Brings to mind one of my all time favorite quotes. “I myself am entirely made of flaws. Stitched together with good intentions.” - Augusten Burroughs
I think what comes to mind that brings me true joy is the old sauna built right next to the lake which was built with quality materials and has stood the test of time. I am a sucker for a well kept but useful and purposeful building that serves a function. One of the functions being to get clean and burn wood in a stove inside, so it has that cozy comfort of being absolutely accessible and “unfussy”. The exposed beams with hooks made from nails pounded into the studs for clothes and towels. Wooden floors with rag rugs protecting them from the steam and dirt off shoes that can, and do, remain on during the heating process and hauling of pails of water. The aged windows, white, with 6 small panes of bleary glass each. The soot on the stove pipe, and the rocks atop the stove. The smell of the steam and wood mixing into the cleanest smell I can recall. Speaking of the imperfections of my favorite little sauna at the lake. The cabin is so enjoyable because it’s the perfect escape from the everyday “tidiness” and perpetual cleaning that seems necessary at home. It’s fine to relax and leave your shoes on while going in and out, the dogs with muddy paws sleeping on the couch. Crates and baskets with folded towels and a perfectly mismatched hodgepodge of furniture brings it all together in the most enjoyable way. It’s the only place I don’t find myself constantly needing to fix the appearance of. It’s function is to serve as a getaway and a place of respite and enjoyment. It’s taken care of and anything nice about it is due to work we put into it over the years. No one expects perfection at the cabin. It’s functionality over curb appeal, so anything above 4 walls and a roof seems to impress. De-stress is the vibe without any effort or statement needed. Im so grateful for this place. Getting plunged back into nature each week I find myself in awe of the beauty of the woods and pines, the lake, wildlife, seasons and fresh air - it’s the imperfections that strip one of the needless superficial pretensions practiced all week in town at home. It’s the reminder of the beauty and need for humans to be in nature, places a healthy perspective and restores a balance in me to remember the important things in life. I’ll fuss 5 days a week at home about throw pillows and decor, mopping and dusting. I truly enjoy these things as well. But the restoration of my soul deserves and needs 2 days of “imperfection”. It helps me remember that it’s ok and healthy to drop the neurosis and take a breath. It’s taking off the mask and being content with the simple and rustic way. Slow down. Take a beat. Remember life is more than a sparkling kitchen and vacuum lines on the carpet.
I love imperfections throughout my home. Shows the wear and tear that inevitably happens in a home where so many people go in and out of. It’s a reminder of the love of animals, people and gatherings we have hosted over the seven years living here. The parties, celebrations and good times, oh too many to count. My husband and I have pretty much an open door policy (within reason) as he has six siblings. He is one of seven so each sibling has left a dent (literally and figurative) in this house and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I came from a family of two children so the large family was always a foreign concept. I love it now, I appreciate it and my house shows just how many people have shuffled through that front door.
I loved this writing prompts so much, I used it on my personal Substack. I am excited to launch Fully Stepping In, a blog of sorts of my experience fully stepping in to a sober,sane, wholehearted life. I don’t have a plan really, just feeling my way and making it up as I go. Feel free to check it out here:
My dad's inability to pronounce anything remotely ethnic, comes to mind. In my childhood, a couple of the big name footballers in English teams had Eastern European surnames. There was one in particular who would have his name mispronounced differently each time. I think his name was Kochanski, but my dad would call him Kowchensku, Kochanskow, etc. etc. (you get the point). He went to university during the recession in the '90s (my dad, not Kochanski), and took Statistics and Operational Research (why!?!) and a minor in Spanish. We would howl with laughter at his ridiculous pronunciation, poor guy. I will add that his pronunciations were 100% sincere - he just doesn't have a great ear for languages.
If I'm not stopping there, another quirk I get a kick out of (although I haven't experienced it in a while) was going cafes with my dad, seeing him squint at the menu, then order an 'expresso', only to be absolutely bemused at the tiny drink he would receive. This happened multiple times, with the same level of bemusement. Loved it.
While I'm ragging on my dad, I'll also talk about his driving. Miraculously, he's never been in an accident (I truly believe his car is enveloped by the wings of several guardian angels), but he makes last minute turns, beeps 'that absolute numpty! what's he doing?' in the car ahead, if it's going to slow, and generally is an unobservant driver. My friend Jackie compared my dad as a driver to James Bond - 'when I'm in a car with him, I never know which way he's going to swerve!'. Of course, my dad is very critical of everyone else's driving, including my husband's, who, I believe is the best driver I've been in a car with.
I love this so much because my dad and his mom are 100% Finnish and she did not learn English until 1st grade. Her Finnish accent has always been very thick but as a kid I just thought that was my grandma’s voice. Anyways, my dad tells a great story about how he would fail a lot of spelling tests because they told them to sound it out and use phonics... he would study really hard for his spelling tests because he was a good student and knew he was not a good speller. Of course, there are always the 5 bonus/extra credit words at the end of spelling tests. One of them was arthritis. He did not know how to spell the word but had heard my grandma talk about it often. He used his phonics and spelled it out as best he could. He wrote: Arthur-a-eye-tiss. ---- when the kid in front of him who graded his paper handed it back he was snickering at him. It goes to show that the new phonics method introduced around that time wasn’t particularly effective for people whose parents had emigrated and spoke with thick accents.
That, or don’t tell us to spell things out hahaha. I’ve been doing crosswords a lot lately. The only reason this is relevant is because you might know an answer, but boy, it can screw up your puzzle if you don’t quite remember the exact spelling of the answer ha.
I’m sure that’s true. I’m English, and am doing a masters via distance, therefore all of my spelling has to be British. However, I live in the US and have to use American spelling to write emails, newsletters, etc. I am in a continual state of spelling confusion!
Ha. And we thought our problems were confined to spelling confusion. Now, add new words, and language intended to do the opposite of what it’s original purpose served (label, categorize, define) on top of that. I don’t envy you my friend. But keep it up! I’m proud of you for continuing your education.
I am sure if I sat and thought about it, I could think of better examples for this prompt. However, this is just something I love to see, because it reminds me of human nature.
When you find a spelling error in a book. Yup, that’s mine. I cherish finding those, because it reminds me of how fallible all people are. That even the well-written, precise authors make mistakes. Even after endless drafts and edits, it’s amazing that this doesn’t happen more often.
I like to be reminded that artists are human and they make human errors. No matter how small they might be. I do not blame anyone for those errors and in a book that might be 600+ pages? There is bound to be something. So, I cherish the moments when that happens.
I love spotting continuity breaks in movies. It really upsets some people, but I find it charming for the most part. It's also fascinating how dozens of people with hundreds of eyes working on a production costing millions of dollars can somehow miss some of these.
More leeway must be given to movies produced on actual film before VHS. They had no idea we the viewer would be able to freeze frame a shot in 4k on a 65 inch television while eating DoorDash bundled up in a snuggie on the couch. That's right, a snuggie reference in 2023. Count it!
Some favorites that come to mind:
-The Godfather; When Vito Corleone (Marlin Brando) is brought back home from the hospital, a boom mike can be clearly seen in the top right of the screen.
-Ghost; During the opening scene of Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly (Demi Moore) breaking down a wall in their new apartment, there is a tracking shot following the couple as they walk by a full length mirror. The film crew can clearly be seen in the mirror as they walk by.
-Joker; When Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) shoots his tormentors in the subway, there are eight shots heard from a revolver without reloading. That revolver would have five or six shots max before it empties. Ones like these in newer movies are especially horrendous because it's such a simple fix in the digital age.
-Raiders of the Lost Ark; There's a pretty famous one regarding Belloq (Paul Freeman). He has a fly land on his face and walk into his mouth. The dude keeps going with the take, straight up eating the fly. Method legend!
But I have a lesser known, far more baffling one; During the convoy scene, as the Nazis are driving to the location they plan to open the Ark, Toht (Ronald Lacey), the creepy Nazi that got the medallion burned into his palm for those who may not recall, is seen riding in a car with the convoy in a closeup shot. Then the shot cuts wide to show the whole convoy as our hero Indy (Harrison Ford, duh) stalks the enemy.
Now, pause that wide shot and look for Toht's car. He's not there! What you will see is his black trench coat laid over the seat with his hat sitting on the head rest to give the appearance that someone is in the seat.
I'm so very confused by this on several fronts. Why was Ronald Lacey not available? Why not have someone, anyone actually sit in the seat wearing the coat and hat? From afar one would never know it wasn't the real actor. How did the conversation go? My imagination says it went something like,
"Mr. Spielberg, Ronald's not feeling well, but we need to get this wide shot while the light is still good."
"Okay, toss his hat and coat in the seat. It'll be fine."
"Mr. Spielberg do you think we should have an extra wear the outfit? Just in case?"
"I'm sorry, did you just question Steven effing Spielberg? Besides, who's gonna notice? It's not like viewers have the technology to freeze a movie at home on some large high fidelity screen while eating a microwave TV dinner bundled up on the couch."
See what I did there?
-Bonus; Literally every movie time bomb. Ever. Seriously, the time never, ever matches up! If anyone has an exception to this, please share. Rest assured, it would very much be in the minority.
I wouldn't recommend it. I pretty much can't turn if off now; but if you like to learn these things and don't mind swears, check out the Hollywood Babble-On podcast on YouTube. They have a segment called 'shit that should not be' that has some absolute bangers. I got the Raiders one and the Ghost one off that podcast. Spotted the rest me self though!
Brings to mind one of my all time favorite quotes. “I myself am entirely made of flaws. Stitched together with good intentions.” - Augusten Burroughs
I think what comes to mind that brings me true joy is the old sauna built right next to the lake which was built with quality materials and has stood the test of time. I am a sucker for a well kept but useful and purposeful building that serves a function. One of the functions being to get clean and burn wood in a stove inside, so it has that cozy comfort of being absolutely accessible and “unfussy”. The exposed beams with hooks made from nails pounded into the studs for clothes and towels. Wooden floors with rag rugs protecting them from the steam and dirt off shoes that can, and do, remain on during the heating process and hauling of pails of water. The aged windows, white, with 6 small panes of bleary glass each. The soot on the stove pipe, and the rocks atop the stove. The smell of the steam and wood mixing into the cleanest smell I can recall. Speaking of the imperfections of my favorite little sauna at the lake. The cabin is so enjoyable because it’s the perfect escape from the everyday “tidiness” and perpetual cleaning that seems necessary at home. It’s fine to relax and leave your shoes on while going in and out, the dogs with muddy paws sleeping on the couch. Crates and baskets with folded towels and a perfectly mismatched hodgepodge of furniture brings it all together in the most enjoyable way. It’s the only place I don’t find myself constantly needing to fix the appearance of. It’s function is to serve as a getaway and a place of respite and enjoyment. It’s taken care of and anything nice about it is due to work we put into it over the years. No one expects perfection at the cabin. It’s functionality over curb appeal, so anything above 4 walls and a roof seems to impress. De-stress is the vibe without any effort or statement needed. Im so grateful for this place. Getting plunged back into nature each week I find myself in awe of the beauty of the woods and pines, the lake, wildlife, seasons and fresh air - it’s the imperfections that strip one of the needless superficial pretensions practiced all week in town at home. It’s the reminder of the beauty and need for humans to be in nature, places a healthy perspective and restores a balance in me to remember the important things in life. I’ll fuss 5 days a week at home about throw pillows and decor, mopping and dusting. I truly enjoy these things as well. But the restoration of my soul deserves and needs 2 days of “imperfection”. It helps me remember that it’s ok and healthy to drop the neurosis and take a breath. It’s taking off the mask and being content with the simple and rustic way. Slow down. Take a beat. Remember life is more than a sparkling kitchen and vacuum lines on the carpet.
I love imperfections throughout my home. Shows the wear and tear that inevitably happens in a home where so many people go in and out of. It’s a reminder of the love of animals, people and gatherings we have hosted over the seven years living here. The parties, celebrations and good times, oh too many to count. My husband and I have pretty much an open door policy (within reason) as he has six siblings. He is one of seven so each sibling has left a dent (literally and figurative) in this house and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I came from a family of two children so the large family was always a foreign concept. I love it now, I appreciate it and my house shows just how many people have shuffled through that front door.
I love this💜💜
I loved this writing prompts so much, I used it on my personal Substack. I am excited to launch Fully Stepping In, a blog of sorts of my experience fully stepping in to a sober,sane, wholehearted life. I don’t have a plan really, just feeling my way and making it up as I go. Feel free to check it out here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/micahzinna/p/my-perfect-imperfections?r=18rdcv&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
My dad's inability to pronounce anything remotely ethnic, comes to mind. In my childhood, a couple of the big name footballers in English teams had Eastern European surnames. There was one in particular who would have his name mispronounced differently each time. I think his name was Kochanski, but my dad would call him Kowchensku, Kochanskow, etc. etc. (you get the point). He went to university during the recession in the '90s (my dad, not Kochanski), and took Statistics and Operational Research (why!?!) and a minor in Spanish. We would howl with laughter at his ridiculous pronunciation, poor guy. I will add that his pronunciations were 100% sincere - he just doesn't have a great ear for languages.
If I'm not stopping there, another quirk I get a kick out of (although I haven't experienced it in a while) was going cafes with my dad, seeing him squint at the menu, then order an 'expresso', only to be absolutely bemused at the tiny drink he would receive. This happened multiple times, with the same level of bemusement. Loved it.
While I'm ragging on my dad, I'll also talk about his driving. Miraculously, he's never been in an accident (I truly believe his car is enveloped by the wings of several guardian angels), but he makes last minute turns, beeps 'that absolute numpty! what's he doing?' in the car ahead, if it's going to slow, and generally is an unobservant driver. My friend Jackie compared my dad as a driver to James Bond - 'when I'm in a car with him, I never know which way he's going to swerve!'. Of course, my dad is very critical of everyone else's driving, including my husband's, who, I believe is the best driver I've been in a car with.
I love this so much because my dad and his mom are 100% Finnish and she did not learn English until 1st grade. Her Finnish accent has always been very thick but as a kid I just thought that was my grandma’s voice. Anyways, my dad tells a great story about how he would fail a lot of spelling tests because they told them to sound it out and use phonics... he would study really hard for his spelling tests because he was a good student and knew he was not a good speller. Of course, there are always the 5 bonus/extra credit words at the end of spelling tests. One of them was arthritis. He did not know how to spell the word but had heard my grandma talk about it often. He used his phonics and spelled it out as best he could. He wrote: Arthur-a-eye-tiss. ---- when the kid in front of him who graded his paper handed it back he was snickering at him. It goes to show that the new phonics method introduced around that time wasn’t particularly effective for people whose parents had emigrated and spoke with thick accents.
That’s so cute! I think it’s probably the way we should spell arthritis!
That, or don’t tell us to spell things out hahaha. I’ve been doing crosswords a lot lately. The only reason this is relevant is because you might know an answer, but boy, it can screw up your puzzle if you don’t quite remember the exact spelling of the answer ha.
I’m sure that’s true. I’m English, and am doing a masters via distance, therefore all of my spelling has to be British. However, I live in the US and have to use American spelling to write emails, newsletters, etc. I am in a continual state of spelling confusion!
Ha. And we thought our problems were confined to spelling confusion. Now, add new words, and language intended to do the opposite of what it’s original purpose served (label, categorize, define) on top of that. I don’t envy you my friend. But keep it up! I’m proud of you for continuing your education.
I am sure if I sat and thought about it, I could think of better examples for this prompt. However, this is just something I love to see, because it reminds me of human nature.
When you find a spelling error in a book. Yup, that’s mine. I cherish finding those, because it reminds me of how fallible all people are. That even the well-written, precise authors make mistakes. Even after endless drafts and edits, it’s amazing that this doesn’t happen more often.
I like to be reminded that artists are human and they make human errors. No matter how small they might be. I do not blame anyone for those errors and in a book that might be 600+ pages? There is bound to be something. So, I cherish the moments when that happens.
I love spotting continuity breaks in movies. It really upsets some people, but I find it charming for the most part. It's also fascinating how dozens of people with hundreds of eyes working on a production costing millions of dollars can somehow miss some of these.
More leeway must be given to movies produced on actual film before VHS. They had no idea we the viewer would be able to freeze frame a shot in 4k on a 65 inch television while eating DoorDash bundled up in a snuggie on the couch. That's right, a snuggie reference in 2023. Count it!
Some favorites that come to mind:
-The Godfather; When Vito Corleone (Marlin Brando) is brought back home from the hospital, a boom mike can be clearly seen in the top right of the screen.
-Ghost; During the opening scene of Sam (Patrick Swayze) and Molly (Demi Moore) breaking down a wall in their new apartment, there is a tracking shot following the couple as they walk by a full length mirror. The film crew can clearly be seen in the mirror as they walk by.
-Joker; When Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) shoots his tormentors in the subway, there are eight shots heard from a revolver without reloading. That revolver would have five or six shots max before it empties. Ones like these in newer movies are especially horrendous because it's such a simple fix in the digital age.
-Raiders of the Lost Ark; There's a pretty famous one regarding Belloq (Paul Freeman). He has a fly land on his face and walk into his mouth. The dude keeps going with the take, straight up eating the fly. Method legend!
But I have a lesser known, far more baffling one; During the convoy scene, as the Nazis are driving to the location they plan to open the Ark, Toht (Ronald Lacey), the creepy Nazi that got the medallion burned into his palm for those who may not recall, is seen riding in a car with the convoy in a closeup shot. Then the shot cuts wide to show the whole convoy as our hero Indy (Harrison Ford, duh) stalks the enemy.
Now, pause that wide shot and look for Toht's car. He's not there! What you will see is his black trench coat laid over the seat with his hat sitting on the head rest to give the appearance that someone is in the seat.
I'm so very confused by this on several fronts. Why was Ronald Lacey not available? Why not have someone, anyone actually sit in the seat wearing the coat and hat? From afar one would never know it wasn't the real actor. How did the conversation go? My imagination says it went something like,
"Mr. Spielberg, Ronald's not feeling well, but we need to get this wide shot while the light is still good."
"Okay, toss his hat and coat in the seat. It'll be fine."
"Mr. Spielberg do you think we should have an extra wear the outfit? Just in case?"
"I'm sorry, did you just question Steven effing Spielberg? Besides, who's gonna notice? It's not like viewers have the technology to freeze a movie at home on some large high fidelity screen while eating a microwave TV dinner bundled up on the couch."
See what I did there?
-Bonus; Literally every movie time bomb. Ever. Seriously, the time never, ever matches up! If anyone has an exception to this, please share. Rest assured, it would very much be in the minority.
I thought of this as something I definitely notice, but isn’t something that I am as versed in ha.
I wouldn't recommend it. I pretty much can't turn if off now; but if you like to learn these things and don't mind swears, check out the Hollywood Babble-On podcast on YouTube. They have a segment called 'shit that should not be' that has some absolute bangers. I got the Raiders one and the Ghost one off that podcast. Spotted the rest me self though!