Still At It (sort of kind of)

Here's the thing about all the changes going on right now:  I am choosing not to talk about them on the blog.  What that means is that life is moving at the speed of light and I can't. mention. it. here.

I feel like I'm going to explode.

Lucy is unsympathetic.

She sits in her toilet and eats.  All the time.

Since I can't talk about anything else, let's talk about TV and books!  I have one more week to really take advantage of this stuff before I start class and never have spare time again.

First things first - and I almost can't admit this - guess what I don't watch anymore?  Vampire Diaries!  What happened, you ask?  I have no idea!  It just fell off the radar screen this season, and now I'm way behind, and I haven't even bothered to catch up.  Which is totally indicative that it's not a priority to me anymore.  I don't quite know what to say.  This surprises me about myself.

Bye Bye, babes

But!  I'm hooked on The Good Wife, Downton Abbey, Big Bang Theory, and Castle (as usual).  This helps me kill time until Mad Men, Orphan Black and Homeland start up again.  You need to watch all of these shows immediately.

I've also been reading a tad.

How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway

How to Be an American Housewife is the story of Shoko.  She lives with her family in Japan and experiences America's retribution after the Pearl Harbor attacks.  She comes of age under American occupation and follows her parents' advice to work in a hotel that is frequented by GI's, in the hopes of marrying one and making a better life for herself in the United States.  As she embarks upon this path, her brother disapproves and shuts her out of her life.  This is the story of how, in her old age, she tries to make peace with her brother by sending her adult daughter and young grand daughter to Japan.

Dilloway delicately captures the cultural differences between America and Japan.  Her use of dialog is superb.  This is an easy book to pick up and put down - a great read for the plane, vacation, or in the middle of daily life.

Also:

Breakfast at Tiffany's and Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote.

Remember how I said I was on a Capote kick?  I read Breakfast at Tiffany's for the very first time over Christmas.  It's a great story - it's actually a short story.  Did you know that?  Only about 90 pages, told from the perspective of Holly Golightly's friend and neighbor.  I feel more cultured now that I know the story, and will certainly re-read it one of these days.

I also read Other Voices, Other Rooms, the story of a young boy from New Orleans, set in the early 1900's.  After his mother's death, he is sent to Alabama to live with relatives who are isolated in an area call The Landing.  This book, although written with Capote's skill for description, symbolism, and dialog, is complex and confusing.  Toward the end of the story, I wasn't entirely sure what was going on.  I thought I missed something, and ended up re-reading the last 40 pages of the book.  I'm still not sure what was up.  This does not bode well for grad school, but I'm trying not to think about that.

**sigh**

I have to say, this girl is a Capote fan.  :)  There are still a few of his works that I haven't read.

Ok, peeps.  Here's hoping I can open up to you a bit more in the coming days.  Crossed fingers and prayers are much appreciated!