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Autumnal Atmosphere and a Pumpkin Picking Saga
Friday and Saturday had the overcast skies, the changing leaves, the wind that all feel so very fallish. We also had a bonfire on Friday night. Dad had been burning our burn piles all days, so we had hot coals by supper times to cook over. Most of my food was from the grill, but I had some mushrooms that were slow roasting over the fire. I also made the most perfect smore I’ve ever had, slow cooking my marshmallows until they were soft inside but not seared on the outside.
With the smoke, the skies, and leaves blowing, we had a quintessentially autumn vibe going. Then we had a dogfight. Well, not everything can be perfect. Thankfully, the instigator is tiny and easy to grab.
Tuesday we had sisters night (for which I made gingerbread and vanilla whipped cream) and watched Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Then Thursday we had a sibling night and watched Jumanji: The Next Level. I was screaming. I was not expecting it to be that funny which is the best way to go into something really. I need to watch the first one, I suppose I should also watch the original.
Friday was the bonfire, and Saturday we went to the pumpkin patch and a tea. I made gingersnap cookies for the later. We went to the patch on the way to the tea, so I was all dolled up in a maroon sweater dress, fondly imagining that all I needed to do was wear mom’s garden boots (which incidentally matched my dress) and everything else would remain untouched . . .
The funny thing is about pumpkins is that they grow in the dirt and you have to you know, carry them? Also, I fondly imagined a neat flat field of pumpkins with rows (I’ve gone pumpkin picking before, I think but it was years ago). Not sure why I assumed flat, everything is rolling around here. Also, we sat on hay bales on the ride to and from the field obviously which I also did not factor in. And I got three pumpkins. One of my sisters said that she wished one of them had extra arms to take a photo of my walking around that field carrying my three pumpkins in that dress.
Because I found pumpkins then kept finding better ones. Then we all met up even further out in the field (patch doesn’t really give you the idea) to look over everyone’s and make final decisions. I brushed dirt off my front multiple times (thankfully it hadn’t rained yet and my dress fabric made it easy to brush the dirt off) and removed large stickies from my dresse (there where tall weeds in the less picked over/not at all picked over sections) as well as the almost invisible sticky splinter things that are on the pumpkin vines (probably because we were grabbing not quite ripe ones maybe?).
I settled on this stack of three. The greenish grey lost its stalk after we got back to pay. Anyway, I tottered all the way back through the vines that had some slight paths with my three pumpkins looking amusing I’m sure. Pumpkins were $0.49 a pound, and I was trying to estimate how many pounds I had, envisioning paying $80 dollars and hoping not higher . . .
Neither my math, my estimating, nor my physical strength are that great. I paid $14 dollars. I struggled to carry approximately 30 pounds (I know this because I just used a calculator, lol).
After picking up some cider (for homemade apple cider doughnuts in the hopefully near future) and some of the farms cider doughnuts (can’t hold a candle to the homemade ones), we betook our windblown selves to the tea party. I thought I brushed all the dirt and such off. I forgot the hay on the back of my dress. Oh, well.
We brought our own cups (mine matched my dress, I had great luck with matching that day). There were pumpkin and apple goodies, sandwiches, and fallish teas. I had vanilla. We visited our friends day old puppies and then went home. I was completely wiped out by 4:30 and went to bed at 9.
Have I mentioned that I love Fall y’all?!!!!
Also Trey Kennedy’s Girls During Fall video is up, and its funnier than ever, and he filmed it at a place that looked similar to the one we visited. I only did the pumpkin patch, but my mom had previously taken my niece to do that bouncy thing and ride a little train and stuff like that. I think they had animals somewhere too. There are clearly basic fall farms. And clearly I’m a basic fall girl . . . just a frillier version who hates Starbucks.
I had to take a detour through town and saw this perfectly eerie Victorian-ish Autumnal house. -
Disney Prince Tag
Alison from Alison’s Well tagged me a few weeks ago. Here’s the link to her original post.
It’s taken me awhile to figure out some good ones, I wanted to try to get as many lesser know characters as I could . . . not sure that really worked. I’ve not watched enough movies, and I need to read more and maybe less to type or more lesser known works.
PRINCE FLORIAN – A Character Who Stumbles Into Things
Timothy stumbles into the world of faeries in Rebel book 2 of Faerie Rebels.
PRINCE CHARMING – A Character Who Looks Past The Exterior Of Those Around Him.
Jip (in the book of the same name) and his friend who does it for him. People cast out together have to do that or they will be just like those who cast them out. Read this book without any prior knowledge, it is WAY more impactful that way.
PRINCE PHILLIP – A Character Who Fights For Those He Cares About
Aquila in Lantern Bearers. The problem is, sometimes he doesn’t know when to stop fighting or who to stop fighting or how to stop fighting, in his heart and soul.
PRINCE ERIC – A Character Who Fulfills The “Dreamy Soft Boy” Trope.
Peeta Mellark, I mean who else.
THE BEAST – A Beastly Character Who Is Redeemed
If beastly can stand for “bad” because as you will see, my mention has a different style of bad. Read these books.
Martin from Rebel (books 2 of Faerie Rebels by R.J. Anderson), Arrow (books 3 of Faerie Rebels Trilogy) by R.J. Anderson), Swift and Nomad (books 1 and 2 from the now named and finally to get a third book in the connected Flight and Fire Trilogy). I think this prompt feets Martin better than Scoundrel with A Heart of Gold. I think. You decide.
Presumably he will also in be Torch (which from what I got from the Nomad will be a LOT about him, no spoilers) which will hopefully still be coming out next February 6 years after Nomad, I cannot WAIT!* Read these people!
Oh, also, I bought all mine from Amazon UK, so they match and because Arrow, Swift, and Nomad weren’t given U.S. editions. Also Knife, the first book of all of them and Rebel have different names in the U.S. and The Flight and Fire trilogy are being redone. Did I mention, READ THEM?!
ALADDIN – A Character Who Assumes A False Identity.
Phaedrus in Mark of the Horse Lord. YOU have to find out.
JOHN SMITH – A Character Who Loves To Explore.
Spiller in The Borrowers series. I had such a crush on him growing up.
LI SHANG – A Character Who Is A Tough, Military Leader.
Alexios Flavius Aquila in Frontier Wolf.
FLYNN RYDER – A Character Who Is A Scoundrel With A Heart Of Gold.
Jack Sparrow.
PRINCE NAVEEN – A Character Who Undergoes A Transformation.
Costi in Wildwood Dancing.
KRISTOFF – A Character Who Is A Down-To-Earth Hero.
Jamie in Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton-Porter.
EMPEROR KUZCO – A Character Who’s Obnoxious But Still Lovable.
Ah, Kuzco. How could I get even close to Alison’s pick? Or to matching the pizzazz of Kuzco himself. Algernon Moncrieff maybe? Jack Sparrow also fits this.
*The publishing industry . . . has problems, I know the author always had this book planned/written, and I know another series that got dropped, the Martha series about Laura Ingalls Wilder’s grandmother, that stuff is so irritating.
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Fall Reading Stack
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What I Read: September 2020
I’ve gotten my reading motivation back thanks to going through Fairytale Central’s retellings lists, reading two fairytale retellings by Liz Brazwell (found on those lists), the Dune trailer motivating me to pick up Dune (it has been on my list for awhile then some of my siblings read it, but I’ve got to see that movie, so now I’m starting it), the new season, and I think the push to finish The Idiot. Edit, no I haven’t, I’ve just moved on to new books to borrow, better get with it!
The Last Battle. I finally finished rereading Narnia 9-10 months after I started. I think the next go round, I might not reread them all, and end at Prince Caspian. The Magician’s Nephew might get skipped as well.
Part of Your World by Liz Brazwell. I enjoyed this one more than As Old as Time. And I don’t really care for Little Mermaid much, but this was quite fun and interesting.
Everything That Remains. I love their podcast, love, LOVE their secret podcast, but this book is not great (I thought it would be about both of them and be better written), and I’ve heard a lot of their points, it is a good reminder though, it did help with my motivation to really go through things. I am however, going to read their newest book when it comes out because I’m sure (I hope) the writing has improved. I’ve been listening to their most recent podcast episodes which led me to this book which is indie published and years old.
And then I finished the audiobook of Every Living Thing by James Herriot. This is the last of the 5 American collections, I think they were published differently (not merely the title but the division of the stories) in England.
I fell behind on The Idiot, then started to speed up my reading, but ultimately decide that I didn’t want to push to finish it for the Classics Club spin, I think the spin did what it should, got me to read, but I think I’ll take it slow, and read small amounts. Edit, well, I haven’t picked it up since this draft, but surely I will, I’m 38% percent done.
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Book (Particularly Library) Confessions
I loved Victoria’s post so well, I had to do my version, especially since we have a lot of similarities.
I almost never buy books that I haven’t read. And they are usually ones I’ve started or am positive I will like. I can only think of two off the top of my head and they are nonfiction. I’m also chary of spoiling my precious new or newish books yet I hate old ones, and I’m terrible to library books! Its awful.
I also rarely try books that I don’t have some trust in, rarely, almost never pull books off the shelf. Especially since I’m rarely into browsing, I usually just order and pick up (often losing feeling in my arms with my excessive loads, see below).
I used to have perfect fine record, now it seems I’m rarely without them. This month I had multiple books 2 weeks too late. Oops.
I borrow too many books, often to the 50 limit in the city library, so when I picked up I had to ask them to check some of my books in, before I could check others out. This leads to the aforementioned fines. I’ve several times (like now) have books from two libraries (the county, my current work county, my previous university, and my normal library in the city). This lead to my returning a university library book to the city library which I’m sure they were used to, it got back to the right place.
Most of my books are apparently not super popular, so I can renew and renew, meaning I’ll have the same books for months. And yet I’ll still be requesting new books. I’m not sure I’ve ever been without any library books for the last oh, 8 years!
But because the books I like or want to try aren’t always super trendy or very basic classics, I was quite at a loss when our city (we live in a commuter county) library closed during covid and then opened up with minimal hours for pickup (hours I worked). So, I got a library card to my work county (so I have library cards in 3 counties now) thinking that because the building was larger the selection would be larger than my home county. I was flabbergasted when I went in side, but couldn’t think of a non-rude/non-snobby way, to ask, “are these all your books.” And when trying to find books from my list, it did seem like my home county library had more. I feel guilty about these smaller libraries, but it is hard to manage two libraries.
I also have a book I borrowed from my grandfather years ago that I’ve not read as well as 3 more recently, a book from my dad (yes, we live in same house, but every person in this house has their own book collection, so I’m counting it), and now, my brother (well, my sister is reading it currently) who doesn’t live in the same house. I have a borrowing hoarding problem I’m trying to tackle. For all that (or maybe because of all that), I don’t read hundreds of new books. This year I’ve only read around 50, and I don’t know that even 10 or only around that are new to me.
I’ve spilled water on multiple library books making them swell, and I think I need to donate because I don’t think my fines would really cover that. I’ve also dog-eared books, and I lay them open face downward. I’m terrible.
I usually also read mostly British classics, I struggle with American classics as well as world. However, I’m not sure what the breakdown of books overall is.
My TBR is more of a suggestion list, its every book I’ve seen/heard about that I want to possibly try. I have it in categories in my city library as well as a copy in Excel (in case I lose access) which also has tabs for interlibrary loans, rereads, and most recently, fairytale retellings culled from The Fairy Tale Central’s lists. I try to not use Goodreads for TBR, but I’ve let some build up that I need to transfer, and I’ve also let a more current, smaller list build up in
I too rarely cry when reading, actually, I’m not sure if I’ve ever cried, I’m more likely (still unlikely) to cry in movies. Part of this is I usually cry when angry.
I think I’ve read in the shower, but not often (yes, that is terrible), and I’ve also read on the beach
I want to mark out bad words in all my books, I’ve torn out a page, but then felt terrible because I did it in a panic instead of thinking and marking out, and I’m afraid of putting books into the little free library without doing that although for some reason I don’t feel the same compunction towards good will. There are also some actions in books that I want to mark out. I can feel that words and sections “taint” the very pages and/or my mind. When I read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince I was so horrified of the Inferi that I didn’t want to touch the words, I was holding the pages open by the tips (I’ve always had a phobia about bones and dead bodies). There are some books I don’t ever want to return to for things that other people might have forgotten.
I am on Goodreads but not satisfied because the exporting of the Excel data doesn’t properly or all export the dates read. And 5 stars isn’t enough nuance. I rarely give 5 stars because I am so picky. And I rarely give 1 star because most 1 stars I don’t bother wasting my time finishing. Quite frankly, I’d like to get to the point that I don’t read 2 starts either. Life is too short to waste time on worthless books. I’ve been leaving books right in the middle more and more. I think it is fairly easy to tell for me when I’m being lazy (a classic for example) vs when the book just isn’t that great or when I’ve gotten all I need from in (nonfiction).
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Medieval Queens Book Tag
Catherine from Based on the Book tagged me for this historical tag weeks ago, possibly months. I thought this was a fun take on tags, but I was less than inspired in my answers. I really need to not read in such predictable patterns, at least on occasion.
Empress Matilda (1102-1167)
After her father, Henry I, died naming her his heir, Matilda’s cousin, Stephen, subsequently took the throne for himself. Matilda never stopped fighting for what was rightfully hers. Though she would never be named Queen of England in her own right, she was able to convince Stephen to name her son, the future Henry II, his successor over his own children. Choose a book with a protagonist who stands their ground.Swift and Nomad by R.J. Anderson, Ivy stands her ground to discover her mother and the truth about her world, actually all the protagonists in the first series (Faery Rebels) do as well.
Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204)
Before she married Henry II and became Queen of England in 1152, Eleanor was Queen of France as the wife of Louis VII. She sought an annulment from her marriage to Louis and he eventually agreed because 15 years of marriage had produced no sons, only for Eleanor to go on to have eight children with Henry—five of whom were sons. Ouch!
Choose a book or series in which the heroine has more than one romantic relationship.I was trying to think of one that wasn’t super basic YA like the Hunger Games or Twilight. Or a sort of perfunctory rite of passage before the best guy friend realization such as in the L.M. Montgomery novels. There is the realistic, yet boring and sad option of books like Hannah Coulter where her first love is killed in war.
Eleanor of Castile (1241-1290)
A keen patron of literature and a successful businesswoman in her own right, Eleanor was Edward I’s first wife. He was so heartbroken when she died that he erected the Eleanor Crosses, 12 stone crosses marking the places where her body rested over night on its journey from Lincolnshire, where she died, to her burial place in London. Three of the crosses still survive today.
Choose a bittersweet book.Rilla of Ingleside. The youngest of Anne Shirley Blythe’s daughters comes of age in PEI during WWI and watches all three brothers, her suitor, and two close childhood neighbor friends among many other go to war, and one doesn’t come back.
Isabella of France (1295-1358)
Often known as the ‘She-Wolf of France’, Isabella was Edward II’s wife. Unfortunately for Edward he wasn’t particularly good at being king, and Isabella soon grew tired of his (possibly homosexual) relationship with his favourite, Hugh Despenser. After she began an affair with English nobleman Roger Mortimer while on a diplomatic mission to France, the pair returned to England with an army and she deposed Edward and acted as regent until their son, the future Edward III, came of age.
Choose a book where the romance overtook the plot.Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. This was my least favorite of the Lunar chronicles proper. Wolf and Scarlet were SO gross. Actually, their romance gets grosser. And their plot was the most boring, scary, yet boring scary.
Philippa of Hainault (1310/15-1369)
Queen of England as the wife of Edward III, Philippa was beloved by the English people for her compassion and kindness. The Queen’s College, Oxford, founded in 1341, is named in her honour, so
Choose a book set at a university.Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers. This is a Lord Peter Wimsey novel but the novel is from Harriet Vane’s perspective. It involves the climax of the Peter Wimsey Harriet Vane romance, it’s also I think the only mystery that doesn’t involve a murder, although two are attempted, the investigation doesn’t start because of murder. It takes place in the first women’s college at Oxford, I believe.
Joan of Navarre (1368-1437)
Joan was Henry IV’s second wife. Six years after his death, Joan was accused of attempting to poison her stepson, Henry V, through witchcraft and was imprisoned for four years until he ordered her release, just six weeks before he suddenly died.
Choose a book about witches.Most of the books I read with magic have people who are faeries or enchantresses, but witches tend to be in either very popular books (Harry Potter and The Witch of Blackbird Pond) or the evil counterparts. Catherine mentioned the lesser known ones by Diana Wynne Jones. I can’t think of any others.
Anyone who is interested, consider yourself tagged.
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Quad not Trio: Ginny Weasley Should Been Part of the Inner Harry Potter Circle
One thing that really bugs me about the later Harry Potter books is how the trio doesn’t become the quad. That Ginny is unnaturally excluded or pushed to the side with people more naturally not part of the best-friends group. At the beginning it is completely understandable that Ginny isn’t part of “the” group. Towards the middle it looks like that is naturally changing, but then in the later books the progression stops and a weird barrier is put in place around the trio, as if it is more about the marketing idea of the trio than a realistic and satisfying portrayal.
Oh, bear in mind that I’m talking about book Ginny (Ginny in the movie is as much of a loser as movie Ron, don’t get me started on that subject).
Two young boys become best friends fairly easily as kids can do. Through unlikely circumstances they befriend a previously annoying young girl. They are all at an age when life is very boys vs girls, when a year’s difference in age is huge in their eyes, and when younger siblings are automatically annoying. So it totally makes sense when one boy’s kid sister isn’t included in their friend group. Add to that the fact that said kid sister has an awkward star struck crush on the other boy and it really makes including her unlikely. Since Hermione and Ginny get along and Hermione is around constantly, its pretty natural that those two become close.
In the middle books, when Ginny gets over her crush (or hides it well), when they are all at the age when boys and girls start becoming more interested in each other and co-ed stuff is more normal, and with the pattern of the four hanging out over the holidays plus many of the dark events affecting Ginny as much or more than the rest, Ginny is more included in things as expected. Obviously siblings in a friend group can cause some clash, as well as all the complex crush stuff, but she is more obviously in the midst of things.
Then Ginny is added to the Quidditch team, the DA is started, and Ginny and Harry are mutually interested in each other and then later, together. So it seems as if, with the four so close already, this would make Ginny their equal, right? Not in fossilized marketing fan driven writing land apparently (or whatever it was). No, the trio still have their inner circle catch ups that it makes no sense for Ginny not to be in, on no planet, no reality; she’s with them all the time, she’s sister to Ron, best friend to Hermione, girlfriend to Harry. She’s as smart as them all and braver than two.
The crowning insult is in The Deathly Hallows when the trio go off on their own, and independent Ginny is forced by Mum to go to school while the others are off on their own adventure, and Harry doesn’t do much to change that. She’s excluded from their plans for “safety” or whatever. She is just a year younger and acts older than Ron anyway. Its not merely that she doesn’t go with them, she is hardly in the book in that period, she’s not given as important a place, she’s just sort of “waiting” for Harry to appear like Prince Charming which is a role that doesn’t fit him or her at. all. Ginny Weasely meekly waiting?! As if.
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National Treasure and the American Revolution
We decided to rewatch National Treasure again last week (for the first time in awhile, I’ve lost track of the rewatches). This movie is one of the good ones.
Feel good cheesy Patriotism and history. It’s very goofiness makes it awesome, I don’t care how some snobby critics rate it. The premise, the awesome music, the sarcasm, Cage’s terrible “acting” that really works in this situation, Riley is precious, Abigail whose history nerdiness and curiosity wins out over her “professionalism,” Sean Bean’s dramatic British bad guy trope. And I watched this in a fun period in my early twenties, this was one of the first modern movies we watched and it just has that added layer of nostalgia.
And this extra bit.
Years I ago I realized that the character’s names had more meaning than the obvious one of Ben’s. I think it was because I’d been reading about the Revolutionary War.
Ian Howe = General William Howe
Abigail Chase = obviously Abigail Adams, but I was sure Chase had to feature somehow, I found a Samuel Chase on the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Benjamin Franklin Gates = Obviously Benjamin Franklin but also General Horatio Gates. Patrick Henry and John Adams were his dad and grandfather, again obvious.
I feel like there might have been more, but I didn’t write it down or post it when I thought of it.
Strangely, no one in my family found this information as riveting as me . . . I wonder why?
(I swear there is a particular gene for loving history. I mean, I even find some boring books interesting, so while I lament the unutterably bad historical program or lack thereof just about everywhere, I’m not the best person to make it interesting, since I find textbooks interesting.)
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Currently and Covid-19
I’ve told people, every other female in our family is a nurse: my grandmother and my mom were, my great-aunt who is my grandmother’s sister still is, two of mom’s cousins one of whom is now a nursing instructor, my sister, and now another sister is in nursing school. I and a few other female family members have had a least a temp job in some part of the medical world. So, right now, a lot of the family is immersed in covid-19 land without really knowing many/any people who’ve tested positive.
I’m working at a newspaper office (the company owns multiple small local county papers and a few in various other states) in the accounting department. Fully DONE with the hysteria. I was half-crazy with it earlier. Then just disgusted with the irresponsibility and half-truths and absolute falsehoods and the hatred. Unable to understand why people choose to half-read distorted media reports rather than, oh, I don’t know go directly to the Center for Disease and Control, you know that massive organization of disease experts who are working to understand this disease? (Because where are the journalist getting their oh, so scientific info that is SO much better than a group devoted to the study of infectious disease? A special revelation from God?!!) And maybe a history book and maybe a book on vaccination. I feel like I was losing a grip on reality in listening to them. I can fact check all day, but crazy emotions feed crazy emotions. It was hard to reset my brain. Rant over.
Sister 1. Biostatistics master working as temp under the university research department gathering data. Research switched to covid-19. Mentioned hearing throat test was equal in efficacy to those brain poking ones. Telling us that people who test positive are tested again and that 2nd test is counted, meaning they are double counted. Antibody tests of uncertain usefulness, not sure if that has improved.
Sister 2. Hospital nurse. High levels of patient seriousness (I can’t remember term), hospital thinks its because they wait so long to come in out of covid-fear.
Sister 4. Freshman nursing major. Started job administering tests for Sister 1’s research department. She has to wear a full surgical suit, n-95, and that shield helmet thing. Working downtown, fill in details.
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What I Watched August 2020
In July I forgot to include Miss Marple: The Moving Finger. The modern one, with James D’Arcy, which is why I watched it. It was one of my favorite Agatha Christie books, and when I randomly saw a bit with him in it, I knew I had to find it. The series is on Hulu. I loved James D’Arcy, but I think overall it was silly and the flippant comment at the end was in bad taste. I also think things were changed to give a different feel, but I usually forget most of each Agatha Christie books beyond my either negative or positive reaction almost instantaneously upon finishing them.
I watched part of Oh, My Venus on Hulu as well. It was my first K-drama, and I didn’t realize they were so long. I assumed the English subtitles would immediately be on, but I had to turn them on, and then I still feel like I was so confused about a lot, and I don’t know where the cultural confusion started and the style of the drama confusion ended. I almost permanently quit, but then the funny parts started happening. There is one scene that was absolutely killer. Also, unlike Hallmark friends her ex was SUPER attractive, and while they weirdly feature his cheating affair, I was loving his smirking smile. And this is why women get in trouble with guys because of the “bad boy” trope. Anyway. I still have to finish this one. I’ve got a focus issue.
Quibi the Fugitive. I’d been getting Quibi ads on Youtube videos, but since the two shows were scary or gross, I didn’t even pay attention to what Quibi was, I only figured it out later. However, The Fugitive caught my interest right away, that kind of thing is right up my alley, and I loved watching it during my breaks at work, it was a nice treat. HOWEVER, the pizzaz couldn’t cover the absolutely atrocious acting, writing, and oh, the SO many layers of ethical issues, as in, there would be no plot with everyone doing wrong.
He’s Not That Into You. So I’ve not been into movies and television lately and when I have I’ve come up with some really pathetic ones, maybe so I wouldn’t have to think/pay attention much? Yeah, by watch, I mean skim, there was quite a been of sliding through stuff I didn’t want to watch (like you know, the cheaters, “what if he is the the ONE” see what that stupid pie in the sky fantasy concept gets you). It was boring, and for the most part too excruciatingly real to stuff I hear. You know, if you don’t want a jack***, don’t be one or don’t chase them. And when you find out that you are with one, don’t try for win that loser back, dump his/her *** the first time!!!! Also, Justin Long was super attractive . . . yet don’t date bad boys, sorry. I mean, if you are expecting a good one or to change him. If you are both openly bad to each other, have fun.
The IT Crowd. So my IT brother-in-law introduced some of my sisters to this show. I’d seen Plant Based Bride do her husband’s bullet journal for one month with the theme of this show (although I can’t find the video, I’m starting to feel crazy but I’m sure she did one), and I may have heard of it another place. I needed something funny, I assumed I’d get lots of sarcasm as its British. I failed to account for a few things, I’d forgotten my brother-in-law’s family taste (Napoleon Dynamite and Elf both of which my sisters have informed me I’d hate) in humor, and I’d also ignored the fact that I don’t find most modern British shows/humor I’ve tried or tried to try all that funny. Actually, I also forgot to account for a type of British humor that I don’t even know how to define and which I forget about. I know if from Princess Bride but I think it also applies to Monty Python (and perhaps to Mr. Bean which my siblings love but which I’ve yet to force myself to watch more than like 30 seconds of). It is not at all dry. I don’t only like dry humor, but I like a particular kind of goofy, like Monkey Business (which also has sarcasm). This kind of humor is like intentionally bad parody. I like sharp poking fun or witty banter or real parody, but not goofy absurdism. The first episode featured more the style I liked, and Moss is darling, but I quickly got bored when goofy stuff unrelated to IT characterization dominated.
New Girl, “We’re reverse Mormons.” There was a lot of cheap hilarity at first and then it devolved to being all about sex (or was revealed to be) and everyone and everything was boring, no one had any interests. The main girl who was supposed to be awkward and quirky just became basic. And I think Nick was supposed to be the chill, cool guy, not the needy, daddy, issues loser. Should be titled, “Trying to be Friends.” Yeah, failed at that.
Rewatched both Apple Dumpling Gang movies and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Where is this wit now?! Psych, That 70’s Show, and Friends have it, but is that all that is witty in modern stuff?! I’m going to make myself hate those shows if I keep rewatching them.
I rewatched Clueless twice, I needed to hear some clever burns and to see young Paul Rudd.
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What I listened to August 2020
The Minimalist podcast and their secret podcast (esp. the latter), they dive deep so deep, so many layers on so many things, they don’t only or mainly deal with minimalism but how to live well and thoughtfully. I only thought I’d heard deep thinking until I started listening to their podcasts. Also, I’d been judging them based on younger, simplified regurgitation of selected parts of their philosophy (and what I’d seen of their documentary, which I still don’t want to bother with, it irritated me a few seconds in still, I think for one thing, documentaries are often very faux intellectual), and how I’ve missed out! Oh, my. I want to read and relisten and research so many of the books and people they feature.They feature and display truly diverse views held deeply with Christians and non. I think this is the 3rd instance of such an intellectual respectful exchange of differing but sincerely held beliefs (not merely cultural), I’ve come across, and its SO inspiring, refreshing. I so appreciate the respectful treatment and acknowledgement of true believers in Christianity especially when they come from (or Ryan at least) a traumatic or twisted religious background and are not religious themselves. Usually such people who reject Christianity follow a very stereotypical path of throwing everything out revengefully, illogically, un-intellectually in its entirety which is both boring and disturbing (and makes me feel like an alien, since I’m not a Christian but didn’t do that).I’ve been in the mood to streamline my stuff and this is really helping me to think through things more carefully, I don’t think I’ve really dealt with my shopaholic/hoarding tendencies despite purging (it’s a bit cyclical). I don’t want to me truly minimalist, and I don’t have the same tastes continually, and I get bored of things or go through phases, but there is a healthy and an unhealthy way to do that. -
The Idiot Part One
I’m reading The Idiot by Dostoevsky for my Classics Club spin. I’m using this character list, someone took the Sparknotes version and took out the spoilers (why do these character lists have spoilers in the first place?!!!!). I printed it out, so I could have it handy.
I’m reading on the Serial Reader app. I did get the paid version, so I can read ahead and have more than one novel going. It’s not a subscriptions, so it’s more than fair for me the excellence of it, I mean I’d give more.
Marian of Classics Considered is rereading it, so if anyone wants to join us, the more the merrier. I’m going to try to post as I go along so we can discuss, she has posted some already on her Instagram, she’s reading a book of notes about the novel so this is really in depth! I don’t think I can think that deep, but we shall see.
I’m WAAAY behind, I’m about 22% of the way through, per the app, and on chapter 8. My impressions/emotions thus far have been:
“oh, this is going to be painful, poor precious baby”
to “I’m bored out of my mind with his pointless boring stories (why must authors stuff their pages so baldly?)”
to “ooh, now it’s getting interesting”
back to “oh, this is going to be painful, poor precious baby”
to “I think some second-hand embarrassment is coming”
Someone shared this list of general plots of British, German, and Russian novels on Instagram. Can’t speak to the German novels, but the other two sound about right.
