I finally finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I had been reading it on and off since September because I had been applying to jobs, got a new job, and started working on my grad school application. I thought that it was an amazing novel and difficult to put down at times. It doesn't take long for the story to get underway or to get the reader intrigued. It is a difficult read, however, and I found myself having to go back several chapters to re-read certain parts to get a better understanding. The characters are complex, and there are very many characters that you have to follow. Also, the novel has an incredible amount of detail and each detail is key to the mystery. I highly recommend this novel, and since I usually never enjoy mystery novels, you know that it has to be good!
I plan to read the other two novels that follow this one, but before I go out to buy them, I will be finishing The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I began this book over the summer, but never had a chance to finish it because I borrowed it from the library. When my time ran out, I had about 150 pages left, and I wasn't allowed to renew it because it had a waitlist. I asked for it for Christmas, and I can now finish it. So far, it has been incredible! I absolutely love this book, and I recommend it to anyone. It is a quick read, and opens your eyes to both gender and racial issues through quite a new perspective. IT IS A MUST READ.
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas! I know I did! And it snowed Christmas morning, which was cool. It snowed today as well, but only about half an inch. Some people around us, about 2 hours South and North, are getting 6-12 inches, and New York, Boston, and Connecticut are getting 1-2 feet! I'm glad we didn't get that much snow. I am still recovering from last year's two huge snow storms. Also, it is too difficult to get to work when it snows and it just makes things dangerous. I love the cold weather, but hate the snow! lol.
Anyway, back to Christmas. I love all the gifts that I received, from both family and friends. Julie, Annie, Andrea, and I went to Clyde's in D.C. for our Christmas dinner and gift exchange. We all got dressed up super cute and took the metro into D.C. Annie gave me a drink mixer, lotion, body spray, lip gloss, a cute ornament, and a Penn State shot glass; and Andrea and Julie gave me a purse from Guess. It was so fun! From my family I got a lot of books: The Help, The Glass Castle, Half-Broke Horses, Aunt Julie and the Scriptwriter, Traveling with Pomegranates, and the complete works of Shakespeare, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells. Also, I got two desk calendars, one for work and one for home, an Irish Dancer figurine by Demdaco, a jewelry hanging organizer, a glass picture frame, a very cute pair of pink pumps, and some cute ornaments to add to the tree. I didn't ask for much since my mom bought a lot of my new work clothes only a month ago.
Well, I cannot believe 2010 is almost over! I will be heading up to Connecticut on Friday to celebrate the New Year with Josh and his family at his mom's house. I'm excited for this trip and it will be a nice break away from work, even if I will only be up there for 3 days. I wish you all a Happy New Year!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
"Dance till the stars come down from the rafters, Dance, Dance, Dance till you drop" -- W. H. Auden
A few weeks ago, a dance critique posted a review of "George Balanchine's Nutcracker." Here is the link to the review: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/arts/dance/29nutcracker.html
His final statements in this review are what stirred controversy in the dance world. He says, "This didn’t feel, however, like an opening night. Jenifer Ringer, as the Sugar Plum Fairy, looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many." Even though this is a critique and he is allowed to state his opinions, I think he was pushing his freedom too far with this comment. The dancer was well spoken in her reply to this comment on the Today Show. She explains how she overcame a long battle with a couple eating disorders, problems that arose because of the need to have a "perfect ballerina's body," and her inability to cope with the adult professional world. She concludes her conversation by saying that dancing should be about celebrating who your are, no matter what body type. All woman who take part in any dance genre are gorgeous and represent the art and beauty of dance through their many forms.
"Dance Me to the End of Love" Copyright © Jack Vettriano
His final statements in this review are what stirred controversy in the dance world. He says, "This didn’t feel, however, like an opening night. Jenifer Ringer, as the Sugar Plum Fairy, looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many." Even though this is a critique and he is allowed to state his opinions, I think he was pushing his freedom too far with this comment. The dancer was well spoken in her reply to this comment on the Today Show. She explains how she overcame a long battle with a couple eating disorders, problems that arose because of the need to have a "perfect ballerina's body," and her inability to cope with the adult professional world. She concludes her conversation by saying that dancing should be about celebrating who your are, no matter what body type. All woman who take part in any dance genre are gorgeous and represent the art and beauty of dance through their many forms.
I have posted some beautiful pictures that I found:
Jenifer Ringer in "George Balanchine's Nutcracker"
Two Modern Dancers
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The Black Swan
On Tuesday, Andrea and I saw Black Swan. I enjoyed this movie a great deal, and I even enjoyed the suspenseful and scary parts, which I usually don't enjoy because I don't like scary movies. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good dance movie, a semi-scary movie, or a psychological thriller. It wasn't really scary as much as it was jumpy and had people popping up and out of nowhere. I loved the dancing and I was glad that most of the scenes included dancing and a lot of the movements in slow motion or up close so you could really see the technique.
The movie is about a ballerina, Nina, who is a perfectionist and somewhat scandalously lands the role of Swan Queen in the Swan Lake Ballet. She dances for the NYC Ballet and appears to be one of the director's favorites. As the movie gets underway the audience realizes her mother is the typical stage mom who is living her long lost ballet career through her daughter. She treats her daughter like a little girl, tucking her into bed at night, helping her undress and put her clothes and jewelry away, and preparing her food. Nina seems to like this treatment at first, but becomes annoyed by it as the movie goes on. It is clear that her entire life has been about Ballet and all of her hard work finally leads her to her goal as the lead role in the Ballet.
However, this is not just a movie about a prima ballerina and her role in Swan Lake; it is about the competitive nature of the dance world and the psychological and physical effects it has on a dancer. Nina finds her competition in Lily, a new dancer to the company who is beautiful, in a dark--temptress sort of way, and who is a carefree and sensual dancer. Nina appears jealous by Lily's ability to let go, and dance in the moment, the exact character that she needs to become for the role of the Black Swan. She has the character of the White Swan perfect, but in order to be the best and most captivating Swan Queen, she needs to portray the passionate and luscious nature of the Black Swan. Nina works her hardest to capture this personality in her dancing, but fails to impress the director. I believe it is at this point that she starts to become psychologically affected by her competition, and she begins to worry that other people are trying to hurt her to obtain her role. She starts scratching herself, a nervous habit that she had as a child. Her mom sees her problems coming back and tries to put a stop to it by watching over every move of her daughter. As the movie becomes more intertwined with the gruesome physical effects that are a result of psychological illnesses, we see Nina become captivated by Lily, perhaps indicating that she is succoming to Lily's "spell." As the two girls go out for a night at the club to release stress, Lily and Nina's relationship escalates into a passion for love. She tempts Nina in the same way the Black Swan is a seducer to the White Swan's Prince, and convinces her to take drugs and disobey her mother.
However, Nina realizes Lily's behavior was intrusive to her perfectionist ways, for she arrives late to the dress rehearsal and Lily eventually becomes Nina's back up. This drives Nina mad and she begins to think that Lily is out to get her. She oversleeps on the day of the show and her mom tells the director that she cannot dance because she is sick. Nina has really been scratching herself and has fallen psychological ill with competitiveness and paranoia. When she wakes up, she pushing past her mom, hurting her in the process, and runs to the theater. She arrives just in time to see Lily dressed up to dance the part of the Swan Queen. Nina convinces the director that she is fine to dance the part, and she gets dressed for the show. As she goes on stage, she dances the White Swan beautifully. All seems to be going perfectly until she returns to her dressing room to changes to the Black Swan. Lily is sitting there, dressed as the black swan. She tells her that she doesn't believe Nina will make it through the rest of the performance, that she will not be able to handle it. Nina is infuriated and starts to fight with her. As they struggle, they fall into a mirror against the wall, which shatters around them. Nina picks up a piece of the mirror and stabs Lily in the stomach. As she falls dead, Nina drags her body into the bathroom to hide the body. After killing Lily, she is overcome by an evil and dark spell that allows her to dance the Black Swan part with more emotion and passion than she could have ever done before. She appears to have taken on Lily's character, but darker.
After that part of the play ends, she returns to her dressing room to change back to her White Swan costume, but sees the blood draining out from under the bathroom door. She throws a towel down to cover up the blood and then continues to get ready. She is clearly shaken by what she has done, but her thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door. When she opens it, Lily is standing there. Nina is shocked, didn't she just kill her? Lily tells her what a wonderful job she did and how she amazed the audience and the director. She congratulates her for a great show and then leaves to get ready for the last scene. Nina shuts the door and turns to the bathroom. She picks up the towel and there is no blood, no body in the bathroom, and the mirror is shattered. She is confused for a moment, but then realizes what really happened. As she reaches to her stomach, blood begins to seep through her costume and she pulls out a shard of glass. Nina stabbed herself, and has only moments to live before the end of her career, and thus her life. She takes the stage, bleeding, but no one seems to notice. She dances the last scene--the one where the White Swan leaps off the cliff to kill herself after losing her prince to the Black Swan. The ballet ends and the dancers come to congratulate her. They see that she is bleeding and run to get help, but Nina is totally content. She achieved her life goal, danced the dance of her life, and ended it in the same passionate, and "beautiful" way that is described in Swan Lake.
You can interpret the meanings in this movie multiple ways. As I see it, Nina embodied Swan Lake. She became the Swan Queen physically and mentally. The movie basically told the story of Swan Lake, but in a raw, brutal way that was mixed with the beauty of the ballet. We saw Nina go through the glory of being idealized by the director, just as the White Swan is idealized by her prince. Then we see her become jealous and fall to the psychological effects of jealousy as Lily, the Black Swan, tempts both her and the director. We see the director fall for Lily, just as the prince falls for the Black Swan instead of the White Swan. And as Nina falls into sadness and illness, she ends up killing herself over the loss of her love, just as the White Swan kills herself at the end of Swan Lake.
Interestingly, you could interpret Lily to be a figment of Nina's imagination. Meaning that Nina was both herself and Lily. Just as the Swan Queen portrays the White Swan and Black Swan. This becomes evident when she thinks she stabs Lily, but really stabs herself. Also, she thought that Lily slept over her house after their night out, but Lily told her that she never spent the night.
Lastly, you could interpret Ballet to not just be Nina's career, but also her life. She watches the fall of a dancer, the former ballerina who had the lead role in the other ballets, because she was getting too old. Nina fears the fact that at some point, a younger dancer will replace her. Also, after that former ballerina tries to kill herself by jumping in front of a car, Nina visits her at the hospital and sees her injuries that she will have to live with. Perhaps Nina knew that by stabbing herself and letting herself bleed to death, she would not have to live without dance. Dance is her life and because she feels that she wouldn't be able to live with out dance, she realizes that she can escape being replaced by ending her career herself. She does not wait for someone to do it for her, instead she embodies every movement of the ballet to be forever remembered, ending the ballet, her career, and her life as the Swan Queen.
The movie is about a ballerina, Nina, who is a perfectionist and somewhat scandalously lands the role of Swan Queen in the Swan Lake Ballet. She dances for the NYC Ballet and appears to be one of the director's favorites. As the movie gets underway the audience realizes her mother is the typical stage mom who is living her long lost ballet career through her daughter. She treats her daughter like a little girl, tucking her into bed at night, helping her undress and put her clothes and jewelry away, and preparing her food. Nina seems to like this treatment at first, but becomes annoyed by it as the movie goes on. It is clear that her entire life has been about Ballet and all of her hard work finally leads her to her goal as the lead role in the Ballet.
However, this is not just a movie about a prima ballerina and her role in Swan Lake; it is about the competitive nature of the dance world and the psychological and physical effects it has on a dancer. Nina finds her competition in Lily, a new dancer to the company who is beautiful, in a dark--temptress sort of way, and who is a carefree and sensual dancer. Nina appears jealous by Lily's ability to let go, and dance in the moment, the exact character that she needs to become for the role of the Black Swan. She has the character of the White Swan perfect, but in order to be the best and most captivating Swan Queen, she needs to portray the passionate and luscious nature of the Black Swan. Nina works her hardest to capture this personality in her dancing, but fails to impress the director. I believe it is at this point that she starts to become psychologically affected by her competition, and she begins to worry that other people are trying to hurt her to obtain her role. She starts scratching herself, a nervous habit that she had as a child. Her mom sees her problems coming back and tries to put a stop to it by watching over every move of her daughter. As the movie becomes more intertwined with the gruesome physical effects that are a result of psychological illnesses, we see Nina become captivated by Lily, perhaps indicating that she is succoming to Lily's "spell." As the two girls go out for a night at the club to release stress, Lily and Nina's relationship escalates into a passion for love. She tempts Nina in the same way the Black Swan is a seducer to the White Swan's Prince, and convinces her to take drugs and disobey her mother.
However, Nina realizes Lily's behavior was intrusive to her perfectionist ways, for she arrives late to the dress rehearsal and Lily eventually becomes Nina's back up. This drives Nina mad and she begins to think that Lily is out to get her. She oversleeps on the day of the show and her mom tells the director that she cannot dance because she is sick. Nina has really been scratching herself and has fallen psychological ill with competitiveness and paranoia. When she wakes up, she pushing past her mom, hurting her in the process, and runs to the theater. She arrives just in time to see Lily dressed up to dance the part of the Swan Queen. Nina convinces the director that she is fine to dance the part, and she gets dressed for the show. As she goes on stage, she dances the White Swan beautifully. All seems to be going perfectly until she returns to her dressing room to changes to the Black Swan. Lily is sitting there, dressed as the black swan. She tells her that she doesn't believe Nina will make it through the rest of the performance, that she will not be able to handle it. Nina is infuriated and starts to fight with her. As they struggle, they fall into a mirror against the wall, which shatters around them. Nina picks up a piece of the mirror and stabs Lily in the stomach. As she falls dead, Nina drags her body into the bathroom to hide the body. After killing Lily, she is overcome by an evil and dark spell that allows her to dance the Black Swan part with more emotion and passion than she could have ever done before. She appears to have taken on Lily's character, but darker.
After that part of the play ends, she returns to her dressing room to change back to her White Swan costume, but sees the blood draining out from under the bathroom door. She throws a towel down to cover up the blood and then continues to get ready. She is clearly shaken by what she has done, but her thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door. When she opens it, Lily is standing there. Nina is shocked, didn't she just kill her? Lily tells her what a wonderful job she did and how she amazed the audience and the director. She congratulates her for a great show and then leaves to get ready for the last scene. Nina shuts the door and turns to the bathroom. She picks up the towel and there is no blood, no body in the bathroom, and the mirror is shattered. She is confused for a moment, but then realizes what really happened. As she reaches to her stomach, blood begins to seep through her costume and she pulls out a shard of glass. Nina stabbed herself, and has only moments to live before the end of her career, and thus her life. She takes the stage, bleeding, but no one seems to notice. She dances the last scene--the one where the White Swan leaps off the cliff to kill herself after losing her prince to the Black Swan. The ballet ends and the dancers come to congratulate her. They see that she is bleeding and run to get help, but Nina is totally content. She achieved her life goal, danced the dance of her life, and ended it in the same passionate, and "beautiful" way that is described in Swan Lake.
You can interpret the meanings in this movie multiple ways. As I see it, Nina embodied Swan Lake. She became the Swan Queen physically and mentally. The movie basically told the story of Swan Lake, but in a raw, brutal way that was mixed with the beauty of the ballet. We saw Nina go through the glory of being idealized by the director, just as the White Swan is idealized by her prince. Then we see her become jealous and fall to the psychological effects of jealousy as Lily, the Black Swan, tempts both her and the director. We see the director fall for Lily, just as the prince falls for the Black Swan instead of the White Swan. And as Nina falls into sadness and illness, she ends up killing herself over the loss of her love, just as the White Swan kills herself at the end of Swan Lake.
Interestingly, you could interpret Lily to be a figment of Nina's imagination. Meaning that Nina was both herself and Lily. Just as the Swan Queen portrays the White Swan and Black Swan. This becomes evident when she thinks she stabs Lily, but really stabs herself. Also, she thought that Lily slept over her house after their night out, but Lily told her that she never spent the night.
Lastly, you could interpret Ballet to not just be Nina's career, but also her life. She watches the fall of a dancer, the former ballerina who had the lead role in the other ballets, because she was getting too old. Nina fears the fact that at some point, a younger dancer will replace her. Also, after that former ballerina tries to kill herself by jumping in front of a car, Nina visits her at the hospital and sees her injuries that she will have to live with. Perhaps Nina knew that by stabbing herself and letting herself bleed to death, she would not have to live without dance. Dance is her life and because she feels that she wouldn't be able to live with out dance, she realizes that she can escape being replaced by ending her career herself. She does not wait for someone to do it for her, instead she embodies every movement of the ballet to be forever remembered, ending the ballet, her career, and her life as the Swan Queen.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
If the Shoe Fits...
There are two things you can never have too many of: good friends and GOOD SHOES! lol. I love shoes and shopping for shoes. I definitely believe that a good pair of shoes can really pull an outfit together and make people notice your outfit. I take care of my shoes better than I take care of my clothes or my jewelry (except for my diamonds...those I prize above all). But back to my story: I had a coupon to use at DSW Shoe Warehouse. I went to find a pair of brown pumps that I can wear to work with my brown slacks and skirts. I have a bunch of black shoes--and you cannot wear those with brown dress clothes. Since I only have one pair of brown shoes, I decided I needed to get another pair. After searching the store for about 30 minutes I gave up my search because there were no cute brown pumps. That is why I purchased these cuties:
This pair of shoes is so fun and I can wear it with my brown slacks and skirts, and any black business clothes! Also, I can wear it out to parties or to formal occasions. The best part, besides the frill on the front, is the color! It is a soft, subtle pink that matches and accents a lot of my clothes. These are definitely a great pair of heels and I cannot wait to wear them to work tomorrow!
This pair of shoes is so fun and I can wear it with my brown slacks and skirts, and any black business clothes! Also, I can wear it out to parties or to formal occasions. The best part, besides the frill on the front, is the color! It is a soft, subtle pink that matches and accents a lot of my clothes. These are definitely a great pair of heels and I cannot wait to wear them to work tomorrow!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Today I saw The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This movie was pretty good, not as good as the first two, but still very entertaining and captivating. I was a little lost as to all the details of the plot of the movie, since I didn't read the book, but I understood the basic plot so it was easy to follow. Also, I didn't really understand how it connected with the first two...or if it was supposed to connect. Even with that little bit of confusion I enjoyed the action scenes and special effects, and the childish feeling that it conveys--like that nostalgic feeling for the carefree life that children have, often felt when you watch Peter Pan. Interestingly, both of those movies illustrate an imaginary world that only children can enter because they still have their imaginations, and thus the capability to see that world. It's fun to feel like that kind of place could exist, or at least remember the feeling of being a child and being able to believe in those things and their existence.
I enjoyed the characters in this movie, for they were the same characters that were in the first two movies, and now there is a new character to continue the story for the next movie. I'm not sure how well that will work out, since the four main characters that have been in the first two movies will not be in the next movie. I think people have grown fond of these characters, and may not be interested in seeing the 4th movie with all new characters. Or maybe it will be just as great as these three movies. All in all, I definitely recommend this movie, even if you have not read the books or seen the other two movies in this series. It is a great action movie with good acting and it is fun to watch.
I enjoyed the characters in this movie, for they were the same characters that were in the first two movies, and now there is a new character to continue the story for the next movie. I'm not sure how well that will work out, since the four main characters that have been in the first two movies will not be in the next movie. I think people have grown fond of these characters, and may not be interested in seeing the 4th movie with all new characters. Or maybe it will be just as great as these three movies. All in all, I definitely recommend this movie, even if you have not read the books or seen the other two movies in this series. It is a great action movie with good acting and it is fun to watch.
Monday, December 6, 2010
"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get"
Have you ever worked really hard for something, devoted all of your free time and physical being to becoming better at something, and then not receive what you believe is a just reward. I always feel that I go the extra mile to be good at everything I do, and yet, I do not feel that I receive a just reward. I suppose this happens to everyone at some point, but some people just seem lucky and ALWAYS get what they want--without even working for it. I'm probably just being bitter and ranting, but I have to get it out of my system. In the end, I know that I should be grateful for what I have and what I have accomplished, even if it isn't what I originally set as my goal. If I don't achieve my goal the first time, I need to try harder for next time, and hopefully I will achieve it. I am truly grateful and thankful for my achievements, and happy with what I have accomplished, but is it wrong to feel robbed or cheated from your goal if you have worked so hard, put in the hours, and honestly believe you deserve it? I think it is reasonable, but maybe I need to count my blessing and be humble--which I hope to be able to do after getting these thoughts out of my mind. I think that as I get older and experience more struggles, I become more cynical about the way some people never work for anything and always come away with more than those who work so hard to get half of what the under achievers receive. Now I know that is a harsh comment, but I've seen it happen far too often and it makes me frustrated. The only way to get over these frustrations is to work harder and accomplish my goals, and hope that I can prove that you need to work hard to accomplish your goals. Perhaps I just wasn't meant to accomplish my goals yet, perhaps I need more time to work harder and prove my capabilities.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Morning Glory
Today Andrea and I saw Morning Glory. I was unimpressed and a little let down. For some reason, I expected this movie to be better than what I saw. I thought it would be funnier and a little less awkward. I love Rachel McAdams, and I love how she has played a variety of roles for all the movies that she has starred in, but I was disappointed in her character. I though she acted the part well, though. She plays this awkward, frantic, and work-absorbed morning news producer for a failing morning news show. Practically every scene has her doing something embarrassing or running in a frenzy to get somewhere. And I mean, COME ON PEOPLE, no woman could run that long in heels without having to wear sneakers or flip flops the next day. SERIOUSLY. I found that type of character cute at first, but it became increasingly annoying as the movie dragged on. And of course, a charming, semi-good looking guy falls in love with her quirky and eccentric mannerisms. After some predictable plot twists and resolutions, the movie begins to come to a close, but takes a little longer than it should have, and ends happily for all parties involved. Morning Glory is a "nice date / I don't want to think too deeply" kind of movie with lovably characters and a story of success that all young journalists aspire to.
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