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.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
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!
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!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
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.
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:
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
- - - -
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.
Friday, May 1, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Gray
Just wondering when the sun will come out again. It has been gray, drizzly, and cloudy for the last 4 days.
I would appreciate some sun, thanks.
It is that time of year...the march to the end, the AP tests, the final exams, prom, graduation, college, and preparing for next year.
Always exciting, but kind of stressful, as the kids get antsy...especially the seniors!
6 weeks left...
I would appreciate some sun, thanks.
It is that time of year...the march to the end, the AP tests, the final exams, prom, graduation, college, and preparing for next year.
Always exciting, but kind of stressful, as the kids get antsy...especially the seniors!
6 weeks left...
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tragically Unhip?
Yesterday, I discovered that I am tragically unhip.
I realized this as I was perusing music and I discovered a band called The Smiths. Now, I have heard of them throughout the years, but I never pursued listening to them. And of course, once I listened to a song, I was hooked.
So yeah, I was only about 20 years behind the times, as The Smiths are a band that was popular in the 80s. One of the first alternative post punk bands out of Manchester, England.
Aside from that, I have discovered, that for most of my life, I have felt like I am living in the wrong time. I am merely an observer to my modern life. My soul belongs in another era. What era depends on where I am in my life. These days, I feel like I am lurking somewhere in Europe during the first part of the 20th century.
Let me explain: it all started when I began reading the Little House books in 2nd grade. I devoured those books, beginning with Little House in the Big Woods, all the way through The First Four Years. After I read those, I began to imagine that I lived in the mid 19th century. I was a pioneer person. I used to imagine that I was the eldest sister in a large family, and that my parents were often absent or busy. I had to take care of my younger siblings. I had a running narrative in my head of this story. While I was at school, the story was sidelined, but at home, I definitely lived my historical narrative. This period lasted until about 5th grade, culminating in my dressing as Laura Ingalls Wilder for Halloween. Around this time, I began to discover other historical fiction works, namely the Anne of Green Gables books. My time period shifted to the late 19th century. I imagined myself as a playmate of Anne's and I live in her world. Again, the actual world I lived in was immaterial. I was always a quiet kid, and I spent most of my recesses reading. I had few friends, but it never bothered me. I had enough to be satisfied, while still maintaining my parallel historical existence.
By 7th grade, I discovered the Beatles, and my time period shifted rather drastically to 1960s England. I became obsessed with the Beatles and with 60s music. I only listened to the Oldies station (having not yet discovered Classic Rock) I devoured every Beatles book I could find. I imagined myself an "Apple Scruff" (or, a Beatles groupie-and no, I didn't know what groupie meant.) I developed my first real crush-on George Harrison. I collected images of the Beatles. I felt like a total anachronism, as none of my friends seemed to understand my obsession. I eschewed the popular music of the time, which was mostly Green Day and early alt rock. I had my Beatles.
My Beatles obsession lasted quite a while-until my junior year of high school. Along with the Beatles, my reading tastes veered towards Agatha Christie novels. Some of them took place in the 60s, others took place during the first part of the 20th century. I loved them all, and developed a real obsession with British culture.
I discovered Led Zeppelin when I was 16. My world was once again shifted, this time to the late 60s/early 70s. Now, along with the Beatles, I had Led Zeppelin albums to collect. This phase lasted until probably my sophomore year of college.
Then I briefly discovered some new music. But that phase quickly passed.
Now, I believe my music tastes lie somewhere in the early 80s, as I mentioned earlier.
I'm not sure if it will shift again. It probably will. To some other time period other than the one in which we currently reside.
I have always felt a strong connection to the past. My obsession with history goes back even further than the Little House Books-I believe it started with my grandfather, who was the single most important person in my life. He died when I was 8, but I always loved hearing stories about his youth, about the Depression, about the War. I am lucky that I had a grandfather who lived through all of this and was able to tell me about it. Most people my age have younger grandparents than mine. I am almost a whole generation removed from most of my peers, as my mom was one of the first baby boomers-literally, she was born in 1946.
My mom is the other major influence on my life. She is, of course, my best friend, and my favorite person in the world. And sometimes I think that she and I should have switched places in time! She lived through it all-growing up in the 50s, going to college in the 60s, the liberal 70s, studying in Spain, traveling through Europe, meeting my dad by chance in a park....she has had so many amazing experiences-and that was all well before I was born!
I can't forget my dad though. He grew up in a foreign country, under a fascist dictatorship. How many people can say that about their dads??
My life has been full of an appreciation of the past. I am sure this contributes to my sense of feeling out of place in time. I don't think I'll ever fit in completely.
And I don't think I want to.
So, I will forever be tragically unhip. Listening to music that either a) people no longer listen to or b)very few people have heard of.
Watching movies that are a) really old or b) really odd and 'cult' favorites
Talking about events that happened long ago.
Reading obscure novels, many in translation. For example, Louis Aragon's Paris Peasant.
I don't mean to say that I am unhappy with my existence. I just feel like there are so many layers to life beyond the every day, the mundane.
I guess you could say I enjoy living in the past!
I realized this as I was perusing music and I discovered a band called The Smiths. Now, I have heard of them throughout the years, but I never pursued listening to them. And of course, once I listened to a song, I was hooked.
So yeah, I was only about 20 years behind the times, as The Smiths are a band that was popular in the 80s. One of the first alternative post punk bands out of Manchester, England.
Aside from that, I have discovered, that for most of my life, I have felt like I am living in the wrong time. I am merely an observer to my modern life. My soul belongs in another era. What era depends on where I am in my life. These days, I feel like I am lurking somewhere in Europe during the first part of the 20th century.
Let me explain: it all started when I began reading the Little House books in 2nd grade. I devoured those books, beginning with Little House in the Big Woods, all the way through The First Four Years. After I read those, I began to imagine that I lived in the mid 19th century. I was a pioneer person. I used to imagine that I was the eldest sister in a large family, and that my parents were often absent or busy. I had to take care of my younger siblings. I had a running narrative in my head of this story. While I was at school, the story was sidelined, but at home, I definitely lived my historical narrative. This period lasted until about 5th grade, culminating in my dressing as Laura Ingalls Wilder for Halloween. Around this time, I began to discover other historical fiction works, namely the Anne of Green Gables books. My time period shifted to the late 19th century. I imagined myself as a playmate of Anne's and I live in her world. Again, the actual world I lived in was immaterial. I was always a quiet kid, and I spent most of my recesses reading. I had few friends, but it never bothered me. I had enough to be satisfied, while still maintaining my parallel historical existence.
By 7th grade, I discovered the Beatles, and my time period shifted rather drastically to 1960s England. I became obsessed with the Beatles and with 60s music. I only listened to the Oldies station (having not yet discovered Classic Rock) I devoured every Beatles book I could find. I imagined myself an "Apple Scruff" (or, a Beatles groupie-and no, I didn't know what groupie meant.) I developed my first real crush-on George Harrison. I collected images of the Beatles. I felt like a total anachronism, as none of my friends seemed to understand my obsession. I eschewed the popular music of the time, which was mostly Green Day and early alt rock. I had my Beatles.
My Beatles obsession lasted quite a while-until my junior year of high school. Along with the Beatles, my reading tastes veered towards Agatha Christie novels. Some of them took place in the 60s, others took place during the first part of the 20th century. I loved them all, and developed a real obsession with British culture.
I discovered Led Zeppelin when I was 16. My world was once again shifted, this time to the late 60s/early 70s. Now, along with the Beatles, I had Led Zeppelin albums to collect. This phase lasted until probably my sophomore year of college.
Then I briefly discovered some new music. But that phase quickly passed.
Now, I believe my music tastes lie somewhere in the early 80s, as I mentioned earlier.
I'm not sure if it will shift again. It probably will. To some other time period other than the one in which we currently reside.
I have always felt a strong connection to the past. My obsession with history goes back even further than the Little House Books-I believe it started with my grandfather, who was the single most important person in my life. He died when I was 8, but I always loved hearing stories about his youth, about the Depression, about the War. I am lucky that I had a grandfather who lived through all of this and was able to tell me about it. Most people my age have younger grandparents than mine. I am almost a whole generation removed from most of my peers, as my mom was one of the first baby boomers-literally, she was born in 1946.
My mom is the other major influence on my life. She is, of course, my best friend, and my favorite person in the world. And sometimes I think that she and I should have switched places in time! She lived through it all-growing up in the 50s, going to college in the 60s, the liberal 70s, studying in Spain, traveling through Europe, meeting my dad by chance in a park....she has had so many amazing experiences-and that was all well before I was born!
I can't forget my dad though. He grew up in a foreign country, under a fascist dictatorship. How many people can say that about their dads??
My life has been full of an appreciation of the past. I am sure this contributes to my sense of feeling out of place in time. I don't think I'll ever fit in completely.
And I don't think I want to.
So, I will forever be tragically unhip. Listening to music that either a) people no longer listen to or b)very few people have heard of.
Watching movies that are a) really old or b) really odd and 'cult' favorites
Talking about events that happened long ago.
Reading obscure novels, many in translation. For example, Louis Aragon's Paris Peasant.
I don't mean to say that I am unhappy with my existence. I just feel like there are so many layers to life beyond the every day, the mundane.
I guess you could say I enjoy living in the past!
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