Owl Valentine

Little owls from Feb 14, 2013 Bing

I absolutely adore this image that was from the Valentine’s Day Bing homepage.  It’s sweet and it kind of makes me think of several things.  Obviously the first thing is love.  A couple of little love birds, right?

But then after staring at it for a moment, and a comment or two from my mom, we decided it’s a couple of little old ladies sitting together and one has to fix the other’s feather that is just out of place.  It mustn’t be.  Just like if you have a hat on and a bit of the decoration is tweaked.  It has to be fixed.  These are just two of the best friends ever.  They do every thing together.

Doesn’t it look like that?

In writing, I find some of the simplest things can become great ideas.  I want to write about two little old lady owls that are best friends.  They have tea together every day, or take a walk through the park.

Who knows. This may never go anywhere, but I have the idea stuck in my head.  It’s cute and charming.

What say you?

Signing off

~Kate

The Many Versions of Captain Hook

It seems to me that I have seen a fair amount of Peter Pan and Captain Hook inspired stories. For me, the classic Hook is the Disney version. Silly, ridiculous and a total nut, he isn’t super scary and is my most favorite Disney villain. I adore Captain Hook.

.
Dustin Hoffman‘s portrayal was next as far as hilarious. You can’t really view him as a horrible villain especially when he loses his hat and wig and you realize he’s bald.   He’s so insanely afraid of clocks, he goes completely mad in his clock museum.  Yes, he’s far from scary.

Then we come to Jason Isaac’s portrayal. He was ruthless and kind of scary.  Taking the role of Mr. Darling, then as Hook, he captures some of the fear we feel towards our father’s at points.  Fear and respect, but I found him to be deadly.  And very villan-ish.

More recently there was was Rhys Ifans‘ playing the dreaded Captain, but in a new way. The Neverland mini series gave a slightly sexier side to the Captain, who first starts out as a fencing teacher, and a bit of a gentleman thief on the streets of London.  This has actually been one of my more favorite versions, partly because he was kind of so good looking.

Finally I saved the best for last.  Like I’ve said, I’ve seen a fair amount of Captain Hook portrayals, but none are quite so sexy, quite so deliciously evil (with a good side), quite so wow factor than the marvelous, gorgeous, sexy and all around perfect Captain Hook as Colin O’Donoghue‘s Killian Jones. ABC’s Once Upon A Time has taken and flipped every fairytale we know, but none quite so good as this version of Captain Hook.  He’s sexy, (did I mention that?) he’s charming like you wouldn’t believe, and he’s really not quite as bad as he could be.  Sure he tried to take a heart or two. Sure he’s working with the evil Cora. And sure, you can’t really quite trust him, but, he did tell Emma he wouldn’t have left her on the beanstalk.  That speaks for something doesn’t it?  And he didn’t kill her when he had the opportunity to when they were all trying to go through the portal.  Come on, if he likes Emma, he can’t be all bad.  Besides, he’s so gorgeous, you can’t make him truly evil.  Gorgeous people are not evil.

I could post pictures, and videos, and love sonnets to the new Captain Hook, but then I might look a bit like a stalker.  And pardon the raving.  Colin O’Donoghue and his Killian Jones character, are now the model for one of my hero’s that I’ve been writing about for 7 years.  I’ve never found anyone that fit the bill for my character of Rafe Simon, which after some retrospect I feel is not a worthy enough name for someone as gorgeous as Colin O’Donoghue, and now I have.  I will be posting soon on Escaping the Inkwell, about my characters, so more lovely pictures to drool over will be included.

Now, I’m curious, what other versions of Captain Hook do you enjoy?  Would you believe I have never read the original Peter Pan, so I don’t even really know what Captain Hook is like, except for what I’ve seen.  I’m horribly biased I think.

Well, I’d love to know anyone else’s thoughts on this villain, and Killian Jones…..

Signing off

Kate

Related articles

• Once Upon a Time’s Captain Hook Speaks! Colin O’Donoghue Talks Playing a Disney Villain in Season 2 (eonline.com)
• ‘Once Upon A Time’ Scoop: Are Emma & Captain Hook Getting Together? (hollywoodlife.com)
• Once Upon A Time: Apparently the show you can’t quit. (theleisuretimeblog.wordpress.com)

Being Proactive

I am being incredibly proactive.  I just finished writing my post for Christmas.

Next year.

Yes, I decided that I never get around to a proper holiday post, so why not do it now, while I’m in the spirit and have major inspiration.  I need to add a picture, but I have it all ready for the 24th of next year.  It’s kind of fun.  Like a little present to myself and all my readers.  Now, sure, it takes away the surprise if I tell you now that I already typed it up, but will you actually remember that I told you that?  Probably not.

I’m never one to be very good at blogging on time.  In fact, I’ve become quite horrible about it.  I was much better with the WordPress challenge of Postaweek  last year.  It was much easier when I had a deadline.

But I’m trying.

I’m trying to get back on track to blogging more regularly, along with writing query letters and writing in general.  I’ve gotten bogged down in holiday cheer and the whole relaxing after a crazy summer and fall.  I have millions of ideas in my heads, and actually some time to write, yet I spend it futzing and reading.  Oh well.  Reading is important.

So, here’s to one of my New Year’s resolution of being proactive.

Signing off

~Kate

It’s Caturday!

This post is strictly for those over at Caterpickles. I saw this while perusing Tumblr, which I should never do after 12AM, but I’m a masochist at times. I fell in love with this picture and immediately thought of the 5YO and her mother.

But isn’t this the sweetest thing ever? I have to write something about Caturday. I like the sound of that.

Signing off
~Kate

Suspended for Long Hair

While I think most school dress codes are a good thing, there are times you sort of wonder.  There are always going to be times when a rule needs to be stretched and in the case of an Ohio boy growing out his hair for a charity, that is a time for such a stretch.  Below is the article taken from Yahoo news.

Student suspended for growing hair for charity Locks of Love

By Nadine Bells

Shine On Blogger

 

By Nadine Bells | Shine On – Wed, 24 Oct, 2012 1:43 PM

Zachary Aufderheide has been suspended by his school for growing his hair even though it is for charity. (Face …What was supposed to be a thoughtful gesture for charity has resulted in a suspension for one Ohio teen.

Zachary Aufderheide, 17, of Canton, Ohio, is growing out his hair to donate a 10-inch ponytail to Locks of Love, an organization that provides wigs for cancer patients.

However, his growing hair violates his high school’s dress code, so Canton South High School gave the junior an ultimatum, cut his hair or face a two-day in-school suspension.

Only one inch away from his goal, Aufderheide chose the suspension. He doesn’t know what will happen at the end of the suspension, but is determined to donate his hair.

Aufderheide’s mother, Robin, tells ABC News that her son approached the school board in September to explain the importance of what he was doing and to ask them to support him in reaching his goal.

“I can understand where they’re coming from. They’ve had this dress code policy for so long, but I don’t understand why they can’t make one simple exception this one time,” Zach tells WKYC-TV.

Despite board members commending Aufderheide’s efforts, they still voted to uphold the school’s dress code.

“What he’s doing is against board policy. The decision on this one, tough as it was, was to follow the board policies written,” says school board president John Martin.

“I feel pretty disappointed with their decision because, honestly, I really put a lot of heart and soul into my demonstration, like, my presentation of the idea to them, and then when they just all unanimously voted against it…it was just kind of heartbreaking to me,” Aufderheide tells ABC News.

Aufderheide insists that he’ll maintain his hair at regulation length following the donation to Locks of Love.

Last winter, a Michigan teen was suspended for the same reason.

Seventeen-year-old J.T. Gaskins, 17, is a leukaemia survivor and wanted to give back by donating to Locks of Love.

“I’m fighting for them to make it an option for kids to grow out their hair for Locks of Love, to make it a part of the school and raise awareness for all cancer charities out there that can help patients,” Gaskins says of the petition he and his mother launched, asking the school to change its policy on hair.

“It wouldn’t be a change to where people find a loophole just to grow out their hair.”

“I’m fine with all of their rules,” Gaskins adds. “I just think that with this, they could try to make a compromise.”

The school responded to the petition with options for Gaskins, promising to support the teen as long as he styled his growing hair in a way that was compliant with school rules, kept out of his eyes and off his shirt collar.

In the end, Gaskins opted to look for a new school.

Should school’s hair rules make exceptions for Locks of Love donations? What about other dress code violations in the name of charity?

So, what say you, all my readers?  Personally, for a boy who has survived  leukaemia, I think this was a wonderful thing to do.  I also think this Locks of Love sounds like a very good charity.  As I just had my hair cut to shoulder length, it would be hard to have that long of hair for a while, but what a wonderful charity.  Something to think about for the future.  Check it out.

Signing off

~Kate