Maria’s Excellent Adventure

I’m writing daily in March as part of the Slice of Life challenge hosted byTwo Writing Teachers 

Today I answer the age old question, “If you could invite three historical characters to join you for lunch, who would they be?” Why yes, it’s hard hitting journalism on the blog today! I’m hopping into my phone booth time machine and bringing these fine ladies back to join me for high tea. Or maybe a pizza and some margaritas?

Queen Elizabeth I: Huzzah!! I’m a fantasy fan, but my fall back genre is historical fiction. I try to visit my local Renaissance yearly, and I feel a little thrill every time the queen glides by. Yes, I get into character and shout along with the crowd, “Long live the queen!” I’d love to get insight into how she really felt every time her life was threatened. How did she keep her chin up when her very life was at risk? When her father disowned her? This woman strung along men from every country – all so that she could continue to rule on her own. Her rule was amazing, filled with the glories of the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the rise of Shakespearean theater. I don’t think I’d kiss her cheek, though. I hear they used arsenic as part of their beauty regimen.

Marie Curie: From the first lady of England to the first lady of science. Marie’s scientific discoveries are only rivaled by the fact that she was a woman, doing science at a time when most women spent their days in more maidenly pursuits. Yes, her investigations led to her death. That’s the price of discovery sometimes, though. I’d love to hear about how she and her husband worked together. I’d love to hear about the first time she knew for sure that she was on to something.

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I debated the last name on the list. Cutting it down to just three is hard. I want to showcase women of all types, in all the ages of time. I tried to decide on a poet like Emily Dicksinson, or an artist like Georgia O’Keefe, or a musician like Alanis Morrisette… I thought about some of my favorite creators right now, like Felicia Day or Gail Simone. See? Now I’m second guessing myself again! While I’d love to meet any or all of those amazing women in person (and I intend to meet Felicia and Gail when I finally make it to a geeky convention one of these days)… my thoughts led back to my childhood. Who would 12 year old me have desperately wanted to meet?

Sally Ride: Knowing that Sally had headed into space made my heart sing. (Go ahead, do the math, I’m heading ever closer to 40. This is the big year.) My family was incredibly geeky – we watched the shuttle launches, read science fiction, and went star gazing. Having a chance to sit down with Dr. Ride and talk to her about all the things she’s done and seen would be incredible! Of course, while writing this post I just discovered she’s written several books about space education. Time to go put those on my “to be read” list!

Who would you invite to that special lunch? What figures from history inspire you? 

(I hope to get my actual blog page up soon. I apologize for the inconvenience. My lovely tech support staff (a.k.a. husband) is working on my blog issues. In the meantime, I don’t want to miss a day!)  --- I moved this to my new Blogger page on 3/28 so it's all together!