Bit of Ivory

Especially those who own the SOUNDTRAX.

You know and I know that whoever named the TRAX on the CD was smoking CRAX or something, because the names have absolutely nothing to do with where the TRAX came in the movie. Well, after 9 viewings and innumerable listenings, I think I’ve finally figured out where most of the TRAX come in the movie. But I’m not sure of a couple of parts, and I’d like your opinions, to double-CHEX my WORX (or WUX), as it were. Original titles are struck out if I felt the need to change them. Correct titles are in bold. My comments follow. So here we go:

Hidden for spoilers.
[Read more →]

I’m still alive (sorry Lou) and it’s STILL SNOWING. Well, not at this exact moment, but it’s only a brief lull. It’s been snowing on and off since Thursday, and today we finally got some accumulation. It’s supposed to keep snowing for a few more days as well. As inconvenient as snow is sometimes, I’m loving it. We need the snow very badly. I hope it keeps snowing like this all winter. We may not be able to get out of the drought completely, but a good winter will go a long way towards it.

So, sorry it’s been so long. I had a busy weekend. Friday night, after working at DB, I went to Pirates again. Time number 9, baby! And it will soon be in the dollar theatres, so I can see it again and again and again, and then it’s going to be on DVD and I can watch it again and again and again and again and again. The theatre had the posters for Hidalgo and RotK right next to each other, and I really wished for my camera.

Saturday morning Jen and I went to an Artistry Spa Break/Makeup Party at Lilac’s. It was very fun, and I spent entirely too much money, but considering how much I wanted to spend I thought I controlled myself very well. After the par-tay, I went to WUX.

Yesterday I made an apple pie that is DELICIOUS. MMmmmmmmm.

The plot bunny is coming along. I’m consulting with my dad on plot points.

I got called into work today, even though I wasn’t scheduled this week. One of my coworkers was sick. Which was a good thing, as I accidentally left my latest Heyer at WUX on Saturday night, and as we’re closed on Sunday I had to wait till today to get it back. I was dying. But I have it BAX now, so all is well.

Anyway. Off to read.

It snowed all during the game last night. And we lost. Our starting quarterback, Matt Berry, broke his hand several weeks ago, and the snow and cold was not good for it, so they pulled him after he threw his 4th interception. So then John Beck came in, and wasn’t doing half bad until he was tackled in a cheap-shot late hit.

And broke his finger.

Next came Todd Mortensen, who was so nervous that he overthrew everybody, although he did manage to get us a touchdown. We could have put Lance Pendleton in, who played quarterback until this season but now plays reciever and special teams, but–get this– he had an injured hand.

So the last drive of the game was quaterbacked by our 4th-string walk-on named Jackson Brown, who threw better than the other 4 quarterbacks. What’s up with that?

After reading the Smallville-ranting and Lois and Clark-adoring that’s been going on on Anamchara’s LJ, I went on a search for L&C PIX last night to make my new icon. Ironically, I found them on a site devoted to Smallville, but that has a L&C 10th anniversary (has it really been *that* long?) site with tons of great PIX. It’s Kyrptonsite. Among all the Lois-and-Clarky goodness I found this great pic:

that just makes me giggle.

Off to write that plot bunny, as it’s EXTREMELY appropriate for today. Perhaps I’ll have a rough draft ready by the time I have to leave for WUX.

Hard.

On any other day, I would be thrilled.

But there’s a BYU football game tonight.

Oh, well. Hopefully it will clear up before tonight. In the meantime I’m going to have some hot Ovaltine and wheat toast.

In other news, my dad suggested a plot bunny to me last night that simply will not go away. I’ve found myself plotting it out. I think it’s going to get itself written. Unfortunately, it’s not one that can be posted on the Quill currently, as it’s projected pretty far into the future. But it doesn’t fit in The Dark Arts or the Astronomy Tower either, and it’s not going to be anywhere near long enough to be on Schnoogle. Maybe the Ink Pen?

I’ve been picking grapes, and there are little peices of dried leaves all over my clothes. Am looking forward to the homemade grape juice, though.

My aunt called this morning and asked if my mom and I would like to go out to lunch, so I went to China Lily with them. My fortune cookie contained this lovely idea: “The world will soon be ready to receive your talents.” So that’s my problem. The world hasn’t been properly prepared! What a relief. Here I thought there was something wrong with me.

Last night I picked up Pride and Prejudice again. (I know, I know.) I randomly opened the book, not really caring what part I read since it’s all wonderful, and ended up reading the moment when Darcy and Lizzy unexpectedly meet at Pemberley. (This would not be so surprising if I were using either of my old hardcover copies, since it’s one of my favorite parts and they both naturally open there, but this was in my new hardcover copy–the one with Colin Firth on the cover–so I was quite pleased that it has already adapted itself to my preferences. :D) And I realized something. As wonderful as Georgette Heyer is, and as entertaining as her books are, there’s nothing like good old Jane Austen after all. There’s just something more there. They deal with the same time period, the same basic group of people (actually, Heyer tends to focus on even higher reaches of society that Austen does), and the basic plot is the same. Heyer’s writing is witty and elegant, her characters are charming or dastardly or annoying but always human and well defined, her hero and heroine are always symphathetic and engaging. The same could be said of Austen (with the possible exception of Fanny in Mansfield Park, but that’s an entirely different subject).

Austen talks about the social, economic, and political problems of her time even less than Heyer does. She ignores both the very high reaches of society and the very low working classes. She concerns herself with a very small group of people, usually in a very small town, or, if in need of a larger scene, the old-fashioned gentility of Bath. She wrote of nothing that she had no first-hand knowledge of–even private conversations between gentlemen are avoided in her novels because she, of course, was never present at one. Every one of her books ends with at least one marriage, and the greater part of the plots are devoted to getting the hero and heroine to the point where they understand each other. Her novels seem written to the very formula required of the modern romance novel.

And yet in every sentence of Austen there is a genius which shines through and casts Heyer into the shade. Her books aren’t just about a boy and a girl, nor are they mere comedies of manner. They’re about people, about humanity, about what it’s like and what it means to be a member of society, a member of a family. They’re about abstract ideas like sense and sensibility and pride and prejudice and love and honor and integrity. They explore moral and ethical issues, from treating other people with respect to chastity and fidelity to corruption in the Church of England. They ask questions about what is more important: society or the individual? intelligence or position? restraint or emotion? love or money? Or is there a middle ground? They raise questions about parenting and family life, and how much the sins of the children are answered on the parents and vice versa. The books are incredibly moral without being didactic, subversive while seeming to adhere to the norms, and instructive without being preachy.

And yet you can ignore all of that and simply get lost in the story.

I’m personally getting sick of books that are so “literary” that they aren’t enjoyable. That are so intent on impressing people and being deep that there’s no plot. Jane Austen, in my opinion, is true literature– the kind of book that appeals to the masses, that can make you laugh and cry and fall in love, but at the same time can provide endless fodder for discussion, analysis, and criticism. That’s the kind of literature that will stand the test of time. There’s a reason why we’re still reading Austen today when the popular books of her time have been all but forgotten. Who reads Fanny Burney any more? Or Ann Radcliffe? Or even Sir Walter Scott? At least, who reads them outside of the college classroom?

And yet everyone reads Austen. At least, everyone should.

But I don’t have any strong feelings about this at all.

I HAVE A PLOT FOR ALBUS.

And it’s all Kirk’s fault.

Rachel has to be the first to know, though.

GET HOME FROM THE LIBRARY, RACHEL!!!!

I am the proud owner of a RotK teaser poster. Mmmmmmmm, Aragorn. I think I’m going to take down Daniel Radcliffe and put him up. Sorry, Harry. I’ll put up my little poster of you instead. And I still have my Hogwarts poster.

Am watching Gene Kelly do a tap dance on roller skates on That’s Entertainment II. I heart Gene Kelly. That man has talent.

Anuga is brilliant.

Just got The Nonesuch and Frederica in the mail. Still waiting for Venetia.

So on Thursday morning I was awoken by the phone ringing. It was Becky at Deseret Book, asking me if I could come in that day. I had planned on sewing my robe, but they were in a jam (another employee forgot she was working and had a funeral to attend), so I said I’d come in. Man, was that a busy day. We even had the lady who does the sales audit and usually leaves at 10 stay ’till 3. I got home intending to rest an hour or so before starting on my robe when I got a phone call.

Dawnette wanted me to work for her yesterday morning. I am a pushover, so I said yes. Consequently I was rushing to get everything done last night before our party. But I must say that my new robe is be-yoo-tiful, and I had fun at both parties I went to last night; although all my Primary kids thought that I was Hermione, and so did a fair number of my friends at the other party. Another family did a Harry Potter theme– the dad was Lucius Malfoy (well, kinda, he couldn’t find a long blonde wig so he had a black one instead, which probably worked better since he’s Polynesian), complete with snake-headed cane; the mom was Mrs. Weasley, complete with crocheted sleeves, and the oldest daughter was Moaning Myrtle, complete with toilet seat that she wore around her neck. It was great.

We also had a Captain Jack Sparrow at our other party.

When I wasn’t running around madly at DB I snuck a look at one of the newer Mormon fiction books out. We had to read the first 3 chapters as part of a company program to make us more familiar with our stock, and I was amused enough to keep reading. Not because it was any good. No, because it was so darned terrible. I have come to firmly believe that every writer should at least be exposed to fanfiction even if they never write it, so that they’re at least familiar with the term “Mary Sue” and avoid writing them in their original fiction. Luckily this particular novel was not published by Deseret Book.

If I ever teach a creative writing class, I think my first assignment will be to write a fanfic. Writing with someone else’s characters teaches wonderful things about characterization and continuity that would help so many people in original fiction.

*sigh* Too bad it’s too late for that book.

The Good:

1) I lost a single tape from an audiobook that I checked out from the library almost two months ago. Yesterday I found it, and today I turned it in.
2) I mailed Margot and Lou’s hot chocolate today. You should get it in a week.
3) I’ve been scheduled at Deseret Book for 3 days next week.
4) I bought fabric for a new HP robe. My original one was made in such a hurry that it was, well, to put it nicely, badly made. I’ll sew it tomorrow for our Halloween party on Friday night.
5) I downloaded iTunes, so I can now download music legally. Where were these people when I was buying CDs for a single song?

The Bad:

1) I now have a $15 fine at the library.
2) I haven’t heard for sure if I’ve gotten the lead position.
3) The three days I’ve been scheduled are Tuesday morning, Halloween night, when we were going to have an SQ summit, and November 1 from noon to eight, when I was going to go to a makeup party at Lilac’s house.
4) I have to sew now.
5) I downloaded iTunes. I’m going to spend *so much money.*

The Frivolous:

1) My mom’s apple crisp is delicious.
2) I love The Scarlet Pimpernel. The novel. Yes, it’s a bit overwrought. Yes, Marguerite and Percy have Mary Sue tendencies (although they both have an almost-fatal flaw). But it’s great. I love the part when Percy kisses all the spots where Marguerite had stood, and where her hand rested on the balustrade. *sigh*
3) I’ve got my eye on a bunch of HP stuff on eBay.
4) I also want to buy some Georgette Heyers that are out-of-print.
5) In addition to the two I just bought.

I sure am spending money that I don’t have, aren’t I?

‘Cause the Luke/Lorelai goodness on Gilmore Girls tonight was inspiring. I love them together. If only they’d just *get* together.

After GG I was in the mood for ice cream, so Jen and I went to Cold Stone. The girl who offered me $150 for my Harry Potter jacket recognized me.

Hooray for 2 Pirates sequels!

That’s all I can think of.