tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69025714882953340912024-02-19T14:44:33.663-08:00Commonplace CatCommonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-84611501972529008572014-02-20T10:18:00.002-08:002014-02-20T10:18:40.377-08:00REVIEW: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You may remember that this book was one of my Christmas presents to myself. However, it took two months and a very nasty cold to actually get me to read it. So first of all, if you are currently suffering from a cold or otherwise ill, bedridden, or just feeling lousy, this is the perfect book for you! When I'm sick, I always feel like regressing a little: staying tucked up in bed, eating comfort food, having other people take care of me. And truthfully, as I've discovered this week, the adult world has no room for sick people. Going to work with a stuffy nose sucks and is completely unprofessional, but go to work you must if you want to hang onto your Working Adult card. <i>After</i> work, though, you can quickly slip into your pjs, make a hot cocoa, and pick up this book. Because what better way to regress than reading a fairy tale?<br />
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<i>The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making</i> (that's the last time I'm typing out the full title, by the way) is an especially delightful fairy tale. The author, whose excellent name is Catherynne Valente (perfect for writing fairy stories), seems to have been inspired by<i> Alice in Wonderland</i>, <i>The Neverending Story</i>, <i>A Series of Unfortunate Events</i>, and other favorites from my childhood. Her omniscient narrator is cheeky and droll and enjoys puns. Like Lewis Carroll and Lemony Snicket, she skews her writing to please children and adults simultaneously, without ever making her younger audience feel left out or talked over. Acutally, I imagine that children who read this book get to feel very grown-up and knowledgeable, because all of Valente's references and riffs are based on other children's stories. She picks out the tales in which we are all experts since childhood. In the same vein, I appreciated her use of multiple folktale traditions, not just the well-known European ones. <br />
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While paying homage to and riffing on various traditions, Valente brings her own particularly lovely voice to the telling of September's adventures in Fairyland - a blend of humor and wisdom. And the story itself takes plenty of unique turns. Each character that September encounters is fully realized and individualized. They fulfill the roles of the traditional folktale as they help or hinder the heroine along her journey, but they never feel like stock characters.<br />
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Valente also excels at making the world these characters live in feel real and tangible. Here's a bit from her description of a magical bath that September must take before entering the capital of Fairyland:<br />
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"Lye lifted September up suddenly and put her down in the first tub, which was really more like an oak barrel, the kind you store wine in, if you need to store rather a lot of wine, for it was enormous. September's head ducked immediately under the thick, bright gold water. When she bobbed up, the smell of it wrapped her up like a warm scarf: the scent of fireplaces crackling and warm cinnamon and autumn leaves crunching underfoot. She smelled cider and a rainstorm coming. The gold water clung to her in streaks and clumps, and she laughed. It tasted like butterscotch."<br />
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Descriptions like that make you want to dive right through the pages into that bath and explore September's magical world. Which is appropriate, since that is exactly what the book is about: a little girl who loves fairy tales and finds her way into Fairyland to have her own adventure.<br />
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Or, I should say, adventures, since this is part of an ongoing series. Two more books are out already, with very long names as well. I might not be able to wait until my next cold to read them, though.Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-6472469467567886792014-02-15T09:49:00.000-08:002014-02-15T09:50:48.287-08:00TAG: Top 5 Unread AuthorsYesterday I was cleaning my room, and I realized something crazy: I've reached book saturation.<br />
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Temporarily, of course. It's not like I actually own all the books I'd like to own (I think that'd be impossible). But my bookshelves are overflowing, and I don't want to mar my beautiful organization-by-color any more by building unsightly piles of books all over the place. <br />
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There are two solutions:<br />
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a) Audiobooks. They don't take up space! And are also brilliant for the long bus rides I take to and from my new internship in the city. I'm currently listening to <i>The Chaperone</i>, by Laura Moriarty. Before that, I listened to <i>A Tale for the Time Being</i>, by Ruth Ozeki. They take a bit longer to finish than normal books, but that's outweighed by the pleasure of being read to and the convenience of multitasking - I listen when I'm riding public transit, cooking, knitting, or anything where I need to use my hands but not think too hard.<br />
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b) Actually read the books that are already on my shelves. Because most of them have been languishing there for years, falling further and further down my to-read list.<br />
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So, in the spirit of reading the books I've been meaning to read for ages, here's a tag I got from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJcfesuHIOA" target="_blank">kayleyreads</a>'s excellent book channel YouTube. A list of the <strike>first five authors that came to mind</strike> top five authors I haven't read. In no particular order:<br />
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1. China Miéville.<br />
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I heard him speak at the Edinburgh International Book Festival two years ago when his book <i>Railsea</i> came out. He was entertaining and interesting and honest about the somewhat trivial inspiration (wanting to rewrite <i>Moby Dick</i> with moles instead of whales) for what sounded like a rich and not at all trivial book. More importantly, perhaps, his fans in the audience asked very intelligent questions - a good sign, right? As far as I can tell, Miéville write something in the realm of sci-fi/dystopia/speculative fiction, and I'm on the hunt for authors who do that sort of thing without letting style and sophistication slide (see the rant about clunky YA fiction in my previous post). <br />
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2. Muriel Barbery<br />
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Several people have highly recommended Barbery's <i>The Elegance of the Hedgehog</i> to me. It's actually apparently the favorite book of one of my friends. So I have a sort of obligation to read it, right? But really, it's not an obligation, because it sounds like a lovely book. Moreover, I recently found out she's written another book with a food theme - the way to my heart. And the two books have complementary covers! I love that. The main thing that's been keeping me from reading Barbery is that I want to read the original French versions, so I just have to track those down. And sadly, the French versions don't have the charming matchy covers. Le sigh.<br />
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3. Jorge Luis Borges <br />
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Obviously a classic author. I was in a theater class where we used short excerpts from his writing, and I loved the philosphical/magical tone. My interest was only further piqued when I was researching David Mitchell for my dissertation and found out Borges was an influence. On top of that, I haven't really read any South American authors, so that's a gap I'd like to fill. I read a piece of Roberto Bolano's gigantic novel, <i>2666</i>, but Borges somehow seems a lot more approachable than Bolano, so I'm putting off finishing <i>2666</i> and thinking about tackling Borges instead.<br />
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4. Rainbow Rowell<br />
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EVERYBODY on the internet seems to be talking about Rainbow Rowell. Unsuprising, since she published two extremely popular YA novels last year and now has a new book, which I think it for adults. I've been graciously lent <i>Eleanor & Park</i> and <i>Fangirl</i> and can't wait to read them and see what all the fuss is about. But I believe I'll start with <i>Eleanor & Park</i>, because I've been warned that it's a bit sad. That way, I can cheer myself up afterwards with <i>Fangirl</i>!<br />
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5. The Brontës (collectively)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLxAAy2lywx4Twv-ZVddG-TvBmlOIhUzbKRGxnPdhmGWA5qjc4RWbhyphenhyphenQzTrnGN74IXDXT09DUC6A8Ov3pAAD4dh9ISAvMwUSeN86nPB-MKhEKfC6f7BlRr8cbr0wpwUJkfTrImYLnpv2V/s1600/76378208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLxAAy2lywx4Twv-ZVddG-TvBmlOIhUzbKRGxnPdhmGWA5qjc4RWbhyphenhyphenQzTrnGN74IXDXT09DUC6A8Ov3pAAD4dh9ISAvMwUSeN86nPB-MKhEKfC6f7BlRr8cbr0wpwUJkfTrImYLnpv2V/s1600/76378208.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a>Well, there's the gorgeous covers, of course. One of the best things about reading the classics is getting to choose from the many beautiful editions. But appealing covers aside, I really need to read these ladies. I love old-fashioned writing. I love great sweeping stories. I saw the <i>Jane Eyre</i> movie. There's really no reason not to have read at least one Brontë book by now. Plus, as a literature student (I know I'm not a student anymore, but old habits die hard), I want to read the old stuff that so many people refer to and riff off of, and I feel like these books have a relatively large influence over modern literature as well as certain feminist discussions. So this is one of those obvious, can't believe you've never read so-and-so situations. I'd better get on that.<br />
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Acutally, only two of those authors currently reside on my bookshelf. So I seem to have chosen a third solution to my problem:<br />
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c) Continue to ignore the books I actually own and, instead, dream about books I want to buy but won't, because my shelves are too full. Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-59277086596908145122014-02-13T16:23:00.003-08:002014-02-13T16:23:43.021-08:00Review: The Book Thief<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've got quite a long backup of books I've finished but haven't reviewed yet, but let's start with one of the winners. <i>The Book Thief</i> has been much talked about and lauded, and the movie just came out this year (I haven't seen it). But the hype did nothing to diminish the impact this little book had on me. It really is one of the best books I've read in any of the genres it falls into: WWII stories, YA literature, books with experimental narrative voices. In particular, it was such a refreshing read after wading through some extremely clunky YA writing. [Side note/rant: My YA reading habit started as a welcome break from the heavy experimental fiction I read last year on my master's course. It morphed into an effort to familiarize myself with the YA section of the bookstore where I work. It has ended with annoyance at how the publishing industry ghettoizes and panders to teenage readers. But I digress....]<br />
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In case, by some chance, you haven't heard of this book, some orientation: <i>The Book Thief</i> is the story of Liesel Meminger, from the year she is adopted by the Hubermanns, a kind couple in a small town outside Munich, to the year that allied bombs start falling on that town. During that time, Liesel learns to read and grows from a child to a young woman. It's quite a modest scope of action, but set against the backdrop of WWII, it obviously takes on a larger meaning.<br />
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The book's seemingly small scope distinguishes it from the immense number of books published about WWII (I didn't realize quite how many there are until I lived in England, where that particular portion of history is still extremely vivid for many people). It doesn't set out to tell the whole story of the war or to encompass the entire (and unencompassable) tragedy of it. It doesn't even try to tell the whole story of Liesel's life. Her early childhood, before the Hubermanns adopt her, and her life after the war would probably be just as book-worthy, but Zusak chooses to focus on just the slice of her life that intersects with the war.<br />
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In fact, it's not really the war Liesel's story intersects with, but rather that of the other main character, a personified Death who narrates the book. It's rare to find a book with a really interesting narrative point of view, now that first person, collective voices, and unreliable narrators have all been tried out and worn out. But Zusak handles his conceptual narration extremely well. He often allows us to forget about it and immerse ourselves in the story but never actually breaks character, so that, when Death reassert itself as the point of view, it's never jarring.<br />
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This device also allows him to do justice to the wider historical significance of the events in the book, because Death, as we are constantly reminded, was kept very busy during the war years. To Death, Liesel's story is a distraction, but a welcome one that represents a glimmer of humanity amid the rampant inhumanity of war. That, in essence, is the function of almost every WWII story out there. Through the framing of Death's narration, however, Zusak acknowledges that directly. The taking on of Death as a narrator turns out not to be a presumptive literary trick, but a way toward greater humility in telling a single story, especially that of a German, during WWII.Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-25204612549651261642014-01-27T09:45:00.002-08:002014-01-27T09:45:34.447-08:00Review: Tristan & Yseult @ Berkeley Rep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been wanting to write about this play for a while, and now that I've gone back to see it a second time, I think it's about time to put my love for it into words. It's a rare treat to see a live theater piece twice, and it usually requires repeating the experience pretty soon, before the show leaves town. But with<i> Tristan & Yseult</i> - or with any show by Kneehigh Theater, for that matter - there's so much richness to the production and so much happening on stage that the second time was as fresh as the first.<br />
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Actually, this particular play seems to invite you to return. It's based, after all, on a very old and very often retold story. The mythic, doomed love of the two main characters has been repeated in hundreds of different ways and forms, and Kneehigh's production acknowledges that while putting its own twist on the tale.<br />
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First, a little background: Kneehigh is a theater company based in Cornwall. Many of the actors have worked together for many years, and all of them are insanely talented. They sing, dance, play instruments, do acrobatics - oh, and act. During rehearsals, the entire company lives and works in a set of isolated barns in Cornwall, and their total unity and playfulness together onstage shows how important that practice is. Finally, they aim to tell stories from or about Cornwall itself, whether contemporary or ancient.<br />
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In the case of <i>Tristan & Yseult</i>, Kneehigh blends the old with the new. One character, King Mark, speaks in rhyming verse - a nod to the old tale - while the others speak normally. The production is suffused with music, including extracts from Wagner's <i>Tristan und Isolde</i>, original music that hearkens back to medieval ballads, and pop hits about unrequited love from only a few decades ago.<br />
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Most of the songs are (flawlessly) delivered by a live band called the Club of the Unloved. The Unloved also become the chorus of the show, commenting on the action, and sometimes even stepping into the raised, circular platform in the middle of the stage to inform or encourage the central characters at crucial moments. The chorus could be a reference to another tradition of ancient storytelling - Greek drama - except that, over the course of the show, they become as sympathetic and individuated as the protagonists. With this modernist twist, Kneehigh's production turns our attention to the average, unremarkable characters. The Unloved, the show asserts, deserve to tell their story as much as the lovers Tristan and Yseult. Slowly, characters from the central story join the chorus - King Mark, who loves Yseult; the maid, Brangian, who loves King Mark; and others who reveal the tragic ripple effects of the central love story.<br />
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The production presents a very complex and sophisticated version of an old tale, but its style is often charmingly simple and transparent. There are no set changes, and the architecture of the set is plain to see: a central circle that draws our attention to the dichotomy between beloved heroes and unloved onlookers, a mast-like pole that evokes Tristan's sea voyage, a platform for the band, and a raised walkway for dramatic entrances and exits. In one scene, the chorus members transform the setting into a forest simply by donning some outrageous fern hats and manning a collection of dove hand puppets that flap around the stage.<br />
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Allowing us to see the mechanics of theatrical storytelling is one of Kneehigh's trademarks. Although the stage is constantly busy and the choreography complex, no element is extraneous. They never dumb things down or smooth things over for the audience. Instead, they present us with a delightful jumble of song, dance, and poetry, and of tragedy and comedy - just enough to spark our own imaginations - and allow us to fill in the rest. In this play in particular, which celebrates the average and the unloved, it is easy to slip completely into the world of the production, supplying emotions from our own experiences of love, or its lack. So, in substance and style, <i>Tristan & Yseult</i> is a remarkably accessible production for any kind of modern audience, though, at the same time, it recalls the particular history and heritage of Cornwall through an ancient tale.Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-62353553326234474272013-12-07T11:54:00.000-08:002013-12-07T11:54:00.112-08:00Presents for myself: holiday book haul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since graduating from my MA in September, I've applied for quite a few jobs and landed one. It's part-time and not highly lucrative. But it also happens to be one of my dream jobs, and the one thing it does subsidize is my serious book-buying habit. You guessed it: I'm working in a bookstore! And at the staff holiday shopping night last week, in addition to getting gifts for some bookish friends and family, I made myself an early present and bought these four beauties.<br />
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<i>The Marriage Plot</i>, by Jeffrey Eugenides, is obviously a good bet because it's author's name is unpronounceable. Just kidding. (Although have you noticed how many highly regarded authors cause people embarrassments at dinner parties when they try to pronounce them out loud? J.M. Coetzee is my personal favorite in this category. Oh, and let's not forget the publishing house that's joined the trend: Knopf. I had to say their name out loud at work this week and had a split second of sheer panic after it came out of my mouth, wondering whether I'd said it wrong.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvV_N6cHLsl50U4Vmo1-nJFs8OO1Hj9CEsxY3vZFpJ4LOjx6iJ9AP9h13DJR-EBfITk-UsxGQGytvUHnEz1JY9Vk2GnpFhuZYOsjkxrlgFkj8dpQop1zrtTtv0q8ZckLHipXTvkmIMuDz/s1600/DSC00438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvV_N6cHLsl50U4Vmo1-nJFs8OO1Hj9CEsxY3vZFpJ4LOjx6iJ9AP9h13DJR-EBfITk-UsxGQGytvUHnEz1JY9Vk2GnpFhuZYOsjkxrlgFkj8dpQop1zrtTtv0q8ZckLHipXTvkmIMuDz/s200/DSC00438.jpg" width="200" /></a>Actually, this is a book that's been recommended to me by all my just-out-of-college friends - apparently it's very relatable for us new grads. I also really appreciated Eugenides' writing in his more famous novel, <i>The Virgin Suicides</i>, although I don't love that book the way thousands of young women on the internet seem to...<br />
But I have higher hopes for this one, and the first few sentences seem to confirm what my friends promised: a book about people reading books. Which is definitely right up my alley.<br />
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Next up is something I'm REALLY looking forward to. This book sat next to my desk for a month while I was writing my dissertation. It belonged to my housemate, and at that point I was dedicating all my time to my work, so I was doubly incapable of giving into temptation and flipping open the gorgeous little cover.<br />
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Now, though, I'm ready to sink into <i>The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making</i>, by Catherynne M. Valente. A year before this book appeared next to me, tantalizingly out of reach, I was writing my undergraduate thesis on film adaptations of fairy tales, and I've been really interested in reading more written adaptations ever since. This book, as far as I know, isn't a direct reworking of any specific tale, but an entirely new tale written in a fable-like style. I can't wait. <br />
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And it just looks so luscious, with these gorgeous chapter head illustrations. It reminds me a bit of the illustrations in Harry Potter, but more outrageous and fanciful.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4-rf665yKbLuhCkIojYumb27eBPhmiHX7bgc8E9ea2l81yPlAIgf6fp14cQYJHTsWdOXGjEN_q6Yg8sfs4mSxwhHLL5ll_S8YVXZnrWiE7QZrU6UeoMk5KO1kUzmWQI-wZ9omdGk8dWt/s1600/DSC00441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4-rf665yKbLuhCkIojYumb27eBPhmiHX7bgc8E9ea2l81yPlAIgf6fp14cQYJHTsWdOXGjEN_q6Yg8sfs4mSxwhHLL5ll_S8YVXZnrWiE7QZrU6UeoMk5KO1kUzmWQI-wZ9omdGk8dWt/s200/DSC00441.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVoeoGHGw9ttDsa5JEFJ0-g3KnDe-4c5pfEpP_Ijnb-2DaeelAsFOqHb-xmFvaRtTspgXe0916sF-rgUFfAJu7QgID2CkNVx2n9FbHGn49qqoezqXg1gssKKvemTyMWw0O1C0SaAjvD4I/s1600/DSC00442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVoeoGHGw9ttDsa5JEFJ0-g3KnDe-4c5pfEpP_Ijnb-2DaeelAsFOqHb-xmFvaRtTspgXe0916sF-rgUFfAJu7QgID2CkNVx2n9FbHGn49qqoezqXg1gssKKvemTyMWw0O1C0SaAjvD4I/s200/DSC00442.jpg" width="200" /></a>The best part is, this is a series, so I have at least two more books to look forward to. I haven't really researched yet whether there are more to come. Another thing I've noticed during my first month at work is that children's books are usually less expensive than adult books - but they can be as or more beautiful as objects. <br />
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In that vein, I finally now own a copy of <i>The Arrival</i>, by Shaun Tan. I've been Tan's books - and this one in particular - since last summer, when I <i>almost</i> saw him speak at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. I believe he's a filmmaker as well as an artist, and this book certainly has a filmic sensibility. There are no words, even within the illustrations. Instead, where there would be words on signs or pieces of paper in the story, there are strange symbols, a bit like a new set of hieroglyphics. This aligns perfectly with the story since, as far as I can tell from flipping through it, it's a story of a man immigrating to a foreign country where he doesn't speak the language.<br />
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I absolutely cannot wait to find a quiet moment and sit down with this book. It's just so damn gorgeous.<br />
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Finally, to fill out my eclectic little bundle, I got myself a copy of <i>Melymbrosia</i>, by one of my all-time favorites, Virginia Woolf. I'd never heard of this particular novel before I spotted it on the sale table. As I learned from a bit of googling, this is because it's an original version of a novel that Woolf later published as <i>The Voyage Out</i> after her friends urged her to tone down the politics and edginess of her first version. I haven't read <i>The Voyage Out</i>, but I suppose it's only right to start with the original.<br />
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In any case, it's always a pleasure to read Woolf. I forget how brilliant she was until I sink back into her writing and find myself wowed and humbled and inspired all over again. I guess to call myself a real devotee I should have already read all her work, but I'm a person who likes savoring things, and it's lovely to think I have many more of her books to discover for the first time.<br />
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I will in all likelihood be posting reviews of these books here as I read them. Meanwhile, I'm working my way (very slowly but with great pleasure) through <i>The Luminaries</i>, by Eleanor Catton. Seriously, it's an amazing read, but I feel like it deserves and demands my full attention, so I've been trying to find nice quiet hours to read it, and that's quite difficult now that I actually have a job! I truly realize now how blessed I was this past year to have my full-time job be to read, study, discuss, and write about books. Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-63460039167415895352013-12-04T16:59:00.001-08:002013-12-04T16:59:57.194-08:00Sweater Weather Tag!I saw this tag on <a href="http://www.kayleyscloset.com/2013/11/sweater-weather-tag.html" target="_blank">Kayley's Closet</a> and thought I'd do it myself to get into the fall/winter/holiday spirit!<br />
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<i>Favorite candle scent?</i><br />
I'm not a big candle person because I'm afraid of fire :/<br />
BUT I do love the way candles smell, and if I had to pick a favorite scent, it would probably be something spicy and autumnal. I especially love things that smell like cinnamon.<br />
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<i>Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?</i><br />
I somehow got through college and grad school without being converted to coffee, so not the first. Black tea (along with bread) is one of my basic life's essentials, but I truly am a hot chocolate fanatic. I judge cafes and restaurants based on how good their hot chocolate is - and the best way to get in my good graces is to serve spiced hot chocolate. Yummmmm.<br />
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<i> What's the best fall memory you have?</i><br />
Hm, hard to pick a favorite. One favorite memory from last fall in England was going to see the fireworks in the park on Guy Fawkes night. It wasn't just fireworks (although they were spectacular) - there were also food stands and games and rides and a giant bonfire. I'd never really been to a 'country fair' kind of thing, so it was really fun to wander around, try and fail at the games, and soak up some much needed warmth from the fire (despite above-mentioned fear of flames).<br />
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<i>Which make-up trend do you prefer: dark lips or winged eyeliner?</i><br />
I'm not sure why winged eyeliner is specific to fall.... But in any case, I'd say, for myself, dark lips. I've always been more of a smoky eye girl.<br />
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<i>Best fragrance for fall?</i><br />
Not a perfume person.<i> </i>Maybe cinnamon?<br />
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<i>Favorite Thanksgiving food?</i><br />
Stuffing. Stuffing, stuffing, stuffing.<br />
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<i> What is autumn weather like where you live?</i><br />
Much warmer than where I lived last year! Now that I'm back in the bay area, I'm enjoying clear, sunny days, most of which have been really warm as well. It's only this week that the temperature dropped about ten degrees. Now it really feels like fall, and I'm eagerly pulling out my scarves and my knitting needles.<br />
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<i>Most worn sweater?</i><br />
A pale grey pull-over that goes with basically everything. Then I like to dress it up with colorful scarves.<br />
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<i>Must-have nail polish this fall?</i><br />
My favorites for fall and winter are dark reds and greens. I have one stupendously deep and sparkly green from Butter London that's just perfect for holiday parties.<br />
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<i>Football games or jumping in leaf piles?</i><br />
Leaf piles. Obviously.<br />
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<i>Skinny jeans or leggings?</i><br />
I just got my first pair of leggings/jeggings. They are super comfortable, it must be admitted. But I also love jeans, because you can depend on them for almost everything you do.<br />
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<i>Combat boots or Uggs?</i><br />
Er, neither? Tall brown leather boots are more my thing.<br />
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<i>Is pumpkin spice worth the hype?</i><br />
Probably, yes.<br />
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<i>Favorite fall TV show?</i><br />
Hm, haven't really been watching much TV because I've been trying to read more.<br />
<i> </i><br />
<i>What song really gets you into the fall spirit?</i><br />
<i>Timshel</i> by Mumford and Sons, I think. It captures something calm and quiet that I love about cold months - something far from the busy-busy of holiday shopping or parties, but which is so lovely to find in between the busier moments.<i> </i><br />
<i> </i>Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-72215517961067584972013-11-29T16:12:00.000-08:002013-12-30T11:58:47.184-08:00Review: Catching Fire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFwJcd9ITHavHIx85K8euHcNefOZEx92wkno1jiEFweU6grns0HTPCunnEXouoYgu_YfVU13ZDaB5KH57sfLVpdvToQ6TaIjmYHmkaxePzmpsRAR7B2vSgjI4LsSPkQ2_M6HfDTRkdgTI/s1600/jennifer-lawrence-catching-fire-poster-610x903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFwJcd9ITHavHIx85K8euHcNefOZEx92wkno1jiEFweU6grns0HTPCunnEXouoYgu_YfVU13ZDaB5KH57sfLVpdvToQ6TaIjmYHmkaxePzmpsRAR7B2vSgjI4LsSPkQ2_M6HfDTRkdgTI/s200/jennifer-lawrence-catching-fire-poster-610x903.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
I'd forgotten how good this story is. And I think it's the mark of a good adaptation when the movie reminds you of how much you love a story and makes you want to go back and read the book over again. <i>Catching Fire</i> was pretty much everything I wanted it to be - although, that said, it's been a nice long year-and-a-half since I read the book, so I was in a perfect place to enjoy the movie without noticing any glaring omissions or glosses. I'll reserve judgement on those details until I re-read and re-watch. But this was a truly enjoyable film, well-paced, well-acted, well-directed, well-designed. <br />
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Middle movies are the best - this time around, we didn't
need to be introduced to the characters or the world. There's no awkward
exposition in this movie. A few elegant shots remind us of what's come before.
One of the best is when, at the very beginning, Katniss aims to shoot a wild
turkey in the woods back in District 12 and at the last moment sees herself
shooting Marvel, the tribute she killed in the first games, instead. That one
image was such a good reminder, early in the film, that there's no way Katniss
(or we) can forget what happened in the previous movie. She and Peeta and all
the other victors we meet later in the movie are seriously damaged and changed
by what they did in the arena. </div>
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Portraying that psychological damage is one of the best,
most unique things about Collins' books. Unlike most stories about heroes and
heroines who endure incredible physical violence, the <i>Hunger Games</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> trilogy honestly shows how much that violence hurts
people, physically and psychologically. When they're back in the arena, the
characters also spend more of their time running in terror or lying on the
ground, incapacitated by pain, than they do fighting or acting brave. I really
appreciated that the movie lets its action heroes and heroines remain human
even as they achieve superhuman things.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYa4DIVj9C_O4DnGqTSKCQXEZtZ4wYAwxGdUOLXfmxtiYwu-Re1aQKBifmPkbXJ82theCoKys45Qw-UfoKsp39uNXmgMPjWmxg-d0OQMpdau21xLrOvyWahQJMPLDomK_jpRrRRtllvkqO/s1600/catching-fire08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYa4DIVj9C_O4DnGqTSKCQXEZtZ4wYAwxGdUOLXfmxtiYwu-Re1aQKBifmPkbXJ82theCoKys45Qw-UfoKsp39uNXmgMPjWmxg-d0OQMpdau21xLrOvyWahQJMPLDomK_jpRrRRtllvkqO/s640/catching-fire08.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The actors really stepped up to the task of embodying both
human fragility and human strength. I felt I knew what was going through
Katniss's head at all times, which is important for an adaptation of a book
that was told in the first person. And although there never seems to be enough
time in movies for just watching the characters grow, <i>Catching Fire</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> did show a lot of character development. Peeta in
particular undergoes a wonderful transformation in this part of the story
(which makes part three even more heartbreaking). His strengths come to match
Katniss's, although the two don't overlap. As I watched them struggle
differently but bravely with the pressures and horrors of the victory tour and
the arena, I was totally convinced that, together, they could actually change
the society that was oppressing them.</span></div>
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Meanwhile, Gale starts to look worse and worse in
comparison, as he consistently ignores everything Katniss is going through and
just keeps asking her whether she's in love with him yet. He becomes, in some
ways, the same as the spectators who so eagerly lap up Katniss and Peeta's
staged romance. Peeta, on the other hand, accepts Katniss's feelings and gets on
with the more important stuff, like helping her save her family or comforting
her when she has nightmares about the arena. When Gale sees Katniss recoil in
shock after her vision of shooting Marvel, by contrast, he has no idea what to
do. </div>
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All of this points not only to how much better Peeta is than
Gale, but also how much better Suzanne Collins is than most authors who focus
on their heroines' love lives over everything else. One of these boys
understands that Katniss is more than a sex object, and he's obviously the one
she should ally herself with if she wants to save the world and wants to have a
chance at happiness doing that. Collins also exposes how the society
objectifies Katniss. The best way to keep her from starting a rebellion, as
Plutarch Heavensbee suggests to President Snow, is to paint her as a classic
feminine stereotype, more obsessed with her wedding dress than concerned about
politics. That's why Cinna's transformation/destruction of that dress is such a
good image. On the one hand, he literally burns up the dress to show that she's
more than the barbie doll that the Capitol wants her to be. On the other hand,
when she spreads her wings as the Mockingjay, she's still expressing her
identity through a dress, a foreshadowing of the fact that she'll become as
much a puppet of District 13's rebellion as she was of the Capitol.</div>
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This is also why I loved Joanna's undressing-in-the-elevator
scene. She recognizes exactly what those fancy clothes mean, and she isn't
having any of it. She'd rather go naked than conform to anyone's idea of who
she is. It’s also a priceless scene, which the actors play for comedy very
successfully. But, as is appropriate for the story, even this comedic moment is
overlaid with the themes of the film. <i>The Hunger Games</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> trilogy is a critique of those who thoughtlessly
create and consume entertainment, and it forces its own audience to really
think about what they’re watching and to decide for themselves whether it’s
entertainment or something else.</span></div>
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I loved all the new characters, Joanna included. The casting
was right on the nail for everyone, and the movie succeeded in presenting
clear, though necessarily brief, portraits of each of them. Haymitch also
acquires a lot more depth in this movie simply by being presented alongside his
friends, the other victors. One details I did miss from the books was the scene
where Katniss watches the video of the games from the year Haymitch won. But I
admire the directors for knowing when to cut scenes like that and achieving a
coherent and lean movie in the end.</div>
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In addition to being well directed and acted, the movie was
beautifully designed. The arena looked pretty spectacular, especially in the
aerial shots. And once again, the movie fleshed out a more vivid, tangible
world than the books presented (thin physical description and world-building is
one of the main flaws of the books, in my opinion). I look forward to seeing
how the filmmakers show us District 13. Only a year to wait, but the brilliant
series of short scenes and spare shots at the end of the movie definitely
whetted my appetite and are making that year seem very long indeed.</div>
Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-13790194470052379032013-11-25T15:24:00.000-08:002013-11-25T15:24:01.295-08:00Review: Matched trilogy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a while since I blogged, but in between starting a new job, gearing up for the holidays, and adjusting to life after school and back in the US, I have actually managed to keep reading. After a few random 'literary' novels, I was craving some easy, plot-driven books that wouldn't be total drivel.<br />
<br />
YA dystopias fit those conditions perfectly. I love dystopia because it involves imagined worlds but still makes you think about the real world. And although Ally Condie does a little too much telling and uses quite a few too many symbols and metaphors, the <i>Matched</i> trilogy definitely made me think.<br />
<br />
First, these books made me think about myself. The first book introduces us to the Society. It's important that it's written with a capital 'S' because a lot of things in this book are identified by normal nouns turned into proper nouns by a capital letter. That's because there are no multiples or options or choices in this world. There is one government, one country, and one right answer to every question. Each person is matched with their one perfect 'match' and one perfect job. They have one set of clothes. And they act as one, all obeying the same laws. (There is also, we learn, one rebellion trying to take down the Society, but even it is called the Rising, a foreshadowing of the fact that it turns out to be hard to distinguish from the system it's trying to replace.)<br />
<br />
I found this world-concept especially interesting because one of the things I dislike most about contemporary society, especially in the US, is the excess of choice it offers its citizens. All you have to do is go to Bed, Bath & Beyond and try to pick a new set of bathroom towels to understand what I mean. There are so many variables and options for everything we buy - do you want organic or conventional, non-fat, low-fat, or whole milk? While shopping for apples this week, I must have been offered at least 20 varieties of just that fruit. Personally, this stresses me out, and as I read about Cassia Reyes, Condie's heroine, I had just a twinge of jealousy because she didn't have to make those ridiculous choices all throughout her daily life. Condie really succeeded in imagining a future world that seems to have solved a problem our society actually suffers from - only they took the solution too far.<br />
<br />
It's not just Cassia's meals and clothes that are determined for her. She also gets no choice in the person she'll spend her life with, the job she'll spend her life doing, and the city she'll spend her life in. Luckily for her, she gets matched with her best friend, Xander. Unluckily, she is mistakenly matched with a second boy as well: her other friend, Ky. And so Condie has a perfect little set up to explore the concept of a character who has to learn what it means to choose between two options and, later, how to create her own ideas and her own future outside of the options presented to her.<br />
<br />
The first book, <i>Matched</i>, starts out looking like a pretty conventional teen love triangle. But as the series develops, the initial set-up of Cassia being torn between Xander and Ky gets woven into a much bigger story about her relationship to society, not just to a couple of boys.<br />
<br />
Again, this all felt so familiar. Beyond over-stuffed supermarket shelves, the US (foremost among rich nations) pretends to offer its citizens unlimited possibilities in what kind of life they can lead. Supposedly, anyone, myself included, could become president someday. That's not strictly true, of course - there's a lot of inequality and a lot of glass ceilings still around. But this book responds in interesting ways to that American Dream. In a lot of ways, Condie's message is very traditionally American: she celebrates the moments when Cassia breaks away from the Society by running away into untamed nature or expressing herself through her own poetry, music, and dance. There's even a refrain throughout the books, referring to the anonymity of the leader of the Rising: Anyone could be the Pilot. This sounds a lot like saying, Anyone could be president of the United States.<br />
<br />
But in the end, Cassia returns to civilization to help build a better society having learned that there are no easy choices, and possibilities are not unlimited in any part of life. She can't choose both Xander and Ky, or both the Society and the Rising. She can't live in both her home town and the wild canyons she discovers in <i>Crossed</i> and comes to love. She can't divide herself when some of her friends choose to leave for unknown lands while some decide to stay and rebuild. Choice is good, but choice is also hard.<br />
<br />
I don't recommend these books based on the writing style or the psychological depth of the characters, who are lovable and relatable but also fairly simple. This book adheres to the (I think absurd) rule in YA that psychological depth and elegant, show-not-tell writing be banished along with violence and sex. <br />
<br />
But despite its flaws, this trilogy was a very good read. I wanted to find out what happened to the characters, and the books delivered the plot at a great pace, not too fast and not too slow, just enough to keep me desperately turning the pages. And when I stopped turning those pages and headed to work or went to make another cup of tea, I wasn't just thinking about who Cassia would end up with at the end of the third book. I also found myself thinking about my own life and my own choices - engaging in just the kind of reflection that dystopian fiction is supposed to inspire.Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-91836002504486089702013-10-22T08:14:00.003-07:002013-10-22T08:14:35.226-07:00Review: Animal Dreams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pyRP4G1vCIn_OCQOd3QpJXDzfZqZfzKsj8CxNAWI7daRcxrtQmcXYnk0Wsdb4-0G6P5bDFqDpkZKHGRhceoyMa8uXehcEVmn06i5OTDrm-LBfs9BokimYPrNciL3WDwDZcK4P3BnJvFG/s1600/animal-dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pyRP4G1vCIn_OCQOd3QpJXDzfZqZfzKsj8CxNAWI7daRcxrtQmcXYnk0Wsdb4-0G6P5bDFqDpkZKHGRhceoyMa8uXehcEVmn06i5OTDrm-LBfs9BokimYPrNciL3WDwDZcK4P3BnJvFG/s200/animal-dreams.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
I picked <i>Animal Dreams</i> up for 10 cents at my local library because I'd enjoyed another of Barbara Kingsolver's books, <i>The Poisonwood Bible</i>. Now that I think about it, I read that over five years ago, and I honestly don't remember much about it, except that I liked it but found the ending a little too drawn out. <i>Animal Dreams</i>, on the other hand, is paced really beautifully and wraps up in a series of shorter chapters that delicately tie up loose ends and even leave one scene to happen "off-stage" although Kingsolver spends a lot of the book building up to it. It's a very quick, but very satisfying read. The writing is so smooth, the first-person voice so accessible that if, like me, you get completely sucked into identifying with the protagonist, the book just flies by.<br />
<br />
<br />
That protagonist is Codi Noline, who goes back to spend a year in her tiny desert home town after essentially running away from a difficult and estranged childhood there. The arc of the book is her attempts to reconcile with her family and other people in the town as well as with herself. What I loved about this book is that it shows the inaccurate and unhelpful habits in people's self-image that can keep them from living to their full potential. The quote singled out for the back of the book is about how our lives shape our dreams, just like how a dog who chases rabbits during the day dreams about chasing rabbits at night, but the book also shows the reverse: how if we don't dare to dream or hope for a certain kind of life, we don't end up living that life.<br />
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Codi's narration is interspersed with shorter sections told from the point of view of her father. In addition to these multiple voices, Kingsolver weaves together multiple strands of story. Codi's sister travels to Nicaragua to help solve an agricultural crisis while at the same time Codi is faced with an agricultural crisis in her own town. One of the central plot-lines is about Codi's relationship to the older women in the town, who turn out to be surrogate mothers she never realized she had. Another is her rekindling of a romance with Loyd, an Apache guy she dated in highschool.<br />
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It's possible Loyd fits into a stereotype of a 'wise Indian,' but I really liked his outlook on life as he describes it to Codi and enacts it throughout the book. A big theme of the book is people's relationship to nature and place, and he has a lot to say about that. I also really liked how Kingsolver handled Loyd and Codi's relationship. It's refreshing after reading and watching so many books and movies where the courtship is everything and the happily ever begins the moment the destined couple kiss. In this book, Loyd and Codi already went through all that in high school, so instead, Kingsolver allows them to pick up where they left off and describes both the challenges to their happiness and the simple, comfortable moments as they sit side-by-side on a porch or take a long drive together.<br />
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Finally, I really enjoyed the imagery of the Southwest - the tiny town Codi has such difficulty negotiating, and a Pueblo she visits midway through the book. I love the desert, and it was nice to read about it as described with such ease and vivid particularity. I will definitely be reading more of Kingsolver's books - I already picked up <i>The Bean Trees</i>, which I've heard is great - but I think I'll be thinking about this book for a long time to come.Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-24127616274946981042013-09-30T11:04:00.000-07:002013-09-30T11:04:00.266-07:00Summer favoritesI fell off the bandwagon of these favorites posts over the summer, so I'm just going to do one post for the whole summer, which was a little blurred together anyway because of spending so much time on the one project of my dissertation. Which is now over, so I have time to blog again :)<br />
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<b>Favorite music:</b><br />
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I needed plenty of good study music to keep me going through the end of my dissertation, and I really fell in love with a few artists. I knew of Kimbra from her collaboration with Gotye on 'Somebody That I Used to Know,' but I recently discovered her independent album, which is fantastic. Unfortunately, she only has one album out as of now. <br />
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I also rediscovered Emily Wells, who's a one-woman music magician, playing and mixing all the instruments and vocals herself. I saw her live at my college a couple of years ago and never got around to listening to her albums. The lyrics to her songs are almost onomatopoetic at times, which is interesting and very pleasing to listen to.<br />
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<b>Favorite food:</b><br />
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Milkshakes. The ultimate summer treat. The best, most indulgent reward after finishing a big project or putting a grueling day of writing. I actually only discovered the joys of milkshakes a few years ago, so I'm making up for lost time! There were a couple of great places in England that put any kind of cookie or candybar into a milkshake form, a magical and delicious transformation. But I also experimented with making them at home with fresh fruit. Even better!<br />
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<b>Favorite book:</b><br />
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This was a summer devoted to the oeuvre of David Mitchell. I love and worship all his writing, but my favorites are probably <i>number9dream</i> and <i>The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet</i>. They're also some of my favorite books of all time. Seriously, do not get me started on David Mitchell unless you want to be suddenly overwhelmed by a towering wave of admiration and specialized knowledge.<br />
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<b>Favorite movie:</b><br />
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Definitely<i> From up on Poppy Hill</i>, the newest movie from Studio Ghibli. I am, in general, an adorer of Ghibli productions. I have many more to watch, much to my shame, but also secret delight because how delicious is it to know there are movies out there that you haven't seen yet but know you'll love? <i>From up on Poppy Hill</i> was wonderful. I loved the main character and her subtle evolution from selfless responsibility to falling in love and letting go both of her day-to-day tasks and her clinging to the past. The visuals, of course, were stunning, especially the interior of the old clubhouse that's at the center of the story. The best part: I got to see it in original Japanese with subtitles, which I love.<br />
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<b>Favorite fashion:</b><br />
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To be honest, this was not a summer for being fashionable. I spent most of it sitting in bed or at my desk in my pyjamas, which is my go-to writing outfit. When you have to sit all day, all you care about is being comfy. I stopped wearing jewelry, just threw on jeans and a t-shirt whenever I went out to dinner with my friends, and generally lived in the same clothes for three months. What's strange is, I kind of loved it. Now I've been reunited with my full closet, I'm very excited to get back into creative fashion combinations, but I'm also a lot more stressed about clothes. As someone who has trouble with decisions and wants to get her clothes just right every time, I found the simplicity of a small closet incredibly freeing. So right now I'm trying to figure out a balance between satisfying my love of clothes and self-expression-through-clothes and my need not to obsess over clothes for an hour every morning.<br />
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<b>Favorite experience:</b><br />
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The best thing about this summer is that, when I finally turned in my dissertation and left England, I was satisfied. I'm proud both of the work I put in and the final product I turned in. It may not earn a high mark, but I know that this project took me way beyond my previous academic work, in terms of thinking and writing. So I walked away from this year feeling good about it and satisfied as I move on to whatever my next projects will be.<b> </b>Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-55578065832929264242013-09-29T10:45:00.002-07:002013-09-29T10:45:33.317-07:00Review: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the first book I picked up after finishing my master's and moving back to California (hence the long absence from this blog!). I've been wanting to read this for a while, especially since I saw Chabon talk about his new book last fall. He was very cool and funny in person, so I've been looking forward to picking up one of his books. And I wasn't disappointed. In fact, this book is pretty amazing (as the title suggests), as a historical novel, a story about storytelling, and an American epic, three genres that interest me a lot.<br />
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The book is about two young Jewish cousins (one American, one Czech) who are part of the invention and huge surge of superhero comic books in New York during WWII. That most of the creators of those comics were Jewish is historically accurate, and although the characters and their comic were invented by Chabon, he peppers the novel with footnotes and at times uses present-tense, retrospective narration to suggest that everything he describes actually happened. This effect is so well-done that I had to go online to make sure none of it was real! In the tradition of the best historical novels, Chabon weaves a compelling, personal, fictional story out of an equally compelling historical reality, drawing links between the comic books and the war as well as the society of WWII New York.<br />
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In addition to being a brilliant historical novel, this is also a wonderful tribute to the comic book form. Chabon is uncannily good at describing the visual effect of a comic book illustration. The passages describing panels of the books his characters are creating are just stunning. (Actually, in general, Chabon's prose is stunning, with long, long sentences dragging the reader along so that you're torn between stopping to appreciate the beautiful convolutions of his writing and racing ahead to find out the next reveal in the plot.)<br />
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Even as someone who doesn't read comics, though, I found the book's portrayal of difficult lives made meaningful by storytelling really compelling. The main characters are all artists and storytellers, and their relationship to their creativity changes over the course of the novel and over the course of the war in sometimes tragic, sometimes really uplifting ways. In college, I studied some post-war German poetry and read about the kind of creative numbness that followed the war. This book portrays the complexity of various characters' reactions to the traumas of the war, whether is inspires or destroys their creative impulses.<br />
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In doing so, it bridges the reactions of Europe and America. By having one of the characters arrive in New York from Prague at the beginning of the war, Chabon ensures that the threat of the war and especially the Holocaust are never far from our minds. He portrays the first superheros as a product of American and European Jewish communities and cultures meeting, and offers a more nuanced vision of some of America's strongest myths.<br />
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The book is a bit of an epic myth itself - although it only covers about ten or fifteen years, they are some of the most traumatic and important years of 20th century history, so it feels much longer. I started to get a bit nervous about the ending as the characters aged, separated, and reunited, because I tend not to like epilogue-type endings that close off the story a few years down the line. But Chabon succeeded in rounding off his story without closing it down. In the end, he leaves things open and fairly hopeful, but not unrealistically so...But no spoilers! You must go read it yourself, and I recommend you do. Personally, I'm looking forward to discovering more of Chabon's work.Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-85247263975482854752013-07-22T08:06:00.000-07:002013-07-22T08:06:00.773-07:00Recipe: Yogurt cake with strawberry-nectarine compote<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Got a cup's worth of yogurt in the fridge? I did yesterday, and after a few hours of editing the first chapter of my dissertation, I definitely needed to bake a cake. The obvious solution is this <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/simple-yogurt-cake-fresh-berries" target="_blank">yogurt cake recipe</a>, which I got from the Whole Foods website. The only thing I adjusted is adding a few drops of milk at the end, because the batter looked alarmingly thick and sticky. I figured it might be because I used very thick greek yogurt, so I added the milk to lighten it up. I have no idea if that was the actual cause or if the milk had the desired effect. Anyway, it turned out deliciously.<br />
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After I popped it in my inconsistent and uneven student-housing oven, I cut up some overripe fruit I had and improvised a little compote. Half a lemon squeezed over the fruit, 1/8 cup water, a tsp of sugar. Boil until thick and delicious.<br />
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I've actually gotten a lot bolder with improvising in the kitchen this year. Possibly because I'm the only person eating it, so if I mess up, no one else will suffer. Possibly because, when sorting which food blog to use for a given recipe, I end up actually paying attention to what ingredients differentiate scones from bread and pancakes from crepes. Possibly because I've had to substitute quite a few ingredients that I couldn't easily find in this part of the world. In any case, I've learned a lot about cooking as well as literature this year.<br />
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Ta-da! The cake rose A LOT, so much that I had to rearrange the racks in the over to accommodate it. It stayed nice a fluffy when I took it out, too. <br />
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The end product was delicioso. Not too sweet, because (as I forgot to mention earlier) I only had half the amount of sugar they called for. The compote could have been sweeter, too, if I'd added more than a tsp of sugar, but actually it made a lovely tea-time snack. The best thing about this cake is that it tastes gooey and dense without being buttery or fatty-feeling. It's sort of like eating a bowl of yogurt and fresh fruit, except also a cake :)Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-37091853233953592802013-07-20T10:11:00.000-07:002013-07-20T10:11:18.199-07:00Review: The Bling RingI wanted to see this movie for a few reasons. First, to see what Emma Watson's up to. Second, to finally see a Sophia Coppola movie. Third, for the chance to spend 90 minutes in the southern California sun.<br />
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And I definitely enjoyed it. There were some really interesting shots, great performances, and obviously, given the subject matter, killer costuming. I was especially happy to finally see Coppola's style - and it really is a style, which is wonderful. I love watching director's movies. Even when the directorial touches are light, like her use of obvious, jarring music or her choice of a few unconventional framings for key scenes in the movie, they give the film shape and a kind of consciousness - or maybe conscientiousness is a better word. It makes the film feel crafted.<br />
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This shot, for example, takes the point of view of one among many cameras directed at the characters' lives - news cameras, security cameras, phone cameras. It's not so much to make you feel alienated from the story, but enough to make you briefly remember your position as a viewer and briefly consider the angle from which the story is being told.<br />
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That angle is for the most part slanted toward Marc, the one guy in the group of five teens who decide to start stealing from celebrities. Except only one of them really decides. After Rebecca leads a puppy-dog Marc along on a few preliminary break-ins, the rest of the girls fall in without, it seems, a second thought. This is a bit difficult to believe, but then what these teens did in real life is also difficult to believe. I kind of expected Coppola to explore the motives behind the craziness, and she does to an extent.<br />
Very subtly, she suggests the parallels between the teens and their famous victims - such as the way the victims carelessly leave the keys to their mansions under their doormats while the teens carelessly boast about their conquests to the friends who eventually turn them in. But I left the film with a lot of lingering questions about what was going on behind those beautifully made-up faces. <br />
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Again, very subtly, Coppola does convey the effect of the crime on the main characters. It comes through in the shift from lazy beach hangouts at the beginning of the film to a frantic cocaine montage near the end. It comes through in the different ways they break down upon arrest. Watson in particular did such a good job that I almost felt sorry for her, until I remembered how she'd wound up in that cop car.<br />
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The film doesn't excuse or explain what happens in it, which I liked. I just wish Coppola had trained her impartial and keen gaze a bit longer and looked a bit deeper at the characters. There was one scene I especially loved: Rebecca and Marc are driving in the dark, and the camera sits just behind them, in the middle of the back seat, so we can't really see their faces, just the partially-lit road ahead. Marc asks Rebecca if she would ever rob him if they weren't friends. Rebecca says something like, "I would never do that to you." And yet by the end, she betrays him. That one scene takes the characters fathoms deeper without even showing their faces and opens up new questions about the meaning of robbery, wealth, friendship - all the themes of the movie. I wanted more of that. <br />
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<br />Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-11024229592786901752013-07-12T00:29:00.000-07:002013-07-12T00:29:00.695-07:00Recipe: Summer QuesadillasThis is just a quick recipe for some DELICIOUS quesadillas I made the other day and wanted to share. They're made especially summery by the zucchini and the corn and are a very filling and satisfying alternative to chicken quesadillas if, like me, you find summer makes you want to be a little lighter on your body and get a little vegetarian (at least until it's time to barbeque).<br />
*<i>Apologies for the terrible lighting in my kitchen. </i> <br />
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First I picked out some yummy fresh summer veggies - sweet mini peppers, zucchini, corn, and onion (not pictured, but essential in a lot of what I cook).<br />
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I sauteed up the onion, zucchini, and pepper, adding in that order and making sure the zucchini had enough time to soften and get a little browned.<br />
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Meanwhile, I dunked the corn in boiling water for a minute or so, then shaved off the kernels, which is always fun. <br />
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Added the corn...<br />
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...and some cayenne, to give it more warmth and flavor.<br />
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CHEESE. Plenty of cheese to melt it all together. <br />
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I used about half my veggies for one tortilla and spread the cheese on both sides so it'll stick together. Then I let the tortilla get crispy (the filling was already hot).<br />
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Finally, some fresh avocado to top it off.<br />
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And voila! I gotta say, these were some of the best quesadillas I've ever made, or eaten. They were also super easy to make, as you basically just chop up each ingredient while the previous one is cooking away in the pan. Let me know if you try it how it turns out, and also what your favorite quesadilla filling is!Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-304380956680982902013-07-09T00:25:00.000-07:002013-07-09T00:28:24.499-07:00This is Summer<div style="text-align: left;">
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Pancakes with strawberries for breakfast. Pasta salad for
lunch. Fresh apricots in the afternoon. Burgers for dinner (left-over from the
4<sup>th</sup> of July).</div>
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Jeans cuffed. New tan lines every day. The perfect feeling
of pulling on a hoodie as a warm day turns into a cold evening. Dirt scuffing
over the edge of your sandals, dusts your toes with cool earth. </div>
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Dogs racing through long grass in the park. Fat bumble bees
slamming the window three times before they decide it’s solid. The warm belly
fur of the little black cat you meet on the sidewalk. Two swans on the lake in
the morning, ruffling their glowing white wings.<br />
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Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-51940624844797939142013-06-09T03:00:00.000-07:002013-06-09T03:00:04.666-07:00Review: Cosmopolis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another read for my dissertation, picked because it's about cities and modernity. I got through this book in a couple of long days of reading, and it does have a way of sucking you in. The whole book (with a few exceptions) is set inside of a limo driving around NYC and, more specifically, inside the mind of Eric Packer, its bajillionaire passenger. This is not the nicest space to be in for 200 pages. Eric is, quite frankly, a strange guy, with very weird relationships to the people in his life who climb in and out of his limo. These include his wife, his body guards, his doctor, and his various assistants and employees. Actually there's no one likable or easy to relate to in this book. The fascination it holds is more the fascination of peering in at some weird subculture than the fascination of learning something about humanity or yourself (although maybe DeLillo would say that we can learn about humanity and ourselves from getting a glimpse of Eric's life).<br />
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The style of the book isn't very friendly either. The characters talk in some kind of strange mixture of philosophy professor and New York slang. Maybe that's how multi-billionaires in NYC actually talk, but for me it just felt like another thing distancing me from the characters, making them sound like the mouthpieces of DeLillo's abstract ideas about modern life.<br />
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What I found effective about this book was actually precisely what I'm complaining about - that it makes the city strange, as if by putting us inside this limo, DeLillo has plucked us from earth and put us in an alien spaceship so that we can see our lives from a totally new perspective. Eric does in some sense live above the world. However, his perspective doesn't offer much insight. Maybe the space ship is just too high up (excuse me while I beat this metaphor to death), so that the view becomes too simplified.<br />
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This was my first DeLillo novel, and I don't think I'll be reading any more of his writing. It was just too rarefied, too fascinated with messed-up people in a messed-up world, too stylistically stilted for me. But I'm glad I read it, as part of my goal to become better-versed in contemporary literature. Now if someone brings up DeLillo at a dinner party, I'll have something to say.Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-63259861592653896242013-06-01T11:51:00.000-07:002013-09-29T11:25:59.824-07:00May Things<b>Favorite food:</b><br />
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Summer fruit and vegetables! I've been stubbornly eating mediocre, early berries for months now, but just this week the blueberries acquired that shocking sweet kick that means summer is actually here. It feels so great to be eating more things raw, more cucumbers, fruit, bell peppers, lettuce. I even discovered a new kind of lettuce that I'd never had before (me, a Californian!) - lamb's lettuce, a really delicate little baby green.<br />
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<b>Favorite book(s):</b><br />
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This month I've been re-reading all of David Mitchell's books and also discovering contemporary novels that are part of the same orbit. Books with multiple storylines, global awareness, and certain recurring themes, including Don DeLillo's <i>Cosmopolis</i> and Michael Cunningham's <i>Specimen Days</i>. Both were very interesting, although not some of my favorite novels. Most interesting has been to really dive into a pocket of contemporary literature and see novelists overlapping so much. You really can see that they're writing about the same world, breathing in the same air, as it were, but producing different words on the outbreath. The sense of cities as places where people and events collide like molecules (or is it atoms? I'm forgetting my science), the idea of non-corporeal life forms floating around us, the exploration of where our current, globalized, mechanized, capitalized world might take us in the future - all keep emerging from these different novels, so much that they're starting to blur in my mind. Suddenly reading novels seems less like an escape from the world and more like another, slant way into it.<br />
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<b>Favorite movie:</b><br />
<br />
<b> </b>I actually haven't been watching much of anything, which is unusual for me. I've been so busy seeing shows at the local arts festival and so often arriving home just in time to collapse into bed, that I haven't even finished re-watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which I got half-way through about two weeks ago...<br />
I did see Gatsby, which I may write a review of. We'll see. I enjoyed it, but it doesn't qualify as a favorite.<br />
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<b>Favorite fashion:</b><br />
<br />
I've tentatively decided to grow out my hair again, and I've been experimenting with braids as a way to keep slightly awkward-length hair out of my face. And I'm looking forward to the day when I can do fancy stuff with braids, like wrapping them around my head. It's nice to play with hair now that it's not tucked under a hat or scarf most of the time, although I have been thinking about making or finding a light, crocheted maybe, summery, slouchy hat. That would mean mastering the art of knitting hats.<br />
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<b>Favorite music:</b><br />
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I discovered two new bands, who played a show during the festival I've been going to. They are Emily Portman, who plays traditional and original songs based on fairy tale and myth, and Sam Lee & Friends, who play traditional songs from the British Isles, but with very unique and exciting arrangements for an international assortment of instruments. They both played fantastic concerts in an beautiful old church, and their music just glowed (if that's the right word). It was such a treat to hear an old Scottish ballad, for example, sung to the accompaniment of a tabla, a violin, a cello, and a horn - who would've thunk? And the best part about it was seeing how old treasures like these songs or the myths Portman's songs are based on, can be turned to such new and wonderful forms without losing any of their original power.<b></b><br />
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<b>Favorite experience:</b><br />
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The past two weeks have brought their fair share of memorable, magical experiences with all the circus and music shows I've seen. Impossible to put down in words, of course, but wonderful nonetheless. Great live performance can really transport you, and I love that. I'm grateful that festivals like this one make it possible to experience so much transportation and inspiration without traveling far or spending much. This definitely inspires me to pursue the idea of working for arts festivals, making them happen. They're such great experiences.Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-17706221870589412992013-05-29T02:37:00.001-07:002013-05-29T02:37:26.890-07:00Review: Specimen Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I read this as background/margin reading for my dissertation, so I was mostly reading for content that related to my main topic. However, I thought I'd write up a few thoughts on the book itself.<br />
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Cunningham tells three different stories, which are in some senses the same stories. They cover what some people call the three industrial revolutions - the mechanization of labor in factories in the 1800s, the advent of computers and other telecommunications in the present day, and the future of biotechnology, in this case spreading to artificial human life. Each story has three main characters, Luke, Catherine, and Simon,whose names and general characteristics stay the same across the whole novel, but who also change to fit each story.<br />
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This conceit worked pretty well for me, and I found the moments of time well-chosen. For my dissertation, I've been reading a lot of books that use multiple narratives or multiple times and places, or that imagine a near future, or that use reincarnation as a motif. Although it's a very literary novel, it was also a bit of a page-turner. Each story felt like it was heading inevitably toward something that would probably be terrible, but that I couldn't wait to discover (oh, the suffering we put ourselves through in reading!). I suppose I'd say the best thing about this book is the plotting, both in the normal sense of suspense and pacing and meaningfulness of events in the book, and in the larger sense of how Cunningham constructs his three strands and their overlaps.<br />
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What was missing for me was a sense of connection to the characters. I did find them pretty interesting, especially the narrators of sections one and three, but the writing felt a bit distanced. The artifice of the entire structure and the concept made it hard to believe in the characters as people, rather than as literary symbols. As they started to repeat, in variations, over the three stories, each previous incarnation of Luke, Catherine, or Simon began feeling less real. I couldn't help imagining Cunningham sitting at his desk inventing these characters and manipulating them so that they would fit equally well into each story - with the result that they don't fit snugly or perfectly into any story.<br />
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The other major element of this book is Cunningham's use of Walt Whitman's poetry - in each story, the narrator has a very special relationship with Whitman, and his verses keep popping up throughout the narration. I haven't read him at all, and I caught myself skipping over the longer excerpts because they were a bit opaque. But nevertheless, the repeated lines of verse made a kind of background rhythm for the whole book even as the individual narrator's voices changed - a kind of fourth voice that spanned the whole. <br />
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I wouldn't recommend this book to the idle reader who just wants a good book. It wasn't hard to get into, but it was very easy to get out of. The imagery stayed with me more than the voices or the emotions. A worthwhile experience, but not an entirely satisfying one.Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-61429372563829837532013-05-21T09:51:00.000-07:002013-05-21T09:51:02.915-07:00It's been a while...Wow, this month has gone by fast. I launched pretty much straight from my last semester of school into a summer of dissertation. Well, it hasn't really felt much like summer yet, or even spring. With the exception of a few days of lovely sun, we've had nothing but grey and cold. Still, I've been getting out of the house a lot more than I was over the winter - maybe I'm sort of willing myself into a summery mood despite the weather and the workload.<br />
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One thing that's drawn me out of my pile of library books has been an arts festival that's come to town for about two weeks. Although it's a bit overwhelming trying to focus exclusively on work during the day and then go to shows at night, it's also energizing to be seeing great performances and inventive ideas brought to life onstage. In particular, I've seen a lot of circus/dance/theater-type things that inspire me to make more time for both creativity and taking care of my body.<br />
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For the latter, I've been striving to get on a great health kick, eating more fresh and raw veggies, making smoothies, going to classes at the gym and doing push-ups at home, etc. It's hard to keep up those habits when the weather makes it feel like its February (California February, that is), but I'm trying. I'm still getting my veg-and-fruit box every week, which forces me to be both creative and healthy with cooking and eating. <br />
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<span id="goog_909961376"></span><span id="goog_909961377"></span>It's nice eating salads, because you can throw them together at the last minute, when you're in the middle of studying but need food fast to feed your brain. You don't have to plan ahead for several days, imagining what kind of left-overs you'll feel like eating tomorrow or the next day, because you can just make one portion at a time.<br />
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I particularly love couscous because it's so easy and tastes lighter than pasta. And recently I've gotten a little obsessed with tortilla wraps. I eat them with chicken, hummus, feta, and veggies for lunch, and with scrambled eggs for breakfast. Yum.<br />
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There's only so much time I can spend cooking and eating, though, because the dissertation really is upon me, even if summer isn't. I'm enjoying the work so far. Somewhere at the back of my mind (or maybe lodged at the back of my stomach, against my backbone) is some nervousness about the eventual deadline and the scope of the project. Just enough to keep me working and moving forward.<br />
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Right now my life is about enoughs: reading enough, writing enough, eating enough, sleeping enough, getting out enough, finding enough inspiration, exercising enough, having enough fun, doing enough work. Balancing things out and moving forward. And not forgetting desert, like this delicious apple/pear tart I made the other day :)<br />
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<br />Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-91354806537566672612013-05-01T14:08:00.000-07:002013-05-01T14:08:00.412-07:00April Things<b>N.B. </b>I was watching a video by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/WonderlandWardrobe" target="_blank">WonderlandWardrobe</a>, who has a pretty cool channel with DIY fashion projects, and I noticed that she has a slightly different way of doing her monthly updates. So this is me being inspired to change things up a little.<br />
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<b>Favorite food in April:</b> Breaking news: did you know you can make grilled cheese with olive oil instead of butter?! I made the ultimate grilled cheese today with fresh monzarella, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes, and instead of butter, I just spread a little of the oil from the tomato jar on the outside of the sandwich before I put it in the pan. Delicious flavor, perfectly even crispness, no burning. A revelation.<br />
Am I the first person to discover this? Probably not. Did I remember to take a picture before I ate the whole thing? Definitely not. <br />
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<b>Favorite fashion item or idea:</b> Definitely the shift from my big winter coat (although I LOVE my cozy winter coat) to a lighter jacket. It's so freeing to shed the weight and bulk of a coat. I'm still wearing sweaters and scarves and even half-mittens, but the change feels amazing.<br />
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<b>Favorite movie or show:</b> This month I'm re-watching the Harry Potter movies, starting from the beginning. I haven't seen the early films in years and years, but there's nothing better than a trip down memory lane to get you through finals week. Of course I'm thinking all the usual things, mostly how they were all so young! But it's actually really fun to go back and notice the beginnings of Harry's snarkiness and his compulsive heroism - what an amazing experience it's been to grow up with these characters and really see them develop naturally along with us.<br />
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<b>Favorite book:</b> I suppose this would be <i>Lolita</i>, sort of by process of elimination because I'm writing a paper on it and haven't had time to read anything else. But this year has truly been a revelation for me vis-à-vis Nabokov. I re-read <i>Pnin</i> and read <i>Lolita</i> and <i>Pale Fire</i> for the first time last semester, and this is my second paper on Nabokov. I was nervous to tackle such a famous and famously tricky novelist, but it has been so rewarding to dive deep into these books. My discovery of Nabokov this year is one of those things that makes me incredibly grateful that I get to pursue my education at this level.<br />
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<b>Favorite experience: </b>Finishing my second semester (and the last taught portion) of grad school and realizing how much I've learned and, better still, that I have the energy to keep getting the most out of this degree over the summer. Dissertation, bring it on. I'm excited to tackle you.<br />
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<b> </b>Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-16739520075505532392013-04-22T11:37:00.000-07:002013-04-22T11:37:32.433-07:00Happy Earth DayIn honor of Earth Day, I thought I'd jump back on the blogging wagon after a long absence (travel, final papers) and writing a little post about what it's like today living on the other side of the earth from my home.<br />
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Well, spring has sprung. This is mostly proven by the fact that I was invited to a barbeque today. A barbeque? In April? In England? Indeed. Spring fever has caught on and people are getting wild and crazy.<br />
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Not that winter's chills have completely let go, but the down jackets have been put away and the sun has come out. It's chilly and bright, perfect weather for the beginning of spring (never mind that it should have begun about a month ago).<br />
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The best thing is the sudden profusion of flowers. First there were crocuses - yellow and purple so bright and rich, and so unexpected after a grey winter, that the color seemed like it was vibrating. Then the daffodils. I've never seen so many daffodils in my life - in flower beds, lawns, meadows, cemeteries, median strips. Not to mention the daisies and other little buds dotting every green patch in sight. It's all utterly pretty.<br />
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I must say I haven't felt particularly in touch with the earth over here. I live in a very suburban atmosphere without the easy access to vast national parks or to the Pacific ocean that I have back home. I spent a few weeks at home over spring break and the contrast was amazing. I was in awe of how much open space we still have, even on an overpopulated planet.<br />
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And it's not only the calm of staring out at a big landscape, or not being able to see any man-made thing at all for miles that I miss. It's also feeling and moving with the rhythms of nature. I went hiking a lot in the desert when I was home, and in desert you just have to pay attention to the rising heat, the moment of sunrise and sunset, the movement of rain clouds, in order to stay alive.<br />
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It's scary sometimes, especially for me because I scare easy, but not nearly as scary as guns or bombs or any of the awful things that happened this week all over the world. The violence of humans inspires anger and sadness and reaction. The violence of nature inspires respect and adaptation.<br />
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As the weather becomes more hospitable over here, I'm going to make a lot of effort to get outside and see this portion of the world. The landscape is actually one of my favorite things about England, part of the reason I wanted to come here. I got to explore it a little last summer and the hiking was absolutely stunning. This summer I'll be doing more of that, trying to make the most of my time here and to keep myself sane as I write my master's dissertation. And right now I'm just appreciating the sun and beginning to emerge from the cocoon of my wintertime coziness - starting with that barbeque.Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-57457054734270986842013-04-01T02:16:00.000-07:002013-04-19T14:22:38.075-07:00March Things<b>Food: Hazelnut Butter</b><br />
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It's not the best thing since sliced bread, but it's the best thing on sliced bread....hehe... Well, the point is, this stuff is so, so delicious. I found it at the corner store (an unlikely place to stock exotic treats like this), and have been putting it in everything ever since. PB&Js, oatmeal, pancakes, you name it. I absolutely love anything with hazelnuts, so obviously I love this, but if you're just looking for something to mix up a routine of peanut butter or even almond butter, this is just the thing. Plus, the one I found is that nice, just ground, crunchy style of nut butter, which is the best.<br />
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<b>Entertainment: Three Colors Trilogy by Kieslowski</b><br />
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This is a loosely associated trilogy of films by a polish director who wanted to make a kind of homage to France, his adopted country. The first film is <i>Bleu</i> (blue), the second <i>Blanc</i> (white), and the third <i>Rouge</i> (red), and they each tell a completely different story, but with a few subtle links. The stories, as you may have guessed, touch, in turn, on the ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity, the trifecta of values which I believe sort of correspond to the three colors in the French flag.<br />
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I'd seen <i>Bleu</i> and <i>Rouge</i> about five years ago, but when they all three popped up again on Mubi, I decided to complete the trilogy. <i>Blanc</i> was good, too, kind of a black comedy about a Polish guy who takes a complicated kind of revenge on his ex-wife. Then, because <i>Blanc</i> reminded me how great Kieslowski is, I re-watched <i>Rouge</i>, which is a very bittersweet story about a young, idealistic Swiss model who meets a cynical retired judge. This film plays a lot of the interconnectedness of different lives - there's a secondary storyline which intersects with the main one, without either of the main players being aware of the other characters whose lives they pass so close by - a concept which I love. And of course, the visuals are stunning, especially in the use of the thematic color.<br />
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<br />Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-45628311751371366422013-03-20T11:53:00.000-07:002013-03-20T11:53:17.168-07:00How I miss homeHappy first day of spring! I counted up today, and I'm almost 8 months into my 13-month year of living abroad. I spent today packing for a couple of weeks at home and, of course, thinking about all the things I'm looking forward to over the break. And that got me thinking about what I actually miss when I miss home. This year, when I've felt homesick, it's actually usually been a good feeling, because it reminds me of all the things and people I love back home. I'm hoping that when I get back there next year, I'll be able to appreciate those things even more than I did before I left. Of course, things always look rosy from afar, though, so I'm afraid that as soon as I get home, I'll come up with all sorts of stuff that was better over in England! So, I'm making a list here of a few things that I really want to appreciate fully when I get them back in my life.<br />
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1. Community.<br />
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Family of course is the thing I miss most. I'm very close to my family, and last year (my senior year of college), I was very close to my friends, too (when you live with people for four years, you share a lot!). But this year, I've found myself doing a lot of things alone. I eat my meals alone most of the time, do my work alone, walk to and from school alone, go grocery shopping alone, travel on trains alone. This of course makes it really sweet when I happen to have someone around to do stuff with - when one of my housemates is in the kitchen cooking dinner at the same time as me, or when I run into one of my new friends on campus and sit down to do some studying at the same table. But it's rare, and I not only miss the company I've had from my friends over the past four years and my family for my whole life. I also miss those specific people. Thank god for skype.<br />
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It's funny, because I've always thought of myself as an introvert, and I do need plenty of time alone to focus on my work or daydream or just be quiet. Too much time with too many people drains my energy and I have to recharge. But I've discovered this year that too much time without people also drains my energy. I guess the middle path is best.<br />
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2. Food.<br />
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Not just dishes at my favorite restaurants or special family recipes. No, I miss the food of all the Bay Area, because I'm beginning to realize it's pretty unique. I've complained on here before about much trouble I have finding good veggies around here, and I cannot wait to get back to my local farmer's market. I also just find that people here are less into fresh and healthy eating than me.<br />
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Back home last year, a lot of my friends were going vegetarian and even vegan. I'm still an omnivore and probably always will be, but I eat meat maybe once or twice a week, tops, because I love cooking with vegetables. Here, though, people eat so much meat, so many frozen vegetables, so many cans of beans, so much cheap take-out Chinese food. It's not that I abstain from any of those completely (except the beans, gross), but it's weird to be around people who don't know any other kind of food. I was told the other day that I was 'adventurous' for ordering dishes with eggplant and spinach at a restaurant. What?<br />
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What I feel is more than just food snobbism. It's profound gratitude that I was raised on truly fresh, local, and delicious food that's good for me and good for the planet. I feel lucky to be able to taste so many amazing things that farmer's have coaxed out of the ground, rather than eating stuff that comes out of some commercial processing plant. Finally, I'm so happy that when I'm at home, I get to buy most of my food from the people who grow it or people who are just passionate about food, to talk with them about it and maybe get a recipe tip or something, instead of grabbing my food off a supermarket shelf.<br />
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3. Weather.<br />
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Well, obviously. I've talked about this plenty on this blog. But how lucky am I to come from a place without sub-zero temperatures? Not to mention the beautiful ocean that makes the climate so temperate around San Francisco. I will be taking every opportunity to get outside and enjoy that sun when I'm back home.<br />
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<br />Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-44825782034164655962013-03-15T01:28:00.002-07:002013-03-15T01:28:28.443-07:00Pancake weather<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been experimenting a lot more with my cooking and baking this year
and been wanting to share the results on this blog. And what better to
start off with than breakfast? And did I mention it's raining? So obviously we need pancakes.</div>
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So here are some apple-cinnamon pancakes I made to start off the day yesterday and today. I got the idea to put shredded apple in the batter off the internet, but I used my own recipe for the batter. Well, when I say recipe, I mean the casual, estimated-proportions, busy-before-school recipe that I've come up with this year. It starts with one egg and a cup of milk (or milk mixed with yoghurt, which gives a fluffier pancake, I think), and then I add a little bit of baking soda and baking powder, salt, and as much flour (or oats, or cornmeal) as I need to get it to batter-like consistency. It never turns out quite as good as following some of my favorite recipes for pancakes, but sometimes I don't have the right ingredients or am too lazy to do proper proportions. Or, like in this case, I want to try something new.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYC1gkLBunFn8UzXOmmIEFa7rWta8V5YUmyVNIRJGs5E5UT2u1y8FdKrlLBK2MsaULy1qKnCInwlkaChtp-mNOLYndR9n_gsoZJSjTUkGW7c-eoafCRtuioVALb-U7xPQdoDOGdtNWmnr/s1600/DSC00097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYC1gkLBunFn8UzXOmmIEFa7rWta8V5YUmyVNIRJGs5E5UT2u1y8FdKrlLBK2MsaULy1qKnCInwlkaChtp-mNOLYndR9n_gsoZJSjTUkGW7c-eoafCRtuioVALb-U7xPQdoDOGdtNWmnr/s640/DSC00097.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I must warn you, these are pretty gooey, no matter how long I let them cook, but I'm OK with gooey. The apples (which I shredded with a cheese grater) give them great texture. I added a bunch of shakes of cinnamon but would recommend even more, because I couldn't really taste it too well. I added nutmeg, too, but not sure I could taste it as such.<br />
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Finally, these photos are from day 2, so as you can see, the batter keeps well overnight in the fridge. Yummy and ready in no time. I do enjoy putting together the batter in the morning, though. So often, I think, we rush through our mornings, trying to get somewhere or harness our energy to work before it wanes later in the day. But sometimes it's nice to put that energy into something restorative, like standing in the quiet kitchen stirring oatmeal and doing a little gentle yoga while it bubbles away. I find that if I do something like that first thing in the morning, I end up feeling more productive and accomplished than if I had plunged straight into work.<br />
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So, give these pancakes a try, and let me know how it turns out. Or do you have a favorite variant on the basic batter recipe? <br />
<br />Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6902571488295334091.post-58535075302948093532013-03-11T04:38:00.001-07:002013-12-30T08:43:31.883-08:00Spring/TransitionsThis weekend, the weather has been bizarre. Woke up to bright sun - an hour later, it was blizzarding outside my window - the clouds cleared and it sunny again - I glanced back at the window and saw snow - currently we're back to blue sky. I guess the only constant is that it's cold.<br />
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Even the temperature, though, has been swinging back and forth over the last week. After endless snowy, cold, grey weather, the sun came out, and I walked to school without a coat on for the first time in months. Everyone rushed outside to eat their lunch, and sitting inside at our computers felt ridiculous when it was so nice outside (p.s. the high was only 54 degrees, but it felt like 70 to me).<br />
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Alas, it was not to last. Now it's snowing again. In March.<br />
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That taste of spring, though, reminded me that the semester is almost over. Once again, after winter hibernation, I'm moving into a period of transitions. I'm not particularly good at transitions - I'm a creature of habits and comforts - but I also feel a great attraction to them. I love to look forward to things, whether it's a new book, an upcoming trip, or just breakfast tomorrow morning. The thing is, of course, things usually don't turn out exactly how you imagine them, and whether the reality is better or worse than anticipated, it always takes a bit of adjustment. You go to sleep, already savoring the taste of pancakes, only to wake up and find your milk has gone sour. Maybe you dissolve in a heap of tears, or maybe you end up eating some scrambled eggs that taste just as good. Or maybe someone surprises you with some fresh croissants they just brought back from the bakery, and you decide to postpone pancakes until tomorrow. There's just always that moment of recalibration that's sometimes joyful and sometimes hard.<br />
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There's a lot of patience involved in transitions. I've been listening to music on Spotify recently, which is great because I was really missing Pandora. On the radio function, you never know what song is coming next, and in the moment that the last song ends, I always start conjecturing about the next one, and it's usually not what I expect (except that this morning, I was hoping they would play something by A Fine Frenzy, and they miraculously did). Sometimes it'll be one of my favorite bands, and sometimes I'll reach immediately to click the thumbs down button. But sometimes I just don't know if I like the song yet or not, so I just sit there and listen and wait to see how I feel about it. And since the best thing about this radio function is discovering new favorite bands, that minute or two of patience and listening can really pay off.<br />
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So here I go transitioning from my last semester of classes into my first summer of truly independent writing work. Yes, I'm writing to a deadline, but the restrictions on the what, how, and why of my dissertation are pretty minimal. For someone who wants to write books, this will be good training in making my way through a big writing project without much outside structure.<br />
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I'm not saying that writing a dissertation is like listening to music or eating pancakes, but the fact is that I'll be doing a lot of those latter two things while attempting to do the former, and I like the way the micro mirrors the macro sometimes (often). I will also be living for about 5 more months in a country where the weather changes <u>all</u> <u>the</u> <u>time</u>. Then I'll move back across an ocean and a continent and start looking for a job. So my life will be full of transitions. I guess I better just keep listening and get ready to recalibrate.Commonplace Cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06821579984554030533noreply@blogger.com0