Inspiration Fridays: Into the Fire We Go

The Scarlet Pimpernel is my favourite musical.  Yes, I am the type of person who has a favourite musical.  I admit it.  I love musical theatre.  It's entertaining and fun.  Is the Scarlet Pimpernel the best musical ever?  No.  Are there things wrong with it?  Yes.  Is it intense, funny, and musically pleasant?  Also, yes.

I'm a big fan of everything to do with The Scarlet Pimpernel, when it comes down to it.  I've read every one of Baroness Orczy's books that is still in print... and even hunted through antique bookstores to find a few that are no longer.  I have some lovely rare book copies of a few of the short story collections.  I also have a gorgeous leather-bound copy of the original that was a gift from my wonderful Danny.  He knows me well.  I like all of the movies, all of the TV versions... the story is just great.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, The Scarlet Pimpernel centers around Marguerite and Percival Blakeney, English gentry during the French revolution.  Marguerite is originally from Paris, where she grew up rather poor, and became an actress.  Then, she married Sir Percy, with whom she became increasingly distant.  Why?  Because he goes to France every couple of days to save aristocrats from the terrible slice of the guillotine.  He is a superhero, guys, basically.  Along with his League, they save the lives of dozens of people throughout the books.  Badass.

In the musical, there is this song titled "Into the Fire".  It's intense, to the point that it borders on corny.  The lyrics are pretty fantastic out of context though, and exemplify how I hope to live my life.  Check 'em out.

Plus, I added pop culture reference pictures.  What more can you want?

David walked into the valley
With a stone clutched in his hand
He was only a boy
But he knew someone must take a stand

There will always be a valley
Always mountains one must scale
There will always be perilous waters
Which someone must sail

Into valleys, into waters
Into jungles, into hell

Let us ride, let us ride home again with a story to tell

 
Into darkness, into danger
Into storms that rip the night

 

Don't give in, but give up
But give thanks for the glorious fight

You can tremble, you can fear it
But keep your fighting spirit alive boys

Let the shiver of it sting you
Fling into battle, spring to your feet boys

Never hold back your step for a moment
Never doubt that your courage will grow
Hold your head even higher and into the fire we go

Are there mountains that surround us?
Are there walls that block the way?

Knock 'em down, strip 'em back boys
And forward and into the fray

Into terror, into valour
Charge ahead, no, never turn 

Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn

Someone has to face the valley
Rush in, we have to rally and win boys

When the world is saying not to
By God, you know you've got to march on, boys

Never hold back your step for a moment
Never doubt that your courage will grow
Hold your head ever higher and into the fire we go

Let the lightning strike
Let the flash of it shock you

Choke your fears away
Pull as tight as a wire

Let the fever spike
Let the force of it rock you

We will have our day, sailing into the fire

Someone has to face the valley
Rush in! We have to rally and win boys

When the world is saying not to
By God, you know you've got to march on, boys

 
Never hold back your step for a moment
Look alive! Oh, your courage will grow

Yes, it's higher and higher and into the fire we go

Into fire!

Onward, ho!

PS.  If you know what all of these are from (without looking at the tags...), you are now officially my favourite reader.

Sadly, You Are Not a Monster

I don't know about you, but I've had moments in which I feel like I'm a monster.  I'll look at something I've done, or said, and think, "Ew.  Look at you.  Look at what you did.  Ew.  You're such a monster.  Gross.  Look at your life.  Look at your choices".  Why do I bring this up?  Because I think we all do this.  We look at ourselves sometimes and think "gross" instead of "person".  I'm not sure why- it's pretty incredibly self-deprecating, but most people I know are at least moderately self-deprecating.  I also know a lot of actors, which might explain this, but even my couple of friends who aren't in the arts in some way seem to do this time, and time again.

I have a message for you, but I'm going to let Grover say it instead, because he's fuzzy and cute. 

Also, he's a monster.

You.  Are.  Not.  A.  Monster.

Yeah, you screw up.  Yes, I mess up too.  I mess up a lot.  There are a lot of things I've done that I'm not proud of, but, now that I think of it, there are some things that I'm rather proud of as well.  I'm not a monster.  We've all done wrong, but we've all done right.  We're not monsters.  We deal with a lot of monsters every day, which I could write paragraph upon paragraph about, but, instead, I'll share this cute piece of art I found on Tumblr:

Everyone has something going for them, even if the monsters inside don't want you to see it.

Don't give in to the mental monsters.  You're not a monster.  I promise.

Grover said so.

Plus, even if you do just happen to be a monster, maybe you're as adorable as he is.

Unless you are this ungodly terrifying rotting big bird doll, or its accompanying baby doll friend that were just chilling out on the train platform the other day, waiting for the perfect time to slice at the ankles of unsuspecting commuters. If you are one of them, you are probably a monster.  Holy cow.

Those are quite possibly the two most terrifying photographs I have EVER posted on this blog.  These items were just chilling out at Cortelyou Rd, threatening the very life of each passerby.  What made no sense here, other than their very existence, was the fact that they were covered in moss.  These toys had been decaying for a long time.  The baby was growing a plant out of its back.  How... how does that happen?  These weren't there the day before.  I know, I was on that platform.  Then, suddenly, two long-dead stuffies appeared. 

Meep.

Happy Thursday!

Love,
~Emily

You're the Best Around

Your love is better than a pile of puppies.

Puppies are pretty great.  But, you're better.

Yeah.  You're the best.

You're the best around!

This is the sappiest post ever, I know.  I mean it, though.  I love ya Danny!

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Where Is the Wonder? Where's the Awe?

Where is the wonder? Where's the awe?
Where are the sleepless nights I used to live for?
Before the years take me
I wish to see the lost in me.

Some lyrics from my favourite band Nightwish's song, "I Want My Tears Back".

In case you didn't know, yes, I listen to metal, and yes, metal bands have the most incredibly wonderful names. Seriously.  Night.  Wish.  One of my coworkers was having a delightful time poking fun at the name the other day and, well, he was absolutely correct.  It's a hilarious, yet totally awesome name.  I wish for night.  It makes so much sense when you listen to their music.

Welp, there it is.

Anyway, I've been contemplating these lyrics... "I wish to see the lost in me".  Woah.  The first bunch of times I heard the song, I was pretty certain that the lyric was "lust," not "lost," because it's an angry breakup song and that, gramatically makes more sense.  But, they are Finnish, and have thick accents, so "lost" sounded like "lust," and what I thought was a lyric about hoping to have more sex is actually quite a bit deeper.

The more you think about it, honestly, the deeper it gets.  The lost in me.  What's lost in me?  Who am I in there that I don't know?  What is inside me that's lost?  What have I lost?  Is something lost?
WHAT IS HAPPENING.  WHO AM I.

"It's like I feel these chains, like, holding me down, you know?  It's like all emotional and hard and stuff.  So, like, totally not cool, ya know?  It's all like eating me up inside and stuff.  I feel like a My Chemical Romance album.  Dude. Like seriously.  I might even actually cry like right now.  Woah.  I feel no wonder, man.  I'm all, like, lost inside and stuff.  Like, I'm not awed.  And I'm getting, like, old."~ some emo guy

Why did I lose my wonder?  Why can I not feel awe?  What happened to me that I don't stay up all night pursing activities I love any more?  What are these activities?  Am I getting old?

It's  a metal lyric.  It's a lyric in a metal song.  And look at what it's done.  Look how deep it is.  It's such poetry. Woah, I'm such a goth kid.  Really, though, guys, think about it.  What is lost in you?  What did you used to have that you now don't?  What did you used to be that you now aren't?  That's some heavy soul searching right there.

My new life goal- try not to lose anything.
Don't lose anything.
  Don't lose the wonder.
Don't lose the awe.

 Be fascinated and impressed.  Thrive on excitement, and new experiences.  Find something original and beautiful in each rising day.  Stay up when I'm motivated, and get done what I want to.  Discover time to engage in what makes me feel most alive.  Lose nothing.

Because, the years will take me.  They take us all.

 

However, it's our fault if we lose anything along the way.  Not anyone else's fault- just ours.  No one can take away from you what you don't let them.

Namaste kiddos.

Love,
Emily