Thursday, March 18, 2010
A Report from the Steam Front
What’s not to love about the quirky little genre of steampunk? It has goggles! Colored goggles, goggles with multiple lenses, goggles that telescope, goggles that glow, goggles that light up… And corsets! Leather, cloth, short, long-lined, buckles, laces, over the boobs, under the boobs… Corset coats, corset jackets with puffy sleeves, with cogs and wheels and springs and… Wings! Yup, wings that pin on the jackets or wings that ride on your back or wings that frame a watch that you wear on your wrist or on a collar or on a necklace or… And dirigibles!
And steam! Steam and derby hats and perch hats and feathers and laces and KRAKENS! There were so many krakans! Pins, necklaces, in art. Sigh. I died and went to kraken heaven. (I bought a pen, though I may take some paint ta the beast and turn him into the Albino Kraken of my newest manuscript.)
Why are there kraken? Well, here lies part of the roots of steampunk as a genre. According to some, steampunk began with Jules Verne and Captain Nemo’s Nautilus (Undersea adventures, ahoy! And giant squid, of course. A close relative of the Kraken). Or was it H. G. Wells and his time machine? Maybe Arthur Conan Doyle and the age of deductive reasoning. Or Poe and the gold bug. (I find myself wondering if my fav, Edgar Rice Burroughs write anything the steampunks would consider worthy… Pellucidar? Hmmmm!)
Was it the patent of James Watt (hope I got that name right) in 1794, which locked up the innovation of the steam engine, thus ensuring the development of electricity as the primary tool of industrialization in the long term? Is this the inspiration which became a catalyst for steampunk? The loss of possibilities for steam to innovate?
Lost you?
(One of steampunks over-riding themes is that the steam engine is the driving technology of everything.)
I attended the Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition last weekend, held in Emeryville, CA. Which is right next to Oakland, across the bay from San Francisco. Got ya geographically centered now? OK!
I knew of steampunk as a small side genre of science fiction for a long time. Or that is certainly how I viewed it. I had no idea it was undergoing an evolution of its own all these years. It has grown to encompass so many sidelines, it’s really impossible to peg.
This, of course, means I am in love. Me and steampunk, we be sisters. We be sweet sisters. Because steampunk has no absolute identity. It’s an aesthetic. It enjoys the trappings of the Victorian era. With steam pirates, with explorers, with inventors and innovators and makers and writers and artists and anarchists.
Yes! Anarchists! I do so love me some anarchy! Everything is better with the spice of anarchy in the mix. I gets me panties in a twist at the idea of a bit a’ anarchy.
Steampunk, historically, is set in the Victorian era. With Victorian sensibilities, fashion, manners, protocol and…the political and social woes of the era. Colonialism, class struggles, the industrial revolution and the displacement of the agrarian interests. A very anarchistic era!
Modern steampunk…ah, doesn’t that sound strange? … knows no real boundary. I sat in on two panels, one full of literary types who discussed the overriding themes of the genre and a panel discussion the literature of the movement. There is futuristic steampunk, steampunk set strictly in Victorian England, western Americana steampunk – remember Wild, Wild West? And it seems to be growing and mutating constantly. (Reminds me a bit of romance in that!)
There is a recent influx of paranormal in the genre. A natural inclusion considering when Bram Stroker wrote “Dracula” and Mary Shelly wrote “Frankenstien” … add in Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Robert Louis Stevenson and paranormal is a legitimate member of the family.
The Traders Concourse was a dream. Oh! If I’d had the cash. The costumes wandering the hallways were inspirational! The conversations! Where else could you hear two men discussing iocane powder (The Princess Bride), Warehouse 13 (The SciFi Channel) and a venture to provide dirigibles for commuting from Sacramento to San Francisco? (reality)
And steampunk is making forays into romance. Yes, pirates! Sitting on the second panel was Gail Carriger, the intrepid author of Soulless, a steampunk paranormal romance that has taken the fantasy world by storm. And yes, it is a romance. Ms. Carriger had the gumption to speak brave words to this room of fantasy/scifi/steampunk aficionados… For steampunk to survive and reach a broader audience, it may need to ally itself with…romance!The room moaned, groaned… I stood up and shouted at them all, “Oh, grow up!”
(OK, I didn’t, but I wished I had.)
I briefly spoke to Ms. Carriger after the panel, telling her about the two panels scheduled at RT on steampunk. She knew of them and had offered to attend RT and take part. The fools of RT turned her down. (Fools, yes, I feel strongly about this. Why they turned her down, who turned her down… I would like to poke a finger in their eye.) She smiled at me and held her first book close. “This is romance and I’m not ashamed of it.”
What a charming woman! I invited her to come by the blog today, and perhaps in time I can convince her to guest. As far as I can see, she in a visionary. And she fills me with hope for my strange genre adventures. The entire convention filled me with hope for my odd little children. I don’t know if I am a budding steampunk author. I have my doubts because, as we all know, I am a lazy pirate and doing research into the particulars of history and science necessary to see me accepted into the genre…not likely going to happen.
But! I can be me pirate self, sail about the fringes and fire the occasional cannon into the steampunk world. Maybe plan a raid now and again, plant some seeds of piratitude with my stories that may turn some goggles my way, entice some adventurous souls into trying out some fringe steampunkery.
Steam pirate? Pirate punk? Here I come!
So, have you heard of steampunk at all? Read it? Were you a fan of Wild Wild West? The new movie Sherlock Holmes? What do you think of goggles as a fashion accessories? Corsets? Bustles? Parasols? Perch hats? Have you ever discovered a new genre that sings like a siren to your writing soul?
And the men, btw, looked delicious. All dressed in Victoriana, top hats, vests, pocketwatches, spats… Sigh. Go by Gail’s site and you’ll see pictures from the convention. I, being a flustered twitter-pated bartender, managed to erase all my pictures from my new camera. Sigh.
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76 comments:
I liked Wild Wild West and I wanted to see Sherlock Holmes but I didn't get a chance to see it in the theatres. (I rarely get to the movies and New Moon was out at the same time.)
But I loved League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
I don't think I'd write it though. I like reading Victorian stuff (think I'd even like steampunk) but I don't know much about the history and it isn't one of my favorites. And the whole steam aspect of it doesn't really interest me as an author. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't like reading it.
Here's a blog by some steampunk aspirings though...
http://ageofsteam.wordpress.com/
I'd never heard of Steampunk until you started talking about it. But I grew up on WILD WILD WEST and loved it. Also loved the most recent SHERLOCK HOLMES movie.
The clothes are so gorgeous. I was in heaven looking through those sites you sent me. They never have cool stuff like that convention over this way.
Not sure I'd write this sort of thing, but then I'm with you on the "non-researcher" couch. But I think it would make for great reading. And would be a great crossover with Romance. We've taken in nearly every other kind of story, why not this too!
Looks like we can't let Chance be the official photographer! LOL A top hat, a pocketwatch, spats -- that's all it takes for her to get all twitterpated! (LOVE that word)
I remember watching the original Wild Wild West (when I was a young'un) -- wasn't it in black and white too? I remember liking the campiness of it, even though I didn't really KNOW what that was. But I felt like it was letting me in on some kind of joke.
I think that's what I like about steampunk, what I've seen of it so far -- it seems to be about having fun, not taking things too seriously.
Like everyone else I've never heard of Steampunk before it was mentioned here. Looks like you're opening a lot windows today, Chance.
I loved Wild, Wild West when I was a kid. Had a bit of a crush on James T. West. I too loved the campiness of it, Donna, even though like you I couldn't have put a finger on what it was at the time. I was also in love with their private train. I wanted one just like it.
I'm still not all that clear on what Steampunk is exactly - is it a time period per se, or stories revolving around the dawn of the steam locomotive? What do all the Steampunk books have in common?
Chance, you're joy is just bursting off the screen. I love it!
I haven't read any steampunk yet, but I desperately want to. I love the whole concept of steampunk. Corsets especially, and the costumes. No idea why, but there's something about corsets that makes me wish I could dress like an 1880's bar girl to go work every day.
The private train! Yes! To hold all my 1880's bar girl clothes. :)
(And probably a servant to put away all those clothes -- I'm not so good at putting clothes away.)
I agree with Hal, your enthusiasm is like Tigger on speed. LOL! So adorable!
I just checked out Ms. Carriger's site and think I'd like to try that first book. And I don't even read paranormals. But it sounds so fun and witty and the fashion alone would be worth it. The pics on her site are great.
You need to post that link to how her cover was made. I don't think I still have it.
Chance thank you so much for sharing your adventures at the the Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition . I have a much better understanding of what steampumk is. And where it originated from. Had you asked me “Have you ever read steampunk?” before I read your blog … my answer would have been a resounding “No!” But now that I’ve been properly educated as to the whowhywherewhatandhows of the genre I realize that I have been an aficionado
of this type of writing for years. Who knew? Who knew that my youthful fascination with writer’s like Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, and Arthur Conan Doyle actually had a name. Steampunk.
BTW Chance, you should check out the steam powered behemoth in Jules Verne’s “Tigers and Traitors” .
And I remember watching the original Wild Wild West too. Loved it!
here's a link for an awesome video about how the cover of the sequel was made:
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2010/03/cover-design-in-2-minutes.html
The Parasol Protectorate Series books are comedies of manners set in Victorian London: full of vampires, dirigibles, and tea. Throw in a werewolf sent by Queen Victoria to investigate the mysterious happenings and you have ... Really? How can you Not want to read that?
Very cool video. Thanks for the link, Hal.
That's the link I meant. So cool.
Thanks for the link, Hal. On the list of things I meant to add to the blog and just fell of the old memory train!
Marn - I think part a' the fascination is that steam don't have to play a big part in it. It's just in the background, the driving force behind progress instead of Edison and electricity, etc.
There be all sorts a' interesting people at the convention with steam contraptions that I just sorta glazed over at. But the idea is the key.
The word that kept rising at the panels was aesthetic...it's a feeling, a visual representation, a bit of anarchy and polite protocol all rolled into one. And full of adventure! Think of what was going on at the time of Victoria...exploring other continents, deep into the jungles of Africa, etc.
Like when we first went to the moon...endless possibilities and a great curiousity about what we'd find...
I loved Wild, Wild West. Hilarious. I also loved the Sherlock Holmes--much less stuffy than the other versions I've seen. (I mean, I like my men intellectual, but I like them a bit physical too. *grins*)
I actually bought this book in my favorite bookstore the other day. *LOL* Just because she seemed like a fussy Victorian who is dealing with paranormal issues. She seemed quite Victorian in the first few pages. She was "in character." I don't mind the paranormal or weird bits, so long as everyone is behaving according to the society code of the period. (Which is where I think a lot of research seems to fail.) But I haven't read the book yet, so we'll see.
I'm glad she was promoting romance though. That was very brave of her. She sounds like she was a wonderful lady.
I might not be around as much as I like today. I have like three different meetings today; and folders out the wazoo, but I'll try to be back when I can.
Donna - Loved their office on wheels. And the way they could get anywhere they needed to go by that train. I adored Artemis Gordon more than James West. But give me a man with brains over a pretty face anyday...
And yup, it were black and white to begin with, but made the transition into color.
Steampunk is definately fun! And Soulless is a delightful romp into the paranormal steampunk branch of things. A great alpha male and a perfect mate for him... I highly recommend this book!
Not just because I'm hoping Gail will stop by...
Bo'sun...Yes, the romance Kraken's reach be a long one, we can tuck some steampunk into the mix with ease!
Wish my camera hadn't been manned by me...or fiddled with by me. Sigh. I would have loved to walk that room with ya, Bo'sun! It were a feast fer the eyes, and I could keep my hands offa stop.
*stroke
*stroke
Leather feels so cool...
Irish, you ask the hard questions! What do all steampunk books have in common? Well, listening to the panels, I'd say the aesthetic. That difficult to quantify essence that revolves around the clothing, the manners, the era... I'd say the ocean of possibilities... One of those what if genres.
How would the world be different if the innovations that prime the modern world come from a background of steam? Cogs, wheels, a working engine you could see and touch instead of the invisible electricity?
There is some real science fiction background to steampunk. But it also touches on the reality of the times. Colonialism, classism, etc.
I'm still exploring it myself...and in the meantime, loving the trappings!
I mean...KRAKENS! So coooooool!
I think of steampunk as the young folks getting excited about it. Embracing the technology and what if.
You should watch Cranford--and more importantly Return to Cranford. It's Victorian period, written by a Victorian, so it's got the society do's and don't's that are HILARIOUS; and the stuff that was important to them, which cracks you up. It's got people dying a lot of common stuff, which is never in current fiction.
But the part that fits here is in Return to Cranford. Some people want to put a train to Cranford; but some of the Cranfords don't want it. But the young folks are leaving to go where there are more jobs, cities with trains, et al. So the heroine (an older spinster) says, "We should investigate this before denying it." So she and her cronies agree to ride on a train--and it goes like 30 miles an hour and they are freaking out at how fast it is going. In the next car over, two young people, falling in love, are bouncing around, not a bit frightened.
It was just very...true, I think, to the characters and the times. You should see it the movies. I think it would be good research.
Hal, Donna - Yeah...the corsets. Some really fascinating corsets, too. Not just the run of the mill corsets. How about an under the bust corset worn with your favorite blouse then topped by a jacket that opens to frame the corset?
If I'd had more money...
Add a skirt with bustle, a carpet bag with slot to hold parasol/umbrella and the right shoes. And a perch hat!
Check out Gail's site for some pics taken at the con!
Julie - After this I need to pick up some vintage Verne. Get me reading up to speed on this genre... Wonder if I can get it for my reader...?
Thanks for reminding me---I'm looking forward to reading these Carriger books. I saw a neat video on how her latest cover was created somewhere.
Thanks, Hellie! Another recommendation! And the next time I see that series popping up in my PBS station I'll give it a whirl.
I think you'll enjoy Soulless. Alexia is a one-of-a-kind heroine who does, for the most part, act proper for her era.
Hope to see more of you today, but understand the call of the paperwork monster.
Yer office in need of a Kraken?
What stands out for me in the Steampunk stuff is the spirit of invention. There's a facsination with everything from clockworks to new chemicals and medicines. And lots of engineering type discoveries. It's like they've tapped into the buzz of excitement running through that era, that anything could be achieved with the right gears or chemical combination.
And I loved that scene in Return to Cranford. And even though the older ladies were freaked out, you could tell they wanted to take another ride.
Maggie - I read Soulless from a recommendation from a friend who loved it. And so glad I did! I'm looking forward to reading them all!
Bo'sun - I have to agree. There is a sort of excitement and innovation that is inherent to the genre. Reminds me a bit of the early days of the space program when science fiction was full of glory and triumph.
So, wicked grin...
Were the old ladies of Cranford enjoying the up and down of the train??? :)
They all had different reactions. Some looked queasy, some looked appalled. Others looked scared to death. But when it was over, they all seemed to enjoy it. I'd imagine it's like being a child nowadays and enjoying your first plane ride.
The one that threw up or wanted to during the train cracked me up! Yeah, probably like a plane ride. Or for them, a rollercoaster ride. I imagine riding a train then would be a lot like riding a rollercoaster now. Without the upside down parts.
And it wasn't that kind of movie--enjoying the up and down of the train. (I think the young woman did. *LOL* And maybe Judi Dench's character, a little.) But on the whole, they're pretty starchy. Which is what makes it funny. Appalled is a good word for their expressions.
I would enjoy a Kraken here, and he would enjoy being here, since I keep threatening to toss students and inflict bodily harm. It'd be a fat Kraken at the end of the day.
Ah, Hellie is channeling her inner kraken... Now, don't eat the students, just scare the beejeebies out of them!
No merry train ride for the ladies, eh!? Too bad! Bet they could get used to it. Then they'd dislike the train for whole new reasons!
I think Bo'sun nailed it with the invention buzz. Everyone was inventing something! *LOL* (I guess we do now, but I think they did the BIG stuff. Like electricity and lighting; toilets and steam engines; industrial technology; automobiles (they had cars around the end of the 1800s, few, but available); and telephones, communications...
Yeah, yeah, we have the internet and discovering penicillin in the 20th century, and all that technology in medicine now...and flying to the moon, but I don't know...that stuff doesn't seem nearly as cool. I think because our generation is so used to up and coming NEW stuff. And I think of the Victorian era as coming to terms with a lot of the progress that was made. Very much two halves of a ball, Old World vs New World. The rich ton vs the rich trade middle-class. Integrating! Social conflicts!
But probably because it seems--from this distance--a lot more romantic. You can see the same sort of discord and struggle for progress in 3rd world countries now--but it looks tragic and you wonder how it will play out. But since we have the benefit of knowing how everything turned out, it seems more grand and romantic, rather than scary and uncertain.
THOUGH, I think Judi Dench's character had a little romance with Michael Gambon (looking quite dapper in the first Cranford) when she was young, so there might have been some garden or closet action.
It wasn't that long of a train ride, to be quite honest. I mean, it wasn't like the length of a spin cycle on your washing machine. They went a mile? So two minutes, three? And it takes a little time to relax if you're scared to death--so by the time you were enjoying yourself a little, the ride would be over.
The difference in innovation that was brought up at the convention was the visible vs. the invisible. One of the things that makes steampunk 'romantic' is that it's visible. You can see the inner workings of things. Modern innovation is invisible, so it's harder to really grasph how 'cool' it is. Our computers work by magic. Medicine the same way.
Now, I have my ICED, a physical thing I can feel in my chest. I can touch it through the skin and though that might give some the heebie jeebies, to me it's part of what makes it so fascinating.
With Steampunk, the aesthetics of it call for stuff to be visible. Pocket watches where you can see the workings... So, in the genre, when writing, one must take care to include the 'coolness' factor of what is visible, tangible, etc.
And the panels also discussed the not-so-pretty aspects of the Victorian age. The era of rampant colonialism, manifest destiny...the great white man bringing the modern world to the savage.
Add in the angst as the industrial revolution destroyed so much trade and the agrarian system...there is room for a lot of not-so-pretty words to be written and worlds to create.
I'm thinking the follow up of the Kraken's Mirror will deal with an escapee from a futuristic steampunk world where commercial interests trumps individual... It's gelling in me head.
I like this visible aspect. It's respect for the engineering. But I also like that they didn't limit anything. A matter of decades before this era, most of these inventions were thought to be impossible.
You can't fly!
You can't talk through a wire!
You can't create a vehicle that will propel itself!
Nothing was off limits and nothing was impossible. That's a romantic notion right there.
Must pop out for a while. Be back soonest! If Gail stops by, offer her some of the best rum, not the crap I serve to Jack.
BTW, one of the panelist charmed when he said Whitman would have loved steampunk! Hee, hee!
I'm back! You miss me! Hello???
And yes, Jack gets the lower quality rum. I mean, the man drinks it like water, not like he's tasting it or anything...
Sorry, I wondered off. There was one thing I HAD to get done at work today. Finished by noon and between the weather and this being a Friday, that means my brain has taken the rest of the day off.
Since I'm no expert, why would Whitman have loved Steampunk?
Walt Whitman loved steam trains and the concept of manifest destiny...the promise of innovation and the romance of trains. He'd go on quite a run about the glory of steam trains...
If I had my copy of Leaves of Grass, I bet I could find hundreds of words just on the subject of steam, electricity and the pushing forward of technology...all in very romantic terms. He never seemed to see the drudgery of technology...
Though the true terror or the innovations used during the Civil War to inflict damage on troops horrified him.
I'm popping off again for a while. Heading north to Sacramento...where it will be warmer...
Hello hello. Loved this post. Partly because you said such nice things about me (thank you!) but also because it is lovely to read about someone discovering steampunk. Thanks for writing such thoughts out for us all to read.
Chanceroo, what great enthusiasm you have! I'd not heard about steampunk until you enlightened the crew the other day. I'm not really a fan of Sherlock Holmes or The Wild Wild West. Maverick reminds of me those sorts of movies too.
I enjoy corsets. I think I have to agree that I wish I could get away with wearing saloon fashion.
I seriously hope she doesn't find her Leaves of Grass while she's out. Ick.
I am so glad that Gail was able to stop by! Someone offer her the good rum!!
*choking sound* How can you not like Maverick? That was ICONIC! That was one of Mel Gibson's greatest movies! And Jodie Foster was hilarious!
And I third the motion to roam around in saloon fashion!!
Hello, Ms. Carriger! Welcome to The Revenge. Please, pull up a steamer (ha!) and sit and spell. Can I offer you a Zeppelin Mai Tai?
Loved the blog today. Hope for Steampunk to merge with romance, and be successful. Love the perch hats. Not crazy about coorsets, but I like to breath. lol. Great blog.
Thanks for picking up the slack while I be on the road, crew!
Gail, so happy you dropped by. I hope you return and do some wandering about the ship. As I reassured you, knowledge of piratutude is not a requirement to roam these decks.
And it's been wonderful to see the crew so enthusiastic. Normally they find my enthusiasms definately not their cup of tea.
Bo'sun! Zeppelin Mai Tais for all!
Hel - Maverick...the series. Come on! Much better than the movie! Loved the hats...something about gambler hats just spins me head.
Julie...I doubt Walt thought much about household chores. He did, however, spend a huge amount of time tending to the wounded soldiers of the Civil War...so he was aware of the dangers of technology.
Sinsister - I think you would really like this genre. You really should try Gail's book.
Fishnets...hee, hee on a pirate ship!? We don't fish! ;-)
Though the hotties might enjoy watching us stride about in corsets, fishnets and perchhats. Not sure that is really what the genre is all about, but anything to entice the hotties is good enough for me!
Bonnie - If yer having trouble breathing, loosen the ties. Better yet, find a hottie to loosen the ties for you!
I wish I could show the corsets I saw for sale...loved the under the boobs one paired with the cutaway coat... Drool.
I didn't watch the Maverick series, but being James Garner was the actor, I'm sure they were superior. But I loved the movie Maverick. It was adorable and funny. William Goldman wrote the screenplay. What was there to hate?
What a perch hat? I can't find anything victorian perch hat.
Sigh, and I am once again putting the pedal to the metal and heading north again. I only got as far as San Jose when a lunch break with the DH tempted me to stop. Now...off again! Like a herd of turtles!
Okay, googled again and found something. Hmmm.
I think I prefer the boys' stove pipe hats, myself.
Hel - Some of the perch hats are hysterical. One had a full blown pirate ship, full sail and all... I thought of you!
I bought one...hee, hee. Must send you pic of same to get the real impression right...
But imagine how you could dress one up...for any occassion! Shamrocks for St. Paddy's Day. Easter eggs for Easter, flags for Fourth of July...
I know, I'm getting silly. Really don't want to get back on the road again. Sigh.
Okay … It might be fun to roam around in saloon fashions … but I’m not sure about wearing a corset. If its anything like an anaconda shelf bra then forgetaboutit!
I might give Gail's book a try, but I'm not watching Maverick ever again.
Jules shouldn't be allowed in a corset. Didn't we discuss this the other day?
I like little pillbox hats, with plumes and birdcage netting. Flowers and jewels.
And fedoras. I wore a fedora the other night and GPS said I look like the death version of Carmen Sandiego.
Jules shouldn’t be allowed in a corset. Didn’t we discuss this the other day?
NOW I want one!
I think. Although I keep thinking of that line in the movie "A Christmas Story" ...
Is sipping Mai-Tai and watching chatter with interest.
Gail, you're lucky you caught us on a CALM day. :)
Gail, should the Mai Tai run dry, I'll be happy to mix you one of our specialties. The Glittery Hooha...extra hoo. With a pink parasol!
That's right, Julie in a corset could be lined up to deliver a death blow if the corest blows... I recall that discussion!
Yes, a calm day...save for traffic. Who knew from Santa Cruz to Sacramento could take the entire flipping day! Where the f*ck is everyone going?
Taking break in Walnut Creek after harrowing drive thus far...
Sin in a pillbox... I don't know, that sounds like it ought to be on pare with Julie in a corset.
In fact, since I...sigh...have to hit the road again, I'll just make it and leave it here on the bar for you.
Sin...hands off! This if for Gail!
OK, I'll make a blender full...everyone dig in, it's Friday!
Check in later after more perilous miles on the highway!
Speaking of parasols … Gail I was wandering around your site. Quite Lovely. It was fascinating to see all of the pictures of the woman with parasols. They were beautiful, each one a unique work of art. It seems to me that we modern dress (ie boring) women are missing out by not having at lest one. Also I noticed that your series is called The Parasol Protectorate Series . Is there some secret about parasols that you would like to share? Besides the obvious fact that a parasol would come in quite handy to cover ones bosombuddies if ones corset happened to blow …
And Chance-dearest-darling you are driving me crazy with all of your crazy driving.
I have a question.
Why?
Why is steampunk spelled with a small 's'?
Just returned from the mall and bought the closest I'll ever get to a corset. Spanx! Yes, I'm that desperate to control the muffin top.
(Now I have the Muffin Man song in my head. Damn you, Barney!)
I'll take any excuse to dress up in that Victorian finery. And the men. Dashing! Though I like the pant outfit Gail was wearing in one of the pick with the Scholar, I believe it was. Oh to have a waist that tiny. (See muffin comment above.)
Let's hope Gail returns to answer your query, Julie. I know her character, Alexis finds a parasol the handiest of defense weapons when attacked by a vampire... Who knew?
I always figured they were good to prod people with, trip using the handle, pull bad acts off a stage and play at being shy... But vampire slayer? Was a new use fer me.
And now ta hide the puppies should they escape the corsets... We should have a "How Many Ways Can A Parasol Be Used?" contest.
As to why it's spelled with a small 's'...well, the same reason paranormal is with a small 'p' and fantasy with a small 'f' ... The Grammarian Gods have decreed it such!
Ah, Bo'sun...I feel your pain. The hormone pillow above the waist band. Why I prefer a cinch corset...
Hope the Spanx work out for you!
Sigh, yes turning into the longest trip to Sacramento save for one Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I swear, the weather is so divine, I figured all the bay folk would head for the beach...but nope...looks like the last chance for some skiing in the mountains!?
I'm inching closer...I thank all the gods for the Starbucks I find along the way. Praise be to caffeine. And bathrooms.
Ahh Chance, thanks for the clarification. I had wondered if perhaps the use of a small letter 's' was a poke at The Powers That Be. And someone was slyly referring to the C.S. Lewis quote:
“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.”
Julie! I love that quote! Oooo! I want to put that somewhere so I will remember it...
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