Riba Rambles:
Musings of a Mental Magpie

Posted by Lis Riba at 9:40 AM

Went to see Iolanthe for a second time last night. [Actually, I rushed out to see it the night before, after writing my review of Stage Beauty -- got to MIT on time, but after 15 minutes' fruitless searching for parking, I gave up.]

At any rate, I'm seeing the play because I actually enjoy the play, not solely for Ian's role. Sat on the opposite side of the stage than I did on opening night to gain a different perspective. And that time, I wrote that I didn't think I could review it, because there was nothing constructive I could describe. But after seeing it twice, a few items of note:

First of all, the cast is in constant motion. The supporting actors and chorus don't just stand around. There's always something moving, whether it be the flutter of fairy wings, or peers nodding sagely to one another, or young shepherdess Phyllis curious about the workings of Parliament. The only character who remains motionless while onstage in the background is Private Willis, and that's perfectly in character for a beefeater guard. So major cheers to the director and choreographer. [As long as I'm mentioning the backstage crew, the sets, costumes and makeup are also superb.]

Second comment is that Liz Zhang, the actress playing Phyllis, is a freshman, and she more than holds her own amongst the older actors. I hope she intends to stick with G&S... I'd say she could go far, but she's already starting pretty close to the top, with a named role in her first production...

Also, I can't say too much in praise of Lyman Opie as the Lord Chancellor. His vocal skills and comic timing help nail every scene he's in. (Again, the costume and makeup make the role. I thought he was great when I saw him in rehearsal, but with the wig and beauty mark...) I also enjoy Len Giambrone and Tony Parkes as Lords Tolloller and Mountararat. I guess I've just got a thing for the British nobility. :)

Two showings remain: tonight at 8pm and tomorrow (Sunday) at 2pm. I'm sorely tempted to see it yet again. [More info here] I hope to see you there...

Posted by Lis Riba at 12:25 AM

Two cute bits I've seen lately:

• Juvenile felis catus: an IT review [via mactavish in baaaaabyanimals]
• And Firecat notices a disturbing resemblance for the Litter Robot

Speaking of cats, anybody know where to find a good heated catbed in the Boston area? It's starting to get cold and Boopsie's getting on a bit in years. All I've seen in the local pet stores have been heated mats, and Boopsie prefers to sleep on something lumpy, with surfaces she can lean against. This Thermo Kitty Bed looks like something she'd use, but I'd really rather find it someplace locally, where I can see it for myself before buying.

Also, any cat owners out there wishing to recommend other makes/models/brands of heated catbeds, please share your recommendations.

Oh, and one funny but true anecdote about Boopsie. Last week, I was going in and out of my walk-in-closet, the door to which normally remains locked in hopes of keeping it cat free. Boopsie was on the bed, watching. I was on the other side of the room when I noticed her hopping off the bed, looking as though she might be making a break for the closet.

I gave a warning shout: "BuBAStis!"

She turned around to face me, hissed at me then continued walking towards the bedroom door.

Don't tell me that cats can't understand English.

Posted by Lis Riba at 7:30 PM

Dear gd, Stage Beauty is one of the sexiest things I've seen in I don't know how long.

I realized this morning that the final showings in the Boston area were today. I caught the 4:15 performance. If I didn't have to pick Ian up from Iolanthe, I would be in the audience for the 9:05 show. It's that good.

And if you're in the Boston area, the final show is tonight 9:05 pm at West Newton Cinema. I'd be there if I could. And if you're anywhere else in the country (or world) keep an eye out for this film. It may have already left the theaters, but I can't recommend it more highly. I only hope it comes back to the big screen (the Brattle's Recent Raves, perhaps), so I can take him there.

Posted by Lis Riba at 1:30 PM

The other day, we received a catalog from the Monticello gift store: a Thomas Jefferson-themed shop. All kinds of household furnishings and tchochkes either reproducing articles in Jefferson's home or inscribed with famous quotes by the founding father.

As usual, anything extolling Jefferson inspires in me a comparison with John Adams.

So I started wondering what kind of items a John Adams store might sell. He's nowhere near as marketable as Jefferson, after all. Delightfully curmudgeonly, in fact.

Anybody want to have some fun thinking up some suitable John Adams merchandise?

Posted by Lis Riba at 1:25 PM

May not have much time for weekday matinees before long (if you catch my drift). Just checked and found out today is the final day for Stage Beauty in the only theater it's currently playing. I dropped Ian off at work this morning and then ran errands; I think I'm going to try to catch the 4:15 showing before it leaves the theaters forever

Posted by Lis Riba at 10:15 PM

Just finished reading Heroics for beginners. Entertaining, in the style of Chicks in chainmail. And isn't it scary to realize that Chicks in chainmail is a genre by now.

Speaking of which, if you ever enjoyed the Very Secret Diaries, their author, Cassandra Claire, has a short story in the next book in the Chicks in chainmail series, Turn the other chick.

Baen Books has made portions of the book available online and Cassie Claire's short story, "The Girl's Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord," can be read here.

Very cute.

Added later: If you want to compliment the author directly, here's a link to her LiveJournal announcement.

Posted by Lis Riba at 8:25 PM

If you don't, here's a brief (but PR-heavy) description from their website:

Garan Incorporated created fashionable mix-and-match clothing separates with coordinated hang-tags called "Garanimals." The kid-friendly Garanimals hang-tag system made it easy for young children to select their own clothes, dress themselves, and through these small, successful decisions, develop early feelings of self confidence.
Moms loved the fool-proof simplicity. Kids loved the grown up feeling of making their own choices.

I don't think I actually owned any Garanimals, but I always liked the idea of clothing separates designed for such easy coordination. Any articles of clothing: as long they had the same animal on the label, they were guaranteed to match!

Why do I bring this up? I've started looking through my own winter wardrobe to see what needs replacing and updating. And I find myself wishing somebody made Garanimals for grownups: a selection of business clothes guaranteed to mix and match without having to worry overmuch that colors or styles would clash.

If any clothing manufacturer wishes to pick up on this idea, all I ask is for a small selection of outfits...

Posted by Lis Riba at 7:54 PM

Well, I just had new business cards printed that identify me primarily as a blogger. These will be secondary to my existing ivory personal cards I use in jobhunting and other professional situations.

Now that I'm actually getting on press lists as a blogger, I realized that such a card would be useful.

Here's what it looks like:

I've blurred out my e-mail address and telephone number (they're probably easy enough to find, anyway, but let's not make it too easy for the spammers and telemarketers) but aside from that, this is what it looks like. I had only 50 printed, leaving me the option of modifying the design after I see how they work in practice.

One convenience of the design is that the URLs for my homepage and my blog have sufficient space to the right so that I can append the address for specific paths and pages, if I need. That remains a problem with my existing business cards, where my URL is in the lower right corner with no room for any additions.

Other than that, what do you think? [Free samples available upon request when/if you see me in person.]

Posted by Lis Riba at 4:00 PM

Okay, this is weirdly reciprocal. Reading comments to yesterday's entry, I realized I forgot to mention which rare book I've been searching hi and low for.

For the record, it's King James and the history of homosexuality, which I've read several times from the BPL, but want my own copy for ready reference.

I went Googling to find the cover price, and came across this page from Books-Online-Store.net Besides the cover price, it included links to bookstores in five countries, which I desperately clicked just on the offchance one of them would know of a copy I hadn't yet uncovered. [No such luck; they were all Amazon sites.]

Then I looked further at what else was on the page and realized the book list seemed strangely familiar.

Sure enough, it was the Modern Elizabethan fantasy list I created on Amazon! This site gave it a slightly different presentation, including Amazon reviews rather than my comments, but it's the same list.

How utterly circular.

By the way, I don't think I've mentioned it in a while, but I am an Amazon affiliate. When you purchase something by clicking through the Amazon links that I post, even items I'm not directly linking to, I get some money. I'm not asking people to buy through Amazon; I'd rather folks support their local independent booksellers. The primary reason I post Amazon links is for the interesting aggregations that sites like AllConsuming.net can make from the information. But if you were planning on shopping from Amazon, clicking through my links sends a few pennies my way (I'm guessing; I haven't actually ever gotten any money from them yet -- you see how heavily I've been shilling the service) without costing you any extra. Just FYI.

Posted by Lis Riba at 9:21 AM

And it's Wednesday, which means it's time for my regular Free Will Astrology horoscope. Let's see what inspirational thoughts Rob Brezsny has cooked up for this week:

Posted by Lis Riba at 6:32 PM

I suppose that's an advantage of being unemployed. Middle of the day, Ian said, "Why don't we go see The Incredibles?" and we did.

I liked it. Enough other people have gone on and on about it that I don't feel I really have to, although I would like to point out Elizabeth Bear's observations on sexism and stereotypes in the film.

I'm already hearing talk about whether this deserves the Hugo (it certainly should get a nomination, at least), but I think I'd actually prefer to see Sky Captain win the award, just for the sheer nostalgia-trip.

By the way, I don't intend to go but some of you readers might be interested. This weekend is the 28th Annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, being hels alongside the 6th Annual New England Print Fair. Show highlights include JRR Tolkien's Adventures of Tom Bombadil (First edition inscribed by the author upon publication in 1962) and The Charter Granted by Their Majesties King William and Queen Mary to the Inhabitants of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England, 1742. Sounds nifty, but I don't really need to get into antiquarian books at this point in time. Besides, the rare book I'm desperately seeking is less than a decade old.

Blogger is down, so posting has been delayed (I wrote all the above around 6pm; went downstairs to complete another errand while waiting for blogger.com to load up; it still hasn't). Just finished a gross task. Advice to anybody with pets: paper-training your kittens is a bad idea if the kittens' territory includes the inside of a mail slot. Fortunately, 'tis the holiday season, so most of what was ruined was catalogs and inserts, though I'm going to be calling one magazine and asking if they can send a replacement issue. Ugh. [No, closing the door won't help; the kitten is small enough to crawl under the gap between the door and carpet. The tenant has been locking the kitten in the closet with a litter pan to see if that won't retrain her, but every time she's let out, it happens again. And I think her (adopted) sister may also be guilty; I really don't know. Boopsie may have accidents on our dirty laundry, but that's only happened the last year or so after a bout of illness (and she is nearly 14), and she never had problems on papers, which is a good thing, because my old apartment got pretty cluttered with paper.]

Posted by Lis Riba at 1:00 PM

For a good time, check out the ever-expanding list: Things I Will Not Do When I Direct A Shakespeare Production (courtesy of navrins)

Now, mind you, I've seen some of these done well. For example:

107. I will not use a chipmunk puppet, a frog puppet, and a neon green alligator puppet (or indeed, any puppets at all) instead of actors.

The Midsummer Night's Dream I saw last year did this for the First Fairy, who was a literal sock puppet to Puck. It was a hysterically funny prop for Puck's insanity and ego.

111. I will not have two actors of different races play siblings.

Shakespeare & Company's Comedy of Errors cast both sets of twins interracially, which made it trivially easy to determine which was which.

I suppose the real root of the matter is the old adage that you must know what you're doing and understand the rules before breaking them.

Along a similar vein to the original, Chanaleh provided Top Ten Out-Of-Context Lines In Gilbert & Sullivan.

Meanwhile, last night I stopped at the local library shortly before closing time and picked up several books on World War I. So far, none of them seem to work for me and I think I may return them all unread tomorrow. I'm looking for a thinner book, not a tome. Not a battle-by-battle military history, as I want the social and political and cultural issues going on before, during and after the war. Since America didn't enter the war until after it was already underway, something from a British POV might be good,

I also picked up from the library a complete plays of J.M. Barrie. Started reading The Admirable Chrichton aloud to Ian. At first, he thought it was a novel, and he was disbelieving there would be that much unperformable prose at the start of the play.

So what have you been reading lately?

Posted by Lis Riba at 4:30 PM

So, I just finished J. M. Barrie and the lost boys. Fascinating book. Like The Lost prince, last month on PBS, it really brings home the devastation of World War I on English society. There's a remark from a letter in November 1914, that "8 per cent of Etonians have been killed. In the Army all over the percentage of killed is under 2 per cent."

And then there's this excerpt from a letter in 1918:

'I had an odd thought today about the war that might come to something, but it seems to call for a poet. That in the dead quietness that comes after the carnage, the one thing those lying on the ground must be wondering is whether they are alive or dead. Out there the veil that separates the survivors and the killed must be getting very thin, and those on the one side of it very much jumbled up with those on the other. . . . Perhaps it is of this stuff that ghosts are made. These be rather headachy thoughts. I expect the lot on the other side of the veil have as many Germans as British, and that they all went off together quite unconscious that they had ever been enemies. To avenge the fallen! That is the stupidest cry of the war. What must the fallen think of us if they hear it.'

I've been accumulating links about Fallujah which I haven't yet felt up to creating a coherent entry around. I rather wish I'd started this book earlier, so I could've written this on Veterans'(/Remembrance/Armistice) Day, but I'm sharing it now.

Added later: Upon further thought, I'm growing increasingly dissatisfied with the conclusion of the book. Because the book ends with Barrie's death, it leaves unresolved the rest of the lives of the Llewelyn Davies boys, about whom the book is equally about. I want to know what happened to them, and how they got on. I also found myself wondering when and how the copyright of Peter Pan was transferred to the children's hospital and how that was effected. During his lifetime, or by his heirs? I suppose I'll have to head back to the library for more research...

Posted by Lis Riba at 11:40 AM

Had an errand to run at Simmons, and while there popped into the bookstore to catch a glimpse of the current texts for Library Science students. These four caught my eye, and I made note to look for them in my local libraries:

• Net effects: how librarians can manage the unintended consequences of the Internet
• Don't make me think: a common sense approach to web usability
• Tricks of the trade: how to think about your research while you're doing it
• Research design

Yes, I already know I'm a geek. The first book reminds me of the topics we discussed in Social Informatics/Computers in Society. And while I don't have any research projects planned, I know that there are topics I'd like to investigate further.

By the way, didn't have time to mention this in my post yesterday (yes, that was Ian at the door), but I'm currently reading J. M. Barrie and the lost boys, and the real story is even more fascinating than the film.

Watched both shows last night. Regency House Party remains fun, although I have some trouble telling all the characters apart. I didn't care so much for Henry VIII. I mean, once you're past Catherine and Anne, you've got died, divorced, beheaded and survived. Even Starkey's book doesn't need to devote much time to them. And again, they made up a hokey deathbed scene again. I think that the actual ascension of Edward makes a nice dramatic telling, with him and his sister Elizabeth woken in the middle of the night, being told their father is dead and he is now king, and the two of them crying in each other's arms. But instead, they brought Edward to Henry's deathbed for a final bit of fatherly advice. Didn't do so much for me. Helena Bonham Carter's a great actress (I'd love to ask her to compare her chopping block scenes from here and Lady Jane in terms of how she's grown as an actress over the years), but the rest of the wives just didn't do as much for me. And maybe I got distracted, but I don't remember any scene explaining exactly how Henry freed himself from Anne of Cleves. Just a lot of legal wrangling, and then he was ogling Catherine. I actually thought the PBS documentary handled her divorce much better.

Posted by Lis Riba at 5:34 PM

When Ian and I moved in together, I was working full-time at Lotus; he was largely unemployed. I was on a career track, and not terribly skilled nor interested in the domestic arts; he always wanted to be a full-time stay-at-home parent. So that was our arrangement; he'd stay home and take care of the house, and I'd be the breadwinner.

But, as readers of this journal may know, I've been unemployed. Ian's bartending hours have been picking up as the holiday season approaches and he's in this play. In other words, I've been home more than he has.

Today, I've run five loads of wash (mostly some dirty blankets Boopsie pissed on -- yes, that continues to be a problem) and two loads of the dishwasher.

His performance today ran from 2pm to probably about 4:45. I've got half a pot of mac'n'cheese cooling on the stove, and some coffee cake in the oven (from a mix) that should be ready in ten to fifteen minutes -- around the time he's supposed to get home. My semi-sister-in-law gave me a really great looking and easy chicken recipe; I thought of making it for him, but he hasn't had much appetite of late and I wouldn't want it to go to waste.

Amazing how one adapts. :)

Tonight, I'm hoping to watch Regency House Party at 6:30 (I missed it on Thursday because Ian was sleeping in) and Masterpiece Theatre Henry VIII at 9. I hope Ian's okay with that, because I don't think we have enough blank videotape to hold it all.

Whoops. I think I hear the downstairs door...