Gearing up for Frankenstein Day

I know, I know, Halloween is MONTHS away—but Frankenstein Day isn’t about Halloween. It’s a day to acknowledge all things Frankenstein, and it’s celebrated on August 30 in honour of Mary Shelley, the author of the original Frankenstein book. It’s her birthday!

Monster books are my favourites, and Frankenstein’s monsters are the coolest. So every year, I gear up to celebrate by immersing myself in Frankenstein pop culture—movies, books, magazine articles, whatever I can get my hands on.

This year, instead of checking out some of the (many) adaptations, I’m setting aside the whole weekend to read the original book—again. I can’t wait!

Do you celebrate Frankenstein Day? How? I’m always looking for fellow Frankenstein fans!

Gotta jet!

— Chase Superman Duffy

In celebration of senior citizens

Sometimes it’s hard to think of my grandparents as “elderly”—they’re both so active, not just on the farm with daily chores, but also in the community. Plus, they look super young!

So, imagine my shock when my parents and I were talking the other day, and Dad referred to Grandma and Grandpa as senior citizens. Gasp! Obviously they are…I mean, they’re my GRANDPARENTS. I just never think of them that way.

But today is Senior Citizen’s Day, a day when we’re supposed to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions the “elderly” have made to society—and give something back to them. For starters, I’m going to use my allowance to buy Grandma her favourite royal blue roses. And I’m sure Grandpa could use some extra help on the farm this weekend.

Who are the senior citizens in your life? How will you celebrate them today? Here are three easy ways to acknowledge the elderly:

1.    Talk with them.  Whether it’s a neighbor, someone you meet who is walking their dog, or a relative you visit regularly—the vast majority of seniors love to chat.

2.    Play Games. My grandma LOVES Trivial Pursuit. I’m not very good at it, but I’m going to suggest playing this weekend.

3.    Take on chores. This is a no-brainer for me (I’m always helping out on my grandparent’s canola farm) but maybe there are some things you can do to help out too.

Gotta jet!

~ Chase "Superman" Duffy

When is art "bad"?

August 18 is NATIONAL BAD POETRY DAY and for some reason, it got me thinking about art in general—if art is subjective (ie: based on personal opinion), what makes it “bad”?

I love reading, and my tastes are about as eclectic as it gets—everything from comics to horror novels, and everything in-between. But I don’t read romance, for instance. That doesn’t mean it’s BAD. It’s just not a genre I’m interested in.

So, back to thinking about Bad Poetry Day. I don’t understand all poetry, and I’m not very good at writing anything more than a haiku, but unless it’s riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, I wouldn’t label ANY poem (or art of any kind) BAD.

Instead of Bad Poetry Day, we should call it, NOT RIGHT FOR ME POETRY DAY—don’t you think?

Gotta jet! 

— Chase Superman Duffy

P.S. If you want to read some (potentially) “bad” poetry, check out the haikus my fictional mom wrote for me in the Superman Duffy comic 5-7-5 Errand Boy—she used haikus to give me chores. That may be a great example of BAD POETRY! <grin>

A full day of reading is good for you

No, really…it is!

I looked it up, and according to research, reading is a more effective stress reliever than listening to music or even going for a walk.

Not that I’m stressed—it’s summer! But this Sunday is National Book Lover’s Day, and Monday is International Lazy Day, so I’m combining them this weekend for a full day of catching up on the books I talked about last week on the blog.  

I don’t know about you, but after a full day of reading, I sleep better too. Plus, it keeps my mind sharp, which is important because school starts in less than a month.

The good thing is, I read fast, so I’m not worried about meeting my goal. My mom showed me a blog about a lady who read A BOOK A DAY for a whole year and wrote about them. I’m not THAT fast, but I’m determined to get through the five books on my summer reading list. I’ll probably finish at least one on Sunday!

I can’t think of a better way to spend National Book Lover’s Day, can you? What are you reading this weekend?

Gotta jet!

~ Chase "Superman" Duffy