"Are You a Reader?"

People seem to talk a lot about the book(s) that first got them into reading. I hear so much in the media about how things like Twilight and Harry Potter showed so many young people what books could be and led them on to read more. That's all good and well, but does everyone really have an experience like that?

Maybe it's just because I was brought up differently. I guess not everyone's parents read to them anymore, but mine did. Once I was moving out of the picture book stage, there were also other books that I owned or enjoyed reading. I got into the Nancy Drew books in fourth grade and read through (them slowly purchased) the Little House series in fifth grade. But it wasn't until maybe six grade that I even considered calling myself "a reader."

There have only been a couple of periods (school reading excepted) that I have devoured books. And the term "reader" seems like it has to apply to people who devour books (goodness knows I've met such people). I have this impression because, to me, reading is just something I do. I may read a particular book in a week or less, or I may go a couple of months without really reading much of any book (school reading excepted again). That doesn't seem like a "reader's" behavior. Yet I am a reader.

And I can't say I had that moment or that particular book that opened up the world of books for me. Sure, I can track my reading depending on what I was enjoying most at a particular time. (More or less in this order: Nancy Drew, Little House on the Prairie, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, The Chronicles of Narnia, Victorian novels including Jane Eyre, The Lord of the Rings, Jeannette Oke and Liz Curtis Higgs, more C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, more Victorian novels, Twilight, a couple of other modern books, Harry Potter, Gayle Forman, etc.) But these were all stages in a greater picture. I can't say any of them opened up reading in general, just aspects of it. I like to think I learn from every book I read, even books I don't like: if I don't like it, I try to identify what about it I didn't like. 

It's all a process, one that has no ending and one that, for me, never really had a tangible beginning, either. 

The Adventures of Connor Temple & Abby Maitland

Guess what? Abby has finally arrived from England to join Connor. And guess what else? She brought Jenny Lewis along, too.

The happy Primeval family reunion:

As great as it may be to have Jenny along, as well, we know it is Connor and Abby who are most glad to see each other again.

Really, they just spent too long too far apart.

I wonder what the future holds for them . . .

Temporarily Sad

Here's how it goes: there was a scarf I saw in this store that I wanted, but waited about two weeks (or was it three?) to get. And, well, that was too long. When I finally showed up, ready to buy my much-wanted scarf, it wasn't there anymore. Then came what disappointment, what sadness, what wishes that the store inventory hadn't changed so drastically in just a couple of weeks.

But the thing is, it's hard to be too sad because the chameleon store inventory is just what makes that store so wonderful.

It's called The Hummingbird House, and it is in Sedona, and it is perfect.

There are actually two stores by that name. One is the original, in a historic house. The other is closer to the touristy section (though it's only a block away, I guess). They have a few of the same items, but also unique pieces and slightly different looks. Two weeks away, they both had the scarf (which of course means that when I was looking for it yesterday, I had to visit both stores--though it isn't as if I've never done that before, even when not looking for a specific item).

The Hummingbird House reminds me a little of Anthropologie. There are antiques, there are accessories, there are books. Jewelry, perfume, decor, minor food items. Just fun stuff, arranged prettily as if it's someone's house. Pretty things, but not all shiny/new things. Sometimes it's nice to just go in for the sake of going in. Just looking around and breathing in the air gives inspiration. It's the type of store that has personality and individuality . . . a voice.

So I'll just have to forgive it for not having my scarf anymore.

The Hobbit Production Video #7 Reaction

It's wonderful to be able to watch Peter Jackson's production videos for The Hobbit: the videos released online for The Lord of the Rings were before I had discovered Tolkiendom. But now I can join in on the excitement and anticipation along with everyone else. Before you keep reading, you can watch the latest production video here.

What I've been enjoying about these videos is that, since they can't show too many spoilers, it often ends up being the craftsmanship and the many crew members that get the focus. We see a little filming, but we also get to see the wardrobe department, the computer work that goes on, even the people who handle the paperwork.

It reminds me a bit of the stories of how Walt Disney worked back in the day: it wasn't so much about people's titles, but about their roles. Everybody had a role to play, and anybody could have a good idea or a better idea. That kind of attention to every detail is what made Disney/land become what it is today, and is what made everyone (well, most people) respect what Peter Jackson did with The Lord of the Rings.

So go and keep watching the production videos to get teasers for the movie but also to appreciate the collective effort that it takes to get a movie done. That's what I find fascinating about moviemaking.

Primeval: Claudia Brown vs. Jenny Lewis

I find myself these days looking at my list of posts and asking, has it been long enough yet since my last Primeval post to do another one? I realize I may be overdoing these posts a little, but sometimes I wish I had better documentation of my first days with other obsessions. When a book or a show becomes so familiar to you, it can be hard to remember exactly what your thoughts were when it was still new. But I will certainly have many Primeval thoughts (in the form of these posts) to look back at.

Now on with my post. The much thought about Claudia Brown/Jenny Lewis dichotomy, as we know, serves some basic plot purposes. It introduces the idea of how the world can change depending on how the past is affected by people/creatures moving through anomalies. It also adds tension to the CB/JL relationship with Cutter (like how New Dawn strains the Connor and Abby relationship so that they don't just waltz into the sunset boringly). But there are more show dynamics that it changes.

It took me a while to come to the realization, but I have found that I prefer Claudia Brown's character to Jenny Lewis. I think part of this is because CB went with the whole Season 1 feel of characters being thrust into this situation and having to make the best of it. She really starts to crack under the stress, and I think that is a very realistic reaction. Why should we assume that everyone who becomes connected with monitoring the anomalies is quite cut out for that type of work? (Not to say that she necessarily couldn't handle it, just that much of it didn't come naturally for her.)

But Jenny Lewis exists in the more established world, the world where the ARC exists and the team act (a little) more like experts than citizens. She eventually decides she can't take it, either, and leaves--but while she was still with the ARC, she gave off a stronger facade. I suppose Jenny knows the skill of impressions more than Claudia Brown did: she knows how to word things to get the right reaction in people, and she knows how to dress to make people notice her. You could say she's more put together . . . just like Season 2 is versus Season 1.

There are some things to like about the informality of Season 1. But we all know that could only last so long; they have to make progress. And it makes me wonder if Claudia Brown wouldn't have chosen to leave sooner than Jenny Lewis did (though I suppose she would have probably stuck around if Cutter stayed alive). From that perspective, the existence of JL actually makes Lucy Brown (the actress) stick around longer. 

One more thing. I mentioned before that, once the Cutter and Stephen relationship was tarnished and their partnership wasn't quite the same, I didn't so much mind that Stephen died. It's similar with CB/JL. Much of her character's place had to do with Cutter; once he is taken out of the picture, she is missing something, her plot line changes, and she has to adjust or melt away. That's how it works: if you change one character, the dynamics of the whole group change. So many of the differences in the seasons correlate exactly to which characters are in each season. 

PRIMEVAL VOLUME ONE BY PRIMEVAL (DVD) [4 DISCS]

Psycho and Exposition

(Maybe I should technically say "explanations" in the title, but "exposition" sounds better . . . )

A few days ago, I watched Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho for the first time. It wasn't bad--I liked it more than some of his other films that I've seen; but I felt like it ended on a boring note since it had a longish explanation of certain facts about one of the central characters. Analysis is what I want to be able to do afterwards, not what I want the movie to do for me.

That's mostly the same reason I haven't clicked with the Hitchcock style. I can't say he wasn't a good filmmaker; I just don't like his style. He spells everything out in a very specific way, carefully controlling audience reactions. I prefer gray areas that leave things open to interpretation, open to multiple emotions, open to the reality of living versus the controlled environment of film.

I don't usually like for movies to move point by point the way his do. I like the emotion to lead the way, rather than the technicalities. And I don't like to be told what to think; I like my reactions to come as part of a more natural process. (I admit, you can say that Hitchcock controls your reactions in a natural way . . . but I think that's still in a different way. And also don't think that I am completely trashing his style; I can enjoy it sometimes--it just isn't my first pick.) I end up heartbroken at the end of Bright Star because I have grown close to the characters, empathized with them. Miss Potter ends on such a sweet note because happiness has come again after so much darkness threatened the world's innocence. But when Psycho ended, I just said, oh, so that's how the story worked . . . it was a little too temporary for me.

I don't want internal exposition; I want it to be outside of the movie, something for me to input.

May Favorites

1)Fossils/dinosaur-related products - For years, I would visit the local annual Gem and Mineral Show, slowly building a collection of amethyst, peacock ore, and other such pretty trinkets. But I was never really interested in the fossils (although it's true that in third grade I wanted to be either a geologist or a paleontologist). That is, not until now--AKA my post-Primeval stage. I suddenly had a desire to buy trilobites. The perfect thing is that I have a little part-time summer position in Sedona, and Sedona happens to have a great store for such items. It's called (I think) Discount Gems and Minerals and is located right there in the main tourist shops section. If you don't believe that they have good prices, walk into other stores and see what they charge. Rocks are expensive. Anyway, I picked up this pair of rustic trilobites (more often, you see black ones for sale, but I like the grittiness of these) for a few dollars. There's another, bigger piece they have that I eyed, and I think I'd like to get one of those wooden 3D dinosaur puzzles one of these days, too. Primeval, you're to blame.

 2)Flower flip flops - So maybe flip flops aren't the most fashionable, but they're such a norm in Arizona. In summer, even flats can be too hot to wear, and pretty, comfortable sandals (other than flip flops) can be hard to find (especially if you have any kind of budget). So I picked these up as a quick summer shoe; there were more colorful options, but I like that this pair will go with more options. And guess what? They're also from a fun store in the afore-mentioned area.

 3)Iced tea - I usually drink more hot tea than iced, but now I know how to make iced tea more entertaining. Add ice cubes made with fresh lime (or lemon) water and a leaf of mint. Iced tea and lemonade, anyone?

 4)Owl shoes - Okay, so I haven't been wearing them that often, but I am today. They're a My Sister's Closet find, and if only they were perfect for walking, they would be flawless. Green suede, leather owls and pink flowers, aren't they ridiculously silly?

 5)Frontier House - I've been watching this series on Sunday evenings. I guess it was filmed a few years ago, but it's entertaining to follow along with, anyway. The premise is of a couple of families going to live like 1880's pioneers for five months. It's probably the closest to reality TV I'm interested in. It's sort of ironic to be living historically, but documenting the experience in a modern way. But that's okay: it's fun to watch.

I know this is much abbreviated from my previous lists of ten, but I was starting to run out of things to add. If I keep doing ten, I'll have to start repeating myself.