Emmeline's Bower

Happy birthday to Amsev! I hope it's a glorious day for you, portending a glorious year.

Last night, my family and I had the annual discussion concerning dressing and stuffing, and the differences between the two. Since my F-list comprises a diverse group of cultures (both from within the US and outside of it), I thought I'd ask you what you thought. If you've nothing better to do, check a few boxes and let me know! If you answer the last question correctly, I'll write you a drabble (100-500 words) from whatever prompt you give me. Any pairing.




Poll #1491173 Dressing, Stuffing, or Nothing
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6

Do you prefer dressing or stuffing with your thanksgiving meal?

Where are you from?

Where is Emmeline from? (prizes for all who get it right)

Happy, happy day, my friend!! Many, many more, and may every year be more blessed than the last.

A happy [belated] birthday to azulkan2
I hope you had a lovely day!  I wish you many, many more, and may every year be more blessed than the last.

Hi, Y'all! 

A weird idea has been nipping at my brain, so I thought I'd let the little darling out and see if it infected interested anyone else.

My f-list is full of good writers and good cooks.  So I was thinking, how about a 'Potter'luck dinner?  The way I see it working is this: we start on a Friday night, and go through Sunday.  Everyone signs up in advance to "bring" a dish that Saturday.  When the time comes, post a recipe of your dish, and then post your fic--drabbles are fine.  Bonus points if you can make a theme of it or incorporate the recipe into the fic!  All HP pairings are welcome!

So watcha think?  I'm going all out and posting a poll--free ticky boxes!
Poll #1464544 'Potter'luck Dinner Interest Poll
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5

Would you be interested in participating in an HP Potluck Dinner?

To any and all of my friends in the Atlanta area (Countrymouse?)--hope you are all safe and sound after the flooding. 
Hugs,
Emmeline

Y'all are probably well aware of my Bollywood fetish.  And while most Americans these days are becoming aware of B'wood's glitzy, energetic dance numbers  and their accompanying songs, many are unaware  of the truly poetic, artful music spawned by Indian cinema through the years.  (Type "ghazal" into a Google search and feast on the delights of a strict poetic form). 

One of my RL friends made me a cd of recent Bollywood songs.  One in particular was gripping--the singer sings with such passion that the words seem to almost erupt from the core of his being involuntarily.  I understand very littlle Hindi or Urdu; the only words I could pick out were "Dard" (like a heart-suffering, a pain, a grief), "Dil" (heart). Neither the titles nor the movies were listed with the cd.  You can imagine, then, what a serious sense of bereavement I felt yesterday when I somehow broke that cd in two; how in the world would I ever find that gorgeous song again, when I don't know its full meaning, nor its title, nor the movie for which it was written? 

Finally, I did a Google search on "Bollywood Songs Dard" and found, after sifting through hundreds of websites, the song in question.  It's from a movie called Jashnn, about an aspiring singer who must come to terms with his failures and demons before he can make truly authentic art.  When I found the translation, it was like a punch to the gut.  The chorus consists of one line moaned over and over: "Dard e tanhai mein"--"out of my grieving loneliness/solitude."  A line in one of the verses proclaims, "when you have lived as I have, you cannot stop thinking of the past."  Of course it makes me think of all my own regrets and "dark nights of the soul", but more than anything, it made me think of Severus; and I had to reconsider why so many of us are enamoured with JK Rowling's least favourite character.    That's a topic for an entire disquisition, which I shall forego;  but listen to the song here: 

vickyatwork.blogspot.com/2009/07/lyrics-dard-e-tanhai-mein-jashnn.html

This is the best audio of the song I could find via the net.  For a translation, visit this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAJt0OiDa6A&feature=PlayList&p=1A27574D4AA8D551&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=26

It's a bit annoying to wait for the translation to catch up with the music (and really, were all the "Music Break" announcements strictly necessary?), but it's the only translation I could find online. 

If you'd like to see the original video, you can check it out here.  Go ahead and watch if you can spare the time; it shows a "nobody" getting the chance to give those who have humiliated him a good kick in the metaphorical pants--which, as we all know, is a chance Severus never got. 

Actually, as I am writing this, I can think of another Bollywood song (lyrics here, music here. ) that makes me think of Severus, if for no other reason than the fact that it evokes the gorgeous vision of childhood Severus as portrayed by the inimitable Lilyhbp in this artwork at DA. 

New music to write to!  So, what do you guys listen to as you're writing Severus (or any other canon character--Draco, for instance--that you write)?

To  ssbrande
I know  I'm late, but happy birthday, Sonia!  Many, many more, and may each year be more fun than the last! 

Hugs!

I really need a beta to help me with Anthem (and perhaps a stray fic or two).  Any suggestions?

( You are about to view content that may only be appropriate for adults. )

Hi, y'all!

I've started a new community.  It's called the_eww  (stands for "The Experience woot well..." in reference to Chaucer's Wife of Bath).  It's a community for discussing women's experiences with various topics.   I will issue the first topic in a few days, along with posting guidelines, and members will then be welcome to submit their narratives dealing with the topic to the community.
 
This isn't a fandom-based community.  I am letting you all know about it, though, because of the many enlightening discussions we've had through our various fandom-based journals.  There's no pressure to join, but you're certainly welcome to do so!  I will work at making sure the community journal does not become spam for my f-listers who are uninterested, too. 

Come on, and bring a friend!

I needed something to distract me today (really, I don't have nearly enough distractions)...

Your result for The Bem Sex Role Inventory Test...

Androgynous

Take The Bem Sex Role Inventory Test atHelloQuizzy

Have a happy birthday, lariopefic

Happy birthday, dear hobgoblinn ! 

Many, many more, and may each year be more blessed than the last.

beffeysue 



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What Is Your Battle Cry?

Hark! Who is that, rampaging over the steppes! It is Emmeline33, hands clutching a piece of chainlink fence! And with a spectacular howl, her voice cometh: "I'm seriously going to pulverize you into a fine spicy powder!"

Find out! Enter username: Are you a girl, or a guy ?

created by beatings : powered by monkeys

Hello, all. I hope this doesn't count spam...

( read more... )

Happy Birthday, Amsev! I hope this day is all you want it to be!

I make my children a quilt every year for Christmas. I've already started on my son's quilt; it is to be a pirate map, its appearance based upon the Marauder's Map as featured in PoA.

My daughter, however, has kept changing her mind about her quilt. She has finally settled upon fairies.

These quilts are meant to be a representation of the children's interests year by year, so I want to make her a fairy quilt. My quilts are all heavy on the applique.

I'm just not certain how to get a fairy onto that quilt! I don't want to cut one out from some cheesy print and stitch it on; I want it to be lovely, quirky, ethereal.

One idea is to create a fairy out of various fabrics, paint on her features with fabric paint, and applique it onto the quilt. Another is to use the handy-dandy printable fabrics to print a scanned image of a fairy, and then sew it onto the quilt.

So I am hoping that you, dear flisters, will contribute any and all ideas! Even if they seem outlandish or impossible, I'd love to have your input. Why? because I love ideas, and I'm fresh out! Besides, I'm curious as to what is lurking about in your imaginations.

Ideas, Please? (You can't see, but this is where I clasp my hands in earnest supplication and turn my large, innocent eyes upon you)

Dear Santa... Dear Santa, This year I've been busy! Last Wednesday I gave siriuslysnogged a kidney (1000 points). In October I gave dixiebell12 a wet willie, then I took it back (-5 points). Last Tuesday I helped madelinekrieger across the street (6 points). In April I saved a busload of nuns in Angola (326 points). In July I invaded Iraq, broke it, and couldn't glue it back together before Mom got home (-1012 points). Overall, I've been nice (315 points). For Christmas I deserve a Nintendo Wii! Sincerely, emmeline33

Write your letter to Santa! Enter your LJ username:

If anyone on my flist has been impacted by the horrific events in Mumbai, I offer you my sincerest and deepest prayers for peace.