31...er, 30...er, 30ish Day Challenge?

 http://whatcatiedid.blogspot.com/2014/10/31er-30er-30ish-day-challenge.html

How's that for an exciting start? Since I believe, apparently, in arriving fashionably late to events, I found no reason to make an exception for the 31 Days challenge.
Apprehension and uncertainty had nothing to do with it, I assure you.

So, without further fuss,

Welcome to...

30ish Days of Fandom Randomness! 

(clever title, no? I came up with it myself)

...in which I shall attempt to post something every day for the rest of the month. The topic is my 'fandoms' which is short for 'fanatic domain,' (thank you Pinterest) or a domain of fans.

People who inhabit fandoms are generally called fans; if one wishes to be gender-specific, fanboys or fangirls. The latter are most common and most prominent.  I thought we might start with a few definitions to smooth the way for those of who who may be unfamiliar with the topic.

fangirl--noun, 1. a female fan 2. one who fangirls
fangirl--verb, 1. to feel excitement concerning a fandom 2. see 'whale noises' or 'pterodactyl screaming'  3. a seizure--symptoms: impossibly high-pitched whining noises and temporary paralysis of the upper body (with the exception of the hands, which often flap about wildly), combined with difficulty breathing.
Example: "I am fangirling so hard about the Dauphin rescue scene."
or 
"SQUUUEEEEEE PERCY!"

past tense: fangirled-- 1.to have been fangirling under the circumstances described above 2. a feeling of exhaustion caused by fangirling
Example: "I am all fangirled out after that Tinkerbell movie. OH HIDDLES!" 

To fanboy is also generally accepted as a verb but is less commonly used, due to the scarcity of the species.

Feels: noun, emotions, usually overpowering. Always used in plural form.
"Oooooh the FEELS!"

Ship, shipping: verb, to desire two characters to become romantically attached to each other.
Example:  (in reference to a conversation between two characters that implies possible attraction) "I ship it!" 
"I am shipping Sherlolly so hard right now." 

Ship: noun, a (real or imagined) couple. Often associated with nautical terminology. 
Example: "My ship has sunk. Curse you, Moffat!" 
"MY SHIP SAILED! SQUEEE!" 
OTP: a shipping acronym for "One true pairing," meaning the shipper's ideal or favorite couple. The 'one' can be misleading, as most fans have several OTPs 
Shipping names: one of the most confusing habits of the fandoms is the tendency to type seemingly unintelligible gibberish. "Knighthouse? What's that about?" 
This is an example of a shipping name, which is developed by smashing together the names of the two parties of a ship for quicker reference. Simple, no?
Canon: in accordance with the original inspiration or material. 
"I really like the Canon references in "A Study in Pink."  
Squee: exclamation. Short for "I am squealing loudly like a stuck pig at the moment because I am excited." 
There are many more terms, of course, but that should prove sufficient for now.
Over the next few weeks we will explore several different aspects of being in a fandom, a few of my fandoms, and fandom-produced stuff. Some possible topics:
Obscure Fandom Day, Old Fandom Day, Random Fandom Day, The Starving Fandom, Frightening Fangirls, How to keep Your Conscience Safe while Fangirling, Fanfiction: Yes or No? Liking with a Disclaimer, Can INTJs fangirl? When is it okay to Fangirl? Is there Life after Fangirling? (no),  and that tricky game, Faking Fandoms

I hope you'll come along for the adventure as we delve deep into this fascinating world.
"Do you wanna come with me? 'cause if you do, you're going to see all sorts of things. And it won't be quiet, it won't be safe, and it won't be calm. But I tell you what it will be. The trip of a lifetime."


Leave a comment and tell me what you want me to write first (bonus points to you if you guess the quote. Not that points are worth anything)!

Disclaimer: I do not own any photos that I did not take. If it looks like I didn't take them, then they're not mine.

Click here to see my other posts in this series.

Click here to go back to 31 Days Home.

Lu's Rapunzel-esque Braid

...done on my birthday while watching the Barbie movie of the same name, the day after watching the Disney movie on the same heroine.  Thus the background, or lack of background.

Random Pictures from Events I Have not Posted About, Part I--the sorta-kinda ball

....meaning, of course, that we were told that we could dress up for this dance, but not to worry about coming in costume.

Ha. 

Haha.

Hahaha.

We read it something like this:

OMGSH.

A BALL! YAAAAAAY!

What are we going to wear?

Mother! My muslin needs new trim! And my ridicule is absolutely ridiculous!

I need new ribbon for shoe-roses...and ostrich feathers...

HOBBY LOBBY, HERE WE COME!

At least the boys' costumes are okay...

DAD'S WAISTCOAT IS TWO INCHES TOO SHORT!

WHERE IS BRENNAN'S QUIZZING-GLASS?

...while some people might respond to this reaction by wondering why we stress over something so simple and informal...

...we are too busy sewing each other into gowns to notice. Actually, we love having an event for which we must dress up, so we make the most out of it. If we have to make a mountain out of a molehill...well, we'll do it. Can't really tell the difference in LA, anyway. Don't have many mountains. It's not stress! It's fun. 

Actually, curling Lu's entire head in paper is stressful. But that's not our fault.  

Without further ado...

 Left to right: Em,  Jess, Bren, Lu, et moi, confident in our poshness.

 Brennan and Dad...

 Myself dancing the Ship's Cook (an wonderful dance from a wonderful miniseries) with Kristoff Grayson

 Shoe-tying--one of my chief occupations of the evening. Apparently, I was the only one whose stays didn't prohibit her movements. Ergo, guess who gets to secure the footwear? Me, that's 'oo!

 My parents, also posh

 Lu and Em in full aristocratic snobbery.

Fun fact: Emery sewed the red ribbons on her gown crossed in back (they came undone) and crossed in front in memory of the victims of the Reign of Terror. The ribbons symbolized the captives' bonds, and her red choker stood for...yeah. *gulp* that. We based it off a fashion plate from the 1790s. She said she hoped someone would ask about them so she could explain in all the gory detail.
Luckily for her, someone did. O.O

 Gabe. Need more be said?

 Gabbi and her mother. Aren't her sleeves nice and poufy? ;) 

 The Dark Side of ECD

 Lu and Gab. I was responisble for Gabbi's tunic-drape-thingy (I am so eloquent!). It's a curtain panel than was cut for use in a pelisse, but the pelisse was completed without it. It was the perfect shape already--all I did was hem and stitch the shoulder and add a sash. I would have preferred the sash to be higher, but I thought it still turned out well. 

 Scottish!

Shoe ribbons in disarray!


And I leave you with this photograph, which perfectly portrays our stately grandeur and dignity.

Frozen, part 2

A LERT

CONCERNING CERTAIN SPOILERS

WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE AHeAD

AND WHICh MAY THREATEN THE NAIVETE 

OF THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN THE FILM

WHICH IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS LERT

I'm growing rather fond of my little spoiler alert. Thanks, N.D. Wilson.

All right! Now I've dealt with the conspiracy, it's time for my thoughts on the film itself. Because you're all dying to know, right? WHAT DOES CATIE SAY? AM I GOING TO BE JUSTIFIED IN MY OPINION OF THIS FILM UNTIL CATIE GIVES HERS? (I always wonder why we bloggers think our opinions matter so much. anyway) AHEM.

Be warned. Philosophical nonsense ahead. Slippery ground, folks (You're not laughing. Get it? slippery? ice? eh).

I love the characters. I like the music. The animation is lovely. However, what impressed me most was the plot. It's not epic*, and it's not too sweet. I prefer my tea without sugar, thank you. 

I was concerned for the message of the movie when said dear friend performed 'Let It Go" during a nightlong sing/talk/giggle party. She did an excellent job, by the way.Whether or not I threatened to drop an Omnibus textbook on her toe during the chorus will remain unsaid. It was exam week, for goodness's sake!**  The song seemed to express a rather modern notion of retreating into oneself to find peace, happiness, whatever, and 'letting go' of societal (and often moral) restraints. "No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I'm free!"
 If that was all the movie had to say, it was worth an eye-roll, and that was it. 

BUT IT WASN'T. I was shocked. Flabbergasted. And rather pleased. 
In my Omnibus class, we have been discussing (actually it consists mostly of the illustrious Mr. Sumpter lecturing while I yawn and burn my tongue while guzzling Earl Grey--7 that's a.m. for ya) the concept of the 'true self' and the 'false self.'  The false self is our twisted nature, and our self-image--what we want others to see. In a word, hypocrisy. 
I have heard multiple thoughts on hypocrisy, from multiple sources. Pascal is my favorite.  Most people agree that hypocrisy is not recommendable, but often the only solution offered is 'to just be yourself.'
Hold on a minute. Not only did you just split an infinitive, but what if I don't like myself? What if my self is messed up? In this post  the author made a rather uncomfortable point--we're twisted. 
Thus, 'the real me' isn't likely to be someone very nice.
Frozen illustrated this wonderfully. Elsa tries to conceal her power her whole life, trying to be a 'good girl' all by herself. She shuts everyone out, because, as C.S. Lewis so eloquently said, 

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” 

I immediately thought of this quote when I saw Elsa's frozen room in "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?"

 She trying to keep her family, and herself, safe by keeping away from everyone. "Conceal; don't feel. Put on a show." Until Coronation Day finds her minus one glove. oops. Or perhaps, might we say, minus one cup of coffee, or night of sleep, or ____ (insert anything used to make one sociable). 

A nod to the similarity between Frozen and S& S

In "Let It Go," Elsa is rejecting her false self, her avatar.

"The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside

couldn't keep it in; Heaven knows I've tried....

I don't care what they're going to say!

Let the storm rage on; the cold never bothered me, anyway."

There is triumph in finally letting go of one's image, and it's a valuable experience...

"It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small

and the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all!"

In class, Mr. Sumpter presented to us the 3 Ps of Power, Possessions, and Prestige. People are slaves to them to preserve their self-image--Mr. Merdle in Little Dorrit, for example. Or Gollum. Or Fanny Dashwood. Or any politician you can think of. Unfortunately, rejecting one's facade isn't enough. 

"No right, no wrong, no rules for me--I'm free!"

is not a valid conclusion. Most movies, however, would have stopped there, frozen in an individualistic ice castle of independence.
Frozen didn't. "Let It Go" is only one stage of Elsa's progression. But before I spend too much time on stage 3, let's go to everyone's favourite royal redhead...

 ...because, in her own way, Anna is doing exactly what Elsa did. Because her sister won't love her, she seeks companionship in other places. Elsa retreats further into herself, and Anna looks further and further away for satisfaction--first to her dolls, no doubt, the the pictures on the walls (la! another rhyme!), and finally, Mr. Willoughby. I mean Hans. It's the difference between the introvert and the extrovert--they have opposite reactions to the same problem. 

"For the first time in forever I won't be alone. I can't wait to meet everyone!" 

  ...needless to say, Anna's method didn't work out either. 
Back to Elsa. She isolates (get it? Ice-o-lates? I think the song made that one already) herself in her castle, thinking she's 'alone and free.' She seeks freedom within herself. In Omni we've been discussing the difference between Christian, Trinitarian freedom and unitarian, 'loner god' freedom. In the latter case the freedom is individualistic--I'm free to do what I want. I am independent. Liberty, equality, fraternity. Long live the rights of man (and woman).

In Trinitarian freedom, I'm free to serve others; I'm free because I'm dependent. I'm a slave to love. The Christian God, in three Persons, is able to love Himself selflessly. I know. My brain just exploded, too. Mop it up and let's continue. But first I need some carrots (behind you there). They're good for my brain--what's left of it, anyway. Good for noses as well.

What amazed me so much in Frozen was, they seemed to get it. 

"I'm such a fool! I can't be free

no escape from the storm inside of me!

I can't control the curse!"  

Elsa finds her true self after she abandons her scheme of independence. Turns out that her selfish letting go was not any more real than her good girl facade.  Elsa learns to love, and then she's able to conquer 'the storm,' and use her power for good. 

"'I don't even know what true love is.'

'I do. That's when you put someone else's needs before your own.'" 

Anna learns that true love isn't necessarily romantic--it's a decision, and she finally stops fantasising about Prince Charming. The sisters learn to love each other, and Elsa is finally free, but in a completely different way. 

Being so similar in personality to a character as I am to Elsa is more uncomfortable than anything else I can think of, apart from theater seats. It's been embarrassing to me to see how often I behave just like her without even realising it. What if, say, Elsa had the power of writing, or rhetoric, or ___(insert talent), instead of ice? Words can hurt worse than any old icicle, and they can create personal flurries for people as well. 

Me: (while reading a criticism of my work) "Oh look! I've been impaled." 

Power is dangerous. Repressed power is dangerous and highly explosive. Self-centered power is even more dangerous. Power, used for true love*, is glorious.

That's what I saw in Frozen. Perhaps I'm being philosophically nonsensical, as usual, but I enjoy being that way. And I daresay it's better than frowning at everything, or just giggling at everything. Don't you think?     

*Odyssey-epic here
**and don't you think a Martin Luther version of that song should be composed? "Here I stand" and all that
* agape, unconditional love--found perfectly only in God

*Waits to see how long she can go without posting about Frozen*

*discovers that it's not very long*
I think my first words after viewing this lovely film were "At last! A Disney movie with some CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!"  It seems to me that every other Disney princess film I've seen (which may or may not be all of them--Tangled, I'll get to you someday) the princess was perfect to begin with, or if she wasn't, she stayed that way. While I do enjoy characters like that--Snow White, Cinderella, Jane Bennet, Fanny Price, Cosette, Lucie Manette, (aha! La, a rhyme!)...Barbie...I do love an Emma Woodhouse, who starts out likeable (Right, Laurel?) and changes for the better. Lest I keep rambling in long, dull paragraphs, I suppose it's time for a spoiler alert. I'm not sure I've done a spoiler alert before, so bear with me.

A LERT

CONCERNING CERTAIN SPOILERS

WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE AHEAD

AND WHICh MAY THREATEN THE NAIVETE 

OF THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN THE FILM

WHICH IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS LERT

First, the CONSPIRACY.

 This is my dear friend Gabbi. This is her blog: http://livingright4him.blogspot.com
(not that she posts oftener than I do--we are so similar. We're taking a stand for the rights of people everywhere...who...don't post often.)  She and her family like Disney. That is something we Dunlaps don't really understand. She knows that. She also has a very good sense of humor.
WHICH IS WHY SHE SOLD US TO DISNEY.
There. I said it. My best friend has been selling secret information about us to some fluffy kid's corporation that is trying to take over the world, and THEY MADE A MOVIE OUT OF IT.  WITHOUT MENTIONING US.
How shocking. Here's the proof.
Myself (the oldest) with my little-sister-who's-taller-than-me. Jess is an exemplary extrovert, while I am a tiny bit on the introverted side (INTJ, to be precise). When we were younger I was often reprimanded for locking myself in my room for long periods of time (books can be hard on relationships). Jess has a much higher range than I do. She is a soprano, and I am...not a soprano.

 

And the two new princesses. YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP.
They even got Jess's nose right. Humph.

Evidence part 2: We live in the swamp. the swampy swamp. the swampy hot swamp. we long for some place that is cooler. GABBI KNOWS THIS. It was ironic to put the princesses in a place so...eh, Frozen. Very clever, indeed. Bravo.  

Evidence part 3: The king and queen.

Okay, minor evidence.

But I had to include a picture of Dad in his top hat somewhere. No, I don't think a mustache would enhance the effect. Mustaches rarely do.

Evidence part 4: KRISTOFF is a BLOND GRAYSON. I'm not kidding.

and as that was the only picture of Grayson I could find, you'll just have to take my word for it.

FREAKY. That is, it would be, if not for our conspiracy. 

And they totally stole Hans from Austen. And the ice monster from Barbie Nutcracker. It is NOT NICE to THROW PEOPLE!

Gabbi, next time see if you can get Lu and Bren into the movie, dear. :) Lainey is tired of being Ariel. She says the water hurts her eyes.

ANYWAY, if you want some not-so-silly thoughts on the movie, tune in for my next post. Or align your URL to my next post. Pay attention to your feed for my next post. Whatever.

100 Years Fashion Cycle, part 1

A series of most amusing realisations led me to these posts. 'Twould seem that, once a century for the past three centuries, the same general shape keeps popping into clothing, often in the same decades. I am giving general dates in decades; the idea is to see how silhouettes have changed (or not), not to get precise historical information. For that, you need Pinterest. All photos were selected from Google; I have no idea who took them; thus I give credit by warning that I'm not going to give credit.

Without further ado,

The 1750s 

The 1850s

The 1950s

If I have time, I might investigate the poofy hair trend next time. Also, watch out for bustles!

Catie's Yummy Rice Stuff

...or, I I prefer to pronounce it, risotto. I first made this with America's test kitchen recipe (the variation with chicken, of course). I made it twice with that recipe, come to think of it, both times successfully, and then I abandoned the book (I am too much like my mother to follow a recipe for long).

*INSERT BEAUTIFUL VINTAGEY HEART-WARMING IMAGE OF RISOTTO HERE*  

I think it looks nice, don't you?

Anyway, enough with my aspiring (expiring?) photography skills. I made this at Christmas for the lot of us (a most delightful occasion), and had the pleasure of hearing it called all manner of names, which will not be repeated here (ricotta! chicken and rice soup, indeed!). Since I made more than usual, and apparently was in too great a hurry (Anthony Andrews was saving the Dauphin, people! How could I concentrate? That's what comes of having TSP playing during food prep) to measure my liquid or my cooking times adequately, the rice turned out a bit crunchy in the center. *I* didn't mind--I was happy in my knowledge that Percy and Margot were reunited--but it led to some conversation with a very wise person after lunch.

Wise one: That was good, but nothing beats a good old [American] chicken and rice soup.

Me (in a huff): Well. Italians have been eating risotto probably longer than America has been in existence.

Wise one: It should have stayed in Italy, then

Me: Italian immigrants brought it to America--

Wise one: You know why they came over here?

Me: Sure.

Wise one: I'll tell you. They were tired of eating risotto!

Ha. hahaha.  Joking aside, here's the 'recipe.' If you want something more useful, go to this link http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/ALMOST-HANDS-FREE-RISOTTO-WITH-PARMESAN-AND-HERBS-AMERICAS-TEST-KITCHEN-50122790

CATIE'S YUMMY RICE STUFF 

5 cups of chicken broth, diluted with water as needed (sometimes we use homemade broth, which is way stronger than store-bought)

2 cups of rice--they recommend Arborio; I find it a bit pricey, so we buy huge bags of sushi rice. Great stuff to have on hand.

1 onion, chopped. This is what gets the family interested.

1 garlic clove, squashed and maneuvered into acceptable texture. I have omitted this before, without disastrous results. If the onion didn't get everyone interested, this will.

1 cup white wine. Gasps and horror. I usually just use extra broth; my attempt with a bit of wine vinegar and broth went awry because Mom stores regular vinegar in the bottle, and I didn't both asking. That was interesting.

A nice bit of butter--to cook the onion in, and add towards the end.

A nice bit of chicken. I always skip the browning stage recommended in the book because those horrible frozen chicken tenders we buy don't brown well. at all. Often, if we have any leftover shredded organic chicken, I use that. You know how much you like.

Some rather nice herbs--chives, parsley--whatever. Basil is particularly lovely. I've used mint too; it was not quite so popular, but I liked it.

Lemon juice, if you like

Quite a bit of Parmesan. I cheat and use 'green cheese,' that is, the stuff in the canister. I have also cheated and used a bit of mozerella, monterey, cheddar, pepper jack, etc., on those occasions when I discovered that my shaking the container would not result in any more parm coming out of the container. I never measure cheese or herbs, as I'm sure you've noticed--eyeballing is a useful skill here, even if it sounds gruesome. The more dairy the better, folks. Generally speaking.

1. If you are using brownable chicken, get out your rather large pot/pan/bathtub and brown your chicken. This is where you will cook the whole darn thing, so be careful in thy selection.

2. While you are burning the chicken, get out a smaller saucepan and unceremoniously dump your brothy ingredients into said vessel. Season it with salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash, whatever. Bring it to a boil, fast.

3. Remove chicken and place into brothy substance. Cook until it is no longer objectionable. If you used stupid frozen tenderloins you probably already boiled your chicken in trying to brown it. Remove when it's done, but while you're waiting,

4. Haphazardly throw your onion into the browning--making that blackening--pot, and stir it. Or call stir-happy relative. Thanks, Lu.

5. Wildly 'measure' your rice out, if you haven't already (shame on you!) and remember that you forgot the garlic. Furiously mince garlic and add to pot with now-browned onion. This is where everyone says, "wow! that's smelling great! whatcha cooking?" and you growl.

6. after 30 seconds of garlic bliss, dump in rice and hand spoon over to stir-happy relative. Thanks, Lu. 

7. After peering suspiciously at the cooking rice grains, to see if they're translucent, add your 'wine' (*wink wink*). Once the rice is done absorbing that, pour in your most of your brothy stuff. You did take the chicken out already, didn't you?! Set a nice loud timer for 16 minutes, pop on the lid, and don't forget to turn the stove to low. Trust me. Go watch Percy being wonderful, perhaps sending in stir-happy relative twice during the cooking time. 

8.  Get up and tell family to clear and set table. If you don't do this now, with adequate urgency of tone, your food will be cold before you eat it. ugh.

9. Add about a cup of broth and stir. The recipe says to stir gently; I don't see how that's possible with this thick stuff.  Get a cement mixer on the job, and add your cheese. Cover and let it stand--or sit-- off the heat for 5 minutes or so. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO CHECK ON THE TABLE-SETTING PROCEEDINGS. 

10. Stir in your herbs, lemon juice, and butter. If it seems too thick, add some more broth. Announce that dinner is ready, and you don't intend to eat cold food. 

Bravo. You have made risotto (and I made a rhyme--aha!). 

Notes:

This stuff reheats very well indeed, with a bit of butter, in the microwave.

We've had it without the chicken, with some nice steaks. Yum.

I've been told that it can be frozen and used as a base for *cough* soups.