Light It Up.

September 14, 2014 By Robin Strong Elton Leave a Comment

Why do you go away?

So that you can come back.

So that you can see the place you came from
with new eyes and extra colors.

And the people there see you differently, too.

Coming back to where you started
is not the same as never leaving.

―Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

So, I was having some issues behind the scenes here— basically, I was locked out of my blogs. I’d click the link to be sent a new password, but I’ve been blogging so long now that the password was going to a now-defunct email address. It was frustrating and sort of scary while also being sort of freeing; I didn’t feel that constant guilt about not posting as frequently as I would like.

Well, as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and in a short time I had an impressive list of things I really did want to write about. I harassed my hosting service with pathetic pleas for help and they did their magic. I’ve spent a few weeks cleaning up some messes in the backend, and today here I am again.

And again, I feel like my focus for this blog has shifted since the last time I really gave it some thought, but one thing I know for sure: I want to partially return to where I began, with photography and stories and mindfulness and introspection. (Even if, as least for a while, I am stuck with what I can manage to capture through the lens of my aging iPhone.)

Too many hours spent multi-tasking on a computer screen and being always a step behind, an hour beyond deadline, running late for important dates, has left me feeling stressed and scatterbrained. I crave finding connections and sharing really deep thinking, no matter how trivial it may seem.

Blogging for me began as an outlet and quickly became a job, then an obligation, then a chore.

Now? Now I hope it will be a spark. I want to get all fired up about things again.

Certain bodies… become luminous when heated.

Their luminosity disappears after some time,

but the capacity of becoming luminous afresh through heat

is restored to them by the action of a spark.

― Marie Curie

Light it up.

Me Time and My TV Boyfriends

June 30, 2014 By Robin Strong Elton Leave a Comment

After nourishment, shelter and companionship,
stories are the thing we need most in the world.

― Philip Pullman

Let’s get those disclosures out of the way: I’m a member of the Netflix Stream Team. This is a sponsored post. I didn’t take this photo of Benedict. This guy did and I’m using under the permissions of Creative Commons.

If you follow me on Instagram or are friends with me on Facebook, you know I spend a lot of time at CrossFit Riverfront.

You know I work a lot and seem to have more tech issues than the average bear.

You see me with the kids— going places, doing stuff, having fun. Usually.

On Friday and Saturday nights though, I need some me time to retain my sanity. I detach fully from work. I try to slow my brain down and rest my body.

And yeah, I indulge a bit. Because most of what ails you can be fixed with a glass of wine, a bag of sour cream and onion chips and a good story.

Because frankly, if mama ain’t happy ain’t nobody happy.

I’m into comfort TV. Aren’t we all? I like to watch and rewatch (and rewatch again), just like I love to reread. It’s like cozying up in an old tshirt and well-worn sweats. It’s hanging out with old friends.

You catch lines and happenings you didn’t before, parallels and little bits of foreshadowing that didn’t seem like much until after the fact. And with my favorite kinds of shows, you catch ALL KINDS of stuff you didn’t on the first go around simply because there’s so much to catch.

My favorite ME TIME TV TIME shows:

Sherlock. ALL THREE SEASONS NOW AVAILABLE. If you haven’t watched them, please just stop reading now and click through.
Doctor Who. Particularly pleasing because there are a lot of seasons. I warn you against binging too much at one time though, because that exponentially intensifies the feels.
Breaking Bad. It’s awesome when a show totally lives up to the hype. Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul, Bryan Cranston… treasures, every one.
LOST. Enough years have gone by that I’m prepared to relive life on the island even though I know how disappointing it’s ultimately going to be. (Did you know Michael Keaton was supposed to play Jack, and be killed in the first episode?)
Star Trek: The Next Generation. I took a class in college called Concepts of the Soul that mostly consisted of watching TNG episodes. As a result Data is my favorite, but I’ll always have a soft spot for Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
The X-Files. One of the hottest couples in TV history, in my opinion. Very similar to Doctor Who in that there’s a strong overall story arc, but individual episodes are good (often outstanding) taken on their own.
Mystery Science Theater 3000. I saw all of these a million times as a teenager. I blame this series for my inability to keep the snark down while watching shows and movies at home, which I’ve now passed down to my kids, making the watching of mediocre movies a fast-paced, interactive experience. (I’ve linked to Gamera because I feel if you have to watch just one, that’s the most important.)
House. My favorite grump of a man.

I really NEED Netflix to add Friends to streaming. I’d probably spend a whole weekend binging on that trip down memory lane.

Looking at that list, you might think I’m really into sci-fi, but if I’m being honest a lot of the reason this list exists goes like this: Sherlock Holmes, the 10th Doctor, Sawyer, Jean-Luc Picard, Fox Mulder, Joel, Dr Gregory House. My TV boyfriends: the characters, not the actors. I have a serious emotional bond with each of them.

Eventually you have to start watching new episodes of new-to-you series, so I’ve caved to peer pressure and started Orange is the New Black. Other contenders, based on my FB stream, include Scandal, House of Cards, Game of Thrones (not currently on streaming) and The Walking Dead (not gonna happen, I don’t do zombies).

Now all you need is some sour cream and onion chips. For me, that means Herr’s and no substitutes. Not a chip person? I feel very badly for you, but this recipe for pizza popcorn might be up your alley. (Confession: I actually bought sour cream and onion seasoning from the bulk section of a local market to add to popcorn. Cass chose white cheddar seasoning. Don’t judge.)

Tell me your comfort shows, your TV boyfriends/girlfriends, and if applicable, the moment when Benedict Cumberbatch went from being an interesting actor to a panty-dropper of a heartthrob for you. I haven’t figured out my exact moment yet, but by golly I’ll keep watching these episodes of Sherlock until I do…

When I Was Your Age, We Had 8 Channels: Boob Tube Nostalgia and a Netflix Giveaway

April 24, 2014 By Robin Strong Elton 52 Comments

how sad and bad and mad it was
but then, how it was sweet

―Robert Browning

My nine-year-old is hooked on Gilligan’s Island.

I thought it was funny when I was a kid, I guess. I certainly watched a lot of it, on summer days and when I was home sick from school. You didn’t have a lot of choice, back then; I had channels 3, 6, 10, 12, 17, 23, 29 and 57. That was it. During the day at least half of those were judge shows, talk shows or soap operas. We all watched the same sitcoms; we all share that cultural heritage.

Back to Gilligan: the episodes drive me nuts now. I understand, rationally, that it’s an important device to drive the plot and keep them on the island, but good lord Gilligan is dumb. Maddeningly dumb. How could anyone so dumb be trusted with people’s lives on a tour ship? It was just a matter a time before the Minnow was lost.

To prove to the kids (and to my own memory) that not every show I liked as a child was insipid nonsense, I’ve been revisiting some on Netflix with them. (We have a Netflix streaming subscription as part of our participation in the Stream Team.) Right now, we’re making our way through The Wonder Years, which is just as funny and sweet as I recalled. Sometimes it’s really sad, too, something I don’t think I picked up then.

We’ve also made our way through Malcolm in the Middle, which is every bit as good as I remember if not even better. Cass discovered the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, The Smurfs and Garfield & Friends on her own (in my defense: I did not like any of those, myself. But Cass sure does.)

When we’re done with those, we’ve can stream:

You can also get Thundercats, The Greatest American Hero, Three’s Company, Wonder Woman, Perfect Strangers, Sledgehammer!, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, The Cosby Show and The Tick on disc. Small Wonder is available too, if you wanted to check and see if it was as bizarre as you remembered.

Seriously, (cough other than Doctor Who and Sherlock), who needs cable? Netflix has everything I need except Bill Nye the Science Guy! (Hey Netflix, my birthday is in October, that would be the most awesome present ever!)

If you’re like me and filling the void until new episodes of Sherlock and Doctor Who start back up, or want to share those old favorites with your kids, or heck just want to rewatch them yourself— Netflix is offering one reader a three-month subscription! Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. You could totally make Shrinky Dinks or eat homemade Jell-o Pudding Pops while you’re at it (here”s the recipe).

I’ll choose a winner at noon on April 30th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Obligatory nostalgic photo. I’m 12 or 13 here, my brother 5 or 6.