Cupcakes are So Hot Now

You Are a Pistachio Rose Cupcake

You are multi-talented and constantly adding new talents. You are very gifted. You are hyperactive and tireless. You've got more than enough energy to pursue all your passions. You are joyfully curious about the world. There's so much to explore and learn. You try not to spend too much time examining yourself. You don't believe in second guessing.

What Exotic Cupcake Are You?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

Americanizing Shelley

I am reading Shaw's Pygmalion for my online book club and thought I'd be adventurous and get a film adaptation other than My Fair Lady. So I chose Americanizing Shelley. It's loosely based on Pygmalion and shows the story of a young Indian woman who was betrothed at an early age to a boy. Now she plans to marry him since she finished Home Ec College. He's been in the U.S. for years and has his sights on another.

I started the DVD and after a couple minutes the stilted dialog and low production values got the best of me. There's just too much that's good on TV that this "Let's make a film!" just doesn't cut it. Unless you're connected to someone in the production, choose something else.

Jane's House

You can visit one of the houses Miss Austen lived in and take writing workshops there.

Carefree, Wild, and Irresponsible? Really?

Your Love Sign is Sagittarius

You have a very philosophical perspective on romance. You don't take any of it too personalty. People fall in love. People fall out of love. That's life. You tend to be an honest and flighty partner. You get bored easily, and you don't mind if your sweetie knows it. Your heart is carefree, wild, and irresponsible. You tend to get in trouble with love, but it's always been a fun ride.

What's Your Love Sign?

Doctor Zhivago, the Novel

Last fall my EFL students read a simplified version of Doctor Zhivago and then we saw the movie. Our discussions were quite lively and it was interesting to delve into Russian history and literature. Thus I decided to read the novel this summer.

Both the movie and the graded reader leave out quite a bit from this hefty classic. I enjoyed getting every detail and event. A thoughtfully written novel is one of my favorite ways to come to know history. This novel, published in 1960, gives readers a close up at the enthusiasm, chaos, and violence surrounding the Russian Revolution.

Yes, the names are long and everyone's got a nickname, but I got a sense of who's who without a chart, maybe because I saw the movie first.

Most of the Russian literature, I've read has taken place before the Revolution, while Doctor Zhivago takes place before, during and after. What a time that was! Pasternak's novel reminds me of Dickens because not only do readers see the hero's journey, but we see so much of what happens throughout the society. I found that fascinating. So many people had so many struggles and tragedies.

The hero is Yurii . At the beginning of the story he's a young boy who witnesses his father's suicide. He's adopted by relatives and marries his cousin Tonia, a lovely, smart woman. The sort of girl people think he should marry. (And he does agree.)

As a young man in Moscow and later after the revolution when Yurii's out in the Ural Mountains, his path crosses that of Lara, an enigmatic, alluring, albeit troubled woman. Her father died when she was young and her mother becomes beholden to Komarovsky, a rich, powerful man who wants Lara when she's in high school. Lara picks up on her mother's implicit message that she should do what she needs to for the family. This action defines Lara making her feel a guilt she never completely overcomes. It taints her marriage to Pasha, an intelligent, innocent promising student she meets in university.

All the characters cross paths and influence each other as they strive to make sense of the confusion of the revolution that steamrolls over so many Russians back then. Pasternak constructs a masterful story full of drama and insight.

If you're not sure about reading the book, try the film or the BBC miniseries.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Once again, true love triumphs over adversity.

It's difficult for me to be objective about Austen. I struggle to filter my reactions to her unfamiliar language, her unfamiliar time and class based society, and my aversion to Harlequin romance type sagas. All of that poses obstacles to my unfettered enjoyment of her prose.

On an intellectual level, the eighteenth century English preoccupation with class and breeding that is so central to Austen's tales captures my interest even while it engenders a certain amount of disdain.

And yet, on an emotional level, I can't help myself. I like her happy endings, her accounts of triumphal love.

So, I'm off to read yet another . . .

Guest blogger: Bridget

Do We Need a Third Bridget Jones?

As much as I love romantic comedies and I did see the first two Bridget Jones films, I just don't need a third. If as this article suggests Bridget is stupid enough to have an affair, however fleeting, she deserves divorce court.

Where's the originality in the film business? Can't someone invent some new characters and situations?

Someone to Watch Over Me

Ella Fitzgerald sings Gershwin's classic.

Summertime and the livin' is easy

Your Summer Love Style is Serious

While others may be into a summer fling, you're about the real thing. And there's a good chance you're already serious with someone already. For you, the summer is about getting closer and more committed. Just don't get tempted by any of that hot weather eye candy!

What's Your Summer Love Style?

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

Director Mikio Naruse focuses middle-aged (i.e. 30 year old) "Mama" who navigates the "water trade" of Tokyo's Ginza bars and their elegant hostesses in When a Woman Ascends the Stairs. Acutely aware that her looks are fading, Mama's at a crossroads. She must either find a husband or buy her own bar if she's going to survive. Because of a strong devotion to her late husband, Mama doesn't want to marry again. Yet she doesn't have the funds to buy a bar. Thus she must convince wealthy customers to back her. It's a delicate balance as relying on one man too heavily comes with too many obligations.

These bars, with their doting hostesses, are fascinating aspect of Japanese culture. The relationship between the rich business men and the women, all of whom have different objectives and desires and the attitude people have towards them is complex. The women aren't shunned as they would be in the West. Yet they aren't revered. These women aren't Geishas. They aren't trained in dance and singing. Some can be bought for after hours entertainment, but not all. Mama is one who doesn't sell out.

While it's a good idea, buying a bar is far from easy, as Mama learns through her friend and former, younger colleague, Yuri whose new bar siphons off several of Mama's customers. The new bar appears to be a success, but Yuri's been borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. Yuri stages suicide which she hoped would force her creditors to back down. That plan fails miserably.

Like Kabei: Our Mother I enjoyed the little glimpses into Japan of an earlier time (here 1960). When Mama visits her mother I was surprised to see her traditional kimono-wearing mother light up a cigarette. I was surprised that Mama's apartment's decor was so Western. This milieu has its downsides, but it's more civilized and in its own way proper than what we'd have in the U.S. in 1960.

I highly recommend When a Woman Ascends the Stairs to anyone interested in Japanese culture.

Ten movies I can watch again and again

1. When Harry Met Sally
2. You've Got Mail
3. About A Boy
4. Pride and Prejudice
5. Casablanca
6. Rain Man
7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
8. Network
9. The Sting
10. Yi Yi
    

i carry your heart with me

poem by e.e. cummings.

The Glee Project: Sexuality

**SPOILER ALERT**

This week's challenge involved the theme Sexuality and resulted in a great music video with the six remaining contestants performing "Teenage Dream."

The pairings were interesting: Sam and Alex, Hannah and Cameron, and Lindsay and Damien. While a few of them were troubled with the theme of sexuality, which made the episode interesting to watch.

I figured that Hannah and Lindsay would be rather safe. They can't just have one girl and four boys left at this stage. Both were good, but everyone was good last night.

Sam was saved too, though I don't think his performance was all that nuanced. So the three who had to sing to stay were Alex, Damien and Cameron, who were assigned to sing "I will Survive," "Danny Boy," and "Blackbird" respectively. I still see Alex as one-dimensional. I'm sure the writers could put together a good character for him, but I don't see the depth in him. He hasn't shared much that's personal as the others have. He alludes to his life and family, but I don't have much of a picture and considering that he's been in the bottom three several weeks in a row, I feel I should know him much better.

Damien's performance seemed good to me, but "Danny Boy" usually gets to me like "Amazing Grace" does. So that bias was in play. I'm finding Damien more and more likable. In his recording, he did well, better than say Lindsay or Damien.



Cameron took the spotlight as he struggled the most with this week's challenge. Hannah also struggled and that was interesting, but Cameron's struggle with kissing a girl he's not dating, was unique and real. Executive Producer Ryan Murphy brought this up and the result was a very heartfelt exchange about Cameron's faith and Murphy's respect of it and his desire to write for a character who holds these kinds of beliefs. Cameron admitted that he's been unable to sleep due to this dilemma. He didn't think it would be right for him to stay and send home someone who didn't have these kinds of qualms. It was a first, a rarity in reality TV, a popular contestant dropping out.

I thought Murphy would let Cameron go when he voiced a desire to quit, but that also raised some issues and heightened the producers' interest in him. In fact, Murphy took the unusual step of going back to the dressing rooms to talk to Cameron candidly and actually encourage him to stay. This was something as Murphy hasn't been all that impressed with Cameron.

I will say Cameron's Blackbird was my favorite performance. Just perfect, I thought as the song showed the vulnerability, heart and talent, that makes Cameron popular. In the end he decided to quit believing that he was lucky to come this far and that another door would open. I'm sure it will. I can say most of these kids could record and sell a good number of CDs right now. I really wanted him to stay. With just a bit of maturity, I think he could handle these situations morally and professionally.

Murphy had thought that Cameron could have made it till the end, which confirms my hunch. I think Hannah and Sam with Damien as a third place contender have the best chances.

Next week's theme is True Colors.

Famous Movie Kisses

Your Famous Movie Kiss is from Romeo + Juliet

"Has my heart loved 'till now? Forswear it, sight! For I never saw a true beauty 'till this night."

What Famous Movie Kiss Are You?

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

And what movie kisses are most memorable?