New years resolutions
Jan. 7th, 2007 06:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bop_radarEmo!Lee still makes me giggle SO MUCH.
This post has a lot of cut-tags... *muses*
I have resolved to see more movies this year. Somehow my movie-going habits slid away from me in 2006, and I regret that. Last night I tried to see 'Little Miss Sunshine' but it was sold out, so I wound up seeing 'The Queen' instead. I enjoyed it a great deal more than I thought I would.
Little known fact: Boppy did her history thesis on power and piety in eleventh-century British monarchy (think Edward the Confessor and Margaret of Scotland). What has this to do with 'The Queen'? A lot actually. The relationship between a monarch and their people is a complex one. There is a sense of obligation and entitlement on both sides--this was very well explored by the movie. Medieval monarchs knew the value of public demonstrations of humility. At particular times of the year, or on significant occasions, they undertook such acts as washing the feet of beggars or distributing bread to the poor. My thesis argued that these acts, superficially self-humbling in nature, were also acts of power at another level of analysis. They connected the monarch to the people and were all the more powerful and poignant for being incorporated into the pageantry and opulence we normally associate with royalty.
When the Queen got out of the car on the way into Buckingham Palace to walk among her people, read the cards on Diana's flowers and speak to the visitors, I was strongly reminded of these acts of monarchs of old. It was, as Blair was well aware, the best thing she could have done to reassert her authority. The 'humiliation' as the Queen (in the movie, at least) called it, served a purpose in reminding people of the power of the monarchy. The crowd, that moments ago had been reviling her, offered flowerrs and curtsied.
The world has undergone profound and swift change within the last fifty years. The monarchy has not kept up, yet some of the same patterns surrounding power remain. It is important to connect with your people, no matter how entitled you feel to your position. Arguably the medieval monarchs were even more secure in their thrones--they may be deposed by rivals, but a monarch of some sort would remain. The position was, after all, god-given. The monarch of today cannot trust to that alone. The threat is not just to the specific monarch but to the entire structure. All the more reason to connect with your people--and in our world, that means change, change, change. And humility, though NOT humiliation. Edward and Margaret would have been able to tell Elizabeth that. ;-)
I think what I most enjoyed about this movie was Blair's journey--because it mirrored my own emotions very well. My family include some hardcore Scottish nationalists, so I was eye-rolling at the royals from the beginning, yet it frustrated me so much to see them destroy themselves that I found myself 'with' Blair in wanting them to pully it together. I thought it was a very effective movie portraying a fascinating era in British history which I remember watching with great interest at the time.
Meanwhile, Friday Night Lights is killing me with emotion. I've just finished watching 1.06 and 1.07 and if I wasn't still sniffly, I'd power on for more. But it packs such an emotional punch, I think I need a break first. I'm starting to love Tyra! I really enjoyed the development she got in these couple of eps as a girl who wants to make something more of her life in this shithole town. That actress is wonderful, and she sells the character's vulnerability and strength perfectly. For entirely superficial reasons, I confess, I latched on to Tim early on as my favourite eye-candy on the show. And hey, he had inner pain. Inner pain is good! *g* I thought I was objective about the nature of this attachment until the show totally KILLED me with the hospital scene and then his speech to Jason. Ow, my heart!! *clutches* The awkwardness! The offering of the ball! The teariness! The hand-holding! I'm officially suckered.
And finally, even Smash's plot gripped me. I really REALLY don't like loudmouth/braggart characters normally. I cannot stress this enough. Yet, I really felt for Smash when he fucked up in 1.07, especially when he looked over to his mother in the stands, all deflated. All that bravado hides how incredibly fucked up he is and the character's so well drawn, they made me care! *reeling* WHY DO I CARE ABOUT THESE DUMB FOOTBALL GUYS?! But omg, I SO DO. And I love Matty and Jason very much too and I just want them all to be happy, dammit. And yes, I'm still sniffling.
Tomorrow the Boy and I are starting a healthy-eating/lifestyle plan. I'm a little daunted, but it's very necessary after the usual Christmas-New-Year eating extravangances. At the end of last year, my gym closed unexpectedly. This was really distressing for me as I'd been finding the yoga there so beneficial. Well, the good news is I've found a place to continue practice. It's in this fantastic converted warehouse studio, and the staff are brilliant, but the yoga is HARD. I'm going to have to work my butt off to tough it out there. Which is probably exactly what I need, but I'm feeling, well, challenged right now. And I'm also going to be getting on my bike a lot more--both for fitness and environmental reasons. So wish my muscles good lucks! ;-)
And on the food front, one of the best things I did towards the end of last year was sign up for delivered organic fruit and vegies. I get a box once a week of what's in season, and wow are they GREAT. And bananas are back! BANANAS! :-) (There was a banana crisis in Aus last year, for the few of you that I did not bitch to about this.) But man, I do NOT know enough recipes with root vegetables in them. Sweet potatoe, anyone? Pumpkin? Send your vegie inspiration in my direction because these boxes are forcing me to get creative. As is the all-singing all-dancing breadmaker that the Boy's parents gave us for Christmas. Homemade bread is a very lovely thing, but it has 38 setting. THIRTY-EIGHT. I'm going to have to give up full-time work to master this thing!
And finally, I need to guilt myself into vidding. So, first it was the unrippable DVDs. Now it's the vid itself.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
supacat cast her eye over a preliminary draft of my Clex vid and informed me (accurately, as always) that it required something other than hard cuts in a few spots. She's right. But it's thrown me into great angst as that means doing something creative/artistic. *quakes* I'm really not sure I can do this. I tried a few dissolve transitions and eeep they look SHITE. I don't want to kill the vid with effects--what it needs is a very subtle touch in a couple of spots. Instead, every time I play with something now it's kind of the equivalent of someone splashing tub of black paint onto a halfpainted canvas. *shudders* But I must, must, must finish this. *resolves*
Oh, and I've cut my friendslist somewhat. I finally hit that point beyond which I can't actually keep up with it. If you think you've been defriended accidently or would like to be added back again, please drop me a line. It was not my intention to hurt anyone's feelings.
This post has a lot of cut-tags... *muses*
I have resolved to see more movies this year. Somehow my movie-going habits slid away from me in 2006, and I regret that. Last night I tried to see 'Little Miss Sunshine' but it was sold out, so I wound up seeing 'The Queen' instead. I enjoyed it a great deal more than I thought I would.
Little known fact: Boppy did her history thesis on power and piety in eleventh-century British monarchy (think Edward the Confessor and Margaret of Scotland). What has this to do with 'The Queen'? A lot actually. The relationship between a monarch and their people is a complex one. There is a sense of obligation and entitlement on both sides--this was very well explored by the movie. Medieval monarchs knew the value of public demonstrations of humility. At particular times of the year, or on significant occasions, they undertook such acts as washing the feet of beggars or distributing bread to the poor. My thesis argued that these acts, superficially self-humbling in nature, were also acts of power at another level of analysis. They connected the monarch to the people and were all the more powerful and poignant for being incorporated into the pageantry and opulence we normally associate with royalty.
When the Queen got out of the car on the way into Buckingham Palace to walk among her people, read the cards on Diana's flowers and speak to the visitors, I was strongly reminded of these acts of monarchs of old. It was, as Blair was well aware, the best thing she could have done to reassert her authority. The 'humiliation' as the Queen (in the movie, at least) called it, served a purpose in reminding people of the power of the monarchy. The crowd, that moments ago had been reviling her, offered flowerrs and curtsied.
The world has undergone profound and swift change within the last fifty years. The monarchy has not kept up, yet some of the same patterns surrounding power remain. It is important to connect with your people, no matter how entitled you feel to your position. Arguably the medieval monarchs were even more secure in their thrones--they may be deposed by rivals, but a monarch of some sort would remain. The position was, after all, god-given. The monarch of today cannot trust to that alone. The threat is not just to the specific monarch but to the entire structure. All the more reason to connect with your people--and in our world, that means change, change, change. And humility, though NOT humiliation. Edward and Margaret would have been able to tell Elizabeth that. ;-)
I think what I most enjoyed about this movie was Blair's journey--because it mirrored my own emotions very well. My family include some hardcore Scottish nationalists, so I was eye-rolling at the royals from the beginning, yet it frustrated me so much to see them destroy themselves that I found myself 'with' Blair in wanting them to pully it together. I thought it was a very effective movie portraying a fascinating era in British history which I remember watching with great interest at the time.
Meanwhile, Friday Night Lights is killing me with emotion. I've just finished watching 1.06 and 1.07 and if I wasn't still sniffly, I'd power on for more. But it packs such an emotional punch, I think I need a break first. I'm starting to love Tyra! I really enjoyed the development she got in these couple of eps as a girl who wants to make something more of her life in this shithole town. That actress is wonderful, and she sells the character's vulnerability and strength perfectly. For entirely superficial reasons, I confess, I latched on to Tim early on as my favourite eye-candy on the show. And hey, he had inner pain. Inner pain is good! *g* I thought I was objective about the nature of this attachment until the show totally KILLED me with the hospital scene and then his speech to Jason. Ow, my heart!! *clutches* The awkwardness! The offering of the ball! The teariness! The hand-holding! I'm officially suckered.
And finally, even Smash's plot gripped me. I really REALLY don't like loudmouth/braggart characters normally. I cannot stress this enough. Yet, I really felt for Smash when he fucked up in 1.07, especially when he looked over to his mother in the stands, all deflated. All that bravado hides how incredibly fucked up he is and the character's so well drawn, they made me care! *reeling* WHY DO I CARE ABOUT THESE DUMB FOOTBALL GUYS?! But omg, I SO DO. And I love Matty and Jason very much too and I just want them all to be happy, dammit. And yes, I'm still sniffling.
Tomorrow the Boy and I are starting a healthy-eating/lifestyle plan. I'm a little daunted, but it's very necessary after the usual Christmas-New-Year eating extravangances. At the end of last year, my gym closed unexpectedly. This was really distressing for me as I'd been finding the yoga there so beneficial. Well, the good news is I've found a place to continue practice. It's in this fantastic converted warehouse studio, and the staff are brilliant, but the yoga is HARD. I'm going to have to work my butt off to tough it out there. Which is probably exactly what I need, but I'm feeling, well, challenged right now. And I'm also going to be getting on my bike a lot more--both for fitness and environmental reasons. So wish my muscles good lucks! ;-)
And on the food front, one of the best things I did towards the end of last year was sign up for delivered organic fruit and vegies. I get a box once a week of what's in season, and wow are they GREAT. And bananas are back! BANANAS! :-) (There was a banana crisis in Aus last year, for the few of you that I did not bitch to about this.) But man, I do NOT know enough recipes with root vegetables in them. Sweet potatoe, anyone? Pumpkin? Send your vegie inspiration in my direction because these boxes are forcing me to get creative. As is the all-singing all-dancing breadmaker that the Boy's parents gave us for Christmas. Homemade bread is a very lovely thing, but it has 38 setting. THIRTY-EIGHT. I'm going to have to give up full-time work to master this thing!
And finally, I need to guilt myself into vidding. So, first it was the unrippable DVDs. Now it's the vid itself.
supacat cast her eye over a preliminary draft of my Clex vid and informed me (accurately, as always) that it required something other than hard cuts in a few spots. She's right. But it's thrown me into great angst as that means doing something creative/artistic. *quakes* I'm really not sure I can do this. I tried a few dissolve transitions and eeep they look SHITE. I don't want to kill the vid with effects--what it needs is a very subtle touch in a couple of spots. Instead, every time I play with something now it's kind of the equivalent of someone splashing tub of black paint onto a halfpainted canvas. *shudders* But I must, must, must finish this. *resolves*Oh, and I've cut my friendslist somewhat. I finally hit that point beyond which I can't actually keep up with it. If you think you've been defriended accidently or would like to be added back again, please drop me a line. It was not my intention to hurt anyone's feelings.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-01-07 10:13 pm (UTC)I have a couple good sweet potato recipes that I use for holidays, though the stuffed sweet potato one definitely isn't low fat. Let me look around for the the sweet potato soup one I made for Thanksgiving, but here's one I'm actually making for dinner tonight, from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant . (And if you're used to metric recipes, sorry! I have no IDEA the conversions for this)
African groundnut stew
2 cups chopped onions
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cayenne or ground chile
1 tsp pressed garlic cloves
2 cups chopped cabbage
3 cups cubed seet potatoes
3 cups tomato juice
1 cup apple or apricot juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
2 chopped tomatoes
1.5 cups chopped okra (which I always omit, since I hate okra, but I imagine it does thicken the stew)
1/2 cup peanut butter
Saute onions about 10 minutes; add cayenne and garlic and saute a few more minutes, then add the cabbage and sweet potatoes and saute about 5 more minutes. TThen add the juices, salt, ginger, cilantro and tomatoes. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. Add okra and simmer 5 more minutes. Sitr in the peanut butter, place the pan on a heat diffuser and simmer gently until ready to serve. Add more juice or water if stew is too thick.
Of course, that's not very summery, but most of my root vegetable recipes are wintery ones.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-07 10:17 pm (UTC)That is SO COOL!!! Goodness. And yes, I don't know why we have so many root vegetables right now. IT IS SUMMER, DAMMIT!! But yet we do, so I must cook them. So very few root vegie recipes are summery!
Ok, I have questions. What is tomato 'juice'? It's not paste, I'm guessing. Runnier? Could I substitute tins of tomatos, you reckon? I reckon I could... I'm meh, about okra as well. Reckon I could substitute zucchini? I have zucchini! :-)
This is COOL! We should trade recipes more often!!
no subject
Date: 2007-01-07 10:23 pm (UTC)You might want to cut that recipe down unless you want to be eating it for a week, by the way--I used to bring it for potlucks and still have leftovers for a few days.
I don't know what would happen if you substituted zucchini. I would wait to add it until the end, though, or it would be pretty mushy.
Hee! I just happen to be on a cooking jag because of the holidays; normally I don't really cook very much.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-07 10:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-07 10:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-07 10:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-07 10:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-07 10:42 pm (UTC)The Queen...and celebrity Diana
Date: 2007-01-07 10:44 pm (UTC)Prince Charles tells his mother, "The Diana we knew was very different than the Diana idolized by the public", but this truth is never developed in the film.
While the "people's princess" remains the icon of superficial popular culture, the Royals knew a very different, darker character behind the facades of glamour and pseudo-compassion.
Both Diana and her brother, Charles Spencer, suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder caused by their mother's abandoning them as young children. A google search reveals that Diana is considered a case study in BPD by mental health professionals.
For Charles Spencer, BPD meant insatiable sexual promiscuity (his wife was divorcing him at the time of Diana's death). For Diana, BPD meant intense insecurity and insatiable need for attention and affection which even the best husband could never fulfill.
Clinically, it's clear that the Royal family did not cause her "problems". Rather, Diana brought her multiple issues into the marriage, and the Royal family was hapless to deal with them.
Her illness, untreated, sowed the seeds of her fast and unstable lifestyle, and sadly, her tragic fate.
Thus the Queen's reactions to Diana's death surely covered a range of ambivalent feelings, and was not just a cold insistence on protocol, as suggested by the film. One of her instincts was to not worship at the same altar of celebrity culture as the hysterical masses, knowing the great dysfunction often behind the celebrity facade.
It's been said that this Queen has not failed her people; rather, our generation has failed her.
Re: The Queen...and celebrity Diana
Date: 2007-01-08 09:53 pm (UTC)Prince Charles tells his mother, "The Diana we knew was very different than the Diana idolized by the public", but this truth is never developed in the film.
Yes, that was rather a disappointment. I found that one of the most interesting lines of dialogue in the movie. It makes a LOT of sense, but as you say was never explored further.
the Queen's reactions to Diana's death surely covered a range of ambivalent feelings, and was not just a cold insistence on protocol, as suggested by the film
I didn't find the movie that cold towards her, although I also think it didn't quite pull off what it tried to achieve (for example, I found her moment of being moved by the stag failed for me personally). The other line that had a lot of resonance for me but which wasn't explored further in the movie was the one about the abdication and how the death of her father had affected her. I think the movie could have been more subtle in portraying her discomfort with the cult of celebrity--but at least it threw it out there.
It's been said that this Queen has not failed her people; rather, our generation has failed her.
Hee, hm. Well, I'm not a royalist, so I can't back that statement. However, as I touched on in my post, I think a successful monarchy acknolwedges that there is a two-way relationship between 'the people' and the monarch. If either withdraw from that relationhip, it starts to become meaningless. One of the problems with the twentieth-century British monarchy is that, like it or not, pretty much the sole medium through which people connect with it is the media and celebrity culture.