flooding, and published fanfiction

[rivendellrose]

Today, the museum flooded.

Around 3:45pm I heard one of the bathrooms was overflowing. Around 4pm I was summoned to help clear out the nearby birthday room, because the water was getting across the hall. By 4:30, it was all the way across the hall and out into our stroller parking and past.

By 5pm, there was water underfoot in the admissions desk, and everything behind that was a blocked-off lake from which boundaries were constantly being pushed forward. By 5:15, our manager admitted defeat and closed the museum. Cue 45 minutes of trying to get people to leave via a fire exit, including the two birthday parties we'd relocated to rooms away from the water.

It was an exciting day at work.

After work, I went to dinner at the Ram with the usual suspects, minus a few, for Sean's 21st birthday. The lovely shadawyn was kind enough to buy me a margarita, which, in addition to being away from work and relaxing and talking to friends, improved my mood immensely. And after that, she and I geeked out at Barnes and Noble, including much mocking of romance novel covers. And that's when I found one of the most amusing things I've seen in a long time - a series of books that are either fan-fiction with the names ever-so-slightly altered, or the greatest example of synchronicity I've seen in a long time.

The books are The Immortal Highlander, Dark Highlander, The Highlander in Love, and Spell of the Highlander. I kid you not. His name is Deagus MacSomething-that-starts-with-an-L. He's a sixteenth century Scotsman living in Manhattan. I would not be surprised if he had a snarky grad-student friend who likes Queen and another friend who runs a bar, but I was laughing too hard to read the back of more than one book.

And no, just in case you were curious, they are not affiliated with the other Highlander in anyway way I could discern.

Morbid curiosity is so very tempting.

Also, I really really want The Mammoth Book of Historical Erotica. I'm going to have to find out how enlightened the Seattle Public Library is. *g*

Comments

[narsilion.livejournal.com]

Well, THAT made for a different day at the museum, I'm sure. At least you weren't bored the whole time you were there today. ;D
Wish Sean a happy 21st for me if you would please. Sounds like you had a wonderful time! Is the museum going to be open tomorrow, I can't imagine they can get everything dried out and cleaned sufficiently for small bodies that would potentially be crawling all over the carpet by tomorrow.
If they're closed, I hope you get to relax and enjoy your day off!

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

I'll let him know!

Oh, I wish (well, aside from the money). No, we'll be open. Thankfully none of the stuff that it got onto was carpet, but I'm pretty sure we'll be open for business tomorrow, at most opening a few hours late.

Thanks for checking on the erotica - I'll look into SPL's system tomorrow when I get home from work. Oh, and one of Tanya Huff's books is in at Fairwood, so I'm going to call them and see if I can give permission for someone else to pick up a hold for me. *g*

[narsilion.livejournal.com]

Thanks for telling Sean. Hopefully they will let you know if you don't need to be in until late, although, they may want employees to help get ready to open, eh? :P
Ok, let me know as soon as you can so I can get it picked up if it's possible. Darn, I meant to give you my number and pass-ermmm number?
so when you need to hold something in the future, you can just put in on my'n, that will be a lot easier.

[narsilion.livejournal.com]

BTW, just checked the King County Library system, and the have The Mammoth Book of Historical Erotica, so I went ahead and put it on hold in case you can't get it in the Seattle system.
If they have it just let me know, and I'll cancel my hold.
And Deagus MacSomething (?) Those sound hilarious!

[theladyfeylene.livejournal.com]

Heh. There's about fiftey or so separate romance novels/romance series' that look like Highlander knock-offs. They're actually knock-offs of this one hugely popular romance series that featured a sixteenth century Highlander - who fought alongside Bonny Prince Charlie, I'll add, and has a tragic past - who ends up in modern day times through various plot twists. They were insanely popular in the late eighties/early nineties - the most popular romance series out, I think. They've spawned dozens of 'ancient Highlander warrior in modern times' books. I read one that was called 'To Love a Highlander'. Mmmm, pure crap.

Tell Sean happy birthday for me!

[seachanges.livejournal.com]

Are you thinking of the Diana Gabaldon OUTLANDER series? They were a time travel romance series set in Scotland, and we could NOT keep enough of them in stock when I was working at the Book Mine in the 90s. When it came to romance novels, Regencies and anything Scottish flew off the shelves.

[theladyfeylene.livejournal.com]

Yes! Those are the ones! They spawned a whole slew of Scottish romance novels, it was insane. I think every other romance that came out after them had 'Highland' or 'Highlander' in it!

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Ah, the Outlander series. I've been told I need to read those - I really ought to pick one up at some point soon.

I'd always noticed the trend for Scottish stuff of that era, but I've never been able to figure out what was cause and what was effect. Maybe it's just a zeitgeist kind of thing, who knows?

[theladyfeylene.livejournal.com]

They're such classic overblown romance novels. I read them when I was younger, and I enjoyed the first one. Then the repeated time traveling for no good reason put me off. The first one is good crunchy, silly fiction.

I do know that the Outlander series was the one that started it all. Most people chalk it up to the massive popularity of the books that started the trend. Before that, most of the romances were either modern day or Victorian England. Katherine Woodiwiss was the big deviant, and a lot of her stuff took place in Russia.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the first one might be well worth a read, then. I've been feeling a hankering for classic, horribly crunchy and over-done romance lately. ;)

That makes sense, then. I do like Victorian stuff, too, especially the classic Gothic romances. Something like Jayne Eyre, but preferably without the moralizing, and with a bit more sexiness.

[narsilion.livejournal.com]

In case you haven't seen it, and since you were at work all day you probably haven't, I e-mailed you my library info for future reference.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

I saw, thank you.