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Jun. 4th, 2006 09:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swatkatSo I decided to rejoin the human race by getting that really, really long overdue haircut. A novel plan, you will say. I thought so too. Little did I know what fate had set in store for me.
'Please make sure it's long enough for me to tie it up,' I said. Because it's FREAKING HOT, as you know, and I don't like hair falling all over me.
'Of course,' she said. She, as in the stylist. She's a generally nice lady, and I trust her, so I let her do as she pleased without paying too much attention to what she's doing (and well, I find this kind of thing horribly boring, so I was thinking about other things to entertain myself).
And then it was done, and I realised, to my HORROR, that she had cut it short - so short that it's quite IMPOSSIBLE to tie it up in *any* way, and did I mention how hot it is? And worse, she'd cut it so that my hair, which is quite wavy by itself, is now an impossible mass of curls. Basically, it now looks like I have a crow's nest on top of my head. Oh, and there's a lock in front which keeps falling over my eyes and I *hate* when that happens. *headdesk*
Of course, this means that I'll never have to comb my hair ever again because it makes no difference whatsoever. None. Believe me, I tried (somewhere I can hear my ten year old self shrieking in joy). My mother said it was 'cute', because a. it's just like my family to mock me in time of distress (and today I'll be meeting the entire lot of them *shudders*) or b. she really thinks it's cute because my hair was exactly like this when I was a kid, and our scary history teacher would tell me to comb my hair everyday, which I did, but it made no difference anyway.
*
Yo,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nell65? Let's talk about Carpe Jugulum and my issues with it.
Thematically, Carpe Jugulum is closest to Night Watch, in the sense that it deals with what Vimes calls 'the beast within' (interestingly, this is also what Angua's story is about to a large extent. if I ever get around to writing my Angua essay, I'll talk about it). For Granny, there's always the temptation to give in to the beast, to the dark forces that a powerful witch like her must always face. I liked how vampirism becomes a metaphor for the darkness, with contrasting vampires - the new count who didn't play by the rules, and the old count who did. And the importance to play by the rules, because otherwise it becomes unfair.
But where the book ultimately fails, I think, is that it gives Granny too little screentime. There are too many characters, too many contrasts and parallels, too many strands of action which pushes Granny to the background and makes her story less important, less convincing than it should be. Compare Night Watch - it's all Vimes all the time. There's Carcer, who will not tame the beast; Vimes, who will. It's the simplicity of the plot that works. In Carpe Jugulum it's just too convoluted. I almost felt that Granny *should've* died, although she couldn't have if the theme (overcoming the darkness) was to work.
Some things I loved:
- Granny's reaction when she learns Magrat has named the daughter after her
- Speaking of Magrat - how much did she rock in this book? I particularly loved the end, where Granny is ordering them about again and Agnes begins to protest because she hasn't grown up yet, but Magrat stops her and calmly makes the tea. Because *she* knows what Granny went through and what Granny fought against, and how great that makes her.
- The priestwhatshisnames recognition in the end - the way he learns to see everything as holy.
- Nanny Ogg. She's made of teh awesome.
'Please make sure it's long enough for me to tie it up,' I said. Because it's FREAKING HOT, as you know, and I don't like hair falling all over me.
'Of course,' she said. She, as in the stylist. She's a generally nice lady, and I trust her, so I let her do as she pleased without paying too much attention to what she's doing (and well, I find this kind of thing horribly boring, so I was thinking about other things to entertain myself).
And then it was done, and I realised, to my HORROR, that she had cut it short - so short that it's quite IMPOSSIBLE to tie it up in *any* way, and did I mention how hot it is? And worse, she'd cut it so that my hair, which is quite wavy by itself, is now an impossible mass of curls. Basically, it now looks like I have a crow's nest on top of my head. Oh, and there's a lock in front which keeps falling over my eyes and I *hate* when that happens. *headdesk*
Of course, this means that I'll never have to comb my hair ever again because it makes no difference whatsoever. None. Believe me, I tried (somewhere I can hear my ten year old self shrieking in joy). My mother said it was 'cute', because a. it's just like my family to mock me in time of distress (and today I'll be meeting the entire lot of them *shudders*) or b. she really thinks it's cute because my hair was exactly like this when I was a kid, and our scary history teacher would tell me to comb my hair everyday, which I did, but it made no difference anyway.
*
Yo,
nell65? Let's talk about Carpe Jugulum and my issues with it. Thematically, Carpe Jugulum is closest to Night Watch, in the sense that it deals with what Vimes calls 'the beast within' (interestingly, this is also what Angua's story is about to a large extent. if I ever get around to writing my Angua essay, I'll talk about it). For Granny, there's always the temptation to give in to the beast, to the dark forces that a powerful witch like her must always face. I liked how vampirism becomes a metaphor for the darkness, with contrasting vampires - the new count who didn't play by the rules, and the old count who did. And the importance to play by the rules, because otherwise it becomes unfair.
But where the book ultimately fails, I think, is that it gives Granny too little screentime. There are too many characters, too many contrasts and parallels, too many strands of action which pushes Granny to the background and makes her story less important, less convincing than it should be. Compare Night Watch - it's all Vimes all the time. There's Carcer, who will not tame the beast; Vimes, who will. It's the simplicity of the plot that works. In Carpe Jugulum it's just too convoluted. I almost felt that Granny *should've* died, although she couldn't have if the theme (overcoming the darkness) was to work.
Some things I loved:
- Granny's reaction when she learns Magrat has named the daughter after her
- Speaking of Magrat - how much did she rock in this book? I particularly loved the end, where Granny is ordering them about again and Agnes begins to protest because she hasn't grown up yet, but Magrat stops her and calmly makes the tea. Because *she* knows what Granny went through and what Granny fought against, and how great that makes her.
- The priestwhatshisnames recognition in the end - the way he learns to see everything as holy.
- Nanny Ogg. She's made of teh awesome.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-06-04 05:05 am (UTC)About 5 weeks ago, I got one that also turned out to be too short. And when my hair is too short, it curls up in weird and dorky ways that no amount of styling can conquer. *Gnashes teeth* When I got home, the lovely (*cough*) man I live with said (oh so tactfully), "OMG, you got CHOPPED!"
It is now just barely beginning to look tolerable, but it's going to take a few more weeks. &*(^&&$%^$%^*$%^$
I hate stylists who think they know better than you.
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Date: 2006-06-04 05:13 am (UTC)That's exactly what happens to me - when it's longer, I can tame it somewhat, but now it's simply unbearable. It's *messy*, and how on earth am I supposed to cope with that kind of hair in this heat? And I'm going to be meeting all kinds of people in the next few weeks, and they'll all be laughing at me. *sobs*
no subject
Date: 2006-06-04 06:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-04 07:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-04 08:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-05 06:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-04 10:37 am (UTC)Also, I totally agree with everything you've said about Carpe Jugulum. Nanny Ogg though is just too awsome... and is freakishly like my mother...
no subject
Date: 2006-06-05 06:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-04 04:25 pm (UTC)I *do* feel bad for you. Hairdressers, god help us, can't be trusted. They'll ask what you want and then cut it the way they think it should be. I acutally find this happens more with women hairdressers - when I tell a woman I want a blunt cut, take off the minimum to give me nice ends and to not cut my bangs short (my hair shrinks a LOT when it dries), they always end up trying to layer my hair.
Trust me, I've lived with my hair a loooooooooong time: layers don't work. I have a lot of hair, but it's fine, layers just lie flat. Or I'd have to work a hell of a lot harder than I'm willing to on my halfway-down-my-back hair.
A male hairdresser? In my experience, when I say I want a blunt cut, that's what I get. He gives me what I want, what I *know* will work on my hair and with my time/energy/inclination.
So sorry. It sounds cute, though! (says she with next-to-no-curls or waves)
no subject
Date: 2006-06-05 06:29 am (UTC)Layers work for me. Work too much, as is the case here. It`s become completely unmanagable - hair flying off in all directions. The more I try to straighten it up, the more it curls. Sometimes I wish I had straight hair - or nicely wavy, like my sister, without the annoying curls.
The problem with male hairdressers is that they are few and far between. Or very famous, and therefore freakishly expensive. Now this lady is nice, good at what she does and not very expensive (a bit, but thats all right) - once I find a hairdresser I trust I tend to stick to them. *sigh*
no subject
Date: 2006-06-05 03:44 am (UTC)So - had plenty of stupid hair cuts in my time... but I mostly like the one I've got now. Though I've entered the days when I'm as concerned about color as I am about cut. Damn grey hair.
But about the vampires.... I'm still not finished with the book (though I as I've had to resort to my hopping around method of reading a book that doesn't grab me, I'm quite thoroughly spoiled), so I may be getting some of it wrong... but, it seems too me like this one has too many sub plots - and not one clear main plot, which makes it really hard to get going with.
I'm also getting a little tired of the witches' schtick. Yes. I know Nanny Ogg is a charming slug, and a much better witch than she likes to let on. I still want one of her poor unnamed DILs to pop her upside the head and tell her to clean her own damn house. Yes. I know Esme struggles against wanting to be bad. I read the Cinderella story. Yes. I know Perdita and Agnes have some unresolved issues. I read those books too... and, well, this book didn't seem to move any of those stories forward in particular.
The vampires - well, they just confuse me in this story. I loved the vampire in Monstrous Regiment .... and the silly photographer Otto is endearing.... but in this book the vampires seemed to have different powers and strengths than in the other books. (Sort of the way Perdita/Agnes was not - and I went and looked - initially described as particularly fat, then when he needed her to be, she seemed to double in size between novels). In a different book - I can see PTerry making the main vampire his hero - someone who rejects the old myths, learns new ways, fights stupid tradition, struggles to raise his children outside the veil of silly superstitions, in other words, Sam Vimes had he been born a vampire .... but because he doesn't make nice with the silly humans he must be a bad guy. It seemed, well, oddly speciesist (is that a word!) for an author who has created so many wonderful non-human characters.
(sorry about the delete - I was signed in under a different journal....aggg. I just made it, so I'm not used to having more than one lj identity!)
no subject
Date: 2006-06-05 06:37 am (UTC)I heart Nanny Ogg, and I dont want her to change at all. But otherwise, I agree with everything you said. Agnes` story doesnt make nearly as much sense as Magrat`s did in this book, and we could`ve easily done without it. The vampires in particular are confusing - I see Pterry`s point, and you will too if you finish it. The count on the surface is vampire!Vimes, but in reality he`s taking an unfair advantage and letting the beast within roam free, albeit in a really sophisticated manner. And that can`t be allowed. But it`s presented in a confusing manner, and well, doesn`t make sense most of the time. I have to *make* it make sense. And that`s not what I expect from Pterry.
I feel your pain...
Date: 2006-06-05 01:56 pm (UTC)I wound up looking like a freaking poodle with orange hair.
Pissed much? Oh yeah. When I saw that in the mirror I about burst into tears. Unfortunately in those days, I had no backbone and slunk out of the salon and went home miserable. Luckily my hair grows over an inch a month so it only took about 6 months to get rid of it..*shudder*