Guilie Castillo-Oriard's Blog, page 20

The Friend (of a friend)

Silvia Villalobos, an exemplary writer friend of mine--exemplary both as a writer and as a friend--has a short story up at Red Fez. Take a hop over, spread the love. The read is a ride of careening tension that doesn't let up. My stomach is still in knots--and will be whenever I think of this story. Friendship isn't always selfless, is it?

Brava, Silvia!

Pleased to have met you, Sochi

I'm a fan of Olympic games. I rarely watch sports (live or otherwise), and I've never been much of a (sports) player, although I did win silver in a 1.5 km race back when I was... twelve? First race I ever ran. Last, too.

But I love the Olympics.

It's the dreams, I guess. The hope in every face, spectator or competitor. The coming together. I know--cheesy. I choke up with the first strains of the Chariots of Fire theme (yes, even on the Carnival Cruise ad).


I watched the Nadia Comaneci movie dozens of times. And Ice Castles? Hundreds.



I probably learned to skate more from this movie than from the lessons I got at the Galleria rink every time we were in Houston for vacation. (Disclaimer: I can't skate to save my life. Do not try this at home.)

The rink at the Houston Galleria where I learned
 to skate (humming Through The Eyes Of Love)So the past two-plus weeks have been a mix of heaven and frustration for me. Heaven because--well, see above. Frustration because of TV coverage, or lack thereof. But I managed to watch some events, not as many as I'd have liked--not, for example, nearly enough figure skating, or skiing--but still.

And beyond the sports, what struck me was how different Russia seems to be from the idea I had of it. Yeah, I grew up in Cold War times.

Being Mexican, I'm no stranger to the lengths a country will go to in order to put on a show worthy of international Olympic coverage. Still, Russia's presentation to the world was impressive. How real it was, what it cost (I'm not talking about money here), whether it was a sweeping-under-the-rug or the proof of a true desire to move forward, rise above... Well, time will tell. There's that LGBT issue, for example, that shows no signs of changing in the near future. But this article in the New Yorker added a level of depth to these XXII Winter Games that make them a greater part of history.

Are you an Olympic fan? Did you watch the Sochi games? What did you think about Russia's image?

Introducing Life in Dogs: How the Valentine Grinch Celebrates Feb 14

Originally posted in Life in DogsFeb 14, 2014 Life In Dogs
I'm a Valentine grinch. It's pre-fab and commercial, and it turns peer pressure up sky-high. If you're with someone, V-Day turns a relationship into a checklist that grows longer--and more unsatisfying--with every other couple you see. Is my partner good-looking enough? Are we, as a couple, romantic enough? Did I get flowers? A card? Handwritten? Did I get jewelry? Was it the real stuff?

If you're single, the twenty-four hours of February 14th are proof time is relative. No day lasts longer.

There's someone, though, who would--quite literally--die for a little of that love consumerism's trying to convince us to show via Visa or Mastercard. This someone doesn't need a box of chocolates (that would actually be a bad idea), wouldn't know what to do with a dozen red roses (but the box might be interesting), and couldn't care less about diamond-studded accessories. What s/he wants, more than anything, is your time. A half hour of your day will make her/his life, which is doomed to be short, not just bearable but purposeful.

Visit your local shelter. Spend a little time cuddling an abandoned dog or cat today. They might never know what a friendly human hand is without you.

Photo credit: Claudia Sanches
(ace photographer, loves animals)Take your partner, take your friends, go alone. Celebrate this Valentine's with the only beings on the planet that understand unconditional love. Make this V-Day what it's meant to be about: giving, receiving, and spreading love.

A Hop Within A Hop: The A-Z Theme Reveal!

It's ongoing, and it's endless: the debate over whether To Theme or Not To Theme.

Every year, as soon as the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge linky list goes live--sometimes even before--the debate picks up where it left off. Should I, shouldn't I. Pros & cons. So-and-so did (or didn't) last year, and look how that turned out. I don't want to feel hedged in. I don't want to ramble all over the place.

To Theme or Not To Theme. But this year that's not the question, is it? No! Because you--lucky you, insanely genius you--came up with the perfect theme. Beyond awesome. Not just original but unique. Jaw-dropping in its wondrousness.

And you cannot wait to shout it out from the rooftops, can you?

Which is why Vidya Sury, Anna Tan, Csenge Zalka, Samantha Redstreake Geary, and myself decided to turn Awesomeness-Personified Mina Lobo's fantastic idea from last year into tradition.

Ladies and gents, blogging humanity as a whole, I give you--

Hip Hip HURRAH to Samantha Redstreake Geary
for creating this Mighty Badge!The downside: you have to wait until March 21st to reveal your theme.

Upside(s): Delayed gratification (you know you like it). Super-charged expectations. Build up your A2Z network way before April. This is, in essence, a mini-A2Z--a hop within a hop for hop-addicted homo sapiens like you and me. And--yes, last, but most-def not least: No Theme? No Problem! You have 40 days--yep, forty --to come up with one.

Of course you're in.


Specificae: (Yeah, feminine. That's how we at #TeamDamyanti roll.)
Sign up in the Linky Thingy below (that sounds vaguely obscene...) and grab the badge above. (Is it me? Do I have a dirty mind?)On March 21st, as the sun reacheth the spot known as Spring Equinox, thou shalt reveal your theme! Holler--nay, yawp it from the mountaintop of your blog. And bask in the audience's (ahem, the linky list's) roar of approval.Thou shalt, indeed, visit as many other A2Zers on ze linky list as humanely possible. Take March 21st off from work. Cancel any plans that don't involve sitting in front of your screen. Turn off your phone. Stock up your fridge (wine and chocolate chip cookies are of the essence).

Let the fun begin!

It's that time of the year again...

Can you feel it? Excitement is making the blogosphere crackle. The A-to-Z April Blogging Challenge list opened last week. Are you in? Oh, I hope so. Because this year I'm a

minion!
with #TeamDamyanti!


Yes. I'm excited. I'm also very, very tired (not A2Z-related). But please come back in a few hours: a Great & Powerful secret will be revealed. No, seriously.

The Watcher of Vowels

A bit of inspiration goes a long way, especially on Monday morning. Enjoy.

The Watcher of Vowels from Catalina Kulczar-Marin on Vimeo.

Writing "The Other" -- Daniel José Older @ BuzzFeed

Must-read. Whole thing here. My favorite:

6. This is life and death.
Having just said it’s about craft, let’s be clear that it’s also much more than that. This topic is usually couched in language like “offensive” or “PC.” It’s a topic for debate, a cute little back-and-forth. This is all a condescending and dehumanizing frame for the conversation. We’re talking about the continued silencing and erasure of voices that mainstream white male culture has always silenced and erased. We’re talking about life and death of entire peoples; we’re talking about self-worth and humanity. And even as adults, we’re barely figuring how to deal with negative imagery. Kids haven’t been given any of the tools we have and they see it more than anyone else. High suicide rates and internalized racial/gender oppression are real.We can’t keep raising generations of kids of color on the notion that there’s only room for them to be bad guys or doomed sidekicks or another generation of white kids thinking they’re closer to God because of how they look. We can’t keep promoting hetero/cis-normative sexist and racist ideas in our literature. That is the default setting. If you aren’t consciously working against it, you are working for it. Neutrality is not an option, and the luxury of thinking it is has to go. To quote Junot once again: “I think that unless you are actively, consciously working against the gravitational pull of the culture, you will predictably, thematically, create these sort of fucked-up representations. Without fail. The only way not to do them is to admit to yourself [that] you’re fucked up, admit to yourself that you’re not good at this shit, and to be conscious in the way that you create these characters.”

“Literature gains its universality by being very specific.” ~Junot Diaz

Who said the writer community doesn't TOTALLY rock?

The best gift EVER: an unsolicited review of my story in the January volume of Pure Slush's 2014 Project (read it for free on the Amazon preview here) by friend and fellow writer (and fellow IWW member) Silvia Villalobos. Read the review here.

How sweet is that?

She didn't even tell me she wrote it. I found it two days after the fact, and then only because I follow her blog. Which you totally should if you don't already. She has that incisiveness I so admire in writers, that way of cutting through the surface to get at the source of what makes us human, what makes us better... Or, sometimes, worse.

Silvia, thank you. You're a wonderful, wonderful friend.

Top Photos of 2013 -- #1

This was hard. Much, much harder than I thought. Number 1 of the Kuantan blog's Top 20 Challenge:


July 2013, Amsterdam
There's an untold story here. A story which I, as a passerby, don't know and never will.That's what captivated me here. It will be forever unknowable, won't it, the reason why thistoy ostrich was abandoned on a front step in a busy city. Where is the child that played with it?The toy has no means of expression, but its forlorness cried out to me anyway.The moment made me respond viscerally, and because it was so random, it became special.
I've so enjoyed this challenge. Thank you to Duncan of the Kuantan blog for hosting it, and for the wonderful photographers that shared the best of your 2013 with us. Loved it, and look forward to your Best of 2014 :)