Ken Burns made a very, very good documentary of the American Civil War for PBS in the early nineties. He's gone on to do other ones, on baseball, jazz, and an early twentieth-century boxer, but he's most famous for the Civil War one. (It also has a brilliant soundtrack which has been used in a billion things since.)
My character... well, he was going to be part of my One 'Original' Story Idea but that kind of fell by the wayside when I realized it was 97% backstory and 3% plot. So he has a little personality but mostly he's just anger.
What an attitude to European history! Just think of all those kick ass kings and all the fun wars and all those nifty dates you have the chance to learn!
How can you be on the net in the middle of history class? Does you teacher let you sit there with a lap top?
Oh, but school history lessons can remove the interest from anything. We could be learning about William Wallace or King James IV (who was one of Scotland's most, well, kingly kings) and it would still be boring.
Be thankful that you don't have CANADIAN history. It's all about how we strived to be recognized as a different country than Britain. Oh, and movements. And strikes. And our political parties.
(Glances at reccurring themes.) Apparently, we complain a lot.
Ahh, yes. True, true. My mother is Scottish but lived many years in Canada before moving on to America. She loved Canada a lot, but she hated the history classes. She and I used to have friendly arguments about it a lot because I was a bit sick of the US history focusing only on wars. Nonetheless, Canada is a great country. I have gone there from time to time for outdoor activities like cross country skiing. I have irrirated my mom more than a few times by suggesting to move there, but most likely it will be to move back to Iceland which will irritate my mother even more. Still, Canada is a fantastic country!
I have a distant cousin in Canada. She's something like a cousin-twice-removed and lives near Vancouver. I laughed rather disproportionately when I looked it up in the Atlas and found a town called Spuzzum.
Most of Norway's history is about trying to not be a part of Sweden and Denmark. 500 years of freedom fights, and people STILL think Norway is the capital of Sweden...
I know... a recent email bulletin from Travel Weekly had an article that mentioned a special travel airfare to Oslo, Sweden.
My boss, being Swedish, found this enormously funny and shared it with everyone in the office. The very next day Travel Weekly resent the email with an apology. I imagine they got more than a few comments from Scandinavians. :-)
What's your OC's name? I have... an awful lot of OCs. Most of them are just sort of backgrounders with names, like Tyler and Holly (who run in a sled team), but some are fully-fledged characters, like Falaranx Stormfeather (who is a gryphon).
The pillow hug is very cute. Pillows are nice to hug.
Well... he used to have a name, but in the years since he wandered into my head I've realized that it's contradictory to some of the cultural perceptions amongst characters in the book, especially those who would have named him ... and also that 'Raven' is one of the most hackneyed, overused, and stereotypically 'fantasy' names in all of literature. (It's also commonly female, which I've never been able to figure out – yeah, nothing has more feminine mystique than a scruffy black scavenger with a grating harsh croak for a song. Helloooo?)
Insomnia has to be just about the worst fate I could imagine befalling anyone - how can you enjoy ANYTHING when you're exhausted? I am so truly sorry and hope it passes quickly.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 05:44 pm (UTC)What is the story behind your character? Does he have a "biography" or is he just a design idea you liked?
And what a****** is Ken Burns?
no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 05:58 pm (UTC)My character... well, he was going to be part of my One 'Original' Story Idea but that kind of fell by the wayside when I realized it was 97% backstory and 3% plot. So he has a little personality but mostly he's just anger.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 07:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 05:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 06:24 pm (UTC)How can you be on the net in the middle of history class? Does you teacher let you sit there with a lap top?
no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 10:24 pm (UTC)(Glances at reccurring themes.) Apparently, we complain a lot.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 10:46 pm (UTC)We built a railway. Then we drained a swamp and built another railway. Old men in suits sat around and talked about things.
Ahh . . . Gordon Lightfoot
Date: 2006-03-09 10:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-10 02:02 am (UTC)Can I steal? *pretty puppy eyes*
Yoo
no subject
Date: 2006-03-10 02:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-10 10:22 am (UTC)Isn't the Queen still Canada's head of state?
no subject
Date: 2006-03-10 10:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-10 06:58 pm (UTC)My boss, being Swedish, found this enormously funny and shared it with everyone in the office. The very next day Travel Weekly resent the email with an apology. I imagine they got more than a few comments from Scandinavians.
:-)
no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 07:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 08:34 pm (UTC)The pillow hug is very cute. Pillows are nice to hug.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-10 05:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-10 10:25 am (UTC)I once saw a raven in the Innsbruck zoo that sounded like a pig. When I was at the Tower of London I saw one pecking at what looked like a backbone.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 11:22 pm (UTC)I am in love with your character's nose.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-10 05:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-10 06:59 am (UTC)Oh, for just one full night of sleep!
NOOOOOOOOOOO!
Date: 2006-03-11 05:06 am (UTC)