Asian Fun and Then Some

Seriously Scummy.

2010-05-11T20:09:00.002-04:00

I've already been frustrated with the recent influx of "sex scandals" and infidelities from celeb husbands and even more irritated with the "I have a sex addiction" cop-out. I completely believe in sex addictions and know how difficult the struggle many people have with controlling their sexual impulses and the deep rooted issues that accompany a sex addiction. However, I think that cheating on your wife a bunch doesn't automatically mean you have a sex addiction nor if you go through "treatment" are you magically "cured." Right now I think claiming "sex addiction" and going through "treatment" is just becoming a big fat cop-out and a way to not taking responsibility for your disgusting actions against your spouse and family. These men definitely need therapy because I don't know how you can deliberately hurt your spouse and family in such a way without having some major intimacy issues, but lets wait before we cry "sex addiction" please.

Even with my recent disappointment and disgust with all the recent celeb infidelities, I was absolutely crushed (okay, slight exaggeration, but I was really bummed) to find that my favorite vampire with a soul is now added onto the list of scummy husbands. Yup, once Angel on my all-time favorite vampire show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, David Boreanaz has admitted to cheating on his wife with at least two different women and while she was on bed-rest due to her high risk pregnancy! He was even texting one of his mistresses while his wife was in labor! Jeez, could you get any more scummier? I've also become a fan of Bones but I find it hard feeling so positive about a character when the actor underneath the character is so scummy towards the person he is supposed to love and respect more than anybody else in the world.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle : A Book Club Review

2010-05-03T17:12:00.003-04:00

Asian Fun:

I both loved and hated The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. Had I known that the novel was loosely based on Hamlet prior to reading it, perhaps I could have braced myself better for the tragic ending. However, I was not aware of this and I'm one that gets completely enveloped into good books so that when it became blatantly clear, I still did not pick up on the clues making the ending a spiral of despair for me. More so than even the original Hamlet.

What made me love this book was that the story was one of pure beauty. I, as most people who know me know, am obsessed with dogs and so the eloquence and grace that Wroblewski writes about the dogs in this book was touching and truly beautiful. He creates an idyllic life at the beginning of the novel. Not perfect, of course Edgar Sawtelle is mute with no explanation and must live a life of somewhat isolation, if it weren't for his dogs. However, there is peace and love in the story that is both satisfying and enviable.

Of course this has to end, and so it does with the entrance of Clyde, the troubled uncle of Edgar. The events that follow lead Edgar deeper into isolation and his family down to a dark path. The ending, while again, could have been anticipated if I'd known any better, was too bitter for me to completely love the book. I didn't expect a big red bow or anything, but to give us something so beautiful and then to crush it into tiny little pieces, that just didn't leave me with a fuzzy feeling at the end of the book. I was crushed and did not feel any hope at the end. Sure, the dogs survived, but survived to what? What was their fate to be? Wandering around as stray dogs, the line ultimately forever lost? I suppose they were free and could do as they pleased, but in our world today, stray animals just don't survive like wild dogs used to. In the end it felt as if all was lost and only because of that I cannot give this really beautifully told story five stars.

Puerto Rican Pecan:

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, written by David Wroblewski is a beautiful allusion to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It’s a love story, a story for animal lovers, and a tale of the intricate interweaving of family dynamics. As I read this book, my main thought was that I wish that I had this book while I was in high school, struggling to understand Hamlet. While it only loosely follows Shakespeare’s story line, Wroblewski deftly portrays the emotions and complex relationships that the Sawtelle family have with each other, and the dogs that they breed. In the author’s interview in the back of the book, he talked a little about how he used his childhood home as the backdrop for his novel. He uses powerful metaphors, really capturing the scene’s beauty and yet, casting a mist around it that almost makes it seem like a magical place.

One of the gems of this book is the story of the dogs, and how they play into Edgar’s life. I especially loved the relationship between Edgar and his best dog, Almondine. She is Edgar’s voice, his emotional compass, and his very best friend. She seems to be the eyes and ears of what is not said on the Sawtelle farm, giving a “voice” to the ghosts and mystery of the place. Wroblewski takes his time in the novel to explain the breeding and development of the extraordinary Sawtelle dogs, a dog that was actually bred for personality, not appearance. This provided a welcome place to dwell within the novel when it became too tragic. Like the characters in the novel, the dogs are the focus when all goes wrong. It binds the family together, for good and bad.

On the downside, this book is a tragedy. If you’ve read Hamlet, then you know that the book cannot possibly end happily. *If you haven’t read it, then skip this last bit.* However, unlike Shakespeare’s masterpiece, we get to know more about the mental state of Edgar when he dies. I felt a sense of serenity about him, and really felt happy for him. It was as though all the trouble and the drama were forgotten; he could be at peace with those he loved best.

This book may not be a beachside read, but it is a beautiful retelling of a timeless classic. It is definitely worth picking up.

Let the Great World Spin: A Book Club Review

2010-04-03T15:48:00.004-04:00

Asian Fun:

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann won the National Book Award for Fiction 2009 for good reason. In a series of interconnected short stories, McCann paints a diverse picture of New York City in the 70s. McCann has the magical ability to capture the heart of both a rich woman grieving the loss of her son and a prostitute grieving the loss of her daughter. He is able to present each character with brutal honesty but at the same time extreme compassion.

I found some of his stories so beautiful and moving, McCann's language is fluid and he finds a beautiful and unique way to describe connection, loss and love. I also appreciate McCann's style, he "shines a light on the dark corners of the world" (well, New York City anyways) but without compromising the integrity of the story. Having worked in social work, I've seen some of the darker sides of humanity and as painful as it is to face, McCann does not exaggerate the suffering that some people are forced to continuously endure. I felt that McCann handled these darker sides of humanity with a grace and honesty that's difficult to balance. Its a credit to his talent that he was able to balance these two forces beautifully.

If you're looking for a unique and beautiful American novel, then dive into this literary masterpiece and know that even in the deepest despair of any story, you'll be rewarded with hope and the beauty of language by the end of this book.

Puerto Rican Pecan:

Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann, is a book about NYC in the 1970’s that centers around one day in the life of several characters, and a moment that brings them together in unpredictable ways. While well written, this book was a seriously depressing book for me. People abused drugs, experienced poverty and unfair treatment from those around them, were killed, abused and were abused. And through it all, there was almost nothing at the end to inspire hope. I was happy to have finished it.

This book, while not my cup of tea, did have some good parts to point out. McCann’s character, Corrigan, was an interesting person to follow in this book. I loved his embodiment of God’s word, truly giving of all that he had in mind, body, and worldly possessions. I loved watching his internal struggle of trying to decide whom he loved more, Christ or Adelita. And what’s more, I appreciated his ability to look past wanting to do what he liked, and instead liked what he did. I also enjoyed reading from the perspective of the tight rope walker. McCann created a conflict within me through this character because, though the majority of the book is doom and gloom, the tightrope walker casts the light of beauty and optimism over the mayhem that ensues below him. I wanted to stop reading, and yet even I was drawn to see more of the book through his eyes.

*Spoiler*

In the end though, the doom and gloom of Tillie Henderson’s story caught up with me. It was as if McCann chose every bad thing that could ever happen to a person, and then acted them out on Tillie. It felt overdone and overplayed, and by the time Tillie hung herself, I could only feel glad to have her out of the story so we could all finally have a little peace.

Here’s the bottom line – if you like melodrama and want something to make you feel better about your own life, then this book is for you. Otherwise, take a pass on this one.

Supporting an Athlete.

2010-04-01T10:15:00.004-04:00

It is no secret that I'm a Steelers fan mostly because of Ben Roethlisberger. I followed him in college and continued to follow him when the Steelers drafted him. Once watching the Steelers, my husband and I just fell in love with the hard hitting, Defensive team and its been the Steelers for us every since.

So what do you when your favorite player, someone you've actually met and found to be a nice guy and whose jersey you own has been accused of sexual assault twice in twelve months? Having volunteered for the Rape Crisis Center for years I feel reluctant to judge the accusers as I know how hard it is to actually prosecute when you've been sexually assaulted. If the accusations are true at all, then all my sympathy are with the women. But it is also not uncommon for athletes to be falsely accused due to their status. I feel torn and disgusted about this whole issue. On the one hand, if these women are lying, then they're making it harder for real victims to prosecute because they're setting up the precedence that women lie about this sort of thing all the time, when in fact only about 8% of accusations are found to be false. But on the other hand, if Big Ben's misusing his fame and his strength to assault women then he should be in jail and I'm disgusted to own anything with his name on it. But until all the facts are in, I feel like I'm in limbo. I doubt it will be, but hopefully this will all be cleared up before the next season starts, if it'll ever be cleared up at all.

To Write or Sleep?

2010-04-01T09:54:00.003-04:00

That's the question I've been wrestling with these past couple of months. I'm a one hundred percent night owl. If it were up to me, I'd stay up until about 3am every night then sleep in until about noon, but unfortunately the world isn't on the same page with me, and I'm forced to adjust. One of the most difficult adjustments is with my writing. In college, where I've written my best work, I'd have the liberty to stay up late and sleep in (okay, so I'd skip some classes sometimes to sleep in, but who didn't?) But now I have to wake up early for my job, so I'm not able to take advantage of my most creative window of the day, 12am-3am. I still get my most creative story ideas around that time of day, usually when laying in bed a story will play itself out in my head, plot, characters all the way to the ending. I'll even have some paragraphs written out in my head and I'll swear that I'll write it all down when I get some time the next day. That free time doesn't usually happen until the evening the next day, around 8pm, and by then the magic of the story is lost on me and I can't remember all the parts to it or what had made it so special. I do keep a notebook to jot down ideas next to my bed, but I'm usually half asleep and so tired when my mind is writing that even that seems like too much work. But it makes me feel like a slacker writer. How do you do it all? Have a normal life and also fit in writing? I've certainly tried writing sometimes during the day or early evening, but its not my prime time for creativity and so it feels like I'm always forcing it. Do I need to train myself to be a writer at all hours of the day or do I need to give up some sanity and sleep and write at night like I used to?

Say You're One of Them: A Book Club Review

2010-02-28T21:06:00.008-05:00

Asian Fun:

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan is a series of short stories told through various African children's eyes. It's a book that captures multiple interests of mine - Africa and children. The stories are unflinching in the face of the cruelty the children in the stories are faced with whether its a twelve-year-old hooker, child slavery or fleeing violence.

I'm torn about this book. On the one hand, it speaks exactly to my deepest and most passionate interests. Also, as a writer, I tend to be unflinching and blunt as well, and so in theory this book should have been right up my ally, but in fact, I had a difficult time getting into this book. The most glaring thing that annoyed me was the dialogue. This may be a style preference, but in my creative writing class my professor advised us to avoid being overly literal when trying to convey accents, using the Southern accent as an example. He explained, and I totally agree, that it gets distracting if you use half spelled words or incorrectly spelled words in order to convey an accent and that it was better to do so subtly. Unfortunately this book is riddled with distracting and bad dialogue. By the end of the first story I wanted to tear my hair out reading that dialogue and this kept me from getting into the story.

I've been known to be a blunt and unflinching writer about the cruelty children have to endure. I've written about abuse, rape and neglect. In writing about these harsh subjects, I've learned that the most essential component is handling these subject matters with the right balance. Its important to not lose the story in your effort to shine a light on the dark corners of the world. Sometimes when people are passionate about a certain subject matter and they write a fictional story about it, they lose the essence of the story in trying to expose certain realities. I certainly understand the impulse, sometimes you want to shove certain realities in people's faces because it is That important for people to understand, but if in doing so you forget to honor the story then you shouldn't be writing fiction but non-fiction. When writing fiction, the story always comes first before any other agenda. This is something that I feel Akpan struggled with, and while I appreciate his sincere passion for the children of his stories, I also felt the sacrifice to the story itself he made due to this passion.

While both of these factors kept me from truly getting into the stories, I could appreciate the intimate information on the conditions of children in Africa. And for this reason I find this book invaluable for me personally. However, while I find this book valuable for my own personal and academic interests, I have to rate it as a work of fiction.

Puerto Rican Pecan:

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan is a collection of short stories written about several African populations, from the point of the child. I think that Akpan summed up his novel well, so I’m going to quote him. He said, “I think fiction allows us to sit for a while with people we would rather not meet.” This is exactly how I feel about his novel. What do any of us in America really know about people living in Africa? Sure, if you get up early on the weekends, there are telethons to “help the starving children of Africa.” There are news stories about the wars, the starvation, the AIDS crisis, complete with pictures of children with distended bellies and dirty, tear-streaked faces. This is the Africa we know. And it’s G-rated in comparison to Akpan’s novel. You would rather not read it, but for the sake of the reality in which Akpan depicts.

My favorite story was the one entitled, “Luxurious Hearses.” In it, a Muslim teenager is trying to escape from his war-torn city in the north to his father’s Born-Again Christian home in the south. I loved seeing how all the different religions converged on this bus, and how old traditions collided with new ideas. **Spoiler Alert** Akpan skillfully lured us into loving Jubril, the extremist Muslim hero, by showing his human side to us. Most of us know about biracial children, but Akpan shows a different version of this in his story. Jubril is bi-religious, his mother being Muslim and his father being Christian. Akpan shows how we all hide parts of ourselves that might make people loathe us. Though he hides his Muslim self, he struggles to try to understand the Christian self he is portraying. He feels much of the same struggle that biracial children feel in the U.S.; never being fully accepted into any one race. Because he is baptized, his Muslims friends can only see him as an evil Christian, and because he is missing his right hand, the bus full of Christians cannot see anything but an evil Muslim before them. Akpan shows us the similarity in the two religions, which really focus on finding salvation in doing right by others, and yet, their hatred of each other. When he is killed at the end of the story, I felt true shock. I think I was expecting the happy ending, even though I couldn’t fathom what he would do when he got to his fatherland. So beautiful was Akpan’s writing, I could really feel Jubril’s peace in his acceptance of himself before his death.

Everyone should read this book, because though the stories may be fictional, the people in them are not. Akpan’s children are real children. This book is depressing, painful, gut-wrenching, and it is also the responsibility of people to know.

The Horse Whisperer: A Review

2010-02-09T21:42:00.004-05:00

The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans is a book of loss, pain, love and healing. It's a book that I had read as a teenager and wept at the end of the book and that left me bewildered and devastated by what seemed to be an anti-love-conquers-all message. On a whim, I had seen the DVD while looking for a movie to watch with my hubby this weekend and talked him into watching it with me since I hadn't seen the movie or read the book since I was in high school. He grudgingly relented and fell asleep near the end of this surprisingly long movie. After watching the movie I remembered how moved I'd been by the book and decided to revisit it to see if it still would affect me in the same way. In many ways it did and in other ways it fell flat.

The Horse Whisperer is about the many different relationships that intertwine in people's lives. It starts with a horrific accident that causes the death of a girl and her horse, and leaves her friend and her horse maimed. The girl, Grace, loses a leg, and her horse, Pilgrim, loses all confidence in himself and the world around him. Grace's mother, Annie, is blunt and fierce. She is an ask-questions-later type of woman who acts when she feels helpless, and so when she sees that she's losing her daughter to a deep depression, she focuses her attention on a problem that seems easier to fix, Pilgrim. Her research leads her to a man named Tom Booker, a horse whisperer famous for being able to calm crazy horses. In a decision that permanently changes all lives involved, she leaves her husband behind, whose relationship with her was already strained after the many painful miscarriages they'd suffered together when trying for a second child, and drives Grace and Pilgrim from New York to Montana to have Tom do his magic on Pilgrim.

What remained as powerful as my memory of the book were the strength of the characters and your attachment to them, as well as the complexity of their relationships to each other. I enjoyed the characters and felt intimate with them, as if they were my friends, and other than one antagonizing character whose only purpose seems to be to set the climatical ending into motion, I liked all the characters in the book. The romance that begins between Tom and Annie was sweetly done, though sometimes corny and overdone, but it was enjoyable to read.

However, I was surprised at how subpar the writing was. I know I was only in high school when I read it, but I don't remember even noticing the writing, good or bad. This reading, however, sometimes I was distracted by the writing. Evans seemed to try too hard sometimes to be profound and it came off confusing or just plain corny sometimes:

And Annie leaned back her head and closed her eyes and thought, there is nothing but this. No other time nor place nor being than now and here and him and us. And no earthly point in calculating consequence or permanence or right or wrong, for all, all else, was as nothing to the act. It had to be and would be and was. (pp 386-387, mass paperback)

I mean, seriously? What is that paragraph? It was just too much. Also, while I'm not totally opposed to being blunt about sex, sometimes Evans was so graphic that I felt like I was reading a cheesy romance novel, which I do think this book is more than that.

My last quip about that book is that I thought the ending (the same one that had devastated my poor, over-romantic, over-emotional heart as a teenager) was just horrible - both in the movie and in the book. Neither worked at all with the characters! In the movie, Annie leaves Tom behind even though he made her feel "home" for the first time and she couldn't live without him. Bullshit, if their love was that profound then there is no way she could exist, even across the country, and not be with him. She would have gone back to him.

In the book it was much worse (spoiler alert for anyone who wants to read the book), after Grace finds out about her mother and Tom's affair, she rides off in a craze, only to have to be saved by Tom (of course!) where Tom lets himself be killed because he knows Annie could never leave her husband because she couldn't tell Grace what she was doing after all she'd been through. So since he can't live without Annie, he just lets himself be killed by a wild horse, in front of Grace who they're all trying to emotionally protect supposedly, even though now Grace already knows about the affair so half the battle of telling her and of Annie leaving her husband is already conveniently taken care of. What I don't buy is that its not in Tom's character at all to let himself be killed, more so, he purposefully puts himself in the line of the horse's hooves trying to be killed. It wasn't like the horse was killing him and he just gave up, no, he basically was committing suicide, which doesn't go with Tom's go with the flow, let things happen as they should philosophy. And how was that sacrifice helpful to anybody? Instead of dealing with her parents divorcing, but still having them both and since she already had loved Tom once, giving her the chance to love him again as a father figure, Grace now has to deal with the guilt that her reckless actions caused Tom's death, which will forever leave her mother's heart maimed and all the people that his death hurt. Hmm, yeah, that seems sooo much better for Grace's emotional well-being. Bullshit. At first I thought it was just the romantic in me that thought it made more sense for Tom to get injured enough that Grace feels guilt for her actions and is able to step back and look at the situation more objectively and is more accepting, and that Annie and Tom end up together because that's what was meant to be. Not that there wouldn't be pain to contend with, but it'd be manageable and it'd pass. But the more I thought about it, the book was leading up to that conclusion and with the characters as they are, its the natural progression of what would happen. What seemed to happen was that Nicholas Evan's leaned towards the over-dramatic (which seems to be his nature) and had to go for the big death to play with his readers' emotions. And his explanation of this ending?

Well, although Tom Booker is, in every respect, a real character, there is an important mythological aspect to him and to the story. He is, if you like, an immortal, the redemptive angel, the man in the white hat. There is a rule about such characters: when their work is done, they have to move on. They cannot hang around and 'mix it' with the mortals. For Annie and Grace to be free to get on with their lives, for the healing process to be properly complete, the healer-angel figure has to move on. Of course, he will live on forever in their hearts -- and in the new child that is born at the end of the story.

First of all, I can see how he was set up to be a bit mystical before Annie met him, but it definitely didn't come off that way in the book. You get to be in his head too much to see how human he is and see his past mistakes and his feelings, so whatever Evans was trying to do just didn't work out and therefore the ending didn't work at all, which is a shame. Overall I found the book enjoyable, though far less so then when I was younger and now I can see the many holes in the story. The characters do stay with you and how could you not love calm and confident Tom Booker. In an embarrassing way, I also find Robert Redford sexy, even if he's old as fuck. Its that same calm confidence that you love about Tom... guess Redford cast himself pretty well for the role of Tom Booker.

I was tempted to give this book 4 stars for sentimental reasons, but I just can't do it, so 3 stars it gets.

Olive Kitteridge: A Book Club Review

2010-02-03T14:53:00.007-05:00

The first of our Book Club Reviews:

Asian Fun:

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, is a novel that cuts directly to the heart of what it is to be human. You quickly realize as you're reading that this novel will be taught in schools for generations, in other words, it will be a classic and a staple of our literary education. Why? Not just because of the beautiful, concise and flawless prose. Or because of the unique structure of the novel - the book consists of a series of short stories that all in some way involve the title character, Olive Kitteridge. Its the human element and the heart in the stories that make it a classic. Its the honesty of what love and life are really like while still finding beauty in every character, no matter how flawed. Strout has a deeply empathetic and sensitive eye that translates into characters that are hard to forget.

Olive Kitteridge is a retired school teacher. She is blunt and direct while having a big heart. She struggles with her temper and pride, but is willing to reach out to those in need without a thought. Olive is a character that pops off the pages and perhaps that while she is a suitable driving force for this novel. In a series of short stories with sometimes no connection at all other than Olive's presence (sometimes consisting of only two sentences mentioning Olive) you learn the entire range of the human experience in Crosby, Maine. You learn about love, lost and pain. And through it all you see Olive grow and evolve as a character, sometimes through her point of view and other times through other character's eyes. What this novel structure does is give you a more multi-layered view of Olive as a character, and hell, you like her as much as you cringe at her sometimes. She makes plenty of mistakes and sometimes doesn't see herself very clearly at all, but other times she surprises you.

I don't know how to explain this novel other than to say that its a journey through the human experience, its sad, its funny, its touching and its heartbreaking. Can I say anything else to convince you to read it? Because I command everyone to go out and read it right now! Hey, it didn't win the Pulitzer for no reason!

Puerto Rican Pecan:

I found the book, Olive Kitteridge, to be a great read, but not necessarily an enjoyable one. The author, Elizabeth Strout, is an amazing author. The book’s format as a collection of short stories was a brilliant way to do a character study on one person. Instead of a story that reads from the beginning to end, you get to see what everyone else in the community thinks of Olive. I have to admit, this was confusing to me at first. I went into this book thinking that it was a regular novel, with one main story line and one set of characters. I kept thinking that some of these characters would reappear, and while some do, most do not. I liked this, as the titular character, Olive Kitteridge, is a little abrasive and can be overbearing to everything else about the novel. It offered me a break from her point of view and gave me a breather to see another perspective of her. I really enjoyed meeting other people in the community of Crosby, and getting to see a snapshot of their lives, while getting to see Olive in passing. However, it was realistic in a way that made it maybe just a little too real for me. People fought without resolution, people died of cancer, bad things happened to good people and characters didn’t end up better for it. Some of the stories made me feel like I was looking in on a private moment, like I shouldn’t have been privy to it, and yet, now that I’m there I have to watch the train wreck. And then there are so many stories of these older married couples and their disconnection with each other as they age. They live in the same house, do the same things together out of routine, but there’s no passion or spontaneity. The novel has such realistic portrayal of emotion that it feels like this must be what marriage becomes for couples, which as a newlywed, made it hard to read. However, the novel is so well written that you can’t help but want to read more, even when your instincts are telling you to look away.

I thought one of the most interesting parts of this book was the theme of love misunderstood. The one that stood out by far was the relationship between Olive and her son, Christopher. In Olive’s eyes, she’s been doing her best to love her son. She and her husband build him a house, they support him in his podiatry business, and are happy for him when he marries this woman after only knowing her for 6 weeks. However, in his eyes, you see a mother who was overbearing and yelled all the time. He felt smothered and pressured to be somebody that he wasn’t. How could she not know that she was smothering him? How is it that two people can have such a different view of the last 30 years? Was Christopher right that she denied any fault in herself, and that her “extreme capriciousness of moods” made him who he was? Or was Olive right that his childhood was fine, and that the therapist was putting words into his mouth to blame someone else for the way his life turned out? You’ll have to read and decide for yourself!

Movie Splurge.

2010-01-29T22:13:00.003-05:00

Due to a coupon received in the mail that allowed us to rent all the movies we wanted in January for $1.99 at Blockbuster, my hubby and I have gone on a movie splurge. Thought I'd share a little taste with you all if you feel like making a couch potato out of yourself.

District 9 - A documentary style SyFy movie in which a group of aliens, stranded on Earth, are forced to live in a refugee camp on Earth. The camp is filled with trash and is a breeding ground for illegal activity, often involving taking advantage of the aliens. After twenty plus years, the population's interest and welcome of the aliens has deteriorated and they decide to ship them to a different camp with worse conditions, when things, of course, start to go wrong. With an interesting story line, the movie held my interest but didn't necessarily suck me in. The documentary style was a bit distracting and the personality of the aliens could have been better developed, especially in a movie trying to show how exploited the aliens are, I felt like their characters were very poorly developed. The main human character, Wilkus Van De Merwe, was extremely annoying for most of the movie. He was very much the anti-hero for much of it, only to come through at the very end, but by that time you're not even sure if you like him anymore. It's worth the time if it sounds interesting to you, but definitely not a must watch.

Star Trek -I'd never watched the original Star Trek, but I was a Next Generation fan. My hubby was not a Trekkie of any degree and was reluctant to watch this movie with me but he was the first to admit that this movie was awesome! With a great and complex plot, interesting characters, great scenes, this movie was the complete package whether or not you ever watched an episode of Star Trek in your life. Definitely worth a watch, you won't be disappointed.

The Hurt Locker - How can you go wrong with a war movie with a female Director? In a blunt and ballsy movie about the Iraq war, The Hurt Locker takes you to war disarming IEDs with a wild team leader who doesn't seem to care if he dies during the job, a strong-willed Sargent who likes to do things by the book and a soldier who's just a kid and terrified to fire his first shot in war. In a tense life and death game in the middle of a violent war, you get a terrifying look at the different type of soldiers in the war and how the death and cruelty of war affect each one of them in different and yet profound ways. This movie had me on the edge of my seat the entire time and was well shot with compelling characters. Definitely check it out!

Terminator Salvation - I've been a fan of the Terminator movies since I was a kid, except for the last Terminator movie. This movie redeemed the Terminator series. I'm also a big Christian Bale fan, so that was an added bonus. It was fun to finally go into the future of this series after meeting so many of its occupants. The plot was interesting and the scenes were cool and action packed. Can't wait for the next Terminator movie! Hopefully Christian Bale will be in it again... hmm, yummy!

(500) Days of Summer - A fun and quirky Indie un-love story told in an nonlinear timeline with interesting actors. Its fun, quirky and shot in that artistic way that Indie films tend to be shot in.

The Wrestler - Though extremely bloody at times, a moving movie about the the physical abuse one will inflict upon himself for fame and a sport that he loves. This movie takes you behind the wrestling world. Whether you blame "The Ram" for his life circumstances or not, you do like him and root for him in the end.

Food, Inc. - Wow, I could say a whole lot about this documentary. It was both disturbing and disgusting. I was already leaning towards organic food as it was, but this just put me over the edge. Of course, big corporations once again monopolize the industry and tries to keep its consumers from knowing what's really going on, but when it comes to our food, its more than personal. What could be more personal then what you put into your body? This has led me to research Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) in order to buy local and organic. Definitely changed the way I live my life.

Up - I cried within thirty minutes of watching this movie. A sweet and adventuress story, though I wouldn't say its a kids movie, at least not young children. It has more serious tones to it and it was a little slow at times to hold a young child's attention. It was a very sweet movie.

Let the Right One In - For those who want a different sort of vampire story than the popular Twilight movies (though, this isn't dissing the Twilight series since I'm an addict to them as well, vampire movies in general are kind of my thing). This movie has a romance, but between twelve-year-olds (sort of, one had been twelve for a very long time) and has subtitles. It's a much more grotesque and dark vampire movie, but at the same time artistic and beautiful. The more you think about the movie the more you like it.

Busy Bee.

2010-01-24T21:22:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling extremely stressed right now, for a variety of reasons, but the pressing reason is that I'm cheering on my Vikings in a close and extremely painful game to watch (fumbles, Favre getting murdered every other play...) Speaking of, another fumble, grr... I'm tearing my hair out here!

This week has been especially crazy, work was demanding and on top of that, I was a bit under the weather, making for a foggy and stressful week.

Some updates, my friend and I decided to start our own book club so we can keep in touch since we live far from each other. We're going to alternate who picks the book every month and then by the end of the month both write a review of the book that I will post on my blog. This month I picked Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout since I was already reading it and also because I knew my friend would love it as I was loving it. I finished it last night and can't Wait to write my review. I might actually write it now as its fresh on my mind but wait to post it when my friend has written hers. I'm excited to read what she thought about it... I think this will be a fun thing for us and also for my loyal blog readers to get different perspectives on the same book, perhaps after following our reviews for a while you'll start finding yourself associating your reading tastes with one of us over the other!

My writing has been slow, but I have faith that it'll pick up. I'm excited to be getting back into writing an dam slowly feeling like more of myself as I get more into it.

Two minute warning, must focus on the game now. Sending all my positive energy to my Vikings.

The Write Stuff.

2010-01-13T22:17:00.003-05:00

I was able to get some writing done today, not exactly the sort of writing I wanted to - it was for school - but it was writing nonetheless and made me feel like I was getting back into the "writing chair." It's a slow process for me to get back into writing. I'm a shy writer, and it takes me a while to warm up. But once I'm warmed up I'm a full-time writer as in no matter where I'm at, who I'm talking to or what I'm doing my mind is on my writing. I suppose that mirrors my personality pretty well, all or nothing.

The Space.

2010-01-06T22:14:00.002-05:00

Okay, so in the spirit of honesty, I went out with a friend tonight instead of writing. I know, I know. If I'm going to take writing seriously then I need to make some sacrifices for it, but in all honesty, I'd been trying to get together with this friend for a long time and it was the only day we could both do it, also she had just found out some really good news so it felt like a good time to celebrate.

But, despite that, I still feel crappy for missing my writing night and now am too tired to do much but go to bed. My plan is to take the time I was going to write tonight and create my writing space tomorrow. Right now my desk is covered with odds and ends that I didn't feel like dealing with at the time and so just threw onto my desk. Guess I'll have to deal with them now if I want a place to write. I think creating a neat and clean space is important for me to focus on my writing. I like things organized and it would be distracting to have a mess out of my peripheral while trying to focus. Anyways, I'm going to count that as my writing session for the week because creating the space is an important part of the process for me and will help me get into the right frame of mind.

I'm both excited and terrified to get back into writing. What if I suck? What if I've lost what little talent I had? What if, what if, what if? The possibility of failing, of losing the hope of my dream is very scary, but scarier is the idea of never having tried. Cliché, but true. So next Wednesday, in my clean and organized zen-like space facing my beautiful back yard, I will face that blank page and while I may tremble, I Will type and spew out whatever I've been holding inside of me all these silent months and I won't look back. Honestly, I might not even read what I write that day, it might truly make me lose all hope.

Hmm, Lemonade.

2010-01-04T15:36:00.007-05:00

Thanks bunches to Suburban Rebel Mom for giving me the Lemonade Stand Award! I've only been back blogging for a couple of weeks and I've already got an award! I'll take this as a positive sign to keep blogging.

This award is given to bloggers who show great attitude and gratitude. The rules for accepting this award:

Put the Lemonade Stand logo on your blog or within your post.
Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.
Link the nominees within your post.
Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Sooo, without further ado, here are my nominees for the Lemonade Stand Award. Hope you check them out and enjoy!

Let me know if you become devotees to any of those blogs so I can take credit for your readership!

I Resolve.

2010-01-04T15:26:00.004-05:00

So if I put my New Year's resolutions on my blog, then I have to do it, right? I expect you all to hold me accountable.

So here we go:

I resolve to write fiction at least once a week. I know, that's low-balling it, but as a perfectionist I have to keep my goals small, otherwise if they're too big then I get stressed out about accomplishing it and then I feel like I won't and if you know anything about a perfectionist, its that its all or nothing so if you don't think you can do something perfectly then you don't do it at all. So I'm starting with one day a week (Wednesdays I believe will be my chosen day) and give myself permission to write complete crap for a while until I get back into the swing of things. After so many months without writing, I think I'll have a lot of crap to get out. I'll end each writing session with a blog on how it went, unless those posts end up being really boring, then I might stop blogging about my writing.

I resolve to read at least two books a month. Again, I'm low-balling it, but my life is pretty dang busy and I'm spread in so many different directions that I need to keep everything pretty simple in order to fit all the different parts of my life together. Reading is one of those things that I've let slip a little and I miss it, so two books a month at the very least. You can look for those book reviews.

So other than trying to cut down on my cussing and working out more (which I figured you all really couldn't help me out with either of those much), that's about it. Of course, its mostly about taking care of myself better. What social worker is good at taking care of him or herself? I haven't really met one yet. Ah, the nature of the job!

What are your resolutions, if any?

Never Let Me Go: A Review

2010-01-04T10:38:00.004-05:00

Much like his previous novel, The Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is a slow moving creature that drags you in bit by bit until you feel trapped in the novel but not sure how you got there. It's a novel about a group of "special" students, who are looked upon in fear even though their innocence cannot be doubted as the story is told to us by one of these students, Kathy.

*Spoilers Full Speed Ahead*

Although the plot couldn't be any more different from The Remains of the Day (what an awkward title!), from the minute you start Never Let Me Go there is no doubt that it was written by the same author. The restraint and reserve in Kathy's voice match's Stevens and of course there is the unrequited love that both miss just by the tips of their fingers due to their reserved character (although Kathy gets at least a little bit of it at the end). Both novels also discuss man's humanity in ways that make you feel that although as a whole our society can be monstrous, that amongst this horror there are shining stars of humanity, especially if you look for it exactly where you don't expect it.

Never Let Me Go takes you on some twists and turns at a sometimes exhaustingly slow pace, but if you stick through it, by the end your more invested in the characters and their fate then you realize. And although perhaps it couldn't end any other way, the ending leaves you feeling slightly depressed and unsatisfied. Why hadn't Kathy and Tommy run away to spend whatever time they could together? Perhaps it wasn't in their nature, but you wish that they had and that even if there were to be a bloody ending to that path, they would have at least gotten to spend whatever time they had left on their terms and with each other. I think they would have been happy with that.

I won't give the big spoiler away, but I will say that I was unaware of it for most of the first part of the novel, which obviously was Ishiguro's intent, and that it made the novel's message more powerful for me, so I'll leave that for you to discover on your own. If you have the time and patience for this novel, it is well worth the read. It gets in deep with you and forces you to view humanity with a much more cautious eye.

The Power of Fantasy Football.

2009-12-21T17:05:00.003-05:00

Just so I don't end the year 2009 with just one post (embarrassing!), I decided to explain how fantasy football is responsible for me going after my dreams.

It starts with a girl, obsessed with football and used to hanging with the boys when it comes to the sport. Then comes along fantasy football, now there's a point and use for all of her previously thought to be useless knowledge about football. Then came this year where said girl works at home with very little interaction with peers and she kicks some major ass in fantasy football and makes the playoffs in second place in the league. Then comes the game where said girl lets her husband (who did Not make the playoffs and was battling to not be last place most of the year - why oh why did she listen to him she now wonders) convince her to start Chris Jennings (RB Cleveland) over Maurice Morris (RB Detroit). This led to the devastating loss in which she would have won by over twenty points to a loss of two points.

All of this would have been upsetting in any given year, but this year where the girl was feeling isolated led her to tears. Yes. Tears. She yelled at her husband for a while, hoping that would make her feel better, but alas, it didn't. When she realized that perhaps there was more to this then just losing fantasy football. She remembered feeling down the last couple of days, the first time when she received an email from her old Creative Writing professor and mentor requesting an update of writing accomplishments to be sent to the English Department. Gulp. The girl felt a pain in her heart as she realized that if she were to respond her email would be blank. Then the very next day she was watching an interview of Eliza Dushku and heard her talking about how she'd just got back from Uganda to do research on building a trauma center for former child soldiers, and instead of feeling happy that someone else was pursuing her dream and helping the children, the girl felt her heart drop into her stomach in disappointment that it wasn't her that was helping the children.

Have you figured it out yet? Yes, I am said girl, shocking, I know. And after I was crying due to losing in fantasy football, that's when the realization hit that I needed to get back into something I was passionate about otherwise that little pain would just grow and I would just go crazier than I already was.

Thank you fantasy football.

Goals.

2009-12-21T01:01:00.003-05:00

I know its been over a year since I've last posted and I'm not sure anyone even checks this blog anymore or will bother to read it after all this time. Fair enough. I've been sucked from the virtual world with a lot of real world turbulence, both good and bad. Moving, traveling, etc...

But now I'm at a place where I've been given the opportunity to try to focus on my writing more seriously and get back into the things that I'm passionate about that has been left by the wayside while life has whisked me by.

So this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to start blogging again, mostly about my writing goals, progress and struggles, but also about the books I'm reading and my philanthropic interests, and lastly about my less serious interests such as sports, music, etc. - though some may doubt how less serious they are after seeing my reaction to my Vikes and both my fantasy football teams losing today.

And if people want to read about it, cool. If not, then this will just be my private journal about what's going on in my life. A place to dump my thoughts, keep myself organized, motivated and held accountable to my goals.

It's good to be back!

Flip of the Coin?

2008-10-02T11:29:00.002-04:00

I know this is past the fact, but I was annoyed by this Prior to the Twins/White Sox elimination game. With so many different measures the MLB could use, they use a FLIP OF THE COIN to determine who gets the home game? What about head-to-head record, in which the Twins were leading 10-8 or division record or something, not a flip of a stinkin' coin! I wouldn't be so presumptuous to say that the Twins would have won had it been at the Metrodome... but it would have been a different game and the MLB should re-look at that ridiculous rule.

Bring Back the Dump Truck!

2008-09-29T13:16:00.000-04:00

Could we have gone through any more Running Backs last night? That game last night was ugly and painful to watch and we really owe our Defense a big hug for giving us the win. Our supposedly improved O-Line is not only Not improved this year but now even more banged up than ever. With Simmons out for the season with an Achilles injury and Marvel Smith getting banged up, Ben's got a target the size of Russia on his chest right now. We also have key injuries on our D-Line to Hampton and Keisel (both out for the Jags game). Not to mention that we only have one healthy RB on our roster (Moore) with Parker already ruled out for the Jags game and our rookie, Mendenhall put on injured reserve and out for the rest of the season with a fractured shoulder.

I guess we'll be calling the Dump Truck...

P.S. I'll be at the Jags game Sunday night (Yay!), though it might be an extremely painful game the way things are going with the Steelers (Boo...)

Let The Analyzing Begin...

2008-08-16T18:36:00.003-04:00

It's Preseason time which means Steelers talk is back on the blog. With the help of Tivo and careful dissection, I've been able to glean these thoughts so far:

Our O-Line looks much improved from last year, especially with Hartwig in there versus Mahan. However, Ben's doing a Much better job of getting the ball out of his hands quicker and using his check downs more. He did throw that one bad throw, resulting in a tipped ball and ultimately an interception, but he learned from that mistake, seen by a play in a later series where he was under similar pressure and was trying to make a play out of it, but then you could almost see him stop and think and then throw it out of bounds instead. And of course, Ben still has his amazing escape abilities (shown in the picture above) that has made him such an exciting player to watch.
Our D-Line meanwhile looks much worse. The age of the line may be the culprit, as well as the fact that the line Cannot stop the run without Hampton in there, and even with him in there, he's showing to be a bit rusty (or out of shape). We didn't show much pass rush in the first half of the game, and I know LeBeau doesn't like to reveal his fancy blitzes in preseason, but the lack of pass rush was embarrassing for a while, but it started to come together a little bit later in the game. Our D still seems to have the "bend don't break" mentality, reluctant to give up the big plays but letting the other team move methodically down the field on us. I know Polamalu's not in there, but overall our D scared me a little. The only bright spot was Timmons who looked Fierce! Foote's getting old and could not complete a tackle last night, and Timmons seemed to be wherever the ball was tackling like a maniac! I loved it, it was great to see some good tackling from at least One of our Defensive players. Overall the tackling was sloppy and weak. Anthony Smith got in some good tackles, but he needs to be more consistent.
Stupid penalties on the offense better be preseason jitters and better not happen during the regular season. We lost at least two third and shorts because of them.
I think we'll be hearing "Ben to Santonio Holmes!" a lot this season!
The special teams Was looking better until that return for a TD, but I'm not too concerned about one blunder, overall our coverage was improved. Wish we could some more yards on our own returns though.
I'm glad Mendenhall finally learned at least One move by the end of the game, before his spin move he basically was as stiff as a pencil. Russell impressed me more than the rookie.
Jeff Reed, seriously? After looking like a stud hitting a 50-yarder last week (in Heinz field of all places, notorious for being tough on kickers) you miss a 42-yarder? Drink too much the night before?

I'll keep watching and keep you updated on my observations. I finished watching the game with mixed feelings... excitement about our Offense and doubt about our Defense. Watching the Vikes tonight...

How I Love Chaos In Bungal Territory

2008-07-21T20:30:00.001-04:00

Completely out of nowhere, the Bungals savior quarterback totally disses Ohio's beloved Buckeyes.

In his own words:

I cannot stand the Buckeyes.

It's amazing to hear what those guys think about that university and
what they think about that football program and Tressel and all the
crap I gotta put up with being back there.

I just can't wait for two years from now when SC comes to the 'Shoe and
hopefully we'll have a home game that weekend and I can go up there and
watch us pound on them in their own turf.

I'm really getting sick of it and I just can't wait for this game to
get here so they can come out to the Coliseum and experience LA and get
an old-fashioned Pac-10 butt-whoopin' and go back to the Big Ten.

Now I'm not a native Ohio-ian, but having lived there for about ten years it doesn't take a brain surgeon to know that the Buckeyes are Way more popular (not to mention way Better) than the Bungals. I'm salivating imagining the Ohio-ians now turning on their beloved Palmer. This is one time that I wish I were back in Ohio just to see the Bungal fans being forced to choose their loyalties. I think it's obvious what team they'd pick. Hmm, 7 National Championship Titles or 0 Lombardi trophies? I'll say this. Since living in North Carolina I've heard people singing the Ohio State fight song twice at bars here, I don't even Know what the Bungals fight song sounds like.

Burn Bungals, burn! Hehehe.

mai wen's Top Ten Best Trip Moments

2008-07-20T19:47:00.002-04:00

10. Getting attacked by monkeys. Actually, this wasn't one of my best moments, but it's a great story to tell despite the fact that it was terrifying while happening. Those monkeys mean business!
9. Shopping! Pearls, come to momma! Even my frugal hubby loved shopping in Thailand because everything was so dang cheap!
8. Getting cuddly with elephants.
7. Drinking Thailand "moonshine" whisky at a hill tribe while trekking.
6. Bamboo rafting on a raft that was contemplating on falling apart for the majority of the rafting.
5. Getting an elephant shitting drawn on my forehead in charcoal.
4. Hitting up the Thailand nightlife and very gracefully falling asleep at the sleaziest Thailand after hours bar.
3. Seeing my Bernie (Bernie is my college friend who I visited in Chiang Mai for those unawares) and lounging around her place enjoying her company and getting an insight on real Thai culture!
2. Getting to spend an obnoxious amount of time with my hubby, which never got old. I guess that's why I married the dude. :)
1. Finding an Australian Steelers fan in Krabi, Thailand.

Home.

2008-07-15T20:25:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I've been home for about a week now. Sorry I didn't post a "I got home safe and sound" post! I've been catching up on my time zone as well as other things, such as housework, hair appointments, friends, family, work, etc. Eeesh, you come home and don't even have a day of rest before real life comes flying back into your face.

I'll post more about the last part of my trip and post some pictures up this weekend if I can manage it. :)

Much thanks for your comments! Loved reading them while I was away!

Old Friends and Elephant Dung Paper

2008-06-30T06:54:00.003-04:00

I wanted to start with an explanation of my last post and why The Ant Wars was so traumatic to me, I hate no insect more than ants. Long story short, I grew up with an ant infested house when I was younger and was thus traumatized. I was just thinking about it and thought people might think I'm a finicky girly girl reading my post about ants, but I assure you for the most part I'm not. It's just those damn ants.

Anyways, I'm in Chiang Mai and have had an amazing time seeing my old friend from college here and meeting her man, Boon! We enjoyed some drinks, food and shopping at a night market last night where I got some amazing items for dirt cheap, just the way I like it. Later this week she's going to be taking me to get real salt water pearls for dirt cheap, I'm very excited! Today we went to a temple and an elephant show! Apparently the best elephant show in Thailand with elephants who have broke a Guinness Book World Record of the biggest painting painted by elephants... bet you didn't know that was a category did ya? It's a really amazing picture actually and the elephant show was so much fun, we even got to see a four month old elephant that was so freaking cute I almost wanted to take the little guy home with me. When I was feeding him bananas he looked like a little kid trying to eat chocolate cake and even proceeded to rub his face in the mashed up banana when he was done trying to eat it! My favorite item in the gift shop at the elephant show? Elephant dung paper. Recycling's great!

Tomorrow we plan on trekking through the rain forest, stopping in local villages for sleep. Just another day here in Thailand where elephants walking down the side of the road and trekking through rain forests are daily occurrences. As always, the experience of being in a place with people who live here is more rich than just visiting purely as a tourist, and we get the really great deals on stuff too! :) I've learned so much about Thai culture such as every Thai person has English nick names since many of their Thai names are too long or difficult to pronounce. Some of the nicknames? How about Guitar, Bong, Beer, Peach and Hamburger? You can't help but crack a smile, and nobody minds here with their laid back and accepting culture! I've also learned a lot about the non-profit community here and the issues that Thailand faces socially, which is great research for my future career as an International Social Worker!

I'll try to blog after our trekking adventure where I will actually get to ride an elephant! Wahoo!

P.S. There's a bar around the corner from where we're staying for sale for about $11,000 American dollars, Hubby and I are very tempted...

The Ant Wars.

2008-06-27T05:06:00.003-04:00

After spending a night in Bangkok, we landed in Krabi two hours late due to a storm that had cropped up over the Krabi airport. After circling in the air for thirty minutes our pilot took us to a nearby airport in Puk Tu (I'm probably butchering the spelling, will correct that later, promise) where we sat until the storm cleared in Krabi. Arriving in Krabi we barely landed before the said storm started up again and we were running into the airport drenched. And so our time in Krabi was to start in pouring down rain. I was warned that it was the Rainy Season.

Our hotel, Wanna's Place, is a mix of Thai and Swiss charm as that is the combination of the owners. We can see the ocean from our patio window and it is a spotless and gorgeous room. Perfect, except for one thing... it started when I noticed a line of ants circling our sink in the bathroom (Did I mention that we get hot showers here too! A real luxury!) And then we foolishly left a cup out that I had rinsed out rather than really cleaned and a swarm was in our cup on our dresser. Next a rebel piece of beef jerky crumb that I must have let slip from my hands while munching. After many battles of spraying my high deet bug spray and pouring handfuls of water over the ants around our sink, the war is well on it's way. We've gone into stashing anything resembling food in the mini-fridge as to not attract their troops. Though I do think they have renegade troops as later when we were getting ready to kayak we got attacked by some fire ants.

Attack of the Monkeys.

We signed up for a trip kayaking through mangroves and the lagoon, to end in a cave that we'd be able to kayak into. On the way we stopped to feed some Makah Monkeys. Before we were even out of our kayaks, one of the monkeys was on the shore welcoming us and reaching his hand out for the food he knew us to have. We began the process of handing out the bananas, nuts and fruits that we'd brought with us, me being the feminist/child activist I am, giving more to the mothers and the younger monkeys than the big male that was sauntering around (obviously the boss monkey, as our tour guide put it). After giving all my food away, I decided to walk around and check out the nature around the monkeys since it was gorgeous when I cross some invisible monkey line into territory that I was not welcome in and they swarm around me, lunging at my legs! Luckily they didn't try to bite since I did not go for the $500 rabies vaccination, but I was left deeply terrified of the monkeys. After my violation the monkeys became more aggressive and irritable with the other visitors as well and I'm not ashamed to say I ended up hiding behind two of my fellow kayakers from the damn monkeys! My favorite moment of the monkeys though was when I was trying to toss a nut up to a monkey on the cliff and she wasn't catching it so it fell down and hit one of the tour guides in the shoulder and he looked at me and screamed, "I'm not a monkey!"

Would You Like A Copy?

2008-06-27T04:53:00.004-04:00

Out of all the major cities I've visited, I'd have to say Hong Kong has been my favorite. New York City was too dirty and busy, London, about the same and I found the Tube and Subway ridiculously confusing. Hong Kong is clean and their subway system, the MTR, was amazingly easy to navigate. I mean if I can do it, a small child could, and we did see young elementary aged children using the MTR on their way home from school, all by themselves. Also, almost everybody speaks English and there's English under the Chinese characters on all the signs. So if you're going to visit China, not only is it much easier to get a Visa to Hong Kong than Mainland, but it's English friendly as well.

Sight seeing was fun but exhausting in Hong Kong and we hit some touristy areas. There really weren't many non-Asian tourists, so we still stood out where ever we went. But I was able to use my Chinese here and there, and even Tony utilized his Chinese that he knows, shocking some people along the way. :) Although he got himself in trouble once saying thank you in Chinese because then the waitress began to speak a slew of Chinese to him at which he had to shake his head and shrug his shoulders at. We also tried to hit up the non-touristy areas, which led us to a night market where I really only saw one other white person. We ate at a very authentic local restaurant that was out of meat, and although we tried to leave after we found that out, were scolded in Chinese by the waitress to sit back down and she brought us both out fried rice. It was good, but Tony wasn't satisfied, he had really wanted some meat. We also found this amazing restaurant called Taiwan Beef Noodle, it was freaking amazing. We want to start a chain in the states, although it could use a catchier name.

Other than constantly being harassed as to whether or not we'd like a "copy" handbag or watch or a tailored suit, Hong Kong was a fun experience. We also visited on of the towns on the coast, Stanley, at the suggestion of a Scottish bartender at an Irish Pub we'd stopped at. This bartender had been living in Hong Kong for 15 years and still wasn't fluent in what he called "Hong Kong Chinese" (also known as Cantonese) just to give you an idea of how easy it is to get along with English there. Stanley was very pretty, but definitely touristy.

Chinese Enough.

2008-06-23T23:02:00.003-04:00

After landing in Hong Kong exhausted and confused about the time of day, we realized we'd missed our shuttle to our hostel and so took an $8 cab ride instead. Our hostel was at the top of Davis Peak, and by top, I mean Very top. The narrow rode was scary and steep in the night time and I think our cab driver thought we were trying to take him to the remote wilderness to rob him or something. Our hostel was alright, very rustic and outdoorsy, and for one night as exhausted as we were, it did the job. And the view of Hong Kong was amazing! I'll post pictures probably when I get home.

We decided that it was way too far to Anything for us to stay there another night, so we found another place and left the next morning for it. We had awoken at 6:00am ready to go, but had to wait for 7:30am for our shuttle to the city. On our way to our next hotel, we saw early morning excercises, some doing Tai Chi. Our new place was in a bustling city street, much more diverse then any of the other areas we'd seen, and defintely a little Shady, but we had our own room and bathroom, so it worked. It is an odd thing to see so much of one race in one place, it really makes me realize what a melting pot the US really is. It also makes me feel a lot less Chinese being around so many Chinese people at once, all looking at me as a white tourist. It's something I've wrestled with before with my family, not feeling "Chinese" enough, mostly because I was often told I was too American or that I don't look Chinese at all by my family. When I was younger I'd desperately try to point out my Chinese features to my family, "See my slanted eyes here? See? That's Chinese!" But they would just shake their head and say, "Nope, not Chinese at all." I don't believe they said it to hurt me, my family is just brutally blunt and say what they think without any cushioning, a trait I have picked up myself.

Getting ready to head to Thailand tonight... will write more later.

It Should Be Legal To Trip Kids...

2008-06-22T19:17:00.003-04:00

And so our adventure to Asia begins with a crazy man in the Raleigh Airport making the Title comment in response to an innocent comment by Tony that there were kids running around like crazy at the terminal. He also said that kids should be leashed because they're like animals...

We're All Going To Die!

Before we left our friends who are watching our doggies told us a story about when the wife was coming back from another country recently after 9/11 and as they were taking off there was some turbalance, which in turn freaked her out into a panic attack and prompted her to scream hysterically "We're all going to die!" I had this story on my mind, not as a point of nervousness or anxiety, but humor as I boarded our 15 hour plane ride to Hong Kong.

To be continued...

She's Perfect!

2008-06-20T16:14:00.005-04:00

If I hadn't already had a lesbian crush on Natalie Portman, this would have done it...

Natalie has travelled at least twice to Uganda to support FINCA, a microfinancing organization aimed to empower women. Natalie is totally the ultra-ego of me, there are very few people I'd trade my life for, and she's definitely one, although I do really like to eat meat...

Check out this video of her talking about FINCA, among other things:

Also, check out this really good article on celebrities and philanthropy that mentions Portman.

I'm off to Asia tomorrow (first Hong Kong and then Thailand!) Hopefully I'll be able to post from abroad! Much Love!

Seriously, Damn.

2008-06-09T23:34:00.004-04:00

My heart aches for Uganda. I just hope that the Ugandan army makes some quick and decisive moves against Kony and gets the bastard. Or I guess they could follow this well thought out analysis and plan.

On a positive note, I don't remember if I ever posted this article about my dear friend, Abramz, in Uganda and the work he's doing there. You know, I might have mentioned a Break Dance Project in Uganda once or twice on this blog...

He's still doing amazing work in Uganda and has been getting a lot of support from different organizations. Although he didn't get selected for CNN Heroes (which I nominated him for) he's undoubtedly a hero and inspiration to many, myself unabashedly included.

I Don't Think Wolverine Would Be Flattered

2008-06-08T00:09:00.005-04:00

After a generation of a bad-ass attitude and a completely unique ability to extend claws from his hands, only to heal the wounds due to his mutant ability, Wolverine is no longer alone.

Generations of children (okay, and adults) have emulated Wolverine, who knew African frogs would beat us to his awesome mutant superpower? And the resemblence is quite unsettling:

I wouldn't want to run into that frog after it's been once again rejected by the psychic frog who is already taken by a preppy laser beaming frog, and yet said frog can't help himself but to love anyways.

Little Children: A Review

2008-06-07T22:05:00.003-04:00

Little Children by Tom Perrotta is a witty and satirical look into suburbia. But while some parts of the novel are obviously exaggerated, the question nags, is it really that exaggerated?

Having grown up in suburbia and currently residing in suburbia, I could safely say that I'm a fairly good judge on the lifestyle. Much in the way of one of my favorite reads from last year, Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris, Perrotta takes a lifestyle understood to be "boring" and shows why it's not, well, at least to the people living it.

While perhaps not as thrilling or lively as life in the city, Perrotta, as Ferris does, understands that it's the little things that consumes people's interests, and as they adjust to the comfy suburban life, whether or not you remembered your child's snack becomes as important as whether or not you'll get into the ultra-hip new club. Don't both measure your worth to some degree?

Wrought with intensity and humor, though at the same time, oddly realistic, Perrotta reveals the uglies of suburban life. The desolation of becoming lost in a marriage, the despair of having never found yourself. The fear that can infect a town, and the complexities of every character, from a loving father, to a resentful mother and finally to a pedophile. Perrotta layers each character honestly and realistically. He does not soften the blow of their ultimate faults, their selfishnesses and their insecurities. And yet he is able to show sympathy and respect for them at the same time. They come off as real people, multi-layered and whole. They are all struggling to find and accept themselves. And in the end, that is what they all have in common. That even though as adults, and parents, we're supposedly supposed to have it all figured out, that the vast majority of people don't.

Whether you judge these characters or not is up to you, but I found that I could not as I felt that Perrotta clearly did not intend for them to be judged. Or at least, he intended them to be stereotyped and then made it his purpose to pull you past the stereotype. Little Children is smart and challenges you to view people as wholes rather than by their stereotypes while at the same time making you laugh.

I also watched the movie and found it interesting. While I understood the purpose of the omnipresent narrative, it annoyed me and made the movie seem too satirical. The acting was good and I loved the casting of the characters. The ending I found both interesting and disturbing, as well as a little disappointing. The ending of the book felt right and felt as if the characters had clearly changed and understood themselves better. Meanwhile, the ending of the movie showed the characters somewhat changing but not in a satisfying way or to the extreme as in the novel. Sarah's transformation in the movie seemed really ridiculous and not at all the point, especially since it wasn't fear that transformed her in the book, but rather a true realization about herself and therefore I think that that transformation was much more powerful. And while Todd (or Brad, why bother changing his name in the movie I wonder??) followed through his transformation the same way as in the book, they left out one essential piece that had to do with his career, which was a huge issue for him throughout the novel. I found that disappointing as well because in the novel when he had his realization as a reader you're like, well, duh, yeah, that's totally what he should do for a living. Overall, I'm feeling a little so-so on the movie, but the book was just an excellent read, though I can see how it could rub some people the wrong way, sometimes I think you just need to get yourself rubbed the wrong way to shake things up. So go ahead and read it anyways.

5*

Favorite Time of Year

2008-06-02T22:10:00.006-04:00

I have to say that this is officially my favorite time of year... warm weather, cute summer dresses and skirts, vacations and birthdays! Not to mention a new plus, kids are out of school. That last fact used to be neither here nor there for me, but now that I work with kids for a living, this means I get to work with them earlier in the day which means I get to come home earlier than 7-8pm every night! Wahoo! And I used to bitch and complain when I'd have to leave work at 5:30pm!

My summer is completely booked, from family visiting here, to Thailand, back to Ohio for a wedding, birthday parties, baby showers... I've never had a busier summer in my life. And right after summer's over? School part time and work full time. When did life get so busy. When I think of my life a year ago, a boring ass job that sucked time away from me, to a whirlwind of a life that I don't seem to have enough time for. Someday I will find a balance between the two, I promise. But in the meantime, excuse me while I whirl away...

On June 21st I leave for Thailand with my esteemed hubby (mostly because I esteem him). Pictures and blog posts (if feasible) will be up from the trip while I'm there. I'm very excited, I've hit Europe and Africa, now onto Asia! Then Antartica, my true dream destination despite the fact that I've grown completely incompetent in the cold having moved to the South. 100 bulls couldn't drag me back up North!

Enjoy the sun, my friends!

P.S. It is my goal to catch up with my book reviews before I leave for Thailand.

Too Passionate?

2008-05-12T22:01:00.006-04:00

I've often been accused of being too passionate (usually by my mother). Usually my response is that there is no such thing as Too much passion. But can you have too Many passions? As a person who tries to fit in a ridiculous amount of life in as little amount of time as possible (I always used to think that I'd die young, after all), I've always been kind of intense. But it does sadden me when one passion begins to take over the rest of my life, such as my job as a social worker has right now. Sure I'm passionate about helping people, but when I come home too exhausted (or too late!) to write then I begin to wonder how can I loyally pursue both passions? Maybe I can't? Or maybe I can only do one at a time? Still figuring out the kinks in that one.

Either way, my loyal updates on the situation in Uganda has been slipping as well, although I have been keeping up on my own. In a huge disappointment, Kony did not show up to sign the hard worked upon peace agreement. The article I linked outlined where Uganda stands now and what the next steps could be for this country that hasn't seen peace for over 20 years. It is my hope that somehow in the next couple years I can become a part of this rebuilding process for Uganda.

Weapon X: A Review

2008-05-07T21:14:00.004-04:00

Weapon X: Wolverine by Barry Windsor Smith is the classic beginnings of Wolverine story. While sometimes the art got a little bit convoluted, overall it was very effective and old school, and the added psychological thriller element to the story really made this Wolverine story an interesting read. I really enjoyed the twists and turns in the characters of this story, especially since the story of the making of Wolverine is so well known. Overall I can't say much more about this read without giving away too many elements of the plot twists. As always, with the story of Wolverine, it does sadden me what people will do to other living things. Although it is, obviously fictional, to every story there is some truth behind it otherwise it wouldn't hold any sway or pull with the audience.

4*

A slight sidebar, I've been reading the three issue Logan series written by one of my faves, Brian K. Vaughan and drawn by Eduardo Risso. I absolutely loved Vaughan's Faith arc in the Buffy/Season 8 series and thought that Pride of Baghdad was smart and moving. I have to say that I've enjoyed this Logan series. Not necessary loved, but enjoyed. The art is fantastic and the storyline interesting. It doesn't necessarily add too much depth to the dark and storied past of Wolverine, but it's been an interesting read and a view of Wolverine in a different setting with a different love other than the tired and old "I love Jean Gray" mantra. I actually have obtained the third book of this series but hadn't gotten around to reading it yet, so I don't know how the series ends... hopefully it's explosive! You can't go wrong with explosions, after all.

Also, because frankly it doesn't warrant its own post, but the Essential X-Men Volume 1 by Chris Claremont received 4* from me because it has the classic X-Men stories in it. It was black and white, sometimes difficult to get through and contained a little too much of the corny super-hero dialog, but is definitely an essential read for any true X-Men fan.

Astonishing X-Men - Gifted: A Review

2008-05-07T19:24:00.003-04:00

The Astonishing X-Men #1 - Gifted written by my guy Joss Whedon brings back on old plot with a new fresh voice. Once again there are rumors of a mutant cure! With really great art and some added elements of character that Joss is so good at, this X-Men story has a couple of interesting plot elements and twists and is a fun read. Bringing back Kitty was pretty cool and I know a specific joy for Joss considering Kitty was one of the influences for my favorite vampire slayer. Nothing completely shocking in this first TPB of the Astonishing X-Men, but definitely a good start to the series which I hope will heat up in the next TPB.

5*

The Sandman - Season of Mists: A Review

2008-05-07T19:09:00.003-04:00

Hailed as one of the best out of The Sandman series, Gaiman's fourth Sandman book, Season of Mists, is a masterpiece in storytelling. In a story that takes Morpheus to Hell to rescue a past lover, whom he put in Hell, by the way, Gaiman once again tests your thoughts and perceptions of the nightmarish things in the world and turns things in a way to make human nature the scary thing that goes bump in the night.

Season of Mists is a complete story in that it has so many elements and layers to it and satisfies on many different levels. There is the love story between Morpheus and Nada and the interesting development in character for Morpheus when he admits that he is wrong. This story also explores the Sandman's family ties and the relationships that he has with the other Endless, including a lost (on purpose) brother whom in the end he chooses to respect and leave alone. The story also includes an array of interesting and new characters from many different worlds and dimensions whose interests in Hell are as varying as their appearances. Without a doubt one of the more interesting of the series that I've read so far and thought provoking as well. Again Gaiman's imagination delights and leaves me in awe.

5*

Reaching For Peace.

2008-04-01T23:13:00.002-04:00

As the Juba Peace Talks complete themselves and the peace agreement is waiting to be officially signed (despite mysterious postponements by the LRA), I ponder peace and happiness.

I've often reached for happiness in many different ways, my first addiction in books. Then came music, TV, friends, partying, etc. But after I learned happiness is more mercurial than that, I began to search for it in other people, in my career, in life circumstances. If only I had that perfect job, or that perfect dog, or that perfect house, or that perfect baby.

But now I feel as if I'm progressing to a new level of understanding of happiness. Real happiness at least, not just the immediate gratification pleasure happiness that our culture is so addicted to now-a-days. Happiness is that funny and kind note from a friend. Happiness is finishing a good book having learned something about yourself and life (I guess I kept that one from childhood). Happiness is a comfortable silence with a loved one. Happiness is learning something new. In short, happiness is a myriad of things bound together by one force... me. It isn't one Ultimate thing, but a million little things that make me happy. Maybe I'll never write that perfect novel, perhaps I'll never find that perfect job, but that doesn't mean I can't be happy and it doesn't mean that I failed in any way. This is perhaps one of the harder things for my overly ambitious mind to accept.

What is happiness to you?

Jhumpa is backa!

2008-04-01T21:14:00.003-04:00

And in my favorite form of hers too! As much as my disappointment in her novel, The Namesake, I'm thrilled that she's written another collection of short stories, which is her forte after all. Eek, so many books, so little money...

A Wrinkle in Time: A Review

2008-04-01T19:24:00.003-04:00

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle has been a warm fuzzy memory from my childhood for a while. I was fearful of rereading it because it had inspired such awe and inspiration for me as a child, I was afraid it'd lose that magic. Much to my pleasure, it was just as amazing as I remembered, and perhaps even more so with the growth of my knowledge in child literature.

To say that A Wrinkle in Time is innovative is an understatement, especially keeping in mind the time period it was written in (1959-1960, published in 1962 after nearly 30 rejections). The ideas are unique and push the limits of your mind (well, at least my mind, but my mind is quite limited when it comes to science), in such a way that as the introduction by Anna Quindlen says, I still don't completely understand the concepts of the book. The characters are strong and memorable, as well as faulty and realistic. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Meg is given the gift of her faults, what an elegant way to tell children to accept yourself, faults and all?

L'Engle created a beautiful and challenging book for children that can still strike awe and inspiration in adults as it did with me. I never read the rest of the books in the Time trilogy, but I've purchased them and they are waiting dutifully in my TBR stack. I can't wait!

5*

The Seahawks' Spittle Shocker!

2008-03-31T21:27:00.004-04:00

Two Super Bowls after the Seattle Seahawks poor showing in Super Bowl XL, fans are still bitter, and immature. At least he was arrested for this... oh yeah, and throw in a marijuana charge for good measure:

A 24-year-old South Kitsap man — and self-proclaimed Seattle Seahawks fan — was arrested Sunday for allegedly spitting on the hamburger he prepared for a man wearing Pittsburgh Steelers attire, according to Kitsap County Sheriff's Office reports.

Deputies said the 37-year-old man in Steelers garb took his daughters to a Mile Hill Drive fast food restaurant Saturday evening, and "began trading friendly barbs about his team and their victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL," reports said.

One employee told the man that he'd "better not say that to the guy that's making your food," but the man thought it was a joke, reports said.

That is, until he opened his "clamshell-style" hamburger container and discovered what he called a "loogie" on his hamburger.

The 37-year-old told his daughters to stop eating, demanded a refund and called the restaurant's district manager.

A deputy was informed by the manager that the person responsible may be a 24-year-old South Kitsap man who was near his quitting time when the incident occurred.

Eventually, the man confessed to spitting in the 37-year-old's hamburger container to "gross him out ... because he was a Steelers fan," deputies said.

He was booked into the Kitsap County jail for fourth-degree assault and possession of marijuana and released.

This is too hilarious to even be mad about, well, unless someone spit in my burger, of course. I think this Steelers fan can take one for the team.

Water for Elephants: A Review

2008-03-31T20:59:00.003-04:00

Sara Gruen's story, Water for Elephants, takes readers back to the Great Depression, circus style! Alright, so it isn't all fun and games, as it might sound. Gruen bluntly relays the cruelties and ugliness of the circus during the Great Depression, and not just to the animals.

Told by a male protagonist, Jacob, in extreme old age (90 plus years, he can't remember exactly), a story of horror, romance and grief unfolds. Reeling from the death of his parents, Jacob drops out of Cornell and runs off to join the circus, sounds like a familiar plot, right? However, this circus is one of odds and ends gathered from dying circuses around the country. In the Great Depression, money for entertainment is not readily available, making circuses a dying cause that era. Jacob quickly falls in love, the catch? She's married to a man who possibly has bi-polar (my own diagnosis after analyzing his erratic behaviors) and shows immense cruelty to both humans and animals alike. Enter Rose, the elephant. A smart and mischievous and therefore utterly lovable elephant who quickly becomes the center of the story. With a violent climax, Gruen tries for the big reveal ending, which worked for some according to a couple of girls in my book club, but for me I predicted it halfway through the book.

Added to the blunt realities of the circus, Gruen does not shy away from Jacob's confinement in the "old folks home." Written with stark realism and contrasted with Jacob's younger years of freedom and independence, Jacob's present life in the home is depressing and extremely well written. I actually liked the chapters of Jacob in the home better than the exciting flashbacks because of how well written they were and also for the fact that it's easy to make a story about the circus interesting, but to make chapters about an old man sitting around in an old folks home interesting, now that's good writing. I was touched by those chapters and found extraordinary understanding and compassion in Gruen's writing. And not that I'd culturally ever do so anyways (Asian cultures tend to take care of their own elderly with reverence and respect), but I know for sure now that I'd never let my mother's feet touch the floor of any nursing home.

I wasn't exactly sure of Gruen's purpose of making the story a flashback, however. A mutual consensus of the book club was that there wasn't a "bigger meaning" easily gleaned from this book. The best I can come up with is a comparison between freedom and confinement in many different contexts. First, with Jacob having the freedom of running off to the circus with his whole life ahead of him and then contrasting that with the confinement of a nursing home where he's not even allowed to use his walker without permission. Also, the confinement of the animals and later their freedom which reeks havoc on the circus. And also the illusion of freedom with the circus folks, although many of them were trapped in the circus due to their unusual appearances or out of fear of being redlighted. And of course Marlena's confinement in an emotional and verbally abusive marriage, when she'd thought she was freeing herself from a boring and tedious marriage when she ran off with August. This does seem like the most consistent theme in the novel, however it did not strike any "aha!" cords in me or move me deeply in any way. More so, this book seemed like a light, enjoyable summer read (despite the cruelty in the book). The ending felt a little bit too convenient and tied up with a pretty red bow, and some of it was not so much believable to me, but it was fine because by the end I didn't expect huge aspirations for the book. It was more of a good story just for good stories sake, and that's just fine by me. The characters were memorable and the story was interesting.

3*

The Sandman - Dream Country: A Review

2008-03-20T22:54:00.003-04:00

A small break in the continuous story of The Sandman for a book of short stories in Dream Country. While losing some of the suspense of the other books that was one continuous plot line, it added texture and seemed to give life to many of the smaller interesting ideas that Neil Gaiman had been musing over but had been unable to incorporate into an entire book on its own.

Gaiman keeps with his dark and disturbing ideas in these stories, especially Muse in which a Muse is captured and brutalized by two separate writers looking for fame and fortune. Gaiman also brings fun twists of perception as he idealizes a world run by oversized cats. And of course, the charming story A Midsummer Night's Dream, that brings the world of Faerie together with Shakespeare's famed play. The last story, Facade, came off a little flat for me, but all in all, it was an enjoyable read and once again it stretches your imagination.

Where does this crazy man keep getting his ideas?

5*

Eat, Pray, Love: A Review

2008-03-13T23:05:00.007-04:00

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert is a book about, well, one woman's search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia. The memoir is a brutally blunt look at Elizabeth Gilbert's "rock bottom" and her way back to happiness. The book invokes strong emotion from those that read it, so it seems, and tends be either loved or hated.

I took to the memoir without judgment, rolling with Elizabeth wherever she was in her journey. I'd been to the point in life where I was crying in the bathroom, unsure of myself and about my place and path in life. Who am I to judge her life crisis or her emotional breakdown? I found some of Elizabeth's methods of coping odd, but was okay with them because I have some odd ass methods myself.

The "eat" section of the book was incredibly slow for me because frankly, I don't care about food. I'm one of those people who if I could get through life without having to eat I'd do it. One less thing to do, after all. I'm also the type of person who can't function if I'm hungry, which really annoys me. I hate having to take care of myself overall, but having to feed myself three times a day, jeez what a pain. I also have fairly simple tastes, I'm definitely not a connoisseur of any sort of food, so in general, Gilbert's continuous descriptions of food fell flat on my tastes and I ended up skimming some of those parts, as much as I hate to admit that I skimmed, I did.

"Pray" was my favorite part of the book. As I'm a recent devotee to yoga and have been attempting to practice meditation, I appreciated Gilbert's frankness with the difficulties in practicing meditation and prayer. I felt that this part of the memoir touched me and met me where I was at spiritually, and frankly I'm more interested in developing countries such as India than any European country. I really felt touched by this section of the book and I admired Gilbert's devotion and struggles spiritually.

"Love" was entertaining and finally there was the juicy sex that everyone was looking for! Hope I didn't give anything big away, but for those frustrated in Italy that Liz wasn't getting laid by some hot Italian twin, fear not, her time will come. But this section also brings up some controversial topics when dealing with developing countries that I also had had some experience with. When someone Gilbert considers a friend begins to try to take advantage of her and get money out of her, Gilbert questions their friendship, but another foreigner to Bali explained to her that this was her friend's only chance to get anything in life and that to her this was survival for her and her daughter. I had a similar experience when in Uganda where a conference participant and someone I had considered a friend had told everyone that he had been robbed, again. Out of compassion many of the American participants gave him money to help him buy the things he'd lost only to find out months later that he had not been robbed at all but had lied to us to get money from us. I was both disappointed and hurt. But after reading Eat, Pray, Love I've thought about the situation a bit different, realizing that this Ugandan was in fact raising his two younger sisters on his own and did not have a job because the job market in Uganda is extremely sparse. It was survival for him, but on the other hand, did he deserve the money from us any more than the other Ugandan participants, all of which had their own individual struggles and family they were caring for, and yet they did not lie to us or ask for a dime from us? I always come back to my dear friend Abramz, whom I look up to and admire. He was helping children affected by the war with his Breakdance Project and paying for it all out of his own pocket, and also had not been able to obtain a job. And yet when I asked if I could purchase a copy of his CD, he refused to let me pay for it because he considered me his friend and would not take money from me. The only way I ended up "paying" for it was giving him a donation to his project in lieu of paying for the CD. So I guess I'm saying there are different ways people in developing countries can approach visiting Americans. One Ugandan took whatever he could get from them while they were there and then basically severed all ties with them since the lie, once revealed, made him untrustworthy. Abramz, on the other hand, decided to value the friendship more than the money, which was meaningful to me because although I know that I'm more well off than most of the Ugandans who were in the conference, I wanted to be seen and treated as a person, not a bag of walking money. And in return I've recently donated a large sum of money to Abramz, money I'd been saving up monthly for him, and that he'd never have dreamed of receiving. I can guarantee you that the amount of money that the Ugandan swindled out of us Americans was even half of what I've donated to Abramz, and I'm happy and feel fulfilled donating this money to Abramz because I have complete faith in his character.

Either way, I enjoyed reading this memoir. It provoked some thoughts and emotions about myself that I found useful and meaningful. Some of the ladies in my book club did not like this book because they felt that either it hit too close to home or that the author was "whiny." I guess I understand if it hit too close to home it'd be hard to read, but to call the author "whiny" and selfish annoyed me. I mean, um, hello, it's a memoir, it's supposed to be all about herself and her own thoughts. I found Gilbert extremely candid and brave and not whiny at all. Hell, I'd be twice as whiny as she was in many of the situations, so who am I to judge? Really, I had no judgment of the author's personal journey any more than I would of a friend going through a personal journey. Frankly, I'd have more judgment of myself than I did of the author because I respect people trying to figure things out for themselves and having the grace to find humor in it as well. I definitely don't prescribe to everything that she did for myself, but that's okay. Some of it was useful to me, other parts weren't, but it didn't bother me. Whatever I didn't find useful I just found entertaining and moved on.

4*

The Life Of A Social Worker.

2008-03-12T23:53:00.004-04:00

I realized that I hadn't posted on my blog for almost a month, and this is my quibbling explanation (or excuse, however you'd like to view it). Not only do I owe an explanation but four whole book reviews, which will have to be done another night since this is already pushing my bedtime.

But as it is, all the rumors and talk about social workers are true... it is hard work. Not that I'm complaining. I've chosen it and I truly love it, but it is exhausting and out of my love and passion it takes up far more than the measly 40 hours a week of any normal job (though, in the USA, that can be argued for many jobs now-a-days). I've been challenged and filled up more in these months in this profession then in the nearly two years as a Project Coordinator for an IT Consulting Company (god, that just sounds soooo boring and lame, doesn't it?) There are days I've driven home in tears after sustaining an hour tantrum by a child. I'm not sure if I've explained my exact niche in the huge social work field, but I'm what's called an Intensive In-Home Specialist, which basically means that I work within people's homes with the entire family for children who are either at risk for an out-of-home placement or are coming back from one. So when I say that one of my kids had an hour long tantrum, these aren't your run-of-the-mill tantrums I'm talking about. Either way, there are the stresses of the job that make me come home and tell my husband quite crossly that I don't ever want to have children. Then there are the days that I come home and tell my husband - making it clear that there is to be no discussion, of course - that if a certain child were to be put up for adoption we'd adopt him immediately. I've grown to deeply care for the children I work with, even those that most challenge me. It is great and fulfilling work.

But leaves me really freaking drained and with barely any time for myself!!

Needless to say, I'm still trying to learn the balance of the job. How much of your time, your heart, your thoughts do you give to the job without completely losing yourself? I'm toeing the line right now, and am reaching back to those things that are important to me to pull myself back a bit. Maybe if my loyal and very-angry-by-my-absence readers were to leave me comments demanding my attention back to my blog, I'll be more inclined to give myself the time to blog and write, which truly are important things to me.

Despite shamelessly begging for your love, I do promise to catch up on my reviews and to write interesting and intriguing blogs again about the issues that strike at my heart. Most specifically all that has been going on in Africa as of late, with Kenya in an uprising and Uganda on the verge of peace, my eyes and ears are pointed towards the news from these countries.

And of course the huge splashes the Steelers are making in free agency... I mean, hello, Mewelde Moore! Can the Steelers stop stealing from my other team please? Ahh, when loyalties cross paths, what's a girl to do?

The Kite Runner: A Review

2008-02-15T22:53:00.002-05:00

I had heard a lot of hype over this book and since the movie was coming out, predictably I made a huge effort to get this book read. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini was not what I expected. For some reason I was expecting a more politically minded, look-at-how-the-Taliban-has-changed-people type of book, but in fact, all of the main characters who stay in Afghanistan stay remarkably the same (except they get older and a little ragged around the edges). The Kite Runner is a well written book with a nice story behind it. It enlightens you on life in Afghanistan before and after the Russian occupation (and then the Taliban liberation... and then the Taliban occupation). It is a sad story about the fall of a friendship and the fall of Afghanistan.

Truth be told, I really didn't know much about the history of Afghanistan, and I sure did learn a lot from this book. That might be my favorite thing about the book. There are many nice things about this book. It has some really beautiful moments and scenes in the book. The description of the kite running was, of course, the most beautiful and interesting. The story of the friendship between the boys was interesting, but got a little old after a while. Overall, I felt like all of the relationships in the book end up coming off dry in the end due to being beaten into the ground. Okay okay, I get it, the father was distant from the son! How many more little examples do we need? I guess this is the product of a story being told in flashback, if it's taking place in the present then you don't feel like the character's just continually rehashing the same point over and over again.

The "Big Scene" that took place early in the book that haunts our narrator was disturbing and sad, and there were other scenes that definitely got to you and disturbed you. While I was interested enough to keep reading and find out what happened, many of the plot twists seemed a bit too convenient to me and just cheapened the emotion of the story. I thought the ending was a little quaint and anti-climatic (following the over-dramatic near ending, if that makes sense). The mood of the book just didn't feel consistent to me.

The inelegant point I'm trying to make is that while the book had some powerfully written scenes scattered about here and there and while the story was interesting, it just didn't grab me and it didn't stick with me after I was finished reading it. I was just kind of like, alright, it's over. Next book. So I guess I was disappointed with all the raving and ranting people had been doing over the book because all in all it was just alright.

3*

One Mango Tree.

2008-02-12T21:39:00.004-05:00

I've been meaning to blog about this great project, One Mango Tree, for a while. What's truly amazing about it for me personally is that I know the great girls behind this project because they're from the amazing group that I visited Uganda with! The project is to empower the women of Northern Uganda and I couldn't think of two better people to facilitate this project than Halle (the US Coordinator) and Kate (the Uganda Coordinator). And the products being sold are just awesome! I know I have a bunch of purses and skirts that I'd had made in Uganda while I was there and I just love them and it's so great that now you can get these unique and beautiful items online! I'm about to buy me a yoga bag! You can read a lot more about the coordinators and the Ugandan women creating these products on the website, One Mango Tree.  To read an interview of one of the Coordinators, check out this link.

And please, go online and buy buy buy!  Your money couldn't be going to a greater cause.

You'll be empowering women and helping people who have truly been through atrocious times.

And plus, the stuff is sooo cute!  Great gift items too!  Isn't Valentine's Day coming up?

At Least I Know I'm Fertile.

2008-02-11T21:25:00.000-05:00

According to the Chinese Zodiak, people who are born in the year of the Pig are extremely fertile. This belief and the added belief that babies born in the year of the Pig will benefit from the pig's image of being fat and happy has made this past year on the Chinese calendar a baby boom in China:

Chinese hospitals have been submerged in recent months under a tide of pregnant women; newborns are arriving in droves; and companies that manufacture diapers are upping their advertising budgets.

...
Since time immemorial, prospective parents have been told, children born under the pig's patronage will benefit from the animal's image as fat, happy and prosperous. Now, couples who schemed to have their babies in these blessed times are hoping for good fortune.
"My family already has two pigs, including my father, and I want to add one more pig," said a pregnant 28-year-old Beijing secretary who identified herself only as Ms. Lian.

Well this is good news to my family who are absolutely desperate (so it seems by the constant hounding) for me to have children... immediately. I am a proud Pig, but I've never heard of this extra perk of being a Pig until now. Maybe this fertileness will work out in my favor since I want to wait a bit longer to have children, so when I'm an old and decrepit thirty years old (which is Way too old to start having kids according to my family) I'll still be fertile enough to pop out a couple of kids.

Adrian Peterson - Pro Bowl MVP!

2008-02-10T20:22:00.000-05:00

Fortune Cookie.

2008-02-07T22:04:00.000-05:00

How did I celebrate Chinese New Year, you ask? Well other than going down to visit my folks this weekend (traditionally we Do celebrate Chinese New Year for 15 days after the new moon), today Hubs and I got food from our favorite Chinese restaurant and my hubby got this curious fortune...

Every man is a volume if you know how to read him. :)

And yes, the smiley face Was in fact at the end of the fortune. Hmm, a volume, like a novel? Is it trying to say that men have a lot to them if you can learn how to read them since they don't say things directly? And what does it mean that a man got this fortune himself? Maybe it meant something else by "volume" and we have a case of Engrish.

And speaking of Engrish, I was recently enlightened to this amusing website, Engrish.com. Meanwhile, my brother got some Engrish in person while he was visiting China. I'll definitely keep my eye out for some while I'm in Hong Kong this summer...

Picture courtesy of my brother.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2008-02-07T21:58:00.000-05:00

The Year of the Rat.

What The Giants Did To The Patriots.

2008-02-03T23:47:00.000-05:00

And yes, that is my actual dog getting humped by my friends' actual dog. Poor Vladdy...

I Should Have Been a Guy.

2008-02-03T13:46:00.000-05:00

As I do every year around this time of year, I'm beginning to feel a bit down. Not because it's the winter and cold and dreary (especially not that since it's 60 degrees and beautiful today here in NC!) and not because the Holidays are over... but because football season is coming to a close.

I'm excited about the Super Bowl party I'll be attending tonight, but I truly, really, seriously hate the Patriots and I'm not looking forward to seeing them make history. I'm a Steelers fan through and through and if any team's going to make history I want it to be Mine and none other. Plus, I just can't stand the chauchiness of Tom Brady and the sleeziness of Belichick. I wouldn't say I'm a Giants fan whatsoever, and up until the Giants' recent run, I've been less than impressed with Mr. #1 Pick Eli Manning, but the Giants are the lesser of two evils at this point and time.

After the Super Bowl, I do have the Pro Bowl to look forward to, especially since Ben is finally be recognized for his amazing season. Although I'm still extremely annoyed that the Steelers team decided to award LB James Harrison, who had one amazing game and a solid season overall, the team MVP award when other than that one Monday night game against Baltimore I wouldn't say we won or lost a game because of him. Meanwhile Ben had his most amazing season ever, was the second best QB in the whole league, second only to Tom Brady who broke the TD passing record, and Ben pretty much carried the team through a multitude of injuries AND behind a sorry and struggling O-Line and his team doesn't even recognize him? Not to mention that he has stepped up as a leader on the team. That irks me, but I suppose that's the Defensive minded Steelers for ya...

The draft is always fun to do some research on and prepare for, but then after that is the slow slow days of summer and no football. Depression. What's a gal to do with herself?

I've come to the realization recently that I should have been a guy. I've always gotten along with guys better than girls (girls are so catty after all!) I used to play football during recess with the boys when I was in elementary school, and played with some of my guy friends when I was in high school (full tackle too, and boy could I lay a guy out!) I wanted to play hockey when I was in junior high. Of course I lived in Minnesota so that wasn't too unusual, but we couldn't afford the start-up equipment. Most of the times I don't mind being a tom boy, but around that time of month (god, I don't Need that drama) and when my hubby's guy friends invite him out to boys' night out which includes something I really want to do (like watch football, go to a hockey game or a monster car show, etc.) I get annoyed. I don't care if he goes out with just his guy friends, but couldn't they just go out and get wasted like normal guys? Why do they gotta do cool things that make me feel left out? All I get invited to do from my gal pals is shopping, and while shopping can do a heart good, it's nothing like drinking some beer and watching a game! Let the testosterone fly! I think I've scared my father-in-law while watching a football game with him. Hey, girls have testosterone too, maybe my levels are just a smidgen higher.

Anyways, I'm off the the Super Bowl party and I sure hope the other girls at this party won't be yapping my ear off while the game is on! God I hate that!

Atonement: A Movie Review

2008-01-21T17:55:00.000-05:00

Having read the novel Atonement by Ian McEwan last year, I was eager to drag my poor hubby to the movie, though Keira Knightly was in it, so at least he had some eye candy (although she's suddenly skinny as a pencil, which is kind of unattractive to my hubby - much to my advantage).

I'm quickly becoming a pseudo connoisseur of books turned to movies (just because of my frequent reading/watching of them) and was pleasantly surprised by how well the movie followed the book (this rarely happens). The actors were well picked for the characters and the plot followed the book to a T. I felt that movie was extremely well done and the acting was great. I was impressed by the way the director, Joe Wright, incorporated a historical relevance into the movie because although the book didn't necessary give a historical relevance to the book specifically, the setting of the novel during WWI was a huge part of the novel and I felt that the historical relevance was naturally incorporated into the novel. Wright does so in the movie with class and in a manner fitting to the feel and theme of the movie. The movie was moving and powerful with a good pace and absolutely perfect editing. It's been a while since a book turned to movie (or just any movie out in the theaters recently) has been this satisfying and impressive to me.

Hopefully the Coen Brothers do as well with No Country for Old Men, which I'm planning on watching next weekend - as long as my hubby finishes the book by then...

No Country for Old Men: A Review

2008-01-21T17:38:00.000-05:00

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy was my first McCarthy experience. I actually own All the Pretty Horses but had never gotten around to reading it. With the movie out for No Country for Old Men I was finally motivated enough to read my first McCarthy novel and finally found out what all the fuss was about!

No Country for Old Men is a modern day western story. Partly told from the point of view of an aging Sheriff, the book is not only about the actions of the story, but about how it relates to the direction our world is going. The Sheriff seems to waiver between having hope and being hopeless about our world, and his narrative sprinkled through out the book add a deeper context to the story.

McCarthy's writing is to die for, literally (at least in the novel, literally!) He brings simplistic writing to a whole new level. His writing is amazingly descriptive, but the truly amazing part about it is that he barely goes into detail about anything at all! He's a master of describing a scene or a situation by the way a character says something or by their body movement. His subtly is extremely well calculated and well thought out, and something that I personally strive for as a writer. Of course I tend to over-describe (if you couldn't tell). His writing is so articulate and well thought out that I read somewhere that the action in the movie is literally taken from the book, word-for-word, which is usually very difficult to do when turning a book into a movie because of how much descriptions of action is left out or glassed over. McCarthy not only describes nearly every action, he does so with simplicity and clarity. The book is fast paced, suspenseful and an extremely satisfying read. And at the same time it goes much deeper than that, it is a well written literary novel that ultimately connects the story to a much larger and meaningful picture. In every way that I believe McCarthy could strive for, I believe that this novel was a success. I'm pushing my husband to finish the book by the end of this week so we can see the movie this weekend!

5*

The Sandman - The Doll's House: A Review

2008-01-21T17:27:00.000-05:00

The second TPB for The Sandman by Neil Gaiman series is called The Doll's House. The story centers around a woman named Rose who also happens to be a "vortex." The book is as dark and twisted as the first one, and illuminates many sides of humanity both truthful and horrifying. The art in this series is more vivid and brighter than in the first TPB, but still carries that horrifying feeling with it. As I said with the first book, this is not a book I'd like to read before going to bed! It was absolutely thrilling and once again a master plot written by Neil Gaiman. A must read for anyone who liked the first TPB or for anyone who loves a twisted, horror story. Gaiman's not afraid to lay it all out there for the readers and this series is not for the weak stomached.

5*

Snow and Stuff.

2008-01-19T16:36:00.000-05:00

Today was the first snow fall at my new home of Raleigh, NC! My hubby, having grown up in the Midwest and thinking this snow is no big deal, is out braving the crazy roads in order to run some errands. Let's hope the roads aren't as crazy bad as all the North Carolinians make them out to be!! Especially because I was dead set on watching Atonement tonight...

Today feels like a lazy, stay in cuddly day, and that's pretty much what I've been doing all day. I'm about to clean up a little around here, but I also hope to finish (or at least nearly finish) No Country for Old Men so that my hubby can read it next and then we can see the movie next weekend. No Country for Old Men is definitely a "guys" book, but as I am, as are many cool ass women, a tomboy at heart, I love it. It's written with amazing simplicity that I'm insanely jealous over and the action is so well written that I've heard the movie pretty much takes the action scenes word for word straight from the book, which is extremely rare and hard to do when turning a book to movie!! I really think my hubby will love the book, I'm excited for him to read it...

A couple of links for those feeling the adventurous bug. This is the non-profit that I traveled to Africa with. They are a really great non-profit that are good at making the relationships and equal interactions between Americans and the Ugandans the lynch pin of their program. Please share these links with anyone whom you think would be interested:

International Art Academy Immersion
More Than A Game! Sports for Social Change Immersion

Snuggles, everyone!

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: A Review

2008-01-13T19:10:00.000-05:00

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey is a great novel for anybody working in the mental health field to read. It takes place during the 60s mental health era, where shock treatments and lobotomies were generally accepted practices. In a book that was extremely well written and creative, it was disturbing for a mental health worker (like myself) to read. The mental health field is constantly changing and growing, and the newest perspective has moved from the "Case Management" perspective to what is called "Community Support." The emphasis on people learning to help themselves rather than having workers take care of people like they're helpless children. And inflicting shock treatments and lobotomies against people's wills is just flat out creepy.

I felt that the plot was a little slow as the plot wasn't necessarily the point of the novel, but rather the vehicle to illuminate the mental hospital and the characters involved. But it picked up near the end and the ending was inevitable. The characters, especially the narrator, Chief, were unforgettable and the story is sad on many different levels.

I also watched the movie. I liked it but felt that the book was much more powerful and effective in describing the feel of the mental institution. The way that Chief described the fog (of being on medication) and the Combine (the machinery of the government and society trying to control you) was brilliant in the book and definitely was lost in the movie. But it did pretty well overall reproducing the book, and it's unfortunate that over a legal dispute Kesey never watched the film. As if writers don't get screwed enough, stupid companies screwing them out of the movie earnings!! I mean, don't they know 95% of writers are poor as shit? At least if all they do is write and don't have another job too (which most now-a-days have to).

4*

Phew?

2008-01-13T17:52:00.000-05:00

So I'm tentatively releasing some of the that breath I've been holding in this past month as I'm easing out of the busiest Holiday Season of my life. Work was just crazy, and again I'll have to work this weekend on paperwork (I'm hoping that this will be the last weekend I'll have to do this for a while) and of course family coming and going from my house and driving down the Charlotte to see some family has taken its toll on me. This weekend is the first weekend with no family at my home and no traveling for me! Phew!

Things I learned this Holiday Season, Rock Band on XBox 360 brings the family together, which quickly leads me to the highlight of my Holiday Season, which was getting my mom to play Rock Band and her actually enjoying it! I also learned that sometimes it's just easier to accept an HD DVD player even when you don't have an HD TV from my mom rather than stirring up the pot of controversy by thinking of returning it (eesh, that was just a headache conversation with Mom). I also learned that some of my family members read my blog and take some things I write too literally (Don't worry folks, I'm not broke! Just one month of a paycheck mix up!) and also spread it like wild fire amongst my loving family members. No wonder my aunt was constantly asking if I was okay. She's a sweetie.

It was great to see my family and I really loved it, especially my cousin whom I rarely see since he's out in California. I also really love my job even though it's been crazy busy, it should be getting better since we've got a new girl on my team now (a big Phew there) and I'm just completely in love with some of my kids. It's so hard to not take some of them home with me!! Especially the ones that I feel like I have connected with and who I feel like I can actually make an impact with. Did I mention one of my younger kids gave me a big hug (totally initiated by him) right before the holidays because we wouldn't be seeing each other for about a week? Yeah, I almost cried, it was the sweetest thing!

Glad to be back.

Read in 2007

2008-01-07T23:18:00.002-05:00

Alright, so here's my master list of the books I read in 2007. All should be reviewed except for Stardust, which I really enjoyed and found a nice light airy kind of fairy tale for adults (there, that counts as my review, sorry, life's been crazy busy as of late!) I wish I had read more books, I definitely got caught up in the craziness that is life and slacked in the reading recently, but things are calmed down and I have substantially added to my ridiculous TBR pile with books from Christmas so I'm diving back into the wonderful world of the written word!

In 2007 I read 29 books which is roughly 2.41 books per month. That's pathetic! I'll blame moving and starting a new job for that. I'll aim for at the very least 3 books per month this year (which is about 36 books) but I want to hit a total of 40 books this year. I got my reading cut out for me, no more vegging in front of the TV! Well, except for Project Runway of course!

Stardust : Neil Gaiman : 4*

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Long Way Home : Joss Whedon & Georges Jeanty : 5*

30 Days of Night : Steve Niles & Ben Templesmith : 4*

Fray : Joss Whedon : 5*

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven : Sherman Alexie : 5*

Atonement : Ian McEwan : 4*

The Collected Short Stories of Amy Hempel : Amy Hempel : 4*

The Sandman - Preludes & Nocturnes : Neil Gaiman : 5*

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh : Michael Chabon : 5*

Reread : The Last Vampire : Christopher Pike : 3*

Tales of the Slayers : Joss Whedon : 5*

The Amber Spyglass : Philip Pullman : 5*

The Subtle Knife : Philip Pullman : 5*

The Golden Compass : Philip Pullman : 5*

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows : J.K. Rowling : 4*

Watchmen : Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons : 5*

Then We Came to the End : Joshua Ferris : 5*

Reread : The Shipping News : E Annie Proulx : 4*

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns : Frank Miller : 5*

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer : Patrick Suskind : 2*

Hotel World : Ali Smith : 4*

The Night Watch : Sarah Waters : 4*

Schindler's List : Thomas Keneally : 4*

Girl With a Pearl Earring : Tracy Chevalier : 5*

The Sportswriter : Richard Ford : 3*

Suite Francaise : Irene Nemirovsky : 5*

Notes on a Scandal : Zoe Heller : 5*

The Cleaner : Brett Battles : 4*

Crime and Punishment : Dostoevsky : 5*

That's My Boy!

2007-12-15T14:59:00.000-05:00

I'm mostly posting this for the last two/three minutes of the video where my boy does a rap for the environment, but it actually is a really great and educational video and well worth your time:

I'm so proud of my boy Abramz, he's saving the world in just Sooo many ways! He rocks! He's currently tops on my list for living heroes.

Women And Peace.

2007-12-14T23:26:00.000-05:00

Involving women in the peace building process of any country recovering from war has been an interest of mine for a couple of years now, since I started to more seriously research the psychological effects of war on children. This interest was further explored by me during my trip to Uganda, where it was often a topic of discussion as the Juba Peace Talks were beginning their long journey to which the finish is still not in sight. This is a topic that I would like to further explore eventually through my work and definitely through keeping up on readings, which brought this speech to my attention. Presented by Donald Steinberg, Vice President, International Crisis Group, to UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations Townhall Meeting on December 6, 2007, this speech is called "Beyond Victimhood: Involving Women in Peace Operations."

The first sentence that caught my attention was: It took me only a few weeks after my arrival in Luanda to realise that a peace agreement that is “gender-neutral” is, by definition, discriminatory against women. This sentence struck me because it just highlights how patriarchal most countries and cultures still are. Steinberg goes on to discuss how he discovered this fact when councils and meetings that were open to both sexes ended up being attended only by men. The reasons why this was so were not explicitly explored by Steinberg, but it's easy to give the reasons if you've have any knowledge on cultural structures in Africa. Most women are expected to care for the children and run the family. Leaving the home for any reason is often strictly forbidden, as in many countries women are not even allowed to work. To leave the family to attend a meeting is completely out of the question for many women, and so in making the peace agreement what Steinberg considered "gender-neutral" (because there were no genders identified in the document) was actually not gender-neutral because it was written by men and in the context of a man's world. Men attend meetings away from home, at least in the cultures we're speaking of, not often women. In order to be completely inclusive of both sexes, keeping women's lifestyles and responsibilities in mind mind is essential. Instead of having a town-hall-type-meeting, could they instead go into the villages and take the effort to walk from home to home to discuss the issues with the women? Maybe even have small gatherings at a couple of different homes where the women can bring their children. These are the considerations necessary in a world that is still rigidly defined by gender roles.

The next sentence that I was jumping out of my chair saying, "Yes! Yes! Why didn't I think of putting it that way?" was: Given the prominence of sexual abuse during the conflict, including rape as a weapon of war, amnesties meant that men with guns forgave other men with guns for crimes committed against women. I seriously got goosebumps with that sentence because it's something that happens in so many post-conflict situations and is a serious injustice to the Actual victims of the wars. Women and children are used as weapons in many wars, through rape or use of child soldiers, and yet they are ignored in the peace building processes. It's infuriating at the very least and completely unjust.

Steinberg outlines the current challenges facing women in the peace building process as:

Courageous and talented women trying to help build peace around the world still face discrimination in legal, cultural and traditional practices.
We have been unable to expand the scale of outstanding conflict resolution done by women’s organisations at local levels and extend them writ large throughout their countries.
Sexual violence and threats against women in power impose a stigma of victimisation and a real danger that makes even the most impressive and courageous women think twice before stepping forward.
Men leading peace conferences still exclude women or shunt them off to ante-rooms while “real” negotiations take place.

Steinberg outlines some good issues that are keeping women sidelined in many peace building processes, and he continues the article by offering some proposals on how to further correct this problem. Some of the proposals are more vague than others, but I particularly liked the one about rebuilding social structures of particular importance to women, because if you know anything about women in many high conflict areas is that they do not care about social change if they can't feed and take care of their children. Helping women meet their basic needs gives them the freedom to join the more social causes and the peace building process.

Overall I felt that Steinberg made some strong points about involving women in the peace building process. I wished the article went more in depth, but any focus or discussion on this topic is strongly encouraged and appreciated by me! Focusing on women's special needs in post-conflict nations is still a fairly young concept that is gaining more traction as of late and something that someday I hope to contribute to.

I'll leave you with a quote that one of my co-workers shared with me today... now she shared it with me verbally so she wasn't even sure she got it right and she couldn't remember who said it, so it might be slightly off, but you'll get the point (by the way, if you know the complete quote or who said it, please leave a comment with the info):

If we raised our children we wouldn't have to heal our adults.

Asian Fun's Favorite Christmas Gift.

2007-12-12T17:55:00.000-05:00

ENVIROSAX - reusable shopping bags that are spreading the environmental message with style. Driven by a desire for freedom, the designers at Envirosax® will have you considering, pondering and re-thinking shopping as you know it.

Basically, these are cute reusable shopping bags! Before all you could find were those canvas, rough looking hippy dippy reusable shopping bags. Now you can be environmentally sound and stylish! I'm all about reusable shopping bags and these were just too cute to pass up. You can buy the bags separately or buy a set in the graphic series (pictured here), or you can go even more environmental and buy bamboo, hemp or linen bags (all with adorable designs as well) in the organic series!

I think these bags are the perfect gift not only because you're encouraging a friend, family member or co-worker to be environmentally sound, but also they're pretty cute and kick ass. They have styles for everyone and are seriously cool. I gifted myself with some while I was buying some for my friend and cousin! Hey, there's nothing wrong with that, after all, I'm saving the Earth, right?

The Golden Compass: A Movie Review

2007-12-09T12:46:00.000-05:00

The day it opened, I grabbed my trusty hubby and dragged him to The Golden Compass. I was so excited for this movie, I was twittering the whole day to see it. I settled into my movie theater seat with my snuck in candy and anticipated the Lord of the Rings/Harry Potter book turned to movie, thrilling big fantasy experience. And then I waited. And kept waiting.

While the acting was great, the movie fell flat. And it wasn't just me, who had read and adored the books, but my hubby too, who usually loves the fantasy kid book movies. The flow of the movie was rough, almost like the editing for the movie wasn't finished, and the story seemed to be sped through with little development. The characters also weren't developed in a natural way, and in the end I was just left with disappointment at what the movie could have been... an epic movie of huge proportions much like The Lord of the Rings trilogy had been. Instead it ended up being no better than the cartoon recreation of The Lord of the Rings that I had watched as a child. Recreating the story in a very linear and flat fashion without adding anything to it, and in fact even detracting from it.

And don't even get me started on the corny Disney-ish fairytale music. The book was edgy and harsh, shining light on the ugly sides of human nature and the dangers of an Authoritarian entity running people's lives. The Disney-ish fairytale music completely contrasted the plot and the tone of the book, as if attempting to make the story something it's not. There never was this huge sense of foreboding that the book had, and I really disliked the narrator explaining dust at the beginning of the movie. Part of the enjoyment of reading the book was learning about it as Lyra did and trying to figure it out almost like a mystery. Why did the movie just ruin that for the viewers?

Overall, the movie was a huge disappointment and while I'll probably watch the next one to see if it's any better, I'll go in with much lower expectations then I went to The Golden Compass with.

Everything Rests On This...

2007-12-09T12:20:00.001-05:00

...Oh wait, no it doesn't! Hype hype hype. I won't deny that this is a big game for the Steelers, it was a big game on our schedule from Week 1 because the Patriots are always a tough team for us to play not matter how either of our seasons are going, just like the Jags are (who we're facing next week). But if we lose, I'm pretty confident we'll still win our division and get to the Playoffs. And isn't that the whole point? When we last won the Super Bowl we had an embarrassing loss to the Colts during regular season and then proceeded to dominate them (despite the close/crazy ending of the game) in the Playoffs. So a loss today does not crown the Patriots as the Super Bowl winners of the 2007 season at all, like the media and the bandwagoners would surely do if the Patriots win. And I definitely would not go so far as to say that if the Patriots win today that they will for sure go undefeated this season. After all, wasn't it the 1-6 Miami Dolphins who beat the at the time unbeaten Chicago Bears in Week 9 last year? You never know who's going to pop up and bite you in the butt in this league and I wouldn't be surprised if the lowly Jets or the other New York team... or even those sneaky Dolphins come up and surprise us all. Sure, it's a long shot, but isn't the sixth seed of the Playoffs winning the Super Bowl a long shot too?

That being said, I want to kick the crap out of the New England Patriots. But if we lose, my life isn't over and neither is the Steelers' season. I'd rather lose to an undefeated Patriots to than to the lowly N.Y. Jets after all...

On the other side of the league it's actually true that everything rests on the game today for the Minnesota Vikings, but that's just because every game for the Vikes is now essential for us to make the Playoffs. There's a possibility that if we lose one game that we could still make it, but we'd need a lot of help from other teams in order to do so. But if we win out, we're in. Our destiny's in our own hands and everybody's calling us to make the Playoffs with the sixth seed. So what do the Vikings usually do when our destiny's in our own hands? Fumble it. Let's hope this is a different Vikings team this year and that we pull it out in the end and make the Playoffs for the first time since 2004. I'm tentatively excited about the Vikings right now...

Quotes of the Day.

2007-11-26T23:11:00.000-05:00

We Americans live in a nation where the medical-care system is second to none in the world, unless you count maybe 25 or 30 little scuzzball countries like Scotland that we could vaporize in seconds if we felt like it.
- Dave Barry

If man does find the solution for world peace it will be the most revolutionary reversal of his record we have ever known.
- George C. Marshall

Turkey Break!

2007-11-19T12:02:00.000-05:00

I will be taking a short (week long) break from blogging due to mass amounts of turkey consumption...

...and I'm still recovering from the depression of the Purple Jesus injury and the Steelers losing to the Jets.

The JETS?!?!? Really, guys?? WTF?

But I'm not a completely bad blogger, here for your entertainment while I'm away is the best Big Ben video game Ever... actually, it might be the only Big Ben video game, but yeah, it rocks. Thanks to Mondesi's House for the link and thanks to Doubt About It for making the video game. Hours of entertainment right here baby!

Cross Country Girls Are Tough Cookies!

2007-11-11T19:18:00.001-05:00

I mean, just look at me! Yes, I ran cross country in high school, couldn't you tell by my hardiness?

Thanks to The Big Lead for this vid:

This is rather tremendous, and the unidentified girl may have a chance to enjoy 15 minutes of fame once her name becomes public: at about the 1:39 mark of this clip, you’ll notice a blonde Berkshire (Ohio) high school runner approaching the finish line at the State cross country meet recently. She takes a bad step and, according to the person who sent us this clip, broke her tibia and fibula. She crumbles to a heap on the ground, crawls for a bit and then pops back up in an attempt to reach the finish line. Only she collapses again (that fall is particularly cringe-worthy). At this point, she decides to crawl on her hands and knees for about the final eight yards to the finish line. Spectacular work, unidentified female. And kudos to our tipster for video.

Update: Through the power of the internet … we have more information. Fanhouse dug around and found out the girl’s name is Claire Markwardt (she’ll be getting a call from Matt Lauer any minute now), and she was supposed to be the maid of honor at her sister’s wedding that night.

The Vagina Monologues.

2007-11-09T13:27:00.000-05:00

So I randomly bought the October issue of SELF magazine right before I went to Denver. I say randomly because I don't buy magazines ever and I've never read SELF. But this SELF issue had a huge piece on Breast Cancer, which I was really interested in, and had an article on Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy so of course I was all about that.

Now I don't read magazines much and so I'm just getting to the end of this issue when I find an article on women having cosmetic surgery on their genitals!! From injecting the mythical (and unproven) G-Spot with liquid similar to the lip injections (collagen) to make it more "plump" and sensitive (for about $1,850) to cosmetic labia reshaping, vaginal tightening, liposuction of the mons pubis and reduction of the skin around the clitoris, apparently this is all the rage now.

Here's a testimony from the article on the G-Spot injection:

"It's like having a mini-heartbeat in my crotch," she explains, a sensation that arouses her even during yoga and Spinning classes, or when she drives along bumpy roads. During sex, Staltare says, she has volcanic, multiple orgasms "like huge waves that keep lifting me higher and higher."

When confronted about the fact that it has not been scientifically proven that the "G-Spot" has any sexual powers, Dr. Matlock (from the E! channel show Dr. 90210 who routinely performs these sorts of procedures) asks "Does God exist?" You can hear the sound, scientific reasoning behind that response...

I can understand why a women would do the G-Spot injection if she was struggling to have an orgasm, I've known girls who have gotten their clitoris pierced for the same reason, but the price tag for the inject (which usually wears off in about four months) is a little steep to me, especially since you know insurance would never cover it.

But it's the vagina reshaping surgery that really baffles me. One young college student who had labia reshaping surgery states:

"I've never wanted my boobs done or any kind of plastic surgery, but my labia made me very uncomfortable."

The self-consciousness started, she says, when she noticed that her labia minora was longer than those of other girls. And then, of course, a boyfriend of hers made her aware of the labia reshaping surgery when she confided her labia insecurities to him. First of all, how the heck did she notice other girls' labia? I played a sport in high school (well, ran cross country), gone to the gym, changed in front of numerous girlfriends, even showered with a girlfriend once in a time pinch (and in a rather large shower, so don't get any ideas!), and I have not Once seen another girl's vagina or noticed her labia. The surgery for this girl deformed her labia more since they just sliced it and she was left with a whole lot of bleeding and with the labia unevenly cut at an angle. She ended up having to pay for more surgery to reconstruct her labia totaling her costs to nearly $14,000 out of pocket.

I'm completely aghast at this obsession for the "perfect vagina." I'm already quite disdained at the country's obsession with perfection and beauty, but this is literally taking it too far. Who decides what a "sexy" vagina looks like? The article states that doctors have treated patients for labia reshaping from the ages of 14 to 60! I personally think it should be consider neglect for parents to let their child get this surgery. A doctor states that he is helping these people because they're so self conscious that they won't wear a bathing suit at the beach. While I'm completely confused as to how a large labia would be obvious enough in a bathing suit to cause embarrassment, I'm extremely annoyed that young girls can just walk in and get this surgery with little difficulty. Even for Gastric Bypass there is an extensive psychological work done beforehand to make sure that it is a medical necessity and not just for looks or because someone doesn't feel like working the weight off. Now I know GB is a lot more intrusive than labia surgery, but labia surgery can definitely go wrong and can actually be so painful that sex is not possible or even desensitize the area so the woman has little to no sexual feeling left afterwards. Overall, there has been very little proof that these surgeries lead to long-term happiness in women or that there aren't any complications down the road, and mostly this proof has not been gathered because the doctors who are providing these procedures are unwilling to share their client list in order to conduct research on their effectiveness. Their reluctance is proof enough to me that this surgery is completely unnecessary and useless and the doctors know it.

I mean what else can women be made to be insecure about? I wouldn't say that I'm always happy with my body and I'm definitely not perfect. Hell, my boobs are completely different cup sizes! But has that ever bothered me or my husband? Other than bra shopping, not at all. And hey, if my husband had to pick my breasts out of a boob line-up, he'd know mine right away. Plus, I think he likes the variety. So why not take your "imperfections" and view them as unique special things about yourself instead of things that need to be fixed? Because frankly, once these women get their vagina surgery done I guarantee you they will find something else they hate about themselves in no time...

Gimme Some Of That PJ Action...

2007-11-09T12:36:00.000-05:00

So on 11.05.2007 I blogged about the cool Purple Jesus tee from 289 except that they didn't have them in women's styles. Yesterday I received a comment on my blog for that post from the guys at 289 saying that they heard my request and have added women styles for the PJ tee (they are now at the bottom of the page). How freaking cool is that? I promptly ordered one and you should too. Right now. Come on, all the cool kids are doing it.

Seriously though, that is the best customer service EVER!

So Let's Talk Patriots.

2007-11-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

Now that New England beat Indy and My Steelers had such a strong showing against Baltimore, the discussion has moved to the only team left on the schedule that even has a chance of beating the Patriots, according to the media at least. But even though the Steelers are in the discussion as the only team that could beat the Patriots, truthfully nobody's giving them a chance. New England is the "Golden" team (puke puke puke), infallible and unbeatable (well, except for the cheating and all that, but that's been quickly brushed aside by their crushing of every team in their path). Has anybody mentioned their fairly easy schedule with their incredibly easy division? The Patriots have squeezed into the playoffs many times due to their awful division and now they continue to benefit from it. But besides all that, the Steelers are already out of the picture as far as the playoff goes to the all-knowing sports experts since they are already talking about the Indy-New England rematch for the AFC Title. Well, all I can say is that Nobody, except for Steelers fans, thought that Pittsburgh would make it as the sixth seed to Super Bowl XL, and so I'm content with letting Pittsburgh fly under the radar again but boy will I be doing the biggest "I told you so" dance when they do make it to the Super Bowl... or at least when they beat the Patriots in Week 14.

Obviously this is a game Pittsburgh could lose, but it's also a game they could win and I'll tell you why. First of all, let's compare and contrast the Steelers to the Colts since they are the only team that has come close to beating the Patriots. Granted the Colts have a better offense than the Steelers when completely healthy, but their offense was minus Marvin Harrison and that brings their offense down a notch and considering that we've put up 222 points this year, I think it puts us close to the level of the Colts offensively (at least when they played New England). And our offense is more balanced then it has ever been. When Willie can't run, Ben puts up the TDs. Ben is second in the league with TDs (behind Brady) with 20 TDs and has three games in which he's scored 4 TDs. And when Willie can run, you know the boy can run! We're playing smart football with only 6 interceptions this year and have been clicking well offensively. So in the context of the Colts game against the Patriots this past week, let's call it close to even, you can even give the edge to the Colts just because of Peyton, though Ben's actually having a better year than Peyton.

Now here's where we can beat the Patriots, our Defense. Our Defense has been on fire this year and is unequivocally better than the Colts' D. Historically Brady doesn't play as well against 3-4 defenses. Why? Because he's a pocket passer. Yeah yeah, him and Peyton are the best QBs in the league, but only in the pocket. I'm not saying that they Never make plays outside of the pocket, but rarely and even when they do often it's by design and not forced (for example a Sprint Right play call). Brady can move vertically in the pocket, but not horizontally well and this is where Blitzburgh comes in. Playing the Ravens our Blitz got to McNair multiple times and resulted in four sacs and a couple fumbles. This was a healthy O-Line that is supposed to be one of the better Lines in the league. The Patriots' O-Line is top notch, no doubt, but we can get to Brady. And if we get to Brady he will throw interceptions, I can guarantee that. Our Run D's pretty good too - 4th in the league for rushing yards allowed.

Now let's talk about the guy I consider the best QB in the league outside of the pocket. Big Ben's escape abilities are become mythic and historically incredible. But even more incredible is his accuracy outside of the pocket. This is not a new thing with him. Ben had a better passer rating outside of the pocket than in it his rookie year and I think one of his problems last year was that due to his multiple injuries and health issues he was a lot more tentative to roll out of the pocket and scramble around. But now Ben Is Back. I will say that the Brady-Moss connection is far superior than anything we could offer, but our running game is stronger and our D matches up well against Brady and his offense. I will definitely give the edge to the Patriots on special teams, though Sepulveda has been a great punter for us this year, our returns and return coverage are average at best.

A couple of Steelers stats I pulled from Dave's Football Blog who in turn pulled them from MJD:

• 2nd in the league in rushing yards per game (behind only Minnesota, who received a sizable boost this weekend, courtesy of the San Diego Chargers)
• 1st in time of possession per game
• 1st in 3rd down conversion percentage
• 1st in the league in passing yards per game allowed
• 4th in rushing yards per game allowed
• T-2nd in the NFL in sacks
• 4th in the NFL in opposing QB passer rating

I won't say that it's a lock that we'll win this game because the Patriots are tough and have always been a tough competition for us, but I will say that we can definitely win this game and I personally believe we will.

Too bad we have to wait until Week 14 to find out!

Actually I'm more worried about the Jags game we have right after the Patriots because of how we match up against them...

The Otti Files.

2007-11-06T21:46:00.000-05:00

So is he dead or isn't he? The controversy continues as Joseph Kony and the LRA adamantly deny that former deputy to Kony, Vincent Otti, is dead. Instead, they say that he has cholera, but I say former deputy because Kony has appointed a new deputy. Hmm, why appoint a new deputy if the current one is still alive? And the new deputy? The honorable Okot Odhiambo who is said to have commanded the LRA massacre in Barlonyo IDP camp in Lira district in February 2004, where over 300 people were burnt, shot and hacked to death. He also reportedly coordinated raids on civilians in Kitgum in March 2005. The New Vision

And why does this sound like a really bad idea to me? 450 people are to visit Kony in his secret hideout to consult with him and share their point of view. Yeah, okay, so this could turn out to be a good thing, no doubt, but I give a lot of props to those people who have been terrorized by the LRA for all these years to go into his secret camp to talk to him in order to build the trust for the peace talks. Me, personally? That'd scare the shit out of me.

And this is never good to hear... actually, I'm glad my mom doesn't read my blog much (if at all) because if she read this she'd never let me go out of the country for humanitarian work again. When I told her I wanted to goto Africa last year she hung up the phone on me. I can't even imagine what she'd have done if she'd read this article first. Lock me in her basement?

"I hate losing to the Steelers."

2007-11-06T21:16:00.000-05:00

Okay, I Know I've posted this video on my blog before, but considering Deebo's recent coming out party, I just thought I'd post it again as a reminder of his badass tackle on one retarded/drunk Browns fan.

I think the Browns better get used to losing to us because I don't see that changing Anytime soon.

Thanks to Mondesi's House for bringing this vid back to my attention and for a great post on the Steelers!

Vote.

2007-11-06T17:11:00.001-05:00

Many of you may not have realized that today is Election Day. It is very important that you vote...

...So click here and here to vote for Adrian Peterson, click here to vote for Big Ben and click here to vote for James Harrison.

Thanks for contributing to this very important cause and making a difference!

Harrison (and The Steelers) Pound The Ravens. Literally.

2007-11-06T10:17:00.000-05:00

So I had a very good (and drunken) night last night! Hubby and I went to a local bar known to lean towards the Steel Curtain side of life and watched the complete domination over the Ravens. So I definitely had a couple of beers and inhaled a ton of second hand smoke (ugh, gross!) and cheered a whole lot. I also think I went on a drunken text messaging and emailing rampage to just about everyone I know about how bad ass my Steelers are!! Apologies if you were a recipient of either, I really have no idea who I emailed or texted. I think I pretty much was just replying to whoever was in my Inbox.

No new news on Ben's hip injury. He definitely was limping a little at the end of the game when he was walking off the field, but it seems that Ben and Tomlin are being very quiet on the topic since hubs and I stayed up to watch the post-game interviews and neither were even asked about it! I'm guessing they made the topic off limits with the reporters. I'm hoping that it was just a stinger and nothing serious. The fact that he went out and played a series somewhat comforts me but not completely. Ben's strength is his ability to move out of the pocket and if he's limited in that way then that will definitely change how well he plays. Though I just have to say, if he needs to sit out a game then next week's the game to do it. Luckily we actually have an easy stretch coming up in which he can recover with the Browns, Jets and Miami on the docket, so he definitely has time to recover before the Patriots game, which is huge. I just hope he doesn't push himself to get back in too soon like he tends to do because we really need him for that Patriots game, while for the next three I think Batch will do just fine. And just a Miami Alum ranting side note, yeah, all those people who kept saying Ben just "manages" the game and doesn't have the arm or accuracy to be a truly great QB, eat it! In torrent sideways rain Ben made five TDs and a couple of them were purely out of Ben's effort of scrambling out of the pocket, shrugging off tackles and putting the ball perfectly in his receiver's hands. I think he looked like a pretty elite QB last night, and pretty much this whole season for the matter. And I like how people like to point out that he played badly during the Super Bowl but totally forget how well he played in the playoffs and how he pretty much carried the team through the playoffs. Okay, rant over.

Oh, and Joey Who? Yeah, I think the Steelers continue to prove that they know Exactly when to let a player go. James Harrison (nicknamed Deebo and Silverback by his teammates) was seriously amazing last night! Just to put it in perspective, here are his stats for the game: 9 Tackles, 3.5 Sacks, 3 Force Fumbles, 1 Fumble Recovery, 1 Interception. And beyond that, he's been having a good year, so he's no one-hit-wonder here. Statistically he's our best Defensive player right now leading in Tackles, Sacks and Fumble Recoveries, and is within the top five for Assists and Interceptions.

Isn't it funny that they have the Steelers vs. Miami game on MNF in a couple of weeks? I guess they thought Joey Porter coming back to Pittsburgh would be big drama, but now that MNF game is looking to be pretty lame to all football fans but Steelers fans.

Update: I guess some reporters did ask about Ben's injury in the post-game interview with Tomlin, but for some strange reason it didn't make the TV clips on NFL Network. Here's what he said (basically exactly what Hubby and I thought almost word for word):

(Reporter) How is Roethlisberger after being in injured at the 6:04 mark of the third quarter?

(Tomlin) I think he’s going to be fine. I know that you guys need some information in that regard, so I will speculate. At this point, it’s a hip pointer. I think that’s all it is, of course we will confirm in the morning.

(Reporter) Why did you put him back in the game?

(Tomlin) So you wouldn’t ask me as many questions. No, he was fine after the initial pain subsided and we identified what we thought it was. He was fine to go back in the game. He felt strongly about it. He is persuasive.

That Big Ben is pretty persuasive and determined to play whenever he can. Seriously, Hubby said that he bet Ben persuaded Tomlin to get back in as soon as we saw him jog out onto the field!

Overall I rate this football weekend an A+++++++. With Purple Jesus, Big Ben, Deebo, some hard hitting Hines Ward blocks (especially the one on Ed Reed) and week high in my Fantasy Football league (for the second week in a row) I'm living good in the football world.

MNF: Steelers vs. Ravens

2007-11-05T15:22:00.000-05:00

Be There...
...Or Be Square.

Purple Jesus Has Arisen.

2007-11-05T14:24:00.000-05:00

I found some "Purple Jesus" apparel online thanks to Deadspin. Too bad they only have them in mens sizes, these t-shirts are pretty sweet ass, I'd probably have to buy one if they made one for women! Yeah, Vikings Nation is pretty much going nuts right now if you couldn't tell. We haven't had much to be excited about for years, so we're pretty much jumping all over this one.

Also got this "casual pose" Adrian Peterson pic from Deadspin. Is that a spaghetti strap tank underneath that zip up hoodie, PJ? Whatev, you're the Purple Jesus, you can wear whatever the hell you want! All the better to see your bulging muscles in that spaghetti strap tank after all...

Here's a video highlighting some of PJ's bombdiggity record breaking day:

BTVS - The Long Way Home: A Review

2007-11-04T21:34:00.000-05:00

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon is the continuation of the TV series in comic book form. The consequences of what Buffy and Willow did, activating all of the potentials slayers, are now being recognized as they are rounding up the newly realized slayers, and dealing with the backlash from those who are unhappy by this new superhuman race of girls.

Whedon stays true to his characters through and through, and brings in some old characters thought to be gone just for fun (although there is one little loop hole he admits to forgetting about when bringing one of them back). Buffy is overwhelmed by her new position as Leader of the Slayers, is lonely and desperately horny (poor girl!) Xander is still quirky, funny Xander, except now he is a Watcher/Sergeant of the Slayers, and he looks pretty bad ass with that eye patch. Dawn's going through some "growing pains" as all the book descriptions like to cutely put it and Willow is still a pretty wicked Wicca. The arc is great and is left unfinished, making you look forward to its continuation and the TPB also includes a standalone of one of the newly activated Slayers that was pretty cool.

While I think they might be pushing Buffy a little further than they would have in TV format with the whole menage-a-trois dream sequence, I think the stories fall in line pretty well with the flavor of the TV show (they did have the whole Spike throw down sex in the TV show after all...) It's good to see the old characters come alive again, after being a fan of the show since high school it feels like seeing old friends again!

I really loved this Buffy comic and can't wait to read the Faith arc, which is in the next couple of issues and sadly not in TPB yet. I've heard great things about them. Are you sick of vampires yet from all my reviews? I'm not!

5*

30 Days of Night: A Review

2007-11-04T20:30:00.000-05:00

30 Days of Night by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith is a dark, unforgiving and gruesome vampire story. The story takes place in Burrow, Alaska where the small town is preparing for 30 days of night, and secretly the vampires are preparing for it too. Such a simple idea that has never been explored before (at least to my knowledge), vampires taking advantage of the lack of sun in Alaska by having an all out feed-fest.

I absolutely love the art, it's dark and reminds me of the art in the Sandman series. While the story was good with some nice plot twists, it's the art the truly makes this comic great. It is absolutely gruesome at times, and yet subtle at other. The use of color and of blending colors is just perfectly done. My only complaint is that I wish I'd had a chance to get to know the characters better. I felt that the character developing was sacrificed in order to build up the horror element of the story. This is actually one area that I think the movie did better in than the book. However, this does tempt me into buying the second book of the series since I know Stella is in it, so maybe that was intentional.

A very dark and gooey Halloweeny read!

4*

Fray: A Review

2007-11-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

Fray is Joss Whedon's future slayer. It's an eight-issue limited series comic book set about 200 plus years into the future. Demons had been cast out of the world by a slayer and her mystical companions in the 21st century, but now vampires are coming back and a new slayer must be called. Meet Melaka Fray, a street hardened thief. With some absolutely beautiful art by Karl Moline and a very well crafted story by Whedon, we have Fray.

Melaka has the hard edge of Faith, but the likable compassion of Buffy. She's gorgeous, tough and lives by her own rules, but she has her vulnerabilities. With a demon to replace her Watcher, Melaka grows into her slayer shoes and fights the vampires, which she always grew up calling "lurks." Bringing you some absolutely unforgettable characters (I love Loo!) and an edgy setting, Whedon brings you a good story that seems to end all too quickly. I was frustrated after finishing the TPB and not finding any evidence for future Fray projects, but just recently Whedon has said that Fray is not done! (See the video two posts below.) I really hope they bring her back because there is obviously more story to be told with Fray.

I hate to ruin any plot, so that's all I'll say, but for any comic book reader it's a great read, but for Buffy fans, it's a must read!

5*

I Heart Adrian Peterson.

2007-11-04T16:54:00.000-05:00

Not only am I feeling the Offensive Rookie of the Year award going to my man A. Peterson, but I think he'll easily be in the running for Offensive Player of the year period.

As a rookie, not only is he leading in rushing yards with a total 1036 rushing yards, but he also has already broken the record for total yards rushed in a single game by rushing for 296 yards with 3 TDs against the San Diego Chargers in the Vikings' stunning win over them today! I was loving him before, but now he has a little shrine in the corner of my room... okay, so not really, but I damn well better be getting his jersey for Christmas this year, ladies cut, size small (hint hint, hubs). In addition to his amazing big play ability, Peterson already has the rep among his teammates as a hard worker, a team player, and a genuinely down-to-earth nice guy. What's not to love?

Beyond Adrian Peterson's amazing ability, the Minnesota's D, which is well known for being able to stop the run (I think they were second in the league against the run), they were also well known for being dead last against the pass. However, today they stepped it up, forcing one of Philip Rivers' worst games of the season so far. Our D limited the Chargers to converting only 25 percent of their third downs (4-for-16) and on average maintained about ten minutes time of possession over them.

I'm so ridiculously excited about this win. Yes, I know that the Vikes or 3-5 and not really in a great position in their Division with the Packers at 7-1 and the Lions at 6-2. But a win against the Chargers, a solid team on both sides of the ball, while they were hot (winning their last three games) is huge for the confidence of our team. I am worried about T. Jack though, the hit he took was nasty, and although he's going through some growing pains I obviously prefer him to Bollinger and Holcomb. I really think Jackson has a huge upside, he throws rockets, is mobile and is pretty accurate, especially with the short passes which fits the West Coast Offense that the Vikes like to run. Our WRs often make Jackson look worse than he is, dropping passes they should catch, which has been a problem with the Vikings for a while. Rice and Shiancoe are starting to come up big for us though, so I'm hoping they can keep it up and that T. Jack isn't seriously injured. I did see him on the sidelines after that nasty hit, which is good news.

I'm not completely off my rocker though. No, I don't think the Vikings are going to the Super Bowl or anything like that. I actually think it's a long shot for them to make the Play Offs, and I know better as a long time Vikings fans to get too hopeful about this win because the Vikings have a tendency to lose games their expected to win and to win games nobody, not even Vikings fans (yes, I did pick against them this week), expects them to win.

But the win still feels goooood.

As a side note, I don't know if I've ever mentioned it before, but boy do I hate intellectual snobs. In my job as a social worker, most of my co-workers have college degrees, and many have graduate degrees. In a meeting on Friday a high level director (with a MSW) was talking about how she was listening to NPR that morning when it cut out and this sports show cut in and how she could feel her IQ dropping as they talked. Now I'll listen to NPR but I also listen to sports shows and not being able to not voice my opinion I immediately turned to her and said, "Oh, have I mentioned to you yet that I'm a Huge sports fan?" And she just shrugged and said, "I just don't get it." It's totally fine if someone doesn't like sports, but to be such a intellectual snob about it like "I'm too smart for sports" is just fricking retarded. Sports and competition has been inherent in human beings since the beginning of time and to act like it is below you is acting like you're above being human, which is just retarded. The fact that so many people all around the world are completely pulled to and obsessed with sports means that it has power, and to dismiss it and not recognize the power is more unintelligent than any sports watcher I know.

Sorry, had to vent a little, as a huge sports fan and all, I guess I can't just intellectualize my annoyance away.

It's a Vampire Weekend!

2007-11-02T22:06:00.000-04:00

Not only did my Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 trade paperback arrive in the mail today (I've been waiting forever it seems for these comic books to come out in TPB) but I also finally went to see the movie based on the 30 Days of Night graphic novel.

I wasn't sure about the movie from the previews... first of all, as a rule, I'm not the biggest Josh Hartnett fan. He has always seemed like a pretty face with less than average acting skills to me. However, he does well in this movie and I was impressed with the directing and filming of the movie. It keeps that dark artful element that the graphic novels have and adds a little bit of meat to the plot. It is definitely a graphic and gruesome movie, but the plot has its twists and the set up for the story was great. Even though I knew what happened in the end, I was still scared, shocked, and I even had some tears in my eyes for the ending. Yes, I'm a complete sap crying at the end of a "horror" movie, but it really was well done with the character build up and with the pace of the plot. I was really happy about it. I realize I have yet to write a review on the graphic novel! Shame on me. I'll definitely catch up on that this weekend.

You'll probably be getting a ton of Vampire graphic novel reviews this weekend actually as I still have to review Joss Whedon's futuristic slayer comic book Fray and I also have another Buffy spin-off comic partly written and supervised by Whedon, Tales of the Vampires to read and then review.

I'll be reading Buffy Season 8 as well this weekend as I recoup from this nagging sickness. A very Vampirey after-Halloween weekend!

FYI - for any other Buffy fanatics, which naturally leads to Angel fanatics, due to the success of the Buffy Season 8 series, Whedon has been involved with plotting out an Angel Season 6 comic book series, starting out right where Season 5 left off. It's being plotted by Whedon but written by Brian Lynch and is slated to come out with its first issue November 28, 2007. They'd better get these in TPBs too since I'm not one to goto comic book stores and get actual issues, I'm a book girl through and through, and that includes when reading comic books.

PS - A great video interview of genius Buffy creator Joss Whedon...

MySpace Comic Books: Joss Whedon answers YOUR questions!

Add to My Profile | More Videos

And I might be tempted to start buying Angel Season 6 and Buffy Season 8 single issues because the first five issues of Buffy Season 8 were so frickin' good! Though I hate to start buying single issues because I know I'll still have to buy the TPBs when those come out so it does seem like a waste of money, but I might not be able to help myself. Already started researching local comic book stores...

Indie Rock.

2007-11-01T09:57:00.000-04:00

When I first heard of Indie Rock, way back in college, I had thought it was short for "Indian" Rock because at the time there was this popular Indian rapish-rockish song out. I thought the song was okay, it got annoying after a while and I was baffled to hear that there was this huge underground following for "Indie" Rock. When I finally found out that it was "Indie" Rock for "Independent" Rock first I felt like a complete retard and then I was really interested. Since then I've dived into the genre with the help of my Sirius radio which makes Indie Rock extremely accessible. I know that the popularity of Indie Rock has been steadily growing, even to the point that some Indie Rock bands are getting popular and hitting mainstream markets, so I thought I'd introduce it to those out there who are wondering why Indian music suddenly got so popular!

Indie Rock is so appealing to many because it tends to be more unique and creative, not being stifled or controlled by a huge recording company. It's refreshing to hear some actually new music rather than the same song recycled over and over again as Pop music or even mainstream Alternative music tends to do. Indie Rock has become so popular that there are even rumors that a popular Indie band, The Kooks, were manufactured by a major UK Recording Label in order to capitalize on the recent Indie Rock craze.

So if you are just getting into Indie Rock, let me nudge you in the right direction, which of course are my faves:

TV on the Radio - This band has quickly become one of my faves. The lead singer is originally from Nigeria, and you can hear the African background in the music. The song I first fell in love with is "A Method." It just sends chills down my spine. Their music is very experimental and creative, mixing rock, electric, jazz among other music genres in a way that is very pleasing to the ears, at least to me.
Blonde Redhead - I'm completely obsessed with their song "Spring and by Summer Fall" which is a completely awkward name that I can never remember correctly, but there is this one guitar rift (I'm probably using that term so completely wrong) that literally tugs at your innards. I can't even explain it in words, but it's really profound. Overall, their music has an eerie kind of rock flavor going on.
Sea Wolf - An up-and-coming Indie band. I'm not sure if they really even have a full album out, they might just have an EP. Actually "Sea Wolf" is the stage name for Alex Church with a rotating ensemble of musicians to make up his band. The current single out, "You're a Wolf" has a very unique sound that incorporates I believe a cello in it. I really like this band a lot and am pissed to find out that I just missed them in Carrboro, NC last night!!

Let me know what you think!

And if you didn't already know, Radiohead is at the forefront of innovative merchandising, making their newest release available only from a specific website and the price? Well you can order the "Discbox" which includes extra materials in addition to the album for about $80, or you can download a digital version for... whatever you want. Yup, you heard me, you decide how much you want to pay for the download. To test it out, and sure, I might be a bit stingy with money, but this was for experimental purposes mostly I swear, I said that I chose to pay zero for the album and website said okee dokee and downloaded the album right to my computer! Radiohead has been one of the more unique and interesting bands of the past, but they've really pushed the envelope by not even having a recording label! Talk about Indie Rock. Many record companies are very nervous by this new idea, and they should be. It's fucking brilliant. To read more about it, check out this article. And for those music/techy/computer geeks (I don't even know what category this falls under) read this article about some controversies about the It's Up To You/Free download.

A BRIEF NOTE ABOUT NORTHERN UGANDA.

2007-11-01T09:24:00.000-04:00

With his permission, I'm posting a speech that Jimmy Otim was asked to give on Northern Uganda. Jimmy was one of the amazing persons I met while in Uganda who was actively working in his community of Gulu (where much of the war has taken place) to help the people affected by the war. I'm posting his speech word for word as he emailed it to me and posting his contact information at the end per Jimmy's request. Please feel free to contact him with any questions or to see how you can help! I know I found his words powerful and moving, I hope you will too.

A BRIEF NOTE ABOUT NORTHERN UGANDA

I am Jimmy Otim, a writer and a researcher who has worked for several humanitarian organisations trying to quell the violence in northern Uganda, my native country.

I was born, grew up and now working in northern Uganda trying to make a contribution to the lives of the innocent civilian population living in the internally displaced people’s camps in this beautiful but trouble land.

As a background, the 21 year old conflict in northern Uganda could be rated as one of the worst areas of human right violations in the world history with over 300,000 people dead in Acholi sub region alone, 1.6 million displaced and living in squalid conditions and over 30,000 abductions recorded so far. The conflict has caused unspeakable suffering to the people of northern Uganda where civilians have become the principle strategic targets and victims of violence, a field upon which the conflict is fought and through which victory is sought. The conflict has interrupted the functions of every institution and left the region in ruins.

Unfortunately, many people are unconcerned about the war in northern Uganda. This attitude of many was captured by many utterances like “these people are fighting themselves”. Yes the war in northern Uganda is seen as a thing which should not concern us and unfortunately it also evokes sad memories of their own kind in many people’s mind.

My messages depart from other usual academic or political statements by individuals who always wish to theorised or win political support. It should provoke practical debate among the pundits of our time with the hope that many generations to come will not only live in peace and prosperous world. But a world with international concern which we currently lack. My message focuses on not who is wrong or right. It’s about people’s right to a decent life unmolested by the guns of war. In a sense, it is about whether we as people of the world have any human compassion left in us or whether we shall continue living like animals uncaring about the sanctity of life.

I personally believe that what is happening in northern Uganda is not our own fault. We are victims of selfish interests and in that sense everybody is guilty – our own communities as well as the international community. Sadly this tragedy going on in northern Uganda is behind the glare of the world.

I see northern Uganda being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, and I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquillity will return once more.

In the meantime, I must hold on to my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when we will be able to realise them.

Together we can all do something to change the situation; how can we help?

Advocate for the people in northern Uganda (victims)
Stimulate dialogue
Provide technical assistance
Facilitate access to resources
Join the network
Support the Victims
Or at least pray

MR JIMMY OTIM
P O BOX 1177,
GULU, UGANDA
EAST AFRICA
TEL : +256782366380
EMAIL : otimjimmy@yahoo.co.uk

Play of the Week.

2007-10-31T22:53:00.000-04:00

Of Course goes to the Steelers! I'm not biased, I swear...

It's Ben's can't-tackle-me play in which a Bengals was grabbing his ankle and Ben was on his way to the ground when he completed a pass to Santonio Holmes for a first down!

Yeah baby, talk about elusive. His rookie year playing he actually had a better QB rating while rolling out of the pocket than in the pocket!

Check out this great article on Big Ben, This One's For Hep. It's an especially good article if you went to Miami University. The article gives good insight on Ben and is also a really touching story about his relationship with Coach Hep. It's really a great article!

Crazy Halloween Story...

2007-10-27T22:06:00.001-04:00

...And we haven't even gone out yet! We're pulling into my brother's parking garage, getting our Halloween night supplies out of the car (wigs, mojito ingredients, jager, etc.) and we hear this guy say, "Sir? Sir? Can you help me?" We look over and there's this guy stuck between a black iron fence and the next floor of the parking garage. After ensuring that he wasn't impaled (thank god he wasn't!) we try vainly to unstick him, but he was pretty wedged in there. So we call 911.

I so wanted to take a picture because it was just about one of the oddest sights I've ever seen, but obviously that would have been a bit insensitive. The poor guy had been stuck there for at least 30 minutes. Oh, and did I mention that the guy was for some reason in his boxers and his undershirt? It appears that he had wiggled out of his clothes after getting stuck at an attempt to make himself skinnier to try to get unstuck because there was a pile of clothes on the floor of the parking garage at his feet. After a while it was hard to keep a straight face. He had obviously been drinking and for some reason had thought he should climb up the parking garage to the fourth floor, where his brother lived.

So the firetrucks came and they unscrewed the fence from the wall so he could get out. If you can imagine about ten firemen, a couple of EMTs, police people and then me, my brother and hubby all crowded around this guy watching as they free him. Oh yeah, and some random little boy was there too.

And P.S. Hubby and I were talking about this last night and he told me that after the dude got free he had his hands up like he was under arresst and it took multiple people to convince him that he was okay and could put his hands down... this just keeps getting funnier and funnier! Soooo wish I had that picture! Hubs said we should have video taped it and put it on YouTube. Now That would have been funny.

I'm not sure if any alcohol induced craziness will top that tonight.

Uganda Updates.

2007-10-27T00:25:00.000-04:00

I know it's been a while since I've updated you all on the Juba Peace Talks and the current situation in Uganda. I'm finally getting back into the swing of things with my life, working out regularly, reading more, and blogging again! So I thought I'd throw up some good Uganda links, some might be a couple of months old, but still extremely informative and sometimes shocking. As many times I hear the stories of mutilation and abuse put onto these children by the LRA it never ceases to shock me to read another. I truly hope it never ceases to shock and disgust me.

The Price of Peace in Uganda
A great article combining the heartbreaking atrocities committed by the LRA as well as informative updates on the progress of the Juba Peace Talks. I'll pull some of the most striking parts of the article to me, but please read all of it as it was extremely well written and informative.

A young woman I met had been abducted by the LRA along with other members of her village. She calmly described their first night's "welcoming meal," in which one of the villagers was killed and the rest forced to eat him, to instill a proper fear.

* * *
The final obstacle to a peace treaty is likely to be the treatment of Kony himself, who fears the justice he deserves. Kony is under indictment by the International Criminal Court, and he particularly dreads judgment in The Hague. Securing his surrender may involve a Ugandan promise of house arrest or exile to a country not party to the ICC -- the traditional tyrant's bribe.
Like Idi Amin in his Saudi exile, Kony may live for many years and die in comfort. This would not be justice. But many of his victims seem to prefer peace to a grand reckoning. And at least Kony's immense darkness would finally be confined to his own heart.

A blog called Return to Uganda focuses on the trials of children coping with war in Uganda. It's very personal, knowledgeable and focused on the issues surrounding the children affected by this war, which happens to be the longest war in Africa right now (21 years).

A great overview of all the issues surrounding justice and reconciliation in Uganda, as well as other issues such as IDP Camps and land rights.

The aftereffects of Kony's mutilations continue to hurt his victims... but the Ugandan government intends to help. An interesting and sad article on what the government intends to do to help all the maimed and mutilated victims of Kony's army.

While this article is about the Congo, being a neighbor to Uganda and having the worst rape epidemic of the world right now, I felt the need to post this. These crimes against women and children need more attention as they are a vast human rights violation. It's disturbing to think of these women and children being attacked, brutalized and violated as I sit comfy in my bed typing this. Ages of rape victims range from 3 years old to 75 years old.

To be lucky in life bears the responsibility to help the unlucky.

The Rockies: Myth or Legend?

2007-10-25T21:22:00.000-04:00

Let me preface this post with the fact that I'm not an avid baseball fan and therefore my knowledge of the game may be pretty lame in comparison to those who follow the sport closely.

There are a couple of reasons I'm interested in the World Series this year. One, when there was a chance that the Cleveland Indians would make it, I started paying close attention to the playoffs. Second, when the Red Sox beat the Indians, I already was bitter and hated the Red Sox anyways because they're a Boston team and Boston fans are obnoxious. Sorry to my dear friends who are from Boston and are Boston fans, I love you guys, but in general you know I'm right... in all fairness everybody really hates Boston teams and fans because they're all pretty darn good and have been for a while. Us folks with normal teams get awfully sick of it! Anyways, thirdly I kind of got on the Rockies band wagon when visiting Denver, not only because of the excited and devoted fans there but also because I appreciate the "Moneyball-ish" homegrown strategy that the Rockies have employed. I also like the manager Clint Hurdle. I heard multiple interviews with him while in Denver and I like his style.

So anyways, back to the point. The Rockies were the underdogs of the series coming into it, and are now definitely the underdogs after the blow out last night. The Sox are apparently the "better team" according to every media outlet not in Colorado. Meanwhile I had a Denver bred Rockies fan tell me yesterday before the game that the Sox were basically "playing against God" because of the amazing and unprecedented winning streak that the Rockies were on.

And here is where the Rockies strength of character as a team comes to be tested. Will they be the myth? The team that was destined to win, but then choked and was embarrassed in the World Series therefore making all the heroic predictions untrue? Or will they become the legend, the little team that could? Yes the Red Sox are nationally followed. I was watching the game last night at a bar in Raleigh and the place was filled with Sox fans, and other than at my table, I didn't see a Rockies fan there. But as with David and Goliath, I will continue to root for the underdog. The little guys with some spunk and character. I hope they become the legend that the Pittsburgh Steelers did when they were the only sixth seed ever to win the Super Bowl (sorry, football and Steelers are my sport, I had to bring up One reference!)

I assume my little article here was neither insightful nor new news, but this is my shout out to The Rockies and I hope they can pull out a win tonight. Right now it's tied 1-1 in the fourth inning. Rockies are looking looser and more comfortable than last night, the balls aren't all falling the Red Sox's way, the pitching is more equal and if the Rockies still believe in themselves then they have a real chance to become legends. But they'd better get a win in before Beckett takes the mound again.

Damn, I love sports... and on that note please check out a new football blog by one of my most fave girls in the world, and coincidentally my twin separated from me at birth... Pink Cleats. She's smart, knows her football, is an awesome writer and an amazing person. Any football fan would benefit from reading her blog, but for those other female football fans out there finding a void of female angled football blogs and commentary, it's a must to check out. It's my blog pick of the week... okay, so I don't do a blog pick of the week, but if I did, that'd be it for this week!! Don't forget to leave her some comments and show her some love!!

On a personal note, you know you're living on a tight budget when your spouse tells you to not send in a bill yet because you don't have enough money in the bank account to cover it. Dang, that's living paycheck to paycheck fo' sho'!

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven: A Review

2007-10-25T18:44:00.000-04:00

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie is a collection of short stories focused on the lives of Native Americans in modern society. I have to say that I loved loved loved this collection. Alexie, rightly so, is known as one of the current greats in the writing world. His stories are poetic, insightful, funny and have a natural grace to them that makes the stories sing. The manner in which he mixes reality and old Indian myths and traditions is genius.

The overall tone of the collection is mournful and speaks of a lost culture. Alexie shows the beauty and art of the old Indian traditions and then he shows us the disconnect in the current Native American culture with the old ways and the modern world. I have kept myself somewhat educated on the completely disgraceful way the Indians were treated by our government and the complete destruction of their culture as a result, but reading it was absolutely heartbreaking.
Reading these stories, you get a feeling of hopelessness, loss and pain.

I cannot say enough about the creativity in which Alexie approached many of these stories. He takes storytelling to an entirely new level with metaphors and symbolism, and he makes it all sound so pretty while he's at it. Sometimes it was like reading pure poetry... sure poetry about an alcoholic Indian who can't support his family so they eat imaginary food for dinner, but pure poetry. And the greatest gift of the book is the imagination, the humor and the moments of love (and therefore hope) that he gives us. Yes, perhaps they are only glimmers of love and hope, but sometimes that's all people need.

It took me a long time to finish this collection, mostly because I carried it in my purse and used it as my emergency-stuck-waiting-in-line book, so I read it sporadically. However, as I got near the end I noticed myself putting off reading it because I didn't want the magical stories to end. I always knew that if I was stuck somewhere bored I had a whole world just waiting for me in my purse, and that was something that was hard for me to give up. But all good things must come to an end I suppose.

I Strongly recommend that everyone reading this go out and buy The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie immediately. It changes your perception of life and deepens your respect for the delicate balance of culture and the forever effects of forcefully assimilating people into a culture so contrasting to their own. It is a powerful book and frankly, just fun to read!

An interesting tidbit on Alexie... you know you've made it when you've got a copycat I suppose!

5* (as if you couldn't tell by my glowing review)

Atonement: A Review

2007-10-23T19:59:00.000-04:00

I had actually read Atonement by Ian McEwan right before I heard it was being made into a movie, and ironically I've been on a kick of reading books turned into movies.

The book is about a young girl, Briony, who through a youthful misunderstanding of a situation condemns an innocent man. The book is about guilt, despicable actions that can't be undone, and what people will do to hide from their actions or ultimately to atone for them. The story is heartbreaking and written with a vivid eye to the minds and hearts of each character.

Although the book started out slow for me, the build up is intentional. You get a sense of the slow paced, sweet gentility of Briony's life before the "incident." It is an innocent world she lives in and after certain events and her decision to condemn Robbie Turner, everything drastically changes and the pace quickens. You're taken directly into the war, where Robbie is fighting in order to escape his prison sentence, Cecilia is a nurse to escape her family and Briony is a nurse to atone. The vividness of McEwan's writing is stunning. The images he gives us of war are chilling and feel real and personal to you. It is a world that brings together misery, desperation, love and forgiveness. Easily my favorite part of the book is when we're taken through the war. I was stunned and moved by the images and feelings of the characters.

The ending is average and not as emotional or as vivid as the rest of the story. It's more functional than anything, giving context and tying up the loose strings for the story. I can see it's purpose, but the romantic and dramatic in me would have hoped for a more dramatic and emotional ending. Not that I feel the events should have played out differently, but the way it was written wasn't in real time, it was written from the future and lacked the immediacy of the rest of the book. However, I can see McEwan's purpose, perhaps some of the reflections he wanted Briony to make couldn't be made until she was much older, and so he felt compelled to bring the end of the book towards the end of her life. It did have a "full circle" effect, with her grandchildren reading her play for her birthday, and it was a satisfactory ending.

I can't wait to see the movie, I'm in love with Keira Knightley. Not necessarily for her acting skills but just because she's freaking hot!

4*

Steelers are IN-COM-PLETE.

2007-10-22T20:27:00.001-04:00

This is the picture of Hubby and I before the game. I guess my sign was just a smidgen premature, but considering that most Bronco fans I talked to didn't even think they had a chance against My Steelers, I guess I was a little over-confident. And with Ben's "All I'll have to do is hand off the ball" comment and the way they carelessly threw the ball around, the weak O-Line play, our corners getting burned on just about every play and the lack of the D showing up for the last drive of the play and letting Denver win with a last second field go... I think it'd be fair to say that Pittsburgh went into this game a bit over-confident themselves. And as we all witnessed (painfully for me), when the Steelers are cocky, they suck (no pun intended... okay, fine, pun intended!) The Steelers thrive as the underdogs, and as Hubby said, he started getting nervous when everyone was picking the Steelers to kill the Broncos. I think our offense had moments of the Steelers we've been seeing this year, but our D was just pathetic and looked weak, and I can't even start with the penalties penalties penalties! The O-Line looked sloppy, with our center contributing to if not causing the fumble returned for the TD with an awful low snap, not to mention the fact that Ben was running for his life way too much for comfort.

It could be said that this is the first Real competition Pittsburgh has seen this year, and with the Steelers headed to Cincy for their next game, a place they've won in every year for the past couple of years, and with Cincy looking so horrible and inconsistent, we may not be truly tested again until the Baltimore game the following week. I'm hoping that we are the Steelers that I thought we were the first 5 games rather than the Steelers of last night, which really scarily resembled the Steelers of last year.

On a personal note, I was at the game and had a blast, even though I just about froze my balls off (figure of speech). The Denver fans were way easier on me than the Cincy fans usually are, and I suppose I could attribute that to the Division rivalry thing but I could also just say that Bengals fans suck ass. But one thing that did get on my last nerve, and I was actually even warned about this by a friend who used to live in Denver. After every freaking incomplete the fans say "And the pass is IN-COM-PLETE!" Now, it doesn't bother me for the ribbing part, it bothers me because it was just freaking annoying. Okay, get a new THING Broncos. I started yelling that out by myself every time the Broncos had an incompletion... funny, the Broncos fans did not seem amused.

Oh, and did I mention that the Steelers are going to the Super Bowl this year?? :)

P.S. I forgot to mention the way witty sign one of the Denver fans had, of course the Broncos' stadium showed it about three times, I don't think it made National TV though: Roethlisberger eats boogars.

Yes, very witty indeed.

We flew home on Monday, I just have to say that it was basically Steelers Nation in the Denver airport! Everybody still proudly wearing their Black and Gold! I love Steelers Nation.

On The Road...

2007-10-16T23:29:00.000-04:00

I'm headed to Denver, Colorado this weekend to visit friends and of course goto the Steelers @ Denver game on SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!! So make sure to look for my terrible towel waving in the crowd on NBC Sunday Night! There may be an embarrassing sign using the letters of "NBC" to say something witty or not so witty about the Steelers... and possibly face paint too...

See ya there!

HERE WE GO STEELERS!

My Daemon: An Ocelot

2007-10-13T23:21:00.000-04:00

Pretty Cool, huh?

The Collected Short Stories of Amy Hempel: A Review

2007-10-07T21:52:00.003-04:00

The Collected Short Stories of Amy Hempel, written by Amy Hempel of course, was raved by NY Times as one of the top ten books of the year last year. In a writing style that is unique, sharp and tight as can be, Amy Hempel writes of everyday events in such colors that the life meaning of the story bleeds out to you.

I'm one who typically likes long descriptive passages. I like writing that is clear and and written a bit elaborately. Amy Hempel is not this type of writer. And it is because of this that it took a while for me to get into her stories. There were some stories that were no more than two pages long and after reading the story a couple of times all I could come up with is: WTF? She has a randomness and a shortness with her stories that leaves a lot up for the readers' deliberation, and this usually drives me nuts! However, as I read on, I was able to get into her rhythm (and she definitely creates a rhythm in her stories!) I grew to appreciate her subtle writing style, the things she does not say but you understand completely. There is definitely a beauty to the subtle writing, the short and quick style. Her stories are often simple and seem to have a simple or even no plot, but they always have some statement or thought on life. Hempel often leaves us with a question on life with no answers.

I can see why her book of short stories was popular, not only is it unique, but it is also like a clear stream of water. Refreshing and crisp.

4*

I'm Not Dead!

2007-10-06T15:05:00.001-04:00

Yes, I know, I've been incredibly, inexplicably quiet as of late. I can attribute this to a new job, rocking social life and the jet streaming life style and I hold, going to Vegas and all for a week. I've been busy and exhausted. Elated and Depressed. Just living life.

I'm going to try to be back and more consistent with my posts now that I'm settling down in my new employment. I have some books to review and some topics to vent on. Hopefully it'll be all good again and you'll all come back to me!

With Love,

mai wen

Bits and Pieces

2007-08-19T13:52:00.000-04:00

A wonderful article about women writers in Uganda, including a great quote from one of the premiere women writers in Uganda, Monica Arac de Nyeko:

As I start to understand myself better, as I change, as my disappointments, hopes and visions shape my thought, I find that writing has become like a quest for me, mostly to understand myself, to explain myself to myself and then to understand that around me, why things are the way they are.

My writing is shaped by these battles which are my own, yet my anger and my quests are all so tied to my identify, history, my memory of many things, but especially of home the way it was and is with the war, the poverty.

As a writer, my own internal battles shape my motives and interaction with my audience to whom I try to offer an alternative for consideration, I question, I challenge, sometimes I rant, and shout and demand to be heard because in this space where so many things seem to be going wrong, I feel I have as much right to poke at people's thoughts with an offer of my own view of the way things should and can be/ It is my Uganda, my land, Africa, my world, my universe, too after all and it will be for my children.

Thank you to The Literary Saloon for the link. I've done some searching online, and unfortunately have not found a place in which I could purchase these books online or in the States. If anybody knows of a place, please let me know, it'd be really amazing for me to be able to read these new bright female voices from Uganda.

Hotel Steelers

Just a fun report on what the Steelers rules and requests are when they're staying in hotels on the road. My favorite is the "Heinz ketchup must be on tables at meal time" rule, ah, endorsements and all that BS just amuse me to no end.

Thank you to the Post-Gazette for that link.

A Quotable Threesome

2007-08-19T13:38:00.000-04:00

The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.
- Ralph W. Sockman

Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so.
- Gore Vidal

You probably wouldn't worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do.
- Olin Miller

The Sandman - Preludes & Nocturnes: A Review

2007-08-14T14:24:00.000-04:00

The first volume of Neil Gaiman's famed Sandman series introduces us to the infamous Sandman. He is captured and imprisoned by a mere mortal by mistake, his capturer attempting to capture Death. In a quest to free himself and then regain his stolen possessions, The Sandman takes us to dark and interesting places. He seeks revenge and he gives relief. He visits hell and travels through people's dreams. He is The Sandman.

With art that is vivid and immaculate, the first Sandman book is dark and at times disturbing. The story is imaginative and makes you feel like you're watching a horror movie. Especially at the beginning of the book, you can almost hear the scary horror music in the background. It carries that creepy factor well throughout the book and pushes the line of creepy sometimes to just disturbing and icky. But it is well done and a really fun and interesting read. Of course if you're prone to nightmares, I wouldn't read this right before you go to bed as I did. The images definitely stick in your head and could haunt your dreams... if only you could call The Sandman to you...

5*

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh: A Review

2007-08-13T12:35:00.000-04:00

I had read and loved Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It was beautifully written, the plot was imaginative and huge and the characters were memorable and interesting. Other than one weird part of the book that takes place in Antarctica or something that was kind of boring and didn't totally fit, the book was a masterpiece. So when I heard that they were making a movie out of Chabon's first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, I thought I should check it out before the movie came out.

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh started out a bit slow. The writing was great and the characters interesting, but it seemed plotless and aimless, much like the main character's, Art Bechstein, plans for life. But then it picks up speed and doesn't slow down. As Art becomes entangled in a love triangle with a man and a woman, self exploration and sexual identity become the moving force of the novel. Then the mysteries of his father's work and the tragic death of his mother begin to shape events as Art's friend, Cleveland, gets involved in the underground work that Art's father is involved in. In a novel about love, trust and secrets, Chabon creates extremely realistic and yet unique characters who are the heart of the novel. A novel about the decisions we make in life that propel us in one direction or another and the consequences of these decisions.

I cannot praise Chabon's writing enough. He's simply a master. The fact that this was his first published novel amazes me. His prose is flawless, unique and beautiful. As a writer, I'm desperately jealous. I'm a little unsure of whether or not I liked the ending of the book. It works, but I guess I was a little disappointed and wished that certain characters had turned out differently. The strained relationship between Art and his father was one that I wish had been fleshed out more and one that I wanted to end up somewhere different. That is my only regret in a book that was daring and full of life and honesty. I'm a little nervous to watch the movie because they combined two of the main characters and made another set married that wasn't in the book. I'm not sure if I like those moves, but I'll have to see the movie when it comes out to see how they do with it.

Overall, this is the ultimate coming of age story, full of very Pittsburgh-y settings and all the confused feelings of growing up. It's also a tribute to those people in your past who make a huge impact on who you are and that you carry with you even after they're out of your life. For a book that has been compared to such classics as Adventures of Huck Finn and The Catcher in the Rye, it is definitely worth reading and already a classic in its own right.

5*

Quotes of the Day

2007-08-09T12:50:00.000-04:00

Character is what you have left when you've lost everything you can lose.
- Evan Esar

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.
- Robert Frost