There's this book meme about villains that I was planning to answer, but I couldn't think of any and my brain's filled with lab stuff (whee! another sleepless two days!). So I guess I'll pass this week.
Onesome: 'Lettuce'-- talk of salads and dressings: Is plain green your thing? ...or do you like 'stuff' mixed in or scattered over the top? ...and how about the dressing: what's leading your list this year?
What do you mean, "stuff"? A salad isn't a salad unless it has other things in it--otherwise, it's just greens. I like tomatoes, onions, avocado, alfalfa sprouts, shredded carrots, cucumbers and radishes. Croutons, however, aren't exactly my thing. As for the dressing, I'm fine as long as it's not blue cheese.
Twosome: and-- how about those Mets, -eh? Actually, baseball's doing okay this week, with basketball, football and cycling having the problems. Is there any sports news you'd care to comment on?
No.
Threesome: tomato-- and lettuce: the perfect toppings for that hamburger someone will cook up for you at a Labor Day picnic in another month or so? ...or perhaps you have another set of condiments you like on your meat or tofu?
"Fake" Books: Foul or fair? I actually don't really mind if some people only purchase books for show because I view other people's bookshelves like I view shelves filled with antique baubles--it's their collection and I won't talk about it unless they bring up the subject first. However, I will say that I would have more respect for a person if they've read at least some of the books in their personal library.
Then again, why don't people build personal libraries the other way around? I've pretty much left my bookshelves to be filled into a scary heap* before I got another bookshelf, um, yesterday.
*There's just something about scary heaps of books that speaks more to the bibliophile in me rather than the perfectly polished shelves of some frou-frou upper-middle class book connoisseur. Well, as long as it's not a fire hazard.
1. Okay, love him or loathe him, you’d have to live under a rock not to know that J.K. Rowling’s final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, comes out on Saturday… Are you going to read it
No.
2. If so, right away? Or just, you know, eventually, when you get around to it? Are you attending any of the midnight parties?
I just want to say something about midnight parties: I would not go to one even if I were crazy/fanatical about the book. I lose enough sleep over my research as it is.
I'm going to read that stuff later--need to recover from my latest stint of about two days worth of no sleep. (Because of science, of course. Science doesn't believe in sleep.)
The last book of a Certain Series is coming out and I feel nothing. I love books. I love the genre. And there's tons of hype. But something doesn't connect. It hasn't connected since I read the first book and decided it wasn't for me. I don't feel like I should read this series because everyone else is. Why should I follow the herd?
Yet, I find myself reading an article by Stephen King. On the surface, it might look like an ode to a Certain Series, but I think he has well articulated a universal truth about any kind of beloved book. Once the story ends, there's a sort of depression that descends upon the reader, even if there is a happy ending. It's THE END. The magic, as they say, is gone. There have been very few books that have elicited this sort of reaction from me, but when I do have it I know that I have a book worth keeping and recommending. Also, King reminds us:
There are always more good stories, and now and then there are great stories. They come along if you wait for them. And here's something I believe in my heart: No story can be great without closure. There must be closure, because it's the human condition.
There's a lesson there somewhere. We can't dwell on one story--there are other stories out there. But I wouldn't literally wait for them. I'd immediately pick something else to read. And even if the next story is a dud, at least it'll help me appreciate a good story more when I do come across one.
The previous post reminds me of someone I knew who used the word "smaller" instead of "shorter" to someone else and got royally chewed out for it. It's really a shame that we can't know other people's irrational pet peeves until we accidentally stumble upon them.
Sometimes I read something that gets me really mad. The kind of mad that might make me say things I would regret later. But I've always managed to hold back, to not post/comment on anything. Because worse than causing a flame war or being accused of as a troll, it's going to stay on the internet forever even if it's deleted later. And someone important in my personal or professional life is going to see it if they're feeling particularly nosy and have access to a search engine (with caching abilities).
1. In your opinion, what is the best translation of a book to a movie?
Perhaps Lord of the Rings, comparing the books to the movies directed by Peter Jackson. Maybe followed by Schindler's List and The Princess Bride.
2. The worst?
The first that came to mind was Breakfast at Tiffany's. Take the movie alone, and it's fine. But compare it to the book and the movie's ending totally screws up Capote's message.
3. Had you read the book before seeing the movie, and did that make a difference?
In most (maybe all?) cases, it did not make a difference (Examples, again: Lord of the Rings, Schindler's List.) I try not to read the books or watch the movies with the same mindset because going through a film being nitpicky is a waste of two hours.
Of course, these questions have me pondering movie novelizations, i.e. books-from-movies rather than movies-from-books. Personally, I avoid movie novelizations like the plague. Exactly who reads them anyway?
Onesome: The-- Food Channel: Yummy Goodness or Food Pr0N? Who do you like to watch (or love to hate)?
I do not have a TV so I can't watch anything. But I suppose shows about food and cooking are probably some of the few things I would watch if I had one.
Twosome: Food-- in the Summer? Cooking in the kitchen? Any tips to beat the heat for those in the gang literally baking in the heat?
Cook as little as possible. Eat food that can be taken straight out of the refrigerator.
Threesome: Channel-- some coolness our way: what is your favorite Summertime beverage (yes, mixed drinks work too...).
Ah, an opportunity to finally get out of the house.
Madeline jogged down an oak-lined avenue in an anonymous subdivision on a mild summer day. She had taken care to wear her striped workout shorts and matching tank. She had the water bottle, the fanny pack, the hip running shoes, the iPod. She wore a black baseball cap with a curved brim to shield her eyes from the casual onlooker. She looked like an annoying fitness fanatic. Everyone was supposed to ignore her.
"That's her!"
"Wait up!"
She did not turn around. She kept her pace. But that did not keep her heart from pounding or the sweat from trickling down her temples. Oh, if only her water bottle had pepper spray. Soles pounded on the sidewalk behind her. At least they were not following her in a van. Madeline turned on the next corner, saw an open doorway, and made a split-second decision.
Air-conditioning enveloped her like a chilly blanket. She wiped the sides of her face with her arms and sucked in a breath. Outside, she could hear the hurrying footsteps pass the doorway. In another moment, her fingers would start trembling, but she took the time to peer at the shop she had ducked into.
Computers and monitors sat on a display counter close to the front window. The rest of the floor was taken up by racks of cables and extension cords, batteries and printer cartridges. Shelves of packaged electronic hardware, software, accessories lined the walls. At the cashier's counter, a man with dark, spiky hair and horn-rimmed glasses worked on the innards of a desktop computer without its casing. He removed a part, put it on the counter, and then finally looked up at her.
"May I help you?"
A variety of responses ran through her head. Could she use his phone to call 9-1-1? Did he have a closet where she could hide in? Or a costume that she could don? She just shook her head.
How much do we read? (originally left as a comment) I'd guess the current media and short attention spans have something to do with it. I mean, just look at the statistic on TV watching. I would also guess that after work, people feel too tired to attempt reading--they'd rather have some passive entertainment instead. Perhaps our workaholic culture has some of the blame--other grad students claim that they don't have time to read which sort of makes me feel bad for ever having my nose buried in a book. (Just chain me to the lab bench, will ya?)
Mortal Engines. Must. Find. Copy. I am a total sucker for steampunk. And the premise! If cities really could eat other cities, which would be the predators? New York? Or what if small towns teamed up to take down a big one...
The 20 Blogging Commandments. (via Modulator) Is it blasphemy if I don't do #9? I mean, I don't delibrately go to other people's blogs and write comments just so they will visit mine. I don't expect people to visit my blog. I comment rarely and do so only when I have something to say.
All I want from science fiction. Hm. Obviously, people read sci-fi for different reasons. Me? I read more for the story than the gee-whiz factor. And if it makes other people more interested in science, well, that's a nice side benefit.
Transformers: Sexism in Disguise. It's an interesting interpretation considering how a lot of girl geeks are gushing about this online. Except I just want to point out--you're expecting too much from Hollywood. Despite the liberal lip service one hears from celebrities, films are mostly made with tunnel vision. (Of course, another problem pops up--how could one go about eliminating this tunnel vision? Maybe people with wider horizons should go into the film industry. I doubt the current crop of moviemakers could be persuaded--their profits effectively insulate them from criticism.)
Who's chattier, men or women? (Also, check out the summary of the Science paper.) I think I've got everyone beat. Everyone I know remarks at some time or another about how quiet I am. If I thought I could get away with it, I could probably go for days without speaking with anyone (including myself). Then again, one could point out that I've pretty much channeled my quota for wordiness into my writing instead.
Weddings: Are You Obsessed? So it's the summer. Lots of people are getting married. Parents of the couple, of course, are always grumbling, "We could have just given you money and you could have eloped instead." I'd prefer practicality as well--just go to the courthouse, get your license, and there you go, you're done. For those of you who think I'm off my rocker for saying that weddings are stupid, here is my rationale: weddings are an elaborate yet outmoded ritual centered on a simple transaction--the transfer of property. What sort of property? The bride. And even if you argue that all the patriarchal connotations have been erased from modern weddings, there's still the waste of money involved. When you become more concerned about the details of the event rather than the fact that you're going to spend the rest of your life with someone, you've lost sight of your relationship and the big picture. Then, a wedding becomes nothing but a shallow ruse to show off one's perceived wealth, privilege, and status.
Sexy specs. Um, I don't have guys lining up my front door. But then again, if I switched to contacts and guys started hitting on me, I wouldn't be exactly pleased either. This would only tell me that men are shallow idiots.
The hills are alive with the sound of lyrics. It depends on the song. I prefer listening to lyric-less music (classical, soundtracks, electronic), but if there are lyrics I find that even though they can distract me from doing another word-centric task, I have to consciously force myself to pay attention.
Pack Day. Ah, Chinese mothers and their penchant for nagging their children. My mom would probably not say that stuff about the ice cream certificate (since she wouldn't be shelling out money), but she would start lecturing me on eating my fruits and vegetables. And as for San Francisco, she wouldn't say it's cold since she's lived in far colder places (like, um, Quebec in the dead of winter and the power's out?), but she would say SO WINDY!! and drag me off to the nearest clothing store to get windbreakers.
Chick Lit Is Never a Compliment. This can be even more broad: if a critic labels a book "genre", it's not a compliment. But who cares what critics think? Most of them are just the vanguard of the hoity-toity.
Al Gore's Future Son-in-Law. If Gore's daughter marrying an Asian American is making the journalist think that he's not running for president, this is a pretty strong indication that the journalist and/or his perception of the public is still biased against interracial marriages. (Although Angry Asian Man does make a good point as well--why even mention the guy's ethnicity?)
When does looking become a leer? I have no idea since I have no experience with this. I'm not the sort of girl anyone would give a second glance at. Well, I take that back. Some people watch me like a hawk because they think I'm going to steal something from their store shelves.
Whatever Happened to the Class of '87? I checked the "famous students" from my high school and all I found was a country music singer who is still attending said school and a football player who might be picked for this year's NFL draft. Ugh.
Keep your opinions outta my boobs! Whatever, dude. Sure, people are free to make choices. If a woman wants implants, fine, she can do what she likes with her body. But one must consider the context of those choices. What if we were all raised in a culture that disdains the focus on physical appearance? Then nobody would be getting plastic surgery except under medical duress.
Harm in reading romance novels? (via Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Novels) A more pertinent question: have these columnists even read a romance novel? (This reminds me of the case where people banned a book without even reading it. Part 1 | Part 2) I think what these people are really arguing about is less about romance novels and more about whether or not it's appropriate for women to even think about sex. And in the end, the argument probably says more about the columnists' hangups than convincing anybody that genre books rot people's brains.
What, in your opinion, is the (mythical) Great American Novel?
I haven't read enough classics, literary novels, or even genre to be qualified to answer this question. For any country. I know with that statement I sound like I'm one of those idiots who only reads one book a year, but the truth is, I don't even want to put forth an opinion of the Great American Novel. Such a thing can't exist. Even if you put aside favorites, what you think is good writing, I might think is utter crap. Besides, I haven't yet come across a novel where I was completely blown away with the ideas and the prose and thought, "This is perfect. I have to tell everyone how great it is and try to convince them to read this." Yeah, I know. I'm nitpicky.
Onesome: At-- the head of the line for the iPhones, were you? No? What do you think of all the hoopla. ...and the continuing hype? Just curious...
I think people are trying to justify to themselves that getting an iPhone means getting to the forefront of new technology when in reality, they're just buying into the hype. What says more about being silly and greedy by obtaining some status symbol that says they're with it?
As with all new gadgets, I'll wait until I encounter a situation where I really need it.
Twosome: Long-- roads to forever... Do you have a favorite road/trail/path you like to travel just for the scenery?
No. I prefer trying new places. Like reading the same book over and over again even if it's your "favorite", staying on one road is really limiting.
Threesome: Last-- year did you think you'd be doing what you ended up doing for the holiday yesterday? ...or did plans change a bit?
I didn't have any plans in the first place so of course, nothing changed.
Well, I suppose I have been doing something "patriotic" today. Even if it is sort of motivated by the fact that certain fees are going up by the end of this month. I've been reading instructions and filling out forms. Something strange I've noticed--
Eye color: brown blue green hazel gray black pink maroon other
"Other" I understand--some people might have two different colored eyes after all. But "pink" and "maroon"? Sure, there are "red eyes" on photographs, but still that doesn't make any sense. Even human albinos have either blue or gray eyes.
Writers and "immigrant" culture. I've pondered this before, but I think it's just another stereotype that ethnic authors have to break out of. White writers set their stories in different cultures all the time and no one says anything. (White priviledge, perhaps?) Off the top of my head, some writers that don't write ethnic-centric stories: Kazuo Ishiguro, Nalini Singh, Marjorie M. Liu, Ted Chiang. I'd say--write wherever the muse takes you and not what society dictates as "proper" or "expected". (Proper and expected makes for boring stories anyway.) Addendum: I just remembered Tess Gerritsen. Which brings up another question--what percentage of authors change their names to Western European ones for their pen names? Obviously, they've done it so that they could sell their books. Maybe there's some sort of bias against ethnic writers that no one is acknowledging.
Personal Summer Reading Challenge. Well, good luck. I visit the library regularly so I'm always bringing home books. And then sometimes I buy books. So my to-be-read pile grows and never shrinks. Let's just say that the number of books in my queue is greater than 80.
Hunting the Mongolian Death Worm. Perhaps it's all just exaggeration of a not-as-interesting animal. Or maybe someone's had a bit too much tequila and HPL, if you know what I mean.
Were-clams and other we(i)r(e)d possibilities. From the comments on that post: "I suspect there wouldn't be many editors who would buy it." And I suspect she means romance editors. How about SF/F editors?
The new age of ignorance. Also see the (bad) answers to simple science questions given by a celebrity panel. Sigh. This just reminds me of contradictory reports--on one hand, students are slacking off on the math and science because they claim that they're better at humanities, and on the other hand people not knowing anything about the humanities because the schools are supposedly emphasizing math and science since those skills would be more "marketable" in the workforce. Perhaps education is only part of the problem--people don't remember stuff because most people never use this information in their daily lives. (And if you do remember it, you're branded as a trivia freak.) If the light goes out, people aren't going to ponder about the circuitry. They'd just change the light bulb or call an electrician to figure it out.
Last week, I went hiking at Hell's Gate State Park. You know, just because I felt like it. I never plan these things out in advance. I also took some photos, not to show off my mad photographing skills (because I don't have any), but just to document that I was there and that I wasn't just imagining it.
Just got notified that I will be getting an ARC of a science book. I have another recently released book sitting on my shelf with a very similar title and subject so I'll be really interested in the viewpoints of both. Stay tuned in the next three weeks for those reviews.
