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Drive-by quote

2011-09-20T20:17:16Z

From Jane Austen today, my favorite bit of life advice from any of her works:

"My beloved Laura [said Sophia]...take warning from my unhappy End and avoid the imprudent conduct which has occasioned it...Beware of fainting-fits...Though at the time they may be refreshing and Agreeable yet believe me they will in the end, if too often repeated and at improper seasons, prove destructive to your Constitution...My fate will teach you this...I die a Martyr to my grief for the loss of Augustus...One fatal swoon has cost me my Life...Beware of swoons, Dear Laura...A frenzy fit is not one quarter so pernicious; it is an exercise to the Body and if not too violent, is I dare say conducive to Health in its consequences--Run mad as often as you chuse; but do not faint--"

(from Love and Freindship [sic], 1790)

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drive-by quote

2011-09-06T22:08:31Z

In such a scorching age as this
Who would not ever seek a shade,
Deserve their happiness to miss,
As having their own peace betrayed.

But we (of one another's mind
Assured) the boisterous world disdain;
With quiet souls and unconfined
Enjoy what princes wish in vain.

"A Retired Friendship, to Ardelia," Katherine Philips, 1667.

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Happy Birthday, Mary Shelley!

2011-08-30T20:01:00Z

Born August 30, 1797

Who thought this up when she was just 18:

And went on to write six more novels and to survive her husband and three of her four children before dying in 1851.

"We think back through our mothers if we are women."
Virginia Woolf, "A Room of One's Own."

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Stay safe

2011-08-27T14:49:49Z

Wishing everyone who's more in the path of Irene than we turned out to be dry basements, unbroken windows and uninterrupted electricity!

I woke up this morning to find the storm had more or less passed us by (4 hours inland from Cape Lookout, so no big surprise). It's windy out there, but not enough to knock down a small boy on a scooter. A branch falling on a wire could knock out the power, but that true pretty much every day.

The threat of Irene, however, was enough to have them cancel the outdoor performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream we were supposed to see last night (my ten-year-old's first Shakespeare play). I thought it would have been cool to see the play amid the flying pine needles, but I suppose the actors thought otherwise.

Anyway, have two entirely dissimilar youtube videos:

1. Thanks for lilithlessfair I have been watching The Hour with Romola Garai, Dominic West and the wonderful Ben Wishaw. It is highly entertaining, and reminding me how much I loved Wishaw as Keats. So, in honor of the summer being almost over, here he is reading one of my favorite poems:

2. And because every day is crazy bird day:

Okay, must go check and see if I'm right about the winds not being strong enough to take the boys to Oz--stay safe everyone!

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Remix! (and four other things)

2011-05-02T14:33:20Z

1. The remix_redux archive went live yesterday!

Somebody remixed my H50 knife & bloodplay fic Take it from the Inside -- which is about the last thing I ever expected someone to remix. It's fascinating, though--they've taken the same set up and made a very different--and much funnier--fic (seriously--there's a hilarious scene at a blood drive). Thank you, anon! Check it out: Between the Darkness and the Dawn.

I have barely scratched the surface of the archive, but it looks amazing!

I saw this on some else's journal, and thought it was a neat idea. I think the remix I wrote is totally obvious--if only because it has lots of the stuff I always put in fics in it. If, for some reason, you come across one you think is mine in your trek through 268 fics in 132 fandoms, and you're right, I will very happily write you a ficlet in the fandom of your choice!

2. Check out alba17's Multifandom Royal Wedding Fic and Art Fest!

There are some awesome H50 and Sherlock prompts over there. Last night, I dashed off the tiniest, fluffiest bit of fic for the prompt William and Kate visit Hawaii, the team is tasked with their protection detail.

3. A FB friend linked this wacko list of 111 male characters of British Literature in order of bangability. I'll give you the top three: 3) Mr. Darcy; 2) Strider/Aragorn; 1) Mr. Rochester.

It's a little confusing. I can see Aragorn, sure, but why a blind guy with a burnt-out house and a history of driving his past wives to self-immolation is more bangable than a guy with a gorgeous (fully-functional) house in the country and a track record of bailing your relatives out of trouble is beyond me....

4. I have all kinds of things waiting to be watched on my computer, but the only thing I made it through this weekend was the first two episodes of Dr. Who 6. Now, I haven't watched a doctor since Tom Baker was wearing the scarf, so I had no real idea what was going on. But the whole thing was fun and adorable (+ Crowley!).

5. It wigs me to mention politics on LJ/DW, but I have to say hearing about Osama Bin Laden was more--something--than I expected. My older son was born about three weeks before 9/11, and neither of my children have ever lived in a world in which the US was not engaged in foreign war. I have no expectation that this event will put an end to that, but it reminded me of how very much I hope they will sometime live in a time of peace.

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In which I am seduced by landscape and costumes (aka: Jane Eyre, Game of Thrones and Supernatural)

2011-04-25T15:04:25Z

Oh, y'all, I finally got to see Jane Eyre yesterday!

( Read more... )

Extremely short responses to the other things I watched over the weekend.

A Game of Thrones 1.1 (haven't seen 1.2 yet):

( Read more... )

Supernatual 6.18

( Read more... )

Is there new H50 tonight?

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Oh, English Lit fans: y'all have seen the Bronte Sisters Power Dolls, y/y?

2010-05-27T17:28:16Z

If not--here they are:

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