an eyebrow is raised.

[thedilettante]

In the airport waiting lounge this afternoon I sat in a seat right next to a huge ad for a men's magazine with an improbably shaped bikini-clad woman on the cover. I then took out a bar of chocolate and proceeded to eat it while reading The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf. I really wish some random attractive passerby had gotten the joke.

I've had more

Comments

[emeraldsword]

25th of May? What happened on the 25th of May?

I only read one Alexander McCall Smith, can't remember which one but it was written as a serial in the newspaper. I didn't like it, so haven't bothered with any more.

[thedilettante]

World Towel Day for Douglas Adams fans, the Glorious 25th of May for Discworld people. Very strange behaviour day for those of us in both fandoms. ;)

I suspect the McCall Smith I just read is the one you didn't like - it was first written as a serial. I think he's light and funny and easily digestible, so just generally fun.

[emeraldsword]

lol, oh right - someone did mention Towel Day, but I'd forgotten.

He was light and funny, but I got annoyed with all the plot threads that didn't go anywhere. I think it's possible to be light and funny and still have plot, so I didn't bother with any more. I do feel that I was being harsh as it was written as a serial, but still. I'm not saying I'd never read him again, just that I'd read other things first.

[satanicharisma]

The Hindustan Times is worried? Isn't India rather heavily overpopulated today? Nearly a billion inhabitants and probably a third the size of China, if my memory serves, which it might not, alas.

I had to read one of those regency romances for work not too long ago, and, and ... well at least the writing wasn't really as bad as some of the other romances I've been forced to read. The sudden segues from expansive courtly dialogue to "she felt warm tingling ardour between her legs and clasped her breasts in delicious agony!" made me laugh out loud, though.

(rant may follow)

[thedilettante]

More than a billion actually, though I'm not sure what size we are. But, see, people are supposed to grow up and get married and have babies.

On mother's day, the hindustan times (one of our more *liberal* newspapers, supposedly) did a special on the phenomenon of the childless adult female, weighing the pros and cons of this unnatural situation. On the one hand you get to actually have a life, a career, etc. On the other hand, the Joys Of Motherhood are incomparable. They also interviewed a doctor who said he gets a lot of men coming in and asking fer vascectomies and he refuses most of them (he seemed proud of this). I asked my dad about this because he's a urologist, and apparently there are all sorts of rules here about who doctors can and cannot grant vasectomies to. married men with two or more children are allowed them. Other men are not, since they may change their minds...clearly adult males are incapable of making such decisions. Adult females, of course, don't exist.

[conrad_zaar]

And LJ FList? I am hurt by your lack of interest in me. Hurt.

Who are you again?

[thedilettante]

You see? You see?

*is most indignant*

[nobutterflies]

I *love* John Berger. :)

Naomi Wolf--meh. I've read Beauty Myth, Fire With Fire (is that the title?), and Misconceptions. After that last one, I don't feel the need to read any more new books by her. I met her about 10 years ago. I thought it was funny because she looked like she was wearing a ton of makeup.

Children are okay. Better in small groups, or singly. After age 3 or so, they're fine. :p

Bleh

[devdasb]

Allowing children on flights, or in any other enclosed public spaces where they can scream and we can't reason with them, should be treated as a terror threat. I have never been on a flight with children from which I didn't disembark in a murderous rage.

Oh, and you need to see the subtle digs in Holt's work (hidden amongst the not-so-subtle digs).