Lara Schiffbauer's Blog, page 19

Funny Friday Photos and More Writing/Acting Connections

That's right! It's the weekend (extra-long for some of us) and we're smiling!
If you're here solely for Funny Friday Photos, feel free to scroll on down. Otherwise, I'm going to talk a little about an interesting interview with Ralph Fiennes I read this week at Collider.com, and was again surprised by the similarities between writing and acting.
As I've mentioned before, I've been struggling with my first draft, finding myself plagued with all kinds of doubts about not just my abilities as a writer, but also about where to take the story. Here's a quote from the article, that seemed to speak almost directly to me.

"You’ve done the homework, you’ve learned the lines, at that point you just sort of let it out.  No amount of preparation, research, no amount of that—and even Stanislavski talked about it, he said, 'At the moment of inspiration you have to do all the work but then there’s a point where you just have to be ready and be open.'  You can make that happen but it’s sort of to do with letting the anxiety of an actor which is, “Will I get it right?  Will it be good?”  Letting that go of it and just being very present."
I've plotted, I've researched, I've done character studies. I'm to the point to where I need to just "be ready and be open." And it's SCARY!! I am definitely thinking "Will I get it right? Will it be good?" And the advice? Let all of that go and be present to inspiration. Let the muse take you. Darn it! Lose a little control! Something I struggle with in general - so no wonder it's hard for me to let go while writing.
And then there is this quote (which actually comes before the one above.)
"You do, to a large extent, construct performance. It’s a cliche, performance is made in the editing room, and I’ve come to see the truth in that—the idea that they say performances are usually made in the editing room because what you film is the raw material. I think just going through the process of saying, “Which take do we use? Why is that the take we want? I want that take can you edit again, I’m not sure that’s the one, I think it’s this one.” And just because you go through that process, I think somehow it’s made me, and I can’t really articulate it very well but, I think it’s made me sort of more open about the possibilities." 
Editing, editing, editing. If the first take (draft) isn't quite right, you do another take (draft.) Nothing is set in stone and through editing we can construct books like actors construct performances. And because writing is a process, not an event, we can all be more open about the possibilities, too. That actually is comforting to me. While I've heard writers say similar things about editing, for some reason the way Mr. Fiennes said it really resonated.
The entire article was interesting and if you want, you can read more here.
So, I'm done! Here's last week's funniest photo:



And now for this week's photos!

I'm on a Finding Nemo roll. Last week it was the shark - this week it's Squirt and Crush.

I really hope they threw it back. The picture evidence of why I don't fish.

Why does that spider have wings? Nightmares will now occur.





Anyone else remember those commercials in the 80's?
These next two are the most adorable pictures I've seen in a while.




Look at that little face! How can you not smile?!
Our pun of the week:

It's a Seuss Knife!
And then, I didn't forget what today was. I made a Valentine for you!



The carrots in the picture came from my garden this summer. I think of them as the "love carrots." Yes, I am that much of a goofball.
And you can see why I hired a cover designer for Finding Meara. My intentions were honorable, though. Can I invoke the whole "it's the thought that counts" bit?
My favorite photo this week is either of the two beaver pictures. Their respective little faces just make me smile.
Which is your favorite photo?If you're a writer (or an actor, I suppose) what do you think of the Ralph Fiennes interview?
All photos are from cheezeburger.com or my own.

Funny Friday Photos

Oh my gosh, I'm glad it's Friday.
I could whine about it all, but that's no fun. And you're here to have fun!
I will say that I am totally falling asleep while getting this post together. The result of two weeks of being really sick or on the edge of relapse, I guess. So, please forgive me for not being talkative, but I really have to go to bed.
Last week's funniest photo was:

And here's this week's photos:
I'm really liking these matching dog/human pictures. Plus, the Viszla is so cute! I won't say anything about the game...

Fish are friends, not food!

What are they!

I have it on good authority that it does, indeed, hurt.

Anything Jazz Hands is funny.

It's like playing hide-and-seek with a toddler!

That episode (w/ the android phone) is actually kind of freaky.

Coolest doctor ever! I want to go.
A joke:
And the pun:

I have to choose the hiding bear this week for favorite.So which is your favorite photo?
All photos this week came from I Can Has Cheezeburger.

I Need a Break!

After struggling through January for blog post ideas and finding time to write, I've made a decision. For the month of February I'll only post the Funny Friday Photo posts.

It isn't you, it's me.

The last couple of weeks I haven't written fiction during the week. I'm a slow writer and when I'm putting together a blog post it takes me the entire night (well, the few hours that are left after doing mundane mommy-things) to finish a post. That takes away two nights during the work week, and then when life happens, I end up writing very little. If I'm going to finish another book I need to write it!

And the posts aren't very thought-provoking. Life has evened out into a blur of work, mommy, write, sleep and then start over. I don't want to waste everyone's time churning out blog posts just because I said I would. I'd much rather concentrate on getting Adven 2 completed, and write up fun Friday posts.

Of course, if there's something of interest to share I'll post outside of Friday. And don't be surprised if I have a little more chatting at the beginning of the Friday posts, to catch up on the week. But right now I think it's a good idea to drop back to once a week posts again.

If you are interested in keeping up with how the book is coming along more frequently, or sharing tales of every day observations, feel free to follow me on Twitter or my Facebook page. Twitter is where I am most, but I am trying to post a couple of times a week to Facebook as well. I will be having a giveaway soon on Facebook to celebrate passing 200 followers (it's actually close to 300 now), so if you want to be a part of that, you'll want to follow the page.

All right! I guess that's all there is to say. I'll see you on Fridays!

For all you other bloggers out there, have you made any similar decisions lately?
For all you blog readers - what kind of a giveaway do you like best? (I'm needing some ideas to make the Facebook giveaway special.)

Funny Friday Photos and What Dog Do You Look Like?

Happy Friday! This has been a week. I got strep throat, a flat tire (which is hideously expensive to repair because I bent the rim), and missed three days of work. However, it's all good. I have antibiotics, it doesn't hurt quite so bad to swallow, and the lady in the dealership parts department found me a wheel for about a third of the cost.
I am very excited that I get to see the National Theatre Live screening of Coriolanus in late February. I hadn't planned to go, because I wouldn't have anyone to go with. Then, I ended up mentioning the screening to the teacher at work (with whom I shared the Cookie Monster Debacle.) She majored in drama, and likes Shakespeare (even was in some Shakespearean productions) and so we decided to go together. A twitter-friend saw the live screening and she said it's powerful, so now I'm impatiently waiting. I've seen Ralph Fiennes' movie version of Coriolanus, so I'm excited to get to see a different version.
My husband keeps giving me a hard time about going all the way to Denver to see a videotaped play, but that's okay. I'm tough! And, he's only teasing. I think. He's actually watched part of the Hollow Crown, and just last weekend remarked that he needs to see the last two, so he's coming around. Boy 2 also keeps asking to watch "Loki Shakespeare." I put on the battle scene between Prince Hal and Harry Percy for him and Boy 1, figuring it wasn't any worse than Lord of the Rings. They did enjoy it, and even understood some of the language.
Last week's funniest photo was:


I must warn you all, I got a little carried away with the pictures this week. I just kept adding them on. I hope you don't mind. So, here they are!
This isn't so much funny, but the owl is awesome!

Poor thing! It needs some help!

It looks so earnest and solemn, and has no clue what's going on.

A whole scene played in my head of what would happen when it found a cricket--explosions and gunpowder included.

Even drawings? For real?

May the force be with you - or you won't get in.

My neighbor wrote "U.S. Male" on his mail box. If that wasn't enough to convince me I live in redneck territory, the truck with rubber bull testicles hanging from its hitch did.

They're all excellent, but I especially love Hawkeye's and Nick Fury's. 
And our pun!
For my dad, because he loves geology and wanted to be a geologist.
I've been trying to figure out which dog breed I look like. I thought maybe pointer, but I'm not sure. Maybe something with a fluffier face?
Did you find a favorite this time? Which dog breed do you think you look like?

For the Writers: Sometimes We Just Continue

At some point - in life, in writing - we have to just continue. And it's usually at the point after the new wears off.

When we're writing a story, and we end up in the muddy middle, we have to just continue. We have to quit talking about it, quit relying on the new and shiny to keep us going. We have to roll up our sleeves and work our way through it.

It seems as though it's the same with the writing journey. Eventually we end up in a place where the shiny has gone. Like a romantic relationship, the passion and excitement sustain us for only so long, and we have to decide to commit or move on. If we choose to commit, the dynamic changes and we move into a new stage of our relationship. It's not less than, it's just different. We continue at a more stable and longer-lasting pace.

And that's what I've been thinking about lately.

Eventually we have to just continue.

And, you know, that sounds so serious! Aagh! Why do I always sound so serious when I do these posts?

What have you been thinking about lately?

Funny Friday Photos

Hello, one and all! I hope you all had a great week! If not, you can take solace that it's the weekend. That's what I do. And look at pictures on Pinterest.
I was perusing geeky pics, and came across one of Loki in Thor 2, where he takes away his glamour (sorry, but I'm writing about fairies right now, and that's what I call their ability to look however they want) and is sitting on the floor in the prison. It reminded me that tonight, when I picked up my kids from school, Boy 2 plopped himself down against the wall in a tight hallway, legs outstretched, arms dropped to his sides and said, "Look, Mommy, I'm Loki!" I laughed so hard. Where he comes up with these things... Oh yeah, he's my kid. That says it all.
Last week's winner was:



This week's photos were kind of hard to find, so I hope they're funny enough. 
I've never been so happy to have a private well and septic system.

I think this is ingenious. I've been having trouble keeping my hair out of my way when I brush my teeth, so I relate. I've forgotten how it is to have long hair.

It's like those dreams where you're running and going nowhere.

It's a puppy puddle.

Clever, very clever.

Gollum is real! (Isn't the cat's arm creepy?!)
Lots of puns in this one! Well, okay, three, but I'm still impressed.



Have a fabulous weekend. If you have to work, try to have as much fun in your off time as possible. 
My favorite this week is the dog fail. He just looks so pathetic hiding behind the toilet paper.
What's your favorite?
Photos from icanhascheeseburger 

Nothing Bizarre Happened: But Here's a Bizarre Video

I'm sorry, but I do think Stormtroopers twerking is just a little bizarre. And funny.

 Have a wonderful rest of your week!

Funny Friday Photos and Fun With Static Electricity

 Wow! All week long I was a day ahead, and now it really is Friday. That's good news!

Tonight (actually Thursday night) my father taught us a new game to play with static electricity. Each person shuffles around in their socks on the carpet carrying a spoon (any silverware would do, as long as it's metal, but I insisted on spoons for safety) to build up the static electricity charge. After you're sure you have a decent electrical charge stored in your body, you bring the silverware close together, but don't touch them, and you should get a pretty decent electrical arc from one spoon to the other. It worked beautifully, and the arcs were at least double the thickness and brightness as the ones when we shocked each other with our fingers. For best effect, turn off the lights!

Last week's favorite photo was:





And now, this week's photos!


I don't know how I feel about a dog having more class than me.

The longing in the lizard's eyes is heartbreaking.

Don't want to get in the middle of that fight!

I'm not afraid of spiders, but my heart just stopped, anyway.

What a fabulous looking cat! For some reason it reminds me of Peter Capaldi.

I read this in the voice of Doug, the dog from the movie UP.



And in the interest of gender equality:


All right! Here's a punny joke you may have seen already, but it's so cute.

I have no idea which is my favorite! The pitbull fight made me laugh the hardest, but then I found the dog elegance, and what they guy looks like really when he's checking girls out. 

Did you have a clear favorite?Have a happy weekend!

Creature Feature: Peryton

[image error] By Tsaag Valren (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons
A Peryton is basically a stag with wings and feathers, some say it has the hindquarters of a bird.Its mortal enemy is the human.It is said to cast the shadow of a man, until it kills one, and then its shadow changes to the Peryton form.Perytons can only kill one man in its lifetime.They lived in Atlantis until an earthquake destroyed it, but the Perytons flew away to safety.Jorge Luis Borges is attributed to have created the Peryton in his story Book of Imaginary Beings. He stated he used a long-lost medieval manuscript as a source.Perytons are featured in many current stories, including (but not limited to) a Donald Duck comic, the bestiary of Dungeons and Dragons, and in the novel The Unicorn Sonata by Peter S. Beagle.Isn't that a unique creature?Have you ever heard of a Peryton before? 

Funny Friday Photos And A Short Trip Down Memory Lane

Crazy weather we're all having, isn't it? The strange thing for us is that it's actually kind of nice where I live. Usually, in January and February we're having single digits and sub-zero temperatures. It's been in the high 30's/low 40's (F) this week!

We had a three way tie for last week's funniest photo, so I'm not posting a picture this week. If you haven't seen the post yet, here is the link.

And here's this week's photos! 


Such cute little faces!

I thought it was cute. 




Duck dog!

I have four dogs. I feel for the cat.

Busted!
And the pun!



You know what's been making me happy lately? It's the song Sugar, Sugar by the Archies. Bubblegum pop from the late 1960's has been putting a smile on my face. I think part of the reason is because it reminds me of my sister. She got me into Motown (Sam Cooke and The Temptations were some favorites) and some of the Bubblegum pop (The Monkees, Herman's Hermits.) I think she would have loved the video I share below. Ron Dante (the singer and voice of Archie) is just adorable.

When we were in high school, we went to the 33rd Anniversary of Rock and Roll (which at that time meant music from the 50's, 60's and 70's), and got to see Herman's Hermits, Three Dog Night, and many other old rock groups. I even got to dance with a Coaster - he pulled me out of the audience like a Bruce Springsteen video. Definitely one of the high points of my life! So, lots of happy memories to go along with a happy song.





I love the lines "I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you," and "Like the  summer sunshine, pour your sweetness over me." It makes my romantic little heart go pitter-pat, even still. Such beautiful wording.

Okay, back to the photos. My favorite is the pot holder dog. The others I kind of chuckled at, but the pot holder dog made me laugh...hard!

Did you have a favorite this week?Have an excellent weekend!