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Sharpe as Ever...
Jan. 14th, 2008 09:46 pmFirst up is a reread of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe's Company, which tells how Sharpe and Harper, as usual, led the assault on the fortress city of Badajoz. There's a lot of grim in the book. Sharpe's old enemy, Hakeswill, shows up, causing chaos amongst the ranks. Also, it focuses on siege warfare, so the body count may be the highest of any of the books, especially on the British side. Cannister is nasty stuff.
Afterwards, I watched the first four eps of the TV series, starting with Sharpe's Rifles, then Sharpe's Eagle, Sharpe's Company, and Sharpe's Enemy. The adaptations are all good, and Company probably has the closest correspondence to events in the book upon which it's based. It's fun picking out actors who've gone on to other things. Daniel Craig plays a villain in Eagle. Elizabeth Hurley shows up as Sharpe's ex-lover in Enemy. Plus, these are the four episodes with Assumpta Serna as Theresa.
---
I also just finished Mort, Pratchett's vision of Death takes a holiday, and it's just terrific. I laughed out loud a lot. And "sodomy non sapiens" may become my new motto.
An hour ago Cutwell had thumbed through the index of The Monster Fun Grimoire and had cautiously assembled a number of common household ingredients and put a match to them.
Funny thing about eyebrows, he mused. You never really noticed them until they'd gone.
There was also this:
When you step off a cliff, your life takes a very definite direction.
which is such an apt description.
Afterwards, I watched the first four eps of the TV series, starting with Sharpe's Rifles, then Sharpe's Eagle, Sharpe's Company, and Sharpe's Enemy. The adaptations are all good, and Company probably has the closest correspondence to events in the book upon which it's based. It's fun picking out actors who've gone on to other things. Daniel Craig plays a villain in Eagle. Elizabeth Hurley shows up as Sharpe's ex-lover in Enemy. Plus, these are the four episodes with Assumpta Serna as Theresa.
---
I also just finished Mort, Pratchett's vision of Death takes a holiday, and it's just terrific. I laughed out loud a lot. And "sodomy non sapiens" may become my new motto.
An hour ago Cutwell had thumbed through the index of The Monster Fun Grimoire and had cautiously assembled a number of common household ingredients and put a match to them.
Funny thing about eyebrows, he mused. You never really noticed them until they'd gone.
There was also this:
When you step off a cliff, your life takes a very definite direction.
which is such an apt description.
A Book Report on Peter Rabbit...
Dec. 31st, 2007 04:00 pmThis year's book list:
( Books are good... )
---
Ringo: Books are good.
Grandfather: *Parading's* better.
Ringo: Parading?
Grandfather: [nods eagerly] Parading the streets! Trailing your coat! Bowling along! LIVING!
Ringo: Well, I am living.
Grandfather: You? Living? When was the last time you gave a girl a pink-edged daisy? When did you last embarrass a sheila with your cool, appraising stare?
Ringo: You're a bit old for that sort of chat, aren't you?
Grandfather: Well at least I've got a backlog of memories! All you've got is - THAT BOOK!
( Books are good... )
---
Ringo: Books are good.
Grandfather: *Parading's* better.
Ringo: Parading?
Grandfather: [nods eagerly] Parading the streets! Trailing your coat! Bowling along! LIVING!
Ringo: Well, I am living.
Grandfather: You? Living? When was the last time you gave a girl a pink-edged daisy? When did you last embarrass a sheila with your cool, appraising stare?
Ringo: You're a bit old for that sort of chat, aren't you?
Grandfather: Well at least I've got a backlog of memories! All you've got is - THAT BOOK!
Back in the Saddle
Aug. 12th, 2003 09:28 pmFinally! Did eight miles on the bike tonight. Took it nice and easy, but still had a pretty good time. No pain, and I felt strong on the hills, but the stamina isn't there at all, and I did tire. The strength may be somewhat illusory. I'm fifteen pounds lighter than last time I rode. Less to haul up the hills. Still humid as all get out, but there was a decent breeze, so it wasn't oppressive. It just felt so good to get out. The last time I rode was a full month ago.
Put the second application of stain on the shelves last night, and the first coat of polyurethane tonight. Two more coats on the visible surfaces tomorrow night, and they'll be done.
I'm bingeing on Sharpe. I started rereading Sharpe's Rifles the other day. The Sharpe books are easy. Plenty of detail, yet quick to read and lots of fun. I also watched the Sharpe's Rifles episode last night, just to set the mood, and spy out any differences. In the book Sharpe is already an officer, having saved Wellesley's life in India, rather than in Spain as shown, but for the most part the episode has followed the main storyline of the book. There are differences in the other story lines, and there is also the insertion of Theresa into the plot as the love interest. (Theresa doesn't actually show up until the third book, Sharpe's Gold.) Some of the riflemen's names are swapped - Isaiah Tongue in the book winds up being Harris on the screen. Cooper dies in the very first chapter.
The biggest historical difference so far is the use of the term "chosen men" for the sharpshooters. The subject came up not long ago, and I knew that the series didn't use the term properly, but had forgotten exactly what the original meaning was. Turns out that "chosen man" was just the old name for a lance corporal, i.e., one rung up the ladder from an ordinary private. A chosen man would be the leader of a squad of men, rather than a specialist as depicted in the series. Dramatic license, but not a too big a stretch. Watched Sharpe's Eagle tonight, with the odious Sir Henry Simmerson. Theresa is in this one, too.
In other couch potato news, my complete set of Captain Scarlet DVDs showed up today. CS was the next supermarionation series after Thunderbirds. I don't think I've seen any of the episodes since they were broadcast in reruns in the early seventies. Watched the first one tonight. As usual, the vehicles and effects are the stars of the show, and the plot has holes big enough to fly Thunderbird 2 through, much less and SPV. More on this at a later date.
Put the second application of stain on the shelves last night, and the first coat of polyurethane tonight. Two more coats on the visible surfaces tomorrow night, and they'll be done.
I'm bingeing on Sharpe. I started rereading Sharpe's Rifles the other day. The Sharpe books are easy. Plenty of detail, yet quick to read and lots of fun. I also watched the Sharpe's Rifles episode last night, just to set the mood, and spy out any differences. In the book Sharpe is already an officer, having saved Wellesley's life in India, rather than in Spain as shown, but for the most part the episode has followed the main storyline of the book. There are differences in the other story lines, and there is also the insertion of Theresa into the plot as the love interest. (Theresa doesn't actually show up until the third book, Sharpe's Gold.) Some of the riflemen's names are swapped - Isaiah Tongue in the book winds up being Harris on the screen. Cooper dies in the very first chapter.
The biggest historical difference so far is the use of the term "chosen men" for the sharpshooters. The subject came up not long ago, and I knew that the series didn't use the term properly, but had forgotten exactly what the original meaning was. Turns out that "chosen man" was just the old name for a lance corporal, i.e., one rung up the ladder from an ordinary private. A chosen man would be the leader of a squad of men, rather than a specialist as depicted in the series. Dramatic license, but not a too big a stretch. Watched Sharpe's Eagle tonight, with the odious Sir Henry Simmerson. Theresa is in this one, too.
In other couch potato news, my complete set of Captain Scarlet DVDs showed up today. CS was the next supermarionation series after Thunderbirds. I don't think I've seen any of the episodes since they were broadcast in reruns in the early seventies. Watched the first one tonight. As usual, the vehicles and effects are the stars of the show, and the plot has holes big enough to fly Thunderbird 2 through, much less and SPV. More on this at a later date.
Yellow Skies
Jul. 7th, 2002 10:11 pmVery odd day today. Woke up to a yellow haze across the sky, the result of smoke from forest fires in Quebec. Whoa!
Friday, it finally cooled down enough to move about outside. I know... I'm a wuss. Actually, it was very nice. Took a ride in the morning, but the legs were tired, and the wind was strong, so I cut it short (8 mi). Can't imagine why my legs were so tired. Pretty much all I did on Thursday was lay around watching tv. I did finally finish putting in the brick border around the tomato patch, and then I staked up the plants. Should've done that a couple of weeks ago. After lunch, I took a ride up to Attleboro, and had a quick cup of coffee with Victor at Borders. Good fun.
While I was at Borders, I picked up a copy of the Sharpe's Waterloo DVD. Surprisingly close to the book as I remember it, although Rossendale's death wasn't quite as cruel. Anthony Denisof's Rossendale is remarkably like his S3 Wesley, probably because he uses the same accent. Took some getting used to.
Saturday was another nice day. Went to Blake and Sandi's for a barbeque, some croquet, and a lot of volleyball (seven games). Hadn't played that many games in one day since before last Thanksgiving. Very sore afterwards. Still very sore today, so no bike ride. Didn't mow the lawn either, even though I should have. Oh well.
I've been slowly working through the Lord Of the Rings since last November or so. I was halfway through the Fellowship when I saw the movie in January, and I been reading bits and pieces of it here and there ever since. I'm having trouble generating much enthusiasm for reading it. I don't recall having this much of a problem when I read it the first time, er, twenty-five years ago or so. Last night I was reading the battle of Helm's Deep, and I had to reread the chapter a couple of times to try to get a feel for the lay out and time frame of the battle. I still have only the vaguest idea of what the battlefield looks like, despite all the description Tolkien put in. I figured it was because I was tired and just wasn't getting it, but a friend posted in one of the threads that she had the same problem with that battle. I don't feel quite so dense anymore.
Thinking about it, I reminded myself that I'm constantly refering to the maps to figure out where everything is, because a lot of Tolkien's geographical descriptions are indecipherable to me. Part of it is his use of quaint (I'm trying to think of a better word - archaic isn't exactly right) terms like leagues (somewhere between 2.4 - 4.6 miles, how precise) and coombes (a valley or basin on the flank of a hill). If there's no map, I'm lost. Sigh.
And the weekend is over. Bigger sigh.
Friday, it finally cooled down enough to move about outside. I know... I'm a wuss. Actually, it was very nice. Took a ride in the morning, but the legs were tired, and the wind was strong, so I cut it short (8 mi). Can't imagine why my legs were so tired. Pretty much all I did on Thursday was lay around watching tv. I did finally finish putting in the brick border around the tomato patch, and then I staked up the plants. Should've done that a couple of weeks ago. After lunch, I took a ride up to Attleboro, and had a quick cup of coffee with Victor at Borders. Good fun.
While I was at Borders, I picked up a copy of the Sharpe's Waterloo DVD. Surprisingly close to the book as I remember it, although Rossendale's death wasn't quite as cruel. Anthony Denisof's Rossendale is remarkably like his S3 Wesley, probably because he uses the same accent. Took some getting used to.
Saturday was another nice day. Went to Blake and Sandi's for a barbeque, some croquet, and a lot of volleyball (seven games). Hadn't played that many games in one day since before last Thanksgiving. Very sore afterwards. Still very sore today, so no bike ride. Didn't mow the lawn either, even though I should have. Oh well.
I've been slowly working through the Lord Of the Rings since last November or so. I was halfway through the Fellowship when I saw the movie in January, and I been reading bits and pieces of it here and there ever since. I'm having trouble generating much enthusiasm for reading it. I don't recall having this much of a problem when I read it the first time, er, twenty-five years ago or so. Last night I was reading the battle of Helm's Deep, and I had to reread the chapter a couple of times to try to get a feel for the lay out and time frame of the battle. I still have only the vaguest idea of what the battlefield looks like, despite all the description Tolkien put in. I figured it was because I was tired and just wasn't getting it, but a friend posted in one of the threads that she had the same problem with that battle. I don't feel quite so dense anymore.
Thinking about it, I reminded myself that I'm constantly refering to the maps to figure out where everything is, because a lot of Tolkien's geographical descriptions are indecipherable to me. Part of it is his use of quaint (I'm trying to think of a better word - archaic isn't exactly right) terms like leagues (somewhere between 2.4 - 4.6 miles, how precise) and coombes (a valley or basin on the flank of a hill). If there's no map, I'm lost. Sigh.
And the weekend is over. Bigger sigh.
