Disappear Here

“People are afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles”

On March 1, I officially met my one year anniversary of leaving Los Angeles. While I know I made the right decision, backed up by my success in my current occupation and the presence of my soul, I do miss certain parts of LA. Namely, my friends. But as people move and grow older, they drift apart. Friends I used to talk to on a daily basis while living in LA have now become facebook and bi-monthly conversation friends. Most have new jobs, and the 3 hour time difference, coupled with long hours in the film industry, means our schedules rarely align. Out of sight, out of mind.

The quote above is from Bret Easton Ellis’s Less Than Zero, a novel published in the mid-1980’s about youth culture in L.A. I arrived two decades later, and the book was still relevant to the lifestyle of the city. At eighteen, Ellis’s Angelinos have experienced sex, drugs, and disaffection at too young an age, creating a generation of apathy. They’re judgmental, get what they want, and don’t care about consequences. They think they’re invincible, and laugh at death. The novel is haunting and incredibly sad, and the whole situation is devoid of any feeling or hope.

Along with the surprising realization that I wanted a “normal” life (something my high school self would have vehemently denied), this was the primary reason I left the city - this apathetic, hopeless aura that infects the citizens of Los Angeles. I could slowly feel my soul dying, and with it, all my passions, dreams, and optimism.

Not to mention, people ARE afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles.

Why Can't Recipes Have Less Ingredients?

With my recent turn to vegetarian status (almost a year now), my Christmas was littered with cooking supplies - my Dad’s gift to me was an entire assortment, including everything I need for pasta (noodles, sauce, olive oil, a timer, bread - which is now gone, wine, salt and pepper, etc). I also happened to rack up TWO veggie cookbooks. One was from my Dad - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (which, in addition to “real” recipes, also tells me how to do basic stuff, like make egg salad) - the other from my Mom - Betty Crocker Easy Vegetarian, which is where these two recipes came from.

When I got paid this period, and finally had money to buy food, I flipped through the cookbook, searching for relatively easy recipes with not too many ingredients. I may have gotten paid, but I’m still broke. What I found was a Lemon-Pepper Pasta and Asparagus and Crunchy “Chicken” Nugget Tacos. My Mom loved coming home to me cooking, and the recipes turned out fairly well. 

Sadly, I forgot to take photos of the completed meals. By the time I was done, I was starving and just plain forgot. Plus, it's hard to take pictures of yourself cooking :(
Recipes are after the jump.

11. Try 32 new recipes (3/32)

Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world

Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island)

- L. M. Montgomery

"There's such a lot of different Annes in me. I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be half so interesting."

I love this book. I used to watch the miniseries starring Megan Follows all the time growing up, but recently realized I’d never actually read the book (or any of the sequels). While I was in Michigan this Christmas, visiting my sister, I went into a little general store and saw the box set of the first three (and most popular) Anne novels (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and Anne of the Island) for something like $3, and bought them. And immediately fell in love the moment I started reading (well, once I hit the second chapter, as the first is kind of dry).

For those who don’t know, Anne is an eleven-year-old orphan girl (again with the 11 year old orphans!) who mistakenly gets sent to Prince Edward Island to live with the aged Cuthbert siblings. I say mistakenly because Matthew and Marilla had asked for a boy, but with the arrival of Anne and her quick tongue and charming imagination, the Cuthberts soon fell in love with this redheaded orphan. Anne changes the world around her, and falls into one scrape as fast as she can recover from the one before, but she is a delight to read. I found myself laughing often while reading, and my dozens of watching of the movie allowed me to remember the scenes and the humor in them. One of my favorites is when Marilla first asks her name:

“Will you please call me Cordelia?” she asked eagerly.

“Call you Cordelia! Is that your name?”

“No-o-o, it’s not exactly my name, but I would love to be called Cordelia. It’s such a perfectly elegant name.”

“I don’t know what on earth you mean. If Cordelia isn’t your name, what is?”

“Anne Shirley,” reluctantly faltered forth the owner of that name, “but oh, please do call me Cordelia. It can’t matter much to you what you call me if I’m only going to be here a little while, can it? And Anne is such an unromantic name.”
“Unromantic fiddlesticks!” said the unsympathetic Marilla. “Anne is a real good plain sensible name. You’ve no need to be ashamed of it.”
“Oh, I’m not ashamed of it,” explained Anne, “only I like Cordelia better. I’ve always imagined that my name was Cordelia - at least, I always have of late years. When I was young I used to imagine it was Geraldine, but I like Cordelia better now. But if you call me Anne please call me Anne spelled with an e.”
“What difference does it make how it’s spelled?” asked Marilla with another rusty smile as she picked up the teapot.
“Oh, it makes such a difference. It looks so much nicer. When you hear a name pronounced can’t you always see it in your mind, just as if it was printed out? I can; and A-n-n looks dreadful, but A-n-n-e looks so much more distinguished. If you’ll only call me Anne spelled with an e I shall try to reconcile myself to not being called Cordelia.”

A lot about Anne reminds me of myself growing up. Looks-wise, I resemble Diana Barry, Anne’s bosom friend, much more than skinny, freckly Anne, but personality-wise, it’s closer to Anne. Like Anne, I have a sharp imagination and a fast tongue. While I’m not an orphan or donned with red hair, I grew up in a broken home and had issues with my curly (brown) hair... not to mention, my middle name is Anne (spelled with an e), after my Grandmother, and I, too, wanted to be called many a different name other than my own. (remember the Wendy incident?)

Published in 1908, Anne of Green Gables transports the modern reader back to late 19th century Canada, where there weren’t telephones, much less computers, iPods, cars, or any of the modern conveniences. Life was simple, and entertainment relied on tea parties, calling on neighbors, books, sewing, and imagination. Readers learn what it was like to be poor with only one’s imagination to make up for the short sticks dealt in life, as well as the beauty of childhood and growing up.

The two sequels - Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island - follow Anne as she begins to grow up a bit. The first sees her taking over the Avonlea school, the second follows her at Redmond College and focuses a bit more on her love life (and failure to realize it) than the two previous installments. Although Anne has matured, she still searches desperately for “kindred spirits” and must grapple growing up and watching her friends grow up without her. She also faces the shattering of many of her childhood ideals as she enters the “real world” we cannot escape from forever. As I read her bitter inner turmoil regarding the lack of romance, I saw myself once more in Anne. Anne of Green Gables is about childhood, youth, and imagination; the two sequels are about holding onto that while the world tells you to let it go.

The Anne series is a total of eight books, but I think I’ll stop at three. I read the synopses of the later books and was afraid of losing my dear Anne to adulthood. The first three end at the turning point of the next chapter of Anne’s life, and I find it a perfect ending to the story; any more would just be frivolous.

The front of my book claims Anne is “The most beloved, beguiling and timeless heroine in all of fiction,” and I must wholeheartedly agree.

And, oh, Gilbert! (...swoon...) I think I’d take him over Darcy any day (I know, shocking!)


(Side Note: As for the miniseries, the first one is wonderful - it captures the spirit of Anne so perfectly! The later two, however, I can’t watch. I tried. This morning, actually. I made it over an hour into the “sequel” before I had to stop. The filmmakers decided Anne of Avonlea did not have a sufficient enough plot for a film, so they condensed the books and created this. That would have been fine, except they didn’t really follow Anne of the Island much, save the final scenes. When I realized what was happening, I proceeded to skim through, only stopping for the Anne/Gilbert scenes. And the third? I stopped as soon as I saw they were much, much older... not the Anne I was looking for. Don’t get me wrong, some people may love them, but I’ll stick with the first installment, and the first three books.)

101/1001 : #9

photos not mine - Google search found them for me

Remember, children. For every exit, there is also an entrance.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Trenton Lee Stewart

While it doesn’t compare to the great Harry Potter series, or even Percy Jackson (all of which I read in about a week during the hot summer of 2009, sweating in Wes’s studio apartment and hearing constant criticism for choosing my books out of the children’s section), The Mysterious Benedict Society is a fairly decent, adventurous children’s book. The first in a series, this book introduces Mr. Benedict and the four children he enlists to help humanity and free thought.

Reynie Muldoon, an enlightened orphan with a knack for puzzles, responds to a newspaper ad looking for gifted children and along with Sticky Washington, Kate Weatherhill, and Constance Contraire, is chosen for a mission to infiltrate the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened (EVIL spelled backwards). The book deals with orphans rising above to take on evil (hello, Harry Potter) but also approaches how slogans can affect people, and the importance and persuasion of children.

It’s a pretty good book, ad teaches the importance of truth, even when the temptation to give in to lies can be so easy. Adults will read it easily and enjoy the hidden puzzles, while children will love the adventures and relatable characters.

My only question is why do characters with magical abilities, etc always realize their greatness when they’re around 11? Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Mysterious Benedict Society, Pevensie Children (Narnia), etc. And why did I not go on adventures throughout my teenage years? Dammit, I guess I’ll have to settle for superhero abilities to set in within the next few years.

Anyway, escape into your childhood for a bit and enjoy The Mysterious Benedict Society.

All Shiny and New

I've developed a new website... one where I can host all my photography and film excursions, with a pretty layout and simple design. Yes, I know I went over to the darkside by joining Wordpress (Blogger's arch enemy), but as I'm ADD, it was bound to happen.

As of now, I'll probably keep posting here as well, since that one is my "professional" site, with "professional" blogging? Yea, I don't know and haven't figured it out, and my brain is tired from thinking about it.

But alas. Go HERE to see the prettiness, and comment on all my hard work :)

And if that hasn't won you over, it's snowing there. Beat that.

Honestly, am I the only person who bothered to read 'Hogwarts, a History'?

Harry, A History by Melissa Anelli

With all the Harry Potter books published and the fate of Harry’s known to the world, Harry Potter fans are relieved, nostalgic, and bittersweet about the lack of new Harry material. Sure, there is still one Potter film to be released, but come this fall, when the film’s six screens dwindle down to one, and only the ghosts of costumed fans pile on movie theater floors, Harry fans will be mourning the end of the era, the end of the last decade of their lives.

Part of the phenomenon of Harry Potter is due to the upsurge of the Internet over the last ten years, growing with Harry and his fans. The Internet is where fans came together to discuss theories, characters, “ships”, and their love for this series. Fan sites popped up all over, beginning as Angelfire and AOL user page dedications and resulting in award-winning online databases and news journals. One such page is The Leaky Cauldron. Webmistress Melissa Anelli found inspiration and solace in the Harry Potter series, and eventually took over The Leaky Cauldron with reputable Harry Potter sources, information, articles, and interviews. At the close of the ten year publishing reign of Harry Potter, she compiled her experience with Harry and his fans, and wrote Harry, A History.

For those familiar with Harry Potter, the name of the book should be enough to tell you what it’s about, but for those with lesser knowledge of the popular series, here’s a quick rundown and explanation. In the series, Hermione Granger consistently references a book entitled Hogwarts, A History whenever her friends (Harry and Ron Weasley) question a detail about their beloved school (Hogwarts). Harry, A History, then, would tell the history and tidbits about Harry Potter, but not the character of Harry (you’ll have to read the books for that), but rather the history of Harry, the phenomenon, and his legions of fans. Anelli’s book, through first-hand and secondary sources, describes what life was like for her, as webmistress of the most-popular series during it’s heyday, but also for it’s many fans. She describes the Internet culture and how it played its part in Harry’s upbringing, as well as the surge of Wizard Rock, Podcasts, the religious debate, the growth of popular Harry websites and shipping wars, etc. Further more and more personal, she details her reading experiences, how Harry helped her develop a close group of friends, and her personal journey to meet and inteview J.K. Rowling.

I really enjoyed this book. As a Harry Potter fiend, I grew up with the series and envy those who are reading Harry for the first time, as they are just discovering the magic that has so captivated me (and millions of others). When I read Harry over again, I still feel the way I did during my first ever reading, full of excitement and joy as I grew to love Harry and wait for my own Hogwarts letter. I recently mailed my sister the first book as a supplement to her Christmas gift, as she’s never read it and my mission is to spread Harry to any who have yet to love him as I do (this is also my mission with Hanson). Anelli’s book allowed me to go back to the beginning and enrich myself with more details of my favorite hero and experience Anelli’s journey with Harry, a different story than my own. When she met Jo, I was grinning broadly for her, excited with her. When she talked about the end of Harry and the emotional rollercoaster of Deathly Hallows (as well as the girl who read them after surviving Columbine), my own eyes swam with struggling tears. Sure there are some weaknesses, like repeating of information and an unsure target audience, but overall this book does what it intended to do: tell the story of one fan (and by default, many fans) and how Harry Potter changed her life.

For any fan, Harry, A History, is a great compliment to the series, to Harry, and to the fans.

http://www.harryahistory.com/

101/1001 #9

photos taken from Google Image Search, I do not own.

...Timing isn't my strong suit

The King’s Speech 
Directed by: Tom Hooper
Written by: David Seidler

On Christmas afternoon, my Grandmother suggested going to the movies as a way to kill the long hours and relax after the whirlwind holiday of relatives, Church, presents, and food. At first, she presented us with going to see Black Swan, which I really want to see, but perhaps not with my Grandmother, who would complain about it’s racy scenes and suspenseful nature. Since she had yet to even see the trailer for Black Swan, I gently suggested to her she probably would not like the film (I was right - she later saw the trailer and was glad we didn’t go). Instead, she suggested The King’s Speech, mainly because of it’s good reviews, historical setting, and casting of Colin Firth. Though it was Christmas, I was dead tired and not in the mood to see a high collar English film about a monarch, I went anyway, knowing I’d have to see it eventually (it’ll most likely be nominated for an Oscar and I do try to see all nominated films, though I’ve failed horrendously at this task in the past) and I pay better attention when it’s on the big screen. 

No surprises, it turned out to be a really good movie, and though it might not win Best Picture or Best Actor, it’ll definitely rack up some nominations (as it has for the Golden Globes - 8 I think). Colin Firth plays the late King George VI (Bertie to his family), Helena Bonham Carter plays his wife, Queen Elizabeth, and Geoffrey Rush plays Lionel Logue, the speech therapist who becomes a friend and cheerleader of the King. All three actors play their roles well, which can be expected of these three at this point (Carter impressed me the most, simply because she was not donned in crazy makeup with wild hair, and Tim Burton had nothing to do with this film... though Firth did well in making me believe he was the stuttering King rather than Mr Darcy). I was further surprised/excited to see Michael Gambon as King George V, but then, it wouldn’t be a British film without at least one actor from Harry Potter (this film had two - Gambon and Carter).

The film itself follows Bertie’s impromptu rise to his coronation as King, and his struggle with his speech deficiency (i.e. stutter). In a time of growing reliance on the radio to deliver news, broadcasts from the monarchs were important to inspire the citizens and represent their country. In America, Roosevelt and his “fireside chats” helped the nation rally behind him and believe in him during the crises at hand. Imagine, then, having to issue an inspiring speech over the radio when you have a stutter. This was Bertie’s problem, and the inciting incident that kicks him into finding a solution. Enter Lionel Logue, an out-of-the-box speech pathologist who not only helps Bertie, but also becomes a friend and one of his leading supporters. The chemistry between the two men is at the heart of the film, and it was enjoyable to watch Logue’s offbeat methods and personality clash with the soon-to-be-King’s.

Though the written idea of the film sounds just like any other Historical tale of the monarchy, it stands above the stiffness so often found in those films, and allows the humor and characters to shine through. Look out for it on your Oscar ballots. (101/1001 #13)

101/1001 Craziness and Mass Update

It’s been quite some time since I made the rounds of updates on my 101/1001. Don’t fret, dear reader, I have not completely forgotten about the promises I made myself, I just neglected to track them or blog about them.

For those of you diligent and detail-oriented folk, you will have noticed I changed some of the goals to reflect the current situation my life has brought me to, as I have also updated figures with progress. For instance, since I moved back to VA, it was no longer necessary for me to obtain a CA license and registration (and ended up saving me a pretty penny to fit my car to the CA smog regulations and inspections). So instead of cheating and simply marking them off, I altered them to things like “meet the year mark for being a vegetarian,” “Get My Masters in Secondary Education,” and my most ridiculous goal yet: “Watch my way through my DVD collection, in alphabetical order.” For those who don’t know, I have over 300 DVD’s, so this is a daunting task. I started it maybe two months ago, and have only just made it through the A’s... I have a long way to go, and some doozies to get through (Tell me, why do I own Crossroads, Bride Wars, and The Island?)

Rather than write a lengthy review of all the books, movies, restaurants, etc I’ve added to my list, here’s a general update after the break, with comments in red

Life Has An Uncanny Ability to Surprise You

I've now been back in Virginia, in my mother's house, for almost 8 months. While I love my mother dearly and am glad I could be there for her, I need to get out. Twenty-something's aren't supposed to enjoy living with their parents, especially those who have escaped for brief spurts and lived in the so-called Real World, fighting for their independence and snatching it with a cigarette-laden hand.

I miss my L.A. friends, and I miss my apartment, sparsely furnished and decorated in a mix of college and young sophisticate trying to escape the posters aligned with youth.

The thing is, I'm happier now... maybe not so much on the social aspect of life, as I'm still working on the "friends" bit... trying to find a sector of people that match my own nerdiness while keeping up appearances with high school friends I have long since lost common ground with... but happiness in the direction my life is headed. Looking back on LA and the multitude of jobs I had there (which I've been doing by rereading journal entries as "research" for my LA memoir), I was depressed 85% of the time I was there. Most of my jobs were disheartening, and for awhile there, my apartment surfing left me without any real connections or warmth of a home.

Since moving back, I have steadily changed course in terms of my career and life, and have been pursuing a career in Education. I'm about a year from my Masters, and have been working with kids nonstop, though jobs at an after-school care, two summer camps, and finally a Paraprofessional position (Teacher's Aide/Instructional Assistant are also titles that work), working with autistic kids at an elementary school, and while it is exhausting and can be difficult work, these kids make everything worth it. The next step now is moving out.

I read somewhere once that in the entertainment industry, you can't have a backup career option, as more than likely, that's where you'll end up... something about knowing there's a way out, a different choice allows you the freedom to give up... whereas if that's all you could ever want to do, you're stuck in it for the long run. I couldn't do it... I couldn't be constantly on the search for work and couldn't deal with the egos and fabrication of the city, of the industry, and so I fell back on my backup.

I don't regret anything about living in LA, about trying to "make it". If I'd never done it, I would have always regretted not going, not giving it a shot. People can tell you how difficult it is until they're blue in the face, but you won't find out, you won't believe them until you actually try it. So I did. And I'm not ashamed of failing, like I once was.

"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well have not lived at all - in which case, you fail by default." - J.K. Rowling

I'm living proof, you never know where life will take you... what decisions will surprise you, how despite running from something out of fear, it has a way of catching up to you.

I'm still alive. 

Life has consisted of:
working, working, working
having wizard duels in invisibility cloaks
playing pokemon for the first time since yellow
watching Dexter and Six Feet Under and thereby falling in love with Michael C Hall
sweating
waiting for emails from those abroad
counting down the days until September
BS'ing my way through grad schoolwork
tumbling
having firebending battles (see video)
visiting Wilmy for the first time since graduation
VA Beach for the 4th of July and creating vegetarian food options at restaurants
loving new Hanson and 100 Monkeys albums
embracing my (inner) nerd