Miss Girl Power

Books

• Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women by Catherine Thimmesh – While putting away the daughter's library books recently, I saw this one in the stack and was immediately sucked in. I LOVED IT! This book has fascinating information, clear and playful writing, and clever illustrations that evoke the spirit of each invention. For example, I learned that in 1903, Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper because she felt sorry for streetcar drivers struggling to see through the glass in poor weather. Other engineers had tried to solve the visibility problem, but none had come up with a great solution…until Mary developed her device to remove snow. The book also features the stories of two present-day young girls (10-years-old and 11-years-old) who each invented something because they needed it for themselves, but whose inventions eventually became successful products. The book ends by encouraging young readers to develop their own inventions and provides resources to get them started. I'm not too old, right?

• Les Misérables by Victor Hugo – I took some time to read the introduction, which I hardly ever do. Some book introductions are painfully over-analytical, like the worst parts of a high school English class. Plus, they often reveal plot points that could ruin the experience for a first-time reader. However, since I've already read the story, I actually found it interesting to learn more about Victor Hugo's life and how his experiences and beliefs influenced his characters. Given that I took some time to read this, I'm not that far along in the story yet. Plus, my children don't seem to appreciate the way I hum "One Day More" from the Les Misérables musical each time I pick up the book. Frankly, they should be happy I'm not yet singing Eponine's tragic song, "On My Own," at the top of my lungs. I remember how I felt Eponine's pain as a suburban teenager. I truly did. And it wouldn't take much to bring all that passion back because we live in "a world that's full of happiness, that I have never knooooooooown!!" Sorry.

•  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling – Continuing to read with the daughter. The number of characters is growing, and I'm starting to get tongue-tied. I hope they all have the same type of British accent, because my variations are fairly limited. I'm doing pretty well with the house elf portrayal though. Maybe it's all the cleaning I do at home. And the tea towels that I wear.

TV

• 30 Rock – The last two episodes reminded me what I love most about this show: the writing and the smart-girl power. Not every episode has a stellar storyline, but they all have at least one great, quotable line. I don't know if these are technically zingers or one-liners or plain old jokes, but there are often moments when I'm surprised into laughter. You know, the kind of unexpected line that causes a loud guffaw or a snort. If you find a 30 Rock fan and say the following line—"She's unhinging her jaw!"—you'll see what I mean. The other aspect of this show that I adore is the nerdastic girl power of Liz Lemon, the awkward and hilarious head writer and producer of the sketch comedy show-within-a-show. Liz is portrayed by the brilliant Tina Fey, on whom I have a nerd-girl-crush mixed with some minor jealousy and a bit of gas from the guffawing. In the most recent episode "Murphy Brown Lied to Us," Liz meets an 11-year-old girl who is a young version of her—smart, awkward, and self-aware. The storyline serves to re-inspire 40-something Liz to consider if she's ready for kids. But the episode's real message is one that underlies much of the show—women need to support each other. So, come on ladies! Say it loud: "Girls Rule! Boys Drool!" Or perhaps something more mature than that. You get the idea.

• Tough Love New Orleans – On the other end of the spectrum when it comes to girl power is the fourth season of Tough Love. In this VH1 show, a mother/son pair of matchmakers, Steve and JoAnn Ward, take single women who are having trouble finding the right guy and put them through dating boot camp. Steve treats it like a real boot camp. He yells and bullies the women about their poor dating habits and encourages them to follow his rules if they want to find love. He even gives each woman a name based on her worst dating issue ("Miss Awkward," "Miss Gold Digger," etc.) and tells them they have to earn the right to lose those names. His mother occasionally shows up to comfort the women when Steve's bullying becomes too much. I'm not sure what's more painful and disturbing—watching the women interacting with men (because they really do need some dating help) or watching them glow and thank Steve when he throws them back-handed compliments before he gets tough again. I guess I'll find out as I watch more!

• How I Met Your Mother – I like the show, and Barney's current foray into actual love that lasts longer than one night is charming. But come on. Stop teasing with the slow approach to meeting the mother. Get to it! A recent episode, in which the guys thought about each time they watched the Star Wars trilogy (a ritual that they did every three years, beginning in college), felt like a clip show despite containing all new footage. Each memory served to show where the guys were in their lives at that time—who was successful in love and/or business and who wasn't. The final scene (set to take place in 2015) showed Ted (the Dad telling his kids about this titular meeting) holding his baby daughter. So, essentially, we've learned that Ted will finally meet his girl and they will have a baby sometime within the next three years. Yes, it's progress, but three years is still a long time. Sigh.