sleepsgood

sleepsgood @ 2006-04-26T19:27:00

2006-04-26T23:32:01Z

One final thought for Geek Love.

I did not find it hard to picture and put myself in the wild and imaginative scenes throughout the book. I felt that it was those scenes that made you stop and think that were the most powerful and exciting. It set this novel aside from the rest. Everyone has the ability to write the classic boy meets girl, fall in love, crazy fight, make-up and live happily ever after book, but it takes a great amount of skill, experience and determination to produce something like Geek Love.

I thought the class was pretty fun. the readings were great, the presentations were interesting and informative... very enjoyable.

Like a few others in the class, I am looking forward to picking up a good book again and enjoying it. It has been quite some time since I have read a book AND enjoyed it... this class woke me back up and gave me the urge to want to read again!

sleepsgood @ 2006-04-26T19:21:00

2006-04-26T23:26:43Z

I do not think that by losing your outer beauty that you will be able to better utilize your inner strength, knowledge and demonstrate that you are worth something. I know many women who are gorgeous on the outside, yet not so brillant on the inside. If they go and have their outter beauty taken away, will they automatically become intelligent? I don't think so. I think that if you posses both beauty and brains, good for you! Just because you have both does not mean you will be treated differently by men. I think regardless of your looks, women are treated like they are nothing by some men. I think its the men who need to change, not the women.

sleepsgood @ 2006-04-26T19:17:00

2006-04-26T23:20:32Z

Check this out:
http://www.scifidimensions.com/Jan04/geeklove.htm

Geek Love was turned into a play! How crazy is that? There is a photo of what the character, Oly, is thought to have looked like. I wish the play was performed around here. I would be really interested to see how it was performed. How all the elements and chatacteristics of each character was portrayed.

"Now, family is family, and family politics can get a little weird. But when the family is already totally weird, the politics can get outrageous!"

I thought that was an interesting take of Geek Love. Family is your family, no matter what. You can't erase the blood line. I wonder if the Binewski's had ever had a "normal" child and KEPT it, if the child would want to become disconnected from the family, or if they would embrace them all. Perhaps head over to Miss Lick...?

sleepsgood @ 2006-04-26T19:12:00

2006-04-26T23:14:00Z

Cults, cults, cults. I keep hearing about the theme of cults in Geek Love. There was a presentation on Cults last Thursday and it was very interesting. I was not focusing much on the idea of cults, nor did I know much about the different cults in the world or what actually constitutes a cult.

I do have a question to throw out there, are all cults bad? After hearing the info presented in class on the cult resemblence in Geek Love, I do not think it is as harsh or really bad as other cults in the world.

Any ideas? Are there any "good" cults out there?

it's friday!

2006-04-21T15:37:02Z

I was watching the health discovery channel last night and the topic was Mermaid Baby! I thought it was ironic that I caught that show just as we were reading Geek Love. Everytime I saw the baby I thought of Arty and what the baby would look like swimming around in a tank.

It was really interesting to see how the legs were fused together and how the legs moved as one. they also said it was a miracle she was still alive as "mermaid babies" usually die right ater birth.

The doctors were a bit taken back and had some fear in them when they saw the baby because they believe a local lake is cursed and has a real mermaid living in it. The story goes that the lake will curse any mother who does it wrong. the doctors feared that it was contagious and would rub off on them.

I thought the myth was a bit funny and made me think about Al and Lil for some reason.

Calling All Geeks!

2006-03-24T14:55:19Z

I'm at work right now and figured I would start reading Geek Love since there is nothing else to do! I am really excited to continue reading, (I only read the first chapter so far) and a smidge grossed out. It is interesting to see how people use their disformities and turn it into a show... a little disturbing, yet interesting. Can you just imagine the van full of disformed people? I can picture the siamese twins sitting next to the dwarf albino child next to flipper boy... and it just goes on. Part of me feels bad that disformities such as those found in geek love actually do exist, yet another part of me finds it somewhat interesting and fun to read about. Should I feel bad for finding this an interesting, attention holding story?

Anyway, I think I missed what was wrong with Chick, or did we just not get into his mysterious ways just yet... who knows!

I guess I will get back to reading now!

sleepsgood @ 2006-03-23T20:37:00

2006-03-24T01:42:08Z

V for Vendetta was a difficult read for me, yet internesting nonetheless!

I was particularly disturbed with the young girl in the beginning with the Bishop. That is appalling, yet, the even more scarier part is that it does happen today! How crazy is that?

I found the use of women to be quite interesting. I do not think I can get mad at the men in the novel for treating women in such a degrading way because the women did not stand up for themselves! How can we want equality among men and women when, in many situations women will not stand up for themselves? Take the workplace for example. We would like to climb the ladder, but, how many women CEOs are out there? Hm? Not nearly as many as men, but would we dare take a stand in the work place when Joe got a promotion over you when everyone knows you deserve it? Nope, there is a fear of being ridiculed and losing a job. I guess I will start to feel bad when more women begin to stand up and speak out. Ay ay, i think I strayed and may have not full expressed my thought, but, the jist of this post is, why didnt the women stick up for themselves! You are not the sexual, inferior object your are portrayed to be!

sleepsgood @ 2006-03-23T20:36:00

2006-03-24T01:35:01Z

Graphic novels are involved more of an in-depth read than I originally thought it would. Since graphic novels are an extension of comic books, I assumed V for Vendetta would be a breeze to read through, although I am not sure why as I never picked up a comic book before, but boy was I wrong.
First, the complexity of the story was far beyond what I thought a graphic novel would entail. Having such a detailed storyline, complete with multiple themes, symbols, numerous characters and a few sub-plots within the main plot, was made complicated through displaying this in graphic novel format. I found this difficult to follow because there were very few words to describe the current scene or situation. I found it to be a confusing read because I felt that there was not one continuous narrator. In novels, a narrator somewhat will dictate to the reader who is speaking or where the current scene is taking place. In V, the reader had to piece the puzzle together and hope they were making correct sense of it all. For example, when numerous characters are speaking, you must follow the bubbles in order so that the conversation makes sense. A reader may find this confusing when there are different sized bubbles and different shapes; many people begin reading whichever bubble attracts most attention to the eye, even if that is the wrong bubble to read. This then makes the conversation out of order and creates more confusion for the reader.
As previously stated, there were no long paragraphs, monologues or in-depth conversations between characters. I found this to be fascinating in that with so little dialogue, main points of the scene are made clear. For example, on page 11, Evey is trying to sell herself, yet fails. The conversation between her and the man is quite quick and to the point. In other novel forms, this conversation would or could have been drawn out. The author could have wrote about the girl fighting back, or had the man con the girl into believing he had good intentions with her. I have noticed that in V there is no fluff, shall we say, everything said has a reason and a meaning. There are no long descriptive paragraphs as there are in other novel forms, no long, drawn out monologues or long conversations. Everything is succinct and to the point because it does not need the excess fluff since the descriptions and emotions can be felt in the pictures.
The pictures in V can either be viewed as extremely helpful or as a source of further complication. The graphics can be seen a hindrance because there is a lot of clutter in the pictures or the image in unclear. By clutter I mean there are random things in the picture, random hands, heads, poof bubbles, things that may prohibit the underlying meaning to be displayed. I also felt that an image in unclear in that you see the character, but are unsure of what they are doing. You may not connect with the emotion or current state of the character because the image is not clear-cut. On the other hand, images throughout V enhance the novel in that is displays what the characters emotions are. Take Evey for example, in the beginning of the novel she is getting ready for her first night of prostitution. The dialogue has nothing to do with Evey, yet through the pictures, the reader is able to learn that she is obviously nervous, a prostitute, insecure, unsure about herself and that she does not want to do what she is about to do. The ways her actions and facial expressions are drawn really enhance the understanding of Evey’s character.

sleepsgood @ 2006-03-01T22:24:00

2006-03-02T03:29:03Z

The Girls was an interesting read. It held my attention because of its simplicity and also because of the constant thought of, "where the heck is this going?" At the end, I still had no real idea why the author wrote the story. Great, two women were acting childish and it eventually drove there mother to her grave, but so what? In class we spoke of christ figures and the girls being described as cats, but, I still question why any of that is significant?

Were the cat like descriptions of the girls supposed to mean that their personality and behavior is that to a cat? I would have to disagree because I believe cats are friendly, loving and playful. Cats do not seem to be the self-centered, greedy girls as in the book. Maybe that is just because I was around my aunt's two cats my whole life and they were very friendly and playful.

It was a good story, I just wish I understood the meaning/significance of it all!

sleepsgood @ 2006-02-23T19:50:00

2006-02-24T00:49:15Z

The short story, “The Girls,” is heavy with conflict and themes. One major conflict is found between the girls and houseguests. Two major themes that are found throughout the story are fear of inferiority and fear of detachment. I found that throughout the story, the main setting, their house, enhances the conflict and themes. There are several scenes in the story, yet, very few setting changes. A large, lavishly filled house is the main stage for this story.
The opening scene takes place in the guest bedroom of Arleen. Here we find the girls rummaging through Arleen’s personal belongings in search of her diary. This alone presents character conflict. The conflict is enhanced all the more when Arleen catches the girls reading her diary a few days later. Arleen was able to deal with the situation like an adult, but the girls went on to complain as through Arleen had done something wrong to them. The girls, in my opinion, were jealous of Arleen’s relationship with their mother. They carried on and accused Arleen of lying because their mother could never disclose her dreams to her, an outsider of the family.
Along with character conflict, this scene also displays fear of detachment. When I say detachment, I mean this as a fear of being removed from their parents, or growing up rather. I know the first few sentences reveal the ages of the girls; yet, it did not register to me as I read the first few paragraphs. I thought I was reading a story about a set of five-year-old twin girls! The giddiness the girls displayed as they searched around a room for a diary, it reminded me of something a younger sister would do in an older sisters room.
I believe that the guest bedroom was an ideal setting because it shows how the girls do not believe in personal space and that they have a twisted right to everything in the house. It shows how they willingly invade others’ space for their personal enjoyment. The bedroom is supposed to be a person’s sanctuary, a place where they can feel safe and not be spied on. If this scene took place in a living room, it would not have the same effect because living rooms are more open. They do not belong to any one person.
Next, the author speaks of a club the girls go dancing at. This scene enhances the girls conflict with non-family members as well as sheds light on the theme of superiority all the more. The girls are described as wearing scandalous clothing attracting many gentlemen; yet, the girls disregard their presence. This shows how the girls display no interest in getting to know other people. I also feel this shows how the girls feel the need to draw attraction to themselves just to shoot down anyone who dares to get to know them. I believe this gives them a sense of being better than everyone else.
The club setting is a perfect place to put the girls. When a person goes to a club it is to meet and mingle with other people. The girls go there specifically to draw attention to them and then turn their heads. Had this been a library setting, for example, it would not have the same impact because people do not go to the library to attract attention to themselves.
This girls’ bedroom was described being exotic and theatrical. When I think of a thirty-year-old woman’s bedroom, the words calm, serene, crisp and clean come to mind, not exotic and theatrical. That description fits that of five-year-olds, thus fitting into the child theme. Also, their bedroom is a joint bedroom. Thirty-year-old women should not share a room still; they should have their own individual room in their own apartment or house. The fact that the one bedroom consumes an entire floor of the house indicates superiority over everyone else in the house. I believe this setting is best as opposed to have the girls share a small bedroom in the basement as it depicts the mentality of the girls. They are in a fantasy world with them being the rulers of everything and everyone. Had the author not used this setting, there would be no enhancement of the themes and conflict.
The kitchen is another setting that enhances character conflict and theme. The family and guests are sitting down to a dinner. While everyone else has their heads bowed for grace, the girls keep their heads up and allow their eyes to wonder, looking at all the lavish decorations their mother used to decorate with. I found this to be interesting as the decorations excited the girls and they referred to them as all theirs. I believe this in a conflict between them and their parents. Their parents are the working people of the house; therefore everything in it belongs to them. The girls taking ownership of their parent’s achievements can take a toll on the parents and cause a slight conflict between them. The kitchen is also the setting for their mother’s death. The sense of superiority takes control again as instead of rushing to their mother’s side, they clung to each other and cried out, ultimately attempting to turn the situations focus from their mother, to them.
I believe this is a great use of setting and would not work anywhere else because the kitchen, in my family at least, is the room where the family is always brought together. During holidays or even everyday living, the kitchen is the one place where everyone can be found because dinner is the main event in which a family has the opportunity to sit and relax with one another. I found it interesting how the girls always turned both situations that occurred in the kitchen setting to be about them, even when in reality, it had nothing to do with them.

sleepsgood @ 2006-02-14T06:55:00

2006-02-16T01:19:48Z

I really liked the short story The Cousins. I kept thinking of my mom as I read it because she actually found a cousin of hers on a web-site... something like ellisisland.com or what have you. They e-mailed each other and went through family tree history to see how they were related and any new members of the family. It was really quite interesting to learn!

I could really feel Rebecca's energy and excitement about learning her cousin was alive. I liked how to author made Rebecca's tone so happy and filled with energy. I was able to pick up on that right away which made me interested in reading further. I also liked how the author made Freyda's tone so different. She was always so quick and wrote without any feeling at all.

I began to get frusterated with Rebecca, always so willing to write so frequently to a woman who was obviously not interested in her or her claims of being a cousin. I didn't want Rebecca's feelings to become hurt because I really did start to like her character.

I thought the ending to be that Rebecca died. She said she was sick and Freyda was angry with her because of that. Freyda finally started to warm up to Rebecca just as Rebecca was beginning to die. Maybe other people saw the ending as Rebecca just not caring to write to Freyda anymore, but, that is they way I understood the ending to be.

sleepsgood @ 2006-02-08T06:50:00

2006-02-10T01:06:15Z

It’s her, it has to be her. She is the only woman I know who insists on driving with her headlights on in broad daylight. God, as much as it irks me, it also makes me realize my love for her. She is passing now, keep calm, she does not see you, act as if she is not there. How could something that was once so beautiful become so tense and ugly? A marriage, once filled with laughter, dinners, movies and love making… When did it turn into argument after argument? I would hate for her to have seen us just now, especially after last night’s argument. She has been suspecting my cheating for a few months now, but I denied all of her accusations. God, it has been so hard lying to her all this time.
I am not sure what I am doing with Sarah. Doesn’t she know what types of guys hang out in bars? Guys who are just looking to get laid, guys with marital issues and finally, alcoholics. I happen to fall into to the wife issues category. Then again, what type of woman are you if you get involved with a married man? Then again, the past few months have been great, but, have they been great because I have been arguing with my wife for so long now? God, all I hear out of her mouth right now is a bunch of yapping and whining. She sounds like a little kid, it’s really annoying me right now. I have to find a way to tell her that this needs to stop. Our affair needs to come to an end.
I thought she would have taken my hints about us not being a for sure thing, but she didn’t. Now she is babbling on about how we will get married and have kids, it all sounds great, but I don’t want it. Damn, have I led her on too much? Is she too deeply involved? It needs to stop now before she gets even more wrapped up in me. I need to drop her off at her house, and go home to my wife.

I decided to shift the point of view from the girl to Jack. I wanted to let his thoughts be known to the reader in hopes of making the story a bit clearer. The order of events remains the same. I tried to retell his thoughts so that if you lay out the story from the girl’s perspective, you are able to easily match what is taking place in her mind, the dialogue and his current thoughts.
The ending is a bit different. The original ending was somewhat open-ended, which left the reader guessing what happened between the couple. In this story, the reader is able to see the conflicts Jack endures within his thoughts. He decides that what he and Sarah have is not real love. He drops her off at her home so he is able to return to his wife.
I believe the author chose the original ending because it let the reader use their imagination to piece together what exactly happened. Each reader was able to perceive the story differently and interpret the ending as they wish. Some people enjoy those types of endings. I chose a more concrete ending for those readers who like to know exactly how things turn out.
I feel that by letting readers know what Jack is thinking their feelings with change for him. In the original story, I do not feel as thought we truly understood who Jack was, which may be why some grew a disliking for him. Now, through readings and understanding his thoughts, I think the readers will understand him more and not dislike him as much.

sleepsgood @ 2006-01-30T10:32:00

2006-02-01T01:37:20Z

I really enjoyed reading The First Four Measures. The story held my attention from start to finish and left me wanting to learn more about the new relationships that unfolded throughout the story.

At first I thought Mr. Nichols was just an intense, strict piano teacher, and that the main conflict/issue would be dealing with Mrs. Spence, especially since it was said that the parents found her ad in the newspaper. I was thinking that the woman was going to turn out to be some crazed old lady, but, I was wrong.

Not knowing much about piano teachers and how lessons were supposed to be taught, I thought that maybe sitting next to the pupil, covering their eyes and helping with posture was normal. This then left me reading the story, waiting for some big turn around with Mrs. Spence, but still, nothing happened! The more I read, the more I realized that Mr. Nichols was not who I thought he was and began to get a bit creeped out.

I really enjoyed reading and watching the relationship between Mrs. Spence and the main character unfold. I kept picturing this poor, lonely old woman trying her best to befriend this teenaged boy, but not being successful. I began to feel bad for her in the beginning. Once he started coming around and warmed up to her, with playing the piano and not minding driving around with her, I actually felt happy for the old woman! I wish the story continued so that we could see how their friendship developed even further.