Wonderstruck!

The first book I picked up in my "books I want to read" whirlwind (what Algrebra?) was Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. It is a young adult novel which contained two stories, one illustrated and one written, that become woven together later on. It was a lovely read. I love how unique this type of storytelling is, and the way the stories are told adds something to the experience. One of the characters is deaf so seeing her story rather than being told her story really brings the character to life. I loved the illustrations. It was the type of illustration I was always drawn to as a child, and I find comforting as an adult. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Yay!

Finals this week so I am not done yet. In fact, I still have quite a lot of work to do before next Friday. But, I am done with the reading! I love to read so I am not complaining that I had to read this semester. I just miss reading books that I choose. My winter break queue is a little unrealistic, but I can't wait to dive in. There hasn't been much string or books for the last few months, so I am looking forward to getting to make some me choices again. Of course, I also have a laundry list of things that I need to get done now that school isn't sucking up all my time, but hopefully I will get to read at least one of my collections or maybe finish a pair of socks. YAY! Ok, now that is out of my system, back to the homework. *sigh*

I got to meet Gail Carriger

Yay! TeslaCon was this weekend and one of the main draws for me was the opportunity to get a chance for an autograph from Gail Carriger author of the Parasol Protectorate (Soulless) series. I really loved the book Soulless and the series itself would probably be my favorite if it weren't for the unfortunate issues at the end of book 2.

One of the events at the Con was a reading with both Gail Carriger and George Mann. (I didn't know much about the later, but I had heard he had some work with Doctor Who so I was intrigued. He seems to write mystery/detective fiction himself so I picked up a book of short stories he was selling at the event and an autograph from him as well). They both read short stories/excerpts and answered questions during the panel. Ms. Carriger read from a short story that has not been published yet (and sadly we don't know if it will be) that was really wonderful. During the Q&A session she talked a little bit about how she can tell if her work appeals to her sci-fi fan base or her romance fan base because of their reactions to the ending of book 2. The sci-fi fans are used to tragedy and horrific cliffhangers while the romance fans tend to feel more betrayed by the book 2 issue. It put the books into perspective for me and the series in general, and so I plan to go back and re-read it with fresh eyes.

I think this panel was my favorite of the Con. The two of them had excellent things to say about the craft, about books in general, they really opened my eyes to some things, I heard really drool-worthy things about Carriger's next series, and I may have been introduced to a new author. Yay! The rest of the event was a bonus after that.

I also came to realize that tea may become a requirement for my happiness. About half way through the day I kept thinking, dammit if I could only have a cup of tea. Alexia Tarabotti knows what she's talking about.

There is more to come about what I have been working on the last few months as well as the Con in general but I need to do some homework.

In the interim - a video about an 1870s gown that I saw on Ms. Carriger's site:
http://www.indigomultimedia.com/portfolio/art-of-dressing

The wheels on the bus go round and round

It has been 4 years since I was in school. Thoughts from the week-and-a-half:

My lit teacher seems pretty awesome actually...Even though I only have her for an online course, but she lets her personality come through. I am hoping I can take an in class course with her at some point. And I am glad that I opted to go with this course in general. I think the class is going to help me develop the skills that I want it to and expand my horizons.

Math is a lot of busy work. I am glad that I opted to go with the algebra level I did. It puts me a little behind, but right now I think it was the right choice. We will see how it will translate next semester. But OMG the busy work...I spent about 6 hours doing my homework. I am not even kidding.

I am not sure about anthropology yet. This is the course that topic-wise I was the most excited about. And I still am to an extent. I opted not to go into anthropology because I don't think it will translate to the career path I want, but I still have a strong interest in this field of study. I am not sure how the actual class is going to go for me. From the first class, my learning style and the teacher's presentation style don't match. However, it is only the first week.

And just because I was curious:
I have 112 pages to read in Frankenstein (I am at page 93) and then I have 3 papers to write (in the first three weeks). I also need to watch a Disney film for one of those papers which I am hoping I will accomplish tomorrow.

For cultural anthropology I have read 67 pages and had two pages of reactionary responses to complete (in the first week). I also need to find and start reading a book on cultural anthropology for my final project.

For Algebra - 580 problems - 6 hours of work. Test on Thursday.

I am sort of proud of myself, but I am actually wondering how I am going to make this work without three day weekends every week. Never mind...I am not going to think about it. I will do this. There is no question.

American Players Theater

I had the privilege to attend two shows at the American Players Theater this summer: Taming of the Shrew and The Critic.

I really enjoy APT and I try to get to at least one show if I can. This year some friends, and I decided to coordinate and go to the Taming of the Shrew on opening night. There were some really amazing performances. I particularly loved Tracy Michelle Arnold who played Katherine. She was deliciously naughty and then deliciously lovely (and her last costume was breath-taking). Matt Schwader who also played Tranio was really really good. He did amazing things with both his performance and his body language to bring the character to life, and I was continually impressed by him. I found myself watching him and what he was doing whenever he was on stage. The performance as a whole was enjoyable though I found some of the costuming jarring.

For a birthday present, two of my friends conspired to take me to The Critic later in the season. i was told that this was one of the funniest performances they had done yet. Specifically that "it is slow but then it gets really funny and then you cannot believe how funny it is". One of my favorite actors was in this show (Darragh Kennan) so I was delighted to get to see him perform. There were some issues with the audio, so I had a hard time hearing some of the things that I really find humorous (the snarky asides and the sarcastic jabs). I also was introduced to Jim DeVita who I had never seen perform, and I thought he did an amazing job as Puff. I really loved some of the costume pieces in this...particularly Mr. Dangle's morning coat at the beginning and the Spanish Fleet costume towards the end.

One of the things that amazes me every season is the way in which they use their stage. The basic stage construction is standard and then they add a few items here and there for each of their rotating summer shows. The way in which they use this basic set and the way in which they enhance it every summer is stunning to me. I don't have that type of creative mind, so it is always such a delightful surprise with each show.

Simon the Sheep

A new project I am working on. If anyone wants to take pictures of Simon on your travels, let me know:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonthesheep/

Nostalgia

All of this talk of gaming and LARPs and role-playing reminded me that my first RPG experience was actually when I was pretty young. My older brother and his friend used to play red box D&D when they were in high school. I was actually in elementary school, and since my brother got stuck watching me a lot, I was around when they played. At one point in time they made me a character and every once in a while I got to role some dice. I had no idea what was going on in general; it was just fun to get to be a part of it. Apparently, I got a lucky die role that significantly advanced my character and that was the end of my game playing.

However, they decided instead to make up a little interactive scenario for me. Looking back I realize it was my first LARP. I was a little squire who was learning to sword-fight (I was given rules/commandments by the master) and then sent off into the woods to go on quests or return things to the dungeon. After my first one, they gave me a little red squire's tunic and I was so proud. I dashed about in my costume following clues. I remember one time I had solved everything and reached the location but couldn't find the dagger. It was above my head, and I just couldn't think to look for it. They had taken a wedge of old wood and spray-painted it copper and made a hilt out of duct tape. I loved those games when I was a kid and they are some of my fondest memories.

Years later I was going through my closet and I found my little squire's tunic. My mom told me the real reason they made it for me was because they couldn't see me in the woods and the bright red fabric made it easier for them to track my movements.