"Dignity... always dignity..."

[chaletian]

How do, chaps. Firstly, what’s with this whole clergy rawring at female bishops? What possible reason could there be for saying women can’t be bishops? Arsemonkeys, say I.

Secondly, I wanted to apologise generally for being totally incommunicative recently and ignoring everyone (except Katie, who doesn’t get that luxury) and being a bit crap. Personally, I blame working in radiology in the evenings and TV. Maybe the other way round, thinking on’t… Anyway, I will try to be better.

Thirdly, my hair is looking particularly splendid today. I will be getting it cut before we go to France, but not short, do not fret. Just a bit of a trim and a shape.

Fourthly, thank you to people for expressing sympathy about Grandma (sorry, that sounds dreadfully stilted!). She was very ill at the end, and I don’t think any of us are hugely weeping-sad, but it’s still woeful. The funeral is next Tuesday. Actually, it will be the first one I’ve ever been to, which is weird. The last person to die in the family (excluding Great Aunt Margaret, whom I didn’t really know that well) was GG (my great-grandmother) when I was 11, and my parents wouldn’t take us to the funeral. Heigh ho, anyway, that’s got nothing to do with anything.

Fifthly, we’re going to see Candide tomorrow, which I’m very excited about!! And next week it’s Hancock at le cinema, ditto. And we saw Major Barbara last week, on a whim, and that was really good. The motto of one of the main characters was “Unashamed”, and Katie and I have adopted it for FT, as it is peculiarly appropriate to our household.

Sixthly (as an addendum), interest has been expressed (OK, by Lorraine, but I want to share) in my newfound comic-reading habits. Thus far I have read Watchmen, V for Vendetta, vols 1&2 of Buffy Season 8, vols 1&2 of Y: The Last Man, vol 1 of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (didn't like it much), vol 1 of Hellboy and Bite Club. They rock.

Comments

[xanantha.livejournal.com]

Obviously my church will not even let women be priests (boo) but I still don't get what the no-women-bishops thing is about. It seems even more stupid to say women can be priests but not bishops than to refuse to have women at all. Mentalness on a stick...

We love you anyway, even when you are hiding and/or being grumpty. And I fully intend to devote some of the summer to stalking you completely. Mwahaha.

Thanks for update on hair front. You know how we all worry about & are preoccupied by it. Yes.

Hope funeral is okay (well, as okay as these things can be). I have drawn the conclusion they are weird-surreal things, not part of the real world at all. But maybe that's just me.

How exciting & cultured. Agh. Must get off bottom & go into town to get "Spartacus" tickets for Pimmy & myself. Hum.

Have you morphed into a teenage boy? (Just thought I should check).... Glad you've found something else to amuse-toi with though...

[katie__pillar.livejournal.com]

Ooh, has Hellboy arrived then? Is there an ape with Hitler's brain or is that from somewhere else?

Actually, I just remembered its name and while linked to Hellboy it seems Brainiape appears in Savage Dragon, which was another one Ross collected and I liked:

BrainiApe takes “high concept” and kicks it into the stratosphere. Try this one on for size: BrainiApe is a super-gorilla with Hitler’s brain. And the brain happens to sit outside the skull in some sort of fishbowl. That, my friends, is probably the greatest idea Erik Larsen ever had. No offense to Mr. Larsen. I’m just saying BrainiApe is brilliant.

First appearing in Savage Dragon #23, BrainiApe started as a super-gorilla crime lord, like all good super-gorilla villains, before it was revealed, in this crossover with Hellboy, that it was really Hitler’s brain in there all along! With mind powers! Ooo. Turns out Hellboy had finally killed Hitler in 1952… or so he thought. Naturally, like with all villains from times past, they saved his brain and put it into a new body. A gorilla’s body.

Like I said… genius. And when BrainiApe was defeated again, Hitler’s brain hopped out and ran away. Later, the gorilla body reappeared with a different brain in it, and naturally, it just wasn’t the same. Nothing can top a gorilla with Hitler’s brain unless it was an albino gorilla with Stalin’s brain, but that would only be really cool if it fought the Hitler-brained gorilla, you see.

Luckily, Hitler regained his gorilla body and lived to fight another day. There was another storyline taking place in an alternate reality where BrainiApe was the Prime Minister of Australia and forces Dragon to fight in the Arena of Death! And Madman was there. Then, that BrainiApe blew up.

I don’t know if he’s appeared since, but dammit, he totally should. Hitler’s brain in a gorilla! C’mon! The idea really speaks for itself. Either you love it or you don’t. Obviously, I love it.

Here’s another cool image by D’Israeli:

[chaletian.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that's a glorious basis for a story...

There wasn't an ape in the story, no. Lots of frogs, though...

[katie__pillar.livejournal.com]

I'd like to collect Savage Dragon too, but there was a LOT of it and it'll probably be difficult to find.

Ooh, now I've got you into this I should take you to a comic fair - they're well fun and you can get loads of random crap for 25p each. Well possibly the prices have gone up in the past 3 years but you get the picture.

[carolynp.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear about your gran, it was expected but is never nice or good.
Women bishops....urgh....if you have women priests then why not women bishops? I have very mixed feelings on the whole issue, but think that on the whole if you ordain women then you should let them do any part of the job, if a person is capable then they are capable regardless of whether they are male or female.

You can't be morphing into a teenage boy though cos you have too many pink things and shopping receipts in your bag!

[chaletian.livejournal.com]

I am a shopaholic. Sad but true. Never happier than when spending money... *shakes head woefully*

[mrs-redboots.livejournal.com]

I found, when it was my grandmothers, that it was sad, even though we wouldn't have wished them back, not for one second. But still - end of an era, and you remember how they were when you were young, and all that.

*Hugs*. Hope the funeral turns out to be okay - they can be, especially if there is a family get-together afterwards to remember and reminisce about the good times.

[keladeekadys.livejournal.com]

Ah, comics :) I miss not having thousands of pounds of council money to spend on graphic novels anymore :( I really should get hold of Buffy Season 8 compilations. And the latest issue of Firefly. Note to self, drag father to FP when in London soon.

I'd like to rec Fables to you, it involves lots of Fairy Tale characters hiding out in our world after being kicked out of Fabletown by...something big and nasty.


Oh, and Neil Gaimans Sandman novels, but I'm very very biased towards those, as it's Neil Gaiman :)

Y: The Last Man I enjoy a lot too...modern day comics need more pushing! :D

[chaletian.livejournal.com]

I think Katie's planning to start me on Sandman.

And all recs gratefully received. I am as a novice in a brave new world...

Buffy season 8 is vee good - and vol 2 has Faith!! Everything's better with a bit of Faith in it...

[keladeekadys.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the world of the comic book geek, I think it's a rather fine one, once you manage to overstep all the bright coloured super hero suits, not that there is anything wrong with them, but there are only so many versions of the X-Men, Spidey and Supes that one person can cope with...

You've always got to have a little Faith, as the lass herself said :) Hmm £7 each on Amazon atm...it's tempting...

[chaletian.livejournal.com]

*sighs* Faith is so cool. It is truly tragic that I don't have a Faith icon. I am a bad, bad fan.

I looked up Fables on Amazon, and it looks quite cool so I might keep an eye out for it.

I wanted to try some X-Men but got very confused at the various types so am planning to try Astonishing X-Men on account of it being Joss...

[katie__pillar.livejournal.com]

See now I'm remembering how much I like Batman and even when being discerning on universes and story arc and the like, there is a LOT of that around. Blooming comic books!

[katie__pillar.livejournal.com]

I've been reading Sandman from the library (nearly finished) and I'm going to reborrow then all so she can read them herself.

[keladeekadys.livejournal.com]

Khorosho!

They are a wonderful story, but green mouse and telephone flavour ice cream still isn't very nice :)

[katherinea.livejournal.com]

Hugs for the funeral and hope it is as good as these things can be. When it was my grandad’s I found it really good to hear about all the stuff he had done, half of which I knew nothing about and it really helped me remember him as a person. Didn’t stop me bawling my eyes, mind you. I hope you find something similar, maybe minus the weeping.

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

I've recently read Fray and Tales of the Slayers, and am about to start on Buffy season 8... I've also read the Serenity: Those Left Behind comic and just found the first issue of the new Serenity series in a charity shop. I can see myself getting really into comics - a scary prospect...

[chaletian.livejournal.com]

Ooh, what's Fray like? It sounds interesting...

[dozydormouse.livejournal.com]

More hugs. I suppose it is a case of being sad for you but not sad for her if you know what I mean.

[ungratefulwench.livejournal.com]

Oooh, some good comics choices there. I approve! Especially of Bite Club <3 Have you tried Fables yet? I'd recommend it pretty wholeheartedly. And Sandman. And 100 Bullets. And now I'll stop...