comp lit and mediaphilia
Today was the Horn Book at Simmons , and in addition to being awesome and full of some crushworthy young creators, it reminded me of the time I went to college and hated it but still ended up with a BA in creative writing , which, I should remind myself, is an activity I liked long before college. So in theory, I should still like it and still do it. My undergraduate university might be a place that can only make Jeeps that drive on Mars and not foster a love for, pride in, or talent for good writing, but I should stop using my disappointment and anger with my college experience as a reason to avoid writing.
Especially since I’ve been doing the 826 Boston Write-a-thon and only being awesome at outlining novels in my head and blogging–and not doing my third goal, which is to write fiction again–this is something I should remember. I like writing. I’m actually good at it. I have anecdotal information like the words of really great people that I respect and love to support that and a (somewhat meaningless, but still) degree that says so. Continue reading →
Posted in writing
Tagged famous people , friends , grad school , other people , procrastinating , work , writers block , writing
Sep · 29
I love this woman, I do. I think she puts up a dumb front for the scads of dumb people on and watching her show, but she knows her shit, she doesn’t apologize for her body, and she’s awesome.
Wanna be on top? Yes, yes I do.
I’m still waiting for the petite-people-get-modeling-tutorials cycle, and then I’m so there. Until then, my judgey judgey self is happy to talk about how hilarious shit on this show is but also how much I love Tyra Banks.
The current season of America’s Next Top Model that’s airing is totes different from EVERYTHING before, and that is BIG. According to Tyra, at least. Miss Jay and Mr. Jay are gone (le sigh), everybody in the cycle has to be enrolled at an institute of higher education (or at least of certification), and instead of judging depending on people who actually know the shit that goes on in the modeling industry (for better or for worse), it’s now judges plus fans on Facebook. One hilarious thing about this is the girls are on the confession cam complaining that eliminated girls still get to do all of the photo shoots (and then one will get to come back). How else would you film a show where the results have to be secret until airing unless you keep putting photo shoots from all the contestants up each week? Duh. Anyway, it goes to show how college does not make you smart.
Anyway, this is the type of reality show I like, based on the two criteria I have: 1. It is a competition, not just a following-the-lives-of-asshats docu-fake. 2. It is based on the opinions and critiques of people who actually have the clout. Continue reading →
Posted in fashion
Tagged famous people , fashion , modeling , other people , television , the good the bad the fashion
Sep · 17
Guys, I just saw The Dark Knight Rises and I have so many feelings and opinions that I have to repeat everything I said while watching the movie in the theatre and then some.
This is in no particular order. It’s probably spoilerrific, but I assume if you’re reading this, not only do you not care, but you’ve already seen the movie. Still, you’ve been warned, I guess.
When did Alfred get a chance to travel back in time and get raised in even farther east London and pick up even more of an accent?
Seriously, having the BIGREVEAL at the end when a lady tells Cameron-I-mean-Officer-I-mean-Detective-Blake that his name Robin is nice is just lame.
There’s something that feels like a big failure when your name is Christopher Nolan and you’re kind of famous for doing these awesome movies and then you end your trilogy with a shoutout to the end of a Dan Brown novel. Continue reading →
Posted in movies
Tagged cliches , comics , criticism , famous people , feminism , kvetching , movies , sex , superheroes , trying to make some funnies
Aug · 30
Not really. Just Marcus Samuelsson, whose life experiences are similar to mine in the strangest and simplest of ways. I’ll be writing a formal review when I actually finish the book (46% currently; thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!), but since I have a feeling that review could quickly turn into just an ode to reading, I’ll do that now.
Reading is amazing when all of a sudden you find yourself in a book. I’m taking a course on developing collections for children this summer, and the other day my professor asked if we had ever read a book that really deeply affected us in a significant, life-changing way, and I really couldn’t think of that. I’m sure there has been something–I also have this problem when I consider whether or not I have any mentors or role models, and because I don’t think of things in those terms, I say no, but really I do have people who fit those roles in my life–but I racked my brain and could not call up a thing. Continue reading →
Posted in books
Tagged adoption , authors , biracial , books , culture , famous people , happy , identity , life , race , travel
Jul · 19
I have said that I don’t like Lady Gaga, and that’s true. “Bad Romance” and “Telephone” are the only songs that I can stomach, and her videos freak me out. I also don’t think she’s all that innovative, and every time people say that she’s doing something no one has ever done before, I ask them if they were asleep when Madonna and David Bowie were big. I also don’t think it’s a really legitimate thing to say that the point of being a crazy performance artist with no rhyme or reason is to trick people into paying attention, or to make some kind of statement that art is arbitrary, because all of that is just silly. To be clear, I’m also not a big fan of most electronica, because I think you can’t define things as “music” unless they have melodies and include at least one instrument or voice that comes from a physical being or object. But I do reserve a few electric-y tracks for when I work out or clean my apartment.
But it just struck me that my argument somewhat falls apart when I consider that I very much like listening to (and watching videos of) Marina and the Diamonds . I’m going to try to explain the difference between her and artists like Gaga, and also explain why I like her. She’s definitely in the “tradition” of current pop, which is like stylized, commercialized performance art. But it’s still way different from shitty installations in contemporary art galleries and pop stars who go for shock-factor-cum-esoteric-ness. I totally admit that it could just be that I have followed Marina & the Diamonds a long time, so I’ve read her blogs and listened to her demos, and also that I just happen to find her music more aesthetically pleasing than Gaga’s, but I think it’s more than that. Continue reading →
Posted in music
Tagged famous people , fashion , music , pop , pop culture , wishful thinking
Apr · 16
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