(no subject)

[egads22789.livejournal.com]

Hello all. For those of you familiar with The Emperor's New Groove, my shoulder angel and shoulder devil have been arguing over whether or not I should de-lurk. I suppose the shoulder angel (depending upon your view it might even be the shoulder devil) won out. My name is Lauren (I believe it's an internet faux-pas to mention your real name, but I can't have people calling me by my username. It was made when I was young, foolish and in love with the Scarlett Pimpernel) and I'm a first year at the University of Toronto (yes, Meghan Whalen Turner did come to Toronto last week and yes, I did attend but more on that later). I despise analyzing young adult fiction, but I can appreciate it and believe me I appreciate the Attolia trilogy (do please make it a tetralogy and soon, Megan) to a great degree. Eugenides figures prominently in what my sister calls my "League of Extraordinary Gentleman," which also comprises of Howl Jenkins, Peaceable Sherwood, Christopher Heron, Sir Percival Blakney, Faramir etc etc. However, as much as I would like to meet Eugenides my sister and I agree that he would probably break my heart by making some cutting sarcastic (but brilliant) comment and stealing my earrings.

Anyhoo, last Friday I believe, two other sounisians and I met MWT at her hotel in downtown Toronto. Now all I have to do is meet Diana Wynne Jones and I can lay my adolescent spirit at rest. Megan was gracious, funny, charming, witty, intelligent and she was wearing black socks with red hearts (the five adjectives previous were meant to assuage any embarrassment due to the last observation). We discussed books (no brainer there) and in particular Rosemary Sutcliffe (whose books I adore) and Cynthia Voigt.  We also discussed Gen's handicap, why he loses his hand and how he learns to deal with it.  Lastly we talked about how Megan wanted to make her books realistic in a political and emotional sense (boy did she ever succeed).  I am kicking myself right now because I didn't manage to wheedle any hints out of Megan for the next novel. She did mention a scene in which Gen and his attendants discuss the length of his hair, so that is somewhat of a consolation. I did take some pictures of the momentous event; however I was so befuddled in Megan's presence (throughout the meeting I could only nod and smile, reinforce Megan's opinions and say inane things like "I love your books."  I was also quite stunned at my own courage in meeting Megan without an RSVP) I neglected to turn on the flash and what with the romantic lighting in the bar my pictures came out blurry (this is of course an excuse because in reality my eyes were closed and my mouth was open and I looked like a total dufus in the pictures).  

Having done a proofread just now (I feel almost naked without a spell check) I realize how many brackets I've included (I even included one in this sentence...make that two), but I do go off into tangents quite often.  I was reading back a couple of posts and to whoever made the comment about the "rapist-in-a-boat" cover of Queen of Attolia:  thanks so much, I now can't even look at my copy without alternately laughing and wincing.  Forgive me for any further and future misspellings, lack of grammar or abuse of the English language as my grasp on the meanings of large words is somewhat tenuous.  I look forward to reading many more hilarious discussions here and I might even be pretentious enough to post some of my own ramblings, but it appears I've blathered enough.

Lauren  

(I think I stole my icon from someone on this community so forgive me for that as well)

Comments

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Hi, Lauren. Welcome, and thanks for telling us about the Toronto meet-up. Did you go to the conference as well?

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Welcome, Lauren! I was hoping someone would post on the Toronto meeting. *waves hand* Yes, you stole my icon, but you are welcome to it, I stole it from someone else. We are all thieves here.

I hope you will post some of your own ramblings here. We'd love to hear them. I am basking in imagining the discussion about the length of Gen's hair. I ♥ Gen's hair.

Wait, he's not going to wear it long and curled like Dite's set, is he?

[hikari-cyhan.livejournal.com]

Hello, Lauren! Never fear, yours is a fairly common name, so using it online isn't such a problem. I, however, have a VERY uncommon given name, and a crazy stalker aunt, which forces me to use a pseudonym. Alas and alack, how we net-a-holics suffer!

Mmmmm, Howl. I simply call the fictional characters I lust after...the fictional characters I lust after! "The League of Extraordinary Gentleman" has such an awesome flare to it, though! (I'm a fan of the movie, but I've never read the comics.) However...you say you're a DWJ fan, and yet Christopher Chant isn't listed! No comprende.

I'm so jealous you've gotten to meet Megan. She lives in my State, and was recently in Toledo, and I couldn't go! I cried. Okay, well, not really.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree, where's Chrestomanci?

[hikari-cyhan.livejournal.com]

And, heck, while we're at it, let's be pedos and throw in Cat, too.

[avian-xj.livejournal.com]

Welcome! Thanks for the report on the Toronto conference. Gen's hair, huh? I foresee much speculation on this before the next books comes out. And socks! I love cute socks :)

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Pedos, indeed. *cringes*

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

Welcome, Lauren! It's wonderful you de-lurked for such a worthy cause. Thanks so much for the Toronto update. I wish we had talked about the Sutcliff books in Dayton, but somehow we kept getting distracted by such Literary Wonders as Bimbos of the Death Sun.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Well, I use my real (first) name online, and so far it hasn't caused me any trouble. It's Alison, by the way, not sandtree. :P

Anywho, hullo! My ex-boyfriend goes to U of T, but he's in second year. I have another friend who goes to U of T, but I think he's at the Scarborough campus.

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Howl Jenkins, Peaceable Sherwood, Christopher Heron, Sir Percival Blakeney, Faramir... a reader after my own heart! ... Dear me, I haven't posted my song "The Perilous Gard" on my website (http://filk.cracksandshards.com/)! (You know that song Randal was working on in the last chapter? I wanted to hear the whole song, and the only way I knew of was to write it.)

[estarria.livejournal.com]

Hello!

Nice to find someone else who uses lots of parenthetical expressions. :)

[estarria.livejournal.com]

I love cute socks too! That's so cool that MWT wears them as well.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

You have Bujold songs?? And Discworld...0__0. Cool.

[agentmaly.livejournal.com]

WHAT. You told me your name was Sandtree Higgins! You have betrayed me!!

[traboule.livejournal.com]

I misread your post to say that you had posted the Perilous Gard some to your website, so I went there (what else do you do when someone offers you that song?) and, alas, didn't find it, for very obvious reasons.

But I did find the Hedgehog Song which is brilliant and made me laugh out loud all nineteen verses. I don't know filks - or filkers - but that one is FANTASTIC.

And A King at Krothering. Squee! I don't know anyone who's read The Worm Ouroboros, let alone someone who can write a credible Goblin kingdom ballad by the time they're done. You're good.

[traboule.livejournal.com]

Oh, you got that icon here, did you? From Checkers? Interesting...I've been looking for someone to steal that icon from for a while now. It's one of my favourites.

Anyway, welcome! I know a couple of people at U of T too. Not like that means much - the place is enormous. *grins*

Thanks for posting about Toronto. We all want to be jealous she hasn't come to visit us yet. Gen's hair! Lovely!

[egads22789.livejournal.com]

I've never read The League of Extraordinary Gentleman or seen the movie (the only thing extraordinary about Sean Connery is that he once was handsome enough for Bond) but I tend to quote, reference and hate (*coughDa Vinci Codecough* things I know absolutely zilch about.

I may offend a few people here but I was never a great fan of the Chrestomanci Series (however Witch Week is simply classic). Now that you are all done gasping at my lack of taste I can explain. I spent my time through The Lives of Christopher Chant wanting to kick the titular character swiftly and firmly in the pants (this was the point I suppose, but Christopher didn't come off as lovingly annoying as Howl or more relevantly, Eugenides). Though Christopher does grow up to become suave and dashing (two of many qualities required for my League)I can never forgive him his past.

[egads22789.livejournal.com]

You know, I didn't. I'm still trying to think of a reason (or excuse) why...

[fabricalchemist.livejournal.com]

Chrestomanci? *cringes*

[fabricalchemist.livejournal.com]

however I was so befuddled in Megan's presence (throughout the meeting I could only nod and smile

Join the club, of those who let the grownups talk =) I could barely keep up myself.

Nice to have you delurk! Hopefully we see lots more of you around here =D

(I'm bear, by the way)

[egads22789.livejournal.com]

Bimbos of the Death Sun eh? I have this picture of a bunch of blond, brainless, bombshells exploding in an immense supernova. Being black-haired and relatively plain myself you can imagine my interest. No offense to any blond bombshells in this community; however, to make up for my blatant stereotyping, no one who loves Eugenides could possibly be brainless. I'm not usually this morbid.

[egads22789.livejournal.com]

I believe Megan talked about you (at least I think it was you) and your extreme reaction to the Queen of Attolia (letter, purple ink and all)! You're famous!

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

I only did it to protect you! If you had known my true identity, my enemies would have hunted you for eternity! You would have never been safe!

[egads22789.livejournal.com]

I was looking through your website and all I can say is...brilliant. I would love to read the end of Randal's song (a point that always bothered me, but apparantly not to the extent it bothered you).

[agentmaly.livejournal.com]

Then I would have died! Died, rather than betray my friends!!

(Peter, I trusted you! ... Sort of.)