It's Wednesday.
But it's also Thanksgiving week AND the day after my birthday.
So, no Real World Wednesday today.
Nope, this is as Sarah-centric as it's going to get.
I turned 28 yesterday, and it's not scary. I wasn't scared or worried or anxious leading up to the big 2-8. 25? Freaked the crap out of me. 18? Ooooh boy, not so good.
But 28? For some reason, I'm totally okay with it. Maybe it's that it's a beautiful even number. I have always found 28 oddly appealing (and yes, I am THAT girl who at the grocery store prefers that her packaged meat has an even price). My friends who have added that extra year to their age also seem to agree that 28 is a satisfying and solid number, not the least big scary.
Thus, no freak out post this year.
That's right, I didn't freak out, so no freak out post. I kind of like that.
I do know that this year, as an extension of the never ending quest to calm down, I am adding a new addendum and that is to not be quite so hard on myself. I expect perfection, and I rarely get it...then I take out my disappointment in my own shortcomings on other people. Then I get upset with myself about that.
So, at 28, I think I'm old enough to stop playing judge, disciplinarian and out and out pain the butt!
I'm letting myself off the hook.
I think I'm going to like 28.
Happy Birthday to me and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
In Which Toni Morrison Confirms Everything I Always Thought About Literature
My wonderful friend Haylz decided to treat a couple of us November babies to an interview with Toni Morrison in SF.
I was excited, but Haylz asked us about this months ago. It's like the time she bought tickets to see Gwen Stefani, and I completely forgot about the concert until like three days before...that Haylz...delayed gratification all the way around :p.
Anyway, I was excited but not entirely aware of how strongly I am in awe of Toni Morrison. That is, until I walked into the Mason Auditorium and saw her walk out on stage. Suddenly, I remembered how many times I've read Beloved, and how I loved but struggled to understand Jazz. I remembered how my grandmother was so confused over why my dad would want to read Song of Solomon so much as to request it for a Christmas present. I remembered how happy my dad was to get that book that my grandma begrudgingly bought him.
I often feel like a horrible English major. I can't quite Chaucer. I loathe the Romantics (with the possible exception of John Donne, but, really, an exception has to be made for a poet who compares orgasms to itches of fleas). I can't tell you about the lost loves of Emily Dickinson). Yet, when Ms. Morrison opened her mouth and began naming authors, I felt at home. James Baldwin! Richard Wright! Ralph Ellison! Zora Neale Hurston! Virginia Woolf! William Faulkner! Yes! I know your predecessors, Ms. Morrison. I know and understand what you're talking about! I really am an English major, just a different sort than people would expect.
Ms. Morrison speckled her conversation with humor, even cracking herself up once, and when the interviewer didn't get the joke, she paused, looked at him and said, "Well, I thought it was funny."
My favorite moment, though, came when an English major of the more typical sort asked Ms. Morrison if she had intended Sula to have so many similarities to Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!. Ms. Morrison said, and I quote loosely here, "Not that I'm aware of...in fact, if I had been aware of it, I would have stopped writing someone else's book." I thought that her answer was perfect. She confirmed what I always suspected, that many authors don't intentionally weave in symbols...the symbols are innate in the story. She even mentioned reading an article that declared that Sula was really, secretly, a lesbian novel. She looked at the audience, gave a mysterious grin and said, "If I wanted to write a lesbian novel, I'd write a lesbian novel...and I'd do it up right."
I knew it!
I can't say that's true for every last author and poet whose work I spent hours analyzing and theorizing over and writing thesis statements about said analyzing and theorizing, but it is, at least, confirmed, that Toni Morrison writes to tell a story and not to trip her readers on hidden symbols and tricky meanings.
The conversation wrapped up, and we were released back into the crisp San Francisco air. I feel replenished as a reader, writer and degree holding English major.
So, thank you, Haylz. You gave me a gift I really needed - perhaps I should write that up in a thank you note ;).
I was excited, but Haylz asked us about this months ago. It's like the time she bought tickets to see Gwen Stefani, and I completely forgot about the concert until like three days before...that Haylz...delayed gratification all the way around :p.
Anyway, I was excited but not entirely aware of how strongly I am in awe of Toni Morrison. That is, until I walked into the Mason Auditorium and saw her walk out on stage. Suddenly, I remembered how many times I've read Beloved, and how I loved but struggled to understand Jazz. I remembered how my grandmother was so confused over why my dad would want to read Song of Solomon so much as to request it for a Christmas present. I remembered how happy my dad was to get that book that my grandma begrudgingly bought him.
I often feel like a horrible English major. I can't quite Chaucer. I loathe the Romantics (with the possible exception of John Donne, but, really, an exception has to be made for a poet who compares orgasms to itches of fleas). I can't tell you about the lost loves of Emily Dickinson). Yet, when Ms. Morrison opened her mouth and began naming authors, I felt at home. James Baldwin! Richard Wright! Ralph Ellison! Zora Neale Hurston! Virginia Woolf! William Faulkner! Yes! I know your predecessors, Ms. Morrison. I know and understand what you're talking about! I really am an English major, just a different sort than people would expect.
Ms. Morrison speckled her conversation with humor, even cracking herself up once, and when the interviewer didn't get the joke, she paused, looked at him and said, "Well, I thought it was funny."
My favorite moment, though, came when an English major of the more typical sort asked Ms. Morrison if she had intended Sula to have so many similarities to Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!. Ms. Morrison said, and I quote loosely here, "Not that I'm aware of...in fact, if I had been aware of it, I would have stopped writing someone else's book." I thought that her answer was perfect. She confirmed what I always suspected, that many authors don't intentionally weave in symbols...the symbols are innate in the story. She even mentioned reading an article that declared that Sula was really, secretly, a lesbian novel. She looked at the audience, gave a mysterious grin and said, "If I wanted to write a lesbian novel, I'd write a lesbian novel...and I'd do it up right."
I knew it!
I can't say that's true for every last author and poet whose work I spent hours analyzing and theorizing over and writing thesis statements about said analyzing and theorizing, but it is, at least, confirmed, that Toni Morrison writes to tell a story and not to trip her readers on hidden symbols and tricky meanings.
The conversation wrapped up, and we were released back into the crisp San Francisco air. I feel replenished as a reader, writer and degree holding English major.
So, thank you, Haylz. You gave me a gift I really needed - perhaps I should write that up in a thank you note ;).
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Real World Wednesday
The election is over. The coverage continues. The discussion of every little detail about the government continues. If I get a hankering for political news (which has been known to happen), I know just where to turn for a fix.
But there are other things going on in the world right now.
It's the season of year for giving!
Why?
Oh, for three reasons:
1) Around the holidays, people feel guilty about spending so much money on themselves, their family and their friends, so they give money to charities.
2) It's the end of the tax year, and some people like to build up those write-offs.
3) People who give regularly are inundated with requests for more funds and tend to give in to at least one.
This year, many charities are facing a money crunch, as any "extra" money people were giving to charity may not exactly be flying out the checking account this year.
If you're tightening your belt and feeling that binch, I still encourage you to get involved with charity efforts this year.
Doing the following won't cost you any money but will certainly provide a benefit for many, many people.
1) Find a one-time or holiday-only volunteer opportunity. Give some time away this year.
2) Sort through your kitchen cabinet, and put together a basket of non-perishable items to donate to your local food pantry. Sure, you spent money on the food originally, but are you really going to ever use 18 cans of garbanzo beans?
3) As we've talked about before, go through your dresser, your closet, your shoe tree (or any and all of the above for your significant other and/also children, if they'll let you) and take some items over to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.
4) Also consider donations of furniture...perhaps you've got an extra coffee table that your mother insisted you needed.
5) Pray. Pray for those in need. Pray for peace. Pray for the world around you. Prayer's free, after all.
But there are other things going on in the world right now.
It's the season of year for giving!
Why?
Oh, for three reasons:
1) Around the holidays, people feel guilty about spending so much money on themselves, their family and their friends, so they give money to charities.
2) It's the end of the tax year, and some people like to build up those write-offs.
3) People who give regularly are inundated with requests for more funds and tend to give in to at least one.
This year, many charities are facing a money crunch, as any "extra" money people were giving to charity may not exactly be flying out the checking account this year.
If you're tightening your belt and feeling that binch, I still encourage you to get involved with charity efforts this year.
Doing the following won't cost you any money but will certainly provide a benefit for many, many people.
1) Find a one-time or holiday-only volunteer opportunity. Give some time away this year.
2) Sort through your kitchen cabinet, and put together a basket of non-perishable items to donate to your local food pantry. Sure, you spent money on the food originally, but are you really going to ever use 18 cans of garbanzo beans?
3) As we've talked about before, go through your dresser, your closet, your shoe tree (or any and all of the above for your significant other and/also children, if they'll let you) and take some items over to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.
4) Also consider donations of furniture...perhaps you've got an extra coffee table that your mother insisted you needed.
5) Pray. Pray for those in need. Pray for peace. Pray for the world around you. Prayer's free, after all.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Real World Wednesday
I've been meaning to write up something since the election, but things kept getting in the way...things like finishing my book! That's right! I've got a full, first draft. Now, it's time for the tough stuff: editing.
Still, I've been keeping up with the world. I'm still on my NPR kick. I haven't given up on educating myself as if I were pursuing a graduate degree in life. After finishing both the Feminine Mystique and Fear of Flying, I'm moving on to Simone de Beauvoir (my academic streak had a little diversion into reading about the zipless f***).
But it's November, and the country is (mostly) on a post-election high. So, here's one big challenge for this week: what about/in your country are you most grateful for?
That seems just the right topic for the month of Thanksgiving :).
I'll start.
I am grateful that I live in a country and a state where I can express my views without fear of persecution.
Still, I've been keeping up with the world. I'm still on my NPR kick. I haven't given up on educating myself as if I were pursuing a graduate degree in life. After finishing both the Feminine Mystique and Fear of Flying, I'm moving on to Simone de Beauvoir (my academic streak had a little diversion into reading about the zipless f***).
But it's November, and the country is (mostly) on a post-election high. So, here's one big challenge for this week: what about/in your country are you most grateful for?
That seems just the right topic for the month of Thanksgiving :).
I'll start.
I am grateful that I live in a country and a state where I can express my views without fear of persecution.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Real World ELECTION DAY
Your Election Day Mission(s):
1) Vote
2) Settle in and watch the results
No matter what happens, this election is a once-in-a-lifetime event!
And just for kicks, my mom shared this interesting tidbit this morning: This is the first election since 1976 that there has been neither a Clinton nor a Bush on the ballot (for VP or President).
1) Vote
2) Settle in and watch the results
No matter what happens, this election is a once-in-a-lifetime event!
And just for kicks, my mom shared this interesting tidbit this morning: This is the first election since 1976 that there has been neither a Clinton nor a Bush on the ballot (for VP or President).
Monday, November 03, 2008
Educating Myself
I've picked up a few "educational" books in the past few weeks. I've also made a concerted effort to read my "work" books at work (that means that I force myself to spend time at work reading books like Kiki Strike. It's a tough life, I tell you what.
First on my list of educational reads: The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. I've avoided reading this book in part because I thought the author would tell me things I didn't want to hear. I had misgivings and misunderstandings about this book, and I was afraid of reading that my desire for a good marriage and happy children somehow made me "less" of a woman. Of course, that's not what this book told me at all.
At 27 (sigh, nearly 28), I read a book that every woman should read at least once in her life. If you need to question the validity of the 50's and 60's era statistics, were they to be applied now, then do so, but the content is still valuable.
I recognized in myself the women who floated through college, studying various subjects, getting interested and educated on a variety of things but neve settling on any one particular topic, assuming that they would marry not long after college. Luckily, my varied education makes me an excellent librarian and an exceedingly interesting person.
As I read, I learned about women who lived lives I am terrified of living. I learned of women who devoted themselves, body, mind and soul, to their husbands and children and forgot what it meant to be an individual.
I learned that educated women who use their educations in some way (be it as a career-woman or an unpaid community leader) are healthier, more sexually satisfied and more comfortable in their own skin. I also learned that the husbands and children of these women are also far better off for having an individual for a mother instead of one who spends each and every day deeply involved in house cleaning.
Before I opted to read this book, I asked my mom if she had, and if she thought I should. She advised me to go ahead and pick it up but warned that it would "either help or hurt" my current emotional state. It helped. I feel that I'm making the right choices in my life.
I feel that having waited before diving into a long-term relationship, I was granted the opportunity to develop as an individual and as a woman. For that, I will be forever grateful.
Next up in the Edification of Sarah?: Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir
p.s. I've updated Real World Wednesday: The Problem with Choice to include my thoughts on adoption.
First on my list of educational reads: The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. I've avoided reading this book in part because I thought the author would tell me things I didn't want to hear. I had misgivings and misunderstandings about this book, and I was afraid of reading that my desire for a good marriage and happy children somehow made me "less" of a woman. Of course, that's not what this book told me at all.
At 27 (sigh, nearly 28), I read a book that every woman should read at least once in her life. If you need to question the validity of the 50's and 60's era statistics, were they to be applied now, then do so, but the content is still valuable.
I recognized in myself the women who floated through college, studying various subjects, getting interested and educated on a variety of things but neve settling on any one particular topic, assuming that they would marry not long after college. Luckily, my varied education makes me an excellent librarian and an exceedingly interesting person.
As I read, I learned about women who lived lives I am terrified of living. I learned of women who devoted themselves, body, mind and soul, to their husbands and children and forgot what it meant to be an individual.
I learned that educated women who use their educations in some way (be it as a career-woman or an unpaid community leader) are healthier, more sexually satisfied and more comfortable in their own skin. I also learned that the husbands and children of these women are also far better off for having an individual for a mother instead of one who spends each and every day deeply involved in house cleaning.
Before I opted to read this book, I asked my mom if she had, and if she thought I should. She advised me to go ahead and pick it up but warned that it would "either help or hurt" my current emotional state. It helped. I feel that I'm making the right choices in my life.
I feel that having waited before diving into a long-term relationship, I was granted the opportunity to develop as an individual and as a woman. For that, I will be forever grateful.
Next up in the Edification of Sarah?: Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir
p.s. I've updated Real World Wednesday: The Problem with Choice to include my thoughts on adoption.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Just in Time
For a few years, I have long wanted to write another novel. The first one I wrote wasn't meant for the public. In that first attempt at novel writing, I worked through events in my family's recent history. The experience was therapeutic, but I didn't produce anything I wanted the world to see.
Since I've started reviewing books (the pay's not bad: free books), I have seen that my own writing ability certainly matches or beats what's currently on the market. I know that there's more to getting published than good writing, but I'm motivated, all the same.
I started to write a Young Adult Novel several months ago, and as I make my final push to finish telling the story and start editing, it just so happens to be November, National Novel Writing Month. I'll take the short weeks of this month to wrap up my work and ready the manuscrip for submission.
For the first year ever, I'll take part, though I know that my participation isn't exactly in line with the general concept of NaNoWriMo (to write an entire novel during the month of November). Here's to getting out what needs saying!
Happy Writing, Everyone...now back under your rocks!
Since I've started reviewing books (the pay's not bad: free books), I have seen that my own writing ability certainly matches or beats what's currently on the market. I know that there's more to getting published than good writing, but I'm motivated, all the same.
I started to write a Young Adult Novel several months ago, and as I make my final push to finish telling the story and start editing, it just so happens to be November, National Novel Writing Month. I'll take the short weeks of this month to wrap up my work and ready the manuscrip for submission.
For the first year ever, I'll take part, though I know that my participation isn't exactly in line with the general concept of NaNoWriMo (to write an entire novel during the month of November). Here's to getting out what needs saying!
Happy Writing, Everyone...now back under your rocks!
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