I started to write about bullying ... but distracted myself with trying to make a cat macro.... I now have a lolcat picture, but am not sure how to put it up!
Anyway ... bullying ... I have been corresponding for five or more years with a type 1 diabetic, who wrote mostly about her daughter, also type 1. This must have started when the little girl was 7 or 8. Today would have been her 13th birthday, but she died a couple of days ago. This news came to me today (via the ip group, via her aunt). No cause of death known at the moment: but 'the obvious' are that she was diabetic, and that she was being bullied. Whatever the cause, it is a wrongness in the world.
Rather a down today, therefore, after an unexpectedly pleasureable yesterday. He was organising, for the Tolkien Society, the Annual General Meeting of the Alliance of Literary Societies (also he was doing stuff at Sarehole with t![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
the_marquis and many others whose LJ names I will mispell) - this meant driving Surrey-Brum-Surrey on Friday, Surrey-Oxford-Surrey on Saturday, and Surrey-Oxford-Brum-Surrey today). The ALS is a very interesting bunch (whose web site badly needs an alitalf). They've just started a jounal called ALSo, with a call for papers for the next issue on Literary tourism, which naturally interests me a great deal. He says 'I'm thinking of standing for the ALS in a couple of years ... it's worrying that I will be "young blood"'. There are, indeed,
He (bother, I think I'm going to make a LJ account for him, so I can talk about him!) had offered the ALS various speakers, including David Doughan on Women, Tolkien and Oxford (which they very sensibly accepted), and Peter Gilliver on Tolkien and the OED, which unaccountably they turned down in preference for yours truely on the publishing history of the Lord of the Rings.
But it seemed to go down alright - although I was slightly disturbed by the presence of Joanna T. in the audience- what if I got the date of the third impression wrong!
Afternoon walking tour ably lead byrustica - but the wind took her words away when she looked at the buildings. We later saw a street preacher with _exactly_ what the TS needs: a back-pack powersource and speaker!
Then had a depressing time in various dress shops trying to find a new blouse. Gudrun has let me down this season. Rules: must not make me look fat. Must accomodate pump. Eventually found something ok, but far from perfect.
We then met up with non-skiing Andrew (LJ?) who persuaded us to abandon the gingerbeer in the Bird and Baby, and bought me a champagne cocktail in the Randolph. And then a strawberry liqure - tasted like good WI jam - but alcoholic.
And so was quite merry before dinner, at (depending which brand it wants to use today) OUDES/ Kellog College / Rewley House. Asparagus in bacon rather than the promised prochutto (but not the worse for that), risotto of a rather solid consistency - the lamb, I am told was much better, parfait (very good). We sat among members of the Dylan Thomas family (where talk of the Three Films has a different meaning), the DT fan club, and the John Clare fan club - all very entertaining people. The James Joyce fan club was further down the table, but we got talking to them afterwards, and also many people from fan clubs of very obscure authors beginning with F.
Actions: must post new version of paper off toalitalf for the website (webmaster@ bounced for some reason).
Must learn how to put catmacros up.
Must bring in washing.
Anyway ... bullying ... I have been corresponding for five or more years with a type 1 diabetic, who wrote mostly about her daughter, also type 1. This must have started when the little girl was 7 or 8. Today would have been her 13th birthday, but she died a couple of days ago. This news came to me today (via the ip group, via her aunt). No cause of death known at the moment: but 'the obvious' are that she was diabetic, and that she was being bullied. Whatever the cause, it is a wrongness in the world.
Rather a down today, therefore, after an unexpectedly pleasureable yesterday. He was organising, for the Tolkien Society, the Annual General Meeting of the Alliance of Literary Societies (also he was doing stuff at Sarehole with t
the_marquis and many others whose LJ names I will mispell) - this meant driving Surrey-Brum-Surrey on Friday, Surrey-Oxford-Surrey on Saturday, and Surrey-Oxford-Brum-Surrey today). The ALS is a very interesting bunch (whose web site badly needs an alitalf). They've just started a jounal called ALSo, with a call for papers for the next issue on Literary tourism, which naturally interests me a great deal. He says 'I'm thinking of standing for the ALS in a couple of years ... it's worrying that I will be "young blood"'. There are, indeed,He (bother, I think I'm going to make a LJ account for him, so I can talk about him!) had offered the ALS various speakers, including David Doughan on Women, Tolkien and Oxford (which they very sensibly accepted), and Peter Gilliver on Tolkien and the OED, which unaccountably they turned down in preference for yours truely on the publishing history of the Lord of the Rings.
But it seemed to go down alright - although I was slightly disturbed by the presence of Joanna T. in the audience- what if I got the date of the third impression wrong!
Afternoon walking tour ably lead by
rustica - but the wind took her words away when she looked at the buildings. We later saw a street preacher with _exactly_ what the TS needs: a back-pack powersource and speaker!Then had a depressing time in various dress shops trying to find a new blouse. Gudrun has let me down this season. Rules: must not make me look fat. Must accomodate pump. Eventually found something ok, but far from perfect.
We then met up with non-skiing Andrew (LJ?) who persuaded us to abandon the gingerbeer in the Bird and Baby, and bought me a champagne cocktail in the Randolph. And then a strawberry liqure - tasted like good WI jam - but alcoholic.
And so was quite merry before dinner, at (depending which brand it wants to use today) OUDES/ Kellog College / Rewley House. Asparagus in bacon rather than the promised prochutto (but not the worse for that), risotto of a rather solid consistency - the lamb, I am told was much better, parfait (very good). We sat among members of the Dylan Thomas family (where talk of the Three Films has a different meaning), the DT fan club, and the John Clare fan club - all very entertaining people. The James Joyce fan club was further down the table, but we got talking to them afterwards, and also many people from fan clubs of very obscure authors beginning with F.
Actions: must post new version of paper off to
alitalf for the website (webmaster@ bounced for some reason).Must learn how to put catmacros up.
Must bring in washing.
