Paper Bag Printz-cess

(heh, I’m so humorous)

It’s getting close in on awards season. You can tell by all the “serious” movies being trailered and all the anti-How I Live Now and Postcards from No Man’s Land talk on YALSA-BK lately.
But hey, what do I know? I actually liked How I Live Now, despite being insulted by Meg Rosoff at ALA (she thought I was a Real Live Teen, as opposed to librarianing for ‘em). And I felt bad for her that, at ALA, there she was, sitting by her lonesome, with (presumably) her agent out offering FREE hardcover copies of her Printz-award-winning book, autographed. And yes, I took one, because I like the book.
But I didn’t Printz-like the book, because that’s a different matter entirely.
And when you’re talking about awards, no matter which one, there are really 2 questions:
Who do you think will win?
and
Who do you think should win?
Last year, I didn’t make my own win lists. I would have had money on Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood, which is a great, beautiful, fucking tearjerker of a book and everyone should read it, money based on its buzz on YALSA-BK. But I was a young, naïve li’l librarian then, and didn’t realize that listserv/professional buzz doesn’t make a shiny medal appear on the paperback edition of your book.
Or I had forgotten about 2001, and how much I didn’t care about So You Want to be President.
And for years, I avoided anything with a Newbery medal on the cover. I think it was post-Katherine Paterson Syndrome, only cured by an administration of Holes or Christopher Paul Curtis (who also assumed I was a teenager, incidentally). Unfortunately, I had a brief PKPS relapse last year with Kira Kira.
Then I discovered the Important Literature Miracle Cure: bunny suicides.

Who do I think should get the Printz tiara this year?
Look, I really loved Looking for Alaska. And I’m not just saying that because I’ve got a mighty literary crush on the Colonel.* I think it’s a great book, full of funny and heartache and general goodness. Somehow, this thing feels like a classic. And I’m not just saying that because John Green is my MySpace friend and there’s a link to this blog on my profile, either.
Then I read A Room on Lorelei Street and, oh my god, this book is gorgeous. It totally made me cry (and I’m not at all a crier, at least not until Duckie proposes—Oh, that was an awful joke. I’m sorry). But in a good way. This book is so completely full of hope, but not at all cheesy. And it makes not-cheesy-and-terribly-uplifting look so damn easy, like why can’t everyone do this?
So yeah, I’d like one of those two to win. I’m not really sure what I think will win; I haven’t been studying this process nearly as long as I’ve been dissecting the We Love Tom Hanks Show. There’s a death in Alaska, and a crap family life in Lorelei. But will that be what it takes?

And I know most of what I read and love doesn’t have a prayer in the Race to Important Young Adult Literature. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld is awesome so far, it keeps making me late back from lunch, and I got cranky at people trying to talk to me and interrupting especially suspenseful bits, but who am I kidding? Vampirism-as-sexually-transmitted-parasite is going to win a major literary award when two stoned guys on a quest for tiny burgers get a little gold man statue.
--Holy crap, I just got back from break and in the last 15 minutes, Peeps just got like 50x crazier and better. I love a good vampire retelling, and this isn’t disappointing in the slightest.--

And when the hell is Lurlene McDaniel getting her Edwards Award, anyway?

*I keep promising that crush post, don’t I? Sorry.

I bet you thought I was never doing this again.

Billboard Nov 19

• And, see, I hadn't been feeling this in awhile. I'd get the magazine, and it would be one big MEH.
• But then I open up this issue, and there's a tiny pic on the contents page from Rent.
• And it looks like Eric (Jeff?) Noseworthy.
• You know, the guy from MTV's Dead at 21?
• And the Brady Bunch movie?
• And Idle Hands?
• (which is a great movie by the way, but we all know my Seth Green issues)
• And the girl kinda looks like Lisa Bonet does in High Fidelity.
• Or maybe that guy is Marc Blucas.
• My hatred of him is well known, too, I believe.
• C'mon! His hands are like, 3X the size of Buffy's head!!
• I am quite looking forward to Rent despite all this.
• Steve Chbosky wrote the screenplay. It's good to know he hasn't completely fallen off the face of the earth since writing the one book guaranteed to make me bawl every damn time I read it.
• Though that's mostly due to how homesick it makes me.
• "My Humps" fucking needs to stop stalking me.
• NOW.
• Seriously, here's a big giant picture of the stupid bitch.
• And, you know? Her humps don't look all that big, or great.
• I'm certainly not love-drunk right now.
• I decided that it's OK for me to guiltily love that Fall Out Boy song. I sing along real loud whenever it's on the radio in the car.
• And isn't that the whole point of radios in cars? The guilty pleasure thing?
• Uma's in the new Producers? Hmmm...
• I just love the old one so much, I don't know how I feel about them filming the musical.
• imdb says that guy is neither Blucas or Noseworthy and the lady-type is Rosario Dawson, who I've always liked, so that's good.
• And now I've got the number song running through my head, except, of course, with the wrong amounts.
• Uproar Over Firing of Teacher Who Showed R-Rated Film
• Christ.
• Also, Geography Club got flat-out banned.
• Next Harry Potter movie soundtrack has Weird Sisters songs on it!!!
• Melissa and Sterrett, you know I'm going to start squealing when Jarvis is on-screen, right?
• "Sugar, We're Goin' Down"
• That's the name of that Fall Out Boy song.
• Plus, I feel like I at least have to give them credit for the Simpsons referencing name, you know?
• "It may be new to U.S. audiences, but this song was a huge hit in Europe in 1998. That version featured Melanie C.
• Bryan Adams has stripped out Melanie's vocals and replaced them with Pamela Anderson's."
• Yes, that Pamela Anderson.
• The other 3 elephants of the apocalypse should be along shortly.
• If Angelo Badalamenti (sp?) isn't at the Film & TV Music Conference, I'm not interested.
  

There sure are a lot of ugly people in your neighborhood.

more emails.
***
In Jessy-is-easy news, I spent a good part of last night using my feminine wiles to attempt to get rid of my massive library fines. And found another greasy hipster in town [who I’ve never seen again, I might add], and was staring unabashedly. And I believe he was staring back. So I now, according to Melissa, have a 401K and stock options.
***
Oh, I'm so not a grown up. That's why I work with teenagers: I have the maturity level of one of them. Except the above 11yrold #$@&, of course.
At least they've found the Ripley's Believe It Or Not book, and are no longer "accidentally" falling off the chairs.
I try to only pull the young professional card when it's absolutely neccessary, like when my apartment manager shows the building to new potential landlords. Look, I try to say, what an amazing tenant I make! Hopefully, they're blind to the fact that I'm unshowered and in pajamas on my balcony at 3PM on a Saturday, clutching the new Harry Potter. Or, you know, they're distracted by the mold on the wall. Whatever means I don't have to move.
I found a picture of you in your prom gown the other day, so I put it on my wall.
***
1. Is it wrong of me to consider changing my Friendster profile to "in a relationship", even though I'm never ever on Friendster anymore, even though, despite not being ambilvalent about who I'm in this relationship with, I'm slightly weird about the phrase (if only I could just put "has a boyfriend" instead--I fucking hate semantics--that's a lie...), just because I know Andy still uses it and might perhaps see the change? What would I even do with his knowing? Guh!?
2. …
3. Today's Euphemism, from Billboard: "[Tim] Armstrong shows his affection for the Clash" or something to that effect.
***
He changed his first. Is it just me, or is the prase "in a relationship" so much more serious than "I have a boyfriend", or even "I have a monogamous boyfriend that I really care about and would like to be with for awhile"? Why does the first one sound so grown up? But, you know, I really like him, and technically I am, so I figured why not change the damn thing?
I need book recs. No cable and all.
1. anything I mention on my blog, obviously.
2. most of the things I mention on my MySpace outfit log
3. Holly Black
4. Looking for Alaska
5. Geography Club
6. read Rainbow Boys and tell me what you think: I'm ambivalent
7. new Nick Hornby
8. Sunshine by Robin McKinley (vampires, snark, and baked goods--I think this book was written specifically for me)
I bought a very cheap digital camera last night. Check out my new MySpace picture, as I'm wearing an indescribable and yet cute shirt I got from the Urban Outfitters clearance rack.

Get out of my dreams.

I forgot I took these pictures of this sexy sexy vehicle.








Those bright red spots? Painted blood coming from those bullet hole decals, which I totally don't get the point of, by the way. Who wants their car to look bullet-ridden?

I’m just like Eminem: I can clean out my closet too.

(some things I found in my sent email folder that I figured could stand in for that long post I haven’t been bothered to write in several weeks—do I need to say that I have no idea what I’m talking about in most of these?)

There's a crying child over by the videos, and I just signed a computer up for someone named after a spice.
***
ran.
dom.
I had no idea.
Today, I told some kids that there would be punch and pie at a program. I don't think they caught the joke.
Of course, later, a regular squeed all over me about Good Omens, then let me go on about Blue Monday: In Between Days, and actually checked the damn thing out.
Hurrah!
Leading, as it always does, to the question: what happens in 10 years that the 14yrolds love me, but the 25yrolds who were the 14yrolds have their sights on boring girls?
***
(oh, and I just had to “undo borderline” in Microsoft Word, so now Madonna’s stuck in my head. Feels like I’m going to lose my mind. You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline.)

MySpace.
'nother person refusing a hold. which I really don't get, you know: it takes me, like 2 seconds, and then you're guaranteed the book. wtf?
Also annoyed b/c the woman walked over to the circ desk to ask if we had, not 30 seconds after i asked if she needed any help.
grrr

***
only a prayer group saved you, you know, and I'd think you wouldn't joke about it after all you've been through, missy.
***
You're welcome to come to 80s night here, sweetie. Less Smiths, but still a good time.
Monday, I discovered, is $2 well drink night at Hammerheads. I'm working on a new maxim, something like, If you drank too much gin the night before, that's the day the town bully throws the town somewhat effeminate kid's bike and bike lock in 2 separate trees.
***
So I think I may have put my foot in my mouth several times last night, but you know how I stop paying attention to things after about the 2nd gin'n'tonic...
***
So, is it so wrong that I'm still attracted to Ben McKenzie, mustache and all?
***
And everybody should contact me, because I've been really witty lately, if I do say so myself.
Or something.

Read this, or you aren't my friend.

Twee as Fuck.
Also, Meg Cabot's latest entry is freakin' hilarious.
***
Someday, when I'm no longer spending library $$ at an incredible rate or figuring out how to make soaps that look like cupcakes with middle school girls, I'll have another real post, full of wheelchairs, princesses, giddiness, and my usual crankiness.
I promise.