Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Concerning Top Hats and Sleep Deprivation

     I did it again.

     I went back.

     I learned so many things and haunted a surprisingly moderate amount of corners and realized I am very weak in that I actually sometimes need to sleep.

     In short, I went back to the BWSC.

     There I realized that the only real point of hanging around one's friends is being able to follow them around, shoot them (with a camera), and therefore end up with extraordinarily  dramatic photos which are rather perfect for blog pictures. Without further ado, then, allow me to relate the awkward and mildly terrifying experience of constantly being around 130+ people for over a week.


Image credits to @smaugerellathenotsoterrible
     Reminiscing is a bit difficult when the week passed in a blur of caffeine and lectures. I suppose it was sort of like college? Or at least the internet's portrayal of college, which I sincerely hope is exaggerated. *glances at next semester with equal parts curiosity and deep foreboding* We didn't lose that much sleep, I suppose. But the campus at which the conference was held is quite the quintessential Tennessee landscape.
     ...which means the hills waged a continual war against one's leg muscles. 

     (The would normally be a pictorial example here, but I neglected to take many pictures besides the one with text slapped on it.)

     As I am a writer as well as a homeschooler, I don't tend to...go outside much. And even if I did, it would be rather difficult to tell, as for some reason my skin remains at a cadaver-like paleness even after prolonged exposure to the death rays we call sunlight. 

     Top hats. I'm supposed to talk about top hats.

     Top hats are beautiful things. They make one look quite sophisticated (or intentionally ridiculous) with minimal effort. They are large enough to hide small objects or animals in, but not large enough to cause difficulty in crowds or doorways. (See sombreros for a theoretical example.) 

     The also can make one look quite villainous. Perhaps I'm biased due to Sylvester's (who has been taking over my thought processes lately--story for another blog post) corrupting influence, but something about the black silhouette, paired with a suit... Instant sophistication. And so many villains attempt to be sophisticated that it's almost a trope of its own. 

     Why do villains try to look sophisticated? Why is it that the man in the suit and tie and dark sunglasses (seen in every action or disaster movie) is almost universally recognized instantly as the bad guy? Is it a critique on capitalism? Is it an attempt by the villain or the story teller to disguise or contrast the ugliness of the villain's actions with the perfection of their attire? 

Image credits to @shadow.cosplay
     Meh. I think it's just to screw with people's heads. Because enough people are confused by the odd headgear to make it quite easy to carry out one's "evil" plans.

     Top hats do have their disadvantages, though. They attract notice, but sometimes that notice is slightly unwelcome. For instance, when I had to read my novel excerpt aloud and my critique group leader noticed my top hat and thought I should be the very first to go, because...

     Well.
     I can't give away everything at once, can I?
     Perhaps I shan't write about the context of the above headgear predicament, and leave all you citizens of the interwebs in manageable suspense that shan't keep you awake at night.
     Nah... I actually have emotions about said event. I'll probably write about them.
     I also probably shouldn't be so vague, but being dark and mysterious is something I strive for, even though the aforementioned event isn't anything spectacular to the outside onlooker. One hint, though....




....there's no place like home.

2 comments:

  1. It seems like you had a great time at BWSC, for the most part. I couldn't help but notice the "mauger" in the link "@smaugerellathenotsoterrible." Does that have anything to do with Nathan or I? I think you'll take this as a complement, so I'll say it: don't you look rather evil in that picture above. As to your final picture and last sentence, are you saying that the airplane or the sky is your home? When did you take that picture anyway, and of whom is the silhouetted picture of?

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    1. That I did. Ah, yes, Smaugerella... Very long story short, one of my nicknames involves sticking "erella" on the end of Smaug the dragon's name, thus creating, instead of Smaug the Terrible, Smaugerella the Not So Terrible. Perhaps I shall one day write out the glorious tale. I'm afraid it doesn't involve any of your family; the nickname stuck before I knew you. The silhouette is of my friend Anna Coletti, and the picture was taken last Monday. I hope my next post will explain things. :)

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