Chris and Mel

I really have the nicest housemates in the world I think. :-)

(C just came by with another tin of chicken soup for me, asked how I was feeling, solicited a grocery list, and said they'd come down earlier "to make sure I wasn't dead" but tiptoed out when they found me sleeping. I mean, you gotta love people who will check to make sure you're not dead! You guys are the best! :-)

Still ouchy. Sitting up straight is much better than lying down, apparently.

Time for more tea, and maybe I'll heat up this soup...

catching up on old business

vikingcat may fall of his chair; I actually sent him a move in the game we started back in July.

And back in October I got this "ask me" from percyprune; time to answer it!

(1) 'The Scots are a plague of bishopless gobshytes who have never gotten over Culloden.' Discuss.

Hmmm. I have a sneaking feeling that most Scottish teenagers probably haven't heard of Culloden, or think it's a rock band. Not like the good old days, when Scots college students actually cared enough to steal the Stone of Scone. And Scots do have some bishops, because I met Richard Holloway, whi was Bish of E'burgh for a while. But I think I know where you're going with this in general, so I'll stick the icon of my boy the Right Reverend and Learned Father in God William Laud as the icon for this entry. He was big on the Scots having bishops, and look what happened to him, and his temporal boss King Chuck. Yes, it was a continuation of the centuries old struggle to impose English power in Scotland, but it was also about religion. The 17th century was really the most fascinating period in European history. All the stuff that Muslims are struggling with these days, Christians were hacking about then. People actually cared about religion, enough to start wars over it. Big, horrific wars that most people have forgotten about know. Except wargamers. National culture interacted with religious and political philosophy in some amazing ways, creating weird and wonderful sects and international alliances.

A horrible, grisly, frightening time to live in, and the 18th century was not much better. But truly fascinating to read about, hundreds of years later.

As for Culloden... it's really astounding to think what might have happened if the Conference of Derby had found their balls and pressed on to London. George II was packed and had a ship ready to take him from London to Hanover. Or if the French had actually delivered on the aid they promised. Most of all, if it had been possible for the Scots to change the issue into one of regaining the separate sovereignty, instead of making it an all-or-nothing roll of the dice about whether the Stuarts or the Hanoverians would rule all of Britain.

But, then, I'm on drugs right now, so my answers probably make no sense at all. :-)

(2) Prose or poetry; which would you hurl overboard?

If absolutely necessary? Poetry, but only with great reluctance. I don't read it very often, but pound for pound it's usually more moving than prose. And I'm much more about emotion than reason. :-)

(3) What single thing would you reform in America to save it?

Not sure if changing any one thing could save America (I assume we're talking about the US specifically), but I guess my choice would fall on the election system. If we're really convinced that free and fair democratic elections are better than, say, hereditary monarchy in chosing rulers, we need to find ways to make sure they really are free and fair. To that end I would eliminate private campaign financing so as to prevent people from winning elections simply because they have more money, have legislative seats elected at large either across the state or county by county so as to eliminate gerrymandering, and eliminate all term limits and the requirement for the president to be a native-born American because I think those deprive people of the right to vote for the best person.

Did I mention I'm taking drugs? :-)

(4) Compare and contrast Gandhi and Spiderman.

Spiderman has a much cooler costume, and he gets to snog Kirsten Dunst. On the other hand, despite his many neato powers, he has to leap from building to building and climb up skyscrapers fro a living, and that would scare the bejebus out of me. And Gandhi was able to bring the British Emoire to heel by simply refusing to at. If Spidey doesn't eat, the only person who's going to get upset is Aunt May, and he can't even get his boss to give him a raise, let alone free subcontinents. I think being Spiderman would be ore fun, but being Gandhi is cooler.

(5) Do you put the milk in before the tea is poured or after?

I don't usually take milk. But when I do, I usually put it in after.

advance planning

OK, I need to send this round to my non-LJ friends as well, but I came across a discussion of Burns Night which included a link to this site.

If I were to organize a Burns Night Dinner, would anyone here like to participate? I had been thinking of having a St. Andrews' Day event but, well, I missed that. Burns Night is a good six weeks away, so that should be plenty of time for preparation.

A Scottish-themed evening of music, poetry-reading, good drink, tasty food, and most of all good company: sound appealing? I'm going to be away on a course on the actual day (January 25th), plus it's a weeknight, so I was going to suggest the Saturday or Sunday night before (21st/22nd). Haggis and whisky would be on the menu, but there would be other (Scottish) comestibles as well, since I know not everyone is as fond of those delights as I am! :-)

Wha's wi' me?