Cultural Considerations and LOVE

We (Michaela and I) gave our presentation in class tonight. I think it went well, the discussion seemed to go well at the very least! And we finally got to fit in a conversation about the movies we have been watching. So far I've really liked about half the movies we've seen, but on the other hand I haven't hated the other half...it's more a feeling of "meh." Speaking of "meh," I saw the BEST thing ever on shirtwoot the other day! I seriously may have to buy that shirt. I am a BIG fan of shirtwooting. Sometimes the visual gags are easy to spot, but sometimes it's important to read the description. They really have a way with words...and sarcasm on that website.

Now that we've talked over the movies for class, let's think back to Valentine's Day...we were talking about favorite romantic movies, which I have plenty, but I couldn't think of any great love scenes to share with the class. For me it's usually the bigger picture I guess. Not that the scenes we saw were not part of movies with a good "bigger picture," if that makes sense. Still, I thought I'd share some of my favorite love stories as well as the American Film Institute's (AFI) list of the 100 best romantic films! First a moment to comment on the list provided by AFI: Casablanca is ranked #1, I find this amusing because when they are ranking the greatest film ever Casablanca always comes in 2nd to Citizen Cane. I HATE Citizen Cane and feel it's a big waste of time, and they usually put Casablanca in the #2 spot (vindication at last). This list was created in 2002, which sadly means we don't know where The Notebook would fit in...that being the current #1 love story according to every girl and most boys that I have ever met. Several of my favorite love stories appear on the list, which isn't surprising because I feel like I have very classic taste!

Now Voyager (#23 on AFI's list) is one of my all time favorite love stories, even though they don't end up together! I know it's tragic, but I fall for it every time. I'm always surprised when this movie pops up because I had never heard of it until it was mentioned in a book. I highly recommend it if you like old movies. And seriously, I think everyone should watch the Quiet Man (#76) at least once! It's a John Wayne movie, but don't let that stop you. I really must thank my dad for introducing me to the movie. Of course for years I only ever saw the end, an excellent fight scene. Watch it, I know you'll like it! There is something for everyone.

A funny movie that I like is Sabrina, the new version. The original version is #54 on the AFI list. Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of Audrey Hepburn, but I saw the new version first. Speaking of Audrey, they put Breakfast at Tiffany's at #61! There's a mistake if I ever saw one. But back to the Sabrinas compare:








I like the original, but not as much as the new! One reason the new is better is how much more Paris is a part of the film. In the original it's an exotic location where the main character goes to cooking school. It's not part of the story, it's just a name. In the new version it is a wonderful escape for a hopelessly naive young girl in the exciting world of fashion. Paris enables the character to grow and experience new people and places. Paris is like another character in the film! It's a really beautiful movie. I love Paris, so of course this makes my list of favorites.

To name a few more of my favorites from the AFI list: #4 Roman Holiday, #27 The Sound of Music, #50 Shakespeare in Love, #93 Dirty Dancing, #81 The Goodbye Girl, #46 To Catch a Thief, and of course # 34 Beauty and the Beast (the Disney movie).

I feel like I've spent a lot of this time talking about how much I love old movies, but I love movie today too! One of the best romantic movies I've ever seen is Pride and Prejudice! The whole movie is elegant and beautiful. The scenery is amazing! Have you ever looked at the trees in that movie?! They are wonderful. The music and the costumes were detailed and delicate. I thought everything looked accurate on top of the story being perfect. I loved the whole movie. It really is visually stunning.



I picked the video with the best picture so please excuse the foreign language subtitles!

On a side note...

This isn't for class it's just for me.

Save the World

So in class today we made crazy stories and tried to share them with the class. My favorite has got to be the last skit from the second round: too smart! At the end of class we were given the Save the World assignment, with only a sheet of yellow stickers to clue us in. I'm not the most creative person around, but I know my group will figure something out. Thinking about saving the world always makes me think of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. I don't remember when I first read the book, but I do remember the first time I watched the movie. 7th grade science class with Mr. Hartz! He showed us the FILM STRIP! Everyone by that time was too cool for cartoons, and way to cool for Dr. Seuss, but I LOVED it! That was the first time I really thought about saving the world. We talked about recycling and reusing, it was the beginning of the recycling craze! So in honor of our assignment to Save the World please enjoy this video from Google. The quality looks pretty similar to the original film strip version I saw in class. I was given the DVD of the movie recently and it was nicely "cleaned up." However, I LIKE to watch it in all it's original glory, so I hope you can appreciate it too!

Visuals in Schools

This is a presentation I would have liked to be a part of! Of course the visuals I see in schools as a librarian may not be what others think of first. I think of the display cases full of student work, from any subject. I think of signs telling you about fundraisers and up coming activities. I think of shelf labels and Dewey Decimal numbers! But mostly, I think of book covers!Cover art is an interest of mine. Because the old saying "you can't judge a book by it's cover" is wrong. You can, and will judge a book by it's cover. I've even seen a little research about this very topic. As books are published in each generation the covers change, and there are some very specific trends that have been found. I don't know much about those trends, and I can't remember where I saw that article but I have definite opinions about book covers! If you want a young adult, or a child to read a book it has to look appealing. I'm sorry but it's the truth. The books above and below this paragraph are the same book with different covers. Doomed Queen Anne is about Anne Boleyn and was written with a young adult audience in mind. The first cover seemed to be too juvenile for the young adult readers for which the book was written. The new cover appears to be more sophisticated.

I read a lot of young adult and children's literature. There are some good books kids won't touch. It's got to be appealing! I know one librarian, who does a Brown Bag Book Grab. She takes some classic older books from her library, good books that she can't afford to buy new copies of. She book talks each one and the students "bid" on a book that sounds good to them. The challenge is to take it home, open up the bag and read the book. They are NOT to open the bag until they are home and to read at least the first chapter. For some kids it works, others don't really get into it. But it's a great way to deal with judging books by their covers.


No matter if it's a young adult, children's, or adult novel I'm always looking at book covers. Currently I am looking at a lot of science fiction book covers during my Master's research. I am looking at current trends in young adult science fiction. So far I have read Peeps, Taken, and Candor (in that order) for my research. Can you tell which cover I like the best? The look of the book has been a consideration as I read. I take one that I like the look of, then one that doesn't "look" as good. That way I am not reading all the "good" books first. I ended up liking the book Taken a lot more than I thought I would, but I sandwiched it between Peeps and Candor for a reason...


PS
Here's an AWESOME trailer for The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. The trailer is actually narrated by the author as well. This book won the Newbery Medal in 2009.


PPS
Read the book Candor by Pam Bachorz and then check out this website! Ever want to know what makes a "good book?" When you HATE the ending, but still LOVE the book...that is a GOOD BOOK.

Post for Monday, Feb. 21, 2011 Visual Symbols Take 2 Part 2

So we were supposed to update our first post about visual symbols in our life when I posted about music. Music doesn't really reflect current symbols in my life though, so I'm taking the time now to talk about some of the visuals that I can't escape right now.

I will be graduating this May. Unless my research project slows me down, but at the very latest I will be done with everything by the end of the summer. I WILL be "walking" in May. So right now I have a lot of thoughts about the graduation process...leading to the job searching process...yikes! It seems like my time as a student is flying by at an alarming rate. I have notes everywhere reminding me to finish this application, or send transcripts to "that school," or don't forget to update your portfolio! Everything is coming together, but I don't feel ready!


Finding a school library job is the priority now. Although, I'm applying for public and academic library positions as well. With budgets being what they are these days, if it says "library" I'm there. I've been using the Teach Iowa website to look for school library jobs as well as a website called indeed, a job search engine. To start I am searching in Iowa for library jobs, but if I need to I am willing to expand that search to Illinois and Wisconsin. Although teaching or working for the state of Wisconsin right now seems to be a risky idea...but I have family there...so for now I'm searching in Iowa!

Visual Symbols Take 2 Part 1

I enjoyed class tonight. Seeing the different visuals that were used in the presentation was fun. It's funny how seeing certain pictures or images will affect people. I saw a treble clef. Which reminded me of reading music.



Which reminded me that I miss playing my violin! I've never been a very good violinist, but I enjoyed it. However, I don't have the money for the upkeep. The last time I looked at my violin the bridge had been compromised and I needed a completely new bow or to re-string the old one. A new bow would probably cost less. Besides the fact that I don't keep it in the best case or take care of the climate around it I really think I should pass on my violin to someone who would take care of it. However, I still want to be able to play. A friend of mine had a very small electric violin at one point. I wonder if I could keep that in the proper condition so that I could play when the feeling struck? I don't want to forget how to play completely! I may not be very good, but I do enjoy it.
All of these thoughts ran through my head during class. I probably missed another picture or symbol that could have triggered a completely different "tangent" in my mind. But the treble clef is what caught my attention.

Perspective

Among other things, we talked about Perspective in class this week. These first couple of pictures were taken for a class. I was trying to use perspective to help illustrate a word choice. I like playing with perspectives, but sometimes it works great, while other times I just don't catch it. For the cookie making picture I was standing on a chair, trying to get a sharp angle down...it kind of worked.

Other times I'm not even trying and the outcome will actually be better! I like perspective pictures that happen naturally. For example, Notre Dame Cathedral. The height, angles, and the character of the building really do all the work for you! Just keep snapping shots and you'll end up with some great stuff when you get home.





Can you tell Paris is my favorite city in the WORLD to visit? Really, if it wasn't that every time I visit the city it's usually with someone who has never been, AND we are always there for a short period of time...I would just wander around all day taking pictures. I mean literally wandering with no real purpose other than to snap a shot when I feel like it.