So...back at college. A glancing look at the first few weeks:
On Fiddler on the Roof:
Brenna: "If you think about it, the guys get progressivly worse. The first was a dork, the second a communist--"
Marie: "A social idealist."
Brenna: "Um...right, Marie. And the third one was an unbeliever!"
Some other girl in the room: "But really cute, you've got to admit."
Marie: "Hmm. So what you'd need is a combination of all three, then."
Brenna: "A dorky communist unbeliever??"
Marie: "NO!!"
On Writing:
Never joke that you'll write "a romance" involving "a dorky communist unbeliever."
a) it doesn't work too well
b) it'll mutate into something completely free of dorks, but with plenty of communistic leprechauns.
On SAI:
I like having my Thursday evenings free. And really need to stop grinning and saying "haha!" whenever SAI people complain about meetings...
On the Enlightenment:
It probably happened. Either that, or it's a grand coverup conspiracy of historians. Like the early middle ages. :)
On a Certain Mercenary Legion of Great Popularity around Here:
Phillip: "You know – if would make a great call on one of those advice shows. Someone calls in all depressed and suicidal, and the guy says, 'Well – that’s really too bad. But before you do something irrevocable and hasty ...have you ever considered joining the French Foreign Legion?'"
On Geography:
There's a playground up by the Academy. With swings. It needs to be taken advantage of at some opportune moment.
On Prophecy:
If you're told that you will die in three days, does it necessarily follow that you will not die before the third day? (If the doom-teller said, "within three days," of course the answer would be obvious. But most of the time they aren't this precise in their prepositions).
On Lawrence of Arabia:
When you can miss an hour in the middle of a movie, and still think it's one of the most awesome films you've ever seen, it's probably pretty good.
On Theology:
Remind me never to write a theological work. Or it will end up with chapters like "God's not a Thundercloud, You Idiot! He's a Lightning Bug Zapper!"
Monday, January 30, 2006
Friday, January 13, 2006
Reading List Revisited
Current state of the reading list:
Other reading (aka...PROCRASTINATION):
Aristotle's Rhetoric is profoundly interesting. Partly because it's a fascinating look at ancient Greek society and values, and partly because it's a very telling look at human nature in general. It also makes me feel like a fuzzy-headed idiot. Favorite Aristotle quote of the moment: "With regard to the element of moral character: there are assertions which, if made about yourself, may excite dislike, appear tedious, or expose you to the risk of contradiction; and other things which you cannot say about your opponent without seeming abusive or ill-bred. Put such remarks, therefore, into the mouth of some third person."
Cramming the entirity of Indroductory Logic into my head in one afternoon was NOT a good idea. But I at least remember the square of opposition. And I'll never again throw inductive logic at someone who's trying to be deductive. Hahaha! Yay for whamming people upside the head with syllogisms!
Margaret Atwood...probably a neat person to talk to. People who read The Handmaid's Tale, then assume they know everything there is to know about Christian fundamentalism and theonomic ideas...NOT neat people to talk to. At least sort through the mishmash of Gilead to find the demi-applicable parallels, people.
My littlest sister's new favorite book is Firebringer. Condensed verdict: The author unabashedly rips off Watership Down. He's got some neat solutions to many problems that arise in anthropomorphic stories, though (carnivores vs. herbivores; communication between species, etc.) And he's much more subtle than I expected when dealing with themes of peace, war, violence, revenge, justice, and pacifism.
How to Read a Book is awesome. I can't believe I've never read this before...articulately and eloquently lays out a TON of stuff I've been stumbling around trying to say.
I really want to find a copy of How to Read Literature Like a Professor. One of my sister's teacher's gave the class a sheet summarizing the contents, and it's amazingly helpful. And quite humorous. How can you not like section headings such as "Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It's Not)", "When in Doubt, It's from Shakespeare...Or the Bible", "It's All About Sex...Except Sex", and "Yes, She's a Christ Figure Too!"
- Lorna Doone failed to arrive over interlibrary loan in time. (All our library had was an abridged edition...::grumble grumble grumble ::) Yes, I'm well aware that it's available online. But having an actual book in hand is half the pleasure of reading.
- The Everlasting Man: in progress.
- Dürrenmatt: impossible to find.
- Martin has lost his plot in a morass of sex and violence. Revised verdict: not recommendable to ANYONE. Yes, I can back this up if you want me to.
- Theonomy. Right. I'm...um...procrastinating?
- Schedule readjustments include dropping History of Spain.
Other reading (aka...PROCRASTINATION):
Aristotle's Rhetoric is profoundly interesting. Partly because it's a fascinating look at ancient Greek society and values, and partly because it's a very telling look at human nature in general. It also makes me feel like a fuzzy-headed idiot. Favorite Aristotle quote of the moment: "With regard to the element of moral character: there are assertions which, if made about yourself, may excite dislike, appear tedious, or expose you to the risk of contradiction; and other things which you cannot say about your opponent without seeming abusive or ill-bred. Put such remarks, therefore, into the mouth of some third person."
Cramming the entirity of Indroductory Logic into my head in one afternoon was NOT a good idea. But I at least remember the square of opposition. And I'll never again throw inductive logic at someone who's trying to be deductive. Hahaha! Yay for whamming people upside the head with syllogisms!
Margaret Atwood...probably a neat person to talk to. People who read The Handmaid's Tale, then assume they know everything there is to know about Christian fundamentalism and theonomic ideas...NOT neat people to talk to. At least sort through the mishmash of Gilead to find the demi-applicable parallels, people.
My littlest sister's new favorite book is Firebringer. Condensed verdict: The author unabashedly rips off Watership Down. He's got some neat solutions to many problems that arise in anthropomorphic stories, though (carnivores vs. herbivores; communication between species, etc.) And he's much more subtle than I expected when dealing with themes of peace, war, violence, revenge, justice, and pacifism.
How to Read a Book is awesome. I can't believe I've never read this before...articulately and eloquently lays out a TON of stuff I've been stumbling around trying to say.
I really want to find a copy of How to Read Literature Like a Professor. One of my sister's teacher's gave the class a sheet summarizing the contents, and it's amazingly helpful. And quite humorous. How can you not like section headings such as "Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It's Not)", "When in Doubt, It's from Shakespeare...Or the Bible", "It's All About Sex...Except Sex", and "Yes, She's a Christ Figure Too!"
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Yay Movies; Boo Golden Means
Who needs the "golden mean"? Averaging extremes will give approximately the same answer, right?
Witness, therefore, the first edition of "Marie's Econo-Reviews." Every movie from last semester crammed into ONE ENTRY! Three sentences or less, OR YOUR MONEY BACK! No historiographical or sociological ramblings, GUARANTEED! Never read a four-part review of a worthless movie ::cough:: EVER AGAIN!
Donnie Darko
If anybody figured out this movie without googling it, they are either insane or a genius. Probably both.
Equilibrium
It has inspired elements (like Preston's hand skimming the banister -- watch the movie if only for this). It also has plenty of stupid elements (like the quasi-Nazi flag. And most of the acting).
Fiddler on the Roof
I'm starting to see why it's one of my mom's favorite movies.
First Knight
The main thing that sticks in my mind is the insane set design and tone. It's as if they couldn't decide whether to make it feel historical of fairy-tale-like. The other memorable thing: late night conversations on Arthur vs. Lancelot.
Gladiator
One of the most gruesome opening sequences I've ever seen. A good movie, but also a quite depressing one...the double-crosses in the middle, especially.
The Jacket
Slightly more comprehensible than Darko. But not very. Maybe it's better that they never explained how or why he could time-travel.
King Kong
Jackson realized that it was basically a brainless action movie, and decided to make it the most actiony action movie ever. With every element he could cram in: dinosaurs, zombies, bugs, machine guns, explosions, storms, tanks, car chases, airplanes, a beautiful woman, and a HUGE GORILLA. Still, the acting was very good...and with three hours of screen time, he couldn't completely avoid referencing a couple demi-profound themes.
Lola Runs/Run Lola Run
I liked it, even though I don't quite understand what the director was trying to say. The "flash-forward" photos were particularly cool, and I liked the fact that he was evidently making some point about God and prayer at the end. (Probably negative...but a point nonetheless :)).
Narnia
It is not a great movie, but it is a very good one. And they didn't ruin Aslan.
Never Been Kissed
I am told that this movie is a "chick flick." Such a label (if my sources are to be believed) excuses it from the requirements of a plausible plot and convincing characterization. So be it -- but remind me never to watch one of those again.
Phone Booth
Beware 128 gazillion uses of "f***." Plus some rather sketchily clad women. That said -- great characterization, great acting, and one of the better movies I watched during exam week.
The Red Violin
Ahem: once the 1800s concert violinist comes on the scene, BEWARE THE SKETCH! Excellent movie, nonetheless. It was an ingenious way of connecting several quite unrelated stories, and I liked the fact that it was filmed in 3+ languages.
And some TV series for good measure. These may be more than three sentences.
Alias -- 6 episodes
SD6: "Here's your mission!"
CIA: Here's your counter-mission!
Sidney: "Oh no -- something went terribly wrong! I must change into sexy and seductive attire!"
Dad or Sidney: "Well -- it didn't go perfectly. But we pretty much got what we needed, learned a bit about Rambaldi (or this season's equivalent overarching plot mystery), and had a touching moment of father-daughter bonding time."
Um...yes. It was fun the first two or three times around. But after that, I rather lost interest.
Firefly -- all episodes
Just about any sci-fi movie with action/adventure elements earns the label "space western." Instead of getting mad at the pigeonhole...why not just shrug and go all out? I thought Whedon's concept was hilariously and ironically ingenious. Sure...you ended up with a stupid plot or two, but overall it was a rollicking good time.
Lost -- 4 episodes
This has potential. I'm not sure where it's going, but with the insane mishmash of a "lost on a desert island" story, preternatural happenings, and science gone wrong, it keeps you watching. It's got excellent acting. Plus, unlike Alias ::cough::, every episode is quite distinct.
Witness, therefore, the first edition of "Marie's Econo-Reviews." Every movie from last semester crammed into ONE ENTRY! Three sentences or less, OR YOUR MONEY BACK! No historiographical or sociological ramblings, GUARANTEED! Never read a four-part review of a worthless movie ::cough:: EVER AGAIN!
Donnie Darko
If anybody figured out this movie without googling it, they are either insane or a genius. Probably both.
Equilibrium
It has inspired elements (like Preston's hand skimming the banister -- watch the movie if only for this). It also has plenty of stupid elements (like the quasi-Nazi flag. And most of the acting).
Fiddler on the Roof
I'm starting to see why it's one of my mom's favorite movies.
First Knight
The main thing that sticks in my mind is the insane set design and tone. It's as if they couldn't decide whether to make it feel historical of fairy-tale-like. The other memorable thing: late night conversations on Arthur vs. Lancelot.
Gladiator
One of the most gruesome opening sequences I've ever seen. A good movie, but also a quite depressing one...the double-crosses in the middle, especially.
The Jacket
Slightly more comprehensible than Darko. But not very. Maybe it's better that they never explained how or why he could time-travel.
King Kong
Jackson realized that it was basically a brainless action movie, and decided to make it the most actiony action movie ever. With every element he could cram in: dinosaurs, zombies, bugs, machine guns, explosions, storms, tanks, car chases, airplanes, a beautiful woman, and a HUGE GORILLA. Still, the acting was very good...and with three hours of screen time, he couldn't completely avoid referencing a couple demi-profound themes.
Lola Runs/Run Lola Run
I liked it, even though I don't quite understand what the director was trying to say. The "flash-forward" photos were particularly cool, and I liked the fact that he was evidently making some point about God and prayer at the end. (Probably negative...but a point nonetheless :)).
Narnia
It is not a great movie, but it is a very good one. And they didn't ruin Aslan.
Never Been Kissed
I am told that this movie is a "chick flick." Such a label (if my sources are to be believed) excuses it from the requirements of a plausible plot and convincing characterization. So be it -- but remind me never to watch one of those again.
Phone Booth
Beware 128 gazillion uses of "f***." Plus some rather sketchily clad women. That said -- great characterization, great acting, and one of the better movies I watched during exam week.
The Red Violin
Ahem: once the 1800s concert violinist comes on the scene, BEWARE THE SKETCH! Excellent movie, nonetheless. It was an ingenious way of connecting several quite unrelated stories, and I liked the fact that it was filmed in 3+ languages.
And some TV series for good measure. These may be more than three sentences.
Alias -- 6 episodes
SD6: "Here's your mission!"
CIA: Here's your counter-mission!
Sidney: "Oh no -- something went terribly wrong! I must change into sexy and seductive attire!"
Dad or Sidney: "Well -- it didn't go perfectly. But we pretty much got what we needed, learned a bit about Rambaldi (or this season's equivalent overarching plot mystery), and had a touching moment of father-daughter bonding time."
Um...yes. It was fun the first two or three times around. But after that, I rather lost interest.
Firefly -- all episodes
Just about any sci-fi movie with action/adventure elements earns the label "space western." Instead of getting mad at the pigeonhole...why not just shrug and go all out? I thought Whedon's concept was hilariously and ironically ingenious. Sure...you ended up with a stupid plot or two, but overall it was a rollicking good time.
Lost -- 4 episodes
This has potential. I'm not sure where it's going, but with the insane mishmash of a "lost on a desert island" story, preternatural happenings, and science gone wrong, it keeps you watching. It's got excellent acting. Plus, unlike Alias ::cough::, every episode is quite distinct.
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