The Old Curiosity Club discussion
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Please Introduce Yourself
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Kim, don't worry too much about the rain. Snow and rain are, basically, the same thing ;-)
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Yep. Just like grape juice and wine are. So just have some grape juice next time you go out for a fancy dinner and call it good.
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Welcome Lindsay. I always like looking back at what people have said, and sometimes I go and reread a bit as I hadn't noticed a detail someone else did. So I don't think it matters a bit that you're ahead :)
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Glad you found us. But I hope you can share some thoughts of your own from time to time as well as enjoying those of others!
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Hello, everyone! I'm Cindy, and like Lindsay, I was a member of the other group. I came to the party late and was nosing around the threads when I noticed that the discussion appeared to have dropped off a cliff! I did some sleuthing and ended up here. In concordance with what appears to be a prerequisite, I'm a high school English teacher. I adore Dickens (love is not a strong enough word), but have only read a few of his many works. I've been married to Brian for 32 years, and while he's not a reader per se (he limits himself to computer books), he's the next best thing--he supports and enables my book habit! We are both born and raised Texans. We have two beautiful kids, both grown and moved to the other side of the country, which I'm trying not to take personally. I spend way too much of my reading time immersed in badly-written student essays and lamenting the growing illiteracy of the modern youth. Dickens is balm to my lacerated soul!
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I hope you enjoy our discussions and look forward to hearing from you too.
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Welcome to the Old Curiosity Club! I am glad you found us and hope you will find interest in reading and joining in our discussions, which range from Dickens to bathroom equipment and are therefore a genuine reflection of life as such.
As to lacerated souls, I know exactly what you mean - but mostly only that part of my soul that is responsible for spelling and text structure is lacerated by my students' efforts :-) A bigger part of my soul is responsible for the appreciation of Dickens's writings ... that's why I am here.
It's lovely to see you here Cindy! A warm welcome from me too :)
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Coming to think of it, we hardly talk about Christmas here. I think that should be changed. :-)
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275 days, 7 hours, 45 minutes, 33 seconds until we get there. 32 seconds, 31, 30, 29.......
Thanks so much for the warm welcome! I will try to get caught up and on board with the GE discussion. At my advanced age, I believe I can probably think of something to say on the topic of bathroom fixtures, or any other mundane issue. I can't promise it will be interesting or even accurate, but I'll probably throw my two cents worth in! Just FYI . . . I love Christmas, too!! I did not have the days numbered, Kim, but I agree that it is the best time of the year.
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Welcome to the group, Cindy! I am also trying to get caught up on the GE discussion board, but "life" keeps getting in the way of my computer time. I also need to get caught up on the bathroom fixture discussions.... :)
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Glad you managed to research your way to this site! (I'm sure as an English teacher you'll appreciate my adopting "research" as a verb!)
"I spend way too much of my reading time immersed in badly-written student essays and lamenting the growing illiteracy of the modern youth."
Gee, I was doing exactly the same thing nearly 50 years ago! (I faced my first class of English students in September, 1967. Long before over half the people in the country today were even born.) But at least in those days my students had to do real research in real books; no just looking things up in Wikipedia. And I didn't have to deal with TwitterSpeak or confiscate cell phones in class.
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I've decided that every time a certain person posts something about that day, I'm going to post something about the much more important and delicious holiday National Hot Chocolate Day.
BTW, did you know that there is both a National Hot Chocolate Day (January 31st) AND a National Cocoa Day (December 13)? There's your Hot Chocolate factoid for the day, in response to your mention of The Holiday Which Must Not Be Named.
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Did you know that chocolate is the 3rd most traded commodity in the world? 1st is oil, 2nd is coffee.
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Did you know that modern toilets place the colon in the wrong position for ideal elimination?
Everyman wrote: "BTW, did you know that there is both a National Hot Chocolate Day (January 31st) AND a National Cocoa Day (December 13)?"I somehow came upon the fact that today is World Whisky Day...
https://foodimentary.com/2017/03/27/m...
But then I also found this...
https://www.worldwhiskyday.com/when-w...
I think you must all have put a curse on our bathroom fixtures. The pipe under the bathroom washbasin has just snapped through. It was only put in a few months ago :( And how come we discover this just after midnight?
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And how come we discover thi..."
Oh dear. Some workman has something to answer for.
But at least it didn't happen on a Friday night when no plumbers were working until Monday.
Jean wrote: "I think you must all have put a curse on our bathroom fixtures. The pipe under the bathroom washbasin has just snapped through. It was only put in a few months ago :( And how come we discover this just after midnight? ..."
So sorry to hear that, Jean! It's all part of Murphy's law. It's the same principle that caused the nasty stomach virus my kids had picked up to always reveal itself at three in the morning instead of a more civilized hour, when prescription medicine would have been easily procurable. Hope it's a quick fix.
True. I can remember that last time a plumbing disaster happened, it was on a Friday evening actually! At least we have a plumber coming this afternoon but I suspect the job won't be done then as "a part needs to be ordered" or something. I do dislike the modern wasteful way where a whole contraption has to be junked, rather than replacing one little bit... :(
Everyman wrote: "Cindy wrote: "At my advanced age, I believe I can probably think of something to say on the topic of bathroom fixtures."Did you know that modern toilets place the colon in the wrong position for ..."
Yesterday I was looking at an article on that Dickens house that's on the market. Along the bottom of the photo of his study was an ad for toilet fixtures. Oh, how I wish I'd reacted quickly enough to
take a screen shot to share with you! Regrettably, it scrolled to something different before I thought of it. But really... what are the odds?! :-)
LOL! The ghost of Dickens having a joke with us perhaps?
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I've decided that every time a certain person posts something about that day, I'm going to post something about th..."
You can blame yourself for this one:
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And how come we discover thi..."
Your experience reminded me of something Dickens wrote, it took me awhile to find it but here it is:
To Mr. Henry Austin, architect and artist married Dickens sister Letitia.]
BROADSTAIRS, _Sunday, September 7th, 1851._
MY DEAR HENRY,
"I am in that state of mind which you may (once) have seen described in the newspapers as "bordering on distraction;" the house given up to me, the fine weather going on (soon to break, I daresay), the painting season oozing away, my new book waiting to be born, and
NO WORKMEN ON THE PREMISES,
along of my not hearing from you!! I have torn all my hair off, and constantly beat my unoffending family. Wild notions have occurred to me of sending in my own plumber to do the drains. Then I remember that you have probably written to prepare _your_ man, and restrain my audacious hand. Then Stone presents himself, with a most exasperatingly mysterious visage, and says that a rat has appeared in the kitchen, and it's his opinion (Stone's, not the rat's) that the drains want "compo-ing;" for the use of which explicit language I could fell him without remorse. In my horrible desire to "compo" everything, the very postman becomes my enemy because he brings no letter from you; and, in short, I don't see what's to become of me unless I hear from you to-morrow, which I have not the least expectation of doing.
Going over the house again, I have materially altered the plans--abandoned conservatory and front balcony--decided to make Stone's painting-room the drawing-room (it is nearly six inches higher than the room below), to carry the entrance passage right through the house to a back door leading to the garden, and to reduce the once intended drawing-room--now school-room--to a manageable size, making a door of communication between the new drawing-room and the study. Curtains and carpets, on a scale of awful splendour and magnitude, are already in preparation, and still--still--
NO WORKMEN ON THE PREMISES.
To pursue this theme is madness. Where are you? When are you coming home? Where is the man who is to do the work? Does he know that an army of artificers must be turned in at once, and the whole thing finished out of hand? O rescue me from my present condition. Come up to the scratch, I entreat and implore you!
I send this to Laetitia to forward,
Being, as you well know why,
Completely floored by N. W., I
_Sleep_.
I hope you may be able to read this. My state of mind does not admit of coherence."
Ever affectionately.
C.D.
P.S.--NO WORKMEN ON THE PREMISES!
Ha! ha! ha! (I am laughing demoniacally.)
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And how come we..."
First, my sympathy to Jean as she awaits a resolution and a service person.
Kim. What a perfect letter for all Dickensians who have been at the mercy of an invisible tradesperson. We should all post this somewhere in our homes to remind us that even Boz was made to wait for help and repairs.
:D I know how how he feels ...
Well it seemed to do the trick, posting on here! Not only did we receive a visit in record time, but the plumber just replaced the plug and pipework instead of "waiting for a part" for a week or more, and replacing the entire tap system like last time :) There's a redundant bit now, but as long as it works I'm fine with it!
I keep forgetting that Dickens had a sister named Letitia. It's a name that's been in my family for 7 of the last 8 generations, dating back to 1732. It belonged to my mother, sister, and currently my daughter (much to her chagrin!), who goes by her middle name. I'm afraid the Letitias might stop with her, which would be both a shame and a blessing, but mostly a shame, I think. I've been putting off mentioning it, but will now announce that my other daughter is pregnant again! We pray all will go well with this pregnancy -- she's at about 13 weeks now, due in late September. I hope that if they have a girl, they'll at least give her Letitia as a middle name -- a tradition nearly 300 years old should not be tossed away too easily! Regrettably, the Dickens connection (tenuous though it may be) will not sway their decision.
I should point out that when my daughter and her husband got a cat, I suggested they name him Noddy Boffin. Instead, they stuck with the name the rescue group had given him - Irvin. If they chose Irvin over Noddy Boffin, what hope does my future grandchild have? :-)
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You could explain that if the name Letitia is not found somewhere in the next generation's birth records there will be world-wide sorrow and suffering and Dickensians will have a group moan that will be ghastly to hear.
Just a thought. :-))
Everyman wrote: "And I didn't have to deal with TwitterSpeak or confiscate cell phones in class...."Consider yourself lucky! Cell phones have completely altered the classroom, and not in a good way. The glass half-full viewpoint is that we can now incorporate technology to engage students and deepen the discussions; the truth is, not all kids have service, and not every kid you see on his phone is actually participating in the work. I project the information for my students to join my Remind group (a messaging website), and all my students are busily typing on their phones. I check my account, and eight students have joined! The rest just saw an opportunity to be on their phones without a hassle. It has enabled cheating to an insane degree, also--and don't even get me started on the paperless classroom!
Okay, enough ranting. I'll just take deep breaths and say "Serenity now" for awhile, and I'll be alright. :)
Everyman wrote: "Did you know that modern toilets place the colon in the wrong position for ideal elimination?..."No, but I find the fact that toilets have an actual part called the colon to be absolutely delightful!
Kim wrote: "Your experience reminded me of something Dickens wrote, it took me awhile to find it but here it is:To Mr. Henry Austin, architect and artist married Dickens sister Letitia.]
BROADSTAIRS, _Sunday, September 7th, 1851._
MY DEAR HENRY,..."
This is priceless! Some problems are just timeless, aren't they? Why, oh why, can't people express themselves in this fashion today? I mean, you can, but no one knows what you're saying!
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The chance not to be relentlessly teased and bullied at school. :)
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No, but I find the fact that toilets have an actual part called the colon to be a..."
No, no. YOUR colon. The way the modern toilet makes you sit puts your colon in the wrong position for proper elimination.
And that's all I'm going to say about it. If Kim wants to find an illustration of the right way to do your number two, she's welcome to. I'm out-a-here.
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Or you could say that any family member who has one or more daughters none of whom are named Letitia will not be mentioned in your will. Money is the greatest motivator, after all!
Everyman wrote: "Cindy wrote: "Everyman wrote: "Did you know that modern toilets place the colon in the wrong position for ideal elimination?..."No, no. YOUR colon..."
Oops! Never mind!
Mary Lou wrote: "I've been putting off mentioning it, but will now announce that my other daughter is pregnant again!"Congratulations to your daughter Mary Lou, whatever the bairn is eventually named. I have sometimes mentioned to young parents that their beloved daughter they want to name dinky blossom cute-lips (or whatever) may choose to be a hunky lorry driver when adult ...
The Old Curiosity Club
Books mentioned in this topic
A Christmas Carol (other topics)A Christmas Carol (other topics)
The Pickwick Papers (other topics)
The Pickwick Papers (other topics)
Bleak House (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Charles Dickens (other topics)Bryan Kozlowski (other topics)
Thomas Hardy (other topics)
Thomas Hardy (other topics)
Wow, I just looked out the window and saw.....rain, the same thing I've been seeing out the window all winter. :-(
Welcome all, think snow!