rose_griffes

Oh, hi there. Still alive!

I just started trying to make my summer vacation plans more definite: I'm looking at ticket prices and places to stay. Best to do all of that now and get everything settled. Woohoo, summer!

Of course, there's close to three months of school left before any vacation traveling can start, but still... it's exciting to think about.

I finished reading Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. As a 'journey' book, I liked it, though I have very mixed feelings about the ultimate destination of the two main characters. But it was interesting and well-written.

Still watching Person of Interest, although that was touch-and-go for a while. The last episode that aired (3.16 "RAM", I believe) was the first one I genuinely enjoyed since the Terrible Thing happened. Also still watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which has been very enjoyable so far during its freshman season. (And I'm still watching Elementary, although I'm behind on it. AGAIN. Somehow that keeps happening this season.)

Depression: trying a second medication, since the first one made no difference. Debating over other options, but waiting to see if the second medication helps first.

Hi! *waves* I've been feeling a bit swamped with the new school year, but my brain has been nicer about it than last year, so that's a plus. In other words, some of the depression-related stuff is not so bad right now, in spite of stressful situations. Which is good.

At some point last spring I declared that I was going to alter at least five items of clothing in May. Pretty sure I missed doing that before the end of May, but I did do several sewing-related things over the summer: sliding elastic inside the waistband of a few jeans and trousers, fixing some tears and hems, etc. I even sewed a couple of new shirts, using a really simple pattern. The second one turned out quite cute, if I say so myself. (And it was made from a curtain panel and men's XL tee-shirt, whic makes it weird unique.) I haven't done any pics yet because my current camera doesn't take good pics when I use the timer. Maybe I should dig out the older camera and try that instead.

Anyway. Media stuff now:

Finished reading The Gift of Asher Lev, and I'm not sure what I think. I sort of knew how the end was going to work out, and I don't know if I like it or not. Potok's writing style is catchy, which makes me want to take my current stuck-on-this-and-can't-finish fic idea and rewrite the whole thing in first person present tense.

Maybe that's why I'm so stuck on the fic, come to think of it. Heh. (I really don't plan to rewrite it in first person present tense.)

Reading Potok's work so soon after The Poisonwood Bible was an exercise in frustration at times, because PB had the voices of four women alternating throughout the story. Asher Lev only had Asher's voice. I wanted to know what the other characters were thinking and feeling, especially Asher's wife and mother.

I've started watching Scandal--through episode 2.03 so far--and I'm certain that the way I appreciate it is NOT what the show creators intended. It's a soap opera/procedural, and Olivia Pope is the center of the show. She's been labeled (by herself and others) as a white hat, but I don't believe it. She's trying to do the right thing (I think? by her definition of it, anyway), but at this point I find myself rooting for (former) district attorney dude to find out all the laws she's broken and bring her to justice.

Also, the show's favorite couple is my anti-couple, the pair I find completely ridiculous to the point of actually yelling at my TV screen when they're together. Hee!

It really is fun in a sudsy, over the top way. What makes it perfect, though, is that enough of the information is verbal that I can grade papers while 'watching'. Which is why I'm moving forward with it instead of deleting it from my Netflix queue.

Scandal has edged out Longmire and Nikita in recent viewing for the simple reason that I actually like the other two enough to watch, and I haven't had time lately.

I haven't updated about dealing with depression for a while. Mostly because I had nothing to say: it was still there and I wasn't dealing with it very well, and so it went. ( there's more back here, if this interests you )