Finished Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl.
This book is a mix of two of my recent favorite genres--paranormal YA and gothic fiction.
It's set in the south, a town called Gatlin. (There are not corn children and He Who Walks Behind the Rows does not appear.)
Ethan has been having a lot of weird dreams lately--he's trying to save a girl he loves (who he has only seen in these dreams) and failing. When he wakes up, there's generally a ton of dirt in his bed.
A new girl shows up on the first day of his sophomore year and it's the girl from his dreams. And things get weirder from there.
Such a fantastic book.
Up was just named one of AFI's 10 best of the year. (In case you're curious, the others are Coraline, The Hangover, The Hurt Locker, The Messenger, Precious, A Serious Man, A Single Man, Sugar and Up in the Air.)
I just watched Up a few days ago, so I'm counting it as one seen. :)
It's the latest Pixar offering, so not surprisingly, it's really good.
From the time he was a child, Carl has wanted to be an explorer like his hero, Charles Muntz. That's how he met the girl who would become his wife, Ellie. They never ended up going anywhere, though. After she dies, he decides he's going to go on an adventure, the one he should have taken with her. Except there's a stowaway (Russell, the little boy on the cover) and things continue to not go as planned.
This is a really cute movie, and I liked it. (But why are you so bloodthirsty, Disney/Pixar? Why do you always kill people?)
My husband has a Pre-Vet bachelor's degree, a master's degree in Veterinary Parasitology, and a PhD in Medical Microbiology.
My mother has a bachelor's degree, my father a master's in Education.
My sisters Beth and Esther have degrees in Spanish and Midwifery, respectively.
My little brother is in his last year of medical school, before he begins a cardiology residency.
My three sisters-in-law (Todd's sisters) have between them three bachelor's degree; two of them have already started work towards their master's, one is in the process of applying for a master's program.
My father-in-law has a law degree.
Of my six brothers-in-law, one has a law degree, one a master's in accounting, one a psychology degree, one a bachelor's in social work, one is in medical school (like my brother), one is working on his PhD.
Is it any wonder that I feel like the least educated person in my family? It's because I am!
The idea of why we do this to ourselves is on my mind during finals week as I wrap up this 21-credit hour semester. While I should be revising for my Shakespeare 442 final tomorrow, I am instead reflecting on the alternatives* -- what I would be doing if I wasn't battering my mind against religious dissent in the Middle Ages (and other topics of that ilk). I remind myself that while I may be the least educated person in my immediate circle -- surrounded as I am by those with multiple graduate degrees -- I am also accomplishing something that three quarters of the population will have neither the opportunity, nor perhaps the ability or desire to accomplish. All of this work will be worth it when I model for my kids the value of education, and when they see the legacy they have been left by their parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
*And stuffing my face with chocolate. That goes hand-in-hand with finals.
I like falling asleep, but i hate 'going' to sleep. falling asleep means i'm tired and comfortable, and i've found myself laying flat somewhere with time to sleep. falling asleep usually happens on the couch, on my fiance's lap, or in bed on top of a book. falling asleep always happens ON something.
Finally managed to catch up with the first five episodes of Misfits (hurrah for the internet!), just in time for the series finale this Thursday. The pitch used in a lot of reviews was “Heroes meets Skins”, but really it’s more like “Smallville meets Shallow Grave”. The premise of juvenile delinquents getting stuck with superpowers while serving out their “ASBO”-enforced community service is a very strong one... one I wish I’d had myself, in fact. There are plenty of great jokes (verbal and visual), mixed with some serious spills, chills, and thrills... so it’s all rollicking good fun. My one criticism, or concern, would simply be that on a British TV budget, you don’t exactly get an X-Men movie level of action and adventure. The stories, by necessity, have to be kept quite small, and focussed around the community centre where they serve out their sentences... and even then, the series is almost over before us late-comers have even started watching. Imagine the uproar if Buffy or Lost had only been on for six hours a year? Doesn’t bear thinking about. There are a few self-reflexive lines at the end of the first episode about how this sort of superhero stuff just doesn’t happen in Britain, and they’re right, of course... more’s the pity. The show also backs up my theory about “affirmative action” and genre fiction... in that a lot of superheroes gain their powers through freak events, so there’s always the potential there for minorities, or otherwise disenfranchised people, to score a major cosmic break and leap ahead of the pack (in a single bound!). It’s a shame that this potential is so rarely exploited.
The “misfits” themselves are a good mix of clashing, complex characters, and they’ve assembled a great cast of young actors to fill their orange jump-suits. Unfortunately the one I identify most with is probably Simon (Iwan Kehoah), the creepy, no-mates video-geek... although I’d like to stress than I’m not nearly as pervy or dysfunctional as he is. Robert Sheehan steals most of the scenes as angel-faced gobshite Nathan, while the mystery surrounding his past crimes and current powers really kept me hooked. I was also relieved that the writer demonstrated that there was a definite downside to being such a smart-arse. Too often the “jester” character is left free to mock everyone and everything around them, without ever experiencing any fallout... but here, his “fresh mouth” (as Judge Judy would say) is pretty much the cause of all his problems and he knows it, but he still can’t stop himself... so there’s genuine pathos there. And Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) gets possibly the greatest time-travel episode ever... well, since Desmond’s in Lost, anyway.
Still, the standout character for me was Kelly, the mind-reader who swings wildly between knee-jerk aggression, and genuine compassion. There was a sweet scene in the second episode where they’re all helping to look after a group of pensioners, and she inadvertently “hears” an old man think how thirsty he is. She immediately offers him a cup of tea... not because he’d asked her out loud, and she had an obligation to respond, but simply because she’s nice like that, bless her. She’s also the only character who actively attempts to break through Nathan’s defences, no matter how often he pushes her away, or thinks about having sex with her. At one point I thought she might even become the group’s leader, since she’s clearly the most authoritative and calm in a crisis, but sadly that didn’t come to pass. As far as I’m concerned, Socha is the star of the show, with a firm handle on the mood swings her character goes through, exposing the vulnerability and humanity beneath the explosive “chav” exterior. She is also, as one wit on the E4 website so eloquently observed, “well fit”. As far as I can tell she hasn’t had many roles before this one, so let’s hope there are plenty more entries on her IMDb page by this time next year, and that some of them are comedies... preferably written by me. Seriously, I have scripts ready and waiting... let’s do lunch!
We went to a living nativity tonight. Libby is now desperate to convert to the church that put it on. "So, how exactly do you join a church?" she has asked me at least half a dozen times.
"I was wondering," she said, "why there are only two tickets?"
"Because just you and I are going," I replied.
"WOO HOO!" was her response.
On the way home, we belted out a duet of "Silent Night" which was exquisite...ly painful to hear.
Finished The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Colleen Coble for Thomas Nelson.
Addie learns (as an adult) that her parents aren't actually her parents. Instead, she's the daughter of Henry Eaton (beyond wealthy man) and has been presumed dead for 23 years. She wants to get to know her family, but won't say who she is without more proof (all she has is a locket that belonged to her biological grandmother). So she decides to become a governess to her nephew (by marriage).
Her nephew's father turns out to be quite the good looking widower and sparks fly pretty much immediately. (Again, they're not related, John was married to Addie's half-sister.)
It's an entertaining book, but I had two problems. The first was that John and Addie fell in love pretty much instantly, which I didn't think was all that realistic. And the second is that Addie is perfect. Like Beth in Little Women, perfect.
Still, a fun book and especially appropriate to read at Christmas. There are also a lot of twists and turns (some I did see coming and some I didn't).
This is my photo of the day on facebook:
Such a sweet, feisty pug. She's over 10 years old. Somehow, I don't think she'll go quietly into the night when her time comes. Somehow I sense this....
"It's not a competition for who does more to help around the house. But if it was, I'd be winning."
We both think we do the most. Nothing will change our minds.
My Groups
-
The Vox Meetup Group Updated: Yesterday
-
This American Life® Group Updated: Yesterday
-
Theme of the Day Updated: 4 days ago
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
