Read this book. You won’t regret it. ‘Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness’

Having learned of Richard Armitage’s latest film project, rather late last night I decided to purchase (via my Nook) Susannah Calahan’s harrowing account of her battle with a mysterious illness that threatened her sanity and her life. I fully intended to read a couple of chapters at most. So much for good intentions.

I stayed up until close to dawn with only 40 or so pages (including the afterword) left to go. I finished reading it this morning.

Photo tweeted by Richard Armitage as he headed back to Canada for his latest film project, based on Susannah Calahan’s best seller. Looks as if he’s started his note taking on his character, Tom Calahan, Susannah’s father.

 

There are best sellers that I don’t think deserve to be best sellers. Thank heavens this non-fiction account is not in that category.   Susannah has to put all her well-honed journalistic skills to use to write this memoir. Her “month of madness” is all an incredibly muddled blur for the reporter, a painful period she seeks to reconstruct by interviewing medical personnel, co-workers, family members, her boyfriend and others. She reads their journal entries and watches the videotapes shot while she is in the hospital.

What she sees is this pasty-faced, underfed creature prone to seizures and hallucinations, riddled with paranoia, struggling at times to form her words. Someone who can be violent and combative, forced to wear restraints, or silent and rigidly staring into space.

That Susannah is barely recognizable as the bright, outgoing, ambitious and fiercely independent young New York Post reporter everybody knows.

The book recounts her struggle to discover what is causing her physical and mental decline as she tries to make her way back to some semblance of normality and sanity. Early on, one doctor tells her to quit drinking and going out and get more sleep and she will be just fine. Another puts her on antipsychotics for schizophrenia. Susannah is doggedly determined she is bi-polar. Physicians seemingly give up on her when a battery of medical tests and examinations keep ruling out various diseases and conditions.

However, her boyfriend Stephen and her family do not give up. The moral support they give her throughout her ordeal  is inspiring and heartbreaking all at the same time.

Richard will be playing the role of Tom Calahan, father of Susannah. Tom and Susannah’s mother are divorced. Both remarried, they make a point of avoiding one another whenever possible (it was clearly not an amicable split).  Yet when this crisis arises, they manage to put aside their mutual animosity to focus on their daughter and her needs. And she has never needed them more as her inflamed brain continues to attack her body.

An emotionally detached man whose relationship with his own father was strained, Tom and Susannah have never been particularly close. Behind that wall of reserve, however, beats a fiercely loyal, protective and caring heart. There is no doubt he loves his child. If he has to curse out a group of medical students so Susannah can get a little peace and quiet, then so be it. He gives her positive words to repeat like mantras. Sometimes, he cries.
I have absolutely no doubt Richard will bring all the shading, all the complexity to this role we could desire and more. He makes a great onscreen dad (think of Porter and Lexi in Strike Back, Peter Macduff in Shakespeare Retold or Gary in Into the Storm, not to mention Thorin serving as a father figure to his nephews in the TH trilogy).  Plenty of opportunity to share fatherly angst and protectiveness and love here.

 

 

The fact that Susannah was able to write this book lets you know there is ultimately a happy ending for her.  By sharing her story of battling what turned out to be auto-immune encephalitis, first via an article for the Post and later in her book, she has helped others with the same condition ultimately get the right diagnosis and treatment. She has given people true hope, and that is always a good thing to give.

https://aealliance.org/

(Above is a link to learn more about the condition)

It took courage to write her story.  Courage to go back and retrace the steps of her “month of madness” and read those words, see those images, to hear how much she had frightened and dismayed those who loved her, to discover just how sick she truly was.

 

Calahan speaking to an audience at Yale about the early signs something was amiss. On the screen to her left are images of her in her hospital bed.

It will be a challenging role for any actress. At only 18, Chloe Grace Moretz is actually several years younger than Calahan was when she fell ill (24), yet she has a certain maturity for her age that will bode well for her portrayal.  I’ve read interviews with her and was impressed with her maturity and level-headedness.

I first saw Chloe in “Let Me In,” the English language version of the Swedish horror thriller “Let the Right Ones In” and she made a strong impression on me. She was also delightful, alternating between tough crime fighter and vulnerable kid in the irreverent “Kick-Ass” and has appeared in a diverse collection of films, from the remake of “Carrie” to YA favorite “If I Stay.”  It doesn’t hurt that she also bears a good resemblance to the author. Photos of both Calahan and Moretz.

Susannah Cahalan recently returned to her beat at the New York Post after recovering from autoimmune encephahalitis. Photo by Zandy Mangold

The fact that the gifted actress Charlize Theron is a producer for the film is another plus for me.

I will be eager to learn more about the upcoming film, and eager to hear your own thoughts as you read Calahan’s memoir. A highly recommended read, and not just for Richard Armitage fans.  The book is available for Nook and Kindle and there is an audio edition from Audible.com as well as in traditional book form.

Here’s a link to the author’s official website

http://www.susannahcahalan.com/

Will the real Richard Armitage please stand up? Or–maybe not.

“Who’s Richie A, Who’s the real guy, will the real Richie A please stand up, please stand up”

(with apologies to Eminem aka Slim Shady, who is, in fact, actually a guy named Marshall Mathers)

Fedoralady plays the devil’s advocate a bit here . . .  tossing out some food for thought.  Glean from it what you will.

 

Who exactly is Richard Armitage? That seems to be a question a fair amount of fans are asking these days.

What concerning RA can we agree upon?

I think we can all agree he’s enormously talented. Charismatic. A hard-working professional (maybe even a workaholic). He shows an appreciation for his fans and has a generous heart, supports worthwhile charities and encourages others to do the same. He is not at all hard on the eyes. In fact, he seems to get more attractive with each passing year. There is a lot to like and appreciate here.

The RA that most who have been fans for a longer period have come to expect is this thoughtful, diffident, humble, bookish, boyish, good-humored and gentle sort of gentleman—a kind of Harry Kennedy come to life in some respects. Richard himself once said HK was the character he had played who was most like him in real life, which led to quite a few “squees” in the fandom.

 

We saw glimpses of this “Admirable RA” in television and radio interviews to promote his shows and films, in the behind-the-scenes features for DVDs and in some print interviews. There was never a great deal offered up about his private life, even when interviewers tried to pry or provoke it out of him. He preferred to focus on his work, a subject about which he was clearly passionate.

Some fans who first discovered him as Thornton in “North and South” found Richard Armitage the perfect romantic hero and longed to see him in more high-quality period drama. Those who adored him as Harry Kennedy pined to see him perform in a wittily scripted rom-com. Others found “Action Hero with a Heart” Armitage and “Beautiful Baddie (Who Really Isn’t)” irresistible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For certain fans, RA pretty much ascended onto a pedestal. If he wasn’t a saint, surely he was an angel, almost too good to be true.
After all, look at all his virtuous qualities . . . he was different from all that riff-raff out there in celebrity land, and we could pat ourselves on the back and smugly smile and say, “We fangurl only the best and the most pure of heart.”

 

And other fans said (in private, if not on forums), “Virtuous qualities, shmirtuous qualities. He can effin’ read the phone book for all I care (preferably in really tight jeans and a shirt with a few buttons undone) as long as I can hear that smooth chocolate baritone and gaze into those hellagood azure eyes and imagine all the bad, bad things I could do to him!” (I should point out these feelings can be found in fans who really, really admire his personality and acting talent, too.)

 

As for Richard, he has always tended to dismiss talk about his sexual allure, expressing disbelief that he could ever be considered a hottie, proclaiming he’s always found himself a bit odd-looking.

RA has seemed like the perfect celebrity crush for the discerning fan girl: bright and gifted, yet humble and modest. Beautiful and sexy, yet seemingly unaware of his physical charms (although quite a few of us found that hard to swallow). Here was an intensely private man who clearly intended to remain so, one who wanted the focus to be on his body of work as a serious actor–and not his body, as it were.

And then he joined Twitter. Dived in headfirst, one might say.
And we started getting selfies. Lots of selfies. Some were quite funny and cute and a little weird, but in a good sort of way. And one or two were— “Huh? Zat you, Richard?”
They seemed to be of a handsome young man but they didn’t exactly look like Richard Armitage—maybe a younger look-alike relative?

Clearly, our Richie was doctoring his images. Hey, no big deal, right? Don’t all celebrities (and quite of few of us nobodies) use filters and other touch-up tools on our photos before we post them to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the like? And he’s working at lot in Hollywood now, where youth is the religion; he’s almost 44 and there are always younger actors up for the same roles.

 

And maybe, just maybe, Mr. A is a bit more vain and conscious of his good looks than we were led to think.

Then there’s this whole thing of tweeting—and deleting. And tweeting and deleting some more. “Make up your mind, Mr. Armitage, a legion of fans is apparently hanging on your every word and trying to dissect what went wrong that caused you to need to remove a particular image/words!” Fans cry out.

So, tell me, Richard,  are you just teasing us, or are you in fact still a bit inept when it comes to this whole social media morass? Inquiring minds want to know. Some fans are getting downright frustrated!

And there are some of the roles Richard is choosing—very action-oriented, one even described as “hyper-violent” and of course, that blood-soaked turn as a serial killer later this season on “Hannibal.”
Didn’t he once state horror was a genre he didn’t think was a good fit for him?

“What caused you to change your mind?” ask some fans, disappointed over your decision.

“Aren’t people allowed to change their minds?” Other fans respond. “This isn’t your run-of-the-mill splatter fest, anyway. There’s great scripting and character development. The critics love it!”

There’s a lot of disquiet and a certain degree of disappointment expressed in the fandom of late and it has led me to query: While we’ve never been completely harmonious, were fans in general happier when RA was actually less accessible?
Was ignorance bliss for some of us when that alluring veil of mystery still swirled around him? Is a portion of it still there or has social media permanently dispelled it?

 

I wonder, would it be more acceptable for some fans if he were like a movie star in the old studio system, in which the Powers That Be carefully groomed and molded their stars’ images . . . and kept anything negative out of the press.

Has Richard Armitage as an individual actually changed in any fundamental way, or are we simply seeing him break out of his shyness and shake off some of that British reserve,with the self-professed late bloomer now “busting out all over” with a nearly nude photo posted on Twitter? (Of course, it’s not like he hasn’t gotten naked before for the camera . . . on several occasions, in fact. “Between the Sheets,” “Spooks” and “Strike Back.”)

Do we know/see a little too much now, and are some of us afraid of what we might discover next about “our Richard” that could potentially shatter our illusions about him?

And do we as individual fans and as a collective truly want the real Richard Armitage—whomever and whatever he might prove to be—to stand up? Or can we ever really “know” a man who is such an expert at immersing himself into his characters?  Actors–well, they ACT.

Would we prefer to only fangurl a Richard made to our personal specifications . . . and is there any harm if we do?  Should we hold tight to our fantasies even if reality turns out to bite?

I wonder.

Fedoralady on ‘Manhunter,’ ‘Hannibal’ and Armitage’s flawed heroes (who haven’t actually eaten anyone)

Richard and I have “been together” for just under eight years now. I discovered him as that absolutely delicious baddie (who turned into a goodie but still had to die for his past sins) Sir Guy on BBC America.

Initially I found Sir Guy to be a smarmy bastard, albeit a good-looking one. I did not fall for him right away as many viewers did when watching RA as John Thornton three years earlier in “North and South.” It was more of a slow burn . . .

I noticed something curious happening—the villainous master-of-arms actually had a heart, damaged and flawed though it might be, with glimmers of humanity in all its vulnerability peeking through that arrogant, brutish facade.

By the end of the first series, I was solidly Team Leather, and angry with Marian for leaving him at the altar. I grew increasingly tired of her machinations in the second series. Marian was a tease, and it was a dangerous game she played with this passionate man who went out of his way more than once to protect her from Vasey.

When she taunted him so cruelly in the desert, I decided she had lost her mind. Poor, devastated Sir Guy acted in desperation and disbelief to her words, and went on to clearly mourn her far more than her husband of five minutes ever seemed to do.

By the end of the third and final series, I cried like a baby. I mourned the death of Sir Guy more than I did  some of the actual flesh-and-blood relatives in my extended family. I was, and am, and shall ever remain a Sir Guy of Gisborne apologist.

Richard Armitage doesn’t have to play “good” characters for me to relate to them, care about them, root for and mourn for them. I love his flawed heroes like John Porter, Lucas North (I don’t believe in Bateman) and Thorin. These characters are all complicated and damaged creatures with their own particular emotional baggage: professional disgrace and estrangement from family, prison, loss of home and fortune, each of them struggling in his own way to reclaim his former life and redeem himself (John Proctor I will discuss in a future post. He deserves one all his own).

Richard has himself said in the past his fans won’t like all the roles he chooses, and at the time I thought primarily of Thorin. Let’s face it, more than a few people, fans and non-fans alike, raised eyebrows over the idea of our tall, handsome heartthrob of a fellow as a 250-odd-year-old hirsute dwarf who could have played Disney’s “Grumpy” as far as his personality was sketched out in Tolkien’s original novel. This character certainly wasn’t the romantic period hero or the charming rom-com leading man some fans were hoping to see him play.

Today, Thorin is the favorite RA character of many newer fans, their gateway to discover other Armitage projects, and they can’t imagine anyone else performing in that role (neither can I). It turns out vertically-challenged hairy dudes can become major heartthrobs, too–at least when played by Richard Armitage.

Richard managed to not only look majestic and handsome beneath the dwarf suit, wig and prosthetics, he also fleshed out that role and brought those subtle layers to Thorin. We felt our hearts constrict when the paranoia and gold lust overcame the warrior king, we cried when he saw him fall “one last time.” Another death, another redeemed character.

But how do I deal with Francis Dolarhyde, a cannibalistic serial killer? Here is a character who does not kill people as part of his employment as a medieval henchman in a difficult time when life was “nasty, short and brutish.” Nor is this character a member of the military or the secret service who sometimes must take a life to save many others.

He’s not a warrior prince fighting to take back the kingdom lost to a fierce dragon years before in order to reclaim a throne and restore his people to their rightful place.

Dolarhyde is a monster who kills innocent people and eats portions of them . . . and let me be perfectly honest. It makes me more than a little uneasy to think I might possibly fall for a monster, even one that’s a fictional character. I guess I wonder if I do get infatuated with Dolarhyde, just what might that say about me? Yes, I know the character had an awful childhood. So do a lot of other people who don’t turn out like this.

I have read the book “Red Dragon” and while I didn’t see the film of the same name, I have viewed the 1986 Michael Mann film “Manhunter” starring William Petersen of CSI fame as the Will Graham character. It’s actually a very well-made film with solid performances, including that of Tom Noonan in the Dolarhyde role. I felt a certain pity for Dolarhyde in this film, but he also scared the daylights out of me.

It’s been a number of years since I last saw it, and I would like to see it again.  ( Images found on Bing. Noonan as Dolarhyde and Petersen as Graham).

I am currently watching the new season of “Hannibal” and find I have no desire to re-watch the two eps I have seen so far. I have read raves about this series from critics and some of its fans, but somehow, I am not “getting it,” not yet. I suppose it would help if I had seen the first two seasons, but I have no desire to do that, either.

Does it have great production values? Yes. Does it have a talented cast? Yes. Do I thus far find it excessively bloody, at times pretentious and on the boring side? Yes, yes and yes. Apparently the ratings are down, making me suspect many of RA’s legion of fans are opting out of watching it until RA appears in the last six eps, and some, not even then. Cannibalistic serial killer seems to be that deal-breaker role for some of us.

I certainly haven’t shied away from scary, spooky, even gory films and TV series in the past. I am not averse to dark, morbid humor. I loved “Dexter,” and its protagonist was a Miami crime scene blood specialist who, oh yeah, was also a serial killer, BUT he only killed other serial killers and similarly rotten individuals. He had a code taught to him by his adoptive father, a cop who recognized the tendencies within his son and taught him how to channel his “dark passenger.” Michael C. Hall did a marvelous job of making Dexter somehow likeable and relatable even as we glimpsed the monster within.

(Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan. Bing IMages)

So I am truly curious to see what Mr. Armitage will bring to the table (other than body parts) in this role. We know from the stills already released that he is in fine physical form for the role and if nothing else, we can enjoy that, I suppose. But I have always found more to appreciate in his performances than merely those bodacious biceps and broad shoulders. Those attributes are the yummy icing on the cake of the chaRActers for me.

Thus far, “Hannibal” just isn’t doing it for me. I want to tell Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) to get away from that crazy nutcase, the same for Gillian Anderson (who plays Hannibal’s wife).

Mads Mikkelsen is a very prominent and respected actor in his native Denmark, and considered quite sexy by many, but honestly, he was creeping me out before I saw him in this role. Granted, I’ve only seen him as a Bond baddie, a BBC Sherlock Holmes baddie and as Igor Stravinski in a film about his affair with Coco Chanel that I found beautiful to look at but ultimately empty—style over substance. The sex scenes seemed clinical and cold. He doesn’t capture my imagination the same way RA does. Maybe if he did, I wouldn’t find “Hannibal” such a disappointment  . . .

This role is not helping the gut “ick” reaction I have to Mr. Mikkelsen to subside. Then again, he is also playing a cannibalistic serial killer, so should I not be icked out? I just have very, very, very mixed feelings about all of this.  I don’t like what I call “torture porn” such as one sees in films like the “Saw” franchise and this show is feeling like that for me, albeit with an elegant and refined façade tacked over it.

Oh, Richard. I understand and applaud your desire to take on a variety of roles rather than falling into the rut of playing the same character again and again. To challenge yourself, to stretch yourself as an actor. To take us on new journeys of discovery with your characters.

And I am sure you will do a brilliant job of bringing Francis Dolarhyde to the small screen, just as you have in so many other roles.  I have complete faith in your acting abilities and good sense.

I just wish that you had stretched in a different direction this time around.

Then again, what do I know? This controversial character may become a new fan favorite–and bring you a whole new crop of fans. We shall see . . .

“Lean on me, when you’re not strong . . .” RA, Pillar of Strength.

 

It’s 4:50 a.m. on a Friday morning. I woke up abruptly after falling asleep pretty quickly last night.  It was a hard day, shooting two separate events, standing on an unforgiving gym floor for several hours before my work day was over. I struggled last night to make it up my front steps and onto the deck.

 

My back is angry with me yet again. Forgive me if this is disjointed and a bit scattershot . . . that’s sort of the state of my brain at present.  I am at once so grateful for the work and the fact Pecan Ridge Productions is becoming better known, and so frustrated my body keeps failing me. In three hours, I will be back in town standing on that same gym floor behind a camera. I am beginning to think I should have just slept there. Then again, my back really wouldn’t have liked that!

Benny’s been ill with the type of crud that turns your digestive system inside out.  And then he started passing blood, not huge amounts–a teaspoon or so here and there, but enough to be alarming for me. Didn’t want to go to the ER because of the co-pay. The bleeding seemed to stop while I was in town shooting with Harry. Fingers crossed . . .

I haven’t spent much time Armitaging in recent weeks because I have been so busy, so wrapped up in our video production business, up working well into the night on projects, sometimes sleeping, sometimes not. Wanting to make one particular project something really special. It’s our first two-DVD set, with an hour of bonus features, nearly all of those edited by yours truly. And then wouldn’t you know we’d have to miss the big DVD premiere party at the Ritz? I think I would have cried except for the fact I was too tired to squeeze out those tears.POTR cast member and local pharmacist Jimmy Ansley offered to promote the DVD at his business. He has this display on his front counter . . . he snapped this photo and posted it on FB. Good to have a cheerleader for the project.

 

The good news is, the cast and crew LOVED it. We’ve gotten compliments on the editing, sound quality, how the images really pop on the screen,  that the bonus features are fun and informative and creatively done . . . so we are feeling good about the response.

I did take some time out to look at the new and new-to-us images of Richard popping up this week. The Sarah Dunn photo is simply gorgeous, but it’s not the one that resonated with me the most. It was that still from “Into the Storm” that really grabbed my attention. Armitage as rescuer, savior, hero. The idea that when the going gets tough, this is the guy you’d want in your corner.  He doesn’t give up or give in; I am trying to hang in there, too, and work through the pain and fatigue and know it will all be worth it in the end.

And so I made the little collage you see above. I have leaned on Armitage in various ways these past seven years, through disappointments, humiliation and heartache, through pain and grief. Even when I don’t spent much time “with” him, I always know he’s there, this pillar of strength. This powerful yet gentle man, with his kindly, compassionate eyes and arms that encompass you, murmuring words of encouragement.

“Brave girl, brave girl.”

Thank you, Richard, for once again helping me without any earthly idea you are doing it.

And now, time for half a muscle relaxer with a side order of fuzzy feline . . .

 

 

Just Call Me the RA Collage Queen. Boom, Boom, Boom!

Well, it’s fun and when you can’t sleep, it’s a nice way to pass the time. A mixture of collages and FB covers I’ve made this week. Hope you enjoy!

Try saying the above 10 times fast. It’ll make you giggle.

So much on my plate, my darlings. But a little (literally) bit of Chop for you.

Found on pinterest and posted by L.

And I actually enlarged this just a tad. Assuming it was shot with a camera phone in a very small file size. Still, it’s fun to get another glimpse of the character.

Wydville tell me she is reading the book the film is based on and it’s a tough go–not bad writing, you understand, but the hardness and grittiness of life as experienced by these individuals is an eye-opener. She also says she has a hard time envisioning our tall, slim, handsome, refined Richard as “Chop,” and on the surface, he really doesn’t seem like a perfect physical match for Bernard, does he?

Then again, as I responded to her, if we had only seen RA as Guy, Thornton, Lucas or Porter–could we have ever imagined him as the awkward, painfully shy, virginal farmhand John Strandring? That was quite a transformation, too. And he’s managed to convince us all a lithe, elegant dancer of a six-foot, two-inch beau ideal can also be a stocky hirsute warrior dwarf.
He really does love submerging himself in his characters (versus submerging himself in water, which he can heartily live without).  And I am pretty much a believer in the Amazing Acting Powah that is Richard Armitage.

 

Anyone else gotten their book and started reading it yet? What are your impressions? Do you think RA will make a convincing Chop? I am still waiting for my copy to wing its way overseas.

As for Real Life, I’ve been working on the most recent video project and editing photos and collages for the video production company, along with doing a little copyediting for Benny’s boss for pay. I stayed up all night Saturday to work on a new version of one vid because I just wasn’t happy with the first one. The DVDs are done, hooray, other than needing to duplicate any more for additional sales (fingers crossed!).

Next weekend we have a family reunion on my dad’s side at a local eatery (at least one of my sisters is going to attend :D), an informal memorial service to videotape for a sweet friend who lost her husband recently, and “Bark in the Park” which we will be shooting video and stills for. The busyness of spring is kicking in.

I also continue the never-ending quest for some quality sleep. Maybe the doctor will be able to help me with that next month (appt. three weeks from today). Pets and hubby all doing well. Scarlett is growing like a weed and gets prettier every day (to me, anyway).

Love, love . . .

 

MoRe CollAges and Catching Up . . .

I felt somewhat out of the loop with the RA fandom for a few days. That thing called Real Life crept in, which is a good thing really, because it meant work for the video production company last Saturday, and me being busy with related activities.

Those included being asked to write a feature story and provide photos for a picture page for the newspaper at treble my normal column rate of pay. Which doesn’t leave me rolling in dough, but it does mean I am earning some of my daily bread.  That and the sale of a small bisque pitcher vase to a friend yesterday cheered me up. 😀

 

It also meant time with extended family–my brother-in-law and sister-in-law Bobby and Pam were visiting from San Antonio and staying with another BIL and SIL, Paul and Donna, in Montgomery. So there was a trip to Montgomery to visit with a gathering of family members from the area on Sunday, and the four of them also came to Greenville on Tuesday to share lunch with us and a little shopping at a local flea market. Yesterday, my Real Life activity of helping animals came into play with a meeting of the humane society. I feel as if I am somehow coming out of hibernation . . . even though today is feeling a bit more wintery again than spring-like!  Physically, I don’t feel great; mentally, I am in a good place. This is a blessing.

In terms of Richarding, I *finally* got to see the 2nd and 3rd parts of the Anglophile interview this week. YT was not cooperating when Part 2 came out and I was not available when the final part came out. So I enjoyed delayed gratification . . . and you know, there can be something very satisfying about not gorging oneself but taking your time and savoring all the goodness. Because there is *so* much to appreciate, isn’t there?

Well, time to mix up the tea, check on the dishwasher and feed the dogs. In other words, RL calls once more. Hope you are all doing well!

Wonderful Wednesday: A Gallery of RA’s Memorable ChaRActers

It hasn’t been a wonderful winter for me (nor for many more of you–curse you, groundhog, why must we have six more weeks of this!?) But I am beginning to see glimpses of light at the end of this long, cold, wet and dreary tunnel.  I got my first column of this new year for the paper written; nothing fancy but a sense of accomplishment. I’ve been playing with ideas for that story I promised dear Guylty.  In spite of brain fog and a fibro flare (not helped by slamming into the wall on the way to the bathroom early this morning), I am feeling–hopeful. 😀

Here’s what it looked like a week ago outside my house. It’s mostly ice with a little snow mixed in. The ice paralyzed the Deep South for a couple of days.
I’ve been doing a lot of posting of words and images–some silly and some serious and some simply beautiful–on FB in recent days on my regular page, and lots of images and some of my vids of Mr. A and his characters at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Richard-Armitage-Effect/

Yes, I whipped up some new photo edits I premiered at FB and I thought I would share them with you all, in case you aren’t on FB. And even if you are–do we need an excuse to peruse Mr. A’s lovely, expressive features and admirable physique? I think not . . . have a wonderful Wednesday, my friends and fellow RA well-wishers!

Porter & North: Soldier & Spy Saturday (NEW edits/old vids)

Two men, intelligent, resourceful and quite ruthless when necessary. Both willing to put their lives on the line to save others. Both knowing the last bullet may be the one they have to use on themselves, their mission fully deniable by the government they serve. Men who have endured deprivation, torture and humiliation, haunted by their pasts, determined to reclaim their honor, to do their duty. Two men, tough and yet capable of great tenderness, too. Although flawed and damaged, they are still good, decent men. True heroes we can respect and admire. Thank you, Lucas North and John Porter, and thank you, Richard Armitage, for so beautifully and memorably bringing these two complex characters to life for us.

Richard’s ChaRActers to the Rescue! Warm us up way down south . . .

A swath of the southern U.S. from Houston, Texas across the Gulf Coast right up the Atlantic Coast is expecting to experience sleet, freezing rain, snow and ice over the next couple of days. And that is big news, folks. We aren’t used to it and we aren’t equipped for it (goodness knows, local citizens who’ve never lived in other parts of the country as we have don’t know how to drive in it). And if we lose power in an ice storm, it’s gonna be kind of miserable around here for at least a little while.

See the Pepto-Bismol pink county with “Greenville” on the map below? Well, we live on the eastern edge of it. As one of my FB friends who posted this said, “Not a forecast you expect to see down at the beach.”

Now, having fallen and banged myself up in the shower earlier, I am in a lot of physical distress that even a large spoonful of Nutella and a muscle relaxer haven’t been able to calm down.  Nasty weather is on the way and I’m in pain and I need heeeeeeellllllppppppp.

Hmmmm . . . this might help. Think warm thoughts. An inviting dip into the pool on a summer’s day . . .

Feeling better already!!

Now things are really getting hot . . .

In fact, they are sizzlin’!! Too hot to resist . . .

*sigh* Yes, yes I do . . .
Mr. A and a jar of Nutella. Now THAT’s a thought.  *drool*

Now if you aren’t thawed out enough yet, dance along to the grooves of LMFAO ’cause those ChaRActers are sexy and they know it (and so do WE)!

I’d like to give the world a hug . . . but the ChaRActers will do it instead.

I look around me right now and I see a lot of people hurting. Some are my fellow bloggers and RA fans; others are friends and acquaintances from my own community.  Sometimes it’s physical, sometimes it’s emotional, spiritual, mental or some combination thereof. Whatever the case may be, the pain is genuine. I am thinking of you all early this Monday morning.

My husband is battling a bad cold; he hardly rests well when he isn’t ill, but it’s even worse now when he needs a good night’s sleep the most. Knowing he has to drag himself into work and to a job he pretty much hates anyway doesn’t help. I want to take the cold away (without catching it), but all I can really do is try to do what I can to make him feel better without fussing too much. The man has a real stoic streak.

My younger friend, who was actually a student of mine before she transferred to another school, is battling major anxieties. She’s had quite a struggle in recent years, losing both her parents, then having her brother wrestle away the family business and proceed to run it into the ground before walking away. Now it’s shuttered and she is left to try to pick up the pieces.

Friend was so hungry one day she was rummaging through restaurant garbage cans to find something to eat. It took every dollar I had at the time to buy us a meal out together at a local bakery/deli, but it was worth it because (A) I knew she had a good hot meal and (B) she knew I really did care and she had someone to talk to who’d really listen, even if I certainly didn’t have all the answers.

Sometimes I feel wretchedly inadequate in helping my community. I was all too painfully aware of it over the holidays, that season of giving. I don’t have much money to spare to donate to worthy causes; I am not able-bodied enough to invest much sweat equity in projects. But I can listen. And isn’t that what people quite often want, someone who will simply be there for them?

Friend finally got a job after a lot of fruitless searching, but she was put on third shift and the idea of running a gas station alone in the dark of night this week terrifies her. She suffers from periodic panic attacks and can’t take her prescribed drugs and work without fear of drowsiness.

So we talked again tonight via FB private message. I still haven’t solved all her problems, but she thanked me for listening. I also promised to pray for her and try to check in on her at work if I was awake myself.

I don’t attend church regularly anymore, but I do still pray for the needs of others and for guidance for myself. I do believe it helps. I have felt people praying for me in recent weeks and it has benefited me.

Some of the gray weight of depression has shifted, with light beginning to shine through the cracks.  That is a true blessing.

I was asked to write a new column for the paper this week. A sliver of light. Several friends from miles away reached out to help me in a tangible way last week, and the light certainly grew brighter. Thank you all so very, very much.

I am looking into some online opportunities to write for pay. A little brighter still. I am about to undertake a self-paced photography course which should benefit me personally as well as professionally. The desire to write is again stirring within me. I want to be creative.  want to explore. I want to give back.

I have ordered a copy of my favorite children’s book to donate to my alma mater’s school library as part of the SpReAd the Love February Challenge (more on that later). I’ve encouraged all my book-loving friends on Facebook to do the same.  I encourage you to consider doing it, too!  We all know books are the gift that keeps on giving.

In my own small, flawed and very human way, I truly do want to make the world a better place. I wish I could give all of you a great big hug right now. I can’t, but I can share some images of Mr. A’s chaRActers doing just that. Be well, and for those of you facing more nasty winter weather as we are, stay warm and safe.

Portah rocks a shemagh; or how the keffiyeh does he look so good?

Porter was a character who accessorized well. The shades, the bracelets, the vests . . . and those scarves, also known as shemaghs or keffiyehs. And boy, are those pieces of cloth really versatile! Just take a look!

(Not too sure you’d want to re-use that rockin’ scarf after making it your toilet paper or feminine hygiene product, however . . . )

“Portah’s so sexy . . . rockin’ the shemagh, rock the shemagh!” (with apologies to The Clash)

Hotter–and better accessorized, too.
What’s your favorite Portah accessory?

A soldier, a dwarf king & a henchman walked into a room . . .

“Soooo . . . I see you two showed up on my day. ” The tall, dark and toothsome knight gave a disdainful sniff of his rather magnificent aquiline nose and folded his arms across his chest as he smirked at his companions.  (He was as magnificent a Smirker as he was a first-class Sniffer and Smoulderer.)

The soldier, who was rocking a scarf like nobody’s business, shot him a cool, measured glance and folded HIS arms, their very impressive biceps rippling beneath his desert gear.  “Yeah . . . seems the Yanks are finally going to get to meet me . . .”

“Although audiences around the world are eagerly anticipating MY arrival–and some have already seen me via this digital download apparatus,” rumbled the dwarf in a majestic manner, somehow making himself look taller–even if he was a foot shorter than the other two blokes. He slipped off his kingly coat, and showed off his own impressive biceps. The three men eyed each other. Was it her imagination, or was that the distinctive odor of testosterone in the air?

The blonde woman sighed. “Now, lads, there’s room for all of you. You are all much loved, adored AND lusted after.  Happy Guyday Friday, Happy premiere of Strike Back: Origins tonight and hooray for the Extended Edition of The Hobbit! There are chocolate chip fudge brownies and a big bag of cheese curls in the kitchen and a gallon of Blue Bell in the freezer.”

“I’ve got first dibs on the brownies . . .” Guy said in his chocolate-laden baritone.

“All yours, milord. I’ll take the cheese curls,” Porter drawled, his crystalline green eyes glinting.

Thorin flicked back his luxurious mane. “Blue Bell being the king of ice creams makes it the perfect choice for me . . .”

Ladywriter wondered how long it would take before they got into a squabble over the satellite remote control.

Never a dull moment when the ChaRActers took over the house . . .

And she wouldn’t have changed a thing!

It’s an awfully good face, isn’t it?

I have a small, fuzzy, extremely warm kitten on my chest and—saints be praised–her older sister napping at the foot of the bed. They have been in the same room for several hours without a single skirmish, without hissing, growling, laid-back ears or bugged-out eyes. Maybe there is light at the end of this tunnel.

Speaking of light . . .

I’ve been looking through the screencaps from the Cinemax interview. If you haven’t seen them yet, RA Central has them posted in their gallery:

http://richardarmitagecentral.co.uk/main.php?g2_itemId=346770&g2_page=3

I’ve been thinking about Richard’s face. A good face, and I don’t just mean the juxtaposition of those elegant cheekbones, firm jaw, classical aquiline nose and long-lashed eyes. It is certainly aesthetically pleasing.

But there’s more. There’s the humor and humility, the passion for his craft, the intelligence, the polite and thoughtful nature, all those qualities that animate his striking features and bring a beautiful light into those eyes with their ever-changeable color.

It’s a face that expresses so much and yet also keeps us guessing. The face of a private man who leads with his feelings in his chosen profession. A face that is somehow ageless and timeless.  A face that holds such an arresting masculine beauty that even when the subject is tired as he appears to be in the interview, it’s still quite enough to take one’s breath away.

And the smiles . . . oh, those smiles. Reflected in the eyes, accompanied by crinkles, radiating bonhomie. It really is true. Whenever I see RA’s smiling face, I have to smile myself . . . I just can’t resist.

Yes, an awfully good face. And, I believe, a good man. Can’t wait for more people to discover his powerful, magnetic, kick-ass performance as Sgt. Porter.

Who needs Batman? Give me an Armitagehero every time.

So Richard is not going to be the next Batman. No problem. As far as I am concerned, he’s already brought some amazing superheroes to the screen–and he didn’t need superhuman powers or fancy gadgets or a silly costume with a mask and tights to do it.  Real men with challenges and weaknesses, flaws and fears, who nonetheless stand their ground, believe in loyalty and family, know how to be both tough and tender when it’s needed, and who ultimately win our respect, admiration and our hearts.  Hooray for Armitageheroes!

Like I said–who needs Batman??