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

Guten Tag Ivan!

Re-reading the Thursday Next books sounds like fun. I would say I was going to do it too but I haven't even read them all a first time. So far they're so good though that I can see why you would want to re-read them.

I agree with you about the dangers of reading more than one McGonagall in one day. I'm sure the poetry should come with a warning about it being damaging to your brain.

I do have plans for my classes next year All of the courses are required, no electives, but some of the classes I'm really looking forward to. All going according to plan in the first semester I'll be doing an introductory Latin course, an Old English course called "The Alliterative Tradition" in which we read things like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a Medieval Studies course that has something to do with death related rituals and traditions, and of course the Honours Graduating essay scary course.
Second semester I'm taking an introduction to Old English. It makes no sense to do it second... I hope i don't die in the Alliterative Traditions class but unfortunately that's the way they've made the classes for some reason and I'm required to take them both. I'm going to do a history course on medieval intellectual culture and the second part to the introductory latin course. I'm thinking of doing a course on the literary tradition of the Alexander romance in the Middle ages... but I'm not sure yet. And I'm doing a course that has something to do with manuscripts but I'm not sure really what it's about.
I'm also doing a contemporary literature course that's on uses of the past in gay fiction. It's with my favourite english professor, the one I did the gay literature class with last semester. I'm really looking forward to it despite the fact that some of the books bothered me last semster. Don't misunderstand... I did really love the books we read I was just bothered by the attitude towards women and heterosexuals that many of them seemed to contain. I just can't understand it. I would like to think that just because I'm a woman and heterosexual that doesn't necessarily make me contemptible or disgusting. But perhaps I'm just misunderstanding something and really it doesn't bother me enough to really detract from my enjoyment of the class.

Fewf! That looks really long! Hopefully some of it is interesting to you.

So I'm curious about these cookery books. Do they contain recipies? Or do they just talking about cooking.....?
By the way, I'm looking for a good recipe for corn chowder if you happen to have one laying around. I was thinking of something more than just the plain corn that most recipes seem to want. I want something exciting! Maybe spicy... I don't know.

Today, in an attempt to be adventurous and open minded, I had bubble tea for the first time. Unfortunately it made me feel very sick and I drank too much of it even though it was making me feel sick because I was trying to be polite. I can be such a silly person sometimes. And yet if I were to relive it all again I'm not sure how I could possibly get out of it

The cookery books - there are some recipes, but they're more books about food and cooking than instruction manuals (so to speak). I tend not to follow recipes as improvising is more fun, but texts that give me ideas are lovely things to have on hand. Elizabeth David's books contain a wealth of recipes, but she writes so wonderfully well about food and cookery that the recipes are just a bonus in my view.

As for chowder - I've never knowingly seen/tasted chowder of any sort, so there's no recipe here. Good luck with the search.

Alliterative traditions - would that include Beowulf? Even if it doesn't, the rest looks like tremendous fun. And Latin's not as complicated as some people would have you believe. Patterns and logic soon emerge. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

As for the attitude of gay fiction to women and the heterosexual world - I acknowledge that it's not always nice. The genesis of this is probably a few centuries of the hetero world being a nasty vicious place for non-hetero people. Bitchiness and dismissiveness were often the only weapons available to gay people. Things have changed drastically, but that little bit of non-hetero culture hasn't yet revised itself. In time I expect it will, but probably not until we gain equality. Personally I feel no resentment, but I know there are plenty of people out there who do. But that's their problem.

Now - bubble tea. What's in that, exactly? It looks evil and synthetic and it scares me.

Ah! So you're an adventurous cooker! Good for you I'm afraid I'm a mostly follow the recipe kind of person until I do it a few times and then I start to feel more confident about changing things. I'm glad you're enjoying the Elizabeth David book.

I've only had corn chowder once before. I had gone to some restaurant with my family and someone let me have some of theirs. I can't remember where it was I just remember that it tasted really good. So I'll keep my eyes peeled for a good recipe and let you know if I find one

The alliterative traditions class does include Beowulf I'm quite looking forward to doing the course but I have to admit I am rather nervous about whether or not I'll have trouble reading the works Old English can be very different.
Thanks for the comforting words about Latin. Hopefully it isn't as hard as I think it will be. Fortunately for me I made a friend this summer who is really good at Latin and she's going to help me

I think you're right about the not so nice attitude in gay fiction towards women and the heterosexual world. I suppose I do understand even if it does make me feel a little sad. But I'm more sad about the way so many heterosexual people think of homosexual people. I wish I could change it but I haven't the faintest idea how. Did you see the movie "Milk"? I think he was right when he told everyone they had to come out of the closet to friends and family so that people could realise that gay men aren't monsters. It certainly worked for me Thank you Ivan, if it wasn't for you I might very well still be holding an ignorant opinion. But now here stands at least one more person who won't be passing along the disgust and distrust.

And as for bubble tea.... You're right it is evil and synthetic and very, very scary!!!
Mine looked like this only I'm sure mine was a more violent green.
http://www.chinachefcotati.com/Menu/Bubble%20Drinks%20Picture/honeydew.JPG
I have no idea what goes into the drink but there are large tapioca balls that sit on the bottom that you suck up with your enormous straw. I'm not sure why they're black because I think tapioca is usually white isn't it?

Well back to German studying

Tapioca in a drink? Ugh. There's something I won't be consuming. It's hard to know what possesses some people.

The hetero vs non-hetero thing. Glad to have been of service. I haven't seen 'Milk' - I know how it ends and all that - but I'm glad it's *there*. A couple of decades ago there's no way it would have been made, at least not by Hollywood. I think it helps, every so often, to sit and remember how things were even in my lifetime and to realise how far we've come.

Have you ever read Beowulf in translation? It might help to know the story before you get stuck into Anglo-Saxon. Seamus Heaney's translation is rather good and fairly recent.

This is the last day of my holidays. [Pause for sobs and melodramatic gestures.] So many things I didn't get to do... Never mind. It's cheaper this way.

I have no idea why someone would want tapioca in their drink. It's completely beyond me but I do know that it's not something I'll be trying again.

I highly recommend Milk. I wasn't going to see it but our teacher decided to have a class discussion on it so we all had to see it. Well not /had/ to.... but I did see it and I thought it was good even though I was upset at the ending. The funny thing is though that even though I knew he was going to die I kept finding myself hoping for things for him in the future even though the obviously couldn't happen.
I'm glad to know we have made progress

I have read Beowulf in translation. Twice. Once was in verse and the other in prose. Funny you should mention Seamus Heaney's translation as that's the one I read most recently. I was for a class I just did on Medieval travel.
Have you seen Benjamin Bagby's recreation of telling Beowulf?

I'm sorry to hear it was the last day of your holidays!
I'm sorry I disappeared for a bit but I was studying German like mad and then I got a cold on top of it. I still have the cold but it's better than it was. German is finally finished now thank goodness so I have a bit of a break. I'm meeting with one of my bosses on Tuesday to find out about whether I get a job this summer or not. Fingers crossed. I need the money.

Tomorrow I'm going to the house of the man who lives behind us to take pictures of all his woodworking tools for insurance purposes. He lets my Dad and I use the tools in his workshop to build things so I'm looking forward to doing something nice for him.

How's everything going with you?

Well, things have been a bit hectic here. That job of mine is taking a serious chunk out of my life - or it has been; things should settle down soon. It's the end of our financial year, you see. ( I hate accounts...) Even more challenging is the fact that my little part of the Huge Government Department becomes a separate agency as of tomorrow.Everything's changing, or so it seems.

I also took a few days off hootoo after losing my temper with someone. It was simpler not to be here than to risk saying too much that I wouldn't be able to take back later.

Beowulf - I know nothing of Benjamin Bagby. Should I google?

I'm sorry things have been hectic for you at work but I suppose at least being busy the day passes quickly? I've always found that the hardest days are the ones with nothing really to do and then the day just crrrrraaaawllllllsssss by. But on the other hand if things are too hectic then that's stressful.

I find it hard to imagine you losing your temper you're always so lovely but I guess we all do. I know I do. Unfortunately I have a very short fuse. On the other hand I tend not to show it and if I am quick to anger I am also quick to forgive... but it's something I'm working on.
Hopefully you feel better now

On Friday I'm leaving to visit my Mum's Mum and the rest of my family that lives around there. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone from my Dad's side and I think I'm going to have a lot of fun but I can see that visiting the other side is going to be very stressful. Last night my Mum's Mum had a life threatening asthma attack and she refuses to take her asthma medication. All in all I'm glad I'm staying at my Grandma's instead.

Now as for Benjamin Bagby.... Here is a clip of his performance. Actually, I think it's his website so if you want any other information then I think you can get it there too.
http://bagbybeowulf.com/video/index.html

I keep meaning to send you a post card. Maybe I'll find a good one today while I'm in town

*hic* We had drinkies at w*rk this afternoon, to celebrate being free of the Huge Government Department. I'm a bit tired now. Can't think why...

Thanks for the Bagby link. I'll have a look at the weekend.

How long will you be away, seeing the extended family? When I'm seeing mine it often feels like either too long or no time at all, depending on what mood everyone's in.

*hic* Oh dear. My ability to concentrate should be back tomorrow.

Hello Ivan
Sorry I disappeared for a bit. I was only away for three days. The visit seemed very long though and it ended up being somewhat nightmarish. Oddly enough my visit with my Mum's parents went strangely well. I think it might be because I didn't spend very much time there. I know that really I should have spent more time there because she's the one with the breast cancer but as we were only there for a day and a bit and my Dad has more relatives living there I ended up spending more time with his family. I got sun stroke which was no fun. Lucky for me my cousin is training to be a nurse. We had gone book shopping but it was so hot! And it never gets that hot where I live so I wasn't used to it. I managed to make it back to my grandma's condo. I was all shaky and dizzy and sick. Not a nice experience.
Anyway even with the sun stroke I have to say the visit was going exceptionally well until that evening. Because I wasn't feeling well I decided not to go for a walk in the heat with my Dad, brother and aunt so I was left alone with my Grandma. I didn't think anything of it because I usually enjoy spending time with her. Not this time though. She talked about how I should get married (I don't even have a boyfriend which is a constant point with her), how I spend too much time at school and should stop, what I think of the resurrection of Christ (and I don't really believe in it like she does so that was difficult), and of course as the time moved on we had to start discussing dear departed relatives.
So initially the visit seemed like no time at all and then all of a sudden it was waaaay too long!

But that all sounds very dismal! In happier news the drive was just beautiful. We stopped in a small town and took some pictures of the bridge that Sylvester Stallone walked over in the Rambo movie. As far as I can tell it's what the town is famous for. Well not the bridge, but having the movie filmed there. The bridge is so old they're going to tear it down and build a new one. If I was them I would build a new one and leave that one for pedestrians. I can see why they want to get rid of it though... I was walking on it and you can feel the whole thing shake as cars drive over it,

Since I got back I've been very busy. I got a job helping First Nations adolescents who have dropped out of high school and helping them to regain self confidence so they could return to school. I spent all last week reading and designing a program. Took me forever! And I still wasn't finished but it's neat to be able to do practically everything from scratch. On Friday I called my boss to touch base as she had requested only to find out the funding had been pulled due to budget cuts and I was out of a job. Shortest time I've ever had for a job! At least I get paid for the one week I worked. She says maybe it will start up in August but I really doubt it. It's just as well though. I met with my advisor on Wednesday and he gave me a book to read about the rise of the university so I've been busy reading that and taking notes and as soon as I finish this he's going to give me a ton of other things to read that he says are going to be less fun and more complicated. I'm looking forward to it. I must be crazy!!

Well this post has become very long so I think I'll leave it here.

Oh! Did you like the Bagby link?

I haven't had time for the Bagby link yet... It's been a bit like that over the last week, I'm afraid, what with wierdness at w*rk and unexpected outings and other bizarre events (see my Journal about that one). I'll get there in due course. Not tonight, though; the antivirus thing is updating and it'll play havoc with Bagby.

Sunstroke is a dreadful thing - I've had it a couple of times, and I'm hoping never to have it again... But living in a (sometimes) hot place and having fair skin and fair hair, I'll probably get it again one day.

Your Grandma sounds like a bit of a challenge. My maternal grandmother would leap to conclusions whenever I was with, or indeed just mentioned, a girl. She even offered a ring on one embarrassing occasion. I didn't know what to do with myself. Needless to say, I never found it necessary to tell her anything about my actual private life.

This job of yours sounds like a really good thing. Pity about the funding... Maybe it will come back to life sometime; these things happen. A friend of mine w*rks with Aboriginal young offenders; it's a job that matters, keeping these people out of prison, and the state government knows that, but somehow they always end up cutting her funding. It's a bit of a false economy, I think.

Oh look, it's another disordered post. I'm rather tired...

I've spent so much time cleaning just the thought of doing any more makes me feel almost ill. I'm tempted to let the laundry wait but my laundry basket is already overflowing and my sheets could be changed. I suppose I'll have to stop feeling lazy and rejoice in the smell of fresh laundry which is something I do like. Two of my Mum's relatives from Germany are coming to stay for three days hence the extreme cleaning marathon on the weekend.

Apparently once you get sunstroke you're more likely to get it again. That hardly seems fair. Of course I might just be making that up and have no credible source to back me up. i just remember hearing it somewhere. But hopefully it isn't true. I like the way the sun feels but I usually only enjoy limited amounts of it. I burn easily so I try and stay in the shade so I'm really not used to being out in the heat like that. Plus, here we always have the cool ocean breeze.
It 's funny living so close to the ocean. It's only a 15 minute drive from my house but I can go weeks without seeing it so I forget it's there and then one day it will be really wet and rainy and I'll see a seagull walking down the street near my house and it feels so surreal! And then I realise that it's really not all that far for it to go.

Grandmothers are tricky people. I think I'll just sort of humour her even though it's frustrating to me to not be able to be completely honest. But after what happened when I tried to discuss Leonardo da Vinci with her! A topic that I would have thought quite safe and reasonable... I think it's really just better to let her think what she likes.

I think the job would have been great. Fingers crossed that I do get to do it in August unlikely as that seems. I agree that your friends job really does sound like one of the ones that matters.

Oh! Last night I had the most amazing ice cream!! It was banana cream pie flavoured and it was great! Now I want it all the time fortunately we don't have any and I have no idea where to get it because we had it at someone else's house. Hopefully that will help stop me from turning into a blimp. Well, not that I really have that little self control but it's much easier to not have to use the self control in the first place

I'd better go and make a start on that laundry

I had a bizarre day at w*rk today - I even brought some stuff home wioth me, thinking I could do it in peace here, but I'm too tired. I'll just have to start early tomorrow and order everyone to Leave Me Alone all morning.

I shouldn't even be on here - I should be doing some background reading, then getting some rest.

Ugh.

I'd much rather be doing laundry than dealing with the stuff I brought home...

Sorry, I'm in self-pity mode, apparently. It'll pass.

And I don't have any icecream at all. I think that's the most alarming thing of the lot.

Sorry about the delay in replying. I had my relatives from Germany here and then I had a terrible cold.

Bizarre day at work? Poor you. I suppose the terribleness of work is the reason I feel happy about not having a job. Of course I would like to make money because I'm almost broke but having a bit of vacation is nice.

My next summer course starts on Wednesday. I'm actually really looking forward to it. In more school related news I'm applying for a work-study position in the Medieval Studies department. Fingers crossed I get it! Supposedly the hours are really flexible and it will look good on my resume. On the other hand it's only $10 an hour. But I suppose that's ten more dollars than I would have without the job. I just have to write an application, attach my resume and prove I qualify for financial aid. Which surely I must after being laid off twice this summer.

I hope your job is better now And I hope you have some ice cream! I could really do with some but I'm making a valiant fight against flab. I have even bought a months membership to the gym. We'll see how this goes though. I have a terrible laziness to fight against. I'm hoping the spending of money on the membership will be some kind of motivation.

I agree. $10 an hour is a whole lot better than $0 an hour. (Seeing it's the Medieval department, I'd just be glad to be paid in dollars, and not in groats or bezants. ) Good luck.

My job has become stranger. I'm now the boss of someone I've socialised with after-hours; he seems to think this entitles him to do no constructive w*rk at all. I'm going to have to be harsh with him - which will proably mean the end of joint visits to the pub, but that will be cheaper, won't it?

There's still no ice cream here. I'll deal with that later. I also need to go shopping for something to wear to a (lesbian) wedding in September - this wasn't going to be a terribly big deal for me, but now I'm doing a reading (probably one of Shakespeare's sonnets; my suggestion of McGonagall fell on deaf ears) so I need to look the part. I don't know what the Happy Couple will be wearing (not even if one or both will be wearing a dress) so I have No Idea what would be right. And I do indeed have a minor headache right now.

What I'd like is a lightweight plain jacket and a plain shirt with a round collar so I can get away with not wearing a tie... This might be hard to find in Canberra in the middle of winter. Maybe I'll have to go to Sydney next week to do some shopping instead. Other people's weddings are always so startlingly expensive.

You're right! I didn't even think of being paid in groats!!
Yesterday while I was visiting the office to check on the status of my application I saw the cutest book bags! They say the name of my university and "Medieval Studies" and have a cute little picture of some medieval people in a boat. They're left over from the conference. Only $5 so of course I had to buy one. My goodness but I'm such a geek! I don't mind though.
Actually the word geek seems to me to have more technological connotations... is there a word for someone who enjoys studying the arts? Or does geek work just as well?

Good luck with the problem you have at work. I would find that extremely difficult. But as you say it will be cheaper. Though they say the recession is over so perhaps we don't have to worry? I don't know that that's true though. I've yet to see evidence of it.

I hate having to decide what to wear to special events. And you're right. Weddings are so expensive! I'm secretly very pleased that I won't be able to attend my cousin's wedding in November. I considered it but I'll be trying to finish my honours paper so it doesn't seem like a good idea. Thank goodness! Saves me a lot of money!

Good luck on the ice cream front. It has been so unusually hot here lately that I don't know what to do with myself. Yesterday I bought some frozen raspberries and ice milk. I decided on the ice milk because it tastes pretty much the same with the raspberries and it has less calories than regular ice cream. '60% less fat' it proudly advertises.

Well I must run off to school now. Much reading to be done!

I'd have bought one of those bags too.

I'm not sure about 'geek' but 'nerd' isn't much better - even though I do label myself a 'word nerd' when I'm proofreading things for people at the office... Personally, my term for fans of the arts is 'intelligent', but that might look a bit elitist.

The w*rk issue is under control. I had a few drinks with some of the lads (including the problem child) yesterday, and there were no recriminations or arguments or sulks. There's still a bit of a coolness there, but it'll pass. This is rather a relief.

The hunt for someting to wear to the wedding is officially over, inasmuch as I've given up. I'll just have to wear something I already have, making sure all the buttons are attached securely in advance. Sometime tomorrow my friend M will call me to let me know what she wants me to read at the ceremony. I hope it's not a sonnet. Prose is easier to read in public as there's no need to capture the rhythm. But I'm at her mercy there.

The big news here is that I'm organising a mini-meet in Melbourne in October. Tartaronne is going to be there, which is remarkable because Denmark is her natural habitat. I'm rather excited about this. My finances will go through hell, but I figure it'll be more economical than actually going to Europe at this point.

I haven't used my bag yet. It's hanging off the back of my chair at my desk looking all pristine and new. I'm having a problem because I like it so much I don't want anything to happen to it and using it increases that risk but if I don't use it what's the point of having it!? Very difficult.

I like 'Intelligent.' That sounds much better than nerd! I'm having a terrible attack of impostor syndrome though. I feel like I'm a stupid person masquerading in smart persons clothing and soon someone will spot me and reveal me for the unintelligent person that I am!

I think as long as all of your buttons are securely attached you'll be fine I pretty much have only one dressy outfit and I just wear that to everything. I never really have anything dressy to go to so it's not much of a problem for me. I guess that's pretty lucky. I hate getting dressed up. For some reason dressy clothes are /never/ as comfortable as regular clothes. I wonder why that is... Perhaps it's some sort of formal attire requirement?

How are things on the ice cream front?

A mini-meet!!! Ivan that sounds so exciting! I wouldn't know how to go about doing such a thing. Good for you Hopefully I'll at least get to hear all about it as I'm too far away to go. I wonder if I'm as far away as Denmark. Darn the fact that money doesn't grow on trees!

My parents come home today so my brother and I have been cleaning the house. I think it looks pretty good. I'm now going to make a 'Welcome Home' banner. If I wasn't here I wonder if my brother would even have bothered to clean the house. I like everything to be special for people. Well people that I like anyway. I don't know that my Dad will care about the effort, if he does care he never shows it, but I know that my Mum will appreciate it and that's good enough. They've been gone a week now so I think it will feel strange to have them back.

Cleaning the house is absolutely the right thing to do. But of course, housew*rk is only noticed when it hasn't been done...

Formal attire. Yes, I think a lack of comfort is an essential part of formal attire. It helps produce the right sober, stiff demeanour. I even have uncomfortable shoes which I wear only to funerals as they cause me to look genuinely miserable. Every time I have to get ready for a formal occasion I remember why I avoid them. It's definitely the clothes.

And never mind about imposter syndrome. That's what I have at w*rk these days, now that I'm in charge of people. It's not my natural role. I'm fully aware that I'm faking it most of the time, but one of my underlings told me privately the other day that I'm faking it well, so I'm not doing too badly.

I'd better go and put some laundry on now. So tedious. But if I get it all done by lunchtime I'm allowing myself to go to the shop and get ice cream. Pathetic, really, but self-bribery can be effective sometimes.

My Mum appreciated how clean things were you but you're completely right. For the most part housework is never noticed unless it's not done. I'm having a problem though. After the house cleaning now every time I see a mess it makes me so depressed. With three other people in the house nothing stays tidy for long. My Dad and brother seem to be particularly bad for leaving things laying about.

I like the idea of uncomfortable shoes to make one look miserable at a funeral. When my Grandpa died I was standing around waiting to go into the chapel with my favourite cousin and I have no idea what we were talking about but we ended up laughing quite loudly and quite uncontrollably. I must say we got some very dirty looks from assorted people there. But really I'm sure my Grandpa would have preferred we had a good time.

An ice cream bribe sounds like a very good idea. I understand completely and I fully support you. I think perhaps I will have some ice cream tonight. The trouble is I keep putting it off because I know it's something I shouldn't eat and then I find it rather late and I end up eating it before bed which is no good because then there is absolutely no working off the calories.

Last night I dreamed continuously about being in some kind of bakery that made the most delicious pies and squares. Mmmm.... they all looked so delicious But for some reason something always happened and I never got to eat anything.

Bakeries are among my favourite places. Bakeries, and other places that sell food I don't have to cook myself.

Housew*rk is hell, and it's worse when other people make a mess of things. Once upon a time I always used to get accused of making mess. Then I moved out, the mess kept coming, and Mum realised it wasn't me. My sister was the next suspect - then she moved out. Then Dad became the obvious culprit, right up until he died. So then Mum had to face the Awful Truth and accept that *she* was the messmaker.

Once again I have no ice cream. I bought strawberry yoghurt instead. It's almost as good, and surely it's better for me somehow.