Until then I need to be happy for my elders and the treasures they have accrued in their years. No my granny-chicness need not be stifled! No I do not need to stop collecting bronzed cat statues with piercing turquoise eyes! I simply need to remember in my moments of envy and rage that I too shall have my day and in the mean time I am in training – an Old Lady In Training.

It is my hope that this blog can help me meld my delight in all things old with my still youthful disposition to result in a semi-regular account of my day to day musings, treasure hunts, and other such matters. I hope you enjoy. Please bare with me as I brush off my grammar text books and give writing another shot.

Respectfully Yours,
OLIT
(Old Lady in Training)

(note: Initially I decided I would call this blog “Old Maid In Training”. Given my current dating situation, or lack there of, I did not want to tempt fate and settled on a more general term leaving room for a husband or at least a beau or two in my future. If any reader knows of any Old Men In Training please send them my way.)