Ugh. I was hoping to get back into a regular rhythm with this blog thing, but then, of course, I procrastinated. Here's the thing: I'm going to the NY comic book convention this weekend. (I know, I know, my geekdom has reached a whole new level.) And, not only am I going (BY MYSELF!), but I am SO excited about it, I'm honestly not sure if I can wait until Friday. Seriously. I think I might combust. And here is why this translates into me not blogging: GUILT.
See, I have been feeling like a big loser lately. Heck, I AM a big loser. I headed into the new year with intentions of auditioning, and while I've made several steps in the right direction, I still haven't, and now January is over and I feel like I'm running out of time and my life is out of control and I'm driving through Dallas without a map and my car has broken down in the middle of a 4 lane highway and...you get the picture.
There are good explanations for my not having auditioned yet this year. For one thing, there is NOTHING to audition for, right now. You think I'm exaggerating. The next batch of auditions that have been posted are all for the second week of February. I don't know if the entire theatre community just decided to go on holiday, or what, but it is creeping my out. My roommate and fellow actor, Rachel, assures me that this is generally a slow time for auditions, but that they'll pick up soon, and then there will be tons.
And while this is all true, I still feel like there is something more I should be doing. I look through the posts on Backstage.com, and just feel more and more depressed. "African-American female", "Unfortunately we are not seeing any female performers at this audition", "Must be fluent in ASL", "Must play an instrument", etc. I didn't make these up. I was just looking at the auditions before I started writing this, so this is honestly what people are looking for. That being said, I did find an audition I want to attend in March, and I submitted my headshot and resume to two others which were "by appointment only". Hopefully, they will get back to me.
(Relieved sigh) Well! That wasn't so bad. See, my audition-guilt has been stopping me from blogging because I wanted to blog about other things, but felt like there was this huge cloud hanging over me, obscuring the keyboard and preventing me from typing freely. But now it's out of the way (though it's still hanging on my back, but, so long as it hangs quietly with a minimum of poking, I can tolerate it) I can talk about what I really want to talk about.
I'M GOING TO NY COMIC CON!
It's the 6, 7, and 8. I asked nicely for the time off from work, and, lucky for me, Annette just got back from Germany and is feeling guilty for being away and making Deirdre and I work more (not that we're complaining, Annette is just so nice she can't help but feel guilty), so they said "yes" without hesitation.
To be continued...
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Grandma Junie
I'm sure many of you have been wondering about me. Was she abducted by aliens? Did she move to Mumbai to film Slumdog Millionaire? Sadly, no.
Life intervened, got complicated, and generally screwed up my blogging. In fact, I'm not even going to write a full entry today.
In November, my grandmother (Junie, who was my mother's step-mother) was in a terrible car accident. She was in a coma for a few weeks, but never regained true consciousness (though I believe that some part of her was aware of the people who grieved around her, aware of our love for her). On December 5, she passed away.
I'm feeling lost in my writing right now, so I think I'll just leave this entry as it is, and let my mom do the rest of the talking.
This is her eulogy, which is beautifully written, and was well-delivered, though I know it was hard for her to get through.
Life intervened, got complicated, and generally screwed up my blogging. In fact, I'm not even going to write a full entry today.
In November, my grandmother (Junie, who was my mother's step-mother) was in a terrible car accident. She was in a coma for a few weeks, but never regained true consciousness (though I believe that some part of her was aware of the people who grieved around her, aware of our love for her). On December 5, she passed away.
I'm feeling lost in my writing right now, so I think I'll just leave this entry as it is, and let my mom do the rest of the talking.
This is her eulogy, which is beautifully written, and was well-delivered, though I know it was hard for her to get through.
I don't know if everyone does this, but I remember things as photographs in my mind. I see pictures of things and events--things that were never actually photographed and yet they form a life's album in my memory.
I can see clearly the first few moments I ever spent with Junie. I was eight years old and she wasn't even quite to her mid 20's. I can see us sitting on a sofa together. She was so pretty and my dad was so happy.
Two years later I can see her introducing me to the cutest baby boy ever, my little brother. She said something like, "I'm so glad I have a boy and a girl now." She always knew the right thing to say to make me feel loved.
Every summer I was allowed one day to be a guest, while the rest of the three months I was one of the family. At the time I always thought being the guest that first day was very cool, but now I know that being part of the family was the greatest gift of all. When I was in Pennsylvania, Junie was my mom. I never questioned that. We got along famously from the minute we met.
There are "photos" of us sitting on the floor watching the Stay-Later movie playing the most hilarious games of Canasta while Daddy and Michael were tucked away in bed. Clear memories of how she took care of me when my attempts to teach the neighborhood girls to golf resulted in a gash to my eyebrow and when an overzealous German Shepherd bit me on the cheek.
I picture the day she taught me how to make hospital corners when making a bed, the correct way to paint a wall, how to make her famous hamballs, and how to keep my head down because you can never look up early and see a good shot in golf.
My mind's album is filled to overflowing with loving snapshots of life with Junie. Holding her first granddaughter, coming to Colorado to see the other in her senior musical. Laughing, smiling, loving photos locked forever in my heart. Most recently I can see her telling everyone about her daughter moving back to Erie. And that when people would say they never knew she had a daughter she'd tell them, "She's Dick's daughter but she's always been my daughter, too."
When I became a parent I came to realize that there is no one on Earth that I love the way I love my children. No one loves you like your mom and dad. I'll miss having someone feel that way about me. Junie always did.
I know that most of you here have your own little photo album of Junie. I know you will miss her as much as I will.
I guess the one thing I can't picture is our lives without her.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Day
It's on everybody's mind. Almost every single person who came into the store the past few days have had something to say about the election. Some were worried. Some were confident. All were ready to cast their vote.
Never have I seen an election with this much hype, this much at stake, this much interest. I have a memory of being in the living room with my family the night that Clinton was elected. We were allowed to stay up late, but I was already starting to fade. I couldn't understand what was so important that my parents had actually let me stay up that late. They were watching the TV screen intently, but I was slipping into a doze. Then, suddenly, I came awake as they began cheering. We weren't a big sports-watching family, unless you count the Olympics, but this wasn't that, so what were they celebrating?
It would be much later that I would begin to understand the importance of politics. And even more important: voting.
I take the right to vote very seriously. I read through my entire absentee ballot three times before I made any marks. I wanted to be sure I understood what and for whom I was voting. I sent it out over a week ago, so I've missed out on some of the fun of voting, though I won't be sorry to miss the lines from what I've heard. Still, I would have liked to go into the little booth, make my choice, and get my sticker. It makes you feel like you're contributing. Remember, people died to give you this right. It shouldn't be taken lightly.
So, when I read an article about the number of Republicans who try to prevent people from voting, I was outraged.
In Virginia, a town was covered with fliers on official-looking stationary which said that due to the high number of voters expected to turn out for the election, they would split it up over two days; to vote Republican, you should go on Tuesday, whereas Democrats should go on Wednesday.
In other areas, people were warned that if they had previous convictions or unpaid parking tickets, the police would be waiting at the polling place to arrest them.
Thousands of people received phone calls from people pretending to be with the Democratic party, urging them to vote over the phone instead of waiting in the long lines at the polls.
This is just a handful of the tactics used, and all of them are disgusting.
I cannot believe that McCain would be behind or even approve of such schemes. I would hope that he is a better man than that. However, as Deirdre pointed out yesterday when we were discussing this at work, he is the leader, and so the ultimate responsibility lies with him. It is his job to set an example to those who follow him, and that example should show that this sort of thing is unacceptable.
I can not understand the hypocrisy of people who claim to value America and all she stands for, while violating the very cornerstone of our government: the right to choose.
Everyone has the right to vote, regardless of which button they press (or name they mark).
And with that, I would like to finish this post by sharing something with you. A comic book. I know, I know, but just hear me out on this one.
DC comics published a four issue miniseries called DC Universe: Decisions, the last issue of which, came out last week. The story centered on the presidential elections, and while the candidates in the book did not bear the same name or even really resemble the real-life candidates, you could certainly see the parallels. The basic plot was that someone was attempting to assassinate every single candidate. No party was safe, all were targeted equally. Naturally, our heroes were called in to protect them. It's what they do, after all. Unfortunately, this led to some heroes going on record as endorsing certain candidates. Green Arrow, for instance, endorsed the candidate that was farthest to the left of the political spectrum. Hawkman, on the other hand, went with the candidate who had the most military experience.
Naturally, the public wanted to know how Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were going to vote. Well, actually, Wonder Woman isn't a citizen, so she can't vote...
Throughout the four issues, reporters tried to get Superman to go on record with his choice, and in the final issue, this is what he had to say:
Happy Election Day everybody!
Jules
Never have I seen an election with this much hype, this much at stake, this much interest. I have a memory of being in the living room with my family the night that Clinton was elected. We were allowed to stay up late, but I was already starting to fade. I couldn't understand what was so important that my parents had actually let me stay up that late. They were watching the TV screen intently, but I was slipping into a doze. Then, suddenly, I came awake as they began cheering. We weren't a big sports-watching family, unless you count the Olympics, but this wasn't that, so what were they celebrating?
It would be much later that I would begin to understand the importance of politics. And even more important: voting.
I take the right to vote very seriously. I read through my entire absentee ballot three times before I made any marks. I wanted to be sure I understood what and for whom I was voting. I sent it out over a week ago, so I've missed out on some of the fun of voting, though I won't be sorry to miss the lines from what I've heard. Still, I would have liked to go into the little booth, make my choice, and get my sticker. It makes you feel like you're contributing. Remember, people died to give you this right. It shouldn't be taken lightly.
So, when I read an article about the number of Republicans who try to prevent people from voting, I was outraged.
In Virginia, a town was covered with fliers on official-looking stationary which said that due to the high number of voters expected to turn out for the election, they would split it up over two days; to vote Republican, you should go on Tuesday, whereas Democrats should go on Wednesday.
In other areas, people were warned that if they had previous convictions or unpaid parking tickets, the police would be waiting at the polling place to arrest them.
Thousands of people received phone calls from people pretending to be with the Democratic party, urging them to vote over the phone instead of waiting in the long lines at the polls.
This is just a handful of the tactics used, and all of them are disgusting.
I cannot believe that McCain would be behind or even approve of such schemes. I would hope that he is a better man than that. However, as Deirdre pointed out yesterday when we were discussing this at work, he is the leader, and so the ultimate responsibility lies with him. It is his job to set an example to those who follow him, and that example should show that this sort of thing is unacceptable.
I can not understand the hypocrisy of people who claim to value America and all she stands for, while violating the very cornerstone of our government: the right to choose.
Everyone has the right to vote, regardless of which button they press (or name they mark).
And with that, I would like to finish this post by sharing something with you. A comic book. I know, I know, but just hear me out on this one.
DC comics published a four issue miniseries called DC Universe: Decisions, the last issue of which, came out last week. The story centered on the presidential elections, and while the candidates in the book did not bear the same name or even really resemble the real-life candidates, you could certainly see the parallels. The basic plot was that someone was attempting to assassinate every single candidate. No party was safe, all were targeted equally. Naturally, our heroes were called in to protect them. It's what they do, after all. Unfortunately, this led to some heroes going on record as endorsing certain candidates. Green Arrow, for instance, endorsed the candidate that was farthest to the left of the political spectrum. Hawkman, on the other hand, went with the candidate who had the most military experience.
Naturally, the public wanted to know how Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were going to vote. Well, actually, Wonder Woman isn't a citizen, so she can't vote...
Throughout the four issues, reporters tried to get Superman to go on record with his choice, and in the final issue, this is what he had to say:
Who do I wish to see as the next President of the United States? I do have a choice. (...) But it would be unconscionable of me to share that with you. As I feel it has been wrong for any of us who battle injustice, we so-called "heroes," to allow our opinions to be known on this most important of occasions. (...) You understand, and have always understood, that our mission is to protect not only this nation but this world...and all the worlds beyond the stars. We answer to no one...therefore...we do not govern. We are heroes. And we serve.I couldn't have said it better myself.
The privilege of choosing who will lead you is, I believe, a sacred right. One that should forever remain unmolested.
You choose.
You decide.
And we will, as always...
Protect.
Happy Election Day everybody!
Jules
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Hero
You picky picky people! Wanting to know the name of the book I loved so very much...ridiculous.
Anyway, it's Hero by Perry Moore.
The story is about Thom Creed, who is such a wonderful character you are forced to forgive him the pretension of spelling his name with an "h". Thom is pretty much your typical teen. Except that he's not. Thom has secrets; a lot of them. But we'll get to that in a moment.
One thing that is not a secret is who Thom's father is: Hal Creed, once known as Major Might, one of the greatest heroes in the world. Now, Hal is in disgrace, reviled by the public and his old comrades. He works in a factory trying to make enough so that his son can have a better life. But the story of how Hal came to be in disgrace is one that no one understands completely... No one but Hal, and he won't talk about it.
Hal has forbidden the discussion of superheroes and especially the League. He rants frequently about those with powers, and how they will bring the fall of society.
So naturally, when Thom begins to manifest powers, he keeps it to himself.
But Thom is a good kid, who volunteers as a mentor to younger kids, and works two jobs as well as juggling schoolwork to help his dad out. He's not the sort of person who can just sit back while people need help. So when the League approaches him and asks if he'd like to try out for the team, he jumps at the chance.
Unfortunately, Thom has a bad habit of putting his foot squarely in his mouth, so his probationary teammates all see him as a bit of an idiot. Not only that, but Thom also has another secret. One that you find out near the beginning of the book, but one that took me by delightful surprise, so I'm not going to spoil it here.
Along his way, Thom meets Ruth, a cantankerous old woman who can see the future and who always has a quip or bit of advice; Typhoid Larry, who can make people sick, and who looks like a walking disease himself; Golden Boy, the Silver Bullet's sidekick who has a giant stick up his ass, but may actually turn out to be a decent guy; and Miss Scarlett whose temper is not to be trifled with.
All of the characters are rich and multi-layered. Just when you think you have someone pegged, you find out another piece of their background. "Oh," you say, "so THAT'S why they've been acting like that."
The plot is ultimately predictable (though there were some twists I didn't see coming) but it's fast-paced and draws you in so it's hard to stop reading.
But what I liked most about it was the way it wore it's heart on it's sleeve. It's like one of those movies that obviously didn't have a very big budget, but you can tell everyone who worked on it had a great time and really cared about the project as a whole. Sometimes those movies are a little cheesy, there are some flaws, but you forgive them because it just looks like so much fun! It's clear that the author really cared about these characters and so you find yourself caring about them too. They're not perfect, but that's why you love them.
The heroes themselves are rather obviously molded after the comic book heroes we (or at least, I) already know and love. I think Hal is equal parts Batman and Captain America. Then there's Warrior Woman, the Silver Bullet, King of the Sea, the Spectrum, and many more. Each of them is unique, but with little winks to the audience who might know them by another name.
So, there you have it. Hero.
Tomorrow, I'm planning a trip to the Met Museum for a little inspiration, so hopefully I'll have a story about that for next time.
Jules
Anyway, it's Hero by Perry Moore.
The story is about Thom Creed, who is such a wonderful character you are forced to forgive him the pretension of spelling his name with an "h". Thom is pretty much your typical teen. Except that he's not. Thom has secrets; a lot of them. But we'll get to that in a moment.
One thing that is not a secret is who Thom's father is: Hal Creed, once known as Major Might, one of the greatest heroes in the world. Now, Hal is in disgrace, reviled by the public and his old comrades. He works in a factory trying to make enough so that his son can have a better life. But the story of how Hal came to be in disgrace is one that no one understands completely... No one but Hal, and he won't talk about it.
Hal has forbidden the discussion of superheroes and especially the League. He rants frequently about those with powers, and how they will bring the fall of society.
So naturally, when Thom begins to manifest powers, he keeps it to himself.
But Thom is a good kid, who volunteers as a mentor to younger kids, and works two jobs as well as juggling schoolwork to help his dad out. He's not the sort of person who can just sit back while people need help. So when the League approaches him and asks if he'd like to try out for the team, he jumps at the chance.
Unfortunately, Thom has a bad habit of putting his foot squarely in his mouth, so his probationary teammates all see him as a bit of an idiot. Not only that, but Thom also has another secret. One that you find out near the beginning of the book, but one that took me by delightful surprise, so I'm not going to spoil it here.
Along his way, Thom meets Ruth, a cantankerous old woman who can see the future and who always has a quip or bit of advice; Typhoid Larry, who can make people sick, and who looks like a walking disease himself; Golden Boy, the Silver Bullet's sidekick who has a giant stick up his ass, but may actually turn out to be a decent guy; and Miss Scarlett whose temper is not to be trifled with.
All of the characters are rich and multi-layered. Just when you think you have someone pegged, you find out another piece of their background. "Oh," you say, "so THAT'S why they've been acting like that."
The plot is ultimately predictable (though there were some twists I didn't see coming) but it's fast-paced and draws you in so it's hard to stop reading.
But what I liked most about it was the way it wore it's heart on it's sleeve. It's like one of those movies that obviously didn't have a very big budget, but you can tell everyone who worked on it had a great time and really cared about the project as a whole. Sometimes those movies are a little cheesy, there are some flaws, but you forgive them because it just looks like so much fun! It's clear that the author really cared about these characters and so you find yourself caring about them too. They're not perfect, but that's why you love them.
The heroes themselves are rather obviously molded after the comic book heroes we (or at least, I) already know and love. I think Hal is equal parts Batman and Captain America. Then there's Warrior Woman, the Silver Bullet, King of the Sea, the Spectrum, and many more. Each of them is unique, but with little winks to the audience who might know them by another name.
So, there you have it. Hero.
Tomorrow, I'm planning a trip to the Met Museum for a little inspiration, so hopefully I'll have a story about that for next time.
Jules
Friday, October 24, 2008
Physics
I think I remember from high school science that energy cannot be destroyed, only converted into different forms of energy. But can energy be created? I mean, you can light a match to create fire, but isn't that a case of transforming one form of energy into another? Or is it? And if we can't create or destroy energy, that must mean there is a finite amount in the universe. What if someone found a way to destroy energy? Poof. Gone. And if we couldn't replace that energy? Disaster.
Huh. I think there's a story there. Maybe. That's only if I got my science right. So, did I?
Anyway, this was what I was thinking about when I went to DD this morning to get coffee and a breakfast sandwich. I'm out of coffee mate, so I had to look to outside forces for my morning cup.
OK, let me just address this before things get out of hand: Yes, it has been a while since I posted. And even with the nudge from Jenna (thank you, btw) it still took me a while. In my defense, I did sit down one day, intent on doing some writing, but had to decide between working on my story and on blogging. I chose the story. Sorry. Sometimes I just don't have enough energy for both.
I just finished reading the most fabulous book, last night. I'll have to put up a review, because it was really extraordinary. I had picked it up at B&N the same night I got Chalice. It was a bargain priced hardcover for some ridiculous amount like $5. And I thought it looked like a mildly entertaining read, that I would probably be able to finish in a few days. I was right about the few days part. I finished it in two. And it's not a slim book. It was such a delightful story with incredibly rich characters. But I'll get to that.
For now, let me just say, "I'm back!" Hopefully, for good.
Jules
Huh. I think there's a story there. Maybe. That's only if I got my science right. So, did I?
Anyway, this was what I was thinking about when I went to DD this morning to get coffee and a breakfast sandwich. I'm out of coffee mate, so I had to look to outside forces for my morning cup.
OK, let me just address this before things get out of hand: Yes, it has been a while since I posted. And even with the nudge from Jenna (thank you, btw) it still took me a while. In my defense, I did sit down one day, intent on doing some writing, but had to decide between working on my story and on blogging. I chose the story. Sorry. Sometimes I just don't have enough energy for both.
I just finished reading the most fabulous book, last night. I'll have to put up a review, because it was really extraordinary. I had picked it up at B&N the same night I got Chalice. It was a bargain priced hardcover for some ridiculous amount like $5. And I thought it looked like a mildly entertaining read, that I would probably be able to finish in a few days. I was right about the few days part. I finished it in two. And it's not a slim book. It was such a delightful story with incredibly rich characters. But I'll get to that.
For now, let me just say, "I'm back!" Hopefully, for good.
Jules
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Honey in my Coffee
A quick entry before I go to work today- (This, of course, is now a complete lie. I started this entry on Sunday, found that I didn't actually have enough time to finish it before I had to leave for work, and have only now gotten back to it. You may continue.)
A few weeks ago, I read Chalice by Robin McKinley. I meant to put up something about it when I finished reading, but, as usual, I got distracted and forgot.
Let me start by saying that Robin is my favorite author of all time. It was actually her novels that made me interested in books in the first place. Well, I had always been interested, and really wanted to love books, but hadn't quite found the right one, yet. My sister has always been a fanatical reader, and I, who believed she walked on water, wanted to love them for her sake. She just seemed so cool to me (still does, really) and I thought that books must also, therefore, be cool since she spent so much time with them. Unfortunately, most of the books I had read up till then (I read RM's book in fifth grade) seemed to talk down to me. I wanted to be treated like an adult, someone capable of understanding complicated concepts. Also, I kept finding books where the girls stood around and waited to be saved while the boys went tearing off, sword in hand, having all sorts of wonderful adventures. It was very discouraging. Then I found The Blue Sword. My fifth grade teacher tried to keep me from reading it, so I knew it must be something wonderful.
"It's actually a very difficult book. Everyone wants to read it because of the flashy cover, but most kids your age struggle with it."
Luckily, I was just as stubborn then as I am now. He relented, and I started reading.
Finally, I thought as I read, someone who thinks the way I do.
I didn't find it difficult at all, and finished it much faster than I had any other novel previously.
Next, I read The Hero and the Crown. And everything else since then. I reread The Blue Sword every year, and still find nooks and crannies in McKinley's world that are worth exploring.
So, with that very long introduction, I bring you to Chalice.
It's a beautiful story set in a world of unfamiliar mythology and rules. At the heart of the story is a beekeeper who has become the Chalice, an important figure in the health and harmony of her land and people. And the land needs her. It has been treated badly, and left on the brink of destruction. To add to the chaos, the new Master is not entirely human, but a being who could harm his subjects with but a brush of the hand. They make an unlikely pair, but together they are trying to save this land that they love from becoming a pawn in the larger government's chess game.
RM has a way with language that is almost like poetry, and this book is no exception. Her characters are always interesting because they are never perfect. Very rarely, in fact, are they even attractive. At the most, she will say that their faces light up with intelligence, which is it's own kind of beauty.
I prefer her flawed heroines to the ones in other novels who are absolutely beautiful, amazingly clever, perfectly good and entirely unrelatable (which, apparently, is not a word, but it ought to be, so I'm NOT changing it. Take that spell-check! Boo-Yah!).
Anyway, all of this is true of Chalice, and I did enjoy reading the book, but it's not my favorite. For some reason, I felt like I only got part of the story. Perhaps it's only because I read it so quickly, but most of her novels have a nice roomy quality to them, and this one seemed slightly empty. She dropped us into the middle of the story at the beginning, and then the ending felt sort of squashed.
It did, however, make me go out somewhere in the middle and buy a jar of honey. There's a great deal of honey in this book (she is a beekeeper, after all) and you can only read about people eating honey (on toast, on porridge, straight out of the jar...) for so long before you start to crave it yourself. I even put honey in my coffee one morning. It was good. Gave my coffee a sort of wild flavor. Magic coffee. All coffee is magic, really. Liquid crack, it is. Mmmm. Cooooffeeeee.
Sorry, where was I?
Oh right, I was finishing up this post.
See you next time!
Jules
A few weeks ago, I read Chalice by Robin McKinley. I meant to put up something about it when I finished reading, but, as usual, I got distracted and forgot.
Let me start by saying that Robin is my favorite author of all time. It was actually her novels that made me interested in books in the first place. Well, I had always been interested, and really wanted to love books, but hadn't quite found the right one, yet. My sister has always been a fanatical reader, and I, who believed she walked on water, wanted to love them for her sake. She just seemed so cool to me (still does, really) and I thought that books must also, therefore, be cool since she spent so much time with them. Unfortunately, most of the books I had read up till then (I read RM's book in fifth grade) seemed to talk down to me. I wanted to be treated like an adult, someone capable of understanding complicated concepts. Also, I kept finding books where the girls stood around and waited to be saved while the boys went tearing off, sword in hand, having all sorts of wonderful adventures. It was very discouraging. Then I found The Blue Sword. My fifth grade teacher tried to keep me from reading it, so I knew it must be something wonderful.
"It's actually a very difficult book. Everyone wants to read it because of the flashy cover, but most kids your age struggle with it."
Luckily, I was just as stubborn then as I am now. He relented, and I started reading.
Finally, I thought as I read, someone who thinks the way I do.
I didn't find it difficult at all, and finished it much faster than I had any other novel previously.
Next, I read The Hero and the Crown. And everything else since then. I reread The Blue Sword every year, and still find nooks and crannies in McKinley's world that are worth exploring.
So, with that very long introduction, I bring you to Chalice.
It's a beautiful story set in a world of unfamiliar mythology and rules. At the heart of the story is a beekeeper who has become the Chalice, an important figure in the health and harmony of her land and people. And the land needs her. It has been treated badly, and left on the brink of destruction. To add to the chaos, the new Master is not entirely human, but a being who could harm his subjects with but a brush of the hand. They make an unlikely pair, but together they are trying to save this land that they love from becoming a pawn in the larger government's chess game.
RM has a way with language that is almost like poetry, and this book is no exception. Her characters are always interesting because they are never perfect. Very rarely, in fact, are they even attractive. At the most, she will say that their faces light up with intelligence, which is it's own kind of beauty.
I prefer her flawed heroines to the ones in other novels who are absolutely beautiful, amazingly clever, perfectly good and entirely unrelatable (which, apparently, is not a word, but it ought to be, so I'm NOT changing it. Take that spell-check! Boo-Yah!).
Anyway, all of this is true of Chalice, and I did enjoy reading the book, but it's not my favorite. For some reason, I felt like I only got part of the story. Perhaps it's only because I read it so quickly, but most of her novels have a nice roomy quality to them, and this one seemed slightly empty. She dropped us into the middle of the story at the beginning, and then the ending felt sort of squashed.
It did, however, make me go out somewhere in the middle and buy a jar of honey. There's a great deal of honey in this book (she is a beekeeper, after all) and you can only read about people eating honey (on toast, on porridge, straight out of the jar...) for so long before you start to crave it yourself. I even put honey in my coffee one morning. It was good. Gave my coffee a sort of wild flavor. Magic coffee. All coffee is magic, really. Liquid crack, it is. Mmmm. Cooooffeeeee.
Sorry, where was I?
Oh right, I was finishing up this post.
See you next time!
Jules
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Copyright Police
The story is: I did post my video on youtube. It was up for about a week. Then, I happened to check my channel, and saw that it was gone. I investigated further, and discovered that it had been flagged as using copyrighted material. Specifically, the audio track. I thought it might be because I had left in some of the Justice League's audio. It seems that the type of videos I make are generally accepted by Warner Brothers, but if I tried to, say, put up a full episode, they would not be pleased. At least, that's the impression I get, since there are a lot of music videos which use clips from these shows.
I had a passing fantasy that my video would be reviewed by Bruce Timm, the producer of Justice League and Batman the Animated Series, (I have a bit of a crush on him) and he would contact me and tell me what a brilliant job I did, and would I like to come work for him?
Then I woke up. Why would Bruce Timm take care of little things like possible copyright infringement? He wouldn't.
There is, however, a video (not mine, but one of my favorites) which uses scanned comic book art. If you scroll through the comments, you see that the artist watched and enjoyed it. Ever since then, I've imagined that the staff of DC comics animated often sit around and watch the various videos on youtube whenever they have a break, or are in need of inspiration.
I have gone completely off-topic.
Anyway, it turns out, the problem wasn't with the clips, but with the song. Youtube has blocked my video. I can dispute the claim, but I don't see how. I am using this song without permission, although I did buy it on iTunes. In fact, I own all the material I use in these videos, and try to discourage pirating.
Someone made a comment on one of my videos asking if a particular episode of Justice League was on youtube, or some other illegal downloading site. I recommended that they buy the DVD set. "I own all four sets, and they're worth it. It's a great show." Whether or not they listened, I have no idea.
It should also be pointed out that the first time I even heard of Justice League, was on youtube. I was so impressed with what I saw there, that I went out and bought the DVDs. That's what I call 'free advertising'. I have since bought just about everything that Bruce Timm has worked on.
I have also often heard a song on youtube, that I have then gone to purchase myself. Holding Out for a Hero by Jennifer Saunders, was one of those. I heard the song used in a different video, really liked it, and ended up buying the entire album on iTunes.
Perhaps it is copyright infringement. But as far as I can see, they're cutting off their nose to spite their face. Just doesn't seem worth it.
Oh, and, just for fun, go to youtube and type in "Holding Out for a Hero Jennifer Saunders", and see how many videos come up. It looks like about 43, and that's probably not all of them because some people don't credit the artist. So, why did they go after me?
Later,
Jules
PS- You can still watch my video here. I doubt the copyright police will stumble across my little blog. And it lives on my computer, so I can watch it anytime I want. Nyah nyah nyah boo boo!
I had a passing fantasy that my video would be reviewed by Bruce Timm, the producer of Justice League and Batman the Animated Series, (I have a bit of a crush on him) and he would contact me and tell me what a brilliant job I did, and would I like to come work for him?
Then I woke up. Why would Bruce Timm take care of little things like possible copyright infringement? He wouldn't.
There is, however, a video (not mine, but one of my favorites) which uses scanned comic book art. If you scroll through the comments, you see that the artist watched and enjoyed it. Ever since then, I've imagined that the staff of DC comics animated often sit around and watch the various videos on youtube whenever they have a break, or are in need of inspiration.
I have gone completely off-topic.
Anyway, it turns out, the problem wasn't with the clips, but with the song. Youtube has blocked my video. I can dispute the claim, but I don't see how. I am using this song without permission, although I did buy it on iTunes. In fact, I own all the material I use in these videos, and try to discourage pirating.
Someone made a comment on one of my videos asking if a particular episode of Justice League was on youtube, or some other illegal downloading site. I recommended that they buy the DVD set. "I own all four sets, and they're worth it. It's a great show." Whether or not they listened, I have no idea.
It should also be pointed out that the first time I even heard of Justice League, was on youtube. I was so impressed with what I saw there, that I went out and bought the DVDs. That's what I call 'free advertising'. I have since bought just about everything that Bruce Timm has worked on.
I have also often heard a song on youtube, that I have then gone to purchase myself. Holding Out for a Hero by Jennifer Saunders, was one of those. I heard the song used in a different video, really liked it, and ended up buying the entire album on iTunes.
Perhaps it is copyright infringement. But as far as I can see, they're cutting off their nose to spite their face. Just doesn't seem worth it.
Oh, and, just for fun, go to youtube and type in "Holding Out for a Hero Jennifer Saunders", and see how many videos come up. It looks like about 43, and that's probably not all of them because some people don't credit the artist. So, why did they go after me?
Later,
Jules
PS- You can still watch my video here. I doubt the copyright police will stumble across my little blog. And it lives on my computer, so I can watch it anytime I want. Nyah nyah nyah boo boo!
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