Robot Claw – Page 489 – “Life In The So-Called Space Age”

Robin’s Nest

December 16, 2012

Earlier in the summer, a Robin built a nest in the tree next to our mailbox.

He was a belligerent fellow, chirping at us every time we went out to check the mail. He was there a week or so, probably trying to attract a lady.

Then we went to Florida on our early-summer vacation, and when we got back he was gone.

The tree was heavy with leaves, and the nest was well hidden for the rest of the year. But now the leaves have fallen, and it’s become quite visible.

The craftwork is amazing, but there’s no evidence it was ever actually used. I expect it will last a while though. I wonder if anyone will use it next year?

Words I’ve Learned Playing Letterpress

December 12, 2012

Letterpress is a great game. We’re all playing it, so we all know that.

It’s also educational! Here, in alphabetical order, some words that I learned by having others play them against me.

bolix – to do something poorly, to ruin something in execution. (Variant spelling of bollix which itself is derivative of bollocks) (Played by Bernard)

crunkles – to crumple (obsolete) (Played by Dad)

furzes – a spiny shrub common to Western Europe (Played by Dad)

gunsels – young men kept for homosexual purposes; catamites (Played by Dad)

revers – the parts of some garments that fold in such a way as to give the appearance of a tailored collar (obsolete) (Played by Matthew)

seiten – a type of chewy food made of wheat gluten (Variant spelling of seitan) (Played by Florence)

snook – a type of fish related to the bass (Played by Joyce)

Dads words in particular give me pause. Is he guessing these, or is this indicative of the vocabulary of a man who learned English by reading antiquated Biggles novels in a primordial jungle?

Tomorrow, we’re going to see the marathon of the extended versions of the three Lord Of The Rings films. You may not have heard, but to celebrate the release of The Hobbit next week, the three original films are back in the cinemas for one-day only.

And I mean ‘marathon’… the extended versions are about an hour longer each that the original versions that were in cinemas years back. The marathon starts at 11 am and goes until 1:30 am.

Yes my friends, 14.5 hours just for 3 movies!

Even though we own them on Blu-Ray, we’ve never actually watched the extended versions, and since we’re both big fans of the trilogy we’re both quite excited!

How many other people will be there? Will they let us bring food in? How many times will I have to go to the toilet? Will I emerge with a ruined coccyx?

Will I be the only one in the cinema who stands up and yells along with Saruman: ‘There shall be no dawn for men!‘

If you don’t hear from me for a while, the above is the reason why 🙂