Ally Condie's "Crossed" (review)

Last week I wrote a review of the first, titular book in Ally Condie’s Matched trilogy (you can read it here if you’d like).  And of course THAT THING happened where you can’t stop thinking about a book until you get your hands on the next one in the series.  Of course I had a feeling this would happen.  But rather than wait to review the whole series, I decided to do individual reviews for each book.  This is partially because I didn’t want to forget any of the details, and partially because the last book in the series, Reached, has only just been released today.  And I’m like number 63 in line on the library holds list for that one.  So the show must go on.

Crossed is the second book in the Matched trilogy.  My main complaint against the otherwise delightful first book was the pacing.  It just seemed to lack action.  The second book definitely amps up the action quotient, showing the struggles of both Ky and Cassia by splitting the perspective of the book between these two with alternating chapters featuring their points of view.  Ky and his brethren are sent to the front lines of a war that is not so much being fought as staged, and there is no shortage of action as he comes under fire and is forced to make difficult choices.  Cassia’s story also gets significantly more action packed as she pursues Ky across unknown territory.  I enjoyed this dual perspective because it allowed for the story to effectively advance, despite the geographic distance between Ky and Cassia for a good portion of the book.  However, at times I found that I was confused as to whose perspective I was reading.  Because some of the chapters are so very short (only one page!), I seemed to forget that the perspective had changed.  This was particularly prominent in scenes where Ky and Cassia are talking to each other, it is hard to determine whose side the reader is viewing at those times.  Despite this, I don’t think the story could have been effectively told without using this tool, even though it was sloppily used at times.

The new characters were a very welcome addition to the story as well.  Indie and Eli provide a bit more depth and variety of emotional responses in the characters, which was not seen in the first book.  Indie especially seems to contain all the anger that Cassia and Ky hold about their lives, but are unable to express.  As Eli embodies the innocence of their previous lives/childhoods, I found it appropriate that he is left behind as the rest of the characters push for the Rising.  One character that does not get its full due in Crossed is the Society.  And while I appreciate that this part of the story is set in the fringes of the Society’s reach, I found it bizarre that the characters are able to complete so many of their actions without the supposedly omnipotent and omniscient Society noticing.  But maybe this gets addressed in Reached.

Overall, Crossed is a very fitting and exciting continuation of the series.  And, most of all, I appreciated not being left with a cliffhanger ending!  The ending (which I shan’t spoil) leaves the reader wanting more, but does not invoke the total desperation a la Hunger Games where you feel like you just might freak out and/or cry if you don’t find out what happens next.  But I do have high expectations and a nagging urge to read the last book, Reached.  

But for now I wait for the library to deliver, like it always does, in good time.

Scarves... the real crochet proving ground.

Have you ever crocheted until the doctor told you to stop because you went in there complaining your wrist was sore and it turns out you had a repetitive strain injury because you just wanted to finish that last metre of scarf?

I HAVE.

Everybody kind of scoffs at the scarf as a knit or crochet project.  There is some sort of assumption that this is the thing that only beginners would deign to make.  The rest of us are too busy with complicated doilies or making sweaters or rugs or whatever.

The problem with this is, I hate making all of the so-called complicated things.  And while I hesitate to say I'm a crochet expert, I've been doing it for a long time and I do think I'm pretty darn good.  So supposedly I'm only supposed to make things that require a measure of skill.  But none of those things are any fucking fun.  A doily?  SERIOUSLY?  First of all, I hate tiny hooks.  Secondly, I hate tiny yarn.  And thirdly, no one uses doilies anymore!  Mom and I vend, we sell our stuff.  You try to sell a doily and people look at you like you are insane.  Despite the fact that a nice table doily is like a 20 hour project, apparently I should be giving them away for free.  And yet, people will pay good money for the simplest project of them all, a cozy scarf.  There is no logic in this, but I'll rant about our meager profit margins another day.

Sweaters also suck.  I tried to make a cardigan once...

And that's all there is to say about that.

And who crochets a rug?!  People are going to step on it and wreck it!  That's no way to treat something that you've spent 30-50 hours of quality time with.

So back to the humble scarf! The beginner is likely to make a scarf that is all singles or doubles, or an alternating pattern of one row of each, such as this:

Simple, pretty, and warm!

Not that I'm bashing any scarf that uses all singles or doubles.  Such a scarf can be beautiful and fun to make.  Or, if it is like this ribbed scarf, a real challenge because of it's time consuming nature:
 

Not quick.

It is entirely possible to get really creative when it comes to scarves and to create some really beautiful pieces which are even a moderate challenge (or at least not a total brain coma) for the more advanced crochet ninja.  So today I'm going to share a few of my favorite crochet scarf patterns that I've picked up from Ravelry.

The first one I want to share is a pattern for a lattice scarf (if you did it in green, it could be your "lettuce lattice"... heehee).  This one is mostly doubles, I made it as a Christmas gift a few years back.  What I like about this one is your yarn seems to go further than usual, and it makes a really nice straight edge down the sides of the scarf.  While this one looks good in a solid, in variegated the colours tend to lump up in interesting ways, it looks pretty cool:

Manly yes, but kitty likes it too.

Another fun one is this acacia scarf:

Love the colour on this one.

While the original calls for a solid colour, I also made this one in a varigated colour.  I like this pattern because (although it is hard to see in a varigated colour) there is a bit of variation in the pattern.  You work two rows of half-doubles, then do two rows of clusters.  The overall result makes for a very nice scarf.  This is also one of very few patterns I've found in which the scarf is worked lengthwise instead of widthwise.  This allows for the possibility of doing long stripes as the pattern changes, which would look really neat.

And last but not least is the pattern I call the "honeymoon scarf" pattern, because the first time I made it was when I was on a 14 hour plane ride on the way to Japan for my honeymoon (it's real title is spring petals scarf).  You can get A LOT of crochet done in an environment like that...

Ah, memories.

This one is a bit tricky to get started.  While it's mostly groups of three doubles, they are tilted on an angle, and the stitch where they are worked stretches out to create a little wave of sorts.  I find this one to be a pretty fast pattern and also really addictive.  I'm currently making my fifth scarf using this pattern to give away for a Christmas gift this year.

So while none of these are real brain-scratchers to figure out (but who really wants to be driven to tears by a pattern anyway?), I found them to be fun winter wear that allows for a bit of personality and creativity.  And of course if you are like me the best part of all these scarves is not only in the making but the wearing.  And the pride of being able to say to your friends and co-workers, "yeah, I made it myself".  Good luck doing that with a doily.

Snowmageddon... or, the winter wonderland (a rant)

Edmontonians have some truly bizarre habits.  And today is a living example of one of these habits; our truly baffling relationship that we have with the weather.

It's snowing.  Yes, a LOT of snow.  Yes, it just keeps coming and the weather warning is out and OH MY GOD apparently we are all GOING TO DIE based on the level of conversation on twitter, generalized panic, marshmellow-shaped outerwear, and people leaving work early to beat the so called "rush" when the rush is actually a slushy crawl no matter where you are headed.

Despite the fact that this happens every single year, it seems that Edmontonians are unable to wrap their heads around the fact that it is indeed SNOWING.  Disregard the fact that we all, in some way or another, have chosen to live in what is eight months of the year a god-forsaken hell hole of frozen death, and have miraculously survived every other apparently unsurvivable winter up until this point.  The end is clearly nigh, as the photographic evidence will tell you:

You should probably just make your last will and testament now.

I have some theories about while we all collectively crap our pants (and forget how to drive) the first time we get a heavy winter storm.

#1. DENIAL
Maybe if we keep talking about how awful the weather is, it will go away.  That works with people after all, therefore it must also work with the climate.  I think a good number of Edmontonians are so far into denial about the fact that they are staring down the barrel of EIGHT MORE MONTHS of this shit that they think they can wish the weather away by acting like this is as bad as it has ever been or ever will be.  These people are wrong... and clearly in denial about not only winter's arrival but also about the fact that February will be INFINITELY WORSE.  In February (AKA the month that lasts forever, despite having the fewest days,) there is no Christmas to look forward to, and the snowy scene above will have been the mainstay of our lives for the last FOUR MONTHS.

#2. AMNESIA/POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
Is it possible that everyone just forgot that winter existed over the course of the summer?  Was the memory of soggy boots, frost-bitten fingertips and cars perpetually trapped in snowdrifts just too bloody painful to deal with?  How is it that we get caught by surprise by the first snow storm literally every single year?  Nobody puts on their goddamn snow tires, or finds the car sweeper brush so that they can clear a spot bigger than two pee-holes in the snow from which to see while they drive.  And then the snow comes and we act like this is the first time this has ever happened.  Are we actually so traumatized by the dark, cold depths of an Alberta winter that we forget them once the sun pops out in the spring and the trees start to bloom?  Probably.

And then there is the DARK.  I'm not actually going to go into the dark because it's unrelated to the snow, but in December when your UV lamp is on overdrive and you can't get out of bed because you're stricken with seasonal affective disorder and/or a lack of vitamin D, you will look at the snow and justifiably feel like crying.

I'm not saying we should never piss and moan about the weather, because I for one am obviously all about the pissing and moaning.  BUT. We should not be collectively freaking out every year when the snow comes.  It is a fact of life.  It will snow and be shitty hell outdoors for the next eight months.  DEAL.  Or, move to Vancouver, if you want to see what a city of people who are ACTUALLY terrified of snow really looks like.

Ally Condie's "Matched"... or, go ask Ally. (review)

"One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small.  And the ones that mother gives you don't do anything at all."

- Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit"

 We selected dystopian fiction for book club this month.  For me, this was pretty much like winning the genre lottery.  Next to my deep-seated love for magical realism, dystopian runs a close second in my favorite genre race.  I love the world building, I love the despotic governments, I love the underdog, (often underage) heroes/heroines, and I ESPECIALLY love that there is no guarantee of a happy ending.  When you're reading a dystopian story, anything goes.  Anything and everything could happen.  I absolutely adore the flexibility that this genre has that comes with this lack of rules.  It's not bound by the historical accuracy of westerns and historical fiction.  It is not bound by the required good feelings and happy endings of romance novels.  And most curious of all, it seems that any level of violence becomes pretty much completely acceptable if the novel is dystopian, even if the intended audience is children/teens.

So for dystopian month, I selected a book that I have been itching to read for months.  With the impeding release of Reached, I thought it would be a fantastic time to read Ally Condie's popular triology Matched, so I read the titular book of this series.

Now let me preface this review by saying I have read A LOT of dystopian works.  And while that doesn't make me an expert, it makes me an avid reader, super-huge fan, and a pretty picky clientele.  I was very intrigued by the whole premise of the mistaken match, and devoured Matched over the course of about four days (this is incredibly fast for me, I am a very slow and deliberate reader).

The first thing that I noticed about Matched is the simplicity of the language.  Now while the lack of variety in adjectives or five-point words could be annoying for the reader, I treated the level of the writing to reflect the context of the story.  The characters' restricted access to literature and other forms of expression explain the simplistic verbiage; it is written as the first-person protagonist Cassia would speak.  It is rife with simple words and short sentences which are low on detail.  But every now and then there is a sentence that will pop out as being much more complex, and these are instances where Cassia is questioning the Society.  As a result, I found this style of writing to be highly reflective of the mental state of the characters.

However, I do have to complain about the slow pace of the work.  While I still found it highly engaging, I worry that this may have been because I love the genre so much and less that I was desperate to find out about what happened next.  The story feels like it is dragging its feet a bit.  And while this was probably to allow for more character development and the progress of the relationships between Cassia, Zander and Ky, I feel like the story could have used a few less of the moments where not a lot is happening.  Apparently the pacing improves and things get a bit more fast-paced in the later books of the series (which I have on hold at the library!).

Matched reminded me of several other books that I've read.  I felt that it is a bit like a combination of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.  The perspective is like The Hunger Games in reverse; we see the world of the privileged city dwellers instead of the abused outliers living in rural regions.  And Brave New World came to mind because of the societal control aspects, the constant monitoring and assigned careers, as well as the plight of those marked from birth as unacceptable.

In terms of the violence that is usually found in dystopian works, I found that Matched was actually pretty non-violent and generally low-key when it came to physical threats towards the characters.  But keep in mind that this is in comparison to the hyper-violence in comparable works including The Hunger Games and Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking triology.  Much more is implied in Matched, which I think greatly compliments the aspects of the Society as being both a menace and a protector, and fits well with the bland wording as well.  The reader is not quite sure exactly what sort of fate will befall a citizen if they fall out of favor with society.  And not knowing/not seeing the evil and the violence quite as much helps to make the book that much creepier and enticing.

So in conclusion, I would say that Matched is not the scariest, nor the most violent, nor the most eloquently written dystopian fiction work that I have ever read.  But it is exceptionally well-balanced, and creates those feelings within the reader that only seem to come with dystopian works... the little worry in the back of one's mind that this could happen to us.

Watch for a follow-up review of the next book in this triology, Crossed, in the near future.

I saved 400 lives this year, ask me how.

A beautiful image of a mother and her baby.

Today, one day after World Vegan Day, I am celebrating my second "vegeversary". I have now been a vegan for two full years.  :)  This also marks four and a half years of being a vegetarian.

So I thought that today would be an excellent day to not only reminisce on what brought me to this lifestyle, but also talk about how I've stayed veg all this time (although people who are in the same lifestyle I am sure will agree, it would be much harder to eat meat knowing what we know and feeling how we do).

Anyway.  Way back in ye olde 2008 I was working in the northern middle of nowhere, and living with a guy who turned out to be a real jerkface.  Now, when jerkface and I broke up, I took the opportunity as my life was changing to make the lifestyle changes I had been wanting to make for a long time, but was too intimidated by jerkface to make them.  It is amazing how complacent and accepting of the status quo I had been until we broke up.  Getting out from under his control was like snapping out of a daze.  I was suddenly, vibrantly, alive.  At that point I feel like I finally grew up as well, and started taking responsibility for my actions.  I took responsibility for my physical health, and also took responsibility for the lives that I was taking on a daily basis by choosing to consume meat.  I made the decision to no longer hide from the facts and nod along with the rest of society.  And along with this I realized that it is not possible to actually love animals if one is taking their lives.

The last meat I ever intentionally consumed (we've all been slipped meat broth by accident at one point or another I'm sure) was the salami on a sandwich on the first of July, 2008.  After that there was no going back.  I knew that I didn't want to be a person who caused a baby calf to be torn from it's mom to spend a short, miserable life in a veal crate.  I didn't want to be a person who sanctioned the cruelty of factory farms, and the terror of animals at slaughter.  I began to look at the freezer case at the grocery store much differently.  Instead of a mouthwatering steak, I saw only the decaying corpse of an animal, stripped of it's identity into something unidentifiable.  I'm sure a human processed in the same way would look very much the same.  But these shopping trips also made me realize that I had very little in the way of culinary skills.  My entire adult life to that point I had been cooking by slapping frozen processed foods onto a baking tray, or making instant foods.  I was a complete cooking newbie despite having been on my own for several years.  Naturally, the result of no more frozen chicken fingers was that I finally learned how to cook.  I learned the delicate spicing of Indian chickpea and lentil dishes.  I learned the secret to creating faux meats from TVP, tofu and vital wheat gluten.  I expanded by cooking repertoire to include foods I had never even heard of prior to going vegetarian.  And slowly but surely, weight started to melt off.  It was so gradual I barely noticed it, but after eight months of vegetarian meals and occasional moderate exercise, I lost 20 pounds and achieved my ideal weight.  And I've been there ever since.

The change from vegetarian to vegan came in much the same way as my initial adoption of vegetarianism had.  I educated myself, and I took responsibility for my actions.  I realized that I was not ok with the suffering of a mutilated, battery caged hen, who never sets foot outdoors, or feels the warmth of the sun.  I could no longer condone through my choices the miserable lives of perpetually pregnant dairy cows.  It was no longer just about not killing and eating animals.  It was about compassion.  It was realizing that farm animals do not suffer only in death, but that their whole lives are suffering.  And through demanding these products, I asked for them to suffer.

I know that there is no undoing the suffering I caused as an omnivore.  But that is why I do my best to make sure that the lives of these individuals who have died, and continue to die in genocidal quantities, are valued and respected.  In 2010, I had the red lotus of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion, tattooed on my shoulder.  I see it and I remember that the primary tenet of my life is compassion.  I live my life now with the promise that I shall do no further harm to anyone, be they human or animal.  That all sentient individuals shall know no harm from me.  They will never fear me.

And I do the most I can for them in a world which unnecessarily murders them in the name of tradition.  As my vegan friends know, when sometimes we feel the injustice more deeply, it is so hard not to proselytize.  I try not to.  I feed my friends and family delicious homemade vegan meals.  I give out copies of my favorite recipes.  I invite people to join causes which support animals and look to end their suffering.  And I lead by example, the example of compassion for all, the great and small.  Sometimes it makes no difference.  But other times they ask to know more, and I know that there is always hope.

So today, to mark my "vegeversary" I made a donation to a local farm animal rescue society.  And promised to myself and the universe that I will not forget, or shirk the responsibility that comes with being human.  One person makes a difference (average of 400+ animals saved each year per person!).  Vegans, we are mavericks.  Don't give up.

Cameron Carpenter & The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari (review)

I will be the first person to admit that I don’t get out much.  But that’s just in my nature.  I am an absolutely fervent homebody.  I like my bed, I like sitting on my couch, I like doing my crochet, I like being with my DH and with my cats.  I just like being at home.  I am a creature of resolute contentment and stoicism when I’m at home.  As a result of this, DH (who is also a decadent homebody) and I don’t go out on the town very often.

However, there are certain things for which I will always venture out and about in the freshly wintered atmosphere of my beloved city.  Last night we traversed the slushy streets and strolled in the dark down to the Winspear Centre, to see a classic work in my absolute favorite genre of silent film.

I have been a serious fan of silent film for several years now, and I can say that it all started with Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.  And while I could wax poetic about its charms, I’ll save that for another blog entry on another day.  

The iconic Mensch-Maschine.

I have difficulty explaining what exactly it is about silent film that I find so enthralling and attractive.  Many would accuse them of being boring or campy.  I think the reason I find them so compelling is their purity.  They are the very roots of all we have come to know as modern cinema, yet less corrupted by modern phenomenon like product placement and overflowing egos.  Silent film is the progenitor of a medium which has come to define and reflect society.  To see cinema at its very roots is very humbling.  Immense efforts were undertaken not only to create the film in those early days, but also the decades (in some cases, quite nearly a century) of efforts to preserve, maintain and rediscover these works.  A silent film is not merely an entertainment, it’s a window to the past and a testament to the enduring importance of the arts.

But I digress (for now…), the film we saw last night was one of the finest works of German expressionist cinema, The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari (1920).  Musical accompaniment was provided by organ virtuoso Cameron Carpenter, who furnished the piece with his own original score.

For anyone who hasn’t seen The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari (yet), it is available at the EdmontonPublic Library, which as a sidenote I would like to say has done an absolutely fabulous job of collecting not only the well-known silent films but also many more of the obscure titles from all over the world.  The beauty of this movie comes not only in the surprise twist ending (from which M. Night Shyamalan surely took his cues) but in the fantastic sets, costumes, and overall cinematography.  The expressionist style is so perfectly captured in this film; the themes of madness found not only in the actions and mannerisms of the characters, but within the very construction of their world in the set design.  A right angle is nowhere to be found in the twisted streets and buildings.  

And then there is the soundtrack.  I was very excited to see and hear the Davis Concert Organ, the jewel of the Winspear Centre, in its full glory in the very capable hands of organist Cameron Carpenter.  Carpenter did not disappoint, his warm-up to the screening was a treat to watch, as his feet and hands flew about, creating an amazing spectacle which thrilled the audience.  While I was a bit nervous to find that Carpenter was playing his own original soundtrack to the film, this worry was unnecessary.  Carpenter performed very well, capturing the madness of the characters in the many variations of his theme.  There were times when I forgot that I was listening to a single organ, and believed that I could hear strings, trumpets, and a rumbling bass.  While I’m not sure that anyone could make a difficult instrument like the organ “look easy”, Carpenter’s frenetic playing made it sound like an orchestra and provided appropriate, beautiful accompaniment to the film.

So overall, I’m quite glad I went out last night.  The evening was a delight.  Kudos not only to Cameron Carpenter, but also to the long departed forefathers of film, whose works still draw a crowd, and still invite us to imagine. 

Five sinful vegan delights! (Vegan mofo)

Vegans, we can all commiserate.  When you first make the change to a plant-based diet you feel like you may never again gorge yourself on jalapeno poppers, milkshakes and mozza sticks.  And of course there is every non-vegan person who you know who says “damn, how will you ever live without cheese/butter/eggs/whatever other product that oozed from an animal’s hindquarters”, not making you feel any better about having made the less easy but more ethical choice.

Fear not.  You can have your fat and eat it too!  I laugh at the common misconception that everything vegan must be healthy.  We too can eat like complete and total shit and feast on fatty deliciousness every now and then.  What follows is a sample of some of the treats that can be veganized, but haven’t been made very much healthier… and that’s not bad at all.

NACHOS!

I wanna stuff them all in my mouth at once!

Everybody loves a big ole plate of nachos!  With the fabulous innovation of so many delicious vegan cheeses, there is no reason why you can’t have delicious, flavourful, fat-tastic vegan nachos.  And of course there is no secret recipe for these, you just use whatever toppings float your boat.  For example, these nachos I made are topped with lovely Daiya mozza, black beans, peppers of several colours, jalapeno and tomato.  Other good toppings include olives and TVP which has been cooked with taco seasoning spices.  Serve with your favorite chunky salsa, or if you really want to amp up the fatty-good, some homemade guacamole or faux sour cream.

FRIED CHICKEN (SEITAN)!

Don't be distracted by the healthy sides!  Eat the bad stuff!

This is one of my favorite recipes, but it’s also one that is really not all that super good for you.  But who cares?!  It’s cruelty-free fried chicken (stuff it in your gullet, Colonel Sanders)!  The recipe for the seitan, cooking broth, and breading can be found in Sarah Kramer’s La Dolce Vegan  cookbook (which is a good one, I recommend it!).  What comes out of this recipe is a beautifully flavoured, tender, yet crisp culinary delight.  Not the fastest recipe in the world for a weeknight, but I love this on a Saturday night when you’re just going to stay in and sit around.

CHEESECAKE!

Oh my glob.

Yes, my friends, cheesecake.  The ultimate decadence.  It can be all yours!  There are so many vegan cheesecake recipes out there, many of which call for ingredients which are quite expensive, such as vegan cream cheese, or coconut oil.  I love this particular cheesecake recipe from VegWeb because it is not only made with affordable ingredients (cashews and silken tofu), but it is also really delicious.  And I know that a tofu cheesecake sounds scary, but trust me when I tell you that this is one case where you really can’t tell that tofu is the main ingredient.  There is so much sugar in this puppy, you aren’t gonna taste it at all!  I love topping it off with a can of beautiful artificial-looking pie filling, and maybe a splotch of rice or soy spray can whip cream.

TAQUITOS!

I'd like some taquitos.

I love this taquitos recipe from the always amazing Snarky Chickpea because it is so much better than all of the frozen, store-bought vegan taquitos.  It is also better than the meat-laden ones you used to buy at 7-11!  These taquitos are stuffed with yummy vegan cheese, cream cheese, rice, beans and veg.  They are savory indulgence at its best.  If you want to make these even more super raunchy bad for you, do as recommended in the recipe and try them with faux chicken pieces instead of beans.  They are practically a heart attack on a plate, so damn good.  Excellent with guacamole too (because we still needed more fat!)

PIZZA!

Why wait for it to cool?  Just eat it!

Last but not least we have the cardinal culinary offering of the take out menu and favorite of college students everywhere, pizza.  A vegan pizza doesn’t need to be cheese-free and topped with zucchini, you can make it super hearty and mega bad for you with ease!  This is another one of those recipes that is not really a recipe.  I make a crust in my breadmaker, then top the pizza with vegan cheese, some Tofurky sausage (or Yves pepperoni or salami… or all of the above), and then pick the veggies of your choice.  Stuff the whole molten mess in your mouth and cackle with delight.

And of course, there are many more fatty vegan delights out there.  Feel free to share your favorite!

Vegan mofo continues its path of fantastical food finds!  Stay tuned…