One item on my list of 50 is - Read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
It is a huge book, a classic of Russian literature, and despite being a big fan of Russian books in my earlier years - Dostoyevsky of course, but others too - I had never tackled a Tolstoy, mainly because of the size.
Today I finished reading it, and I found it engaging and was rather surprised at the character of Anna. Anna is beautiful and popular, but unhappy with her older and boring husband. When she leaves him for the dashing Vronsky, she knows she is giving up her place in society for love. She seems to despair at the loss of the son she has to leave behind, but I think he is only precious to her as an idea, rather than as a real person. Anna is insanely jealous, angry and changes in mood rapidly to extremes. She is able to charm and fascinate everyone she meets, but this covers a deeper unhappiness. She takes opium every day and becomes increasingly unstable, eventually taking her own life. It is also the story of Levin and Kitty, and the contrast between this couple and Anna and Vronsky is marked. Levin is happy living on his country estate, farming and making land improvements. When he has to live in the city, he is like a fish out of water. But, like Anna, Levin is very changeable, one word or look can defeat his confidence and make him forget all the good and positive thoughts he was having. Kitty seems to be a simpering love-struck girl at first, and falls seriously ill following Vronsky's withdrawal of his attentions. However, Kitty shows her true strength when she nurses Levin's brother through his final illness, taking charge when Levin is at his most helpless and ineffectual.After reading this huge book, the ending seems to come quite abruptly, with Vronsky leaving to take part in a war, and Levin finding a religious fervour which threatens to make him more accepting of his lot in life.
I am glad I have read Anna Karenina, it is a good story, and if it hadn't been on The List, I might never have attempted to read it.
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Forgot to say...I did a fundraising event for Alzheimers
At work, we have a chosen charity each month, and take turns trying to raise funds, in a variety of ways. Some can be as simple as a Wear Red Day, or a bake sale, others try different methods or events.
January was for Alzheimers Society, and Howard and I decided to combine our love for quizzes, puzzles and food.
I made a Puzzle book to sell, with ten types of puzzle, including Wordsearch, Anagrams, Crosswords, Logic Puzzles etc. I added a little movie quiz too, which I compiled by taking 10 random DVDs from my shelf, and making up questions about them. Perhaps you would like a go? Oh, go on, then...
1. 'This ABBA-obsessed misfit ditches her pathetic life and plastic friends in a small Australian suburb for big-city dreams in Sydney'. Name this 1994 film starring Toni Collette.
2. In The King's Speech, who played the speech therapist to the king, Lionel League?
3. Who was The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)? Name Anne's sister, and the actress who played her.
4. In the classic cult film from 1987 Withnail and I, which actors played the two unemployed actors who go on holiday to the country 'by accident'?
5. Moon is an engrossing, intelligent sci-fi movie from 2009, starring Sam Rockwell. Who directed and wrote the film, and who is his famous father?
6. Danny Boyle's film Millions, about 2 young brothers finding a suitcase full of cash when it falls out of the sky, is based on the best-selling book by which author?
7. The Kite Runner was a great success as a book and a film - in which country is the story set?
8. Who played the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android, in the 2005 movie of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
9. Which famous author wrote An Education (2009), an award-winning film set in 1961 and starring Carey Mulligan? He also wrote About A Boy.
10. In Walt Disney's The Emperor's New Groove (2000), what is the name of the emperor from Peru who got turned into a llama?
Howard organised a lunch-time games and food session in the staff room, where we ate soups and bread and curries and rice. We played memory game with a pack of cards, tried to Name the Celebrities before they were famous, had a go at logic questions, oh all sorts of fun parlour games!
We raised a total of £130 for Alzheimer's Society, I am delighted and very proud of this!
Plus, that was the 9th List item, hurrah!
January was for Alzheimers Society, and Howard and I decided to combine our love for quizzes, puzzles and food.
I made a Puzzle book to sell, with ten types of puzzle, including Wordsearch, Anagrams, Crosswords, Logic Puzzles etc. I added a little movie quiz too, which I compiled by taking 10 random DVDs from my shelf, and making up questions about them. Perhaps you would like a go? Oh, go on, then...
1. 'This ABBA-obsessed misfit ditches her pathetic life and plastic friends in a small Australian suburb for big-city dreams in Sydney'. Name this 1994 film starring Toni Collette.
2. In The King's Speech, who played the speech therapist to the king, Lionel League?
3. Who was The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)? Name Anne's sister, and the actress who played her.
4. In the classic cult film from 1987 Withnail and I, which actors played the two unemployed actors who go on holiday to the country 'by accident'?
5. Moon is an engrossing, intelligent sci-fi movie from 2009, starring Sam Rockwell. Who directed and wrote the film, and who is his famous father?
6. Danny Boyle's film Millions, about 2 young brothers finding a suitcase full of cash when it falls out of the sky, is based on the best-selling book by which author?
7. The Kite Runner was a great success as a book and a film - in which country is the story set?
8. Who played the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android, in the 2005 movie of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
9. Which famous author wrote An Education (2009), an award-winning film set in 1961 and starring Carey Mulligan? He also wrote About A Boy.
10. In Walt Disney's The Emperor's New Groove (2000), what is the name of the emperor from Peru who got turned into a llama?
Howard organised a lunch-time games and food session in the staff room, where we ate soups and bread and curries and rice. We played memory game with a pack of cards, tried to Name the Celebrities before they were famous, had a go at logic questions, oh all sorts of fun parlour games!
We raised a total of £130 for Alzheimer's Society, I am delighted and very proud of this!
Plus, that was the 9th List item, hurrah!
Sunday, 20 January 2013
50 Words of Grey
For my 8th List item, I wrote a short story.
I have shown it to one friend, who thinks it is rather good, so perhaps it is not too bad, for a beginner. Not sure I have got the point of view right, and the tenses too, but I can edit it. It has about 1500 words.
The only problem is....it sort of....errr... turned into a piece of erotic fiction. Well, they do say write about what you know, for a first book!
Therefore I have a dilema - do I write a tamer version, for publication in this blog, or do I keep it quiet and show only trusted friends who beg for a look on my blog?
Does it count towards my 50 List if I have shared it with only one friend?
I have ticked it off, but would be interested in finding out what anyone thinks.
I have shown it to one friend, who thinks it is rather good, so perhaps it is not too bad, for a beginner. Not sure I have got the point of view right, and the tenses too, but I can edit it. It has about 1500 words.
The only problem is....it sort of....errr... turned into a piece of erotic fiction. Well, they do say write about what you know, for a first book!
Therefore I have a dilema - do I write a tamer version, for publication in this blog, or do I keep it quiet and show only trusted friends who beg for a look on my blog?
Does it count towards my 50 List if I have shared it with only one friend?
I have ticked it off, but would be interested in finding out what anyone thinks.
Saturday, 19 January 2013
Item Number 7 - Carl the Menace jumper
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Citizen Kane
I watched Citizen Kane this afternoon, a freezing cold Thursday when I was off work with a sore throat and a lost voice.
The film was made in 1941, and was directed by Orson Wells, who was also the main character actor. Wells was only 25 at the time, and he won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Citizen Kane often features in Top Ten lists of the best ever films, or variations of this theme, so I was curious about it. Realising that I have seen very few of the classic films, I decided to add one to my List, and Kane was the obvious choice. But I have also taken the opportunity to see some other classic films as part of my quest, notably some Hitchcock movies, including Spellbound and Rebecca.
So what did I think of the film? Beautifully shot in black and white, strong use of shadows and light. I like the way the story of Kane starts with his death, and his life is told through the eyes of other people who knew him. Kane was immensely wealthy through inheriting a silver mine, and used his wealth to buy a newspaper empire. But power corrupts him, from being idealistic to cynicism, and he tries to get elected as state governor. This fails because his affair with a singer is made public. The overbearing way he treats both his wives shows that power is more important than anything else, but his dying word is 'Rosebud', and when this is made known to the newspapers, there is a hunt to find out what this meant, giving the reporter a reason to interview people who knew Kane, and to tell their story.
It turns out that Rosebud was the name painted on Kane's sled, which he was playing on when his parents sent him away to be brought up by a guardian in the city, aged 8. The reporter never found this out, but I suppose the significance is of a small child being denied parental love, which affected his whole future life.
I am glad I have seen this film, I appreciate it is wonderfully made, but some of his motivations are hard to understand, and his second wife is very annoying. It is not as emotionally accessible as I would prefer, it did not draw me into the feelings of the characters enough. But this could be age of the film.
7.5 out of 10
Number 6 crossed off the List
The film was made in 1941, and was directed by Orson Wells, who was also the main character actor. Wells was only 25 at the time, and he won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Citizen Kane often features in Top Ten lists of the best ever films, or variations of this theme, so I was curious about it. Realising that I have seen very few of the classic films, I decided to add one to my List, and Kane was the obvious choice. But I have also taken the opportunity to see some other classic films as part of my quest, notably some Hitchcock movies, including Spellbound and Rebecca.
So what did I think of the film? Beautifully shot in black and white, strong use of shadows and light. I like the way the story of Kane starts with his death, and his life is told through the eyes of other people who knew him. Kane was immensely wealthy through inheriting a silver mine, and used his wealth to buy a newspaper empire. But power corrupts him, from being idealistic to cynicism, and he tries to get elected as state governor. This fails because his affair with a singer is made public. The overbearing way he treats both his wives shows that power is more important than anything else, but his dying word is 'Rosebud', and when this is made known to the newspapers, there is a hunt to find out what this meant, giving the reporter a reason to interview people who knew Kane, and to tell their story.
It turns out that Rosebud was the name painted on Kane's sled, which he was playing on when his parents sent him away to be brought up by a guardian in the city, aged 8. The reporter never found this out, but I suppose the significance is of a small child being denied parental love, which affected his whole future life.
I am glad I have seen this film, I appreciate it is wonderfully made, but some of his motivations are hard to understand, and his second wife is very annoying. It is not as emotionally accessible as I would prefer, it did not draw me into the feelings of the characters enough. But this could be age of the film.
7.5 out of 10
Number 6 crossed off the List
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Nearly Knitted
I was never sure about this one - Knitting a Dennis The Menace jumper for my son - as I have little experience of the craft, having previously only knitted parts of a scarf for Mike when he left work to live in Scotland, and on that occasion, I got various colleagues to help out.
I recruited my mother, Joyce, to help out, so we chose the pattern and wool together, and she knitted the ribbing at the bottom, then left the easy bits for me. I found myself enjoying knitting, often sitting up quite late, listening to the radio while making slow progress. But it grew and grew and grew, and now it is very nearly finished. Lovely Mum is working on the complicated bits at the neck, and then I will assemble the four pieces, to create a stripy red and black homemade jumper, which I hope Carl will love to wear.
It has taken weeks, and I will miss knitting, so will my Mum. But I have no time to start another jumper, as I need to try my hand at a quilt, plus cross-stitch or embroidery etc etc
Can't wait to see the jumper completed, won't be long now, hurrah!!!
I recruited my mother, Joyce, to help out, so we chose the pattern and wool together, and she knitted the ribbing at the bottom, then left the easy bits for me. I found myself enjoying knitting, often sitting up quite late, listening to the radio while making slow progress. But it grew and grew and grew, and now it is very nearly finished. Lovely Mum is working on the complicated bits at the neck, and then I will assemble the four pieces, to create a stripy red and black homemade jumper, which I hope Carl will love to wear.
It has taken weeks, and I will miss knitting, so will my Mum. But I have no time to start another jumper, as I need to try my hand at a quilt, plus cross-stitch or embroidery etc etc
Can't wait to see the jumper completed, won't be long now, hurrah!!!
Sunday, 9 December 2012
Watch a Horror Film - No. 5
I was at my sister's in Nottingham last weekend, and on Saturday night there was The Omen on tv. I have never seen it, and I think it counts as a horror film, so there was an opportunity to tick one more thing off The List.
This was the 2006 version of The Omen, starring David Thewlis and Peter Postlethwaite.
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0466909
I did not know the story, so the film was truly creepy and full of suspense for me. Mia Farrow as the evil Nanny was great, especially in the awful scene at the hospital, and the boy playing Damien had a sweet innocence combined with evil looks. I thought I would be scared to watch the film, but it helped that many actors in it were so familiar, especially those from Harry Potter.
I am glad I have seen this film, but I am no fan of the genre, and I know I could never watch the really scary newer films such as The Descent or 28 Days Later. I liked Shaun of the Dead, but it is funny rather than scary.
http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/2482/100-best-horror-films-the-full-list
Looking through this list of the 100 best horror movies, I note that I have seen a few of them - Jaws; Alien, Psycho; The Fly; The Birds; Poltergeist; The Sixth Sense.
So now I feel a bit of a fraud!
Oh I will let this one stand - after all I only watched The Omen because it was on The List, therefore taking me out of my comfort zone.
Not that I feel my life is in a comfort zone at the moment - it really is one thing after another, troubles follow troubles. At least this List is giving me some focus, even though it brings its own stresses.
Starting to make plans for the next items - some that require a lots of planning and time. I have made a start on the Dennis the Menace stripy jumper, and I have got a library book about making quilts.
This was the 2006 version of The Omen, starring David Thewlis and Peter Postlethwaite.
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0466909
I did not know the story, so the film was truly creepy and full of suspense for me. Mia Farrow as the evil Nanny was great, especially in the awful scene at the hospital, and the boy playing Damien had a sweet innocence combined with evil looks. I thought I would be scared to watch the film, but it helped that many actors in it were so familiar, especially those from Harry Potter.
I am glad I have seen this film, but I am no fan of the genre, and I know I could never watch the really scary newer films such as The Descent or 28 Days Later. I liked Shaun of the Dead, but it is funny rather than scary.
http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/2482/100-best-horror-films-the-full-list
Looking through this list of the 100 best horror movies, I note that I have seen a few of them - Jaws; Alien, Psycho; The Fly; The Birds; Poltergeist; The Sixth Sense.
So now I feel a bit of a fraud!
Oh I will let this one stand - after all I only watched The Omen because it was on The List, therefore taking me out of my comfort zone.
Not that I feel my life is in a comfort zone at the moment - it really is one thing after another, troubles follow troubles. At least this List is giving me some focus, even though it brings its own stresses.
Starting to make plans for the next items - some that require a lots of planning and time. I have made a start on the Dennis the Menace stripy jumper, and I have got a library book about making quilts.
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