The Magical 11: Benedict Cumberbatch and Other Tidbits

Cassandra from Literary Stars and Preethi from Lace, Etc. recently tagged me, urging me to complete The Magical 11 blog post. In it, we are meant to share eleven random facts about ourselves, as well as answer the eleven questions set forth by the tagger.

11 Fun Facts

1. Like most of Britain, I have a crush on Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch (pictured above). I'm still waiting for America to catch on to this obsession. Wake up, patriots! He's the next big thing.

2. Reader's confession: I'm not keen on reading poetry. However, I love listening to it as it's read aloud. This, I firmly believe, is how poetry is meant to be experienced. It's music to the ears.

3. Geek alert: my reader friends and I love a man with (and this is a direct quote) 'a sexy reading voice.' Yep, we're nerds like that. Before you make fun, I dare you not to melt while listening to Benedict Cumberbatch's recitation of John Keats's 'Ode to a Nightingale.' Never underestimate the power of the Sexy Reading Voice.

4. Apparition would undoubtedly be my superpower of choice. Wouldn't it be fabulous to go wherever one wanted in an instant? No expensive flight fees, no customs and immigration, no jet lag. I get giddy just thinking about it.

5. I love romantic comedies, but the genre has degenerated into tripe in recent years. What happened to witty classics like When Harry Met Sally?

6. I plan on naming any future children after beloved authors and/or literary characters. I've done this with my pets since I was a wee girl (RIP Watson the Hamster).

7. I refuse to eat anything that lived in water. The flavour that results is too awful for me to stomach. I was even put off vegetarian sushi because of the seaweed. Ick.

8. I've dreamt of a Jane Austen-inspired wedding dress since I was fifteen. At this point, I wonder if I want the dress more than the husband. Something along the lines of this:

9. I prefer to watch television series on dvd, when I can watch an entire season in one go. My current favourite is Parks and Recreation. It's similar to The Office (U.S. version) but far more consistent. I highly recommend watching it.

10. People seem to have a lot of preconceptions about the Marquis de Sade, but I maintain his fiction is unintentionally hilarious.

11. I'm obsessed with literary travel destinations. Right now I'm dreaming up a visit to Louisa May Alcott's home. I fell in love with Orchard House as a twelve-year-old and have been dying to see it for myself ever since I learned it was a 'real' place.

Orchard House

Cassandra's Questions

1. If you could live in any age (present day included) you wanted to, which would you choose? Definitely the present day! While my obsession with all things Victorian has been well documented, the 1800s weren't the best time to be a woman: you couldn't vote, legally lost your property upon marriage, your husband could beat you and there were no tampons (sorry about the TMI, but facts are facts). Yes, the dresses were fabulous, but could a perpetual sloucher like me endure the constricting corsets? Probably not. If they ever invent a time machine, though, Victorian London is where I'll head first for a day on the town.Then I'd attend a Regency Ball in the evening.

2. Is there a literary character you identify with?
Yes! Depending on my mood and the situation wherein I find myself I am: Elizabeth Bennet, Anne Shirley, Jane Eyre, Lucy Honeychurch, Hermione Granger, Agnes Grey, Anne Elliot, Margaret Hale, Jo March, etc., .etc., etc. I hope to grow into an Aunt Betsey Trotwood as times goes by.

 I wouldn't mind being Lucy Honeychurch in this particular moment

3. The world is divided into two different kinds of people: those who plan their own funerals and those who don't. To which do you belong?
I am firmly placed in the latter category. I confess I find the idea of planning one's funeral without any particular impetus rather morbid. It's a little too Harry Burns for my taste (see my reference to When Harry Met Sally above). 

4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?
Right now, I'd like to live in both England and America, popping back and forth whenever I pleased. Unfortunately, such a lifestyle is rather expensive.

5. How do you manage the balance between reading and going out?
The trick, I think, is to acquire friends who read. Then nights at the pub become hours-long conversations about literature and other fascinating topics. If anything, time spent with friends encourages me to read even more.

6. What is your favourite quote? 
'The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.' I adore these words from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. At the time they were obviously intended to defend the author's use of the rising form of the novel. But I still think they're as applicable today, though in a different sense. People don't seem to read like they formerly did. I'm grateful that blogging has connected me with other avid readers.

7. The eternal question: which is better, Oxford or Cambridge?
Oxford. I've visited Oxford a couple of times and have been absolutely enchanted with it, whereas I haven't experienced Cambridge yet. Random tidbit: I came across the most hilarious street name in Oxford: Toot Hill Butts. The jokes that could be made about that one...

8. Is there a song which has special meaning to you?
Ooh, this is a tricky one. Going along with my discussion of pond hopping above, I would say 'Transatlanticism' by Death Cab for Cutie. It's a fabulous, underrated song.

9. What is your favourite quote?
I'm thrilled to get another shot at this question. Jane Eyre is full of memorable quotes, but I particularly love when Jane asserts the following:

This Jane Eyre necklace on etsy is fabulous

Also, I love Polonious's word in Hamlet: 'This above all: to thine own self be true.' Words to live by.

10. Romantic comedy or thriller?

I already answered that one above, but I will expound upon it by saying that, as a naturally anxious person, tense thrillers and horror films are my personal hell. I expend a great deal of effort to calm myself, why would I then pay money to undo all my hard work?

11. Why do you read? 

I read, because literature is my life. My education, travel opportunities, life experiences and dear friends have often been the result of my love of literature, the consequence to my pursuit of it. I wouldn't be the person I am today if I hadn't read the books I've read -- and will read!

Preethi's Questions

1. What is your favourite song from high school? Ooh, tough one. I'd have to say 'I Love You' by Sarah McLachlan. It was a favourite as soon as I heard it on my teenage drama of choice, Roswell.

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be? I want to go everywhere! In Europe, I'm dying to go to Vienna, and I still haven't been to Edinburgh. Worldwide, I'd say Africa. I have this vision of myself arrayed in khaki and a wide-brimmed hat, pulling out the binoculars on a safari. But I'm slightly allergic to mosquitoes. It could be tricky to pull off.

Oh, this would be fabulous!

3. What would be your ideal birthday gift? A library. Or a puppy. Or a one-way plane ticket to England. I'd happily accept any of the above.

4. What is your favourite time of day? Just before sunset. I love the cooling temperatures at this time of day in the summer, the soft light and the long shadows that fall over everything.

5. What is your favourite article of clothing? I have great sentimental attachment to my University of Leeds hoodie.

6. What is your favourite thing to drink? Coke! Oh, how I love it. Unfortunately, I had a stomach ulcer some years ago that will flare up at the slightest provocation. Caffeine, consequently, is a rare treat for me.

7. What is one skill you'd like to learn? I love classical music, particularly pieces which feature strings and the piano. I play the latter quite poorly, but I'd love to learn to play the cello. It's on The Bucket List!

8. What was your favourite summer job? My favourite summer job was lounging during the day and having sleepovers at night. Somehow I missed out on the summer job rite of passage.

9. What was your favourite childhood cartoon? Duck Tales. Oh, I wanted to be Webby and swim in Uncle Scrooge's sea of gold. Funnily enough, I never understood the majority of the lyrics to the opening song apart from the emphatic 'Duck Tales' that came at the end of each line. Also, Alvin and the Chipmunks. I still love listening to the Chipmunk Christmas Album. I don't care what anybody says, they're cute!

10. What's your favourite family memory (either growing up or recently)? I love vacations with my family. We're all slighty -- and I think adorably -- neurotic, so vacations really bring out the melodramatics. I have memories of getting lost in Hawaii, because my dad was bewildered by Honolulu's one-way roads, my brother declaring that he wanted his Disneyworld souvenir to be a battleaxe, my mum getting upset when my dad purchased samurai swords at a flea market for a ridiculous sum (that are now gathering dust somewhere in our house). Family vacations are always memorable if somewhat insane.

At a luau on the island of Oahu

11. Do you like nicknames? Yes, we go a bit crazy for nicknames in our family. I have been called the following throughout the years: Di, Nana, Dinana, Dinananana and Diana Banana. Di is my diminutive of choice, but it drives me nuts when people I don't particularly like call me that -- one has to be a friend or family member before I'll allow them the privilege. We also have an array of nicknames for Percy: Perceval P. Pup (my dad's invention), Pooker, Pooker Pooh, Pooks, Perc, Persnickety, The Perconator, The Poodler, and so on. I could continue, but I won't subject anybody to a full catalogue.

I won't tag anybody, since Cassandra tagged many of our fellow blogging friends. But I'd love to hear any answers to these questions in the comments below!