From Chuck Taylors to Sci-Fi

My Chucks are not accurate representations of my personality.

I bought them in a fit of muteness. They were on clearance and I was in jaw pain. So I bought them. This was in 2006. I would probably never do this now. As any scene kid can tell you, Converse are supposed to be representations of one's inner self.

Mine are "goth Chucks"--remember those?--which means they are Black where most Converse are White. Furthermore, the canvas is camouflage printed. They are a far cry from my Original Chucks which are pink and have disintegrated into a comfortable, not watertight, footcover held together with duct tape, hot glue and a prayer. Now THOSE were "me."

The current All-Stars fit, but they are fiercer than I am. It occurs to me that maybe I should keep wearing them. To make me fierce. Does one adapt to one's Converse or does one's Converse adapt to one? Questions, questions.

In other news, science fiction. Really. It's a genre I've, with some exception, heretofore avoided like rotten eggs, pepperjack cheese, and sloppy kisses. A#1, I'm a girl, which you might not be able to tell by my Chucks... but you CAN tell it from my very disorganize purse, which, if opened, betrays a serious lack of money, Altoids, and about 23 and 1/2 different lipglosses, nineteen of which are the exact same color as my lips. Pointless? Sure. But anyway. Pink Bonnebell is not stereotypically associated with lightyears and unfriendly intergalactic forces. A #2, I am an elitist nincompoop. I am ashamed to say this, but it's true. (I will say that the exception is Star Trek because I love Trekkies. For the most part they are rockin' and very nonjudgmental. And often pacifists, which is interesting.) My knowledge of bad science fiction has led me to believe that the genre is used as an excuse to utilize really nonscientific, contrived literary devices such as antigravity boots and make up unpronounceable names, like Csziminfuglyemmentaller, or Umphzurrrrrrrg V or Friedrich Nietzsche. A#3, I write theatre and Sci-Fi is not very theatrical; it's a lot more cinematic. When is the last time you saw Star Wars: The Musical! I ask you? But it has occurred to me that I do not always stick to and/or enjoy the conventions of theatrical writing. For instance, plays do not often address the work or office environment, and I think offices in general are hierarchal labyrinths of cold-blooded narcissism and vampiric ambition. They are hysterical. So maybe I should start thinking about at least the small screen, as much as theatrical enterprises are exciting and emotionally involving.

So yeah. I think the time has come for me to invent stupid things that defy physics (which should not be hard; I've never taken physics) and step on the keyboard to come up with the name of my main character. But it'll still have the 23 and 1/2 lip-gloss-girly-influence. It'll be like Louisa May Alcott meets H.G. Wells, or Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants combined with "Nightfall" (Asimov, by the way, is not bad science fiction. He is brilliant science fiction. Period. I miss Isaac Asimov and think that January 2nd should be declared a postal holiday.)

So here's my germinal beginning for something: An alien from the planet Q329iat invades Earth in partial fulfillment of her B.F.A. capstone project.

The alien's name is Sam.