On the Shelf

Epiphany of today:
As I sat in my first period, my friends and I were discussing what we're good at. Caroline is good at swimming, Kate is a math geek, Claire can play the flute really well (my first period is Orchestra), and I realized: I peaked in eighth grade. I was the "valedictorian" of middle school, starting point guard on our basketball team, and first chair in concert band. After that everything just kind of went downhill. Not that I'm stupid, nonathletic, and unable to play the flute now, I'm just mediocre. I found new things to excel at. I can quote The Office like it's my profession, I can write fairly well, I'm "head host" at 800 Degrees (which virtually means nothing). But I'm still happy.

Watching:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. When you think of Jim Carrey you think of Dumb and Dumber, Yes Man, or Bruce Almighty. I think of Eternal Sunshine and the immense emotional baggage that comes with the movie. The first time I watched it, I sat in the living room, and laughed along with the characters, but became somber as Carrey began losing his memory (it's a confusing movie to explain). That was sophomore year. Last week, my boss and I were discussing it and so I decided to rewatch it. I knew what was coming, so I sat in my room with all the lights off and just bawled my eyes out for the last hour. It is genuinely the saddest movie I have ever seen. But it's so good I still watch it.

Reading:
I wrote earlier about a John Steinbeck short piece we read in one of my classes and we're reading more. East of Eden is Honors American's latest choice. I like Steinbeck's style almost as much as I like Salinger's. I'm only one chapter into the novel that is supposed to be a "modern" (1950s) retelling of Genesis. Being raised in a Christian household, I know the book of Genesis pretty well and I can find many correlations. The first chapter is basically just the speaker (who is unknown at the time) going through how his home became his home. The valley he lives in went through stages and he starts from when the Native American's lived there. It's so detailed and articulate. I just enjoy reading it. Although it is 600 pages long, so this enjoyment may end quickly. We'll see.