Don't Knock It Till You Try It Tuesdays: Anne Bishop's Black Jewels Trilogy

Now when I'm saying don't knock this I mean don't judge a book by its cover.  And when I say cover I mean this bad fantasy/romance artwork from the 90s front page illustration.

 

I mean they were written in the 90s and they are fantasy and they do have romance in them..... BUT this series actually brings up some interesting ideas about preconceived gender roles in society and how a world would exist if they were swapped. 



Yeah yeah.  For instance- how rape is dealt with, protection, and then there's this whole deal with girls loosing their virginity. 
The books follow two powerful half brothers- Daemon, who is a pleasure slave who can't get it up and the most powerful male in existence; and the winged Lucifer who used to be a pleasure slave but freaked out one too many times (you'll find out why, dum dum dum) and was banished to the salt mines.  Their father is Saetan, the High Lord of Hell.  Love the names right?  Right?  All three of these men are waiting for the Queen that will come and lift them out of opression from the tyrant Queens that currently rule them.  Bishop creates a world that I thought was a little mind boggling at first- there are the jewels that you are born with and then the ones that you get after your offering, and then there are the different races and some live longer than others and THEN you can special skills etc.  BUT there's this chart and blurbs at the beginning of each book and its not hard to catch on. 
So anyways, Janelle is the sent Witch Queen they have all been waiting for, and it is essentially her story seen through all of the males in her life.  I've read all three books and a couple of the tag alongs.  Personally I think the trilogy are the only ones worth reading, but if you are one of those people who gets so super attached to their characters and you'll read anything and everything about them even if its not as good as the original.... go for it.  There are a kabillion other books she wrote for your reading pleasure.

Music Monday: Bruno Mars' "Moonshine" and "Treasure"

OBSESSED.

I'm in love.  I just keep playing these two on repeat.  There is something just so hypnotic about "Moonshine."  Both songs happened to come on my Pandora when I was walking somewhere and I had an eargasm on the sidewalk and was like WHAT IS THIS.  AMAZING.  I've been teleported to a doowop (for lack of a better word I'm stealing it from Bruno's previous album).  These stinky New Yorkers in this humid heat?  Why isn't everyone dancing?  Bruno you are the smoothest.

Beau Date Friday: Craddle Robbing Edition

Leonardo Dicaprio in Romeo+Juliet.

I mean really.  If you can get past the very obviously highlighted hair and the fact he is only 23 when he made this movie.  That look.

So full of teen angst and love I can't take it.  Not to mention that movie is one of if not Baz Luhrmann's best.  The music, the setting, the acting.  Gah.

I want to meet my true love behind a fish take dressed as an ANGEL.  WTF.  Is that so hard to ask for.

So now I feel all gross and pedophiliac.  I feel like dating anyone younger than myself is a big no no because my sister is three years younger than me, and then that's like dating someone she would date.  Although technically if you do that math currently Leo is 14 years older than me.  So less creepy?  But this date is with Romeo Leo, so I guess not.

Things I Want...

The Entire Tiffany's Great Gatsby Collection.  Now.

One of the greatest things about living in New York is the windows, and 5th av has some of the best- Tiffany and Bergdorf Goodman.  I was really excited to see "The Great Gatsby" when it came out in theaters because Baz Luhrmann (Romeo+Juliet, Moulin Rouge, Strictly Ballroom) is one of my favorite directors and "The Great Gatsby" is one of my favorite books (and Fitzgerald is one of my favorite authors and so on and so fourth).  Thusly I had insanely high expectations for this movie and was not so blown away by the outcome.  BUT the jewelry, Leo's Gatsby, and the music were amazing.  So, that said, the point is, I want everything in the Tiffany GG collection.  In the cute boxes with white bows please.

Vocab Word of the Week

SELFIES

I'm glad someone came up for a word for these so I can more properly label and continue my rant on them.  HOW ANNOYING.

Selfies of you again taken in the bathroom? Stop.

Selfies of part of your cleavage?  It just makes me think you don't have any.  Taken by lifting up your arm over your head and aiming your iphone down?  Quit it.

Selfies of you with the sorority arm?  Also-

Now I will admit I have done the sorority arm in a photo or two.  Sometimes (KEY WORD SOMETIMES) it is advantageous if you are trying to dispel the idea you have arm/bingo flab (even though it sort of draws attention to the fact you are insecure about having it).  BUT if you do the sorority arm in every picture you end up looking like coat hanger.  Or a flamingo.  If you are that insecure about how your arm looks crop it out.  That's what Instagram is for.  Use a filter.  Be creative.  

UGH.

Don't Knock It Till You Try It Tuesdays: Anime Edition

I have a bit of a complex about anime.  My dad (who happens to be Japanese) used to make fun of me for watching Dragonball Z late at night when I was in high school on Cartoon Network.  He would pad downstairs and come into the living room and say "cartoons again?" and shake his head embarrassed and pad off.  But may I also add here that he loves the movie "Enchanted" (so do I, but I'm not a sixty year old man that doesn't live in NY).  So my point is there is an inconsistency here.  

Since I'm applying to teach English in Japan I started watching anime again under the pretense of "getting used to hearing and learning the language" (yeah sure).  I take improv classes so I found myself drawn towards the more comedic shows.  These anime follow the same rules I was taught in my New York improv classes.  Thusly

So here are my top three in order.  They are awesome.

1) Ouran High School Host Club

A poor tomboy girl is mistaken for a boy by the Ouran Host Club and is roped into joining the club to pay back a valuable vase she had broken by accident.  The Host Club is basically a boy club which entertains girls with parties and dressing up.  All the boys in the club have a particular quirk the girls at their school find appealing and all are excessively charming.  The club finds out early on she is a girl and she ends up becoming the overprotected best friend of these rich socialites (although she still dresses up as a boy and entertains girls to pay back the vase).  All of the characters are hilarious and they play with so many gender concepts it boggles the mind.  My personal favorite are the devilish twins.

2) Fruits Basket

A girl is orphaned when her mother dies in an accident and her extended family is unable to take care of her.  She survives by living in a tent in the woods until she stumbles upon the house of a boy from her high school.  His family (we end up finding out he has much extended family but just his uncle and cousin live with him) find out her living situation and invite her to live with them.  She quickly finds out the family secret- certain members of the family when hugged by members of the opposite sex turn into animals of the Chinese zodiac.  They eventually turn back to their human forms, but they are naked.  Which as you can image promotes various awkward encounters.  Again, all of the characters are hilarious and this show is the epitome of cute.

3) Kamisama Kiss

A high school girl who is turned out on the street homeless (we have a pattern here if you haven't noticed) is unknowingly given spirit powers by a god.  She is then shoved blindly into her duties as a god to run the god's small shrine.  She wrestles not only with impending dangers to the shrine but also dealing with the shrine's fox overseer who she eventually starts having a thing for.  Those cute little kids that are the shrine's helpers are the best.  The show is also a nice lesson in Japanese culture and shrines.

Note: Yes yes yes I know these shows can be considered a little sexist and some of the jokes are a little bit wamp wamp but really give them a try!  It may not be the feminist manifesto, but it has some girl power.  You can watch all of these shows on Hulu, and at least two out of the three on Funimation and Youtube.

Music Monday: Robin Thicke, you are kinda (a hot) old man

Let me first start off by saying that TI, you can dance like nobody's business.  
And Mr. Thicke you do look pretty classy in that suit and aviators.
And let's be honest.  You can't really go wrong if Pharrell is there.  I mean have you heard his song with Daft Punk?

But one minor, weensy, bitsy, thing.  RB you are teetering (actually you all are but especially RB) tottering on being creepy old men with young chicks.  Yeah I know you can still get any chick you want because you are the sauce, but couldn't you have made them not teenage-looking-models?  Too much to ask?  I know, I know, you have a sex image to keep up..... I'll just leave now.