Tuesday, May 30, 2006

I AM SMART ENOUGH TO WORK IN YOUR LIBRARY!

I got the reference librarian position that I interviewed for at my library! I was so sure I was not going to get it and I did! I am a librarian now. YAY!

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Sex, Lies, and YA novels

So I just finished reading Magic Lessons by Justine Larbalestier. As far as YA books go, it was ok. It's part of a series so I have found the first two books rather unsatisfying. But that's not really the point. The point is this book had sex in it and I am getting rather tired of YA sex scenes that follow the folowing formula:

1. Boy and Girl begin kissing
2. Girl is overtaken by her desire and everything goes fuzzy
3. Boy says some stupid line like "I'll try not to hurt you"
4. Fade to black

I know YA authors might feel somewhat restricted in how they write about sex but can't a girl get it on and remain level headed! I suppose authors tend to focus on emotion because they don't want to describe exactly what is happening physically but why is it that YA heroines have to be completely overcome with passion before having sex? I guess in a way it's good because at least teenage girls are now allowed to express desire. I guess I just object to the idea that desire turns their brains to mush. I can think of one really realistic description of sex in a YA novel (Rob Thomas' Rats Saw God) but that one is from the guy's point of view. If anyone can think of another one let me know.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

I obviously have nothing better to do...

All you bloggers might get a kick out of this. SnapShirts lets you make a word cloud from the most prevalent words in your blog. And if you are really geeky you can make it into a t-shirt! Here's mine:

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Hope Is The Thing With Feathers

Hope Is The Thing With Feathers by Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chilliest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity
It asked a crumb of me.


This poem appears on a web site with wedding poetry. At first I saw it and thought, "Oh that sounds like it would go well with my bird/nest theme I've got going on." Then I read the poem. Can anyone tell me what this poem has to do with weddings?! As far as I can tell it is about having hope in the most dire of circumstances. Um, who wants that on thier wedding invitations? Am I totally off base here? Have I lost all my lit major skills? Help!

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Blogs are so emo....

So for my Leadership in Technology class we have to keep a blog for one of the assignments and yesterday in class the professor asks if anyone already has one. I'm thinking that this is just a general question so I say I do. She then asks me to post the URL for the entire class to view. Now, I know anyone can read this thing and that's kinda the point of having a blog...blah blah blah. But having my entire class read it is asking a little much. So I give some cop out comment about being shy and suggest looking at the horn book blog as an example instead. Next time I am giving them Josh's blog!

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Never again, again.

I went to the Save Darfur rally with Erin on Sunday. Erin's already posted a summary of the events. I was glad to give my karma a good scrubbing and except for the sunburn I managed to get (damn that eastern european blood) it was fun. But man, seeing that many Jewish Youth Group kids all in one place reminded me why I quit teaching middle school. Teenagers are icky!