Life is Really Complicated...

...And sometimes, I find myself confused and frustrated and unable to figure out where to go from here. Just promise me that you'll always be there for me, no matter how shitty I'm feeling or how bitchy I'm acting....I admit that it won't be easy, but I promise you that things will get better. However, by that same token, I'll need you to remind me that things are going to be better, as well. If I need a hug, please be ready for me with open arms. I'm going to be needy; I'm going to be annoying and clingy and frustrating....but it's only because I need you. If I'm distant, or pained, or out of sorts, and you ask me what is wrong, perhaps there is nothing wrong; I just need to hear the sound of your voice and know that you're going to be there when I need you later. Sometimes, I don't even know what's wrong....but it would be nice if you could comfort me all the same and just melt the pain away with your presence.

I miss you and I want you here with me more than ever. You are an angel. Please don't let me down; you never have before.

Lots of love; in the past, the present, and eternity.

Alice Cooper Describes My Mood

Alice is Dead (Plus Cowbell)

Okay, so I found this epic site which lets you add cowbell music (and Christopher Walken) to any MP3 sound bite. This is so epic! I'm including the website here, and a soundbite of a song that I made on there....Alice is Dead with Cowbell.

	Make your own at MoreCowbell.dj

Paintings (Sexing the Cherry)

Empty space and light. For us, empty space is space empty of people. The sea blue-black at night, stretched on a curve under the curve of the sky, blue-black and pinned with silver stars that never need polish. The Arctic, where the white snow is the white of nothing and defies the focus of the eye. Forests and rain forests and waterfalls that roar down the hollows of rocks. Deserts like a burning fire. Paintings show us how light affects us, for to live is to live in time and not be conscious of it, except in the most obvious ways. Paintings are light caught and held like a genie in a jar. The energy is trapped for ever, concentrated, unable to disperse.

Still life is dancing life. The dancing life of light.

~Sexing the Cherry (Jeanette Winterson)

Dog Woman (Sexing the Cherry)

I know that people are afraid of me, either for the yapping of my dogs or because I stand taller than any of them. When I was a child my father swung me up on his knees to tell me a story and I broke both his legs. He never touched me again, except with the point of the whip he used for the dogs. But my mother, who lived only a while and was so light that she dared not go out in a wind, could swing me on her back and carry me for miles. There was talk of witchcraft but what is stronger than love?

When Jordon was new I sat him on the palm of my hand the way I would a puppy, and I held him to my face and let him pick the fleas out of my scars.

He was always happy. We were happy together, and if he noticed that I am bigger than most he never mentioned it. He was proud of me because no other child had a mother who could hold a dozen oranges in her mouth at once.

How hideous am I?

~Sexing the Cherry (Jeanette Winterson)

Sexing the Cherry (Jeanette Winterson)

I'm sure if you just read the title of my current book, Sexing the Cherry might be a bit of a turnoff to some of you because of the obvious connotations that are attached to it. However, don't let that deter you from reading this rather engaging piece of magical realism. Currently, I'm about halfway through, and I love it!

Normally, I like to give a description myself, but since I've not finished yet (and to be honest, it's a bit hard to explain), I'd recommend checking out a quick summary of the book here. Don't worry; no spoilers, and it might just peak your interest.

The reason I'm posting this prematurely (well...before finishing) is because I'm finding some wonderful quotes as progress through the book, and I wanted to share them with all of you as I came across them. So, expect a few days worth of quotes in the weeks to come :)

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

I have just finished watching one of the best movies I've seen in a long time! Movie Boy actually made the recommendation to me, telling me that I would probably like it because of the literary references, however, he cautioned me to not get my hopes up too much, since he was afraid that it was cooler in theory than in action. Well, I'm happy to report that it was just as epic in actuality as it was in theory! I was so pumped the entire time I watched this movie! Normally, I'm not a fan of action films, but this was the perfect mix of action and literary references!

For those of you who are not familiar with the story, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a tale of epic proportions. When Europe is on the brink of a potential world war, a mysterious figure named "M" gathers together the ultimate team to save the world from destroying itself:

Allan Quartermain (Sean Connery)

Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah)

Mina Harker (Peta Wilson)

Rodney Skinner, the Invisible Man (Tony Curran)

Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend)

Tom Sawyer (Shane West)

Dr. Henry Jekyll (Jason Flemyng)

This is a movie that you just have to see to believe! It was AMAZING! And actually, this has prompted a summer reading challenge for myself. I'm going to make it a point to read all of the books that inspired these characters:

• Allan Quartermain: King Soloman's Mines (H. Rider Haggard)
• Captain Nemo: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (Jules Verne)
• Mina Harker: Dracula (Bram Stoker)
• Rodney Skinner: The Invisible Man (H.G. Wells)
• Dorian Gray: The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)
• Tom Sawyer: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)
• Dr. Henry Jekyll: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Lewis Stevenson)

This summer, I hope to be able to give you all exciting reviews of these books :) I'll be a bit brief when it comes to Jekyll's book, however, since I just reviewed it last summer. (I'm sure many of you remember my crazy "Jekyll and Hyde phase". Still, look forward to seeing reviews about all of these! It's going to be great :)

On a side note, I would like to make one small complaint about the film. I felt the tiniest bit annoyed that the writers took obvious creative liberties with several of the characters. The most notable for me, (with what I have read), would be Mina's vampirism (a fate which she is spared in Dracula), Dorian (no more information to be given...don't want to include spoilers here), and the appearance of Edward Hyde. Strange as it may seem, Hyde is actually supposed to be smaller than Jekyll, not the hulking brute that he is in the film. This is not to say that I'm complaining....I agree that the changes work well for the film, however, the stubborn English major within me protests that this is not how it was supposed to be.

Freddie Krueger Got THAT Much Cooler...

When I found out that he's actually wearing a fedora!

No real interest in the character or the movie (both are waaaay too creepy), but I have to admire the hat :)

Look at the Birdie

Spring Break has officially started, and I've finished my first book of pleasure reading since Christmas Break! Kurt Vonnegut's Look at the Birdie is an amazing collection of short fiction from a cache of this great American writer's unpublished pieces. Sadly, I've not had much experience with Vonnegut as a whole, never having read his more famous works, like Slaughterhouse Five or Cat's Cradle. In fact, previously, the only one of his works that I had read was the short story "Harrison Bergeron", which has now become one of my favorite short stories ever. So, when I recognized Vonnegut's name on a collection of more short fiction, I just had to check it out.

Look at the Birdie has a little bit of everything. A family learns the dangers of bringing their deepest, darkest secrets to life; a hypnotist is questioned by the police about the disappearance of several women last seen in his shop; two myrmecologists discover a shocking truth about the history and evolution of ants; and a genius, his teacher, and his slow-witted classmate learn a very valuable lesson from a female classmate.

This was a book that I could literally not put down! I was drawn right into the world of Vonnegut's imaginings, in a manner that rivaled Neil Gaiman; one of my favorite short story writers. I would highly recommend this collection to anyone who has an interest in short fiction or Kurt Vonnegut; or someone who is just looking for a good read. You will not be disappointed!

Spring Break

The break is almost here! I'm practically counting down the hours :) All I have to worry about is getting through a 3-5 page essay tonight and then two classes tomorrow. After classes, me and my Movie Boy are going to be curling up to watch the very romantic Jurassic Park :P It's going to be my first time watching and I'm really excited! So, for now, it's essay, two classes, movie. I'm going to really enjoy this!

Thrilled beyond belief about the break, though. I'm finally going to get to sleep for a little while without having to worry about getting up for class or weekend brunch (if you sleep too late on the weekends, the food in the dining hall is not as good). I also have a list of books lined up to read! Here is what I hope to get to....

-Look at the Birdie (Kurt Vonnegut)

-Frankenstein's Monster (Susan Heyboer O'Keefe)

-What I Didn't See (Karen Joy Fowler)

-Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)

-Unbearable Lightness (Portia DeRossi)

The first three were just selections I picked up off the shelves at the library, while the fourth is for a class the the last one is for my book club.

If I have the chance, I'll post reviews of the books on here later :)