Between a Book and a Fun Place

Dearest Readers,

I am aware that I have been lax in my responsibilities when it comes to posting on this site. The goal was to give y'all a summary of my week so that you could enjoy my journey with me. But throughout last week and this, I realized that I'm not doing anything special. I have two more years of schooling left and it is really exactly as it sounds. I work, I study (usually in the forms of reading hundreds of pages of articles and then writing a summary over it), I go to class, and every blue moon I socialize with other human beings.

While other people are off on new adventures, I am still very much stuck behind a desk. I am quite a Plain Jane - and recently that has started to bother me. Currently I reside in a fantastic city that is rich with our country's history and full of multiple cultures. This should be a time of growth. It is time that I chased those dreams that have quietly lived in the back of my mind for so many years. Time to learn so much more than the knowledge that comes with books. Oh, but where do I find the time?

That is the predicament I have found myself in for the last couple weeks. My mind has been in a tug of war for my yearning of exploration and the responsibilities that I have. At some point, I am sure that I will find a balance.

So there is a quick little update.

All the best,

Kaity

Dracula Untold

Rating: 

Through a mix up at a local theater, instead of enjoying the Boxtrolls, I found myself watching Dracula Untold. (We received these tickets for free, so I was not one to complain).

Sadly, I have not yet read the original works, but I can tell you that this movie was fairly well done. From what I have gathered through the summaries on Goodreads, this movie is set before the book.(I am also very unsure after this movie if the book fits in at all.)

Vlad Dracula (Luke Evans) had a dark childhood and has found himself free of being The Impaler for the Turks for over ten years. Of course, things do not stay all that peaceful when the Turks ask for more than just the regular payment for the Sultan. They want 1000 boys for their armies as well.

There is a belief that Vlad has been killing the Turkish spies (that are not supposed to be in the country anyway) and this is payment. The truth is that there is a monster in a cave who can kill Turks with its bare hands. Is there a chance that this monster could be Vlad's hope to saving the boys so they do not go through the same torment he did?

There is a nice play on the origin of Dracula's name as well. We see the transition from "Son of the Dragon" to "Son of the Devil" with a nice bit of character development. It's a bit gruesome in some areas, although it has a little bit of something for everyone. Action, love, revenge, and an interesting ending. This movie was clearly set up for a second installment, although they could leave it as it is as well.

Fair warning: If you enjoy Twilight type of vampires - this movie is not for you. The vampires stick with their traditional powers, although CGI helped add a bit of a twist.

I enjoyed the movie and I hope you do as well.

And Then There Were None

Rating: 

I am one who enjoys a good mystery or horror book every now and again. October definitely sets me in the mood to devour as many of these tales as I can lay my hands on.

It is sad to say that I have never read this classic before now, but I did enjoy it. The style of writing took a bit of getting use to. Christie sticks with a more blunt, active style of writing - which is completely fine once you get use to it. It also adds more to the story because it keeps it rolling at a much quicker pace. 

There were beautiful twists and turns that I am sure most stories nowadays borrow from - but I can honestly say that I was incorrect in my assumption of the murderer and how the entire story would come to a close. 

The murder is set up around a poem known as "Ten Little Soldiers". It's quite a dark child's tale - although most of what I heard growing up tended to be. The victims follow the pattern, which makes another fun guessing game as you are reading through.

All of the guests to this ominous  little island has been accused taking an innocent life in one way or another, although the majority beg ignorance about the matter. What it quickly boils down to is that there is someone on the island who believes they must die for their sins and, if they don't find who it is quickly, they will never leave. But there are ten of them and ten little soldiers, is there any hope at all?

I could quickly see why this story would become an instant classic and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys such books. 

Painting the Roses Red

Communication is key to a successful life. Be it at work, in school, with friends or family - our lives revolve around the ability to communicate our wants and needs with each other. As a teacher we tend to find ourselves the mediator of lines of conversation between multiple parties so that our students will be successful in our class and classes to come.

This principle has been repeatedly drilled into my head since my first education class freshman year of college, and rightfully so. However, the more I started to grasp the reason behind this statement, the more it seemed that this important rule slowly slipped out of the minds of my teachers the higher I climbed the academic latter.

What I've come to find out is that here in Wonderland, communication is a rare, undependable bird. People may find themselves left out of an important notice. The readings for this week may have never been posted. Or, more consistently, lack of clarifying that the queen wanted red roses and not white ones less than 24 hours before she is expected to walk the garden.

So what do we do, you ask? We grab some brushes and paint those accursed flowers red. 

 

The problem here lately is that these five cards are very tired of painting a new set of roses each week. In fact, some of them have thrown down the brushes and have started to demand clearer instructions. And, let's be honest, at this stage of academics, it shouldn't even be a problem. Syllabuses should have been established on the first day, not the end of the fourth week. Project guidelines should be posted at least a week in advance of the due date.

But I digress, because what can you do? If the queen refuses to clarify instructions, we must try our best to tend the garden and hope that, when the time comes, we can quickly paint over our mistakes and she won't notice. 

Prayers would be appreciated. 

Until next time,

Kaity