Lucy Maud Montgomery re-read post 1

Dear Friend,
I have decided to re-read all of L. M. Montgomery's novels in the order they were published. I have previously read each of her novels, and a few short story collections, and am a big fan of her writing. I was aware that the "Anne" books were published in a different order than most box sets you'll find today put them in, and became curious to know what it was like to read the books the way the earliest fans of Maud would have read them. In the end, I decided not only to read all of the "Anne" books in order, but to read all of the books that way. So, after a quick search on the internet I had my reading plan.
I have now read first three books Maud published, and wanted to write out my thoughts so far.

Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908. It was the first L.M.Montgomery book I ever read, like many others. Anne Shirley, the adolescent orphan adopted by brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, is a well known character with many fans. Most people are already familiar with the story and the character, so I don't have much to say about this particular book. I still find it charming and enjoyable to read. Anne Shirley feels like a friend in the way that most protagonists of novels I read in my youth do. This book has held up in countless reads through my life, and it still does.

Anne of Avonlea was published the year after AoGG, 1909. It continues the story of the first book, with Anne now working as the teacher at the Avonlea school. The returning characters are just ass charming as they were in the previous book and the progression of their characters feels natural. The book's main problem is a pair of new characters. Perhaps Maud thought that since her first story of a surprise adoption had been successful then the surprise adoption of a pair of twins would be twice as successful! Davey and  Dora Keith come to live at Green Gables with Anne and Marilla after a relative of Marilla's dies and leaves the twins alone in the world. I don't feel that I am exaggerating if I say that Davey Keith is a sociopath. On the other hand, Dora Keith is so lacking in personality, traits, or impact on the story that she could have been replaced by a plank of wood and achieved the same results. The goal with the character of Davey, I think, was to show an immature boy who was naturally selfish and hadn't yet learned to consider either the feelings of others or the consequences of his actions. He's meant to to seem thoughtless but innocent. However, he winds up seeming like someone who would kill something (or even someone) just because he wants to see what it would be like, and then not understand why such an action would upset another person. The main problem with this characterization is that Anne and Marilla repeatedly make it clear that they prefer Davey to Dora. There are multiple conversations between the two admitting that though they feel guilty about it they prefer the terror twin over the one who is obedient, clean and completely uninteresting. Yeah, Dora is boring, like I said, she may as well be a plank of wood, but at least you don't have to worry about her causing permanent damage like you do with Davey.
Two other new characters is this book are Paul Irving, a student in the school, and Lavender Lewis, a quirky and beautiful old maid that Anne and her best friend Diana happen to find living out of the way near Avonlea. Both of these characters are fun to read about and charming. Paul is very similar to Anne, being dreamy and imaginative, while being raised by an older lady instead of a parent. Lavender's story intersects with Paul's in a very sweet way.
Despite the twins, AoA is an enjoyable read, and a great continuation of beloved characters.

Kilmeny of the Orchard, published in 1910, is not like the two previous books. I haven't confirmed this, but I read that this book was written before the two Anne books, and was published after their success. I can believe that, since the book seems immature in comparison. There was a chapter in AoGG in which Anne and her friends start a story writing club. The stories the girls write are melodramatic pieces of purple prose which no one but their young authors would take seriously. KotO could easily have been written by on e of the girls in the club. The story is about a handsome and rich young man helping a sick friend of his by becoming a substitute teacher in a small town. He finds a beautiful girl in a hidden orchard and discovers that she is mute and has been hidden away from society due to the shame of her mother who died long ago. They fall in love, because they are the two most beautiful people in the book, pretty  much, but they can't be together because...various stupid reasons. There is also an Italian character who likes Kilmeny, but he's evil. Why is he evil? The only reason I could decipher was that he was Italian, therefore foreign, and of course evil, so there's that.
This book has the purplest of prose, and I resorted to skipping entire paragraphs just to get to some action or dialogue. Maud always had a tendency toward over-description, but it is uncontrolled in this book. All of the conflict was magically resold and Kilmeny was automaticallyt accepted by everyone who met her because she was simply that beautiful. The book was only 134 pages long and it took me over a month to read simply because I didn't care about it.

The next book on the list will be The Story Girl, which I remember as one of my favorites, so my suffering through KotO was almost worth it.

Dear friend,
If Adam Young and I were close, personal friends, I would feel compelled to take him out for coffee one afternoon and ask him if everything was all right. Why would I want to do this, you ask? Well, it's his recent songs.

Today, Owl City released an EP called Ultraviolet. Being the ever so loyal fan that I am, I downloaded that EP today. This entry won't be so much a review of the music, as simply a few observations that I made upon listening to it.

1. Beautiful Times
This track has been out for quite a while. (I don't remember the day it was released, I just know it has been long enough for me to have played it 30 times before today.) If you listen to the lyrics of Beautiful Times, it seems, on the surface, to be a hopeful song. I suppose he means it to be hopeful, but the melancholy over all of it pulls some of that hope down, in my opinion.

When did the sky turn black?
And when will the light come back?

These lines are repeated throughout the song.

 I fought all through the night
Oh, oh, but I made it alive
The sun's starting to rise
Oh, oh, these are beautiful times

The chorus is about struggle leading to the morning, when, supposedly the difficulty is over. But still, the focus is on the struggle. Still, it is an attempt at saying life is still worth the effort.

2.Up All Night
This song seems to be about losing support, support that might not even have been there at all.

I fell in love with a ghost
Out under the moonlight
You took my hand, held me close
For once I was all right

 This opening seems fine, but it changes as you listen on.

Held down like an angel with no wings
I wanna fly again
I just can't get you off my mind
Now I'm gonna be up all night
...
I swear I could feel you in my arms
But there was no one there at all

The strangest thing about this song to me is how similar the themes are to his old songs. He sings about angels, flying and waterfalls and it seems like vague references to the songs he wrote on the All Things Bright and Beautiful album. My overall feeling while listening to ATBAB was one of hope, true, joyful hope. So far, any hopeful feeling these songs are giving me is begrudging.

3. This Isn't the End
Before I even start talking about the lyrics of this song, I'd like to talk about my initial reaction. I felt depressed the instant this song started. It is just such a helpless, sad beginning. I nearly hit skip by the end of his first sentence. I was truly dreading listening to it again, in order to write a review of it.
Then, I listened again, in order to make my opinion, and I felt much better about the subject matter. It's a sad story, but it is a story, and could possibly be, and probably is, a true one.
The subject of this song is a girl whose father commits suicide. It's a sad song.

She tried to look happy in front of her friends
But knew that she'd never feel normal again
She fought back the tears as she filled her eyes
And wanted him back
Just to tell him goodbye.

This is the sort of song you listen to when you need a good cry. It may not match whatever situation or loss you're feeling exactly, but it matches the feeling.

And over the years though the pain was real
She finally forgave him and started to heal

But that right there is why, though I think this is the saddest song on the album, I also think it may be the best and most important, lyrically. Forgiveness is necessary to healing from the hurts that others cause you. Forgiveness isn't for the person who was wrong. It is for you, letting go, giving it to God, and moving on is how you recover.

It's all too astounding to comprehend
It's just the beginning
This isn't the end

4. Wolf Bite
If I were to play any of these songs as background music throughout my day, just some noise as I do chores or run errands, it would be Wolf Bite. But that doesn't mean that the lyrics don't matter. For all of my favorite songs, the lyrics matter. These, though perhaps less noticeably than the previous three, seem depressed and a little doubtful to me.

I wanna get my life right
Will you show me the way?

The overall theme seems to be repeated worry. Another nightmare, another wolf bite, familiar territory that isn't comfortable despite it's familiarity.
In the darkest night

When I need your light
Will you show me the way?

I wonder, slightly, if I would have this issue with the song's lyrics if I didn't know Adam is a professing Christian. He's recorded worship music, he's quoted scripture, he's made no secret of his faith. But in these lyrics, he doesn't seem faithful. Let me be clear, I am not questioning his belief, I am not saying Christians never experience doubt. I am saying, that asking if your source of light will show up when you need them isn't a very faith-filled question.

It's another nightmare
I swear there's something out there
So save me 'cause I'm so scared
Will you show me the way

This repeated question is just full of doubt that the person he relies on will care for him.

It's another werewolf
All dressed up in sheep's wool
And changing when the moon is full
Will you show me the way?

These lines grabbed me. There are so many influences in life that can seem to be right, to be what you're supposed to do, supposed to listen to, and it is a real concern that in the end it will turn out to be wrong. It won't be right, it won't be what you were supposed to listen to.
I might have liked the song lyrics more if in the final chorus he had changed slightly to faith that his support, his way, his light, would be there for him. It wouldn't take much to switch the words "Will you" around, so that instead of a question, it is a statement of belief. But, hey, I didn't write the song. (I may choose to sing it that way to myself, when I sing along, though.)

So, yes, this wasn't a review. Maybe these songs will grow on me. Maybe I'll see the underlying hopeful message more clearly in time. Hopefully, if he needs it, someone will sit down for a cup of coffee with Adam, and he'll get to talking things out.
If I need something more cheerful, I'll listen to some older Owl City. I don't regret buying the EP, and I'm pleased to say the music behind the lyrics is a bit of a return to the sound I liked so much in ATBAB and Ocean Eyes. Things change. People grow up. But we shouldn't lose our hope.

Dear Friend,
Oh, dear. I had every intention in the world of writing up a "real" post tonight, and I was considering the topic of either a specific pet peeve of recent fiction, but I didn't plan well enough to feel that I can write it tonight.
So, we'll have that to look forward to later, won't we?
But, I still want to talk about something, just to get back into blogging, so let's see what comes to mind as I type, shall we?

I've been reminded that I have a weakness for odd characters who solve mysteries. If this odd character has a more normal sidekick, even better. It all started with Due South. DS was my first "grown up" show. I'd watched shows that weren't targeted toward children before, of course, but Due South was the first that I loved. Benton Fraser, the Canadian Mountie in Chicago, was a delightful character that I loved to watch.
It all sort of grew from there for me. Whether I'm watching Psych, any variation of Sherlock Holmes (BBC's Sherlock, CBS's Elementary, Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Brett, or even the old Ronald Howard television show!) or playing Professor Layton video games, or reading Albert Campion books, I just love weird people figuring out what really went on.

I've pretty much been trying to write a similar character to all of those for the past four years that I've done National Novel Writing Month. I'm not sure I've accomplished it, but it's been fun to try to write them.

Dear friend,
Wow, it's weird to write those words again. It's been, what? a year and a half? Well, it looks as though I might be back.

In the time I've been gone, I've acquired and lost a "job," found and left a church, learned a new hobby, become obsessed with an old one, written two books and countless other little things. But I don't feel like dwelling on the past. I would like to look toward the bright, shiny future.

This is just an announcement that I haven't abandoned this place. I just took a break. Regular programming will resume in a tick. I hope the wait was worth it.

I didn't expect that when I woke up this morning

Dear friend,
You could hardly expect me to let this particular date go by without any sort of post, now could you? Yes, once again, it's my birthday. So, once again, I'm posting a birthday post.
I did my usual sort of celebration, lunch with my dear mum, shopping and new Breyer horse model. There was, however, an unexpected event added to my day.
I live, pretty much, in the country and many of the people around here own either horses or cows. These aren't farms or ranches, just that the homeowners live on enough land that they can keep a few animals around. I'm very used to driving past a certain house on our street and seeing about half a dozen cows in a fenced in area. Just like normal today, we drove past this house and saw the cows. One thing was out of the ordinary, however, a calf was on the wrong side of the fence.
The rest of the cows, still safely standing inside the fence, were looking with what I could only assume was a mixture of concern and curiosity at this little creature who seemed to have no idea how to get back in to "mommy."
Since they were so close to the road, and it would be a terrible thing if the poor little calf got hit by a car, we pulled into the driveway, hoping to alert the owner of these cows that their calf had escaped. The little black thing walked slowly in front of the car, eventually moving over to the side of the driveway to let us past him.
No one was home.
This was a problem. I have no idea how to deal with cows. My mother has no idea how to deal with cows. We couldn't figure out how to get back down the driveway without "pushing" the calf back toward the road.
The cows still inside the fence walked up and down, following the calf for every step he took.
Mom decided to pray, and that seemed to push the little calf closer to the fence, and away from the road.
Just then, we noticed the very large hole in the fence that the calf must have gone through to make his escape. I decided to get out of the car and see if I could coax the calf back through the hole.
Standing outside the car, a few feet from the adorable, and obviously nervous, little calf I realized how very large his mother was.
I suddenly worried that this huge animal might think I was some sort of threat to her baby. The fence was already damaged, and this cow was staring at me, just a few feet away.
I decided to just go for it anyway, and moved a little closer to the calf. My mom had gotten out of the car now, and the calf had two choices, either walk closer to either of these two strange women, or jump through the hole in the fence.
Praise God, he chose the fence.
He immediately walked back to his mother, and the whole group of cows (I suppose they're called a herd?) walked away from the fence, surrounding the calf.
So, for my birthday, I saved a calf's life. How was your day?
It was a fun birthday. I must remember to call the neighbors and urge them to fix the fence...

Where have I been all this time?

Dear Friend,
It seems to have been quite a long time since I last used this blog of mine. I haven't been particularly busy, I'm sad to say, so it isn't that I haven't had time to write. I have simply lacked either motivation or inclination.
I had truly intended to make 2011 a year of writing, writing and more writing. I started off pretty well at the beginning of the year. It seems, though, that much like what happens to my other self-improvement projects, my enthusiasm tapered off. I still love writing, I still have thoughts I like to explore through putting my views down on paper, or in a word processor, as it may be, but I seem to have been in a different phase lately. 
I'm not making promises. I won't say, "Next year I'll write at least once a week." I just know that if I were to do that I'd disappoint myself, not to mention any readers this blog might still manage to get.
For now, I'd like to wish my readers a Merry Christmas, a Blessed New Year, and God's Grace to their lives. I'll figure out what I'm doing with this soon.

So that's what I'm supposed to do!

Dear Friend,
I read the most recent blog entry by Adam Young, entitled How To Get Over It. At the end of the entry he says, "If you need me, I’ll be in my fuzzy turtleneck with a bowl of cereal staring out the kitchen window. I like the way the rain sounds against these old bay windows." It reminded me of the Relient K song "Jefferson Aero Plane" and got me wondering. 
Apparently, friend, eating cereal and staring out of windows is a legitimate way of dealing with emotional problems.  If this is true, why haven't I done so? I can't remember ever grabbing a bowl of cereal and staring out of the window, rainy day or not.
Usually, if I'm having cereal I will occupy myself by reading the box, either the back where they advertise whatever other product they wish to sell me or sing the praises of the product I'm already consuming, or I read the nutritional information.
Apparently, for all these years, I've been doing it all wrong.  I need to eat cereal in a melancholy and introspective fashion, preferably in the cold, if all this talk of fuzzy sweaters and open windows is any indication. 
Thank you, Owl City and Relient K, for showing me the error of my ways, and presenting me with a new way to handle my emotional dilemmas.

Late night music and thoughts

Dear Friend,
Did you know that the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Disney's Pinocchio was Cliff Edwards aka Ukelele Ike? (It hurt me to spell Ukulele like that, just so you know.) I didn't find that out until a few days ago.  That video is of his song "Night Owl" played over a clip of His Girl Friday, one of my favorite movies.  I didn't realize that he was in His Girl Friday, either... I'm learning a lot lately.  (Like Cliff was friends with Buster Keaton, who also played uke, useful facts like that.)

I play ukulele now.  My skills are... not great, but every day I practice, and it's fun.  The instrument is so happy and sunny that playing it can't ever be anything but fun.  It's far easier than guitar (though I'm still trying with the guitar) and less strict than piano (or at least my way of learning piano).

My main problem with this lovely little instrument is my voice.  I'm not comfortable singing, even without an audience.  I've tried and tried to sing while playing, but my voice drops so low I can barely hear it.  That's quite a feat, singing so that you can't hear your own voice.  I don't think that I can't sing, I know that no one will be offering me a recording contract if they heard me, but stray cats won't howl at the sound of my voice, either.  I can carry a tune, I just need to convince myself that, since I'm just having fun with it, I don't need to be astounding to sing.  I can just be adequate.

So, enjoy some music folks, it's too fun not to. 

I Quit

Dear Friend,
I quit the Camp NaNoWriMo.  Sorry, but the motivation just wasn't there.  I still love the character I was writing about, and may someday try again to tell her early story.  Or I might just leave it in flashbacks or my own head as I write other stories with her.  Who knows, but there's still plenty of possibilities. 

This experience has left me thinking about quitting, and when it's OK or not OK to give up.  I don't like to quit.  I guess hearing the phrase "Winners never quit and quitters never win" so many times in my life actually set the idea firmly in my brain.  Even when I hate doing something I keep at it.  Most of the time, anyway. 

The biggest thing I ever quit was piano.  I started piano lessons around age eight, and continued steadily until almost eighteen.  I had a large range of teachers, from great to horrible.  The worst of my teachers would change the fingering of pieces, making them harder to play, so that my fingers would look pretty.  Even when she was telling me that I knew she was full of garbage, and I wasn't one of those kids who questioned my teachers. 
My last teacher was a great teacher, and I learned a great deal from her.  Most likely, if I hadn't moved while she was my teacher I would have kept learning from her for a long time.  However, I did move, and when I thought about looking for a new teacher, even working on an audition piece, I was less than enthusiastic.  I had learned a good deal from this teacher, but I hadn't had a lot of fun.  She entered me into a lot of competitions, so a good deal of my practice time was preparing for those, and I never actually liked the compositions she chose for me to compete with. 
That was when I realized, I had been playing songs I either didn't care about or outright didn't like for ten years!  I loved that I knew how to play piano.  I loved the sound of the instrument, I loved classical music.  I didn't love playing only classical music.  By the time I could play a song well I had analyzed and memorized and gone over the music so much that it didn't sound like music anymore.  It sounded like an exercise. Music wasn't fun.

So I quit. 

I've tried a few times in the ten years since to get back into piano, and am on a pretty good run right now.  I can play and enjoy it.  I've missed a lot of really important years of practice, and I've forgotten a lot of things that I should remember, but I like doing it now. 
Don't get me wrong, it's still work, hard work, but I'm able to go at the pace I want, and play what I like.  I'm considering going back to a teacher, but for now I'll enjoy making music.  Not perfect music, just music. 

Camp NaNo novel, chapter One

Dear Friend,
I've decided to share with you my (unedited and just written, right now) first chapter of the novel I'm writing this summer.

Writing by the seat of my pants (again)

Dear Friend,
The Office of Letters and Light is doing another writing event, like National Novel Writing Month, but instead of holding it in November they're doing it in the summer, for two months.  It's called Camp NaNoWriMo! For at least the month of July (the beta testing month) I will participate by writing another 50,000 word novel in the course of one month.  Depending on how that goes, I may decide to do it again in August.  That's right, two novels in two months, then a break for two months to do it again in November.  I could possibly write three books this year.  Wow.

The most interesting part of this is, I haven't planned very much this time.  I came up with my plot two days ago, and I haven't outlined any of it yet.  I have only three characters thought out, too.  What's weird is that I'm taking a character from my previous NaNovel (written last November) and going back in time and writing about her adolescence.  In all of my writing about this character I've "known" that she grew up with two particular friends, so naturally you would think that those two characters would feature prominently in the story of her childhood, right?  Wrong.  I also knew that every summer those two friends would be gone, visiting family, leaving the main character alone.  I'm setting this novel in the summer, so her friends are gone.  Am I crazy?  I've just made this much harder for me, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.  Besides, in 50,000 words I can probably get back to the point where her friends have come back home.  I've been able to think up two characters for my main character to interact with, though, and I think it will set up some interesting story telling ideas. 

So, tonight, midnight, I'll start my crazy method of writing stories.  I hope I last the whole month, for the third time. 

New Owl City Album, you know I had to write about it, didn't you?

Dear Friend,
Remember how I'm obsessed with a fan of Owl City? Well, this past Tuesday "All Things Bright and Beautiful" came out, and nothing was going to stop me from getting it.  (Actually, I just downloaded it, like everything of Adam Young's, it all came from ITunes.)

Between bouts of listening to nothing but the Beatles I've managed to play this new album almost enough times to memorize the lyrics, and I thought I'd just write down a few thoughts on it, track by track. (I'm getting the track order from Amazon, since downloading it after pre-ordering put the second version of Alligator Sky as a different album. If the order is wonky, don't blame me, blame Amazon.)

1. The Real World: Honestly, not the greatest opening for the CD, but good. Very typical of Adam; dreamy, electronic sound and sweet, surreal lyrics.  "Reality is a lovely place/but I wouldn't want to live there" 3/5

2. Deer in the Headlights: I love the opening of this, especially since it made my Mom stop and say, "What sort of instrument is that?!"  Lots of energy and catchy. The lyrics are also quite funny.  4.5/5

3. Angels: So far the odd numbered songs are leaving me a little cold.  Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad song, and I love singing along with it, but it's no "Fireflies." The highlight  is the line "I believe there are beautiful things seen by the astronauts." 3/5

4. Dreams Don't Turn to Dust: I love it. I'm not sure I can get very eloquent about why, probably my usual reason for liking optimistic songs. Upbeat, idealistic, fun, and I love the percussion. 4/5

5. Honey and the Bee: Joined by Breanne Duren, this song is so sweet and lovely.  I have always liked how Adam and Breanne sound together, her voice is so sweet and girly compared to his geeky boy sound. Guitar in this song is great, too. 4/5

6. Kamikaze: I LOVE this song, though I don't actually understand what he's singing.  I know that sounds stupid, but it's true.  His shouting in the chorus just energizes me, and I love the beat of the song, along with the sounds. 4.5/5

7. January 28, 1986: This really just works as an intro to "Galaxies", so I'll move on.

8. Galaxies: I've been waiting for this song for literally months.  I loved it from the time he put the samples on his website.  I love the energy, the Christian theme, they words, everything. I don't even mind that possibly half of the lyrics are "da, da, da, da."  If this were the only song on the album I'd have thought it was worth the money.  5/5

9. Hospital Flowers: Back to the odd numbers not grabbing me.  It's a slow song, and to me, depressing. I realize that the idea behind it is supposed to be optimistic "Happiness returned to me/Through a grave emergency" but it bums me out.  It will probably be good for those blue days, though. 2.5/5

10. Alligator Sky (feat. Shawn Chrystopher): I've listened to this song so many times I don't know if I'll ever bother to listen to it again. It was the first single, and downloaded automatically when you pre-ordered the album. All I can say is Owl City and rap don't really play well together.  I like the song, but often wished I could hear it without the rapping.  Now that I have the album, I can. Hard to rate, though, I'll give it a 2/5

11. The Yacht Club: Joined by Lights. (I probably didn't capitalize her name properly, sorry) It's not a bad song, but really, the poor odd numbered songs.  I don't really get the lyrics, and can't connect to it.  I like the collaboration with Lights, and I'll definitely listen to this often.  3/5

12. Plant Life: I want to know how much of this song was Adam Young and how much was Matt Theissen.  I can imagine Relient K doing this song (actually, I want to hear them do it.) I love this song to pieces and bits.  I think I listened to it three times in a row last night.  I adore the waltz tempo, the imagery, the accordion (?) just everything. I love everything about it. 5/5

13. How I Became the Sea: Um, wow, I feel like I'm dreaming a very bizarre dream whenever I hear this song.  It's an amazing feeling, and I'm fascinated by the song, but in a way I can't tell if I actually like it, you know? (So much emotion that my sentences run on, apparently) 4/5

14: Alligator Sky: Ah, finally, the real "Alligator Sky." I love it.  I feel like most of my comments are repeating themselves, so I won't elaborate, other than to say, Adam, please, no more rapping. 4.5/5

15. Lonely Lullaby: This isn't actually on the album.  It's available through Owl City Galaxy, though. I've written about it before, but that was more of how the song made me feel.  I'm over that now, by the way.  It's still a lovely song, and I think he should have put it on the actual album instead of making it an online "club" type of exclusive.  I hate that sort of thing. The song itself earns 4/5

There you go, my thoughts on Owl City's "All Things Bright and Beautiful."  Check it out, you might like it. 

End of May Random Thoughts

Dear Friend,
It's that time again! Time for a random list entry here at Dear Friend! Isn't that exciting? Random thoughts commence in 3... 2... 1....

1. I bought a ukulele, and boy is she fun! I can play Yellow Submarine, though I can't really sing it.

2. Speaking of Yellow Submarine, I'm in a Beatles mood/mania the past few days.  I blame Beatles Rock Band, because it's loads of fun and the music is great.

3. I can't pinpoint why, but I anticipate being in an Elvis mood/mania next.  I don't know much about Elvis, and have seen a grand total of 1 movie that he's been in, but I'm getting interested.

4. Jem is now playing weekdays on the HUB network.  It couldn't be more 80's in it's "outrageous" music, fashions, and to be honest, stupidity.  I love it.

5. I'm glad to know that the next season of Chuck will be the final. The last two seasons were all right, but I don't like it as much as I did when it first started.

6. Psych will not be on this summer, since it's been delayed to the fall season. I don't think summer will feel like summer without Psych.

7. Eagerly awaiting the new season of Leverage. I don't remember if I wrote about it here in my blog, but last year I was scary obsessed with that show.  It is such fun to watch.

8. Even numbered random thoughts are better than odd numbered, don't you think?

I love Exapno Mapcase!

Dear Friend,
As I mentioned in my last entry I'm very much into comedy lately. When I want to laugh there aren't many sources of nonsense and merriment as reliable as the Marx Brothers.  In watching so many Marx Brothers movies lately I got a little curious about them, especially Harpo.  Harpo is my favorite of the brothers by a landslide, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that he had written a book, entitled Harpo Speaks.

After a friend pointed out to me that I could read part of the book at Amazon.com I decided I had to read this book. Fortunately one of the local library systems out here is wonderful at acquiring books if you put them on hold. 

The first day I had the book checked out I read ten chapters. Did you read that? Ten chapters! These chapters weren't exactly small.  But it was fascinating to read about his childhood.  Reading about how he was consistently pushed out of the window of his second grade classroom every time the teacher left the room made me laugh and feel sorry for him at the same time. His descriptions of his daily life on the streets made me almost feel like I was right there with him. His life sounded hard, and lonely and fun and filled with family and just plain interesting.  It was turning out to be an amazing book.

Then he met Alexander Woolcott.  Don't get me wrong, obviously Harpo liked the guy, and had a lot of fun with him and his crowd, but... and I hate to put a "but" in there, I wasn't impressed.  The things Harpo wrote about Aleck, and the Algonquin Round Table stuff didn't interest me.  Sure, some of the stories he had to tell about that time in his life was funny, but most of it I breezed through, waiting for him to get back to talking about working with his brothers.

Eventually, though, the story moved on, thankfully.  His description of his trip to the U.S.S.R. was a great read, and if you read it, you'll understand what the title of this entry means.  My absolute favorite chapter of this book was the one in which he described meeting his wife, Susan.  Everything after Susan came into his life was interesting to me.  I loved to read about his family, and to see how obviously loved his kids.  I guess I'm sappy that way. 

My only real disappointment in the book was that there was so little written about his brothers.  Most references were to Chico, especially stories about how the fact that they could pass for twins made trouble for Harpo when they were young.  There were a few references to Gummo and Zeppo, but very little about Groucho.  There also wasn't much said about making their films. 

Still, this book was an interesting, funny and sometimes touching read.  I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wanted to know more about Harpo.  And, let's be honest, who doesn't want to know more about Harpo?

Stuff that makes me laugh lately: A Ramble

Dear Friend,
It is Friday night, I am pumped full of caffeine and a strong desire to write.  I cannot guarantee that what I am about to record will be entertaining or comprehensible.  If you choose to read this entry anyway I will consider you a true friend... or really bored, but either one is fine.

I have been practically devouring comedy lately.  It began with a whim to see some silent films. I chose to start off with Buster Keaton, and that was a success since I now adore the man.  It branched into a little Harold Lloyd, whom I had never heard about before researching silent films trying to find which of Buster's films I would probably like best.  I flatly refuse to watch Chaplin.  I cannot quite explain why. There is a strange quality about the man that I find off-putting and repulsive.  But Keaton and Lloyd films I will happily devour.  What I like best about these silent slapstick comedies is the physicality and stunts involved in the jokes.  I can't count how many times I've felt my jaw hanging open, making me look like an astonished fish when I see what these men were doing.  The best part is the lack of special effects involved in most of the stunts.  Honestly, I've grown tired of reading the rants of silent film fans who denounce the current method of using CGI to make most movie stunts these days, but they have a point.  What movie makers and actors did before computers (and frankly, insurance companies) took over is impressive.  But at the same time, it is incredible that these actors survived some of the shots they put themselves through.

Another great source of comedy for me lately is Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza on GSN.  (Red squiggly lines under the last third of that sentence, it's a shame they won't show when I publish...)   It is almost like a reunion of Whose Line is it Anyway, but not quite.  It still makes me laugh, to the point of tears sometimes.  It makes me so happy to see Ryan Stiles, Jeff Davis, Colin Mochrie, and Wayne Brady on TV again.  Drew has improved at improv since Whose Line, too.  (Aside note, I really, honestly like Drew Carey. He's the only reason I started watching the Price is Right again. I don't know why I like him so much... I don't think he's that great as a game show host, but he makes me laugh, and seems to enjoy himself doing it.) 

A friend of mine has been talking a lot about the Marx Brothers lately.  I love the Marx Brothers, myself, and hadn't seen any of their movies in a long time, so I put a couple in to watch this week.  It made me realize that my favorite Marx brother is Harpo.  He always has been, even when I was a kid.  I usually feel like Groucho gets all the attention, and he's definitely funny, but I'll always adore Harpo.

Also, somewhat related to my Marx brothers "epiphany," Wakko is my favorite of the three Warners in Animaniacs.  I thought Yakko was for the longest time, but it was always Wakko.  After all, all those years ago when I was a rather rude "hostess" when a friend was over and I insisted that she watch Animaniacs with me when she wanted to watch X-Men it was because it was a Wakko-heavy episode, not Yakko. 

Goodness, this has been a rambling and silly entry.  If you made it this far, consider yourself hugged.  I'll try to be more intellectual in my next letter. 

Isn't that a little rude, though?

Dear friend,
This past Sunday our family tried a new church.  It was a nice service, the music was good, the people were friendly and the sermon encouraging.  We met the pastor, and it was obvious that he was making an effort to remember us by name, in order either to recognize us if we came back or to pray for us, who knows. During the conversation he asked me a question that I hear far too often, "How old are you?" 

I know that in my case people ask me this because they can't tell just from looking at me.  I know that in a church there are groups separated by age.  I know that he didn't intend to offend me or set off an angry switch in my soul.  Because I know all of this I answered calmly and truthfully, but I made a decision. 

I am not telling people how old I am anymore.

Part of this decision is because I'm definitely old enough to adopt the "lady-like" policy of keeping such information to myself.  Part of it is because I don't feel my age.  I haven't for years, and as they say, you're only as old as you feel. 

So, from now on, I'm ageless.  

It's a bitter world, I'd rather dream

Dear Friend,
My affection for Adam Young, aka Owl City, is well documented.  I've mentioned that in general I will get over a celebrity crush in about a month, but this guy is different.  But I've noticed another difference besides longevity in this crush; it feels like having a crush on someone I know.

Obviously a crush on a "real life" guy is different than a crush on a "fake" celebrity.  As far as I'm concerned a celebrity may as well be a fictional character.  I like it that way.  However, if I'm interested in a guy in real life it is to my benefit to know more about who they really are if there is any chance of getting involved with them.  No one would argue that I have a good chance of having a personal relationship with someone famous, therefore the less I know about them, the better, and the easier it will be to move on when their moment in the spotlight of my affections is over.

But, something is weird about Adam.  I think it may be his Blog.  I love the way he writes.  Reading a new entry of his blog (which I get to do, mostly every Monday, like clockwork) feels like having a casual conversation with him.  He writes so well and so easily that you feel like you get to know him through his words despite the lack of precise details.  He's funny and eloquent and manages to write about things that everyone can relate to.

The weird, personal feeling of this famous-person-crush came to its peak when I heard the song Lonely Lullaby.  This song is an extra feature of the Owl City Galaxy app for Ipods or Iphones.  It is a very personal song about a break-up, and it is lovely.  I found out that the song isn't an abstract song about sadness in general, but specifically about his ex-girlfriend Anne Marie.  One night, while I was listening to music and playing video games the song came on and I got that weird, jealous, sympathetic, frustrated feeling that you get when you listen to someone you like go on about how wonderful someone else is.  No one enjoys that feeling.  Let me tell you, it feels even worse when you realize that the feeling is completely unjustified and slightly stalker-like.
I eagerly await the day I can simply listen to the song, enjoy it, and move on when the track ends without feeling this bizarre slurry of emotions. Hopefully this written confession, a sort of emotional exorcism, will speed that day along.

I blame my Dad

Dear Friend,

Would you believe that for awhile, particularly when I was in middle school and beginning high school, I was convinced that any movie made before I was born wasn't worth my time? And heaven forbid it wasn't in color! I'm sorry to admit that, yes, I was that foolish at one time. (I didn't even think about the fact that all those Disney movies I loved so much were made before I was even thought of, illogical thing that I was.)
My Dad has always been a fan of movies, old or new, and I think he probably prefers films to television.  He was a big influence for me to give old movies a shot. Dad always has a copy of a fairly recent Leonard Maltin movie book. I've been known to just flip through those books at random, just to read a quick plot synopsis and on occasion a cast list. Dad's also got a pretty sizable collection of DVDs on hand (though not as big as mine...), being a fan of the $5 or $1 DVD bins in supermarkets.  He sometimes finds some gems in there, amazingly enough.  He introduced me to the Marx Brothers who I found hilarious, despite the lack of hue on the screen. 
But I think the most encouraging part my Dad has played in my becoming a fan of classic films is that he's almost always willing to watch a movie with me.  Sure, there are movies that are decidedly "Mom and Me" movies, like romantic comedies, but most of the other films I want to see whether an animated family film, exciting sci-fi, or critically acclaimed classic or more recently silent slapstick I know that if I want to watch with someone else, Dad will most likely be up for it. 
So, now that I'm a hopeless fan of classic films, who literally turns on the Turner Classic Movies channel every single day, I can blame my Dad.  Or should that be Thank my Dad?

Unexplainable Attraction

Dear Friend,
Some people don't photograph well.  This is, for the most part, an established fact. No matter who you ask, they will probably admit that some people are not done a justice with a simple picture.  There have been theories that these people lose some of their visual appeal because unlike a normal human being with two eyes, cameras only have one "eye" or focal point, and therefore lose perspective and depth.  This, therefore, is the missing "something" that renders a relatively attractive person plain or unattractive in a photograph. 

I don't exactly agree with that theory. If that were the case, a video filmed by a camera with only one lens would also fail to capture their attraction.
I'm more inclined to say that part of what makes a person attractive is more than their mere looks.  Movement and action combine with looks to make a person beautiful.  Yes, there are some absolutely stunning and beautiful people who look amazing in a still photograph, there's no argument to that.  Some people, though, are absolutely brilliant to see when they move and a still picture will never be able to capture that quality. 

I've had this theory for years, but never took time to think about it until recently.  I have three examples. The men I will write about in this entry are all very interesting to watch, but I don't think that photographs do them justice.

A little bit more?

Dear Friend,
I've got the weirdest desire to write a screenplay.  Not just any screenplay, either, no I have a desire to write a musical! Let's face it, if I'm going to write a screenplay, I may as well write something fun, ridiculous and altogether absurd.  If there is any sort of scripted program more fun, ridiculous and absurd than a musical then I don't know what it is.  The logic is sound!

I'm not the sort of writer who does "screenplays." I write stories, with description, proper (as far as I can get it) grammar, and I use quotation marks to denote speech.  I don't even have any desire to anyone to produce a screenplay that I write. Mostly I want to do it because I want to be able to say that I have.  I'd write it, never edit it and share it with friends. 

The same people who run National Novel Writing Month each November also run Script Frenzy each April.  While I have taken part in "NaNoWriMo" as they call it (won two years in a row, baby!) I haven't ever considered doing Script Frenzy before.  It's possible that I was not able to come up with a plot idea for Script Frenzy so "soon" after concentrating on a novel length plot in November, but it's also possible that I just didn't want to write a script. 

That all changed, however, when I realized that every song I love is pretty strongly associated with a story in my head.  My mental music videos could easily all be meshed into a single plot-line with some creative thinking on my part.  Combine this with my love for old movie musicals and an idea seed is planted in the fertile ground of my mind. 

So, will I abandon all inhibitions and settle down to write 100 pages of screenplay next month?  I can't decide yet.  I've been having a rough time of it emotionally this past week, and honestly I was going to try to do something in my life other than sit down with my laptop, making clacking noises with my fingers on the keyboard.  I just still don't really know how to do that.  Still, when meeting new people they inevitably ask you what you do, and rather than staring blankly at them, making them very uncomfortable I could instead tell them I'm writing a movie script, and then let it drop into the conversation that I've written two novels.  The sad thing is that the next question would be if I've had anything published, and the answer is decidedly no.  But hey, I'm working on it, right? That's got to count for something.