Wednesday, December 30, 2015

New Years' Resolutions

Well, 2016 is here, which means I'm going to have a lot of things I want to do. Here are a few of them.

  1. Write or edit one of my novels at least three hours a week.
  2. journal every day (and possibly read spiritual things too)
  3. read at least one new book a month that's not for class
  4. exercise effectively and eat well
  5. Get a job.
  6. built my savings account to where I can actually live on my own.
  7. finish a large, long-term knitting project.
  8. Don't buy new things (i.e. makeup, notebooks, pens, yarn) without using up the old ones first.
  9. Try and move out by the end of 2016. I don't have any housing lined up for the future aside from living with my parents (nor do I really have the bank account for it just yet), so I need to work on that.

Monday, December 21, 2015

the glory of arm knitting

I recently discovered arm knitting. What this means is that, instead of using knitting needles as anchors for the stitches, one uses arms for the anchors. It creates large stitches and requires very thick yarn (or 3-5 strands of thinner yarn). The result is a lot of quickly knit but very warm garments (especially scarves. Arm-knit scarves are easy). TRY IT!

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Yea or Nay: "Friends"

So I am rapidly coming to the end of the final season of the TV show FRIENDS. For reference, I was born within the twelve months preceding the release of the first episode, and so I was in fourth grade when the final episode aired. I have vague recollections of the show before middle and high school; in high school, one night of the choir tour my hotel roommates and I watched a few episodes of the show one night, because it was on before we went to bed. That and maybe a few passing references were the only real interactions I had with the show until Spring Break 2015. I signed up for a free month of Netflix and started watching. I recall rambling to a friend about how excited I was about Ross and Rachel in the first season.
The rest of the semester went by without much in the way of watching it, and then I signed up for Actual Paying Netflix and watched a lot of the episodes as I worked on knitting projects.
I now feel a little dumb for rambling about Ross and Rachel in March - at the beginning, they're so awkward about the relationship, but then WE WERE ON A BREAK happened. And then Ross started getting really annoying.
It's hard to quantify the time frame of everything in the show when watching 10 years worth of material in 10 months. There are a few hints in the show that serve as reminders to the time frame. One time Ross says that he and Rachel haven't dated for six years - my first thought was "no, you haven't dated since July... oh wait..."
So, do I like it? Yes. HOW YOU DOIN'? COULD I BE ANY MORE JOEY? (sorry...)
Is it totally a product of its time? Yes. The way the show handled the gender identity of Chandler's father would definitely be problematic today if the relevant episodes had been aired more recently. It also goes to show how much society has changed around the concept of gender identity and expression - I'm sure that, for the time, the presentation wasn't problematic at all.
In all, though, FRIENDS are.... friends. And I appreciate that.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Gifts for English Majors

In continuing with yesterday's theme, here are some gifts that I might recommend for an English Major. These are things I, as an English major (and a person with opinions), would totally appreciate, but keep in mind that these are only my opinion. Every English major is different.

First off, gift-giving hints:

  1. There are a lot of lists on the Internet about "THINGS ENGLISH MAJORS WILL APPRECIATE." I will be completely honest with you: unless the English Major is interested in the cross-sections of Poe, Shakespeare, Austen, and loves the books they were assigned in high school, be wary of randomly selecting from these lists (including mine). I've met several English majors who can't stand Shakespeare. (I am not one of those people - I can't stand Samuel Beckett, and I say that after I wrote a capstone paper on him).
  2. That being said, learn what sort of thing the English Major DOES and DOES NOT like. (This is a general gift-giving guideline, to be honest). See above about how some English Majors can't stand Shakespeare. If they're interested in Shakespeare, then you have a LOT of fun options. If they're not interested in William Shakespeare, James Joyce, Jane Austen, or Edgar Allen Poe, you still have options, but do ask because that means you'll have to do some more exploring.
  3. Not all English majors want to be writers. (I do, but that's beside the point.) Not all English majors want to be editors. Not all English majors want to be journalists. Some English majors want to be teachers; others are going to grad school for something completely different. Many lists will include variations on the first three, but you may need to do more exploring.

Gifts for the Writer English Major

Definition: the Writer English Major wants to write fiction/ poetry/ etc. May have strong opinions on the Classic Works of Fiction.
  1. This GO AWAY I'M WRITING bag. Ships from UK. 
  2. Or any of these journals. Various prices. Ships from UK. 
  3. This pin from Etsy on the attachment to fictional characters.
  4. Or this "i write" one, also from Etsy.
  5. Or quite possibly my favorite quote about writing, on a pin from Etsy.
  6. This basic summation of writer's block.

Gifts for the Gothic Fan

Definition: Gothic works are basically dark horror and romance. There are different sub-genres (Southern Gothic, Romantic-Era Gothic, Victorian Gothic, etc) and I'm not very familiar with the differences among them. Edgar Allen Poe was a Victorian Gothic writer; Dracula, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre are all classic Gothic novels. Search Wikipedia and Google for more information.
  1. This bracelet, with a quote from Dracula. $40, Etsy (note that the shopkeeper says she won't be shipping until January 4).
  2. Seriously, just google Edgar Allen Poe quotes and find something.
  3. Or Jane Eyre. If you get anything related to a "Madwoman in the attic" then you're on the right track. Wuthering Heights is my least favorite book so I'm not going to say you should go search for it. I cannot willingly inflict that book onto anyone.
  4. Jane Austen isn't Gothic. Unless you're reading Northanger Abbey, apparently.

Gifts for the Jane Austen fan

Definition: Someone who likes Jane Austen.
  1. There are so many Jane Austen things. Google "Jane Austen quote jewelry."
  2. CafePress is also good for this.
  3. And Etsy.

Gifts for the Shakespeare fan

about as ubiquitous as the Jane Austen merchandise, you'll be able to find a loooooooooooooot of things online (especially Etsy). Be warned, though: if they have a strong opinion against A Midsummer Night's Dream, avoid things that say "though she is but little, she is fierce."

Monday, December 14, 2015

Gifts for Classics Students

Sometimes shopping for holiday gifts is hard - someone doesn't give you a list, and all you DO know is what they DON'T like.
So, this week is based on GIFTS BY MAJORS.
Today is Classics Majors (here included are Greek and Latin majors as well). I'd like to think I have SOME idea about this because I'm a Classical Studies minor, but here goes.
First, some basic advice: learn what language the major does (Greek, Latin, both, neither), and learn what sort of Classical thing they're interested in. For example, I've done Greek and never done Latin, and I'm vaguely interested in ancient religion and the transition to Christianity. Latin and Greek are different, and many majors WILL know the difference.


DEFINITELY TO BUY:

  1. Find out their language - if they do Greek, Latin, or both. Once you find their language, find out if they have a favorite ancient author, and see if you can find a quote in the original language from the author. Put that quote onto a tote bag/ t-shirt/ hat/ diary/ item that you know they like.
  2. If you're not super crafty but know what this person likes, follow THIS LINK - cafe press has a lot of really fun things in Latin/ Greek. 
  3. BOOKS. Once you learn what sort of Classical thing they're interested in, find a book on it - even if it's only vaguely related. Does the Major study Latin or Roman things? Find a work on Roman emperors, gladiators, or the Roman mythos. If they study Greek things, look for Homer, Alexander the Great, Philip the Great, Athens, Sparta, ancient philosophers, the Ptolemaic line in Egypt....
  4. Something to help with their language study. For example, something I wish I had gotten freshman year (instead of senior year) is a Greek Paradigm Handbook ($13 or so) that helps review noun and adjective declension and verb conjugations. And here is a comparable item for Latin ($19).
  5. Search Etsy for some interesting finds, because goodness knows people are super creative. For example, this bracelet embossed with Homeric verses ($40), or this bracelet in Latin ($33). 

DEFINITELY DON'T BUY:

  1. if the Classics Major is a Greek student, DO NOT buy them anything that uses the Greek letter Sigma as an "e". We know it looks like an "e," but EPSILON EXISTS FOR A REASON. What am I talking about? THIS.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Things I Learned This Semester

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN!!

ACADEMICS
  1. Don't procrastinate. You think it's a good idea to catch up on ONE MORE EPISODE of your favorite show, or one more level on that game, or something. It's a terrible idea. Don't do it.
  2. Do your reading. Take notes. It takes forever, but it will help you later. Especially if it's a literature course.
  3. Unless your professor talks at you FROM THE READING for a lecture course. Just take a lot of notes during the lecture.
  4. Pace your reading. Take breaks. Go for a run.
  5. Do your research. And actually show up to class.

OTHER LIFE
  1. Make friends, but don't hang out with huge groups. Friends help, but huge groups can lead to drama and everyone hating each other.
  2. Friends can be for studying. use them.
  3. Working out can help de-stress. If you have gym anxiety, learn when the off-peak hours are and go at those times when nobody will be there so you can focus on not freaking out about doing other things.
  4. Do your laundry. Just do it.
  5. Clean your room occasionally. It'll help. Seriously.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Things about Finals

Interesting fact: finals week isn't usually the most stressful part of the end of the semester. It's usually the week before, when everything is due. The week before is usually called "hell week" because it's ONE OF THE WORST INVENTIONS. Some people say that you get through these weeks because of caffeine, while others will swear by sleep and exercise.
Both of these people are crazy.
Want to survive finals and hell week? TIPS FROM A FOURTH-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR.

PAPERS!
1. don't start research the same week a paper is due, unless you can survive on like 5 hours of sleep a night for a week. If you can do that, use that ability in the writing process. Still pace yourself on the research. You'll need it.
2. If you're the type who needs to dither about into your writing regimen, allow yourself time to do that. And also introduce yourself to the person who can survive on 5 hours of sleep.
3. Outline a lot. When you find a quote, put it in one of the supporting evidence points in the outline. Does it not fit neatly into one of your arguments? Try not to include it, unless it works well as a transition piece of evidence.
4. Don't. Procrastinate. Ever. If you're worried about starting/ finishing/ will it suck, STOP. If you NEED to dither until you finally do it, do that before Thanksgiving.
5. One thing I did this semester that was helpful in my final capstone paper is to have 4-5 index cards for each point. Label them as "general information," "quotes from text," "analysis of quotes+facts," and "tie back to thesis." Do this for as many points as you have/ need. Write down your sources on the index cards; include the citation on the back of the card. Use as many index cards as you need - you can probably get 100 for under $1.

TESTS
1. Study buddies are your best friends.
2. So are index cards.
3. And colored pens/ pencils. Color-code things. If it's a name you should remember, do it in one color. If it's a date, do another. If it's a particular piece of math, do another still. Or vocab, or plot points, or whatever.
4. Find out if the test is cumulative or since the midterm/ most recent test. If it's cumulative, study the most recent information first - since it's fresher, you won't need to spend as much time on it.
5. If anything involves long-answer/ essay questions, write out your study answers in complete sentences.

PRESENTATIONS
1. I have nothing. I don't really do presentations anymore.
2. I'm sorry.

Friday, December 4, 2015

On trigger warnings and coddling

I've heard some things about trigger warnings on college campuses lately, and I decided to put in my two cents on the matter. (This is your warning if things connected to triggers/ things that are potential triggers may be discussed here).
Firstly, let's define what a "trigger warning" is. According to dictionary.com, it is "a stated warning that the content of a text, video, etc., may upset or offend some people, especially those who have previously experienced a related trauma."
As I see it, the intended use of a trigger warning is just in the genre of "heads up, this is a thing that will be presented that may be problematic for some people." It's like how crime shows sometimes have a title card when they have reenactment in the next segment - "viewer discretion is advised." If you have had a particular experience that makes you particularly ill-disposed for that kind of content, it's a heads up that a particular kind of content will be featured.
Sometimes, college professors include trigger warnings where they're needed. Sometimes they don't. And whether they should has been a controversial topic for some.
Personally, I think that they should exist on the syllabus and that the professor should be available for for emails about missing class on a particular day. I get the feeling that many of those who need trigger warnings don't intentionally want a skip day from class; they probably just want permission to handle a potential problem in a personally safe space. If it's a movie, that might mean watching it on the student's own time and emailing comments to the professor, if that's part of the grade. Maybe that student does have some important and interesting thoughts about the particular content of that day's class, but doesn't feel totally comfortable sharing it in public.
To me, that's what trigger warnings are for - if it causes someone extreme emotional duress to interact with something in public, they should be allowed to handle it in private. They should not necessarily be exempt from interacting with the material (unless there are highly difficult circumstances associated with it). Light to moderate discomfort should be worked around in class - and trigger warnings provide a heads-up that light-to-moderate discomfort exists. It's supposed to be a heads-up, in case a student needs to emotionally/ psychologically prepare for a particular class beyond what they normally have to do.
What it does NOT mean is that everything should be warned as a trigger. If a student has some particular trigger material that isn't in the typical genre of "possibly triggering material," then part of the responsibility of both the student and the professor is to communicate about that. Not everything should be warned, but everyone should be open to compromise. If a student does get triggered by something that someone wouldn't think to warn people of, that would be a circumstance that needs communication between the professor and the student separately.

So those are my thoughts on triggers. What are yours?

Thursday, December 3, 2015

That Time I Procrastinate

So procrastination exists. I've procrastinated on things before. I have a 12-15 page term paper due tomorrow that I still have to work on, but that's not the thing I've procrastinated on the most, though. The thing I've procrastinated on the most was an 18-page paper, which I had to to outline, write, and edit in 24 hours.
I didn't do well in that class.
I HAVE, however, got an outline, several quotes, and several points. I just need to write the thing.
So, mom, if you're reading this, DON'T FREAK OUT. EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL. (Really. At this point, it's just the writing. Almost all the research has been done. I have an outline. I have most of my quotes. I just need to actually connect them to things.) But it's time to stop procrastinating and finish my work!
And if you, too, are procrastinating by spending time on this blog, LEAVE AND DO YOUR WORK.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

When is it okay to start doing Christmas things?

It's been a long-standing pet peeve of mine that Christmas merchandise has entered shops earlier and earlier every year. I understand that fall/ Halloween merchandise is sometimes treated the same way - when I worked retail this summer, one floor set for early fall merchandise was on August 1st. However, I would contend that fall is a season, and not a holiday, and that there are no merchandise-based holidays between September and Halloween that would get attention, except the existence of Pumpkin Spice anything and cool-weather gear. Additionally, Halloween is given a pretty concise time frame between September and the end of October.
This pet peeve of mine comes from a love of both holidays for different reasons. I love sweater weather. My favorite color is orange, in part because autumn is possibly my favorite season. I love the spooky aspects of Halloween, obviously: I tell ghost stories for my job. I love the color scheme of Halloween, and the chance to dress however crazy (or not) I want for one day a year, and to change my appearance and not just be me.
I also love Christmas. I love the time of year that I get to see people I haven't seen for a while and decorate in a way that's completely different from Halloween. I like the scents of the holiday season and giving people presents and making things for and with people. It's also a good reminder to slow down and think about other people for once. I know I should think about others outside of December, but it's often a time to reevaluate - how well have I done to help people this year? (This year, I have a very shoddy evaluation).
However, Christmas is given as HUGE a time frame as possible, it seems. Some of it is Black Friday/ Cyber Monday things where you can get gift and life essentials for cheap if that's what you need/ want (and you're willing to risk getting run over by others). But not all of it is "get this super cheap thing so you can upgrade your life and give some good gifts but also not go broke!" While some of it is that, I've seen Christmas decorations put out before Halloween and not clearance items, either. I mean, there were more candy canes alone than autumn and Halloween combined. I know that mid-October means that Halloween is nigh and that autumn is almost halfway done, but it feels like Christmas decorations alone are really what drive profits up in November.
Maybe that's why so many stores do Christmas decorations so early.
I love holiday music as well, but I've always had a weird feeling about not playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving. In my household growing up, usually Christmas music was reserved for after we put the Christmas tree up - and that was at least after Advent.
Maybe that's why I have such an aversion to seeing Christmas merchandise before Halloween - since I grew up Christian, I always associate the Christmas season with Advent. Advent is a full calendar month after Halloween, which means that Halloween is the time for ghouls and goblins and ghosts, and NOT for fun and cheer and spices.
But that's my rant about that. I'll try and be more coherent tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Welcome to Blogmas!

If you've never heard of Blogmas, it's probably because I may have made it up.
I got the idea from several video bloggers, who do Vlogmas - posting a vlog every day between December First (sometimes they start the day after Thanksgiving) and Christmas. That is what I may try and do here. I don't know how it's going to work out, but it's worth a shot. It may turn into BlogCember, but let me first survive this week and we'll see how that goes.

So, first Blogmas post is over. Because I said so. And because the intro is also the easiest thing to do, sometimes. Right now, it is. And also, I have to go get lunch in ten minutes and I haven't put my contacts in my eyes yet. So I should probably do that.

HUZZAH!

Monday, November 30, 2015

What I learned in NaNoWriMo this year

Last night, I verified my word count on the NaNoWriMo website, meaning that now I have to type and edit this incoherent mess into something more coherent and less messy than before.
That being said, here are the things I learned this month.

First, I learned that spending time in the world before writing the novel is very important, especially when writing fantasy. I spent months planning and plotting and scribbling about the longest novel I've actually finished, and that was before November even started. On the other hand, I only spent a little time outlining a plot, doing one or two character sketches, and outlining a little bit in the magic of the world.
What's the difference between the two?
In the first instance, I spent so much time just thinking about the work - whether there are dragons and faeries, a little bit about what happened before the novel started, what sort of climate the world was in, even something along the lines of "what would this character's favorite pop song be in this world" - that, once November started, I already had a concept of my parameters. If I needed a plot twist, then I knew where to draw the plot twist from. Sure, some things might be inconsistent, but there was something to draw from.
In this instance, with only vague outlines of the existence of some beings, there was not a lot to draw from when I hit writer's block. Sure, shifting perspectives sometimes helped, but I didn't establish the history of the world to spend time building up some events and plot twists. If you make room for historical references, there are more things you can do with it.

Second, I learned that progress is progress, no matter how awful. Even though there are a lot of inconsistencies in this novel, there are a lot of okay elements, too. I had a journalism professor who often said, "write a beast, and then you can groom it." What she meant was what Chris Baty always says: turn off your inner editor and let yourself be awful the first time around. Rough drafts are rough for a reason. Now I have things to work with.

Third, I learned that thinking about writing does not boost your word count. Announcing to your boyfriend, your roommate, and your friend who wants to hang out that you can't spend time with them because you need to write.... does not mean you will actually write. (It makes you a little bit of a terrible person if you don't write, though. You should definitely write.)

Fourth, I learned that word sprints are your friend. Setting a timer for 20-25 minutes absolves you from looking at your phone during the designated time frame, and can help focus on things that involve novels and word counts and NOT looking at your phone and trying to find plot twist generators. If something is truly urgent, someone will call you, and if you don't focus on your novel, then the generators won't help at all.

Fifth, I learned that getting ahead doesn't mean you will stay ahead, and that getting behind doesn't mean you will stay behind. That's pretty self-explanatory.

And, finally, I leave you with a J.K. Rowling quote (found on goodreads) that pretty well sums up the difficulty I had in this NaNoWriMo season, because I did not do what she advised:

"Be ruthless about protecting writing days, i.e., do not cave in to endless requests to have "essential" and "long overdue" meetings on those days. The funny thing is that, although writing has been my actual job for several years now, I still seem to have to fight for time in which to do it. Some people do not seem to grasp that I still have to sit down in peace and write the books, apparently believing that they pop up like mushrooms without my connivance. I must therefore guard the time allotted to writing as a Hungarian Horntail guards its firstborn egg."

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

So Much for Blog-a-day in NaNo...

Yes, I am aware that I haven't blogged a lot this month. My excuse is that I'm lazy, and also behind on NaNo word count, and also need to do a lot of other things like homework.
Do I plan on finishing NaNoWriMo this year? Absolutely. I may need to lose a lot of sleep and put off a tad bit of homework until after Thanksgiving break is over (NOTHING I CAN'T DO WHEN I GET BACK TO SCHOOL, MOM. I'VE WORKED THINGS OUT SO I CAN HANDLE EVERYTHING FINE, MOM), but I do plan on doing it. I'm just quite behind.
All right, very behind.
I need to be on page 145 today. I'm currently on page 127. I have a lot to write.
Personally, I think I can do it, I just need to work on it a lot. And not edit other writing when I could be writing on the train. And not posting blog posts when I could be writing on the train. And not having coffee with people when I could be writing.
A comforting thought (I guess it's comforting?) is that I was in a similar situation last year. It's easier to budget out two or three hours a day to write when you don't have three or four hours of class a day. Yes, I have obligations for work and family and exercise and cooking for Thanksgiving, but I also don't have to go to class, and I don't have as much homework to do because it's all papers right now. (Other college students would be freaking out about the number of papers I have to do, but I already had my emotional break this month. I know what I'm doing.)
So, in conclusion:
1. I have a lot of novel-writing to do.
2. I have a lot of essay-writing to do.
3. I have everything under control (MOM.)

Friday, October 30, 2015

NaNoWriMo Approaches! (again!)

On Sunday, I will once again be writing a novel in 30 days (or trying to, anyway). This is my sixth year doing NaNoWriMo, and it may be my last for a while - simply because, if I'm successful, I'll have three full first drafts of novels, but only two-thirds of one of them actually typed up. I love NaNoWriMo, but I also need to fiddle with my drafts to make them less drafty if I want to get them published.
So time to do my last NaNoWriMo (for the foreseeable future) with a bang. I'll be trying to update 5-7 days a week, but, as last year, if I get on a roll and can't update every day, I hope you understand.

This year, my novel is a post-fairy-tale sort of thing: what happens after Sleeping Beauty wakes up?

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Yea or Nay: Pumpkin Spice Latte

Over Fall Break, I was able to try the Pumpkin Spice Latte for the first time I can remember. I may have ordered it before, but if I did, I don't remember it.
Because, dear readers, I may have a controversial opinion about the Pumpkin Spice Latte (considering that I identify as a white female between the ages of 16 and 23): I don't really like it too much. Furthermore, it's not the most pumpkin-spice-y coffee that I've ever had, nor is it my favorite pumpkin spice thing ever.

First, my favorite pumpkin spice coffee is the one at my local coffee shop. I usually order coffee with caramel syrup in it, and the coffee beans are flavored, rather than having the added flavors in the syrup. Because of that, you get more of a "pumpkins and spices and caramel and coffee" type of flavor, rather than "pumpkins and sugar and maybe a spice thing?"

Second, my favorite Pumpkin Spice anything is from Bath and Body Works. The Pumpkin Cupcake Hand Soap sold there had become almost problematic for my roommate and myself. We didn't want to destroy it by any means - we wanted to eat our hand soap. We didn't eat our hand soap, but we wanted to.

What, dear readers, is your favorite pumpkin spice thing? Is pumpkin spice overrated? Should Apple Cinnamon Caramel be a thing instead?

Monday, October 26, 2015

I'm back... with words...

I know I haven't posted in approximately forever, but here we go - I'm finally posting something! YAY!
As we go into NaNoWriMo season, I have to think about words a lot. This post is about why I don't like the word "cute" being used super often - in certain contexts, I understand that something definitely is cute. Babies are cute. Kittens and dogs and fluffy animals are cute. But overuse? That's a completely different manner.
There are a few reasons for this. The simplest is that I don't like "cutesy" things (except for kittens and puppies), and using the word too often out of that context is kind of irritating. When I was 17, I got the chance to go to Switzerland with my Girl Scout troop. Nearly everyone there used the word "cute" at least three times a day (or so it seemed). Couldn't they think of another adjective? Is something "adorable," or "picturesque," or "super sweet," or ANYTHING? WHAT KIND OF CUTE DO YOU MEAN? Sometimes they didn't mean "cute" at all, but it was a go-to adjective to describe anything that the individual user liked - my mom was particularly fond of this usage of the word. (I've been guilty of using go-to adjectives as well; mine have often been "awesome" or "cool.") When my mom and I went with my friend and her mom to Italy after the program was over, I made a deal with my mom - every time she would say "cute," she would pay half a euro.
This frustration with the usage goes a little bit farther back than just that trip, though, and a little bit more than just being my mom's go-to adjective. Earlier that same summer, I went to a two-week Shakespeare camp with an abridged performance at the end. There were three groups of kids: the really young kids were maybe 9-11 years old; the middle schoolers were maybe 12-14, and the high school kids (my group) were 15-18. Each group had different "classes" during the day - acting, movement, stage combat, and text analysis, as well as a two-hour rehearsal at the end of the day. The final performance varied depending on the age bracket - the little kids did short scenes and monologues, the middle schoolers did a history play, the high school kids did a tragedy. During our session, the show was Romeo and Juliet.
This being a summer camp, people rarely played the same role for more than a scene or two. Every girl played Juliet, and most played the Nurse and Lady Capulet as well; every guy played Romeo, as well as a few girls. There were sometimes cross-gender castings; I played Tybalt and killed Mercutio (and then died).
That particular scene was my favorite. It's one of the only times I've truly felt "in character," which is difficult psychologically to explain if you've never done it. When Tybalt gets stabbed, Wild Card's brain knows that M is a nice guy. Wild Card knows that this is exactly how the scene is supposed to go. But for a minute, all that was in Wild Card's brain was Tybalt thinking, "YOU ASSHOLE YOU JUST STABBED ME!!!!"
When Tybalt gets stabbed, there's a moment of tense silence; all the cheers die out. That was the moment I thought Romeo was an ass. Then I was ready to smite Romeo - one flesh wound can't kill me! (It did.)
At the end of the performance, one of the directors whispered, "you're such a badass." It was gratifying to think that someone else - especially a director - thought I had actually fought well. When I asked my parents what they thought of the performance, my mom said, "It was cute."
No. The 9-year-olds overacting Shakespeare is cute. Puppies are cute. Kittens are cute.
One of your child's directors thinks she's a badass. The other director thinks your child should apply for Yale's theater department. Your child just got stabbed in one of the best fights they've done to date and you think it's cute?
Again, it was my mom's go-to adjective. She wanted to confer positive sentiment, which I appreciate. It was also a time when I wanted to be anything but cute - I had just gotten a second-degree black belt. I didn't want to be cute.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Writing Things

This semester is one of the few times I was assigned a book from high school, and then got assigned the same book in college. I've been assigned Othello twice before - once in senior year of high school, and once when I took a Shakespeare class.
This time, the book is Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Reading this book again is quite an interesting experience - if only because I can now say "I UNDERSTOOD THAT REFERENCE!" while reading the book. It's not necessarily referencing other literature - it's referencing mythology, death, and yarn - often at the same time!
Obviously, when there's a crossover of three of my favorite things (yarn, mythology, and literature), I get excited.
Then I get nervous.
If this is an eligible idea for my capstone - the 20-page paper at the end of the semester - it has to be original. How many other people understood the same reference I did? How many writers would have made the same argument as I would?
These are the things that worry me.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Home

Home. You'd think four letters would be easy to define. There are definitions in the OED and plenty of other dictionaries, but it's not just "The place where a person or animal dwells," as the first definition in the OED suggests.
For me, home is where I feel safe and provided for. Of course, that applies to the place where I spent the first eighteen years of my life, and where I go during breaks from school. For the first two years of college, that also applied to whatever dorm I was living in, with the exception of two incidents in freshman year and one incident as a sophomore. To quote Pumbaa from The Lion King, I thought that "home is where your rump rests." That had always applied to me.
Last year was stressful, and not only because of classes. There were issues with friends, and my roommate's negative attitude started to affect my own: negativity is not something that's conducive to feeling at home.
So, for me, "home" is more than just where you go to sleep at night. My roommate this year still says that she's "going home" when she visits her parents every other weekend (they live very close), and I still say "I'm going home to work" when I have shifts at my ghost tour job. Do either of these instances count less as "home" than Room 129? Furthermore, when does Room 129 become more "home" than the houses our parents live in?
WILL it ever count as more "home"?

As I look to the future and when I will eventually have to move out of my parents' house and find a place of my own to stay, when will that place start feeling like home more than my parents' house? When I pay my own bills for eighteen years? When it's a place where I feel totally safe, and alone-but-not-lonely? When it's a place I've built up a life in?

There are some people who are turtles, and carry home on their backs. Maybe it's just easiest if I become one of those people.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

This. Is. Senior. Year.

I sincerely apologize for neglecting the blog these last few weeks. I will attempt to resume posting three days a week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I may post more or less than that, but we'll see.

This has been an interesting start to an academic year.
British Modernist Fiction involves analyzing James Joyce and realizing he mostly writes about religion, internalized misogyny, religion, politics, the steady march of time, and stage mothers.

Creative Nonfiction is memoir-writing. So far, I have written about How I Learned To Knit, and learned that my childhood recollection of How I Came To Harry Potter is a complete lie, and Why That Is Okay.

Greek History covers mostly the ancient periods, from the bronze age to the Classical era. This is maybe 3000 years, but we just passed the Dark Ages. They were called that because there is no real writing during the Dark Ages, so there's only Linear B fragments and myths of the Trojan War. There's also Heinrich Schliemann, who went on an archaeological dig for Homer's Troy. He dug too far and what could have been Homer's Troy is lost forever, and the artifacts were in Heinrich Schliemann's trash bins. Don't be Heinrich Schliemann.

Greek Philosophy is exactly what I expected. Lots of reading in dead languages about Plato's obnoxious word usage. It's actually really cool to learn the concepts he was trying to argue about - there wouldn't be Christianity if Plato didn't introduce the concept of the soul, for example. In Plato's day, there were good people and bad people, and what you see is what you get. It's perfectly justifiable to hurt those who have hurt you and help those who have helped you. But, Plato argues, is it not possible for good people to make stupid mistakes, and for bad people to act good? YOU MEAN THAT PEOPLE ARE COMPLEX???!!!??? THANKS, PLATO.

Communication Ethics hasn't gotten to too many topics yet. It'll be interesting to see the debates that spring up when we actually start getting into case studies, like Edward Snowden and Rolling Stone's UVA case last year.


Sooooooooo those are my classes. See you Wednesday!

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Things I Learned This Summer

Well, I've moved into my room at school, almost all my textbooks are in, and classes start on Monday. This means only ONE THING: that it's time for Wild Card's List Of Things She Learned This Summer!

It is Acceptable to Have Fun at Your Older Brother's Wedding

It's supposed to be a good day. And if it is, HOORAY!

Try to Get a Summer Job

Even if it's working retail, you'll get some money and learn how to handle a lot of personalities and some kinds of stress that you may not be used to. If it's something you enjoy, like dressing up and telling stories, then even better!

Find Your Happy Place

I think this factors into a lifetime of work - if you can tolerate it most days, then HOORAY. If it's in a place you like, HOORAY!

If You're In a Position of Power...

During Gather at the River in early August, a particular bishop showed up. He has, apparently, a past filled with actions raging from "problematic if you look too hard" to "affecting at least one person's ordination process." He was not a welcome figure at Gather. But he came. And it was tense. But he said that he needed to hear what had been said.
I don't know much of his history with the LGBTQIA+ community, aside from his problems with it, but showing up at Gather at all had to take a lot of guts. If he was so moved, it can't have been for nothing.

Find A Good Series To Invest Your Fangirling Into

You don't have to watch or read EVERYTHING that gets recommended to you. You CAN, however, find a few things to geek out over if you want to. It's perfectly acceptable to find one or two REALLY GOOD THINGS.
It's also okay to move on from those things.
It's okay if those things are not the mainstream fun things. Just make sure you can summarize them for people who ask.

All-Nighters Suck

I think there's a reason that I don't study past 1:00 AM, as a rule. That reason is that all-nighters are AWFUL. They throw off your sleep schedule, and being tired and in class is not a good combination.






So these were just some of the things I learned this summer. If you learned anything cool, leave it in the comments!

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Why I Won't Date A Vampire

Okay, so seeing as I've basically only read a vampire romance this summer, I'm going to take an opposite tack. Though Vampire Romance has been been propped up as a Thing to Definitely Do, I'm going to present some reasons Why I Won't.
This is taking into account the following information:
- the vampire in question is a male, at least 500 years old and 20s-30s at time of rebirth
- the vampire in question is stronger and faster than the normal human, and has a much lower body temperature
- the vampire in question does, on occasion, consume human blood to survive
- the vampire in question does not have an issue with sunlight, because that was invented fewer than 500 years ago

WHY WILD CARD WON'T HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH A VAMPIRE

1. RESIDUAL PATRIARCHY

Since this vampire is a male and passes as someone between the ages of 18 and 39, and probably first came into the world at a time when the patriarchy was all too rampant, he probably still has some of this thought process internalized. I understand that, to a degree, but I don't want to have to explain why feminism is a thing every single time I make a Big Kid decision without consulting my dad or brother or imaginary vampire boyfriend. I don't want him to assume that I'm going to bear his child - if that's biologically even feasible for us - just because I'm (presumably) a fertile female above the age of consent.

2. PHYSICAL INFERIORITY

I can't stand feeling like I'm weak. I KNOW I'm not the strongest person ever in any capacity - sometimes I still cry at shows and movies, and I can no longer do 300 push-ups in a day. On the other hand, I like to be able to do things for myself and carry my own weight when I must. In these situations, I often like the distribution of duties to be about equal. If a vampire is stronger and faster than I am, I'll start to get hard on myself for not being able to keep up, even though I know that I physically can't go at a vampire's pace. I don't want to deal with that. If it's a human who's a bit faster than me, then that's a challenge. If it's a vampire's pace, then that's impossible and I don't like acknowledging that impossibility.

3. INTELLECTUAL INFERIORITY

Since this vampire is at least 500 years old, he probably knows a whole lot of things about a great variety of subjects. This vampire could know LITERALLY EVERYTHING about history since he was born; for that reason, I would go on A SINGLE DATE (or A SERIES of dates) with him to pick his brain about Galileo and other important people, but I wouldn't like knowing that I'm the comparatively idiotic one of the pair. 

4. BLOOD LOSS

This one is kind of debatable, depending on how much human blood this vampire needs to survive. I don't want to put my own life at risk because I'm on my period and he hasn't fed in a while. (I assume we both would be able to tell these things and plan accordingly, but what if menstrual fluid is too close to actual blood? I don't want to think about these things; I assume no author does either, and that's why it's never addressed.)

5. MORTALITY

Let's get something straight: if I meet a vampire, and I got the chance to become immortal, I don't know if I would take it. Sometimes I need to have a "YOLO" mentality in order to be more productive than getting a high score on Candy Crush. I also get a bit of inferiority if I feel I'm "too bad" at something for too long. I know that growing old is the only way I'm going to get anything done with my life, but this person is 18-39 PERMANENTLY. Not only will I probably be jealous of his eternal good looks, but it will feel wrong if I'm 80 and in a romantic relationship with someone who looks 27.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

The Impending End Of Summer (and college)

My last move-in day is fast approaching. In a week, I'll be at school again. I've never moved in at the 'normal upperclassman time' - I've always moved in around the same time as the freshmen, so I can help them get their things into their dorm. People did it for me, once, and now it's time to return the favor, three times over.

It's weird - this time three years ago, I was scared about what was on the horizon. I have similar feelings now, but for different reasons.
Then, as now, I was worried about what the future held. Would I like college? Would it be awful? Would it be amazing?
Now, I worry about what I'm going to do after college. Grad school? Work? If so, what job? What grad school? What program in school?
It's not like choosing is going to affect my future or anything. I was raised by an economist. I know about opportunity costs.

The fact of the matter is, I've always been the kind of person who dislikes the process of change. Often, once change has come I like the results. It seems I don't like being the instigator of change in my own life. I didn't break up with someone when I could. I didn't try for jobs when I could have. I can't stand putting myself forward for jobs. If I don't get over that, of course, I have to work retail the rest of my life. Nothing against retail, of course, but 10 hours a week doesn't pay anybody's bills, and doesn't help my goals.
Not that I have any goals.

So as I go into the last weeks before my last first day, I have a lot of thinking to do. About myself. About my future. About my writing. About a lot of things.

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Hi again!

Hello awesome people. Wild Card is out of town, so she asked me to fill in for today. Yesterday, I finished reading Hungry, and I'm currently reading Thirteen Reasons Why. You can check out my review for Hungry here: http://booksmoviesandmore.net/2015/08/07/hungry/

Thursday, August 6, 2015

On Packing for Trips

I've had the privilege of extensive traveling - I've been to seven countries outside my own, and I've been to many places in my home country. I'll be out of town this weekend, so I'm going to be writing on THINGS I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT PACKING.
Firstly, I think I've set an unreasonable standard for myself. When I went abroad (the Turkey and Greece trip) in January 2014, I was impressed with how well I had packed. I decided to embark on a two-week trip with my duffel bag weighing 9.25 pounds. Don't believe me? Here's the proof in kilos:

if you can't read the little red number, it says "4.2". Kilograms.
So, with a 4.2-kilogram bag to be used over the course of two weeks, I have set myself a new Light-Traveling Standard to be reached every time I leave home.

How is this attainable? READ ON!

1. You don't need a new pair of underwear for every single day.

One thing I learned on that two-week trip is the value of camping underwear and small amounts of laundry detergent. Camping underwear is designed to dry quickly and be very lightweight - if you get caught in a rainstorm, the underwear can dry overnight. If you're NOT backpacking, you can still get clean underwear. Just buy some reusable, travel-size bottles (usually found near the hairbrushes and hair ties, and sometimes in the "travel for $1" section), pour in some laundry detergent, and use a few drops in a sink full of water. Alternatively...

2. Doctor Bronner's solves everything.

Doctor Bronner's is an all-in-one cleaner - it's concentrated enough to clean pretty much everything. Three drops on a washcloth is good for a face wash. One small squirt in a sink is good for small-time laundry detergent. It's available in most drug stores near the body wash, and can substitute for your body wash, shampoo (if you're daring), laundry detergent, and probably a lot more. I didn't bring it abroad last year, but I wish I had.

3. Look up what you'll be doing.

I am one of the least-planning people to ever not plan things. It does help, though, to know generally what you'll be doing and what the dress code might be. You don't need to bring a pair of heels when you'll spend most of your time at archaeological sites - unless there's some kind of archaeological gala at the end of your trip. If there are several events that would merit dressing slightly better than normal, then bring a single nice outfit (ONE dress or ONE button-down and FLATS), and dress it up in different ways. If you feel comfortable with little to no makeup, then limit what you bring - sometimes, just a bit of eyeliner will work wonders. If you feel like you CAN'T be presentable without your full face of makeup on (which is totally fine), then try and only bring the materials for a simple day-to-day look, and maybe one standout item if you need to look really snazzy really quickly.

4. You probably only need one pair jeans.

Seriously. I know it sounds gross, but if you're not going to need a fancy outfit, then you don't need to bring more than one pair of trousers. Be careful about what you do in your jeans, and it won't be too big a deal. Just bring a few different lightweight shirts, and it'll be fine.

5. You don't need to bring your whole bathroom in three-ounce containers.

I am guilty of this. You don't need many hair products aside from water and a comb and something to clean it with. You don't need lotion, unless your hands get super chapped without it. If you do, buy some scented lotion and ditch the perfume. If you bring full-sized toothpaste, see if you can share with your roommate (I know it sounds weird, but it saves a lot of space). Travel size contact solution can last for three weeks (yes, really), so you don't need a huge container of it.

6. Be versatile in your wardrobe.

When you're only wearing one pair of jeans, this is kind of a given. Bring items that are lightweight and/ or can layer, and be thematic. Blazers are super versatile and can make any outfit look good, so if you need a jacket you can use that. If you bring two short-sleeve shirts and two long-sleeve shirts, you have eight days' worth of shirts. (4 shirts worn individually, and 4 combinations of shirts). If you need more variety than that, bring a few different jewelry pieces and a lightweight scarf. DO NOT BRING EXTRA SHOES WITHOUT NECESSITY.

7. Be versatile in your leisure items.

If you are going somewhere specifically to sit with a good book or a craft project, then you can go to your couch, or maybe a cabin in the middle of nowhere. If you AREN'T leaving to write the Next Great Epic, then you don't need much entertainment - read, puzzle, and sleep on the plane. Headphones are always useful, just remember the charger.

Friday, July 31, 2015

How To Date, According to Disney

This seems to be Fairy Tale Week here, so I'll round out the week (and the month!) by talking about DISNEY MOVIES!
Specifically, the "classic" Disney princesses - the ones that, as an under-ten-year-old-girl in the 1990s, I was the target demographic of. I think part of me still wants to have a "Disney romance," but that's seems to be different for every Disney couple (Really, though, I was kind of jealous of Belle's new library... and I was kind of jealous of Mulan in general...). I'm going to list dating advice I learned from Disney princess movies in my childhood - I'm cutting it off before the later movies (so no Tangled, Frozen, or Princess and the Frog.) Also, no sequels.

So, here it is, The Dating Guide for Official Disney Princesses! (In order of Movie's Release Date)

Snow White

Summary: In order to attract her One True Love, Snow White makes a wish in a well to finally meet her prince, and it works! Then her stepmother tries to kill 14-year-old Snow White via the apple, but the prince wakes her up with a kiss and they live happily ever after.
Dating Lesson: Wish in wells whenever possible, talk to creepy-looking strangers, and make sure to get kissed a lot. Especially at age 14.


because nothing says "let's get married" than making out with a sleeping teenager.fanpop.com.

Cinderella

Summary: 19-year-old Cinderella befriends the mice in her home, because nobody else is nice to her. The mice and the fairy godmother help Cinderella get into a super rad ball gown and escort her to the royal ball.
#TransformationTuesday
Cinderella enchants everyone, including the prince, but she has to to run off at midnight and not give him any contact information. On the way out, she loses a shoe, but she's moving too fast to get it back. Prince Charming uses the shoe to find the girl, and then they get married.
Dating Lessons: don't let someone see you in a dress that isn't super rad. Shoes are a very good way to tell who your future spouse should be. Also, definitely get married to someone you don't have the contact information of.

Sleeping Beauty (Aurora)

Summary: As a baby, Princess Aurora is cursed to die sleep for forever when she pricks her finger on a spindle at 16. She is raised in the forest by three fairies, as far away as far as possible from any spindles. She runs into a prince with a good singing voice, and they fall in love. Her sixteenth birthday rolls around, she does the pricky-thing, and Phillip saves her from Maleficent, and wakes Aurora with a kiss. They promptly get married.
good singing solves everything! (source)
Dating Advice: if someone has a good singing voice, you should definitely get married. Especially if they save you from a dragon. But mostly, judge them on their singing voice.

The Little Mermaid (Ariel)

Summary: Ariel the mermaid falls in love with Prince Eric, and saves him from a shipwreck. Ariel goes to Ursula, the sea witch, where she swaps her fantastic singing voice for a pair of legs. Ariel then spends the rest of the film trying to seduce Eric and get him to kiss her and break Ursula's spell. It nearly doesn't work, until it does.
Dating Advice: Give up your greatest asset to be with the person you love, even if they don't realize it at all. Despite popular belief, communication is NOT key to any relationship.

hopeless-romantics-little-mermaid-kiss-the-girl
If he doesn't get the hint now, I don't think he will. (source)



Beauty and the Beast (Belle)

Summary: The Beast (A.K.A. Prince Adam) was a whiny 11-year-old who wouldn't let a fairy in from the cold, so the fairy cursed him into an ugly beast. If he didn't find true love by 21, then he would stay ugly and awful FOREVER. Then Belle comes along, and is clever enough to argue with him and nice/ pretty enough to bring out Adam's good side. He gives her a library to show his affection, and then they have a super-fancy two-person dance party. Conflict ensues, everyone nearly dies, but then they don't. Belle and Adam get married.
When in doubt, get your girlfriend a library. (source)
Dating Lessons: Be patient, don't be mean, and and never underestimate the power of libraries.

Aladdin (Jasmine)

Summary: Aladdin is a charming street rat. He and Jasmine fall in love after he shows her a "whole new world" via a magic carpet. Then Jafar tries to marry Jasmine, but then he doesn't. Aladdin and Jasmine get married instead, since the Sultan changes the law to allow the princess to choose her own spouse.
Dating Advice: show your potential partner an entirely new world, lie a bit about your financial situation, and keep them out of a bad marriage to a vengeful vizier by being a charming young person close to her in age.
Of course, good abs help. Also, wearing a fez. Fezes are cool. (source)

Pocahontas

Summary: One day, Pocahontas is totally chill, diving off cliffs and pranking her friends. The next, she's singing about the wind with John Smith, who definitely didn't come to take the land, "fix" the people, and dig for gold. He also nearly killed Pocahontas, but she stood mysteriously in the mist and then sang to him about the wind, so John decided it was a bad idea.

INTENSE STARING CONTEST!! (source)

Then they try to fix racism. John Smith is shot and nearly dies, but doesn't. They don't get married, because John has to go back to England for Western Medical Help.
(A/N: this post is about Fictional Dating, but I assume we all understand that Disney's portrayal of these two characters is a Fictional Relationship, and not intended to be a historical account of the events of 1608/9.)
Dating advice: Stare eerily into the mist at the other person. Sing about the wind and nature. Don't kill the other person's family, nor instruct your family members to do so. Also, don't be racist.

Mulan

Summary: Mulan's father gets summoned to go to war, but he's old and weak and it's inadvisable for him to fight. Mulan dresses up as a guy and goes instead, posing as his son. She does this for two reasons: family honor, and not being able to get into an arranged marriage, since she's kind of a klutz. While at war, Mulan meets her captain, Li Shang, and is promptly intimidated.
doesn't help that she sucks at archery. (source)
Eventually, Mulan saves the captain, the emperor, and the country, and their relationship culminates with my two favorite Disney Relationship Moments:
1. "You... you fight good." - Shang
2. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" - Mulan
"Would you like to stay forever?" - Mulan's grandma
Dating Advice: When in doubt, save his life. If you want to start an actual conversation with him, leave your helmet somewhere he can find it and make sure he knows where to return it to you. Then you can ask him out to dinner. Of course, fighting in a war together makes you learn a fair amount about each other, I'd assume.



So there you have it! Now, go out and get ALL THE FUTURE SPOUSES!

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Fairy Tale Questions part 2

Yesterday, I wrote a series of questions for characters in Grimm's Fairy Tales. Today, I'm doing it again with Briar Rose/ Sleeping Beauty.

For the Queen and King: Dear Queen, if a talking frog comes up to you and tells you that you will have a child in a year, what cause do you have to believe that frog? Why are you not surprised by the premonition-filled frog? Why are you not at all surprised that a frog cornered you in the bathroom and started talking? Is this normal frog behavior?
Dear King, is there a reason that you only invested in 12 golden plates for 13 old wise women? If you're so overjoyed about your daughter's birth that you're inviting PRACTICALLY EVERYONE, then surely you can invest in a few more plates? Especially if it could ensure your child's well-being, since this may well be the only child you have? Also, after the curse, I understand that you want to burn all dangers to your child; that's probably a natural parent thing. But it COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF YOU HAD INVESTED IN MORE PLATES.
To the Wise Women: How does one bestow virtue, beauty, riches, and other important life goals? Is it a perk of being an old, wise lady? Is this what I have to look forward to when I get older?
To the Thirteenth Wise Lady: I understand that you're mad that you didn't get invited to the party. I'd get mad too, especially with an excuse so flimsy as "we didn't have enough gold plates." But is it really logical to say "die, child, die?" Killing people does not solve your problems.
To the Prince: You're going to trust a random local for your next quest? REALLY? "Oh, this wall of hedges hasn't been penetrated in close to 100 years, and it's killed everyone who's tried so far? TIME TO GO FOR A QUEST!!!" Also, I understand that Briar Rose is pretty, and I assume that the spell had no effect on aging on anyone in the castle. But did the spell affect the amount of dirt and dust that would get caked up? If it didn't, why would you kiss someone who is covered in dust and apparently dead? Are characters in German folklore just really into necrophilia?

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Questions I Have For Fairy Tales

Recently, I rediscovered my copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales. I've got a few questions about motives for some of the more famous stories.

Snow White

To Snow White's father: why do you want to marry someone who is "proud and haughty, that... could not bear any one to be better-looking than herself"? Is that really a role model you want to have for your one-year-old daughter? Also, is that really someone you want in your life?
To Snow White's stepmother: Why do you want to kill your stepdaughter? According to the story, she outstrips your prettiness at the age of SEVEN. No matter how attractive a seven-year-old is, you have at least six years before you need to worry about her attracting too many people. If she does attract the wrong kind of people, you have the power to smite them. You can do it in the name of "I was just protecting my young stepdaughter," even if you really feel that they should have been paying attention to you. Also, why are you so worried about being attractive? And is a pretty face really worth killing people over? Also, why try and poison someone through their hair? Is that even possible?
To the Dwarves: The first thing you say about SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Snow White is "what a beauty she is!" Why is that? Why not ask, "Why is there a seven-year-old girl sleeping in the bed of Dwarf #7?" Also, why do you ask a seven-year-old to do your housework? And why do you leave her alone when you know there's a threat of Evil Stepmothers? ESPECIALLY SINCE SHE ALMOST DIED TWICE.
To the Prince: This young girl in a glass case is DEAD. Why are you so interested in taking possession of said glass case? I respect that you are willing to honor and protect her so long as you live, but why? Are you into necrophilia AND pedophilia? If so, are you sure that the king's daughter is the best choice for partner? I know she's the prettiest in the land and all, but have you researched the possible legal ramifications of making a partner out of the king's dead daughter? Would you really want to risk a war between kingdoms over a dead seven-year-old? Also, how old are you?


Cinderella

To the stepfamily: I understand the sentiment when you say, "They who would eat bread must earn it," but why don't you do any chores? Also, after years of work, why don't you let Cinderella have a night off? Stepmother, what's with the challenge of Picking Things Out of the Fireplace before Cinderella can go to the festival? Don't you know by now that Cinderella hangs out with birds? Also, I understand your logic when you say Cinderella can't go to the festival because "you have no clothes, and you cannot dance; you will only be laughed at," but whose fault is that really?
Also, Cinderella does change into fancy clothing before going to the festival, but it says nothing of washing her face. How do you not recognize her when she's been dirty for so many years?
I'm sure that queens don't have to walk much, but is cutting off your heel or toe really a good idea to get a man? What if you just happen to marry someone who wants their wife to have an active role?
To the father: Surely you realize the abuse that your daughter is going through? Why don't you do something about it? Did you practically disown her? Why did you not keep up a relationship with her? How did you not recognize your own daughter at the festival when you've known her for HER WHOLE LIFE? When the prince asks, why do you have so little faith that your own child can be amazing? Given that, why weren't you "smitten with blindness" at the end, too?
To the king: Are you sure that a three-day festival is the best way for your son to meet a high-quality spouse? Do you expect the marriage to last longer than three days?
To the prince: I applaud your gentlemanly behavior when you offer to see Cinderella home safely. But don't you think she comes off as a little crazy when she runs off into a pigeon-house the first night and a pear tree the second night? Also, if you don't know where she's from, can't you just say, "I really like you, tell me more about yourself. Where are you from?"
That way, you don't have to "spread the whole way with pitch" so her shoes will come off. I applaud your thinking on this front, but are shoes really the best identifier? Why not hair? "If you have hair that matches this color and a weird empty-hair spot in the back of your head, you just might be my future spouse!"

Monday, July 27, 2015

The academic downsides of being an English Major

As a student of English, Journalism, and Classics, I've learned a whole lot, from How To Write An Essay, When Not To Start Writing An Essay, How To Interview For An Article, and How To Plan A Zombie Apocalypse.
Of course, in this wealth of knowledge I have acquired, there are still some less-fun things about my course-work.
That, of course, is textbook prices.
While science students are saddled with textbooks well over $200, they only need one overpriced book per semester, and a few smaller books; the rental prices are comparable, the buyback prices are good, and used can save some money.

As an English major, my bottom line in textbooks, once you count shipping, is quite comparable. If I buy all used and get shipping costs, I may have to spend over $300 for my 18 textbooks.
yes, I have to buy 18 textbooks.
And that's not even the most I've had to buy in a single semester.

Sometimes, I think the incentive to go to college to get a job is to galvanize the students to get employment while in college, so they can afford textbooks like this.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Hi!

TheReviewingFangirl here.  You can call me Marialena if you want though.  As Wild Card said, I will occasionally be posting here.  I mostly review books and movies.  Feedback is appreciated.  Feel free to visit me at www.booksmoviesandmore.net.

Cheers!

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Writing and Music

I've definitely posted on this before - how writing, especially instrumental playlists, can help write a scene and set a mood. Movie soundtracks are especially good for this kind of thing, because movie soundtracks are scored with the purpose of invoking a certain mood.

In light of that, this post is all about the actual music - what I, personally, listen to when I write for a particular kind of scene. I'm titling each kind of scene by its TV tropes name, with a link to the TV tropes description if you're not familiar with that kind of trope. I'll put the top five songs I like (and maybe a few more if there's a lot of ways to write it).

Keep in mind that I primarily write fantasy adventure with romantic subplots. I listen to music that doubles onto a playlist I listen to when running.

HERE WE GO!


Beginnings:

It Began With A Twist of Fate

1. Concerning Hobbits by Howard Shore, from Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring
2. Toy Soldiers by Carbon Leaf
3. Geronimo by Sheppard
4. The World is Ahead by Howard Shore, from The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey
5. Paloma by Carbon Leaf

Hero's First Rescue

1. Roundtable Rival by Lindsey Stirling
2. Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
3. Ragtime Carnival by Carbon Leaf
4. Bloody Good Bar Fight Song by Carbon Leaf
5. Battlefield by Jordin Sparks

Relationship moments:

Big Damn Kiss/ Dance of Romance

1. I'll Be by Edwin McCain
2. Faithfully by Journey
3. Flying Without Wings by Westlife
4. Story of my Life by One Direction, covered by The Piano Guys
5. River Flows in You by Yiruma

BONUS:
6. Glitter in the Air by P!nk
7. Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley
8. Thunder Road (live version) by Bruce Springsteen
9. I Know the Reason by Carbon Leaf
10. Just A Dream/ Just the Way You Are from Pitch Perfect

Climax:

Final BattleLast Dance

1. Someone Like You (or Rolling in the Deep) by Adele
2. The Steward of Gondor, sung by Billy Boyd, from Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
3. It's My Life by Bon Jovi, from This Left Feels Right Album
4. Viva La Vida by Coldplay
5. Fight Song by Rachel Patten

BONUS:
6. Duel of the Fates from Star Wars: the Phantom Menace
7. Anything from the Pirates of the Caribbean series
8. Quite a bit from Lord of the Rings
9. In Remembrance (particularly for Last Dance trope) - link here

Ending:

And The Adventure Continues

1. Out of the Woods by Taylor Swift
2. Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root
3. Dreamer by Elizaveta
4. Here I Go Again by Whitesnake
5. Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

The Fellowship Has Ended (and the Fast Forward to the Reunion)

1. Long Live by Taylor Swift
2. Goodbye Song by Elizaveta
3. One Day by Hans Zimmer, from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
4. The Boys of Summer by The Hooters
5. Sympathy by the Goo Goo Dolls
6. Red by Taylor Swift

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Top Ten Favorite Places To Write

So, being a writer, that means I write a lot. Obviously. That also means I've done some writing in some interesting places. (or, rather, not-interesting places. I'm sometimes not an interesting person.)

Here's a foray into the Top Ten Places I Like To Write:

1. At my desk.

because nothing says "productive" like spending an hour trying to clear off a messy space, only to write in it for 30 minutes. Maybe there's a reason my desk is messy. I don't know. But seriously, though, desks are made for productivity, so it's good to use them as such.

2. At A Coffee Shop.

I know this is the Biggest Writer Trope Ever, but that's because, in coffee shops, there's Wi-Fi, caffeine, and plenty of people to make up stories about. Just don't forget your headphones, in case you need/ want to ward off inquisitive souls or provide your own soundtrack. (it can be difficult to write a gruesome death scene to the sounds of coffee shop music.)

3. On A Train.

Given that train rides tend to be an hour or more, it's a good time to do a lot of things - think, write, not talk to the person next to you if it's crowded. If you're on a long ride at a weird time (my preferred train is at around 7:30 AM), that means you can spread out all your notes.

4. On A Plane

I don't do this one often, because I haven't found myself on a plane in over a year, but as long as you have a small notebook or laptop and seat partner that doesn't get easily flustered, this is a good way to while away the time and distract yourself from the cramped seats.

5. Long Car Rides

I don't often get motion sickness, so this is feasible for me. If you DO get motion sickness, then sleep for the duration of the ride and then write about your dreams when you wake up.

6. In The Library

Since I'm in college, the local library on campus is research-oriented. When I'm in the Stacks (aka the quiet floor) and I get a desk by the window, that allows an afternoon of writing AND the chance to do research if I need to.

7. On My Bed.

It's comfortable. That is all.

8. On The Couch.

See #7.

9. While waiting for trains/ planes/ public transportation.

You have time to sit. Just make sure that you have a quick place to stash your writing materials when your mode of transportation arrives.

10. On The Metro/ Subway/ Public Transportation.

This is another time for the Headphone Defense. I usually hand-write my first drafts, so it's easy to do this one, but those who work exclusively on laptops might not be so lucky. All of us are out of luck if traveling during rush hour and can't find a seat. In that case, I'm sorry.

Monday, July 20, 2015

On Knitting

So sometimes I get asked weird questions about my knitting, so I figured I'd answer some of them here, so I can have good reference answers.

How do you knit so fast?

practice. When you've been knitting for 2/3 of your life, you'd do it, too.

what's the biggest thing you've ever made?

My prom dress or an afghan for my brother's wedding present.

Why do you knit so much?

why do you ask weird questions?

What are you making?

that's a good question. I'll let you know when I figure it out. (usually I'm knitting as a fidget. I have ADD, and sometimes it's hard for me to sit and just listen, unless it's a really intense conversation. Either I take notes or I knit. It's nothing against the conversation. Have you ever been in a situation where you just can't stand the person talking, and you find your mind wandering easily? That's me with most things, even when I would LOVE to hear more about the subject.)

Friday, July 17, 2015

What constitutes "Acting?"

Last night, I gave my first tour with a ghost tour company. Aside from memorizing my stories, this job involved dressing up in two layers of cotton and a bonnet and carrying around a lantern and a fan. Personally, I don't consider this "acting."
For me, acting involves a large shift in persona - when an actor is in character, you are talking to that character, not that actor. The actor may infuse a bit of their own personality into it, but the character and the actor are, ideally, two identities in the same brain. (This sounds very trippy because it is very trippy. Cool, but trippy.)
Ghost tours are a slightly different matter. On a tour, I'm projecting a slightly different persona than the one I'm projecting at this moment. There are more differences than there are similarities, however:  Right now, I'm sitting on my couch in sweatpants; I haven't showered or put my contact lenses in. This is the first productive thing I've done today, except for getting coffee. It's close, easy, and comfortable.
Ghost tours do involve a bit of a persona shift. It's impossible to feel like you're wearing sweatpants when you're in a petticoat and bonnet. It's hard to even feel fully of this century, even though I keep my cell phone on my person in case someone gets hurt. The only similarity in feeling is how much one would sweat if wearing either outfit (sweatpants or costume) in summer heat with humidity.
The difference between ghost tours and acting is, I guess, situational. When leading ghost tours, I am Wild Card In A Petticoat With A Lantern And Fan. When I'm blogging, I'm Wild Card In Sweatpants With Laptop. They're both Wild Card.
An Actor might be Actor In Period Dress or Actor In Sweatpants With Laptop, BUT they could also be Actor As Character In Period Dress or Actor As Character In Sweatpants With Laptop.

I've tried, but I can't hold a candle to what an actor can do with character development.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Not much to say today

Don't have too much to say today, except the following:

there will occasionally be a guest blogger in town. TheReviewingFangirl, who posts over at booksmoviesandmore.net (link here), will occasionally be guest blogging for me, and I for her. It's like a trade-off between friends. HOORAY FOR FRIENDS!

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

On Myers-Briggs in Writing

So, according to a random online quiz I took in 10 minutes, my Myers-Briggs personality type is INFJ - Introvert, INtuitive, Feeling, Judging. If this random website is to be believed, I like my own circle of friends (fairly true), like big-picture concepts more than hard details (sometimes true), emphasize emotions rather than facts when making decisions (50-50), and I like control by planning everything WEEKS IN ADVANCE (This is obviously inaccurate, because I'm writing on a Myers-Briggs quiz I took 15 minutes ago and NOT the topic I had written in my planner three weeks ago.)

Obviously, not everyone is 100% Myers-Briggs 100% of the time. One time I saw a quiz that showed your type by percentage - 52% introvert, for example, based on your responses. If you just call yourself your Myers-Briggs all the time, it's too easy to call in extremes. I'm not ALL SOCIAL JUSTICE ALL THE TIME. I'm in a service fraternity and sometimes I volunteer over the summer. Is that more than most people? Maybe, but maybe not - I don't know your life. If you do, good for you. If you don't, get on that.

When writing characters, I think it's important to have a guideline type: a character who tends toward a certain combination, but maybe is only truly an extrovert by 2% response rate. Knowing this could allow you, the writer, to know how the characters could react to things - and where it's easy for them to swing the opposite way. If one character is 88% an introvert, this character is not going to make the first move on someone attractive without a friend there; if they're only 52%, then other factors could play into whether they speak to someone or not.
And where does the plot go from there?

Monday, July 13, 2015

REVIEW: "the Book of Life" by Deborah Harkness

"Wild Card," you say, "Why didn't you post at all last week? Why have we been waiting for content since your last book review?"
THIS BOOK IS WHY. Like the last two books in the trilogy, I've been surreptitiously (and not) been reading this book since I did my last review. The only things that have kept me from this book are work, church, and sleep (and the last one may have been compromised by it). Though it doesn't go quite as quickly as the other two in the trilogy, I was still reading 125 pages a day at least (that's a record for me.)

So, real thoughts on The Book of Life?
First, SPOILER WARNING. (this is the third book in a trilogy. If you want to read it unspoiled, proceed with caution and maybe don't proceed at all).

Plot summary: Basically, this is the part where the pieces of Ashmole 782 finally get put back together and the Congregation and the Covenant are faced.
There are questions posed for Act 3: Are any of Matthew's children a threat? (Yes. Matthew's vampire-son, Benjamin, is, lightly speaking, a psychotic asshole of the rape-and-murder variety.) What will the Congregation do about Diana and Matthew's relationship? Are Peter Knox and Gerbert the Vampire going to continue being assholes until the end? (Yes, but someone has to).
There are prior questions answered as well: what is blood rage? What determines which vampire manifests the traits and which vampire is a carrier? How are weavers made, and why is Diana a weaver and not a normal witch? (an interesting answer awaits these two). What does the Book of Life actually say?

There are a lot of answers to a lot of questions. The Book of Life is a fast-paced conclusion to the series, and I loved almost every page, especially because Diana does a lot of saving people by the end of it.

I say "almost" because there are a few issues. SPOILER WARNING REMINDER.



Firstly, Gallowglass. I love this vampire to death, and I wish his plot arc could have ended better. It appears that he fell in love with Diana in 1590, but it wasn't clear whether he was in love or he had actually hoped to mate with her later on. Part of me was wondering whether this would be a situation similar to Twilight, where an ancillary love interest (Jacob) spends a lot of time with the heroine while she's pregnant; it turns out that the heroine's daughter is Jacob's One True Life Partner. Though the process of vampires choosing thier One True Life Partner is not fully explored in the All Souls Trilogy (when the main couple are fully consenting adults, mating only needs to be explained as Somewhat More Than Marriage), I'm a little bit curious as to why Gallowglass's feelings are brought up at all. Is it possible for a vampire to mate when the other being is still a zygote? If so, has Gallowglass actually developed feelings for one of Diana and Matthew's twin children when they're still fetuses? Are his feelings just a reason for Gallowglass to agree to be Diana's bodyguard when Matthew is out?
Given that Gallowglass does have feelings for Diana, it makes sense that he isn't present in the epilogue. I do wish that he could have been there, though.

Secondly, the climax. I can handle a moderate amount of bodily harm in fiction, but there were moments when I felt gross. That, like nothing else, showed how much of a psychotic asshole Benjamin could be. The climax was good for a few reasons: two of Diana's struggles were overcome (lack of magic and hesitating before killing), the fact that she saves Matthew and not the other way around, that Benjamin got a truly fitting death, and that Diana was able to face and run the Congregation.

Thirdly, the ending. Some of it seemed too perfectly wrapped-together. The revocation of the Covenant, which really needed to be revoked, was very good and fitting, but there didn't seem to be enough of a price. Yes, Diana was exhausted and absorbed the Book of Life and all that, but what are the ill effects of that? All it really seems is that now Matthew can truly say to their children, "Pay attention to your mother, because she really does know everything." Though the scientific exploration of creatures is interesting, it just feels too well-wrapped.


The duration of the story into the third act, though, is great. The biggest drawback I can think of is that these books are really heavy and I can't always take them everywhere.
Definitely check them out if you have the chance.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: "Shadow of Night," by Deborah Harkness

BE WARNED: SPOILERS TO COME. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Shadow of Night, the second book in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, is a fairly good follow-up to the first book. The book functions well as the second act in a three-act narrative, which is fairly important for a trilogy.
A brief summary:
Diana and Matthew go back to 1590 England (and Prague, and France) to learn more about the mysterious Ashmole book and to teach Diana more about her magic. While there, Matthew's backstory unfolds and they get clues to the future of their relationship.

As a standalone narrative, Shadow of Night is a pretty good book. As a sequel to Discovery of Witches, it's even better. Matthew and Diana develop more character, independently and together, and they handle threats to their relationship in ways that reflect their character development. This includes one part where Matthew will not sit down and have a much-needed Big Boy Relationship Talk, so Diana finds a way to make him have the much-needed talk without resorting to anything too dangerous.

Now I'm going to do something that I've never done in a book review: Making a List of Favorites/ Least Favorites.

spoilers ahead

new character

Favorite: Gallowglass or Jack Blackfriars. Though Henry Percy, Walter Raleigh, Rudolf II, William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and a number of other historical figures make appearances, these two fictional ones are my favorites. Gallowglass is Matthew's nephew (in vampire lineage), and, once he gets used to the idea that Matthew is married to a witch, is a very fun character. Though I always imagined him at around the same age as Diana, he always calls her "auntie," which is funny in contrast to his description (tall, Scottish, and burly). If this were a movie, I would probably ask Chris Hemsworth to style his hair like he does when playing Thor and learn a Scottish accent.

STOP LOOKING SO SERIOUS, GALLOWGLASS.
Source: screenrant.com

Jack is a street rat. I wasn't sure about his function at times, but he allowed Matthew to show his paternal side occasionally. For the record, "Matthew" and "Paternal Side" are things that I didn't think would go together, but it happened and it was adorable.

Least Favorite: Diana's father. Though Diana and her father meeting by chance in 1590 was an interesting chapter, it felt thrown in at the end. He did make a few important points to help his daughter's marriage and magic, they all seemed like things that could have been said by someone else. William Shakespeare could have sent them on their first real date, and the coven that Diana learns from could have pushed her a little bit farther without the help of her father. It was interesting to read Diana's encounters with the father she lost at age 7, but it felt unnecessary somehow.


scene in the book

Favorite: okay, I've narrowed it down to two.
First, there was when Philippe, Matthew's vampire father, finally accepted Diana into the family. The entire chapter was intense for a number of reasons, but when he finally accepts her into the family, every interaction he has with her makes much more sense. There is one final test, which results in perhaps my favorite line in the book: "I just killed a man! Now is not the time to discuss our marriage." (Philippe throws Matthew and Diana a Real and Proper Wedding after that, which is a pretty good scene in itself.)
Second is when Diana and Matthew somehow get on the topic of vampire romance novels. It's only a brief exchange and I'm not sure I should include it, but whatever. It's very funny because, in the context of a vampire romance thread, it calls out basically every vampire romance novel ever. It concludes with my second-favorite line in the novel: "Help! I think I married a vampire!"

Least Favorite: It's hard to say. As a whole, the novel stands out as a fairly cohesive work. The final scene is good for showing how each artifact from Matthew's modern-day life winds back up at his home 420 years later, but I would rather the work end on more of a cliffhanger to race through to the third book.
Some of the flash-forward scenes are somewhat weak as well, but help to introduce at least a few new people. It does make more sense to show these connections rather than have someone say "hi, this is _________ we met when we were searching for you" or something.


overall impressions

this is one rollicking ride. If you like vampire romances where vampire romance is only half the point, definitely pick up this series.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness

Yesterday, I finished reading A Discovery of Witches, the first book in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness.

To call this the first book in a vampire romance trilogy is not entirely accurate. Yes, a witch and a vampire fall in love. Yes, these two are the main couple in the series. Yes, there are consequences to their relationship that need to be sorted out. Unlike Twilight, however, that's not the major point of the series.
Diana Bishop is a witch by blood and a history professor by trade. She takes a sabbatical in Oxford to do some research. Her era of focus is the transition from alchemy to science. One day, she brings a book from the stacks that has been missing for centuries, known as Ashmole 782. This book is important to a whole lot of creatures for a whole lot of reasons. Diana doesn't know that and, once she's done trying to read the magically encrypted text, she sends it back to the stacks.
As she's working on her research the next week, Diana meets Matthew Clairmont. Matthew's a vampire geneticist who focuses on evolution. Matthew wants to see Ashmole 782 because it may show why vampires, daemons, and witches live and work among humans at all.

The first half of the book focuses more on setting up the world, Matthew's theories, Diana's power (and the fact that she doesn't use it), and the relationships that should and should not happen among vampires, witches, and daemons.
The second half has a lot to do with the development of Diana's relationship with Matthew, with a bit more exposition to each backstory. We meet Matthew's vampire mother, Ysabeau (who is probably my favorite character), Marthe the vampire maid, Sarah and Emily (Diana's aunts, who raised her after Diana's parents died), and Matthew's co-workers - his son Marcus and friend Miriam.

The book ends with SPOILERS, but I'm excited to read the next book, Shadow of Night. It seems to involve time travel, William Shakespeare, and Christopher Marlowe having the hots for Matthew.

This book is fairly good for a vampire romance category, but it doesn't fit neatly into that. I hope that the rest of the trilogy delves more into the significance of the Ashmole book, and why EVERYONE seems to want it.
A Discovery of Witches also includes really important details about psychological reactions to events, but without blatantly saying "THIS PERSON HAS A DISORDER." (except in the beginning, but that turns out to be a bit false). One of the highest-tension moments is a big spoiler, but it involves Diana getting a lot of nasty scars on her back. After that, she gets really uncomfortable whenever anyone is standing behind her and she doesn't know what they're doing. This is everything from when Matthew and Sarah treat her wounds to someone just entering the room when she's facing away from the door. There is a lot of attention to detail like that - sometimes too much. The climax seems to be a series of information dumps and plot twists that I hope will be resolved in the next book.

In all, though, A Discovery of Witches is a really fun read for anyone who wants an interesting introduction to a fantasy/ romance series.