9/28/2008

I have been at the epicenter of geekdom, and I have found it good.

At last, the leg of the journey I'd been waiting for most eagerly: the trip to Stratford-on-Avon, to see the Tennant-Stewart production of Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

We all — Houston, Margaret, our friend from America, and I — piled into the rental car and drove out to Stratford. We had enough time to do a little bit of tourism:

Shakespeare's birthplace.


Soon, though, it was time for the show. We fell in with the crowds making their way to the theatre, and took our seats. The instant the show started, we were transported. Patrick Stewart is an absolute master of Shakespearian acting, and David Tennant did a fabulous job as Hamlet, manic and brooding by turns. Moreover, the supporting cast were uniformly strong, and the staging was ingenious and very, very subtle. We left at the end a bit dazed!

The next day we hit the road to meet up with our Melbourne friends in Cambridge ("Yes, dahling," we said last time we saw them in Melbourne, "faaaahbulous lunch, dahling, we'll see you in Cambridge next month, dahling"). Among other cool things (with which Cambridge is replete), we saw the Chronophage:

Otherwise known as the Corpus Clock or the Time-Eater.


Not only that, but we stumbled upon the very pub where Watson and Crick announced their revelations about DNA. Not only that, but it has a ceiling covered with graffiti from World War II pilots (burned in with lighters and candles, and scrawled with lipstick). And not only that, but the food was fantastic!

Then it was back to Stratford for more walking around and looking at olde stuffe.

The bust of a rather paunchy Shakespeare, clearly showing that age alters us all.


Shakespeare's grave.


This is the Crabtree & Evelyn in which Shakespeare's daughter Judith lived. "How handy for her," I thought, "when she was in need of cosmetics or a lovely scented soap."


And lest you think there should ever be any escape from Doctor Who...(this is a fish-and-chip shop).


And now it's a while of waiting in Heathrow, and on to France! The Geek's Tour of Britain (and Ireland) is over, but more adventures await!

9/26/2008

Geek concentrated!



Today's geekiness takes just three words to summarize: Doctor Who Exhibition. It does, however, require many photos. Most will require little or no explanation to most of you.









Oh, yeah, we went on a "flight" in the London Eye, too. That was way cool, but my camera ran out of battery, alas. Still, it's easy enough to find aerial shots of London on the Internet.

9/25/2008

And, for a change, some writing-related news.



This is the cover, by the fabulous Nick Stathopoulous, for Canterbury 2100, a forthcoming anthology in which I have a story! "Forthcoming" means the launch is in October. The book will be available on Amazon, and probably from places like Galaxy in Sydney. (When I know an ISBN I'll post it for you.) (By the way, the cover graphic is snurched by permission of the publisher.)

Moreover, I've gotten word that there may be another production of my short play "The Salad of Success" in Wollongong. Yee-hah! I sure hope that turns out to be the case, even if I'll still be overseas and won't get a chance to see it. (Time and space are such harsh mistresses.)

Hampton Court Palace

Well, the maze was actually a bit anticlimactic. I was content to trail along behind Houston and Margaret, who solved it without a moment's hesitation or backtracking that I can recall.



But the audio tours through Hampton Court Palace itself (there are several tours; we did three of the four) were way fun and way cool! I was especially intrigued by the Tudor Kitchens one, but the Georgian private apartments were fascinating, and so were the Tudor state rooms. Here are some shots (sadly, you can't take photos in the Tudor areas):







One of the things I'm loving about England, and which I love every time I can manage to get here, is the connection with the humanity of the people I've read about all my life, people who changed the world. Henry VIII was one of the most marvellous, and horrible, human beings there has ever been — and, moreover, he was one born into a position of power and wealth. Scary. And fascinating.

9/24/2008

Museum day.

Yesterday's geekfest was to visit three museums on the one day. Yee-hah!

We started off at the Natural History Museum, which we spent a couple of hours in and only saw a little of — we spent our time in the "Red Zone," which is the geology stuff. The volcanoes-and-earthquakes section was terrific; I love that stuff! (None of my photos turned out, alas, as there wasn't enough light for my camera. But you can always look at the web site.)

Next, we went to the Science Museum, where I did get a few photos:


The relatively recently built full, working model of Babbage's Difference Engine II. We owe the Internet to this! (Or at least to the idea of it, as it was never actually fully built in Babbage's time.)



A huge Fresnel lens. I love Fresnel lenses, I think they're both beautiful and ingenious.



Stephenson's Rocket. This is particularly interesting because I don't remember learning one blessed thing about this machine when I was a child. Houston was aghast to hear that, because — as it happens — it's one of the most important machines ever built, and ushered in the Industrial Age. Here's why, in case you want the details.

Finally, we looked briefly into the Victorian and Albert Museum, mainly just long enough to walk a few hallways and look in at the incredible Cast Courts — a collection of full-scale replicas made of architectural and archeological treasures, done for study purposes. In several instances, the original subsequently was damaged or destroyed, and the cast remains the best record of it. It's big, and spooky-looking, and very Indiana-Jones-looking:



Finally museum'ed out, we stopped in at the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, where our friend pointed out an unobtrusive bit of sculpture that had been used as a dead-letter drop by the KGB during the Cold War. We did not see any messages there yesterday. (No photos permitted, alas.)

And, for our final stop of the day, we did the Ultimate Anti-Geek Visit: the memorial to Diana and Dodi in Harrod's. (Sorry the picture is blurry; they keep the lights reverentially low.)



Today, we fling ourselves with relief back into geek mode, as we are off to Hampton Court. The maze is of particular interest, especially as we have been holding ceremonial out-loud family readings from Three Men In a Boat. (I did a blog post on this remarkable book waaaaaaay back when, should you be interested.

9/23/2008

I think my kid is great.

Yesterday, a friend mentioned that he was 38. He turned to Margaret in mock anxiety and said, "Am I middle-aged?"

"That depends on how long you live," said Margaret instantly.

If I had sat and thought for weeks, I couldn't have come up with that.

Touristy things yesterday, and, today, a heaping helping of geekiness.

Yesterday we went to church at the Benedictine monastery in Ealing and met up with a friend, who hadn't quite been expecting us but still instantly gave up all his plans for the afternoon to hang out with us and show us some sights. These included quite a few churches, in which we all have an interest (his somewhat more professional than ours, admittedly). Here's a shot of Westminster Abbey, showing the door over which have been carved statues of a number of 20th-century martyrs (in case you're wondering, they're of a wide variety of ethnic groups and Christian denominations):



We also had a good old look at the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben (and you can see the London Eye in the background):



Plus, it must be said that wherever you start walking in either Westminster or the City, you're absolutely bound to find things of interest to your inner historian, your inner artist, or just your plain old inner geek.

Today we took up again the Geek Trail, and stopped by King's Cross, where Margaret just couldn't hold herself back from her lifelong desire to go to Hogwarts:



After that, we went to the South Bank (historical and spiritual home of hack playwrights such as myself) to meet up with a friend (not the friend from yesterday, but another friend — an embarrassment of riches, no?) and we walked around a bit and stuck our heads in at the Tate Gallery, before making our way to THE GLOBE!!!



Okay, I'm fully aware that it's a reconstruction and not even on the actual site of the actual Globe. But it was still cool. We had a somewhat scattered but very enthusiastic docent who told us quite a bit. For me, the experience was only improved by watching the techies bump in a new production while she talked — a bit of a reminder that theatre is a timeless art!



There was a fantastic exhibition as well, and all up it was a blissfully geeky afternoon.

You know, the more I've been travelling around the UK, the more I've been struck — for some reason, to a greater degree on this visit than on others — by the extent to which England really is the source of so much that I claim (and revel in) as my culture. There's so much of what I value, how I organize my thoughts, even how I use the beautiful and powerful English language, that comes directly from England and English history. There's even more that comes to me indirectly, through the American and Australian histories and experiences, that can still be traced back to England. Maybe it's the feng shui of the place or something, but this infusion of energy into the human story that England provides really is unique and potent, and more than a little overwhelming.

9/21/2008

In other news....

I am deeply flattered that my friend Jasoni has bestowed on me an "I love this blog" award:



He wrote of my blog, "I really love her blog! It was one of the first ones I ever read, and Laura has a great mix of writing news, goings on in SF, adventures with her family and travel, and just whacky stuff. It is a great way of keeping up with this very clever and talented writer, who is just starting to achieve her goals. She's awesome :-) Her writing entries have this habit of spreading contagious motivation." (Heavens!)

And, according to the rules*, here are my seven (ordinarily I'd just tag Jasoni right back, but that would be silly. (Note: there are tons of blogs I love, but I had to narrow it, so I also considered frequency of updating, subject matter, etc.):

Peter M. Ball: a man with a true gift for writing. Plus, he is interested in, and writes about, many things very different from me, and it's always good to get a unique point of view from an intelligent and rather alarmingly talented writer.

Jess Irwin: another fabulous writer, who can always come up with a deft phrase that changes your whole perspective. She's a ripper graphic designer, too.

Chard Nelson: Chard has a breadth of interests and a depth of understanding that are seldom (if ever) found together. And he's a bloody good writer, as well.

Food History, by Gillian Pollack: The blog's tagline is, "She knows where your food has been." Need I say more?

Cat Sparks: as an observer (not to mention a creator) of popular culture, Cat is unparalleled.

Houston Dunleavy: Want to know more about music, life, and how they intersect? Check out Houston's blog. He's my husband, but that in no way should deter you from checking out his blog.

Michelle O'Neil: Michelle's descriptions of life in her unconventional family are by turns hilarious and heart-rending. This woman has talent.

Lajos Hamers: A new blog that is tracking the progress and foibles of a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream involving a joint company of able-bodied and special-needs actors. Lajos, too, is a good writer.

Okay, so there are eight. Sue me.

*Here are the rules:

1)Add the logo of your award to your blog
2)Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3)Nominate at least seven other blogs
4)Add links to those blogs on your blogs
5)Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

The Hound of the Geekervilles (woof!)

Today's stop on the Geek's Tour of Britain (and Ireland): The Sherlock Holmes Museum! And yes, YES, it IS at 221B Baker Street!!!!!

We hadn't set out to find it per se, but we did emerge from Baker Street Station to see this:



This was the indication that something was afoot! The keen-eyed Houston soon spotted the sign for the museum, and we picked up its trail with the help of a kind but mysterious concierge in an opulent hotel, who gave us a map inscribed with cryptic directions. Just as we reached the end of Baker Street, there it was! Our footsteps quickened, and we hastened eagerly to the door:



Once inside, a veritable trove of Victoriana and some dashedly clever recreations and depictions of Holmesiana were spread out before us. We trod, marveling, up stairs and from room to room, each completely filled with items mentioned in the Canon:



There was even, preserved carefully under glass, the monogram of Her Majesty that Holmes (in one of his less lucid moments — curse the seven percent solution!) had shot in the wall of the study:



How thrilling, to walk in the footsteps of the great Holmes, and his brave and talented companion, the writer-physician Watson! How inspiring was the day, and how it filled me with renewed zeal for my craft: if I can, in some measure, bring joy to readers such as I have gained from the stories of the Great Detective, I shall consider my humble self to be successful far beyond my deserts.

For more information about the Great Detective, his creator, and the geeks who love them both, see Sherlockian.net.

9/19/2008

There is no escape from geekiness.

The past week has been a giddy whirl from one effusive and welcoming relative to another. They couldn't do enough for us, from insisting we check our email (something I deeply appreciated, as I'm waiting for a document from a client who can't seem to tell me with any certainty when it will arrive) to feeding us lavish meals and plying us with cake and tea. Not to mention giving us beds to sleep in.

We did squeeze in a bit of tourism, and geeky tourism at that, along the way, though. For instance, we spent a day in Belfast. We started the day at the Linen Hall Library, founded in 1788 and quite gorgeous to look at:




We wandered around looking at ornate Victorian buildings, busy streets, and sparkling new shopping malls (Margaret decided to splurge on the aerial view from the giant Ferris wheel that Belfast now glories in). Houston was a bit dazed at the magnitude of the change from the Belfast of his childhood. What had once been a grimy, miserable, literal war zone full of terrified and furtive people has become a buzzing city where people have the emotional and economic resources to once again enjoy a bit of whimsy:




There's also a massive performing-arts center (a mark of health for any city). Here's Margaret on the waterfront next to it:




On our way back to Ballymena, we stopped to look at St. Anne's Cathedral, which boasts an edifice that ranks as one of the most horrific examples of ecclesiastical architecture I've ever seen:




It was so excessive that I thought at first it was Catholic — but no! Research reveals that it is Church of Ireland (i.e., Anglican)! Whaddaya know: Catholics do not have a monopoly on this sort of thing. I do not know whether I find that comforting or alarming.

The Geek Factor for that day was provided by a visit to the Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen's University, Belfast, where a colleague of Houston's showed us around all the incredibly geeky sound labs and performance spaces. I got about a dozen ideas for stories in the process.

We also spent a few hours in Dublin during the days spent en route to and from the North. We refused to pay what they were asking to go into the Viking Museum and the cathedral, but at least taking funny photos was free.




Houston (and, by extension, Margaret) is descended from Vikings. You can tell it's bred true, can't you?

On our second day in Dublin (and our last in either of the Irelands), we had a coffee and a nice chat with another relative, which was a lovely way to while away part of an afternoon.

We also wandered around the almost unbearably picturesque and quaint Temple Bar area, and vowed to return at more leisure.




But the highlight of the day, and one that definitely qualifies it as a stop on the Geek's Tour of Britain (and Ireland), was seeing the Book of Kells, something I've wanted to do all my life. They prohibit photo-taking, as a few careless flashes can make a thousand-year-old manuscript feel mighty sick mighty quick; plus, they'd sell fewer postcards in the shop. Anyway, there's lots of information about it on the Internet, so I'll leave it to you to go look for photos.

They can't show more than a few pages, of course, but those they do show are jaw-droppingly beautiful. And there's a really good interpretive exhibit built around it. And just to up the Geek Factor, you emerge from the exhibit into the Long Room, which is every book weenie's idea of heaven.

I will leave you with a poem (printed in the exhibit brochure), which was written — originally in Latin, presumably — by a ninth-century Irish monk living in Switzerland:

Pangur Bán

I and Pangur Bán my cat
'Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.

Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill will —
He too plies his simple skill.

Oftentimes a mouse will stray
In the hero Pangur's way;
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.

'Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
'Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.

Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade;
I get wisdom day and night,
Turning darkness into light.

9/15/2008

I don't come from a big family.

But my husband does. There are dozens and dozens and dozens of them, and we've been spending our time in Northern Ireland visiting a fair few of them. This is no hardship, because they've all been extraordinarily kind and welcoming and I'm gaining weight and developing the ability to consume several gallons of tea a day. There's something to be said for being part of a big (huge) extended family.

9/11/2008

I am not a number!



Today's geekfest was a visit to Portmeirion, icon of individuality in all its forms. Houston points out in his blog that the show The Prisoner was all about individuality, and that the architect of Portmeirion would probably have applauded that. (Since he was alive at the time The Prisoner was filmed in his beloved village, I think we can assume his support for its ideas.)

I will confess to being a Prisoner tragic. I love the series, I watched it whenever it was broadcast on PBS in my youth, and I can't imagine why I haven't saved up the money to buy the set. (Maybe if I get a few good editing gigs this year, I can remedy that.) It was a serious kick to walk around the Village and match what I was seeing with images remembered (and half-remembered) from the show. The estuary was in perfect "Where's Rover" mode, and when the breeze picked up, I was halfway expecting to see the Evil Fitball emerge from the incoming tidewater and chase me across the sand.

Here are some photos:









After Portmeirion we stopped in a pub for lunch. And we saw — Jasoni, I know you're going to want to snurch this for your blog — this:



On tap, yet! (The words "Chilled, Creamy" appear, rather disturbingly, above "BRAINS".) The Zombie Apocalypse is even now among us! Trust no-one!

Finally, we returned through stunning Welsh scenery to our B&B in Betws-y-Coed. It's a beautiful little village of stone buildings on either side of an alarmingly narrow road that runs parallel to the River Conwy. A few hundred yards from the B&B is this (I'm a sucker for waterfalls):



Tomorrow we drive south to take the ferry to Ireland. (I'm a sucker for ferries, too.) No geek stops for the next few days, as we'll be spending most of the time with family, whom we haven't seen since Margaret was very little. I expect she'll get quite tired of hearing how she's grown....

9/10/2008

Today's stops on the Geek's Tour of Britain.

Yesterday was a dead loss when it came to geekdom. We stayed in a worse-than-mediocre hotel and left it this morning as soon as we could manage.

Today, though! Ah, today was great in the annals of Dunleavy-Goodin family geekdom!

We started out with a trip to Stonehenge:



Margaret took this fantastic shot:



While we were walking around, we noticed a film crew working. The talent (the guy who was talking to camera) looked familiar. Increasingly familiar. We all recognized him at roughly the same moment: Tony Robinson, who has achieved no small amount of fame for his work in the Blackadder series, Time Team, and The Worst Jobs in History. Yes. That Tony Robinson. Here's as close as I got:



But I really, really had to pee, and so I missed this:



So that was pretty geeky all right, but I must enjoy it vicariously, alas.

Next leg was a drive up to North Wales. On the way, though, we stopped at Wells, which is the town in which Hot Fuzz was filmed (I'd give you the movie site rather than the Wikipedia site, but when it loads there are a lot of loud gunshot sounds and who needs a surprise like that?):


(Picture Simon Pegg riding along this street on a big, white horse.)

But that's not all Wells has to offer. There is the Bishop's Palace, which is guarded by a gatehouse and wall and surrounded by a real, live moat.



There's also the shockingly old and extremely fascinating Cathedral, which they were charging £3 for a photo license to photograph so you'll just have to go to the Wiki page to see it. It's got a 600-year-old mechanical clock with jousting knights going round and round at each quarter-hour, knocking each other over. Yes! But one of the most interesting (and rather sad) things of all was the Penniless Porch, built around 1450 and used right up to today as a place for beggars to shelter and ask for alms. How do I know? There was a beggar there today. Sitting in Penniless Porch. Asking for alms. Some say humanity has progressed over the centuries. I'm never quite as certain as all that, myself.

The rest of the day was spent on the drive up to Betws-y-Coed in North Wales, our base for the next two nights. Tomorrow we're planning to go to Portmeirion, where the iconic cult television series The Prisoner was filmed. This is just the apotheosis of geekdom, that's all. I can't wait!