#oceanofamind

[oceanofamind]

Sorry for the hiatus.

So there's been a lot going on in my life, some good, some bad and some neutral. The biggest of that has been that I quit my job, which was a horrible one that made me miserable, took all my energy( when I have so little to give anyway), and even starting to effect my health. Leaving was the best decision I've made concerning this job, and at the same time I took a huge leap of faith doing this. I'm just sincerely hoping I land in a cart of hay, if you catch my meaning (assassins creed ref if you didn't). I also had the chance to go to Cancún with my family, which wasn't as fun as it would have been with friends or by myself but was a pretty great trip nonetheless. On top of that, I've been dealing with a lot of personal realizations and mental stuff thanks to therapy and am working on trying to fix that, on top of my various maladies. What can I say, it sucks to be chronically ill with a back injury. The good news is that I'm going to be working on stuff, and I have a lot of little projects and things planned to post on here. So thank you if you started following me, thank you if you've been following me, and thank you for following me in the future if you aren't already. Hang in there with me, there's more to come.

[oceanofamind]

A little water color painting I did last week. I’d had the idea for sometime now but this was my first attempt at putting it on paper. I’m pretty proud of how it came out.

[oceanofamind]

Not So Ordinary Writing Prompts

What do you imagine a visual representation of your soul look like? Describe it in as much detail as you can.

You are mortally wounded, but death gives you a second chance at the last second. You can live your new life as any supernatural or fantastical creature known to man. What do you choose and why?

Describe your favorite color as if speaking to someone who is blind using your other four senses.

Has anything ever happened to you that made you believe- even for a few moments- in magic, mythology,the afterlife or of your own place in the universe? Write what happened.

What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen or experienced? The most heartbreaking? 

Unlock your mind

[oceanofamind]

I saw Age of Ultron

Now obviously this review isn’t gonna change your mind, whether you’re about the MCU life or not, and I don’t expect this to have a major impact on whether or not people go to see it. But if you can and want to, I totally recommend going to see Age of Ultron. It’s much more mature and serious than the first Avengers film, but on top of that, it’s a better movie, story, plot, what have you. I admit that this reveiws is not all that objective and that I’m probably in the honeymoon stage of post-movie bliss. I’ll probably have little nitpicks and notice problems in the story later down the road, once I re-watch the film. But for now, for this moment, Age of Ultron is the reason we go to see summer movies. It’s fun, hilarious, full of emotion and heart, and you end up enjoying the ride. Yet it is heavier than a summer film because it also leaves you tense as you realize the end of the movie doesn’t mean the end of the story. My biggest complaint is that it is long and you will probably start to feel it when watching. The middle slows things down a bit as well, though the conclusion ramps the action back up again. My final vote: Go forth, fellow nerds and bask in the glory of this movie. It is worthy.

[oceanofamind]

Thought of the Day

I was watching part of a Full House episode (s7e20) in which Michelle is in a race cart contest and this boy tells her she won’t win because she’s a girl. Then when Uncle Jessie and her dad try to comfort her, tells them she over heard them making jokes about women not knowing how to drive in her presence and that’s what really confirmed it for her. What really struck me was that this “old” show  touched on something that we as a society are still struggling to get years later. Jokes and humor in general, do not exist in a vacuum where they’re untouchable. Jokes, just like language we are exposed to have deeper messages and spreading them allows that message to be heard, accpeted and normalized. Now I’m not saying jokes about fucked up things can’t be done. There’s nothing wrong with making jokes concerning difficult topics like rape,sexism, racism, etc. The key is to make sure that the punch line is the oppressor or the system that allows it to occur. This isn’t an original thought of course: many other writers and people have made this point far better than I could. But to extend on this point, making jokes also normalizes things. Humor is a great equalizer this way, which is why it’s important what kind of jokes you tell. With great humor, comes great responsibility, so to speak. Making a joke about rape where the punchline is the survivor normalizes the idea that survivors should be blamed for what happened to them and not taken seriously. Black jokes normalize the idea that blacks are to be seen as lower than non-black people. Same with fat jokes, sexist jokes, etc. Really, this extends beyond jokes because everything we say, has an impact and you never know who is listening or watching.  If more of us, especially those in the spotlight/public view watched what we said and how we say it, I think it would help us become better to our fellow humans.

[oceanofamind]

Update

I know I haven’t posted in a while. I promise I haven’t forgotten about this blog, I’ve just been working on an art project (that I cannot wait to finish and post on here) and been out in the world a little bit and enjoying life.  I’m probably gonna resume posting things again soon, don’t worry.

[oceanofamind]

A Very belated ThrowBack Thursday

I know this is hella late, but I had a crazy day and had so much to do that once I got home I just kinda collapsed so I could rest before doing more things. But enough of that, I’ll try to be more on time with posting.

So this is an old villanelle I wrote around 2009 or so. It has it’s problems, but I was always really proud of it because of how complicated the structure of villanelles are. The first version is the recently revised version and the copy below is the old version (if anyone is interested in it).

Dying Ember 

How do you find the will to go on? When death is all you seem to desire when the night ends not to reveal the dawn when all of life's joys to turn to a con and the soul is like a dying fire how do you find the will to go on? When in the darkness bad thoughts start to spawn and the situation has become dire when the night ends not to reveal the dawn When the days of life have become foregone And friends pleas become voices of liars how do you find the will to go on? When sad thoughts convince you to stay withdrawn what is left to feel, love and admire? When the night ends not to reveal the dawn but do not give in, you must have the brawn do not let the flame of life expire yet how do you find the will to go on? When the night ends not to reveal the dawn

Original Piece (it’s hella emo and cheesy, be cool about it)

Dying Ember of Life

How do you find the will to go on? When death is all you seem to desire when the night ends not to reveal the dawn when all life's joys seem to turn to a con and the soul is like a dying fire how do you find the will to go on? When all the darkness continues to spawn and the situation has become dire when the night ends not to reveal the dawn when the days of life have become foregone Allies sound like the voice of a liar how do you find the will to go on? When life beats you senseless with its baton what is left to feel, love and admire? When the night ends not to reveal the dawn but do not give in, you must have the brawn to not let the flame of life expire still, how do you find the will to go on? When the night ends not to reveal the dawn

Both Versions By Elle D

[oceanofamind]

1 Page Story

By Elle D

We’ve all heard the doomsday theories and most of us that were old enough remember the disaster movies. Most people didn’t seriously think the end of the world as we knew it could happen. Even the most paranoid of loners weren’t prepared for how it went down in the end. I remember when there used to be guide books on how to survive natural disasters, animal attacks and even more fantastical disaster scenarios that urged preparation against zombies, robot uprising, and antagonistic alien species. We thought we’d figured out and planned all the ways it could end. Nobody considered the likelihood of humanity causing its own destruction.

The first attacks perpetrated were to cull us down.  With the masses confused in the wake of the slaughter-I must call it what it was- it was easy to gain more control over us. They promised to protect us and we handed our rights over to them. Those who were unwilling to comply were made an example of. It’s amazing what a few anonymous posts online can do to damage credibility and silence the truth. Once the opposition was silenced and initial resistance subdued, the true horrors began. Who, of us that have survived the death of the old world, could have known that our fellow man would be the monster to nearly wipe us out?

I don’t know why I am writing this truly.  It must seem strange to piece together what happened. Most would prefer to forget.  And yet, why shouldn’t our stories as survivors be told? There are so few of us as it is, and if no one is left to tell our stories, how will our surviving generations learn from our mistakes? Though I am not sure I am the right person for this task, I know it is important to document this.  If it can be read, it can’t be destroyed.