A few people have asked me for my reaction to the Wall Street Journal article by Meghan Cox Gurdon called “Darkness Too Visible.” (Here’s the subhead: “Contemporary fiction for teens is rife with explicit abuse, violence and depravity. Why is this considered a good idea?”) So, here’s my reaction: Seriously? That old complaint again? I don’t have time for this. I have a book to write. *closes tab and gets back to work*
A friend picked me up at the airport the night I returned from Melbourne. When, at an intersection, he (correctly) turned into the right lane, I had a brief moment of terror and cried out. This is more of a freakout than I ever had while I was in Australia and people kept turning into left lanes. I guess I was expecting my instincts to be broken there. Not at home, though! Luckily, I seem to have gotten my “we drive on the right” instincts back, and also, for the most part, my sleep. Though now I am sleeping endlessly instead of not at all, which is okay, seeing as it’s WAY better for me and also more fun.
I have been meaning to link for ages to the Dreamwidth community accessibility_win. This is a community of people with disabilities giving tips for day-to-day accessibility improvements that people might not think to provide otherwise. Anyone with a disability is welcome to post, and anyone can comment. However, please read the rules before diving in.
A thank you I should have extended ages ago: thank you to my Italian readers who voted Fire the winner of the Xanadu prize in the category Terza media (and second place in the category Prima superiore)! I was in Australia when I got the news, and I was very happy. Thank you!
I have been watching Ballykissangel, Series 5. I have my problems with this show, but with the exception of Series 1-3, I do generally find it relaxing. In the last episode I watched, Danny (played by Colin Farrell) called his girlfriend Emma (played by Kate McEnery) and told her to come over quick! It’s an emergency! When she got there, the emergency was that his pig wasn’t acting like herself and kept giving him reproachful looks like it was his fault. I find it calming to watch an extremely young and adorable Colin Farrell fall apart with worry for his pig.