Month: October 2011

Oh, aren’t they just beautiful?

Three days, if I recall correctly.

They had three days, from the time they got off that blasted ship in Glasgow, and took the train into England – three days before they had to march in this revue. This is clearly filmed in the UK, and the girls were wearing their woolens and buttoned up in their coats and gloves. I know how I feel about having to march about in the damp and gray; these ladies had aches and cold ears — and they didn’t flinch or whine. They didn’t show it.

You know what else strikes me? How is it that people say that people of any ethnic ancestry all look alike? Really look at those faces, and tell me how many different noses, how many different chins you see. The variety of eyes, freckles – yes, there are those – shades and hues you see will speak of a mingling and melting of cultures and peoples and places of which once upon a time America was proud. Which brings me to my original point: aren’t they just beautiful? I’d love to squeeze them all.

For the record: the lady doing the reviewing is the Commander – and eventually Lieutenant Colonel – Charity Adams Earley; this film is courtesy some Army footage.

Y’know, I’m not always a big fan of Halloween… we didn’t participate when I was growing up, and even as a big kid now I don’t usually. One reason is it’s a night to be someone else, but fairly often, that someone else seems to be on five-inch heels, wearing ripped fishnets, tarantula-leg mascara, and a push-up bodice — no matter what animal, vegetable or mineral the costume is supposed to represent. Somehow, we’ve taken a fun, be-a-kid idea, and turned it into something vastly lacking in imagination. For a lot of people, it’s turned into a one-note, lowest-common-denominator sort of thing, with the addition of horrifying amounts of sugar.

I like sugar. I like silly. I like fishnets, even. But, even the most Halloween loving of us will admit that it’s kind of squicky to see little kids dressed provocatively. We seem to keep one-upping each other with the lack of clothing, we girls, anyway.

But, I just discovered a tiny pushback against that: Take Back Halloween.org. People. Talk about imagination. THIS is the Halloween I remember from all the parades in grade school – people who actually tried to do something innovative with their outfits! A site that collects some creative ideas for girls – with multicultural and historical emphasis, too. Hey, you could be Madam CJ Walker. Asase Yaa. Sor Juana – a brilliant nun. Tin Hinan. Boudicca. Or Wu Zetian – the ONLY empress of China. Check it out. A little thought and study, and you are SET for any costume party you might come across.

They have instructions and helpful info about where they sourced stuff, and best of all, a little historical tidbit, so when you have to explain your costume to people – and you know you will – you’ll have all the facts. Just wait ’til they get some steampunk people chiming in and helping out. Apparently, they take suggestions!

Some people have commented that there is some skinshowing in these costumes, too. Yep. Skin is great a great thing sometimes… when it makes sense to be showing some. It’s not about Everyone Dress As Nuns (unless you’re being Sor Juana, and then… well); it’s more Everyone Dress With Creativity. And this just gives you another option.

Fun via the ever-fab MarySue.

It was a Shrinking Violets Promotions challenge put out by Lia Keyes… to throw down and get involved in the outside world. So. I joined Goodreads, as a Goodreads Author. And, if you’re reading this on GR, hello!

I don’t Tweet, I don’t FB, and I don’t network socially in any other fashion, because, frankly, people scare me. (Joke.) — Seriously, social networking is way too much fun, but it’s not for me; I have to work smarter than I would if I spent too much time on it. So, Goodreads is as much as I can do right now, and I don’t even participate there in a traditional way. I stopped giving stars about a year and a half ago, and that confuses some people… but I think stars are too simple a tool for what I generally feel about a book. Maybe if the ratings were something like “I’d Read it in an Airport;” “I’d Read it With PMS,” “I’d Drag it to the Beach;” or “It’ll Take You Away When Your Parents Are Arguing,” they’d have more meaning. But, maybe that’s just me.

And now, your moment of Zen.

They need just a leetle more work on that V. They got the honking down, though.

Happy week!

Normal blogging to resume… in December, I think. I’ve been elected to judge a Cybils panel, which means a bit more reading in my life. It’s going to be a juggle this year, because I’m still revising two novels whilst trying to do everything else.

Saturday night I got The Idea that’s going to allow me to pick apart THE SISTER CITY and reweave it into something that works. ROCKET RIDE is off to be shopped around (not science fiction, just a weirdly ME title) and now my mystery (untitled at present, thinking FAVORITE SON) is going to have to wait a few while I fix things with the sisters — and then we’re off and running again.

I really love writing across genres. Maybe next I’ll attempt steampunk.

Today I wrote a synopsis for HAPPY FAMILIES, which is now going to be shopped around the European market. My fingers are crossed. None of my work jumps the pond(s) very well; I think somehow I have a provincially American outlook on things, which, after going on five years of living in Scotland, is just a wee bit disappointing! But, what can you do.

I’ll write a real post soon. Soon!

Happy October to you.