Sinister and Saintly

Are you fed up of me yet? I've been blogging rather a lot recently, and I should probably have been clever about it and spread them out a little more, but I haven't. There's little use crying over spilt milk - especially when you kind of tipped over the milk on purpose.

I am reading again at the Library tomorrow (Thursday). Courtesy of Simon May, we're having an Anais Nin themed day. Simon and I will be reading at noon SLT (which is 8pm here in good old Britannia), and, I believe, Jett Roxan will be reading at 8pm SLT (which is 4am here in good old Britannia by which time, sadly, I will have passed out of existence). It's possible that Jett will be reading with Simon and I, also, so, basically, the only way you'll not miss out on anything is if you turn up. See what I did there? - Good. 

Jett made another great poster. Click here - here! to see it on his flickr, where I pinched it from. Naughty Kitti.

Anais Nin is not an author I have read very much of - in truth, I hadn't read anything of her until this Tuesday, when I was asked if I would like to take part in the reading of her work. She isn't someone I knew very much about, either, though I had heard her name before, and I had a suspicion that I'd heard some pretty mean words proceeding it. When I asked about her on Facebook, I caused a little bit of a storm, although I was surprised to find that none of my English student friends (of which I have many) had anything to say about her at all.

When I started to read her work, I can't say I was massively impressed. I do think, however, that maybe I've found a way into understanding her. I'm saying nothing more for now. And, after fifty pages, I've found something I think is interesting to read aloud.

I figured we were getting a lot of Kitti-face around here, so I'd jazz it up with some more of my untidy handwriting.

In the discussion after last week's reading, I suggested that often in the case of Anne Rice, the supernatural-status of her characters serves more as an excuse to view the world in greater detail and through heightened senses. Her vampires and her werewolves have a (preter)natural kind of omnipotence, even when indisposed, that is utterly enviable. We want to be the vampire, and to be seen by the vampire. In the collection of short pieces I have read by Anais Nin, the vampire - the greater sensitivity, the greater awareness and pliancy - would appear to be opium. I like the idea of that. I think we tend to romanticise opium anyway, since it is Eastern and Other and exotic and so much, in our popular culture, to do with tasselled rugs and white skin and cat-shaped eyes. It's inseparable from lounging around in silk undergarments and conversing with higher plains and dreaming strange dreams. I doubt it would be difficult to draw out further similarities between vampires and opium.

Sadly, perhaps, there is no opium in the piece I am going to read tomorrow, but there is another kind of drug that has a very similar effect. No spoilers, though. My lips are sealed.

On that note, I shall hush, and say only that I hope to see you tomorrow. If you would like a teleport link, I should be around in-world, net connection permitting, from around 11:30am SLT (7:30pm GMT). You know my name - my username is the same. Obviously, once the reading begins, I won't be able to send you a link, but I would be more than happy to beforehand.

If you would like to see the un-tassled, un-rug'd, un-cat-shaped photos I took in SL today based on the opium-vampire idea, please click here - here! They're best viewed large.