Tick-Tock Go "The Bone Clocks" by David Mitchell

I’m a huge David Mitchell fan, but this latest is definitely one of his best.

It’s written in a similar style to Cloud Atlas or Ghostwritten, in that the narration breaks periodically and is picked up in a different time and place by a different character. However, this book is set apart in that it focuses on one person, Holly Sykes’, life and so every narration eventually runs into her.

What I find is really great about Mitchell’s books is that characters keep recurring in them, so every book feels like another window into this special universe that the author has created. As though all of his characters are running around and he just zeroes in on a few at a time. Just in The Bone Clocks there’s a character from Black Swan Green, a few from Cloud Atlas, and one major one from The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.

This one’s more science fiction-y than before, with the fifth narration centering in on a battle between souls who get reincarnated but retain their memories (this is rather similar to that one section of Ghostwritten, for those of you keeping track) and those who steal other souls to never age. I feel like I should reread the book to fully understand it, but I’m pretty lazy.

Another reason to reread is all of the interesting tidbits throughout the book as the reader and Holly try to figure out what the hell is going on. Characters pop up briefly and then return much later, and hints are spread throughout. It’s rather similar to Cloud Atlas in that sense.

One thing I haven’t quite figured out are the images. The maze becomes fairly obvious, but each section has its own, and some seem to be less relevant than others. Also the little clocks in the upper corners of the page go through one hour in the first section, two hours in the second, and so on. Not sure if there’s a bigger meaning to that than meets the eye.

The overall message of this book probably has to do with time. There’s clocks everywhere, “the bone clocks” refers to us mere mortals, and the good guys in that war are called the horologists (studiers of time). If I had to guess at the actual message, it’d probably be something along the lines of enjoy it while you can because it doesn’t last forever (unless you use evil means). Many characters die young and civilization turns into a chaotic anarchy in the 2040s, so you never know when everything’s going to turn to shit.

If you can take obscure science fiction that’s never totally explained (personally I thrive off of doing a little literary detective work) then you will probably enjoy this book. And I would highly recommend reading the rest of David Mitchell’s repertoire, as that can only enhance the experience.

A Summary of "The Blood of Olympus" Written with a College Student’s Sense of Humor

This is literally 6 pages of dumb, probably inspired by the Dirtbag Shakespeare series on The Toast. Now go read the actual book (do that before you read this, it might seem actually funny then).

 

Chapters 1-4: Jason

Jason: Darnit, I’m old! I can’t handle this! The future is too close! I can’t handle this! Give me back my old body!

Piper: Hey, at least I’m pretty.

Jason: I guess so. Wait this is just like Rick and Morty. Can we be Rick and Morty?

Annabeth: Not now Jason!

Jason’s mom: My baby!

Jason: Eww mom quit calling me, I’m hanging out with friends.

Annabeth: Quit talking to your mom, it’s fight time!

Jason: *makes lightsaber noises*

Stabby Guy: Die symbol of the patriarchy!

Jason: *dies*

Piper: I think this is a metaphor!

Annabeth: *starts lifting up her shirt to get Leo’s attention*

 

Chapters 5-8: Reyna

Nico: Let’s play this a good idea: falling into a volcano.

Reyna: Can you fucking not?

Coach Hedge: I LOVE THIS GAME

Nico: Fine, let’s just do stupid tourist things in Pompeii. I love dead people, they’re much less annoying than alive people.

Dead people: Did someone say it was a par-tay?

Nico: I take that back, you guys are annoying too.

 

Chapters 9-12: Leo

Leo: I’ll just hide here so everyone can look at my butt. Heh heh, butts.

Buford: PUT SOME CLOTHES ON

Leo: butts butts butts butts everybody!

Percy: Could we actually have a productive meeting for a change?

Jason: We have to defeat victory and other paradoxes.

Leo: I am so ready! Let me at em, grrrr.

Frank: The animal schtick is my thing!

Hazel: Me, Frank, Percy, and Leo can challenge Nike.

Nike: I am the goddess of sports shoes! But you only ever see men in the commercials. That’s because they’re scared of female athletes! *high-fives Hazel* Compete for your lives!

Frank: I don’t wanna.

Nike: You ruin every party. Come on just one round of Mario Party.

Percy: Don’t even joke about that, that game ruins friendships.

Nike: Fine just a fight to the death I guess.

Leo: Let’s do this thing with these things I conveniently made!

*they capture Nike and drag her back as a spoil of war*

 

Chapters 13-16: Nico

Nico: I have a ton of angst so I’m just going to send people trippy dreams.

Clovis: Better than drugs.

Nico: Go back to sleep.

Coach Hedge: Hey Nico, you want to take shots?

Nico: I just woke up.

Coach Hedge: It’s shots o’clock then! Shirtless o’clock is in ten minutes.

Reyna: Could you fucking not?

Hades: My son.

Nico: Dad you’re ruining my vibe.

Hades: Fine I’ll just give you some drugs.

Nico: I can get my own.

Hades: I’m trying to connect with the youth! Now do you want one marijuana or two?

Nico: Dad leave.

Reyna: Hunter, six o’clock!

Coach Hedge: Did someone say shirtless o’clock?? *rips shirt off and gets stuck in it*

Reyna: Do I need to do everything around here?

Nico: Percy is so pretty…

Reyna: Nico, get us out of here.

 

Chapters 17-20: Piper

Piper: There’s got to be poison around here somewhere… Let’s just lick things until we find it.

Frank: *turns into a cat and starts cleaning* Hey I think I found some.

Poison Guy: Here ya go, I won’t card ya.

Piper: Wow I didn’t even have to seduce him.

*on ship*

Piper: Jason I love you.

Jason: I know, you keep telling me!

Piper: Do you like me? Tell me I’m pretty!

Jason: Fine, you’re pretty.

Piper: Giants are starting shit!

Percy: *breaks all the toilets*

Leo: Did you have to clog all of them? There’s a lot of butts around here!

Annabeth: Come on Piper, let’s go fight fear to add to our victory.

Piper: Giant! Tell me I’m pretty!

Giant: Ewww you’re gross.

Piper: Well if you won’t look at me I guess I won’t look at you. *starts feeling around* Annabeth!

Annabeth: *the struggle is pretty real*

Piper: Don’t think, feel around! Use the baby thoughts you were just reduced to!

Annabeth: Well now we have this giant ear.

Piper: Mine’s much prettier. Take it, gods!

 

Chapters 21-24: Reyna

Reyna: Darnit, we landed in my home. This means backstory time.

Nico: I had some oatmeal this morning. It was cold and tasteless.

Reyna: My backstory, not yours!

Coach Hedge: Why helloooo there alcohol! Meet liver!

Hunters/Amazons: Bazinga!

Hylla: A blast from the past!

Reyna: And my sister. This really is backstory time.

Orion: I have you now! Die recurring minor characters!

Reyna: Well, shit just got real.

 

Chapters 25-28: Jason

Jason: Oh my gods, did Percy start another storm because his food wasn’t blue?

Percy: Hey I was playing Final Fantasy when this started! Let’s go check it out!

Jason: Hold on, I just have to kidnap a wind spirit and force it into slavery.

Storm goddess: You little shits.

Giant: I’m her gigolo! Excuse me while I puke poison!

Percy: You’re excused.

Jason: Wait! If I please you with sexual favors, will you stop?

Storm goddess: Only if it’s to my Greek and Roman sides.

Jason: Perfect, I wanted to get around a lot and travel anyways.

Percy: *dying of poison* tHAt’s WhaT sHe sAId!

Storm goddess: Well I guess I don’t need you anymore. You weren’t that good at it anyways. *decapitates Giant*

Jason: Percy! Should I give him mouth to mouth?

Percy: No way! I have no idea where that mouth’s been!

Storm goddess: I think I know… You were unconscious for a while Percy.

Jason: My wound healed! Do you think this is symbolic?

 

Chapters 29-32: Nico

Nico: My transformation into the darkness is almost complete!

Reyna: Ok, so here’s my backstory-

Nico: If it doesn’t involve darkness and meaninglessness then I don’t care.

Reyna: It’s sad, you should like it.

Roman jerk: This is the po-po! Hands up!

Reyna: I’m in the middle of revealing my past!

Roman jerk: Tell it to these dead people!

Nico: Hey! Those are my pals! How dare you use them against me! *morphs into the Hulk and kicks Roman jerk’s ass* *then promptly falls asleep*

Coach Hedge: Good news! I had a drunken correspondence with some nature hippies, and we’re either getting a ride or I just got invited to a threesome!

*pegasi appear*

Coach Hedge: That’s a little more than a threesome…

 

Chapters 33-36: Leo

Leo: Nooo! The love of my life! My ship’s butt!

Hazel: Don’t you mean the engine?

Leo: IT’S A BUTT

Jason: So who wants to talk to Apollo?

Leo: I do! And Frank and Hazel are coming with me!

Frank: He coerced us!

Hazel: Fine, let’s go. We barely get to do anything anyway.

Apollo: *playing horrible country* Well my girlfriend left me and she took my tractor so all the meaning in my life is gone-

Artemis: That’s every country song ever! Play something else!

Leo: I put all of my love for butts into this instrument.

Apollo: What a coincidence! I like butts as well! Here’s some information!

Leo: Sounds like a good way to die young, I’ll take it!

Apollo: But also check with my son, because I’m pretty useless.

Apollo’s son: I’m really pretty useless as well.

Leo: Here let me rewire your conveniently programmed things so we can get in.

Jason: Wait I think we can play Super Smash Bros Brawl on that screen.

Leo: Sick! I call Captain Falcon!

Jason: He literally just poses, he doesn’t even really move.

Leo: Well you always insist on being Jigglypuff so you can’t really talk.

Apollo’s son: You all have personality disorders!

Piper: But I’m pretty!

Apollo’s son: Oh shush. Fine, maybe Leo’s ok.

Piper: There must be something wrong with Leo!

 

Chapters 37-40: Reyna

Reyna: The Romans got some really big guns! Shit just got real again! Wait, let’s try to reason with that one.

Tyson: The cavalry is here!

Reyna: Ok you guys go start shit, I’ll take care of the huge statue.

Orion: Hey girl hey!

Reyna: You male! I am woman, hear me roar!

Orion: Not again! I hate women! *dies like the patriarchal scum he is*

Reyna: Score! I got a new cloak!

 

Chapters 41-44: Piper

Snake people: hiss hiss motherfucker

Piper: I got this guys, my name even has “pipe” in it, I’m a natural snake charmer. *clears throat* Don’t drop that thun thun thun…

Snake people: It’s so beautiful!

Rest of crew: I’M IN PAIN!

Piper: Now lead us into certain danger! And tell me I’m pretty.

Snake people: Yes wise snake mother. You’re very pretty.

Annabeth: Kay so Piper and me started a girl club so we’re going, and let’s take my boyfriend for good measure.

Giants: Oh look a snack.

Percy: I taste like seaweed! You won’t like me!

Jason: Can I cook that snack for you? *zaps giant* whoops, I missed.

Leo: I have a huge ass war machine up here! Heh heh.

Annabeth: *bleeds on them*

Giants: AIDS! Get away from her! Bleed all over the earth instead, she wants your disease.

Percy: Darnit, it’s so dry in here my nose is bleeding! Look at what you did!

Piper: Percy you’re going to stain your-

Percy: *drips blood on ground*

*everything falls to shit*

 

Chapters 45-48: Nico

Nico: Ok losers, this is what we’re going to do-

Will: As your self-appointed doctor, you should pipe da fuck down!

Nico: This is why I hate people.

Will: Let’s just take out those things.

Romans: Hey! Listen! It’s Greeks!

Will: I shall sacrifice myself valiantly! *sprints off*

Nico: Dumbass. Let him die. Oh alright, let’s get him.

Greek extra #1: It’s a bird!

Greek extra #2: It’s a plane!

Nico: It’s fucking Reyna with the damn statue.

Reyna: Ok listen to me peasants! We need to unite!

Octavian: I don’t fucking think so.

Gaea: Too late pathetic children.

Reyna: Could shit stop getting real??

 

Chapters 49-52: Jason

Jason: Dad! That was so cool how you did the thing-

Jupiter: Not now, annoyance. We need you to do our dirty work again.

Jason: If it makes you love me, then sure!

Jupiter: Alright, everyone hold on while I bitchslap you to the other side of the world…

Leo: That was awesome! Ok Festus, morph into your dragon form!

Gaea: Not more meddling kids!

Leo: How about you get up here, old lady?

Jason: Wait, I want to be included! Come on girlfriend!

Piper: Yeah I have to say a word or something. Let’s go!

Gaea: You’re ugly!

Piper: BOOBS

Gaea: Nooooooooooooo

Leo: Great good job +A for you now leave.

Jason: What? No!

Leo: I love you…r butts guys.

Jason: What?

Leo: *explodes everything*

 

Chapters 53-56: Nico

Nico: Octavian! I’m going to hurt you!

Will: Doctor’s orders!

Octavian: I know you are, but what am I?

Will: That was an awful comeback!

Octavian: *basically blows himself up*

Nico: Jerk deserved it. Wait, do I feel sadness? What is this?

*after battle is over*

Nico: *arriving at Hades cabin* No place like home I guess.

Percy: So are you staying?

Nico: Sure. Also, you’re much prettier than Piper.

Percy: Hey thanks bro! Tons of homo?

Nico: Tons of homo. But I have my doctor Will now to give me check-ups. If you know what I mean.

Percy: Ooo high five bro!

Chapter 57: Piper

Piper: Hey Reyna, you’re pretty cool. Want to join my and Annabeth’s girl club?

Reyna: Well ok.

Jason: Piper! Let’s go on the roof!

Piper: Won’t we get in trouble?

Jason: I am a hard core rebel who don’t follow no rules. I might even kiss you.

Piper: Oh my *giggles*

Chapter 58: Leo

Leo: HOLY SHIT I’M ALIVE Yes there are so many possibilities now! Like butts!

Festus: *whirls*

Leo: Wait we’re by Ogygia? I guess my butt days are over.

Calypso: You took freaking forever!

Leo: I have returned my princess!

Calypso: Don’t you call me that or I’ll dump you.

Leo: Sorry. But I gave up butts for you!

Calypso: And I’m giving up my home for you, now let’s go off into the sunset.

Leo: Sounds great.

*iconic kissing as they fly off*

"So, yes, it happened, but ordinary life carried on at the speed of time, and the following day doesn't care about all your paranormal adventures in the days before."

-Holly Sykes, The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

"...you don't get to choose whom you're attracted to, you only get to wonder about it, retrospectively."

-Hugo Lamb, The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

"I think about pinball, and how being a kid's like being shot up the firing lane and there's no veering left or right; you're just sort of propelled. But once you clear the top, like when you're sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen, suddenly there's a thousand different paths you can take, some amazing, others not."

-Holly Sykes, The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

"People are icebergs, with just a bit you can see and loads you can't."

-Holly Sykes, The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

"You must be hungry… Either that, or your stomach speaks hedgehog. That was quite a statement in hedgehog."

-Coach Hedge, The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

"PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"
-Buford's Mini-Hedge, The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

How to Cope With Rejection (When Everyone Else Isn’t)

So there’s this thing that tends to happen to me. I audition for something, and all my friends end up getting it and I don’t. I wish I could say that this hasn’t happened multiple times throughout the years. As a result, I think I may have some insights as to how to deal with this.

So here are my tips:

1.       Try not to care about this thing. I know it’s hard, and maybe you really wanted to, but in ten years, who is going to care? Pretty much no one. Try to see it from that perspective.

2.       Be realistic about your efforts. Maybe you didn’t do as well as you thought.

3.       This’ll all be over soon and no one will care.

4.       Maybe don’t hang out with your friends that got in for a bit. Don’t shun them, but if given the choice between sitting with them and sitting with someone uninvolved, go for the latter.

5.       It’ll be fine. What you didn’t get into doesn’t matter.

6.       Have some me time. Sit down and give yourself a few minutes to cope (or longer if you need it) and then busy yourself with something else so you don’t dwell on it.

7.       Really what does this all matter? We’re all just going to die of heat death anyway.

8.       Be happy for your friends who made it. They worked hard for this as well. Even though it’s hard, be nice to them.

9.       This isn’t an actual measure of your worth, it’s a measure against some rando’s standards, which literally is entirely subjective and has zero bearing on anything else you ever do.

10.   Find someone else that didn’t get in and start a club.

11.   Look at pictures of cute puppies online.

12.   HUGS

13.   You will be ok!

Early Music History: Progression of Polyphony and the Motet

Test is coming up and this is my way of reviewing.

So all of the early music was monophonic, or only had one line of melody without any harmony. Polyphony (multiple lines of music) most likely developed as a way for soloists to show off. It was discussed in Musica enchiriadis, a musical handbook aimed at students, and was called organum. There were several different kinds of organum, the main ones being note-against-note organum, which is when the voices move at the same time, and free organum which consisted of oblique, parallel, contrary, and similar motion.

Aquitarian polyphony developed a specific style of writing music in the twelfth century. They often had florid polyphony, which is when the upper voice has a long melody while the lower note holds one out. One issue with their notation though was that the timing between the voices was never clear, so a lot of this is up for interpretation. The opposite of this was discant clasula, which was the term for a section of the piece that only consisted of note-against-note organum. (Discant was another term for note-against-note, while clasula just referred to a part of the piece, or clause.)

From there, Notre Dame polyphony was developed in the thirteenth century. They developed a system of notation that was a lot clearer than the Aquitarian system. This included using ligatures to connect notes and a system of notes called longs and breves to indicate durations. They also developed six rhythmic modes, all of which were in threes. Two main composers of this time were Leonin and Perotin. The treatise Anonymous IV credits Leonin with putting together a “Magnus Liber Organi” or “Great Book of Organum.” Of course, it wasn’t just him, but the extent that he worked on it is uncertain. The composers of Notre Dame polyphony also liked to write substitute clasula, or clauses that could substitute others in a piece.

The writing of substitute clasula led directly to the development of the thirteenth century motet. Eventually, composers started putting words to the substitute clasula that they were writing, and this developed into its own genre. Duple or triple motets started to be written, which is when more than one voice is texted, or polytextuality. Since this made the words difficult to understand, motets were written for a more elite audience. The third voice added (usually in the middle, above the tenor) was even called the motetus, which is where the term motet comes from. Many motets were preserved in the Codexes Montpellier and Bamburg, which were collections of hundreds of pieces and motets. Often motets were a type of cantus firmus, which is when the tenor has a part of a chant that the rest of the piece is based off of. The tenor got the short end of the stick here, they’re just chanting while the other two voices (triplum and duplum/motetus) get these pretty melodies.

Then Franconian notation was developed, which included double longs and the semibreve. This led to much more rhythmic variety. This was taken advantage of by composers like Adam de la Halle and Petrus de la Cruce in their pieces.

Then the Ars Nova, or New Art, developed in France. The Ars Nova featured both triplets and duplets, which was pretty controversial at the time since people considered the triplet to represent the Holy Trinity. As a result, triplets were called perfect time and duplets imperfect time. They also had isorhythm, which is when a part has a rhythm and then repeats it, not necessarily with the same notes. There was also hoquet, which is when voices alternate very quickly. And the tenor had a rhythmic part called the talea, which would match up with the color, or melody, in the upper voices. The talea was usually shorter than the color and it would take a few repetitions until they matched up. All this can be seen in pieces by Phillippe de Vitry who wrote several fourteenth century motets.

So that’s the motet. It’s not that interesting, but there are some interesting connections between early and modern music, and hopefully I’ll get around to writing about that soon.

The Switch from Reading for Plot to Reading for Thought

So I noticed recently that the reason I read books has changed slightly. I used to read books that I thought looked exciting and interesting, in other words, the plot looked decent. Now though, if I’m going to commit myself to a book, it’s either because it was recommended to me by someone or it is a classic.

I used to pick up any series about fantasy when I was little (it was quite the phase, I still have most of the books). But I can still remember not exactly being satisfied by the plot when it was too thin or had contradictions or the author remembered past events incorrectly (ok how does the AUTHOR mess up facts like that?). Over time, it just developed into me refusing to read stuff like that.

Now though, I really only read books that I have researched and read reviews on. If it’s a classic, I do less work, but I still check to make sure that it’s something that I’d like. And I hardly ever read modern books anymore, I just never know whether I’m going to like it or not. I’m not a big risk-taker. I was confused when my friend picked a book up off the shelf in a bookstore and went to buy it. I just don’t work like that anymore.

I mostly blame honors English for this change, honestly. I’ve started being unsatisfied with books where they don’t have a higher meaning and are just about people doing people things or whatever. I need something that speaks to humanity and says something essential. It can’t be a book for the sake of a book anymore, it has to be communicating something to the reader.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just means that I’ve gotten choosier about what it is that I’m putting into my head. And I think that’s fine, it’s the only brain I’ve got and there are books out there that are more beneficial for it than others. If you disagree, that’s fine, but this is my view and it’s interesting how things like this change over time and as we learn more.