Could I be friends with thee?

One gorgeous sunny day, much like last Sunday, two people are playing a humble game of chess in the park. The first player moves their rook three spaces to knock out their opponents knight. "I can't believe you saw that...without your glasses!" says the opponent. A grin comes her way from the first player, its difficult to tell if he's being mean or genuinely happy about his small victory. It doesn't matter for long. The opponent has moved the bishop ten spaces to knock down the first player's queen and has the king trapped. "Check mate!!!" Bewildered the first player stares at the chess board. Five. Ten. Twenty minutes pass. He still hasn't made a move and the opposing player has the feeling that the move will never come. "My dear, I think you've finally mastered the Simple Art of Murder," says he. Strange. Double meaning? She thinks it over for a few minutes, a smile forms on her face as she realizes the subtle hint of Raymond Chandler's essay in his words. They'd talked about it at their last meeting and she barely understood it's intentions. Before the chess game, the first player explained it to her using chess metaphors and she shared her interpretations of it. Now, the first player knows that she has understood and clears the board with a swift hand. The game is over.  They've both won.
I could see my friendship with Vonnegut as that situation (if we had ever met and had the chance to become friends), every moment would be simple and complex simultaneously because we're such opposites. The fact that he'd be an old man means that he'd be difficult to relate to at first and I have a feeling that I wouldn't make the effort to be entertaining. Maybe our first meeting would be like that of Billy and his mother. Vonnegut hiding under the sheets! What a sight that would be, considering the poor soul had seen so many things as a POW. I feel as if I would make pointless conversation just to be polite and Vonnegut would sit there wondering why I'm pestering him. After a long and awkward time, I'd mention my interest in chess and oddly enough he would offer to help me improve my game (because what old person doesn't enjoy some chess?). We'd be like those old people friends you see in the movies, playing chess in the park. Except I would be much younger than he, but you get my point.
After many a day, my strategy to take down an opponent would improve and Vonnegut's peculiar sense of humour would begin to make sense to me. Finally! I've barely understood it while reading this novel, but I imagine he would make sense in person because I could ask him to elaborate on the moment to which he is referring. I'd ask him to tell me his intended meaning to something like, "A dog barked in the distance." Those strange moments in the novel where I was completely taken out of my reading because of something so random. It would be interesting to see if Vonnegut was eager to talk about Slaughterhouse Five or if he would try to avoid it because he'd already written those events and couldn't face to relive them through speaking to me. Its a mystery of course. That's why my fictional chess game with Vonnegut ends with me winning in chess and learning his meaning by "Simple Art of Murder" it could relate to many things. Such as the fact Raymond Chandler was a writer as well and he didn't write story's that were happy dory all the time (Vonnegut clearly didn't write Slaughterhouse Five to be a happy story because it is a war novel, has dark humour, makes Billy suffer etc.). Maybe that the title itself, The Simple Art of Murder could relate to the experiences Vonnegut went through in Dresden. All of those innocent people were murdered and it was fairly simple for the government to cover it up because it wasn't a significant contribution to the war efforts (thus a shame on them murdering all those innocent people).
All of those unanswered questions I have about the novel would be answered by the writer himself. It would be interesting to actually have a conversation with Vonnegut and I'd like to think we could play a game of chess in the park on a nice Sunday...and I would win.

The best place for the next moment

Fine white sand shaped to and scolded my feet as I walked across the beach. I just kept my eyes on my beach chair and listened to the sloshing of the water against the shore, desperately trying to forget that my feet were on fire. It must have been the middle of the day for the sand to be this hot...but I wasn't keeping track of time, I was on vacation. The whole country was beautiful, the food tasted fifty times sweeter, the people were genuinely nicer and my hotel was like stepping off the shuttle bus and entering paradise. Bathing in the sun's mid-day heat, I let my mind wander. I thought about leaving my friends behind without telling them where I was going, wondering if they'd even notice I was gone or if they'd continued their own summer adventures without me. Thinking about being forgotten both agitated me and brought me peace of mind.The sound of waves against the shore brought back my thoughts and eventually led me to walk into the water. As soon as I dove in, the moment slipped away and I felt as if I was swimming through the night's sky. Surrounded by lovely sparkles of light and feeling the cool waves splash over my sunburned head, I closed my eyes and just kept swimming....

Stopping to breath, I found that I wasn't underwater anymore but sitting on my deck reading. It must've still been summer because the sun shone brightly and I took a long drink of water. "I've really got to stop being outside in the mid-day heat," I told myself and went back to my book. Endless Summer is what I was just about to finish and seeing how close I was to the end of the book brought an empty feeling of finishing the book along with the joy of finding out the end of the story. Although I've read enough sappy teen books to guess that the main characters Lori and Adam end up together, I had a sliver of hope that this book would be different. Finishing off the last sentence I found this book wasn't very different, I didn't feel disappointed though, being in their world of chaos for the past six hours was a relief from my boring summer. I hadn't done anything in the past few days and the thrill of beggining my other new book and being a part of that world was alluring, so I picked up that book and began to read. I had only reached the second chapter when I became fully immersed in the story, On The Jellicoe Road, about a girl who's mother left her at a 7-Eleven when she was twelve and her whole world being a puzzle...

I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw my best friend waiting for me to cross the street, we were on our usual trip to Mac's. The blazing summer sun was beating down on my head and making me thirsty. I'd gotten to know the mid-day sun very well this summer. It wasn't really a long walk, from her house to the store, I just felt that all the walking we'd done earlier from the mall to her house made it seem miles away, "I don't want to go anymore...let's go home." She looked at me, not a trace of anger or annoyance in her eyes (I'd been saying this for the past twenty minutes), and calmly said, "I know you'll regret saying that as soon as we turn back. Don't try to tell me otherwise." With that said, I walked all the way to Mac's without another word. Eating my sour cherry blasters, I was happy to know that there was one person out there that took the time to get to know me. Yeah, its all too cliché but all the walls that people make around themselves these days is overwhelming to think about, just the idea that we're not all the exact same person around everyone makes me worry. I know that's why I can remember this moment so vividly, not because it altered my destiny but because I knew that someone cared. Sometimes I look around and think that everyone needs a little push to cross the street.

Write, when reading gets boring

        Sometimes life gets a little boring. All that happens in my daily life gets mundane and that's when I get the urge to write. Just gliding a pen across a paper will help get my thoughts going and eventually I find that I've written a short story, nothing notable but good enough to be proud of. Some days I think about writing something longer, like an actual novel! But then I get lazy or my story wraps up too quickly and all I'm left with is six pages of usable material. (Sigh) Rome wasn't built in a day right?
        If I were to get past those six pages and actually write a novel, I think it would be a fictional story about a great adventure across the continent. The characters would be best friends and embark on a road trip because they're so bored with their sheltered life, they crave excitement and new knowledge of the world around them. One character would have to be the opposite of the other, thus showing the reader two very different viewpoints of one situation (I think this would make the story more intriguing and show contrast). For example, if a large cow is grazing on grass by the road Friend One would suggest they stop and play a game of "smack the cow and run away" while Friend Two would suggest they slowly drive by to avoid hurting it. Yet they agree that leaving home for the summer was a good idea, they need to open their eyes to the wonders and problems around them. Throughout the novel the two character's watch out for one another, discover problems like poverty and ultimately return home with opened eyes and an unforgettable summer. What I want the reader to get from this is that living on the safe side isn't always the best way to live. Someday you'll look back on your life and think that you could've done more when you were young, that you could've traveled or taken more risks. This is what my story would try to remind the reader of, doing things in life while you've still got the chance.

Books won't stay banned and Ideas don't go to jail

Liturature that has been banned can't possibly be all bad. Actually, I doubt its "bad" at all. Its obviously written well and conveys some sort of message, otherwise it wouldn't be published. I think that books shouldn't be banned because they allow for some controversy and encourage the reader to actually think about what they're reading. Some novels are just for fun and don't require character analysis' or judgment of morals, The Book of Awesome for example, is all about the little things that brighten our life. Simple as that. But a book like Slaughterhouse Five, has explicit language and sexual references that offend some people. I don't understand how those are the official reasons for its banning, not the anti-American sentiment. Its totally pointless to ban a book because it shows a different point of view, to me the whole point of reading something like Slaughterhouse Five is to understand the war through the eyes of a veteran, to read his thoughts in a way. The profanity and sexual references aren' found on every single page, if you get offended just SKIP the few pages or paragraphs that use that. Its not that difficult. Vonnegut probably didn't want the readers to focus on that stuff anyways, his main message can be interpreted as anti-American but I interpret it as his way of telling people that war isn't glorious. To simplify it as much as I can without ranting about that too. Anyways, liturature that provokes thinking and the expansion of knowledge is the best there is! I find no reason for it to be banned. To put it bluntly to all those that get offended by books like Slaughterhouse Five, Catcher in the Rye or 1984, if you don't like the book PUT IT AWAY and get one that you enjoy. Your hands aren't chained to the book and there's no gun pointing at you to read it. Calm down everyone.

Hmm...reminds me of something...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHVU3fKhsjI

While watching the trailer for The Adjustment Bureau I couldn't help but think about the theme of Fate vs. Free will in Slaughterhouse Five (Im not going to rant about it here, as I've already posted about this topic).
See for yourself and leave a comment of your thoughts! :)

Laughter is the spark of the soul

A way of expressing saddness, frusteration or happiness. An overflow of emotion or exhaustion. Most of the time that I see people cry is because the situation isn't pleasant. Looking back on those moments, crying is so useless because the situation you're crying about doesn't change afterwards. The world doesn't get brighter; actions aren't undone and words aren't unsaid. I'd like to point out that I scarcely cry. I grew out of it years ago. Laughter is a big part of my life nowadays. Its a great way to feel better about anything...almost anything. Laughter can lighten the mood or stop an awkward moment. It can express happiness as well as saddness. Like remembering the way things used to be and softly laughing to yourself about it all changing. I think laughter is a fantastic replacement for tears. Laugh lines or crows feet and dimples are much better than runny mascara or a red nose and blotchy skin. I really do love laughter.
"Laughter and tears are both responses to frusteration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward."
Vonnegut clearly incorporates this thought into his novel, those moments he laughs at and uses dark humour... most people would cringe and sob if they were in the same situation. I think this quote signifies that he had endured so much in his lifetime and crying everyday about those moments wouldn't change anything, it would only make him remember them more and increase the heartache. Laughing about the difficult times could have been his way of coping, if he found some form of humour it would be easier to write about and recall. Maybe Vonnegut thought America wasn't ready for the full on experience of the war too. I think, this quote proves that Vonnegut was wise enough to save himself a lifetime of puffy eyes and his unique humour adds to the style that defines him.

Fate leads the willing and drags along the unwilling

There's a strawberry shortcake in the fridge, but no clean forks to eat it with...is that fate? No. That's just a poor stroke of luck for you, but easily solved by washing a fork. Those kinds of scenarios I wouldn't consider fate, to me, fate is something that's preplanned for you and is unavoidable. So yes, I do believe in fate. I think that every person has some sort of plan set out for their life. I don't think fate is very specific though, otherwise everyone would be a robot simply going through the motions of their preplanned life. There must be freedom in fate. Being able to choose friends or University is my choice, but the friends I choose are going to influence my character and the University I go to will teach me the things I need to know for the career I'm meant to do. Those sorts of final destinations are what fate plans. All the moments and people that get me there are because of me, my decisions, my emotions, my actions and my will to achieve the final plan set by fate. I think that's why we're all unaware of our fate, dreaming and hoping for something better in life is what gets most people through the day. Sometimes we all need that, a good dream to pursue and taking the opportunities to get there. "All time is all time. It does not change...It simply is." The Tralfamadorian said to Billy when he asked how he got into their flying saucer. I can agree with this statement because time doesn't change and fate is something that just has to be accepted. Although, I also think that each person can have the choice of how they enjoy their life and how they achieve fate's plan for them so there is in fact a point to life and we're not just robots. I'm learning day by day to capture the time I have and not pout over the "what ifs".