Falling for Happy

Who here is having a hard time believing tomorrow is October? September, with its temperature swings, fits of rain, and ever earlier sunsets, put me through a gamut of activity and emotion. Still, my handy dandy How to be Happy list didn't fail me:

1. Doodle. This I do frequently.
2. Let loose. Less frequently, but it has been done.
3. Organize a potluck dinner. Yes, for Becca's birthday.
4. Play devil's advocate. My preferred mode of argument.
5. Pretend it's a new year. With the new school year starting and so many changes happening around here (Brit in school, Becca/Diego moving in/out) it does feel like a "new" year.
6. Go to a trade show or convention. Can I phone a friend for this one? Jesus is the convention-goer.
7. Buy a new tool to complete a project. I bought several photo albums to complete my picture-printing-out project.
8. Organize a group effort. Again, helped organize Becca's birthday celebration.
9. Pray for something. Yes.
10. Don't answer your phone. YES.
11. Imagine you had all the money you want. Okay...now what? Feel sad?  
12. Send a postcard to yourself. Umm...I write myself letters sometimes...like in my journal.
13. Read the Bible as literature. Yes.
14. Stay home all day. Yes...terday.
15. Eat popcorn for dinner. I don't think I've done that this month, but I've had crackers and cheese...
16. Ask for directions. Yes, I do this...though I rarely need to. 
17. Look through your personal archives. Journals/photos/memory box things...yep.
18. Visit a university or college campus. Not sure I've done that this month, but I sometimes drive through DePaul for work.
19. Start a tradition. Hmmm...I've continued traditions. Hard to say whether or not any are started, but I'll let you know next year I guess.
20. Test drive your fantasy car. Would need a fantasy car first...
21. Make an overseas phone call. Does the Gulf of Mexico/Panama Canal = overseas and Skype = phone call?
22. Imagine your death. I would prefer not to.
23. Be on time for every appointment. That's my M.O.
24. Tell someone the story of "Little Red Riding Hood". ?? I definitely tell stories, but not this one.
25. Play a board game. Yes.
26. Organize a clash day. Another M.O. of mine...making every day Clash Day.
27. Take a risk with money - gamble. ...Not my M.O. :/
28. Think everything through before you act. Something I strive to do, except then I get caught up in the thinking too much and forget to act.
29. Go on a boat ride. Sorry, did not have the chance to do this during September. 
30. Wish on a star. Definitely had the chance to do this and definitely took that chance.

Interpreter of Maladies

Having enjoyed Jhumpa Lahiri's novel, The Namesake, I soon found and blazed through her collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies. I definitely like these short stories more than her longer work, but I have to keep reading her stuff so I know for sure what I prefer.

I like Lahiri's use of food, everyday routines, and simple actions to show universal emotions. The stories highlight a moment or a phase in a person's life, or in the life of a relationship. Similar themes of immigration, race, identity, mixed-culture, community, and ritual cycle through the stories so that while each one stands alone, the entire collection feels greater than the sum of its parts.

I laughed on several occasions, sighed, and cried (only once, but I had to put the book down for a second to compose myself). I'm curious to read more from Lahiri--she published another short story collection in 2008 and her second novel just came out this year.

65th Emmy Awards/Bears vs Steelers

Two for the price of one! Tonight I will live-blog the Emmys, but as luck would have it, the Bears are also playing and my roommates would kick me out if I hogged the TV all night. Hopefully it's not confusing if I react to an acceptance speech and an interception in the same sentence. Keep this page open/refreshed -- the fun starts at 7 with the Emmys and gets amped up at 7:30 once the game starts.

6:45 pm: Putting the finishing touches on dinner, slow cooker chicken pot pie. We've gotten good at cooking for many/meals eaten in shifts to accommodate five people with different schedules.

6:57 pm: The Jets/Bills game is definitely still on CBS.

7:00 pm: Still commercials...

7:04 pm: And here we go!

7:08 pm: Interesting montage intro. Classy. NPH is charming, as always.

7:12 pm: Ha! Jimmy Kimmel. And Jane Lynch! And Jimmy Fallon! And Conan! And...that guy? I'm not good at TV.

7:15 pm: A moment, for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Goddesses of TV. I know that. Tina is looking super fine tonight.

7:18 pm: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy: Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie. No idea what that show is, but I recognize her from her role on New Girl, where she also shines. ...And best acceptance speech ever. Nailed it.

7:23 pm: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: Tina Fey, Tracy Wigfield, 30 Rock. I love funny women.

7:26 pm: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Tony Hale, Veep. Again, I don't know Veep, but I did love Hale in Arrested Development.

7:29 pm: Robin Williams...you've aged.

7:37 pm: Jon Hamm and Alec Baldwin, silver foxes.

7:38 pm: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy: Julia Louis-Drefus, Veep. Does Tony Hale play the same kind of character on Veep that he did on AD?

7:40 pm: Outstanding Guest Actor/Actress in a Comedy: IF JUSTIN DIDN'T WIN...what?! Boo.

7:42 pm: Outstanding Director in a Comedy: Gail Mancuso, Modern Family. Still haven't watched that show. Go Ladies!

7:45 pm: Sophia, wow. Outstanding Actor in a Comedy: Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory. Somehow this show always wins. I don't get the appeal.

7:49 pm: Bears are up, 3-0. First and goal....Touchdown! 10-0.

7:56 pm: Is it the lighting? Everyone looks shiny and washed out. These are not the Academy Awards.

7:58 pm: No one here is into this song, sorry Elton/Liberace. Watching the Bears score another Touchdown! make a big run!

8:02 pm: Touchdown?

8:04 pm: ...Touchdown?

8:08 pm: Touchdown!

8:10 pm: What did we miss, CBS? Oh, INTERVENTION. LOL.

8:13 pm: Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series: Henry Bromell, Homeland.

8:14 pm: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama: Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad. I think I should probably watch this show, based on the obsession everyone else seems to have for it.

8:22 pm: Cutler to Forte. Awesome. Cutler to ...the ground. Less awesome.

8:26 pm: SO glad we switched over right now. Loving this award song featuring Nathan Fillion and Sarah Silverman. Also loving all these gay jokes.

8:28 pm: Outstanding Reality Competition Program: The Voice. Wow, no win for The Amazing Race. I think that's a first.

8:38 pm: Something about Ben Roethlisberger gives me the creeps.

8:40 pm: THAT was a good catch.

8:45 pm: No, Carrie. Sorry. Back to the game.

8:50 pm: This game isn't exciting right now either. :/

8:53 pm: The accountants...and Bob Newhart!

8:55 pm: Outstanding Actress in a Drama: Claire Danes, Homeland. She needs a different dress. Different color. Different cut. Something.

8:58 pm: Outstanding Guest Actor/Actress in a Drama: Gonna be super honest here, didn't catch either of their names or the shows they were in.

8:59 pm: Outstanding Director in a Drama: David Fincher, House of Cards.

9:04 pm: Outstanding Writing in a OMG Bob Newhart is so cute. Sorry, Variety Series: Ummm there are a lot of writers on these shows. Room for one more? And the winner is...The Colbert Report. Have some class, writers...stop with the on-stage selfies.

9:06 pm: Director in a Variety Series: Don Roy King, SNL. For the Justin Show! By far the best in a while.

9:12 pm: Osos de Chicago! My Spanish class is really paying off.

9:20 pm: 27-10.

9:22 pm: Outstanding Variety Series: The Colbert Report. They win a lot, right?

9:31 pm: 27-13.

9:32 pm: Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries: (Full Disclosure, have not seen any of these)...Abi Morgan, The Hour. I like that her hair is simple/classy. Cute story too!

9:34 pm: More full disclosure, I know none of these actors/actresses.

9:37 pm: Kaley's dress is my favorite I've seen so far.

9:42 pm: Still 27-10.

9:45 pm: Break from Emmys and football to see Brooke's new school wardrobe. :)

9:47 pm: 27-13.

9:50 pm: 27-20. I looked away/stopped listening. What just happened? Watching two shows is tiring.

9:56 pm: Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries: Michael Douglas. Another guy who's really getting old. Great use of sexual innuendo.

9:58 pm: Outstanding Miniseries/Movie: Behind the Candelabra. I have a slight interest in seeing this.

10:09 pm: 27-23. The Bears have clearly taken precedence over the Emmys tonight. Sorry, non-Bears fans/non-football fans. Such is life when you live in Chicago/have more football fans than pop culture fans in your apartment.

10:13 pm: I can respect a quarterback who doesn't slide all the time/makes a hit as he's going down.

10:19 pm: We say it's a touchdown. Glad the refs agree. 34-23.

10:26 pm: 40-23. Polamalu is a beast.

10:34 pm: Side notes: We at the Naw are SO excited for the Season Premieres of Chicago Fire and Law and Order: SVU. This week, on NBC.

10:42 pm: Somehow the Bears are awesome this year. The Packers, not so much. The Steelers, really not at all.

10:44 pm: 40-23, game. See you at the next Awards Show/Football Game/Live Event!

Yogurt Chicken

This is one of the easiest, cleanest, tastiest, and healthiest dishes I've had the pleasure of making (twice in the last week). So far I've not had any leftovers when making it, but I think it would be great the next day as well. It's also super easy to modify - as shown by everyone's unique take on it. Don't like Greek yogurt? Use plain. Don't like yogurt at all? Try mayo. Experiment with cheeses, spices, etc. Try it on pork or fish or tofu. Above all, don't work too hard and have dinner ready in under an hour.

Yogurt Chicken

4-6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375.
Combine yogurt, cheese, and spices in shallow dish.
Line baking sheet with tin foil, lightly grease.
Coat chicken with yogurt mix (be generous!) and line on baking sheet.
Bake 45 minutes or until juices run clear/tops are golden brown.
EAT.

Learning Via Music

I'm supposed to be studying Spanish for my class later. Currently this looks like youtubing Spanish music, looking up lyrics/translations, and learning new songs. Unsurprisingly, most of my favorite Spanish-language music is by Italian-born artists. Thankfully, most Italian singers release Spanish versions of their most popular songs (sometimes entire albums) along with the Italian versions. If they are lucky/popular enough, they release their songs in English as well. Here are a few of my favorite artists/songs:

Tiziano Ferro - I love a lot of this guy's music. Italian, Spanish, and English--he has a beautiful voice and it's hard to not enjoy such passionate songs.

Perdona



Tardes Negras



Laura Pausini - Also a passionate Italian singer with songs in multiple languages. I sometimes confuse these new Spanish lyrics with Italian ones I learned while in Rome.

En Cambio No



Primavera Anticipada (featuring James Blunt)



La Sonrisa de Julia - an actual band from Spain, found when I googled "Spanish music that sounds like Jack Johnson/Coldplay/Dave Matthews Band"... Don't get me wrong, bachata/cumbia/salsa/other traditional Spanish-language music is great, but that's not what I typically listen to (even considering how diverse the genre "Latin" is). If I'm going to use music to support my language learning, I want it to be music that I would listen to regardless of language. These guys are a rock band who happen to speak Spanish.

Pain and Gain

Sometimes you watch a movie based on a true story that is so strange/horrifying you can't even cry. The reality of the events depicted is rather grim, despite its Hollywood glitz-and-glam facade, but you are too shocked to show any emotion. You sit there, asking (in your head and out loud) "Is that for real?" You laugh, sometimes because of the awkward hilarity, sometimes out of discomfort. You give your boyfriend the satisfaction of watching a movie about weightlifting for his second (but probably not last) time.

Pain and Gain, starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson, is a tragedy dressed in a clown suit. It tackles crimes like extortion, grand larceny, kidnapping, torture, and murder with satirical nonchalance. The main characters happen to be bodybuilders, but the movie focuses on their illegal shenanigans over their physical endeavors.

While based on actual events, the movie certainly takes creative liberty in dropping and inventing characters and plot. I thought it was well-written and crafted, and though gruesome in parts, the story itself was intriguing. I also enjoyed the large and diverse cast of veteran and rookie actors. If you have a soft stomach for blood or sensitive ears language-wise, I'd pass on this movie, but I think in general it appeals to a wide audience. Just remember, sometimes your pain is someone else's gain.

Tangled

Sometimes you need a good cry over something not real. Movies are a perfect way to force catharsis, and animated movies are an even better medium to get emotional with, I say. When you just want to get hopelessly and needlessly slobbery and boogery, why not do it with characters who aren't even real people? Animated movies allow grown ups to let down their guards and have at it, emotion-wise.

Tangled, Disney's 2010 animated version of the Rapunzel story, had me in wrenching sobs by the end, but first I laughed and giggled at its silliness. While the music isn't particularly catchy, I enjoyed the story of the princess stolen as a baby and raised in a tower by a witch. I thought the animations were clever, and because I watched with Jesus, it was fun to make comparisons between ourselves and Rapunzel and Flynn/Eugene. I haven't cut my hair in over a year, so I could relate to Rapunzel's beauty routine, and Jesus feels he, like Flynn/Eugene, is "awesome in general" (his words).

As the movie came to climactic finish, I found myself fighting tears. I know Disney isn't about dramatic tragedies, but I couldn't help but put myself in the main characters' places and imagine the dire-ness of their situations if a miracle didn't occur. Even once I knew the happy ending was on its way, I still had tears--this time of joy for the good fortune of the now beloved characters.

Pretty Muddy

I don't normally run three miles (ever), but when I do, I make sure I get really muddy. Yesterday, Mom and I ran the Pretty Muddy Women's Mud Run, a tamer cousin of other mud runs out there. Mom and Dad have already run their own mud run, and now Mom is hooked. We figured this would be a good one for her to keep going on her kick and for me to ease into this whole trend. It was also their wedding anniversary yesterday, so it made for a fun way to celebrate.

We got to the course plenty early, so after some stretching and warming up, Mom and I were ready to go. From the Start/Finish line all we could see was a tunnel filled with soapy bubbles (the first obstacle) and a giant mud pit stretched out under some netting (the last obstacle). The rest of the course wound its way through several soybean fields and wooded areas.

We didn't run the whole 5K, but we did a lot of jogging, climbing, crawling, sliding, and carrying. Since the race wasn't timed, there wasn't a huge air of competition and many of the women cheered each other on at the obstacles, or commiserated with them over shared mud coverings. Mom and I wished there were more obstacles, since many of them only required a minimum of mud activity, but we still enjoyed the tranquil setting juxtaposed with splashing in pits of squelchy mud.

We saw big girls and small girls, young girls and old girls, mother-daughter teams and entire friend groups dressed in tutus, nun habits, tie dye t-shirts, cheetah leggings, wigs, and any other costumes people didn't mind getting dirty in. Mom said that if we had a team name it could be Half & Quarter Century because of our ages.

At the finish line we were greeted with cups of water and Pretty Muddy medals. Everything we touched got promptly covered in mud until we made our way back to the hose off station, where tons of women sprayed each other off in various stages of undress. One woman stripped down to undies and bra, revealing lacy whites only slightly muddy. Her friend asked why she wore such fancy underwear and she replied, "Didn't your mom tell you to always wear nice panties? You never know who might see them later!"

I felt good after the run, and was only a little tired later in the day, but I am sore this morning. When I woke up I limped to the bathroom, holding my butt and thighs. This is what I get for doing zero training before activities. Luckily I have today to recuperate on the couch...while watching FOOTBALLLLLLLLLLLL! Sayonara Summer, here comes Fall.

Hostel Del Naw

When can you call your apartment a hostel? Probably at about the time you host 7 different people in the span of a week. The Naw has had a revolving door this past week, housing out of towners, homeless friends, and travelers.

Whether they stayed for a night during longer travels, are biding their time until a new apartment opens up, or have full blown moved in until further notice, all of our guests have been wonderful and flexible, sleeping in whatever beds are available at the moment. Still, it's been crazy always having extra people around.

PROS of extra roommates:

• Extra groceries - all of our guests have either brought us food, are willing to run to the grocery store for us, or have pitched in to grocery bills.
• Homemade meals - it's a rare night when someone doesn't make dinner for the apartment, family-style.
• Breakfast buddies - we have a built-in coffee clutch/tea time every morning!
• Spanish practice - the majority of our guests have lived in Spanish-speaking countries or are fluent speakers, yay for me!
• Extended closet - my wardrobe is always growing and changing.
• Gossip - we are staying super in the loop about ourselves and all of our friends.

CONS of extra roommates:

• Cramped bathroom time - we perform an elaborate dance at night between showers, brushing teeth, and bed prep and it starts all over in the morning.
• Little to no privacy - I'm not a private person, per se, but every now and then I need some closed-door-by-myself-room-time.
• Laundry woes - we have a lot of dirty laundry and only one washer/dryer.
• Nothing lasts! - as much as we grocery shop, the bananas we got yesterday are always gone today.
• Gossip - like the privacy issue, everyone who lives here currently knows everyone else's shit. Part of it is our "Full Disclosure" policy, part of it is the thin walls, part of it is we talk loud about everyone we know.

Much like MercyWorks, living at the Naw right now is fun, frustrating, tiring, and awesome. I'm enjoying the change of pace, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't keeping an eye out for quieter times ahead.

Never Let Me Go

There is a line in Never Let Me Go where the novel's narrator, Kathy, describes the way the students at Hailsham, her private school in the English countryside, are taught about their lives. She says their teachers ("guardians") never revealed so much as to shock or scare the children, but just enough so that they were never surprised by what they heard, like a kid who realizes he knows something, but can't remember where or when he learned it.

Kazuo Ishiguro, the novel's author, is much like Kathy's guardians while we readers are like Kathy. He reveals just enough to keep us hooked and informed, and as we read further and further we learn things we already sort of knew, or at least guessed at. His prose draws us along, pulls us through the novel, and takes us on the literary journey of Kathy's childhood to her present day adulthood.

Reviews of this book tend to be solid--I've seen it recommended on several lists--but some people weren't fans. They wanted more of a "twist," or didn't like the writer's style. There is a twist, but it's less twisty than curvy. I'd say more, but I think this book works best without prior knowledge of what this book is all about. What happens won't necessarily take you by surprise, but it will make you think.

Bristol Renaissance Fair

Labor Day has come and gone, and with it goes summer. I ended mine with a trip back to 1599, at the Renaissance Fair in Kenosha, WI. I've never been to a Renaissance Fair before, but my friend Becca warned me that there would be plenty of cleavage among all the characters who come out and dress up in traditional attire. There was also lots of facial hair, fairy wings, pet dragons, and swords.

Jesus and I dressed only for comfort, not for the time period, though Jesus did add some mustache wax to ensure plenty of compliments and 'stache comparisons. He also got picked to hold the end of a rope with several other men so that a performer could balance on it and juggle. I did not get picked for anything, but I did get a free hand massage to try out some candle lotion.

We saw men sword fight, a blacksmith demonstration, a glass-blowing demonstration, feats of strength and balance, magicians, jousting, falcons, and a man spewing insults as people pelted him with tomatoes. We ate modern food - calzones, nachos, roast beef, pizza - but there were also turkey legs, soup and bread, and beer in big mugs.

I'm glad I got to end the summer with a "Huzzah" ...but I'm looking forward to stretching out "summer" well into September, possibly October. When you're not in school anymore, summer is anytime the weather is nice.

Happiness Happens

This August marks the 14th anniversary of the first Happiness Happens Month. Yes, there is a society of people so bent on spreading happiness, they worked to give it it's own month. It started with just a day, August 8, 1999, and grew to the entire month in 2000. They even categorized "31 Types of Happiness" that one might experience during a month, from "Joyful" to "Content" to "Spiritual" to "Balanced" --I was skeptical at first, but I have to admit happiness does cover a multitude of more specific emotions.

I think I experienced most, if not all 31 this past month. It's hard to believe I was in Colorado at the beginning of August, it seems like such a long time ago. I've done a lot since then, but mostly I've worked -- M is back from camp, school is starting, and while the days are growing shorter, my own days have gotten longer with added hours of Spanish practice, reading, and adjusting to several additional temporary roommates.

In all the chaos, it's funny what I did manage to accomplish on this month's How To Be Happy list--there were some very specific things that I coincidentally did, not because I saw them on the list, but because they were in my plans to do all along. That being said, I missed the mark on many of these, and several I don't see myself doing any time soon.

1. Start a collection. I've started collecting roommates. I'm up to four.
2. Form a mastermind group. I have no idea what this means, but I think with five people living here we are close to a mastermind group.
3. Think about something you wanted and got. This reminds me of that episode of Parks & Recreation when Donna and Tom celebrate "Treat Yo' Self" Day. I want it? I got it.
4. Read at least two books on the same subject. All day every day.
5. Write your own obituary. Nope, did not do.
6. Go fishing. Also a no-go. 
7. Visit a farmers' market. Technically we went on July 31, but Jesus and I did go to a farmers' market in Boulder.
8. Kid someone. I kid myself most days.
9. Make your own ice cream/yogurt. I'm not ready to be that crafty.
10. Observe a construction site. Check. There was a lot of construction going on in Boulder right by where we were staying, so we passed it every day.
11. Attend a rehearsal. I want to say I've done this, but I can't think of a time I watched someone rehearse for something this month.
12. Spend time in a bookstore. This I can say I've done on several occasions, both at chain and independent stores.
13. Attend a service of a different faith. During my MercyWorks year I remember attending several different services, but I haven't explored recently.
14. Visit a factory. Yes! I toured a tea factory in Boulder.
15. Release your frustration physically. Biking is my physical outlet, and I have used frustration to power me up hills and help me make green lights.
16. Make a tape for a friend or relative. I've never made a tape for anyone. I've made CDs, but not since high school I think. I did recently play DJ during a car ride.
17. Go on a bike ride. Yep.
18. Get together with old coworkers. The majority of the times I get together with people, they are old coworkers. That's what happens when all your friends are people you've worked with.
19. Start a garden. ...Or finish? It's August, ain't nobody starting gardens now. And after last week's heat wave, my garden is definitely finished.
20. Clean out your computer files. Done! Well, getting done. I'm cleaning out my old computer and getting all my documents, pictures, and music transferred to my new one or to flash drives.
21. Take a train ride. An L train ride?
22. Deepen your intuition. I don't know how to begin doing this. Meditation, I guess. Journaling, breathing, cultivating awareness--things I do on occasion.
23. Get your shoes shined. At the airport? I don't think I even own shoes that would need shining.
24. Spend a whole day people watching. Check.
25. Attend an amusement park, fair, or circus. I haven't done this yet, but the plan is to go to the Renaissance Fair on Monday. Technically in September.
26. Conduct a science experiment. Ummm...I might have done this? Not officially, but I do clean with vinegar and baking soda, and that's classic science.
27. Cuddle with someone. I have four roommates and a boyfriend; there are always cuddles at my house.
28. Get your resume together. I did this sort of recently, and nothing new has happened since then, job or education-wise.
29. Look for signs of fall. Heat indexes over 100 degrees? Thunder, rain, hail? That's what we've had the past few days. No fall yet.
30. Do a puzzle. I have a sudoku app on my iPod and I like to time myself on the expert level. I've gotten pretty okay at them.
31. Ask for a raise. I don't know if I have the kind of job where one can ask for raises. Also, I don't necessarily need a raise. What I need is health insurance and a retirement plan.

La Tarea

Yesterday marked the beginning of the CPS school year. Private schools have another week of summer, but then they'll be back too. M already has homework assigned in three classes, due on his first day back. I'm in my third week of Spanish classes, and deep in homework mode.

Each week we watch another few episodes of our Spanish-language soap opera, Destinos. So far we've learned that Don Fernando vive en Mexico City, tiene quatro hijos, su esposa está muerta, and ... he had another wife back in Spain during the Spanish Civil War who may or may not still be alive and was pregnant when he left Spain under the assumption that she had died in the bombing at Guernica.

Things are getting pretty intense on the telenovela front.

I've given myself extra homework for the class as well. Since it's the second level class and we skipped over all the beginner stuff, I'm doing that on my own as review. I remember most things, or parts of most things, which gives me confidence that this isn't a total waste of 8 weeks and a Groupon.

My final personal homework is conversations with mi amiga, Becca, who just got back from Ecuador, where she learned lots of Spanish, and with mi novio, Jesus, who grew up speaking both Spanish and English. Mi hermana, Bailey, also helps with my conversations and teaches me new phrases to try out. I'm lucky to have so many opportunities to practice and a variety of teachers, each with unique experiences.

The Namesake

How do you feel about your name? Do you love it, hate it, tolerate it? Have you all but replaced it with a nickname? Jhumpa Lahiri's first novel, The Namesake, follows the life/lives of the Ganguli family. It begins with Ashoke and Ashima, new to America from Calcutta, pregnant with their firstborn, trying to find a balance between assimilation and preserving their Indian rituals and traditions.

Enter their son, Gogol, named after Nikolai Gogol, the Russian author Ashoke is fond of. The story then focuses on him, his childhood as an American-born Indian, and his embarrassment of his name, his parents, and his heritage. We follow Gogol through high school, into college, and as he moves to New York to work. We learn of the girls he loves, the girls he likes, and the girls who in turn love and don't love him back.

This story wasn't particularly fast-paced, but I found myself spending hours immersed in the lives of the Gangulis. Lahiri has a way with words and with creating real characters who I felt invested in. I teared up several times while reading, but I laughed some too. This story was intimate, elegantly written, and on the whole, a beautiful tale of how our names define us and we define our names.

Infinite Reading

Right now I'm reading a book described in the foreword as "Holy shit." It's called Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace, and it's a book I heard about as an English major, but was never required to read. At 1,079 pages (including footnotes), it also serves as a great doorstop. The author of the foreword (Dave Eggers, one of my very favorite authors ever...and I mean I even read this foreword twice because I love his style that much) guesses that the average age of this book's reader is 25, so I feel like I'm in a good place to pick it up and see if I can make it through.

I'll just quote the foreword again to try to explain what this book is and why it's important that I'm trying to read it now:

"...make no mistake that Infinite Jest is something other. That is, it bears little resemblance to anything before it, and comparisons to anything since are desperate and hollow...."

"This book is like a spaceship with no recognizable components, no rivets or bolts, no entry points, no way to take it apart. It is very shiny, and it has no discernible flaws. If you could somehow smash it into smaller pieces, there would certainly be no way to put it back together again. It simply is. Page by page, line by line, it is probably the strangest, most distinctive, and most involved work of fiction by an American in the last twenty years. At no time while reading Infinite Jest are you unaware that this is a work of complete obsession, of a stretching of the mind of a young writer to the point of, we assume, near madness."

"It demands your full attention....yet the time spent in this book, in this world of language, is absolutely rewarded. When you exit these pages after that month of reading, you are a better person. It's insane, but also hard to deny. Your brain is stronger because it's been given a monthlong workout, and more importantly, your heart is sturdier, for there has scarcely been written a more moving account of desperation, depression, addiction, generational stasis and yearning, or the obsession with human expectations, with artistic and athletic and intellectual possibility."

When asked if he thinks it is our duty to read Infinite Jest, Eggers responds, "Maybe. Sort of. Probably, in some way. If we think it's our duty to read this book, it's because we're interested in genius. We're interested in epic writerly ambition. We're fascinated with what can be made by a person with enough time and focus and caffeine..."

So. This book is immense. It's unlike other things I've read. It boggles my mind. But: I'm interested in genius and ambition. I want to read this book for the same reasons I want to read most of the books I've read. I'm fascinated by what we humans are capable of creating. If I'm not blogging as much as normal, it's because I'm still deep in this book, working out my brain.

OITNB

About a month ago, Netflix dropped an entire season of a new original series called Orange is the New Black. I heard about it from several comedians I follow on Twitter and obsessively watched all 13 episodes in one week. It's shocking, bordering on graphic, endearing, and clever. I bothered my roommates and friends to watch it so I could discuss the story with them. Then I found out the series was inspired by a memoir of the same name.

Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, by Piper Kerman, details the author's life in a minimum security facility. She is doing time for a decade-old crime: she carried drug money (not drugs), once. As an educated, employed, drug-free, first-time offender, Kerman initially felt she was different than many of her fellow inmates--but "on the inside" she realizes she's not.

Kerman's description of her experience in the federal penitentiary system was, like its TV series counterpart, clever and shocking. It was also heartbreaking, angering, enlightening, and a thrill to read. The women she spent that year of her life with range in age, race, religion, crime, and life outlook, but somehow they all survive and form a makeshift community. Kerman learns the rules, mostly unwritten, and figures out the rituals of prison life, the ways the inmates have of normalizing their break from reality.

I think all of us can agree that our nation's criminal justice system is outdated, broken, and unjust. Kerman's memoir gives faces to the thousands of faceless inmates who shuffle in and out of this system daily, weekly, and yearly. While she can only tell her story, she introduces us to the women (and men) she meets during her time. She shows us real people doing real time for crimes that may or may not be real. Certainly there are "criminals" in prisons across the country, but there are also people only guilty of "wrong place, wrong time" ...or wrong race, living in the wrong neighborhood, and having the wrong childhood.

Kerman is lucky enough to have a support system, a solid lawyer, and even a job, held for when she is released (and she repeats this several times, which I found not braggy, but explicative--I think she wants the reader to know that she knows she could have had it so much worse in prison, but because of her background, she doesn't), but most inmates don't have any of these things. They left one shitty situation for another shitty situation. There are so many issues we could get into, but this is a post about a book, not about the failures of our prison system. Just go read this book, go research criminology, go be appreciative about your luck in life.

Multilingual Connections

Last night I began a new adventure. For the next two months, I'm taking a night class to improve my Spanish. Multilingual Connections offers many language courses at all levels, and Spanish Beginner II seems to be a good fit.

For our first class, we reviewed the basics and things we learned way back in high school. Our teacher is Guatemalan and very friendly, encouraging our small class (6 students, all women between the ages of 25 and 60) to speak out loud with her and to our partners. 

One of our activities last night involved a dialogue (in Spanish) to learn why each of us was taking the class. Reasons ranged from a love of continuing education to wanting to converse better with in-laws to improving confidence in speaking a second language. 

I'm excited to have something other than work going on in my life, especially since all my roommates are in the process of going back to school (for teaching and learning). Our homework is to watch two episodes of a Spanish language soap opera, so that's pretty exciting too. 

Korean Festival

On Sunday, Jesus, Bailey, and I went to Chicago's Korean Festival. Much like all the other ethnic/heritage festivals in the city, it featured music, food, and traditional events. I know very little about Korea (both North and South), but after an afternoon of eating kimchi and watching ssireum and breaking, I feel slightly more cultured.

This festival also took us to a neighborhood I would normally never visit/see. North Park is north and west of where I live/work, essentially closer to the airport than to me. I like that even after three years of living here, I'm still discovering entire neighborhoods and adding to my knowledge of the city.

Ssireum

Yummy

One of the bboys from Milwaukee

Bboy competition

The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film

I'm not a film editor, but I learned so much by reading The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film. This is a book for film lovers, definitely, but also for writers, artists, and storytellers in general. Broken down into four separate conversations that the author (Michael Ondaatje, also the author of The English Patient) had with Walter Murch, this book touches on subjects directly relating to film editing (timing, sound effects, music, technology) and on subjects that any creative person will appreciate (the art and science of revision, the sound of an environment).

I've only seen several of the movies that Murch worked on, but his explanations of editing techniques still fascinated me. If he is known at all, it is most likely through his connection to Francis Ford Coppola and his work on The Godfather (and The Godfather, Part II and The Godfather, Part III), Apocalypse Now, and The English Patient (this last one directed by Anthony Minghella). These are now on my list to see.

I should mention that while I'm also not a film student, I did take one class on film and literature in college. It was my English capstone, so it was an important class, and one of my favorites. This book would fit perfect on that course's syllabus. For my capstone paper I wrote a short script, and having Murch's theories and philosophies at my fingertips would have improved my writing. Luckily, Murch and I are all about editing, so I will be taking what I've now learned and going back to play with what I wrote over three years ago.

As a writer, I appreciate Murch's love of the editing process. Many film editing techniques apply to writing as well--storytelling is storytelling. I also liked his discussion of translating a book to film: they are different mediums, so of course they are going to be different stories. Murch says a responsible director/screenwriter will find the essential theme of a novel and figure out how to represent that on screen. He also said that short stories translate to film better because they are more compact. As a lover (and sometimes writer) of short stories, this makes me happy.

We're In Trouble

Another week, another collection of sad short stories. We're In Trouble by Christopher Coake was somber, moving, and more than once brought tears to my eyes. I don't know why I'm in a sad story phase, but they've been solid reads.

All of the stories in this collection have to do with loss and love and what people will do when faced with the death of a loved one. While this theme unites them all, the individual stories are worlds apart. From a married couple's actions and reactions to the husband's terminal cancer, to a father and son taking a road trip, as told by both of them plus an outside observer, to a small town sheriff dealing with the consequences of his friend's murder-suicide, all the stories in this collection tug deep down and play with a myriad of emotions.

I related to some of the stories, and the relationships therein, while others left me wondering how the characters did what they did--what they had to do--to be true to themselves and their loved ones. For a book that will transport you to other places and times, to mountain peaks and abandoned cabins in the woods, to love lost and love strengthened, look no further than We're In Trouble.