Poem for Saturday

Sonnet 98
By William Shakespeare

From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,
That heavy Saturn laughed and leaped with him,
Yet nor the lays of birds, nor the sweet smell
Of different flowers in odor and in hue,
Could make me any summer's story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew.
Nor did I wonder at the lily's white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight,
Drawn after you, you pattern of all those.
Yet seemed it winter still, and, you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.

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From the day before yesterday, which was stressful and upsetting, I got some karmic balance. Spent literally the entire morning trying to get my e-mail straightened out (anyone who writes me at my hotmail account, please delete it from your address book and use either the littlereview one or the livejournal one). Didn't get much of my work done before I had to get the kids from school, but the older son's bus was just late enough that I had time to finish the chapter I was reading in Blue at the Mizzen (am dreading the ending but gazing happily at 21). My parents did agree to babysit so and I could use my pass to the free screening of Alexander on Tuesday at the theater in Georgetown where I first saw Master and Commander around this time last year, so I am taking this as a good omen that perhaps in a few weeks I shall be obsessed with classics slash or something (just so long as it is not Colin Farrell!)

Meanwhile, to continue gratuitous geeky fannish squee, I am so pleased that Prisoner of Azkaban comes out on DVD next week (, do we have our usual morning date at Best Buy?) and look at this LOTR toy my husband got our kids for Chanukah! I am not even envious as I suck at things like this. I got a notification that my Galadriel and Legolas Barbie and Ken dolls have shipped, so they will be here by my birthday next month -- heh, buying myself presents with money I don't actually have yet.

Things were relatively civil with my parents at dinner -- we got double-barrelled guilt over Florida, but no actual accusations of being ungrateful or rude, just lots of disappointment and a couple of snarky observations about how we stay with my in-laws in their condo which is just as small, to which I got to point out that they only live an hour or so from here and we never stay for more than a couple of days at a time. Dinner was great -- Middle Eastern food -- and since my younger son cannot eat Tootsie Rolls with braces, I was allowed to steal from the dregs of his Halloween candy. This year has been the first Halloween season in living memory that I lost weight. If only it had been through virtuous exercise rather than stressing myself into nausea!

Enterprise review: "The Forge". I loved, loved, loved this episode. I shall even use a Trek icon in its honor. I loved getting to see so much of Vulcan, I loved all the references to the original series, I pretty much just adore T'Pol. Do not, do not let me start 'shipping Archer/T'Pol please if I sound like I might be going there. Say "Janeway/Chakotay" to me until I come to my senses, please.


The Galapagos Islands at the Museum of Natural History, rought to you courtesy the exhibit outside the Insect Zoo and , because whenever I think of Stephen Maturin and natural philosophers and Master and Commander, I think of her.


Unfortunately the iguanas, crabs, gulls, etc. here are artificial, but doesn't it look nice?


Still, there is much to be learned -- look at the big starfish!


These are not Galapagos shells, but gastropod relatives (I think) from the exhibit on ancient sea life. The kids did not think the giant squid there was giant enough.


I don't think any of these is Testudo Aubreii but we can pretend.

Hugs and goodnight everyone and I shall once again make a good faith effort to get caught up on things tomorrow, if Snape does not make me write more drabbles.