An interview by ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
coalescent
February 23rd, 2004 05:24 pm1. One thing I miss since I left Oxford is regular game-playing. What new games have come out recently?
Hmm. I'm not a great person to ask this actually as I haven't played many new games for a while, generally sticking to my much loved Cheapass favourites (Unexploaded Cow, Deadwood, Fridays and so on). What with OUSFG being much less inclined to stay up late than it used to be and me much less inclined to go along to library meetings I just don't get to play these things any more.
2. Did you know about this?
No I didn't. To be honest, I'm not sure I would buy it if it came out over here. I re-read What You Make It over the summer and while I enjoy his writing style very much found it rather one note. It'd be interesting if he can find some new stories to tell, but otherwise I'm getting warier of him as an author now.
3. I was going through your interests page to see if they inspired any questions, and I misread part of it as 'tiny tolkien'. What would a tiny tolkien be like?
Goodness, I dread to think. A lot less grim and with more hugs in, I suppose :)
4. This year I want to read more non-genre stuff. Recommend me something (can be fiction or non-fiction).
Hmm. I haven't read that much non-genre stuff lately so I'm wracking my brain a bit here. I love Jane Austen (P&P particularly) but I doubt it would be your cup of tea. I enjoyed Sea Glass by Anita Shreeve when I read it last summer, particularly the extremly laid back pacing. Sophie's World is great if you've even a passing interest in philosophy. If you haven't read Watership Down you should.
In the last few years, I've tended to turn to non-genre books for fluff reading in between tackling serious stuff like Light and the Separation - if you want a really lazy read, I love reading Brother Cadfael books for example - so I'm not the best go to person. Also, I feel sure I'm forgetting something obvious, which is annoying me. And I'm too lazy to make links.
5. What was your reaction to the Hutton report?
Resignation really. I had vaguely hoped that something useful would come out of it but in the end it was impossible to take seriously. I knew the Government wouldn't have appointed someone likely to critisize them but that was ridiculous.
These days I find myself wavering between a desire to see the government held to account for what it did and a sincere desire for people to just shut up about it. It's got to the point now where nothing that comes out is going to change anyones opinion almost no matter how earth shattering it is. The only reason I can see for continuing to talk about it is to make sure that people haven't forgotten it by the time we get to the election (and I doubt that the media will let that happen when we get there).
So, after 5 days off I'm back online. It's times like this that I realise quite how many people I've got on my friends list. So yes, I haven't commented much on my big catch up (hey, I don't comment much in general) but love and hugs to those who need a bit of it. I'm thinking of you.
The funeral (last Wednesday) went OK in the end. Grandad looked like he was going to collapse during the service, but at the wake afterwards he seemed to feel better - I think he enjoyed reminicing with his old friends. The service was pretty good, especially considering that the vicar had never met Nan at all - it must be a really hard job that. I didn't cry as much as I was expecting, although I did cling to Alex and go rather moist eyed. The flowers were beautiful, which Nan would have loved, and her ashes are going to be buried under a rosebush which was her favourite flower. It's still sometimes strange to remember that she's not around anymore, but I've said my goodbyes now.
Hmm. I'm not a great person to ask this actually as I haven't played many new games for a while, generally sticking to my much loved Cheapass favourites (Unexploaded Cow, Deadwood, Fridays and so on). What with OUSFG being much less inclined to stay up late than it used to be and me much less inclined to go along to library meetings I just don't get to play these things any more.
2. Did you know about this?
No I didn't. To be honest, I'm not sure I would buy it if it came out over here. I re-read What You Make It over the summer and while I enjoy his writing style very much found it rather one note. It'd be interesting if he can find some new stories to tell, but otherwise I'm getting warier of him as an author now.
3. I was going through your interests page to see if they inspired any questions, and I misread part of it as 'tiny tolkien'. What would a tiny tolkien be like?
Goodness, I dread to think. A lot less grim and with more hugs in, I suppose :)
4. This year I want to read more non-genre stuff. Recommend me something (can be fiction or non-fiction).
Hmm. I haven't read that much non-genre stuff lately so I'm wracking my brain a bit here. I love Jane Austen (P&P particularly) but I doubt it would be your cup of tea. I enjoyed Sea Glass by Anita Shreeve when I read it last summer, particularly the extremly laid back pacing. Sophie's World is great if you've even a passing interest in philosophy. If you haven't read Watership Down you should.
In the last few years, I've tended to turn to non-genre books for fluff reading in between tackling serious stuff like Light and the Separation - if you want a really lazy read, I love reading Brother Cadfael books for example - so I'm not the best go to person. Also, I feel sure I'm forgetting something obvious, which is annoying me. And I'm too lazy to make links.
5. What was your reaction to the Hutton report?
Resignation really. I had vaguely hoped that something useful would come out of it but in the end it was impossible to take seriously. I knew the Government wouldn't have appointed someone likely to critisize them but that was ridiculous.
These days I find myself wavering between a desire to see the government held to account for what it did and a sincere desire for people to just shut up about it. It's got to the point now where nothing that comes out is going to change anyones opinion almost no matter how earth shattering it is. The only reason I can see for continuing to talk about it is to make sure that people haven't forgotten it by the time we get to the election (and I doubt that the media will let that happen when we get there).
So, after 5 days off I'm back online. It's times like this that I realise quite how many people I've got on my friends list. So yes, I haven't commented much on my big catch up (hey, I don't comment much in general) but love and hugs to those who need a bit of it. I'm thinking of you.
The funeral (last Wednesday) went OK in the end. Grandad looked like he was going to collapse during the service, but at the wake afterwards he seemed to feel better - I think he enjoyed reminicing with his old friends. The service was pretty good, especially considering that the vicar had never met Nan at all - it must be a really hard job that. I didn't cry as much as I was expecting, although I did cling to Alex and go rather moist eyed. The flowers were beautiful, which Nan would have loved, and her ashes are going to be buried under a rosebush which was her favourite flower. It's still sometimes strange to remember that she's not around anymore, but I've said my goodbyes now.
