Maria's Mélange

(I'm moving posts from my old blog host so they are all together. This originally posted Aug 26, 2011) There is a ton of buzz about the movie “Tangled” right now. The previews make it look completely adorable, and everyone I’ve talked to loved it, so I decided to give it a go. I was definitely disappointed in the adaptation of the story of Rapunzel. Let me start by saying that there  was  a lot to like about the movie. It was well drawn, the music was beautiful, and the characters were fun to watch. I loved the scene in the bar where all the rogues and rapscallions revealed their secret dreams, and I love the chameleon. Rapunzel  is one of my favorite fairy tales, though, which may be why I was disappointed with “Tangled”. I love it mostly because of the questions that swirl around my head about the motivations of the characters. The parents of Rapunzel seem thrilled to be having that baby. So what eager mother could have a craving so bad during pregnancy that she would be

(I'm moving over old blog posts from my old host. This one originally posted August 16, 2011) My latest Read Outside Your Comfort Zone book.  Why is this a " Read Outside Your Comfort Zone " book?” First, because it’s nonfiction. I tend to read novels, mostly. Second, because I knew it would force me to think more deeply about some of the feminist notions I used to hold so dear… I’m a sucker for heroes. I haven’t been a comic book reader (until recently), but I love heroes in movies and books. As a science fiction and fantasy reader, there are so many out there. Some have mutant powers, like Wolverine. Some are driven to excel due to personal tragedy, like Bruce Wayne. His seemingly never-ending cash flow doesn’t hurt either, right? Captain America, Green Lantern, Superman - the list of “big name” heroes tends to be heavy on the testosterone. So it may come as no surprise that I always labeled myself as a “boy geek”. I mean, there just aren’t that many women out t

(I'm moving posts over from my old blog host. This one originally posted August 12, 2011) I’ll admit it – before I had kids I spent a lot of time thinking about the kind of example I would need to be if I had daughters. I wanted to be sure they would know that the world was wide open to them. That I would be there to help them as they decided for themselves the path they would take in this world. Then I had two little boys. Boys need strong men in their lives, right? My sons are blessed. They have a highly involved father, who is caring and intelligent. He is devoted to them, and makes every effort to be the best example he can be. They also had wonderful preschool teachers, many of whom were men – can you believe it? Amazing men who were kind and gentle as well as “rough and tumble”. They have two grandfathers, super cool uncles, and the list goes on. Whew, right? I can relax? Seriously, I know better. Recently, though, the idea that little boys need strong women too kept

As promised, I continued to work on reading outside my comfort zone in the area of nonfiction. (Check out the "Read Outside Your Comfort Zone Challenge"  by A Tapestry of Words) I finished Time Traveler , which is an autobiography of Dr. Mallett, a physicist working on the science behind traveling through time. Since I heard him speak about his life and physics research at a recent conference, I was intrigued by the opportunity to read this book.   As a child, I loved the idea of time travel. I read books, watched movies, and even wrote several short stories that relied on various types of time machines. Thankfully, the stories I wrote are long gone. I’m sure I remember them as being much more amazing than they actually were! Time Traveler  combined the story of Dr. Mallett's life with simplified descriptions of many of the principles of physics that he uses in his work.  Dr. Mallett’s father, who was a battlefield medic and television repairman with a love of l