Edgar Allan Poe, You Don't Look a Day Over 200

But in fact, you are 202 today!

I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity. During these
fits of absolute unconsciousness, I drank--God only knows how often or how much. As a matter of course, my enemies referred the insanity to the drink rather than the drink to the insanity.

from the Memoir of Edgar Allan Poe
For the past two years the mysterious "Poe Toaster" has failed to appear. For sixty years, a mysterious figure dressed in black left roses and a bottle of cognac on Poe's grave on his birthday, but not in 2010 or this year.
Theories abound that this fan has died. A shame there is no one to take up this mantle in his place... yet.
Still, enjoy remembering Poe today by rereading "Annabel Lee", "The Black Cat," "The Raven"- or just play with your Edgar Allan Poe finger puppet.

Wonderful and Strange: My Day Out

I had a crappy night last night, so my friend Amy suggested a small adventure today before I went to work. Simply for coffee and then to the book store (where inevitably, my caffine addict companion had another coffee). It cheered me up greatly and salvaged what could have been an utterly desolate day. I couldn't even go to the archery range this morning and work off my righteous anger... anyway...
There are many wonderful and strange things to behold on any trip out no matter how mundane and today was no different.
While waiting for my coffee I saw a woman with a hoard of small children. One little girl broke away from the other children and started noisily kissing an advertisement for the Star Wars Clone Wars cartoon, but that was not the strange part, the oddest element was that she was kissing a picture of Yoda. He is my favorite trickster, but unusual as the object of a little girl's first crush. It made me laugh and I very much enjoyed watching them- especially when their mother realized one of her children was kissing some random item in a public place.
Then at the book store, I saw a woman wearing the most spectacular eye patch I have ever seen. It was covered in a series of small rainbow metallic sparkles. She could rule the high seas if she wanted. Yes, it is unfortunate that she is in need of an eye patch, but she is embracing it and not taking herself too seriously.
Also, at work tonight I saw a man that looks like Mark Twain. That makes this a *Famous Dead Guy Spotting* a rare and monumental occasion.
Not a bad start to October. In spite of the fact that I didn't achieve any of my reading goals for September, I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I'm taking three literature classes, all of which I have alot of readings for- I had to read two Shakespeare plays I have no previous experience with this past month, All's Well That Ends Well and Troilus and Cressida. Both very fascinating by the way. I have few occassions to pleasure read coming up and I intend to finish Sons and Lovers very soon.

Literary Crushes: Shakespeare

I posed the very philosophical question: "What Shakespearean character would you choose as a life partner?" to some of my friends yesterday.
"McDuff, I'd help him get over the dead wife and children," one said.
"I don't know, that's really weird. Definitely not Romeo or Hamlet, they're too emo, maybe Benvolio, he has some sense and he doesn't give up on Romeo," said another.
In the end I couldn't choose between Prince Hal of Henry IV (1&2) and Henry V or Edgar of King Lear. Number one, they both have castles, and I love castles. Hal is a bit of a wild child that settles down and accepts responsibility when he needs to, but proves himself a strong warrior and a caring lover to the French Princess. Edgar is a good boy all around, intelligent, compassionate and forgiving, but also has the guts to challenge his half brother and the skill to emerge victorious.
Who would be your ideal Shakespearean mate?

Literary Crush: Dead Edition

Sorry I've been neglectful most of the week. I thought it would be nice to post all of my dead and fictional literary crushes one at a time.
Today it's Geoffrey Chaucer. Sometimes called the Father of English Literature, he was anything but stuffy. His sense of humor and modern ideas of class and morality make him the kind of guy you would love whispering a running commentary in your ear at a cocktail party. The fact that Paul Bettany portrayed him in a fantastically charismatic way in A Knight's Tale back in 2001 helps add to his appeal as well.