Seize the Stars

Not much to post about- been shockingly unproductive lately. (Though I did go to see My Fair Lady at the Lyric Opera a second time before it closed! It was even better the second time, and it's now unquestionably my favorite show I've ever seen. If only it had been filmed!! I'd watch it all the time. Ugh, I just love it soooo much!! *starts humming 'I Could Have Danced All Night'*)

I'm slightly questioning whether I'll go to this year's Doctor Who convention- I did already buy tickets, but you can still transfer them to someone else. I had intended to compete in the Masquerade, since there's no guests I want pics or autographs from this year, so I would have time to go to all the rehearsals and whatnot, but I'm having a devil of a time finding a pattern to use for the cosplay I wanted to do. I have all the fabric and accessories for Tegan's Victorian ballgown from 'Enlightenment', but when I made a muslin of the bodice pattern I planned to use (Laughing Moon 1890s bodice)- it did not fit AT ALL. So I'm back to square one, and not terribly enthused about it, and if I don't compete in the Masquerade, I don't know if it's worth it to go. :/

Nearing the end of my Classic Who watch-a-thon though! I've had to go somewhat out of order out of necessity, so I just watched Romana II's last ep and Sarah Jane's last back to back. ( Whovian musings under cut )

So now I have only six more serials left to watch before I'll have seen every Classic Who story!! It's been more than four years since I started; it's going to be strange not to have 'new' old Who to watch. But then of course, there's always Big Finish. I bought the rest of Eight & Charley's stories last time they had a sale, so I've got quite a lot to listen to. There's not really any such thing as being 'done' where Doctor Who is concerned, lol.

Here is the new masterpost for my second prompt table originally claimed on LJ and now transferred to the Dreamwidth side of the comm at who_allsorts:

First Doctor Era: 15 prompts - Poetry Randomiser

#01 Writing by candlelight	#02 – A silken dress	#03 – Too long shut in	#04 – Where are you leading me	#05 – In ferocious cold
#06 – Beating wings	#07 – I dare not move	#08 – I had a dream	#09 – Put off that mask	#10 – The scene is set
#11 – And the sudden light	#12 – Enchantment was undone	#13 - The dust of a kiss	#14 - A gallant flower	#15 - All in war with Time

Random updating returns! For a start, it's my birthday today, and I feel rather ill, but I'm determined to go out and get an ice cream sundae later and try to have some fun and not feel too depressed that I'm another year older. It feels a little anti-climactic to have my actual birthday a few days after my birthday party, but I've got a rehearsal tonight, and a couple of my friends are in the show, so at least I'll get to see them and that's nice. And anyway, last week I went to hear Chad & Jeremy (1960s British folk duo) live in concert as my early birthday present to myself, which was amazing and so much fun, so I really can't complain. (They're just as good now as they were in 1964. They're very funny in person, and they've even branched out into blues-ier songs as well, which they're equally adept at. But hearing their classics like 'A Summer Song', 'Willow Weep for Me' and 'Distant Shores' live was just magical. And I got to chat with them when they signed my poster! Not many 60s bands a girl my age can say that about!)

So as mentioned above, rehearsals for this year's holiday panto have started. We're doing the Wizard of Oz, and it's good silly fun. I don't think I quite have my stage manager organizational brain capabilities 100% back yet, but hopefully it'll come to me soon!

Amidst lists and script changes and rehearsals I don't have much time for other projects, but I'm chugging along with my sewing- my brown Steampunk jacket for TeslaCon is ready to be sewn together, or at least seems to be- it's a Simplicity pattern, so I don't trust it one bit, but the muslin mock-up didn't have any problems, so I'm keeping fingers crossed it'll behave as well in the cotton twill fashion fabric.

Been randomly watching Classic Who. I got very bored once Harry left, though! I don't know what it is that makes my brain turn off the minute it's only the Doctor and Sarah Jane in the TARDIS, and I feel like a bad fan for it, but idk. I just couldn't keep awake during 'Planet of Evil' or 'Pyramids of Mars' even though everyone says they're some of the best. Maybe it's the definite shift from the 'team tardis' dynamic to the 'doctor and sidekick' dynamic that I find off-putting. But I'll continue to watch because it's Doctor Who and I'm so close to finishing the classic series! (And also I've been procrastinating by listening to Big Finish in between TV serials- oops! I should really give all the Big finish stories proper reviews someday when I'm less busy.)

Anyway, that's all for now and I should get some sleep. LOL that would be the best birthday present of all!

Costume Con is two weeks away and I really need to get my dresses done! The only outfit I actually have completed is my 1898 summer suit. I have about half the work still to go on the bustle dresses, and I think only two of them will get done. I've decided to do all the same era so that I would have less new undergarments to make- the 1870 crinolette bustle has a lovely silhouette, and is my personal favorite, so I went with that, but I hadn't anticipated how impossible it is to sit down in one of those things! I'm quite worried about what a nightmare it'll be to wear at the convention, but I've committed to it, so no going back now! I feel slightly guilty about using slubbed silk though, since it's not period, but I'm far too broke to afford silk taffeta at the moment, and the day dress I'm making is inspired by a vintage hat I own and plan to wear with it, and I already had some dupioni silk in my stash that was the exact matching colors, so free and matching trumps expensive and historically accurate in this case. It's all for fun anyway, and I hope I won't encounter any of the sort of costumers who'd look down on someone for something like that.

(Some references to what I'm talking about for anyone not steeped in 19th century fashion: the day dress I'm making is based on this dress from the Mint Museum:)
http://www.mintmuseum.org/?open_collection=%2Fresources%2Fcollection-database%2Fitem%2F2005.36.1A-E%2Fafternoon-ensemble-bodice-skirt-overskirt-coat-unfinished-2nd-bodice%2F

Fandom-wise, I've at least had the opportunity to listen to lots of Big Finish Doctor Who stories while I cut out fabric- more than I can properly review here right now, but I just heard 'The Companion Chronicles: The Last Post' today and absolutely adored it. I liked Liz's mum and think they're great together, and it was a clever story, how it was woven through all of the serials of season 7. I guess it was Caroline John's last time playing Liz, too, which I didn't realize till I looked inside the CD booklet after it was over, and it's a good thing I didn't know while I was listening, because I would have been very sad! I love Liz so much, and we're so lucky we get to have a few more stories with her because of Big Finish. Bless Big Finish, for they are doing the Lord's work. ♥ (Well, Time Lord's work, at any rate! LOL)

I've only completed 6 new fics this year, but since everyone else seems to have done this already:( Fic Writing Meme )

Random middle of the night updates are better than no updates I suppose, so-

I took the stage manager position after all. I really want to keep doing theater, and I decided it's best not to turn down opportunities when they're handed to you! This means I will be very busy for the next three months, and so I won't have time to make Clara's governess outfit for Chicago TARDIS this year. :(

BUT- I have three other cosplays planned, and one is almost done, one already started, and the other I have all the materials for- and except for painting the flowers and birds onto Ian's Marco Polo jacket, they're relatively simple, so I should still have all three days of the convention covered! Woohoo! I can do this!!! \o/

Also went to see an exhibit of costumes from Downton Abbey last week- it was amazing! They had them set up in a beautiful historic mansion that was modelled on an English country house, so you really got the full 'stepping into history' ambiance. The costumes are half the reason I watch, tbh, and they're all so exquisite in person. The construction details are interesting to see, & getting to look up close from several angles was a real treat! A lot of the beaded & embroidered pieces were actually from the period, and you just don't see handwork like that anymore! Also it was very surprising to see how tiny all the actresses costumes are. You expect them to be very tall because they have so much screen presence, but they're just average people, albeit very thin ones! There's hope for us short girls yet, lol.

My Classic Who watch-a-thon has already slowed to a crawl before my rehearsals even start, but I finally managed to watch 'The Three Doctors' last night. I felt very strongly that the Second Doctor was written completely out of character, so that was very disappointing, since I'd hoped for one more story with my lovely, sweet, funny Two, and got a rather obnoxious childish substitute instead. Even the Brigadier felt a bit off- his dryly amused air replaced with outright disdain for the Doctor in some instances, so I think the writers were simply not having a good day. The story was alright, & Benton & Jo were adorable as usual, so that was good at least. And of course, the small bits with William Hartnell as the First Doctor really got to me. However small, they're his last appearance as the Doctor, and he's the original and best, in my book. ♥ On to 'Carnival of Monsters' next!

Been reading Emma by Jane Austen. ( My impressions of it here )

In my Classic Doctor Who Watch-athon, I've finished 'Delta & the Bannermen'. All I can say is that I now take back what I said about 'Paradise Towers' being weird- it was perfectly normal compared to 'Delta & the Bannermen'! Poor old Seven just gets the weirdest stories. (And that's really saying something, considering this is Doctor Who...) ( Rambly Whovian musings here )

( Some uninteresting blathering about my uninteresting life... )

I hoped some Classic Who would cheer me up, so I listened to Marco Polo at last. I'd seen the little condensed version on the Edge of Destruction DVD of course, but this is the first time I listened to the full audio. ( Cut for rambling mixture of squee and angst at missing serials )

Hey here are some pics of my cosplay of Clara Oswald from 'The Snowmen' from 2 years ago:






This was my 'barmaid on a budget' dress that I threw together when I was really sick with some kind of nasty virus, & I just barely got it done before I had to wear it at the con! But considering the time & budget constraints, I think it turned out pretty well, & I had a lot of fun wearing it.

It's the middle of the night & I'm sick with strep throat, so I've decided to claim a second set of prompts at dw_allsorts! No, I haven't even got halfway through the first one, but apparently I've just not got enough things to write... or something. Mostly I'm sick & need distraction. So, my claim is: First Doctor Era- 15 prompts- poetry randomiser:

#01 - Writing by candlelight
#02 - A silken dress
#03 - Too long shut in
#04 - Where are you leading me
#05 - In ferocious cold
#06 - Beating wings
#07 - I dare not move
#08 - I had a dream
#09 - Put off that mask
#10 - The scene is set
#11 - And the sudden light
#12 - Enchantment was undone
#13 - The dust of a kiss
#14 - A gallant flower
#15 - All in war with Time


I have no clue what to do with any of them, but they're so pretty & evocative I hope I can do them justice! The First Doctor era is full of so many great characters and stories I'm bound to find something. Time to start writing!