h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Was that the same Francis Bacon who was the artist, he was alive in the 1960s I think. Unless I've got him mixed up with someone else.

I'm refering to the artist who did three studies to go at the bottom of the crucfix that were rather disturbing, who was also gay and had long term relationship with a builder who broke into his house.


I do find that I'll never run out of books a reason never to fear being bed bound, as long as I have an active mind I'll have plenty of human knowledge to learn.

Where did you get an h2g2 pen Z?

I know the artist you mean, Z, though I keep getting him muddled up with Lucien Freud. No, the Francis Bacon I meant was a 17th century bloke, courtier to Queen Elizabeth, roumoured to have written the plays of Shakespear, smug git and intellectual smart-a**e.

B

SWF, (do you mind if I call you that, I can't really bring myself to call someone sticky) an h2g2 pen is a reward for attending a meet. I treasure mine greatly

Ben of course it was impossible to read all the books in the world in the 1960s, that was why I questioned you. I didn't really think that Francis Bacon's work was simalar to Lucian Freud's, but I'm not terribley familar with eithers work.

And on that note, I shall go to bed.

Sweet dreams, Z.

SWF reminds of of the classified ads. "Single White Female" seeks whatever.

I think 'stinky' is cute, as long as it's okay with Mr. wigfiddle.

Nice story about another one of Sigmund Freud's grandchildren.

Clement Freud was a Liberal MP in the UK in the 60s and 70s, and he was on some kind of trade delegation to China along with Winston Churchill (Junior). Churchill (Junior) was put up in the presidential suite in the hotel they were in but Freud was in a much less impressive room. When he asked why, he was told "but Mr Churchill had a very important grandfather". Which was true, but then so did our Clem.

Another Clement Freud story - he used to be a tv cook and a newspaper food critic. His method of ordering food in a chinese restaurant or takeaway was to always have an 18 and a 47. He never bothered looking at the menu, just ordered an 18 and a 47. One day he got an odd look from the staff in the restaurant, and a bag of prawn crakers and a portion of banana fritters.

B

Hello, my name is Lil and I'm a bookaholic. There are four cartons of books out in the garage that I've no room for in the house, but I wouldn't dream of being without them.

Stinky, this conversation is clattering along at a rate of knots, even for us. I had to get offline before I had even responded to everything I wanted to before... and now the subject list has grown even more.

Francis Bacon the artist, he did those incredible screaming popes. Unsettles me even to think about them. Francis Bacon, the smug Elizabethan intellectual, him I don't know much about except for that one essay on books.

Garius, how did you miss all this filth when you toured the place? Mind you, it's not a consideration for making the purchase, but still, that was very close about the cellar stairs.

Courtesy, ain't new furniture wonderful? Don't wrap it in plastic covers, now.

Amy, the red kite is one of my favouritest of your illustrations, so far.

And I have sixteen history boxes (as I'm calling them) stacked on the dining table, ready for sale. I haven't shown y'all the most recent work on Billy, have I...

i've certainly not seen it Lil.

At the moment I am waiting for the next Neal Stephenson to come out. I don't buy as many books as I used to. Much of my entertainment budget goes to Anime on DVD these days. I've 91 anime discs plus a few advert discs that come as a promotional for Newtype USA, an anime magazine that I read. With 16 series that are not complete, it is going to be a much larger collection when it is all done, assuming I complete all the series I have. There are a few that I am not all that impressed with. And I have only 52 non anime DVDs. It is an expensive hobby for sure, but one that I enjoy. I still have not recovered my film collection to what it was before the robbery. I am just glad that the scumbag bastards that robbed my house did not touch the anime.

[]

Lil - thanks for the warning *now what will I do with all this extra plastic*

My cat is now learning the wonders of both furniture and the computer .... she is sitting next to my keyboard and intently watching the letters on the screen intently.

Marv - thanks in advance for the presents you sent with MR!!!!!!!!!! Now that I will have extra time I plan on doing some homebrewing too.

Courtesy

Every bookcase I own (which, at last count, was 5, if you include the built-in shelves in the apartment) is full except the bottom shelf of one, which is quickly filling with my professional journals. Once the STBX is out of the house, I'll lose two of the shelves, but not the books. Which means it will be either go out and get new ones or box up the books. I'm thinking the former is a better idea.

* and for MR* I think you were very brave.

In my old age, I'm learning two things about books. (1) I don't need to buy them and (2) I can give them away. This makes moving nests much easier . I still have a few bookcases-full at the parental nest and at my little brother's nest to sort out at some stage though.

Today I'm not going to the gym because I need to let the huge blister on my left heel heal. (Heal heal . I the English language.) I was going to whinge about it here yesterday but Lil got in with a much better foot injury first and I thought synchronised limping was going a bit far .

I've been inspired by looking at Lil's work so I may do some watercolour painting today .

I like the red kite too, Amy and the are very cute. Cassie is currently out keeping the blackbird on its wings, I can hear it chattering away at her.

Don't mention bookcases to H. We have filled the one we bought last time we went ovet to Ikea and are back to the bad feng shui thing with the shelves crammed and over flowing. He never read very much before he met me, as he is dyslexic (enough to make reading a slow process and spelling an adventure), but my love of books soon infected him .

Ben, the thing is, we may only get one or two chances, but it is having the courage to take them that is the real stumbling block. Of course I wish you luck

I got a lot of sleep last night, mainly by going to bed very early and getting up again, so a lot of it was in two hour blocks.

I ought to be going to work now though.

Books - I decided to give away ones which I knew I wasn't going to read again, or which I knew that I could replace easily. I made a couple of mistakes, but all in all managed it very well. What I know will be hard the next time I move are ornaments; I do have very little now that I don't either know to be useful or consider to be beutiful, (in Ruskin's (or William Morris's) phrase). But I do have an awful lot of things that I consider to be beautiful, but no-where to display them. These are the hard decisions.

Ben

Ben, I have got to ask: why has Master B added to his username that he is making you ecstatically happy?

Hmmm, if I may be allowed to answer in her stead, it concerns a funny and relaxing episode in the otherwise quite distressing thread about the 'Suitability of Content on h2g2'.

Oh I see. I did start reading that thread but I'm afraid that I gave up after awhile as it seemd to be going over the same old ground.

I have come to the conclusion that decisions are being made by those above our own italics and there is little they (or we) can do about it.

Munchkin now wishes to reveal his humourous Sir Francis Bacon factoid;

Sir Francis Bacon died inventing the frozen chicken.

No, really. Being a bit of an Elizabethan clever clogs he decided to study the effects of low temperatures when preserving meat and so went out one day and stuffed a chicken (thankfully dead) with snow. Unfortunately he caught a chill while doing so and died. So just remember that next time your in the frozen poultry section.

That aside, BOOKS!!!! , I really ought to borrow rather than buy them, and indeed the current one is borrowed, but I have piles in the house. I do occasionally go back and read them so it is not a total loss. Oh, and I have a book review in tomorrow's Post.

Actually - no.

Master B is subbing my project on "Belief" - which had stalled at the last moment for months and months because of apathy on my part and a complicated personal situation for the previous sub.

I said that the fact he was subbing it made me ecstatically happy, and Master B, being the cheeky boy that he is changed his U-Name to "Master B - making abcB ecstaticallly happy"

I returned the compliment by being "abcB - made ecsatically happy by Master B"

Frumous Bandersnatch (formerly Hoovooloo) - changed his to "FB - who thinks Ben has left 'ating' off the end of her name"

So I changed mine to "abcB - the question is does FB think I am capitve?"

And what fun was had by all.

B

Marvellous eh? marvellous, I never knew that FB used to be Hoov, that explains a lot. For a start I was wondering how a newcomer had managed to start such an effective revolution.

I'm really proud of my contribution to the belief project, in fact I feel a plug coming on.

My exam isn't until 2pm, but being a nervous sort I had decided to come into campus early and run a few errards, before I shop for a flouresent yellow highlighter pen to ensure luck. I've just realised the irony in going through a "lucky" ritual before an exam in a subject based in the sciences.