The Big Catch Up

I applied for a very interesting one today: Webmaster/marketing person for some company listed through Kelly Services. The listed pay range is rather good so I emailed off the resume and cover letter ASAP. The only problem is that it doesn't close until January 3. Long wait. But I may be waiting that long anyway. Moving along...

I'm reading two books right now: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 1599 by James Shapiro. This is a nonfiction account of the bard. Here's a description:

The year 1599 was crucial in the Bard's artistic evolution as well as in the historical upheavals he lived through. That year's output—Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It and (debatably) Hamlet—not only spans a shift in artistic direction and theatrical taste, but also echoes the intrigues of Queen Elizabeth's court and the downfall of her favorite, the Earl of Essex. Like other Shakespeare biographers, Columbia professor Shapiro notes the importance of mundane events in Shakespeare's art, starting here with the construction of the Globe Theatre and the departure of Will Kemp, the company's popular comic actor. Having a stable venue and repertory gave Shakespeare the space to write and experiment during the turmoil created by Essex's unsuccessful military ventures in Ireland, a threatened invasion by a second Spanish Armada and, finally, Essex's disastrous return to court.

It is actually really facinating to read. I've always liked anything about Shakespeare and love the Tudor time period. Here's the first sentence: "Late in the afternoon of Tuesday, December 26, 1598, two days before their fateful rendezvous at the Theatre, the Chamberlain's Men made their way through London's dark and chilly streets to Whitehall Palace to perform for the queen." I'm about halfway through it.

I'm also reading the first book in the series of sixteen by PC Doherty featuring Hugh Corbett, a spy for King Edward I in England. This was published in 1990, has 186 pages. Here's book description:

1284 and Edward I is battling a traitorous movement founded by the late Simon de Montfort, the rebel who lost his life at the Battle of Evesham in 1258. The Pentangle, the movement's underground society whose members are known to practice the black arts, is thought to be behind the apparent suicide of Lawrence Duket, one of the King's loyal subjects, in revenge for Duket's murder of one of their supporters. The King, deeply suspicious of the affair, orders his wily Chancellor, Burnell, to look into the matter. Burnell chooses a sharp and clever clerk from the Court of King's Bench, Hugh Corbett, to conduct the investigation. Corbett -- together with his manservant, Ranulf, late of Newgate -- is swiftly drawn into the tangled politics and dark and dangerous underworld of medieval London.

I'm just getting started and it hasn't really taken ahold yet but I'm sure it will. Another series to follow.

Otherwise a pretty normal day. I walked Tug this afternoon when it was its warmest at 19 degrees. Tomorrow it's supposed to get in the 40s again. I'll be making chicken I think for dinner and we'll watch Survivor on tv. Haven't watched that for a couple weeks I think. I'll be sending back the DVD to Netflix tomorrow. I should be getting my next in queu probably on Monday now. I've got the Prime Suspect DVDs from the library to watch in the meantime. I'll continue to watch the rest of Season 3 of MI-5 but my favorite character is now gone. After that I'll probably start on the other great Brit crime television shows that are available. I wish more were able to be seen instantly via computer like the first MI-5s were. Much more convenient that way. Ah well.

Tug is now looking out the big front window as the sun is setting. Watching for bunnies, or other dogs, or maybe Steve to come home. I'm sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of wine. After this blog I'll probably move to the couch and read for a bit before Steve does come home.

Another day gone by......................