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 |  A blog for all things personal, informational, educational, and fun. |
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Here at my personal blog Thoughts & Things, I share a wide variety of, you guessed it, thoughts and things. Anything that sparks my interest is up for discussion. For those who are uncertain of what that might cover, I'll generally talk about reading, writing, books, movies, music, games, history, current events, and feminism. I talk about my personal emotional and health struggles from time to time. I'm also a big fan of lists. This is the place here at WDC where you can get to know me best, as I talk about the things that interest me, impact me, and amuse me. |
| World music is something I love, despite hating the name. I wanted to take this opportunity to explain both my love for the music and my hatred for the label. We will start with the love. The music that fits into the category of world music is as diverse as the world itself is. Hearing music from other places is like allowing one's ears to travel while your body stays in one place. You can imagine people in other places listening to their local music on the radio, and having it fit in with their lives. You can picture people and places, and what everything looks and feels like based on the sound. Many of the genres are rich with history, and doing some reading on the topic while playing through an album can be wonderful and intriguing. Music from around the world is a magnificent taste of cultures different from my own, and as someone eager to explore in any way I can, I can't help but be drawn to it. So much music fits into the category of world music that there is bound to be some of it I am less fond of. However, I have found that much of it is also fantastic. Bands I have absolutely fallen in love with fit into this category, and without being open to experiencing the contents of the category, I may never have found it due to it not being part of the local mainstream, or parts of other more western genres that I enjoy. Everything from Monoswezi to Zalvarinis to Shanren to Asha Bhosle, and many more, is well worth listening to, and sadly underappreciated. Now for the bad. The category itself is too broad, not helpful, and vaguely racist. Hundreds of genres fit into the category of world music and much of it is not even similar. Salsa, klezmer, highlife, and fado are not particularly similar, but they all manage to fit into this broad category. If I am looking for a particular style of music, looking under the heading of "world music" isn't necessarily going to be helpful to me at all. It doesn't really indicate anything specific about what you are looking at. Genres themselves aren't always helpful either, so this isn't necessarily my biggest concern, but it is rather frustrating. The biggest concern would be the racist undertones. Malian blues and Inuit throat singing get put into the same category, while western genres aren't lumped into a "western music" category, they are labeled by their genres. If you go into a music store, or onto a music website, you can find dozens of specific genre and subgenre labeling for western music, but "world" music gets put into one bin. You have western styles, and you have other. I'm not necessarily saying that every genre and subgenre of music in the world music category should have its own section in the local record store, as they simply don't carry enough of it to justify this (although it would be amazing if they did). But most of the music can fit into genres that already exist. Malian blues can go with the blues, for example! It is very straightforward, and I don't see a lot of reason to keep the world music category. Music from around the world would still be something people seek out regardless of that label, and perhaps more people would find it accessible if it were labeled by genre rather than the broad category. For example, hip hop fans are more likely to stumble across Sister Fa if she is shelved with hip hop. I know that I still would have spent time seeking most of this out regardless of the category, and that I didn't even realise I was enjoying "world music" until well into my enjoyment of it. I honestly recommend that everyone try music from different places. I think it especially important as a writer, as it can give you new perspectives on different forms of media, give you new inspiration, and give you that taste of culture to act as research for your internationally based stories. |
| This is something I wrote as a review for my goodreads page. I am currently in the process of reading the Harry Potter series yet again, and it has been awhile (sadly) since my last re-read. I thought I might share this here, as it is something I feel is very reflective of myself and of my childhood. It also shares what I feel to be a pretty impressive story on how I got my hands on a new copy of Philosopher's Stone after mine had been lost. *** I have been reading Harry Potter since I was a little kid. Only the first three books were out, and I received them in a boxset of the paperbacks with the original covers. After this I pre-ordered each book in hardcover. I recently realised that the last person I lent my copy of Philosopher's Stone to had lost it. This was a devastating blow since I must have only been about seven when I got these, and I have a lot of sentiments attached to each one. I set out to replace it, but the new covers are ugly, and they wouldn't match the cover styles of the six other books in the series that remain in my possession. I set out to find a used copy. All of the ones online were poor bets. They were over priced, and I couldn't guarantee the condition they would arrive in. I made several visits to local used bookshops to request a copy of Philosopher's Stone with its original Platform 9 3/4 cover. Nowhere seemed to have it, although I had myself put on their call lists. I finally went into a particularly excellent local shop. It is one of those places that you could imagine seeing in Diagon Alley; it has towering shelves, narrow rows, books stacked haphazardly about, and you can barely navigate the place as it is so filled with books. So rather than trying to find a specific edition of a specific book in this overwhelmingly filled store, I walked up to the counter and waited for assistance. No one was there yet, and it took a moment for someone to come. Then from around the corner, the clerk walks up to the counter. And in his hand, he is holding a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in like-new condition with the original Platform 9 3/4 cover. I am sure I practically shouted at the man to tell him he was holding the exact book I was looking for. "Do you, uh, wanna buy this one?" I went home with my own copy of the book that day, completely satisfied. In any case, I have just re-read Philosopher's Stone for probably the hundredth time, and, as always, it was like visiting one of my oldest and dearest friends. It was wonderful to meet all the characters again, and to read about all of their adventures. To laugh at all of the jokes I remembered, and to laugh harder at the jokes I had forgotten. It felt good to feel that suspense again, despite remembering well how everything turns out. I always loved reading as a child, even before Harry Potter. But Harry Potter made me love fantasy and the building of worlds. Harry Potter made me love series. I bonded with real life friends over the books, the movies, the games. Harry Potter made me want to be a writer. I still recommend the series to everyone I know who hasn't started or finished the series. I plan on keeping all of my own copies of the books, not just for my own love and enjoyment, but so that if I have any children, I can share that magic with them. Nothing warms my heart more than seeing children reading the books or talking about them when I volunteer at the library. I can't wait to read through the whole series again. There is something truly special about bringing the magic of my childhood into my adulthood that I will never get tired of. Particularly while I am having a difficult time, and truly need that magic. |
| Twenty-eight days to get to entry number four? I sure do know how to hook an audience! I hope this entry helps me get back on track with my writing goals. I like to think my excuses are valid, but I am sure everyone likes to think their own excuses are valid. These past several weeks, my health has really gone down the toilet. After getting over a long lasting stomach flu in July, I kicked August off with a chest cold. Of course it was the kind of chest cold that left me with a persistent cough that I require an inhaler for. I decided that I think bathrooms are a cool place to hang out, and snatched myself up a shiny new UTI. None of this is quite enough, in my honest opinion, so I figured my arm going numb might help me out. I'm not sure I thought that one through. The urgent care clinic doctor says that it is likely a compressed ulnar nerve. It may even need surgery, because why not. Most of this keeps me on my feet though, and who likes to stand? I have been having odd drowsy spells for several months, and I was feeling a bit lazy in August. I figured, why not make this the month to really take those to the next level? I've gotten confused and lost, forgotten words, had difficulty remaining conscious, felt nauseous, felt dizzy, the whole shebang. I got to take my first ride in an ambulance after falling at work as a result. The paramedics were great, but I don't think I would choose an ambulance as my method of transportation again. Doctors haven't been particularly helpful so far, but I am still looking into my options with them. All joking aside, I just want to know what's wrong with me. With my medical nonsense becoming rather overwhelming, it has been a bit difficult to even think of what to write about lately. I came to the conclusion that the medical nonsense clearly needed to be written about. I figure that I have to feel like I am ninety years old while only twenty-three, I may as well turn it into some writing material. |
| Before this year, I didn't have a lot of interest in silent films. Well... the interest was there, but not enough interest to act on it. I saw Behind the Screen (1916), a short starring Charlie Chaplin; Cendrillon (1899), a short film directed by Georges Méliès and featuring early examples of special effects; and Nanook of the North (1922), one of the first feature length narrative documentaries. I enjoyed most of what I saw. It was a fascinating view into history. I enjoyed getting to see what people found funny, what people thought of other people, and even just what people found funny. I enjoyed all three to varying degrees, but none of them was really "for me" in a pure entertainment sense. This year I started a film challenge. I created it and got family and friends to participate. I actually completed the challenge early July (it was meant to last through 2016). There were thirty categories to watch new films from. A number of these were based on decades, including 1930s, 1920s, 1910s. This ended up pushing me into a few silent films, including some additional ones that were excess and would not count for the challenge. This year I have managed to watch The Toll of the Sea (1922), one of the first ever technicolor features, co-written by a woman, Frances Marion, and starring Anna May Wong, Hollywood's first Chinese American star; The Sheik (1921), starring Rudolph Valentino; The Son of the Sheik (1926), with Rudolph Valentino reprising his role as the Sheik, while also playing the son, also co-written by Frances Marion; The Goddess / Shen nu (1934), a Chinese silent film, starring Ruan Lingyu, an exceptional actress who sadly committed suicide within a year of this film's release; Where Are My Children? (1916), a film co-written and co-directed by Lois Weber, with pro-birth control and anti-abortion sentiments, with the primary sympathetic character supporting eugenics; The General (1926), starring Buster Keaton, and set during the Civil War. I never would have thought I would genuinely enjoy so many of these on so many different levels. Many of them have excellent humour, excellent emotion, and excellent stories. Most of them are a tad offensive when viewed through a modern scope, but it's fascinating to see what would have been socially acceptable or shocking at the time. It was fascinating to see what changed in film from 1916 to 1926, from camera quality to special effects. Most of it what I watched became even more fascinating if I gave myself background knowledge about who the actors, writers, and directors were, and any contemporary fuss over the film. It's genuinely been really fascinating to begin to enjoy silent films, and it has been fascinating to learn more about them as I go. I feel like I have a long way to go, and there's so much more that I want to see. I feel like it's something everyone should try at least once. |
| I love musical theatre. I just love it. The dramatic elements, the comedic elements, the story elements, and the music that makes it what it is. I know that a lot of people see it as something that is full of cheese, and honestly maybe it is. Let's not pretend that cheese isn't delicious. I have been to see a number of musicals. Some of them are bigger events, like The Lion King in Toronto. Others are smaller productions in a country playhouse. I have had the great pleasure of attending a single performance on Broadway, the 2014 revival of Les Miserables. This is one of the grand highlights of my life, and I still have the playbill that the actors autographed when I met them as they came out the side door. I have never personally been in a musical unless you count the productions I host in my house. I am the person singing at the top of my lungs all the time. I am particularly fond of musical theatre numbers, as well as Disney songs. I can also be caught singing a great deal of Kate Bush songs, as well as the odd pop hit. It brings me joy. I have starred as both Fantine and Eponine in my shower, and no one can take that away from me. The reason musicals are on my mind at the moment is that I saw a country playhouse production of Anything Goes with my grandmother yesterday. The lead actress sang as well as any Broadway star I have ever heard. Some of the jokes were absolutely on point. Oh, and it was rather racist. Yeah. I have seen the changes made from the original script, and I can definitely see the work they have done to make it less racist. That said, it was still uncomfortable. I mostly just tried to think of it as just being very of its time. It is sad, however, that there is probably not a way to keep the show in tact if all of the racism were removed; it is fairly ingrained in the story. I will finish on this thought: I wish I could see all of the musicals! It is completely not fair that I will most likely never see something like Hamilton or Allegiance. I wish going to shows on Broadway could be a practical thing in my life. I wish that part of current media were accessible to the general public. The world would be a better place if we could all see every musical we wanted to! |
| This is a personal topic, and I thought it would be appropriate to start my blog off on a personal note. I actually originally wrote this as a submission for another blog, however it was not accepted so it remains mine. It also remains true, and a personal point that I feel well worth sharing. *** So you pick up your book, and you start reading. You’re really into it, or maybe you’re not. Either way, on a normal day you would fly through this. But for some reason, today you are finding yourself unable to focus, you’re re-reading lines, your mind is wandering. No matter how hard you try to focus on what’s in front of you, you just can’t seem to focus enough to accomplish much. I think most readers can relate to feeling this way at one time or another. Maybe you’re having a bad day. Maybe you have a headache. Maybe the cat won’t get off the book. Maybe you’ve had one too many glasses (or bottles) of wine. For me, these days come more often than most, and it doesn’t have to be for any particular reason. I have what is called fibromyalgia, along with a host of co-morbid illnesses. My primary symptoms are chronic pain and fatigue, but these aren’t my only symptoms. I get something called “fibro fog,” which is a user-friendly term for the cognitive dysfunction that plagues my life. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it happens a lot. It can be hard to think or concentrate. It can be hard to carry out a conversation since I forget the words coming out of my mouth as I’m saying them. Word choice, in general, can be a problem for me; if a word looks or sounds similar to another word, I will often swap them out, both in speech and writing. I also have problems with spelling that I never used to have. Any number of things can bring on the fibro fog. Having a bad day for my other symptoms (like pain), not sleeping well or just being tired in general, being stressed or overworked, side effects from my medications, or sometimes just for no apparent reason at all. I’m sure you can imagine how easy it is to read when this is affecting me. That is, not at all easy. Having a chronic illness that has an effect on my ability to read is hard, especially when most of my life has revolved around books. It feels like I have lost a part of my identity, and it can be a struggle many days to do the thing I love most. I used to read a book a day; now I am lucky to finish one or two in a week. I can only even manage that much because I put extra effort into it. Books are my passion, and although my invisible disability makes my passion harder to pursue, I am only encouraged to pursue it harder. I've always felt that most people never think about how a chronic illness like fibromyalgia affects anything outside the physical. However, I think what I’ve said will probably ring true for many people with both physical and mental health problems. Focus can be a real issue, and sometimes there really isn’t anything you can do. I’ve read more articles than I can recall about how to read better, how to focus better, how to learn better, etc. Sometimes it just doesn’t matter what your technique is. When your mind is in an unending haze, there isn’t anything you can do to make that focus appear out of nowhere. Even without the cognitive dysfunctions, feeling like you just went a few rounds against a pro boxer or having taken so many pills that you should rattle when you walk just doesn’t leave a whole lot of you left over. Just like anyone else who loves doing something that is hard for them, I work hard to be able to read. I may not be able to do what I used to be able to do, but I work hard to do what I can. I figure out what works for me, and I push through. If nothing is working, I do what I can. Sometimes that means just stepping back. And that’s okay. When you love something, you have to work at it. I think we can all agree that books are worth it. |
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I hate sad endings. They make the best stories though. I guess I'll make reading William Shakespeare my New Year Resolution for next year or something I'd write for Dear Me 2018.