freckles_and_doubt: (alice)
Freckles & Doubt ([personal profile] freckles_and_doubt) wrote2005-07-14 12:20 pm

DLF

Dear Little Faithful is back. Like a puppy: just followed me home, teeth ruthlessly clamped in my boot. I refer, of course, to the epic three-day headache which currently afflicts me, lurking behind each eyebrow in turn, and scorning the best attempts of muscle relaxants and Myprodol. I suspect it's karmic build-up from the karaoke, actually. Reading makes it worse. Sitting at the computer makes it worse. Painkillers kill it temporarily and then make it worse. Hell, for all I know, lounging on a divan while oiled and muscular slaves fan me and ply me with chocolate, makes it worse. (Although I would be willing to attempt this last in the interests of science.)

It may, of course, be the weather. Cape Town has given up on this rain stuff, so passé, and is making a spirited attempt to bring in summer early. I do not approve. It's probably my mother's fault: the sunny days have coincided with her otherwise much enjoyed presence in Cape Town, no doubt because she is an African at heart and hates the British winter. Once I work out what strange and arcane anti-rain-dance rituals she's using, I shall, respectfully and with the requisite daughterly affection, put a firm stop to them.

Her presence is much enjoyed not only because I rather like my mother, but because she arrived staggering under the load of various Amazon purchases, books and DVDs, purchased by me and various friends and cunningly sent to her in the UK for transport to SA. It's a neat trick, since it side-steps (a) postage, (b) duty, and (c) the random disappearance of goods in the wilds of the South African post. On the downside, she fills most of her luggage with said spoils, leaving her the approximate equivalent of a change of underwear and a spare shirt for her stay here. Reasons not to have children, #48562: they ruthlessly exploit you. However, I now have a Buffy collection which is complete to Season 6, and have scored Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow for which I have a giddily 40s B-movie geeky passion. Not, of course, that I can watch any of them, since the TV still refuses to communicate with the DVD player, even with the video machine to translate. Why can't we all just get along, she wails despairingly...

On the upside, Steven Brust. The man can write! His The Sun, the Moon and the Stars is the most intelligent piece of postmodern fairy tale I've read since the last one by A.S. Byatt. Conversely, I was somewhat disappointed in The Family Trade, an amusing but rather mediocre fantasy by Charles Stross, of whom I expected much better after "Lobsters." Perhaps Singularity Sky, which is sf, will be better. But the latest Diana Wynne Jones Chrestomanci story, Conrad's Fate, is well up to standard. Younger Chrestomanci, too amusing, and she's getting very into this parallel universes thing. Fun. The Evil Landlord is technically next on the reading list, and the rest of you fellow Jones-fans can form an orderly queue.

[identity profile] strawberryfrog.livejournal.com 2005-07-14 02:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Singularity sky is all right. Not a bad attempt at hard yet way-out SF. I had a copy somewhere...

Charles Stross is in the news today, since he's giving away his new book, Accelerando

A subtle hint

[identity profile] starmadeshadow.livejournal.com 2005-07-14 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I have a DVD player that speaks to my tv, and I have not yet seen Buffy seasons 3 onward... and I have a lot of sewing to do before I leave next Thursday, which means basically sitting on my lounge floor cutting out material, which is so much more fun with company and something to watch on tv. And I'm not supposed to take my toe out much. Oh. And I've run out of things to read...

Hopeful smile, and fluttering of eyelashes...

re: headache

(Anonymous) 2005-07-15 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
Have you tried chiropractic work for your headache?

Dayle

headache

(Anonymous) 2005-07-15 07:26 am (UTC)(link)
Or a doctor? Or the local headache clinic (ok you may be forced to visit Joburg for that ... *grin* http://www.headacheclinic.co.za/)? You get far too many of these, JT ...

[identity profile] ex-wytchfyn.livejournal.com 2005-07-20 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
Feel free, of course, to treat me as a DVD/book mule in August. Ah weel tell the customms men no-theeng.