I checked The Black Dahlia out from the library. I’m reading it for a work project, and since I’ve been curious about the case (and have read a little bit about it) plus I’ve never read Ellroy, now’s a good a time as any.
For starters, it’s almost embarrassing that as I was reading it during the break in my Psychology class, the tutor* told me it was one of his favourite books. That and we were talking about The Game as well, now everyone’s going to think I’m trying to curry favour with him.
But what of the book? I like noir, I think. I’ve always found the noir voice highly entertaining (hardboiled — like an egg), and if it’s a film, visually amazing. Nothing says ‘sophisticated’ like a noir in black and white, where women are dames and men are… quaintly macho.
I’m really enjoying the book — I’m about a quarter of the way through at the moment. I’m intrigued by authors taking a real-life event (or case, in this case) and weaving a fiction around it.
* He also recommended My Dark Places, Ellroy’s memoir about trying to to solve his mother’s murder.
Cool — a steampunk art exhibition. I hope it travels to Scotland!
My dream mobile phone (someone please make one and I’ll buy it if it’s unlocked and not ridiculously expensive):
- Runs Android (of course)
- Amazing battery life
- Great call quality
- Address book function
- SMS function
- QWERTY keyboard (not touchscreen)
- Access to the App Market
- A killer browser like Opera
- MicroSD storage
- Tri- or quad-band
- 3G, Wi-Fi
I don’t need apps or widgets to bloat my phone and I bet I’m not alone in this. I just need a good, secure browser so I can access my email, calendar, Facebook, RSS feeds, and other websites as needed. And if I decide I want mobile applications, I can download them from the Market.
We were studying memory in the psychology class today when I had that revelation that I think most students who’ve been schooled in East Asian methods (i.e. rote learning) must have when they are introduced to the concept of memory in introductory psychology classes. It is this:
The system of rote learning in education and examination isn’t there to make students’ lives harder, it’s there to make teachers’ lives easier — when they’re marking our exam papers, it’s either right or wrong with rote learning. If it’s about how much we actually understand a concept or an event or even a word, teachers will have to interpret our comprehension of said concept / event / word and that requires them to exercise their brains.
(Neil adds that this also means the teachers will have to have a thorough understanding of the topic.)
And this system is meant to educate children. Does that make you worried?
It’s done! Let the Right One In is great! Perfect reading for a ‘dark and stormy night’.
Overall, I would say that the movie does a great job of compressing the narrative into something feature film-length. The book is magnificent and gives us loads of depth into the characters. I won’t spoil anything, but the things Eli says in the film actually mean a lot. A whole lot. This child vampire’s story is horrific.
If you loved the film and aren’t really keen on books, this novel is worth reading because it tells you so much more, and now you have faces to place with names. I think one of my favourite minor characters has turned out to be Mr Avila, Oskar’s PE teacher.
The Grauniad seems to want to skewer Flash Forward with bitchy analysis – why be so serious about entertainment? It’s a television series aimed at distracting us from our real lives, not a documentary or dramatisation of something that actually happened. I don’t care if there are plot holes and silly moments. In fact, these ‘moments’ prevent the series from being shite due to excessive gravitas.
It’s also science fiction (the sample chapters I’ve read actually seem quite good). If we aren’t suspending our disbelief and having expectations of it making a whole lot of sense, we’re being pretty damn stupid.
(Terry — gee, thanks pal, heh — mentioned in the comments in an earlier post about critical reviews of the programme that got me curious enough to look things up. I’m done looking up any episode blow-by-blows, it’s a waste of time.)
If it starts taking itself way too seriously I’ll stop watching it. In the meantime I’m being entertained. What more do I need?
“Skinny but tough” — yep, that’s me too. We should really let him have more time to put America back on the road to decency. He’s not going to be able to do much, but a little positive progress is better than a lot of the negative kind.
I would’ve read more of Let the Right One in last night (less than 100 pages to go, I think), but we’ve just acquired a new addiction to the science fiction fun that is Flash Forward. You know all’s lost when it’s Neil who says, “Let’s just watch one more episode…”
But, yes. Swedish vampire novels. I am thoroughly enjoying the Lindqvist and I definitely remember seeing his backlist being repackaged to match — I’m not sure I would buy any more unless the plot sounded good. But I think Let the Right One In will go on my Highly Recommended ‘shelf’ on Goodreads, unless the ending is shit.
I finished it! I finally finished Tender is the Night! Oh, it’s been a slog, but I finally got to read about Doctor Diver’s slow descent into irrelevance and nothingness. Thank Deity that’s over.
I started Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction on Friday and Let the Right One In on Saturday (pretty much the moment I finished Tender is the Night). I am now three-quarters of the way through Let the Right One In and I think I’m about to get to Eli’s back story.
It would be so much nicer if the commenters on Have Your Say about tonight’s Question Time could spell. Or use punctuation properly.
I am never listing anything on Etsy again. In case it ends up on Regretsy. Thanks, Terry!
At my psychology class last night, we digressed a little into criminal psychology when talking about adult cognitive development. The tutor asked if we’d heard of Jeffrey Dahmer, and then remarked, “There’s always someone in my Psychology class who’s into serial killers — I find this a little disturbing!”
I’m glad to report he wasn’t looking at me when he said it. There was a middle-aged woman sitting in front of me who was grinning (only slightly sheepishly). Bwahahahaha.
(And I haven’t managed to enrol myself in the criminal psychology course because it’s already full. Other serial killer obsessives are clearly more obsessive than I am.)
Two more chapters of Tender is the Night last night (this is my Great Expectations of the ’00s), and I brought Psychology: An Introduction to work with me today, in case I have any time at all to start dipping into it.
All this chitter-chatter about Nick Griffin going on Question Time tonight (not that I’ll be watching since we don’t have a television licence nor do we have any intention of getting one soon) just shows that those vehemently opposed to his appearance are just as idiotic as he is. Here are some interesting talking points from someone who’s not being shrill about it.
Demonstrate and protest and make yourself heard that you oppose his party and his views, that’s good, but how can you demand that freedom of expression be denied to someone you disagree with? That makes the anti-fascists just as fascistic.
It’s freedom of speech, innit? Those who want to stop him from going on the show are saying him and his party are illegitimate and total fascists, but the fact is the BNP got almost a million votes at the European elections and two seats in the European parliament. The fact that ex-London mayor Ken Livingstone has said there’s usually an increase in race-based violent crime (I also heard the soundbite on the radio this morning) after the BNP speaks in public says shedloads about the British people.
If there are simmering tensions in the community about racial ‘differences’ and some publicity is all that’s needed to make it boil over, there are some deep problems in British society that need to be dealt with. The same goes for many countries, and does this mean that the only way to ensure ‘racial harmony’ is to restrict everything, like Singapore does?
It seems like those protesting Griffin’s appearance on Question Time don’t want to accept that in a liberal democracy — which is what the UK purports to be — you’ll get horrible stuff along with the good.
Update:
I encountered a ‘protest’ (more like a demonstration) near the BBC studio in Edinburgh and it was a bit sad, really. Silly emotive language from most (saying Griffin looks like a turd isn’t making you seem like a rational person), and such disparate groups trying to unite against this one party seems like a recipe for implosion. People should be working on making sure those most vulnerable to bigoted attitudes are given the opportunity to broaden their horizons, rather than shouting to the converted and feeling smug about being ‘activists’.
And I’ve seen some excerpts from Question Time on the BBC website. I wish there was more of Griffin speaking so we can get a good idea of what nonsense he spouts rather than watching people attack him with emotional language.
I went through a couple more chapters of the interminable Tender is the Night, all the while thinking about when I can start Let the Right One In (will I be able to wait until I’ve finished the Fitzgerald?! How can you stand the anticipation?!!).
Let the Right One In is a helluva disturbing film. Now on to the book!
