The Bottle Above My Door

May 8, 2018May 7, 2018 ~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! I have nothing writerly to talk about this week, so I thought I would share the (boring) story behind one of my weirder decorations. Hanging above my door, alongside my collection of drumsticks and guitar picks, is a crumpled up plastic water bottle. Whenever I’m hurting and need to lay back in the chair to shift my weight (or I get stuck on something while writing and just need a break), I usually end up staring at that bottle for a few minutes. It has this weird ability to make me smile, despite being a piece of junk to everyone else. I guess it’s because I get to think about that December night back 2011 when I got it.

Kyo's Water Bottle — Yes, I’m one of those weird people who keep things like this

That year was a year for concerts. Miyavi came around in November (pretty sure one of the drumsticks is from that one), which was a no-brainer for me. I was definitely going to that show. Then, I found out that Dir en grey was coming through that December. I admit that I struggled a bit with the decision to go to that show. I knew Dad wasn’t a fan (screamy Japanese metal just isn’t his thing, though I knew he wouldn’t say no if I asked to go) and it was a little expensive, but I had never seen them live before. And you never really know if Japanese bands are going to come back through Texas, so it’s best to catch them when you can. Ultimately, I decided to go.

Dad, the Minion (yes, I call my friend a minion, except I think he still had the title of Puppet back then), and I piled in the van and headed down to Trees in Deep Ellum. It’s one of my favorite venues down there, though we haven’t been in a while. The owners were super nice. I heard they’ve reopened two other venues since the last time I went to a concert out there, which is neat. But I digress.

056 — The Minion! And yes, I wore a Mudvayne hat to a Dir en grey concert.

The concert was awesome. Sat by the stage, right in front of Toshiya, the bassist. At one point, Dad leaned over and said that he had just realized that that guy (Toshiya) was wearing a skirt. Given other bands I listen to, it wasn’t a surprise as much as an observation, but it was still funny. Then, when the concert was over and the band members were leaving the stage, Kyo (the singer) stopped and gave me his crumpled up water bottle. Still high on the live music buzz, it was the most awesome thing EVER! A little later, when asked what I planned on doing with his garbage, I vaguely remember a plan to harvest his DNA and clone him. That never came to fruition, but I did use it as a wall decoration.

And that’s how one man’s literal trash became my treasure. What’s something weird that you keep around? Do you have anything other people would look at and automatically think it’s trash? Share your story here or on my social media pages!

Toyota Music Factory: State-Of-The-Art Experience Or Not?

January 24, 2018January 23, 2018 ~ shawnaborman ~ 2 Comments

Hello, hello! On Monday, Dad surprised me with a trip out to Irving to see the Moody Blues. They’re a band that Dad and I both enjoy. I was raised on them. They played a lot of songs I knew and a few I didn’t. Of course, Dad sang along to all of them. We both had a lot of fun, though Dad couldn’t figure out how all the other fans had gotten so old while he stayed young. But I wanted to talk about the venue, the Toyota Music Factory, and our experience there.

043ddbef7bcc982ee65b96ab6179c718 — Still love their music!

According to their FAQ section, “Toyota Music Factory is an experience – with 25 restaurants and entertainment concepts, an Alamo Drafthouse Theater, and the Pavilion – an 8,000 capacity indoor/outdoor, state-of-the-art concert venue, Toyota Music Factory is the new soul of the DFW Metroplex. From power lunches to happy hours, date nights to show time, it’s sure to satisfy any taste in food, music, movies, and more.” But is it really?

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a fabulous concept. Being able to arrive a couple of hours early and stop for dinner at one of the on-site restaurants is great, especially for people who don’t know the area well (like us). And since it’s not even a year old (it officially opened in September of 2017), minor problems are to be expected. Case in point, the security people on parking duty had absolutely no clue about handicap parking. Even the valet people seemed confused, but there was one cripple spot left up front, so they told us to go ahead and park there instead of in one of the garages. And that was once we were there. The signage to get to the place was absolutely horrible. But I don’t know if that’s a venue issue or a city of Irving issue.

mf-featured — Borrowed from TMF’s website.

The Pavilion (the music venue itself) was a nice place, but I wouldn’t call it state-of-the-art by any means. It was stark, all concrete and wood. It actually reminded me of some of the small venues I’ve been to, only ten times the size. There wasn’t an actual elevator. Instead, they have a “lift,” which is a base with a wall on either side, but the front and back are exposed to the concrete/doors of the shaft. So, while it’s moving, you better keep yourself away from the front and back. Then there was the seating. Handicap seating was fairly close (second section) with a barrier that didn’t obstruct the view. We were in the center. There was also some handicap seating up in the third section. But even though the floor seating was the same as the companion seats in the cripple sections, easily removed folding chairs (seemed kind of chintzy for “state-of-the-art”), there weren’t any handicap tickets available down there. It wasn’t a bad venue by any means, but it certainly wasn’t what they advertise it to be.

VPC8-592x1024 — The lift was something like this, encased in concrete.

Overall, it’s a venue I wouldn’t mind going back to if a band worth seeing comes through. All of the staff were friendly and helpful, which goes a long way to balancing out the not-so-good aspects of the place. However, it’s definitely not going to be the “new soul” of DFW unless they make some significant improvements. Plus, it’s all the way over in Irving, so the bands will have to be really good to make me go back.

A To Z: Songs To Write By

August 24, 2016August 23, 2016 ~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! As you can probably tell by the title, I’m having a hard time coming up with topics again. Suggestions are most welcome. Anyway, I decided to do an A to Z list (by song title) of songs that (usually) end up on my writing playlists. Granted, every story is different and requires different music, so this is in no way comprehensive. In fact, my current WIP has been written with little to no music. Sometimes, noise just gets in the way. But, when I do use music, you can be pretty sure the following songs will be playing.

A: “All of Me” by John Legend. In case I have to write one of those sappy love scenes. You know the ones.

B: “Battlefield” by Blind Guardian. Because power metal makes everything you write sound more epic. Even when you’re sure it sucks.

C: “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” by Yoko Takahashi. “A” and “The” don’t count. But this is the opening of Neon Genesis Evangelion, which reminds me of Shinji, who reminds me that it’s okay to write characters you know some people are going to hate. Because I love to hate Shinji.

Get+in+the+goddamn+robot+shinji+neon+genesis+evangelion+in_8a24b3_4672778 — She’s not wrong.

D: “Did You Hear the Rain?” by George Ezra. It’s a new addition for my list, but it’s awesome and that’s enough of a reason.

E: “Eres Tu” by Kany Garcia. Because sometimes you just need a bouncy song when you’re slogging through the tedious parts of stories.

F: “Float On” by Modest Mouse. To remind me make everything worse before it gets better, but to have my characters take most of it in stride.

G: “Girl Anachronism” by the Dresden Dolls. The song is great, but anachronisms are bad in stories.

H: “Hiai to Melancholy” by Matenrou Opera. No special reason. It’s just lovely.

I: “I Come with Knives” by IAMX. For all those weird scenes that you sit there going “what the hell is wrong with this person?” as you write them.

J: “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars. Because sometimes I have to remind myself that I originally liked these characters for some reason.

K: “Kraam” by Bodyslam. A soothing Thai song is always appropriate.

L: “Love Me Dead” by Ludo. Because sometimes I have to write about unhealthy and creepy relationships, but Ludo makes it fun.

M: “Muma -the Nightmare-” by Buck-Tick. Because Buck-Tick, that’s why.

015 — What’s not to love about Buck-Tick?

N: “Neo Universe” by L’arc en Ciel. Upbeat for all the happy moments, rare as they may be. Plus, they have Hyde-san.

O: “Odd One” by Sick Puppies. Because everyone needs moral support sometimes. Even the voices in your head.

P: “Postcards” by James Blunt. For the sappy scenes. I swear.

Q: “Quitter” by Edgewater. Sometimes rage is needed in stories.

R: “The Rest of My Life” by Less Than Jake. To remind me to include internal conflict as well as all the fun stuff.

S: “Sympathia” by Versailles. Just because I really like it.

T: “Thank God I’m Pretty” by Emilie Autumn. To remind me that even the luckiest of my characters need to have issues. Everything, even beauty, has a downside.

U: “Ugly” by the Exies. Because sometimes I forget how to do teenage angst. Songs like this help me remember.

V: “Vinushka” by Dir en grey. Creepy, rage, dark, disturbing. That’s the kind of stuff Diru is helpful with. Also, beauty and depth.

W: “Wolfen (Das Tier in Mir)” by E Nomine. Epic music makes for epic stories. Also, werewolves.

X: “Xanadu“ by Moi dix Mois. It’s actually the only song on my computer that starts with x.

Y: “You Can’t Be Missed if You Never Go Away” by Cobra Starship. In other words, heed that call to adventure and leave me alone.

Z: “Zakuro” by Vaniru. It’s another one of those that I just like. I don’t know the words, so I can tune it out if I need to in order to write.

What are some of the songs that usually go into your writing or painting or whatever other creative outlets you pursue playlists? Feel free to share some links in the comments or on my social media pages. And don’t forget to suggest some blog topics or ask me some questions if you have any.

See ya!

J-Rock: How I Became A Fangirl

February 3, 2016February 2, 2016 ~ shawnaborman ~ 4 Comments

Howdy all! Last week, I asked for some suggestions on what to blog about, so Lew and Joe asked how I got into J-Pop/Rock. It’s not really that long or interesting of a story, but they wanted to know. So, please excuse me while I fangirl (get overly excited, squee, and babble on about a certain subject) over some of my favorite music and musicians while I relive those early days.

005 — And there are definitely some pretty men. That’s Miyavi, by the way.

I guess I got into Japanese music the same way a lot of people do: anime. I grew up with the Americanized version of Sailor Moon, then Pokémon and Digimon and Cardcaptor Sakura and all of that came along. But it wasn’t until I was sixteen or seventeen (around the time I started looking to the Internet for friends instead of hanging out with my sister and her friends) when I began searching for fansubs and the original versions of the shows that I started my brief voyage into the world of J-Pop, then my descent into J-Rock.

It wasn’t just anime exposing me to the music, but also the friends I was making by hanging out in anime chatrooms. (Do you even remember those? The Yahoo chats? Oh how I miss those days.) It takes a lot for a theme song to entice me into looking it up, so I was a total n00b to the music compared to most of the people I met. So, I listened to every song people recommended. For example, one of the people I hung out with was a rabid fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion, so for a while, I knew every song (and every version) in that series because he would insist I listen to them. It wasn’t that I enjoyed everything I heard, but I was open to the possibility that I might like it.

Then, I got into YouTube. Back in the day, before Google and Vevo and all of the legal stuff, YouTube was a wonderland of obscure music. Plus, it was great about recommending things based (no matter how remotely) on whatever you were watching instead of just suggesting whatever happens to be popular that week, which is how I found my way into J-Rock and all its lovely subgenres. I had my first brush with bands like Dir en grey (awesome if you like metal), Buck-Tick (kind of an 80s vibe), Versailles (symphonic metal), and Miyavi (guitarist). From there, I just kind of dug around on my own to find things that I adore. It also doesn’t hurt that most of the beautiful women are actually men (a fangirl topic for another day).

Group4 — Versailles. They’re all men. Yes, even him.

JRock247-exist-trace-WORLD-MAKER-group-2014-081 — Exist Trace. And they’re all women.

It was just something that happened. There was no big plan involved. It was just a new obsession stemming from an old one, like a slow descent into madness. We all have these types of love, so tell me about yours. What’s your random obsession that makes people wonder how you got into it? And how’d it happen?

Getting into the Holiday Spirit

December 2, 2015December 1, 2015 ~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! Thanksgiving is over (though leftovers still remain), so it’s officially time to get into the holiday spirit. In fact, just this past Monday, my minion (he knows who he is) posted on Facebook that people were talking to him and smiling at his job (apparently this is unusual behavior). Our exchange went something like this:

Me: “It’s called the holiday spirit. You’re in for about a month of it.”
Him: “Ack! Does it wash off???”
Me: “No. And it’s highly contagious.“

Later that evening, he and his family were supposed to join Dad and I for SMU’s Celebration of Lights. The minion ended up having to work, so we kidnapped his kids and girlfriend and took them anyway. ^__^

23451882755_21a6b5c078_o — Forgot the camera, so all of these pictures are stolen from the link above.

The Celebration of Lights was one of very few events I actually enjoyed attending as a student (and still enjoy as an alumna). It takes place on the front steps of Dallas Hall. People gather in the quad and sing along to Christmas carols. President Turner reads the Christmas story (which I still think Linus does better). And they light up the tree for the first time. It’s just a really nice way to start off the season. The free cocoa and cookies are a bonus.

22824741863_e0c4740b5f_o 23343397682_1bd8b5c5f1_o

The performances all change a little each year. Students and student groups volunteer to sing different carols, so things rotate as people graduate and new people enroll. Some are better than others, but SMU has a decent music program, so everyone is (usually) pretty good.

However, I suppose my favorite part of the celebration is the fact that something always goes wrong. Little things. One year, the microphones kept cutting off. This year, they were supposed to the flip the lights on after the first verse of Silent Night (like usual), but apparently the switch flipper wasn’t paying attention or they had technical difficulties, because the lights didn’t come on until the song was almost over. Not to mention the fact that they always run just a couple of minutes late (it wouldn’t be SMU if things started on time).

Don’t get me wrong, all of that was entirely serious. I go to this thing knowing that there will be something worth laughing about each year. That’s why I enjoy it. That sounds kind of mean now that I think about it, but it’s true. The hiccups make it exciting, even though I’m sure all of the people who are “back stage,” so to speak, are freaking out about this stuff.

23369362431_2ea306bff3_o

All in all, it’s a nice way to open the holiday season. Plus, the kids seem to have a good time. It’s open to the community, so if you’re in the Dallas area next year, consider checking it out (or drive by some time between now and January 3rd while you’re out oohing and ahhing at all the lights to get a look).

I hope the holiday cheer finds you soon, if it hasn’t already! See you next week.

A Month of Giving Thanks (Part Two)

November 11, 2015November 9, 2015 ~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello again! It’s already been a week since my last post? I suppose time flies when you’re having fun. Or maybe it’s just because I’m getting older. I swear I don’t remember the days going by so fast when I was a kid. Anyway, enough rambling. A new week means another chance to share more things I’m grateful for! As I said last time, feel free to join me.

a_break_in_reality_by_xetobyte — “A Break in Reality” by Xetobyte

1. The Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing. If you’ve perused previous posts, you’ve probably noticed my affection for this program. I mean, come on. It’s the first academic setting where I actually felt like I belonged instead of it simply being a stepping stone to my next life goal. Of course I’m thankful for it and all of the people associated with it. I highly suggest applying if you’re a writer.

2. Pretty Asian males. If you know me at all, you knew this was coming sooner or later! I’m entirely comfortable admitting that I like eye candy, preferably Japanese and in a dress (but not always in one). If you don’t like it, that’s fine. Most of the males I stalk are musicians, so they are also ear candy. A couple of samples:

010 — Hizaki (Jupiter) and Kaya (Femme Fatale)!

12193493_887119608032625_4191222900761109431_n — Hiro (Nocturnal Bloodlust) and Sono (Matenrou Opera)!

3. Music in general. If there’s one thing in life that has kept me (relatively) sane, it’s music. Yeah, as a kid, I went with the flow (aka listened to the things my friends were listening to), but I eventually came into my own. I still remember flipping through radio stations once when I was bored and coming across Zip-Lock by Lit. That was the beginning of my punk days. The first time I broke away from what everyone else in my world was listening to. It was so freeing. My tastes have fluctuated a lot since then, so I now listen to an eclectic selection. It keeps me going, so who cares what everyone else is doing?

4. Technology. Without it, I’d not only be confined to one spot all the time, I’d also probably be dead. When you require help for something as simple as breathing, you learn to appreciate the machines that help you out. Wheelchairs, ventilators, patient lifts, and all of that delightful stuff is what I’m talking about. Sure, TVs and cars and radios and all that are fan-freaking-tastic, but right now I mean all of the stuff that helps to make life more or less normal for folks like me.

c48e88f372b3d9b239def03b4af27ed3 — We’ve come a *long* way.

5. Stuffed animals. I know it’s weird for a nearly 30-year-old to admit her love of plushies, but I adore them. They’re soft and cuddly and cute. Their beady eyes are next-level creepy, like they’re staring into your soul and getting ready to eat it. You should know by now that I’m strange. Don’t act so surprised. But yes, stuffed animals rock!

I think that’s all for today. See you next week!

Mood Music

October 21, 2015October 20, 2015 ~ shawnaborman ~ 6 Comments

Hey all! What kind of sounds do you enjoy in your creative environments? It’s a weird question, I know, but it’s an interesting one. A lot of people I’ve talked to about this can’t work in noisy places. They go so far as to carry around those noise-cancelling headphones if they decide to write outside of their usual area. It’s a neat idea, since it’s not only dampening noise, but also giving people a visual sign that you don’t want to be bothered. However, I couldn’t do that. I like to work when there’re sounds all around (preferably music). So, I thought I’d share some of the music I write by.

Honestly, I don’t really have much in the way of criteria when it comes to the music I listen to while writing. I basically just hit shuffle on my iTunes and I’m ready to go. I usually try to start with a song in a language I don’t speak much of, because it’s easier to not get distracted when you can’t sing along. Any language will do, really, but I’m partial to Japanese. Though my music ranges from English to Japanese to German to Spanish to French to Thai to… well, you get the idea.

Buck-Tick is one of my go-tos for writing.

Anyway, on the rare occasion that I do more than hit shuffle, I’m usually looking for a song that sets a certain mood. Take the song above, if I’m looking to write something epic (like fantasy epic, not epic for the sake of epic), that would be on the list. My writing tends to lean more towards horror a lot of the time, so you can bet I have a ton of rage music. Dir en grey, Rammstein, basically all your screamers and growlers go on the rage list. Then there’s the happy rage (see below, but beware of foul language) which is really helpful when writing certain characters. You know the ones I mean. We all have them.

I suppose I have to admit that I also have a number of sappy songs. I blame a certain male I used to know for that. These are the types of songs I never used to own. Ah well. I suppose we all need a reason for a little sap. Admittedly, it’s actually helpful to have musicians like James Blunt and Lifehouse and others in my collection. I find more and more romance seeping into my writing, so it’s good to have that kind of playlist. Plus, you know, the music is really good.

So yeah, my writing music spans pretty much everything. Also, it runs the gamut of the years. I mostly mentioned 90’s and later here, but I have classical and oldies and everything in between.

As I was asking in the beginning, are you more of a quiet worker or noisy? What kind of noise? Nature or music? What kind of music? I’m curious to know how my method differs from yours, so drop me a line on here or Facebook or Twitter or Google+!

Inspiration! Does It Strike You?

June 10, 2015June 9, 2015 ~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Welcome! Another question today. My Minion (Joel Rede) asked me “What inspires you?” Well, is “everything” an acceptable answer? At least that’s the immediate answer that usually pops into my head. However, the more I think about it, the more I go off on a tangent. More often than not, I’m inspired by a multitude of things all playing off of each other, but sometimes I’m not feeling inspired at all. So, while I’m going to talk about sources of inspiration for me, I’m also going to address what I do when nothing is striking me.

I’m easily inspired (it’s awesome, but it’s also a curse because I have SO MANY unwritten or forgotten stories). I’d say that music has the biggest impact on my writing topics. Sometimes, it’s a whole song that catches my attention. A lot of the time, it’s a single line or even just a word that piques my curiosity. I’ve written a screenplay based on a song, and I’ve written short stories that were inspired by a verse or less. The mood of whatever music I listen to also has its fair share of influence on my writing. It’s just one of those things.

Another source of inspiration is people. I’m a people watcher. If I’m obviously staring at you, chances are that you’re not even on my radar, but that guy arguing with a tree (or someone hidden by the tree) behind you definitely has my attention. C’mon. Who doesn’t want to know why the guy is yelling at the tree nymph? Scenes like that, ones that probably have a completely reasonable explanation, are the best things ever! Combine them with snippets of overheard conversations, and you’re golden. It’s especially amusing if you’re somewhere like an anime convention where you have a lumberjack-looking guy dressed as Sailor Moon flirting with a furry. I couldn’t make this stuff up.

cosplay-family-guy-sailor-moon-costume_jpg-demotivational-poster — There are, not they are. Yes, I correct grammar on the Interwebz.

The world is full of inspiration if you’re open to it, but what about the days it fails you? I write anyway. I’m not a believer in writing only when inspiration strikes, because frankly (and I’ve said this before), the muse is a fickle bitch. If you wait for her, you’ll never get anything done. Yeah, you might get 5000 words written one day, but then you’ll hit a month long dry spell. What’s the good in that? On the other hand, I don’t advocate writing every single day, so if you’re consistently inspired five days out of the week, go ahead and take those other two days off guilt free.

If you’re like me, and some days the words just won’t come, write them anyway. It usually happens when I’m between big projects or I’ve hit a spot that I haven’t quite decided how to work my way through. On those days, I free write. I let my mind go blank, then write whatever pops into it. A lot of the time, I just end up writing a three page rant about why writing/certain characters/plotting/whatever sucks. Sometimes, a sentence will pop into my head and lead to a three page description of a new story or novel. So, even free writing can lead to inspiration!

Hand with Reflecting Sphere — M. C. Escher

In other words, whether you find inspiration in music or people or art (another big one for me) or in nothing at all, keep creating. Maybe one day, you’ll be the one inspiring people. Maybe you already are and just don’t know it. Keep it up!

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