So opportunity knocked in Scotland this week…and apparently 55% of Scots ran and hid in the cupboard under the stairs instead of opening the door.
Okay, that may be a bit unfair; I’m sure some simply slammed home the deadbolt.
After all, many of the NO voters were truly passionate about their side too…and passion is always better than apathy. I just honestly didn’t think there would be so many of them.
It was extremely hard to swallow…seeing, reading and sensing the utter disappointment of the YES camp, when only a few hours before they’d been so alive with joy and enthusiasm and hope for a positive outcome. One supporter simply tweeted: “Gutted”…and that said it all.
Maybe I’d been deluding myself, after all, online I’d (unintentionally) surrounded myself with more of a YES than a NO crowd. And being here in Canada, most of the YES-focussed news reports I’d seen were from Glasgow, which was more inclined towards independence, especially with the momentum gained over the homestretch. Even so…
Lame and negative as it was, perhaps the NO campaign was on to something with their “If you’re undecided, Vote No” message. A sort of subliminal “you don’t really need to make a decision” push. Okay, I know I overthink everything, but I truly wonder how many of those NO voters would have actually buckled down and made the better decision for their future had they not been lulled back into apathy. (Or have checked off “hang on, I’m still thinking” if that had been an option. But not ‘NO’.) Anyway, that’s just my speculation on ONE possible situation amongst all the many & varied.
I spent much of the last few weeks defending my YES stance to friends and co-workers, usually in reply to “but you’re English, aren’t you?”
Yes, I was born in England - and my Grandfather was Scottish. Whether that had anything to do anything I dont have a clue, but I have always thought of myself as British, rather than just English.
“All the more reason for you to want it to stay together then”, was the usual response…and I can’t deny that for years I had usually considered myself a NO, when I thought about it at all. But as the referendum got closer I found myself taking a real interest. I started to actually read and research all points of view - and came to my own conclusion that YES made sense.
So there I’d be, trying to explain the referendum to friends and co-workers, watching their eyes slowly glaze over as I spoke enthusiastically about YES, NO, and the hundreds of years of history behind it all.
That was usually when I completely lost them…I never will understand why everyone doesn’t love history as much as I do! (Hmmm…maybe another blog idea there.)
There were two other responses I’d get from those I’d discuss it with. Sometimes: “Oh, so it’s just like Quebec then.” (No. No it was not. It was & is nothing like the Quebec situation.)
But quite often I got: “You’re just interested because you like Outlander.” Grrrr. How frustrating that apparently one can’t have an informed opinion on anything unless it’s somehow related to popular culture.
But yes, I do like Outlander. Verra, verra much…which brings me to the second part of this becoming-rather-long blog.
As I sit here tonight, Outlander fans all over the US (and pretty much all over the world, through the magic of the ‘in-some-cases-not-quite-legal’ internet) are literally counting down the minutes until: THE WEDDING!!!!
Now don’t get me wrong…I am just as excited about this as anyone, fangirling at every preview or promo pic, re-reading the chapters in the books, and looking at the clock waaay too often. The dress. The kilt (or lack thereof), the vows…oh oh oh, those lovely vows.
Like many others, I’ve waited somewhere around 20 years to see our Jamie and Claire brought to life. Especially the wedding (and yeah, the wedding night!).
But…I WON’T BE WATCHING! Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not for another 2 weeks, actually.
You see, in my wisdom *read: stubborness; stupidity* I decided weeks ago that I would NOT succumb to online temptation, and would instead watch the series in ‘Canadian time’ - that being the schedule set by Canadian broadcaster Showcase - two weeks and one day behind each US Starz airing (it’s on Sunday nights here, and began two weeks later…tomorrow we get “Rent”). From what I read online, it’s rather likely I’m the only Canadian doing this. Possibly the only person on the planet.
Now I haven’t been a complete ‘monk’ (heehee), I’m allowing myself to see all the pics and previews and screen grabs and tweets there are…although I do try to avoid detailed recaps/reviews/podcasts until after I’ve seen an ep. (Update, 2 days later…still haven’t watched the ep, but have been reading the incredibly positive reviews. Haven’t been able to help myself this time, I’m afraid!)
So far this has worked out pretty well: knowing the books, I’m not overly worried about basic storyline spoilers…and honestly, all the advance excitement online has only increased my anticipation and enjoyment of each episode. Plus I know that when the US is done with the first eight eps, I’ll still have two more to look forward to. And finally I also prefer to support Showcase (and indirectly Starz), and watch for the first time an original, non-pirated version, on my big-screen TV, the way it was intended by those that work so hard to bring it to us. (Uh-oh, I’m getting on my soapbox!)
But all that aside, not watching this wedding with everyone else will be pushing my limits. Some friends have offered me links, and it has been VERY tempting. However, as it stands now I intend to stay strong, and let the anticipation grow - until in two weeks time I’ll be salivating just the way everyone else is tonight.
Although, by then I’ll probably have seen Jamie’s arse in so many .gifs I’ll be quite tired of it.
Ha. Not likely!
Toronto, 20 September 2014
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