Charles Dickens Tag

Miss Laurie and Alexandra are both hosting celebrations in honor of Charles Dickens' 200th birthday, and they have both provided tags for us all to fill out.  I wanted to do both, but since their tags contain some of the same questions, I just combined the two into one, taking questions from both.  I love hodgepodges.

Miss Laurie's questions

How were you first introduced to Charles Dickens?

I've known the story of A Christmas Carol for as long as I can remember, and my mom read it to us at Christmas several times when I was in elementary school.  When I was eleven, I decided it was time to begin reading Big Thick Adult Novels, and so I embarked on Oliver Twist---mostly because I wanted to impress my grandfather, an avid Dickens and Hemingway reader.  I don't remember what his reaction was when I proudly told him I was halfway through Oliver Twist, but I do remember a certain sense of accomplishment mixed with exhaustion when I finished the book.
*Edit*: Actually, my first exposure to Dickens' works came when I was about three or four.  My grandmother had one of those Shirley Temple fairy tale books, and one of the stories in it was Dickens' The Magic Fishbone, which incidentally was my favorite. :) Of course, little did I know that someday that author would become one of my absolute favorites of all time.

Which Charles Dickens novels and stories have you read? Which are your favorites?

In chronological order, I've read:

• A Christmas Carol
• Oliver Twist
• The Pickwick Papers (well, only about 1/3 of this because I got bored with it)
• Nicholas Nickleby
• David Copperfield
• A Tale of Two Cities
• Great Expectations
• Martin Chuzzlewit 
• Little Dorrit
• Bleak House
• Our Mutual Friend 
• Great Expectations (again--liked it MUCH better the second time around)
• David Copperfield (currently re-reading because I didn't get much out of it the first time :))

My favorites would have to be Little Dorrit (obviously), Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend and Great Expectations.  David Copperfield is really, really good too though.


Which Charles Dickens novel(s) do you most want to read?

The Mystery of Edwin Drood... eventually. :) And I want to re-read A Tale of Two Cities.  Reading it in seventh grade while studying the French Revolution was fun (first assigned-reading book that ever made me cry... imagine CRYING over SCHOOL!) but I want to read it again and, you know, appreciate it. ;)

What are your favorite Charles Dickens quotes (up to three)?


"There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate." ~Charles Dickens (i.e., not from a book, as far as I know)
"In a word, I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong." (Great Expectations, spoken by Pip, the narrator)
"It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." (A Tale of Two Cities, spoken by Sydney Carton... tearing up...)

Who are your Top 3 favorite Dickens heroines? and why?

-Amy Dorrit (because she's sweet, honorable, gentle, self-effacing and loving)
-Esther Summerson (because she's loyal, strong, generous, unselfish and friendly)
-Bella Wilfer (because she starts out as a spoiled brat and matures into a lovely young woman with a heart for others)


Who are your Top 3 favorite Dickens heroes? and why?


-Arthur Clennam of Little Dorrit (because he's kind, caring and just an all-around Mr. Nice Guy)
-John Jarndyce of Bleak House (because he's self-sacrificial, generous, thoughtful and sympathetic)
-Sydney Carton of A Tale of Two Cities (because... just read A Tale of Two Cities.  'Nuff said.)

Which three Dickens villains do you most love to hate?


-Harold Skimpole of Bleak House (this "child" needs a good spanking)
-Uriah Heep of David Copperfield (this guy seriously creeps me out)
-Mr. Pecksniff of Martin Chuzzlewit (just... ugh.  But he's funny. :P)

Which Dickens characters (up to three) do you find the most funny?


-Edmund Sparkler (Little Dorrit)
-Aunt Betsey Trotwood (David Copperfield)
-Mr. F's Aunt (Little Dorrit)

If you could authorize a new film adaptation of one of Dickens's novels, which would it be and why?

A Tale of Two Cities... because as far as I know there isn't one definitive, truly great film adaptation of that book.


If you could have lunch with Charles Dickens today, what question would you most like to ask him?

"What, exactly, do you have against poor John Chivery, pray tell?  Why couldn't he have had a happy ending?"

Have you ever read a Dickens biography or watched a biographical film about him?


I've read a biography or two, but they're, erm, juvenile biographies.  I've never seen a biographical film about him (those kind of documentaries sadly tend to put me to sleep...)

Alexandra's questions

How many Dickens adaptations have you seen?


Five.  Oliver! (1968--yes that counts), Great Expectations (1999--aka the William Wilberforce and Molly Gibson one), Little Dorrit (2008), Bleak House (2005) and The Muppets' Christmas Carol (1992--yep, that counts too :P).

Which Dickens adaptation is your favorite?

Hmm... let me think.  For a nanosecond.  Little Dorrit, of course!

Have you seen multiple versions of A Christmas Carol? Which version is your favorite?

Only one, the Muppet one--but it's awesome. Really, if you haven't seen it you should.  It's faithful to the novel while still being... muppetish.
"Mr. Dickens, don't you think the Ghost of the Christmas Yet To Come is going to be too scary for the kids?"
"Nah, they'll be fine.  It's culture."

Who is your favorite Dickens villain and (if applicable) who does your favorite portrayal of them?

Well, this question can be interpreted two ways.  It could mean "which Dickens villain do you actually like" or "which villain is the most villainous" and I choose to answer the latter.  So, I'd have to say it would be either Mr. Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance) in Bleak House or Rigaud (Andy Serkis) in Little Dorrit.


Have you seen any musical adaptations of any of Dickens’ stories? If so, which is your favorite song from it?


I've only seen Oliver!, but I'd love to see the A Tale of Two Cities musical.  My favorite song would probably have to be "As Long as He Needs Me" from Oliver!... but "I'd Do Anything" comes close.

Two Blogs

I had originally planned to post the next installment of the Period Drama Heroines series today, but time got away from me (as usual).

However, I would like to announce (music please, maestro) that my sister's blog, Scribblings of My Pen, is now public! You may all mosey over there and check it out if you are so inclined (and I heartily suggest you do so).

Also, I have started a new blog, known as Sink Me!.  It's a nonsense blog full of... silly stuff.  And it is made up entirely of things that people send in.  So far I've been the only one sending things in, but maybe that will change hereafter.  Perhaps it will make you laugh.  Perhaps not.  All I know is that it amuses me.   "And precious little amuses me, at my age..." (name that quote!)

February Snippets of Story

I encourage you all to join in Katie's Snippets of Story event at Whisperings of the Pen!  If you'd like to find out more about it, go here.  I don't know if I'll participate in this every month, but I thought I'd give it try, at least for the first time.  Looks like fun!

(By the way, most of these snippets are coming from my NaNoWriMo story, Only A Novel, which was formerly titled What Would Elizabeth Bennet Do?)


There is something about snow that makes everyone discard his or her dignity and just enjoy the moment. Elizabeth knew perfectly well that it was not proper for a governess to be running around the garden with her charges, (hadn’t she gotten in some trouble for running a couple of months ago?) chasing snowflakes and shrieking with laughter, but for the time being she did not care. Not the least, tiniest bit.
~Only A Novel

She had only just crossed the threshold into the dining room when a hoarse, harsh cry split the air and Mr. Crimp’s dreadful, rusty red parrot came diving at her head.
Elizabeth screamed. She hated to scream, and did it only under the most trying circumstances. This, she felt later, was a circumstance deserving of a good healthy shriek. She was not alone in her screaming; Isabelle was treating the company to a demonstration of her lungpower, and Mrs. Crimp was making unearthly squeaking noises as the parrot dove around the room.
Elizabeth, her heart pounding nearly in her throat (something she had always read of in novels, but had never before thought to be physiologically possible) covered her head with both her hands and shrank back against the doorframe in a very cowardly manner. She later made excuses for herself (to herself), saying that if the bird had managed to entangle itself in her hair, she would have laid down on the floor and died.
Which would not have been a dignified thing to do.
~Only A Novel

Elizabeth searched under her table, under her bed, under her pillow, under her lamp, behind her ear and finally under Lavinia’s letter until she found her pen. It had been under Lavinia’s letter. Naturally, whenever she lost something she always found it in the last place she had looked.
Well, of course the last place she had looked had been the place she had found it, for after she found it she need not look for it any more.
Though geometry had been one of her best subjects, logic had never been her strong point, and she returned to her page with her head in a bit of a muddle.
~Only A Novel

They pulled to a stop at an intersection. Elizabeth pulled her head back into the brougham and straightened her hat. Wisps were already escaping from her French twist, and she had been so proud of it only an hour ago. It was no light feat to do one’s own hair so prettily without even Jenny’s help. But the wind rushing past the window had no regard for her hard work and, indeed, seemed to scorn it.
~Only A Novel

“LaVEENia, darling,” squealed the tallest of the group, a sallow-faced young woman attired in an unflattering shade of gold. “How lovely to see you, you look simply lovely, darling, and who is this lovely little friend of yours, how lovely to meet you, you sweet thing!”
Elizabeth, who did not particularly relish being dubbed a sweet thing, politely took the young lady’s hand and shot Lavinia a beseeching look.
~Only A Novel

“And may I introduce,” said Lavinia quickly, “Miss Vivian Applethwaite, Miss Annette Pickering—my dear friend Miss Elizabeth Markette.”
“Delighted,” said Miss Applethwaite.
“Charmed,” said Miss Pickering.
Elizabeth sought for a synonym. “Enraptured,” she said solemnly, shaking hands all around.
~Only A Novel

With great effort, Miss Ballantyne managed to squeeze out two or three tears. Usually the tears were quite effective, but today her friends--and even her sister--seemed made of stone. She offered another injured sniff. In honor of the day, she was wearing her best black bombazine, the one trimmed with delicate fluting all around the waist and hem... so tasteful and so appropriate to the memory of poor dear Humphrey. And yet no one had complimented her on it, nor even seemed to notice how well the fine black material set off her complexion. She had always looked well in black.
~Untitled Story for Rachel's Contest

Miss Waxington drank tea and coffee—in the same cup—every morning for breakfast, and the other teachers were so polite that they never said anything about it to her. The students were not so polite, but they were so in awe of their teachers that they never said anything to Miss Waxington either.
~It's Thursday Again

In the mathematics classroom, Miss Box rapped firmly on the table. “Young ladies, may I introduce to your our newest pupil,” she said.
“Good morning Miss Box,” droned the students. Then they realized that she had not said “Good morning, class,” and they looked at each other sheepishly.
~It's Thursday Again


“Of all the dreadful, rude, insufferable creatures I have ever met in all my life, Annette Pickering is the worst. Don’t try to think of anything nice to say about her, Elizabeth, you’ll only hurt your brain.” If Lavinia could be said to plop, she would have plopped onto her chaise longue. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Mother, of course. Thank you for not saying anything when I lied through my teeth at dinner and told Mother we had a perfectly lovely tea. I can always count on you, Lizzie.”
~Only A Novel

Quote of the Week 17

"You have seen this kid in action, and you know what he's like.  He told Cyril Bassington-Bassington, a fellow to whom he had never been formally introduced, that he had a face like a fish.  And this not thirty seconds after their initial meeting.  I give you fair warning that, if he tells me I have a face like a fish, I shall clump his head."

"Bertie!" cried the Wickham, contorted with anguish and apprehension and what not.

"Yes, I shall."
"Then you'll simply ruin the whole thing."
"I don't care.  We Woosters have our pride."

"Perhaps the young gentleman will not notice that you have a face like a fish, sir," suggested Jeeves.
~Episode of the Dog Macintosh, by P.G. Wodehouse

Do You Hear the People Sing?

(Slightly more informative title: My Review of Les Miserables, The Musical)

One day to a new beginning
Raise the flag of freedom high
Every man will be a king, every man will be a king!
There's a new world for the winning
There's a new world to be won!
Do you hear the people sing? 

(In actual fact, nothing in particular is happening tomorrow [for me at least] other than school, chores, more school, blog-hopping, and did I mention school?  Also exercising while listening to the Les Miserables cast album.  Er-hrm.  But I adore these lyrics and so even though I'm not waiting "one day more" for anything special, I decided to post those anyway.)

I'm studying World Literature this year in school, and the sixth unit in my textbook (I use Excellence in Literature, FYI) is a study on Victor Hugo's classic, mammoth novel Les Miserables.  I read the book (well, the 642-page Borders edition, heehee), studied the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars and wrote two essays about the book... and then I watched the musical's 10th Anniversary DVD with my sister.  One of my assignments was to "watch a live production of the musical, if possible, or at least get a copy of the DVD" and naturally I was happy to comply.  (Last year, in British Literature, I had no problem fulfilling the assignment to watch Pride and Prejudice 1995, either. :))

I recently promised a friend that I would write her a less-than-300-word summary of Les Miz--so she would have at least a basic understanding of what I've been nattering on about lately--and I thought I'd post it here so those of you who are unfamiliar with the story will also have a basic understanding. :)  I shall try my best to stay within 300 words--but song lyrics don't count, right?  Right? Right??? Good.  Song lyrics will be enclosed in quotation marks.  (There are some young readers on this blog, so I'm going to be very discreet about some aspects of the story... just so ya know...)  Also, I absolutely cannot resist sharing some of the amazing songs with you, so there will be links to videos here and there that I really recommend you watch. :) Unfortunately, I can't embed them here because YouTube restricts playback blah blah blah.   Oh! And spoilers will abound because I'm summarizing the entire story.  Be aware of this.

Colm Wilkinson as Valjean and Philip Quast as Javert in the 10th Anniversary Dream Cast in Concert

The story revolves around Jean Valjean (Colm Wilkinson, "prisoner 24601"), a galley slave convicted and sentenced to 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread.  When he is put on parole by police officer Inspector Javert (Philip Quast), he takes refuge in the house of kind Bishop Myriel (some actor whose name I'm not bothering to look up) and then steals the Bishop's candlesticks.  The Bishop, however, does not press charges and instead encourages Valjean to "use this precious silver to become a better man."

Valjean breaks his parole, moves to a small town, gets a job in the factory and eventually rises to the position of mayor.  Ten years later, a woman named Fantine (Ruthie Henshall) comes to his attention: she is working as a woman of the town to provide for her daughter, whom she cannot care for.  Dying of tuberculosis, Fantine begs Valjean to rescue her daughter from the cruel people who have her now.  "I swear this on my life... [your Cosette] shall live within my protection.  Your child shall want for nothing! And none shall ever harm Cosette as long as I am living."

Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean
via

Inspector Javert, who suspected that Valjean (now "Monsieur Madeleine") might be an escaped convict, changes his mind when a man matching Valjean's description is arrested and sentenced to death in another town.  Distraught that another man is going to die because of his crime, Valjean reveals his true identity to Javert ("And so, Javert, you see it's true; that man bears no more guilt than you! Who am I? 24601!") and then escapes to rescue Cosette from the disgusting Thenardiers (Jeremiah Flintwinch--I mean Inspector Bucket--I mean Alun Armstrong--and Jenny Galloway), innkeepers who treat Cosette as a slave.

Philip Quast as Inspector Javert

Valjean takes Cosette (Judy Kuhn) to Paris and brings her up as his own daughter, telling her nothing of his past, though Javert is still on his trail and "never shall yield till [they] come face to face... this [he] swears by the stars!" ("Stars" by Philip Quast at the 10th Anniversary Concert)

Meanwhile, the lives of Marius Pontmercy (Michael Ball), a law student, and Gavroche (Adam Searles), a street urchin (squee! favorite character!), are about to become intertwined.  (And meanwhile, Miss Dashwood realizes that there's no way she's going to stay under 300 words and says "forget it, Melody!") Marius is part of the Friends of the ABC, a revolutionary group who dream of someday bringing freedom to the people of France, because "the color of the world is changing day by day! Red, the blood of angry men... black, the dark of ages past! Red, a world about to dawn... black, the night that ends at last!" 

Lea Salonga as Eponine Thenardier

Marius sees Cosette from a distance and falls in love with her (and vice versa).  Eponine Thenardier (Lea Salonga), daughter of the people who once abused Cosette, is also in love with Marius, but he is absolutely blind as a bat about this (and Miss Dashwood realllllly hates Marius at this point in the story.  Temporarily, that is.)  Eponine brings Marius to meet Cosette, but Eponine's father's gang of thieves hear about Valjean's presence in Paris and plan to rob and murder Valjean.


Eponine stops them in time, but Valjean hears the commotion and decides to get Cosette out of Paris.  "We must get away from shadows that will never let us be... tomorrow to Calais and then a ship across the sea!" (okay, was I the only one who thought, "A ship at Calais? THE DAY DREAM!!" Once more Sir Percy saving the day!) Act One ends with everyone waiting just one day more until their world will change.

Enjolras (Michael Maguire), the leader of the ABC students, is planning an attack (this is all happening during the Paris Rebellion of 1832, in case you're wondering) and Marius decides to stay with his friends and fight in their barricade. The first attack begins, and Javert comes to spy on the students.  Thanks to the sharp Gavroche (yesss! "We may be easy pickings, but we've got SOME FIGHT!") he is unmasked and sentenced to die. Marius sends Eponine with a letter to Cosette, saying he'll always love her, and Eponine--deserted by her father and now completely "on her own"--takes it, but is fatally wounded by a stray gunshot.  Then ensues the saddest scene in the entire musical, the one that had me sobbing my eyes out... "A Little Fall of Rain."  Okay, so maybe it's not the saddest scene in the whole entire musical (there are several competing for THAT place) but it's making me tear up just writing about it... ugh.  And now I like Marius again.

Michael Ball as Marius and Lea Salonga as Eponine

And after Eponine's death, the sad scenes just. keep. coming.  Fiddler on the Roof is a barrel of laughs compared to Les Miserables, believe me.  Valjean reads the letter Marius sent to Cosette and goes to the barricade to try and protect Marius, praying that God will "bring him home".  "He's like the son I might have known, if God had granted me a son... if I die, let me die--let him live--bring him home!" You have to listen to both versions of this song: Colm Wilkinson sings it in the musical, but you are really missing out if you don't hear Michael Crawford's version too.

The next morning, Valjean asks permission to deal with the spy, and Enjolras tells him to execute Javert and get it over with... but Valjean lets Javert go.  ("Vengeance was his, but he gave [Javert] back his life.") The second attack on the barricade begins and everybody is killed except Marius and Valjean.  Even Gavroche.  (WHY???)  "The Second Attack" on the barricade (also known as "Death of Gavroche") is mercifully not included on the DVD, because if it were I would have run out of tissues.  I think I sobbed through the entire second act.  But then I saw it later on YouTube.  If you really want to... here. (And do not ask me why people in the audience laughed at the first shot. o.O)

Marius is not killed, but he is shot and knocked out, so Valjean takes him through the streets (and the sewers!) of Paris to find a doctor (despite running into the evil Thenardier, who thinks Valjean has murdered Marius and is trying to hide the body).  He meets Javert, begs him to let Marius go home before he deals with Valjean, and Javert lets him go.  His whole world shaken and crumbling with this new idea of forgiveness, Javert drowns himself.

Marius recovers and is reunited with Cosette, but he is still mourning the death of Eponine, Enjolras and the other Friends of the ABC.  "There's a grief that can't be spoken; there's a pain goes on and on... empty chairs at empty tables, now my friends are dead and gone."  Cosette and Marius are married, but Valjean feels obligated to reveal his past to Marius. He promises to go away and never see Cosette again, and Marius doesn't try to stop him.  (Then Miss Dashwood punches out Marius.  Ooh, wait, was that not in the script? Sorry.) The Thenardiers crash the wedding and tell Marius that Valjean is a murderer (and Marius realizes that it was Valjean who saved his life--Marius himself was the "murdered man!") and Marius punches out Thenardier (and Miss Dashwood apologizes to Marius and gets him a Band-Aid).  Stricken with remorse, Marius and Cosette go to Valjean and stay with him as he dies... and the entire cast reassembles for the Epilogue, a reprise of "Do You Hear the People Sing?".

Well.  That was my summary.  It was long, I know.  But it was shorter than Wikipedia's summary, so I'm satisfied. :)

Now on to my thoughts about this bee-yoo-tee-full musical.  Like I said, it's sad.  Really sad.  Very, very sad.  But there is also an underlying current of hope, love and redemption.  If I had to pick just one theme to describe Les Miz, it would be forgiveness.

There is, as yet, no movie version of Les Miserables (the musical).  This DVD is Les Miserables in concert, which means that it's just the actors in costume singing the songs from the musical.  Since there are thirty-some songs (depending on the version you see) it takes over two hours to do the whole thing.  Les Miserables is sung-through, which means that almost the entire story is sung.  The (very little) dialogue is spoken over music.  So in watching the concert, you can get almost the entire story (and they provide subtitles on the screen between songs to summarize what's going on).

These are just a few of the things I loved about Les Miz:

• Colm Wilkinson's gorgeous voice.  He IS Valjean.  Alfie Boe is good... but...
• Philip Quast's epicness in the role of Javert.  Role... nonsense.  He IS Javert.
• Lea Salonga.  Nobody else can do Eponine. Period.
• Michael Ball as the perfect Marius (even if he was a little too old).  Nick Jonas? Forget it.
• Adam Searles' adorableness as Gavroche. ("Listen to ME! Listen, everybody!") Okay, so he's, like, 30 now and probably not adorable anymore.  Hush.  
• The gorgeous lighting, costumes, and overall awesomeness.
• The "Do You Hear the People Sing?" encore reprise with 17 Valjeans from productions around the world.  Amazing.

Here's what I didn't like about the 10th Anniversary concert DVD:

• ......

Okay, so there were a couple of things I didn't like. :)  Since this was the 10th anniversary, several members of the original cast were a little too old for their parts.  Judy Kuhn (Cosette) was 37, and Cosette is supposed to be 18.  But she has an amazing voice, so it's all good. :)  There are a couple of songs that I did not appreciate (one of which, "Lovely Ladies", we skipped entirely). The song "Master of the House" sung by the Thenardiers, is funny in some parts ("charge 'em for the mice, extra for the lice, two percent for lookin' in the mirror twice") but it contains some rather foul language and I'd recommend just skipping it entirely.

But other than those few little bitty things, this DVD is awesomely, absolutely amazing and thou needst to get thee to the library (or Netflix or Blockbuster) to order it right now.

Do you hear the people sing? Say, do you hear the distant drums? It is the future that they bring when tomorrow comes! Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in heaven has in store... one more dawn, one more day, one day more!

Entries for Stephanie's Contest

Stephanie over at Eccentricitee is hosting a Disney blog button contest! I am quite excited about it, and have created four entries, as you may observe below. 

Picture: Cinderella (1950)
Quote: Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Pictures from Finding Nemo (2006) and Up (2009)
Quotes from both movies as well. :P

Picture: Cinderella (1950)
Quote: Up (2009)

Picture: Peter Pan (1953)
Quote: A twist on something from Toy Story (1995)

Button Contest Winner

I would like to congratulate Alexandra on winning the blog button contest! I'm afraid that the prize for the contest is... well, bragging rights. And this.

(Alexandra can take this. Nobody else can. I'm saying that, but there isn't really any way for me to stop you from taking it if you really want it, heehee.)

Oh--and a couple of people raised a question about whether Alexandra's button was okay because it used a Disney quote, et cetera and so forth.  I apologize for not making the rules clearer! It was perfectly okay for a picture's caption to be any of the following: a) a popular witticism b) a song lyric c) a quote from another movie.  I had written in the post "a quote from another period drama" but any movie would have been fine.  I should have clarified that, and I apologize.

Also! Some of you might not have seen the winning picture, so here it is in case you missed it:

Quote of the Week 16 and Final Poll

(I realize that this picture is from the lesser 25th Anniversary concert...
but I couldn't find a good picture from The Best One)

Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me?
Beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?
Then join in the fight that will give you the right to be free!

Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men?
It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!

~Courfeyrac and Enjolras, Les Miserables: The Musical That Swept The World, In Concert (1995)

And yes, I'm still just the least tiniest bit obsessed... cough, cough.  A long and rapturous post will be forthcoming next week.  It is not at all cheating to post song lyrics for Quote of the Week--besides, it's my Quote of the Week.  Might I just say that if you have not heard this amazing song, let me beg you to take two minutes of your life and watch this.

Also, the two finalists have been determined! Congratulations to Hayden and Alexandra, and to everyone else who participated.  Please vote in the poll at the top of my sidebar---it closes at noon EST on Saturday the 28th, and then I shall announce the winner (though you'll all be able to see for yourselves by then).

Random Ramblings and a Reminder

I'm not going to waste your time with a million bazillion apologies for the lack of actual intelligent content on this blog, but I am going to tell you that the lack of actual intelligent content seems slated to continue, because I have a research paper due on FEBRUARY FIRST and I. Must. Finish. It.  

So this post shall be random and rambling and rather ridiculous.  Except for the parts where I inform you about various blog events, because as we all know blog events are Full of Fun.  First of all, I direct your attention to the Inkpen Authoress' "Heigh-Ho For A Husband" blog party.   Go to Rachel's blog and  check it out! I'm entering a frivolous little short story... what will you enter ?

Next on the list of events is Miss Laurie's birthday party for Mr. Charles Dickens.  Please pop over to Old-Fashioned Charm the week of February 7th to celebrate the birthday of the man who wrote the famous, fantastic, Little Dorrit... oh, and some other novels too. 

Also, Stephanie over at Eccentricitee is hosting a lovely Disney blog button contest, and I encourage you all to enter! (I have some rather fanciful ideas brewing for my entry...)
And now for some major randomness... Jemimah over at Beautiful Blank Pages has sweetly awarded me the...

And now for zee Rules of ziss Award... (ooh! more R's! And an F, because I'm being French, or at least attempting to sound French.  Has anyone else caught my alliterative R's and F's throughout this post? No? Never mind then.)
1. Share 7 things about yourself
2. Pass the award to 10 other bloggers

My seven foolish little things...

1) I am currently frighteningly obsessed with the musical Les Miserables.  I am also currently listening to "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" as I write this post and trying.... not... to... cry....
2) My sister and I are currently watching the amazing, the stupendous, the fantabulous, the shivers-down-your-spine Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert DVD.  I want Colm Wilkinson to sing at my wedding.  I also want Susan Boyle, Jackie Evancho, Julie Andrews, Michael Crawford and Finbar Wright to sing at my wedding, though, so I may have to narrow down the choices a little before I get married.
3) I am currently obsessed with the following songs: Do You Hear the People Sing?, Stars, Bring Him Home, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, I Dreamed a Dream, A Little Fall of Rain, On My Own, One Day More and Who Am I?.
4) I am going to do something drastic if  Hollywood doesn't do a good job with the upcoming Les Miserables movie.  Well, I'll refuse to watch it, at least.
5) *desperately tries to think of something that's not Les-Miz-related* I adore cake decorating and enjoy making movie-themed cakes for my siblings' birthdays (my brother loves Herbie the Love Bug, so I made this for his seventh birthday a couple of weeks ago.)
6) If I were stranded on a desert island and could take only one thing with me, I would take Jeeves because he would know how to get me off the island.
7) I love orange food: cantaloupe, clementines, sweet potatoes and carrots are at the top of my favorite foods list.  I'm not sure why.

The ten blogs I award: (I tried to pick people who, to the best of my knowledge, haven't yet received the award)

1) Rachel at The Inkpen Authoress
2) Gracie at It's A Beautiful Life
3) Melody at Regency Delight: Jane Austen, &c.
4) Anne-girl at Scribblings and Tappings
5) Anna at Maiden Voyage
6) Stephanie at Eccentricitee
7) Miss Laurie at Old-Fashioned Charm
8) Ella at The Door in the Air
9) Maria Elisabeth at Miss Georgiana Darcy
10) Lauren at Books, Fashion and Tea

And to fill out this ridiculously random post, I give you something that is guaranteed to make you Roar with laughter (if you're in the League, that is.)  And of course you should know that I do not endorse the Broadway musical Wicked, et cetera et cetera et cetera (did you or did you not just read that in King Mongkut's voice? Yes, you did) but this song is funny and it fits the video purrfectly.



Finally, in the words of Mr. Clennam Sr., DO NOT FORGET to vote in the Period Drama Button Polls if you have not done so already.  The poll closes at 11:59 EST tonight!

Contest Entries and the Top Twelve Finalists

Well, I must say that the Period Drama Button contest turned out to be quite a success (even though I was worried no one would enter)! Thirteen lovely contestants participated, with a whopping 71 entries! You must imagine my consternation at the idea of trying to choose only five from these laugh-out-loud pictures, so in the end, I didn't.  Instead, I chose twelve (because I have, like, no willpower).  

You may observe on my sidebar two polls, each with six entries.  The polls will be up until Wednesday night, and then on Thursday morning a new poll will arise.  The winning entry from each of the first two polls will then compete against each other in the third poll (the Thursday one).  I shall not be voting in the polls, except in case of a tie, in which case I shall be prevailed upon to break the tie.  I beseech each and every one of you to vote in BOTH polls, if you please, and then again in the third one when it is revealed on Thursday!  In this way, I pass the buck to YOU to decide who wins. :)

And now, so as not to prolong the suspense, I shall firstly thank each and every one of you who participated, because you made this thing awesome! Here are links to everyone's entries (in no order whatsoever).

Hayden at Story Girl

Miss Elizabeth Bennet at Elegance of Fashion

Melody at Regency Delight

Alexandra at Of Trims and Frills and Furbelows

Emily at Forget-Me-Nots
Rachel at Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker

Elizabeth at In the Garret
Maria Elisabeth at Miss Georgiana Darcy
Anne-girl at Scribblings of my Pen
Julia at Julia's Journal
Miss Laurie at Old-Fashioned Charm
Lauren at Books, Fashion and Tea
Stephanie at Eccentricitee

And now, here are the twelve finalist entries.  Congratulations to all!

1) "Sparkler, Be Quiet!" by Emily of Forget-Me-Nots

Picture: My Fair Lady (1964)
Quote: Little Dorrit (2008)

2) "I Feel Charming" by Alexandra of Of Trims and Frills and Furbelows

Picture: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Quote: West Side Story (1963)

3) "With Wonderful Expression" by the Anne-girl of Scribblings Of My Pen

Picture: Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Quote: The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)

4) "Why Do You Keep Winking?" by Melody of Regency Delight

Picture: Emma (1996 Miramax)
Quote: Pride and Prejudice (1995)

5) "One Of Us Was Silly" by Hayden of Story Girl

Picture: Emma (1996 Miramax)
Quote: Wives and Daughters (1999)

6) "Heigh-Ho For A Husband" by Miss Laurie of Old-Fashioned Charm

Picture: Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Quote: Much Ado About Nothing (1992)

7) "Badly Done, Indeed" by Maria Elisabeth of Miss Georgiana Darcy

Picture: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
Quote: Emma (any of the adaptations)

8) "Suddenly Have A Headache" by Rachel of A Butcher, A Baker, A Candlestick Maker

Picture: North and South (2004)
Quote: Cranford (2007)

9) "One Smirk" by Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Elegance of Fashion

Picture: Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Quote: Northanger Abbey (2007)

10) "Horror Of Finery" by Julia of Julia's Journal

Picture: Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Quote: Emma (2009)

11) "Here Comes The Smolder" by Alexandra of Of Trims and Frills and Furbelows

Picture: Robin Hood (2006)
Quote: Tangled (2011)

12) "Poor Mr. Darcy" by Anne-girl of Scribblings of my Pen

Picture: The Princess Bride (1982)
Quote: Pride and Prejudice (2005)

And to close this post, I give you a picture and quote that are just beautiful.  This one is not one of the finalist buttons (in fact I don't believe it was even entered in the contest), but I got permission from Elizabeth to post it here... and it's SO lovely...

So what are y'all waiting for? Go vote!