Up (2009)

I am embarrassed that it took me this long to finally see this amazing film!  Up is Uplifting!  Fun!  Beautiful!  Creative!  And comes with a powerful message!  I generally don't watch PG rated or children's films but if there are more like this I may have to add the genre to my repertoire.  In the middle of winter when it may seem like spring is a long way away this movie will bring you COLOR!  If for nothing else I would watch this film for the beautiful, colorful scenes.  This is also a film that can be enjoyed by all ages 5 to +105!

Just to give you a little background.  The movie is about an old man out to realize a lifelong dream, however he picks up a few unexpected side kicks along the way and meets unexpected adventures.  This movie is about life and gives important life lessons for old and young.  You may need a tissue for this one, but don't worry there are plenty of giggles and good feelings in store!

Also, as of now, you can watch Up instantly on Netflix so please go, sit back, relax, and enjoy of wonderful film!

PS:  You will absolutely fall in love with these characters!

Application hiccups!

It just wouldn't feel like you were actually applying to school if there weren't a few hiccups, a few frustrations, a few reasons to make you want to turn around and start running.

So here's my frustration:  I am in process of applying to grad school for my MLIS.  I need to successfully write a personal statement.

The MLIS website tells me the personal statement should focus on

presenting a personal view of the library and information science profession

and

your aspirations and goals for your future in the library and information science professions. 

But...  then I get to the actual application and it tells me the personal statement is this:

In an information age how do you see yourself working as a librarian?

 I wish I had known this before spending hours and hours and I mean like six hours! working on the former focus!

So now I am going to try to mold my former essay into a response to this new question.  I was hoping to have applied to grad school today and have everything done but in order not to go insane I think I will need to stop for today, revise a little tomorrow, and tomorrow will be the day I apply to grad school.

How humbling to be reminded of what if feels like to be a student again.

Matched (2010) by Ally Condie

Amazon.com

I'm trying to remember how it was I came across this book.  I think I saw it on Amazon.com.  Anyway, after reading a description about it I just had to read it.  Luckily I got it as a gift from my mother-in-law and dove into it right away.  The book is a dystopia.  It is set in the future in a "perfect" society.  The Society knows everything about everyone, including what job is best for individuals, what food is best for individuals, and which life partner will be best for individuals.  In short, the people residing in the Society never have to choose for themselves because everything is chosen perfectly for them.  The story is told from the point of view of seventeen year old Cassia.  She is being "matched" by the Society, meaning they are going to reveal to her who her husband will be.  The problem is that the Society accidentally reveals two boys!  What does this mean?  What will Cassia do?  Who will she choose?  Who is her true match?  You will have to read the book to find out!

It's a quick and easy read.  At first perhaps a little too easy, but a good book to read at night when you're tired and can't handle anything too complex.  The book is for the YA age group and will be much enjoyed I'm sure by any one aged 14-18 but is also enjoyable for adults.  Hey, if you've read Harry Potter and Twilight why not this?  Also, if you've enjoyed books like The Giver you'll like this and you can think of it as a young persons G rated version of 1984.

I didn't feel this way in the beginning but as I read more and more of the story I began to feel I was having a love affair with this book.  It was easy for me to fall in love with the characters and it was easy for me to put myself in the place of the main character and feel what she felt.  It took me back to when I first met my boyfriend, now husband and brought back that rush of first love and the unknown, similar to what Twilight does for readers when they picture themselves as Bella and their lover as Edward.

Overall, I cannot strongly recommend this book.  I was interested and so just had to read it, but it is not one of the best books I have ever read nor is it a must read.  It was good for me, interesting and I enjoyed it.  I do think however, that a young person, the audience the book was intended for, would very much enjoy this book.

Happy Reading ;)

Note:  If you do happen to read this book and enjoy it you'll be happy to know that it is only the first of the matched trilogy:)

For Librarians by Hans Ostrom

For Librarians by Hans Ostrom

For Librarians

Imagine you can consider all ideas And images represented by all words And numbers in all libraries worldwide. Open the book of this consideration. Touch the paper. See the illustration Of you, reading, when you were ten In your local library. Turn Several pages. Now read how you And that other person ignited romance In, of all places, the stacks, third floor, In quite a different library. Snowflakes Brushed against dark glass as you two Stood between PQ and PR. Now go to the index. Find “possibility.” Look up from the book. The librarian Who looks away was watching you. She knows how to phrase the question You want answered. Librarians know where wisdom’s stored. They catalogue the countless forms Of silence and tell people what they Didn’t know they wanted to know. They treat the mentally fractured As if they’re whole, the dull as if they’re Sharp, Winter as if it’s Summer. A band of sunlight angles through high Windows, brightens shoes of a librarian, Who knows the patron in the gray enormous Coat will steal a book about sex or wiccans. She knows some Christians will steal books Deemed Satanic, ignoring a commandment And the homeless person sleeping in a chair. She knows some atheists treat Library as Church, so when she moves into shadows, She does so quietly. She worries for books. For the librarian knows books are easily burned, Recycled, or digitized, reduced to oxygen, carbon, Silicon, and such basic elements as hate and Budgetary cuts. She wishes presidents of The United States would consult librarians Before going to war. It would save so much time, So many lives. She knows exactly which references Know how badly any war will go and how soon Citizens come to loathe their leaders. She knows How to find stories about all the libraries Wiped out by war. She knows patrons who’ve Been harmed by war. Sometimes they set off alarms. Someone asks her, “Can you help me find out If I’m related to Napoleon? ” Yes, ” she answers, “Come with me, please.” All libraries may now gather inside invisible Electrons. After closing time, books in Sweden Send emails to maps in Chile. A librarian in Topeka Posts a reply to one in Tokyo, adding to a blue thread Wrapped around the globe. As sincerely as librarians worry for books, for shelves, For catalogues, buildings, and best practices, So should we worry for librarians, for images and ideas. At a table in a library, a circle of light Lies on a book. The hand not writing turns The page, and something important happens. Hans Ostrom

good dick (2008)

Interesting indie film.  I was bedridden today.  Didn't feel good and so I went on Netflix watch instantly, saw this, and figured why not?  So, I've seen a lot of strange and vulgar movies in my time, this one was not the most strange nor the most vulgar, but definitely a little weird.  It will be especially weird to those who haven't seen many indie or foreign films.  It's an unconventional love story and actually kind of cute and endearing.  The hero in the story is played by Jason Ritter who looks familiar to me.  He works at a movie store as a clerk and grows interested in this woman (played by Marianna Palka who is also the screenwriter and director) who continues to rent porn movies.  As the movie goes on you get to experience their odd relationship.  She has clear emotional issues and he... well you'll have to see the film.  I found John Ritter's character to be a superhero of sorts though.  Also interesting is that his character, the man, was Polish.  So you got the chance to hear a few Polish phrases which were adorable.  Anyway, like most good indie films I've seen, the movie is a snap of life with all its realities and problems and awe.  I would recommend the film not because I think it's so great it should win an Oscar but because it was an interesting look into the development of a relationship with someone who was emotionally wounded.

PS:  You'll probably recognize Martin Starr in this film as he's been in a lot of good comedies such as Knocked Up.

PSS:  Don't let the title fool you.  You will not be seeing any ;)

Brown Proposes Eliminating All State Funding for California Public Libraries

Brown Proposes Eliminating All State Funding for California Public Libraries

The Butterfly Mosque (2010) by G. Willow Wilson

amazon

I have an interest in religion and especially since it's been in the news and since one of my friends has converted to Islam and married a Muslim I have a special interest in Islam and the life of Muslims.  This book was a perfect pick to fill that interest.  It is a story about a young American woman, a college girl, who was raised atheist but has an intense interest in Islam.  After graduating college she takes up on an opportunity to go to Egypt which is where her journey in discovering more about herself, Islam, and the beauty of Egypt and Arab culture begins.  It is also a story of love, but I feel the real focus is on Muslim society in Egypt and how she, Willow the author, relates to it.  If you have had any reservations about Islam before this book will allow you to see the true and pure beauty of the religion.  However, the author doesn't sugar coat anything.  She shows you the ugly with the beautiful which I think most can agree can be found in all cultures and religions.  If you are not familiar with Islam or what it means to be Muslim this book will not answer all your questions but give you a jumping point from which to go further in discovery.

Overall it was a good memoir, not truly exciting, but a simple look into another way of life which was calming to the spirit.  I am glad to have read it and I would recommend it to people with an interest in Islam, Muslims, or Egypt as well as for people who view Islam negatively (this book just may show some that the world is not as black and white as it seems).

Happy Reading!