Mr. Darcy's Daughters

Mr. Darcy's Daughters

I just finished reading a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Normally I'm wary of any book that tries to copy an author's style in a sequel. There is a book out at Inklings that immediately follows the wedding, and as much as I can tell from the chapter I perused in the bookstore, it's just about them having a lot of sex. Ruined my pristine viewing and reading experience.

In Mr. Darcy's Daughters, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy don't even appear. They have been called on a diplomatic mission to Turkey. Elizabeth accompanies her husband, and the five Darcy daughters go to stay with Colonel Fitzwilliam and his wife Fanny to spend a year in Town for the Season. Sometimes the writing came dangerously close to be a rehash of the original book. Daughter number one is the beauty. In personality she is more like Mary than Jane, at first merely concerned for appearances and decency, but later she becomes an evangelical and spends most of her time at meetings and handing out tracts. Daughter number two is not a beauty, but has dark hair and "fine eyes." The majority of the narrative focuses around her time in London. She is almost engaged to a Sir Sydney, but upon being enlightened about his extracurricular hobbies she puts an end to it, causing plenty of gossip. Daughters three and four are twins, with characters similar to their Aunt Lydia (who also makes several appearances). Their fates are similar in the end, though not so dramatic, with Uncle Gardiner again having to rescue his neices. Daughter number five is a musician under the care of a governness whose attentions are more focused on her writing than her ward.

Several original Pride and Prejudice characters appear or are referenced. Lady Warren (formerly Caroline Bingley) sends her son on a mission to bring the Darcy girls down a peg. Mr. and Mrs. Gardener, whose fortunes have risen and removed the from Cheapside, are co-guardians with the Fitzwilliams. Mr. Bennet is taking care of the Darcy sons at Pemberly. Lydia, formerly Wickham, has been widowed and remarried, and now runs a rather dodgy salon in her home. The Bingley's reside primarily in the country.

All in all it was an interesting read. Elizabeth Aston does a good balance of introducing the flavor of Jane Austen without trying to copy her style of writing. Some of the subjectmatter is a little modern, but it was handled well. The only original character that comes off badly in the new version is Colonel Fitzwilliam. He was charming and easy formerly, and now is rather harsh and pedantic. And not very considerate of his wife. All in all, a good read. Not quite up to the level of the original, but it stays true to Austen's story.

The Last Sun of the Season

The Last Sun of the Season

Finally, a whole day with nothing to do! I slept in for me, but not late, finally crawling out of bed at 9:30. I ate a leisurely breakfast, showered, and finally trimmed my hair. I've been needing to do that for a month or so. Just a trim and some shorter layers. I never thought I'd reach the day where I'm brave enough to try hacking away. But necessity is the mother of desperation...Or something.

After brunch I packed up my spending logs, calculator, and ledger and headed to the park to finally finish up my September, do my quarterly reports, and fill out spending logs for most of October. Plus updating my actual ledger part, balancing the bottom of one page, and starting a new one. I've been very bad about this since the Texas trip. It was tedious, but it's finished now. I then allowed myself the luxury of a short nap in the sun, and got a rather mean little sunburn on my back. Who thinks of sunscreen in October. That's what I get for living in a windowless apartment. Pain aside, it felt wonderful to be outside in such an Indian summer. It was perfect. Low 70's, sunny, with a little breeze just as you were getting a bit too warm. Ahhhhh. Now for the other major undertaking. Cleaning my apartment.

I love my Job

I love my job

What did I do today? Decorated one tree with red and gold ribbon and glittery apples. Made miniature blue paper chain garland and hot glued mini metallic balls on another. Bent a three inch christmas tree into a Charlie Brown tree and put one red ornament from it's tip. Then spray painted plastic easter eggs, covered them with glitter, and dried them for our Peacock tree soon to be up in the romantic room.

Where else can you do stuff like this?

It feels like College Again

Beginning to feel a lot like College

I was driving through my umpteenth fast food joint yesterday and couldn't figure out why it felt familiar. Then I thought back over my week. Last Wednesday - line through at Starbucks. Thursday, Friday, Saturday - Shows. Sunday and Monday - Band Practice. Tuesday Night - Symphony Chorus Rehearsal.

I remember how this goes. It's amazing to me that I'm this skinny eating as much drive through as I have been in the last month. Yesterday was KFC and Taco Time. Hurrah for the Popcorn Chicken and Crisp Meat Burritos.

Never let it be said I don't get myself involved...

The newest Calzone

The Newest Calzone

So...um...I joined a rock band. I think rock band covers it. They play covers of The Killers (My new favorite), Outkast, Greenday, Good Charlotte (yay!) and Jimmy Eat World, Queen, along with things like Money Money, My Sharona, and Margaritaville. Quite an eclectic mix.

They needed a keyboard player, and a token chick to occasionally fill in on vocals. So they asked me to sit in on a few rehearsals, and learn a couple of songs to play with them. I learned "Jenny was a Friend of Mine" and "When I Come Around". And Sunday night they asked me to join. So there. Now I'm trying to learn their original 25 songs, and the 25 they added last night. So as of last night I can play "The Distance" by Cake I think. And all of "Mr. Brightside" except the last solo. Anyway, I'm having a stinking good time. I spent three hours last night trying to futz out parts by ear. I'm getting an entire pop-music education in one week or less.

It's over

It's Over

What does it say about the show that none of the cast went to the cast party?

That's what I'm saying.

Frustrations

Venting Frustrations

This is officially the show that no one cares about. Not the audience. Not the actors. (I just realized it looks like I said the audience and actors don't care. Actually, it should read that we're the only people that did) Performance-wise we think it's very strong. Our house count is at aout 75% -- great for a fall show.

Backstage however, it's a "whole nother" story. We haven't seen our director in two weeks. We never have the same crew two nights in a row. Saturday we're losing three people and our sound and lighting guy to homecoming. Our dresser just isn't coming this week. The people in the light booth have been talking so loud we can hear them onstage.

There's no one giving us notes at all, and this is a tough show. I feel like I'm flying blind up there after 6 shows. We need someone to tell us what isn't working, but there's just no one around to do that. Professionally speaking, it's normal to lose the director after final dress or the first performance, but usually they appoint someone to carry on in their stead for the run.

The actual play is going very well, and we're getting great reviews, but the cast in unison agrees that after sacrificing 6 nights a week,most of saturday for months, three nights a week of performances, and one more night a week for line run throughs after our four day break, we'd like a little support from the rest of our team.

Ok. I'm done now.

I would like to say I am here, but I'm not.

I would like to say I am here, but I'm not.

Everyone breathe a big sigh with me. Yes. And enjoy the feeling of air rushing through your nostirls, because it hasn't been doing that in mine for days. Finally I broke down and bought some Tylenol cold/sore throat/runny nose/conjestion/fever reducer/pain reliever stuff and...do it with me...*sigh*. A sigh for two reasons. One, I can breathe again, and two, tonight I have 2 hours after work before I have to be anywhere. *sigh*

Monday night I raced from work to go hear my friend's band play, and figure out if I want to be joining it as token chick/keyboard/occasional backup vocals. Good band. I have their music burned for me and we'll see if I can transform into what they want by next monday.

Tuesday:I worked both jobs, and in the afternoon the whole world was at the shop. A slew of foreign exchange students led by my mother tackled the piles of garbage sacks full of clothes in our backyard. I was sent running errands to the mission and for pizza all afternoon, joined by Kris, who had free time after his voice lesson at 1st Pres and hung out with me as I ran errands. Then, after work we three -- Me, Kris, and Allie went out for a blizzard, which I owed her for cleaning out my litterbox. Then I ran allie to band practice, laid down for 20 minutes, then put my contacts back in and went to two hours of Symphony Chorus rehearsal, followed by Kareoke. My self imposed curfew was 11 this time instead of almost-2.

Today: Worked both jobs again, closed the doors, counted money, and *sigh*. I don't have line-through for Proof until 8 this evening. I think I'll go indulge in Chinese takeout and a good book. Or perhaps learn the rest of "Mr. Brightside" on keyboard. *sigh*

End of Week Two

End of Week Two

Week two of shows is over. They went well, I think.

Thursday was a hellish day all around for me. I worked 7:30-5:30, spent my lunch break in a meeting with my principal, and ran to dinner and the show after that. I felt terrible. It was like pulling teeth to get up enough energy to start the show off. And then I hear the sound of my parents in the audience. The show went off alright. Kris and I nearly chipped teeth in our drunken lunge. Ouch. My folks seemed pleased with it, other than giving Kris a hard time about making out with me in front of them. And mom was upset that my black dress doesn't fit correctly. Well, it did several weeks and about 10 pounds ago. Oh well. There will be time to eat later.

Friday I called in sick to both jobs and slept all day. I felt terrible at the show, but it was a great audience. They laughed at odd stuff. Things that others didn't laugh at. It threw us off a little because we'd become accustomed to the "pause for laughter" moments, but where we paused, they didn't, and where we didn't pause, they did. Oh, and a lady in the front row had a breathing machine that sounded like Darth Vader. Every quiet moment was dominated by sssssss....tssssssss. And then she'd start choking or hacking up a lung. What a way to get in the mood in the kissing scenes, I'll tell you. And on that subject, they were much more docile after the painful night before. Claire skipped several lines in the confrontation scene, but that happened at the dress rehearsal to, so we're prepared for that jump. After that I went straight to my folks' house to watch the dog while they're away, and crashed until noon.

Last night. Wow. What a silent audience. It would have been disheartening, but we could tell they were into it, just quietly. Claire keeps getting more and more emotional in our confrontation scenes. Friday night she almost cried in the last one, and had to shove past me to get offstage. Last night she almost lost it in the second one as we're screaming our heads off about whether or not Dad should have been put away somewhere. And Dad and my cold scene has been really emotional the last few nights. He's been getting crazier as I try to pull him back inside the house and then screams at me to open the book and read him the lines, so I have more reason to be afraid of him. It works well for the audience when I'm trying to mollify him instead of just giving in to a little whining. And, the crowning moment in the first scene, Kris and I did our lines entirely out of order in one part, but we kept up with the right answer, and somehow ended up right where we needed to be, at the same time. It was lovely.

So, I'm spending the day in bed once I get home. Have a great Sunday!

Sick

And now I'm sick. Gross! Sore throat and exhaustion, I staid home from both jobs today, but I'm on call. So several times I've been downstairs in my pajamas to take care of things. yay.