Music Monday: Voyage

My first Music Monday that doesn't have a female singer! Below is Celtic Thunder, whom I'd never heard of before today. This is the version I like (Christy Moore), but it seemed a bit weird to have the accompanying video (somebody's wedding photos) on my blog so I'm just going to link. Take your pick. :-)



I am a sailor, you're my first mate
We signed on together, we coupled our fate
Hauled up our anchor, determined not to fail <-- I think FAILboat every time!
For the hearts treasure, together we set sail
With no maps to guide us we steered our own course
Rode out the storms when the winds were gale force
Sat out the doldrums in patience and hope
Working together we learned how to cope

Life is an ocean and love is a boat
In troubled water that keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage, there was just me and you
Now gathered round us, we have our own crew

Together we're in this relationship
We built it with care to last the whole trip
Our true destination's not marked on any charts
We're navigating for the shores of the heart

PRC '09

Personal reading challenges for '09 (= books I want to read/subjects I want to read about that didn't slot easily into other challenges)

Two books featuring Elizabeth I:

1. This Sceptr'd Isle by Mercedes Lackey possibly

2.

I'm abandoning this one, out of lack of interest. I did start This Sceptr-d Isle but didn't manage to finish it.

* * * * * * *

Two non-fiction books relating to Darwinian literary studies:

1. The Art Instinct by Denis Dutton

2.

Other possibilities, if I can get hold of them:

On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition and Fiction by Brian Boyd

Graphing Jane Austen: Human Nature in British Novels of the Longer 19th Century by Carroll, Johnson, Kruger and Gottschall

* * * * * * *

A whole lot of Jim Butcher books. I want to reread most, if not all, of the Dresden Files novels before the new one comes out in April and also give his high fantasy series a go.

This ship has sailed—I got through a few of the Dresden Files before I read Turn Coat but not many.

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. Douglas Adams

Casual Classics 2009

If all goes well, at the end of 2009 I'll have an English degree. Given this, the number of classics I haven't read (or worse, not managed to finish) is embarrassing. It'll take more than four books to rectify this but you've got to start somewhere, right?

1. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen I'm switching to The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Back to Mansfield Park. For now.

2. ??? I'm considering Middlemarch but seriously doubt I can pull it off.

3. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

4. The Reef by Edith Wharton

There are two motives for reading a book: One, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it. Bertrand Russell

Essay Reading Challenge - 2009

Being an engl/phil student, I end up reading a fair number of essays in a year anyway. I'm hoping this challenge will motivate me to blog about the really interesting ones. I should say I won't count essays that are required reading but we'll see how that goes....

My goal is 10 essays.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use. Earl Nightingale

RYOB 2009

I think this is a great idea - who doesn't have books sitting around that they've been meaning to read for months or years but never get around to?

I'm also setting myself a 50 page minimum: I'm not allowed to give up on a book until I've read 50 pages. My target is 10 books.

1. Sun in Glory by Mercedes Lackey

2. Bedlam's Bard by Mercedes Lackey

3. A Cast Of Corbies by Mercedes Lackey and Josepha Sherman

4. Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks

5. Journey Between Worlds by Sylvia Louise Engdahl

6. By Force of Fantasy by Ethel S. Person (non-fiction)

7. Rules of Ascension by David B. Coe

8. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

10.

Will possibly count:

The Lost Memoir of Jane Austen by Syrie James

Establishing goals is all right if you don't let them deprive you of interesting detours. Doug Larson

Gingerbread House!

My sister and I made a gingerbread house yesterday and today. We managed to avoid major FAILs, the worst problem being when the roof turned out to be an inch too short and we had to plug the 'skylight' with marshmallows. It turned out a lot better than we feared but there's still plenty of things to work on next time lol.

This website was really helpful. The professional gingerbread houses in the photos there are amazing!

If you look closely at our cottage you should be able to spot the following:
- a faerie ring
- an alligator
- a dog
- three fruit 'trees' (apricot, strawberry and feijoa)
- a pile of logs

Ingersoll (and me) on Christmas

Again we celebrate the victory of Light over Darkness, of the God of day over the hosts of night. Again Samson is victorious over Delilah, and Hercules triumphs once more over Omphale. In the embrace of Isis, Osiris rises from the dead, and the scowling Typhon is defeated once more. Again Apollo, with unerring aim, with his arrow from the quiver of light, destroys the serpent of shadow. This is the festival of Thor, of Baldur and of Prometheus. Again Buddha by a miracle escapes from the tyrant of Madura, Zoroaster foils the King, Bacchus laughs at the rage of Cadmus, and Chrishna eludes the tyrant.

This is the festival of the sun-god, and as such let its observance be universal. This is the great day of the first religion, the mother of all religions - the worship of the sun.

Sun worship is not only the first, but the most natural and most reasonable of all. And not only the most natural and the most reasonable, but by far the most poetic, the most beautiful.

The sun is the god of benefits, of growth, of life, of warmth, of happiness, of joy. The sun is the all-seeing, the all-pitying, the all-loving. This bright God knew no hatred, no malice, never sought for revenge.

All evil qualities were in the breast of the God of darkness, of shadow, of night. And so I say again, this is the festival of Light. This is the anniversary of the triumph of the Sun over the hosts of Darkness.

Let us all hope for the triumph of Light - of Right and Reason - for the victory of Fact over Falsehood, of Science over Superstition.

And so hoping, let us celebrate the venerable festival of the Sun.

Robert G. Ingersoll, December 25, 1892

Obviously I don’t believe in the Christian God, afterlife, or that Jesus was born of a virgin, died, and was resurrected to pay for our sins. Or any variation thereof. So at this time of year I’m not celebrating Christmas, as such.

The triumph of Light over Darkness,* on the other hand, is something that really appeals to me. In no small part, I suspect, as a result of reading so much epic fantasy. I like the way Ingersoll ‘zooms out’ to what is common to so many celebrations (and novels, songs, movies…) over the millenia: good beating evil. Who can’t get on board with that?**

However, on Christmas Day I won’t be thinking about good and evil, light and dark, truth or superstition or anything else as epic as that any more than I will be thinking about the birth of Jesus. I will be thinking about the sun, because it’s midsummer here and I think the warm weather and lovely long days are worth being happy about. I’ll be thinking about my family, because they will be there with me, and probably appreciating how lucky I am that they're all kind and interesting people. I will be thinking about presents, because giving and getting them is fun, especially the ones that show how much people care. I will be thinking about food, because it will be delicious and because I’ll be hoping the deserts*** my sister and I are making don’t turn out burnt/soggy/uncooked-in-the-middle/poisonous/otherwise unsuccessfully. Of course there will be a lot of other things, not all of them positive, but those are the big three.

I used to feel a little bit bad for ‘hijacking’ the holiday of a religion I don’t believe in just for the hell fun of it but this year I’ve gotten over that and realised that what I’m celebrating is what people have been celebrating for far longer than the party has been called Christmas. I’ll save the fight between Good and Evil for the rest of the year. It’ll probably take longer than one day anyway.

* * * * *

* Figuratively speaking, of course, since there is a time and a place for literal darkness. E.g. photolabs. Obviously you can define Light and Dark however you like. Ingersoll has gone with Science vs. Superstition. Tolkein went with Hobbits and a giant disembodied eye. The possibilities are endless.

** Don't say "evil people." Rhetorical question.

*** Strawberry and white chocolate mousse and a raspberry pie. Nana provides traditional a Christmas pudding.

Reason, Observation and Experience — the Holy Trinity of Science — have taught us that happiness is the only good; that the time to be happy is now, and the way to be happy is to make others so. This is enough for us. Ingersoll again. This one I agree with much more fully. :-)

A Christmas tradition

<-- We have this Father Christmas* ornament that one of us, I think my brother, made in primary school. It's made of cardboard and has limbs that can be moved. One of my favourite Christmas traditions is to position the Father Christmas as on the right so that he looks like he desperately need to pee. The pink cheeks and the uncomfortable expression are just perfect. You can also make him do the splits, a jig, or something that is not really family-appropriate humour. Sadly, I'm the only one who really puts much effort into this one. You can decide for yourself whether 'sadly' in that sentence should be taken to mean 'unfortunately' or 'pathetically.'

* I've been saying 'Santa' so much lately, out of either laziness or exposure to American television, that I feel like I need to get back into the habit of using 'Father Christmas' before it's too late.

The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D. C. This wasn't for any religious reasons. They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin. Jay Leno

Music Monday: Christmas Day

Listen carefully because this week there's going to be a test afterward. :-P Actually it's more like a creative writing exercise. The song is 'Christmas Day' by Dido. What I want to know is, why didn't he come back?!



The way I see it there are two basic choices:

1. He intended to come back but was prevented, most likely by dying.
   
2. He was a total cad from the beginning.

What do you think? If you pick #1 you need to give a reason, silly or serious. Be creative. Here are the lyrics to help you:

A young gentleman came riding past
On a snow blue winter's day.
He asked to drink, by our fire,
And I was pleased to let him stay.
He drank there quietly for a while,
Then he turned and said to me,
"Your eyes are green, like summer grass.
Your lips are red like a fresh-cut rose.
Your hair is soft like an Irish stream,
And your voice is filled with sweet beauty."

And the last words I heard him say
Were "I shall return, for you, my love, on Christmas day."

The night will come but I won't sleep,
As I watch the stars that lead him.
I cannot place where his is,
But still my heart goes with him.
I'm savin all my Sunday clothes
For the day the day that I'll be leavin.
Father knows, my sister knows,
And my friends, they're happy for me
And the priest he says, "You should thank God,
For the blessing of such beauty."

And the last words I heard him say,
Were "I shall return for you, my love, on Christmas day.
I shall return for you, my love, on Christmas day."

And the last words I heard him say,
Were the last words I ever heard him say.
"I shall return for you, my love, on Christmas day.
I swear, I will return on Christmas day,
And yes, I shall return on Christmas day
I shall return, for you, on Christmas day,
My love I will return on Christmas day,
I shall return, my love on Christmas day,
On Christmas day..."

Without music life would be a mistake. Friedrich Nietzsche

High School Musical 3 - Real, live fangirls!

[Warning: I’m going to give away the ending.]

This afternoon I took my little brother (long story) to see the third High School Musical movie. I wasn’t that keen to see it but figured that, like Harry Potter and Twilight, the fuss would be interesting even if the movie itself didn’t float my boat. I find these kinds of mass phenomena really interesting—what is it about these things that captivates millions of, in the case of HSM, tweenage girls? I’d say there were less than 30 people in the theatre and almost all of them were 12ish year-old girls. I had my answer in the first few seconds. The opening shot was a close-up of a sweaty Zac Efron’s face and, I kid you not, a bunch of the girls in the theatre cheered and one called out something involving the word “sexy.” There was an audible response every time he took his shirt off. It was marvellous. Obviously there was more to it than that—these girls were also clapping along to some of the songs and laughing at the jokes, but I was entertained more by seeing fangirls in action than anything else.

What I could have done without were the girls who kept getting up and moving to seats right at the front…then running back again to get their friends…then running back again to get jerseys or something… Bah!

The music was mostly forgettable, IMO (especially when compared to Grease), but I genuinely did enjoy the movie. I wanted to know how poor Troy was going to reconcile all his different ambitions. That was the main point of the story—would he choose to do basketball or theatre at college? Would he and Gabriella end up at colleges thousands of miles apart or would they compromise on their dreams to be together? Of course he got it all in the end, which at first I thought was a bit of a cop-out. Now I’m thinking that since (a) they didn’t have to stretch credibility to pull it off and (b) the message that you don’t have to be exclusively ‘the basketball guy’ or whatever is a good one (better than that of Grease), maybe it was just the cheesiness of it all that made it seem too good to be true.

The only time the feel-goodness of the movie sagged for me was when I started comparing it to the reality of high school and life thereafter, but that soon passed and I was in a great mood afterward. I'm really looking forward to seeing Twilight now.

A question for you: Troy Bolton/Zac Efron, Edward Cullen/Robert Pattinson, Mr Darcy/Colin Firth… What is the common denominator?

May today be better than yesterday, but not as good as tomorrow.

BTT: Generosity + Treats

I've been neglecting the blogosphere lately. There are well over 100 unread posts in my RSS thingy but I'm not done procrastinating yet so they'll stay unread for a while longer.

Anyway, here's my answer to this week's Booking Through Thursday:

Do you give books as gifts?

To everyone? Or only to select people?

How do you feel about receiving books as gifts?

I do give books as gifts, though not often. Dad's getting Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman for Xmas this year. I was tossing up between a Terry Pratchett book (he's a big fan) and a Neil Gaiman book (he liked his podcast) so Good Omens solved the problem rather neatly. :-) Interestingly, the copy in the Neil Gaiman section, with his name at the top, was several dollars cheaper than the Terry Pratchett one. And prettier!

My mum's the biggest reader in the family but, unlike Dad and I, she doesn't reread or collect favourite series or anything so I've only ever given her non-fiction, usually history stuff. Even then though, it's hard to find something she'll actually end up using. I don't think she's ever opened European History for Dummies...

Hmmm, I'm of two minds about receiving books. I'm pretty fussy and have quite a few books I've been given but not managed to finish. On the other hand, there have been one or two major hits that seem worth all the misses. Getting books that are in series I'm trying to collect is the safest bet. ;-)

Edited to add: Ooh, I just spotted the second question!

What is the best book you ever bought for yourself?

And, why? What made it the best? What made it so special?

*checks shelves*

Most of the books I've bought for myself, excluding textbooks, are part of beloved series so it's hard to choose just one... Aside from every Valdemar book I've ever bought (they're special because they have been (and still are) exactly what I want and need in books), I'd have to go with Pride and Prejudice. I've got copies of most of the books I've studied at school or university but that's the only one that has become a favourite. In fact, it's probably the only one I've read again of my own volition. Except maybe Bridget Jones' Diary. The book itself isn't particularly special: it's blue and hardcovered and has quite big print. I suppose that in terms of literary worth P&P is one of the 'best' books on my shelves but that's not really what counts, is it? ;-)

Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. Mary Ellen Chase

Music Monday - Lift the Wings

'Lift the Wings' - Riverdance. The singer, according to the youtube comments, is Áine Uí Cheallaigh. Sorry about the fanvid but this was the version I wanted.

One of my uncles gave my parents a Riverdance CD years ago. They were unimpressed but I really like it. It's one of the CDs I've had the longest and it hasn't gotten old yet. 'Lift the Wings' (I keep typing 'wongs' by mistake haha) is one of my favourite tracks. Apparently the line "a Stóirín a Grá" means "my treasure, my love."



Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory. Oscar Wilde

In search of the perfect novel

I got some books from the library today, needing something to balance The Selfish Gene. I decided I was in the mood for something that:
- is just like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
- is like modern-day Jane Austen
- is funny like The Dresden Files are funny
- is well-written
- is about Elizabeth I
Easier said than found, as it turns out. Recommendations? I'll settle for something that fulfils 3 or more of the criteria. I ended up grabbing these:

The Vacillations of Poppy Carew by Mary Wesley. I've read the first 65 pages but it wasn't floating my boat.

The Thief Taker by Janet Gleeson. A murder mystery set in 18th century England. Main character is a cook called Agnes Meadowes. I think I'll try this next.

Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors. Also set in the 18th century but in France. The main character is "an impoverished noblewoman raised in a remote province" (which I take to mean she isn't an actual historical figure) who gets caught up in the Revolution.

And The Wizard of London by Mercedes Lackey, because it was there. :-)

Today I saw a sign on a corner at a busy intersection advertising "Xmas tress."

If only...

Gotta love xkcd.

Christmassy meme!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I almost always use wrapping paper. It's cheaper, and a present doesn't seem properly hidden when it's just in a bag - someone could peer in!

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Real. We talk about getting a fake one but never have. The real ones make me sneeze so I try not to sit near it.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Never until only a few days before Christmas, at my mother's insistence.

4. When do you take the tree down?
Not sure... Maybe week or two after Christmas.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Never tried it, but I expect I wouldn't. That said, I'd give it a go.

6. Favourite gift received as a child?
Hmmm... Of the things I can remember, these two stand out. I still have them both.
















7. Hardest person to buy for?
Mum. Suggestions?

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My brother. The hard part is deciding which of the many things he'd love to buy!

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Several! They come out every year but I can't say I'm a huge fan.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail, but I don't usually do many, if any.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Nothing in particular... Clothes I've never worn, books I've never read...

12. Favourite Christmas Movie?
Love Actually.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
It varies. This year I started late November. I probably won't finish til the week before the day though.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Nope.

15. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas?
Raspberries and pavlova.

16. Lights on the tree?
Nope.

17. Favourite Xmas song?
Snoopy's Christmas! If we're talking carols (nearly typed corals), I quite like God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Away in a Manger, and O Come O Come Emmanuel. Ooh can I have Greensleeves? Does that count as Xmassy?

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Stay at home. A lot of my family lives in the same city now.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
I tried not to look at Holly's answer before I deleted it. Dasher, Dancer, Donner (Donna?), Prancer, Blitzen, Cupid, Dancer, Rudolph? Yep, that's nine. Did you know... Rudolph may have been a lady reindeer, because male reindeer don't actually have antlers at Christmas time yet 'he' is usually portrayed with them. (I've been watching QI.)

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star, at my insistence! To me stars are beautiful, inspirational, and wondrous. Our angel always looks like she's trying to jump off.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Morning, definitely.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
People asking me what I want for Christmas.

23. Favourite ornament theme or colour?
Silver and stars. I also like ornaments involving quotes about Christmas. I'm sure I made some but I can't find the quote collection on my computer now. =(

24. Favourite memory of Christmas?
Realising how awesome my family actually is. The time my cousin and I compiled a list of '101 Ways to Make Midnight Mass More Fun' stands out too. Pretty sure I still have that somewhere.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
What did I just say?

'tis the season

I'm officially in the Christmas spirit. I've been to Christmas in the Park, I've done the orchestra Christmas concerts, I've started Christmas shopping, and I've imported Snoopy's Christmas into my iTunes library.

I'm always curious about what other atheists, humanists, etc. do at this time of year so I thought I'd blog about what I do. Christmas tends to make me think so I might end up doing a bunch of posts on the topic between now and The Big Day.

Before Christmas day:

I go to Christmas in the Park with friends. It's a big (by the standards of where I live) outdoor concert with local musical talent performing a mixture of carols, secular Christmas (is that an oxymoron?) music, and other random music. Then there are fireworks! Good fun. =D

The amateur orchestra I'm in plays Christmas music (carols and more modern stuff) for our two end-of-year concerts which were last weekend.

I'm spending a morning playing in a string quartet at a hospital. *polishes halo*

Christmas shopping, of course. I like thinking of good presents but avoiding packed malls is one of the few things that will motivate me to get up early.

I have an advent calendar. For a few years we used one that mum made - a big piece of fabric with 25 lolly-filled pockets that hung on the wall - but this year I have a Barbie one. It's not as cool.

On Christmas Eve I intend to watch Love Actually. Maybe also the Christmas episode of Bones. "A helicopter pilot?" Hehehe.

On Christmas day:

Typically, Christmas involves my grandmother, aunts and uncles, and cousins on Mum's side because they all live near us while Dad's family don't. We get up at 7 (although now that I'm older I'm lobbying for an 8 o'clock start) and open presents from 'Father Christmas,' then from each other. Then we stuff our faces with junk food until it's time to meet the extended family at my grandmother's place. We give out family presents while eating some more. There's usually some debate over what to do to fill in the time before dinner - the older generation are happy to sit and chat but my generation wants to go to the beach or play games or something. We usually end up migrating to a particular aunt and uncle's house because they're the ones with the pool and tennis court. I actually get more exercise on Christmas day than most of the rest of the year.

Thus far it has been the mothers/aunts who have done most of the cooking but last year I found myself peeling potatoes so this year I've volunteered to make a dessert. We have a fairly traditional Christmas dinner: roast turkey, stuffing, beans, potatoes, and probably some other stuff I've forgotten... Then Christmas puddings (the kind you set on fire with brandy!), pavlova (my mum's specialty), raspberries, and ice cream. More of less. Oh, and we pull crackers before we eat, and everyone wears those stupid hats that are inside them. And someone says grace.

For several years my cousins and I put on a 'Christmas Concert.' This involved various instrumental performances and a Christmas play, penned by one of my cousins. Being the kind of person who won't touch acting with a 99ft Lithuanian, let alone a 10ft pole, I was always in charge of costumes and props. It is the most wonderful of Christmas miracles that this tradition has gone the way of the 'children's table' as we have all gotten older and wiser.

After dinner everyone just blobs and digests. Certain family members fall asleep, others play board games or talk. This is when the hideous 'So, what are doing for a job over the summer?' and 'How's university going? What are you going to do after you finish?' questions come out to play, after which one inevitably feels that one isn't doing quite as well as one's cousins of similar age... Eventually everyone gets sleepy and goes home.

That's about it really. With a lot more conversation than my description would have you believe. I think this year everyone's coming to my place, which means... I get to organise background music!

I'll probably do a post later on about being an atheist at Christmas. It's not exactly a big deal but it still gets me thinking.

After Christmas Day:

I will not go to the Boxing Day sales. Made that mistake once.

"Merry semi-pagan, slightly literary, and very commercial Christmas," our father would always announce on Christmas morning..." from Into the Forest by Jean Hegland