There is an interesting article on the NY Times website on the debate over whether or not the Internet helps improve literacy in teenagers. I'm so torn over this issue it's not even funny. On the one hand, time are a changin' my friends. There are benefits to reading on the Internet. Concise information. Immediacy. Finding people with interests similar to yours, etc. However, reading a novel does more to exercise your reading muscles. I think the solution is in not allowing the Internet to replace reading novels. Teenagers may still balk at the idea of *gasp* reading the classics, but we can't just say "oh, you're reading blogs or FanFiction.com so don't you worry about reading that Austen novel." We learn more about who we are as human beings through novels than we do through blogs (for example). There is more to be said for reading an Austen novel written in the last 18th/early 19th century than there is in reading the wikipedia entry about social customs of the time.
Test scores are showing that reading novels helps to improve children's scores in English.
I was amused (in that bitter oh my gods the next generation will run the world into the ground way) at the 15 year old who didn't read novels, but read fanfiction.com (bad grammar ftl) yet wants to be an English major so that she may one day publish her own books.
*sigh*
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
2 quick movie reviews
I finally got Atonement in through Netflix yesterday. I read the book a couple of years ago so I was really anticipating this movie. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see it in theaters. I also kind of dreaded seeing this film adaptation. Keira Knightly is far from my favorite actress, and I'm sick to death of her getting cast in every. single. period. drama. Thankfully I knew that the character she was playing wouldn't take up the most screen time.
Well, the film certainly lived up to the hype. I could even tolerate the scenes with Keira Knightly. But it was James McAvoy that really carried the movie for me. He's just.....brilliant. But aside from the good acting (which I will have to admit that Keira Knightly did do a pretty good job) the film itself stayed true to the novel. I'm not one of those people who thinks that just because a book doesn't follow the novel closely means it's a bad adaptation. But in this case sticking with the book is what made it a successful move. Ian McEwan really is one of the most genius writers of the 20th/21st century and I was really disappointed in the Enduring Love adaptation I saw while in England.
It's not a feel good movie, but it definitely demands that you invest your emotions into it. I really loved this movie!
Apparently it was James McAvoy weekend for me! He filmed Penelope pre-Atonement though.
When Penelope came out (either this past Tuesday or the Tuesday before; I can't remember) two teenage girls (possible around 18/19) came into the music department in a hurry looking for this movie. They just had to have it! So I read the back (short summary: it's a fairy tale where the girl has the nose of a pig..curse must be broken....miscommunications happen...etc) and thought it sounded decent enough, and I figured if those girls were so desperate to buy it perhaps it was worth watching. So I ordered it through Netflix and got around to watching it tonight.
Well, now I know why those girls were dying for the movie. Before you even get to the main menu there's a preview/short behind the scenes vignette for Twilight the movie. Honestly, it made me laugh. Oh Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory for those of you that have seen Goblet of Fire) you do that intensely serious look so well. AHAHAHAHAHAH.
Anyway...about the movie.... I thought it was cute! It got some bum reviews, which I can understand. The director was absolutely inspired by Tim Burton, but lacked his finesse. The plot sort of dragged in the middle, and there was a little bit of overacting on Catherine O'Hara, but overall I thought it was adorable. It was visually pleasing and left me feeling happy at the end. Plus, once again, James McAvoy is just yummy!!
I just watched Becoming Jane a few weekends ago, but I'm tempted to re-watch it tonight just to continue the McAvoy goodness.
Well, the film certainly lived up to the hype. I could even tolerate the scenes with Keira Knightly. But it was James McAvoy that really carried the movie for me. He's just.....brilliant. But aside from the good acting (which I will have to admit that Keira Knightly did do a pretty good job) the film itself stayed true to the novel. I'm not one of those people who thinks that just because a book doesn't follow the novel closely means it's a bad adaptation. But in this case sticking with the book is what made it a successful move. Ian McEwan really is one of the most genius writers of the 20th/21st century and I was really disappointed in the Enduring Love adaptation I saw while in England.
It's not a feel good movie, but it definitely demands that you invest your emotions into it. I really loved this movie!
Apparently it was James McAvoy weekend for me! He filmed Penelope pre-Atonement though.
When Penelope came out (either this past Tuesday or the Tuesday before; I can't remember) two teenage girls (possible around 18/19) came into the music department in a hurry looking for this movie. They just had to have it! So I read the back (short summary: it's a fairy tale where the girl has the nose of a pig..curse must be broken....miscommunications happen...etc) and thought it sounded decent enough, and I figured if those girls were so desperate to buy it perhaps it was worth watching. So I ordered it through Netflix and got around to watching it tonight.
Well, now I know why those girls were dying for the movie. Before you even get to the main menu there's a preview/short behind the scenes vignette for Twilight the movie. Honestly, it made me laugh. Oh Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory for those of you that have seen Goblet of Fire) you do that intensely serious look so well. AHAHAHAHAHAH.
Anyway...about the movie.... I thought it was cute! It got some bum reviews, which I can understand. The director was absolutely inspired by Tim Burton, but lacked his finesse. The plot sort of dragged in the middle, and there was a little bit of overacting on Catherine O'Hara, but overall I thought it was adorable. It was visually pleasing and left me feeling happy at the end. Plus, once again, James McAvoy is just yummy!!
I just watched Becoming Jane a few weekends ago, but I'm tempted to re-watch it tonight just to continue the McAvoy goodness.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Fantastic
I had 3 "rows" (meaning rows of numbers) of my binary scarf done only to turn it right side out and see that I was reading the pattern backwards.
Fantastic.
:'(
Fantastic.
:'(
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Did you have a good Memorial Day?
Ahhh Memorial Day. It's the official start of summer here in the US (which is kind of weird as the day is meant to be a solemn one). I know they opened the pool in the apartment complex my friend lives in, and I'm sure thousands of other pools opened up across the country as well. And just in time too! It's about 78 degrees where I am now! I feel like I'm roasting after the very cool and rainy spring we had.
I didn't BBQ or go swimming yesterday (I guess I'm a bad American). But, I did go see the new Indiana Jones movie! I'd advise not reading any further if you don't want any spoilers at all, I'll mark the really big spoiler at the end so even if you do read on, you won't have the ending spoiled.
A day later and I'm still trying to decide if I liked it. See, I'm a sucker for nostalgia. In the seventh season of Buffy they made all sorts of references to the first several seasons (hell, they even took us back to Sunnydale high!), and I loved it. I ate it up! Charmed did the same thing at the end (although more so in the second to last season), and I loved it there too. It gives me a tingly feeling like, "awww yeah I remember those days too, guys!" So, of course, I just ate it up in the new Indy movie. There are tons (and by tons I mean about 5)of references to past films and past characters (Marcus Brody!). And of course, as I'm sure everyone knows, Marion Ravenwood is in this movie which majorly cranks up the nostalgia factor (in the beginning we also get a glimpse of the Ark of the Covenant...I think it's a special shout-out to the true fans).
The action is good; Harrison Ford moves well for his age. The acting is even pretty good (I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much from Shia LeBeouf but the kid really delivered). There has been some griping about the plot and how it can be a bit confusing. Ok, yeah, if you don't pay close enough attention you can kind of be like "wait, why are they doing this?" But really, I found it pretty easy to follow along. There is action - including the requisite car chase. And yes, there are a few more special effects than the original, but it's not so bad really. It actually works as an enhancement to the film rather than a hindrance (see also: Star Wars Episodes 1-3).
But I have some beef with the plot...and here is the *******BIG SPOILER*******
Aliens!?!?! Are you kidding me!?!? Aliens!?!?! Ok I know there's a bit of the mystic in the Indie films. Mostly though, it's something religious (Ark of the Covenant and Holy Grail). And there's a bit of the supernatural involved, of course. It's part of why I love the series - set in the real world, awesome hero, good plot, action, and the paranormal. But aliens!?! Come on!! I seriously wondered if I was watching a Doctor Who movie instead(Dear BBC, please please please make a Doctor Who movie for the big screen. Please! I'll be your best friend forever!). That "plot twist" was way too Sci Fi for an Indiana Jones flick. Seriously.
So overall I wasn't bitterly disappointed. I doubt they'll make another one though. This one had a very finished feeling to it, and I'm ok with that.
Also this weekend I started on my Socks for Seeley project. I love the colors of the yarn I chose, but I'm not loving how rough it feels :/ I hope it washes up softly otherwise I'll feel bad for sending David Boreanaz some scratchy socks (and therefore lessen my chances for my socks to appear on Bones).
I also finished a bookmark. It was my first ever project that I needed to block! It could've used some spray starch, but I was too impatient to wait until the next day to buy some.
Creativity. I gots it.
I didn't BBQ or go swimming yesterday (I guess I'm a bad American). But, I did go see the new Indiana Jones movie! I'd advise not reading any further if you don't want any spoilers at all, I'll mark the really big spoiler at the end so even if you do read on, you won't have the ending spoiled.
A day later and I'm still trying to decide if I liked it. See, I'm a sucker for nostalgia. In the seventh season of Buffy they made all sorts of references to the first several seasons (hell, they even took us back to Sunnydale high!), and I loved it. I ate it up! Charmed did the same thing at the end (although more so in the second to last season), and I loved it there too. It gives me a tingly feeling like, "awww yeah I remember those days too, guys!" So, of course, I just ate it up in the new Indy movie. There are tons (and by tons I mean about 5)of references to past films and past characters (Marcus Brody!). And of course, as I'm sure everyone knows, Marion Ravenwood is in this movie which majorly cranks up the nostalgia factor (in the beginning we also get a glimpse of the Ark of the Covenant...I think it's a special shout-out to the true fans).
The action is good; Harrison Ford moves well for his age. The acting is even pretty good (I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much from Shia LeBeouf but the kid really delivered). There has been some griping about the plot and how it can be a bit confusing. Ok, yeah, if you don't pay close enough attention you can kind of be like "wait, why are they doing this?" But really, I found it pretty easy to follow along. There is action - including the requisite car chase. And yes, there are a few more special effects than the original, but it's not so bad really. It actually works as an enhancement to the film rather than a hindrance (see also: Star Wars Episodes 1-3).
But I have some beef with the plot...and here is the *******BIG SPOILER*******
Aliens!?!?! Are you kidding me!?!? Aliens!?!?! Ok I know there's a bit of the mystic in the Indie films. Mostly though, it's something religious (Ark of the Covenant and Holy Grail). And there's a bit of the supernatural involved, of course. It's part of why I love the series - set in the real world, awesome hero, good plot, action, and the paranormal. But aliens!?! Come on!! I seriously wondered if I was watching a Doctor Who movie instead(Dear BBC, please please please make a Doctor Who movie for the big screen. Please! I'll be your best friend forever!). That "plot twist" was way too Sci Fi for an Indiana Jones flick. Seriously.
So overall I wasn't bitterly disappointed. I doubt they'll make another one though. This one had a very finished feeling to it, and I'm ok with that.
Also this weekend I started on my Socks for Seeley project. I love the colors of the yarn I chose, but I'm not loving how rough it feels :/ I hope it washes up softly otherwise I'll feel bad for sending David Boreanaz some scratchy socks (and therefore lessen my chances for my socks to appear on Bones).
I also finished a bookmark. It was my first ever project that I needed to block! It could've used some spray starch, but I was too impatient to wait until the next day to buy some.
Creativity. I gots it.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Well...I thought I had a knitting spot
In this new house that I'm living in I have a window seat in my bedroom. I love it! So I put my WIP basket next to it and tossed a pillow there to make it into a cozy knitting spot.
But I was mistaken. Hal has informed me that the window seat is a kitty sleeping spot.
But I was mistaken. Hal has informed me that the window seat is a kitty sleeping spot.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Dear K3Tog
Dear K2Tog,
This note is to inform you that you and I are now nemesis. Nay, we are ARCH nemesis.
I thought you aught to know.
Sincerely,
me
This note is to inform you that you and I are now nemesis. Nay, we are ARCH nemesis.
I thought you aught to know.
Sincerely,
me
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