Curious Insanity

Some of my friends support me in my Avatar addiction. Others scoff.



Actually, most of them scoff.


So, let me introduce you to this other guilty pleasure of mine. One, I think, that few of my friends can rightly and in good conscience encourage my attachment to.

It is:

*drum roll, please*


When Curiosity Met Insanity.

Do you hear that sound?

That is the sound of my heart melting. I can't help it. I love that webcomic to pieces. (Yes, I just said webcomic. It happened. You can start scoffing right about now...)

What makes this webcomic (Okay, okay! Enough with the scoffs already...) so appealing?
I'll break it down for you:

A) Alice in Wonderland is a weird and bizarre fable, no argument there, but yet it's fascinated and/or repelled us for a century and a half or so. There's obviously something Lewis Carroll got right. (I wouldn't venture to guess what it was, but something...) WCMI is based on this enduring and popular tale. And Alice is an utterly endearing character-even when she's annoying, she's still charming, because she's completely unpretentious.

B)If you're a Disney fan, you'll enjoy how the authoresses expand and delve into some favorite characters. Peter Pan and Belle are the two most delightful supporting characters. Peter's boyish charm make him a fitting suitor for Alice's hand and heart, and the perfect rival for Reggie (The Mad Hatter). Although I couldn't have imagined Alice and Belle really gelling, Belle seems to fit in perfectly as a kindred spirit for Alice. Ultimately, the two protagonists, Alice and Reggie, are deliciously written-oh my stars and garters are they well-written! The whole comic has an absolutely scrumptious manner to it that defies all verbal description. The sarcasm, quaintness, and colloquial style make my heart feel super happy. And, the romantic banter is giggle-inducing, witty and utterly adorable.

C)The illustrations are the last word in epic. So amazing. And it's an adorable love story.

Here's the first installment-it's a sweet story, but there is some innuendo, and Reginald's history sounds veers on the sketchy side. So use discretion whilst reading; 'discretion' meaning: don't read it aloud to your 5-year-old siblings. Thus, consider thyself duly warned.

Caution: Contents of When Curiosity Met Insanity contain extreme cuteness. Paroxysms of cute may occur.

How Much Does a Stamp Cost, Anyway?

We good Catholic homeskillets here like to write letters. I mean actual, physical pen-and-stationery letters. Facebook updates? Nice to keep tabs on friends over the summer. E-mail? Eh, it's okay, but it's still only words on a screen. You can't touch them. Phone calls? It's great to hear somebody's voice, but once the phone call ends, that's it -- there's no lasting record, nothing to hang on to and remember the call by.

And there are letters. Something that you can hold in your hand. Letters not only express the writer's unique personality and traits, laid out on the paper for you to see and hold on to, they represent valuable time taken from the writer's hectic life and spent on you, the recipient. The writer chose the paper, filled it with their soul, and gave it to you. How cosmic is that? And, if you're anything like the ladies of this blog, the margins are crammed with doodles, coffee stains, and random outbursts of life. At no extra charge.

I have a thing for blank paper of any kind. I've been known to spend hours in the stationery aisle, selecting the perfect ream of paper, elegant or whimsical; some stationery I even pick out with a specific friend in mind, one who would get a particular inside joke, or get a kick out of a cheesy pattern. But blank paper isn't enough -- you have to fill the blank pages with thoughts, jokes, anecdotes, and memories.

I've always adored the thought of letters, permanent keepsakes and milestones of a relationship, collected and tied with ribbon to be enjoyed years later. You can't do that with texts and e-mails. They just don't carry the same level of meaning. There's something so very impersonal about them. Don't get me wrong. I use and enjoy the convenience of e-mail and Facebook just as much as other people. But there's always a zing of excitement and adventure when ripping open an envelope that has traveled half-way across the continent to reach you. What tales will those ink-covered pages unfold?

Hat tip to Karen Edmisten for inspiring this post.