Over Spring Break, I utilized my free month of Netflix to watch "Friends." I didn't necessarily binge-watch it; I got to about halfway through the second season by the time I came back to school.
"Friends" is sort of interesting as a culture study to me; I am only five months older than the show is (My birthday is in April, and the show aired in September), but it was cancelled in 2004, when I was in 4th grade. Scattered through middle school are vague memories that yes, "Friends" is a thing that happened. I never saw an episode until my senior year of high school, when it was on while my friends and I were hanging out in our hotel room during the music trip. I didn't know the context of the episodes, but it's a sitcom that can be understood out of context. (Having seen episodes back-to-back, however, I think it can be understood out of context, but enjoyed as a marathon, when everything is still linear.) It was one of those shows that everyone knew about, but I doubt I'm the only one my age who is only just discovering the show properly.
The culture study is interesting because of how much has changed since the show aired. In "The One Where No One's Ready" (aired at the start of Season 3), Monica repeatedly checks the answering machine for her ex-boyfriend to call, and hacks into his answering machine to make sure she doesn't sound stupid when she leaves a message. Most kids these days probably won't have landlines to do this, so they probably have less of a clue what's going on. t's also a much bigger breach of privacy if someone can remotely hack into someone's answering machine, mostly because "answering machine" is now "voicemail" and "voicemail" is probably just "texting." Personally, I had no idea that you could remotely access answering machines if you knew the right codes.
There are also more subtle things that can still be considered issues, but hopefully less so. In the first season, Ross's ex-wife Carol is pregnant with his child; Carol wants the baby's last name to be hyphenated between hers and her (female) partner's, while Ross wants the baby to have his last name (or triple-hyphenate). Though this involves a funny exchange, it also raises a few questions: what should be the father's role in the naming process, if he and the baby's mother are no longer in a committed relationship?
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Thursday, March 26, 2015
I'm home!
So this week has been spring break for me, which means I've been slacking off on everything. Except knitting. Because I have a major project due in May, and I've been working on that. And also sleeping. And also watching "Friends," because it's spring break and I have a free month of Netflix.
I'm considering changing my posting schedule, because obviously I have barely posted since J-term. I'm now leaning towards a Tuesday/ Thursday/ Saturday posting schedule, or something similar therein. I'm still hoping to do three posts a week, but Tuesday/ Thursday/ Saturday seems to have the most interesting things happen on those days.
As for the Game of Thrones posts, I know I've been slacking. I've barely read anything since February. I'm going to fix that soon, but with a slight modification. Instead of posting two chapters a week, I'm going to post a big book review and summary at the start of the summer (probably early June). I'll have everything up to date by then, hopefully.
For now, I'm going outside to enjoy the ACTUAL SPRING WEATHER!!!
I'm considering changing my posting schedule, because obviously I have barely posted since J-term. I'm now leaning towards a Tuesday/ Thursday/ Saturday posting schedule, or something similar therein. I'm still hoping to do three posts a week, but Tuesday/ Thursday/ Saturday seems to have the most interesting things happen on those days.
As for the Game of Thrones posts, I know I've been slacking. I've barely read anything since February. I'm going to fix that soon, but with a slight modification. Instead of posting two chapters a week, I'm going to post a big book review and summary at the start of the summer (probably early June). I'll have everything up to date by then, hopefully.
For now, I'm going outside to enjoy the ACTUAL SPRING WEATHER!!!
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Things I have Learned About Organization
Being the treasurer of a fraternity is difficult; I have to be on top of EVERYTHING; if I'm not, the organization is in trouble.
From what I've learned so far, here are EIGHT THINGS ABOUT BEING ORGANIZED!
1. Write everything down. EVERYTHING.
Someone gave you $10 for dues? WRITE IT ON YOUR HAND UNTIL YOU CAN MAKE A RECORD OF IT. Someone paid you for fines? WRITE IT DOWN. Paper trails are important on both sides of the equation. I can show people the confirmation email that yes, I DID warn them that fines would start after spring break; hopefully, both of us have a copy of the receipt I wrote for the dues they already paid. WRITE EVERYTHING.2. Paper trails are frustrating but important.
See #1 about writing everything down. Paper trails are confirmation that everything is going the way it needs to be.3. Excel is your best friend.
Aside from keeping track of who has (or hasn't) paid their dues and fines, Excel has also helped me keep my budget for the chapter straight. After asking everyone on executive board to submit a budget, Excel shows me how much they've spent and how much they have left. It also shows me that we might not have the budget for some things, and how much we would need to fundraise to afford it.4. Envelopes are life.
Seriously. Dues go in one envelope. Receipts from dues go in another envelope. Receipts from e-board's expenses are in another envelope. The checkbook and balance sheet are in another. Instead of everything being a mess and trying to decipher who went over-budget and where, you can just look in the EXPENSES ENVELOPE!5. Paper trails.
This goes back to #1, but it's important. Chapter money is chapter money, and if there's a contest about how much money chapter should have, the paper trails help you backtrack.6. Plan ahead.
I needed to have payment plans available a month ago to make sure everyone had the chance to tell me how they wanted to pay their dues. I can't randomly tell everyone in the chapter that they owe me money TONIGHT and fines will start next week. That's not fair to the chapter. I also have to know in advance what payment plans each person wants so I know that they SHOULD be fined now, and how much they owe the chapter in fines.7. "I'm not sure, I need to check my records" is a phrase I have been saying a lot.
But having the records means I don't need to know off the top of my head. What if my memory messes up? What if I hit my head and become comatose - how am I supposed to remember who has and hasn't paid me what? Also, next year there will be a new treasurer; how are they supposed to know who has outstanding fines if I didn't make a record in the first place?8. Back everything up.
Again, paper trails. Also, continuity in the event of power transfer and/ or amnesia.Monday, March 9, 2015
On Editing
Editing novels is difficult. It's necessary, but it's difficult. In the last week of working on editing my 2011 NaNoWriMo novel, I have learned that there are a few major ways of self-editing.
PART ONE
The first kind is basic copyediting - did I accidentally put a space between a word and its quote? Did I accidentally write "too" instead of "to"? This happens sometimes in any academic paper; it's just harder to catch when the document is over 200 pages long.
I'm not sure if this counts as copyediting, but I also rejoin contractions in this stage. When I was writing the novel initially, I was thinking more about word count than quality, so I didn't contract words - I said "do not" instead of "don't" and "did not" instead of "didn't," for example. This is no longer necessary and often sounds very forced, so I'm embracing the apostrophe once more.
PART TWO
The next major kind of editing is phrasing. Does this phrase sound awkward? Would this character actually say this thing? Has this person already said this thing on this page? If so, is the repetition necessary, or can I say "I averted my eyes and bit my lip" instead of "I was unsure about this plan?" Would that person do that if they were unsure? It's also a bit concerned with "would this character really say that, or would their scene partner be more likely to say that?"
PART THREE
The last major editing technique is the most important and the most difficult. This is characterization editing. I haven't gotten here much yet; right now, I'm trying to just get the novel to not sound terrible. Once that happens, I can focus more on the character traits. That's not to say that I HAVEN'T been focusing on the character traits; as I mentioned in the last heading, characterization is always in some part of my mind. Characterization editing is less involved with "would this character say this thing?" It's more involved with "What sort of voice does this character have that would cause them to use this phrase? Would they really be unsure about this action? So-and-so says that this character does thus-and-so a thing; does so-and-so have a cause to say that? Should I make sure they have a cause to say that, or should I cut that line for them?"
PART ONE
The first kind is basic copyediting - did I accidentally put a space between a word and its quote? Did I accidentally write "too" instead of "to"? This happens sometimes in any academic paper; it's just harder to catch when the document is over 200 pages long.
I'm not sure if this counts as copyediting, but I also rejoin contractions in this stage. When I was writing the novel initially, I was thinking more about word count than quality, so I didn't contract words - I said "do not" instead of "don't" and "did not" instead of "didn't," for example. This is no longer necessary and often sounds very forced, so I'm embracing the apostrophe once more.
PART TWO
The next major kind of editing is phrasing. Does this phrase sound awkward? Would this character actually say this thing? Has this person already said this thing on this page? If so, is the repetition necessary, or can I say "I averted my eyes and bit my lip" instead of "I was unsure about this plan?" Would that person do that if they were unsure? It's also a bit concerned with "would this character really say that, or would their scene partner be more likely to say that?"
PART THREE
The last major editing technique is the most important and the most difficult. This is characterization editing. I haven't gotten here much yet; right now, I'm trying to just get the novel to not sound terrible. Once that happens, I can focus more on the character traits. That's not to say that I HAVEN'T been focusing on the character traits; as I mentioned in the last heading, characterization is always in some part of my mind. Characterization editing is less involved with "would this character say this thing?" It's more involved with "What sort of voice does this character have that would cause them to use this phrase? Would they really be unsure about this action? So-and-so says that this character does thus-and-so a thing; does so-and-so have a cause to say that? Should I make sure they have a cause to say that, or should I cut that line for them?"
Monday, March 2, 2015
WRITING UPDATES!
I know I didn't post all of last week, and I apologize for that. I now, however, have THINGS TO TELL YOU ABOUT!
I'm starting to edit my NaNoWriMo 2011 novel. (By "edit," I mean "try to decipher my super-tiny handwriting in order to type it up, and then try and make it sound better than 50 Shades of Gray.") It's interesting to go back and see what I wrote and how I wrote it, seeing as this is my first novel.
Part of me is really excited to go back and reread what I wrote in my senior year of high school. The rest of me has seen the quality and is straining in the opposite direction.
To be fair, when 2020 rolls around, Future Me is probably going to say the same thing about the writing I'm doing now. Maybe even this blog post. I don't know.
This is an interesting opportunity to look back, though, because I'm editing it as someone who will be 21 next month, who has two semesters of Shakespeare courses behind her, eight semesters of college, and several journalism courses now behind me. I also have several friends who are writing tutors who can help me through the process.
If 19-year-old me were editing this, I doubt there would be much improvement. The rambling sentences would still be around. So would the extraneous characters and the dialogue points that don't suit the character speaking them.
Now, in other words, I actually have something to go off of.
I'm starting to edit my NaNoWriMo 2011 novel. (By "edit," I mean "try to decipher my super-tiny handwriting in order to type it up, and then try and make it sound better than 50 Shades of Gray.") It's interesting to go back and see what I wrote and how I wrote it, seeing as this is my first novel.
Part of me is really excited to go back and reread what I wrote in my senior year of high school. The rest of me has seen the quality and is straining in the opposite direction.
To be fair, when 2020 rolls around, Future Me is probably going to say the same thing about the writing I'm doing now. Maybe even this blog post. I don't know.
This is an interesting opportunity to look back, though, because I'm editing it as someone who will be 21 next month, who has two semesters of Shakespeare courses behind her, eight semesters of college, and several journalism courses now behind me. I also have several friends who are writing tutors who can help me through the process.
If 19-year-old me were editing this, I doubt there would be much improvement. The rambling sentences would still be around. So would the extraneous characters and the dialogue points that don't suit the character speaking them.
Now, in other words, I actually have something to go off of.
Friday, February 20, 2015
On the Laws of Deuteronomy
Lent started this week. This is the first year I haven't given up something (because my health and fitness goals are actually being accomplished); instead, I'm taking on increased study of the Bible and Christianity in general. So I'm reading the Bible straight through. Or, rather, picking up where I left off in the Bible last year.
As I was searching for my page, I came across an interesting law in Deuteronomy. The passage caught my eye because it raises a very relevant question when reading Deuteronomy: "WHO DECIDED THERE NEEDED TO BE A RULE FOR THIS?" Obviously, it was a problem, or nobody would bother writing it down, right?
The rule is from Deuteronomy 25:11-12:
"(11) If men get into a fight with one another, and the wife of one intervenes to rescue her husband from the grip of his opponent by reaching out and seizing his genitals, (12) you shall cut off her hand; show no pity."
This passage is interesting because it demonstrates the highly gendered society that existed in the Biblical era. Instead of addressing the reason the men are fighting, the law concerns cutting off the hand of the woman who tried to distract her husband's opponent. What problem are the Deuteronomy writers trying to solve with this? Who will be helped by this woman losing her hand? Instead of having two people with black eyes and one person with sore genitals, there is an ADDITIONAL injury in the woman who now has only one hand.
Obviously, there was something about this situation that people of the Biblical era had a problem with - most directly, the fact that a woman is touching anyone's crotch, and especially that she has to touch the crotch of a man who is not her husband. Is this some sort of rendition of coveting someone else's spouse?
It can't be - the text specifically says that the woman is reaching out "to rescue her husband from the grip of his opponent." To me, her tactic seems to be a clever idea. From what I understand, mens' genitals are very sensitive, so it would seem like a good idea to distract him by grabbing at his most sensitive area. The wife is not grabbing this man's crotch in any way EXCEPT to distract him from hurting her husband. And yet the woman is the one whose hand will be cut off. Why is this?
Does anyone know?
As I was searching for my page, I came across an interesting law in Deuteronomy. The passage caught my eye because it raises a very relevant question when reading Deuteronomy: "WHO DECIDED THERE NEEDED TO BE A RULE FOR THIS?" Obviously, it was a problem, or nobody would bother writing it down, right?
The rule is from Deuteronomy 25:11-12:
"(11) If men get into a fight with one another, and the wife of one intervenes to rescue her husband from the grip of his opponent by reaching out and seizing his genitals, (12) you shall cut off her hand; show no pity."
This passage is interesting because it demonstrates the highly gendered society that existed in the Biblical era. Instead of addressing the reason the men are fighting, the law concerns cutting off the hand of the woman who tried to distract her husband's opponent. What problem are the Deuteronomy writers trying to solve with this? Who will be helped by this woman losing her hand? Instead of having two people with black eyes and one person with sore genitals, there is an ADDITIONAL injury in the woman who now has only one hand.
Obviously, there was something about this situation that people of the Biblical era had a problem with - most directly, the fact that a woman is touching anyone's crotch, and especially that she has to touch the crotch of a man who is not her husband. Is this some sort of rendition of coveting someone else's spouse?
It can't be - the text specifically says that the woman is reaching out "to rescue her husband from the grip of his opponent." To me, her tactic seems to be a clever idea. From what I understand, mens' genitals are very sensitive, so it would seem like a good idea to distract him by grabbing at his most sensitive area. The wife is not grabbing this man's crotch in any way EXCEPT to distract him from hurting her husband. And yet the woman is the one whose hand will be cut off. Why is this?
Does anyone know?
Monday, February 16, 2015
On Snow Days
Tomorrow is a snow day at my school. While I love snow days, sometimes they irk me.
I have come to subscribe to the notion that doing all your homework the day before a snow day will increase the chances of getting the day off, or at least a delay. While this frees up time the next day to do productive things (laundry, more homework, go to the gym, editing intern applications), it also allows time for less productive things (frolic, sleep in, don't go to the gym, spend all day playing iPhone games instead of doing homework).
If it were later in the semester - if, perhaps, the snow day were next week - I would be more in a rhythm of doing smart things. I would have already translated today, and some archaeology reading would be done. I would reserve most of tomorrow for the intern applications and a few hours of Greek; instead, tomorrow is ALL OF THE HOMEWORK! (Okay, not ALL the homework. But maybe more than I should).
All of this is to say that I need to do some Greek before I regret not doing it in the morning.
I have come to subscribe to the notion that doing all your homework the day before a snow day will increase the chances of getting the day off, or at least a delay. While this frees up time the next day to do productive things (laundry, more homework, go to the gym, editing intern applications), it also allows time for less productive things (frolic, sleep in, don't go to the gym, spend all day playing iPhone games instead of doing homework).
If it were later in the semester - if, perhaps, the snow day were next week - I would be more in a rhythm of doing smart things. I would have already translated today, and some archaeology reading would be done. I would reserve most of tomorrow for the intern applications and a few hours of Greek; instead, tomorrow is ALL OF THE HOMEWORK! (Okay, not ALL the homework. But maybe more than I should).
All of this is to say that I need to do some Greek before I regret not doing it in the morning.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Second-Day Update!
This is the Second Day of Classes, and I'm already excited for the semester. I'm only doing one major-relevant class, so this semester is for my minors (and also Archaeology as a lab science, but that's sort of relevant to Classics).
First, I'm doing British Literature II, which covers the late 18th century to the beginning of the 20th. I'm mostly excited for this because the professor seems really cool. I'm mostly taking this because it's one of the required classes for an English major - this is not necessarily my area of interest. (Part I of British Literature covers approximately from Beowulf to Milton, and that was more my area of interest). Nonetheless, it'll be interesting to do a survey course again after taking several 300-level and honors English classes - I haven't done a proper survey course since freshman year.
I'm also taking Greek New Testament, which is exactly what it sounds like. I am EXTREMELY excited for this class; this is the reason I kept up with Greek for so long. (Well, I did also keep up with it so I could do the Classics minor, but I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR GREEK NEW TESTAMENT.) We're mostly doing Luke's writings - the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. One of the major assignments in this class is to do an exegesis - a focused study on one passage from the Greek New Testament of our choosing. This includes translating the passage, comparing the major Bible editions (King James, Living Bible, etc) to find out which is the most literal translator and which best gets at the idea of the passage. We also have to pick one "very interesting word" to analyze - this could be "hamartia," for "sin" or "mistake" for example - and figure out how it is used and how other people used it. It's really exciting.
I'm also taking Archaeological Methods, which is essentially The Indiana Jones Correction Class. (not really.) We're studying the actual processes of archaeology: yes, killing scorpions is part of the job, but most of it involves digging and carefully cleaning and documenting everything and also trying to avoid bee stings and skin cancer. I'm really excited for this course.
I haven't actually had a class for Advanced News Writing yet, because it meets on Wednesdays, but I'm really excited for it as well. Hopefully, this semester we'll actually do some writing.
First, I'm doing British Literature II, which covers the late 18th century to the beginning of the 20th. I'm mostly excited for this because the professor seems really cool. I'm mostly taking this because it's one of the required classes for an English major - this is not necessarily my area of interest. (Part I of British Literature covers approximately from Beowulf to Milton, and that was more my area of interest). Nonetheless, it'll be interesting to do a survey course again after taking several 300-level and honors English classes - I haven't done a proper survey course since freshman year.
I'm also taking Greek New Testament, which is exactly what it sounds like. I am EXTREMELY excited for this class; this is the reason I kept up with Greek for so long. (Well, I did also keep up with it so I could do the Classics minor, but I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR GREEK NEW TESTAMENT.) We're mostly doing Luke's writings - the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. One of the major assignments in this class is to do an exegesis - a focused study on one passage from the Greek New Testament of our choosing. This includes translating the passage, comparing the major Bible editions (King James, Living Bible, etc) to find out which is the most literal translator and which best gets at the idea of the passage. We also have to pick one "very interesting word" to analyze - this could be "hamartia," for "sin" or "mistake" for example - and figure out how it is used and how other people used it. It's really exciting.
I'm also taking Archaeological Methods, which is essentially The Indiana Jones Correction Class. (not really.) We're studying the actual processes of archaeology: yes, killing scorpions is part of the job, but most of it involves digging and carefully cleaning and documenting everything and also trying to avoid bee stings and skin cancer. I'm really excited for this course.
I haven't actually had a class for Advanced News Writing yet, because it meets on Wednesdays, but I'm really excited for it as well. Hopefully, this semester we'll actually do some writing.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Game of Thrones Post 3: 4 and 5 (Eddard and Jon)
CHAPTER 4 SUMMARY
Robert Baratheon, King of Westeros, and Ned Stark, Lord of Winterfell, were once really good friends. The closest description that George R. R. Martin has gotten to actual ages is that Rob and Ned are no longer super-attractive 20-something-year-olds at the peak of their physical prowess. (Robert's physical decline is especially noticeable, apparently; he seems to have swung from "20-something with washboard abs" to "40/50 something with several chins"). In private, as Robert visits the grave of Ned's sister, the two discuss Ned becoming the Hand of the King. This sounds like basically the worst job ever - the king just gets to do whatever he chooses, and the Hand of the King is the one who actually gets it done. You could say that the King is the brain and the Hand is the brawn, but it seems a bit more complicated than that.
At the end of the chapter, Robert mentions that Joffrey and Sansa should get married, so the Baratheon and stark houses can properly be united. (It would seem that Rob marrying Ned's sister, Lyanna, would have done that, but then she died.) Anyway, he says their children don't have to get married yet, since Sansa is 11 and Joffrey is 12, but they should at least be engaged. Somehow this doesn't seem like a good idea.
QUESTIONS FOR THIS CHAPTER:
1. Did the relationship between Rob and Ned deteriorate because they landed in two different environments, or did something else happen?
2. If Rob and Ned have barely spoken since they helped Rob take the Iron Throne, why does Rob trust Ned so much?
3. What is the point of the Hand of the King position? Is this some kind of advisor, or was the role created by someone who wanted to run the throne without ACTUALLY having the responsibility of the throne?
4. When was the Hand of the King created? Is it something that Aerys Targaryen had when he was king? Is it something Rob brought up?
OTHER CHARACTERS MENTIONED HERE:
Tyrion Lannister - called "The Imp," because he is super clever and he is a Little Person (not some High Fantasy Archetype of someone three inches tall - Tyrion is a human whose endocrine gland didn't release enough growth hormones).
Cersei Lannister - Rob's wife. Jamie's twin. Apparently she turns out to be one of the strongest women in the series.
Jamie Lannister - Cersei's twin brother. Is he the Kingkiller?
Sandor Clegane
Tywin Lannister
Lysa Arrys
Rickard Stark - Ned's father, deceased
Brandon Stark - Ned's brother, deceased
Lyanna Stark - Ned's sister, formerly engaged to Robert Barantheon; she asked to be buried in the Stark crypt and not among the Barantheons
Aerys Targaryen - the Mad King whom Rob overthrew. Interesting other side to how Viserys sees the overthrowing.
CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY
At the welcoming feast for the royal family, Jon Snow is excluded from the Table of Important People because Robert might take offense to the bastard. (Seeing as Rob appears as the sort of man who has fathered a lot of bastards, I don't think he'd mind, but that's just me). Jon is not part of the Main Table, and that is that.
This gives him the chance to talk to Benjen Stark, Ned's brother and a member of the Night's Watch. Jon wants to join the Watch, but Ben essentially tells Jon that Jon is too young, too drunk, and still a virgin, so Jon has no idea what he's missing. Ben also tells Jon to get older and get laid, and then to consider joining.
This upsets Jon, who goes outside, followed by his direwolf, Ghost. Tyrion Lannister follows, and it becomes LIFE ADVICE CORNER WITH TYRION LANNISTER: that Jon should make being a bastard his armor, not his weakness, so it could never hurt him. Tyrion also says that "not all bastards need to be dwarfs," which is kind of important.
QUESTIONS:
1. is there an age limit on joining the Night's Watch?
2. What does Tyrion do in his spare time?
Robert Baratheon, King of Westeros, and Ned Stark, Lord of Winterfell, were once really good friends. The closest description that George R. R. Martin has gotten to actual ages is that Rob and Ned are no longer super-attractive 20-something-year-olds at the peak of their physical prowess. (Robert's physical decline is especially noticeable, apparently; he seems to have swung from "20-something with washboard abs" to "40/50 something with several chins"). In private, as Robert visits the grave of Ned's sister, the two discuss Ned becoming the Hand of the King. This sounds like basically the worst job ever - the king just gets to do whatever he chooses, and the Hand of the King is the one who actually gets it done. You could say that the King is the brain and the Hand is the brawn, but it seems a bit more complicated than that.
At the end of the chapter, Robert mentions that Joffrey and Sansa should get married, so the Baratheon and stark houses can properly be united. (It would seem that Rob marrying Ned's sister, Lyanna, would have done that, but then she died.) Anyway, he says their children don't have to get married yet, since Sansa is 11 and Joffrey is 12, but they should at least be engaged. Somehow this doesn't seem like a good idea.
QUESTIONS FOR THIS CHAPTER:
1. Did the relationship between Rob and Ned deteriorate because they landed in two different environments, or did something else happen?
2. If Rob and Ned have barely spoken since they helped Rob take the Iron Throne, why does Rob trust Ned so much?
3. What is the point of the Hand of the King position? Is this some kind of advisor, or was the role created by someone who wanted to run the throne without ACTUALLY having the responsibility of the throne?
4. When was the Hand of the King created? Is it something that Aerys Targaryen had when he was king? Is it something Rob brought up?
OTHER CHARACTERS MENTIONED HERE:
Tyrion Lannister - called "The Imp," because he is super clever and he is a Little Person (not some High Fantasy Archetype of someone three inches tall - Tyrion is a human whose endocrine gland didn't release enough growth hormones).
Cersei Lannister - Rob's wife. Jamie's twin. Apparently she turns out to be one of the strongest women in the series.
Jamie Lannister - Cersei's twin brother. Is he the Kingkiller?
Sandor Clegane
Tywin Lannister
Lysa Arrys
Rickard Stark - Ned's father, deceased
Brandon Stark - Ned's brother, deceased
Lyanna Stark - Ned's sister, formerly engaged to Robert Barantheon; she asked to be buried in the Stark crypt and not among the Barantheons
Aerys Targaryen - the Mad King whom Rob overthrew. Interesting other side to how Viserys sees the overthrowing.
CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY
At the welcoming feast for the royal family, Jon Snow is excluded from the Table of Important People because Robert might take offense to the bastard. (Seeing as Rob appears as the sort of man who has fathered a lot of bastards, I don't think he'd mind, but that's just me). Jon is not part of the Main Table, and that is that.
This gives him the chance to talk to Benjen Stark, Ned's brother and a member of the Night's Watch. Jon wants to join the Watch, but Ben essentially tells Jon that Jon is too young, too drunk, and still a virgin, so Jon has no idea what he's missing. Ben also tells Jon to get older and get laid, and then to consider joining.
This upsets Jon, who goes outside, followed by his direwolf, Ghost. Tyrion Lannister follows, and it becomes LIFE ADVICE CORNER WITH TYRION LANNISTER: that Jon should make being a bastard his armor, not his weakness, so it could never hurt him. Tyrion also says that "not all bastards need to be dwarfs," which is kind of important.
QUESTIONS:
1. is there an age limit on joining the Night's Watch?
2. What does Tyrion do in his spare time?
Monday, February 2, 2015
Being Home
It's always interesting to come home for Jterm break. Everyone's already left for spring semester, so there is nobody to provide distraction as I write way too much and knit ALL THE THINGS.
To be perfectly honest, the lack of people my age is the least of my worries when I'm home for Jterm break. The bigger worries involve internships. It's nice to have a lot of time to look through internship websites and not have to worry about getting any homework done on top of it. At the same time, looking for somewhere to work is the last thing I want to be doing right now. It's tedious, but it will (hopefully) pay off in the long run.
Admittedly, it's difficult to see the point in looking for internships this early, but it's important. This is when people are hiring. In fact, I've had to click away from several good-looking opportunities because the deadline was halfway through January. Is anyone looking for internships that early? (I suppose that is the point; the companies only want people who take the initiative to look for internships the day after Christmas).
Well, that's all I have for now. I know this is short, but I'm off to work on important things. Farewell.
To be perfectly honest, the lack of people my age is the least of my worries when I'm home for Jterm break. The bigger worries involve internships. It's nice to have a lot of time to look through internship websites and not have to worry about getting any homework done on top of it. At the same time, looking for somewhere to work is the last thing I want to be doing right now. It's tedious, but it will (hopefully) pay off in the long run.
Admittedly, it's difficult to see the point in looking for internships this early, but it's important. This is when people are hiring. In fact, I've had to click away from several good-looking opportunities because the deadline was halfway through January. Is anyone looking for internships that early? (I suppose that is the point; the companies only want people who take the initiative to look for internships the day after Christmas).
Well, that's all I have for now. I know this is short, but I'm off to work on important things. Farewell.
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