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Aug. 29th, 2007 10:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lenora_roseLet's see. Since I last Posted:
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brannie_bird got married, in a very lovely ceremony that was a mix of Scottish, Wiccan and Christian (Emphasis on the Wiccan). _aura_ and I had put her hair in rag curls the night before, mostly with success. I did not, in spite of best efforts, knock the communion table (A tea-tray, since this was an outdoor ceremony) into the pond. (Keith caught it.)
And to my deep surprise, I didn't actually cry, though I came close.
Things that went right: Almost everything. All of us in the bridal party looked good; Branwen was GORGEOUS, but Dan, in full kilt regalia was splendid to match. None of the rest of us matched at all (I was the only woman in a traditional bridesmaid dress, the others being in a restrained cream suit and a gorgeous multicoloured formal dress respectively) (and Keith in tails) but it didn't matter, because it reflected the various personalities and parts of the ceremony for us to be mixed. The ceremony was, for those who could see it, very lovely, and it sounded good even to those who couldn't see (except the Bride and grooms most personal vows to one another, which were, it seems, intended to be private.) We all projected decently. The reception went well, the speeches were many but mostly either kept short or entertained. The music choices were good, and included a bunch of selections from Dan and Brannie's CDs. We kept the disorganization from showing on the surface. Everyone seemed to be having fun. The food was good, and timely. The photographer gave us several quick tips that prevented things that could have gone badly from happening at all -- including drafting an MC at the last minute -- a girl who'd never done it but has a lot of fun talking to people. She did great. (I basically looked at the two SOs who had been allowed to sit at the Head table with us, and thought Colin, the quiet shy guy, orsun_in_her_hair? Duh...)
Things that went wrong: The sculpture garden had moved the ceremony from the planned open grassy area to a pavilion by a pond, which made the intended circular set-up impossible. It was a lovely spot, but the pillars holding up the pavilion were a good foot or more wide, and blocked many peoples' view, most of which would have been better in the circle format. Apparantly, the photographer came across as abrasive and rude to some of the family, and was less than understanding about the speeds a wheelchair could move when dealing with the groomsmaids. Behind the scenes, we were "a tad" disorganized. And after joking at the wedding that I had managed to tan in gradual tidy gradients, so that while my lower arms were dark and my shoulders pale, I could wear a dress with tank straps and look good, I burned myself red, and a nice sharp line onto my arms, at the brunch the next morning.
_____________________________
After that: Went to the 50th anniversary celebration for friends/relatives of Colin and Colin's parents (Who weren't actually present, as Mom-in-law was supposed to give the Toast to the Bride at yetanother wedding.) A good dinner, and I'm getting to know more of that family better. They seem to think I fit in well, and someone told my mom-in-law later that they find Colin less quiet with me around, and in good ways.
I dread to think I'm actually good for him...
As can kind of be guessed by some of that latter, My mother and father in law are in town, staying in our back yard in their RV (Which of course means they're in the house more than otherwise.) I love them both dearly, but I alternate between appreciating their presence and the hands that they lend to every task in the house and then some, and being slightly aggravated that my space isn't private. My independant streak is, um, not small. It almost wouldn't matter who they were, I'd still feel that, so this is not a reflection on them. And they're actually respectful when I retreat from socializing,a dn would be even in the guest room, now the guest room isn't also my study. I sometimes have to remind myself that Mon-in-law's cleaning house and the like is *not* a reflection on what they think of our housekeeping (Tricky, since housekeeping is one of those areas some women use as a weapon against other women. *She* doesn't think like that, and I've heard her speak against people who pick apart the housework of others as if it were a moral failing) They're both very good people in about every way, and sincere in their generosity. Plus, I really do like talking with mom-in-law, even if I can't bring myself to call her Mom.
____________________________
Also: We had two goodbye dinners from my brother last weekend, before he flew off to Houston again. First a big gathering - almost too big, as it turns out, sicne Jeff asked for a table for 12, and 15 people showed. (In his slight defense, some hadn't RSVP'd. The person who arrived last and seemed most fearful she had been forgotten was NOT one of the ones that came as a surprise.) We almost didn't manage to arrange the room, as the place was very busy. Fortunately, this being a Mongolian grill, it was taking so long to get around the food, get the food grilled, and get back to place, that the couple occupying the table beside us were done eating and gone before the last of us were through the line, so by the time we all needed a chair at the same time, we had the chairs to speak of. The second dinner was smaller, but not family-only; Colin didn't come, because it was Indian food at a place that has bothered his stomach. But oh, so delicious for those of us who did. So, my brother is left back to Houston, where I'll consistently fail to send him the e-mails and phone calls I intend to, evne though i miss him.
Speaking of which, Jeff, yes, I owe you some measurements. I'll try to get them to you tomorrow.
____________________________
This weekend is our September cabining/tenting event. Whee! Alas, it seems like only half the really cool people are going. Well, so long as I'm not the only participant in the bardic Circle.
____________________________
Writing on the novel has been slow, though not quite achingly, and more by hand than by computer. Probably because I've reached a scene and a character I've been looking forward to since I started this rewrite, and I got paralyzed, not wanting it to go wrong. Paper drafts have the advantage that they Naturally Suck, and also that they're transient, and patently not final form. Now, you'd think computer text, which can be easily tweaked and tidied, would be malleable enough for me to get a bad draft out of my system, while paper, which cannot be changed once set down (only scribbled through), would feel more set in stone.
The thing is, for the last 10 years, I've only used handwriting for taking quick notes, in class or on post-its. Everything put on paper, even class notes, has to be transferred to the computer, or at least rewritten once more time in my "tidy hand", to be considered more than point form scratchings or brainstorming. Final drafts of stories, as sent to editors, are either .rtf files or printed hard copy of computer files. Ditto for school essays, office memos, business letters, progress reports... I don't hand in things scribbled in my everyday messy hand (Even my exams I consciously wrote in "Tidy hand", except for the notes I scratch together in the first 10 minutes of essay planning.)
So, while my handwritten drafts of scenes, though they can't be rewritten on the page and therefore are full of Suck, are *allowed* to suck in a way that on computer drafts may not. They are the writerly version of point form.
This tends to mean I'm deeply uncomfortable writing a draft I'm ready to commit to the computer by hand. It's even caused me to freeze up when I consider doing so.
But apparently, if I'm tentative and terrified to commit my first effort to the computer, it can take the pressure off. (And once that is committed to computer, it often changes a great deal from what is handwritten, too, because in writing it out, unable to change it, I often better remember everything I decide I want to change.)
I've also written most of a rough draft of an article for the Barony (I believe the next deadline is mid-September), committed a ballad* I composed some time ago to paper (I had no point, i'd spilled pomegranate/sour cherry juice on the paper. And most of the other papers on my desk. And a good corner of my carpet.) In the process, I fixed it up considerably, and some terrible exposition for a short story related to Swedish werewolf ballads, and thus by proxy to the one I just rewrote. I considered again how to start my next Green Man CD Review, but nothing ended up on paper or in pixels.
______________________________
Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary is as good as I remember when it comes to how much I recall enjoying it. it's better than I remembered for how the whole climax and ending actually works out.
Borrowed The last Harry Potter from a friend. So far I am in strong agreement with Clare and Murren from the Barony, in that the Epilogue was a complete waste of time, unnecessary, and not exactly convincing. I'm still troubled by the morality of the Unforgivable Curses, which seemed to go from not permitted EVER in early books, requiring special dispensation by letter to commit upon a spider, to "It's okay to say it if you don't succeed", to "Well, S** happens in war".
However, Rowling's sense of pacing, tension, and where and how to put in detail had lagged badly in Book 4, less badly in book 5, was recovering well by book 6 (Though it had other flaws to slow it down), and was pretty much back to peak in book 7. Book 7 was positively fun to read, in ways Goblet of Fire struggled with, and the next two had more-or-less intermittently.
(And Murren and mom, discussing it with me, both managed to flub avoiding spoilers for 5 onward for poor Brannie, who was stuck in the middle. Sorry again about that...)
Started in on Ruler of Naught, Book 2 of Smith and Trowbridge's Exordium. I meant to read part 3 as a prelude to jumping into the next 3 books, because it is complex enough that I had lsot track of some of the subplots and side characters -- but I skimmed through to read an earlier scene and kept going from there instead.
The first book is a bit slow to start (Of course, even Sherwood has said she'd rewrite the first 300 pages now if she could), but once it has started, it can grab you and wring you out. If the other 3 books are up to the last 3rd of book one and all of book 2, this is goign to be a great read.
However, the series sank like a really big troll would sink. I suspect these books were partly a victim of their slow start, possibly of their complexity, but mostly by what I would consider rather poor covers. The art may be good as art in some other setting, but it's very busy, the different segments aren't as well connected into a whole as they might be, and some of the colour choices are dubious. But that is all recoverable; the death knell is the dreadful use of fonts and text placement.
And yes, i did buy book 4 so they're all in the house. I also slipped and got Dorothy Dunnett's the Disorderly Knights, a hardcover copy of Melusine (I game away my paperback as a gift; the hardcover, of course, ended up cheaper, and also matches The Virtu and the soon-to-be Mirador), and a book of anatomy for the artist (Also very cheap, but possibly of more practical use.
I can't feel too guilty, I'm afraid, when I end up with 4 new books for just over $20.00. Besides, I don't need to read Melusine again yet, so that part didn't hurt the to-read stack.
Sleep...
________________________________________
* Or rather, the lyrics to. I don't write music. I'll probably steal a tune in classic renaissance tradition, if I ever decide it's good enough to try to sing. If so, I won't admit it's the one I'm talking about.
brannie_bird got married, in a very lovely ceremony that was a mix of Scottish, Wiccan and Christian (Emphasis on the Wiccan). _aura_ and I had put her hair in rag curls the night before, mostly with success. I did not, in spite of best efforts, knock the communion table (A tea-tray, since this was an outdoor ceremony) into the pond. (Keith caught it.)And to my deep surprise, I didn't actually cry, though I came close.
Things that went right: Almost everything. All of us in the bridal party looked good; Branwen was GORGEOUS, but Dan, in full kilt regalia was splendid to match. None of the rest of us matched at all (I was the only woman in a traditional bridesmaid dress, the others being in a restrained cream suit and a gorgeous multicoloured formal dress respectively) (and Keith in tails) but it didn't matter, because it reflected the various personalities and parts of the ceremony for us to be mixed. The ceremony was, for those who could see it, very lovely, and it sounded good even to those who couldn't see (except the Bride and grooms most personal vows to one another, which were, it seems, intended to be private.) We all projected decently. The reception went well, the speeches were many but mostly either kept short or entertained. The music choices were good, and included a bunch of selections from Dan and Brannie's CDs. We kept the disorganization from showing on the surface. Everyone seemed to be having fun. The food was good, and timely. The photographer gave us several quick tips that prevented things that could have gone badly from happening at all -- including drafting an MC at the last minute -- a girl who'd never done it but has a lot of fun talking to people. She did great. (I basically looked at the two SOs who had been allowed to sit at the Head table with us, and thought Colin, the quiet shy guy, or
sun_in_her_hair? Duh...)Things that went wrong: The sculpture garden had moved the ceremony from the planned open grassy area to a pavilion by a pond, which made the intended circular set-up impossible. It was a lovely spot, but the pillars holding up the pavilion were a good foot or more wide, and blocked many peoples' view, most of which would have been better in the circle format. Apparantly, the photographer came across as abrasive and rude to some of the family, and was less than understanding about the speeds a wheelchair could move when dealing with the groomsmaids. Behind the scenes, we were "a tad" disorganized. And after joking at the wedding that I had managed to tan in gradual tidy gradients, so that while my lower arms were dark and my shoulders pale, I could wear a dress with tank straps and look good, I burned myself red, and a nice sharp line onto my arms, at the brunch the next morning.
_____________________________
After that: Went to the 50th anniversary celebration for friends/relatives of Colin and Colin's parents (Who weren't actually present, as Mom-in-law was supposed to give the Toast to the Bride at yetanother wedding.) A good dinner, and I'm getting to know more of that family better. They seem to think I fit in well, and someone told my mom-in-law later that they find Colin less quiet with me around, and in good ways.
I dread to think I'm actually good for him...
As can kind of be guessed by some of that latter, My mother and father in law are in town, staying in our back yard in their RV (Which of course means they're in the house more than otherwise.) I love them both dearly, but I alternate between appreciating their presence and the hands that they lend to every task in the house and then some, and being slightly aggravated that my space isn't private. My independant streak is, um, not small. It almost wouldn't matter who they were, I'd still feel that, so this is not a reflection on them. And they're actually respectful when I retreat from socializing,a dn would be even in the guest room, now the guest room isn't also my study. I sometimes have to remind myself that Mon-in-law's cleaning house and the like is *not* a reflection on what they think of our housekeeping (Tricky, since housekeeping is one of those areas some women use as a weapon against other women. *She* doesn't think like that, and I've heard her speak against people who pick apart the housework of others as if it were a moral failing) They're both very good people in about every way, and sincere in their generosity. Plus, I really do like talking with mom-in-law, even if I can't bring myself to call her Mom.
____________________________
Also: We had two goodbye dinners from my brother last weekend, before he flew off to Houston again. First a big gathering - almost too big, as it turns out, sicne Jeff asked for a table for 12, and 15 people showed. (In his slight defense, some hadn't RSVP'd. The person who arrived last and seemed most fearful she had been forgotten was NOT one of the ones that came as a surprise.) We almost didn't manage to arrange the room, as the place was very busy. Fortunately, this being a Mongolian grill, it was taking so long to get around the food, get the food grilled, and get back to place, that the couple occupying the table beside us were done eating and gone before the last of us were through the line, so by the time we all needed a chair at the same time, we had the chairs to speak of. The second dinner was smaller, but not family-only; Colin didn't come, because it was Indian food at a place that has bothered his stomach. But oh, so delicious for those of us who did. So, my brother is left back to Houston, where I'll consistently fail to send him the e-mails and phone calls I intend to, evne though i miss him.
Speaking of which, Jeff, yes, I owe you some measurements. I'll try to get them to you tomorrow.
____________________________
This weekend is our September cabining/tenting event. Whee! Alas, it seems like only half the really cool people are going. Well, so long as I'm not the only participant in the bardic Circle.
____________________________
Writing on the novel has been slow, though not quite achingly, and more by hand than by computer. Probably because I've reached a scene and a character I've been looking forward to since I started this rewrite, and I got paralyzed, not wanting it to go wrong. Paper drafts have the advantage that they Naturally Suck, and also that they're transient, and patently not final form. Now, you'd think computer text, which can be easily tweaked and tidied, would be malleable enough for me to get a bad draft out of my system, while paper, which cannot be changed once set down (only scribbled through), would feel more set in stone.
The thing is, for the last 10 years, I've only used handwriting for taking quick notes, in class or on post-its. Everything put on paper, even class notes, has to be transferred to the computer, or at least rewritten once more time in my "tidy hand", to be considered more than point form scratchings or brainstorming. Final drafts of stories, as sent to editors, are either .rtf files or printed hard copy of computer files. Ditto for school essays, office memos, business letters, progress reports... I don't hand in things scribbled in my everyday messy hand (Even my exams I consciously wrote in "Tidy hand", except for the notes I scratch together in the first 10 minutes of essay planning.)
So, while my handwritten drafts of scenes, though they can't be rewritten on the page and therefore are full of Suck, are *allowed* to suck in a way that on computer drafts may not. They are the writerly version of point form.
This tends to mean I'm deeply uncomfortable writing a draft I'm ready to commit to the computer by hand. It's even caused me to freeze up when I consider doing so.
But apparently, if I'm tentative and terrified to commit my first effort to the computer, it can take the pressure off. (And once that is committed to computer, it often changes a great deal from what is handwritten, too, because in writing it out, unable to change it, I often better remember everything I decide I want to change.)
I've also written most of a rough draft of an article for the Barony (I believe the next deadline is mid-September), committed a ballad* I composed some time ago to paper (I had no point, i'd spilled pomegranate/sour cherry juice on the paper. And most of the other papers on my desk. And a good corner of my carpet.) In the process, I fixed it up considerably, and some terrible exposition for a short story related to Swedish werewolf ballads, and thus by proxy to the one I just rewrote. I considered again how to start my next Green Man CD Review, but nothing ended up on paper or in pixels.
______________________________
Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary is as good as I remember when it comes to how much I recall enjoying it. it's better than I remembered for how the whole climax and ending actually works out.
Borrowed The last Harry Potter from a friend. So far I am in strong agreement with Clare and Murren from the Barony, in that the Epilogue was a complete waste of time, unnecessary, and not exactly convincing. I'm still troubled by the morality of the Unforgivable Curses, which seemed to go from not permitted EVER in early books, requiring special dispensation by letter to commit upon a spider, to "It's okay to say it if you don't succeed", to "Well, S** happens in war".
However, Rowling's sense of pacing, tension, and where and how to put in detail had lagged badly in Book 4, less badly in book 5, was recovering well by book 6 (Though it had other flaws to slow it down), and was pretty much back to peak in book 7. Book 7 was positively fun to read, in ways Goblet of Fire struggled with, and the next two had more-or-less intermittently.
(And Murren and mom, discussing it with me, both managed to flub avoiding spoilers for 5 onward for poor Brannie, who was stuck in the middle. Sorry again about that...)
Started in on Ruler of Naught, Book 2 of Smith and Trowbridge's Exordium. I meant to read part 3 as a prelude to jumping into the next 3 books, because it is complex enough that I had lsot track of some of the subplots and side characters -- but I skimmed through to read an earlier scene and kept going from there instead.
The first book is a bit slow to start (Of course, even Sherwood has said she'd rewrite the first 300 pages now if she could), but once it has started, it can grab you and wring you out. If the other 3 books are up to the last 3rd of book one and all of book 2, this is goign to be a great read.
However, the series sank like a really big troll would sink. I suspect these books were partly a victim of their slow start, possibly of their complexity, but mostly by what I would consider rather poor covers. The art may be good as art in some other setting, but it's very busy, the different segments aren't as well connected into a whole as they might be, and some of the colour choices are dubious. But that is all recoverable; the death knell is the dreadful use of fonts and text placement.
And yes, i did buy book 4 so they're all in the house. I also slipped and got Dorothy Dunnett's the Disorderly Knights, a hardcover copy of Melusine (I game away my paperback as a gift; the hardcover, of course, ended up cheaper, and also matches The Virtu and the soon-to-be Mirador), and a book of anatomy for the artist (Also very cheap, but possibly of more practical use.
I can't feel too guilty, I'm afraid, when I end up with 4 new books for just over $20.00. Besides, I don't need to read Melusine again yet, so that part didn't hurt the to-read stack.
Sleep...
________________________________________
* Or rather, the lyrics to. I don't write music. I'll probably steal a tune in classic renaissance tradition, if I ever decide it's good enough to try to sing. If so, I won't admit it's the one I'm talking about.
