Good readin'

The gods are punishing me for my hubris--the cold has moved into my lungs. Last time I had a lung congestion it lasted for MONTHS. I'm dooooomed.

Woke up at 7 AM. Finished the graphic novel I was reading, it was EXcellent. Really good, I highly recommend it. What graphic novels are all about. Though it occurred to me recently that if a graphic novel is a biography, should it really be called a graphic novel? Shouldn't it be a graphic biography? Graphic novel seems like the wrong catchphrase for this genre of literature, but it's too late to change! We should be calling them graphic books! Graphic literature! Aw hell, better go back to comics. Some people think "graphic novel" is just a term used by people too embarrassed to admit that American Splendor and Superman have the same genesis.

This is the review I put up on Goodreads about Fun Home, a COMIC by Alison Bechdel:

Autobiographical graphic novels are my favorite kind, and this one is excellent. Bechdel flashes through her youth, exploring her confused relationship with her father, trying to make some sense of him, and the choices he made, and her feelings about him. One of the strongest elements of the book is that Bechdel takes full advantage of the graphic novel form. For example, she often juxtaposes a book her father is reading with drama going on in the family, and illustrates it all with pictures of the father reading, with an image of the book's actual text, and with the family drama happening, complete with its own dialogue, united by her narration. That's the genius of the form--the way it can unite cinematic images with introspective narration. And beautiful illustrations.

Some images from & quotes about the book:

"For Bechdel, who did five or six successive sketches for each image in the book, scrupulous attention to detail is also part of her general approach to working in the visual medium of comics. For every pose in every panel of the entire book (and there are almost 1,000 panels), Bechdel created a reference shot by posing for her digital camera. In a panel, say, depicting a classroom of children sitting at desks, Bechdel posed for every child in the frame." (Village Voice)

"Just one look at Alison Bechdel’s mother’s face tells you all you need to know about her marriage. Therein lies the true source of the emotional heft graphic novels can carry: the ability to combine poetic, sometimes wrenching, text with a visualization that drives the point home subtly yet definitively." (Graphic Novel Reporter)

 "It is a pioneering work, pushing two genres (comics and memoir) in multiple new directions, with panels that combine the detail and technical proficiency of R. Crumb with a seriousness, emotional complexity and innovation completely its own. Then there are the actual words. Generally this is where graphic narratives stumble. Very few cartoonists can also write — or, if they can, they manage only to hit a few familiar notes. But "Fun Home" quietly succeeds in telling a story, not only through well-crafted images but through words that are equally revealing and well chosen." (NYT)

It's Singalong for Egypt Time!

Yub nub, eee chop yub nub,
Freedom, we got freedom,

toe meet toe pee chee keene, g'noop dock fling oh ah.
and now that we can be free, c'mon and celebrate.

Yah wah, eee chop yah wah,
Power, we got power

toe meet toe pee chee keene, g'noop dock fling oh ah
and now that we can be free, c'mon and celebrate.

Coat ee chah tu yub nub,
Celebrate the freedom

Coat ee chah tu yah wah,
Celebrate the power

Coat ee chah tu glo wah.
Celebrate the glory.

allay loo ta nuv
celebrate the love

Glo wah, eee chop glo wah, ya glo wah pee chu nee foam,
Power, we got power, and now that we can be free,

ah toot dee awe goon daa.
it's time to celebrate.

Coat ee cha tu goo (Yub nub!)
Celebrate the light (Freedom!)

coat ee cha tu doo (Yah wah!)
celebrate the might (Power!)

coat ee cha tu too (ya chaa!)
celebrate the fight (Glory!)

allay loo tu nuv (3 times)
celebrate the love

Glo wah, eee chop glo wah.
Glory, we found glory

Ya glow wah pee chu nee foam,
The power showed us the light

ah toot dee awe goon daa
and now we all live free

allay loo tu nuv.
celebrate the love.

I didn't see anything about elections in those lyrics. Must be why I hate that song. YUB NUB!!

My one claim to fame: the ability to not sleep

I had so much fun with my career coach lady today, and then the always fun supper with Swiss Girl. I'm all wired up! But I got exactly 0 hours of sleep last night, so if I go make myself lie down in bed I WILL sleep. But it's hard when I know there's still more drama unfolding in Egypt. Ahhh!

When I left home this AM my lungs hurt and I wanted to throw up while trapped on the highway bus! But made it through sans incident. Surprisingly feel not too sick, though I've been awake for... 22ish hours?

Swiss Girl and I were theorizing on why I'm still able to survive on no sleep, even in my 30s. Better able, in fact, than when I was in my 20s. She says I've trained myself. I think it's because most people when they pull all-nighters in college in their 20s, they do it with coffee; but I've never liked coffee, so I just did it with loud music and inherent nighthawkitude. And that's why over time it became an actual skill, as opposed to something age-related. (Well... not to say I'll be able to do it once I'm 47.) It's not stamina, it's... finely tuned athleticism.

;-)

Oh go to bed already.

I'm back... and I'm not very good with math. I've been awake 36 hours. But who's counting?

good news

turns out i bought a ton of extra cold meds the last time i was sick, so i wouldn't be stuck!

note to self: 1 box of kleenex not enough backup

Still sick... but at least the cats are offering moral support

Quel night. Between 10 PM and 2 AM I got in 2 hours of sleep, then finally sat up and read my graphic novel for awhile. It felt like I was never ever going to be able to sleep again. It's very weird to feel exhausted, but convinced that you'll never fall asleep.

My added problem was my nose was SO runny. If my nose was too up towards the ceiling (when I was lying down I mean) then The Runny Stuff would run back into my throat and make it killer sore. If I put my nose forward towards the mattress, it would start to dribble out and I'd need to blow my nose. Neither of which is conducive to sleep. I finally put some towels on my pillow and said F**K IT! I'd rather dribble on my pillow and fall asleep in disgusting body fluids than not sleep at all from a sore throat. (This is what sleep depravity does to you.)

I finally slept from about 4 AM til 11. It was fitful, but it was Real Sleep. I still got a little bit of sore throat (I suppose even when unconscious one resists dripping mucous onto one's pillow) so I have a lot of vague memories of feeling the left side of my throat starting to get sore, so I'd roll over and fall back asleep. Then the right side would get sore, so I'd roll over again. Back and forth all night. And I thought to myself: I'm getting a nice even tan.  I felt more than my usual pity for rotisserie chickens.

Today I don't feel as absolutely wretched as I did yesterday evening. Tomorrow I have a job seminar thingy in the morning, and a job coaching seminar in the afternoon, and then meeting a friend for dinner. So hopefully tonight I will fall asleep EARLIER than 4 AM. Fingers crossed.

I've been waiting for Fernando to call after work because I've run out of High Quality Tissue! I use cheap stuff, but keep 1 box of expensive stuff for colds, but my one box has run out. And I'm running low on cold medication. But I suspect he's not calling me on purpose. Yesterday he said:

- I might grab a bite at Scores after work.
I said - Call me anyway before you go. I might need something. I might need you to come home and care for me!
He said - You won't need me, you'll take care of yourself.
And I said - Call me just in case!

So I'm afraid he's not calling for fear I'll make him come home. [starts sobbing] I just want the Good Kleenex. [sobs harder] I just want more meds!! [breaks down]

Evil Minion says she'd make a trip to the store for me, if only she had opposable thumbs. What a good girl. Haley has offered to kill Daddy for me when he gets home. She too is a good girl, in her own way.

Now I have to go do my job coach homework.

Oh, good news though--Debbie Travis' book LOST. Ha ha!

My cold gets worse, as does my disdain for Debbie Travis

Sickness
Great--I finally get past the headaches, and now I have a cold. The cold seemed little at first, but I'm not sleeping! Yesterday I woke up after 5 hours and couldn't fall back asleep. Great, I thought, I'll get a good looong sleep the next night. I was asleep by 2 AM and awake by 6 AM. Wide awake. Had to read a book in bed til 8 AM. Then slept in 1.5-2 hour increments til I finally got up at 1:30 PM. I had a mini dream each time. Like having little movies.

And it's not being sick that's keeping me awake--my only symptom is a stuffy nose and when I lay down it's fine.

In rebellion against Debbie Travis (see my facebook or Mabel Talk) I took out a graphic novel last night, and that's what I've been reading in bed. It's really good. Fun House by Alison Bechdel - she of the Bechdel test (that's why the name caught my eye at the library.)




My Debbie Grudge
I'm listening to Canada Reads, after hearing that Debbie Travis was a tool again today. Oh my days, she's ugggghhhhhhhmeeeehhhhhhhblehhhhh. She's saying The Reason we read is to be carried away, to escape. There is not ONE REASON why we read!!! She's saying it about movies too!!!

I'm just going to sit here and trash Debbie Travis, hope you don't mind.

I dislike the way they're doing Canada Reads. I don't think the participants should be the ones to vote, I think listeners should vote. Or audience members in the studio, if they want to be *sure* people tuned in. But I also almost feel like... each book shouldn't have its own defender, cause it makes the discussion stilted at times. Gomeshi has asked them "Which of these books is written the best?" and they're all saying "My book!" except Sara Quinn, because she's the only one whose book has been voted out. She's being honest and saying Carol Shields. They keep trying to say "My writing is best because it's accessible!" or "Because you get lost in it!"

Come on. You pick up a book by someone like Nadine Gordimer, and it's hard to read, and difficult to get through, and hard to get "lost in" but... oh my days. By the time you're done, it's sitting somewhere deep inside you. The writing happens at a whoooole different level.

I wouldn't choose Gordimer, or maybe Shields or Toni Morrison as a book to get people reading. But if we're talking about best writers, let's be honest.

Out of the books left, the one I'm most interested in reading is Best Laid Plans. Bone Cage sounds interesting, but maybe a little too sad for me.

Debbie:
* skipped pages of the Carol Shields
* Didn't finish Best Laid Plans - didn't think it was worth her time, isn't interested at all in Canadian politics (But then she voted against The Bone Cage.)
* Debbie: "It's very rare that we read books twice." Jian's reply: "Or you could finish this one!"

Awwww Laraque is heartbroken that The Bone Cage was voted off. He's an athlete and he wanted people to read it so they'd have a better understanding of what Olympic athletes go through--so they'd stop focusing so much on medals, and more on the effort and the striving. He's really upset! Well, if you're an Olympics fan, maybe you should read it! I'll give Debbie this, she's saying nice things to Laraque.

Ooh Laraque is officially throwing his support to Best Laid Plans, and judging by Sara Quinn's comments I think she will too. Maybe we can boot out Debbie's book! Which is too bad, because I know someone who loved The Birth House. But... I'm all about the grudge now.

so cold, she's so cold

I don't talk about my personal life much on my blogs. I feel bad about it sometimes, cause I feel like it makes it hard for people to connect with me online. First, my blogs aren't anonymous from my friends and family--I started this blog as a way to stay in touch with my family when they moved out west, not as a place to vent. And then I don't want to talk about other people's personal stories or issues, without their permission. Cause they know that our other friends might be reading! Or they might not like strangers reading! Or they might not want to see MY take on their situation, here in writing!!

Second, when I was still as my old job, I really couldn't talk about it, tell stories about it. As a manager I signed some sort of contract which I'm sure says something about confidentiality in it. But also, I've always been conscious of that feeling: What if a future employer checked out my blog? I can't write about a past job in any light that makes me look lazy, whiny, trouble-makee, etc. I have a pretty vast range of opinions on work related topics that I'm not comfortable sharing, except in the occasional comment on someone else's blog.

Third, there are other things that I don't feel super private about, but my husband's a much more private person. So I think of him as well. He doesn't usually read my blog, but the principle still has to apply.

Fourth, I do have a pseudonym here, which in theory could protect me from future employers and such. But I've ended up using London Mabel as my login for everything, including my non-personal blogs like Mabel Talk, which I want to use in a professional capacity, and for my website which sort of represents me as a writer. To make this blog more personal I'd have to find a way to disconnect it from my brand, so to speak.

And so that leaves me... the cats. Their personal lives get tossed around like Princess Diana's.

As Rorschach would say... hrm.