That Adult Thing

I think I finally figured out the secret to this whole adult-ing thing.  Basically, being an adult is just like being a kid, except you now have money to buy all that nerd stuff for yourself, and people expect you to act "your age", get up at a reasonable hour, pay the bills, go to work, wear pants around the house--even if no one is home--and do other "mature" things, even if you don't want to.  Basically, being an adult is all about pretending to be the most mature member of your social circle.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm putting on my jammies and crawling into my blanket fort.

Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Thief (Maurice LeBlanc)

Those who know me well enough know that I'm a huge fan of the anime Lupin III by Monkey Punch (as well as the manga that inspired it, although it's really not as good).  And one day, while I was on a total Lupin III kick, I happened to stumble upon an interesting little fact on the Internet: Lupin III (or "Rupan sansei" as he's known in Japan) is based off a French book series by Maurice LeBlanc about a gentleman thief-turned-detective named Arsène Lupin.  (He's called Rupan in Japan in order to skirt around a copyright issue that originally prevented them from using the name Lupin.  Not that it mattered to them, since there is no "L" sound in Japanese, and they were already pronouncing it with an "R" sound anyway).  Already a fan of the famous anime criminal, I thought it might be fun to go back and read the book that inspired it all.  And that's how I ended up reading Arsène Lupin: Gentleman Thief this summer.  It also helped, of course, that the book fit into my theme of summer mysteries.  

This was a great book!  I honestly wasn't sure what to expect.  After all, I had fallen for Lupin the THIRD, the young, brash, and completely charming GRANDSON.  And sure, he was based off of the LeBlanc character, but that didn't mean that they were going to be the same.  And I'll be honest; they weren't the same.  But, despite this, they were both VERY good.  I really loved this original incarnation of Lupin.  He was funny, clever, charming, and had a sort of confident, mature bearing to him that Lupin III lacks.  While his "grandson" is cocky, over-confident, and pretty lusty, the original Lupin is much more of a romantic.  He does things not so much for the money or the sex, but because it's a charming or romanticized adventure.  It's like Robin Hood: robbing the rich and saving fair maidens.  Whether or not the whole thing is actually like this is up for debate, but this is certainly how Lupin sees it.

More than anything, these stories actually reminded me a lot of the Lupin seen in the Hayao Miyazaki Lupin III film The Castle of Cagliostro which quickly became one of my all-time favorite films as soon as I had seen it.  In this movie, Lupin III seems more mature.  He's not interested in all the ladies and the money; in fact, I don't think he makes any sex jokes at all (as contrasted to his other movies, which has him ogling breasts, chasing pretty girls, or attempting to seduce his on-again/off-again girlfriend Fujiko Mine).  His focus is on righting wrongs and saving a damsel in distress.  And in this book, that's what Lupin focuses on, too.  Sure, he plays some tricks and steals some things.  He even goes up against the greatest detective in literature: Sherlock Holmes.  But, he's not all about childish excitement.  He's more purposeful.  And it made for some great, fun stories with lots of drama and mystery.  I think my favorite was actually the final story: "The Sign of Mercury," which was almost completely over-the-top at times, but it was just so much fun that I didn't even care!

If you read any of the books I suggest this summer, this is one you just have to check out!  And I highly recommend that while you're at it, you give the anime a shot, too.  (A side note, some of the movies are rather bland, and might give you a bad introduction to the series.  Start with Castle of Cagliostro or Lupin III Series 2.)  But, read this book first.  Seriously.  Go read it.

Blargh

I can't wait for this week to be over.  Or, more specifically, I can't wait until my Wednesday 5-6:15 class is over, and I don't have to stress about this presentation about Irish author Benedict Kiely anymore.  Going along with that, when class is over, my professor has offered to take us all out to dinner at a local Irish pub, and one of the grad students is buying us all beer.  I can't wait to sit back with a deliciously dark Guinness! 

I try--as a rule--to avoid drinking when I'm stressed out, but I would kill for a nice glass of wine or shot of vodka right now....just something to help me relax.  And I don't even know why I'm so stressed out!

Maybe it's because I just got back from Thanksgiving break, and I already have a ton of work?  Like 3+ papers, a one-act play, and two short story revisions?  Or maybe it's because I had finally decided I was going to take a year off before grad school, and now, on the suggestion of one of my writing buddies, I'm off on a mad scramble to fill out applications for a MA in Creative Writing program?  Or, if that's not what's bothering me, perhaps it's the fact that I'm majorly crushing (against my will!) on a creep who keeps trying to seduce me, even though he has a girlfriend?  I tell him that I just want to be friends, but he keeps coming on to me.  And it's seriously starting to piss me off.  Maybe I'm stressed because I graduate in just over a semester?  Or because I still don't quite know what I want to do with my life?  Do I want to be a writer or a librarian?  What the hell am I doing?

Why do I always attract creeps?  I don't even want a boyfriend....I really don't want to be in a relationship right now, but I certainly wouldn't mind a few pleasant dates with someone who's not a player, a creep, or a weasel (this current guy happens to be all three).

I think I'm going to curl up in bed with To Kill a Mockingbird, and read until I fall asleep.....that is, once I finish all this homework, first.

That was a LOT of rambling and stressing out.  So, here's a cute picture of a hedgehog to make y'all feel better :)

Candy Rant

The simple process of deciding what to have for dessert tonight lead to a small rant to my parents and brothers about false advertising in the world of chocolate.  Here it is......

Hershey's Air Delight; all air-- no delight.

Hershey's Air Delight is not really so much of a delight as Hershey's would make you think.  Sure, it's chocolate and it's Hershey's...so of course it's delightful.  But, basically, upon buying one, you receive a chocolate bar that's full of air pockets, so while it looks bigger than other Hershey's bars, it's the same amount of chocolate, if not less, since the space that's normally full of chocolate is full of air.  I don't know about you, but for me, that's not exactly delightful.  That's just a chocolate bar full of air.  I'm getting less chocolate for my money, and I fall for it because you put it in a fancy wrapper and call it delight.  Clever, Hershey's.....clever.

Fun Size?  Seems like false advertising to me!

The other candy trick that always mystifies me is the concept of Fun Size.  When the candy is so small that I can eat it in one or two bites, than that's not fun-sized.  That's a nice bite, but that's not fun.  I'd call those baby-sized.  Fun size candy bars are those giant ones that my neighbor used to give to brave trick-or-treaters who "survived" his "haunted garage".  That's a fun size.  That's a lot of fun!  A half-bite of candy is not fun.  That just whets my insatiable appetite for more chocolate.  A King-Sized candy bar my idea of fun!

Moleskine

I'm a writer and an artist, so I'm constantly littering notebooks, sticky notes, scraps of paper, and just about whatever else I can find, with notes, bits from stories, quotes, and doodles. I've been carrying around an old library receipt with random quotes written all over it, and just the other day, I took over about half a page of my planner with notes concerning a design layout I had for Cinema Sweetheart! I've been on the lookout for a good notebook for a while now, especially now that summer is coming and I want to have someone to keep all my ramblings and thoughts together.

And....I've chosen a Moleskine. Well, that is, I would LIKE to choose a Moleskine, but...well, they are pretty expensive, and for those of you who do not know, I'm pretty broke. Even so, I've been planning it out: what model I want (the Plain Notebook-- either Large or Pocket--because the I can scribble all over without lines to impede me). As for pens, I'm just going to go for something simple that doesn't bleed through the pages...although, once I have real money, I'd love to get a fountain pen....or better yet: a quill pen! (Yes, I'm a huge nerd :P)

So, wish me luck in finding the funds to get myself one of these little darlings ^_^