Flattering, but unsurprising ....

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I'm teaching The Golden Compass right now, which makes the upcoming adaptation and the nicely built website into a timely bonus: the other day, we were discussing the application of the daemons in class.  In some ways, I think Pullman uses the daemons much as Lewis used race (both "race" as ethnicity/nationality and "race" as species): it's a handy shorthand for the kinds of values that he wants us to associate with certain characters.  This can be problematic, especially in terms of class (all servants have dog daemons?  except for the one throwaway reference to the maid with a hen?  really?  c'mon, Pullman, tell us how you really feel about the "serving classes").  But for young readers, it can also be incredibly appealing, especially in the identity-formation-in-flux kind of a way. 

My freshman year of college, one of my instructors assigned us a brief writing exercise: to choose and describe our favorite color, and our favorite animal. 

( Cut for those as want to play along at home .... )

This seems to have a similar degree of self-selection built in, but, nevertheless, it's fun, and, better yet for my students, given the turn-around time on adaptations, likely to still be up when they're in the classroom trying to get their students into the texts ....

Flattering, but unsurprising ....

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I'm teaching The Golden Compass right now, which makes the upcoming adaptation and the nicely built website into a timely bonus: the other day, we were discussing the application of the daemons in class.  In some ways, I think Pullman uses the daemons much as Lewis used race (both "race" as ethnicity/nationality and "race" as species): it's a handy shorthand for the kinds of values that he wants us to associate with certain characters.  This can be problematic, especially in terms of class (all servants have dog daemons?  except for the one throwaway reference to the maid with a hen?  really?  c'mon, Pullman, tell us how you really feel about the "serving classes").  But for young readers, it can also be incredibly appealing, especially in the identity-formation-in-flux kind of a way. 

My freshman year of college, one of my instructors assigned us a brief writing exercise: to choose and describe our favorite color, and our favorite animal. 

( Cut for those as want to play along at home .... )

This seems to have a similar degree of self-selection built in, but, nevertheless, it's fun, and, better yet for my students, given the turn-around time on adaptations, likely to still be up when they're in the classroom trying to get their students into the texts ....

Now, with working media!

Now, with working media!

Ways to Tell I've Been Here Too Long, # 87348957

For the first few weeks, the crickets were cute.  Well, except for when they were in my house.

Then I started catching them under random spare glasses to toss them outside, because, a) everybody knows it's bad luck to kill the frikkin' things, just like with spiders*, and b) just like with waterbugs, the remnants are ... less than charming ... to deal with.

And now?  Now, I have had the same kind of an epiphany that I had when living in my 2nd apartment ever, the one where I just lost the basic gross-out factor of civilized humanity; I just picked the cricket up in my hand and tossed it off the balcony.

On the one hand, this will be considerably less time consuming.  On the other, it more or less guarantees that I will continue to be The One Called Upon to Dispatch the Insect, Yea, From Now Until Eternity.

And from coast to coast, no less.

*Unless it is with the heel of your left shoe, but, even then, why would you?  Leave enough of them alone, and you will have no problems whatsoever with other insects!

Ways to Tell I've Been Here Too Long, # 87348957

For the first few weeks, the crickets were cute.  Well, except for when they were in my house.

Then I started catching them under random spare glasses to toss them outside, because, a) everybody knows it's bad luck to kill the frikkin' things, just like with spiders*, and b) just like with waterbugs, the remnants are ... less than charming ... to deal with.

And now?  Now, I have had the same kind of an epiphany that I had when living in my 2nd apartment ever, the one where I just lost the basic gross-out factor of civilized humanity; I just picked the cricket up in my hand and tossed it off the balcony.

On the one hand, this will be considerably less time consuming.  On the other, it more or less guarantees that I will continue to be The One Called Upon to Dispatch the Insect, Yea, From Now Until Eternity.

And from coast to coast, no less.

*Unless it is with the heel of your left shoe, but, even then, why would you?  Leave enough of them alone, and you will have no problems whatsoever with other insects!