Random stuff

Soapbox

My attempts to be clever -- or channel nervous energy.

14 July 2005 - Wow. I started a blog before blogdom became the done thing. I feel special.

3 May 2005 - The Laser Pointer dance -- the act of skirting and drawing circles around an issue in conversation while at the same time drawing attention to the very issue on which the skirting around is being performed. Named after a phenomenon spotted in conferences, frequently spotted in social situations. The Nervous Speaker dance -- the same as the above, but without any intention on the part of the perpetrator.

14 Jan 2005 - Comfortably Numb. Pink Floyd are geniuses.

2004 - Ability to express ideas clearly in written form temporarily munted by PhD.

31 Jul 2003 - Has anyone ever wished there were universal, non-ambiguous signs that people could agree upon to avoid those socially awkward moments? Perhaps a discreet Waggling of the Left Eyebrow to indicate, "No, I'm not really keen on going to Mother's, I think it's a crap idea and would rather prefer we all go to Hungry Jacks for lunch'". Or a Gentle Tapping to the Right Temple for, "Seeing as everyone around the table has been silent for a whole minute now, I think we've exhausted all possible conversational threads on the topic of funny experiences with thesis writing. Let's either talk about something else, or get back to work." It would make life so simple -- "Hmm, I wonder if he really wants to go home, or is he being considerate and suggesting that I should go home because I look tired, or... ah, he's given me the Number 751, the Four Finger Flick -- he hates my company and just wants me to bugger off."

Books read recently

Interesting Times - Terry Pratchett
Guards! Guards! - Terry Pratchett
Carpe Jugulum - Terry Pratchett
Maskerade - Terry Pratchett
Men At Arms - Terry Pratchett
Feet of Clay - Terry Pratchett
Jingo - Terry Pratchett
The Fifth Elephant - Terry Pratchett
Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett
Mort - Terry Pratchett
Sourcery - Terry Pratchett
Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett
The Name of The Rose - Umberto Eco (May 2003)
Howard's End - E.M. Forster (May 2003)
A Passage to India - E.M. Forster (June 2003)
The Complete Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (June 2003)
Curtain: Poirot's Last Case - Agatha Christie (July 2003)
The Year of Living Dangerously - Christopher Koch (July 2003)
Stark - Ben Elton (cAugust 2003)
Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes (cAugust 2003)
1984 - George Orwell (September 2003)
Small Gods - Terry Pratchett (September 2003)
Night Watch - Terry Pratchett (October 2003)
Dune - Frank Herbert (October 2003)
Tolkien: A Biography - Michael White (November 2003)
Moving Pictures - Terry Pratchett (cNovember 2003)
The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs - Alexander McCall-Smith (December 2003)
The Light Fantastic - Terry Pratchett (December 2003)
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall-Smith (January 2004)
Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling (January 2004)
The Monstrous Regiment - Terry Pratchett (February 2004)
The Salmon of Doubt - Douglas Adams
The Wee Free Men - Terry Pratchett (July 2004)
A Hatful of Sky - Terry Pratchett (July 2004)
Covet - Tara Moss (September 2004)
The Amazing Maurice & His Educated Rodents - Terry Pratchett (September 2004)
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (September 2004)
Angels and Demons - Dan Brown (October 2004)
My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell (November 2004)
Delightful book, had to get used to reading classics again but thoroughly enjoyed descriptions of the loony family members and the animal anecdotes are clearly a labour of love which was well-appreciated.
The Seventh Scroll - Wilbur Smith (December 2004)
Very pulpy, pace is enjoyable but "I didn't realise Alto Nicholas was so strong" and other similar gushings made me wince.
The Riders - Tim Winton (December 2004)
Very, very well-written, the first few chapters set in and around the cottage were very engaging. The search in the middle, though a bit drawn out (or possibly because I was busy and read it over many sessions), was wonderful as more about the other characters were revealed. Jarring end, but with desired effect and point was reasonably well made and felt.
Thief of Time - Terry Pratchett (January 2005)
One of Pratchett's better books. Even Susan is tolerable. Death is wunnerful as always.
The Years of Rice and Salt - Kim Stanley Robinson (February 2005)
An ambitious epic, an intriguing premise - what if 99% of the world's population had been wiped out by the Plague, such that history is shaped by the East and not the West? Memorable characters, the essential persona of which are preserved through alternate history via the device of reincarnation, and interesting ideas, expounded via characters which form the basis of the work/discussion of later characters. I didn't dislike the last two chapters as much as other reviewers I've come across - the conference at Isfahan was on the contrary very interesting - and I do not consider them to be the weakest points of the novel as they would not be possible without the groundwork of the previous chapters and wraps them up nicely. However, I do concede that the novel and its concept tire at these last two points.
Falling Leaves - Adeline Yen Mah (February 2005)
While the proverbs and their relation to Chinese history are indubitably interesting, the novel is somewhat disorganised, the personal anecdotes borders on self-indulgence, and the prose is at times patronising.
Neither Here nor There - Bill Bryson (March 2005)
Light account of the author's travels in Europe, often makes you chuckle out loud, and dotted with interesting bits of bizarre facts (such as the one about department stores in Bulgaria).
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee (March 2005)
A wonderful book! Accounts of Jem's perspective on issues and events were very endearing.
Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams (April 2005)
Amusing, insightful and scathing as always. I think I left too big a gap between reading this one and the previous four books though. Mental note: must read Dirk Gently sometime.