Anger Management

Sometimes life isn’t fair.

You know what I’m saying?

Well as the Grandpa from The Princess Bride so rightly stated:

Captain Wentworth’s Diary

Captain Wentworth’s Diary (Jane Austen’s Heroes #3 by Amanda Grange

So Amanda Grange is loved by many Austen fans.

They say she just “gets the characters” and is able to give all a voice, mimicking Jane Austen’s style.

Well what do I think of her writing?

I don’t like it!

I think her writing is horribly bo-ring. She just recycles the plot, never giving us anything new or interesting insights into the character’s mind and seeing what they are feeling. Instead she keeps them one-dimensional and emotionless.

I couldn’t stand it.

And it is such a shame as Persuasion has a lot going on in it. I would love glimpses int0 Captain Wentworth’s head as he is confronted with an old love, wants to one-up her with another, but then after realizing how much he still cares tries to woo her.

But we get nothing from Grange.

Blah, blah

There are four more books left in the series and I am not looking forward to any of them.

For more by Amanda Grange, go to Mr. Knightley’s Diary

For more on Persuasion, go to Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose: Superbowl 50

For more Persuasion variations, go to A Letter of Love: Persuasion (2007)

 For more books based on Jane Austen, go to The Austen Series: Amanda

When You Shockingly Relate to Mr. Woodhouse

So I never thought I was like Mr. Woodhouse.

I mean he is a hypochondriac who never eats anything rich as it is bad for the digustion. So not me.

He won’t go out and pick strawberries, he is always nagging and worrying, freaks out over the littlest storm, just not me.

But then I reread the book…

And something jumped out at me:

“Mr. Woodhouse was fond of society in his own way. He liked very much to have his friends come to see him…his horror of late hours, and large dinner-parties, made him unfit for any acquaintance but such as would visit him on his own terms.”

Mr. Woodhouse is an introvert, just like me. And some of the stuff he does, I do too.

First of all I don’t really care for big parties.

I always feel awkward and unsure of what to do. Either I end up at the food table:

Or unsure

Or with children…

They just seem easier to relate to I guess.

I’m still a kid on the inside.

I mean if I don’t have a close friend there or if they have left or are too busy talking to someone else I feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Usually I stay as long as I feel is polite and then get out of there.

Getting out of here

If it is a small group or people I know well, I feel much more secure.

Like Mr. Woodhouse I like my group of friends that I know well, not a large group. Plans must be made ahead of time as well. I hate when someone just pops over. Usually I am a mess or I am in the middle of something and find it hard to leave.

Yes, the life of an introvert:

It’s not that I don’t like people, it is just that sometimes I need my time and space.

And other days I want to hang, but I just need time to prepare myself for a party.

For more on Mr. Woodhouse, go to Waiter, There’s Some Disney in My Jane Austen

For more on Emma, go to The Austen Series: Amanda

I Will Not Bend, I Will Not Break

It is that time of the year again!

What time of the year you say? When the stores have sales as they are getting rid of one season’s things to make way for the next!

So I needed to buy some new shoes to replace my old flats and wedges that were falling apart. I went to Payless as they were having a BOGO sale, buy one and get one half off.

So I went in the store and proceeded to try on every shoe searching for one that fit. This is always the hardest part of shopping, taking things on and off trying to find the perfect and comfortable fit.

I finally found two pairs of shoes that fit great after searching the whole store.

One was a pair of blue flats orginally 29.99 on sale for $5! You know I can’t resist such a deal!

And some patent leather flats that were orginally 29.99 on sale for 16.99. Ah, patent leather! I just love it so.

I couldn’t wait to put them on and try to break them in.

I love my shoes!

There is only one downside to patent leather…

It does not bend or give to your foot. Which means that it stays firm and can cause some serious blisters.

It was so painful…

Yep it was like The Little Mermaid all over again.

For those who may not have read the Hans Christian Anderson, the real fairy tale, only having seen the Disney version you might not be aware of what I am talking about.

In the actual fairy tale, the little mermaid traded her speech for legs but was also cursed that with every step she took it would feel as if knives were being shoved into her feet. Each step produced incredible pain. Pain she bore because of her love for the prince.

It is a great story, I strongly recommend reading the real version.

Anyways, so I know I have had earlier foot/leg pain from exercising or squatting and compared it to this story, but this was the most like it.

It is the truth.

The way the shoe was designed it was hurting the back of my heel and side of my foot.Oh it was agony. And of course I was at work so I had to pretend to be happy while I was hurting.

But man were they pretty.

But I can’t wait until they are completely broken in and stop blistering my feet; being a perfect fit.

On a side note, have you noticed how often I compare myself to the fairy tale The Little Mermaid? I guess that moviepilot quiz was more accurate than I thought.

Go here to see which you belong in/are

For more on my “Little Mermaid” experiences, go to Walking on Pins and Needles

For more on The Little Mermaid, go to Waiter, There’s Some Disney in My Jane Austen

For more stories from my everyday life, go to When You Least Expect It

For more on Coco Chanel, go to These Shoes Were Made for Walking

Summertime

Well Happy First Day of Summer! I’m sure for many of you out there you are very happy about “seeing the sun again”.

However, we’ve had the sun and over 100 degree weather already.

So even though we’ve already been “celebrating”:

I thought what better way to mark today than with a song?

Summertime by My Chemical Romance

So this song doesn’t really have anything to do with the Summer, but I just couldn’t help posting it today as the symmetry was so nice.

So this song comes off the Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys album. Like every album that MCR makes this one follows a story rather than being a collection of songs. In this one, the year is 2019, a post-apocalyptic California based on/referencing a lot of films (like Blade Runner, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Mad Max, The Karate Kid, Dredd/Judge Dredd, Star Wars etc.)

Each band member has an alter-ego Gerard Way being Party Poison”, Ray Toro is Jet Star, Frank Iero is Fun Ghoul, and Mikey Way is Kobra Kid. All of which look really hot in their rebel wear/masks. There is just something to be said for vigilantes who wear masks. 🙂

Anyways, this song is a love song.

Or at least this is how I interpret the song. To me the song is about these people growing up and living in this horrible world; doing their best to get by but scared that the next day they will give in and give up the fight; or even worse turn into the people they are fighting: “terrified of what I’d be
as a kid from what I’ve seen”.

But then they meet their match, and even though the world may be crumbling, love makes everything better. With them they can be happy, even in a world that is bleaker than bleak: “turn my headphones up real loud I don’t think I need them now ’cause you stopped the noise.”

I really enjoyed the sweetness of the melody and the lyrics. To me it is how even when we are at our darkest moments, we can be lifted out by just one thing. One more fantastic number by MCR.

When the lights go out
Will you take me with you
And carry all this broken bone
Through six years down in crowded rooms
And highways I call home?
Something I can’t know ’til now.
‘Til you pick me off the ground
With a brick in hand, your lip-gloss smile,
Your scraped-up knees.

And if you stay I would even wait all night
Or until my heart explodes.
How long?
‘Til we find our way in the dark and out of harm
You can run away with me anytime you want

Terrified of what I’d be
As a kid from what I’ve seen
Every single day when people try
And put the pieces back together
Just to smash them down
Turn my headphones up real loud
I don’t think I need them now
‘Cause you stopped the noise.

And if you stay I would even wait all night
Or until my heart explodes.
How long?
‘Til we find our way in the dark and out of harm
You can run away with me anytime you want

Well, anytime you want
Well, anytime you want

Don’t walk away [3x]

‘Cause if you stay I would even wait all night
Or until my heart explodes.
How long?
Until we find our way in the dark and out of harm.
You can run away with me
You can write it on your arm
You can run away with me anytime you want

For more from the Danger Days album, go to Na-Na-Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)

For more My Chemical Romance, go to I’m So FANcy!

For more of my favorite songs, go to Crocodile Rock

For more on Tiffanie Debartolo, go to Fanning All Over the Place

For more holiday posts, go to Dinner at Dad’s