Poetic Champions Compose

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Sunday, June 27, 2004
  Let me take your hand, I'm shaking like milk
It's official.

We have acquired tickets to the Curiosa Festival at the Tweeter Center in Camden on Aug. 1st.

I am going to see The Cure.

Again.

Excellentado.
 
Thursday, June 24, 2004
  Addendum
Here it is again:

BEYOND OPTIMISTIC, & ENTIRELY UNREALISTIC SUMMER READING LIST
  1. Eats, Shoots & Leaves> by Lynne Truss

  2. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

  3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

  4. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

  5. White Noise by Don DeLillo

  6. A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving

  7. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

  8. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

  9. Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich

  10. Wicked by Gregory Maguire

  11. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

  12. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

  13. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

  14. Icy Sparks by Gwen Hyman Rubio

  15. Crow Lake by Mary Lawson

  16. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

  17. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

  18. Love by Toni Morrison

  19. The Light of Falling Stars by J. Robert Lennon

  20. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

  21. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

  22. A Widow for One Year by John Irving

  23. Ethan Fromme by Edith Wharton

  24. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein

  25. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkein

  26. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkein

  27. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolfe

  28. The Hours by Michael Cunningham

  29. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolfe

  30. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz

  31. Moo by Jane Smiley

  32. Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison

  33. The Summons by John Grisham

  34. The Testament by John Grisham

  35. Hornet’s Nest by Patricia Cornwell

  36. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

  37. The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou

  38. Stones From the River by Ursula Hegi

  39. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

  40. The Cases That Haunt Us by John Douglas

  41. Anyone You Want Me to Be: A True Story of Sex and Death on the Internet by John Douglas

  42. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

  43. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

  44. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

  45. The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
Ok, so I have crossed off two more titles on the list: White Noise and Angels & Demons. I said a little bit about White Noise in an earlier post, so I won't say more about it here, but I just finished Angels & Demons last night, and let me say this--HOLY CRAP.

Maybe it is just the bleeding heart liberal in me, but I totally loved this book. Perhaps it is because there was absolutley NO suspense whatsoever in the DeLillo book, but I read the nearly 600 pages of Angels & Demons in no time, mostly because the pages compelled me to turn them. Suspenseful, exciting, and I'll be damned if it didn't make me think again...perhaps I just enjoy reading stuff that points out that there may be more than one side to the story than the very one-sided Catholic Church crams down people's throats presents...

I loved Brown's other book featuring the same protagonist that has been making noise (a little something called The DaVinci Code), so it makes sense that I would be blown away by this one, too. Highly recommend it. And, if you haven't read The DaVinci Code, read that one, too.

Anyway, I am now on to Janet Evanovich's Ten Big Ones. YAY! I know I will have it finished today. The Stephanie Plum books are such great easy summertime reads, and, they are hilarious. I started it last night, but fell asleep before even finishing chapter 1--not because it's a boring book, but because I chose to start reading at 1:30 am. Duh, yes. I know. It looks quite promising, though. Lots of Lula and Grandma Mazur action, and...I know you will love this....SALLY SWEET is back! WOO HOO!!!

I have just to finish up doing a curriculum map for a class I am taking, and then, it's all about Ten Big Ones for the rest of the day! Whee!

"I do the filing. I file the ass out of that office."
~Lula in Ten Big Ones


[Edited: I have now also finished Ten Big Ones. If you are a Stephanie Plum fan, you shan't be disappointed. As I stated earlier, one of the most popular characters from the series, Sally Sweet, makes a return in this story, and there is some SERIOUS Lula hilarity. Highly recommended for the great "fluffy fun" factor.]
 
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
  "Ask around, look it up. 'Slayer, comma the?' " ~Buffy
Ok, so everyone knows I am a freak about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We've been down this road before on this blog, so I am not going to rehash it.

If, however, you are as big a freak about the show as I am, you may want to check out this link.

Many of the academic papers presented at the Slayage Conference in Tennessee last month are now available for your reading pleasure in Adobe Acrobat format. Granted, not all of the ones that I would love to read are there, but there are certainly plenty to keep me quite occupied for quite some time.

Buffy geeks of the world, enjoy. I know I will.
 
  Yo, G.
Hey, I've got a few Gmail invites to give out if anyone is interested...

Leave me a note in the comments, or email me at the address atop this page.

That is all.
 
Monday, June 21, 2004
  One down...
...forty more to go.

I finished reading Don DeLillo's White Noise over the weekend. While I enjoyed it, it wasn't exactly a novel that compelled me to read on. It had its enjoyable parts--DeLillo's extremely dry wit and sarcasm are entertaining--but I continued to read it because it was picked by the other half of my "Book Duo" for the summer.

[Side Note: a fellow teacher at school approached me about starting a book club back in May, and when asked who would be in the club, she replied, "You and me." Hence, we became a book duo.]

The first book the Duo read was The Secret Life of Bees, to which one half of the Duo (her) had a violently negative reaction because of the stock characters, predictable plot, and total lack of subtlety. The other half of the Duo (me) found it to be a light, read-it-on-the-beach type of book, which suited me just fine because I was not looking for any kind of intellectual stimulation (it is summer, for gosh sakes!). It was entertaining. Period. As a result of the diametric opposition to the estrogen poisoning encountered while reading Bees, Duo #1 decided to pick something a little more edgy and testosterone-y for the second book. This is where we agreed that we both enjoy reading DeLillo, and so we settled on White Noise.

It certainly is NOT The Secret Life of Bees. I didn't enjoy it as much as I might have hoped--and it must have been apparent, as the Suz even commented, "I have never seen you take this long to finish a book."

Next on the list: Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich, the (obviously) 10th installment in the Stephanie Plum series, which is released tomorrow. Woo hoo!
 
Thursday, June 17, 2004
  The Somewhat-Less-Than-Full Monty
Ok, here is my gripe for the day:

Stephanie 'Monty' BirkettWhere the hell is Dave hiding Monty?

Every Wednesday night, I stay up to watch "The Late Show with David Letterman." While, yes, Dave is hilarious, and without a doubt, one of the funniest guys on TV, the real reason I stay up to watch on Wednesdays is not Dave. No, the real impetus for me to keep my weary eyes open until the wee hours is actually Dave's assistant, Stephanie Birkett.

THIS CHICK IS DROP DEAD FUNNY. No lie. And the best part: she really doesn't try to be. She actually is one of Dave's assistants, and she actually does get annoyed with Dave. The first time I ever saw Stephanie on "The Late Show," Dave was making her imitate her ex-boyfriend's horrible "white guy dance" while she was in the Hello Deli with Rupert Jee. She was dancing to the intro of Rod Stewart's "If Ya Think I'm Sexy." I nearly peed myself.

Since then, Dave has employed Stephanie in a variety of roles on the show. By my favorite of all the things she has done on the show is by far her most recent task of presenting the letters in the Mailbag each Wednesday night. Dave has her dress up in a myriad of costumes, each honoring a significant event for the evening. For example, she has dressed in a traditional Mexican senorita outfit on Cinco de Mayo, she dressed as Lance Armstrong during the Tour de France, she dressed as a gold miner (complete with actual donkey) to commemorate the anniversary of the gold rush, and she even dressed as Ameila Earhart to honor her achievements in flight. Each time, Dave has her say or do something ridiculous (such as repeat the name "Dr. Vinnie Boom-BOTZ!"). Her levels of annoyance are hysterical.

The best part of the whole thing is that Dave enjoys giving Stephanie various "nicknames," and asking her how she likes them, or whether or not many people are calling her by them. Her reply is always, "YOU are the only one who calls me that." Her nicknames have included ones like "Peggy," and "Dutch," but the more popular ones that seem to have stuck are "Smitty," "Monty," and most recently, "Gunther."

The point of this is that for the last 2 Wednesdays, we have seen neither hide nor hair of Gunther. Let me tell you, the Mailbag just doesn't have the same ZIP without her.

O, Dave! Why hast thou forsaken us? Bring back Smitty!
 
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
 
"THE OLDEST BOOKS ARE STILL ONLY JUST OUT TO THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ THEM."~Samuel Butler

Summertime is the time when I supposedly have free time for doing things I enjoy, such as reading. However, I have not yet begun to make a dent in my summer reading list simply because I have been doing a lot of curriculum work at school since we finished. Yeah, we have been out of school for a week and a half so far, and I have gone in every day since we ended, for an almost full day of work.

This, however, should be coming to an end very soon. The rest of this week, and then maybe a day or two next week. Then, I shall read! So, in honor of the upcoming free time, I present you with my...

BEYOND OPTIMISTIC, & ENTIRELY UNREALISTIC SUMMER READING LIST
  1. Eats, Shoots & Leaves> by Lynne Truss
  2. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
  3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
  4. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
  5. White Noise by Don DeLillo
  6. A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving
  7. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
  8. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
  9. Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich
  10. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
  11. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
  12. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
  13. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
  14. Icy Sparks by Gwen Hyman Rubio
  15. Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
  16. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
  17. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
  18. Love by Toni Morrison
  19. The Light of Falling Stars by J. Robert Lennon
  20. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
  21. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
  22. A Widow for One Year by John Irving
  23. Ethan Fromme by Edith Wharton
  24. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein
  25. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkein
  26. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkein
  27. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolfe
  28. The Hours by Michael Cunningham
  29. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolfe
  30. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
  31. Moo by Jane Smiley
  32. Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
  33. The Summons by John Grisham
  34. The Testament by John Grisham
  35. Hornet’s Nest by Patricia Cornwell
  36. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
  37. The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
  38. Stones From the River by Ursula Hegi
  39. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
  40. The Cases That Haunt Us by John Douglas
  41. Anyone You Want Me to Be: A True Story of Sex and Death on the Internet by John Douglas
  42. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
  43. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
  44. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
  45. The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams


No, I am not insane. Basically, what I did is I made a list of A) all the new books I recently bought B) all the old books still sitting on my shelves, unread, from summers past and C) all the books I need to re-read before I can teach them this coming school year. That, my friends, is what you see before you, in no real particular order.

Obviously, I am kind of doubtful that I will get to all of them this summer, but the ones that I have already read are crossed off. Feel free to ask me for a review of any of them as they get crossed off in the future.

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."
~Mark Twain
 
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
  Two-five-oh-oh
Dude. Check out the sitemeter.

2,500.

Cool beans. Thanks for visiting, ya'll. I swear, I'll get to blogging more often soon. Once I can end this school madness...
 
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
 
but on the other hand, resistance was obviously useless against a family that could invent italics.

I don't know what I was thinking, but, I have not yet commented here on what may be the best book I have read in a long time.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation is the book I have waited 30 years for. Yes, yes, I can hear the skepticism already. "She's a grammar nerd," you say. "Pshaw! Punctuation! How droll..." you groan. But, my friends, this is not an ordinary grammar book. Oh no no. Not in the least.

This book is funny. That's right. You heard me. Funny. It's witty, it is sarcastic, and most of all, it is reassuring to those of us who consider ourselves freaks because the very sight of a misplaced apostrophe makes our skin crawl. We are not alone.

In a world where it has become commonplace to mangle and abuse the standard English, Lynne Truss has made punctuation accessible to even the most clueless members of society. And, she makes it fun, too.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."
 
  I can't believe I am posting this.
Stole this from over at Jen's. Leave your answers in the comments.

(Can you tell I am sooooo on vacation now? It's here: the "make-up blogging.")

1. Who are you?
2. Have we ever met?
3. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
4. Describe me in one word.
5. What reminds you of me?
6. If you could give me anything, what would it be?
7. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn’t?
8. Are you going to put this on your weblog and see what I say about you?
9. What do you love like a fat kid loves cake?
10. What makes you come back here?
 
  You can't kill the Rooster
Just wanted to let everyone know that I went out and picked up David Sedaris's new book today, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.

I love Sedaris and his writing. His essays and memoirs are all real. (Oh, the material in THAT family...) He is one of the only writers in the world who actually makes me GUFFAW out loud while I am reading. Not just chuckle, not just laugh. GUFFAW. Belly laugh. Out loud.

If you have never read anything by David Sedaris, start off with Naked. It's my favorite.
 
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
  Send in the clowns (and the BFG's)!
Woo hoo! Good news!

I just saw an ad tonight that the new Amazing Race begins on July 6th on CBS!

Giddyup!!!
 
There's a dream where the contents are visible
Where the poetic champions compose...

~Van Morrison, "Queen of the Slipstream"

Edgar Allan Poe




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  • What I am READING Now...

    Check out the list in my posts for current summer reads...


    Links

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    Official Ellen DeGeneres site
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    BUFFY Quotes of the Day
    Anya: It's possible that he's in the land of perpetual Wednesday, or the crazy melty land, or you know, th-the world without shrimp.
    Tara: There's a world without shrimp? I'm allergic.

    ~from "Triangle"


    Anya: I don't see you winning too many beauty contests... unless the Miss "My Face Fell Off" Pageant gets going.

    ~from "Bargaining: Part Two"

    Anya: Here's a little something you should know about Vengeance Demons. We don't groove with the "sorry." We prefer the "Oh God, please stop hitting me with my own rib-bones!"

    ~from "Same Time, Same Place"


    Buffy: It's just like, nothing's simple. I'm always trying to work it out. Who to hate, or love...who to trust...It's like the more I know, the more confused I get.
    Giles: I believe thats called growing up.
    Buffy: I'd like to stop then, ok?

    ~from "Lie to Me"


    Riley: Got big stories to tell you, too. We get half a sec, we can compare and contrast.
    Buffy: Did you die?
    Riley: No.
    Buffy: I'm gonna win.

    ~from "As You Were"


    Xander: Giles lived for school. He's still bitter there were only 12 grades.
    Buffy: He probably sat in math class thinking, "There should be more math! This could be mathier!"

    ~from "The Dark Age"


    Giles: In the end, we are all who we are, no matter how much we may have appeared to change.

    ~from "Lessons"


    Dawn: How are you?
    Willow: A little confused. I mean, I'm sweaty, I'm trapped, no memory, hiding in a pipe from a vampire...and I think I'm kinda gay.

    ~from "Tabula Rasa"


    Buffy



    101 Reasons Why I Love Buffy the Vampire Slayer






    I'm a Woman, so, my mood is always subject to change, but at the moment it's... The current mood of PDawg at www.imood.com


    iPod Mini


    I'm beginning to understand this now. It's all about the journey, isn't it?

    ~Giles, "Restless"

    The End of an Era


    Once More, From the Top...