Jane Austen book club of one

I frequently get urges to reread favourite books. A lot. There is a certain series [Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen, if anyone really wants to know] by Tamora Pierce, that I am pretty sure I have read at least 4 or 5 times. And those are not small books [just as a side-note: yes, these books are classified as "teen fiction"; I, however, at the great age of 21 find these books to still be deliciously wonderful. Dianna Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle [this book is the inspiration for Studio Ghibli's movie of the same title; which I think of as the one book-to-movie adaptation that was utterly wonderful and didn't positively suck balls] is another example of a book that I've read more than twice.

And being the true English-y, nerdy girly I am, I am rereading all of the Jane Austen books I have read while interspersing the ones I haven't read in between. I am essentially, as the title of this entry says, a Jane Austen book club of one.

I've even gotten Kyleman somewhat interested. Ok, that's a lie, but he has made different inquiries to how my book is going - whether to just hear me fumble through a plot description [something I am never good at] or not, all I care is that he will listen to me ramble about Austen and her characters. The main one right now being Emma from, well, Emma.

I had tried reading Emma before and ended up getting a couple pages in, giving up and not touching it again until I had to return it to the library. Then a while ago, I found a copy of it at Value Village and somehow got it into my head to buy it. What can I say, I'm a true lover of Austen and it was Value Village, what was $3 for another potential love of my life?

Sometimes I find I have to give books a little time to settle and me a little time to grow into it and when I try to reread them WHAM! Helloooooo love!

Emma and I still had a little disagreement though. While I was more prepared to dive into it, Emma did not seem that willing to have me. Until WHAM! the middle of volume 3, I fell in love before I even realized it.

And that's one of the best feelings in the world.

K sees dead people

So this morning after getting frightened out of sleep by my cell phone [which was closer to my head than I thought it was] my stepsister, K, who works at one of the local retirement homes bounces into my room and under my covers and says, "ask me how my night shift went."

Now, K's been working 11pm-7am for the last 5 nights so the fact that she is awake this early is enough to trigger me off, but being a dutiful sister I ask how it went.

"I found a dead person," she says. And then proceeds to tell me how and what a dead person looks and feels like.

Thank yoooou, K.

this is what a graduate looks like

Probably one of my favourite and most hilarious photograph from the big day. No, my mum is not grabbing my bum, rather she is trying to hold my hood down because of the wind.

Just call me Alumni.

blasphemy?

After getting told by a close personal blogger to check out the website Letters to Dead People, I perused it falling more and more in love with the idea of it until I came to this particular letter:

I couldn't believe my eyes as my brain tried to comprehend. Did Darcy really ruin everything?

Now believe me when I say I am a devout Austen fan; I mean, sure sometimes her writing is a bit boring [Helloooooo Mansfield Park, I am talking to YOU!] and maybe the idea of Elizabeth and Darcy created the most idealistic, stereotypical romance in the world [I refuse to acknowledge Romeo and Juliet as of right now] and maybe quite possibly over-shawdowed the main message always present in Austen's writings [aka girl power, for all you Austen-virgins out there] but still!

Darcy what did you do to this blogger to create such hate!

Actually, truth be told, Elizabeth and Darcy were my favourites until I read Austen's Persuasion with Anne and Frederick. Sigh. Now there is a love story.

MIA camera cord

After finally finding my camera, I am sad to say I do not know where the corresponding cord is. However, I do know I must not have thrown it out because I always held hope that I would find my camera and eventually need it again.

But as for now I can't find it and therefore cannot for the love of me, figure out another way to load my pictures onto my computer. My old camera was so easy because my memory card fit into this slot on my old laptop. My new camera and laptop, however, do not see eye to eye.

But at least on the good side today, I've decided to spend most of it knitting and crocheting and going over my needlework book [yes, I'm a geek], reading in general and try to enjoy the nice weather.

As of right now I'm working on a giant granny square blanket in this bright multi-coloured yarn and a sleeve on the white sweater I've been working on since....reading week? Yes, reading week. I've also discovered [and tried] patterns for some cute things, such as this hippo that I decided to make for my friend's baby shower, and these little birds I plan on giving to a friend for a wedding present; there is also a blue Totoro that is in my sights to make next. I have such a list of projects that I want to make that I shall be occupied all summer even if I never find a job.

For my reading list, I've just finished reading the Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath for the second time [it really struck with me more this time which made me happy to read it again] and The Castle of Many Ways by Dianna Wynne Jones [who is fabulous]. And now my sights are set on James Joyce's Ulysses, some F. Scott Fitzgerald and quite probably Dianna Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle....for the third time.

Although I love reading and knitting/crocheting, the one thing I hate is that I can't do both at the same time. It's sad.

slight insomnia

I finally watched The Graduate. I really loved the soundtrack and the movie in general. Although I couldn't tell how I felt about the ending; they both looked torn between happiness and a giant bout of "oh shit, what did we do and what do we do now?"

Anyways.

life of a graduate.

My life has become exceedingly boring, busy and stressful all at the same time.

Has anyone ever seen the movie The Graduate? No, neither have I which is why I'm downloading it.

Anyways.

Between job searching and redecorating my room in my parent's house [a task that is actually slightly tedious when it comes to the repainting and taking down wallpaper part. I wish it was all just new bed sheets, curtains and candle holders] I have been trying to fill in the time I have with little things [mostly granny-like things such as crocheting and knitting], reading [Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None was the first book to ever frighten me so much I didn't want to roll over on the couch because I didn't want my back exposed to creeping murderers], and watching old movies [and, slightly shamefully, What Not to Wear and Say Yes to the Dress].

It is tough work being a graduate.

However, the good thing is that I found my camera I thought was lost forever and ever [it was in a overnight bag that had been under my bed. Go figure].

Another good thing is I learned I can knit a slipper in a couple hours. Go me!