Riba Rambles:
Musings of a Mental Magpie

Scanning the latest news on Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation, a 1970s ad jingle has popped into my mind:

When it says Libby, Libby, Libby,
on the libel, libel, libel,
They will leak it, leak it, leak it,
[Swear] on the bible, bible, bible...

Of course, the problem I have with this association* is that Scooter Libby doesn't otherwise remind me of canned vegetables. Only one food comes to mind when I think of his current situation:

Toast.

*Aside from the extreme lack of adequate rhymes for "libel"

BTW, just to update on this morning's post:

• The official hotel was booked, but thanks to the conference blog, I managed to find a cheaper hotel about a quarter away. Heck, I could've stayed under the official hotel cost and gotten an in-room whirlpool, but decided against that.

• And it looks like with enough enzyme cleaner (we buy it by the gallon) the urine stain seems completely gone from my purse and bags. My purse strap smells a little of enzyme-cleaner, but I'm far more comfortable with that than with the strong ammonia odor it had this morning.

So after more than a bit of quiet panic, everything in these areas appears acceptably copacetic.

And the third matter I mentioned will happen when it happens, and probably be extremely annoying when it does.

I set my blogroll to sort by most-recently updated, as determined by pings to weblogs.com (and other sites).

I believe that Blogger users who use Blogger's comment system and have Blogger automatically ping Weblogs.com (Publishing tab > Notify Weblogs.com)... Well, I think Blogger pings Weblogs.com every time somebody leaves a comment.

Because I've noticed a lot of blogs bubbling up to the top of my blogroll without a new post. Sometimes, when I look closely, I see somebody's left a comment within the last half-hour. And almost every case, it's a Blogger-based page using Blogger's comments.

Very annoying.

And poor design by Blogger when they added the comment system.

[I don't use Blogger's auto-ping because I often will tweak posts for the first few minutes after posting. To prevent ping-sites from giving me nasty messages for pinging too often, I created my own manual pings with pre-filled forms. If people want, I can give y'all the code...]

Anyway, that's my gripe for the evening.

What's ticking you off?

Recently, I compiled a list of Marlowe biographies I have read (I was factchecking a brief Marlowe bio geared towards schoolchildren, and the editor asked me to source my corrections). Thought y'all might find it interesting as well:

Marlowe biographies I have read (nonfiction, sorted by publication date) include:

• A.D. Wraight, In Search of Christopher Marlowe, 1965 (not recommended!)
• Charles Nicholl, The Reckoning (1st ed.), 1993
• J. A. Downie , "Marlowe: facts and fictions" (PDF) in Constructing Christopher Marlowe, 2000
• Constance Brown Kuriyama, Christopher Marlowe: a Renaissance life, 2000
• Stephen Orgel, "Tobacco and boys: how queer was Marlowe?", 2000
• David Riggs, The World of Christopher Marlowe, 2005
• Peter Farey, Marlowe website (highly recommended for source material & analysis, including this brief biography)
• Other articles and essays

Plus, I have read 25 fictional portrayals of the playwright (listed here)

Not bad for a hobby I've been pursuing fewer than five years.

And, of course, there are still more books on the way.

New and forthcoming Marlowe nonfiction (in order of US publication date):

• History play: the lives and afterlife of Christopher Marlowe by Rodney Bolt on 09/06/2005
• Debatable deaths by Gary L. Blackwood on 10/01/2005
• A Christopher Marlowe chronology by Lisa Hopkins on 11/19/2005
• Christopher Marlowe: poet & spy by Park Honan on 12/01/2005
• The World of Christopher Marlowe (paperback) by David Riggs on 01/01/2006

Most of these are released in the UK earlier than the US, meaning that all the new material will be on sale in London during my visit.

And, oooh! I've had high hopes for the Chronology, based upon both the title and other works I've read by the author on Marlowe. Take a look at this advance excerpt (PDF) from the publisher's catalog.
Unfortunately, it lists at £55 in the UK (while the US edition will be $80) so not the most favorable exchange rate.

Rick Steves' latest travel column for ABC News focuses on "Affording London's Sights." [He also recently devoted a half-hour on his radio show to the city, which gave me a couple good tips. [Try to visit the Tower of London in the morning, because it gets very crowded with tourbuses in the afternoon.]]

BTW, somewhat tangential, but I have found two different companies offering Shakespeare-themed walking tours. The Original London Walks and an independent Shakespeare City Walk. In both these cases, the tourguide's primary occupation is actor (or actress). Is that supposed to be a draw? Maybe I'm missing something, but wouldn't a historian be more appropriate?

At any rate, I'm probably not going to take any of these guided Shakespeare walks. I know enough about the subject that I suspect most of the patter geared towards the general public will be old hat for me. The self-guided Walking Shakespeare's London is far more suited to my tastes, though I wish I could find a copy for purchase which I could mark up (I may be returning some well-travelled library books...).

That's not to say I won't glom onto some other walking tour, for one of those subjects that I have interest but less understanding. [Perhaps one of the guides to Jewish London, which feels like something I ought to see...] So if anybody has experience with and recommendations for or against any of these walking tours, I would be most interested.

So, Saturday night, I posted an interesting revelation regarding the Corpus Christi portrait from the London Times review of Park Honan's new Marlowe bio:

It seems the painting was not found, as hitherto reported, in the Master's Lodge at Corpus. In a letter of May 2000, a former undergraduate, Peter Hall, described how the panel was discovered in his rooms in 1952, by workmen stripping out an old gas fire. His rooms stood on the southeast corner of Old Court -- precisely where the "Parker Scholars", of whom Marlowe was one, had their quarters.

Then a friend from the UK replied:

Gas fires in Oxbridge College rooms were mostly installed in the early decades of the 20th century, usually where the old coal fireplace had been. The coal fireplace was usually removed, the chimney blocked up and the gas fire installed where the coal one had been. Why did the workmen who installed the fire not find the panel?

As I understood it, the Parker scholar rooms weren't originally designed as living quarters, so maybe they didn't have standard fixtures.

I checked Riggs to confirm, and he describes Marlowe's rooms thus:

John Parker renovated a storeroom on the north-western corner of the college quadrangle to house the students who held the last of the scholarships that his father had endowed.

Southeast corner of Old Court vs. northwestern corner of the quadrangle??

Different reference points (southeast corner of a building in the northwest corner of the quad?)? Or are they describing different locations?
This may be an avenue for further investigation, both for where the room was located, and the history of work done on that room.

I'm also curious why it took more than fifty years for this seemingly-crucial discrepancy in where the portrait was found to come to light.

I've posted this to h.l.a.s. to see if the regulars of that group can offer any more insight.

Meanwhile, the question makes me regret all the more keenly that I cannot attend either of Park Honan's talks/signings.
For anybody who will be in London, Park Honan will be speaking:

• 2 Nov, 6pm @ Cottlesloe Theatre
• 8 Nov, 8pm @ Waterstone's Gower St.

PS: Another sigh... An adaptation of Tamburlane opens at Barbican Theatre, London starting 9 Nov... Another near miss. I wonder if they're holding any preview performances during my stay? Otherwise, my timing definitely leaves something to be desired...

• Worst thing to discover when rushing out the door. The cat's weak bladder expressed itself over my bag and pursestrap (fortunately, the purse itself doesn't seem too fragrant). Wiped the pursestrap down with enzyme cleaner and borrowed Ian's (clean) bag, with mine going into the wash. Good thing she's cute and has got history on her side.

• Woke up in the middle of the night thinking about the conference that starts Sunday and trying to remember if anyone ever made hotel reservations. Just checked; I was supposed to, didn't, and now the hotel appears booked. Scramble-time to find a neighboring hotel...

• Finally, is there any way to hurry along one's period? No scare or anything; it's only a couple days overdue, but I really wish it would get here so I don't have to deal with it while travelling...

That's all for now, but isn't that enough?

So, bored and procrastinating, I decided to check Google News for any new articles about Marlowe.

Several reviews of Park Honan's new biography. Sadly for me, the author will be lecturing in London one day before I arrive, and again concurrent with my flight out. :(

However, this London Times review adds a new tidbit that left me gasping and may make me rethink some of my assumptions.

For a long time, I've had doubts regarding Marlowe's identification with the Corpus Christi portrait.

According to The Times:

One of the many cruxes of Marlowe biography concerns the supposed portrait of him, discovered at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, in the 1950s. There is no name on the portrait, but Corpus was Marlowe's own college, and the dating inscription (1585, Aetatis suae 21) is right for him, and many believe this handsome, brown-haired young man with the quizzical gaze and snazzy velvet doublet is indeed Marlowe. Honan provides some fascinating new material on this puzzle. It seems the painting was not found, as hitherto reported, in the Master's Lodge at Corpus. In a letter of May 2000, a former undergraduate, Peter Hall, described how the panel was discovered in his rooms in 1952, by workmen stripping out an old gas fire. His rooms stood on the southeast corner of Old Court -- precisely where the "Parker Scholars", of whom Marlowe was one, had their quarters. This adds another touch of plausibility to the identification.

If that's true, wow!

Written by Ian Osmond and crossposted from his journal:

Update on two comments I made Thursday.

1) My passport arrived in this morning's mail. So that's one worry out of the way.

2) We managed to get standby tickets to King Lear for last night. Though all remaining performances are sold out, they do not admit latecomers (the stage arrangement wouldn't allow for it). So even if you don't have a ticket, show up (at least a half-hour before performance) and add your name to the waiting list. Every night before curtain, they count empty chairs and sell them to the waiting list. This was Friday night on Head of the Charles weekend, and I still saw a few empty seats during the show. Go if you can. In my next entry, I'll repost Ian's review.

So, the film of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire comes out less than a month away.

Warner Brothers has just released the entire ferret-transformation scene in Quicktime format and The Leaky Cauldron has it.

Oh. My.

Since some people have hair-trigger sensitivity to spoilers, I don't want to say anything too specific, but keep a close eye on what happens from about the 49-second mark.

Let's just say that Slytherin slashers are going to have a field day with this! I anticipate stills from this scene to spawn countless LJ user icons.

Here: if you really want to know what I'm talking about, I've taken a screencap of one of the relevant frames. Movie Spoilers!

Two weeks from today I will be in London.

I so don't feel ready...

I've decided to stay at the YHA Hostel located in the former Choir School by St. Paul's Cathedral. Someone else's travel journal includes a description and photo of one of the bedrooms. It's not much to look at, but it's cheap and reviews say it's clean, quiet and comfortable, and that's really all I need. [I haven't yet booked my reservations, so if you want to talk me out of it, now's your chance.]

Anyway, I suspect I'll be spending this weekend cramming through some of the tourguides, prioritizing and grouping destinations to make more efficient use of my time. Also making a packing list (possibly starting with Rick Steves' suggestions [1] and [2] and adjusting for my situation) and then shopping for those items I don't yet own.

If you have any suggestions of places to go or things to see; if you are near London and want to get together, let me know soon.
I've got over a dozen guidebooks from various libraries in my bedroom. Assume I'm already aware of the top attractions. I'm more interested in getting your advice regarding the overlooked gems that I might otherwise miss.

Also, aside from the official list of exhibits, I haven't heard much about what's happening Guy Fawkes Day. That is the putative reason for this trip, after all. As magnificent as the bonfires may be in other parts of the country (and I'd still love to hear more about those) I suspect I'll be staying in London on that day. I've gotten tentative word that the Rose Theatre site (which is generally closed to the public) may be open for tours on Guy Fawkes Day, and that is something I don't want to miss. [I'll have to dig up and print out the journal article I found on what they've been able to deduce from the ruins.]

Anyway, I'll try to blog more this weekend about my interests and plans to help you target recommendations.

In short, I'm not into trendy; don't care for haute cuisine, and the only shopping that really interests me is in used bookstores. I want old-fashioned British food: pub grub, fish and chips, curries, and maybe an afternoon tea if I spot something reasonable. I'd also be interested in knowing good outdoorsy places people sit and read and peoplewatch (something akin to the Pit in Harvard Square). Sure, it may be too cold or too rainy or I may not have the opportunity, but if I do have downtime, it would be nice to know where to hang.

Also, I may try to take in a show though I haven't yet made any plans (this might be a good opportunity to make some, if any locals want to get together). Last time I checked ticketing sites, the only shows that really piqued my interest were We Will Rock You (which my parents strongly recommend) and Richard II starring Kevin Spacey (my hairdresser laughed at that -- going to London to see an American perform Shakespeare!? Still, last I checked, that was the only Shakespeare onstage during my trip)

As far as museums are concerned, I've always been more interested in the practical arts over the decorative ones, artifacts over artwork. I'm far more drawn towards the collections of mundane objects (such as silverware or swords), whether for everyday use or more ornate, than the halls of paintings and sculptures. [The major exception is that I'm fascinated by small items: seals and signets, miniatures and netsuke...]
So right now, I don't plan on going to the National Gallery, and the only attraction the Tates hold for me is seeing Richard Dadd's Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke (inspiration for the Queen song) in the original.
Also, my historical interests lie firmly in Britain, so as wondrous as its exhibits may be, I'll probably pass on the British Museum as well.

Whoops, didn't intend to get quite so bogged down in detail here. I've a lot on my mind; I just need to take the time to organize these thoughts into a more coherent plan. I'll go into more detail in later entries...

In the meantime, so much to do. Figure out how much money to convert in advance; notify my credit card companies so I don't set off their fraud detection; I've got my absentee ballot, at least... And meanwhile I keep checking the mail for my passport. It's been five weeks since I applied and they promised I'd have it within six weeks. So any day now.

Anyway, it's late and I'm rambling even more than usual. So now I'm handing the reins over to you. Advise me.

As the Valerie Plame investigation focus shifts to higher and higher targets within the administration (Scooter Libby? Karl Rove? Cheney? Bush himself?), some pessimists doubt we will see actual convictions or jail time for the architects of this conspiracy. Why not? Because Bush has the power of presidential pardons.

Jack Balkin is the latest to post on this topic (also on TPMCafe), though I've been discussing it conversationally for a while now.

I don't see it.

Though I'm reluctant to make any absolute predictions, I feel fairly certain about this.

If there's any risk that Bush himself is criminally culpable in any of this, then he won't pardon others.

It's basic self-interest.

• Bush can't pardon himself.
• Considering Gerald Ford's example, I doubt any successor would pardon him, especially if Bush lets everyone else off the hook. Such an act would cripple their own political viability in a time when the executive branch is already at a low ebb.
• Therefore why would Bush put himself in a position where he'd be the only person prosecutable for these deeds?

That kind of self-sacrifice just isn't in his nature.

One of the fundamental motivations I've seen of this crowd has been grabbing personal power for themselves. They will ignore professed ideologies if they can rake in the slightest bit more to line their own pockets. And they've stuck together quite closely in these mutually beneficial arrangements.

But once their formerly-unified front started to crack, it was inevitable they'd turn on one another. Nobody's going to fall on their sword for the good of the team. The situation is quickly turning into "every man for himself." Already two of Cheney's aides are openly working with the prosecutor. And as the distrust grows, more people are going to look to cut a deal.

John Aravosis thinks the latest leaks pinning the blame on Scooter Libby (Cheney's chief of staff) may be prosecutorial pressure tactics to drive a wedge between him and his confederates, and to encourage him to save his own skin by ratting out those he's been protecting.

If you're following the case closely, it's certainly a suspensful story; fortunately, we only have one more week to wait until Fitzgerald lays his cards on the table.

Nay, forward, old man; do not break off so;
For we may pity, though not pardon thee.

A Time Magazine interview last month pointed out both Neil Gaiman and Joss Whedon had new movies coming out on September 30th. Gaiman dubbed it: "National Geek Day."

But it's today that Shakespeare's Sister's Question seems to have inspired me on the subject.

All this talk about geekishness put me in mind of an favorite storyline from Piled Higher and Deeper:

Click to view full-size image on the official website Copyright © Jorge Cham

I've had that conversation, many many times.

In fact, last year when I still had alumni access to the OED, I looked up the etymology of both words plus a few other related terms.

But that was then and this is now. Wikipedia seems to be the reference work du jour, so let's see what they have to say.

Sure enough, they have an entry on "Geek":

Geek also includes links to a separate Geek canon page, though to my dismay it doesn't include many works I assumed were an essential part of assumed knowledge (in part based on the frequency with which people quote them), such as Princess Bride, Real Genius, Buckaroo Banzai and Muppets.
<shakes head> At least they have the sense to include Monty Python...

They also have an entry on the Geek code. Here's mine:

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.1
GLS d? s--:-- a C++$ U P+ L E W++ N+++ !o K++ w+ O- M(-) V PS++>$ PE>$ Y+ !PGP !t@ 5+ !X R(+) tv-- b++++ DI(+) !D G e+++>++++ h(+) r+++ x?
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

Mind you, the Geek Code Decoder Page doesn't quite capture the right flavor of what I entered in the Geek Code Generator I used. So for those aspects which decode to "I refuse to categorize myself on X," translate that as "I don't use/watch..."

<Sigh>

I think today's output conclusively proves my geek cred.

And hopefully this will also quench this particular fascination/compulsion -- at least for a while -- so I can get on with other things...

PS: somebody forwarded me a link to the Geek Test, but I think I'll save that for another time. Besides, the site doesn't seem to work under Opera at the moment.

Been a fan of Actors' Shakespeare Project since their first production.

Didn't accept press tickets to King Lear because I was too busy, but I definitely intended to see it, especially since Ian has never even read the play. My interest only grew when I heard a Wall Street Journal reviewer described it as "the best production of 'King Lear' I have ever seen onstage."

And they're completely sold out. I haven't been able to get tickets.

They've just extended the run, but I'll be out of town on those dates.

I'm glad they're doing well, but a little rueful that their newfound success prevents me from seeing them. 8-/

To paraphrase:

Pray, do not mock me.
I am a very foolish fond [wo]man;
And, to deal plainly,
I fear I am not in my perfect mind...

Do not laugh at me...

...At least, not much.

Ghosts of Albion

How did I not hear of this before? Is it any good?

For those who are unfamiliar with the series (as I was until earlier today), it's a BBC web animation and book series by Amber Benson and Christopher Golden.

From what I could glean from BBC, Wikipedia and the official website, it's an alternate occult Victorian-era, where England is protected by the ghosts of certain historic British figures (including Lord Byron, Admiral Nelson and Queen Bodicea).

At any rate, now through Halloween, the show's creators are holding a Suggest-a-Ghost contest!

Suggest a figure from British history to be a ghost in a future Ghosts of Albion story. Your choice may be anyone who was British by birth or citizenship, who was famous or infamous enough for there to be at least some historical background available, and who died PRIOR to 1840. Please note the name of the deceased, the years of their birth and death, and, very briefly, your reasoning why you think that person would make an excellent choice for inclusion in GHOSTS OF ALBION. Also include your name.

Let's see... a pro-English agent of the Queen, a troubled death (resulting in a restless spirit), someone with insight into espionage and stagecraft, and just an altogether colorful character of a colorful period.

Need I say more?*
*Hopefully not to you readers. Obviously, my submission will have to be a bit more detailed.

Sent to me over lunch:

Hacking Your Home: Imagine if you organized your life the way you design programs. . .

This morning a coworker forwarded me Shakespeare's Sister's Question of the Day:

So here's the Question of the Day for all my fellow geeks... what's your ultimate geek indulgence? Or, if you dare, share a story of true geekitude with the rest of us.

Just scanning my blog archives, I find nineteen posts where I wrote "I am such a geek" plus another five using only the acronym IASAG.

I embody geekitude.

So, instead of trying to think up a representative anecdote, I'll just share one of my most recent reminders.

I mean, does that strike you as normal?

I am so doomed. Doomed, I tell you.

Another example of ASIS-related geekery I started to write up but never got around to blogging.

I think I'm in the right place.

Two tunes making the round:

1) If Chaucer wrote "Shaft"

Wha be tha blake prevy lawe
That bene wantoun too alle tha feres?
SHAFT!
Ya damne righte!

Wha be tha carl tha riske is hals wolt
Fro is allye leve?
SHAFT!
Konne ye?

Wha be tha carl wha wolden flee
Whan peril bene all aboughte?
SHAFT!
Verray!

Alle clepe tha carl ane badde mooder-swyver
SOFTE!
Speken of Shaft bene I.
THAN KONNE ALLES WE!

He be a man konne unnethes
Namo save is mayde konnes im.
JOHN SHAFT!

-- Source: Geoff Chaucer   

2) Baby Got Back, a new cover by Jonathan Coulton that must be heard to be believed. Even if you don't like the rap original... Especially if you don't like the rap original.

Once you've listened to it (or if you're certain you're not) you can read the musician's blog original announcement of the song and comments on the song's sudden popularity.

So, LiveJournal recently added a Schools Directory. You can add your alma maters to your profile, and then view others who attended the same school. Found only two other people on LJ who attended my highschool during my tenure. One, astonishingly enough, also lives in my town, which seems odd given it's a Florida school and a Massachusetts city less than 5 sq. miles in area. Unfortunately, I can't identify that person and suspect he may have started the year I graduated, so our paths never would've crossed.

The other fellow alum still lives in Florida and graduated one year after me. We share six mutual friends, and her interests include Harry Potter and Firefly. I don't have time to start a lengthy correspondence, so I dug out my old yearbook and used my librarian!research skills on information in her LJ to identify her. [Which I did. She looks vaguely familiar in the old photos; when things calm down after London I'll probably contact her.]

In the process, I discovered my high school has created a special alumni website. It's moderately annoying (based on AlumniArchive.net) and requires registration (a.k.a. moolah, though there are a few more timeconsuming means of membership) to see much beyond the names of classmates who also signed up.

At any rate, I've been poking around at what information I could find on my former classmates. Deeply disturbed to discover that one guy in my social circle is now an associate professor with a PhD, a 12-page curriculum vitae and six books to his credit. I never would've expected it of him.

Still, more people aren't listed than are. And I find myself wondering about those I can't find. What did become of the brilliant valedictorian one year behind me? My ex-boyfriend was a computer techie; I'm surprised he's not listed and wonder what he's up to. I'm curious about the popular kids and the really talented members of the theater clique and and and...

<sigh>

So how was your evening?