...okay, not famous, but everybody wants me.
To sew for them.
I haven't forgotten how to write either. In fact, writing and sewing is about all I have been doing for the past two weeks! Paper writing and Federal period coat sewing. I'm not complaining, I love it, but I feel like I have claw hands. The Claw...THE CLAW!!!
It seems like very recently that summer seemed like forever and a day away, but it has been 70 all week, I bought some seedlings at the stinky hippy market in Kansas City last weekend, and summer is creeping up fast. I've already got archaeology week in June, We Will Rock You in June, the Box Hill Regency Picnic in June, 1812 Independence Day in July, Old Crow Medicine Show in Julyu, AND a trip to CALIFORNIA in July. We're going to go through Albuhkoikey (no wrong turns, though) and end up at Pismo Beach. Totally not shittin' ya. My brother is stationed at Vandenberg, which is near Pismo Beach, so you know I must do homage to Bugs Bunny!
Oh, and I've been watching a lot of Lucy Worsley documentaries. She's cute as a button, in spite of (really, even more so because of) her speech "impediment." Honestly, I didn't even realize that is what it was at first. I thought it was some kind of posh, intellectual British accent that I was previously unaware of. I mean, British officers used to pronounce their "r"s as "w"s, so why not? Hey, I'm 'Murican. What do I know? :)
And that made me giggle again--in a discussion about many Americans refusal to acknowledge the extent of French assistance in the Revolution, someone called that The Derpmerican Revolution. I think I love that person.
So, yeah, like I said as I was getting over my week-long hangover (gah!), neither #Tom Hiddleston or #Benedict Cumberbatch managed to show up to April trade fair. I think they must have gotten lost on the way, that's all. They have less than 2 months to get a better map and get to June Freak Fest...I mean..June fort. I would say, make sure to get accurate clothes, but honestly, June Rendezvous isn't really the most strict in that department. If Jack Sparrow can show up and talk to Abe Lincoln at an 18th century French fort in southern Illinois....welll....
So, generally reading journal articles for research is one of those full-pot-of-coffee ordeals. The journal article I have been reading this week, however, has really been a winner, and helped me put into actual, real, coherent words some of the vague thoughts that have been floating around my mind. It has to do with what the author calls "geographies of encounter." Not just physical boundaries, but metaphorical boundaries (frontier, border, etc) that cause us to think of groups of people on the other sides of those boundaries as "different." This really ties directly into the area I am studying, because it basically was a gigantic border for a number of different groups. Without getting fully into details (I will post my paper when it is done), this is the perfect description for my Creoles, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the journal article (not something you hear every day). It is by Tracy Neal Leavelle, if you care to read it.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
"We Have Met the Enemy and He is Us"
Nope, that's wrong. He is cuba libres and shrub.
And us. Us imbibing too many cuba libres.
And shrub.
And Trader Joe's fizzy pink wine.
Ever have a week-long hangover? Yeah, I'm there. And one of my grad students keep sneaking up behind me and saying "Hi Heather" in a real creeper voice, which is hilarious, but I think I'm jumping more than I usually would.
April trade fair? A rousing success. And after such a long winter, it turned into a rampage in the evening. Oh my word. That was the best, awesomest, amazingest, WEIRDEST trade fair...no, any event...that I've been to. Anything that involves an antique prosthetic leg moves to the front of the pack.
So, I'm alive, but barely. My 36 year old body can't take blowouts like that. It was just what I needed to get back in the game, though, and remind me of how much I love that geographic area and that hobby. I've been jonesing for the weekend so I can pick up needle and thread again.
Oh, and Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch did NOT show up to camp with me. Ahem. I forgive them, though.
And that's about all I have of note to mention right now, other than I splurged on some new cowboy boots. Yee haw!
Here, look at Grueze's painting of a French peasant girl c 1770-80. What a sweet way to tie up a lappet cap!
Thursday, April 3, 2014
I will strife your breeches!
This is so funny. But don't let Cuddlebatch or Twhiddles read this, I intended to save the Latin scrap pelting as a surprise.
http://historyofloveblog.wordpress.com/2014/04/02/why-you-shouldnt-marry-a-lady-of-learning-1708/avo
My favorite part:
Therefore let none select a Wife,
For having sundry Speeches;
The more she has, the greater Strife
Will rise about the Breeches.
Unfortunately, educated women still seem to intimidate. Something about having both a brain and a vagina just doesn't seem right to some folks. ;) And there is a joke waiting to be told about man parts and brains, but I'll leave it be.
I finally got to sit and watch 12 Years a Slave today. That was hard to watch. Very hard. And poor Patsy. That movie deserved every award it won, and more besides. I find it interesting that Ben was in it (and was delicious, as usual), with that part of his family history. That is said without a hint of judgement...one half of my family was southern, and used slaves for hemp and tobacco harvest. History is not always a pretty thing. Missouri did not have huge plantations, the Taras and Twelve Oaks that people think of, but it certainly had slavery, and a lot of it. African slavery came to Missouri with the French in the 18th century. Indian slavery was practiced by the Europeans also, but it was practiced within the tribes before the Europeans even arrived. A long, ugly history.
Anyway, back to the 21st century. No easy way to transition there.
Storm season is upon us. Tornadoes in St. Louis today, and it's still storming. Of course, that is where I am headed tomorrow. Well, an hour south of St. Louis, to the 18th century and Fort de Chartres in the Pays des Illinois. Honestly...I'd rather not go, I'm not particularly excited. I got a new dress in the mail today (yes, sometimes I buy things instead of make them), and it's gorgeous. I'd rather go shopping for Western boots to go with it. And not spend insane amounts of money on gas. And, you know, I like showering. Sigh. I am crossing my fingers, however, that being there with less access to electronics and surrounded by nature helps my mind calm itself and maybe organize a bit. Buuuut....I'll probably just be waiting to leave the whole time.
But, since we're on the subject of the 18th century...wouldn't Tom and Ben look amazing in 18th century officer's gear? I guess they'd have to be redcoats, but that's alright. Those tight breeches...mmm hmm. And the officer's wigs (yes, they'd be officers. I couldn't bear the thought of them being foot soldiers and having a scratch on those pretty, posh faces) would set off their lovely eyes quite nicely. And they really do look tasty on a horse. :D When is this movie coming out? Or, even better, when will they come play dress up with me?
Speaking of pretty faces, I love this picture of Benedict.
I don't appreciate the photoshop on his eyes, they are pretty without help. But I love that he doesn't have a bunch of makeup on, and I love the pose. It is a pose that says that Ben has had a very long and tiring day doing....whatever it is that actors with production companies do (hey, I'm a historian, I have no idea)...and he wants me to remove all my clothing and make him a gin and tonic. Who am I to argue with that pose?
Oh, and on the subject of posh. Somehow I got sucked into the internet the other day, and ended up on the Chanel site...as one does. No, I had a reason. I wanted to see if a local place still sold the perfume I use, but I managed to find my way to the jewelry area of the site. And there I spotted a beautiful necklace, called the fontaine, in the 1932 collection. You know my fondness for that era's clothing. Soooo....I humored myself by using the little price slider to see how much it cost. Well, when I had gotten the slider up to $3,950.00 and it still hadn't appeared, I gave up. I have expensive tastes...but they have their limit!! It's called a budget. But, if anyone ever has some extra pocket change and wants to gift me with this, I'll be gracious and accept it! :) I'm not even a fan of diamonds, I just love the shape.
My friend sent me an old picture (of me. That's me. With a concertina, but it was apparently cropped out) from 2008 (I believe), in New Orleans. Oh, memories. Again, not helping my travel itch any! Maybe Jazz Fest next year? It's been a while...7 years next year. Yep, it's time!
http://historyofloveblog.wordpress.com/2014/04/02/why-you-shouldnt-marry-a-lady-of-learning-1708/avo
My favorite part:
Therefore let none select a Wife,
For having sundry Speeches;
The more she has, the greater Strife
Will rise about the Breeches.
Unfortunately, educated women still seem to intimidate. Something about having both a brain and a vagina just doesn't seem right to some folks. ;) And there is a joke waiting to be told about man parts and brains, but I'll leave it be.
I finally got to sit and watch 12 Years a Slave today. That was hard to watch. Very hard. And poor Patsy. That movie deserved every award it won, and more besides. I find it interesting that Ben was in it (and was delicious, as usual), with that part of his family history. That is said without a hint of judgement...one half of my family was southern, and used slaves for hemp and tobacco harvest. History is not always a pretty thing. Missouri did not have huge plantations, the Taras and Twelve Oaks that people think of, but it certainly had slavery, and a lot of it. African slavery came to Missouri with the French in the 18th century. Indian slavery was practiced by the Europeans also, but it was practiced within the tribes before the Europeans even arrived. A long, ugly history.
Anyway, back to the 21st century. No easy way to transition there.
Storm season is upon us. Tornadoes in St. Louis today, and it's still storming. Of course, that is where I am headed tomorrow. Well, an hour south of St. Louis, to the 18th century and Fort de Chartres in the Pays des Illinois. Honestly...I'd rather not go, I'm not particularly excited. I got a new dress in the mail today (yes, sometimes I buy things instead of make them), and it's gorgeous. I'd rather go shopping for Western boots to go with it. And not spend insane amounts of money on gas. And, you know, I like showering. Sigh. I am crossing my fingers, however, that being there with less access to electronics and surrounded by nature helps my mind calm itself and maybe organize a bit. Buuuut....I'll probably just be waiting to leave the whole time.
But, since we're on the subject of the 18th century...wouldn't Tom and Ben look amazing in 18th century officer's gear? I guess they'd have to be redcoats, but that's alright. Those tight breeches...mmm hmm. And the officer's wigs (yes, they'd be officers. I couldn't bear the thought of them being foot soldiers and having a scratch on those pretty, posh faces) would set off their lovely eyes quite nicely. And they really do look tasty on a horse. :D When is this movie coming out? Or, even better, when will they come play dress up with me?
Speaking of pretty faces, I love this picture of Benedict.
I don't appreciate the photoshop on his eyes, they are pretty without help. But I love that he doesn't have a bunch of makeup on, and I love the pose. It is a pose that says that Ben has had a very long and tiring day doing....whatever it is that actors with production companies do (hey, I'm a historian, I have no idea)...and he wants me to remove all my clothing and make him a gin and tonic. Who am I to argue with that pose?
Oh, and on the subject of posh. Somehow I got sucked into the internet the other day, and ended up on the Chanel site...as one does. No, I had a reason. I wanted to see if a local place still sold the perfume I use, but I managed to find my way to the jewelry area of the site. And there I spotted a beautiful necklace, called the fontaine, in the 1932 collection. You know my fondness for that era's clothing. Soooo....I humored myself by using the little price slider to see how much it cost. Well, when I had gotten the slider up to $3,950.00 and it still hadn't appeared, I gave up. I have expensive tastes...but they have their limit!! It's called a budget. But, if anyone ever has some extra pocket change and wants to gift me with this, I'll be gracious and accept it! :) I'm not even a fan of diamonds, I just love the shape.
I'd wear it with this:
Soooo, I can't decide if Mr. Greene here is wearing a snuggie, or is dressed as a tamale?
My friend sent me an old picture (of me. That's me. With a concertina, but it was apparently cropped out) from 2008 (I believe), in New Orleans. Oh, memories. Again, not helping my travel itch any! Maybe Jazz Fest next year? It's been a while...7 years next year. Yep, it's time!
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Just a quickie
This was on NPR this morning. This is my current field of study. This gets me all squiggy! Pretty sure I know some of these state of MO diggers, too.
http://www.npr.org/2014/04/02/298159486/st-louis-unearths-some-surprises?sc=17&f
Scientists Discover Remnants of St. Louis' French Colonial Past
On a side note, I *FINALLY* got to use my new London Fog umbrella today. The storms came complete with a power outage, but no biggie, it was nice to lay in bed and listen to the rain for a while. Too bad it wasn't in the middle of a Ben and Tom sandwich.
Twitter must know I am camping this weekend, which means the portajohn experience. They have sponsored Poo-pourri posts on my page.
And oh my. Oh my my my. This is a Callot Sœurs from 1930, and it. is. GORGEOUS. So glamorous. I love these dresses, they were created for a dancer's body, I want to wear them all over. Can I grocery shop in these? And again, standing next to someone tall and lean, like Benedict or Thomas, they'd just look that much better. Do you think I can call them up and ask if they'd go out and about with me so I can look fab? I think that's reasonable. :) And I don't necessarily need the scarf part, that is just a recipe for decapitation.
http://www.npr.org/2014/04/02/298159486/st-louis-unearths-some-surprises?sc=17&f
Scientists Discover Remnants of St. Louis' French Colonial Past
On a side note, I *FINALLY* got to use my new London Fog umbrella today. The storms came complete with a power outage, but no biggie, it was nice to lay in bed and listen to the rain for a while. Too bad it wasn't in the middle of a Ben and Tom sandwich.
Twitter must know I am camping this weekend, which means the portajohn experience. They have sponsored Poo-pourri posts on my page.
And oh my. Oh my my my. This is a Callot Sœurs from 1930, and it. is. GORGEOUS. So glamorous. I love these dresses, they were created for a dancer's body, I want to wear them all over. Can I grocery shop in these? And again, standing next to someone tall and lean, like Benedict or Thomas, they'd just look that much better. Do you think I can call them up and ask if they'd go out and about with me so I can look fab? I think that's reasonable. :) And I don't necessarily need the scarf part, that is just a recipe for decapitation.
Much to do today, before camping time. Suppose I should quit procrastinating, and get to it. But, before I go...
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Myne Favoured Thynges
In Honour of Whan that Aprille Day
Twenty of Myne Favoured Thynges
(In VERY Pidgin Middle English)
1. Reyn droppes on roses
2. Wiskeres on kitouns
3. Benedictus Cumber Batche (gentleman, player) clad in noght but mittyns
4. Thomas Hiddlestone (gentleman, player) clad in noght but streng...
...do yow fynde it hot in heere?....
5. A goode lay.
Be yow not vile, this kynde of lay:
6. Sir Mumford and his gentil sones
7. Oteres, that I myghte boop hir noses.
8. Sloth. Be yow nat idel, I mente the animale.
9. Tacoes. Crunchye!
10. Tales of vertuous men and wommen who, thogh they were nat engeles, koude flye, and koude shoote laseres from their eyes, and koude defeate vileynye.
11. Wolvyrene.
12. Bookes.
13. Shakespeare. Yow shal meet hym in aboute 250 yeres.
14. Opera. Yow shal meet it in aboute 350 yeres. If yow be gentrye or noble.
15. Cosmoes. Sir Neil deGrasse Tyson (a man of wysdam and science from the Kyngdome of France).
16. The philosophie of histoire.
17. Fyne garments and clooth, noon of polyestere.
18. To wereth the clooth of the past, with verray freendes, and acte oute momentes of olde.
19. The blisse of an hotte chai.
20. Twittere, social media, for gathering loveres of historie.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Middle English. I will NEVER get on the London Eye. Gak.
Hey, hey guys! Wanna join my CLUUUUB? We'll do stuuuuuff.
A quiet weekend. Ahhhh...I needed that. Had a lot of cutting of fabric and house tidying to get done. Friends over for gin and tonics in the evening, now my house smells like a Victorian workhouse. Minus the eau de typhoid. Friday night, I had 2 gin and tonics and some asparagus for dinner. Why? Because I CAN. I also was up at 5:30 am on Saturday. That was AWFUL. It's still dark at 5:30 in the morning! It shouldn't be called "in the morning" because it's still night time. It should be "5:30 in the pre-dawn hours."
I had a middle-class moment this weekend, and I had to laugh at myself for being such a twat. Mind you, it was at home, with no one around to witness my uppity shame. I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies for people, but I was adamant that I use my GOOD chips, the Ghirardellis, not the boring old store brand chips. I couldn't FIND them though. I must have had my panties in a bunch for an hour looking for them, when I could have just MOVED ON...but I finally found them. Hidden behind my Umbrian lentils (as if I would ever eat lentils from anywhere else), and a box for French mousse.
Good grief.
So, I'm a bit prickly and independent, and all about empowered women, so the "slutty nurse, cop, etc" Halloween costumes have always bothered me. I mean, if you're looking to get laid, that's awesome, more power to you, but it isn't necessary to debase female police officers, nurses, teachers, etc, in the process (also, as a costumer, I am always dismayed by a lack of originality). HOWEVER...I have found a slutty cop costume that even *I* can get behind!!
Everywhere I look, I keep seeing reminders of London and England. It's a sign. My wanderlust is going nuts. I even dreamed the other night that I was touristing in a little English village and I was ridiculously excited about some goats and chickens up on a hill. Those who know me well know I grew up with both, and I *do* get ridiculously excited about them, but apparently these were SUPER special, because they're ENGLISH. So yes, I am really going to have to be aware of vacation time next year and blow the dust off my passport. This year, I am already committed to a week-long archaeology program here, and visiting my brother in California, but next year....medieval archives, here I come!
Oh, that reminds me...it's International Hug a Medievalist Day. Though I'm currently more involved in early modern, medieval is still my passion. So HUG ME DAMMIT!
Back to England...and traveling. I have a younger friend who is also prickly and independent like me, and generally for the same reasons (mostly coming by it naturally, but some of it thanks to crappy relationships), and she is always traveling. She just came back from ANTARCTICA and posted wonderful pictures. She is not helping my cause! :) I turned on the TV yesterday and Fantastic Four was on...and they were in London. Of course. It's everywhere! That movie did reinforce my aversion to ever getting on that monstrosity they call the Eye, though. ::shudder:: It also made me wonder how Chris Evans can be both the Human Torch AND Captain America. What the what?
And BBC, you're not helping my cause any:
"BBC One @BBCOne
A reminder from the Time Lord: the clocks go forward one hour tonight. It's wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff."
Sure wish they'd explain it like that on this side of the pond.
And I cannot forget...I am SO happy for couples in England and Wales. Love and marriage between people of any sex are NOT something for the government to dictate or regulate.
I found this beautiful confection of a 1937 Elsa Schiaparelli summer dress on the Met Museum site the other day. Oh my, I am in love. So, so elegant, I love the lines and drape of 1930s gowns. This is a crepe-back silk satin, which would feel wonderfully cool and smooth on the skin in the summer. I was trying to determine if I would be wearing this on a date with Twhiddles or with Benedictus. With both of them being so tall, it would look wonderfully glam, as I am about 5'8" in heels. Hmmm...I am thinking this is a Ben dress, though. And if I can't find similar fabric, I suppose I can always make it on Spoonflower.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2009.300.1347a,b
I have decided I also want to see both of them in early season Mad Men suits. Yep.
Oh, history stuff! Yeah! This is a history blog! How about this? I was pretty excited to see this in the KC Star this weekend, this is part of my current field of study. Again, I don't think people understand the ties of France and Spain to MO and KS. Before the days of Little House on the Prairie.
http://www.kansascity.com/2014/03/30/4925613/up-the-river-to-destiny-missouris.html
Also, don't forget that tomorrow is April 1st. Besides being April Fool's Day, it is also Whan That Aprille Day, time to read "old" or "archaic" or "middle" languages! Yay! Might I suggest the Breton lays in Middle English? Some of my favorites. Here, have a sample!
Lay le Freine
We redeth oft and findeth ywrite
And this clerkes wele it wite
Layes that ben in harping (BEN! THEY SAID BEN!)
Ben yfounde of ferli thing
Here is a wonderful site that has translations of this and the rest of the lays (heh. heh heh).
http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/laskaya-and-salisbury-middle-english-breton-lays-general-introduction
The Canterbury Tales are always a good choice as well, and the Wife of Bath's prologue/tale is my personal favorite:
Experience, though noon auctoritee
Were in this world, is right ynogh for me.
To speke of wo that is in mariage;
For lordynges, sith I twelve yeer was of age,
Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve,
Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve--
If I so ofte myghte have ywedded bee--
And alle were worthy men in hir degree.
But me was toold, certeyn, not longe agoon is,
That sith that Crist ne wente nevere but onis
To weddyng, in the Cane of Galilee,
That by the same ensample taughte he me
That I ne sholde wedded be but ones.
Herkne eek, lo, which a sharp word for the nones,
Biside a welle, Jhesus, God and man,
Spak in repreeve of the Samaritan:
'Thou has yhad fyve housbondes,' quod he,
'And that ilke man that now hath thee
Is noght thyn housbonde,' thus seyde he certeyn.
This is a wonderful series of documentaries from England on the history of the English language, and they read many texts in the original dialect, it really does sound magical. Here is the first, and you can find the remaining in the links on the side.
No?
I had a middle-class moment this weekend, and I had to laugh at myself for being such a twat. Mind you, it was at home, with no one around to witness my uppity shame. I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies for people, but I was adamant that I use my GOOD chips, the Ghirardellis, not the boring old store brand chips. I couldn't FIND them though. I must have had my panties in a bunch for an hour looking for them, when I could have just MOVED ON...but I finally found them. Hidden behind my Umbrian lentils (as if I would ever eat lentils from anywhere else), and a box for French mousse.
Good grief.
So, I'm a bit prickly and independent, and all about empowered women, so the "slutty nurse, cop, etc" Halloween costumes have always bothered me. I mean, if you're looking to get laid, that's awesome, more power to you, but it isn't necessary to debase female police officers, nurses, teachers, etc, in the process (also, as a costumer, I am always dismayed by a lack of originality). HOWEVER...I have found a slutty cop costume that even *I* can get behind!!
Boo-yah!
Everywhere I look, I keep seeing reminders of London and England. It's a sign. My wanderlust is going nuts. I even dreamed the other night that I was touristing in a little English village and I was ridiculously excited about some goats and chickens up on a hill. Those who know me well know I grew up with both, and I *do* get ridiculously excited about them, but apparently these were SUPER special, because they're ENGLISH. So yes, I am really going to have to be aware of vacation time next year and blow the dust off my passport. This year, I am already committed to a week-long archaeology program here, and visiting my brother in California, but next year....medieval archives, here I come!
Oh, that reminds me...it's International Hug a Medievalist Day. Though I'm currently more involved in early modern, medieval is still my passion. So HUG ME DAMMIT!
Back to England...and traveling. I have a younger friend who is also prickly and independent like me, and generally for the same reasons (mostly coming by it naturally, but some of it thanks to crappy relationships), and she is always traveling. She just came back from ANTARCTICA and posted wonderful pictures. She is not helping my cause! :) I turned on the TV yesterday and Fantastic Four was on...and they were in London. Of course. It's everywhere! That movie did reinforce my aversion to ever getting on that monstrosity they call the Eye, though. ::shudder:: It also made me wonder how Chris Evans can be both the Human Torch AND Captain America. What the what?
And BBC, you're not helping my cause any:
"BBC One @BBCOne
A reminder from the Time Lord: the clocks go forward one hour tonight. It's wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff."
Sure wish they'd explain it like that on this side of the pond.
And I cannot forget...I am SO happy for couples in England and Wales. Love and marriage between people of any sex are NOT something for the government to dictate or regulate.
I found this beautiful confection of a 1937 Elsa Schiaparelli summer dress on the Met Museum site the other day. Oh my, I am in love. So, so elegant, I love the lines and drape of 1930s gowns. This is a crepe-back silk satin, which would feel wonderfully cool and smooth on the skin in the summer. I was trying to determine if I would be wearing this on a date with Twhiddles or with Benedictus. With both of them being so tall, it would look wonderfully glam, as I am about 5'8" in heels. Hmmm...I am thinking this is a Ben dress, though. And if I can't find similar fabric, I suppose I can always make it on Spoonflower.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2009.300.1347a,b
I have decided I also want to see both of them in early season Mad Men suits. Yep.
Oh, history stuff! Yeah! This is a history blog! How about this? I was pretty excited to see this in the KC Star this weekend, this is part of my current field of study. Again, I don't think people understand the ties of France and Spain to MO and KS. Before the days of Little House on the Prairie.
http://www.kansascity.com/2014/03/30/4925613/up-the-river-to-destiny-missouris.html
Also, don't forget that tomorrow is April 1st. Besides being April Fool's Day, it is also Whan That Aprille Day, time to read "old" or "archaic" or "middle" languages! Yay! Might I suggest the Breton lays in Middle English? Some of my favorites. Here, have a sample!
Lay le Freine
We redeth oft and findeth ywrite
And this clerkes wele it wite
Layes that ben in harping (BEN! THEY SAID BEN!)
Ben yfounde of ferli thing
Here is a wonderful site that has translations of this and the rest of the lays (heh. heh heh).
http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/laskaya-and-salisbury-middle-english-breton-lays-general-introduction
The Canterbury Tales are always a good choice as well, and the Wife of Bath's prologue/tale is my personal favorite:
Experience, though noon auctoritee
Were in this world, is right ynogh for me.
To speke of wo that is in mariage;
For lordynges, sith I twelve yeer was of age,
Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve,
Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve--
If I so ofte myghte have ywedded bee--
And alle were worthy men in hir degree.
But me was toold, certeyn, not longe agoon is,
That sith that Crist ne wente nevere but onis
To weddyng, in the Cane of Galilee,
That by the same ensample taughte he me
That I ne sholde wedded be but ones.
Herkne eek, lo, which a sharp word for the nones,
Biside a welle, Jhesus, God and man,
Spak in repreeve of the Samaritan:
'Thou has yhad fyve housbondes,' quod he,
'And that ilke man that now hath thee
Is noght thyn housbonde,' thus seyde he certeyn.
This is a wonderful series of documentaries from England on the history of the English language, and they read many texts in the original dialect, it really does sound magical. Here is the first, and you can find the remaining in the links on the side.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Mmm....tasty foot bread!
It snowed. Again. Winter, you are such a giant
Seriously.
This? I snapped this yesterday as I left the office.
Merry Christmas one and all!
Today, Lady Day (don't forget to sign your farm contracts, peasants!), thankfully, it is sunny. Cold, but sunny. Mr. Bumble hasn't allowed a fire in the workhouse today, so here I am:
(4? 4 what?)
Despite the chill, I'm feeling pretty chill. Oooo...didn't even mean to do that! Three of my favorite songs came on one right after the other on my playlist this morning. And I had a short road trip to To-puke-a yesterday to pick up something from a friend. I took the back way along where the old American Indian land grants were, into North Topukea. It was interesting to see them under a dusting of snow, instead of in the summer heat, with archaeologists working on them. And it's relatively quiet around here (everyone probably went home to get under their blankets). So I'm nice and relaxed, like I rolled a doobie. I didn't, but I'm just saying. Chiillll.....
My three songs:
So, before I get to the fun history bits--my dear friend, who is the father of my godson, is also a pop culture/convention geek. He threw out the idea of having an Adventurer's Guild, which is awesome. There are two historic female adventurers I've been waiting to do for a while, and have been kind of working on their clothes here and there. Guess I'll pick them up now and finish them in earnest. Gertrude and Amelia. Gertrude, for obvious reasons, and Amelia is from the area.
Oh, and if you want to know what happened to Amelia, just read "Fluke, Or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings," by Christopher Moore. Seems just as plausible as some other theories out there. :)
Alright...in my historical training, I've gravitated towards material culture (among other things), which of course encompasses the household. I kept finding little non-detailed references to bakers kneading bread dough with their feet. Not generally in the home, mind you, but male bakers, in bakeries...causing people to do their baking at home as often as possible. Well, that got me curious (in many ways), but I am not having much luck with just basic searches. I will dig into more detail in the library, but in the meantime, I did find two interesting things. First of all....the fine art of foot bread has not left us! MMM, model foot bread.
Alright, seriously...I had Nessun Dorma playing QUIETLY on my computer, and my coworker (a 50+ year old male, mind you), decided to crank up Pharrell Williams. I understand opera is not for everyone, but give me a break. Maybe I can passive-aggressively play volume wars with him. Surely he remembers I have a recording of myself playing fife with a bagpiper on this computer.
Anyway, in looking for foot bread, I discovered that a book I love has been digitized by Google Books. It has the very compact and pithy title "An Encyclopædia of Domestic Economy: Comprising Such Subjects as are Most Immediately Connected With Housekeeping; As, The Construction of Domestic Edifices, With the Modes of Warming, Ventilating, and Lighting Them: A Description of the Various Articles of Furniture; A General Account of the Animal and Vegetable Substances Used As Food; And the Methods of Preserving and Preparing Them by Cooking;..." and so on in that vein. While it is necessary to remember that this was written in 1845 by Thomas Webster, a man, who spent very little time in a Victorian kitchen, he does claim that he was assisted by the late Mrs Parkes. This book covers EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING...housing styles, bathing, cooking, food adulteration, carriages, medicines, clothing, furnishings, lighting, servants, fruit in England, types of fish and how to cook them, honey, types of water, and, of course...tea. Among other things, including a discussion of a douche bath, which is not at all what you think it is. My apologies.
Someone sent this fairly brief article to me, because they knew (correctly) that I would find it interesting. I know, the historians who are surrounded by more than a millenia of written history laugh, but around these parts, there is a misconception that a white face was not seen until after the American Civil War. The battle noted in this article took place in 1720, and French traders were making regular trips beyond Kansas City by (and possibly before) 1700. It's amazing the resistance we (we being historians of this field) encounter by people when we present these findings. They have had such wrong history drilled into their head for so long, that it really does make them ANGRY to find out it was wrong. Not angry that they have been lied to, but angry that we are presenting new evidence to the contrary. And we've only just scratched the surface, this really is a virgin field. A lot of the primary sources, like so many others, have been passed down in families and are still sitting in a box or a desk somewhere waiting to be rediscovered.
Netflix suggested I watch Sherlock (again), so I said "what the heck!" (again). Today I watched The Blind Banker--Benedict is so good at expressing emotion in his face. I'm a face person, I like interesting faces, and I like faces that can expressing interesting things (which is why I like watching Tom and Ben. Yes, we're on buddy names basis. They call me Kitten). There is a part that refers to his difficult school years, and though it is for less than a second, his face is so sad that I just can't.
Oh, and I think I want to ray gun the Copenhagen Zoo. Today it was four healthy lions. What is wrong with those people????
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Spring? Just kidding!
It snowed last night. What the eff? Winter, you've been a jerk this year. Go avay, or I shall taunt you a second time! I couldn't take it. I cut up a pineapple and stuck it in a mason jar with coconut rum. Is it summer yet? You know, the day I took this picture, we were celebrating Independence Day at Fort O, circa 1812, and it was 108 degrees out. I took this picture because I was trying to show the rivulets of sweat running down my face. Today, I might not complain quite so much about those temperatures and rivulets, especially if I could sit out in the green grass, instead of on crunchy chunks of snow and ice. PS...why do I always raise one eyebrow when I take a picture of myself? Is that my personal duck face?
At least it was lovely weather for La Bohème last Friday. We had a beautiful 4-person friend date (two of my reenacting friends, one of their kids, and myself). Surprisingly, the 10 year old made it through just fine, but then La Bohème is a good introduction to opera for young people. Our dude friend bought the three of us wrist corsages, it was like a 30-something prom date. In our great levels of maturity, we also got in a good night of crushing the heads of some elderly folks a few rows up ("crush, crush, I crush your head!). And next season's productions are all favorites, so I suppose I better start putting pennies in my piggy bank. Tosca, La Traviata, Silent Night (the WWI story)....
Bet you were wondering where my Tom post was, weren't you? I didn't forget. He is going to SING in a movie about young Captain Hook. Seriously. Hook. MY character! My codfish character! Tom and Hook...it's like it was written for me. Will I be the only 36 year old in the theater without a child? No, because I will force a friend to go with me.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/03/17/tom-hiddleston-sings-like-pirate-pirate-fairy/6513689/
At least it was lovely weather for La Bohème last Friday. We had a beautiful 4-person friend date (two of my reenacting friends, one of their kids, and myself). Surprisingly, the 10 year old made it through just fine, but then La Bohème is a good introduction to opera for young people. Our dude friend bought the three of us wrist corsages, it was like a 30-something prom date. In our great levels of maturity, we also got in a good night of crushing the heads of some elderly folks a few rows up ("crush, crush, I crush your head!). And next season's productions are all favorites, so I suppose I better start putting pennies in my piggy bank. Tosca, La Traviata, Silent Night (the WWI story)....
(it took me a while to find my arm in this picture...because it's not. That IS my fist at the top, though. Kapow!)
All of the performers were absolutely brilliant, but Marcello and Schaunard's baritones were spot on. Musetta's soprano was also stunning, but I am a sucker for baritones. One baritone in particular....you know who....
(This picture is delicious, but I bet they can see up each other's noses).
Seriously, Benedict Cuddlebatch, I could lay my head on your chest and listen to that voice sing snippets from Willy Wonka all day. Or, you know, pretty much anything else. ANYTHING. "Nutrition facts. Serving size, 1 tbsp. Servings per container, approximately 9. Amount per serving: Calories, 60. 0% Total Daily Fat. Dextrose, sugar, malic acid"....yep, goodbye pants.
The best part of the day, however, was getting home after it was over. I was so ready for the weekend (which is now almost gone. WTF?). I was even happy to see my fabric scrap covered floor (I clean, I promise, but I'm mid-project, may as well wait till I'm done, there will be more), the ugly card table I was ironing on, and my comic books. I got my elegant pig mug out, and as soon as I was down I started to nod off like a baby on a plate of spaghetti.
By the way, that is my heel, not a big ankle. My shoe/torture device is partly off. If you want to see a big ankle, check out my OTHER ankle exactly a year ago after my sprain, in Exhibit A below. Ouch. That really hurt, Charlie.
Oh, and alright...our beautiful Kauffman Center was built last year, and it's gorgeous outside, and in the entry that is filled with light and geometry...but the main hall...I'm sorry. Every time I see it, I am reminded of a Super 8 room that hasn't been updated since 1990. I mean, really. I feel like Wesley Snipes should be in this photo somewhere.
And now that my brain WD40 has been activated by typing, I can start on my research. One of the Twitter sites I follow posted: "It's just a dissertation, you're not changing the world." That was timely, because I've been going through this disenchantment phase with it. Most grad students do, and I have no intention of stopping--I was meant to teach, and to teach history. Nay, to PROFESS history. I have to finish the PhD to get there. But I feel like I need to do something MORE, beyond donating my Coke reward points to charity. I already volunteer for a few historical organizations, but again, they aren't going to change the world. I need to get back into Harvesters food banks, my pet project.
Oh, and I'm in a funk about missing the KC Shakespeare spring acting workshops again, so maybe my brain is just pissy. I guess I *COULD* learn to use the calendar on my smarter than me phone.
Can someone tell me how this looks like a Buddha's hand? Because I'm not seeing it.
Okay, a weekend's worth of mental vomit is out, now for the history bits:
There is a great Chaucer account on Twitter, and the present day human behind it has put forth a suggestion for April 1st, to celebrate/commemorate works in old languages, even dead languages, as a way to promote and support studies in paleography, archival work, and the teaching of old languages. I believe I am going to be brave and go through some of the original Beowulf (with a modern copy handy....because). It is also interesting to note that there are some paleography schools in the summer in the US--though I still intend to attend the school in England. At some point.
Also, though I have been whining about getting out of the Midwest for a while, I should note that Mizzou and all of it's branches are wonderful schools for historians. They have a great archives, caring professors...and my branch, in KC, has a top notch medieval program, which I am still trying to tie together with my 18th century Creoles. :) Anyway, this is a post about 17th century women printers from the Mizzou Special Collections, and it is really interesting, lots of pictures.
Bet you were wondering where my Tom post was, weren't you? I didn't forget. He is going to SING in a movie about young Captain Hook. Seriously. Hook. MY character! My codfish character! Tom and Hook...it's like it was written for me. Will I be the only 36 year old in the theater without a child? No, because I will force a friend to go with me.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/03/17/tom-hiddleston-sings-like-pirate-pirate-fairy/6513689/
Friday, March 21, 2014
Peasant hands, I have asparagus pee, missing aspirants, and Spring has SPRUNG...
...and oh my, it is gorgeous outside. I can tell it is spring because all the fair weather joggers are wriggling out of their lairs like worms after a rainstorm. Fall is my favorite, but I love all 4 seasons, and I am very happy spring has finally arrived. Everyone here is insanely excited, because our winter has lasted FOREVERRRRRRRRRRuhhhhh...gasp..... People are walking around smiling about nothing, and since people here don't usually smile, it must be nice outside!
And it's Friday. And it's World Poetry Day! Sooo...what could be more appropriate than a little William Blake?
To Spring
O Thou with dewy locks, who lookest down
Through the clear windows of the morning, turn
Thine angel eyes upon our western isle,
Which in full choir hails thy approach, O Spring?
The hills tell one another, and the listening
Valleys hear; all our longing eyes are turn'd
Up to thy bright pavilions: issue forth
And let thy holy feet visit our clime!
Come o'er the eastern hills, and let our winds
Kiss thy perfumèd garments; let us taste
Thy morn and evening breath; scatter thy pearls
Upon our lovesick land that mourns for thee.
O deck her forth with thy fair fingers; pour
Thy soft kisses on her bosom; and put
Thy golden crown upon her languish'd head,
Whose modest tresses are bound up for thee.
I'd just like to note that Blake clearly had a different image of morning breath than we do.
And of course, you cannot forget a little of Will, from The Winter's Tale:
When daffodils begin to peer,
With heigh! The doxy over the dale,
Why, then comes in the sweet o' the year;
For the red blood reigns in the winter's pale.
I can also tell it is spring by allergy symptoms popping up. I think my eyes LOOK normal, but I feel like they are in that half-lidded orgasmic position most of the day. It'd be great if that were the real reason, but I am afraid that the pollen just does a number on me anymore. And in case you weren't aware, sneezes are VERY loud in a museum. VERY. LOUD.
So, spring vegetables...asparagus. I get excited every February when it starts to pop up fresh at the grocery store. Some people crave chocolate or coffee...I crave asparagus. Roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper, splashed with lemon. MMMM. And yes, it comes with the usual hilarious side effect. Asparagus pee, the scent of spring. :) TMI?
Today my feet are battling pesky super-heroes! Who needs 'em, anyway?
And it's Friday. And it's World Poetry Day! Sooo...what could be more appropriate than a little William Blake?
To Spring
O Thou with dewy locks, who lookest down
Through the clear windows of the morning, turn
Thine angel eyes upon our western isle,
Which in full choir hails thy approach, O Spring?
The hills tell one another, and the listening
Valleys hear; all our longing eyes are turn'd
Up to thy bright pavilions: issue forth
And let thy holy feet visit our clime!
Come o'er the eastern hills, and let our winds
Kiss thy perfumèd garments; let us taste
Thy morn and evening breath; scatter thy pearls
Upon our lovesick land that mourns for thee.
O deck her forth with thy fair fingers; pour
Thy soft kisses on her bosom; and put
Thy golden crown upon her languish'd head,
Whose modest tresses are bound up for thee.
I'd just like to note that Blake clearly had a different image of morning breath than we do.
And of course, you cannot forget a little of Will, from The Winter's Tale:
When daffodils begin to peer,
With heigh! The doxy over the dale,
Why, then comes in the sweet o' the year;
For the red blood reigns in the winter's pale.
I can also tell it is spring by allergy symptoms popping up. I think my eyes LOOK normal, but I feel like they are in that half-lidded orgasmic position most of the day. It'd be great if that were the real reason, but I am afraid that the pollen just does a number on me anymore. And in case you weren't aware, sneezes are VERY loud in a museum. VERY. LOUD.
So, spring vegetables...asparagus. I get excited every February when it starts to pop up fresh at the grocery store. Some people crave chocolate or coffee...I crave asparagus. Roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper, splashed with lemon. MMMM. And yes, it comes with the usual hilarious side effect. Asparagus pee, the scent of spring. :) TMI?
Today my feet are battling pesky super-heroes! Who needs 'em, anyway?
Have I mentioned how excited I am that Sock Dreams had these mitts in wool? I can wear them to fort in April, I feel like it might be chillier this year than last. I am now the latest style icon in the homeless chic movement. Derelicte! Mugatuuuu.... I was going to knit a short pair and an elbow length pair, so I am just down to elbow-length now.
So, I have been going through some of my non-academic books (which are still about history, of course), and I found something I wanted to post here. I have a book by Liza Picard about Victorian London between 1840-1870, and there is a great little section of tips for a well-bred lady of the time to catch a husband. I am not listing them all, it's 3 pages, but here are some of the doozies:
"Firstly we must consider the possibility that you may occasionally be apt to omit an h. This tendency must be eradicated before even thinking of aspiring to be taken to be a lady. There are several books of advice on the matter, which I will leave to your ingenuity to identify. Nothing would so ruin your prospects as a missing aspirate.
Then, you must never been seen in an inelegant posture. Blowing out a candle is decidedly inelegant. If there is no handy extinguisher, let someone else distend their cheeks....as to laughing, it is usually inadvisable.
Most wind instruments are decidedly inelegant, they should be left to the gentlemen.
When at the opera, assume an expression of transported delight, and ignore any tendency of the gentlemen in your party to spend their time surveying the other ladies in the house through their opera glasses.
An expression of admiring pleasure should be possible to sustain for most of the evening without becoming a rictus. Practise daily, for increasing periods. A conviction that your intended is the most desirable gentleman in every possible way already resides in his breast. Show him, shyly but unmistakably, that you share this conviction."
So....what she's saying is that I have had some bad relationships in the past because my fife face is not sexy and I blow out my candles. DAMMIT. Well, now that I am armed with this NEW knowledge, I'm prepared to win myself one (or both) of these two men as husband! Look out, boys!
(Benedictus and Twhiddles)
And now, I must away to La Bohème, where I shall assume an expression of transported delight.
"Two tickets to...La Boheem?"
"La Boh-EM...it's an OPERA."
"It's an opera."
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Flounders, and Manatees, and Stays, Oh My
Ok, sooo...who was it that first looked at a freakish looking flounder and decided that people should put that in their mouths? GAAAAH. It's not random thought Wednesday (except it really is in my head), that was just in response to this, which gives me the willies. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/11/marine-miniatures/holland-text.html
It's cool, but still...willies...
I'm tired. So, so tired. I have a heritage preservation league board meeting on the far NE side of KC today, and it is going to take me an hour and 20 minutes each way to get there and back. I know there are people who have that commute on a daily basis, but geez Louise, I'm used to a 15 minute total daily commute! I'm really just feeling draaaained, there has been so much going on lately. I love my friends, and I love spending time with them, but I'm a stay-at-home. I need some time off to recharge myself. And catch up on laundry. Going to attempt to go into hiding after La Boheme Friday evening.
I do have on my manatee socks, though, which makes me happy, and the Spring Equinox is shortly upon us, and that is good. Last night there was a beautiful big orangey moon low in the sky, the spring peepers were singing their little froggy hearts out, and I watched an awesome show about the Marvel Universe. :D It's the little things.
Like the local public radio station playing Caribbean steel drum music this morning on my way in to work. It was kind of jarring, against the grey, dull, leaf-less landscape, but it reminded me of my last vacation in The Bahamas, years ago, and that was nice. I *really* need to get out of the midwest.
Anyway, boo hoo, pity party.
I have decided that my supervillain alter ego (who will of course be fabulously wealthy and stylish), will be chauffeured around in a 1925 Rolls Royce Phantom. Yay-yussss....look at that beautiful lady.
Anyway, this is my current project. Well, something similar to these anyway. These are in the holdings of the Met Museum, they are late 18th century, linen and leather, with reed boning. I have been needing a new pair for years, my poor stays are a ratty patched up mess. I am going to soak my reeds this weekend and get them cut and shaved at the tips, and perhaps get some of the channels sewn. I love how the lacing path on the back of this pair is lined with leather strips, so as not to wear down the fabric. If I have enough leather left after top and bottom, I will see about doing the same!
I'm still on a mission to get young, silly girls who are new to interpretation to stop making their stays so small that their boobs look like balloons overly filled with fluid, and to stop wearing their stays on the outside of their clothing. Do you wear your panties on the outside of your pants? Nein. So stop it already!
It's cool, but still...willies...
I'm tired. So, so tired. I have a heritage preservation league board meeting on the far NE side of KC today, and it is going to take me an hour and 20 minutes each way to get there and back. I know there are people who have that commute on a daily basis, but geez Louise, I'm used to a 15 minute total daily commute! I'm really just feeling draaaained, there has been so much going on lately. I love my friends, and I love spending time with them, but I'm a stay-at-home. I need some time off to recharge myself. And catch up on laundry. Going to attempt to go into hiding after La Boheme Friday evening.
I do have on my manatee socks, though, which makes me happy, and the Spring Equinox is shortly upon us, and that is good. Last night there was a beautiful big orangey moon low in the sky, the spring peepers were singing their little froggy hearts out, and I watched an awesome show about the Marvel Universe. :D It's the little things.
(Buttery yellow sock with baby blue manatees. Because I'm a grown up and I do what I want).
Like the local public radio station playing Caribbean steel drum music this morning on my way in to work. It was kind of jarring, against the grey, dull, leaf-less landscape, but it reminded me of my last vacation in The Bahamas, years ago, and that was nice. I *really* need to get out of the midwest.
Anyway, boo hoo, pity party.
I have decided that my supervillain alter ego (who will of course be fabulously wealthy and stylish), will be chauffeured around in a 1925 Rolls Royce Phantom. Yay-yussss....look at that beautiful lady.
Anyway, this is my current project. Well, something similar to these anyway. These are in the holdings of the Met Museum, they are late 18th century, linen and leather, with reed boning. I have been needing a new pair for years, my poor stays are a ratty patched up mess. I am going to soak my reeds this weekend and get them cut and shaved at the tips, and perhaps get some of the channels sewn. I love how the lacing path on the back of this pair is lined with leather strips, so as not to wear down the fabric. If I have enough leather left after top and bottom, I will see about doing the same!
I'm still on a mission to get young, silly girls who are new to interpretation to stop making their stays so small that their boobs look like balloons overly filled with fluid, and to stop wearing their stays on the outside of their clothing. Do you wear your panties on the outside of your pants? Nein. So stop it already!
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Clio? Izzat you?
I came in to work today, after being gone 4 days, and found this in my inbox:
Now, I suppose you could take that as a thinly veiled threat, but actually, it is just that I have worked with these folks a long time, and they know my interests (hence finding Tom and Ben pictures taped to my monitor at random times). I love collecting old English, Irish, Puritan, etc, woodcuts of witches. I especially like it when they have cats or ravens in them, but I like them all. It is from one of my historical interests, which is in the field of women--a fear of intelligent women, independent women, women as healers, women's religion, etc.
So, I am choosing to take this as a sign. Yes, some of the coworkers that I am close to read my blog, so they know I am trying to think of a way to merge my historic interests. So this could have been in response to that. It could be a sign from The Big Guy. I am going to say that it is that lovely muse, Clio, telling me that my answer lies in this area....and it really could. I mean, it really, really could. I will have to ponder that. The 18th century Creoles of the American frontier, however, had their own unique brand of Catholicism (just as they had their own dialecte français), and they never burned or strung anyone up for witchcraft or heresy. So we'll see how these go together. But I can feel the thinking happening in my brain right now....can you hear it? Sounds like popcorn.
In the meantime, this will make some great Halloween art. Only 227 days, you know.
Now, I suppose you could take that as a thinly veiled threat, but actually, it is just that I have worked with these folks a long time, and they know my interests (hence finding Tom and Ben pictures taped to my monitor at random times). I love collecting old English, Irish, Puritan, etc, woodcuts of witches. I especially like it when they have cats or ravens in them, but I like them all. It is from one of my historical interests, which is in the field of women--a fear of intelligent women, independent women, women as healers, women's religion, etc.
So, I am choosing to take this as a sign. Yes, some of the coworkers that I am close to read my blog, so they know I am trying to think of a way to merge my historic interests. So this could have been in response to that. It could be a sign from The Big Guy. I am going to say that it is that lovely muse, Clio, telling me that my answer lies in this area....and it really could. I mean, it really, really could. I will have to ponder that. The 18th century Creoles of the American frontier, however, had their own unique brand of Catholicism (just as they had their own dialecte français), and they never burned or strung anyone up for witchcraft or heresy. So we'll see how these go together. But I can feel the thinking happening in my brain right now....can you hear it? Sounds like popcorn.
In the meantime, this will make some great Halloween art. Only 227 days, you know.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Tom Hiddleston Made Me Cry, and Why I Got Angry about Much Ado
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibhes! I had the day offfff. Yessss. No, I didn't drink beer, though I am thinking of a gin and tonic later. I also didn't wear green. I did wear orange. No, I am not being an ironic hipster. My family--the English, the Irish, and the Scot--were all Protestant for many generations back. It's historical for me to wear orange, duh. I did make some corned beef and cabbage, too. Yes, I know, it's not really Irish...but it's goood. Except now my house smells like old people.
I got sucked into a video of cat vines, and someone on there pronounced compilation as com-pile-a-tion, which really got my panties in a twist. Almost as much as a dude that was speaking yesterday, who kept swallowing at inappropriate times in the middle of his sentences.
So, I accomplished nothing today, I was still in recovery mode. Thankfully the WWI boots do not seem to have caused too much foot pain. I think I was tired from seeing the sun so much. I don't drag my pasty skin out of my library lair enough, clearly. It is a short work week, but I have a lot to do, as well as a heritage preservation board meeting Wednesday (I'm the president this year. I've missed the last two. Do as I say, not as I do!), and then La Boheme on Friday evening. I want to squeeee about that, it's a favorite. I went through my "Oh how I wish I was a starving bohemian living in a slum in Paris" phase, before I realized that I like eating and I don't like slums. But I do still love that show, and I shall enjoy sitting in in my orchestra section seats listening to them sing about the bohemian lifestyle. :)
So, I had a semi-angry moment today. I have red hair, it happens. Not enough to, you know, smash anything, but enough for a wordy rant to form itself in my mind. Now, I love history. Obviously. For this much time and money and brain cells spent and yet to spend, I'd better love history. But I also LOVE theatre. I grew up performing, and honestly, if I didn't dislike slums so much, might have made an attempt at it. :) Despite the choice of joining the booming and lucrative field of history, my love of theatre has never lessened, and a lot of my free time is spent either seeing live productions, or watching them on PBS or BBC or wherever. I get very excited when I find good ones, and geek out about them to anyone who will listen. I *also* love, well, geeking. Star Trek, Marvel, DC, Dark Horse (comics, not Katy. Ro-o-o-o-o-ar! See previous post), Tim Burton (especially Jack and Sally), Harry Potter, you get the idea. I never grew out of it, and at age 36, I don't think there's much chance of me "growing up." Imagine my joy when I find something that combines those two loves. SOMEHOW, and I have no idea how, I missed that Joss Whedon directed a modern take on Much Ado About Nothing. I got the movie from Netflix, and I adored it.
Apparently, not everyone else did, from reading the reviews. Ew, why are they talking like that, why would they do it in modern times, that clearly wasn't Italy, they are American, blah blah...all made by people who clearly DIDN'T GET IT, yet felt that they should force their opinion on the masses. I will be the first to confess that, as a historian, I prefer seeing the plays in the clothing and settings they were written for, but it is NOT necessary. These plays are timeless, that is the joy of them. Every year, the local company here does a Shakespeare in the Park, like in most major cities. It's free, everyone can come enjoy a picnic, and a little talk and pre-show, and then the play. That's super. 99.9% of the people love it. There always has to be that .1% though, and they are ALWAYS the talkers. No inside voices. Last year, the play was As You Like It, and it was done in a late 60's hippy setting, where they go back to nature and COMMUNE. It was wonderfully well done, but there was that .1% that had to make commentary. Sigh....
Yes, I get unnecessarily defensive about the works of Shakespeare (and Marlowe, and Jonson). They don't need me to defend them, of course, they stand on their own. I was lucky enough to have, all my life, been around the plays, been in the plays, been in love with the plays, and it dismays me when people dismiss them without actually trying to understand them. They don't recognize the characters, or the writers, or the audience of the time as real people, with the same vagaries of the heart as any of us.
Part of it is presentation, of course. We might speak English, as the Renaissance playwrights did, but we don't speak the same language. The dilemma...do you present it in the correct language, so that no one understands it, or do you present it in modern English, so the language is understood, but the myriad puns and verbal spars don't come through? You still get an entertaining play, but you don't get the level of enjoyment they must have felt at the beauty of the words. And then, when kids are forced to read the plays, which are not written to be read, I can understand why it makes them think they won't want to go see them performed.
Another issue...our jaded youth. To a generation that grew up on social media and the XBox, a play is booooring. So booorrring. So "gay." They don't learn to recognize people they know, great and flawed, in the characters. They don't know how to suspend reality for 2 hours, how to use their imagination, how to NOT pay attention to the 21st century and just slip into another time. They don't care what is going to happen between Hero and Claudio, or if Prospero will let the sailors live, they don't get indignant that Kate is having her spirit debased for a man, or that Cordelia has been wrongfully disinherited. They don't have the attention span to sit in a theater (or even in the park) for 2 hours and try to catch the nuances of a talented actor's face and voice. When an actor UNDERSTANDS the dialogue, and knows what emotion to convey behind them, there is nothing to compare...but they don't understand that, and their parents can't seem to teach them, because they didn't learn themselves. They don't conceive of the fact that these writers WERE human, they had and knew emotions, and that they were not always just names on a Cliff Notes page.
And you know, it's not "cool."
And THAT is why I get so happy watching young actors, actors of MY generation, actors like Tom and like Ben, who have mass market fan girl appeal, but who KNOW Shakespeare and are trained in Shakespeare and can convey the intracacies of the writing. If that star power can draw those squeeing young fan girls in to see plays like Coriolanus, plays that are not among the most popular of Will's work, but that have enduring and lasting meaning, then that is a GOOD thing. Some kids grow up to appreciate this art on their own, but I have absolutely nothing against drawing others in through sex appeal. Whatever it takes. I am fairly certain, though, that I was the only one in the theatre who got verklempt at Tom Hiddleston's Coriolanus tearing up when he sends his family back to Rome before his death. I can't help it. He understood the emotion, and he conveyed the emotion brilliantly...AND grown men crying is my Kryptonite. Which would explain, again, why I have to blow my nose after Tom's Prince Hal tells Falstaff: "I do. I will." He doesn't just toss it out, unknowingly or pedantically. He knows that eventually it will fall upon him to send Falstaff away, and it will pain him greatly, but it will be unavoidable (and I once knew a very Falstaffian character, who left this world a couple of years ago, so that isn't helping my sinus-y cause any). It would explain why I cannot wait to see Benedict as Hamlet (oh how I wish I could see it live!), I have seen his brief readings of other pieces on You Tube, and I know he will be able to convey the complexity of that angry and grieved character brilliantly...and yes, girls will go to see it because it's Sherlock/Smaug/Khan (all wonderfully sexy by the way--yes, even the dragon. Sexy dragon), but they'll be exposed to a very heavy play dealing with murder, incest, mental illness, and suicide...you know, high culture.
Anyway, that was a long rant. Yes, I am clearly fully prepared for my professorial career. Now, can I keep this going into some paper writing? Maybe? Possibly? Le Pays des Yllinois is waiting for me to do it justice. I feel close to the 18th century residents after all these years, I feel like if I don't do something soon, they'll judge me and find me wanting. Again, though, I keep finding myself picking up my old books on the Cathars, and on the Lollards, and female artisans, and...and...
Oh, and the patterns for the WWI nurse came out perfectly. I will scan them this week at work and post them. And Polyester Abominations would make a great band name, by the way.
I got sucked into a video of cat vines, and someone on there pronounced compilation as com-pile-a-tion, which really got my panties in a twist. Almost as much as a dude that was speaking yesterday, who kept swallowing at inappropriate times in the middle of his sentences.
So, I accomplished nothing today, I was still in recovery mode. Thankfully the WWI boots do not seem to have caused too much foot pain. I think I was tired from seeing the sun so much. I don't drag my pasty skin out of my library lair enough, clearly. It is a short work week, but I have a lot to do, as well as a heritage preservation board meeting Wednesday (I'm the president this year. I've missed the last two. Do as I say, not as I do!), and then La Boheme on Friday evening. I want to squeeee about that, it's a favorite. I went through my "Oh how I wish I was a starving bohemian living in a slum in Paris" phase, before I realized that I like eating and I don't like slums. But I do still love that show, and I shall enjoy sitting in in my orchestra section seats listening to them sing about the bohemian lifestyle. :)
So, I had a semi-angry moment today. I have red hair, it happens. Not enough to, you know, smash anything, but enough for a wordy rant to form itself in my mind. Now, I love history. Obviously. For this much time and money and brain cells spent and yet to spend, I'd better love history. But I also LOVE theatre. I grew up performing, and honestly, if I didn't dislike slums so much, might have made an attempt at it. :) Despite the choice of joining the booming and lucrative field of history, my love of theatre has never lessened, and a lot of my free time is spent either seeing live productions, or watching them on PBS or BBC or wherever. I get very excited when I find good ones, and geek out about them to anyone who will listen. I *also* love, well, geeking. Star Trek, Marvel, DC, Dark Horse (comics, not Katy. Ro-o-o-o-o-ar! See previous post), Tim Burton (especially Jack and Sally), Harry Potter, you get the idea. I never grew out of it, and at age 36, I don't think there's much chance of me "growing up." Imagine my joy when I find something that combines those two loves. SOMEHOW, and I have no idea how, I missed that Joss Whedon directed a modern take on Much Ado About Nothing. I got the movie from Netflix, and I adored it.
Apparently, not everyone else did, from reading the reviews. Ew, why are they talking like that, why would they do it in modern times, that clearly wasn't Italy, they are American, blah blah...all made by people who clearly DIDN'T GET IT, yet felt that they should force their opinion on the masses. I will be the first to confess that, as a historian, I prefer seeing the plays in the clothing and settings they were written for, but it is NOT necessary. These plays are timeless, that is the joy of them. Every year, the local company here does a Shakespeare in the Park, like in most major cities. It's free, everyone can come enjoy a picnic, and a little talk and pre-show, and then the play. That's super. 99.9% of the people love it. There always has to be that .1% though, and they are ALWAYS the talkers. No inside voices. Last year, the play was As You Like It, and it was done in a late 60's hippy setting, where they go back to nature and COMMUNE. It was wonderfully well done, but there was that .1% that had to make commentary. Sigh....
Yes, I get unnecessarily defensive about the works of Shakespeare (and Marlowe, and Jonson). They don't need me to defend them, of course, they stand on their own. I was lucky enough to have, all my life, been around the plays, been in the plays, been in love with the plays, and it dismays me when people dismiss them without actually trying to understand them. They don't recognize the characters, or the writers, or the audience of the time as real people, with the same vagaries of the heart as any of us.
Part of it is presentation, of course. We might speak English, as the Renaissance playwrights did, but we don't speak the same language. The dilemma...do you present it in the correct language, so that no one understands it, or do you present it in modern English, so the language is understood, but the myriad puns and verbal spars don't come through? You still get an entertaining play, but you don't get the level of enjoyment they must have felt at the beauty of the words. And then, when kids are forced to read the plays, which are not written to be read, I can understand why it makes them think they won't want to go see them performed.
Another issue...our jaded youth. To a generation that grew up on social media and the XBox, a play is booooring. So booorrring. So "gay." They don't learn to recognize people they know, great and flawed, in the characters. They don't know how to suspend reality for 2 hours, how to use their imagination, how to NOT pay attention to the 21st century and just slip into another time. They don't care what is going to happen between Hero and Claudio, or if Prospero will let the sailors live, they don't get indignant that Kate is having her spirit debased for a man, or that Cordelia has been wrongfully disinherited. They don't have the attention span to sit in a theater (or even in the park) for 2 hours and try to catch the nuances of a talented actor's face and voice. When an actor UNDERSTANDS the dialogue, and knows what emotion to convey behind them, there is nothing to compare...but they don't understand that, and their parents can't seem to teach them, because they didn't learn themselves. They don't conceive of the fact that these writers WERE human, they had and knew emotions, and that they were not always just names on a Cliff Notes page.
And you know, it's not "cool."
And THAT is why I get so happy watching young actors, actors of MY generation, actors like Tom and like Ben, who have mass market fan girl appeal, but who KNOW Shakespeare and are trained in Shakespeare and can convey the intracacies of the writing. If that star power can draw those squeeing young fan girls in to see plays like Coriolanus, plays that are not among the most popular of Will's work, but that have enduring and lasting meaning, then that is a GOOD thing. Some kids grow up to appreciate this art on their own, but I have absolutely nothing against drawing others in through sex appeal. Whatever it takes. I am fairly certain, though, that I was the only one in the theatre who got verklempt at Tom Hiddleston's Coriolanus tearing up when he sends his family back to Rome before his death. I can't help it. He understood the emotion, and he conveyed the emotion brilliantly...AND grown men crying is my Kryptonite. Which would explain, again, why I have to blow my nose after Tom's Prince Hal tells Falstaff: "I do. I will." He doesn't just toss it out, unknowingly or pedantically. He knows that eventually it will fall upon him to send Falstaff away, and it will pain him greatly, but it will be unavoidable (and I once knew a very Falstaffian character, who left this world a couple of years ago, so that isn't helping my sinus-y cause any). It would explain why I cannot wait to see Benedict as Hamlet (oh how I wish I could see it live!), I have seen his brief readings of other pieces on You Tube, and I know he will be able to convey the complexity of that angry and grieved character brilliantly...and yes, girls will go to see it because it's Sherlock/Smaug/Khan (all wonderfully sexy by the way--yes, even the dragon. Sexy dragon), but they'll be exposed to a very heavy play dealing with murder, incest, mental illness, and suicide...you know, high culture.
Anyway, that was a long rant. Yes, I am clearly fully prepared for my professorial career. Now, can I keep this going into some paper writing? Maybe? Possibly? Le Pays des Yllinois is waiting for me to do it justice. I feel close to the 18th century residents after all these years, I feel like if I don't do something soon, they'll judge me and find me wanting. Again, though, I keep finding myself picking up my old books on the Cathars, and on the Lollards, and female artisans, and...and...
Oh, and the patterns for the WWI nurse came out perfectly. I will scan them this week at work and post them. And Polyester Abominations would make a great band name, by the way.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
And so goes the Geekend
Well, three of the four days off have flown by. I have to be sure to get something done tomorrow. Something. Anything. I have some journal articles to read, that seems pretty do-able....right?
My feet are killing me (seriously, people of the past must have had some freakish feet. I know it's not us...right?). It was a lovely weekend. I'm not into all the cosplaying stuff, but I do like people watching. Saw a girl wearing nothing but blue paint, and an old guy with a walker following her around taking pictures of her...uhh...parts.
I *did* finish all the clothing, though it meant only 2 hours of sleep between Friday and Saturday, but whatevs. I'm still young...ish. So Nurse Sybil Crawley went to tend to the masses at Planet Comicon. So much syphilis, so little time. I also finished a Warhammer 40K tech priest get up--we kept the techy trash light, to determine how heavy it was, but it still looked good. I wish I had a picture of the pack on the back.
No, I didn't pony up cash for signatures, as much as I love Star Trek TNG. My cash went to.....
SOCKS!! I didn't know Sock Dreams would be there, my favorite!
I am a sock hoarder. I admit it. I think it comes from all the over-the-knee stockings in 18th and 19th century reenacting. It carried over to the 21st century. I mean really...socks and garters, does it get any better?
And the Tiffany jewelry:
My feet are killing me (seriously, people of the past must have had some freakish feet. I know it's not us...right?). It was a lovely weekend. I'm not into all the cosplaying stuff, but I do like people watching. Saw a girl wearing nothing but blue paint, and an old guy with a walker following her around taking pictures of her...uhh...parts.
I *did* finish all the clothing, though it meant only 2 hours of sleep between Friday and Saturday, but whatevs. I'm still young...ish. So Nurse Sybil Crawley went to tend to the masses at Planet Comicon. So much syphilis, so little time. I also finished a Warhammer 40K tech priest get up--we kept the techy trash light, to determine how heavy it was, but it still looked good. I wish I had a picture of the pack on the back.
No, I didn't pony up cash for signatures, as much as I love Star Trek TNG. My cash went to.....
SOCKS!! I didn't know Sock Dreams would be there, my favorite!
I am a sock hoarder. I admit it. I think it comes from all the over-the-knee stockings in 18th and 19th century reenacting. It carried over to the 21st century. I mean really...socks and garters, does it get any better?
Besides being a fun event, it was nice to get to downtown Kansas City--as much as I love goats and chickens, I think I am secretly a city girl. I have never really cared for 20th century architecture and design styles...EXCEPT for Art Deco and Egyptian Revival. For some reason those just call to me. Kansas City was one of the leading Art Deco architecture cities during the 1920-1940 boom, and most of those buildings still stand. They're just gorgeous. The first picture is on the outside of the municipal auditorium, across from the con venue, and the remaining pictures are a neat room in the bottom of the complex, I just stumbled across it today.
And not just the architecture. The clothes, oh the clothes. So elegant and graceful....
And. The. SHOOOOOOES:
SIGH. See. THIS. This is why I have no patience for Uggs or jeggings or other stupidity...I know how lovely the female form is capable of looking, and those weird furry boots are NOT flattering. Abominations, actually.
I mean seriously, how swell would it be, to get dolled up in some of these beautiful glad rags and go cut a rug to some jazz at some juice joint with one (or both) of these sheiks??
Sigh....bees knees....dreamy. And YES, I realize Parade's End is a bit earlier, but it's the closest I could find!
Okay, I have to tell you...I had the most amazing fish and chips today. Ever. Ever ever. Yes, in America. No, not in a pub. What the what?
So, while I was out today, I got online to check the news, and I see that the subhuman who started Westboro Baptist is very ill. I won't say his name, and I don't feel bad for him or his family. I won't celebrate his passing, because that would stoop to his level, and because I know his kids are just as insane. I just know that I will be relieved, on behalf of my gay friends, that there is one less hater in the world. That group is up at the campus where I work, far too often, protesting at events like orchestra concerts. Uhh...really? Symphony movements, promoting the gay agenda since the rococo period!
Friday, March 14, 2014
FOUR DAYS OFF...
YEEEESSSSS. Four days off. Unfortunately, one of them is sucked away by sewing, and two by the convention, but maybe I can sneak out early on Sunday.
Today, I am Heather of Kansas City, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.
Actually, I am burdened with finishing up three outfits for the weekend. One for me and two for friends. Can I do it? Sure. WILL I do it? That remains to be seen. I suppose I should, but I will be finishing my coffee first.
Today I dropped off my enrollment form for the fun summer archaeology program for educators that is held every June. It is hot, and buggy, and sweaty...and entirely worth every chigger. I mean who'd have thunk that sitting in a hole in the ground all day would be so fun?
This year we are digging at the Atkins-Johnson Farm, which was built in 1831 and as a result was a witness to the Civil War battles here on the Western front. There should be some great finds. A dig done by a friend over last summer at another Victorian home in KC turned up some marbles, old glass bottles, and bullets.
Be that as it may...I really can't wait for the day I can dig in England and perhaps go back further than 2-3 centuries. Those centuries are of course extremely important, and I am immersed in them daily, but I do miss my medieval undergrad days sometimes. I have been pondering a way to tie the two distinct eras together for a dissertation. Maybe that is why my mental block has been so persistent, all my synapses are being used for that. If I can do it, and somehow incorporate sex into the mix, I just know it will lead to documentary stardom! ;) It will also lead to FINISHING my postgrad and being done with paying tuition, so, you know, YAY.
Alright, the needle and thread call, and I answer, albeit reluctantly.
Let's have stern Henry again today, to keep me in line.
Today, I am Heather of Kansas City, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.
Actually, I am burdened with finishing up three outfits for the weekend. One for me and two for friends. Can I do it? Sure. WILL I do it? That remains to be seen. I suppose I should, but I will be finishing my coffee first.
Today I dropped off my enrollment form for the fun summer archaeology program for educators that is held every June. It is hot, and buggy, and sweaty...and entirely worth every chigger. I mean who'd have thunk that sitting in a hole in the ground all day would be so fun?
(One of many holes in the ground I have sat in all day)
Or that chunks of ash from a 19th century fire could be so interesting?
(My boot, my trowel, my hand, chunks of ash, not poop)
This year we are digging at the Atkins-Johnson Farm, which was built in 1831 and as a result was a witness to the Civil War battles here on the Western front. There should be some great finds. A dig done by a friend over last summer at another Victorian home in KC turned up some marbles, old glass bottles, and bullets.
Be that as it may...I really can't wait for the day I can dig in England and perhaps go back further than 2-3 centuries. Those centuries are of course extremely important, and I am immersed in them daily, but I do miss my medieval undergrad days sometimes. I have been pondering a way to tie the two distinct eras together for a dissertation. Maybe that is why my mental block has been so persistent, all my synapses are being used for that. If I can do it, and somehow incorporate sex into the mix, I just know it will lead to documentary stardom! ;) It will also lead to FINISHING my postgrad and being done with paying tuition, so, you know, YAY.
Alright, the needle and thread call, and I answer, albeit reluctantly.
Let's have stern Henry again today, to keep me in line.
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