Ten on Tuesday

I have been slowly adding points to the same Ten on Tuesday post since the last time I actually finished a Ten on Tuesday post.... back in March. That's how lazy I've become. *hangs head* 

It's now Friday, since I completely missed Tuesday this week after having a holiday on Monday and losing track of the days. Since I've been such a delinquent blogger of late, I might as well just post it on a Friday. Clearly that's the only way it's ever going to happen! You will notice notes added in italics in points 1-7. These are updates to points I wrote anywhere from one to three weeks ago. Hey, better late than never, right? Just say yes.

1. I have seasonal allergies. This does not please me. (If anything, this situation has gotten worse.)

2. I went to see The Hunger Games weekend before last (since this post has now been in the works since March, this timeline is incorrect. I went to see it the weekend it came out -- whenever that was), and have now officially jumped on that bandwagon. I read the first book (and yes, you should read the book even if you see the movie - in the first chapter it explained some things that didn't quite make sense) and am totally engrossed by the second one (update - I have now finished all three. It didn't take long - once I started reading it was pretty much impossible to stop.). Definitely check it out.

3. It's a short week - we get Friday and Monday off for Easter - and yet it is passing interminably slowly. Why is that? (This was added last week. Now I'm feeling jealous of past me, which is annoying. And a bit confusing.)

4. Apparently there are now dating websites for Doomsday-ers so they won't have to face the apocalypse alone. ?????

5. And another one about the Hunger Games - you might have heard the whole thing about racist tweets (check out the originalTumblr blog, Hunger Games Tweets, that first shone a light on the issue) regarding Rue and Thresh being African-American in the movie version, despite at least two separate passages in the book describing them (or at least Rue) as having dark hair, dark eyes, and dark or brown skin. I am so outraged by this that I just have to sound off briefly by saying that I am deeply disturbed by some of the remarks - particularly those saying that (SPOILER ALERT) Rue being played by an African-American girl made her death less sad. Are you f*cking kidding me?? Disgusting.

I read a few articles about it, but this one in the New Yorker was by far my favourite. It not only discusses the issue in detail with the founder of Hunger Games Tweets, but talks about the problem at the root of all this - the tendency to assume that characters are white. Quote:

 [...]the white default—in books, as in other forms of mass media—is learned and internalized early, including by children of color. It takes vigilance—and self-awareness—to overcome. “I picked up on the [character and racial] descriptions in “The Hunger Games” immediately,” says Adam, who is of Caribbean descent. “But then again, whenever I read something, I wonder, ‘where can I find the character who represents ME?’ ”

6.  One of the chains of book stores in Vancouver, Book Warehouse, is closing down. I'm quite sad about this, because that pretty much just leaves us with Chapters. On the plus side, however, they're having huge sales, and I managed to score a few books last week (obviously, this was now a couple of weeks ago. Though I've been back many times since, so it's still accurate to say "last week," whenever it was. This will be the case until it finally closes, as I am helpless to resist cheap books.). Not that I actually need more books, but whatever.


7. One of the first things I'll do if I ever win an obscenely large amount of money is buy my own Starbucks. You're all invited for free peppermint mochas, of course. (Still true. Only now you also get mini pies. See photo below.)

8. I'm loving reading again. I even revived my book blog, Backlist Books. So if you're a fellow bibliophile and want to see what I've been reading, head over and check it out. I like to review books as I read them rather than when they come out, so you'll notice an ecclectic mixture of old and new books, ranging in genre from non-fiction to young adult to memoir to fiction to art... you name it, it's probably in there.


9. I have to tell you that Lin from Linny's Vault has now become my main source of amusement. I'm beginning to wonder what I did for entertainment before I "met" her. Not only have I realized that it is possible to make new friends after the age of ---age omitted---, but that it is also possible to do so over the internet. Who knew?? If you haven't checked her out yet, you are obviously missing out on the best parts of the internet. If not life. Go say "hi" to her immediately, if not sooner. (She also started me on the Ten on Tuesday train, so if you decide to join in, go link up on her site.)


10. And because we always need something funny, here you go: