*eyeroll*

It's funny to think about the origins of the eyeroll (and the eyebrow raise). Or I think it is, anyway. Like somebody rolls their eyes at you (not that anybody has -- at least not in recent memory) -- anyway, you instantly understand what they're communicating, right? Nobody sees an eyeroll without understanding the meaning behind it.

So, how'd that evolve? It's clearly a facial mannerism, and is tied to emotions, so it is some kind of behavior that evolved over time, useful for communicating, what, scorn? Contempt? Exasperation? Useful information to convey for a social animal, so the efficacy of the eyeroll can't be questioned, although how precisely it arose fascinates me.

Like the smile has been studied pretty heavily in primates as a sign of non-aggression. Again, it operates on such a basic level that we react to it pretty instinctively. And the eyeroll does the same thing, in terms of that instinctive power it possesses.

It just amuses me to think of some primordial cavewoman looking at her caveman beau and thinking "CHRIST, what a fucktard." and she rolls her eyes. And, yes, I do think the first eyeroll was done by a woman. Moments like that just amuse me -- I'd enjoy being a time traveler and seeing esoterica like that.

The raised eyebrow likely has a similar provenance, but it communicates a more complicated kind of facial cue -- alternately ironic, flirty, mocking, amused, bemused, intrigued -- complex emotions in that simple gesture. And what fascinates me most about the raised eyebrow (and I think I've blogged about this before), anyway, is that some people can't do that at all. Some people can do the right eyebrow (me; cocking that eyebrow as I write this), some can do the left, some can do both, and some can do neither.

So, how the hell did that get passed on (or not), and why can some people do it, and some people are unable to? I mean, it just intrigues me. Like imagine this scenario...

URK: Gronk, have you tended the sheep?
GRONK: Yes, Urk, I have.

Simple exchange, no? And then let's try it with an eyebrow raised...

URK: Gronk, have you tended the sheep?
GRONK (raises eyebrow): Yes, Urk, I have.

or

GRONK: Yes, Urk, I have (raises eyebrow).

See? Nuance and mystery and complication and irony are thrown into the mix. What's Gronk up to? Is Gronk slyly mocking Urk in some way? Is Gronk up to something?

Somehow, evolutionarily, eyebrow-raising conferred some kind of edge to the people who have it (although I'm unsure of the actual numbers of people capable of doing it, and the distribution of right-, left-, and both-raised eyebrows). We'll have to wait until some swell at Harvard does this study and earns plaudits for it, but I'm here wondering it right fucking now, dammit!

Maybe the raised eyebrow was capable of angering one's enemies into doing something foolhardy. Or maybe the comic nature of it made one more desirable to one's prospective partners.

Certainly, however, the people who can raise both eyebrows look downright diabolical, having an almost impish bearing.

Exene can't really move either of her eyebrows -- unsurprising, really -- she's not one to be ironic or bemused about anything, particularly. In fact, the rheumo commented that her face wasn't nearly as lined as a woman of her age should be (she does have crow's feet, but that's about it), and he was concerned about that, relative to her overal condition, checked her face to see if there was swelling or whatever, drawing it out. The truth is that her face isn't overly wrinkled because she doesn't express much in the way of emotion. Duh! Heart of stone, face of stone. Her default expression is neutral and empty; not an animated face by any means. Anyway, she's one of the non-eyebrow raisers.

I am intrigued at how some people can do it, and when that mutation (?) or adaptation (?) proliferated in the human population.

ASHRAM: (raises eyebrow) The yaks are plentiful here, my brother.
AVRIM: A bit too plentiful, perhaps? (raises eyebrow)
RIA: Whatever are we to do? (rolls eyes)

Have you rolled your eyes, yet? Seriously, next time you do it, just think about the long evolutionary road that (or the eyebrow raise) took to get to you, and imagine your ancestors tapping into that emotional well with that arsenal of expressions.

Tooooosday

I banged out 2000 words this morning on the book I'm working on. I'm shooting to get it done by summer's end. It's coming along nicely, I think. I decided to give it 12 (or at most, 13 chapters). Long chapters, averaging about 7000 words -- which is a departure for me. I have a certain intuitive sense of rhythm with my fiction, and will write scenes with that in mind, so writing longer chapters "feels" different to me. It's an experiment for me.

I have several more books queued up in my head, will work on them in turn. The long drive south always triggers my creative juices -- the South just radiates "vibe" and inspires me.

(later, around noontime)

I got a Tuscan Chicken Melt from Subway (footlong flatbread, provolone, cucumber slices, lettuce, black olives, green peppers, red onions, oregano, black pepper, and their Tuscan sauce).

I was amused by yesterday's horoscopes in the Chicago Redeye...

Aries: You're going through a midlife crisis, even if you're just 22. Saturn has you reconsidering every major life decision you've made in the past 10 years. Why did you marry a mortician? Why did you fall in love with a cougar who has 10 kids?

Bahah! Some of the other ones are pretty funny, too. I'm tempted to share them. Muahah....

I don't think I'm having a midlife crisis, honestly; I used to joke about my quarterlife crisis back in the 90s -- so midlife is no big deal, and compared with the place I was in back in the 90s (or the 00s), I'm hunky-fucking-dory, honestly. The prospect of my own place is exciting as hell. And more writing time! Yay!

They're still filming scenes from "The Transformers 3" downtown. I saw more wreckage just south of the river, on Wacker Drive. And some armored personnel carriers. I snapped some pix of that.

"Louis" is on FX tonight, around 10:00 CST (11:00 EST). Louis CK is funny; definitely my kind of comic. I'll try to get caffeinated at the right moment this evening so I can stay up to watch it.

Transformed

I forgot to mention that they transformed Michigan Avenue into a war zone while filming "Transformers 3" downtown. I think they're still doing some shooting just south of the river, on Wacker Drive.

Megara

I was watching "Hercules" with the boys the other day, and rather liked the saucy Megara, the love interest babe rendered in typically Disneylicious style. I'm not particularly a fan of Disney's cultural meatgrinder that digests things and spits'em out all Disneyfied, but the boys seem to enjoy'em, so I put up with seeing Disney stuff every now and then. Megara's just simply HOT. She's trouble! Boom-chicka-boom!

Wah wahhh

Something about a published novelist writing an online article whining about how hard writing is irks the fuck out of me. Any creative endeavor is all about a huge investment of energy and time. Writers write. Simple as that. Do it, and deal with it, and count yourself very fortunate that you manage to score a book deal for your troubles. So, it took you ten years to get it done? Well, so what? At least you have something tangible to show for it. I soldier on because writing is fun for me, and rather than it being hard NOT to write (alright, I write constantly, one way or another, so maybe this doesn't quite come up for me), but I understand that there's no penalty whatsoever to not writing, except the understanding that I'm not writing. It's integral to my happiness that way. I never whine about it; I just do it.

And for somebody who managed to actually see their book published? What the fuck is there to complain about? As someone who many disparate readers tell me routinely that I'm a really good writer who is also perennially rejected by editors, were I to actually find a home for one of my books, I'd do a happy, happy dance. I'd count my lucky stars. But this gal decided to whine about how long it took for her to get her work done? You know what you do to stop that? Write more. There's a certain narcissistic romance some writers engage in with the whole "Oh, if you only knew how I suffered!" kind of bullshit -- like ink-stained fingertips or a trembling hand on a sweating, aquiline brow leaving an inky smear upon it. To create is to swoon. Oh, the humanity. Give me a break.

There's no penalty for not writing. You do it because you're compelled to do it. And there are few true satisfactions in it (at least in terms of appreciation, recognition, and reward). But do it I always will, because it's just who I am. If a book takes ten years to write, maybe that's how long it took to sort out that particular story's problem. Or maybe you don't have that much to say as a writer, and it didn't inspire you. Who knows? The only cure for writing is more writing, and that can be said with any creative endeavor, and only creatives get this. Non-creatives may think it's a waste of time, or may think they can do it, but they can't (and don't and won't -- you all know who you are, you "idea havers" and so forth who have a great idea you never actually write or create). The ones who can simply do it. Ideally, you make something worthwhile, something you enjoy, and better still, something beautiful that others can appreciate, too, and still better, something others will buy from you, for fuck's sake, so you can carve out the time to do more and more of what you love. But it's really the process that drives it. That's the furnace within that stokes the creative spirit.

Maybe this writer in that article is really privately worrying that, having sold one book, one that took her a decade to write, that she's got nothing more to say. Who knows? She is right that reaching an ending is vital. Get it done, or else it's just an open wound. And please, please don't whine about it.

Ballbuster

Looks like Blockbuster Video is finally dying. This is a reasonably good piece about the demise of that chain. I'm amused that the ONION had pegged that trend years ago. I can't even remember the last time I actually went into a video store. I think when living in Indiana, The Land That Time (and Hope) Forgot. Otherwise, not since the late 90s. Just funny how retro that is. I remember the trips to the video store, scoping around for something interesting and/or amusing to watch.

I've been busy managing my post-vacation workload today, hence being somewhat quiet, although I've been trying to think of a decent name for a fiction blog, as well as thinking about life and story ideas and daydreaming in general. I really, really need to get busy and find a fresh job. Gotta get that done. It's going to be weird to remarket and repackage myself as a 40-year-old in need of a new job. Thankfully, I still have my boyish demeanor, right? Hah!

There She Goes

Hah. I've been home with the boys three hours now, and Exene already went out the door for some run-related activity (purportedly some nutrition class at the area running shoe store in the 'hood). Now, I've had the boys a week -- so, she's been away from them for eight days, basically. And, after that absence, she's barely hung with them at all (maybe 2.5 hours, max) and she's already out the door? Huh. B2 was asking me "Where'd Mommy go, Daddy?" I would just think a parent would want to be with their kids after not seeing them a week, but that's just me.

I asked B1 if he had fun on the trip, and he said he did, wished it could go on forever. 

Home

Got back around 2:30 p.m. CST, so made good time. It's frickin' HOT over here. Super hot-n-humid. Lordy!

Was bummed to see another of my short stories was rejected. Urk. I'm seriously thinking of just posting them online (just some of the short stories) and see if anybody's into them. I have to think of a good concept for such a blog. Not like there aren't enough fiction blogs out there.

Meantime, glad to be home, not driving everywhere! Something like 700 miles in two days. *yawn*

Exene's 117 lbs., now. She has an appointment with the rheumo next week.

On the Road

Heading back to Chicago today. The boys have been so good on the whole trip; they were the toast of the family gathering, as I knew they would be. It's remarkably easy for me to handle this stuff solo; Exene always sweats it, but it's cake. I admit that I've had more practice at it than she has, since I drive (and she won't drive), and I spend so much time solo with the boys (because of her absenting herself), so I know the dance. But the boys were great. It sucks, however, that I didn't give myself one more vacation day (tomorrow) -- I hate thinking I have to hustle back home, and then tomorrow morning, am back in the workplace saddle. Ah, well. I didn't want to take too many days off.

Anyway, the car did well, and I'll properly blog about last week when I'm back home. Today, it'll just be me driving all day, getting the boys home. They're looking forward to being in Chicago again. B2 was cute, saying "Where are all the buildings?" when we first got out into the country. My city boys!

I'm amused at the hotel I'm at, how it says "Hello." and "Thanks." at the door. Somehow, the period ending the sentence seems less friendly than it ought to be! I'll snap a shot before I go.

When I next blog, I'll be home. "See" you soon! ; )

More KY

Back in glorious Lexington, KY -- overnighting it before the final jaunt to Chicago tomorrow. Plenty to blog about about the trip, but I'll do so later. The boys had a blast. I enjoyed the time away, although am looking forward to being home, despite the attendant issues I face there.

Mountain Man

I'm dropping a quick line from the mountains of North Carolina. Beautiful countryside, although it rained (hard) nearly all today. There are flying squirrels and such. The boys are having a blast, are really enjoying themselves. I'm chilling out.

There are lots of little things to report, but I'll do that later, since there are a ton of people around.

KY

Here I am in Lexington, KY -- a little more than half the way to the destination in NC. Love that the hotel has computers and Net access! There's not much in Lexington beyond distilleries, it would seem. Still, I'm amused! So far, so good -- great weather, cruised through the wasteland of Indiana and through Louisville to light here. Sunny, big, puffy clouds. The boys are having a blast. I'm going to take'em swimming later (we got some dinner earlier).

Tomorrow morning, the rest of the trek, then the World Cup final and seeing my fams!

And awayyyy I go...

I'm off! The boys and me, to North Carolina!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ2Da2ozCKc