09.24.08
Whatever we may think or affect to think of the present age, we cannot get out of it, we must suffer with its sufferings, and enjoy with its enjoyments, we must share its lot.
~John Stuart Mill
06.11.08
The Power of Books
One book that:
1. Changed my life:Seeing Past Z: Nurturing the Imagination in a Fast-Forward World (I wouldn’t necessarily say that the ground shook when I read this but it changed the way I want to raise my kids and the way I view the world so I think that counts)
2. I’ve read more than once: The Night Trilogy by Elie Wiesel
3. I’d want on a desert island: Henry James (you have to read slow which would help if I’m trapped somewhere for ages)
4. Made me laugh: Eat Pray Love
5. Made me cry: The Sparrow
6. I wish had been written: too many to count but I’m working on this one (I intend to write them myself)
7. I wish had never been written: are there any of these?
8. I am currently reading: Starbucked and The Gathering
9. Been meaning to read: Inkspell
04.18.08
Writing Exercises
This morning during a writing class we practiced what happened when you write with your non-dominate hand. The topic was, Childhood Home, and here’s what I came up with.
There are so many memories associated with living in the Mohave Dessert.
Cool tile floor under bare feet in the morning
Sunburnt afternoons in the sand pits of constructed forts
Hours spent swinging from tree branches in the sultry weather of an early spring day
The waning summer captured in an evening of piano tinkling, my long hair trailing over the keys, candlelight flickering in the distance. The vision of my parents waltzing gently in the background as the stars began to poke their heads out of the giant velvet blanket of the sky.
01.09.08
What am I?
There is a class I’ll be attending this quarter that promises to be particularly challenging, if not frighteningly maddening. The topic is gender and rhetoric which is not my strong suit, partially my reason for taking the class. However, the true topic of the class is feminism and rhetoric, which also interests me and again-not my strong suit. The only frustrating part is every one else enrolled for the class. I think mid-way through the two hour seminar I had the intense urge to start banging my head against the table in front of me.
First off, there’s the young undergraduate (by the way, I’ve turned into a complete snob and I despise taking classes with undergraduates. I’d like to petition that the amount of time and money I’m spending on my Masters entitles me to classes with only my peers present) who has lots of high ideals and strong opinions but very little actual knowledge to back every thing up with. Then there’s the student sitting next to me who wanders off into the realm of her personal life for no apparent reason and feels the need to share with every one her emotions and current crises. Lastly, we have the highly intillectual and very opinionated bunch that won’t let the rest of us get a word in edgewise. In the academic community we’ve moved further down the rungs of Dante’s hell to poststructuralism (for those of you struggling with postmodernism in contemporary culture I’m here to tell you that that’s “so yesterday” in academic circles) and nothing makes sense anymore.
A large part of my problem, I know, is the fact that I’m not huge into theory because for the most part it doesn’t translate practically into the real world. I get easily fed up with going round and round about how to define “man” and “woman” (one suggestion was lactating and non-lactating individuals and there’s always simply “chair persons”) or whether it’s more beneficial to seek equality for all the oppressed or focus on special interest groups, of which I’m apparently one since I qualify as a woman.
All this to say that gender and rhetoric is going to stretch me and while I dread some of the fist fights (figurative of course) that we’ll all be engaging in, I am very excited to hear what the professor has to say. She is a brilliant woman who knows a lot about a lot of things which means I respect her opinion far more than any one else in the class, even if I disagree with some of her views.
10.09.07
“…if riches cannot eliminate need, but on the contrary create new demands, what makes you suppose that they can provide satisfaction?” Boethius, 524 A.D.
I have been reading the Consolation of Philosophy for a Medieval literature class and have been thinking about Boethius’ premise that the ultimate good and happiness is found in God. His arguments are fascinating in a world where postmodernism has eroded any absolutes and almost everything is arrived at subjectively. I am also fascinated by the mix of early Christian theology with Greek mythology and the Roman system of worship which involves a great number of gods. Boethius seems to fluidly move from one of these standpoints to another as though they are not in direct opposition to each other. Even though some of his points are extremely off-base in my opinion, such as the fact that by obtaining the ultimate good we become gods, there are some very basic premises (like the little blurb above) that are excellent reminders for the 21st century reader whose life is so wrapped up in fame, power, wealth, prestige, and the “rat race”, as we call it. Boethius is reminding his readers that to strive for material goods and human glory is an incredibly vain pursuit because in reality it gets you nowhere.
10.02.07
I was reminded of this book, The Red Tent during HC last night. John was talking about an Old Testament incident where Dinah was raped and her brothers insisted that her agressor and his entire tribe be circumsized and then they massacred all of them while they were still healing. Anita Diamant tells the story from Dinah’s perspective, bringing in many rich details concerning the lives of women in Jacob’s family. She writes a powerful, moving story about the beauty of female community, the loss of tradition that takes place when stories aren’t passed down, and she gives voice to a woman whose appearance in the Bible is decidedly brief. While, of course, you must keep in mind that this is fiction I appreciated Diamants respect for her subject matter and the thorough research she performed before writing the book. It also made me want to go back and reinvestigate the Old Testament. A worthy read for any one, man or woman.
08.16.07
If you haven’t signed up for goodreads yet, there is no better time than summer to get started. This site is a great way to keep in touch with all of your friends who enjoy reading. You can swap book recommendations, start a list of “to-read” titles and generally just keep informed about what every else is reading. I like it because each year I set a goal for myself of a certain number of books I would like to read before December 31st and goodreads is an easy way to keep track of all the titles I am through so far.
my ‘read’ shelf:
Austen Enthusiast
I have found an author who is also an Austen Enthusiast and she happens to be an excellent writer herself. So, how that I’ve reread pretty much every Jane Austen novel three times or more I have started in on Elizabeth Aston’s Austen novels. As a well-educated Oxford lady with a true love for everything Jane Austen she has creatively continued the legacy of the Darcys. Currently I am reading The True Darcy Spirit which is the story of Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s granddaughter. The stories are delightful, entertaining and Aston adds a few slightly modern twists but doesn’t detract from the feel of Pride and Prejudice.
