Last year I mentioned in a post that I had a surgery, so I wanted to make a post to reflect on it.
Actually, I had two different surgies for different reasons. One was to put a bar in me (so the indent in my chest didn't affect my lungs), and one to get the bar out, which I've had now for four years. (Side note: I had the first surgery around the time my blog was just beginning). At that time I didn't really feel comfortable about talking about it (I did write a draft post about it, but I never posted it), but now I would like to talk about it, so that I have something to look back on years from now. And also to find others who have experienced something similar.
After I had the bar removed. the doctor asked if I wanted to keep it. I decided that I wouldn't like to keep it but would like a picture of it. This was partly because I had had it with me for four years (and it was pretty painful to have in my chest for four years), and I was not sure what would do with it. So here's the picture of my bar:
For this surgery thankfully I didn't have to stay in the hospital overnight, unlike my previous one. So, I went home afterwards and mostly lay down while I was in pain. For my previous one, I don't remember a whole lot from it (partly because it was a while ago and partly because of the medication).
But interestingly enough, I did end up taking a picture of my hospital room (in 2017, while I was in the hospital there). I can't comment much on what happened, but I briefly remember being so out of it the entire time. I watched The Hobbit. Lord of the Rings, and Burn Notice while lying in the hospital bed.
Watching The Hobbit
Also, during that time I brought a few of my dolls with me:
Tauriel, Legolas, and Dr. Crusher. And I also brought Sarah and Rebecca with me.
But the surgery that happened in 2021 was different.
Even after the second surgery was over, and my incisions healed, I was still recovering. There were still things that hurt to do, that I had to get myself back into doing. For example, for a while I found it hard to draw on paper. (I could draw digitally, but drawing on paper hurt because of the pressure.) And I found it hard to play piano. But it has gotten easier. Also, in 2021 after my surgery I started doing Tai Chi and hope to do it every day. It makes me feel better not only physically but emotionally. If I am stressed, I do it, and I feel better.
Stories that helped me through my surgeries:
"The Gift" (Star Trek: Voyager)- Seven of Nine in that episode, had a surgery to remove her Borg implants. I deeply related to this, partly because I had just had my surgery when I watched this episode, and what Seven was experiencing was something I deeply related to. Star Trek itself was something that I'd watch as a stress reliever before and after both surgeries. For example, before the surgery (the day before it), I couldn't really think to write and watching something was how I kept my mind off of it.
And while I only discovered this episode in 2021, it was a very happy moment for me, partly because Seven of Nine has been a character I relate to deeply because of how much pain she goes through due to her Borg implants.
Lord of the Rings (The book and the movie series)- I mentioned a while ago that this book reminded me of something that happened last summer, but I never specified what happened last summer that reminded me of this book (and movie) series. Frodo went through a lot of pain in the book and movie mostly due to the one ring, and to the fact that he **spoilers** was stabbed by a ring wraith.**end spoilers** The character was one I really related to (much like how I related to Seven of Nine).
Frankenstein- While I didn't discover it till after the first surgery, this book came up in a conversation around the second surgery which started with me saying "I can handle Frankenstein, but I can't handle anything medical." This led my sibling to comment that this sounded like something the monster would say about Victor Frankenstein. I also partly wondered how surgical the monster's creation was. (Shelley doesn't get into details of how Victor brought the monster to life, so it's really up to your imagination.) I have always related to both Victor and the monster (for different reasons). I suppose I can say that I relate to the monster as someone who has also had a surgery.
How my surgeries affected me creatively:
While I mentioned that I had difficulty drawing after my second surgery, my first surgery actually opened doors for my creativity. I couldn't sing before my first surgery. (I didn't have enough air to do so.) So, it opened the world of songwriting and singing for me. Had I had not had this surgery, I would not now be able to cover songs or write original songs as I do.
I also (unfortunately) had nightmares after my second surgery. However, I have decided to use them creatively in my writing. Because even though they were disturbing, they can make wonderful Gothic novels or even poems.
I have also decided I would like to write a story based on my surgery. One of my novels was actually inspired by my surgery (unintentionally, at the time like my other writing I didn't know I was writing about that). I plan to re-plot this story, given that I wrote a while ago. But it still holds importance to me even today.
I should say that during my first surgery, I was doing Camp NaNoWriMo, and I made sure that I got to the word count goal. Even though I was in pain, I was aware that writing helped me feel better. And in the end I got to the word count goal!
And after my second surgery, once I was feeling better, I felt empowered to re-film the three video projects I had been working on. At the moment I am still editing the last two videos. but I have posted the one I finished working on here.
So, even if things seem tough, you can get to your goals in the end.
(Images used are from Pixabay, I normally use my own photos but I didn't have a picture of a closet).
I was tagged by McKayla at Tales of a Triple Threat. Thank you so much, McKayla. This tag sounds so fun, it actually reminds me a bit of a conversation I had with a friend once about something somewhat similar to this.
-Put a link to your post in the comments section of the original post
-Tag people if you want to
-Have fun with this tag, and feel free to add things, change locations, or whatever you want
-The outfits you choose can be from anywhere you like [movies, books, TV shows, real life, etc.], and they can be as practical or as impractical as you want. Choose with as much flagrant disregard or custom for the rules as you choose.
-You have to bring a different fictional character of your choosing to each location.
At The Beach
(Image from Disney Wiki, https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Ariel/Gallery?file=Little_mermaid_large.jpg)
I would wear this mermaid tail, given that it would be fun to wear on the beach.
While I don't know if it is water proof, I could always create one that is.
(Image from Davonna Juroe,https://www.davonnajuroe.com/the-little-mermaid-ariels-purple-dress/)
Once I've dried off, I would wear the dress that Ariel wears at the end of The Little Mermaid.
I would invite Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) to come with me and maybe train on the beach with her.
Car Wash
(Image from wiki, https://tangled.fandom.com/wiki/Varian%27s_Outfits?file=Varian_Vertical.jpg)
I'm going to assume that I'd be the one washing the cars, so I would wear what Varian wears in Tangled: The Series. Given that he wears it when he does alchemy, it wouldn't get messed up while washing cars. And I would bring Pippi Longstocking with me, because I'm sure she would find a way to make the car wash really really fun.
University of Glasglow
(Image from BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zxhf82p/revision/2)
This outfit from the play Frankenstein is in essence what I wear often (well sort of: I wear modern clothes with, 18th-19th century looking jackets, so not exactly the same). But either way, this would be something I would totally wear to the University of Glasglow.
I would bring either Victor or the Creature with me to the college, given that Victor Frankenstein is a college dropout.
Abandoned Castle
I am writing a story that is set in a castle that had previously been abandoned, so I really like this question...particularly because it makes me think of something from a Gothic book....
So I have two different clothing pieces that I would wear:
(Image from IMdb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053925/mediaviewer/rm409376768/)
This is from The Fall of the House of Usher. I really like the jacket and the vest and everything in this outfit, and it would be fun to wear in an abandoned castle.
(Image from IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1229822/mediaviewer/rm1726462464/)
I would wear this outfit from Jane Eyre and just alternate between wearing both those outfits while I stay in this abandoned (probably haunted) castle.
And I would bring Dorian Gray and Basil Hallward with me from The Picture of Dorian Gray. I feel it would be very fitting given the overall mood of their book.
Summer Picnic
(Image from wiki fandom, https://anne-with-an-e.fandom.com/wiki/Anne_Shirley_Cuthbert?file=3x03-04-Anne.jpg#Season_3)
I would wear Anne's outfit from Anne with an E. It seems perfect for a summer picnic. I would invite Igraine from Igraine the Brave to come with me, since it would be fun to talk to her.
Summer Roadtrip
(Image from BBC America, https://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2011/07/how-to-dress-like-the-eleventh-doctor)
I would be in the car for a long time I assume, so I would wear something comfortable. I would choose the 11th Doctor's outfit. I would invite Crowley and Aziraphale from Good Omens to come with me. They would make the road trip extra fun. (And we would probably ride in Crowley's Bentley).
In The Woods
(Image from Twitter, https://twitter.com/LindseyStirling/status/1176908608438599680/photo/2)
I love Lindsey Stirling's take on the Greek goddess, Artemis. Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and wild-life, so of course I would wear this outfit. It would be so cool to walk around the woods wearing this, because it's so pretty. 💚 And I would invite Kira and Jen from The Dark Crystal to come with me. I think Kira would be a good choice because she knows how to talk to animals.
Dancing In The Rain
(Image from Retro Fairy, https://www.retro-fairy.com/products/cottagecore-prairie-lace-up-vintage-green-dress?variant=39302054051895¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic)
The issue with dancing in the rain is that your clothes are likely to get really really wet. So I wouldn't want to wear something too layered or from a movie I really like. Instead I would wear this pretty dress. Even though I like it I would be fine with it getting wet.
I would invite Katara to come with me from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Given that she is a water bender I think she would be the perfect person to invite with me to dance out in the rain.
Paris
(Images from Rotten tomatoes, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/phantom_of_the_opera/pictures)
I would alternate between wearing Christine's dress from "Think of Me" and Raul's jacket from "Masquerade." I think if anything I would wear Christine's dress for festive celebrations and Raul's jacket while I am casually walking around Paris. (I have a jacket similar to Raul's minus the gold embroidery that I wear casually).
I would invite Lady Pole, Jonathon Strange, and John Segundus from Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell to come with me. I'm sure the trip to Paris would be magical if they came.
In a cottage with a garden
(Image from Rotten Tomatoes, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hobbit_an_unexpected_journey/pictures)
Since it is a cottage, I would wear something comfortable and that at the same time feels “cottage-y." I'd wear what Bilbo Baggins wears in the first Hobbit movie. And I would invite Newt Scamander from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them over, (I don't like the author's recent problematic behavior, but I like the character). It would be fun to hang out with Newt in the garden.
Circus or Masquerade
I'm going to assume it's a historical masquerade (just to be more fun) and that it goes on for several nights. In those several nights I would wear...
(Image from Rotten Tomatoes, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/william_shakespeares_romeo_and_juliet#&gid=1&pid=19)
This really cool knight costume that Romeo wears in Romeo and Juliet. I think it would be really cool to wear for a masquerade.
(Image from IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120631/mediaviewer/rm3426499840/)
Next, I would this dress from Ever After: A Cinderella Story, because it is so pretty looking and also perfect for a masquerade. And I would invite Sonora from Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep to come with me, because why not?
On the Moor
(Image from IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1238834/mediaviewer/rm2811567872/)
This question reminds me so much of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights . So I would wear an outfit from a movie version of Wuthering Heights, and I would walk around the moor at night wearing it and holding a single lit candle and imagine myself in a Gothic setting. Then the second outfit I would wear would be...
(Image from IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347149/mediaviewer/rm2714125056/)
...the outfit Howl wears in Howl's Moving Castle when he rescues Sophie. And walk around the moor wearing it with the jacket just on my shoulders blowing in the wind. Just to be dramatic.
And during this trip to the moor (which I am going to assume is near a haunted location of some kind), I'd bring Catherine Morland with me from Northhanger Abbey. I think she would really enjoy the Gothic setting.
It's the '20s [or some other era], and your husband's been mysteriously murdered. What's your outfit?
Why do I feel like I would be the one behind the murder? I mean my husband "mysteriously" died it seems like you're hinting that I'm behind it. *wink*
(Image from Cluedo wiki fandom, https://cluedo.fandom.com/wiki/Mrs._Peacock?file=Peacock+Mobile.jpg)
This question reminded me of the board game Clue, which I have played a lot of times and while there is a movie version I feel Miss Peacock's outfits don't capture what I'm trying to get with this one. I would instead wear Miss Peacock's outfit from the board game for when I'm not talking to the detective and am just free from the marriage.
(Image from IMDB, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402236/mediaviewer/rm1844531712/)
And then I would wear this outfit from The Murder on the Orient Express when I'm talking to the detective. And I would bring Vera Claythorne from And Then Were None with me. If I am going to be suspicious I may as well be suspicious with someone who is more suspicious than me.
Bonus question: It's the '20s [or some other era], and your husband's been mysteriously murdered. What's your outfit?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Which of the outfits I chose is your favorite? And which location would you like to visit?
(Pictures edited from Pixabay, I normally use my own photos, but I thought this looked cool. 😉 )
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is one of my favorite novels, so I thought I would watch both versions of the play that Benedict Cumberbatch and Johny Lee Miller starred in. The London National Theatre's YouTube channel posted this 2011 production because of the quarantine. The actors interchange roles each night. I only got to watch one version of the play and I hope I will get to watch the second someday. The London National Theatre is posting free plays here each week.
I watched the version with Benedict Cumberbatch as Victor Frankenstein, and Johny Lee Miller as the creature. I thought I should write a blog post about it, and compare and contrast it with the book. In my review I talk about what I liked about the play and what I may have done differently if I were to direct it.
In Nick Dear's version of Frankenstein, when it was adapted to the stage, Dear decided to cut bits of the story either because of the amount actors were able to memorize or because of the length of the play, which couldn't probably be ten hours long. They had to shorten, and convert the story to play form, and Dear had to decide what creative liberties he wanted to take.
One dramatic difference in the play was that unlike the book, the monster and Victor were not in the play completely evenly. I thought the characters would have equal stage time, considering the fact that the actors switch roles every showing. However, the director's interpretation seems to be focusing on the monster's side of things, as opposed to portraying Victor and the monster equally. The book though told through the point of view of Victor, has many chapters featuring the monster's point of view.
Mary Shelley's novel was told from Victor's point of view looking back, and realizing his mistakes, while the play is told in the present tense, and Victor tends not to be as regretful for his actions. As Victor is telling the story in the book, to Walton who rescued him, and Victor refuses to give any information to him about the creation of life because he "will not lead you on, unguarded and ardent as I was, to your destruction and infallible misery" (79). This shows that Victor at least cares and knows that his actions have consequences, but that realization is because he went through a long turmoil, and lost everyone in his family including his wife, Elizabeth.
Victor in the play is ruthless and careless, and not regretting his actions. I do believe this matches up with the Victor in the present tense, as opposed to the Victor telling the story in the book. Though the Victor telling the story, may have been biased, he included what the monster had told him, which is something that present tense Victor would not have done. It felt like in the story that Victor at least was trying not to make the same mistakes again.
The play does not gloss over Victor's grave robbing for resources to create the monster and the monster's wife. Victor "pursued nature to her hiding-places. Who shall conceive the horrors of my secret toil as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave or tortured the living animal to the lifeless clay?" (82-83) Many of his toils to find the secrets of life and grave robbing are mentioned throughout. Even when he is in Scotland Victor gets horrified looks from people when he asks them to rob graves, and in his monologue about finding the creation of life he mentions it, but says he can't reveal the secrets. (This is a clip of Johny Lee Miller playing Victor in the version I did not see, but these are the same lines that Benedict Cumberbatch spoke in the version I did see):
In terms of focus on the monster, the play did a good job with shifting to his perspective and telling the story in the way the monster would have experienced it. Since a majority of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is related by Victor even though includes the monster's point of view, the playwright had to take creative liberties to tell the monster's entire side of the story. Because of this, the play opens with the scene where the monster comes to life, rather than with Victor and his process of creating the monster. In the play the monster is first shown as coming out of a large egg, which almost gives him a human and yet inhuman birth, being fully grown at birth is not a very human thing to have happen, however, we are familiar with a human egg. In the novel it is never exactly told how Victor brought the monster to life, so people had to use their own imagination regarding that subject.
I feel the play pays attention to what Mary Shelley's words, as the monster ventures out and a "strange multiplicity of sensations seized [him], and [he] saw, felt, and smelt at the same time" (184). The audience is shown how the world is overwhelming to the monster, and lights flash around the stage, and he knows not the rules of the world as he ventures out. The play stays true to the book in memorable details such as when the monster accidentally steals food from people without realizing that he is doing something bad, or when he doesn't know his own strength and accidentally kills William (Victor's brother).
The trial of Justine is an important part of the book, showing that someone Victor trusts is wrongly convicted as a murderer for a crime the monster committed. Victor doesn't say anything in fear that he will look insane, and this event affects both the monster and Victor badly. It is a complex emotional moral moment in the novel and it is left out of the play. Shelley writes that the monster was regretful that he killed William, because the monster had wanted to become friends with William because he thought William "was unprejudiced and had lived too short a time to have imbibed a horror of deformity" (268). However, this plan backfires and the monster ends up killing William. After William's death and Justine's execution, both of which troubled Victor, Victor begins to become more and more depressed and often in the present tense he "suffered living torture. It was to be decided whether the result of my curiosity and lawless devices would be the death of my two fellow beings: one a smiling babe full of innocence and joy, the other far more dreadfully murdered, with every aggravation of infamy that makes murder memorable in my horror." (139) Because Victor feels regretful and depressed over the two loved ones he has lost due to the monster, Victor wants to spend more time alone and as a consequence his family becomes worried about him. Because of the elimination of this sequence from the play, with only the monster feeling regret now and Victor feeling none, the audience is more inclined to feel empathy towards the monster and hatred towards Victor. In the play instead of being regretful, Victor is upset that his studies are interrupted. Omitting the trial makes the story go from being morally gray to black and white, not allowing the audience to make their own choices of which character or characters they agree with.
However, I thought a neat choice was made to the scene when Elizabeth was killed by the monster. The reader does not know how Elizabeth felt in the novel but here, she pitied him just before he killed her. This adds depth to the monster's side of the story. In the novel we don't get to know if there was any conversation going on between Elizabeth and the monster, or if it merely was that she was killed not knowing who killed her. In the play Victor says that he created life, he only says to her that he has "one secret, Elizabeth, a dreadful one; when revealed to you, it will chill your frame with horror, and then, far from being surprised at my misery, you will wonder that I survive what I have endured" (368). He never gets to reveal her the secret in the book and as far as we know in the book, the monster never gives her this information either. So, I think the choice in the play to have Elizabeth feel empathy towards the monster, and interest in Victor's science, was well done. It makes the side of the monster's story more complex.
Another change to the story centers around the characters of Agatha and Felix, who are not siblings, but husband and wife in this version. In the book there is a much more involved story surrounding another woman named Safie, who Felix was in love with. To strengthen the monster's part of the story the playwright chose to enlarge the character of Agatha and Felix's father, because he probably didn't want the monster monologuing the whole time. In order to create dialogue the monster had to be friends with Agatha and Felix's father. The old man is also changed from a minor character into a major character, and like Elizabeth had much more affect on the plot in this version than in the book.
The character of the old man became a mentor to the monster in a more personal and significant way in the play. In Shelley's novel Felix, Agatha, and their father were all mentors, the monster admired them, but didn't ever directly talk with them. The old man assumed the monster had been through a war when they first met in the play, so he was less afraid of him. His reaction was very different than Felix's and Agatha's, who shunned him because he looked frightening and showed the type of human nature that had hurt the monster before.
The scenes involving the old man and the monster follow the book, but create a dialogue between the two characters where there was none before. So, the old man directly teaches the monster "Paradise Lost" rather than the monster learning by himself to read from Safie's learning of English and finding the "Paradise Lost" later. This is a neat change, but very different from the book, because the monster has an actual friend and teacher. Later in the play the monster directly references "Paradise Lost" in front of Victor, and Victor understands the quote immediately and was surprised that the monster knew about it. Since the play is somewhat abridged they had to show that the monster cared about classic literature, and that he had learned from that. And since this isn't Victor recalling what the monster said him, and instead the monster in the present having things happen to him, it had to be shown that the monster was learning in a short span.
Unlike the book the wife of the monster was directly discussed with the old man, there was a small dream sequence of what the monster wanted her to be like. Since this was mainly focused on the monster, we get to see what he wants most in life, and that he wants someone like him.
Later in the play the discussion between the monster and Victor (this is again the version with Johny Lee Miller as Victor Frankenstein) was very similar to what the discussion was like in the book:
One line taken directly from the book is from the scene when Victor tries to kill the monster, and the monster cries in response "you accuse me of murder and yet you would, with a satisfied conscience, destroy your own creature." (180) This quote becomes even stronger in representing the director's point, because it comes directly after Victor tried to physically kill the monster in this portrayal.
With the monster's desire for someone like him, the audience is asked to empathize with him, because he wants a friend, someone who won't turn him away. For he has "never yet seen a being resembling me or who any intercourse with me. What was I?" (225) Because of his wonder, of where he was, who he was, we, the audience, want him to be loved by someone. So when he makes the deal with Victor, we hope it succeeds, we hope Victor decides to bring the new creation that is to be his wife to life. The monster feels lonely, so perhaps now in the time of being quarantined we are empathizing with that too right now even though the play itself was performed nine years ago. But we, too, like the monster haven't really gotten to talk to people like us, so we, too, are lonely and longing for someone to be with and love. It is something about human nature that makes us not want to be alone.
By choosing to tell the play from the monster's point of view, we, as the audience, are supposed to cheer the monster on. Had it been told from both perspectives, I believe there might be an empathy perhaps towards both characters (Victor and the monster). The audience is now supposed to see Victor Frankenstein as the obstacle, so when Victor breaks his promise to the monster we as the audience are angry at him.
My only critique with this version of Victor Frankenstein, was that perhaps he wasn't as complex as he was in the book. I always saw both Victor and the monster as equally complex characters with motives that made sense. For the most part the director decided that both characters and audience should be disgusted by Victor to the extent that the audience might be booing at him. When I read the book (which is very different from the way in which the director and screenwriter read it), I saw them both as similar people, who had motives that opposed each other. The monster wanted to be loved, but Victor didn't want to love the monster and was afraid of the monster. I didn't really see one character as worse than the other, I saw them both as characters who had been through a lot and made decisions that they regretted. They were both morally gray, but in the play I feel like the monster is good and Victor is bad instead of having there be blurred lines in between it.
Benedict Cumberbatch (and I am sure Johny Lee Miller too, though I never saw his portrayal) did a good job of making the audience not like him. His character was always hiding, and ran away from the monster in disgust, he paid little to no attention to Elizabeth and turned her down when she asked to help him with his scientific work, and he robbed graves. In a lot ways the play made Victor's character pretty unlikable. As a director and a screenwriter I probably would have gone in a different route when directing and writing both the roles of Victor and the monster.
At the end however, the story didn't feel completely finished. The last scene in the play left the story as Victor and the monster were traveling across the world running off into the unknown, but unlike the novel they don't die at the end on stage. There was a small moment where it seemed like Victor was going to die or was dying, but it turned out not to be the case. Instead we were left with a small cliffhanger. To me the story felt unfinished, and while the ending of the novel is sad, it is sad to illustrate a point. To leave the play with no conclusion feels dissatisfying. It would have been better, to tell the story from the monster's point of view, and then show the ending how the monster would have experienced it. Mourning the loss of Victor would be very powerful to see from the monster's point of view. Though it was hinted at a little in the play what this would be like, that the monster couldn't live without Victor, because Victor was the creator of him and he was the monster's purpose for being alive, it never led to this sad conclusion...Which left me wondering, "is that the end?" because it really didn't feel like it.
When coming to this play I was expecting a play that would tell the story from both sides (Victor and the monster) instead, it ended up being a retelling from the monster's point of view. It was a very good one, and emphasized the monster's part of the story. I can see other versions of the story being told as well, given that people interpret Frankenstein in very different ways. If I were to do a play version of Frankenstein, my take or takes on the story would be very different from this director's, or even if you (the reader) were to, I'm sure yours would be different too.
My Thoughts on the costumes, props and sets
The sets were amazing, they created moving sets that went below or underground, while actors were directly sitting or standing on them. The train is one prop worth mentioning also, given that London National Theatre provided a clip of it:
Overall, the play had a very metallic feeling to it. It emphasized more of the science in the world instead of contrasting Victor's scientific research with nature. In the novel a majority of Shelley's writing involved Victor describing the landscapes and usually they were of importance and showed something of the current situation. I can see that the director's choice was to focus on the science of the story, because most of the sets (and even sound effects) had a mechanical feeling to them. They also projected what Victor was doing on fabric when he was creating the monster's wife, rather like a shadow puppet in that way. I believe this was supposed to add wonder to what he was creating, for we would never see him directly do his work on stage. The sets themselves were amazing! And I imagine all the other sets by this company will be equally as amazing.
“Nothing is more painful to the human mind than, after feelings have been worked up by a quick succession of events, the dead calmness of inaction and certainty which follows and deprives the soul of both hope and fear” — Mary Shelley, Frankenstein.
Hello everyone, so the reason why I have not been responding to comments or blogging, was due to the fact that I was in the middle of a tornado. Because of this I lost power and internet. The power came back after ten days but the internet was gone for three weeks. Everything and everyone was fine after the tornado, but it was still scary. I have been doing yoga and mediation so hopefully that will calm down the stress that I have been feeling and am still feeling. Yoga and mediation have been really helpful for me in that way many times before. So maybe in the midsts of all this chaos I will obtain inner peace.
If the fear of COVID-19 is making you stressed, or something else is, I recommend doing whatever calms you down. Also I have something included later in the post that might help.
My old camera before it broke
One of the things that happened during the tornado was that my camera got broken and the lens wouldn’t open. So I had to switch to a different camera (using the same memory card). The new camera has very odd dates. For example it labels new pictures as being from 1980, 1970, or 1979. (It doesn't know that it is 2020.) So, apparently it thinks this is the seventies or eighties. Maybe the camera reset to the start date for Epoch time, which is January 1st 1970 (equal to zero in Epoch time). Also it is a possibility that the camera will get to “negative dates” and I might be able to put it at a time longer ago than 1970. Since I am posting updates about the tornado, I had to mention it since I found it rather funny.
While dealing with no internet, I read some very neat books: Monkey, The Graveyard Book (graphic novel version, though I do intend to read the novel version soon), and the first book of the tetralogy The Journey to the West. This has been very inspiring for my own writing, given that the setting for the Silver Key has some asian influences.
(Image from GoodReads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/100237.Monkey)
The main character of the abridged version of The Journey to the West, called Monkey, is Sun Wukong (The Monkey King). He is a really light hearted and happy character, who desires to live forever. (And cheats death to do so, along with eating and taking several other things that made him immortal even though he is already immortal). I felt like he was a character I needed at the moment. He is an optimistic trickster who can shape-shift and wants to live forever, and kind of caused a little havoc. And, I felt like the book in general was one that I had been looking for in the Fantasy genre, for some time. It completely fit all the things I had been looking for. (Also the series it is one book longer than Lord of the Rings which is a bonus). Anyway, Monkey is a bright, happy, mischievous, character to read about when times are rough and sometimes sad. So it was a very uplifting book to read during this stressful time.
(Image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Graveyard-Book-Graphic-Novel/dp/0062194828)
As for The Graveyard Book, I loved that it focused on ghosts that were protecting the main character, and even I love that he had ghosts as adopted parents. It was a happy but sometimes bittersweet book. And I can’t wait to read the novel version of it, as the book was very comforting for a time like this. The novel will be fun to read, as I love Gaiman’s writing style.
I also should add that I missed making a post for my blog's anniversary, which was on March 9th. I really wanted to make one and now the date has passed. I do intend make one though, even though there is very little time left in March. I want to make two posts on both my blogs for their anniversaries, even if it is very belated or not even in the month of March.
In the future, hopefully after the epidemic of the coronavirus calms down, and when it would be sensible to visit a hospital, I hope to visit those who were harmed by the tornado in my area and the people who lost their belongings. I have a project going which is for those who were hit by natural disasters all over the world. I hope to give customized dolls to children (and maybe even teenagers) who lost their belongings due to the tornado. That’s why I am glad that I worked on the doll project and got dolls for it before the tornado. Because now once everything calms down I will be able to give dolls to people who really need them. If you want to know more about it, I am going to be posting updates on it onmy doll blog.
Though my house survived (even though it is a little damaged), it can be really sad to think about the people who lost their homes (and belongings) because of it. And even to think of the birds and squirrels who lost their trees, because several trees fell down during that time. Though I probably should mention on a happier note that two birds decided to make a nest in a grill that no longer works, which I find neat because now they are completely protected from rain and cats and other dangers. Because of the destruction it caused, I have a desire to help both people and animals who had their homes destroyed by the tornado whether it be through making things for them or even helping people emotionally through my creative work.
I was also stressed at different times, and instead of writing new posts I decided to edit and post things which had been written before COVID-19 became an issue and the tornado struck. Such as my post about editing my novel, and the new updated about page. (Also I just wanted to say, thank you to Kat for leaving such a sweet comment on the new about page, it really brightened my day).
For those who are feeling overwhelmed by COVID-19, or are dealing with COVID-19 and a natural disaster, I think mediation is good to do. I’ve suggested it to those around me and it’s helped (and I’d like to thank my yoga instructor for teaching it to me). Anyway, I thought why not put it out there, in case anyone needs it? Here it is:
Prema = Love, and you close your eyes and sit down somewhere and chant this out loud you can chant it about 3-10 times or more if needed.
Shanti = peace, and you can chant it as many times as the other one.
I feel like this is one of the most important ones as of right now, because the translation means “may all beings be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to happiness and freedom for all.” I feel like this is something very important and needed at the moment. If you want something to follow for chanting along, I recommend this video:
You can do it on your own or you can do it with someone else. If mediation helps you (it doesn’t always work for everyone), I recommend doing it. It might help you calm down. It’s helped me. It really doesn’t matter what religion you are, or if you have no religion. Yoga and mediation can sometimes be really useful. And I know that for some, mediation and yoga are not accessible, so that is why I am putting this out here so that those who need it can find it.
I did manage to do some writing while having no power or internet (writing short stories and even editing one that I had written before, and animating in between). But at some points I still found it hard to focus. When we got power I did also manage to film a Shakespeare soliloquy (I won’t say which one it is, but all I can say is that it is from Romeo and Juliet, and that I play Romeo in it). I still need to film one more thing for it, but I have the most important part already filmed, which is Romeo’s part. It felt so good to play him and it made me feel so much better. But given that there is broken glass where I filmed, it might take a little cleaning before I can finish filming the last thing I need, edit it, upload it to YouTube, and post it on my blog. Once there is no broken glass I hope to film a contemporary monologue or monologues as well, when I find the props I need. And maybe I will even act out two scenes from Doctor Who or Star Trek, once I memorize the lines. This will also give me a chance to learn more green screen skills such as playing more than one character.
(Image from wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Shelley#/media/File:RothwellMaryShelley.jpg)
What I try to keep in mind during this time is that Mary Shelley, the writer of Frankenstein didn’t give up or stop writing when the world felt like it was collapsing around her. She kept doing it, she kept on going. And if we can, I think we should all be a little like Mary Shelley and pour our sadness, fears, and anxieties into our creative work.
————————————————————————————— How about you? How are things going for you? Have you been reading any good books recently? If so then I would love to hear about it in the comments! :)
