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The Gathering

A/N: Images displayed on this anniversary post are not mine–Thank The Goddess for Tumblr, Imagebam & Pinterest. No copyright infringement intended. Click the image to link directly to its origins. Musical inspirations listed at the bottom of post. Words usually pre-read by a luminous team of Rebel Beauties, but not today. These garbled ramblings in all their flaws and glories are mine, all mine.

Four Years . . .

My loveliest, most Majestic of Misfits, it is nice to see you. More than nice, really, though I’m actually indescribably happy to be here, writing, connecting with you. In efforts to gently reacquaint, I’ll just ease in for a moment or two, in small increments. It has been, after all, a year since we last chatted. And much, of course, splendidly, has surmised. The inception of this little gathering space we call MOO occurred four. years. ago.

I’ve been working on novellas, “shorts”, or “Muselets” as I’ve called them, for a week now. And today’s little post is simply a hello note, one bursting with gratitude, but a greeting nonetheless. It has been a long time since I’ve written in this forum, on WordPress, and I’m eager and timid and elated all at once. Thank you for bearing with me as I re-acclimate. I hadn’t known I was going to publish today, but here I am, and would you mind terribly if I shared a little story?

MOOing Pages

Writers I’ve admired, from Carolyn See of the Literary Life, Julia Cameron (The Artist’s Way) and now the great Diana Gabaldon, poet and sire of my all consuming love (Outlander) remind me: return to your roots, do not let the muscle atrophy, do not let yourself become stagnant. Write. Write. Write every single day. I have not been writing every single day, and I am suffering because of it. Carolyn See says 1500-2000 words a day. Julia Cameron encourages the writing of Morning Pages. Morning pages unlock, they clear the space. The MP invite and do not judge and instead allow a forum to just be, bestowing freedom and space. That freedom is endless and boundless and I’m struggling with wanting to go back and correct typos and add grammar and punctuation and that is exactly the point of MPs–let go of the “shoulds” and tear down the barriers to creativity. A recent addition in my life, a work consultant called Mr O’Donnell recommended I return to what nourishes me. Do I know what that is? he asked. Yes. I know what that is. *looks lovingly towards you*

The words below are this morning’s Morning Pages, or MOOing Pages, I’ve referred to them, because they’re my lighthouse, beckoning me home. They led me to piecing this Muselet together today, when I had least expected. The sentences are unedited, missing serious punctuation, and obscenely affronting to all grammar manuals, but meh. MOOing pages do not judge.

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morning pages PDX version, saturday 10.30AM

song: Roses and Wine by Diego Garcia

Seated in a Portland coffee shop, trying to take stock of my previous 36 hrs, catching up finally on #TheRover goodies, seeing that #AmericanUltra wrapped… Since chatting with you all, I met one of my favorite authors (the spectacularly talented and inspiring Diana Gabaldon of #Outlander). Ms Gabaldon spoke of the writing process, kilts (paying winking respects to Sam Heughan’s authentic Scottish identity, bless), and character development and I swear I could float away on a cloud forever now that it seems I’ve found another muse for Otherness in the diminutive force of nature named Diana, Creator of Badass, Brilliant English Women (Claire Randall Fraser) and her gallant warrior King of Men (James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser).

So, in driving home from the Diana Gabaldon event, starved, dehydrated and with a dead cell phone (none of this foreign to me, I am an original Twilight fangirl for God’s sake) I was pulled over by a cop hell-bent on lecturing me on the virtues of safe driving (what in GOD’S name had me driving so fast? Did I not see the STOP SIGN? Only one earbud allowed while driving, did you know this?) but in the end, Mr Policeman didn’t fine me; instead he generously granted me personalized directions to my ultimate destination of In-N-Out Burger at 130AM. Girl’s got priorities, you know.

Operating on 2.5 hours of sleep, I trudged to work (my new job as of two months ago is working with county mental health programs to ensure counseling is made available to low and no-income consumers), and took refuge in a hazel-nut flavored coffee brewed by the office’s Keurig coffeemaker.

I took a working lunch in which I pulled on my journalist’s hat (more closely resembling a knit beanie with unraveling edges), and ducked away into a small conference room in which I could gather my thoughts and prepare for an interview with a very eloquent, talented musician namedGarrett Williams, founder and lead singer/guitarist of #EvolutionBeat, a contemporary ska band. This would mark my second interview with a rock star in my side gig as contributor and music reviewer for LASF Magazine, an arts, culture and entertainment publication based in Los Angeles and San Francisco, my two home turfs, incidentally. For nearly one hour (save the ten minutes I fumbled with my session microphone, causing, to my utmost embarrassment, the call to drop), Mr Williams and I chatted the transmutation of ska music, Dolly Parton, Scottish bagpipes and broken bones while deciding that we are helpless to the lure of music and its healing properties.

I grabbed a northbound plane after work last night, and sat in aisle seat in the emergency exit row. I had the fleeting thought that I would be a worthless hero to anyone, should we need to exit the giant vessel via side panels. I had no jacket, thin, ballet flats for shoes, and my dinner had consisted of corn chips, whose salt crumbs still clung to my lips. I’m pretty sure I saw the flight attendant’s eyes flit over them while she explained the emergency evacuation protocol to my aisle mates. She may have then switched her attention to the strapping men who stationed themselves in front of the actual 30-pound removable doors and could actually be of assistance in the event of a water landing. However, I am a pretty braw swimmer, so I may be redeemable after all.

* * *

So…. That is how I found myself in Portland, Oregon, hanging out in a stuffed arm chair by a fireplace, even though it’s the summertime. One wouldn’t know it was mid-June if basing this observation on the constantly overcast, cool and damp Portland weather, but let me tell you, fireplaces are kinda wonderful. Especially as I settle in to connect with you all and tell you what I hope to do, to tell you about MOO in its latest, most honest incarnation.

Four of Words

I’ve been blessed with having this space, and you wonderful readers to share with for four years. In the next few days (weeks?), I’ll post a series of new short essays paying homage to elements that have emerged as a result of Musings On Other Queens’ creation. For instance: The celebration of WORDS…. Four years of rejoicing in interview quotes from Kristen Stewart and fellow Other Ambassadors.

“Someone saw an old movie I was in, The Safety of Objects, and realized that the little boy in it had grown up into this girl — me.” ~ Kristen Stewart

Four years of sharing, exchanging, and falling in love with new stories that bind us in a shared admiration for coherency and eloquence and the written word, and the emotions and images associated with those words.

Four of Redefining

We’ll also explore a new entry for the Other Anthology: Transparency. I’ll tell you about my LA-SF road trip in which I gallivanted around my home cities with dear friends @robkris13 @mel452 and then viewed the Sundance presentation of Kristen’s film CAMP X-RAY. Some of my lovely girls of the Bay Area joined me for Q & A session with Camp X-Ray’s director Peter Sattler post showing in which praise and accolades for Kristen were reverent and abundant. Transparency indeed.

Four of Red

A third Muselet queued up to post this week will speak to the color RED, as we’ve seen over four years, indicators of our Rebel Roots and bold declarations of UN-convention. Starting with the very FIRST Kristen Stewart picture posted on Musings On Other Queens June 3, 2010.