New Year's Resolutions and a New Cousin

So, it's 10.16pm - about that time to be thinking about my new year's resolution for 2009. Hmm...i've been giving this some thought over the last couple of days and am still clueless. i'm hoping that a resolution will hit me at some point while i'm typing this...in the meantime...

i have a new cousin! shout out to stephanie for giving birth and all that crazy business and to my aunt cathi for being there each step of the way. it's a baby boy weighing in at 7lbs. 4oz. and there should be a name soon--i understand it's between isaiah (sp?) or ricky--the dad has to decide if the kid looks like an isaiah or a ricky, my vote is definitely for the former.

and well, i'm trying to not think about returning to pullman where it's cold and snowing and snowing and cold. hopefully i'll be able to get home from spokane when i arrive at the airport next week. i've been totally spoiled by this warm texas weather and its accompanying humidity and i so don't want to leave it for the cold, dry, snowy weather of washington. but alas...school calls....

so back to the resolution thing. my mother read that other people's resolutions have to do with finding ways to save money in the new year...checking out their cell phone packages, their cable packages, not travelling (seriously? has it come to that? i'll pass thank you very much), not eating out as much, etc. yeah, those are all good but they're also so BORING! i'm sitting here trying to ask myself what do i really want for myself in the new year? the answer: balance. a nice balance between my school and non-school lives. so that's what my resolution for 2009 is--find a way to be a more balanced individual. i'm not really sure how that will happen, or what a more balanced me looks like, but i have 365 days to figure out the details.

second to last side-bar for 2008: i have about 250 pages of breaking dawn left to read.

final side-bar for 2008: i have crave cupcakes waiting for me to enjoy at midnight. tee-hee!!!

Twilight...New Moon...Eclipse...Breaking Dawn?

So who knew that I would spend my Christmas vacation reading the Twilight saga? This all started because I was under duress in the Vegas airport when it shut down DUE TO SNOW and caused me to spend the night in the airport, wait in line, wait on hold with southwest airlines, wait in another line at 3.30 in the morning and finally get to houston 31 hours after leaving my house in pullman, running only on about four hours of sleep in about a 54 hour time span. Obviously, sleep deprivation was preventing me from thinking clearly. But I digress.

I only picked up Twilight because I was in the airport and couldn't sleep and needed something to do besides stare at the tarmac. So I bought it, started reading it, praying that it would put me to sleep but getting no such outcome. First, let me establish this: whoever told me recently that this series would be better than the harry potter series...well, i didn't believe them then, and now, halfway through the fourth and final book of this so-called "saga" (read: melodrama!) i can't imagine what they were thinking and why such foolishness would come out of a person's mouth. So no, these books are in no way brilliant or good. However, I will say that they are addictive. Why? Because you just can't seem to get to the end of one and not want to know how it's all going to end. So, I've been sucked into this Twilight series and as I said previously, I'm halfway through the fourth and final book. This is significant for two reasons: one, I've read three books (and if you're familiar with this series, you know these books are not of the 250 page and you're done variety) in about 10 days. It'll probably be 4 in two weeks and well, considering how mentally exhausted i was at the end of the semester, i would have laughed at anyone who said i would have done this much reading in so little time -- and if i had planned to do this much reading, you can bet i would have been reading harry potter instead; two, i'm halway through this book and i'm so glad that i'm almost done. Why?

The answer: I'M ALMOST DONE! this means that at least i'll know how it all ends and won't wonder if i would have really liked the series if i'd just read the books instead of just seeing the movies. i'll be "in" on all the conversations about why the movies do or do not suck because of what they do or don't leave out or completely make up in the move to the silver screen. and I AM a bibliophile, so even though i've wanted to throw new moon and breaking dawn across the room and never pick them up again, i can't help admitting that there's always a sense of accomplishment after finishing a book, a little high, no matter how bad the book is. and no offense to stephenie meyer because really, i admire most authors, even when i'm not completely adoring of their work. and to her credit, she's put a lot of thought and imagination and planning into these books because truly, everything she's done in these books have been done for a reason. but--on the other hand, could the foreshadowing be any more heavy handed? i mean, freshmen in an introductory lit course couldn't even miss the foreshadowing it's so blatantly obvious. and well, then there's bella. i'm always perplexed when authors give us a heroine/hero that we're not 100% sure that we like. i'm not really sure that i like her. no, i take that back. i'm pretty sure that i don't like her. not completely. she's might irritating. should i like her? edward is so much more likable. even jacob is more likable. the whole plot of breaking dawn--well, i won't ruin it for those of you who will eventually see the movie (which, i gotta admit, as i'm reading the book i keep thinking how this will be made into a movie) or plan on actually reading the books--anyway, as someone who enjoys writing fiction herself, i can't help but pick at the twist in plot that's occurred or the narrative strategy she's employed in the book. i so wouldn't have gone this route with the story. why? probably because i'm not into melodrama and also, well, i understand that i'm reading a vampire story, so off the bat, it's not plausible, the world in which it's set in is not plausible, but this plot twist--it makes it really hard for me to continue to suspend my disbelief. or my irritation for that matter. even more, i thought the first book was okay--certainly better than the movie, but that was a given, right?--but then i really didn't like the second book, but then i thought the third book was the best so far, thinking that she'd (meyer) had finally gotten into the writing zone but the last book, well, suffice it say, i have about 350 pages left, and it's going to have to work really hard to redeem itself. i suppose the flip side of this argument is that don't authors want to evoke an emotional response in their readers? i may not be happy with the plot twists, but at least i'm not apathetic, right? AND I DO KEEP READING which maybe says more about her talents than my good common sense or literary tastes.

hmm...i don't know how it's going to end (though my gut tells me that the smart money is on a happy ending because well, don't all melodramas end happily?). i may be driven to blog about in a couple of days. who knows? what i do know is that if you have a recommendation for a book i could read before the end of my Christmas break that wouldn't make me feel like i was wasting my reading-for-fun-time which is practically an endangered species in my life...send it along.

Do You Think George Is Mad?

Dear George,

Are you mad? I'm really just wondering. Of course, who knows what went on between you and Joe Torre, but what I do know is that he's not with the New York Yankees this year. He is with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they are in the playoffs...well, they just won the NLDS. In sweeping fashion, no less! The Yankees didn't even make the playoffs. Yes, I know. Here is where you insert the typical response to any issues where the value of a coach is measured... coaches (or in this sport, managers) don't play the game. Players do. I totally agree with that. And no, I'm not a Yankee hater. Derek Jeter is absolutely too cool. But you gotta admit, Joe Torre must have some kind of magic and he took it with him when he left New York for sunny SoCal. All the better for the National League is what I say. If Joe Torre can manage to end the streak of American League World Series Champions it'll be even more perfect. GO DODGERS!!!!

Sorry...but I just couldn't help myself....

Jazz, The Iliad, and 8-hour Work Days

Yes, I know, it's an unusual grab bag of items. Oh where to begin? Jazz...jazz...jazz. Well, I went to my first live music experience here in Pullman. The School of Music is doing a Faculty Music Series and tonight's feature--Jazz Northwest. Six very talented members of the music faculty performed some great jazz. I must say that my expectations were totally exceeded. They were fantastic. Though I also have to say that I have to wonder what people who major in music go on to do professionally in life. I suppose there is teaching, but what else? But back to my point -- if you see that this little ensemble is playing again go and run don't walk, especially when your student ID gets you in for free!

So, I finished reading The Iliad this week. I gotta say that even though I knew the story, I had no idea how much fun of a read it really is. It's no wonder that it's been required reading for hundreds of years.

SIDEBAR: Game 2 of the ALDS is on and Boston just went up 2 runs in the top of the 9th over Anaheim. Seriously? I was counting on the Angels to oust those irritating Red Sox but it could be that they're about to go down 0-2 in this series and dash all those hopes.

And now back to The Iliad. There's war, seduction, rage, divine intervention, heroes and people in general behaving badly and valiantly. What more could you want? That is, what more could you want other than valuing women as something other than "prizes" to be confiscated and returned at a moment's notice.

Finally, last but not least, a few words on the 8-hour work day. In the spring I was talking with a graduate student who was taking their qualifying exams. Their plan was to try to work a full 8-hour day, Monday-Friday and see where that got them as far as completing their exam and maintaining their sanity. So a couple of weeks ago this conversation popped into my mind for whatever reason and I said to myself "Self: We will work 8 hours a day and that should solve this issue of not getting enough work done each day." Well, myself and I kept a meticulous rendering of exactly how much time was spent actually working (teaching, going to class, reading for class, preparing for class, writing, etc.) and for the first four days I made this attempt at an 8-hour work day, I repeatedly fell short. It wasn't until the 5th day of this little experiment thatI worked for at least 8 hours. I suppose it all makes sense now why I'm always so far behind. Must work harder...

Yoga at 6.30 in the morning

Believe it or not, I have enrolled in a yoga class that meets mondays, wednesdays, and fridays from 6.30 to 7.30 am. If you know me, you know that I am so not a morning person. However, I have, for the most part, been going to class faithfully. Each week I've been to at least 2 of the 3 classes. If I were a Major League Baseball player, that would be a rockin' batting average. So I feel pretty good about myself. I also like to think that I've been on a little bit of a more even keel in the last three weeks since class started, because yoga is a pretty good stress reliever. Maybe not the best, but it definitely has its benefits. Besides that, I'm much more awake in the mornings, which leads me to my next thought.



Coffee!!! I get home from yoga at about 7.40, and I have to leave my house to catch the bus at 8.15. What does this mean? (A) that my coffee maker is getting much more of a workout in the mornings these days (love that timer feature!) and (B) there seems to be more money in my pocket because I'm not buying a $4 coffee everyday. SCORE!!! I must admit that on the weekends, I still indulge in a cuppa from the local coffee shop, and even though I'm no mathemetician, $8 is a signficant imporvement over $28, yes?



In closing, if you know anyone who has been affected by Hurricane Ike, shout out to them and send some love their way. Lucky for me, my immediate family has power and didn't suffer any damage to their homes, but I also know that a lot of people weren't so lucky and are dealing with all sorts of issues just to get through the day. I mean, when you have to boil water before drinking it, or cooking with it, or whatever--that's something most Americans are taking for granted today. Not even taking into consideration HOW they'll boil water if there's no power and they don't have access to gas-powered appliances. TEXANS: Thinking good thoughts for all of you and hoping for a speedy recovery.

Jane Eyre and US Open Tennis

My favorite two weeks of the year have finally arrived -- U.S. Open Tennis is finally underway in Flushing Meadows NY. I must devour and savor these two weeks since, alas, this is the last year coverage of the open will be on USA Network. I'm so unhappy that the open is moving to ESPN next year. Don't get me wrong. I love ESPN. The problem is that I'm greatly doubtful that ESPN will have the wall to wall coverage that USA has. If they follow their pattern for the other three grand slams, most likely coverage will be shared with The Tennis Channel (which of course I don't have) and then minimal coverage on ESPN2. Plus, they will primarily only show the American tennis players, which anyone who follows tennis knows that while the American tennis players are fun to watch, they're not always the best in the world, and when there are no Americans in action, there will be no coverage. Listen to me now and believe me later and if you don't believe me, just take a look at how the other three slams are handled next year and you'll have an idea of what is to come. Bye bye, to the marriage of USA Network and the US Open. You will be sadly missed by those who are lovers of tennis, no matter what countries are being represented.

Reader, I have completed Jane Eyre. I am quite certain that my reaction to the novel is different than most because I read Wide Sargasso Sea before Jane Eyre, but, I have to say that I was satisfied at the end of the novel--Jane got her much older man who was only a shadow of himself, someone she could "please" and in some ways control, and Rochester got his young submissive wife who would dote on him and happily do his bidding and follow his every command. More importantly, however, there is definitely some good stuff as far as colonization and imperialism that I could possibly use for the big dissertation. Now I am on to Vanity Fair, which was, I have discovered, halfway through serial publication at the time that Jane Eyre was published and coincidentally, Bronte dedicated her novel to W.M. Thackeray. Quite the little world even in Victorian times, I suppose.

Lastly, dear reader, I am 4/5 of the way through my first week of the semester. Wednesday, I have discovered, is going to be my most difficult day of the week. Because I have gone and done the unthinkable (i.e., registered for a yoga class that meets from 6.30-7.30 on MWF), my day will start at 6 and end at 4. I know, I have no reason to complain, lots of people would love my schedule, so don't cry for me reader. But don't be surprised when I'm fast asleep by 10pm and brain dead at noon.

Procrastination, Warnings, and a New School Year

I've been driving for nearly 20 years now. In all that time, I felt confident in the fact that if/when I got pulled over by the boys in blue, I was guaranteed a ticket. One, I have a very heavy foot and a need for speed. Two, well, every traffic officer I've ever met has seemed to be immune when I bat my eyelashes at him. So, yesterday, when I got pulled over by the State Police for going at least 10 miles over the speed limit, I was positive that I was about to get the very ticket I had told myself only minutes before that I couldn't afford. Per usual, the officer asked for my license and registration and insurance, and though flustered I managed to give him the necessary documents. But while I was searching through the glove-compartment for the insurance cards that were current, he glanced at my license and noticed that I was from Pullman and I said yes, I'm a graduate student there in the English department. He says, "Oh, so you're going to be a teacher" and I say yes, that I hope to be someday. He walks back to his car and when he returns hands me back all my documents and says well, just a warning this time, but please slow down. I thank him gladly and stunned, pull back onto the road. Truly, there is a first time for everything. Perhaps the word "teacher" or "graduate student" clued him into the fact that a speeding ticket really, really is not in my budget and let me go. Either way, I was very happy with the warning and went 60 the rest of the way home, good thing too since I probably saw at least 5 more State Police patrols on my way home.

While yesterday was semi-productive, today seems to be filled with procrastination. I'm supposed to be reading Jane Eyre, but I've been sitting in my reading spot for an hour now and have yet to read one word. I hope this is not a sign of things to come, because the start of the new school year is in less than 48 hours.

Ahh...the new school year. So many possibilities along with so much to do and so little time. My two main goals for this semester--securing a ph.d. committee and surviving my self-directed reading class in one piece. I have lots of heavy Victorian novels to read (literally, they way probably three pounds!) and I can only hope that they will be somehow helpful in sparking potential dissertation topics. Even the 60 pages or so of Jane Eyre that I have read have done that--isolation and the fear or non-fear of it. I can only wait to see how that idea continues to develop. But what I can say about the start of the new school year is that it brings the renewal of a steady paycheck!!!

Drive Thru Coffee Shops

When my mother and I were driving from Houston to Pullman last summer, she became just as involved in my caffeine habit as I am. Of course, with mom, she just wanted to make sure her little girl was happy while driving all those endless hours on the road and anyone who knows me knows that I'm much happier after I've had my morning java. Anyway, sometimes she would point out a Starbucks that happened to have a drive thru. We'd stop, and I'd get out of the car and go inside. After returning with my coffee and reiterating once again that due to years of practice I was more than capable of driving with one hand and holding my coffee in the other, she asked me why I didn't go through the drive thru and my response: coffee isn't something you should be able to get through the drive thru. Yes, in some ways I'm a coffee snob.

But, today, I must admit I went to the drive-thru coffee shop here in Pullman. Why? Because I had one too many Mike's Hard Lemonades last night and had no desire to get out of my pajamas and go inside the coffee shop. So, I left my pajamas on, got in the car and drove to the nearest drive thru coffee stand. Was the coffee just as good? Yes. Do I still believe that you shouldn't be able to get your daily dose of espresso through the drive-thru? Yes. Even more, when going through the drive-thrus here in Pullman, there's the extra bonus of getting 25 or 50 cents off your drink with a correct answer of the tuesday trivia question or like today, getting 50 cents off when you show your reusable shopping bag. I know, 25 or 50 cents doesn't sound like a lot, but it is when you have a daily coffee habit. Those little amounts can add up at the end of the month. So, even though I'm still under what I realize is a false idea that the best cafe mochas are served up across the bar and not through the drive thru window, I also have to give in and say there are gains to be gotten by going through the drive thru.

Alas, a girl has to make some sacrifices every now and then in the name of maintaining her caffeine habit. I'm sure this won't be the last time I go through the drive thru in my pajamas.

Book Review - The Third Man

In my mission to begin reading up in preparation for my qualifying ph.d. exams, I'm trying to read some books that are in my time period (which would be twentieth century british and irish literature) and the stunning result is that today I have a book review to offer of Graham Greene's The Third Man (1949).

The novel is relatively short--only 118 pages in a book. I'm not sure what kind of genre it could be said to belong to. It's set in post-WWII Vienna, with the city divided into four zones occupied by the Russian, American, British and French forces. The narrator of the story, Col. Calloway, is a British official who seems to be on loan from Scotland Yard and the other main character is Rollo Martins, a writer of bad Western novels. The story surrounds the death of Harry Lime, Martins' friend, and as it unfolds it becomes apparent that Lime didn't die as a result of a blow from a passing car but that he in fact was murdered. To be honest, the plot seems a little convuluted and not really all that believable, however, this could be a commentary on the chaos of the time and the uncertainty of the changing world order.

But, back to the story and what I found to be interesting. I found what feel like references to three other well known works--Jekyll and Hyde, Heart of Darkness, and Faustus. Greene portrays Martins as an everyday Jekyll and Hyde, with Rollo (the absurd Christian name) acting one way--chasing girls and drinking too much--and Martins (the Dutch surname that goes back four generations) acting a different way--more responsible and thoughtful. There is also a character in the novel whose name is Kurtz. It makes me wonder if Greene was intentionally trying to get his readers to think about Heart of Darkness when reading his novel, even though the Kurtz in The Third Man is not nearly as "savage" or diabolical as Conrad's. Then there's also, at the end of the novel a reference to Faustus and the existence of evil.

And let me tell you how excited I was when I noted that there is a definite surveillance aspect to this novel. With Calloway having Martins' movements watched as he moves through the British zone of the city as well as his official surveillance of Lime while he was alive, and the recounting of a little boy he spies on the doings of the authorities, there's a definite undertone of continually being watched as life goes on in a virtual police state. Perhaps I can put this novel on my exam list for that reason as well as the fact that there is also a postcolonial aspect to the story. The story is told from Calloway's perspective, but there are clear references to the British and how they should be viewed in the world and how they view the rest of the world. Clearly, the war has had an impact on the dominance of the British, and the repeated references to Russia's refusal to honor British requests seems to speak to the decline of British global power.

Overall, I really was expecting the novel to be better. Perhaps I'm a jaded 21st century woman who reads too many mysteries and in comparison, this one just doesn't hold up. This is the first novel by Graham Greene that I've read but before I can place it as being an aberration or just the usual, I'll have to read more of his work. Hence the reason I have checked out Our Man in Havana from the library.

To Travel or Pay Off Debt??

That is the question on the brain today as I look ahead to the almost-here school year and how the "cost of living" raise (read: throw the poor graduate students a bone) will improve my bottom line and either help me get out of the red or fly away to some exotic locale (not houston) next summer and find myself. Well, of course I want the answer to this question to be "both" -- pay off my credit card AND travel. Whether or not that is going to be possible, or if it's even plausible to have my cake and eat it too, I have no idea. Enter my savings goal of $5000. If...IF I can manage to save that amount by April 30, 2009, I can reward myself with a vacation. It may not be a trip across the pond, but it will be a trip that takes me beyond the un-metropolitan confines of the state of Washington. "They" say the best way to accomplish a goal is to shout it out to everyone you know who's willing to pay attention to what you have to say for five minutes. Consider this me putting my goal out there. Now, if you run into me on the street, or on campus, or in the mall, just ask me whether or not that $4 coffee I'm probably holding in my hand is helping me meet my goal, because seriously, finding a way to manage my caffeine habit could mean ultimate success or failure.