So, I had this kind of embarrassing experience. I've joined this gym to get my fat ass motivated and moving (the astounding price I paid for the first three months is enough to get me to go anyway). They have a wide assortment of aerobics classes every day from dawn to well past dusk. I noticed a "Latin" one listed and was pretty excited, since I love Latin music and dancing. It took me a couple weeks to work up the nerve to join though. Not only was it listed as an intermediate level, but it was late at night. So, one night I worked out hard in my t-shirt, umbro shorts, and cross-trainers. I did all the required running and sweating, as well as some weight training. Sweaty and ready for an aerobics workout, I walked up to the room. Outside I saw a small Thai woman dressed very stylishly in a swirly mini skirt, sexy orange shirt with a little orange scarf tied around her throat, and some flashy high heels. Truly in my mind though I was rolling my eyes, "Why do people come to the gym dressed like this???" I walked into the workout room and saw that everyone was wearing skirts and high heels. ???
Turns out that it was a Latin DANCE class (Salsa, to be exact). I was both thrilled and appalled. Also turns out the cute little orange woman was the instructor! (okay, the clothes are therefore approved). There I was in my mammoth shoes (I'm already large by Thai standards), with an impressive sweat ring circling my neck and down my back. Everyone else was fresh as a daisy and seemed to know what the hell they were doing. No one was really volunteering to dance with me. Nonetheless, I gave it a try, and besides standing around alone most of the time and feeling like an idiot (there are never enough men to go around at these things and I can't ask some guy to pay a load to join the gym for this), I had a pretty good time. In fact, I went again, wearing my heels and smelling April spring fresh. This time they said I was a good dancer, which was a total lie, but I am much better! Hooray! Here's to tackling your fears, even if you think you look like an ass. Now I can salsa! Kind of!
**********
Just saw the movie, Frida here. I admit knowing nothing about this woman before the film (besides the few things you heard about her body, her husband, and her sexuality, sadly, less about her art), but after this movie, I sure would like to learn more. Wonderful film; best I've seen in awhile. It's rare that I'll hate a film, but it's rare I'll love one too. Also, the soundtrack is fucking fantastic, so run out and buy it. Chavela Vargas' (herself a past lover of Frida),"Paloma Negra" (an old recording) is fantastic, as well as her live performance in the film itself, La Llorona many years later.
Quickie Book Reviews
The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - A
Sure....it's outdated, and features wisps of racism (Africans called "savages"), sexism (all the women are beautiful, helpless, and long-suffering, or ugly and evil), and some interesting drug use (Holmes' interest in cocaine, for example), but you cannot beat these stories. My ear-flap hunting cat's off to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's arrogant, asexual hero and his helpful, also long-suffering sidekick, Dr. Watson. Bonus: This book contained actual reprints of the stories as they appeared in The Strand magazine nearly a hundred years ago, complete with the original delightful illustrations. It'll take you about a century to read this (it makes "bible print" look magnified), but it's well worth it.
Immortality by Milan Kundera B+
Okay, he's one of my favorite authors, though kind of confusing or annoying. And though he claims he doesn't write philosophy, he's not fooling me. This novel deals (mainly) with the analysis of what it is like to return to your home country after many years away as a "refugee." And in his usual style, he takes out long passages to focus and deeply analyze single words and how that one word is interpreted by different kinds of individuals. I really liked it; he always makes me think and he must have about 12 good quotable quotes in each novel, this one no exception. I will be giving it to a friend as a gift, but if you're not as epileptic reader as I, I recommend you read the fantastic, The Unbearable Lightness of Being instead.
Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Monday, April 14, 2003
Quickie Book Reviews
The Sex Killers: Thirty Fully Documented Cases of Men and Women Whose Aberrant Sexuality Drove Them to Kill (Lucas) C-
I'd be lying if I said true murder cases don't interest me. I used to watch the tv show Unsolved Mysteries religiously and did read In Cold Blood and Dead Men Do Tell Tales (fascinating books, though a bit tedious). Though it presents a wide variety of macabre and interesting cases throughout the 20th century, I found myself perplexed and confused by the writing of The Sex Killers. It seemed archaic, prejudiced, and unprofessional, particularly toward homosexuals. I looked for a copyright page and found none. (??). After a quick search on Amazon, I found it as an out-of-print book, with suspiciously little information, including no copyright. Titilating cases, but terrible writing.
The Lovely Bones (Sebold) A-
Well, Kundera complained that there was no re-invention of the novel going on, but Sebold here sure made an attempt. I don't think she did anything revolutionary, but she did come up with an intriguing plot -- a young girl is murdered and transported to heaven where she narrates her tale. That's where the book could have taken off into Kundera's hopes and dreams, but Sebold had a different idea. Instead, she focused on what the death of a child does to a family -- each individual and all the interconnecting relationships within and without the family unit. And not just for a few months, but for several years. How does death rip apart two people, how does it make someone flee and someone else fight? As all this is going on, the suspense of catching the killer is always looming large in the background, sometimes rather distractingly, as you fly through the book. Well-written and enjoyable.
A Walk to Remember (Sparks) B-
Okay, I know this guy has had two books made into movies, but umm, I don't get it. I read this book in just a few hours. It was sweet and occasionally humorous, (a story about a painfully religious girl and self-absorbed rich boy falling in love), but overall, it felt like one step up from a Sweet Valley High or Harlequin Romance to me. Not to mention a fairly predictable and sickly-sweet ending. I gave it a B- for its ease and speed (I do believe how enjoyable a book is should not take away from its legitimacy), but I can't really recommend it as a great read.
I'd be lying if I said true murder cases don't interest me. I used to watch the tv show Unsolved Mysteries religiously and did read In Cold Blood and Dead Men Do Tell Tales (fascinating books, though a bit tedious). Though it presents a wide variety of macabre and interesting cases throughout the 20th century, I found myself perplexed and confused by the writing of The Sex Killers. It seemed archaic, prejudiced, and unprofessional, particularly toward homosexuals. I looked for a copyright page and found none. (??). After a quick search on Amazon, I found it as an out-of-print book, with suspiciously little information, including no copyright. Titilating cases, but terrible writing.
The Lovely Bones (Sebold) A-
Well, Kundera complained that there was no re-invention of the novel going on, but Sebold here sure made an attempt. I don't think she did anything revolutionary, but she did come up with an intriguing plot -- a young girl is murdered and transported to heaven where she narrates her tale. That's where the book could have taken off into Kundera's hopes and dreams, but Sebold had a different idea. Instead, she focused on what the death of a child does to a family -- each individual and all the interconnecting relationships within and without the family unit. And not just for a few months, but for several years. How does death rip apart two people, how does it make someone flee and someone else fight? As all this is going on, the suspense of catching the killer is always looming large in the background, sometimes rather distractingly, as you fly through the book. Well-written and enjoyable.
A Walk to Remember (Sparks) B-
Okay, I know this guy has had two books made into movies, but umm, I don't get it. I read this book in just a few hours. It was sweet and occasionally humorous, (a story about a painfully religious girl and self-absorbed rich boy falling in love), but overall, it felt like one step up from a Sweet Valley High or Harlequin Romance to me. Not to mention a fairly predictable and sickly-sweet ending. I gave it a B- for its ease and speed (I do believe how enjoyable a book is should not take away from its legitimacy), but I can't really recommend it as a great read.
I had CNN news on just now, which should be renamed to AWAT - "ALL WAR ALL THE TIME (WHO THE FUCK CARES ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE?). It reminds me of how we used to call the History Channel, "All Nazis All the Time." It was more funny then. Now, it's kind of weird. I guess Americans do love their wars.
What really freaked me out and caused me to write at a moment when I was going to run off to take a shower instead, was CNN showed Bush, giving one of his usual stuttering, spluttering speeches on America. And basically, I listened as he hinted that after we take care of this Iraq thing, that Syria is next! This because he knows that Syria has "chemical weapons" in their country and just "might" be making conditions to accept Saddam's cronies "if" they should cross the border.
*SCREEEEAAAAAAMM*
Syria is next? What the hell is going on? Is the entire world just a Risk(tm) game board to Bush? A woman on TV hinted that since it looks like the US won't be finding any "weapons of mass destruction" and they can just claim that they've all be scuttled off to Syria all along.
*gulp*
I have to admit that Bush scares me very much. I don't think he's maniacal, but I do find most of what he does shocking, unbelievable, and frightening. Clinton was President for eight years and never found the pressing need to go after Iraq RIGHT NOW! Like I've mentioned before, I've spent years listening to Europeans say how stupid and arrogant Americans are. I've always been so annoyed by that and defended Clinton as best I could. But now, now I feel I'm without a defense. I do love my country, but I cannot defend the actions of my government. That feels awful. .
What really freaked me out and caused me to write at a moment when I was going to run off to take a shower instead, was CNN showed Bush, giving one of his usual stuttering, spluttering speeches on America. And basically, I listened as he hinted that after we take care of this Iraq thing, that Syria is next! This because he knows that Syria has "chemical weapons" in their country and just "might" be making conditions to accept Saddam's cronies "if" they should cross the border.
*SCREEEEAAAAAAMM*
Syria is next? What the hell is going on? Is the entire world just a Risk(tm) game board to Bush? A woman on TV hinted that since it looks like the US won't be finding any "weapons of mass destruction" and they can just claim that they've all be scuttled off to Syria all along.
*gulp*
I have to admit that Bush scares me very much. I don't think he's maniacal, but I do find most of what he does shocking, unbelievable, and frightening. Clinton was President for eight years and never found the pressing need to go after Iraq RIGHT NOW! Like I've mentioned before, I've spent years listening to Europeans say how stupid and arrogant Americans are. I've always been so annoyed by that and defended Clinton as best I could. But now, now I feel I'm without a defense. I do love my country, but I cannot defend the actions of my government. That feels awful. .
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