Preview of Coming Spring/Summer 2010 Attractions

Howdy, y'all! Long time, no blog. Anyway, I will have some brand-new stuff on here in the coming weeks. This 'brand-new stuff' will mostly pertain to post health-care reform bill passage political news and my June/July Eurotrip. Hopefully, things will slow down a tad (big emphasis on the 'hopefully' part of that!) in the Ashleyverse in the next couple weeks so that I can get said 'brand-new stuff' posted. Stay tuned!

My Reading List for 03/25/10

Hello! Welcome to this "My Reading List for..." snippet. I finally finished reading Moby Dick. Actually, my professor told the class that one never really "finishes" reading books like Moby Dick and The Scarlet Letter. I totally concur with that statement. I also think this is the case with most of the works on our syllabus. Nineteenth-century American literature is so "loaded" in terms of content and symbolism (ex.: the multi-ethnic crew of the Pequod as an analogy for global diversity), and that's exactly why I love it. The discussion never gets boring! Anyway, I'm currently working on a presentation for April 6 in which I will compare and contrast Herman Melville's war-themed writings with those of Walt Whitman. In addition to discussing MD and reading some of Melville's other works, including Bartleby the Scrivener and Billy Budd, Sailor, I will examine some of Whitman's war poems, especially "The Wound-dresser." I will also discuss the lives and careers of both men. According to what I've already learned, Melville and Whitman were controversial figures, to say the least. Well, that's all for this snippet. Stay tuned for near-future installments of this series.

Meet the Press-- Ashleyverse Style, Saturday Edition 2

Howdy, folks! I haven't written in a few days, since I've been characteristically uber-busy, juggling the demands of grad school, teaching, and life in general. That said, I've got a plethora of political, entertainment, and Ashleyverse news to report on this lovely, early spring day.

Okay, first the breaking political news: Congress is set to vote on the all-important health-care reform bill tomorrow. According to the most recent press releases, things look good for President Obama's agenda. Also, this weekend marks the seventh anniversary of the Iraq War, which has been commemorated with little fanfare (hmm... wonder why!). We must urge the president and Congress to put an end to this little "police action" as promptly and honorably as possible. (Between y'all and me, I'm getting so sick and tired of writing about dangblasted wars. If I were in charge, I'd try to pass Lysistrata legislation in order to limit our involvement in "police actions" of any kind. LOL!!!)

Secondly, in entertainment news, the late, great axmaster Jimi Hendrix has beaten Elvis' long-standing Billboard music chart record, by becoming the first artist since Presley to score a top-5 album posthumously. Hendrix's compilation of never-before-released "experimental" music-- Valleys of Neptune-- has been released nearly 40 years after his death. The King's last album was released in 2003, about 25 years after his passing. (Clarification: Hendrix broke Presley's record by scoring a top-5 album a longer period after his death than Presley.) I've always been a huge Jimi fan, and I especially love the songs "Purple Haze," "Fire," "Angel," "Foxey Lady," "Little Wing," "Bold as Love," "Snowcastles in the Sand," "The Wind Cries Mary," and Jimi's kickass cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower." Of course, who can resist Jimi's Woodstock performance of "The Star-spangled Banner"?

Finally, in Ashleyverse news, I'm still reading Moby Dick. I hope to be done with it by tomorrow. As for that spring cleaning project, well, I think I made a little headway with that endeavor today. Still, with everything else I've got going on, a perfectly clean house is just not a top priority right now. Anyway, I guess the big Ashleyverse news is that I'm awaiting some possible good news from alma mater concerning my very near future. If I am delivered said good news, I'll share it with y'all right here. Until then, it's top secret. (I don't want to jinx it!)

And, on that positive note, I conclude yet another "special Saturday" edition of Meet the Press-- Ashleyverse Style. Peace, Love, & Happiness, y'all!

An Invitation to Join the Coffee Party

For the past year, we progressives/Obama supporters have longed for an alternative to the vitriolic Tea Party Movement and its idiotic Townhall Meetings. Well, we finally have it in the form of the Coffee Party Movement. For more info about this group, which officially kicked off at coffeeshops nationwide on Saturday, March 13, log onto: http://www.chattahbox.com/us/2010/03/15/coffee-party-groups-seek-change-without-the-hate. Let's start the change, have real public discourse, and stop the hate today!

Latest Health-care Reform News

The latest health-care reform news is in: According to an ABC News blurb released earlier today, the Senate may be able to get the health-care reform bill passed after all. As I've said before, we have to keep our fingers crossed and be vigilant. (Aside: There's some reform going on in the Ashleyverse as well in the form of, um, environmental improvements. Yes, folks, I've embarked upon a little spring cleaning project. More info on both these items later.)

Wacky Wednesday News, "Spring Break" Edition

Okay, I've got some more wacky Wednesday news to share with y'all today. First of all, there's some rather sad Hollyweird news to report: Former teen heartthrob and Lost Boys star Corey Haim was found dead at age 38. He had struggled with lifelong addictions to drugs and alcohol. Shame! Secondly, in political news, we may be in the homestretch in regards to health-care reform. In impassioned appeals reminiscent of the 2008 campaign, President Obama is doing his best to rally support for this much-needed legislation all over the country. Finally, in Ashleyverse news, I got an A on that mid-term exam. I'm also on "spring break" from work this week. I've been super-busy with Eurotrip-related stuff the past couple days, but I'm otherwise enjoying myself. That said, I had class from 3:30-9:30 last night, so I'm a little beat and don't have much more to say. So, for those of you on spring break, stay safe and just chillax, and those of you who aren't off this week, peace out anyway.

My Reading List for 03/09/10

Howdy, faithful readers! I've just fulfilled my quota of assigned reading for tonight for 19th-century Am. lit.-- the first 38 chapters of Moby Dick, to be exact. Throughout those 144 pages, I discovered a number of critical plot nuances in the novel. Accordingly, I will share a few of them with you.

First, many of the characters have Biblical names. I feel that this device is symbolic of the importance of religion in 19th-century America. Secondly, narrator Ishmael makes some very interesting observations about his fellow shipmates, especially Queequeg, Tashtego, and Daggoo-- all men of color. More specifically, while he comes off as being a bit condescending to them, Ishmael also seems to imply that these men appear to be more devout in their spiritual practices and rituals than many white Western Christians. This global perspectivism is a major theme of literature of this time period. Finally, all of Melville's characters have a great deal of pathos, or emotion-- another characteristic of 19th-century American literature. One example of this is the misunderstood Captain Ahab. We learn that he has been depressed since losing a leg to the eponymous beast shortly before the story takes place and that he actually has quite a nice life on land, including a supposedly happy marriage to a "sweet girl" and a child. These are just a few of the things I've discovered while reading this once-maligned classic.

This has been another installment of "My Reading List for..." Stay tuned for many more to come.