by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . August 31, 2010 . 3:17AM
In “The Actor and the Housewife” by Shannon Hale, a new screenwriter and dedicated Mormon housewife named Becky stumbles into a chance meeting with Felix, an actor she’s had a crush on for most of her adult life. For most women, drooling and acting a fool would commence, but Becky is pregnant and Mormon and too cool for that and it leads into a storybook friendship that will take Becky and Felix through the next 10 years of their lives. The book itself spends a great majority of the time asking the question as to whether or not a man and a woman with great friendship chemistry have to be more or if they can remain friends.
Ultimately, the book is a fun, easy read. The character of Becky is written with great wit and a sassy demeanor. Unfortunately, her struggles with her feelings for Felix come off as too easy and faith played. The author spends a lot of time letting Becky nag Felix, and the reading audience, with Mormon and faith based principles. It comes across less dynamic. Felix, as a character, allows himself to be harassed and rarely pushes Becky back as a character. In this way, Becky never grows as a person. There is an instance where Becky is forced to see how Felix felt in situations she put him in, but the writing feels hard to read and inauthentic. Growth is not shown in her character and the reader feels somewhat harassed and put upon much in the way Felix might feel.
Tragedy occurs about halfway through the book and rather than outright deliver in writing style, the author skips a great majority of what could be character development because “Becky would want it that way.” It was a major cop-out in the chance to really show some movement. If, as an author, you choose to force the faith of your character on your audience in one setting you absolutely must show the lack of faith in other settings instead of glossing over it.
Overall, the book was good. The lack of characterization and movement makes it a quick read, if an unbelievable one. The ending, again, felt rushed and as a reader I felt somewhat cheated, but this is chick lit. A well-developed ending is probably not to be expected. I was disappointed, but there was hope in the ending and I suppose that is the message the author wished to convey.
by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . August 25, 2010 . 6:41PM
Some of you, and you know who you are, have been complaining that I haven’t been around.
My bad.
There was a time I wrote in my blog every day. This past summer, however, was a time for me to spend discovering who I have become as an adult and if I am satisfied with myself at the present moment or if I am ready to move forward and become more. Part of my job, that has become a part of who I am, is the ability to assess myself and use that assessment for self-reflection and introspection. It’s constant and consuming and can be overwhelming in both the best and the worst of ways.
Part of writing a blog is understanding and knowing the proper balance of how much to share with people and how much to keep sacred. This summer was pretty sacred for me out of requirement, necessity and propriety. The good news in all of this is that I feel like I have a better understanding of who I am and where I am going. One of the first things I learned in my undergraduate psychology Motivation course was that humans are motivated the most by Fear and Love and if you can combine the two there are few things humans won’t do.
It has been the summer of fear and love and confusion and growth.
I am me, which is more than enough, and I am content with the change and growth that are occurring even when it is scary.
It’s good to be back.
by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . August 12, 2010 . 2:22PM
Every now and then I tend to forget that my blog isn’t solely my blog. There are many of the most amazing people I’ve ever met or never met that stick their head onto this little piece of my soul and nibble on whatever I put out there to taste for flavor. Sometimes what is on the plate is delicious and insightful and leaves them happy, and hopeful and better for spending their time searching for nourishment among the many places they could look for that little something extra in their lives…however their lives may be. Sometimes…frankly it’s just leftovers. Some crust. A leftover thought that may have been worth sharing and building upon but something in my life has blocked it from my elaboration or my heartfelt need to push forward upon it and so I lay it on the plate and hope that somewhere they can see that there was love but the love was either so raw that it couldn’t be elaborated upon or it was just…enough.
And sometimes…we don’t need more than that. Sometimes, as people, we just need enough. So for today, I offer you my enough. Each of you makes me smile, think and realize things about myself that I would not otherwise realize. Thank you for enough.
by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . August 7, 2010 . 9:26PM
I so love a good surprise. Not the “Oh cripes he just spilled a milkshake in the backseat” kind of surprise. One where I had no idea it was coming and it makes me cry like a little wuss.
Because I’m a girl and a good cry from joy can make me happier than anything. And I’m ok with being a wuss.
When I don’t know that anything is coming to my post office box, I check it less frequently. Honestly, I don’t need Hardees coupons or local flyers. When I opened my box this week, I had a gift. It was a slip of an envelope that had Kurt Halsey’s name on it.
One of my first blogs, in a much different time of my life, was about a custom Kurt Halsey piece that Leon had commissioned for me for Christmas. I love his work and lately had been longing for something that represented where I feel I am now.
I mentioned in my twitter that I was wishing for the postcards of his most recent works. I had no idea what I’d do with them, but I would find something creative. In my mailbox this week were these.
Thank you, mystery gifter. You have no idea what kind of week I’ve had and what they meant. Kurt included a couple of handwritten post its that made me weepy.
And I cried.
Like the little wuss I am.
And I loved it.
by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . July 29, 2010 . 4:02PM
Have I mentioned lately how much my sponsor, SkincareRx.com, rocks? They send me cool stuff to mess around with and then I get to tell you what I think about it. Otherwise, let’s face it, my need for new gadgets would go unfulfilled. They sent me, a Personal Microderm so I could let you know if these things really work or not. I had to promise that I would be truthful and not just say “yes, I like this” which actually makes me like them all the more because I’m a girl who is all about the honesty and it would have made me really uncomfortable to accept an item to review if I couldn’t be honest about it.
I’ve mentioned before that freebies are the way to my heart. However, when I received the box with my Personal Microderm in it, I was very concerned. See, in some ways, I’m like a man. The first thing I saw was a DVD that said I must watch the instructional video before using my Personal Microderm.
…
… … …
Luckily for them, it was only 6 1/2 minutes long or I may have had to send it back. I really am just that impatient. The kicker that got me to watch is that this is a complex tool that looks like a face dremmel and it’s going to be rubbing and sucking my face. I should probably learn how to use it.
Fine. I decided to watch the video. It wasn’t bad. The perky show-offs actually worked for me and it’s pretty easy to learn how to use the Personal Microderm. I have really sensitive skin, so I use the little blue discs on my face and the big ones on the other skin on my body. I don’t let it suck for long periods of time and keep the skin taunt or my face will blister and I’ll look like The Thing from The Fantastic Four. Got it.
I opened the rest of the items and got to work. I plugged in the Personal Microderm and got it set up. It was only with slight trepidation that I set it to whirring and stuck it on my skin and…
Oh! WOAH! OH MY JELLY BEANS! WHAT THE SNICKERS BAR IS GOING ON HERE?
There was no pain but it felt like someone was trying to give me a hickey on my face. OOOOOH, ok. Too much time spent on one area. Move on more quickly. I did it on my entire face and the time spent? Less than 4 minutes.
My face glowed for a good 6 days after using the Personal Microderm. People noticed it and I didn’t need my makeup. I consider this a very, very good thing. It evened out the redness in my face. And the best part is that I only have to replace the discs every 2-3 months. For $15, this is a great deal after the initial investment. My skin is beyond super sensitive and I’ve seen no ill effects from using Personal Microderm, though everyone’s skin is different.
Thank you Skincarerx.com for an impressive showing and the opportunity to review such an awesome product!
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In “The Actor and the Housewife” by Shannon Hale, a new screenwriter and dedicated Mormon housewife named Becky stumbles into a chance meeting with Felix, an actor she’s had a crush on for most of her adult life. For most women, drooling and acting a fool would commence, but Becky is pregnant and Mormon and too cool for that and it leads into a storybook friendship that will take Becky and Felix through the next 10 years of their lives. The book itself spends a great majority of the time asking the question as to whether or not a man and a woman with great friendship chemistry have to be more or if they can remain friends. 
Life is like a game. We all have challenges, thoughts, opinions and beliefs. Often, it feels like something out there, life, karma, catty people, or blue shells (for the Kart lovers), seeks to bring us down. Luckily, we always get up. This is where I wear my heart on my sleeve and my foot in my mouth.
