(I wrote this post ages ago, in the summer some time...August I think. It was just sitting in my drafts, and then I came across it. I think it needs to be shared.)
I have a story for you guys.
So, you know I work in a bookstore, right? Well at said bookstore we have an entire section dedicated to sex. Yep, that's right. It's called "Wellbeing: Sexual something or another" I don't remember exactly, kay? But it's in the Wellbeing section, and it's all about sex. So we get a lot of people coming in, ducking their heads, pulling up their hoods and their collars and trying to blend into the stacks while they peruse. It's not a big section - it doesn't take long to peruse in. But they are more mortified of what other people would think, seeing them in the sex section (which isn't even a full shelf, so honestly, they could be looking at other books) than concerned about finding their book. Which I understand. I would probably be embarrassed about it to.
But I had a customer today who was wandering the store looking lost, so I asked him if I could help him. He looked at me, then down one of the aisles, then went to the other side of the store going "Uhm...uhm..." then looked back at me, then down at one of the aisle again, all the while going a darker shade of magenta.
"I'm going to make your day difficult." He told me.
"Oh?" I asked. I thought he had a three-foot long list of books to find or something.
He nodded, not really looking at me. "Do you...have any books on kama sutra?"
I showed him where the section was and as I was walking away he said, "See! Now you're embarrassed!"
I really wasn't. But he was. He was still red by the time he came up to pay for his book. Poor fella.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
One Year Ago...
One year ago last weekend was the Helping Haiti Heal livestream at the HPA. For me, it was the day that I really fell in love with the HPA. I had wanted to be on staff since the summer before, and I had been involved since that year's Accio Books in April, but Helping Haiti Heal was what really made me fall in love. I remember wanting to do something to help Haiti so badly, but not knowing what to do. And then the HPA announced their livestream.
I was at a really rough place - school was taking a huge toll on me, and my relationship with my then-boyfriend had really taken a downward turn. I spent every waking minute on the computer doing homework, the only social life I had was when I was at school or talking to my roommates (which wasn't much because I had so much homework). But I was always on Twitter. I followed the HPA, and a whole bunch of wizard rockers, who, though I didn't know it then, were on the HPA's board of directors. They were talking about something exciting happening today all week, and I just KNEW that it had something to do with Haiti. I felt encouraged. I went to the livestream, and I can only remember feeling so inspired and happy once - HPAFTW. And without Helping Haiti Heal, that never would have happened.
For once, spending all day glued to my computer wasn't a chore. I didn't do any homework during that livestream. I was glued to the Helping Haiti Heal page, to the livestream, to Twitter. After it was over, I was happier than I had been for months. My roommate was astounded. But it didn't stop there. The livestreams continued, and I was at every one that I could be.
When I realized how much we had raised for Haiti by the end of it all, I started to cry. I have never been more proud of anything I have done in my life. I've rarely felt so much love coming from people I had never met, I had rarely felt so much good coming from humanity, or had so much faith in people. The HPA has given me that. I feel that so often now. I would be such a different person if I wasn't part of the HPA. So I would just like to say thanks - thank you to Andrew, to the staff, to every member of our Dumbledore's Army. You guys are so amazing.
(I did a vlog about this: watch it here!)
I was at a really rough place - school was taking a huge toll on me, and my relationship with my then-boyfriend had really taken a downward turn. I spent every waking minute on the computer doing homework, the only social life I had was when I was at school or talking to my roommates (which wasn't much because I had so much homework). But I was always on Twitter. I followed the HPA, and a whole bunch of wizard rockers, who, though I didn't know it then, were on the HPA's board of directors. They were talking about something exciting happening today all week, and I just KNEW that it had something to do with Haiti. I felt encouraged. I went to the livestream, and I can only remember feeling so inspired and happy once - HPAFTW. And without Helping Haiti Heal, that never would have happened.
For once, spending all day glued to my computer wasn't a chore. I didn't do any homework during that livestream. I was glued to the Helping Haiti Heal page, to the livestream, to Twitter. After it was over, I was happier than I had been for months. My roommate was astounded. But it didn't stop there. The livestreams continued, and I was at every one that I could be.
When I realized how much we had raised for Haiti by the end of it all, I started to cry. I have never been more proud of anything I have done in my life. I've rarely felt so much love coming from people I had never met, I had rarely felt so much good coming from humanity, or had so much faith in people. The HPA has given me that. I feel that so often now. I would be such a different person if I wasn't part of the HPA. So I would just like to say thanks - thank you to Andrew, to the staff, to every member of our Dumbledore's Army. You guys are so amazing.
(I did a vlog about this: watch it here!)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 [Review]
Last week I did a review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 on my YouTube channel, but because it's YouTube and long videos get boring, I couldn't really say everything I wanted to say. SO, here we go - my in-depth review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. (This WILL contain spoilers if you haven't seen it.)
Right from the beginning from the film, I was emotional, which has only happened for me with Half-Blood Prince, where I started to tear up as soon as the score came up and the title appeared (though I credit that to Nicholas Hooper's genius). This time, it was Hermione who did it for me. Emma Watson was so brilliant in this film, it blew me away. I haven't been overly astounded by Emma before this first scene with her obliviating her parents, but this time, as soon as I saw Hermione in her bedroom, with that look on her face, chills ran up and down my spine, tears were in my eyes, and I even gasped. I don't gasp in films that often. She got the emotion so perfect and the way the David Yates made her disappear from the photos....merlin, it was heartbreaking. And then when she obliviated the Death Eater in the Muggle coffee shop...the way her hand shook. I just...wow. The whole thing was just amazing, and I can honestly say it was one of my favourite sequences in the films, right next to the fish story that Slughorn had in HBP.
I thought the acting in this film in general was just so good. Emma really stood out to me this time, but the others were just as good - Draco, for instance, in the first Malfoy Manor scene. The look on his face when he Voldemort kills Charity Burbage made me feel EXACTLY what he was feeling. (I loved that scene in general, by the way. The room was exactly how I pictured it, though I didn't expect Thicknese to be there, but that's not a biggie. My only problem with it was that Voldemort talked about the connection his wand and Harry's wand had, which wouldn't happen, but I get that Yates needed him to say that, other wise it wouldn't have gotten talked about.) Lucius was also SO wonderful in this film. His part was very small, but Jason Isaacs made it so very memorable. He was so decrepit and rundown and just very un-Lucius. Costumes and hair/make-up did a wonderful job on him, and Jason Isaacs, as always, brought everything to the table. Especially if you compare him to Yaxley, who I thought, acted and looked like Lucius in his prime, before the fiasco at the Ministry; the expensive robes, the I'm-better-than-everyone air, spending so much time in the Minister's (and Voldemort's) pocket. Even his long hair was reminiscent of Chamber of Secrets-era Lucius.
Speaking of the Ministry, Bill Nighy as Rufus Scrimgeour was brilliant. He wasn't really how I pictured Scrimgeour, but it wasn't one of those times where I was so caught off-guard by how different my Scrimgeour was to the one on the movie *cough* Narcissa *cough*. Movie!Scrimgeour worked really well, and Bill Nighy was such a good casting choice. The way he spoke as Scrimgeour almost gave me chills. His voice just kind of crept into my head, which I loved. The only thing I didn't love about Scrimgeour, was the reading of the will scene, which was no fault of Nighy's. I had always scene that scene as an interrogation in the books, but it wasn't in the film. It was more like a conversation between friends than anything - and Harry and Scrimgeour were anything but friends. The only hint of book!Scrimgeour I got was when he handed Harry the snitch with the cloth, instead of his hands. I was incredibly disappointed with the choice to cut the scene like that.
HOWEVER, I did love the Minstry of Magic scene. The trio's transitions from the trio to the Ministry workers was hilarious and just perfect. The actors who took the place of the trio acted just like them, I almost didn't even see Reg Catermole, Mafalda Hopkirk and Albert Runcorn - I just saw Harry, Hermione and Ron. Especially with Reg/Ron. I was disappointed with Harry not taking Mad-Eye's eye from Umbridge's door, but his "I must not tell lies, Dolores" made me so happy! Those lines (and the Dumbledore's man through and through bit) has been something I've really missed from these films, so I'm so so so glad that they put that in there!
Another scene I was really really pleased with was the Doe scene. The form of the doe itself was so beautiful, and the setting Yates chose was exactly how I saw it in my head. The light was so gorgeous in this scene, from what I can remember, anyway. The bit of Voldemort's soul in the Horcrux was really well done, as well, I thought. The inky, oily blackness of it disgusted me, like it should. Though I was disgusted and disturbed by the nakedness of Harry and Hermione. It worked wonderfully, but I wasn't expecting them to all of a sudden be naked.
Style-wise, I also really loved the Tale of the Three Brothers. I love love loved the animation on it. The colour of the background made it feel like parchment being drawn on by someone, which was just so cool. I would have liked to have Xenophilius explain it, rather than Hermione, but he was so distracted about Luna being gone and having Harry Potter in his house that it worked will. Speaking of Xenophilius - I LOVED HIM. When I first heard that Rhys Ifans was going to play Xenophilius, I was concerned. I had only ever seen him in The Replacements as the football kicker (and by football, I don't mean the American one) and that didn't jive in my head at all. But seeing him in DH as Xenophilius, with his long hair and his interactions with Luna and inside his crazy house...he was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I especially loved him at the wedding, even though we only saw him briefly with Luna. (The wedding, by the way, was gorgeous. I want a wizard wedding! And Fleur's dress! Ah! So pretty! Aunitie Muriel angered me, like she should have, but ahhh I haven't wanted to hit an old lady more in my life!)
Speaking of creepy old ladies...BATHILDA BAGSHOT. Ohmygod. She was perfect and terrifying and SO FREAKING CREEPY. As soon as I saw her I recoiled. With her cataracts and her layers and stooped back....ew. I could almost smell the stench coming from her, especially once they got inside the house. So gross. And then the snake came out of her. I really wanted to curl up inside myself. I hate snakes. It was so scary. And when Nagini came at the screen! Merlin! I have never jumped so much in a film. I was probably half a foot off my seat. *shudder*
Let's move on to not snake talk. I hate snakes.
Oh! Oh! When the trio is caught! I want to talk about that! I loved the chase scene! I'm really disappointed that Greyback hasn't had a bigger part in the films. He's just so damn scary in the books, but he's barely even there in the films. And instead there's that other Snatcher, who reminds me a bit of a Vampire from something Anne Rice would have written, who is creepy as HELL, but he's no Greyback. I mean, Greyback could have done everything that that Snatcher had done and it would've been more creepy, at least for me. Though I suppose Greyback isn't pretty enough or something to be the head Snatcher.
I love the exchange between the Snatchers and the Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor. Especially Bellatrix trying to get Draco to say that Harry is Harry. And he didn't even rat Harry out. I really love Draco in this film. So much. The cellar bit is really perfect too, Luna makes me so happy. I love her. The only part I didn't like in this scene was the fact that Bellatrix carved Mudblood into Hermione's arm. I get the symbology behind it and the reference to numbering in Nazi concentration camps but...I can't see Bellatrix using a knife to torture someone. Anyone can use a knife. Muggles can use knives to torture people. But only witches and wizards can use Crucio, and I think Bellatrix would have seen that. She wouldn't have used a torture technique that Muggles could use. No way.
That being said, I loved the escape scene. And Dobby's, "Kill? Dobby never meant to kill! Only seriously maim or injure!" I laughed so hard! Even though I was almost in tears by that point because I knew he was about to die. Which was another thing that bugged me - he didn't get a burial scene! That was one thing that I needed to see in this film; the headstone that said Here Lies Dobby: A Free Elf. I needed that! And it didn't happen.
One more disappointment before I move onto the soundtrack - the lack of explanation about The Taboo. One minute Harry is saying Voldemort the next, it's You-Know-Who. No explanation, nothing. That really bothered me. I know it was all a time thing, but still. Bothered.
Okay! Now! The soundtrack! I only just downloaded it today and I've been listening to it while I was writing this. I am severely disappointed with it. Nicholas Hooper's scores for Order of the Pheonix and Half-Blood Prince gave me chills every time I listened to them. Even Patrick Doyle's score - which I didn't like very much - moved me emotionally at times. This one...I get nothing. There are some really gorgeous parts - like the last twenty seconds of Ron Leaves and Obliviate...but I'm just generally very unimpressed.
That being said! I was very happy with this film in general. It was probably the best one, and the one I left the theatre being happiest with upon first seeing it. I've found things about it that I don't like as I've thought about it, but usually it's the other way around - I pick it apart in theatre, and find more and more things I like as time goes on. So all in all, I'd say I would give Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Four chocolate frogs out of Five.
Right from the beginning from the film, I was emotional, which has only happened for me with Half-Blood Prince, where I started to tear up as soon as the score came up and the title appeared (though I credit that to Nicholas Hooper's genius). This time, it was Hermione who did it for me. Emma Watson was so brilliant in this film, it blew me away. I haven't been overly astounded by Emma before this first scene with her obliviating her parents, but this time, as soon as I saw Hermione in her bedroom, with that look on her face, chills ran up and down my spine, tears were in my eyes, and I even gasped. I don't gasp in films that often. She got the emotion so perfect and the way the David Yates made her disappear from the photos....merlin, it was heartbreaking. And then when she obliviated the Death Eater in the Muggle coffee shop...the way her hand shook. I just...wow. The whole thing was just amazing, and I can honestly say it was one of my favourite sequences in the films, right next to the fish story that Slughorn had in HBP.
I thought the acting in this film in general was just so good. Emma really stood out to me this time, but the others were just as good - Draco, for instance, in the first Malfoy Manor scene. The look on his face when he Voldemort kills Charity Burbage made me feel EXACTLY what he was feeling. (I loved that scene in general, by the way. The room was exactly how I pictured it, though I didn't expect Thicknese to be there, but that's not a biggie. My only problem with it was that Voldemort talked about the connection his wand and Harry's wand had, which wouldn't happen, but I get that Yates needed him to say that, other wise it wouldn't have gotten talked about.) Lucius was also SO wonderful in this film. His part was very small, but Jason Isaacs made it so very memorable. He was so decrepit and rundown and just very un-Lucius. Costumes and hair/make-up did a wonderful job on him, and Jason Isaacs, as always, brought everything to the table. Especially if you compare him to Yaxley, who I thought, acted and looked like Lucius in his prime, before the fiasco at the Ministry; the expensive robes, the I'm-better-than-everyone air, spending so much time in the Minister's (and Voldemort's) pocket. Even his long hair was reminiscent of Chamber of Secrets-era Lucius.
Speaking of the Ministry, Bill Nighy as Rufus Scrimgeour was brilliant. He wasn't really how I pictured Scrimgeour, but it wasn't one of those times where I was so caught off-guard by how different my Scrimgeour was to the one on the movie *cough* Narcissa *cough*. Movie!Scrimgeour worked really well, and Bill Nighy was such a good casting choice. The way he spoke as Scrimgeour almost gave me chills. His voice just kind of crept into my head, which I loved. The only thing I didn't love about Scrimgeour, was the reading of the will scene, which was no fault of Nighy's. I had always scene that scene as an interrogation in the books, but it wasn't in the film. It was more like a conversation between friends than anything - and Harry and Scrimgeour were anything but friends. The only hint of book!Scrimgeour I got was when he handed Harry the snitch with the cloth, instead of his hands. I was incredibly disappointed with the choice to cut the scene like that.
HOWEVER, I did love the Minstry of Magic scene. The trio's transitions from the trio to the Ministry workers was hilarious and just perfect. The actors who took the place of the trio acted just like them, I almost didn't even see Reg Catermole, Mafalda Hopkirk and Albert Runcorn - I just saw Harry, Hermione and Ron. Especially with Reg/Ron. I was disappointed with Harry not taking Mad-Eye's eye from Umbridge's door, but his "I must not tell lies, Dolores" made me so happy! Those lines (and the Dumbledore's man through and through bit) has been something I've really missed from these films, so I'm so so so glad that they put that in there!
Another scene I was really really pleased with was the Doe scene. The form of the doe itself was so beautiful, and the setting Yates chose was exactly how I saw it in my head. The light was so gorgeous in this scene, from what I can remember, anyway. The bit of Voldemort's soul in the Horcrux was really well done, as well, I thought. The inky, oily blackness of it disgusted me, like it should. Though I was disgusted and disturbed by the nakedness of Harry and Hermione. It worked wonderfully, but I wasn't expecting them to all of a sudden be naked.
Style-wise, I also really loved the Tale of the Three Brothers. I love love loved the animation on it. The colour of the background made it feel like parchment being drawn on by someone, which was just so cool. I would have liked to have Xenophilius explain it, rather than Hermione, but he was so distracted about Luna being gone and having Harry Potter in his house that it worked will. Speaking of Xenophilius - I LOVED HIM. When I first heard that Rhys Ifans was going to play Xenophilius, I was concerned. I had only ever seen him in The Replacements as the football kicker (and by football, I don't mean the American one) and that didn't jive in my head at all. But seeing him in DH as Xenophilius, with his long hair and his interactions with Luna and inside his crazy house...he was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I especially loved him at the wedding, even though we only saw him briefly with Luna. (The wedding, by the way, was gorgeous. I want a wizard wedding! And Fleur's dress! Ah! So pretty! Aunitie Muriel angered me, like she should have, but ahhh I haven't wanted to hit an old lady more in my life!)
Speaking of creepy old ladies...BATHILDA BAGSHOT. Ohmygod. She was perfect and terrifying and SO FREAKING CREEPY. As soon as I saw her I recoiled. With her cataracts and her layers and stooped back....ew. I could almost smell the stench coming from her, especially once they got inside the house. So gross. And then the snake came out of her. I really wanted to curl up inside myself. I hate snakes. It was so scary. And when Nagini came at the screen! Merlin! I have never jumped so much in a film. I was probably half a foot off my seat. *shudder*
Let's move on to not snake talk. I hate snakes.
Oh! Oh! When the trio is caught! I want to talk about that! I loved the chase scene! I'm really disappointed that Greyback hasn't had a bigger part in the films. He's just so damn scary in the books, but he's barely even there in the films. And instead there's that other Snatcher, who reminds me a bit of a Vampire from something Anne Rice would have written, who is creepy as HELL, but he's no Greyback. I mean, Greyback could have done everything that that Snatcher had done and it would've been more creepy, at least for me. Though I suppose Greyback isn't pretty enough or something to be the head Snatcher.
I love the exchange between the Snatchers and the Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor. Especially Bellatrix trying to get Draco to say that Harry is Harry. And he didn't even rat Harry out. I really love Draco in this film. So much. The cellar bit is really perfect too, Luna makes me so happy. I love her. The only part I didn't like in this scene was the fact that Bellatrix carved Mudblood into Hermione's arm. I get the symbology behind it and the reference to numbering in Nazi concentration camps but...I can't see Bellatrix using a knife to torture someone. Anyone can use a knife. Muggles can use knives to torture people. But only witches and wizards can use Crucio, and I think Bellatrix would have seen that. She wouldn't have used a torture technique that Muggles could use. No way.
That being said, I loved the escape scene. And Dobby's, "Kill? Dobby never meant to kill! Only seriously maim or injure!" I laughed so hard! Even though I was almost in tears by that point because I knew he was about to die. Which was another thing that bugged me - he didn't get a burial scene! That was one thing that I needed to see in this film; the headstone that said Here Lies Dobby: A Free Elf. I needed that! And it didn't happen.
One more disappointment before I move onto the soundtrack - the lack of explanation about The Taboo. One minute Harry is saying Voldemort the next, it's You-Know-Who. No explanation, nothing. That really bothered me. I know it was all a time thing, but still. Bothered.
Okay! Now! The soundtrack! I only just downloaded it today and I've been listening to it while I was writing this. I am severely disappointed with it. Nicholas Hooper's scores for Order of the Pheonix and Half-Blood Prince gave me chills every time I listened to them. Even Patrick Doyle's score - which I didn't like very much - moved me emotionally at times. This one...I get nothing. There are some really gorgeous parts - like the last twenty seconds of Ron Leaves and Obliviate...but I'm just generally very unimpressed.
That being said! I was very happy with this film in general. It was probably the best one, and the one I left the theatre being happiest with upon first seeing it. I've found things about it that I don't like as I've thought about it, but usually it's the other way around - I pick it apart in theatre, and find more and more things I like as time goes on. So all in all, I'd say I would give Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Four chocolate frogs out of Five.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Deliciousness
Ice cream, why are you so delicious?
Last weekend, two of my roommates and I had an ice cream and movie night, which was amazing. But it also means that we have a lot of ice cream in the house. Which means that I've been eating ice cream a lot lately. WHY IS IT SO NUMMY? I mean, it's cold out - I shouldn't WANT to eat it. And it's not good for me, but that's beside the point.
Last weekend, two of my roommates and I had an ice cream and movie night, which was amazing. But it also means that we have a lot of ice cream in the house. Which means that I've been eating ice cream a lot lately. WHY IS IT SO NUMMY? I mean, it's cold out - I shouldn't WANT to eat it. And it's not good for me, but that's beside the point.
Mmmmmm, ice cream.
My current NOM flavour is peanut butter something. It's vanilla with peanut butter swirled throughout and peanut butter and chocolate cups in it. SO. GOOD. And Elise has this amazing mudpie type stuff that tastes like chocolate cake and just mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Ice cream.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Owen Harper vs. Ianto Jones
(I tried to avoid spoilers for Torchwood, but it is kind of obvious what happened in Season 2 from how I wrote it. Proceed with caution.)
It's no secret that I'm a huge Whovian, and with my obsession with all things Who, Torchwood is obviously part of that obsession. I watched most of Torchwood after I finished watching Series 1-5 of new-Who this summer (I finished Season 2 during the school year and watched Children of Earth in November? Or was it December? Don't remember, exactly.) and at first, I hated it. Specifically, Gwen. Couldn't stand her. Not to mention how very Law And Order: Science Fiction it felt. But then I got passed Season 1 and watched Season 2 and fell in love with the characters. Jack was no longer the only reason I watched the show. There was Ianto, and Tosh, and hell, I even started to like Gwen. And then there was Owen. I hated him in Season 1. I felt about him like I felt about all of the hockey players I know. But mid-way through Season 2, I could honestly say that I loved Owen. He was easily my favourite. And when the thing that happened in Season 2 happened, I sobbed. Sobbed like I would have sobbed had I been alone the first time I watched Dumbledore die. Tears pouring down my cheeks, glasses thrown onto my desk, hands to my cheeks, entire body shaking with gasps and hiccoughs. Thankfully no one else was home.
Kayla and I have since had the Owen vs Ianto debate. She loves Ianto. I love Owen. We haven't really gotten into it heavily - usually we'll just throw our favoured Torchwood man at the other in succession until Elise and Chantelle are utterly confused. Every time one of us plays Torchwood music and we hear our favoured man's theme song we shout the name into the house. You get the picture, right?
Well, tonight, while I was doing laundry and writing out notes for my sound class, I was listening to the music from Torchwood, and the song "Goodbyes" came on. I stopped writing and just kind of stared at my textbook - I do that a lot when I listen to music that moves me. I was suddenly hit with a realization that I hadn't considered since Season 1 - Owen Harper was an actual absolute ass. I continued to stare at my textbook, mulling this over, wondering what I saw in him, what Tosh saw in him. I couldn't think of one redeemable quality. And then, because I couldn't figure it out, I texted Kayla. Sure, it might seem like I was admitting defeat on our Owen vs. Ianto debate, but it was really bugging me. I started comparing the two in my head:
- Owen, ass. Ianto, sweet.
- Owen, manwhore. Ianto, in love with Jack.
- Owen, made fun of Tosh far too often. Ianto, kind to everyone.
- Owen had an affair with Gwen when she was with Rhys. Ianto...just Jack.
- Etc., etc., etc.
And then I remembered something, thanks to Kayla: Owen was nice too. Sure, he was an ass most of the time, but he had his good moments. He was kind to Tosh when she needed him to be. He was very passionate about his work. He was very compassionate about the people they helped. And it made me feel a little better, but I still can't help but think: why the hell do girls find bad boys so attractive?
(I'm starting to upload videos to my YouTube account regularly, hopefully every Sunday. Linkage: http://www.youtube.com/siriusismyhero)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Masochist.
You know that feeling when you find a song that fits how you're feeling perfectly? I found that recently with Ingrid Michaelson's "Masochist" - though I'm not going to go into details on why exactly that is. I just love that music touches people like that - and it's different songs for different people at different times. There's something amazing about that, and it's the reason I adore music so much.
...I thought I had a lot more to say about this, but apparently not! Ha, short blog post is short.
...I thought I had a lot more to say about this, but apparently not! Ha, short blog post is short.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Censorship in Huckleberry Finn
If you haven't heard yet, the new edition of Huckleberry Finn is going to have the "n" word removed. (Hint: it isn't notsome.)
It doesn't seem so bad, at first glance. It updates the book language a bit - because that word is definitely not okay in todays culture - and it may even let kids who wouldn't be allowed to read it because of school boards/parents going RAWR I'M A GIANT SQUID OF ANGER. So, good, yes? That was my initial reaction, until I thought about it. Then the alarm bells started going off. Doesn't this sound a whole lot like censorship? Where does this stop? What if the term "slavery" is suddenly very taboo - are they going to switch it again? Fast forward a century - will they take out "bitch" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? Where does it stop, once it's started? As Maureen Johnson said on Twitter, "you can't retrofit a book to make it easier for you to deal with."
Not to mention that the fact that they have replaced the N-word with "slave" is just ridiculous. They are two words with completely different meanings. It seems to me that they - the publishers - are so afraid of appearing racist that they will do anything to appear UNracist, which really makes them look more racist than leaving the book untouched.
In short - Huckleberry Finn has been just FINE for 100 years: leave it be.
It doesn't seem so bad, at first glance. It updates the book language a bit - because that word is definitely not okay in todays culture - and it may even let kids who wouldn't be allowed to read it because of school boards/parents going RAWR I'M A GIANT SQUID OF ANGER. So, good, yes? That was my initial reaction, until I thought about it. Then the alarm bells started going off. Doesn't this sound a whole lot like censorship? Where does this stop? What if the term "slavery" is suddenly very taboo - are they going to switch it again? Fast forward a century - will they take out "bitch" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? Where does it stop, once it's started? As Maureen Johnson said on Twitter, "you can't retrofit a book to make it easier for you to deal with."
Not to mention that the fact that they have replaced the N-word with "slave" is just ridiculous. They are two words with completely different meanings. It seems to me that they - the publishers - are so afraid of appearing racist that they will do anything to appear UNracist, which really makes them look more racist than leaving the book untouched.
In short - Huckleberry Finn has been just FINE for 100 years: leave it be.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
2010
This is my yearly "Year in Review" blow post that is mostly for me, but hopefully you guys can enjoy too.
January
This was the first time I had ever spent New Years with a boy, which was really fun and amazing. Unfortunately that was the peak of our relationship, and it only lasted the month. January was also the month that I began to work with the HPA, which felt fantastic in the midst of the stress I was feeling from school. I heard about Helping Haiti Heal and immediately got involved. It was one of the first times I really felt like I was part of something live in the fandom, and what an amazing thing to be part of. I spent every minute I could on the livestreams, and Nerdfighteria and the Harry Potter fandom raised over $123,000 for Haiti - we sent five planes full of supplies. Definitely the highlight of my month.
February
February brought Winter Wordsworth - which wasn't as awesome as it usually was because of the situation with The Boy. But it looked up from there: the amazingness that was LOST took over most of my free time, I got accepted into the Theatre and Entertainment Production program at RDC (and I was the first one accepted, too!), saw my first episode of Doctor Who and saw Sweeney Todd live. But probably the biggest thing that happened to me in February was getting accepted to the HPA volunteer staff. It's been such an amazing ride.
March
ACCIO BOOKS. It took over my free time. Every spare minute I was finding people to give me books to donate. We (as in the whole of the HPA Dumbledore's Army) ending up collecting over 41,000 books in total. :O And Hufflepuff won the House cup! Yay! I was also prepping for the SWYC fundraiser (which was AMAZING) and school finally started to cool down.
April
Will Grayson, Will Grayson! I didn't buy it right away because I knew it would take over my life and I couldn't let it do that until school was done. But the temptation was to great and I gave in and...it took over my life. XD I do love John Green. SWYC also performed at the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival, which was one of the highlights of my year, easy. I also went to my first real comic con - the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo and met BILLY DEE WILLIAMS AND MALCOLM FREAKING MCDOWELL. I guess you can saw April was a pretty freaking fantastic month.
May
Seems as school was done, I moved from Edmonton back to Red Deer, which would be both amazing and trying. LOST continued to blow my mind until the very end, which included lots of tears and hair-grabbing. (I miss it a lot.)
June
One word: HPAFTW. Well, technically, it's an anachronism. But any of you who were part of HPAFTW know how all-consuming it was. The HPA was in the running to win $250,000, but we needed to get the most votes out of all of the charities running. AND WE WON. WE WON WE WON WE WON WE WON. (I also worked during this time, but that's hardly NOTE WORTHY.)
July
I turned 20. :O I was actually really terrified because I would no longer be a teenager and I had wanted to get so much accomplished before 20. I haven't really thought about being 20 since then. *shrug* I worked on my birthday, which sucked, but Kayla gave me the best present in the world. (She hung her Hedwig from the roof and tied my presents to her, which included a Hogwarts letter (!!!), Suite Scarlette my Maureen Johnson, a snitch and a time turner.) A Very Potter Sequel also came out the day after, which was another fantastic birthday present. XD I spent a lot of time in July at the beach with Maxine, which was what made summer awesome.
August
I got all caught up on Doctor Who and started to watch Torchwood, which I didn't like at all at first. I was over the half-way point with my weight loss (!!!). I made some progress on my book, and I accepted the manager position at the HPA! I also started this blog and participated in BEDA, which was amazingfantasticandawesome.
September
Start of a new school year! Which sadly meant that I had to step down from the managers position at the HPA and quit my job at Coles. Though I met about a billion people and took a completely new learning curve. I've never studied anything like this before, which makes it fantastic and challenging. Stress hit again and I've never been more busy with school before, so it took over my life.
October
Still busy busy busy with school. My infatuation with Remus started some time around here, I believe. I dressed up as Tonks for Halloween.
November
NaNoWriMo! Which I didn't participate in this year. I did have my first ever show though - A Chorus of Disapproval. I was on the Stage Management crew, which meant I was observing the SM team doing their thing. I was also on Running Crew, which was ABSOLUTELY fantastic. I didn't get to see Remus much, though. Though I did get to know the techs on Running Crew and a couple of the actors pretty well, so that almost made up for it.
December
Wrap up of Chorus, which was sad. Finals dragged on and on. I suddenly had more time that I knew what to do with and got really crafty (I made a lot of my Christmas gifts). Christmas. Spending lots of time with the family and eating FAR too much. XD Rebonded with my kitty. I spent New Years with Kayla, Chantal and Chantal's boyfriend watching Series 5 of Doctor Who. Best way to spend New Years? I think so.
Happy New Year, everyone!
January
This was the first time I had ever spent New Years with a boy, which was really fun and amazing. Unfortunately that was the peak of our relationship, and it only lasted the month. January was also the month that I began to work with the HPA, which felt fantastic in the midst of the stress I was feeling from school. I heard about Helping Haiti Heal and immediately got involved. It was one of the first times I really felt like I was part of something live in the fandom, and what an amazing thing to be part of. I spent every minute I could on the livestreams, and Nerdfighteria and the Harry Potter fandom raised over $123,000 for Haiti - we sent five planes full of supplies. Definitely the highlight of my month.
The supplies that we sent to Haiti - five planes full!
(Photo from the HPA website)
(Photo from the HPA website)
February
February brought Winter Wordsworth - which wasn't as awesome as it usually was because of the situation with The Boy. But it looked up from there: the amazingness that was LOST took over most of my free time, I got accepted into the Theatre and Entertainment Production program at RDC (and I was the first one accepted, too!), saw my first episode of Doctor Who and saw Sweeney Todd live. But probably the biggest thing that happened to me in February was getting accepted to the HPA volunteer staff. It's been such an amazing ride.
March
ACCIO BOOKS. It took over my free time. Every spare minute I was finding people to give me books to donate. We (as in the whole of the HPA Dumbledore's Army) ending up collecting over 41,000 books in total. :O And Hufflepuff won the House cup! Yay! I was also prepping for the SWYC fundraiser (which was AMAZING) and school finally started to cool down.
April
Will Grayson, Will Grayson! I didn't buy it right away because I knew it would take over my life and I couldn't let it do that until school was done. But the temptation was to great and I gave in and...it took over my life. XD I do love John Green. SWYC also performed at the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival, which was one of the highlights of my year, easy. I also went to my first real comic con - the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo and met BILLY DEE WILLIAMS AND MALCOLM FREAKING MCDOWELL. I guess you can saw April was a pretty freaking fantastic month.
I MET LANDO CALRISSIAN!
May
Seems as school was done, I moved from Edmonton back to Red Deer, which would be both amazing and trying. LOST continued to blow my mind until the very end, which included lots of tears and hair-grabbing. (I miss it a lot.)
June
One word: HPAFTW. Well, technically, it's an anachronism. But any of you who were part of HPAFTW know how all-consuming it was. The HPA was in the running to win $250,000, but we needed to get the most votes out of all of the charities running. AND WE WON. WE WON WE WON WE WON WE WON. (I also worked during this time, but that's hardly NOTE WORTHY.)
July
I turned 20. :O I was actually really terrified because I would no longer be a teenager and I had wanted to get so much accomplished before 20. I haven't really thought about being 20 since then. *shrug* I worked on my birthday, which sucked, but Kayla gave me the best present in the world. (She hung her Hedwig from the roof and tied my presents to her, which included a Hogwarts letter (!!!), Suite Scarlette my Maureen Johnson, a snitch and a time turner.) A Very Potter Sequel also came out the day after, which was another fantastic birthday present. XD I spent a lot of time in July at the beach with Maxine, which was what made summer awesome.
August
I got all caught up on Doctor Who and started to watch Torchwood, which I didn't like at all at first. I was over the half-way point with my weight loss (!!!). I made some progress on my book, and I accepted the manager position at the HPA! I also started this blog and participated in BEDA, which was amazingfantasticandawesome.
September
Start of a new school year! Which sadly meant that I had to step down from the managers position at the HPA and quit my job at Coles. Though I met about a billion people and took a completely new learning curve. I've never studied anything like this before, which makes it fantastic and challenging. Stress hit again and I've never been more busy with school before, so it took over my life.
October
Still busy busy busy with school. My infatuation with Remus started some time around here, I believe. I dressed up as Tonks for Halloween.
Me and on of the besties on Halloween. <3
November
NaNoWriMo! Which I didn't participate in this year. I did have my first ever show though - A Chorus of Disapproval. I was on the Stage Management crew, which meant I was observing the SM team doing their thing. I was also on Running Crew, which was ABSOLUTELY fantastic. I didn't get to see Remus much, though. Though I did get to know the techs on Running Crew and a couple of the actors pretty well, so that almost made up for it.
Best crew EVER!
December
Wrap up of Chorus, which was sad. Finals dragged on and on. I suddenly had more time that I knew what to do with and got really crafty (I made a lot of my Christmas gifts). Christmas. Spending lots of time with the family and eating FAR too much. XD Rebonded with my kitty. I spent New Years with Kayla, Chantal and Chantal's boyfriend watching Series 5 of Doctor Who. Best way to spend New Years? I think so.
Happy New Year, everyone!
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