Mistress of the Art of Death: Book Review

Summary

Dr. Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar does well enough as a female doctor in her native Salerno, but when the King of Sicily orders her to a wet and gray Cambridge, England, Adelia finds an entirely new world where she does not fit. In order to track a treacherous child-killer, Adelia most both blend in and set herself apart in a land where one misstep could get her burned as a witch. However, for the children of Cambridge, Adelia's success is a matter of life and death.



Overview (No spoilers)

Being a huge fan of the TV show Bones I was pleased to find many similarities between Adelia and the TV version of Dr. Temperance Brennan. Actually more similarities than there are between the book and TV versions of Brennan herself but I digress. The point is that Adelia is a sharp, intelligent, but in many ways, socially inept. She wears the mask of fearlessness and emotional distance but is often more human than those who scorn her.

I did also listen to this book on audio but the audio was neither bad nor spectacular, simply the type of well-done recording as to be unobtrusive to the experience of the book, but I have nothing specific to say about it.



Book Club (Spoilers)

Along with Adelia I thought the other characters really came to life. I was particularly fond of Simon of Naples and King Henry. Of course, this also meant I was rather distraught when Simon died but that was just how I knew how much I liked him. It wasn't even him alone as a character but the mix of characters that did so well. Franklin did a great job of creating a friendly chemistry among the three (Adelia, Simon, and Mansour) that the loss of one effected the balance and could not be replaced.

Henry's cunning character made me smile at the ending courtroom seen and I appreciated the suspense of not knowing what would happen to the nun, Victoria. However, I did guess that Sir Jocelyn was involved based on the fact that he was so nice, so he would be the one people would least suspect. However, if I had picked an accomplice for him, it would have been the Prioress, so I was wrong on that count.

Starving!

Okay, not really but pretty hungry and I'm going out to eat so not sure I'll be back in time to blog.

Beautiful Girl

Heretofore my beautiful people list has been all men but there are plenty of beautiful women whose looks I admire. Olivia Wilde, who plays Thirteen on House, is easily the most beautiful woman on television (or Hulu in my case) in my opinion. I think it's her huge bright eyes. I can never quite tell their color, but they're mesmerizing. I know Dr. Cameron was supposed to be hot, but I personally never found her that attractive even before Thirteen came on the show and made all women look like hags by comparison. Usually it's easy to resent girls like that but when even I wouldn't mind looking at her all day, I can hardly judge. She's the perfect female counterpart to Dr. Chase, who is the male version of mind-melting pretty.

Poker Face

Back from my weekend and had an excellent time. My sister and I met our friend Thomas downtown at a Smash Brother video game tournament at the library where we met some friends of Thomas and they invited us over for board games. The only not so fun part was we got stuck in a parking garage when the only exit broke and no attendant was available to help, but at least half of the people stuck were the friends we had met so there was only one unpleasant person who didn't understand the concept of a broken exit. We played Clue (which I won from almost sheer luck--Mrs. White in the Conservatory with the Knife!) and a game called Alhambra (which I lost spectacularly). Thomas also taught me to play poker which took a lot longer than I expected but was fun to learn. I started off quite well but had lost everything by the end. Good thing we were playing with poker chips and not real money!

No Blog Posts

I'm staying over a friend's house this weekend, so I won't be posting until Monday.

Robots That Feel...

They've done it now. They've created robots that can feel emotion. Click here to read the article. My sister contends that this is no different than people's ability to create babies. I, on the other hand, see a whole other group of sentient beings that are likely to be first enslaved, then really ticked off (because now they can feel ticked off that people treat them like tools), and then kill us all. Okay, maybe that's a bit paranoid, but I'm just very wary of this. I don't blame the robots. I don't think they'll be naturally bad. Simply that anything will probably snap after people treat them like servants with no rights. People often don't treat other people decently, so I have no faith in their ability not to tick off robots.

Summer's Last Hurrah?

Today was positively baking! I had to go to the post office to mail an application (oh, how I wish they could all be online applications). But the weather site claims it should be cooling down, so I hope that turns a out to be true. I think my brain melted a littled from spending too much time in the heat.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson:

Book and Audiobook Review

Summary

Will Grayson is a teen in Evanston, IL whose non-confrontational personality is often challenged by his larger than life friend, Tiny Cooper. Will Grayson is a teen in Naperville, IL who has no friends. Happenstance cause these two to meet one night in Chicago and their colliding paths cause them to share more than just their names.

Overview (No spoilers)

What I really liked about this book was that it was a marked departure from John Green's usual romantic themes. It deals in romance, but more importantly, it's a treatise on friendship: what it is, what it means, and what a true friend will do for another. It's not that I haven't loved the romances Green has written, but this was a refreshing change not just to him but also for YA books in general which, much as I adore them, I will confess often rank romantic love far above friendship. As for Levithal's character, I've never read anything else by him, so I can't compare, but I did like his character in the end. Though I'll note that I hated him in the beginning. It wasn't that I couldn't relate, since though it constantly shames me to admit it, it really wasn't that long ago that I was a teen. But the anger and angst of the age are not things I miss. However, the character's need to use his anger to distance people because of his own fear that he wasn't worthy of affection struck a more universal cord with me.

Audiobook (Mild spoilers)

Only after listening to the audio did I glance at the text and realize that Naperville Will's sections were written in textspeak grammar which, no doubt, would have driven me nuts to read since I can't even abide textspeak when someone is texting me. That combined with his angst-ridden character might have made me give up earlier if I hadn't been listening. I also was impressed that they sang the songs and the ex-boyfriend song cracked me up when the guy sang "I don't have to you you why." Something about the tone mixed with the words was what made it funny. And it was a good choice for them to alternate readers, of course. I'm guessing Evanston Will's reader sang the songs but honestly I don't know for certain. Overall, they were both excellent voice actors that were able to emphasize feelings I may not have felt from a straight reading of the text.

What Do You Think?

I bought this cloak the other day but have left the tags on because I have a short window of opportunity to return it. I misremembered the color of the dress I'd be wearing it with but I still think it looks nice and I like the color. On the other hand, they had purple available which might match the dress better and is a little bit cheaper. But I'm normally not the biggest fan of purple so I'm not sure I want to exchange it even if it would match the dress better. I saw the purple one in the shop and discounted it because of its color. Obviously you guys can't tell me what to do but what would you do?

Oh, and I don't actually live in a tilted house; I just couldn't find the camera tripod.

Booklist

Not the reviewers. A while ago I found my old journal and saw that I used to read an average about 30-34 novels in a year. I wouldn't count books I only read partially and sometimes wouldn't count books I'd been forced to read for school (because the two were often one in the same), unless I really liked them. One year was roughly double that because I started reading graphic novels which are quicker reads. But for a while I stopped keeping track and the lists reminded me how much I missed that. It's nice having a comprehensive list of what I've read. It's not that I generally forget, but I do often forget just how much I read. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. So I've started doing it again. I started with every book I could remember reading this year which is a total of 10 so far. But it's higly possible I'm forgetting some. And before anyone suggests the many websites that track this things, I would like to say I simply prefer journaling them at this point.

There Comes a Time...

...In every computer's life when it decides it hates you. And it stops working. Or works spottily. I'm currently on the latter so my sister's installing Ubuntu on my computer to see if that will help. Now I sit at my old desktop which feels so antique despite being quite a bit younger than a friend of mine's computer which I think she said was six years old. I think I've had five different computers in the past six years so that boggles the mind for me.

Secret Sandwiches and a Free Lunch

So I found out that Safeway actually makes really good sandwiches and they're cheap! I know this sounds like an advertisement but I'm actually proud that I got a free sandwich today because last time they gave me a coupon for one. I thought I was going to have to buy a drink but since I had a card with the store, that was free too! Okay, 5 cents for the bottle but I think that doesn't count.

Oh, and no blog tomorrow because I actually have a social activity, go me!

Book Club and Dexter

Today I went to my book club and now I'm watching Dexter season 4 with my sister which is the reason for the short post.

Eek

I went outside yesterday to find this monster on my bike. I'm pretty afraid of praying mantises so it took quite some time of anxiously poking it with a reed and then finally jostling the bike until I was able to get it to go away.

Practicing Interview Questions

I've spent the past several hours practicing interview questions. Not exactly my idea of fun. Earlier today set up my online account for my health insurance and filled out a survey about my recent doctor's visit. I wish I could have commented on the effectiveness of the survey. I would have liked to be more specific. Like I didn't feel I was qualified to rate my doctor's overall skill, especially after only one visit. I also REALLY hate their phone tree. But once you get a hold of a person they're perfectly nice and helpful. Also, in the doctor's office they gave me a sheet to fill out where they asked how much calcium I consume. Gee, let me check my personal nutrition log... Yeah, oddly, it seems I didn't take note of that.

Getting Old?

I feel like I'm slowing down. Part of me just thinks I'm not eating right or possibly not sleeping properly. I'm too young for it to be age. Aren't I? Of course I am. I'll look back on this and snort at my worries when I'm actually old. Still, at a quarter of a century, perhaps I am feeling time just a little bit.

I Got an Interview!

Yay!

Tired

My sleeping schedule had actually been normalizing but now it's getting wonky again, although still not quite as bad as it used to be. Today I turned in another application by hand. While riding the train I listened to John Green's new book, co-authored with David Levithan, and I think people might have thought that I was crazy when I laughed out loud to myself. Now I'm home and just tired.

Oh, and I'm staying at a friend's house tomorrow, so no post.

Cherie's Tip of the Day--My Caffeine

I've never drunk coffee and only occasionally drink caffeinated teas, but I do often feel groggy in the morning. What I like to do instead of drinking stimulants is to listen to voices--I prefer YouTube videos or TV shows (often found on YouTube or Hulu because I don't watch TV). But I think some energetic music with words might help some people just as much.

Link is a Lefty!

I was very disappointed, although not surprised to hear, that the new Legend of Zelda game, Skyward Sword will not feature a left-handed option. Honestly, I don't usually make a big deal about the world being made for right-handers. I've mostly gotten used to it. Plus I'm ambidextrous. I just happen to favor my left. So if Link had been a right-handed hero, I probably wouldn't have even noticed or cared if there was no left-handed option. But Link was a lefty. One of the few! A hero for all leftys! And they changed him just so right-handed people could feel more comfy.

The petition I found only had a depressing 38 signatures of which I am one. Several hundred less than a petition I found to bring back Squeeze-it juice drinks and not nearly enough to change Nintendo's mind. But if any of you feel like signing it or writing Nintendo a letter, I, and all us other disappointed leftys would really appreciate it.

Internet ADD

So as much as I love and will defend the internet I have to admit it does give me a certain amount of ADD. I don't think my mind necessarily wanders more, but with the internet there's always the added temptation to actually check the price of the RenFest costume, look for a different job posting (while you're filling out another job posting), write to a friend, verify a bit of obscure history, etc. Regardless I think I got a little more done today than usual. I've been meaning to brush up on my Chinese for a while now and finally took the time to do so today after filling out another job app. And now I'm going to do some writing in my new novel before the day ends.

Would You Help a Thief?

According to this video, you might if you're a guy and the thief is a girl. I find this to be simultaneously sad and hilarious. Apparently I've thus far missed out on my opportunity for a life of crime.

I wanted to also add the irony that a YouTuber named ShayCarl recommended this TV show in his video. I wouldn't have known about it otherwise, and I thought it was cool that it's gotten to the point where I'm more familiar with YouTubers than TV shows.

I Spy...

...A new book by Piers Anthony. Looked interesting but also a bit more epic than I feel like reading right now. And possibly ever. Not much for epic. When I looked it up it also appears to be part of a series I've never read so I'd have to read the first one anyway. But I'm just impressed he's still writing.

...A car parked too close to the train tracks so my train was delayed.

...A wedding photo where no one was smiling.

I Taste...

...A seafood Subway sandwich where the seafood tasted off. But I'm such a wimp about these things. I think a normal person would have complained but I feel like I don't know if I just have a funny taste in my mouth, so I just didn't eat it.

...A cantaloupe green tea. The first I've had with no milk and it was delicious! Yay for non-diary!

Applications

I spent much of my day browsing postings and filling in forms. I'm beginning to feel like my job has become writing my name and address.

What I'm Up To

1. Applying for work. Cursing online apps that don't work!
2. Collaborating on a twitter project with a friend and a novel with my sister
3. Reading the (yet unpublished) Goblin Gate. Hooray ALA!

Celebrating a Friend's Birthday

But forgot to say I wouldn't blog. :P

14th Amendment

I found out that they want to change the 14th amendment so that it doesn't include the children of illegal immigrants. Apparently they wouldn't revoke the amendment, just fiddle with it. In a nutshell, this would mean that those born in America to the parents of illegal immigrants wouldn't be citizens. To be honest I'm not sure how I feel about it. I don't particularly like agreeing with the people supporting it. But I have to say I can't come up with any good arguments against it. I always did think it was a bit strange of a law, a bit like a child's game; I'm touching this dirt so that gives my child rights. At the same time, I have great sympathy for the people who flee here for a better life. I'd rather make all the migrant workers citizens, and through them any children born here, than revoke their children's rights (wasn't someone trying to pass a law like that a while ago?). I feel they do a valuable service to America, and no matter what anyone says, they're not taking any jobs that Americans actually want to do. Plus, another reason it's bad to make the children legal but not the parents is that it makes it illegal for the family to stay together. So I don't think it should be based on touching dirt, but if someone is working here and has been for years, I think it benefits everyone to make them legitimate members of society. I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on this.

Busy, Busy, Busy

With job app stuff so not much to say today and possibly no writing as this needs to take priority.

Reading...

Currently I'm reading and enjoying a YA fantasy called The Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell which I've had for a while after getting it for free from the UM library which was getting rid of a mint condition copy. I was reminded of it recently when I picked up a galley for the yet unpublished sequel at the ALA conference. But I probably still might not be reading it now if not for my sister devouring both the first and second book and firmly recommending them. I've never been much for goblins but my sister was very right that the characters in this book are very well-written.

On the other end of the spectrum I decided to read the blog of Belle de Jour because I've long had in interest in Showtime's series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, but I have yet to be able to watch it with the exception of a few episodes online. The blog is fun though and one of these days I plan to rent the show, but I'll have to go to Blockbuster or something similar because I don't watch enough movies to justify the monthly charge of Netflix.

World's Best Use for Haters

Ever wish you had a penny for every hater on YouTube? Well, now this girl does. She made a video on YouTube for a contest to win $100,000. Every rating and comment (from different people per day) counted as a vote. So the people that always regale videos with such profound comments as "ur gay" were actually voting for her. It's just so beautiful. Trolls were actually useful for once.

Read Any Good Books Lately?

So after being spoiled by my early copy of I Shall Wear Midnight I'm hungry for some great books. Not just good books. Not okay books. But the best of the best. I'm in the mood for some good fantasy novels, but I'm open to many other things. So please leave suggestions of your absolute favorite books.

Windows 7 Starter Complaint

Where to begin really? Is it the fact that the ability to change your desktop isn't a defailt feature? Is it the fact that it can't (or won't) run the full Windows 7 on my netbook? Is it that it doesn't seem to have addressed the things that were wrong with Vista?

Well, all of the above. But also, when I received, my galley of I Shall Wear Midnight, I wanted to do a vlog. The previous Windows Movie Maker, despite all its faults, did allow you to record straight from your webcam. That was what made it so easy to use. This one does not. Grrr!! It's as if Windows wants me to find alternatives to their programs.

I Remembered to Write

But I forgot to blog last night. Hmm. But no one called me on it so I'm safe for now. All my word counts recently have been for a project my sister and I are collaborating on. It's a science fiction novel which is a lot easier to write with my sister's help since I'm not naturally a sciencey person.

When I Grow Up, I Want to Be Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman's speech does a lot in reminding me the importance of writing. He also reminds me why authors are the best advocates of any cause, because their eloquence of words can say in one line what most people need an entire speech for. Neil's quote on libraries is my example:

"Libraries are our future. More children are borrowing books from libraries than ever. It is a terrible, terrible mistake to steal from the future to pay for today."

Going to the Zoo

I probably won't be back until late and will likely be very tired.

EDIT: I just got back a few minutes to midnight, so no writing today either.

A Good Book

Today I finished reading I Shall Wear Midnight. I won't review it before the rest of you unfortunate souls have a chance to read it. Of course, be sure to read The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, and Wintersmith first. I will say that it's an excellent book (of course, how could it not be?). I was relieved to read it because it's been a while since I've read a book of its quality. The type of book that reminds me why I love books. But more importantly the type of book that can rescue you from darkness and help you see the world in a different light. A good book is beyond precious because it's what makes you understand what precious is.

On a writing news note I've decided to reintegrate my Twitter into my blog because that's where I'm giving my writing updates. See the side-bar.

BEST THING EVAH!

So I arrive home today to the world's best delivery. The new Terry Pratchett book. That's right. Because I went to the American Library Association's conference I get this book not only for free but EARLY before the rest of you suckers! Okay, fine, I'm probably the biggest Pratchett fan of my blog audience so the rest of you aren't nearly as envious as you should be.

Birthday Break

My birthday is tomorrow and I'm going to take a two day hiatus from my blog so as to not interrupt any wild celebrating I should choose to do...

In the meantime, you may all enjoy some kayaking pictures my sister took of me and my friends last weekend.

Me, Thomas, and our friend Becky

My solitary reflection.

All of us in alignment, actually a far more difficult and rare thing than this picture makes it look.

I know the hair is suspiciously pretty, but this is in fact Thomas and not a pretty blonde girl.

Ninja Poem

Tim challenged me to write a 20 line poem about the awesomeness of ninjas for my punishment. I don't like writing poetry, so this really is a punishment. On the up side, I think this is of sufficient length and difficulty to count as my writing for the day. Here goes:

Ninja, ninja, of the night,
Black and sleek, a frightening sight,

The moon shines off your silver blade,
The sharpest sword t'was ever made,

An arrow hurtles through the dark,
A ninja never misses his mark,

There will be no sound in the hush,
All his enemies he will crush,

A moving shadow need never hide,
Simply wait and patiently bide,

Boredom is his only fear,
No other danger can get near,

His task complete, he needs not rest,
His heart beats swiftly in his breast,

Then he hears the faintest hiss,
Something he could almost miss,

The only thing that could defeat,
This ninja of the high elite,

The second ninja's hair flies free,
He sees he's fallen to a she.

Despicable Me Mini Review and A for Effort

My sister and I saw Despicable Me and I thought it was cute but nothing fantastic UNTIL the end credits. This movie is worth the money just for the end credits alone. Ever since the 3D craze hit I've been complaining that none of the 3D pops out of the screen anymore. I don't care if they think depth is more "artsy." I want stuff flying in my face! And Despicable Me delivered--just not until the end credits.

I also didn't have the most spectacular start to working on my writing again but I get an A for effort because I went all the way back to my house from the movie theater to get my computer. We live quite close and our movie didn't start for an hour and a half and I hadn't done any writing so I felt I needed to do something. So I got a little bit of editing in before the film but hopefully today will be better.

Seeing a Movie

Might not be back till late. But I WILL get editing or writing done. Will explain how later. Notification of how much writing may come late but this is acceptable as long as it is done. (And notification is within the next day).

Forgot to Say

That I would not be blogging today.

Love, Self Respect, and Approaching Birthday



Cheesy and I'm still too immature to handle the "learning to love yourself" line, but I admit I like this song and it's fitting to my post.

There are many bad reasons to start a relationship such as money, loneliness, green cards, and legitimizing babies. But I think the most toxic thing in any relationship is an unhealthy mentality. There are a lot of different variations of those as well but one of the most common is trying to use another person to boost your self-esteem. But that never works. Even if that person loves you more than life itself, you will never be happy until you can love yourself (ha, ha, not in that way. Though it does help...).

This ties into another thing I've been thinking about: birthday presents. I admittedly get annoyed with people who say they don't want anything. I don't judge if people don't give me anything, but it's always nice when they do. Although, if anyone's curious (hint, hint) I do prefer people doing nice things for me as opposed to most presents. The best birthday I've ever had remains the one year in college my friends threw me a surprise party and to the best of my recollection I didn't receive any presents. It just meant a lot to me that they put that much thought into me to actually plan something.

Anyway, the point of all this is I was thinking that none of the things I truly want in life can simply be handed to me. Even more than financial independence, I want to know that I am productive and accomplishing things. It's how I measure my worth. Sure, if someone told me I could have anything I'd probably ask for a billion dollars. But I'd still want to have some kind of job. True, that job wouldn't have to produce money, which would be nice. But I'd still be unhappy if I wasn't doing it. In that situation I would want to be writing.

I've been going a bit bonkers recently and feeling a bit down. Part of it's that I was I was sick for a month! I think I caught two different colds. Blah! But the other major part is just that I haven't been writing. Even just in this blog. Well...I have in the twitter novella I'm collaborating on, but that's hardly enough for me. So I need to get back into gear. My writing has been tossed aside with a whirlwind of moving, settling, getting sick, and jetting off to DC for the ALA conference. But I'm back now and I'm feeling better. I'm actually going to a picnic tonight with my French conversation group and tomorrow I'm staying at a friend's house. Both things I know mean it wouldn't work well to start my resolution now. But on FRIDAY, MAY 16th, I will pick up my writing projects. Now, I won't always be able to do word count because two of my novels just need editing. I may decide I just need to focus on that until it's done. But starting Friday I need to do something writing related every day (unless I'm going to be gone all or most the day in which case, just as with the blog, I will notify in advance). Writing related activities could be editing, sending my book to agents, writing in my novel, or just writing a long blog post like this one (long posts will be more than 3 paragraphs).

I will once again tweet what I've done. I don't put my Twitter feed on my blog because of a running challenge I have with my friend that he find my Twitter. But since I'm willing to bet he hasn't read this (and if he has, he deserves it) here's the link.

The Dao of Having Done

When I was in college a wise man told me that you should be a Confucianist when you study for a test and Daoist once you've taken it. For those of you who don't know, that means that you should work really hard studying for the test, but don't worry after you've taken the test. I try to apply this to many types of difficult tasks. But it's not easy.

Bath Computer

It used to be there was nothing I liked more than a nice relaxing soak in the tub. But now my brain always feels like it needs to move faster than that. I won't blame computers. I love computers. I also don't necessarily think it's a bad thing that my brain now desires a faster rate of knowledge acquisition. Our world is just more interactive now. Yes, I can still read in the tub and I do but if there's something I'm curious about, like Walpurgis Night, I like to be able to look that up. I was recently watching a movie with a friend who thankfully took pity on my desire to look up some of the actors on IMDB. True, I also used to have an impeccable memory for actor faces. But why do I need that info cluttering my brain? Is it really so bad that that space can now be devoted to something else? And while looking up actors be unnecessary, learning about something isn't. Plus, internet users often seem to have a knee jerk reaction to fact verification. That's right, verifying stuff! People actually want to do that. Yes, there's still the issue of information literacy and making sure the websites they use are accurate. But just having culture of people who want and can access information seems like a good thing. On the other hand, as this ramble shows, it's also something that I feel often needs to be defended from accusations of making us all into drooling idiots with a five second attention span an the inability to remember a simple phone number.

Anyway, all this means I wish I had a computer I could take into the bath with me so my body could enjoy a good soak while my mind just kept on running.

Heat Stroke

Okay, not really but I went quite a ways today in the heat and I think it may have melted my brain.

Eclipse Mini Review

Girl hearts sparkly vampire. Sparkly vampire wants to marry girl but not turn her into eternal vampire he'd have to spend the rest of his life with... Girl wants to spend rest of her sparkly eternal life with vampire but not marry him. That's just silly. Lots of vampires and werewolves fight. Vampires also stand around and look cool. Hang out in a meadow full of miracle grow flowers. The end.

Hope I didn't spoil anyone.

What Would I Do For a Klondike Bar?

Nothing. I only ate one out of desperation today because all the ice cream sandwiches were gone and I wanted ice cream.

Spidercide!

Okay, normally I feel bad about killing spiders even though I'm afraid of them. I usually make the effort to catch and release. But this apartment is infested! And TWO were in my bed. NOT okay! So it's war. I will smush anything with eight legs. I figure they're bringing it on themselves at this point. They should have gotten the message when the first twenty didn't come back alive.

Blast From the Past

I was very pleased and surprised that I was finally able to get in touch with my former boss from Taiwan thanks to LinkedIn. Hooray for social networking, making the once impossible, possible! I can be somewhat grumpy about social networking when I feel people actually grow farther apart using it. For instance, if you don't know anything that's happened in the lives of your 400 Facebook friends but you do know they have a cow on Farmville. But finding people you never thought you'd hear from again is definitely what these should be used for.

As for the above picture. I think that was my last day in Taiwan. I had wanted to take some last-minute pictures but it was pouring rain. Can't recall if I purchased that excellent yellow bag I'm wearing or if it was loaned to me. Either way, my co-worker found it so hilarious, she had to take a picture. She called me "the yellow submarine." They all were really great to me and I had so much fun working there.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Film Review

So I loved the book The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and was excited when the Swedish film finally came to America. I went to see it this Sunday. (That's right, I celebrated Independence Day by seeing a foreign film). I really enjoyed the film and felt it captured the important essence of the book. Also, despite having to condense such a long and complicated novel, I think the movie was very coherent while still staying true to the story. The only changes I noticed were clearly for time and I think they were done artfully. Visually, it was very close to what I imagined in my head, which is always what you want from these types of adaptations.

I was trying to explain to a friend why I was glad to see the original Swedish film and not an American adaptation, but I had to eventually confess that it wasn't an objective thing. I just picture the characters as being Swedish and the story as taking place in Sweden. In the book it's more important, but in the movie it's just an ambiance.

I would recommend reading the book first just because it's brilliant, but if you do just see the film (and do see it if you can!) the only warning I give are there are some pretty violent rape scenes. If you're really sensitive to that sort of thing you may want to steer clear of both book and film. But I think that would be a shame because in the end it's a very empowering story with beautiful and vibrant characters.

Spoilers!

So I did love how Blomkvist slept with three different women through the course of the book but I understood why they would take that out. Not only does it save time but it also helps focus his relationship with Lisbeth. In the book you have time to understand that regardless of sleeping around, Blomkvist does genuinely respect and care for the women he's with. But in the film that would be tough to get across.

Caught and White House

So Chrissy noticed that I didn't blog on Saturday. She has not yet noticed that I didn't blog on Sunday. Tim, however, did notice, so he may pick a punishment if he likes. If he doesn't, the punishment goes to no one.

Anyway, in personal news I came back from DC recently. Here's a picture of me and the White House. I'd say "in front" of the White House except I wasn't exactly sure if that was the case. But I've definitely seen this side on the West Wing. I wasn't sure how into seeing the sights I'd be since American History isn't a huge interest of mine. But when I got there I decided I wanted to see the White House. Except I found out you can't tour the inside without contacting your congressman in advance. So that's a note to anyone wanting to do that. I did, however, tour the Library of Congress and just see the city in general.

Ha, HA!

I feel like I get more satisfaction out of forgetting to post and not getting caught these days than I do the actual posting. I need to address this. But for now, a fun fact! I just realized the bad guy in the third season of the guild is Wesley Crusher from The Next Generation! Above is an excellent and hilarious recap of the third season. If you like The Guild I highly recommend it. I wasn't going to watch a recap at first but I'm glad I did.

ALA Conference

You all behave yourself while I'm at ALA. From 23rd-30th there won't be any blog posts. Kinda like when I forget but planned this time.

Ha!

I forgot again and my sister's standing right there and didn't notice.

Going to Try Sleeping

My sleeping was knocked out of whack by being sick because I couldn't get to sleep a couple of nights and ended up sleeping during the day. But (inexplicably) I feel a bit tired now, so going to try to sleep. I feel like I have to sneak up on sleep too. Like, if I put a lot of effort into preparing for bed, I'll just wake up again but if I just curl up when I feel sleepy, I just might manage it.

Friday I Focused On Getting Better...

...And apparently not posting in my blog. On the upside I am much better. Plus, as much as my sister blames her early bedtime for not noticing my many recent missing blogs, she's not asleep now, and thus, I win.

Gone, But Not Forgotten

So I was pretty bummed I was still sick on Wednesday for multiple reasons but one of them was missing my book club, which only meets once a month. Sigh... But at least the book is reasonably good. I kept reading even after I knew I wouldn't make it.

Summary

Betsy Tannenbaum is a criminal lawyer on the rise when her biggest case falls into her lap. She is hired to protect the mysterious Martin Darius, a business mogul. When news of several heinous murders break, it seems time for Betsy to earn her retainer. But as Betsy learns more about Darius, her professional and personal ethics are placed on the line as a killer runs rampant.

Overview

There were too many characters, which was very confusing at the beginning and I only just got the hang of it toward the end and even then I'd still get confused. The central baddie, Martin Darius is a pretty loathsome piece of work. I get where the author is going with the ethical dilemma of whether you protect someone like that, and I don't doubt that there are people like that, unfortunately. But it just made me think all the more how I prefer the complexity of someone who's not so downright evil to what seems like a straw villain.

Book Club

Spoilers!

Still, even though I guessed that Sloane was Reardon, and that Darius was obviously a murderer (if not the only murderer) I was fascinated enough to see how the author would explain what would happen. So, less of a who dunnit and more of a "what do we do now?" story.

Dream Journal

I had a dream that I had started attending my old high school again which seemed to make sense because I recognized many of my classmates as being in my year. But then one day I slept in and panicked until I realized--wait a minute--I have a masters degree; I don't have to go to high school anymore! But I went in to the school counselor to try to understand why I felt like I needed to go to high school again and I had trouble physically speaking, as in opening and closing my mouth. But it seemed the reason that I and many of my classmates (who I also realized at this point had college degrees of their own) had returned to high school was simply for the familiarity of it.

I Fought the Cold...

...And the cold won. Sigh... To be so foiled by a virus.

Okay...

Day six or seven of being sick depending on if I count the headache I had Tuesday as indicator that something was amiss. But was definitely sick by Wednesday.

Colds, Giant Tortoises, and British TV

So I've been trying to shake a cold since Tuesday because there's some stuff I really want to do this coming Wednesday. My sister must either be taking pity on me because I'm sick or didn't notice I forgot to blog. She came out a moment ago, and I thought she might be about to tell me but I'd gotten into a massive coughing fit so she probably thought I was going to die. In fact, the coughing had nothing to do with my cold but rather the tea I had accidentally inhaled previously. That's what I get for drinking tea while partially reclined. Perhaps my self-prescribed lazing isn't as healing as I thought? Although, I'm not good for much else. Terribly hard to concentrate like this. I can't even talk, which anyone who knows me knows is one of my favorite past times. Well, I probably could talk but judged it best not to so that my throat could rest. Anyway, so what have I been doing while I'm sick? Well, other than reading my book club book (one of the things I hope to do this Wednesday), I've been watching this British game show called QI, hosted by the amazing Stephen Fry. I don't think the scoring's supposed to make sense which both bothers and amuses me but I like the concept. Being that an interesting answer is more important than a right or obvious one but at the same time you learn a lot because it's all very interesting mostly unknown facts. One that was quite amusing (if sad) was that giant tortoises didn't have a latin name for a long time because everyone was too busy eating them. Apparently, they're delicious. But nearly eaten into extinction so now protected and we'll never know. Alas.

Honey Overdose?

Can you overdose on honey? Because, in the past few days, I've consumed a pound of honey.

Sexy Snails

I've spent the day at home doing nothing much as I recuperate from a cold, so I shall share this clip with you from a film I saw years ago and quite enjoyed called Microcosmos.

The White Queen

I don't have the energy for a full book review right now, but I realized a few days ago that it's been a while since I kept track of the books I read, so I'd like to put this one down before I forget. I will say that I liked the Melusina parts, but the romance itself seemed a bit tired, just a lot of love at first sight seemingly not based on anything but both partners being hot. She did admit to rather a lot more fictionalization than usual, but I would feel better if she'd just call it embellishment to make the stories the wonderful tales they are. I love her writing, but I never read them like history books, nor do I think anyone should.

My favorite quote, by far was:

“She is Melusina, the water goddess, and she is found in hidden springs and waterfalls in any forest in Christendom, even in those as far away as Greece. (...) A man may love her if he keeps her secret and lets her alone when she wants to bathe, and she may love him in return until he breaks his word, as men always do, and she sweeps him into the depths with her fishy tail, and turns his faithless blood to water. The tragedy of Melusina, whatever language tells it, whatever tune it sings, is that a man will always promise more than he can do to a woman he cannot understand.”
― Philippa Gregory

The Hypochondriac in Me Wants to Know

Why so many sicknesses symptoms are like the common cold. How are we supposed to know the difference?

Read Both Sides of the Apocalypse!

Both Will and Elsie's accounts can now be read together at www.tweetofthelivingdead.com!

Don't Miss The Apocalypse

Will and Elsie will, safely asleep in their beds, but you don't have to. It's happening now! Take a look out the window. Retreat from shuffling or moaning sounds. And don't let anyone taste your brains. Even a little. If you survive this night, you'll get to see our intrepid tea-shop employees' reactions to a very different world...

Bicycling Again

Today I'm going bicycling with my sister and a friend.

Tweets of the Living Dead!

My collaborator and I are now openly advertising our Twitter project. It's a Twitter novella on two separate Twitter accounts: http://twitter.com/willhinzman and http://twitter.com/AnonymousElsie. Germaphobe Will and acerbic, customer-hating Elsie are two tea shop employees living on opposite ends of the country and completely unaware of the other until the zombie apocalypse and Twitter bring them together. So far they've been leading their normal lives, but on Monday, June 7th, the apocalypse hits!

You can simply read and enjoy or become a zombie yourself! Tweet something incoherent (like a zombie mashing keys), ex. "nvjkifenjk" with #zombieapocalypse. Or you could do the classic "brains!" with #zombieapocalypse.

And following us on Twitter makes baby zombies happy!

Trust me, you want them to be happy.

Cheating With Twitter

I confess I've been cheating on my blog with Twitter, but it's not what you think! A friend and I have been working on a Twitter project. Otherwise, I still prefer long-form medium. But that may be why my posts have been getting shorter and shorter. It's one of the reasons anyway. The other is I've been trying to make this blog into more of a personal diary but my life varies in interest and share-ability.

Congrats to My Sister

On getting her new job. Possibly why she didn't notice that I forgot to blog...

Does It Make Me Immature...

...If I still giggle when buying a bag of cotton balls that proudly proclaims "jumbo size balls" on the bag?

Happy Birthday Mom!

It was my mom's birthday today so I went out with her. She was curious about this unfinished mall so we went to go and see it. It might never be finished because they lost their funding. It was strange to see all these advertisements promising fine shops that may never move in. It looks really nice but it's empty except for a movie theater.

Burning Bush

Today during my driving lesson my instructor and I saw a bush burning in the parking lot of the DMV. God speaking to the DMV?

Shakes Fist

My sister's bike was stolen yesterday which almost makes me want to give her a treat even though she didn't catch me not blogging.

It also makes me want to throttle the thief.

Bicycling

Yes, I know I'm not bicycling in the picture, just read on. Today I went on the bicycle trail with my sister and found an Aquatic Center that rents kayaks! I'm so excited! I've been wanting to go kayaking again for five years now ever since I did it in Taiwan. Above is a picture from Taiwan of me kayaking in the mountains with British business people.

Holding On

Organizing my room has shown me just what a pack rat I am. Some stuff I still can't let go of even though I know I'll never use it or look at it again. Instructions for instance. I'm sure I must have the instructions for things I don't even own anymore, but I keep them because A.) Part of me still believes I might need them. B.) I'm too lazy to go through them and decide which ones I might need if I ever read instructions.

But my triumphs are the things that I was finally able to get rid of. There were some novels I had to read in undergrad that were absolutely terrible and to compound their terribleness, I've been lugging them around this whole time. Why? Because I'm a pack rat. I shall give them to Good Will in hopes to make someone with bad taste in literature very happy.

I did find one of my old roommate agreements from undergrad, though, and recall why I cling to some things. Its promise to have only quiet orgies and not to let guests leave until they're satisfied still makes me smile.

Sleepy Rain and in the Bath With Clothes

It was a rather sleepy day for me, and I didn't feel like going out with all the rain, so I organized my room some more and finally found my alarm clock. I've also been catching up on Legend of the Seeker episodes which have proved to be cheesetastic as usual. Hulu keeps showing Yaz birth control commercials and I keep wondering what going into a bath tub fully clothed has to do with birth control or being happy. I think it would just make me feel soggy.

Getting Back On Track

I was mildly productive today as far as job searching goes, but I need to find my alarm clock so I've gone back to the endless task of organizing my room full of boxes. Still sleeping on a camp mat.

I See No Reason To Stay Inside...

If there's no internet. I chose trudging out to the library in rainy weather rather than stay inside while our internet was down. At least I was motivated to pick up my holds.

Good and Bad

My arms are so stiff, and I have to organize the insane pile of stuff in my room. But I had a good weekend, and I learned that the transit from Roseville to Folsom is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Quite speedy for a bus and two trains.

Later Peeps

Blog Hiatus

Urgh, I spent most of yesterday cleaning and moving and so forgot to blog. And today I have to say that there will be no blogs Saturday or Sunday.

Sadly, I'm Very Much Like This

Rain and Sun

The two should not be possible together and yet, somehow, they are.

Hee, hee

Usually I stay away from the plethora of cute animal videos online, but I have to confess, I love this one.

Rule Clarification

It has been tolerated today because I was weak and misleading. But from this day forward, two scoops of gelato (or any frozen treat) counts as two treats, not one. This will only really matter to my sister.

Calendula Gel and Lychee Gelato

I have sensitive skin and today discovered that Calendula Gel and sun exposure seems to help. I also found lychee gelato at a place in the mall next to me and it was delicious.

Let's Protest the British Government Today and Save a Woman's Life

Okay, I've never asked anyone to sign a petition in my life. This isn't to say I haven't encountered worthy causes before, I generally just feel uncomfortable sharing my feelings on issues with others. So I won't ask you to sign this petition, but here's the story in the hopes it will move you to do so.

Stream of Ramble Diary

So today I went to lunch at the house of two of the people in my book club, then I went downtown to return a library book, saw a shirtless man with lots of tattoos being arrested as I walked off the lightrail (good ol' Sacramento), went home, somehow missed the 7pm bus and had to take the 8pm instead, saw an abandoned shoe on the street, got home, and now I am going to take a bath.

Bah!

I went out and forgot to blog. Another treat for my sister.

Treats

I finally got my sister all the treats I owe her. If I'm lucky, I won't forget to post again. But, considering my track record, this isn't likely. I've been thinking of getting a watch with an alarm to remind me to do stuff. I usually prefer analog watches but it would be really useful to have reminders.

Mother's Day Cleaning

My sister and I did a lot of cleaning today. I hope my mom did not feel compelled to do as much because she did not have to today.

Argh!

And other results of forgetfulness. My sister's earned another treat for herself. But whatever, I still had a good evening. I saw Iron Man 2 with friends. Awesome movie and good times.

The Knights of the Overwhelming Pile of Boxes

So, a friend of mine showed me the first episode of the web series, The Guild. Between cleaning, organizing, and moving boxes I have managed to watch all of the rest of the episodes currently in existence. I quite liked it and have to admit that I knew a girl like Tink once. Bladezz looks (and acts) a bit like a guy I used to know. And I've met parents who remind me a little too much of Clara. I'm also curious how they filmed the scenes with the kids in the cage because that seems like the type of thing you could get in trouble for actually doing...

I was also excited that my sister found our old computer (dubbed Greg because he used to make a greggreggreggreg... sound when we turned him on) and Greg still works! Ah, Windows 95. The memories.

Vacuuming...

...is, by nature, what it does.

But in other news, I did buy Hank Green's Anglerfish song as a Hank O de Mayo present and because it is awesome.

Volunteering

It occurred to me that when you work they often only pay you in money. When you volunteer they pay you in appreciation. If only I could live off that warm fuzzy feeling, I'd be set.

Anonymous Commentors and Product Review

An anonymous comment was left on my last blog post that included French. I'm unclear if this is one of my French friends, or simply a friend who speaks French. If that kind person could reveal herself (I'm assuming a girl because of the French), that would be great. I'm sure I miss you too, despite not knowing who you are.

Anyway, I just wanted to do a quick review of the Desert Essence Organics Body Care lotion I've been using. This is strictly a consumer reports type review--meaning unsponsored. If I were being paid to do these, I'd do a lot more, trust me.

So I've liked this lotion as body lotion. The pros are the natural ingredients, the smell (I have been informed it makes me smell yummy), and the effectiveness. Effectiveness can be difficult to judge with my skin since it's already so bad, but it seems to be doing it good. It's two major cons are the oily residue, which takes some time to seep in, and the price tag.

I also discovered one more pro just today: it actually works quite nicely on my hair. This is likely because it has coconut oil in it. Nothing makes my hair look perfect. But this did transform it from the crazy frizzy mess it was this morning to something I would consider--if not a good hair day--then at least a normally decent hair day. And my hair is now soft to the touch but not too oily.

There Will Be No Blog on Sunday

And no explanation either.