... was another fandom that had just a baker's dozen episodes. I have not yet recovered from Firefly.



Cadfael, you are breaking my heart!

( I've put the video embed behind the cut since I suspect it was slowing the page down. But please go ahead and click! )
(A small snippet of the first episode, uploaded by some kind soul, enjoyable despite the Dutch subtitles. The first 1 minute and 10 seconds or so is a nice exchange between Brother Cadfael and lawman Hugh Beringar that sets the tone. Derek Jacobi is phenomenal - as always - as Cadfael, the 12th century Benedictine monk whose sharp mind and kind heart often show him the way to Truth, and not only the Spiritual kind. When in repose, this youtube video depicts a not-so-inspiring still image of King Stephen, so you must go ahead and click it in order to see the real stars.)

And Hugh Beringar! Bring forth the swooning couch! Hugh, aka Sean Pertwee, is the son of a Time Lord and - ooh! fresh torment! - he wanted to be one too, but wasn't chosen for this new iteration of Doctor Who.



I saw a single episode of Cadfael in the late 1990s. I knew with the swiftness and sureness of a loosed arrow that I loved it, but with my medical resident's schedule, and his irregular appearance on PBS, I never got to see another episode. I did manage to read several of the very fine books by Ellis Peters/Edith Pargeter*.

The VHS, and then DVDs, remained on my Christmas list for about a decade until my Mom provided me with the first 4 episodes this year. YAY! MORE!

*This reminds me of that Other Genre that I have only dabbled in before: Mystery. It never really grabbed me the way Science Fiction and Fantasy did, other than the Cadfael books, I'd only a read a handful. This past while I've been reading some Pulps (Tarzan, Doc Savage), which led me to Hard Boiled (Hammett, Chandler), which led me to Dorothy Sayers. She = AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! I've just finished my first novel by her, and I know with the swiftness and sureness of a loosed arrow that I love her stuff... :-)

Interrupting the update on my winter activities with an icon contest question for you...

Holly Black, a very fine YA author whose LJ I follow, has some advance copies of an anthology that she's co-edited. The anthology sounds spiffy - it's called Geektastic. She's planning to give away a couple of those advance copies to readers of her blog who enter an icon that fits the theme of Geekiness, or for one of the authors involved.

Her entry on the contest is here:
http://blackholly.livejournal.com/116915.html

I cannot resist. So here's some potential entries I made last night. Please vote for most winningest, and I'll use your opinions to decide on which to enter:

For these two I went with a sort of "original geek" theme, Geek version 1.0 if you will. The first is from the silent SF film, Metropolis. The second is a fun picture of the silent great Harold Lloyd:

Icon #1


Icon #2


These next two come from covers of "Weird Tales", a SF/horror pulp. These particular two both come from the early-mid 1930s:

Icon #3


Icon #4


Bonus icon I made from another pulp cover, it's not my favorite, but maybe some of you might like to see/steal it (all of my icons here are ok for you to take if you like - but credit me on your profile userpics page please.)

One day I will write a post on the true nature of spoilers - not just having a plot point or ending revealed prematurely, but on how poison can leach out and wreck a story for you. I have a couple great examples, and I didn't need to find another one. But, oh, just in time for Christmas, CTV plans to air another Kevin Sullivan "Anne of Green Gables" film on December 14.

One look at the blurb on the plot of "Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning" and stakes are driven into my Anne-loving soul. Watching the trailer is weird torture. This is a prequel/sequel where an older Anne (ca 1945) goes back to dwell on her pre-Green Gables past, and it has NOTHING to do with the Anne I know, and quite a bit seems WRONG from the Anne I know. How he legally gets to continue using the "Anne" title, I don't know.

I'm not going to tell you anything about the plot because I don't want to be the direct source of this spoilage. I want to give you Anne-lovers a heads-up in case you see it on TV. If you want to not be drawn into a painfully awful alternate Anne universe, then you are forearmed: change the channel.

If you want to watch and make your own judgment, I provide the service of letting you know it's coming out. There's a novelisation too (that's actually how I discovered the project's existence at the bookstore the other day.)

Now, I was not Tolkien-purist. I love the Narnia movies. I believe in alternate interpretations and the realities of alternate media. I loved both of Kevin Sullivan's first Anne films and probably would have liked "Road to Avonlea" if I'd had a chance to watch more. I am generally an easy-going and forgiving fan.

Those of you who have seen "Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story" aka "Anne 3" (and who have read the books) will know that this marked the departure from using any L.M. Montgomery-derived plot, and, I think, showed questionable understanding of the characters. Anne does things in the film I don't think the book Anne would ever do. I call this the "fever dream" of Anne films. I actually sort of like it on its own, but it's not Anne. And it bugs me that Sullivan turned his back on the highly significant novel that LMM actually wrote about WWI.

If just the blurb for this upcoming movie could turn me - a huge Anne fan - so thoroughly off, I can't imagine how wrong this show is going to be. Now that I'm aware and angry, I'll have to watch, on the off-chance of a Christmas miracle, but mostly so that my indignation can be righteous.

Link (includes the trailer):
http://www.anneofgreengables.com/anneClassicmovies/anne4/index.php

I think I'm going to spare you any further links that have more plot information. There are others out there, if you're curious.

I went to the bookstore the other day. I went to TOWN in the bookstore the other day - there are some wonderful books out there right now, and I much prefer going to a bookstore to a mall. I had to get help carrying them all to the car - and not a single one for me, which showed unusual restraint.

I got very nostalgic and sentimental about my picture books, and when I saw that the bookstore had "adopted" an elementary school and had a selection of books that people could buy and donate, I had a hard time not crying in front all the shoppers. So, there's a copy of "Where the Wild Things Are" that I sent, with my blessing, out to the young and impressionable.

That got me thinking of an entry that will hopefully achieve two things: 1) share with you some of my old favorite books with pictures and 2) provide some inspiration for the new ones out there too. I think I've done this before, but it's been awhile, and there's definitely some new books.





I make no age recommendations. Most of these can be enjoyed by anyone. Some of them might be too mature for the very young. ( Continued behind the cut, because there are more pictures! )

A quick note to say I was away most of the past week and I know I've missed many things in LJ world, some big, some small, but I'm keen and interested in you, my f-list, and I will try to reconnect over the next couple days. If I've missed a question or comment that I should answer soon, I would love a nudge in the right direction.

I just spent several days on the West Coast with relatives and in-laws. A mixture of very fun and not-so-much, but generally the former.

I must buckle down and do some serious sewing for D*C. Thank goodness we have air-conditioning in this house, since it's HOT out there. This is the only two weeks of genuine summer and hot nights that it seems we get in this part of the world.

I have discovered Raymond Chandler. I decided I should walk the walk of Pulp fiction rather than just dress the part :-). I started reading "The Big Sleep" a couple days ago while on vacation and I am in love - head over heels in love with this man's writing.

I almost exclusively read SF/F/alt-history genre fiction (and have been faithful to my genre for over 20 years) but I'm finding this style suits me well too. It's historical and atmospheric enough to be different from contemporary boring fiction, and that's right up my alley. And mentally casting James Cagney as the private investigator helps too ;-)

My life is not without its challenges and there's some stuff that is definitely Not Awesome about it, but I am moved to report on some of the more awesome aspects of my current life; even the small, mundane and pop-culture imbibing parts of it.

Recent Dinner I made last night and I'm proud of it:
Roast lamb, embedded with lavender and thyme (both from my garden), rosemary and garlic; drizzled with honey to glaze.
Roasted red bell pepper.
Steamed snap peas (I love those bags of snack snap peas!).
Watermelon, chevre, fresh basil and lime salad.
It was awesome!

Recent Movies watched at actual Theatres:
Get Smart (I loved this more than was good for me! Having had a mouse run up my clothes once, the rat scene nearly killed me. Awesomely funny!)
The Dark Knight (crazy awesome.)
Wall-E (beautifully awesome.)
Prince Caspian (melancholy-tinged awesome.)

Recent Movies watched at Home:
Golddiggers of 1935 (my kind of awesome! Busby Berkeley style! Even if it's a skeleton cast compared to the earlier Busbys.)
The Public Enemy (top 10 most awesome movies of all time, standing up awesomely well to repeated viewings.)

Recent Cocktails Invented:
The "Miss Lavendar" :
1 oz Rum
Muddled lavender from the garden
1/2 lime juiced
Shot of Grenadine
Club soda
Ice
It was gently awesome!

Recent Books Read:
"Un Lun Dun" by China Mieville - China Mieville is an awesome author, and this Young Adult book is fun, mildly twisted, mildly political, and sharply awesome.

"The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril" by Paul Malmont. I was perfectly in the mood for an off-beat novel with Pulp Fiction authors of 1937 as the protagonists. Awesomely suited to my needs, and a shoutout to the awesome defender75 for bringing it to my attention.

"The Arrival" by Shaun Tan - most awesome book of the year thus far! Seriously: beautiful, moving, intelligent, warm and universal. There have been few books I admire as much as this one. It was a wonderful and unexpected discovery after picking it up on a whim last week. It is a picture book for adults and bright, sensitive mature kids. Don't read too much about the book beforehand, just flip through the pages, get intrigued and start "reading" this wordless masterpiece. Let it take you on its journey, don't let the editorials or reviews tell you what it's about, discover it for yourself.

Awesome Bonus: there are at least 2 Anne of Green Gables references in this post. Can you find them?

Back after a long hiatus, I'd love to share with you some highlights of the 1933 Delineator magazine. I have so much from the June edition that I'm going to split it up.

The cover is hysterical. I'm sure the bride is supposed to be looking off into her future, but instead I think she's rolling her eyes or something. Don't worry, the contents are more exciting than she seems to indicate.



( Bette Davis fashions, William Lyon Phelps sees the future of literature and we drink Pet Milk! All behind the cut! )

I keep forgetting to post about this! But I think it's only fair to mention, even if I'm late about it, that my School Board Trustee, Lois Burke-Gaffney, seems like a good egg.

To recap, the Calgary Catholic School Board (which is a public school board, not private) suddenly pulled The Golden Compass from library shelves in December to "review" it.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=146646

I got very very angry. My family and I have a long history with the schools here, and though I've certainly disagreed with the Board before, I didn't think they could be that reactionary. I wrote my Trustee, and called and left voicemail too.

Early in January I got a form letter thanking me for my concern and explaining that they hadn't "banned" the book but had withdrawn it to "review" it. That miffed me, since I was quite aware of the "review" spin when I wrote my letter and had specifically addressed it. On the other hand, I was pleased to see that the public response was big enough that they'd had to draft a form letter.

Later in January I got a personal phone call from my trustee, Burke-Gaffney. Right away she apologised for not responding to me earlier and that she agreed with me - withdrawing the book was a mistake - "silly" in fact - and not just because it got negative publicity. The book went back on the shelves (I think she mentioned this happened with a change in some senior board roles) and they're developing a study guide.

I mentioned I was pleasantly surprised by her phone call since I thought the stiff form letter was going to be all the response I got. She dismissed the letter as coming from "Downtown".

We ended the conversation with mutual admiration.

But really, the most important response out of the events was that the book is back, and I think they regret ever flirting with censorship of this kind.

This is my turf. My votes and my taxes go to the Calgary Catholic School Board. My sister teaches there. Almost every Catholic school in Calgary has some of my Dad's artwork. I graduated from it. And NO WAY will I just stand aside while they pull 'The Golden Compass' from our library shelves.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=146646

Technically it hasn't been banned yet - they've pulled it while it's under review. Nevertheless, I find the move disgraceful and I will be using this opportunity to contact the Board and my Trustee. If you'd like to let them know how you feel about it, the contact information is here:

http://www.cssd.ab.ca/default.asp?V_ITEM_ID=189

I give in... I think it was artnouveauho that finally pushed me over the edge. The Book meme:

"These are the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing's users. Bold what you have read, italicize those you started but couldn't finish, and strike through what you couldn't stand. Add an asterisk to those you've read more than once. Underline those on your to-read list." ( The Benefits of Liberal Education. )

... to two Most Excellent Hobbits: brave, merry souls, both of them.

With deep gratitude to their Author, please raise your glass with me sometime today and wish Frodo and Bilbo a Very Happy Birthday.

Long may they live on in our Hearts!

We were joking that the cover of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows should have a big:

*** SPOILER WARNING!!!1! ***
DO NOT TURN PAGE DETAILS OF HP:TDH FOLLOW!!!
You WILL find out what happens if you read any further!!!!

( But here in my journal, I place SPOILERS behind an lj-cut. )

Having finished the "James Cagney Signature Collection", I've taken some time to do some maintenance on the great Quest to watch all of his film appearances.

I am reminded of tubewhore's great Quest to document every Tube Station in London - using her Tippex on the map of the Underground to mark them off as accomplished.

I have printed out the IMDB list and put little checks beside each one I've seen and own - that's now a total of 24 films since this started in January, by the way. Depending on how you count, there's about 65 movies altogether, so 41 left.

For the reminder of the films, I have carefully listed the sources that they can be found at. There are still several - mostly films from the 1950s - that are regular Amazon DVDs, like 'Man of a Thousand Faces' and 'Mister Roberts'. Quite a few are found only on VHS through Amazon affiliated sellers - like 'Blonde Crazy' and 'Lady Killer', two films that I really really really want to see soon. And then there's a load of them that one needs to search out specialized sellers on the interwebs for - these are mostly hot Cagney in the 1930s *le sigh*. I have happily discovered that the entire canon does at least exist out there, somewhere.

Today I updated the Amazon wishlist and made my first specialized order from The Mave. w00t!

This is the first time I've ever done this - I have gone all obsessive/possessive over authors before (I have a smashing Guy Gavriel Kay first edition collection - dare I say, complete to his latest release? Including a few Preview Copies and many autographed copies. Charles de Lint is fun to collect but almost impossible to be complete about, he's so prolific with the short stories and small presses...) so I know the drill when looking for rare books, but rare films are a new one for me. It's kinda fun.... ok, it's a helluva lot of fun!

When I get to #65, I'll throw a James Cagney party and watch a couple of his classics, finishing off with the grand finale - my last unwatched film.

I'll be returning to costuming posts soon! Just had to get some Cagney off my chest. I'll sign off with a picture (go to simplyclassics.net if you're ever looking for classic stars, they have beautiful photos!):


I wonder what he's playing?

So awesome!! The best thing that's happened to me in the last 4 days. And Yay! for the The Golden Compass. As I yanked this from padawansguide, I commented that I carried this book around in my white coat pocket during the worst part of my medical residency (Internal Medicine junior resident rotations) as a Talisman and Sign. That even though I might not have time to read, I can and will again. And that there are parts of me I will never let be destroyed. So here's my Daemon, Pyrrheus. I have to admit I'm a bit disturbed by having a Mrs Coulter-ish daemon in the form of a Gibbon, but perhaps you will agree or disagree with it - take my little questionnaire and let me know. Apparently I have 12 days before my Daemon settles into its final form:



...oooh. Pyrrheus is morphing. This is an intriguing little meme.

After months of hemming and hawing, and not knowing when the local SF con would be, etc etc...

I've decided I'm going to go to the Harry Potter convention - Prophecy! - the long weekend in August in Toronto:
http://hp2007.org

I'm just about to complete my registration and now I'm wondering whether I should include the opening and closing Feasts. What do the other cool kids do? Feast or no Feast?

And for the record, who else is going to Prophecy this summer? I know some of you are, and I am just so excited to get a chance to see you all there!

I will be flying solo out there (well, without Dr Smith anyway - I think there may be some local members of the HP Meet-up group that are going, and I should connect up with them).

Lockhart rides again! I really want to wear him for the Duelling Club contest!!

I also had a brainwave for hall costumes: Jocunda Sykes (b 1915) first person to cross the Atlantic on broomstick. ( More behind the cut. )

By some accounts, it's been a frustrating day. By other accounts, the frustrations were minor compared to the fruits of today's adventures. And there's been some cosmic alignments that make me feel all warm, fuzzy, connected and justified that no matter the strangeness of the pursuit, all roads lead to home. ( Time Travelling, Mechanical Men, Holly Black, Gangsters and Jedi Chefs behind the cut. It's more interesting than it sounds! )

Why isn't there a category at Amazon under Cookery for "literary" or "sci-fi" or "fantasy" or "TV/Movie" or just plain "geeky" cookbooks? I am a total sucker for cookbooks based on whatever fandom obsession I'm currently suffering from. In addition to my 'retro' collection of recipes (and cocktails... sigh... just put a retro font on a cocktail book and I reach for my Visa), my cookbooks stand as a testament to my book, movie, TV and costuming tastes.

My searches on the website were thoroughly throwing Amazon's 'smart suggestions' off. Surely, I am not the first to have shopped for the Star Wars Cookbook, Prehistoric Cooking and Nanny Ogg's Cookbook on the same visit to Amazon?

( Come take a tour of my fannish kitchen. )

Can I have it? Pullleaase?

http://www.chagford.co.uk/fowchag30.html

The artists who did the murals include Brian Froud, Alan Lee and Charles Vess.

I think I'll go sulk now.

Originally found this link through the Endicott Studio blog:
http://endicottstudio.typepad.com/endicott_redux/2006/10/housebroken_gob.html


___

Gosh durnnit, I got picked from the hat to choose the 2nd book for our FanForce book club.

How do you follow "Fahrenheit 451"?! It was a perfect choice - classic, Big Theme, good action, straightforward writing and it's short too. We had a great discussion about it tonight!

I have no idea what to pick next...

Ok, well, I have a couple ideas. Maybe too many ideas, but there's something wrong with each one:

( Yep. Too many ideas. )If you're in book club - you can comment, but don't specifically mention any of my suggestions :-)

I know, I know. The first rule of Book Club is... But I'm not talking. I'm writing. :P

---

Just had to trust imagination
My heart going boom-boom-boom
Son, he said, grab your things
I've come to take you home.

While Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill was meant by him to refer to spiritual conversion, when I first heard those lyrics, floating out of the background music, they went straight to my brainstem and spinal cord, eliciting a reflex yearning that's as old as I can remember. Standing in front of the closet at midnight, convinced if I opened the door, just so, I could get through to the other side. Narnia would be there. Or Middle-earth, or the planet of the Mushroom People, or a galaxy far far away. Animals would talk. I would pick up and use a sword as though born to it. I wouldn't need glasses.

But one of the real draws of those Other places were the characters who inhabited them.( Read more... )