(no subject)

[cleolinda]

You know what came into my head while I was microwaving today? Several pages' worth of "The Aviator in Fifteen Minutes."

*headdesk*

You know what I think part of the problem is? There's this particular window of time when I remember everything clearly enough to recap it, but not so clearly that I get bogged down in the details. Because I've got the book movies here in front of me on DVD or in script form, I'm just wallowing in the details, and that makes them run a lot longer than "fifteen minutes," and that makes me fret, and... yeah. The funny stuff doesn't happen when I'm being accurate anyway. I need to take advantage of that window.

Dammit, I forgot that a new Veronica was on last night. Fnarr.

So today is my first day back in class. It's a M-W-F class, which isn't as ideal as the T-TH schedule, but on the upside, it's less than an hour. That doesn't even make sense to me, but okay. It's "The Aesthetics of Sentiment," and while I have an idea of what "sentiment" encompasses in a nineteenth-century sense, I... still have no idea about this class. Well, except that I went and bought the books, and... I still have no idea. I had no idea The Scarlet Letter was "sentimental." But at least I was all up in that book junior year of high school (it was the year that awful Demi Moore movie came out, so for my English project I wrote a more faithful script. Eighty pages. No kidding), so rereading it won't be a problem. And then there's something called The Wide Wide World, which looks more like what I had in mind--sentimental novel about a woman written by a woman. And then... Frederick Douglass? Okay. Silas Lapham? I don't even know what that's about, so I have no idea. And then... Uncle Tom's Cabin. AGAIN. WHY GOD WHY.

Okay, I just checked the online schedule again, and the room number has changed. I HATE that my school won't mail things out anymore. HATE HATE HATE. You know what else I hate? Being on the fourth floor instead of the second. This is partly because I'm afraid of heights and the humanities building is built like a cheap motel--all the "hallways" are outside balconies. On the second floor, you only have to worry about knocking your drink off the ledge while you're waiting for the previous class to let out. On the fourth floor, it's more of a "Please God don't let me fall to my death I'm so young okay I'm not that young but I'm still kind of young so you get what I'm AIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!" kind of thing.

Sigh. I have about a couple of hours until class; I'm going to see how much I can get done on the book until then.

Comments

[law-witch.livejournal.com]

is it at all possible for you to take off a semester?? You've been ill an awful long time and I know the stress of the box is weighing on your mind.

Just a thought - {{{hugs}}}

(I actually bribed a teacher in college to take Catcher in the Rye off the reading list!!)

[daki.livejournal.com]

(I actually bribed a teacher in college to take Catcher in the Rye off the reading list!!)

Curious... why? Did you have to read it one too many times?

[pygmymetal.livejournal.com]

From your post, I am wondering if perhaps your creative flow is at times more spontaneous when the movie is fresh, and that trying to go back to something as 'old' as the Matrix is interfering with the natural flow of your creativity?

What do I know? :p Well, that you're smart, creative and you'll get through this. :)

[all-ephemera.livejournal.com]

I had something to say and then... *poof* gone. Damned DayQuil.

Be Boy Scoutish!

[ulicqel-droma.livejournal.com]

Be prepared next time you hit the movies. Get yourself a good sturdy steno pad and a pen. Sit near one of the lights (yes, that means by a wall, I'm sorry) and sketch down notes a la the Sheikh in Hidalgo in 15 Minutes when something funny comes to mind, if just to get a skeleton for a new 15 minutes bit.

Not to mention it'll be funny to say to your friends "I've got a steno pad, two pens and a dream, WE RIDE!"

I think so, anyway.

Just my $0.02.

Re: Be Boy Scoutish!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Truth to tell, I actually did that for King Arthur in the theater. Makes it hard to watch the movie, actually. It's easier if I'm at home with a DVD, but then I take too many notes, and... sigh.

Re: Be Boy Scoutish!

[swirlingchaos.livejournal.com]

you might consider a tape recorder. cheesy, sure, but effective. Not so much a good item for the actual theatre, but it might work better for the dvds.

Just a thought.

Re: Be Boy Scoutish!

[suitcasegnome.livejournal.com]

Ooooo, and a good thought it is, too! :)

[quizzicalsphinx.livejournal.com]

I thought every student in Alabama was required to read Uncle Tom's Cabin several times during the course of their liberal education for the same reason that you rub Puppy's nose in the piddle-stain: "Bad 'Bama! Look what you did!"

But then again, I'm a cynic.

[lacrimaeveneris.livejournal.com]

Hey, at least you don't live in maine. Then you get stuck with- LET'S READ THOREAU! AND EMERSON! AND SOME MORE THOREAU! I swear... I've read Walden twice, In the Maine Woods twice, and I HAVEn'T EVEN GOTTEN TO COLLEGE YET!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

You think that's bad? I had Thoreau and Uncle Tom's Cabin in the same class. Man, if we hadn't also read 1830s softcore porn, I wouldn't have made it through that class.

[lacrimaeveneris.livejournal.com]

I would die. DIE I TELL YOU.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Lord knows I tried during "Self Reliance," but paper cuts aren't a very effective form of suicide.

[everstar3.livejournal.com]

Man, if we hadn't also read 1830s softcore porn, I wouldn't have made it through that class.
I have to know; what book was this?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Heh. What was the guy's name? George... Lippard! "The Quaker City or the Monks of Monk Hall." Now, the key word here is 1830s porn, which is mostly the repeated use of the word "bosom," usually modified by "heaving." But there is a lot of deflowering and adultery and everyone is someone's secret love child--honestly, forget the porn; the violence in the book is at Tarantino levels. Brains dripping and all that. It's not the most elegantly written book you'll ever find, but damn if that man doesn't know how to write a soap opera.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Amazingly, last spring was the first time I'd had to read UTC.

[erinlin.livejournal.com]

Is the real Uncle Tom’s Cabin more or less interesing as the musical vinette in The King And I ?

[lacrimaeveneris.livejournal.com]

less. Then again, I was in K&I, so.... it's all in your choice.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I've seen/read both, and--less. Also, I really like to go around calling it "The Small House of Uncle Thomas!"

[lacrimaeveneris.livejournal.com]

Don't forget the way Tuptim says it- "Small House of Uncle Thooooooooom-AS!"

[ambiguousreason.livejournal.com]

Some of the buildings at my school have those outside balconies, but... there aren't any buildings with hallways comrpised entirely of outside balconies, and besides, they're made of concrete. And the buildings are only two stories tall. So never mind, it's really not the same at all and there was no point in telling you this.

How do you link to just a thread, as you did with the WHY GOD WHY link?

You might've forgotten about Veronica Mars, but... LOST IS ON TONIGHT FINALLY OMG LOST.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

On the far right hand side of each comment, you ought to see "(Link)". That gives you the link to your comment, with all the ones below it. Alternatively, you can click "Parent" to get the comment you replied to, or "Thread" to get all the comments connected to that comment.

Hahahahahahaha!

[lizzyrose89.livejournal.com]

On the second floor, you only have to worry about knocking your drink off the ledge while you're waiting for the previous class to let out. On the fourth floor, it's more of a "Please God don't let me fall to my death I'm so young okay I'm not that young but I'm still kind of young so you get what I'm AIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!" kind of thing.

Am metaquotes-ing!

*giggles*

[alatariel-s.livejournal.com]

I had to read Uncle Tom's Cabin in college and although the story itself was okay, it definitely wasn't that fun to read. Hopefully because you've read it before you'll be able to excel in the class! =0)

x

[kimera.livejournal.com]

You know, I'd almost prefer the outdoor balconies to the mess that is the Cornett building. Cornett has stairways to NOWHERE, elevators that skip floors, hallways that twist and turn... I could go on. It's been easier to navigate this year, mostly due to the fact that there are now maps posted in EVERY HALLWAY.

On the topic of overused pieces of literature... my recollection of high school/university lit classes sort of resembles that "badger badger" thing.... "Atwood Atwood Atwoood Atwood, Findley, Findley, Atwood Atwood Atwoood Atwood, Findley, Findley, Ondatjee, ooooh, it's Ondatjee!"

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Heeeeeeeeee. I wish our department was that modern in its tastes. Of course, I shouldn't complain--I mostly take Renaissance, 18th C, and 19th C lit, so it's not like I'd really know.

[whoisdialogue.livejournal.com]

heee..

*headdesk* totally made my quote file :

http://www.randomdialogue.net/alldialogue.php

Scarlet Letter brings me back to my fond days of youth, when I was in high school enjoying the ministering educational touch of a crazy monkey-crone who wanted to be Hester Pryne.

Oh. Wait. ::shudder::

[word-herder.livejournal.com]

The Scarlet Letter brings back lovely memories. All those wonderful pathetic fallacies...my friend Julie and I would sit in the hallway before class, trying to figure out what Tyler would quiz us over (usually really stupid little details that you'd only know if you'd read it three times), and we would just crack up at the PF. The sunlight shone on the little girl, but it clouded over when the mother stepped into the patch...I swear "It was a dark and stormy night" should have made it in there somewhere.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

Icon = ROCK! :)

[word-herder.livejournal.com]

Terry Pratchett is a genius.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

Did I read this wrong or was there actually a Demi Moore movie on The Scarlet Letter.

...

I can't even imagine.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

1995, Demi Moore, Gary Oldman, Robert Duvall, dir. Roland Joffe. At the time it was positioned as this huge Oscar contender, but it was so awful that everyone laughed it off the screen and was seriously named one of the worst movies of the year. For real, it was a flop of Gigli proportions. (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1066120-scarlet_letter/)

I think my favorite scene in the whole movie is when Dimmesdale actually confesses (!) as Hester is about to be hanged (!!) for being a witch (!!!), and yells, "If you're going to hang her, I should be hanged, too!" And all the villagers go, "... Okay!"

Also, Chillingworth was, like, scalping people.

[allthelivesofme.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, I had to read The Scarlet Letter in English class, and then once I was done with the book I decided to rent this movie...

I'm amazed I didn't die of a laughter fit.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

Heh heh heh. "Gigli proportions."

That's pretty bad.

Ooh. Almost 8. And now I leave you for LOST. Woot!

Fear of landing...

[thunderhowl.livejournal.com]

As someone who is also afraid of heights, and as someone who also has worked in a cheap motel, what helped me was sqwooshing myself up against the wall farthest from the balconies at all times. I'm a big guy, so people moved when they sensed my panic, but you might have to carry a knife or something.
I wish you well.
P.S. Thanx in advance for providing a link for the selling of your book so that we can buy it and make you some sweet royalty bling. ^_^

[edda.livejournal.com]

Look, go ahead and do "The Aviator In 15 Minutes"; you've got the creative huice for it, it'll stir up your other creative juices, it's good for you and fun.

The reading list for that class makes me sooooo glad I'm not in college anymore, even though I miss it sometimes. Because I can read what I want to read, but shove anything at me that I have to read and forget it, it's not happening.

I wish you safety but part of me is practicing saying, "Cleo fell off the roof the other day. No, I don't mean like that..."

[edda.livejournal.com]

I was pronouncing "juice" the first time with a Spanish "j", naturally. Personally, my creative juices often get the ost stirred up in Hune and Huly when it's hot outside.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Jeeeeeeeeeee.

[kat-tigereye.livejournal.com]

scarlet letter, sentimental? riight.

i hated that book. and the movie was laughable.

BLAAARGH!

[mustang-bex1126.livejournal.com]

So my majors are Political Science and Criminal Justice so I don't get to a lot of fiction... My memories of Fiction and Lit come from my honors Lit class in High School. We read the Scarlet Letter, and I don't hate it, but, the teacher, he was INSANE over symbolism and allusion and such, and it took nearly 2 months to get through that damned book. We had to do Tom Sawyer, and Thoreau (HATE!!! LOATHE!!!), some others I've blocked from trauma, as well as EVERY freaking A.C. Doyle EVER on top of the Hawthorne. Plus this yutz was in charge of the reading program for the school (to help the below average readers and Freshman) and he assigned a required number of reading points. Basically all these books were put on a graded scale of difficulty and then assigned point values. You couldn't read books that were below your tested level, and you couldn't test (for points) on books from the class, or books you'd already read. Nearly killed us because it was an HONORS class and there were only 10-15 books in the highest approved bracket.. a few were the class ones, and then most of us had read all the rest. I ended up with TWO options, Moby Dick (44 points) and Grapes of Wrath (30 points), but we were required to have 100-150 points. I was going to kill the man. HATE! LOATHE!!! Maybe that's why I have avoided Lit classes in University?

Re: BLAAARGH!

[mustang-bex1126.livejournal.com]

omg... so wordy-sorry, but the idiocies of the 'modern' education system baffle me!

[stefficus.livejournal.com]

too lazy to scroll to find out if someone else said this to you, but...

three words, darlin': digital. voice. recorder.

it's not perfect, there're still minor "translating from brain" issues, plus, issues about hearing your own voice recorded (which i seem to recall reading someplace that you don't happen to have, so yay and all) and transcription b.s., but most of the time a jog is all it takes to get back the tone and content of the whole epiphanous chunk of whatever and it's a lifesaver on roadtrips or, say, while fixing lunch. but, um (this is the catch), you have to remember to actually CARRY the damn thing. tethered to your neck, preferably. (i'm searching for a waterproof version, myself.)

i know. someone else has probablybeaten me to this... just add my vote to the pile. *grin*