Something like an RL update.

[elisi]

I am thoroughly useless at talking about RL, sorry. But then I don't have the knack for making it interesting. Various things:

- Spike the cat disappeared before Christmas and never came back. This was not completely unexpected as he'd been unwell for a good while. *sadface*

- In happier news, then Darcy's siblings have been almost overly zealous in providing the girls with cousins. There are now two new baby girls (one born in February, the other in March) and both of them of course exceedingly cute. And there's another one (a boy, this time) due in September. (In case you're wondering, then yes, Darcy has a lot of siblings! *g*)

- Yesterday we went to a fair, where the girls managed to talk Darcy into letting them have a goldfish. (Yes, you can still win goldfish at fairs!) So we're no longer pet-less. They (after some deliberation) decided to call it Flash Gordon (and have duly played Queen at the poor thing). Also I now know that you can get Doctor Who fish tanks. Proper, official ones, I mean. With a little TARDIS at the bottom. 'Twas too expensive, yet it's kinda awesome that it exists.

- Have just bought Dante's Divine Comedy [from Amazon]. Am also about to read The Heart of Darkness. And all because of Doctor Who and T.S.Eliot. I swear, fandom is THE best education. (Incidentally, this means that there'll be Tenth Doctor meta at some point.)

- And now I'm drawing a blank. Life, y'know? It's just... happening.

Comments

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

...Yeah. And I'm willing to bet you can find some interesting slightly skeevy parallels between Heart Of Darkness and the Doctor (especially Ten) as well. History's a tricky beast.

(Have you read Mike Carey's comic The Unwritten, BTW? He tackles Kipling and the White Man's Burden thing in some really interesting ways...)

Also, sorry about your cat. :(

[elisi]

...Yeah. And I'm willing to bet you can find some interesting slightly skeevy parallels between Heart Of Darkness and the Doctor (especially Ten) as well. History's a tricky beast.
Waaaaay ahead of you! (Just wait, you'll see. *g*)

(Have you read Mike Carey's comic The Unwritten, BTW? He tackles Kipling and the White Man's Burden thing in some really interesting ways...)
I have not, but I shall put it on my list. Thank you.

Also, sorry about your cat. :(
I'm in a place where I'm mostly just happy that he's at peace, poor thing...

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear about Spike but congratulations on the additional relatives and the fishie.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Sorry about Spike the cat.

I do really rather like the idea of official Dr Who fish-tanks existing - I guess you could just put your own small TARDIS in the bottom of a much cheaper one, do you think?

[jerusha]

I love it when other people have babies. I can admire them, and then give them back... ;-)

I'm sorry to hear about Spike.

[elisi]

Thank you. ♥ (We saw The Lion King the other day, and the whole circle of life is rather apt at the moment...)

[elisi]

Sorry about Spike the cat.
Thank you.

I do really rather like the idea of official Dr Who fish-tanks existing
IKR? Although it'd be easy enough to make your own, as you say. Although for now, Miss M has drawn a background of her own, which says 'Flash Gordon' is big colourful letters. :)

[elisi]

I love it when other people have babies. I can admire them, and then give them back... ;-)
Exactly. Everyone keeps saying 'Aren't you getting broody?', to which I reply (with perfect honesty): 'No!' :) (Mind you, I'd definitely recommend getting one of your own at some point. They keep things interesting.)

I'm sorry to hear about Spike.
Thank you. I still remember writing an LJ post about him when we first got him...

[paratti.livejournal.com]

Seconds The Unwritten rec.

Its awesome.

[elisi]

I'd never heard of it before, so thank you. I like to have gaps [in my reading/knowledge] pointed out. :)

[(Anonymous)]

I love it when an old friend has a baby. I make a great uncle. I meet the kid, we play for a while, I get to have all the fun, and then their parents take them away.

And then, when they're gone, even if I like the kid, I always whisper a little prayer, "Please, don't make mine like that."

~srmcd1

[kathyh]

Sorry to hear about Spike the cat :(

We had a goldfish that lived for years. He/she/it was an amazingly undemanding pet!

[eve11]

My family is small and I am letting my sisters take the lead on kid production for now. But my niece and nephew of my younger sister J will never want for second cousins. J's husband, while he only has one brother and one sister; his mom has 13 siblings all with kids, and his dad has like 8 siblings I think. So J's husband has over 30 cousins, many starting to have kids of their own. Going to family gatherings is kind of insane.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry about your kitty...we had to put ours down around November - still miss him like mad.

Awww!! Babies!

YAY! Hope Flash lasts a little while...and real offical DW tanks?! Win!

Read on - and lay it on us!!

Ahhh, real life. Interesting and usually a meta in itself!

*HUGS*

[adoxerella.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry about the kitty.

I am squeeing about you reading The Divine Comedy, because The Inferno is my second favorite pieces of literature. I have read it multiple times.

I envy you coming to these things through fandom, because when I read Heart of Darkness in school, it was ruined for me. The message was lost on my 15 year old self, and all I can remember now is it was depressing. I can't even muster the desire to pick it back up.

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear about your cat. :( {hugs}

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

Doctor who fishtanks are an awesome idea!

Heart of Darkness is well worth reading. Mind you I have no particular desire to re-read it, but well worth a read. And Dante's always fascinating. And funnier than I expected it to be.

[elisi]

There are only two kinds of children in the world: Your own, and everyone else's. *wise nod*

[elisi]

Thank you. But he wasn't well... :(

And yes, a gold fish is just about what we're able to cope with at the moment. Plus the kids are fairly pragmatic about its lifespan.

[elisi]

13!!! Blimey. That's... Wow. *is stunned*

[cordykitten]

Sorry to hear about Spike the cat *hugs*
Welcome to your new pet (goldfish) and the new baby girls.

[shapinglight]

I hope the girls will help you clean out the fishtank? Mine never helped me with the gerbil cage. :(

[elisi]

I'm sorry about your kitty...we had to put ours down around November - still miss him like mad.
Oh poor you! It's never easy to let go of a pet, is it?

And babies are the best! (Esp as I can hand these ones back! *g*)

Flash should hopefully last (and if not, he's easy to replace) - and we might drop a little plastic Dalek into the tank, just for fun. ;)

And ooooh, I will. Are you familiar with my meta? I, uh, go on.

Real life is... busy. Which is why I don't write about it, I suppose. Although just to bring you up to speed: Darcy is my husband, Miss M is the eldest (13), Impish Girl the middle one (10) and The Cherub is the cute little one (6), who's also of course a bit spoiled...

*send copious hugs back*

[elisi]

Thank you. *hugs*

And oooh, that bodes well. I've been meaning to for AGES, but this gave me the final push.

Re. school ruining things, then it reminds me of a fabulous (classic) Danish book (called 'The Neglected Spring') which criticizes this exact thing. As far as I remember, one particular bit goes something like this (as the class are reading a piece of humorous literature):

Teacher: Why is this funny?

Pupil: It's not funny.

Teacher: Yes it is. It's is exceedingly witty! Explain to me wherein the humour lies.

And all the students grow up incapable of appreciating this particular writer.

[elisi]

Thank you.

*hugs back*

[elisi]

Aren't they just? I think we'll go as far as putting a Dalek in with Flash. :)

And yeah, it's proving pretty depressing, but then I never expected anything else... Looking forward to Dante afterwards!

[elisi]

Thank you! *hugs back*

And new things are good - the babies especially. :)

[elisi]

It is THEIR fish, they'll jolly well clean it out themselves. (They never did anything to look after the cat, but then that was more work, and he was mine. This one is all theirs, so they'll have to learn some responsibility...) At least that's the idea. If they don't do it Darcy will have to - he was the one who authorised it all. I just paid.

And I hope your girls get better, although I suppose they're not home much anymore? *hugs*