Monday 26 May 2008

May 26th, 2008 — Recollections and Responses (I do so love alliteration)

Greetings, greetings; compliments and adulations. Once again, I find myself here, writing this article, this blog, this assembly of words, for you, Reese, and for whomever may be fortunate enough to be reading this.

On that note, for a little experiment, I wonder if anybody reading this would be so kind as to comment on this humble discourse below, merely for my own knowledge and pleasure.

Well, I am writing this on Monday 26th May 2008, the last day I have before I turn sixteen. Strange as it seems, the progression from fifteen to sixteen isn’t substantially important to me: I suppose it’s because I’ve never really thought of myself as fifteen years old. One might say that this depletes my appreciation of my youth, but this is not true. Anyway, enough of my wretched musings.

It has come to my knowledge that every year my birthday week brings with it the most miserable, dreary, and cheerless weather that our great atmosphere is able to bestow upon us. This makes it incredibly hard to hold a successful birthday party. I have had gatherings in the garden with my friends, many years ago, where the wretchedness has descended upon us, forcing us inside the house. Gazebos have been worshipped like gods that will save us from the agony of standing in the rain wearing only a polyester Cinderella costume bought in Woolworths (I am not, unfortunately, referring to myself; I was clad in a very fetching Captain Hook outfit, complete with eye-liner moustache). Bouncy castles have been abandoned and left to grow limp and wet, whilst barbeques have been transferred to the oven and frying pan, causing widespread disappointment. One year, we had the foresight to book a splendid little hall in which we held a delightful fancy-dress party; the only problem was that it was gloriously sunny outside.



Previously on Consequent Bloggers:

QUESTION 3:

If you were given two tickets to travel to any place at any time (fictional or non-fictional), who would you take, where would go you and why?

A wonderful question, and one which I pondered for a considerable amount of time. At last I concluded that I would have to agree with you: France in the late twentieth century, Cheshire in the late eighteenth century, or London in the early twentieth century, cannot compare to the majesty of the Wizarding World.

Hello. My name is Adam, and I am a Harry Potter fanboy.

I would not like to travel into the future, for it is a dangerous place in which, or with which, to meddle. So that leaves either the present or the past, as is a painfully obvious fact. I suppose I would go with what you said: I would go to just after the war, so that I could experience the beginning of a new age without the fear of Voldemort and his followers. It’s bizarre, really, that out of every location and time period on, and in the history of, this planet, we chose a place which, in essence, doesn’t exist. But I think this just demonstrates J. K. Rowling’s extraordinary achievement in creating a world which does seem real, and does seem appealing to us. I would take my sister, Jessica, for she too delights in this world.


On an entirely different subject, we went to Lanhydrock House yesterday, in Bodmin. It’s the most glorious building: built in the seventeenth century, and containing many years of life and progression. Most of it inside is late Victorian, but the gardens are timeless. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera with me, so the only photographs I have are by other people—


All the way around, all me and my sister could think of was stories: histories to dozens of rooms and hundreds of items; sinister murders in the grounds and secret affairs in the bed chambers. But my sister (who is also a writer) managed to attain some very good plot ideas, or sparks of ideas, so it seems our slight lack of interest in some parts of the building were for good reason.
















QUESTION 4:

What would be your idea of a perfect day?

I think this is a really interesting question, and one which can obviously tell you a lot about a person. You can do anything you want, Reese. Think carefully.

My answer is as follows.

Most of my day would involve writing. I would wake up refreshed and sparkling, with a great new idea for my novel. I would sit down and write at least two thousand words, before taking a break to eat a highly satisfying lunch. After that, a good dose of efficient composing would be nice, before a few hours spent in good company in generally pleasant surroundings. Perhaps I might see a play, have a meal, and discover at the most unexpected moment that that twenty pound note which I hideously mislaid several weeks ago was, in fact, in my coat pocket all along, and I would spend it on others (something which is usually very gratifying). I do not ask for much: you will not find me wishing to win the lottery, or to spend the night with a Brazilian lap-dancer. Heaven forbid.

My chocolate birthday cake is cooking, now, and a sublime scent of warm chocolate is spreading throughout the house. I must go, but not to eat the cake (I shall be doing so tomorrow, after I have spent the day traipsing around the streets of Exeter, leaving with several books, no doubt, and a rather lighter wallet).

As an ending note, I am officially modifying the time-limit rule so as to accommodate your holiday. You have until Monday 16th June to write your blog; is that enough time? If not, feel uninhibited to notify me, and I will amend the rule appropriately.

Until then, your friend,

Adam.

P.S. Reader, don’t forget to comment, if it’s not too much trouble. It will be appreciated, I can assure you.

Sunday 18 May 2008

May 18th, 2008: How Could My Response Blog Possibly Follow That?!

Hello, Dolls!

For anyone new that's reading this (which I highly doubt, in the best sense, of course) and is a bit confused as to what we're doing, please refer to the last two blogs in this series of instalments. We (Adam says it more eloquently) try to explain it as best we possibly can. It's not confusing; the project is still developing, I think.

How could I possibly be consequent to that blog?! His description is absolutely perfect. I remember hearing that song for the first time when I was nine.; it immediately captivated me. Songs like that entirely altered my views on music. I realized that it could be more than mediocrity coming from a computer-enhanced synthesizer; music is a science, a great coalescence of specific sounds and tones, sometimes accompanied by carefully mulled over lyrics. Magnificent. Just magnificent.

The format needs work, I think. If you have any suggestions, I'm ready to comply. :]

QUESTION 2:

What real person, alive or dead, do you most relate to?

I cannot believe that I'm actually going to say this (I'm not worthy to grace the ground she walks on), but I would have to say that I relate to Emma Thompson the most. She is a strong, driven woman in an industry that is known for objectifying and prostituting individuals, particularly of the female sex. I can identify with her views and goals. She doesn't work towards fame or money. Emma is person who works purely for her art. In an interview she revealed that she's not very rich (by celebrity terms, anyways) at all; all she has is a house for her family and a small sum of money in her savings. The rest goes to charities and such. I absolutely love that. She's not caught up in the idolatry of disgustingly-large sums of money. Along with her views on the separation of her art and the media, we share a lot in common. We both are actresses, writers, extreme lovers of Jane Austen, witty, thirsty for knowledge, hilarious, and not afraid to be different or controversial. Emma Thompson personifies what every celebrity should be but is entirely not.

Well, I could go on and on about Thompson for hours, but I won't because this site must have some sort of word limit. Both Adam and I know very well that we could go on writing without desisting.

Adam, about the video embedding, you have to go to edit HTML when composing your blog and enter the code there. I hope that helped. :]

I love the banner. It's perfect.

QUESTION 3:

If you were given two tickets to travel to any place at any time (fictional or non-fictional), who would you take, where would go you and why?

This question is not very difficult to answer, but it does require a lot of sorting through adored locations and their glory years. I finally have come down to one and an honourable mention. I know that this sounds like such a stock answer, but I'm going to say it anyways. I want to go to the Wizarding World. I want to be in the same land as Harry Potter.

Hello, my name is Reese, and I am a Harry Potter fangirl.

I would want it to be right after the war and want to be involved with the new beginning of a life without the kind of fear Voldemort brought upon the people of the wizarding community. Id probably bring my friend Victoria with me, because I feel that she would benefit from it and enjoy it most (we both are very avid Potter readers). We would travel into the world by thestral or magical train to the Burrow. From there we could use the Floo Network to get around.

My second choice would be the world of The Borrowers. When I was younger, I wore my copies of the series down to their delicate little bindings. I just think that there something attractive about being very small in a very big world. I also like the idea of using thimbles as cooking pots.

I'm quite interested in reading your response, Elated Mango Jam (very clever). I hope that this response hasn't been that pathetic.

By the way, I leave for my trip on May 27th (I return on the 12th of June), so I may not be able to respond to your blog within the time limit unless you respond before I leave. No pressure, I just didn't want to leave you hanging for a couple of weeks. :]

I can't wait for your response,

Reese

Monday 12 May 2008

Consequent Bloggers — Elated Mango Jam: May 12

Friends, Romans, jellybeans — lend me your eyes. For here we are: the very second instalment of the highly promising series Consequent Bloggers. We are now on a whole new site, entirely for the purpose of writing and displaying this blog, and I must confess it introduces a wonderful excitement to the project.

And, after all, that’s exactly what it is—an internet project between two friends. And it’s really the very best thing we could do, since we live in different countries, and thus letters would be impractical.

The central theme of this blog, as Reese explained previously, is questions: one of us asks a question, answers it, and the other one answers that question in their post, and then asks another question, after which they answer it themselves. Questions and answers, questions and answers: they form the foundation of all science, all philosophy, and now they form the foundation of this web log. I hope you enjoy it.


QUESTION 1:

“What are your favourite song lyrics and why?” is the question I was asked by my friend, and this is the answer—

‘Stardust’, by Mitchell Parish, with music by Hoagy Carmichael.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aQFx8T5UBc0 (since I don't seem to be able to embed videos here).


And now the purple dusk of twilight-time
Steals across the meadows of my heart.
High up in the sky the little stars climb,
Always reminding me that we’re apart.

You wander down the lane and far away,
Leaving me a song that will not die.
Love is now the stardust of yesterday:
The music of the years gone by.

Sometimes I wonder why I spend
The lonely night dreaming of a song;
The melody haunts my rĂªverie,
And I am once again with you:
When our love was new,
And each kiss an inspiration.
But that was long ago;
Now my consolation
Is in the stardust of a song.

Beside a garden wall,
When stars are bright,
You are in my arms.
The nightingale tells his fairy tale,
A paradise where roses bloom.
Though I dream in vain,
In my heart it will remain:
My stardust melody,
The memory of love’s refrain.


The lyrics to this song are beautiful; I often think of them as poetry, as opposed to lyrics. Take the first two lines of the second verse—they are perfect iambic pentameter. If one forgets for a moment the melody which is intrinsic to these words, then it can be appreciated as a wonderful work of art. The imagery is flawless, with stunning turns of phrase and beautiful rhythms. The theme itself is one of loss, but presented, as was commonplace in those days, in a peaceful, blissful tune with fair words and fair sounds. I have personal attachments to it also, so my appreciation of it is heightened.


And my question is as follows:

QUESTION 2: (are we going to number the questions in that fashion?)

What real person, alive or dead, do you most relate to?

A somewhat commonly-asked question, but one which I think can really tell a lot about a person. My answer is undoubtedly, after a while of thought (and the dismissal of many wonderful people), the great Leonardo da Vinci. He was an extraordinary man, and I share a lot in common with him—he was well-mannered, witty, fiercely intelligent, a vegetarian (in fact, he bought live animals from markets and set them free), very secretive, somewhat eccentric, deeply philosophical, and quite simply a man with presence. I do not flatter myself that I am anywhere near his level of magnificence, but out of the few people with whom I relate, he is the one who is most like me.

I am saddened to say that we are coming to the end of this article, and I hope I have entertained you in some way, dear Reader; and to you, Reese, I hope that you are slightly better informed of my personality, and I look forward to your next post.

Until the next time,

Adam.


P.S. By the way, ‘elated mango jam’ is an anagram of my name, Adam J. M. Eagleton. I find it amusing.

P.P.S. I added a banner to the blog, Reese. Tell me what you think, even if you don't like it.

Currently reading: ‘The Universe: a Biography’, by John Gribbin.

Sunday 11 May 2008

Consequent Bloggers:The Beginning- 05/10

Well, blog reader, Adam J.M. Eagleton and I have decided to start a Question Blog thread. It starts today. :] Here's how it works. I'll post a question to Adam and answer it myself. Then, he will answer that question, ask me a new question, and answer that one himself. This will go on for as long as he and I keep responding to each other's blogs. Along with the questions, we might add our own news, information, images, commentary, videos, etc... just for jokes. I hope people actually read these, but if not, at least Adam and I will get to know each other better because of it.

QUESTION 1:
What are your favourite song lyrics and why?

My favourite lyrics are from the song "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" written by Cole Porter:
_____________________________________________________________________________________


"Ev'ry time we say goodbye, I die a little.

Ev'ry time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little,
Why the gods above me, who must be in the know,Think so little of me,
they allow you to go.
When you're near, there's such an air of spring about it.
I can hear a lark somewhere, begin to sing about it.
There's no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to
Minor, Ev'ry time we say goodbye.

When you're near, there's such an air of spring about it.
I can hear a lark somewhere, begin to sing about it.
There's no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to
Minor, Ev'ry time we say goodbye."
_____________________________________________________________________________________

I love these lyrics because they imply that there's always something greater controlling what occurs between you and another person. There are reasons why things happen and don't happen, reasons why they leave and why they stay. Also, the fact that only nature can remind you of something so wonderful is amazing and entirely organic, the way love should be. Even little things can remind you of someone else, a sound in the background, a person in a picture, a sentence in a book, a passing conversation... It's a lovely, simple, short song that means so much.

Alright, it's your turn, Adam. :]