Frabjous!

I met Shirley in town today as I was going to the gym. She tells me that the Changed Man is returning to Dunedin. I will count the days until I see him again.

Hobbit-spotting

I have two new book cases. One is in the living room, the other in the hallway. They were the only two wall spaces remaining that I could hope to spare for them. R.S. Jones visited last night and R. made me some wedges to secure them. The book cases came from the Hewitson wing of the Castle, and opinion suspects that they come from old university stock. They are good solid book cases. Which means I don’t need to get my old book case fixed up and imported from Leavewell. Other stuff is coming from the south this month. Maybe even a cane chair. Now, where am I going to find room for that!

I’m wading through my language books looking for notes about noun cases for an eclectic language that I am designing so far I’ve sampled Greek, Celtic, Slavic, and even Swahili. I think in August I may have to take a break from it to start on a new newsletter, I missed the last quarter because I was in the middle of moving.

Anything else I was going to add will be delayed as Tao the cat is now sitting on me!

From what we cannot hold the stars are made

Another week, another funeral. This time it was for a retired history professor who was an authority on Sikhism. He had gone to Punjab as a missionary where intellectual doubts had ended his religion. Instead he found a life-long fascination and friendship with the Sikh community.

I remember walking past the noddy house where he lived in his last years. I spoke to his wife as they were going out. She explained that they were going to meet a friend at the airport. We don’t have any friends! he shouted from the car. Oh, yes, she said with a smile, I keep forgetting that. He had a very dry sense of humour.

Now the cancer has taken him. I will no longer see him sitting in the window of Everyday Gourmet as I’m on the way to the gym. He’s no longer there. Mi alashiya, shantih, shantih, shantih.

I’ve been reading the first four issues of Dresden Files: Storm Front. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s wordy enough to be annoying. The narrative from the books in the first person is intrusive. If the art is not good enough to describe what is happening then the editor should have a strong word with the artist, and the art on the page is not something I’m complaining about.

Presumably since the author is involved with this adaption the characters are drawn accurately. I imagine Karrin Murphey differently but I expect that that is personal preference; and sadly Terrance Mann is not available for Bob in this version (one of the best things in the television adaption IMHO). Instead we get a glowing blob in the skull.

I would have prefered Bianca in her vampire form to be kept more to the imagination than drawn graphically. That is my personal taste.

Storm Front has finished its quartet of issues without concluding the story. I wait to see it finished. Which since discretionary funds are beginning to come an option may take me another couple of months to collect them from the comic shop in Wellington. I have to admit I had to read through three of the books before I started enjoying the direction they were going. I haven’t read any further since as I do not own the series, and I haven’t checked the Dunedin library for them.

Any way I’ve got The City and The City by China Mieville to read. Yay me! Cue one happy hobbit!

Tao-spotting

The vet rang me at work today and told me that Tao has ‘high kidney levels’. The little girl is going to have to undergo a change of diet. I have been down to the Pet Planet and bought her some special diet dryfood and a box of sachets.

Dodging the Grim Mouser

While I visited the vets with the intention of updating my address I booked Tao in for a checkup. While the first bout could have been have been caused by a revelation of Dog she has been sick several times since and fussy about her food. The vet looked her over and took a blood sample. No report back from them today. Her behaviour today has shown periods of still being ‘down at the mouth’ so I still wonder. Updates as they come to hand.

Hobbit-spotting

I was visited by my mother this week. She stayed a couple of nights. The visit did not go swimmingly. She brought her dog with her. I have no complaints with the animal. Although it is a terrier it is a gentle well-natured animal. In a previous lifetime it was a retirement home visitor. The problem is that I live with Tao, who is a timid 12 year old cat. Her previous owner had her along with a dog, that was half her lifetime ago. Even though the dog was kept in the sun room at one end of the house she spent the first night at the other end of the house alarmed and upset by this home invasion. I could pick her up and feel her heart beating. She was unwilling to settle herself my arms.

I let her out the next morning and she spent the next day outside. It was a frosty cold day and there was indication that she had made herself physically sick from fear. I found a deposit of fresh food outside on the path which would have come from her food bowl. It left me worried about her for the rest of the day. She turned out at eight o’clock. It makes me resolved that I don’t want to be visited by my mother again if she is bringing her dog. It is just too upsetting. If they want to come again they can stay at a motel and I told her so.

My mother left the next day. Her last comment was that I need to train my cat to be more tolerant of dogs. Yes, really!

World-famous in New Zealand

News Flash: It’s official! My workplace is now back open for business!

This also looks like it should be good for a laugh. Especially when some examples start turning up in the gallery. I’ve already seen “Should a spank as a part of good BDS&M be a criminal offence in New Zealand?” The expression on the plastic gingerbread man’s face looked appropriately considered.

This is what happens when idiots manage to get away with devising referenda questions. (New Zealand readers: vote YES; and remember, returning a deliberately defaced voting form will be discarded and not counted.)

Note to overseas readers, the title refers to a slogan invented for a long established local soft drink, and in fact (quick check) it’s even on Wikipedia.

Update: Wikipedia link corrected.