My friend Kali’s recent post about the myriad sides of ourselves, some of which we indulge, and some of which we blatantly deny, started a train of thought chugging along in my head that I haven’t been able to stop.
Having also semi-recently read Gaiman’s Neverwhere (Are you tired of me talking about Neil Gaiman yet? TOO BAD, HA!) the idea of cities that aren’t really cities swirling above cities that are really cities, and the study of the general antithesis of things, has become a prominent theme in my imagination.
You see, in Neverwhere there is “London Above,” that is, London as we all know (or wish we knew) it. There is also an (in my opinion) even more amazing and eclectic array of non-city called “London Below,” reachable only by fully abandoning London Above.
The idea that I myself have my very own London Above and London Below (and that you probably do, too) is one that is endlessly fascinating to me.
What would the landscape of Kerri Below look like?
Maybe I would be a world-wide traveler, escaping to far away places on a routine basis to fulfill the wanderlust in me.
Maybe I would be a local hermit in a quiet village, happily writing away my days as I sit with my eyes to an open window facing the ocean, salt-water mixing with my five senses as I tell story after sea-faring story.
Maybe I would play roller derby, skating myself around a track with teammates cheering me ever-forward.
Maybe I would sell everything I own and move to another country to serve a cause, a people, a need.
Maybe I would teach kindergarten or fifth grade in a sleepy community where neighbors still bake pies for block parties, or maybe I would be a professor of Literature in a bustling college town.
Maybe I would live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere and ride horses to my heart’s content.
Maybe I would swim competitively, pushing my body’s boundaries to the limits while I glide through water I’ve always felt at home in.
Maybe I would learn to draw, to paint, to illustrate, and create colorful visuals to rest alongside my words.
Maybe I would immerse myself in French culture in an attempt to prove to myself that I do, in fact, remember how to speak the language.
Maybe I would learn to cut and sew, adorn and dye fabric, and make my own clothes.
Maybe I would be the Marine Biologist the 12-year-old-me always wanted to be.
Or, maybe, just maybe, I would do/be/see all of this, and more.
I’m beginning to see there’s nothing stopping me, but me.
This week I have been:
Writing, editing, and organizing grant proposals, and preparing gargantuan-sized grant budgets feverishly, to meet deadlines both old and new.
Snuggling with my pug and enjoying any downtime I have been able to muster.
Writing! I’m so excited about three different stories I have in the works, and thanks to a recent prompt by Danny, I’ve been sitting down daily to translate my excitement into actual words on a page. (Not unlike snakes on a plane. Only → Read more...
This post inspired by my friend and partner in movie quote crime, Home Sweet Sarah.
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Some of the most memorable places I have stood, in no particular order:
On The Great Wall of China. Next to my sister as she took her wedding vows. In front of the Kremlin in Moscow. Next to my favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Priest Lake. Specifically, my family’s Priest Lake dock spot. On Mt. Seorak, South Korea. Poolside for countless summers with friends, and cousins, and awesome(ly ridiculous) bikinis. At the base → Read more...
Full disclosure: I initially considered titling this post !!!!!!!!! but Wordpress started laughing at me, and threatened to throw spam.
At this point to say I cannot contain my already typically excessive exclaiming is to understate. HOW am I going to refrain from blurting out, “Hawaii! I’m going there!” from now until I leave at the beginning of September? Better yet, Maui! + getting to see my sister in TWO WEEKS = how am I going to sleep tonight? And the → Read more...
Originally aired: January 19, 2007. Watched by Kerri Anne: August 1, 2010. Courtesy of: Netflix Instant Watch. Because: a) I was in the mood for a lighthearted, kid-centric story; b) Netflix told me I would four stars enjoy it and saw fit to leave out crucial somber-tone-revealing plot points in their synopsis; c) Netflix is a lying liar face; d) ALL OF THE ABOVE.
Starring: A slew of great Spanish actors you’ve probably never heard of, most notably Ivana Baquero and Maribel Verdú. Protagonist’s → Read more...