Smashing It

A number of people have asked about the origins of this blog's name: Smash Adventures. Here's my answer to that question. First and foremost, it's a fun combination of my name and M's (and he gets 100% of the credit for coming up with it). Other options that tripped off the tongue less daintily were Sashthiah, Matthasha, and the very cumbersome Masashathiah. A few too many consonant digraphs in the latter, in my opinion. Second, the word 'smash' has some fun connotations. Let's take a look at them, courtesy of our friends over at thefreedictionary.com:

smash  (smsh)

v. smashed, smash·ing, smash·es

v.tr.

1. To break (something) into pieces suddenly, noisily, and violently; shatter. See Synonyms at break.

2.

a. To throw or dash (something) violently so as to shatter or crush. See Synonyms at crush.

b. To strike with a heavy blow; batter.

3. Sports To hit (a ball or shuttlecock) in a forceful overhand stroke.

4. To crush or destroy completely: smashed all resistance.

v.intr.

1. To strike or collide suddenly, noisily, and violently: The car smashed into a tree.

2. To break suddenly into pieces, as from a violent blow or collision.

3. Sports To hit a ball or shuttlecock in a forceful overhand stroke.

4. To be crushed or destroyed.

5. To go bankrupt.

n.

1.

a. The act or sound of smashing.

b. The condition of having been smashed.

2.

a. Total defeat or destruction; ruin.

b. Financial failure; bankruptcy.

3. A collision or crash.

4.

a. A drink made of mint, sugar, soda water, and alcoholic liquor, usually brandy.

b. A soft drink made of crushed fruit.

5. Sports A forceful overhand stroke, as in tennis or badminton.

6. Informal A resounding success: The play was a smash on Broadway.

adj. Informal

Of, relating to, or being a resounding success: a smash hit on Broadway.

adv.

         With a sudden violent crash.

Obviously, there's a lot going on there, but I'd like to draw your attention to a couple of the entries. First, to smash means 'To break (something) into pieces suddenly, noisily, and violently; shatter.' Words like break, shatter, and violently usually carry a negative connotation, but that connotation assumes whatever you began with was healthy and whole. 

[Side note: If you're reading this blog, there's a good chance you already know that my mom passed away at the end of September after a year and a half long battle with cancer, and my father passed away last year. If you didn't know that, my apologies if this blog just got a lot more serious than you expected. Earmuffs for this next short section.]

My experiences have left me seamed, criss-crossed with hairline fractures. Those of you who know me know that I'm a doer, an action person. Rather than waiting for those fractures to turn to breaks, I've taken matters into my own hands and rather suddenly and noisily dismantled my life in SF, starting with leaving the job I've spent the last five years in, subletting my apartment, and buying a ticket to Africa. Of course, I'm incredibly lucky to bring a very important part of my life with my on the trip: M. We are so lucky to both have been in a spot personally, professionally, and financially where it made sense to make this decision, picking up and leaving most everything behind.

Smash also means 'to strike or collide suddenly,' which is what I'm doing with my trepidation and hesitation: staring them down, heading them off at the pass. At the end of my last day of work yesterday, some of my colleagues spoke about things they appreciated about me, which obviously left me a wet, snotty mess. One person in particular said she admired my ability to look down the throat of the beast without flinching. I'm doing what I can to make that true today.

Looking down to the noun definitions, I'd like to gloss over the bankruptcy and financial ruin section, apt though it may be, and head straight to the informal 'resounding success.' There's hardly been enough time between making the decision to leave and actually leaving to work up a healthy amount of anticipation, but now, just a few hours before our flight to Boston, I'm starting to get excited. This trip is going to be amazing, and we are going to crush it.