Remembering Monet's Garden

It was the hottest day I can remember. It was hotter than the time I went to the Mayan ruins at Tulum in Mexico and nearly blacked out it was so hot. Even so, my mother and I made our way through the Paris Métro from our hotel in Montmartre to the biggest train station in Paris: the Gare St. Lazare. I felt it was especially iconic, because Monet painted it seven times in his lifetime. I was still getting my bearings in French after years of not speaking it, but I managed to explain where we were going to the ticket seller and she gave us what we needed. We got on a train to Vernon, north of the city, and we rode away from Paris through the lush green countryside. At Vernon, we left the train station and caught a shuttle bus to Giverny, which was outside of the little town. On arrival at Giverny, we have to walk several minutes to find Monet’s actual property, but there are signs, and a million other tourists along the way. We stood in line for tickets for two whole hours in the blazing sun, leaning against the pink stucco back wall of Monet’s house and not even realizing it until we got in. The heat was bad, and shade was not much better, so we passed the time with homemade ice cream from the wagon across from our queue. I had blackberry, or mure in French, and Mom had fraise. Strawberry. Pink like the sides of Monet’s house.

We finally get into the grounds, and the main garden is spread before us like a brilliant patchworked tablecloth, broad and bold, full of colors like I’ve never seen. The pictures I took still don’t quite do it justice; it was brighter because of the sun that day. So bright that it was blinding. It was perfect.

So my mom and I make our way along the front of Monet’s pink house with the dark green shutters, with the ivy crawling all over the roof and the sides. We go in, and wander from room to room, shuffling between Asian tourists and unhappy French children. The furniture is all original, perfectly placed, and the walls are clean and bright; each room is a different color: pink, yellow, blue, white, lilac. Like Easter. Like May Day. The walls are adorned with copper pots in the kitchen and Monet’s personal collection of Japanese woodblock prints in every other room and corridor. It’s all very impressive. It feels loved, lived-in, and well cared for. Beautiful.

We leave the house and wander the gravel pathways among the flowers, taking a million pictures as we go, astonished into silence by the color combinations, the arrangements of texture and size and shape. The gardening is exquisite. It’s supposed to be just like how he planted it at its peak. He knew exactly where to put things, how they would look, but it’s the kind of genius that you would never have guessed at yourself.

At the bottom of the main garden there are signs indicating that the water garden is across the road, accessible by a tunnel under the street. We follow it, and emerge on a slender pathway that winds through a bamboo grove with the stream that feeds the water garden running alongside. Another stroke of genius; the bamboo masks the entire garden until you get to the end of the path. The journey there is easy and cool and green and shady, and we take our time. When we finally turn the bend, the water garden is revealed suddenly before us, like a stage, or an immense work of art, which of course it is. You can see everything in that moment: the pond, the water lilies, the willows, the little boat, the green Japanese footbridge, everything… And I just stood there for a long time, unable to move. I don’t know how long I stood there. I stood very still and just stared at the whole thing. It felt so familiar, like I had been there before, but I know I hadn’t. It felt like coming home to something you’ve always dreamed of. It felt a little bit like church: the beauty and reverence of a glorious place, full of peace and perfection. It felt like… like God made that garden just for that moment for me to see it all revealed, after all those years of me as a kid staring at paintings in books and wishing I knew how he really saw things, wishing I could see them for myself. And there it was, and there I was, and it looked exactly how he had painted it. Home.

Finally I had to move, so I caught up to Mom along the narrow path along the perimeter of the pond. We took more pictures along the way, but finally I moved ahead and found an open place on the railing of the Japanese footbridge, my most favorite of Monet’s painting subjects. Mom took a picture of me, and I felt that I had achieved something. Finished something. Completed something in my life. Something important. It smelled like heaven, full of wisteria all over the bridge, and it felt like paradise, even with a million other tourists pushing by. It didn’t matter, because I was finally there.

After catching our breath in the shade a while, we wandered back through the main garden, through the gift shop, and into the little restaurant outside the grounds, Les Nymphéas. Waterlilies. We had the most delicious salads in the entire world there, and finished the meal with more homemade ice cream. I had mango, and Mom got blackberry, because she’d been jealous of my first flavor.

The walk to the bus, the bus to the train, the train to Paris were all a bit of a haze, because I was so hot and so exhausted and so… full of the vision I had consumed that I was a bit out of sorts the rest of the day. It had been worth it, though. Being heat exhausted was fine by me. I had seen it all with my own eyes and known the truth. It was like reaching the top of a flight of stairs and looking down on something grand and beautiful. It was just right.

Big Ol' Steampunk Lovefest

To commemorate the end of SteamPink Week I am going to use this post to show you some of my favorite steampunky things all over the web. Sort of. More or less. RIGHT. Here we go.

ETSY is my favorite one-stop-shop for STUFF of all kinds. The endless amounts of searching and browsing is the ultimate window shopping excursion, especially when one is dreaming of watch fobs and ribbons and goggles and Victorian shoes and suchlike. Observe:

This Once Upon A Time Locket is freaking ADORABLE, very delicate and feminine with a bit of a steampunk air to it.

THIS is absolutely STUNNING. It is gorgeous, sexy, appears to be incredibly well made... everything you want in a perfect garment. Sigh. The price, unfortunately, is not quite within my reach. At all. However, the rest of their shop, while pricey, is really fascinating and their garments are exquisite. Drool-worthy indeed.

Okay, so, Damsel In This Dress -- aside from having an incredibly witty shop name -- happens to be my very favorite of all Etsy shops. It is shocking how quickly this woman creates masterpieces of corsetry, and her patterns are her very own design. The fabrics are swoon-worthy and the prices are EXCELLENT for this kind of craftsmanship. I have been watching her store for years (yeah, stalker, I know) and FINALLY bought my very own DITD creation a few days ago. My corset is beautiful and it fits me like a glove. I will definitely be buying from her again... she is an absolute jewel. She even shipped express to me -- when I asked EXTREMELY last minute. I had a party to go to and the corset would have made the outfit... and it DID. It arrived in perfect timing. She is so wonderful! If you want a great bodice at an amazing price and outstanding service, go to her. Seriously. Drool.

JezebelCharms always has some really delicious, intricate jewelry creations with a steampunk edge. There are also a few nods to everyone's favorite Doctor, which in my book REALLY doesn't hurt; makes me want them more, in fact. ;) Really interesting textures and stuff, and she has her own flair. Also, free shipping, I believe! Hooray!

Bionic Unicorn is another fantastic Etsy shop of intricate, fascinating jewelry and adornments of all sorts. Lots of gears and cogs in delicate settings with great color selections and very unique themes. A bit fantastical... in a great way. :)

Tea Time Inc. has some delightful miniature hats and fascinators, but also several of the CUTEST bustle skirts I've ever seen. I've been eyeing the red one myself. (But it just won't do to have that red with the dark blue, silver and gold of my Damsel In This Dress corset. Sigh.) Lots of other goodies are here, too; it's a great little store.

Right-ho. Now for some basic steampunk clothing websites.

Clockwork Couture has an EXCELLENT variety and really fascinating garments to capture the imagination, and prices to capture your wallet. They have some things in their clearance, however, and their "chop shop" lets you buy a plain garment and spruce it up yourself, DIY style. Neat idea. Their accessories are great too.

Steampunk Emporium also has a wide variety for the gents and the ladies, and fantastic themes to go with them. Possibly a great place to start building from the ground up. Their parasols are sweet!

Lovechild Boudoir was recently recommended to me by Alexis (@NerdGirl28) and I have yet to really delve in but it looks really fun and a bit more on the saucy side. Always good to have.

Now, Chapeau Claudette is NOT steampunk by any means. But when I was recently in London, I found an array of her chapeaux at Topshop Oxford Circus and fell madly and instantly in love. Of course I bought one and of course it is my pride and joy (seconded by my Damsel in this Dress corset of course!!) and I highly recommend perusing this shop. The hats are BEAUTIFUL and have such character to them, you can't help falling in love. <3



And now for some poetry.


Ahem.


This one is called.... "Window-shopping."

goggles, hats, and things
visions of corsetry dance
why so expensive?


"Past Comforts."

long train ride homeward
close my eyes, think of London
eras bygone now.


"Corset."

hold me closer, please
reassurance of beauty
hourglass and serene.

Thoughts regarding Batman: The Animated Series

Perhaps the greatest superhero cartoon of all time? Indeed. Here are tonight's thoughts as I peruse the episodes of season two.

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES.

#10. Batman's silhouette. GOD. Just LOOK at that. Completely unreasonable expectations of masculinity... delicious, delicious masculinity.....rrrrRRRRrrrrr....

#9. Mark Hamill as the Joker. I don't have to say anything else.

#8. I lied. The Joker's Laugh. It doesn't get any freaking better than Mark Hamill's INSANE UNYIELDING CACKLING. Perfection. It soothes the soul.

#7. Alfred. Especially his asides or follow-up comments that tell you how disapproving he is of something. Perfect.

#6. When Batman does things that are unnecessary or illogical. Such as, climbing around on residential rooftops in broad daylight just to eavesdrop on a conversation. What. They can see you, dude.

#5. When Batman literally just says "WHAT!" in shock. When something is so shocking that even Batman doesn't know what to say... then you know you've really seen something go down.

#4. Harley and Ivy. Again, enough said.

#3. Barbara and Dick. Ohhhhh yes. OTP forever and ever and ever... it defined my childhood. Shut up.

#2. THE CLASSIC BATMAN EYE NARROW.

aaaaaaaaaaand....

#1. THE OPENING INTRO SONG/SEQUENCE. Enjoy.

<3

SteamPink Week 2010

So, I've literally never heard of an online event like this before. But thanks to @omgrey's lovely tweets, I've discovered how exciting this can be. The even is called SteamPink -- that is, steampunk for girls. It's focused on the brave, witty, lovely heroines of the steampunk genre, and obviously as two of my favorite new authors (O.M. Grey and Gail Carriger) are featured, I am getting involved. They are giving away TONS of magnificent swag and more than that, it seems to be a way to experience a little bit of community online that has the same love for girly, anachronistic but delightful Victorian era stuff that I do. Bangarang.

Here's the link if you want to check it out (WHICH YOU SHOULD): http://vvb32reads.blogspot.com/2010/06/steampink-welcome.html

I don't even really know how many people have a link to my blog... since I usually only use it for fiction posts and poems and stuff... but if you're here, go and click and check it out. It seems like it's going to be a lot of fun! :)

Review of O.M. Grey's "Avalon Revisited."

Gizmos and vampires and airships... oh my.

Yes, friends, I'm officially hooked on steampunk. Here's another review I wrote recently for O.M. Grey's first novel, "Avalon Revisited." This was originally posted on Amazon.com but I just moved it over here too for safekeeping. Whee!

O.M. Grey's book from the very beginning has the distinctly powerful quality of a clear voice; although at first you don't know anything about Arthur, the narrator, you can hear him clearly word for word and through his narrations you begin to unfold his character. The few hundred years of his vampiric life have made him sly, clever, a little vain and extremely charming, and all of these things are brought out through his first person descriptions and commentary. The mysterious underbelly of the story picks up speed at an expert pace, full of twists and suspenseful moments but ultimately quite thrilling, all the while the reader rides along with Arthur as he tries to reconcile his vampire life with his newfound overwhelming crush on a woman who has no interest in him. Things get touchy when it is discovered that Avalon, the gorgeous but solitary woman of Arthur's affections, is in the business of becoming a vampire hunter, and things get even touchier when the killings across London are being pegged as vampire murders, although Arthur is not fully to blame.

The story is intriguing and delicious, the characters are delightful and easy to picture, and the London backdrop serves perfectly for a supernaturally romantic mystery. I hope to see much more of the same genre from O.M. Grey, whose prose is never over- or underdone, and whose well-rounded construction of Arthur is addictive and quite companionable for the reader. Classic and passionate (but never to the point of smut, in my opinion) "Avalon Revisited" is a delectable triumph and has left me savoring its flavor and definitely hungry for more.

Review of Gail Carriger's "Changeless."

I should begin by explaining something about how I stumbled into this genre and found Gail Carriger by complete accident.

It was last fall, 2009, and I was skipping class with a good friend of mine. Unlike some college kids who skip class to indulge in acts of a somewhat illegal nature, we skipped for the purpose of going to a bookstore and treasure-hunting for something good while we were there. My friend was perusing the New Releases section of Borders while I wandered into the SciFi/Fantasy section to scan titles. I think now that maybe I was looking for Neil Gaiman stuff; I'm trying to complete my collection of his work, but I can't be sure, since I didn't even look at the G section of the shelves. All I remember is coming around the corner to start alphabetically, and as I leaned over to get a better look at some titles, a book fell off the shelf and landed at my feet.

The book was called "Soulless" and the cover featured a very saucy looking Victorian woman whose parasol was decorated with cogs and coils and odd looking accents in brass.

Of course it was fate. Of course I bought it. And of course I made some of my friends buy it too.

The second book of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series, "Changeless," was released this spring, and my good friend Alexis (@NerdGirl28 via twitter) and I were hungry to read it by then, hoping it wouldn't disappoint after the clever, exhilirating wit and mystery of "Soulless."

It certainly did not disappoint either of us.

The mysterious goings-on of "Soulless" are magnified and intensified in "Changeless." The plot moves more quickly and with sharper twists and turns, and the characters from the first book have blossomed into more intriguing figures in the second. Alexia dons her role as Lady Maccon and Muhjah with great dignity and grace, and likewise the brooding Lord Maccon continues to be a little bit more mysterious than we expect him to be. The exploration of his past with the Scottish pack is both fascinating and tragic, and the continued comedic relief from Ivy Hisselpenny (whose hats continue to get worse) and the claviger Tunstall (whose amorous intents are as endearingly embarrassing as Ivy's melodramatic moanings are endearingly idiotic) is hilarious and a welcome subplot to the increasingly unfunny paranormal mystery growing all around them.

The new characters are fully intriguing and fit right in with the old gang, including the she-wolf who now leads Lord Maccon's old pack and the totally mysterious, totally attractive (oops, Alexia, are you getting tummy-butterflies when she looks at you? and aren't you married to a dude? ...I LOVE their interactions), totally delightful cross-dressing inventor Madame Lefoux. Angelique, ex-maid to the vampires, from the first book, returns as a supporting character, and so does beloved Professor Lyall. The only cast member really missing is Lord Akeldama, whose involvement is significantly lessened by the journey to Scotland. Alas. He still manages to have a say in what goes on though, and we would expect no less of him.

The mystery at hand keeps you guessing fully till the very end of the book, when the clues start to come together a little quicker and more significantly; I was stunned by the reveal, and even MORE stunned by the twist ending the lovely Ms. Carriger gives us. My jaw still hasn't been picked up off the floor.

I would say "I can't wait for Blameless" but the words seem flat and stale by comparison to the agony I am currently floundering in until I can read the next installment.

I am just glad that fate decided to slap "Soulless" off the shelf at me that day in Borders... I don't know where I would be without Gail Carriger's books right now.

Right. Now off I go to work on my steampunk outfit plans and have some more tea.