In the Wee Hours

I stayed up very late last night in order to finish reading Shirley. After I was finished, I turned on the TV for the first time that day, and came across a live feed via North Korean TV on CNN of the New York Philharmonic performing live in Pyongyang. The first thought that came to my mind was, What? I don’t know much about North Korean culture, but I do know that they are fiercely anti-American. Plus, after all the fears about the possibility of their possessing nuclear weapons, I thought it would be years before anything like this would happen. But there it was, on TV.

They first performed both the American and the North Korean national anthems, and both countries’ flags were displayed on the stage. I unfortunately missed this, and the short Wagner piece that came after, but I was fortunate to hear their beautiful performance of Antonín Dvořák’s 9th Symphony, which he wrote during his stay in New York City in the late 19th century…very appropriate. The symphony is most familiarly known as “From the New World”, which summed up the American musicians’ message to the North Koreans: “We come from the New World with this great gift.” The next piece was “An American in Paris” by that quintessential American composer, George Gershwin. What could be more American than Gershwin? The conductor, Lorin Maazel, said, as he was introducing the piece, that he hoped that someday someone would write a song called, “Americans in Pyongyang”, which received an appreciative laugh and applause from the audience.

I went to bed after the Gershwin piece was finished, so I missed Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” (what is more American than Gershwin? Bernstein!), but I went to bed hoping that President Bush would be wise enough to use this historic event as a diplomatic tool. The thought of using music diplomatically is sort of magical to me. Music has the ability, that almost no other medium has, of reaching inside and touching someone, no matter what part of the world they come from, or their particular political or religious creed.

Of course, Bush is too much of an IDIOT to realize that this historic concert could have been the beginnings of more cooperative relations and understanding between the U.S. and North Korea. The White House instead denied that the concert served any important function, and certainly not a diplomatic one. It wasn’t his idea, after all…it was North Korea who invited the New York Philharmonic. Bush obviously doesn’t want any part of any diplomatic process that he did not think of in the first place. But then, diplomacy is not his strong suit, is it? He would much rather bomb Pyongyang than try to understand the North Korean people or meet them on any other terms than his own. When will Bush learn that the U.S. does not have the right to demand that the whole world bow to its supposed superiority?

I’m not going to waste my time by going on another anti-Bush tirade. He’s not worth it. But I will say that I hope that this will not be the last American concert in North Korea. Maybe it will lead to other concerts in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and to other parts of the world that need to see that not all Americans come to them in aggression. Sometimes, we just want to share some music!

I was inspired by Michelle, who was kind enough to mention my humble little corner of the internet, so here are some of my favorite blogs. These are the blogs that I read most regularly.

Bandguys’ Weblog - This is one of my brother Matt’s blogs. He is a band director for a high school in Tacoma, Washington. Although it is geared toward other music teachers, anyone who is a teacher, a music lover, or just a human being will enjoy this one!

BCF - The Reviews - I can’t help but shamelessly plug our forum’s reviews blog! I am honored to be a contributor, and I always enjoy reading everyone else’s reviews.

Sitting on a Cornflake - This is Michelle’s blog, and it is so much fun to read! I love hearing about her many domestic troubles (like the time she had to collect a bloody urine sample from her cat), and she has the cutest little girls in the world!

Life gets in the way - Kell always has something meaningful to say, whether its about her experiences as a practicing pagan, or her new experiences as a newly-pregnant woman.

Corners of my Mind - This was one of the first blogs I found. Rosie is such an amazing writer, and I find myself wishing I had her life! There’s also beautiful photographs of her garden and the charming places she visits on her walks.

Bainbridge Notebook - Althea Paulson, a writer who lives on Bainbridge Island (my hometown), writes about the many goings-on on the Island. I find that this blog keeps me much better informed than my parents do…and they live there! It includes photos of the Island, which are definitely worth checking out!

Win or lose, we go shopping after the election - Although I know the author’s name, she seems to prefer anonymity, so I’ll refer to her by her BCF name: ii. Her blog is so much fun to read, just for the stories about her crazy friends (such as: “My friend with huge boobs”). I also love her perspective on fashion, and the photos of the shows.

Somewhere in the distance - Nici’s blog is fun, and she includes a lot of great book information. And she just revamped it and it looks beautiful!

I just got tagged by Nici (thanks Nici!) so here is what I have to do now:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your blog entry.
5. Let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs.

So, here are the 6 very unimportant things you should know about me:

1. I don’t cook at all. Well, sometimes I do, but my boyfriend and I never eat our meals together, despite having lived together for the past 6 years.

2. I have about 20 pairs of shoes, but I generally only wear 2 pairs. Other than that, I’m barefoot.

3. I have had 5 perms, but my hair has remained stubbornly straight and thin. Sometimes I just want to shave it all off, I hate it so much!

4. I have a beautiful brick, wood-burning fireplace that I’ve never, ever used in the 3+ years we’ve lived here.

5. I had braces for 2 years as a child, and have had 17 teeth removed, including 4 1st-year molars. I have big teeth and a small jaw.

6. I get obsessive about movies. When I find one I like, I watch it over and over and over (like once a day) until I get sick of it. Then I wait about a year until I watch it again.

So, now I have to tag 6 people and let them know. OK, I’ll tag Matt, Kylie, Susie, and Karen. I can’t get to anyone else, because they’ve already been tagged! I’m off to comment!

I’ve created a new blog dedicated to Jane Austen called A Jane Austen Fan. I will post my reviews of her books (once I’ve written them all) as well as provide links to interesting Austen sites, info about films, and anything else Austen-ish that I can think up. If anyone has any ideas or would like to contribute, just let me know!

I dreamed about flowers all night long. I was planting flower boxes for our back porch (which in reality contains an old bucket, 4 tires, and an old barbecue) and I could smell them all around me. The sun was shining and the air was warm. I woke up with such an incredible feeling of renewal. I know that it’s only February, but Spring is on its way, and I am feeling it for the first time. It’s an absolutely wonderful feeling, especially after all the stress yesterday. I have realized a few essential truths:

1. Everyone needs to have a purpose. It can be anything, even something seemingly insignificant.
2. Put your best into your work, whether it’s school or a job.
3. Do NOT put your entire life into your work. We are too often defined by what we do. We should be defined by who we are.
4. Indulge in your hobbies. That’s how you can express who you are. (Not by writing a paper on Neo-Confucianism…which is what I have to do today.)
5. Above all: Strive for balance in your life, in everything you do.

I feel like I have a whole new outlook on life, and simply from dreaming about Spring flowers. It’s sounds strange, yes, but I’m hoping to hang on to this new attitude for as long as possible!

One thing that my boyfriend and I have in common is our love of the water. I don’t mean for the purpose of sports; I can barely swim, and neither of us can water-ski or have been boating much. But we both grew up on Puget Sound and water has a calming effect on us. Years ago, we would sit and stare at the water and talk about our plans, or even fight. The water helps us to articulate our feelings. It’s freeing; everywhere else feels stifling. We really needed the water’s help tonight. For the past week or so, we’ve been trying to catch up on homework while listening to the little kid next door run around. His steps make a “thump thump thump” noise, which gets inside your head and you can’t even think straight.

We ended up down at the water, trying to figure out whether the neighbors’ kid is just a monster or if we’re just too intolerant. (It’s a little of both.) When we started, we were both mad as hell. Our one day off of homework had been ruined. But something about the calm and constancy of the water helped us see things clearly. By the end of our conversation, we were feeling a lot better and talking about moving.

Unfortunately, the calm didn’t last. We stopped at Dairy Queen to get my boyfriend his favorite burger (mushroom and swiss), and then to McDonald’s to get me some fries. I handed the bag of fries over to him…well, not really. I set them kind of on the center console, assuming he would pick them up and hold them, as I was trying to maneuver the car out of the parking lot. He didn’t, and the fries spilling all over the floor of the car. I shrieked at him, he yelled at me, and BANG, our bad moods were back in full force.

I drove around for a bit, then decided to just go home. The water wouldn’t work twice; I knew what I needed. We got home, I threw my bag and coat onto a chair, settled on the couch with my headphones, and turned on The Jane Austen Book Club, which has become one of my favorite movies. It’s amazing really. The book on which the film is based is mediocre at best, but the film in superb. There is a scene in which Bernadette is proposing the idea of a book club devoted only to Jane Austen to Prudie, and she says, “All Jane Austen, all the time. It’s the perfect antidote.” When Prudie asks to what, she responds, “To life!” There was never a truer statement. There’s something delicious about watching six people who read and love Jane Austen and allow the Austen influence to take over their lives.

I recently re-read my favorite Austen, Persuasion. I’ve been feeling depressed lately, so I wanted some “Austen therapy”. Tonight, after such a stressful few days and the added aggravation of the stupid kid next door, it took the combined efforts of the calm waters of the Puget Sound and Jane Austen (albeit in indirect movie form) to return my equilibrium. I highly recommend trying it the next time your stressful day (or life) gets the better of you.

Yesterday was the day of the 2008 Washington State Caucuses, but I was not among the lucky folks who were able to get together and fight for their candidates. Having just changed my voter registration from Kitsap to Snohomish, I’m kind of in limbo right now. However, I followed the news all day, waiting for word on not only the Washington caucuses, but also the caucuses in Louisiana and Nebraska. All three Democratic caucuses resulted in dramatic wins for Senator Barack Obama. Here in Washington, he got 68% of the votes, with the 35 delegates that go along with them. In my home county, Kitsap, Obama received 70% of the vote, a very strong message, I think. My parents caucused on Bainbridge Island, and there was a record turnout at their location: 800 people. In my current county, Snohomish, he got 66% — much higher than I anticipated. But he’s been the favorite here for weeks, and Washington Governor Christine Gregoire (pictured above, with Sen. Obama) gave him her endorsement on Friday, along with the mayor of Seattle, Greg Nichols. In fact, I don’t think that Senator Clinton won a single county in all of Washington State.

However, I think I speak for the majority of Democrats when I say that my preference for Obama doesn’t mean that if Clinton were to win the nomination, I wouldn’t vote for her. The party will unite immediately for either candidate — I just hope it’s Obama! The conservative pundits are trying to spread the idea that the Democrats are divided and not united, that our convention will descend into chaos, and that many of us won’t stand behind the nominee, whether it’s Clinton or Obama. All they’re trying to do is deflect from the chaos of their party. Governor Huckabee, the ultra-conservative upstart from Arkansas, won both the Kansas and Louisiana Republican caucuses yesterday, while Senator McCain barely managed a win here in Washington. This comes just two days after Governor Romney dropped out of the race, and McCain assumed the position of frontrunner. Yet even with his massive delegate lead over Huckabee, and the sense inevitability about him winning the nomination, conservatives still voted against him, sending him a clear message that they don’t trust his conservative claims. It is not the Democrats who are divided.

It is still a long way to the conventions, and there are many more primaries and caucuses to go. Nevertheless, it’s obvious that Obama’s momentum hasn’t slowed a bit. It’s also obvious that McCain is going to face many challenges if he wants to not only win his party’s nomination, but if he expects to win in November. The Democrats learned their lesson in 2000 and 2004: if we are divided, we lose. Let’s hope that the Republicans don’t wise up anytime soon.

For my handful of return visitors, I would like to call your attention to the many and lovely changes I have made to this blog. Not only has the theme changed (I wanted something more uplifting), but I have also updated the About and Books to be Read pages. I have also password-protected two posts, so please let me know if you would like the passwords. Have a wonderful day!

As a college student who already has a lot to read, I find it difficult when choosing a book. I want my recreational reading to be perfect for my mood, as I don’t get as much time as I would like to indulge myself in reading for pleasure, my favorite pass-time. I just finished Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse this morning, so there’s a vacancy on my bedside table. I still haven’t finished Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, but I can’t bring myself to go back to it. The thing is, I’m really in a Jane Austen mood, and I’m dying to read Pride & Prejudice, which is the next book to be read in our Jane Austen Book Group on the Book Club Forum. But, we’re not meant to read it until March. I could read another Austen, but I don’t want to read ahead of the group.

So, what is a good substitution for Jane Austen? Well, nothing, really. She stands alone, and she has no equals. But, if I’m really only interested in reading something from the 19th century, there’s always Charlotte Bronte. Most people know her has the author of Jane Eyre, but although I do love that book, my favorite of hers has to be Shirley. The characters are much more alive in Shirley, and I find the relationship between Shirley and Caroline to be just as tragic, amusing, and deep as the relationships between Elinor and Marianne Dashwood in Sense & Sensibility, and Emma Woodhouse and Harriet Smith in Emma. I haven’t read Shirley in a few years, so it’s a definite contender.

However, I received two new John Sandford novels for my birthday back in December, and I haven’t read either one. Sandford writes crime novels set in Minneapolis. His most famous character, Lucas Davenport, appears in his Prey series, and one of the books I received is the latest in the series, Invisible Prey. I also received Dark of the Moon, which is also new, and features new characters. I would normally jump all over these books, but being in the Jane Austen frame of mind, I’m hesitating. It would be something different than what I’ve been reading lately, yet familiar, which is inviting, but I can’t commit. After stopping halfway through Water for Elephants, I’m reluctant to start anything I’m not sure about.

I know I have too many books, as this is the problem I face every time I finish one. There’s too many to choose from! Of course, I have to put my predicament into perspective - I could have an even more difficult decision to make. But then, I don’t own any designer clothes.

My family has never been much into sports. My brothers played a little when they were younger, (lacrosse, basketball, baseball, a half a season of Pee-Wee football) but they soon turned their attention to music, while my dad was really just too busy. So instead of throwing a Super Bowl party for a game none of us cared about, my parents decided to have a Super Tuesday party. Only my boyfriend and I attended, but it was a proper game-day party, with chips and dip, pizza, and lots of root beer. My dad has recently become an avid Obama supporter, so he was ready to cheer on his candidate. He even had a little pad of paper with which to keep score, writing down every candidate’s name beside their winning state.

Coming into this, I had made a few predictions. However much I wanted Obama to sweep this round of primaries, I knew that Senator Clinton had overwhelming support in New York and Arkansas, her two home states. I also figured that she would win California, despite the recent endorsement Obama received from CA First Lady, Maria Shriver. With so much support from the Hispanic community, which accounts for a huge percentage of the Democratic voters in California, I really believed that Hillary would be unbeatable. I was unfortunately right on these first two predictions. Clinton won New York, Arkansas, and California. Big surprise.

However, I also believed that Clinton would also carry the rest of the New England/Mid-Atlantic states that were voting tonight: Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Delaware. I was very fortunately wrong on this one. Although Clinton won Massachusetts (which was a huge upset for Senators Kennedy and Kerry, who had both endorsed Obama), Obama was able to win both Connecticut and Delaware. In the end, it was clear that Democrats across the country were fairly evenly split between the two candidates. Both won in the South, the Midwest, and the North. However, it was really Obama’s night. He ended up winning more states tonight than any other candidate for either party. It was a very successful night for him, and my parents both went to sleep very happy.

On the Republican side, the big surprise tonight was Governor Huckabee. Many analysts were saying that the Republican race had really come down to Senator McCain and Governor Romney and that Huckabee’s time was over. But tonight, he practically swept the southern states, blocking Romney from taking these conservative strong-holds. Some are saying that it’s evidence that the evangelical Christians in the South are not willing to vote for Romney, who is a Mormon, and they certainly didn’t want to vote for McCain, who is seen as practically liberal by some ultra-conservative groups. In fact, McCain was most successful in traditionally Blue states, like California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois, states that usually vote Democrat anyway in the general election. This could potentially be a problem for McCain, because these states do not at all represent a strong conservative base. The Republicans remain splintered across the country. All the better for Democrats like me!

Now, for my friends in the U.K., who are practically my only blog visitors, I want to give you the stats for tonight. Here are the states won by each candidate:

Senator Barack Obama (D):
Alabama
Alaska
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Kansas
Minnesota
Missouri
North Dakota
Utah

Senator Hillary Clinton (D):
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
Oklahoma
Tennessee

Senator John McCain (R):
Arizona
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Illinois
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
Oklahoma

Governor Mitt Romney (R):
Alaska
Colorado
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Montana
North Dakota
Utah

Governor Mike Huckabee (R):
Alabama
Arkansas
Georgia
Tennessee
West Virginia

The only undecided race is the Democratic primary in New Mexico. Obama currently has a very slim lead over Clinton, with 92% of the precincts reporting. This race will not be decided until the morning, but if Obama were to win, it would be a sign of growing support among Hispanics, something he desperately needs. There are still several states still waiting to hold their primaries and caucuses (including my home state of Washington), so these Super Tuesday results do not herald any winners yet. But they do show the pulse of the country. It shows that McCain and Romney need to sell themselves to Christian conservatives, and that Huckabee is still a threat to them. It shows that Clinton is definitely a force to be reckoned with in the Democratic party. But, it’s also clear that support for Obama is continuing to surge across the country.

As for me, I’m tired and I’m going to bed. Politics is a wearying business!