Neglected

I know, I've been neglecting this thing a bit lately. It's always like that in winter though - less stuff happens generally. I spend most of my time hibernating on the couch, waiting for it all to be over. My brain shuts down and i have nothing intelligent to say beyond "Pass the chips" or "Lets watch Glee" or the ever popular "I'm booooooored..." (repeat in whiny monotone over and over again for maximum irritation to those around you).

Nothing much happened this week except that i finished two books. The first is called Everything Lovely, Effortless, Safe by Jenny Hollowell. It's about a woman called Birdie, who runs away from her pastor husband, Evangelical parents and small town life, and heads to L.A, to really BE someone (cause we all really wanna BE someone. Like I really wanna BE Betty White). Several years later though, her life in Hollywood isn't what she thought it would be. This book was beautifully written, and i mean really. The prose is poetic, and sort of drifts along, just like Birdie does. Worth it if you like that lyrical sort of novel with a tragic heroine, if you can call her a heroine - she kinda annoyed me to be honest.

The second is called The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood. This book book BLEW ME AWAY. I cannot stop raving about. It was written over 20 years ago, but sometimes a book finds you in a time in your life when it's going to have maximum impact - that's how it felt with this one. The story, essentially, is this - sometime in the near future, the United States is overthrown by a movement known as 'The Sons of Jacob', who create a totalitarian, Christian regime, where men rule and women are totally stripped of their rights. Hierarchy orders society - women in particular are divided into various classes from which they can't deviate or escape without risking death or deportation to the 'colonies'. The colonies are areas of the former United States where labour camps have been set up to clean up radioactive waste resulting from nuclear plant disasters etc, which have also caused mass infertility. With birthrates on the decline, one class of women, called Handmaids, are there specifically to breed. The novel is narrated by one such Handmaid, called Offred. Offred's real name is never clearly revealed - like everything else, this has been taken away from her. Her new name is literally Of Fred - Fred being the man to whom she belongs, for breeding purposes only of course - and is another way of ensuring she is completely owned by in new, patriarchal society.

As you can see, i could go on and on about this book. Don't take my word for it, go and read it yourself. There were times i actually got chills reading it, not just because you feel so much for Offred, but because the writing is so authentic that you actually believe what you're reading could be a reality. The particular cruelty for Offred is that she's forced to live in this new regime while still remembering what it used to be like 'before'. As painful as it is, she struggles to keep those memories alive - the moment she forgets who she was is the moment she ceases to be.

Read it, read it, read it and then tell me what you thought. There's so many things i would love to discuss - so I'm making my friend DT read it next to make sure i have someone to talk about it with. Cause I'm awesome like that.

Our weekend, in brief - our friends Kama and Tony came to dinner, cooked by yours truly to much acclaim, and we had a great night. Tony and I usually enjoy banding together in all of our Mediterranean glory, while Kama and Jo, the resident (read: boring.) Anglo's (just kidding. i love Anglo's), make feeble attempts to...stand a chance. Ha! Never! But hey, its always nice to compare cultural notes.

On Sunday, Faatasi came over to talk WEDDING. The goal for the day was to get some music in order, but we spend most of our time laughing at the songs we wouldn't be using instead. Jo's suggestion that i walk down the aisle to the Jaws theme song, for example, was not considered helpful, nor was Faatasi's suggestion that our first dance be to Smack my Bitch Up. It was the opportune moment for me to let him know that i required him and the rest of the bridal party to prepare some sort of choreographed dance, preferably a recreation of Don't Stop Believing a la the Glee club at regionals (there's practically enough to them to make up the numbers, so. It should work.) He said he'd see what he could do. Fingers crossed it all works out right?

Jo jamming yesterday

My dinner. Cause i can can can, and cause my it's my Dad's birthday tomorrow and he makes damn fine cured meats. Love ya dad!

OK, I'm gonna go watch some of the American cheese that is the Emmy's. Makes my stomach churn, but i can't stop eating.