#WorldBookDay2020

According to Twitter, today is World Book Day. I thought about just listing all the books I’m reading right now, but then I realized that I have a blog where I can talk about all of them and post the entry to Twitter! Because I am currently reading 13 different books. Well, reading may be a strong word to use for some of them…

The Sum of All Fears
by Tom Clancy

At the end of last year I decided to read Cardinal of the Kremlin because I didn’t remember reading it of those early Jack Ryan books. After I finished it, I just went for a read from the in-series chronological order. Right now I’m up to The Sum of All Fears which I don’t think I read before. As with most of the Jack Ryan books, I’m really enjoying it.

Unlearn: 101 Simple Truths for a Better Life
by Humble the Poet

I picked this up for free on Kindle between it being on sale and having credits. This is great for reading a chapter or two when I need a break from everything. It’s a great read. It is spiritual and so refreshing.

Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow

This has been on my “currently reading” list for the longest. I picked it up back in March 2016. The only reason it has taken so long to read is I don’t have time to get absorbed by the amazing writing and spend hours reading it. Chernow is a wordsmith and is able to bring history to life in a way that I had not experienced before.

Introducing Cultural Studies
by Ziauddin Sadar, Borin Van Loon, and Richard Appignanesi

This is part of the Graphic Guide series that gives an introduction to different scholars, areas of study, and theories in a graphic novel way. I love the combination of illustration with the words, as well as another scholar’s take on things. This book has really been interesting because it talks about Cultural Studies in different countries, not just the idea of cultural studies in one context or another. It’s given me a better grasp on what Cultural Studies can mean, as well as what most people think of here in the US.

They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing
by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein

This is the one book that I have assigned to read this semester. In it they talk about how to bring in sources into your argument while still maintaining your voice in your work. It is going to be really helpful when I get to that point in my dissertation writing. Right now it’s a lot of the “I Say” side of things, which is just as important as the “They Say” and bringing the two together. I highly recommend it for anyone who is doing academic writing.

The Craft of Research, 4th Ed
by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. FitzGerald

I also recommend this for academic writers. It was recommended to me by my theory professor way back when I started my PhD work. This is actually my second or third time going through. They break research down into the steps and then break those steps down and give really useful advice. It makes the research process feel less overwhelming and more possible to do. I’m probably going to reread it every time I have a research project, because each project is different and I get something different from it each time I read it.

From Dissertation to Book
by William Germano

This book was recommended to me by the editor of a publishing company that I really love. I had asked for advice about turning my thesis into a book and she, and the rest of the panel, suggested this book. I haven’t read much, but it has also been helpful in helping me with my dissertation. What I’ve read so far talks about the differences between a dissertation and a book. I turns out I had been thinking about my dissertation like a book instead of a dissertation. Seeing those differences explained really helped me get started in the writing process and just getting the chapters figured out.

Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean
by Douglas Wolk

I’ll admit, it’s been a while since I got back to this book. I do remember it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but it’s really interesting for a comic scholar.

Batgirl Vol. 3: Death of the Family
by Gail Simone

This is an important chapter in Barbara Gordon’s life, especially in this post-New 52 world. This addresses the trauma that she went through and how it still affects her. It is really important for me to read, especially since I’m writing a book chapter on Oracle!

House of X/Powers of X
by Jonathan Hickman

When they announced that this big change was coming, I made the conscious decision to wait for this book before moving forward. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep reading, especially as a researcher. It is an interesting read so far. They alternate the series by number, so it’s the number one of each, then the number two, and so on. I think I’m getting what’s going on in this part, but I’m continuing, hoping that I get an idea of where the franchise is going and whether I want to start reading any of the comics again.

X-Men comics were one of the first comics series I read. But now it’s become more of a search for how it works with my argument about their correlation to Deaf Culture. There is little to none of that when they’re not in relation to humans. Then again, I always like the storylines that were more about the X-Men and their culture and everyday lives than the stories that took place in space or were focused on on baddie.

Metaculture: How Culture Moves Through the World
by Greg Urban

This is the main theory that I am working with in my dissertation. I am working on building on it, making connections to other related works to expand on it, using Hamilton as my example, as the focus of those connections. It has taken me years to get his work to click, but when it did, I realized that this has been a huge part of my research. I simply didn’t realize it. It is a very intense read.

Signifying Rappers
by David Foster Wallace and Mark Costello

My dissertation chair/advisor strongly suggested reading this, because of its perspective on rap and hip-hop by white guys in Boston. I’ve only gotten through the first chapter so far, but its an interesting read. I just need to figure out how it fits into things.

Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture
by Philip Auslander

Another book recommended by my chair/advisor. He recommended this back when I was arguing about the importance of seeing it live, in the theater and how that differed from other ways of seeing it. I think I can still use it to talk about that difference, but in a different way. I think realizing the bigger picture that I am writing about has changed how I interact with this text. I may have to start it over again.

This whole pandemic and quarantine has changed so many things. It’s part of why my list has grown. I keep forgetting how many books I already have started and pick up something new. I’m trying to get refocused, get these books read so I can make that progress and move forward.

Who is Jesus?

This week’s Gospel reading was the one where Jesus asks “Who do people say I am?” and then “Who do you say I am?” and gives Peter his name. Much of Fr. Joe’s homily centered on those questions. Who do we say Jesus is?

It made me remember one class this past spring. When teaching about heroes and celebrities, we teach the 20-point mythical journey of a hero. I usually end up talking about the story of Jesus that we have in the Bible because it’s the one I’m most familiar with. This year, as I kept referring back to him, I had one student say she was uncomfortable with it since she is Christian. I tried to explain that I am Catholic and I am looking simply at the story that has been told, I’m not trying to disrespect anyone. She didn’t look like she believed me.

But that’s something that we, as Christians, tend to forget. Yes, the Bible is important and has much wisdom contained, it is a collection of stories. When we call something myth or mythology, it doesn’t change people’s beliefs or spirituality or religion surrounding it. We think of myth as fictional, but it’s not. Hercules was viewed as a demi-god in Ancient Greece. Myth does not equal fiction. Myth is another way of talking about a story, which is often rooted in reality. When you tell someone about your day or something that happened to you, you are telling a story. It’s not fiction, it’s what happened to you. The same thing goes for the story of Jesus. He was a man who lived 2000 years ago who did wondrous things. The things he did are a part of not only Christian mythology, but Jewish and Muslim as well. But calling this mythology doesn’t change how each religion views him – son of God/Messiah/Christ, prophet, prophet respectively.

If I were teaching this semester, I’d be explaining all of this in class. Hopefully I’ll get to teach it again and add this. But for now, I’m sharing it with all of you. Look around, there’s mythology everywhere!

Look Around List!

“Look around! Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now!”

It’s been a while, to put it mildly, but I’ve been so busy with school. But that doesn’t mean I forgot to look around!

Comic books. I am having so much fun going on comic runs again. I probably could just do them once a month, but right now the two X-Men series – X-Men: Gold and X-Men: Blue – are alternating weekly releases. Aka, there’s a new one every Wednesday. But I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. At least 3 new comics tomorrow!

Bitch Planet. If you like good writing and some serious commentary on patriarchy, read it! The first trade paperback has been out, the second is coming, and next week’s issue is #10. I can’t wait!

Native deodorant. I’ve been using it for over a month now and I have no intention of stopping. I do have sensitive skin under my arms, so I have to be careful how much I use so I don’t dry out the skin, just absorb the sweat. It’s awesome! I highly recommend it to anyone. If you click here, both you and I get a free travel deodorant if you order!

New Playlists! Since the last time I posted, Lin has created 8 new playlists! His awesome wife has created two of her own inspired by his! Both of them are exposing me to music I would probably not have found on my own. I love it!

Moana. Every time I watch it, I need tissues. Sometimes due to the plot. Sometimes due to the accuracy and reverence for the culture. This is Disney’s best movie yet! Hopefully this is just the start.

Finishing my thesis. Yes. It’s done! I had to make some formatting changes, but it’s done! I’ll probably post about it sometime soon. I’m so glad to have finished it. I just hope that I can use it as a starting point for a more in-depth book on the topic later.

My church. This year there were 15 individuals who joined the Catholic church through the RCIA program at my church. 15! When I mention that, most people are surprised at the high number. I like to think that is because of the openness and welcoming nature of the St. Thomas More Newman Center at The Ohio State University. There’s a reason I’m going to miss going there every week when I start working on my Ph.D. at BGSU.

My hubby. There is a lot that has been going on, which is mostly why there have been no posts, and he has been my rock through all of it. I don’t think I’d be sane at this point if it weren’t for him.

Just remember, no matter how crazy the world may seem, look around and remember how lucky we are to be alive right now!

The Dude and the Zen Master

As I mentioned earlier, I recently re-read the book The Dude and the Zen Master by Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman. This book is something I really needed to familiarize myself with, again. I started it on November 12th and finished it on the 17th. It really helped me to get a perspective on the world and to nourish my soul.

Rather than try to talk about it more, I’m just going to transcribe the quotes I made note of as well as any notes I made while reading it. I just ran across a wonderful article that talks about the book. Check it out if you’re interested. These are simply the quotes that really impacted me this time around. I hope that they inspire you to pick up this book for yourself, or at least gain something from them. But remember that these are simply parts of the whole. They have more when they are consumed as part of the whole. Enjoy!

That’s just, like, your opinion, man.

One way I’ve been taking care of myself lately is to get more into Dudeism. I reread The Dude and the Zen Master. The first time I read it, I did so on my Kindle. I loved it so much that I knew I needed the physical book. That’s what I read this time. Sometimes you just need the book in your hands and get away from the many glowing screens in life.

Lost my train of thought there…

Anyway. It’s an amazing book. I got so much out of it. I wrote down many, many quotes, and made many, many notes. I will post them soon.

I finished it and found myself wanting to read The Dude De Ching. But I knew it was at home, since my hubby’s the one who turned me on to Dudeism, and I didn’t know it was available for free for Kindle and Epub since a new, annotated version is out. So, I started reading The Abide Guide for the I-don’t-know-what-number time. It’s always good to refresh the basics every once in a while.

But, I’m setting it aside briefly because I’m soaking in the wisdom of The Dude De Ching. I’m thinking it’s going to be another book that I’m going to get my own copy of so I can have it on hand wherever. I’m only about half of the way through, but it’s got some sage advice put “in the parlance of our times”.

What can I say? Dudeism and The Big Lebowski are providing me with advice, wisdom, and guidance that are going to help me weather the political storm that is coming, unless something drastically changes. I even decided to become a Dudeist …I still haven’t decided which word I want to use to refer to myself. Being Catholic, “priest” just doesn’t quite work. I may just go with being an ordained Dudeist and be done with it. For me it’s more of a philosophy to live by than a religion…

Book hopping

Yesterday when I posted my plan to read The Dresden Files as completely as possible, I mentioned something about clearing up my reading list. I thought I’d share what that is right now. Or more accurately, what I’m reading right now.

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

Image from Goodreads

This is what I’ve been listening to in the car for a little over a week now. I’m about 61% done and am really enjoying it. It’s a wonderful piece of historical fiction that looks at science and biology before the Civil War in the US. It will probably go through the Civil War, but I’m not up to that point.

I’m looking forward to having the time to sit down and read this later. I love audiobooks, but it is a different experience than sitting and reading the book. Which brings me to my next book.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Image from Goodreads.

This past weekend at Marcon, I saw this on a dealer’s table and knew that I should just finally buy the thing. I love listening to Wil Wheaton read this book, but I’ve really been wanting to read, and own, this book. It’s become my “at home” book. I’ve got it with me all the time, but I’m feeling like the place to actually read it is at home. I started to pick up a different book, but found myself really wanting to read this instead. It’s been a while since I’ve had that desire. I missed it.

By reading it, it gives me the time to write down lines that really hit me. It also gives me the time to write down all the cultural references that aren’t explicitly pointed out. I want to see how many I can find myself. I’m hoping to be able to find them all, eventually.

Feed by Mira Grant

Image from Goodreads.

Feed was that other book that I was starting to read when Ready Player One insisted I pick it up.

I’m honestly not sure how often I’ve read this book. Especially since I bought it for my Kindle. Granted, this time I’m a bit inspired by debuting my Becks costume at Marcon this weekend. But this book and the two that follow it are simply so good and well-written that they need no justification to reread multiple times.

I think part of why I enjoy this book so much is that while it’s about zombies, it doesn’t focus on them. It’s about how George and Shaun and Buffy are living in this world where threat of zombie attack is a real thing. Brilliant book.

The Abide Guide by Oliver Benjamin and Dwayne Eutsey

Image from Goodreads.

After finishing The Dude and the Zen Master, the logical book to read next was The Abide Guide. All that talk about zen and the Dude inspired me to brush up on my Dudeist teachings.

This is a great book. If you enjoy The Big Lebowski and are open-minded when it comes to religion and philosophy and just different ways of living one’s life, then you should read this book. Personally, Dudeism is more of a way of living than a religion for me. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I consider myself a Catholic Dudeist. The two go together really well.

Really, Dudeism goes well with any religion or belief system. Which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. But don’t think too much. If you find yourself tensing up, have a White Russian, relax and just abide.

Skin Game by Jim Butcher

Image from Goodreads.

Yes, Skin Game isn’t out yet. (May 27th!!!) But as usual, Jim is posting the first five chapters on his website. So I’m reading those as they get posted. Next week is when chapter five gets posted, but the week after that is when it arrives on my Kindle! Yes, I have pre-ordered the Kindle version of the book. I learned with Cold Days that if I want to read the book anytime soon after it comes out, just getting the Kindle version is the best way. Of course, I’ll also get the paperback when it comes out.

And I will definitely be reading it asap. I can’t continue on with my Dresden Files project until the newest one is read!

–

So that’s everything I’m reading right now. It might seem like chaos, but I’m loving it!

Werds: Bohemian

Bo·he·mi·an (noun): a person who does not conform to generally accepted standards or customs.
(Merriam-Webster Thesaurus)

Usually I don’t like to label myself as one thing or another when I think of myself as a whole. I label parts of myself (Catholic, Dudeist, cosplayer, geek, ASL speaker, language lover, student, wife, sister, daughter, etc.), but I haven’t found a word that sums up everything that I am.

Until I read that definition of bohemian.

When I was in high school our band played a medley of songs from the new hit Broadway musical Rent. Yes, I am that old. 😉 I loved playing the music and our director played a few of the songs for us. The ones appropriate for Catholic high school (and 8th grade) students to hear, of course. I loved them. So I got the soundtrack out of the library and was hooked. Something about the plot really resonated with me.

One day my mom walks past my room while I’m listening to “La Vie Boheme” and tells me that I shouldn’t let anyone call me a bohemian. That’s just how she works. I’ve accepted that.

But over the years, no one ever called me bohemian. Probably because people think of the more ‘traditional’ definition from Merriam-Webster:
2 often not capitalized
a : vagabond, wanderer; especially : gypsy
b : a person (as a writer or an artist) living an unconventional life usually in a colony with others

Neither of those definitions really apply to me. But the one from the Thesaurus does. Of course, I’m writing this wearing men’s jeans, black Chucks, a women’s cut “Doctor Gru” t-shirt, a Ministry of Silly Walks watch on my left wrist, and my new leather charm bracelet with a dangling TARDIS charm on my right.

Now to see what people think of when they hear the word. This is going to be fun!

Reading: The Dude and the Zen Master

Have you ever picked up a book and have it be exactly what you need at the time? That is what The Dude and the Zen Master is for me right now.
I’ve been wanting to read the book for a while now, so when one of the tasks for the Spring Book Challenge on The Nest Book Club was “Read a book whose title is at least 6 words long (you can include “The”, “it” “as” etc…)”, I knew which book to read.

I’m a bit of a Dudeist myself. I’m a Catholic Dudeist. It’s wonderful how the two work together so easily. So reading this book really hits me. It’s like a gentle spring breeze slowly dissipating the fog that has been clouding my vision these past few months. Reading the wisdom that these two amazing men impart is exactly what I need in my life right now.

I can’t wait to keep going and see what else they have to say!

If you’re curious, there’s a great review over on NPR. Check it out!

Happy Holidays! (part 3)

Because Christmas was on a Wednesday this year, we got to stay home and celebrate all by ourselves. It’s kinda nice to be able to simply sit back and enjoy the holiday. No worrying about traffic. No worrying about when we have to be where. No worrying about forgetting presents at our place. Just sitting back in our pjs and watching Christmas specials and movies all day long.

But for me, Christmas starts on Christmas Eve. Both of us had to work, which really just helped our cause of staying home for Christmas. Once I got home from work I got what food I could ready for munching the next day. Who wants to cook on Christmas day? That night I finally got to do something I had been looking forward to for a few years now: playing at Midnight Mass!

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I play the trumpet. I’ve been playing since the 5th grade and I don’t want to try to figure out how many years that has been. I am really lucky that I get to play every Sunday at Mass. For a few years we were able to go up to be with family over Christmas because it fell on a Friday-Monday. Last year I was not in the mood for a traditional Christmas Mass, so I sang at the Blue Christmas Mass on Christmas Eve. But this year…hehehe…this year was ready!

Well, as ready as I could be. We played some carols before Mass, which I played for half of them. I played for the last two and then we went right into Mass. I am still amazed that my lip lasted through the whole thing. It was really trying to die on me a couple of times. But it was totally worth it.

When I got home, I was given the option to open a present if I wanted to. Considering my sister had me open my present from them on Sunday when I saw them briefly, I felt I had opened my early present and suggested he could open his from them. Yeah, my sister is getting good at finding presents. They got him a “flight deck”, as he’s calling it. It’s 4 small glasses and a wooden tray for them to create a flight of beers to taste. He’s really happy.

After that I went to bed. It was 1:30am. It was late enough.

The next morning we slept in. It’s so nice to sleep in on a Wednesday. I got up and finished the cooking and got everything out in the living room for easy snacking. Once he got up, we sat by the tree and opened what remained of our presents. The rest of the day was spent munching and watching holiday movies snuggled up on the couch. A wonderful way to spend Christmas.

Busy does not begin…

Life lately has been overwhelming at times. Trying to juggle a 40-hour work week on top of taking three classes in the evening in a demanding program has been tough. Luckily I have managed to figure things out and no longer feel like I’m struggling to keep my head above water.

First, I did some thinking and realized that, at least right now, becoming an interpreter is not for me. When I think about going to grad school and becoming a speech therapist, I get excited. I’m looking forward to it. I want it to happen. When I think about becoming an interpreter, I get worried and stressed and have a total lack of confidence. I almost dread it. You really shouldn’t dread a future career. So I have decided to finish out this semester, take the last two classes I need to get the Deaf Studies Certificate next semester, and just take other classes needed for the interpreter degree outside of the interpreting department. That way I’m staying busy, getting my GPA higher for grad school applications, and keeping my options open if I decide down the line to pick up where I left off and become an interpreter.

Second, I reread The Abide Guide. Dudeism just helps me to deal with the chaos that is this world. It has reminded me that simply saying “Fuck it” when you are frustrated really helps. The frustration dissipates and you feel so much better. It also inspired me to rearrange my room, again. But this time I think I have it in a configuration that will be easier to keep organized. I’ll take some pics and post them when I’ve got it completely finished. There are still a few things to put on the walls and bring back in from the living room. I’ve got a computer area, a reading area, and plenty of space for people to come and hang out. And there’s still enough floor space for the air mattress if we have someone over for a visit! It just feels better. It is really important to have a space that you can call your own. Now mine is also a personal retreat. 🙂