I just finished the dazzling 2005 novel by Elizabeth Kostova entitled "The Historian." A true gem of a Vampire novel, in the sea of fairy tale worthy vampire hunks. This novel will reintroduce you to the dark side of the lore and legend of the Vampire. It draws heavily from Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and also several actual (and some fictional) historical documents chronicling the history of the folklore of Vampires.
The book is also sexy. It's sexy, not only because it takes you back in time a little, spanning from the 1930s-1970s, but into these particular scholars worlds, who have not yet felt the wild impulses of the sexual revolution. The girl who dates herself as having been a teenager in the 70s even lets us know how particular odd this was for her, even if it isn't so odd for the older characters. The desire is palpable but the intellectual respect and outright innocence of assumption is startling. There is one passage where Paul, a main character, is staying at a monastery with his female traveling companion and fellow scholar, Helen, and he has just proposed to her the night before. He hesitates before entering her cell, but then says that he suddenly remembered that she was his fiancee, and he felt that it was right to go in and kiss her good morning. For God's sake, how sexy is that? The innocent hesitation at one's own fiancee? His love for her surpassed a sexual habit. He knew her enough to ask her to be his wife; he did not need to sleep with her to know that.
And there's a lot of good old fashioned eerie tomb digging, ancient artifact finding, bloodsucking/ demon creating, silver stake in the heart driving, Vampire fun.
A fun question for those who have read or plan to read the book: Who exactly do you think Kostova is referring to in the title? Or is she referring to anyone particularly at all? I have my thoughts, tell me yours!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
A Quick Note
I just found out that I am going to be listed as the co-author of a text book. I figured that Facebook was too immature of a place to go shouting about it, so I'd just write about it here. I was hired for the summer to help Dr. Susan Kattwinkel edit and prepare her textbook that is basically an "Introduction to College" textbook for freshman in First Year programs at the College of Charleston. For 3-ish months I sent out e-mails to various CofC representatives to ensure that we could use certain material, searched the Kendall-Hunt website for non-offensive Health sections (I will tangent on this in a second), and, most importantly, wrote small sections and created exercises/ worksheets. These exercises included scavenger hunts, money management, time management, and my favorite, how to write a paper for college. I assumed that I would be listed as an editing assistant or intern, but an e-mail from Susan a couple of days ago informed me that I would be listed as the co-author and that she would send me the information for my resume. I thought that this was pretty swell, and wanted to share. Huzzah!
*Health Sections that generally screamed NO SEX EVER multiple times. They argued that having sex could add stress to your college workload. I think that healthy relationships lend themselves to healthy, stress relieving sex. Maybe they should have told the kids about building healthy relationships, and then having as much sex as possible.
*Health Sections that generally screamed NO SEX EVER multiple times. They argued that having sex could add stress to your college workload. I think that healthy relationships lend themselves to healthy, stress relieving sex. Maybe they should have told the kids about building healthy relationships, and then having as much sex as possible.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Gone with the Wind
I didn't like Pride and Prejudice one bit. I know, I know, heads are turning. It was...charming. And also boring. Lizzy Bennet is not unlike many girls. A good person, a loving daughter and sister, albeit a bit quirky and a little too argumentative. She generally follows the rules of society, at least, as I see it. I think that the time period in which it was written may affect my perception of the novel itself. Austen assumes that her audience understands the strict societal constraints placed upon Lizzy, and therefore that Lizzy is particular and special...whereas I just see her as a women who won't be considered an object of trade. But if she has the support of her family in that aspect (for the most part), what's so special about it? The novel didn't capture me, in any case. And I apologize to my Austen fanatic friends. Maybe you can explain what I'm missing.
You know what book did capture me, completely? The book I read directly after, Gone with the Wind. When they call this a "sweeping novel" they mean it...that's the only two word phrase that I could think of that actually describes the book. Scarlett O'Hara may have been a selfish bitch and Melly may have been a little too simpering, but they were both revolutionary women. They weren't revolutionary because they were attention whores or particularly hated the restrictions that society placed upon them. They were revolutionary because they had to be, because a war broke out around them and the men that they so often deferred to were gone and they were left to forge new paths for themselves...to survive fire and theft, disease and hunger, the assault of their person and their land. They were survivors. The novel is about two women who are essentially preservationists (upholding the Survival of the Fittest theory) and come out of their topsy-turvy world on top again. Scarlett not only fights her position in society, she uses it to gain status and ensure the health and survival of not only herself, but of her family. It's very human, and quite captivating. I highly recommend it.
It also made me feel closer to my late Granny, who kept a copy of Gone with the Wind and the Bible in her living room at all times, it seems like. Funny enough, Pat Conroy, in his introduction the the paperback version I read, cites this as one of the tenants of our grandparent's generation (well, mine, they were a bit older. Grandfather born 1917, Granny born 1921)...that is, a generation almost forgotten now, a generation gone with the wind.
You know what book did capture me, completely? The book I read directly after, Gone with the Wind. When they call this a "sweeping novel" they mean it...that's the only two word phrase that I could think of that actually describes the book. Scarlett O'Hara may have been a selfish bitch and Melly may have been a little too simpering, but they were both revolutionary women. They weren't revolutionary because they were attention whores or particularly hated the restrictions that society placed upon them. They were revolutionary because they had to be, because a war broke out around them and the men that they so often deferred to were gone and they were left to forge new paths for themselves...to survive fire and theft, disease and hunger, the assault of their person and their land. They were survivors. The novel is about two women who are essentially preservationists (upholding the Survival of the Fittest theory) and come out of their topsy-turvy world on top again. Scarlett not only fights her position in society, she uses it to gain status and ensure the health and survival of not only herself, but of her family. It's very human, and quite captivating. I highly recommend it.
It also made me feel closer to my late Granny, who kept a copy of Gone with the Wind and the Bible in her living room at all times, it seems like. Funny enough, Pat Conroy, in his introduction the the paperback version I read, cites this as one of the tenants of our grandparent's generation (well, mine, they were a bit older. Grandfather born 1917, Granny born 1921)...that is, a generation almost forgotten now, a generation gone with the wind.
Friday, May 28, 2010
A Wedding Weekend Awaits!
And I can't wait to have tales to tell!
This week was my training week at Bocci's and tonight is my last training shift. Let's not talk about the bar training or how I actually tried every single wine that the establishment offered; without spitting. Needless to say, I got a little more than tipsy in the three and a half hours that I was working. Graciously, the bar tender fed me afterwards.
So now I have to clean out my car for the trip. Four twenty somethings in a tiny Honda Civic doesn't seem like it would be that fun, but I'm sure we'll have a blast. I just have to check the air in the tires and my oil. Not sure how to do either. I'll bet that Meredith will help me in the morning, though.
And then its a fun filled weekend that I'm sure will include lots of giggling, champagne and hairspray. And Hollywood tape, perhaps. I'm looking forward to getting away for the weekend and escaping the limbo that I've been in in Charleston for the past couple of weeks. I'll be able to clear my head and set things straight. At the moment I'm feeling antsy and just want to go to work and get the weekend started! At least I'm not pining for New Jersey anymore. Such a roller coaster of emotions that one goes through before one makes a big life changing move!
Ah, wanderlust.
Love,
Clellan
This week was my training week at Bocci's and tonight is my last training shift. Let's not talk about the bar training or how I actually tried every single wine that the establishment offered; without spitting. Needless to say, I got a little more than tipsy in the three and a half hours that I was working. Graciously, the bar tender fed me afterwards.
So now I have to clean out my car for the trip. Four twenty somethings in a tiny Honda Civic doesn't seem like it would be that fun, but I'm sure we'll have a blast. I just have to check the air in the tires and my oil. Not sure how to do either. I'll bet that Meredith will help me in the morning, though.
And then its a fun filled weekend that I'm sure will include lots of giggling, champagne and hairspray. And Hollywood tape, perhaps. I'm looking forward to getting away for the weekend and escaping the limbo that I've been in in Charleston for the past couple of weeks. I'll be able to clear my head and set things straight. At the moment I'm feeling antsy and just want to go to work and get the weekend started! At least I'm not pining for New Jersey anymore. Such a roller coaster of emotions that one goes through before one makes a big life changing move!
Ah, wanderlust.
Love,
Clellan
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
No Pride, but some Juice.
I was sick this morning. No, I'm not pregnant. I had a crazy, feverish, alcohol induced beach weekend and silly me though that I could continue living my life and go out for a few drinks, as if I were a pro. The contents of my stomach staring back at me this morning prove that to be unwaveringly untrue. If you tear up your stomach one weekend, you don't keep aggravating it later. That's what causes ulcers.
So, since I spent three or four days acting like a crazy rockstar (minus the cocaine, it was really the only thing missing), I didn't actually do any reading on the beach like I thought I might have. So my endeavor will start today. With Pride and Prejudice. Come on, its a shame that I haven't read it before.
In other news, my roommate got a "real" job working as a secretary of sorts from 8am-5pm M-F, while I got a job waiting tables at an Italian place. I'm taking care of her tiny poodle/mixed with something else dog, who is adorable, while I sit around as if I were still a college student, typing away and waiting to drive to singing lessons.
I should be scoring my sheet music...
Off I go.
Love, Clellan
So, since I spent three or four days acting like a crazy rockstar (minus the cocaine, it was really the only thing missing), I didn't actually do any reading on the beach like I thought I might have. So my endeavor will start today. With Pride and Prejudice. Come on, its a shame that I haven't read it before.
In other news, my roommate got a "real" job working as a secretary of sorts from 8am-5pm M-F, while I got a job waiting tables at an Italian place. I'm taking care of her tiny poodle/mixed with something else dog, who is adorable, while I sit around as if I were still a college student, typing away and waiting to drive to singing lessons.
I should be scoring my sheet music...
Off I go.
Love, Clellan
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Job Interviews and Rumi
My new books to read endeavor has already left me the wiser. Examining the list, I noticed the author of "Mathnawi" was the Rumi that someone had quoted to me once. I researched him and read some of his love poems. Beautiful stuff. Here is a quote I randomly came across and loved:
"Don't be one of those merchants who won't risk the ocean."
Life today is full of challenges, but my commencement speaker said three days ago, at my graduation, that for the confident, hard times are present as challenged to make things better. I feel as if going to graduate school is this kind of confidant leap; after all, I certainly feel like I am setting sail to a treacherous ocean, bound for shores I can't even see yet, millions of miles away. I am confident, and can be courageous, and I want to make things in this world better. So here I go. It doesn't feel real yet, actually, with Rutgers being quite a distance away geographically. I'm sure it will feel real enough when the course enrollment e-mails really start rolling in around June/July, when they told me to expect them.
For the summer, however...I need money, and money to save. Thanks be to God for these two interviews on Thursday; I actually hope that I get them both. I also am lined up to House Manage if I can assure them by next Wednesday that I have time in my schedule, and I also have some interest from a Children's theatre company in town to be a Stage Manager...we'll see about both of them. If I get BOTH of these jobs on Thursday, which I am actually hoping for, then I won't need anything sporadic like that. Maybe I'll get neither and I'll be scrambling and glad for two little temp jobs in the theatre.
I am working a *little* right now, helping Susan Kattwinkel, my former theatre professor, edit and put together a text book. This book will be geared towards First Year Students in our First Year Experience program, an area I worked in as a Peer Facilitator for three years. I'm getting paid for about 40 hrs total for a time span of about a month. It's not a bad paycheck, and it will probably cover my utilities for the summer (maybe, depending on the heat) and that's not bad, but I need something to cover rent and then some.
I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be this concerned about money and jobs. I was probably delusional. I also never thought that I would be completely and totally excited about moving to New Jersey! Can't wait until August!
"Don't be one of those merchants who won't risk the ocean."
Life today is full of challenges, but my commencement speaker said three days ago, at my graduation, that for the confident, hard times are present as challenged to make things better. I feel as if going to graduate school is this kind of confidant leap; after all, I certainly feel like I am setting sail to a treacherous ocean, bound for shores I can't even see yet, millions of miles away. I am confident, and can be courageous, and I want to make things in this world better. So here I go. It doesn't feel real yet, actually, with Rutgers being quite a distance away geographically. I'm sure it will feel real enough when the course enrollment e-mails really start rolling in around June/July, when they told me to expect them.
For the summer, however...I need money, and money to save. Thanks be to God for these two interviews on Thursday; I actually hope that I get them both. I also am lined up to House Manage if I can assure them by next Wednesday that I have time in my schedule, and I also have some interest from a Children's theatre company in town to be a Stage Manager...we'll see about both of them. If I get BOTH of these jobs on Thursday, which I am actually hoping for, then I won't need anything sporadic like that. Maybe I'll get neither and I'll be scrambling and glad for two little temp jobs in the theatre.
I am working a *little* right now, helping Susan Kattwinkel, my former theatre professor, edit and put together a text book. This book will be geared towards First Year Students in our First Year Experience program, an area I worked in as a Peer Facilitator for three years. I'm getting paid for about 40 hrs total for a time span of about a month. It's not a bad paycheck, and it will probably cover my utilities for the summer (maybe, depending on the heat) and that's not bad, but I need something to cover rent and then some.
I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be this concerned about money and jobs. I was probably delusional. I also never thought that I would be completely and totally excited about moving to New Jersey! Can't wait until August!
More on books
I wanted to check off some of the books on my list:
Wuthering Heights
Medea
Oedipus
Faust
Iliad/Odyssey
Recognition of Sakuntala
1984
Hamlet/ King Lear/ Othello
Pippi Longstocking
The Aeneid
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
All of these were great reads.
I tried to read Moby Dick a while back, but it was a no-go. Maybe I'll try again at a later date. For now, I'll probably stick to something shorter.
Love,
Clellan
Wuthering Heights
Medea
Oedipus
Faust
Iliad/Odyssey
Recognition of Sakuntala
1984
Hamlet/ King Lear/ Othello
Pippi Longstocking
The Aeneid
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
All of these were great reads.
I tried to read Moby Dick a while back, but it was a no-go. Maybe I'll try again at a later date. For now, I'll probably stick to something shorter.
Love,
Clellan
This Has Absolutely Nothing to Do with Wal-Mart
This summer I am faced with quite a few fears:
1. I have no money
2. I have no job
3. I am about to be accumulating a very large sum of debt for graduate school
I have a job interview on Thursday, and put in a dozen applications yesterday. But it would be nice to have a steady source of income already!
Instead of completely despairing, I decided to give myself a nice, COST-FREE challenge this summer. I searched the good ole 'net for lists of 100 books that "you must read before you die." Most of them were crap. I found one that the Guardian in the UK put out, and the admissions were made/ voted on by reputable authors around the world. This one is the list that I chose. I liked it especially because it includes Eastern authors, not just the white guy who wrote "Memoirs of a Geisha." It was the smartest list out there, and I highly recommend it.
My challenge is to read as many books as I can from this list throughout the next three months. I put in bold each of the book titles so its not so confusing:
Chinua Achebe, Nigeria, (b. 1930), Things Fall Apart
Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark, (1805-1875), Fairy Tales and Stories
Jane Austen, England, (1775-1817), Pride and Prejudice
Honore de Balzac, France, (1799-1850), Old Goriot
Samuel Beckett, Ireland, (1906-1989), Trilogy: Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable
Giovanni Boccaccio, Italy, (1313-1375), Decameron
Jorge Luis Borges, Argentina, (1899-1986), Collected Fictions
Emily Bronte, England, (1818-1848), Wuthering Heights
Albert Camus, France, (1913-1960), The Stranger
Paul Celan, Romania/France, (1920-1970), Poems.
Louis-Ferdinand Celine, France, (1894-1961), Journey to the End of the Night
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Spain, (1547-1616), Don Quixote
Geoffrey Chaucer, England, (1340-1400), Canterbury Tales
Anton P Chekhov, Russia, (1860-1904), Selected Stories
Joseph Conrad, England,(1857-1924), Nostromo
Dante Alighieri, Italy, (1265-1321), The Divine Comedy
Charles Dickens, England, (1812-1870), Great Expectations
Denis Diderot, France, (1713-1784), Jacques the Fatalist and His Master
Alfred Doblin, Germany, (1878-1957), Berlin Alexanderplatz
Fyodor M Dostoyevsky, Russia, (1821-1881), Crime and Punishment; The Idiot; The Possessed; The Brothers Karamazov
George Eliot, England, (1819-1880), Middlemarch
Ralph Ellison, United States, (1914-1994), Invisible Man
Euripides, Greece, (c 480-406 BC), Medea
William Faulkner, United States, (1897-1962), Absalom, Absalom; The Sound and the Fury
Gustave Flaubert, France, (1821-1880), Madame Bovary; A Sentimental Education
Federico Garcia Lorca, Spain, (1898-1936), Gypsy Ballads
Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Colombia, (b. 1928), One Hundred Years of Solitude; Love in the Time of Cholera
Gilgamesh, Mesopotamia (c 1800 BC).
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany, (1749-1832), Faust
Nikolai Gogol, Russia, (1809-1852), Dead Souls
Gunter Grass, Germany, (b.1927), The Tin Drum
Joao Guimaraes Rosa, Brazil, (1880-1967), The Devil to Pay in the Backlands
Knut Hamsun, Norway, (1859-1952), Hunger.
Ernest Hemingway, United States, (1899-1961), The Old Man and the Sea
Homer, Greece, (c 700 BC), The Iliad and The Odyssey
Henrik Ibsen, Norway (1828-1906), A Doll's House
The Book of Job, Israel. (600-400 BC).
James Joyce, Ireland, (1882-1941), Ulysses
Franz Kafka, Bohemia, (1883-1924), The Complete Stories; The Trial; The Castle Bohemia
Kalidasa, India, (c. 400), The Recognition of Sakuntala
Yasunari Kawabata, Japan, (1899-1972), The Sound of the Mountain
Nikos Kazantzakis, Greece, (1883-1957), Zorba the Greek
DH Lawrence, England, (1885-1930), Sons and Lovers
Halldor K Laxness, Iceland, (1902-1998), Independent People
Giacomo Leopardi, Italy, (1798-1837), Complete Poems
Doris Lessing, England, (b.1919), The Golden Notebook
Astrid Lindgren, Sweden, (1907-2002), Pippi Longstocking
Lu Xun, China, (1881-1936), Diary of a Madman and Other Stories
Mahabharata, India, (c 500 BC).
Naguib Mahfouz, Egypt, (b. 1911), Children of Gebelawi
Thomas Mann, Germany, (1875-1955), Buddenbrook; The Magic Mountain
Herman Melville, United States, (1819-1891), Moby Dick
Michel de Montaigne, France, (1533-1592), Essays.
Elsa Morante, Italy, (1918-1985), History
Toni Morrison, United States, (b. 1931), Beloved
Shikibu Murasaki, Japan, (N/A), The Tale of Genji Genji
Robert Musil, Austria, (1880-1942), The Man Without Qualities
Vladimir Nabokov, Russia/United States, (1899-1977), Lolita
Njaals Saga, Iceland, (c 1300).
George Orwell, England, (1903-1950), 1984
Ovid, Italy, (c 43 BC), Metamorphoses
Fernando Pessoa, Portugal, (1888-1935), The Book of Disquiet
Edgar Allan Poe, United States, (1809-1849), The Complete Tales
Marcel Proust, France, (1871-1922), Remembrance of Things Past
Francois Rabelais, France, (1495-1553), Gargantua and Pantagruel
Juan Rulfo, Mexico, (1918-1986), Pedro Paramo
Jalal ad-din Rumi, Afghanistan, (1207-1273), Mathnawi
Salman Rushdie, India/Britain, (b. 1947), Midnight's Children
Sheikh Musharrif ud-din Sadi, Iran, (c 1200-1292), The Orchard
Tayeb Salih, Sudan, (b. 1929), Season of Migration to the North
Jose Saramago, Portugal, (b. 1922), Blindness
William Shakespeare, England, (1564-1616), Hamlet; King Lear; Othello
Sophocles, Greece, (496-406 BC), Oedipus the King
Stendhal, France, (1783-1842), The Red and the Black
Laurence Sterne, Ireland, (1713-1768), The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy
Italo Svevo, Italy, (1861-1928), Confessions of Zeno
Jonathan Swift, Ireland, (1667-1745), Gulliver's Travels
Leo Tolstoy, Russia, (1828-1910), War and Peace; Anna Karenina; The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories
Thousand and One Nights, India/Iran/Iraq/Egypt, (700-1500).
Mark Twain, United States, (1835-1910), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Valmiki, India, (c 300 BC), Ramayana
Virgil, Italy, (70-19 BC), The Aeneid
Walt Whitman, United States, (1819-1892), Leaves of Grass
Virginia Woolf, England, (1882-1941), Mrs. Dalloway; To the Lighthouse
Marguerite Yourcenar, France, (1903-1987), Memoirs of Hadrian
1. I have no money
2. I have no job
3. I am about to be accumulating a very large sum of debt for graduate school
I have a job interview on Thursday, and put in a dozen applications yesterday. But it would be nice to have a steady source of income already!
Instead of completely despairing, I decided to give myself a nice, COST-FREE challenge this summer. I searched the good ole 'net for lists of 100 books that "you must read before you die." Most of them were crap. I found one that the Guardian in the UK put out, and the admissions were made/ voted on by reputable authors around the world. This one is the list that I chose. I liked it especially because it includes Eastern authors, not just the white guy who wrote "Memoirs of a Geisha." It was the smartest list out there, and I highly recommend it.
My challenge is to read as many books as I can from this list throughout the next three months. I put in bold each of the book titles so its not so confusing:
Chinua Achebe, Nigeria, (b. 1930), Things Fall Apart
Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark, (1805-1875), Fairy Tales and Stories
Jane Austen, England, (1775-1817), Pride and Prejudice
Honore de Balzac, France, (1799-1850), Old Goriot
Samuel Beckett, Ireland, (1906-1989), Trilogy: Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable
Giovanni Boccaccio, Italy, (1313-1375), Decameron
Jorge Luis Borges, Argentina, (1899-1986), Collected Fictions
Emily Bronte, England, (1818-1848), Wuthering Heights
Albert Camus, France, (1913-1960), The Stranger
Paul Celan, Romania/France, (1920-1970), Poems.
Louis-Ferdinand Celine, France, (1894-1961), Journey to the End of the Night
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Spain, (1547-1616), Don Quixote
Geoffrey Chaucer, England, (1340-1400), Canterbury Tales
Anton P Chekhov, Russia, (1860-1904), Selected Stories
Joseph Conrad, England,(1857-1924), Nostromo
Dante Alighieri, Italy, (1265-1321), The Divine Comedy
Charles Dickens, England, (1812-1870), Great Expectations
Denis Diderot, France, (1713-1784), Jacques the Fatalist and His Master
Alfred Doblin, Germany, (1878-1957), Berlin Alexanderplatz
Fyodor M Dostoyevsky, Russia, (1821-1881), Crime and Punishment; The Idiot; The Possessed; The Brothers Karamazov
George Eliot, England, (1819-1880), Middlemarch
Ralph Ellison, United States, (1914-1994), Invisible Man
Euripides, Greece, (c 480-406 BC), Medea
William Faulkner, United States, (1897-1962), Absalom, Absalom; The Sound and the Fury
Gustave Flaubert, France, (1821-1880), Madame Bovary; A Sentimental Education
Federico Garcia Lorca, Spain, (1898-1936), Gypsy Ballads
Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Colombia, (b. 1928), One Hundred Years of Solitude; Love in the Time of Cholera
Gilgamesh, Mesopotamia (c 1800 BC).
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany, (1749-1832), Faust
Nikolai Gogol, Russia, (1809-1852), Dead Souls
Gunter Grass, Germany, (b.1927), The Tin Drum
Joao Guimaraes Rosa, Brazil, (1880-1967), The Devil to Pay in the Backlands
Knut Hamsun, Norway, (1859-1952), Hunger.
Ernest Hemingway, United States, (1899-1961), The Old Man and the Sea
Homer, Greece, (c 700 BC), The Iliad and The Odyssey
Henrik Ibsen, Norway (1828-1906), A Doll's House
The Book of Job, Israel. (600-400 BC).
James Joyce, Ireland, (1882-1941), Ulysses
Franz Kafka, Bohemia, (1883-1924), The Complete Stories; The Trial; The Castle Bohemia
Kalidasa, India, (c. 400), The Recognition of Sakuntala
Yasunari Kawabata, Japan, (1899-1972), The Sound of the Mountain
Nikos Kazantzakis, Greece, (1883-1957), Zorba the Greek
DH Lawrence, England, (1885-1930), Sons and Lovers
Halldor K Laxness, Iceland, (1902-1998), Independent People
Giacomo Leopardi, Italy, (1798-1837), Complete Poems
Doris Lessing, England, (b.1919), The Golden Notebook
Astrid Lindgren, Sweden, (1907-2002), Pippi Longstocking
Lu Xun, China, (1881-1936), Diary of a Madman and Other Stories
Mahabharata, India, (c 500 BC).
Naguib Mahfouz, Egypt, (b. 1911), Children of Gebelawi
Thomas Mann, Germany, (1875-1955), Buddenbrook; The Magic Mountain
Herman Melville, United States, (1819-1891), Moby Dick
Michel de Montaigne, France, (1533-1592), Essays.
Elsa Morante, Italy, (1918-1985), History
Toni Morrison, United States, (b. 1931), Beloved
Shikibu Murasaki, Japan, (N/A), The Tale of Genji Genji
Robert Musil, Austria, (1880-1942), The Man Without Qualities
Vladimir Nabokov, Russia/United States, (1899-1977), Lolita
Njaals Saga, Iceland, (c 1300).
George Orwell, England, (1903-1950), 1984
Ovid, Italy, (c 43 BC), Metamorphoses
Fernando Pessoa, Portugal, (1888-1935), The Book of Disquiet
Edgar Allan Poe, United States, (1809-1849), The Complete Tales
Marcel Proust, France, (1871-1922), Remembrance of Things Past
Francois Rabelais, France, (1495-1553), Gargantua and Pantagruel
Juan Rulfo, Mexico, (1918-1986), Pedro Paramo
Jalal ad-din Rumi, Afghanistan, (1207-1273), Mathnawi
Salman Rushdie, India/Britain, (b. 1947), Midnight's Children
Sheikh Musharrif ud-din Sadi, Iran, (c 1200-1292), The Orchard
Tayeb Salih, Sudan, (b. 1929), Season of Migration to the North
Jose Saramago, Portugal, (b. 1922), Blindness
William Shakespeare, England, (1564-1616), Hamlet; King Lear; Othello
Sophocles, Greece, (496-406 BC), Oedipus the King
Stendhal, France, (1783-1842), The Red and the Black
Laurence Sterne, Ireland, (1713-1768), The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy
Italo Svevo, Italy, (1861-1928), Confessions of Zeno
Jonathan Swift, Ireland, (1667-1745), Gulliver's Travels
Leo Tolstoy, Russia, (1828-1910), War and Peace; Anna Karenina; The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories
Thousand and One Nights, India/Iran/Iraq/Egypt, (700-1500).
Mark Twain, United States, (1835-1910), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Valmiki, India, (c 300 BC), Ramayana
Virgil, Italy, (70-19 BC), The Aeneid
Walt Whitman, United States, (1819-1892), Leaves of Grass
Virginia Woolf, England, (1882-1941), Mrs. Dalloway; To the Lighthouse
Marguerite Yourcenar, France, (1903-1987), Memoirs of Hadrian
Monday, April 19, 2010
A Long Time
So I haven't shopped at Wal-Mart yet. BUT I did enter one. It was traumatizing.
I was meeting my mother so that she could give me my graduation present, and she had to run in to "get a few things" and insisted that I go with her. I told her that it was like dragging a recently clean druggie out of rehab and back into a crack-den. She thought that this was hilarious. I just wanted to inhale all of the dirt cheap merchandise.
But I'm glad I went in. It only reaffirmed how very wrong I think Wal-Mart really is.
"I've got my shampoo, now I need some cleaning products. Oh, and here is a lovely display of cookies. I'll get those too. And dog food. And I also want to look at the DVDs..." And all at ridiculously low prices so that you KNOW that a five year old in an underdeveloped country (or China) made it especially for you.
So that is my story.
I also got into Grad School; I'm going to Rutgers University! Hooray!
Love,
Clellan
I was meeting my mother so that she could give me my graduation present, and she had to run in to "get a few things" and insisted that I go with her. I told her that it was like dragging a recently clean druggie out of rehab and back into a crack-den. She thought that this was hilarious. I just wanted to inhale all of the dirt cheap merchandise.
But I'm glad I went in. It only reaffirmed how very wrong I think Wal-Mart really is.
"I've got my shampoo, now I need some cleaning products. Oh, and here is a lovely display of cookies. I'll get those too. And dog food. And I also want to look at the DVDs..." And all at ridiculously low prices so that you KNOW that a five year old in an underdeveloped country (or China) made it especially for you.
So that is my story.
I also got into Grad School; I'm going to Rutgers University! Hooray!
Love,
Clellan
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
NYC
Went to NYC this past weekend to audition for L.A.M.D.A. (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art). The audition went well, but it was also my FIRST TIME in the city! Went to see "A View from the Bridge" with Liev Schreiber, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Hecht; the show was pretty amazing. Very heartfelt, down to earth, and dangerous at the same time. A man also had a seizure a few rows ahead of me towards the end of Act 1 and Michael Cristofer, playing Alfieri, was onstage speaking, and handled it very well. Immediately he turned his attention to the man in the mezzanine, and kept his gaze focused there as people called for a doctor. In about ten minutes, the man who had had the attack was on his feet and was ushered outside to an ambulance. The play continued seamlessly.
This has little to do with Wal-Mart. I suppose, culturally, maybe. There are no Wal-Marts in Manhatten, at least, not that I saw. I did see a lot of family owned delis and markets where people could buy small groceries, and one larger grocery store near the Brooklyn Bridge. The only parking lot that I saw in the city was at this grocery store.
Anyway.
Love,
Clellan
This has little to do with Wal-Mart. I suppose, culturally, maybe. There are no Wal-Marts in Manhatten, at least, not that I saw. I did see a lot of family owned delis and markets where people could buy small groceries, and one larger grocery store near the Brooklyn Bridge. The only parking lot that I saw in the city was at this grocery store.
Anyway.
Love,
Clellan
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Grad School
I've been in Chicago for a week doing graduate school auditions...now I'm lazing around when there is a ton of makeup work to do. Haven't been grocery shopping yet, but have been subsisting off of gummy snacks and cheese and crackers, leftover pop tarts and soggy toaster strudels. I'll let you know when I get some real shopping done.
And still no Wal-Mart, although I was sorely tempted in Chicago when I needed extra copies of my headshot and I knew their photo center had my headshot on file. But I found an office max that was delightfully helpful, however. Office Max is a store that specializes in copies, and that sort of thing, after all.
And still no Wal-Mart, although I was sorely tempted in Chicago when I needed extra copies of my headshot and I knew their photo center had my headshot on file. But I found an office max that was delightfully helpful, however. Office Max is a store that specializes in copies, and that sort of thing, after all.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Trip to Greenville
Just returned from a trip to Greenville, SC, where I spent a really fun and refreshing two days. Saw old friends and teachers, it was fantastic. Had some discussions about this resolution. Apparently it is not a hard one to keep, and that is what I am finding to be true as well. We discussed how, in times of economic crisis, people can tend to pay more sometimes for local products to support the local community that might be suffering. We're in a recession, and I'll be damned if I give my money to Wal-Mart when the local Vegetable Bin employs local cashiers and managers AND also buys from local farmers.
A friend suggested a project for this blog. I'm going to shop like I normally do at a regional grocery store, then I'm going to go to Wal-Mart and do a pricing (and figure tax) to see if it is making a huge financial difference in my life. When the Farmer's Market comes back in warmer weather, I am going to do the project again on a larger scale. I'm going to take a week and make purchases as usual, writing down anything that could also be purchased at Wal-Mart, such as any groceries, clothing, furniture, personal hygiene, car product, etc, the list is scary. I'm then going to go to Wal-Mart and record all of the prices, again taking tax into consideration, and see how much the change is affecting my finances.
Hope you look forward to it! Part One, the just groceries part, should be done, if not posted, by next weekend.
No one is following that yet, but hopefully it doesn't mean that people aren't reading. I'm of a positive attitude.
Love,
Clellan
A friend suggested a project for this blog. I'm going to shop like I normally do at a regional grocery store, then I'm going to go to Wal-Mart and do a pricing (and figure tax) to see if it is making a huge financial difference in my life. When the Farmer's Market comes back in warmer weather, I am going to do the project again on a larger scale. I'm going to take a week and make purchases as usual, writing down anything that could also be purchased at Wal-Mart, such as any groceries, clothing, furniture, personal hygiene, car product, etc, the list is scary. I'm then going to go to Wal-Mart and record all of the prices, again taking tax into consideration, and see how much the change is affecting my finances.
Hope you look forward to it! Part One, the just groceries part, should be done, if not posted, by next weekend.
No one is following that yet, but hopefully it doesn't mean that people aren't reading. I'm of a positive attitude.
Love,
Clellan
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
School and Coffee
They go together. So I've also been trying to shop at the local coffee shops as well. So far no Starbucks. Although I am drinking the coffee from the school's library coffee shop. I guess thats not as good as a place like the real local place, which is fair trade and all, but still better.
And still no Wal-Mart.
Love,
Clellan
And still no Wal-Mart.
Love,
Clellan
Monday, January 11, 2010
First Day Back...
...to school. Undergrad is a mess. Last semester woohoo!
Still no Wal-Mart.
Love,
Clellan
Still no Wal-Mart.
Love,
Clellan
Friday, January 8, 2010
The First Post
Dear Blog,
We'll see how this endeavor goes. I'm hoping to make myself into a more conscious consumer. The other day I went to Publix and about 50% of my groceries were organic, and I wager I only spent 15% more than usual. So far, so good in the battle against You-Know-Where (always evil, always).
If you hadn't gathered, there will be Harry Potter references.
Love,
Clellan
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