what air, what rocks, what mountains?

I ended up not going to watch the pirates tonight, partly because I decided to take a shower instead (I am one of those women for whom "washing my hair" equals a valid excuse for cancelling a planned evening), and partly because, like a chunk-o-manna from the USPS, my packet of research materials arrived from the very kind gentleman who has been helping me.

So I spent the evening doing research for intensefragilty, as I've spent the last few evenings. The new information has indeed been helpful. What's more - I mentioned this in a community post the other day - every time I come up with a good idea that shores up plot details, I find out it actually happened. This would seem to confirm Grady Tripp's assertion that I should stop researching. However, I'm incapable, and if I DIDN'T research, I wouldn't be able to build a believable world in terms of details: as well as confirming my own ideas, research has helped me to find several dozen useful things I'd left out. I've also gotten some invaluable recommendations on secondary sources.

The other good news is that I found out today that I have a chance at getting my hands on a copy of the book itself, the $275 one, via either collegiate interlibrary loan (I just signed up for a class I don't have any intention of taking, to preserve my "student" status through the rest of the summer), or a road trip to Gainesville. It occurs to me that I don't really have Gainesville friends anymore (excepting velmasbitch, who I don't know very well & wouldn't want to impose on), so hopefully the library loan situation will be viable. I can't believe that someone is actually circulating a copy of this book - a single edition was published in 1827 - but ILL is the best of all possible worlds for me because it means that I can photocopy it. The library of the university I'll be attending next year has a copy as well, but it's in the rare books area, the one where all you can bring in with you is a #2 pencil... and it'll be a while until I'm a student there, anyway... this is research I'd like to do in the next month or two. If the ILL doesn't work out, I'm primed for the road trip, a 4-hour drive each way.

Now I'm hungry & tired, so I'm going to try to remedy one, then the other.

(insert cleverness here)

I think I need a break from the 17th century today.
What do you think?

Um anyway, I don't think I'm going to take that break today, as the library beckons. Tried to get the interlibrary loan thing worked out over the phone (at the library's urging, not mine - I wanted to come in and give them the info). It didn't happen. Among the many problems was that the woman taking the info is not a native English speaker & couldn't understand half of what I was saying (I speak pretty quickly & didn't want to speak too condescendingly slowly) - I think me presenting the info in writing will be a lot less frustrating for both of us.

The momster is diligently working on her job application.
It's raining.
I'm terribly bored and antsy, and my ears are popping, as usual.

YO HO YO HO A PIRATE'S LIFE FER MEEEEE....

Hee! Soo, I have returned home from seeing the film.

Hee hee hee.

I can't say it was the best movie I've ever seen, or even close, but it makes up for it in terms of tickling me pink.

The only complaints I had:
- the whole corset plot thread (which was dumb - women had stays that they were used to wearing, and i believe they didn't really tightlace much in this period, and HELLO, the gown that she was tightlaced for was ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE the gown she wore in the beginning as a child, except for having a split overskirt),
- and the general costuming madness. Exactly what year was this thing meant to be set in? There were about 75 years worth of clothes in that movie. That's roughly like having people in full "Titanic" gear in a movie about Carnaby Street c. 1968. Probably for most people it just "fit the mood", but for anyone who has even a little bit of fashion history under their belts, it's a little bit twitchmaking.

I threatened to go in costume, so I might as well tally that up now. I pinned my big stripey "KISS ME, I'M A PIRATE!" patch to a 3/4 sleeve hoodie that I wore as a shirt. Then I wore jeans, but folded them up a bit, so that I had cuffs and so that you could see my red-and-white striped knee socks and the mary jane style mules I was wearing. Then I wore my metallic red vinyl wristband with the skull-and-crossbone studs, and Chanel "Metal Garnet" lipstick to match. So there you go - a bit themey for everyday wear, but not so costumey that I felt like a complete loser. (the patch was only PINNED to my shirt, of course, because I wanted to be able to take it off & roll down my pantlegs if the movie sucked. so as to enable me to skulk away quietly.)

Umm, like, arrrgggggh, and stuff.