Happy Valentine's Day!

[eldritchhobbit]

Virginia in her new sweater

Happy birthday to mr_earbrass and mollypunkin, and happy early birthday to cookiefleck. May you enjoy a fantastic day and may your next year be all you could wish!


I have a few quick links to share:

* From Frankensteinia: The Frankenstein Blog (aka frankens), a terrific post on the National Theatre's Frankenstein (with pictures).

* The KosmosOnline Podcast has a new interview up with my friend and colleague Dr. Brad Birzer on "Themes of Liberty in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien."

* From The Washington Post: "'Tolkien Professor' Corey Olsen brings Middle-earth to iTunes via podcasts" (Thanks to penfold_x.)

* The trailer for the new Atlas Shrugged film is now available here. (Thanks to whswhs.)


Happy Valentine's Day to all! In honor of today's occasion, a quote:

Hail Bishop Valentine, whose day this is,
All the air is thy Diocese,
And all the chirping choristers
And other birds are thy parishioners,
Thou marryest ever year
The lyric Lark, and the grave whispering Dove,
The Sparrow that neglects his life for love,
The household bird, with the red stomacher;
Thou maks't the black bird speed as soon,
As doth the Goldfinch, or the Halycon;
The husband cock looks out, and straight is sped,
And meets his wife, which brings her feather-bed.
This day more cheerfully than ever shine,
This day, which might enflame thy self, old Valentine.

Till now, thou warmd'st with mutiplying loves
Two larks, two sparrows, or two doves,
All that is nothing unto this,
For thou this day couplest two Phoenixes;
Thou mak'st a Taper see
What the sun never saw, and what the Ark
(Which was of fowls, and beasts, the cage and park,)
Did not contain, one bed contains, through thee,
Two Phoenixes, whose joined breasts
Are unto one another mutual nests,
Where motion kindles such fires, as shall give
Young Phoenixes, and yet the old shall love.
Whose love and courage never shall decline,
But make the whole year through, thy day, O Valentine....

from John Donne, "An Epithalamion, Or Marriage Song, On the Lady Elizabeth and Count Palatine Being Married on St. Valentine's Day"