Been A Long Time Gone

So, I've been gone for awhile, and it is certainly time for an update, as my friend Leo helpfully reminded me. I've thought about posting several times but haven't because of one thing. I'm getting married May 31st. And planning the ceremony and reception, while not quite the HUGE ORDEAL it's stereotyped to be, does occupy a large portion of what's going on with me right now. So, I've refrained from posting because I can just picture all four or five you reading and saying, "I don't care about your hunt for a red guestbook! What is with THE FOOD?" Answer: shrimp and grits, candy buffet, appetizers, etc. Guestbook still not acquired.

In other news, I have decided to become that crazy lady who never pays full price for anything. You know, the lady who shows up to some social function or such carrying a really cute bag, and you compliment her on it, to which her response is some frenzied version of "ON SALE! A BILLION PERCENT OFF! FREE SHIPPING!" I would like to be like her, only less shouty. So, warning, I may occassionally do the blog drive-by like "khaki cloth napkins, seventy cents apiece at Kohl's." (True story.) Any other bargain hunters should check out Want Not, a blog that is all about what is on sale where. I thought that this new....all right, obsession would make me all spendy, but I've actually been resisting more impulses to buy things. I actually needed a new blanket-- I got one for $5, free shipping (GLOATING). I have a pair of black shoes, a pair of brown, and a pair of tennis shoes. I honestly don't need anything else. I have two great bags, so no spending unnecessarily because it's so pretty, and also on sale! (Though I am tempted, believe you me, at times.)

And now it's time for the random list segment of the blog!

1. Movies seen in 2008 (at the theater): Juno, The Bucket List, The Legend of the Water Horse
2. Days till Season 4 of Lost starts: 7!
3. Kenn and I have to decided to host our own awards show, The Kacis. More details will be forthcoming.
4. I procured a phone from Ebay that had not previously been dropped into a cup of Coke. My brother, in related news, inherited a cell phone that had previously been dropped into a cup of Coke. I went all fancy (five years ago) and won an old Blackberry. I bought it a new battery just in case. I love it. It is blue, so technically it is a Blueberry.
5. Sherry has left NGU. I am quite sad

Movies I Want To See, In List Format

Inspired by Heather, here's a list of movies that I want to see before 2007 be done. And read on for there is a surprise after the list... (Sherry).

1. Lars & the Real Girl
2. Across The Universe
3. Martian Child
4. Fred Claus
5. Enchanted
6. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
7. Love In the Time of Cholera
8. Bella
9. Gone Baby Gone
10. Atonement
11. Alvin & The Chipmunks (I know. I don't care.)

Let me know if you've see any of these and whether you liked them (please don't spoil the ending). And now for the surprise...the long awaited Ask The Readers #2! Beowulf. Do I see it or not? Why?

Ask The Readers #1

I've decided to start a couple of new regular segments, if you will, on my blog. This is the first of one of those segments. Ask the readers. I think its name is rather self-explanatory, don't you?

Anyway, I am trying to make the best Christmas mix CD ever. I can tell that I am going to be crazy invested in Christmas this year-- not the gifts, mind you. So I would like for you, the various readers, to tell me what your favorite Christmas songs are. Please tell me the title and who performs the version you love most. I also am looking for a version of "O Holy Night" that both includes the second verse and isn't too showy vocally. Hopefully, you guys can help me with that too!

Now comment away!

ETA: I should have done this first, but I've added the list of songs I currently have. I haven't had a chance to listen to some of the specific ones, but I'm looking forward to it. Haley and Sherry, it's neither Bing Crosby nor Emery for "White Christmas." It's Otis Redding. Oh, and if there's no artist, I'm still looking for the perfect version.

1. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings by Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan

2. White Christmas by Otis Redding

3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

4. All I Want for Christmas by Mariah Carey

5. Christmas Is All Around by Bill Nighy (yes, from Love Actually)

6. O Holy Night

7. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee (thanks, Sherry)

8. Do You Hear What I Hear

9. Happy Christmas (War is Over) by John Lennon

10. Silent Night

11. That Christmas song by The Chipmunks

12. My Grown Up Christmas List by Kelly Clarkson

13. O Holy Night by Eric Cartman

So...

I am having a bad day.

Number Ones

Go here to find out what the number one song was on major milestones in your life.

When I was born -- Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (yes, I'm aware of the awesomeness.)
When I graduated from high school -- Maria, Maria by Santana
When I turned 18 -- Doesn't Really Matter by Janet Jackson (she can shut it)
When I turned 21 -- Crazy In Love by Beyonce (I can't tell you how awesome I think this is)
When I graduated from college -- Yeah by Usher (ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris)

Books For Sale

To make room for new books and things on my one allotted bookshelf, I am selling a few books. The way it will work is like this. I am going to post a list of books for sale below. Please comment to this post the ones you would like to purchase (first come, first served). If we need to work out shipping, email me AFTER you comment with your list. Unless otherwise noted, all books are $1. N stands for new, HB for hardback. If there is a *, that means I have previously used the book in classes, and it may have markings and highlighting. Any other questions, just ask! Happy browsing!

1. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster (N) $2
2. The Stranger by Albert Camus
3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
4. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
5. The Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson
6. My Antonia by Willa Cather*
7. Don Quixote by Cervantes
8. Isben: Four Major Plays
9. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
10. This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti
11. Piercing The Darkness by Frank E. Peretti
12. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
13. Dubliners by James Joyce*
14. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
15. East Of Eden by John Steinback
16. History Of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes* $3
17. Murder In the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot
18. Best American Short Stories of the Century (Anthology)* $5
19. White Oleander by Janet Fitch (HB) $3
20. Basic Theology by Charles Ryrie (HB, N) $5
21. Jesus & the Gospels by Craig Blomberg (HB)* $3 (no dust jacket)
22. Shadow Of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliot

Brief Book Review: The Talented Mr. Ripley

Normally, I would make a picture like this smaller, but I needed the blurb of text at the bottom to be readable, as I am using it as a starting point for my (quasi) review. I'm refraining from a brief plot overview because it's now also a movie, and anyone can easily find out the plot. Suffice it to say that Tom Ripley is a murderous sociopath. What is most interesting about this novel for me is the character of Ripley, who The Daily Telegraph describes as amoral, hedonistic, and charming. As the narration (3rd limited) follows him, the reader receives everything he or she needs to know without being told explicitly. Show rather than tell, you see.

What is more, the reveal of the true nature of Tom, mentally disturbed, unfeeling, completely self-centered, is rather subtle in places. For instance, Highsmith (the author) establishes in various places the depth of hatred Tom has for others around him (and perhaps more importantly, the lack of love for any person). And certainly, his admiration of, love for, and obsession with material possessions is evident on each page. Indeed, at one point Tom even explicitly considers his love for possessions. What is refreshing is the author's restraint in connecting the dots; rather, she trusts the reader to put 2 and 2 together.

All in all, The Talented Mr. Ripley is a fascinating, albeit imperfect, account of the depravity of a disturbed yet talented individual. He is charming but cannot abide the company of others for long for fear of being found out. He fantasizes about murder. He may very well be a clinically determined "serial killer," though I'm inclined to doubt that characterization (he usually gains from the murders, so there is always a direct motive for the killings beyond simply the urge to kill). Though it's obviously not for everyone, if this review has interested you, I would recommend giving it a whirl. I found it to be a quick, easy read, and I enjoyed the novel.

*As this stands to become a recurring format on my blog, I would like to state for the record that none of these reviews will be professional. I will not discuss ad nauseum the strengths and weaknesses of each book I read. In fact, I will only promise 3 things: I will not reveal the ending unless the novel in question is over 100 years old; I will discuss whatever interested me about the book, even if that means that I discuss how uninteresting it was; I will say whether I liked it or not.