Mischievous Muse

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Location: Austin, TX, United States

Scholar, Writer, Mother, Dreamer. Editor of Luminarium, an online library for English Literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Entertainment News of Interest (To Me)


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

And that's all she wrote this morning.
 

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On the Full Moon



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)
 

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Sunday, July 29, 2007

Anniina Simpson - Simpsonize Yourself!


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!
 

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Hyperliterature Book Reading Club


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 SzélsÅ‘Fa read it in Hungarian translation which even worked, so don't be shy — you'll miss out on a nice experience otherwise.

xo,
A

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Thursday, July 26, 2007

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

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.

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Wednesday, July 25, 2007

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

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.
 

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Saturday, July 21, 2007

Harry Potter Final Book - I Love Amazon

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

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Thursday, July 19, 2007

How Much is Your Cadaver Worth?

$4025.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth. From Mingle2 - Free Online Dating

Mingle2 - Free Online Dating

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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Status Update

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

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