a couple of quick notes
Hi, everybody!
Just a couple of quick notes on my life.
First - all of the work on my apartment is done! Every room in my apartment has been painted except for the laundry closet and the pantry. But every other wall, windowframe, door, ceiling, and radiator has been painted, and it all looks wonderful. The living room, library, and hallway are a pale yellow (Lemon Drops). Both bathrooms and the breakfast bar are a very pretty color that looked greyish-blue on the swatch and now looks greenish-blue on the walls (Hazy Blue). The guest bedroom and a couple of accent walls are a gorgeous, rich deep blue (Americana). And finally, my bedroom is a soft, creamy orange (Tangerine Melt overlaid with Peachy Keen). AND! The library has floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves now, in a very appealing plain varnished oak. The only problem is that now I don't want to pin up my posters again - I want to frame everything. So I'm going to try to find some frames (some of the art is of a size that American frames don't routinely come in) and put everything up. Once I clean everything and get most of my art back on the walls, I'll take some pics to share.
Second - I'm off to Europe in two weeks! I'll be flying into England on Saturday, August 4, and immediately heading to Cambridge to stay with my cousin. Then off to London for a few days with the lovely kate_lear, and then I scooch off to Brussels, where my mother is attending a week-long meeting (I will have one entire day on my own to explore), and then she and I are going to Cologne for two days. So, does anybody have any suggestions for Brussels and/or Cologne? We're both vegetarians, so bratwurst recs will be less useful than spaetzle recs. Also - any book recs for my plane journeys?
Third - I have now watched the first three seasons of The West Wing. Several years ago, I watched season 1 and decided it wasn't my thing. But my brother loves it, and he'd bought 1-3 and then bought the entire series in a boxed set, so I got the original DVDs. I don't think I'm planning to watch any more, but I did want to hear from you guys, if you watched it. I have to say that the only characters I really love are CJ and Toby; Josh and Sam have their moments, especially Josh, but overall I'm not drawn to them. I really, really disliked Leo. But, oh, CJ and Toby, you are phenomenal. I'm even considering writing CJ/Simon Donovan because I found them totally charming (did not like Danny, I must say). Is there any CJ/SD fic out there? While I think CJ for the most part escapes the curse of female characters as written by Aaron Sorkin, I was pretty turned off by the way Sorkin handled most of the women on the show. To me, it seems like he's decided that he needs to be an entirely different writer to write women, with the result that he forgets that women are people just like the men he writes so well. Ugh. Anyway, thoughts?
Fourth - I've made plans to visit my dad (who lives near DC) for Labor Day weekend - that should be relaxing.
Fifth - I saw a few plays recently.
Bronte was a one-woman show about Charlotte Bronte reflecting on her life after her siblings have died but before she got engaged. Maxine Linehan was wonderful. (8/10)
Closer Than Ever was a fun musical that felt very much like a late 80s/early 90s piece (as it is), and had a couple of standout numbers. The cast did a good job, and the bass player was a standout. (7.5/10)
Proof, which I'd read several years ago, was kind of a disaster. The lead - Kristin Parker, playing Catherine (and who looked like a freckled, redheaded Summer Glau) - was excellent, but Alan Langdon as Robert was just terrible. He looked like he couldn't remember his lines or his blocking, so there was a lot more stumbling and stuttering than there should have been. You could see KP - not Catherine - trying to adjust to what he was doing. The other actors were fine, but not particularly notable. (5/10)
Sixth - AAARRRGGGGHHHHH, computer woes! All I want to do is write my story! This ancient laptop I'm posting from is great in a pinch and very frustrating for daily use.
Anyway, how are all of you?
Just a couple of quick notes on my life.
First - all of the work on my apartment is done! Every room in my apartment has been painted except for the laundry closet and the pantry. But every other wall, windowframe, door, ceiling, and radiator has been painted, and it all looks wonderful. The living room, library, and hallway are a pale yellow (Lemon Drops). Both bathrooms and the breakfast bar are a very pretty color that looked greyish-blue on the swatch and now looks greenish-blue on the walls (Hazy Blue). The guest bedroom and a couple of accent walls are a gorgeous, rich deep blue (Americana). And finally, my bedroom is a soft, creamy orange (Tangerine Melt overlaid with Peachy Keen). AND! The library has floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves now, in a very appealing plain varnished oak. The only problem is that now I don't want to pin up my posters again - I want to frame everything. So I'm going to try to find some frames (some of the art is of a size that American frames don't routinely come in) and put everything up. Once I clean everything and get most of my art back on the walls, I'll take some pics to share.
Second - I'm off to Europe in two weeks! I'll be flying into England on Saturday, August 4, and immediately heading to Cambridge to stay with my cousin. Then off to London for a few days with the lovely kate_lear, and then I scooch off to Brussels, where my mother is attending a week-long meeting (I will have one entire day on my own to explore), and then she and I are going to Cologne for two days. So, does anybody have any suggestions for Brussels and/or Cologne? We're both vegetarians, so bratwurst recs will be less useful than spaetzle recs. Also - any book recs for my plane journeys?
Third - I have now watched the first three seasons of The West Wing. Several years ago, I watched season 1 and decided it wasn't my thing. But my brother loves it, and he'd bought 1-3 and then bought the entire series in a boxed set, so I got the original DVDs. I don't think I'm planning to watch any more, but I did want to hear from you guys, if you watched it. I have to say that the only characters I really love are CJ and Toby; Josh and Sam have their moments, especially Josh, but overall I'm not drawn to them. I really, really disliked Leo. But, oh, CJ and Toby, you are phenomenal. I'm even considering writing CJ/Simon Donovan because I found them totally charming (did not like Danny, I must say). Is there any CJ/SD fic out there? While I think CJ for the most part escapes the curse of female characters as written by Aaron Sorkin, I was pretty turned off by the way Sorkin handled most of the women on the show. To me, it seems like he's decided that he needs to be an entirely different writer to write women, with the result that he forgets that women are people just like the men he writes so well. Ugh. Anyway, thoughts?
Fourth - I've made plans to visit my dad (who lives near DC) for Labor Day weekend - that should be relaxing.
Fifth - I saw a few plays recently.
Bronte was a one-woman show about Charlotte Bronte reflecting on her life after her siblings have died but before she got engaged. Maxine Linehan was wonderful. (8/10)
Closer Than Ever was a fun musical that felt very much like a late 80s/early 90s piece (as it is), and had a couple of standout numbers. The cast did a good job, and the bass player was a standout. (7.5/10)
Proof, which I'd read several years ago, was kind of a disaster. The lead - Kristin Parker, playing Catherine (and who looked like a freckled, redheaded Summer Glau) - was excellent, but Alan Langdon as Robert was just terrible. He looked like he couldn't remember his lines or his blocking, so there was a lot more stumbling and stuttering than there should have been. You could see KP - not Catherine - trying to adjust to what he was doing. The other actors were fine, but not particularly notable. (5/10)
Sixth - AAARRRGGGGHHHHH, computer woes! All I want to do is write my story! This ancient laptop I'm posting from is great in a pinch and very frustrating for daily use.
Anyway, how are all of you?