One of my childhood rituals was looking through the J.C. Penny’s Christmas Wishbook as soon as it arrived in the mail. I turned each and every page, coveting the many and varied toys that were so attractively laid out in all their glossy glory. At no time do I remember this ritual more than during the years when Star Wars related toys were the must-have items.
I did not have alot of Star Wars toys as a child. It isn’t that my parents weren’t generous. Far from it. The truth was that we had so many toys and I am not sure that they understood at the time how much Star Wars had become, or would become, a building block of our lives. I remember having C-3PO, Chewbacca, and one other character…maybe a Storm Trooper. My brother had three as well. I think they came in 3 packs. This got me thinking about Star Wars merchandise and I thought today’s post would be a fun time to reveal the latest must-have Star Wars swag!
A young man destined to be a hero, a strong-willed princess in distress, a handsome rogue and his hairy sidekick…
It is hard to believe that almost 30 years have passed since that fateful day in which my parents loaded us up into the family auto and took my brother and I to see Star Wars at the drive-in theatre. Movies no doubt excited me before the advent of George Lucas’ surprisingly successful space opera, but for those who were kids in my generation, do you even recall movies before Star Wars?
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.â€Â
~Pablo Picasso
Creative expression in its many and varied forms is a big part of what fuels my zest for living and, from my interactions with all of you, I know that I am not alone. Books, music, fine art, illustration, found art creations….the list of things that inspire us that can be sheltered under the umbrella of the term ‘art’ is large indeed.
Sites like Endicott Studio that cater to the collective creativity of artists thrill me. They are places that feel like home. Another such place that I have been enamored of for years is Duirwaigh Gallery.
Duirwaigh Gallery deserves an Endicott Studio-like post of it’s own. That is something I will have to save for another day, because what I want to do today is unveil a writing contest inspired by both Duirwaigh Gallery and by Lisa Snellings-Clark. But let me encourage you now. Visit the site. Explore. It is amazing (you just know I’m going to have to do a post about them soon, don’t you?!?!).
Editor’s Note: This is a long post, I apologize, but once you get to the end I think you’ll find that it was well worth the journey!
Given the fact that I have changed my blog header to showcase figures from Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman/The Dreaming comics series and that yesterday’s post was very Neil-centric, it was no surprise to see Stephanie’s comment in yesterday’s post: “You are certainly a big Neil Gaiman fan…”
My first thought was, “is she calling me fat?”. Considering I am hosting the 10:4 Challenge that isn’t a real stretch of the imagination.
In the last few days I have been tagged by both Angela (SciFiChick) and JenClair to do the 8 Random Things Meme.
The rules are simple, post 8 random things/habits about yourself and tag 8 others. I had in mind a post about recent acquisitions lined up for today, so I decided to have fun and combine the two. These (not-so) random pictures will no doubt reveal as much about me as would eight words-only facts. The question of whether or not I am bending the rules for this meme is not open to debate…I believe I am well within the spirit and probably the letter of the law. The real question is whether or not I can stick to just eight. Honestly, you already know the answer to that one, don’t you?
