laceblade

Moon Child, volume 1 by Reiko Shimizu - I checked this out because the two co-authors of Anime News Network's House of 1,000 Manga column are finally ending the column, after a hell of a run. Each made a post with their own top-10 posts/series, and one of Shaneon Garrity's was their column on Moon Child. I never thought I'd find a weirder manga than Kaori Yuki's stuff, but here we are. Dumbfounded by the heinousness. But also 90s brooding, like, EPIC. Having to request these from outside the library system, so it'll likely take a while to get through the series. I really miss the publisher CMX, :/ I wish I'd been older when they were still around, & I had more disposable income and could've better supported their series. They released a lot of great stuff.

Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot by Antonia Fraser - Following up my run of Tudors! fiction/non-fiction, I wanted to read this because I never really "got" what this historical event was/its significance/whatever. It was SO FASCINATING. Clandestine Catholics disillusioned by a king who's not as Catholic as they thought he would be, Jesuit priests grappling with whether they can break the seal of the confessional to save lives vs. trying to argue with the would-be perpetrators and prevent the crime themselves, & also a tiny dude who went around building secret hiding places into the homes and properties of Catholics who hid Jesuits and other Catholics on the run. SO INTERESTING. OMG.
After this, I think I'm going to be jumping back in history to read some War of the Roses fiction/non-fiction. Although maybe also first some Mary Queen of Scots stuff.

Arata the Legend, vols. 16-22 by Yuu Watase - Lots of people lost their clothing for various "plot" reasons in a number of these volumes, :p
This series is at its best when it's balancing both of the two worlds, as opposed to focusing on the fantasy world of Amawakuni. The dread that Arata and Oribe feel as they're dealing with the horrors produced by Harunawa is palpable, and makes me connect with the characters' fear in a way that never quite happens with the characters in Amawakuni, save for the ways in which Arata and Kadowaki grapple with their feelings about each other/their friendship, as well as Mikasa's realization about her ~origins~. I'm about caught up to the English release of this series, which is also caught up the point where Yuu Watase had her hiatus. I'm really interested to see where this story goes, now that she's free from her abusive editor.

Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson - A selection from the Sirens list. This was fan-flipping-tastic, like I was blown away by how great it is.

Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History by Joel Christian Gill - This has been making the rounds at comics club, and I really enjoyed the art while reading these true stories about real people from black US history that I'd never heard before. From people's reactions to that other comic series called "Strange Fruit," I'd say this one is much better, :p

Truth: Red, White, and Black by Robert Morales - or, The first Captain American wasn't Steve Rogers. I've heard of this before, but I think I requested it (not in our library system, :[ ) after some tweets by sparkymonster. In a country where Tuskegee happened, it doesn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to think that the government would have created the super soldier serum by first testing it on black men. Morales pulls a lot of truths from history to tell a powerful story that leaves you reeling. The list of books about human subject experimentation & ethics in the back was obviously of great interest to me, so I added a lot of those to my to-read list on Goodreads.

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden - Checked out from the library after jesse_the_k was talking this up in comics club (I think?). Glidden goes on a birthright trip to Israel, despite feeling a little awkward about it because she has some serious issues with a lot of Israel's actions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She's very upfront in describing the the trip that she & her group go on - what they see, learn, & feel.

Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire - SO FUN. Like, wow what a universe. I ended up rating this three stars, due to a truly absurd climactic battle that leads up to Ultimate Climax, as well as due to wayyyyy too many over-explain-to-the-reader moments. I wish McGuire would trust her readers to make their own logical conclusions once in a while. Like - "the store was locked, that's because someone just died, so that makes sense" - are the sort of things I write out when I'm logic-feeling my way through a scene that I'm writing? But then I rip out during editing, :p
That said, I <3 Dominic, I like the IDEA of a family of Slayers cryptozoologists who have broken away from the Watchers' Council the Covenant to stop killing all demons & instead figure out which ones deserve it, and study/protect the rest.
I suspect I'll like other POV characters more, so I'm eager to read both the other novels and the short stories set in the same universe that deal with her grandparents & great-grandparents.

Hawkeye #22 by Matt Fraction & David Aja - Sad to see this one end, even if it was a good ending. I kind of want to reread the whole thing. Mostly, I wish it weren't over.

Has anyone read any of the manga called Ooku, by Fumi Yoshinaga?

We have volume one here at the bookstore, and it sounds interesting, based on the description:

In Edo period Japan, a strange new disease called the Red Pox has begun to prey on the country's men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen by seventy-five percent. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the Shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the Shogun's Inner Chamber...

WAIT, I just realized that this was the manga-ka who did Antique Bakery. SQUEEEEEE!!

/Book report to follow.

Today was pretty sweet. As difficult as it may be to believe, I never read Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness quartet when I was young. I think that I randomly read the third book, but that was it. I read Alanna: The First Adventure a few weeks ago, and loved it. This morning, In the Hand of the Goddess was waiting for me at the library. The premise of the books is that Alanna and her brother Thom switch places so that Alanna can learn to be a knight in a world that only allows boys to do so by pretending to be "Alan," and Thom can learn to be a sorcerer by pretending to be her. Anyway, the books are adventurous and fun, and the heroine actually works to become a good fighter. I do think that her way of naming things is lame, though. Seriously - a horse named Moonlight, a sword named Lightning, and a cat named Faithful. Could be a little more lame, Alanna??

I've also read the first volume of Bryan Lee O'Malley's "Scott Pilgrim" comics, and holy shit, are they awesome and hilarious. Everyone should read Scott Pilgrim! I recommend it especially to Dave, Steph, and Antoine. DO IT.

Anyway, the Senate was in session today. Unfortunately, Wisconsin Eye is getting really good at cutting us pages out of their camera shots. BUT! If you go here, scroll down to "01.15.08 | State Senate Part 2" and click "Watch," you can see me at 18:12 - 18:24. On the left side of the screen, someone comes to get me, and I leave to do an errand. You can tell it's me by the brown curly hair!

Then, Antoine and I went out for dinner! And it was really good.

I also managed to be productive today by setting up appointments with career advisor people, and got my prescription filled. AND, a random Anime Club member sent me some amazing art to use on a flier. And I tried to make a flier, although my Photoshop skills suck. Still. Flier. Now, if only I could clean my room..... :(

(BTW, blog titles that are not self-explanatory are still being taken from Wizard People. If only so Steph will nod in approval while she reads.)

I had a post written last night, and then I fell asleep. WTF. Classes are over. I've made the first steps toward job-searching. Do I write about specifics on the blog? Theoretically, the majority of my readership is also my competition, and I am an ambitious whore. So......YOU WILL NOT KNOW WHAT I DID.

Things I'm Reading
I started A Great and Terrible Beauty today (reading throughout my entire English lecture, as I can't stand it), and I like it. Although, for how much people love it, some of the writing seems.....not so great. Especially Gemma's interactions with the other girls her age. I don't know. Are they making this into a movie? It seems like it wouldn't feel the same at all, without her biting commentary. Ah, well. The plot's interesting enough, anyway.

I don't know why I keep reading the Naruto manga. I am through volume 25 (chapter 225), and I just feel like it's not all that great. When one battle takes 4-8 volumes to resolve....? I lose interest. I'm also not a fan of....
"MY ANGST, LET ME SHOW YOU IT BEFORE WE FIGHT! AND WHILE WE FIGHT. AND AFTER."
"OH YEAH? LET ME EXPLAIN MY SUPER-ULTRA ATTACK MOVE IN EXPLICIT DETAIL, COMPLETE WITH DIAGRAMS FOR THE READER ABOUT HOW MY CHAKRA IS FLOWING!"
"OMG ME TOO!"
I dunno. I've stuck with it this long, I'm going to hang around until the Shippuden arc starts and see if it starts throwing bucket loads of awesome on to pages, and if Sakura stops frickin' moping all the time, and maybe I'll keep going. I think I would just like it a whole lot more if it didn't take so damn long for the plot to progress. I now understand why the anime has so much filler. It wouldn't be very hard to catch up with a pace set by a turtle.

And other things
I'm still really glad that I took off of work next week. I couldn't focus at all today when I was there. How can you? You walk around giant slabs of marble and Greco-Roman paintings and statues, deliver pieces of paper that make legislation happen, and have endless conversations with intelligent peers in the basement. I'm really going to miss my job when I leave it, :/ This is the best job I've ever had.

It's so hard to focus once finals start. All I can think about is going Christmas shopping, and what books I want to read and shows I want to watch. Most of all, I feel sick to my stomach when I think about the fact that I'm going to graduate in May and really have no idea what I'm doing. I've entertained the thought of presenting a cool and collected persona via my blog, buuuut.....we all know that that's just not my style.

Whatever. Because we all need an lol.....I am still registered for Ballroom Dancing next semester.

I'm off to try and get a bit of Christmas shopping done now, and then go and see "Blade Runner" on the big screen with Antoine and some of his friends. I've only seen Blade Runner once, and I think I might have fallen asleep and not understood it. Or, possibly, both. I feel like it's one of those things that I should like, though, so I'm going to try again. If nothing else, I can fall asleep on Antoine in the movie theater, which is always a win.

One reason that I'm so excited to be done with education is because I will actually be able to blog every day. Every day, I write at least five entries in my head, but I'm lucky if I get the chance to post one, because I feel guilty about all the homework I have to do, or I am spending my rare free time with people.

I feel like I never talk about what my actual life is like in my blog. I complain about homework, yes, but homework isn't all that I do. I do lots of other things, too! Yesterday, it was a discussion and three power lectures in a row. Then, home to quickly clean the kitchen; then, off to a couple of bars right by the Capitol to watch most of the first half of the Packer game and have a "goodbye" bar-hopping for a co-worker who will be moving away (his last day was today). Then home with a co-worker and her boyfriend to join Chad and his entire law school study group for homemade pizza and the rest of the Packer game (WTF I HATE THE DALLAS COWBOYS AND HAVE SINCE THE AGE OF 8).

This morning was....up at 5:45am to go off to a liturgy meeting at church, work from 8-5 with an outing for lunch, outlining of Women's Studies paper, and reading of the Philip Gourevitch book about Rwandan genocide, peppered with manga-reading, of course.

Soon, I'll be off to join Antoine and his friends from grad school (and my friends too, I guess!) for dinner somewhere, and I think drinks or bowling? Something's going on, anyway.

I have two papers to work on, but sometimes I just know that if I were to be in my room all night for "homework," I would instead angst out, watch Buffy or Angel, and spend the rest of the night online, accomplishing nothing. So I might as well be socially-healthy, and get out of the house.

Or at least, that's how I justify it in my mind, :)

It really sucks that I wasn't able to start earlier on all of these papers, although all my papers are basically do at the same time; and right before that, all of my midterms were at the same time, too. School is structured quite poorly, in my mind. It all revolves around the convenience of the professor, and in most cases, I am not inclined to make their lives convenient.

I rarely blog about my life, but when I do, it seems like an ugly laundry list that no one would want to read. Oh well, time to go.

I don't know what it is about my Brit Lit class that just utterly kills me, but it does. I remember having a horrible time writing my first paper, and I have been this time, too. It's due Wednesday at 5pm. My original goal was to have it done to turn in today during discussion, but that didn't happen. Then, my goal was to turn it in tomorrow during lecture. But I don't think that's going to happen, either. Tonight I have a complete draft and a solid(ish) thesis, but now I'd prefer to be able to edit it tomorrow.

My part-time job in the town where my parents live was working in a retail store. And I'll be returning there the day after Thanksgiving....for one day only! But I called them to find out what my hours are...since I haven't worked since January, they didn't want me early in the morning (ie, no waking up at 4am for me, SWEET). BUT, they put me down for working 11am to 8:30pm! Grrr.....I get a 1-hour break, but whatever. My employers expect that I will use this hour to go and shop in the store. Instead, I will run across the street and read manga in large, plushie chairs. Working the day after Thanksgiving isn't all that bad. It's the only day of the year our store ever schedules enough people, and they usually give us free Subway sandwiches and cookies. WHICH IS COOL WITH ME!
Still, I'm bringing Antoine home with me for the holiday, and he will need something to do. Poor Antoine, :( Let us pity him, and the possibility that he might have to spend all 9.5 hours with my family.

Beowulf
First of all, seeing this was fun, because I went with my friends Gretchen, Jaci, Jaci's boyfriend Tim, and Sandy. Also, it was fun BECAUSE WE SAW IT IN 3D. The entire movie was in 3D! It was so awesome.

I enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would. I feel like the animation looked better in the movie than it did in the preview. People's skin had very fine hairs on it, like on the outside of Beowulf's nose. Extremely detailed. Animation of the horses was very weak, and the fabrics on people's bodies was weird. But overall, the animation was quite beautiful.

The feel of the Anglo-Saxons was totally awesome - burping, drinking, sexing, and above all - bragging like no tomorrow.

( As for the story itself? Well, a lot was changed. And because I am an English major, I have Things to Say About That )

I will be so glad when this paper is done. Never mind that I have three more to work on....

Note to Self: Things You Must Blog About
* Clamp School Detectives manga
* Tokyo Babylon manga
* Cantarella manga (OMG AMAZING)


Current Music: Red Fraction - MELL (Black Lagoon opening)

I was excessively lonely tonight. It sucked. I called Antoine at Creighton's, and he later told me I sounded like a puppy someone left in the rain. Buuuut, by using my phone and chatting online, I pulled through. Yay for technology, I guess. Also, my room got cleaner! It was a win.

Apparently, today was Sexist Day, and nobody told me. I got to open all the mail today at Bleak House (the book publishing company at which I intern), and several of our letters were addressed, "Dear Sir," or "Dear Sirs." When we reply to people's query letters, we always write right on top of the query letter. So, I took the opportunity to circle "Sir," and write, That's a little presumptuous, isn't it?

The real kicker was one person who submitted a story in which the protagonist was related to sports. The query letter said, and I shit you not, If there is a man on your staff he should read it first. There is a lot of swearing in it and this is the way coaches and players talk. Hey, buddy? It's the way I fucking talk. I couldn't believe the audacity of that person. Who does that?! Way to make a first impression. Ass.

So, here's my first tip on trying to get your stuff published:
Don't be sexist.

I guess I could go ahead and post the rest of my advice, after a summer of interning there:

• Follow directions. We ask for everyone to submit a 1-page query letter and a self-addressed stamped envelope. If you don't include the envelope, we won't reply, unless your submission is dripping with gold. Also, sending chapters/entire manuscripts we didn't ask for is usually a waste of time. Especially if you sign your submission as Satan (yes, that happened).

• Know who you're submitting to. If the publishing house specializes in mysteries and crime fiction, don't send your multi-volume epic on the life of a pirate, your religious propaganda on Susie Housewife, or your revision of the story of Beowulf. It's a waste of time for the publisher, and it's a waste of money for you in terms of postage, printing, and envelopes.

• Nobody cares what your major is or where you went to college. Personally, I don't care if your profession is relevant to the plot of your book, either. All we care about is how good your writing is. Trying to jack-up your query letter (which is supposed to be about your story) just makes you sound pompous.

• If there's going to be sex in your story, fine. Just make sure there's a point.
  

That's it, really. The rest is up to you. Avoid cliches, because they are teh lame.

Does anyone find it sad that in this article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the thing that I found most appalling is the fourth word of the article? Because it is not, in fact, a word. The past tense of the verb "light" is "lit." Not "lighted." I don't think 'lighted' is a word, ever. WTF, PEOPLE. Stuff like this makes me feel entitled to getting a fabulous job. Because I know things. I know which words are actually words, and I generally know how to employ them in sentences. I know how to engage in conversations without offending people. I KNOW HOW TO BEAT EVERY BOSS IN FF7. I need a part of my resume that's called "Special Skillz." Badass things would go there.

The Wisconsin legislature is having some hearings on the Frankenstein veto! I will have to tap the rumor mill at the Capitol and see what people think about it actually getting banned or not.

My co-workers are teaching me to play chess. Apparently, they find me so geeky that they are rather shocked that I don't know how to play. In other news, the desktop background on the mutual computer in the page room has been Cardcaptor Sakura for the last week and a half BECAUSE OF ME, THANK YOU. I win at life. That is all.

HOLY CRAP, life is full. So, I didn't go to any of the WisCon stuff that was on Monday. I don't own any books by the authors who were there (I know; I suck), so I didn't have anything to get signed, and also didn't feel it was worth it to get up for just one panel.

On Monday, I spent lots of time on the Internet, did laundry, went shopping with Antoine for groceries and the Half-Price Book sale, went to his house and ate dinner made by him and watched an episode of Lovely Complex, and then we went for a walk. It was a most excellent day.

Yesterday, I went in to work at 8:00am as usual for Tuesday-Thursday, but then went to Milwaukee for a hearing on gun control. After the hearing, my bosses and I went out for dinner, and I didn't get back home to my house until 11:00pm. So....yay for 6 extra hours' pay, but man was I tired all day today.

Tonight after work, I went out for drinks and etc. with Antoine and some friends, and it was yummy. Ordering a beer at a bar/lounge is still so exciting to me. Maybe because I've only been able to do it for a week and a half.

I'm going home to see my family this weekend, so anyone else who will be there should let me know. I do have two graduation parties to attend, but we can figure stuff out.

What the hell is the matter with this man?! Has he never heard of the Internet? He should ship his books to me! And I could put them up on BookMooch and get the manga that's up there, that I don't have any BookMooch points with which to get them.

Anyway. Cool people keep posting their panel write-ups on LiveJournal (what the heck, are you guys able to post from work??). Also, cool people are linking to my posts, which makes me giddy with joy. Anyway, it's time to be responsible and at least attempt to tidy some of my room, and then type up at least one panel report.

Can I please tell you how stressed out I am? Yes?

Let's begin.

1) I don't even know what classes I signed up for last night for next semester, and frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

2) There is SO MUCH going on this weekend that I want to do, and there isn't enough time to do any of it.
First of all, there is the Wisconsin Film Festival, but pretty much everything I want to see conflicts with something else. Like:
2.1) The film "Heart of an Empire" is on Thursday night at 9:30pm. To get home, I'd need my car, and I can't have my car, 'cause I'll be on campus all day. Thus, I can't go.
2.2) I'd like to go to this all-ages Drag Show that is at my friend Gretchen's co-op coffee shop-inside-a-bookstore. I've never been to one before, she would be ecstatic if I went, and Steph wants to go.
2.2.a) This drag show is at the same time as another movie I want to see, called "King Corn." This movie ALSO shows on Saturday, but its showing time on Saturday is during another film I'd like to see - the Animated Shorts one. I've basically decided to skip the Animated Shorts film.
2.3) There are two Cardinal parties that I'd like to stop by. One is a soap opera-themed party, where we are encouraged to slap one another, hurl franzia at one another, and reveal Dark Secrets about our families throughout the night. That's Friday night. The other one is on Saturday, and doesn't have a theme, but still promises to be cool.
2.4) Of course, there is still Anime Club this Saturday. Luckily, I'm not interested in this week's movie, so I'll be there 5:30ish-pm until 8pm.
2.5) I want to see the movie "Linda, Linda, Linda." Luckily, this one is Sunday afternoon and doesn't conflict with anything.
2.6) I have to lector at mass on Sunday.
2.7) I should probably study for Monday's Shakespeare exam somehow in the midst of all this. Or, you know, at least start/finish Antony & Cleopatra.

3) The freaking SLUSHICE keeps falling. On the roof. The thin roof. That is right next to my head when I lie in my bed.

4) I have two papers I should be working on, but have no time in which to do so.

5) Today was a flurry of class, work, meeting, and shoveling endless disgustingly wet snow which made me very sore.

6) I've been going to meetings about using University space during Halloween. Halloween in Madison means people get drunk and riot on State Street. Since the city can't control the problem, the University feels the need to ban registered student organizations (like Anime Club) from using its classrooms on Saturday nights. Last year, we didn't get wind of the rule-changes until one week before the event, and chaos ensued. I get really riled up for these meetings, so it's a little emotionally draining. Why can't I fight for something that matters? I don't know.

7) I'm trying to figure out what to do this summer. I know I'll be working as a Senate Page part-time, but aside from that - should I get more experience doing something else? I want to apply for an internship with Democratic Assembly members, but I'm afraid that my experience with a Republican Congressman/Gubernatorial candidate will not be okay.

8) Going along with that, I really need to update my resume.

9) The state senators are sending out mailing about SeniorCare. Mailings involving placing-on-of-stickers on about 50,000 postcards. So I haven't been getting homework done at work, and now I'm behind.

10) I definitely should have done laundry today, but I didn't really have time. I won't tomorrow, either.

Kurt Vonnegut died today, and damn it all if I haven't read a thing by him yet. I would probably like him, too.

11) I should have been sleeping at 10pm, but it's now almost midnight and I don't feel tired at all.