Reading Olive Kitteridge

I consider myself an intelligent reader, one who appreciates a solid piece of literature. As I display on the home page of this website, I consider reading as one of the most important practices a writer can do. Also as someone who works every day to better my writing, I admire those who put their writing skills to use in projects that receive so much praise that they’re honored with Pulitzer Prizes.

With all this in mind whenever I go to a bookstore, I try to find titles that pop out in their uniqueness and authors that are highly acclaimed for their work. In my most recent book shopping spree, I came upon the novel Olive Kitteridge, and right on the book cover, it had a big gold sticker that marked it as a Putlizer Prize winner. I was easily sold, and with ten other books in tow, I had my summer reading list for this year.

I decided to save the book until I was completely done with spring quarter and could focus on what I expected to be a writing masterpiece. Not having read the back cover of the book (I consider it a spoiler, and I like to read novels with a totally fresh slate of perspective), I had no idea that the novel was a compilation of short stories all connected by one dynamic character, Olive Kitteridge.

I gave the book a try, reading the first few chapters and waiting for the spark of Pulitzer writing skills to entice me to the point of not being able to put the book down. To my dismay, this never happened, and totally uncharacteristically, I decided to put the book down and begin another one.

Weeks went by, and every day as I would walk past the book sitting on my nightstand I would feel a pang of guilt for being so inconsiderate to what so many people called one of the best books of the year. Just recently, the guilt overcame me and I picked the book up for a second time, determined to read it all the way through.

I decided to start from the beginning, to hopefully foster a new and more positive reading experience. To my surprise, the events of the novel–things that I’d already read–all seemed new, the characters even more dynamic. The stories had a stronger tie, and in their differences, there were surprising contrasting themes. Most interesting was that I found a new appreciation for the delicate touches of literary devices the author, Elizabeth Strout, used.

I’m almost done with the novel now, and in giving it a second chance, I’ve found so much inspiration within the author’s writing magic than I ever could have expected. I hope to close the book not only a more intelligent–and patient–reader, but an even better writer. That’s what all writers strive for in their reading, after all, and by understanding and appreciating Strout’s work, I see even clearer what great company I am in as a developing artist.

My Dog Is A Socialite

Yesterday I finally found the time to take my dog to the groomers, and when I called Petco to set up an appointment, they immediately remembered my dog by name. On top of that, they said she was their favorite dog to groom and they’re excited to see her. Of course, I was ecstatic. Pets are like babies to their owners, and when I hear that someone adores my pet, it gives me a sense of pride.

But it got even better. When I went to drop her off at the groomers, she steps out of the car and there were some Petco employees standing outside of the entrance. As my dog prances over, the employees yell out her name and come greet her as if they see her every day. Of course, my dog was thrilled. She is much less of a protective guard dog than she is a loving old dog.

Her social life doesn’t end there, though. My whole neighborhood knows my dog by name, and as she is not the most obedient pet, she’s traversed their yards many times. Neighbors’ pets also love to socialize with my dog, and she can spend hours just running in circles with her fellow dog friends.

People that I consider to be in my social group also frequently ask about my dog in normal conversation. I am in no competition with my animal companion, and I certainly appreciate all of this endless love she seems to attract, but in the company of my dog, I definitely feel the need to step it up. As John Grogan beautifully displayed in Marley and Me, there’s much to to learn from our beloved pets in their natural social charm.

Bellevue’s Hidden Pleasures

I’m from Bellevue. I currently live in Bellevue, and you know what, I’m proud of it! Ever since I started college at the UW and moved to Seattle, I shuddered anytime I had to tell people where I’m from. Everyone not from Bellevue seems to very much dislike the idea of Bellevue, but having given Seattle a try and now made the decision to move home, I find that there’s much more to Bellevue than what’s stereotypically believed.

I do have to agree: the downtown area is somewhat of a mimic of the bigger and better downtown Seattle. And I definitely would not put Bellevue in a city war with Seattle, because truly there is no comparison between the two. But moving a little bit outside of downtown Bellevue, there are so many hidden paradises sprinkled all throughout the city limits.

One of my favorite spots, and one that I had the pleasure to visit today, is so hidden that it’s almost always empty–save for a few small families that come to let their toddlers play around in shallow water. Where is this hidden pleasure, you ask?  It’s uniquely called Chism Beach Park, and it’s the perfect summer beach joint.

The park boasts two small rolling hills of grass leading into a short rocky/sandy patch that meets the fresh waves of Lake Washington. Large, leafy trees guard and hide the small getaway, making it the best place to pull out some summer reading and lay on a soft picnic blanket and get lost in the beauty of summer on the lake. For those who’ve never visited Bellevue, and for those who’ve lived here their whole lives and have never heard of this place, it’s a must-do to be added to summer lists.

Summer Blockbuster #2: Eclipse

I finally gave in. I did the morally unthinkable. I left behind all of my ideals of strong movie-making and stellar writing skills. I watched the third movie in the Twilight series: Eclipse.

Why did I do it? I have to admit, peer pressure when it comes to summer blockbusters is extremely influential in my movie-watching decisions. And as someone who loves to watch the movie remakes of novels, I thought it would be worthwhile to get this one out of the way. As I had expected, the third movie was only a slight notch better than the previous remakes, and contained just as much of the sappy, lovey dovey, cheesy lines of love that only tweens would swoon over.

The one thing that I did appreciate, however, was the heightened attention to the direction of the film. The fight scenes were actually a bit exciting and a lot of the camera angles provided for much more comfortable viewing. Of course, as good as the direction could get, the acting would stick it right back down to its mediocre level. The close-to-sex scenes were unbearable to watch; the wincing scenes of opening up about inner feelings were literally uncomfortable.

But, I can admit that I chose to see the movie–mostly out forgetfulness–much later than it’s opening weekend, so the theater was much smaller, the audience was much less engaged, and the screen was a few feet shorter than the size needed to really pull you into the scenes. As with all opening day screenings, I’m sure that the excitement in the theater would have brought about much different viewing sensations that I paid $10.00 for today. To give the series as much credit as possible, I’ll promise myself now to try to suck it up and stand in line among the annoying tweens of today to experience the movie at its potentially best.

Inception’s Mind-Blowing Madness

While in Portland, I had the pleasure of seeing the new blockbuster-hit Inception. Not only do I love almost every single lead actor in that movie, but I’ve been waiting for a movie to finally make me think, and actually leave the theater still thinking.

Inception did just that. I mean, who even thinks of this type of thing?! Chris Nolan must have locked himself in a room for a year to get this story down right. Dreams and the creative and subconscious parts of our brains are already extremely interesting topics, but then add in CONTROLLING our brains to PLANT IDEAS into our dreams, which then could possibly BECOME OUR REALITY if we lose control! Now that is some crazy stuff.

To top it off, a great cast rounds out these even greater ideas, and the special effects team makes even someone sitting in the second row of the theater (BAD time management on my part) feel as if I was in the scene! And then, once the audience finally begins to understand all of the complicated nonsense that the story is based around, the ending smacks you in the face. Literally, I wanted to smack myself in the face. It’s one of those endings where the screen goes black right before you figure out something that could define the whole movie! It’s so frustrating, but so good that I was on the verge of standing up and clapping once the credits started rolling.

Nonetheless, this movie is a must-see, and it will make you think about dreams probably for the rest of your life now. With a whole list of movies on my summer list, I think I’ll have a lot of ranting blog posts about what new hits are about to come out. I’m excited for what more is in store, and Nolan began the summer masterpieces with a huge bang!

Portland Is No Seattle

VS.

I’m sorry. For those of you who have relatives in Portland or are even Oregon-natives, if there was a competition between the coolness of Seattle and the coolness of Portland, Seattle would totally win. Sure, there are a few easy comparisons between the two metropolitan cities, but if you really take a look around while you’re in downtown Portland, you’ll realize it has almost half of what beautiful Seattle has to offer.

I spent the weekend in Portland, and I really did have a great time. But throughout my few days getting a taste of Seattle’s competitor, I tried to take note of what it is people really love about Portland. My conclusion ended up being that it’s a smaller, more industrial, less diverse version of Seattle.

Don’t get me wrong; Portland is a great city. But travel back up north with me and imagine standing on 1st Avenue, looking south toward the glistening water. To your right is Pike Place Market, and all around you are huge skyscrapers and ethnic restaurants of all sorts mixed right in. Where else can you walk one block and feel mesmerized by the boutiques filled with things you could never afford and the businesspeople who you know make much more money than you do, and then enter the next block and see bars and hang-outs that look as if they were made for the low-income, low-maintenance folks just strolling the streets for a bite to eat.

I love the diverse feel of Seattle, and that you never really know what you’re gonna get once you turn a corner. The night I was in Portland, they were having some sort of outdoor-movie night; I think it was called something cute and clever like “Flicks on Bricks.” It looked pretty cool, and I stood and watched for a bit. Then I remembered, Seattle has tons of different “Flicks on Bricks”-type events throughout Fremont, Seattle Center, and random parts of the Central District. Pretty much everyday Seattle has a new and exciting event happening, and what’s the background for those events? Nothing dark and industrial filled with winding highways, but a large Lake Washington and the many sailboats and cruise ships that travel that mighty, yet homey body of water every day. Oh, how I love being a Seattleite.

No Economy Can Deter A Serious Shopper

As a part of my job at Nordstrom, I had to spend a few hours tonight prepping and setting up for the biggest time of year for this Seattle company: the Anniversary Sale. It’s a day that Nordstrom shoppers of all ages take very seriously, and the preparation (mentally and physically) is taken just as seriously.

In my department, we pushed back all of the full-price merchandise to bring in the new Anniversary fall merchandise that will be at extremely low prices for the two weeks of the sale. The doors of the store closed early and the music was turned up loud, and like the diligent and determined salespeople that we are, we starting hustling and bustling, pulling out all of the new racks and filling now empty tables with fashion trends.

Seeing the whole store update and rejuvenate itself with clothing that even I was getting wide-eyed for was such a site, and the atmosphere was filled with more excitement than nervousness. After our department was all set up and looked like something out of a catalog, our managers walked us around the floor to introduce all of the new products and help give us selling points on them.

After the quick introduction, I pulled a veteran salesperson aside and asked her what the sale was really like, as I have never worked nor shopped it before. Here’s what she said: “It’s like the craziest you can imagine, but then worse. When we open the doors at 7 a.m., people are banging on them. Then we line up and welcome everyone with a big round of applause, and with smiling and excited faces the customers start slowly walking in. Then, the moment they see the perfect piece of clothing, they all start running–like not a little jog, a full-on, trample anything in your way, run. And then they rip everything apart to get exactly what they want.”

And with that to look forward to bright and early tomorrow morning, I’m going to sleep to gain as much rest as possible in the hopes of being as calm, collected, and knowledgeable as possible for the big opening day. These Nordstrom shoppers really do prove that no economy can make any big sale less of a shopping opportunity!