August 25, 2007
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The Prodigal Xangan
Although I have been filling my days with activities and instead of my stomach with the pods the pigs were eating, I still have returned. Kill the fattened calf and make merry! Or, if you will not, at least read Mary. (tee hee)
Let’s see…I think I shall start from this evening and work backward. TGD and I saw Becoming Jane. I liked the movie a great deal. He did not. Can someone say “chick flick”? As you know, I’m a big JA fan, so I was eager to see the movie. I knew going in that it was by no means a true biography, but it was a delightful game of “What if?” With that in mind, I had a fine time. Anne Hathaway made a good Jane with her dark eyes and sauciness. Tom Lefroy, her love interest, was carelessly devilish and hard not to like. Of course, we all know Lady Jane died unmarried, so this movie couldn’t have a traditional romantic happy ending, but it was not heart-crushing disappointing at the finale. Cautions for the younger set–Mama Austen says the d-word. There are a few suggestive lines, including the reading aloud of a passage in a book which describes the mating of a swift. (Or rather, two swifts.)
Before our time in Austenland, we went out to dinner. We had planned to try out the new Texas Roadhouse in State College, and I even called ahead for seating. But, there was a fly in the ointment. (And in the dining room too, eh, Daniel?) We had called Comcast, our internet provider, to come and figure out what was wrong with our wildly fluctuating connectivity. We were on hold about to cancel the call (“Your technician will arrive sometime between noon and seven p.m.”) when he showed up at the door. An hour later, we did not have the time for a big, ol’ Texas-sized meal and headed to Brother’s Pizza instead.
Now, I like Brother’s Pizza, generally, but I was a wee bit disappointed. (Understatement intentional) Still, a dinner date is a dinner date, and I quickly warmed to the idea of stromboli, salad, and making the movie on time. We ordered speedily and got our appetizers (salad for me, fries for TGD). The waitress appeared with TGD’s meatball sub but without my stromboli. “I’ll see where it is,” she said. “When I asked the cook where it was, he turned and ran.” Hmmm… A moment later, she returned. “Well, he gave your ‘boli to another waitress. We can make you a new one or you can have something else.” Urg. And we were already pressed for time. When I was told it would only be eight more minutes, I opted for a new “boli.”
While we were waiting, the waitress came back and apologized again. “Can I get you anything while you wait? A slice of cheese? A bag of chips?” I assured her I was fine, and she went away. I turned to TGD with a chuckle. “A slice of cheese? Why on earth would she offer me a slice of cheese?”
“She meant a slice of cheese pizza.”
“Oh.”
Before my stromboli adventure, I spent the day swimming, examining my broken dryer (the washer is being torn apart on Monday–joy), having the children’s passport pictures taken, and saying good-bye to natureg0d who went home this morning. It’s always sad to see him go. Not that we didn’t have fun while he was here. This is the House o’ Fun, remember!
Friday night, we had some number of teens (25? Who knows.) at our house for a Youth Group party. They played Ultimate Frisbee, soccer, and swam. We ate all sorts of goodies including s’mores. Then, we all played Duck, Duck, Goose and Red Rover. No, seriously. We really did.
Thursday, we all went to Del Grosso’s, amusement park of amusement parks. It was fun to spend the day with MaineLady (I have to give you a code name sometime!) and family and the Kroekers and several others. After cheerleading/football practice, several Kroekers came over to play cards (Kemps–a new game for me) until midnightish.
Speaking of midnight, I shall end here so you can get to bed before the very witching time of night.
Do you have a favorite Shakespeare line? (Not a random question–witching time is Shakespeare!)
Comments (33)
To be or not to be. by Hamlet
Well…it’s too late for me to think about Shakespeare..um…I’ll have to think about that one. Glad to get your movie review on Becoming Jane. Are you ready to settle back down for school?
LOL @ the slice of cheese (pizza).
Glad to hear you liked Becoming Jane — I was extraordinarily impressed with it.
My question is whether Jane gets bedded though she never wedded. It sounds like another reinvention of history in one’s own image like modern historians claiming A. Lincoln was a closet homosexual for having shared a bed with another man. It irks me greatly. Perhaps Jane was a trollop but I am not aware of it.
I almost forgot, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
Somebody has already quoted my favorite Shakespeare line–probably a favorite because it is about the only one I can remember at the moment.
Missed you.
“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers,” because I got to use it at work with a bunch of lawyers. I was in investment banking and we were about to have a deal blow up in front of us because the lawyers were driving the owner of the company crazy. He had called off the deal and we were all in a meeting trying to fix things. I was the most junior person there and used that line to tell everyone his state of mind. Half of the people knew it was from Shakespeare and the half didn’t and were looking very confused, as if I was seriously suggesting something, which I most definitely was not!
“Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.”
haha I didn’t get “the slice of cheese” until you explained that it was cheese pizza either.
We have a few JA fans, so we’ll probably go together to see that sometime.
Well, it didn’t work out for me to come to youth group. Maybe I can try to come to the next one. I wanted to come but the day was busy. We mowed 13 lawns in the weather that was a real feel of 101 degrees! And then dad took C and I to the fair to see Daryle Singletary. I’m not a big old country fan, I only like the new country. After a while it got to be a little painful, so we went home.
Oh, I’m glad you liked Becoming Jane! My mom and I wanted to go see it but were unsure about the ending. I hate depressing romantic shows…
Merry
I’ve been wanting to hear a review of the movie! Thanks for the info!
Several. I love to yell “A pox on your house” not an exact quote, but a good expression, when I am angry at other drivers. I also love the whole speech at the end of taming of the shrew and other lines from things here and there.
RYC- Saxon got our business. I just went a year or two up. I am very pleased with the history, geography and english books we got. The Science and vocabulary are delayed so I can not give an opinoin on those.
Was it Shakespeare who coined the phrase, “Three cheers for a patient husband!”? OK, maybe not. Seriously, I was once told that Shakespeare said, “Oh that my enemies would write a book!” in response to some annoying critics. His hope was to criticize their work in response, but they had not written anything to criticize…… Unfortunately, I can’t confirm that this was Shakespeare either. (Maybe I’ll just stick to mathematics!)
Becoming Jane was OK at best, but not more, especially if you constantly struggle with deciding whether what they are portraying at any given moment is historical factual or fictional. Gosh, I just walked through her house a month ago, and I could not make the movie fit with what I saw and learned while in England. So, at best, it is “chick flick” fiction.
I absolutely love all of Kate’s monologue at the end of Taming of the Shrew. (More than a line, I know, but impossible to pick just one.)
My favorite line has to be Lady Macbeth’s, “Out, out, damn spot!”
Is it OK to say that on your blog? It is my favorite line.
So glad to hear what’s going on in your life, Mary!
Your dinner story was funny, but I think you should be glad you went to Brother’s. El Mano, LB and I went to Texas Roadhouse on Thursday and we utterly disappointed, the serves was bad, the food was bad and it was too loud. Of course yours may be differnt!
Oh–you should of asked for some Brie, when she ask you for some cheese (he-he)!!
I’d have thought that she was just offering a slice of cheese too…great minds must think alike! Welcome back, prodigal Xangan.
Thank you for the suggestions! And thanks again for having us over late two nights in a row… we always have a fabulous time with your family. I hope you all have been able to catch up on sleep. I took a nap this afternoon so I feel quite refreshed.
I have been working on the FBC scrapbook this weekend. Hopefully I’ll get to work on my own this week too!
Oh, I always enjoy visiting you all whether or not certain “magnetic visitors” are present! haha Hopefully sometime you all can come here so we can return the favor. Have a great week!
…Favorite Shakespeare line? I DO have one, what the heck is it….? How about this (it is Shakespeare, right?) “..but he who filches my good name takes that which not enrichest him and makes me poor indeed.” Perhaps not my favorite, which eludes me for the moment, but a good one. Okay, here’s another good one, since Quartus played Thisbe as a Freshman. “I see a voice! It is my love, I think!”
Ah you and your wild parties! You remind me of us five years or so ago. Since then two of the kids have gotten married, and all four of those teens live away from home part time at least. I miss those times.
We have had our order lost at least once, and have had the pizza misplaced a couple of times.
Glad you are back!
I would have takent he slice of cheese.
(Part of) A Poem by Shakespeare for my Sylvia-
“Who is Silvia? What is she? That all our swains commend her?
Holy, fair and wise is she. The heaven such grace did lend her,
That she might admired be…(2nd stanza will I skip)
Then to Silvia let us sing, That Silvia is excelling;
She excels each mortal thing upon the dull earth dwelling:
To her let us garlands bring.”
Ah, Sylvia!. :*)
Hello, Faithful Xangan Friend!! I am coming off two weeks of whirlwind hospital visits (80miles round trip) with 4 little girls in tow, lots of praying & worrying (shame on me!)…. & I’m beat!! I’m, also, getting my sunroom in order in case my father needs to stay with me for a while during his recovery period….. which doesn’t look like will be necessary, but, I needed to do it anyway for schooling and showings, so, I’m using that for motivation!
We are all doing well here, but, I will probably not be blogging much for a while or at least until….. who knows! We’re still trying to sell our home….. I think! Have to get schooling stuff in order/going. To pack, or not to pack….. THAT is the question!!! Now, my Honey told me yesterday that we WEREN’T selling!!??? I’m so confused!!!
Oh, speaking of Shakespeare………I can’t say that this is my favorite, but, I had to memorize a small section of Macbeth in High School & it’s stuck with me all this time: “Tomorrow, & tomorrow, & tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time! And all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to a dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow; a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” I can understand his statements now, however, a lot better than I did at 17, and, although I do not agree with our lives “signifying nothing”, I do understand more of how brief life is…… like a candle or a one time play. (I looked the passage up to see if I got it right….. I had to change and add a couple things, but, I had the basic gist of it down!)
Hope you have a fantabulous (fabulous & fantastic at the same time!) week!! God bless you, Dear!
I just love to read your blog. Your writing is so descriptive that I can actually see it in my mind
Thank you for your comment…you are right. No is a wonderful word
“Who would these fardels bear…”
(Hamlet)
Mostly, we just like the word “fardels” and its extreme usefulness in connection with certain body functions. (I do apologize for being somewhat crass!)
Shakespeare: “She abused me past the endurance of a block.”
(I’m a friend of “I was there and back again” and I wondered here from there.)
“Get you gone, you dwarf, you minimus of twisted notgrass made! You bead! You acorn!” From A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Not exactly a favorite line, but more of a family joke.
Summers’s lease hath all too short a date.
The Bard strikes again.
Thankyou. Yes, it was yesterday!
No, I am not a homeschooler. I teach alternative school for grades 6 – 12. I have never had a 6th grader but I currently have 2 seventh graders. I teach math, science, humanities, and life skills. There is another teacher who is responsible for English, and Social Studies.
What, you wouldn’t consider a slice of plain ole cheese an appetizer? lol Favorite Shakespeareian quote; “Nothing is good or bad, thinking makes it so.” Oh, I wandered over from
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