celaeno
Sitting For The Papadakis's
I have to share a room with Vanessa
Posts: 1,514
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Post by celaeno on Jul 29, 2010 21:22:08 GMT -5
i can understand she probably feels alienated because she's smarter than everybody else, but that happens to janine and mallory too and neither of them turn around and chew everybody out. she was just straight up rude and there's never an excuse for that. I just read this one for the first time. I don't think Rosie was mean because she felt alienated for being so smart; I think she was rude because her parents raised her to be completely incapable of forming human relationships. Every time her parents talk about someone else Rosie's age, it's a putdown or a comparison with Rosie. Kids usually absorb these things really well from her parents, so Rosie naturally turned into a kid whose every interaction with others was, at worst, competition, and at best, networking. I don't think she had ever seen her parents display normal social interaction.
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alula
Sitter-In-Training
Posts: 406
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Post by alula on Jul 30, 2010 3:33:06 GMT -5
I think that's part of it, and I also think that in particular, being in an industry like acting or modeling, where you face a lot of personal criticism and rejection, can often lead to becoming brusque and dismissive as a defense mechanism--like, if you internalize every single critique, you'd go crazy, so you get in the habit of finding reasons to justify why you didn't get the part or whatever, and that can spill into the rest of your life pretty easily. Especially because, as you say, Rosie didn't really have any other models for relationships or chances to interact with people in downtime as just Rosie, not Rosie Wilder, Child Prodigy!
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celaeno
Sitting For The Papadakis's
I have to share a room with Vanessa
Posts: 1,514
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Post by celaeno on Jul 30, 2010 19:49:06 GMT -5
I was thinking about this book right before I went to bed last night, and I had a dream in which I had a personal trainer, and I think the personal trainer was based on Uncle Dandy. Plus, I think he had tiny t-rex arms. Creepy (even without the weird arms).
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
Posts: 4,004
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Post by starrynight on Aug 6, 2010 22:11:47 GMT -5
^ Did you post about that in the BSC dreams thread? That sounds like one for the ages. Also, I've always found Uncle Dandy to be kind of ....odd in general. Something just wasn't right about him.
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Post by zoar3 on Aug 6, 2010 22:23:30 GMT -5
^I agree. Even his name of "Uncle Dandy" lent itself to a creepy feeling. I thought the lack of parental involvement went way too far when he and Rosie's agent came to the Wilders with only Claudia or was it Stacey there. Bad feeling. As a character, he came across to me as "too much" of everything in a bad vibe way.
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wanderingfrog
Sitting For The Arnolds
Official BSC Archivist
Posts: 2,552
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Post by wanderingfrog on Aug 7, 2010 20:27:51 GMT -5
Is it during the crossword part in this book where a'a is mentioned? I was reading a book yesterday where the characters are learning about volcanoes in class and the teacher was talking about a'a.
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Post by wenonah4th on Aug 7, 2010 21:28:01 GMT -5
I may be grasping at straws here, but in "Gypsy," Karl Malden's character does a very similar type of "star searching" thing and he calls himself "Uncle Jocko". Possibly Ann was thinking of Gypsy when she came up with Uncle Dandy.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,258
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Post by oldhickory on Aug 8, 2010 18:57:26 GMT -5
i reread the other day, and it wasn't as bad the second time around, now that i knew what to expect. i actually kind of felt sorry for rosie. normally the sitters fall all over themselves to make friends with the charges, and try to spend as much time as they can with them. but claudia got used to the idea of dismissing rosie, which was really backwards.
also, this was mentioned somewhere upthread but i can understand claudia feeling jealous. i don't know if this is normal, but i would feel jealous too. it must have been hard for claudia to see that rosie had everything that claudia ever wanted (good grades, parents who supported what she did, some fame, etc) and rosie didn't want any of it. so claudia probably felt that rosie was ungrateful.
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Post by zoar3 on May 18, 2011 17:05:41 GMT -5
I am re-reading right now and three things have jumped out at me.
First, I wonder if this is another case (The martian fudge in Stacey's Emergency was supposed to be an evening job but ended up in the afternoon as written) of a "mistake" in scheduled times of job vs the actual job. Claudia was supposed to baby-sit Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I have not finished the entire book but I don't think it ever mentions "dinner" or Claudia being there later in the evening. Of course, the bigger thing, is Friday! I think Rosie told Claudia at one point that she didn't have to be at her house until 5pm on a Friday...unless that was a half hour job?
Second, Mary Anne informs us that her Grandfather had had shingles! Maybe she secretly did know of Bill and Verna! (Page 29)
Finally, even for a dibbly mature BSC member, wouldn't it be plain weird to baby-sit for someone and know her teachers/Uncle Dandy would be showing up? Mr. Bryan (tap) and Uncle Dandy were both men, too, strange to Claudia and Stacey. I wouldn't be comfortable with that arrangement.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
Posts: 3,258
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Post by oldhickory on May 19, 2011 13:25:46 GMT -5
^ the wilders to me always seemed somewhat uptight, so it seems strange that they would allow grown men into their home to see their daughter, without supervision. i'm sure it was have been strange for the sitters too (not even considering the fact that they are barely sitting at all), but claudia and stacey are the most likely to act like it's no big deal :]
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Post by zoar3 on May 19, 2011 17:08:09 GMT -5
Mrs. Wilder for sure seemed very uptight, although I did think her first note was semi-sweet. (The one about the tuna salad). I never did think of that, but you're so right. I'm not sure why they'd consider it appropriate...but then it didn't sound like Rosie would be the type to say that made her feel uncomfortable either so they might have even thought of it. Who SHOULD have thought of it, was Mr. Bryan and especially (total stranger) Uncle Dandy, not cool. Lol, that is true about Claud and Stacey.
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Post by booboobrewer on May 19, 2011 18:44:42 GMT -5
That note about the tuna ALWAYS made me want a tuna sandwich. And then Rosie mentioned how she preferred chicken salad or something. Yeah, now I'm hungry.
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Post by zoar3 on May 20, 2011 14:11:40 GMT -5
I know the Addisons were awful parents, always throwing their kids into some activity or another to literally get rid of them. However, and this is no excuse--just a point, at least Corrie and Sean were 9/10. Although, for all we knew, their parents had been neglectful their whole lives. Rosie was only 7! I read the trip home from Uncle Dandy's last night where Rosie wants ice cream but her parents say no because it's late and she (Rosie) has to be ready for something or another the following day. Like, Claudia, I felt awful for poor Rosie. I also wonder if Nicky or Becca were in Rosie's class at school. I think N was in "MA and the Library Mystery." I think in a book where Charlotte was "demoted" back to 3rd grade, she was also. At the original meeting when Mrs. Wilder first called it might have been interesting had Mal or Jessi mentioned knowing of Rosie through their sibling.
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Post by wiggir13 on May 23, 2011 12:31:51 GMT -5
I found Uncle Dandy ironic b/c a dandy is supposed to be someone very well put together and gives a lot of attention to personal appearance. Clearly, Uncle Dandy didn't give a darn with his toupee falling off his head and shirt tucked out - hehehehe! I always felt he was a creeper that was just trying to get close to little kids!
I really want potato salad now - thanks BSC!
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Post by zoar3 on May 23, 2011 17:04:40 GMT -5
^Uncle Dandy did have a "something not quite right" quality about him, didn't he? I certainly hope he wasn't after kids though. He seemed like the type to put on an act for a quick buck.
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