End of Semester and Neil Gaiman

It's been a while since I was on break, and I have failed to post here as of yet. I promise to get better at that.

I finished a paper that, hopefully, is the prelude to a summer collaborative research project. I'm really nervous about how it turned out, as I had to send it to a professor I've never had for class.

Icky. I'll hear back from professors about it soon.

In other news, I've been watching a lot of movies and reading a lot of books. Well, just the one book, as I've only been on break for a semi-limited amount of time. I'm reading Neil Gaiman's "Fragile Things," finally, as it's been out for quite a long time and I somehow just haven't read it. I'm really enjoying it. Really, really enjoying it. I'm beginning to think he's much better at short works than at novels. He's also got a new book of short stories out, and it looks really good.

I've been watching a lot of Jane Austen-y movies. I've only read "Pride and Prejudice," but have seen adaptations of "Emma," "Sense and Sensibility," and "Mansfield Park." I don't remember l liking "Mansfield Park" as much as I did when I watched it a second time. Interesting. I've heard it's not an accurate adaptation (the one that I have is the 1999 version if you imdb it).

This break I've also been getting a hankering to decorate. Everything. Mostly the apartment that I'll be sharing with friends for next year. I keep attempting to remind myself that they will, ultimately, have input on what goes on the walls/in the apartment as well, but I'm just really excited to decorate. I love vintage, and I love tacky/cute/sweet home decorating. Retro junk was on the top of my Christmas list this year. With stars. And stores that I've approved.

Yes, I am a nerd. And far too excited about this.

But it brings me joy, so I'll pursue it. The apartment is going to be sooooo rad.

"Fun Home"

I just read one of the best books for class. It's called "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdell.

It's actually not really a book. In fact, it is the best graphic novel I've ever read. I normally associate graphic novels with my brief but expensive anime phase, and give little shudder every time I think of them. But this one has reversed my opinion of graphic novels! Absolutely beautiful, and tragic, and comedic all at once, it's now one of my favorite books.

The plot follows Alison's childhood, and her relationship with her father. She's a lesbian, and he was a very closeted gay man. Or ... not quite straight man. Something like that. At any rate, it was fantastic. There are a lot of perfection issues in the family, and a lot of interesting crossings between art and life. What really struck me and kept me entirely enraptured was her constant literary allusion. Somehow, she made it seem absolutely natural, and not at all construed or pretentious.

Perhaps that's because I really like to think in literary allusion. Unfortunately, I'm not well-read enough to pull that off in my real life.

One can dream.

Anyway, I would suggest reading it. It's absolutely wonderful, and not as depressing as it really could have been. Thank you, Professor Reynolds for restoring my faith in the graphic novel as a medium.