Well here we are again.
Actually I can't believe that half of 2017 has already vanished. I also can't believe that I'm coming up to my first Wedding anniversary in just over a month on the third of July, as the old saying goes, time flies when your deliriously happy .
Anyway, other things aside, welcome to yet another of our monthly chances to discourse about anything, and everything you might wish to, life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, liberty equality, fraternity, not to mention enormity, atrocity, immensity, obesity,, morbidity, rapacity, electricity, elasticity, magnanimity, eccentricity, audacity, quantum singularity, neutron flow polarity, high levels of radioactivity, ---- but not felicity, because it's rude to talk about her behind her back .
Anyway for myself June is looking to be interesting.
I seem to be doing more gaming now than I was which is a good thing since I did seem a wee bit stuck in a rut. I am enjoying crafting kingdom though and have also started one of the cog titles, saga of the north wind, though I'm not really far enough along to talk about it completely.
In other news, Mrs. Dark and I are going to have to start preparing, since it was my dad's 70th birthday this mmonth and one of his presents was large party on a river boat, at which he wants us to sing. This will be good since without any engagements for singing I'm afraid motivating vocal practice is a little difficult.
My review of Anne Mccaffry's first Dragon riders novel is now up on www.fantasybookreview.co.uk.
I really wanted to set the record straight on this one. Not only is it the first Mccaffrey I've read since the age of 19, but also I have read far too many reviews tend to take very one sided perspectives, particularly with mccaffrey's gender roles.
Yes, there are a few issues, some perhaps to do with Mccaffrey being a first time writer, some perhaps her attempts to portray a society where gender is definitely not! equal, and some perhaps simply that we are here talking about a writer born in 1926 who was! writing in the late sixties, (Mrs. Dark actually some of Mccaffrey's characters read as though they've come out of a fifties romance novel, not having read any fifties romance novels I'll take her word on this.
Even as a Teenager Dragon flight wasn't imho my favourite of the series and it was obvious she was finding her feet, so I did want to write a more balanced perspective that acknolidges some of the issues but also admits some of the good things in the series, and after all, I do like dragons .
I'm currently reading a collection of very grim science fiction stories by Alice B sheldan, aka James Tiptree junior (she adopted a male pen name). They're wonderfully grim, though unfortunately she! doesn't write male characters very well, then again, some of her stories are fantastically, and wonderfully alien.
When I've finished this I will probably look at something else to review, though whether I will go on Mccaffrey or try something else I am not sure.
In other news, my lady and I finished the Hunger games trilogy over the weekend which was actually ver awesome, so tonight I began with my lady on series one of New who, ---- yes starting with Christopher ecleston as the 9th doctor. it struck me as a good way to get on board with the series, and for all Russel T davies had his issues, I did like a lot of what he did, --- hsame about Steven Moffat's nicy nicy, flirty women retcon anything bad happening approach but luckily we don't have to go there.
My lady actually is! enjoying it which is nice, since while I don't think she'll ever be the Whovian I am, it'd be nice to share a few bits of Who, perhaps some of the better Bf audios or novelizations etc, --- she has already heard Chimes of midnight.
For myself I was surprised how much fun the start of series one is, with evil shop window dummies and the 9th doctor being very gruff. It's odd, at the time it just seemed too superficial to me, but I think my balance for a bit of fun has shifted somewhat, especially given that light as the first episode is there are some pretty nasty deaths and the Doctor is genuinely grim.
A shame ecleston wussed out of playing the role, but then again that did give us the awesomeness of tenant.
Anyway it is late and people probably don't want to stand by while I witter about doctor who, because I pretty much could do that all night.
So, what has everyone else been up to?
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)