This man can do anything.

Gosh.


Here is the speech if you are like me and can't properly hear (read: understand) Shakespeare without the text.

Do not think so; you shall not find it so:
And God forgive them that so much have sway'd
Your majesty's good thoughts away from me!
I will redeem all this on Percy's head
And in the closing of some glorious day
Be bold to tell you that I am your son;
When I will wear a garment all of blood
And stain my favours in a bloody mask,
Which, wash'd away, shall scour my shame with it:
And that shall be the day, whene'er it lights,
That this same child of honour and renown,
This gallant Hotspur, this all-praised knight,
And your unthought-of Harry chance to meet.
For every honour sitting on his helm,
Would they were multitudes, and on my head
My shames redoubled! for the time will come,
That I shall make this northern youth exchange
His glorious deeds for my indignities.
Percy is but my factor, good my lord,
To engross up glorious deeds on my behalf;
And I will call him to so strict account,
That he shall render every glory up,
Yea, even the slightest worship of his time,
Or I will tear the reckoning from his heart.
This, in the name of God, I promise here:
The which if He be pleased I shall perform,
I do beseech your majesty may salve
The long-grown wounds of my intemperance:
If not, the end of life cancels all bands;
And I will die a hundred thousand deaths
Ere break the smallest parcel of this vow.

Surprise! An early April gift for you all.

Since Friday is April 1st and the beginning of National Poetry Month AND I'm finishing my Advanced Poetry Writing class, I thought it would be a good time to host a Poetry Discussion Fest. (Thank you to lemniciate for spawning the idea suggesting someone do this) 

This fest will be open for the entire month of April, so spread the word and have fun.

Here's the ugly link to share it: 

<font size="15" face="Batang "><center><i>~<a href="http://gracious-anne.livejournal.com/20294.html"> April Poetry Fest</a> ~</i></center></font>

I will be offering a few prompt discussion topics every week in April that you all are welcome to riff off of or disregard entirely.

But please if you quote something at length or discuss a certain poet or poets, just put the title or the name in the subject line so people can jump in (or out).

So, have it in the comments! Discuss away.


~ April Poetry Fest ~

So I went to see the King's Speech yesterday. By myself.

Yes, I see films in theaters by myself. I'm not ashamed of it. 
I found it funny though that I was about the youngest person in the audience at 22. I don't think there was a couple or group of friends who was under 40. Apparently my age group doesn't have time to see such a superb film on a Saturday afternoon.



(The wallpaper is the star of the film)

Colin Firth deserved every centimeter of that Golden Globe.

I don't think I'll ever have an excuse to be afraid of public speaking again.

I have no idea why they rated this film R. There's no violence, no sex, no strange content. Just a scene where Colin Firth's King George VI "Berty" (as he's known by his family) swears a bunch of times. And it's funny actually.

There was bonus Guy Pearce as David, Berty's bully older brother. I delightfully spent the film wanting to punch him and his wife (tree-killer)  in the face.

Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue was hilarious and wonderful. There's a reason he was so great in Pirates of the Caribbean.

I knew I was going to watch a good film, but when you are already uncomfortable within 3 minutes of the film watching Berty trying to deliver a speech, you know it's going to pull you places.

The acting, the cinematography, the story is incredibly well done. One of the best historical period films I've seen. Go see it before it leaves theaters. It deserves to be seen there.

So I've been very quiet for the past month. Holidays and all that.

We actually had a White Christmas, probably the first in 20 years or more, so it was very special.

My sister and I got a Wii, and I am the worst player ever. Seriously. (I'm the girl who literally slings the controller around when playing Mario Cart on PS2) A Wii is a bit easier for me to get the handle of, but still. I have very little patience and very little balance it seems.

I'm now in my dorms for the semester, having just got here just in time before Tennessee was buried in 8 inches of snow or something.

Our local Wal-Mart had literal ten loafs of bread on the entire shelf just a couple hours before it started snowing. I'm sure the milk was gone as well. I did not join in the craziness. I'm still wondering how one makes anything out of milk and bread. French Toast? (add an egg I guess)

I'm living off my stores I left here last month, so I won't starve, but I would like to go out and get some coffee and some more fruit.


Classes have been delayed until tomorrow, which is crazy, because I've never gotten a snow day before in college, (nor labor day, veteran's day, MLK day or any other lesser holidays off). So everything feels a bit off
and quiet.

Anyway, I'm very jealous of all the books you people got for Christmas. Someone got 17 books?

I got a gift card, that if I'm very lucky I could use for two.

Two books which I believe might be by John Green.

I'm not even finished with Looking for Alaska, partially because the last time I was reading it I was sitting in the dentist's office waiting. For an hour and half.

This would've been just fine if it wasn't for the television tuned on some "Dentist channel" where they played fake commercials and shows about proper care of teeth and gum related diseases.

It was very unsettling.

So I tried very hard to concentrate on reading Looking for Alaska, and for the most part, it helped me keep calm and rational about having to wait forever for my appointment.

The sad thing is I left Looking for Alaska at home to be taken back to the library. And I still have no idea (I have my theories, but still) what this chapterless book was counting down to.

I may now announce that I'm done with my second to last semester of college. So glad that is over.

Things I've learned....

1. I probably won't go off and do an M.A. in English (something I was possibly considering)  unless History is involved. After reading some very interesting critical articles in my Women Writers class I realized that a) They talk in English Criticism Speak which is different and more Post Modern than History Criticism Speak  b) Their arguments, though entertaining and interesting, really sounded like some crazy opinion pulled out of thin air and a couple of quotes.

2. I really missed taking an actual History course. My Senior Capstone class didn't really count except for the awesome researching I got to do in the County Archives.

3. I'm seriously considering taking Advanced Poetry Writing in the spring because the Intro class has totally changed my perspective on poetry for the better, and I'm frustrated with my poetry skills at the moment and would like to hone them, even if that means more potential frustration? Plus a fellow poetry student who is also  co-editor for our college's journal just asked me to consider sending in a poem I had work-shopped in October because she actually remembers it(!) So round two....that ought to be interesting.

In other news, I have a stack of books to read:

Linger (finally)
Rampant
Curious Incident of a Dog at Nighttime
Madness
Wintergirls
Looking for Alaska (I've seen enough Vlogbrothers videos to half-guilt/half-intrigue me into reading a John Green book) 
The Selected Poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay
Clockwork Phoenix (anthology of short stories)

Linger of course is on the top of the stack, so I will read it first.

And now, here is an amazing music video. The music is interesting, but the visuals. Amazing.

So I haven't been blogging at all. I'm all so new to this. It's been a crazy semester. Poems to write every week, a random paper to write here and there, and lots of stressing out when I didn't need to. Apparently. (Hopefully?)

In writing news....not much has happened. Between trying to just write a poem that makes some sort of sense, and reading tons of literature by Women Writers and trying not to crash and burn has been difficult.

I have however had a problem.

If you remember me talking about how it's hard to keep my head while carrying all these story ideas forever until they finally blow up and out comes written stories. Well, remember that idea (sad story, boy and girl, emotional angst to the max?) I mentioned I have had for six years?

It now has it's own code name (until a title can be found) which means it's now off the back burner and ready to percolate like a real story(boy).

The weird thing with this story though, several of the characters (okay, the boy) has told me that they are deaf.

This is a bit of a shock, because it makes sense now, why I couldn't write this story. It didn't make too much sense without that fact.

The only thing that is worrying me is I've just remembered that it's not a new idea. The idea of writing a handicapped character has been following me around from story to story. I'm not sure why. Somehow the challenge and the difference and whatever conflicts that arise from that fact, fascinates me.

But so far, the Boy has stand consistent since this new issue/conflict appeared.

My characters are telling me scenes now. Which is strange. I never get more than a moment maybe. Now it's a whole bunch of moments, entire scenes, that could happen, might happen. (Did I mention he's the love interest?)

And it's all a bit scary. I'm afraid of missing the point. Afraid of making The Boy's deafness (hard of hearing though, still working out the details), one of the only interesting things about him.
I don't want him to be two-dimensional. He isn't in my head. I don't know if it's okay to say: he's different, he talks with his hands, but he's not defined wholly by it. I don't want this story to be an "Issue" story where I have to dance around cultural and political baggage.

I'd like to write this with care. It probably won't make it anywhere, maybe on Merry Fates if anything. But still, I'd like to write this story with sensitivity. (If that makes sense)

So if anyone knows of a good book that has a character who is deaf, hard of hearing and younger, or nonfiction that might be helpful in talking about the Deaf Culture and communication barriers between the hearing and the deaf please share it.

There's a lot more to this story than The Boy, but right now, he's my main focus.

Did I mention this story doesn't have a fantastic or supernatural bone in its body? Or that that scares me even more? 

While Pills (by the Perishers) is the epilogue song for The Boy and The Girl. 
This is probably The Boy's and The Girl's theme song. (Angst and Mush and most of all, Quiet) 

Above: I love Ellie's stuff. She has such a unique voice. This cover is faster paced, almost too much so but I love it anyway. I also love the song Lights by her as well.


Below is one of my favorite singer/songwriters: Missy Higgins. I can't remember how I found her, but what would I give to see her in concert. She's amazing. Her songs are heartfelt and beautiful, and quite sad most times, but a good, cathartic sort of sadness. This is probably her most popular single but you should definitely look her up and listen to a few.



Below: La Roux. I first heard this song when I was in England and promptly fell in love with it. It's a shame it takes so long for popular songs from other countries to get to the U.S. radio stations. I know Bulletproof has been on the charts for a bit here but I like this song better. The music video is gorgeous. How does this woman sing such pure high notes? Lovely.



And because I can't get enough of Florence and the Machine here's a cover they did of a Christmas (!) song.

First up song of the week: I'm beginning to love Mumford and Sons. I already have The Cave and Little Lion Man and then I found this song. It has been on replay all weekend. It's heartbreaking and honest but there's something hopeful in it as well.



Another sad song, go figure. This one is from the 80's.




Happy Song. Especially for the Nanoers. Enjoy Nanoing.


And then there's this song: I nearly cried the first time I heard it. It's simple and honest and what strikes me most about it, is it's sung by a young man. Which is encouraging to know there is someone out there who doesn't have to sing about dancing with women in a club to make women feel needed or loved. It's about dreams and who we really are.


Maybe I'll do a Music Monday or Video Monday every week. How does that sound? 

I'm not new to the Arthurian Myths. I've watched the Sword in the Stone, Camelot (Musical), and bits and pieces of the Mists of Avalon. I've read and listened to the Lady of Shallot so many time I could probably quote it if someone asked me to. I've loved the legends for a long time.

Now I'm gonna rave about Merlin. When I first heard that there was a show that was about the young Merlin made for teenagers I thought it was going to be like the awful 80's movie Merlin or the awful teenage show about Hercules. Cheesy, a little weird, with 2 dimensional characters and the stereotypical plots.

Not so. First off, the acting. If it wasn't for Antony Head who plays Uther, Arthur's father, I would have checked out of the show in one episode. The writers found a way to make what could have been an stereotypical evil character into a person, whom the audience would both hate and love and at least sort of understand.

Whoever decided to cast Colin Morgan as Merlin is a genius. Every time he cries my heart breaks for the character. Colin's Merlin is pure hearted, a bit naive, but underneath very powerful. And have you seen the man's cheekbones?

If it wasn't for Bradley James who plays Arthur, I would have quit watching the show. The writers have done a great job in balancing out the arrogant, typical all-star footballer side of his character with the times we see what he could and can become with Merlin's help as well as the rest. Yes, this young version of Arthur acts rashly and doesn't know that MERLIN HAS MAGIC and MORGANA IS TRYING TO KILL HIM, but you still can't give up on him.

Katie Mcgrath: Morgana. I want her green dress. Just saying. She's gorgeous and funny and she can use a sword. This is where I wish the writers would stop writing "and now she will evilly smirk in Merlin's/Arthur's/Uther's direction" for the past several episodes. I've learned how Morgana wasn't always "evil" and how her relationship with Arthur and Merlin has been strained and tested.

Angel Coulby: A blacksmith's daughter, maid to Morgana, she's Guinevere. She's sweet and funny and  And the writers have poorly used her character. She's made out to be a damsel in distress most days, or just the 'helpful but mostly clueless' friend on others. There hasn't been too many Gwen/Arthur moments and I wish there were more. Any plot that circles around her just happens to include the men family members in her life as well which doesn't seem too fair to me. She needs an episode where she becomes something like the Guinevere we know of from the legends which is where this whole show is heading. All the other characters have gotten their "moment of truth and change" but she hasn't yet.

Except for some less than savory filler episodes where again, the acting saves the episode (Sarah Parrish as the troll in the Beauty and the Beast anyone?) I've found me another BBC show to look forward too.

I haven't even touched on the cinematography, or the music, or the totally awesome bromance between Arthur and Merlin, or Gwaine (I LOVE HIM and his Pantene -worthy hair, and the actor's spot on comedic expressions, and can there be a Wacky Adventures of Gwaine and his Merry band and Merlin show? Please?) 
but I'd say if you have an hour or two, settle down, go to Hulu where you can watch the whole first season for free. Just wait until episode 10.

OH! and happy nanoing to those doing Nanowrimo. Enjoy the madness. Drink coffee. Don't die.