Wanted to take a moment to point you towards A Million Love Songs a new mp3 blog of love songs. This is an enterprise tailored made for me to love, since it involves both mp3s and cheesy songs (to be fair, not all posted songs are cheesy, but many are. Big points to Max for posting "Saved the Best for Last," which is not only a great cheesy love song, but a long running inside joke between a friend and I). I'm very excited about this site.
I had never watched American Idol, until the TiFaux entered my life, and now that I can watch an hour long episode in about 12 minutes, I've kept tabs on this season. This article echoes my thoughts on why I'm rooting for Diana, minus the part where I think that Diana seems like the kind of girl who eats HoHos in the middle of the night to deal with stress. I have to admit, as a nervous eater myself, I've been rooting for Diana for weeks. [via Fresh Hell]
I tend not to post too often about My Life, but I wanted to take a moment and let people know that I will be leaving Central Ohio in about five weeks to move to Massachusetts! I will be starting graduate school at Smith College in their MAT program. Basically, I'll be completing a one-year program that will prepare me to teach secondary school English through a combination of a practicum, education courses, student teaching, and English courses. I'm absolutely thrilled about it. I'm glad I didn't leap into graduate school immediately upon getting my undergrad degree, because it would have been shortsighted, and these intervening three years have taught me quite a bit about what I want in a career.
I am not entirely sure what will happen to wakingslow.com. It should be business as usual through June 11, and then a little spotty through the transition. I expect to be back online by June 28, and while I won't have the "in front of the computer" time I have now, I do expect to continue to post and blog. There just might be an emphasis from "reviews of recent books I've read for fun" to "reviews of books I've had to read for class" intermingled with anecdotes about student teaching.
Last week, I came home from work and there was a bunny guarding a hole in the yard in which newborn bunnies writhed (note: newborn bunnies are much like newborn kittens: kind of slimy and unattractive, resembling in no way the notion of bunnies/kittens we all have in mind). Today, however, the bunnies are out of the awkward stage and are just plain adorable. There are four--in the picture three are facing the camera, and the one on the far left has its back to the camera, I think he/she is the maverick of the bunch.
I am not hip. I am far from hip. The main thing, however, that keeps me from ever being hip, is my love of absolutely cheesy and/or derivative music. I am a sucker for anything with a melody. Seriously.
As proof, a story. I took some books to Half Price Books to unload (Half Price is great for this, because they give you cash and the stuff they can't sell, they give to charity, thus getting everything off your hands the second you want it gone). I got a few dollars for the six or seven books I dropped off, and on my way out of the store, I got distracted by $1.00 clearance used cds. The $1.00 thing is especially key, because that's the cost of one song from iTunes.
I walked out of the store with a net profit, but also with five new cds, purchased for less than a burrito at Chipotle:
1. Very Necessary - Salt N Pepa, inspired solely by my burning desire to own a copy of "Shoop."
2. Sixteen Stone by Bush. Completely derivative and Nirvana-esque, this album is now ten (!) years old. I listened to it on the way home and felt completely transported to being 15. Incidentally, it was an album I played tons of when I used to dj for WVBC.
3. Eve 6 - Eve 6. I like that "Inside Out" song. Sue me.
4. Gonna Make You Sweat - C+C Music Factory. Takes me right back to the roller rink. This album is now 14 years old. Seriously.
5. Middle of Nowhere - Hanson. I know, right? Hanson? I was almost too embarrassed to buy this, but Mmm...Bop is a complete capsule of the summer I between high school and college, I just couldn't put it down once I picked it up. And, to be fair, while the album is beyond cheesy and super, super perky, it's also damn catchy.
With the news that's pouring out of both Iraq and Washington these days, I point you in the direction of a new blogger on the scene, Not a Stripper. I encourage you to check her out.
I think I'm in the minority, but I preferred Augusten Burroughs' Dry to Running With Scissors.
Running With Scissors was interesting and appealed to my inner voyeur. Dry was far more affecting--it was moving and frustrating and subverted typical themes enough to keep it truly surprising. I know people thought Running with Scissors was hysterical; I didn't. Dry, however, has very funny moments mixed with sincerely sad moments ultimately comprising a work that is more powerful.
Turns out, Burroughs wrote Dry before Running With Scissors. I can see why a publisher would want to release them chronologically, but I think that Dry is the better book by far. I highly recommend it.