(no subject)
The kittens are getting 'tutored' today! I was so sad...last night, we took away their food and water (stuff in belly + general anesthesia = BAD THINGS), and then this morning, on the way to the vet, Islay was making the most pathetic noises. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew she didn't like it. And, since they have different carrying cases, I think she was lonely. Before we left them at the vet, we turned the cases to face each other so they'd know the other was there. My poor kittens.
I'll admit, I'm a wee bit worried. General anesthesia can have weird affects on pets. My first cat Nicodemus wasn't the same after he went under (eventually forcing us to give him away when joshpwnstango was born) and Orson, shogunhb's old kitten, now living with quish and purple_dj, became very much less affectionate after his 'tutoring.' While I wouldn't mind Captain getting a bit less aggressive, I'll just cry if they stop being so loveable and affectionate.
But I'm probably worrying over nothing. Let's move on to other things to get my mind off of my kittens.
Lessee...okay, happiness meme:
Log the Things That Make Me Happy for a week
1. Post about something that made you happy today even if it's just a small thing.
2. Do this everyday for a week without fail
My professor is letting me change the topic of my thesis so I can basically write a chapter of my Master's Thesis. This will mean I have two out of my three chapters done. Next semester I'll be taking the Master's Thesis course (another Independent Study with Ginger), and I'm fairly certain I can write a chapter and an introduction in a semester. Wow...I just realized, if I don't screw around, I might just walk in May. Weird!
Saw Sweet Storm last night. I really enjoyed it. it was sweet, and funny, and amazingly stage-managed. The only critiques shogunhb and I had were for the play's author, and that's just to help ratchet the tension up a bit. Also, the stage cake was delicious. Any play where I then get to eat a prop gets extra points in my book. There were only two actors (the play takes place in a treehouse the new husband built especially for their honeymoon) and one of them is in my capstone class that I TA for, and the other is going to be working with me in the Intro to Shakespeare class next semester. That's the same way I met how_low_am_i. Maybe I'll make another friend who likes to come over and nap on my couches!
Oh, and another book review or two!
Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar, ed, Mercedes Lackey
This is the third collection of short stories taking place in the Velgarth universe to be released. Misty writes the opening story/novella, and then other authors write the rest. One thing I like about the short story collections is that I can generally either find an author I know, or find an author I'd like to read more of. That's always kind of nifty.
So, Misty's story was cute/utterly frustrating at the same time. From the point of view of a senior Herald, it's about the first circuit of four young Herald-trainees: pretty, red-haired Laurel, whose only skills seem to be being friendly and incredulous; smart, serious Alma who is logical and methodical; Arville who is tall (but slouches), unkempt, and incredibly lucky; and Rod who is tall, handsome, and determined. I first got annoyed when she introduced the kyree into the mix; unlike every other kyree in the books, it tried to vocalize and spoke "Rike Rhis." That should have probably been my first clue, but I was too busy being mad to really think about the implications. Anyway, they head to this village where everyone is being terrorized by ghosts, and, after several elaborate schemes to catch said spirits, they find out that the culprit is actually Old Man Hardaker--Alma found gold dust in the river near his property, and theorizes that he's trying to keep everyone in town away from the river so he can pan for gold without them knowing. And what does he say when being confronted? "And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for you meddling Heralds!"
Yeah, the entire first story is one long Scooby Doo spoof. I'm a bit conflicted about how I feel about it. On the one hand, I hate Scooby Doo with a passion. On the other, it was kind of a cute thing to do, and I thought she did it well. I might have figured it out sooner if I'd been paying closer attention (hell, they're driving through Valdemar in a giant wagon which, due to a poor paint job, is a kind of aquamarine, with vines and flowers on it).
The rest of the stories are just your general, run-of-the-mill, short stories you'd expect in a fantasy anthology. There are a few set in countries other than Valdemar (no Hawkbrothers, but one does take place in Mornedealth, thus satiating my love of city fantasy), and they run the gamut from 'decent' to 'pretty enjoyable.' Nothing particularly stands out as an example of amazing craft (I wouldn't even have remembered Misty's so well if it hadn't been for the whole parody thing), but at no time did I desire to fling the book across the room. It was a quick read, and since it was a bunch of short stories, it was something I could read to fill up the time between other things I was doing. A fun book if you're in the mood for light entertainment, but not really necessary for anyone's collection unless you're a die-hard completionist like I am.
2.5 stars
The Monk, Matthew Lewis (reread)
So, I read this for my thesis--which, by the way, may just possibly be the coolest thesis ever. Anyway...The Monk. As kadath has said, this is the grandaddy of all (masculine) Gothic novels (the grandmommy of the feminine ones is Anne Radcliffe's The Mystery of Udolpho which I have not read but it's on my to-read list). It's incredibly melodramatic, with rape, murder, and incest; the language is overblown, with random capitalizations everywhere, and it really showcases England's hate-on for the Continent, particularly the Catholic church. That being said, it is a wonderful book, even (again in the words of the ever-wise kadath) if all the problems could be solved by masturbation--although, technically, Ambrosio does masturbate in the beginning--to a picture of the Virgin, no less! Of course, that is heavily encoded in the text, since to come right out and say it would have been oh! so scandalous. (Cause the rest of the text wasn't, y'know?)
So The Monk focuses on a man named Ambrosio (guess his profession!) who is famed for his holiness. Except his holiness comes from growing up in the monastery (*gasp* Abandoned there by Persons Unknown! Could this possibly be plot relevant?! Indeed it Can!) and his pride in his reputation--though, Lewis does go out of his way to point out Ambrosio would have been a hero if he hadn't been raised Catholic and had the monks suppress all his virtues (intellectual curiosity and bravery being the two most important) and highlight all his flaws (pride, again). Anyway, he's got this weird subtextually-homoerotic relationship with a young novice names Rosario who turns out to be a woman, Matilda, who's been masquerading as a young man to get close to Ambrosio. She loves him, but it is a pure, intellectual love. She reveals herself to him, he demands she leave the monastery, she cries, but agrees, only begging him to give her a flower before she goes. He complies, but is Bitten by a Serpent in the Garden rosebush (here be symbolism, yo) and falls ill. Later, he recovers to find out that 'Rosario' has healed him, somehow, but now lies dying by the same venom. He goes to 'Rosario's' room, and finds out that Matilda can heal herself, but won't since she is a danger to him. She has Discovered, during her illness, that her Love is not Pure, but indeed is Carnal, and she wishes to Die so as not to tempt him into sin. Cause, if she were to survive, she'd want to have the mad sexin's. Ambrosio agrees, and his downfall is basically sealed. He spirals down the path of destruction, leading to said rape, murder, and incest.
There are several other subplots, including a nun who has been walled up and is found clutching the rotting remains of her Dead (bastard) Babe, but I can't tell you everything. You should all go read it yourselves anyway.
This reading through, I was focusing on Matilda's aspect of the Vice figure. Y'see, she is not actually a woman. She is an instrument of Satan's, who, upon seeing that Ambrosio's holiness is based solely in his pride and not in any real virtue, decides that he will claim Ambrosio's soul for his own. So he sends matilda, and it is her hand that guides Ambrosio ever-down the path of damnation. She introduces him to sex, she convinces him that raping Antonia is okay (at first, Ambrosio respects Antonia's innocence and refuses to harm her, but he gets over that pretty damn quickly), and, in the end, she is the one who leads to him selling his soul to Lucifer. She's one industrious girl! It's really funny to read the book and watch her play him over and over and over again. Also, Lewis does a good job of showing how, though Matilda provides him the temptations and the methods, it is Ambrosio's will which guides each footfall down the dark path. Matilda is also one of the few female Vices we ever see, and, unsurprisingly, the most potent weapon in her arsenal is sex. man, I kinda can't wait to write my thesis!
Anyway, the ending of the book is awesome. I'm gonna tell it now cause it's just too great. After murdering Antonia's mother, Ambrosio gives Antonia the same poison Juliet takes, and she 'dies.' He has her body brought to the sepulcher, and waits for her to wake up. When she does, he rapes her, and, due to other events, ends up killing her. He and Matilda are caught, turned over to the Inquisition, and are going to be burned in the auto-de-fe. However, the night before their burning, Matilda breaks into his room, gowned and coiffed to the nines, and is all like, "I'm outta here. See ya, sucker!" He demands to know how she's escaping and she says, "I've sold my soul to Satan--and you can, too!" and tosses him the Idiot's Guide to Selling Your Soul and leaves. Ambrosio hems and haws, but when he hears the Inquisition coming down the hall to his room, he summons Satan, who swears that, in exchange for Ambrosio's soul, he'll get him out of the cell. Ambrosio agrees as the doorknob to his room rattles, and he and Satan are whisked away. Ambrosio's kind of waiting for the wealth and luxury Matilda had received, but he and Satan arrive on the side of this cliff, where Satan then says "Ha ha, sucker! The Inquisition was actually on their way to pardon you! I got your soul cause you're dumb! Now you're mine forever!" He reveals a few other choice secrets, then throws Ambrosio off the cliff, where he lives in broken misery for a few days, and then drowns in a flood. The End.
Seriously, this may be one of the best books ever. It caused quite a scandal in its time, and, even by today's standards, is still a bit racy. The sex is 'explicit' not the same way sex is explicit in books nowadays, where every thrust is cataloged, but it does take place on-screen, just in euphemism. Still, I think even people who aren't 19th century literature buffs will enjoy it. The language is modern, save for some odd spellings and the Bizarre Capitalization, and there's more melodrama than an entire afternoon of soap operas. An absolute must for anyone who likes laughing at other people.
5 stars
Down to 25 more books to be reviewed in 22 more days.
I'll admit, I'm a wee bit worried. General anesthesia can have weird affects on pets. My first cat Nicodemus wasn't the same after he went under (eventually forcing us to give him away when joshpwnstango was born) and Orson, shogunhb's old kitten, now living with quish and purple_dj, became very much less affectionate after his 'tutoring.' While I wouldn't mind Captain getting a bit less aggressive, I'll just cry if they stop being so loveable and affectionate.
But I'm probably worrying over nothing. Let's move on to other things to get my mind off of my kittens.
Lessee...okay, happiness meme:
Log the Things That Make Me Happy for a week
1. Post about something that made you happy today even if it's just a small thing.
2. Do this everyday for a week without fail
My professor is letting me change the topic of my thesis so I can basically write a chapter of my Master's Thesis. This will mean I have two out of my three chapters done. Next semester I'll be taking the Master's Thesis course (another Independent Study with Ginger), and I'm fairly certain I can write a chapter and an introduction in a semester. Wow...I just realized, if I don't screw around, I might just walk in May. Weird!
Saw Sweet Storm last night. I really enjoyed it. it was sweet, and funny, and amazingly stage-managed. The only critiques shogunhb and I had were for the play's author, and that's just to help ratchet the tension up a bit. Also, the stage cake was delicious. Any play where I then get to eat a prop gets extra points in my book. There were only two actors (the play takes place in a treehouse the new husband built especially for their honeymoon) and one of them is in my capstone class that I TA for, and the other is going to be working with me in the Intro to Shakespeare class next semester. That's the same way I met how_low_am_i. Maybe I'll make another friend who likes to come over and nap on my couches!
Oh, and another book review or two!
Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar, ed, Mercedes Lackey
This is the third collection of short stories taking place in the Velgarth universe to be released. Misty writes the opening story/novella, and then other authors write the rest. One thing I like about the short story collections is that I can generally either find an author I know, or find an author I'd like to read more of. That's always kind of nifty.
So, Misty's story was cute/utterly frustrating at the same time. From the point of view of a senior Herald, it's about the first circuit of four young Herald-trainees: pretty, red-haired Laurel, whose only skills seem to be being friendly and incredulous; smart, serious Alma who is logical and methodical; Arville who is tall (but slouches), unkempt, and incredibly lucky; and Rod who is tall, handsome, and determined. I first got annoyed when she introduced the kyree into the mix; unlike every other kyree in the books, it tried to vocalize and spoke "Rike Rhis." That should have probably been my first clue, but I was too busy being mad to really think about the implications. Anyway, they head to this village where everyone is being terrorized by ghosts, and, after several elaborate schemes to catch said spirits, they find out that the culprit is actually Old Man Hardaker--Alma found gold dust in the river near his property, and theorizes that he's trying to keep everyone in town away from the river so he can pan for gold without them knowing. And what does he say when being confronted? "And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for you meddling Heralds!"
Yeah, the entire first story is one long Scooby Doo spoof. I'm a bit conflicted about how I feel about it. On the one hand, I hate Scooby Doo with a passion. On the other, it was kind of a cute thing to do, and I thought she did it well. I might have figured it out sooner if I'd been paying closer attention (hell, they're driving through Valdemar in a giant wagon which, due to a poor paint job, is a kind of aquamarine, with vines and flowers on it).
The rest of the stories are just your general, run-of-the-mill, short stories you'd expect in a fantasy anthology. There are a few set in countries other than Valdemar (no Hawkbrothers, but one does take place in Mornedealth, thus satiating my love of city fantasy), and they run the gamut from 'decent' to 'pretty enjoyable.' Nothing particularly stands out as an example of amazing craft (I wouldn't even have remembered Misty's so well if it hadn't been for the whole parody thing), but at no time did I desire to fling the book across the room. It was a quick read, and since it was a bunch of short stories, it was something I could read to fill up the time between other things I was doing. A fun book if you're in the mood for light entertainment, but not really necessary for anyone's collection unless you're a die-hard completionist like I am.
2.5 stars
The Monk, Matthew Lewis (reread)
So, I read this for my thesis--which, by the way, may just possibly be the coolest thesis ever. Anyway...The Monk. As kadath has said, this is the grandaddy of all (masculine) Gothic novels (the grandmommy of the feminine ones is Anne Radcliffe's The Mystery of Udolpho which I have not read but it's on my to-read list). It's incredibly melodramatic, with rape, murder, and incest; the language is overblown, with random capitalizations everywhere, and it really showcases England's hate-on for the Continent, particularly the Catholic church. That being said, it is a wonderful book, even (again in the words of the ever-wise kadath) if all the problems could be solved by masturbation--although, technically, Ambrosio does masturbate in the beginning--to a picture of the Virgin, no less! Of course, that is heavily encoded in the text, since to come right out and say it would have been oh! so scandalous. (Cause the rest of the text wasn't, y'know?)
So The Monk focuses on a man named Ambrosio (guess his profession!) who is famed for his holiness. Except his holiness comes from growing up in the monastery (*gasp* Abandoned there by Persons Unknown! Could this possibly be plot relevant?! Indeed it Can!) and his pride in his reputation--though, Lewis does go out of his way to point out Ambrosio would have been a hero if he hadn't been raised Catholic and had the monks suppress all his virtues (intellectual curiosity and bravery being the two most important) and highlight all his flaws (pride, again). Anyway, he's got this weird subtextually-homoerotic relationship with a young novice names Rosario who turns out to be a woman, Matilda, who's been masquerading as a young man to get close to Ambrosio. She loves him, but it is a pure, intellectual love. She reveals herself to him, he demands she leave the monastery, she cries, but agrees, only begging him to give her a flower before she goes. He complies, but is Bitten by a Serpent in the Garden rosebush (here be symbolism, yo) and falls ill. Later, he recovers to find out that 'Rosario' has healed him, somehow, but now lies dying by the same venom. He goes to 'Rosario's' room, and finds out that Matilda can heal herself, but won't since she is a danger to him. She has Discovered, during her illness, that her Love is not Pure, but indeed is Carnal, and she wishes to Die so as not to tempt him into sin. Cause, if she were to survive, she'd want to have the mad sexin's. Ambrosio agrees, and his downfall is basically sealed. He spirals down the path of destruction, leading to said rape, murder, and incest.
There are several other subplots, including a nun who has been walled up and is found clutching the rotting remains of her Dead (bastard) Babe, but I can't tell you everything. You should all go read it yourselves anyway.
This reading through, I was focusing on Matilda's aspect of the Vice figure. Y'see, she is not actually a woman. She is an instrument of Satan's, who, upon seeing that Ambrosio's holiness is based solely in his pride and not in any real virtue, decides that he will claim Ambrosio's soul for his own. So he sends matilda, and it is her hand that guides Ambrosio ever-down the path of damnation. She introduces him to sex, she convinces him that raping Antonia is okay (at first, Ambrosio respects Antonia's innocence and refuses to harm her, but he gets over that pretty damn quickly), and, in the end, she is the one who leads to him selling his soul to Lucifer. She's one industrious girl! It's really funny to read the book and watch her play him over and over and over again. Also, Lewis does a good job of showing how, though Matilda provides him the temptations and the methods, it is Ambrosio's will which guides each footfall down the dark path. Matilda is also one of the few female Vices we ever see, and, unsurprisingly, the most potent weapon in her arsenal is sex. man, I kinda can't wait to write my thesis!
Anyway, the ending of the book is awesome. I'm gonna tell it now cause it's just too great. After murdering Antonia's mother, Ambrosio gives Antonia the same poison Juliet takes, and she 'dies.' He has her body brought to the sepulcher, and waits for her to wake up. When she does, he rapes her, and, due to other events, ends up killing her. He and Matilda are caught, turned over to the Inquisition, and are going to be burned in the auto-de-fe. However, the night before their burning, Matilda breaks into his room, gowned and coiffed to the nines, and is all like, "I'm outta here. See ya, sucker!" He demands to know how she's escaping and she says, "I've sold my soul to Satan--and you can, too!" and tosses him the Idiot's Guide to Selling Your Soul and leaves. Ambrosio hems and haws, but when he hears the Inquisition coming down the hall to his room, he summons Satan, who swears that, in exchange for Ambrosio's soul, he'll get him out of the cell. Ambrosio agrees as the doorknob to his room rattles, and he and Satan are whisked away. Ambrosio's kind of waiting for the wealth and luxury Matilda had received, but he and Satan arrive on the side of this cliff, where Satan then says "Ha ha, sucker! The Inquisition was actually on their way to pardon you! I got your soul cause you're dumb! Now you're mine forever!" He reveals a few other choice secrets, then throws Ambrosio off the cliff, where he lives in broken misery for a few days, and then drowns in a flood. The End.
Seriously, this may be one of the best books ever. It caused quite a scandal in its time, and, even by today's standards, is still a bit racy. The sex is 'explicit' not the same way sex is explicit in books nowadays, where every thrust is cataloged, but it does take place on-screen, just in euphemism. Still, I think even people who aren't 19th century literature buffs will enjoy it. The language is modern, save for some odd spellings and the Bizarre Capitalization, and there's more melodrama than an entire afternoon of soap operas. An absolute must for anyone who likes laughing at other people.
5 stars
Down to 25 more books to be reviewed in 22 more days.