Hey, more Lennon books!
http://ping.fm/7xmoj

Yet another reason I can't wait to get to Britain...

I really like BBC1 and BBC4. You can only get these in the UK, obviously. I have to settle for BBC America, which is fine! But it will be nice to see some real British tv for once, in real time! 8)

Take a look here:

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/9391/

Viola of Illyria introduces Dr. Fluellen

Some of you know this mysterious man, others may not. But Shakespeareans mesh with other Shakespeareans, and so Viola of Illyria proudly presents Dr. Fluellen, that Welsh captain of renown, politically savvy and a scholar of The Spirit....

"By Jeshu, I am your Majesty's countryman, I care not who know it; I will confess it to all the world..."

Why, thank you, Fluellen! :-D

http://drfluellen.net/

/xo!

It's Off to Middlesex We Go...

Hello My Good Countrymen!

I have the pleasure of letting you all know that this coming May in 2011, David (my hubby) and I will be landing at Gatwick in London for a week long trip, where we shall breathe in English air. ;-) Am I wonderfully happy? I would say "yes", but that phrase doesn't begin to describe or properly categorize how I'm feeling.

We plan to make an excursion to Hampshire and a few others areas in the South, as well spending a great deal of time in London, of course. Dave and I have been planning this trip since I was 12 and he was 20-something, so our combined knowledge is a big help in this endeavor. :-D Everything is in order and now I only have to wait until a little later in the year to book a few smallish tours and perhaps a West End show, if we can. Seeing the run of Yes, Prime Minister with Henry Goodman would be a thrill, but it's only booked through January, so there's no telling yet.

Anyhow, there is my update for the weekend. For more intimate details of our trip, message me through email or otherwise and I shall schpill it all.

:-P Happy Saturday! More posts coming soon!

A magical Regency England??

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2010/08/03/the-big-idea-mary-robinette-kowal/

I'm not entirely sure on this one. From the small amount of text (from the novel) that I read in Kowal's interview, as well as the excerpt, she doesn't seem to have a knowledgeable grasp on what an Austen novel should read/sound like. Or at least, her tone is so mockingly trite that it seems more like parody than anything else. There's a particular late 18th century tone that all sequel or prequel-writing Austenites strive to emulate and it isn't always achievable. There are entire message boards on the Republic of Pemberley focused on writing styles, just for this purpose.

The concept is "light, bright and sparkling", to use Janie's own words, and Kowal is smart to keep this "magic" within the realm of womanly arts and carefully consider glamour's impact on Regency social history before going too far. That's called research and critical analyzing. But if you plan to conceptualize a Jane Austen world, you should write it like one. Jane would have written this sentence...

"The drawing room already had a simple theme of palm trees and egrets designed to complement its Egyptian revival furniture,"

...something like this:

"The drawing room's unaffected quality, lent chiefly by the images of palm trees on the walls, complimented Miss So-and-So's recent purchase of furniture from Mr. So-and-So's habberdasher shop, of which sported a particular Eastern style."

But then, perhaps I'm making the same mistake as Kowal is. Just forget the modern fiction pretending-to-be-something-else (perhaps with the exception of "Jonathan Strange", which did indeed read like a 19th century Dickens tome).

Sherlock: 21st Century. Definitely a winner, especially with Doctor Who's Stephen Moffat at the directing/writing helm. http://ping.fm/XSina

On BBC1.

Barbarians Must Go To College

A quick observation today:

After reading Bob Herbert's article on how America's educational system and values are going down the drain, I have to say that I couldn't have said it better myself. I only wish to point out that if the U.S. has fallen to 12th among 36 nations who harbor young people with college degrees, a hollow-brained culture may not be entirely to blame. Did Mr. Herbert stop to consider that many young people may not be going to university due to the lack of funding - i.e. money? Attending college is no longer an affordable goal for the average middle-class family (or what's left of the middle class). Most kids are choosing cheaper, 2 year degrees or certificates. Due to economic woes, colleges are raising the price on tuition. If you can't get a college education at the age of 24 or 25 because Financial Aid says your family income exceeds the limits, you may be forced to settle for clerical or blue-collar jobs. Because bills need to be paid and families need to be fed.

Maybe the current popularity of zombies in our culture reflects the numb barbarian brains inside our heads, as a result of too much tv/Hershey bars/iPhone/computer/add distraction here. Mix in a bad economy and you have a perfect explanation.

The new Apple store in Covent Garden!

Thanks to Dave for the link. ;-x

http://www.macworld.co.uk/digitallifestyle/news/index.cfm?olo=rss&NewsID=3234354

It looks rather...British, I would say. Sparse and earthy. Hmm...

Hate The Way You Sing

Read this:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/08/10/1612413/is-violent-rihanna-eminem-song.html

Now heed my words for a moment:

I have little to no interest (ok, I think I'll go with "no") in rapper Eminem or even, to some extent, Rihanna. I thought her tunes were catchy about 8 years ago, when her songs had a distinct bubble-gum quality and I can remember how fun it was to swing-dance to"Pon de Replay" (the beat is perfect). But now I just feel sorry for her, as well as for the women quoted in this article who are not representing a major organization.

I saw the interview she did with Diane Sawyer last year, where after stating, "I am strong. This happened to me. I didn't cause this," referring to Chris Brown, she later admits - sounding like a teenager trying to bumble her way through a lame explanation - that Brown had shoved her into a wall before the incident after the Grammy's:

Rihanna: Noooo, he didn't shove me into a wall.

Diane: Then what happened?

R: He shoved me into a wall. (:-o)

D: ......that means it didn't happen?

R: Well, when I say it didn't happen, I mean...uh....I wasn't bleeding, I wasn't swollen...uh...it wasn't a fight.

There was a police report filed. If you have to call the police, it's not playing around - it's a fight.

Ok. Knowing she was raised in an abusive household makes this all a lot clearer. But trying to explain away something obvious is ridiculous.

Then there's Allison Churchill, the music fan quoted as saying that she has "friends who never really hear the lyrics to songs they like - 'they just like a good beat.' She herself listened a number of times to 'Love the Way You Lie' before she realized what it was saying." Clue-less. This isn't some young girl who's too busy texting to look up and listen. She's 31 years old and oblivious.

Then there's someone named Diane Maxwell. " 'I like the lyrics because they ring true,' says Maxwell, 35. 'I've heard things like that in my life. This gives people a voice, and tells them, "You're not the only one out there." It's pretty powerful to me.' And so when Rihanna sings "I like the way it hurts," Maxwell says she hears: "That's OK - I'm tougher than you. Kind of like when two men are boxing. ... Come on, let's go, I can take whatever you throw at me."

I'm sorry. Battered women aren't boxers looking for glory. It was the most shocking sentence I read this morning. Putting on a poker face and staying strong is good advice for anyone in any stressful situation, but trying to one-up a deranged animal who is attacking you isn't going to get you anywhere. Want to hear women singing about strength? Listen to this one instead. Do I endorse the attitude in this song? Well, no, not really, but it sure sounds better than "Please hit me again. I'm strong, I can take it."

I just wish Eminem would move to Siberia. Or just listen to Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Now he's cool. 8)

A Yellow Submarine Cake! Colorful, to say the least.

New Walrus Video uploaded to Facebook

For anyone who cares, some video of the concert has been uploaded to my Facebook page. More to come this week. Enjoy. :)