Fangirl: Too Old For This?

 

I've seen a lot of social media posts lately from people being told they are too old for their fandoms.  But really, can you ever be too old?  

I get it, not everyone understands the obsession.  I am almost 45 and I still wear t-shirts and have backpacks and purses sporting various fandoms.  I just bought a Harry Potter duvet cover for our bedroom (I'm lucky my husband doesn't mind my fangirl passions!)

How is it any different from supporting your sports team? (I proudly do this as well.) I also dress in team gear for my daughter's dancer competitions.  As a fan of the arts, I think it seems a natural progression to support other things I adore in the same manner --from television shows to characters.  

It used to drive my mother crazy, though she never said anything.  Why couldn't I dress like an adult?  Well I can dress like an adult, when the occasion calls for it.  But I'd rather have fun and enjoy myself.  It's an expression of who I am, and as far as I'm concerned you are never too old for that.

Let's Try This Again

It's been seven years since my last blog post (no, that's not a cheesy movie opening). It was an experiment to begin with and apparently it didn't stick; now all the cool kids are vlogging --which is definitely not for introverted ol' me.  But I miss writing, so maybe I'll give this another shot.

So much has changed in the last seven years.  I lost a mother, a mother-in-law, and a grandmother-in-law.  We laid to rest one dog and adopted another.  I am an aunt five times over and about to be a great-aunt four times over.  I went from working part time to working full time.  I've lost weight and gained weight.  I developed a peanut allergy, and possibly lost it as well (I know, wacko, right?)

But most importantly, my daughter has grown into a teenager.  She gets all her maddening habits from me (gosh, I'm annoying to live with!) and her fierceness from her Dad.  She amazes me daily with her self confidence and kindness... and her inability to manage time.  She is a strong, independent young lady ...who can't cook herself a meal.  She's feisty and sassy but still empathetic.  She's a black belt with pointe shoes.  She's an actress and a writer.  I couldn't be more proud of the young lady she's becoming.  

So let's see where this leads --will I be able to keep it up while working full time and being a dance mom and talent manager?  We will see...

Kindergarten Assessment

This week my daughter had her Kindergarten screening. While registering her for Kindergarten made me a little sad and nostalgic, the assessment was exciting. Not because of the assessment itself but because, as we were touring the school I could see all the wonderful and exciting experiences that lay before her. Her eyes were round with wonder as she took it all in ...and she was disappointed when she couldn't stay and start immediately.  Honestly, I wanted her to jump right in too.

She's like a little sponge, absorbing everything, forming connections. I love the way her little mind works, picking out patterns others don't always see. Sometimes it's exciting to watch her grow...

Who Are You & What Have You Done with Jenn???

I know this is weird, but I don't feel like reading lately.

*gasps*

I don't know why. It's very strange. It isn't that I haven't been loving what I've been reading, I have, but I keep having to push myself to pick up a book. For example, I am adoring what I'm currently reading but it's a chore to do so. I always have a book with me and usually use every spare minute to get a few pages in. Even now I could be spending my time reading, but I'm typing this instead.

In all the years since I learned to read, I don't remember this ever happening before. At work I'm either working through my lunch or if I take a lunch lately I'd rather be checking in on social media. Even in the evenings I find I'd rather be catching up on things on the DVR or watching something on Netflix. At this rate I'll never make my Goodreads goal of 80 books for the year as I'm already so far behind.

I'm a little flummoxed with my current reading apathy.

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Thoughts on Getting Older

Yesterday I turned 37 and it set me to thinking... when did birthdays go from being exciting to unimportant?  I think it must have been when my daughter was born... a complete alteration of perspective.  I'm just marking time, while she's growing and learning.

I had several people say to me,"Wow. I didn't think you were that old!" which I know was meant as a compliment, even if it was a little back handed.  In truth, minus the arthritis, I don't feel 37; perhaps that makes the difference.  I'm still me.  The same person I was when I was my daughter's age... and that always comes as a surprise to me.  Maybe it was all the reading as a child, but I always thought when I grew up I'd be different, feel different, grow into a different character?  (I'm not sure I'm explaining it all that well.)  I think the only sad thing about getting older is realizing I'll never be able to know it all... I can't learn everything, but it won't stop me from trying.

The physicality of getting older doesn't bother me yet (except the arthritis, but that I've had for years).  The 'will I die my hair when there are too many grey's to yank out' bit, the shape of my body, none of it seems all that important in the grand scheme of things.  Although,  every once in a while I look in the mirror and for a flicker of a second I see Gaius in my reflection.

Is that what it means to grow old gracefully?  I don't know that 37 can be considered old enough to count towards that particular expression, but I certainly see it dawning on the horizon.

Thinking about all this had the start of a Lewis Carroll poem rattling around in my head all day yesterday, and my new found appreciation for it made me smile:

"You are old, Father William," the young man said,"And your hair has become very white;And yet you incessantly stand on your head—Do you think, at your age, it is right?"

John Tenniel's illustrations of the poem

"In my youth," Father William replied to his son,"I feared it might injure the brain;But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,Why, I do it again and again."

2012 Books in Review

Usually I do my end of the year wrap-up post on our Girls Just Reading Blogspot but we've been pretty busy with posts over there... So here are the stats:

My Goodreads Challenge:  75 Books
Books Read:  76*
E-Books: 45
Hard Covers (& a few paper backs): 31

*Some of these were novellas but I read some novels twice (all of the Cassandra Clare books) and I re-read the Harry Potter books ~they aren't counted on my list), etc. so I think it evens out that I've finished this challenge.

My least favorite books read are few and far between, but there were some books I did not appreciate this year.  These are authors whose writing style I did not enjoy so I doubt I will read anything further from them.  The exception is Mr. Grossman whose literary voice I liked but whose story I didn't.

•  Dogs Have Angels Too by Sarah Cavallaro  
•  The Thirteen by Susie Moloney 
•  Shadow Spell by Jenna Black 
•  The Magicians by Lev Grossman
•  Glass Houses by Rachel Caine  

There were some magnificent reads this year too.  With 75+ reads one might think it would be hard to pick favorites; there were many.  Some of my favorites came from challenges, some are my favorite authors who rarely fail me, some were books I've been trying to get to for some time, and some were requested reads.

These were the read's that I rated 5/5 but there were many others that came close.

Here is what made the top of my list this year:

• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - this was completely unexpected and has actually made the list of all time favorites. The writing was magnificent and the story was ingenious.  It was beautiful, and I think I shall be re-reading it again soon.
• Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls, #3)  by C.C. Hunter - this is one of my favorite series and it just keeps getting better. I look forward to the series conclusion in 2013
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - a beautiful multi-media display. Scorsese did a good job with the film, but the brilliant innovation of Selznick's masterpiece is not to be missed. 
• Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare - once I picked it up, I couldn't put this series down. I read the first three books back to back... And then I read them again. (I've only read the first half of the series because the sixth book won't be published until September of 2014 and I don't want to be left hanging like that. 
• Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare - everyone told me that this series was better than the Mortal Instruments; I didn't think that was possible... but it is!  The third book will be out March 19th and I can hardly wait.  Both of these series are going on my all time favorite list!
• The Winds of War by Herman Wouk - this is one of my favorite made for TV miniseries and, true to form, the novel is even better, though I must say that thanks to Herman Wouk's involvement in the project, it's very close. This is heavy with history, but a fabulous WWII read. 
• The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan - I loved the Percy Jackson series and the last book was by far my favorite. I hope to start Mr. Riordan's Heroes of Olympus this year before I move on to Egyptian mythology with the Kane Chonicles.  
• Tempest by Julie Cross - I am fascinated by time travel stories... always have been, but they are hard stories for authors to pull off well... Ms. Cross does it superbly.  It was creative and refreshingly original.  I can't wait to see where she takes it; I won't have to wait long because book two comes out January 15th.  
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - there was a ton of hype surrounding this one, and it truly lived up to it.   While I enjoyed the next book in the series, it was far more cumbersome and it was only my love of the first book that pushed me through. I look forward to the third installment.
• Perfectly Matched by Heather Webber - we love the Lucy Valentine series at GJR (no, really, go read it!) and this is the fourth book in the series. It was fantastic and has me eagerly awaiting Lucy's next adventure. 
• Frozen Heat by 'Richard Castle' - This started out as a way to aussage the Castle hiatus blues, but I've really come to enjoy these books in their own right. Is there some cheese there?  Sure.  But it's really well written and pulls me in, and that's kind of the point isn't it?
• Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones - ok, this is one of my favorite books from my childhood, and it still an all time favorite. I get something different out of it every time I read it.  Ms. Jones was a master and I think I will spend some time reading and reviewing more of her books for GJR in 2013
• Ransom River by Meg Gardiner - I adore Ms. Gardiner's two series, so it stands to reason that I would adore her new stand alone novel too.  I love her voice, I love her strong female characters, I love her dry wit.  I love every book she writes.

I'll think I'll keep my 2013 reading goal at 75 or so, because I did come down to the wire on it.  I cannot wait for another year of reading...  just looking at my TBR pile makes me want to dive in!

Jennifer's favorite books »

So on Monday there was this article in the NY Times:  

More Dads Buy the Toys, So Barbie, and Stores, Get 

Makeovers

"Fathers are doing more of the family shopping just as girls are being steered toward toys that develop math skills."

When I first saw this article, I was more than a little offended... 'Really, Toy Industry?!?  Because as a mom I wouldn't buy my daughter Legos or science related things?!?'  But then I got to thinking.  I don't care what the motivation for it is, as long as they're doing it.  I would have loved Legos when I was little, but you just didn't buy those kinds of things for little girls back then.  I don't blame my parents; it was a generational mindset.  

My daughter loves to build things.  She loves science. And I love that there is girl friendly stuff out there for her to interact with.

So in the end, I don't care that they're doing it for the wrong reasons, as long as they're doing it.

What do you think?