[Content Note: Medical Issues, Surgery, Fat Hatred, Dieting]
Ana's Note: This is a Fat Acceptance 202 post, not a 101 post. If you need a 101 course on Fat Acceptance, please refer to Kate Harding's excellent archive; there are about 10 linked posts in that archive and they are all awesome and admirably cover most FA 101.
Please also note that this post is going up the week I'm in hospital. That means moderation will be done on a smartphone whilst I am under heavy medication. Comments which are not FA-friendly will be removed without notice, warning, or apology.
|
Fat Acceptance: Callous Helpfulness |
|
|
Narnia: Good Hair, Bad Hair |
Narnia Recap: Prince Caspian has been told (in flashback form!) about the peoples of Narnia.
Ana's Note: Instead of my usual sprinkling of links in-text, I'm going to place many of them at the end because some of them require content notes. Also be aware that this is a post about racism in the context of (among other things) hair texture. If that statement drew a total blank for you, please note the links at the end of the post and check your privilege before posting. I appreciate your help in keeping this a safe space.
|
|
Recommends: Some Movie I've Never Heard Of! |
Oh my god, I just found Ruby's deconstruction of "Escape from Hell" and now my sides hurt from laughing so hard. I've never heard of this movie before, but I wouldn't be a Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan if I let little things like that stop me. This is super late, but if you haven't seen it and you enjoy snarking at old movies you may like this thing. I certainly did.
RECOMMENDS! What have you been reading/writing/thinking about this week?
|
|
Twilight: Painted Waitresses |
Twilight Recap: Bella is sitting in the car with Edward while Edward calms down.
Twilight, Chapter 8: Port Angeles
And now, a confession.
I'm not as familiar with Romance as a genre as I am with, say, almost anything else. (Except maybe Thrillers and Cozy Mysteries.) I tend to hew to the Fantasy / Science Fiction / Literature / Historical Fiction side of the bookstore. Oh, there's still lots of romance in the books I read, since nearly all of them have someone falling in love with someone else, but that's usually more of a by-product to a larger plot, and half the times doesn't even make good sense in the wait-how-is-this-going-to-work-long-term sense.
|
|
Open Thread: Favorite Video Game Plot? |
What's your favorite video game plot of all time? (Differentiated from "favorite video game" because play mechanics can ruin the overall experience, I know.)
I really, really, really love Persona. I really like the whole "many selves within you" aspect, probably not the least because it always used to bug me growing up that people would talk to me about wanting to know "the REAL Ana" as if I wasn't real all the time. I really like the character of Mary, because she's a relatively rare disabled (sort of. It's complicated.) character in the video game landscape, and I really like the exploration of her character as deeper than peaches'and'cream. And I love that the characters start off looking like stereotypes (the Rich Kid, the Responsible Kid, the Smart Kid, etc.) and then turn out to have all this depth of character unfold because people are not stereotypes, and if you think they are, it's your failure to look deeper. Ah, memories.
I don't like the PSP remake quite so much, I'm afraid.
Runners-up include Lunar (the PS remake where Luna gets some agency), Final Fantasy X, and Final Fantasy Tactics (the plot makes sense after the 8,734th play through!).
OPEN THREAD BELOW!
|
|
Hunger Games: A Question of Agency |
Hunger Games Recap: I've decided to run a Hunger Games deconstruction to post on a non-regular basis. This will not be a line-by-line deconstruction like Twilight and will not precisely be a read-a-long like Narnia; it will be a thematic deconstruction by chapter with the assumption that everyone is already familiar with the books. Spoilers lurk herein.
The Hunger Games, Chapter 1
I love "The Hunger Games". It's probably my most favorite book series of all time at this point. I've read the books half a dozen times. I've listened to the audio books more times than I can count. I love the series: heart, mind, and soul. I also feel like it's one of the most feminist book series I own. This is not a coincidence.
|
|
Author Interview: Amanda Johnson on "Mommies' Priceless Moments" |
Amanda: This book is a golden collection of short funny true stories about young children from parents worldwide.
Ana: What themes does your book explore and what do you hope the reader will take away from the experience? Is there a particular feeling or experience that you hope to evoke in the reader? Essentially, do you hope your book will mean to a reader?
Amanda: My basic aim was to expose the real challenges that come with being a parent, and to showcase them in an amusing light. I did this by speaking with parents up and down the country, and compiling a book that contains their [zany], courageous and sometimes almost unbelievable stories. My intent is to help parents to understand that they’re not alone in their experiences.
Ana: What prompted you to write this book and did you have a specific inspiration in mind? Were you influenced by a certain author or work that inspired you to add your voice to this genre? Besides the boatloads of money and rockstar fame, what motivated you to write this book?
Amanda: After having my son Tyson, I decided that the best advice I got about parenting was not from the “How To” books I read, but from other parent’s experiences. The [zanier] and funnier the experience, the more I felt like I was not alone. The biggest motivation behind this book was definitely my son and the stories friends and family told me to comfort me when he was first born.
Ana: If you could compare your book to any other existing works, which ones would it be and why? If the one thing you could say to a prospective reader was, "If you like X, you'll love my book!", which work would be invoked so that a reader could judge whether or not your book is their cup of tea?
Amanda: I would compare my book to "Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth" by Jenny McCarthy. This is because her book is the naked truth about pregnancy and Mommies' Priceless Moments is the naked truth about raising children. The biggest differences between our books are that her book is only from her view and my book is a collection of short stories. Another difference is that she uses swear words in her book and mine is clean. But if you enjoyed reading Jenny McCarthy’s book you will enjoy Mommies’ Priceless Moments.
Ana: Is this your first or only published work, or have you published other books? If you have published other books, how do they compare to this one? Do you have any more books planned, either as a follow-up to this one, or as a completely different book or genre?
Amanda: This book is my first and only published book. If it does well I hope to come up with a second book with more funny true stories about kids.
Ana: Where can readers obtain a copy of your book for them to enjoy? How can they contact you with any thoughts or questions? And do you have a means by which they can "sign up" to be notified when your next book comes available?
Amanda: You can buy Mommies' Priceless Moments on Amazon for $2.99. You can also buy it as a hardcopy for $9.80. You can find me on Facebook or email me.
Ana: Thank you. I understand you have the first chapter of your book available as an excerpt for interested readers? Is there anything else you wish to add for our readers?
Amanda: You can preview my book here. Make sure you like my Facebook page I am always giving out prizes to my readers. I look forward to hearing from everyone so please also visit my website.
Thank you!
If you are an indie author interested in being interviewed, please read the interview policy here.
|
|
Narnia: Savior White, Savior Bright |
Narnia Recap: The Pevensie children have rescued a dwarf.
Prince Caspian, Chapter 4: The Dwarf Tells of Prince Caspian
Hey! You know what would be awesome? I'm going to tell you what: leaving these Pevensie protagonists behind for four chapters or so. I mean, the book only has fifteen chapters total, so it's not like that's more than a quarter of the book. Let's go find a new protagonist, one who is less burdened by hurtful memories and sad emotions and muddled theological implications about gods who override choice despite ostensibly being all about free will. A new protagonist who represents everything that good, right-thinking people want and need in a protagonist: an innocent white male who will most definitely not be blamed for the heaping amounts of privilege he's been cozily wrapped in his entire life.
|
|
Review: Slow Cooker Revolution |
Slow Cooker Revolution
by America's Test Kitchen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Slow Cooker Revolution / 978-1933615691
We've made several recipes out of this book and both my husband and I really like it.
The layout is very nice -- bolded recipe list on the side of each recipe, with the instructions across from the list. A lot of the recipes have little "tips" at the bottom of the page, often for how to select product or keep things from going bad. There are pictures, but there's not one for every recipe, but since this is a crock-pot book and not dishes that require a lot of assembly, I don't mind so much as I normally would.
I do wish that in addition to the cooking time, there was a "prep" time -- the last two recipes we tried (Baked Potato Soup, and a pork chops with soy sauce) had a lot of "fry the bacon in a pan, fry the chopped onions, stir in flour, stir in chicken broth slowly, THEN dump everything in cooker" and that takes a bit of time in the mornings when you're trying to get off to work. But it's a minor complaint and can be figured up pretty easily with a little more reading prior to trying the recipe.
Taste-wise, everything we've made so far with this book one or both of us has liked, so if you happen to share similar taste-buds with two random internet strangers, you'll like these recipes! For my friends in the food intolerances camp, this book doesn't try to be food intolerance friendly and there are no obvious recipe alterations offered for that. (Not surprising, since that's not how it's being marketed, but now you know.)
If you've got a slow cooker and you'd prefer a book of recipes to the hit-or-miss internet, I can recommend this one as having some solid offers.
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.
~ Ana Mardoll
|
|
Metapost: Surgery |
Content Note: Surgical Stay, Cancer
Ramblites, I meant to put out May/June newsletters about this, but not all of you are subscribers and time got away from me, so here's just a regular metapost.
I'll be having back surgery on 5/29, which is a Tuesday. I should be in the hospital for about 3-5 days for recuperation, and Husband will be with me during hospital visiting hours. (Mom and Dad will not be able to attend as previously planned, because Dad is going through his radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
After my surgical stay, I'll be out of work and largely house-bound for 8-12 weeks (at which point I hope to go back to work), and I do not at this time know what level of consciousness I'll have. (Depending on how my body reacts, there may be lots of sleeping involved.)
Posting-wise, I think we'll be alright. Here's what I have pre-posted as of today:
I expect to keep adding to that; if I absolutely can't keep up, we'll have another week of open threads or something. You were all very kind and patient during the last one, and I can't thank you enough. Thank you.
Moderating is another thing entirely: I can reply to comments, and delete comments, and spam/un-spam comments from my Disqus phone app and that's going to be about it for at least my hospital stay. I certainly won't, for instance, be able to ROT13 comments, since that takes a lot of movement and access to relatively high-level computer resources. If we get some kind of bizarre troll influx, I'll just mark the crappy stuff spam for temporary purposes and sort it all out later, but what are the odds of that happening? (Famous last words.)
--- YOU CAN STOP READING NOW. THE REST OF THE POST MAY REQUIRE SPOONS. ---
I guess I should say something about me now for those of you who want to know and have the spoons.
I'm doing fine, although I'm at the point where I'm feeling a little subdued and tired in advance of everything. This is the second time I've had this surgery, so I know what to expect and am not really apprehensive, but I'm not really jumping for joy either. I just had my hair sheared down to a pixie cut yesterday because I did this surgery before with longer hair and it was a pain to manage in-hospital, and while I look cute and feel cute, it's not the cut I would have chosen for myself normally (or I'd have already had it), so that and about a million other things kind of squat on my shoulder and remind me that I don't have nearly as much control over my life as I would like.
So I also had the hair-stylist put in bright red streaks, and I bought some feathery headbands and a couple of pairs of legwarmers, because goddamnit, if I have to be in hospital, I am determined to have fun. Also, legwarmers are permanently affixed in my mind to Cleo the Cat who I remember thinking was cool, classy, and sexy. (Disclaimer: I haven't watched Heathcliff in years and my childhood impressions were rarely accurate.)
And, of course, there's Dad. He's doing fine so far, but all the doctors and nurses assure us that Things Will Get Worse (in terms of pain and tiredness and swollen throat and stomach tubes) which is obviously not very reassuring at all. But theoretically after he passes through the fire on all this, he should be cured of cancer. Which is great, but supposedly he'll also have dry-mouth for the rest of his life, an increased risk of other kinds of cancer thanks to the radiation, and he might not have taste-buds after this. Basically, I'm dealing with this by not thinking about it very much.
So. I'm fine, really I am. Husband has gotten me a nice spreadsheet game to sink into (Patrician IV), and I have a backlog of Kairosoft games to play, and I have about eight zillion books to read, and of course there are things to say about Twilight so I'm doing alright. This is really just a heads-up to let people know what's up and what's going on and why I'm not always answering comments as much as I used to -- I love reading them (so much; there's at least a dozen a day that I read 3-4 times before filing them in the "Keeper Comments" folder on my gmail), but answering them is a little fiddly sometimes. And I am sorry for that.
Peace out, and I'm looking forward to waking up from surgery and seeing how you like that day's Narnia post.
|
|
Recommends: All Different Kinds of Sexy |
This is now way late, and I've already recommended Escher Girls before, but this post, so much: I Can't Be the Only One Disappointed it Wasn't Just Ponies Cosplaying as DC Heroines.
The background being that someone used My Little Ponies as a justification to draw your typical "sexy supergirl" pose, someone else was kind enough to do a redraw that actually provides some ethnic diversity, and someone else pointed out that the very real problem with the ubiquitous "sexy supergirl" is that it ignores that there's any particular kind of sexy besides simply having breasts and a willingness to wear very little in the way of clothing:
The sameness of the character designs hurts this. There’s a lot of different kinds of sexy. Athletic and tough can be sexy. Voluptuous and plump can be sexy. Nerdy and smart can be VERY sexy. Gentle and nurturing can be sexy and so forth. Here sexy is conveyed entirely by “large tits, lots of bared skin”.
This.
RECOMMENDS! What have you been reading/writing/thinking about lately?
|
|
Twilight: Appropriating Victims' Experiences |
Twilight Recap: Bella has been rescued from an imminent gang-rape by Edward Cullen.
Twilight, Chapter 8: Port Angeles
Twilight was not -- and I think most people will agree with this statement -- written to be taken as complex social commentary. It's a romance novel, built around the eroticism of sexual abstinence and denial. And for all that, it works pretty well if you like that sort of thing. Or so I'm told. YMMV.
|
|
Open Thread: Fan Discontinuity |
What fan discontinuity are you (or would you like to be) a part of?
Personal example: It's such a shame that George Lucas never got around to making the prequel films for the Star Wars franchise.
Also: A Hitchhiker's Guide the the Galaxy movie would be awesome! It's a shame no one has ever picked up the rights for that.
Etc., etc., etc.
OPEN THREAD BELOW!
|
|
Feminism: The Patriarchy Hurts Women, Too |
It started simply enough: Husband was so excited at having Amazon Prime videos piped into the house that he wanted to start watching a new TV series together. A very great problem, however, is that I highly prefer subtitles for anything we watch and Amazon Prime is not (yet) streaming subtitles with the videos. We already knew from a previous aborted attempt to watch "The Tudors" that the DVDs of the series had surprisingly not been bundled with subtitles, so when we noticed that they were available to watch on Amazon Prime, they seemed like a reasonable choice since we couldn't get a better quality experience elsewhere.
See? Simple.
|
|
Author Interview: Jenna Katerin Moran on "Fable of the Swan" |
Jenna: Hi!
Fable of the Swan is a YA urban fantasy.
It’s about ... hm. Three things!
It's about objectification. If you know how, you can pull out somebody’s soul and turn their flesh into a reconfigurable weapon.
It’s about the source of value. A long time ago, one of the Jotun stole “being good” from Death’s dominion. As a species, they never quite managed to take advantage of that themselves, but at least the world itself was worth something after that.
It’s about a girl growing up in a kind of broken town surrounded by the multicolored void and how she makes and loses friends, achieves enlightenment, and eventually turns into a brass cephalopodan war machine and wrestles Death.
Trigger warnings: depersonalization and objectification, both self- and other-caused; abbreviated but graphic depiction of self-harm; emotional abuse within a relationship; realistic but tangential depiction of OCD; isolation and loss of family; non-consensual and physical-interaction grounded alteration of people's souls/minds; mild use of weightist language by characters; occasional references to "mad science" and similar uses of language by author and characters.
Ana: What themes does your book explore and what do you hope the reader will take away from the experience? Is there a particular feeling or experience that you hope to evoke in the reader? Essentially, do you hope your book will mean to a reader?
Jenna: Oh, man!
I feel so pompous when I try to talk about possible lessons or messages or themes, and then I feel like I’m dodging your question if I don’t.
I mean---mostly, it’s a book. It’s for reading. For fun!
I’d like to think that it might stir up the reader’s thoughts on being an embodied mind, or on what it means to be good or bad, but I didn’t even feel comfortable pushing non-controversial stuff like “acceptance is better than denial” all-out, much less any of the book's subtler messages.
I'd like to imagine that some of my thoughts on the persistence of personhood and the need for care with one's moral authorities will be useful to someone at some point? Except that that would imply that they're in the situation where that could be useful, and I don't really want anyone to be in a situation to need anything I might have said there, so I don't actually like to imagine that at all! Sorry for the false information at the start of this paragraph. ^_^
Mostly it is for fun.
Ana: What prompted you to write this book and did you have a specific inspiration in mind? Were you influenced by a certain author or work that inspired you to add your voice to this genre? Besides the boatloads of money and rockstar fame, what motivated you to write this book?
Jenna: I’m writing a variant setting for my RPG, Nobilis, and wanted to kick it off with a novel. Mostly!
Ana: If you could compare your book to any other existing works, which ones would it be and why? If the one thing you could say to a prospective reader was, "If you like X, you'll love my book!", which work would be invoked so that a reader could judge whether or not your book is their cup of tea?
Jenna: Hm!
There’s a lot of Zelazny in this, a little bit of Barker, a bit of Vance, and some Revolutionary Girl Utena.
If you love those things then you might like Fable of the Swan.
Ana: Is this your first or only published work, or have you published other books? If you have published other books, how do they compare to this one? Do you have any more books planned, either as a follow-up to this one, or as a completely different book or genre?
Jenna: Most of my previous work was in RPGs---Nobilis, the Weapons of the Gods RPG, some stuff for Exalted. Most of that was under the name R. or Rebecca Sean Borgstrom. (Names are a trouble!)
I have a currently disorganized fiction blog, Hitherby Dragons, and another couple of books out there on Amazon/Smashwords: An Unclean Legacy, which is about family drama and redemption in Ye Standarde Faux-Medieval fantasy world* and Invasion, which is a picture book with illustrations by Elizabeth Sherry.
An Unclean Legacy is more chaotic, so there’s more jewels and a bit more fun in it but it’s also a little more demanding---I think? I don’t know! I can’t read them through someone else’s eyes!
Elizabeth Sherry’s work on Invasion is simply astounding; I think it deserves to be a modern classic, and I don’t mean because of my contribution but because of hers. The art. The ART!
On the other hand, I can see why not everyone would want to read a picture book that handles extremely innocuous content (Puppy, Kitten, and Lamb vs. ordinary things like lamps and blankets) under horror genre rules, so there is that.
I absolutely have more books planned!
I have one in my back pocket to cover me if health gets in the way of a steady release schedule, two in progress, and will be continuing the series that this particular book is in . . . hopefully, this year. ^_^
* unashamedly so.
Ana: Where can readers obtain a copy of your book for them to enjoy? How can they contact you with any thoughts or questions? And do you have a means by which they can "sign up" to be notified when your next book comes available?
Jenna: My books are available at Amazon, Smashwords, and DriveThruFiction/Comics/RPG.
I’m available on gplus as Jenna Katerin Moran (here), and people can generally catch my attention by commenting on my blog. That’s probably also the best place to check to find out when my next book will appear.
To find the book, hm! Here’s a Smashwords link, since it’s a nice simple link and Smashwords has practically all possible ePub formats: Fable of the Swan, at Smashwords.
^_^
Ana: Thank you. I understand you have the first chapter of your book available as an excerpt for interested readers? Is there anything else you wish to add for our readers?
Jenna: No, thank you! I appreciate your offering this opportunity.
As for the excerpt, you can find that on Smashwords too (in HTML or ePub; I’ve set it to make the first 40% of it readable for free).
As for adding something for our readers---thanks for your interest! I hope that if you buy my book it brings you some happiness. ^_^ I guess I also hope that you find happiness even if you don't buy my book, but that seems a little stingy of you in your magical castle of happiness. Think of . . . of . . . um, me!
Best wishes,
Jenna
If you are an indie author interested in being interviewed, please read the interview policy here.
|
|
Narnia: Where Angels Fear To Tread |
Narnia Recap: The Pevensie children have determined that the ruined castle they have found themselves in is their old home, Cair Paravel.
Ana's Note: Because there has been some discussion in the comments about this, I want to reiterate that the charter for my deconstructions is not to say a book is bad, or that an author is bad, or that a fandom is bad. I believe art is subjective, that most problems occur in text despite (rather than because of) the author's intentions, and I believe people should enjoy what they enjoy without guilt.
My deconstructions are about having a conversation with Society, about voicing my opinion about an aspect of art and how Society at large frequently chooses to interact with it, and about using that art as a stepping-stone for discussing feminist issues. Discussing long-dead authors may be interesting, but discussing our modern society and how we are influenced by and interact with their works is much more so for me -- and this is what I've tried to do.
I hope you enjoy the result, and thank you for reading.
|
|
Review: The Lady in the Tower |
The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn
by Alison Weir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lady in the Tower / 9780345519788
I'm really beginning to like Weir's historical analyses, though they do seem to suffer from some of the same problems. Overall, though, I loved this book and though I initially borrowed it from the library, I ended up buying a copy of the audio book to listen along to as well as buying a copy of my own to keep on hand. So take that as the strong recommendation as it is.
This is a scholarly look at the last days of Anne Boleyn. Weir starts with the last time Anne saw her husband Henry, follows the coup that brought down Anne and her faction at court so swiftly, analyzes the trial in close detail, explains the finer details of the execution, and ultimately follows with a quick overview of how Anne has been historically portrayed, depending on era and religious inclination.
One thing I really love about Weir's books is her use of source material. Everything presented to the reader is presented with context: this was written by so-and-so, writing during the reign of such-and-so (which greatly influenced what was safe to write about Anne Boleyn), with a religious bias of thus. Weir uses biased and hostile sources, but she uses them with discretion, noting whether or not she believes the source to be true or a fabrication. I like that, and I appreciate how she tries to provide a very broad-yet-clear view of the subject.
Some of the writing stumbles I noticed in her book "Mary Boleyn" are repeated here, though. There is a lot of repetition throughout the book, probably to help the reader follow along, but there is sometimes a strange sense of devja vu, as though you've accidentally flipped back a few dozen pages without meaning to. And the source material is sometimes sprinkled in so liberally that it threatens the flow of the reading -- this was why I ended up switching to the audio book, which handled the presentation much more smoothly. (And with really lovely accents on the part of the narrator; she cannot be praised enough.)
Then, too, the last chapter of the book (the one after Queen Elizabeth) should, in my opinion, be avoided entirely. The whole chapter embarks on a Golden Mean Fallacy intent on proving that the work you've just finished reading is unbiased and scholarly because it falls in the middling position of an analysis of Anne. It is extremely disconcerting as a reader to have just read how the jury was deliberately stacked against Anne, how an intended verdict may have been communicated to said jury in advance, how the king almost certainly must have sent for the executioner before the trial even began, and how Anne was very likely framed... only to have the author turn around and chide fellow historians for the "misconception" that Anne was "murdered". For Weir to assert that such a term is inappropriate because "she was executed in accordance with the law as it then stood" comes off as reaching, since it's entirely clear that she and the other historians are saying the same thing with different words: that Anne's death was deliberately engineered by others, and that the charges against her were spurious.
Having said all that, I strongly recommend this book, provided that you are good at following along over the copious quotes and sprinkled repetition (and, if you're not, check out the audio book which eases that almost entirely) and also provided that you take my advice and skip the last chapter.
~ Ana Mardoll
|
|
Recommends: Dragon Riders |
I don't read blogs as much as I'd like to because I seem to be so dang busy all the time lately, but this piece by Chris over at Stealing Commas blew me away: A thousand generations of Dragon Riders.
One of the funnest and yet hardest parts (for me) of fantasy writing is the world-building. Fun, because you can do pretty much whatever you like and have a jolly time doing it; hard, because it all has to weave together into a coherent narrative and heaven help you if someone comes along and, say, asks why Harry Potter can't 'participate' in the Tri-Wizard Championship by walking onto the field and getting zero points each time. (Because SHUT UP, THAT'S WHY, I'm guessing. Fantasy is hard, ya'll.)
So here is a dragon rider story that takes into account the evolution of weaponry, agriculture, and mathematics as a function of a fantasy world with dragon riders. And it is awesome.
RECOMMENDS! What have you been reading/writing/thinking about this week?
|
|
Twilight: When Rape Plays Matchmaker |
Twilight Recap: Bella is on her way to Port Angeles to help Jessica and Angela pick out dresses for the school dance.
Twilight, Chapter 8: Port Angeles
Oh my gosh, ya'll, do you know what day it is? It's CHAPTER EIGHT DAY!
You may not immediately see why that is so very exciting, but let me assure you in advance that Chapter Eight is one of the very worst things I've read in my entire life. It is a carefully packed present of misogyny wrapped with a ribbon of loathing and addressed with a card filled with victim-blaming and a coupon for a free conservative nightmare lecture. Christmas has come early!
|
|
Open Thread: Anachronisms? |
Ramblites, I have a question.
I cannot seem to watch or read historical fiction anymore without running into a scene where a Lady Of Very High Birth has a big fight (sometimes she wins, sometimes she loses) over the right to breastfeed her own child. And in almost all of these cases, it really is settled historical fact that a wet nurse would have been used in the cases I'm running into. And that's part of the big fight: her husband or her mother or her whatever expresses shock and horror that My Lady Of Very High Birth would balk tradition like this.
And I'm wondering: what's the truth behind this?
On the one hand, I suspect this is a bit of modernity leaking into these stories: modern perspective coloring our historical fiction. On the other hand, I really don't know; maybe lots and lots of Ladies Of Very High Birth really wanted to nurse and maybe really tried to do so, but the patriarchy and lack of social support made it too difficult.
On the third hand, maybe there was a little of both -- Ladies Of Very High Birth who didn't want to nurse and ones who did -- and I've just been reading all the historical fiction of the Ladies who did.
Can anyone answer this question?
Has anyone else noticed this in Every Historical Fiction Ever or is it just me?
Any other recurring anachronisms* people want to share?
OPEN THREAD BELOW!
* I would have added "functioning birth control" because it was a pet peeve of mine that people could fornicate their butts off in historical fiction and not get pregnant, but then I read "Mary Boleyn" by Alison Weir and she dropped this tidbit without so much as a how'd-you-do:
Other methods of preventing pregnancy included inserting pepper or a sponge soaked in vinegar into the vagina, sealing the cervix with beeswax, having anal sex, or doing some “hard pissing” after intercourse.
Well, okay, then! o.O
|
|
Feminism: When We Like Problematic Art |
This week I got in an argument about a movie.
The movie itself isn't important.* There were good things in it, there were problematic things in it. One side of the argument liked the movie overall but didn't like the problematic elements; the other side of the argument liked the good elements, but disliked the movie as a whole. Each side felt like the OTHER side was saying they were a Bad Person for having their opinion. Neither side, as it turned out, actually thought that at all -- they were just trying to have a discussion.
Communication, it would seem, is hard.
|
|
Metapost: Google-Fu Fail |
Someone -- Will? Chris? Laiima? A fevered dream brought on by too many sandwiches? -- explained a while back, probably not on THIS blog, but somewhere I read, about the difference between primary cause and secondary cause, and I recall arson being the analogy used. As in, the primary cause of the fire was gasoline and matches, the secondary cause is that the neighbor likes fire.
I cannot find this now and I want to reference it for a post. Does anyone remember where this was, because I cannot find it via Google. Much appreciation.
|
|
Author Interview: Anthea Carson on "The Dark Lake" |
Anthea: This book is about Jane, a woman in her forties who is stuck in the past. She wanders the lake, where voices call to her from the bottom. She can't seem to get on with her life. She has these terrible nightmares, she can't sleep. She can't keep a job. Her therapist tries to help her. She says Jane needs to remember a past incident, and come to terms with it in order to forget it. Her AA group tries to help her. They tell her she needs to work through her issues. She has little more than contempt for them. Her mother tries to help her, but seems as overwhelmed as Jane is. And Jane isn't very nice to her mother. Then, to avoid jail time, Jane has to go to anger management. But then they start dragging her car up from the bottom of the lake. Why now, she wonders, after all this time, why are they dragging her car up from the bottom of the lake?
Ana: What themes does your book explore and what do you hope the reader will take away from the experience? Is there a particular feeling or experience that you hope to evoke in the reader? Essentially, do you hope your book will mean to a reader?
Anthea: The themes of this book are denial, refusing to let go of the past, guilt, repressed memories and addiction. Denial is a condition where we refuse to look at the truth, even though we know what the truth is. We push that truth out of our consciousness and lie to ourselves, and then believe our own lies. It is a very common condition. Letting go of the past is not something we really do, it's more that we accept that the past is gone. Denial can keep us in the past. These things operate together to keep us stuck. These defense mechanisms are there to protect us, but they don't really serve us. Repressing a memory is a form of denial so strong we can't even remember the truth. Sometimes we do this to avoid guilt or shame, guilt or shame we don't even know we have because we've constructed our walls of protection from the truth so well. Addiction is the result of a decision to live in lies.
Ana: What prompted you to write this book and did you have a specific inspiration in mind? Were you influenced by a certain author or work that inspired you to add your voice to this genre? Besides the boatloads of money and rockstar fame, what motivated you to write this book?
Anthea: As I wrote this story I realized I had been writing this story in my subconscious for forty years. I am a recovering alcoholic, and if I were to relapse I believe this woman would be me. I am of course also influenced by some key sources. The movie The Sixth Sense, several episodes of The Twilight Zone, Lost Girls by Andrew Pyper, Swan's Way by Marcel Proust, James Joyce, both Tom Wolfes and perhaps William Faulkner have influenced my writing.
Ana: If you could compare your book to any other existing works, which ones would it be and why? If the one thing you could say to a prospective reader was, "If you like X, you'll love my book!", which work would be invoked so that a reader could judge whether or not your book is their cup of tea?
Anthea: If you like Faulkner, The Sound and The Fury, The Twilight Zone, The Sixth Sense, you might like my story. If you like to think, don't mind trying to solve a puzzle, don't mind rereading or struggling a bit to figure something out, or if you don't mind hazy endings. If you are okay with the ending of The Lost Girls by Andrew Pyper and don't feel you need to throw that book across the room when you are finished, you might like The Dark Lake.
Ana: Is this your first or only published work, or have you published other books? If you have published other books, how do they compare to this one? Do you have any more books planned, either as a follow-up to this one, or as a completely different book or genre?
Anthea: No, I have two other published books. One is called "How to Play Chess Like an Animal," (I'm a chess coach) and I had a co-author for that one (five time Colorado Chess Champion Brian Wall) and a young adult fiction called Ainsworth. The Dark Lake is the first part of a trilogy. The two books following it have already been written.
Ana: Where can readers obtain a copy of your book for them to enjoy? How can they contact you with any thoughts or questions? And do you have a means by which they can "sign up" to be notified when your next book comes available?
Anthea: My book is located on Amazon Kindle. People are welcome to contact me by email, although I get lots of spam so it might end up in my spam folder so perhaps Facebook or Twitter. I hadn't thought of setting up a way for them to be notified of my next book; I will set that up soon. Probably at my website.
Ana: Thank you. I understand you have the first chapter of your book available as an excerpt for interested readers? Is there anything else you wish to add for our readers?
Anthea: Here is the link to my online sample. Thank you for reading and supporting indie authors.
If you are an indie author interested in being interviewed, please read the interview policy here.
|
|
Narnia: If Only They'd Planted Ginkgo Biloba |
Prince Caspian, Chapter 2: The Ancient Treasure House
Last week we talked about an ongoing world-building problem with Narnia: namely, how much the children remember about their adventures therein. This is not a trivial point to me, since it's on this question that hinges a great deal in terms of the Problem of Susan. After all, if some magic muddles the children's memories of Narnia, she can hardly be blamed for thinking of the whole experience as a child's dream game. And if magic doesn't muddle their perceptions and memories, then we are justified in asking how all this zig-zagging between Narnia and England and all this living of two lives concurrently is affecting the children emotionally and mentally.
|
|
Review: Cafe Nippon |
by Kairosoft
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It really should not come as a surprise to me how much I love this game, since I love pretty much all the Kairosoft time-sink games and I love restaurant management simulation games so, so much, but good-grief-on-a-gravy-roll I love this game. I can't stop playing it.
As far as this review goes, it's going to be a slim one. The game is your usual time-sink Kairosoft fare with lots of cute cartoony graphics, more stats than you can shake a stick at, never quite enough money to go around, perfect pacing that keeps you on your toes without being overwhelming, and -- if you're like me -- it brings out your inner MinMaxer and you find yourself save scumming until you manage to recruit, yes, Minnie Max. Oh, Kairosoft, you know me too well.
 |
| Cafeteria Nipponica |
So since I have very little of value to say in the form of a review, here instead is a BIG HONKING FAQ because I am just nerdy enough to write one and I could never find a comprehensive one in English that wasn't on the registered-users-only Kairosoft forums, so it might as well be me. Here are some tips, in no particular order.
1. Financing. Don't spend any money between Month 1 and Month 4. In Month 4, you pay your staff and it is always more than you expect it to be, and you do not want to be in debt and have to forgo your Month 4 ingredient gathering trip.
2. Staffing. If you can afford the $300 recruiting fee, hire someone every time "Recruit Staff" comes available and stuff them in the Break Room. There's a finite number of people in the game and you will need all of them eventually. (Some of them are far superior to others, though, so if you don't mind Save Scumming at the beginning of the game, try for Jim Maxwell, Iggy Hop, Yan Fields, Cat Kidman, Minnie Max, and Manford Cups.)
3. Staff Stats. Floor servers need speed and Walk Fast. Kitchen cooks need cooking and Cooking Up and Research Up. Specializing based on dish type (Chinese, Japanese, Western, Snacks, Dessert) never really seemed worth it to me.
4. Staff Feeding. For the love of donuts, do not feed meals to your staff unless you have 3+ of the meal in question. Counter intuitively, a meal can either be slotted at your restaurants (of which you will have three) or fed to the staff, but not both: once that meal is consumed, you don't have it any more to slot. Apparently a meal is stored at a store location and pieces of it are served to the customers, with the Parent Meal regenerating in the freezer overnight. If a staff member eats the mothership, it's gone forever.
5. Menu Planning. Where you can gather ingredients depends on where you have open stores. Dairy and grain products are largely confined to the early areas you will later abandon (you can only have 3 stores and there are 5 locations). Seafood absolutely dominates the second half of the game, so it's a good idea to organize your menu around that. (Much to my personal sorrow.)
6. Dish Maxing. Pick a dish that you can level up early on in order to get the cash coming in as quickly as possible. Note that all dishes have caps on their taste and appeal, so you can't just pick whatever you personally like and level it to kingdom come. (See spreadsheet!)
7. Celebrity Chefs. I won't touch 'em. They're obscenely expensive to hire and maintain, and I never once needed them. At end game (Year 15, when you score the game and enter sandbox mode), I had Jim Maxwell at 714 cooking skill and 61 research points and I had my Top Class Sushi dish at $55, 847 taste, and 860 appeal. (And Iggy Pop starts out stronger than many of the celebrity chefs do!)
8. Orange Crates. Orange Crate tables (Veggie Market) are ugly. They're also $100, which means that when you spend your last thousand opening a new restaurant, you can still stuff it to the brim with tables without having to break the bank.
And now some spreadsheets! LINK! And in less-tabular, more web-friendly form:
Exploration
Local Woods
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Udon, Recipe: Yaki Onigiri
Treasure 2 -- Recipe: Fried Rice, Table: Popular Table
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Salad, Money: 5K
Steep Hills
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Toast, Equipment: Bookshelf
Treasure 2 -- Recipe: Spaghetti, Table: Chinese Table
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Rice Omelette
Treasure 4 -- Equipment: Toy Corner
Local Farm
Treasure 1 -- Table: Pop Table
Treasure 2 -- Table: Oak Cask
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Karaage
Treasure 4 -- Recipe: Seafood Soup
Treasure 5 -- Equipment: Audio Set
Green Pasture
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Ice Cream, Table: Chinese Counter
Treasure 2 -- Dish: Omelette
Treasure 3 -- Equipment: Public Phone
Treasure 4 -- Dish: Stew, Money: 10K
Fishery
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Sauteed Chicken, Table: Standard Sofa
Treasure 2 -- Table: Red Table
Treasure 3 -- Equipment: Vending Machine, Unlocks Local Farm Treasure 3
Treasure 4 -- Table: Simple Room
Veggie Market
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Karaage, Table: Luxury Set
Treasure 2 -- Table: Orange Crate
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Bird's Nest Soup
Fish Market
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Salad, Table: Simple Counter
Treasure 2 -- Dish: Shumai
Treasure 3 -- Table: Relaxing Sofa
Treasure 4 -- Dish: Salad
Treasure 5 -- Table: Bench
Craggy Rocks
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Grilled Fish, Recipe: Chocolate Parfait
Treasure 2 -- Table: Western Sofa
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Kid's Lunch
Treasure 4 -- Table: Dining Sofa
Fisher's House
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Grilled Fish
Treasure 2 -- Table: Arcade Game
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Steak
Treasure 4 -- Table: White Sofa
Contract Farmer
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Toast
Treasure 2 -- Equipment: Aquarium
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Tempura
Treasure 4 -- Table: Simple Sofa
Top Fish Market
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Shumai
Treasure 2 -- Table: Student Set
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Meat Stir Fry
Treasure 4 -- Table: Luxury Sofa
Treasure 5 -- Table: Japanese Set, Dish: Tuna Bowl, Money: 10 K
Associated Store
Treasure 1 -- Recipe: Nimono
Treasure 2 -- Table: Luxury Counter
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Top Grade Sushi
Treasure 4 -- Recipe: Berry Parfait
Dept. Store
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Miso Soup
Treasure 2 -- Table: Office Set
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Ikizukuri
Treasure 4 -- Dish: Corn Chowder
NY Market
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Toast
Treasure 2 -- Table: Luxury Room
Treasure 3 -- Dish: Hamburger
Treasure 4 -- Dish: Pasta Carbonara
Kairo Island
Treasure 1 -- Dish: Ice Cream
Treasure 2 -- Table: Relaxing Room
Treasure 3 -- Recipe: Gratin
Treasure 4 -- Equipment: Grand Piano
Treasure 5 -- Table: Floor Cushion Set
Treasure 6 -- Equipment: Gold Kairobot
Recipes
| Recipe | Base Recipe | Ingredient 1 | Ingredient 2 | Category | Taste | Appeal |
| Ankake Yakisoba | Yakisoba | Tasty Fish | ||||
| BBQ Pork Ramen | Ramen | Top Class Pork | Garlic | Chinese | 480 | 380 |
| Beef Curry | Curry and Rice | Marbled Beef | Western | 580 | 600 | |
| Beef Stew | Stew | Tomato | Marbled Beef | Western | 420 | 380 |
| Berry Parfait | Parfait | Strawberry | Dessert | 320 | 220 | |
| Bird's Nest Soup | Shark Fin Soup | Caviar | Foie Gras | Chinese | 999 | 999 |
| Caesar Salad | Salad | Lettuce | Aged Cheese | Western | 250 | 240 |
| Champon | Udon | Chinese Cabbage | Japanese | 250 | 120 | |
| Chicken Bowl | Rice | Boned Chicken | Japanese | 180 | 120 | |
| Chilled Noodles | Ramen | Mild Vinegar | Hot Spices | Chinese | 220 | 120 |
| Chocolate Parfait | Parfait | Chocolate | Dessert | 250 | 280 | |
| Combo Ramen | Ramen | Soy Sauce | Fresh Eggs | Chinese | 250 | 220 |
| Corn Chowder | Seafood Soup | Sweet Corn | Western | 180 | 100 | |
| Crab Fried Rice | Fried Rice | King Crab | Mild Vinegar | Chinese | 360 | 350 |
| Croquette | Karaage | Top Class Pork | Northern Potato | Western | 280 | 280 |
| Curry and Rice | Fried Rice | Hot Spice | Western | 100 | 100 | |
| Doughnut | Ice Cream | Flour | Dessert | 280 | 280 | |
| Eel Bowl | Chicken Bowl | Tasty Fish | Secret Sauce | Japanese | 380 | 450 |
| French Fries | Toast | Northern Potato | Snacks | 100 | 100 | |
| Fried Rice | Rice | Carrot | Chinese | 120 | 80 | |
| Fried Udon | Udon | Soy Sauce | Sweet Corn | Japanese | 160 | 100 |
| Gold Ice Cream | Ice Cream | Gold Flakes | Dessert | 999 | 999 | |
| Gratin | Croquette | Thick Butter | Fresh Milk | Western | 420 | 480 |
| Grilled Fish | - Craggy Rocks - | Japanese | 100 | 100 | ||
| Gyoza | Shumai | Green Onion | Ginger | Chinese | 250 | 280 |
| Hamburger | Toast | Marbled Beef | Snacks | 250 | 150 | |
| Hamburger Steak | Sauteed Chicken | Marbled Beef | Carrot | Western | 520 | 500 |
| Hayashi Rice | Curry and Rice | Tomato | Western | 280 | 240 | |
| Hot Pot | Seafood Soup | Chinese Cabbage | Boned Chicken | Japanese | 320 | 220 |
| Ice Cream | - Green Pasture - | Dessert | 100 | 100 | ||
| Ikizukuri | Sashimi | Sea Bream | Squid | Japanese | 999 | 999 |
| Indian Curry | Curry and Rice | Flour | Herbs | Western | 400 | 320 |
| Japanese Pasta | Spaghetti | Mushroom | Spinach | Western | 280 | 240 |
| Kaiseki Cuisine | Sashimi | Tasty Fish | Matsutake | Japanese | 999 | 999 |
| Karaage | Toast | Boned Chicken | Snacks | 190 | 75 | |
| Kid's Lunch | Hamburger Steak | Marbled Beef | Secret Sauce | Western | 999 | 999 |
| Meat Gyoza | Gyoza | Top Class Pork | Chinese | 210 | 150 | |
| Meat Sauce Pasta | Spaghetti | Top Class Pork | Tomato | Western | 380 | 420 |
| Meat Stir Fry | Veggie Stir Fry | Top Class Pork | Kikurage | Chinese | 320 | 220 |
| Minestrone Soup | Corn Chowder | Tomato | Onion | Western | 480 | 480 |
| Miso Ramen | Ramen | Special Miso | Sweet Corn | Chinese | 237 | 280 |
| Miso Soup | Seafood Soup | Tofu | Japanese | 100 | 100 | |
| Nimono | Veggie Stir Fry | Pumpkin | Daikon Radish | Japanese | 250 | 240 |
| Okonomiyaki | Shumai | Flour | Secret Sauce | Japanese | 320 | 220 |
| Omelette | Rice | Fresh Eggs | Western | 100 | 80 | |
| Onigiri | Rice | Dried Seaweed | Snacks | 100 | 100 | |
| Parfait | Ice Cream | Cherry | Dessert | 250 | 100 | |
| Pasta Carbonara | Spaghetti | Fresh Milk | Fresh Eggs | Western | 250 | 220 |
| Pizza | Toast | Aged Cheese | Top Class Pork | Western | 280 | 220 |
| Pizza Toast | Toast | Tomato | Snacks | 200 | 150 | |
| Pork Bowl | Chicken Bowl | Top Class Pork | Onion | Japanese | 200 | 160 |
| Pork Bun | Shumai | Top Class Pork | Snacks | 380 | 320 | |
| Pork Cutlet | Karaage | Top Class Pork | Cabbage | Japanese | 250 | 220 |
| Pudding | Ice Cream | Fresh Eggs | Dessert | 220 | 120 | |
| Ramen | Udon | Boned Chicken | Chinese | 100 | 100 | |
| Rice | Snacks | 60 | 150 | |||
| Rice Omelette | Omelette | Organic Rice | Western | 200 | 150 | |
| Rice Porridge | Hot Pot | Organic Rice | Japanese | 150 | 120 | |
| Salad | Toast | Lettuce | Western | 120 | 55 | |
| Sashimi | Grilled Fish | Tasty Fish | Soy Sauce | Japanese | 480 | 410 |
| Sauteed Chicken | Western | 100 | 100 | |||
| Seafood Gyoza | Gyoza | Top Class Shrimp | Cabbage | Chinese | 402 | 350 |
| Seafood Salad | Salad | Octopus | Western | 220 | 120 | |
| Seafood Soup | Udon | Secret Sauce | Japanese | 80 | 60 | |
| Shark Fin Soup | Seafood Soup | Tasty Fish | Secret Sauce | Chinese | 420 | 420 |
| Shumai | Rice | Top Class Pork | Chinese | 65 | 100 | |
| Soba | - Received from Hina upon eating Crab Fried Rice (?) - | 100 | 100 | |||
| Spaghetti | Udon | Herbs | Western | 180 | 80 | |
| Steak | Sauteed Chicken | Boned Chicken | Green Onion | Western | 330 | 300 |
| Stew | Corn Chowder | Boned Chicken | Northern Potato | Western | 250 | 280 |
| Sumo Stew | Hot Pot | Top Class Pork | Prize Mushroom | Japanese | 480 | 350 |
| Takoyaki | Pork Bun | Flour | Octopus | Snacks | 280 | 280 |
| Tempura | Croquette | Top Class Shrimp | Tasty Fish | Japanese | 450 | 450 |
| Toast | Rice | Flour | Snacks | 100 | 65 | |
| Top Grade Sushi | Sashimi | Organic Rice | Soy Sauce | Japanese | 999 | 999 |
| Tuna Bowl | Rice | Tasty Fish | Soy Sauce | Japanese | 420 | 420 |
| Udon | - Local Woods - | Japanese | 110 | 100 | ||
| Veggie Stir Fry | Salad | Carrot | Cabbage | Chinese | 250 | 120 |
| Yaki Onigiri | Onigiri | Soy Sauce | Snacks | 100 | 100 | |
| Yakiniku | Hot Pot | Marbled Beef | Secret Sauce | Japanese | 800 | 800 |
| Yakisoba | Soba | Cabbage | 131 | 65 | ||
| Yakitori | Hamburger Steak | Top Class Shrimp | Organic Rice | Japanese | 480 | 350 |
