This past weekend as my husband and I prepared to see the latest Marvel addition to their popular franchise (i.e. Dr. Strange); I took a moment to consider why we love action heroes so much.  I wondered if, when our ancestors told stories about legendary heroes, they experienced the same kind of excitement about them as we do ours today.  Did the heroes of myth generate the same type of devotion, of awe and admiration as do the stars of screen, sports, and comics in us?

The ancients developed heroes to explain natural phenomena, to recount legends based on true events handed down by word of mouth, and to personify the traits they valued the most.  Some of these heroes took the guise of “gods,” and some were mere mortals who challenged a variety of deities and monsters.

Photo credit: Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographervia Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Today we understand a lot more about the natural world, but we still wonder about things beyond our understanding.  We imagine bold explorers who venture beyond the realm of the known, and the pioneers that will meet the challenges of tomorrow.   Equally we find heroes in our present and past, as stories about Western heroes, soldiers, and triumphant athletes are just as popular as those that come from comic book pages.

After all, who doesn’t need a hero?  It is in our nature to seek someone we can emulate, who makes us feel safe and protected, and who inspires us to live up to our own best character attributes.  It is hardly a new trend to look for our heroes in a fictional setting either, because the heroes of fantasy can be far more perfect, powerful, and idealistic than we can reasonably expect in everyday life.

One thing we’ve carried much further than our ancestors ever could, though, related to our “heroes”- that is capitalization on their deeds and fame.   The ancients would have honored a hero with songs and a feast, perhaps a shrine or temple to commemorate their deeds.   Today we wear the hero’s face or emblem on a tee shirt.  We have action figures and trading cards, bedsheets and  Mattel^TM toys, books written for every age and literacy level, and hundreds or thousands of hours’ worth of digital video and sound showing and breaking down their every action.

Does all of this merchandise demonstrate reverence for our heroes, or is it just a way to spend more money?  I guess that’s for the individual to decide.

This week, I challenge you to examine your heroes, and the attributes that you admire in them.  What thoughts, or actions, does your hero inspire in you?  How will attempt to show that in your own life?

Just a thought,

Amy

My son had only been reading chapter books for about a year when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1999) was first released.  I didn’t know anything about the book at the time, except that it was a fantasy story that was quickly gaining in popularity and notoriety.  I was a big fan of fantasy and science fiction books as a child myself, so I wasn’t alarmed when he took an interest in what I soon learned was an entire series detailing the adventures of a young hero.  In fact, I was simply proud that my then eight year old was that interested in reading.  How soon my family discovered that a book series written for children would grow to become so much more…

It didn’t take long for the stories themselves to become a family activity.  I purchased the next two books for my son to encourage his enthusiasm, taking time to explore them myself.  After I discovered the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, on tape, the saga of the young wizard quickly became a family affair.  My daughter, who is several years younger than my son, and my husband, eagerly listened to the recordings as the tales enchanted us all.

Photo credit: pauly via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

After that, we were all thoroughly hooked on the whole “Harry Potter” world.  We found ourselves buying a family copy of the books, or two in some cases, and arguing who would read them first.  My husband and I were unbelievably proud that our children gobbled up five or six hundred page books like they were candy and went back for more.  We made family events out of going to the premieres for movies and my husband even took the kids to a midnight release of one of the books (not on a school night of course).

We enjoyed the books and the movies, but more important was the time we spent together as a family.  It drew us together; both types of media proved interesting enough and filled with enough subtext and complex plots to appeal to adults as well as kids.  As a family of growing kids and busy adults, it was a blessing to find something we all enjoyed and could share together.  Unfortunately, after seven books and eight movies, it appeared to be over.  By the time the last movie came out in 2011, the kids were all but grown.  We thought the era was over.

But then, J. K. Rowling decided she had more of this world to share.  This summer came new releases-a play, several books, and a new movie due out on the 17^th of this month.  The kids are grown, yes, but their interest, and ours, still hasn’t waned.  My daughter already put in her request for a Christmas gift, not surprisingly, a certain book.   We have plans to see the new movie, and hopefully, we’ll all be able to do so together.

Thank goodness for holidays from college, and work.  It’s time to feed our imaginations, and enjoy the fantasy again.  It’s time to reconnect with the heroes of one generation’s childhoods, while now four adults relive their own.

Thanks for reading,

Amy

It started as a response to fear.  In October of fifteen years ago, the nation was still reeling from the shock of terrorist activity in New York and Pennsylvania.  Parents were worried about letting their children out of the house for school, much less for such trivial things as trick-or-treating.  Should they allow fear of the unknown to dictate their actions, or take a stand?   Was keeping a sense of normalcy for their children important enough to risk allowing them out for time-honored traditions?

Many groups sponsored events as alternates to the usual activities.  Schools and church groups offered “Autumn/Harvest Celebrations” on the night of October 31^st to sway parents and children to safer venues than roaming the streets.  Some of these included “trunk-or-treating” in lit parking lots where large groups theoretically meant security.

It was in this atmosphere that my family chose to host a gathering of family as an alternate to allowing our children to go out.  We had decided that being cautious did not mean we could not have fun with our loved ones.  To our delight, it also became one of the best Halloweens we had ever celebrated.

Photo credit: juhansonin via Foter.com / CC BY

We lived in a small apartment at the time, but we used candlelight and a set of Halloween lights to the exclusion of all other sources to generate a spooky atmosphere.  Skeletons hung from doors, and bats from the ceiling.  We carved our own pumpkins, and set up the entire place to accommodate a group of various ages with games and fun.

Costumes were mandatory for anyone children, and encouraged for adults.  We played CDs of spooky sounds and seasonal playlists.  Watching my husband dance in the kitchen (the only portion of the apartment without carpet) to “Monster Mash” surrounded by small “monsters” was one of the highlights of the night.

We served treats straight from women’s magazines like mummy dogs and candy corn fudge.  Craft projects quieted the rambunctious cousins for a short time, before adults were pressed into service to hand out candy at every odd corner and doorway in the apartment.  By the time everyone was stuffed and reasonably worn out enough to enjoy a spooky story; we had realized we were having far more fun than just walking door to door.

That night was so successful we decided to make it our own tradition.   Eventually we moved to a bigger place, and were able to host a larger gathering, with separate activities for younger children and adults.  And though the gathering place and the guests changed, what remained the same was the fact that it was always a family activity, from decorating the house to choosing “spooky” dishes to make, from arguing over favorite candy to creating a cemetery in the front yard.

Our kids are grown now, and are usually too busy with work or school to celebrate Halloween.  We still spend time with each other when we can, and share a rich bond over the shared experiences of their childhoods.  After all, that was the entire point-to be together, and make memories that will last a lifetime.

I hope you and yours have a very Happy Halloween.

Amy

My Favorite Monsters

When the leaves start changing and the temperatures drop to a pleasant coolness; when the stores start displaying fall (and Christmas!) merchandise and numerous TV stations begin playing marathons of spine chillers, it’s then that I like to contemplate my favorite supernatural beings.  There are so many monsters of myth, legend, and modern day media, that it’s easy to find one suited to frighten each individual taste.  What all these spooky superstars have in common, though, is that we admire them for their ability to scare us, to make us want to sleep with the lights on, to cover our faces when they do their horrible deeds on camera.

Photo credit: mamasuco via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Numerous books have been written about localized monsters and regional legends, such as the Ohio Grassman and the Jersey Devil, but none of the creatures have achieved the fame, and the notoriety, of a few types of general supernatural monsters.  It’s these I want to focus on as I share my favorite few:

Vampires. I used to watch old vampire movies on Saturday afternoon when I was a kid, and ended up scaring myself quite a bit.  It didn’t matter that many of the earlier movies were in black and white, because it was not the blood itself that was scary, but the suspense that came with knowing the hero was being stalked by a killer that could enthrall and kill in equal measure.

Of course, vampires are more popular than ever, thanks to modern books and movie sensations such as the Twilight series, as well as Blade and Underworld.  While these supernatural creatures are portrayed in vastly different way by the different series, they all share an appreciation for these undead, immortal beings who exhibit some of the darkest and basest urges of humanity.  The vampire is a being that is seductive to the extreme, and yet it is a slave to its own urges, its desperate need for that which keeps us alive.

Mummies.  The mummy is a fictional monster unwittingly created by long-past civilizations in an attempt to find meaning in life and death.  The most famous are the Egyptian mummies, which Hollywood has exploited numerous times to bring horror, coupled with romance onto the big screen. Mummies are creepy in a whole different way than vampires.  They’re generally slower than vampires, and rarely speak, but the idea of a creature come back to life after decaying in a tomb for thousands of years, perhaps seeking a companion to return to the darkness, is terrifying in its own right.

I’ve always been partial to mummies as a horror character, and one of my all-time favorite movies is The Mummy (1999) starring Brendan Frasier and Rachel Weisz.  This particular movie mummy scared me tremendously the first time I saw it, but in watching the movie repeatedly I became inured to the “fright” aspect of the movie and was able to enjoy the plot, the humor, and the romantic elements this particular version contained.  In fact wrote a post back in April of this year entitled “Everything I Need to Know about Life I Learned from Watching The Mummy.”  Anyone interested can check out the link to that post here:

Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned from Watching The Mummy

Zombies.  The once-mindless creatures of science and nature gone insane in “B” movies have come into their own with TV shows such as The Walking Dead and movies such as World War Z.  Zombies are in some ways are creepy than other monsters because anyone can become one, and unlike other types of scary monsters, they tend to overrun entire populations.  The concept of a mutant virus, either natural or manmade, that can turn anyone and everyone it infects into a mindless drone with only one instinctive urge, to eat human flesh, is in many ways the most horrifying fictional monster around.

I personally would rather become just about any other type of monster than a zombie, and I think it’s the one I would least like to encounter.  There’s nothing romantic or thrilling about being, or being pursued by a zombie, because they of all monsters lack the most in human traits.  They are simply reduced to one instinctive drive, and heaven help anyone in their way.  While they may retain in many ways the basic shape of humans, they are really a lower form of life.  Without the ability to think or reason they are more like a virus themselves than human.

What is your favorite monster?  There are so many others out there, and with Halloween right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to get reacquainted with old favorites and discover new ones.  If you’d like to share, send me your comments to the link on this page or my twitter account at the bottom.

As always,

Amy

The Internet has changed our lives forever, and mostly for the better.  However, it is very easy to allow its influence to overwhelm us; to the point we all but forget that there is actually life outside of the digital screen.  Based on observations I made this week, I thought I’d share a list of signs that perhaps it’s time to unplug:

Photo credit: marissa via Foter.com / CC B

1. You maintain a Facebook page solely so you know what’s happening with your family. It’s sometimes easier to keep up with events, photos, and memories by viewing them online than by actually calling or visiting.  This doesn’t mean we are bad people, but perhaps it’s time to think about priorities.
2. You know the call signs or player names your family uses for online game play as well as you do their actual names. When a spouse or child has used the same online alias for years, you get too accustomed to hearing it, to the point it’s like a part of their identity.
3. Your husband gets alerts to the birthdays of his online squad mates (none of whom he’s ever met in person.) While online friendships can be great, they shouldn’t take the place of the actual people in our lives.
4. Your husband’s usual contribution to necessary shopping is through ordering groceries, etc., from online dealers, like Amazon Prime Now. While it is sometimes more convenient to shop online, it doesn’t replace the satisfaction of finding the perfect item after an arduous search.
5. You look everywhere for an Amazon gift card for a birthday gift, only to give up and order it, naturally, from Amazon. Honestly, you would think that grocery stores would have them; you can find gift cards for everywhere else there.
6. Your son takes said gift card and considers using it to purchase a cook book devoted to recipes based on an MMORP (That’s massively multi-player online role-playing for those of us who grew up before the Internet) world. Yes, there is a World of Warcraft cookbook!
7. You can’t remember family members’ phone numbers and addresses if something happens to your smart phone and you can’t access Google Plus. Or maybe that’s just my age showing!
8. The only way you know about anything in news, weather, or the world at large is by seeing it in an online post or an auto alert update. Who has time to watch the news, especially with all the commercials!
9. You find it easier to send an email to someone than to pick up a phone and call them. With an email you never have to worry about if they’re at work, or driving, or otherwise occupied, but it lacks all the joy of a personal connection.
10. When Windows 10 is updating your laptop, you consider taking the afternoon off because you can’t get any work done. How did we ever survive without the Internet, with its constant and instantaneous ability to give us information on any subject we can imagine?

I personally rely on the Internet daily for so many things, including my livelihood, so I would never suggest it’s not a good thing, but like so many good things, it can be used in excess.  Take time to unplug, and remember there’s a whole other world away from the screen.

Thanks,

Amy

You’re shopping at your favorite store, and suddenly something catches your eye.  It’s not something you really need, but it reminds you of your childhood, or afternoons spend with friends at the movie theatre or the ballpark, and you have to have it.  Before you realize what you’ve done, you have purchased a piece of fan memorabilia.  What impulses lead us, as adults, to purchase iconic artifacts of beloved shows?  What drives push us to wear a team name on our chests, or to have their banner decorate our house or car?

Photo credit: Scorpions and Centaurs via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Don’t try to fool yourself into thinking that expressions of fandom are just for kids or just for Halloween, or just something to do on the weekends when the team is playing.  Of course, kids like fan merchandise, but they take their cues from parents willing to indulge and even encourage, because we need an excuse to plunge into the fad ourselves.

Did you buy your child Star Wars sheets because you always wanted some yourself when you were a kid?  Did you have more fun setting up the Lord of the Rings playset than the youngster you “purchased” it for?  Who had more fun at fan day at the ballpark collecting autographs, you or the nephew you “borrowed” for the day as an excuse to go?

Museums devoted to the memories of rock stars, television icons, and sporting halls of fame exist because there are those out there who are interested enough to come, and pay to visit their attractions.  Special shows such as the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit “Star Wars and the Power of the Costume” draw attention even from those who are not “fans” simply because of the impact the cultural phenomenon has had on multiple generations.

Websites such as http://www.ThinkGeek.com or http://www.SportsMemorabilia.com cater not to children, but those who are young at heart.  Do we do it because for nostalgia, because it speaks to us of cherished memories, or is there a deeper meaning?  Do we seek to display our individuality, or are we seeking camaraderie in a group of like-minded “fans”?  Do our collections say that we are whimsical at heart, or do we exhibit an obsession with a particular icon or genre?

There are probably as many reasons for amassing fan merchandise as there are fans of anything out there.  Our individual tastes vary, but there is somewhere, either around us or in an online community a group of others who enjoy the same thing.  We can share our devotion for a favorite show that has gone off the air.  In a few instances these outpourings of love and devotion have led to shows being brought back, either online or another network, or in movie format.

We can cheer our hometown team, or our alma mater, no matter where we currently reside.  We can find others who share our passion, and pass along news, information, appearances of faves, and tips for further collecting or displaying our finds.

Together it is possible to build an enduring community of fandom in whatever we choose.  Wherever a group shows an interest, there will be some way to indulge it and someone ready to produce related merchandise.  Share your interests with others, and every now and then, don’t be afraid to indulge your passion.  After all, it’s just a part of who you are, and who you want to be.

Have fun!

Amy

What are you afraid of?

I don’t mean those things that scare you when you wake in the middle of the night and are too drowsy to bother with a light and you’re not sure why you’re awake anyway; but the things that haunt you in broad daylight, that take your breath away in the middle of a sunny afternoon, surrounded by people who should make you feel safe.

What we fear, and how we deal with it, can give experts cause to discuss and explain and share strategies for accepting that can seem as varied and endless as the stars in the sky.  Some would tell us fear is a good thing; that it’s healthy, that it’s normal.  I’m not here to dispute any of that; I’m merely curious what brings out that heart-thumping, knee-shaking, hair-standing-on-end reaction in each of us.

Photo credit: stuant63 via Foter.com / CC BY-NC

No two people show exactly the same fears in the same way.  Of course, two people in a crowd may both be afraid of spiders, but they will manifest their fears quite differently- one may simply scream when she sees a large spider land nearby but another may actually jump on the closest chair at its approach.  And who’s to say any reaction is right or wrong?

Some people freeze when confronted with their fears; while some strike out, either at the object of their fear or at their environment, at something they know cannot hurt them.  Family members have arguments that are rooted not in actual differences but in fears, which they may be reluctant to share with those closest to them.

How do you handle fear?  Do you confront it head on, or try to ignore it until it or the cause goes away?  This is a common choice for many of us, and a natural instinct, but unfortunately one that usually doesn’t work.  Even if you can wait out the cause of your fear, there’s nothing to stop it from returning if it’s not been dealt with.  Ignoring the source of our fears is at best a delaying tactic, and a confrontation, while not desirable, is usually inevitable.

Perhaps it’s better to face fears on our own terms, rather than wait for them to take us by surprise, to catch us when we are most vulnerable.  While it’s never easy to do so, the reward is a sense of achievement that can’t be found elsewhere.  Your particular fear may not be something that can be overcome by one person, but perhaps your courage will inspire others to act.  Perhaps you can beat your fear by sharing it with others, and working together.    Perhaps in camaraderie you will find the end of fear.

Here’s to being human-we all are sometimes afraid, and we all have trouble facing those fears.  Here’s hoping you are successful at overcoming yours, whatever they may be.

Amy

I admit it, summer’s not my season.  When the mercury rises above the 90 degree mark and the humidity takes on the consistency of pea soup, I would rather be in an air-conditioned house than outside working on my tan.  My outlook on the great outdoors changes, though, as September comes and the first hints of autumn stir the breeze.

Crisp, cool air assails my senses and invigorates my resolve as a cascade of colorful leaves covers meticulously green lawns.  Harvest festivals tempt with scents of apples and pumpkin spice and overwhelm with their bounty.

Photo credit: ~Xiu Xiu~ via Foter.com / CC BY-SA

As anticipation of cool nights and upcoming celebrations lurks around the corner, I find myself enthralled by the wonders of the season and as hopeful as a child to bring out the holiday decorations, to rearrange the furniture to accommodate jack-o-lanterns (and later Christmas trees), to plan festive desserts and an array of the perfect gifts for various and sundry.

Suddenly it is impossible to step in a store without a reminder of the season in terms of Halloween costumes and colorful pumpkins, both natural and crafted out of every material imaginable.  It’s time to purchase mums and look for orange candles, to unearth dusty Styrofoam tombstones and stockpile treats for costumed visitors.

Photo credit: Muffet via Foter.com / CC BY

The harvest moon dominates the autumn sky, as stories of ghosts and monsters both glamorous and macabre appear in abundance on both large and small screens, as well as from groups gathered around a bonfire-whisperings of imaginings that excite the spirit as we take pleasure in those things that frighten us, that “go bump in the night.”

It’s time to let go of the summer projects that were never finished or even began, and focus instead on the necessities of the new season to come.  Whatever part of the season moves you; be it football, holidays, tailgating, apple picking, Christmas shopping (how many days are left?); fall is a time for revival and reflection, for thanksgiving and enjoying both the season and the company.

I hope you enjoy yourself as much as I plan to!

Amy

For all that various movie and TV producers and marketers of books seek to promote interest among their sometimes-rabid fans; one aspect of fandom sometimes gets the cold shoulder.  I’m referring to fan-made tributes to their faves, namely fan-produced artwork and fanfiction.

Some fans of particular storylines or universes “play” with particular characters as a labor of love, or of devotion, to the original.  Some use established characters and storylines as a way of developing their own skills, or copy existing characters to practice their craft in paint, digital graphics or other forms of visual art.  Still others choose to write stories out of desire for altered plotlines, story finales that didn’t satisfy, or to change a beloved character’s sexual orientation or life experience.

Numerous websites are devoted to sharing such works with other fans, and some of these amateur “authors” go on to publish their own original work.  In this way, fanfiction can be seen as a training ground for aspiring writers; among those who admit to producing such at one point in their careers are Meg Cabot and the legendary Stephen King.

Many authors/producers are flattered by the interest and devotion of their fans, and some have even taken steps to encourage it.  It can be flattering, and even be considered publicity for the authors’ original work.  Of course some professional authors are more concerned about plagiarism and copyrights, and it should go without saying that fan creations should always include disclaimers about ownership and not in any way produce profit for their imitators.

You may say you could never imagine indulging in this making fanfiction yourself:  okay, then, pick a story you have loved, either from childhood or perhaps a difficult point in your life. It can be it a movie, a TV series, or a book character, as long as it was something that meant more to you than an image on a screen or words on the page.  Did this character help you in some way, by becoming something you could identify with or look up to?  Was this fictional character a friend, a mentor, a hero?  Perhaps it was a passing fancy, or a seriously unrealistic obsession.  (I won’t ask you to admit that!)  The point is, this character(s) took on a life beyond the original intention for you.

Now, imagining your character, did you ever at least have an idea for a new plot involving him?  Did you wish for a different outcome to an existing storyline, or did you find that the questions left unanswered by the conclusion leave you wanting more?  If you were unsatisfied by the writer/producer and thought of a way in which the conflict could have better been resolved, then you have taken the first steps to create your own fanfiction.

Perhaps you are or have been an art or graphic art student.  You have a project to do, and instead of an original subject you decide to copy a popular character, one that speaks to you for whatever reason.  Maybe it is a character that is familiar and so is easy to draw, maybe you find it easy to find “official” images of the character to use for reference.  In making your own version of another character, you’ve produced a fan image.

So, it’s more common than you think, and as long as you “create” with respect to the original and in no way try to pass off the professional work, or any aspect of it, as your own, it can be fun.  Bear in mind that while “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” (Charles Caleb Colton), these authors earn their living from their original work, and depend on your support for their next book series, episode or movie, even more than you look forward to it!