Hello folks! It seems its been a while since I’ve written a lighter hearted post. Thoughts are good, don’t ever hear me say otherwise, but it’s nice to have an old fashioned fun post every once in a while.
Anyhow, this month has been… interesting? I’ve learned a lot about myself and the people around me and while that’s definitely been good, it’s also been somewhat stressful. Lately I’ve been real stressed. More so than I’ve been since last year with that rotten chem class. *shudders*
(I said this would be a fun post and instead I opened it with my moodiness. Whoops. I promise I’ll get to the good stuff.)
When I’m stressed enough it manifests itself physically and lately that’s been the case. (We looove headaches don’t we?) Lord willing, I’ll get all these feelings and thoughts sorted out with His help. Because (heaven help me) I can’t do that on my own.
Anywayyyyys, after that somewhat angsty opening, here’s the fun stuff.
Movies
’Twas a sad month for movies, I have this whole long list (26 to be exact… no wait 27) and I didn’t check any off of it this month. Not to worry though. I got some good re-watches in.
The Help
What’a quality piece of storytelling. Not only is it entertaining and colorful, there’s also so many good messages, annnnd it ends rather bittersweetly (I cried). Not to mention the wonderful southern drawl all the characters have. (Is it just me or does the southern drawl sort of accent seem to be a personification of humidity. In a good way. That was a weird metaphorish thought.) Also I forgot how amazing of an actress Jessica Chastain is (how does one forget that after The Tree of Life?) and how great Viola Davis is too.
Fiddler on the Roof
Well, I watched half of it. *sighs* But t’was good. Better than I remembered. The clear sepia tones fit the aesthetic of the film so well and of course the music is stellar. And even watching half of it this time, I picked up on so many themes (oh no, you’re saying, here she goes with the themes again) I never realized were there when I watched it at 12.
Emma (2010)
Utterly charming, witty, sweet, and satisfying. I never get tired of this one.
Becoming Jane
Ahhhh so romantic! But I completely forgot how downright depressing that ending is *wipes a little tear from the corner of her eye*. ‘Tis good though. ‘Tis very good.
Books
Atonement
A very interesting exploration of guilt and innocence as well as the individual’s role in making amends. Not only that, McEwan’s prose is some of the most enveloping I’ve ever come across. Not many authors have the gift of drawing one so vividly into their characters’ inner lives. I have many, many, more thoughts on this book, but I’m having trouble pulling them all together. (Gosh I can’t seem to pull any of my writing together lately.) But sometime in the near future I’ll give some fuller thoughts on this one.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
When I started this book I found it mildly colorful (there’s an oxymoron for you) and interesting, by the time I finished it Francie Nolan and all her family had tiptoed a way into my heart. Betty Smith paints such a vivid, honest yet heartwarming portrait of Brooklyn.
Till We Have Faces
Technically I finished this yesterday, but we’ll put it here anyway. I’ll be posting a full review soon (hopefully by Sunday, emphasis on hopefully) but may I just say that this is one of the best books I’ve ever read. No exaggeration. (I see that smirk, I’m really not exaggerating this time.) Here Lewis tackles themes of love, the tension between reason and what is unable to be reasoned, sacrifice, and truth. I was floored by the time I finished it. Much like the conclusion of The Tree of Life is somewhat mysterious but nonetheless powerful, so it was with Till We Have Faces.
Music
Interstellar (Soundtrack)
Hans Zimmer is a genius. Period. End of sentence.
One thing though, that I realized as I listened to the soundtrack from beginning to end was that it begins relatively slow and by the end the music has more than doubled in intensity and speed. This change thematically reflects the movie well.
Classical
I know I know. What old fashioned tastes I have. But my love for classical music (esp. of the romantic era, my goodness what genius) has grown exponentially. Some of my favorite pieces at the moment are:
- Ma Vlast
- Antiche Danze Ed Arie Per Liuto
- Requiem
- Waltz In A Minor
- Ballade in G Minor
- Max Ritcher’s Vivaldi: Recomposed
Colorado
About the middle of February I got to visit my favorite state – Colorado – and my favorite cousins under the age of 10 (don’t worry they’re they only ones that young). T’was fun, beautiful, good for my relationships with my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins, opened my eyes about some college things, and overall was relaxing. I needed a breather from the stress of school and other complicated things. I don’t know how to explain it, but sometimes, as much as you love your family and friends, you just need to get away, to be somewhere less familiar and complicated.
I also got to visit Estes Park while I was there and that, at least from the perspective of where we went while I was visiting, was my favorite part of the trip. Not only were the mountains covered in snow, I found the cutest little bookstore ever. Suffice to say, my little heart was bursting with happiness. Snow, books, lattes, this girl could ask for nothing more.
I spent a lot of quality time with my little cousins and that was very very fun. Their little isms and quirks are so sweet and cute. I miss them. I’ve officially stolen the role of favorite cousin from my little sister (HA, they’re mine) which makes me very happy.
Winter Formal
Winter Formal is the only formal dance our school puts on (I know, my high school years will be devoid of a prom, very very sad). So all year everyone eagerly anticipates the event. This year, was different than all the other years, and while it wasn’t a bad night, there were a few factors that made it rough. It’s probably not the winter formal I’ll look back on most fondly, but I did enjoy my friends and this year’s dress was probably my favorite. It was also my oldest younger sister’s first formal dance and that was really special to be able to share it with her.
Deeper Stuff
This month, in particular, brought to my attention many things that floated vaguely in my subconscious but I hadn’t taken the time to ponder. In short, this month, especially the last couple weeks, was characterized by this thoughtfulness. Like I said earlier, some of this thinking has made me rather stressed as of late. With college around the corner, life spreading itself in front of me, realizations about some friendships, realizations about myself, and well *ahem* some other things that occupy my thoughts, my mind has been a busy place.
But all that being said, all these thoughts are good and I’m glad that I’m weeding my way through them. My reading of Till We Have Faces really pushed along these thought processes (honestly, I’m convinced God was very purposeful in allowing that book to come into my life now).
So, that’s February for you. What did your February look like? Have you read/watched/listened to any of the books/movies/music I mentioned?
The Bookshop Barista 