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Just wanted to post to say Sexuality In Art is back. If you haven’t been there, you should undoubtedly give it a look. It’s an excellent, thought-provoking, beautiful blog. I haven’t gotten the chance to look at much of the new stuff yet but I fully intend to.

The recent post on Abstinence Posters is worth a look alone. Fascinating, truly fascinating. I’ve got a lot to say about a poster that says “You can’t be unwrapped twice”, but not right now.

Being decidedly unemployed and having some time on my hands, I have been trying to figure out ways to alleviate household boredom that don’t involve cleaning, performing chores, or grooming myself. I know boredom should never exist, this being a very full world and all, but it does. Especially when your resources are limited.

I love short stories. I love reading long stories, too, and poetry, and anything worth reading, but short stories are particularly wonderful because they are:

• succinct
• follow a different form, style, and goal than a lengthy tale
• don’t have to be kept up with, i.e.: reading Ulysses chapter by chapter over the course of 20 years. (You can take from my scathing commentary that I wasn’t a huge fan of Ulysses, although I loved Dubliners and I adore Virginia Woolf. One of my professors once remarked on how, if Virginia Woolf were a man, she would be far more famous than James Joyce. Whether or not you believe that, it’s interesting to ponder.)
• and finally, though not least importantly: they make a strong impression in a short space

One of the greatest places to find short stories is on the internet. There’s so many available for free to read, and although internet reading can be taxing on the eyes, a shorter story will be easier to read than a novel or treatise or charter for a 17th century town - all things you can also freely read. Short stories, like every other kind of writing, vary wildly in subject matter and style, which makes them fun to read and find.

Fan fiction is another often unexplored venue of boredom relief. I enjoy reading fan fiction because: some of it is ludicrous and hilarious, it often reveals a lot of psychology about the writer and the show/scenario it’s based on, and, once in a blue moon cycle, you find something that’s actually good and memorable. Once you get past the geekiness factor, there’s a lot of potential for enjoyment in such a hobby.

“Mrs. Ballinger is one of the ladies who pursue Culture in bands, as though it were dangerous to meet alone.”
The first sentence of the Edith Wharton story Xingu, which I have yet to fully read.

Dorothy Parker is one of my favorite poets. Her writing is filled with humor, irreverence, and wit. She’s fairly famous for her work as a literary critic and for her quotable quotes - often acerbic criticisms of others. “Resume” is one of the first Dorothy Parker poems I read, and I thought I would post it here.

Resume
By Dorothy Parker

Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren’t lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.

Through fortuitous circumstances, I received many decorative thermal shirts free of charge today. They’re comfortable and lovely, and they were on sale at Delia’s. I’m very pleased with the arrangement. I’m less pleased with Jake Gyllenhaal being on SNL. I’ve got nothing against the guy, he just doesn’t thrill me. Unlike Ioan Gruffudd. If he ever hosted Saturday Night Live, my delight would transcend those feelings thought possible to be rendered by television. A convoluted sentiment, but a true one nonetheless.

My dog is running around like a crazy boy. I think I’ll go take some photos. Maybe the next time I try to write in this thing, there should be some sort of reason or worthwhile sentiment I have to express. Or not. Mwa ha ha ha ha!

T E L E V I S I O N: Oh, one more thing - I can’t stand how long the winter television hiatus has been for most shows. The only shows that came back in a timely fashion were those in NBC’s Thursday comedy line-up: My Name Is Earl, The Office, Scrubs, and 30 Rock. It does afford me more time to read. Which reminds me…

B O O K S: I just finished reading Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre… let me begin by saying I truly enjoyed reading the book, and, at a certain point, became so engrossed in it that I had to continue reading despite exhaustion and a need to get up the following morning. Jane is a fascinating, well-rounded character whose outlook and behavior transcends her circumstances and peers. She is smart, perceptive, well-disciplined, appreciative, self-deprecating, and possesses a deep sense of humilty while also being able to comfortably and confidently speak her mind on pretty much any issue. Like many books of the time period, her almost unchallengable humility is bothersome to a 20th century feminist like myself; but the more I reflect on the novel, the more I can see it in context and the way it is believably woven into the story. Also, given her circumstances, Jane was particularly open and forward with Mr. Rochester and everyone else in Thornfield Hall.

One of the most problematic and disturbing aspects of the book, of course, was Bertha Mason - Rochester’s estranged, crazy wife who he keeps tethered in the attic. I was drawn and attracted to Rochester’s character like Jane was. Even after finding out about his situation and his intention to trick Jane, I still wanted the couple to find a way to be together, which made me feel kind of guilty. How were we not supposed to care about Rochester’s wife? She was mad, not evil, unless you unquestioningly believe Rochester’s account of her previous behavior. I’m looking forward to reading Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, which is written from Mason’s perspective, as well as a slight interlude from Rochester’s. I’m curious to see how she will approach the story and what sympathies she will lend to each character.

For other Jane Eyre fans, Masterpiece Theatre (PBS) will be airing a new two part adaptation on January 21 and 28. The woman playing Jane looks stodgy and sharp, while the man playing Rochester is not at all how I envisioned him; the actor’s face is much softer and less rugged. Hopefully they’ll both make me forget these impressions.