I empathise with Debraj Sahay. I can't remember ANYthing for more than about 30 seconds. Premature senile bloody dementia, or the full-blown Alz thing? Another thing I can't remember - which is the disease smokers don't get, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's?
Digression - if he is Sahay, why is his name not spelt DeVraj? Why the Bappi-da version?
Further digression - for Wakaw, whose blog I have bookmarked until I learn how to blogroll - the Bappi-da thingy on Mirchi is Mir. Mir Afsar Ali, and very good he is too. Check out his "three octaves of the Deols".
Reflection - these aren't digressions. There IS nothing to digress from. Desultory, remember? But then of course I don't. Remember, that is. Ger-ponga! (as developed by the Akhond)
Grouse for the day - why is it that NONE of these literate articulate entertaining provocative young people have read Terry Pratchett? What is wrong with the book-stores in this country? Or am I alone in thinking that he is more literate, hard-working, entertaining and downright guffaw-generating funny than Douglas Adams?
Mem: Easy there, you'll run out of adjectives. Not to mention read like a Guardian rant.
Digression - if he is Sahay, why is his name not spelt DeVraj? Why the Bappi-da version?
Further digression - for Wakaw, whose blog I have bookmarked until I learn how to blogroll - the Bappi-da thingy on Mirchi is Mir. Mir Afsar Ali, and very good he is too. Check out his "three octaves of the Deols".
Reflection - these aren't digressions. There IS nothing to digress from. Desultory, remember? But then of course I don't. Remember, that is. Ger-ponga! (as developed by the Akhond)
Grouse for the day - why is it that NONE of these literate articulate entertaining provocative young people have read Terry Pratchett? What is wrong with the book-stores in this country? Or am I alone in thinking that he is more literate, hard-working, entertaining and downright guffaw-generating funny than Douglas Adams?
Mem: Easy there, you'll run out of adjectives. Not to mention read like a Guardian rant.
11 comments:
whats wrong with a deBraj sahay? last names are over-rated and an outdated concept
(1)literate - check
(2) articulate - moderately
(3)entertaining - when drunk silly
(4)provocative - when drunk silly
(5)young - not any more
(6)people - singular
and i'm not a blogger either, but i *have* read Terry Pratchett. As far as comparisons go, for a re-read, I'd pick up a Terry Pratchett over Douglas Adams anyday...so, no JAP, you are not alone :)
I wish i'd know that there was a sequence to the books though...I started with Equal Rites.
Can't recall Equal Rites. My favourite so far is Guards! Guards! ... and which was the one where poor Sam Vimes is a Lord?
Be that as it may, it's good to find a man who appreciates Terry P. (And perhaps likes the Old West as well? Rather L'Amour than J.T. Edson?)
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
J.A.P.
Hey! I picked up Guards! Guards! on saturday and I'm having a wonderful time with it.
I think you're talking about Feet of Clay although i seem to remember that it was Nobby discovering his royal lineage and not Sam Vimes.
And uhhh J.A.P? I'm not a man/boy...are your arms still open? :)
The one I mean is Men at Arms. So titled because Sam V is forced to get a coat-of-arms. Feet of Clay is good, but Guards! Guards! is still my favourite. Have you read The Fifth Elephant?
Disappointed that you're not a boy / man, because that probably means you don't read L'Amour. So would you explain the Tom Pinkerton?
J.A.P.
J.A.P, *I'm* dissapointed that i'm not a boy/man.
Guilty as charged, i do NOT read L'Amour. To be honest, I've never heard of it/him.
Tom Pinkerton has no deep dark origin. I happened to be working on some Adobe software and looking for a name to hide behind at the same time...Tom Pinkerton is one of names that shows up when you start it...
:)
So tell me about Equal Rites. And your disappointment. Tomboy?
J.A.P.
Equal Rites:
It's a short, fun read. The story revolves around Eskarina Smith, who is destined to become a wizard by virtue of being the eighth son of an eight son...only, she's a daughter. Wizardry on discworld, however, is only for men (women+magic=witches...apparently).
I guess i liked it more because of the feminist aspect, but aside that, it *is* fun.
My dissapointment: Worded *perfectly* by Dorothy Parker
Song of Perfect Propriety
Oh, I should like to ride the seas,
A roaring buccaneer;
A cutlass banging at my knees,
A dirk behind my ear.
And when my captives' chains would clank
I'd howl with glee and drink,
And then fling out the quivering plank
And watch the beggars sink.
I'd like to straddle gory decks,
And dig in laden sands,
And know the feel of throbbing necks
Between my knotted hands.
Oh, I should like to strut and curse
Among my blackguard crew....
But I am writing little verse,
As little ladies do.
Oh, I should like to dance and laugh
And pose and preen and sway,
And rip the hearts of men in half,
And toss the bits away.
I'd like to view the reeling years
Through unastonished eyes,
And dip my finger-tips in tears,
And give my smiles for sighs.
I'd stroll beyond the ancient bounds,
And tap at fastened gates,
And hear the prettiest of sound-
The clink of shattered fates.
My slaves I'd like to bind with thongs
That cut and burn and chill....
But I am writing little songs,
As little ladies will.
Tomboy: more hoyden actually
P.S. I've finished Guards! Guards! and started with Coat of Arms :)
P.P.S Tell me about L'Amour?
Dorothy Parker, too? Mayhap Bill Bryson as well? And very pleasingly consanguinary. I think you can be an Honorary Guy. Unless you'd rather stay a Hoyden.
L'Amour, Dorothy's despatches and such-like (how about Kipling and Wodehouse?) can of course be found on the Net. But yes, nice to discuss these pleasures. Perhaps over e-mail or on caferati or whatever.
Thanks for the priceless DP verses.
J.A.P.
Does being an Honorary Guy have benefits? Can I be boorish (oh please say i can!) and uncouth? I might consider the title then :)
I don't know how much Wodehouse you can find on the net (I prefer good old fashioned books m'self) but yes, Wodehouse is wonderful.
I haven't read a lot of Kipling...just "If". I think it's one of those poems which makes you want to have a son just so that you can read it to him...
"If' is apparently the most re-printed poem in the English language. I like it, but it's not one of my favourites. Too preachifying.
Look, if we're to discuss our secret lusts in literature, take it to the mattresses (cf: The Godfather, which is another man thing. I'm yet to meet a woman whom the movie stirs the way it stirs most men)
I hereby declare this discussion line closed. We do, however, have a special help-line for the literature junkie at another (dot) prufrock (at) gmail (dot) com.
Look forward to counselling your cold turkey.
J.A.P.
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