Lyrics of my life

Those who know me know that I always have a million songs or lines of music running through my head. Music has fashioned me into the person I am today, and even though I spend most of my time doing things unrelated to it these days, music still has great power over me. As always, when I listen to music I think about the deeper meaning behind the notes and/or behind the lyrics. Here are a few pieces of songs that I’ve been thinking about lately and that to some degree define my current situation in life.

And so I'll read a book 

Or maybe two or three
I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery
I'll play guitar and knit
And cook and basically
Just wonder when will my life begin?...
And I'll reread the books
If I have time to spare
I'll paint the walls some more,
I'm sure there's room somewhere.
And then I'll brush and brush,
and brush and brush my hair
Stuck in the same place I've always been.
And I'll keep wondering and wondering
And wondering and wondering
When will my life begin?

I have often dreamed of a far off place
Where a great warm welcome will be waiting for me
Where the crowds will cheer when they see my face
And a voice keeps saying this is where I'm meant to be
I will find my way
I can go the distance
I'll be there someday
If I can be strong
I know every mile will be worth my while
I will go most anywhere to feel like I belong

I drew my line across the sand
And set my flank in no-man’s land
But here I am, the one-man band
With a song that's meant for two

I am floating away
Lost in a silent ballet
I'm dreaming you're out in the blue

And I am right beside you
Awake to take in the view
Late nights and early parades
Still photos and noisy arcades
My darling, we're both on the wing, look down and keep on singing!
And we can go anywhere
Are you there?
Are you there, or are you just a decoy dream in my head?
Am I home or am I simply tumbling all alone? 

Are you there?

I'm not surprised, not everything lasts
I've broken my heart so many times I stopped keeping track
Talk myself in, I talk myself out
I get all worked up then I let myself down
I might have to wait, I’ll never give up
I guess it's half timing and the other half's luck
Wherever you are, whenever it's right
You'll come outta nowhere and into my life
And I know that we can be so amazing
And being in your life is gonna change me
And now I can see every single possibility
Somehow I know that it’ll all turn out
You'll make me work so we can work to work it out
And promise you kid I'll give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet
And someday I know it'll all turn out
And I'll work to work it out
Promise you kid I’ll give more than I get
I just haven't met you yet

Books, Film, and Media Literacy

As a fan of both books and movies, I am pleased when I find out that a book I like is going to be made into a movie or when a film I like was adapted from a book. It’s interesting to compare the two, particularly to see what was changed when the book was made into film. Most of the time I can understand why this or that change was made, but when I can’t, I have to tell myself that the movie and the book are different forms of media and I have to consider them as separate entities.

I’m sure each of us knows at least one person who hates films adapted from books. They consider themselves purists, that any changes made for the film defile the story. But if you pause to think about it, would it really be better to include everything in a film exactly as it is in the book? If a movie-maker were to include every little detail from the book, the film would likely be an utter disaster (an example: see “Twilight”). For one thing, books are long, and few if any people would want to watch a 10 hour production of one book. For another, how many parts of books have to do with concerns such as a lack of resources on a long journey? These fit well in a book because the pages have room for them and they are valid concerns, yet on film they would detract from the excitement of other events or would get annoying with the repetition.

I understand the purist perspective, and there are a number of books-turned-movies that I take issue with for the same reason. For example, take the film “Ella Enchanted” (spoilers if you haven’t seen it): in the book, there’s no evil uncle who usurped the throne and wants to have Ella kill the prince. I understand why they changed it, because Ella’s main struggle in the book is with how her curse might be used to force her to endanger the Prince. I also understand why at the end they have her fight the curse with a knife in her hand, actually struggling to prevent herself from killing him, rather than fighting an internal battle when the Prince asks her to marry him as in the book. These things are internal battles that are much more easily described in a book than on film. Films require visuals (obviously); therefore it makes perfect sense that they would create visuals for these internal conflicts because we cannot easily get inside a person’s head on film. Even though I understand them inventing the evil uncle, it bothers me because they had to change/create an extensive portion of the story for the film adaptation. I believe there are other ways they could have altered the story to show the threat of her curse against the Prince without inventing so many changes.

Here are some more examples of appropriate changes (as I interpret them) to books-turned-movies (again, spoilers):

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – They took out the scene at the end with Hermione using logic in the potions room to figure out which potion they should drink. Why? It was too long (especially for a children’s movie), and Hermione had already had the chance to show off her skills with the Devil’s Snare, giving her one opportunity, Ron one opportunity, and Harry one opportunity before Harry’s final fight with Quirrel at the end.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – Instead of having Dobby bring Harry the gillyweed as in the book, they had Neville do it. Why? It advanced the idea that Neville is good at herbology, and also gave his character a slightly more prominent role in the film. Plus, it was easier to film Matthew Lewis doing the action than do the computer graphics required to create Dobby’s image enacting the part.

The Little Mermaid – In the movie she becomes human and they live happily ever after. In the book she becomes the foam of the sea. Why the change? It’s a children’s movie, of course. I don’t think I need to explain it further.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – At the end of this movie, they adapt the end of the book with the beginning of the Two Towers. They created a scene showing Boromir fighting to save Merry and Pippin, with slow motion showing one of the enemy shooting him with one arrow, then two, then three, him struggling to fight more Orcs in spite of each arrow. In the book, we see none of this battle; instead, we follow Aragorn, who finds Boromir lying on the ground after a great battle, ridden with many arrows. Why? In the book we are free to imagine the great battle that he fought alone. In a film, there is no time to stop and imagine because the visuals are right in front of you and moving super quickly. In recreating what might have happened, the film touches each viewer, showing Boromir’s tragic end, allowing the viewers to commiserate with Aragorn. Also at the end of this film and before Boromir’s fight with the Orcs, they foreshadow his attempt to take the ring from Frodo by showing several camera shots back and forth between the two. You can’t do this in a book, but in the movie it is a subtle but distinct demonstration that something is going to happen between them.

I’ve said too much, but my point is that a book can be excellent and a film can be excellent. They can even both be excellent when they are about the same story. But as different forms of media, they have to portray that story in different ways. Books can’t use music to warn the audience of potential danger like movies can. Movies have much more difficulty showing the passage of time than books do, and often movies that jump around between past, present, and future are confusing and difficult to follow. Books have the freedom of length and time for imagination that movies do not, but movies can use blocking, tracking, camera angles, and lighting to help them tell the story. Each form is good in its own right, and each ought to be considered for their individual contributions to story-telling.

Happy Mother's Day!

Last year I wrote a blogpost on Mother's Day acknowledging mothers and the work they do. It's only fitting that I do so once again. I realize that Mother's Day is almost over, but that's okay. Mothers need to be celebrated more than just one day a year, because they are awesome. Thank you, mothers, for your selfless and often unrecognized and unappreciated service every day. Yours is a godly task; President Joseph F. Smith once said that "The love of a true mother comes nearer [to] being like the love of God than any other kind of love" ("The Love of Mother," Improvement Era, Jan 1910, pg 278). Yours is a difficult task but a profound blessing, and you will be rewarded eternally for fulfilling this high calling. My heart goes out to those of you who are not able to have children. You are still mothers; the Lord provides us all with opportunities to mother. In His time, He will not withhold this wonderful blessing from the righteous woman who seeks it. Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there, especially my own mother who raised me, and my sisters and sisters-in-law who are raising my nieces and nephews. Happy Mother's Day to all the women who have been mothers to me, including Young Women leaders, Relief Society leaders, Priesthood leaders' wives, mothers of my friends, and my friends themselves. I love you all.

Joss Whedon and Buffy, The Vampire Slayer

Recently I've been using Netflix to watch the TV series Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, written by Joss Whedon. If you're not familiar with his work, Joss Whedon also wrote Angel (spinoff from Buffy), Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Firefly, and the film Serenity, among others. As I am familiar with much of his work, I can say with confidence that he is a great writer of television, and arguably one of the most creative. Even if you don't like vampires or science fiction or musicals, I don't see how you can not appreciate his style and creativity in the production of these shows. For the dialogue alone it is worth watching these shows.

I used to watch Buffy when I was a kid, but I remembered only very basic characters when I started watching it again a couple months ago. I'll admit that season 1 was hard to get through at times, as it is with most shows, especially since lower budget for new TV shows means lower quality costuming (difficult to ignore when the Slayer fights demons that don't look very demonic). But I'm now almost done with season 2 and am really enjoying the storyline. With me, a good film or TV show is all about the plot. For example, I used to watch Glee a lot because of the music. (Coincidentally for this post, Joss Whedon directed one of my favorite Glee episodes, Dream On, with guest stars Neil Patrick Harris and Idina Menzel.) But when the plot for Glee started having some serious issues, I got more and more frustrated. Sure, it was still funny and the singing/dancing was usually great though occasionally subpar, but it got old--fast--without a good plotline. Buffy, though it's about a high school girl who slays vampires, never gets old because Whedon keeps the storyline fresh and interesting. Of course, I also think Sarah Michelle Gellar and her co-stars are good actors, particularly David Boreanaz. They do an excellent job of portraying the characters. It's possible that the later seasons get worse, and I'm keeping an open mind about that, but I know Joss Whedon is talented and I am excited to see what happens.

I didn't intend to make this a post about how wonderful Joss Whedon is. In fact, I meant to talk about how people have responded to me watching Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. Most seem indifferent, because it's not airing right now. Yet a couple people have responded to me with derision, one even saying they can't respect me for watching it. Why? What's embarrassing about this show? Is it because it's about vampires? They are not exactly sparkly Edwards, nor is Buffy any vapid, insecure, helpless Bella. I'm not embarrassed to be watching it. Why do some people find it so mockable?

Price check on prune juice, Bob...

So this one time I decided I was going to write a blogpost nearly every day, or at least 3-4 times a week...then I didn't for three weeks. Oops. Sorry! I just didn't have anything interesting to say...

Here's what you've missed:

- I won $300 for my poster at a research conference. That was pretty cool.

- I officially finished my first year of grad school, which means I am officially half done with my Master's degree (provided I finish my thesis on time). I even got out with decent grades--not as good the last semester as the first, but still pretty good. Now I have to spend some time figuring out what to do for my thesis...

- I got all moved into my new apartment. The only real negative so far is that I am slightly allergic to the place (the girl who lived here before us had a cat). I had better look into buying a bed frame instead of sleeping on my mattress on the floor, close to the carpet that probably still has cat hair/dander in it. Anyone know of a good place in the Provo/Orem area to get a twin bed frame/box spring for relatively cheap? Price check on prune juice, Bob...

- Baby blessing for niece M. Family came into town and it was fun. M is very cute, she's 7 weeks old today and growing so much already.

- My sister C's birthday. We partied by playing games and eating pizza. What better way to party, right? And since we don't drink, we even remembered the whole thing. Awesome.

- California and family. I got to go home for almost two weeks, and I got to enjoy lots of palm trees and sunshine. I miss those things (especially sunshine and warmth...I flew back on Saturday and it was snowing.). Saw my brother D and wife M, and his kids L and S. They are so fun and so smart...S is almost 5, yet she reads 2nd grade level books. She loves to read and loves to learn. L is 7, and his new thing is that he has memorized the list of 100 most populated cities in the US and can tell you without stopping to think which city is which number or vice versa. He loves maps, geography, populations, etc. My brother K also came into town with his daughter K for one day; he had to do something for work in a nearby city, so they stayed at our house. K is doing great and growing strong. I look forward to seeing her progress continue. We celebrated (very late) my mom's birthday with a surprise dinner at Marie Callendar's, and that was fun. I also got to see a bunch of friends, like K and N (Disneyland!), J, E, and M and A who moved to Indiana but were visiting, and more. I also got to eat at a bunch of my favorite places, including two times at Miguel's Jr. It was a good trip. Didn't make it to the beach, but c'est la vie. It was a much needed break. I find that lately, every time I leave California and come back to Utah, I miss CA more and am more depressed about coming back to UT =P Not that Utah is that terrible; it has been pretty good to me, but I'm ready to move on to somewhere else after I graduate. Whether that's back to CA or off somewhere completely different, I don't know yet, but I'm open to wherever the Lord guides me.

- Easter! For the first time since high school, I was home in CA for Easter. We went to the annual Easter egg hunt/pinata fiesta at my cousins who I haven't seen in a long time, and I spent some time with my Grandpa, his wife, and my dad's sister J who I haven't seen in years. My mom made her traditional delicious cinnamon rolls. But of course, most importantly, we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him, we would have no hope for the future. Without Him, we would be eternally damned, but with Him, we have the hope of eternal life.

Now you're all caught up =) I suppose I shall have to figure out things to write about now, if I want to write more regularly...and I don't have the excuse of summer classes to keep me from writing! I'll be working but not taking classes all summer, though I plan to spend a lot of time on my thesis. So if I don't write, I will blame my thesis and work. Happy May, everyone!