If you think I look that good, I guess I think you look good, too, baby

[sovay]

Today's plans included more phone time with bureaucracy, more phone time with doctors, and spatch's first appointment with his new PCP, for which he had had to wait so long that we could have literally reproduced in the time between scheduling and walking into the office.

Today’s plans did not include finding ourselves so close to an eventual three-house, seven-alarm fire that the parking lot smelled like the inside of a model rocket and the sunlight thickened and turned sulfurous from the smoke we could see billowing in different colors over the line of the roofs. We saw mutual aid called in from Malden, Winthrop, Somerville, Cambridge, Belmont. As I was updating my mother who hadn't been able to find information about injuries or casualties—none of the latter reported, at least—the fire was announced finally knocked down. It's the city's third in six weeks. Fire season in urban areas.

Today's plans did not include a visit to Revere Beach, either, but it was a good reward for a doctor's visit and netted us dinner from Kelly's. Rob took pictures of sea, sand, gulls, me.



I am deeply endeared by this fanart for the first meeting of Iolanthe and the not yet Lord Chancellor. As a dear friend of mine who is not on DW pointed out, it practically is canon for her reaction to have been, "What a nerd! Let's hit that."

Comments

[reconditarmonia]

You look lovely, and that fan art is so cute.

Have you seen the collection on DeviantArt of Utopia Limited fan art? There's quite a bit and I can't say it's one I ever expected to find fan art of! (I really like that opera.)

[sovay]

You look lovely, and that fan art is so cute.

Thank you!

("where's the how i met your mother story for strephon huh???")

Have you seen the collection on DeviantArt of Utopia Limited fan art? There's quite a bit and I can't say it's one I ever expected to find fan art of! (I really like that opera.)

No! Please link! I have not yet managed to see it ever staged, but I am also a fan.

[reconditarmonia]

Here it is!

I agree wholeheartedly with your post about how adorable the Paramount/Sophy romance is. I love their duet and dance! I've wanted to stage this forever, because I have very specific thoughts on how that dance, among other things, would go. (One of the other things is that I'd like to use a shit-ton of practicals in the second act now that Utopians have imported electricity - but I have seen a Tumblr post which talked about a production where in fact the Utopians, I think pre-play as part of their general importing of English stuff, have in fact continued to develop it and outstripped Victorian tech to arrive at our modern technology early. Another thing is that Scaphio and Phantis should escape their bonds in the closing music of the finale and found two political parties.)

[sovay]

Here it is!

That is frankly amazing.

(I actually quite like the faces they gave Paramount and Sophy.)

I've wanted to stage this forever, because I have very specific thoughts on how that dance, among other things, would go.

I don't know what the risk assessment for theater looks like these days, but when you get the chance, I will be there. I also wish to subscribe to your parenthetical notes.

[reconditarmonia]

I don't know what the risk assessment for theater looks like these days, but when you get the chance, I will be there. I also wish to subscribe to your parenthetical notes.

I don't think I'd do it with my company - I wanted to direct it for my college G&S but they never accepted my proposals for it. :(

[sovay]

I don't think I'd do it with my company - I wanted to direct it for my college G&S but they never accepted my proposals for it.

I'm never going to see this opera!

[reconditarmonia]

MIT and Harvard's G&S companies both did at least one production within the last 10 years (I liked Harvard's and did not like MIT's).

[sovay]

MIT and Harvard's G&S companies both did at least one production within the last 10 years (I liked Harvard's and did not like MIT's).

I heard about MIT's after the fact; I missed Harvard's entirely. What did you like and not like?

[reconditarmonia]

For the Harvard production it wasn't that it was great because of its concept (it sidestepped the issue of portraying a South Sea island by making Utopia a somewhat Classical kingdom-in-the-sky, but I wouldn't really describe that as a concept as such) but it was just very well directed/executed overall. MIT's angle was US teaboos, and if you start act I with the Utopians in their various cosplays, you have nowhere to go from there - I also didn't feel it was as well done on a technical level.

[sovay]

MIT's angle was US teaboos

I had never before heard "teaboo." I appreciate it.

So, tell me more about your production?

[sartorias]

Oh, that glowing, peachy-gold light!

[sovay]

Oh, that glowing, peachy-gold light!

It was good sea-summer.

[asakiyume]

This one was my favorite of the ones he posted on Twitter.

[sovay]

This one was my favorite of the ones he posted on Twitter.

Thank you. spatch is a good photographer of people.

[gwynnega]

I'm glad you got a beach visit after the various unpleasantnesses!

[sovay]

I'm glad you got a beach visit after the various unpleasantnesses!

Thank you! I took the clamshell home, too.

[minoanmiss]

Hooray for the beach and for a photo of you there in your handsomeness, but wow, that fire sounds entirely unnecessary for everyone and everything involved. Meep.

[sovay]

Hooray for the beach and for a photo of you there in your handsomeness, but wow, that fire sounds entirely unnecessary for everyone and everything involved.

Thank you! And, yeah, we couldn't see anything from the parking lot except the changing colors of the smoke as we heard the new firetrucks and ambulances go by, which is why I was trying to find out if everyone, insofar as it's possible in a three-house fire, was all right. It was terrible weather for fighting fire; everything is tinder. An earlier version of the Globe article suggested the fire had started as a result of broken power lines, but it seems to have been rescinded since. I was glad to read that the neighbors came out for the firefighters.

[nineweaving]

You look so much yourself on the shore.

Bow, bow, ye lower middle classes!
Bow, bow, ye tradesmen, bow, ye masses,
Blow the trumpets, bang the brasses,
Tantantara! Tzing, boom!

Nine

[sovay]

You look so much yourself on the shore.

Thank you. I feel more like myself.

[cmcmck]

I often wondered about the young Iolanthe and her young man.

'Iolanthe? Thou livest?'

[sovay]

'Iolanthe? Thou livest?'

The friend who is not on DW was imprinted for life by a delivery of that line.

[vass]

Huh. It never occurred to me to think that the Lord Chancellor must have been anything special to have attracted her so strongly, just that Iolanthe must have been something special to have defied the fairy rules at such cost. My biases may be showing.

[sovay]

It never occurred to me to think that the Lord Chancellor must have been anything special to have attracted her so strongly, just that Iolanthe must have been something special to have defied the fairy rules at such cost.

I don't think that's an invalid interpretation.

[selkie]

"What a nerd! Let's hit that."

IF ONLY the first attestation of the word "nerd" wasn't from 1951, I tell you, there's a cover quote.

[sovay]

IF ONLY the first attestation of the word "nerd" wasn't from 1951, I tell you, there's a cover quote.

Alas!

(What are the older equivalents? "Boffin" predates by about ten years, but has slightly different connotations.)

[selkie]

A quiz seems to be the nearest thing, but its connotations are more of pure eccentricity; I can't find anything else that isn't a known Heyerism.

(EFF GEORGETTE HEYER.)

I do not think Rose thinks of St. Clair as a quiz. Alas. Or maybe not alas.

[sovay]

A quiz seems to be the nearest thing, but its connotations are more of pure eccentricity

Right, hence "quizzical," the only form in which it survives. Thanks.

I can't find anything else that isn't a known Heyerism.

cf. "to make a cake of one's readership."

I do not think Rose thinks of St. Clair as a quiz. Alas. Or maybe not alas.

Meshuge, maybe.

[watervole]

That pic of the young Chancellor is perfect!

[sovay]

That pic of the young Chancellor is perfect!

It truly delights me.