Got to got to get away.

Well, hi there!

The search continues for a good writers club or book club within the silicon valley that would suit my need for some kind of cultural interaction. I need to check out the clubs at school.

Book reviews to follow, folks, not my normal entries.

I just finished Philippa Gregory's The Queens Fool, the book after The Other Boleyn Girl, and before The Virgins Lover. Man, I hate that the last title there sounds so much like a romance novel, but what can you do?

I did like in The Queens Fool that Philippa used a sort of peasant/middle class girl as the narrator instead of a noble. Plus I had just read an article in the most recent Smithsonian about the Jews fleeing Spain during the time of the inquisition and all of it tied in nicely. It was a nice read, though not as compelling as The Other Boleyn Girl. I have the feeling that parts of it were purely in the interest of having an avenue between The Other Boleyn Girl and The Virgins Lover.

I have just begun reading George R. Martin's A Game Of Thrones. I'm not very used to reading strictly fantasy novels, so I'm having some fun re-acquainting myself with the way that these plots tend to flow. Also, for a fantasy novel, the book has been pretty good so far with names--something I've always found rather irritating. I can't generally enjoy a book if I'm having trouble figuring out how to pronounce everyone's name. This is a good reason why I've drifted more towards Science Fiction, Horror and straight Fiction for a long time now.

I also recently read the DC comic Kingdom Come, which I highly recommend both for the superb artwork and the very serious tone of the story. I read as well the DC comic Batman Night Cries, which was good, definitely had some amazing art, but I'm pretty torn on the story. Probably strikes a little too close to home.

Kingdom come is about the mainstream DC heroes having a sort of comeback, or reunion, after the next generation of superheroes has dominated the scene. The "classic heroes" have come back to teach the new kids a thing or two about respect, especially with powers as hazardous as theirs. After a rather serious incident, the classic heroes are finding themselves facing down a political nightmare, not to mention what could be the fate of much of the world and superheroes all together. It was a page turner.

Batman - Night Cries, is based on a string of murders following abusive parents. There are none of the usual bad guys as suspect, and the plot takes many dark and sinister turns into territory that is all too real for many of us. These are bad things that we normal people will generally hear about on our news channels and on blogs, not something that would usually grace the pages of a comic strip. It's kind of up to you whether you find the change a good thing or bad. Personally, I like comic books as an escape from the real nightmares of the world, and though Batman usually cuts it pretty close, this was just a little too much for me. I'm thinking of re-selling it back to the store.

As for The Queens Fool, it follows a renegade Jewish girl and her father fleeing Spain to England during the end of King Edwards reign and into Queen Mary's. The girl is begged as a fool first to the King and then to the Queen, and is used as a spy between Queen Mary, Princess Elizabeth, and several other noted historical figures. This gives a nice perspective on the time, while in the same moment showing some of the cultural heritage of Jew's fleeing the Inquisition and how they would have to hid in plain sight. The fool, the Jewish girl, is the daughter of a printer and is very brazen for a woman of the time, as female heroines in fiction books tend to be. She also has the gift of sight, which plays some integral roles in her being a spy, as everyone wants to put her to their work. The pull between court life, her betrothed, her family and her heritage is very tangible throughout the narrative. It's a very compelling story, and I highly recommend it. Of course, I recommend you read The Other Boleyn Girl first.

....

I think that I may post reviews of books as I read them from now on, and perhaps reviews of movies as I see them as well. There's no particular reason for this, lord knows there are thousands upon thousands of the same out there and my audience is so small that I am nary to be noticed, but I want some semblance of consistency to this blog. I'm not political enough, even though I like politics, and I certainly don't have many other hobbies or opinions that are very interesting to speak on at the moment.

All in all, I think this blog is doomed to randomness. But all is well, I am at peace, and so I hope you be.

-Teigra

So easy...

This has been one of those days where I'm seeing strange things and symbolism all over the place.

I guess it's always something I'm on the watch for, being that I write and all, but recently it has been especially prevalent. I think it has something to do, also, with reading a recent article in the Smithsonian magazine about ARG's--Alternate Reality Games--that a few thousand people play via the internet, mostly, but using clues and plot that are based in real life.

The things that are getting to me are--there's an underpass (overpass, but I'm under it) where each of the several dozen pillars has something spray-painted on it with stenciled letters. Things like; "Sun", "Up", "Around Again", "Celestial", "Right Here", "Lucky". I'm making most of those up because I can't remember it specifically, but it's really bizarre, and you can only see them if you face one certain direction.

Also, there's several chairs in my boyfriends work place, a library, that have strange two by two inch symbols carved into the corner of the wood. Some of them I almost want to say are astrology signs or else Greek letters. I've studied both of these things, and so far as I know the symbols do not match either astrology or the Greek alphabet.

And, recently, many, many, many copies of the Necronomican coming into work. Dunno why, but it seems like I'm handing one to three copies a day.

Weird shit.

Otherwise, it's business as usual. I work, I go to school, I try to have a life. I'm tired most of the time. I love the boyfriend and I still have pink hair that I've yet to show ya'll.

Much love,

-Teigra-

If I had a $1,000,000

If someone today gave me one million dollars, I'd...

Probably straight-up buy a house. Somewhere more south of where I am now, closer to country, closer to the stars. Something with a yard. I'd get a dog and a good-quality used car, and I'd go to school as I am now, and work as I am now. I'd also still commute with my bike more then anything.

I'd have a room specifically for writing, and paint the walls whatever hell color I wanted to. I'd get my furniture from Ikea. I'd have a surround-sound speaker system hooked up to my computer. I would have a lock on the door.

I'd get my cat a cat-tree, like I've always wanted, or construct some shelves and nooks for him to climb on througout the house. You know, build the cat-tree into the house.

My dog would be a Siberian Husky, because they're beautiful and loyal and sweet.

I would learn how to invest the rest of the money--pretending in this million dollar fantasy that the economy is not the toilet-bowl it seems to be right now--and live mostly off what I make at work. I'd be as economical and frugal as I could be. I'd only eat out once a week. Probably Chinese food.

I'd keep going, keep striving, keep growing and learning. Life would just be a little easier then it is right now.

-Teigra-

We live in a beautiful world.

I think I've come up with a solution to my lack of privacy issue I've been feeling recently.

Since the garage has been emptied of our metal-heads, and now that we only have Roommate A's mother renting out half of it for storage, I'm thinking of making a "corner". Something that I can wall off with curtains or dark colored sheets with a small desk and perhaps my easel and paints. Somewhere near one of the outlets so that I can plug in my ancient laptop and get to writing.

I really want somewhere where I can close a door and a curtain and be virtually alone. Sometimes people go into the garage, but it's much more rare then when people are in the rest of the rooms of the house, including my own (the boyfriend is in here all the bloody time, gr). So I'm thinking of going to Goodwill, finding a cheap desk and a cheap (comfortable) chair, and some curtains, and setting this up. Once I get approval from the roomies of course.

The thing is, I need to get back to writing again. I miss writing, I haven't been writing as much as I should any more. I can feel it like a wellspring inside of me right now, bubbling and near to overflowing, but with little area to go.

Plus, there's something about basement or warehouse-esque areas that really get my creative juices going.

That's all I can think of to write for now. I've got some stressy things going on, but I really don't want to elaborate. Nothing earth-shattering. Not that any of it ever is. Just random, petty shit.

Stay sane, everyone,

-Teigra-

Swinging in the rain

I just watched 'The Other Boleyn Girl' after having read the Philippa Gregory novel.

I must say, if it comes down to it, I will much rather watch a bad movie set in pre-nineteenth century ("period pieces" if you will) then something set in modern times. However, it's still a bad movie, just with prettier clothes.

This movie would not have stood on its own two feet if not for the book, and even with book knowledge the movie was pretty bad. I guess it had its moments of good, but the book was really a much better piece of entertainment. Considering that it does so for several days instead of two and a half hours is also a plus. I'll take three days of a good book over two and a half of a bad movie.

Perhaps more in-depth criticisms later. For now I'm still kind of steaming over the roommates, who are really annoying me right now. I'm perfectly understandable to the fact that Roommate A works forty hours a week and goes to school full time, but Roommate B has no job and no school. So why the hell is the living room overflowing with their shit and the kitchen is never clean?

I know that I am slightly unrealistic in my expectations of people, but I truly base it off of how I would act in their given situation. If I were in Roommate B's shoes, which I have been, I would--and have--clean up after both myself, Roommate A (partner) and anyone else that was out and about more than me on actual business. But now, he's out hanging with his friends all the time. I wonder how the hell Roommate A stands for it.

I also hate that I come home from work or school and the T.V. is always on at loud volume, and the two of them will be sitting there staring at their laptop and not paying attention to the program. Or else they won't even be in the room, or say, "I was watching that" when you change the program when they've been gone for ten minutes.

Reminds me why I hate T.V.

So I've been holing up in my room again. I really don't mind very much, I have a complete multimedia center. It's mostly the kitchen that gets me more than the living room, because there's already limited counter space and there's always dishes in the sink and overflowing. Plus we've had a -very- minor roach problem since moving in, and one of the deterrents is to not leave the bloody food out. I do not. They do.

So does the boyfriend, but I can work on him.

And so I've adopted the title, begrudgingly, of "the bitch". I'm the one that asks people to do things like clean. Oooh, my.

Honestly though, it's not much to ask.

-Teigra-