A Mother of a Housekeeper

All blogs are subject to what is known as link rot, i.e., a linked page goes away and the reader hits “404 Not Found” when the link is clicked. Site owners HATE THIS, and I’m no exception. I try to stay on top of it by various methods. There are apps that can be run to check, and this helps. But I haven’t found one that is 100% accurate, so I still have to check manually. I usually do this as a result of people accessing old pages. That was the case this evening when I happen to notice a very old post was being read. Of course I went over to read it too and discovered to my dismay that the site I had linked no longer exists. But thankfully, this site was cached (copies of the webpages saved) by the Internet Archive, also commonly known as The WayBack Machine. I actually send these people money because they’re preserving a precious part of the web. They preserve some trash too, but hey, as long as I can find most of the precious stuff among the trash, then I’m cool with however they keep house!

And this evening, I’m so grateful for them as I would not have been able to so easily keep this post current and pleasurable.

Enjoy! and maybe say a word or two of encouragement to the folks at the Internet Archive. A couple of dollars doesn’t hurt either.

One last thing. If you notice any of my links have rotted, would you send me a note! Thanks. :D

Now back to what I was doing, which is trying to finish an interview piece.

April 15, 2012
Categories: Geek, Housekeeping . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

The Hobbit Audio Book II

I’ve been thinking Harper Collins is “the powers that be.”  This was my thought yesterday before posting, but I wanted to cover all the bases.  Given the fact they’ve acquired the book rights, I can’t imagine they neglected to obtain rights to the audio book.


April 14, 2011

Attn: Audio Book Procurers
Harper Collins Publishing

Re: The reading of The Hobbit for release in conjunction with ‘The Hobbit’ movies

Dear Sirs or Madams:

Since my last letter to you, I realized I may have been unfair in assuming your interests are purely pecuniary. So I come with an appeal to your humanitarian inclinations, your desire for the greater good.  The beauty of this proposal is it will not only create goodwill of the humanitarian kind, but it will make some so lighthearted and free that their purse strings will be opened wide — among other things.

Do you know what happens to women when Richard Armitage speaks? I will be happy to educate. He’s been known to make them write verse and fantasies, draw and paint pictures, create masterful videos, obviously take up blogging, but most notable has been his ability to make ovaries explode.  Hopefully, I don’t need to put a fine point on that. Suffice to say he puts women in a good mood, and in case it’s not clear by my presence here, he is an addiction and we must get our fix. Yes, I admit that’s what this letter is really about.   We need our fix and would love it if The Hobbit were available to help. Just think what this would do for the greater good to have that many smiling women.

In the meantime, I will be happy to send you samples of Richard’s work. This would be for the Madams since it would probably be lost on you Sirs.

Thank you for considering, and I am sure all of the significant others would thank you as well.

Sincerely,
One of Richard’s fans who hopes you realize I’m teasing — unless you’re seriously considering!

P.S. Pssst, if you are already locked into someone else reading, could you get Richard for something else?  We just want to hear him read.  May I suggest this book which is in the public domain.

cc:

Peter Jackson
United Agents
The Addict List

This one gets the public service tag.

April 14, 2012
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit, Voice Work . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

The Hobbit Audio Book

Talk at TheOneRing about the book ties-ins to ‘The Hobbit’ has trebled my passion for Richard Armitage to read the book! But I fear it will never happen. More than likely the contracts have been signed, and Peter Jackson, or Harper Collins or Middle-Earth Enterprises, or whoever is considered “the powers that be” have selected a more well-known reader. I so want to be wrong about this, but my infernal gut is rather dismal today. So this post is a vent. Or maybe I’m looking for someone with a positive outlook.

If it would make a difference, I would raise an issue on an LOTR site or two. I suspect they would probably dismiss me as nothing but a rabid fan with little or no objectivity. And to that I would ask: have you listened to the man’s voice?!

Oh well, in lieu of pestering the Tolkien fans, maybe a fake fan letter to alleviate my angst?

Dear Sir Peter or Harper Collins or MEE, Anyone with any sense:

The thought of Richard Armitage reading The Hobbit is sheer bliss only to be exceeded by the thought of his reading North and South…………………. Oh, sorry, I blacked out for a moment. Ahem. You really need to know that every book he’s read is wonderful. I may sound like a silly fan who would be happy with his reading of the phone book, but you would be wrong. On second thought, you might be right since I would be willing to pay money to hear that. You read that right. I would pay bucks for that. There might be a few others who feel the same. :D

And you do know more women buy books than men? I’ll give some documentation if you need it. Somehow I think you already know this. But more than that, have you heard the man reading a book? Then what are you waiting for? He is perfect. Yes, I know what I’m talking about, and someone is going to eventually cash in. Why not you and why not now?

Thank you for considering,
One of Richard’s fans who knows what women like and would love to help you make some money more money.

P.S. I realize you may not be the bottom line, Sir Peter, but hope you have some influence in this matter or at the least could have Richard reading some phone book entries in the next vlog. ;-) Surely that wouldn’t violate any contracts or anyone’s privacy — especially if the names are fake. Hmmm. My mind is flooding with the possibilities. Really, I don’t care what you have him say. Just let him say something in the next video!
P.P.S I’ve never written a post script so long, but hell, this is worth it.

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of listening to Richard Armitage’s audio work, I have several samples in my FanstRAvaganza pieces from last year including RA doing American, and you can find additional excerpts here and here.

Also, I still have a little stockpile of audiobooks to give away. Some are courtesy of the BBC, and I have to say again how much I appreciate that! Need to get on the giveaway since SO keeps wondering why they’ve been on his desk for over a year.

Note: the wrap-up piece I promised is coming. Since that may be the most important writing I publish on this blog, I want to get it right.

April 13, 2012
Categories: Movies, SO, The Hobbit, Voice Work . Tags: , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 49 Comments

A Sticky Wicket

It’s been two years and a few days since I started this blog, which has been so much fun and hopefully can continue. Before I resume, there is something I need to address to dispel any confusion about where I stand on a particular issue. I was hoping this would go away, but that’s not happening, and the reason to address it is now manifold: I was not able to clarify myself elsewhere due to the closing of comments, I have received a significant amount of email and private messages and been replying to it individually which is outpacing my ability to keep up, and I want my position on record for future readers.

The lay of the land shifted a bit in RA blogosphere when another blogger decided to publish a real person fic featuring herself and Richard Armitage. She has said the nature of it may be graphic. Not one cell in my body desires to read that, and really, I wouldn’t want to read it no matter if Richard Armitage were the other person or if it were someone else. This has little to do with him being a celebrity and everything to do with the fact he is a real person, and the blogger is a real person, and further that I’ve counted her a friend. I don’t want to read about a friend’s sexual encounters. It’s too personal and not for me to know even if it is supposed to be a metaphor. The presence of a real person makes the sexual encounter (real or imagined) obliterate the story.

I have said I do not believe in censorship, and I don’t. Plus, I have no authority nor do I want any in order to tell her what she should and should not write. However, I do believe in discretion. I also feel very protective of the blogger and hate to see this kind of emotional vulnerability to a general public that does not really care about her, and I believe these pieces will just bring confusion to most who read them in addition to being disrespectful to the other person in the fic who is not there willingly. It may be the ultimate objectification of Richard Armitage.

The real shame to me is all of the brilliant and creative things she’s written could be eclipsed for the general public.

I love the blogger in question, and I’m not going to turn my back on her, but I hate the feeling that these writings mar the fun and rewarding things we’ve done almost as if being dragged down into some mud and everything becoming coated with it.

Closing comment as of April 14, 2012:

In the interest of not bringing more attention to this particular situation, I’m placing my closing remarks on the discussion which ensued as this edit instead of as another post.

I had a lengthy post written to explain my viewpoint and to address all of the questions. It was written fairly tightly. But it was written to persuade, and I just don’t want to argue. It’s enough to say I love creativity and more often than not err on the side of being very liberal about it but have a personal boundary. Obviously, the boundary was crossed with the fiction. The misunderstanding about my support of it and the concern about the author prompted me to post this piece. Hopefully, the sequence of events is finally clear to most of you. As to Richard Armitage, this isn’t so much about him as it’s about what I deem a matter of respect toward anyone — including the author. Of course we can agree to disagree on all of this, and that’s how I’m thinking of it. This is all I have to say on it for now. Best to all of you; I’m moving on.

April 8, 2012
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 135 Comments

Here We Go!

Into year three of this blog. Will I make it to the end? Who knows?! I surely don’t, but wherever I’m going, I hope you come along.

And I’m still having fun even when I look like a complete fool. Be sure to listen to this one to the end. :D

Are you grinning?

No statistics this year. Let’s just say that despite my near hiatus in the fall, I wrote some more posts, a lot more of you were kind enough to give me some love by reading, and I’m more addicted to the experience. Hope you are too. Let’s have some more fun!

April 5, 2012
Categories: Fanvids . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 26 Comments

Is It Possible Not to Fantasize Sexually About Richard Armitage?

Perhaps I am misreading, but I often get the feeling there is this belief that people who do not have sexual fantasies of Richard Armitage are somehow unhealthy or dishonest since everyone must have sexual fantasies of him. I’ve stated several times that I do not have sexual fantasies of him. Sometimes that’s met with good natured scoffing and sometimes it’s met with outright disbelief. Seldom is it met with agreement — unless in email. It seems to me (which means I could be wrong) that there is little public agreement with me because people do not want to be judged as sexually repressed. I’m sorry that dynamic has occurred, i.e., that people are muted by a fear of being labeled. So I come with this post to hopefully alter the dynamics such that someone can share freely about whatever they think on this topic.

Here’s why I don’t have sexual fantasies about Richard Armitage. I choose not to have them. From early childhood I’ve had a very active and vivid imagination. My family and close friends have often remarked on it. There is also a person with whom I am sexually connected. I adore him as my love and the father of my four children, and remain faithful to him not only physically but in the most important of places — my mind. If I were to let myself have a sexual fantasy of someone other than him, it would be an unhealthy distraction for me because I think I would become attached to someone who was featured in my sexual fantasies. This is one reason I tamped down my imagination for so many years. I knew its power to enslave me. Thankfully, I’ve been coming to a place where I could tap into its wonders without it submerging most everything of value to me. For that I give God credit.

So what am I about here? Besides liking to joke around, I am fascinated with the human condition which includes Richard Armitage’s portrayals of such, my own reactions to that and the reactions of others.

Okay, I have now shared what I think and hope the balance of my blog pieces have made it clear someone does not have to agree with my thinking on this to have a conversation. None of us are exactly alike, and I appreciate that.

April 3, 2012
Categories: Fandom, SO . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 55 Comments

A Rabid Fan?

I didn’t capitalize the A in rabid, but I’m sure some of you already saw it as a capital, or it jarred you that it wasn’t. No, this isn’t a piece about the grammatical odyssey of being a Richard Armitage fan. But I am going to talk about something that hits me from time to time like a little slap in the face.

Being intensely curious about every cussed thing, it was only natural that I started reading the New Zealand newspapers, and I feel certain I will read them long after RA has departed from the Kiwis. In the meantime, I am affected strongly when I read there has been a plane crash near Auckland. My immediate response, “Oh no, I hope it wasn’t Richard, or anyone associated with the movie!” That isn’t me. Normally I would feel for the people involved, probably say an earnest prayer for their loved ones, and then move on. But the visceral response startled me, and the few times it’s happened have bugged me. I make a lot of jokes about being up the CWS, but an almost knee jerk reaction like this bothers me a little.

I guess the point of this post is personal therapy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not super worried about my behavior. If I were, I probably would never admit this. But I am curious enough about it to examine myself and publicly.

It could just be that I’ve been surrounded by so much death the last several years that I’ve become jumpy. And my encounters with it just never seem to stop. A few days ago I found out a good friend of mine has about a month to live. I went to see her yesterday, and thankfully, it was a wonderful visit. She is off of all of her treatments and is only on a little bit of morphine. Her alertness was a bit stunning, and she and I and SO had a great chat. When we stood up to leave her, he did something he never does. He said to her, “Can I give you a kiss?” and then he bent down and hugged her a bit and kissed her temple.

On the way out, I said, “I have never seen you do that before. What prompted you?”

“She’s the kind of person who can receive a kiss like that — a gesture of love from a friend. Besides, you know I’ve always been a big fan of hers.”

Yeah, I knew that. I’ve been a fan too, and I’m going to miss her terribly. I also feel for the loved ones of whomever died in that plane crash. It hurts to lose someone you care about.

April 1, 2012
Categories: SO . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

Eat the Fake Dye or the Bugs Get It

March 30, 2012

Update at the bottom.

Oh yeah, it’s a tangent.

The other day my eleven year old and I were out for what she calls “a Big Day.” This involves special things and special places like hiking up one of our favorite trails or going to the zoo, or going to a movie or any number of things that allow us to spend some quality time together doing something we love. Whatever we do, it almost always means a trip to Starbucks. She loves the Strawberries and Creme Frappucino, and I just like strong coffee. But when we sat down to enjoy our drinks, a strong strawberry smell wafted into my nostrils, and I commented to her how much more strawberry it smelled than ever before and maybe the baristas treated her to some extra “juice”? Now I’m wondering exactly what made it so pungent.

Starbucks, in an attempt to please their customers who desire that all of their ingredients come from natural sources, has changed from a synthetic red dye for some of their items to cochineal which is made up of ground insects by the same name. This was irritating to learn. I had already salved my conscience with the thought my daughter consumes synthetic red dye only on occasion, and now I had to learn about this bug! I went in search of information on the cochineal. Ohmygosh, who knew so much was written about it?! And really, I could have gone the rest of my life not knowing, but since I do, well, I’m just curious as hell about everything that comes into my path, so now I’m following this blog.

The Culprit

But my concerns are piddly compared to the vegans. They are up in arms about the approximately 70,000 cochineal that are sacrificed for one pound of dye. Horrors! I have no idea if this is true, and I don’t care, but you can see the supposed statistic here. Which makes me wonder, “What do these people do all day that they have time to ponder this crap?!”

Psst: I would hate for feminist to find out that these are female cochineal.

Do you think Richard Armitage might be a vegan? NOoooooo, he likes food too much, and he did mention the turkey. :D

Update: So Starbucks caved to the vegan pressure, and in so doing hurt the economy in some parts of Africa. See Bug Girl’s post.

March 30, 2012
Categories: Tangents . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 13 Comments

Mining Gold

Last post about my reading of this year’s FanstRAvaganza.

Many times I’m tempted to turn serious on this blog. The few times I have are unsatisfying because I lack skills, but I press on, and one of the things that inspires me to do so is the rich application of Servetus’ skills to her pieces. I’ve often thought how rewarding it would be to be one of her students, and in a way I am already. Certainly when she deigns to share something of how she does what she does (scroll down to ‘Another Kind of Creativity’), I listen.

Once you’ve read that piece, go on and read the rest: the insinuation of North and South into her classroom, illusions of Richard III, the assessment of RichardArmitageOnline as a great site, the discussion of Guy’s durability, and the two interviews with fans.

All serve as a reminder that with a little investment of time, we’re getting what others are paying big bucks to receive.

March 29, 2012
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

Who’s Your Boyfriend?

December is going to be here soon. You think I’m nuts? Try processing that Christmas happened over three months ago. Feels like two weeks to me, and if I wait another two weeks, it will be Thanksgiving. That means I need to start getting ready now for ‘The Hobbit’ premiere. I think The Queen and I are going to try to go to NYC for this, but that’s not what this post is about.

You all know how much I love librarians. They hold a special place in my heart and especially sassy librarians, who I waxed on about here, and I’m going to do it again today. But for a very good cause! Richard Armitage is our fantasy boyfriend, and Meg Wood, the sassy librarian in question, runs a blog about fantasy boyfriends. Meg is busy. She’s a librarian at the University of Washington, runs the Boyfriend of the Week blog, her book/movie review blog, supports various noble causes (no, I’m not being snarky), and has a boyfriend of her own. So I’m putting in my bid now for a piece from her oh, sometime between December 15th and February 3rd, 2013. I’ll even pay for her movie ticket. Maybe I’ll throw in dinner as well if Meg will go on the hook for a boyfriend piece about Richard.

This shouldn’t be too difficult since she’s done it before. But that was six years ago and will be almost seven by ‘The Hobbit’ release. It’s time for another one. And if she’s wondering about other background information (DVDs, video clips, interviews or whatever) on RA to catch her up on the last several years of his career, I’m sure some of us can scratch up something for her. :D

It’s Wednesday evening, and I was going to wait until Friday night to publish. That seemed to fit better with the boyfriend theme. But I’m hoping Meg’s not busy on a Wednesday night.

So what say you, Meg? Dinner and a movie for a comparison of RA against your man?

March 28, 2012
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 13 Comments

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