“So You Want to be a Wizard?” by Diane Duane

I recently got access to my local library’s collection of ebooks, and the first one that I grabbed was this book. I loved the Young Wizards series when I was younger, and it’s still my favorite conception of magic and how it could work. Duane is a masterful world builder, which is evident even in this first installment, and from here the series only grows.

This book follows Nita, a thirteen-year-old who has a tendency to get beat up at school for being an outcast. One day when she’s running from her bullies, she hides in the library and her finger gets snagged on a book titled So You Want to be a Wizard? Intrigued, she started reading, takes her Wizard Oath, and is popped into a world of magic. She befriends Kit, a boy in the neighborhood who is also a newly minted wizard, and they go on a journey together, primarily to get Nita’s pen back from her local bully, but also to learn about wizardry and stop the forces of death and entropy.

What makes this my favorite conception of magic is that it relies heavily on language and the power of words. Spells are essentially words spoken in the Speech, a language that all animate and inanimate things understand. Wizards use the Speech to convince things to be different than they are. What you say has power in this world, it can change reality.

It also has a grounding in physics, not to a severely technical degree, but essentially wizards are people who fight against entropy, or the energy being wasted in the universe. They order the energy and conserve it, to prolong the inevitable heat death of the universe. Additionally Nita is a huge space buff, which comes into play more with other books, but there is a character who is literally a white hole here. Most fantasy books tend to be very Earth-centric, and I think it’s fascinating that this series accounts for aliens with magic (again something that comes up in future books) and the rest of Earth too for that matter (also future installments).

Revisiting this book as an adult was a lot of fun, different things stuck out to me, or I forgot about them since I was younger. Primarily was the fact that Duane mentions the Twin Towers in her description of New York City, which led me to notice that this book was published in 1983! And she is still working on the series!

I also picked up on the diversity much more, Kit is Hispanic and speaks Spanish at home. Additionally there’s two older wizards that they go to for help, Tom and Carl. I never realized when I was younger but they are definitely a gay couple! I haven’t read the more recent books in a while, but I wonder if that gets more explicit later.

It is an excellent book to start off the series with. I get the feeling that Duane knows what she wants the world to look like, but she is showing the reader what Nita and Kit are finding so we can all explore it together. Also breaks it into more manageable chunks. I was surprised how many details come into play in later books, there are rarely characters or concepts that she mentions in passing that don’t come back later.

I wish I could say that I’ll be reading the rest of the series, but I realized once I was done with this one that the library doesn’t have the rest of it! So I will have to wait to continue this rereading.

This Is Beautiful: the Harry Potter movies

 So my partner and I recently decided to rewatch the Harry Potter movies. And then we moved on to the Very Potter Musical shows on YouTube. It's been a fun and interesting time! I'll just be talking about the HP movies here, maybe musicals next time.

Let me get this out of the way at the beginning: the books that these movies are based on have no author, JKR is a transphobe and that is unacceptable and gross. Having said that, horrible people can make great art that has a profound impact on people. Particularly if you grew up with this series and didn't know she was an awful person then. And while I do wish people would get over this series and stop supporting her and move on, it can be fun to revisit.

This was a cool rewatch because I never go back to the old movies. If anything I watch the first one maybe, or possibly the last couple but not the ones in the middle. It was interesting to go back and watch them knowing everything about the actors and the directors and the context all of this was in.

-The first movie is really good. The kids are cute, Hogwarts looks magical, it sets it all up perfectly. I also adore that the early movies were before CGI really hit and a lot of the special effects hold up well because they're puppets, which don't go out of date.

-The second movie is surprisingly also really good. It has the same director (Chris Columbus) as the first movie and the continuity in style and aesthetic is nice. The plot is much more complex, and it introduces you to the wider wizarding world. Honestly I was shocked at how great it was, it's a solid sequel.

-The third movie is far from my favorite. It's a different director and it looks completely different from the first two. Which isn't itself a problem, it's more that there are less ghosts and the trio is wearing Muggle clothes and it loses some magic with that. Also they completely leave out the background on the Marauders and I'm not into that it's pretty important. Oh and the background on Trelawney and how she actually has made prophecies hmm. They could have stopped the movie after the Knight Bus and it would have been improved.

-Fourth movie also isn't great. It's the one where no one cut their hair and that infamous Dumbledore line (DID YOU PUT YOUR NAME IN THE GOBLET) but beyond that it's pretty ehh in general. Neville takes over Dobby's role. The Beauxbatons students are apparently all frilly girls and Durmstrang is all macho men which isn't accurate and pretty annoying to watch. The Pavarti twins are done dirty with those costumes. Bagman isn't included. Priori incantatum isn't really explained at all at the end. It's generally sloppy.

-Fifth movie has a lot going for it. Umbridge's portrayal is excellent, but I think a lot of the background on the Black family could be better, and the explanation of the Department of Mysteries. Seriously it's the site of the most important events in the movie, there could be more about it and what's in it, or the nature of the prophecies. Also Harry's relationship with Cho Chang is really really boring and that hits in this one. I will say that I really like how the "bad guys" in this book are technically on the same side as the protagonist. This series in general is great with the gray area between good and evil and that's highlighted here.

-Sixth movie is the worst by far. They turn it into a freaking rom-com, screw the rest of the plot. The half-blood prince is in the title, could have something about that somewhere. Ugh. I don't even want to talk about it.

-The seventh and eighth movies are both really really good thank god. They finally cared about continuity and being faithful to the books. It was the first series to split the final installation into two, and it was super necessary here. I love that Dobby comes back, the acting is terrific, and overall it's the ending that fans deserve for sure. Only detail that I wish was left in was how Wormtail dies, it ties up the loose end from the third movie and is completely absent from the movie.

Other thing to note is that a lot of the cast has died since these movies, and that's quite sad. But I think that they hold up rather well, and we had fun revisiting them.

“Who Cooked Adam Smith’s Dinner?: A Story of Women and Economics” by Katrine Marcal

My partner recommended this book to me, to be honest it is very unlikely that I would pick up a book about economics of my own volition. But it was a fascinating read. I know nothing about economics or markets or any of that, and this made it very easy to understand. Plus I enjoy a good reading of anything from a feminist lens.

Marcal’s basic argument is that economics is all framed around this idea that man is rational and selfish when it comes to money and wants it all for himself. However, no one actually interacts this way. What the economy forgot to figure in was all of the care roles within society such as nursing or taking care of the elderly or the children. Roles that are traditionally seen as feminine and for women.

Adam Smith is seen as the father of modern economics, but when he was devising his theories he conveniently forgot about the fact that his mother cared for him all throughout her life. It was she who cooked his dinner and brought it to him every day! And yet, women are invisible when it comes to economic theories.

Economics has always seemed like a frustrating discipline to me since I would never want to study and analyze problems made by people. This highlighted all of the shortcomings inherent in this world, all in a very easily understood manner. Would highly recommend to those interested in economics, feminism, or (even better) both!

This Is Beautiful: Local Libraries

 I must have posted before about my love for libraries but I'm too lazy to look at it now. But I recently got a virtual library card from my local library. It was super easy! Just had to email in an application. And now I have access to their ebook collection even though the physical library is still closed.

They have the cutest lil library app for all the ebooks, you can really easily look up a book and either place it on hold or check it out right there. It's so simple! And you can port it to Kindle or read it right there. I love it so much. 

Anyways, I'll be reading a lot, planning on rereading the Young Wizards series so stay tuned for that.

“Debugging Your Brain” by Casey Watts!

My friend wrote a book! It’s a small one to be sure, more like a pocket guide than anything else, but it’s a real legit book and even that is hard to get out there these days. 

It feels so strange calling him Watts so I’m just going to go with Casey. Casey has a background in neuroscience and computer science, and this book is a perfect blend of both disciplines. Essentially he lays out techniques that treat your brain like a computer in order to “debug” it, or just help it function better. Like I said, this is a quick read, but it lays out the steps very clearly and succinctly, as well as giving recommendations for additional reading.

Essentially, this is a guide for how to train yourself to respond more helpfully to frustrating situations. The process boils down to causing introspection, thinking about what a rational reaction would be, and developing this process as a habit. All steps are very clearly explained, with citations and explanations of the neuroscience behind the concepts.

Honestly I found all of these practices super useful! Most self-help books you read aren’t very practical, or useful really, in everyday life. Casey’s instructions come with built in with examples of ways to use it, and suggested exercises to implement it in your life. So I thought it was an excellent read all around.

Support independent authors and publishers! Check this book out, it doesn’t cost much!

This Is Beautiful: Sleeping

 Ok my week wasn't that bad, but I had a couple of pretty bad days in the beginning there and I think my body shut down in response. It went away in 24 hours with sleep, but I haven't really been able to stay up late since then. I really think my body was just like "you loose your energy privileges until you treat your meat sack better" which is really fair. 

Anyways, sleep is good for you. Keep getting lots of it, your body need it or it will revolt.

“25 Years at the Public: A Love Story” by Paula Scher

This is a book that my parents got me, I assume more or less on a bit of a whim. It is a bit like a coffee table book that shows images of graphic designs and posters that Paula Scher has made throughout her career of designing for the Public Theater. The Public Theater is the theater in New York City that primarily puts on works for the people, without talking down to them. It is the group in charge of Shakespeare in the Park, for example. Both “Fun Home” and “Hamilton” got their start there, before moving to Broadway. Scher has done posters and graphic design for them sine the 90s, primarily out of the love for the job rather than the money. I was surprised that I recognized a number of the posters, or at least the style. I guess it would be hard not to, they were everywhere in NYC at certain points.

The most distinctive aspect of her design is certainly the text. Usually it is in big, bold capitol letters, almost has a pop art quality to them. The text is emphasized much more so than the play or any particular aspects of the plot. The Shakespeare plays are usually only on there in title only, no costumes or faces to be seen.

The most recognizable of her early work is definitely the posters for “Bring in Da Noise/Bring in Da Funk” which I remember very well. I don’t think I ever saw the originals, I just recognize prints and souvenirs in several theaters that I’ve been in and performed in. It’s just so distinctive, and it helps that it has a catchy title. Other than that, the later Shakespeare in the Park posters definitely stick out in my memory. It is amazing what she does with just text and how that stands out in your mind.

A lot of the book is dedicated to the balance in design between creating a cohesive design identity to a specific theater versus an individual production. Which is not an aspect of design that I had thought much about. But clearly Scher struggled with this and was thinking about it for much of her career. Both have to be distinctive in order for both to succeed, therefore all plays from a specific company must make a cohesive whole and stand out individually. I think in the end Scher comes down hard on the side of the theater. That way any stand out plays elevate all works that the theater puts on. Which is interesting, I imagine that it is hard to not completely change the look for certain plays and stick to a more uniform style.

Very cool read, definitely makes for a change. Graphic design is one of those neat aspects of living in modern society that we are constantly absorbing, but never stop to think about it. It’s good to have the spotlight placed on that for a change.

This Is Beautiful: Teaching a Dance Class

 So instead of choreographing this semester I've started just teaching a general jazz/tap dance class that will focus more on technique than a specific dance. I've only taught it a couple times, but I'm having such a blast!

Usually when choreographing I'm thinking of something very specific that I want to create. This song, this style, these moves, that kind of thing. But now I'm really trying to make it as broad as possible, as many different songs and styles and influences as I can. It's really cool!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I've loved teaching choreography and this isn't that different. It is so much fun though!