(no subject)

[fajrdrako]

I started the day lazily and happily watching music vids and John Barrowman clips on YouTube - the best bit was seeing Barrowman do a parody of Tom Cruise bouncing on a sofa. Or maybe the best was those nice slashy fannish music vids. My favourite was In The Still of the Night (sung by Barrowman himself, of course) by dawneh, and I also particularly liked several by beautybecks.

By chance, I ended the day with a music vid too - All I Want for Christmas by crusader388. A nice way to begin and end a day, which was mostly birthday celebrations. Spent the morning making pies, then went out for lunch at the Arrow & Loon with and Catherine, then went to Pat and Sandi's to mutually celebrate my birthday, and Beulah's (four days ago) and Pat's (next week) and Harry's (in two weeks). We helped set up Sandi's birthday present to Pat - a new DVD recorder - and then we watched an episode of MacGyver, called Good Knight MacGyver. It's set in Camelot in the 7th century. (Well, who am I to question it?) When it was over, Sandi asked me if there was any real history in it. I laughed.

A very nice day.

Comments

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday! Tried to phone, but left greetings on answering machine!
Love and hugs!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I'm sorry I missed your call, gallivanting about the way I was... Much appreciated! Love & hugs back!

[gem225.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday, my friend! :-D

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Have you opened the box yet? ;-D

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes! Thank you so much! I am thrilled with the birthday goodies - the sonic screwdriver is perfect. Currently my prize possession! I framed the picture of Conrad and put it on my living room wall. (Hoping friends will ask me who it is.) I have been listening to the trouvere music while reading my email. It sounds more Italian than I expected. When I see it written, I don't understand it much. When I hear it, I can kind of follow the gist - at least part of the time.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thank you - it has been lovely.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Sonic screwdrivers are useful things...!

The portrait is a lovely piece of eye-candy, although the artist clearly assumed Italian=brunet, rather than checking out descriptions. However, at least he has made him look suitably handsome in a mature and intelligent way. I think anyone of taste would wish to rescue and care for the poor, brave darling...

Glad you are enjoying the music!
It's trobador music (trouvère is Northern French equivalent). The language is still spoken - as Catalan and Occitan/Provençal. It's somewhere between Italian, Spanish and French, as one might expect from its location!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Oops, sorry, confused trobador and touvere. (Not for the first time.)

The portrait at least has a certain dignity, and I do like it. Is the beard - I was going to say 'canonical' - is the beard historical? I ask because I was amused by the memory of Baldwin I and his beard and his father in law.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Sadly, we don't have a detailed description: Choniates tells us that he was beautiful, with a good body, but... that's it. When he lived in Constantinople, one would expect he grew a beard. They weren't common among young Frankish men in this time-period, though. However, since he was middle-aged and aspiring to authority, he may well have worn one even when outside the Empire, though probably more of the neatly-trimmed variety. (Hence I use this icon as a 'played by' for him!)

His cousin Fritz (who had yellow curls and notably ginger facial hair) is one of the few Westerners whom I recall having a beard as a young man in his 20s, as per that very wide-eyed metal bust.

I can't remember the Baldwin I anecdote, though I recall Anna Komnene being intrigued by the Frankish 'barbarians' with their clean-shaven faces and fair hair!