Friday, July 20, 2007

9.01

I am one of the many adults who are quite unashamedly excited that tomorrow is Harry Potter Day. I intend to spend much of my weekend reading that arm breaking tome and most of the people who know me realise this. I really, really want to know what happens. And I really, really don’t care what you think will happen or what you think of me.

I am, however, getting sick of those who aren’t interested baiting those of us who are. You don’t have to be interested. You don’t have to care. I am interested and I care but I don’t really see it as a reflection on my intellect or upon qualities as a human being (or even as a reader). I am quite capable of sorting ‘good’ writing and ‘bad’ writing out for myself, and, also, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ stories. My good and bad may not be to your taste but then, yours may not be to mine. Let me read you a lecture on how nice it is to live in a world where we don’t have to agree on every little thing or, indeed, any little thing…

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shame, this post should be on Livejournal. And three times as long.

But seriously, Concern About People Not Thinking You Are Smart Because You Read Harry Potter a minor neurosis that isn't nearly as bad as it seems. See also: Fear of Hipster Jeans, Anxiety About Using Those Non-disposable Shopping Bags, Panic About Being Accosted By Beggars On The Trains.

Anonymous said...

*is

Shelley said...

There are some days, Mark, when I am quite resolved that I really, really muct hunt you down and kill you. This is one of those days.

Don't make me hurt you, little man.

Shelley said...

Damn. MUST hunt you down etc..

Winter said...

'My good and bad may not be to your taste but then, yours may not be to mine.'

Agreed. And I also feel this way about music tastes.

Can you hold off on killing Mark until after October? Or perhaps just limit it to a light maiming? Colonel Eggroll and I were actually looking for meeting him. ;)

Anonymous said...

Awright, I promise not to say mean things no more.

Caz said...

"See also: Fear of Hipster Jeans, Anxiety About Using Those Non-disposable Shopping Bags, Panic About Being Accosted By Beggars On The Trains."

Heck, impressive list there Mark. Many more could be added, but excellent start.

I bought a couple of small items at the chemist the other week, nothing embarrassing, but the girl at the counter made no move to provide a bag, and I made no move to retrieve my items. Reluctantly she asked if I would like a bag. "Yes" I said loudly and brightly. "We don't have any small bags, only large" she explained. "That's fine" I said, loudly and brightly. I was very tempted to ask for my items to be bagged separately.

I get a bit crazy when sales people come over all skittish about handing over a plastic bag. It's only then that I DEMAND a bag, whether I need it or not.

I know: I'm petty, small minded, mean, and don't care about saving the whole fucking planet.

Hope you're enjoying the book Nails.

TimT said...

I swore at the kid behind the counter at Coles the other day. Jestingly, I hasten to add. I was buying a pair of shoelaces - that was it! - and he asked me, "Would you like a plastic bag for that?"
"Does it look like I need a bag for that? It's a pair of fucking shoelaces! It's not as if I have a lack of pockets!"

I then hastened to apologise and reassure the kid that I 'wasn't having a go at him' but that it was ridiculous of him to offer it to me.

I may just be starting to lose it. Crack up of Tim starts... now...

Caz said...

Hmm, oddly, I have the opposite problem at supermarkets Timmy.

Let me clarify that when I do a big grocery shop I take a jeep, everything gets dumped in there, and at the checkout I asked that ONLY LITTLE things be put in bags, meaning that I end up with one or two bags, rather than 15, since I pack everything else straight into the shopping jeep. No big deal, and it's easier to pack things that way in any case.

What I get, and what makes me want to swear, is when I do a small shop and I have a pile of stuff, like a couple of litres of milk, some soft drink, a newspaper, a box of tissues, a bag of tomatoes, and they sneer: "do you want a bag?". NO YOU FUCK WIT, I'M GOING TO BALANCE ALL OF THIS STUFF ON MY HEAD AND WALK HOME WITHOUT ANYTHING FALLING OFF, YOU MORON!"

Do they ever THINK when they ask that question, do ya reckon?

TimT said...

I get that problem too. I presume it's the result of some directive from management and government to 'minimise your plastic bag use' and 'encourage your customers to switch to green bags'.

Caz said...

Oh, you mean the "green" bags that are made from petroleum products that won't ever, ever, ever, ever break down?

Those green bags?

TimT said...

Yes: you can tell they're natural and nice because they're, like, green. It's logic.

Shelley said...

Whatever happened to good old cotton shopping bags? I like those. I use those [I also have a couple of the green bags, they're good for when you have to carry a lot of stuff and you walk home from the supermarket, I look forward to bequeathing them to my great-grand-nieces/nephews]. The supermarket bag thing is a whole other rant.

You needn’t worry too much, Winter. I've never managed to meet Mark and we live in the same city. Actually bothering to hunt him down and kill him would just be too much effort.

Didn't your mother teach you not to lie, Marky..?


Also, I managed to finish the book and make it to Othello on time. Is it any wonder that I'm utterly buggered now?

Caz said...

So, do tell, do tell: does Harry die?

Shelley said...

Of course not! I'm not impressed by some of the peoples that she kills off though. Totally unnecessary!

Winter said...

I have, literally, just finished reading my copy. Definitely a high body count in this one, but I mean this is serious shit going down, so it was kind of expected.

See everywhere I go people act like I'm a space mutant because I tell them "I don't need a bag" for just one item. Also, I bought a big cloth bag (and an insulated bag, you know, for cold shit). This has upped my space mutant factor to serious levels in the eyes of the shopping community around here. The other day I told the guy ringing my stuff up I had my own bag and he just watched me very bemused as I loaded it up, and then still tried to give me a bag for some of my stuff. I've decided I don't need any more plastic bags in my life, thank you.

Caz said...

Winter - I take it you are living on another planet.

I use calico bags, particularly for going to local shops for newspapers or other whatnots, and when do all manner of non-grocery shopping.

I really do only ark up when they try to AVOID giving me a bag, as if I'm some kind of grocery-carrying Houdini.

Shelley said...

America: another planet?

lucy said...

See I thought the high body count was required.

I didn't like who did (I cried) but when you think of the scale of the thing it would've been soft and lame if everyone vital came away unscathed.

And I can't write anything more without not being vague.

(I didn't like the end end though, tad too sentimental and unnecessary)

Shelley said...

The epilogue was rather naff, wasn't it?
They only killed off several of my favourites - why whinge?
I could put up a spoiler alert and open the comments up properly but I don't know if I can be arsed.

Caz said...

Only noticed a little while ago that the Herald Sun had a whole pile of spoilers printed in a little upside down section at the bottom of a page.

Would make more sense if I knew who all the characters were, of course.

Caz said...

America is a foreign country Nails.

They haven't caught onto the plastic bag obsession yet.

Even we haven't reached the zenith yet. Wait until the new tax charge comes in on plastic bags.

Sure looking forward to that.

Shelley said...

It's because they don't love their turtles enough. Please, America, won't you think of the turtles...?

I rather enjoy creative new taxes. There was one brought out a few years ago that delights me endlessly...now what was it called..G-something...I've forgotten what it was meant to do now.

Anonymous said...

I am feeling a bit of the Green bag guilt atm. I used them sometimes in Perth, but when I got here I had no bin bags and had to stock up on plastic shopping bags. Now I'm out of the habit.

Oh, and I read the epilogue to the book at Glen's place. "All was well" or something. It *was* a bit sentimental and naff, but them's Lucy and Shelley's words, mind. What I want to know is, did the style change in the later books? I mean, I thought the first couple were in the 'competent but not flash' category, so I'm wondering if she got a bit of zen toward he end. I figure it would be hard not to, unless it was mostly ghostwritten or heavily edited by the publishers...

Shelley said...

She got a bit better, not one of your great writers though [even by children's book standards]. I think the characters growing up has helped. They've become more like proper people, not a lot though :p

I think it was her the whole way through. Writing wise. And, fairly obviously, story wise.

Winter said...

Well you guys beat me to it, but yes, yes I do live on another planet, called America. The state of ohio isn't as backward as some, but we still have idiots who say things like "Recycling don't make no difference, things can degrade in the ditch just as well as the landfill".

The style of the books did start to change in the fourth. I really did enjoy this book. I'm not ashamed to admit that there were some tears, but yes, the epilogue was a bit unnecessary.

Shelley said...

Goblet of fire was, by far, my favourite - I think it all went a bit to shit after that. Very long books in which really not that much happens but, I suppose, necessary for planting this and that.

I found this "Recycling don't make no difference, things can degrade in the ditch just as well as the landfill" surprisingly wise. Very true if somewhat missing the point. Landfill's an evil bitch, things don't really break down in there at all - it's all fun for future archaeologists.

Mrs Mean said...

Hmmm ... actually "I am quite sick of those who are interested in baiting those of us who aren't. So I can't pronounce Hermione? Whoops, I've got Potter-leprosy!"

Actually, I'm in a dilemma. Anyone know what you do when you've got a set of Harry Potter books, mostly child's cover paperbacks, and then one (Order of the Phoenix) is an adult's edition hardcover, and you've had it a bit too long to have the receipt? It's an itch, I tell you. Solutions, welcome. Cheap ones, puh-lease.

Stinginess rules, OK?

Mrs Mean

Maria said...

"The characters growing up helped" - I discussed this over dinner recently with Mr Coffee and relative. Was it a cop-out should the main characters live? Harry should die - or at least Hermione, was the conjecture.

Really, when it comes down to it, what should be happening is Harry dies, Ron is having a mid-life crisis, belly packing it in there a bit, maybe his first serious 'attack', and Hermione is having her "thirties" female crisis. She's a thirty year old woman realising her biological clock is ticking and - ohmy goodness - years ago (several books back) - she was hot property and gorgeous and she could get anyone she wanted, but now she's grown up she's not half as popular and she isn't being pulled off the shelf nearly as quickly.

Self doubt settles in. She's part of one of those single women who walk around to bars every night moaning about how they have so much going for them, and they would be so attractive IF THEY WERE MEN - but why haven't they been asked out in years, and each night get drawn to the pokies and drink sad cocktails and bemoan the shallowness of men.*

*If this doesn't ring a bell, you haven't read The Sydney Morning Herald's Ask Sam blog. Good on ya!