Jan. 8th, 2012

shadowkat: (work/reading)
No longer able to drink wine (have developed an odd allergic reaction to the tannins and sulfites) or most beers (unless they are 100% malt barely free - ie. 100% malt sorghum I can do), I am slowly but surely becoming a connoisseur of hard cider. So far the best that I've had is Crispin Natural Reserve - with Irish Stout Yeast - it has the consistency of an ale, sort of like drinking the Irish Stout version of Cider. (without all the nasty after-effects...if you are celiac that is). Original Sin isn't bad - trying Pippin now, it's a bit sweet, and very light, heavy on the carbonation and reminds me of sparkling cider. I'm drinking that now. Crispin by far has the widest variety. Karlesberg? Also a bit on the sweet side, and too sparkling for my taste. They have a pear and a raspberry, and just...no. Too syrupy. A good cider, should have just the barest touch of sweet, go too far...and it is syrupy. If just right...it can taste a bit like a bitter ale. The British and Irish are currently making the best ciders.

Church was comforting and interesting today. Reassuring is the best word. I felt reassured, as if a kindly hand patted me on the shoulder and said I was doing okay and not to worry.

Got three things out of it, besides the necessary social warmth of friendship - we all need a bit of that like it or not, being social animals.

1. According to Sufi tradition - it takes 40 days for a change to take place, 40 days to renewal, 40 days for two souls to intertwine, 40 days to fall in love. The rush, rush...can slow down in the winter months. Slowing down is not a bad thing at all. At least a little. 2) Poetry...there's a way to read it and a way not to...to read it in critical fury, or to read just to enjoy the asethetic appeal. But to read...each day, aloud. William Carlos Williams states that it is difficult to find or locate the news from poetry, men have died from the lack of finding it. 3) And finally? Turn off the mind. Distract it. It can be at times...your worst enemy. Think too much and you'll do yourself a serious injury. This I know from experience.

Conversations on Poetry...

Over the holidays, the Momster and I discussed poetry. She claimed not to like it much. Probably not helped by my Uncle's continued and prolific not to mention somewhat clumsy attempts. His poetry at times has more in common with Rod McKeon. I challenged this assessment. Because she does like the wit of Noel Coward - which is poetry. And the barbs of Dorothy Parker, also poetry. Or the rhyming verse of Robert Frost. Poetry I told her like all things is in the eye of the reader, it's what resonates with your mood or state at the time, that appeals. Also there's a very broad range. Some poetry tends to slide into the regrettably maudlin (I blame Hallmark for this trend), others into the regrettably self-indulgent (my Uncle), and still others seem to be merely interesting in rhyming games or linguistic calisthenics. But there is good poetry out there. Roz_K on my lj writes very good political poetry, with a sharpness of wit...that makes one think a bit of Coward and Parker.

The Minister at church today, who had been once upon a time an aspiring poet...stated that when she was young and in public school - the poetry in the text-books made her so angry. They'd somehow found the worst pieces of established poets. Inoculating students against poetry. So true.
Those of us who learned to appreciate poetry or grew to love it, discovered it on our own. And many of us wrote or struggled to write it. Unfortunately many of my poems had more in common with Rod McKuen than well Sylvia Plath or Dorothy Parker or even William Carlos Williams. I have a few, gems, in the mix. But very few. My prose is better. And attempting to write poetry, along with
learning to appreciate and understand it - has made me a better writer. Poetry frees emotion.
Frees the mind. The spirit. In a phrase...just a phrase...may lie the answer to multiple questions plaguing the mind, or it may simply shut the mind off for a bit.

I admittedly started out my morning resisting the minister's lecture...or sermon, although that seems the wrong word for it did not feel religious...God barely entered into it. Resisted going to church as well. Resisted poetry. All grouchy puss. But too restless to stay at home. I've been raging against poetry of late. Not sure why. Because when written well poetry can often quiet the mind, it can also stimulate it...and connect us to the spirit within. It can as William Carlos Williams wrote...provide the news that we are lacking.
shadowkat: (tv slut)
I have a bone to pick with you, flist. You did not warn me that Merlin was premiering on Syfy on Jan 6. How am I supposed to remember this on my own? Without my reliable tv prompters? See? THIS is the problem when everyone watches the show via the internet or overseas (I live in NYC - overseas is outside the US. Hey, if you think that's annoying I could be worse, a lot of New Yorkers define overseas as everyone who lives on the opposite side of the Hudson River and The Atlantic Ocean or the East River (if they are Manhattanites). I'm not kidding. This is true.]

That said, I did manage to find it on my own - online, took a little bit of hunting.

Here: http://stream-tv-shows-online.com/merlin-season-4-episode-1-the-darkest-hour-part-1/

Gotta love the information age. Particularly if you are a information/cultural junkie like myself. Time was you'd have to wait until the tv show got re-run in the summer, or if it didn't deal. Now..not a problem.

Damn, that was a good episode. What happened? They suddenly hire some really good writers, directors and cinematographers or something? Best episode I've seen. Special effects were even good. Plus we have a new and somewhat complicated villain. And Anthony Stewart Head's brief appearances were quite brilliant, he truly is a gifted actor when he's given something to do.

And Bradley James is getting really good in this role. His eyes really got across fear and vulnerability. I'm impressed. Actually everyone is getting good...even Morgana, who was admittedly the weak link for a while there.

We also have layers now. And metaphor! And it's not just monster of the week or problem of the week. It's actually become a serial. YAY! I have a feeling I'm going to love the 4th Season, which is nice...since S2 and 3 drug a bit.

[Oh - almost forgot...Violence-a-meter...about 20 deaths, lots of fighting, and a human sacrifice...but hey all in a good days work. And it was a willing human sacrifice, so there's that. A willing, already dying, somewhat morose human sacrifice.
The other deaths were all by ghost not sword...so maybe they don't count?]

Fringe - whoa...cut for insane squeeing which will not make sense to anyone who hasn't watched Fringe - except it truly is following two parallel universe and in a way I've never seen done before on tv or film for that matter )
shadowkat: (tv slut)
Outside of maybe one or two quibbles...rather enjoyed tonight's outing of Once Upon a Time.
My quibbles? Not entirely sure of the theme that Ms. Espenson and company were going for here? Do they really think avoiding war or fleeing a battlefield is cowardice? Have mixed feelings. Seemed to be condoning violence to resolve problems. Then again maybe not. Rather complicated episode, come to think of it. May need to ponder. Other quibble was...the evil queen is still a bit too evil. Every other character is layered but her. Need more layers. I keep hoping, because right now she's the weak cog in the story or the stray thread. And Henry is a bit too precious...this is the problem with kids in tv shows...they aren't old enough to be good actors and have a tendency to come across as bit too cutsy. Kids and animals, very hard to work with. Did you know WC Fields kept the baby he worked with drunk? Sad but true.

Violence a meter?
*Five to six guys killed with a knife, one got his neck broken
*Another guy killed with a knife
*Several women and children killed or quelled by magic
[But hey no persons of color or women.]

Not bad. Still little blood. And no gore. About a 2 on the old meter.

Rumplestilskin is the Brothers Grimm version of the age-old Trickster character. In some languages he goes by the name "Spindleshanks" and other's "Hobble Foot".

From Wiki:


The name Rumpelstilzchen in German means literally "little rattle stilt". (A stilt is a post or pole which provides support for a structure.) A rumpelstilt or rumpelstilz was the name of a type of goblin, also called a pophart or poppart that makes noises by rattling posts and rapping on planks. The meaning is similar to rumpelgeist ("rattle ghost") or poltergeist, a mischievous spirit that clatters and moves household objects. (Other related concepts are mummarts or boggarts and hobs that are mischievous household spirits that disguise themselves.) The ending -chen is a German diminutive and designates something as 'little' or 'dear,' depending on context.

The earliest known mention of Rumpelstiltskin occurs in Johann Fischart's Geschichtklitterung, or Gargantua of 1577 (a loose adaptation of Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel) which refers to an "amusement" for children named "Rumpele stilt or the Poppart".


In tonight's episode of Once Upon a Time written by Jane Espenson - we get a new version or back story for the age-old character that first popped on the scene as early as 1577, and in a fairy tale 1812.

spoilers of course )

Off to bed. I did see Revenge this week. Was quite good. But not a lot to say on it.
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