Cleaning my room, part four

It's been exactly one month since my last "cleaning my room" blog. I haven't done much since then: in fact I think the lack of doing anything made my room regress a few steps. Whatever. Today, I'm finishing the left side of bed, possibly starting on the right side. One of the big things I've noticed though is that I seem to have A LOT of books (and no where to put them). Textbooks, novels, cookbooks... just a lot of books with no home other than on the floor or in a drawer or on my dresser.

Along with cleaning my room, I need to somehow find the time to clean my bookshelf in the computer room. That bookshelf holds my painted ceramic pieces (which are really really crappy and I don't understand why my parents display them so proudly), all my books from before I graduated high school (as in, my La courte échelle series, my R. L. Stine series, my The Cat Who series and my Bruce Coville series), and a couple of CEGEP textbooks. I don't really want to get rid of all this (except the ceramic, it's really crappy), but I don't want to leave it all there either: there's no room. Maybe I should get a bookshelf to go in here when I'm done cleaning? One to match the new bed my parents will buy me? That might work...

I do have some shelves in here, but they serve no purpose, really. The top two shelves are too high for me to reach without a step-stool and the other three house my stuffed animals, my dictionaries/MELS info, my CDs and (surprise, surprise) MORE BOOKS! I never thought I'd say this, but maybe I have too many books?

At least I've read them all. Some, I've read multiple times. And I'm a reader, so it's normal, right? It's a sign of intelligence, isn't it, to have read so many books? Not all of them (read: a very small selection) would be considered "high literature," but I learned in my Sci-Fi class this semester that "literature" is what you make it, not what a critic tells you. A book does not have less value because it doesn't fall into a specific category, every book has something to offer.

K, well, I guess I should clean?

Ugh.

The Influence of Shakespeare

I posted this as a Facebook note back in 2007. I got it as a hand out in one of my CEGEP classes. I think it's worth re-posting!
Enjoy! (I needed a study break lol)


The Influence of Shakespeare

Shakespeare invented over 1700 words: he changed nouns into verbs, verbs into adjectives, connected words together, and also added prefixes and suffixes. As well, he coined entirely new words and expressions, most of which we continue to use today.

The following excerpt, from Bernard Levin’s The Story of English, provides a concise sense of Shakespeare’s enormous contribution to the English language:

“If you cannot understand my argument, and declare “It’s Greek to me”, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to me more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is father to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool’s paradise – why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a forgone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is high time and that that is the long and the short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that the truth will win out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then – to give the devil his due – if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I were dead as a door-nail, f you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, the – by Jove! O Lord! Tut, tut! for goodness’ sake! what the dickens! but me no buts – it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.” (Bernard Levin. From The Story of English. Robert McCrum, William Cran and Robert MacNeil. Viking: 1986)

Almost done

Four classes, two exam over. One class and exam on Monday.

Tomorrow I'm going to a brunch event with my mom to hear author Christopher Moore and other speak about their latest books. What question should I ask?

School

I finished my English essay. I think I'll get a B or a B+. I'm okay with that.

I'm finishing my Linguistics research paper. I'm hoping for a B. I need to do well on this and the final in order to pass the class. Fuck.

I have an English exam on Thurs at 9am. Then a Chem exam on Friday at 6pm. Then the Linguistics exam on Monday at 2pm. Then I'm done!

I'll blog more then...

Getting into the analytical frame of mind

I. Hate. This. Essay.

Is this analytical enough? I'm trying not to just re-tell the story. Also, do you think I need to find a source, or am I saving my ass by saying "it is generally believed?"

During the Jupiter Mission section of the film, man loses control over the very tools put in place to assure the success of the mission and the safe keeping of the astronauts. By having this essential piece of technology fail and endanger both the mission and the inhabitants of the space station, killing most of them in fact, Kubrick suggests that perhaps our society’s dependence on complicated tools is dangerous. Kubrick’s view may not have been that far off. In 1999, there was a huge scare when the media publicized the possibility of total failure of all computer systems when the year changed from 99 to 00. Some of the bigger conspiracy theorists believed that this glitch would cause banks to shut down and planes to fall out of the sky. We can assume that before this time, most of the general population did not think their lives were so dependent on technology. Much like Kubrick’s protagonist Dave Bowman did not know how to react upon learning of HAL’s fallibility, the general public panicked when confronted with the possibility that their technological tools might fail.

I need your help

MY AWESOME ESSAY TOPIC WAS ACCEPTED!!!!! WOOO!!!!! I'm so excited, because I know that now, I can write and awesome essay. The thing is, I'm insecure and I would LOVE some feedback (obviously, not on the whole thing, but on parts like the intro and conclusion).

So here's my intro:

Science fiction films often try to convey either a vision of the future or a “what if” idea in the present. Both 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, directed by Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg respectively, try to transmit a powerful message through their stunning cinematography, direction, writing and soundtrack. As each film progresses, the main protagonists seem to lose their ability to use tools. In Kubrick’s film, the characters in space must relearn to use basic tools: using the toilet, for example. Dave must also regain control over HAL, a tool used to assure the mission’s success. Roy, the protagonist of Spielberg’s film, on the other hand, loses his language and communication tools: his ability to express and explain his thoughts and feelings. Both characters, however, are rewarded in the end. Dave learns the secret of life from the monolith and becomes the Star Child, an evolved being independent from machinery. Roy is chosen to be an explorer and ambassador of sorts and is welcomed into a society that uses basic sound as a form of communication. Both these characters were chosen by an alien society to reach the next step in human evolution which seems to be a throwback to the first stages of the human race: using fewer, simpler tools.

What do you think? Is my thesis clear? Is the wording clear? Any feedback would be fantastic and, possibly, rewarded :P

Writer's Block SUCKS!

I have to write an 7-8 page English essay for Friday. It wouldn't be so bad if I had a clear idea about what I wanted to write. As of right now, I have one AWESOME thesis that's not part of the assigned topics (and I missed the approval deadline so I'm waiting to see if the TA will make an exception for me) and one mediocre thesis (that's part of the assigned topics). I'm just not sure how to go about it. I'm analyzing. comparing and contrasting two films: 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I won't bore you with the details of my analysis, just know that it will either be an epic win or an epic fail. Either way, right now, it's an epic nothing.

To try to get me in the mood, in terms of writing, I have my iTunes on shuffle. My music collection is pretty eclectic: it always has. Now, with the internet and the fact that new bands and artists are putting their own music out there, I feel like I can't be a proper music fan UNLESS I have such diverse tastes and interests. Not only that, but I LOVE discovering new (to me) music! Gord bless the interwebs, as I would be listening to plain and boring music without it.

Well, I guess I should try writing some more...

Happy Easter!

Not a huge blog today, just a few quick things.

1. If you haven't heard it, please try to look up Rabbit and the Resurrection by Barenaked Ladies. FANTASTIC Easter song!

2. I wonder if anyone in my family will remember I'm lactose intolerant and not serve milk/cream/cheese based dishes?

3. Happy Zombie Jesus day! Try not to eat too many chocolates in one sitting :P

Edited to add: Here's a video that I made of the BNL song I mentioned in #1