Odds and Ends

• A Ring of Endless Light is just as good as I remembered. I may or may not be trying to write a novel myself, and my goal is to have it make other people feel like L'Engle's books make me feel. Her turn of phrase is absolutely wonderful.
• My Churchill class is officially over. The exam was this evening, and it was short and sweet. I wish my other classes were organized this way, because I really don't want to write three long papers in the next month. I know I'll survive, and being a native English speaker will help for two of them, but this semester has not been good for my work ethic. I'm going to have a rude awakening when I get back to UVa.
• I've been short of breath for the past few days and I'm not sure why. Hopefully it's nothing to be concerned about.
• The washing machines are so small here. Ideally this would mean that I would actually wash my clothes once a week and don't let them pile up in my suitcase until I'm out of clean underwear, but what it actually means is that I wear everything I own, and when I have no clothes left, I load it up with as much as it can handle, then wait impatiently in my pajamas for about two-three hours, which is an average wash and dry cycle combined.
• Beautiful weather today. It's supposed to continue into tomorrow, so I will try to wake up early enough to walk to class. It's a sure thing that I'll be walking home, anyway.
• Current flail topics: The Legend of Korra, the first episode of which might be released early online by Nickelodeon next Saturday, The Hunger Games movie, which I am entirely too excited about for someone who was pretty ambivalent about the books, trip-planning, and of course, going to Disneyland next week.
• Even five-hour time differences make interacting with your U.S. friends difficult. I got to Skype with Sarah and IM with Pooja, which was lovely, but I miss hearing from my other friends. And let's not talk about California; my parents and I chat fairly regularly, but eight/nine hours (eight for the moment, since France is not yet on Daylight Savings Time) is no picnic.
• Peanut butter is the best. I don't know how the French survive without it. Nutella is delicious, but it is most definitely not the same thing.
• So I am about halfway through my study abroad semester already. How did that happen?!

Nerdiest Nerd That Ever Nerded

This post comes to you in two parts.

Part one: Game Change.

Apparently I go through audiobooks like I go through regular books, because I finished Game Change today. The HBO movie focused on the Sarah Palin stuff, and having listened to the source, it was put into the film pretty much verbatim. It basically confirmed my opinion of her; she's got a good instinct for crowds and she's a decent actress, but she's incompetent at best and hopelessly ignorant at worst when it comes to serious policy issues. I understand that the McCain team placed her in a difficult position, but if she was being honest with herself, she should have turned them down (that, and they never should have made her the offer in the first place). I rolled my eyes so much at her whining about the "gotcha media," just as I did four years ago. Sorry, Governor Palin, you were vastly unprepared, and Katie Couric had every right to call you on it. It's insulting to the people you were asking for their vote to insinuate otherwise. Thank goodness she wasn't elected.

In addition to Palin, however, the book devoted large sections to the Democratic primary, the Edwards campaign, and McCain before and after he won the nomination. A lot of it I'd already read about to some capacity, but what boggled my mind was how incredibly tone-deaf and out-of-touch John Edwards really was. I was never his biggest fan, but I remember liking him in 2004, and being glad he was on the ticket. Now I'm horrified I ever felt that way. He may have had nice things to say about the interests of the lower class, but the Edwards in Game Change is narcissistic and as good old boy as they come. He honestly believed that he could have an affair (and a child out of wedlock) and still be president, then he was angling for an appointment as Obama's attorney-general even after the story was more or less known. What a creep. Good riddance. I am sorry to hear that Elizabeth Edwards was apparently a piece of work; according to Game Change, she was horrible to her staff, fought with John constantly (not that he didn't deserve it), and had diva moments aplenty. I know she was sick, and it must be awful to see your husband have an affair, but it's changed my opinion of her, and that makes me sad.

My feelings toward the Clintons have been pretty ambivalent since 2008. I've been a supporter of President Obama since 2004, and was on his side in the primary once there was even an inkling he was going to run. I still don't think the media was "in the tank" for him, as the Clintons maintain, and while I understand that sexism plays an ugly role in politics, ultimately I am confident that the president won because he was the more deserving candidate, end of story (and it doesn't make me anti-woman to say that). Game Change gave me some insight into how the Clintons felt during 2008, and I did feel sorry for them sometimes, but mostly the book just rehashed the stunts that made me angriest at them in the first place. While I've mostly gotten over nonsense from 2008, and I really admire the job Hillary Clinton has done as Secretary of State, I can't say I feel more warmly about her having read this book. It wasn't always fun to hear the president's dirty laundry aired out, either, but there were some passages that reminded me why I like him so much. The book recounts then-Senator Obama's approach to the financial crisis during the fall of 2008, and discusses how he would call the fed chair and treasury secretary repeatedly with thought-provoking questions (Henry Paulson says that he was impressed by the maturity with which President Obama handled the situation) and talk constantly with his economic advisers, while Senator McCain gave a more perfunctory response. I haven't been completely happy with everything President Obama has done since he took office, but I think no one can deny that he is a very smart man, and he takes his job seriously.

Other thoughts - the book basically confirmed what I already know about Mitt Romney, which is that he is a raging opportunist and not even other Republicans like him. Also, everyone swears like sailors. I guess that shouldn't surprise or disappoint me, but as someone who doesn't swear much, it kind of does. And while I guess this is my chosen career field and I should just get used to it, it struck me how utterly wearying and childish the political process can be. I dearly hope that not everyone is as petty as they seemed in the book.

Part two: The Legend of Korra

News just keeps getting better and better on the Korra front. First they officially dropped the stupid Last Airbender part from the title at long last. Now Nickelodeon has finally announced the release date, and it's exactly one month from today, April 14. They've also put out a new trailer, and it's making me practically salivate to find out what happens next.



Thoughts:

• I am incredibly happy that an action/adventure series with a female protagonist of color is being taken completely seriously. Just five years ago, when Avatar was airing, Nickelodeon refused to even make action figures of the female characters, and now they're not even trying to hide the fact that this series has a girl as the main character. It might not seem like much, but in the entertainment industry, the prevailing idea is that boys will not watch stories about girls, so especially action shows with female protagonists are thought not to be marketable. I just really want Korra to be an unambiguous success, so the entertainment industry will realize how wrong they are.
• The story sounds so exciting. I can't wait to see where it's going.
• I've already seen all the leaked clips, so I have a small sense of Korra's character, but she seems so awesome. I'm pretty sure I'm going to love her.
• I'm really interested to know what Korra and Tenzin's relationship is going to be like. Based on this trailer, it sounds like it'll be something of a father-daughter relationship, but of course I want to know how Korra being Aang's reincarnation is going to factor into things. 
• I want to see more of the kids, especially Jinora, since Mike and Bryan described her as a bookworm and kind of shy, and she sounds like a girl after my own heart. Plus, girl airbenders! Oh, and Meelo, I guess.
• Mako speaks! He's quite the animated heartthrob. 
• Calling it: Mako and Korra are going to have a thing.
• Bolin, meanwhile, will be her completely platonic buddy, and they'll have really fun times together. I liked the shot of them laughing (and hanging out at a speakeasy?) in this trailer.
• Hnng I just want to know the history of this antibending movement and how Korra gets wind of it and what Amon's beef is and ahhhh!
• One more month!

Audiobooks and Awesome

Once I posted my top ten list last night, I had an incredible urge to read A Ring of Endless Light again. Unfortunately, since I wanted to travel light, I left almost all of my books in storage in Virginia, and in any case I lent my copy out to a friend quite a while ago now. Luckily Amazon Prime has a partnership with Audible.com, and not only could I download the Ring of Endless Light audiobook for free, but my free trial also gave me one more credit to use how I liked. I ended up picking the behind-the-scenes 2008 election account Game Change, which is supposed to be kind of trashy but also really interesting. I'm about halfway through it at the moment, and I can confirm that it is both of those things. Incidentally, I watched the HBO movie this weekend. I was surprised at how much it humanized Sarah Palin, but it also underlined just how idiotic a choice she was. She was utterly unprepared for the position she was thrust into, both because she wasn't properly vetted and because she is willfully ignorant. Anyway, it felt very much like a TV movie, and some parts were laughably melodramatic, but overall it wasn't a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

Today was a pretty good day. As usual, I slept later than I should have, but once I got up, I did several things I'd been meaning to do for a few days and then had a couple of good classes at Sciences Po. Afterward, I had some tasty leftovers, Skyped with Ruth and Leslie, and flailed around on the Internet because a) The Hunger Games is getting great buzz, and I get to see it next week (it comes out in France on Wednesday, but I'm going to Disneyland with Eva, so I'll probably go Thursday morning if there isn't a midnight showing Tuesday night), and b) it looks like the Legend of Korra airdate will be announced this week! Finally! Also, the weight loss is continuing to go really well; all of my jeans are too big for me, and I'm pretty sure I've gone down another dress size, although I don't plan on going clothes shopping anytime soon, so I can't know for certain. Still, I'm happy. Life is good!

Top Tens: Literary Crushes

Time for another top ten list! It's been a while since my last one, so here you are.

As you probably know, I am a bookworm. I read voraciously as a kid and still go through new books pretty quickly now even though I have less time to read them. My preferred genre is probably fantasy, but I love historical fiction, contemporary teenage fiction, and sci-fi as well, and generally I'm not too picky; if a book is good, I'm usually willing to read it. I don't read much romance, but most of my favorite books include at least a romantic subplot, and I confess that I care way more about said subplots than I strictly ought to much of the time.

I strongly suspect that part of the reason I haven't had a boyfriend yet is because my expectations have been raised too high by literature. Funnily enough, I still don't really know what my type is in real life, but I definitely have a literary type. Almost all of the love interests on my list are good-humored, funny, devoted to their families, clever, kind, and really dedicated to their ladies. A little distressingly, at least to me, they all happen to also be white, which is sadly probably reflective of the lack of protagonists of color in mainstream literature. I think the other issue is that I love these guys for how they love their love interests, so a lot of the traits I find attractive are really kind of specific to their relationships with women who aren't me. But hey, since they are fictional and I am not, it was never going to work anyway. Well, here goes. See if you can guess who I picked (let me know if you got any right).

SPOILER ALERT: Some ending details for Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, The Hunger Games trilogy, Madeleine L'Engle's Time and Austin series, The Princess Diaries series, the Anne of Green Gables series, Pride and Prejudice, and the Harry Potter series.

 10. Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion)

Favorite Film Portrayal: Ciaran Hinds, 1995

Chosen mainly because he writes the most romantic letter in all of literature to protagonist Anne Elliot. I won't spoil it for you, but it contains the line "You pierce my soul," and it since it throws his character into a completely different light, it makes for excellent reread value.
Pluses: Very patient, honorable, quite the way with a pen
Minuses: Tendency to be distant, man in uniform (I know that's a plus for a lot of people, but not for me. No offense if you happen to be one, but I happen to be ethically opposed to the military as an institution - not to you personally, of course)

 9. Henry Tilney (Northanger Abbey)

Favorite Film Portrayal: JJ Feild, 2007

Pluses: Hilarious, willing to stand up for what he thinks is right, kind
Minuses: As an introvert, I sometimes find it difficult to keep up with very extroverted people, as I think Henry is. Since Catherine and I seem to have this in common, perhaps it wouldn't be a huge roadblock, but I imagine it would hamper things somewhat.

8. Peeta Mellark (The Hunger Games)

Film Portrayal That I Have Not Yet Seen But Am Pretty Sure Will Enjoy: Josh Hutcherson, 2012

I am not the biggest Hunger Games fan in the world, but the one character I kept reading for was Peeta. I didn't even care about his romance with Katniss that much; he was just a really decent guy, and I was impressed by his desire to stay true to himself no matter what happened. Complicated slightly by Mockingjay (as everything in this series is), which is why he's 8th instead of, say, 4th on my list.
Pluses: Strong sense of self, dry, self-deprecating wit, devotion to the people he loves
Minuses: I am a little bothered by how self-sacrificial he is. Possibly another one of my paradoxes; I am moved by all-encompassing love, but I get annoyed at characters that don't seem to have a life beyond their love interests. So, yeah. Also, Peeta's a bit manipulative in a way I don't entirely love.

7. Calvin O'Keefe (A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels)

Not Including a Film Portrayal Because the Only One There Is Neglected His Red Hair (But He's Played By Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century's Boyfriend Greg)

All-around nice guy and whip-smart, Calvin isn't the most standout character in the series, but I love him for his fundamental goodness and his willingness to be there for Meg and her family no matter what. He doesn't care that she's seen as a bit of an oddball at their school; he likes her for who she is, and tells her so. I appreciate that. Also, redhead. I have a bit of a weakness for red hair, in case you hadn't noticed.
Pluses: The "dreamboat eyes" scene, doesn't care what other people think, kind, open, smart, supportive, wants to love and be loved
Minuses: His family would make for awful in-laws

6. Neville Longbottom (the Harry Potter series)

Film Portrayal I Pretty Much Liked: Matthew Lewis, 2001-2011

If you've read Deathly Hallows, this one's a no-brainer.
Pluses: Brave, sweet, devoted to his friends and family, such a fabulously layered and developed character
Minuses: Forgetful, fictional (and therefore not able to be my boyfriend)

5. Michael Moscovitz (the Princess Diaries series)

Film Portrayal That Was Okay Enough: Robert Schwartzman, 2001

One of my first literary crushes, probably because I started reading The Princess Diaries series around age 12, and I loved it so much. Especially in the first four books, Michael is so very dreamy. He's nerdy, which appeals to me, and he's obviously and sweetly in love with Mia, which makes him appealing in general. I particularly love their Star Wars-infused first date, and the fact that he tells her he likes her with a self-made computer program.
He got considerably less dreamy around the time that Mia herself gets really annoying (I don't think either of them acquitted themselves well in the Michael's-not-actually-a-virgin-(even-though-Meg-Cabot-had-said-he-was-on-her-website-and-then-changed-her-mind-because-she-wanted-to-~make-a-point~-or-something)-and-surprise-Mia-he-never-told-you situation. But come book 10, when Mia's with the supremely unlikable J.P. and Michael comes back from Japan, I was quite happy it was as his lovable old self. Mia was, too.
Pluses: wonderfully nerdy, nice, caring, considerate, patient, musical (I like guys who can sing and/or play instruments), hot (as Mia informs us about ten times a book, but those passages about his well-defined pecs made quite an impression on me as a preteen)
Minuses: a little too cavalier about sex (or at least about the Judith Gershner situation above)

4. Adam Eddington (the Vicky Austin series)

Not Including a Film Portrayal Because Good Lord That Movie Was Disappointing (But If You Were Curious, He Was Played By Ryan Merriman)

Easily my favorite of Vicky's love interests (I am NOT into troubled-but-cute types, a la Zachary Gray, who frankly is more trouble than he's worth). Their relationship is so interesting to read about, and not just in the romantic sense. Oh, and a tip, if you've only seen the Disney Channel movie version of A Ring of Endless Light: read the book. Seriously. Book!Adam and movie!Adam are about as different as it is possible to be.
Pluses: smart, caring, friendly, good with kids, "I called you." "And I came."
Minuses: Trust issues

3. Gilbert Blythe (the Anne of Green Gables series)

Favorite Film (Well, Miniseries) Portrayal: Jonathan Crombie, 1985, 1987 (and that is it, do you hear me?)

I haven't met anyone who's read AoGG and doesn't love Gilbert. Of course, it helps that he's "loved [Anne] since that day [she] broke [her] slate over [his] head in school," and one of the most amusing parts of the first book is the barrage of hints at Gilbert's feelings and Anne's blissful unawareness. As they get older, Gilbert's great qualities become more apparent, and it's obvious he's meant for her, which makes it that much more infuriating when she initially turns him down. He's bright, honest, nice, handsome, and head over heels for Anne, and just all-around incredibly sweet. Long story short, I'm constantly flipping through the books just to get to the Gilbert bits, and that should speak for itself.
Pluses: Everything
Minuses: Nothing

2. Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)

Favorite Film (Well, Miniseries) Portrayal: Colin Firth, 1995

Obligatory addition to every nerdy girl's literary crush list, but there's a reason for it, of course. Great character development is a key component; being played by Colin Firth in the best adaptation helps. Book!Darcy is plenty wonderful on his own, though. He goes from being rather proud and stiff to someone who is willing to do everything for the woman he loves, even when she's already rejected him once (since he is naturally unaware that he is the male lead in an Austen novel and will inevitably end up with Elizabeth anyway, I think the word "selfless" is applicable here).
Pluses: Devoted (both to Lizzy and to his little sister), a good friend, clever, kind
Minuses: Not great with strangers, proud (although he gets better)

1. Ron Weasley (the Harry Potter series)

Not Including a Film Portrayal Because Rupert Grint, As Lovely As I'm Sure He Is, Does Not At All Fit My Personal Picture of Ron Weasley. Instead, I Give You Two Pieces of Fanart By Women Named Venessa and Marta

Let's not kid ourselves here. For me, something from Harry Potter is always going to be number one. Ron is my favorite character in the series anyway (though this did not preclude him from making me very angry on occasion), and his romantic subplot was the one I was most invested in (I actually felt physically ill reading that Lavender Brown business from Half-Blood Prince for the first time), so it's really not surprising that he would top this list as well. As for why I like Ron so much in the first place, well, I think a lot of it comes with defending him on the Internet for nearly a decade now, but I genuinely love his character arc. This is also why chapter nineteen of Deathly Hallows, "The Silver Doe," is my favorite chapter of anything ever. I love seeing Ron finally overcome his self-confidence issues and be a hero in his own right. Also, he's very funny and he's a redhead, so how can I not like him? And as a love interest? I love how he loves Hermione, end of story.
Pluses: Loyal, brave, hilarious, compassionate (especially midway through DH and onward), protective, caring, red hair
Minuses: Hotheaded, not particularly academically-motivated, has jealousy and confidence issues (that he has mostly resolved by the end of the series), can be rather mean sometimes.

Dimanche

Since I have been terrible at blogging consistently, I thought I would tell you what a typical Sunday in Lille is like, in case I happen to miss a bunch of Sundays and you're fraught with the desire to know what I do with them.

So back in Virginia, I have a job in addition to taking classes that actually require some effort. This means that while I am something of a night owl while I am at UVa, I'm still usually asleep by 1:30 in the morning. Here in France, I have neither a job nor classes that start before 10, with the result that I stay up until 3 in the morning or later rather more often than is really wise. Weekends make this problem much worse (or better, depending on your point of view). Last night, I was watching Kim Possible on YouTube and didn't go to sleep until four in the morning. Part of this I blame on residual rubbish from being sick, and the other part I blame on me for not having common sense. This is particularly relevant because I had to get up with enough time to shower before church. Church is at 10; I got up at 8:30. 4.5 hours of sleep for the lose!

I leave my place about ten minutes before worship is scheduled to begin, which means I usually arrive about five minutes late, but since nothing starts when it is supposed to, I get there just on time! Today I was very slightly late; I shall take this as a sign that my timing skills need a little honing. I go to a French Baptist church that reminds me a lot of Primera in Mexicali, except there's obviously a different language that's still difficult for me to understand and harder to speak. If I'm paying attention, though, I get the gist of what everyone is saying. There's a lot of praying and singing (and praying while singing); I'm not so great at the praying out loud in French part (to be fair, I'm not great at the praying out loud in English part either; my faith is a quieter one). Then there's a long sermon (I have my English Bible to follow along with, and also if the sermon is boring there are always good stories to read somewhere in the Bible), followed by more praying, then communion.

Communion here is done by passing around a bowl full of bread and then a cup. Some people eat their bread first and then take a sip from the cup, using a little cloth to wipe the brim afterward; others take communion by intinction, which is when you dip the bread into the cup and have both elements at once. I find intinction slightly more sanitary, so I've been doing that. I think we might be drinking wine instead of grape juice, which explains why I don't really enjoy the communion bread here that much (I know that's not the point, but I am nothing if not brutally honest). Then more praying, offering, and we're done, which means a lot of "bon dimanche"-ing and doing that French thing where you kiss first one cheek, then the other as a way of saying good-bye.

Eva and I usually go to the street market directly after worship. The vegetables are quite cheap and generally tasty, so I usually come with a shopping bag, spend two or three Euro, and am set for the week in the fresh food department. Sometimes we then go to the Carrefour City closer to where she lives if I need to pick something up that can't wait until Monday; the Carrefour by my place closes at 12:30 on Sundays, which means it's pretty much impossible to get there after church. If it's cold out, I'll Metro back up to my part of Lille; if it's nice, like it was today, I'll walk.

I then proceed to veg out for a few hours, sometimes Skyping, sometimes reading, almost always Interneting in some capacity (I am just a veritable fountain of made-up verbs today, aren't I?), occasionally with a nap along the way if I'm lucky. Lately I've been making plans with Lille friends for Sunday evenings. Today Eva and I went to see The Artist and get some crepes in the nice part of Lille. (One-sentence film review: It was my first experience with a silent film, and I enjoyed it for what it was, but I'm not sure if it was worthy of Best Picture.) Then I Metroed back home, talked to Sara and my parents, and watched many, many charlieissocoollike videos on YouTube. I am starting to think I am secretly British, and just happened to be born an American by mistake, because every time I become obsessed with a new British thing, it feels completely natural and right, and also I am so ready to go actually spend some time there, you have no idea. But then I would have David Cameron in charge of my government instead of Barack Obama, and I am so not on board with that (though then again, I am completely on board with living in a country with a healthcare system as awesome as the NHS, and also Harry Potter). Consensus? Clearly, none.

Top ten literary crushes tomorrow? I am thinking yes.

Ill Girl

When I went to France, I decided not to take my thermometer or first aid kit with me, because I am smart. Yeah, not so much. I've been out of commission most of this week with general nausea/sleep deprivation/lack of appetite. Luckily I'm feeling much better this weekend, but as this is the second time I've been miserably sick since I came to Europe, I must have terrible karma.

I actually made myself go to class on Tuesday and Thursday (luckily I didn't have any commitments on Wednesday), but Friday I woke up at the exact time my class started and I decided it was a sign I should probably stay in and get some rest. I spent a lot of time playing Sims, drawing, and watching Korra clips on Tumblr. I suppose I could have updated my blog, but I lacked the proper motivation to write, or expend much energy at all, really.

Today, however, I was recovered enough to be productive. And then I got a lovely surprise in the mail; my friends at Wesley sent me a card and some Cookie Bake cookies! Being sick kind of me made me feel down in the dumps, especially since this week was the first spring break mission trip I was missing, but that package picked me right up. It's so nice to be appreciated.

The card in question. They know me so well.

Not much else happening. I have some internship applications to finish and a Churchill exam to study for (not too worried about it, though). Other than that, spring is finally on its way here in France, and I'm excited for the next few weeks. Eva and I are going to Disneyland week after this, The Hunger Games will be out here two days before it's released in the States (though I might not actually see it until the 22nd), and my mom's visit is getting closer all the time. Yay!

French Snow Day (and Visited Countries Update)

Despite the relatively warm weather we've had over the past couple of weeks, we got about two inches of snow in Lille today. I was going to run some errands, and actually was dressed and ready to head out when I looked out my window and saw a rather unappealing mixture of slush and cold rain. Needless to say, my motivation for leaving my room evaporated. I don't have a choice in the matter tomorrow, though, since my French Politics and Institutions class is meeting and I've been quite good about going to all my classes this semester; I have missed a few history lectures, but that's because Sciences Po likes to schedule conflicting courses that last just three weeks.

Woke up late enough that cooking breakfast didn't really make sense, so I had tomato soup for lunch and made some hard-boiled eggs and sauteed vegetables for dinner. I'm still kind of hungry, but my weight loss is progressing at such a rate that I'm within twenty-five pounds of my ultimate goal, so I'm trying to eat less and eliminate most of the junk food from my diet. I think I'm going to start walking to Sciences Po, at least when it's daytime and not raining, to help with the exercise side of things. Any other tips/suggestions are appreciated!

Lastly, here are my two updated European maps after my trip to Germany. No Czech Republic, since we didn't get to go to Prague, but now I've spent more than one full day in Germany (in fact, I spent two), so that's going up on the official map. Don't know if I'll get to add much else, as my travel budget has been nearly depleted already, but I'd really like to go to Spain and Ireland at least if I can wrangle it. We'll see.

 

Countries I Have Spent at Least One Full Day and Night In

 

Everything in the First Map, Plus Countries I Have Technically Visited