5 posts tagged “literature”
Why?
Because if I find out why the "service engine soon" light won't go off and fix it, I can get my car inspected and smog tested.
If I pass my inspection and smog test, I can finally obtain a PA driver's license and registration.
If I obtain a PA driver's license and registration, I can use it as proof of my PA residence and finally get a library card.
Why?
Because I'm going broke spending the little extra cash I have on books I would normally borrow instead of buy. In the last 3 weeks, I've bought 5 books either online or at Borders. Ladies and gents, that's more than the number I bought in the previous year.
Allow me to 'splain. In short, I'm a nut, folks. I wouldn't call myself an avid reader; I just like to read whatever strikes my fancy regardless of whether or not it impresses people. I'm not interested in having a vast library, and I don't want to join any book clubs. Just let me read what I want, when I want at whatever pace I want. Maybe I don't want to read your crappy Outliers book because I think Malcolm Gladwell is overrated. Or maybe I'm not in the mood to read Palahnuik's Pygmy just because the NYT bestseller list says he's awesome. Don't tell me I have to have the first 6 chapters read by next Tuesday because, you know, I may be busy all week and won't have time to read past chapter 3 before the next meeting. Stop trying to control me and let me just enjoy my damn book!
Okay, that was a bit much. But you get my point, right?
Again, I'm a nut. I prefer nonfiction over fiction any day. But when a great fiction piece comes along that piques my interest, I have been known to take the plunge. I think that's why I finally ventured out and bought Junot Diaz' The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. But it's also the reason why I haven't actually read it yet and it's sitting on my little desk next to 2 or 3 other books (nonfiction) that I've been meaning to get to.
Anyway, back to my original point. I'm a proud library card-carrying liberal. When I lived in Indianapolis, I actually knew my library clerks and page assistants by name. And I enjoyed hearing about their day as I would chat with them for a few minutes after they finished scanning my books through. The South Broad Ripple location on College Ave. was my favorite because they deliberately carried more books geared to my predominantly African-American and Latino neighborhood.
In L.A., the North Hollywood location was a weekly stop after my dance classes on Saturday afternoon. I would leave the dance studio, stop to check my P.O. Box, and then head onto the library to either return or pick-up a book or three. I didn't learn any of the library clerks names there, but there was one sista who had starter locs that always complimented me on my hair. And although more homeless people hung out there than at my Indy library, I loved sitting on the floor in the stacks flipping through a book on fashion or deciding which book on dance conditioning would actually help me not suck in my Jazz class.
And while we're on the subject in this disjointed lament, I agree with Sherman Alexie. Kindles and other digital readers may not the root of all evil, but I pray that they never replace the beautiful tactile experience of holding a book in my hands. The joy of seeing hard copy photos of Auguste Rodin's greatest works of art in a large 18 x 24 page tome cannot be matched by a digital image on a screen that measures 10.4" x 7.2" x 0.38". Here, he says it better than I:
And
unlike some, I don't have a strong desire to own every book I want to
read. Quite the opposite. Yes, I wanted to keep all my books from
college, but that's because I poured over those pieces week after week
and scribbled notes in the margin that made them mine moreso than any
exorbitant price tag ever could. Besides, English majors do not sell
their books back to the store. That's not a hard-and-fast rule of life
after college, but I think it could be. But other than my in-person
autographed newbies and college library of Great Books,
I'm perfectly content on borrowing from the library. And yet, here I
am. Stuck in PA with no library card, so I keep buying books. Even
before I can finish reading the ones I just bought a few weeks before.
I don't remember having this problem with the library. Yeah, I'd get
frustrated when I had to return something I hadn't finished yet because
the loan period was too short for my hectic schedule (I'm looking at
you, L.A.). But that wasn't much of a problem because I would simply
add the book to my Amazon wishlist and try to check it out again in a
couple months when all the frenzy died down.
But now I buy. Even before I'm ready to read. Even when I need to purchase another work that I need more. Many have been on sale, but that's only enabling me. ::sigh::
...
I really need to tend to my car repairs. :-/
In the last 3 weeks, I've bought:
- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
- Life Is a Bitch and Then You Change Careers: 9 Steps to Get Out of Your Funk & On to Your Future by Andrea Kay
- You Can Never Find A Rickshaw When It Monsoons: The World on One Cartoon a Day by Mo Willems
- Thanks for the Memories, Mr. President by Helen Thomas
Except
for the books I need to prepare for my upcoming job interviews, I
seriously have to stop buying books before I can finish the ones I
have. I finished The Anti 9-to-5 Guide, but 1,000 Places to See Before You Die in the USA and Canada
keeps haunting me from my bookshelf. And I won't even go into the
books I've purchased or borrowed months ago, but still haven't
finished. :-( Honestly, is there a 12-Step program for
this?
Show us a book you feel like you should read, but just can't bring yourself to actually pick up.
Oh, there are so many to chose from. Just one book, huh? How about?
Here I am. Awake again at 5:30am. I've decided to relax and accept my body's natural attempt to cope with this transition period. That's what I'm calling it now. My life's in transition. I'm not sure where I'm headed, but I have to believe that this time in my life is just a bridge to whatever phase or chapter that awaits me around the next turn.
It's not easy trying to focus on the positive though. It's not really in my nature to be a cheerleader for myself. For others, yeah. I can be a freaking PollyAnna without the slightest hesitation. But I think like most people, I'm a hardcore realist when it comes to dealing with what's on my own plate. Did I mention I hate my job? :-P
Since I'm awake, how about some random thoughts about "stuff"?
- Tweets from qoolquest (?uestlove), LouisCK, and Mashable
will be the death of me online. Too. Many. Tweets. Well, not really
since I haven't figured out how to get Twitter sent directly to my cell
phone from people who aren't following me as well. Why must James Kyson Lee ignore our love? J/k Please, don't call the police. I'm only joking.
I’m pretty sure if I’m not using Twitter right anyway. I’m not one to jump on bandwagons (dude, I only signed up for a Myspace acct. last December, and that’s was only to follow the bands, artists, and people I adore in L.A. while I’m in transition). But so far, Twitter has helped me cope with some of my crushing, immobilizing depression, so I figure it can’t be all bad. Yay distractions! - I
put all this effort into planning and writing content for a fledgling
website that I hope to put online at some point back in Dec. and Jan.,
and so far, the work has been for naught. I’ve laid it by the wayside
and now I feel guilty because it’s just one more career-related item on
my to-do list that I know may help me get a decent full-time job, but
I’m still procrastinating.
Why is it you always hear about Type A personalities? What about all of those other types like B, C, D+, sigma? Why does Type A get all the attention? What is my type? ::goes off to Google:: - Personally,
I couldn’t care less about Rihanna and Chris Brown. And I’m really
sick and tired of hearing about them as if their relationship deserves
a hearing in the public court of opinion. No, I’m not a cold heartless
bitca. I just wonder if this outpouring of support for Ms. Rihanna
would be the same if her name was Latwayla and she worked second shift
at the local Safeway ringing up groceries. And now the obligatory
disclaimer: Unless you or someone else’s life is in immediate danger,
a man has no excuse for laying his hands on a woman without her
permission.
Having said that, why are people surprised she went back to Chris? If you truly care about domestic violence and bothered to understand why it's so prevalent throughout our society, you would know that most victims of DV go back to their partners. Why would you assume Rihanna would be any different? Because she's a celebrity? Last I checked, she was a human being first. Oh, but I forgot. Her first duty is to be a role model for the millions of people she's never met. Bullshit! And I call bullshit on Aisha Tyler and any other so-called concerned celeb citizen who assert that the most damaging aspect about the situation is NOT that Ri went back to Chris, but that doing so sends a message to millions that his behavior is acceptable.
Well, you know what, Ms. Tyler? F#ck You!! No, the most damaging aspect about the situation IS that she went back to Chris. Her well-being is 10,000 times more important than being your poster child for a society ill that you clearly don't understand. The psychological effects of DV are far more profound and debilitating than the physical abuse itself, but ignorant-ass people like you only see victims as enablers of their own conditions and their diminished sense of self-preservation is nothing more than a choice. I cannot stand this "Blame the Victim" philosophy that permeates our society. My blood boils every time I hear this fake-ass attempt to reduce complex problems into cookie-cutter, quick fix afflictions that deny any acknowledgment of the pervading message of socially acceptable sexism and violence that teaches men that a woman's sole purpose is to serve mankind, and by that extension, men. Of course she went back. It's unfortunate. But the most unfortunate thing is that people like Ms. Tyler are just as much apart of the problem as Mr. Brown. - Moving on to more pleasant rants, I finally finished watching my Profit
DVDs. Overall, I liked the show, but I didn’t love it. Not because it
wasn’t lovable, mind you. But because it wasn’t nearly as fantastic as
reviews have made it out to be. It seems to suffer from a clear case
of nostalgic revisionism. The praise you hear so often about this show
is that it was soooooo ahead of its time, and there was
nothing like it on TV that was even close to being this different and
edgy, and the audience simply wasn’t ready for a villain protagonist in
the lead role, etc. And maybe that’s true, but I think I was a bit put
off by all the backslapping on the DVD commentary and the
behind-the-scenes retrospective. I thought it was a good, solid show
for the 9 episodes that they made, but, sheesh, it wasn’t all that,
people.
The way John McNamara and David Greenwalt go on about the show, you would think that every single series that did something outside the television norm from 1998 - 2008 owes its ingenuity to Profit. Wow, buy your own hype much? It was a good show. Kind of cheesy in its delivery, but that’s intentional and I can respect that. It’s melodrama that knows it’s a melodrama. I would’ve preferred it if they had Profit either address the audience directly or delivered a voiceover throughout, not both. It seemed a little too intrusive to have both elements, IMO. I didn’t care for that in the first 2 seasons of Sex & the City either.
But don’t get me wrong, I liked it. If I were grading the show, I’d give it a B+. Lisa Blount and Lisa Darr were freaking amazing and adorable, respectively. And Naked Nathan is always appreciated, of course. I guess I’m just tired of so many writers, producers, and showrunners in the industry constantly patting themselves on the back in interviews and DVD commentaries about how everything in the medium of television is wrong except for whatever it is they’ve created and the 2 or 3 pieces produced by their mentors and idols. Apparently, everyone in Los Angeles is doing it wrong except you. The ego knows no hypocrisy, especially if you wrap it in a thin veil of self-deprecating humor. The final word: False humility is for hipsters. Hipsters suck. Therefore, false humility sucks. QED
- A
little over a week ago, our new Attorney General Eric Holder gave a
speech about race relations in America. I haven't been able to applaud
or rebuke his statement for a few reasons. One, I've been busy, and
two, what he said wasn't nearly as significant as I think others wanted
it to be. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about his
speech felt off. He tried to say something important, but he didn't
quite hit the nail on the head or his execution was faulty or
something. It was just off. Tim Wise
does a somewhat decent job of pinpointing what it is about his
statement that really felt like a wasted opportunity to address a
social ill constructively and accurately. ::sigh:: I'm still not
saying this right. Just go and read Wise's response. He doesn't articulate exactly what it is that bothered me about Holder's speech, but he does a better job of it than I.
However, I'm happy to say that at least my issues with Holder's statement didn't mirror the third grade flailing of celebrated comic book and sci-fi author Peter David. (I'm not providing a direct link to his site.) Apparently, AG Holder's speech really, really hurt David's feelings and he thinks that black people are really mean for trying to encourage people to talk about racism instead of simply sweep it under the rug like so many nice, sweet and gracious white people who only have our best interests at heart. Honest.
Frankly, I have no words that don't result in some horrible, yet accurate generalizations about how this constant attempt to derail discussions about racism, and thereby, actually promote social progress and cultural growth feels like a 500-year-old playbook that gets passed down from one generation to the next in Western (read Euro-American) Culture. This is why so many POC feel as if they have to pick their battles when dealing with racism. Because if they didn't, no one would live past the age of 35 due to constant stress on their hearts, minds, and health when addressing bullshit detractors and denial day-in and day-out. - If you're interested in one extreme case of
"well meaning whites" attempting to derail a frank discussion of racism
in science fiction, take a gander at Coffee & Ink's unfortuate predicament.
The best thing to come out of that post is the fantastic support of
Mely's rights and the denouncement of Cramer and Shetterly's fuckery.
The second best thing to come out of that post is the fantastic list of
book recommendations by authors of color that I've pinched from each
page of replies. Yep! It's all about me and my needs. :-D
Feel free to ignore this. I'm posting these recs from the comments that caught my eye here for my future reference (I've also included a note re: the cultural perspective they represent). But if you see something that interests you, by all means, enjoy.
- Futureland by Walter Mosley African-American
- The Hanging of Angelique: Canada, Slavery and the Burning of Montreal by Afua Cooper African-Canadian
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (I already planned to read this, but those quotes cited in the comments just nudged it higher on my list.) Dominican-American
- Journey From The Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran by Roya Hakakian Persian
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (I had plans to read this one also, but the rec was for the audiobook read by Lynne Thigpen, whom I adored. May she rest in peace.) African-American
- Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film by Adilifu Nama African-American
- The Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead African-American author, Multi-ethnic perspective
- Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff (This is the last movie I remember ever balling my eyes out uncontrollably. I fear the book will probably do the same, but it's a story that definitely needs to be told.) Maori and Samoan
I have very little faith in this Congress to consider such a project. It was the political equivalent of pulling teeth with a set of pliers to get Federal One underway the first time back in the 1930s. (I'm still confused about how the GOP who are no longer control the Legislative or Executive branches of government seem to be controlling it nonetheless. Either the Democratic Party is brimming with spineless cowards or ... I have no other option to complete that thought.)
But I like the article anyway. There's an eerie sense of deja vu at play here, and yet the arguments never seem to change.
Here's a link to the HuffPo source and the article in full.
*****
Bridges and Books: Bring Back the Federal Writers Project
by Stuart "Buz" Teacher
February 6, 2009 | 06:05 PM EST
I love books and that's a problem. I've had a really great time working in publishing with many of the finest people you'd ever want to meet. I mean, these people truly love their work. And now for the bad part: book publishing was supposed to be recession-proof, and we are all disappointed to learn that it's not.
I was brought up in my family's bookstore, and I remember hearing my dad say that Random House started publishing just before the Great Depression. When times are tough, people need diversion and entertainment, and it's not that times are tougher now than they were back in the 30's and 40's -- it's just that books have become much more of a popular consumer item. In my family's store, where I worked in the early 1960's, we saw the same customers come through the door every week. Back then, some people were nervous about even walking into a bookstore. Like most booksellers at that time, my dad knew his customers so well that he would routinely put aside a selection of new arrivals for the regulars.
All that changed for the better when the visionary, brave souls running Waldenbooks and B. Dalton Booksellers, and a little later Barnes & Noble and Borders, decided that what American consumers wanted were more books. They opened small footprint stores in the enclosed malls and, with a lot of hard work, all of a sudden one of the oldest products of all time became something a new generation was really excited to have. Thanks to them and many wonderful independent booksellers, books became mainstream.
After college, I moved to the publishing side (my dad never forgave me), but I can tell you the tremendous expansion of the book business in America could never have happened without the American consumer saying Yes give us more!
In little more than one generation, America saw a heartening proliferation of both booksellers and publishers. Bookstores have enhanced their communities. They are department store for ideas and learning. Now, with the recession, the entire industry is undergoing a major contraction. Layoffs and reorganizations were recently announced at many publishing houses, with more job losses likely to come.
While this downsizing may be unavoidable, there is much of great value that is worth protecting. America has one of the world's largest book publishing industries, second only to the UK. Let's not take this accomplishment for granted. Not so long ago, books were available only in bookstores and libraries. Now they are sold everywhere from Target to Home Depot to independent gift stores. Customers protesting the recent closing of a Waldenbooks store in Lexington, Mass. sent a letter to parent company Borders' headquarters pointing out that the store "isn't a restaurant--this is an intellectual center in town."
So here's what I'm thinking. President Obama and Congress are working on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. As far we know, roads, bridges, and schools will be included in the revitalization of our infrastructure. Advisors to the president announced late last year that three million new jobs will need to be created to tackle unemployment.
Writers, editors, designers, researchers, photographers, and others in the book business are seeing their positions eliminated at an alarming rate. As publishers cut back, authors now have substantially fewer places to see their work published. In December, venerable Houghton Mifflin announced plans to publish no new books in the near future -- astounding. The entire industry is contracting very quickly and there is something we should consider doing about it: Bring back the Federal Writers Project, which was originally established in 1935 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt to support writers, historians, and artists as a small but significant part of the WPA.
It is well known within the industry that a career in publishing is rarely chosen for the compensation. It has always been a relatively low-paying business attracting talented people who are there because they want to make books. With magazines and newspapers suffering as well, it will be difficult for these people to find jobs that fit their professional skills.
In the 1930s the Federal Writers Project employed more than 6,000 writers, photographers, illustrators, editors, out-of-work schoolteachers, and librarians. It was considered a great success at the time and is now viewed as an invaluable resource that recorded American history and culture for posterity. Some 3.5 million books for adults and children were produced.
Participants in the original program included Ralph Ellison, Studs Terkel, John Cheever, Saul Bellow, Margaret Walker, Arna Bontemps, and Zora Neale Hurston. Louis Mumford called the Federal Writers Project "the finest contribution to American patriotism" of his generation.
Vice President Biden has said that the three million new jobs are necessary for the future prosperity of the country and the benefit of the broad middle class. I hope a new Federal Writers Project has the opportunity to be part of that ambitious and crucial effort.
REAL BENEFITS OF A NEW FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT
A new FWP would have a substantial ripple effect on many other areas, including printers and binders, paper manufacturers, booksellers, illustrators, photographers, schools, and libraries. It would create jobs that would not be lost to other countries, keeping virtually all the work here at home. The U.S. government could make an investment to support an essential industry that helps build stronger minds and has a long-lasting cultural impact.
Publishing is manufacturing. Books are a product we can be proud of and create entirely in the US, raw materials and all.
The final product of intellectual property and copyright would be public domain, and would be owned by the people who paid for it, the taxpayers.
FDR's program employed a wide range of white-collar and clerical workers as well as established and aspiring writers. The majority of people working in publishing today are middle class, as are the majority of those losing their jobs in this recession.
A new Federal Writers Project could take advantage of many new technologies, including print on demand, audio, Kindle and Sony Reader, and Google. Royalty-free access could be provided to schools and libraries.
The FWP was a remarkable success and left a great legacy of our diverse American culture. If
the right projects were selected, the program would have the
opportunity to create something of real and lasting value. Our culture
and the value of books are part of those fundamental systems that have
kept America so strong.
Hey Ladies and Gents! I'm just stopping in to wave a quick hello and give a brief update on my, dare I say it, so-called life. [Note to self: Beg for forgiveness for lame reference to overrated '90s teen soap opera.] Anywho, I hope everyone who celebrates Solstice, Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanzaa, had a festive and memorable two weeks. And I hope the New Year brings everyone a bigger and brighter future!
The way I see it, at the end of the day, you have two choices: Give up or keep trying. Not that profound, is it? But the truth doesn't need a fancy bow. A person can pour over every news source that comes down the pike and digest every word by every pundit and "expert" they choose, but at the end of the day, that person isn't going to walk away with any other options than when they started. Give up or keep trying. That's the only thing you have control over. That's my little pearl for the New Year.
I have no job, no place to call my own, and the journey ahead to figure out what it is I'm going to do with the next 40, 50 years of my life is going to be arduous to say the least. But I have family, friends, and access to opportunities that millions would crave. I know that at the end of the day, despite the tears and trepidation, I'll be okay. Why? Because that's all I ever had. Believe me, I've been through some shit folks (things I don't typically share with people who've known me less than 30 years) and I may not be where I want to be in life, but I know I'm better off than where I was. And that says a lot in my book.
Okay, this entry was supposed to be a wee bit inspiring, and it's now dipped deep into Dead Poets' Society territory. ::shudders::
On to something superficial!! I had about $27 to my name before Christmas, so on the 23rd, I ducked out of the house and headed to the local WallsMart (misspelling intentional) and bought my mother a pair of house slippers that she desperately needed in this drafting abode. I also bought my stepfather some nice headphones that hook around your ears from the back to go with his new birthday iPod. He complained about the ear buds -- which I also loathe -- not fitting in his ears well and how they become a nuisance as the day drags on in the warehouse. For those that don't know, my stepfather drives a forklift for a living. For a man of his age and experience, he should be managing a shift instead of driving the lifts, but that's another
So, I was able to wrap the gifts in some of my Mom's Christmas paper and hand them out on Christmas Day with everyone else. Yay! I'm giving. I also prepared and addressed all of my Mom's Christmas cards. She kept putting it off, so I sat down the Sunday before Christmas and got them all together for her to mail at work that Monday. I don't think most of them arrived in time for the holiday, but so far, no one has objected to our tardiness. :-) As for me, I received a nice $50 Visa gift card that I can use anywhere and a lovely, black wooden writing desk from my folks. Truthfully, I'm surprised I received anything considering how much they've helped me out these past 6 months, but I am eternally grateful. My mother said that no writer should be without a desk, and since I had to leave mine behind in L.A., she wanted to get me another one to replace it. Awwwww. :-D
I don't have any big plans for New Year's Eve. I'll probably just watch TV and do the countdown with the East coast like I hoped. I do need to get off of here and clean a little bit before the folks get home, though. It's the least I can do.
Let's see. Is there anything else?
Oh yeah, I'm in the process of taking my twists down. I hope to finish tonight before the ball drops. Of course, my mother is freaking out because she's afraid of my natural nappy hair being exposed to the world. You know what I mean. She's all worried I won't be able to get a job without at least having braids or stylish twists in my hair. She even offered me a wig. ::rolls eyes:: That, ladies and gents, is generations of mainstream society telling African-American women to be ashamed of their natural beauty. So I'm not mad at her, but it does annoy.
In more tragic news, I read that we lost the magnificent and forever radiant Eartha Kitt on Christmas Day. You will be missed, Ms. Eartha. Not only were you the quintessential Catwoman, your voice is the main reason I watch The Emperor's New School. In your 81 years, you never stopped. You were a constant inspiration. And even though we all must go home when we're called, my heart hurts to know you're not here with us anymore.
Okay, I think that's all I have for now. I have to get cracking on my to-do list. I'll be back in the New Year with more incendiary diatribes and mid-life crisis-wannabe navel-gazing. Here's hoping your New Years is happy and bright! Au revoir.
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