Dear Blogger,
Why did you post the last entry but not the numerous attempts before? Including one made about five seconds earlier?

What I've been trying to post since around 1 pm:

My body and frustration won at least a small victory today. Last night, after putting together my annotated bibliography for ToN and still having nothing to say for my Orlando position paper, I decided to sleep. It was about 2:30; I thought I'd get up around 7:30. I did. I checked my email, read comics, got some food... And realized that I still had nothing to say about Orlando that would fill more than a page. And I also realized that I was still really, really tired. So I emailed my prof with my annotated bibliography, assurances that I'm working on rewriting my other paper, and an acknowledgment that no, I haven't written the position paper. I then I went back to sleep. I feel bad about letting her down again, but... I don't even know right now.

Also, while lying in bed earlier, I was mulling over some of the research I had skimmed last night. Specifically the differences between the fantastic and fantasy. While the average person would probably call American Gods a fantasy, based on the definitions I've encountered, it's probably more fantastic. There is doubt about whether what's happening is really happening. The main character doesn't believe things at first. In fantasy, the fantastic elements are usually much more of a given thing. There is magic in those worlds, and everyone knows it and accepts it. So. Do I still use American Gods? Do I switch over to another book, like The Golden Compass or Sabriel? Both of those definitely fall into the realm of fantasy. But they also fall into the realm of young adult. Which doesn't mean they're not good books; I think both are fantastic. But I need a fantasy book to at least somewhat compare with Rushdie's Midnight's Children. And I think being a young adult book automatically gives something a disadvantage when it comes to being taken seriously. I mean, I guess I could just note this in my paper and move on... I don't really want to read a book that's completely new to me for this paper. I'm fine with rereading something - that can be mostly skimming - but given time restrictions, a whole new book is not a good idea. And since I'm most familiar with quality young adult fantasy, well... Hmph.

I guess at this point I'm trying to decide between American Gods and The Golden Compass (which wins over Sabriel due to number of awards it's won, I guess). If I wanted to get really ambitious, I could do both as well as Midnight's Children; that way I'd have examples of fantasy, fantastic fiction, and magical realism. But that's a bit too ambitious for me at the moment. But still. Um, Mom, can you bring me both American Gods and The Golden Compass?