Category: Shakespeare Geek

I Miss My Anniversary Every Year

~ duane ~ Leave a comment

And no I’m not talking about my wedding anniversary, I wouldn’t be here telling you about it if I forgot that every year!

I’m talking about the anniversary of starting Shakespeare Geek — June 9, 2005.    (Man has the quality of my posts gone up since then!  I hope.)

That means I’ve been doing this for 13 years.  Not quite older than my kids, but old enough that none of them have ever known a time when I didn’t have the site.

We’ve also published over three thousand posts (3240 to be precise) and almost eight thousand comments (7846).  It’s been a heck of a ride.  Things have definitely changed over the years.  I don’t publish now as much as I used to (I remember once realizing I’d been averaging nearly two posts *per day*), and the conversation in the comments isn’t the same as it once was, taking place instead on Twitter and Facebook.  Even calling the site a “blog” nowadays makes it sound like a throwback to 2005.  I just call it my site.

Thank you to all my loyal readers and contributors over the years!  Fear not, I’m not going anywhere until Shakespeare does.

 

 

 

Who Needs Shakespeare PopSockets?

~ duane ~ 2 Comments

When my son first asked for a “pop socket” for his phone I’d never heard of them and assumed it was just something random he’d spotted and had to have.  I think he was just a little ahead of the curve because these days they’re as common as phone cases.

If you’ve not yet seen one (you probably have and didn’t even notice), it’s a decorative circular knob that attaches to the back of your phone and acts like a handle.  I guess kids these days tend to drop their phones a lot? 🙂  The neat part is that it collapses flat, so if you were thinking “How am I supposed to get that in my pocket?”  now you know.  It also works as a stand for when you’re watching movies and want to put the phone down.  <shrug>  Like I said, I didn’t get it, but I guess everybody that’s half my age simply has to have them.

So it was an interesting surprise when the Amazon Merch decided that pop sockets (or I suppose PopSocket Grips, technically) would be the first non-clothing item that they would offer.  You know what that means.  More opportunity to decorate our lives with Shakespeare!  Anybody can throw the Droeshout portrait on one (and already have), so I’ve tried to create some more original designs that showcase your inner Shakespeare Geek.  I hope you all like them!

 

The Great Shakespeare Book Scavenger Hunt

~ duane ~ 4 Comments

So a funny thing happened on the way to the Folger Library this week.

As you may have seen on other social media channels, my family and I are in Washington D.C. for a couple of days and were lucky enough to visit the Folger Library again, having been there six years ago.  I knew that even if we did not manage to arrange a tour, I could at least take the kids back to get some pictures outside.  They were pretty young at the time and I’m not sure what they remember.

So I was quite surprised when we were cruising through the various museums of the Smithsonian and in one of the gift shops my middle daughter said, “Nope, I’m saving my souvenir for Folger, I know exactly what I want.”  I assumed that she just wanted a Shakespeare something, and hinted strongly to her that we have a lot of Shakespeare somethings already.

Turns out she actually remembers seeing a book in the gift shop the first time we were there.  Apparently, and I do slightly remember this, I told her that the book was too old for her. Well, it’s six years later and she’s making a beeline for that book.

Only problem?  Folger Library gift shop is closed on Monday.

So now the dad thing kicks in, and I’ve gotta get her that book.  I checked the online version of Folger’s shop and saw nothing obvious.  It’s quite possible that they no longer carry it, or even that it is no longer in print.  I asked my daughter for more details, and here’s what she told me:

“All his romance sonnets. Very nice cover no pictures sorta paintings. Maybe roses.”

Let the hunt begin.  Anybody able to find a volume of the sonnets (may or may not be all the sonnets or just a selection, may include other works) with a cover that, to a six year old memory, is “sorta paintings, maybe roses, very nice.”

 

So, Who’s This Guy?

~ duane ~ 3 Comments

Back in Washington D.C. after a six year absence (and looking forward to a swing by Folger Library!) we stopped off at the Spy Museum today.  When my kids started pointing and yelling “Shakespeare!” I was pleasantly surprised to see Kit Marlowe, and actual spy:

And I suppose it makes sense to include Sir Francis Bacon as well:

But who the heck is this guy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The blurb underneath said “Was William Shakespeare A Spy?” but then just went on to talk about authorship theory and how Marlowe or Bacon might have written the works.  But then it went on to talk about the work of the William and Elizebeth Friedman who basically proved that looking for secret ciphers in Shakespeare’s work is a joke.

I just can’t figure out who that is in the picture, because it’s sure not Shakespeare!  I thought it was funny that so much of the exhibit was about taking on a secret identity and using disguises.  Looks to me like a dude pretending to be Shakespeare on school picture day.

Anybody able to identify that portrait?  I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before.

 

Never Thought I’d Miss Tupac

~ duane ~ Leave a comment

My son (along with most of the other neighborhood 12yr old boys) has become fascinated with the death of rapper XXXTentacion. I’d never heard of the guy until he was killed, but it doesn’t take much googling to realize that he was as infamous for his violence against women as he was for his music.

I’ve heard that Migos did it.  I’ve heard that he faked his own death.  And amid reminding my son whenever he pauses for breath that this 20 yr old was in jail what was it, three times? And abused his pregnant girlfriend?  So let’s not pretend that his music changed anybody’s life more than his actions did, I thought, “Is this guy going to be this generation’s Tupac?”  I don’t intend to compare their music (as I’m not terribly familiar with either’s body of work), I mean how their early deaths impacted a generation of fans who refuse to believe they’re gone so soon.

At least Tupac had Shakespeare.  That alone is going to make me sit up and take notice.  When you start with that kind of foundation, can you really produce something bad?

Let’s say I want to discover some new music.  Who’s out there right now that’s inspired by Shakespeare?  I’d love it if you can point me to some lyrics that are actually from Shakespeare, but I’ll take what I can get.  Who has some suggestions for me?