So Valentine's Day is on the way
Interesting.
Actually, I find the whole concept fascinating (coming from someone who's never really bothered with it,
officially speaking). One holiday that in some cases, can make or break a relationship (which, if it can be broken by one day, is probably in trouble anyhow).... which probably explains why I've never bothered with it. Too much angst just getting the then-hubby to remember my birthday, without dragging the whole extra commercial flowers-and-chokky day into it as well. Actually, the cynical part of me is saying dryly that it's probably because I've never received a Valentine, but that's actually not true, now that I think about it. I did receive an important one in the year before I was married. I kept it, but unfortunately my ex found it and destroyed it early on. And never gave me one himself. Figures.
But I find it extremely interesting when you consider the origins of the holiday. And no, I don't mean the whole St Valentine secret lovers thing, or, for that matter, some of the other pagan holidays ascribed to the day (such as the one to Aphrodite, which became the purification of the Virgin when Catholicised later), but the Roman festival of Lupercalia.
"Luper", of course, refers to "wolf" (something rather ironic when you consider my lone wolf theory... among other things), and it was a festival ascribed to the wolf-mother that supposedly suckled Romulus and Remus (which would explain later references to the goddess festivals), and was a fertility festival (of course), also ascribed to Juno (Roman Queen of Heaven, so to speak). I rather like that: at least the intention of the original festival stayed basically the same (after all, don't young lovers simply continue the fertility rites associated with Lupercalia?), unlike, say, Easter, which was also a spring orgiastic festival.
Actually Jessica Galbreth at
Enchanted Art has a lovely piece which I reckon says more about Valentine's day than the hearts and flowers we use to symbolise it today:
When I was about 14, we were given an assignment to write a "love" story around Val's day (most of the guys in the class were really thrilled with THAT). I ended up writing a story about 2 people who liked each otehr but couldn't tell (as you do) and who both decided to dedicate songs to each other on the radio on val's day. Of course, both of them thought the dedications came from completely different people, but there was a happy ending, eventually, because they kept sending songs until they both twigged that the songs lined up with when they saw each other. The story was pretty bad, and had some major logic flaws, not to mention a bunch of lyrics of then-well-known songs (something a story wouldn't get away with today!), but I was just 14, and I got an A+, so I can make allowances.
I've always liked that idea.... secret songs. I still enjoy the concept, may one day write a story that uses that idea again. I doubt I could do much better than I did at 14 though hehehe!
Anyway... to the weekend.
Last Clarion weekend, at least... the last weekend within Clarion. Next weekend is moving student out weekend, so it doesn't count. Scott Westerfeld is the week 6 tutor, and I think he'll be good for them, gradually bringing the students back to the "real world".
The weekend was also the first
Vision meeting, and therefore also the AGM. Somehow, I ended up being elected the Treasurer/Secretary, mostly due to a lack of other contenders and the fact I didn't say "no" strongly enough *grin*.
Better go. Car repairs today. Sigh.
Bethia's song
oretheh hafhíat
ahcadan valat
glaeoveh haf camhan
claithin ía
traeb hafhíat fhareh
dorae cadatha
threh hafhíat cahín
solath mar'cravtha
PS Don't bother trying to make sense of it, it's written in Barethian and has absolutely no relevance to anything else unless you're the person it was posted for. There is actually an English meaning, and it does, in fact, make grammatical sense. No, I'm not going to translate it, however anyone who actually manages to do so gets a prize. :-D
Needed a break, so...
here I am. Cleaning, you know.
I think I've recovered from the weekend enough to actually sit down for a bit. *grin*
Listening to:
Phantom of the Opera soundtrack, the movie version. No, not the "Highlights" version, which is the only version retail-ly (is that a word?? *shrugs* Oh, well. It is now) available in Australia, but the long, actual this-is-the-full-movie-version version. I'm not sure whether to throttle Damon or kiss him to death. He'd picked it up for himself, waited two weeks for it to arrive from Britain, but decided on Friday last that I needed it more than he did. I love that man. Not because of the CD, but because of the selfless, selfless thought. Between him and Nicky, I was so dosed up on Rescue Remedy, Baskin's, Phantom CDs, hugs and Angel episodes that I was able to face the weekend. Before D arrived bearing lots of Chinese take-away, Nicky and I nutted out a strategy for varying other stuff that's going arse-up in Heatherdom lately and it's all very positive, long-term, I think. By the time D'd arrived I was pretty well good. I don't like to break down in public (if at all) so this was a Good Thing. I love that woman!
It was my wedding anniversary on Friday. I'm not sure why it bothered me, but it did. It wasn't that I was upset about the anniversary,
per se (it's not like 've celebrated them for the last few years anyway), but it's a reminder of a rather massive failure on my part, wot? It was also a pretty rotten (dang it, I can't remember if it's "en" or "on". Never mind) week all up, with the cat almost dying and varying other garbagy stuff.
Anyhoo, enough of that. Other highlights of the weekend: I took my grumpy self off to the movies on Friday afternoon and saw
Finding Neverland. Interesting film, beautifully shot, but a little... I don't know... I don't know. Everyone did a terrific job, Depp was great, Winslet was great, the little guy who played Peter was amazing!, the cast was good, I cried at the end, as you do. Well no, as I usually don't. But I had an entire cinema to myself. Just me and the film, with me sitting in the 4th row because my glasses broke this week (just add it to the list of pointless little camels that broke the straw's back). It was a good film. A beautiful film, but... something was missing, although I can't put my finger on it exactly. It's almost like the slight (!) sterilisation of the relationship between the adults of the film also ripped out its soul (although not its heart).
Saturday morning I was off to Coaldrake's Bookstore in Milton for Margo Lanagan's reading. It was fun, Margo read two stories, one about a girl who lived in a town where some subterranean nasties attack on an infrequent basis, from her latest antho
Black Juice (same antho Margo's Golden Aurealis story is in), and another about a naked mole rat who becomes the hive queen's paramour that season, from her anthology
White Time. The summaries sound prosaic, but the writing isn't! The first one was nasty, spooky, yet refreshing, the second was funny as all get-out. Seems the naked mole rat didn't particularly want to be the queen's paramour, but he just couldn't help it. Poor wee thing. Hehe. Then lunch with Margo, the other convenors and a few Visionaries and it was off to the airport with Margo.
Saturday evening Floor One invited me to dinner, and I finally heard Applesauce! Yes, I
love eating applesauce! Applesauce! Yes, of course! It's like the Wiggles meets Dr Seuss, just gorgeous. So was dinner, thankyou. :-) A touch of Bailey's Glide and maple syrup on icecream. Try it sometime, peoples. You won't be disappointed.
Circumstances of a varying kind made Sunday longisher than it should've been, but the highlight was definitely finally meeting Ian Irvine, who is a wee man with a great SOH. I think he's just what Week 5 needs: he has scads of industry knowledge and does, apparently, actually make an income from writing.
Then home, and I arrived (after driving sans glasses, of course) with the daddy pooh-bah of all headaches... to find my neighbours had mown the grass around my house. Woohoo! I have 2 mowers, but neither are working (a sad, sad coincidence that is too boring to relate). They, of course, have now been plied with many chocolates. The neighbours not the mowers. Ack! Pronoun confusion! I should know better!
It took me until this morning (I sort of shut down on Monday after taking the kids to school. Blasted headache wouldn't give up and go away and it was a wee bit sore), but am feeling human again, yay. Too much ice cream this weekend, more than I'd normally have in a month (which isn't, admittedly, much). I'm sure the sugar burn was part of the reason why my head was still sore on Monday night. My 10 year-old gave me a shoulder rub (oi vey, that kid has strong fingers) but it was the Nurofen that finally broke it.
Thursday we had a ReelVision meeting, which was actually much fun and goodness, with plenty of malt and Derek being... funny. Haha. Scott introduced me to the Melbournian singer Missy Higgins (her site is
here if you want to check out her stuff, including almost full versions of all of the songs on her debut album
The Sound of White). She has a jazz-ish voice but I think I like her only because the songs are all singable -- in alto. My personal favourite is
All For Believing. I don't know if I'll buy the album but I like it.
I can't believe it's February already. Yikes. But I started another new book last night, so is all good. I get the impression it's not heading far, but I suspect the base story line and the story line of another novel I've partially completed (not the Big One) are mutually compatible, so I'll just see what happens. It's another "relationship" storyline (never romance! :-P), partially inspired by the FFx-2 song I posted yesterday. I wonder why that's happening. Wish it'd stop. *sigh* But the good news is that there are no unicorns. So that'll make some happy. :-P
Ah. Coming to the end of the CD...
Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime...
Ah, well. Better feed the 3 year-old his lunch. There are, I'm told, laws against starving your kids and suchlike. :-D
Just like it
Been a bit of a rough weekend so I don't have a lot to say right now (I'm too doped up with Nurofen anyhow), but I like this so I'm storing it here so I don't lose it when I need it later. :-)
Edit 2 Feb: I should probably point out that I didn't write this. It's a song from
Final Fantasy X-2, available on PS2 (and probably that other box thingy who I will not deign to name) at all good games retailers. :-D End edit.
I know that you're hiding things,
Using gentle words to shelter me.
Your words were like a dream
But dreams could never fool me,
Not that easily.
I acted so distant then
Didn't say goodbye before you left.
But I was listening;
You'll fight your battles far from me
Far too easily.
"Save your tears cos I'll come back."
I could hear that you whispered as you walked through that door.
But still I swore to hide the pain.
When I turn back the pages,
Shouting might have been the answer
What if I'd cried my eyes out and begged you not to depart?
But now I'm not afraid to say what's in my heart.
For a thousand words
Have never been spoken
They'll fly to you
Crossing over the time
And distance, holding you
Suspended on silver wings
And a thousand words
One thousand confessions
Will cradle you
Making all of the pain you feel seem far away
They'll hold you forever.
The dream isn't over yet
Though I often say I can forget
I still relive that day
You've been here with me all the way
I still hear you say,
"Wait for me I'll write you letters."
I could see that you stared with your eyes to the floor
But still I swore to hide the doubt.
When I turn back the pages,
Anger might have been the answer
What if I'd hung my head and said that I couldn't wait?
But now I'm strong enough to know it's not too late.
Cos a thousand words
Call out through the ages
They'll fly to you
Even though we can't see
I know they're reaching you
Suspended on silver wings
Oh, A thousand words
One thousand embraces
Will cradle you
Making all of your weary days seem far away
They'll hold you forever.
Oh, a thousand words
Have never been spoken
They'll fly to you
They'll carry you home
And back into my arms
Suspended on silver wings
And a thousand words
Call out through the ages
They'll cradle you
Turning all of the lonely years
To only days
They'll hold you forever
-- FFX-2
Oh, and happy February.
(!!!!!!!!!!!!)
