Greetings and Salutations-if you know what movie that's from(and own it on DVD in a Special Edition Pencil Box,like I do),hopefully we're on the same wavelength. Alright,first things first-what makes this blog any different from all the others out there and why should I give a damn to read this thing?

Well,bascially I'm a frustrated writer with too much imagination but not alot of actual writing put down on the page-I'm an independant bookseller who has done blurbs for various books(even publishers have used them for advertising-my most recent one was for The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova)and people always tell me"You should write a book!" I've tried to write a book(the title of it is now the name of this blog)but only got about three chapters done. More than most people,but not by much.

Anyway,I've been reading about blogs(particularly in Bookmark Now,edited by Kevin Smokler-don't know the guy but like what he has to say)and decided to create one to express my views on pop culture. Relax,this isn't going to be some annoying college thesis expounding on the Surrealist iconic imagery of reality shows or any pretentious crap like that. I'm just going to talk about books,movies and tv shows(I don't watch many of them but am a diehard devotee when I do latch on to one)and occassionally,give a rant about pop culture stuff that annoys me(and hopefully,you too!).

What kind of stuff do I like? The best way to describe my tastes is to tell you about the altars of worship that I have at home(no blood sacrifices,I swear)-one is for Jane Austen,the other is to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Jane Austen,I didn't read until my late twenties-I was one of those kids who ALWAYS had a book in my hand which made teachers happy(so much that they really didn't focus on me since I wasn't causing trouble)but warded other people off. Anyway,the first Jane Austen novel I read was Persuasion. The BBC film version(with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds)was out in a theater not playing near me and all the reviews were so good,I felt I should atleast try to read it. Well,it made me a JA fan on the spot(even before reading Pride & Prejudice,which every JA fan adores)-I could relate to Anne Elliot,a much put upon woman,neglected and taken for granted by her family yet renewed thru reconnection with a long-ago suitor. My family is nothing like Anne's(they would be likely to tell the snobby Elliots to fuck off)but I have had the same type of feelings and JA is smart,funny and romantic without being sappy. So,what does this "altar" look like?

The top of one of my bookcases(yes,have more than one)is devoted to JA-a display made of postcards from three of the novels(got them in England when I went on a JA tour)and a calendar page honoring JA in collage form-old calendars are great for decorating,btw-and a small picture of Jane in a mini frame. There is also a Hermione figure(there are JA references in Harry Potter so it's appropiate)as well as the soundtrack to Sense & Sensibilty(Emma Thompson version),DVD of P&P(Colin Firth version),a CD of readings from JA by Helena Bonham-Carter(she does a hell of a Lady Catherine),a pile of JA related books that I've not yet read,two sets of chocolates with kings & queens of England and illustrations from Austen novels(actually,just the wrappers-had to eat the chocolates),a Jane Austen qoute cube(similar to a puzzle cube,fold it in different ways and you get various JA sayings and a picture of the woman herself),a Jane mug,holding pens and a actual lace fan. There's also a Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast(the only Disney heroine I know of who's best trait was her love of reading)holding a small bag of letters that spell"Emma". I also have more than one set of Jane's novels(mostly in paperbacks but a few hardcovers)and several other books about her books,life and film versions of the books. Not too into her,am I?

However,if you entered my room,the Buffy wall would definately catch your eye. It's not as scary as the photo wall in One Hour Photo(I felt like an amateur after seeing that sucker)but pretty darn extensive. Buffy was a show I didn't get hooked on right away-the WB repeated the early episodes so I caught "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and "The Harvest" and thought,hmm not bad. I had seen the original Buffy movie(hard to resist the title)and enjoyed it,despite the lightweightness of it. I've always been a vampire fan-never was into Bela Lugosi,my dad and I were big Boris Karloff fans. Dracula,Salem's Lot and Interview with the Vampire helped me get hooked on vamps(as well as watching Frank Lagella in the '79 Dracula and later,Kiefer Sutherland in Lost Boys). By season two,when Spike & Dru first hit the small screen,I was in like Flynn.

Joss Whedon's take on reality as seen thru a former cheerleader turned monster hunter and her friends has been one of the best shows ever on television(a modest claim,I know)-I have all the seasons on DVD and also all the seasons of Angel(must confess that I never got into Firefly but will see the big screen version this fall) and for the record,I prefer Spike to Angel. No, I have not written any gross fanfictions slashing him with anyone(did think of doing one with Spike and Doppleganger Vampire Willow,but taste prevailed)but have many pictures of him adoring my walls.

The Buffy wall is made of magazine photos and various screenshots taken from many fansites(for my decorating purposes only-my HTML skills are particularly nonexistant)and doesn't quite reach the ceiling but takes up a good portion of the room. Some posters from the official Buffy magazine are part of it and some non-Buffy stuff is mixed in to offset the madness(the centerpiece of the wall has a Bridget Jones poster surrounded by Wonder Woman calendar pages). Spike & Dru,Buffy & Angel,Willow & Oz and Willow,Oz and Tara(Willow is one of my favorites)are represented with posters,trading cards and screenshots.

I also own several of the dolls-the best figure I have is a Season Two Spike(looks like he's from the "What's my Line" episodes),complete with wire base. The main probelm with some of the dolls is that they were not made to really stand up in their bases. The newest addition to my collection is a "Book of Vengeance" Anya set-comes with Anya in the Magic Box,Anyanka and D'Hoffyrn(love shopping at Suncoast sometimes).

Anyway,that may or may not give you an idea of what kind of person I am-if anyone cares,I'll be posting some reviews soon. Most current film I saw was "Land of the Dead". Not a big zombie fan but this movie was pretty cool. The main reason I 'm not into zombies is due to lack of personality-I like villains with pizazz. Eugene Clark as Big Daddy,the zombie leader,made the story intriguing for me(also liked Dennis Hopper screaming"You have no right!" at the invading zombie army).

Oh,and yes,the title of this blog is from the Rob Zombie song,Living Dead Girl-but I'm more of a fan of the song than of him. Particularly,in the beginning of Bride of Chucky(Seed of Chucky was so bad that I had to apoligize to my sister for making her watch it with me. Then again,she still owes me for American Pie 2).

Love to all,
Lady T