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

Well, as usual, I hear what you're saying. And the book I read the other day was (in parts) proof for it. Ho hum.

What were you reading?

Jamrach's Menagerie. It was good, but not everything was convincing.

Ah. *makes note*

Just been checking up on this aforementioned Menagerie. Interesting to be in 19th century Wapping, and something to do with Bengal tigers, and all before I even get out of bed. The real world might seem boring now, when I do get out of bed. . Or is the real world really the real world?

(slurps coffee). You know what, the other day my second cousin's dog groomer told me this really interesting story, about how, when he was seven, he ate twelve packets of hundreds and thousands which he stole from his Aunt's kitchen cupboard, and the sugar hit was so intense that he understood many things about the world, which he forgot two minutes later. No-one witnessed this event, except for his Auntie's brindled Staffie, which from then on he called Sprinkles, even though it was called Jake. And ....... so .......

where you gone??? .

Great essay as always.

I love that story.

And I totally believe it.

But then, Saturday night, we were watching a lovely little documentary called 'The Gospel According to Philip K Dick', and Dick's revelations seemed not only plausible, but rather tame, so you can't go by us.

heheh. you guys. yes. you live in a universe that is parallel to mine and yet is somehow parallel spelt differently and yet the same. how do you spell parallel? . I thought at first you meant that you found the brindled staffie called Sprinkles story convincing, , but then I realised you might have meant 19th century Wapping, and the Bengal tiger. , which is more likely because the latter story was sort of like written by a proper novelist, and I have taken to speaking in an extended sentence with no full stops till you fall down in a faint because there is no gasp for breath. I need to see that documentary about PKD.

No, I meant the brindled Staffie story. I find you very plausible, especially after you've had enough sherry.

Love the story, too.

Hey Bel

Sherry?? sherry? Merry on the sherry? as if ....

It's easy to think that the 'real' world - the present-day world - is boring and you need to write about the 15th century or the 25th century.But is that the case?

Is it just that we're so used to the everyday world that we fail to see the interest? I remember saying to a friend who comes from Bengal that her background was more interesting than mine. She said that my background - that of a white middle class girl growing up in England - was interesting to her.

I suppose that, if you're writing fiction, you're looking for potential for conflict. You put people, who may be flawed or troubled, in a situation where they are in difficulty or danger, and light the blue touch paper.

And you don't have to pretend to be a Vogon!

Hmm, interesting.

Its a bit like conversations on reincarnation. I always feel inferior in these, because of the exotic, wild, or creatively interesting previous lives which people say they have come from. I always had this idea that, if there was reincarnation, my previous life might have lacked noteworthy points of interest, which is why I fall asleep every time I think about it.

Same with power animals. You know, those guided meditations you can do, that you meet your power animal. I love these meditations, and I respect the tradition. However, when I first did the meditation I met a rather scruffy parrot called Dave, rather than an amazing eagle or raven or jaguar. Don't laugh, its true. He keeps me company, but he isn't very interesting.

Potential for conflict, or at least some kind of tension. Interesting. C and I were discussing Agatha Christie this morning, and how she is one of the best selling authors ever, like up there with Shakespeare. I always watch the Poirot(David Suchet)series on TV, totally gripped I am, even though I know who did it. .

Anyway, during his reseach he has found the word Paracosm, and it is sort of relevant to what we are talking about here. Paracosm. He is going on about it now, and all things Paracosmic.

Talking of Shakespeare, which I wasn't, I was talking about the word Paracosm, did you see that interesting article in the BBC news this morning?

BBC news.

What good thoughts, both of you.

One of the things I keep trying to encourage people to do on h2g2 is to write about their own experiences, on the grounds that what they do is exotic to *somebody*. CC said elsewhere that my funny rural relatives seemed interesting to her. People who lived in 'wide places in the road' no doubt thought they were ordinary.

I think the trick is to pick out the illuminating details, and let people tell their stories.

Now, me, I don't know jaguars that well, but I've known a couple of pretty cool parrots. A scruffy parrot as a 'power animal' sounds informative to me. We have three crows that live in the neighbourhood. I respect them about as much as I do parrots - they're smart, and drive the maintenance nuts with their dumpster-diving - but I fail to see them as numinous.

I think it would be good to have a scruffy parrot as a power animal.
Friendlier than a jaguar.

If I did that meditation, I'd probably end up with a mouse. A dormouse, perhaps, like the one in the Mad Hatters Tea party.

That was one weird dormouse, in the Mad Hatter's Teaparty. Make a very interesting power animal. Not sure if I would sleep. . Which would you sooner, the dormouse or Dave the scuffy parrot.

Dave is kinda funny really. He has yellow, red and blue feathers, and fleas, but he flies all over the world, and into other worlds also, and then returns to peck me and demand attention. There is something strange about him, though. The other day he told me that he had read the entire works of Marcel Proust in the original French, which I think is a bit odd for a parrot.

The only person I ever knew who read Proust in its entirety in French was not much brighter than a parrot, so I'd say no.

There is only one page of Marcel Proust which an educated person needs to have read. Go here:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2650/2650-h/2650-h.htm

1. Hit CTRL + F.

2. Type in the word 'madeleine'.

3. Hit 'Enter'.

4. Read, using a dictionary if absolutely necessary. Otherwise, just guess at the meaning, like everybody else.

There. Now you are as educated as any pretentious Westerner on the planet. You will be able to discuss Proust intelligently at garden parties.

Sound lovely, the Madeleines. I'm not sure I'd like to have them dissolve in my , though.

Show-off. Shame on you, you can French easily, you educated person, you.

No lie, though - that's the only page of Proust anybody's ever read, besides the poor publisher. It's all about memory, you see...

haha. yes . Bit late getting back here. Been at a garden party discussing Proust over tea. . As if. Ah, at last time to catch up with this peculiar looking link. heheh.Which I will do now. I had better hurry up, in fact, heheh. I see the move is Monday. I am running out of current software. I just said that. thought it would make me sound computery and intelligent. haha.

Listen guys, while you are on the line, all the best the with move! I am offline in Brighton all next week, and we all know what that means. hahah ... Insect photos. hahah, whooooargh, but I do hope to check in with you all in one way or another, once you are established.

Wait, back in a minute.

Sorry for showing off there.
Then again, there are so few things I know I have to show off the ones I know now and again.

CC, hope to see you in the new place once you're feeling safe to join us there.