Warm Bodies: Evolution of the Evolution of Humans

The adaptation of Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion into a film was a great idea. Sure, it's cheesy, and no, it does not accurately represent the book, but I still love it. It is no cinematic masterpiece, but I like the fact that both mediums evoke the same responses.

Warm Bodies follows R, a zombie of unknown origin, in his time as one of the living dead. Following the stereotypical zombie lifestyle, R finds a girlfriend, marries, and is given children to look after. He ingests only the living and can only communicate with occasional guttural grunts. R cannot sleep or dream or die.

Then, one hunting trip, R is changed forever.

Upon the ingestion of a certain living being named Perry, R begins to fall in love with Perry's girlfriend, Julie. Amidst the building carnage of the hunt, R protects Julie and brings her back home. Over the days Julie is held captive, her friendship with R transforms him more and more into a living being.

Although Julie returns to her home in the living sector, the transformation in R continues and seemingly infects other living dead. Realizing that the governing bodies (no pun intended) of the living dead, the Boneys, are aware of the contagion and its source, R travels to the living sector in search of Julie.

Once again under R's protection from the impending attack, Julie and R have no choice but to present themselves to the governing officials of the living. Having to convince the living of the living dead's transformation proves more difficult than they anticipated, but in the end, the actions of the living dead provide enough evidence to convince the officials.

Written as R's first-person account of the preceding events, Warm Bodies accentuates the blurred line surrounding the concepts of living and life. It subtly invites readers to consider the meaning of life and love in the unconventional relationship between R and Julie. What a surprise coming from (seemingly) young adult fiction!

Ridiculous Analogies of My Current State of Being

As I was running errands and interacting with people today, I realized how much more entertaining things would be if we could sum up how we are through analogies. For instance, instead of the typical dialogue:

Cashier: How are you?

Me: I'm good, thanks. How are you?

Cashier: Good. I'm good.

 Me: Good.

Our conversations would flow more like this:

Cashier: How are you?

Me: I am swimming in the ocean, with one eye on the shoreline, listening to the waves calling me further in. How are you?

Cashier: I'm sorry to hear that. I am melted chocolate without a mold, shaped only by a caring hand.

Me: Good for you! I hope your day matches your mood.

I swear, I'm not crazy. I just have a hard time brushing people off when they or I ask how the other is. I do not necessarily want to tell them my whole life story, but at the same time I wish we could share a little bit of our lives with each other without it being awkward. I understand that some people have enough problems and wouldn't necessarily want to bother nor be bothered by anyone else, but it irks me that I can't have a bad day in public. It's not appropriate.

For instance, today I was exhausted from a rough night and constantly felt irritated by those around me. I knew my poor mood was due to lack of sleep and I felt myself constantly correct behavior. After a while my frustration grew and I retreated home to relax.

My challenge is this: ask someone how they are doing and mean it. Ask after their family or their job or school and talk with them if they want to continue the conversation. Make time to make a connection with someone - you never know, they might need it.

Spend a Whole Day Reading a Novel: The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

I knew for this challenge I would want to pick the right book, not just any book I had on hand. I began reading it the night before and I knew that that I wanted to spend the entire day with it, reading, reflecting, and processing it.

The novel is about Hattie Shepherd and the raising of her children in 20th-century Philadelphia. Hattie, an African-American, struggles to provide for her children with her husband August who ends up being more of a disappointment to her than anything else. A tragedy early on in their marriage results in a lifetime of anger and resentment for Hattie. Her children, raised with her callousness, go on to lead very different lives and constantly ache for their mother's love. The brief snapshots into her and her children's lives, however, provide insight to the inner workings of the Shepherd family and Hattie's immense love for her children.

Throughout the tales of Hattie and her children, I contemplated my future family and reflected on my own familial relations. As much as I say I do not like children, I actually do. I just don't feel comfortable with them because I do not know where my boundaries are as a stranger. I am neither a parent nor other family member, so what can I do to show my affection and well-being for the child? I would love to show affection for young'uns because that's how I feel most comfortable with children.

Hattie, on the other hand, worked immensely to keep her children fed and clothed. Some might consider this an implied responsibility of mothership, but with the constant barrage of hardships she had endured I consider this quite a feat for her. Hattie felt as though there was no more love in her to be given after doing all that was necessary for her children.

At one point, Hattie blames herself for not recognizing her daughter's distress. She says, "I never did know what to do about my children's spirits. I didn't know how to health anybody in that way." My compassion for her rose to new heights as I read those lines. What I saw in those lines was a woman exhausted by providing for her family trying to be a better mother. She gave no excuses, she simply stated her faults. 

I wonder how much I will change my response to children if I do become a parent. I can now discern the love my parents and grandparents expressed in doing what was necessary for me, especially when I did not appreciate it, but I wonder if I will have the fortitude to do that for my children if the time comes... 

SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SICK AND TIRED

I am finally getting over this awful cold though at this point, it does not sound like it. I can tell because my aches, sneezes, headaches, and lethargy are gone and have been replaced with renewed energy and determination to study for the upcoming exams.

We have been focusing on cardiovascular (heart, blood, and lungs) function, including tissue perfusion (spreading blood to the body) and related issues as well as medications. We had an interesting lecture by a substitute professor on pharmacodynamics, which is basically what drugs do in the body and how they do it. We do not fully study pharmacology until second semester, but it fit in with medication administration section.

Anyway, once I began studying I felt oddly at ease - comfortable, even. I do not know if it is mostly because my lifestyle very much resembles that of a student - sitting for long periods of time, rarely eating, drinking lots of caffeine - or if I enjoy studying that much. I mean, I do truly enjoy studying, but I wonder if my normal academically-oriented routine has become a sort of relationship.

There are often jokes shared about having a relationship with one's job, but I am starting to worry that I have a relationship with academia. Here are my top 10 reasons:

1. Most of my time is spent with it
2. I talk about it constantly with my friends
3. I can only take minimal breaks from it before feeling slightly guilty
4. I drink far too much with it (caffeine)
5. Sometimes I sleep with it
6. I can look/feel terrible and it does not mind
7. I spend quite a bit of money on it
8. It keeps me awake at night
9. My friends all know it and some even despise it
10. No matter how upset I get with it, I keep coming back

Disclaimer: This might be residual brain-scrambling from being sick.

#Late

Today's Photo-a-day challenge hashtag is, coincidentally, "late" and so is this blogpost. I meant to write this last night, but I was terribly exhausted after a long, difficult day as well as battling a cold.

My powerful thought for the day came after the aforementioned day and receiving a text from a friend from the McMinnville campus about being in Portland for a show at a theater nearby. I was initially crestfallen, thinking I would not be able to meet up because I was heading to clinical at the time. It was only later that night that I realized I might have the chance to meet up afterward. Three guesses what I did after clinical!

Clarification: the thought itself was not powerful, but the meaning behind it was.

The thought was simply, "Man, I really missed Rhianna." I have not seen my friend in about 6 months and I was overwhelmingly glad to see her. Rhianna's presence has the effect one would think most friends would have - immediate and simultaneous inner calm and abounding joy. Needless to say, I was genuinely happy to be reunited.

My reaction made me think of missing people. I may be the only one that thinks about it this way, but when I miss people, I am either consciously or unconsciously doing so. When I consciously miss someone, I think about them often enough that I feel disheartened that they are not present or gleeful when I can communicate with them. It is more of a physical feeling than a mental thought. When I unconsciously miss someone, I may have a memory replay about the last time I saw them or a prominent characteristic of theirs, but there is no physical response.

Neither is worse nor better than the other - I am still thinking of the person fondly. I just thought it was interesting the different ways I miss people and thought I would share in case others felt the same way.

In Honor of Guella's Birthday: An Appreciation Post

I would like to try something new... An appreciation post. I want to appreciate all the people that foster the good in someone of a younger generation, whether it be a parent, mentor, sibling, or friend. It is people like you that make such an impact on the youngin's life. You do not necessarily have to put extra effort into taking them to all their sports matches or make them dinner or anything, but that too is appreciated. Simply showing that you are listening to them and taking them seriously or willing to spend some time with them is enough to show them that you care.

My grandmother's birthday is today. She was a huge part of my life growing up and taught me many things, especially things about myself. My grandmother made me feel worthy of being loved and believed in me when I felt no one did. She taught me compassion and how to rely on God, not just through words, but through action. Guella (pronounced Way-ah) continues to be a huge part of my life and helps me be a better person and live a better life. Guella has done so much for me in my lifetime and I don't think I will ever tire of telling everyone.

I know there are people similar to her in the world and I hope they realize they are extremely appreciated, whether the person they have affected is able to tell them that or not. These are the people in society that deserve to be recognized but most often are not because of their humility.

Time has become precious and relationships, complicated. With multi-tasking being "all the rage" and pure relationships like a unicorn, simply showing an interest in what a person has to say and spending quality time with them can foster goodness inside them, goodness that might otherwise be suppressed or neglected.

With that being said, thank you. If you are a person who has ever spent time with a younger person or offered positive advice, thank you. If you have ever put someone younger before yourself, thank you. If you have ever thought about being a mentor, it is never too late.