I Feel Pithy Book Blog

I Feel Pithy Book Blog tag:ifeelpithy.com,2008://1 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z Movable Type 3.36 Re- claiming my blog tag:ifeelpithy.com,2008://1.228 2008-06-03T23:17:05Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

Technorati Profile UPDATE I think thats all of my posts. Now I have to start setting up redirects. After that, I am going to try to restore my comments. UPDATE I've set up a few redirects, but don't have them all. But, I think I have restored all of my comments. Unfortunately, I could not find an automated way of getting the date and times set on those. So, they all have recent dates and times. I just couldn't bring myself to leave off the comments so, I had to move them over even if the date and times are wrong. This was all done manually, so if your comment doesn't show, let me know. I will go back and try to find it. UPDATE I will be working on comments for my food site and then go back to redirects. After that, I plan to post my entire process.]]> I'm Back - sort of tag:ifeelpithy.com,2008://1.227 2008-05-31T20:18:34Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

You may or may not have noticed that I have been missing. Well, its like this: I got hosed by my hosting company. I have since moved to another company, but unfortuantely, I had not exported my entries using the Movabe Type tools before my hosting company lost my database files. So, I have been copying and pasting my entries into a newly installed Movable Type interface on my brand new host. You may still notice some weird issues as I get things back up. I'm very grateful to the Movable Type support community for all of their help and am also extremely pleased with my new hosting company, Hostmonster. After I get all of my posts back and some redirects in place along with all my comments, I will then have to go about doing the same for my food blog. I am not sure if I am going to put the Fluff report back online. I may simply add a category to this blog and put all of those entries there. This has been the biggest pain and has taken so much of my time and it will continue to do so until I am finally done. So, updates may be few and far between until I get a handle on all of this stuff. Ass-Kicking Heroines: An Addendum tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.226 2007-11-19T20:42:24Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

A while back, I'm not sure how long ago, I found the movie review site Pajiba. I immediately bookmarked them because I loved their their snarky and erudite take on movie reviews. While I have disagreed with their reviews in...

Pajiba. I immediately bookmarked them because I loved their their snarky and erudite take on movie reviews. While I have disagreed with their reviews in the past, I've never felt the need say anything here about one of their opinion pieces. But there is one that I feel a need to respond to.

One of their more recent writers, Agent Bedhead, wrote a guide titled Ass-Kicking Heroines as part of what they call Pajiba's Guide to What's Good for You. The guides generally get their detractors. Obviously, the writers can't please everyone since they are working from a personal bias. But this particular guide seemed to be really reaching hard for women to write about. And that made me sad. So, this is just a little addendum to her post. Obviously, I can't please everyone either, so feel free to let me know who you think should be on the list.

CAVEAT: I am going to do my best to follow her guidelines (Horror/SciFi/Fantasy/Comics)so that will leave out a few that I really like (Geena Davis as Charlie Baltimore in The Long Kiss Goodnight, Pam Greer in various roles, Gena Rowlands in Gloria, Meryl Streep in the The River Wild, and Bette Davis in almost everything- just to name a few personal favorites). Also, for the sake of brevity I am only focusing on movie characters. It sucks I know, TV and the printed word are rife with kick ass heroines (luckily for you fellow Buffy fans out there, Agent Bedhead included television and print). So, feel free to list your favorites from any genre in the comments. One more thing, this addendum makes no sense without reading the the original post OK. Enough stalling. In no particular order, I present:
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Ass-Kicking Heroines: An Addendum

Princess Leia - The Star Wars Trilogy

Really, the only reason I decided to write an addendum was because Princess Leia was nowhere on the original list. That really struck me as odd when I consider the site’s demographic -fan girls and fan boys united by a common cause. Honestly, can there be a list of kick-ass heroines that doesn't include Leia? It's almost impossible to briefly sum up what makes Leia such a bad ass. But, I'm game. Lets start with this: while Luke was out playing in the sand and Han was running scams to keep his ship in the air, Leia was fighting the empire. It’s Leia who draws Luke into the fight and his ultimate destiny. Leia rescues both Luke and Han at different points. And just when it looks like she in need of a rescue, it turns out she only needed a distraction. She saves herself, by strangling her captor while wearing that infamous bikini costume. Leia isn't one to sit passively by and wait for someone to save her. Instead, she fights for herself and those she loves. Her fight against the Empire is what eventually draws the two male leads into the thread of the story. What I love most about Leia is that we see just how much she can kick ass without ever touching on her true potential. As Anakin's daughter, she is obviously an heir to his great power. Luke even tells her of the powers lurking inside of her. It’s made clear that if Luke fails, Leia will be the one to succeed in stopping Vader. Just think if Leia can lead a rebellion against Vader and the empire as a princess; imagine what she can do once she accepts and learns to use the force.

Zoe Bell AKA "Zoe the Cat" - Death Proof

Zoe Bell has true badass credentials. As a stuntwoman, she has doubled some female bad asses in her time, most notably Xena and The Bride from the Kill Bill movies. The reason she makes this particular list is for her turn in Quentin Tarrentino's Death Proof. In the movie Zoe stars as herself, a New Zealand stuntwoman visiting her movie industry friends in America. Unbeknownst to Zoe and her friends, they are being stalked by a killer named Stuntman Mike (the perfectly cast Kurt Russel), who uses his “death proof” car to kill women. When Zoe convinces her friend Kim (Tracie Thoms) to play a game called Ship's Mast all hell breaks loose. The game is basically Zoe climbing on to the hood of a 1970 Dodge Challenger while Kim drives at top speed as their friend Abernathy (Rosario Dawson) rides along. As the women are enjoying themselves, Stuntman Mike shows up to put a dent in the fun (pun intended) and kill them if he can. After a very intense scene with Zoe hanging on to the hood of the car for dear life as Mike continually rear ends and sideswipes them, the women seek revenge. And revenge is what they get. The moment when Zoe attacks Stuntman Mike and his car is just absolute perfection. This movie is almost an ode to the female bad ass. Don’t get me wrong. The movie definitely has its faults-I don't think Tarrantino is all that great at writing dialog for women- but its hard to deny a bad ass when you see one (or three). If you want to see ass-kicking heroines who aren't afraid to kill if necessary (or, you know, for straight up revenge) this is your movie.

Trinity - The Matrix

I know the sequels were crap, but I was one of those people who was blown away by the first installment of The Matrix. It wasn't the special effects, it was Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). The image of her taking on all those cops at the beginning of the film has stayed with me and (in my mind) helped alleviate some of the more unfortunate issues that plagued the later installments. Also, I love when she is outrunning the agents in that first chase sequence. When she goes through that window and tells herself to "get up" I get chills. As afraid as she is, she knows what she needs to do to succeed and survive and she makes herself do it. Trinity, the genius hacker, the controlled leader, the true believer, is the real bad ass of this film regardless of gender. While Neo and Morpheous dance around between their philosophical beliefs, it is Trinity who keeps things grounded. Neo's big rescue of Morpheous couldn't happen without Trinity there to kick ass. And even though I had a problem with the seemingly tacked on love story, it still made sense in terms of Trinity being the one to help Neo finally realize his potential. The movie may have been about Neo accepting his role as The One, but he could never had done so without the strength Trinity willingly gave him by admitting her love for him. It was cheesy, but I guess that’s how love is sometimes. Love story aside, Trinity is the core of strength for this movie. Her belief in both Morpheous and Neo is what drives the movie to its inevitable final showdowns. For an extra tidbit on how much of a bad ass Trinity is, check out the Animatrix. There is an episode involving Trinity that happens long before Neo ever learns of the Matrix's existence.

Yu Shu Lien - Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Many people will disagree with my choice of Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) versus Jen Yu (Ziyi Zhang). And they would probably be right if Yu Shu Lien had been played by anyone but Michelle Yeoh. What I love about Yu Shu in this movie is that we get to see just how much of a master Michelle Yeoh is in one simple scene. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is a feast for the lover of Martial Arts and Asian cinema. And while the feats of all of its characters are memorable and badass, only Michelle Yeoh's character seems a true master of any weapon at her disposal. In her showdown against Jen Yu (which I personally think can be ranked among the best fight scenes ever committed to film), Yu Shu shows mastery of more weapons than any other character in the entire movie with just one scene. That showdown is why I would argue with anyone else about whether it was Yu Shu or Jen Yu. There is no need for Yu Shu Lien to point out that Jen Yu only has the advantage because of the the Green Destiny. Even with that advantage, Yu Shu Lien emerges as the bad ass. The nerd in me has to point out that Michelle Yeoh has no formal Martial Arts training. She relies on her extensive dance training and the instruction of her coaches. And maybe to purists, that should mean something with regard to her badass status. I say, screw that. Michelle Yeoh is a bad ass no matter what character she plays. And the character of Yu Shu Lien is a perfect showcase for the kick-ass talents Michelle Yeoh possesses.

The Bride, AKA Black Mamba, AKA Beatrix Kiddo Kill Bill Vol. I and II

Having already written about Death Proof, I can’t leave out Tarrantino’s revenge opus, Kill Bill. As a motivating factor, I think that revenge is a perfect plot device to drive an action film. Like many of my favorite martial arts and western films, revenge is what drives the lead character. That the lead character is a woman is only incidental- unless you are looking for an ass-kicking heroine. These movies have badass women in spades. But, it’s Beatrix that controls the focus. After having her entire wedding party murdered and being left for dead while heavily pregnant, Beatrix wakes up from a 4-year coma. Everything comes back to her and she goes after the people responsible. What I love about this saga is how obvious it is that she still loves Bill even knowing that she has to kill him. Beatrix isn’t really a heroine per se. She just wants justice. That is something that I think makes her a little more likable than her enemies. Awesomely enough, her enemies actually needed killing - which is something that only ever really shows up in western or martial arts epics. There are several things that make Beatrix a bad ass. Her skill, her drive, and her sense of honor all work toward the badass end. But, in the end, for me, it’s her fight for her child and what she goes through to win that fight that really makes her one of the best kick-ass heroines in film. I mean come on, she gets buried alive and claws her way out- how kick-ass is that?

Zoe Washburne - Serenity

I debated about whether to include Zoe and Scully. Mainly because my sense of them as kick-ass heroines tends to come from what I knew of their characters before they made their appearances in movies. However, I have been thinking about the movie Serenity, and as much as I love River Tam, Zoe pretty much kicks ass throughout the movie (and the show if we were including the show-which we aren’t). She is stronger than Mal, because Mal depends on her in much the same way he depends upon what he has built with his ship and crew. Yes, River has THE kick-ass moment. But so many people had to die before River would own what she could do. Zoe consistently works to keep the crew alive and morally on track. It is obvious that she would rather not kill, but she has no qualms about doing so if she has to. More importantly, her loyalty is unquestioned. She knows that Mal will get the word out. In a movie where Mal and the unnamed agent waltz around each other with dueling beliefs, it’s nice to have a character that just knows. Zoe has no time for philosophy or discussion. She is there to protect and defend. She is there to be the reasonable one. And even in the moment when she loses her shit over the death of Wash, she manages to keep a level enough head to get them all to safety. She knows when to fall back even in the midst of her own pain. There is one quote that I always think of when I think of Zoe; "She's torn up plenty, but she'll fly true.” And you just know she will.

Laurie Strode - Halloween

Since Agent Bedhead started the post as a Halloween offering, how could I not include Jaime Lee Curtis's turn as Laurie Strode? The movie Halloween asks one simple question "does the boogeyman exist?" The answer is yes. He is in this case, Michael Myers, a silent killer who for no reason murders his older sister when he is just 6 years old. Laurie Strode is a shy and intelligent teenager who earns her money by babysitting. On Halloween night, as she watches over 2 young children, she comes face to face with Michael Myers. Michael has been silently waiting in a mental institution for this one night. Since we don't learn until the sequel that Laurie is Michael’s sister, the figure of Michael is much more terrifying in that there is no explanation for his stalking of Laurie and her friends. What makes Laurie a bad ass in this film is her willingness to fight back even though she is terrified. She never forgets that she is responsible for two small children and keeps their safety foremost in her mind. After hiding the children and locking herself in a closet, she must. The moment when she picks up a coat hanger to stab her knife-weilding foe in the eye and disarm him stands as a pivotal moment in horror movie history. We've seen women fight back in horror movies since (Sydney Prescott comes to mind), but it was the character of Laurie Strode that started the trend.

Lornette "Mace" Mason - Strange Days

Strange Days was off my radar for a very long time. As a matter of fact, I didn’t actually see it for the first time until last year, and with good reason. The movie isn’t very good. The plot isn’t all that engaging; the lead (played by Ralph Fiennes) is annoying and unlikable; and Juliette Lewis does her best to work my last nerve with her poor characterization. The only real saving grace is Mace, played by the always-awesome Angela Bassett. Even though they explains why Mace cares so much about Lenny, I still don’t buy it. What I do buy is how much ass Mace kicks. As a matter of fact, she is on this list because she literally kicks people’s asses throughout the movie. She is a true kick ass hereoine.

Marion Ravenwood - Raiders of the Lost Ark

Ahh, Marion. Unlike many of my peers, I didn't see any of the Indiana Jones movies until after I graduated college. The only explanation I can come up with for this is that I simply assumed they were guy movies. I know it was very closed minded of me to assume that, but I was working on my knowledge of the movies from the trailers, clips, and interviews I'd seen. So imagine my delight at finding Marion Ravenwood (played by Karen Allen) in Raiders of the Lost Ark. In a movie dominated by testosterone, here was a woman who was just as smart and brave as Indiana Jones. Or, maybe I just really liked her drinking men under the table and punching Indiana Jones for having the nerve to show up in her bar after all these years.

Carolyn Fry - Pitch Black

Fry didn't ask to be a bad ass. She didn't ask to be sole surviving crewmember on a passenger ship going down on a seemingly deserted planet. As a matter of fact, she was willing to sacrifice every passenger on that ship, just to get her crew safely to the ground. She wasn't concerned about the people she was being paid to get to their destination safely. Fry was concerned with the people she cared about. It seems that many of the bad asses on this list are stuck between the philosophies of their male costars. Fry wasn't stuck between philosophies, or even trying to keep the balance between them. Fry just suddenly wanted to keep the people entrusted to her alive. And maybe there is something about monsters that feast on blood who live in the dark that can make you want to keep the people around you alive. But, if you are the kind of hesitant heroine who just wants to live through it and only found a cause along the way, maybe you can identify with with Fry.

Dana Scully - The X-Files

This is a total cheat. I just couldn’t leave Scully out. Yes, she is much more kick-ass in the television show. But, she does have a couple of moments in the movie that hint at what a bad ass she is. That “don’t fuck with me” tone of voice she uses to clear the federal building when they discover the bomb did give me goose bumps. Her intelligence throughout the movie more than makes up for the fact that she has to be saved by Mulder at the end. But, its my list and I say she stays. So, that's it. I can't tell you how difficult this was. I think I am beginning to see why Agent Bedhead's list was so short. Maybe it’s just easier to make the list short and take the heat for it. But, I still feel that its somewhat of an injustice to leave off the women I've named here. Hopefully, my little addendum will inspire you to create your own. Or, maybe you will just tell me how much I suck for leaving off some of your favorites. Either way, have
at it.]]> Oh What a Time We had- Halloween tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.225 2007-10-30T19:40:14Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

So, Saturday we went to Mr. Blank's Carnivale of Black Hearts hosted by a friend of ours at Tasty World. I've said before that Halloween in Athens is an experience and everyone tries to make it a party. So, I...

Mr. Blank's Carnivale of Black Hearts hosted by a friend of ours at Tasty World. I've said before that Halloween in Athens is an experience and everyone tries to make it a party. So, I tried to remember to take pictures this time. Only of course, I didn't get pictures of all the costumes I liked. The one I really wish I had gotten a picture of was a very petit woman-I think she was a drummer for one of the bands- dressed as Hulk Hogan. She even nailed the voice and called everyone "brother" all night.]]> The lovely Mux (who hosted the Carnivale) made this pumpkin head out of papier mache.

Hubby decided to take my love of pirates and my fear of zombies and put them to work as one great costume.

Here we have Otis Driftwood (House of 1000 Corpses) in all his finery. Also known as my brother-in-law.

This was one of my personal favorites- just because it was a very brave choice. Rae from the movie Black Snake Moan. She even let me drag her around by the chain.

Another favorite of mine was this random guy who came as Slash.

And last but certainly not least was Richie Tenenbaum.

I have to say that my friend and I got a lot of props for our Pink Ladies costumes- especially when we demonstrated that we knew how to hand jive. The bartender even gave us free shots of his own creation because he played Danny in his high school production of Grease. We did learn there was a bit of a skirmish after we left between the carnivale performers and one of the bands. Hopefully, it wasn't that big a deal and won't prevent the event from going on again next year. It was a great time and we are already trying to come up with costume ideas for next year. I am very grateful that so many strangers were willing to let me take their pictures. Its hard to describe what Halloween in Athens is like without them. So thanks a bunch costumed strangers.]]> What's going on tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.224 2007-10-11T19:41:25Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

So, you may have noticed that I haven't written anything lately. It's not from lack of anything to write about. If I say I've been busy, it will sound like a cop out. But, really I have. I have a...

So, you may have noticed that I haven't written anything lately. It's not from lack of anything to write about. If I say I've been busy, it will sound like a cop out. But, really I have. I have a new job. I'm kind of still in shock about it. It happened very quickly. A friend of mine told me about an open position in a different college at the university so, I applied. Because things work so slowly there, I didn't expect to even hear from anyone for at least a month. Only, they immediately contacted me about taking an aptitude test and and an interview. With very little time to prepare, I went. That night I got a call offering me the job. I am going to be a web developer. Well, not really. That is the official job title, but really I'll be learning to be a web developer. Yes all those years of teaching myself html and cascading style sheets have finally come to fruition. I get to learn web programming as well as design. My first day on the job will consist of my leaving for an intensive 3 day training course in Adobe Creative Suite. Their putting me up in a hotel with a pool and everything. But, here's the thing. I am really nervous. You see I have been at my current position for almost 9 years. Even though I've gotten really burnt out and over it, I'm really comfortable here. Its that whole stepping outside of your comfort zone thing. I'm worried about the dumbest things too. Like, I worry if my brain is so set in its ways that it will refuse to learn new things. I worry that I will screw up something so major on their website that I will be fired on the spot. I worry that people will think I smell- I have begun sweating a lot more than normal this year and have been searching furiously for a clinical strength deodorant and am about to begin searching on line. So, those are a few of my worries. Then there is the guilt. I have been where I am for so long that I feel bad about leaving. I find that there are all kinds of things that I just handled and now have to list out for the group until they get a replacement. I began packing up my things the other day and realized, I have seen 9 years worth of students graduate. I have seen and helped 9 years worth of graduate and post graduate students earn their master's and phD's. I have seen many of them go on to teach at the same college. Its been a long time. But, the thing is it IS time. Its time for me to move forward. And that is my biggest worry. What if I take this chance and move forward only to fall flat on my face? I know thats probably a normal fear- or maybe it isn't and I am one of those people who fears success. I guess my biggest problem is that I don't feel like I can celebrate the way that I should. Different members of my family are going through hardships. They all say congratulations, but they are preoccupied. Then I feel guilty because I want them to be a little bit happier for me. Then I worry that I am not sympathetic enough to their problems. The thing is I gave this job 6 weeks notice. So, now everyone knows I'm leaving and I have pretty much checked out and am feeling pretty isolated. I've been trying to busy myself, which has been very easy. I have inventories to take, instructions to update, student workers to train- I'm swamped. But every time I get frustrated at work or feel like I'm moving on too soon, I think about the perks. I took my current job because I really didn't know what I wanted to do. I was really interested in technical writing and training. I was also interested in networking and computer hardware. But, this college couldn't afford to train me in any of those things. I had to learn it on my own and by being willing to research until I found the right answer. And that was cool, but it did nothing to help me find a focus. I knew I wanted to go further in technology, but never thought I had the right type of training to do anything web related. I mean I can build websites, but I never really learned anything about design. I figured as long as I kept the designs simple and clean people wouldn't notice that I wasn't a designer. And now, here I am the perfect candidate for a group looking to mentor someone. Even better, this is a college that can and will invest in training for their employees. When I was talking to the friend who told me to apply, I told her that I really did feel like it was time for me to move on to something else. There was a pause and then she said, "Chas, you were ready to move on 3 years ago." And she was right. She IS right. So, maybe all I'm really doing is trying to convince myself that its ok for me to be happy about this. Which is silly because- and I'm letting you in on a big secret here- I prayed for this. Not this specifically, but about 3 months ago, I started hoping and praying that I could find a way to move on before one more computer lab was added to my roster of duties. I wanted to get out before I started hating my coworkers. I wanted a job that could take me further in the things I would love to know. I always wanted to be a real geek girl. And I think I am going to finally get the chance. So every day that I walked into the building, every morning when I woke up, I would just say "please let something happen to get me out." And then this happened, and it happened so quickly that I haven't really had time to second guess it. Which is probably what I am doing now that I have all this time on my hands. Can you picture it? Me. A maven of PHP and Java and a whole bunch of other web technologies that sound like things I should know but don't. I know nothing about what my new set up is going to be. But, I do know that the atmosphere is Macintosh friendly and I won't have to work with students anymore. I'm sure I'll still have to convince myself that I have not stepped into a zombie movie as I drive on to campus every day. I'm pretty positive that I won't be able to escape whatever office politics are waiting for me. And, there is still the chance that my new coworkers will think I smell bad, but I do think this is the luckiest thing to have happened to me in a long time. I think the moment when things will really sink in is when I wipe my hard drive. Right now, I'm so focused on all the things I have to do before I leave. Even writing a formal letter of resignation so that my boss could post my position as being open didn't have the resonance I was expecting. Instead, that was when the feeling that I was an outcast began. Maybe I hurt myself by giving such a long period of notice. Its not like they can afford to get mopey about my leaving them just before the start of a new semester. They have to get their act together and move forward too. I wonder if they will buy me lunch as a fond fairwell. Probably not, since I was the oe who always arranged the good bye lunches for people who were moving on to other jobs. So, all I can do is wait it out. And now, that all I can do is wait it out, I am trying to hold on to that sense of excitement I had when I received the phone call telling me I got the job. Of course hubby and I are going to the mountains for our anniversary this weekend. Maybe the serenity of the place will help me get a grip on whatever this is. Anyway, thats what's been going on with me lately. I'll be updating you guys on the book drive and letting you know about some incentives I have in place in upcoming posts. Stay tuned. More Notes From ATL- This Guy is a Hack tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.223 2007-09-15T19:44:13Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

So, very disappointed in the Dreamweaver training. Even more disappointed than I was in InDesign. Both classes were taught by the same person and that may have something to do with it. Anyway, I am no stranger to Dreamweaver. Its what I used to build this site and several others. Its pretty much how I cut my teeth on HTML. So, I wasn't too worried when he started off talking about very basic things. As a matter of fact, I kind of zoned out a bit until I heard him say that Dreamweaver was basically a layout tool. It seemed a rather strange statement to make about something that has so many coding capabilities and made me question what he knew about HTML in general. So, I'm sitting there trying my best to keep from looking as bored as I was. My boss was sitting next to me and she wrote me a note saying something along the lines of "he's going to start talking about table layouts." Sure enough, the second I finished reading the note, he starts talking about using tables to create your web layouts. It wasn't until he started talking about ALT tags that my boss got really fed up. He basically told the entire class that the W3 Consortium would come after a business or entity for not using ALT tags in their web sites. At that point she wrote a note that said "This guy is a hack. Let's leave." I stifled a giggle and figured we would leave at the next break. Only she started gathering her stuff together, just as he started talking about the Assets Panel in Dreamweaver, she whispers "gather your assets." And we did. All four of us just walked out. Of course we helped ourselves to the complimentary sodas on the way out. Quick Update from Atlanta tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.222 2007-09-14T19:45:06Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

So, you guys know I got a new job right? I am currently writing this post from a hotel room in Atlanta. We are here for 3 days of intense CS3 training. Yesterday's Photoshop class was awesome, although I had forgotten how hard it is to sit still and listen to someone talk for hours at a time. I really feel for those poor elementary school kids. It must be torture to have all that energy and have to sit still and quiet. I am 32 and don't have anywhere near the energy that an 8 year old has and I was sure I wouldn't make it. Anyway, we are on day two and while the InDesign course wasn't as informative as the PhotoShop one, I am really looking forward to Dreamweaver tomorrow. Right now, we are all in our respective suites working so, I thought I would take a little break to post something. I know its been a little while. So, here's a bone. Actually, I do have a post that I have been working on. I haven't posted it yet, because its fairly intensive and I have had to piece out small bits of time to work on it. Its also fairly movie geeky so beware. Hopefully, I will be done with it and have time to proof it in time to post it this weekend. I won't be home until Friday. My two direct supervisors and I are meeting with a company rep here in Atlanta Friday morning. We will be heading back to Athens after the meeting on Friday. I have to say this has been a good time. I am really getting to know the people I will be working with. I have eaten at probably some of the best restaraunts in the world, and I am learning a lot about software that I have always wanted to be an advanced user in. Hopefully, I will get the chance to talk about this week with you guys. Right now, I feel like I barely have time to catch my breath- which I must say is kind of awesome. Its been a long time since I've been this excited about work. Anyway, I'll get back to you guys this weekend. I think you will enjoy the post I plan to make then. And after that, I will post of my adventures in Atlanta. Book Reivew: Letters from Pemberly, The First Year tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.221 2007-08-23T19:37:20Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

Letters from Pemberley the First Year is another of what I like to call Jane Austen fan fiction. This book is a compilation of letters written by new Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy to her sister Jane. The novel is a fast and enjoyable read. Its author Jane Dawkins doesn't set out for historical accuracy as she is no expert in either the period or Jane Austen. She simply wishes to entertain based on her love of Pride and Prejudice (Bantam Classics), as well as other works of Jane Austen. Dawkins peppers Elizabeth's first year at Pemberly with familiar characters. Many of the characters, though renamed, are easily recognized from other works by Jane Austen. It becomes a fun game identifying them based upon Elizabeth's descriptions. Overall, its an enjoyable novel. There are a few rough spots where the language doesn't come across just right. Some of the phrasing in the letters is awkward. But the basis of the novel is well thought out. While I never really pictured Elizabeth as a character who would be shy or reticent about anything. I did understand the premise that Elizabeth, so recently separated from her family and suddenly mistress of a large household would doubt herself. The idea that many would think Mr. Darcy married beneath him would surely haunt her as she made her mark upon society and her new household. It is in this area that Dawkins really shines. Elizabeth's pride does not allow her to back down from the challenge of proving that she is good enough. Which is what I would expect from the Elizabeth of Pride and Prejudice (Bantam Classics). However, this Elizabeth shares her fears with her sister and in these letters we see how lonely it must have been for her to leave her family behind and start this new life with the man she loved so dearly. This novel is an introduction to the new Mrs. Darcy, Mistress of Pemberly. While the spirited light hearted Elizabeth Bennet is still there, she is changed as one would expect. I have only one personal gripe about the novel. It is composed of 25 letters from Elizabeth to Jane. I wish that we could have read Jane's replies to her sister. Which left the novel feeling incomplete. However, having just discovered that Dawkins has written a sequel to her sequel entitled More Letters From Pemberley: 1814-1819: A Further Continuation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, it is entirely possible that the novel was left incomplete on purpose.]]> Harry Potter...Kind of. tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.220 2007-08-08T19:38:38Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

So, I was going to post this ultra long review of the very last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7). I was mentally taking notes on the points I felt most mentioning while reading it....

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7). I was mentally taking notes on the points I felt most mentioning while reading it. I was working out exactly how to describe how awesome the book is without revealing anything. And then, wouldn't you know it? I found a review that was so much better than any I could have written. I may have mentioned this website before. If not, I have definitely meant to. Its mainly a movie review site. At least that is how it started, but it has branched out. It now provides book reviews. I have to say that if I didn't love this site so much I would hate it. The site is called Pajiba. And you can find one of the best reviews of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) here. A word of warning about the review: If you don't want to be spoiled, don't read the comments. Now, that I no longer have that review to write, I want to point you in the direction of something super cool. The nerd in me absolutely loves the idea of legal scholarship as applied to Harry Potter. Read some of the papers linked in the article. You will be shocked at how much study has gone into the Harry Potter series from a strictly legal standpoint. One last thing. We are in year 2 of the Oasis Youth Shelter Book Drive. We did OK last year. But I am really wanting to go above and beyond. And I need your help with that. I feel that the simple act of giving may be its own reward, but its always cool to get something in return. To that end, I am asking you guys to tell me what my next incentive program should be. I have a few ideas:

Another matching program

A prize giveaway to the person who donates the most.

A hall of fame for our most prolific donors.

A chance to see me humiliate myself in some way as a thank you to meeting a certain donation goal.

What do you guys think? I am open to all ideas and suggestions- as long as they are legal and don't require me to take my clothes off.]]> Book Related: This is so freakin cool tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.219 2007-06-26T06:32:09Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

This has got to be one of the cooler things I've ever found on the internet. Thanks to popculturejunkmail for the link. I think I am going to have to go through my books and take pictures of the inscriptions...

popculturejunkmail for the link. I think I am going to have to go through my books and take pictures of the inscriptions now. Of course, I've donated so many of my books to the Oasis Youth Shelter that I really need to hit the used book store again. Anyway, check it out: The Book Inscriptions Project.]]> Reading to Write Part 1: Bird by Bird tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.218 2007-06-16T06:33:40Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

When I first moved to Athens, I was really at loose ends. I moved here on a whim because I liked the town but I didn't have a job in place or a place to live. I stayed with friends...

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Having previously read Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year, I was already familiar with Lamott and found her writings to be truly inspirational. For a long time my reading Bird by Bird and landing the job I really wanted were intertwined in my mind. A week ago, I was talking to my husband about how difficult it is to get back to writing anything when I had gone so long without doing it. His only suggestion was that I find some inspiration to just dive right in again. It was his use of the word inspiration that reminded me of the book. I checked it out of the library and began to read. And once again, I could see clearly how I had lost my way and my focus. And while I can't say that I have been on a real writing roll, I have been more focused and practicing everyday. Bird by Bird is part writing manual, part inspirational motivator, and part autobiography. Lamott starts with a story of her childhood. Her brother had procrastinated on an assignment about birds. With the report due the next day and her brother sitting frozen at the table with stacks of books and research he was near tears. Their father sat down beside him and said "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird." This is the first real instruction that Anne has for her students and it should stay in the back of their minds as they work toward their writing goal. The book is loaded with helpful advice to help writers get started or move forward. Advice like working with short assignments and banging out that "shitty first draft" are the backgrounds for helping a struggling writer develop their characters and plots. While the advice is very simple, Lamott warns us about the truly difficult and complicated work that awaits an aspiring writer. The beauty of the book is being able to see the craft involved in creating it through the information she has provided. Most important, Lamott is funny. Her humor infuses every aspect of the book even when the subject matter becomes sad and almost painful. She never flinches away from telling us how difficult and sometimes just plain degrading a writer's life can be. All the while, she repeats like a mantra that all you can do is work. All you can do is take it bird by bird. What I love about this book is that its like sitting in a writing class where there is only me and the teacher. Her voice is clear and empathetic. She understand the need to simply write to get it out even if no one ever sees it. She is patient and full of humor. She understands the grand fantasies about what it will be like to be a writer and she wants to make sure that I know that the fantasy never lives up to the reality but I should keep working anyway. Anyone who has ever been interested in writing should read this book. She provides the necessary pieces for crafting a work along with all the practical advice you could ever need to get started and work all the way through. But the truest piece of advice that she could ever give is in the title. Just take it bird by bird.]]> As My Childhood Continues to Slip Away tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.217 2007-06-14T06:36:32Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

Another part of my childhood got chipped away this week. Mr. Wizard, also known as Don Herbert, passed away on Tuesday. He was 89 years old. I always felt smart after watching Mr. Wizard's World on Nickelodeon. That my parents had grown up watching his show off and on didn't really mean anything to me at that point in my life. I was still selfish enough to think that I had discovered things like this (I was a teenager before I finally acknowledged that the Monkees had been on television before I was even born). Mr. Wizard would take these seemingly complicated experiments and break them down so that anyone could understand the science behind them. I tried many of them myself. My parents liked this show much better than the green slime drenched You Can't do that on Television so they encouraged it. Even when I was in middle school and (in my mind at least) too old to watch Mr. Wizard, I still did. There were so few things to make an adolescent girl feel smart in the late 80's so I clung to what I could find. I don't claim to have any overt love for science. Literature is and always was my thing. But, Mr. Wizard helped me understand the physical world around me and for that I will always be grateful.]]> It Isn't Over Yet tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.216 2007-05-23T06:21:08Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

Just because the Mother's day matching program is done doesn't mean you can't get your donation matched. The original donation matching program is still in effect until July 13th. So, if you missed out on turning your single donation...

The original donation matching program is still in effect until July 13th. So, if you missed out on turning your single donation into 3, don't worry. You can still turn your donation into two. I will match any donation you make from the wish list. All you have to do is forward your shipping confirmation to chasitymoody [AT] ifeelpithy [DOT] com. So, what are you waiting for? You know you want to donate a book to a troubled adolescent.]]> Odds and Ends tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.215 2007-05-19T06:22:37Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

Book Drive
Seems only two people have taken me up on the "triple your donation" matching program. If you are still interested, I will be matching your donation by doubling mine in honor of Mother's Day. The program ends Sunday May, 20th. So get to it people. Send one measly book from the wish list and the shelter will get three. You can't beat that. Random Television Stuff
Tuesday night was the final episode of the Gilmore Girls. I loved the show. I mainly loved all of the constant food mentions. Here's how I decided to say goodbye. Book Related
I just finished reading How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life by Mameve Medwed. I devoured it in a day and a half. The writing style was clunky in places, but the book itself was so enjoyable that those parts could be overlooked. Who would have thought that a book that focuses on a chamber pot could be so engaging? I spent the entire read alternating between truly feeling for the main character, Abigail, and wanting to shake her for being so dense. A while back I read Steve Martin's The Pleasure of My Company: A Novel. I wasn't as impressed with it as I was with Shop Girl. I think it goes back to my impatience with nonsense. The lead character, Daniel Pecan Cambridge, lived in a self created world of neurosis. Now, I like neurosis as much as the next person- I adore Silvia Plath's work. But there was something about Daniel's love of these completely fabricated quirks and eccentricities that really began to grate the more I read. The difference really is in the characters. I could relate to Mirabelle. Daniel Pecan Cambridge, not so much. And maybe that's the point. I definitely found myself voicing my frustration with the character of Daniel out loud. I definitely had to put it down because it seemed impossible that any character could be so intelligent and so obtuse at the same time. So, if Martin's goal was to thoroughly frustrate the reader before finally making his character move forward, he accomplished it with this reader. I just started reading The House of Mirth. It seems I've read it before, but I don't remember it. So, I find myself falling in love with Edith Wharton all over again. Its been more than 10 years since I last read anything by her. Her style is even more beautiful than I remember. I am going to try to enjoy every second of it. Self Promotion
My food web site, The Southern Epicure, has been nominated for a Blogger's Choice Award - Best Food Blog. Amazing. If you participate in things like this, I would love a vote. But, honestly, there are so many better candidates out there that I am simply surprised I was nominated at all. That's it for now
Seriously. That's all I got right now.]]> Minor Updates tag:ifeelpithy.com,2007://1.214 2007-05-12T06:27:15Z 2008-06-10T01:45:45Z

I just wanted to let you guys know that I've sorted out some things. The email bounce back problem should be fixed now. It was a typo on a referring page. Also, I have updated the book list so that...

update your book mark to wish list. I'll be updating it on past entries and anywhere else I can find it. I'll be back soon with more book drive updates. In the meantime, check out the book drive's website to find out more ways to help.]]>