Where Are The Classics?

Cover of Bright Star

I started watching Bright Star the other day.  About the life and romance of John Keats and Fanny Brawne.  Well, any ways, the film starts off with Fanny wanting to read Endymion, by Mr. Keats.  Of course, because I love anything literary-ish, and British to boot, I decided I needed to take a look at Endymion.

My library system doesn’t have a copy of Endymion.  At all.  Nor does it have much on Keats.  Actually, my library system is lacking in quite a few of the classics.  It’s missing certain Shakespeare plays…. Like Romeo and Juliet.  Um, am I missing something here?  Shouldn’t the library be the place to get these kinds of works?

So, I’m relegated to having to read Endymion online.  I hate reading things like this online. I like flipping through a book and pulling out passages I like.  I started reading Sir Walter Scott’s Lady of the Lake, in a book from the library. I loved the edition, but have yet to find it myself, or at least the specific edition. I do have a selected works of Scott, and a paperback copy of the Lady of the Lake, which is old.  Any ways, I like reading the book format.  Not online.

The thing is, my library system isn’t small. I mean, the library is the whole county.  Not just my town.  And the county has 50K people.  So it’s not impossible.  No, the library has to put dumb worthless books in the library.  It has to ‘weed’ out books on classical painters and such because they don’t get checked out much.  But it can’t seem to have decent copies of the classics.  Especially in the poetry section. 

Now I get that poetry isn’t terribly popular.  Only unique people read it.  Yes, I’m unique, but still, CLASSICS!  Come on, isn’t that one of the reasons for going to the library?  Not everyone wants to own a classic, but at some point just about every one has read one.

Well, I’m ranting, but this is just my opinion.  I guess I’ll just have to suffer through the online version.  Same goes for wanting to read The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding.  I think there is a copy in the system, but it requires more work than I care to put into it, to read it.  So again, online.  Which probably means I’ll never read it.

Signing off

~Kate

A ‘Playful’ Commentary

The Brooksfield High School’s production of “You Can’t Take it With You‘ by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman  was a smashing success as Brooksfield’s Drama Darling, Miss Allison Gosner,  as the devilishly amusing Penelope Sycamore, brought the play to a delightful close.  The ensemble cast, led by Miss Lilly Meyers as the lovely Alice, and Mr. Kyle Bronse as the charmingTony Kirby, delighted and amused the audience with heart felt acting.  Mr. Atlas Kristoph played an excellent Paul Sycamore, slightly absentminded but loving at heart.   Mr.  Devon Bryce was a charming Martin Vanderhoff aka “Grandpa”, and Miss Dora Bingley’s “Essie” was ditzy at it’s best.

With some very cleverly added lines not in the script, the audience was left gasping for breath as laughter reached the roofs of the Avery Theater at the Sunday matinée’s  final performance.  Humor, heart, and happiness were at this charming play’s core.  The estimable Mrs. Georgia Freeman has done it again, directing a marvelous play that has left the town delighting in the stage.  Last year, the drama cast executed a marvelous rendition of ‘Arsenic and Old Lace‘.   One hopes that next year’s play leaves everyone hoping for more as this one has done.

 

Last week my sister and I went to see this production at our local theater.  Just the other night we watched the film version.  I have to say, that while I enjoyed the film, the play was much more hilarious and fun.  The sneaky ad-libbed lines were creative and surprising, along with other characters and the premise of the story.  The drama teacher created a wonderful script for her class.  I posted this little commentary on the lead actress’ facebook page, as I know her fairly well.  I guess it can be called ‘flash fiction’ but not really. It’s just me having fun.

Signing off

~Kate

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Here’s to Thanksgiving

via Weheartit

Here’s to the day

to the parade of parades

to the family

to a tradition ripe with history

to the start of the holiday season

to pumpkin pie

to turkey

to the football games and scores

to the men and women who have made this country great

to the ones that sacrificed to make it ours

to the Native Americans who made it possible

to the Pilgrims who believed

to God who gave us this great nation

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Lipstick

The delicate art of applying lipstick

She uncapped the tube of expensive lipstick, its gold cap winking in the light, opened her compact, and while holding the cap and compact in one hand, applied the silky peach to her full lips with her other hand.  She swiped the fig scented color over her bottom lip, the velvety texture of her skin catching and slowing her movement with the slight drag.  She deftly traced the bow shape of her upper lip, using her pinky to correct a slight smudge.  She blotted her lips against each other to fill in any missed spots, then pursed her mouth in a kiss, making sure all was well in the mirror.

Apparently satisfied, she closed her compact with a  snap and capped the tube.  Her eyes rose to his amused gaze and she kissed the air in his direction.

 

I love applying lipstick in public.  There’s something sort of sexy and intimate about the whole process.  I’ve perfected my form, and yes, I do it almost like I wrote, though rarely do I kiss the air.  But, there is something incredibly feminine about this little task.  And I always try to carry my lipstick and compact with me.  For those interested, I highly recommend Estee Lauder’s Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Sugar Honey.  Yeah, it’s expensive, but it is the most luscious lipstick I have ever used.  It is my one huge indulgence.

Signing off

~Kate

Door of Opportunity

 

Doors.  An opening to opportunity.  A sign of a welcome home. 

Unless a  door is vivid and obvious, most don’t regard a door as much beyond just that; a door.  Oh but bold, bright doors call to us.  Make us notice the possibilities.  Red doors scream, “Look at me!  Come in.  Se what is exciting beyond me.”

 

I am always curious what is beyond a bright door.

Doors with a window to see in are calling for us to glance in and take a peek into the lives of whoever resides within.  They are welcoming.

Dark, solid doors worry me.  They are grim and foreboding. I avoid dark doors.

 Doors with a knocker call to my mind the image of either a grand old lady or a household of affluence and elegance.  You don’t see many doors with a knocker, but they are so elegant.   They make that solid door less foreboding because they are calling for you to approach to see who’s inside.  They are welcoming in their elegance.

Signing off

~Kate

 

When To Hold, When To Fold

Image via Wikipedia

Ah, I couldn’t resist this topic from The Daily Post.  It seemed apropos that this week on Castle, Richard Castle and Javier Espisito had a little stint on “Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em.  Know when to walk away, know when to run.”  Clearly, the guy didn’t know any of those things on Castle, because like always, he died.

Have you noticed that on certain shows, someone is always dying?  For instance, I don’t think I ever want to go to New York City.  There is a murder each week on Castle!  I might die!  Same for Santa Barbara.  The gang from Psych is always dealing with murder.  Even last week’s episode of Psych, with the comic heroes ended up having a death. 

Those towns are dangerous!

However, I think it’s nice to have predictability.  Though I have to say, I don’t want to solve the murder in the first few minutes.  Let me be surprised.  Usually I can see how it was the murderer by the end, and I wonder why I didn’t get it before, but I like that mystery.  What is the point of watching a show if you can solve it all in the first fifteen minutes?  I do like always saying who it isn’t.  I’m fabulous for that.  I’m usually right on too.  Which you would think after ruling out all the ones that didn’t do it, I could solve who did….  I was spot on with Psych last week.  (I have not seen this week’s baseball one)

And though I like predictability, I like when shows mix it up. I  love that there is always something different on White Collar.  It’s always something new.  (has nothing to do with the fact that I love Tim DeKay….) 

And this doesn’t relate to anything but the title of this post, but I’ve been singing Kenny Roger’s “The Gambler” off and on all day and part of yesterday, and I’ll probably keep doing it.  Catchy song.  I’ve got Kenny on right now, and all of his music is pretty catchy.  I love ‘Lucille’ and “Ruby’.  I love catchy music.

So, this post, well it meets weekly requirements, but I’ll post something a little better this weekend hopefully.

Signing off

~Kate

The Witch Lady’s House

 

 “I’m going up to the vampire’s house!” the boy on the bike shrieked.

“She’s a witch, not a vampire!” the holler came back from another boy.

“Then I’m going up to the witch’s house!” the first boy yelled back.

The pack of boys hollered and raced their bikes up the street, riding in a maniacal fashion.  In their shorts and bright T-shirts, they defied common sense, for the air was crisp and cold.  Shrieking and yelling insults at each other, like all boys do, they dashed and crashed their bikes about.  Disregarding the laws of the road, they would jump off their bikes, leaving the wheels still spinning in the middle of the road. Dashing across or just standing there throwing jabs they would dart out of the way when cars would drive by slowly, swerving so as to not  hit the bikes and little hellions.

Eventually the bikes were collected by their owners, and the shrieking continued up the street.  The day after Halloween was always interesting.

 

I actually heard this conversation when I was in town the other day, and the picture is of the boys yelling and shouting it.  I burst out laughing and was so glad I had my camera to capture some of the madness.  Oh are kids fascinating.

Signing off

~Kate

Young Men

Most of the men of the town, if not married  with two point five children, were young.  That age when they flaunt their virility, waving it about like a finely feathered bird.  The way they walked, with that little swagger in their hips and butts, or the naughty twinkle in their eyes; a lazy smile that could melt any girl’s heart.  Confidence, or possibly arrogance, oozed off their entire being.  They dripped with sex appeal.

Mia would watch them from her storefront as they drove their pickup trucks, jacked up on higher shocks, or revving their engines, a little sigh of longing fluttering through her breast.  A hint of missed youth causing a twinge.  She had never dated when she was at the age where those young men would have been acceptable.   When she was that age, the men hadn’t looked at her.

 Now it was too late.  Now she was past the time of partying and messing around.  Now she looked at men who were more sophisticated and mature.  A man who was interested in taking care of her, not needing his vanity stroked.

  Even though she was seeing Phil, a small part of her longed for a chance to experience the passions of youth; of letting go and just being in the moment.  Of course it would never happen.  She would never allow herself to ever contemplate it seriously.  But still, a part of her dreamed and wished for a chance.

Flash fiction!  I had a moment and as I watched a host of men in their early twenties drive by today, this thought came to my head. Mia is a gal from a novel I’ve been writing for about six years, but it’s never come to fruition.  Ah, well, it made for a nice bit of flash fiction.  Enjoy.

Signing off

~Kate