Sept. 19th, Gothic Fiction

Well, this morning I got my hair cut. Except I chickened out and didn't go very short. I still got a really good trim and maybe an inch and a half off the top. I'm not going to post pictures, it's not that interesting.

To prep for the book club discussion I have to lead next month, I've started Dracula, but I'm listening to the audio-book so I can multitask. So far, the book is quite interesting: the level of horror and stuff in the first couple chapters is pretty heavy, especially for a book written when it was, and I like how it's presented as journal entries and letters. I read that it was likely Stoker's intention to write a straight-forward horror story with Gothic elements, rather than a Gothic story alone. This was likely since the heyday of Gothic literature was some decades before Dracula was published. Nevertheless, it's quite effective in creating a rich and gloomy atmosphere.
I wonder why I don't read more classic Gothic literature. I have really quite liked the stuff I've read. I like that it's eerie and spooky without being vile or too disgusting, and that the writing is really rich and beautiful. It would be fun to read enough old books to really get comfortable using language their way, and then to raise kids and always talk like that in the home. Then when the kids go to school, their teachers will all think they're spooky little kids from beyond the grave. Especially if I dress them like this:

They'll also speak in whispers and seldom laugh but often smile.

I read another vampire book a while ago called "Carmilla" by Joseph le Sheridan Fanu, and it is older than Dracula by a while, but it was still pretty spooky. It's free to download, so anyone with an e-reader can get it no hassle! Another Gothic book I read was called "Edgar Huntly, Or, Memoirs of a Sleepwalker" by Charles Brockden Brown. It was different than other books I've read, and I might not have liked it, except we studied it in one of my English classes in college, and I thought it was pretty cool.

I have the day off tomorrow, and I was planning on going to my cabin, but I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon so I have to stay home. Anyway, I get to sleep in, which will be so good. This morning I woke up a littler earlier than normal so I could get to my hair appointment, and it was so cold in my room! I sleep with the window open in the summer, but last night it got to 41 degrees (Fahrenheit)! I don't think it was that cold in my room, but getting out of my warm bed was especially challenging. I should start waking up/going to bed earlier than I have been, to prepare myself for the time when regular work hours and stuff aren't at 10 am. Ha, wish me luck with that.
Come back tomorrow if you want to read more!

Sept 11th, Book Club

I participate in a little book club. It's something that I never really thought I'd do. I have no real relationship with anyone else that attends (and lately the number of people is around 4). Nevertheless, I do enjoy discussing books and stuff. I think being an English major made me a little overenthusiastic about defending my point or opinion, so when the topics get a little crazy or out of hand, I don't feel too bad about saying what I want to say to try to steer the discussion back on track.
This leads me to what happened at the book club this week. After we finished our discussion, we were trying to plan the next two months, and one of the members printed out a pretty good and informed list of books. After she explained a bit about them so we could better choose, they asked me what I thought. Well, I was polite, but voiced my opinion. I said that since it would be October, it might be fun to do a scary book. I also said that I didn't have any particular titles in mind, but something by Susan Hill or Bradbury or Shirley Jackson might be fun. I included Dracula and Frankenstein in there too.
To my surprise, they agreed with me without much "selling" on my part! The other person's book suggestion will be done in November, and I'm so glad that she wasn't left out.
So, it came down to a coin toss between Frankenstein and Dracula, and Dracula won. Since I was the one who suggested it, I "get" to be the discussion leader. I guess that means I better start reading the book! I'm actually kind of excited about this: I haven't been able to really plan a discussion or presentation or anything since college. And the best part is, I have a month to plan it and there is no grade attached!
I also get to bring treats, which I'm excited about. I found these on YouTube and they look fun and doable!

Harry Potter, Halloween, and Candy! My favorite things! I might have to make a batch way ahead of time to make sure it's something I can manage. I think that I'd not use the stick though, and instead put them in mini cupcake holders. Preferably fiery orange ones.... If it proves too difficult, I might just frost sugar cookies and make jack-o-lantern faces out of chocolate chips.
Like I mentioned, the book group is pretty small, and I guess it used to be quite huge. I'm going to make a poster and bookmarks for the library (I do it for every month's book club) and hopefully really sell the whole "Halloween Theme" that will be going on.
Wish me luck!

Sept. 9th, 100th Post!!!

Wow, 100 posts! I guess for a blog that's 3 years old, that's not that impressive. But still! I'm surprised I've made it this far, especially since my life is pretty average these days and I don't have that much to write about.
For the 50th post on this blog, I wrote 50 things about myself (read it here). For this 100th post, I'm not going to do that again. Instead, I'm going to write 10 Top 10 lists on various things.
Just to clarify, the top 10 things aren't necessarily in order, they are just the top 10 in that category (in my ever-changing opinion), and I encourage you to check them out. Enjoy!

Top 10 Movies (This list changes often for me)

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
3. Matilda
4. The Matrix Trilogy
5. V For Vendetta
6. Return to Oz
7. The Village (haters gon' hate)
8. Hocus Pocus
9. Clue
10. Tron: Legacy

Top 10 Nintendo Games

1. Legend of Zelda (all of them, but especially "Ocarina of Time" and "A Link to the Past")
2. Super Smash Bros. Melee
3. Animal Crossing
4. Super Mario World
5. Donkey Kong Country
6. Super Mario Galaxy (both of them - so fun!)
7. Pokemon Yellow
8. Mario Kart 64
9. Super Monkey Ball 2
10. Super Mario 64

Top 10 Classical Pieces (YouTube these!)

1. Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 (and 3!)
2. Saint-Saens' Dans Macabre
3. Respighi's Pines of Rome (especially the Appian Way movement)
4. Gorecki's 3rd Symphony, 2nd movement
5. Handel's Worthy is the Lamb/Amen (all of Messiah, actually)
6. Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro
7. Holst's The Planets (Mars will knock your socks off!)
8. Wagner's Tristan and Isolde Prelude and Liebestod
9. Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (especially the finale!)
10. Grieg's Peer Gynt
    And SO many more!

Top 10 Foods

1. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
2. Tacos, Burritos, anything Mexican
3. Pizza!
4. Lasagna
5. Pasta! Any kind!
6. Kimbap - it's Korean and so good!
7. Artichokes
8. Salmon
9. French Fries
10. Homemade cookies

Top 10 Disney Rides

1. Soarin' Over California
2. California Screamin'
3. Space Mountain
4. Haunted Mansion
5. Thunder Mountain
6. Tower of Terror
7. Thunder Mountain
8. Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye
9. Toy Story Mania
10. Pirates of the Caribbean

Top 10 Books (Or Series) - This list will change constantly, but these are all books I'd read again.

1. His Dark Materials - Philip Pulman
2. Harry Potter - JK Rowling
3. Monster Blood Tattoo - DM Cornish (strange title, GREAT books!)
4. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
5. The Neverending Story - Michael Ende (if you judge this book by its movie I'll shun you forever)
6. Silence - Shusaku Endo
7. The Arrival - Shaun Tan
8. Coraline - Neal Gaiman
9. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
10. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin

Top 10 Plays (Musicals Too)

1. Sweeney Todd
2. Importance of Being Earnest
3. Phantom of the Opera
4. One Man, Two Guvnors
5. Midsummer Night's Dream (but only the production at the Globe in London in summer 2010)
6. Wicked
7. Viva Forever (Make fun and I will CUT you!)
8. Joseph and the Amazing Never-Ending Titled Dreamcoat
9. Wait Until Dark
10. Les Miserables (and in London! Phenomenal!)

Top 10 Bug I HATE

1. Earwigs
2. Grasshoppers
3. Spiders
4. Moths
5. Cockroaches
6. Mosquitoes
7. Worms (because they're gross)
8. Flies
9. Crickets
10. Wasps
    (Bees don't freak me out because they usually keep to themselves.)

Top 10 TV Shows

1. Parks and Recreation
2. Adventure Time
3. Tron: Uprising
4. Ocean Girl
5. Are You Afraid of the Dark?
6. Downton Abbey
7. The 10th Kingdom (it was a miniseries, so originally for TV)
8. The X Files
9. Malcolm in the Middle
10. Family Guy (Even though it's terrible, it makes me laugh...)

Top 10 Video Game Music (Click the Links!)

1. Super Smash Bros. Melee - Opening Titles
2. Mario 64 - Dire Dire Dock (also, this version is amazing)
3. Halo 4 - 117
4. Donkey Kong Country - Aquatic Ambiance
5. Shenmue - Main Theme
6. Final Fantasy X - To Zanarkand
7. Zelda - Everything! Especially Gerudo Valley, The Dark World, and Song of Healing
8. Super Mario Galaxy - StarDust Road (also called Space Junk Galaxy)
9. Portal - Still Alive
10. Okami - The Sun Rises

Ok, so there you go! 100 things to check out (or avoid)! I wonder how long it will take me to get another 100 posts here.... 3 years again? Will I even blog in 3 years? We'll see!

See you tomorrow!