Category: Little Voices archive entries

I had a comment on the “Currently reading” blog last night which really made my day. It’s the fourth one down. You should read it.

I’m left to wonder how anyone could feel so strongly about a book which, even if I had thought it “a wonderfully entertaing book of the first rate” I would still have thought rather inconsequential. It’s not as if Mr. Aitch is set to revolutionise the world with this book – unless he is seriously misguided (in which case I have seriously misinterpreted) his aim is to entertain while contributing to the sum total of observations on human nature and maybe make a bit of money while he’s at it.

I am, however, delighted at having been called a dullard. That’s never happened before and it’s such a lovely word and certainly ought to be in more general use. In fact I am going to make it my aim for today to use “dullard” in a sentence.

I have one question for you, though: What is a cavehead? I assume it’s not a compliment, but what is the implication? That my head is the shape of a cave? (Would that be a bad thing?) That I ought to hide my head away in a cave? That I am as blind as Plato’s cave-dwellers who see only the shadows on the walls and not the Thing as it is? Please, someone, explain.

This week’s Monday Madness:

1. What was your favorite TV show as a child?
I used to really love a slightly surrealistic cartoon called Balthazaar (quite Yellow Submarine-ish)

2. What show did you hate?
I didn’t much like the Norwegian cult childrens show Pompel & Pilt – I thought it was scary.

3. What show did your family gather around the TV to watch?
I can’t really remember us gathering round the TV much. We probably did to some extent, though. I know we all loved the “classic cartoons” randomly interspersed in the general programming – La Lina, Pink Panther, Tom & Jerry etc.

4. What show is currently your favorite?
Beat for Beat (except the season’s ended) and Nytt p? nytt (Norwegian version of Have I Got News for You). And Parkinson. Always Parkinson.

5. What show do you hate now?
Most of the reality shows, but the new Norwegian show “Bill. mrk. Bryllup” is probably the worst one – even managing to top Temptation Island in speculative voyeurism and general debasement of human values.

Things to remember for Easter:

– phone guy who owns cottage-thingy to sort out details (check)
– organise transport
– phone Tone to check attendance (check-ish, don’t need to phone to check attendance – see comments – but might just phone anyway)
– buy single-use cameras for general use
– purchase champagne
– plan dinners and make sure to bring relevant recipes

Bring:

– clothes and stuff (incl. bathing suit)
– cameras
– champagne (+ other alchohol?)
– duvet covers, towels etc.
– TP and/or Passport
– “cleaning-stuff”
– stereo (lap-top and speakers? Test.) and CDs
– chocolate eggs and other goodies

This is simply brilliant.

(Via)

I’ve been receiving the weekly challenges from Photo Friday for about a year without actually getting any further than thinking “I suppose a picture of… Ok, I’ll deal with that later.” But it ought to be possible to get a shot with the phone each week to fit the challenge, oughtn’t it?

Hence, morning:

If you…

1. …owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?
A bit of all sorts, but if I had to settle for one thing it would probably be Italian – proper pizza and pasta.

2. …owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?
Books, of course. The other option would be papercrafty things.

3. …wrote a book, what genre would it be?
A novel, definitely. Possibly fantasy.

4. …ran a school, what would you teach?
Uhm. Reading?

5. …recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?
Folksy pop/rock. Is that a genre?

Why is it that I never seem to do Monday Madness on a Monday?

1. What is your solution for cabin fever – you know that feeling of being penned in the house all winter?
Read a good book. Or go for a walk, even if it’s cold out. But reading helps keep that feeling at bay, mostly, so I don’t have that problem very often.

2. Who are the people in your neighbourhood…in your neighbourhood, in your neighbourhood…..?
Huh? Am I missing something? Why the repetition?

Moving on, my neighbours seem to be something of a mixed lot. We’ve got old-age pensioneers of the “we built the country” type. We’ve got twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings and forty-somethings and probably fifty-somethings, single and married and everything in between, with kids and without. We’ve got kids. We’ve got immigrants of pretty much every colour (don’t know enough about them to say the same about religion etc.). We’ve got the old, retired janitor whos spends his days hanging out his kitchen window, smoking and chatting to people and watching what little action there is on the street. It’s pretty laidback. It’s all good.

3. What’s the best thing about spring?
Light. Light. Light. And not having to put on oodles of clothes every time you want to put your nose outside.

4. Any Easter traditions?
Reading whodunnits. Going to the cabin. Eating eggs – from poultry or chocolate.

5. How old were you believing in the Easter bunny?
I never did. It’s not so much a tradition in Norway, anyway, and my parents never told me about the Easter Bunny – nor about Santa Claus. Just as well, I think.

It will obviously take a bit of trial and failure to figure what sort of light and what sort of distance it can handle. Anyhoo, I have no idea what happened here (too close?), but interesting effect, methinks. The boyfriend trying – as usual – to avoid having his picture taken:

Voice in my head: Chris Rea – Auberge

Robin, the shape of your hand reveals that you are especially good at Living each day to its fullest. Based on the signs in your palm, you have much to gain by experiencing every day as if it were your last. By putting directed energy toward getting all that you can from life, your efforts will be returned multi-fold.

Rescued from draft. But where’s the source for this? I have no idea.