Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Thursday Thirteen #23 -- The Balancing Meme
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My good buddy Erica at Writing Aspriations tagged me for the balance meme. You know, Lillie Amman's meme about how to achieve balance in your life, especially when you're juggling being a writer, a blogger, a literary agent shopper, a mom, a wife, a classroom volunteer, a gym rat, and the mom of a cat with irritable bowel disorder. But it's not me Erica wanted to tag. Rather, it was my "delicious fictional characters" she wanted to hear from. Not that I blame her; they're way more interesting than I am. That's why so much of this blog is devoted to them. (what? Did you think I was trying to sell you something? There's no book to buy yet!) So, to combine the fun with my weekly Thursday Thirteen, here you go, Erica. one Kermit Ladd: The question I've been sent here to present to you today is how you achieve balance in your lives. You're these mega-huge rock stars, but you're also ordinary guys. How do you do it? What is the biggest challenge you face in balancing your lives? Trevor: Wait. What happened to that babe who called us delicious? Would she like a taste? (He leers. When that gets no reaction, he eyes Mitchell nervously, but the singer merely stretches his legs out before him and casually crosses his feet at the ankles.) Trevor: Okay, then. Just make sure she knows how to find me. two Kermit Ladd: Balance, Trevor. Not women. Daniel: Why can't women be the balance? Even if it's only for two minutes in an elevator, any sane man can get lost in a good woman. There's your balance. You get that time to forget about performing for an audience and get to think about you. three Kermit Ladd: Most people would call that selfish since you're not caring for your partner. That's not very balanced -- or is that your biggest challenge? Trevor: My biggest challenge is doing it right. You need both feet on the floor. (He stands up and lifts one foot. Immediately, he sways and has to touch his toe to the ground.) See? My balance sucks. Eric: There's real wisdom in there, Trevor. (The bass player turns away, but not before a sneer crosses his face.) There's a reason people call us stars. They think we belong up there-- Mitchell: In outer space. Like freaks. Eric: No, M. High in the heavens, with the other celestial beings. Worshipped and celebrated. But the truth is that we're just people. four Kermit Ladd: Exactly. Now, how do you manage to balance your audiences' expectations? Mitchell: We make better music and put on great shows. Eric: We're approachable. Our fans can come up and talk to us. Mitchell: Well, they could before they got so thick. We had to hire security to save us from them! five Kermit Ladd: So you've got the fans. What about being yourselves? How do you maintain that balance between private person and rock figure? Trevor: Well, Mitchell's parents kick us in the ass when we need it. Eric: They remind us to keep both feet on the ground. When we're at home, not only do we do our own laundry-- Trevor: No, Mitchell's mom does mine. Mitchell: Kerri does ours. Won't let me near it. Trevor: You turned her favorite panties pink? Mitchell: No. She said please. Please leave it for me. (He shrugs.) If it makes her happy, I'm all for it. Daniel: Happy women are good things. Trevor: Gotta have both feet on the floor to keep a woman happy. Or both knees on the bed. Take your pick. Daniel: Val's happiest when I'm home and paying attention to her. I can be Daniel, not Daniel of ShapeShifter, and I do that because she makes me check my ego at the door. six Kermit Ladd: So, sometimes, it does get to your heads? Eric: We wouldn't be human if it doesn't. seven Kermit Ladd: How do you come back to Earth? Mitchell: A roadie stops our prima donna routine over a broken amp by plugging it in. Management calls with something we need to deal with. You kick the garbage all over the kitchen floor and realize you're the only one home to clean it up and take it out already. Trevor: Eric and I get stoned. That's a good way to come back to Earth. Daniel: Sure beats those announcements the doctors make, telling what you caught this time. eight Kermit Ladd: What about priorities? What are your priorities, and how do you meet them? Mitchell: It's a dead-heat between Kerri, making music, and running the band. As for taking care of it all (he shrugs), I do what needs to get done. Any spare time's for me. Daniel: Ditto. It's what we do in our spare time that's different. Eric: I meet things one at a time and try not to freak about how much lies ahead. It's about faith: having enough faith that I'll get through everything and will have time for myself. Trevor: My priorites are simple: women, girls, bimbos. My bike. Getting stoned. And the band. Possibly in that order, but you need to put girls in between all the other shit. nine Kermit Ladd: How about balance in your personal lives, then? Mitchell, you're married. Daniel, you've got a long-time love. How do you balance the demands of the fans with your personal lives? (Daniel and Mitchell exchange looks, daring each other to go first.) Mitchell: Sometimes, you have to turn to a fan and ask if they'd mind giving you some space. I hate to do it, but say you're in the hotel pool, getting some laps in, and they're standing on the edge, yelling at you to come sign an autograph. What do you do? We deserve down time, too. Daniel: I had it once at an Otters game. Sitting in the stands, digging the ball field, eating my hot dogs-- Trevor: And Cracker Jack? Daniel: Wouldn't be a ball game without it. But there's this fan, bugging you and not letting you watch the game. You feel like a total heel for asking them to let you alone, but you've got to, or suddenly, there's ten thousand people forgetting they came to watch baseball. Instead, they're standing in line for your autograph and the team's gathered on the field, drawing straws to see who gets the privelege of knocking you out. Ten Kermit Ladd: What does that have to do with the women in your lives? Trevor: Nothing, unless they're at the game, too, and the fans are stepping on them to get to us. I've seen it happen. Mitchell: You told them to do it. Trevor: Well, the fans weren't crawling after us, so what did we care? Besides, the girl who got stepped on dumped that dick and ran off with me. I got what I wanted in the end. eleven Daniel: I think that sometimes, our fans forget that we are people first. That we can't be ShapeShifter twenty-four-seven. Kermit Ladd: Why not? Eric: We'd only have one foot on the floor. Show him again, Trev. (Trevor stands and, again, lifts one foot. Again, he quickly wobbles.) Daniel: See? You've gotta have both feet on the ground or you're useless. Mitchell: Especially when you need to adjust something on your guitar's foot pedal without stomping on it. twelve Kermit Ladd: You make it sound easy. Mitchell: Sometimes, it is. Sometimes, we need someone to stand on one foot so they can use the other to kick us in the ass. Especially when we're on the road and we're surrounded by people who get paid to say yes to us, no matter what we ask for. Trevor: No one said yes when I asked to spend a night in the locker room with those cheerleaders. Mitchell: You could've spent the night. You just got pissed when we said you'd have to do it without the girls. Trevor: What's the point without them? thirteen Kermit Ladd: Final question and it's back to the women, so please answer it this time. How do your women deal with you guys being on posters that fans pin to their walls? Eric: We stay in a lot. That way, the girls don't have to deal with the jealous pettiness of the others. Daniel: Bodyguards. Trevor: I let a girl pin me to … okay, not the wall 'cause I don't get that hardcore. But the floor. With her knees. It was a lot of fun. (He ducks as Mitchell takes a swipe at the back of his head.) Mitchell: Kerri's strong enough that when she's in a bathroom and hears someone saying how they wish she was dead so they could take her place, that sort of thing doesn't bother her. And when girls come on to me and tell me to forget about her, she laughs in their faces. Daniel: She likes telling you about the shit she overhears. Mitchell: And most of it's shit, too. We all know whose bed I'll be in. Trevor: Yeah. Just remind the world you're the idiot who picked her over all the better ones out there, why don't you? Kermit ends the conversation here as Trevor takes off running, Mitchell hot on his heels. One last note, now that you've reached the end: Don't forget to scroll down to the Buy a Friend a Book Contest. And happy birthday to my blog! It's one year old today, Wednesday April 4. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! |
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Labels: Daniel, Eric, meme, Mitchell, Thursday Thirteen, Trevor, Writing Aspirations
Comments:
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Hee hee! That was such fun! I feel like I know your characters more and more -- they seem to leap off your blog. :)
Happy TT, and thanks for visiting mine!
Happy TT, and thanks for visiting mine!
# posted by 
: April 04, 2007 10:34 PM
: April 04, 2007 10:34 PM
Very funny and clever. I got a kick out of reading this list.
Thanks for stopping by and happy TT Day!
Thanks for stopping by and happy TT Day!
# posted by : April 05, 2007 1:35 AM
: April 05, 2007 1:35 AM
This was so much fun! Really got to keep both feet on the floor. Wonderful. Can I take them all home with me?
Hey! Congrats on being featured at TT today!
Wooot!
I'm back...I actually did a TT today: Thirteen Albums I Can't Live Without!
Wooot!
I'm back...I actually did a TT today: Thirteen Albums I Can't Live Without!
# posted by : April 05, 2007 9:23 AM
: April 05, 2007 9:23 AM
Happy Thursday (yippee! that it's finally Thursday, what a week).
The guys are such goof balls, but you gotta love them.
I love how they completely run around the ueber-important Kermit.
The guys are such goof balls, but you gotta love them.
I love how they completely run around the ueber-important Kermit.
Oh man... that was funny!!! :) Those delicious characters have some great outlooks, eh? Congratulations on being a featured TT'er too! Woot! :) I am curious about this oh so famous interviewer... he's suspect I think! :D
Now that was fun! I'm starting to like your characters more, each time you post something more about them :)
Happy T13! I hope you have great day! :)
Happy T13! I hope you have great day! :)
Funny and interesting as always. I'd like to hear your personal answers too though!
My TT is about oracle decks I own.
My TT is about oracle decks I own.
Not an idiot, Sparky. Just a cut-up. But if you pay close attention, he's a pretty smart guy under all that sarcasm and cutting wit.
One word: No, two, freaking awesome.
Could not be a better 1st anniversary entry. Made me want to ask my own questions, just to hear the feet on the floor or knees line again.
Could not be a better 1st anniversary entry. Made me want to ask my own questions, just to hear the feet on the floor or knees line again.
Creative TT. A fascinating writing exercise, I bet. I wouldn't have thought to treat TT as an opportunity for my characters to have a conversation. ;)
My Thursday Thirteen
http://thesplinteredmind.blogspot.com
~Douglas
My Thursday Thirteen
http://thesplinteredmind.blogspot.com
~Douglas
Happy Blog Birthday!!!
You're characters are awesome. I love the way you have them interviewed for us.
You're characters are awesome. I love the way you have them interviewed for us.
This was soooo cool, Susan! So interesting to see your writing process, your character development. Love it! Happy Passover!
I find it interesting how you used a real meme and placed your characters within it. Great job!
Thanks for visiting my TT.
Thanks for visiting my TT.
Dude, you wouldn't want my MIL. Not that she's incredably evil, it's just more that she hates me and likes me to feel uncomfortable.
Great TT.
(I eat Matzoh year round, the everything kind with cream cheese. yum)
Great TT.
(I eat Matzoh year round, the everything kind with cream cheese. yum)
...definitely one of the most original Thirteens I've read lately :)
Here via Michele's, and I am now going to snoop around your blog some more.
Here via Michele's, and I am now going to snoop around your blog some more.
Yum! Cracker JAck!!!!
With balance you can stand with one foot on the ground!!!
I came here first, but you didn't have your TT posted yet!!
With balance you can stand with one foot on the ground!!!
I came here first, but you didn't have your TT posted yet!!
That was very interesting, I'll have to check out your book.
Here from Micheles today
Here from Micheles today
# posted by : April 06, 2007 5:30 PM
: April 06, 2007 5:30 PM
"Kermit Ladd, who is so famous, he has no bio. Give me a break; I just invented him around noon on Wednesday."
Haha! Nice. Interviewing your characters with a character you just made up. Now that's funny. Not to mention the entire interview was also amusing.
Haha! Nice. Interviewing your characters with a character you just made up. Now that's funny. Not to mention the entire interview was also amusing.
# posted by : April 07, 2007 10:26 AM
: April 07, 2007 10:26 AM
hilarious. That Trevor wouldn't know balance from baloney.
kinda funny that my TT was about balance too. i list 13 things i've neglected to an emabarrassing degree since getting the news about the library closure four months ago.
http://joystory.blogspot.com/2007/04/thursday-thirteen-27.html
congrats for blogging anniversary.
and congrats for getting featured at the TT hub
kinda funny that my TT was about balance too. i list 13 things i've neglected to an emabarrassing degree since getting the news about the library closure four months ago.
http://joystory.blogspot.com/2007/04/thursday-thirteen-27.html
congrats for blogging anniversary.
and congrats for getting featured at the TT hub
This is why I love you (and Erica). You take a great idea - balance meme - to the next level. The more I read, the more I can't wait until your book is in my hot little hands.
# posted by : April 08, 2007 12:17 AM
: April 08, 2007 12:17 AM
Oh, yeah, PJ?
Stay tuned, then. I've got something for you!
And She, you, too. I'm thinking of doing something a little bit daring that'll get you something to at least hold in your hands.
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Stay tuned, then. I've got something for you!
And She, you, too. I'm thinking of doing something a little bit daring that'll get you something to at least hold in your hands.
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