i stimulated the economy

... by buying a laptop:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3765

The Awakening

Last night I went on a book-buying binge. I decided to reread The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I always thought it was one of the cool feminist books I read in high school so I thought it'd be a fitting for the weeks I've been having to read it again. And let's just say I think I'm going to reread a lot of books from now on. Just having the alternate perspective and seeing how different I took things the first time is really interesting.

Anyway.

All I remembered of this book was that it was about a woman who was interested in three different men for three different reasons and realizing she could not be happy with all, killed herself. I could see why I would've remembered her suicide to be for romance... because I was boy crazy. HAHA. But, reading it again, her suicide really had nothing to do with the men. It was the one selfish thing she could do for herself...the only way for her to know nobody would have her, own her. Edna was always tied down with responsibilities she did not want and slowly began doing as she pleased. But, really... how long can a woman in that society really go on doing whatever she wants? Like she said, she would give her life for her children, but never HERSELF.

"The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth."

Next up: The Undiscovered Self by CG Jung

Movies

I watched three movies this week. Each very different.

1. The King of Kong
Summary: A documentary about a no-name in the Classic Arcade Game realm, Steve Weibe, who attempts to become the Donkey Kong champion over veteran, Billy Mitchell. It's just the back and forth drama between both sides and Steve's hardships trying to get to the top.

Entertaining. A little slow at first. But, once it picks up it's very addicting. They turn this rather pointless situation into a classic good vs. evil plot with Billy Mitchell as the villian. If you watch this, make sure to read up on the latest scores that came out after this movie was made.








2. The Jane Austen Book Club
Summary: 5 women and 1 man get together every month to discuss 1 out of their 6 Jane Austen novels (Emma, Mansfield Park, something Abbey, Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, & Persuasion). And throughout each month, it follows all their different problems with love and relationships.

Maybe I would have liked this movie more if I could connect their stories w/ Jane Austen characters. But, seeing as how I didn't read any of her books, I couldn't do that. However, they do blatantly point it out for people like me, who have never really experienced Jane Austen. Maybe the book is better. It's just hard to really connect to 6 different stories in like 2 hours. There's just not enough time. So, everything felt a little superficial. The one thing I did take from it is that relationships take risk and the ability to sacrifice a little of your comfort zone for the other person.



3. Persepolis
Summary: The autobiography of Marjane Satrapi... based from her comics. A little Iranian girl, born in the 70's, and all the different political changes through the decades. It's mainly about the downfall of the shah, the uprising of the Islamic Republic, and how it affected her life. Animation in French.

I woke up at 3am, realized I had finished dling it, and watched it. Thankfully, it was good enough to keep me up. I never really knew the history of Iran. And it's interesting to see it from a perspective of a woman who grew up during different periods of oppression (depending on how you look at it). The animation was amazing. The drawings are so simple yet very intense.

hey pretty cupcake + cutie pie boutique

hey pretty cupcake has teamed up with cutie pie boutique (albuquerque, NM) and has put all of their consignment goodies in the store... including yours truly :)

check out vanessa's flickr pic of the stationery table and see if you can pick out my sup cupcake notecards!

yay!

other updates: currently working on FAFSA app. currently getting my ass kicked at the gym. sad to say i have not put any time into the donut lounge. work has just been too exhausting and i've been trying to workout... so that leaves me almost 0 hrs to commit to the shop. but i do have a few things up my sleeve... hopefully i can post them before school starts next month or else i'll REALLY have no time.