The random ramblings thread

[Saturn]

Thanks Ed I have two things to look forward to now this week

I'm happier than I've been for weeks.

[edwardkeenaghan]

May i ask what my good man,its no prob if you dont want to tell,I hope either way they work out for you.

Im heading to houston on friday,so im one happy,happy boy
The past 8 and a half months have been the happiest of my life

[Credo Buffa]

Wow, sounds like y'all have it made.

I'm bored out of my mind!

[dks]

I've never read any of those poets but my favourite poetess is our very own Denise

*GASP* I'm undeserving.

Thank you...you're too kind...

[Saturn]

Wow, sounds like y'all have it made.

Well not exactly... but things are looking up...a bit

[Saturn]

There goes Burns Night unmarked

[Credo Buffa]

I'm so sad I missed Burns Night again! I was actually seriously considering going back to Scotland and heading to St. Andrews for the Burns Night dinner at the hotel I worked at there, since I was so sad about missing it the first time as well, but alas expenses prevented me.

I suppose I could do without the haggis, though.

[Saturn]

I thought someone would have posted something here yesterday - I would have but I was out all day.

[Credo Buffa]

I was in denial because I couldn't be there. That's my excuse.

[Saturn]

My excuse is I'm not Scottish

[Saturn]

Damnit looks like my date tomorrow night may be off

[Malia]

OK, this has zero to do with Keats (well, I can probably hook Keats in here somewhere, hehe) but I wanted to know if anyone else out there is as taken as I am with the new show on Discovery channel, "Man vs. Wild" with survivalist Bear Grylls. My little brother Dan and I are both totally taken with the show--and this guy! He's a pretty inspiring figure. (And, from this girl's perspective, not too hard on the eyes, either! ) Anyway, he's got a show in England, too, so Brits out there may have heard of him. He's the youngest person ever to have climbed Mt. Everest and he did this after having broken his back in three places when his parachute didn't open on a jump with the British special forces. Talk about determination.

I was reading a transcript of an interview with him recently and when someone asked him: What do you do when you face something overwhelming, but it has to be done?

Bear responded: If something has to be done that is just scary, I tend just to decide how good an idea it is after I've done it! But that's very different from assessing the risk of what you're doing, which is another matter altogether. It's like parachuting. As an old sergeant used to say, "Make up your mind once you're out the door."

Good advice, I'd say! (Especially for someone like me who tends to overthink everything! )

Anyone else into the show or Bear Grylls the survivalist?

[Credo Buffa]

Can't say I've heard of your show, Malia. But then again, I'm pretty well out of the loop as far as American TV is concerned anymore.

So I took a short trip to London for my birthday this week, since all my friends were gone for various reasons and I was sick of having crappy, lonely birthdays for the past five years. I flew in on Tuesday afternoon, saw a show that night, two on Wednesday, and spent the rest of the time before returning yesterday afternoon just wandering around the city. Anyway, I didn't make it all the way up to Hampstead, but I did have lunch again at "the old Swan-and-Hoop." It has changed a bit since I was there just over a year ago: before, it was the "John Keats at Moorgate" or something like that, but is now "Keats at the Globe," The Globe being the larger bar with which it is connected. On a lesser note, they also got rid of the tasty tuna melt from the menu that I had last time I was there. I did have some pretty decent fish and chips, though.

Also, I just have to say that if any of you are passing through London at any point, or New York City in the future when this show gets there next year, you absolutely MUST see Billy Elliot the musical. I had a very expensive ticket for it last December when I was passing through London on my way home from Scotland, but missed the show because of the horrendous traffic around the hell hole that is Heathrow (one of the top five most disappointing events of my life, no joke). I got to see it this time around, though, and it was brilliant beyond words.

[Malia]

Everyone,
Once in a while I read a post from someone or other who wants to find out-of-print books about Keats (such as Aileen Ward's bio, John Keats: The Making of a Poet) and several people from countries outside the U.S. say they cannot find a copy of that book to save their lives. Well, I highly recommend going to abebooks.com if you want to find any out of print book. Books can be shipped to any country through abebooks.com and there is a handy currency converter and handy information on shipping costs on their main site. I personally have used abebooks.com on several occasions and have NEVER been disappointed. There are great deals on ex-library copies of books about Keats through abebooks and frankly, just about any other book you might be looking for--especially if it is out of print. The prices are generally very reasonable as well.

[Malia]

I know what many of you may be thinking--"Valentine's Day is upon us--where is a rock I can crawl under when I need one?" Well, I challenge you to think of Valentine's Day in a new way this year. For years, Valentine's Day has been one of my favorite holidays and I haven't had a boyfriend in god knows how long. On Valentine's Day, I celebrate all kinds of love--not just romantic love. Love for family, love for friends, love for pets, love for the Earth, for great literature, love as gratitude. . . love is SO much more than just a romance between two people. So, this year, I challenge you to celeberate love in all its myriad forms. Send a valentine to your best mates, have a valentine's theme tea party (I did that last Sunday and my gal pals and I had a fabulous time!), smile at a stranger--just spread that love, folks. . .it'll come right back to you