Introductions
As I believe there are a few new names on the f-list, I wanted to post a bit of an introduction for myself and the cast of characters likely to show up in this journal.
I primarily use this journal to talk about things that I'm reading or watching. Right now I am utterly delighted in the fact that the latest Hollywood fad seems to be fairy tales. As someone who freaked out many a poor English Comp student by making them read Tanith Lee's short story "When the Clock Strikes" where Cinderella is an evil witch, I'm a big fan of alternate tellings of these tales. I take my fairy tales light and with sugar or dark and with teeth. I tend to get snippy when people claim there is only One True Telling of these stories or when anxious/PC types start claiming these tales are dangerous for children. (I'm not saying that it isn't important to consider the versions you're reading and the mental maturity of the child. I just get peeved with the theory that reading Cinderella to a little girl is going to make her helpless.)
Where my user name comes from-- "Verse" comes from the fact that I started off focusing on Victorian poetry in grad school before veering off to fairy tales. "Black" is simply my favorite color and not a reference to the Harry Potter Blacks. My infatuation with Phineas Nigellus Black came well after my name was picked. :)
Mr. Black--My husband and longtime best friend.
The Littlest Black (TLB) --Our daughter, born just a couple of months ago. One of the first things I ever read to her was Neil Gaiman's "Instructions" (advice on how to behave if you live in a fairy tale), her father just bought her a CD of Doctor Who inspired music, and we sing her "Soft Kitty" when she's feeling bad. We're doing our best to raise a geek :)
Moon--My dearly beloved Arabian mare whose picture is in my icon. I grew up horse insane, but never had a horse 'til I was nearly 30. She is the result of my wishing on every birthday candle I ever blew out, every falling star I saw, and every wishing well penny I tossed before I got her. She is spoiled, quirky, and quite perfect. She spooks at cats when I'm riding her and doesn't tie very well, but she also stops if I start to come off balance when riding bareback and she defended me from pushy horses in the field when I was pregnant.
Mystopher (Kitten Little)--My big, fluffy, orange cat who has lived with me for longer than Mr. Black has. Currently, he's getting a great kick out of the fact that I'm so sleepy in the mornings that I can't remember if I've given him his morning drop of cream and if he plays his cards right he often gets a second serving.
I primarily use this journal to talk about things that I'm reading or watching. Right now I am utterly delighted in the fact that the latest Hollywood fad seems to be fairy tales. As someone who freaked out many a poor English Comp student by making them read Tanith Lee's short story "When the Clock Strikes" where Cinderella is an evil witch, I'm a big fan of alternate tellings of these tales. I take my fairy tales light and with sugar or dark and with teeth. I tend to get snippy when people claim there is only One True Telling of these stories or when anxious/PC types start claiming these tales are dangerous for children. (I'm not saying that it isn't important to consider the versions you're reading and the mental maturity of the child. I just get peeved with the theory that reading Cinderella to a little girl is going to make her helpless.)
Where my user name comes from-- "Verse" comes from the fact that I started off focusing on Victorian poetry in grad school before veering off to fairy tales. "Black" is simply my favorite color and not a reference to the Harry Potter Blacks. My infatuation with Phineas Nigellus Black came well after my name was picked. :)
Mr. Black--My husband and longtime best friend.
The Littlest Black (TLB) --Our daughter, born just a couple of months ago. One of the first things I ever read to her was Neil Gaiman's "Instructions" (advice on how to behave if you live in a fairy tale), her father just bought her a CD of Doctor Who inspired music, and we sing her "Soft Kitty" when she's feeling bad. We're doing our best to raise a geek :)
Moon--My dearly beloved Arabian mare whose picture is in my icon. I grew up horse insane, but never had a horse 'til I was nearly 30. She is the result of my wishing on every birthday candle I ever blew out, every falling star I saw, and every wishing well penny I tossed before I got her. She is spoiled, quirky, and quite perfect. She spooks at cats when I'm riding her and doesn't tie very well, but she also stops if I start to come off balance when riding bareback and she defended me from pushy horses in the field when I was pregnant.
Mystopher (Kitten Little)--My big, fluffy, orange cat who has lived with me for longer than Mr. Black has. Currently, he's getting a great kick out of the fact that I'm so sleepy in the mornings that I can't remember if I've given him his morning drop of cream and if he plays his cards right he often gets a second serving.