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Dec. 6/89
"Oh, grow up!"
How many times have I heard that phrase? Every pastime I indulge in, every flight of fancy I take, that little remark always seems to creep up on me and pounce. No matter where I turn or who I talk to, I never seem to be able to get away from its taunting refrain. Funny how every sentence that deeply affects our lives only have three words in them: "I love you", "I'll be there", "There's no charge", "I hate you", "Go screw yourself", "And in conclusion"...
Oh, grow up!
I will admit without shame that I have a penchant for being immature sometimes. I have indulged in all manners of escapism since I was old enough to think. During my free time, I played the heroine of many a story, some of them based on stories already published, but many of them highly original. Some people had invisible friends. I indulged in invisible worlds. I had so many siblings, friends and lovers that I eventually had to write them all down in an old daily journal to keep track of who was whom and who was related to whom. (I still have that book. Judging by the names of some of my characters, I think that finding outlandish monikers was probably one of my favourite parts of the game.)
Escapism and living an imaginary life are habits I've never been able to successfully -- or willingly -- break. And because being an adult seems to mean giving up all that (unless you work in Hollywood or in the book industry), I often hear that phrase or see it on people's faces as soon as a flight of fancy takes me.
Oh, grow up!
I suppose that one thing that prompts this reaction from people is my absolute love (some may even say obsession) with all things animated. Cartoons, comic strips, Japanese anime, computer animation, you name it, chances are that I've seen it or at least heard of it. Given, I don't like all the ones I see; I do have some modicum of taste after all, but I read and watch enough that I can pepper my conversations with quotes from For Better or For Worse or Rose is Rose the same way others spice up their conversations with Thoreau, Shakespeare or Reality TV. I don't mind admitting that I spend about 3-4 hours online per week, depending on the connection speed, just to read online comics. There's a whole list that I follow religiously. If I pick up a newspaper, after checking the headlines the first thing I flip to is the comic page. And the knee-jerk reaction I get when I burst out laughing at something Elly Patterson said or at some hijinx going on in Bizarro, is:
Oh, grow up!
Whenever I get a chance, I rent Japanese anime to watch on DVD. My favourite to date is Rourouni Kenshin (as witnessed in my blog sighs over Sanosuke... Sano... *sigh*), which has what is arguably the most touching goodbye scene I've ever witnessed. If you really must know, YES, I did cry when I saw it. YES, I'm a sucker. Sue me. I'm still exploring this very rich source of excellent entertainment. Most of the ones I've seen have very complex, involved story lines and relationships, and the characters are so fully developed that by the end of the run, they are like real people to you (impossibly long, thin legs and huge eyes aside). It's no wonder that anime fans get so obsessed!
That's not to say that they're all good. I do get slightly annoyed by Pokemon, Bey Blade, Yu-Gi-Oh, or any other of that genre that involve a bunch of kids posing bravely and spouting bravado while something else does all the fighting for them. And playing cards? I'm sorry, but when did playing cards become heroic???
(Warning: Side-rant incoming. Please skip next paragraph if you wish to avoid it.)
As for Sailor Moon, I've seen a few more episodes since, and I must say that if you want numerous visual demonstrations of Deus Ex Machina, just choose any given episode. Basic synopsis of fight scene: Sailor Moon and a number of Sailor Scouts throw everything they have at Bad Guy Du Jour. They get thoroughly trounced. Just as things look darkest for them, more Sailor Scouts show up just in the nick of time. More fighting. They get their asses whipped. Again, just when BGDJ starts gloating, Tuxedo Mask shows up and enters the fight. By this time BGDJ and I are both wondering, "Geez, how many of these guys are there???" If Tuxedo Mask loses (which only happens if it's the middle of an episode), Sailor Moon somehow manages to get up again and behold! She has a new weapon that she's been keeping till now! That and BGDJ is probably exhausted by now from fighting how many times at this point? And so, the Sailor Scouts win the day! Whoo! Mind you, I can see where they appeal to kids, but after a certain age, when you're looking more at story lines and good characterizations, they just aren't quite so cool anymore.
(End side-rant)Other cartoons are great too. When I turn on the TV (when I had a TV), I'll flip to YTV or Teletoon first to check out what they have to offer. I enjoy Disney films like Monsters, Inc and The Little Mermaid. I love Wallace and Gromit and anything connected with Aardman Animation. Pixar rocks the world of computer animation. Reboot will always hold a special place in my heart too, though comparing it to what's out there now, it's easy to see how far computer animation has come.
A lot of people who see me parked in front of a TV watching immediately assume that just because I like cartoons I will watch anything that that is line drawn or computer animated, but this isn't strictly true. Saturday and Sunday morning cartoons that cater more to preteens and preschoolers don't appeal to me that much. And a lot of what's on YTV these days is just ... crass. There's a fine line sometimes between hilarious and pandering, but it's the difference between comedy and hack writing. I would cite Spongebob Squarepants as an example (What the hell is his appeal anyway?), but then, I like the Powerpuff Girls, so maybe I shouldn't judge.
I love The Simpsons, King of the Hill and Family Guy as well, though really, I don't understand why people think that liking them automatically makes me immature. They're not exactly catering to a preteen audience after all. Neither are about half the anime series out there. But when someone enters a room and sees me glued to a TV with characters that are drawn instead of live, what do I hear?
"How old are you again?"
Oh, grow up!
Those who know me well will tell you that I really love to sing. Of course, not being a major recording artist, I don't have a lot of venues for doing so. Karaoke is fun but only if you go with friends, and expensive if you don't want to wait an hour between bouts with the mike. So I just sing any old where I can: in the shower, while washing dishes, in the car, walking down the street from point A to point B, whether I'm listening to the radio, CD's or just the music in my head. Living in the society we do, naturally, people think I'm crazy. Even my (arguably) most loyal friend Empress tries to disassociate herself from me when I start. Actually, it's fun embarassing the heck out of her, so really, I don't grudge her that discomfort. :) Nevertheless, you never have a better opportunity to get the whole spectrum of dirty to strange looks from complete strangers as you do when you're walking down the street singing. You attract less attention blaring Iris from your souped-up car amps than I do singing it on the same stretch of road. But I don't really let that stop me. For me, my heart is my walkman (discman, MP3 player, what have you), and my larynx and mouth are the speakers. Still, when I start on a high-energy rendition of Wouldn't It Be Luverly?, I hear the same old refrain in between breaths:
Oh, grow up!
Dancing is a major passion of mine too. Mind you, I'm not very good at it. That monologue I posted in the sKrATchpad is actually a reflection of me, albeit a slight exaggeration and with made-up incidents. I never had much of an opportunity to take dancing lessons as a child. Not having a flexible back (or a very good sense of coordination) has a lot to do with my non-talent as well. A couple of years ago, I took up tap dancing again, and I can honestly say that it was a wonderful experience for me. I wanted to practice everywhere I could find a non-carpeted surface (my entire apartment was wall-to-wall carpeting, so that was right out). However, shuffling on a street corner while waiting for the light to change nets you more strange looks than singing does. For, you know, obvious reasons...
It's times like that when I really envy little children. They can sing at the top of their lungs while being led through a mall by their parents. They can put on spontaneous shows at any time of day, and people will smile tolerantly. Some parents even take pictures of their show-biz-aspiring tots. But the minute you reach about 5' in height, all you can expect is odd looks and sneering remarks:
Oh, grow up!
Well, thank you very much, but while I recognize that maturity has its place, I don't want to grow up. I know that temper tantrums, whining and the tendancy that kids have to view things in black and white aren't conducive to the betterment of society or your own life. Plus the sheer number of responsibilities we're faced with every day dictates that we must "be adults" often. But still, how many people have forgotten what it's like to be a kid? Parents look at their kids' behaviour and throw up their hands saying, "Why the hell are you doing that? It doesn't make sense!" Well, who says it has to make sense? Why does everything have to have a reason? Why can't I just laugh when I just happen to think of something funny? Why shouldn't I run around in circles just cuz being dizzy's cool?
Only kids seem to have that ability to just stop and squat on the ground and watch the ants scurrying around on the sidewalk. Given, a lot of the time, they do it with magnifying glasses under a hot sun just to watch the suckers fry, but at least they take the time every once in a while to enjoy the little things. Yes, I know, they don't have the responsibilities adults do. They have the time to just stop and squat on the sidewalk to play with that caterpillar. Any time we take off now has to be made up some time else down the line. And we don't have time for the frivolity of just watching the sun rise and set. While I recognize that I need maturity to deal with all the stuff in my life that needs to be taken care of (and now that I'm in the working world, God knows there's a fair amount), I absolutely refuse to surrender to adulthood altogether.
Yes, I get suspicious looks from people I don't even know. Yes, I hear that wonderful phrase a great deal. But you know what? I'm also having fun. After all the events of the world since even before 9-11, it's nice to be entertained by characters that don't exist. Some people watch go to see Scary Movie II, I watch Chicken Run. Is there a difference, after all? And if there's a song in my heart, what's wrong with letting it out? I've been told that I have a decent voice, so I'm not punishing anyone by it. And there's nothing that says you have to watch me shuffle-hop-stepping my way down to the waterfront, though please, for the love of all that's holy, PLEASE don't snap pictures of me doing so. :)
Life is all about living. Enjoying what you have while you have it. Maybe later on, when I have kids of my own, three mortgages, a car and more things that depend on me to eat and keep warm, I'll put all my frivolity behind me and get down to serious business. I sincerely hope it won't come to that, but if I have to then I guess I have to. Until then, I'm going to enjoy the little things, live in music and read all the comics that I want without tearing my eyes out. And to those of you naysayers out there who think I'm nuts or just plain irresponsible, and who feel it's their duty to crush all the child-like qualities out of life, I just have one thing to say to you:
Oh, grow up!
May 11, 2003
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