Not that giraffes are not amazing creatures, because they totally are, I wish to also post about something else today: cancer.
In the last 2-3 months the amount of caner that has become apart of my life has greatly escalated. In June a neighbour and long time family friend was diagnosed with secondary cancer and only survived for 3 weeks passing away in early July. This was such a shock to everyone as this woman was extremely healthy and rarely sick until one day when she just 'didn't feel quite right,' at which point her body simply shut down because they were too late.
Up until a few years ago I was fortunate enough to not have had cancer affect any members of my family. 3 years ago my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer and my grandmother with esophageal cancer. My grandmother is no longer alive, however my aunt has demonstrated huge amounts of strength undergoing a number of rounds of radiation treatment, surgery, and many months at home unable to return to work.
A close friend of mine's mother was also recently diagnosed with breast cancer and she is undergoing chemotherapy. I am truly amazed at how well he is handling everything considering what his mother is going through. I suppose what really hammered the nail on the head was today. I had lunch with one of my oldest friends and as we were driving to our lunch location she received a call from her father and he asked her to pull over because he had some bad news. He proceeded to tell her that he has prostate cancer and that he will be having surgery in late october. Since we had literally grown up together I know her father pretty well and I have many memories of him joking around with us, etc...
Up until today I believed my family to be a rather healthy bunch, and for the most part we are, but cancer seems to be everywhere these days and its quite creepy how quickly it has inserted itself into my life. I just feel like it's only a matter of time before someone in my immediate family is diagnosed with it. I know you can't live in fear of something that may never happen, but I just wonder how many more people are going to have to be affected by this terrible disease before a cure is found or revealed (as I'm sure there is one and the man is just not letting the masses have access to it).
Since cancer has never been apart of my immediate family I often don't know how to react when people who are heavily affected by it speak to me about it. Today I gave my friend a hug and was there for her as she cried because that's what she needed from me. For me that's pretty easy though. My other friend whose mother is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer a few days ago mentioned off hand that his mothers hair had begun to fall out. Since he simply mentioned it in passing, I was not sure if he wanted to talk about it or he just said it because he needed to say it out loud. How do you know what to say to that?
Cancer, what the fuck? Coming into our homes, stealing our family.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Fuck John G
I just got off the phone with someone at the community school I was hired to work at on Thursdays this fall only to be told that the program will no longer be running. Nobody bothered to call me and tell me this and I ended up turning down another position because I already had my position at John G. I'm pretty fucking pissed right now.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Part 4 of 7)
After having re-read the fourth novel in the series I am seriously considering re-evaluating the order in which I love and adore the books. I have not read the 4th installment in awhile, mainly because its quite long and very middle series-ish. But upon having completed it, I am quite confident in saying that it may be my new favourite.
JK provides us with constant action-packed adventure in this novel and despite its length there are not any parts of the novel that seem to drag or could be omitted. We meet a huge number of characters in this novel whom all seem to be central to the plot of the novel and aren't just written in for shits.
Each characters history is greatly tied to that of Harry's and the magical community and she develops rather extensive back stories for them. One such example, Ludo Bagman (who is not even included in the movie) a central role in the 4th novel, ultimately aids Harry in gaining a greater understanding of the magical world the last time ol' voldy reigned.
Hermione finds passion and involvement in her house elf movement with SPEW, which I find to be refreshing because up until this point in the novels we have only had access to the "brainy" side of her. We also are further pushed into Hagrid's past as it is revealed that he is in fact a half giant. Rita Skeeter (the Daily Prophet reporter) unlocks another element of the wizarding world that readers have yet to gain knowledge about. All these details help to push the quick plot forward and entice readers into a magical world that is now much more realized in this novel as we move from the exclusivity of life at Hogwarts to a more expanded wizarding experience, which is truly amazing on JK's part.
With regard to the movie, I am temped to not say anything at all as it is simply so abysmal in comparison to the novel. However, that's totally a cop-out. Firstly, the way that tasks are portrayed is pretty what the h-. The dragon task does not happen that way at all, and then in the third task, which I found to be most intriguing they leave everything out and make it seem as though the champions basically just have to find the cup, which completely contradicts what Dumbledore says before the contestants go in the maze. Also, not having read the books I feel there would be a great amount of confusion about why and how things happen, especially at the beginning of the movie. All of the sudden there are random people at Hogwarts with little explanation, whats the deal with Moody, why doesn't Sirius have any lines. Argh, this is just making me angry. The movie is terrible and the book is amazing. whhhy??
JK provides us with constant action-packed adventure in this novel and despite its length there are not any parts of the novel that seem to drag or could be omitted. We meet a huge number of characters in this novel whom all seem to be central to the plot of the novel and aren't just written in for shits.
Each characters history is greatly tied to that of Harry's and the magical community and she develops rather extensive back stories for them. One such example, Ludo Bagman (who is not even included in the movie) a central role in the 4th novel, ultimately aids Harry in gaining a greater understanding of the magical world the last time ol' voldy reigned.
Hermione finds passion and involvement in her house elf movement with SPEW, which I find to be refreshing because up until this point in the novels we have only had access to the "brainy" side of her. We also are further pushed into Hagrid's past as it is revealed that he is in fact a half giant. Rita Skeeter (the Daily Prophet reporter) unlocks another element of the wizarding world that readers have yet to gain knowledge about. All these details help to push the quick plot forward and entice readers into a magical world that is now much more realized in this novel as we move from the exclusivity of life at Hogwarts to a more expanded wizarding experience, which is truly amazing on JK's part.
With regard to the movie, I am temped to not say anything at all as it is simply so abysmal in comparison to the novel. However, that's totally a cop-out. Firstly, the way that tasks are portrayed is pretty what the h-. The dragon task does not happen that way at all, and then in the third task, which I found to be most intriguing they leave everything out and make it seem as though the champions basically just have to find the cup, which completely contradicts what Dumbledore says before the contestants go in the maze. Also, not having read the books I feel there would be a great amount of confusion about why and how things happen, especially at the beginning of the movie. All of the sudden there are random people at Hogwarts with little explanation, whats the deal with Moody, why doesn't Sirius have any lines. Argh, this is just making me angry. The movie is terrible and the book is amazing. whhhy??
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Part 3 of 7)
My apologies for the length it took me to get this post going. I did not have a lot of time to watch the movie and was just recently able to put some time aside to do so. While I have already began reading the 4th book, I think I may try watching the 5th movie before I begin reading the novel. For the past 3 books, I have read then watched and I want to see how watch then read goes. Anyway, moving on to book 3!
The third novel is phenomenal. For the first time we are able to get a glimpse into Harry's past with his parents and their friends. Up until this point we know very little about his past and it is clear that his past is about to unfold in the remaining books that will heavily rely upon the information we are given in this novel.
Also, for the first time it seems as though Harry has a fairly normal school year up until the very end when everything unfolds. Of all the other years that Harry experiences I would say this one is probably most like a normal year, which I appreciated since we have had little opportunity to read this thus far.
Rowling really gets into things such as quiddich and lessons in this novel and it is interesting to see since up until this point other than potions and the odd defense against the dark arts lesson there is very little in class dialogue. We also have a very heavy investment into quiddich as Gryffindor house wins the championship this year for the first time since Harry has been on the team. His immersion into the magical world at this point seems much more complete than it has in previous years as it is clear that he is finding himself more apart of the magical world.
For the first time at the end of the novel, Rowling leaves the reader hanging, longing for the next installment. Professor Trelawney (the divination instructor) makes a prediction that Lord Voldemort will return to full strength once his servant returns to him, which happens at the end of the novel. The reader now knows that or good pal Voldy is likely to return so we're on the edge of our seats wondering when, where and how Rowling is going to make this happen.
Now, the movie on the other hand does not quite hit home upon the seriousness of the Voldy matter like the novel does. Things that are of utmost importance seem to be glossed over quite quickly, which would be confusing to someone who never read the books. A lot of Harry's background life about his parents is left out. The movie doesn't even reveal who Mooney, Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail are. The scene in the shrieking shack leaves the watcher with very little information about what is going to happen next and what the deal is with Lupin. If you are to compare the 3rd movie to the remaining ones it seems like a pretty good movie, but if you compare it to the 1st and 2nd and book it really doesn't do the book justice.
Also, this movie is directed by someone new (Alfonso something or other) and he makes a number of changes to the Hogwarts scenes which make it seem much less magical than when Columbus was in charge. And of course there is a new Dumbledore (which is obviously out of the control of the movie people), but he is quite abysmal and not at all the way Dumbledore is supposed to be. Thus, in conclusion, the book rocked the socks off life and the movie was simply sub-par.
The third novel is phenomenal. For the first time we are able to get a glimpse into Harry's past with his parents and their friends. Up until this point we know very little about his past and it is clear that his past is about to unfold in the remaining books that will heavily rely upon the information we are given in this novel.
Also, for the first time it seems as though Harry has a fairly normal school year up until the very end when everything unfolds. Of all the other years that Harry experiences I would say this one is probably most like a normal year, which I appreciated since we have had little opportunity to read this thus far.
Rowling really gets into things such as quiddich and lessons in this novel and it is interesting to see since up until this point other than potions and the odd defense against the dark arts lesson there is very little in class dialogue. We also have a very heavy investment into quiddich as Gryffindor house wins the championship this year for the first time since Harry has been on the team. His immersion into the magical world at this point seems much more complete than it has in previous years as it is clear that he is finding himself more apart of the magical world.
For the first time at the end of the novel, Rowling leaves the reader hanging, longing for the next installment. Professor Trelawney (the divination instructor) makes a prediction that Lord Voldemort will return to full strength once his servant returns to him, which happens at the end of the novel. The reader now knows that or good pal Voldy is likely to return so we're on the edge of our seats wondering when, where and how Rowling is going to make this happen.
Now, the movie on the other hand does not quite hit home upon the seriousness of the Voldy matter like the novel does. Things that are of utmost importance seem to be glossed over quite quickly, which would be confusing to someone who never read the books. A lot of Harry's background life about his parents is left out. The movie doesn't even reveal who Mooney, Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail are. The scene in the shrieking shack leaves the watcher with very little information about what is going to happen next and what the deal is with Lupin. If you are to compare the 3rd movie to the remaining ones it seems like a pretty good movie, but if you compare it to the 1st and 2nd and book it really doesn't do the book justice.
Also, this movie is directed by someone new (Alfonso something or other) and he makes a number of changes to the Hogwarts scenes which make it seem much less magical than when Columbus was in charge. And of course there is a new Dumbledore (which is obviously out of the control of the movie people), but he is quite abysmal and not at all the way Dumbledore is supposed to be. Thus, in conclusion, the book rocked the socks off life and the movie was simply sub-par.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Emotional Wreckage in the form of Confusion
For the purpose of this post I will refer to guy1 as B and guy2 as P.
I am currently a wreck. Probably because I am in a state of emotional confusion. I don't think in my whole life I have had the pleasure and excitement of undergoing vast quantities of roller coaster-like emotions in the span of 2 months. When my job ended I thought that I had come to terms with most of my thoughts and feelings. In fact, I even wrote B a letter outlining what I thought because I certainly owed to myself and him to be honest about what was going on.
Then last week I had the whole week off from work, in which I was able to do vast quantities of thinking (up until that point I had only the weekends and afterwards I was thrust back into my job). I came to the conclusion that I was lonely, and that maybe it was time that I move forward with someone new.
New. New is scary and unknown and unsure. P and I have been acquaintances// friends for about 2 years. This summer we became quite close and our time together is turning from friends to more than friends. And its good because he's fun and I like him a lot and he makes me laugh and he's really different from most of the people I know, but I am still freaked out beyond reason and I have no idea why.
Actually that's a lie. I think I am freaked out because I'm not sure if I'm ready for things to be moving forward at the pace that they are. I still think about B often and they are always good things, which is okay because we are still good friends and I care about him more than he knows, but I don't know if it's okay for me to be missing certain things.
I miss all of his quirks and mannerisms, like the thing he does with his hand when he's talking to waiters at restaurants, and his amazing smarts, and the way he could beat me in a tickle fight in a nano-second, and the way I felt like I could be myself all the time, and the way it felt when I was being held onto by him, and how he could always make everything okay. And I don't know if I'm allowed to miss these things. And if I'm not supposed to be missing these things then I definitely not being fair to P.
I'm not only freaked out about me being thrust into new things but also B being involved in new and exciting adventures. B has told me very little about this new girl (lets call her C) that he has been hanging out with. And while I don't know very much about her I find myself presuming that she is beautiful and a genius, and not weird// and or quirky, and flawless, and put together, and unbelievably nice and well perfect I guess. It's not that I'm not glad that B and C are having a good time together (because I am, as a happy B is the only way that he should be) or that A and P are having a good time together, it's just much easier to notice all the things that are wrong with me the way things are now and it makes me feel lonely even though I'm not alone (?).
Right now, while I know that B and I shouldn't be together, there is still this thought in the back of my mind that we will one day (maybe many many years from now) find our ways back together because we were great. And I know that he definitely does not feel the same way, which makes me feel like I shouldn't have written that. Maybe I just have to find someone that is amazing like B, because B is amazing and the best person I have ever had the privilege to know. And since he's so great, maybe that's why I'm freaking out about P because I don't know all the great things about him yet. Fuck, I am really messed up right now...this doesn't even make sense.
I am currently a wreck. Probably because I am in a state of emotional confusion. I don't think in my whole life I have had the pleasure and excitement of undergoing vast quantities of roller coaster-like emotions in the span of 2 months. When my job ended I thought that I had come to terms with most of my thoughts and feelings. In fact, I even wrote B a letter outlining what I thought because I certainly owed to myself and him to be honest about what was going on.
Then last week I had the whole week off from work, in which I was able to do vast quantities of thinking (up until that point I had only the weekends and afterwards I was thrust back into my job). I came to the conclusion that I was lonely, and that maybe it was time that I move forward with someone new.
New. New is scary and unknown and unsure. P and I have been acquaintances// friends for about 2 years. This summer we became quite close and our time together is turning from friends to more than friends. And its good because he's fun and I like him a lot and he makes me laugh and he's really different from most of the people I know, but I am still freaked out beyond reason and I have no idea why.
Actually that's a lie. I think I am freaked out because I'm not sure if I'm ready for things to be moving forward at the pace that they are. I still think about B often and they are always good things, which is okay because we are still good friends and I care about him more than he knows, but I don't know if it's okay for me to be missing certain things.
I miss all of his quirks and mannerisms, like the thing he does with his hand when he's talking to waiters at restaurants, and his amazing smarts, and the way he could beat me in a tickle fight in a nano-second, and the way I felt like I could be myself all the time, and the way it felt when I was being held onto by him, and how he could always make everything okay. And I don't know if I'm allowed to miss these things. And if I'm not supposed to be missing these things then I definitely not being fair to P.
I'm not only freaked out about me being thrust into new things but also B being involved in new and exciting adventures. B has told me very little about this new girl (lets call her C) that he has been hanging out with. And while I don't know very much about her I find myself presuming that she is beautiful and a genius, and not weird// and or quirky, and flawless, and put together, and unbelievably nice and well perfect I guess. It's not that I'm not glad that B and C are having a good time together (because I am, as a happy B is the only way that he should be) or that A and P are having a good time together, it's just much easier to notice all the things that are wrong with me the way things are now and it makes me feel lonely even though I'm not alone (?).
Right now, while I know that B and I shouldn't be together, there is still this thought in the back of my mind that we will one day (maybe many many years from now) find our ways back together because we were great. And I know that he definitely does not feel the same way, which makes me feel like I shouldn't have written that. Maybe I just have to find someone that is amazing like B, because B is amazing and the best person I have ever had the privilege to know. And since he's so great, maybe that's why I'm freaking out about P because I don't know all the great things about him yet. Fuck, I am really messed up right now...this doesn't even make sense.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Part 2 of 7)
Harry Potter 2 is written in a very similar style as the first novel. She wrote the first 3 novels in a more compact manner and released them all around the same time whereas the later novels (after she gained popularity) took on a different writing style and vibe. The second novel can probably be read without having read the first one as she provides the reader with a large amount of background information.
The storyline itself in the 2nd novel does start to seem a little forced. I mean how can one person (harry) have all these things happen to him and why does he feel as though he needs to take responsibility for all the bad things that always seem to go on at Hogwarts. And secondly Dumbledore just lets him go along and try and fix everything. It is stated on a number of occasions that Dumbledore knows everything that goes on at Hogwarts, if this is the case why does he just let Ron and Harry waltz down into the Chamber of Secrets and put their lives in grave danger?
While the plot moves quickly and is quite action packed the book has a very 'in-between' feel. She's not setting up anything new really for the remainder of the story, but she wants Voldy to have another go at Harry before she really gets things going, which I suppose is fine because of the (short) length of the novel.
The movie in comparison to the book does a pretty good job of staying on target. It's not nearly as precise as the first book//movie combo but its still quite close. There were a few things however that were unnecessarily changed such as who delivered various lines and some scenes were left out. The movie was quite long so I understand omitting various scenes but switching around lines is silly and pointless.
But, all in all good book to movie transition and great novel.
The storyline itself in the 2nd novel does start to seem a little forced. I mean how can one person (harry) have all these things happen to him and why does he feel as though he needs to take responsibility for all the bad things that always seem to go on at Hogwarts. And secondly Dumbledore just lets him go along and try and fix everything. It is stated on a number of occasions that Dumbledore knows everything that goes on at Hogwarts, if this is the case why does he just let Ron and Harry waltz down into the Chamber of Secrets and put their lives in grave danger?
While the plot moves quickly and is quite action packed the book has a very 'in-between' feel. She's not setting up anything new really for the remainder of the story, but she wants Voldy to have another go at Harry before she really gets things going, which I suppose is fine because of the (short) length of the novel.
The movie in comparison to the book does a pretty good job of staying on target. It's not nearly as precise as the first book//movie combo but its still quite close. There were a few things however that were unnecessarily changed such as who delivered various lines and some scenes were left out. The movie was quite long so I understand omitting various scenes but switching around lines is silly and pointless.
But, all in all good book to movie transition and great novel.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)