A Constant Pain A Thesis...

I'm getting there, slowly but surely. Hopefully my conference with my advisor today won't rip everything I've done to shreds, because I only have 5 more days to complete this thing. Though if we don't have to do the section on a conference proposal, then I'm in really good shape. It just seems generally ridiculous that I'm trying to do in two months what I did in a whole year at Bryn Mawr. Oh well. I'm not expecting it to be anywhere near as good--just done.

In other job searching news, my mom found out that Freedom has an English teacher opening, so I'm going to apply there. Wouldn't it drive John nuts if I got the job? ;)

Recently read: Pay the Piper and Troll Bridge, A Rock and Roll Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple. This series puts a new spin on fairy tales such as the Pied Piper of Hamelin, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and The Twelve Dancing Princesses, incorporating rock music into each of them in sort of a War for the Oaks way. But there's not really much to these books, partly because they are written for a younger audience. And while it's nice to have the lyrics to the songs in each book, I'd love to be able to hear them, because it's so hard to figure out what the rhythm of the lyrics should be without hearing the music--and I know the authors did.

Manstealing for Fat Girls by Michelle Embree. I should have stopped reading this when it was apparent that the writing wasn't going to get any better. Not much even happens in this book; the protagonist is dislikable, and I probably could have done a better job editing it. There's typos in some lines, for crying out loud! Yes, I know one or two isn't unusual, but there were enough to make me think no one was really paying attention to this book. Usually by the end of a YA book the protagonist goes through some sort of change, but I didn't really see that here--just a lot of espousal of drugs, underage drinking, shoplifting, and diet pills.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. One of those YA supernatural romances, this one is about vampires. And it's pretty obvious from the start. The book had its good moments, especially in making the protagonist very clumsy--otherwise it might have sounded like a fanfic. And the clumsiness turned out to be important for the plot later. But when the protagonist doesn't connect dressing up in a fancy gown and having her boyfriend's sister do her hair and makeup with going to the prom--that I just didn't believe. Overall, I think that fantasy books that don't have romance as their main goal tend to do better than fantasy books that are intended to be supernatural romances.

Futile attempt at procrastination

It's nice and sunny and warm out. I am not outside. I am stuck in front of my computer designing lesson plans. And as much as I know I need to think over this stuff more before I attempt to teach it tomorrow, another part of me just wants to go frolic outside. I even had my dinner date cancelled. So now I have to figure out food too. *sigh* And at the moment, a nap seems like a very good idea.

In other news, as of tomorrow I will only have three more weeks of student teaching left. :) I will get through it, I will! No one can stop me! Well, maybe Jeff, but we're trying not to enable each other's procrastination. His formal was lovely, on a huge sailboat down off Virginia Beach, only we actually spent less time on the boat than in the bus getting there, mostly because certain foolish underclassmen blatantly and dangerously disregarded their alcoholic limits. As soon as I get the pictures from Lynn's digital camera I'll send them on to interested parties. ;)

Boo...I should probably go either figure out something for dinner or watch and analyze the lesson I videotaped. I hate seeing myself on tape, I always think I look stupid.

Currently reading: The Ragwitch by Garth Nix. Not as good as the Abhorsen trilogy, I find I'm mildly disappointed in it. Still slogging through, because anything is better than reading for school. At least I got a whole bag of books from Genevieve, who is starting to clear out her room for her move to Barcelona! :)

Also recently read: Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. One of the undergrads did her book talk on this book back in our Young Adult Literature class, and I wanted to read it then. She made it sound more exciting than it actually turned out to be, but then, it's written for fairly young readers. The first book of a trilogy, maybe the subsequent volumes end up being more exciting.