It may be too early to judge both of these new productions, they could both have innovative artistic visions up their sleeves. But based on the casting I’m not super optimistic. Olivia Colman as Mrs. Bennet is genius, I’ll give you that
30 years ago we got a feature film S&S and a miniseries P&P, just like what’s happening now, and both of those 1995 productions gave us similar visions of Austen that are as much a reflection of the 1990s as they are of the 1810s. But what does Austen mean to us in the 2020s?
I’ll never say that we should stop adapting and retelling Jane Austen—there’s always room for new interpretations. But if an adaptation is worth my time I want it to do something new, to SAY something about the original text we haven’t seen before, instead of just rehashing it for the 600th time
A paperback copy of The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley flanked by a red carnation and a white woman’s hand holding a glass of iced coffee
Did anyone else just read The Ministry of Time and now feel the urge to go down an arctic exploration rabbit hole?
#theministryoftime
5-year-old student: Ms. Rhonda, I like your skirt. It looks like snow, like Ant Africa
Me: Ant Africa? [thinks a minute] Antarctica?
5yo: Yeah!
Plus historic preservation and interpretation, especially on the local level, can use all the support it can get, now more than ever
If there’s one thing I’m gonna do when I visit a new city it’s see if there’s a local history museum. The people working in those smaller museums are usually the coolest people with the best stories and local lore
I just bought my ticket to go see the 20th anniversary rerelease of Pride and Prejudice… ON MY BIRTHDAY. Am I— winning at life?
And I can go anywhere I want
Anywhere I want, just not home
And you can aim for my heart, go for blood
But you would still miss me in your bones
And I still talk to you (when I'm screaming at the sky)
And when you can't sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace
'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave
And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?
Cursing my name, wishing I stayed
Look at how my tears ricochet
I cant tell you how many times I’ve listened to “my tears ricochet” but it wasn’t until today that it became, for me, about religious trauma
Specifically, the disconnect that happens when following the values you were raised with leads you far away from those who raised you
I’m rewatching Shakespeare in Love and I did not remember that they called it the Rose Theater instead of the Globe. Was it because the real Globe Theater didn’t give the rights to their name, like UCLA in Legally Blonde?
I can’t tell you how much I love you for this Nikki 🙌🏻
See also: Station Eleven, which doesn’t have zombies but does ask similar questions, and chooses joy and an altruistic view of humanity over despair
I’ve been periodically screaming about The Girl With All the Gifts in conversations about The Last of Us. I love the book and the movie, and feel like both present a much more optimistic vision while still grappling with the same questions
Since I started this practice about 2 weeks ago I’ve written well over 10k words, I think closer to 15k. I also find that writing bits of the story long hand helps me think a little differently about it. Keeps it fresh and dynamic for me
Then when I get home, I type what I wrote into my WIP document, usually with some light revision, and I often find that the act of typing gets me into a rhythm so that I can keep writing even after I’ve finished typing what I already wrote.
I bring a notebook to work, and then on my lunch break or when I have a little down time, I write. Sometimes it’s just notes or outlining, but usually it’s actual text I can drop directly into my WIP. I’ve been getting maybe 300-350 words long hand most days
It’s been tough finding motivation to write when I get home in the evening—all I want to do is lay on the couch and watch The Daily Show’s YouTube channel. And it’s not really practical to bring my laptop to work with me to write during the day. But I think I found a solution that’s working:
Most days if I write anything at all I’m usually in the 500ish range!
I consider it a good day if I can hit 1000. There have been a few days where I’ve gotten to 2500-3000
If you could only have a burger or only have fries, which would you pick?
A. just a burger
B. just fries
C. if I can’t have both, I don’t want either
Podcasting essentials!
Important to note that two screens are not absolutely necessary, but two beverages are. Also necessary, in order of importance:
-scrunchie
-blue light blocking glasses
-books you plan to reference within easy reach
-microphone
-recording software
I really liked this one!
Flowers from my Valentine
My period tracking app just started using an AI prediction model, and like? You can opt out in your settings but really? Why is this necessary? Periods are famously cyclical, I don’t think we need AI to predict them
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted a reviewer to understand that a character in a work of fiction expressing an opinion DOES NOT MEAN that the creator of the work or the work itself holds or endorses that opinion
It’s snowing in South Carolina today so I have no choice but to curl up with this fluffy blanket, this mug of apple cider, and this fantasy novel
I’m finally reading The Bright Sword, which plays in the Arthurian legend sandbox, and i was reminded of this video from a couple years ago. Still makes me laugh
I’m solo in a mostly empty theater with three teen girls and one of their moms a few rows in front of me about to watch Wicked, iced coffee and a soft pretzel on deck. Happy New Year!
