Apr
28
The Birds, The Birds
Filed Under writing from home
Hitchcock’s film: the inspiration for “revenge of nature” disaster films everywhere. But if you’ve never read the short story The Birds, by Daphne du Maurier, do it.
Back on track… (she says while laughing loudly, wondering when the neighbors are going to call the men with the white coats.)
Once upon a time, I had an uncle who was a real nutjob. (Seriously, he was the kind of man who makes me look sane, but he did shed some light on the places the insanity gene on my mother’s side could go if provoked.) He juggled. I saw him do it once and thought, “I need to learn how to do that!” So I taught myself. I’ve always loved him for that, because I can entertain children for hours with this skill. Although this post isn’t supposed to be about juggling…
My nutty uncle liked to scare the crap out of little blond children in that “I’m gonna get you” kind of way that ends with the grabbing and the tickling and the lifting the child upside-down and flailing them around until their heads are full of blood kind of way. I hated that. I also hated that he’d hide around corners and jump out with “The birds! The birds!” I was three, I think. I’d never seen the movie. But the first time I did, as a teenager years after my uncle died, I had a traumatic little flashback.
Words stick. If you make them.
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About Amy Derby
Formerly a corporate paralegal, I ditched the pantyhose to begin freelancing in 2004. I enjoy long walks to the coffee maker, never setting an alarm clock, and not wearing a bra to the (home) office. I can be reached at amy.derby (at) gmail.com.
Pandora! Good to see you back. Here’s a present for you: Dark Side Bunny
Harrison McLeod’s last blog post..How to Show You Care About Your Customers
Harold!
My niece had her babies (boys), and I asked her if she would name one of them Harold, so he could be your sort of namesake — plus then I could say HAROLD in an authoritative tone if he ever grows big enough to get into stuff. But she refused.
*shrugs*
Thanks for the bunnies. I love Jedi bunnies. LOL
I am only like 2% back I think.
Knowing you, you’ll still call him Harold. Hey, you could always get another bunny and name him Harold.
Even at 2% it’s good to see you back. We’ll consider this to be “Amy Lite”
Harrison McLeod’s last blog post..How to Show You Care About Your Customers
Amy Lite. LOL
I already have their nicknames picked out.
Amy,
Well-said. I can still remember several torturing uncles’ ways, and their exact words. I’m guessing you didn’t mean to be so literal and get me thinking of uncles, but words stick!
Especially bad ones.
Here’s a few words that your mention of babies brought back to me, that I still hum to myself once in a while when I see how fast Miss-Nine-and-Sassy is growing:
“If they could just stay little ’til their Carters wear out.”
If you can’t hear the tune in your head… I’m old.
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Are You a Manager or a Leader? Why Pushing Change Always Fails
Kelly - I can’t remember it. But that probably has more to do with my having SFM (Shit For Memory) than your age. I also don’t watch much television. People are always saying stuff like “Did you see [whatever movie everyone’s seen but me]? Wasn’t [whatever movie star everyone’s heard of but me] great?” And I’m like HUH? WHO?
Actually — if you want to know just how connected I am to the “big” world — someone asked me something to do with the presidential candidates, and I’d only ever heard of two of the names. And even then I was like “Clinton’s running again?” “Ooh… He has a wife?!” I live in a cave.
Amy,
You’re a wise woman. I avoid networks like the plague, especially during a campaign season. I like politics, but not being hit over the head with it!
Turner Classic Movies, PBS, FoodNetwork, HGTV, FineLiving, maybe Bravo, and I’m happy. (I can’t tell you Beyonce from Brandi but I can tell you Jean Harlow from Jean Arthur.) What are all those other channels for anyway?
(Checked around for you—how dare they! No one has an old pirated version of the Carters commercial on youtube!)
Until later,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Are You a Manager or a Leader? Why Pushing Change Always Fails
Kelly - i don’t have cable either. It is a small cave.
I do rent stuff from nettlix though. Mostly old shows. You know, before they started being about eating bugs and marrying people for money.
Amy—bugs and marrying people for money—LOL!
Some friends of mine are Netflix-crazy. I guess I like the randomness of having someone else choose for me. Whatever comes on is good with me, unless it’s scary, or John Wayne kind of stuff. That’s what the other channels are for—bad TCM days.
Ooh, I forgot History International and BBC. Love ‘em. Every time I move, I tease the cable installer that all I want is the geek package, so when are they going to start offering it?
If my Dad can get the sports-unbelievable package, how come I can’t get the divorced-chicks-don’t-have-to-share-the-remote package?
No justice.
Until later,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Are You a Manager or a Leader? Why Pushing Change Always Fails
Every time I see a flock of birds on a telephone wire I get the shakes. That movie slayed me — especially the scene with the guy’s eyeballs pecked out. Killer. Thanks for the memories, Amy …
Rebecca Smith’s last blog post..The colon: an unappreciated mark with an unfortunate name
My uncle and a freind of the family were the same way they would grab us and tickle us untill we screamed.
mike golch’s last blog post..The Time Warp!
Hi Amy,
That’s why catchy slogans and jingles work so well… sometimes, right? ‘Cause they stick in your head. That only becomes a problem when you can’t get them out…
Ross’s last blog post..Mountains and Molehills
We are netflixs nuts too, otherwise our tv would serve no purpose at all.
I have one of those bird collection sites right by my house. I always wonder why they have certian ones that they choose to collect at. I mean, if you are paying attention, it isn’t random. They have favorites and they are very specific.
There is….something..going ..on here with these birds.
I’m just sayin’…
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..My Attitude, My Choice
Kelly - You’re the customer service guru. Make them get that package! Then blog about it, and I will comes and high five you.
Rebecca - Sorry to give you flashbacks!!!!!!
Mike - All the uncles are ticklers. Why I wonder?? I have never liked tickling.
Ross - Exactly!!!
Wendi - I have heard it has something to do with the currents that run through the lines. Maybe it feels good on their feet? Like birdy foot vibrators? LOL
Ah yes, the relative flashback thing. I can relate to that. Unfortunately. “Words stick if you make them.” That is a great line, Amy.
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..Feed on Some RSS Fruit
I like birds.
Why am I constantly out of the loop? Why are you 2% back? Where did you go? And where the hell is the other 98% of your body?
Jay Francis Hunter’s last blog post..Becoming Bloghardy
Amy! I saw the movie The Birds. And it was very enjoyable. But I didn’t learn till later that birds really do try to attack us.
Now I understand even better where the author was comming from.
Jugglers have always been amazing to me. And I know you draw a lot of attention when you do it. Throw a few up in the air for me.
Ellen - Thanks. Some positive should come from the negative, right?
Jay - LOL. My body is here. I think. *stops to check* Yep. Still there! It’s a long story, but no worries. Mostly right now I just have “I don’t feel like writing let alone writing about writing” writers’ block.
Dennis - Jugglers do rock. I wish I could do fancy stuff like boiling pins and wands of fire, but I can only do balls and scarves. Fire is definitely on my to-do list… one of these days… if any circus will take me.
Amy,
Your 2% is often much better than many people’s 98%. ( I was going to write that categorically, but decided I should insert some qualifiers…
) I am feelin’ your 2%, though.
I wish you had had my uncle. He always said hi and handed me a 7-Up (later it was beer) as soon as I came in the house. No tickling. Just a bear hug–the nice kind. No hanging me by my toes and wagggin’ me around. My dad was more the “I’m gonna get you type,” but with malice aforethought.
Words do stick. So let us use kind ones.
Mer xxxooo
P.S. If you join the circus, I will sneak in to watch you juggle. I didn’t know anyone could juggle scarves.
P.P.S. Fire?!
You got a good uncle. MY uncle used to have this thing for spelling words right. He’d call me up at 10:30 at night when I was eight, make my mom get me out of bed and say, “Spell ‘vacuum’.”
Two fucking ‘u’s in a row. That is not FAIR. That is why they INVENTED ‘w’. Double-fucking u. It should be ‘vacwm.’
Thank you for coming down this little memory lane with me. Aren’t you glad you brought up uncles?
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