Callistonian.net

Hi! How are you? I’m good, I guess. I’m just—figuratively—wiping the dust off Callistonian.net and its antediluvian (but still beloved!) layout. It’s only been approx. 530 hours since I last blogged.

Of course, I dislike the idea of beginning every blog entry with an apology for being MIA, but I keep disappearing. I hate this blogging once-a-month thing, but it’s what I’ve been doing. We’ll see just how possible blogging more consistently is for me—have you ever wanted to do something consistently only to not do it?

Books. So, in terms of books, I have done the unthinkable. I, a Pulitzer-Prize-obsessed-literature-loving-logophile, read Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. I didn’t just read that one. This month, I finished it as well as New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. I read all 5,212,323,875,213 2,515 pages. And guess what? I like all four books. Have I lost my mind? Perhaps. Maybe I’ll post reviews explaining myself later, maybe I won’t. At any rate, I have no real intentions of watching the Twilight movie because it looks stupid to me.

Is it any wonder that my favorite song (for the moment) is 8eight’s lovely vampiric ballad 심장이 없어 (Without A Heart)?

Academics I need to study Korean. I hoped to have my proficiency in Korean tested in April, but since that’s become impossible, I intend to take the test in October. Now that my test has been pushed back several months, I’ve decided to tackle the insurmountable. I’m going to—I use the term “going to” very loosely—learn 3 to 4 years worth of Korean between now and then, and sit the highest level. -_-;

Academics Part 2 Sometimes, I play English teacher. For extra credit of sorts, I challenge my students to find non-technical English words that I do not know. For awhile, I was doing quite well and warding them off, but then one of the little geniuses got me with floccinaucinihilipilification. T_T

I’ll be more interesting next time. Ciao!

Okay, I suck at reading—apparently. I’ve honestly reached a lifetime low: in two months, two months!, I’ve read only 3 books worth mentioning. In an effort to remedy this vice, I’ve decided to read 5 books this week. I don’t know if my deciding to read books is going to turn into my actually reading them—I know why I haven’t been reading. a) I dislike library books b) I’m stingy and don’t wish to buy books and c) I don’t want to read the books I have/can get for free. Help? :)

In other news, Lene tagged me.

What you have to do in this is the following:

1. List five vices you have, with a description if you want to.
2. Tag five bloggers for this meme.
3. Link back to the blogger who tagged you, and this post if you want to be nice!

Arguing. I really like getting into intense conversations on random things. I like conflict; I like arguing about silly stuff. As long as everything stays playful, I find verbal sparring fun. Sometimes, when I’m tired and haven’t had my fill of quick-witted battles - I take little jabs at my friends… I’m impatient and want to play. :(

The Internet. I often use the Internet in an unproductive manner. ‘fo shame. :(

Ability to do Nothing. This is related to the vice above. I can keep myself amused for an hour or so with nothing at my disposal. I can just sit and think. I also have something of an obsessive personality. So I’m capable of checking my email 20 times in 5 minutes (and thus I’m capable of wasting 5 minutes and of doing nothing). Oh, do I have mail? No? What about now? Now? Let me wait a moment. Now? NO? Still? Maybe it didn’t refresh?

My Pace (マイペース). I work at my own pace and do things when I feel like it. :P (Take note: this is somehow different from procrastination.)

Perfectionist. I’m a perfectionist. This is a vice because I often set high standards, and deal poorly with little failures. Like zomg? What do you mean I didn’t score in the 99.999th percentile? Everyone’s going to be disappointed in me. I can’t face anyone. *sob* T_T

Now, you know what a terrible person I am. :) So I shall tag five people: Chanel, Vera, Kaylee, Rilla, and you (if you’d like to be tagged). ♥

In the past, I was 99.4 percent against re-reading books. Now, I’m not sure where I stand. Part of me is of the opinion that there are so many good books to read - I’ll never get to read them all - so why waste precious time re-reading things (when I’d like to read as many as possible).

Another part of me, the more mature and reasonable part of me, believes that there’s no harm in re-reading fabulous books, especially when I can’t remember their plots. I thought that my memory would serve me well, but it’s not. I can’t remember the books I read 10-12 years ago. I haven’t quite forgotten their basics, but the details are lost on me… I love details; if I can’t remember the details, I might as well not remember anything. And really, what’s the point of reading a lot of books if you don’t remember any of them?

Do you re-read books?

In other news, it looks like Mike Huckabee will win the Republican primary in my state and that Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic one. I lose double. :(

Disclaimer: This is a housekeeping entry. It is not an exercise in fine writing. Please, excuse the mess.

In the interest of allowing my readers to learn more about me as a person, rather than me as a blogger, and because I fear nothing, and show everything…ask me a question. Any question you want. - Amanda

I’m following the trend that Amanda began—ask away. Questions and answers will be added to my Ask & Answer page.

two. I will blog about something other than nonsense later. Who’d have thought, right? Suggestions for blog topics or articles are welcome—if there’s anything that you want to hear me go on about, let me know!

three. Also, this layout isn’t quite right. I want to make another one with the same theme of Versailles. Suggestions? Criticisms?

It is harder, sometimes, to review a glorious book—to convey its power and influence without relying on suspicious adjectives. Good books can be slotted, characterized, explained; great books often cannot. I believe Geraldine Brooks’ new novel, March, is a very great book. I believe it breathes new life into the historical fiction genre, the borrowing- a- character- from- the- deep- past phenomenon, the old I- shall- tell- you- a- story- through- letters tradition. I believe it honors the best of the imagination. I give it a hero’s welcome. - Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Tribune puts it best but—yes, I attempted to review March. My review is here.

five. I have an exam on Thursday. Wish me luck!

six. Things of interest:

1. After the taser incident at the university in Florida, the domain donttazemebro.com was registered.
2. The Prehistory of Emoticons

There’s a stack of half-read and never- before- opened books sitting on a shelf in my bedroom. For someone who lists reading as one her hobbies, the stack is a disgrace. Why oh why do I own books purchased in August of 2006 that I still haven’t read? I have my reasons but really—it’s just a disgrace…

Earlier this week, I adventured over to a bookstore in search of something “easy to read.” Most of the lovelies on my shelf do not qualify as “easy reads.” Instead, they can only be tolerated in small servings as they seem to inspire headaches. Several are long and dense non-fiction works of genius. Others are shorter and fictional but written in vague styles saturated with symbols—they dare to employ terms that evade dictionaries.  (You know, I love you – Faulkner). Anyway, I went to the bookstore because I thought that I was dying to read a book and I thought that I wanted the experience to be quick and painless (screw long journeys down streams of conscience and through dark jungles swamped with metaphors!). I returned home empty-handed.

I failed completely in trying to find a brainless read. I didn’t even know where to start. While my mind was screaming, “Be practical! Look for something short! Look for something funny!”, my body subconsciously worked against me.  I knew that the game was over when I ended up starting longingly at James Joyce’s Ulysses with Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead in hand.

In the end, I decided to tackle Geraldine Brook’s March (from my shelf)- I’m so glad that I said “No! No!  No~,” to the bookstore’s meaningless drivel, to the popular stuff pandering to the lowest common denominator (HP? – I jest). March wasn’t a painful read. It was amazing, “teh awesome.” It won the Pulitzer Prize. You know, the Pultizer, that amazing award bestowed only on the most brilliant of books. I don’t know when I became afflicted with the “intellectually simulating = ahh! Omg! Scary. Boring! Confusing!” disease but, I’m recovering—it is a sickness that I loathe to have.

Hopefully, I’ll post a review of March soon. It obviously gets 5 stars… Unfortunately, there’s a group of nitwits on amazon.com who gave it one star. One of them didn’t even read the book…  Enough said.