After the Holiday

You know you're doing something you love when you're actually eager to get back to work after a holiday weekend. Today I'm going to read the new book straight through so I'll know what I need to fix in revisions. I even kind of cheated yesterday by reading some reference books related to things in the book, but that was the kind of stuff I'd normally read for entertainment, so it doesn't really count as work.

My weekend didn't go entirely as planned because I did get some odd whims. I never did make it to the movies, although two different times I was all dressed and ready to go, and then got to the front door of my house and decided I didn't really want to. I did do a pretty big Doctor Who marathon on Friday night, and I did watch the miniseries of Pride and Prejudice on Saturday and Sunday. I only read one chick lit book, Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter.

It's about a New Yorker who, after one disastrous date too many, decides to give up on dating entirely, and instead of worrying about New Year's plans, she books herself on a tour of England for Jane Austen fans. After all, what she's really looking for is a Mr. Darcy, and none of the men she knows in real life come close. When she gets to England, she finds a tour group full of little old women, plus one obnoxious male journalist doing a story on why women are so crazy about Mr. Darcy. Then at one historic site, she runs into a man she at first thinks is a costumed tour guide working in character ... or could he really be Mr. Darcy? Meanwhile, the plot to Pride and Prejudice is playing out in her life. I could kind of relate to this story, as I did give up dating (or, at least, the feeling that I should be dating) several years ago. However, in real life, unlike in any book or movie, the decision to give up dating did not mean that men were suddenly flocking to me. My life didn't actually change much at all, aside from me no longer feeling obligated to accept any set-up my friends offered or to accept any invitations I didn't really want to just to have a date. The Jane Austen tour sounds like something I'd like, although I'm not crazy about big motor coach tours and would be more likely to just buy a guide book and go off on my own. However, I would probably have more fun traveling with a group of old ladies than I would traveling with people my own age. I would recognize the plot of Pride and Prejudice if it happened to me. And Mr. Darcy has never been my favorite Jane Austen hero. He's a great character, but not my type. I'd be more likely to go for Mr. Knightley from Emma. Yes, I would choose the nice-guy, boy-next-door over the dark, brooding type.

Otherwise, I took walks, read reference books and watched A Room With a View, which I think was brought on by reading To Say Nothing of the Dog, since there's a similar setting (in the England parts).

By the way, I've discovered a fun new game to play when watching any British film or TV production: Six Degrees of Harry Potter. Try to connect the cast of whatever you're watching to a Harry Potter film. Most of the time, there seems to be a direct connection, thanks to the fact that Maggie Smith is in almost everything. Unless there's someone I didn't notice or recognize buried in the supporting cast of Pride and Prejudice, there isn't a direct link there, but there are multiple ways to connect through Colin Firth, since he's been in movies with Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman. With A Room With a View, we had Helena Bonham-Carter and Maggie Smith (of course). With Doctor Who there's David Tennant.

But now I'm back to work. It kind of feels like the start of a school year (and the weather even feels rather Septemberish today).

You know, I still haven't thought of what I want for my birthday from my parents, even though that was nearly a month ago. I'm thinking it should be something very good, since I'm picking my parents up at the airport tomorrow -- and their flight comes in at 5:30 in the morning. Fortunately, I live fifteen minutes away from the airport, and given the amount of time it takes to get off the plane and then get luggage, I can probably set my alarm for 5:30, throw on clothes, and then get to the airport in time to pull up to the curb and pick them up without having to find a parking space.