NaNoWriMo

It's almost November! And although I've been trying to get along with creating characters, it is just a little hard to develop even one character without a specific idea for the story in mind. I'm still not sure how to get this inner editor to be quiet because it's so darn sneaky! I have such a hard time ignoring myself. Anyways, I'm trying to remember all the books I liked and why I liked them, but it's a little hard because I seem to only remember reading Redwall and all the other twenty books that go along with it.

I really like the dare machine thing on the website, and I hope that by reading some of the 'dares' I might be able to keep my story more fun and alive than creepy or sad. As I remember some of my favorite books, I can certainly say they were more creative and fun ideas than freaky.

Also, I'm a little torn about the antagonist, I guess I don't know how to create a character like that. But I am still really excited to be writing a novel, because it just seems so ridiculous! (Hopefully it will not be so...)

To Build A Fire

Did we have to do this? I don't remember but I'll talk about it anyway. I actually was not that unhappy with 'To Build A Fire'. By the end of the story, I was very cold, either because the librarian had been playing with the thermostat, or because I was feeling the cold. My ears were sort of aching and my nose was freezing!

I was absolutely delighted with the whole dog thing. It would have been really depressing if he was all by himself and died, but then you had this nice little pup tag along. (I generally dislike Huskies, but I imagined it slightly differently) I don't know what it was about it, but I really liked it whenever you heard about the dog or what he was thinking. The man was a little bit mean to him, but hopefully he ended up with a nice owner. I could imagine the dog so well! (Except for when I changed him from a husky to a sort or cross between a shiba inu and a husky) But anyway, I was always sort of both happy and attentive whenever I heard what the dog was thinking or what it was doing. I don't think that it should have had to take that dangerous journey, but it seemed to know a lot better than the man did. It was just sort of cool the way the dog knew instinctively to do things.

The man really should have been traveling with someone, but I can't think of someone he could have gone with to get there. It was a bit painful to read about him trying to make a second fire after the first was put out by snow. There's just no way he should be able to start another one. Then he does and puts it out again! It was really frustrating. By this time everything is numb, and he tries to run to get to camp, and he keeps falling until he eventually gives up and dies. It does make the title make a little more sense. (Just a little)

At the beginning of the story, I was sort of lost because the author gives you so little information. It was also sort of strange (and cool) when his spit crackled in the air. But other than that it looked like it was cold and dreary.

What else? I thought the biscuits 'sopped in bacon grease, and each enclosing a generous slice of fried bacon' sounded pretty nasty, especially when he thinks of them so much. Does this sound good to anyone? Honestly, why would you want bacon grease??

And so I get back to him building a fire to unfreeze his feet. It seems so hopeful, it's getting larger, stronger, and then boom! A lot of snow falls down on him. It seems like one of the first things you'd watch out for if you were that experienced. After that it seemed hopeless, then he magically gets it to start again, but it goes back out after he suffocates it with too much. Then it's all over, any hope is gone, he's dead. Then he tries to kill the poor dog, and I was really afraid he would, but he can't do it. The husky has already been pushed into the water and is obviously scared of the man, because of this 'whiplash' sound he makes. Anyway, I would have been more sad it he had killed the dog than if he had just died by himself. The husky had two sides, one was of internal, instinctive knowledge, and this great understanding of things and the other was a sort of helpless, uneasy, dog. He couldn't start a fire to keep warm, or have an extra coat, but he also knew how to keep himself alive, like by picking the ice out of his paws. But the man never gave him any food! Anyway, I liked how he made the dog seem realistic. I was almost happy when he trotted away from the man in the end. He had been loyal to him, sitting there patiently before he knew the man was dead, running with him, and just staying with the man, but when he was dead it was sort of like "Oh, he's dead. Time to go."

Anyway, I actually liked this story better than some of the others, and I thought it was very easy to see and feel everything that the man and his dog were going through. It was a lot nicer without the comments and questions on the sides. It was sort of like this overall theme that people shouldn't try to out-smart nature or something, because the dog kept thinking 'This is a terrible idea, we should be warm and safe!' and the man kept trying to go on, even though it was a bad idea. Anyway, I thought it was a sort of cool story (especially because it's been so cold this week!).

The End of the Odyssey

We've finally come to the end of the Odyssey! (It's about time, too) He kills off every last suitor and all the disobedient maids (AND Antinous's father, What's-His-Face) Then he reveals who he is and Penelope doesn't believe him until he starts talking about his bed. Then the townspeople get really mad and want to kill him then at the very very end it's all over and only Antinous's father died, and everything is peaceful and happy. It really makes me realize how long you have to wait for him to finish off all the suitors.

It starts with the fight against Irus, where I actually felt a little bad for Irus because he got beat so badly. (By an old man, too) The suitors all think it's hilarious, especially when Irus is beaten, which makes me even more mad, because it seems like it would be sad to watch beggars fight. Those suitors should have suffered longer.

I liked hearing about the gifts Penelope tricked the suitors into giving her, which wasn't really a trick, but I imagine they kept everything (after all, the suitors were dead after that). I also thought it was funny when he tell Euryclea (or Eurycleia) to go and lock the maids in the rooms. "Well you see, there's going to be this big fight downstairs, so excuse me a moment while I lock you in your room." But it probably was a good idea after all.

It was sort of nice to finally let Odysseus see his wife, after all that time he had been away, even if he was in disguise. Personally, I was very happy, because he had been sitting in Ithaca for so long, and he didn't even get to see his wife.

I also enjoyed listening to the story about how Odysseus was named and how he got the scar from the boar, although it seemed to be the best reason he had for being himself. As smart as he was, you'd think he would remember a big scar that would identify him, especially when he asked to be washed by a nurse. Were people really so good that they couldn't wash their own feet? Anyway, she recognizes him and drops his leg (Ow) and spills all the water. Very luckily, I suppose, Athena diverted her attention. I still don't think it was that necessary to keep it a secret from his wife. What would she do? If you locked her in like all the maids, she couldn't have done much, and if they had all died in the battle, how could the maid tell Penelope that it was her husband who had died and not told her? At least if she had known who he was, if he died, then she would know to remarry again, and that he got home safely. I just think I would be annoyed not to be in on a secret that my husband was home, even after the battle and everything.

I was always amazed at how much they seemed to revolve around Odysseus. Someone is always stopping to say something like, "I wish he would come home soon!" or praying to the gods that he would return. I'd think that after 20 years they'd be a little used to it, and they wouldn't still do that too much, but I guess it makes a better story.

I thought it was sort of weird when Ctesippus picks up a cow foot and chucks it at him, honestly, a heifer's foot? I guess it was the closest thing, but it just seems weird. Then he insults him, which is just a terrible idea. (We all saw what happened when the Phaeacians did that) I thought he might explode, because he didn't really seem controlled when he was challenged like that before.

Let's see, next Penelope decided to take out the "deadly bow and arrows" for a game. When she opens the door it makes a noise like a bull bellowing. That's some noisy door! What's the deal with that? I wouldn't open that door ever. Our teacher once let go of one of those pull out maps that roll up when you let them go and it went 'BANG' and I jumped because it scared me so you can imagine how much I would really hate to have to open that door.

Not a lot struck me for a while, except for when one of the suitors admits how inferior they are to Odysseus during the bow-stringing and shooting game. And when Penelope embarrasses Eurymachus. Then she has to go back upstairs and she cries again, which sort of makes Telemachus mean. :(

Then he strings the bow, and it made me feel sort of happy for some reason, even though we already knew he would. Then he shoots Antinous, which was way too quick of an end for being so evil. Then he goes on and kills a lot of them, saves the bard and Medon, and continues on to kill everyone else. When Leiodes, the sacrificing priest, comes and begs for his life, I don't think I even felt bad for him. He seems so sad, but somehow I never was even the tiniest bit sorry for him.

After that I was a tiny bit bored. Penelope doesn't want to believe it's really Odysseus, and you hear the ghosts talk amongst themselves. Then Odysseus is kind of mean in playing games with his dad, who has been waiting so long for him to come home and pretty much breaks down. Then the townspeople go to kill him for him killing all the people, and suddenly they all decide in peace.

Overall, it was very relieving to be finished and wrapped up, although it was a long time to get there. I thought he might punish the suitors some more, he was so mad, after all. I guess killing them was pretty harsh in the first place, but he seemed to punish his servants more than the suitors in the end. I thought he might be a little to hard on the maids. I would have just fired them and make sure they never got another job or ship them off somewhere terrible. Telemachus never really stepped up to head of the household, but he could have done more to discipline them, I think. I just think they might have done a better job if there had been more effort to make them do their job. Why put up with them if they won't agree? Why couldn't they just get rid of them years before to save a lot of problems?

The end sort of leaves me to wonder what life is like for the future. What does he do for all these years? When does he go and get the treasure from the cave? Did he even have anything to do? It must seem dull for him not to have to get anywhere or do anything or fight anyone. He also must have nightmares or occasionally feel bad for killing all those people, it seems like you would be. Thinking you were still stuck on an island or attacked by some monster or something. I guess that's not part of his journey home. I still have to wonder who had the patience to tell that whole story, really. I found I really didn't care about 'Rosy-fingered Dawn'. I actually liked all the epithets, they were almost comforting to read I think. I think I liked the beginning and the storytelling by Odysseus the best. I don't like all the time it takes to finish the story, but I guess it had to finish. In the end, I think I liked all the characters a little less. It was weird to see Odysseus fighting, to see Telemachus bossing his mom around, Penelope constantly crying, etc. It sort of makes you wonder what great huge adventure Telemachus gets to go on one day.

Do we get to finish O Brother Where Art Thou? now? (I don't think I'll be happy until it's done)

The Most Dangerous Game

I have just read another creepy short story. I actually found that I was enjoying this, maybe because we just read two other unsettling stories, maybe because there's a guy who lives on an island in a giant mansion/castle-or should I say palatial chateau? As soon as he meets General Zaroff, you know he's evil, whether you read the summary at the beginning or not. Although it seems like you're supposed to like him, I wrote "He's creepy" and then I wrote it again after it pointed out he had sharp and pointy teeth. (All those questions on the side were distracting) Ivan just disappointed me. It seems he should have been nice or something, but he quite obviously wasn't. Then he just suddenly dies in a trap, which makes you feel worse, because it should have been Zaroff, but of course, it wasn't.

Rainsford was just strange, because at the beginning I thought he was just a real jerk who liked to kill animals. Then I slowly felt like he wasn't so bad, when he does reasonable things (tells the time from the sun, deals so well with a big scary guy with a gun, etc.) He also seems pretty observant, all of which probably come with a lot of hunting. Personally, I was pretty mad when he was talking on the ship with his fellow hunter, all he was saying about hunting, but he certainly drew the line when it came to hunting people, so he clearly thinks there's some huge difference or something.

He does come up with some good plans for killing Zaroff, but I'm a little curious about why Zaroff left him alive. I mean, he follows this almost invisible trail right to the tree where he's hiding, it seems like it wouldn't be hard to find him after that point. So he concludes it's cat and mouse, but he seemed awfully quick about killing the first guy (the one where you hear the gunshots before he knows where he is). But I almost feel like he doesn't really want to kill Rainsford at all. At the 'tiger pit' he pops out of hiding, obvious and unprotected because he thinks he has finally killed Zaroff. He really could have killed him right there, but no, he lets him go again. After all of the ways he seems so good at his 'game', he still seems pretty darn scared when he jumps out from behind the curtains. I feel a little like the creepy smiles and the yelling were fake, like he had no idea if he was there or not, but he figured Rainsford would feel more frightened if he happened to be there and listening. If he wasn't what was he going to lose? He obviously wasn't afraid of anyone else thinking he was stupid for randomly yelling and smiling to no one, because no one else was there to care. Of course, then the author does sort of make it clear he's playing a game with him, so maybe he really did know he was there.

Zaroff, the creepy pointy-toothed, hunter Cossack man, hunts people. I have to wonder how much you'd have to hunt to want to start getting more intelligent animals. He says his life is hunting (which we didn't really need him to say) but I think there's a point where you would think about the lives of all these animals. For example, today (and this is a very real example in case you were wondering) in social studies about five girls screamed as they spotted a spider which was probably only more than a quarter inch long and some people ran to get a piece of paper to put it out the window (which was probably how it got in) when a large tennis shoe squished it right into the carpet. I was impressed because it normally gets stomped right away, but there were people trying to save it! Anyway, our teacher said, "The poor little spider just wanted to get a history lesson, you could have just put him out the window!" and that got me thinking that the poor little spider probably was trying to get somewhere, or do something, which always makes you feel bad it dies and is now practically inside out all over the carpet. What I'm saying is that it seems like there would be a point where he accidentally killed something meaningful to him, like his dog, but that didn't seem to bother him. I just think that after so much hunting you'd eventually stop and think about the animal you killed. I can hardly get down to the 'mouse' level of killing things. I couldn't kill a bird, or and the worst I've done is put a spider in a jar and starve it (accidentally) The scary part was when he offered to show his 'newer' collection of heads, no doubt human. Personally, all the cut off buffalo heads and deer heads make me quite ill, and I'm always afraid they'll fall off the wall and squish me, and it's just not pleasant to look up at it. But to cut off a human head? Can you imagine mounting those on the wall? If you tried to put it on like and animals head, it would always be staring down at you, which would be WAY too much for me. So then what do you do? Put it in a glass case on a peg or something? I think it's slightly scary to be stared at by a person, especially if they're dead.

The ending was sort of disappointing. I got excited when he screamed, but then the hunted kills the hunter and you have to wonder if he ever learned his lesson (either of them) Did Rainsford stop hunting forever? Did he even get back home? Did he free all the trapped people? It's just seems weird that he could ever hunt again and not be disturbed by thoughts of this creepy guy with pointy teeth. (Plus the whole white hair but black eyebrows thing) I feel like he might have been punished some way else, but I can't think of a good way.

Where does this fall in overall creepiness? It depends on how much time you take to imagine the thought of making a game of hunting people. I think Zaroff himself would top off as the creepiest character so far. I even gave up calling him Zaroff after I said Zar-zoff too many times, so I remember him as Zarzoff, not Zaroff. He does however, back up murdering people pretty well for it otherwise seeming so absolutely terrible. When I listened to him reason, it was almost to a point where I could see what he saw in needing a more intelligent being to outsmart. But the whole time I remembered how strange and absolutely crazy he must be to want to do that, so it was never to a point where he made absolute sense. I honestly still think the castle was really amazing, and although it seemed slightly random, it made the story more interesting.

Another question, what 'game' is it when it says The Most Dangerous Game? Are we talking game as in the game the two men played, or game as in the man being the most dangerous game? The author puts it in both ways, but I think either way it is a very fitting title. It's kind of cool how it provokes so many thoughts, though. How many more creepy stories are we going to read? Does anyone have the patience to read all this? Do we have to fill out all the information in the back? And more importantly, how long will I remember what 'palatial chateau' means?

The Rest of My Reading Oct. 5-12

Yes, so now that I'm done writing about the short story, I think I'll write about 'The Odyssey'. A lot happened in these few books. Yes, Odysseus goes home with all his riches and Poseidon punishes them by turning the boat to a rock and are going to escape because there is a prophecy that he will also want to squish them under a huge mountain. That's when you get to Odysseus who is confused until Athena pops out and fills him in, hides his stuff, and brings him to his swineherd's house. He makes up a story, and Telemachus, meanwhile is rushing to get home because Athena has warned him about the evil suitors. He gets home fine, and eventually meets his father, who has been talking to the swineherd for a really really long time and eating his food. Together, they hatch a plan to kill the suitors, and eventually they go to back to Odysseus's house and he meets all the suitors. Then you come to a stop, after waiting for a really long time to see all the suitors get what they deserved. Anyway, there were a few things I'd like to mention. First of all is when they give Odysseus a tripod and a cauldron. It's funny, because he quite literally said that because he had a long and difficult journey home, he wanted to give him a cauldron, which would seem like a weird thing to say. I don't think the gift itself is strange, it's just that it seems funny to want to give him all that stuff because he had a hard time getting there. It seems like it would be hospitable enough to let the guy have some food and a warm bed, but I guess it's only truly kind if you also give them a lot of presents. I was very relieved when they said he could go, and also when he got to sleep the whole way home! (That would be so nice) I was really looking forward to his ship crashing or something, though. It seems to easy that he just gets home, but I'm am really glad he did, because it was about time! I think he just could have gotten home in a more exciting way, like a giant sea monster pops out and ruins the ship, and he is saved by a passing boat who takes him home and he gets to keep one of his gifts. Except that probably wouldn't happen, and then some people would be disappointed because he never got his gifts. I also noticed that he keeps getting clean shirts and cloaks. I don't know why, but he just can't seem to keep all the ones he gets. He always gets them dirty or watery or just loses them somewhere. It just seems crazy

I feel pretty bad for the Phaeacians, they get punished for being really nice to someone. It made me curious, though, if he turned the boat to rock, does that mean the boat turns to stone, or the boat and everyone on it turns to stone. That is definitely two different things. I just think it would be mean to ruin it for these people who were trying to do what was right and happened to help someone that a god was angry at. It seems like there should be no one to punish, because no one did anything wrong! (Although it was fun to imagine a boat suddenly turning to stone.) Personally, I would have gotten off that island as fast as I could, but it's probably good they made a sacrifice first. I just hope everyone turned out okay! I'm trying to go in order of notes I made!

There were a few things that I thought were funny. One is the word 'bespatter', which Athena uses to describe what will happen to the brains of the suitors. The second is when one of the servants says 'Dinner is good at dinner time' which I just think is funny. I also thought it was funny how they talked so much about Odysseus when he was right there. Really, right there. IF only Odysseus could come back. IF only he would rid of those terrible suitors. IF Odysseus was here he could stand up and save the day. It was just hilarious how much everyone talked about him. He seemed to always be right there to hear about how much everyone loved him! Telemachus must have felt dumb when he found out his dad was right there, but it was nice to know how happy they were.

I think sometimes the way they talk is funny, too. (Well duh) Anyway, it seems like they are sometimes being rude to one another without meaning to. Like when the swineherd tells him that he has found the story of his misfortune 'interesting'. It seems like a mean thing to say, but I don't know. I found it very interesting to listen to the swineherd's story, and Odysseus's made-up one.

I also find it interesting that the one man, Theoclymenus, that shows up and has Telemachus take him to Ithaca with them. It seems sort of random, but I hope it turns out to be a good thing! I was also really excited when Penelope stood up to Antinous, but then she basically was quiet and never said anything again. That was just flat-out disappointing! She really should just send them all out because she doesn't want to marry any of them and hates them all. I think Penelope has been one of the most disappointing characters.

I was really sad when his dog dies, especially after it describes what a great dog he was. I just wrote 'NOOOOO' where it says ...'but Argos died as soon as he had recognized his master.' That's so sad! That poor dog was just left to die (although you think it might have been more resourceful for a hunting dog).

I think it was a really good idea to go and beg from them to see their personalities, even if it was technically not Odysseus's. It was a perfect way for him to stay in his character and be able to see what all the suitors were like. I was a little confuse about how Antinous would have the power to throw him out, though. (He says that if Odysseus doesn't go away he'll make the servants drag him out) It seems strange that he would suddenly have that power, but I guess he was be a 'guest' and if something was disturbing him, then he could have it removed, but it still seems like a lot of power.

That takes us to the end of the reading! I really want to get to the end, and I'm so glad that we have both Telemachus and Odysseus together, because I've been waiting for that and I really like them both! Hopefully, we will see the suitors being 'bespattered' on the pavement (Ha ha) Also, hopefully, there won't be any more really long stories in it, because the stories are interesting, but always so long! Anyway, I thinking we're pretty close to the end and I am hoping it turns out to have a good ending!

The Lottery

This week I read 'The Lottery'. 'The Lottery' is a short story, as we can tell, about a lottery of sorts. I was told that if I found that 'A Good Man Is Hard To Find' was creepy, I'd think that this one was much more unsettling. I actually didn't find it nearly so much as 'A Good Man Is Hard To Find' and I'm sure that some of you who read this disagree. It's just that with this short story, you get to the point where you know something bad is going to happen, and you just are bored or don't want to wait to know whose name is going to be picked. (And I found it slightly distracting that the last name Dunbar sounded a lot like Delmar while I was reading, and so I kept thinking of Delmar in that place instead of someone else.)

Anyway, I think I didn't find this story quite as disturbing because, although you were still left with the image of her dying, there wasn't as much of a sense of surprise and horror. I don't know how to describe what I mean! In 'A Good Man is Hard to Find' there is one murderer and a conversation where you learn about his past and one by one, he goes and kills the family. In this story, a whole group of people kills one person, and I find it less creepy because instead of being a crazy killer, it's a group of people who just feel obligated to kill.

When I read it, I felt terrible for the lady, picturing her being stoned by her friends and even her little son, but instead of feeling horrified of her death, I felt angry at the people who killed her. It's just that I wanted to tell them that they were being stupid and unfair and that if no one liked it then they shouldn't kill anyone. The author just doesn't put in anything to make you feel horrified. In 'A Good Man Is Hard To Find' you have a conversation between the killer and his victim about it, which makes it super creepy and unsettling, but in The Lottery' you aren't given that kind of information. You don't know that much about the woman who dies, you don't know much about the people who kill her, she doesn't include what it's like for someone to stone another person who they knew. Even though they have been doing this for years and years, I just don't feel like a person could kill another without the reader being able to see some hesitation or regret. They say they want to get it over quickly, but that only makes them seem more heartless. I guess I don't feel like the people are as realistic.

I think anyone could look at it and say 'This is great writing and it's very haunting," because I think the author is a good one, and it's extremely haunting to think that these people think it's the right thing to do, but I feel like there's more to it than that. Maybe if I had read this before the other short stories I would think differently, but it's very difficult not to compare them. One thing that might make one 'darker' than the other is that in one it starts out like a normal day. A family is going on a trip, but after that, everything spirals down. The other starts with a way too cheery day feel, and ends in a depressing way which for me, made them very different.

I'm trying to find a better way to phrase what I mean, but it's not going so well! One thing is that you feel like by the end of 'A Good Man Is Hard To Find' that it's hopeless and that she has to die, but you still find it creepy. In this one, instead of feeling the same hopelessness, you instead feel like it's the people's fault. They don't have to stone her, and it's their own major decision to kill this defenseless woman. It just doesn't make you feel unhappy in the same way the other story does. I also think that it might be because in 'The Lottery' they have a reason to kill her. I think that's part of it! It's not so unsettling to think they think they have a reason to stone someone to death, whereas to think some innocent woman is picked off of the street and stoned for no reason would, to me, be much more frightening.

With what I was saying with some of the people being 'unrealistic' it wasn't that they were fake characters, it just seemed like no one could actually do such a thing. What makes one scary and the other not might have to do with how realistic the whole idea is. Both stories obviously seem crazy and unsettling, but when I think about it, I feel like our car flipping over and being killed by a crazy person is more likely to happen then me living in a small village where people get stoned.

However much I have said it wasn't that dark, I think it was a hard comparison, because by itself, it does trouble me to think of someone creating such a story. To think that they are raising children to think this was right and that they must do it, is just scary. At the end, it says that someone gave her tiny son a few pebbles to throw, and I found that that was also a little scary for me. They are making someone do something without him knowing it is a bad thing to do or that he is killing the person who raised him. If such a tradition were to happen, it would be both terrifying and disastrous, every year. You would be taking someone who meant a lot to someone, and throwing them away, imagine how many kids would end up orphans! Which also confuses me because it seems like you might run out of people. I guess that might not actually happen.

For whatever reason, it was very easy to imagine this story. It might not have seemed real, but I could see all the characters when I read it. I ended up thinking about how the next generation might be able to stop it, or even the one after that, because when it says they don't know why it happens, it seems like the parents might secretly tell their children that one day they should stand up against it and stop such a terrible tradition. It also left me thinking, could I do that to a friend, a parent, a sibling? I just have this terrible image of a group of people throwing rocks at a tiny crying baby. How much would it break a mother's heart to see her tiny child die?

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Watching the movie was sort of weird when you were thinking about things like names and events that were similar. I was talking about it to my mom, and she was saying that most people, even who The Odyssey, too. I wrote down some things, and some of them I didn't connect them to anything in The Odyssey, but here are some of the ones I have found.

One is just characters. Ulysses/Odysseus obviously shares his name with Ulysses Everett McGill, and I know I heard 'Menelaus' in the movie, I'm pretty sure it was 'Gov. Menelaus'. I was sort of thinking that his two friends were like Odysseus's unintelligent crew. There is also the one eyed man (and I can't think of his name) that is pretty much evil and squashes their amphibian friend, like the cyclopes. (Particularly when the cyclopes eats their friends.

I also have put together that his journey to get that money, is sort of like Odysseus's journey home from the war. The old guy on the train tracks is like the dead prophet Odysseus meets, and the last thing was that Ulysses comes back home to find his wife is going to be married, sort of like Odysseus comes home to find all the suitors in his house, except sort of the opposite because one wife wants to be remarried, and the other really doesn't.

That wasn't really three, but I didn't know how much recognizing peoples' names counted as connections, so I just threw in an extra one, trying not to say the same things other people have said. I hope we get to see the rest of the movie next week!!

Reading, Odyssey Books IX-XII

Reading this week, has been a lot like other weeks. I'm still reading The Glass Castle, only a chapter or two a day. A lot happens fast, but the little girl, Jeanette, is still pretty little. Most of the time she was on the move with her family, but she stayed for almost a year in one place, but then her dad decided it was time to move. Then she moves on to Phoenix, where her grandma left them a house, and she's still exploring around there now. Each chapter is a different adventure, a different problem that crops up (or doesn't).
I also read A Good Man Is Hard to Find, I already wrote about that. I gave it to my mom to read. I still think it's pretty creepy.
The Odyssey was (I think) the last thing I read this week. I don't think I forgot anything. Anyway, I think Odysseus just got to talk a lot! It was time we heard his story, but it was a LONG story. Yup, I think I would actually be happier if there was more suspense, like it jumps from Telemachus to Odysseus' story and back again. I got a little bored when he just kept talking on and on, but I guess it might also be easier to keep the story going. I just don't like how you can freeze one story and go on with the other. I feel like then you just keep having to catch up on one story and the next, and you never get both in the present. Anyway, it wasn't that bad, and we got to the stuff I recognized a little more, (Come on, who hasn't seen the Arthur or Wishbone version on TV?) like the Cyclopes. He was really crazy, and that's just about it! I probably would have died in there, if I was him. Of course, I probably wouldn't be even fighting in a war, or on a ship back from a war. The whole hiding under sheep thing was a good idea, but it seems like a lot depended on that they poked his eye out. And if there had been some weird problem where they couldn't poke his eye, they probably wouldn't have escaped. It's sort of funny how they don't seem to care that he eats their friends while it's happening, but when they get back, they start to cry. It seems like you would look away while a giant cyclopes ate your friend, really. There's not much suspense because you know he gets out alive, but I guess it's all part of the story. I'm glad they escape, but what if his friends had sailed away without him? What would they do? There would be a cyclopes on the island looking for them, which might take a while, but it's still sort of strange to think about what might have happened to them. I'm glad they finally get away, because eventually he was going to run out of people to eat. They sail away, and are treated well for a while, but then they eventually come to Circe. She's just sort of strange. How would it be fun to turn people into pigs and lions and wolves? I also am curious why exactly Hermes wanted to help him out, because he couldn't have done much without him. She was sort of crazy, suddenly screaming and all sorts of weird things. He really should have left sooner, a year is way too long. I don't know why he had to go and visit the dead when she could have just told him. She told him a lot of what the prophet/seer already said. It was interesting to hear him talk to all the ghosts. The fact he couldn't hug his mom was sad, and all the stories of how people died were also pretty sad. It's funny how he talks to the guy who falls off the roof first, because he doesn't seem that important, but I guess it's a good reason to go back to Circe's island. I want to know why the other people who died, for example, in the Cyclopes' cave, don't get to come back and talk to him when the other people do. The people who are sitting on the ship must either be really bored or listening in, because he talked to a lot of people. Anyway, he goes back, and then goes off on his journey, more people get eaten by one of the monsters, and it gets bad again. The Sirens didn't really get to sing a lot. I wish we could hear them sing more, but I'm also glad it kept moving. Then they get to the place where the cattle and sheep are kept. That's just sort of frustrating because they ran out of food and there was only a little to eat. They couldn't go anywhere, what are they supposed to do? Of course, they definitely shouldn't have eaten the cows, and it was really creepy when they said that the bones were making cow noises and the legs were walking around. Then he with himself on Calypso's island after floating on a raft of sorts. It only took four books to tell! (That actually isn't that sarcasm) You'd think after all that stuff that happened to him, it would take longer to tell, but I like it wasn't super long. It's sort of mean that even though he wanted to go to bed, the king wouldn't let him. I'm surprised he didn't fall asleep in the middle, although I am pretty happy that he kept talking. They really should have let Nausicaa hear this story, just so it made sense to her. I would have been pretty excited if someone had come in and started talking about this long and really terrifying journey they had. (Forget the singing bard) I still would be a little afraid to think he had done all this, and I don't know if they would believe him, because it seems like a pretty crazy story. Now I want to know about Telemachus, and all the people at home, and even about what happens next. I am feeling tempted to read ahead! (But I won't)