Magic and Dinosaurs

[lathany]

I've always loved October; I tend to have lots of fun stuff on and, ever since University, I've seen it as the start of the year. This year, it's been a pretty good month so far:

• Food - a couple of weeks ago, glittertigger, zandev, quisalan and ao_lai came for dinner. We ate risotto (ham and pea this time), duck tortillas with tomatoes stuffed with meatballs and then chocolates and bakalava with liqueurs. Conversation veered from books to saunas to computer games and I remember presenting glittertigger with my copy of Art of Murder after enthusing at length about it. Our guests had generously brought yummy chocolates, wine and irises and it was a great evening.
• Magic - I was rather apprehensive about playing Magic last weekend as I haven't opened a deck of Magic cards for a long time now (and was more of a Yu-Gi-Oh! player). However, I opened decent packs and enjoyed the day of play. Also it was nice to meet several_bees, kevandotorg and pm215 (not quite for the first time I'd met any of the three, but the first time properly). Plus to see a huggyrei. And there were home-made cookies from several_bees which I scoffed more than my fair share of. bateleur has hinted that he might do the same with the new set next year and I'm pretty keen now to do it again.
• The Amulet of Samarkand - The was recommended to me on LJ some months ago (by undyingking, I think) and I finally read it on the train from Leeds yesterday. It was great and I finished it in one long go. It made me laugh, whilst having a pretty decent plot, good pace and appearing completely consistent. It's "alternative England" stuff (magical realism?) and very nicely done. Additionally, both the main characters were somewhat flawed and yet still had me rooting for them. I can't wait to get hold of the rest of the trilogy.
• The Illusionist - This was our second film of the month and the title had made me expect another version of The Prestige. But it wasn't; if anything it was the negative of it. Set, very roughly, around the same sort of time, this was a much lighter story although, again, with plenty of twists. I really liked it, particularly as it didn't give me nightmares in the same way.
• Pension power - Every couple of years, the civil service send out the details of pensions and, as I'd moved departments, they'd got mine wrong. I was down for about a decade and a half less of service than I really had. Plus, more disturbingly, they'd also widowed me.
• Dinosaur - I travelled back on the train today with a dinosaur in the seat next to me. sadly, it wasn't my dinosaur. But it was furry to stroke.

Comments

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

sadly, it wasn't my dinosaur

That's not my dinosaur - it's <noun> is too <adjective>!

[triskellian]

Remove that apostrophe immediately! Except that you can't, now I've replied to the comment.

(I so need to make a grammar geek icon.)

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I've noticed waistcoatmark doing this too - apparently knowing where apostrophes belong is not sufficient to place them correctly!

Your grammar geek icon should have a semicolon on it. Nobody knows how to use them correctly!

[triskellian]

<whistles innocently>

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Win!

[floralaetifica.livejournal.com]

I *loooove* the Bartimaeus Trilogy. Love it. I even loved the last book, which is a rarity.

[lathany.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to the rest of it already.

[condign.livejournal.com]

Plus, more disturbingly, they'd also widowed me.

For bateleur's sake, I'm hoping that the government decides to make the paperwork match reality, rather than vice versa.

[lathany.livejournal.com]

Yeah, a part of me was secretly relieved to get home and still find him very much alive.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Mm, I can't thank you enough for recommending it to me in the first place -- very glad that lathany's enjoying it too!

Still haven't got around to reading any of his other stuff, though.

(I liked (http://undyingking.livejournal.com/108573.html) The Illusionist, too.)

[lathany.livejournal.com]

A-ha! Knew you were involved somewhere.

Many thanks to floralaetifica for the rec (and apologies for getting that wrong earlier).

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Sorry for confusing comment -- I think I did indeed rec it to you, but it was her who'd initially put me onto it.

[floralaetifica.livejournal.com]

Still haven't got around to reading any of his other stuff, though.

No, me either. If you ever do, let me know how it goes.