It's rainy so why not do a meme? I've read this a few places but Christine inspired me to play.
Five Things Meme
Rules for the game: 1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. 2. Each player answers the questions about themselves. 3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog. 4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.
What was I doing 10 years ago? So that would be 1998. I was still an attorney, working as in-house counsel.
Five things I would do if I were a billionaire: 1. Pay off student loans and credit card debt -- and help friends and family do same, up to 10,000. (I think that is the current IRS guidelines for gifts.) 2. Buy a house. 3. Invest so I could live off investments. 4. Travel. 5. Set up trust funds for niece and nephew.
Five jobs that I have had: 1. Babysitter 2. Federal judicial law clerk. 3. Law associate. 4. In house counsel. 5. Librarian
Three of my habits. 1. keeping a written list of all books I read. 2. clutter. Not getting rid of clutter is a bad habit! 3. watching TV and reading at the same time.
Five places I have lived: 1. Elizabeth NJ 2. Matawan NJ 3. Pt Pleasant NJ 4. Philadelphia PA 5. Spring Lake NJ
And it relates to children's literature (and story) because it ties in to the discussion about poverty and class in literature; and I think how a person grew up affects many things that they never realize. I think that's why I look at books and movies and TV to not only be needed mirrors, but also needed windows, because the person who grows up thinking the way they grew up is the ONLY way; and all others are "less", grows up very narrow. And that is dangerous.
At the same time, whenever I do think of poverty/class lit, I also fear the danger voiced in the song Common People: the person who views poverty as some type of place to visit because "you think being poor is cool." (For the record: I adore William Shatner's cover of this song. Seriously.)
Ahem.
Time for the meme: From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.
(note from Liz: like others, I'm commenting on the statements, using italics. . So, this is probably a bit different from the original meme.)
Bold the true statements.
1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college (and grad school) Actually, I am not sure about grad school. He may have.
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college (and grad school) Here is one of those examples where, due to the limitations of the meme, it's not very nuanced. My mother dropped out of college when she got married; which meant that when my sister and I were little, she was balancing being married, a mother of two small children, working a job at night to help pay tuition, going to school part time, and also teaching full time at a local Catholic school that so needed teachers that it was OK she didn't have her degree, yet.
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor. I believe there is second cousin or some such who graduated law school a semester or two before me; and there are those who did so after me. But in terms of growing up, did I have or know of family with these degrees? Nope.
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers. Probably "same". Definitely not higher. But I'm not sure, especially since we had some financial reversals around this time.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
9. Were read children's books by a parent.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18. Not nuanced enough. As a child, I had a summer of swimming lessons; around 8th grade or so, a year or two of art lessons; and, depending on where we lived, took advantage of summer rec programs such as pottery, etc. Music lessons? No; because having or renting an instrument was too expensive (that was what my mother said when I asked for them.) My sister had ballet lessons, and I know it was a sacrifice.And ended for financial reasons, not because my sister lost interest.
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18. While answering yes, I think this is not nuanced enough; that I had swimming lessons at age six and art lessons from ages 11 to 13 hardly is the same as a child who each year has swimming, piano, dance, etc.
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively. I'm trying to remember this as a child; has the "Jersey accent" always been mocked? With the whole big hair thing? Yep; but as I never had that accent or that hair I wouldn't say "like me." Ditto for the often ridiculous and sometimes insulting portrayals of Irish Americans, Italian Americans, and Catholics.
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs. Scholarships and loans which I am still paying off. If I were doing this meme, I would also add a bit about parents giving money towards a home purchase. Because these two factors are not just about how one grew up, but one's current lifestyle, and what one can give to their own kids. Why? Because it's about the amount of debt one is carrying.Put two people in the same job, one who has no college/school debt and a down payment from their parents, and who is paying college debt and rent so cannot save for a down payment and cannot expect that from their parents, and you see the consequences beyond one's own childhood.
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs.
16. Went to a private high school. I went to Catholic high school. Which is not quite the same as private high school.As an aside, both my sister and I went to Catholic grammar schools for part of our K-8 schooling; at one point, the sacrifice my mother made to meet tuition was moving in with her parents and living with them.
17. Went to summer camp. For three years I went to a one week long sleepaway Girl Scout camp. Fun, yes; but not some summer long expensive thing.
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels. One thing my mother valued was vacations, and being together as a family. Plus, financially, some things changed upon her remarriage. So, from the time I was about 5 to 13, my mother, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins went to Myrtle Beach, staying at an inexpensive motel, one block from the beach, several people to a room. My grandparents took me to Ireland when I was about 12; we stayed with family or in B&Bs. For my stepfather's business trips, we went to Disneyworld.
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18. Some new, as I was the oldest; but others were handmedowns from older relatives.
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them. Hell no. Bought my own car. However, the family attitude, and mine still, is better to buy a new car than someone else's problem, so I have always bought new and once the repair/upkeep exceeds what a car payment would be, buy another one. New.
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child. For some reason, this makes me giggle.
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house. I moved 13 times in my first 18 years; at times living in apartments, rented homes, rented condominiums, and grandparents. Looking at it averaged out, most often I lived in a single family house.
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home. Not nuanced enough. For the years we rented, I can tell you that other kids (even those who are friends) are bastards. Often told, even by friends, that it wasn't my real house because we didn't own it. (The things that were said about my mother being divorced? Such as of course someone would think twice about marrying me because of the bad example? Another meme. But still, being the single working woman renting in a neighborhood of SAHMs? Not pretty.) We owned one home for a year when I was in 8th grade, thanks to my mother's remarriage, but for family reasons (the death of my grandfather) sold that home and moved in with my grandmother; a new home was bought right before I left for college.
25. You had your own room as a child. It depended on the place we lived at the time; I'd say more than half the time my sister and I shared. During high school, we shared.
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course Wow, this is a big one. I grew up thinking these courses were for kids who needed it; didn't realize the game was you took it to make a good score better.
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school. Nope. And I am a firm believer that TVs do not belong in kids bedrooms. But I think I'll save that for a "how to watch TV" post.
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
31. Went on a cruise with your family In college, we (and another family) rented sailboats as a vacation. But that was after 18.
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up. Part of the benefit of living close to cities like Philadelphia and NYC; and part from a divorced Dad looking for things to do on weekends.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family. Again, not nuanced enough. Unaware of heating bills. But aware that at one point we needed to move in with grandparents because of finances; aware of how much clothes and shoes and coats cost; aware of how much food cost.
So that is 17.
Bringing it back to books for kids and teens. In the books I read, sometimes people lived in apartments but more often they lived in homes. That the family owned. I cannot recall reading about renters. Even now, the default, I believe, is a family living in home it owns; oh, sometimes it's "the city" and apartments, but how often is it apartments in the suburbs? Or a renter?
1. When Doves Cry, Prince 2. What's Love Got To Do With It, Tina Turner 3. Say Say Say, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson 4. Footloose, Kenny Loggins 5. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now), Phil Collins 6. Jump, Van Halen 7. Hello, Lionel Richie 8. Owner Of A Lonely Heart, Yes 9. Ghostbusters, Ray Parker Jr. 10. Karma Chameleon, Culture Club 11. Missing You, John Waite 12. All Night Long (All Night), Lionel Richie 13. Let's Hear It For The Boy, Deniece Williams 14. Dancing In The Dark, Bruce Springsteen 15. Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper 16. The Reflex, Duran Duran 17. Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper 18. Jump (For My Love), Pointer Sisters 19. Talking In Your Sleep, Romantics 20. Self Control, Laura Branigan 21. Let's Go Crazy, Prince and The Revolution 22. Say It Isn't So, Daryl Hall and John Oates 23. Hold Me Now, Thompson Twins 24. Joanna, Kool and The Gang 25. I Just Called To Say I Love You, Stevie Wonder 26. Somebody's Watching Me, Rockwell 27. Break My Stride, Matthew Wilder 28. 99 Luftballons, Nena 29. I Can Dream About You, Dan Hartman 30. The Glamorous Life, Sheila E. 31. Oh Sherrie, Steve Perry 32. Stuck On You, Lionel Richie 33. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues, Elton John 34. She Bop, Cyndi Lauper 35. Borderline, Madonna 36. Sunglasses At Night, Corey Hart 37. Eyes Without A Face, Billy Idol 38. Here Comes The Rain Again, Eurythmics 39. Uptown Girl, Billy Joel 40. Sister Christian, Night Ranger 41. Drive, Cars 42. Twist Of Fate, Olivia Newton-John 43. Union Of The Snake, Duran Duran 44. The Heart Of Rock 'N' Roll, Huey Lewis and The News 45. Hard Habit To Break, Chicago 46. The Warrior, Scandal 47. If Ever You're In My Arms Again, Peabo Bryson 48. Automatic, Pointer Sisters 49. Let The Music Play, Shannon 50. To All The Girls I've Loved Before, Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson 51. Caribbean Queen, Billy Ocean 52. That's All, Genesis 53. Running With The Night, Lionel Richie 54. Sad Songs (Say So Much), Elton John 55. I Want A New Drug, Huey Lewis and The News 56. Islands In The Stream, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton 57. Love Is A Battlefield, Pat Benatar 58. Infatuation, Rod Stewart 59. Almost Paradise, Mike Reno and Ann Wilson 60. Legs, ZZ Top 61. State Of Shock, Jacksons 62. Love Somebody, Rick Springfield 63. Miss Me Blind, Culture Club 64. If This Is It, Huey Lewis and The News 65. You Might Think, Cars 66. Lucky Star, Madonna 67. Cover Me, Bruce Springsteen 68. Cum On Feel The Noize, Quiet Riot 69. Breakdance, Irene Cara 70. Adult Education, Daryl Hall and John Oates 71. They Don't Know, Tracy Ullman 72. An Innocent Man, Billy Joel 73. Cruel Summer, Bananarama 74. Dance Hall Days, Wang Chung 75. Give It Up, K.C. 76. I'm So Excited, Pointer Sisters 77. I Still Can't Get Over Loving You, Ray Parker Jr. 78. Thriller, Michael Jackson 79. Holiday, Madonna 80. Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us, Ollie And Jerry 81. Nobody Told Me, John Lennon 82. Church Of The Poison Mind, Culture Club 83. Think Of Laura, Christopher Cross 84. Time Will Reveal, Debarge 85. Wrapped Around Your Finger, Police 86. Pink Houses, John Cougar Mellencamp 87. Round And Round, Ratt 88. Head Over Heels, Go-Go's 89. The Longest Time, Billy Joel 90. Tonight, Kool and The Gang 91. Got A Hold On Me, Christine McVie 92. Dancing In The Sheets, Shalamar 93. Undercover Of The Night, Rolling Stones 94. On The Dark Side, John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band 95. New Moon On Monday, Duran Duran 96. Major Tom (Coming Home), Peter Schilling 97. Magic, Cars 98. When You Close Your Eyes, Night Ranger 99. Rock Me Tonite, Billy Squier 100. Yah Mo B There, James Ingram and Michael McDonald
What I tried to do was remember, lo, those many years ago -- what did I like? What did sing along to? Do I care at all that Sophie B loses all respect for my music taste?
A number of these I had totally forgotten; thanks, YouTube, for the memories!
So of course, I tag the Pop Goes the Library crew: Sophie, Susan, Carlie, Melissa, John and Karen.
Now, the answer cannot be something like paying off loans or buying a house. As Robin explains, it is "some secret gauge of what it means to be wealthy."
So -- "What one item or service do you hold in your mind as the very definition of being rich?"
I tossed around the idea of a car and driver; but then ... then, I thought, oh no. I have a much better idea.
I love movies. But movie theatres? Not so much. I don't like other people talking during movies, I don't like the sticky floors from spilled sodas, I don't like the food smells from other people's dinners. But I love movies, and seeing movies in a darkened theatre, on the big screen.
So -- I want my own home movie theatre. With stadium seating. And, of course, films that are in the theatres. And popcorn and raisinettes.
Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
Eight facts/ habits about me:
1. I met my best friend in 4th grade; I moved, we lost touch, and then we met again in High School.
2. I would love to hire a professional organizer. I'm staring at the clutter around my desk and the piles of books as I say this.
3. Being a book person, I have bought 3 books on organizing and de-cluttering.
4. I have not yet read any of those books; but I somehow believe that just by buying them, things will change.
5. The clutter remains.
6. I am leaving for BookExpo tomorrow. So you won't be hearing from me for a few days.
7. If you had asked me 20 years ago where I'd be today ... this would not be it. I've learned to embrace your future, question choices, be happy with the good things in life, and to work hard to get what you want. And I'm a little worried on the pressure put on teens to make life decisions when life is about change and growth and learning new things.
8. I adore genre TV. But, given the recent network betrayals (Nuts.Mars. 'nuff said), I think it's entirely possible that except for some guilty pleasures, my viewing for the coming year will be DVDs of TV series (old favorites, or shows I didn't watch but heard great things about). I just cannot invest in a show again to see "the suits" cancel.
Who to tag that hasn't been tagged?
Well, one way to get thru 8 is to tag rest of the Pop gang:
I am finishing up reading Endymion Spring, which I have enjoyed very much. I love the history, the mystery, the sense of the reader and the hero working together to solve the mystery; I love that it's illustrated with the pages of books that Blake looks at, the invitation he gets. Also? After reading this, I want to move to Oxford immediately.
I'm reading Flora Segunda at lunch. I've only just begun, but I love how we've been dumped into Flora's world and we're getting hints about various things as we move along and I cannot wait to see where this book goes.
And I have Alice in Sunderland, which I've just begun. It's fantastic, and already I'm wondering if there is a website out there that sorts fact from fiction and links to more info on all the cool stuff mentioned in this book; the artists, places, history, actors, music.
I'm very excited to see Janie Hermann from Library Garden tag me with the latest library-blog meme. First, because hey, we Jersey Girls have to stick together! And second, because I'd noticed the meme going around and had been thinking about doing it anyway, but wanted to do it with a twist. And Janie also did it with a twist! Yay, Garden State.
So technically, the meme is "5 non-library blogs that we read," in part a reaction to that American Libraries story. So it's like cool, Liz, put your money where your mouth is!
So, here's the thing. I'm going to give you 10 blogs, 5 non-library AND non-book, and 5 book blogs. Because between the AL story, and the meme responses not containing many lit blogs, I feel like pimping books. Because libraries may be about outreach, and Web 2.0, and customer service...but the books are still important!
My 5 non-library blogs:
TV Squad. Excellent TV news, including recaps. (Not as snarky or as long as Television Without Pity, which isn't technically a blog, so I'm sneaking it in this way.)
Gawker. Gossip. (It was a tough call between this and Defamer...oops, I snuck in an extra blog? My bad.)
Whedonesque. A Blog about Joss Whedon; and anyone ever connected to the Whedonverse. A minor character starring in a new TV series? Find it out here!
Go Fug Yourself. It is possible to be too thin, and too rich.
Here And There Japan. The author lives and blogs from Japan; it's full of photos and facts about everyday life, geared towards children. Ever since I stumbled across this, I've been fascinated. I cannot wait to be able to travel to Japan.
Blog of a Bookslut. Jessa Crispin's blog, dedicated to those who love to read; news, reviews, commentary, insight.
Snark Spot. Jennifer Weiner's blog. I enjoy both her "slice of life" episodes and her spirited defense of "chick lit".
A Fuse #8 Production. I wanted to include one and only one kidlit blog; and I'm going with Fuse. She covers so many areas of the kidlitosphere, that if you just go there you'll find the rest of the 'verse quick enough. Plus, librarian! Woo hoo!
Brotherhood 2.0. The world must watch this engaging videoblog by John Green and his brother. Yes, it's that good.
1. My paternal grandfather, Robert E. Burns, wrote the nonfiction book I Am A Fugitive From A Georgia Chain Gang which was turned into a movie, I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang. (Title change because Georgia was a bit pissed; name change of main character and other parts because at the time of the book and movie, he was still a fugitive.)
2. I am allergic to something but I have no idea what it is. Seriously, I've had an allergic reaction a few times in the last year after eating a meal, and I cannot figure out what I ate that's triggering it.
3. I don't like doctors. So when you all comment about seeing a doctor, well, that's why I haven't gone to one yet to figure out what it is.
4. If I won enough to never work again, after taking time to travel I'd go back to school just for the fun it.
5. "Cleaning my desk" is a never ending task. I think gremlins live in my house and deliberately pile up the books, the mail, the notes to myself.
How many other kidlit blogs do you read? A lot. I think they are all on my blogroll, but I sometimes add something to my Bloglines account and don't update my blogroll. About 150; I have 331 blogs on my blogines.
What's the most recent add? Blue Rose Girls. As I said, I have this habit of adding to my bloglines but not taking the time to update my blogroll. I guess one on of my resolutions should be to do update as needed, rather than every other month.
How often do you post a book review to your blog? It depends; I like to post about 5 a week, but some weeks are tough and I feel like I'm lucky to get one.
Do you post about anything else? Yes; I post about news, discussions at other blogs, interviews, books, TV, movies, whatever captures may fancy -- and it also depends on when I have time to craft the post. And, of course, my Buffy Quote of the Week!
Do you only blog books you like, or the stinkers too? Life's too short to blog about bad books. Seriously; I have about 20 books to blog about that I like, and where are those posts? Half written, still in my head, waiting to get out.
That's not entirely true; I sometimes don't "like" a book but a certain part intrigues me enough to motivate a post. I posted about a silly Disney Cuties book because it fascinated my niece, Cheetah.
I also think "like" is too narrow a word; I post about books that I consider are "best" or well written or exciting; it's not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate hot chocolate, also. There's a certain Big Fat Important Book getting a lot of acclaim despite it's very Mary Sue main character (and some other things that didn't work for me) so I was not going to blog about it. In discussions about the book, and my own rereading, I've been rethinking this position. Oh, I still see the character as a Mary Sue; the things that didn't work still don't work. But there is enough that I did like, enough good bits, that I may blog about it, while still mentioning the things that didn't work for me.
And, upon occasion, a concern about a book prompts a negative post; for example, the sexism in last year's Theodor Seuss Geisel Award books.
How do you keep track of what you want to read? Piles. Upon occasion I sit down and shift the piles. The piles are as follows: "have to read" (for work or an award or other committee or discussion group; right now, I'm on the NJLA GSTBA reading group) and "want to read" are in piles, while "would like to read" are in a bookshelf. I shift the piles based on changing reading commitments, new books that are sent to me, reviews I read online, etc.
How do you keep track of what you've read? Old fashioned writing journals. Right now, I'm averaging one blank book every two months. I blog about some of them, and keep a best books list on my sidebar. The Best Books of 2006 is limited to books published in 2006; I think next year, it'll be Best Books Read in 2007 with a notation as to publication year.
Do you work with kids? Yes.
In the age group of the books you mostly blog about? Since I'm the Branch Manager & sole librarian at a small branch, the answer is yes -- I work with kids of all ages and adults.
Do you read grown-up books? Yes, but I tend to stay away from "literary" books as I find them over-written and self important. I like mysteries, romance, historical fiction, and non-fiction; sometimes family sagas. For some reason, I love J and YA fantasy but not so much love with the grown up titles.
Liz B. is the founder of Tea Cozy. What is Tea Cozy? It's a discussion of books, movies, and TV shows; with an emphasis on books for children and teens. And whatever strikes our fancy at the moment. Liz B, Carlie and Theresa all contribute posts and comments.
Comments are great. They add to the conversation. But it's my blog, so I reserve the right to delete any comment. Reasons for deleting comments may include offensive or abusive language or behavior, spam, advertising, trolls, flaming, personal attacks and the like
