Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Things I am told to say

There are a few things that people have told me recently that they told me to put on my blog. And of course I always do what I am told, so here it goes.

FROM MY HUSBAND'S STRANGE LAND

TV novellas are just starting to hit the US airwaves, but they have been in place for quite a while in Mexico, and of course Japan. My Sweet has just had me watch the entire 15 hours, sorry 12 episodes, of a series called "Densha Otoko" (Train Man). It is about a totally sweet anime geek who musters up the courage not only to stop a beautiful woman from being mauled by an obnoxious drunk, but he also stuttered out a request for a date. The sweet thing is that Densha has an on line community where he pours out the honesty in his heart, and they help him step out of his geek-dom in order to get the girl, and then to embrace the action figure-collecting, voice-actor worshiping, comicon-season-ticket-holding geek that he is. And there are a surprising number of romantic lines where I slap my husband's knee and ask him why he doesn't say things like that.

But tell me this, why is it always the geek guy who gets the gorgeous girl? (How do you like this for a piece of alliteration?) Why not the geek girl going for the hunk? Or a couple enjoying their geek-appeal together? The answer has to be more than the male-dominated industry. I mean at least a third of the audience, who the sponsors need to appease, is female geek.

OBVIOUS METAPHORS

The other day I was meeting with a wonderful group of spiritually passionate women. (And I am not just saying this because I hope they are going to read and comment on this!) In the course of dinner and discussion I made a few metaphorical references. Refreshing Sunshine said that I had better put them in my blog. So here they are:

Comparison 1)Sheep are creatures that are not phased when one of their own is killed - much like us sometimes. But as soon as I said it, I knew it was cutting but not entirely true. The sheer numbers of massacres like in Darfur overwhelms us, but we also feel powerless to help. But we will encourage the hunting down a murderer and demand justice. And if the criminal is super rich and can buy off the system, we make it so uncomfortable that they leave the country.

Comparison 2)Figs are in their growing season right now. They are sweet and succulent, but the season is short. Once a fig tree was in trouble for falsely implying that it was in season, like it had it all together and could bring sustenance and sweetness. When we pretend that we have no trouble and all the answers, when we give out junk or fluff, that is when we are to be shamed.

Now here is a challenge for you. Think of Forrest Gump: Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you have until you take a big old bit out of it.

Take a word from group A and one from group B.

Group A
life
love
man
woman
education
TV
music
(your choice)

Group B
autumn
Disneyland
a mud puddle
a pair of shoes
Tarzan
earthworms
skydiving
(your choice)

Plug your choices in here and finish the sentence. Be sure to put your metaphor as a comment.

(Word A) is like (Word B) because ...

Joie de Vivre ~ A Hearty Joy of Living!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice post! I wonder if that new sitcom "Ugly Betty" is going to try to do as you suggest and give the geek girl something to smile about? ;)

A writing exercise - cool!

Love is like autumn because it is a mix of thrilling briskness and golden mellowness.

Isabella in the 21st Century said...

Men are like pairs of shoes you have to wear them in to get them comfortable!

Hmm, not too sure that that one is an original creation...perhaps I read it on a fridge magnet. I'm useless at simile/metaphor!

A geeky girl generally has to "transform" before she gets a hunk...never mind!

Just Me said...

I know Plainandsimple. Why must she transform. Why doesn't the shallow hunk transform and enjoy her as she is. And he transforms to where he wants to be around her and his friends (and hers as well). And what about the geek friends having a hard time accepting her dating from the "outside".

Just Me said...

flippant, great metaphore! And I love the koolaid/ playdoh connection!