So what have I been up to?

[stephbg]

Three days of severe it's-an-achievement-to-make-it-to-the-letterbox fatigue, that's what. Breathing's been OK, but rolling over has been a bit of a challenge. Picking up a bit this evening, so tomorrow might be a have-a-shower-without-seriously-thinking-about-the-consequences day. I seem to be developing a pattern of 1-2 good days followed by 4-5 bad days, but since I was reasonably sensible on my last good day maybe this will be a shorter bad stretch. One can but hope.

On the bright side, it's difficult to have an existential crisis when you're unconscious. And while I've often been too weak to get myself water, I've not yet been too weak to get myself to the bathroom. So that's good.

My main self-destructive behaviour of late has been the re-reading of Anne McCaffrey's The Skies of Pern. My only clear recollection of this volume was bitter disappointment, but I find such extreme memories to be untrustworthy. Surely it couldn't have been *that* bad?

Oh my. Yes it could.

One of the great strengths of McCaffrey's writing is its readability. If nothing else, her books just work themselves through without much pain. Mostly. This was awful: it started awful, had a dreadful middle with a peppering of potentially interesting bits, and then it collapsed under the weight of its crushing badness. I had trouble making myself finish it. Even Twilight scored better on that mark. Ugh.

I think the best book tossing moment was dressing The Baddies in black leather.

No, I tell a lie: the best book tossing moment would have been somewhere in the early editorial history of the manuscript. Oh well, contracts must be filled I guess, and there are enough gullible completist idiots in the world to buy anything in the brand, but sheesh.

For the record I own The Skies of Pern in hardcover, but bought at a book clearance place for $10.

Have cheered myself up somewhat by watching my latest DVD purchase, The Private Life of Plants. It stands up very well to multiple viewings. My only complaint was the dearth of special features. I shall have to chase up my video version to see if there's the full-length making-of special and blooper reel that I recall. Attenborough bloopers are very civilised affairs, but terribly amusing indeed.