Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Link up below! 

1. Why did we wait so long to see Pitch Perfect? It was a hundred times better than I thought it was going to be. No, I will not be downloading "Cups," though.

2. Last year I did a really great Year in Review through Mixbook, but am sadly opting out this year. Most of our year was baby related/stressful/busy, so I'm just going to focus on his baby book. This year I'm already starting to file stuff away, though.

3. I'm back to reading I Am Radar by Reif Larsen after a hiatus for the holidays (and to finish up some reviews). I really, really hate leaving a book and coming back to it. I feel a total sense of disconnect and am angry at myself for putting it on hold to begin with, since it's a good book. Oh well. We shall overcome.

4. I want to start a dessert club- like a book club, but instead one person bakes something each week (or every other week or whatever) and shares with everyone else. Basically, it's an excuse to bake. And to eat sweets. This, of course, won't happen since I lack the motivation to make it so.

5. This cracks me up:

[source]

So what do you do? Stare at each other in silence?

6. For the love of all that is good and sacred in this world, please stop copying and pasting useless Facebook "you may not use my stuff" so-called "legal" notices in your status. Remember that itty-bitty terms of service box you checked? You agreed to everything. Your stupid status update (the same place where you passive aggressively complain about your husband and post idiotic memes about gun ownership) is not going to supercede jack crap.

7. So my cousin invited me to join a FitBit challenge that took place yesterday- it was between maybe six or eight people and it was simply to see who could get the most amount of steps in a day. Fun fact: I'm a closet competitor. I was ahead of everyone all day and then my cousin pulled a head by a few thousand steps at like 8:30. What did I do? I turned off my bluetooth so she couldn't see my update and got on the treadmill for forty minutes so I could win. And I did. Over 17,000 steps. Wham-bam thank you ma'am.

8. My classroom counter is covered in Gregors, once again. I'm sure Franz Kafka would be super proud to see his character turned into a neon-colored insect made from clay.

9. I want to write a children's book that explains to kids why their parents won't take them to zoos (my husband and I have ethical concerns about places that keep animals in captivity with the purpose of entertaining humans for profit; our only grey area is the Wild Animal Park in San Diego, since they have more room, but I digress). All I need is an illustrator...

[effing nosy-ass humans; source]

10. I'm working on a really labor-intensive book-recommendation bulletin board for work. If I continue at the pace I'm working at it might be done before the end of the school year. 

Document This- Wine and Elephants

Ever since watching Blackfish a few weeks ago, my interest in documentaries has flared once again. Here are two that I've watched since then: 

 

Somm 

99 minutes

What made me want to watch a documentary about wine when I've been sober for over five months is beyond me (I think I heard it mentioned on Facebook). Anyway, this story follow four men as they buckle down to study for the master sommelier test, which is only offered once a year. In order to prepare they have to to study for the theory, tasting, and service portions, which basically means they have to know everything, about every wine, everywhere. They spend countless hours studying from flashcards, sampling, and worrying. The documentary interviews their wives/girlfriends to examine how it changes their personal lives (they stop having ones) and watch the dynamics of the friends change as the big day approaches. The documentary ends with the testing process, showing who joins a very elite groups of Americans and who does not.

Verdict: I think anyone, whether they're into wine of not (I actually much prefer other types of drinks, but do enjoy a glass every once in awhile... when I'm not pregnant), will enjoy this documentary. It's not about the wine- it's about struggle, determination, and passion.

One Lucky Elephant

82 minutes

This documentary centers around Flora, a circus elephant whose owner decides that he made a mistake purchasing her nearly twenties years prior. Flora starts

acting a bit more obstinate and is obviously bored of performing. Her owner, who sincerely does love her, starts searching for a new home for her, first hoping that a safari group in Africa would be a good match. That falls through, so he ends up putting her in a zoo, where she unfortunately attacks a worker. He then must keep pursuing other avenues to find her the right home.

Verdict: I appreciated the sentiment behind this documentary- a man trying to do his animal right. It was a little anti-climactic, though, and I think it could have worked a little harder to raise awareness to the issues with circuses and other situations where animals are held in captivity.