Book Club

 

So Steph thought it would be fun to do a book club via blog and of course I agree. One book she has been wanting to read is Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen. I read part of it during the summer and I have to read it for class this next term, so we thought what the heck! So grab a copy at your local library or check out this site to read it online http://www.online-literature.com/austen/northanger/ . It is an easy read and it will be fun to see what you all think about it. Enjoy!!

We are going to use books from my next term reading list to keep it all going :)

here are a couple of rules we are going by:

Rules:

1. Comment to let me know you'll be participating and make sure you provide a blog or other social media way of discussing the book.

2. Read the book

3. On Jan. 2 post your thoughts on the book and we'll commence with our discussion. I'm thinking best way is leaving comments on each person's entry. If you have any other ideas, please

Just thinking

Well, I feel like writing. I don't know what I wanna say exactly so I will just ramble! Yay for you. my sleep is totally out of whack. I have been up until 530 in the morning every night this week. It is making me very tired during the day.There seems to be a pattern with me...and I think it is associated with my addictive nature and television shows that I can watch instantly on netflix! I tell myself that since I am crocheting Christmas presents that it is ok that I waste so much time watching television. BUT, I have ten or more books I would like to read this Christmas vacation...not to mention the other two my cousin Casey recommended that I went and checked out from the library. So basically, I am wondering why I am feeling so stressed about this when I am on break from school. As I am writing, I am processing...forgive me. I think that I need to not stress!! Yes excellent plan.I think that if I want to watch some tv it is ok...but now that I have finished the series I was watching, I think I will move on to my books.

I started a new one called Jane which is a modern version of Jane Eyre; I am on chapter five and I already think it is brilliant. I also have Love is a Mix Tape, by Rob Sheffield..Casey recommended it. I read a bit the other night when I got home from the library and I am really excited to finish it. I also have a book written by Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angels. I bought that one back in September. Amy finished it and says it is awesome...and I can't wait to read that one either! AND I also have Three Cups of Tea that I bought in September as well... SO there you have it! I have plenty of interesting reading material... I better get my butt moving...perhaps I should read instead of blog...hmmm

Robin Hood the BBC Series **(Spoilers)**

So last night I finished the BBC series Robin Hood. Needless to say I am rather sad that it is over. Not only is the series jam packed with action, adventure, and justice; but it it is also jam packed with super hot British men!  Jonas Armstrong plays Robin Hood and he is super cute. Although he isn't my favorite,I do love him. We also have Richard Armitage...and he would probably qualify as my favorite. His character is Guy of Gisborne and he is a bad guy, being that he is the sherrif's right nad man. And even though he ends up murdering Marian at the end of the second season, he is still beautiful. He is also in North and South...not the civil war movie, but the British movie based on the same named novel by Elizabeth Gaskell (she is one of my favorite authors and if you are interested you can check out her works on the link and even read her literature online). In his other roles he plays a good guy and I strongly recommend seeing him in other roles. And let's not forget the beautiful Joe Armstrong, not related to Jonas and possibly more attractive! Joe plays the sometimes confused Alan A Dale; he is part of robin's band of Merry men, but he has a bit of a selfish streak. No matter, because whether he is fighting with Guy of Gisborne or fighting with Robin he is hot.  There is also Sam Troughton who plays Much, Robin Hood's right hand man and most loyal friend He is not the best looking of the bunch, but I do love him. He does have some beautiful eyes :) there is also Little John, played by Gordon Kennedy, Will Scarlet played by Harry Lloyd (he also plays in an episode of Doctor Who with David Tennant) and Djaq (Jac), Anjali Jay in the first and second season, but Will and Djaq leave because they are in love at the end of season 2. (Djaq is a girl fyi).

Jonas Armstrong

Richard Armitage

Joe Armstrong

Sam Troughton

Harry Lloyd

Gordon Kennedy

Anyway, why am I rambling you ask? Well, I got really attached to all the characters and now I am sad that there is no more to watch. They cancelled it at the end of the third season. Which is really ok, because the writers were a little bit ridiculous and took things a little too far in order to be edgy. But all in all, I will miss their exciting adventures. I recommend this show especially if you are all about fighting for what is right and hot British men! ( Little John isn't hot, but I can't leave him ouot cuz he is amazing).

What to do?

As I sit in my room this fine afternoon I am confronted with several options, all of which seem unappealing and leave me feeling restless. I have to finish Dracula  by Thursday. This presents a major problem because I have no desire, NONE whatsoever, to read the novel let a lone finish it. At first I was intrigued by the book but I got behind and went to class without actually reading some of the assigned readings and I am finding that I can get by without reading it. This could be bad news bears when it comes to midterm time. BUT it is beautiful outside and I want to go for a walk...but then I would be procrastinating and then there is that paper I have due on Wednesday that I am really worried about that I have started, but can't quite bring myself to get started on. And if I do anything besides these assignments I am just putting off the inevitable; Note that I say this as I am TYPING up my Blog...which is neither consequential or beneficial to the completion of any of the tasks I have afore mentioned. My day has gone somewhat like this : Rolled out of bed and managed to curl my hair, turned in my paper on Frankenstein,  then I went to class and we discussed postmodernism and the whole complicated theory of the self or lack thereof...very confusing... then I got a signature from my professor and proceeded to the registrar's office, Big Town Hero for a delicious sandwich that unfortunately had delicious mayonnaise, bacon, and avocado on it mmmm. I arrived home and managed to read 3 whole chapters of Dracula interspersed with facebook checks, popcorn munching, and even a bathroom break. Finally after receiving an invitation to my cousin Casey's baby shower in Arizona I gave up on homework and proceeded in purchasing baby clothes for his baby :) I love Internet shopping. And then I was distracted by the prospect of changing my profile picture. Ultimately I succumbed to the temptation to look at Steph's blog and catch up on her Scottish adventures. And even though I did not myself feel like blogging you can see that I did anyway. And here I am sitting at the computer wondering what I should do next... I think I will walk. At least my procrastination in that sense would be beneficial to my health right?

Social Life?

It turns out that not having a social life is much more beneficial for my school life...who'da thunk it right? I am also discovering that not having a TV with DVR also works wonders. (Although, Netflix does cause a bit of a distraction, but I am endeavoring to keep my watch instantly viewing down to a minimum). I finished Beloved and I will say that I was actually happy with the ending of the book and I would recommend it to someone. I also finished Frankenstein last week...this one I would only recommend if you have someone to read it with and discuss it with. Tonight I just started Dracula and I am actually really interested in it... AND No, it has nothing to do with my previous insanity regarding Twilight. It is actually super creepy! I actually couldn't put it down tonight. I never would have thought Bram Stoker could be so chilling. ( not as frightening as say The Ring was...it is just creepy to imagine these things happening to you...

OK enough book recommendations: I lost four pounds this week..although I may have ruined that because I caved and bought an Oreo shake...two days in a row. I have all the excuses in the world. Mostly I was just feeling bad about life..blah blah blah blah. So tomorrow I AM GOING TO THE GYM when I get off work.  And I will do it with or without my ipod. Since this was the only excuse I was giving I will not use it anymore. The gym has a television and I am certain that I can find something useless to distract me for thirty minutes while I pound away at the elliptical machine. My goal is to go at least 3 times this week. Doctor wants me going five times a week, but I am starting with baby steps since I do have a paper to write about Frankenstein due this week...ok ok it is only a rough draft, but I am in serious mode...

Speaking of serious, I looked online at Grad School programs. Now I have to remember to breathe right here because when I look at all the requirements and then take into account all the application fees I tend to get a little light headed from hyperventilating. BUT I must prevail. I cannot let a little anxiety over tough circumstances scare me into idleness. So I will start with the basic: GET my GPA up. Not a lot of people know but I let some seriously stupid things get in the way of my success at school this last year. I let things slide and I got myself into trouble with school, but I am on the road to recovery and I am retaking classes and my GPA WILL improve :) I am not about to make that mistake again...It was a man that got in the way...let me rephrase a BOY. Holy moly,,,,NEVER again.  There is more to the story and perhaps I will write a little more about it but basically a male was at the heart of the matter and I made a huge mistake and I will not let that happen again. Anyway, I grow weary from all my ranting and I am going to indulge into some mindless Netflix watching since my homework is all done for tonight.

Postmodernism

So I am learning about Post Modernism right? Riiiiiight.... Ok The theory of Postmodernism is at best VERY VERY confusing. But I wanted to share the gist of what I learned in class on Wednesday. It has been brewing in my brain for a couple days now and I want to rattle on about it. The name Postmodernism gives is basically self explanatory...it is a movement that occurred/ is occuring AFTER Modernism... I don't really feel like explaining the whole history of  it, but basically there are a bunch of different eras literature and other medias of expression have gone through since basically forever and it  all affected what people did in order to express themselves in things like Literature and what not...it's kind of fascinating to me, but then again I am a LIT major lol. Anyway, I digress. Basically the whole movement is based on what some theorists (mostly French...go figure)  theorize about how we deal with becoming individual and creating the self ( how we put ourselves on the map so to speak)...haha I am laughing even as I type this because I am confusing myself. But these guys like Jameson, Lyotard, Baudrillard, and others who I can't remember at the moment all have an explanation and each explanation varies a bit. In fact they don't always agree with each other. BUT MY POINT IS that the whole idea of social networking, blogs, literature, art, and all other forms of expression are each different ways how we as individuals not only try and express ourselves, but how we try to be heard or to connect with one another.Connecting is a huge huge huge part of it. AND THEREFORE my blogging is part of how I as an individual am trying to put myself  "on the map" or trying to be heard and basically connect... And thus anyone who is reading my blog is a part of the post modern movement!  THE END

Beloved

So I am reading a book called "Beloved" for my post modern literature class. You might remember the release of a movie with the same name starring Oprah Winfrey...It was a movie I was never really interested in seeing because I was going through one of my phases when I didn't particularly think I cared for Oprah. Anyway, when I saw the book on the reading list I was a little disappointed because I remembered the movie got horrible reviews and I really wanted to read something that was not lame. NOW I am not recommending that anyone run out and purchase this novel, but I do have to say that the story is quite compelling and a quick run to the library to check it out might be recommended. I won't give you a full synopsis ( I am saving that for the paper I have to write in a few days), but I will tell you the basics. It is about an escaped slave. We all have heard about how horrible it was for slaves and I have always thought the whole idea was terrible of course, but reading this book really puts some of those things in a whole new light. Basically this slave woman has gone through some awful
things and

***spoiler alert***   
 in order to keep her children from having to return from slavery when she is about to be captures she attempts to kill all four of her children and actually succeeds in killing one of them. OK OK I know, why would I recommend such an atrocious book? Well I only recommend it if you are in the mood for something thought provoking and since I actually won't finish the book until probably Sunday then I recommend it cautiously. Since it is a post modern book there is a very very strong chance that the book won't have an ending that satisfies a need for happy endings. Another warning: The descriptions of life as a slave are incredibly graphic and are not recommended if you have a weak stomach.

Wow! After reading what I just wrote it doesn't seem like anyone would actually "want" to read the book. But it was on my mind and thus I rambled about it :)