Category Archives: Language

A lesson to learn from Peter Jackson (or, stating the obvious, part infinity plus eight)

By terje | Published: July 19, 2009
(Disclaimer: The following, while containing at least some opinions the author can sort of be said to hold, is more of an exploration than a presentation of ideas. It should all therefore be taken with a few barrelfuls of salt.) So I’m watching the appendices on the Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition DVD, and as [...]
Also posted in Ambiguity, Annoyance, Art, GRRM, Harry Potter, History, Hodge-podge rambling, Impressions, Literature, Malazan, Movies, Opinions, Rant, Scott Lynch, Speculations, Speculative fiction, WoT | 3 Comments

An Update, Telegram Style

By terje | Published: July 7, 2009
Saw Athens with fun people. Loved it. Stayed home, wrote papers. Got bored. Visited Rome with nice persians. Hated leaving. Wrote paper. Worked. Bought tickets for Dinosaur Jr. Found out 6 months had passed. Wrote this post. Send more money.
Also posted in Bliss, Boredom, Conflicting emotions, Education, Gloating, Goosebumps!, Greek stuff, Hodge-podge rambling, Impressions, Laziness, Lists, Love, My microcosmos, Rant, Regret, This Blog, Why do I think anyone cares?, Winter, Wistfulness, Words | Leave a comment

Yeah, um… — 2009-01-29

By terje | Published: January 29, 2009
“The past is a grotesque animal And in its eyes you see How completely wrong you can be How completely wrong you can be The sun is out, it melts the snow that fell yesterday Makes you wonder why it bothered (…) Things could be different but they’re not Things could be different but they’re not (…) But it’s like we weren’t made for this [...]
Also posted in A Praise Chorus, Art, Awe, Goosebumps!, Hodge-podge rambling, Music, Pimping, Poetry, Quote of the day, Whoa, Words | 2 Comments

Growing but grudging respect for an awesomely cold people — 2009-01-28

By terje | Published: January 28, 2009
“In order to stay in formation, soldiers tried not to run until they came within the reach of enemy missiles, at about 200 yards; experienced soldiers might manage to restrain themselves until they were at a mere 100 yards distance. (…) Spartan hoplites did not run at all, but advanced at a steady pace, singing marching hymns [...]
Also posted in Awe, Education, Goosebumps!, Greek stuff, History, Literature, Quote of the day, Whoa, lol | 2 Comments

An awesome coincident

By terje | Published: November 23, 2008
So I’m sitting in my room, working on my linguistics home exam, and I’m trying to explain why the verb paint in the sentence his father was painting a picture is not the same verb as the paint in the sentence his father never painted again, right? My line of resoning is the kind I [...]
Also posted in Awe, Coincidents, Collections, Education, English, Glee, Goosebumps!, Hodge-podge rambling, Hope, Impressions, Links, Megalomania, Music, My microcosmos, Optimism, Pessimism, Pleasant surprises, Potential, Pride, Procrastination, Rant, Videos, Weird stuff, Whoa, Words, Work, Yay!, lol | 5 Comments

When I first read this, I imagined for a moment that 1204 and 1453 had been nothing but bad dreams. Reality dawing on me felt like a fist in my guts

By terje | Published: November 21, 2008
“Constantinople was an impregnable city …” — Robert B. Kebric, Roman People (4th edition), epilogue.
Also posted in A Moistening of the Eyes, Greek stuff, Grief, Hallucinations, Hist2125, History, Hope, Irony, Literature, Love, Medieval stuff, Misery, Nostalgia, Oh noes!, Pain, Quote of the day, Regret, Roman stuff, Wistfulness | 3 Comments

Interview with the Vampire

By terje | Published: November 19, 2008
Man, I did not until a few seconds ago realise what an inane title Interview with the Vampire really is; it is scary to see just how much an article can matter… Anyway, I had my sister over for dinner a couple of days ago, and we watched this thing, mainly because we both remembered the [...]
Also posted in Annoyance, Boredom, Death, Disappointment, Links, Literature, Misery, Movies, Pain, Panic, Review, Speculative fiction, Weird stuff, lol, meh. | 2 Comments

An English villager’s complaint

By terje | Published: October 15, 2008
Ye friends to truth, ye statesman who survey The rich man’s joys increase, the poor’s decay, ‘T is yours to judge how wide the limits stand Between a splendid and an happy land. Proud swells the tide with loads of freighted ore, And shouting Folly hails them from her shore; Hoards e’en beyond the miser’s wish abound, And rich men flock from [...]
Also posted in A Moistening of the Eyes, Art, Awe, Education, English, Goosebumps!, History, Literature, Nostalgia, Poetry, Politics, Quote of the day, Wistfulness | 4 Comments

The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth

By terje | Published: October 13, 2008
1952. 186 pages. Gollancz SF Masterworks paperback (2003). In the 22nd century the people’s representatives in the American legislature have been replaced by those of the corporations, who in their turn are the clients of a few big, competing advertisement companies whose only concern is Sales. The citizens are no longer that; they are exclusively consumers, conditioned to [...]
Also posted in Ambiguity, Literature, Pleasant surprises, Review, Speculative fiction, meh. | 20 Comments

Not again!

By terje | Published: August 30, 2008
Shit. Here I turn my head for a second, and when I turn back towards the ‘net again, two months have passed. If I’d had a dollar for every time this has happened (or, perhaps more precise, for every time I’ve done this) in the last three years, I’d probably have… enough for a soda, anyway. So, [...]
Also posted in Conflicting emotions, Education, English, Goosebumps!, Great Expectations, Greetings, History, Hodge-podge rambling, Laziness, Lists, Literature, Love, Media, My microcosmos, Opinions, Pessimism, Pleasant surprises, Rant, Roman stuff, Strategy/Plans, Stress, This Blog, Words, meh. | 29 Comments