Struggling with a Flash project… so I’m posting to feel like I’ve accomplished something in the past few weeks. Like reading some books! I could waltz to 50 now… and I should focus on career development (so I can stop making painful Rube Goldberg-sized projects like the one I’m in the middle of now.)
39. “Fathers and Sons” by Ivan Turgenev
A bit shorter/lighter than the typical Russian fare. The nihilist Arcady believes in nothing, and especially not the history of Russian landowners and the way they treat their serfs. He visits a friend’s countryside estate and makes everyone angry. Arcady is also one of the first now-typical outsider characters. Not as good as some other Russian novels I’ve read, but interesting and quick.
40. “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller
Washed-up Willy Leoman struggles with his unfulfilled dreams and his sons. A theater classic, but I was a band kid and not a drama kid so I hadn’t encountered it before.
41. “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The very chatty girl next to me on my plane to St. Louis next weekend couldn’t believe I hadn’t read this classic in high school, and making up for that was part of the reason I picked it up at Haslam’s, an awesome used book store in St. Pete. The novel was sad and left me frustrated about the judgemental Purtian culture, but of course it explains a lot about where we came from. I wasn’t terribly impressed over all, though.
42. “A Rasin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry
Now this one, I liked a lot. Similar to salesman’s American dream story – a black family moves up from the Southside to a mostly white suburb – but more entertaining and I felt a true connection with the characters, even when they did things that made me mad. Would love to see a production of it, even on video.
In better, non-Flash-frustration-related news, I am settling into St. Pete and Making! Friends! right before I have to shuffle-move again later this month. Part of me is really ready to have a permanent house and not live out of my ant-infested car, but this other part of me also dislikes making big life decisions. Besides the craziness at work right now (Rays + economy + election = very busy news art dpt.), in the next 6 weeks I’m moving twice, my parents are visiting (me? or the beach? that’s a question I haven’t wanted to ask them), there’s the Poynter infographics seminar (yay!), and Lee is coming down for Thanksgiving (double yay!). Oh yeah by December when Lee graduates/my official employment ceases and our lives start FOR REAL I should probably have a job or something. Right.
