Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Pressure Makes Whine's LiveJournal:

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Friday, June 13th, 2003
1:11 pm	Shoreline Library's book club has an awesome lineup. I've never been to one of their meetings, but am very excited by the list: 7/23: Reeds in the Wind, by Grazia Deledda 8/27: Dress Code: Of Three Girlhoods, by Noell Howey 9/24: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman (Which works out nice for me, since I already wanted to read this anyway after my presentation for school on Hmong women.) 10/22: Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi (This book looks superrad.) Very exciting. (Dirty Deeds?)
12:42 pm	I've been reading a lot of crime/trial novels lately. I have almost finished the Ben Kincaid series by William Bernhardt. It's a great series, and I'll be sad when I'm done with it. There's a new book in it coming out soon. I've become one of those folks that puts books on reserve through the library while they're still on order. Go me. Other than that, I've been largely limiting my academic reading to that which pertains to school. Not burning out before I've even cracked the books for studying. But now... School's Out for Summer! So of course that means I'll be into more books. I hope. Not that I've been a reading lightweight lately... I'm just too lazy to post about them, because that requires actually saying something about a book instead of just ingesting it in one sitting. Mmmm, novels. Go so fast. And then it's on to another one. Current Mood: pleased (1 Done Dirt Cheap | Dirty Deeds?)
Wednesday, May 14th, 2003
5:54 pm	Boys Like Her: Transfictions, by Taste This (performance group/spoken word) -- Queer writing/art Also worth mentioning: Yesterday I finished Boys Like Her for a book group at Ingersoll. Describing it may be difficult, but I'll try. Taste this is a performance group that writes pieces/works of writing to be spoken (performed) on stage. They took a bunch of those pieces (and probably new works as well) and put them into book form. The glossy pages, great layout, and original (and excellent) photography make the book seem like a work of art all in itself. The group consists of four members: Ivan, Zoe, Lyndell, and Anna. All are some form of queer, but in different ways and with different means of expressing their "queerness". Anna is definitely a woman, and a femme at that. Hard to question that. As for the other three members, they all seem to be at various stages of boyhood/boy-dykehood. All four of the members were "born with female bodies", but didn't necessarily accept their assigned gender. Although the members are different from each other, they do, for the most part, form a cohesive group that works wonderfully. On the written works: Some of the pieces deal with gender very specifically, some in passing, and many don't focus on it at all. Some focus on very little things, simple things. Some tell stories that I could identify with, while some told stories that I knew nothing about, but was compelled by regardless. And some of the pieces were just out there in the middle of nowhere. Some writers/performers have a tendency to be "so out there" because if other people can't understand you, it must be art. These performers don't seem to get into that mode very often, but sometimes I wonder. Thankfully, the pieces that make sense far outweigh the ones that don't. And, if you're one of those readers that loves it when things make no sense, or you're interested in "looking for the deeper meaning" in everything, well, you'll be happy, too. Some of the pieces were porn/erotica/weird fantasies. Yes, as a boy, I'm kind of a hornball sometimes, but I have a couple criticisms: 1) I didn't think the porn, etc. was that great, 2) It didn't fit at all into the rest of the book, and 3) Some of it was just plain fucking weird. Mermaid and knife, anyone? (?!) Not to say that no one will enjoy it. I just didn't think it worked with the book. The writing, in conclusion: Most of it is excellent. If you think a piece sucks, skip it. Then we'll all be happy. =) I found myself skipping a couple parts (though I read a vast majority of it), and I didn't feel dirty or any less "intellectual" (Ha). On the art: There are a lot of photographs wound tastefully (and artfully, I might add) into the book, with or adjacent to the written pieces. Almost all the pictures are really rad. Not all of them fit into whatever the hell the pieces is about, though most of them do (at least loosely). They tend to not detract, and they make the whole thing really appealing to the eye (and it made me feel rather artsy, I might add...). ;) (Dirty Deeds?)
4:58 pm	The Jury, by Steve Martini -- Mystery/Thriller/Law Hey kids, it's been a while. I finally have the time (sort of) and an overwhelming desire to read things that *aren't* for school. The book I'm reading now I started about an hour ago -- not all the way done with it, but I think writing about it at various stages of reading is easier and says more about the book. The Jury is a novel about the trial of a geneticist accused of murdering a co-worker. The reader has been provided with the possible motive of competition: The accused, the more experienced and accomplished scientist, feared that the up-and-coming new kid on the block would topple him from his position. Office politics and stretched relations added to the friction that would serve as potential motive for hate/vengeance. The book centers more on the trial and courtroom politics/relations than it does on the actual crime. I think this is a nice break, because while I'm a fan of crime thrillers, too many of them will freak me out for a while. Thus far, I have read to page 79 (or to chapter 6), and am enjoying it. Read on: ( Cut so as to not reveal any details to would-be readers ) (Dirty Deeds?)
Thursday, February 6th, 2003
3:36 pm	Chase's ever-expanding online list of books he should read Downsize This! - Michael Moore All that Counts - Georg M. Oswald (Dirty Deeds?)
Thursday, January 9th, 2003
2:16 pm	With school and all, I need some light, stupid reading (not that I've been reading much other than that, but that's not the point). I'm getting Party Girls by Roz Bailey, which I've never heard of but looks funny, and High Maintenance by Jennifer Belle, that I think I saw at Target or something. Works for me. They both look exceptionally dumb (which is different than just dumb). Anyways. (Dirty Deeds?)
Tuesday, January 7th, 2003
12:15 pm	The book I am reading right now is called Tender at the Bone, by Ruth Reichl. Basically, it is a funny biography about food. Not eating disorders, mind you, just someone who grew up in a world of food. Includes such classic elements as a mother who scraped mold off leftovers and served 'em up anyway. Pretty good. Moves slower than a lot of the other dumbfunnyyay books that I've been reading lately, but I guess that should be expected, since it's *true* fluff instead of other fluff. I've read a lot of good books since I updated. I'll post those later. For now, I should get to class soon. Dah dah dah. (Dirty Deeds?)
Monday, December 16th, 2002
2:00 pm	I finished Skipping Christmas a while ago, and it turned out quite alright. I was happy. Now I'm reading another dumb little book by something-Maxted called Getting Over It or something like that. It's a good, funny Brit lit read, but it seems to be taking me a really long time to read it. Bleh. (Dirty Deeds?)
Wednesday, December 11th, 2002
11:41 pm	The Enron book was fab-oo. Now I'm reading Skipping Christmas by John Grisham, which I hope to finish tonight. It's a pretty quick read, and very good so far (which I expect of Grisham anyway, no matter what type of book it is. I just came to a part where it doesn't sound like they're going on the cruise though, and I'm like, "NO!!!!" Current Mood: excited (Dirty Deeds?)
Saturday, December 7th, 2002
7:10 pm	I go to the library so much now and check out so many books and get on hold lists and stuff. It's like my new crack. It's a lot of fun, cuz I get tons of new stuff and basically get to have shopping orgies without spending any money (and it being legal). It's so fun. Woot. I see people on the book communites and stuff that want so many books on their Christmas lists and stuff, and I can't help but think, "Wow, don't you guys use the libraries?!" Bah. I don't know. Must be library user superiority on my part or something. Toot toot. Today I read Perfect Enemies by John Gallagher and Chris Bull (it's about the Religious Right versus the gay rights movement, and history and issues therein), and I also read Hundred Dollar Holiday (I don't remember who the author is, though), which is about finding the true meaning of Christmas and working toward escaping the consumerism associated with Christmas and expected during the season. Yes, today at Starbucks was a productive time. Next I'm going to read one of several books I checked out. There's one called something like I'd Like to Buy a Vowel, which is a funny little novel, or a book about Enron, or one about the dotcom thing, or Skipping Christmas by John Grisham, or a couple other choices, plus lots of books that I'll read after those. Oh wow oh wow, what a big book orgy! (Dirty Deeds?)
Sunday, November 24th, 2002
4:45 pm	As of a long time ago, I have lots and lots of books sitting around, in the car or on my bookshelf that I want to read. Add two more to the list, too. (Ahhh, the three two/too/to's used correctly in a sentence... Ahhhh.) Anyway. They are: Divided We Stand: A biography of New York's World Trade Center by Eric Darton and East of Eden by Steinbeck I'm checking them out today. I'm all excited now. However, I am irritated to find that nowhere in the KLCS is The First Masochist. I might just have to buy it. Lame-O, but I guess not too surprising. That's all. Chase (Dirty Deeds?)
Wednesday, November 20th, 2002
7:23 pm	Someone in the library reaks of cigarette smoke. I smoke, and I know it's not me. It smells like someone took a bath in stale butts. Yuck. I haven't been reading as much as I would like to in the last couple days. Things coming up in my personal life have seen to it that I don't accomplish much in the literary world. Lame. That also means that I haven't had the relaxation that I need, or the sense of accomplishment. Basically, I feel like shit. Bleh. (Dirty Deeds?)
Friday, November 15th, 2002
5:03 pm	I'm about a quarter of the way through The Book of Lights now, and liking it. It's a good book. The story is interesting... it deals with Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) and some other things (a smart Jewish college student, his family and teachers, the Korean War, and some other things). I really like Potok. I briefly glanced through My Name is Asher Lev, and didn't think it looked very interesting, but the other ones I've seen are rad. I hope to finish The Book of Lights tomorrow or the next day. (Dirty Deeds?)
11:51 am	Blah Blah Blah: A Rambling Review John Steinbeck's The Short Reign of Pippin IV (Written during and after reading the book.) --------------------------------------------------------- This story reads as a fairy tale, and I'm enjoying it very much. It's a side of Steinbeck I have not seen before. When it strayed from just being about Pippin and going into the political side of things, I thought it grew dull. Now that it's back to his story (although now he's in politics), hopefully I'll like it again. It is just possible that they will get a king-- and that's the last thing in the world they want (56). Hee. Reminds me of the Biblical story of Israel's demand for a king, and Samuel's acquiescence (it was Samuel, right...?). It's funny how Steinbeck points out that America seems to give support for dictatorships, rather than rule by the people, in other countries (58). In this book, with America's support, they took $$ from kids to improve the king's holdings/housing. Bleh. H.W. Johnson never blamed President Hoover for the loss of his grocery store, but he could never forgive President Roosevelt for having fed him (81). = A handout is the worst form of disgrace. Right when I finished reading it, my first response was, "Oh my gosh! It had a good (happy) ending! What the...?" As anyone who has read his work knows, Steinbeck is not known for happy endings. The book as a whole wasn't exactly "Steinbeck-ian," either. More of a fairy tale than a story of commonpeople's woes. It was a fun read. If I knew more about French history/politics, it probably would have had more meaning and humor for me, but that didn't subtract from my experience significantly. In short: Departing from his signature style, Steinbeck penned a poignant political satire for French history buffs, and a good little story for the rest. Enjoyable throughout. (Dirty Deeds?)
Thursday, November 14th, 2002
8:31 pm	I just finished The Short Reign of Pippin IV by Steinbeck today. It was excellent. I'll post more on it later, when I have what I've already written in front of me. I think I'm going to read Potok's The Book of Lights next. I hope to finish that shortly, but it looks to be a hard read. (Dirty Deeds?)
Thursday, November 7th, 2002
10:21 pm	I don't have the concentration/motivation to participate in NaNoWriMo right now, but I think it's a really rad thing to try. So, I've decided I will pick a month at random and do it then. I can't do it now, and I don't want to wait a whole year before the time rolls around again. Sounds like a plan to me. (Dirty Deeds?)
10:10 pm	I should read more Roald Dahl books. He's so fabulous. (Dirty Deeds?)
9:46 pm	I finished The Moon is Down early this morning. I'm so proud of myself (for actually staying on schedule for reading for once!). I didn't understand the ending as much as I would have liked, but I really liked the characters, story, and the way it was written enough that I thought the book was excellend overall. I just love Steinbeck. Except The Pearl, but that's another story, and I might read it again just to make sure I don't like it. And now I'm going to go on some sort of book notes site to try to understand the ending. I'm such a nerd. Oh, and I'm reading The Short Reign of Pippin IV: A Fabrication, also by Steinbeck. I love the usage of the word fabrication there. Woot. (Dirty Deeds?)
Wednesday, November 6th, 2002
5:00 pm	I want to finish The Moon is Down tonight, but more realistically, it will probably be tomorrow. I'm also going to return Huck Finn, which I finished, and How Nancy Jackson Married Kate Wilson (or something like that), by Mark Twain. I didn't read much of it, but I wasn't that into what I did read. When I got it from the library, I thought it was non-fiction, and I would have been much more into that. (Dirty Deeds?)
4:41 pm	I just began reading The Moon is Down, by John Steinbeck. It was written as a piece of propaganda for the Allies during WWII, and distributed illegally in different languages in several countries. Apparently it was quite effective and well-received amongst those countries (although certainly not by the Nazis, et al.). I think its history is really cool. The book itself is also pretty rad. I like Steinbeck's way of telling stories in few words and simple language... And that they all tend to be about the common folk. Steinbeck's just rad any way. (Dirty Deeds?)