Friends

I've just finished reading The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe. What a truly extraordinary book. It's a proper, deeply old-school high fantasy. It has knights with pennants on their lances when they joust and giants and dragons and magic swords and castles. It takes cues from the high arthurian stories and from norse mythology and all the roots of most standard fantasy fiction and yet somehow through sheer deftness and storytelling it somehow sneaks between the predictable events and avoids the cliches even as it uses them.

It is rooted in the same legends that Tolkien was inspired by, but the story itself is of a different kind, revolving more around the notions of knightly conduct and how people can relate to each other, maybe closer to a medieval romance in that respect, tapestried and bright with the glare of sunshine on burnished armour. However it is not caught in that time, the storytelling is modern, but modern without ever drawing too far from the setting or being distracting to the reader. The development of the central character changes as he grows through his adventures and their writing does too.

I mostly bought it because I know Neil Gaiman is a big fan of his work and I can really see why. This is a grand story of honour, glory and adventure. It doesn't read like it's trying to be anything that it's not- you could write a book of this kind and people would read it and think "this is trying to be T.H.White" or Tolkien or whoever else - this book reads like it is it's own thing and it is clearly a classic, from start to finish. It belongs to a canon broader and more illustrious than the fantasy genre, alongside Mallory and Grimm as much as Martin and Le Guin and I recommend it strongly. Reaching the last pages made me sad because I didn't want it to end.

Also it really freaked me out by starting with the line "Ben, look at this first."

Good news: We got up and out in plenty of time for doing the ponies.
Bad news: I broke the front door lock and locked us out all in one go with a lock broken so that the key won't even go into it and every other door to the house bolted from the inside. The lock has broken that way before and the fix is to hit the opening lever on the inside with a hammer.
Good News: After some time I managed to work out a point-and-click adventure style complicated method to break into the house and fix the front door.
Bad News: Most of my presents were courtesy of Amazon, who had done the discourtesy of not bothering to deliver them ahead of Christmas. Not that big of a deal really because I have the most fun finding presents for other people, but still. Also, what kind of small software house sells stuff without offering a download option? That was my biggest fail in terms of gifts for other people...
Good News: sleepsy_mouse found me a tiny little voice-activated video camera, ideal for videoing rides without having to hold a camera. Neat piece of kit.
Bad News: I thought to test it on our pre-lunch walk. It was clipped on to my coat when we left, not when we got back. Three of us retracing the route in different directions didn't find it, so I guess that counts as best gift idea most rapidly squandered on my part. D:
Good News: We had tasty leftovers tea including roast beef from last night.
Bad News: While cutting said roast beef, sleepsy_mouse managed to slice deeply into her finger.

All in all, more dismay than jubilation this time around. So it goes. It's only things.

To those who read this after the day: hope everybody has had a lovely time, ate too much and enjoyed every moment that they could.

To those reading this on Christmas Day: you've got better things to be doing than reading my ramblings, go have fun and come back on Boxing Day to read the above.

To those who don't celebrate Christmas: I don't need an arbitrary calender date to wish you all all the best, I just remember to do so out loud around this time of year. Go on everyone: be good, be happy and may good fortune smile upon you the whole year, even if I forget to say it most times.

Gawd bless us, everyone

Is it just me or are Bob Dylan songs getting easier? He used to be asking "How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?" Now it's "Who's got a beard thats long and white?" And then he gives you the answer almost immediately!

Also mr stu_the_elder pointed out this damn fine festive story, in which we encounter the fearsome hunter and his lethal pray that we know in an entirely more jolly guise...

Hilarity.

A few days ago, some sort of discussion resulted in me betting Jam a fiver that he couldn't clean the fridge by Christmas.

He's cleaning it RIGHT NOW (- the other option was to delay christmas).

(As I said on Facebook....)
I don't send Christmas cards, not for years, I always felt a bit guilty when friends sent me cards. This year I gave money to Shelter and I hope all friends will accept this as a substitute. Happy Yule/Solstice/Hanukkah /Christmas/Whatever to you all.
http://www.justgiving.com/shelter
http://www.housebling.org.uk/

Well, this was harder to produce than some years...

Who knew it was so hard to attach legs to a humbug?

Happy Christmas everyone!

Bizarrity. I'm watching Never Mind The Buzzcocks being presented by David Tennant... and it sounds SO WIERD hearing him with his proper, Scottish accent.
Suddening I understand Morg's tale about the larper who refused to believe I'm Scottish because he's only ever heard me being Mina o-0

... I have come to the castle beyond the Goblin City!"
"I'm sorry, the Princess is in another castle."

*Anyway* a routine evening's gaming turned sour as the snow descended on the mid-south. I got to witness the sheer stupidity of collective driving in snow as I spent three hours trying to get past Reading... and that was it. No accidents visible, no mass blockages or rolling roadblocks: it was all caused by people trying to get onto sliproads into Reading that were frozen solid, because Reading town centre was frozen solid.
Plus the people trying to nip past the queue, who were near-static in the middle lane because they wanted to cut in on the near-static off-lane. And the people who were near-static in the fast lane because they wanted to cut in on the people who were near-static in the middle lane trying to cut in on the near-static off-lane.
Gah! I know that I am technically a part of the problem, being a car in a traffic jam, but when the jam is caused by an off ramp and their being no lane free for passing cars to go past the jam... I can't help feeling a certain righteousness behind my desire to kill them all with fire.

I also have so rules for driving in the snow: please ignore the flamethrower and be honest about whether you subscribe to them. :)

1) If a sign says "slow down" then you should slow down... after all, if you'd slowed down enough the past seven times then it wouldn't still be telling you to slow down.
2) Unlike rain, falling snow is solid and can therefore destroy your car if you're moving too fast. 30mph is safe, why try higher?
3) This is Bad Weather, I must use my Fog Lights (despite the absence of any, say, Fog).
4) When driving on the hard shoulder to cut past a queue, make sure you do so fast enough to throw snow over the people you're passing: they love that.
5) Lanes are optional things.
5a) When moving slowly, make sure you occupy at least half of any lane that has a normal driving surface on it... that'll force those reckless types to drive through snowdrifts in order to get past your safely-slow speed.
6) There is no rule 6.
7) Gah!

Well, I realised about two hours in to the jam that I wasn't in any kind of physical discomfort, just very very bored. So I called people to be bored at them (go me), then got hungry and needed the loo.
... so I guess I shouldn't have gone looking for discomfort and just decided to be glad for a well-maintained car with heated seats.

We got in a few hours of chat and gags, followed by a hour's gaming when Ian was finally freed from the ice-trap of Reading. Got home, got warm, slept the sleep of the just. Bah.

18.30 on the 23rd December at the Crutched Friars (Tower Hill, EC3N 2AE). Last chance to toast Christmas with friends before we all fly to the far corners of the country. Be there or be a rectangular thynge.

so over christmas Helen and I will be travelling from Cardiff to Watford to Cambridge to Watford to Cardiff however according to the news travel is bad is this the case or is the media beefing up the story?

Pretty much noone here today.

So I thought I would unleash my Fiendish Christmas Quiz upon you.

( Quiz! )

I'll keep the comments screened for a little bit for the competitive amongst you.

There has been snow, which is almost unheard of here in December as far as I recall. Whether it will last until Christmas is as yet unclear, but it's given the British people ample time to illustrate that we don't know how to drive on snow. It's also given me ample time to appreciate the way my little Rusty Justy is 4WD. That's pretty handy at the moment.

Of course, there is another advantage of seldom-seen snow, which probably calls for an ( illustrated version... )

Unfortunately we didn't really get to ride because although the ponies would be fine on the trails in the snow, getting them up or down the icy road is not something we felt would be safe either in terms of them keeping their feet or in terms of other road users and as the school was as hard as iron they've gone rather short on the working front this weekend.

On the upside, some festive things have been achieved, we've figured out how to make the stove put out a decent amount of heat and it's not so far off Christmas. Now, if we weren't both totally broke, that would be convenient...

Sooo..... People have no doubt seen the poll but don't be discouraged! There is a pretty hefty roll call. At this time there is a minimum of 8 confirmed with more dipping in and out during the day - particularly those with kids. However, the spare room has been taken but there is two air matresses and a double duvet as well as other bedding. People are advised to take some bedding though since there is a limit to what we can stretch to. So far the LJ count is: jennyemily zoerobinson keris </span> Any body else coming? If you want to please let me know by replying to this post. This especially means those who we haven't seen for years too. Also to those of you with kids you are welcome during the day as there is plenty of stuff to play with if you want to come over. We have a garden too if not too wet. Also - here is a time to let me know of specific allergies. I know of mushrooms and wheat so if you can let me know of others that would be great! Looking forward to it already!

Time Team are doing a special on Dover Castle on Channel 4 at 8 pm on Saturday 19th December. It doesn't feature any of the live interpretation, but it should show off a very splendid site in which I work.

In “Clash of the Titans,” the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.



Clash of the Titans or Kevin Sorbos Herclues :-)


However Clash of the Titans out 25 March So guess I will be seeing it that weekend

One of my less well known (until now at least), likes, are John Wayne films. Yes, I know politically speaking he made Maggie Thatcher look like a raving socialist, but, to quote Abbie Hoffman, "As for his politics, well—I suppose even cavemen felt a little admiration for the dinosaurs that were trying to gobble them up." He was an actor who, more than being just a "typical cowboy", defined what it was to be a film cowboy, and, whilst he appeared in some truely dreadful films, at his best he was a tremendously expressive actor, whose chemistry with some of his co-stars has to be seen to be believed.

Anyway, I was randomly flicking through TV channels tonight, and what should I find, but "The Quiet Man". It's been more than a while since I saw it, so I settled down to watch...

Has there ever been a more politically incorrect (or to put it another way, potentially offensive) film made? Somehow, I doubt that you'd get a film made these days which includes
quotes such as these:

"Now I want yous all to cheer like Protestants!"

"Sir!... Sir!... Here's a good stick, to beat the lovely lady."

"Is this a courting or a donnybrook? Have the good manners not to hit the man until he's your husband and entitled to hit you back."

"So the I.R.A. is in this too, is it?"
"If it were, Red Will Danaher, not a scorched stone of your fine house would still be standing."
"A beautiful sentiment!"

Still a great film mind, but not if you actually think about what's going on it it!