The Good:
Like most hardworking Americans, Chuck spends his winter break in an opium den. His afore-never-mentioned and very creepy Uncle Jack fetches him and does his best to get Chuck to school, but the heir apparent of Bass Industries is more inclined to smoke the ganja in a hallway while wearing socks and flip-flops. Oh, how the dapper have fallen. His self-destruction continues and culminates in a drunken stroll on the edge of the roof. After Uncle Jack’s brilliant “startle the drunk guy” tactic shockingly fails to work, Blair works her usual “I love you” magic, and Chuck falls into her arms. It would be sweet if Blair and creepy Uncle Jack didn’t clearly have some weird history that either involves hooking up or losing billions of Bass funds in a Ponzi scheme.
Chuck: Creepy Uncle Jacks never bode well. Swim little Bass. Swim for the great blue yonder!
Do you love discussing books? If you want to start your own book group, but you’re not sure what to do or where to begin, here are some things to consider:
From the SparkLife editors: We have a special treat and celebrity guest today! Maureen Johnson, author of Suite Scarlett and 13 Little Blue Envelopes (!!!), was kind enough to stop by SparkNotes HQ and share her New Year’s Resolutions with us. Look for more posts by Maureen in the year to come.
Happy New Year, friends! I hope you had a great New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Eve tends to be one of those events that has a HUGE build up, but actually turns out to be a.) freezing cold and b.) best summarized like this:
My New Year’s Eve was very enjoyable . . . Read more…
Miss Marmites, I defy you to read this sentence without wanting more:
Our hair didn’t look anything like the girls in the picture on the perm-box.
Are you intrigued? Here’s the rest of the paragraph:
After all that burning, tight hair-wraps, and smelly hairspray, why was my mother’s hair and mine so brittle, dry, and weak? “Did we do it wrong?” I asked my mum. “I don’t think so,” she replied, just as disappointed as I. We had been spending money and perming our hair for many uncounted months, yet, after a short while, our hair would go back to its thick, dry state. Because of this, we began wondering if perming our hair repeatedly was the right idea, if there was another way we could obtain the lovely, long, and healthy hair. After much investigation on the internet and the experience of others, we came to new conclusion; natural hair lowers the risk of damaged hair, saves money, and also improves one confidence. Looking at our own situation, my mother and I could see how this was so, but it took some explaining.
I must tell you, the phrase “my mother’s hair and mine” makes my heart sing with joy. Read more…
Most people think of accountants as penny pinchers who help us file our taxes. But chartered accountant (CA) Ayanda Mngadi is here to let us know that a career in accounting can be so much more than that. She loves her job and even gets to travel around the world with it.
SparkLife: What made you want to be an accountant?
Ayanda Mngadi: My accounting teacher in high school introduced me to it and it seemed prestigious, stable, and challenging. It was also around the time that I was getting an A+ in Accounting, with a sad C+ in Biology. The dreams of medicine just flew out the window then.
Here’s a Miss Marmite with a real thesis: Gregor didn’t just happen to turn into a cockroach; he *wanted* to become a giant bug. Good stuff! See for yourself:
What is the purpose of existence? In The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka suggests the theory of existentialism by implying that Gregor’s actions alone caused his transformation into a cockroach. Albert Camus once said, “A novel is never anything but a philosophy put into images,” which is exemplified in The Metamorphosis as Kafka shares his belief that there is no predestined fate; existence precedes essence. In other words, the decisions and choices made throughout life are the sole factors that shape and create purpose. Gregor was just a regular business man who one day woke up as a cockroach; Kafka portrays his philosophy of existentialism by explaining that Gregor’s transformation occurred only because he wanted it to occur. It was not “black magic” or witchcraft, but rather the decisions Gregor made and the attitude he had towards life that led to his situation.
But what, clever readers, precedes and surrounds this excellent thesis? Vague non-explanations and abstractions. Read more…
Resolutions are tricky, and rarely do we keep our promises to clean our rooms on a daily basis, do homework the night it’s given, or stop snipping at our siblings. A week, tops, and then we’re through. What if you could strike at the root of the problem, though? Whatever area of your life is giving you trouble, I guarantee that one of these titles will speak to you as only a book can.
Organizing from the Inside Out for Teenagers (Julie Morgenstern with Jessi Morgenstern-Colón)
It’s hard to study for a test when you can’t find those notes from last semester, and downright impossible when you don’t remember you even have a test. A little organization is in order! Julie Morgenstern has teamed up with her daughter to help you get on track: Together, they really get a teen’s priorities and how to work with them.
So. A new year, a fresh start. Maybe this is the year you’re finally going to get that car, or lose those last ten pounds. Maybe it’s the year you’re finally going to start dating the cutie from your leadership class.
Here’s a tip: Those things are really, really, really unlikely to happen unless you set specific goals to make them happen.
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