i don’t know, i don’t know…

So I recently finished the first FIVE star book I’ve read this year. The Handmaid’s Tale. Holy Moly.

Going into this book, I knew very little about it. I knew it was a “modern classic.” I knew it was about ~women’s issues~. I knew it had a funny cover with this huge brick wall and what looked like nuns. That’s about it.

I typically prefer books that take place in our reality or are unabashedly occurring in a completely fictional universe — not this scenario which is an imagined future. That’s one of the first things you learn when reading this book: the world was our world but there has been a drastic change that results in a shift of the roles of men and women in society. The protagonist is “Offred” which is her new given name representing the man she has been assigned to (i.e. of Fred). She is one of the best narrative voices I’ve encountered in a while. Offred is quick, funny, and sympathetic.

The story jumps back and forth from her life before “the change” happened, her time during the training she endured for her new life, and her experiences as the handmaid Offred. I really don’t want to give too much away, but essentially women have been stripped of power to a varying degree (depending what sect they belong to) by a totalitarian and theocratic government, and if they are to stray from their duties they risk an even worse life in a sort of interment camp or death. I really don’t want to ruin anything else because a lot of the enjoyment from the book comes from its surprised.

If you’ve read the book, let me just say one of my favorite parts was when Offred reaction to her husband’s reaction of when she lost her job and access to her bank account. Wow.

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And this brings us to my new guilty pleasure. Beyonce latest lead single: If I Were a Boy. Very uncharacteristic for Beyonce to lead with a ballad (although she simultaneously released Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) which isn’t getting as much attention). My first impression of it was “Oh God, this is so Big Girls Don’t Cry…” Surprise, surprise: it’s co-written by the guy behind “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”

ANYWAYS, it’s really grown on me. Maybe concurrently reading Handmaid’s Tale when the song came out made me susceptible to its “plight of women” message. I am SO excited for the new CD, and I’m loving how it is being split into discs — the “I am… Beyonce” disc and the “I am… Sasha Fierce” disc. Here’s the interesting vid:

I don’t feel like having a theme or one particular story right now, so here are some random thoughts and events:

I just finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It’s really good, dude. It’s like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time… but better. The main character/narrator is a boy who lost his dad during 9/11, and he is determined to find out what the key he found amongst his dad’s belongings unlocks. His grandparents on his dad’s side also narrate or take over small parts of the book but they are both kind of crazy. A lot of parts made me laugh out loud and one part made me cry a little or at the very least tear up. (If you read the book, guess what made me cry!!) Go read this, especially if you enjoyed Curious Incident.

I had a birthday party and it was really fun. I drank a little bit too much but not too too much; therefore, I don’t remember good chunks of it and that makes me a little sad. I would say I wish I had a videotape of the entire thing, but… no one has VCRs anymore and more importantly I hate watching myself on tape. I’m 25 now and I think that’s a big deal.

I got myself an interview at this place I would really love to work… all on my own no less. No connections, no references, just me. The interview went alright but I don’t know if I wowed them. Whatever.

I’ve met some boys… but how do you know if one of them is the one?

“Human” by The Killers is awesome and I’m glad Brandon Flowers got over his Springsteen kick.