gypsygirl

I finished El Dorado yesterday! Woohoo! No more wanting to smack Armand!

It really did end up being a very good book, once I got past those beginning chapters where he was being such a goose, and once the action moved onto the other characters. I've decided that one reason I was so annoyed with Armand was that Orczy changed him so much from the first book to this one. In that, he was the responsible elder brother, who had looked after his little sister from the time their parents died, and was completely devoted to the Scarlet Pimpernel's cause. In this book she made him younger than Marguerite and completely reckless and foolish.

And I have two chapters left of A Little Princess, so I should be done with that this weekend. Now I need to find something new to read. I am still working on Pride and Prejudice, but when I started it, I didn't realize there was another solo version in progress. It had been semi-abandoned, but it started back up this week. As it's a newer reader, I don't want them to feel like I'm infringing on their territory, so I'd rather not take P&P public just now. My plan is to keep working on it, but I need something else for my public project. I'm thinking of, perhaps, some more Nesbit, another Anne book, or maybe the first Katy Did book. But I haven't decided yet.

I finally got my invite to Ravelry yesterday. I spent part of today adding completed projects to my page. I don't know how much I'll use it for organization, but it's a great place to get new ideas!

So after everything I said about the WCT being somewhat picky about casting the leads of plays, I have to take it back. I watched Annie the weekend it opened, and ended up leaving during intermission. Like Once Upon This Island, the casting of the leads left much to be desired. I will say that the three people cast as Miss Hannigan, Rooster and Lily St. Regis were fantastic. They were the only leads who seemed confident onstage and with their lines, songs and choreography. They were also the only leads who seemed to be having fun with their parts (not really difficult with those).

My main objection was to the poor child who played Annie (well, the one I saw that night... the role was shared by two girls). It's not her fault. I've worked with her before and heard her sing, and know that she has a very nice voice, but someone made the decision that she should belt all her songs... and they just weren't in her belting range, so the result was that she sounded strained and painful.

I decided not to audition for Amadeus after all. I'd only just regained enough energy (after the stress of adjusting to the new job) to get back into my LibriVox project, and I'm on a roll with that, so I wasn't willing to give up my evenings just yet.

I'm still working on El Dorado, but I'm not as blocked as I was before. The focus hasn't been on Armand as much as it was in the beginning, so he's not driving me crazy like he was. I've also started two other projects - A Little Princess and Pride and Prejudice. I've been wanting to do both for a while, and doing chapters in those was a good motivation to deal with Armand. I haven't put P & P into the catalogue yet, I'm just working on it on the side for now, but I'm five chapters each away from finishing El Dorado and Little Princess , and I'll be taking it public once I do finish them.

I learned of a knitting group here in Waco a few weeks ago. I've been thinking of visiting it. I'm a bit shy of going because I only know one person... and also because I don't have anything particularly interesting on the needles just now. I've got that scarf I started for Ethel last winter still going; and a hat for the Dulaan project. I had bought a whole bundle of a particular yarn... ooh, probably two years ago that didn't turn out to be how I expected (it said worsted, but it's much thicker than that), so I figured I could use it up making hats and things for the Dulaan project.

And now I'm off to eat lunch in the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

Life's been pretty busy since my last post (hence no posts since then).

So, first off, I started the new job. It's been fairly quiet for these first few weeks. The whole first week and part of the second all I did was read, because they'd ordered me a new computer (a nice, shiny new macbook!) and we were waiting for it to arrive. The rest of the second week I spent trying to install Windows and Linux on it (some of the things I'm going to be working with run on Mac, some on Windows and some on Linux, so I have to have all three OS's). Then I went on vacation for a week, but I did finally get the various operating systems running when I got back. Since then, they've slowly been getting me started on some of the things I'm going to be dealing with. Oh, and kind of cool coincidence, one of the first things I worked on was a problem a professor was having with his website, which he was running with wordpress... so this blog? Not just for fun! Actual work related learning experience gained from it!

Now back to the vacation. I went out to Mum's for ten days. This is the first time I'd been out there since she moved to Palmdale and Paul brought the family up, so I got to see the new house, and of course, all the family. The times at home were fairly quiet. The boys are sort of between activities right now, so they spend most of their time online or playing video games (sometimes both). Mum and Natalie and I had fun though. Mum and I usually try to get out to the Hollywood Bowl whenever I visit during the summer, and this year Natalie came with us. We got to see South Pacific, with Reba McEntire and Brian Stokes Mitchell. It was awesome! Then a few days later, we went to see Wicked. I'd been wanting to see this since I first found out that the book was being turned into a musical, so I did a quick search to see if the touring company might happen to be in the Los Angeles area during that week, and found that there's a permanent (well, probably semi-permanent) production at the Pantages! I treated Mum to both shows for her birthday present. Natalie came with us to this one too. They didn't know anything about Wicked, but they were excited to be getting out of the house for something other than work. On the Friday before I came back Natalie's daughter Debbie was playing in the orchestra for a community college production of Once Upon This Island, so we went to that too. Needless to say, after South Pacific and Wicked, this was a bit of a letdown. Maybe if we'd seen that one first. I mean, it wasn't terrible, but it was definitely an amateur performance (I like to think that we're a little pickier about our lead roles at the WCT... but I'm terribly afraid we aren't always).

I haven't been doing much outside of work since I got back. Though yesterday was my birthday and I did get taken out for lunch. Apparently, the Preservation people adopt whoever works in the office across the hall from them, regardless of what department they're in, so Eric and I get included in all they do. It's fun, and I'm enjoying getting to know that group better. I used to see them some when they were on the first floor, but we're in much closer proximity here and it's easier.

Annie opens next weekend at the Civic. I got cast in it, but then I found out that Linda had cast about 60 kids! I told them that I'd just started a new job and we were starting a big project and that I wasn't sure how much spare time I was going to have in the evenings (all of which is true), so thank you but I was going to have to turn down the part. I will be ushering, though. Beth is playing Miss Hannigan and I've heard that she's hilarious, so I'm looking forward to watching her.

I'm still working on El Dorado for Librivox. It's an interesting story, but I keep putting off recording because Armand, from whose perspective most of this story is told, is driving me spare. He's being such an absolute infant that I keep wanting to smack him upside the head. This one's longer than the other Orczy book I did too, much longer. I originally picked it because it's the other book they generally use when they're making a film adaptation, so I know parts of the plot.

I just finished four Java programs in two hours! Talk about catching up on the homework!

I figured I should at least look at them, considering I'm going to be tutoring one of my classmates on these two chapters tomorrow. Good motivation to get the work done, I'll tell you that much.

Now, if I could just find some motivation for recording the rest of Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare! I don't remember them being this dull when I read them as a kid. Perhaps it's because I've since been introduced to the full glory of Shakespeare's works, and just can't do with this cut down prose anymore.

And speaking of Shakespeare's plays, I had an idea this afternoon when I was having lunch with Jana. We were talking about the upcoming season at the theatre and I mentioned how much I miss doing Shakespeare. She told me she'd done her best to get some into the new season, but without success, and then we moved on to talking about studio shows. And that's when I got the idea to submit Twelfth Night as a studio show.

I must admit, part of the appeal is because, completely selfishly, I'd cast myself as Viola!

Jana has bagsed Malvolio. *lol*

I've started a new blog on Xanga to keep track of the books I read this year. Head over there if you're interested at all.

I did finally finish the Border Collie I was making my mother, though not in time for Christmas (more like New Year). Sewing it up took way longer than I'd expected. I have some pics, but they're on my laptop and I'm currently at work, so I'll post them later. I'm not terribly thrilled with the way it turned out. For one thing, I wasn't able to find eyes in the right size. The pattern called for 12mm, and the smallest I could find was 15mm, so he looks a bit bug-eyed. Also, in retrospect (meaning after I'd sewn him up), I realized I should have put way more stuffing in him, especially in his front legs, because they were getting a bit floppy and he couldn't sit up straight. Still, it was my first attempt at a stuffed animal, so it wasn't too bad, and mum was quite pleased with him. She's named him Toby and she sits him on her bed every morning with his front paws on the window sill "so he can see out and amuse himself while she's at work".

Now, in reaction to two fairly complicated projects (the dog and the shawl), I'm working on something nice and simple, where I don't have to think at all, just let me fingers do their thing while I watch tv. I'm making a Gryffindor scarf. I'm actually nearly done with it. I mean it to be about six feet long and it's already nearly as long as I am tall (meaning 5'2"). I'll take some pics of it once I'm done (possibly wearing both it and my masters' gown, for better effect )

I've also been working on my first pair of socks. I found a toe-up pattern that looked pretty and I started them about two or three months ago, but the needle size they recommended was way too small, and it made the knitting too tight and hard to work (plus I didn't like the way the pattern said to do the increases - it made the fabric untidy). So, I frogged what I'd done so far and started over with some larger needles. I've done about half the length of my foot on the first one and I think, maybe I should have done one needle size smaller (the original was US 0, and I went up to US 3) because it's a little loose, but I think I can fix it. Anyway, I'll post pics of them too, when I'm done.

So I was going to go bowling on Sunday with some friends, but we're all so laid back that we didn't actually manage to get our plans together in time, so we didn't. <paranoid>Or maybe they did and they didn't invite me!</paranoid>

You know, just because you're paranoid, it doesn't necessarily mean they're not out to get you.

I'm thinking of starting to re-read the Harry Potter books because the sixth one's coming out in July. I figure, taking it leisurely, and taking time off for stuff I'm actually supposed to read, like textbooks, I'll be done just before the new one's released.

So I went bowling the other night with my new bowling ball, and I scored a 160 on the first game!! That's my highest score to date. Of course, on the second game I didn't even break 100, but I rallied on the third and managed a 122, which is closer to my normal.

As usual, I had a pretty good time with my mother, but by the end of the first week, I was ready for her to be out of my apartment. I love both my parents, but a week is as long as I can handle with either of them, if we're staying in the same house.

It's back to work tomorrow, so I'm making the most of my last day off. At the moment it's nearly 2:30pm, and I'm still in my pjs. I've been doing some reading and watching some shows that got recorded while my mother was here. I have to go to the post office at some point today, but other than that, I'm free to be a slob and a vegetable, and I'm enjoying it a great deal. If you'll excuse me, I have to go back to doing nothing.

One thing about having a parent come to visit, is that I feel the need to make sure everything in the apartment is really clean and tidy. Ok, let me make that a bit more specific. One thing about having my mother come to visit, because when my dad came, I just vaccumed and called it a day. So... spring cleaning in December. It's been an interesting (and busy) weekend. And I haven't quite finished yet.

I've also spent a little time finishing a couple of books that I wasn't sure she'd approve of, so I could get them out of sight. No, no, get your mind out of the gutter! It's just that my parents are both pretty conservative, and I think they'd have kittens if they saw that I was reading a series of mysteries featuring Chicago's only wizard that advertises in the phone book (the Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher). Vampires, fey folk, demons... yeah, they'd think I'd gone over to the dark side. But if they don't know, they can't fuss me about it.

At the moment, it's definitely Terry Pratchett. Have to send out a big thanks to Liz for introducing me to Pterry nearly two years ago.

Favourite Discworld characters:
The Librarian - an orangutan swinging through the shelves as though they were the trees in his native rain fore... wait, nevermind, he was born in Ankh Morpork, he's a city ape (a BhangBhangduc word meaning "definitely not a monkey")

Death - there's just something about a personification of death that loves cats, could murder a good curry, and rides a huge white stallion named Binky... and talks in all caps. "I MUST SAY THESE ARE VERY GOOD BISCUITS. HOW DO THEY GET THE BITS OF CHOCOLATE IN?"

Rincewind - my favourite racist (the hundred meters, the mile, the marathon, he's run them all), though probably the reason I like him so much is because of the Luggage (sapient pearwood, about a hundred little feet, follows him everywhere)

Angua - vegetarian werewolf and one of the few people who could beat up Carrot.

Hex - Ponder Stibbons' computer. "+++ Divide By Cucumber Error. Please Reinstall Universe And Reboot +++"

The Nac Mac Feegle - "Fighting's what they like best."
"Whist, yon fellaight fra' aquesbore!"
"Drinkin's what they like best," Nanny corrected herself.
"Nae, hoon a scullen!"
"Drinkin' and fightin's what they like best," said Nanny.
"An' snaflin' coobeastie."
"And stealing cows," said Nanny. "Drinkin', fightin' and stealin' cows is what they like best."
(That's definitely my favourite quote from anything of Pratchett's. Mostly I just like the word 'coobeastie')