Friday, August 28, 2015

Things that I'll never stop being fascinated by


Time travel.  I think it's why we have these brains, to think about time travel.  Not thinking about time travel every day is sort of like having electricity and sitting in the dark.  Oh, that's a terrible analogy.  Ok, more like having legs and never walking.  There are all the great campy movies, and the opportunity to think hard. And, we all spend much of our time doing that: thinking about the past, wondering about the future.  (Me?  98 percent time travel.  2 percent on my yoga matt.)

Messages in bottles.  What's not to love? That someone took a bottle with a cork  -- and that's quaint right there -- but they decided to mail someone a message by way of the ocean, and it's often a sweet message full of hope and love.  Arrgh.  A tiny tear leaks out when I think too hard about that.  Why choose the ocean?  Oh right.  Probably because the ocean has been so generous with us.  And is also full of hope and love, not to mention octupuses and seals.

Amnesia stories.  I will confess that these were more compelling when I was 20 and had a great memory, when forgetting seemed so implausible.  But when I hear stories about people who turn up in Dallas, for example, with no idea who they are and how they got there, well, that stops me in my tracks.

Or this tomato, that announced "NO".  Photo
stolen without permission
from The Cake Boss
People who orchestrate their own disappearance.   "I'm just going out for a pack of cigarettes, honey..."  And only years later do their loved ones realize it was strange -- "Hey, he didn't even smoke!"

Amelia Earheart.  Duh.  I love imagining that she flew into some weird vortex-y tessarect and is alive in another dimension.

DB Cooper.  Of course.  Who does that?  Jumps out of an airplane with wads of cash?

Renditions of deities that appear, unannounced, in tortillas.  Emphasizing yet again that we see what we want to see.

Finding mushrooms in the woods.  Because that's magic, to go on a walk and see a giant orange orb popping out of the ground.

Honeybees.  For the obvious reason that they live in extremely tight quarters and get along, always rowing together in the same direction, building comb and making honey.


21 comments:

  1. I've missed you and your unique and wonderful mind.

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  2. We do see only what we want to see, don't we? Some people more than others. That can cause denial, which is not a good thing, at least as far as keeping the planet livable for us.

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  3. Oh, Betsy... I love the way your brain works!!

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  4. I share some of these things.
    Watched Back to the Future a couple of nights ago.
    Message in a bottle. I read Dreaming in Norwegian which starts out that way.
    Amnesia. I have that daily.
    I am going to make a special pan that will make Jesus in a Pancake and sell them on eBay.
    'Shrooms. Got some Lobster mushrooms as a gift earlier this week. Deliciousness!

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    1. I forgot to mention Patty Hearst. And Stolkholm syndrome in general... Yum on the mushrooms!

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    2. HAH! to Jono, re the special pan! You'll be rich!

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  5. Time travel is an awesome concept. I love movies or books on the topic. Any to recommend?



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    1. I enjoyed Safety Not Gauranteed. (suddenly, I don't know how to spell "guarantee". Do you have any to recommend?

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    2. Besides the Back to the Future trilogy? (my favourite, I confess) If you want a movie recommendation, I just watched an old one recently, linked by Geo. of the blog Trainride of the Enigmas. I'll link you to his post about it so you'll have a bit of background. It's got unexpected comedy in it to lighten the melodrama. Quite enjoyed it. Here's the link, and thank you for your recommendation.
      http://trainrideoftheenigmas.blogspot.ca/2015/07/sunday-sermon-enigma-of-berkeley-square.html

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    3. Donnie Darko, director's cut--see it right away!!!

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    4. Donnie Darko, director's cut--see it right away!!!

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    5. If you at all like time travel stuff, this short film is very much worth checking out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBkBS4O3yvY

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  6. What a delightful list of whimsy. Just what is needed, more lightheartedness.

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  7. Betts-lets do the message in a bottle thing, k? After Labor Day. My only hesitation is throwing something in a body of water that then gets eaten by someone...and then there's the plastic island bigger than Texas, but I digress. Or rain on your parade. So if we can assuage my anxiety about throwing a glass bottle in the Skagit or where ever...Wait I know. Lets put both of our messages in ONE BOTTLE!! Maybe we could take up a collection and amass a whole bunch of messages and send 'em out. Waddya think?

    I've been a shut-in lately, with a cold. Does it show???

    See you after we put the white shoes away.

    Kiss kiss, Beth

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    1. Yes! But it does feel wrong to throw a bottle in the ocean. Maybe there's some sustainable message-bottle that you can buy on Etsy. :-) xox

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