She's from a world of popcorn and candy

[austin_dern]

I'm annoyed at the better part of an hour spent figuring out why the wireless networking wasn't working. It turned out the problem was the online documentation gives explicitly incorrect instructions -- ``do not include the < > characters'' -- in explaining the password configuration. I'd also like to someday have a session with the computer centre helpstaff that doesn't involve them demanding or attempting at least three restarts of the computer. But I have got it finally working, so my Silicon Valley friends are off the hook. Now, rather than show off the pictures of California I haven't had time (yet) to make web-friendly I'll share an amusing incident.

While hanging out in the New Outlook, Austin -- there a clay elemental coati -- offers Langston and Lamar upgraded noses. ``Well, it'd be a challenge, but I'm sure I could make it modular. Unhook that one, put on a fresh one, whenever you feel like. Like the detachable collar industry did.''
Langston says, ``Or like Michael Jackson did.''
Lamar yaps, ``Yes, and look what happened to him!''
Austin says, ``He should never have tried to do the surgery himself. Should have turned it over to a professional magical clay raccoon-like creature.''
Langston says, ``...that actually does sound like something Jackson would do. Has he ever tried to buy you?''
Austin says, ``Not that he's told me about.''

And from the SingArt: A Brush With Lions expo, one of the lions (dozens were painted by various artists and put on display in touristy spots; they're to be auctioned for charity). Jazz musican Jeremy Monteiro's ``Jazzybelle''. The caption, on its base: Jazzybelle is a play on the name of the Biblican character, Jezebel. Layers of glazed colour achieve tones that are transient and intangible, mirroring the music of jazz. Various emotions are expressed, ranging from deep sorrow to unspeakable joy. Placed on Orchard Road, outside the Borders and AppleCentre.

Trivia: The word ``caddy'' comes from Malay. Source: The Story of the English Language, Mario Pei.

Currently Reading: The Space Egg, Russ Winterbotham. Spaceplane pilot hits something up there, and returns to Earth with alien entities which take over the puny humans, granting indestructibility in exchange for breeding rights. Yes, it's the novelization of every science-fiction movie from 1956 to 1964. But it's slender and despite a lot of goofy science mentions accurately the existence of negative (absolute) temperatures, near and dear to my research. I can't recommend it, but I was amused by it.

Comments

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

"Brush with Lions".. rats. For a moment, I thought we were going to hear of lions' prowess at painting, as we've sometimes seen of elephants (there was a good little exhibition of elephant paintings by Circular Quay in Sydney, August 2001; I found it fascinating that it was indeed possible to tell that individuals did display distinct styles). Sadly, it would seem that cats in fact not only do not dance, but they don't paint either.

I continue to admire the Indian contributions (how does the phrase go? "We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.") to the language.. pukka khaki jodhpurs, for example. But did "char" (cha) come from India, or China? The word was also brought into Japan, though given their mass importation from that empire, that's perhaps no big surprise.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Yes, alas, I don't know any local projects that involve animals doing their own painting -- although I should check the bird park, as they might well have something. I'm not sure why; it just seems like a Jurong thing to do. Still, the lions are a neat attraction and I'll probably drop in pictures whenever they strike my fancy.

The vocabulary quote you've got right -- it comes from a post by James Nicoll, a regular in rec.arts.sf.written, sci.space.policy and a cluster of related groups (and likely more, but that's where I see him). He's understandably rather pleased that he's gained immortality through a pithy quote, since to date he's had to settle for immortality by not dying. Honestly; if his reports can be believed, his life is a swirling vortex of calamity that involves unexpected collapses, crashes, explosions, implosions, sinkholes, and at least one meteor. He also has cats.