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Sunday Thoughts
Feb. 1st, 2009 02:57 pmAs mentioned, I'm going to a Super Bowl party this afternoon. In the mean time, I decided to kill a bit of time and post. Consider this a "random walk" type of post.
Hugo Awards
I mentioned Friday that I was a bit concerned that I hadn't read enough recent science fiction to moderate a panel about what should go on the award ballot. This was based on looking at what I'd reviewed here. Well, I don't review everything I read here, so a look at my library suggested that I'd done more reading then I thought. For example, I've read (and enjoyed) David Freer's Slow Train to Arcturus
, but hadn't reviewed it. It's a book that I do think should be on the ballot. I've also read The Dragon's Nine Sons, which I suspect will get on the ballot even though it maybe shouldn't.
At any rate, my paper ballot for the Hugos came in. Since Worldcon is at Anticipation in Montreal, Canada, the ballot is very Canadian - written in French and English. I'll have some definite opinions on books, editors, fan writers and television series.
Shakespeare
I have season tickets to Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) on Navy Pier. Their current play is Macbeth. Since I go regularly, I'm not surprised when they put a new spin on a play, especially a frequently-performed chestnut like The Scottish Play. Alas, some of the folks at Friday night's showing apparently weren't regulars, and the four sitting next to me didn't come back from intermission.
The CST staged Macbeth in modern-day Chicago. One scene backdrop was a picture of the Chicago skyline taken from the theater's entrance. They went all-out. For example, Karen Aldridge as Lady Macbeth spent the second half of her first scene topless. Banquo's ghost looked like something out of a slasher flick, and one of the scenes of the Three Witches was set in a strip club. Since one of the witches was played by an 80-year-old man (a regular in the troupe) it's good that they kept their clothes on. I think doing the play in modern dress brought out the violence and raw emotions of the play - emotions that sometime get lost in the archaic language.
Updike
The writer Elizabeth Moon posted a rant about how she disliked Updike's "unhappily successful" men. I am a 40-something guy with a successful job, AKA "Rabbit Angstrom," I'm basically Updike's target market. But when Moon wrote her post, I just replied "amen."
I understand Rabbit's problem - the guy wants to be meaningful. But understanding is not agreement. So I don't agree with the guy's whining. If you aren't happy, do something about it. If Rabbit's not getting meaning from his job, join the Rotary. Seeing the poverty and need in the world and doing something about it will fix that whine.
Hugo Awards
I mentioned Friday that I was a bit concerned that I hadn't read enough recent science fiction to moderate a panel about what should go on the award ballot. This was based on looking at what I'd reviewed here. Well, I don't review everything I read here, so a look at my library suggested that I'd done more reading then I thought. For example, I've read (and enjoyed) David Freer's Slow Train to Arcturus
, but hadn't reviewed it. It's a book that I do think should be on the ballot. I've also read The Dragon's Nine Sons, which I suspect will get on the ballot even though it maybe shouldn't.At any rate, my paper ballot for the Hugos came in. Since Worldcon is at Anticipation in Montreal, Canada, the ballot is very Canadian - written in French and English. I'll have some definite opinions on books, editors, fan writers and television series.
Shakespeare
I have season tickets to Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) on Navy Pier. Their current play is Macbeth. Since I go regularly, I'm not surprised when they put a new spin on a play, especially a frequently-performed chestnut like The Scottish Play. Alas, some of the folks at Friday night's showing apparently weren't regulars, and the four sitting next to me didn't come back from intermission.
The CST staged Macbeth in modern-day Chicago. One scene backdrop was a picture of the Chicago skyline taken from the theater's entrance. They went all-out. For example, Karen Aldridge as Lady Macbeth spent the second half of her first scene topless. Banquo's ghost looked like something out of a slasher flick, and one of the scenes of the Three Witches was set in a strip club. Since one of the witches was played by an 80-year-old man (a regular in the troupe) it's good that they kept their clothes on. I think doing the play in modern dress brought out the violence and raw emotions of the play - emotions that sometime get lost in the archaic language.
Updike
The writer Elizabeth Moon posted a rant about how she disliked Updike's "unhappily successful" men. I am a 40-something guy with a successful job, AKA "Rabbit Angstrom," I'm basically Updike's target market. But when Moon wrote her post, I just replied "amen."
I understand Rabbit's problem - the guy wants to be meaningful. But understanding is not agreement. So I don't agree with the guy's whining. If you aren't happy, do something about it. If Rabbit's not getting meaning from his job, join the Rotary. Seeing the poverty and need in the world and doing something about it will fix that whine.
