Book Review: The Pale Blue Eye

Just finished reading The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard... it's a novel set in the early 1800s at West Point. It's a whodunnit with a narrator that is similar to a retired Sherlock Holmes. But, to assist him with the mysterious murder at West Point, he enlists the help of a cadet, Edgar Allen Poe.

I have to say that my love of Poe's literature drew me to the book, and in that respect, I found some great joy in finding little snippets and allusions to Poe's various works. Bayard definitely took the time to create Poe and the time period with an immense care for details and vocabulary. At a few times, I was wary of the use of Poe as a character and of Bayard's book being stilted by forcing allusions to Poe's literature. However, Poe actually became a very realistic character in the pages; I grew to love how Poe would quote literature, compose poetry, and tell outlandish lies.

One allusion did irk me; it used a major plot point to pay homage to a part of "The Fall of the House of Usher," and it did not feel cohesive to the plot of Bayard's story. Along those lines, a few points of the plot were questionable... the author kept a few secrets too long, which was a strength and weakness to the book. Some reviewers were so thrown that they ended up hating the story, and some ended up loving it. I think I fall in between--not loving the book, but genuinely enjoying many parts of it.

Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed reading this. It would probably not be my first book to recommend, except of course to a few select people... some mystery readers or Poe afficianados. I'll probably read his most recent book, The Black Tower, at some point in the near future. For now, I still am lingering over parts of the book and enjoying that glimpse into gothic 1800s.

Letters of Rec

USC sent a representative to the high school where I teach. The woman stressed the significance of writing better letters of rec... showing examples of form letters, and a letter from a prep school in L.A. So, now I'm holding myself to a higher standard for writing these utterly rediculous letters. In order to clear my mind, I find it helps to talk about the student the way they truly are... Here's my most recent.

I am writing to recommend Tenaya for acceptance in the freshmen class in the fall of 2009. I am her former English/Language Arts teacher, and over the past year and a half, I have learned a lot about Tenaya’s integrity and commitment to her education. I believe that Tenaya would make an excellent addition to USC—she will excel in her classes, and will consistently contribute to student activities. She hates cheerleaders.
One thing I quickly learned about Tenaya was that she hates cheerleaders on campus. See, frequently, cheerleaders get special treatment—front of the lunch line, pulled out of boring English classes for pep rally preparation, and other perks of the high school female world. In the midst of a class discussion on archetypes and satire, Tenaya blurted out “oh, like how all cheerleaders are fricking idiots, and like to sleep around.” This is the kind of attitude that USC thrives on… the elitist mentality prevalent among its students that keeps USC from entering the realm of educational greatness that all universities strive for. But, along with eliteness, Tenaya demonstrated an aptness for satirical writing, because she has learned two qualities that cheerleaders frequently possess—bitchiness and sluttiness.
I hope my letter has persuaded you that Tenaya should be admitted. She will definitely stand out in USC’s white-bread, northern-european, pretentious educational atmosphere. Yours truly, an English teacher.

grading

Way too much grading to do. Themes of the Crucible rattling through my head. I don't want to work right now, and I don't feel like reading a billion essays that are sortof mediocre.

King's Canyon

Two weeks ago, Tisa and I went to King's Canyon in Sequoia National Park to stay at my godfather's cabin. It was amazing... the first picture shows the cabin we stayed in. Caught up on plenty of rest, and played games at night. Went for a few long walks, saw a waterfall, and some giant sequoia's in Grant's Grove - they are friggin' huge. On the last morning, it snowed. Amazing, and can't wait to go back. We'll need to get a group together and stay there.



Dave's Cabin


Very necessary fire every night.


Tisa jumping into the waterfall.


Snow, the morning we were getting ready to leave.

Outdoors

Tisa and I went on a few trips recently... both were simply amazing, and I thought I'd post a few pictures to share them with you. About three weeks back, we went backpacking into Angeles Crest, following the Santa Anita Canyon Trail. The trail is not overly difficult, and is only three miles and a half miles to the backpacking campsite, making it excellent. Here are some pictures of the things we saw...


This is the "fire ring" at the campsite. It's sortof an old-timey stove with a chimney. It doesn't make for a nice, sit-around-the-campfire feel, but it did keep us warm.


On our way to camp.


This is just one of these awesome, tiny cabins that you pass on your way through the canyon. It's pretty rustic, and awesome, right off the main hiking trail.


Our tent... finally got to try out all our new gear.