Treasures from Japan

Y'all know this, but I'm going to say it again.

I'm not normal.

Now some would say, "Pix, nobody is normal! We're all special like snowflakes!" And I'd say, "You're mom is a liar..." Then I'd probably throw in a mom joke about how I banged her in the back of a Ford Fiesta. Anywho...

I was in Japan a few weeks ago and while all the other tourists are buying little geisha dolls and decorative fans at the gaijin huts, I'm at the toy stores, vintage shops, department stores, dark alleyways negotiating deals on the black market. Yeah. Not really. But yeah, I'm cool like that.

So I thought I'd share some of my fun finds! First on the block, Crystal 3D Puzzles! Now I love puzzles and always have. I wouldn't say I'm very good at them but they're hours of turn-your-brain-off fun. So when I saw this mini 3D puzzles I had to snag one. There were many to choose from (Mickey, Donald, Winnie, etc) but I chose Stitch because he's so damned adorable.  

I have never seen this in the states before so I have to assume they're a Japanese or Eastern thing. I put it together pretty quickly, although it definatly worked a whole other part of my brain. And here's the result!

He's super happy on my book shelf.

And on the subject of puzzles, check out these!  They're so cute! 

Nanoblocks are like teeny legos. They allow for more detail and they are super fun. I got Tokyo Tower, of course, and a llama, of course. 

Then there's this beauty!

Yeah, it defies convention. It sees your ice 'cubes' and says "No way JACK! I'm doing my own thing!" 

Actually, it's supposed to melt slower because of the less surface area but I just thinks it looks pretty in a glass. And it blows the minds of my (imaginary) party guests. 

Then there's the crown jewel in my collection: 

The Wedding Kimono. 

 Yeah, I am fully aware I'm already married. You should have seen the kimonos for married ladies. They looked like someone had died. They were so black, no light escaped them. Joy and happiness disappeared. They made me sad. So I bought this instead. I'm a happy cucumber.

Do Call Me Shirley

I make me sick.

Not for something I've done or because I've got the stomach flu. This movie I'm watching is so adorable and cute and sweet that I kind of want to vomit rainbows and sunshine. In a good way.

I'm rewatching The Little Princess. (Enough said?) Made in 1939 starring a 10 year old Shirley Temple and based on the charming little book by Frances Hodgson Burnett that I read as a child and perhaps deserves another read through. Yet, I digress.

When I was little, I wasn't the carefree child from fabric softener commercials. I was a little ball of
anxiety. I didn't sleep, make friends or do my school work. So the school councilor told my mother to put a tv in my room. When I woke up in the middle of the night I could put the tv on for company and after my homework was done, I could watch cartoons and decompress. On one of these long nights when sleep wouldn't come, I switched on my little black and white tv. (Literally, there was a dial to switch on... and bunny ears to adjust. Younger readers should google this...)

On one of the 6 stations I could get, there was a movie starting, staring the teeny Shirley. The Set-up: Her wonderful, doting father was headed off to a "little" war but was leaving the sweet, beautiful and rich Sara Crewe in the capable hands of Ms. Minchin who ran a posh boarding school. Most love the kind Sara, except a few who are jealous. (Ahem, the EVIL little Lavinia) Things take a turn though when she receives word that her father has been killed in battle and with no more money coming in, the wicked Ms. Minchin
sells all her nice things and makes her a maid in the house for all her school mates. She rooms with Becky, the other house maid girl and they create fantastic fantasy worlds to keep their spirits alive. Sara will often sneak out at night to search the wounded solider hospital, for she is certain her father would never die and leave her all alone. Time passes and Sara grows tired. She is worn down by the work and has a moment of hopelessness, hunger and hatred for those that are so cruel, something one doesn't see often in Temple films. On the final trip through the wounded hospital, running from Ms. Minchin and certain doom, she goes room to room, bed to bed and walks right past her father, in a head bandage. He doesn't remember her. It tears your god damned heart out. Just as she is walking away, he mumbles, "Sara...Sara..."

The tears flow, Ms. Minchin gets it good and Sara, her father and Becky live happily ever after. And I was enthralled.

Shirley is credited for saving the entire film industry at the time. She attributed herself to Rin Tin Tin, saying people in the depression needed cheering up so they fell in love with a girl and a dog. And that probably explains why I loved her movies. When you little and a little freaked out by the world around you, Shirley Temple is a beacon. A warm light in the cold night.

Shirley fell out of fame slowly as she got older. She focused on humanitarian efforts in Ghana and Czechoslovakia and did a lot of good in the world. In 1972 she went public with the news of her double mastectomy, something that was not talked about back then, which was pretty damned brave and awesome. She also supported Nixon and the Vietnam war... We're not all perfect I guess.

I'm truly sad to see her go. I'm going to eat some gum drops and watch Bright Eyes in my tap shoes.

Wrestling isn't fake...

...and anyone who says it is, is asking for a body slam.

I was looking into a glass case where The Undertaker was giving some sweet lovin' to John Cena.

Well, not the actual guys. Some action figures in a case either were lucky enough to be knocked down into said compromising position or one of the employees were having some fun. Either way, I giggled.

I started to walk away when Eric, my antiquing/collectible hunting buddy, starting naming off all the figures in the case and talking about specific matches, Vince McMahon and how much the arena of pro-wrestling has changed. This got me thinking about the wonderful documentary "Beyond The Mat"by Barry Blaustein. Although I think the film wants to humanize and exalt these men who put their bodies and lives on the line for entertainment, it really opens the curtain on a very dark corner.

Wrestling is made to be entertaining, shocking, dramatic. It's a play, acted out for the masses. But the falls are real. The metal chairs are real. And mostly, the blood is real too. And that is where sometimes it steps over that line.

You probably know Richard Belzer from Law&Order. (He's played Detective Munch on at least 7 different separate television shows, which has to be some kind of record...) He was also a radio host, film actor and talk show host. His show, Hot Properties, hit a particularly odd note when Hulk Hogan came on, put Belzer in a choke hold causing him to pass out, then released him so that Belzer hit the ground, head first, bleeding and ready to sue. They settled out of court. Watch it all here.

Owen Hart, brother of the more well known Brett "The Hit Man" Hart, was a leader in his field. Although never winning a championship, he was recognized for his charm and skill. That ended when he fell 8 stories to his death in front of thousands of people. The camera's weren't filming but when they returned from a scheduled break, they made it very clear that it was not a stunt. He was pronounced dead not long after. See the old news reports here.

There are some that are linking football head injuries with those head injuries suffered by wrestlers. This could offer a clue as to why there are so many suicides, murders, heart failures (from enlarged hearts via the steroids... I mean, genetics.) and cases of self medication. (see some of the links below.)

Last July, "The Future" was charged with stabbing his ex to death. Chris Benoit strangled his wife and 7 year old son before hanging himself. Doink the Clown overdosed. Macho Man had an enlarged heart. Same with Lance Cade. The entire Von Erich family was a case study in all of it. But I guess Jessie Ventura did well. Dwayne Johnson is very successful....

Blame the roids, drugs, the fall from fame but many of these stories end in bad porn, suicide, ODs, murder and/or poverty. Writing this feels a lot like my piece on porn stars. There are so many sad stories.

I'm going to go watch The Tooth fairy and imagine a world where Jake the Snake is Captain Jack Sparrow and Mankind is Romeo to Chyna's Juliet.


_____________________________________
WWE gives to concussion research - http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2013/05/16/wwe-concussions-chris-nowinski-research-sports-legacy-institute-cte/2178667/
What is real, what is fake - http://prowrestling.about.com/od/whatsrealwhatsfake/a/wrestlingdl.htm

All Hallow's Eve Revolution

A revolution is needed.

Last year I was at a Halloween party. Naughty by Nature was on stage and I had fallen into a puddle of spilled beer (I hope) to avoid a fist fight between Jack Sparrow and Hulk Hogan that Winnie the Pooh was trying to break up. (Later that night, he asked me if I 'partied' and offered me some coke. I was like, "No thanks Pooh Bear.") And as insane and fun as that night was, I have to say, I miss the old Halloween.

I propose this, fair minded children-at-heart, responsible adults! We revolt! Enough of this thing they call Halloween! Down with naked girls dressed as bunnies and racist costumes and drunken frat boys and loud parties with more alcohol poisoning than tricks and treats! I say enough!

Perhaps I'm being a little dramatic. Imagine that.

I just love me some Halloween so much. I love making a creative costume. I love getting together with my friends and sharing our fun creations and yummy treats. I love cookies shaped like bats and bite sized candies. I love those old fashioned scares that have nothing to do with chainsaws or sexy teens or entrails. I guess really what I'm trying to say is I miss the Halloween from when I was a kid.

I remember when it used to be a spooky time. Not scary, not sexy, spooky! No threats of real harm or nightmares but the idea knowing that the spirits were out, whispering from the trees. The wind blew and the leaves crunched under your feet and you knew the jealous witches flew above, greedy trolls below and you were safe as long as you could make it to the next house. (And even then you could shout "Go go Power Rangers!" and that would save you from the mummy creeping around in the bushes.)

via lovemanor.com

My Halloween is "Something Wicked This Way Comes" where there is a fate worse than death at the midnight carnival. It's Edgar Allen Poe, Edward Gorey, Icabod Crane (if he can just make it to the bridge!) and Shelley's (and Whale's) Frankenstein. It's not Freddy or Jason, ice pick wielding mutants and gore/porn. Not for me, at least.

Or maybe I'm just getting old. 

Happy Halloween my ghoulish pals! Enjoy some classic Halloween this year!

Running Toward, Not Away - UPDATE GoMighty!

I should run away more often.

Since I decided to start training for my first race (if you consider the family 5K a race... and I do, damnit) it has been my most popular post by far. People either love to run or love Disneyland. I had not idea there was a category for both until just recently.

I also got invited to Go Mighty, which is great for setting goals and sharing your stories. So I'm there as well, sharing the steps I will take to get to Disneyland. Also, some fun trivia: If I were to run a 5K everyday until the race in August, I could literally run from my house to Disneyland. Now that's some motivation. And something I would never do. Unless there was some kind of zombie apocalypse then yeah, I'm running to Disneyland. I'll live on top of the Matterhorn since zombie hate paper mache and fun.

Is it bad I'm more excited about making my running costume? This girl has got in down over at According to Kelly. I should use some of her ideas. Or maybe some Mickey ears will do. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how I feel about things closer to race day.

On the less fun side of things, I've started to have some physical issues. Hip/knee joint pain and very sore feet, mostly in my big toe joint. I'm going to keep an eye on that and hopefully I can push through that. Any ideas, experienced runners?

Lastly, thanks for all the encouraging emails and fun stories; they're very motivating! So now it's time to leave my little perch in front of the computer and go run! Weee!