The Creator's Playbook Podcast: Episode 62 - "Paint the Sunset" - Culture Shock

The Creator's Playbook 

Episode: Episode 62 - "Paint the Sunset" - Culture Shock

Hosts: My brothers Michael and Steven

"One thing universally acknowledged is that every region has their own unique and beautiful culture. Any group of people who settle together always have a way of coming up with customs and greetings all their own, and sometimes those traditions can become so different than our own that it can become quite shocking! In today's episode of Creator's Playbook we explore the use of Culture Shock as a story driving element for character growth! How can a character learn from witnessing a culture different from their own? Does a culture have to be foreign to have an impact? Find out as we explore these concepts! Join hosts Steven and Michael as we develop a concept for new cultural traditions, and place a character into them to see how they might react!"

This is all about Culture Shocks.  We've all experienced that a little, whether you've traveled abroad or even to a new city or town in your own country.

Honestly the biggest culture shock I've experienced was visiting Japan in 2015.  Oh my, it took nearly 4 hours from the airport to the apartment, where it would normally takes 2.5 hours, simply trying to navigate buses and trains.  My sister-in-law and I, late that night, had a super huge cry.  We were so scared and nervous, but the week turned out wonderful, and my sibs and I had such a wonderful week.  Oh, but that first night...

"Culture Shock" is such a good topic for story telling.  It's an opportunity for character growth, grappling with new traditions, or simply trying to get things right, only to mess up on every cultural norm.  (At least there's YouTube videos to help with that here on Earth).

This is a really fun episode, and I hope you have a chance to listen.

Have a great day!

Sarah

 

Kindness From Online Strangers

The internet gets a bad rap sometimes.  There's a lot of focus on all the arguments, cancellations, and attacks.  If you want to find that, it can be found rather easily, though there are wonderful places to hang out on the net as well, which can also be easily found.

Last blog post I mentioned a game app I was addicted to and how the game kicked me out of a 3+ year club.  The game suddenly felt lonely, and though I tried searching for the club, nothing was coming up.  I created a new club, named after the old with a variation, hoping someone would find me.  And then the weirdest thing happened, the game kicked me out of the new club, and suddenly I was able to find the old club and rejoin.

A few minutes later I read through the chat, and it was seriously touching.  Everyone wondering what happened to me, someone found the new club but couldn't join, and other odds and ends.  Later found out that someone submitted a ticket to support, and I suspect that's what did it, helping me find the club again.  We surmise that, due to my awesome 150,000 achievement in one day, I got booted to the hacker server, also referred to as trouble island.  That's why I couldn't find the club, because I was on this new server with restriction.  That's the working theory.  

This might all be silly to some of you, but that's okay.  These are people I've known awhile, but I don't know their real names, what they look like, what they do, etc.  We keep it private.  It's all so interesting.  But we do care for each other and help each other out, and it's so nice.

Hope you're having a nice day,

Sarah

P.S. The blood tests came back looking good.  Everything normal.  Good news.  I'm getting a CT Scan this next week, so that will be interesting.

Life moves forward.

P.P.S. Game friends are important to nerds. :D

Through Darken Shadows and other Whatnot's

That's quite an ominous title.

Well, I've been pretty sick these last several weeks, but it got really bad last weekend, Saturday through Monday with that hunger feeling refusing to leave.  On Tuesday I finally went to the doctor.  Just patiently waiting for the results of the blood tests.  He gave me medicine that coats the stomach lining and it's helping, so that's good.  Just praying for good results, and that the answer is found in the tests.  Fingers crossed!

We had the most wonderful storm pass through this afternoon.  The temperature around here has been around 100 degrees, but today it's been in the 70's with rain and thunder.  At one point the lightening was right overhead and it was quite thrilling.  Now it's calm, shining, and the birds are out once more.

I've been reevaluating my life.  Figuring out what bad habits to drop, so my time can be better applied.  There's a cell phone game I've been addicted to for several years, apart of that is because I'm the president of a club with over 20 members.  Don't know who they are or their real names, but one of them is going through chemo therapy again.  Another is stressing with work and taking the week off.  I know so much about strangers I've never met or know how they look.  I've helped the club survive ups and downs, comings and goings.

Each week there's challenges, and as president I feel the need to charge in front and get a lot of points for the team.  Motivation and all that.  But it does take way too much time, and I keep meaning to pull back, but can't.  Well, yesterday, out of nowhere, after getting 150,000 points in less than 12 hours, my greatest feat, I was suddenly kicked out of the club.  As president no one should be able to kick me out, but I tried searching for the club, and can't find it.  It was an honest shock to the system.  I was stunned.  No clue how it happened.  The sad thing was not being able to say goodbye, or know what happened to the club.  Are they still there?  What's happening?  Now I open the app and it feels empty.  I'll keep playing it, but super casually now.  Sometimes prayers are answered in surprising ways.  Just wish I could have said goodbye.

Spent time latter this afternoon going through Scott Joplin music.  Just got a book of his ragtime's in the mail, and I'm going to try playing some of them.  That music is so joyous.  I haven't played the piano in ages, so I'm crazy rusty, but thought it would be good to have a challenge.  Just do it.

Hope you're having a grand ol' time,

Sarah

The Creator's Playbook Podcast: Episode 61 - "Galactic Entanglement" - Family Secrets

The Creator's Playbook 

Episode: Episode 61 - "Galactic Entanglement" - Family Secrets

Hosts: Myself with my bro Robbie

"Who doesn't love a little family drama? Especially when said drama is caused by hidden family secrets? Babies switched at birth. Great-Grandparents hiding a younger life of crime behind a prominent virtuous life. Family secrets are a great way to spice up or develop a plot. Join Robbie and Sarah as they explore family secrets in life and fiction."

This weeks episode is brought to you by family secrets and scandal.  The crazy happenings in each family known and unknown, and how that affects those involved personally.

In the beginning there's a point where Robbie was like "We need to share our family secrets!" And I was like. :\  Not something I planned on doing, so the dead air was edited out.  Honestly, what we came up with was kinda silly, and mine makes me look bad.  I thought about editing that whole section out, but left it in.  There's more deep stuff that could have been shared, we all go through stuff, but the past is the past, and I won't share anything involving others.  So I shared a story about Robbie instead, because he was present.  I would like to think I was a good big sister!!!!

The story itself starts around 10 minutes, and it's the last 20 minutes of the podcast where things really start moving and soars.  I was really getting into what we were creating.  There's a sci-fi universe I've been building up, independently, and somewhere I need this little family unit involved in a way, somehow.  I love these characters.  They're so getting a cameo or minor plot line.

Hope you're having a great weekend.

Sarah

P.S. I'm listening to Disney Parks area music, and it's just so happy. :)

What Is Art?

I really admire kids.  I admire their carefree ways.  How they're able to create without thought or worry, but for the sure joy of the moment.  Colors splashed every which way.  Music notes on the piano clinked and clonked while belting a mismatched tune. 

That's one of the problems with growing up: The development of the inner voice.  The worry of imperfection.  The fear of making a mistake.  The joy of coloring gone.  Playing the piano must regurgitate the printed page.

Or maybe that's just me?  Too caught up in wanting to get things right, that the thrill of creation has been lost.  Too worried about pronunciation and grammar.  Too worried about not understanding drawing techniques or color theory to paint.  Too rusty on the piano that simply playing notes without looking at music is overwhelming.

We classify.  We analyze.  We overthink and control.  Add meaning where there may or may not be calculated thought.  We add confinements when there should be freedom.

But art is art.  Art is what we make it.  Art, whatever the form of genre, encourages creativity.  

We are beings born to create.

Color, Sing, Play, Dance, no matter who's watching, no matter what your inner critic is saying, no matter what.   Create.

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use the more you have." -- Maya Angelou

P.S. This post was published at 2 am, which is about when I try to schedule these ahead of time, and was written right after finishing an edit for a Creator's Playbook episode.  I've been thinking about this all morning.  Art is truly what you want to make it.  Art is what you value, in terms of the arts, regardless of the opinions of others.  Don't let anyone sway you.  For me, I want art that expresses joy, and I want to find joy in art.  I want to find joy in the creative process.

Disneyland Can Wait... For Now

 

(With my parents sometimes in the early 1980's)

I'm getting Disneyland fever!

It's a thing.  It's totally a thing.

But I'm not rushing to Disneyland quite yet.  (And it's taking sure force of will).

Disney World has been open for quite awhile, but it's more expensive to make the trek to that park, and there's policies in place I'm waiting to be lifted.  The whole having to register for a park ahead of time, or it's not available.  Limited transportation.  Virtual lines for major rides.  Virtual queues for food, including counter service.  If you didn't order and reserve food ahead of time you're out of luck.  (At least that's what I'm gathering from YouTube videos).

When it comes to Disneyland I'm more unfamiliar with their rules.  You do have to buy a ticket and then make a park reservation, after the ticket is purchased, and the parks are booked up for the next several weeks.  If I was to go it would probably be in early October, but I don't want to buy a ticket and reserve this far in advance.  What if I get sick, etc?  Disneyland tickets are non-refundable.  I've never bought tickets ahead of time.  Only Rise of the Resistance and the new Spider Man ride, which, according to YouTube POV ride vids, is way too similar to Toy Story Midway Mania, are the only virtual queues.  I don't know how virtual queues are working for the restaurants. 

Maybe I'm just too much of a Disney free spirit.  Typically I love planning, but when I'm at Disneyland it's all "in the moment".  What ride has the lowest line?  What food sounds good?  If we walk fast enough we can catch this show or that parade.  I don't like scheduling everything in.  Spontaneity is where I find some of the fun.

So for now Disneyland can wait.  Someday soon I hope to pass through those gates again, see the train, Mickey's flower face, read the "Here You Leave" plaque hanging over the passage way tunnel, smell the street food, the bakery, hear the music, and see the castle.  Someday soon...

Sarah

Classic Movie Monday: The Muppet Movie (1979)

"I know that it's easier to portray a world that's filled with cynicism and anger, where problems are solved with violence.  That's titillating. It's an easy out. What's a whole lot tougher is to offer alternatives, to present other ways conflicts can be resolved, and to show that you can have a positive impact on your world.  To do that, you have to put yourself out on a limb, take chances, and run the risk of being called a do-gooder." ~ Jim Henson

The Muppet Movie

1979

We all have random childhood memories.  I wasn't alive when The Muppet Movie came to theaters, but my parents had a record player, and my Dad had the original soundtrack on that giant vinyl.  For hours (well, it felt like hours, time is a strange thing for a kid), I would look at the movie pictures.  Those images are blurred now, but the feelings I felt while listening to those songs have never faded.

Kermit the Frog sitting on his log playing the banjo, when all of a sudden a Hollywood agent boats across the swamp (so many questions).  The Muppet Movie is the muppets origin story, and this is Kermit's home.  He wants to make millions of people happy, but is quite content hanging in his swamp and watching movies in the theater.  It's the talent agent that encourages him to leave his comfort zone.  What would have happened if that agent hadn't appeared?  Would Kermit have ever left his swamp?  How many lives would have remained unchanged?

The Muppet Movie is a journey and coming together of the muppets as a group of performers and friends.  The movie is also a reflection of how vitally important Kermit is as a character and person.  Everyone he meets has a dream, and as Kermit leaves to follow his dream, he encourages others to follow their dreams.  A pebble in a pond rippling and bouncing everything into motion.

As an adult there's a lot that now makes a lot more sense.  Nuanced jokes are more funny, though some jokes are dated with forgotten in time cultural references.  In the scene where Kermit first meets Fozzie, one of them says, in order to clear the busy bar, "drinks are on the house!" and then everyone in the room runs to the top of the building.  I remember asking my Dad why that was funny.  He explained, though I didn't get it then, even after the explanation, but now it's silly funny.  Then there's the visual gags.  During "Moving Right Along" Kermit and Fozzie, while at a fork in the road, they see an actual giant fork in the road.  Little things like that.

Heh, and then there's the things in The Muppet Movie that would probably never make it in a current film, like Kermit being chased down to star in frog leg ads.  Creepy.  But as a child that was Terrifying!  So it worked.

It has been years since I've seen The Muppet Movie, and it was just a joy watching the movie again.  A pleasurable trip down memory lane.  All the funny cameos that fit well with the plot.  Toe tapping songs.  Dang can Frank Oz sing high!  Creative puppetry that I still marvel at, such as Kermit riding a bike.

The Original Muppet Movie really is the best.  Some of the films that follow are good, but the original is simply brilliant.

Sarah

P.S. Saw this on a meme: "Whatever you do today, do it with the confidence of a 4 year old in a Batman t-shirt". 

 

With Full Heart and Faith

Just a few moments ago I finished watching the Single Adult Face to Face with Elder Andersen, Sister Bingham, and Sister Eubank.  It was an outdoor fireside for single adults in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (some call us Mormon), those that have never married, divorced, or widowed.

My heart is so full right now.  By the end of the program my heart felt something it hasn't for the longest time: Hope and Peace.  Love.  It mainly consisted of single adults bearing their testimonies and faith while in the Thanksgiving Point Gardens, the section with the statues of Christ. 

It's so hard at times being single in this Faith.  There's so many unknowns.  So many uncertainties.  I have so many insecurities.  But there's one thing I'm clinging onto, and that's faith.

I know I need to make more of an effort.  I've let my introversion hide me.  The pandemic affected us all very differently.  We all have our tales to tell.  The closure of social events was a relief at first, but now I'm feeling the pain and fear that's developed since. 

One day I do hope to get married.  I'm not going to let go of that hope.  Whether or not I'll be able to have kids when that finally happens is a mystery.  That's another pain.  There are things I need to improve upon.  I'm going to cling to my faith.  Cling to hope.  Move, progress, improve, no matter what happens.  Maybe marriage will never be in the cards for me, that's a possibility, but only I can choose to be lonely.  There's so much I can do.  There's so much that can be done.  I choose faith. 

Sarah

"The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue--it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know." ~ Jeffrey R. Holland

 

The Creator's Playbook Podcast: Episode 60 - "Indoobitably's" - The Cook

The Creator's Playbook 

Episode: Episode 60 - "Indoobitably's" - The Cook

Hosts are all three of my brothers: Michael, Steven, and Robbie.

"Food plays an interesting role in most stories. It can be a place that brings the characters together or it can also be a place to introduce culture and history. Whatever the case, someone has to be the one to cook it, and today we're going to discuss what role the cook plays in a story."

Heh, so I'm listening to this episode as I write this, as it was just released.  It's fun so far! :D  And it's all about food.  The podcast episode can be found on Spotify and wherever podcasts can be found.

And now I'm hungry. :P

Hope you're having a great weekend,

Sarah

I Might Have a Pokemon Card Worth a Few Dollars

A few years ago I gave my mid-size card box full of pokemon cards to my brother Michael.  They were to be used for when the kiddos got older.  Since then it seems ol' school pokemon cards have become popular again, and sometimes I wonder if it was a mistake to give them away.

Nah, it's for a good cause.  The kids will one day get enjoyment out of the cards.

And there's no way any of them are worth anything, anyway.  I don't have that kind of luck.

Anywho, so I'm texting my brother, asking if he thought any of the cards may have been worth something.  He said he went through them and one of them might be worth about $20.  That's cool.  The kids can keep it.

Then I gathered the handful of foil cards I kept before giving the box away, took a picture of them, and texted the image to my brother.  That's when he texted that the cards probably aren't worth much, but the Dark Dragonite Foil is going for about $50.

$50!!??

So I looked it up on eBay, and it seems some of them are being sold at a pretty good price.  But are they selling for that much? That I don't know.

It's funny.  I'm just going to keep the card.  Right now there's a pokemon craze going on, so the value of the card will drop in time.

Heh, though maybe it will go up in value. :P

Sarah

Professional Series 1 - Sharon Masten, Author of "The Gift of Marmidon" (Interview)

 The Creator's Playbook 

Professional Series 1 - Sharon Masten, Author of "The Gift of Marmidon" (Interview)

Interviewing Sharon Masten, who's pen name is Tiffany M. Rhys.

Interviewed by my bro Robbie and I

This is our first interview!! (Technically a couple other interviews have been recorded, but they haven't been posted yet).   This is considered a bonus episode, so there will be a standard Creator's Playbook episode going up this week as well.  We had fun asking Sharon questions as she talks about her creative process and how she wrote her book.

"We're so excited to have Sharon Masten, also known as Tiffany M. Rhys, the Author of The Gift of Marmidon. She joins us today as the first in our Professional Series! We hope her wisdom will inspire your own creativity as she has inspired ours! We also HIGHLY encourage you to check out her book! If you're in the mood for a great adventure about people overcoming their fears and facing challenges, then this is the book for you.For information regarding Sharon and her books, please read below:Social Media:Facebook group: Www.facebook.com/groups/aodhgenerations Author:Tiffany M. RhysBook:The Gift of Marmidon Aodh Generations Book 1For Creator's Playbook"

Special shout out to my brother Steven!  During the interview we had some technical difficulties, and when we finished Robbie and my recordings saved, but we lost Sharon!!  Steven went deep into the program and somehow found Sharon's recording, which was such a relief!  We loved the interview and it would have been so sad to have lost it.

Have a great week!!!

Sarah

 

The Creator's Playbook Podcast: Episode 59, "Infinity Mirror" ~ Black Hole

The Creator's Playbook 

Episode: Episode 59, "Infinity Mirror" ~ Black hole

Hosts: My brother Michael and I

"They're older than the stories on earth. They're perhaps one of humanities last greatest mysteries. Black holes will perhaps be one of the most elusive space marks of the universe. They can't be breached but they can't be escaped. Within them could be universes in of themselves. Today Michael and Sarah explore ways to use black holes in storytelling and how to use their mysteries to inspire."

So funny thing about this episode, usually I have an idea of what we're going to talk about.  Michael hosted this episode, which means he was tasked on writing the prompt.  We were going to talk about something entirely different, and right before recording Michael's like "We're going to do black hole's!" :D  And I was like, "Black holes?" 0_0

Heh, so we did black holes.  Michael knows a lot about science, it's awesome.  I grew up on Science Fiction and loving science, but I don't understand things as well as I'd like.  During this episode I think you can hear my brain getting mushy. :P  In the end I learned a lot, and it's inspired me to start digging deep into science again.

You can listen to the podcast on Spotify or wherever else podcasts are hosted... I should probably learn those... links above.

Hope you're having a great week! 

Sarah

P.S. I'm still trying to figure out a schedule for this blog.  Ultimately I'd like to post at least four episodes a week, that would be great, but some weeks, honestly, three will feel awesome too.

 

A Single Drop, an original poem

A single drop smooths through cracked wood

          Lost from view as it whittles away. 

Unassumed, unaware, unrenowned.  

Wind tousled trees look down

          Watching drops form puddles.

Collect, concise, control.

The single drop remains.

          Untouched. Unformed.

 

The gathered drops beacon.  

          Coerce.  Compel.

Yet the single drop moves.

          Untempted, unbothered, untroubled.  

While lakes and ponds grumble.

          Contend, conceal, contest.  

 

Gathered voices will not compel.

          The single drop avoids the spell.

~ Sarah Stufflebeam

P.S.  Just a quickie little poem.  Sat down at the computer with no idea of what to write, and then this happened.  I know some of the words used are not dictionary recognized, so they're used out of sure spite.

The Game My Family Probably Won't Learn How To Play...

So there's a game that my family probably won't ever learn how to play.  I'm saying "probably" because ya never know, but as it stands no one wants to give it a go.  Why?  Because it's Tesla vs. Edison... and no one wants to play Edison.

Like, literally no one.

We're a pro Nikola Tesla family.

Edison is full of cringe.

In other news I did get to try out two new games on Memorial Day: MegaCity Oceania and Wingspan.  Really cool very different games.  MegaCity is a city building game plus puzzle solving while trying to move the structures without any of them falling.  Wingspan is just a super chill bird game where you collect birds and eggs.  Enjoyed both of them.

I've started collecting board games that have a single player variant.  There's so many now, and some of them have really good reviews, so I'm excited to try them out.  It would be fun to review them and let you know what they are, playing at least five times to get a sense of repeatability and overall enjoyment.  It'll take a little time to work through them, but it will be a fun project.

Hope you're having a great week!

Sarah