Punctuated Post: Sun Mi-Hwang's The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly

This weekend something rare happened--we're talking mythical unicorn rare. I woke up on Saturday without anything to do for the first weekend I can remember in recent history, and I stayed in bed and read a book. When I say read a book, I mean the good ole fashioned way: straight through, in one sitting, cover to cover (or whatever that is in e-reader speak). True, The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly isn't especially long or especially challenging, but it is a dear gem. I think I read it at the perfect time: deep in the year, right around the time everything is overwhelming, and the days are the shortest, and the weather is unforgiving, and it is hard to get motivated to do anything. What better story than one that features a plucky hen who faces the impossible and surpasses all of her obstacles with determination and love? When the winter is getting you down, nothing will shame you out of your pity party like a hen who has to fight for survival against unsympathetic farmers, pretentious farm animals, an aging guard dog trying to maintain his ego, and a dangerous predator, all while protecting her beloved baby. But I suppose that is the point of the story--that anything can be overcome, and we all have to hold onto our dreams and embrace our individuality, whether it is a hen who dreams she can fly or a person trying to navigate this crazy world in which we live. I loved this story for all the ways it reminded me of other well-loved fables, and I think the message will stand the test of time and remind us to stay true to ourselves as we navigate the obstacles around us, where the allegorical forces of the story are pervasively treacherous forces like close-mindedness, political agendas that stifle individual rights, prejudice, the prison industrial complex, systemic violence, and a thousand other issues and hardships big and small.

Hwang, Sun-Mi. The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly. Trans. by Chi-Young Kim. Illust. by
     Namoco. New York: Penguin Books, 2000.
 

Introducing Punctuated Posts

Happy birthday to me! As I get older, I like to think I'm getting wiser, and one of the things I've been getting wiser about is how I spend my time. Sometimes I just have a smidgeon to say about something, and sometimes those thoughts aren't specifically about the books I'm reading (though sometimes they are), and I'm going to start sharing those thoughts in brief, intermittent musings I am calling Punctuated Posts. I hope you enjoy this new aspect of the blog!

Sprouts: My New Favorite Bookmarks, Naturally

If you had asked me last year what my favorite bookmark was, the answer would have been easy: my Phoenix Suns bookmark circa 1994 from the Charles Barkley era of the Suns. I mean, the bookmark had Dan Majerle AND the Phoenix Suns gorilla, so how could it have not been my favorite? Used to mark my page in many a book, I had to retire the beloved place holder many years ago as it started to deteriorate, but without a doubt it remained my favorite because of sentimentally attached.

If you ask me now what my favorite bookmark is, I would have no choice but to tell you my favorite bookmark has changed, thanks to a gift I got from a dear friend. These bookmarks are adorable. They are little green silicone rubber sprouts that shoot out of the top of the book. Here is a shot of the bookmark in action.

How cute is that? The sprout bookmarks are from Fred & Friends. They come in a pack of six, so no worries if you read multiple books at a time and need a marker for each. Another bonus is that they are synthetic, and so I'll never have to worry about the wear and tear of a paper bookmark. They also give a little touch of nature to your book, which just makes me happy. 

In sum, if you are looking for a gift for a bookworm friend, or if you are in the market for some sturdy bookmarks to replace the random things you're using to mark your place now (I am guilty of using hair ties, receipts, even a Kleenex from time to time), then I would recommend these, my new favorite bookmarks, naturally.

Were You Raised in a Virtual Barn? Thoughts on Social Networking Etiquette

There is no Emily Post of social networking. Oftentimes, we are on our own when we find ourselves asking ourselves: Do we reject that person’s Facebook friend request, or just let it sit in our notifications queue so they can’t friend request us again? When should we follow someone back on Twitter? Do other people mind when we check them in on FourSquare, or do they only use it to lurk and prefer to keep their whereabouts private? What is a good rule of thumb for determining whether it is appropriate to post pictures of other people to Tumblr or Instagram? Social networking brings people closer together, and that is usually pretty awesome; however, it seems people forget that, like any other social situation, you should think before you speak (or post), mind your p’s and q’s, and give credit where credit is due (don’t steal people’s content and thank people for sharing yours).

There are innumerable things that people do on social networking sites that can be irksome, but there are some things that I consider to fall into the category of bad social networking etiquette.  Here are just a few:

• Don’t retweet people who have just retweeted you. If I follow you, I prefer to only see your message once; not every time you retweet any Joe Schmo who thought your tweet was funny or retweetable. I saw your tweet once; I don’t want to see it again.
• Consider carefully before you publicly correct someone or draw attention to someone’s error. I corrected someone who was very gracious in responding, but I later felt like a jackass even though I was correct. This was on Twitter, and a direct message may have been more appropriate. I also have been corrected. In a specific case, I was annoyed by the fact that the person simply didn’t get my pun. Unless you are sure that it is necessary to correct someone or that you haven’t misinterpreted their message, then think twice about it. It may result in you looking silly, and it will put the other person in an uncomfortable situation of wanting to defend him or herself.
• Everyone likes the life of the party, but don’t be an attention hog. Know your audience, notice what other people are doing, and post in accordance with that. While it isn’t that unusual for people to tweet several times a day, I don’t want to see what you are doing every hour on Facebook, and I’m not going to read your blog if it reads like text messages to a close friend. Be conscientious of your socially networked friends and their interests.
• Please don’t post something emotionally vague. This either tends to make people think you are on the verge of offing yourself or that you are trying to get attention, and sometimes both. If you have a situation you can’t be explicit about, then it is probably too private to post about. If something is truly wrong, think about picking up the phone and calling a friend or a self-help line instead.
•  Cyberbullying is a huge problem, especially among youth. As if kids needed one more way for the mean kids to make fun of them. Don’t use social networking to be a bully. Just don’t. In a virtual space that allows anyone with a Twitter handle to be a critic, I still try to heed the age-old advice, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

I’m sure there could be an entire blog devoted to social networking etiquette, and maybe there is. Maybe that person will someday be a household name just like Emily Post. Until that day comes, I hope people use some common sense and social grace when navigating their social networks.

It Seemed Like a Perfectly Good Weekend to Read Ender's Game

With the threat of 8 inches of snow coming to Champaign, Illinois, it seemed like a perfectly good weekend to read Ender's Game. Luckily, there was much less snow than anticipated, but that didn't stop me from hunkering down and getting cozy in some blankets to get through the first in the quartet of books by Orson Scott Card about Ender Wiggin. Admittedly, I don't read much science fiction, but this book has been on my shelf since about 2009 when a friend in grad school considered doing her master's thesis on Card's work. Instead, she took a medieval studies route, but still her consideration of doing such in-depth work on the author had me intrigued. Of course, with the release of the movie (which I did not see), I was reminded that this book sat gathering dust on my shelf, and it has been sitting at the top of a stack these last few months, just waiting for a weekend of crappy weather to present me with the opportunity to dive into the story.

Mildly familiar with the plot, it was easy to get absorbed quickly and finish the book in two sittings. On top of that, I find it easy to get drawn into stories about exceptional people--after all, don't we all wonder what it would be like to be exceptional? Yet another draw was the dystopian aspects of the book. I have always been keenly interested in dystopian fiction, and while this book was an interesting departure from other more typical dystopian plot lines, perhaps the differences helped to accentuate the politcal games that are given a different presentation in other dystopian books. So often, the political wag the dog is what characters in dystopian novels are trying to overcome; however, Ender's game is indeed him being instrumental in the wag the dog, though often unaware of the real effects of his actions. While Ender is endlessly called upon to simulate and strategize war games, that is only one, overt game within the book. The other  more covert (in more than one sense) game is how the official higher ups manipulate his social settings in order to create a person they believe will be the ultimate commander for what they consider a humanity-saving mission.

For as serious as I can take this book to be, it did get me pondering a more lighthearted notion involving another exceptional youth in literature. I found myself entertaining the thought of what it would be like to match the serious and often dark but well-meaning Ender with the equally powerful and well-intending but sometimes vengeful Matilda. After all, both effortlessly manipulate the realities around them with their minds. Matilda literally moves objects through space with the power of her telekinesis, which is so very similar to the way Ender masters reorientation within gravity-absent situations and can seemingly move himself through zero gravity with the power of his mind through logic and strategy. For both of these characters, their special abilities create problems for them, but in a way also create solutions and eventually afford them agency over their own futures. Mostly, though, I think it would be super cute for them to be boyfriend and girlfriend and hold hands on the playground; alas, for children who have been treated and have acted like adults for most of their lives, they would perhaps scold me for my childish wish for them.

Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game. New York: Tor, 1994.

Midnite at the Library

The only thing that irks me more than seeing midnite spelled the way it is spelled on the sign in the picture is that it is spelled this way on a sign in a library parking lot. I feel strongly that the library should have the sign corrected, effective immediately.

We live in a world where so many things save us time. Instead of hunting and gathering, we can microwave pre-made meals, if we so choose. We can go to a big box store and get clothes, food, other miscellaneous supplies, and electronics all in one trip. We can send instant messages instead of writing a letter and sending it by post. With all this time saved, please just write words out the way they should be spelled. Luv should be love. Guac should be guacamole. Never send me a text that only includes the letter K. If it you feel compelled to confirm something, at least have the decency to write okay. Is it really worth spelling midnight as midnite to save one measly letter? I think not.