WHAT I ENJOYED THIS WEEK . . .
- Analyzing with Nick why we’re getting water in our basement and coming up with a solution.
- Music Bingo Date Night, although I was irate that I had a bingo and didn’t know it because I didn’t realize that “you’re never gonna get it” song by En Vogue is actually titled “My Lovin’.”
- Watching The Hunt with Nick. Yes, I just watched it last week.
- Playing trivia online with the Huntsville Horror Group. I hope to set up more of these over the summer when I’m only taking one class at a time.
- Making my own salad dressing.
- Texting with friends.
- Watching one of my violets finally begin flowering again. All three of them were in a precarious position a few months ago until I narrowed in how to best water them, and when.
- Starting an online training on interpreting in health care settings.
- Listening to the episode of This American Life about a woman whose identity was stolen, only to learn it was her boyfriend who stole it.
- Attending a panel about local land cultivation and how there are urban gardeners in my city, along with people who buy up vacant lots and turn them into green spaces.
- Talking to Biscuit as she and Dad continue on their vacation. They’ll be back to their home today.
- Working slowly on a paper about Supplemental Security Income use in the deaf and hard-of-hearing community for my Advanced Deaf Studies class.
- Planning for National Deaf History Month (April!).
WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK
- How to approach contemporary Evangelical music when I begin translating and then using that knowledge for interpreting on stage. On Monday, I interpreted three songs and felt good about all of them — better than I have since last fall.
- The champs of Evangelical music, sales-wise, is undoubtedly Hillsong Worship. This is where my university gets, well, I think all of the music we interpret. I looked up who this band is, and it’s a group of folks from Sydney, Australia, who, in 2019, made over $100 million dollars. However, the money’s been on the decline since scandal broke in a documentary. I read some articles online asking if Evangelicals should continue playing Hillsong music in their churches, and I feel like we’re asking if I can get over Roman Polanski and watch Repulsion or Rosemary’s Baby.
- We used a three minute clip of a Tom and Jerry episode to practice in ASL class. You don’t realize how much movement there is in these cartoons until you have to represent all of it on your hands.
WHAT I WATCHED THIS WEEK
- The Hunt (2020)
- Door in the Woods (2019) — I was surprised; this had a Deaf actor in a lead role! And it was a good film!
REACTIONS TO MY REVIEW
This week’s review was of Weighty Matters by Linda P. Kozar. A few folks asked if I was satisfied with the resolution of the mystery. Surprisingly, I have forgotten whodunit. I do recall the lead characters’ personalities and scenes from the novel, so I would guess this is a cozy mystery whose appeal is less about who seems suspicious and what clues that crop up, and more about the relationships.
FORTHCOMING REVIEW
It’s Deaf History Month! Prepare for a month of book reviews to celebrate with me!
SHOPPING AT THE LIBRARY IN MY TBR BOX PHOTO
Okay, the plastic totes in which I keep my TBR books are out of control. The lid is definitely not on either. Thus, for a little while I’m going to go “shopping” in my tote for a few weeks. Have you ever cleaned your room and discovered old things you’d tucked away, so instead of continuing to clean, you started messing around with the objects you forgot you had? That’s kind of how this will work. Because the books are in a tote, I don’t see them. What’s in there?? I barely remember.
Here’s what I pulled out this week to put near the top of the TBR, or maybe just gawk because they’re on my desk and makes me happy:
Grab the Lapels 
We (Australians) apologize for Hillsong. It had a big following on the Right side of politics here, and for a few years we had to put up with an horrendously incompetent and pious Evangelical Prime Minister – the one who tried to get Hillsong leader Brian Houston into his entourage for a State Dinner with the Bidens – Now he’s bringing out a memoir titled “Plans for Your Good – A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness” (Houston is on trial for not reporting that his father, the church’s founder, had admitted to paedophilia).
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Yeeeeeah, I read that about Houston. Sure makes for a double whammy when I’m up on a stage in front of an audience interpreting his stuff.
On a positive Australian note, I’m going to start reading The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman, which has good reviews. I hadn’t realized it was Australian when I grabbed it. The cover and title were enough to draw me in. It promises adventure and mystery!
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I don’t know Goodman at all so I looked her up. Regency detective romances – how good is that!
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Hang on … why do you need to interpret the ACTION in Tom and Jerry cartoons? Deaf people aren’t blind, so … is it that the action and words are so combined in a cartoon you can’t do one without the other?
It’s hard to imagine that you are planning for summer, as we are facing the END of daylight savings!
As for Hillsong. I’m sure Bill will have something to say, but our last prime minister before the current one was a Hillsong church member – and let’s just say that he didn’t endear most people I know to Hillsong (though he wasn’t the only reason by a long shot). I think that question about using their songs is a valid one.
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Oh, yes, Deaf people can see the Tom & Jerry cartoon! Ha, the point is if I were telling any other story, would I be able to depict it well enough that they knew what I was describing? So, if I were explaining a gymnastic competition I saw, or maybe a burglary happening, something with a lot of action, could I do it? Tom & Jerry were just the unsuspecting models.
Sign up for summer classes happened almost two weeks ago, so I have to think a bit ahead. As for trivia nights, not much to think about. Just asking myself if I want to do it, and is there interest. There is.
Yes, Bill did comment on Hillsong! Glad you two know each other so well 😀
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Haha, thanks for explaining the Tom and Jerry example. Makes sense. And I do remember your mentioned the summer classes a couple of posts ago and being surprised! Already so soon, I think?
I will go look for Bill’s comment.
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I’m wondering along with WG why you need to interpret the action in the cartoon?
Oh Krakatoa in your TBR, didn’t you get that during your volcano kick? It’s a really good book. So is Into Thin Air.
Eek, water in your basement! I hope your solution solves the problem!
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Oh! I answered Sue, so check out the response there. I guess I didn’t explain the goal of the activity clearly.
I have not yet read Krakatoa, but I am excited. I recently gave a presentation in ASL in how earthquakes happen, so now my brain is shouting for more earth science.
We DID get the problem solved in the basement. It’s a wild predicament. I should take pictures for next Sunday’s Lowdown.
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I really enjoy Krakaur. Into Thin Air is one I haven’t read yet. My favorite so far has been Under the Banner of Heaven.
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I believe I also have Under the Banner of Heaven. Missoula messed me up for like a week, probably because it’s about rape and includes court transcripts in which people describe what happened. If you’re into good, investigative reporting that feels like a story, check out anything by Johnathan Kozol. He always writes about school inequality, and it’s both addicting and sad.
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I also did not remember the correct title of that En Vogue song!
What kind of salad dressing did you make? I should do that. I can never make a salad at home that satisfies me as much as one from a restaurant. I don’t know why.
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It’s an Asian salad dressing. You want me to email you the recipe?
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Sounds like a good week! Hope it’s continued to be so.
Hillsong is definitely huge. And problematic. Another big one, at least on the West Coast, is Bethel, which is located in California, I think. They both have some songs that I truly love and have been impacted by but neither are organizations I want to support or identify with.
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Oh, yes, I’ve seen the Bethel songs, too. At first, I was confused because my school is Bethel University. I know a lot of people have a problem with megachurches in general, but I don’t know if that’s because a megachurch usually means millions of dollars are coming in, or if it’s too impersonal, or what.
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My church is called Bethel as well – it’s a popular name! My own issue with mega churches is primarily because of both things you mention. And in order to function, they become like a machine. They put on a show on Sundays. And they might be really good at mounting that show every week but it begins to feel inauthentic to me. Mega churches can feel like they’re more about the numbers than about connecting with individuals.
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Sand in my bra- youch! I’m behind on commenting and blogging because I’ve been having some vision issues (I’ve got starabismus, and it’s getting worse, so reading is hard right now b/c I think need a new eye glass prescription) It sucks as a book lover 😦
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I googled what that is, and it means you’re cross eyed. How the heck did you pull that off, Anne?? You can be a cross-eyed chronic pooper!
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hahaha interestingly enough, my digestive problems have gotten WAY better since, so I’m thankful I only have one problem at a time to deal with. Just looking at my eyes you can’t see any issues, but reading is still very difficult, thus my slow down of blogging. I still do a bit each day though, I just miss it too much. Fingers crossed this gets sorted soon!
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Okay, good! I feel like there is something going on with my vision lately, and it’s making me paranoid I need bifocals. However, I’m guessing my eyes are just tired and full of pollen right now.
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bifocals may be in my immediate future, we will see!
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