Two memes: 15 books, and 5 things
Two memes, both from
lomedet:
15 books meme: "This can be a quick one. Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes."
1. Folly, by Laurie King
2. Gaudy Night, by Dorothy L. Sayers
3. The Complete Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
4. Dracula, by Bram Stoker
5. The Sackett Brand, by Louis L'Amour
6. The Lady, by Anne McCaffrey
7. Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart
8. A People's History of the United States, by Howard Zinn
9. Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James Lowen
10. Darwath Trilogy, by Barbara Hambly
11. The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum
12. Nine Princes in Amber, by Roger Zelazny
13. Lammas Night, by Katharine Kurtz
14. Southern Ladies and Gentlemen, by Florence King (I miss the old cover)
15. Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, by Tom Robbins
Some of these are favorite novels, some are comfort reading, 8 & 10 convinced me to shift back to history in college, and a teacher who started me writing (and taught me not to mangle my tenses so badly) once told me to read Cowgirls and Atlas Shrugged, then write her a novel. I never have read Atlas Shrugged.
5 things meme: comment on this post and I'll tell you five subjects/things I associate with you. Then you post them in your journal and elaborate.
lomedet gave me
1. Highlander -- I'm not sure I'm ever going to understand why I love this universe/concept so much. Partly because of the things it lets me explore -- history, cultures, languages, survival, life, death. Partly because of the fights in it, and my love of weapons, martial arts, and the mixes thereof. And I love the range of characters, and the wonderful primary, secondary, and tertiary characters. I mean, come on, I'd love to write something with the world-weary French detective who was investigating Ingrid in "The Valkyrie." But this was almost the ultimate little black dress fandom, humor to angst, historical to romance, you name it. Plenty of room to explore, and I'm still poking in corners.
2. fictional threesomes -- huh. I suppose because of Duncan/Methos/Aidan? Although, come to think of it, Connor/Alex/Xan, or Connor/Krycek/Matthew.... Er. Okay, I might be busted here. What can I say, some of the pairings I write can make room in a bed and their lives for a third. It's a balancing act that takes some work, but they don't mind, so I don't mind writing it.
3. martial arts -- I've always loved martial arts and fight skills, honestly. It's interesting to study how the body moves, how different cultures have approached combat. I've studied two styles of karate, one style of kung fu, some tai chi, and a couple sword styles. It took until Sirocco to get to where I could visualize fight scenes (Dragon and another friend used to help choreograph fights in the living room for me), but now it's no problem, with or without weapons. ::shrugs:: And I'm part of the lore of a local dojo, but I still say it's not really my fault. Honest. Mostly, though, I think that sex, dancing, and fighting are three sides of a triangle. So. ::shrugs::
4. the South -- To quote Carl Robinson, "Still. Some things I'm gonna miss about the South." Oh gods does it have its problems. The public transit sucks, with a couple notable exceptions. The weather will try to kill you five months a year; air conditioning, in cars or houses, is not a luxury here. Racism definitely still exists, and don't start me on the education/illiteracy/illegetimacy/weight & health issue. Yes, it's all one celtic, or Gordian, knot. And yet. I love the slowly-dying regional accents, the slowly-vanishing courtesy, the still-intact way people pass the time of day. I love that no one's surprised when I chat with cashiers, baristas, waiters, people passing on the sidewalk, and in fact, most of them will stop to talk to you. I love the daffodils coming up in February, the progression through pear trees and cherry to dogwoods blooming everywhere, followed by trees leafing out and then magnolias in thick, fragrant bloom. I love the sunsets and the breeze and the summer evenings when the sun's gone and it's bearable outside again. It has its problems, but it has its lovely parts, too. The Ozarks, the Appalachians, the Mississippi Delta (shining like a national guitar)... some things I'm going to miss about the South. And not too long from now, honestly. The old ways have been fading in my lifetime, but they aren't entirely gone yet, and new things are coming up. It's be interesting to watch.
5. fannish community -- I'm never sure what to make of 'fannish community.' Some parts of it I'm not in. I don't think I've discussed an active show since Highlander went off the air, I don't do Yuletide anymore because it's during the high stress section of my year, and while I'm happily at Dreamwidth, it's not entirely fannish. Of course, neither is LJ, just my section of it. But on the other hand... I have a lot of very good friends I met through fandom. I don't mean just mean met online, I mean met in person, at Dragoncon, or Escapade, or we just made time because we'd be in the same place! Hell, I flew to Delaware to meet three other fans and go to the premiere of Endgame with them. I spend a lot of time keeping up with my fannish friends, and do it more often, and more consistently, than I see my family, which is scattered across all four US timezones. Fandom is, very much, my community, I suppose, and while parts of it could vanish and I wouldn't notice, there are a great many people who are my far-flung family. I may not hear from them often, but I miss them when they leave. Interesting. I didn't know I had so much to stay about this.
Right. Now I'm off to bed, and tomorrow I start slaving over a word processor again. It has been a stone bastard of a week, for me and mine, and I send you all good wishes, and I wouldn't mind a few for myself. Take care, all of you. Please.
lomedet:
15 books meme: "This can be a quick one. Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes."
1. Folly, by Laurie King
2. Gaudy Night, by Dorothy L. Sayers
3. The Complete Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
4. Dracula, by Bram Stoker
5. The Sackett Brand, by Louis L'Amour
6. The Lady, by Anne McCaffrey
7. Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart
8. A People's History of the United States, by Howard Zinn
9. Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James Lowen
10. Darwath Trilogy, by Barbara Hambly
11. The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum
12. Nine Princes in Amber, by Roger Zelazny
13. Lammas Night, by Katharine Kurtz
14. Southern Ladies and Gentlemen, by Florence King (I miss the old cover)
15. Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, by Tom Robbins
Some of these are favorite novels, some are comfort reading, 8 & 10 convinced me to shift back to history in college, and a teacher who started me writing (and taught me not to mangle my tenses so badly) once told me to read Cowgirls and Atlas Shrugged, then write her a novel. I never have read Atlas Shrugged.
5 things meme: comment on this post and I'll tell you five subjects/things I associate with you. Then you post them in your journal and elaborate.
lomedet gave me
1. Highlander -- I'm not sure I'm ever going to understand why I love this universe/concept so much. Partly because of the things it lets me explore -- history, cultures, languages, survival, life, death. Partly because of the fights in it, and my love of weapons, martial arts, and the mixes thereof. And I love the range of characters, and the wonderful primary, secondary, and tertiary characters. I mean, come on, I'd love to write something with the world-weary French detective who was investigating Ingrid in "The Valkyrie." But this was almost the ultimate little black dress fandom, humor to angst, historical to romance, you name it. Plenty of room to explore, and I'm still poking in corners.
2. fictional threesomes -- huh. I suppose because of Duncan/Methos/Aidan? Although, come to think of it, Connor/Alex/Xan, or Connor/Krycek/Matthew.... Er. Okay, I might be busted here. What can I say, some of the pairings I write can make room in a bed and their lives for a third. It's a balancing act that takes some work, but they don't mind, so I don't mind writing it.
3. martial arts -- I've always loved martial arts and fight skills, honestly. It's interesting to study how the body moves, how different cultures have approached combat. I've studied two styles of karate, one style of kung fu, some tai chi, and a couple sword styles. It took until Sirocco to get to where I could visualize fight scenes (Dragon and another friend used to help choreograph fights in the living room for me), but now it's no problem, with or without weapons. ::shrugs:: And I'm part of the lore of a local dojo, but I still say it's not really my fault. Honest. Mostly, though, I think that sex, dancing, and fighting are three sides of a triangle. So. ::shrugs::
4. the South -- To quote Carl Robinson, "Still. Some things I'm gonna miss about the South." Oh gods does it have its problems. The public transit sucks, with a couple notable exceptions. The weather will try to kill you five months a year; air conditioning, in cars or houses, is not a luxury here. Racism definitely still exists, and don't start me on the education/illiteracy/illegetimacy/weight & health issue. Yes, it's all one celtic, or Gordian, knot. And yet. I love the slowly-dying regional accents, the slowly-vanishing courtesy, the still-intact way people pass the time of day. I love that no one's surprised when I chat with cashiers, baristas, waiters, people passing on the sidewalk, and in fact, most of them will stop to talk to you. I love the daffodils coming up in February, the progression through pear trees and cherry to dogwoods blooming everywhere, followed by trees leafing out and then magnolias in thick, fragrant bloom. I love the sunsets and the breeze and the summer evenings when the sun's gone and it's bearable outside again. It has its problems, but it has its lovely parts, too. The Ozarks, the Appalachians, the Mississippi Delta (shining like a national guitar)... some things I'm going to miss about the South. And not too long from now, honestly. The old ways have been fading in my lifetime, but they aren't entirely gone yet, and new things are coming up. It's be interesting to watch.
5. fannish community -- I'm never sure what to make of 'fannish community.' Some parts of it I'm not in. I don't think I've discussed an active show since Highlander went off the air, I don't do Yuletide anymore because it's during the high stress section of my year, and while I'm happily at Dreamwidth, it's not entirely fannish. Of course, neither is LJ, just my section of it. But on the other hand... I have a lot of very good friends I met through fandom. I don't mean just mean met online, I mean met in person, at Dragoncon, or Escapade, or we just made time because we'd be in the same place! Hell, I flew to Delaware to meet three other fans and go to the premiere of Endgame with them. I spend a lot of time keeping up with my fannish friends, and do it more often, and more consistently, than I see my family, which is scattered across all four US timezones. Fandom is, very much, my community, I suppose, and while parts of it could vanish and I wouldn't notice, there are a great many people who are my far-flung family. I may not hear from them often, but I miss them when they leave. Interesting. I didn't know I had so much to stay about this.
Right. Now I'm off to bed, and tomorrow I start slaving over a word processor again. It has been a stone bastard of a week, for me and mine, and I send you all good wishes, and I wouldn't mind a few for myself. Take care, all of you. Please.