Tailspin and other things
Nov. 12th, 2008 06:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99I'm just getting out a depressive episodelet caused by the possibility of my PhD falling flat on it's face. It probably still might and I'm going to get the lecture of a lifetime out of my boss, but right now I'm on the upswing and might just call his bluff if he does his 'you're going to fail, fail I tell you' speech, which I've have in three monthly intervals for the past year and a half.
Other than that, life has been good.
Went to London to see Jed Thian commentate live - http://www.arcrugby.co.nz/
Warning: not safe for children, grandparents, the easily offended, Australians and Shalke Burger
There, I warned you. He isn't actually as bad as all that, he just swears like a sailor. He's also fantastically, well not unbiased, but he believes in good rugby, which, as he's a New Zealander, happens to correlate quite closely to my own views. He's also hilariously funny, and I will never be able to watch a Scotland match with a straight face ever again.
Came back, fenced for 4 hours on Sunday (legs still aching like woah), then watched the second half of Sharpe's Peril, which was much better than the first half
I suddenly noticed exactly which sword Sharpe was carrying. It's the one Harper made for him 'sworn never to fail' indeed. That thing'll see out the end of the world before it fails.
Um, why yes, I did descend into mad Harper flailing at various points. Because he's just so awesome.
And he and Sharpe have now taken to telepathy. There'd be whole scenes were they wouldn't say anything because they didn't need to and the audience didn't need them to either.
I was 3/4 in the dead pool. Hakeswill jnr didn't die (and, the whole house believe) not only got released and promoted, but bagged a princess too), brave Major of the Enginners and his sidekick did (both gloriously by the way) and tiny Ensign, who I hadn't predicted, did die (also bravely, if incompetantly).
And the lead English bad guy (as there always is one) foolishly took on Harper in hand to hand combat. Now, despite the man being the size of a mountain, one knew there was only one way this was going to go (and one starts to wonder if Daragh O'Malley pulls Villa from Blake 7's trick of being permenantly crouched so the lead actor doesn't look tiny). Of course, the bad guy grabs a convenient (if plotly explained) hand-scythe to attack him, so Harper, after deliberating, slits his throat with it. Leading to the housemates saying it was a little dark, opposed by me pointing out that Harper always did any sneaky killing that needed to be done.
Then again Sharpe drowned someone (or nearly did) this episode, followed by complaints of non-gentlemanliness. It was pointed out that Sharpe wasn't a gentleman.
Harper damn near broke my heart carrying Engineering Sidekick's body, declaiming '12 of them he killed, 12'.
There was the usual manipulative tear-jerkering (Sharpe singing the Chosen Men's song to the tiny Ensign, the graves, Harper), which I fell for, as usual, and then a fun pay off at the end avec Simmerson, who appears to have turned into a human being.
Second half was better because they seemed to remember a little levity, however gallows-esque, was required. And I love Patrick Harper.
Finished reading HMS Surprise (review here - http://www.librarything.com/work/14479/details/38043376). LibraryThing suggestions are mostly filled with more O'Brian stuff and books by other people about the Aubrey and Maturin books, something about the Navy in the Napoleonic Era, a Flashman book and Sherlock Holmes. A goodly set of suggestions I find.
The Unsuggestions are a mixed bag - The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks, Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger, Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin, Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, Bookends: A Novel by Jane Green, Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married by Marian Keyes, PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern and The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Po) by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
The only one of those I've heard of is Anne of Green Gables so I don't think it's a bad set, either.
Other than that, life has been good.
Went to London to see Jed Thian commentate live - http://www.arcrugby.co.nz/
Warning: not safe for children, grandparents, the easily offended, Australians and Shalke Burger
There, I warned you. He isn't actually as bad as all that, he just swears like a sailor. He's also fantastically, well not unbiased, but he believes in good rugby, which, as he's a New Zealander, happens to correlate quite closely to my own views. He's also hilariously funny, and I will never be able to watch a Scotland match with a straight face ever again.
Came back, fenced for 4 hours on Sunday (legs still aching like woah), then watched the second half of Sharpe's Peril, which was much better than the first half
I suddenly noticed exactly which sword Sharpe was carrying. It's the one Harper made for him 'sworn never to fail' indeed. That thing'll see out the end of the world before it fails.
Um, why yes, I did descend into mad Harper flailing at various points. Because he's just so awesome.
And he and Sharpe have now taken to telepathy. There'd be whole scenes were they wouldn't say anything because they didn't need to and the audience didn't need them to either.
I was 3/4 in the dead pool. Hakeswill jnr didn't die (and, the whole house believe) not only got released and promoted, but bagged a princess too), brave Major of the Enginners and his sidekick did (both gloriously by the way) and tiny Ensign, who I hadn't predicted, did die (also bravely, if incompetantly).
And the lead English bad guy (as there always is one) foolishly took on Harper in hand to hand combat. Now, despite the man being the size of a mountain, one knew there was only one way this was going to go (and one starts to wonder if Daragh O'Malley pulls Villa from Blake 7's trick of being permenantly crouched so the lead actor doesn't look tiny). Of course, the bad guy grabs a convenient (if plotly explained) hand-scythe to attack him, so Harper, after deliberating, slits his throat with it. Leading to the housemates saying it was a little dark, opposed by me pointing out that Harper always did any sneaky killing that needed to be done.
Then again Sharpe drowned someone (or nearly did) this episode, followed by complaints of non-gentlemanliness. It was pointed out that Sharpe wasn't a gentleman.
Harper damn near broke my heart carrying Engineering Sidekick's body, declaiming '12 of them he killed, 12'.
There was the usual manipulative tear-jerkering (Sharpe singing the Chosen Men's song to the tiny Ensign, the graves, Harper), which I fell for, as usual, and then a fun pay off at the end avec Simmerson, who appears to have turned into a human being.
Second half was better because they seemed to remember a little levity, however gallows-esque, was required. And I love Patrick Harper.
Finished reading HMS Surprise (review here - http://www.librarything.com/work/14479/details/38043376). LibraryThing suggestions are mostly filled with more O'Brian stuff and books by other people about the Aubrey and Maturin books, something about the Navy in the Napoleonic Era, a Flashman book and Sherlock Holmes. A goodly set of suggestions I find.
The Unsuggestions are a mixed bag - The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks, Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger, Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin, Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, Bookends: A Novel by Jane Green, Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married by Marian Keyes, PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern and The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Po) by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
The only one of those I've heard of is Anne of Green Gables so I don't think it's a bad set, either.
