The Netherlands!!!

I've started the Geography of Bliss. Mostly because I'm fascinated by different countries and different people. I am, however, disappointed that this man didn't travel to Denmark, the happiest country in the world according to a study a while ago. I'm about 60% Danish and it just would have been interesting to know. Anyway, the Netherlands is the first country. I've always thought of Amsterdam as pretty wild with the red-light district, legal marijuana use, etc. But I was surprised to hear that there are some more conservative aspects to the Netherlands. Surprisingly, there;s a high Muslim population. It's been my understanding that Muslims are generally more conservative about sex and drugs, so you'd think it'd all clash. Apparently not. Anyway, in the book, I learned a lot of terms about the official science of happiness. It's quite intriging. I've always thought of myself as a generally happy person, but now that I think about it, I really don't know whether I am or not. I know a ton of statistics such as people who are married are apparently happier than single folk, Republicans are happier than Democrats, People with only BA degrees are happier than those with higher degrees, etc. The difficult thing, though, is to know whether it's cause of effect. For example, are healthy people more happy, or are happy people more healthy? It's a surprisingly complicted concept. I like this book a lot so far. It's funny and it makes me want to travel to all of this places because I have the "travel bug." After I finish this chapter, I'll have 9 more countries to go!

Mr. Collins is so Awkward, pgs 50-76

I miss the soundtrack and pretty filming of the movie. Technology really ruins my imagination. The last couple chapters have been about mainly Mr. Collins who is a very odd character. I wouldn't want to marry him. Here is the passage he's described in:
"Mr. Collins seemed neither in need of encouragement [to talk], nor inclined to be silent himself. He was a tall, heavy looking man of five and twenty. His air was grave and stately, and his manners were very formal."
I guess he doesn't sound too painful, but all of the awkward things he does while staying with the Bennets are a little amusing. Mr. Bennet makes fun of him secretly, and mainly wants to get rid of him. I can understand why. Mrs. Bennet is also very quirky around Mr. Collins. She hated him to begin with, and now that he wants to marry one of her daughters, she loves him. The only thing she can think about is marrying off her daughters! The book is getting slightly better overall. I'm understanding more. It just takes me a while to get in the mindset to read an old English book.

Pride and Prejudice, pgs 0-50

I really liked watching Pride and Prejudice in Lit class, so I figured I should read the book. Some people worship Jane Austen's novels, yet I have a few friends who think they only consist of whiny girls. Either way, It's one the 1001 books to read before you die, so might as well give it a try. Surprisingly, I've found this book to be pretty complicated so far. The diction is more complicated than I thought it would be and the interactions between people are just so odd. Probably for the first time, I'm a little thankful I've watched the movie before reading the book so that I at least know what's going on. I'm not really a fan of Darcy. or much of the males in Pride and Prejudice. They all seem a little too misogynistic for my tastes. It's clearly the time period though. We're not suppose to like Darcy in the beginning anyway. It's a shame because all of the males were rather attractive in the movie. Actually, I like Mr. Bennet because he's funny and just a very nice character. So far, I'd only give Pride and Prejudice a fair rating. I'm not much for the romantic love stories, but I can see how some people woule enjoy it. It just requires more reading skill than I may posses. I'm hoping it will start getting a little more exciting.

The End of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I've finally fnished the end of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. The Kingsolver family is going to stick to their lifestyle. I'm glad they will. It's refreshing to see that some people live like that, less urbanized. I really liked the book overall. I can understand how many people wouldn't like it though. People don't like to think about the animals they're killing or the environment they're destroying because it makes them feel guilty. Completely understandable. It's the same way I feel when I drive to school when I should just take the bus, even though I do take the bus the majority of the time. In essence, I think minimizing our carbon footprint isn't that complicated. Sure, the Kingsolver family took a more radical approach, but all Americans should at least take some responsiblity for their wasteful actions. I highly recommend this book to anyone who cares about the food they consume.
19 pgs Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Sun, Sun, Sun, Here it Comes

Just as the weather is turning warm (hot, more like it) and the plethora of plants in the gardens outside are growing in abundence, i begin a a chapter about January and February in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I was a little astounded by the amount of work it takes to can and preserve enough food to last through the mainly barren summer. According to the novel, root vegetables are about the only thing that grows in the freezing weather. Luckily, I like all vegetables, so I'd probably survive. Anyway, Kingsolver decribes rows of canned tomatos and dehydrated fruit as well as hanging garlic. So much preperation, I honestly don't know if I could do all that work. This clearly isn't realistic for the average American, but I guess every little bit helps. I'll just keep growing my vegetables. Thankfully, the seeds I planted are coming up and my strawberry patches are producing a good amount of strawberries. It certainly takes a big lifestyle change to live the way that Barbara Kingsolver and her family does.
34 pgs Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Living is Easy with Eyes Closed, Misunderstanding All You See

I had an epiphany today. 2 days after our poem anthology is due and after practically a month poem searching, I know what I should have done my anthology about. Strawberries. Then I could have made a neat Strawberry Fields Forever video. What a sad lost opportunity. Across the Universe is also a beautifully lyrical song. But, I don't know what umbrella theme I could have for that. I don't even know why I'm thinking about this since it's all in the past. Val's presentation was just really cool so now I feel bland.

Although this has absolutely no correlation with the above paragraph, I absolutely loved the chapter I read of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Mainly because it restored my idealistic view of Europe. Barbara Kingsolver and husband travel to Italy and obviously, eat there. And practically all of the food is freshly grown, animals freshly slaughtered (after living a nice, free life) and the people just sound so darn nice. I hope Europe doesn't get too Americanized before I make it over there. Although unable to speak Italian (she can, however speak French and Spanish), she attempts to converse with Italian farmers and restaurant owners about their food, and how great it tastes. I always hear that food in Europe tastes so much better than food here. I wouldn't know since I've practically never left the Midwest. But anyway, it would make sense. Also, I'm entranced by the food mentioned in the book. "Nose Fish" or "Pizza with fungus" or "Polyps, baked or grilled." Very intriguing. What really surprised me though, is that Kingsolver says Italian food is so great because it's "simple" though not sparse. I guess living in the United States, I expect almost everything to be complex and flavorful to the extreme. My freshman Spanish teacher told me that when she first went to Spain and ate Doritos, they tasted so bland because the Spanish and apparently the Europeans in general, don't need flavor to the extreme, or food to the extreme. Just a thought. Luckily reading this chapter has reignited my desire to travel to Europe. Better start saving now.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: 53 pgs