A place for knitting, academic, reading and recipe ramblings. And of course, the occasional (okay maybe not so occasional) rant.
May 2, 2010
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More Books
Weetize Bat
Make Lemonade
A Wrinkle In Time
Graceling
Coraline
February 1, 2010
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Ella Enchanted-Levine
An assignment for one of my college classes and purely self-indulgent, Ella Enchanted was adorably cute.
Like the movie this is based on Cinderella, but the similarities end there for the most part. The book delves much more into the curse and Lucinda’s other curses and has a much more exciting journey associated with it. Also, someone mentioned in my class, Prince Char and Ella know each other much longer than in the movie and their relationship has a much deeper connection than simply “lust at first sight.”
At this point, I should probably mention that I am mostly impervious to emotional movies but books can make me cry, gush and feel something much deeper than books can. Which means the love between Char and Ella, though unlikely in the fact that it bridges some serious social bounds (though not as many as in the Disney versions or in others), is just so. darn. cute. and I actually found myself rooting for them and getting mad at all the right points. That being said, like most fairy tales, there are some adult humor jokes sprinkled in though not nearly as obscene as say, Disney’s indulgence in phallic depictions.
I guess this book was a great look at all the “gushy” books I missed when favoring the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown books growing up and it was awesome enough to push me to read more of the same kind.
January 28, 2010
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Life of a Super Star Temp.
I started temping, which, despite my slow forthcoming acceptance that it might not be all that bad after initial hesitation, sucks.
I have no idea when something will happen, the place I am temping with has a slight problem with communication, and perhaps worst of all, I have yet to be placed in one place for over four days. Just when I get acclimated to one thing or another, it is time to leave. I thought I would like this because I do love change. That was before I remembered how much I hate making mistakes. It takes a while to learn new systems which means there in an inevitable mistake happening at any job placement, The thing that sucks though is given the fact that I am one place for maybe 8 hours, I spend the first few tumbling through it and the last few nervous that I will make another mistake.
Not to mention that my slightly horrible experience is compounded by the fact that no one talks to me. Eight hours of silence is torture as any one on the phone with me or who I see right after completely these shifts know.
Oh and the last place has some frakkin’ awesome banana muffins that were so delicious.
The only good thing that has come out of this, and I can admit it is entirely selfish and perhaps a horrific look into my inner mindset, is that I aced the staffing agency’s test and was told I had gotten the highest scores they had seen in five years. Despite the fact that they might be lying, I cannot help but feel the worst sort of pride at this statement, I have not taken a numeric test like that in forever and rather miss getting the highest scores.
I have discovered, perhaps later than anyone else, that recruiting agencies are just sales organizations that deal with people as products. A terrifying thought yes, but I guess not worse than the prostitution that anyone else does while look for a job. No, what is the msot terrifying to me is that the everyone in the agency I am with sits in the large room, strapped to headset phones and has little interaction with the person they are trying to sell. It has honestly set me off from ever working in an office setting. Or at least one of the size and with that brand of sales-driven mission.
December 31, 2009
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So Many Goals, Such a New Year
To make myself feel better about having a managble list I have one thing on my list.
1.Get my stuff together. To include:
- Finding a job
- Rocking this cannonball read thing (I am failing…)
- Stash all my yarn on raverly
- Starting an etsy store
- Tech work at a theater
- Transfer
- Writing a paper on craftivism (and find the faculty that will let me gradaute with that)
Oki, I think that it is for now. We’ll see though. I have a good 15 hours to consider all the possibilities.
December 29, 2009
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Feminist Hollywood: From Point Blank to Born In Flames- Christina Lane
Note: Just on the Martha Coolidge section.
For the final paper in my Feminist Film class (one of two for my first semester in grad. school), I looked at director Martha Coolidge. If you haven’t heard of her, don’t be surprised. It’s not that she hasn’t directed well-known movies ( Real Genius, a personal favorite and iconic 80s movie; Valley Girl, another 80s movie that put Nicolas Cage on the acting stage; or the more recent The Prince and Me), it more likely due to the lack of recognition for female directors (or at least that it was I got from my research).
Basically, for this paper, I read tons of interviews with Coolidge, found many feminist articles on her, as well as several writings on her movies. What I found was huge contradictions among them all, which lead to the argument of my paper… I won’t go into that because it was a 20ish page somewhat meandering paper whose argument came too late in my writing of it and needed much more time to develop… but I will say that this book became an epitomizing example of the skewed versions that academic, and argumentative, texts can approach. However, Lane presents a certain viewpoint and does so pretty well. Though at some points quite contradictory and all together far fetched, she does a fairly good feminist reading of Coolidge’s films (those that lead themselves to it).
I find kinda blasphemous for saying this, considering Lane is considered on of the great feminist film critics and is this article is widely quoted among many of the other articles I read, but I think Lane ignores some major problems within Coolidge’s repertoire and in doing so negates some of her and Coolidge’s points. Of course, this could be my own first semester grad-school mind set of “I know more than thou”, but I feel that taking a wider look at Coolidge’s work presents some major contradictions that are actually folded within some of Lane’s own arguments.
Unfortunately, as the book’s back cover highlights, there are very few feminist film texts out there and thus, though problematic, I believe this to be a valuable source for those in the field, if for no other reason that pointing out some major problems within it.
December 10, 2009
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Erased- James Krusoe
Not sure if it is because of all the horror movies, mysteries and Encyclopedia Brown books I read, but this was very predictable.
Character’s were interesting and the details were quirky but the face that I knew the ending maybe 35 pages in, kinda ruined it for me. I think with a little less back story in the beginning, it would be much more of a mystery. Course, my academic mindset is telling me that perhaps it was meant to be that way and more of a psychological analysis but still, it read like a book that was meant to have a legitimate twist.
That being said, the writing was just as quirky as the details, and I must admit I kinda loved it, so much so that I think I will give James Krusoe another try.
- Cannonball
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A Spell for Chamelon-Piers Anthony
Before this is taken as an unbiased review, I should admit my LOVE for the Xanth series. I have read many, many of the books in this series and I cannot get enough of them, or Piers Anthony. I chose this book as an entrance into the challenge because, while it might be a cop out, I don’t care, it is always a good read and I figured it would be a good way to ease into it. This is the first novel into the Xanth series but a no a nesscary stepping stone into it. Unlike Incarnations of Immortality (another of Piers Anthony’s creations), the Xanth collections does not require much back story and can really be picked up at any point in the series. That being said, this is good one for people who would like the background of the land, almost in textbook form, but not quite. He does a really good job blending in the story with some of the “ins and outs” of the land and it actually fits in with both the character and the over all theme and message of the book. Overall, a great book, fast and interesting start to an amazing series.
- Cannonball
