Here, have some disconnected thoughts.
I pray my dad never discovers Groupon.
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I dreamt I was playing a large-scale, live-action version of Crusader Kings. ... oh, wait, that's called the Middle Ages, isn't it?
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Earworm of the day: Rammstein's "Stirbt nicht vor mir."
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I think I am going to do Camp NaNoWriMo this July, to jumpstart my new novel, A Lioness Embarked. Anyone else interested in joining me and becoming cabin buddies?
Speaking of writing, I think I may die of stress before I get my Viable Paradise decision. Every time I get an email from the VP mailing list (for prospective students and alumni) and I see "viable paradise" in the subject, my heart leaps into my throat. That can't be healthy.
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I finally starting watching Downton Abbey, only about two years late. As predicted, this show is Lise-bait, featuring as it does gorgeous costumes, English history, the lives of the nobility, and--in the first episode, at least--boys kissing. I'm only sad I've waited this long to watch it. Well, and that Netflix only has the first series :(
I know some folks are disappointed with the most recent episodes, but I have to say, that first episode was flawless. Only rarely have I seen a show so thoroughly grab my attention and make me care about the characters so quickly. That's especially notable in a show with such a huge cast, that involves navigating the complexities of an early 20th century noble household and inheritance law.
And I love the music. I've said I'm amusical, but I do love the haunting, mournful tone of the theme, which suggests a splendored world, now long gone--which is precisely what the show is about.
Also, it's kind of hilarious to be watching this at the same time as I was reading Wodehouse's Something Fresh, the first Blandings novel ;) (Why I didn't get around to reading this before I played in Midsummer Mischief, I don't know).
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All of this has got me thinking about that distinctly un-populist portion of myself--my fascination with all things having to do with monarchy, royalty, nobility, and the feudal system. I can't even put my finger on why this fascinates me so much. It pretty much always has. It may be related to the love I have for Victoriana, which seems to revolve around the baroque inutility of it all. It may have to do with my aunt, who had the same fascination, and had a lot to do with my life growing up. It may have to do with my power fantasies. It may be all of the above!
But an illustrative story: I have a distinct memory of riding in the truck with my parents when I was pretty young, and them giving me the "you can be anything you want to be when you grow up" speech. To which I rejoined, "Can I be a queen?"
(Amusingly, I remember them responding something to the extent of, "No, but you can be a First Lady," and then amending that to say, "Or President." Nonetheless, these did not appeal).
All of the early stories in my personal arsenal--the ones I contrived wandering in circles around my house and garden--had to do with royalty. Hell, they still do, to some extent--Serevic is a prince, after all. The main characters in the new novel are nobles. I think I started writing fantasy because it was where I could still write about kings and queens and nobles.
I mean, I realize that monarchy and feudalism are pretty terrible things, all told, and I know the remnants of such in the UK are a drain on the resources of the country.
But that doesn't stop me loving the stories of it.
--
I dreamt I was playing a large-scale, live-action version of Crusader Kings. ... oh, wait, that's called the Middle Ages, isn't it?
--
Earworm of the day: Rammstein's "Stirbt nicht vor mir."
Click to view--
I think I am going to do Camp NaNoWriMo this July, to jumpstart my new novel, A Lioness Embarked. Anyone else interested in joining me and becoming cabin buddies?
Speaking of writing, I think I may die of stress before I get my Viable Paradise decision. Every time I get an email from the VP mailing list (for prospective students and alumni) and I see "viable paradise" in the subject, my heart leaps into my throat. That can't be healthy.
--
I finally starting watching Downton Abbey, only about two years late. As predicted, this show is Lise-bait, featuring as it does gorgeous costumes, English history, the lives of the nobility, and--in the first episode, at least--boys kissing. I'm only sad I've waited this long to watch it. Well, and that Netflix only has the first series :(
I know some folks are disappointed with the most recent episodes, but I have to say, that first episode was flawless. Only rarely have I seen a show so thoroughly grab my attention and make me care about the characters so quickly. That's especially notable in a show with such a huge cast, that involves navigating the complexities of an early 20th century noble household and inheritance law.
And I love the music. I've said I'm amusical, but I do love the haunting, mournful tone of the theme, which suggests a splendored world, now long gone--which is precisely what the show is about.
Also, it's kind of hilarious to be watching this at the same time as I was reading Wodehouse's Something Fresh, the first Blandings novel ;) (Why I didn't get around to reading this before I played in Midsummer Mischief, I don't know).
--
All of this has got me thinking about that distinctly un-populist portion of myself--my fascination with all things having to do with monarchy, royalty, nobility, and the feudal system. I can't even put my finger on why this fascinates me so much. It pretty much always has. It may be related to the love I have for Victoriana, which seems to revolve around the baroque inutility of it all. It may have to do with my aunt, who had the same fascination, and had a lot to do with my life growing up. It may have to do with my power fantasies. It may be all of the above!
But an illustrative story: I have a distinct memory of riding in the truck with my parents when I was pretty young, and them giving me the "you can be anything you want to be when you grow up" speech. To which I rejoined, "Can I be a queen?"
(Amusingly, I remember them responding something to the extent of, "No, but you can be a First Lady," and then amending that to say, "Or President." Nonetheless, these did not appeal).
All of the early stories in my personal arsenal--the ones I contrived wandering in circles around my house and garden--had to do with royalty. Hell, they still do, to some extent--Serevic is a prince, after all. The main characters in the new novel are nobles. I think I started writing fantasy because it was where I could still write about kings and queens and nobles.
I mean, I realize that monarchy and feudalism are pretty terrible things, all told, and I know the remnants of such in the UK are a drain on the resources of the country.
But that doesn't stop me loving the stories of it.