If you’re reading this, then you should probably read the Brunching Shuttlecocks on web logs.

I thought I had to work today. I’m obviously unable to read a calendar, because there, in plain ink, was my note on the 17th: work 2-7. Somehow I got it into my head that it was the 17th. Wishful thinking, I suppose. Then again, if it were the 17th, I would have lovely memories of a Midsummer ritual and a New Star Wars game, which I don’t, so either I’ve been mind-wiped or it actually is the 10th.

Joy! I have a 7 AM appointment with my osteopath on July 2nd! Which, it occurs to me now, is very early on the very first day I don’t have to be working. Hmmm… and also very early the morning after the July 1st concert my orchestra is playing. Well, at least I’ll need the appointment to straighten out my back after playing on folding metal chairs all night – they do horrible things to poor cellists…

CURRENTLY READING:

I think I’ve discovered a trend. If I’m blogging, chances are good I’m not reading. If I’m not reading, it’s because I’ve finished whatever book I was in the middle of.

Sabriel by Garth Nix was a re-read, and it was just as good the second time around. Strong characters; an excellently constructed world that would be a pity to waste (which to my delight he has not done; I’ve just picked up Lirael, another book set in the same world. Hence my re-read of Sabriel), and, just as I remembered, it has a slow first half and a second half that tumbles you through the concluding events.

I also read Never Burn a Witch by M. R. Sellars, the sequel to the Harm None book that had unforgivable editing errors that I complained about earlier. At least this one didn’t mis-define symbols. It’s a passable murder mystery with an occult twist; certainly better than the first one. The protagonist’s tendency to channel murder victims and receive nicely laid out visions that direct the police to the next clue gets a little hard to swallow after a while, however. I assume a mostly occult readership for this book, which is probably a good thing, because if a mass market readership were to pick it up they’d think all Witches develop stigmata when in the presence of evil, snap in and out of Twilight-Zone like trances, are overcome by messages from “the Other Side”, and so forth. Sheesh.

Must find something to put in my lonely Reading Box over there to keep The Western Way company. Oh, I’ve got a pile of stuff, don’t get me wrong; I just have to figure out what’s next.

Flipping through random blogs, I came across this test.

I decided, for a laugh, to run through it. I said to myself, “Self, what with being so out of the celebrity and entertainment thing, you won’t even recognise the Hollywood princess you end up as.”

So I did it, and ended up as…

You are Sarah
Michelle Gellar!

You acted in cool movies like:
Scooby-Doo, Harvard Man, She’s All That,
Scream 2 and Cruel Intentions.

Take the “Which Hollywood Princess are you?”
quiz @ planetag.de

Having seen exactly zero of the mentioned movies, I can still be wowed by the fact that she plays Buffy. Cool! I’m cute, and I’m deadly!

Later: Okay, so the other options were Alyssa Milano, Cameron Diaz, Christina Ricci, Angelina Jolie, Thora Birch, Alicia Silverstone, Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore, and Claire Danes. All of whom I know. Whoever would have thought? (Note to self: remember to thank Powers That Be for not being classified as Alicia Silverstone…)

Figures. They were out of stock. Next week, they promise.

Grr.

Buffy fans who are also academics, take note: Roz Kaveney’s Reading the Vampire Slayer: An Unofficial Critical Companion to Buffy and Angel is fantabulous. I’ve been out of the academic community for a couple of years, but it all came back as I read essays on the function of labour in the Buffyverse, dialectics, sematics, upsetting established narratives… it was wonderful.

Enough. I practiced for two hours, my fingers hurt. So I’m playing around with the colours on my template now. “View Source” is my best friend when I find a site I like; I discover terrific colours that way, like the sage green I’m trying out here. After loading it to check it out, I have dubbed this colour scheme “Chocolate Mint”, which amuses me no end. Feedback is welcome. We’ll see how long it lasts. This page is always a work in progress.

Dinner was lovely, and so welcome – I was more than ready to escape the workplace. MLG and I spent a lot of time people-watching through our window at Hurley’s, as it’s Grand Prix weekend and there are many, many Beautiful People wandering about our fair city. (Beautiful People are those persons who sail down the street inviting you to look at them. They know that they’re on display, and they’ve dressed to make A Statement. Some of the statements were laughable, such as the woman we passed wearing a pink sequinned butterfly tied onto on her torso, with a pair of jeans. I giggled for half a block.) We talked of cabbages, kings, invasionary forces, having babies, and politics. Dinner with MLG exercises the mind and relaxes me at the same time.

In the pub I ran into an old customer from the F/SF shop who I still keep in touch with, and we mourned the loss of the shop again. Two years. It’s been two years (minus three weeks) short of two years since the doors closed due to poor sales, a direct result of the big box stores opening up five minutes down the road. The concept of time becomes so surreal as you get older. When you’re a kid, summer lasts forever. When you’re an adult, it’s more like, “Summer? When? What – wait, was that it? I must have blinked, because it’s October all of a sudden.” It seems like only yesterday that we put the new calendar up at work. (Actually, it seems like only yesterday that we turned the calendar page to February 2001. That’s how wonky time has become.)

I read another book when you weren’t looking: The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King. Delicious. A Holmes story after his retirement, when he meets a young lady whose mind is as sharp as his, and he informally apprentices her. Good enough to keep an eye out for the rest of the series. Wonderful summer reading.

I have a bad feeling that this is going to be a less than fun day. The past three have been unfairly long and slow. Someone inserted more minutes into each hour, I’m certain of it, and neglected to warn me. It’s also been grumpy – everyone’s been growly and lethargic and generally vaguely unhappy. I worked in the store on Tuesday, which I usually work at home, so by last night I’d used up my working-with-customers patience, and I still have another whole day to get through. The good thing is I will be dining with MLG afterwards, which will cheer me up to no end. It will also officially launch my weekend. I’m covering for someone else on Monday, however, so it will be the shortest weekend I’ve had in a while. I’m being generous in the covering for others department, though, becaue hey, as of the beginning of July, I won’t be worrying about that for a while, will I?

Ceri, evil woman that she is, sent me links to new costume patterns, and voila, a whole new Hallowe’en concept unrolled itself in my mind. I called my husband in to share and showed him all the pictures and detailed the idea with some excitement. He put his hands on my shoulders and said, “It’s a wonderful idea, and yes, you’d look perfectly stunning, but you made me promise to remind you of something: You hate costume parties.”

Damn. I did, too. I do hate them. I’m a perfectionist, and obssessive, and I dislike large gatherings of people. My record for the past four years: an hour at the party; half an hour; skipped; hid far away in the hotel.

This would be so good though! I have plenty of time, too – all summer, in fact. I have excellent photo references! I have a pattern to base it on (although I’m already modifying it and adding things mentally, oh dear)! I just need to find material… I sense a trip to St Hubert street in my future.

Ceri asks, “Are you going to get a new sewing machine?” I answer, “No, just a new needle. Plus extras.” I intend this costume to be as light as possible (enough with the gold lycra and the heavy tapestry!), so a sturdier machine won’t be necessary (you hear that, Easy-Bake Oven of Sewing Machines? Don’t let me down!). Besides… my birthday treat is to be a beautiful wooden recurve bow, and I want to buy the extras like the armguard and fingertab and arrows are sort of important too. This summer is going to be lean, and a new sewing machine is not in my long-term budget.

Curse you, Ceri! In the nicest way possible, of course.

We did it! We did it!

We found the deleted scenes on the new Harry Potter DVD! No cheating, or checking web sites, or anything!

Only took us another hour tonight, after discovering that they were nowhere to be found during our casual exploration before watching the movie on Sunday. It was actually quite a challenge, until we figured out what we needed to do. I was the brains; my husband clicked buttons. (Remotes defy me; it’s that technology/witch thing again.)

No, I’m not going to give the secret away. Suffice it to say that about half the deleted scenes should have been left in, in my opinion, including the one where Harry actually speaks Hedwig’s name. Then at least it would have been said at least once in the movie.

Watching the film again has reminded me of how much I want Dame Maggie Smith’s wardrobe. Especially that lovely hat with the pheasant feather, and the emerald velvet robes with the triskeles on them!