(no subject)
The long-promised snow finally hit New York. The view from my window is under the cut, but suffice it to say: brrrrrr; and *boing* (worse than the cold it looks slippery).
They're promising up to two feet here but I got groceries delivered earlier so I'm well set to stay inside for a day or two. The Kid is up in Boston which is forecast to get hit even worse. But she also has her own Instacart order so shouldn't have to venture out even to the cafeteria if she doesn't want to. It's a good weekend to stay in and chill out. There's the only rub: it's costing me a weekend, and I was looking forward to getting out and having a bit of fun, even if just a movie or a sit-down meal at a restaurant. That doesn't seem in the cards. But I'm mentally a bit worn out anyway (nothing horrible, just too much work and stress and not enough fun and sleep), so maybe being compelled to stay in isn't the worst thing.
The big news in Minas Marta lately is I got a new laptop. It's clunky and heavy but with a case meant to last: good quality keyboard, strong screen hinges, all that. Which means it's taking some getting used to but ultimately I think it will handle the rough handling I put my machines through. In a typical move I renamed it something Tolkien, but in a less-typical step I reached for the First Age. One of those alternate elf-names I always found a bit offputting in Silmfic because it seemed a bit excluding (probably unintentionally): Makalaure.
What's this all about? For those of you not on Tumblr (which is all of you), I recently was musing about Maglor in LOTR-era Rivendell, being utterly raucous and uncouth after centuries spent traipsing through the wilds; and maybe having a hand in writing BIlbo's unfortunate Earendil song. It was a passing thought, but then someone made a (to my mind) unfair criticism that Maglor was a murderer so should we really imagine him having that domestic afterlife with Elrond of all people. Which just gave me the opportunity to dig a bit deeper into his story. (You can read the exchange here, if you're interested.) The bottom line, though, is I'm reminded that I like morally complicated characters with a good core buried very deep down that makes them still redemption-worthy, even if all the layers on top of that makes them redemption-difficult; there's the challenge, I guess. And while Maglor was never someone I thought a whole lot about, now that I have, he's kind of grabbed my readerly sympathies by the throat.
It makes me want to dust off that WIP about Maglor's and Maedhros's "fostering" of Elrond and Elros. Not promising anything. I'm still not sure I have the courage to not be all wishy-washy with a difficult story, but I'm feeling more driven to give it a try. Certainly it has me privately imagining quite a lot about him. But that's where my head is, and so that's the name my new machine demanded for itself.
Anywho. Stay warm and safe if you're affected by this latest storm.
They're promising up to two feet here but I got groceries delivered earlier so I'm well set to stay inside for a day or two. The Kid is up in Boston which is forecast to get hit even worse. But she also has her own Instacart order so shouldn't have to venture out even to the cafeteria if she doesn't want to. It's a good weekend to stay in and chill out. There's the only rub: it's costing me a weekend, and I was looking forward to getting out and having a bit of fun, even if just a movie or a sit-down meal at a restaurant. That doesn't seem in the cards. But I'm mentally a bit worn out anyway (nothing horrible, just too much work and stress and not enough fun and sleep), so maybe being compelled to stay in isn't the worst thing.
The big news in Minas Marta lately is I got a new laptop. It's clunky and heavy but with a case meant to last: good quality keyboard, strong screen hinges, all that. Which means it's taking some getting used to but ultimately I think it will handle the rough handling I put my machines through. In a typical move I renamed it something Tolkien, but in a less-typical step I reached for the First Age. One of those alternate elf-names I always found a bit offputting in Silmfic because it seemed a bit excluding (probably unintentionally): Makalaure.
What's this all about? For those of you not on Tumblr (which is all of you), I recently was musing about Maglor in LOTR-era Rivendell, being utterly raucous and uncouth after centuries spent traipsing through the wilds; and maybe having a hand in writing BIlbo's unfortunate Earendil song. It was a passing thought, but then someone made a (to my mind) unfair criticism that Maglor was a murderer so should we really imagine him having that domestic afterlife with Elrond of all people. Which just gave me the opportunity to dig a bit deeper into his story. (You can read the exchange here, if you're interested.) The bottom line, though, is I'm reminded that I like morally complicated characters with a good core buried very deep down that makes them still redemption-worthy, even if all the layers on top of that makes them redemption-difficult; there's the challenge, I guess. And while Maglor was never someone I thought a whole lot about, now that I have, he's kind of grabbed my readerly sympathies by the throat.
It makes me want to dust off that WIP about Maglor's and Maedhros's "fostering" of Elrond and Elros. Not promising anything. I'm still not sure I have the courage to not be all wishy-washy with a difficult story, but I'm feeling more driven to give it a try. Certainly it has me privately imagining quite a lot about him. But that's where my head is, and so that's the name my new machine demanded for itself.
Anywho. Stay warm and safe if you're affected by this latest storm.