Resistance

I could go into all of the reasons why my sad little blog has been, once again, left quiet and untouched. But instead, I want to talk about something else- something that makes me angry. It isn't related to Nancy Drew, although knowing our heroine and her belief in the goodness of the police, I'm pretty sure she'd be pissed too. This is why:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmJmmnMkuEM&feature=related

Last Friday, I hopped on a train to go home and spend the weekend with my family. About an hour after I arrived home, I found this video posted all over Facebook. Unlike those that I had seen of police brutality in Berkeley, Oakland, and New York, this video showed a place that I recognize well and faces that I know. On the Quad that I walk through every day, police were arresting, beating, and pepper-spraying my friends, classmates, co-workers, and residents. Not because they were being violent, but because they were quietly linking arms in peaceful protest. They were being sprayed not from a distance of 15 feet (the legal minimum distance), but from about 3 feet away- and for some protesters, the substance was sprayed directly in their faces and down their throats. They were being sprayed and arrested not because they served any threat to police officers, as our Chief of Police Annette Spicuzza asserted, or because this group of cops was separated from their colleagues and consequently felt unsafe. Rather, police officers in riot gear who were armed with rubber pellet rifles and pepper spray felt, for god knows what reason, that dismantling the Occupy tents (which was the order given by Chancellor Katehi) was not enough. If you can step over the line of protesters and casually wave around your can of pepper spray, and if you can aim your weapons at students and have them back away, you are not threatened in any way.


These weren't just students at my school that I didn't know. Some of my family members are ardently opposed to the Occupy movement and have no idea that I have been protesting with them for just over a week. But these aunts and uncles will be shocked to learn that I actually know these crazy students who, according to some news reports, shouldn't be complaining because they didn't move when they were told to. They might be surprised to know that my friend from work was sent to the hospital with chemical burns. She was sprayed directly in the face, despite the 'ASTHMATIC!' warning written in Sharpie on her arm. A classmate of mine was also a part of the chain and was pepper-sprayed- there are videos of her on CNN wiping the face of another protester with her headscarf. Two other friends of mine- one a former co-worker, and another a former resident- were standing by and watching in horror, whilst the wind also blew some of the pepper spray in their direction. One of my History TAs was arrested, as was one of my residents who was not doing anything at all (he was cited for 'lodging without a permit' when he did not even have a tent at the encampment). These aren't crazy activists who don't go to class and spend their days lazily sitting around in tents- these are everyday students who attend UC Davis and work hard just to stay there, especially at a time when we face a potential 81% tuition increase. And they were met with violence because they sat peacefully in a circle and linked arms, or because they had the audacity to stand by and watch.

But here's the upside:






We're not going away.

Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys Supermystery #1: Double Crossing

NANCY DREW is enjoying a luxury cruise aboard the ship where her friend George is the new social director. It seems like great fun until Nancy overhears a plan to sell CIA secrets to another country. Her vacation turns into a high-risk hunt for a deadly secret agent.

Meanwhile...

THE HARDY BOYS are working undercover on the same cruise ship – Joe in the kitchen, Frank as photographer – trying to track down a dangerous group of thieves who prey on rich passengers.

But when murder comes aboard, Nancy, Joe, and Frank find they're in the same boat – facing death on all sides in DOUBLE CROSSING.


That's right – it's not just Nancy Drew, and it's not just the Hardy Boys. It's a NANCY DREW & HARDY BOYS SUPERMYSTERY.
I read one or two of these as a kid and I distinctly recall being completely taken aback to see the word 'sexy' in a book for children. However, now that I've read Double Crossing (the very first in the crossover series), it doesn't surprise me at all. I will give the author some credit here in that the story itself was not bad – Nancy is on the cruise ship for vacation and happens to run into a mystery (so what else is new?) while the Hardy Boys are already on a case (they don't need luck like Nancy because people actually pay them to do these things- I'd like to see the tables turn some day!). They help each other out with the two cases, get conked on the head and left for dead a few times, and nab the culprits in the end. The action sequences are imaginative (in a good way), and the 'bad guys' they're facing aren't bumbling idiots throwing in halfhearted attempts to scare Nancy, Frank, and Joe off the case – they are actually dangerous people.

So despite the ridiculous romance aspects to this book (and I'll get to that shortly), it wasn't entirely a waste of my time. I actually quite enjoyed it and, as my family can attest to, I spent much of our vacation curled up with this book in a fort I built in the closet (because just sitting in a chair or on the couch wasn't awesome enough).

However, I do need to point out some things, as always. On the subject of romance, if I can just share a passage here that caught my attention (note that this is only 4 pages into the book, and Nancy and Frank have barely been introduced):

Nancy unpacked quickly, pulling a card from Ned Nickerson out of her purse and putting it on top of her bureau, where she could look at it. She read it once again.
“My dear Ms. Detective,” it said. “While you're sailing off into the sunset, how am I supposed to solve a not-so-mysterious case of loneliness? Miss you, and see you when I get home. Love, Ned.”
What a guy. Ned Nickerson had to be the greatest boyfriend a girl ever had or ever could have. Nancy promised herself that no matter how good-looking the guys were on this cruise, she wasn't even going to think about romance.
And especially not with Frank Hardy. She'd crossed paths with Frank Hardy and his brother before, and every time she did, Frank had the same powerful effect on her. Nothing had ever happened between them, though, and it wasn't going to this time, either. She had a boyfriend, he had a girlfriend – and that was that. (4)

We've hardly met Nancy and Frank. As far as anyone is concerned, these could be the first impressions that a young girl or boy has of these two characters. And four pages in, Nancy is already having to remind herself of the reasons why she can't hit it off with Frank. Really now, the ghostwriter wasn't even trying to hint at the romantic tension here. In 1988, subtlety was apparently out the window for any contact between Nancy Drew and Frank Hardy. Later in the book, they even defy the pool rules to go for a midnight swim together. Said swim is naturally ruined when Nancy finds a dead body in the pool, but no big deal. Frank is there to hold her in his warm arms and tell her it's all going to be okay.

The interesting thing is that one character in particular, usually ignored in these types of story arcs, gets a guy of her own.

Nancy watched as George and David swept across the dance floor to a hot Latin beat. Their eyes were locked together, and it wasn't hard to tell that they were getting very interested in each other. (19)

For a little background, David is one guy in a group of five bratty CIA kids on board the cruise ship. Supposedly, David is the only somewhat-friendly one of the entire group, but Nancy questions his motives continuously throughout the book. And for once, George gets a taste of what Bess has to deal with all the time:

George's eyes widened. “Wait just a minute. You're not saying that you think David's involved in all this spy business, are you?” (55)

Oh sweetheart. Haven't you learned anything from Nancy's cases in all these years? Why do you think your cousin is perpetually single? Whenever a good-looking guy comes along, inevitably Nancy either takes him for herself, or he displays an interest in Bess and then turns out to be the culprit. The latter always ends with Nancy handing him over to law enforcement authorities after an action-packed finale revealing a huge twist in the identity of the burglar/saboteur/criminal mastermind – except it's not a twist because if you've read as many Nancy Drew books as I have, the predictability of such books is heightened considerably.

Although, to credit the author yet again, David turns out all right in the end and promises to keep in touch with George. I suppose it's just Bess who gets the shaft every time. And meanwhile, Nancy glows with pride at another job well done. *Snaps for Nancy!* /Legally Blonde

Stay tuned for another installment (cross your fingers for the long-overdue Mysterious Mannequin post)!

Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

SURPRISE!
I'm off to explore the sunny, humid banks of the Bosphorus. For the entirety of July, my life will consist of learning about Ottoman history, visiting many of the sites and mosques my professor talks about in class, and meeting new people on the other side of the world who will show me around the beautiful city of Istanbul (not Constantinople).

Aside from enjoying my experience there, I have two other things planned:
1) EPIC Harry Potter marathon leading up to the release of Pt. II of the seventh (and last) film. The last resounding note of my childhood will slowly die out as Harry takes his final walk into the Forbidden Forest. And although I will be saying goodbye to Harry Potter in a very different way than I had imagined, it will not go without tears and very fond memories.
2) And of course, Nancy Drew. Just so you all know, Nancy has actually traveled to Istanbul before- which is why #47: The Mysterious Mannequin is tucked away in my carry-on bag. It shall serve me well when I can't sleep on the plane or when I'd like to give my 700-page reader a rest (not that it's had much wear... at all).

So this was all 100% exciting and everything, until I happened to read this (courtesy of Wikipedia):

Beginning 2 March 2011 access to Blogspot was blocked, following a request by satellite television provider Digiturk; Digiturk alleged Blogger was being used to distribute material it holds the broadcast rights to.

In other words, I can't actually access my blog because the Turkish government has really tight restrictions on... well, a lot of things when it comes to the Internet, apparently. YouTube was banned in Turkey because someone posted a video that offended Ataturk, the founder of the modern state of Turkey. This is pretty sad considering Turkey is a relatively liberal country (and anyhow, everyone knows that half the people on YouTube are crazies who start verbal to-the-death battles all because someone misspelled a word).

I'm going to be writing throughout July, and see if I can get my sister or someone nice to post everything for me. Nice, wonderful siblings/friends/parents/relatives who would just love to help my cause... right?

Have a peachy July :)

#7: The Clue in the Diary

Back to some good old (actually old) Nancy Drew, circa 1932... well, kind of- we'll just say 1962 since that's when it was revised. But this was one of the very first in the original Nancy Drew series, back when it was still developing. And on that note, I consider this book to be especially important because a major character is brought into the picture for the first time- Mr. Ned Nickerson!

Since I started reading these books, I never questioned that Ned had just always been a character- until I was reading the Nancy Drew Wiki page (since that's what I do when I'm bored) and discovered that Ned didn't exist at all in the first several books. Because this is also one of the most popular in the entire series, I figured it would be the next installment for me to tackle.

To sum things up, Nancy is driving home from a carnival with Bess and George, admiring the mansions in the hills beside the road, when the one they praise the most explodes before their very eyes (my guess is that Nancy can secretly blow things up using only the power of her mind... why? Because she's Nancy-freaking-Drew and she's a boss). They drive over quickly to help, and as Nancy is running around the house to make sure no one is hurt, she sees a man fleeing from the scene, leaving behind a diary- written in Swedish- in the grass. The man runs away and Nancy ponders for a while about who he is, whilst learning from neighbors that the mansion was owned by a Mr. Raybolt and his wife, two unpleasant people that everyone hated- mainly because Mr. Raybolt swindled people out of their money. However, the couple can't be found anywhere and it's very suspicious. As Nancy seeks out answers about the diary, the man running from the house, and the ill deeds/whereabouts of the Raybolts, she also helps a young woman named Mrs. Swenson and her 5-year-old daughter Honey, who are living in poverty since Mr. Swenson (an inventor) left to earn money for the family and never returned. Long story short (too late), Nancy discovers that the man fleeing the mansion was Mr. Swenson, who was angry with Mr. Raybolt for essentially stealing his invention- as was the case with many other inventors- and when the police arrest him, Nancy sets out to clear his name and catch Raybolt.

Now before I start talking about Ned, there is one little nitpicky thing I have to mention, because it totally drove me nuts- this entire book is basically just Nancy, Bess, and George (and sometimes Ned) driving around everywhere. I mean, everywhere. I don't know if she just has a bottomless tank of gas or what, but she woke up every day, picked up her besties in her sweet ride, and drove all over the countryside until she finally decided to go home at night (at which point she also decided at least once to get right back in her car and drive somewhere else). How your precious little convertible lasted through this book (let alone so many after it) is beyond me. But hey, if you derive pleasure from driving for hours to go ask someone you've never met a single question that they don't know the answer to, more power to you. Your dad's pretty wealthy, he'll buy you a new car when this one dies after a year- lucky you, Nancy!

Okay, now I'll turn back to the real purpose of this post- Ned Nickerson! Because, being the nerd that I am, I hold in high respect the introduction of a character- particularly one as important as Ned. How a character is first brought into a book or series can say a lot about them. What I find particularly funny about Ned's first appearance is that, at first, Nancy thinks he's trying to steal her car. I would insert an actual quote here because I dogeared the page specifically for that reason, but I seem to have misplaced my copy of The Clue in the Diary. Bah.

Ned is someone rarely seen in a bad light throughout the series- save for an early edition of #21: The Secret in the Attic (see my 'Old Favourites' post) and those few books in which Nancy runs off with other guys (see #77: The Bluebeard Room and #78: The Phantom of Venice). For a character who becomes sort of the Lois Lane to Nancy's Superman, it's pretty fantastic that he was initially painted to look the bad guy. I give major props to Millie Benson (the ghostwriter of this book and the original Carolyn Keene) for making the story of Nancy's and Ned's first meeting somewhat interesting, rather than some tired old chance meeting at a school dance. Which reminds me, since when does Nancy even go to school? Because I have plenty to say on that matter...

To sum this up, it really matters (in my mind) how characters are treated by the author who writes them. Before the tail-end of my freshman year of college (when I took a creative writing class that got me back into writing stories), I didn't seem to realize that the characters in every novel and short story are people. And so, they need to behave and speak as any normal person would do. They can have their quirks and their strange motives, but they're there because somehow, they hold a role in the story that cannot be left out. They are, by the author's definition, important. And so, knowing the role that Ned would come to have in almost every Nancy Drew book since 1932, I held my breath- and then relaxed a little, because Millie Benson (unlike so many ghostwriters after her) understood the importance of this character and she didn't drag him around.

That's it for this installment! Up next, stay tuned for #47: The Mysterious Mannequin. It's so mysterious that I don't even know what it's about yet.

Anddddddddd We're Back!

It's been a long, long (unannounced) hiatus. You can all (three of you) rest assured that my nine months away were productive and contributed to a great deal of growth.
My excuse, this time around, is simple enough: I was an RA (resident advisor) in the residence halls at my university. I won't say a whole lot about the things I dealt with (most of it stays confidential), but I will just say this: if you did not/do not appreciate your RA during your time in the dorms, take a moment to think about everything they did as part of their job. If they were any good, they spent nine months putting most of their energy into making your college experience enjoyable and safe, whilst also trying to help you learn and grow- creating bulletin boards, planning and implementing events, team-building, diversity discussions, enforcing policies, sitting in meetings, eating meals and spending time with residents, and teaching others about themselves and the world around them. All that while maintaining good grades, in some cases internships and other jobs, and (believe it or not) a social life.

To put it plainly, I've been pretty busy. If the next school year is at all easier than this past year, you'll be happy to know that after being an RA, I can surely find the time to read Nancy Drew books (like that's what I should be doing with my free time anyhow).

And now, let's get back to where we left off...