The Fourteenth One

Here I am again, and I only posted two days ago. 

I realize I just stated that I was going to work my way through books I actually own instead of buying new ones, but I am still in Nebraska and thus without my own books. Also, my mother insisted on a trip to Barnes&Noble and she makes sure I always use her membership card, so here I am five books wealthier and two books into my summer reading. Side note: I realize, of course, that I will breeze through my twenty-five book goal if I continue to purchase and choose young adult literature instead of "serious" literature. More about this later. 

First up, Neil Gaiman. I wrote about him in my last post and purchased two of his books: Coraline and M is for Magic. I have read the first. Coraline is a book I was first introduced to during my time at Nebraska Book Company. There I would stand in front of my station as watch as books came tumbling toward me, waiting to be stacked in the giant metal "buckets." It was a tedious job, but every summer I walked away with a book list a 

mile long and an employee discount. Coraline was a book I picked up knowing nothing about the author or the book and found myself enthralled in only the first chapter. A little girl with a big heart, a big imagination and a thirst for adventure finds herself in the scariest and most interesting situation of her life. The book may have been written for children and not twenty-four (almost twenty-five) year olds, but I love this book and I love this character. Coraline walks into a truly unbelievable situation, but never once does she truly question what is going on or what she has to do. She is practical until the end and she does what needs to be done in order to save herself and others around her. She charmed the pants off me. I can't wait to read this book to my own children.

Then I read some candy, Christian candy at that. Perfecting Kate is written by Tamara Leigh who wrote Splitting Harriet which I read during the winter. I thoroughly enjoyed Splitting Harriet. It's not often I find a "Christian romance" book that lives up to my expectations of both being theologically sound and, you know, good literature. Splitting Harriet is both charming and thought provoking and follows the life a church-worker, which you don't come across very often. It's not profound, nor is it deeply moving, but it is fun and I like what it has to say about second chances and God's grace. This said, I was looking forward to reading Perfecting Kate. The premise was interesting, focussing on the insecurities that most (all) women (people) have about their appearance and using this as a starting point for 

the makeover we all need from the inside out. I'm not sure how I feel about the book itself, though. I found myself waiting for the main character to really see what was going on. What was really irritating was that she knew that her boyfriend wasn't a "practicing" Christian, but she justified it away. She knew that it wasn't right how he consistently told her what was wrong with her appearance to the point of deluging her with the business cards of professionals who can take care of all her cosmetic needs. She knew she wasn't being a good steward of her money, of her gifts, of her health. She knew all this yet she continued on. I realize that I share many similar qualities with the Kate. I often do things I know are wrong the moment I do them. I sin now knowing I can ask forgiveness later. Maybe that's why I found Kate so annoying. Maybe she reminds me of me. But I do find her annoying and I probably won't be rereading this book anytime soon. That does not mean I'm unhappy about adding it to my, ahem, private collection.

There we go, the first two (completed) books of the summer which brings my count to: 2/25. I shall keep you up to date as the summer tarries onward... 

I'm not sure I used "tarries" correctly just now. 

The Thirteenth One

I thought about skipping this one, it being the thirteenth and all, but decided I really wasn't that superstitious.

I'd like to take a moment to welcome myself back to the world of infrequent blogging... Thank you. School is out, my second year is water under the bridge which means I have some extra time on my hands. Extra time= beach, books, blogging. I'm sure more activities will be included.

Last summer my summer reading goal was twenty (20) books. I succeeded. This summer I'm shooting for twenty-five (25). I don't like to start out with a specific summer reading list, that would just irritate me and I would end up dragging my feet and not reading nearly enough. That said, however, there are a few books that I'm definitely going to read:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I have wanted to read this book for a long time, and to be fair I have already started this one, but it is so intriguing and reads so well. I cannot wait to finish it.

Next up is a collection of short stories by Neil Gaiman whom I am quickly falling in love with (with whom I am quickly falling in love). I read Stardust last summer and this summer, if all goes well, I will read more than just this one book of Gaiman's. I must start with this one, however, because I already own it and I am trying to be thrifty... although I could always visit the local library. That has worked well for me in the past.

After working my way through the pile of books that I own but have not yet read, I will move on to books I do not own, but wish I did. Including, but not limited to:

Eighth Grade Bites

by Heather Brewer

I discovered this book and its two sequels (Ninth Grade Slays, and Tenth Grade Bleeds) in Barnes&Noble. I was exercising my oft-used (and rarely unsuccessful) technique of judging books by their covers and this one caught my eye. It really has nothing to recommend itself except for its cover, its title (which is really a lot of fun) and the fact that it's about a vampire, but doesn't seem to take itself as seriously as the Twilight series (which I also have yet to read).

Thus ends the book portion of my blog. Onto other entertainment.

I am a huge fan of tv on dvd and this summer I have at my disposal the entire season of Monty Python's Flying Circus. I cannot wait. I also cannot wait for the release of the third seasons of Heroes and Psych. I have faithfully avoided any and all spoilers about Heroes, saving myself for the time when I can simply sit down and watch them all back-to-back-to-back. I have just as faithfully NOT avoided any and all episodes of Psych because Gus and Shawn are just as amusing the twelfth time around as they are the first.

In an attempt to slow my purchase of movies (obviously not box sets as seen from the above paragraph) I have joined Netflix. The theory was I would simply watch all the movies I wanted to watch without having to buy them. Unfortunately the plan has backfired somewhat because I am simply adding to my ever-growing list of movies-to-own. This list now includes (thanks to Netflix) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (which I loved despite my little brother's contention that it was slow and boring. Shut up Charlie, it was beautiful), I'm Not There (a fascinating biopic about the one and only Bob Dylan), 300 (which almost-but-not-quite as interesting as the graphic novel), and Be Kind Rewind (which was equal parts hilarious and touching).

The plan has, however, been a success in that I watched quite a few movies that I wanted to see, but am very glad I never bothered buying. Seriously stupid movies, some of which I couldn't even make it all the way through. For the sake of these movies I am inventing a new tag: the non-rec. I do not, I repeat, I DO NOT recommend these movies to anyone: Georgia Rule, couldn't even watch the whole thing. Catch and Release, amusing in parts, but ultimately not amusing to save itself from being pointless. The Covenant which I watched to see if the guy who was going to play Gambit in the Wolverine movie could act. I definitely chose the wrong sampling. No one could act with a script that bad. Pointless eye-candy. (Side note: the guy who played Gambit is Taylor Kitsch. And he can act. See- Friday Night Lights the series on NBC.) In the Land of Women, chosen because of my love for Adam Brody, which hails from my days of obsession with The O.C. It was okay. Not good, nor great, but okay. I just kept waiting for more and the end I didn't feel like I was left with anything worthwhile. Not that movies have to be profound, but I like even my comedies to at least be sustantially funny. And yes, I do realize how incredibly subjective my yardstick is.

That's all for today. I may post later this week, simply because I get to use my mother's MacBook and it's super fun.

The Twelfth One

Last night I did what I have tried desperately not to do all school year: I read a book for fun instead of planning for school the next morning. It has been a long time since I read a book that engrossed me so much I couldn't put it down. I tried many times to put it away. I even went so far as to put it out of reach and turn out my light so I could go to sleep and at least be well-rested if not well-prepared in the morning. I attempted this twice and both times I lasted about ten minutes before turning my light back on, picking the book back up and (ultimately) reading it to its conclusion.



The book in question is When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin. The title calls it "a book of the heart" which is exactly what it is. The narrator is also the main character and he is a mystery from the beginning. Throughout the book he slowly reveals himself and his past. The story that develops is a beautiful and graphic description of the heart, its diseases and how to heal. Rather than limiting himself purely to the physical or the emotional, Martin masterfully weaves the two parts of our heart into a single account. The author liberally sprinkles relevant passages by Shakespeare, Tennyson, Helen Keller and the Bible.

There are definite Christian themes in the book, but I would recommend it as an excellent piece of literature to anyone, Christian or not.

Bottom line: When Crickets Cry- highly recommended.

The Eleventh One

or Dinner with Alabama.

One of the best parts of keeping a blog that's really more of a personal narrative/ journal is that no one really cares if you update regularly.

Last week there was a fantastic dance for our Middle School put on by FCA. It was outdoors and they decorated with Christmas lights, had a little stage for karaoke, provided a chocolate fountain for refreshments and filled the night with (appropriate) music chosen by the students themselves. I had never been asked to chaperone, but I am a paranoid girl and thought I should make an appearance. Plus, hanging out with middle school students is way more fun in an extra-curricular environment than it is having them in class.

I am so glad I went. It was the best dance I had ever chaperoned. There weren't the ridiculous bump and grind issues of the high school dances, the students seemed more willing to dance without worrying about whether or not they looked silly, and there was a great moment where one of the teachers taught everyone a shortened version of the Thriller dance and then everyone danced to one of Michael Jackson's best songs, like they do in the movies.

The night is not memorable, however, solely because of the dance. That night a colleague and I went out for a quick bit to eat. We ended up at this fantastic burrito place Cool Blue Burrito. It's reminiscent of Chipotle and Moe's but it's even more delicious and it's locally owned (yeah!). We sat outside and were enjoying our respective meals when a homeless man walked up, sat down near us and played his guitar. He was very polite, asking permission and taking requests and we invited him to join us for dinner. His name was Gary, but everyone called him Alabama. I, being a lover of nicknames, opted to call him Alabama. We had a great time, learning about Alabama's life and listening to his music, some of which he wrote himself. We tipped him well, and I'll admit, I bought him a beer with his dinner. (I encourage my students to give the homeless food instead of money to eliminate the temptation to spend the money on alcohol. I myself, apparently, supply the alcohol directly.) And when he left us, soon after he finished eating, he left us with a dirty joke. All in all, it was good fun and a good experience.

I feel like I should be wrapping this up with a moral or Bible verse or challenge, but I don't have anything like that. Dinner with Alabama was the first time I had ever sat down and talked with a homeless person. We didn't talk about being homeless, we talked about life, we spent a lot of time laughing. Alabama didn't define himself by his socioeconomic state and by the end of dinner, neither did I. I have no moral or Bible verse. I have no challenge. I have only this story, this experience, and it's one I thought worthy of being remembered.

The Tenth One

Welcome to The Tenth Post.

"Renegade" by the Styx has probably the best first thirty seconds of any song. Seriously. I bought an entire "Greatest Hits of the Styx" cd just so I could have this song, just so I could listen to the first thirty seconds over and over and over agian. And I am only slightly exaggerating. Very slightly.

I have been watching "Heroes": tv on dvd. It's been great. I am a little in love with Peter Petrelli. Of course I am only about half way through the first season, so I have some making up to do. Of course, by spending my time catching up on "Heroes" now it is forcing me to catch up on grading later. And later and later and later. Seriously though. Grading papers seriously cuts into my television viewing time. I must learn to both at once. I vow tonight will be different.

The Ninth One

Here I sit in my new classroom. That's right. They have moved me from the high school building to the middle school area, because I teach both high school and middle school. I spent 6-7 hours yesterday moving things around and scavenging for new stuff and sorting through books and throwing things away and not (apparently) using any commas. I have a single corner of the room almost completely finished and some of the rest of the room a little bit finished. I can't believe I am still here, but I have to have this whole undertaking completed before I leave for home. Currently, I am simply taking a break.

Summer reading is going well. I am trying to mix up my summer reading with "classic- classics," "modern classics" (as determined by me) and "candy." My "candy" for the summer are The Cat Who... mystery books. The stories revolve around a retired journalist and his two Siamese cats, one of which likes to help our hero solve crimes. They live in a small town "400 miles north of everywhere." The books are enjoyable and the characters are entertaining. The most amazing part is not the cat's intuition, but rather the fact that so many murders happen in this one small town.

I have also been reading quite a lot of Agatha Christie's books (let's call them "classic candy"... like Werther's Originals or black licorice bites). What I like most about Christie's two main protagonists (Miss Marple and Poirot) is that they may be brilliant, but they're also a little irritating. I like my protagonists to have some flaws. It's hard (impossible) to relate to perfection.

In the "classic classic" category I have Dracula and A Clockwork Orange. Neither of which I've finished. Dracula is interesting enough, but I'm a third of the way through and I still feel like nothing's really happened. It is, however, making me wish I was currently in a literature class, because I think this is one book that would be better if it could be discussed. A Clockwork Orange really shoudn't be on this list at all; I have yet to crack it open. It's definitely one of those books I like to talk about reading, but never seem to get around to actually reading it.

Now onto "modern classics." This is my own personal category in which I put every book that's been written more recently, but has yet to show up on any book list in any class I've ever taken. For this installment I have two: Rant: an Oral History of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk and Everybody Wants to go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die by David Crowder and Mike Hogan.

Palahniuk is the very same author who brought the world the wacked out philosophy of Tyler Durden ("I know this because Tyler knows this") and his Fight Club. I loved Fight Club (book and movie). If you've ever read/seen it, you know it's pretty weird. Rant far and away surpasses that weirdness. The entire book is about Buster Casey, but it's told from the point of view of his friends, family, neighbors, girlfriend, random people he met a few times, local government officials and various experts on various subjects. Buster Casey grew up in a small town and got his rocks off (literally) by tracking down venemous critters and getting them to bite him. He never died. Eventually he left town and made his way to the city. That's when we learn more about the world in which Buster lived. A world that was shared by two groups of people: Daytimers, those that slept at night and lived their lives during the day, and Nighttimers, those that slept during the day and lived at night. Both groups had to be registered and both had curfews that they were not allowed to break. The book is confusing at times. It's a complicated society. Basically, Buster may or may not be responsible for a current outbreak of rabies that is sweeping the Nighttime population.

The book is interesting and engrossing, but beware. It is also gross. There are many parts I wish I hadn't read and many images I wish I didn't currently have in my head. I suppose it is hardly less graphic or gory than Fight Club, but it is not for the faint of heart. Fortunately, my heart is strong and I look forward to reading more of his books. Next time, however, I will have to buy it, for one is not allowed to underline and write notes in library book.

Everybody Wants to go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die is, so far, my favorite read of the summer. It is beautifully and creatively written by David Crowder (of The David Crowder Band) and Mike Hogan (also of the David Crowder Band). This is not your normal book about death (not that I've read many books about death, I'm just guessing here). The book is divided into various sections. One tracks the history of the soul. From philosophy to theology to science, what do people believe about the soul? One section tracks the history of Bluegrass (Yes, that's right, Bluegrass. The musical style.), and how it relates to death/dying/the soul. One section is in the form of an IM conversation between the two authors about their own experiences with death. My favorite section is the Columns. There are three columns and each is a short story that deals in some way with death. One column is about a man who lost his wife, one is about a woman who had a stroke and the last is about a boy whose tears (as in crying) kills birds. Divided into seven sections and interspersed throughout the book, this section is both beautiful and heartbreaking (like most of the book).

Crowder and Hogan do a fantastic job. They are thought-provoking, genuine and hilarious. I recommend this book to everyone. Don't forget to read EVERYTHING. No skipping the prologue, indices or footnotes. This book is well worth your time.

The Eighth One

"Eighth" is kind of a difficult word to spell.

It has been so long since my last blog and so much has happened. Please keep in mind that this list is not chronological... nor in order of importance.

1. And this is number one solely based on relevance. I am sitting in the Teacher's Work Room at the school in order to use the Internet. Whatever family I was stealing the Internet from at my apartment has finally gotten wise and secured it, making it impossible for me to access the Internet at home. The school at which I work is close enough that I can walk and so becomes the next "most convenient" place. Unfortunately this cuts down considerably the amount of time I can spend on the Internet. Sigh.

2. Mom came and visited me! We spent a day at SeaWorld (which is wonderful) and watched dolphins, killer whales (SHAMU) and seals/sea lions dance around and put on fantastic shows. We fed dolphins and watched their odd mating habits (exciting day in that area of SeaWorld), touched /fed sting rays (they're slimy), got lost on International Dr. and had an overall magnificent day.

The next day we spent at Cocoa Beach. There we floated in the ocean and it was amazing. The water temperature was perfect considering how hot it was on the beach. I spent a great deal of time just laying out in the sun, listening to the lifeguards talk. It was enlightening. Apparently that area of the beach was "not producing ANYTHING" that day. One guard, who became less and less attractive as the conversation wore on, had been trying to pick up girls that (not from the US) by explaining United States' system of Secondary Education. And he wonders why they walked away without leaving a phone number. Besides, I seriously doubt he had the mental capacity to explain it clearly and thoroughly. The same guard then regaled anyone in hearing distance of the time he was invited to a girl's hotel but never got farther (further) than making out in the hot tub before the girl's father interrupted them. According to him it was an utter waste of time.

During this conversation I found myself experiencing a plethora of different emotion. One, I was almost insulted that he found me not worthy of his attention. Two, I was disgusted with myself for number one and decided to be insulted that he was talking this way at all. Three, how could anyone think a description of the United States' school system was an appropriate way to pick up women? Educational, perhaps, but hardly romantic. Four, while this guard was first actively pursuing said women, then talking about his pursuits with another guard, who was watching the multitude of people gathered at the beach? Five, whatever they are earning, the lifeguards are overpaid. Their lack of attention concerns me. Six, apparently they watched too many Baywatch reruns. Can you say inappropriate behaviour?

The beach, however, was a wonderful experience. While we were there a space shuttled launched into... you guessed it... space. Throughout the afternoon more and more people congregated on the beach and at 5:02 everyone, man, woman, child and ridiculous life guards alike, turned away from the beach and watched the launch. It was incredible, both the launch itself and the effect that it had on the people watching. They watched in silence and awe until the shuttle was no more than a speck of light. Then there were several random bits of applause and the people in the tent next to us burst into "God Bless America" or "America the Beautiful" or something equally patriotic. It was a truly memorable experience.

3. Bet you forgot this was a list, huh? I read and then watched The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. (WARNING: if you have not read the book or seen the movie, and if you do not like spoilers, this review is probably not the place for you!) I had forgotten much of the book. It has been many years since I read the series. In fact I don't know if I have ever read them myself, or if I remember them from Story Time, when Mom read them to all of us kids. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Magician's Nephew and The Horse and His Boy are the ones I remember very well. Prince Caspian went the way of The Silver Chair. I hardly remembered it at all. But it is a wonderful story. The first story is a beautiful allegory of the Gospel and this is a beautiful allegory of the rest of life. Here we are, thousands of years after the Gospel story took place and we are looking for salvation, proof. Many have forgotten (the "stupid," "wild," beasts), many are bitter and angry (the dwarfs), many are trying to cover up the truth (the Telmarines), but there are those that remember (the Old Narnians, talking Beasts and creatures of the woods). The allegory goes on and on.

The story itself is charming. I have always been "Peter" girl, with Edmund a close second. None of the other characters really captured me like they did. I like Peter's strength and humility. He never admits to knowing it all and when he makes a mistake or falls short in some way he is always quick with an apology. He is the High King and I love him. Edmund is, admittedly, much more entertaining than Peter. He has a quicker wit and he has made bigger mistakes, but he learned from them and is stronger because of them. Susan is irritating and a bit dull in the book. Lewis seems to be setting her up for a fall (see the last book in the series) and Lucy is as hopeful and wholesome as ever. Of the new characters, Reepicheep is by far my favorite. He won my heart from the beginning.

The movie falls considerably short. The book was lacking in actual action. The battles were talked about, but only one was written about in detail. That said, there really was a lot for the movie to work with. It was a great start, I like where the movie started, but Susan's horn was blown much to early in the writer's haste to get the kids into Narnia. Apparently the story needed more drama (a prince on the run, a treacherous royal and a rebellion were not enough), and what better way to add drama than to give Peter a little teen angst. Aslan was introduced too late in the story and all of the delightful allusions to Christian life that Lewis included in his book were taken out of context and turned in doubts or mistakes.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when Peter and Edmund are sent ahead of Aslan to meet with Caspian and deal with issue of the upcoming battle. Questions are raised about Aslan and his actions and Peter explains, that he will act in his own time, but until then it is up to them to take action. Peter has full trust in Aslan and his timing, but recognizes that they can wait idle in the meantime. In the movie Peter says that he thinks "it's up to them now," portraying a distrust in Aslan. I hate it, almost as much as I hate the time when Peter asks Lucy why Aslan hasn't given them any proof and Lucy says perhaps it is because they have to prove themselves first.

There are other parts of the movie that I had problems with, but I could explain them away by looking at them from a screen-writer's point of view. Messing with the story is not quite as inexcusable as messing with the characters. Leave the characters alone, they are wonderful and do not need any contemporary "fixing" in order to be loved by audiences. Turning Peter into a brat and creating a love story between Susan and Caspian made the movie cliched and contrived.

That said, the last thirty minutes or so almost make up for the rest of the movie. The fight between Peter and Miraz (I was desperately afraid they were going to replace Peter with Caspian) and the treachery of Miraz's "allies" was wonderful, as was the appearance of the (dryad? naiad? I don't remember) that lived in the river and his destruction of the bridge.

As I said before, the book does not have a lot of action, that is not where the story lies. I can forgive the writers' of the movie for many of their mistakes. Perhaps with Voyage of the Dawn Treader they will be able to keep more to the story. There's more than enough action and adventure in that book, they won't have to contrive anything to make it doable on screen.

The End.