Superb Owl Sunday
Feb. 8th, 2026 10:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ermingardenI enjoyed The Atlantic's annual roundup of superb owl photos (gift link) this morning. I didn't watch the game; my Sunday evening plans were just choir, as usual.
It's been a quiet weekend for me, and a chilly one - weather during the work week was fine, but the temperature absolutely plummeted yesterday, and it looks like more cold ahead.
I have made some progress in Mansfield Park, though I'm still not even halfway through; I just finished the first volume (of three), in fact. Honestly, it took me a while to get into the story, and to get a good sense of the heroine, Fanny - at first, I pitied her but wasn't otherwise too interested, but now I adore her! And on a personal level, as someone who was told many times as a child that she was too sensitive, I love that Fanny's sensitive nature doesn't seem to be condemned or shown as an obstacle she needs to overcome in order to come into her own. It's even a good thing to the extent that it makes her sensitive to others' feelings and needs, and to the demands of propriety - she's socially conscientious, in a way the Bertram siblings are not. What she needs isn't to be less uptight or to grow a thicker skin, but to trust her own judgment more.
Exciting developments planned for the week ahead: I start French classes Tuesday night! I've studied Spanish and Latin, but never French - so wish me bonne chance!
It's been a quiet weekend for me, and a chilly one - weather during the work week was fine, but the temperature absolutely plummeted yesterday, and it looks like more cold ahead.
I have made some progress in Mansfield Park, though I'm still not even halfway through; I just finished the first volume (of three), in fact. Honestly, it took me a while to get into the story, and to get a good sense of the heroine, Fanny - at first, I pitied her but wasn't otherwise too interested, but now I adore her! And on a personal level, as someone who was told many times as a child that she was too sensitive, I love that Fanny's sensitive nature doesn't seem to be condemned or shown as an obstacle she needs to overcome in order to come into her own. It's even a good thing to the extent that it makes her sensitive to others' feelings and needs, and to the demands of propriety - she's socially conscientious, in a way the Bertram siblings are not. What she needs isn't to be less uptight or to grow a thicker skin, but to trust her own judgment more.
Exciting developments planned for the week ahead: I start French classes Tuesday night! I've studied Spanish and Latin, but never French - so wish me bonne chance!
(no subject)
Date: 2026-02-09 04:34 am (UTC)Bonne chance!
(no subject)
Date: 2026-02-09 12:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2026-02-09 12:51 pm (UTC)I alternated watching Olympics and Puppy Bowl yesterday.
And "Bonne chance" indeed! How thrilling to begin a new language.
(no subject)
Date: 2026-02-09 03:33 pm (UTC)Oh yes! (As someone who was also told that I'm just too sensitive.)
Bonne continuation!
(no subject)
Date: 2026-02-09 09:05 pm (UTC)Yes, you've really nailed one reason why I like Mansfield Park so much: the heroines of Pride and Prejudice and Emma are witty and clever and outgoing and charming, but they're not relatable to me in the same way that Fanny is. The only other Austen heroine who comes close is Anne Elliott in Persuasion.