Next year, I wonder if one of you could remind me not to schedule any appointments or lunch dates for the week before Christmas? I have one or two appointments/dates every single day this week and I am losing my mind. I realize this is not a sympathetic topic for those of you who work full-time and also handle all this stuff. Let’s talk about TV instead!
On the recommendation of my wine-and-appetizers group, I am watching The Crown. And I pass that recommendation on to you, especially if you liked Downton Abbey, and were excited about Will and Kate getting married, and would like to see the 11th Doctor’s bare derriere.
well I mean okay
(image from bbc.co.uk)
History is one of my weakest subjects, but historical fiction really helps: I was watching King George VI in The Crown, and suddenly realized he was the same guy as Colin Firth from The King’s Speech! Now I just need to fill in the little 400-or-so-year gap between The King’s Speech and the Philippa Gregory books about Henry VIII.
Watching The Crown reminded me to tell you that I didn’t realize Prince Philip was Prince Charles’s father until I was a full-grown adult—and not, like, just out of college or whatever, but more like…30s? And it’s because he was called the Prince Consort, and I was raised Christian so I thought that was the same as a concubine: all the biblical kings had HEAPS AND HEAPS of concubines, and this was a queen so it made sense that she would have the male version of that, and “consort” sounded male. Concubine, escort, consort. I don’t know who I thought was the father of Queen Elizabeth’s children, but I assumed Prince Philip came into the picture later, when she was all done with her royal heir-producing duties. Prince Philip was independent and difficult and clearly just for fun. It was startling to realize that no, he was the legitimate dad of those kids and married to Queen Elizabeth for SEVENTY YEARS. I hear he still feels resentful about giving up his surname and career just because his spouse’s name and career was considered more important. Huh, yeah, must be really weird to have that expected of you.
that last sentence, I can identify, except….yeah.
I’m still not so keen on it. And question why I ever did it. Although the way names pass down, if I really start thinking of it, I don’t want my original, patrilineal (is that a word? man-based) last name either….
Ugh. The patriarchy.
We just had a situation where a supremely qualified woman of color was passed up for a school committee position because the majority of the 11/14 voting males went for the meh, good old boy. (which is to say, 14 ppl voted, 11 were male and most of them went for the dude)(This is after loads of other supremely qualified women wrote and spoke on behalf of other said woman, and they igorned every. single. one of them)
gggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
ggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr indeed!
Baby steps for the naming conventions… While I had no choice in my own surname at birth, I chose to keep it upon marriage. My husband didn’t take my name, but we decided to give the kids my surname. One of my two daughters has already stated she plans to keep it too (her choice, I have no problem with her changing her mind). We’ve never discussed the merits of our choice with the kids, and are not trying to influence their own life choices regarding their names.
It’s a bumpy road but one we were willing to take.
And now I’m looking into getting the DVD of The Crown season 1!
My husband kept his last name; I kept mine. We agreed that boys would get his and girls would get mine, and we ended up with one of each so that worked out very well.
Also, though he’s almost caught up to me now, when we first got together I was making roughly twice his salary, so my career had priority.
If you liked the Crown and are interested in the plummy England-y things, you might try a fun and a little silly book The Royal We.
Yes to The Royal We! My teenage daughter and I both read it over the summer after I picked it up from the library by chance – lighthearted and fun!
Yes! Great book!!
I completely empathize with the busy week and am your partner in mind loss. My daughter is off school this week so I thought I was being really On Top Of Things by scheduling something for us/her to do each day. No. There are too many things to do as it is. Future Me better be paying attention!
Ooooh I love the Crown. The Fug Girls have been recapping the episodes with historical references and I find it really helps, I am going to go and re-watch it after I finish the recaps. Prince Phillip was a bit of a dirtbag, am I right!
Prince Philip appears to be a TOTAL dirtbag and I want to punch him practically every time he’s on screen. The Fug Girls also wrote “The Royal We” and their writing has turned me into a fan of a style blog–I wouldn’t gave thought it could be done.
I have thoroughly enjoyed The Crown so far – so I was sad to realize when I logged on last night that I’d already finished Season 2.
May I recommend (because the PATRIARCHY and also REASONS) The Marvelous Mrs. Maiselles, if you have Amazon Prime?
we are on the 3rd or 4th episode. it’s pretty good. set dressing and costuming must be fun.
1 love the crown but am way behind
1.5 i have been reading a bunch of random books to fill in Henry VIII to the Kong’s Speach and it has been so interesting that I’ve veered over to Russia (because the last tzar was married to Queen Victoria’s daughter).
2 agreed to fly to job interview this week and kicked myself the whole time bc there is just so much else to do this week.
3 then the patriarchy. In the interview they asked how long I had been married and how old my kids are. This is illegal to ask so I said “I’m not sure how this impacts my ability to do the job.” They asked three times until I finially answered and the guy said “ouch! I guess it could be worse.” This makes me so angry. They would never ask a man this or assume his family would impact his ability to do a job.
Oohhhh, on #4. Just, gggrrrr.
Ugh, I would report them so hard for asking that.
Have you seen Victoria, on Amazon Prime? I’ve seen some of it, and desperately want to watch it all. Just haven’t had time. It starts in 1837 when she takes the throne.
THAT LAST SENTENCE THO.
Omigosh, the appointments! I had a dialated eye appointment with an ophthalmologist 2.5 hours away yesterday. Were there any brain cells at work AT ALL when that appointment was scheduled? The fiasco also necessarily involved the mister because I couldn’t drive afterwards, so we basically lost a day. I chafed and fretted, thinking of the things needing to be done at home, until a moment of awareness encouraged me to just enjoy the trip, Christmas decorations, and so on. But I really like Suzanne’s admonitions to Future Me!
The young Victoria (2009) Emily blunt is a joy!!
My husband fully empathizes with Phillip’s struggles. Being less powerful than your wife? Having a lesser title than your own SON? I mean. The humanity.
Does he fully empathize with the struggles I myself had with giving up my own last name/body/career? NOPE.
You know I often wonder about going back to my maiden name. I both last names currently, but I wonder about dropping his. Too much explanation about no we didn’t get a divorce maybe? And I wish I never had taken his. I don’t have the patriarchy issues about my maiden name because I got my mother’s name actually.