Category Archives: Writing

A Master of What?

Posted on by

Gravatar

This blog began some three and a half years ago and at the time I couldn’t really put a finger on what I was good at and hence the title.

Over these past years, kindly folk have suggested various masteries I could claim as my own but I’ve usually shrugged them off.

I’ve always struggled to say “I am good at…” and always wondered why.

Recently, I realised that perhaps it is because I possess no socially acceptable standard that I am a master of anything. It is hard to claim something for which you have no proof.

If you can say in society, “I have a degree in Literature/Creative Writing/Journalism. I am a good writer”, everyone around you will nod their heads, admire you and agree “You are a good writer.”

If you can say in society, “I have a Masters of Education from [name your own prestigious university]. I am a good teacher”, you will be regarded as an asset to any classroom.

If, however, you possess a degree in Mathematics but do not work in the field, what is it worth?

If you are qualified to teach science and mathematics but teach in an area where those skills are irrelevant, what good are you really?

And yet, I know I am a good writer. I know I am a good teacher. But my evidence for such claims is circumstantial and personal.

It is the people who tell me, “Write more blog posts, we love your writing”. It is the staff who smile happily when they realise you will be teaching in their classroom.

Fine for me.

Not so much for society.

One of my (pathetically) prized possessions is a photocopy of the front page of a training manual I once wrote which was reviewed by the upper management Training Manager (for some reason that I do not recall).

On the page, he had written “This is the best training material I have ever read in my 13+ years of training”.

Like all positions of employment I’ve ever held in my life, I had neither the qualifications nor experience to be employed as a training developer but for some reason they gave me the job anyway and I got this review within my first year on the job.

But it doesn’t look as significant hung on the wall as a Bachelor’s degree.

I’ve never even sat a music exam. So I have no proof that I can sing, play piano or guitar or write music. Well, I do have a school report from Year 9 Music that says, “She has a good working knowledge of music theory at this level and in the end-of-year examination scored an impressive 100%” so there’s that, I guess but I’m not sure how that would play out.

“So, what Grade level did you reach?”

“Me? Oh, well, none. But I have this great report from my Year 9 music teacher. Want to read it?”

“Probably not.”

The prompt for this post was a comment that found me consumed with jealousy for those who can claim a qualification to legitimise their obvious skills. I’d offered some assistance with a task on the basis of believing I possessed some relevant skill but was countered with the explanation that the other person possessed a high level qualification in the area in question and would therefore not require my unqualified help.

I can’t argue with that.

Of course, if it concerns me so much, why don’t I go out and gain such qualifications? Because I’m a Jack of ALL Trades. Which qualification would I pick?? I’m not sure I’ve got enough time or energy (or money!) to pursue a degree in literature, journalism, music, fine arts, computer programming, IT support or a Masters/PhD in Education, Science, Mathematics or a trade qualification in building, carpentry, painting, textiles, electronics, costume design, cake decorating or car maintenance.

So I think I’ll just go on as before, having a stab at anything that takes my fancy whether qualified to do so or not, and live the life of a Jack of All Trades.

And hope that someday someone introduces a Master of All Trades qualification.

I’d like to hang that on my wall.

MofAT certificate

 

Dropping Bombs and Throwing Grenades

Posted on by

via Daily Prompt: Detonate

Yesterday I wrote a post about being someone who always instinctively wants to help people. I call it the ‘servant gene‘.

Someone left the following comment on my post:

servant blog comment

I had to read it several times to be sure it was saying what I thought it was saying. Is it just me or is this person accusing me of bragging about having a servant gene and that I think I’m better than everyone else because of it?

It upset me. A lot. Because one of the key things about those with a very active servant gene is that they never think they’re superior to anyone.

I started going over my post. Was it braggy? Did I sound like I was making out I was better than other people? Admittedly, I’d ended with the comment that those with servant genes are an important part of the community but it had actually taken a lot of effort to include that. If it sounded like I was putting myself above other people, I hadn’t meant it.

I’d never seen this person on my blog before so I clicked through to their blog to try and understand where they were coming from. There was nothing there. It’s a nothing blog. They just have a profile.

So this person just came by and threw a grenade at my house before driving away.

fire-1030751_640

What is it with these people?

You see it too often these days on Facebook posts and online newspaper articles and the like. People say whatever they want, often inflammatory, and then disappear. Drop a nasty bomb and take cover.

If I had presented what was in my blog post as a speech somewhere, I’d be willing to bet that person would never have come up to me afterwards and made that comment to my face.

I just wish people would have a little common decency and stop detonating bombs wherever they feel like it. Not all of us are bulletproof.

Postscript: Amazingly, I’d already considered writing a follow up post about how much this comment had upset me and then the Daily Prompt landed in my inbox. It seemed meant to be.

Post-postscript: I feel better now. 😉

 

 

HOME button Able Theme small

Delay In Service

Posted on by

 

MOSY has returned from her international jaunt and I know you are all anxiously awaiting the stories of her adventures.

We regret to inform you that there will be a small delay to these posts as I am currently languishing in hospital with six broken ribs and a punctured lung.

WHAT HAPPENED??

Well, first of all let me assure you that I returned from Nepal and Bhutan safely and completely unharmed. These injuries were sustained 48 hours after I returned home.

The Story (Please hold all laughter until the end.)

Some of you may recall my horrifying tale of the invasion of clothes moths in our home last summer. (Refresh your memory here.) Clothes were munched through and carpets were destroyed by these wardrobe terrorists.

They have returned with the warmer weather here Down Under and I have gone on the attack.

On my way to bed on Sunday night, I spotted one of these devils on the bedroom ceiling and stepped up onto the edge of the wooden blanket box at the end of our bed to squish it into oblivion.

Helpful Tip For The Kiddies: Do not climb on smooth wooden pieces of furniture while wearing slippery socks.

My feet slipped off the blanket box and I crashed first onto the bedpost and then onto the floor. (Six inches to the left and I’d have landed on the mattress.).

All Together Now: OOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!

A ride in an ambulance, a chest x-ray and a CT scan and I was left with the news of six broken ribs (ribs 4 to 9 on my left side), a punctured and mildly collapsed lung and cartilage torn from my breastbone.

I guess if you’re going to do something, at least do it properly.

Oh, the moth survived, by the way.

Okay, now you can laugh.

 

 

 

HOME button Able Theme small

Going Off The Air

Posted on by

NEWSFLASH: MASTER OF SOMETHING I’M YET TO DISCOVER WILL GO OFF THE AIR FOR FOUR WEEKS

The MOSY Network apologises for this break in transmission. We will resume regular broadcasting at the end of November. In the meantime, reruns are available via our Blog-Post-On-Demand service. (The BPOD service can be accessed via the ‘The Old Trades’ dropdown box.)

Image courtesy World Expeditions

Image courtesy of World Expeditions

The Background Story

In the wee hours of Saturday morning, I will board a Flying Metal Bird for parts unknown. Well, unknown to me. I’ll be gone four weeks – three in Nepal and one in Bhutan.

I will not be gracing the blogosphere for much of the journey (if at all). For the ten days I will spend in the village of Lura followed by the six days of trekking in the Lower Solukhumbu region, I anticipate a lack of access to electricity. Forget about internet. The week in Bhutan will be on a more civilised standing (in that I’ll be sleeping in a bed rather than on the ground and the toilet won’t be a hole in the ground) but I suspect I will have better things to do with my time than surf the WordPress wave (no offence).

Lura, Nepal

Here’s where I’ll be working for ten days with nine others from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to help rebuild the village school:

(All images courtesy of World Expeditions)

Lura Talk 1

Lura Talk 2

Lura Talk 3

Lura Talk 4

Lura Talk 5

The school has been demolished and work has begun on the new building. The first group from World Expeditions has already started on the foundations and we will pick up where they leave off and groups will come after us to continue the work until it is done.

Bhutan

Bhutan? Well, that’s just for me. It’s been top of my bucket list for years so when The Husband told me to take more time if there was something else I wanted to do while I was in the area, I took him seriously. Called “The Essence of Bhutan” this private tour will be just a taste of this fascinating country. It’s not private by choice but no one else booked for that date. I will have my own one-on-one guide and driver for the eight days I am there. Introvert Me is hunched in the corner breathing into a paper bag.

*******

I am nervously excited for the adventure ahead. Traveller Me can’t wait to get there but Shy Me – whom I usually manage to keep busy in the kitchen during parties – keeps sticking her head out the door with questions like, “What if they don’t like you?”. I’m trying to ignore her.

See you all on the other side.

NOTE: If you can’t wait four weeks, fairly regular updates on the project are available here. You might even be able to spot me in a photograph if you’re really lucky.

 

 

 

HOME button Able Theme small

Joining The Magic Blue Sticker People

Posted on by

Freshly Pressed Logo

I got Freshly Pressed recently. They give you a logo to put on your blog to show the world that you are one of the special ones. A magic blue sticker to plaster on your wall. (Not that many would see it these days by the time people use the Reader, the app or the email to read your post and never even make it to your actual blogsite. WordPress might want to think about that.)

When you start blogging, getting Freshly Pressed is the Holy Grail. (BYO coconut shells.)

tumblr_ntt3d3IyeU1qz5q5lo1_500

You see it as a) the way to grow your readership and b) an affirmation of the quality of your blog.

For some, that affirmation comes early. For most of us, however, it might as well be an Oscar for how achievable it seems.

I long ago gave up my Freshly Pressed aspirations. In fact, I’d recently taken it as a point of anti-establishment pride not to have been Freshly Pressed. I joined the Never Been Freshly Pressed Club (yes, there’s a club!) and hung out with my non-high-achieving mates.

So when I got the email to tell me my Voluntourism post had been Freshly Pressed, my first reaction was to burst out laughing.

My second reaction was to feel nervous. I felt as if I’d been invited to eat at the Dean’s Scholars’ private dining table when all I really wanted to do was sit at the corner table in the cafeteria with my dorky mates. (Hi Joanne and Maggie!)

bigbang-lunch-cbsx-large

If you’ve never been Freshly Pressed, let me just warn you that the email you get that says “Congrats! You’ve been Freshly Pressed!” should actually read “Congrats! You’re going to be Freshly Pressed some time in the future and we’re not going to tell you when!” In my case, that took nine days.

I’ve often described blogging as being like a dinner party with lots of conversation and different views expressed. I love it. Getting Freshly Pressed means your dinner party gets gatecrashed. Most of them just stay long enough to drink your booze and then disappear. Presumably to move onto the next Magic Blue Sticker party.

tumblr_m05ulnrWi81rpfiy4o1_500

You get a lot of new followers. Some days, as the notifications flowed in, I’d take on the persona of a paranoid and start shouting “STOP FOLLOWING ME!”

Strange people follow you. “I’m really not interested in buying real estate in India!” I called out but the blogger had already ducked down a side street in pursuit of someone else.

But lots of lovely people took the time to stop for a chat. They shared their own volunteering stories or told me they hoped to volunteer one day and my post had been helpful to them and some offered critical responses. (I’ll take criticism as long as it’s constructive.) Some flew past with a “I like this post!” but I wasn’t having any of that. I’d grab their arm and ask “What do you like about it?” Usually they’d just remove their arm and wander off without answering.

Some comments were…er…interesting…

First comment

Most normal people would probably let that go and just hit Like or even just ignore it.

I never said I was normal.

Full comment

Sometimes you just have to have a little fun to keep your sanity intact. (Or, in my case, to keep my normal insanity intact.)

A couple of people asked me for advice on how to grow their readership like I was some sort of blogging guru. I had to gently point out that I’d been at this caper for two years before getting Freshly Pressed (almost to the day as it happens). But because I am an inherently helpful person, I also gave them my tips for blogging. They’re kind of like the ones authors give to aspiring writers. You know, the ones they don’t want to hear because it involves work.

Tips for Growing Your Readership:

You have to read other blogs. Not just any blogs. Read posts by bloggers who write about the same things you’re interested in. Otherwise, it’s a relationship destined to fail because you don’t have enough in common.

You have to take the time to make a comment – a real comment, not just a “I like this!” drive-by comment. If they like what you have to say, they’ll come to your blog to check you out.

Keep writing even if some days it feels like you’re shouting over the traffic.

One person responded with thanks for the advice. The other I never heard from again.

It would be nice to think that this flurry of Likes and new followers will lead to bigger and rowdier dinner parties here at the MOSY abode but I doubt it.

And you know what? I don’t care.

For starters, I got some very important information out into a wider field than I could have managed on my own and for that I am grateful to the WordPress editors for choosing this post for Freshly Pressed.

The advantage of being Freshly Pressed so late in a blogging career is that you’ve already established your own circle of blogging friends who come to your dinner parties and always bring a bottle of wine or a box of chocolates. Comment exchanges become more interesting to read than the post because we’re all friends here and it’s safe to make a joke, poke fun or confess a guilty secret.

I’ll gladly welcome anyone else who wants to sit down with us in the future but come prepared with your rapid-fire witty rejoinders because that’s what it’s like around here.

Time to paaaaarrrrrttttyyyyyy!!

oHh0L

 

 

 

HOME button Able Theme small

The Great Aussie Blogger Meeting – Coffee, Laughs and a Neurotic Cat

Posted on by

So how was it?????

That’s what you’ve been wondering, right? What happened when the Great Margaret-Rose and the Nervous MOSY finally met in person? Were there earthquakes in Sydney? Did the Space-Time Continuum tear open? Did the sky rain with meteors?

Nah. We just had a fabulous time.

The following is a recounting of the experience from both sides. M-R has decided to close her own blog next week and will no longer be posting on it but you deserve her side of the story (she says nervously) as well as mine.

MOSY’s Version

Although I stepped into the lift in her building with a heart beating hard enough to make the walls bounce, I stepped out of it to be greeted by an old friend.

And that’s what it’s like, folks. That person with whom you’ve got along like the proverbial incendiary dwelling out in the Blogosphere is, in my experience at least, the person you will meet in person (so to speak).

Of course, M-R made the smart first move of offering me coffee almost as soon as I got in the door so how could I not love her?

So what did you do?

We hung out. That’s it. We talked, we ate, we laughed, we drank coffee, we went to lunch at lovely little places. It was just two friends hanging out together. We ventured out for various things that needed to be done and had a great time. Even a visit to the optometrist brought joy. While I waited for M-R, I wandered over to the bookshop across the road. Outside the door on the Sale table was another of those addictive 1000 Dot-to-Dot books! Score!

I didn’t need a tour of Sydney (I’ve seen it). I didn’t need to be ‘entertained’ (our conversations covered that). Just the chance to be together was payment enough for the journey and I was richly rewarded.

Oh, plus I got to eat a rather substantial amount of that delicious bread she makes.

But what was M-R like?

You’ve read her blog. Or blogs. (She’s had a few.) You’ve read her comments on your blog and those of her many friends. THAT is what she is like. The personification of WYSIWYG, as Su Leslie so cleverly described her in a comment on the last post.

Actually, that’s not quite right. In person she is actually more than you get through the ether. A life-giving force of humour, knowledge, passion and most of all, generosity. Margaret-Rose has a heart as big as that new apartment monstrosity she so despises. I practically had to push her over to let me take the dishes to the sink.

Did you meet the fabled Lui Stringer?

Yes I did. He hid in his little hidey hole in a credenza when I arrived but not to be outdone, I slid open the door and reached in to give him a scratch under the chin. I think he must have been paralysed by the audacity of my actions because he allowed it. Then, as I slid the door across again, he hissed at me.

This was to become a theme.

It’s rather disconcerting to spend three days being looked at by a cat as if you are a visiting serial killer.

IMAG0487

This was when we came back from lunch on the last day. “Oh gods, you’re still here. I thought you’d left.”

Three days flew by all too quickly and it seems odd to know that I can’t just pop over for coffee and a laugh whenever I feel like it. Thank heavens for Mr Bell and Mr Edison and Mr Turing and Mr Sir Berners-Lee and their ilk that we can still stay in touch. And a little thanks to the Wright Brothers for the ability to ‘pop’ up to Sydney without a 10-hour car journey.

So, thinking of arranging a meeting with a favourite blogger? Do it. Do it now. You won’t regret it.

M-R’s Version

Having been apostrophised by Mrs Dempsey regarding the lack of need to meet her at the light rail stop at Central and been suitably cowed (I am a very nervous person, after all !), I waited in the little flat to hear the intercom sound and H’s familiar voice be heard – I have terrorised her by ‘phone on more than one occasion …

And then, as I stood outside the lift, anxious as buggery*, she was suddenly there ! – slim, vital and smiling, looking about 25!!! At which point I knew instantly that it was all OK: here was H, just as I knew she’d be, and life was good.

Much coffee from the Gaggia Classic, and many cups of tea. Some food, too, every so often. The only momentous example of that was when she took me to lunch yesterday, and we went to visit my friend Tino at his restaurante português, where we ate his mum’s delishus cannelloni (it’s very confusing, Portuguese food …) and drank a glass of the wonderful Terras d’el Rei red each.

Did I take her all around Sydney ? Did I even take her to, say, the Maritime Museum and Darling Harbour ? Did I show her the sights ? – did I what ! Oh, no, sorry – that was a lie: the real answer is no, I didn’t! I did take her to North Sydney/Blues Point, but only because I had to visit my adored optometrist and his even more adored optical technician; and there H was given many examples of my habit of smooching on the men who mean a lot to me. (Well, why not ?!) But that was more or less the extent of what she saw in Sydney.   :-/

I believe the rest of the time we talked. Amazin ain’t it ? 🙂 I think I gave her some talking time of her own; but to be truthful it seems upon reflection it was entirely the sound of my voice that was heard in the land (just like the turtle-dove).

H and I have many extraordinary similarities in our lives. We’re both quite mad, of course; and we’re separated by something like 26 years … but she makes me feel as if we’re the same age, and start wondering if I shouldn’t think about doing <X>, just as she has done. Dangerous, that ! [grin]

I can add only that when we realized she had a bit left on her Opal card (bus, train, ferry and light rail transport) and no way of reclaiming it, and she said “I can use it next time” that I understood her to have enjoyed herself in the company of this whingeing, grumpy old fart. REALLY mad, then …

I wait for the next occasion on which her family feels they can possibly do without their motivating force in their midst for a couple of days: it can’t come soon enough.

I LOVE HEATHER DEMPSEY !!!

*you’d be anxious too, if you were an almost 72-y-o living a VERY unadventurous life on her own and about to meet an amazing young woman who can do anything and often does, as well as being someone who knows tons of stuff and is a wife and a mother of three boys. Why on earth would she not think “How did I let myself in for this boring time ???” …

IMAG0482_1

 

 

 

HOME button Able Theme small

Do I Really Want To “Meet The Blogger”?

Posted on by

Don’t we all?

Haven’t most of us, if not all, at some point expressed the wish that we could meet in person those with whom we have become friends in this online community of bloggers?

Some have already taken that step. Some have met bloggers who live nearby. Some have journeyed half a world away to clap eyes on the one who has loitered in their comment box for some time.

For those who have experienced this oft-expressed desire, how was it? How did you feel before the meeting? Excitement and anticipation? Or anxiety and fear? A bit of both?

How was the actual meeting? Was the blogger who you thought he/she would be? Did you talk as easily as you do at the virtual dinner table?

And what about afterwards? Was the online relationship the same or changed? Did you remain online friends or did meeting in person change your view of the other (or vice versa) so much that you are no longer in contact?

On Tuesday morning I will board an aeroplane bound for the City of The Great Iron Coat Hanger and The Iconic Operatic Sails to face my first “Meet The Blogger” occasion. Am I nervous? Only to the point of feeling like I’m going to throw up.

Lui

This is who I’m going to meet!

M-R

Sorry. Actually, this is The Blogger.

A little while ago I wrote in another post how I believe we can present the best side of ourselves in our online persona and that it is so much easier to hide the faulty parts of ourselves from those who only know us out in the ether. So what does that mean if we cross the border to personally meet friends who only know our online selves?

Will we be the person they expect? Will the irritating sides of ourselves that we have so carefully kept at bay rear their heads to shock our companion? Will our friend, by four o’clock in the afternoon, regret the offer made to stay with them??

Perhaps the title of this post should actually be “Does The Blogger Really Want To Meet Me?“.

I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

 

(Images Copyright to Margaret-Rose Stringer.)

 

 

 

HOME button Able Theme small

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of Book Adaptations

Posted on by

Actor Jonathan Crombie died last week from a brain haemorrhage aged just 48 years. This was devastating news to women of a certain age for whom Crombie was and always will be Gilbert Blythe from the screen adaptation of L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series.

I love those books (all the more special because I have my mother’s copies) and I found the first adaptation very faithful and the sequel faithful in a “take the best bits from a few books” way. I prefer to ignore the later The Continuing Story movie which was something of a tarnish on the whole series.

Even after the umpteenth viewing (just the other day), the film version can still make me laugh and cry in all the same places. (Matthew’s death leaves me sobbing every time.)

I mentioned Crombie’s death at the dinner table the other night and this led to a rather extensive and intense discussion about screen adaptations of books with our three boys.

The following is a summary of the Good, the Bad and the Plain Ugly of adaptations as decreed by the MOSY Offspring.

WARNING: We are a very nerdy household and I make no apologies for the nerdy leanings of the following reviews. If you’re looking for opinions on the adaptations of The Shipping News or Wuthering Heights, I suggest you look elsewhere.

These are the views of three boys aged 18, 16 and 13 and are strictly the ones they wanted to talk about with no prompting from their parents.

THE GOOD (OR AT LEAST OKAY)

Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Based on the books by J. R. R. Tolkien
Directed by Peter Jackson
Screenplays by Fran Walsh, Phillippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Stephen Sinclair (The Two Towers)

The View: Good adaptations and great movies in their own right.

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter Series (Eight movies)
Based on the seven book series by J. K. Rowling
Directed by Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, David Yates
Screenplays by Steve Kloves and Michael Goldenberg (Order of the Phoenix)

The View: Very faithful to the books. The movies did cut out a lot from the books but they kept the best bits.

Hugo

Hugo
Based on the book by Brian Selznick
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Screenplay by John Logan

The View: Great adaptation! This was a great movie adapted from a book that is mostly illustrations but done very successfully.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
First of the Chronicles of Narnia movie series
Based on the book by C. S. Lewis
Directed by Andrew Adamson
Screenplay by Ann Peacock, Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

The View: Movie was semi-faithful to the book. It was a good adaptation. There was a drop on the symbolism and it was more of an action movie.

Scott Pilgrim

Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Based on the comic books by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Directed by Edgar Wright
Screenplay by Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright

The View: Amazing comic book adaptation. Cut out a lot but still great. The movie even on its own is amazing.

Stardust

Stardust
Based on the book by Neil Gaiman
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Screenplay by Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn

The View: Loved the movie but too much from the book was changed. It lost a bit in translation.

Hunger Games

The Hunger Games (Four movies)
Based on the books by Suzanne Collins
Directed by Gary Ross (The Hunger Games) and Francis Lawrence (Catching Fire, Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2)
Screenplays by Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, Billy Ray (Hunger Games), Simon Beaufoy, Michael Arndt (Catching Fire), Peter Craig, Danny Strong (Mockingjay)

The View: Each movie’s merit is quite different. The first movie was good but not much energy in it. The adaptation was very close. “They made it their own.” (Direct quote from Middle Son.) The second movie was a much better adaptation and closer to the book. No opinion offered on the third and fourth movies (possibly not seen yet).

Tintin

The Adventures of Tintin (Animation)
Based on the comics by Hergé
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Screenplay by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish

The View: In terms of the original books on which the movie was based (The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rakham’s Treasure), they changed a lot but they made a beautiful movie. The method of animation was fantastic.

Spiderwick

The Spiderwick Chronicles
Based on the books by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Directed by Mark Waters
Screenplay by Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum and John Sayles

The View: The Youngest Son said he watched the movie before he read the books. He thought the movie was good but the books were better.

Hitchhikers Guide

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Based on the book by Douglas Adams
Made into a TV series (Directed by Alan J. W. Bell, Screenplay by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd)
and into a movie (Directed by Garth Jennings, Screenplay by Douglas Adams and Karey Kirkpatrick)

The View: The TV series was great. The movie was okay but it took liberties.

THE BAD

The Hobbit

The Hobbit (Three movies)
Based on the book by J. R. R. Tolkien
Directed by Peter Jackson
Screenplays by Fran Walsh, Phillippa Boyens, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro

The View: A terrible adaptation and a total over-indulgence on Jackson’s part. Could easily have been made as one movie.

Eragon

Eragon
Based on the book by Christopher Paolini
Directed by Stefan Fangmeier
Screenplay by Peter Buchman

The View: This caused some contention. The Eldest and Middle Sons thought it was a terrible movie. The Youngest Son liked the movie but then conceded that he hadn’t read the book when he saw it. He then admitted that having now read the book he could see that the movie was not a good adaptation. The advice from the Boys was “don’t read the book before watching the movie and you might enjoy it.”

Inkheart

Inkheart
Based on the book by Cornelia Funke
Directed by Iain Softley
Screenplay by David Lindsay-Abaire

The View: The books are great. (Inkheart is the first in a trilogy.) The movie was okay as a movie but it was not a good adaptation.

Astro Boy

Astro Boy (Animation)
Based on the Japanese manga series by Osamu Tezuka
Directed by David Bowers
Screenplay by Timothy Harris and David Bowers

The View: Once again, this adaptation did not find consensus. The Eldest Son thought the movie was average and felt they had changed everything. The Middle Son thought the movie was okay if you ignored the source material. The Youngest Son thought the movie was pretty good.

Coraline

Coraline (Animation)
Based on the book by Neil Gaiman
Directed by Henry Selick
Screenplay by Henry Selick

The View: This is a good movie as long as you haven’t read the book. If you’ve read the book, it’s a terrible adaptation. It did not do Neil Gaiman justice.

THE PLAIN UGLY

Dragonball Evolution

Dragonball Evolutions
Based on the Japanese manga series by Akira Toriyama
Directed by James Wong
Screenplay by Ben Ramsey

The View: Woeful. Absolute disgrace. Avoid at all costs.(Those are direct quotes.) Their advice, if you want an adaptation of this series, is to watch the animated television series.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
Based on the book series by Lemony Snicket
Directed by Brad Silberling
Screenplay by Robert Gordon

The View: TERRIBLE! BAD! SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN MADE! ABHORRENT MISHMASH! KLAUS DIDN’T EVEN HAVE GLASSES! (Yes, there was shouting.) And I would like to add my own appalled two-cents-worth. I adore this series of books and the movie was a complete travesty. Don’t bother with the movie. But do read the books.

***********************************************

There were a few more (it was a lengthy, enthusiastic discussion) but that’s probably filled your brain enough.

So, tell me, what’s your favourite book-to-screen adaptation? What’s your worst? Let me know in the comments. Shouting is permitted but keep the language nice.

 

 

HOME button Able Theme small

Miss Wilma Preston’s Guide to Blogging Etiquette

Posted on by

Bloggington Post

Miss Wilma Preston is a noted author and etiquette consultant who has worked in both the business and private sectors and most recently was etiquette advisor to many of the world’s political leaders. In 2014, she announced her retirement from the political arena saying, “There’s nothing I can do.” Miss Preston now writes a regular column here at the Bloggington Post, answering our readers’ questions on blogging etiquette.

Reciprocal Manners

Dear Wilma, I was told that if someone follows your blog, it is polite to follow theirs. I have lots of followers who never say anything about my posts so I’m not sure if they’re even reading them. I always read their posts and comment on them. Is it okay not to follow them if they don’t do anything? Rete Ernable

Dear Rete, Reciprocity has always been a difficult etiquette area. You are correct in understanding that courtesy would dictate that a follow gets a follow. However, in my work I have seen many instances in which this understanding has been exploited by the unscrupulous. You will find, Rete, that there are some people who “play the game” as we used to say on the hockey field when I was a girl. It is a strategic move to garner more followers but they have no intention of returning the favour. My advice in this situation is that if it is clear that a follow is only to gain yours (for example, if your blog is about knitting tea-cosies and you receive a follow from someone who blogs about hog-tying) then I think it acceptable not to reciprocate.

More Readers!!

Dear Miss Preston, Thank you for your wonderful column! You always give such great advice!! I have been blogging for about three months now and it is so much fun!!! My question is why am I not getting many readers?????!!! I think I am a great writer!! But I only have a few readers!! And even when someone does read a post and comment, I never seem to see them again!!!??!!!?? Can you help me??!!?? Perky Buttons

Dear Perky, Thank you for the compliment. I believe you will have more success if you learn to moderate your punctuation.

Reading Time?

Dear Wilma, I love blogging and I have lots of great bloggers I follow. I like to read all their posts and make a comment if I can. Recently, though, I have been really busy in my work as a Doll Hospital nurse and I am now behind on reading the blogs. What is the Catching Up etiquette? O.V. Loaded

Dear O.V., First let me say that yours is a common problem and it is a question I am often asked. There is no easy answer in terms of etiquette nor in terms of convenience. You can work through the old posts for all your bloggers in chronological order but this can be time-consuming and ultimately fruitless. You will in all probability continue to fall behind. Catching up with one blogger at a time makes it easy to ensure you have read all their posts, however other bloggers may be offended you have not visited their blogs. If you follow the etiquette rule I always promote – “Don’t just click” – and write a comment on each post, the blogger will suddenly find him- or herself with six comments from you to which they must respond. This may make them grumpy. My best advice is to forget the old posts and just write a comment on the newest one apologising for being absent. Although I do not usually recommend it, at times it can be acceptable to utilise a “I fell under a bus” excuse if you so need. Good luck with your reading!

Miss Wilma Preston welcomes all blogging etiquette questions from our readers. Send your letters to The Editor, Bloggington Post, Global Post Box 2003.

 

 

HOME button Able Theme small

Two Bloggers Walk Into A Bar….Or Onto A Road

Posted on by

WP on highway

Scene: Two WordPress bloggers meet somewhere on the information superhighway. Or, rather, on the pedestrian section of the information superhighway. We don’t want anyone run over by speed demons. You know, those bloggers who churn out posts at lightning speed, sometimes multiple times a day.

Random Blogger: Oh, hello MOSY! How have you been?

MOSY: Ah, okay, I guess.

RB: Haven’t seen you about much lately. What have you been up to?

MOSY: Oh, I’ve been a bit busy, actually. With the three R’s.

RB: Wow. Have you gone back to study?!

MOSY: Er….noooo. Three R’s? Running, Rowing and Recovering.

RB: Rowing and running?

MOSY: Yeeees. Sometimes I row and then run. One after the other. Hence the third R, of course.

RB: So, you’re telling me you’re insane.

MOSY: I’m not insane. My mother had me tested.

RB: Oh dear. Has it been that bad for that long?

MOSY: Really? You don’t know a quote from The Big Bang Theory when you hear one?

RB: The big what?

[MOSY rolls her eyes and sighs]

MOSY: Don’t you have a photo challenge to write about or something?

RB: Nah. I don’t really like the theme this week.

MOSY: Oh.

RB: You know, I do recall seeing you somewhere lately. On some blog or other.

MOSY: Well, yes, I’ve tried at least to keep up with other people’s blogs. Put my two cents worth in. Although, given the exchange rate lately, it’s more like one and a half cents worth on those Northern Hemisphere blogs.

RB: That’s right. You were making some bizarre comment about banana daiquiris or something. It was kind of amusing.

MOSY: Yeah, well, it’s easy to be witty in small doses.

RB: Witty? Was that what you were trying to be?

[MOSY stares at RB]

MOSY: Are you sure you don’t want to do this week’s photo challenge? I heard they’re offering prizes. [MOSY crosses her fingers behind her back]

RB: REALLY?? Oh, I’d better get right on that! I think I’ve got something from a few years ago that will be perfect!

MOSY: Yes, you’d best get on to that. You’re definitely in the running.

RB: Are you sure you’ll be okay? Will I see you again?

MOSY: Oh, you know me. Always hanging around like a bad smell. Or a bad electronic presence anyway.

RB: But you’ll post something soon, right? I mean, you know that if you don’t post regularly people will stop reading your blog?

MOSY: Right. [MOSY sighs]

Closing scene: The Random Blogger rushes away to trawl through photo archives while MOSY pulls out her laptop, stares at the New Post page for a few minutes, sighs, then puts it away and sticks out her thumb for a lift.

 

 

HOME button Able Theme small