Emily, what the heck have you been doing with your life lately?

Well friends, let me tell you! I know I haven't done a real post in a long time, but tomorrow is 4th of July and I have some fun stuff planned so maybe I'll have pictures and happy things to say about those pictures. In the mean time, here are some thing I have been doing:


-Considering and then deciding to go to grad school. That's right! I want to go to grad school! Shopping around for affordable programs with low standards, because I'm not that competitive of a candidate.


-Rethinking and then ultimately rejecting the decision to go to grad school at this time. It's expensive, and an MA in lit just doesn't get you the jobs it used to (ha ha, good one emily). But if I wind up in a job that wants me to get a masters or wind up fabulously wealthy with plenty of time on my hands, then I for sure will head back to school, because guess what? I love studying literature.


-Dusting off my desire to edit that I put on the shelf as I considered doing lit. I have an editing internship in the fall, and there is one in New York (Oxford University Press) that I could do next summer. It would combine my ability to edit and my love of academia. Win/win, right? Plus, I would be in NEW YORK! But applications aren't due until next May so it's definitely on the distant horizon.


-Reading/watching/listening to/breathing Shakespeare. I'm in a Shakespeare class right now, and it's sped up for summer term, and it's a little intense. Let me rephrase that: it's not that intense because it's pretty concentrated, but it's a lot of Shakespeare! In 3 weeks I will have read and studied 4 plays and seen 8 productions, read 4 critical articles, done 2 presentations, and written 4 thesis statements. But it's pretty fun. My teacher is a Shakespeare nut in a good way and I'm learning a lot.


-Occasionally attending my Sociology 111 class. I'm seriously trying so hard to care about this class but there's not much homework and it's not in my field and...yeah. Not my top priority. It's interesting though. And I was feeling pretty condescending toward all the freshman in my class, but they are actually kind of smart. Like, smarter than me when it comes to sociology.


-I did some babysitting for my brother and had a lovely time with his 3 kiddos. They are so fun! Especially Benjamin the 18-month-old. I just love ages 1-3 sooo much. Also, kids are hard.


-I watched "Shakespeare in Love" to get me primed for the Renaissance/Reformation setting and it might just be one of my favorite movies ever. Gwyneth Paltrow is Gwyneth Paltrow, but Joseph Fiennes is AMAZING! I just love how much he loves her. Plus a little poetry and well-placed facial hair go a long way. It's also really funny and emotional. Fast forward through a little nudity and you're good to go. Whoever did the trailer should be shot because it does no do it justice.

-I've also watched "The Town" and became a hardcore Ben Affleck fan for a week, but I am currently swooning over Chris Hemsworth after seeing "Thor." Chris>Liam. You may have caught on that I have more free time this term to waste my life watching movies, just the way it should be.

 -Reading wise I started "The Great Gatsby" with the intention of reading it with a friend of a friend, but he has since not gotten back to me. He is either a slow reader (no judgment!) or forgot. So I'm in Page 65 limbo. So far I haven't loved it, I don't care for the narration style, and I just watch this on repeat to keep me motivated that something interesting might happen. Whoever made this trailer should receive every award in the world!

I also stumbled across a book on my kindle that I forgot I had downloaded. It's called "Amaranthine" and I'm about 10-15% in and I can't believe how bad it is! Maybe I'm just over 16-year-old heroines. I don't know why I'm surprised, here's the synopsis:

Sixteen year-old Ireland Brady is sure she's losing her mind. After a horrific car accident leaves her barely clinging to life, she wakes from a coma with a renewed sense of gratitude to a world more surreal than she could have imagined, a world which includes Orion Alexander. Darkly handsome, Orion is cool and confident and has his sights set on her, something she's never experienced and she finds herself falling hopelessly in love. But when Orion's betrayal sends her straight into the arms of his rival, Damien, things go from bad to worse. Despite Orion's warnings, Ireland is attracted to Damien. He's strong and protective, and harbors an intense dislike for Orion, which makes him...perfect. But Damien is not one to be crossed. When all the secrets are revealed, will Ireland trust the boy who broke her heart? Or is she doomed to suffer a fate worse than death?

Yeah, so it's obviously a cheesy YA read, but here's the kicker:


"I had read this book on wattpad and I thought it was amazing. Definitely worth your time to read. Im going to order a copy of it today or tomorrow and make sure all my friends read it as well. This book is purely amazing. Unlike any other its original, funny, dramatic, suspenseful all in one. Good job Leah Crichton! Keep the writing coming. You truly are a amazing writer.:D "


"It's like I said, Brilliant! There's romance, mystery, betrayal... the perfect combination for a great read. And the twist completely blindsided me. When I finally got my jaw to stick shut, I practically inhaled the rest of the book. Trust me, you'll be so grateful you picked this one up."

etc...

Seriously??? Are we reading the same book?????? It's Twilight-circa crap! But now I have to keep reading to see if it gets better, when right now I have to stop myself halfway through a chapter and call Bri because I can't handle wading through this awful (I almost spelled that "offal" yikes!) writing on my own. So I'm mad. ALSO a little beef with reviewers on Amazon--use common sense in your reviews! Do not say "there is a mad twist half way through" "this is about life and death" and "a sixth sense type twist" all in the same review! Or any one of those when any of the others appear in reviews right below yours! All I have to do is apply a baby bit of logic and BOOM, my need to read this book is gone because you just revealed the plot to me!


And literary world in general: can we please see some love stories that involve just two people who face obstacles other than "this unlikeable girl is faced with the dilemma of choosing between two inhumanly beautiful men who inexplicably want her even though based on reality none of them should be happy together"? 


Okay, soap box vacated. But this will be my great project, to get through this book and see if it is really awful or simply a diamond in the rough. (sadly, i couldn't find the aladdin clip of the giant tiger head saying this) 


Anyways, that's about all that I have been up to in the recent past. I know I still need to blog sanfran. Maybe someday soon! Until then I hope you all enjoy your fourth of julying (i know i will, my roommate just informed me our AC is broken. woohoo!) and hopefully i will blog again before my 40th birthday!