This post is a reactionary comment about something from tonight's episode of GLEE, and is not a review of the episode- though my thoughts on the episode might come out through the course of this missive. If you haven't seen the 2/21/12 episode of GLEE entitled "On My Way", then you might want to skip this post. There are spoilers...
Tonight's episode dealt with a suicide attempt due to bullying. In summary- Karofsky, the once bully of Kurt because Kurt was gay, was bullied at his new school for being gay and he attempted suicide. I really did like the albeit far too brief reaction of the McKinley High staff and specifically Mr. Shue's chat with his students. I even liked the (again) all too brief discourse between Quinn who "couldn't understand" and Kurt who understood all too well. I do wish the show went deeper on the subject, but that train of thought is for another time.
What I want to write about is what the show made me think about. Signs you're a student affairs professional when you have a learning moment after watching a show based on singing high school students...
I know what it's like to be the new kid in town, to be outspoken, to be a girl who wants to play for the high school football team, to not fit in no matter what you say or do, to feel like there's a target on your back and nothing can get rid of it. I know what it's like to get beat up, to be picked last for teams, to not get asked out by the guy but instead teased by him. I know what it's like to be called fat, ugly, worthless, and a plethora of other equally horrible words on a daily basis. I know the pains of having
so-called "friends" throw you away like a piece of garbage and then be
on a mission to make sure you never forget that you're "not worth their
friendship." I know all too well the pains of being bullied, the severe depression,
and even the thoughts of suicide--the desire to get away from the pain and
not knowing how.
I survived. I survived bullies in different states, of different ages/races/genders/sexual orientations; bullies with different motives but the same end game. I survived, by the grace of god. I'm not a very religious person, but I do believe that god got me through. God is the one who gave me my support system, the strength, and the determination to prove the bastards wrong. Any bullying is unacceptable, and survivable. I am a firm believer that no matter how bad it seems, it truly does get better.
I also, unfortunately, know that I can be mean when I'm trying to get the focus off of me and my pain, and to anyone I have EVER hurt in any way, I can only say I'm sorry.
Throughout the run of GLEE, Kurt has shown his support for Karofsky, and has wanted Karofsky
to accept who he is and love himself. Even when Karofsky was bullying Kurt and "making his life a living hell" Kurt kept Karofsky's secret. Kurt even tried to help him.
I always thought Kurt was strong for that. So what Kurt did in the episode tonight didn't surprise me. I just made me think.
In tonight's GLEE, Kurt goes to the hospital to talk to Karofsky after his suicide attempt. He helps Karofsky envision a happy future-- the dream job, in the dream city, a handsome husband and a son. Karofsky sees what Kurt is describing and sees a promising future. Kurt promises to be Karofsky's friend and help him through the tough road ahead. I'll own it, I cried. I can't imagine being as brave as Kurt. There are people in this world who caused me such pain, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive them. I'm trying, but I just don't know. While I don't wish them dead or harmed, I certainly don't know if I could support them through their troubles. I think the world would be a better place if more of us could do what he did.
I hope that when I grow up, I can be as strong as Kurt.
21 February 2012
13 February 2011
10 years ago today...
I know I mostly write about books and movies here, or will be once I start writing more regularly. But this blog is called "Books, Movies, & Other Things I Love..." This blog will fall in the category of Other Things I Love. Today is the 10th anniversary of my Grandfather's death. And I loved him very much.
My Grandpa was more than just a "grandpa." He helped raise me- one of my 4 parental figures- each impacted my life in different ways. Grandpa was the one I did all of the stuff little girls do with their daddy, like dancing on their feet and telling stories. I was his little girl. He would play my favorite record over and over again, no matter how many times I asked. It was our favorite to dance to. That record is now framed and hanging on my living room wall. I have no idea how many times he let me play hair dresser (with his 10 strands of hair) or watch the movie I wanted to instead of the 'old boring ones' he wanted to watch. When I hit a line drive at his head- he didn't get mad at me. He was the first person to teach me how to drive- albeit 8 years early.
After my mom married my dad and we moved to Maryland, I spent every summer of my life with my grandparents. Some days I would go to work with Grandpa, before he retired. Others, I would stay with Grandma. On those days we would make special meals for Grandpa, and pick up his favorite doughnuts on our way to pick him up from work. He was a brilliant business man, and incredibly intelligent. I may not agree with his political beliefs, but he wouldn't hold that against me, or anyone for that matter. If you could hold your own in a debate with him, you earned his respect. My mom always said she loved bringing her dates home to meet Grandpa. If they couldn't hold their own against him, they weren't worth her time.
Grandpa also shared his hobbies with me. He loved his flowers, and tried desperately to get me love it too. I may not love gardening, but I certainly know how to. I helped him with his stamp collection- not an easy task when you're a small child and the books easily weighed 10 pounds. There are things that he loved that did sink in with me.
My Grandpa was more than just a "grandpa." He helped raise me- one of my 4 parental figures- each impacted my life in different ways. Grandpa was the one I did all of the stuff little girls do with their daddy, like dancing on their feet and telling stories. I was his little girl. He would play my favorite record over and over again, no matter how many times I asked. It was our favorite to dance to. That record is now framed and hanging on my living room wall. I have no idea how many times he let me play hair dresser (with his 10 strands of hair) or watch the movie I wanted to instead of the 'old boring ones' he wanted to watch. When I hit a line drive at his head- he didn't get mad at me. He was the first person to teach me how to drive- albeit 8 years early.
After my mom married my dad and we moved to Maryland, I spent every summer of my life with my grandparents. Some days I would go to work with Grandpa, before he retired. Others, I would stay with Grandma. On those days we would make special meals for Grandpa, and pick up his favorite doughnuts on our way to pick him up from work. He was a brilliant business man, and incredibly intelligent. I may not agree with his political beliefs, but he wouldn't hold that against me, or anyone for that matter. If you could hold your own in a debate with him, you earned his respect. My mom always said she loved bringing her dates home to meet Grandpa. If they couldn't hold their own against him, they weren't worth her time.
Grandpa also shared his hobbies with me. He loved his flowers, and tried desperately to get me love it too. I may not love gardening, but I certainly know how to. I helped him with his stamp collection- not an easy task when you're a small child and the books easily weighed 10 pounds. There are things that he loved that did sink in with me.
- I love music. I inherited his CDs when he passed- a few hundred- mostly of the big band era. He always got a look in his eye when he was listening to a piece he loved.
- I love traveling. It's become a family tradition- we all want to go to all 50 states. Grandpa made it to 49. Grandma 48, and this last summer I took mom to her 48th. Grandpa always wanted Grandma to visit Hawaii. He had a lot of memories from there. So this December we're going as a family. Get them one step closer to 50. I have been to 30, and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. I've also been to 8 other countries. Nothing in comparison to the list I've generated of places to visit. I don't know if it's my love of history, learning, seeing new things, or literature taking me to these places, but I know I love to travel, and my first trips were with him.
- I love history- reading about it, traveling to historic places, tearing apart historically inaccurate movies. ;) WWII was his specialty, but one could certainly find books from every American war in his collection.
- I love movies- a wide variety of movies- watching them, going to them, analyzing them. If I'm ever on Jeopardy and John Wayne is an option- I'm sure to win thanks to Grandpa.
- I love reading. Politics. War. History. Fiction. Non-fiction. (I also like the chick lits, biographies of people he never would have read about, and a bit more of the liberal topics than Grandpa exposed me to, but I think he'd forgive me.) I am also thankful that I inherited my Grandma's ability to read very quickly- a handy gift with this particular love. I have no idea how many days he would be watching tennis or golf- or even Rush Limbaugh- while I was sitting on the couch devouring copious amounts of books. I think I polished off all of the Nancy Drew books in one summer.
- I love sports. I can't claim I got this one from Grandpa alone. The women in my family tend to have the market on knowledge of and ability to play. My love of football, baseball, and basketball come from Grandma, but from Grandpa I got the love of college sports over professional. I swear that man knew everything about Michigan State, and knowing about the other schools was important as it related to MSU.
12 February 2011
Eighteen Acres
I grew up in the DC area--a suburb on the Maryland side of DC to be exact. You can't go anywhere without politics smacking you in the face. I also grew up in a very politically active family, so you could say enjoying politics and politically directed entertainment is in my blood. Which is probably why the novel Eighteen Acres popped out at me when I went to the bookstore.
Eighteen Acres follows three women- the first female president of the US, her chief of staff, and a reporter. All three women are strong, independent, intelligent, career women. Their lives, obviously, interact, and not always in expected ways.
I couldn't put it down. Nicole Wallace did an exceptional job of bringing the political sphere into reach, without shoving any political agenda down your throat. If you're looking for a healthy debate on any party's platform, this is not the book for you. But if you're looking for strong female leads, and enjoy political fiction, run to the bookstore and grab this book. I give it 4 stars.
Eighteen Acres follows three women- the first female president of the US, her chief of staff, and a reporter. All three women are strong, independent, intelligent, career women. Their lives, obviously, interact, and not always in expected ways.
I couldn't put it down. Nicole Wallace did an exceptional job of bringing the political sphere into reach, without shoving any political agenda down your throat. If you're looking for a healthy debate on any party's platform, this is not the book for you. But if you're looking for strong female leads, and enjoy political fiction, run to the bookstore and grab this book. I give it 4 stars.
02 November 2010
The Recipe Club
Throughout their youth, two girls write to each other about the mundane details of their lives. During this correspondence they decide to create a recipe club, and they exchange recipes. These recipes are named after the events or emotions of their lives. At some point in college they get into a fight and don't speak again until one of their mothers dies decades later. This lasts for only a few letters. And then they catch up again after the other one's father dies. Of course, in the end they all live happily ever after...
You're welcome. I just saved you the purchase price of The Recipe Club, and the few hours of your life it takes to read it. I know I'm a quick reader, but it only took me 6 hours to finish the novel. Not a good sign. A book should inspire you. It should make you want to savor every last word, perhaps even make you want to come back for seconds. The Recipe Club made me want to run away screaming, and I suggest you do the same.
No seriously, run the other way if someone suggests reading this book. It's craptacular. That is the *professional* opinion of this individual. I imagine the recipes that were created for Club weren't very original either. The necessary ingredients were missing to make this book rise to the occasion.
I picked the book because it's kitch lit. On the same level as chick lit- not much brain function required to enjoy a book. (Others call it beach reading.) I like kitch lit because it brings in cooking, love of food, and sometimes recipes into the fabric of the story. The way it's done in Club is extremely forced. It was as though the editors saw the original concept and thought a 75 page book wasn't going to be enough. 30 recipes and bigger font later, and you have a bad book.
About 2 pages in, I realized what tragedy was yet to come. Calling Club predictable is putting it mildly. The book is separated into 3 sections: Mom dies, their youth, and Dad dies. When they're fighting in the 1st section you can tell they'll end their friendship again to keep the plot going. It's not until you're nearing page 200 that you find out what their fight was about. It left me thinking "seriously, is that it???" The motives and thoughts of each character were more transparent than Casper the friendly ghost. One best friend is more dedicated than the other and wonders why the other is not as available as she is. Again, seriously, is that it?
The authors didn't have the ingredients necessary to make this book a success. Yes, that's plural. The first sign of a bumpy ride. I'm pretty sure my puppy has more game than these authors. Save yourself.
You're welcome. I just saved you the purchase price of The Recipe Club, and the few hours of your life it takes to read it. I know I'm a quick reader, but it only took me 6 hours to finish the novel. Not a good sign. A book should inspire you. It should make you want to savor every last word, perhaps even make you want to come back for seconds. The Recipe Club made me want to run away screaming, and I suggest you do the same.
No seriously, run the other way if someone suggests reading this book. It's craptacular. That is the *professional* opinion of this individual. I imagine the recipes that were created for Club weren't very original either. The necessary ingredients were missing to make this book rise to the occasion.
I picked the book because it's kitch lit. On the same level as chick lit- not much brain function required to enjoy a book. (Others call it beach reading.) I like kitch lit because it brings in cooking, love of food, and sometimes recipes into the fabric of the story. The way it's done in Club is extremely forced. It was as though the editors saw the original concept and thought a 75 page book wasn't going to be enough. 30 recipes and bigger font later, and you have a bad book.
About 2 pages in, I realized what tragedy was yet to come. Calling Club predictable is putting it mildly. The book is separated into 3 sections: Mom dies, their youth, and Dad dies. When they're fighting in the 1st section you can tell they'll end their friendship again to keep the plot going. It's not until you're nearing page 200 that you find out what their fight was about. It left me thinking "seriously, is that it???" The motives and thoughts of each character were more transparent than Casper the friendly ghost. One best friend is more dedicated than the other and wonders why the other is not as available as she is. Again, seriously, is that it?
The authors didn't have the ingredients necessary to make this book a success. Yes, that's plural. The first sign of a bumpy ride. I'm pretty sure my puppy has more game than these authors. Save yourself.
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