November 17, 2014

Leopard Week & Middlemarch


The Den looooves Faux Fuchsia's favorite neutral and how MaiTai shifts it into high gear.
source
The Lion's Den Institute of Big Cat Studies will be honoring Faux Fuchsia and MaiTai later in the week for their contributions to The Den's second favorite breed of cat....seemed wrong not to.

Our Darling Trudye (the Houston Fashionista who Becca Cason Thrash tries desperately to emulate) is The Den's Curator of Animal Prints and has assembled quite an impressive array for the upcoming ceremony.

Heavy hors d'oeuvres with Champagne and antelope will be served.


'George Eliot' pen name of Mary Anne Evans
Aged 30 by the Swiss artist Alexandre Louis François d'Albert Durade (1804–86)
from wikipedia

This Saturday November 22nd is our very own DaniBP's fabulous MopPhil Book Club (see my preview in right margin) which is always a stimulating free-for-all that begins mid-morning DaniBP (Toronto) time. The selection this go round is Middlemarch by George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) considered to be the greatest novel in the English language by none other than Julian Barnes, Martin Amis, and the The Telegraph. If you have not yet read it please do and one option is to listen to the audiobook (which I'm doing) on audible.com.  If you aren't a member and want to try it out, the first book is free. Even if you haven't read it, please stop by and jump in whenever the urge strikes. Since Dani has her home under major renovation, I am assisting with the Book Club hosting duties and will have a little preview up on Friday.

Did you hear I had the good fortune of having my first 'blog date' with the very beautiful and charming Blue Booby ("girlie not Butch") and her charming mountain of a man 'Hunter'?  I had a fabulous time (so I'm told) and owe them a night on the town their next trip up which I anxiously await.

In other fabulous news our very own Wendy just signed with a literary agency and is one step closer to getting published. We had the champagne flowing in The Den last night to celebrate but we were too slow to score any of Barry's birthday cake.


36 comments:

  1. Thank heavens for you my brilliant co-host! My regular reading routine is off due to the commotion and kerfuffle of my current life and I haven't finished Middlemarch but I'm going to give it my darndest. Great idea to listen to the audio book too G.
    So much in this post, leopard you say: sign me up. FF and MaiTai: my style icons and it sounds like you had quite the time with BB and Hunter.
    Good job on the champers too for our own Dear Wendy.

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    1. Dani, you know ol' GSL likes nothing better than to ride to a fair maiden's rescue...of course we all know it's all you can do to tread water with your house gutted, Scout staying out well after curfew with her new beau Doogan, and setting up a new temporary household etc. Everything will be fine, just relax. I love audiobooks with a good narrator and Maureen O'Brien for Middlemarch is superb !!

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  2. Look forward to leopard features!
    And how excellent to hear Wendy's news! I have been absent from blogs for a bit.... Yet another incident here. Grrr.

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    1. Glad you're back Ruth and that new Boden skirt is perfect for a book club outing (with updo natch).

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  3. Well that's just favouritism! Got your ticket booked to meet the Blighty reprobates, eh?

    A whopping congrats and a whoop whoop to Wendy!

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    1. You're a Den Favourite too Curator...most days.

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    2. Curator, I am long overdue a trip to Londontown and will certainly be looking you up....you already have me fluent in French profanity!

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    3. Putain de merde! A visit from his nibs. Better rally the troops. I'm sure there'll be a whole batta-lion waiting to see you in The Old Smoke.

      There's no shortage of pubs for HQ.
      Will do a recon and report back.

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    4. My dear Curator,
      Sounds like you're luring me into an ambush...but I don't mind. A battalion vs GSL sounds like a fair fight.
      En garde!

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    5. Urban dictionary. 'Rally the troops':
      Term used to describe the process of getting everyone who is out at the bar together and prepare them to leave, as it is either the end of the night or the scene is hurting.
      1. "Rally the troops, Tabs threw up on the bouncer."

      And 'batta-lion'...the legion of ladies in the UK branch of the GSL fan club.
      I'll leave you to it.

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    6. Dearest Curator,
      The Den has long known that everything you do has many interesting layers and applaud your team at Si Je Veux translating the Urban Dictionary into French.
      Do tell those Legions of UK Ladies that GSL will see them in the New Year.

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    7. I do believe I can hear them chinking their Gosset filled Baccarat glasses to your imminent arrival GSL.

      Chic-ago lions den on Thames will be a veritable rugby scrum of Chanel and Hermes...in the Fumoir bien sûr. Your muse will make an excellent hostess.

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  4. Oh thank you, you sweet man! I have dying for Saturday, dying I tell you! I have been finished for about two weeks and am all a tither about book club!!! There will always be cake for you in Canada! And champers!

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  5. We'll have fun on Saturday Wendy; we're already in deep winter mode with 14F (-10 C), snow and a nice stiff breeze here to really freshen things up.
    Middlemarch, hot tea, and sweet meats sound perfect!

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  6. Oh gawd, I'm not done yet! This book has been competing with Marilyn Robinson's new one. I'll buckle down...

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  7. Ok, so is it wrong to express my jealousy at both you and BB for having such a grand time without me? Thank you for the news recap, champers is in order for Wendy's signing, Ruth's return (and reno) and Dani's Reno! I feel ashamed that I always tell myself I am going to have a well thought out statement for book club, and then life, midterm grading and dissertation writing get in the way!

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    1. AB, you need to knock out that dissertation so we can welcome Dr AB to a future MopPhil Book Club and have you join us at The Red Lion.
      Please do look in on us Saturday!

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  8. so much to love in this post! did you know i roomed with ff in london?! i'm so thrilled for wendy, she is such a natural writer. actually you all are. it's so hard for me to even leave a decent comment. x

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    1. Janet, no way one room could fit that much fabulousity...unless it's the Royal Albert?
      Wendy does have us all jazzed over her wonderful news.
      No need to worry about comment as on my best day my thousand words couldn't sniff that cool pic of wedding cake on bed of '49 GMC Pick-Up.

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  9. i am sooo glad we came to see you last week end. We all had a good time. Hunter and I are still talking about it...did Dutch eat dinner with us or was he still lost amongst the bar stools at that point? Not sure if I'll finish, but I shall be checking in as I await Tyler's return from college.

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    1. I forgot to ask Dutch that and he's en route to Florida this very minute and you picked the right weekend as it's now 14F with snow and about -10 windchill,,,,it's awful !
      So glad I got to meet you and Hunter !!! That was fun!

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  10. Who could be a better host than Darling Trudye for the upcoming leopard extravaganza! Looking forward to the post. And allthough I don't know Wendy, I'm joining the celebration. An achievement like this needs to be toasted from near and far!

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    1. Trudye's eye, as you well know dear MaiTai, is as keen as they come in animal prints and colour in the shades from light camel to dark chocolate. It will be quite an extravaganza!

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    2. Dearest Tai...I am not the host here,as I just fed The Lion some ideas;-)
      Joining you in a toast to Wendy! A great accomplishment to be celebrated! Don't know her either, but do know that you and I love any occasion to toast with the bubbly!

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  11. I never get tired of leopard and my seven-year-old daughter is obsessed with it, she tries to wear something leopard nearly every single day! You know, I never read Middlemarch but I probably have a copy around here somewhere, maybe I will get it out and have that be my winter book. XO, Jill

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    1. Jill,
      Your daughter sounds quite the little fashionista and I too love leopard as a great look on a woman...or young lady. We would love to have you join us for Dani's book club this Saturday if you can make it.

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  12. Well, dear G, I am not The Curator here, as this is your blog! Shaking my head at your BCT comment...an 'ista' of any sort I am not!
    Now, darling MaiTai and FF, they know how to work their leopard!
    Big congrats to Wendy...break out the bubbly!

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    1. Darling Trudye,

      I'll bet you 'have a friend' who could regale with a juicy morsel of BCT intel...and your keen eye has been much appreciated in helping to assemble the upcoming FF/MT tribute.

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  13. Alice and I are wondering if there is a leopard item in GSL's wardrobe? Perhaps a pair of socks?

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    1. There isn't yet but I've talked to MaiTai about bringing in a leopard ascot and she's working on it.

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  14. Well now GSL, you know I'm a fully paid up member of the leopard club as well? Under sever duress and peer pressure from Faux Fuchsia last year, I purchased some rather nice leopard print Dolce and Gabanna heels that I wear out on the town from time to time.
    If you two ever meet, watch out - you'll be sporting a leopard print coat in no time!

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    1. Heidi,
      You are certainly a Den fav but we've more often thought of you as a Z-Peg gal so am unfamiliar with your leopard work.
      I don't know if the ladies of Chicago are ready for FF to style me up in leopard...would take 'sexy' into new dimensions....doesn't seem fair.

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  15. Congratulations to WENDY on this lovely achievement! I hope to hear more when publication day is decided upon.

    I do love a leopard's face---those wise, dare-you golden eyes. My sister's first husband collected Frace prints, and having read the artist's name only on the bottom right-hand-corners, went about for years expounding on his TRACE collection. You know, after the first few times you've let it go, it's hard to correct someone who would only wonder who else he said it to---sort of embarrassment in retrospect, as it were. Them was some might pretty big cats, though.

    Stay warm and well, and remember me to Mossy.

    r

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    1. Rachel,
      Mossy as well as everyone at The Den loves what you're all about.

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  16. GSL, Just discovering your blog! SO much to learn about here. I'm terribly embarrassed confusing George Elliot for George Sand today. Ugh I feel stupid! GSL good thing I did not participate! I need to get my women authors using male pseudonyms straight. Thanks for being kind about it! looking forward to reading many posts of yours! Kim

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