The Town Square II

[Ryadian]

Ah, okay. I think the last time we were talking about it was about... yikes, about a year ago. Life goes by too fast. And thanks.

There are just some industries that it's a pain the butt to try to explain to anyone who doesn't work in them.

Agreed. I feel like my last three jobs have been like that. And my current one only exists because of bureaucracy, so... that makes it extra fun to explain.

My mom, my sister's family, and I went on a 5K walk yesterday to raise money/awareness for a local charity, and... yikes. I am way more out of shape than I would've wanted to admit. I slept for 12 hours last night (yay weekends!) and I'm still tired. But, I am proud of myself that I at least finished - it was a path where you just turn around at the half-way point rather than make a complete loop, so we could have turned back if we really wanted to, but we stuck to it.

*Debates taking her Chromebook outside and doing some writing* It's getting to be high 70's/early 80's, which is getting a bit warmer than I like, but then again, I want to take advantage before we're in the 90's....

[You Will Find Me Bigger]

*Interrupts Abe Lincoln's extended oratorio to bring you breaking news*

Hey guys, guess what? "Mortereve" has now been added to the Urban Dictionary! This is its big break, a chance for Narniaweb to leave a permanent mark on the English language. Well, ok, maybe.

Anyway, if you think it is a useful word that everyone should use, you can click on this link and upvote it to get more people to see it:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.p ... d=11807138

[Sonny]

Good mortereve to all! That's... That's... Just, wow! I've been an on-again-off-again member of NWeb since 2005, so that's kinda really awesome! Back when we had the Cup and Platter (I was the C&C Bagel Boy), then the chat room was a hot place to be... This brings back fond memories, when NWeb was a haven I needed to escape from my difficult home life. Thanks for letting us know, Willow!

How's life been, peeps? I'm in the middle of opera rehearsals. We doing Tosca by Puccini this year. I'm disappointed with how few sings the chorus has: only 3! We're on stage for less than 10 minutes in the whole opera! But I love the experience, so I'm still happy.

[Ryadian]

*Waves to Willow and Sonny* Good mortereve to you!

Oooh, definitely upvoted. It's such a useful word, I'm surprised it hasn't spread far off NarniaWeb. I haven't even seen any alternatives!

You know what they say about no such thing as small parts... but it's still fun to have a little more engagement when you're in a performance like that. But doing opera, that's really cool! How'd you get started doing that? When's your performance? I'll admit I know very little about opera, but the idea has always intrigued me. Are you performing it in the native language (I'm assuming Italian?) or is it translated at all?

I would say I haven't been up to a whole lot lately, except for the fact that I've been busy every weekend this month. It's more that there are close family friends where one of them is getting married, and another is having a baby, all within the next month, so I've had a few events taking up my calendar. This weekend, though, we're going on our yearly camping trip, which I'm really excited about. It looks like this might be the only one this year since we've all got busy schedules, so I'm hoping for nice weather and a really great trip. I might also try to convince my family to go back in early fall, but I suppose that depends on how well this one goes and whether or not our schedules settle down after this summer.

Less than a month until the Eclipse! Wow, that's coming up fast. Not that I'm complaining, but I, uh... have a bit of a to-do list to finish before then.
Including but not limited to a sewing project I decided to take up, because I'm insane. (Note: I can't sew. Originally my mom was going to teach me as we went, but it's turning more into I help her sew it. I feel a little bad about it, but I'll find a way to make it up to her. )

[Meltintalle]

*there is a strange rustle as ears prick at the words 'sewing project' and a lurker surfaces from the depths* Ooooooooh! What are you making, Rya, can you say?

It's funny, because I just helped my sister with making a bunch of 18th century clothes for a living history demonstration at the county fair this week. Word to the wise, always give yourself more than two days to put together a complete outfit using only hand sewing.

I'm in the middle of opera rehearsals. We doing Tosca by Puccini this year.

That sounds really cool! Have you done opera before?

I also think 'mortereve' is a great invention that deserves a wider audience--pretty neat to see it on the urban dictionary.

[Sonny]

You know what they say about no such thing as small parts... but it's still fun to have a little more engagement when you're in a performance like that. But doing opera, that's really cool! How'd you get started doing that? When's your performance? I'll admit I know very little about opera, but the idea has always intrigued me. Are you performing it in the native language (I'm assuming Italian?) or is it translated at all?

That sounds really cool! Have you done opera before?

So it turns out that I have a larger role in Act III; I get to play a guard, and another guy and I open the act when the curtain rises. Makes me feel a little special.

I've been singing in choirs and choruses for many years, and I started acting in local community theater about 3 years ago. A couple years ago one of my chorus friends posted on Facebook that they needed more men for an opera they were doing. I messaged him to say I was interested, and he basically said "Here's the music; we'll see you at rehearsal!" So summer of 2015 I was in L'elisir d'amore (Elixir of Love) by Gaetano Donizetti. It was a lot of fun! It was honestly my first real experience with opera, and it was a great one. I was supposed to sing last year, but they lost my email address and they didn't get in contact with me till I'd already started another show which I was directing.

Yes, we sing in Italian. It's difficult to memorize because you either have to just memorize the sounds or learn the Italian to know what you're saying. And in this year's production of Tosca, the chorus is actually a church choir so we sing one song in Latin!

I'm getting really excited! Today is first tech, so we're moving to the stage for the first time. We open on Friday! We have two performances: Friday night and Sunday afternoon. The sets are spectacular, and the principals (leads) are absolutely fabulous. It's a real pleasure to get to work with a professional opera company. The lady singing the titular character Tosca is going on to perform the same role at the Metropolitan Opera this coming season!

[Aravanna]

*returns to the Square as the leaves begin to acquire golden and red hues. Of course, time is weird here, and some of the trees are blooming for spring... or they're just tropical and don't seem to notice that their neighbors are preparing for winter*

Very true, which is why I generally try to avoid them in general. But every now and then someone says something that leaves that lasting bit of anger in the bottom of my stomach, and I just feel like I have to say something to take that weight away.

I tend to be an avoider unless it a close friend. I don't like to engage in that sort of thing, but I'm not sure that's the answer to bring back dialog either. I'm not on much anymore, but I love how civilized the dialog is on NarniaWeb.

*waves to ceppault and Gorse* Good to see you hanging about in the last few months.

I do think the fact that they'd already overemphasized the action in the previous two movies did kind of mean they shot themselves in the foot - their brand was built on a sort of "mini-LOTR" image, and a loyal adaptation of VDT wouldn't have fit in that mold. Still, disappointing.

Yeah... I understand moving making is a risky business, but even unorthodox ideas have a chance of succeeding if the stories they're based on already have an audience, and Narnia does. Yet they just made boring fantasy clones, especially with Prince Caspian and VotDT. I honestly think audiences are ready to see something different if it's well done. That being said, it is lucky that SC will have a more conventional plot to work with. Like Glumpuddle said on the podcast, The Silver Chair is a conducive story for a reboot.

I've been aware that this was coming up for a while (which is why I'm making absolutely sure to post this year, since I've missed most of my N-Web anniversaries

Not sure I've posted for mine in the last 5 years? Ten years? No idea how long I've been a NarniaWebber.

Hey guys, guess what? "Mortereve" has now been added to the Urban Dictionary! This is its big break, a chance for Narniaweb to leave a permanent mark on the English language. Well, ok, maybe.

Upvoted.

Rya, I know i said this at the Eclipse but it bears repeating. I loved your sewing project, and I'm glad you kept it a surprise. My husband promptly told his sister that someone dressed as Katara for the Eclipse since they watched Avatar together growing up. I think her response was "That's awesome."

Sonny, I wouldn't have put you down for an opera singer, but that's very cool! My hobbies are all old lady hobbies and not that interesting to talk about. Unless you like flowers or card making.

[Lady Arwen]

Less than a month until the Eclipse! Wow, that's coming up fast.

Oops, it's gone past.

I actually only got to see the partial, as school started the week following, and I didn't dare try to squeeze yet another trip in. It's a good thing, too, because I wasn't ready even without the trip.

*ears prick at the words 'sewing project' and a lurker surfaces from the depths*

*glomps*

No idea how long I've been a NarniaWebber.

Approximately twelve years, four months, and eleven days. There's a spot under your avatar that lists your join date.

My hobbies are all old lady hobbies and not that interesting to talk about. Unless you like flowers or card making.

I'm actually a fan of both! More herbs than flowers, but I believe there is a decent chunk of overlap between the two. What sort of flower hobby to you have?

This season has been one of thus up, down, around, and under sorts of seasons. I'd say I'm looking forward to Christmas (if only because I want to be able to listen to the Nutcracker without people judging me), but there's too much to be done between now and then, so I bit want to reverse back to the beginning of the semester and have a nice do-over with less drama.

Today, however, was World Ballet Day, and there was a live stream of 22 hours worth of dancing from five major houses around the globe. I obviously wasn't able to watch all of them, but apparently most are still up on the World Ballet Day site, so I'm hoping to go through them over the next few days.

[stargazer]

Where has the summer gone? Wasn't it just yesterday we were looking forward to a trip to Missouri to see totality? And now the eclipse is almost two months past. At least it's only 6+ years to the next one rather than 38!

The trees started changing colors early this year, but while some have burst into vibrant reds and oranges, many seem to have put the change on hold. There is still lots of green to be seen out there.

Still, the seasons march on, with the first frost of the season possible tonight. The local growing season may not end quite yet thanks to the urban heat island effect.

[Aravanna]

Lady A If you get a chance to see the full eclipse in 2024, take it! I suspect it was 'gazer who introduced me to the quote by Annie Dillard:

"A partial eclipse is very interesting. It bears almost no relation to a total eclipse. Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him, or as flying in an airplane does to falling out of an airplane."

Ara wrote:
No idea how long I've been a NarniaWebber.


Approximately twelve years, four months, and eleven days. There's a spot under your avatar that lists your join date.

Thanks.

Oh, what kind of herbs do you grow? I'm interested in just about every category of plant, but I LOVE succulents. This time of year comes with the hard decision of what arrangements are worth the effort of moving indoors and trying to overwinter in a climate they don't like, and which ones aren't worth the effort and just need to be pitched.

(Also I might have understated what plants mean to me since they're my career choice and all.)

'gazer, the leaves are changing colors here too, or hinting at it. We've had a fairly warm fall, but we felt the same cool front you're talking about, although it didn't freeze here. It was 39 F through! I'm hoping we have a few more weeks of warmer temps so some of my tomatoes have a chance to ripen.

[stargazer]

It's been quiet in the old town as of late.

Aravanna, I wasn't the one who introduced you to that quote about total and partial eclipses, but it's quite interesting. Hard to believe that eclipse was over 3 months ago now.

December! Where did this year go?

Did anyone participate in NaNoWriMo this year? I did, but only wrote about 6000 words. November just isn't a good time for me to write, I guess. Overnight, I had a rather interesting dream about mermaids, and when I woke up this morning I had an idea about dealing with a plot hole in my story. Alas, it's December 1 now.

It continues to be cloudy and rainy here in Seattle, the stereotypical weather for this area. I'd love a chance to look at the stars one of these nights.

[Sonny]

I choose not to do NaNo this year. And it was the right choice. I ended up having to pick up extra shifts at work, and I'm just so exhausted with overtime and play rehearsals.

[aileth]

Managed to complete NaNo; why is it so crazy every year? I guess it's a big challenge, that's all. Everyone knows that I will be grumpy and obsessed and very sleep-deprived. Unfortunately my best writing time starts at 9:30 pm--sheer desperation?

[coracle]

I admire people who do NaNo. I barely manage a weekly blog, which is my only real writing discipline. Today I also spent several hours writing up last night's scrawled notes on a production of LWW I had just seen. I am too tired after a late night to put them into any better order... energy and tiredness were also the subject of my blog this evening!

[aileth]

And then I admire anyone who can keep up a weekly blog Mine would fall under the category of weakly, I'm afraid.

[Ryadian]

@ aileth.

I'm rather jealous of both of you. Despite deciding to do a half-NaNo this year (50K words over November & December), I've actually had to halve it again to 25K. And even then I'm not sure I'll make it. What can I say - whoever decided to have NaNo be at the end of the year hates us all. (As for my attempt at a blog.... it's best not to look at what year I last posted in....) But, at least I got my writing juices flowing. Too much, unfortunately - now I want to write a whole bunch of things that I don't have time for....

Christmas preparations are going fairly well for me this year. It's very strange to not be seeing my family's tree and playing our classic Christmas CDs this year, but at least I'll still be celebrating Christmas Day itself with the family. We opted to switch to each of us buying one present for one other person, rather than everyone trading gifts, just to avoid some of the Christmas insanity. It's really helped with my stress level this year - I already have my person's Christmas present bought, wrapped, and under the tree. My nephew and niece (5 and just under 2 respectively) are exempt from all this, so I still want to get them a gift, but that's about all the Christmas shopping I still have to do.