Book Review - The Name of the Wind

I am a fan of fairy tales - always have been.  Partly because I'm a dyed-in-the-wool romantic, and nothing makes a romantic's heart weep like the will-they-won't-they relationships found in fairy tales.  Partly because I was taught quite early in my childhood to always root for the underdog (Let's go, Mets!), and the heart of all fairy tales is the path of an underappreciated, misunderstood youngster who faces poverty, injury, loss, illness, and certain death in order to defeat evil.  Mostly because I am drawn with every fiber of my being to a good rhythm, and there isn't a genre within the realm of the written word that can influence the tide of one's heart-blood like a fairy tale. 

A well-written fairy tale makes you feel like you're sitting around a campfire that is just barely staving off the darkness and wilderness of night, going over the events of the day with people whom you can implicitly trust to have your back.  It speaks to your mind's ear in the voice of a road-weary gypsy story-teller.  It finds the right balance between the expected - the magic of threes, the foreshadowing, the black hat-/white hat elements - and the unexpected - the surprising twists that fling our hero(ine) into and out of trouble with such abandon.  Fairy tales leave you wrapped in a patchwork quilt of emotional aftermath: elation, melancholy, fury, and of course, hope.

There are a great number of fairy tales written specifically for adults.  One of the best that I have come across is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.  (Aside - I would guess that this book is officially considered a 'fantasy', but it felt very fairy tale to me.)  Imagine Harry Potter (exceptionally bright hero chafes under limitations and rules of youth) meets The Princess Bride (an innocent yet smoldering, star-crossed romance) meets DragonLance (feudal setting filled with burly peasants who gather at inns to discuss the nearby forest's potential for evil).  It has adventure and science and magic and beggars and mead and candles and headmasters and maidens and copper coins and lutes and jealousy and keys and a maybe-dragon.  In short, it is exactly the kind of story in which I want to immerse myself for hours upon hours at a time.

I have only a few complaints about this book.  The first is that it was a mere 722 pages long.  I devoured it in the course of several unintentionally late nights, and I am now slavering for more.  The second is that, in the fashion of many great fairy tale/fantasy stories, this book is really just a large part of the whole story.  It ends rather abruptly and leaves the many threads of the story all loose and dangly.  This would be fine, if not for my third complaint.  Thirdly, the second book in the story has yet to be released.  (According to his website, it is expected to come out in March of 2011.)

I am in agony.  If you have any affection for fairy tales or fantasy stories, you should get your hands on a copy as soon as you possibly can.  My misery needs some company.

Dinner and a Movie

Tonight, we watched a Japanese horror film called "One Missed Call". Even though I was watching carefully, and even though it was fairly well dubbed in English, I have NO IDEA what happened in this movie. People were getting phone calls from themselves time stamped about 2 days in the future. They would then die some kind of horrible death at the time the call was made. The main character (Yumi) and her kinda-boyfriend (Yamashita) spend some of their time trying to save her doomed roommate and the rest investigating the asthma death of a young girl. They suspected that the girl had been abused by her mother. More people die horrible, gruesome deaths. Then the last third of the movie is spent trying out one ending after another. It's like the director kept thinking up "one more thing!" The final plot has more twists and turns than Lombard Street. (Thanks, Mikey, for that reference.) I won't say that I hated it - there were some truly creepy scenes (if you like that kind of thing) - but it left me feeling a bit lost.

Mid-movie we stopped to make an ambitious meal - eggrolls! They are SO yummy, but they take FOREVER to make. Ours were filled with cabbage, carrots, glass noodles, and Hoisin marinated tofu. Sauteing, boiling, frying, and that's all before you even get to the wrapping and deep frying. We sure enjoyed them after all that work. Mikey made his special sweet and sour sauce, and we even had a couple of apple-cinnamon filled eggrolls for dessert.

To finish out the evening, we watched an anime show called "Rurouni Kenshin, wandering samurai" about a swordsman who has chosen a new, non-violent path. Unfortunately, it seems as though every swordsman in the area wants to use him to prove their own strength. It actually reminds me a lot of another anime show called "Trigun", except in that story it is an expert gunfighter who has repented his violent past.

You know it's a bad sign when...

...the movie you are about to watch is preceded by previews for The Benchwarmers and Click. Yikes.

You know you're really desperate when you go ahead and watch it anyway. :) In a couple of hours I will be able to tell you what I thought of the movie Fun With Dick and Jane starring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni. I do not have high hopes.

So Busy

Today we...

...checked out a space for our business to be located. It was very nice. Just the right size, reasonably priced (compared to local stuff anyway), lots of natural light, comfortable neighborhood, adequate parking, nice owners. We're still looking around, but in my gut it feels like this is the place.

...went to the dentist. I have 3 cavities. THREE?!!? I don't know who was more shocked, myself or my dentist. I never get cavities. To be fair, one is an old filling going bad, and the other two are back to back between a couple of teeth (so they should really only count as one!). I'm bummed though. I have to have 2 more visits back. Bleh. Luckily, my dentist is kind and gentle and only slightly religiously nuts. :)

...went to the doctor. Mikey had a follow up on his visit to the ER last week. Things are much better now, but the doc sent him to get his back x-rayed. She wants to know if there is a reason to send him to the specialists for further attention. She's also sending him to the tummy folks, something he has needed but put off for some time, so I guess there will be good coming from this craziness.

...went to the blood bank. Mikey wasn't feeling up to it, but I gave a unit. I try to go as soon as I am eligible (every 2 months). It is a good idea, if you're capable. There are lots who need it. I am a universal donor, so I figure it's particularly important for me to give.

...watched the new Bruce Willis movie. He's still yummy even though he's getting old. (Shhh...don't tell Mikey I said that!) The movie wasn't great, and some of the dramatic action scenes were a little silly, but it was fun. Plus, Kevin Smith is in it. Hooray!

...bought Orange Guard, which is supposed to repel ants. We have been having serious ant trouble lately, and this is our compromise. I am perfectly willing to sacrifice some karma points killing the little buggers, but Mikey is a gentleman and would like us to deal with the issue non-violently. The compromise was that we would use the Orange stuff to keep them out, but I toasted the ones that were already in. This stuff better work, or I am going to start breaking out the heavy duty poison.

...bought an edger. We are going to be setting up an invisible fence (of the underground variety) in a further attempt to keep the dogs on our property. It will follow the same perimeter as the regular fence, and will hopefully keep them from getting close enough to dig out. This is getting a little rediculous. We will then have a 6 foot chain link fence, fortified with shock wire and the top and bottom and protected by another hidden wire that first beeps and then zaps the silly creatures. So much work for two goofy black dogs. I can't stand the alternatives though.

Time for bed. Another busy day tomorrow. G'night.

Rockin' Out

I had THE BEST time on Sunday night!

My friend, "K", and I went to a concert at the casino in Temecula. Who did we see? THE INDIGO GIRLS! Only my favorite band in the whole world! The theater had great acoustics, and the seats were awesome.

They had a great opening act by the name of Thao (sounds like Tao) that I had never heard of before, but I ended up buying their cd. Very interesting, new sound with thoughtful, meaningful lyrics.


The Indigo Girls sounded great. I was worried that they would be playing all new music that I didn't know, but the set list included many of my absolute favorite songs. There were some great new songs as well, meaning that I am going to have to get their latest albums for myself sometime soon.

The crowd that night was energetic and friendly. There was lots of dancing and singing and laughing. It was interesting to see so many lesbian couples, since I have only heard the term mentioned once in my entire stay in Temecula. I wanted to run around the room asking all these liberally minded, enviromentally oriented people for their names and numbers. Those are the kind of people that I need to surround myself with, and they are few and far between around here. The whole evening was fabulous. I left making two promises to myself: I will most definitely be going to every Indigo Girls concert that takes place in the area, and I will be returning to the Pechanga theater for any concert that sounds interesting. It's a great place to see a show.

Next show: comedian Jim Gaffigan in July

This, That, and The Other Thing

(This)
Yesterday I got a little cabin fever (not surprising since i hadn't left our 2 acres in 4 days), so we headed into town for a date. First up was a movie at the "cheap theater". If you want something hilariously funny and totally inappropriate, I recommend Reno 911: Miami. I laughed a lot. Then we grabbed some Rubio's burritos for dinner. They have an Especial that is especially good. (This, combined with the greased popcorn and mega-sized Sprite at the movies, means that I fell off the diet wagon for a while, but I am getting right back on.) It was just the right amount of getting out to make me happy to be able to stay home for another several days in a row.

(That)
Today I will work on my masters class. I have been very intently procrastinating these essays, but it is time and I will put them off no longer. I have 2 that were supposed to be done Saturday and 5 more that are supposed to be done next Saturday. Do you think I can do it? I doubt it. But I will make some progress. Here I go...

(The Other Thing)
PS - I just saw a trailer for the most adorable movie. John Cusack is the lead in Martian Child, a based-on-a-true-story film about a science fiction writer who adopts a little boy who thinks he is a visitor from Mars. The trailer made it look funny and sensitive and sweet. A powerful story about the power of love. Definitely on my Must See list. I am curious though...do you think John only signs on to movies that agree to let Joan have a roll??

(That again)
Okay. I'm going now for real. I swear...

Losing Face

I'm not that good with faces. I can usually recognize that a face is familiar, but I often have a hard time recognizing when or where I have seen it. This can be a problem when someone (usually a former student or student's parent) comes up to me in the grocery store and starts talking. I can usually fake my way through the conversation or guide it in a way that gives me a clue who the mystery person is. However, when I am watching a movie with numerous characters, I often lose the plot because I am not sure which character is which. I totally and utterly lost interest in part III of The Godfather because of this. By the end I knew pretty much everyone was dead, but I had know idea who was who. Problematic.

I can't hardly believe it. I managed to leave school carrying nothing but my empty lunchbox and my purse. No papers, no textbooks, no nothing. Of course, I had to stay until 6:00 pm to get my report cards done first, but still...

- - - -

I have been calling in all week to find out if I have to go to court for jury duty. I thought today would be the last time, but instead they tell me I need to call in tomorrow at noon. I don't know which is worse - the idea that I might be expected to call in at noon, get a sub, and be in court sometime before the end of the day or the idea that I might have to go in on Monday. I wish I had called to reschedule it for summer. I really wouldn't mind going, but it is SO disruptive to my job.

- - - -

I liked the Penn and Teller show "Bullshit" during its first two seasons, but we're watching the third season now and they seem to be working hardest for shock value rather than debunking of stupid ideas. Or maybe it just bothers me that now they are arguing against things in which I believe.

- - - -

This has been the longest week ever. After having two Mondays in a row off, and being out of my classroom at least once a week for the last 2 months, I am finding it quite difficult to get through a 5 day work week. Poor me.

- - - -

I have been reading the book Empire by Orson Scott Card. Although he is a little bit crazy in his personal political beliefs, he does a nice job of presenting multiple sides of a political debate. This book discusses what would happen in the US if there should be a Blue vs Red battle for supreme control. The most interesting point he makes (in my humble opinion) is that there are huge numbers of mostly sane people on both sides of the fence who just want to go on with their lives. It's the few on the radical edges of the spectrum who call for violent end to the other side. I truly feel that when we start listening to those radical few and stop working for compromise, that's when the real problems begin. Of course, that is the opinion of someone who has never had to compromise my core beliefs in an attempt to maintain peace. How would I react if my way of life were openly attacked? Perhaps I would be more willing to follow the path of those "Progressive Restoratives" in the book, fighting to wrestle control from the hands of a dangerous and close-minded group. I don't know. The book has proven to be food for thought, at any rate. Whether they are thoughts worth listening to (especially after an extra long day at school), I am even less sure.

- - - -

I am reaping the reward of teaching my students to be free and independent thinkers. They are all acting and thinking freely. They keep trying to make their own decisions and choose their own actions. The little stinkers actually think that when I told them to "Question Authority" I was including myself. They say what they are thinking, question my decisions, and debate every issue.

I couldn't be prouder.
Or more frustrated! :)

- - - -

Good night. I will return soon. Peace.

Gandhi

We recently watched the movie Gandhi, and I continue to be amazed at his empathy, self-control, and influence. It is one thing to hold a hunger strike in an attempt to stop fighting. This is something anyone could do, given enough inner strength and motivation. It is something much more amazing to be so beloved and respected that both sides of a battle will lay down their arms in order to convince you to eat. If I were to go on a hunger strike over the war in Iraq, a small handful of people would mourn me, another (slightly larger) handful would mock me mercilessly, and a great majority of the people in my city, country, and world would never even know it was happening. The influence he had, and the humility with which he had it, are mind-boggleing.

And on a slightly different topic:

It inspires me to no end to know that Gandhi was an unknown, "bumbling lawyer" until his 30's. I still have time.

Clerks II

Yes, I saw it.

Yes, I laughed my fool head off.

Yes, I am mortified that you will think badly of me for doing so.

This is not a movie for the faint of heart, although it did have a very strong, important message (forget about what you are "supposed" to do and do what makes you happy). Mr. Kevin Smith is taking his own advice and doing what he likes, which seems to be making sophmoric jokes at a witty, rapid-fire pace. Fortunately, I am a fan of rapid-fire, sophmoric humor. If you liked Jay, Silent Bob, and their raunchy, politically inappropriate friends in Clerks, you will enjoy this second peek into their slacker lives. Oh, and there were plenty of those disturbingly gross, yet oddly realistic conversational gambits that Kevin Smith is so good at writing.

The Good Ones

Dad's comment got me thinking about the different authors I read and enjoy (so much better than thinking about those I DON'T enjoy), so I decided to make a list (I am also studiously avoiding work on my master's class):

Character Authors
- These folks create characters you will either love or hate with a passion. You laugh at their foolishness, cry over their losses, or shake with anger at their inhumanity. These characters remain in your mind always.

Stephen King
I know there are those of you who would consider him brain candy, but you must admit he has a talent for bringing his characters, even the incidental ones, to life.

Barbara Kingsolver
I just finished rereading The Poisonwood Bible, and even the second time through I suffered right along with those girls and their mother.

Amy Tan
She gets you right into the minds of the women in her stories. I especially enjoy feeling as though I am gaining an understanding of a culture I know little about when I read her books.

Jodi Picoult
I add her to the list because of My Sisters Keeper. While dissecting the issues of a young girl defined by the sacrifices she makes to keep her sister alive, Picoult manages to put us inside each of the family members equally.

Poetic Prose
- These writers can turn a phrase with the best of them. You don't so much read the descriptions as fall right into them. They provide full-color and surround sound in such a way that you often don't even realize they're doing it.

Margaret Atwood
I just lent my friend my copy of The Blind Assassin, telling her to pay extra attention to the beautiful language contained therein. Several times, I paused my reading just to enjoy a particularly enthusiastic metaphor or apt simile.

Khaled Hossseini
His story, The Kite Runner, puts you in Afghanistan as revolution tears it apart. His descriptions, like Amy Tan's characters, give you insight to a culture many fear, but few understand.

Ursula Hegi
Although I initially thought she would be one of those pompous writers of my previous post, I am glad I gave her a chance. Her descriptions in Stones From the River of life in Germany, both before and during the rise of Hitler, are quite haunting. She has a tendency to drift from topic to topic, but it seems appropriate for the narrative style of the main character.

...

That seems to be all I can think of at the moment. Perhaps another day I will discuss my favorite "brain candy"...or humorous books...or young adult books. There are so many good books to read out there! Please share your thoughts, either on the books I have mentioned or the ones I should have mentioned in these categories.

Science Fiction and Movies

I have been reading a lot of Sci-Fi collections lately. It is remarkable how the quality differs from one to the next. Sadly, some very best ideas are coupled with some of the worst writing I have ever come across.

We watched a Sci-Fi movie called Primer the other night and my head is still spinning. It is a "time machine" story. I am always intrigued by the idea of time travel, but I can never wrap my head around the time-line of it. Too confusing. But if you like that kind of thing, I would definitely recommend the movie. It was made on a very small budget and I think it was done well. Of course, I couldn't follow most of what was going on...so take my advise with a grain of salt!

We also watched Hitchhiker's Guide recently. I am a HUGE fan of the book, and I was highly amused by the BBC mini-series. The new movie was funny (using lots of quotes right out of the book) and stuck to the original story pretty well, but it wasn't mind-blowing. I would recommend seeing it for a good laugh, but I woudn't recommend paying full theater price for it. See it in second-run theaters, as a matinee, or rent it from NetFlix. But don't go in expecting too much.

Latest Addiction

I recently discovered the fun and frustration that is Geneforge. Now that I have a Mac, I have been without gaming options. (At least, I WAS, before I set up the old PC again.) I often stopped by Jeff's site to read the stories about his daughter, but it was only a couple weeks ago that I looked into his games. I downloaded the demo for Geneforge 2 and I have been hooked ever since. I am no good at all when it comes to playing RPG type games, but I have managed to complete many quests and even win some battles. My strategy involves compulsively saving every few seconds (dying isn't quite so frustrating when you only have to redo one thing) and spending a lot of time running back to town for healing. There are lots of places to explore and tons of quests to work on. I have been playing for days and I'm only on the demo. I am a little worried that the demo will run out and I will be suffer from withdrawal symptoms as I wait for the actual thing to arrive.

Quotable Quotes

As soon as we heard this one, Mikey knew it would become popular...

"Greater good? I'm your wife. I'm the greatest good you'll ever know!"

We just finished watching The Incredibles. Quite the movie. I won't go into details because I know that we are the last two on the face of Earth to see it. Darn waiting list on NetFlix. Suffice it to say, it was worth the wait.

Because of Winn Dixie

My pal, D, and I invited our students to meet us at the local theater to see Because of Winn Dixie this weekend. Together, we had about 8 kids show up, which was just fine with my migraine battling self. Although I was worried that the movie wouldn't hold up under the adoration I have for this book, my fears were unfounded. A splendid time was had by all.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this story. I first read the book last year, after ordering it through Scholastic book clubs. As soon as I finished reading it myself, I started reading it to my class. We were all sucked in by the perfect blend of reality and humor. The kids talked about it for the rest of the year, often referring back to different characters or events while reading other stories. They drew pictures of Winn Dixie and Gurtrude and Otis's jar of pickles.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the book (and they handled well in the movie) was the up front way that it dealt with difficult issues. Alcoholism, abandonment, loneliness, death - all are mentioned in an understanding, but hopeful way. These are issues that more and more kids face every year. I really liked having such a kid-friendly way to open and guide discussions about these things.

Anyway - I would highly recommend both the book and the movie. Share them with a kid you love. :)

Valentine's Day?

Here at Casa del Sol, we don't celebrate Valentine's Day. We are both of the "It's nothing but a Hallmark Holiday" crowd, and besides - how meaningful is your proclamation of love if it is made under the "everyone's doing it" influence? So, we ignore Feb. 14.

How about you? Are you a bah-humbug like me? Do you go the whole nine yards, complete with flowers and chocolate and teddy bears with clever phrases on their bellies? Who doesn't love Love, after all. Or are you somewhere in between, just grateful that there is one day where people won't think you a slacker if you take off early to catch some face time with your sigoth?

I will be at the dentist on Valentine's Day. What will YOU be doing? More importantly - are you doing it because you want to, or because you don't want to take up permanent residence in the doghouse?

And finally, if you will allow me to go off on a tangent, what OTHER holidays do you ignore? Personally - I wouldn't notice if St. Patrick's day fell off the face of the calendar. But I've never been a fan of throwing up - green or otherwise.

SO Worth It

We don't usually go out on school nights, but tonight we ignored our scheduled work-out to have dinner and a movie together. Shyamalan's The Village was playing at the cheap theatre and it was worth every single cent. I think Shyamalan's films are best seen in complete ignorance of what the film is about, so I will say nothing more than "Go see it". And remind you that his movies are most moving and meaningful when seen with a thoughtful mind and an open heart.

The world moves for love. It bends it's knees to it.

Or something like that. I tried to remember the exact quote, but I was too caught up in the story.