There is Nothing Wrong With You

I occasionally read the blog of a YA author that has written some excellent, if a trifle long and in need of editing, books. Her works are far, far better than the tripe that Stephenie Meyer writes and that girls suck up like desperate vampires. wait...did I say that out loud? Oops.

Anywho, this is her entry on Proposition 8, titled "There is Nothing Wrong with You."

Beautifully written. Rather long, as is most of her writing, but worth reading. I don't know who reads this, and I don't care, but I just had to share this. That is all.

Nothing in Particular...

I found the lyrics that represent my blog, via Morrissey. Morrissey is a musical SUPERSTAR and I am so sad that I have only recently learned about him. Oh well, better late than never! I remember my flatmates in London talking about him and The Smiths....I remember reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the main character talks about making mix tapes with The Smiths...too bad I didn't pay attention. There is a time and a place for everything, and Morrissey fits my life perfectly right now. Anyway, let me explain myself before I cause further confusion.

I was looking for new music the other day, and I was exploring 80s new wave bands. I heard the name The Smiths and I thought "what the heck"...so I began researching on Wikipedia. I discovered that The Smiths were a hugely influential band from England in the early-mid 80s. Morrissey was their lead singer. He has an amazing distinctive voice. I am sure that even if one is not familiar with their songs, one would at least recognize the sound.
The Smiths broke up and Morrissey began a solo career. He is pretty much a legend-and he's only 50!

So, I have been collecting some songs. I haven't felt this way about a band in a long time. My faith in music is restored!
Here are some lyric samples:

I'm so glad to grow older
To move away from those awful times
I want to see all my friends tonight-Break Up the Family

So the life I have made
May seem wrong to you
But, I've never been surer
It's my life to ruin
My own way -Alma Matters

And this, the lyric of my blog:
I am the son
And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
Of nothing in particular
-How Soon is Now

I mean really, it's like a sign or something! A sign that I have discovered my cosmic music connection. or ummm something.

Music is a very personal thing for me and I am very particular about what I like...I am glad that I have found something to represent my current state of existence. Happiness ensues!

Nerd

Here is a list of why I think that I am a real nerd. Not one of those people who giggles and says "oh I'm such a nerd!" I mean a real, nerdish nerd.

Anyway, here is the list.

1. I took 6 AP courses in high school and entered college as a sophomore with 30 hours of credit.
2. I was the only girl on the Scholastic Bowl team. I was also co-captain.
3. I was in band, orchestra, marching band, and basketball band. I also played in district honors band and orchestra. For fun. Oh, and I am still in a community band today. Also for fun.
4. My major is one of the most liberal arty majors out there. If you were to rank my major on a "how useful will only a BA in my major be for getting a job related to what I studied" scale, it would probably come in a close third place, behind Philosophy and English. What was my major? History.
5. I did not major in History because I wanted to teach it. In fact, I avoided all thoughts of education when I switched my major from Chemistry to History. I had visions of grad school when I was 19. And I was excited about it.
6. I wrote and defended my senior honors thesis my junior year of college. I wrote about the history of computer science at the U of I. The topic interested me.
7. In 6 years at U of I, I completed a BA, cum laude and with distinction in History, I studied abroad for a semester, I completed a Master's Degree and I student taught for a semester.
8. I thought that I was going to attend MIT to get a PhD in the History of Science and Technology in Society Program. Then I finished my thesis and decided I'd had enough of writing...for now....
9. I am a librarian. A high school librarian. I teach classes on MLA style, research using databases, and evaluation of sources. And I Like it.
10. I read YA books, not because I have to, but because I enjoy them.
11. I read almost anything, really.
12. I have yet to meet a person who shares my music tastes. My taste is incredibly eclectic, from classical music to techno to classic rock to New Wave 80s music. You might find some songs that we have in common on my playlists, but most of the time, people do not recognize most of the music on my ipod.
13. I enjoy knowing about obscure things. See: my thesis. I love old movies and not really even the movies themselves, but the process that created them. See: the studio system. I have a fascination with old scientists, alchemy, Victorian Britain, India's days as the "jewel of the empire", the interwar years in Germany, the history of mental illness, Dadaism, surrealism, the streets of London, the Spanish Civil War, pastels, Toulouse Lautrec, the periodic table of the elements, SPDF notation, analog computers, Christian Louboutin, and celebrity blind items. All of these things contribute to the wide variety of things that I am interested in. Now try inserting those topics into regular conversation, and see how far it gets you. Also insert an obscure sense of humor and you will see why I am largely uninterested in many people. Of course, I can fake it as well as anyone, but my true friends understand that I enjoy being obscure and they grant me my little quirks.
14. My lifelong dream has been to be on Jeopardy! I took the test, and will be attending the in person audition on May 30. I am extremely excited about this!!!
15. I love Agatha Christie. I have over 40 of her mysteries and I also have all 5 of the books that she published under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. One of my favorite books ever is Unfinished Portrait by Mary Westmacott. Let me know if you've heard of that one....This book was given to me by my grandma several years ago, and I am eternally grateful to her for it, because Mary Westmacott books are out of print. I sucessfully located the other 4 books on ebay my sophomore year of college and I treasure them.
16. I read Agatha Christie books for the class issues and characterizations as much as the mystery. I understand English country life quite well because of it.
17. I played badminton in high school and quit my senior year because of AP tests. I do not regret it.

And that is why I am a nerd.

This is hilarious!

As you all know, I am a book fiend/reader.

Here is an amusing piece from McSweeney's Internet Tendency on a hypothetical college course teaching students about the new age of Internet Writing:

Internet-Age Writing Syllabus and Course Overview

by Robert Lanham

- - - -

ENG 371WR:
Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era
M-W-F: 11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Instructor: Robert Lanham

Course Description

As print takes its place alongside smoke signals, cuneiform, and hollering, there has emerged a new literary age, one in which writers no longer need to feel encumbered by the paper cuts, reading, and excessive use of words traditionally associated with the writing trade. Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era focuses on the creation of short-form prose that is not intended to be reproduced on pulp fibers.

Instant messaging. Twittering. Facebook updates. These 21st-century literary genres are defining a new “Lost Generation” of minimalists who would much rather watch Lost on their iPhones than toil over long-winded articles and short stories. Students will acquire the tools needed to make their tweets glimmer with a complete lack of forethought, their Facebook updates ring with self-importance, and their blog entries shimmer with literary pithiness. All without the restraints of writing in complete sentences. w00t! w00t! Throughout the course, a further paring down of the Hemingway/Stein school of minimalism will be emphasized, limiting the superfluous use of nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions, gerunds, and other literary pitfalls.

Prerequisites

Students must have completed at least two of the following.

ENG: 232WR—Advanced Tweeting: The Elements of Droll
LIT: 223—Early-21st-Century Literature: 140 Characters or Less
ENG: 102—Staring Blankly at Handheld Devices While Others Are Talking
ENG: 301—Advanced Blog and Book Skimming
ENG: 231WR—Facebook Wall Alliteration and Assonance
LIT: 202—The Literary Merits of Lolcats
LIT: 209—Internet-Age Surrealistic Narcissism and Self-Absorption

Required Reading Materials

Literary works, including the online table of contents of the Huffington Post’s Complete Guide to Blogging, will serve as models to be skimmed for thorough analysis. Also, Perez Hilton’s Twitter feed.

SECTION 1:
LECTURE AND DISCUSSION

The Writing Is on the Wall:
Why Print/Reading Will Go the Way
of the Pictograph

Four weeks will be devoted to discussing the publishing industry and why―with the exception of wordless celebrity glossies―the print medium is, um, boring and, furthermore, totally dull.

A complete and detailed syllabus is listed at the McSweeney's site. I highly recommend reading it!

Religious Folks and Torture

The Pew Research Center, a well known nonpartisan thinktank, has recently published a study showing that the more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists.

Among White Evangelicals:
18% say that torture can often be justified, while 44% say that torture can sometimes be justified.

Compared to non affiliated people-15% say that torture can often be justified and 33% say that it can sometimes be justified.

And, among weekly churchgoers: 16% say torture is often justified and 38% say it is often justified

For those who attend services seldom: 12% say torture is often justified and 30% say it is sometimes justified.

Here is a link to the study.