(no subject)
To start: I was tagged by hamsterwoman to do the Seven Book Covers thing, where you post one the cover of one favorite book per day, without any commentary or explanation. I have waaaaaayyy more than seven favorite books, so this is going to be tough for me, but we'll start with an easy one:
I'm supposed to tag one person per day to likewise do the challenge. If I tag you and you don't feel like participating, it's not like I'm going to come to your house and glare at you or anything, but I'm a nosey bastard and I like seeing what other people's favorites are so ... I hope you'll participate? :D
Today I'm tagging thesmallhobbit
Speaking of books: I finished reading Queen of Air and Darkness. You know, sometimes you don't really think about how stupid someone's actions are until it happens. Other times, you can see it right away, and you just want to reach through the pages and throttle the character. Like when Julian had his emotions turned off. And when Kit agreed to help Ty try to bring Livvy back from the dead. (Although at least, in that case, even Kit realized how stupid he was being.) I'm glad Julian had it taken off as soon as Magnus was well enough, but, oy. Stupid boy.
And speaking of the whole thing with Julian and Emma - I did have a feeling they were going to find a workaround somehow, although it wasn't until they turned into big flaming giants that I had an inkling as to how that might happen. So, basically, the parabatai curse actually did take hold of them, but for some reason, because they didn't die, they actually benefited from it? Because it doesn't sound like other victims of the curse got to live with their beloveds afterwards - sounds like everybody generally died. Did the others not have family members to call them back? (Side note: I did like the point being made during that moment that family is more than just blood: the Blackthorn clan is also Kieran and Diana and Cristina and Emma, etc etc.)
Ok, so the Annabel that appears post-Thule is actually just a demon and NOT actually Annabel, right? Because there seemed to be only one Annabel (and one Ash) between the two worlds, compared to the duplicates of everyone else. And that Annabel definitely seemed to die - although we've thought that before, haven't we?
It seems like Cassie is planning more books in this series, rather like the original "City of..." trilogy turned into a sextology. (Is that even a word?) We never get resolution between Kit and Ty, and Thule!Jace has just shown up in the Seelie Queen's court with Ash with clear trouble in mind. But I know that Cassie has several other books coming out first - the paper version of the Shadow Market collection of stories, the Elder Curses series about Alex and Magnus, and the series following Lucie and James Herondale And Friends. Which means, presumably, waiting a considerable amount of time before we get back to Kit, Ty, the Seelie Court, and whatever other misadventures that group gets into. Cliffhangers: argh.
Because, honestly, there had better be some sort of resolution with Kit and Ty ... eventually. :P
Side note: Alex and Magnus's wedding, while totally unnecessary, was very sweet, and it's nice to see Shadowhunters (and warlocks) get to be happy occasionally.
So, anyway, drama with a side of more drama, with the periodic deire to throttle people for their inability to communicate properly, but still sadly enjoyable. :P
It kind of put me in the mood to re-read a previous book - one of the Infernal Devices, probably. But the first two books I read this year were both huge - which is why it's the end of March and I've only read TWO books. :P So, for now, I'm picking up Competence by Gail Carriger. Not quite so monstrously large.
Several weeks ago I took that "Who do you write like?" quiz.
I write like
David Foster WallaceAbout David Foster Wallace | Analyze your text
I find this amusing for two reasons. 1) I've never read anything by him and 2) he used to teach at my alma mater!
MiniPlu provided another amusing anecdote along the same lines of "Cryno de Burgo" last week:
On March 19, MiniPlu pointed out how the calendar had the 20th marked as the first day of Spring - which, you know, it is. But then she asked, "How could they possibly know in advance when that's going to be?" I kind of boggled at that, before saying, "Because the first day of spring is always March 20. Just like the first day of summer is always June 21st (etc)." MiniPlu looked a little confused, asking, "But what about the groundhog's predictions? Doesn't that change when spring starts?" Sweetie, the groundhog is just a myth. He cannot predict the weather for real. Whether he sees his shadow is simply a matter of whether it's sunny or not on Feb 2 in western PA. Also, even if the groundhog did (or did not) see his shadow, that's not necessarily going to apply to the entire country. Sure, spring is *just* starting here right now, with the crocuses, but in the upper midwest it probably is not, and in California spring started several weeks ago.
MiniPlu, wholly mortified, just said, "Ok, well, your genius college-bound daughter is going upstairs to do her homework now." :D :D :D
(It was rather like when MiniPlu learned, around age 10 or so, that putting your textbook under your pillow was also just a myth and did not, in fact, allow you to learn via osmosis. She had genuinely believed it.)
I did think to explain to her the next day, that the first day of spring (or fall) has to do with the astronomical equinox, and not the weather, just as the first day of winter (or summer) has to do with the solstice, and what that means in terms of how the earth is tilted with relation to the sun. Which, fortunately, she does understand - she just hadn't realized that's what "First day of spring" referred to - the astrological equinox after the winter solstice. But still - how do you get to be nearly 17 and not realize that the groundhog has no actual powers of weather forecasting?
I'm also somewhat concerned about her future driving. While she does ok under general situations, she is still easily flustered by parking lots, which then makes her confused as to which way to turn the wheel, and how to back out when there are cars and people moving around nearby, etc, and if there's some other (non-parking-lot) unexpected situations, she tends to freeze up and panic, and ... no. You cannot do that if you are driving. I'm not sure why it's taking her so much longer than what I consider to be "normal" to get an intuitive feel for these things - including being able to reliably feel like you know exactly where your car is in the lane - given that she's been driving legally for eight months and illegally in our quiet neighborhood for a year before that. She has only ever driven ONE car, so it's not like the dimensions or the handling keep changing, you know? Anyway, I don't know if she'll truly be ready for solo driving in July or not. She'd probably pass the test, but would she be READY? Two of her friends have already been in accidents (thankfully everyone is fine, but still), and they only got their licenses a few months ago.
Continuing to battle Two on taking school seriously, especially for putting out extra effort in his English class. Given that he wants to be a script writer someday, you'd think he'd want to focus on this class, even if he thinks that math, science, social studies, etc are useless. But, no, he considers English class useless, too, because it's not ... script writing. It's reading literature and writing persuasive essays and taking vocab tests. (Kid, you'll need a good vocabulary as a writer. "Nobody uses really fancy words in TV shows and, anyway, I'll just use a dictionary." Oy.) He also does not believe the in-class support teacher has any purpose except to tattle on him (to me) and that she doesn't count because she's not the main teacher. Kid, I don't care if you don't like her personality (MiniPlu has her as head of Leo Club and isn't super-thrilled with her, either), but, yes, she TOTALLY counts, and it is her JOB to help you do better. When she makes comments on your paper, or writes to us, your parents, it's because she is trying to find ways to encourage your progress. It is her JOB. But he won't budge. Sigh.
And as for Ms. "If I get a B+ I won't get into college!" ... CBS This Morning did a piece on Friday, talking with a former college admissions dean about what colleges really look for in admissions. The results were disheartening: she admitted straight out that colleges prioritize donors/kids of donors, celebs/kids of celebs, sports stars, and legacies (children of alums), and those kids who don't fall into one of those categories get pushed to the bottom of the pile (or out of the pile entirely). And as for those kids who are trying to get in on their own merit? "Just be themselves." Plus the pressure cooker we already knew about: High grades, the right kinds of classes, extracurriculars. But given how stacked the deck already is against "regular" kids - because of all the "tagged" applications - the donors, celebs, athletes, legacies - I just wonder how much room there really is for a regular kid. I feel like these kids are busting their ASSES and that there's almost no hope for them at all. I've tried to be so reassuring to MiniPlu, who currently has a weighted GPA of 3.84, that she WILL get in to a decent college, but ... will she?
And it also makes me wonder: Did I really get in to Pomona College on my own merit? My mother was an alum and my grandfather had previously been on the Board of Trustees, providing the college with a LOT of valuable financial advice. (In fact, when I got my degree, they awarded him an honorary degree in appreciation.) He and my grandmother also started a scholarship for foreign students. I did know that my grandfather had called Admissions early and weasled out of them that I'd been accepted, so even though it wasn't confirmed, for sure, until I got my official acceptance letter, I had a good idea several weeks early that I was in. But it never occurred to me that I might have only been accepted at all because of him, or because of him + my mom. Even though that sort of preferential treatment is legal (as opposed to the current scandal), it definitely diminishes my achievement in my eyes. I mean, I obviously did perfectly fine once I was there, but I imagine there are a lot of kids who would do fine, but don't get in because "preferential" students take up the slots. Did I really get in on my own merit?
Ugh, it's just all so messed up.
I had a full week last week - first I was subbing as an aide in a pre-K classroom on Monday, worked my usual volunteer library shift Tues morning, where the librarian was clearly falling ill at a rapid rate - chills and aches, etc - and then I was the librarian the rest of the week while she was at home, flattened by flu. (And by "flattened" I mean she told me on Friday that she had finally managed to get out of bed. :P) So: chronically not enough sleep (my usual problem), working nearly full-time when I'm not used to it, and then black belt class on Friday night, where Grandmaster K tried to kill us - I was wiped yesterday.
And we may be about to lose another cat. Back in January we took in my FIL's barn cat, concerned about the effect bitter weather would have on him. Bennie (as we eventually named him) is very sweet and readily took to domestic life - he was not skittish as many feral animals are, leading us to wonder if he'd previously been a proper pet. But he refuses to be litter trained - we have to put pee pads down in his basement space, and take him outside regularly. (Frankly, we joke that he fails at being a cat: he's klutzy - knocks over food and steps in his water - he's not litter trained, he's completely oblivious when it comes to signals other animals are sending him, his purr sounds more like wheezing (but isn't wheezing), and even his meow sounds weird.) He's old - we knew that - and has always walked kind of arthritically, but we woke up this morning and his back end seems to be paralyzed. Stroke? Pinched nerve? Something else? He doesn't seem to be in distress. But he hasn't peed all day as far as we can tell, and he has only taken a couple of tottering steps, otherwise dragging his butt around because his back legs don't work. Karen is beside herself with worry - if we lose him, that will be the third cat in less than six months. And we've only had him for two! Fingers crossed when he sees a vet tomorrow, he can do something for Bennie.
Between fussy relatives and cranky teens, I'm having one of those days where everyone is pissing me off. :P
I'm supposed to tag one person per day to likewise do the challenge. If I tag you and you don't feel like participating, it's not like I'm going to come to your house and glare at you or anything, but I'm a nosey bastard and I like seeing what other people's favorites are so ... I hope you'll participate? :D
Today I'm tagging thesmallhobbit
Speaking of books: I finished reading Queen of Air and Darkness. You know, sometimes you don't really think about how stupid someone's actions are until it happens. Other times, you can see it right away, and you just want to reach through the pages and throttle the character. Like when Julian had his emotions turned off. And when Kit agreed to help Ty try to bring Livvy back from the dead. (Although at least, in that case, even Kit realized how stupid he was being.) I'm glad Julian had it taken off as soon as Magnus was well enough, but, oy. Stupid boy.
And speaking of the whole thing with Julian and Emma - I did have a feeling they were going to find a workaround somehow, although it wasn't until they turned into big flaming giants that I had an inkling as to how that might happen. So, basically, the parabatai curse actually did take hold of them, but for some reason, because they didn't die, they actually benefited from it? Because it doesn't sound like other victims of the curse got to live with their beloveds afterwards - sounds like everybody generally died. Did the others not have family members to call them back? (Side note: I did like the point being made during that moment that family is more than just blood: the Blackthorn clan is also Kieran and Diana and Cristina and Emma, etc etc.)
Ok, so the Annabel that appears post-Thule is actually just a demon and NOT actually Annabel, right? Because there seemed to be only one Annabel (and one Ash) between the two worlds, compared to the duplicates of everyone else. And that Annabel definitely seemed to die - although we've thought that before, haven't we?
It seems like Cassie is planning more books in this series, rather like the original "City of..." trilogy turned into a sextology. (Is that even a word?) We never get resolution between Kit and Ty, and Thule!Jace has just shown up in the Seelie Queen's court with Ash with clear trouble in mind. But I know that Cassie has several other books coming out first - the paper version of the Shadow Market collection of stories, the Elder Curses series about Alex and Magnus, and the series following Lucie and James Herondale And Friends. Which means, presumably, waiting a considerable amount of time before we get back to Kit, Ty, the Seelie Court, and whatever other misadventures that group gets into. Cliffhangers: argh.
Because, honestly, there had better be some sort of resolution with Kit and Ty ... eventually. :P
Side note: Alex and Magnus's wedding, while totally unnecessary, was very sweet, and it's nice to see Shadowhunters (and warlocks) get to be happy occasionally.
So, anyway, drama with a side of more drama, with the periodic deire to throttle people for their inability to communicate properly, but still sadly enjoyable. :P
It kind of put me in the mood to re-read a previous book - one of the Infernal Devices, probably. But the first two books I read this year were both huge - which is why it's the end of March and I've only read TWO books. :P So, for now, I'm picking up Competence by Gail Carriger. Not quite so monstrously large.
Several weeks ago I took that "Who do you write like?" quiz.
I write like
David Foster WallaceAbout David Foster Wallace | Analyze your text
I find this amusing for two reasons. 1) I've never read anything by him and 2) he used to teach at my alma mater!
MiniPlu provided another amusing anecdote along the same lines of "Cryno de Burgo" last week:
On March 19, MiniPlu pointed out how the calendar had the 20th marked as the first day of Spring - which, you know, it is. But then she asked, "How could they possibly know in advance when that's going to be?" I kind of boggled at that, before saying, "Because the first day of spring is always March 20. Just like the first day of summer is always June 21st (etc)." MiniPlu looked a little confused, asking, "But what about the groundhog's predictions? Doesn't that change when spring starts?" Sweetie, the groundhog is just a myth. He cannot predict the weather for real. Whether he sees his shadow is simply a matter of whether it's sunny or not on Feb 2 in western PA. Also, even if the groundhog did (or did not) see his shadow, that's not necessarily going to apply to the entire country. Sure, spring is *just* starting here right now, with the crocuses, but in the upper midwest it probably is not, and in California spring started several weeks ago.
MiniPlu, wholly mortified, just said, "Ok, well, your genius college-bound daughter is going upstairs to do her homework now." :D :D :D
(It was rather like when MiniPlu learned, around age 10 or so, that putting your textbook under your pillow was also just a myth and did not, in fact, allow you to learn via osmosis. She had genuinely believed it.)
I did think to explain to her the next day, that the first day of spring (or fall) has to do with the astronomical equinox, and not the weather, just as the first day of winter (or summer) has to do with the solstice, and what that means in terms of how the earth is tilted with relation to the sun. Which, fortunately, she does understand - she just hadn't realized that's what "First day of spring" referred to - the astrological equinox after the winter solstice. But still - how do you get to be nearly 17 and not realize that the groundhog has no actual powers of weather forecasting?
I'm also somewhat concerned about her future driving. While she does ok under general situations, she is still easily flustered by parking lots, which then makes her confused as to which way to turn the wheel, and how to back out when there are cars and people moving around nearby, etc, and if there's some other (non-parking-lot) unexpected situations, she tends to freeze up and panic, and ... no. You cannot do that if you are driving. I'm not sure why it's taking her so much longer than what I consider to be "normal" to get an intuitive feel for these things - including being able to reliably feel like you know exactly where your car is in the lane - given that she's been driving legally for eight months and illegally in our quiet neighborhood for a year before that. She has only ever driven ONE car, so it's not like the dimensions or the handling keep changing, you know? Anyway, I don't know if she'll truly be ready for solo driving in July or not. She'd probably pass the test, but would she be READY? Two of her friends have already been in accidents (thankfully everyone is fine, but still), and they only got their licenses a few months ago.
Continuing to battle Two on taking school seriously, especially for putting out extra effort in his English class. Given that he wants to be a script writer someday, you'd think he'd want to focus on this class, even if he thinks that math, science, social studies, etc are useless. But, no, he considers English class useless, too, because it's not ... script writing. It's reading literature and writing persuasive essays and taking vocab tests. (Kid, you'll need a good vocabulary as a writer. "Nobody uses really fancy words in TV shows and, anyway, I'll just use a dictionary." Oy.) He also does not believe the in-class support teacher has any purpose except to tattle on him (to me) and that she doesn't count because she's not the main teacher. Kid, I don't care if you don't like her personality (MiniPlu has her as head of Leo Club and isn't super-thrilled with her, either), but, yes, she TOTALLY counts, and it is her JOB to help you do better. When she makes comments on your paper, or writes to us, your parents, it's because she is trying to find ways to encourage your progress. It is her JOB. But he won't budge. Sigh.
And as for Ms. "If I get a B+ I won't get into college!" ... CBS This Morning did a piece on Friday, talking with a former college admissions dean about what colleges really look for in admissions. The results were disheartening: she admitted straight out that colleges prioritize donors/kids of donors, celebs/kids of celebs, sports stars, and legacies (children of alums), and those kids who don't fall into one of those categories get pushed to the bottom of the pile (or out of the pile entirely). And as for those kids who are trying to get in on their own merit? "Just be themselves." Plus the pressure cooker we already knew about: High grades, the right kinds of classes, extracurriculars. But given how stacked the deck already is against "regular" kids - because of all the "tagged" applications - the donors, celebs, athletes, legacies - I just wonder how much room there really is for a regular kid. I feel like these kids are busting their ASSES and that there's almost no hope for them at all. I've tried to be so reassuring to MiniPlu, who currently has a weighted GPA of 3.84, that she WILL get in to a decent college, but ... will she?
And it also makes me wonder: Did I really get in to Pomona College on my own merit? My mother was an alum and my grandfather had previously been on the Board of Trustees, providing the college with a LOT of valuable financial advice. (In fact, when I got my degree, they awarded him an honorary degree in appreciation.) He and my grandmother also started a scholarship for foreign students. I did know that my grandfather had called Admissions early and weasled out of them that I'd been accepted, so even though it wasn't confirmed, for sure, until I got my official acceptance letter, I had a good idea several weeks early that I was in. But it never occurred to me that I might have only been accepted at all because of him, or because of him + my mom. Even though that sort of preferential treatment is legal (as opposed to the current scandal), it definitely diminishes my achievement in my eyes. I mean, I obviously did perfectly fine once I was there, but I imagine there are a lot of kids who would do fine, but don't get in because "preferential" students take up the slots. Did I really get in on my own merit?
Ugh, it's just all so messed up.
I had a full week last week - first I was subbing as an aide in a pre-K classroom on Monday, worked my usual volunteer library shift Tues morning, where the librarian was clearly falling ill at a rapid rate - chills and aches, etc - and then I was the librarian the rest of the week while she was at home, flattened by flu. (And by "flattened" I mean she told me on Friday that she had finally managed to get out of bed. :P) So: chronically not enough sleep (my usual problem), working nearly full-time when I'm not used to it, and then black belt class on Friday night, where Grandmaster K tried to kill us - I was wiped yesterday.
And we may be about to lose another cat. Back in January we took in my FIL's barn cat, concerned about the effect bitter weather would have on him. Bennie (as we eventually named him) is very sweet and readily took to domestic life - he was not skittish as many feral animals are, leading us to wonder if he'd previously been a proper pet. But he refuses to be litter trained - we have to put pee pads down in his basement space, and take him outside regularly. (Frankly, we joke that he fails at being a cat: he's klutzy - knocks over food and steps in his water - he's not litter trained, he's completely oblivious when it comes to signals other animals are sending him, his purr sounds more like wheezing (but isn't wheezing), and even his meow sounds weird.) He's old - we knew that - and has always walked kind of arthritically, but we woke up this morning and his back end seems to be paralyzed. Stroke? Pinched nerve? Something else? He doesn't seem to be in distress. But he hasn't peed all day as far as we can tell, and he has only taken a couple of tottering steps, otherwise dragging his butt around because his back legs don't work. Karen is beside herself with worry - if we lose him, that will be the third cat in less than six months. And we've only had him for two! Fingers crossed when he sees a vet tomorrow, he can do something for Bennie.
Between fussy relatives and cranky teens, I'm having one of those days where everyone is pissing me off. :P