Oddities of Me

Oddities of me, you say? Some may read this and think, well that's nothing new! But folks let me tell you what an obsessive passion for old houses coupled with boredom over Christmas break can do to a person...mainly me. And maybe only me, unless you happen to suffer from the same things currently. In that case you may want to read on solely to find a way to both feed your obsession and stave away your boredom or forewarn yourself of a potential hazard awaiting you on your very own computer. At any rate, read it!

Well folks, I'm sure the features of Google are no secret to anyone. After all, it's where students of all ages and grades turn to when facing down that 'three sources guideline' for papers. And although I've found good, ol' solid books to be a much more reliable source - after all I'd rather sift through the solid waves of faded words and yellowed corners than the technical, white noise jargon of that never-ending, always wind-tossed currents of the Internet, but anyway, my writer's mind digresses yet again - I've found that Google does have one no-fail feature that always manages to give me what I am looking for: Google Maps!

I often wonder what my fellow Facebook friends think of my occasional status updates when I rave about Google Maps. Do they think I'm crazy? Do they never check my pages and therefore don't see my status' - as I do with many of them, regrettably. Or do they understand in a small way because my love of old houses is so widely known to all? Whatever it is they think of it, I know I've found a solution to my boredom. Now sure I'm sitting down for a half hour or more, and the key is to move around, but look at it from this angle instead people.

Already I've found two old houses I can use in stories, which is always a good thing right? Anytime I can find an old house and use it so, the endless searchings of narrow streets was worth it. What exactly am I searching for anyway? What would make me want to sit down for a half hour or more perusing the dilapidated, crowded streets of my parent's home state of Upper Michigan? After all, most of the houses in the neighborhood's I peruse on Google Maps are shrouded in sagging, moldy and outdated siding, tiny budget windows or original wooden ones with foggy cataract panes and frames stripped of wood. The roofs sag like the ground above all those filled-in underground mines, and their facades similar to the droopy faces of a comically sad Bloodhound hug the narrow, weed broken sidewalk, or the crumbling edge of the road itself, as if constantly nudging its shoulder, or a tender spot, reminding the road that it was here first, and they're both deteriorating together, everything will die at once.

But as you've also probably known, these are the types of houses and neighborhood's which attract me. There is something about a dilapidated house that captures my eyes, my creative mind, wisps of stories and characters floating through my mind just yearning for that special house to settle down in. Before I have time to stop them at the threshold between my mind and my imagination they have sprung from the door, already running within the rooms of a house I have paused only a few seconds to see, already carving their names into its plaster, its peeling wallpaper. A stroll in Google Maps through an intact neighborhood with plenty of space between the house's facades and the street would be boring to me. Granted, many a story lies within such neighborhood's as well, but not mine. So perhaps I am searching for inspiration within the twisting, rising, dipping and narrow streets of Ishpeming and Negaunee, Michigan. Perhaps the many characters and fragments of stories within my mind are searching for a home, and only need a single glimpse, enough time to press the negative against the shutter in my mind and imprint it there, like a painting against a sun-bleached wall removed to expose the wallpaper's original beauty beneath.

Whether or not you knew Google Maps could in fact be so benefactory towards one writer's inspiration, I hope you found something useful in tonight's blog post. Also, I hope you - whether you are an old house fanatic or not - take a moment to peruse Google Maps. Where, you ask? Well, it could be your hometown, your parent's hometown, a friend's house, a former home of yours or your parent's. Or just type in a random address and see where it takes you. Why not? If you're like me, you'll have days stretching ahead of you in an endless, unbroken line like empty clothing lines in winter bending with the wind, aching for that first weight of an airy, floral blouse, aching for a purpose again rather than just a thin reminder of summer shivering in the chilled air. Or even just open up Google Maps and peruse the myriad endless streets of a small town or sprawling city and listen to your mind to see which street strikes your fancy. After all, that's how I found both the modest, white farmhouse and the large, three-story Victorian that I am currently forming stories around. It's like a virtual road trip on the Internet! And if you're like me and don't have a car, it's the next best thing. Perfect with a cup of hot chocolate and a friend to discuss the old houses you'll spot along the way, I might add. ;)