Here are a few secrets ^_~

In the recent years I have noticed more and more pop culture phenomenon from the fantasy literature world. Especially after the hit that was Harry Potter. Its always good to see such things occurring since I grew up on those books. So to prepare myself for seeing these movies I would always read the books first. You know what they say, a movie is never as good as the book.

So imagine my surprise as when I finished Eragon or Twilight I felt as if I had been cheated out of my $6.04. I could have just went onto fanfiction.net and read something of similar quality. Though it was a valiant attempt at an original story, what it felt like to me was just another person who read many books and decided to put his own thoughts onto paper. This is in no way dismissing the writing on fanfiction.net because some of those are actually quite fabulous. However, these writers also recognize that to be published there needs to have a degree of style. (They also recognize that none of the characters are their own ^.~)

Now Eragon was written by a younger author, which might explain some of the "style" it possesses. However the fact that it was on the New York Time's best sellers list AND that it had a movie made shows just how much we are catering to a lower standard. I am not sure if it is because readers were attracted to a book that was written by someone their own age or if they were just trying to find a quick read. However, I am disappointed that standards are not higher for readers to develop their minds. And we wonder why other countries' students test better than ours.

As for Twilight, which was not as bad as Eragon, the writing was not horrible. The style was even tolerable since it was written in a first person point of view. Of course I have to say if that's how she views the world I definitely would not be getting along with her. Nothing against her, but she has a sad undertone to herself at first. Almost a self proclaimed damsel in distress. My main issue is the author's attempt to pass this off as a vampire novel when there is NOTHING vampire-esque about these characters. They have reflections, they stay out in the sun, they do not HAVE to drink blood (apparently the adopted father has been able to suppress it to that degree) and they do not need to sleep. Heck they even "glow" when in the sun. I understand that their desire to drink blood and live forever would make them "vampires." However it could just make them into any sort of mythical creature that she wants to name them. It is a disregard of and disrespectful to Dracula by Bram Stoker. Though I am glad she's trying to show how hard it is for immortals, I feel readers could get a better sense of that from reading Tuck Everlasting.

Now I understand that these books are pop culture novels, hence should not be compared to literature. However there has been talk of adding books like it to the students school reading list. That seems like we are lowering our education standards as well. I am not sure if it is society as a whole has lowered our standards to allow anything to be published in hopes it is the next Harry Potter or if our children are stupider so we cannot have too complex of novels available to them, but I hope that it is not the latter. Its important to have children be just as excited about books that are written well and with truly original ideas as it is for them to be excited about a book with a REALLY HOT GUY in it.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MontyPython

For 3 years you YouTubers have been ripping us off, taking tens of thousands of our videos and putting them on YouTube. Now the tables are turned. It's time for us to take matters into our own hands.

We know who you are, we know where you live and we could come after you in ways too horrible to tell. But being the extraordinarily nice chaps we are, we've figured a better way to get our own back: We've launched our own Monty Python channel on YouTube.

No more of those crap quality videos you've been posting. We're giving you the real thing - HQ videos delivered straight from our vault.

What's more, we're taking our most viewed clips and uploading brand new HQ versions. And what's even more, we're letting you see absolutely everything for free. So there!

But we want something in return.

None of your driveling, mindless comments. Instead, we want you to click on the links, buy our movies & TV shows and soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years.

[edit]
Oh, yeah, Monty Python? I love you.

So, first, just want to let everyone know I'm ok. I'm going to be staying with A, at least for a little while.

Internet access isn't consistent right now (uh, duh), so there will be more details forthcoming when I get a chance.

Thanks, everyone, who's called and/or left comments. You all know how hard it is for me to let others help, but I kind of need it forced on me right now.

I have a job, pending results of the drug screening I did yesterday. I'll be working in for Dunkin' Donuts, producing pretty much all of western New York's sweet and hole-y confections. It may not be exactly what I'm looking for, but it will allow me to financially maintain my existence--which is all I'm asking at this point.

I'll be going to Thanksgiving with my family, being thankful that I no longer live with my father, and visiting some friends along the way. Leaving Tuesday night to stay with Straight Date and the kid (I'm sure she's grown a LOT), and then spending Wednesday in the Philly area with Augie. After supper on T-day, Katie and I will join my family in going to the farm (I think that's the plan, anyway), and then catching public transportation out of Frederick to get back to Buffalo. I'm excited, though terrified that it's only one week until we leave. Eep.

I still want to get an oil change on the car before we go, but I'm not sure if I'll have time. Maybe on Saturday. We'll see.


Unpacking and cleaning has gotten more underway as of this weekend. I'm almost willing to invite people over, and have that long-overdue house-warming kind of party, but we're still not there yet.

I wrote a journal entry before, but it got deleted somehow, even though I saved the draft. I can't remember everything I wrote to reproduce it here...so I guess that's it.


And I'm playing at an Open Mic on the evening of December 6th. I'm glad to have a date where I'm going to start playing.

I need somewhere else to live. Like, now.

As in, I need to move out, at least to temporarily crash until I find somewhere more permanent. And I want to be gone before Mummy Dearest gets home tomorrow. Any ideas?

You say carmina, I say carmana,
You say burina, I say burana,
Carmina! Carmana! Burina! Burana!
Let's Carl the whole thing Orff!

It's that time again:

The National Philharmonic Chorale, in conjunction with the National Philharmonic Symphony, presents:
Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms
Orff's Carmina Burana
Saturday, November 22, 8 pm
Strathmore Center for the Performing Arts
Bethesda, MD
Tickets available at www.nationalphilharmonic.org or www.strathmore.org

Come hear! We had our first orchestra rehearsal tonight, and it's going to be amazing!
Yay!

I had a really vivid dream where I got sick, had to get surgery, and then woke up 90 years in the future, because there were complications post-surgery and they froze me until they could fix it....

...Lee Pace makes a really hot woman. Oh my God.

Fighting with Mummy Dearest was delayed tonight by washing dishes, folding laundry, doing laundry, and cooking dinner. Sheesh.

Recipe time! This is probably the one thing I cook that doesn't require a certain amount of cursing (unless Dad tries to stir it for me).

Mel's Magnificent Risotto (aka TIME TO WASH ALL THE POTS)
8 cups chicken stock (NOT low salt unless you want this to taste like nothing) (I use a fee range organic one from Whole Foods, but that's because I'm a hippie)
olive oil (see below)
3 good-sized cloves of garlic, beat to shit finely minced
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine (the drier the better) (plus a glass or two if people are making you crazy)
1/2 cup parmigiana, grated or shredded
ground black pepper

In small saucepan, heat chicken stock to not quite boiling. In slightly larger saucepan, heat just enough oil to cover bottom of pot. Sauté garlic until translucent. Add rice and stir until coated and shiny. Add wine and stir until absorbed. Add stock a cup or two at a time, stirring until absorbed. Be patient! Rice will become sticky and less clearly defined. When all stock is absorbed, add parmigiana and stir until mixed in. Add black pepper to taste, stir for a few more seconds, and then serve while still hot.

Serving suggestion: tonight I did it with mange tout (snowpeas) steamed and served cold and shrimp and mushrooms sautéd in butter, garlic, pepper, and lemon. This meant using two saucepans of varying sizes--plus the double boiler attachment for the smaller one--and the wok. We definitely had to run the dishwasher twice tonight.

Serves 4.