Brain Leakage

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Dark Shadows needs dusting
With all the mention of the passing of Jonathan Frid, I remembered one of my additions to my personal canon. Mrs. Knox was the housekeeper at Collinwood starting in 1972 and through 1976 at least. I was a senior in high school in 1976 and the emphasis on the “Bicentennial Year” was huge, even in Montana. I remember thinking it would be a major deal at Collinwood. I gradually developed this mental character who made a good cup of coffee and yelled at Roger for tracking mud on to her freshly cleaned floors.
I grew up in a VIctorian house with a front hall with black and white tiles on the floor and knew how much trouble I would get in if I tracked mud in on the floors. Spray can carpet shampoo was also new in those days so shampooing the runners on the front stairs in Collinwood fit into it.
I had a whole back story for Mrs. Knox, leading up until about the time I went off to college. She wasn’t a Mary Sue. Nobody fell in love with her. She just cleaned the house.
Recently, Mrs. Knox has drifted into my brain again. Hmmm.

Current Mood: amused

Pottermore
Anyone know what's up? My brother and niece are desperate to join.

Current Mood: curious

Springtime in Montana
It is March 31, lawnmowers are humming, daffodils are blossoming, both my Nanking cherry and apricot are in full bloom. This is very unnatural.

I dreamed was at Collinwood last night. Cleaning the woodwork. This is the way my dreams often work.

Niece's 13th birthday tomorrow. She requested shrimp cocktail. Kid is too sophisticated for her own good.

Busy. Hope to post more some day.

Current Mood: busy

Chag Purim Sameach
To my Jewish friends, happy feasting.

Am very busy. Hope to update this weekend.

Current Mood: busy

Browsing the AP feed again
NEW YORK (AP) — J.K. Rowling is back, and writing for adults.

The author of mega-selling "Harry Potter" series has an agreement with Little, Brown in the United States and Britain to publish her first novels for grownups. The title, release date and details about the novel, long rumored, were not announced Thursday. Her seventh and final Potter story came out in 2007.

Rowling's Potter books, which broke sales records around the world, were published by Bloomsbury in Britain and Scholastic in the U.S. Rowling will now share the same publisher with Stephenie Meyer, whose "Twilight" series at least partially filled the gap opened by the conclusion of the Potter stories.

"Although I've enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world," Rowling said in a statement released by Little, Brown. "The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry's success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in this new phase of my writing life."

Any Rowling book would seem a guaranteed million seller, although it's questionable that her new novel will have the same mass appeal as Potter. Adult authors from E.B. White to Sherman Alexie have nicely managed the transition to writing for young people but, once a writer is defined as a children's author, the transition can be tricky. Winnie the Pooh creator A.A. Milne, a successful playwright in his early years, once confessed that he was forced to say "goodbye to all that" after his beloved books about the bear and friends. Margaret Wise Brown, author of the classic "Goodnight Moon," tried for years to write stories for The New Yorker.

But Rowling does begin with one advantage: The Potter books had an enormous following among readers of all ages and she is widely credited with revealing to publishers that children's books were no longer just for the young. Meyer's vampire novels and Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games" trilogy also have caught on with both parents and their kids. Meyer herself wrote an adult book, "The Host," a best-seller in 2008.

"It would just be cool if my existing fans liked it," Meyer told The Associated Press in 2008. "And I hope to get some new readers who would never go into the YA (Young Adult) shelves."

While browsing the AP today
LONDON (AP) — Actress Helena Bonham Carter, whose regal roles include the Red Queen in "Alice in Wonderland" and the mother of Queen Elizabeth II in "The King's Speech," has been honored by the British monarch for services to drama.

Bonham Carter was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, by the queen at a Buckingham Palace ceremony. She was there with her husband, director Tim Burton, and children Billy Ray, 8, and Nell, 4.

Her films range from costumes dramas such as "A Room With a View" to "Fight Club" and "Planet of the Apes." She also played scheming witch Bellatrix Lestrange in the "Harry Potter" films.

Renowned for her bohemian style sense, the 45-year-old attended the ceremony Wednesday in a red tartan patterned dress and miniature top hat.

Current Mood: tired

For Forever Knight Fans
NEW YORK (AP) — "Poetic License" is a slyly-named, clever play by Jack Canfora about a renowned, middle-aged poet who is suddenly accused, at the pinnacle of his career, of having plagiarized everything he's written.

The tense, articulate production opened Wednesday night off-Broadway at 59E59 Theatres.

Geraint Wyn Davies, always impressive, is well-cast as John Greer, a seemingly humble, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and esteemed professor of literature at a northeastern university who is about to be named U.S. poet laureate. Liza Vann plays his wife, Diane, with waspish bravura. Sharp-tongued and manipulative, Diane has successfully managed her husband's career for 25 years, creating lucrative opportunities for him.

The play takes place on one pivotal evening in the family living room, as only-child Katherine (a spirited portrayal by Natalie Kuhn), a college student and aspiring poet who worships her father, nervously brings home her live-in boyfriend, graduate student Edmund (Ari Butler), for what she expects to be a private family weekend celebrating John's birthday.

Evan Bergman fluently directs the progressively confrontational drama, as the characters exchange lively dialogue of the kind expected from a foursome drenched in academia. While everyone tries to be cordial at first, relations are strained between mother and daughter, and Katherine must continually fend off her mother's barbed comments. When Diane says, right after meeting Edmund, that she hopes he and Katherine work out, Katherine says sarcastically, "And another chapter in my memoir's just written itself."

Canfora also provides a meaty part for Diane, as nearly everything she says is a witty zinger, all delivered with acidic relish and poise by Zann. When Katherine tells Diane after dinner that Edmund's mother raised him until her death when he was 14, a mildly drunk Diane exclaims thoughtlessly, "Jesus, John, our daughter's sleeping with a Dickens character." John gently refers to his wife's stinging comments as her "lambent wit" and genially points out to Edmund, "Every family's a foreign country. Impossible to understand all the nuances of the native culture."

But Edmund, whom Butler at first plays as apprehensive, sweet and bashful, is soon revealed to have his own agenda, and it's not to ingratiate himself with Katherine's parents. Instead, Butler slowly exposes his character's simmering rage, and Edmund's desire to honor the memory of his mother.

The shocking allegation about the origin of John's much-admired poetry is gradually revealed halfway through the play, built up to in well-staged scenes between Edmund and John as they exchange heated allegations. Canfora has written several surprise twists into the plot, and as the Greers struggle to keep up with the confusion Edmund creates, other secrets burst out.

Even in a rumpled gray cardigan sweater, Wyn Davies is impressive, first as a loving father and understanding husband, then masterfully calibrating John's unraveling into a cornered beast when his career and credibility are challenged. Wyn Davies escalates his character's fury as John turns defensively mean and nasty while refuting Edmund's accusations.

Much of the final scene depends on Kuhn's ability to look confused and stunned, as her character learns of betrayals by both her boyfriend and her father, and John inadvertently destroys the pedestal Katherine's had him on all her life. The Greer family is left in tatters by Canfora's script, having begun the evening in more or less smug complacency, but ending it with a white-hot annihilation of their security and happiness.

___

Online:

http://www.59e59.org

Current Mood: accomplished

Rickman News
NEW YORK (AP) — The bad news? Alan Rickman is leaving the hit play "Seminar" on Broadway. The good news? Jeff Goldblum is taking over.

Producers said Tuesday that Rickman will play his final performance on April 1 and Goldblum starts an eight-week stint in Rickman's old role on April 3.

In Theresa Rebeck's play about the soul-torturing world of authors, four budding writers are taught about life by a crass, pugnacious novelist-turned-tutor.

Goldblum last appeared on Broadway in "The Pillowman" in 2005. He recently starred in two productions for London's Old Vic: "Speed-the-Plow" in 2008 and "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" in 2010, both opposite Kevin Spacey.

Current Mood: tired

On this day
On this day in 211, the Roman emperor Septimius Severus died. Just thought you'd like to know.

Current Mood: busy

Chuck
Farewell, Chuck Bartowski and Charles Carmichael. Unlike your poor sibling Heros, you never lost your focus or your sense of fun. Jeffster will live forever.

Current Mood: nostalgic

Game of Shadows
Saw Sherlock II at the theatre last night. Enjoyed muchly, even if 15 minutes could have gone without hurting anything. Love Mycroft calling him "Shirley."

Have to cover the City Council meeting tonight. Ugh.

Current Mood: tired

Happy Birthday, Severus Snape
And other things.

Survived my first 40 hours week in 13 years. Well, sort of. I left early on Tuesday to go home and nap. When I showed up at 8 a.m. on Monday, nobody was there to give me instructions or papers to fill out. They thought I wasn't coming in until Tuesday. The editor did show up eventually and we got started. I am familiar with the layout program but not an expert and by the end of the day, my neck and shoulders were TENSE. Had a full glass of wine, which I never do, with dinner and fell asleep on the couch.

I'm getting the hang of it but my rear end is not used to 40 hours a week sitting down. I will be getting out more in the future, as I start doing actual reporting, but am still sitting down a lot. Ow. Seriously. My butt hurts.

Learned about Bountiful Baskets. (www.bountifulbaskets.org) That's the great thing about this job. I learn new things instead of old things.

My SIL is clearing out the basement. I have boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff from her to go through. It's a bit emotionally draining for me but I admire her ambition.

I'm also serving as editor for my older brother's novel. He assured me he could take constructive criticism. I gave him some. He then admitted it did sting a bit but it was exactly what he needed. He had time while taking care of my mother to get the book in rough draft so good came out of that.

So, the new year begins.

Current Mood: tired

Muppets!
Walter was Sheldon! Sheldon was Walter!!! YAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!

Current Mood: happy

More changes
I will have even less time and brain power for writing fiction as I start a new job on January 2. I am going to be a full-time reporter at the newspaper where my mother worked for 30 years, where I worked in high school, where my brother worked in high school and where my husband now works. I am not actually trained as a reporter, but they know from many years of working with me as a contract columnist that I can be depended on and I can write.

The salary increase won't be huge (I will actually start out at 25¢ less an hour than I make now) BUT I will get my own health insurance so we can save $6,000 a year that is being taken out of my husband's measly salary. Yahoo! I am a bit nervous and guilty (guilty about leaving the historic preservation folks in a bit of a lurch) and not looking forward to getting up and to work by 8 a.m. every day but. . .

Some financial security would be nice. We live paycheck to paycheck and really had to struggle to pay all the bills that came at the end of the year this year. We pay our property tax separately, and the house insurance, not as part of our monthly payment, so that makes for some BIG bills twice a year.

I have been spending like a fiend (for me!) on Christmas presents. My husband is getting four sweaters, four shirts and two pairs of trousers!!!! I can hardly decide what to blow the bucks on next. Insulation for the 1910 frame addition to our 1882 brick house that unfortunately contains the bathroom with the shower and is therefore the coldest room in the house? Wood for bookcases so we can get piles of boxes out of the garage and unpacked 12 years after moving! New faucets and pipes so we can re-install the old clawfoot tub upstairs!

The possibilities are endless.

The opportunities to write porn will not be.
Current Mood: nervous

Current Mood: hopeful

Furnace con't
All the plumbing in our house is at one end, since the house was built long before plumbing. We have space heaters enough for the pipes. Plumber was over first thing this morning (Bless our local plumbers. We have them on speed dial and they know our address.) He fixed the fan and we have heat.

I blame my husband. He changed the furnace filter on Sunday and I suspect the fan was so used to blowing through six inches of cat hair that a clean filter confused it.

Current Mood: relieved

Furnace
We replaced it last year because the heat exchanger cracked and it was trying kill us. Even though it was under a recall, that recall didn't cover the over $1,000 in labor to install the new one. Guess what just failed? Yup. Buzzing noise and nothing else. It will get to 20 degrees tonight so I have set up back up heaters near the pipes and will call the plumbers in the morning. I'd replace it if I could afford to but I'm not sure I can even pay to have it repaired.

Oh,snap, but life is full of fun, isn't it?

Current Mood: angry

She is visiting
Five months without a sign of Aunt Flo. Sadly, she decided to drop in today. I have NOT missed her.

Current Mood: tired

To My Jewish Friends
"Shanah Tovah"

Current Mood: chipper

My Home Town
This is where I live.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/cowboy-mardi-gras-5970/Overview

Current Mood: amused

Batman met Elvis tonight and took him to the Fair
Seriously. We have a local Elvis impersonator who, I gather, as I am not an Elvis fan, is pretty good. There is also a lady in town whose nephew is an authorized Batman. His jaw looks like Adam West and he has an official costume and--get this--an official TV series Batmobile. He makes a living going to conventions.

So, it is Elvis' birthday and to surprise him, his wife gets together with Batman's aunt and arranges for Batman to pick Elvis up and take him to the Fair where Elvis is performing.

My husband went to take pictures of this event. He said Elvis was going to be late to his performance because he made Batman pop the hood and they were talking car stuff rather than getting going. Sadly, the repro Batmobile does not have turbo overdrive.

They were going to drag Main a few times, then go to the Fair.

All in a normal day here in the strange little Montana town I call home.

Current Mood: amused