Living in Champaign is pretty sweet, to be honest. I love being at the University, and I love the town. It's small, but big enough. The only problem? When the hubby and I divvied up the small appliances, I had to make some sacrifices. So, just to give myself an outlet, here are some things I haven't eaten in 2 months because I lack the necessary equipment, the money to go out to eat, and the funds to purchase the needed appliances:
1. waffles (no waffle iron)
2. onion rings (no fryer)
3. hamburgers (no grill, even a Foreman, and I don't want to bake them in the oven)
4. microwave dinners (no microwave. And I am not baking them in the oven for 45 minutes)
5. limited leftovers (Why is it so hard to reheat meatloaf?)
So pity me, friends, as I haven't had a waffle in 2 months. And I love waffles. I'd almost buy a waffle iron over a microwave right now because someone on the radio was talking about waffles earlier, and it damn neared caused a car accident. Maybe I need to suck it up and go to IHOP. Maybe my hubby needs to make me breakfast in bed the next time I'm home. Maybe both? Yeah. Both sounds good.
Enjoy your small appliances, friends. You'll never realize how much you use them until can't.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Banned Books Week: Harry Potter
It should come as no shock that Harry Potter has been challenged in the years following the original publication of the first novels, and even more as subsequent novels were published. Nor should it come as a shock that it is one my favorite reads of all time. And if any of my friends who read this blog haven't read Harry Potter, then maybe we need to rethink our friendship.
Most of my friends know that one of the worst things they can do is get me started on Harry Potter, because I love it So. Damn. Much. There is just so much about these novels that is amazing. I really can't get started because I'll never stop. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how complete a world J.K. Rowling created; the world she created and the detail she's considered about things that never even appear in the novel. If you don't believe me, check out the Harry Potter Lexicon.
In the years that the novels were challenged, the largest voice has come from Christian parents who feel that the books promote occultism and paganism. The concerns aren't unfounded. Harry Potter exists in a world where wizards can do things that, in Christianity, only God and Jesus can. However, as I said with Call of Wild, the responsibility of educating children about the relationship between fiction and real-life is the responsibility of the parents and care-givers.
I will always love Harry Potter. I don't even know how many times I've read through the entire series or watched all the movies. And yes, sometimes I troll fan sites because I just need HP fix. So if you haven't read the series, please, for love of Merlin, do. They're nothing short of epic.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Banned Books Week: The Call of the Wild
I realize it's been a long time since I've updated, and it's a shame. I really intended to write more now that I'm back in school and not working 3 jobs. But alas, graduate school and one job are keeping me pretty busy. However, I do have a mission this week: It's Banned Books Week! BBW celebrates the freedom to read, and the freedom for anyone to access any book, any time, any where. As a future librarian, I am dedicated to the freedom of information, and strongly opposed to the censorship of information by one group of people, for another group of people. So this week, I'm going to try to post several times with bits of goodness about some of my favorite books that have been banned or challenged in the world.
To kick off my BBW extravaganza, I'm celebrating one of my favorite authors, Jack London. His novel, The Call of the Wild. As one of Jack London's most popular works, and as one of the most-read books in the world, it's hard to imagine that people have tried to censor it. But it's actually on ALA's list of commonly challenged classics, at #33 of 100, in fact.
The reasons for the challenge are easy enough to see: scenes of violence and cruelty. In fact, some people have tried to ban the novel because they felt that London's depiction of the treatment of dogs in the Yukon int he 19th century was promoting or condoning animal cruelty. However, London was simply writing about what he knew. He spent almost a year in the north, living in the towns that built up around the hubs of the gold rush, and he remembered what he saw. Abuse of dogs was not uncommon at that place and time, so his depiction of the violence and cruelty that the dogs, especially his main character, Buck, are treated with is not inaccurate. It is likely that the challenge to the violent imagery is because people often think of London's novel as a chidren's book because it does have a dog as it's main character, when in reality, its themes deal with adult ideas and feelings.
The most challenges to London's work were from European regimes. It was burned in Nazi Germany, and Italy and Yugoslavia banned it for being too radical.
If you have never read The Call of the Wild, I would strongly recommend it to anyone, adult or teenager. It would probably not be best for a young child, because of the violence, although I believe I was fairly young when I read it. As always, the decision of whether or not something appropriate for a child depends on the person's maturity, and if the parents are able to help the child understand the more adult aspects of the work. The story is the narrative of Buck, a dog stolen and sold into the harsh work of a sled dog in the Yukon. He is sold from master to master, and at times subjected to a variety of mistreatment, until he comes under the care of John Thorton, who develops a bond with Buck the dog has never experienced, having never been treated with such kindness. I won't tell you more, or spoil the ending. The novel deals with several different themes, like survival, redemption, and loyalty between dogs and their masters.
So go read. If not this, then try something else from ALA's 100 most challenged books. Take this week as opportunity that for the large majority of us, we have been given the ability and opportunity
to read. Celebrate that freedom.
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade
To kick off my BBW extravaganza, I'm celebrating one of my favorite authors, Jack London. His novel, The Call of the Wild. As one of Jack London's most popular works, and as one of the most-read books in the world, it's hard to imagine that people have tried to censor it. But it's actually on ALA's list of commonly challenged classics, at #33 of 100, in fact.
The reasons for the challenge are easy enough to see: scenes of violence and cruelty. In fact, some people have tried to ban the novel because they felt that London's depiction of the treatment of dogs in the Yukon int he 19th century was promoting or condoning animal cruelty. However, London was simply writing about what he knew. He spent almost a year in the north, living in the towns that built up around the hubs of the gold rush, and he remembered what he saw. Abuse of dogs was not uncommon at that place and time, so his depiction of the violence and cruelty that the dogs, especially his main character, Buck, are treated with is not inaccurate. It is likely that the challenge to the violent imagery is because people often think of London's novel as a chidren's book because it does have a dog as it's main character, when in reality, its themes deal with adult ideas and feelings.
The most challenges to London's work were from European regimes. It was burned in Nazi Germany, and Italy and Yugoslavia banned it for being too radical.
If you have never read The Call of the Wild, I would strongly recommend it to anyone, adult or teenager. It would probably not be best for a young child, because of the violence, although I believe I was fairly young when I read it. As always, the decision of whether or not something appropriate for a child depends on the person's maturity, and if the parents are able to help the child understand the more adult aspects of the work. The story is the narrative of Buck, a dog stolen and sold into the harsh work of a sled dog in the Yukon. He is sold from master to master, and at times subjected to a variety of mistreatment, until he comes under the care of John Thorton, who develops a bond with Buck the dog has never experienced, having never been treated with such kindness. I won't tell you more, or spoil the ending. The novel deals with several different themes, like survival, redemption, and loyalty between dogs and their masters.
So go read. If not this, then try something else from ALA's 100 most challenged books. Take this week as opportunity that for the large majority of us, we have been given the ability and opportunity
to read. Celebrate that freedom.
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade
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