July showers

[nnozomi]

Daily life: It’s been raining or cloudy for forty days and forty nights; the rainy season is taking itself seriously this year. I’m still not exactly complaining (I’ll take it over hot sun any day, looking at you, August), and unlike the poor people in Kyushu we’re not subject to flooding here, but it seems like yet another piece of 2020’s performative grimness.
My veranda plants are doing relatively well, except for the damn eggplant; I have lots of glossy green habaneros and chili peppers waiting to ripen. Not sure what I’ll do with the latter, which I haven’t grown before—string them up to dry? We’ve had about a dozen-odd tasty cherry tomatoes so far with another two dozen or so ripening on the vine, so I feel like I got my money’s worth.

Music: Turandot streaming from the Met—I didn’t like the singers much, but I adore the music, having had the chance to sing in the chorus of a concert production way back when. The second act testing scene and its aftermath absolutely blow me away every time, along with the rising line when Calaf tells her his name at the end (although in terms of plot I kind of agree with those who feel Turandot and Liu should just run away together).

Books: Rereading Elizabeth Enright’s Melendy books. I have a whole post about them somewhere in my DW archives so I won’t repeat myself too much, but like Peter Dickinson, she’s someone who, if genre books were taken more seriously, should be considered one of the great 20th-c. authors. Elegant clear prose with not a word out of place, perfectly evoked character and setting, warm and sometimes poignant without ever being sentimental, and also funny in a deliciously unmarked way (cf Mrs. Oliphant, an elderly friend of the Melendy children, declining to go out caroling: “We’ll stay at home and welcome Santa Claus. It’s years since I’ve met an attractive man of my own age.”).

Chinese: Speaking of attractive men: In these trying times I am so happy to have the new Zhu Yilong drama to watch, especially because the standard ZYL rule applies: no matter how bad my day has been, [Shen Wei][Luo Fusheng][Wu Xie] has probably had a worse one. (Although hopefully not ZYL himself: Zhu Yilong, losing weight is one thing but please take care of your back, I don’t want to spend the rest of your career worrying yenta-ishly if you’re condemning yourself to chronic pain.) For me one 40-minute episode a day is basically binge-watching, so I’m taking it a little at a time (but not worried about being spoiled). I’m enjoying the promise of lavish hurt/comfort (I didn’t expect them to give him opera TB a la Violetta, good Lord) as well as the admixture of humor. ZYL is just heartbreakingly gorgeous and, as always, acts the lights out, and I like his weird colleagues too. I’ve been watching with Chinese subtitles on rather than English, for fun and profit; I’m probably missing a lot of detail but I can basically follow along, although I’d be lost with the spoken language alone (Pangzi in particular seems to have an adversarial relationship with, like, consonants). So much fun.

Writing: Things are happening! There has been very awkward bed-sharing. I have to decide what order the next couple of scenes need to come in for maximum tension; also whether either of these people will be embarrassed by inadvertent snuggling, and if so which one (I may have been slightly inspired by ratbones’ little!Shen Wei, though neither of them is that adorable). Also I have a list of unanswered questions a yard long, mostly depressingly political. I think the answers are all in there somewhere but it requires thought.

Photos: Walks around the city: assorted flowers, the wall of an old brick factory, an inadvertent aquarium, and some stealth persimmons.

Comments

[glymr]

Those flowers are gorgeous!

You know, I was JUST thinking about the Melendy books today! I don't recall what brought them to mind, but you're so right about them being underappreciated. They were a staple of my childhood. Have you read Enright's Gone Away Lake/Return to Gone Away or Thimble Summer? Kidlet was asking for books about farming the other day (she has a large garden she's been tending to this summer) so I handed her Thimble Summer, which is the only Enright book I didn't get around to reading aloud to her when she was younger.

[nnozomi]

thanks! So glad to find another Elizabeth Enright fan. I remember the Gone Away books fondly too--I don't have them with me here so haven't reread them lately, but they had a lot of the same charm. Thimble Summer I don't think I ever read, but I know the name. I really find the Melendy books stand up to rereading even now as an adult.
Also I hope your kidlet's garden is thriving! Maybe I ought to ask her for advice on my veranda eggplants...

[laireshi]

(I’ll take it over hot sun any day, looking at you, August)
I'll take all your hot days that you don't want ;) (I'm in Busan this week an it was POURING DOWN the first couple of days, boo.)

no matter how bad my day has been, [Shen Wei][Luo Fusheng][Wu Xie] has probably had a worse one
I'm gonna adopt that a my motto, haha. I still have to watch his new drama though.

Yay at the flowers! And good luck with writing.

[nnozomi]

Oh dear, traveling in the rain is no fun at all. I hope it's better now (and wish I could send you all the summer days :) ). Let me know what you think of Busan, and also the new ZYL drama when you get around to it.
Take good care!

[china_shop]

It’s been raining or cloudy for forty days and forty nights

Oh, no! That's too long without sun!! I mean, yes, better than roasting, but still...

Writing: Things are happening! There has been very awkward bed-sharing.

Yayay, go you!! :-D *\o/*

Lovely pics, as always! (That white one is another hibiscus. ♥)

[nnozomi]

Well, technically there has been sun here and there--it's not like my hometown where we could LITERALLY go a month on end without seeing the sun. I think I adapted naturally to thrive on cloudy days ;)
Glad you like the pictures, and thanks for the hibiscus ID! Even I can tell the one on the right is a morning glory, but if you have an idea about the orangey one please let me know ♡

[trobadora]

no matter how bad my day has been, [Shen Wei][Luo Fusheng][Wu Xie] has probably had a worse one.

OMG, that is so true. And 100% agreed about Zhu Yilong.

I'm enjoying the drama so far, in a non-fannish kind of way - apart from a few moments early on, it's really not hit me emotionally, but it's entertaining, and unlike the two other Daomu Biji shows I've tried before, has good pacing so the long stretches of traipsing through tombs or whatever don't get boring. And I like the humour - just the right tone for me.

I’ve been watching with Chinese subtitles on rather than English, for fun and profit; I’m probably missing a lot of detail but I can basically follow along

That's amazing! I only understand the usual little bits.

Pangzi in particular seems to have an adversarial relationship with, like, consonants

Haha, yeah, I have so much trouble with his accent - I noticed that in the previous show already. (I think he's the only actor who carried over, and I can see why - he's great in the role.) I can't make out what he's saying half the time even when I know what he's saying. Unlike liiterally everyone else!

(I want a Wu Xie icon!)

[nnozomi]

I'm so reluctant to get into most visual canons that it pretty much takes Zhu Yilong to get me to watch something...I still haven't even gotten through the four readily available episodes, but I'm enjoying it a lot. (Not just the hurt/comfort parts either--among other things, the conversation with his uncle possibly did not require a whole lot of acting on ZYL's part? Play some video games, turn down eligible girls with "I'm still young and I want to concentrate on my career"... ;) )

I mean, I am missing a lot when I watch in Chinese, it's not like I can follow the subtitles word for word, but I can just about get a general idea and it's good practice. and yeah, Pangzi's accent is impenetrable and I suppose that's part of his charm...

[trobadora]

Pangzi's accent is impenetrable and I suppose that's part of his charm...

LOL! I'd really like to know what kind of accent that is and why he sounds so different from everyone else ...

[umadoshi]

(I think he's the only actor who carried over, and I can see why - he's great in the role.)

Oh, interesting! I didn't realize there was any actor overlap at all between any of the franchise's shows (although I hadn't looked into it at all, so my impression was very vague).

[trobadora]

Yeah, Chen Minghao already played Pangzi in Sand Sea. I only watched a few episodes of it because it dragged a lot - it took ages for anything to happen - and I didn't care for the main character (who is not Wu Xie).

[umadoshi]

This franchise is making my head spin. ^^;

[clevermanka]

opera TB a la Violetta
OPERA TB 😂

What beautiful flowers! I'm so impressed they're that vibrant with such little sun.

"performative grimness" is such A Phrase and (unfortunately) so, so apt in regards to this mess of a year.

[nnozomi]

OPERA TB 😂
I mean, you know? That's the framework I grew up with for "wasting lung disease that conveniently allows you to look very pretty and go on singing arias" (or in this case raiding tombs) ;)

Yeah, like I was saying in comments above there has been some sun, this is the Pacific side of the country, but only at intervals. The flowers seem to handle it, and thanks for the kind words.

(Also, I haven't been managing to comment elsewhere much this week but as always I enjoy your daily links-and-chat posts ♡)

[clevermanka]

I do know, and "opera TB" is a perfect descriptor for it.

Yay! I'm glad you're getting something out of the link posts! No worries for no comments. We're all of us overwhelmed. ❤

[ratbones]

I'm also enjoying the heck out of Lost Tomb, or whatever we're calling it. The general atmosphere of Adventure! is on point for me, and, well. Wu Xie's fragile health and his friends' protective tendencies are promising. And OPERA TB. YES.

I may have been slightly inspired by ratbones’ little!Shen Wei
Whee! I'm so pleased! (Really, nobody should be that adorable; he's a danger.) Inadvertent snuggling and potential embarrassment sound like a good time indeed.

[nnozomi]

Yes, yes and yes. It's very kind of Zhu Yilong to take on this role so perfectly tailored to what my id wants. ;)

I love that scene in "Black Scales," I have reread it quite a lot (and probably failed to comment accordingly, sorry). I can't decide if these two need some embarrassment or if they're just going to say screw it, we have bigger problems right now and go all-in snuggling...

[tinny]

I am having lots of fun with Lost Tomb, too (I am only on ep 2 and probably going to stay behind everyone).

I feel like they explain and over-explain things, so maybe i'll try the odd ep in Chinese, too.

(I didn’t expect them to give him opera TB a la Violetta, good Lord)

LOL! Me, neither. But so far I am just laughing it off. I feel like the average Zhu Yilong drama has prepared me for the worst, so... yeah. TB, no biggie.

I really like the humor on this show, way more than on any other cdrama/Asian drama I've seen. I don't know why that is, but it clicked with me.

an inadvertent aquarium

Lolol! I've seen one like that this week, too, it was just a notice hung inside a plastic cover and the cover is surprisingly watertight on the bottom. :D Yours is much prettier!

[nnozomi]

I feel like they explain and over-explain things, so maybe i'll try the odd ep in Chinese, too.
I'm really enjoying it in Chinese! I may go back and watch again with the English subtitles later, but there are enough context clues, and I can follow just enough of the written language, that it seems to be working okay for me. And like you said the humor is good--I feel like they do a great job of capturing that sense of having been friends forever and having a ton of in-jokes that don't have to be spelled out.

(and I'm glad you liked the umbrella aquarium! Not mine, just a random person's ex-umbrella. Shows you how much it's been raining...)

[umadoshi]

Zhu Yilong, losing weight is one thing but please take care of your back, I don’t want to spend the rest of your career worrying yenta-ishly if you’re condemning yourself to chronic pain.

THIS. *frets*

I may have been slightly inspired by ratbones’ little!Shen Wei

What an excellent influence! ^_^

[nnozomi]

THIS. *frets*
I wonder if his manager looks at Pangzi in the drama and goes "I know just how you feel..."

What an excellent influence! ^_^
Absolutely!

[cyphomandra]

I love the Melendy books. I did Melendy fic for Yuletide last year and they were very soothing to read (and rather daunting to emulate!) - the treasure hunt in Spiderweb for Two has always been my favourite, although I prefer the dynamics of more siblings.

Home grown cherry tomatoes are fantastically convenient :D

[nnozomi]

Your Melendy fic from last year is one of my favorites!
I can never choose a favorite--I think "Then There Were Five" (is that right?) because there's so much going on, and it has a lot of Rush who is my favorite of all the kids. But I also love Randy and Oliver's interactions in "Spiderweb for Two"...

The cherry tomatoes are great, although they ripen about two to five at a time, making them better for snacks than tomato salads :)