Nothing Day

I had a fairly useless day today, but that's okay. I work full-time on my book these days, so if I come across a Wasted Day I chalk it up to "I was due for a weekend." I couldn't even bring myself to do groceries, which were needed.

Part I of Useless Day: The Bard

The only thing I did story-related was watch Chimes at Midnight (Orson Welles' movie based on the history plays I'm working with), and I finished upoading the audio books I bought. While I already know the Henry V play quite well (except the parts Branagh cut), I don't know Richard II, Hen IV.1 and Hen IV.2 as well.

Last week I bought and read the "No Fear" version of Henry IV (both parts.) But next I need to read RichII and the Hens all the way through, and make notes; and I decided it would be more interesting if I bought audio versions of them. I used to love sitting in my teen bedroom listening to Shakes on LPs from the library. So... I uploaded those to the compy. That's Work isn't it?

I highly recommend the No Fear Shakespeare series. They're Shakespeare in modern English, but not *like, what's up dude* modern language... it still Sounds Formal, but it reads easily. I'm pretty comfy with Elizabethan English, but I still have to read a lot of footnotes to get the full meaning of the texts; they're usually more enjoyable on a second read when you've already studied the notes. But with No Fear you can do both at once, as little or much as you wish. By reading the modern English you by-pass the footnoting, but the original is on the opposite page so you can skip over and enjoy the poetry. These versions are available free at the Sparknotes site, though I bought mine. (I can get a lot of reading done at bus stops.)

Just look at this bit. The old French king (so perfectly played by Paul Scofield--I have a mad crush on him RIP) is discussing Henry's threats against France. (No one's posted it to youtube, but this is the scene just after where Brian Blessed gives the Dauphin a massive shaming.)

Here's the modern version:

"I think King Harry is strong, so the rest of you princes make sure to arm yourselves to meet him with strength. His ancestors got their first taste of blood in battle with us, and he is born of that warlike strain that haunted us on our home ground. Reflect on the battle of Crécy, where, to our everlasting shame, all our princes were taken prisoner by the Prince of Wales, he whom they called Edward the Black Prince."

Alright, so you understand what's being said. But now read it in Shakey-language:

"

	Think we King Harry strong,
	And, princes, look you strongly arm to meet him.
105	The kindred of him hath been fleshed upon us,
	And he is bred out of that bloody strain
	That haunted us in our familiar paths.
	Witness our too-much-memorable shame
	When Cressy battle fatally was struck
110	And all our princes captived by the hand
	Of that black name, Edward, Black Prince of Wales..."

"...And all our princes captived by the hand of that black name..." I love that line. But maybe you need to see Scofield deliver it as though he can see a bloody battle field in front of him.

Part II of Useless Day: The Frivolous Part

Read a magazine, caught up on the news. Decided that any recipe called Pisto Manchengo deserves to be made (not that I made it.) Ate homemade cookies. Laundry. Cleaned up my room a bit. Played around on the compy cleaning up my blogs (mostly this one--scroll down to see my cute new avatar!) I changed some of the colours on my blogs because I'd always used the sucky blogger colours, and I took the time now to find better (in my op) html codes.

http://www.visibone.com/colorlab/
http://www.colorhunter.com/
http://www.degraeve.com/color-palette/

And now I'm wasting more time here, when I should be sleeping.