I Don't Know Things

I don't pretend to understand very many things or know anything at all.  But I know this is a good sentiment and I think it's lovely.  From A Wrinkle in Time:

"In your language you have a form of poetry called the sonnet.  It is a very strict form of poetry, is it not?"

"Yes."

"There are fourteen lines, I believe, all in iambic pentameter.  That's a very strict rhythm or meter, yes?" 

"Yes."

"And each line has to end with a rigid rhyme pattern.  And if the poet does not do it exactly this way it is not a sonnet, is it?" 

"No."

"But within this strict form the poet has complete freedom to say whatever he wants, doesn't he?"

"Yes."

"So."

"So what?"

"Oh, do not be stupid, boy! You know perfectly well what I am driving at!"

"You mean you're comparing our lives to a sonnet?  A strict form, but freedom within it?"

"Yes.  You're given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself.  What you say is completely up to you."

It's That Important

I need to explain to you what Harry Potter means to me and why it's so important.  Because it is.  You can say that to you Harry is just a character in a book, but I grew up with Harry and I love Harry.  For a pretty good summation of my feelings about the end of it all, read this article.

When I was in fifth grade all the posters for the book fair at school had the cover of Sorcerer's Stone on them.  I thought it was all stupid.  A few of my friends told me to read the books and I pretty openly mocked the idea.  What could be so great about a kid who finds out he's a wizard then goes to magic school?  Dumb.  A few weeks (maybe months?) later I finally decided to read the books.  Our small school library only had one copy of each of the [then three] books and there weren't any copies of the first, so I started with Chamber of Secrets and loved it.  Within the week I was reading Prisoner of Azkaban and finally Sorcerer's Stone.  After I finished, I started them again.  In those early days number two was my favorite because it terrified the living daylights out of me.  I read them all repeatedly, but that one over and over again.

My mom worked at Wal-Mart when the fourth one was coming out.  She brought me some of the buttons that they wore to promote the release of Goblet of Fire.  I could hardly stand it when she would come home and tell me stories of walking past the readied display case of books.  Over and over I begged her to steal me one.  Before long my first experience with a midnight release arrived.  Perhaps it was just our small Wal-Mart, but there really was just one display case of books, nothing compared to the precariously stacked pallets that came later.  I remember being livid as an older lady stepped in front of me to take the first book.

And thus my obsession continued.  The first movie was the first movie I ever bought tickets for in advance.  I dressed up as Hermione as often as possible.  When I was a senior in high school (or I guess the summer just after) and the last book came out I got up at five am to stand in line to get a wristband to stand in line.  We were back at Border's by noon.  Luckily when I came to college I was able to find friends that also loved Harry Potter.  My very first roommate (Sarah) was just as obsessed as I was.

No joke when I was a kid I used to pray that I wouldn't die before the final book was released because I had to know how the story ended.  After I finished book seven I figured I could die anytime.  I am not exaggerating.  This actually happened.

And so tonight, it all ends.  The last movie is released and, as many have said, an era ends.  I grew up with Harry.  I am a part of the Harry Potter generation.  It's been a part of me for so long.  I choose to end with a quote from JK Rowling herself.  She summed up what we all needed when she said, "Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."

You are probably aware of how I usually like to include pictures in my posts, but this is too personal.  I don't want to just throw in pictures willy-nilly.  I want what this means to stand for itself. 

Religious Question

I was reading The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale (review) and came to a quote that sums up well something I've thought in the past.

"Why would calling on the Lord's name ever be in vain if he were really there to listen?"

Don't get me wrong, I do not and will not take the Lord's name in vain, but I have questioned this before.  Occasionally in the past I've said "Oh praise the Lord Jesus," but really am extremely grateful (for some reason that word is hard for me to spell) for the situation.  This is a real question.  Please let me know your thoughts. 

P.S. Cooking blog coming soon.  

Brain Vomit

I'm watching musical Grey's Anatomy right now. It's only a few minutes in and I have to admit, I kind of like it.

Somehow I just discovered Grooveshark about last week. What the heck.

The way things were stacking up it seemed like last week was going to be miserable (major TMI moment coming up). It was just a lot of stress all combining and even the little things were going wrong. Then when I woke up on Monday morning to a visit from Aunt Flo (I just said that, get over it) I was pissed. Later, during lunchtime, I decided I could be pissed about it or I could be happy that it wasn't next week during mine and Sarah's trip. Thursday I had two formal observations. Crap shoot, I know. Instead of freaking out I just rocked my lesson and the CFA didn't have any suggestions to make. I want to teach so badly. The end.

When we were little and had a treat/dessert most often it was either Chips Ahoy (in the blue bag) or Oreos. That doesn't mean my mom was a bad mom, she was busy working and sometimes store bought cookies are just dandy. Also, I have no doubt that my mom's pie can rock your mom's pie any day of the week. Anyway, I was always partial to the Chips Ahoy and I'm wondering how the general populace would vote between the two.

Remember back in the days of summer (and I think once after that too) I blogged about the books I'd read? It's been awhile, but I'm still reading. Instead I post those on one of my other blogs that I write with a few friends (here). You may want to check it out because I'm thinking of doing a book giveaway soon.

That's all my random thoughts for right now.

Love Triangles

Anyone that ever reads this blog ever knows that I love to read. I'll give pretty much anything a try at least once, but.... I hate reading about love triangles. I hate watching movies about love triangles. That's not to say that I don't like the books or movies or whatever in and of themselves, but love triangles stress me out.



It seems like no matter what happens in the story and even if it has a happy ending then somebody is left sad and I still have a little ache in my heart and I hate that. I like a clean happy ending or whatever, not a messy achy sad thing. That's for real life.

P.S. I don't normally like little anime type drawings, but this is the best I could find of the three of them all together, so whatevs.

The Dying of the Light

I don't normally like poems, but I really loved this one when I read it in Matched.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rage at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

-Dylan Thomas

What Did I Just Watch?

I got really excited when I heard JK Rowling was going to be on Oprah. I set it up to TiVo and finally got time to watch it today. The title of the episode was "Oprah and JK Rowling in Scotland." The title of the episode should have been "Rich Women Talk About How Great it is to be Rich While Drinking Tea and Sometimes Life is Hard."

Boo and disappointment.

Life Lately

I printed my 4+ years of livejournal, am having it bound, and shipped to my house all for about 12 bucks. I really did use it as my journal for that time in my life and even though it's super angsty, it will be helpful to have.

School is both busy and not busy. I don't know how to explain so I won't.

I love the smell of fire on my clothes.

My friends and I in the elementary education program started a new blog called Teachers Read Books for posting reviews, recommendations, events, etc.

Steph sometimes makes me feel a little worthless because she is super motivated.

JK Rowling is going to be on Oprah on Friday. I'm TiVo-ing it.

Today we were assigned "mentees" in the elementary education program. Basically they're the little baby frosh that are still freaked out by the prospect and might want to ask someone questions. I like that I'll get to be the authority on something.

My job is essentially the easiest thing in the world. Today I got paid for an hour of doing absolutely nothing.

I'm FHE mom now (I don't know if I said that yet) and it stresses me out more than it should. I want everyone to love every activity. I know that can't happen, but whatevs.

I realized by the time I get home for Christmas, Tori will be about 11 months old. That's freaking me out. She won't know me at all. I'm trying to convince either her mom or my mom to video chat with me so I can see her. She's still fat.

The BYU football team is pretty bad this year. I'll still cheer as loud as possible and be proud of my boys, it's just a building year.

I'm ready for basketball season.

What I've Been Reading pt. 3

First let me start off with a question. I plan on continuing my reading for pleasure even though the school year has started. Should I continue to post these reviews or should I just keep it to myself? Let me know. Also, a disclaimer: I didn't read as much at the end of the summer because I had friends and things to do and a working TiVo (and no, I don't regularly do that stupid capitalization thing but that's how it is for TiVo). *Note: I tried to do pictures, I did but then blogger didn't upload them and I got irritated so I'm not doing them.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: A good, fun read, of course. It's not Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe or anything, but it's a good solid C.S. Lewis book with a good moral and connections to Christianity. I really think everyone should have read all of the Narnia books by now. I re-read this in preparation for the movie that's coming out soon (that might suck).

Honey Baby Sweetheart: Another Deb Caletti book. This was the one that won awards and this was the one that I liked the least. It feels too forced into the teenage drama rather than like a real story unfolding. Maybe I just haven't had enough life experiences to quite get it, but I didn't love this book.

Unwind: This freaked me out. Basically it's another dystopian novel wherein the pro-life pro-choice debate has been settled. The agreement reached is that from conception to age 13 you can't do anything to chidren. From age 13 to 18 you have the option of having your children "unwound." Basically it's almost like being killed except every part of the child must live on in some way (transplants, giving limbs to those that have lost them, etc). What would you do if you found out you were going to be unwound? I did like this book. The whole dystopian thing is really working for me right now.

The Time Traveler's Wife: A decent story that moved too slow at times. I was told before I read it that the ending was sad so I just expected the worst the whole time. I found myself getting frustrated with the characters. Also, this is kind of rough (meaning too explicit for me) when it comes to sex. After the tragic part of the ending, the other part of the ending before the real ending really made me mad. Not a great read, but I've read worse.

The Cross Gardener: Sarah had borrowed this from Marci. It was written by her cousin or uncle or somebody related to her. It's a quick read and a nice uplifting story that made me cry several times. It takes place very close to the place I grew up in Virginia and the descriptions of the weather and the sites and the scenery there as well as details about places I've been or lived really got to me in this one and made me connect.

Mockingjay: No spoiler alerts because I'm not going to say anything. Basically, if you're reading the Hunger Games series you're going to read this third and final installment and if you're not, you're not. It's too new for me to post any plot details. I did love it, though.

A Great and Terrible Beauty: I've read this a few times before. It's a good fantasy novel that I first got into in high school. Basically some girls in Victorian (I think) England discover magic and it's pretty awesome. They're at boarding school in this one. There's an attractive gypsy boy involved and of course some evil to battle. I do love some good young adult fantasy. The second in this trilogy is pretty good, and the third wasn't that great (I only read it once, I should probably do so again).

That is all. Again, please comment and let me know if I should keep posting these book blogs.

What I've Been Reading pt. 2

*Note: if you think you've already seen this post, you have. I was having some irritated technical difficulties.

You're all lucky because now that I'm back to blogging from a computer I'm going to include pictures with this post. You love me.

The Prince of Mist: Let's be real about this. I thought it was going to be about a slightly friendly ghost that needs something figured out. Turns out there's a scary clown AND no happy resolution where the demon/ghost thing dies. Sorry to spoil it, but I had to stay up all night to finish it hoping that the thing wouldn't get me. I was home alone and had to call my sister I was so scared. I'm a baby.

The Secret Life of Prince Charming: I REALLY liked this book. It's similar to the book Story of a Girl that I mentioned in my previous book post because it's one of those find yourself, coming of age stories, but I liked this one much better. Sure the love story part is predictable, but the point of the plot is NOT what you think when you pick it up. I also like the bits of romantic history and advice given by different character voices spread between the main story. I liked it so much I read another of her books (which you'll find at the end of this post). Note: the language in this book isn't always clean, but I'm not ultra sensitive to that.

Carpe Diem: I did not expect to like this book. The first couple of chapters are BORING. However, there's a purpose to the boringness. Vassar Spore is a high school student taking AP and advanced AP classes to try and be the best, the smartest, and get into Vassar (surprise surprise). A twist and a change of plans leads her reluctantly to the adventure of her life. I ended up loving this story and the real growth of the character. Some of the situations seem a little far fetched, but it's fiction for a reason, right?

The Invention of Hugo Cabret: I read this book on the recommendation of my children's lit teacher a year ago (I read it this summer, he recommended it a year ago). It's one of the first books that's ever been considered for both the Newberry and Caldecott awards. The story is told though both text and pictures. The concept and differentness is the main reason I gave it a look. I didn't fall in love with the story (part of that is because it's aimed at much younger people), but the concept is kind of really genius. Give it a try, if you're curious. Don't be intimidated by the size of the book. I read it in just a few hours.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox: I picked this book up because of the cover. It looked intriguing. As soon as I realized that it was another future gone wrong/weird (dystopian) novels I was so excited. Jenna is a girl waking up from a long coma after a devastating car crash and she can't remember anything. Eventually her memories start coming back and she figures out (with the help and hints of those around her) what really happened during that long stay in darkness. This is another book that I really really liked. Sidenote: I know that I give a lot of positive reviews, but I really like to read and rarely really and truly dislike a book).

The Compound: Yes, another in the near future book. There's been a nuclear attack. Luckily Eli's dad is rich and has built a self-sustaining compound for his family (which they will have to stay in for 15 years (if memory serves)). Unluckily, Eli's grandmother and twin brother Eddy are left outside. Time passes, food starts to go bad, and things start to go wrong. Eli's father's back up plan is unthinkable and Eli gets super angsty about what he's really doing with his life and who he really is. Finally, he discovers a secret that changes everything. Just read this. It's so so good. It's one of my most highly recommended on this list.

The Wizard Test: A book aimed at slightly younger kids, but still a good read. To be a wizard in this community is definitely not desireable. After passing (failing?) the test of wizard-hood the main character (who's name I can't remember right this second) has even more trouble trying to figure out what is right and what is wrong. A decent, quick read.

The UnNameables: I did not like this book when I started. I even told Sarah that it was boring and I wasn't sure I would finish it. It did start a little slow, but eventually picked up and I found myself putting off other tasks and events to finish it. Basic plotline: a group of people live on an island secluded off the mainland and everything must have a purpose and be named for that purpose. An orphan with a secret passion and a wandering goatman (I'm thinking he was probably a faun in the style of Narnia) don't quite fit in with the community and unsettle the islands careful system.

The Fortunes of Indigo Skye: See! I told you I would come back to this author. This book was perhaps a little more unrealistic than even The Secret Life of Prince Charming, but isn't that what fiction is for? To take us out of our world into a made up world and hopefully maybe make us think while doing so? I enjoyed this book, once again, and have just picked up another by the same author. The real question is, what would you do with 2.5 million dollars?

**Another note: If anyone can recommend any dystopian novels to me I'd be very interested (or any books for that matter.

What I've Been Reading

This is a list (and opinions about) what I've been reading this summer. I know I should put authors and pictures but I'm blogging from my phone again so that's a ton of work. Feel free to ask questions in the comments.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: I have, of course, read this before and will no doubt read it again. If you haven't read it yet, shame on you.

The Hunger Games: Another book I've already read and loved. This is definitely one you need to try. It's kind of impossible to explain the plot adequately, but I've never heard of anyone that has read it and not liked it.

Catching Fire: Another re-read. The second installment in what will be The Hunger Games trilogy. If you read the first one you'll love reading this one too.

Dear John: What can I say? I was desperate for a book and this was four bucks at walmart. All in all it was pretty
typical Nicholas Sparks and I enjoyed it.

The Last Song: Same story as the previous, but a little more embarrassing since Miley Cyrus was in the cover. Not bad but so so predictable to the point of hoping you finish so that the story will finally go how you know it's going to.

Savvy: This book is written at an upper elementary level. It's about a family that has magic come to each member when they turn 13. An unusual set of circumstances and a pink school bus make the main character's thirteenth birthday even more unusual. A nice fantasy novel and a quick read that any age can enjoy.

Story of a Girl: I read this on a friend's recommendation. It's a teenage finding yourself type of novel. I didn't really like it. In fact, I didn't like it at all. The writing was good, but the plot did nothing for me. Not to mention it did the one thing I really hate in a book. It just stopped. No finishing point, no wrap up, just the last page. I hate that.

A Curse Dark as Gold: I read this book on the same friend's recommendation. It's the rumplestiltskin (forgive my spelling) story retold. Though it was a little slow to start I really loved reading this book. After the first third I didn't want to put it down and ended up staying awake far too late finishing it.

The Graveyard Book: My children's lit teacher suggested this to the class last summer. He was on the Newberry committee and pushed hard for this one to win. It's the story of a boy that is raised by the inhabitants of the graveyard when the rest of his family is murdered. The story seems to wander a little bit rather than maintaining one line from start to finish, but overall it was quite the enjoyable read. Even my dad liked it (though he does love to read).

Cyrano: This is a retelling of a popular old story. You may not recognize the name, but you've likely heard the story of the ugly man who writes beautifully agreeing to write love letters in the name of a much more handsome man to the woman they both love. Not the best thing I've read this summer, but the tragedy and selfless love in it were definitely worth picking it up at the dollar a bag book sale.

The Chosen One: I've only once been steered wrong by the book suggestions of the YA librarians at the local library. They came through for me once again with this book. It's the story of a 14 year old girl living in a polygamist colony who finds out she has been 'chosen' by the prophet to marry her 60 year old uncle that already has seven wives. This book is extremely well written, a little but horrifying, and a great read. This is another that I stayed up all night to finish.

Lost: This is the story of a 16 year old girl working in a factory in New York during the early 20th century. It tells of the dangers and difficulties of her world as well as the destructive ability of grief. The setting feels real and the author seems to have done her research. The plot moves along nicely. My only issue is with some of the dialogue. It tends to come across like 'yoda speak' probably in a misguided attempt at dialect that is just distracting.

Well, congratulations if you've made it this far. I know pictures make a post more exciting, but like I said: it's quite hard from my phone. Expect part two of this post after I get through a few more books.

Twilight

The full title of this post should be "Twilight: Why I Liked it and Why I Don't Anymore"

I started reading Twilight when I was about 16. I was still in high school and it wasn't really a phenomenon yet. When I recommended it to my friends, none had ever heard of it. Now everyone knows what Twilight is and that it's pretty garbage and poor writing. Dear Stephenie Meyer: why did you write such garbage?

Why I liked it:

1) I was 16

2) I was hormonal

3) I was sexually repressed

Now I'm almost 21, not 16, and much less hormonal. Now I can recognize Twilight as garbage.

Here's a parody that I want to read and will own in the semi-near future.

Some Things

First, one thing I love: braids. I love having my hair braided. My favorite is two french braids, but just one braid down my back is fantastic. I don't know why I love this, maybe it takes me back to being a child? My hair was braided for my Halloween costume which is the main character from this book.

Second, one thing I do not like: IMing. I don't have a problem with it really, my issue is there is not polite way to end a conversation. Say you get online and your friend starts talking to you. You have a good chat and the conversation starts to die down, but you are planning on staying online for awhile and/or are having a good chat with someone else. You have very few options. You can a) let the conversation just die b) continue to make awkward forced conversation c) say you have something to do or somewhere to go and go invisible or d) stop talking to everyone all at once. This is frustrating to me. Maybe I should just get a life.

P.S. My sister got married today. Oh dear.

Destiny

(note: Caroline, before this post is over, I swear I'll tell you about Swimmy.)

This is my niece, Destiny.

She's really cute, no doubt about that. She's five now, going on thirty. I swear, this girl is too smart for her own good. When my sister and the kids moved in, she was very upset and said that this wasn't her own house or her own walls. she was mad. Additionally, when my sister broke off her engagement she was mad because it meant she wouldn't have a new daddy-figure in her life. Naturally, she made up a song that said "I'm daddy-less, but I'm fabulous." The poor kid. While I was home, she asked me what my job was. I told her I didn't have one and she literally yelled at me, "Ginger! You are twenty! Get a job!" What kind of five-year-old does that? Her latest escapade has to do with the sad loss of one of my sister's babies. Ferb was just too little and he couldn't make it. Naturally, you can't just tell a kid that it's future little brother/sister has died. Destiny has a pretty good grasp on Heaven, so they told her that Ferb decided he wasn't ready to be born and went back to live with Jesus. She accepted that answer for about a week before she asked her mother where Ferb was. Heather told her that Ferb was in Heaven with Jesus. She said, and I quote, "No mom. His spirit is in Heaven. Where is his tiny, baby, body?" Heather didn't want to answer the question, so she sent Destiny to my mom. My mom tried to explain as best as possible that his body was just absorbed back into his mommy's body (which is a lie, but you can't tell a kid that a dead baby is just still in there). She was mad when she went back to my sister. "Mom! Is what Gamma said true? Why didn't you just tell me that." Something is seriously wrong with a kid who thinks that way. I love her. I'll try to post more things she says within posts on other topics.

As for Swimmy. The reason the book is so controversial and sometimes banned is because of the fear of the communist hoard (because the fish are red). What in the world? Yeah, it's crap. Congrats to Sean who guessed mostly correct (even though his guess didn't have much to do with the actual things said in the book, but the release date). So, what treat would you like Sean?

Swimmy

I think most anyone that reads this blog knows that I'm taking a children's lit class.  Today, we talked about book censorship.  I expected to see Harry Potter and wasn't too surprised by Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (which is illustrated with the police officers as pigs).  However on book totally surprised me.  It's called Swimmy.

 

This is the cover of the offending title, a Caledecott Honor Book.  Not to spoil it, but this is how the story goes.  You see those little red fish around the bottom left of the picture?  Those are the rest of the fish in Swimmy's school.  Swimmy is the little black fish.  He knows he's a little different than the others, but that's ok.  One day the fish are all out swimming (as fish do) and a big fish (I think it's a tuna) comes and eats all of them, except for Swimmy.  Well, poor little Swimmy is sad so he goes out looking for friends.  He asks a jelly fish and a lobster and a variety of other sea creatures to no avail.  Finally, he finds a school of little red fish exactly like his!  He joins them and teaches them to make a formation like the one pictured below (which isn't from the actual book)

By doing this, the little fish can scare away the big fish and not get eaten.  Isn't that a good story?  Yeah, I thought it was alright.  Then what is this book doing on banned and controversial book lists in many parts of the country?

If anyone (in this area) can guess correctly WITHOUT looking it up or asking someone else, I'll bake them the delicious treat of their choice.

You have two days.  The answer will be posted by thursday.