Genetically Libra....

The other day I was talking to a friend who said she was a third-generation Libra; both her mother and her grandmother were Libra.

It struck me that I am the same: My birthday Sept. 14, my mother's Oct. 9, her mother's Sept. 28. I have no idea when my grandmother's mother's birthday was. I wonder if I could find out?

Carnivale...

I watched the fourth episode of Carnivale last night. Each episode seems to reveal less about what's going on than the one before it. In some ways I like this; in other ways I become impatient. I have to take it on faith that it isn't all meaningless, and I find that difficult.

Favourite bits:

• Lodz is my favourite character, I think. I love the way he's always calm and cryptic.
  
  
  
  
  


I like the way he seems to know way more than he should about what is going on, but he won't say. I also like the way he's always drinking.


• Samson is my second favourite character: always ascerbic and bright and certain. I like his temper.
  
  
  
  



• Brother Justin Crowe continues to make me think of Dorothy Dunnett's Gabriel, and so much for any objectivity about the character. I find him and his sister creepy. In an interesting way. I keep expecting his sister to be even more off or evil or powerful than he is, but if I'm right on that, she's keeping it hidden. Did she cause the fire at the mission?



• I wish I had some brilliant insight so I could say "this is what it's all about". I feel that way about other shows - Smallville, for instance, thinking I understand it all the way. I like it that Carnivale keeps me guessing as to its content and meaning, but on the other hand, I'm frustrated by my lack of insight and inspiration. I had theories - especially about, for instance, why Ben Hawkins had a chain on his leg when we first met him, and what was going on with his mother. Now.... well, maybe I'll come up with more theories.



• I find Apollonia interesting - amazing how expressive a catatonic person can be without flickering and eyelash! (Tho' we did see her blink this time.) I love her one-way dialogues with Sophie. I also liked Sophie's seduction of the guy in town, but why didn't she seem to be enjoying it?

Yes, I'll watch next week. Probably.

The end of "The Fall of the Kings"...

Good fantasy is difficult to find, and I was delighted to read The Fall of the Kings by Ellen Kushner and Diane Sherman. It's the same universe as Swordspoint and if I have any complaint, it's that I'd like to have seen more of the swordsmen in this one. As it is: fascinating characters, a good build-up of plot, a strong climax and the potential for sequels. Cool.

I particularly liked the women in it. Ysaud the artist, Lady Jessica, Theron's mother Lady Sophie, his cousin the Duchess, the two young girls who let Theron out of his room, his gentle fiancee, even Justin's lively girlfriend. Since I often find women in fiction (and television) inadequate, this is a great thing.

More significant, I loved it that the whole story was - for want of a better word - so slashy. Imbued with slash. And no pulling punches on the homoeroticism, either. Obviously the affair between Basil and Theron was central, and I loved it: But it just got better. As, for instance, when Jessica seduced Ysaud. And I liked it even more that Theron found Genevieve sexy too. And that no one in the plot found same-gender affairs unusual.

The plot centres on a love affair between a wild and beautiful young nobleman and a history professor. Yes, I can really get into that! The university setting - even if in a different fantasy setting - was so familiar I could taste it. Beautifully evoked. And of course, I loved it that the pivotal character was a historian, whose study of history is what shapes the plot.

A bonus: the authors explicitly cite Dorothy Dunnett as inspiration for a generation of writers. Of course! It shows, too, in the pace of the action and the strength of the women and the way the characters are so vivid and convincing. Even villains - I found Nicholas Graling fascinating and Arlen intriguing. (No, that isn't a spoiler.)

There are a couple of short stories set in this universe. I must find them.

Grumbling...

I was so zonked by allergies and exhaustion last night I was useless. Couldn't write, couldn't think, couldn't even do e-mail. I over messages to many - a growing list of neglected friends - apologies to everyone. I still love you all, okay?

There was an Esperanto meeting last night. I wanted to go, but couldn't get up the energy. Aside from that, one friend had invited me out to supper and another had invited me to a movie; I cancelled both and ignored the world. I ope they understand. I hope the world understands. Passive activity, that's they key. It was about all I coudl manage. The only constructive thing I did - "constructive" being a relative term - was to install my new Scrabble game on my computer. It has an added bonus in the box: Boggle. I am happy - my two favourite games.

So I played several games of Scrabble with the computer, making sure to set the computer level so that I'd win them all. I wasn't up to a challenge.

If any Scrabble-lovers out there want to play electronically, get in touch. I can do it now.

Catwoman...

After finishing "The Fall of the Kings" I picked up Catwoman: the Dark End of the Street by Ed Brubaker and various artists.

I love it. Sometimes Gotham City material just brings out the best in creative teams. Wow.

Bruce Wayne (and/or Batman) has not been in it much so far, but his moments are delicious. There's a scene where the private eye is trying to get information about Selina Kyle from him and he gets short shrift - the contemptuous dismissal he deserves. And he thought Wayne was supposed to be charming and smooth.

One thing I love is the use of nine-panel pages. I always love that: it tends to make for a substantial story. Always. For some reason, it's the good writers you like to use that technique.

Selina is charming and smooth.

A good bit of dialogue, when Batman and Selina meet:

Selina: How long have you been following me?

Batman: I was following Bradley. I didn't expect to see you.

Selina: So. What do you want?

Batman: To help.

I'm happy in comic-land just now. I hear the Catwoman stuff just gets better. Maybe I can go out and buy more on the weekend.

It's Friday again...

From The Friday Five:


1. Do you watch sports? If so, which ones?

Rarely. So rarely it hardly counts. But I have in my lifetime watched horseracing, figure skating, and soccer (football), all of which I like.


2. What/who are your favorite sports teams and/or favorite athletes?

In European football, I like Liverpool for Bodie's sake. Favourite athletes? Difficult question. I like David Beckham's looks and style, does that count?


3. Are there any sports you hate?

I don't hate any unless I'm forced to watch them. My tolerance for sports is low.


4. Have you ever been to a sports event?

Yes. Horseracing with my husband, once, back when I was married. I went to a baseball game with walkingowl once.


5. Do/did you play any sports (in school or other)? How long did you play?

Good heavens no. (Shudder.) Unless you count really, really informal softball. Sometimes.

Shopping spree....

What an evening.

First, I went to the Silver Snail and bought all the recent Catwoman material in sight: Selina's Big Score, the current issue of Catwoman and the meagre handful of back issues that were all they had.

I went also to the pet store at Cooper and Bank to get millet for the little feathered guys for Thanksgiving. We're having turkey, it's only fair that they should get millet. But no luck: the store closed at six. I was there about ten after.

I went home. About 7.30 I called Marcelle and we went on a shopping spree. We went to Costco (where we love the hot dogs) ostensibly for supper, but we picked up a pile of stuff for the thanksgiving dinner we're planning with Sarah and Joy for Sunday. We browsed the books and DVDs (as always) and ate hot dogs for supper - incredibly delicious - and then dashed over to the nearby PetSmart store before they closed, where I bought many tons of millet and birdseed. I'm not going to let my little guys go hungry over Thanksgiving. Or the guest budgies either - maboroshimaki has gone to Montreal for the weekend so I'm budgie-sitting her birds as well.

After that, we went to Loblaw's and got another batch of food for Thanksgiving dinner. There's more to get, but some of the job is done.

I was thinking of phoning my father and just as I was thinking that, the phone rang, and it was him. He hasn't phoned in weeks. (Nor I him.) He was feeling cheery: he said he heard one of the songs from My Fair Lady on the radio and that made him think of me. I liked that. He couldn't remember who played Eliza Doolittle in the movie. I told him it was Audrey Hepburn. He said, "I thought it was Julie Andrews singing." I explained about the Broadway version, and Marnie Dixon. He asked what the Shaw play was that it was based on and I explained about Pygmalion.

He said that the weather in Vancouver was nice and I said it was nice in Ottawa too. Usually if one of us is having good weather, the other isn't.

It was the longest conversation we've had since.... Since.... Probably since I last visited him, almost a year ago. Wow. I wish that happened more often. I felt quite daughterly. He isn't a man inclined to easy communication.

Then I played computer Scrabble. Just one game. I play under the name of Aragorn and I play to win.

Fandom Five...

I got this one from dargie and she got it from minisinoo:

1) Do you have any rare fandoms/pairings? If so, what are they?

I guess Horatio Hornblower is rare enough, especially since I go for Horatio/Pellew with the occasional dollop of Horatio/Edrington rather than the more popular pairing of Horatio/Archie.

Queen of Swords was rare: Helm/Montoya, of course.

Some of my X-Men pairing choices are slightly unusual, like Gambit/Magneto, Gambit/Sam Guthrie.

Otherwise... no.

2) What is your favorite fandom to pimp? Why?

I don't pimp. Not really. Not deliberately. Sometimes my enthusiasm boils over and people get caught up in it with me. If I did pimp.... when I do.... It's Dunnett, or maybe X-Men.

3) Do you remember to send feedback to authors of stories you recommend? Why or why not?

Yes, because it's courteous and I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end, or not, as the case may be. When I don't, it's because of various factors - I'm not near a computer when I read the story and I don't get around to it (and consequently feel guilty), or I can't find the author's address, or I can't remember the name and title afterwards. I always mean to send feedback and when it's a really good story I try to make a point of it.


4) What attracts you to a character? Looks? Voice? Snarkiness? What?

All of that, though "looks" is probably a lesser matter. Yes, I like dark-haired, lean, long-nosed men. It'd be great if everyone looked like Peter Wingfield, who in my opinion has the perfect looks. But looks are secondary: if I love the character I'll love their looks, and I love them for many other reasons. I look for intelligence, wit, snarkiness, good voice, good movement, good interplay with the slash partner (and others).

The most important thing is an element of chemistry that I can't analyze or explain. There are heroes I ought to adore, but don't. There are characters who don't on the surface fit my criteria, but I adore them. So you have it.

If a character reminds me of Lymond in any way, I'm done for.


5) How do you get a new fandom? Someone pimps you in? You watch the show? You're desperate for fic? What?

Happenstance. The chemistry works. I can't usually predict it. I was resistant to X-Files in a big way for more than two years, then fell like an undermined tower. Friends kept telling me how Smallville "wasn't really very good" and "the guys are too young" and "I don't think they're your type" but I had a hunch they were wrong - and so avoided the show for a while, because really, I didn't need another fandom - and then saw it, and knew instantly that I was doomed to adoration.

There's often a spell (a day, a week, a month) where I think "I really like this show but I could never write fanfic about it". Then suddenly I'm writing fic. But of course some shows are more conducive to fic than others.

That's a big divide for me - the shows I'm really in love with, I write fic for. There are many other shows I like but don't or can't write about, or simply don't want to.