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Africander update...
So, did I do anything resembling chores today?
Ummmmm, no. Ended up being a brain-dead type after retail service yesterday. Went and hung around at the Library to pick up my reserves and inter-Library loans (YAY!) then headed for a local coffee house and read. Of course, I ate a bunch of crap that was baaaaad for me and am now paying for it.
*snort*
I'll never learn.
On a the good front, the mental game of convincing myself that I hate potato chips more than anything else in the world appears to be working. I'm not even tempted to eat even a handful, let alone one of the big grab bags.
So, yay. I think.
Anyway, my not-so-inner armchair traveler is coming out with a vengance with this Africander fic-a-thon..
As mentioned earlier, I'm in the middle of reading Sahara by Michael Palin, which is more of a filming diary (of sorts) for his BBC series of the same name. Turns out you can read sections of the book for free on his travels Web site.
Just as a side note, I've got big love for both Palin and Terry Jones for the documentary work the pair of them have done post-Python. They both still manage to educate and entertain me. One of my favorite extras on the special edition of Monty Python and the Holy Grail DVD is the pair of them tooling around to all the places where they filmed, explaining what the site really was and its historical importance or non-importance, how they made use of their limited budget by filming the same castles from different angles, and the ultimate fate of all those sites that were used in the film. Heh. They tended to work as a pair when part of Python and it was good to see them working as a pair again. It also seems that their sensibilities are very similiar, given their careers have continued to parallel post-Python.
*ahem* Anywho....
My stack of books and videotapes for research is reaching epic proportions. No. Try frightening proportions. However, it has helped. I found out from Palin that it took him 4 hours to travel from Bamako to Segou. I've also finally settled on where, exactly, Xander is hanging out in Mali, so that is of the good.
Also, the plot for the Algeria Africander story finally fell into place, thanks to additional research in the library today on the current level of danger in that country. Truthfully, Algeria's reputation appears to be more dangerous than it actually has been since about 2002-2003. While still not exactly the safest place to be on the planet, I think Zimbabwe and Sudan is probably a hell of a lot more dangerous right now. Either way, it works in my favor, story-wise.
And I should just say right now: Eva Swithin is the character that ate my brain. That is all. I am very sad she isn't in the Whisper-verse. She's a little selfish, a little petty, a little self-involved, and a lot of coward. And she's my point of view character. As in first-person point-of-view. Love. Her.
Sorry to blather. My little inner-reporter is having a field day feeding my outer armchair-traveler.
This is actually a good week for it, primarily because with all the stuff I have to do before Christmas I honestly don't have a huge amount of time or concentration to spare for fic-writing.
I will now return you to your regularly scheduled program.
My current reference list is frightening. I'm not entirely sure if I should be listing a bibliography at this point. I almost feel like I should.
Ummmmm, no. Ended up being a brain-dead type after retail service yesterday. Went and hung around at the Library to pick up my reserves and inter-Library loans (YAY!) then headed for a local coffee house and read. Of course, I ate a bunch of crap that was baaaaad for me and am now paying for it.
*snort*
I'll never learn.
On a the good front, the mental game of convincing myself that I hate potato chips more than anything else in the world appears to be working. I'm not even tempted to eat even a handful, let alone one of the big grab bags.
So, yay. I think.
Anyway, my not-so-inner armchair traveler is coming out with a vengance with this Africander fic-a-thon..
As mentioned earlier, I'm in the middle of reading Sahara by Michael Palin, which is more of a filming diary (of sorts) for his BBC series of the same name. Turns out you can read sections of the book for free on his travels Web site.
Just as a side note, I've got big love for both Palin and Terry Jones for the documentary work the pair of them have done post-Python. They both still manage to educate and entertain me. One of my favorite extras on the special edition of Monty Python and the Holy Grail DVD is the pair of them tooling around to all the places where they filmed, explaining what the site really was and its historical importance or non-importance, how they made use of their limited budget by filming the same castles from different angles, and the ultimate fate of all those sites that were used in the film. Heh. They tended to work as a pair when part of Python and it was good to see them working as a pair again. It also seems that their sensibilities are very similiar, given their careers have continued to parallel post-Python.
*ahem* Anywho....
My stack of books and videotapes for research is reaching epic proportions. No. Try frightening proportions. However, it has helped. I found out from Palin that it took him 4 hours to travel from Bamako to Segou. I've also finally settled on where, exactly, Xander is hanging out in Mali, so that is of the good.
Also, the plot for the Algeria Africander story finally fell into place, thanks to additional research in the library today on the current level of danger in that country. Truthfully, Algeria's reputation appears to be more dangerous than it actually has been since about 2002-2003. While still not exactly the safest place to be on the planet, I think Zimbabwe and Sudan is probably a hell of a lot more dangerous right now. Either way, it works in my favor, story-wise.
And I should just say right now: Eva Swithin is the character that ate my brain. That is all. I am very sad she isn't in the Whisper-verse. She's a little selfish, a little petty, a little self-involved, and a lot of coward. And she's my point of view character. As in first-person point-of-view. Love. Her.
Sorry to blather. My little inner-reporter is having a field day feeding my outer armchair-traveler.
This is actually a good week for it, primarily because with all the stuff I have to do before Christmas I honestly don't have a huge amount of time or concentration to spare for fic-writing.
I will now return you to your regularly scheduled program.
My current reference list is frightening. I'm not entirely sure if I should be listing a bibliography at this point. I almost feel like I should.
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And, you are such a fic-tease - I can't wait to read your Africander story, and meet Eva Swithin.
Have a good week!
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You too on the good week!
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I
wasam supposed to be wrapping and packing prezzies, though.no subject
I have serious, serious love for that book. I especially love the in-depth look at the role the French Foreign Legion plays, as well as the "private security companies" who do the mercenary bit.
I have every single edition ever published (I started reading them when I had delusions of making it to the New York Times as a foreign correspondent) and I'm very sad that there doesn't appear to be plans for a new one any time soon. I'm so completely hooked.
RYP attempted to move on to other projects shortly after the 5th edition came out and none of them really worked out. He's written a couple of other books since then, but he's honestly not much of a writer when left to his own devices.
At least my prezzies can be wrapped and delivered by car, so I'll probably be doing that while watching the videotapes I snagged from the library on West Africa.
I'm drowning in information on Mali. Not so much Algeria culture (the political situation, tons of that, but the culture? almost nothing), which has left me in an interesting position.
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Also, I saw a kickass stage play in New York, "Julius Caesar in Mali," which was the Shakespeare play with a couple of tweaks to place names and all, featuring Cinque Lee and Antonio Fargas.
Coincidence? I think not!
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I may have to get myself a copy of the book as well now, sounds like a good read!