The Panic of Christmas Shopping

Thanksgiving has come and gone....and you know what that means now.  Yep, the horrifying panic that is Christmas shopping starts to sink in.  Don't get me wrong; I LOVE Christmas shopping.  And now that I have a job, it's much easier than in the past (ie. I actually have $$$, and I don't have to just used saved up birthday cash from October).  But, still.  It's always a panic trying to find the perfect item for each person, and of course, during my shopping extravaganzas, I always find something that I want, and I have to convince myself to wait just a little bit longer before I buy it.  It's not even December, and I've already found two things that I want.  I'm really tempted just to buy them....What do you think?

Hamlet: Too Bad or Not Too Bad?

I'm sure my Good Reads friends have noticed that I just added a new book to my already rather long "Currently Reading" list.  But, I couldn't resist picking up Hamlet again.  The other day, I listened to a fascinating lecture all about Hamlet, and realized that I should totally reread the play.  Apart from Twelfth Night, Hamlet is my favorite Shakespearean piece.  Besides the classic story, I've also fallen in love with some of the incarnations of this tragic Danish prince, such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and the movie Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead.  I've seen Hamlet as an emo, a nut, a conflicted young man, and even a smiling idiot with no concept of danger.  However, I've never actually seen him as a villain.  And that's just what this lecturer set out to prove: like Macbeth, Hamlet is the villain of his play.

Now, Hamlet is one of my favorite characters in literature, right up there with Malvolio (Twelfth Night); Zaphod Beeblebrox (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy); and Boo Radley and Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird).  Even so, I was not worried to see him painted the villain.  In fact, I was very intrigued.  I love the character of Hamlet because he is so complicated.  He's neither strictly hero or villain; madman or genius.  He's impossible to pin down, and I love that.

What do you think?  Hamlet hero or villain?  Facts to support your argument would be wonderful!  If you have a Good Reads account, I have a discussion forum posted; I would love it if you would respond ;)  If not, I'd love to hear about your theories in the comments feed right here on Ramblings!

[Edit] I thought I posted this LAST week...and I'm really surprised that I hadn't heard a single response.  Then, I realized I hadn't posted it, but saved it to drafts.  Bonus points for Emmy. xD

The Hunger Games

I just finished reading book one of The Hunger Games yesterday.  I would have blogged about it, but I was exausted.  Come to think of it, I'm STILL really tired.  I guess that mean's I'm going to have to keep this somewhat short.

First, of all, I LOVED the book!  Next, I'm going to have to borrow Rachel's copy of the second book, Catching Fire.  I can't wait to read what happens next!  The beginning of this book was a bit slow, and I'll admit the story was sad, but it was almost impossible to put down!  I NEED to read more!

For those of you who have read the book, how many of you are completely and utterly disappointed with the casting for the upcoming movie?  [Raises hand] I know I am!  The characters are NOTHING like I pictured in my head.  Disappointment.

Not sure if I'm going to see the movie or not.  I feel like most of the time, the movies are so completey different from what I have in my head, and I'm not sure if I want my illusions to be shattered.  Maybe I'll let everyone else go and get some opinions once they get back. After that, I can always rent the film on DVD at the library.

A "Surprise" Outside

Before I go to bed, I like to leave a slight gap in the blinds to let the sun shine in so I can wake up to a bright, sunny day (granted the sun is shining).  There's a tree outside my window, but it's kinda scraggly, and I don't really take it much into account most of the time.  I surely noticed it today though, because it was white.  My scraggly brown-and-black tree was WHITE.  Yeah.  You guessed it.  Snow.

I know some of you love snow.  My brother loves snow.  The Roomie (now in France) loves snow.  I think it's pretty, but I'm not interested in going out in it.  So far, it looks like it's only a dusting, but even so, I take this to be a very bad sign....ie., winter is coming.  And did I mention that I'm not going home for like two more weeks, and I don't have a winter coat on campus?  I have several jackets.....but not a coat.  And, I don't have hats or scarves, either.  I have sweaters.  So....if you guys don't hear from me in a while (either posting on my blog or commenting on yours), then it probably means I've frozen to death in a crazy snow storm that sorta popped up out of nowhere.

I think I'm going to knit myself a scarf this weekend.  I don't exactly have TIME or MONEY, but I'm sure I can think of something.  I have blue and green yarn in the dorm, but it's too thin to be warm, and besides, I'm already using it to make a light blanket.  I'm thinking some nice, thick magenta wool-blend.  As for a pattern, I'm just going to go with garter stitch; basic, reliable, and simple.  Either that, or I'll go all out and do something like basket weave or raspberry stitch.  I don't want to make anything too complicated, though, since I'm going to have to have something to wear by Monday.  Haha; that's the problem.  I really need something to keep me warm, and trying to make a pretty pattern like raspberry stitch will take me FOREVER to do.  So, it comes down to appearance or usefulness.  I'm going to go with usefulness.

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

Tudor Literature

I was looking ahead on my syllabus for Tudor Literature, and was thrilled to see that we'll be finishing up the semester with William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night!  That's my favorite of his plays!  Now, this will be the second time I read this play for a college course (the first time was last year), and I've always thought it would be funny to come to class wearing the one identifying piece of clothing of one of the characters (ie. a bowler hat if reading Waiting for Godot; a skull if reading Hamlet, a mask if The Phantom of the Opera, or perhaps carry around a badly burned manuscript if reading Hedda Gabbler).  In Twelfth Night, the big thing is Malvolio's yellow stockings.

Malvolio is a very melancholy character, considered by the others to be a complete stick-in the mud.  So, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Maria all decide it would be really funny to send him letters and let him think they are from Oliva, the girl he likes (who happens to be his employer), and make him do stupid things, like smile all the time (to the point where it is creepy), and to wear yellow, cross-gartered stockings, which Oliva personally thinks is a horrid fashion statement.

I thought it would be fun to just come to class dressed in yellow stockings.  My professor is really cool, and I know she'd find the whole thing to be very funny.  Do you think I should do it?  It's a small class, so I don't have much to worry about.  I'd just get to class early, while the room is still dark, go to the back corner, slip off my pants (because I'm not going to walk around campus in yellow tights) and I'd have shorts or cropped pants and the yellow tights on underneath.  Then, I'd just have to act a bit like Malvolio.  I think it would be really funny.  But, tell me what you think first!  In case you weren't sure, this is sort of what it would look like.



Credit goes to Lydianime, who posted this picture on her DeviantArt page :)