The Austen Project

In mid-March, a bright spot of unexpected happiness and came into my life in the form of a YouTube channel. Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice and I watched the majority of its 100 episodes in one sitting. I'm an enormous fan of Jane Austen and read all of her books before I was 21--maybe before I was 20. But I noticed something in LBD I hadn't in my last reading of P&P. Lizzie was, well, annoying. A little mean.  Just very--not the model of an Elizabeth (a name I hold in ridiculous esteem) she always had been to me. And then it occurred to me--I was a teenager when I last read it. Did I read it right? Have I ever really read and understood a Jane Austen book?  The answer is, I don't really know. So I'm being more thorough this time. Well, specifically with the heroines. Jane Austen was very good at creating complex characters. So I'm looking in exacting detail at what they do and say, and what that means about who they are. Why do the women who read Jane Austen books relate to these made-up girls from 200 years ago? That's what I'm hoping to find out.

I decided to start with Sense and Sensibility because it's my favorite (tied with Northanger Abbey). Or was. We'll see. It's taken me almost two months to get through the first 20 chapters (of 50) because I keep getting mad at Marianne. I always thought I "was a Marianne," but thankfully, so far, I'm finding that's not true. We just both  made really poor dating choices as teenagers.

When I've finished, I'm not sure how I'll process all the data I'll compile. (Any of my friends studying Literature or English want to help me out?) Either way, I'm glad to have a somewhat academic challenge on my own terms and in my own time (though I would like to finish by the end of the summer).

So, friends, is this project even worth doing? Any suggestions on how to do it better? Who are your favorite Austen heroines?

Summer 2013 in Arizona To-Dos

I've been here for two weeks now! I've made a list of everything I want to do this summer while I'm here. I started it before I left, so I've already got a few things done! If any Arizonans have suggestions for things to add on, please let me know! 

• Bahama Bucks
• Baptisms at the Mesa Temple ✔
• Get a job
• Read Les Misérables ✔
• Visit Phoenix Temple construction site
• Visit Gilbert Temple construction site
• Iron Man 3
• The Great Gatsby
• Take more pictures
• Write fanfiction
• Write stories with original characters
• Do things with people outside of church activities (this is harder than it sounds)
• Fictionist supporting Technicolor in Phoenix (May 23--who wants to go?)

Springtime & Song-picking

Blue skies! Sunny patches on the bed! The world is my lightbox! 

It's spring in Rexburg! It got into the mid-50s, so everyone is obviously wearing short sleeves. And shorts when they're not on campus. In some sort of miracle, this includes me. Good gracious, I've gone native. Either way, it's beautiful and this a really nice way to remember Rexburg as I get ready to leave.

And I am so excited to leave. I've been figuring out when and where my ward meets and how close the temple is (it's a ten-minute drive. I have no excuses.) I'm starting to formulate my Arizona bucket list and goals. That will probably get its own post as it gets more complete and as move-in day approaches!

But until then, the crush of of the end of the semester continues. With the help of the ever-fabulous Liz, I've made a playlist to keep my spirits up while I work. You can take a listen here if you have Spotify. (Note: The order doesn't matter. I just shuffle it.) And feel free to suggest other tracks! This playlist is not nearly long enough for the kind of work marathons I'm doing.

Speaking of which, I should get back to that.

Söt Framsteg!

I spent pretty much all day today working on my policy brief--how the United States can develop better mental health care policy taking cues from Sweden. There's still a ways to go before the final due date in two weeks, but I made really good progress. I've learned so much and overcome so many personal barriers doing this project.

Finals Fortnight is upon us, so there's still so much to do.

• Interest Group Research Paper and Presentation
• Congressional Simulation Campaign Ads
• 2 take-home tests
• 1 in-class test
• Lots of make-up work
• White Glove
• Pack everything I own into storage or into my car
• Find a job in Arizona

Thankfully, I have a good support system, good music, baseball games and books to enjoy in between tasks, and lots of herbal tea. 

"It's so good to see you!"

I really have been wanting to write more to get the practice and to find the line between talking about my life and ideas privately and publicly. It's been hard because all I've been doing lately is trying to make it through the rest of the semester depending mostly on good music and prayer and trying to take care of myself, while also trying to manage to have human contact outside of class and church, which is really harder than it sounds.

No, I will not correct that run-on sentence. Or comma splice. I don't really care which it is right now.

I've made the glorious mistake of watching Lizzie Bennet Diaries and re-reading Sense and Sensibility so now I'm thinking about life in Austen analogies and it's really bothering me because that could be relevant.

On the plus side, I no longer hate the haircut I got last week and Easter is on Sunday.

I'm really trying to post every day so this is what you get.

It's snowing really hard in Rexburg tonight. So I'm eating peanut butter and watching Lizzie Bennett Diaries on Youtube.

But it was a good day before dippin' dots started falling from the sky. I had my piano recital. I got some work done. But the highlight of my day was going to the temple, especially the older woman I met as I walked back to my car. See, I wasn't wearing a coat or gloves or even tights. She's in snow boots and a parka and says to me "precious girl, it's still winter!" "I can dream!" I said back.

Speaking of dreams, one of mine died today when I found out that the deadline to test for College Jeopardy! has already passed.

*Humming Saint-Saëns*

Fantasia  and Fantasia 2000 are such great movies. I've always loved a good combination of storytelling and music. (Who doesn't, really?) If I was a filmmaker, that's the kind of stuff I'd do. 

Seriously, it doesn't get better than this. 

But for now, I can write about it. I have a piano recital tomorrow, and as I played the same piece over and over and over again, the story began to form. It's still a work in progress. But that might be my creative project for the time being--as I learn new pieces, write the stories that come. Wish me luck.