After the End (HP fanfic rec)

After the End by Arabella and Zsenya is essential reading for Harry Potter fans. At least as good as any of JKR's books, this novel takes place right after the defeat of Voldemort and concerns the aftermath of the wizarding civil war. Since this was written before the release of Order of the Phoenix, certain plot details do not coincide with later canon, but the characterizations are spot-on. It's funny, plot-ty, sweet and full of angst and adventure; it's really got something for everyone. I cannot endorse this too highly. If I don't like Deathly Hallows, I'm claiming this as the official ending to the series.

Here's a snippet to give you an idea:

"Here we are," he said, swinging open the heavy wooden door to the Snout's Fair. "And here are Ron and Sirius," he added, nodding to a booth in the corner. "Hard at work."

Ron and Sirius looked quite settled in. There was a half-finished bottle of Goldie's Liquid Curse on the table between them. Sirius was leaning forward, an intense look on his face, speaking and gesturing with manic energy. Ron was twirling his glass on the table, looking a bit bored.

Hermione and Remus ordered Butterbeers and joined them.

"…how to kill something that was never alive," Sirius was saying. "Maybe there's a way to dissolve them. Turn them into smoke." He puffed on the brightly-colored tube between his fingers, and blew out a cloud of spiced smoke. "They're solid creatures. If they exist, then they can be destroyed."

Remus gave Hermione a look, and then slid into the booth, pushing Sirius closer to the wall. "You know those things have terrible side effects," he said, pointing to the sqworm.

"You're joking." Sirius took another puff. "I never knew that. Was that discovered while I was in prison?"

Hermione slid in next to Ron, not sure what shocked her more – the sight of Sirius smoking, or the fact that he'd so coolly mentioned Azkaban. He and Ron must have been closer than she realized. Or else he was very drunk.

"I'm glad you're here," Ron whispered, and kissed her on the cheek. "He won't drop it. I can't get him to change the bloody subject."

Hermione patted Ron on the knee and took a sip of her Butterbeer.

"Tell Sirius and Ron what you've worked out, Hermione," Remus instructed, his voice firm. "I'm sure they'll find it interesting." There was a warning tone in his voice, and Hermione was surprised to see Sirius paying attention to her.

"It's about my parents," she began.

"Really?" Ron asked, tucking a leg under him and turning to face her. "Did something happen? Are they doing better?"

"No, no… nothing like that." She forgot for a moment that Remus and Sirius were listening as well. "I went to St. Mungo's today, and I saw Neville, and I saw his parents."

"And?"

"And he gave me an idea. So I went to see my parents, and ended up having a nervous breakdown."

Ron grabbed her hand. "What happened? You do look tired," he said. "And your hair's more insane than usual."

"Thanks," Hermione answered, reaching back and plaiting her hair. "How's that?"

"I like it the other way," Ron answered. He pulled at a piece of hair that she'd missed. "Put it back."

Hermione smiled at him. She wanted to give him a kiss, but Sirius snickered, reminding her that they were not alone.

"Remus, I love it when you wear your hair like that," he said, mocking Ron. "And those robes bring out the dirt under your fingernails."

"Shut up," Ron and Remus said in unison.

"Right, sorry," Hermione said. She finished telling them about her day.

When she had finished telling them about the spell, and when Remus had backed her up by describing the look of it in the air, Ron leaned back and whistled. "My, my. Did it take you two whole hours to work that out?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes. Was he being a prat on purpose? "Two hours is not a long time, Ron. Delia told me that it's taken her years to discover some solutions. I realize this isn't a huge spell, but it's a huge deal to me, and I thought - "

"You're the worst Thinker ever," Ron interrupted. His eyes were twinkling.

"Oh," Hermione laughed. "Sorry. I guess I am tired. I didn't see that one coming."

"Hold on. That's brilliant." Sirius leaned across the table and pushed the bottle of Liquid Curse out of the way. Ron poured himself and Sirius another shot.

"Well, I thought it was a good idea," said Hermione, feeling pleased. "I just hope it will help my parents."

"So your theory is to suck the fear out of your parents with this spell?" Sirius's eyes had the very hollow look that they'd had in the Shrieking Shack all those years ago. Hermione really could understand why some people still crossed the street when they saw Sirius coming. She wondered if he'd had that look before Azkaban, and suspected that he'd always been a bit mad. "You're saying that the tears turn back on the pain - so are they a force of attack, or do they act as a drain, to draw out all the unpleasantness?"

Hermione nodded. "Both. The spell feeds the energy behind tears straight into the pain, in order to dissolve it, and then the pain can be released, through actual tears, which are the end product of the spell."

"You came up with that," Ron said under his breath, "and it already sounds like something out of a textbook. Next year it'll be on the O.W.L.s and everyone'll be forced to memorize it. You're cursing generations of students forever -"

Hermione elbowed him.

Sirius's eyes turned bright. "The Dementors feed on human happiness," he said. "Perhaps that spell could be manipulated to work on them."

"Sirius," Remus said, moving the glass of Liquid Curse farther away from his friend. "Perhaps we should discuss this at home, and leave Ron and Hermione to enjoy this news in peace. She conceived the spell for a very specific purpose that has nothing to do with -"

But Sirius wasn't listening. "They suck the happiness out of you. And then they take your soul. All those people, all those people in St. Mungo's wandering around that Post-Dementor Soul-Sucking ward. They have no souls."

"That is unfortunate, Sirius, but I don't think - "

"Unfortunate?" Sirius seemed to have forgotten that Ron and Hermione were still at the booth.

"I've never seen him this mad before," Ron whispered to her. "I don't think he'll notice if we make a run for it."

Well, one more snippet because Ginny's a big part of the story too. This is a fun one that doesn't give away much:

"Ask away," he said recklessly, ignoring the stares of disbelief that both Ron and Hermione were directing toward him.

Eloise smiled prettily. "Thanks, Harry. All right, then," she said, checking her parchment and poising her quill. "First question –"

"Is that a Quick Quotes Quill?" asked Ginny suddenly. She had stepped up beside Harry and was pointing to the quill, suspicion written across her face.

"Oh, no!" Eloise shook her curls. "It’s just Self-Inking. Is that all right?"

Ginny considered for a moment, then nodded – but did not step back again. She stayed right next to Harry, her arms crossed over her swimsuit, listening intently. Harry glanced sideways at her.

"Right," Eloise continued. "First question. What do you plan to do, now that You-Know-Who has been defeated?"

"Voldemort," Colin corrected.

Eloise gulped. "Yes – sorry. I’m not used to that. All right – what do you plan to do, now that Voldemort has been defeated? Any job offers, Harry? Career ideas?"

Harry thought, uncomfortably, of the job offer that he had received from the Aurors. If he lied to Eloise about that, Moody would read the paper and know it. On the other hand, if he told the truth, Eloise would surely want to know exactly why Harry had turned down such a significant offer, and Harry didn’t think he could bear to get into it. Normally he would have shut the interview down right then, but knowing Colin and Eloise from their time together at Hogwarts made that difficult. He hated to be outwardly rude to them; he felt a slight panic begin to rise up, as he always did with reporters, and began to gesture awkwardly.

"Well – I don’t –"

He stopped. Ginny had touched him lightly on his side with her fingertips – a quick shock bolted through his center.

"You haven’t made any decisions about your future," she guided, quietly.

Harry blinked. That was a good answer. "That’s true," he said, turning back to Eloise. "I haven’t made any definite plans yet. It’s all up in the air."

Colin grinned. "Well, Harry. You’ve got yourself a press representative," he said, snapping a picture of Harry and Ginny, side by side. Ginny winced visibly and Harry felt queasy, wishing he’d never agreed to this in the first place.

"Up... in the... air..." Eloise muttered, writing furiously. "Oh! Speaking of up in the air, Harry, are you planning to try playing Seeker again?"

Harry started slightly. "What – you mean, professionally?"

Colin clapped Eloise lightly on the back. "Good one," he praised. She flushed a little, which made her even prettier, but Harry hardly noticed. She had just filled his head with visions of professional Quidditch – something he had hardly dared to dream about in the past few years. It had seemed so unlikely, so far away, that he would get to try out for a British team.

"Play Seeker," he repeated, realizing as he spoke that he liked the idea. "Actually, I’d hardly thought about it," he said, honestly.

"But you will, now?" Eloise urged.

Harry shrugged. It wasn’t entirely out of the question. Hadn’t everyone told him that he was even better than Charlie? And Charlie was supposed to have been good enough to play for England. "Maybe," he offered, noncommittally. "I don’t know."

"Well, there hasn’t been a lot of time for you to think about your career, I imagine," said Eloise fairly, poising her quill again and checking her pad. "Which leads me to question two, actually. Did you always believe that you had a future to plan for, or are you surprised to have survived at all?"

Harry felt his stomach go ice-cold at the question. Beside him, Ginny drew in a sharp breath of protest.

"Next question," she said, her voice low and even.

"Oh, come on, Ginny, that’s not so unreasonable – none of us knew if we were going to survive –" Colin began, but Ginny cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"Actually, Eloise, let me see your scroll and quill a minute. I can save you time."

Startled, Eloise held them out to Ginny, who took them and scanned down the list. She made a small sound of impatient anger, and began to cross out questions one after another. Harry watched over her shoulder as she eliminated, "Do you feel your parents are still with you in spirit?" "What is your most difficult memory of the war?" and "Do you think that you will ever recover from your long battle with the Dark side?" Her hand trembled as she put a violent slash through "Your close friends have also suffered terrible losses. How have these affected you?" She glanced up briefly at Harry. He noticed that she hesitated for a split second before looking down again and drawing a line through, "Whom, if anyone, are you currently dating?"

Ginny looked over the roll of parchment once more and then, seemingly satisfied, handed the scroll and quill back again.

The Elm (read previous post first)

If you want to read all of "The Elm" by Sylvia Plath, here you go:

I know the bottom, she says. I know it with my great tap root;
It is what you fear.
I do not fear it: I have been there.

Is it the sea you hear in me,
Its dissatisfactions?
Or the voice of nothing, that was you madness?

Love is a shadow.
How you lie and cry after it.
Listen: these are its hooves: it has gone off, like a horse.

All night I shall gallup thus, impetuously,
Till your head is a stone, your pillow a little turf,
Echoing, echoing.

Or shall I bring you the sound of poisons?
This is rain now, the big hush.
And this is the fruit of it: tin white, like arsenic.

I have suffered the atrocity of sunsets.
Scorched to the root
My red filaments burn and stand,a hand of wires.

Now I break up in pieces that fly about like clubs.
A wind of such violence
Will tolerate no bystanding: I must shriek.

The moon, also, is merciless: she would drag me
Cruelly, being barren.
Her radience scathes me. Or perhaps I have caught her.

I let her go. I let her go
Diminished and flat, as after radical surgery.
How your bad dreams possess and endow me.

I am inhabited by a cry.
Nightly it flaps out
Looking, with its hooks, for something to love.

I am terrified by this dark thing
That sleeps in me;
All day I feel its soft, feathery turnings, its malignity.

Clouds pass and disperse.
Are those the faces of love, those pale irretrievables?
Is it for such I agitate my heart?

I am incapable of more knowledge.
What is this, this face
So murderous in its strangle of branches?--

Its snaky acids kiss.
It petrifies the will. These are the isolate, slow faults
That kill, that kill, that kill.

The uplifting poetry of Sylvia Plath and related ramblings

Well, so far, I haven't gotten a lot of feedback on the POV issue, but I give Theresa's opinion extra weight because her undergrad was in English and Barry's because he would tell me if it were absolute crap. I'd still like other opinions too, though, even if you read this in a couple of months. I'll still be working on the story....

So...at Bible study last week, someone was talking about how he "hit bottom" so he no longer had any reason to be afraid of things. That phrase has always bugged me, particularly in regards to addiction and recovery, but I do understand what he was saying and can appreciate the sentiment. I've been mulling over this for a couple of days, and Sylvia Plath's poem, "The Elm," keeps coming to mind. I'll just put the first stanza in this post, and then put the whole poem in a separate post:

I know the bottom, she says. I know it with my great tap root;
It is what you fear.
I do not fear it: I have been there.

A few thoughts:

-Hitting “the bottom” is a rather indefinite concept. What you think is the bottom might just be a tree branch you’ve hit on your descent. No matter how bad things are, they could be worse.

-The worst thing for one person might hardly phase another. For instance, some of the kids I work with have had so many horrible things happen that another awful event is accepted much more readily than it would be by a child with a happier life. (I’m not saying this is a good thing. I’m just making an observation.) Case in point: A nine-year-old whose family members are always in and out of prison told me about the police coming to her house to arrest her mom for the most recent armed robbery. When she saw the police, she just sighed, “What did my mom do this time?”

-Basically, when we talk about “hitting bottom,” I think we mean an event that shakes our worldview. For the child in the example above, her worldview is that adults will let her down, and she can’t trust anyone. Having her mom put back in prison did not change this worldview. On the other hand, for a child who idolized her mother, this same incident could be earthshaking. When we talk about addicts “hitting bottom,” we generally mean that they’ve changed their worldview and recognized the need for help and change.

-“I don’t not fear it: I have been there.” Sometimes we DO fear it for precisely the same reason.

-"There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper." —Betsie Ten Boom (died in a concentration camp where she was sent for hiding Jews during WWII)

First personal singular? POV advice needed

Okay, so as many of you know, I've been working on this novel for a l-o-n-g time, like, an embarrassingly long time. At this point, I know my characters so well that I feel like we should all go on vacation together...but somehow, not a lot gets down on paper. (I've considered doing NanoWriMo, but November is really a busy month for me. To do NanoWriMo, you pretty much just go to work and write...and maybe eat every now and then...but forget about sleeping. I would do better with that in August. Maybe I can just ask them to change it for me!) My latest excuse for the lack of progress is that I'm torn between using first person point of view and third person. There are definite advantages to each, but I'm having trouble making a decision.

So...you get to help! (Yipee!) I'll give you some excerpts, some with first person POV and one with third, and you can tell me (here in the comments, by e-mail, by phone or actually by talking to me in person), what you like best. To give you some really basic background: The novel centers around the protagonist, Ari (17), in the aftermath of the death of her best friend, Jonathan (who died in a house fire). (Also, these snippets may or may not find any place in the final story.)

Snippet #1 (third person): The bleating "wah" of the sirens draws her up from the depths of sleep. She surfaces--as if a swimmer-- with an exhale, as her mind registers and catalogs the sound. Then she sinks back into unconsciousness as sleep laps against her limbs.

The calls begin at dawn, less than three hours later.

She feels as though she's moving underwater, movements slow and awkward, words choked. She forgets what it's like to have lungs full of air, longs for that crisp sensation.

Snippet #2 (first person): My grandfather worked in the mills in Lewiston. He moved to Portland and took up mechanics when I was six, but I can still remember the burnt plastic smell that hung in the air from the factories. Now to that, I add the smell of Jonathan's smoldering house, of his burning flesh. I went to a barbecue and vomitted. I hate fire.

Snippet #3 (first person): My skin is ill-fitting, suddenly shrunken too small. My ribs, my teeth, my bones itch. I am constantly suspended in that moment of anxious exhileration just before a coaster's drop. I want off the ride, and it seems I have bought the wrong ticket.

Please give me your opinion (even if it's that it all sucks, and I should employ my time in other endeavors!). Let me know what you think about POV and anything else (but especially POV). Thanks for reading! (And if no one is reading, well, at least this got me to type some stuff out of my notebooks.)

Excerpts about INFJs and Intuition

A recent situation reminded me about INFJs (1-2% of the population) and intuition, and that when I have a strong intuitive feeling about something, I'm almost always right. The problem is that my inuition is not always logical so it's hard to explain my feelings to someone who is very analytical.

"Accurately suspicious about others' motives, INFJs are not easily led. These are the people that you can rarely fool any of the time. Though affable and sympathetic to most, INFJs are selective about their friends."

"On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it. Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. "

"INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get 'feelings' about things and intuitively understand them. As an extreme example, some INFJs report experiences of a psychic nature, such as getting strong feelings about there being a problem with a loved one, and discovering later that they were in a car accident. This is the sort of thing that other types may scorn and scoff at, and the INFJ themself does not really understand their intuition at a level which can be verbalized. Consequently, most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive."

"It is an INFJ who is likely to have visions of human events past, present, or future. If a person demonstrates an ability to understand psychic phenomena better than most others, this person is apt to be an INFJ. Characteristically, INFJs have strong empathic abilities and can be aware of another's emotions or intents even before that person is conscious of these. This can take the form of feeling the distress of illnesses of others to an extent which is difficult for other types. INFJs can intuit good and evil in others, although they seldom can tell how they came to know. Subsequent events tend to bear them out, however."


http://www.geocities.com/lifexplore/infj.htm
http://www.typelogic.com/infj.html
http://www.personalitypage.com/INFJ.html

Lost and Found

I found the missing music post. Here ya go......

Anyhow, today I feel like talking about music. Here's what I've been listening to lately:

*Death Cab for Cutie-- I know, I know-- how pedestrian. But I really do like them, and they have some fabulous imagery:

"I wish the world was flat like the old days/ So I could travel just by folding a map." -The New Year

"Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole/ Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound/ But while you debate half-empty or half-full/ It slowly rises: your love is gonna drown." -Marching Bands of Manhattan

"Cause at night the sun in retreat made the skyline look like crooked teeth in the mouth of a man who was devouring us both." -Crooked Teeth

Right now, my favorite DCfC songs are The New Year, Transatlanticism (lovelovelove), Marching Bands of Manhatten, I Will Follow You into the Dark, and What Sarah Said ("love is watching someone die"). The liner notes are beautiful as well (and actually include lyrics!).

*Azure Ray-- I've actually been listening to this CD for years, but it's still a fave. The group is obscure enough that I can feel a bit better about my DCfC affection. Although Azure Ray has released newer CDs, I only like the self-titled album. I have a couple of the newer ones, and they're not bad...just not good either. The group loses some of its originality and breathy sound, making the CDs seem rather mainstream. Incidentally, this is also Pippin's favorite CD.

*Six Feet Under: Everything Ends Soundtrack-- I really liked Six Feet Under, and I think the show should have gotten an award for Best Series Finale EVER. The final 20 minute sequence was so masterfully done, completely gorgeous, touching, funny and sad....it really defies any simple explanation. Anyway, music played a large part in setting the mood. Some of my faves: "Breathe Me" by SIA (I also have her CD "Colour the Small One," which is only okay), "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by The Ceasars and "Amazing Life" by JEM. The CD also has DCfC, Coldplay, Radiohead, etc.

*Veronica Mars The Soundtrack-- I am not good at classifying music, but I'll call this "poprocks and angst." It's good for channelling your inner emo teen. Some of my faves: We Used To Be Friends by the Dandy Warhols (though I actually prefer the remix that's currently playing during the opening sequence of the show), I Hear the Bells by Mike Doughty, I Know I Know I Know by Tegan & Sara and The Way You Are by 46bliss (even though I'm categorically opposed to groups with numbers in their name or "creative" spelling).

I also love Coldplay (though not X&Y so much) and listen to their CDs quite a bit.

A couple of songs on the radio that I like:

*Streetcorner Symphony by Rob Thomas (gasp!)-- I don't like any other song by Rob Thomas, but I do like this one. It makes me want to hug people.

*Window to Heaven by U2-- Great song, very touching, and I admire the way Bono has used his celebrity to do something that matters.

A song on the radio that I despise:

*Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer-- Well, bud, if you're just waiting, you might be waiting a really long time. This is also a song that sticks in my head for days. I hate this song! (This first song I heard by Mayer was "Your Body Is A Wonderland." I don't mind that song so much because I find it hysterical. I love making fun of it. It sounds like a lot of really bad lines to get someone in bed: "And if you want love/ We'll make it" (Oh, please!).

What are you listening to?

What I'm Watching

24--I love 24. It's so exciting, and all of the seasons just run together for me so I'm not entirely sure what's going on this year....but I'm sure Jack will fix it and be the tragic hero once more. (A couple of seasons ago, the plotline was about Muslims trying to destroy the USA. At least once during every episode, Kiefer would appear in a Very Special PSA and explain that although the Muslim neighbors in the show were trying to kill everyone, our Muslim neighbors were probably very friendly. This season is also about Islamic terrorists, but so far, no PSAs. Should I be reading something into this?) The show requires quite a lot of "willful suspension of disbelief," but it's still good. Basically, if the show involved Kiefer Sutherland working on the computer for an entire hour, it'd still be worth watching.

Veronica Mars--Although I think the show has gone downhill this year, I still love the characters. (And how adorable is Jason Dohring?) Apparently, the show is going on hiatus--again-- and after that, episodes will be more self-contained so as not to confuse the viewers. Yeah, 'cause Alias did that, and it worked so well! (note implied sarcasm) Ah, well. We'll always have the DVDs with the long-running investigations of Lilly's murder and the bus crash!

Lost--Okay, after the second polar bear attack (on the warm, tropical ISLAND!), I pretty much gave up any hope that this show had an overarching plot. However, the writer that crafted last week's episode has spent too much time watching What The Bleep Do We Know and not enough time watching the actual series of Lost. Yeah, yeah...Desmond can sit by the fire and contemplate quantum physics, destiny and free will all he wants, but let us get back to sex on the beach...er...I mean, that intriguing plotline involving Kate and Sawyer.

House--I love this show because it runs against the grain of how we expect doctors to think and act. I love House's cynicism and sense of humor. I love that he is totally non-PC. Hugh Laurie is brilliant and deserves all of his awards. I'm not entirely sure of the possible House/Cuddy subplot, but they do challenge one another so it's plausible. I'm completely opposed to the Cameron/Chase thing, especially with Cameron's explanation that she'd be less likely to fall for Chase than anyone else. And that would be because....? That makes no sense, and isn't she supposed to hate Foreman? Whatever. In real life (which this is not), I think that Cameron/House would have the most long-term potential because House is completely narcissistic, and Cameron is co-dependent. They'd nicely feed into the other's pathology. Of course, probably the most popular pairing in fandom is House/Wilson...and that would work similarly.

Grey's Anatomy--I watch this sporadically, but it gets more interesting every time they kill off important people. Of course, I don't know if anyone important died last week because my VCR stopped taping before the end of the show. But at any rate, even the possibility was fun. My favorite character is probably Izzie. I can't stand Christina and dislike Preston Burke almost as much (so if Isaiah Washington never gets out of rehab for his homophobia, I'll be okay with that). I'm somewhat ambivalent toward most of the other characters, though I've come to like Addison a lot more (though not her taste in men!).

Whatcha watchin'?

Music Video Parodies

Well, I had written a long post about music that I thought I posted a week ago, but I guess in The Great Computer Crash of 2007, it vanished into a dusty corner of cyberspace.

If I had loads of free time (and video cameras and appropriate programs), I would make music video parodies, taking the songs' lyrics literally. (A good example would be Hoobstank's "The Reason"--I'm sorry that I hurt you and ran you over with my car-- except that their video was not intended as a parody.) For instance, I would like to see a video of Coldplay's "Clocks" where an actor is really shooting an apple off of someone's head and snarling tigers are waiting to be tamed. You know that song that goes "you love me but you don't know who I am"? I'd like to cast a transvestite. Dido's "White Flag"? You got it-- let's see someone really go down with the ship. REM's "Losing My Religion"-- I want a boy who is blind AND lost AND hurt. (Which actually makes sense. It would be easy to become lost if you were blind, and being lost, you might trip and hurt yourself.) These are the things I think about when stuck in traffic and listening to the radio....

Mac or PC?

My computer is ill. Despite the fact that (repeated) anti-virus and anti-spyware scans proclaim health, something is wrong, and I think it might be fatal. How long? I don't know, but I just ordered a 4GB flash drive to prepare for the inescapable eventuality.

So...when my computer finally crashes its last crash, should I get a Mac or PC? I've always had a PC, but I'm considering Mac. I think I've been swayed by the commercials, but you have to admit, they are rather clever and make me smile. :) Any words of wisdom or buying advice? I mostly use my home computer (laptop) for web-surfing and word processing, though I also use Excel, digital photo stuff, some music, CD burning, etc. I have dial-up (gasp!) internet connection through PeoplePC. Thoughts?

Thanks for all of the comments, both here and e-mailed! :)

Books I'm Reading

A book for all occasions.....

Relaxing: Pigs in Heaven (Barbara Kingsolver)-- Until a recent lunch with a colleague, I was completely unaware that The Bean Trees had a sequel! I read The Bean Trees (which is about a young woman who moves to Tucson by herself) when I was moving to Tucson. I fell in love with Kingsolver's quirky, flawed characters who are so believable and endearing. Pigs in Heaven picks up with Taylor and Turtle and centers around the Indian Child Welfare act. It's a testimony to the author's ability to write three-dimensional characters, that as much as I want to hate Annawake, I understand her motivations. (Gah-- the book would be so much easier to read--emotionally-- if I could just hate her!) Anyway, I'm about half-way through so I can't promise a happy ending...but somehow, I feel like it will be. Winner of the Los Angeles Book Prize for Fiction.

About the Kiddos: No-Talk Therapy for Children and Adolescents (Martha Strauss)-- I think the title is a bit misleading; basically, the book is about counseling "treatment-resistant" kids and teens. This is a fabulously useful book and rare in its mix of theory, personal anecdotes and case studies, specific suggestions and techniques, research, contemporary issues (such as wrap-around services, CFTs and insurance), genuine care...and maybe most surprisingly, lots of humor and wit! If you're in the field, get the book! :)

Audio Book for the Car: Rumors of Another World (Philip Yancey)-- Probably the most philosophical of the Yancey books that I've read (or maybe on-par with Reaching for the Invisible God), Yancey discusses the glimmers in our world-- nature, art, music, literature, pleasure, our own desires-- that point to another world. At times, it's a bit too meandering, but as always with Yancey, he provides plenty of food for thought.

Audio Book for Bedtime: Well, I'm kind of switching among three right now. I was listening to Susan Cooper's The Grey King...but the tracks are too far apart so I was having difficulty finding my place the next night. Also, I think I really need to read The Dark Is Rising First. Then, I was trying to listen to Peter Pan (Barrie), but for some reason, Peter seems more annoying than he did last time I read this book. So...I fall back to my standby and grab one of my Harry Potter CDs (since I own all of the books on CD). I literally just grab one and am plunged into the middle of whatever adventure awaits. (Since I've heard each book 3-7+ times, I don't need the context.) Jim Dale reading Harry Potter is very soothing to me. I seem to have conditioned myself to fall asleep to his voice. I think I might need to marry him (which could be a problem because he may be already married--or gay--and I think he's kind of old). ETA: He is married (second marriage) and is 71! I hope he records the last HP book soon because I don't think I could stand hearing someone else on the HP audiobook.

Snippet Book #1 (good for waiting rooms, airports, etc.): Television Without Pity (Tara Ariano and Sarah Bunting)--Here's a quick way to find out if you would like this book: Go to www.televisionwithoutpity.com. Read. Are you laughing? If not, you won't like the book. (Oh, come on! The book has entries like "Alien Species, Dermatological Problems Of," "Belt, Why Men on TV Wear A Tucked-In Shirt Without A," and "News, Crappy Local.")

Snippet Book #2: Beyond Words (Frederick Buechner)-- Buechner defines or discusses various words. It's a million times better than it sounds! Here are a few short ones:
*Compassion-- Compassion is the sometimes fatal capacity for feeling what it's like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.
*Envy--Envy is the consuming desire to have everybody else be as unsuccessful as you are.
*Lust-- Lust is the craving for salt of a person who is dying of thirst.
*Work-- If you lose yourself in your work, you find who you are. If you express the best you have it in you in your work, it is more than just the best you have it in you that you are expressing.

(Most entries are about a page though.)

I am also reading Wuthering Heights, but as I should have known, placing a book on my "to read" list pretty much guarantees I won't read it.

What are you reading?

Random Quiz Results

Arty Kid

Whether you were a drama freak or an emo poet, you definitely were expressive and unique. You're probably a little less weird these days - but even more talented!

Who Were You In High School?

...and which lesser Harry Potter character are you?

You are most like Hermione Granger

Like Hermione, you are very smart. You love studying, and tend to do very well in class. You hate breaking rules, and usually don't, but you might if a really close friend needs you to. You like to relax and have a good time with a few close friends.

Take this quiz at QuizHeaven.com

href="http://piratemonkeysinc.com/quiz.php">
Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

The creator of that last quiz did a very good job because I test as an INFJ even on the clinical MBTI test.

You scored as Kate. You are Kate! Even with your spotty past of bank robbery and trouble you are a known as a nice girl who loves adventure. You are one of the guys and will always volunteer to go exploring. Kate 69% Sun 56% Jack 50% Sayid 44% Claire 44% Charlie 38% Boone 38% Sawyer 31% Locke 31% Michael 19% Shannon 13% href="'http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id="3074'">Which "Lost" character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Media Darlings in the Midst of Controversies

As many of you have probably heard by now, Dan Radcliffe (who plays Harry Potter in all of the movies) is starring in a theatre production, Equus, and his character has scenes which require full nudity. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can get the info "straight from the horse's mouth" here.) When I first heard about this on a HP site a couple of months ago, I found it kind of funny. Apparently, it has caused a lot of people to react with either A) fury that Harry Potter would do such a thing and won't this corrupt all of the children who adore Harry Potter and want to emulate him and now they will cast off their clothes and poke out horses' eyes, or B) lust to see their Dan in all his glory and how much are those tickets selling for?

Now this still kind of amuses me because A) Dan Radcliffe is not Harry Potter (seeing as Harry Potter is a fictional character!), and B) Dan's assets are probably not the point of the play. Reading summaries though, I'm not exactly clear on the point of the play at all. It sounds like a fashionably dark story that confuses depth with extent of pathology. But whatever.... Dan Radcliffe is seventeen--which I believe is legal age in the UK-- and can choose his projects. (And can I just say, seeing the promotional shots for Equus, the boy has grown up quite nicely.) People can choose to see it or not...and as far as children, why would you take your child to a play (in London) that involves nudity and violence? ETA: According to an article in This Is London, "The play's underlying questions concern the nature of ecstasy and passion in a soulless, consumer-dominated world." So...basically what I said before.

Now, another current controversy (which is unrelated project-wise, but somewhat related topically) is about Dakota Fanning (the cute little blonde girl with big blue eyes who has been in a zillion movies including I Am Sam, War of the Worlds, Charlotte's Web, etc.) and her new movie, Hounddog. The movie is about a young girl who is sexually abused but finds comfort in Elvis Presley's music. Filming has required that Dakota Fanning, 12, "appear naked" during an explicit rape scene. (Apparently, she wasn't completely naked on set, wearing some sort of body suit.) The movie is having trouble finding investors and distributors, and the county where the movie was filmed has launched an abuse investigation. I doubt the investigation will go very far, but I think the concern is valid. At what point does "acting like you're a kid being sexually abused" stop being acting? I can't imagine that such a role could not impact a 12 year old's sense of self, sexuality, etc. At that age, kids (hopefully) do not have any sexual experience so how would a child integrate the experience of a role like that?

Some have compared Dakota's scenes in Hounddog to scenes by young(ish) actresses in other movies about abuse or similar topics. One in particular was Jenna Malone's role in Bastard Out of Carolina. I saw that movie (and granted, it was a long time ago) but from what I remember, the abuse scenes were not graphic and would not have required Jenna to be at all undressed. Still, the movie was not picked up by any distributors and ended up being released straight to tv. That is no surprise since the book is banned on a regular basis.

Anyway, some feel that the movie Hounddog will bring attention to the issue of child sexual abuse and are upset by the controversy. For example, one journalist writes, "The main thing to remember is that Dakota Fanning accepted the part knowingly after having fully read the script. She was ready to tackle this problem. Why isn't the public?" (here). See, the thing about that? She's 12. That is below the age of consent just about anywhere in the Western world. She cannot make an informed choice because she is not developmentally ready to do so. That's why her parents should have said "no," and since they seem to be too wrapped up in their daughter's career, why social services is now investigating. (Go social workers!)

From what I can tell, there are no laws or restrictions about child actors in simulated sexual situations...which is kind of disturbing. Maybe some of this uproar will bring about some changes.

At any rate, it's a big jump from Charlotte's Web to explicit rape.

DVDs to rent

In case you're at a loss staring at the shelves at Blockbuster or if your Netflix queue is looking bare, here are some suggestions........

Movies Everyone Should See
Schindler's List
Hotel Rwanda
Devil's Advocate
A Rabbit Proof Fence
The Sound of Music
Fiddler on the Roof
United 93
Crash
Thirteen
Maria Full of Grace
The Life of David Gale

Movies That I Really Enjoyed
Bend It Like Beckham
In America
Little Miss Sunshine
Akeelah and the Bee
Love Actually
About A Boy
Garden State
Pieces of April
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Pride and Prejudice
Ever After
The Chorus
I Am David
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Mean Girls
28 Days
Chocolat
Monsters Inc.
Saved! (may be offensive to some)
Whale Rider
Brokedown Palace
White Oleander
Chronicles of Narnia--The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lord of the Rings-- all three
Life As A House (always makes me want to move back to California)
I Am Sam
A Time to Kill
Apollo 13

Documentaries
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Born into Brothels
Jesus Camp (will probably provoke a strong reaction, one way or another)
Mad Hot Ballroom (fun, feel-good story)
Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State

TV Series on DVD
Alias
24
House, M.D.
Party of Five
Felicity
Veronica Mars
Once and Again
Six Feet Under
Big Love

Do not, under any circumstances, rent...
The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl (no matter how much kids plead)
Constantine
Apocalypto
Hide and Seek
Monster-in-Law
Maid in Manhatten
Beyond Borders
A Wrinkle in Time (a complete massacre of the book)
War of the Worlds

Pull up a chair and pour yourself a cuppa

Just what the world needs-- another blog! I'm so happy to be able to provide this service. Now, you're probably wondering, why Blogspot? Well....

-LiveJournal--I already have a LJ that I use for other (more devious) purposes so I don't want to mix that with my "real" life. (Okay, okay...maybe fangirlish squeeing, but at any rate, you don't want to hear it, though I make no promises to refrain from occasional squeeing on this site.) It's too confusing to have two LJs, and besides, mine is locked.

-My Space-- I hate My Space for reasons to numerous to recount. Okay, I do have a My Space account too, but that's just so I can read my friends' locked posts. It does not in any way constitute a lessening of my hatred for My Space.

-My previous blog with Blogspot (steph questions answered)-- Well, that was for a specific purpose when I was graduating, and everyone kept asking me the same questions over and over. Also, I forgot my password. And log-in. And the e-mail address I registered with. So...yeah. I needed a new account.

-I think I have several other blogs, but most were abandoned for one reason or another or exist for a very specific purpose.

Why do I need a blog (or several)?

I don't. Who really needs a blog? I just feel like sharing my random thoughts with you. In the past, people have seemed entertained by this. And...it's good for me to write. And hey, why not? All the cool kids are doing it.

How will you know when I've updated (since Blogspot doesn't have a flist or e-mail notifications)?

You won't. But hey, it's not like this is time-sensitive material. One day, you'll be bored and think, "Hey, I should see if Steph's updated her blog," and low-and-behold, you'll find a new post. Or not. (I might as well tell you now that I am a very erratic blogger.)

What am I going to write about?

Books. Movies. Pet peeves. Butterflies. Why I need a maid. Quotes (you can count on that). Life. Matters Of Great Significance. Mundane musings.

Why should you read this?

I have no idea. But if you find it interesting or thought-provoking, feel free to stick around.....