Things in My World

[tarotgal]

Things!

1. Today I finally converted myself into a full-blown Hamilton fan. Any SF recs for it? I'll take general slashfic recs too. I'm not greedy (though Hamilton prompts on my meme would be much loved). Also, I SOBBED uncontrollably at work today when Hamilton died as I was listening to the soundtrack for the first time. AS IF I didn't know how it would end. But, seriously, crying because someone died 200 years ago? Well done, Mr. Miranda for writing something so powerful. Your words are magical.

2. Hockey. Why do I get my hopes up every year? Being a Caps fan means never winning the cup. It's part of the package. I knew this when signing up.

3. I went trampolining, and it was fun even though I felt like crap that day. Had a great time bouncing, a less great time trying to sit and stand again while bouncing. A few days later my knee started to hurt when I walked upstairs. It still hurts. Shit. I'm going to have to see a doctor, I think. Shit.

4. Thank you for the happy birthday wishes and presents of fic and other things. *hugs* Had a kind of introspective birthday where I started contemplating mortality a bit too much. I blame marathoning Girl Meets World. Seriously, it sounds stupid, but so many life lessons are delivered on that show. It is such a guilty pleasure.

5. I signed up to participate in GISHWHES this year. I'm mostly terrified of trying to squeeze it in around the second-busiest week at work and two conventions on back-to-back weekends. I'm INSANE. Or maybe I'm non-stop. Like Hamilton. Did I mention Hamilton? I love Hamilton.

6. Rita Dove, the world famous poet, visited the office today. She and her husband were rightly amused by my collection of toys atop my bookshelf and she got a kick out of Mark Twain standing in the middle of them all. My boss called me a serious fangirl. He's not wrong.

7. We're going to the movies next week to celebrate a "successful" conference. The office voted for... JUNGLE BOOK. WHY?! I mean, Captain America: Civil War. I mean, WHY WOULD YOU VOTE JUNGLE BOOK WHEN THERE'S CAPTAIN AMERICA CIVIL WAR???? There's talk of splitting into two separate groups and meeting for lunch afterward. I'm hoping that happens. Because CAPTAIN AMERICA CIVIL WAR! Also, three people in the office have already seen Jungle Book. And in an office of 20, that's already a high percent.

8. I've eaten 7 bowls of Panera Autumn Squash soup from the grocery store/Target in the past 3 weeks. To recreate it, I bought a pack of pumpkin seeds and a loaf or two of sourdough bread. It's almost like the original. This makes me happy, even though it's got, like, no protein and isn't really a meal. Still so good. Has been great watching the books move out into the world to new readers.

9. Kensington book festival went well, except my pedometer lost battery charge and I missed out on tons of steps! Crap! I'm so stupid. But I gave away 500+ books that I registered & released in just one week. Now working on the same amount for Gaithersburg in a couple weeks. Only 133 so far. I register while watching hockey.

10. Have been making steady and good progress on my 4th 101 Things in 1001 Days list. Am still so happy with my list. I love giving myself an excuse to do things I need or want to do but haven't gotten around to doing because I'm a lazy ass. Much better being non-stop. Like Hamilton. Did I mention him? Gods, that musical is amazing, and I've never even seen it.

11. Conversely, I've been able to spend a few weekends and weeknights at home snuggling with my kitties and doing my own things. I love my stay-in-pjs hermit days. I'm also making another stab at making it through Doctor Who. Just finished Season 2. I've got a long, long, long way to go yet!

12. People are already starting to jump ship at work. We're supposed to be moving some time. No deal signed yet. No news. But people are getting worried and job hunting or just moving on instead of waiting. I can't say I blame them. But I'm going to stick it out a little longer. There's still a million things I haven't done. Like Hamilton. SERIOUSLY, I'm fangirling hard, people.

13. Finishing my drabbles was great. Finishing Camp NaNoWriMo was great. Finishing my third polydwarf story was great, but now I need an epilogue and a 4th story is already in the wings. And there's stuff on the meme I am thinking of trying.

14. Hungry now. Dinner time!

Comments

=)

[(Anonymous)]

So yes, Hamilton absolutely took over my life a few months ago so I totally understand haha (also trampolining = fun)

I have a few stories I'm writing for it on SFF in response to some interest, so if there is anything in particular you want to read, let me know!

Re: =)

[tarotgal]

Trampolining would have been more fun if I weren't so worried now about my knee. Hope I don't need surgery.

Hamilton obsession goes away after a while, right? I was reading spider-man before bed last night (because that's how I roll) and Peter Parker & Aunt May's dialogue were coming out to the tune of Alexander Hamilton. It was kind of amusing and strange. Also, I've only listened to it through 4 times now, but I still cry through the end of the second act. It's like RENT. First act is AWESOME. Second act has great moments and SO MANY TEARS.

Would LOVE links when you finish said fics! That is EXCITING NEWS! Squee! I'm definitely fine with any pairings except anything with TJ. I wasn't a fan of his before the musical (partly because he was arrogant and partly because he created a rival college and mostly because he screwed L'enfant over bigtime) and the songs in Hamilton really haven't changed my opinion of him for the better. LOL That being said, anything with jealous!Burr wanting to be in a room where something nummy's happening... heehee But anything Hamilton/Lafayette or Hamilton/Laurens would be excellent... maybe with Alexander working himself too hard and catching cold. Yummmmm...

[ladykorana.livejournal.com]

Question? Are there any good visual references about Hamilton the musical out there?

I'm starting to feel horribly left behind, but the sad fact for me is, I just can't get into soundtracks of musicals without actually having seen the source show. I can go "that sounds pretty and I kinda like it" to something, like, say, 525,600 minutes, but it had absolutely no emotional impact on me until after I'd actually seen RENT and had a clue how the story went or who was even singing it. Context is everything for me and I can't enjoy the audio without it.

[tarotgal]

I had the same worries and have the same problems as you. It wasn't until I saw RENT the first time that I truly understood some of the things going on in the songs. So I'm SURE there's some of Hamilton I'm missing. But it's also pretty easy to figure out some of what's probably happening on stage from the cues in the music. There's a rewind, for example, which is kind of a flashback, and the character announces that quite helpfully.

One of the reasons it took me 6 months to finally listen was because I likewise was pretty sure I needed to see it performed in order to "get it." And once I took the plunge I admit it was VERY rocky my first time through (like Velvet Goldmine).

But here's what ultimately helped me:
1. I watched a few clips on YouTube so I could imaging characters' faces better
2. I kept stopping every few lines during ensemble songs and consulting this thing of AWESOME: http://atlanticrecords.com/HamiltonMusic/
Scroll down to LYRICS FROM HAMILTON. That will give you a full account of who's saying what to follow along with. Also, many of the lines are highlighted with historical notes, a couple images, etc. I haven't even begun to read all the notes yet, but I've read a bunch
3. Like RENT, I am guessing that almost the entire musical is in song. There might be a couple lines here and there that go missing, but the story is pretty complete (and at 2.5 hours, that makes sense)
4. The m/m relationship between Hamilton and Laurens is explained in nice detail on Wikipedia, which makes this slash fangirl happy. It's hinted at a couple times in the musical
5. Because of what happens to Hamilton in the last few years of his life, I still can't listen to the thing without SOBBING. I don't need to see it to imagine what's happening and have my heart break over and over every damn time. The words are beautiful and powerful on their own. So I found I didn't need it. I cannot IMAGINE how hard it would hit me if I were watching it live. I seriously SOB, even more than I do when Angel dies in RENT, because the hits just keep coming in Hamilton
6. I'm so in love with Lin-Manuel Miranda's creativity and cleverness.

I recommend watching a few videos on YouTube and see if you like it:
Alexander Hamilton (lyrics with images and live action at the end): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOyaJG1iVFU
My Shot (which introduces the band of awesome men I adore): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEHKBckBcr4
Cabinet Battle (Jefferson vs. Hamilton, just the lyrics, not sung, George Washington giving Hamilton some hard truths; bonus: Madison coughing): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1mYfsNFtGI
News story with various clips (get a sense of the dancing and styles, including some great moments with the Schuyler sisters): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wboCdgzLHg
(Have I mentioned I'm in love with Lin-Manuel's mind?)
Another news piece with lots of different clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAiEVjW-GNA

[ladykorana.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks for the awesome collection of resources!

I have no clue about most of the historical details of the real Hamilton so this should be an interesting education. (I'm also not much into hip-hop or rap so again, should be educational).

[tarotgal]

We're twinsies! It's actually not a style of music of which I'm very fond either. But there's something about it here that makes me love and respect it so much (I blame the awesome characters singing it for making me fall so hard in love with it; why else do I cheer every time they bring up Hercules Mulligan? heehee).

And I knew pretty much nothing about Hamilton going in except that he's on the $10 bill for some reason, was a founding father, and there was a duel with Aaron Burr. That's it. It's actually written assuming you know nothing about Hamilton, and the theme of what history will remember of various incidents runs strongly throughout the play (and is one of the things that makes me choke up, especially when it gets turned around and becomes more personal... this is how these people/we have chosen to remember Hamilton, now how will history remember you? Who will tell your story?) It's really powerfully done, I think.

[ladykorana.livejournal.com]

I thought you should know that I'm now totally hooked on "Hamilton"!

I tried to listen my first time at work on Spotify and couldn't finish more than the first half of the show because it took so much effort trying to pick apart the words and consulting the webpage with the lyrics that I had a hard time getting any work done. But I still loved it. Historical costume drama was already my jam so that helped. Watching the Tony awards sealed it.
I ended up buying the physical CD within a week of that first attempt. 😀 I now play it nonstop in my car and I love belting out Wait For It especially.

Turns out it's a good thing I didn't listen all the way at work anyway, because I cry at the last track every single time.

I have an online friend and a coworker who both have tickets to the Chicago performances of Hamilton and I am soooo tempted!

I don't really care for this version of Hercules mulligan though, sorry. His parts of the songs are just a bit off putting to me, a little too vulgar. His story is cool though, and I hope he's in that show "Turn" about Washington's spies, because I want to watch it now.

I loved everything the ladies were in!

I didn't really get any slashy overtones or vibes, but I didn't miss it or need it anyway. I do want to read the biography now. And I have a semi-crush on Miranda. Such a genius! His long hair doesn't hurt at all either ;-)

Anyway thanks for helping get me hooked!

[tarotgal]

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm SO THRILLED TO HEAR THIS NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's so good, isn't it? I can't get anyone I know into it, so it THRILLS me that you are and like it! YAY! I can't listen to it in the car, though. You're a braver person than I am.

I LOVE WAIT FOR IT! It's such an underrated song, but it's SO beautiful and sung amazingly.

I rather like Hercules Mulligan, just because it's nice to have a variety of characters, and I like his forcefulness (Damn it, we're going to win this war if I have anything to say about it!!!). He's not in the first two seasons of TURN, as he isn't in the immediate Secret Six Washington Spy Ring. But did you know that Hamilton was the one who rode down to talk to Benedict Arnold after Banedict Arnold's co-conspirator/traitor was captured? Hamilton didn't know that the two were working together and so it was kind of a tip off to Benedict Arnold, who immediately shoved Hamilton in a room to "wait" and then fled on a ship off US soil before Washington caught up to him.

The "Laurens I like you a lot" line in My Shot is supposed to be there as a hint to their relationship. And every time Laurens says that he stays with Hamilton and writes essays about slavery "and every day's a test of our comrodery and bravery" I actually do airquotes in the air around the word "comrodery" and maybe I squeal slightly. Okay, yeah, I do. And of course there's the "Alexander, you're the closest friend I've got" line. None of it on its own is slashy, but you can read into it if you know they're actually in a relationship :-) And Anthony is not hard on the eyes either. Yum. But, yeah, I totally agree about Lin-Manuel. Have you seen his interview with Emma Watson? They sort historical figures into Hogwarts houses. It's kind of epic. And she totally fangirls him because IT'S HIM. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NbEbkVrVWY

I can't get through Stay Alive (Reprise) sometimes without crying. And I RARELY make it through "It's Quiet Uptown" without ugly crying/bawling. But the last song always gets me, regardless.

I love Eliza and Angelica (and Peggy! heehee). Their songs are beautiful.

Also, I might or might not (MIGHT) have a crush on Kristoff from Frozen already, so that makes me smile every time King George sings, as it's the same actor. *G*

If you want any Revoluntionary War book recommendations, I've been reading a lot of them lately. Can't imagine why.

[ladykorana.livejournal.com]

In regards to driving while listening, to be fair, I usually just stick to disc 1 unless it's going to be a really long drive and I know I'll have time to compose myself afterwards. I haven't cried at anything other than the very last song, though I do start getting choked up at Hamilton's internal monologue while dying. *sniff*. I can't imagine what the live version would do to me.

I spent hours today watching YouTube vids, mostly of the Ham4Ham type. Very sad that I'll never see the original cast live.

It blows my mind when I think that Leslie Odom Jr. played Becky's crossroads demon in SPN in "Season 7, Time For a Wedding".

[tarotgal]

I think Lin-Manuel has called just listening to disc 1 the "Into the Woods" strategy (I think it applies to RENT as well... I haven't looked it up, but the cast of Hamilton performing Seasons of Love at the Tonys? EPIC?!!!)

I usually tear up at character deaths, but what puts me over the edge ALWAYS is people coping with character deaths. Cedric Diggory dying, for example, was sad but seeing his father crying over his body and having Dumbledore make a speech about him at the feast KILL ME. I can handle death, but seeing people torn up and crying about a death is what sets me off bigtime. So "It's Quiet Uptown" kills me for that. Gods, I'm tearing up just imagining it. Their second oldest child (I think?) was a daughter who went insane after her brother's death and never fully recovered from it. And for them to be dealing with that on top of the sex scandal and Philip's death and the guilt Alexander must feel kills me. And the fact that they find each other again, in the midst of all of that is so beautiful to me. I have such a love/hate relationship with that song. It makes me feel all the feels.

I sob most of the time during his monologue... especially when he sees Laurens and Washington and Philip on the other side. OMG tears running down my face right now just typing it. I'm such a softie. LOL

Burr's bit after the shooting where he has such regret (should've known the world was wide enough for Hamilton and me) makes me sob still too. It's AMAZING how much sympathy I have for Burr thoughout this. He has some MAGNIFICENT songs, though. Dear Theodosia is so beautiful. And the Room Where it Happens is so vibrant. But, yeah, I totally feel for the guy, which I didn't expect, because Hamilton is definitely the protagonist and I adore him. THAT'S WHAT GOOD WRITING DOES!!!

Okay, so, on that topic... do you think he throws away his shot by aiming his pistol at the sky? Do you think he's just showing mercy and that he's a man of honor and didn't want to kill Burr? Or is there something more? (I can't imagine he wanted to die...?) He was in a BUNCH of duels throughout his life (9 or 10?) so I feel like he was just doing the honorable thing and not committing murder.

I'm sad I'll never see the original cast live either, but right now I'm coming to be at peace with it. They exist as a special performance in my head, and I'm okay with that. I'm REALLY HOPING that when PBS airs their footage in October, they decide to show the whole musical. They filmed the whole thing with the original cast so they could use whatever parts they wanted for their special. I WANT THEM TO SHOW THE WHOLE THING. It won't be the same as seeing them live, but it'll be as close as I can get.

OMFG I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT LESLIE BEING IN SPN! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????!!!!!! MUST WATCH THAT TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!! So, like, JJ are two Kevin Bacon degrees away from Lin-Manuel now? Is that how that works?

[ladykorana.livejournal.com]

Busy making seared tuna with roasted veggies for dinner but wanted to drop this link because the newer comments are a riot.

https://youtu.be/fzRpFzn7QXA

[tarotgal]

OMG THE COMMENTS!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHA!!!!!!!

[tarotgal]

I'm totally going to stop spamming you about Hamilton after this, I promise! But I also now tear up a little every time I go into DC and see the Washington Monument as part of the skyline. ("I raise funds in D.C. for the Washington Monument..." "She tells my story!")

I might be a little too emotionally involved? But, Gods, it's so hard not to be. It's such a beautiful musical. Such great writing. And Eliza is just amazing!

[ladykorana.livejournal.com]

The part that really gets my waterworks going are the references to time, is there enough time?, have I done enough?, and the telling our story stuff. My heart!

Oh and the reuniting in the afterlife. That kind of thing has killed me since LOTR fic, got worse with Torchwood fic, then with SPN soulmates and all, and now it's guaranteed to make me cry for sure.

I'm jealous you live near DC right now. I went once with my family when I was around 12, met my representative, thought the Metro was cool since there's nothing even remotely like that in Indiana. But I never got to go up the Washington Monument. And I think we saw mostly Civil War battlefields.

[tarotgal]

The part that really gets my waterworks going are the references to time, is there enough time?, have I done enough?, and the telling our story stuff. My heart!
Absolutely. Again, brilliant writing, having that theme carried out throughout the musical. Every time I hear "I live another fifty years--it's not enough" or "every other founding father gets to grow old" I completely lose any composure I might still have.

Oh and the reuniting in the afterlife. That kind of thing has killed me since LOTR fic, got worse with Torchwood fic, then with SPN soulmates and all, and now it's guaranteed to make me cry for sure.
So true! There's some good HP fic with it too that kills me.

A lot of people wonder why I've pretty much stayed in the same place since I was six years old, but it's SO DIFFICULT to move away from here. The Smithsonian is free and only a Metro ride away! And it's so amazing that my local news is most times the same as people's national news. It all happens right here where I live! And the monuments and cherry blossoms and the Kennedy Center and concerts and the National Zoo, Mount Vernon, National Botanical Gardens, National Arboretum, Arlington Cemetery, Wolf Trap (outdoor concert park venue), and so much more. As a historical marker hunter, it's almost impossible to turn around without seeing another marker about the civil war or something else historical. There's a civil war marker right outside my doctor's office. Clara Barton set up her makeshift hospital in the church next door to the post office where my PO Box is. And between my work and where I go to physical therapy twice a week, I pass a house where Civil War soldiers stayed that actually has their writings/notes/messages/signatures on the attic walls still! It's easy to take history for granted when you grow up amidst it. But I definitely try to take advantage of the cool things around me. And I like being so close to DC but not actually in the city. What I like less is the traffic around here and the HIGH cost of living. But, to me, it's worth it to have such great resources nearby.

Plus I've got three libraries in my town. THREE. A friend was telling me her sister moved to a town where she had to drive an hour and a half to get to the nearest library. I don't think I could stand that.

If you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods again, I'd be happy to show you around (and/or give you some tips). You're welcome at my place any time!

But the view from the Washington Monument isn't actually all that spectacular. The Washington Monument is such an iconic part of the skyline that the city looks strange without it (you can't see it, 'cause you're in it). I used to recommend the Old Post Office tower. It's not quite as high, but it's up there. Unfortunately, the building surrounding the tower is now owned by Trump (but I think the National Park Service still owns the historic tower).


On a somewhat related note, I recently bought an ebook about the first murder trial of the nation (the one that Hamilton and Burr were co-councils on). Haven't read it yet, but I'm excited about it! So many books, so little time.

[tarotgal]

Oh, also, did you know Charles Lee (I'm a general, wheeeeee!) was actually a traitor working for the British when the battle on Monmouth took place?

[ladykorana.livejournal.com]

That makes a lot of sense. It also makes me sad that Washington thanked him for his service then.


Boy do I wish I could go back and retake my AP US history class! I'd never even heard of the Battle of Monmouth before this.

[tarotgal]

ME TOO! I did this a lot in middle school/high school when watching Forever Knight, Highlander, and the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Every time they had a good episode historically I would spend months researching that event/time period (harder to do in the pre-internet era). History class was one of my least favorites. Learning about all this stuff never made sense to me there. What I need is fictionalized history with characters I actually care about to make me passionate and obsessed. This musical DEFINITELY sparks that passion.

I recently read an AMAZING Lafayette biography I would completely recommend called Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell. It read like a novel, not a history book. There were even some moments like Lafayette wanting to prove himself in battle that were described as something like "Certain danger? Yippie!" heehee I was reading it on the Metro on the way to AwesomeCon with a friend and remarked to her that I would have enjoyed history class a hell of a lot more if it had been written like that book. So good. Did you know Lafayette named his son Georges Washington and, during the French Revolution when Lafayette and his wife were imprisoned, Georges came and stayed here in Mount Vernon with the Washingtons? Awwwwww! (fun fact, the friend I was sitting next to on the Metro works at Mount Vernon... I really need to go back there now; it's only a few miles from where I live, and she keeps offering me free passes. I just need to find a free day to do it so I can fangirl all the history now that it means something to me! LOL) Also, when Lafayette visited Mount Vernon many years after the war, he stood at George Washington's grave and cried. (Okay, waterworks again from me right now... see? Seeing other people upset sets me off every time).

I put "visit Yorktown" on my next 101 list. I went there in... um... 1997 or 1998? But it didn't mean anything to me then. It was just a battlefield. Now it's "THE BATTLE OF YORKTOWN. 1781!!!!" So I want to go back so I can actually appreciate it now.

[tarotgal]

Incidentally, George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade & Don Yaeger is really good. Doesn't go into too much detail about the battles but focuses more on the spies' roles. But there's enough to get a broad overview of Battles like Monmouth and what happened with Washington, Lee, and the others there.

I'm currently reading both Revolutionary Summer by Joseph J. Ellis (which is okay, but the audiobook reader's voice is SO DEEP it's hard for me to not tune him out sometimes; it does an EXCELLENT job of showing how the continental congress and the continental army worked during the same time. Most books focus on either the political side OR the battle side; this book shows how the two intertwined and discusses a lot of how the public support or lack thereof shifted based on how much knowledge of each of the developments people had. I did really like seeing how the two sides are so intertwined).

I'm also reading Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick (which reads much more like a history book, so it's slow-going... I'm only on page 15; but there are photos and artwork pages... including John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton and even Henry Laurens--John's father--who was president of the Continental Congress and who corresponded with Laurens throughout the winter of 1778 and was able to provide Washington with insider info that way... speaking of which, I'm so sad his letter to Hamilton about his son is the ONE PART that Lin-Manuel left out of the soundtrack... I'd want to see the musical just for that... even if I know it'll make me cry)

[tarotgal]

Oh, also, another pro is that the hints to Laurens/Hamilton are intended by the writer and fully supported. He's even reblogged slashy fanart & shared it with fellow cast members in a positive and supportive way, which, yeah, you go, man.

Ex: http://linmanuel.tumblr.com/post/131693135365/bottleshark-people-keep-complaining-in-the-tags