Making it Up As I Go

I think the inclusion of Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey in the The Great Gatsby movie was one of the best choices Baz Luhrmann made on the whole film. The song itself is haunting and gorgeous, but as it functions as Daisy’s theme, it highlights a story point that I think is specific to the film over the book. In the book you get the sense that Daisy is flattered by Gatsby’s attention, and her affair with him is a little bit revenge for Tom’s philandering, a little bit boredom, a little bit “no one is the boss of me”. When she ultimately decides to stay with Tom, it’s because she’s done with the summer diversion and isn’t going to mess up her life for it. But with the inclusion of this song as her theme, the whole tone of her choice changes. The lyrics are “will you still love me, when I’m no longer young and beautiful? Will you still love me when I’ve got nothing but my aching soul? I know that you will, I know that you will, I know that you will. Will you still love me when I’m not beautiful?”, and it’s my opinion that in the world of the film, Daisy doesn’t choose Gatsby because despite the lyrics of the song, she knows that the answer to that question is no. Gatsby makes it clear that he wants to go back in time, that he wants the Daisy of five years before, the Daisy who never loved anyone else. He is allowed to have done things in those five years, but she is not; in fact he wants to go back to her parents’ house and get married there, “like they should have”. In order for her to fit into his dream of her, she has to deny everything that she has been for the previous five years- wife, love-er, mother. And what will happen as she gets older- less young, less beautiful, less like his dream of her? He won’t still love her when she’s no longer young and beautiful, because he already doesn’t love her for who she is, just who she was. Tom, for all his philandering, can at least give her that.

The party scene in the movie is one of my favorite things ever. That was the part of the book that grabbed me and didn’t let go when I first read it in high school, and seeing it come to life just makes me grin idiotically.

I’ve been having dreams about earthquakes for the last couple nights, and Tori Amos’ song Little Earthquakes has been stuck in my head.

We’re watching True Detective and it’s SO good. It’s incredibly creepy and unsettling for a show where hardly anything happens. It’s got a very Lovecraft-y, nihilistic feel to it, which is very calculated. On hearing that I liked the show, someone recommended The Killing, which I get the sense also has a nihilistic, life is bleak feel to it, but without the Lovecrafty part, which makes me not interested. I want someone potentially going mad due to forbidden knowledge with my nihilism, thank you very much.

I’ve been blowing through my to-do list today. I crossed things off of it that have been there for MONTHS. None of those things were editing the novel, which is something that has to move further up the list.

I blew my no buying books resolution today, there wasn’t even a loophole to excuse it. But how could I resist this description:

In The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen—a moving Gothic tale that intertwines mystery, madness, betrayal, love, and literature—a fragile young woman must silence the ghosts of her past. Ten months after dropping out of all-girl Tarble College, Ruby Rousseau is still haunted by the memories of her senior year, a time marred by an affair with her English professor and a deep depression that caused her to question her sanity. When a mysterious suitcase arrives bearing Ruby’s name and address, she tries to return it to its rightful owner, Beth—a dorm-mate at Tarble—only to learn that Beth disappeared two days earlier. With clues found in the luggage, including a tattered copy of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, which Ruby believes instigated her madness, she sets out to uncover the truth.”

Seriously. And it was only $1.99. (If you’re interested, it’s here: The Butterfly Sister, but move quick, it’s only on sale today.)

Also, did you know that there’s a whole series of steampunk romance novels? With names like Moonlight and Machinery, Ashes and Alchemy,  and Kilts and Kraken? I’m aaaaaaaalmost tempted by Kilts and Kraken, because, hello, kraken in a romance novel? But I will not. It can’t possibly live up to my expectations.

I need to watch Labyrinth. (“I’m exhausted by living up to your expectations of me.”) And I need to watch Noises Off. (“Bag! Bag BAG bag! First here, now gone!”) It’s amazing how much of that movie I can quote and I haven’t seen it in years and years. We almost did that play in high school, and I’m really sad that we didn’t.

I am currently eating Pringles. I love Pringles.

It’s my opinion that the reason that they haven’t had more superhero guest appearances on Agents of SHIELD is that Marvel is pretty invested in cannonizing their film/TV versions of characters right now. So they don’t want to risk having someone play a role on the show and then wanting to use that character later but wanting to cast someone else. Whereas I don’t think DC cares so much, so they’ll throw anyone at Arrow (or Smallville before it) and just move on later if they want to use the character again with different casting. Speaking of which, Arrow is a dang fine show. And so is SHIELD. Highly entertaining, both of them.

Have you seen these? They made me laugh so much. They still do. I’m laughing right now.

I warned you this was going to be utterly random.

Did you know that tomorrow an asteroid is going to pass within 1 million miles of Earth? It’s true.

Did you know that on Jupiter, a quarter would weigh 2 tons? That’s not true.

I decided earlier last year (before my nephews’ birthdays) that I was going to give my nieces and nephews that are old enough for such things book series for their birthdays. I have two birthdays coming up and am trying to figure out which series to go with. I’m thinking of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles for my dragon obsessed niece, and I’m still trying to decide on one for the nephew. I found The Gryphon Chronicles today, but I need to read them first and make sure they’re age and reading level appropriate. If you have suggestions for 8, 10, or 12 year olds, please let me know in the comments.

One of my most common problems recently is trying to figure out if the clothes I have hung out to dry all day are still wet, or just really cold.

Z’s imagination has started running away with her. She doesn’t want to walk to the end of the hallway to go to the bathroom if it’s dark, because something might be behind the bathroom door (which is where the light is). She doesn’t like being upstairs or downstairs by herself. And I totally get it. I was the same way when I was little- I was constantly convinced something was going to get me. When I was falling asleep at night, I was sure someone was going to stab me in the back (where I got this from I have NO idea). So I couldn’t lay on my stomach, because, hello, that’s just handing over my back, I couldn’t lay ON my back because I was on the top bunk, so someone could stab me through the mattress, (I never thought it was going to be my sister who slept down there, it was always some random assailant), I couldn’t lay on my right side, because again, I’m just presenting my back for stabbing. I ended up sleeping on my left side because, get this, it was the least likely that the mystery assailant would stab me through the wall. Still possible, mind you, but less likely. And all of this made perfect sense. However, none of this life experience makes me less annoyed when Z does it. I think because I know first hand how limiting it can be, so it frustrates me.

But anyway.

Bruce just got home, so I’m going to go talk True Detective with him.

Tell me something random.