As a follow-up to my earlier Movie Round-up, I've decided the books need some public love too. I've read quite a bit lately, and have thus realized, not as much as I'd ultimately like to. I'm going to carve out some more time for that. The internet isn't buying me much, and frankly I'm so unfulfilled by it that I've started to notice its skyrocketing rent in my psyche. The vast nothing spreads.
Inspired by a friend, I've joined LibraryThing. It's a bit clunky, but more great than not. I've imported just about all of the books I can remember ever reading, as well as the ones I'd like to enjoy some day. It's been a really good motivator so far.
I realized that I'm not the well-read person I thought I was. Looking at my books organized through LibraryThing's lists feature has shown me how meager my Classics list is, as well as how hefty my Linguistics and Self-Improvement compendiums have become. I've decided to work on balancing that out a bit, eventually working my way up to the big heavies in the Western canon.
With all that said, and this glorious free time I've been enjoying, I've managed to read an entire book every day since Sunday. (I'm a very fast reader, and I've chosen easy, fun reads for encouragement and motivation.) Here's what I've consumed:
Sunday, January 17th Civilwarland in Bad Decline, by George Saunders Saunders' writing is simple and straightforward. But like anybody with a story to tell, there is always a subtext. This is what you get from Civilwarland. Woven in these stories is the social commentary on life as we know it. It supersedes our ability to relate to the specific plights of any of the off-kilter characters, for it is their strangeness itself that we can't ignore seeing in ourselves. That is all I will say about this for now, but know that there is always more.
Monday, January 18th You are not a Gadget, by Jaron Lanier In the beginning, I was dazzled. I started this book last week, and walked around for days in a curious funk, slowly digesting the tasty bits I'd found. At the same time, discontent, as they confirmed some of the reasons for my current quest to re-define my relationship with the internet and online communities. You are not a Gadget has some important things to say, and I heard them loud and clear. But the lustre has worn, and now I see that the argument is irrevocably flawed. Ultimately, it is a book in need of an editor of logic. And a call to action. I took what I needed, and left the rest. Tuesday, January 19th A History of U.S. Feminisms, by Rory Dicker I've arrived pathetically late to the fight. Now that much of my current study in linguistics involves gender and social variation, I've known that this lacking will not stand. This book has been an excellent primer, getting me up to speed on what I've missed for the last 150+ years around here. I still have a lot to learn, but I am proud to have taken on this bit of self-education. The journey continues on. Wednesday, January 20th The Girl With a Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier This was a wonderful book, written well in a similarly understated style as Saunders. The story shared so much more than its written words. I particularly enjoyed its run-ins with social class, art, health (the Plague!), femininity, religion...I could go on. Point is, the story wasn't restricted to its plot. Chevalier wanted us to think about all the consequences and implications as the characters – and especially the girl – go about their lives, for the most part clumsily. But not Griet. She was acutely aware of every misstep, and her unfortunate footing within it all. And of course, Vermeer...this is a book like the telling of a painting to a blind man who can see what most others don't.
Thursday, January 21st: I will now go pull something new and unread from the shelf. It has to be short, as I'm running out of day and I've got a lot of things to do before the evening out. I hope I can pull this off today.
I've accomplished some great things today, and I should feel good about that. But there's still that kid, sitting there. Bored because of boring. It's a happy sort of screaming going on in my head right now, somewhat analogous to these words, which aren't mine. But they kind of are.
There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light In the fine print they tell me what’s wrong and what’s right And it comes in black and it comes in white And I’m frightened by those who don’t see it
When nothing is owed or deserved or expected And your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected If you’re loved by someone, you’re never rejected Decide what to be and go be it
There was a dream and one day I could see it Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it And there was a kid with a head full of doubt So I’ll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out
There’s a darkness upon you that’s flooded in light And in the fine print they tell you what’s wrong and what’s right And it flies by day and it flies by night And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it
I've been enjoying quite a bit of Netflix these days. This shall soon end, as books and school are soon to take back over their perpetual reign (and a book review to come as well. I've been reading! For fun!) Here's some thoughts on what I've seen lately:
The Good I Love You, Man - I'm on a Judd Apatow kick, can you tell? Lars and the Real Girl - Interesting movie, but Ryan Gosling will forever be damned to me. The Notebook was just so, so bad. Pineapple Express - I laughed way more than I expected to. The Wrestler - Good, but wouldn't watch it again. Also had a hard time relating to Marissa Tomei as anything less than still totally smokin'. Rachel Getting Married - Whoa, this is some real heavy heaviness. It's heavy. You've been warned Primer - Does what it says on the box. And for a $7,000 budget, it's a steal!
The meh Julie & Julia - I enjoyed the blogging side of this movie. Acting was pretty bad though. Drag Me To Hell - Horror movies can be somewhat entertaining. Synecdoche, New York - Really hits you over the head if you truly understand synecdoche. I kept thinking, "YEAH, I GET IT. It's all referential." Smart People - kind of unremarkable and meandering. My Fair Lady - Phoneticians, yay. Whining and 1950's sexism, not so much. Funny People - This one lost its way. In a big way. Slumdog Millionaire - It was Crash of 2009 for me. Charlie Wilson's War - Hey, it's the Tom Hanks show! Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - This movie has been done by other movies, and better.
The Unwatchable Every Which Way But Loose - Ugh. No comment. Enlighten Up! - Couldn't watch it because the sound mixing was just that bad. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - I threw up in my mouth a little. Confessions of a Shopaholic - Couldn't even finish it. Life was withering away, painfully.
At a hotel party for the LSA, on honor of Sally Thomason. View of Camden Yards from the balcony. Everyone says it's too cold, but this feels like Linda Mar in winter with a 4/3. Doable but not entirely miserable. Plus, the view...
For the first time in several days, I've managed to carve out some time for downtime. I know it doesn't seem as such, since I'm on the internet and blogging right now, but I'm actually in my very comfortable bed, at the Baltimore Hilton, enjoying a much needed break. And I also know it doesn't seem as though I've been without internet for several days – despite my Twitter/Facebook birdstrikes and with my utmost apologies for that (this tweet swell is indeed fading) – it is true that I've been relatively disconnected from the web. It's been nice to really focus solely on linguistics, without the usual and usually welcome distractions of MetaFilter, games, and the pursuit of being pursued.
It's been a good personal challenge to leave the things I left behind. Some of these things are goodbye and good riddance (so long, aughts), some are only temporarily on hold (bonding with the housemate, working on the Diary Project, and yikes...working for $$), and yet others are, well, we'll see what happens.
Last year was truly – even up until its final moments – my Year of Disappointment. However, just scant hours later, I saw the realization of my New Year of BoldnessKM. I've pretty much been finding new ways to give this abstract idea some actual, tangible form each and every day since.
Boldness is not always observable, nor is it always quantifiable. It can be a sort of healthy recklessness. That suits me well; in mind and body. And before you start getting ideas of your own, please allow me to explain the tame and G-rated version of this thing of which I was referring to...
In thought (or theory, if you will), I've been working towards inching my way over to that place where analytical brain takes a backseat to imagination, creativity, and spontaneity. In the often cases where this has led me to speak up, act out, or step outside my comfort zone in some interactional way, I've (fairly successfully) censored the voice that evaluates the whatever silly thing I just did. Which frees me up to think about doing a whole bunch of other things. It's a delightfully vicious cycle.
Here at the conference, I've done a lot of things that I didn't think I could or would ever do. I've spoken up at lectures, I've introduced myself to strangers, and I've traveled to strange new places...even if those places are Experimental Phonology seminars or other seemingly odd destinations. This hasn't been without complication and fumble at times, but do I expect to be great at this? No, don't even think about it too much.
Mostly, I've been really inspired and motivated by others here. I can't wait to return home and make sense of all the things on my sticky ball of stuck projects. Like revising and submitting my IRB Protocol for my sociophonetic squib. Jumping back into Spanish for upcoming field research in Oaxaca. And submitting my dogwhistle paper to a journal.
And of course, all the other stuff, waiting for me back home. Not to mention the things I will be bringing with me (a small library of new books), or not bringing back with me (goodbye new hat...I hope you're keeping somebody's head warm, even though I wish it were mine)! – Additionally and in the spirit of collaboration or corroboration, if you have any ideas for cultivating boldness, please find some within yourself enough to share it with me and/or the world. Thanks and happy going!
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