A Letter to X-genes and Other Nerdiness

Hello fellow writers!
I don't think I've posted much recently, but I shall do my absolute best to get on top of that. More blogging for me, yay!
Another thing, anyone else see that new movie X-Men: Days of Future Past?
Ok, not so new. Actually, it came out last year during the Summer. But I have recently seen it, so I'm using that excuse to shamelessly talk about it!
Why? You ask. 
Well, until three months ago, I had never touched anything having to do with X-Men. 
Don't get me wrong, I really didn't have anything against it, I just had never had any reason to want to watch it before. The plots looked dull, Wolverine was a scary dude (We've talked before on how easily I get scared), and the animation looked horrific (Not gonna lie here, twelve years later, and the animation hasn't gotten much better). Somehow though, the newest X-Men reached my radar, and some months later I had dragged my sister into watching it with me. 
I won't go into any boring details on how that came about, but the movie was awesome. Honestly, it changed my opinion on the movie base as a whole. So, I watched all the other X-Men movies in the period of four weeks (Weak game, I know), and finally got to watch The Wolverine. (I watched it after the four week binge, but in m defense, I had forgotten about that particular movie).
There are many deep, and thought inspiring reasons why I love this particular group of superheros. but I'm going to be less insightful today and give a blunt reason as to why I love these movies. (Did I word that correctly? I feel like I worded that wrong.)
I like the characters. Shock of all shock, I know. But the X-Men characters are so distinctive in everything they do that it's nearly impossible not to be attached to at least one of them. 
For instance: Logan and his frequent use of "bub", especially when the person he's referring to is on his bad side at the moment. 
Kind of weird, vague, and slightly a rant I had to get that out there. 
Anyways, live on my nerdy brothers and sisters, and enjoy your fandoms. :)

With Love,
Gwen 

At My Best

Gosh, there is so much that I had wanted to write today that it feels like if I chose one idea over the other, then the neglected idea will never get the same attention again. Do you feel me?

Writing.

That one word is so incredible. I'm not sure what I would do if I couldn't write. It's funny, but it's become almost a life force for me. My fingers are constantly itching for when I can get home and simply spend hours typing away on my computer. Which also allows the dawning realization that, against my will, I have developed an addiction in my teenage years.

It's been said many times that writing is a way for introverts to express themselves without having to deal with people. There's a part of me that wishes I did not live up to that, but it's unfortunately become kind of my moto for the past five years. The safety of hiding yourself behind words that you will  never see responses to is so exciting that it's almost blinding.

Never let anyone tell you not to write, write less, or not to pursue it as a career. You write ahead young authors. You show the world the creativity that is the human mind, and you do it in the most complex, and artful form. You show emotions through ingenious arrangement of letters and signs, you inspire the world with creative planets, people, and ideas that are too far fetched to mention in person. Most of all remember that the Hobbit was a product of procrastination.

With Love,

Gwen

To Fault the Stars

In society today we can often be caught up in the trend that is death. I had recently read a rant on Facebook where someone had ardently listed why she wasn't going to see the new movie The Fault In Our Stars. She said that she, "didn't want to go see something that I know would make me cry. I like to accidently cry-" She continued to make some other comments about how she didn't want to see something for the sake of crying, etc.

I understood. I mean, I love movies that make me cry, a few I've gone and seen that I know would make me cry, but I agree. When you can see a movie, not knowing much about it, and it moves you to tears against your will; that is movie magic.  That is the experience every movie-goer wants. The inevitable emotion that is so unexpected you're not sure what to do with it. Yet, I can't say don't go see a movie you know will make you cry.

A great example, for me, is probably the first time I had actually cried in a theatre. I was about ten, and had gone to see the new movie Flicka that had come out. No spoilers, but I was in tears. It was when I came to the realization that making you cry isn't always a movie's objective, they can make you feel other emotions as well, but the accidental feelings that every director hopes you experience are the best. It can be for anything as well. Not every person cries at the same scene, some may not cry at all, but to have your heartstrings tugged, to actually care about the characters, that's what they're going for.

So, I guess that's what I'm trying to say. I haven't looked up much about The Fault In Our Stars, I'm don't even know if John Green can actually write. Honestly, I don't. Yet, I agree. A book that you know is depressing (two kids with cancer, what are the odds?) why would you read it? Then it hit me.

It wasn't about who died, who had sex, who never got to see tomorrow. No, it was about love, in all of its forms.

Our society may be death, but we are so hopelessly obsessed with love.

What we lack, we yearn for. Most of the time we see a fictional couple and we don't even want to see them sleep together. We crave the simplicity of the relationship in the purest of forms.

Are they going to peck each other on the cheek when he goes to work? Does she make him coffee in the morning?  What does she do when he has nightmares? Who walks the dog? Do they even have a dog? How does she look on an average Saturday? Does he often hug her from behind and kiss her on the head? How does he smile at her?

We yearn for those simple acts of love that speak millions in themselves. OTP (One True Pairing) Is common terminology in the nerd world. It's heartbreaking. We lack love so profoundly that we fall in love with the love between two people. We wish them the best. We cry with them. We root for them. We get frustrated when they're broken apart for a time. We don't really care how it comes, we want love. We lack it so profoundly that we crave it to the level that we are beginning to recognize the love in pain and suffering.

It truly is the most flabbergasting thing to me. We're not even promoting pro-creation, we just want to see two people happy, and together.



So, no, I haven't seen the Fault In Our Stars, and I don't really plan to. Can't say I can recommend it either. What I can say is that don't fault a movie for its tears, fault it for its immorality.

With love,

Gwen

To Know, Love, and Serve

The unquestionable "love in the air" that comes around Valentine's Day can be either sickening, or exhilarating. 

There are many myths, legends, stories, etc., that seem to all claim the "original" beginning of the foreboding holiday. But what has our society pegged it to be? I dislike being the person that can appear pessimistic, but once again society has managed to sexualize yet another pure celebration. 

Now, don't get me wrong, Valentine's Day is the perfect time to spend with your spouse or your boyfriend/girlfriend. However, having talked to some of my friends' plans for this weekend, I realize that once again my family deviates from the norm. 

My parents have stressed to me from a very young age, the four most important priorities in your life.  

1. God is first. 

           -no questions asked, God will, and always should be first.

2. Family is also second. 

           -anytime is family time, and no abusing that power

3. Friends, strangers, and basically everyone else who doesn't fall under family.

           -new to some, but this Christian theme has been around for centuries. Give to others, and treat them as the Christ brothers and sisters that they are. 

4. Finally, yourself. 

           -Yes, you need your time to actually take care of yourself (physical exercise, a healthy relationship with God, good relationships, and healthy living to name a few). 

What does this have to do with Valentine's Day? It's simple. 

The Greeks put it beautifully by using four different words to describe love. I won't list them, but I encourage you to. They're beautiful, and by coming to understand their meaning we can truly come to fully understanding what love is ourselves. Now, to my knowledge, none of the Greek words really relate to us keeping ourselves mentally and physically healthy, but how about the rest of the list? 

 

My family enjoys celebrating love of the family and friendship on Valentine's Day. A bit of a Romanticized idea, I know, but it works to bring the family so much closer than if the kids simply sat at home all day while the parents gifted each other and went on dates. 

My parents do go on a date in the evening, usually after dinner or everyone has gone to bed, but they never pass up the opportunity to spend the afternoon showing that they also care about us, and we do the same for them. 

We start by making home made Valentine's (helping the littles with this is always fun :)) then paper sack bags are decorated. We use these similar to stockings, in that, we fill each other's decorated bags with the home made Valentine's the night before, and then the next morning Mom and Dad fill our bags with a card, and sometimes small toys and gifts, and, of course, candy. :)

Us, kids will usually plan something for each parent individually (Usually just another gift we had made for the siblings) and then we have dinner together as a family. The desert, of course, usually is something pink or red created that afternoon with the help of the younger kids. 

I know that our tradition is small, simple, and perhaps hoaky at best. :) But it shows our love in a way that everyone can participate in, and show how much we respect each other. 

So, none of us are dating, or married, except my parents. However, my family has decided that Valentine's Day, and Love in general, isn't limited to one's love for their spouse or significant other. It isn't sexualized, though that is a kind of love, no. It goes beyond that. There is more than one kind of love, and society likes to hide that. I know many of you know this all already, but sometimes we need reminded, like I did. 

So on this happy note, I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day that is filled with unsurpassable love. And that you spend it with whom you love most. 

Have a great Valentine;s Day. :) 

God Bless, 

Gwen Keller