My girl Jane

My fave cover of my fave book.
Source: Archive.org

Monday is the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice." If you haven't read this book, WHY THE HELL NOT? It's only been my favorite book ever since, oh, about ninth grade. 

I remember it very clearly. The teacher was out or something or for some reason we spent like four days watching the 1980 TV adaptation of the book. And I was lost and gone forever. The frisson of excitement whenever headstrong, opinionated Elizabeth goes up against headstrong, opinionated and rich and handsome Mr. Darcy. The obligatory ball scenes. The turns about the room. After finishing the series, I immediately read the book. And I've done so a million times by now. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." Opening lines are so key to drawing readers in and P&P's is my absolute favorite. It's been used so often, it's a cliche by now, but reading it in print every time I open the book (I own several copies, digital and print), it's as fresh and fun and comforting as ever: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Funny, clever, sly. You go into the book knowing this is more than just boy meets-cute girl.

The chemistry between Darcy and Elizabeth is off the charts. Every scene they're in, you want to yell: JUST KISS ALREADY. But of course, back then, that would've been the ruin of them both. But this is one of my favorite scenes:

[Darcy to Elizabeth:] "There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil—a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome."

"And your defect is to hate everybody."

"And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them."

JUST KISS ALREADY.

And then, and then, there's the proposal scene where she spurns him. (Him: "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." Her response -- and I'm paraphrasing here: "Oh, hells no.") And then the visit to Pemberley, which is my favorite part of the book, because Darcy's being all nice, and Elizabeth is all: "What the eff? Why's he being so nice? And WOW he has a great house." 

But when they do finally get together, it's just so squee-worthy, because finally they can talk about their feelings. Which has my favorite line from the whole entire book, which I've bolded below.

Elizabeth's spirits soon rising to playfulness again, she wanted Mr. Darcy to account for his having ever fallen in love with her. "How could you begin?" said she. "I can comprehend your going on charmingly, when you had once made a beginning; but what could set you off in the first place?"

"I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun."

I mean, damn. That is why Darcy is my fictional boyfriend. I seesaw between Darcy and Mr. Thornton from "North & South." They're similar in many ways: rich, handsome, taciturn, arrogant, spurned at first by a self-righteous heroine. Sometimes Thornton has the edge, because he's a self-made man, where as Darcy was born into his wealth and status. But really thinking on it, Thornton I love mostly because of the miniseries -- and actor, ahem. But Darcy. There hasn't been an iteration of Darcy that I haven't loved, which leads me to believe it really is the character not just the person playing him, that I love.

Three Darcys: Matthew Macfadyen (2005), Colin Firth (1995),
Daniel Gordh ("Lizzie Bennet Diaries," 2012-13)

And Elizabeth, jeez. I aspire to be like her. Who doesn't? That's all there is to say.

So, thanks, Jane Austen, for writing my favorite book ever. 

Me at Chawton, where Jane lived for a few years.
This is the tiny writing table where she revised/wrote many of her books!

The year in review

With 2012 over, I thought I'd do my own "best of" list. Not everything here was released in 2012, but I did see it this year and since this is my list, I'll make my own rules.

Books

Code Name Verity. Two awesome, distinct heroines in World War II Britain. I mean, it's totally right up my alley. I love the structure of this book -- I think to say more would spoil it. But it's witty and touching and I got sniffly on the bus when I read it so I'm sure people were like, What's up with her? Here's the book trailer (which, btw, I enjoy book trailers; this one is really cool.)

The Fault in Our Stars. I've written about this book before. It's about two teenage cancer patients, but it's not a cancer book. Funny, poignant and sad. I cried and cried after reading it and then couldn't settle into a new book for days after -- always a good sign of a great book. I want to read it again, but I dunno if I can handle it.

Bitterblue. A fantasy-ish book that's part of the Graceling series, so you should probably read "Graceling" first. That book is good -- about a medieval-ish kingdom in which some people have particular gifts. Bitterblue is set 10 years later, centering on a young queen. The part I find really interesting is its focus on how the queen's kingdom tries to recover from its horrific recent past.

Music

The Civil Wars. I want to say some celebrity on Twitter -- Sophia Bush or Scott Porter or someone -- mentioned loving the Civil Wars, and so I checked 'em out. And boy did I fall in love. Haunting harmonies and emotional vocals. LOVE. And I was all, Man, next time they come to D.C., I'm totally going to see them ... and then they decided to pretty much call it quits. Sigh. Just my luck.

Helen Jane Long. She's filed under New Age on iTunes, I think, but her instrumentals are just lovely. Quiet and relaxing. I like to listen to it at night before I go to sleep. Which sounds like a backhanded compliment, but I don't mean it to be. I want to get one of her songs on sheet music and learn it, even though I don't have a piano readily available.

Movies

The First Grader. This movie is streaming on Netflix. Go watch it. It's about this elderly man in Africa who enrolls in elementary school so that he can learn to read. Sniffles abound. Seriously. Sniffles. If you need more convincing, Naomi Harris, who stars in "Skyfall," co-stars here. Such a tearjerker of a movie. But heartwarming too...

Avengers. The one-liners and cadence of Joss Whedon's script and Marvel together means, dang, I loved this movie.

Lincoln. Mostly it's because it's like "The West Wing -- Civil War Edition." Plus it inspired and/or capped my family's exploration of Virginia's Civil War history. We recently toured the "White House of the Confederacy" in Richmond, then Petersburg's battlefield site, then followed Lee's Retreat to Appomattox and ended at Appomattox Court House to see where he surrendered.

Drama

Nashville. My favorite new show of the season. I can't remember the last time I liked Hayden Panettiere -- wait. Yes, I do. I liked her in "Remember the Titans." But she's good here, really -- and of course so is Tami Taylor, er, Connie Britton. Plus the music is awesome. I would've put the soundtrack up in the music category, but I just got it and I don't want to put it on the list without repeat listens at this point.

One Man, Two Guvnors. Okay this isn't a TV show, it was a play on Broadway, but it was fantastic. Quite possibly the best play I've ever seen. The first time I saw this farce -- about a big lunkhead who has to balance have two masters -- I thought it was hilarious. Then next two times just slightly less so -- mostly because you realize where the improv is and where the scripted bits are. But you also see how hard the cast works to make the scripted bits seem unscripted.

Downton Abbey. Watch Season 3 starting Sunday on PBS. No spoilers, but there are some WTF moments. That's all I'm saying. I agree with this review that says that whereas the second season was wobbly but ended strong with the Christmas special, this one is the opposite. Still highly watchable and addictive. Season hasn't even premiered here yet and I've already watched it twice....

Oh, you know, that time I met Richard Armitage*

*NBD.

HOLY SHIZZ. IT'S ME AND RICHARD ARMITAGE.
 (Credit: Thanks, stranger!)

Like you didn't see this post coming. 

So the other day, I heard tickets were available for Anderson Cooper's "Anderson Live" talk show. Normally, I wouldn't be interested because I'm never around during the day to watch 'em, really. But when one segment is an interview with the cast of "The Hobbit" ..... 

But first, let me back up: If you're one of the millions of Americans asking yourself, "Who the eff is this Richard Armitage dude she's talking about?" -- I forgive you; he's more well known for his TV roles across the pond -- go read my previous posts about him. There are numerous mentions. I'll wait.

Ready?

Okay. So he was confirmed to be at the taping, so clearly I was going to go. This is the girl who went to London to see Matthew Macfadyen, another fave-yet-obscure-in-the-States Brit actor, on the West End. The girl who went to London again to see David Tennant, my sister's Brit boyfriend, and Catherine Tate on the West End in "Much Ado About Nothing." Like I wasn't going to take a train three hours north to see my No. 1, most favorite of favorites Brit boyfriend. Please.

And the taping surpassed my expectations. Short of him professing his undying love for me in front of a live television audience, anyway.

We saw one whole episode being filmed before the Hobbit cast appeared to tape their segment, which airs today. You really can't see me in any of the shots in that one episode, though you can see my sister and our friends. So you can't see the look on my face that clearly indicated that I was thinking, "WHO CARES? JUST BRING OUT RICHARD!" 

Then when they brought out the cast, I was pretty much as excited as a fangirl could be. You can find snippets of the interview here. You might see me, this time grinning like a full-on idiot and sitting on the edge of my seat and maybe, just, maybe hitting my sister in excitement.

Then afterward as we were leaving the studio, I saw a line of black cars out front. Clearly they were coming out soon, so we loitered until they appeared, at which point I  -- and here I stress the words: very calmly -- walked over to where Richard was signing autographs and the following took place:

Me: Hi, could I get a picture, please?
Richard: Sure. [puts arm around me]
Me: [thinking as I pretty much just plaster myself to his side] omgomgomgomgstrangeryoubettertakeadamngoodpictureomgomgomg
Stranger: [Click]
Me: [aloud, to Richard] Thank you so much.
Richard: You're very welcome.

And then I died a very happy woman. Coincidentally, someone at the event shot some video here, that shows me and him at the very end...

My sister likes to point out that we went all the way to San Diego this summer, spending money on tickets and airfare and hotel, to see Richard (though it wasn't just for him, mind you). But we saw him -- for free -- in New York, without being crowded into Hall H with 6,000 other fans -- and snagged a picture with him.

Now, please don't think I'm a stalker. Sometimes, yes, I like to stand outside the stage door and get the odd autograph. But many times it goes something like this: My sister and I randomly fall into a meet-and-greet -- and somehow end up being first in line -- such as at a Joshua Radin concert earlier this year. Or I randomly see, oh, Colin Ferguson from "Eureka" checking his phone outside Rock Bottom Brewery in San Diego during Comic-Con. Or because of a ticket snafu, we get assigned front-row seats at Nerd HQ panels with Zachary Levi and Nathan Fillion in San Diego and ended up high-fiving Zac.

But I'm nice and calm, and I don't chase after them. So that's something.  But as for this time around with Richard, I really don't know for who else or when I'd go to these lengths again.

Well, until he does a play on the West End...

Pop culture fail

So as much pop culture as I consume, there are still lots of things that pass me by. And then I get that look I usually give other people. The one that says: "What do you MEAN you haven't read/watch /heard [fill in the blank]?!" I know, I know. So for every person who doesn't recognize Dan Stevens from "Downton Abbey" in that pic from the last post, there are just as many times when I can be just as pop culture clueless. So here, things that I need to get into but haven't yet. Go ahead, be horrified -- but don't let your face stick like that.

Web series

With the except of "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," I don't watch web series. Which is ludicrous given how much time I spend with my laptop open. But I can't ever figure out their schedules, and the production quality isn't always up to snuff, which can drive me crazy. Plus, I have a total second-screen mentality, so what would I do if watching on my laptop? In truth, I can watch YouTube on my TV, but I'm going to blame my already busy TV-watching schedule for missing these two series especially: "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries" and "The Guild." Both seem right up my alley -- Pride & Prejudice! Geeks!  -- and yet, I can't sit down to watch them. Maybe it's that they seemingly have so many episodes already that, even though they're short, it'd be like me trying to watch all 10 seasons of, I dunno, "Smallville" or something.

Books

Y'all know I love my YA. Even before I rediscovered that genre, I generally read Austen paraliterature, mysteries and the occasional romance. As big a bookworm as I am, I just cannot deal with mainstream chick lit (inevitably the girl is late 30s, either divorced with a kid or longtime singleton and works in PR) or actual literary fiction (inevitably too depressing and/or Full of Meaning). So, no, I haven't read "Gone Girl" or classics like "The Catcher in the Rye." But I just finished Henry James's "Washington Square." And next on my list is the non-fiction World War I book "The Guns of August." They gotta count for something.

TV

This is the big one. The one that garners the biggest reaction when I confess: I've never seen "The Wire." Yes, I know it's amazing. Yes, I know it helped revolutionize television drama. Yes, I know it was filmed in Baltimore -- just up the road. I read somewhere that "The Wire" is like "War and Peace": Everyone says you should read/watch it, but hardly anyone actually follows through. I just don't know that I want to invest my time in several seasons of bleakness, so this one has moved down ... and down ... and down on my Netflix queue.

Three cool things

Well, I wouldn't go that far. But lots of fun things have happened in recent weeks. The top 3  awesome things, in order of awesomeness.

Holy shizz. Dan Stevens, y'all! Matthew Crawley! Edward Ferrars!
(Credit: I cannot even remember because I was so excited to put my arm around Dan)

First Place

I met Dan Stevens! That's right. He of "Downton Abbey" and the last TV adaptations of "Sense & Sensibility" and "Dracula"! (Er, actually I don't recommend "Dracula.") When we heard he was stateside doing a play, a couple of us met up in New York for a weekend. It was right after Hurricane Sandy, so probably not the best time to go. But the NY Historical Society was open, and we saw its fascinating "WWII & NYC" exhibit. Really cool to learn about why it's called the Manhattan Project and that the Met curators helped design armor/helmets by studying the armor in its collection.

That night we went to see "The Heiress" on Broadway. The play, based on Henry James's "Washington Square," stars Jessica Chastain as an awkward plain Jane who stands to inherit a good sum of money when her father (David Strathairn) dies. Dan -- because that's what I call him now, Dan -- plays her dashing suitor, who may or may not be after her money. Judith Ivey is the comic relief as the ridiculous aunt who encourages the young couple. As plays go, it was okay. I thought it was a little too obvious what was going on, and Chastain wasn't all that impressive (she does this weird "let me drop my voice an octave to show I'm emoting" thing). But Dan gamely played the dandy, and with a surprisingly good (albeit high-pitched) American accent.

After the show, we rushed to hang out at the stage door. We didn't have to wait long until Dan came out. He was very gracious and nice to sign autographs and take pictures with everyone who asked. And also handsome. He is totally dashing. Swoon. A friend must have popped by unexpectedly because when he greeted Dan, Dan was all: Omg, what are you doing here? And they shared a bro hug, which was cute, and then Dan went off with his friend into the night. Sans security to scare away any "Downton Abbey" stalkers. (We didn't stick around for Chastain; oops.) All in all, mission accomplished. I'm definitely ready for more British actors I love to come to Broadway now.

Second Place

My race bib. It was a twilight run
through a historic cemetery. Spooky! (Credit: Me)

I ran a 5K! I'm not a runner. Like at all. Never have been. Generally in the past, I've taken a "I don't run unless I'm being chased" stance. But I've been on a health kick the last year or so and decided to give it a go. I've been training for a few months now, mostly running on the treadmill. I ran outside only once and didn't do as well as I'd hoped. So lo and behold, how surprised I was when I beat my personal best on the treadmill (45 mins) by like 10 minutes -- and ran the entire 3.1 miles! Whoo-hoo! I attribute that to adrenaline and competitive spirit. I finished 250th out of 300, but, hey, I at least accomplished my goals, which were to just finish and not be last. So there's that. 

I also did a 5K running tour around town, which was fun, and I've signed up for another 5K right after Thanksgiving, because, let's face it: I'll totally need the exercise by then. I'd love to maybe try at 10K one day. But, to answer my mother's question,  no, I won't be doing a marathon. 

My sweater! With detail of owls, below.  (Credit: Me)

Third Place

I made a sweater! I knit a cardigan a long long time ago and hated it (I think I must donated it ages ago) because each part was knit separately, then sewn together. Frustrating! So it took me a long time to screw my courage to the sticking place one more time and try again. It's red and woolly and it has owls! Owls are probably passe by now, but I don't care. It's super cute and, if you're a knitter, the pattern is great: clear directions, keeps the sewing to a minimum, etc. Highly recommend!

It might take me a while before I feel like doing another sweater.... With the holidays coming up, I've got a lot of projects done, but a lot still before me. My poor little fingers will be tired right up until Christmas...

Eeeeek.

I've noticed a  pattern: I'll write a random blog post but then someone else will occur and that other one will fall by the wayside. Which has happened yet again. So instead of that post, here's one on things that scare me, in honor of Halloween.

Please note: I'm a chicken. Results may vary for other viewers.

Scariest TV episode

"Doctor Who," "Blink." Y'all know I'm a Doctor Who fan. If you haven't watched before, give "Blink" a shot. It's a nice intro to the series (no previous knowledge of the show necessary, as the main characters are barely in it) -- and it's grade-A creepy. Trust me, you will never look at statues the same again. You will shriek. It's on Amazon Instant and Netflix streaming.

Scariest movies

"Dead Again." It's not even that this movie is all that scary; plus Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson pre-divorce is awesome. But it scared the crap out of me so much so as a teen (or tween?) that I can't think about scissors -- the murder weapon of choice here -- before going to bed or I can't sleep.

"Paranormal Activity." I'd say before this movie, I was probably more freaked out by Blair Witch Project, but that was likely more due to the shakycam that nauseated me to no end.  Paranormal Activity, though, ranks at the top now.  My sister likes to stand over me in the dark when I'm trying to sleep at her place. Shuddup. It's not funny.

Also, I watched "Woman in Black" last night. As scariness goes, it wasn't terribly so. But it had enough creepy old-timey photos and sinister-looking Victorian toys (ceramic dolls, wind-up monkeys that moved on their own) to make me watch something funny afterward.

Phobias

View from a spire at the
Sagrada Familia in Barca.

Stairs and heights. I hate stairs -- especially spiral stairs; it's that narrow part of the stair, damn it. I always think I'm going to tumble down and fall dramatically, like on TV or the movies. Maybe that's why I also hate heights. Put those two together and it's anxiety time. Just ask same sister who stands over me in the dark. We were at the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and were at the top of the spires, which freaked me out. And then we had to climb down *very* narrow spiral stairs all the way to the ground. That's the closest I've come to a panic attack, ever. I mean, strangers were asking if I was okay.

Scariest experience 

Stop me if you've heard this story before because I tell it a lot: So my friend Amanda and I were on our way to London years ago when we had to spend a sleepless night at Boston's Logan Airport. So we get on the early morning flight to London and I fall asleep as soon as I buckle in (as I'm wont to do). Then suddenly Amanda is shaking me because the PA system has started saying something along the lines of: "Please prepare for an emergency landing in water." Panic ensues. And then the crew gets on and says the announcement went off by mistake and we're not crashing to our deaths as we thought. I try not to think about that every time I fly. It doesn't work.

In conclusion: Happy Halloween!

But you don't have to take my word for it....

Butterfly in the sky.... God, didn't you love "Reading Rainbow"? It was one of my very favorite shows growing up. The episode about New York City at night? Awesome! The one where LeVar takes us to the set of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"? Unforgettable! I always wanted to be one of those lucky kids who got to spend a few seconds talking about a book they loved.

Now the last few weeks have been sometimes stressful, sometimes fun but super busy, so haven't had much to talk about. So when that happens I'm just gonna do a BYDHTTMWFI (see blog post title) about the things I'm into lately. Bottom line: They're all cool.

Books

The Raven Boys. I'm a huge fan of supernatural TV shows, but for some reason supernatural/fantasy books are a really hard sell (Harry Potter excluded): weird names, silly-sounding places, dumb powers. But Maggie Stiefvater's "The Raven Boys" -- about a group of boys searching for a lost Welsh king in Virginia, of all places -- is great. Love the characters (Adam, a book version of Matt Saracen = swoon), intrigued by the Welsh mythology, liked the prose. Now I have to wait for the next book. Argh.

When the Game Was Ours. I generally knew Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are basketball icons but never knew much else about them. This book tracks not only their careers but also their rivalry -- and how it made each of them a better player. Loved this book. Loved.

Movies

Pitch Perfect. Go see this movie. It's like a cappella meets Bring It On. The story is run-of-the-mill: Anna Kendrick (my love for her knows no bounds) is an alterna-girl who joins a ragtag a cappella group seeking glory. But it's exactly what I wanted: cute and fun and musical. Though, warning, it's gross in parts. Now I wish I could sing. It is a-ca-awesome.

The Art of the Steal. Fascinating documentary about the Barnes art collection that was outside Philly (kicking myself I never saw it when I lived there) and now is in a new home in the Philadelphia Museum of Art -- despite the fact that the original owner explicitly said his collection should never leave its home or be part of the museum. Ever. Interesting because of its look at art and who owns it and how it's acquired-- the politics behind it. I must say, I'm conflicted about going to see the collection at some point. On one hand, it's amazing art. On the other, well, just watch the movie....

TV

Bomb Girls. A Canadian show on the Reelz channel about women working in a Canadian munitions factory while the boys fight in World War II? Sold. Duh. The clothes! The hair! The drama! It's like "Homefront" (an old fave) without Jeff (Kyle Chandler) and Ginger, a.k.a. The Best Couple Ever.

Downton Abbey. This third season? Trumps the second season by far. Squeee!

Hope you check these out. But you don't have to take my word for it....