Fastening our seatbelts . . . tornado watch

DVD collection (Photo credit: nickstone333)

We have a tornado watch out here until 5 a.m. That’s six hours from now.. My husband told me to be sure and have” pants, shoes and a flashlight at hand” when I went to bed–just in case. Fasten your seatbelts, it could be a bumpy ride.

Tornadoes have always scared me. I am amazed at the amount of destruction they can cause in such a very small amount of time; in the way in which they can demolish a block of houses while across the street, hardly more than a shingle is lost. I look at what happened last year in what we here call “April’s Fury,” the death and the devastation, and  know my sister, nephew, niece and her family all narrowly missed being victims of those storms.

They sound very much like a train when they are headed towards you and it can all happen so very fast. What do you grab? The cats. The laptop. The photo albums. My Kindle. I could never carry all my RA DVDs–there are too many of them. N&S, VoD, my RH boxed set, Strike Back. Spooks 7. . . . oh, it’s too hard a decision.

I just have to hope and pray the colliding warm and cold fronts don’t spawn a “March’s Fury” for us, that no one is injured or kiled, that no homes are destroyed.

It could be a long night.

I love a man in uniform . . . and out of it.

Before there was Sergeant Porter, there was Captain Mcalwain, showing us how good Mr. A could look in nifty berets, olive drab and camo. Not to mention ruggers gear. And–oh yeah. A towel and bare damp skin, still glistening from the shower. *sigh*

Remember I promised more hair? Well “hair” it is!

21,047 hits. 183 posts. 3,386 comments. 50 blog and comment followers. That’s what’s happened here since late night, February 2 when I established The Armitage Effect.  Thanks, everyone.

Here is a little “thank you” present to all of you, showcasing our favorite hirsute alpha dwarf.  Enjoy!!
“Show it! Long as I can grow it, my hair.” 😀

p;

I’m in a hairy mood.

And, if all goes well, you will find out just how much of a hirsute mood I am in, oh, say a couple of hours?  😀

But until then, I leave you with some pix of the gorgeous Mr. A and his hair–long hair, short hair, cropped hair, wet hair–well, you get the picture.

OT: Repression? No. Freedom of expression? Yes, please.

Maya Angelous, one of my favorite authors and one whose books have been challenged or banned.

Let me point out it is not Banned Books Week, not for another few months. But I got my regular email from the Strand Book Store in New York, and today’s email encourages readers to seek out banned and challenged books. I was very startled to realize one of my favorite books of all time, a book that enriched and expanded my understanding of fellow humans, has been banned or challenged in a number of schools and libraries.,

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the first volume in a series of autobiographical works by the woman who become the first African-American female poet laureate in U.S. History, Maya Angelou. She is a true Renaissance woman with an incredible story to tell.

As a teen, I found the paperback in a bookstore on a trip to Montgomery, read the blurb on the back and thought it was something that would interest me.

It did more than interest me. It drew me into the world of young black girl growing up with her grandmother, a store owner in racially divided Stamps, Arkansas in the 1930s. Angelou’s lyrical prose had me gasping with laughter at some of the passages and weeping in sorrow at others. It’s exhilirating and harrowing. It’s an important piece of American history as it was lived.

I have re-read it a number of times over the years until I practically wore that paperback out. I purchased the other volumes in her autobiographical series and they are all very much worth reading. But IKWTCBS remains my favorite.

So why has it been banned and challenged? Angelou includes a candid chapter about her childhood rape by her mother’s boyfriend and the repercusions–how she basically quit talking for two years. There is nothing titillating about this memoir, only her clear-eyed honesty, which can be hard to face.  But face it we should.    I am very grateful no one ever took that book out of my teenaged hands and said, “You can’t read this.” My life would have been the poorer for it.

A celebration ahead: TAE Word for the Day

What a jubilee there will be when Thorin and his companions come to life on the big screen.

I think we all know the meaning of today’s word, but with the arrival of Sir Peter’s latest video blog yesterday, we were reminded, through those few tantalizing glimpses of our Richard as Thorin in front of the camera and behind the scenes (and a little too much in the background to suit us, but never mind) just how much we have to look forward to come December.

The word for the day is: jubilee(noun)(1) A special anniversary of an event, especially a 50th anniversay. (2) rejoicing or celebration.

This December there will be a jubilee as Richard’s fangurlz (and boyz) around the world come together to see Thorin on our movie screens.

Yet More Guy Day Friday! Videos

Alpha was the very first Guycentric fanvid I ever made, the first of many.  Duran Duran’s Hungry Like a Wolf was one of my favorite 80’s songs and it seemed perfect for our alpha male Sir Guy, who used the wolf symbol on his gloves and clothing, and was definitely a man with animal magnetism.

And then there’s Goldfrapp’s very sexy song “Oh la la” which I have used twice, once with Lucas and once with the glorious Sir Guy. “Child of Venus, you’re just made for love . . .” Oh. YEAH.

Guyday Friday continues: How he tantalizes . . .

Wildness unleashed . . .

Howling like the alpha male he is . . .

Head thrown back, lips parted, eyes closed . . . is this what he looks like under more–intimate circumstances?

More Guyday Friday: Sir Guy, you’re sooooo sexy when you dream . . .

I know Sir Guy is having a nightmare--probably about Marian--but he is so damned beautiful in what is, for me, a very erotic sequence.

Sir Guy, you shouldn't wear your makeup to bed--but it is dead sexy.

Hands clutching the bedclothes . . . clenching hard as if overwhelmed by some great emotion.

The sensuality of the slightly parted lips, their delicate Cupid's bow accentuated . . . the glimpse of his Adam's-apple. The gorgeous mane of raven hair fanned out on the pillow and the heavy stubble.

Another imaginary letter to Sir Peter: Please, Sir. May we have some more?

Image via Wikipedia

Dear Sir Peter,

Thank you for giving us another video blog entry for The Hobbit. When you said it would be up soon, you meant soon, didn’t you? It was wonderful to see all those great locations that will be a part of the two films. Your country is indeed a very beautiful place, and I suspect there  are times when Richard feels as if he’s found heaven on earth.

Richard–oh, my, you do know how to pick ’em, Sir Peter!  He is going to be the quintessential King Under the Mountain. The vision of a happy, smiling RA in his Thorin mufti, tossing back that quite magnificent mane of hair in a “Don’t hate me because I am beautiful” moment, astride his very shaggy horse–well, it lasted only a few seconds, but the image is now burned into mine and scads of other fangurlz’s brains.

The image of him partially stripped down, his flowing mane in a ponytail–lovely. And the most, I don’t know–touching moment. “Thorin’ taking snapshots of the scenery, his back to the camera. And we knew it wasn’t his double, because nobody can duplicate those hands . . .

But do you think you could possibly, just maybe–encourage our beautiful, talented but modest Mr. Armitage to spend a little more time in front of the cameras for those behind-the-scenes moments?

I realize, of course, that while Richard is one of the principal actors he is not the ONLY actor in the film, and everyone is working hard and deserves their moment in the spotlight in these vlogs. You obviously have a great cast and crew.  And I hesitate to ask simply because I do know what a reticent and down-to-earth person RA is–never one to push himself forward, prefering to quietly remain in the background. It’s part of his enormous appeal for us.

Honestly, we aren’t asking for much. Just a few words spoken by him, a close-up or two.  Toss us a few crumbs.  We’ve been starving, you see. And we are desperate for whatever we can get.

Of course, you know all this means we are counting down the days, the hours, the minutes until we can see and hear plenty of Thorin on the big screen, larger than life and in 3D . . .  if there was a huge hoopla over the first LOTR movie premiering, I suspect it will seem rather small in comparison with The Hobbit’s arrival this December.

Richard is on the brink, I believe . . . and we thank you for allowing us to be a part of his journey. And I apologize if we are being greedy.

But he is a most extraordinary fellow, our Richard, as I am certain you know by now. And we addicts need our fix.

Ever Richard’s and your fan,

fedoralady

Thanks for this moment, Sir Peter.

Guyday Friday has arrived! Some video fun

Image via Wikipedia

Walk this way, Sir Guy!

You can knock him down, try to push him around, drug him, tie him up . . . but Sir Guy of Gisborne never gives up. Even though he may have to resort to drinking plenty of ale and spiced wine to help him get through another hard day as the hot, sexy henchman. (screencap RANet)

Thorin’s hair wear: which do you prefer– loose lion’s mane or tidy ponytail?

Are you quite taken with Thorin’s long, loose flowing locks, perfect for tossing and whipping about in a regal alpha dwarf sort of way? Or do you find you fancy a tidy ponytail cascading down his broad back? Is it all good no matter how Thorin rocks the locks? Do tell!