The Hunger Games

Before school started I wanted to get in some last minute reading that I knew I wouldn't have time nor energy for once school began. I read the first book on Janna's suggestion a while ago. I loved it! However, I hate being caught in book two in a three book series; the authors usually wrap up book one in case it doesn't go very far and two and three never get published. Book two, however, always leaves the reader hanging. They usually know there will be a promise of getting book three published, so there's no need to wrap up the loose ends snugly. The author also usually gets busy with popularity and it takes a long time to get book three out. Therefore, I didn't read the second 'til the third came out, which was just a few weeks ago. I was going to just skim the first again, but I got completely pulled in. I just couldn't help reading it all over again.

The first book is pretty well written with a lot of powerful, yet subtle, themes. The most powerful of these was the question of what people will do for entertainment's sake and for power's sake. It's an interesting look at what motivates people and how those motivations can be positive or negative; how they can be for good or evil. Granted, she takes some liberties with the graphic nature of some sections. There are some violent deaths in there. They aren't overly depicted, but it's for an older teen audience. Some really great conversations could come out of it though, and actually have... in my life at least. :)

The second book... well... I had low expectations from what I'd heard. It was better than I expected, but not as great as the first. Still interesting and catching, but it did leave you hanging. There weren't as many powerful themes in it, nor was it as subtle. It was more of a surface read. The one theme that I pulled out of it was the question of what people are willing to give up and live with/without as long as they have something to hold on to, someone to hold on to. The things we're willing to sacrifice because others are worth it. The nobleness of the human spirit contrasted with the baseness and manipulation of the human spirit. Again, though, it took a bit of thinking to pull that idea out and clarify it.

The third book is the one that just came out, Mockingjay. The book started out well and kept up a gripping pace throughout. Like the other two books, I was riveted inside the story and the characters. I know some of you haven't read it yet, so I'm not going to go into details, but... just a warning... it gets pretty violent and graphic in there. Parents, read it first... I'm not sure I'd want my child reading it without figuring out how to talk about the themes that are in there. They are dramatic and a little heavy handed, but powerful and disconcerting. If any of you read it, please let me know what you think. I'm very curious to hear your thoughts- I may just be over reacting because of outside influences- very possible.

Anyway, I wanted to post this before I forgot all the details and get wrapped up in school on Monday. I let school stop me from posting about some awesome books I read this summer. So sad. :)  Anyway, let me know if you read them!

So Long Summer

It's almost shocking to me that summer is coming to an end. I haven't posted anything since right around June sometime, so here are a few things I've been up to in no particular order. **Warning: this post contains two months worth of activity in two semi-busy months. **

I'm saying goodbye to this building. I'm officially finished with my English endorsement; the last step for my teaching certification. I took my last two classes (both American Lit) this summer at UVU. I've walked through this parking lot and up those stairs oh-so-many times.

I'm saying hello to this building- American Preparatory Academy in West Valley. I've already spent two weeks training and today I went in to set up my classroom. (Getting paper on those bulletin boards isn't as easy as it should be.) I'm teaching English and Dance- so excited for it! I love the staff and students I've met so far. 

I still get to see her everyday, which I absolutely love and thank my lucky stars for.

  

And... a few other random events that have rocked my summer:

Tuacahn's "Tarzan"

So fun to get some of the family together for a couple days and play. 

Ry's back in SLC! Woohoo! We went to the Salt Lake Parade of Homes; this was a kids play house- intense. And yes, we did get lost in Draper, because it's laid out ridiculously.

 

Fourth of July in Richfield! 'Nough said.

Oh the Children's Parade... I thought I missed it this year because I was running late, but I was thankfully an hour off. Decorated bikes, wagons, scooters, and hair-do's. Perfect country classic.

Mmmm... naps at the cabin. I was really hoping for one right then; Jainie, however, was pretending, and not very well at that. Still, it was fun to cuddle up momentarily.

And lastly, what would a summer be without baseball? Thankfully Janna's kids play and don't mind me hanging out and watching all their games. I really do love it. Makes summer wonderful!

This summer's been busy, but wonderful. I'm excited to start teaching again and to get into fall (my favorite season), but this summer has truly been awesome. Always a little sad to see it go. 

Northern Lights or The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

It's one of my goals this summer to read at least a book a week. I realized during the school year how busy life gets with work and just trying to keep up with the students, so summertime has become my time to catch up on things I want to read, things I should read so I can stay in touch with my students, and things I should read to stay in touch with the literary world. Thankfully, often these categories cross over and I get to immerse myself in a new novel every week that will add to my library.

The first for the summer was actually an audio book I picked up from dad. It was a trilogy called His Dark Materials, with the first book being Northern Lights. One of my students had mentioned the books in passing and they were readily available, so I picked the trilogy up. Only later did I realize that in the USA it was popularized as The Golden Compass.

  

Listening to the book wasn't my favorite. There were missing links throughout that sometimes were connected and put to rest, but often the reader was left dangling. Obviously there are those things that are purposely left dangling because it's a trilogy, but these were small things, such as "How did the armored bear know where she was?" or "Apparently there must be a second entrance because that character wasn't in the room a few minutes ago." Moments like that aren't a big deal, but tend to pull the reader out of the story. Also, the audio books seemed to leave out quite a bit. Rather than explaining the sounds that are happening and reading the full book on tape, often it was as if they replaced the words with actual sounds. Seems like that would be a good thing, doesn't it? Well, it is, until you realize how hard it is to tell the difference between a door opening and a trunk opening and either option is possible in the story. Since it doesn't explain in the dialog for a couple of sentences, the reader is left unsure of what is actually being found and how it was found, thus pulling them out of the story yet again.  I just picked up the second book at the library yesterday, so I'm hoping that the audio book's interpretation is at fault for the lack of good, solid writing style. I'll let you know. 

As for the more intriguing discussion, many people say The Golden Compass is anti-organized religion. Honestly I didn't think about that when I was listening. It has a heavy-handed, moralistic feeling to it of being against anything organized that remains unquestioned by the majority of people. This isn't a new theme in literature though; it's been done over and over in different ways. My problem with it was how heavily the author chose to write it in. Rather than keeping the story line and plot foremost in the work, it almost felt as is Pullman made his message and moral the first priority and then tacked the story on to make it a little more palatable. Bad choice. Never is it a good thing when the reader can hear a dogmatic author voicing thoughts in his or her ear. Sadly, this defect cannot be the result of a poor audio tape reading or interpretation. Nor can the fact be that Pullman's characters can be flat, lifeless, and utterly one-dimensional. These cliched stereotypes drag the book down, creating even less of a plot to really sink yourself into on a rainy afternoon. Whereas some authors choose to make minor characters one dimensional because the stereotype is quicker, Pullman uses the stereotypes to criticize and find fault with people alive today. He chooses to create a one-dimensional character because it helps his moral, not because it helps the story. Again, never a good decision. Hopefully the second book will allow the reader to think their own thoughts and choose their own pathways of interpretation. Again, I'll be sure to let you know. 

Awkward Situations

To explain why on earth it's taken me so long to update, here is a short, dramatized experience from the life of Lindsay Oldroyd occurring a few weeks ago. (Sorry if the first person narration throws you off...)


The gymnasium was echoing with hundreds of teenage voices as they talked about their latest crushes, pet peeves, copied opinions, and who was dating/cheating on whom. The teachers, as usual, spread out towards the back forming an ineffective line, yet firmly in their places as "Keepers of the Peace" overlooking the students. I, however, was friends with all the teachers who happened to be pregnant and therefore got a coveted seat next to some parents.
A middle-aged blonde woman with the typical puffy, Utah-mom haricut, khakis, SAS shoes and unfitted button-up turned to me and asked, "Are you Mrs. Oldroyd?"
"I am," I replied congenially, not recognizing her face.
"Oh, how nice. My son is in your class." 
At this I realized that he must be in my English classes and that therefore, I probably don't really know her son well. I had just started teaching the English classes and was still struggling to match names on paper with faces and personalities. 
"How wonderful!" I replied, slightly faking it. "How is he liking class? Mrs. Phillips is such a great teacher he must have loved having her." (Mrs. Phillips was on maternity leave, which is why I was taking over her classes.)
The chit chat continued for a few moments before she slightly changed the topic and off handedly mentioned, "You know, when I found out you were teaching my son, I wanted to find out more about you and googled you." My eyebrows raised slightly and chin cocked sideways-up in surprise at this admission, but she continued her steady course. "I even found your blog and read it. I found it because of your entry on LPA, but I completely agree about your review of that one book... the historical one... what was it's name again?"
"Cotillion?" (Same facial expression as though slightly frozen, although a small smile was pulling at the side of my lips.)
"Oh yes, yes," she forged, "that one. Georgette Heyer..... talk, talk, talk.... Austen quote on your page is interesting, why... talk,talk,talk... do you really think that....talk, talk, talk..." On she went about things I'd forgotten I'd even thought, let alone written down. Mercifully the assembly started as Mrs. Smyka announced the theme and invited her students on stage.
====
As I left the gymnasium an hour later I had the odd sense that perhaps I wasn't quite the unknown I had imagined myself. And, more importantly, perhaps all my concern over privacy when it came to separation of my work life and normal life had not only been thwarted, but was simply impossible. 


Okay, granted, not literarily the best short story I've ever come up with, but you get the point. It was so bizarre that people from that section of my life read my blog (something firmly entrenched in my personal life). Why would anyone else pick it up to read? I'm really not that interesting of a writer; one with only decent grammar and not particularly an entertaining voice. Point being, it kind of weirded me out a little bit. Having someone unknown read it is fine and quite fun to think about. Actually meeting someone who reads it and wanted to discuss things about my opinions and personality whom I'd never met before threw me off a little. 


Anyway, last night I was chatting with Janna (ever the one bringing the best and most logical advice) and she pointed out I was being somewhat silly. Also, just talking to her about it made me realize how much I actually have missed blogging. So, whether I know you or not, whether I'll ever know you or not, I promise to be better at keeping this updated and I'll try my best to be more entertaining and much less awkward if I ever happen to meet you on the street. :) 

It's Been Golden

As anyone reading this already knows, it's my birthday! Mostly I celebrated yesterday because today was difficult for most people. It was absolutely wonderful- I loved it. :) I wasn't super excited for 25 to happen, but it all turned out perfectly!

First I decided to take dessert to my dancers on Friday. It's a little backwards for me to bring my own birthday dessert, but I just loved having someone to cook for. (And one of my students actually brought me cookies as a present anyway.)  It was a brownie with icing and strawberries. They all seemed to like it- success #1!

On Saturday Mom came up and she, Ryan, Sara and I all went to breakfast together and then went birthday shopping. Woohoo! Being with family is the absolute best part about a birthday. Every opportunity for celebrating should be seized I'm now deciding. Mom couldn't stay for dinner, but she did take me to Costco and bought me some steaks as a birthday present. Sara and Joe came over and we all ate together. So, so fun! I love that the weather is finally warm enough and the food was delicious. Yum!

 

We had steak and stuffed tomatoes,

... with grilled pineapple and a citrus glaze for dessert. 

I meant to do something fresh too, but it just didn't happen. 

Sadly Sara had a conference to go to this weekend, so Joe took her to the airport after dinner. Thankfully, to push away the sadness of being without my awesome roomie for the next couple days, a couple of my friends, Nate and Brandon, had planned an 80's night concert so Ash and Jess came up and we all went together. Nate played a fabulous rendition of Time After Time that I absolutely loved and Brandon even danced with me at the very end of the night as a birthday present and gave me some flower seeds. So sweet... 

And after that Jess and Ash came to my house and brought me a birthday cake. They even had candles and sang Happy Birthday and everything. They gave me a stress relief kit with candy and kids movies and a children's book that I absolutely love. It even had a tiara in it for especially bad days. It was all arranged in a somewhat terrible 70's era wicker basket for magazines in the shape of a duck. They informed me his name is Leonard. Love you guys! Thanks for the best birthday eve ever. :)

It was late at night, so forgive the shiny face. haha

Thanks so much for all the birthday calls and wishes on Facebook and cards and email! I love you all!!

Ownership Man and Pi Day

During school today we had an assembly about ownership. The students put it on and part of it went as follows:
Seth, Mike, and John are on stage making up excuses as to why they didn't finish their reports.
A student jumps to his desk and throws his blue, silk, cape over his shoulder revealing a superman-esque shirt with an O instead of an S and hits the Superman pose.
"Behold, I am Ownership Man!"
Everyone quivers on stage in pure awe of the curly haired boy on the rickety desk.
"Oh! It's Ownerships Man!"
"These students haven't been taking ownership of their actions. Let me show you some examples to help you understand! Example 1: Seth go and slap Mike." Seth does this. All the student body claps and the teachers look worried while they glance around to be sure the principal is there so they don't have to have the responsibility of saying anything. "Example 2: Mike, go tell John that his project was terrible and that there's no way you can write a report on it. Don't make him cry, he's sensitive" Mike does this, John pretends to cry, again the students clap and cheer while laughing. "Example 3: John, repeat after me, "I didn't do my report because I was lazy." 
John replies "Ownership man, I didn't do my report because Mike got in my way."
Ownership man: "No No No! Again!"
John "Ownership man, I didn't do my report because you're lazy."
Ownership man: "Repeat what I said John!"
John finally repeats it and the audience remains dead.
Ownership man looks to the audience, "Which of these was right? Which showed ownership?"  Mass chaos erupts as students all yell out different numbers (most voting for the slap example 1). The students on stage are a little lost as to what to do and the chaos continues until someone on stage timidly says "Number 3" and decides they want to leave; the other students on stage follow and the teachers clap to help the awkward misery end. 
The lesson here? 
A. Mass groups of students never react the way other students expect them to. 
B. Students always find bad examples much funnier and therefore use them often.
C. Slapstick humor will win over pretty much everything in a popularity voting contest.
D. Not even teachers want to take ownership of some situations. :)


At the end of the assembly we had a much funnier event. LPA celebrated Pi day last Friday and part of the festivities (along with amazing amounts of pie) was a contest to see who could write, from memory, the most digits of pi in five minutes. At the end of the assembly they announced the winners. One student wrote 130 digits correctly with second place at 127- super impressive! One of the prizes was lunch with the principal (somehow this didn't get a very high level of excitement- shocking). The other prize was a little better: All the male faculty members went to the front and stood in a line. Each of the top six students got a cream pie they could rub in anyone's face. It was seriously hilarious- again, total slapstick, but it even got to the teachers.  The students chose different tactics- some were smooth and sly, one was painfully slow, letting the anticipation and dread grow for the teachers, one student slipped and fell, Mr. Rhodes saved her pie, helped her up, and with one fluid motion she took it from his hand and rubbed it in his face. So much for chivalry, but still funny. Among the honored group to get sugar facials were the principal, the janitor (the entire student body started chanting his name), the drama teacher (who of course absolutely loved all the attention but acted as though he didn't),  and a math teacher who is obviously the winning student's role model and hero. It was actually pretty cute and made me proud to be with teachers who would all be willing for this.   


And with all of those thousands of words, I wish you all Happy St. Patricks Day and good night!

Cotillion

Dance and costuming have somehow taken over my every thought lately, so yesterday I rebelled against it and spent every spare moment reading. It was absolutely lovely! After reading 'The Nonesuch' almost a year ago, I fell in love with Georgette Heyer. She wrote mostly during the 1920's-1950's and published around 50 books: romances, histories, and mysteries. My favorites, though, are her historical romances. She does a pretty good job with the time period, making the dress, places, important names, and the speech of the come alive with her characters (occasionally she uses so much slang from the period that I get a little lost, like "doing it too brown" or "blue deviled" or telling "a flat from a leg", all of which I had to refer to other literature to understand fully). She writes in a catching way so although it may take a little bit to push through the initial chapter, once you're caught it's nearly impossible to put down. Some of her characters can be a little 2-dimensional, but her main characters seem real, with virtues and flaws and growth throughout the book. They show different sides of themselves as the reader moves through the pages. Now, they aren't classics, so if you pick one up don't be expecting the greatest literature of all time, but they are entertaining, transporting and charming.

The one I just finished reading was "Cotillion," a story about a young girl who desperately wants to see London and convinces her cousin to be betrothed to her so she can. Ultimately she's pining for another man's love, Jack, and is hoping to inspire jealousy to get him to propose to her. Jack isn't the best sort of person and could be best termed as a 'rake'. As Kitty moves through the turbulence of city life- it's wonders and dangers, intrigues and interests, friends and enemies- she learns about people, friendship, life, and of course about love. I read the ending several times just because it made my heart happy. If you choose to pick it up, I hope you enjoy it!