Possession...or how Byatt needs more editing on occasion

Not that anyone other than Cathy reads this, or pretends to anyway, but I have to write because I have finally finished Possession by A.S. Byatt. I am conflicted as to how I feel about it. My sister asked how many stars I would give it out of five and I was giving it four until I remembered how Byatt cheated. Here are the complaints:

1) She cheated. Balls out cheated. I'll say the same thing of any other writer who does this, but I was surprised when Byatt did. I thought she would have thought better of her audience than to pander to us. See, we spend the majority of the book in the present (or really the 1980s) looking back at things written from the late 1850s. We are in the present, the story is in the present, but we are looking at texts from the past. Ninety-nine percent of the book fits that mold, and then Byatt cheats and gives us bits of the past that we would not know from what we have in the present. And it didn't really add to the book, it provided no great insight. And the final one was the biggest cheat of all, it was pandering.

2) The unnecessary bits. If you read it, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't and decide you are going to read it, take my advice and skip or skim sections you feel you are going to die of boredom in. Yes, I just said skip. Trust me, I skipped, and here's why: I am not a literary scholar. I like a good mystery, but when a book is longer than 500 pages and I have to read the journal of a teenage Breton girl, I will skip and skim. If I am given pages upon pages of a poem that drags on, I am going to skip it. Maybe "Swammerdam" had a brilliance I couldn't see, but then it wasn't really meant for me was it?

3) The Cropper chapter. So unnecessary. I almost stopped reading there. Really, I did, then I felt guilty and skipped him instead.

4) Being made to research like the two main characters. If I wanted to do that, I would be doing that, not reading a novel for enjoyment.

However, I did really like the book. I liked Maud and adored Roland. I liked them and the story much more than the film, which I bugged my sister about trying to remember (plus I decided that Aaron Eckhart [although a decent enough guy and generally good actor] was miscast and not because he played Roland as an American, but because he has a confidence he can't really shed). I did feel involved in it (although I was a cheat because I already knew the kicker), I flipped the pages eagerly at the end for the resolution. It is a novel of great feeling, which I appreciate. But I still say Byatt cheated.

I should also add that mid-book, I stopped. I couldn't take it. I closed the book and thought I'd never return. I think it was in the middle of a letter that told me nothing about nothing. During that pause, I read Pride and Prejudice and was reminded how much I love Austen. We should note here that it was easier to read a book written in the early nineteenth century than a book written in the 1980s. And now, I am with Wuthering Heights. I desperately want to understand why reading about England seems natural to me while in tropical Guam.

television tragedies

A tragic thing happens every spring, and it's not the heinous allergy season I'm deeply entrenched with right now. And in the grand scheme of things, "tragic" is probably a bit of a stretch, but for those affected, the desperation that will ensue feels tragic...TV renewal season.

The problem comes with being a fan of smart television. Smart television is rarely rewarded. The great victory of the years rests in Friday Night Lights, and I worry that NBC gave us that only to let us down on the other prime shows: Chuck, Southland, Life, and maybe Kings (I haven't decided on it yet). Worry supplemented by the stupid addition of a primetime Jay Leno show. With a primetime talk show (which is dirt cheap for NBC), the dramas much more intended for adults are going to be cut and suffer.

Then, there's Better Off Ted on ABC. Dollhouse and Lie To Me on Fox. And the ever challenged How I Met Your Mother.

All this goodness and the networks still keep something as tired and boring as Heroes.

My sister's beloved Adalia

The crazy thing happened yesterday as I started shopping for a new suitcase. It was surprise, even though I knew it was coming...I became a published crochet designer. And I'm super scared. Looking at the photos, there are things I wish I had done and things I wish the magazine had done, but it's all done now and I can't change it except to say that maybe more motifs are called for on the top of the back, and maybe in a stronger fiber.

That said, it's super exciting. Super scary and super exciting. The pattern is easy, and would be easier if not for words. I'm always amazed at how words (and abbreviations) get in the way. It reminds me of that saying (that I first heard in Playing By Heart spoken by Angelina Jolie before people knew who she was [and when Gillian Anderson was the superstar in that movie, next to the superstars of Sean Connery and Gena Rowlands]) that talking about love is like dancing about architecture. Sometimes crochet patterns are written like someone's dancing about architecture. Diagrams make it easier. Symbols make things clear.

Anyway, March 31st will be a weird day all around: the magazine goes on sale in stores, and I celebrate my 31st birthday (likely in Guam). And the only person I really want to see the magazine (or really my name in the magazine) is one of my grandmothers, because without her, I wouldn't be there.

Oh, and my sister gets tons of credit on that top too. Tons of credit, including the name.

On a completely separate note, here are some links to animated short films. Goodness all around. I wish I could show you Imagemakers, because I'm sure you'd love it.

The Periwig Maker
9

It's time to admit defeat. Aside from the yarn that is not arriving in time and is therefore going to prevent me from finishing the afghan.

Here's what's left and can't be taken care of easily:

-the afghan
-the comfort scarf
-the House Unity scarf
-the birthday scarf

And although the end of the month is a way off, I have to prioritize for the second half of the month because I won't have all of my supplies. I have to prioritize supplies too. And books. And patterns.

It took a few weeks, but worry has been replaced with excitement. I get to go here:


Photo of Pohnpei by islagirl

and here:


Photo of Guam by zinnie.

I might not like heat, but I do love beauty.

Worry

I have discovered the land of worry. It sits alongside the land of caution, and I have tripped from caution to worry. The thing is I'm going to be in Guam for six weeks, which means that I'm going to be living in a hotel room for six weeks. Yes, a hotel room for six weeks. I can handle the idea of a hotel room for six weeks, but all of the reviews on TripAdvisor for the Guam hotels make me worry. And now, I've read one that described a brown tree snake in the bathtub and another coming out of the fire sprinkler. That is what the land of worry looks like.

The To-Do List

These are the leftovers from the holidays and 2008 in general.

For accountability's sake, things still left to do:

1)* scarf for Dad - needs washing and seaming
2) scarf for friend - halfway...minimal progress
3) scarf for friend - planned, not started...no progress
4) bag for Mom - needs a lining...no progress
5) hemp bag - need to restart...no progress
6)* 1st wedding afghan - washed, needs sewing
7)* 2nd wedding afghan - started, maybe 1/8 done
8) Liesl - needs to be blocked...no progress
9) House Unity scarf - ongoing...no progress
11) Twine Bag - languishing...no progress
12)* Ben's Hat - needs wash
13) Lexie's Hat - wash and block...no progress

Things completed:
scarf for other
scarf for other
baby blanket
1st sweater
2nd sweater
Moebius basket
*Birdie's sweater

All items currently sleeping in my queue will not be impacted by this because when I look at them, I can never decide if I want to finish them.

*Updated on 2/17/09.