things that happen

[lolaraincoat]

I am supposed to be getting a replacement computer from Spork very soon. I have been in the state of supposed to be getting a replacement computer for some months now. There has already been the ritual grovel at the IT office, and a lengthy discussion of voice recognition software. There has been no communication from the IT office at all,

Comments

[amelia_eve]

Oh my goodness, what a lot of bother. But I suppose you have already learned that when you get knocked down, you should get up again, so that things won't never keep you down.

I do love imagining your garden in summer, though. You must agitate to get the new laptop quickly, so that you can sit under the pergola in the afternoons with a glass of lemonade while you do scholarly things!

[lolaraincoat]

Eh - I'm very lucky, really, in that 1. my disability is mostly temporary and not life-threatening and 2. I get all the sick leave I need, at full pay.

And yes, it's been a great year for grapes so far, which will be a sticky mess later but makes sitting under them right now very pleasant indeed!

[np_complete]

"Have your own revolution, and cut out the middleman" is always going to be one of my favorite lines.

Jack is over in the kitchen, mewing like a lost kitten. He never gets fed in the kitchen, so why he wanders in there I can't imagine. It must be a memory from his previous home.

[lolaraincoat]

Our cats think the kitchen is very interesting, too. One of them is smart enough to have figured out that it's where the good food is; the other just follows the smart one's lead ...

[lolaraincoat]

You've probably already seen this, but just in case:

http://xkcd.com/287/

[np_complete]

hee! Yes, I had, but it's a good one! I particularly like the waiter's response, "Look, I have six other tables --"

ETA peripherally on-topic comment: S. and I just got back from PulpFest 2010. We didn't actually attend: we went to meet some people S. knows. A good evening.

[cordelia_v]

I can testify out of personal observation that you are still capable of doing very good work indeed. Your innate lucidity triumphs even over opiates, sweetie. But I am so sorry that you're having to slog through this, slowly and painfully.

And yes, another grovel to IT is now indicated, I'd say.

The journal you link to interests me strangely. I skimmed the abstract to most of the current issue's articles, and they ALL seem to acknowledge that actual spectators (In physical bodies. With varied demographic backgrounds and points of view. With differing interpretations of the text, depending in part upon their own education and experience. What a concept!) exist for popular entertainments. What a bizarre and unusual insight!

[lolaraincoat]

Now, see, I thought you might like to know about that journal. I skimmed though the book reviews and found nothing germane for our immediate purposes, but some of the articles seem quite appealing. It does seem to be one of those journals attached to a single person's project/institution/idee fixe, but in this case the person is Martin Barker, who did write a great book twenty-five years ago about the moral panic around horror comics and movies in the UK in the 1950s - quite handy for my research a decade later, as you might imagine - and has continued to do very interesting work on UK pop culture and its political/social context, so maybe that's not quite so bad?

Also, they have a conference in March in Edinborough which interests me strangely.

[cordelia_v]

The journal indeed seems attached/dependent on not only Martin Barker, but is also the official journal of the Edinburgh conference you mention. They have special issues devoted to a selection of papers for recent years of this conference, for example, and pimp its CFP for the next round on their webpage. Perhaps the conference is also Martin Barker's own pet project; does he teach at Edinburgh?

Edinburgh itself interests me strangely, with the conference following in second place. I've never been to Edinburgh, although perhaps March wouldn't be the best time of year to make a first visit.

[lolaraincoat]

Google informs me that he is at Abrystrw Aberystwerk some campus of the University of Wales. I have now learned that 404 Error messages from that university are in Welsh. I am having a productive morning!

Good point about the timing of the conference. Hmmm.

[blacksquirrel]

Oh dear - I hope that you keep healing well - that sounds very frustrating.

But yay for persistent tomatoes! We just brought in the first one of the year.

[lolaraincoat]

Mmmmm. The first one is always special ... wait, I didn't quite mean for that to come out that way.

[pir8fancier]

Will take this opportunity to say I had a marvy time at your place and glad you're on the mend!

[lolaraincoat]

It was so great having you here! Come back soon!

[pir8fancier]

As soon as I can. Remember when we were sitting around talking about colleges for son? I mentioned Simon Frazier and you mentioned about college for animation that he might be interested in. I can't remember the name. Ring any bells?

[lolaraincoat]

Hmmm. Maybe George Brown College, here?