Thoughts on Graduation and Books
Apr. 30th, 2011 07:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ceitfiannaThis weekend is graduation at the University of Michigan and its nice to see the grads about. If I wanted to I could have walked in the SI ceremony on Friday but I didn't feel a great desire to. So far the only graduations I've walked for have been my high school one and Randolph-Macon, I keep wondering if I should feel bad that I don't care as much, but the diploma and degree matters for me. The ceremony doesn't have as much meaning for me as the others did. Also since I have the summer class, it feels like I'd almost be jinxing myself, which is a silly thing but still there. I know I'll have the option to walk at the December graduation and if I'm still in Ann Arbor when it comes around, I might do that. I honestly hope that I'm not and I have a job somewhere else.
I like Ann Arbor, its a lovely place but the whole mess with my landlord has made me go, yeah, new starts are wonderful things. Also I've never expected to stay here unless I found a job that just worked, I plan on spreading my net wide in hope of catching a fantastic job. I ended up having to sign a renewal on my lease for another year, which has left me sort of grumpy. Not hugely since its what I figured I'd end up doing once I was told the options, I just don't like it. Its this feeling that my landlords are trapping me since they know I can't do that much else.
I've lately been wondering if it would be possible to get in touch with Victoria and get a diploma from them for my Bachelor of Honours as I realized, I don't have one. Those years there were important and I think I should, at this point, its a question of knowing how to start. Its on my list of summer things to do along with find a local dance or yoga class in the area to take.
In terms of books, I just finished War for the Oaks by Emma Bull, which I've been meaning to read since I first read Charles de Lint. I know this is one of the first books to really propel the urban fantasy, Fae in the modern world genre forward. I've read one other Emma Bull book, Finder, which I believe is set in Bordertown. That book I found rather disappointing because I had a very hard time figuring out the gender of the narrator. It was a man and that was important but I kept thinking they were a woman, so that left me confused and pulled me out of the story. War for the Oaks, I loved, the plot is fairly simple with Eddi, a rock guitarist being pulled into the war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts. What makes it wonderful is the depth of the characters, the mixture of the Fae understanding humans more and vice versa. I honestly wish there had been more, compared to some of Charles de Lint's work, it felt short. The story was told, I guess I simply wanted to spend more time in that world with the characters.
Today was wonderfully lazy, I slept late, walked into town and read Deathless for a few hours. I just got back from going grocery shopping and I ended up buying fewer prepared things as I'm going to cook more. In the summer, my schedule is really nice and I plan on doing lots more cooking. The weather is still being on the brink of Spring with moments of cold but things keep blooming and the sun tries to come out.
At the moment I don't have any major things to do until my shift on Tuesday. Its so strange after being so busy this entire semester to have time to stop. A weight is off me and now its gone, I realize just how heavy it was.
I like Ann Arbor, its a lovely place but the whole mess with my landlord has made me go, yeah, new starts are wonderful things. Also I've never expected to stay here unless I found a job that just worked, I plan on spreading my net wide in hope of catching a fantastic job. I ended up having to sign a renewal on my lease for another year, which has left me sort of grumpy. Not hugely since its what I figured I'd end up doing once I was told the options, I just don't like it. Its this feeling that my landlords are trapping me since they know I can't do that much else.
I've lately been wondering if it would be possible to get in touch with Victoria and get a diploma from them for my Bachelor of Honours as I realized, I don't have one. Those years there were important and I think I should, at this point, its a question of knowing how to start. Its on my list of summer things to do along with find a local dance or yoga class in the area to take.
In terms of books, I just finished War for the Oaks by Emma Bull, which I've been meaning to read since I first read Charles de Lint. I know this is one of the first books to really propel the urban fantasy, Fae in the modern world genre forward. I've read one other Emma Bull book, Finder, which I believe is set in Bordertown. That book I found rather disappointing because I had a very hard time figuring out the gender of the narrator. It was a man and that was important but I kept thinking they were a woman, so that left me confused and pulled me out of the story. War for the Oaks, I loved, the plot is fairly simple with Eddi, a rock guitarist being pulled into the war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts. What makes it wonderful is the depth of the characters, the mixture of the Fae understanding humans more and vice versa. I honestly wish there had been more, compared to some of Charles de Lint's work, it felt short. The story was told, I guess I simply wanted to spend more time in that world with the characters.
Today was wonderfully lazy, I slept late, walked into town and read Deathless for a few hours. I just got back from going grocery shopping and I ended up buying fewer prepared things as I'm going to cook more. In the summer, my schedule is really nice and I plan on doing lots more cooking. The weather is still being on the brink of Spring with moments of cold but things keep blooming and the sun tries to come out.
At the moment I don't have any major things to do until my shift on Tuesday. Its so strange after being so busy this entire semester to have time to stop. A weight is off me and now its gone, I realize just how heavy it was.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 02:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 05:09 am (UTC)De Lint's actually a weird author for me. Sometimes I can read him with no troubles other times...for instance that short story collection I mentioned (wish I could remember which one it was) I ate up with no trouble. Trader I had to read a couple of times before I finally got into it and Onion Girl I just could not get into.
I don't mean to diss on De Lint. I like his worlds and how he weaves different myths together.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-01 05:12 am (UTC)It doesn't sound like you're dissing him at all, I don't like all of his stuff. I recently read one of his earlier books and was slightly disappointed. If you're willing, I'd explore more of his books because he has written a lot and most of it is wonderful and he does a number of different things.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-02 03:44 pm (UTC)