Mischievous Muse

The One Turtle

2011-12-08T12:06:00.008-05:00

There was a story about baby turtles' race to the sea, after hatching, while the sky was black with seagulls. A man began to fling the turtles into the sea, one by one, while thousands perished. His friend told him he couldn't make a difference, to which he replied: "It makes a difference to that one turtle that makes it." Similarly, no single person can wipe out poverty or all the world's ills, and people often tell me not to try. I always tell them, "It's about that one turtle."

A few days ago, I encountered the website/charity "Wish Upon a Hero." Through it, people in need can post their wishes, and anyone can help. Some of the wishes are small: "Our Christmas will be meager, but if people could send Christmas cards, maybe with some stickers, our children would be delighted." Some are wishes for small gifts or donations. The most heartbreaking, to me, are the ones where parents ask for warm winter clothes they cannot provide for their children. If you can spare the money for a card and a stamp, you can be a hero. If you can send old children's clothes, you can be a hero. If you can purchase a set of crayons or a toy from a parent's wishlist, you can be a hero. You can help within your means and make a difference.

There are hundreds of posts, and reading them can be disheartening—no matter how much you, or I, or all of us together, do, we can't help everyone. But it's not about that. It's about "that one turtle."

If you can, be a hero. Thank you.

LINK: Wish Upon a Hero

Thoughts on the Day After

2010-11-11T14:13:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity and emotion. Nearly from the time I woke up to when I went to bed, the Amazon/Pedophilia case consumed me. I was hooked up to the phone, email, Twitter, and Facebook without pause (except for a quick trip for groceries), talking and writing to anyone and everyone who would listen (and to many who wouldn't).

The number of people around the world who were horrified and ready to act grew exponentially by the hour, everyone waging their own grassroots-level activism against Amazon's unethical behavior. Individually, our voices were being dismissed by Amazon one by one, but as the number of us grew, we became a nuisance to Amazon's customer reps (whose hands were quite tied). Two Facebook pages of people ready to boycott Amazon, and Twitter full of enraged customers, and people bombarding newsmakers with requests for coverage finally began to turn the tide. Our voices combined finally began to reach the ears of those with real clout — big-named journalists with respected news outlets.

After CNN's Anderson Cooper reported on the matter last night (see two clips at http://www.cnn.com/video/), interviewing Dr. Phil, under the title of "Peddling Pedophilia", Amazon suddenly and silently removed the book from both its US and UK Kindle stores. It took a while before most of us could believe it, and many reloadings of the page, but sure enough, the book was gone. I received an email from Amazon at 3:25am ET/2:25 CT, stating simply "Hello. This book is no longer available for sale." Clearly, Amazon still has a long way to go in the PR department. Even a two-liner stating: "Thank you for your concerns over [Book Title]. We have reviewed the matter and the book has been removed from our site," would have been smoother.

Considering the hours and hours we spent trying to effect that result — the shock, horror, disgust, anger, and even grief most of us felt throughout the process — would, in my opinion, have merited a better statement from Amazon. It would have been nice, even if they were not sincere, to issue an apology to their customers for having to wage the battle in the first place, for leaving us feeling betrayed, and for the outrage they made us feel over their first, callous responses. Where was the PR? Why did a company with Amazon's revenue not hire a special Damage Control PR Team?

The book is gone. That is the result we wanted and achieved. And while most of us will probably slowly trickle back to Amazon over time, their handling of the entire process, ending with a surreptitious concession without gracious apology... leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many, myself included.

For over a decade, Amazon has been my go-to online store. All of my experiences have been positive ones — until yesterday. And yesterday, they irreparably damaged my image of the company and, more importantly, my feelings toward them as a customer. Many of our buying decisions, where the product and price are near equivalent from one store to the next, are based on emotion: "I'll get it through Amazon because I've always had a good experience with them and I like them." They've damaged my trust, and damaged the relationship.

I will not be moving my baby registry back to Amazon, even though most items are a few dollars cheaper there. I don't know when I'll be buying books or other items from them again. Someday, certainly, but not in the near future. Their behavior throughout the whole issue was... sleazy... underhanded. It will be a long time before I can forgive, and even longer for me to forget.

I want to thank everyone who called or emailed Amazon, everyone who tweeted and retweeted, everyone who got up in arms, everyone who did their own, particular, important part. Individually, our voices might have been too weak to reach the necessary ears, but together, we little mice made a mighty roar!

Thank you.

Anniina

Image tinkered by "Yours, Truly" from a royalty free Image Zoo Illustration

Link to this post

Open Letter to Amazon.com Re: "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure"

2010-11-10T15:50:00.015-05:00

I was appalled to find out you sell a book promoting pedophilia in your Kindle store. The book in question is The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure by Phillip R Greaves II. I immediately called customer service (1-800-201-7575) to complain, and the first customer service representative was appalled right along with me. I was sent an email saying Amazon is looking into the matter and I will be notified of developments.

Some hours later, I called again. This customer service representative said "Amazon has a policy of non-censorship." I answered her that, while the First Amendment protects the author's right to say, write, and even publish his thoughts, the First Amendment makes no requirement for booksellers to sell any given book.

Booksellers have free reign in what they choose or do not choose to sell. There are many books on, for example, Medieval Literature which Amazon does not carry, not because they are offensive or poor in quality, but simply because they are not found appealing or marketable. Nobody is raising a question of censorship in that case. A bookseller can choose not to stock his shelves with books on birds, if he finds birds repulsive. Or he can choose not to order a book on Linguistics, if he thinks it is not interesting or will not sell. Similarly, a bookseller has the right to not order books he personally finds offensive. There is no law, no amendment to the Constitution that requires a bookseller to sell every book ever published.

By Amazon.com not pulling the book in question off their shelves means implicit endorsement of the subject matter. It means this bookseller, Amazon.com, finds some merit in the book; does not find it morally repugnant.

Thus, it begs the question: would Amazon.com similarly choose to offer for sale books with titles such as "How to Torture Animals: Step-by-Step Instructional Manual", "Serial Killer 101", "The Rapist's Guide: How to Excel", or "School Shootings: How to Kill as Many People as Possible in the Least Amount of Time"? If someone wanted to self-publish such titles through Amazon Kindle, would Amazon just shrug and say "We don't want to be accused of censorship", as they have so far done in the case of "The Pedophile's Guide", or would Amazon actually show some ethical backbone?

I have been an Amazon.com customer since the first day Amazon opened its website over a decade ago. I buy everything from books to Kindle books, from shower heads to decalcifiers for my coffee maker, from birthday presents to Christmas presents. I've been part of Amazon Prime from almost its inception and our family spends hundreds, some years thousands, of dollars through Amazon.com. Currently, even my entire baby registry is through Amazon. Please feel free to check my purchase history for the last decade.

I am distressed and grieved that Amazon would hesitate for a minute to pull this title. Where does it say it is acceptable in the name of profit to throw ethics and basic human decency out the window?

Sincerely,
Anniina Jokinen (anniina@luminarium.org)

*** UPDATED TO ADD (5:30pm ET/4:30pm CT) ***

Immediately after posting, I sent this over to Amazon as an email. When I got back from getting groceries, I had a reply awaiting. Here it is in its entirety:

On 11/10/2010 3:25 PM, Amazon.com Customer Service wrote:

"Hello,

As a retailer, our goal is to provide customers with the broadest selection possible so they can find, discover, and buy any item they might be seeking. That selection includes some items which many people may find objectionable. Therefore, the items offered on our website represent a wide spectrum of opinions on a variety of topics.

Let me assure you that Amazon.com does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts; we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.

Amazon.com believes it is censorship not to sell certain titles because we believe their message is objectionable. Therefore, we'll continue to make controversial works available in the United States and everywhere else, except where they're prohibited by law. We also allow readers, authors, and publishers to express their views freely about these titles and other products we offer on our website. However, Amazon.com doesn't endorse opinions expressed by individual authors, musical artists, or filmmakers.

We value all feedback from our customers, and I thank you again for taking the time to send us your comments about this issue. Although we won't be able to comment further on this topic, we hope you'll allow us to continue to serve you.

Best regards,

Prince A.
Amazon.com"

!!!

I, of course, wrote right back:

On 11/10/2010 4:17 PM, Anniina Jokinen wrote:

"Hello,

Your reply is a form letter and it is woefully inadequate. It does not respond to the specific points I've brought up in my letter to Amazon (see http://alaydhien.blogspot.com/2010/11/open-letter-to-amazoncom-re-pedophiles.html). This is not a case of "gray area" or run-of-the-mill objectionable or offensive content. This is content that directly promotes crimes against children. This is a black or white issue and as such there are only two options here: 1) Amazon keeps selling it, which means Amazon thinks promoting child rape is acceptable; 2) Amazon pulls it, thereby clarifying its position and sending a message saying child rape is not right. How does your CEO, Jeff Bezos, feel about this matter? Are all the stockholders also quite alright with Amazon selling a book that is a guidebook on how to successfully rape children?

Anniina Jokinen

No response as yet.

*** UPDATED TO ADD (6:45pm ET/5:45pm CT) ***

Amazon terminated the customer service email thread. I called them again just now and spoke with two people. The first was a woman who had no idea such a book was being sold by Amazon and who was, understandably, horrified. She transferred me to the Kindle department. The gentleman told me he was not allowed to say anything more than what Amazon had released in their formal statement (which is nearly verbatim to the email they sent me). See MSNBC's article:

Amazon defends 'Pedophile's Guide'

He made it clear no further statement would be made by Amazon, but agreed to forward my further complaints.

*** UPDATED TO ADD (7:55pm ET/6:55pm CT) ***

I have removed my baby registry from Amazon.com. I can't have people purchasing gifts for my baby from a company who at the same time sells a book on how to molest that same baby. This whole thing makes me want to vomit.

*** UPDATED TO ADD (12:45am ET/11:45pm CT, Nov 11) ***

After Anderson Cooper did a segment on this on CNN tonight,

http://www.cnn.com/video/

Amazon has quietly made the page for the book unavailable through either direct link or through their internal search engine, on both the US and UK sites.

Thank you to everyone who tirelessly campaigned for this today.

Link to this Post

Lolo the Jaguar Plays With Her Cub

2010-02-18T12:24:00.012-05:00

A rare black jaguar named Lolo played with her two-month old cub a few days ago at the Yaduda Zoo in Jordan during the (yet unnamed) cub's first public appearance. Jaguars are usually spotted, like the cub, but about 6% of them have a condition called "melanism" which turns them all black, like Lolo. Lolo and the cub's father, Falah, are both originally from South America. The father is separated from mother and cub for the cub's safety. These pictures are priceless:

Photos: Reuters Pictures

After Long Silence: Memories of Mamma

2009-02-22T14:27:00.009-05:00

I haven't posted since the night before Christmas. On Christmas Eve morning, right after we had finished breakfast on the sunlit terrace, my sister and I called our mom and dad to wish them a merry Christmas. I was on the phone, when my dad answered the phone and said: "I have to tell you some sad news. Mamma has died." I couldn't do anything, it was like someone had punched me in the soul. I just pushed the phone into my sister's hand and sat down, tears streaming.

Mamma was my grandmother on my mom's side. She was born Annikki Helena Aaltonen on 24 Dec 1919 — she died on her 89th birthday. She had lost her own mother at age 12; one of her most vivid memories was running down the street after the ambulance. Her father abandoned the children, leaving her to look after her 15 year-old brother and 8 year-old sister. Earlier, they had lost their baby brother, perhaps to influenza.

Mamma eventually entered nursing school, becoming a nurse specializing in the care of newborns and infants. During the beginning of World War II, which in Finland meant that all Finnish men went to war trying to repel the Russian invasion (for more detail, see this post, here), Mamma lost her true love, Pauli, whom she never forgot. Some years later, she met my grandfather, and after courting a while, they married in 1949.

They went on to have 4 children — my mother, the eldest, and my uncles, three boys. In the 1950s, Finland was in the grips of the post-war depression. My grandfather, a Master Builder, convinced Mamma that they should move to Toronto, Canada, where work and prospects were said to be good. He moved to Toronto first, but due to being a foreigner with fledgling language skills, he could at first only find manual labor in the construction business — from being a foreman in Finland, he became a "cement finisher" in Canada.

Mamma and the children began the long trek to Canada in 1958 — my mother was 8, the youngest of her brothers was 1.5 yrs old. Mamma and the four young children first travelled to Norway, where they boarded an ocean liner to New York city. The trip across the Atlantic took two weeks and everyone was seasick nearly the entire time. My mother remembers throwing up what seemed almost like the seawater they were surrounded by. Imagine! My grandmother alone with four small children, she herself seasick while trying to care for them, and not speaking any languages.

The family stayed in Canada for 4 years, after which both homesickness and the improved economy drew the family back to Finland. My grandmother became a nurse at the Turku University Central Hospital, my grandfather became a very respected Master Builder, and the children entered school. My mother now holds a high position in one of the largest insurance companies in Finland; all my uncles are Master Builders themselves.

Mamma worked until her retirement with hundreds of babies born in the city of Turku. When I was born, my grandmother was the one who bathed me and wrapped me in blankets. When I was one day old, she brought me a rattle. She was loved and respected at the hospital — several of her dear colleagues came to her memorial and it was apparent how important she had been to them.

At every important and not-so-important juncture in my life, Mamma was there. She babysat us, travelled with us, went swimming with us, picked mushrooms and berries in the forest with us, made juices and porridges and soups for us, slid down water slides with us in water parks. One of my earliest memories is walking in the park with her, on the way to feed the birds in the ponds, and crossing the lawn which had a "No stepping on the grass" sign. Mamma said if someone tried to stop us, we would just tell them that, in America, people walk on the grass all the time. On winter nights, Mamma would sit in the back seat of the car, in the uncomfortable middle spot, between my sister and I, so we could each burrow ourselves in her fur coat to keep warm.

Mamma had an amazing ability to connect with people. When I was little, it used to embarrass me that she would strike up conversations with total strangers — on the bus, in the grocery store, on the street, wherever. But it stemmed from an interest in the people around her, and only later did I understand how a few kind words, a human connection, could make another person's day. She also had a knack for keeping in touch with people, of not just making connections, but staying connected. She called everyone, visited everyone — in our extended family she was the glue that held everyone together. She had a natural warmth, sweetness, sunny optimism, and kindness one rarely, if ever, encounters.

Mamma's ability to make friends everywhere, with anyone, served her well in her many travels. She went to Italy, Morocco, and even Israel, and though she used to say: "My English is very short", her enthusiasm and efforts to communicate always got her understood. I forget which country she was in when someone offered to purchase her for many, many camels. She visited me twice in the U.S. — the first time with my mother, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the second time by herself, in Pennsylvania, where she spent most of her time in the garden. She had a green thumb like nobody I've ever seen and though I haven't inherited her talent, I've inherited her love of gardening.

In the last few years, Mamma was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, which started slowly stealing her memories away. She wouldn't always remember who had visited her, whether she had eaten or taken her medicines, or whether she had left the stove on. Most of the time, however, she was entirely lucid and sometimes distressed because she knew she was forgetting things. She was also very lonesome and, till the end, kept saying that when she won the lottery, she'd come visit me in America one more time. It wasn't a function of money, however. She wasn't in any shape to travel the long distance. Towards the end, she lost her will to live, saying to my father that a person should be allowed to leave this world with dignity, without suffering.

The end, though it could be foreseen, was still sudden. Mamma had most likely suffered a stroke which had caused her to fall and hit her head. Though the hospital had been able to restore her physical health, she had no wish to continue. In the end, she refused to eat. After most likely suffering a second stroke, she didn't wake up again, although she reacted to my mother's voice talking to her about America and singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." My youngest uncle, still "little Lassi" to Mamma, though he was 50 years old, held her tiny, birdlike form in his arms on his lap, as he sang Christmas songs to her. She slipped away quietly, being held like a baby by her own baby.

Mamma loved music, loved singing, especially when my sister and I would sing songs in harmony. So on Christmas Eve night, on a darkened terrace lit only by Christmas lights, half a world away from her, my sister and I sang every beautiful song we knew, to her. We know she was listening.

The funeral was in January and everyone came to remember her and to strew her coffins with beautiful flowers — how she would have loved them! The memorial service was a small, intimate gathering, in which we talked about her, sang songs to her, and shared our memories of her. By the end, we were filled with smiles and even laughter, sad though we were. It was perfect, it was a celebration of who she was and what she meant to us, and Mamma would have been pleased. She would have said, "What a lovely party."

I will always love her and, as I said to her as I was leaving the chapel, I will never, ever stop missing her.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-23T00:33:00.000-05:00

FLEX

2008-12-07T19:09:00.000-05:00

60 seconds

Created by Bunk Beds.net

99 Meme

2008-12-04T13:33:00.003-05:00

Nicked from SzélsőFa

The rules are simple: bold the things you've done. Explanations are optional. Fun is guaranteed.
1. Started your own blog (d'oh!)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does singing count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis (no way I will EVER do this)
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (not gonna happen)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (we don't sell cookies in Finland, we sell Xmas calendars)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (unless fish count)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

The North Wind

2008-12-04T03:23:00.004-05:00

The North Wind comes,
Ripping and howling,
Nipping and yowling,
Gnashing its broken teeth.
It beats the trees,
Bites passers-by,
Tormenting all in its path;
The sun itself flees
The cloud-driven sky,
Escaping the frigid wrath.
Summer is gone and winter is nigh;
Cold times, they are ahead: —
I wrap my cloak tighter with a sigh
And take me to my bed.

(AJ 12-3-08)

The Fly in the Dog Bowl

2008-11-29T14:54:00.002-05:00

A fly in the dog bowl — poor thing!
          Drowning is not a fate
          To be wished, even on a fly.
I lean down to take the bowl
          When he winks at me and,
          Smiling widely,
Does the butterfly,
          The backstroke,
                    And even the dog paddle!
Perhaps this sly charmer
          Is in training
          For the Buglympics!
I pour the water into the flower
          Thirsting
          On the back porch —
With great dignity,
          My new, wingèd friend
          Climbs on a stalk
And towels himself off on a petunia leaf.

First Poem in Austin

2008-11-19T12:09:00.004-05:00

The neighbor's rooster
        hootles and crows,
        and it is nearly noon.
Fancy that! A rooster!
        in this day and age,
        in this urban suburban place!
I cannot help but wonder if
        he got the bird
        just so he could say
To his less fortunate friends,
        over beers
        (and leers):
"Just look at my indomitable cock!"

(AJ 11/08)

Officially in Austin, Texas

2008-10-30T21:45:00.002-04:00

Well, the move to Austin, TX, happened last week.

Vik and I flew with the dogs to Houston on Continental. That way, it was a direct flight and Continental has the best reputation with pet transportation. They did great. Then, we drove to Austin. The trip should take 3 hrs or so, but took us 4+, what with frequent stops to give Ariel breaks — at age 14, the car ride was the hardest part of the trip for her.

The furniture arrived on Thursday and for the past week we've been slowly unpacking the 150+ boxes of stuff. Sounds like a lot (and it is), but not when I tell you the boxes themselves are quite small (liquor store boxes mostly).

The weather here is still in the 80s during the day, though night time temps have dropped as low as 45. I can't tell you how divine it is to sit on the terrace with my morning coffee! In the afternoons, I've been taking the dogs to the lake. Wilbur has been intrigued and has waded as deep as his chest into the water — one of these days the kid will swim, I can feel it. Ariel looks at me like, "You and what army?" when I say I want her to come in the water with us.

I bought a GPS system before coming here, and so far I've not gotten lost. I've scouted out all the most important things — Starbucks, grocery store, video store, burger joint — and next week I'll try to do some real exploring. I want to start horseback riding and to find a nice yoga place for starters. It's been 4 weeks since surgery, so I think it's safe by now.

Tomorrow is Halloween and I'm just hoping we get some kids, because I have soooo much candy, it better not stay here making eyes at me!

That's all she wrote for now. More updates when I've more to tell :)

Stay well everyone!
Anniina

New Territory

2008-10-24T11:51:00.000-04:00

Ariel has already barked at everything real and imaginary:

Quiz: What Animal Are You

2008-10-23T02:59:00.001-04:00

This is like the weirdest quiz ever, and I'm not so sure I'm any wiser for taking it. Still, quizzes are fun, right? :)

ANIMOLOGY: What Animal Are You? Your Result: Ocre and Gray Dolphin Sea! You're a very hearty person being a good friend. You attract many friends because of your lovely personality, but you're sometimes pretty weird. Your soul mate is the Bronze Goat. You hate the Peach Pig.
Gold Falcon
Silver and Red Wolf
Red Jaguar
Blue Fox
Teal Cat
Tan Giraffe
Yellow Trout
ANIMOLOGY: What Animal Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Moving, et cetera

2008-10-17T04:24:00.003-04:00

I've been so busy with other things and feeling a need to recreate myself that blogging here has felt difficult. Lots of things are happening in my life, which I'll fill you in on anon.

The most important news is that Vik and I are moving to Texas. Well, Vik has been there for some months already, but the dogs and I are moving on Tuesday next week. I'm excited and nervous, but mostly just exhausted from packing and trying to fix up the money pit.

Of secondary import is that I had major abdominal surgery 2+ weeks ago. If you've ever seen "Total Recall" with that alien in the dude's stomach, that's pretty much what I had. I had a huge tumor and a big cyst, both of which got taken out. Neither was cancerous. The surgery was done by a Transformer-sized (and looking) robot with 5 arms laparoscopically. They didn't have to take out anything and I've healed pretty brilliantly, so good news in the end. I'm waiting for the swelling around my midsection to go down, because I'm hoping my waist will be skinny like Scarlett O'Hara's.

I'm thinking of closing down this blog and starting a new one, to give myself a chance to recreate and refresh. If I do, I'll let you "regulars" know the location of the new one.

Until then, keep well and keep out of trouble :)

Seven Deadly Sins Quiz

2008-10-17T04:20:00.001-04:00

"Your sin has been measured. You have committed many sins, but Lust is the mortal sin that has done you in."

Greed:	Medium
Gluttony:	Medium
Wrath:	Low
Sloth:	Medium
Envy:	Low
Lust:	High
Pride:	Very Low

Take the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz

Today's To-Do List

2008-09-24T09:08:00.000-04:00

Nine Killed in School Shooting in Finland

2008-09-23T10:06:00.004-04:00

Today, nine students are dead and others critically wounded in a school shooting in the little town of Kauhajoki, Finland (pop. 14,000). Like school shooters before him, the gunman had posted videos on YouTube ahead of time. The videos have been removed at this time. The police had questioned the suspect on Monday, but had not taken his gun. After killing others, the shooter shot himself in the head and is now in a coma.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/nine-killed-in-finnish-school-shooting-939395.html

What a sick world.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

2008-09-22T17:02:00.003-04:00

I don't suppose they have any science behind this, but still :P

What Anniina Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

2008-05-29T04:25:00.002-04:00

Trying to Emulate Cummings

2008-05-09T00:35:00.003-04:00

A friend commissioned a poem from me in the style of e.e. cummings. It was quite difficult, since my muse usually brings me poems of a different kind, as those of you who've had to put up with my poetic outpourings for some time already know. On the other hand, it was quite exhilarating, because my mind was exploring new territory. The commissioned poem was not worth posting here, but I couldn't stop myself and I wrote a second one, which I'll share with you. The first line is 'borrowed' from cummings, but what follows is mine:

Saturday Chatting

2008-04-19T19:49:00.005-04:00

I know, how awful am I to promise better attention to the blog, then disappear again for two weeks, right? Life has just been very busy and chaotic for a while.

Spring is suddenly here full force — it has been around 75°F all week, and the birds, who so plagued me last spring with their cacophony, are back. For some reason, they don't stop me from sleeping this year. Could it be I have grown old and deaf? Or perhaps it is because I've been sleeping like a log — a train could run over me and I wouldn't know it.

I lost a few rose bushes and one tree over the winter, and I have 5 roses outside waiting to be planted. I'm telling myself I'll get it done tomorrow. Knowing me, however, it is only 50/50 likelihood. Procrastinators unite... tomorrow! The garden also needs raking, mulching, clipping and you name it. As much as I tout that I love gardening, I doubt I'd be very opposed to having a gardener who would come and do all the grunt labor, leaving me with the fluffier aspects of tending a garden.

Workwise, I'm also busy — I haven't had any translating for a few weeks (which is just as well), but I've had a few websites to do and Luminarium of course is a jealous mistress. Sometimes the task seems so daunting that I have to take a break entirely. One human life doesn't seem long enough to get everything done that I'd like. So if anyone has an interest in Medieval/Renaissance English literature and/or history and wants to volunteer, drop me a line :D Also hiring houseboy, cook, and laundryboy. All interested parties are requested to apply in person, tehee!

Well, that's it for right now — running to a dinner and a movie.

*mwah* A

April Fool's Day!

2008-04-01T11:13:00.001-04:00

Quiz: What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

2008-03-31T18:55:00.005-04:00

Here's another silly quiz, since Mophia specifically requested one :D

Your Birthdate: August 18

You are a cohesive force - able to bring many people together for a common cause.

You tend to excel in work situations, but you also facilitate a lot of social gatherings too.

Beyond being a good leader, you are good at inspiring others.

You also keep your powerful emotions in check - you know when to emote and when to repress.

Your strength: Emotional maturity beyond your years

Your weakness: Wearing yourself down with too many responsibilities

Your power color: Crimson red

Your power symbol: Snowflake

Your power month: September

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Sonnetsday

2008-03-30T18:02:00.004-04:00

Here is one I've posted before, but a good poem deserves several reads :)

XCI.
OME glory in their birth, some in their skill,
  Some in their wealth, some in their bodies' force,
  Some in their garments, though new-fangled ill,
  Some in their hawks and hounds,
                                        some in their horse;
And every humour hath his adjunct pleasure,
Wherein it finds a joy above the rest:
But these particulars are not my measure;
All these I better in one general best.
Thy love is better than high birth to me,
Richer than wealth, prouder than garments' cost,
Of more delight than hawks or horses be;
And having thee, of all men's pride I boast:
      Wretched in this alone, that thou mayst take
      All this away and me most wretched make.

W.S.

Rock & Roll, Here I Come!

2008-03-29T17:39:00.003-04:00

So, I got my hair cut and colored today. Even though some 3+ inches were taken off, it's still to the middle of my back, and it's really cool. I took this 20 mins ago in the backyard, but the sun was so bright I couldn't help but scrunch. Love being a red head again!

A Book Meme

2008-03-29T07:45:00.014-04:00

... lovingly nicked from Bart's Daze of Our Lives.

1. Hardcover or paperback, and why?
The only time I prefer paperbacks is when I'm travelling. Every other time, hardcovers win. The feel of the pages, the crisp spines, the dust jacket that you guard from harm as jealously as a mother would a newborn babe, the scent of ink and paper, the heft of the tome in your hands as your curl up to read... Hardcover.

2. If I were to own a book shop I would call it…

Words Worth Eating. And it would have a small cafe, naturally, with big arm chairs where people could just plop down and stay. I'd love for it to look just like Wordsworth's house:

3. My favorite quote from a book is…
Okay, I protest — this is like asking one to choose a favorite child. But the first quote I ever copied from a book was when I was 12:

"I love him; and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because he's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same."
— Emily Brontë, The Wuthering Heights

That quote still informs my life.

4. The author (alive or deceased) I would love to have lunch with would be …

My boy Bill of course! D'uh! I'd probably feel like a right dolt, but it would be an opportunity not to be passed up.

5. If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except the SAS survival guide, it would be…

My Riverside Shakespeare. Everything one could wish for in entertainment can be gleaned from the pages of that book. And I don't think I could survive without it.

6. I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that…

dusted the books without damaging them. A little robot vacuum that was lighter than air that would just "zwoompf" the dust off throughout the bookcase.

7. The smell of an old book reminds me of…

afternoons spent with my dad in antiquarian bookstores, rummaging through shelves and boxes for books he was collecting, the sunlight shining through dingy windows, the dust motes floating lazily in the air.

8. If I could be the lead character in a book, it would be…

Frodo in The Lord of the Rings.

9. The most overestimated book of all time is…

James Joyce's Ulysses. Funny, I didn't have to think about this answer for even a second. Brand me a heathen, but I think that book is unintelligible drivel, pseudo-genius stroking, afforded far too much adulation by the Pretenderati.

10. I hate it when a book…

ENDS. After a good book ends, I go through a mourning period, grieving the fact that the book is over. And though I know I can always read it again, I'm grieving that I can never read it again,
for the first time.

If anyone would like to do the meme, please do so! I love little better than finding out what others love about books.

Calvin, Susie, and Hobbes' Definition of Love

2008-03-28T23:05:00.002-04:00

Bluebirds of Happiness

2008-03-28T15:35:00.003-04:00

The birds are singing loudly in my garden,
Vying for territory and nesting space,
Each outsinging and outshoving the other.
I know this is so, though I can barely hear them
For the bluebirds that sing in my heart.

(AJ, 28 March 2008)

A Sudden Light

2008-03-27T21:44:00.003-04:00

I want to paint your name on the winds,
Sing your words to the stars.
The moon rises slowly and
Somehow, suddenly,
Very far is very close.

(AJ 3-27-08)

A Thought on Friendship

2008-03-27T21:27:00.000-04:00

The Prodigal Daughter Returns to Her Blog

2008-03-27T20:53:00.003-04:00

Darlings,

I do hope you'll accept my abject apology for writing so little in the past few months. I was very touched that you all still bothered to check this page on the off-chance there might be a post. I thought surely by now you would have chucked my blog off your bookmarks as another defunct enterprise.

Mophia was somewhat correct in his surmise that my hesitancy to blog was related to "The Troll Incident of 2007." I do admit that almost in one fell swoop, much of the delight I had taken in baring my soul to the wide world was robbed from me, despite my determination not to let it do that. I felt I had exposed my soft underbelly and then someone came in with a machete and went to work. And even though one should "not let the bastards grind you down", I lost the joy for a long while.

Furthermore, the beginning of this year has been filled with a plethora of work. I've been very fortunate to have countless translating gigs and other job opportunities which have left me little time for private pursuits, including blogging. What little extra time I have had has been spent on Facebook, keeping in touch with old friends and new. And all of it has come at the expense of my readers here. I apologize. You will see more of me in the future — silly quizzes, jokes, poems, and my musings on the world included.

Thanks for checking up on me guys. You've really made me feel special.

♥, Anniina

Just passing through

2008-03-26T09:32:00.001-04:00

An Impression

2008-02-04T18:37:00.000-05:00

Somewhere
       Something
              Perhaps
Fell
       From the sky
       Or to it

Somehow
       Sometimes
              Perhaps
I fall
       For
       Or into

Perhaps.

(AJ, 4 Feb 2008)

Moved Beyond Words

2008-02-03T16:41:00.000-05:00

I often get asked about my name. Italians claim "Annina" as theirs, meaning "little Anna", from Anna (Anne), the mother of Virgin Mary. Russians also claim the name on similar grounds. I was named after a song from an old B & W Finnish movie. In the film, the hero rows his gondola in Venice to his beloved, Annina. The song is by now an old standard. My friend Petri Bäckström, who is a well-known Tenor in Finland (and abroad), sent me a link today, telling me to listen to his sound sample. Without warning, his voice washed over me with the song, "Annina". It is fifteen minutes later and I am still shaking. I mean not just emotionally shaken, I mean physically shaking as if possessed by an illness.

Annina
Musiikki: Oskar Merikanto
Sanoitus: Daniel Fallström

Annina, viel' valvotko kulta Annina?
Tulen luoksesi venhollain,
Tulen luoksesi venhollain.

Ei taloista välky nyt tulta,
Canalezza se loistavi vain,
se vain.

Annina, mä hiljalleen soudan, Annina,
Niin kevyt on aironi tää,
Niin kevyt on aironi tää.

Vaikk' äitisi valvois,
sun noudan
Hän venhett' ei kuule, ei nää,
ei nää.

Annina, mun kyyhkyni pieni, Annina,
Piazzan kaunein sä liet,
Piazzan kaunein sä liet.

Sun luoksesi suuntaan mä tieni,
Käy luokse, niin huoleni viet,
niin viet.

Annina
Music: Oskar Merikanto
Lyrics: Daniel Fallström

Annina, are you still awake, Annina?
I'm sailing my boat to you,
I'm sailing my boat to you.

No lights are now shining from houses,
The canals alone are alight,
alight.

Annina, I'm quietly rowing, Annina,
My paddle, so light it feels,
My paddle, so light it feels.

Though your mother were waiting,
I'll fetch you,
My boat she'll nor hear nor see,
nor see.

Annina, oh my little dove, Annina,
Most beauteous of the piazza, maybe,
Most beauteous of the piazza, maybe.

Towards you I pilot my course,
Come, and take my cares away,
away.

You can visit Petri's page at:

http://www.laulajat.com/petri.html.

Petri: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Nonsense Verse

2008-01-23T08:34:00.000-05:00

I have worked for days
Or maybe they were nights
All blending into one long coil.

My calves ache, and some
Bill collector calls—
I want to
Maybe see a movie
Curled up on a dog-filled couch.

(AJ, 1-23-08)

Sabertoothed Song

2008-01-10T18:20:00.000-05:00

"Moon Goddess Diana" by H. D. Johnson

I once was a poet
      Hunting mountain-lion verse,
In danger,
      Dangerous,
            Endangered.

My arrows long spent, I shepherd
      Docile sheep words,
Boring,
      Baa-ing,
            Bored.

Where did I leave my sword,
      My saber-toothed pen —
Aching somewhere
      Alone
            On a mountainside?

(AJ, 1-10-08)

New Year's Resolutions

2008-01-09T17:37:00.000-05:00

I don't make New Year's resolutions for a reason:

Primary Fever

2008-01-09T02:04:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I've been recuperating from the holidays, which were fun, but left me with lots of work to catch up on. Hope you all had good ones.

This year is the first time I get to vote in the US, since I plan to be a dual citizen by the end of the year. Needless to say, I'm taking a keen interest in the political process. It comes as no surprise to anyone, I'm sure, that I'm a democrat. In case you missed it (especially those friends and family abroad), I wanted to post Barack Obama's speech after the Iowa Caucus on January 3, 2008. Whoever wrote the speech (and considering his eloquence, the speech writer maybe Obama himself) did a fantastic job. One of the commentators on MSNBC said, in reference to Obama possibly being the first black man to become US President: "That is the America in which I want to live." I couldn't agree more:

Merry Christmas

2007-12-23T22:51:00.001-05:00

My sister and her husband came yesterday and today we made all the Finnish Christmas foods from scratch, like lanttulaatikko (rutabaga casserole), porkkanalaatikko (carrot casserole), and perunalaatikko (potato casserole). The tree has been decorated and the ham will be picked up tomorrow morning. We've made the dough for the gingerbread cookies and we'll make them tomorrow, decorate them Tuesday. We spent the day listening to John Denver & The Muppets singing Christmas songs. All in all, very relaxing and blissful. I hope you all have wonderful holidays with your families and friends as well.

Big hugs,
Anniina

Happy 1st Birthday Knut!

2007-12-05T13:13:00.000-05:00

Baby polar bear Knut was born at the Berlin Zoo a year ago today, along with a brother who died within four days of birth. The mother bear was missing the nurturing instinct and abandoned the cub, who was reared by humans. Knut has become a celebrity in Germany, where Knut mania reigns. I can see why:

My Love Sleeping

2007-11-16T04:46:00.000-05:00

She sleeps
only her hind paws
on the mattress
like ballet slippers
dancing a dreamy sleep
her light snore
the orchestra

A Lyric

2007-11-15T03:45:00.001-05:00

Rain today
       or just the promise
Leaves
       the gray clouds
              brewing
While I try
       to pour my coffee
              and whistle to the Western Wind.

Ariel's Specialty

2007-11-13T09:55:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth: The Golden Age Fizzles and Flops, or, a Review of a Wasted Movie

2007-11-10T21:46:00.000-05:00

One Sentence Verdict: This movie made my brain bleed.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a movie that should have come with the caveat, "5% of this movie was inspired by real events." As far as historical accuracy goes, the movie was abysmal. Furthermore, it was devoid of a proper plot, quality dialogue, and — oh Hell, let's just come right out and say it — it was devoid of LIFE.

Supposedly about an era in England when things were happening left, right and center — assassination plots, marriage proposals, theatre, schemings, wheelings, dealings — everything teeming with life and danger, this movie was dull and Boring (yes, with a capital "B"). Few historical facts were included at all, and the few that were, were distorted or portrayed incorrectly. There are 5 million shots of beams of light dancing around the Virgin Queen's white-painted face and lace collar scattered at regular intervals throughout the movie, but few facts.

No historical personages are present in all of the film apart from:
Raleigh, who is misrepresented; Walsingham, who is given little play; Mary, Queen of Scots who is afforded 4 minutes of actual film time, King Philip of Spain who comes off as a total lunatic with a squinting problem; John Dee, the astrologer, who gets to play Elizabeth's Gandalf; Bess Throckmorton, who is played by an actress who could have been replaced with a wax doll from Madame Tussaud's; and oh yes, poor young Anthony Babington, whose name is never once mentioned, gets a minute of panting and staring into space while yes, you guessed it, lights play around Elizabeth's white face and lace collar. Most of the Queen's closest advisers, including Burleigh, were never seen or mentioned at all, nor the minor personage of Leicester, who we know was with her at Tilbury, among other places. Francis Drake gets all of 4 lines of dialogue and is forgotten.

Speaking of dialogue, it is awful. Apart from Elizabeth's "I, too, can command the wind", there isn't a proper line in the film. Most egregiously, the famous Speech to the Troops at Tilbury, which many of us who love Queen Elizabeth know by heart, is omitted wholesale, replaced by some screenwriting-class-flunkie, watered-down DRIVEL. Furthermore, this is where the director decided he's going to do Good Queen Bess as Lady Godiva, and has her wearing a long, loose wig, blowing in the wind. Even more, he has to stick her on a cliff, staring out at the sea, with her cloak billowing behind her on the wind. The misrepresentation of what actually happened with and to the Spanish Armada gets reinvented with suicide bombers and Clive Owen pretending to be Errol Flynn in Sea Hawk. Sorry Clive. Love you, but Errol Flynn ya ain't.

Speaking of cloaks and costumes, there were several good costumes on Elizabeth, but not one of them was downright great. There were several instances where the dresses were unicolored, instead of the dress and kirtle being different colors. Many of the costumes were in colors Elizabeth detested, in colors in which she would not have been caught dead in. Worst of all was the dress (read: chemise) in which Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed. It was an anachronism to begin with, and inaccurate — Idiots, we have drawings of her execution!

I have seen 90% of the Elizabeth-related movies in existence. This was the weakest showing, a waste of $9.50, a waste of 2 hrs, a waste of LIFE!!!! I wanted to yell obscenities at the screen, but I was too busy yawning.

If you haven't seen this movie, consider yourself fortunate, and avoid it like the bubonic plague. D-

Vampire-Pirates Strike!

2007-11-05T12:19:00.001-05:00

My dad came over on Tuesday last week, just in time for Halloween. We decorated the outside of the house to the nines and dressed up. I was a vampire and Lasse was a pirate. The light outside was not sufficient to get a non-fuzzy pic, but you get the idea. There were ghoulish noises courtesy of a laughing skull, a screaming doormat and a motion-sensored pirate, and the kids were frightened out of their wits. We had ten bags of Halloween chocolates and candy, and we had a blast. Wilbur had to stay upstairs in the bedroom, because his imitation of the Hound of the Baskervilles was too lifelike and scared one tiny Spiderman to the point that he ran away.

Here's a closeup of my makeup (white face, dark circles around the eyes, "blood" running down the corners of my mouth, and a slit throat):

Since Halloween, we've been busy around the house and with emptying the garage of thrift store furniture. We've been making it "Shabby Chic" — painting it white and distressing it. I'll put up some pics when they're finished. Sticking them on eBay for profit (hopefully) and reclaiming the garage for winter.

We've also been doing a lot of DVD watching. Lasse is quickly getting inundated with Doctor Who, Heroes, Bionic Woman, &c. So keeping busy and having fun. Wheee!

Sorry

2007-10-23T00:56:00.000-04:00

Yeah I'm still kicking around. I've just been a mixture of busy, lazy, and under the weather. This week I have a lot of fun social obligations, so might not blog much either.

Translating has been a hoot, if you consider fixing unbelievably idiotic mistakes fun. I did a QC for a translation done by someone else, and I had to email my boss saying I would understand if someone didn't know a particular American idiom, but that this person doesn't seem to know Finnish either! Grammar, punctuation, spelling; all willy-nilly. A bit frustrating. It would have been quicker for me to translate the last movie from scratch.

I did get something productive done, which was cleaning my closet. I took a hard look at clothes that I never wore, which didn't fit me, or... *gasp* were no longer age appropriate (damn age!) and sorted everything into keep, give away, eBay, toss. Some of the better items are going on eBay next week, and good thing too, since eBay has 33% off listing fees. Started taking pics of the items today.

In hair color news (admit it, you've all been dying for that — sorry, can't resist a bad pun) I'm going to be blonde again as of Friday. If my vanity and self-critical tendencies don't hinder me, I might post a pic.

Haven't seen Elizabeth: The Golden Age yet. If anyone says a word about it, I'll tell you the ending of every book you haven't read yet, as well as what happens in Season 3 of Dr. Who (which, by the way, is bloody brilliant!).

Well, I'm off to bed. Sorry for my long absence.
—A

What Kind of Monster Are You?

2007-10-23T00:53:00.000-04:00

You Are A Vampire

You have a real thirst for bliss, and you consider yourself a true hedonist. And you're not afraid to walk alone in life, if it means getting what you truly crave. You truly enjoy entrancing people. Not to mention the ensuing pleasures of the flesh. Your tastes have been called decadent and bizarre. You usually give in to your temptations, no matter how primal.

Your greatest power: Your flawless ability to seduce and charm

Your greatest weakness: Human flesh

You play well with: Werewolves

What Kind of Monster Are You?

Crickets in Moonlight. A Haiku.

2007-09-29T00:40:00.000-04:00

Every moonlit branch
Trembling with cricket song —
I wish you were here, right now.

(AJ, 9/29/07)

Moving On

2007-09-22T12:40:00.000-04:00

That certainly was something. I'll comment briefly and then resume blogging as usual. I have never been able to define myself (or anyone else) conclusively, least of all by my (or another's) blog. The whole concept is preposterous. Most of us are too complex as human beings to be defined by such simple parameters.

Yes, I am Luminarium, a person who works night and day on websites that cover English literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. I'm passionate about tomes that many haven't even heard of. But that is only one facet of who I am.

Yes, I am a silly girl who enjoys fluffy quizzes and memes, including "Which Harry Potter Character Are You" and "Who's your Celebrity Love Match" (Brad Pitt, apparently). But that's only part of who I am.

Yes, I'm a fan of pop culture, who enjoys science fiction, fantasy, television, movies, celebrity gossip, and music that makes my best friend cringe. But that's not all I am.

Yes, I'm an actor who is classically trained to perform Shakespeare, but I also enjoy making the odd horror film and playing a vampire queen. And that's not even half of what I am.

Yes, I'm a poet when the Muse strikes. I love writing sonnets and haiku, but sometimes it comes out as a limerick. Sometimes what I write is pretty good, sometimes what I write is so bad no human being should be subjected to it. And still I'm more.

Yes, I'm a gardener who loves to grow roses, but if you came to my house right now you'd see my front yard covered in unsightly weeds. Because I'm also lazy at times.

Yes, I'm a translator, who translates anything from classic poetry to D-movies, and sometimes even Italian opera, when the feeling hits.

Yes, I've been a web designer, a costumer, an oriental rug specialist, a student, a bum, hamburger maker, a world traveller, a homebody, a dog-mommy, a ballet dancer, a real estate agent, a cashier, a producer, a director, a teacher, etc. etc. etc.

None of these things define me. No one person defines me. If anyone does, I define me. I choose who and what I am, and what I'm worth. We're all more than the sum of our parts.

Needless to say, I found the late commenter's ideas lacking, and the attack on my person and character malicious and without merit. Originally, I didn't wish to engage him, because to do so would have conferred upon him and his thoughts more time and effort than he warranted.

But, I was touched by how pissed off everyone else got, so I thought I'd say my piece too. I'm comfortable with who I am and I don't care if someone out there doesn't like it. As Riykere put it, those who don't like this blog don't have to read it. Goodness knows, there are millions of other blogs out there. Something for everyone.

To quote Jimmy Stewart's character from Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning play (and movie) "Harvey":

"My mother always said, 'In this world, Elwood' —
she always called me Elwood — 'you have to be either
oh-so-smart, or oh-so-pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart.
I recommend pleasant. And you may quote me."

My Liberal Identity

2007-09-14T14:41:00.000-04:00

via HyperLiterature

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Reality-Based Intellectualist, also known as the liberal elite. You are a proud member of what’s known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

Luciano Pavarotti Dies at Age 71. Farewell.

2007-09-06T17:04:00.001-04:00

Luciano Pavarotti passed away this morning at 5 am Modena time at age 71. He had been suffering with pancreatic cancer for a long time and had been ailing for the past months. Pavarotti had an illustrious opera career, the majority of his colleagues recognizing him as a technical genius. This news filled me with sadness. Here is an aria by Pavarotti from Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore" (Elixir of Love), with lyrics in Italian and in translation.

Plot: Nemorino has fallen in love with Adina, a girl from a wealthy family, who will have not pay any heed to a poor young man. He spends all of his money on a love potion which is, in reality, nothing but cheap wine. Nemorino believes that the elixir will work, and when he sees her tears, he knows at last that she loves him in return.

Una furtiva lágrima

Una furtiva lágrima
Negl'occhi suoi spuntò:
Quelle festose giovani
Invidiar sembrò.
Che piu cercando io vo?
Che piu cercando io vo?
M'ama, si m'ama, lo vedo, lo vedo.
Un solo istante i palpiti
Del suo bel cor sentir!
I miei sospir, confondere
Per poco a' suoi sospir!
I palpiti, i palpiti sentir,
Confondere i miei co' suoi sospir
Cielo, si può morir!
Di più non chiedo, non chiedo.
Ah! Cielo, si può, si può morir,
Di più non chiedo, non chiedo.
Si può morir, si può morir d'amor.

A Secret Tear

One secret tear
From her eyes has sprung:
It seemed to envy
Those happy youths.
I need to seek no further,
I need to seek no further!
She loves me, yes, she loves me, I see it, I see it!
For a single moment, to feel
The beating of her sweet heart!
My sighs mingling
For a while with her sighs!
To feel the heartbeats,
To mingle my sighs with hers,
Heaven, that I could die!
I ask for nothing more, nothing more.
Oh! Heaven, if I could, if I could die,
I'd ask for nothing more, nothing more.
If I could die, if I could die of love.

(translation by A. Jokinen)

Mundane Incandescence

2007-08-27T05:20:00.001-04:00

How close you are to me
      sometimes
Flit into my thoughts
      unexpectedly
You and not you

How far you are to me
      from me
Light upon my life
      occasionally
You and not you

How close we are
      to something
      sometimes
You and not you
Me and not me

How

(AJ 8-27-07)

Status Report

2007-08-27T04:59:00.000-04:00

Hello, Wonderful People!

Thank you for all your lovely notes. You warm me :)

Birthday was good—I suppose after you survive the trauma of turning 30, you're okay until 40. Hmm, okay, 39 might be a crap one, since you'll feel like you're staring at 40. But thank goodness there's still a long time to that.

Katja got here safe and sound and we've been doing a lot of browsing in various stores (not a lot of worthwhile things out there to buy right now, what's with that?), watching lots of popcorn TV, and we managed to make it to see Stardust as well. Katja liked it, and I might have if I hadn't read the book and the movie didn't have Claire Danes. As it was, I was lukewarm on it. Book A-; Movie B-. Maybe rent it when it comes out on DVD.

This coming week we're going to watch the whole Ugly Betty first season DVD, eat more ice cream, do more shopping, finish trying to highlight my hair back to blonde, etc. Girly stuff. Then, we'll do a few days in New York, including a visit to see the gorilla habitat at the Bronx Zoo. Also trying to get a room at the Jersey shore for Labor Day Weekend.

Oh, I'm out of reading (or rather I don't feel like reading the 10 books I have lined up). Any fiction or sci-fi/fantasy recommendations? Movie recommendations?

Hippo Birdie Two Ewe!

2007-08-18T02:52:00.000-04:00

No wait, hold your hippos! It's actually "Hippo Birdie Two Me."
Yes, today Yours Truly ages another year. Lots of fun things planned, but best of all, my Best Friend Katja comes to visit on Tuesday for two weeks!!! This year Katja brought up the good point that we were no longer very little and were maybe approaching adulthood. She suggested we give each other thoughtful presents that help do good in the world, since both of us have it pretty good. I adopted a baby gorilla in her name (through the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund), and she got four little girls in Africa school uniforms and one baby immunizations in my name (through Unicef). She's very wise, Katja is. Because now we both feel like we got presents, and there's others in the world, both human and simian, who did also.

Hippo Satyr Day to all :P

P.S. There are several different organizations and ways to give "another kind of gift." For example, World Vision has great ideas.

Which Harry Potter Character are You?

2007-08-18T02:14:00.000-04:00

	You are Hermione. You're a bookworm always in search of answers. When pressed, however, you can always be counted on to put away the books and help your friends.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Wow, there's a surprise :P

Which Pixar Character Are You?

2007-08-18T02:08:00.000-04:00

It's a TIE!
	You are part Mr. Incredible. You are from a family of superheroes. Need we say more! It's unfortunate superheroes have to hide their identity, but that doesn't stop the opposite sex from being attracted to you. Your looks can floor anyone, and your CG muscles make even Arnold jealous. Your ability to kick the asses of villains and personal foes every now and then will be remebered for generations to come.
	You are part Dory. You are naive and gullible. Wait, that's a good thing. Your ability to trust any stranger is a trait not many people have, but be more cautious next time a stranger offers to buy you lunch or you might find yourself in a fishy situation.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Transformers Quiz

2007-08-18T02:03:00.000-04:00

I AM
85%
OPTIMUS PRIME Take the Transformers Quiz

Ariel's Pet Project

2007-08-07T04:16:00.001-04:00

Hi Folks,

I took the photo out of the last post because so many of you said it caused you distress. Me too, and I didn't particularly want to see it a billion times in the next week or so while it's on the front page here. So here's a new photo. Ariel is a performance artist and this is her latest project. Received rave reviews from her mommy (me). She was protesting the lack of dog cookies (I forgot to buy more) and decided she'd unpack the package of toilet paper. Luckily, she only worked on 1, so 11 good rolls remain. I LOVE THIS DOG!

Children of War

2007-08-06T08:03:00.000-04:00

The Photo that Was Here

We have no stomach for anything but war
We gash, we tear, we gorge
Our insides out, our outsides in—
Humans, who? Not I, not you.

(AJ, 08-06-07)

Photo source

Oldie but Goodie

2007-08-03T03:28:00.000-04:00

Entertainment News of Interest (To Me)

2007-07-31T06:47:00.001-04:00

Fascinating things have come up at last weeks Comic-Con in San Diego and elsewhere:

Next spring, we have a 'Heroes' spinoff called "Origins" to look forward to, and Kevin Smith will Direct an 'Origins' Episode

EW got an exclusive interview with Dan Radcliffe on the final Harry Potter book. Warning: *spoilers* (if you haven't finished it)

NBC's Bionic Woman, coming this fall to the small screen, cast includes Galactica's Katee Sackhoff who has no fashion taste, as witnessed by these awful photos from the Comic-Con

Good and bad news for Joss Whedon fans. Joss is in talks with the BBC to do Ripper, the Buffy prequel. For us Firefly fans, this probably means no Serenity 2: Bigger Damn Movie. Since Nathan Fillion may be joining Desperate Housewives, next spring on Fox Summer Glau will be a female terminator in The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Jewel Staite has joined Stargate Atlantis, etc., it all seems less than likely. Would you pay $11,000 to have dinner with Joss? I wish I could've =)

Peter Jackson has finished a screenplay of Alice Sebold's Lovely Bones; Rachel Weisz and Stanley Tucci reportedly part of the cast.

And that's all she wrote this morning.

On the Full Moon

2007-07-31T05:02:00.000-04:00

Some bright thing pierced my eye. Was it you
Or the moon that sadly sways
Like an outworn gaslamp in the sky?

That rascal, Sleep, evades me like you
And those blameless clouds that fly
And I, outworn I, I sit and gaze.

(AJ 7-31-07)

Anniina Simpson - Simpsonize Yourself!

2007-07-29T03:24:00.000-04:00

The Simpson's Movie is now in the theaters, and whether you've already seen it, intend on seeing it, or couldn't care less, it's fun to "Simpsonize" yourself. Create a Simpsons avatar on the movie website. FUN!

Hyperliterature Book Reading Club

2007-07-29T02:38:00.000-04:00

We're starting Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake at Mark's blog Hyperliterature, if anyone wants to join in. It's really relaxed. At the moment there's a handful of us, we read about halfway in the book, discuss our initial reactions and surmises, then do more in-depth discussions once we get deeper into the book. Or, you can just wait till the next book and just 'lurk' for now and see what it's about, but don't feel too shy to join in. There's people with English degrees and people without, native speakers and a few of us 'foreigners' — we read Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go last month, and SzélsőFa read it in Hungarian translation which even worked, so don't be shy — you'll miss out on a nice experience otherwise.

xo,
A

The Most Beautiful Aria Ever Written: Puccini's "Nessun Dorma"

2007-07-26T05:47:00.000-04:00

Performed by Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany. While this is a Pavarotti standard, no one sings it like Bocelli in my opinion. I have never found a recording of it.

Principe Nessun dorma, nessun dorma, Tu pure, o Principessa, Nella tua fredda stanza, Guardi le stelle Che tremano d'amore E di speranza.	The Prince No one sleeps, no one sleeps... You either, O Princess, In your chilly room; Look at the stars That are trembling with love And hope.
Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me, Il nome mio nessun saprà, no, no, Sulla tua bocca lo dirò Quando la luce splenderà, Ed il mio bacio scioglierà Il silenzio Che ti fa mia.	But my secret's locked within me; My name no one shall know, No, no, Onto your lips I'll tell it When the dawn grows splenderous And my kiss brushes away The silence That makes you mine.
Chorus
Il nome suo nessun saprà E noi dovrem, ahimè, morir.	His name no one will know, And we must all, alas, all die.
Principe Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! All'alba vincerò! Vincerò! Vincerò!	Prince Dissolve, O Night! Set behind the mountains, Stars! Set behind the mountains, Stars! At dawn, I will win! I will win! I will win!

Nessun Dorma libretto from Giacomo Puccini's "Turandot."
English translation Anniina Jokinen.

"Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" by Laurie Viera Rigler: A Review

2007-07-25T11:10:00.000-04:00

As a fan of Jane Austen who has, on occasion, been disappointed by Austen adaptations or re-imaginings, I approached this book with reservations. No-one can be more pleased than I am to say my skepticism proved undeserved. Here is a book that any lover of the books of Jane Austen is sure to relish and appreciate!

What would happen if a recently and multiply heart-broken modern-day woman, who has fallen asleep drinking vodka and reading Pride and Prejudice while mourning her broken engagement, were to wake up in Jane Austen's England? This is how the book begins. Courtney wakes up to find everyone calling her Jane Mansfield, doctors wishing to bleed ill humors out of her, and a marriage-obsessed mother threatening to put her into an asylum if she keeps insisting she is not, indeed, Jane. Courtney decides to play along convinced she'll soon wake up back in modern day Los Angeles, until she realizes perhaps it isn't a dream after all.

The reader gets to experience the early nineteenth-century English countryside, Bath, and London through eyes at once modern and Austenian. Throw in a bit of pride, a bit of prejudice, and a host of characters, plots, and subplots, and it all melds into a wonderful kaleidoscope of Austen.

The story is so deftly plotted, simultaneously familiar and new, the characters so likeable (and dislikeable), the prose so fluid and fresh, that the book goes by in a flash. Austen's words and world are ever-present, without weighing the story down. Laurie Viera Rigler has accomplished a marvel—a delicately-mastered fusion of the beloved and known with the sure-to-be-loved, not-yet-known.

I meant to read a few chapters before bed and ended up foregoing sleep, staying up all night, to read the book in one sitting. Whether you are a die-hard "Austen addict" or just discovering Austen's world, this book is sure to delight.

Harry Potter Final Book - I Love Amazon

2007-07-21T17:54:00.001-04:00

Amazon brought me the book as promised today so guess what I'll be doing until it's finished. Nothing else! Wheee!

The last few days I've been working feverishly on getting the main updates done at Luminarium which has been tedious and repetitive, but since it can't be avoided, might as well get it done right? :)

I have so many books I need to do write-ups on but I'll get to them after HP. Saw the movie last night and loved it. Dumbledore's Army, peeps!

OK, I'm off to read. Stay good!

Hugs, A

How Much is Your Cadaver Worth?

2007-07-19T04:58:00.000-04:00

$4025.00

Mingle² - Free Online Dating

Status Update

2007-07-11T12:28:00.001-04:00

HI guys,

Sorry for making you worry. No, I'm still alive, but the show opens this week and it's making me miserable. I'm done costuming, but it's been a g'awful experience. If I say that I'm going to do something like this again, someone smack me upside the head.

On the happy news, Lasse (my dad) has been here since Friday night last week and we've had a good time going to the movies, barbecuing, shopping, and doing a little bit of home improvement. But only a very little bit, because it has been so hot all the time. Things involving paint have, of necessity, been excised from the schedule.

Anyone else want to join the summer reading club? We had a good time with Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go" and will most likely start reading another one soon. It's really relaxed and fun, so if you want to join in, go to HyperLiterature and drop Mark a line.

What's everyone else been up to? I promise I'll take a really long read over everyone's blog next week and also come back to FFXI where I'm sure Riykere and boys are wondering what happened to me.

Huggles,
A

Are you a Coffee Addict?

2007-06-27T14:22:00.001-04:00

I am 88% Addicted to Coffee

My Blog Rating

2007-06-27T14:16:00.000-04:00

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

* hell (3x)
* dead (1x)
_________________________

I guess they missed the FUCK in the last post?

Costume Hell

2007-06-25T17:20:00.000-04:00

That's where I am right now, in case anyone is wondering why I'm not posting. I hate my life. FUCK!

Keeping Mum - Delicious British Black Comedy

2007-06-20T17:24:00.000-04:00

What would you get if you merged Mary Poppins with So I Married an Axe Murderer? Keeping Mum (2005). A little delightful English movie with a stellar cast including Dame Maggie Smith, Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Patrick Swayze, Keeping Mum is in the best tradition of Black Comedy.

A country vicar who has lost his way, a lonely wife who is fooling around with her American golf pro, their nymphomaniacal teenage daughter, their bullied young son—they all get a little help finding their way from the sweet new housekeeper, aptly named Grace. It's a quirky film, great for a quiet night's entertainment. While not epic or earth-shattering, it's certainly worth the rental. B+

Eragon, the Movie: I Want my Money Back!

2007-06-19T01:52:00.001-04:00

Ok. Here's the deal — the movie Eragon is absolute crap. The biggest hackneyed ripoff of both the original Star Wars Trilogy and Lord of the Rings, with nothing original, nothing worthwhile, and a ton of annoyance to boot. 40 minutes in, I had to turn it off — I felt fairly soiled. I'm asking Blockbuster for my money back—shame they can't return me the 40 minutes of lifespan I wasted on this drivel. F

Living in Lord of the Rings

2007-06-17T04:06:00.003-04:00

My Dream.

"The measure of a man's worth is equal to the worth of his dreams." —Marcus Aurelius

Serenity Now / Equality Now 2007

2007-06-17T02:27:00.000-04:00

Browncoats, it's that time of year again. SERENITY NOW/EQUALITY NOW is happening all over the world next weekend. Charity screenings of "Serenity" on Joss Whedon's birthday weekend, benefiting Equality Now, an organization with a goal of empowering women and girls around the world. Not only is it a good cause, but it's also a chance to fly your browncoat flag and see our Big Damn Movie once more on the Big Damn Screen.

For those of you still asking
"What is Firefly?"

Umm, who are you?

In the words of the Bedlam Bards:

Big Damn Trilogy .MP3
tune and lyrics by James Hazlerig

Trilogy, O trilogy, I want my trilogy,
Don't stop at one, Don't stop at two,
Gorramit, gimme three!

Trilogy, O trilogy, that's what I want to see,
Someday I'll own a boxed set
Of that Big Damn Trilogy!

They said we couldn't do it,
They said our show should die,
They took our love, they took our land,
They cancelled our Firefly.
But one thing they didn't reckon,
in our fan psychology:
Browncoats carry Greenbacks,
And we want our trilogy!

CHORUS

KAZOO AND BOWED PSALTERY BREAK

CHORUS

They say the best things in this 'verse,
Always come in threes,
Musketeers and stooges,
LOTR DVDs.
When a show's got ships and shepherds,
The Alliance and Blue Sun,
And Gina and Jewel and Morena and Summer,
It's too pretty to stop at one!

CHORUSX2

AMEN FINISH

Here's what Joss Whedon had to say about Equality Now and the answer to the most asked question: "Why do you write such strong female characters":

More info on CantStopTheSerenity.com

Happy Day

2007-06-16T22:09:00.001-04:00

All Quiet on the Western Front

2007-06-14T19:25:00.000-04:00

Hey folks, yeah I'm still alive and kicking. Sorry for being so much in absentia this month, just very busy. Last night I also got a flu or some weird bug. I started having chills and body aches and have been in bed for nearly 24 hrs straight; but I've no runny nose, no other symptoms, just a low-grade fever (I think it's low grade - I don't own a thermometer). I do feel like someone beat me up with a baseball bat while I was sleeping. Weirdness!

The costuming is going OK. Not great, but ok. Having little to no budget is hard for a perfectionist. Love my director, who now answers his phone with "Hello, Costuming Goddess" - strokes my fragile ego. I've been on stage with many of the actors before, so they're fun to work with. Have one difficult actress in a minor role who, if she doesn't watch out, will be attired in puke green. What these fledgling divas don't seem to understand is that the one person you NEVER piss off is the costumer; the costumer can be your best friend or your worst enemy. My philosophy as a costumer is I want the actors to have costumes that support the characters as they (and the director of course) see it, and I want everyone to look damn good. But even Shakespeare said, "Hell hath no fury like a costumer scorned" (ok, fine, I'm taking liberties with that, but I'm sure Shakespeare thought it!).

My daddy is coming for a visit on his summer vacation! Yay! My mom's going to visit her friends in Hungary, so she won't be coming this time, but that's ok - she just visited in December. My dad and I will be playing computer games, going to the movies and renting videos, eating brekkie at IHOP, shopping at Ross and TJMaxx, and maybe do a little home improvement around the house. Some day we're going to have our own painting firm called "Jokinen & Son" (we haven't decided conclusively which one of us is going to be "Son", but we do know that we're getting a sparkling van, either red or white). Ok so we're not probably ever gonna go pro, but it's our little inside joke/dream thingy.

That's about all she wrote. And so I leave you.

XO,
A

2007 Best Fantasy : "The Name of the Wind"

2007-06-10T19:51:00.000-04:00

Once in a rare while a book comes along that is so good one almost dare not review it, knowing it cannot be done justice by a mere few lines of praise. Patrick Rothfuss' debut, The Name of the Wind is just such a book: a delight for a jaded fantasy reader, who thinks perhaps the best have all come and gone, but to his/her surprise finds a new star in the fantasy constellation.

Without giving away the plot, this book is the first "chapter" in the story of Kvothe, a legendary hero presumed dead by many. From his childhood with his parents' travelling theatre troupe to his time learning magic at the University (a place with ten thousand times ten thousand books), with street children, thieves, whores, storytellers and musicians, and the threat of the Chandrian, a mythical (or are they?) people set on destruction, the book has everything any fantasy lover could desire. The system of magic is inventive and appealing, the plot moves believably, and the characters are complex and engaging. The voice of the narrator, Kvothe, is entrancing throughout and the reader's empathy and identification take place quickly.

This is one of those books one would read cover to cover in one sitting, if one could stay awake long enough. This is a book one wants to curl up with, maybe with a hearty bowl of stew... I actually read it a second time right after finishing it—something I haven't done with a single book in over 10 years—THAT's how good it was.

If you love Robin Hobb, Raymond E. Feist, or Terry Brooks, then chances are this book is just waiting for you to read it. Published in March 2007, the next book in the trilogy is not out for another year, so we can commiserate together once you've read it and begun anxiously awaiting the next chapter.

Here's what Fantasy Biggies had to say:

"Because the characters are real and the magic is true to its own world, I closed this book feeling as if I'd been on a journey with an entertaining new friend, rather than sitting alone looking at words on a page.

"This one is well worth some of your precious reading time. I'll wager that the books to follow it will also be."
—Robin Hobb

"THE NAME OF THE WIND marks the debut of a writer we would all do well to watch. Patrick Rothfuss has real talent, and his tale of Kvothe is deep and intricate and wondrous."
—Terry Brooks

"THE NAME OF THE WIND has everything fantasy readers like, magic and mysteries and ancient evil, but it's also humorous and terrifying and completely believable. As with all the very best books in our field, it's not the fantasy trappings (wonderful as they are) that make this novel so good, but what the author has to say about true, common things, about ambition and failure, art, love, and loss."
—Tad Williams

Technorati Tags: patrick rothfuss

Everything Still Coming Up Monkeys

2007-06-10T19:06:00.000-04:00

Yup. Still coming up monkeys. Haven't read The Golden Compass yet, but I have it on my nightstand... will get to it soon, so I have it read by the time the movie comes out. Whee!

Wayne Shakespeare

2007-06-08T22:54:00.000-04:00

I'm raiding the costume room tomorrow, so will have a better idea on what is and is not executable costume-wise, wheee! The actor playing Baptista (Kate and Bianca's father) has his heart set on looking like John Wayne in "The Searchers" — he also requested an eye-patch à la John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, but that I am nixing. Our stage conditions are going to be a lot darker than the outside and film lights Wayne worked under, plus it's going to raise curiosity from the audience and become a plot point, which the text does not support. Here's what I sketched for him. Directly ripped off from John Wayne, heheh.

Heineken's Salute to Smart Dogs

2007-06-06T15:14:00.000-04:00

My mom just sent me this:

purr

2007-06-06T01:18:00.000-04:00

Westspear, Part the Third

2007-06-05T20:12:00.001-04:00

OK, Lucentio and Tranio didn't pass because the director wants them "non-Western" and "other" - I am not clear yet on what he wants, but I submitted these... I took the idea that they are maybe from the East Coast, citified and monied... who knows. Tranio reminds me of "Badger" in Firefly, or a bit like Charlie Chaplin... wasn't my original intent, but that's what came out, tehee!

Wild Wild William, Part II

2007-06-05T03:07:00.000-04:00

Good news. Director liked the first batch, so I've been working on more.

It's a fun project. Going to rip apart the costume room this weekend, methinks.

Shakespeare in the Wild West

2007-06-03T21:36:00.000-04:00

Hi folks, I haven't disappeared entirely, I've just been hard at work — I got hired to do costuming for my favorite director's production of Taming of the Shrew and I've been killer busy. He's decided to set it as a Western. We don't have the budget to go authentic Victorian-era Wild West, so my task is to create a Wild West as if it were Wild West on another planet or universe... think that episode of Star Trek Next Gen where Picard and pals visit the wild west planet, or the episode of Firefly with the whorehouse. Or any 1960s western that didn't go authentic on the costume — not High Noon, but within our budget.

I'm hard at work on the costume sketches for the main characters right now. With some 20 ppl in the cast and some costume changes, it'll be wild until it's done. I can't draw to save my life, but I'll upload a few sketches when I have more time.

*mwah*
Anniina

*Update* Sketches:

For Kate's first outfit, I figured it would be less "girly" than the prissy Bianca's; and the Western chicks had skirts that were split like that in the middle, so they were actually pants, to facilitate riding. I also thought it would help out Kate as she's whisking around the stage. As a contrast I made the wedding dress very feminine and vulnerable, to show that Kate actually is setting herself open and vulnerable and actually wants to get married, so that Petruchio ruining the wedding will make her crash bigger and the audience's sympathy more maybe.

I was thinking that Petruchio when entering Padua and presenting himself as suitor to the dudes and Kate's dad would look sort of respectable and sort of Mel Gibson in Maverick, but when he starts chasing Kate around the stage would doff the hat and jacket and look more like Douglas Fairbanks / pirate Petruchio, so wilder and more sexual. What we now think of as the Renaissance or pirate shirt was still the basic form for a man's shirt in the Wild West, and cowboys often had head-scarves under their hats to absorb the sweat.

We'll see what the director thinks of these first ideas.

TTYL,
A

Sonnetsday 39

2007-06-03T12:14:00.000-04:00

XLI.
hose petty wrongs that liberty commits,
      When I am sometime absent from thy heart,
  Thy beauty and thy years full well befits,
      For still temptation follows where thou art.
Gentle thou art and therefore to be won,
Beauteous thou art, therefore to be assailed;
And when a woman woos, what woman's son
Will sourly leave her till she have prevailed?
Ay me! but yet thou might'st my seat forbear,
And chide thy beauty and thy straying youth,
Who lead thee in their riot even there
Where thou art forced to break a twofold truth:
Hers, by thy beauty tempting her to thee,
Thine, by thy beauty being false to me.

Diet Comics Con't.

2007-05-30T13:05:00.000-04:00

Stove News

2007-05-30T12:52:00.000-04:00

It seems the old stove was "hard-wired" to the wall/floor/whatnot. This is against the building code nowadays where I live, and the building inspector should have noticed it and required it to be fixed before he OK'd the house for sale.

Tomorrow, my new stove arrives. I will have to really convince the delivery people to fix that or I'm in trouble... I'll have one stove in the kitchen, hard-wired and not working, and another, unplugged in the middle of the floor. GAH! If I ever get this new stove installed, it'll be sweet though. Stainless steel, baby!

Horrible Storm

2007-05-27T21:36:00.001-04:00

Bad lightning storm. Stove just fried. Weird. I'm ok. Except now I need to buy new stove >.< turning off comp before that fries too.

Haiku upon a Rose

2007-05-25T23:22:00.000-04:00

          Three years I've waited—
          Suddenly you bloom,
          Quite taking my breath away.

Yeah, Baby, Who's Moving to Fiji With Me?

2007-05-25T12:56:00.000-04:00

Your Chances of Being a Multimillionaire: 80%

You have a good chance of being a multimillionaire. Better than most people. You simply have a natural knack for money and the personality for success.

Will You Be a Multimillionaire?

Blogs of Note: Picture Book Junkies

2007-05-25T12:50:00.000-04:00

I just ran across the most charming website: Picture Book Junkies, a blog for children's book illustrators. These guys have such talent: check out, for example the mad skills of Heather Powers and the breathtaking Merbaby of Laura Logan. Nice page to visit whether or not you have kids, as long as your inner child is up for it :)

I know I keep saying this, but next life I'm definitely coming back with talent for the illustrative arts.

More Dieting Cartoons

2007-05-25T03:08:00.000-04:00

Nicked from Lasse the Horrible with love

The Tudors and the Codpiece

2007-05-24T22:16:00.000-04:00

Someone on the Luminarium Discussion Forum asked for the "whats, whys, and hows" of the codpiece, and why the costumers had removed it from the costuming scheme of Showtime's The Tudors. I thought I'd share with you all:
______________________________________________________

The codpiece came into being, according to most historians, due to necessity. Some scholars suggest it was due to the shortening of the doublet to the point that modesty deemed it necessary, since hose were tight, and had to be slit in the front for movement; this could sometimes leave the... umm.... "male parts"... exposed to view.

It became very popular in England during the reigns of the Yorkist kings (Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III), but legends already mention the codpiece in the time of King Edward III. One legend in particular talks of Edward having his codpiece padded to outrageous proportions and ordering his courtiers to do the same, so as to scare the French (they were fighting The Hundred Years' War at this time) by the potency of these "well equipped' Englishmen.

So yes, what started out as a necessity got out of hand over time, as many fashions do; one could think of the codpiece as the padded push-up bra for penises. Henry VIII embraced the fashion enthusiastically, and during his reign the codpiece was "exaggerated in size, the bag was puffed and slashed, and even ornamented with jeweled pins" (Grass, History of Hosiery, 1956). It was the "my codpiece is bigger than yours" syndrome.

Even Henry VIII's armor had a codpiece!

The codpiece's popularity waned after Henry VIII's reign, and disappeared by the end of the century, being replaced by folded material where the parting of the hose was.

To the modern eye, the codpiece is a source of great mirth and ridicule, and that is probably why they removed it from the costuming in the show.

To read more about the codpiece, see:

Modesty to Majesty: The Development of the Codpiece - Beth Marie Kosir
A Brief History of the Codpiece - Renaissance Dance Society
So....what exactly is a Codpiece? - Codpiece International

More Diet Humor

2007-05-24T04:58:00.000-04:00

Muse 365

2007-05-23T17:25:00.000-04:00

I was inspired by Scrivener's Project 365 to start my own photo blog: Muse 365. I'm not much of an artist when it comes to taking pictures, but the object is to improve, and exercising that muscle is the only way to get there, right?

A Fine Frenzy Indeed

2007-05-23T16:39:00.000-04:00

I've just discovered something lovely: the music of A Fine Frenzy — the songs of Alison Sudol, whose debut album comes out in July. She cites musical influences ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Björk; to me she sounds like a mixture of Suzanne Vega, Tori Amos, and Jewel, yet with entirely her own "voice". Many of her songs can be played at A Fine Frenzy's Myspace. I love her lyrical ballads best, my current favorite being "Almost Lover", for which lyrics and music below.

Almost Lover
(Lyrics by Alison Sudol)

Your fingertips across my skin
The palm trees swaying in the wind,
In my chest

You sang me Spanish lullabies
The sweetest sadness in your eyes
Clever trick

I never want to see you unhappy
I thought you'd want the same for me

Goodbye my Almost Lover
Goodbye my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be
So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Shoulda known you'd bring me heartache
Almost Lovers always do

We walked along a crowded street
You took my hand and danced with me
Images

And when you left you kissed my lips
You told me you would never never forget
These images, and now

But I never wanna see you unhappy
I thought you'd want the same for me

Goodbye my Almost Lover
Goodbye my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be
So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Shoulda known you'd bring me heartache
Almost Lovers always do

I cannot go to the ocean
I cannot drive the streets at night
I cannot wake up in the morning
Without you on my mind
So you're gone and I'm haunted
And I bet you would justify it
That I make it that easy
To walk right in and out of my life

Goodbye my Almost Lover
Goodbye my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be
So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Shoulda known you'd bring me heartache
Almost Lovers always do

Sugar, Ooh Honey Honey!

2007-05-23T03:43:00.001-04:00

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