torn between not okay and maybe kind of cute ([info]kalpurna) wrote,
@ 2009-09-04 09:13:00
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I will be home in three days. Do not bathe.
OH WOW, YOU GUYS, I JUST HEARD ABOUT THIS COOL INTERNET WEBSITE CALLED LIVE JOURNAL! I THINK IT IS A NEW THING, IDK, MAYBE I SHOULD TRY IT OUT.

So apparently there's some kind of... survey-related drama in fandom? Flist, I will be honest with you, I have skimmed the shit out of this one, and as far as I can tell some academics were stupid and failed, and apparently one or two responses to this were stupid and also failed, and I am willing to leave it at that as far as I am concerned. Please do tell me if there is something important I am missing.

Here is what I have been doing since the end of my two summer classes:

  • Settling into a forty-hour day. I am seriously now sleeping twenty hours and staying awake twenty hours. I don't know that I can call this a good plan, but school doesn't start for a few weeks, so it is at least an experiment to try, and maybe it will prove useful if aliens come and take me to a planet with a long rotational period.

  • Hanging out with [info]thehoyden like it is my job, doing sweet things like riding on Ferris wheels and going to see Harry Potter exhibits and watching all of the TV. Yesssss.

  • Listening to history podcasts! I would link these, but I don't understand the iTunes store, so I'm afraid you have to search if you're interested. I started with one on 12 Great Byzantine Emperors, which was fine except for the fact that a) there was quite a bit of not-so-stealth misogyny, which I can sometimes deal with, but not when you mess with Theo-fucking-dora*, and b) the guy doing it only (and I mean ONLY) cared about military history and expansionism. Good emperor = general who conquered shit. Bad emperor = let other dudes conquer some of his shit. WHAT DO YOU MEAN DOMESTIC POLICY OH WELL NOTHING TO SEE HERE LET'S MOVE ON.

    THEN I embarked on Europe From Its Origins, which was a lot better and more nuanced, and which I found fascinating for filling in the bits of Western European history between <200 AD (which I know quite a bit about) and >1300 AD (which I know quite a bit about). The formation of Europe as a political entity was just really interesting. Although this guy was sometimes weirdly anti-Islamic in a way that bugged me, I can still recommend this if you, like me, don't know much about the topic.

    And now I'm working my way through the Napoleon 101 Podcast, which is definitely the best so far, although it tends to get kind of rambly and self-referential, and although it comprises literally like sixty 75 minute episodes. I love listening to someone talk about history in a way that makes a coherent narrative, basically, and the people involved in this absolutely do that. Plus, Napoleon is super insanely fascinating. They have a big pro-Napoleon slant and are up-front about it, but man, I have to admit I like him a lot too. Sorry, all those millions of Regency romances I've read (and Naomi Novik, and Susanna Clarke, and Patrick O'Brian, and Tolstoy, and Thackeray, and Austen), I am no longer on your side. What was your damage, Britain? You should have stepped the fuck off Napoleon's grill and let him do his competent liberal thing. >:(

    *I was going to link to an article about Theodora, but I can't seem to find one that adequately explains how awesome she was. She was a prostitute and was abused as a child, and the future emperor Justinian met her and not only fell head-over-heels in love with her, but immediately recognized her as his intellectual equal (and he was no slouch himself). He persuaded his uncle to change the law so that he could marry her, and had her crowned Empress (so co-ruler, not just wife). She saved his ass with awesome advice when he was about to be overthrown in a revolt, and throughout her reign instituted massive unprecedented reforms on behalf of the rights of women. She was funny and gorgeous and brilliant and principled. People said that she and Justinian faked disagreements to better manipulate their court because they were a badass tag team of smartness. What I am saying is: podcaster dude, please shut the fuck up about her "petty jealous nature" before I cut your face.

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[info]stealstheashes
2009-09-04 02:28 pm UTC (link)
... Now I want to know more about Theodora. And maybe look up that podcast on Napoleon.

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[info]kalpurna
2009-09-04 04:00 pm UTC (link)
Theodora is awwwesome. It is a measure of her awesomeness that pretty much the only source we have on her is this dude who hated her for being, well, a former prostitute with power and a sense of humor, and yet all the examples he brings up of her awfulness make you go "...wait, she rules."

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[info]riadsala
2009-09-04 03:00 pm UTC (link)
Napoleon Bonaparte? More like Napoleon Blownapart, amirite?

I miss your face, lady.

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[info]kalpurna
2009-09-04 04:03 pm UTC (link)
I was going to be like IS THIS GOING TO BE ANOTHER PLUTO >:( but then I remembered that you are on the side of GOOD and RIGHTEOUSNESS when it comes to Pluto, so I will let your Napoleon-sassing slide.

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[info]riadsala
2009-09-04 04:11 pm UTC (link)
Truthfully, I quite like Napoleon and the only thing that really bugged me about him in school was his changing the numbering on the years, which seemed like it must have been quite annoying for everyone involved.

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[info]kalpurna
2009-09-05 03:48 pm UTC (link)
Well, it's not like he STARTED the whole fucking-with-chronology-and-names situation, cough cough French Revolutionary Calendar cough

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[info]happy_coconut
2009-09-04 05:53 pm UTC (link)
I say that every single time Napoleon gets mentioned irl.

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[info]castoffstarter
2009-09-04 03:14 pm UTC (link)
Oh my god I love your brain.

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[info]kalpurna
2009-09-04 04:05 pm UTC (link)
ahhahaha, thanks! :D

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[info]thehoyden
2009-09-04 04:08 pm UTC (link)
You should have stepped the fuck off Napoleon's grill and let him do his competent liberal thing.

This is especially funny after the chapter I just read in The Count of Monte Cristo this morning -- Dumas is all like, hey, bitches, let me share with you this AWESOME RPF I WROTE ABOUT NAPOLEON AND LOUIS XVIII!

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[info]kalpurna
2009-09-05 03:36 pm UTC (link)
Lolololol Napoleon is super tempting for authors to write rpf about, for some reason. Seriously like twelve famous authors have done it.

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[info]happy_coconut
2009-09-04 05:52 pm UTC (link)
This is fascinating! And Theodora sounds amazing.

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[info]kalpurna
2009-09-05 03:37 pm UTC (link)
She was so coooool. I have had a big historical crush on her ever since we covered Constantinople in the sixth grade and our teacher played us the They Might Be Giants song.

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[info]mmeguilotn
2009-09-04 05:55 pm UTC (link)
Oh my god you are my favorite ever! I listened to the 12 Byzantine Emperors thing (which mostly made me want to read books about Byzantine domestic policy, but whatever). And then I couldn't find another one I liked. And by couldn't find I mean didn't see linked anywhere because I am super lazy and whatnot, but still, whoo history!

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[info]kalpurna
2009-09-05 03:38 pm UTC (link)
Ahhhhh I can't believe there are other people who are nerdy in this same way! I had EXACTLY that urge when I was done. It took some serious searching to find more good ones, but I have time these days, because I'm a big bum with nothing to do. Be more navigable, iTunes store >:(

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[info]mmeguilotn
2009-09-12 06:20 am UTC (link)
OH MY GOD ITUNES U!! IT'S LIKE STEVE JOBS HEARD US TALKING!! :DDDDD

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[info]loveyouallwrong
2009-09-04 06:17 pm UTC (link)
I KNEW THAT WAS YOU

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[info]kalpurna
2009-09-05 03:39 pm UTC (link)
&FILEMOUSE OF MY HEART;

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[info]cidercupcakes
2009-09-04 08:51 pm UTC (link)
Oh I am totally going to have to check out those podcasts, thanks! Also I don't know nearly enough about pre-modern history, and I would love to know more about the Byzantine empire because from what little I've learned they were pretty fascinating.

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[info]kalpurna
2009-09-05 03:43 pm UTC (link)
No problem, dude! :D The really cool thing about the Byzantine empire is that it's really difficult to draw a line between it and the Roman empire - they called themselves Roman, they thought of themselves as Roman, in a lot of ways they were Roman. But then in a lot of other ways they were Turkish, and in a TON of ways they were Greek, and it just turns into this really interesting hybrid of cultures.

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[info]bkm5191
2009-09-04 11:52 pm UTC (link)
mostly i was confused about the tentacles thing because I had just read a tentacles fic in the star trek kink meme and I thought for a moment that people were watching me and having me followed, it was incredibly bizarre.

I am sure there are other responses that aren't all about me, but I am going to read the tentacle fic again.

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[info]kalpurna
2009-09-05 03:44 pm UTC (link)
lolololololol um, I'm assuming you didn't mean to leave this comment to this post? I WOULD READ NAPOLEON BONAPARTE TENTACLE RPF, FTR

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[info]loveyouallwrong
2009-09-05 08:55 pm UTC (link)
ahahah no you gigantic loser, she's responding to your first paragraph about the surveyfail.

Edited at 2009-09-05 08:56 pm UTC

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[info]bkm5191
2009-09-05 11:23 pm UTC (link)
oh you brought up tentacles first :)

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[info]helleboredoll
2009-09-05 02:41 am UTC (link)
That is my all time favorite Napoleon quote you just used thar, missy. \o/ No wait- it's actually the only Napoleon quote I know, compliments of a weirdo boyfriend who actually uses it as a come-on line. ;)

/was that tmi? yes, yes i think it was

ANYWAY, hi, you! Your history geeking is hawt and now I have to go look for reading/podcasts about this Theodora bad-ass you're pimpin'.

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[info]kalpurna
2009-09-05 03:46 pm UTC (link)
heeee! To be fair, I think it was ORIGINALLY a TMI come-on line, so at least you are staying within tradition.

HEY YOU, I THINK YOU'RE PRETTY GREAT. ♥♥♥♥♥

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