A Bit Bookish

Philippe's total immersion in the street life of El Barrio is shocking not because of what he witnesses but because he witnesses them here in America, in what's probably the richest and most "American" of cities, New York. His experiences boggle the mind- his stories read like some kind of dystopian future where cops harass you for being too intelligent, too skinny, or having the wrong color skin and people are forced to accept a way of life that revolves around them being outcasts while the rich, just a few blocks away, wear $500 shoes and pay for a meal at a restaurant with funds that could last these people a whole month. Except this isn't a dystopian future- it's the everyday lives of the very poor in the 1990's. His experiences being harassed and judged reflect what the people he's interacting with feel any time they leave the familiar streets of their own sad neighborhood. Through anthropological studies like his, we are able to see other cultures similar to El Barrio not as a dot on a map or a stereotype on TV but as a group of people profoundly effected by their collective past, their marginalization by mainstream society, and by the (understandably) hopeless attitudes of the people around them. 

[That was a bit from my discussion post for Cultural Anthropology. Honestly this should be required reading for every human being. It's difficult for us to look outside our cultural norms to understand life "in the ghetto" but I think it's massively important if we're ever going to see any real change.]

This week's post is a quick one- just some of my favorite passages with thoughts on writing style. And some pretty pictures of course. :] I'll probably have a couple simple posts like this here and there when the week gets too crazy. There are wonderful posts from the others in the Ch. 3 section of the Silmarillion Blues group of course, so click the link!

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"One morning they forded a river at a wide shallow place full of the noise of stones and foam. The far bank was steep and slippery. When they got to the top of it, leading their ponies, they saw that the great mountains had marched down very near to them. Already they seemed only a day's easy journey from the feet of the nearest. Dark and drear it looked, though there were patches of sunlight on its bright sides, and behind its shoulders the tips of snow-peaks gleamed."

[I just really loved the language of this passage... "the noise of stones and foam" is a very simple description, but you hear the noise of a rushing river immediately. I also loved the way Tolkien personified the mountain- how it "marched down very near to them", and "behind its shoulders the tips of snow-peaks gleamed".] 

***

"Bilbo never forgot the way they slithered and slipped in the dusk down the steep zig-zag path into the secret valley of Rivendell. The air grew warmer as they got lower, and the smell of the pine-trees made him drowsy, so that every now and again he nodded and nearly fell off, or bumped his nose on the pony's neck. Their spirits rose as they went down and down. The trees changed to beech and oak, and there was a comfortable feeling in the twilight. The last green had almost faded out of the grass, when they came at length to an open glade not far above the banks of the stream." 

 

[As I was reading all I wanted was to go to Rivendell. Or at least to have my own secret tree-house type thing in the middle of a beautiful valley.]

***

 

"He [Elrond] was as noble and as fair in face as an elf-lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer. He comes into many tales, but his part in the story of Bilbo's great adventure is only a small one, though important, as you will see, if we ever get to the end of it. His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Evil things did not come into that valley."

[I really loved the description of Elrond being "as kind as summer"- I thought it hit all the right feelings- warmth, calm, a happy kind of laziness... though I suppose there are some in America who would disagree with describing summer as "kind". Totally makes sense for England though, does it ever get over like 75 degrees over there?]

***

 

"The next morning was a midsummer's morning as fair and fresh as could be dreamed: blue sky and never a cloud, and the sun dancing on the water. Now they rode away amid songs of farewell and good speed, with their hearts ready for more adventure, and with a knowledge of the road they must follow over the Misty Mountains to the land beyond." 

 

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On the side of a hill in Hollywood. There's a Japanese restaurant back there somewhere, but these stairs lead to nowhere. 

The sun setting on the apartments next-door & a lone palm.



[Feeling anxious today so I figured I should use the morning to zen out a bit...]

...Anthropology out the wazoo. 
Tomorrow's going to be a long Sunday, but coming home to type up my Hobbit post is going to be such a lovely reward. I look forward to Hobbit Sundays so much, thank you Troy for being awesome and starting Silmarillion Blues! 

Bookstore story: 
This dude was in the bookstore looking around for like two hours today. I helped him out a little and he was a goof, making jokes at everyone and whatnot (he was dad-aged, so they were awesome dad jokes). When he came to check out he had a photography textbook and I sort of just casually mentioned that I took a photography class once and I enjoy taking pictures (I try to make conversation about whatever people are buying whenever I can- talking about books is honestly my favorite part of the job). After paying $7.00 for this book he slid it across the counter and said "Here, take this then." I argued because I didn't want to take this book this guy just paid for, but he wasn't having it. "I collect these specifically to give to people, to inspire them. I think it's the best book you can get on photography. I'm not creeping, I'm not going to come back and ask you on a date or anything, I just want you to feel inspired. I don't care if it sits on your shelf for five years, if you pick it up one day and it makes you want to take pictures, that's all I care about." 
It was a really beautiful moment. I have the book on my coffee table and it's already inspiring me to take more pictures. It makes me so happy to meet lovely human beings like that- I've had similar experiences in the past at my last bookstore job, and it just makes my whole day. I hope he comes in again so I can do something nice for him, or at least thank him again and show him some of my photos. 

-passing on the good vibes to you fine people, 
xoLuna

Picked up my books for Cultural Anthropology at the school bookstore yesterday. I usually try to avoid buying from the school- they rob me enough as it is, and new books are usually half the price online. But I was desperate- I needed these for today, and it was only about a $10 difference, so eh. Coulda been worse. 

Started First Fieldwork today (different cover), so far it's semi-interesting. I'll be starting In Search of Respect this evening after work- I'm looking forward to that one a lot.
I love old books, but new books just feel and smell amazing. I just want to carry around In Search of Respect all day because it feels so good in my hands. 

Coolest news- they had my English book at the public library! This is one I may want for my collection, but since I'm short on money as always I'm going to keep this checked out for as long as I can. Hopefully I can get the full 9 weeks out of it!

Still have to order my book for my African Americans in History class, which I suppose I'll do right now. 

I also found these beautiful fancy post-its at work for a couple bucks- so looking forward to using them to decorate my planner this week! Need some fall-colored washi desperately, but that'll have to wait a while. 

It's been a very hectic few days getting used to going to school while working, but through caffeine all is possible. 

xoLuna

"En route to Nice from Barcelona via Paris, I holed up for one night alone at the Esmeralda, the most romantic little hotel on the Left Bank, with Notre Dame framed in the window in amber light. That night I received flowers from both Jack and Bailey and felt good with the world. My room was on the top floor-- wallpaper with green birds and butterflies on a sepia background, antique mirrors hung on the walls, my flowers in big jugs on a marble-topped chest, and in the morning peach sunlight seeping through the open window overlooking the Seine. The birds sang; there was little traffic. I looked out over the top-hat chimneys, the gray slate domes with attic windows. Breakfast came, coffee and croissants. I was in a Colette state of mind, alone with my roses and lilies. August in Paris." 

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So I got my schoolstuff done, got my menial errands done, but I didn't get to the bookstore and I didn't get to clean the house, and I'm just now sitting down to eat.
Doing anything in LA takes a million years. 

I don't think I'm going to be able to get into Honors English because of my idiot math grades... who needs math!? I can write you a 12 page paper within 2 days if I have to... that's an average of 6 pages a day... see, math! That's all the math I need! I'm going to try anyway. I have an application with a little essay that I've got to bring in on Monday morning, so we'll see... honestly I really should get my math skills up even though my brain attic closes its doors to math every single time I try. 

In other news, I'm taking this Anthropology class online and I'm thinking it's going to be pretty intense! Which is good- I want to challenge myself, and most of my other classes aren't challenging at all, outside of finding the money for textbooks (cue that corny joke drum beat thing). It's Cultural Anthropology, which I'm extremely interested in. The discussion group should be a little easier for me than it used to be when I took online classes now that I've gotten used to interacting in forums a bit more. It looks like there is A LOT of reading to be done, but the most challenging thing is probably the fieldwork. I'm not entirely sure what it entails but we're supposed to go out and observe/interview people and take pictures and everything and write up an anthropological study. I'm thinking this class is going to take up a lot of time, so some of my posts might just be pieces I worked on for class, same with English Lit 1. I'm aiming to make straight A's for the first time in my life so I'm a little nervous about having two online classes (anthro. and math) but I'm going to go through my planner right now and schedule everything out, and I'll make sure to schedule booklikes time as well!

If anyone has any tips on how to handle school and work and adulting all at the same time, I'd be thrilled to hear them!

-thanking the gods that there's Ben&Jerry's in the freezer,
xoLuna 

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It's exciting, but it works better as an anime- I actually haven't seen the anime, but all I could think the whole time I was reading it was about how much I wanted to watch it. There's a lot of action and they fly around on these crazy bungee type contraptions so that they can reach the tall Titans to battle, and it's really hard to show that properly in the manga. It starts looking chaotic. It's much more visually based- there's good dialogue, but it supplements the action more than it creates it, if that makes sense. It's a bit like trying to read a well-written action movie. The world building/character building is excellent and I can tell it's going to be a great story, but it's one that begs to be brought to life. 

Her memoirs (A Story Lately Told is pt. 1) aren't masterpieces of nonfiction or anything, but I enjoy them. However, I'd have to recommend the first one more than this one off this little bit I've read so far. It seems like she didn't take her time as much with this one- it's thicker but the writing is often rushed, almost like a diary entry she's summarizing, which can get a little annoying. This installment lacks the character building (or revealing, or whatever you call that in a real life situation) of the last one, but when she's describing a place and time that made her truly happy you can tell- she gets her flow back and the writing becomes more poetic again.

Anyway, she does an amazing job of taking you into her world, which is glamorous but tinted with melancholy and bad relationships. Even with the bits of darkness, it's a great escapist read. It has that feel of vintage glamour, of class and adventure and being cultured, not at all like what would be considered "glamorous" today (Kardashians, etc).

It makes me want to sit by the window with the record player on, reading beautiful stories or browsing fashion magazines in my fancy bathrobe with a fancy drink nearby... and travel to Europe to model for Vogue... *sigh* 

-daydreaming,
xoLuna

Also, 70's Anjelica Huston gives me life: 

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For now I just want to write a bit about what struck me most and anything else I'll post on the discussion page- I think that's how I want to do all these posts. It's hard to believe there can be so much to look into in just a chapter, but there totally is! This first paragraph is pretty rambly, fair warning. Image credits: [img1][img 2&3]

The beginning of Chapter 2 really resonates with me. Bilbo wakes up to a mess in his kitchen, evidence of the strange events which took place the night before. Even though at the end of the Chapter 1 it seems that Bilbo has become a bit more determined, we as readers are sort of prepared for what comes the next morning.

I think we've all witnessed this before, in ourselves or in our friends- we gather and start talking and everyone gets excited about having an adventure like getting up early and going to some cool event, or we talk about moving somewhere we've always wanted to live, or start making plans to find a better job or travel with money saved instead of buying a new lawnmower or couch or whatever stupid thing... in that moment of excitement and wanting to do something different and adventurous and even risky, we're completely serious. We are willing to make the sacrifices and do the work to make it happen. And then we all go home and go to bed and the morning comes... and we all wake up in our comfy rooms, settled into our comfy lives and suddenly these adventures, as rewarding as they may have seemed in an inspiring moment of determination the night before, seem next to impossible- and certainly far less "comfortable" than the lives we already have.

After having those same reservations and ending up adventuring a little bit myself, I often wish I could be as badass as Gandalf and just bust up into my friends' houses the morning after a hangout and force them out the door. 

I'm really enjoying listening to Corey Olsen's lectures after I read the chapters. I have always had trouble explaining what makes a story like The Hobbit so good- I always just say "It's the literary art of it!". As Prof. Olsen mentions, through the two sides of Bilbo, the Baggins side and the Took side, Tolkien is able to show the story from two very distinct viewpoints at the same time. This is what gives it more depth than your average fantasy novel. We never just "accept the adventure blindly"- we always have the "down-to-earth Baggins side" to make us feel like we have an ally in this world, someone who sees things somewhat the same as us. 

I love the humor of this chapter. The trolls are threatening and their talk of eating people is scary, but they're not horrifying. Their stupidity takes away from the seriousness of the threat they pose- even as you're thinking about how awful it would be to be made into a pie for these disgusting creatures, you also can't really see them being able to accomplish such a thing in between all their arguing. It goes back to what Prof. Olsen mentioned in his lecture on Ch. 1- Tolkien doesn't want to shield his young readers from death and pain, but he doesn't want to terrify them either. The trolls are the perfect introduction to the potential dangers of this magical world. I love the way Gandalf saves them- the very first fight they encounter they win (or rather, Gandalf wins) with wit, not weapons or strength. Also, I found their names to be very humorous- you don't expect a magical creature like a troll to have a name like Bill or Tom.

That's it for now, sorry it's kind of choppy but hey, it's a holiday. It's okay to be lazy.
Hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day, I know a lot of people probably still have to work... and if you're not in the US, hopefully you're just enjoying your Monday. :]

xoLuna

When I take notes, I take fuckin' notes. 

Bottom right side of pg 5 needs work as well as pg 7, but for now, on to organizing Ch. 2's scribbles. 

This picture looks really weird on my computer, hopefully the color is better on everyone else's. It's a medium purple couch with teal pillows. It looks like those purple and teal Poptarts and it matches my awesome teal guitar! :] I'm really excited that our apartment is finally starting to come together. The glass table and the rug are some of the things we got from the bf's bandmate. Still have a long way to go but I love my little cozy spot! Also Target has really cute $3 candles right now that I want like 10 more of.

...sort of.
I don't have cable anymore, but in high school I used to BINGE on the History Channel, NatGeo, and later, the Science Channel. I love love LOVE television documentaries on the paranormal or interesting/weird events in history. I also love TV shows that feature real people from history that you don't hear about often (I haven't seen Season 3 of AHS but that's a good example), or real events that aren't in all the history books, or that are based off of literature (like Sherlock). This October I'll do my yearly top 10 creepy TV documentaries post, but for now I was thinking I'd go ahead and start posting little articles here and there about some of the things I've learned from my obsession with TV.

I've been meaning to do this forever- I've learned so much from the History Channel and NatGeo, it's kind of ridiculous. I keep starting sections in my notebook to go back and record everything I think of that I've learned from TV but so far I've sucked at that. 

So if you have any requests, send them my way! And if anyone ever needs help gathering research (I know a lot of people probably hate it), I'm your gal! I love going to libraries and scouring the internet for information, taking sloppy terrible notes and then re-writing them. :D 
Anywho, my busiest blogging days are going to be Saturday and Monday this week- I'm still learning how to handle more than one 'event' (school, work, writing) a day. Getting better though! 

Hope everyone is having a lovely week,
xoLuna 

[Sorry for this awfully rushed review! I finished this book a couple days ago and never got around to writing anything up, but I wanted to go ahead and get it posted since I'm busy with school and other booklikes things. Hopefully it's at least marginally helpful to those deciding whether or not to read the series.]

I loved it! I feel like seeing the movie first actually really helped my enjoyment of the comic, though it might not have if I had seen it recently. (Michael Cera was perfectly cast for Scott.) It's nice to see... hmm... quirky/kind of awkward kids, I guess, represented properly. Like, the dialogue in the comics is pretty realistic, it's how someone like that would actually talk, but it's also still witty. Scott and his friends seem like people I'd hang out with. 

I think the art style is really original. It's cute and quirky but quite detailed- the art really puts you there. 

I'm not sure if all this counts as spoiler or not, but I'm going to hide it just in case. I know that personally I like to go into a book knowing only the bare minimum that I need to know. I like things to take me by surprise. 

I'm really excited about continuing the series- I already feel like I'm pals with the characters. It's a fun, quick read and the art is awesome.

Getting prepared for my first day at work so I'm just posting some pics for now. Worked on organizing my notes for The Hobbit last night, so hopefully I'll get some thoughts into the discussion this evening. (Most of these are from Instagram, where they look better. @beat_magic)

This is from when I was reading Prince Lestat a week or two back. Our apartment's laundry room is right next to the little pool, it's rad.

Just a random picture of a building across from the one where I clean for a friend's Air B&B. The sun was setting and it looked really California-y. On my phone you can see a person standing in the window on the second row from the top, but you can't really see it here for some reason. I  don't think there's a filter on this one, so idk why it got so grainy...

Found a few paces from Hollywood Blvd. I like taking pictures like this because I think a lot of people still imagine Hollywood as being this glamorous place... a lot of it totally isn't. But that's why I love it. It's gritty and freakish and full of hope and despair and every type of human being you could ever imagine. And there is still a lot of beauty, and some fancy spots too, of course. It's a really interesting place.

Off to refresh my book knowledge before work...eeek!

Have some adventures today, if you can! 
xoLuna

This is one of my favorite first chapters of all the books I've ever read, if not my very favorite. The chapter opens with a description of Bilbo's home which is vivid and cozy and immediately gives you an idea of the sort of life Bilbo is accustomed to. In the following page and a half we're told a bit about Bilbo's family history- just enough so that we come away understanding that though Bilbo is certainly a Baggins through and through, there might be something within him (his "Tookishness") that will set him apart from his fellow hobbits. 
I love reading about Gandalf meeting Bilbo outside. The first time I read it, I immediately wanted to be as cool as Gandalf: 

"Good Morning!" said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat. 
"What do you mean?" he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

The image of Biblo enjoying his pipe on a beautiful morning in front of his beautiful door, in a time when "there was less noise and more green" is so pleasant it almost makes me actually feel jealous. And that's the point- to show how simple and lovely Bilbo's life is. Even still, there is a small sliver of him that longs to see more of the world. When he realizes who Gandalf is, he lets his memory trail off as he's talking: 
"Not the Gandalf who was responsible for so many quiet lads and lasses going off into the Blue for mad adventures? Anything from climbing trees to visiting elves- or sailing in ships, sailing to other shores! Bless me, life used to be quite inter- I mean, you used to upset things badly in these parts once upon a time." 
When Gandalf, pretty much out of nowhere, tells Bilbo he's sending him on an adventure, Bilbo gets quite flustered and runs inside- but not before inviting Gandalf to tea tomorrow. "What on earth did I ask him to tea for!" he says to himself after closing the door. I suppose it was that Tookishness within him that wouldn't let him completely walk away from a chance to "go off into the Blue". 

"...a very fine morning for a pipe of tobacco out of doors... if you have a pipe about you, sit down and have a fill of mine! There's no hurry, we have all the day before us!" 

The story continues with the next day. Bilbo has forgotten about tea, and is rushing to prepare for Gandalf's entrance when he hears the doorbell. Upon opening the door, he is quite surprised to see not Gandalf but a dwarf- Dwalin, the first to arrive. Over the next few pages the rest of the party arrives, and a befuddled Bilbo realizes that he is being dragged into an adventure, whether he likes it or not. Before he knows it, there are 13 dwarves sitting at his table, and Gandalf is telling them all that Bilbo is the exact man they need to complete their party. 

The main thing I wanted to talk about was the way Tolkien introduces the reader to this fantasy world. As Prof. Corey Olsen points out in this awesome lecture, we are essentially having the same experience Bilbo is having- we're going from the simplicity and comfort of our own reality to "a world of fantastic horrors and marvels" as the dwarves tell the story of their lost village and the dangerous journey that awaits them in order to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. Even though Bilbo may have heard of dragons and elves and whatnot, they're about as real to him as they are to us- the world of the hobbits, like ours, contains "little or no magic", so the tales the dwarves tell of Smaug and his destruction and hidden treasures is quite jarring. 
Bilbo has everything we think we want- a nice home, 'respectability', good food, lots of clothes, and the time to sit on the front porch and enjoy a pipe while taking in the brilliant green grass in the perfectly warm morning sun. But deep down, we all long for a bit of adventure. To see new places and experience a (slightly) less comfortable life. And like Bilbo, we usually wont embrace our own "Tookishness" without a little push.

Anywho, I'm sure we are going to discuss this whole chapter to death, so I don't want to make this too long, I just wanted to go over a couple of my favorite things about the chapter... I'm probably going to go ahead and start working on Chapter 2 so I can get ahead; it's going to be a busy week. 

Happy Hobbit Sunday, everybody! 
xoLuna

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