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Lilacs and Inadequate Heroes
May. 2nd, 2010 09:46 pm So, the out-of-town speaking gig was a raving success to a packed house. I had to retool one section of my lecture on the fly when a contingent of middle-schoolers from a private Christian school turned up in the front row, but the kids wanted to pose for a picture with me afterward so I think the retcon worked.
[I'm actually agoraphobic, to the point where I was afraid to collect my mail from the PO Box during my third year at university, so being a successful public speaker at any level represents a triumph over a huge personal stumbling block. I do not go to parties and can't even have a meal in a crowded, noisy restaurant without going into fight-or-flight mode, but I can get up and assume a persona that allows me to talk for an hour at strangers. And I do mean "persona"-- my accent changes. The mind is a funny thing.]
Also, my hosts gave me lilacs. Lilacs are not my absolute favorite flower, but they are high, high on the list. I didn't grow up with lilacs (too hot), so I didn't take to them as a child... the affection for them grew slowly over the years and was possibly fueled by the Anne of Green Gables series and other books set in lilac-friendly climes. So moving to Michigan, where escaped lilacs grow along the roadside, gave me the chance to immerse myself in lilacky goodness every spring. I have three lilac bushes of my very own in the yard, but they are small yet and bear few flowers. The flowers they do have are large-petalled and a darker red-tinged purple. I took a walk around the block tonight marveling at all the different lilacs on display-- classic single-blossomed, pearly white double-blossomed, deep velvety purple.
Flowers are very important to my life and the enjoyment thereof, and to finally have my own yard to garden is a source of great satisfaction ATM.
'Fic-wise, I dug up this essay from a fanfic writer whose works I once enjoyed (I have not read said 'fics in years and cannot say whether I would still like them as much). On one level, it's a condemnation of Peter Jackson's adaptation of Return of the King, but on another it has some good points for anyone attempting High Quest fantasy stories, or ensemble tales of heroism and teamwork in general.
( I loved RotK, but I still agree with the crit here... )
[I'm actually agoraphobic, to the point where I was afraid to collect my mail from the PO Box during my third year at university, so being a successful public speaker at any level represents a triumph over a huge personal stumbling block. I do not go to parties and can't even have a meal in a crowded, noisy restaurant without going into fight-or-flight mode, but I can get up and assume a persona that allows me to talk for an hour at strangers. And I do mean "persona"-- my accent changes. The mind is a funny thing.]
Also, my hosts gave me lilacs. Lilacs are not my absolute favorite flower, but they are high, high on the list. I didn't grow up with lilacs (too hot), so I didn't take to them as a child... the affection for them grew slowly over the years and was possibly fueled by the Anne of Green Gables series and other books set in lilac-friendly climes. So moving to Michigan, where escaped lilacs grow along the roadside, gave me the chance to immerse myself in lilacky goodness every spring. I have three lilac bushes of my very own in the yard, but they are small yet and bear few flowers. The flowers they do have are large-petalled and a darker red-tinged purple. I took a walk around the block tonight marveling at all the different lilacs on display-- classic single-blossomed, pearly white double-blossomed, deep velvety purple.
Flowers are very important to my life and the enjoyment thereof, and to finally have my own yard to garden is a source of great satisfaction ATM.
'Fic-wise, I dug up this essay from a fanfic writer whose works I once enjoyed (I have not read said 'fics in years and cannot say whether I would still like them as much). On one level, it's a condemnation of Peter Jackson's adaptation of Return of the King, but on another it has some good points for anyone attempting High Quest fantasy stories, or ensemble tales of heroism and teamwork in general.
( I loved RotK, but I still agree with the crit here... )
