Poem for Saturday

The Expiration
By John Donne

So, so, break off this last lamenting kiss,
    Which sucks two souls, and vapors both away,
Turn thou ghost that way, and let me turn this,
    And let our selves benight our happiest day,
We ask none leave to love; nor will we owe
    Any, so cheap a death, as saying, Go;
Go; and if that word have not quite kil'd thee,
    Ease me with death, by bidding me go too.
Oh, if it have, let my word work on me,
    And a just office on a murderer do.
Except it be too late, to kill me so,
    Being double dead, going, and bidding, go.

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I spent much of the day watching movies and yakking with , who brought me a DVD of Stories of Lost Souls which has short films starring James Gandolfini, Cate Blanchett, Michael Gambon, Hugh Jackman (directed by his wife), Paul Bettany, Keira Knightley, Billy Boyd and I forget who else but they were great casts and mostly interesting stories, kind of funky (the promo said like The Twilight Zone but they weren't supernatural per se). We had McDonalds fruit and walnut salads for lunch and I am glad to report that they are quite good for when you need a quick fix and are not stopping to get a better variety of fruit and nuts. I am still not feeling well due to excessive female TMI and waking up has been a chore this week...I have gotten much too little exercise but I am just not feeling great.

In the evening I wrote up "What Are Little Girls Made Of?", then we watched the second half of Pride and Prejudice. I stand by my opinion that the miniseries is extremely well done and highly enjoyable, but I was conscious that I was enjoying the performances of Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth more than I was actually infatuated with Elizabeth and Darcy, two characters whom I fear will never properly grow on me after all this time. (And may I just add that I never saw the Austen-O'Brian comparisons in terms of writing style? Call this blasphemous but I like O'Brian much better.) It's really a fantastic cast in all the parts, and I finally figured out that the youngest sister was played by Horatio Hornblower's wife (am I the only person who rather likes and feels sorry for Maria -- she has few chances for happiness in life, and anyway she has to share him with Pellew and Bush *g*).

I don't actually have any deep thoughts to share on P&P, being such an Austen dilettante and having studiously avoided her wherever possible in college and grad school -- I'm not sure I even finished Emma -- but I have warm feelings stemming from the fact that my best friend at the University of Chicago, who died of cystic fibrosis several years ago and several years before she completed her degree, was my first friend with a serious crush on Colin Firth and actually forwarded me some P&P fan fiction because she knew I read fanfic and figured that, if nothing else, might convert me. Karen, wherever you are, I'm thinking of you.

: 7/7
1. How did you learn about yesterday's bombings in London? News e-mail when I turned on my computer in the morning.
2. Do you have any personal connections to the area? We stayed at a hotel in Russell Square when we were in London earlier this year. I have a very good friend who lives near there and works in the city.
3. Do you use public transportation? Not so often now that I have kids and a minivan and live in the suburbs. When we lived in Philadelphia and Chicago I used it all the time.
4. Have you ever let threats of terrorism change the way that you live each day? I am very claustrophobic so I don't like using underground public transportation under the best of circumstances. I've definitely been reluctant to use mass transit since 9/11; I have a friend from New York who was stuck on a train for awhile when they first shut down the subways, and while I know she was one of the lucky ones, this still sounds horrifying to me.
5. If you could say something directly to the person or group responsible for this tragedy, what would you say? I wouldn't. These crimes are about getting attention; I would refuse even to look at the person or group responsible.

: What 5 fannish places (real or fictional) would you like to visit?
1. Camelot and Avalon from numerous Arthurian legends, though particularly The Mists of Avalon
2. Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin's Surprise from Patrick O'Brian's books
3. Hogwarts and Hogsmeade from the Harry Potter books
4. Gondor, Rohan, Rivendell, Lothlorien, Mirkwood and the Shire from The Lord of the Rings
5. The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 from Star Trek


Starfish, mussels, urchin and anemone in a tidepool at Ruby Beach.


The Pacific Ocean through a small rock tunnel on Ruby Beach.


The point at which Cedar Creek spills out into the ocean.


Destruction Island from the tsunami evacuation route along the coast. Apparently there are many shipwrecks to be seen by divers on the far side of the island.


Gulls flying across Rialto Beach.


Sol Duc Falls deep in the woods near twilight.


The incredible clear blue water of the Sol Duc River, where, at spawning season, salmon can be seen jumping upstream.


Thick underwater moss growth in a stream running through the Hoh Rainforest.