The Golden Compass

I've been enjoying the coverage of the movie the Golden Compass. I've listened to several reports about concerned parents, upset religious groups, opinionated theologians, pleased moviegoers and critics. In all the debate I'm becoming convinced that I may be the only person who has actually read all three books of Philip Pullman's Dark Material Series. And Aaron, because I made him read it too.

In 1995 I came across The Golden Compass in Lexington SC's trailer of a public library at the tender age of 12. I saw a blue-ish book with a girl riding a polar bear and I thought this is going to be good!

It was. I immediately became a hard core atheist. Just kidding! The book was fantastic. Lyra, the girl on the cover, is one of the strongest, most resourceful, and empowering heroines you could hope for. The story was mysterious, imaginative and beautiful. In Lyra's world every person's soul is manifest in the form of a "daemon" which takes the form on an animal mirroring their personality. Children's daemon's shape shift until their identities become more certain.

In Book One, Lyra and her daemon Pan find out that children are being kidnapped and taken into the north for gruesome experiments. When her best friend Roger is snatched, she sets off in an attempt to save him. Meanwhile, the authorities realize Lyra fits some prophesies and possesses a very special tool, so they pursue her. The book follows Lyra through adventure and intrigue to the very edge of the world.

Reading it, I laughed, I cried, I gripped the pages so tightly my knuckles turned white. The book's ending left me sobbing. SOBBING. I cried harder than I had ever cried for a book. SPOILER SPOILER: The authorities experiments provide a way to destroy someone's soul, so not only kill them physically but completely annihilate them. Destroying a soul releases a massive amount of power which they use to break into a higher spiritual dimension. After witnessing the killing Lyra is determined the death will be avenged. End of book one.

With that kind of ending I snatched up The Subtle Knife as soon as it came out which was 1997 (age 14). Turns out the bad guys who did the soul destroying have a plan to climb higher and higher through the spiritual dimensions to do battle with god who they call The Authority. They're creating a kind of Tower of Babel to topple a god they believe is oppressive and damning. They want to restart things, reorganize, recreate the mortal existence with Lyra as Eve.

The mortals and heavenly hosts assemble to different sides and war begins. An earth kid, Will comes along. With a powerful knife he assists Lyra to continue to break through dimensions. A pair of gay angels appear to assist the kids along.

The Amber Spyglass 2000 (age 17) continues the adventure. Lyra and Will go into the world of the dead to try to help free the souls trapped there by The Authority.
Lyra is pursued by a murderous monk who has already been pardoned by the church for murdering Lyra, the plan being if Lyra is killed, no new Eve, no new world. Everyone runs around, battles are fought, The Authority is killed but instead of choosing to begin things again, Lyra declines the role of Eve, seals the dimensions and everyone lives happily ever after. Whew.

It's kind of a hard series to summarize. I had to leave out dust which is a the particulate matter of sin, soul sucking zombies, the air balloonist, gypsies, witches and the rabbits on wheels. I liked the books. I think they give a great opportunity to really consider spiritual and mortal existence. I obviously disagree with the author's representation of God's character but it's a book which gives a good hard look at what it means to have a soul, to live under the authority of God, to exist immortally. How many books have enough faith in teens to let them grapple with such wonderful questions?

Sadly Pullman's questioning is quickly overwhelmed by his own assetions. In the last two books he gets preachy, really preachy, knocking out questions with quick sometimes tacky answers about the impossibility or evil of an omniscient deity.

So shield your eyes or go see the movie. I don't really care. But it is about killing god. And the nature of our souls. And riding Polar Bears.

Make A Flake

So a day or so ago, thanks to Maren, I came across this really awesome snowflake making application called Make A Flake. My coworkers and I promptly had a snowflake making competition which became surprisingly intense. After a lot of nit picky snipping and designing we came up with some pretty amazing flakes. I judged myself the winner but that was contested. Oh well, you can never make everyone happy.

I've gone back several times since because snow flake making is so much fun! And doing it on the computer means there's no need to worry about sweeping up afterwards. If you only have a minute or an hour, it's worth trying out. Above is one of the many flakes I have since produced. Can you see my name in it?

Favourite Book

I knew it was serious when Aaron told me he thought he might like me more than his books. We were sitting in his basement apartment packing a roomful of his books into boxes, so arguably his books were being more trouble than they usually are. Still, Aaron holds his books close to his heart, so it was, in its way, how Aaron first told me he loved me.

Since then, I know I've tested that declaration. After our fifth move and a lot of book carrying, I made him sort and give away a good number. The experience left him shaken and sulking. But does anyone really need fifteen copies of Candide? We now have only three copies.

Anyway, books have always been a big part of our relationship, which is one of the reasons I really like the song "My Favourite Book" by Stars. (They're Canadian so they spell wrong.) You can listen to it here.

Here are some of the lyrics:

And to this day, when everything breaks, you are the anchor that holds me

And that is why we'll always make it

How I know your face, all the ways you move, you come in, I can read you
You're my favourite book
All the things you say, the way you shift your eyes
I never knew there was someone, to make me come alive

Mushrooms

This is one of my favorite poems. It reminds me of the power of life. And I just really like mushrooms, especially to paint. I painted the one above.

Mushrooms

Overnight, very
Whitely, discreetly,
Very quietly

Our toes, our noses
Take hold on the loam,
Acquire the air.

Nobody sees us,
Stops us, betrays us;
The small grains make room.

Soft fists insist on
Heaving the needles,
The leafy bedding,

Even the paving.
Our hammers, our rams,
Earless and eyeless,

Perfectly voiceless,
Widen the crannies,
Shoulder through holes. We

Diet on water,
On crumbs of shadow,
Bland-mannered, asking

Little or nothing.
So many of us!
So many of us!

We are shelves, we are
Tables, we are meek,
We are edible,

Nudgers and shovers
In spite of ourselves.
Our kind multiplies:

We shall by morning
Inherit the earth.
Our foot's in the door.

Sylvia Plath

Nellie McKay - Mother of Pearl

I really like Nellie Mckay's music. She's quirky and smart and plays a mean piano with the elegant air of days gone by. This is a new song "Mother of Pearl" off her new album Obligatory Villagers. Please recognize the tongue in cheek nature of her work. Here are the lyrics:

Feminists don't have a sense of humor
Feminists just want to be alone (boo-hoo)
Feminists spread vicious lies and rumor
They have a tumor on their funny bone

They say child molestation isn't funny
Rape and degradation's just a crime (lighten up, ladies)
Rampant prostitution, sex for money (what's wrong with that)
Can't these chicks do anything but whine

Dance break
Woo-hoo
(Take it off)

They say cheap objectification isn't witty, it's hot
Equal work and wages worth the fight (sing us a new one)
On demand abortion, every city (okay, but no gun control)
Won't these women ever get a life

Feminists don't have a sense of humor (poor Hilary)
Feminists and vegetarians
Feminists spread vicious lies and rumor
They're far too sensitive to ever be a ham
That's why these feminists just need to find a man

I'm Dennis Kucinich, and I approve this message

Best Salad in the World

I have serious thing against salad. It comes from being a kid vegetarian. Everyone else gets good food and then you get a whimpy bowl of iceburg lettuce. YUCK. So on principle I tend to turn salads down in hopes of better fare, but I make an exception to the rule with this WONDERFUL salad.
It is my absolute favorite. It is so fresh and healthy that I can never fit enough in my mouth. Just look at it, every bowl is a party! It's one of those rare blends of healthy and Delicious. My Aunt Joan used her amazing food scientist powers and recreated the recipe after enjoying it in a San Fran. And all you need to make it is a knife. Here's the recipe.

3 cups red cabbage shredded
1 cup jicama peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 grapefruit peeled and skinned of it's white waxy layer
1 carrot grated, this is really just for color
13 sprigs cilantro
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp splenda or sugar

Citi - Norway

This is probably my current favorite commercial. Maybe if Aaron's family would do a little more research they could be Swedish too!