Shades of Autumn
I used to hate orange.
You know when you're a kid and you're shown that paint colour wheel and you pick a favourite colour, and a least favourite? When you're a kid, it's so black and white - I love pink, I hate yellow, I love blue, I hate grey etc. Well I used to HATE orange. I thought it was too bright, and boring and clashed with everything and it was just yuck.
But recently it occurred to me that when someone, namely me, pictures the colours, you don't imagine the full spectrum of shades and combinations. You, that is, I, picture that silly colour wheel and those dull primary colours.
Why? Why do I do that? When someone asks me what my favourite colour is, I don't picture that bright, boring, plain red from the colour wheel when I tell them my answer. I'm picturing the shades of red that remind me of good times - the lipstick my best friend wears, the dark crimsons of my favourite nail polish, the cherry red of my hair, oozing dark reds in horror films and tumblr pictures, scarlett dresses and Gryffindor imagery... None of which are close to the red found on those dreary colour wheels. I often wonder if, when I tell someone, they are picturing the same shade of red that I am. But even then, when I announce that red is my favourite colour, I am lying. There are some shades of purple I love so much more than that primary wheel red - my rich purple lipstick, the colour of my prom dress, the cloudy night sky lit up in violet hues by the cities beneath, the striped black and purple tights still unworn in my drawer, just waiting for a silly enough occasion,the sparkly purple ink I used to write the first draft of this blog post.
Even then, of course, there are blues I hold above all other colours. The colour of the TARDIS alone - even just hearing the sound of that old, new, borrowed blue box, the colour fills my vision and oozes throughout my mind, calming me before it appears. That colour is one of the most important and valued in my life, but it's far from the only blue that matters to me: The colour of my own eyes as compared to Dad's, versus the colour of my sister's compared to Mum's, my ukulele, the colour of Stitch (of Lilo and Stitch fame), the sapphire earrings my friend Todd bought me, the varied incarnations of Ravenclaw's blue crest, the night sky when it's filled with stars... there are so many examples, but the color of love, in my opinion, will always be blue.
I could give examples of this for every colour, even those which I claim to dislike, like orange and brown, because the moment that Autumn rolls through town, they become my favourite colours. Driving down old country lanes and watching trees lit up in amber and bronze and gold and mahogany and yellows and purples all against the various greens of the fields and blues in the sky is one of the greatest feelings in the world.
Song of the Week: New York Morning - Elbow
I know right, this is the second Elbow song out of only about four entries, but what can I say? I love them. This one in particular holds some meaning in conjunction with this post, however. My favourite line in this entire song is actually the closing verse, and everytime I hear it, it gets me, no matter how often I listen to this song.
You know when you're a kid and you're shown that paint colour wheel and you pick a favourite colour, and a least favourite? When you're a kid, it's so black and white - I love pink, I hate yellow, I love blue, I hate grey etc. Well I used to HATE orange. I thought it was too bright, and boring and clashed with everything and it was just yuck.
But recently it occurred to me that when someone, namely me, pictures the colours, you don't imagine the full spectrum of shades and combinations. You, that is, I, picture that silly colour wheel and those dull primary colours.
Why? Why do I do that? When someone asks me what my favourite colour is, I don't picture that bright, boring, plain red from the colour wheel when I tell them my answer. I'm picturing the shades of red that remind me of good times - the lipstick my best friend wears, the dark crimsons of my favourite nail polish, the cherry red of my hair, oozing dark reds in horror films and tumblr pictures, scarlett dresses and Gryffindor imagery... None of which are close to the red found on those dreary colour wheels. I often wonder if, when I tell someone, they are picturing the same shade of red that I am. But even then, when I announce that red is my favourite colour, I am lying. There are some shades of purple I love so much more than that primary wheel red - my rich purple lipstick, the colour of my prom dress, the cloudy night sky lit up in violet hues by the cities beneath, the striped black and purple tights still unworn in my drawer, just waiting for a silly enough occasion,the sparkly purple ink I used to write the first draft of this blog post.
Even then, of course, there are blues I hold above all other colours. The colour of the TARDIS alone - even just hearing the sound of that old, new, borrowed blue box, the colour fills my vision and oozes throughout my mind, calming me before it appears. That colour is one of the most important and valued in my life, but it's far from the only blue that matters to me: The colour of my own eyes as compared to Dad's, versus the colour of my sister's compared to Mum's, my ukulele, the colour of Stitch (of Lilo and Stitch fame), the sapphire earrings my friend Todd bought me, the varied incarnations of Ravenclaw's blue crest, the night sky when it's filled with stars... there are so many examples, but the color of love, in my opinion, will always be blue.
I could give examples of this for every colour, even those which I claim to dislike, like orange and brown, because the moment that Autumn rolls through town, they become my favourite colours. Driving down old country lanes and watching trees lit up in amber and bronze and gold and mahogany and yellows and purples all against the various greens of the fields and blues in the sky is one of the greatest feelings in the world.
Song of the Week: New York Morning - Elbow
I know right, this is the second Elbow song out of only about four entries, but what can I say? I love them. This one in particular holds some meaning in conjunction with this post, however. My favourite line in this entire song is actually the closing verse, and everytime I hear it, it gets me, no matter how often I listen to this song.
The way the day begins,
it decides the shade of everything,
but the way it ends depends on if you're home,
for every soul, a pillow and a window please,
the modern Rome, where folk are nice to Yoko.
Movie of the Week: One Small Hitch
So this had the potential to be terrible, and if you're someone who hates rom-coms, you will probably still think it is, but I LOVED this film. Despite my well-documented annoyance with most rom-coms and their neither romantically nor particularly funny escapades, I had a really good time watching this film a year ago, and when I rewatched it yesterday it still totally held up. It's the traditional rom-com trope of two people who pretend to be together in order to achieve something, etc. etc. *shenanigans ensue* but what makes this film different is how real it feels. The Proposal was a fun movie to watch but I was never particularly invested in the romance, because it felt, as most of these films do, too forced. This film, however, sets up from the beginning that the two people who are *spoiler alert* going to fall in love while they pretend to be in love, have known each other since they were children, have incredibly close families, and also pretend to be engaged for all the RIGHT reasons. It is predictable, but in a delightfully upbeat and charming way, and it's perfect for watching on a lazy day.
Book of the Week: American Gods - Neil Gaiman
I ADORE Neil Gaiman. From American Gods to Coraline to The Sandman, he's essentially a shining beacon of writing glory that I look up to and love. The way he writes is wonderful and the subject matter, as well as his impressive characterisation and personification of metaphysical entities is absolutely glorious and if you don't what those words mean, it doesn't matter because you don't need to in order to love Neil Gaiman.
Photo of the Week:
Did I mention Autumn was my favourite season?
Positivity Goal of the Week: Stop putting things off just because you're afraid.
Fear is a powerful tool in stopping you from getting what you want. Outside forces might stop you in the end, but at least you can say you tried, even though you were terrified.
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