You shall not find it so. Those are a couple of Prince Hal's lines, ones I spent this afternoon physicalizing, which was fun...and it was one of 157 fun things we did today, including a 3 hour tour of Our Nation's Capital (on which we actually were almost stranded on an island!), and moving our cars at 10:15 p.m. because our glorious prez is speaking at AU tomorrow (he's still my #1 hero -- they could have towed my car, actually, if it would help him). In other words: wonder if you'll find me blathering at my usual excruciating length? Do not think so. You will not find it so. Try again tomorrow, my faithful follower friends!
Yours in exhaustion,
All-Out-Of-Ginger Gingy
P.S. If I start to sound too much like Julie Powell, please extend me a swift kick in the shins -- literally or electronically. Many thanks.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Remember Rocky Horror?
(c) www.rockyhorror.com/downloads
Why do you ask, Gingy? What could the fabulous Tim Curry, Richard O'Brien, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick et al. possibly have to do with Shakespeare, the only thing you're meant to be thinking about right now? OK, nothing except for that rip-roaring song Touch-a Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me, which was running perversely through my head all afternoon today, because today was the day we saw -- and TOUCHED -- The Books. Like: one of the Folger's 79 First Folios. And a Second Folio that was censored during The Inquisition. And an indenture indicating the sale of a house in Stratford by Mr. Hercules Underhill to (of course) Mr. William Shakespeare (OK, that was in mylar, but that's all that stood between me & the dusty possible remnants of William Shakespeare today). And did I mention the actual manuscript (1st draft) of James I's essay on Demonology? Like, I touched something that James I held in his haggisy Scottish hands!! I texted Kitty that I was freaking out a little, and she replied "Allowed." Thanks, KWil!
Speaking of which, I have to get in bed & finish Kitty's masterwork, so I'll leave you again with some photos of my day. They just this week started allowing digital photography inside the library -- oh frabjous day!
The indentures...so called because of those indented cuts along the paper. Isn't English FUN?!
The hand of the Inquisitor at work! See the blacked out lines on the left side of the page? Yup, that's him. There's also an entire play missing (Measure for Measure); maybe because the bad guy in that one, Angelo, is the one trying to uphold the fiercest kinds of moral laws (like "off with your head for knocking up your fiancee!")...that is, until he falls head over ramrod-stiff spine for a novice on the EVE of her initiation into the strictest order of nuns she can find, and offers to free the knocker-up (her brother) if she sleeps with him. Ha ha! Onto the pyre with that one, says the good friar!
A family tree in a history of Scotland by John Leslie, showing (my friend) James I at the top...and good old Banquo at the root. Just like in Act 4 of Macbeth! Gulp!
And you'll have to turn your computer sideways for this one, because no, Martha, I still don't have horizontal & vertical quite mastered in this mystical world of photography. These are my Folger buddies. We like velvet.
Monday, June 28, 2010
It rained today...
...actual rain, and lots and lots of metaphorical rain, rain of knowledge and laughter and ideas and -- well, you get the picture. The real rain may presage a break in the heat & humidity; the metaphorical rain presages days & weeks of growth & learning for yours truly.
Specific things I learned today: Michael LoMonico will find you, no matter what corner of cyberspace you think you're hiding in. Mike is one of the curriculum specialists running this shindig, and I hadn't been here 24 hours when (after the daily 3:00 tea held in the basement of the Folger -- yesssss, you heard me, they serve TEA EVERY AFTERNOON), he stops me & says "You're the one blogging about this, aren't you?" I've blogged once. And once before this, over a year ago. Cue mild Minority Report-style paranoia. Hi Mike!
I learned when you spend the day listening to a fabulous lecture on Henry IV Pt. 1 by Library Director Gail Kern Paster that was a string of about 27,000 A-HA moments for me, and front-loading curriculum ideas, and improv-ing a scene or 3, and introducing yourself using only words that alliterate with your first name, it's really, really, really important to stay hydrated. I just got back to my dorm room and drank about 40 ounces of water in about 12 seconds. Amazing how that headache just evaporated.
I learned – well, OK, I already knew this, but was reminded for about the 112th time – that other teachers ROCK. I want to tell you about Simone, who teaches in NYC, but I have to get her permission first. You won’t believe it. Likewise, Megan, my blindfold-walking partner, Barbara, who helped me find word processing on my Netbook, and on & on & on. I’ll check with them & get back to you.
I learned that, to paraphrase Deval Patrick, I looooove me some Netbook (it’s even better when he uses the phrase, because it’s his grandmother’s, and she uses it like this: I looooooove me some Kennedys!). Anyhow, this Netbook is the CAT’S PANTS – small, light, easy to use, and adorable. Thank you, Rick Andersen at Staples!
I learned that all those people (and you know who you are because it was all of you) who said it was hot in the summer in Washington were 100% right. Africa hot. Tarzan couldn’t take this kind of hot. And I learned that to combat this, it is possible to turn my dorm room at AU into a meat locker. Bring. It. On.
And I learned that my friend Kitty Wilbur is one hell of a writer. If you don't know it already, write that name down; you'll be seeing it at your local Barnes & Noble soon enough.
I think that’s all I can do for now. Need more water. And a shower. And maybe one of those microwave brownies Mary gave me on my way out the door. Bless you, child.
Oh, wait! Here are some pix. I never am able to format captions with photos in this Blogger program (maybe Mike can help me with that tomorrow), so I'll say that the first is my dorm room (and no, Dan, that's not a scorpion bowl on the microwave, but my salad bowl, harumph!); the second is the bus that Albert drives us to & fro the Library in, playing some very groovy tunes along the way; and the third is the entrance to the Library, featuring Margaret Maurer facing the camera, who is a faculty member here & at Colgate, and who is already my boon companion because (a) her daughter just married a Boston Latin alumnus (sumus primi!) and (b) she's a crossword fanatic.
OK, must become prone. Cheers, one & all!
Specific things I learned today: Michael LoMonico will find you, no matter what corner of cyberspace you think you're hiding in. Mike is one of the curriculum specialists running this shindig, and I hadn't been here 24 hours when (after the daily 3:00 tea held in the basement of the Folger -- yesssss, you heard me, they serve TEA EVERY AFTERNOON), he stops me & says "You're the one blogging about this, aren't you?" I've blogged once. And once before this, over a year ago. Cue mild Minority Report-style paranoia. Hi Mike!
I learned when you spend the day listening to a fabulous lecture on Henry IV Pt. 1 by Library Director Gail Kern Paster that was a string of about 27,000 A-HA moments for me, and front-loading curriculum ideas, and improv-ing a scene or 3, and introducing yourself using only words that alliterate with your first name, it's really, really, really important to stay hydrated. I just got back to my dorm room and drank about 40 ounces of water in about 12 seconds. Amazing how that headache just evaporated.
I learned – well, OK, I already knew this, but was reminded for about the 112th time – that other teachers ROCK. I want to tell you about Simone, who teaches in NYC, but I have to get her permission first. You won’t believe it. Likewise, Megan, my blindfold-walking partner, Barbara, who helped me find word processing on my Netbook, and on & on & on. I’ll check with them & get back to you.
I learned that, to paraphrase Deval Patrick, I looooove me some Netbook (it’s even better when he uses the phrase, because it’s his grandmother’s, and she uses it like this: I looooooove me some Kennedys!). Anyhow, this Netbook is the CAT’S PANTS – small, light, easy to use, and adorable. Thank you, Rick Andersen at Staples!
I learned that all those people (and you know who you are because it was all of you) who said it was hot in the summer in Washington were 100% right. Africa hot. Tarzan couldn’t take this kind of hot. And I learned that to combat this, it is possible to turn my dorm room at AU into a meat locker. Bring. It. On.
And I learned that my friend Kitty Wilbur is one hell of a writer. If you don't know it already, write that name down; you'll be seeing it at your local Barnes & Noble soon enough.
I think that’s all I can do for now. Need more water. And a shower. And maybe one of those microwave brownies Mary gave me on my way out the door. Bless you, child.
Oh, wait! Here are some pix. I never am able to format captions with photos in this Blogger program (maybe Mike can help me with that tomorrow), so I'll say that the first is my dorm room (and no, Dan, that's not a scorpion bowl on the microwave, but my salad bowl, harumph!); the second is the bus that Albert drives us to & fro the Library in, playing some very groovy tunes along the way; and the third is the entrance to the Library, featuring Margaret Maurer facing the camera, who is a faculty member here & at Colgate, and who is already my boon companion because (a) her daughter just married a Boston Latin alumnus (sumus primi!) and (b) she's a crossword fanatic.
OK, must become prone. Cheers, one & all!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
My door
OK, just for starters: how adorable is this? This is the door to my room here in Centennial Hall. Each of us has our name, plus a poster from one of the plays. Love it love it love it love it.
All Folger's Eve
So, here I am. After a rigorous, college-esque application process (I'm a LOT more sympathetic to my juniors now), after driving 8 hours listening to Henry IV Part 1 AND Measure for Measure AND (most of) 12th Night because OF COURSE I hadn't read them sooner, and after locating The Other Mass. Ave., I'm finally here: the Teaching Shakespeare Institute, put on by the Folger Shakespeare Library, sponsored by YOU, my taxpaying peeps, via what must be a colossal grant from the NEH (listen, I'm getting PAID to do this). I'm excited, exhausted, exhilarated, and extemporaneously restarting this blog in hopes that I'll be able to keep you, my unofficial sponsors, posted on the goings-on. I can't promise that this won't be the first AND last post, but I'll do my best, 'twixt this and that, to share my quiddities and quillities (don't really know what those are, but quiddities appear in at least TWO plays, and I love the sound of it). For tonight, I have some other reading to do (Kitty, this means you), so I'll leave you with this: I'm ensconced in a dorm at American University for the duration; once having unpacked, I went down the hall in search of a Girls' Room, but found none. However, I did hear the unmistakable sound of the flush from someone else's room...so I went back to mine, and finally opened that other door...to find MY OWN BATHROOM (OK, I share it with one woman on the other side, but we each have our own sink!). Are you KIDDING ME??!?! All that PLUS Shakespeare for 4 weeks?! Bliss.
Anon, friends!
Ginger
Anon, friends!
Ginger
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