tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post2157958472589988423..comments2023-12-15T01:18:40.855+11:00Comments on Expat@Large: Mr Grumpy Stoned Outexpat@largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01250623536121293636noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-626736082296058082011-05-16T20:00:06.866+10:002011-05-16T20:00:06.866+10:00Medical language at least has the advantage of bei...Medical language at least has the advantage of being precise without being incomprehensible.Isabellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11655215223546267331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-21363188519622490152011-05-16T00:23:13.768+10:002011-05-16T00:23:13.768+10:00Mike: a steonographer might have carpal tunnel syd...Mike: a steonographer might have carpal tunnel sydnrome, a veritable stenosis of the um, carpal tunnel and so the median becomes swollen and entrapped. (You wan't the normal range of median nerve dimensions?)<br /><br />Marke: seriously, writing that was fun but gees it was tough work! Getting all those sub-clauses and phrases to scan correctly... Part of the problem was I'd keep going back and adding more or correcting the tense and soon enough, my god, it was all swimming before my eyes... Took just over 4 hrs to write. <br /><br />There's also a fair bit of Beckett's fiction in there (I adore Murphy, Watt, the early short stories), at least I think there is, or maybe it's become so submerged an influence that it is more a reef influencing the waves above than an earthquake and tsunami combo. Stylisticially.expat@largehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01250623536121293636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-66556591364392983892011-05-15T12:42:59.445+10:002011-05-15T12:42:59.445+10:00Funny to see others giving a serious "review&...Funny to see others giving a serious "review" ... as I also just jumped in here to say "I loved that "voice"" ... (AND I was intending to use those words exactly... but I see Tom has commented on a "new voice") ... <br /><br />...this writing is uniquely "expat" - and good... book please.<br /><br />Well ... that my two cents worth, but certainly worth far less ...markehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06387629308058823374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-90131416964613862052011-05-15T11:34:27.048+10:002011-05-15T11:34:27.048+10:00Stenosis- sounds like a side effect of being a ste...Stenosis- sounds like a side effect of being a stenographer.Michael McClunghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14708067144914238641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-56593257108517794612011-05-14T18:50:53.335+10:002011-05-14T18:50:53.335+10:00Stenosis is a good word unless you have one in you...Stenosis is a good word unless you have one in your coronary arteries.<br /><br />Yes, I do leverage my medical vocabulary to upset you! Just not often enough!<br /><br />~~~~~~<br /><br />Thanks for resending those comments.expat@largehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01250623536121293636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-40484287977853940462011-05-14T14:44:13.832+10:002011-05-14T14:44:13.832+10:00this was one of your comments:
Mike: yes I notice...this was one of your comments:<br /><br />Mike: yes I noticed that just last night reading some draft of something or other. Anti-DFW, fortunately for the rest of humanity, does not mean not funny or smart.<br /><br />Words are all (mostly) in the dictionary, it's just the arrangement that's tough. <br /><br />I still crack the shits if someone maligns The Mouse, as happened at dinner tonight. <br /><br />She: "*They* all do that!" i.e. claim to be in trouble with the family... <br />Me: "I am sorry but I don't stereotype or generalize in that way. *Editha* is a person I know, and love, and I know and love her family; she is not part of any *they*..." (and has more, honesty, kindness and goodness in her little finger than you do in your entire body let alone that great fat (chinese)arse...) <br /><br />Me, stereotype and generalize? Never!<br /><br />Knobby: (I forgot what I was about to say after that; a severe case of cognitive insolence.) Ah yes. Well, let's talk finance and see how long you stick within the vocabulary of Shakespeare. Or me.knobbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14096864684038570932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-31725800231610203322011-05-14T14:42:14.843+10:002011-05-14T14:42:14.843+10:00That's not fair! I was referring to your use o...That's not fair! I was referring to your use of medical terminology to describe pedestrians :p <br /> <br />I cringe too when I hear people use words like "leverage" in normal conversation, as in, "he leverages his big fat wallet to pick up SPGs". But even that has the minor redeeming virtue of being understandable. Who da hell knows what "stenosis" is without Googling it!knobbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14096864684038570932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-82565542777864520332011-05-14T05:21:16.191+10:002011-05-14T05:21:16.191+10:00Knobby said:
using medical terminology pretending...Knobby said:<br /><br />using medical terminology pretending to be english is just cheating. <br /><br />Kexpat@largehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01250623536121293636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-60622803267180607302011-05-14T05:20:33.069+10:002011-05-14T05:20:33.069+10:00From Mike:
1) I am the anti-DFW
2)You use all th...From Mike:<br /><br />1) I am the anti-DFW<br /><br />2)You use all these words like they're free and unlimited in quantity.<br /><br />3)I am glad that your grump is in a slump. And sorry that you have to pay an exorbitant amount to make it so.<br /><br />4)my word verification is 'mandik'. Is there some other kind? <br /><br />MMexpat@largehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01250623536121293636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-19157992465555230992011-05-14T05:19:17.492+10:002011-05-14T05:19:17.492+10:00From Me:
Apologies to my beloved readers for the ...From Me:<br /><br />Apologies to my beloved readers for the "irregardless" blunder, my only excuse being it was 1am at the time of typing and the weather fine. <br /><br />And only Tom would a) take the time to read that piece and take it semi-seriously enough to make detailed and passionate (if misguided comments) and b), refer to a). <br /><br />The lack of an early mention of Lamotrigine is due, again it being 1am and I didn't really think it necessary as the post was structured in such a way as to create a situation of disturbing conflict - Mr Grumpy, nice? - the then resolve that conflict with the explanation. Beginning, middle and end, in that order for once.<br /><br />In regards the detailed analysis of the drug, I lazily (yes, I admit it) merely provided a link to the dubiously accurate Wikipedia, as it was 1 am.<br /><br />In regards any resemblance to the style of DFW, I plead insanity. I have been aware of a regrettable dissolution of the E@L style into something of a Hemingwayesque minimalistic journalistic reportage of late ("I went to the supermarket. They did not have tamarind paste. There was a crowd. I am on drugs."), and after browsing through some Tim Parks (Europa), who does the digression and rambling thing quite well, and channeling a tad Nicholson Baker obsessiveness over minutiae, with merely the multi-sub clause withing parenthetic sub-clause of the early DFW, whom I haven't read as much of as you assume - OK the first chapter of IJ, I admit) as I feel the use of footnotes is a distraction and too easy on the reader who should work hard in my opinion as it is damn hard to write that way, and if one goes as far as footnotes to footnotes, then there is more than a touch of parodiical (new word - or should it be parodyical?) "Infinite Jest" adoration not to mention an enormous ejaculate of pretentious wanking (which some people are guilty of, present company for example). <br /><br />Yes, I am rather fond of the 'ambulationary stenosis' phrase. What a wanker, eh? <br /><br />E@Lexpat@largehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01250623536121293636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-85120115680902302432011-05-14T05:18:29.743+10:002011-05-14T05:18:29.743+10:00From Tom:
Half way through the second para I wond...From Tom:<br /><br />Half way through the second para I wondered whether you were channeling David Foster Wallace. Then, just after "ambulationary stenosis" had almost convinced me, you used the (alleged) word "irregardless", which DFW would never use (thought I, the commentator here) without an explicit desire to indicate to the reader (being, presumably, me in this instance, which now puts myself in the tenuous position of referring to myself both in the first and third person) that the Authorial Voice is confused to the point of incoherence (as I've pretty much established here for myself). Which, whilst definitely possible, I would have thought would be foreshadowed by one or both of an earlier mention of Lamotrigine (plus obsessively detailed clinical notes on its mode of prescription and possible side-effects)(1), or some other slight personal failing of The Author that would lead us to mistrust him, or at least his viewpoint and his capability to render it brutally honestly(2).<br /><br />The lack of footnotes is leading me (3) to question whether this is in fact a pseudo-Rashomon-like untrustworthy-narrator piece that DFW might have (ahem) tossed off one rainy afternoon; a piece of belle-lettre-istic blogtagsm such as The Author (2) is known to (ahem again) toss off; or perhaps even a New Voice, harking back simultaneously to the Author's voice of the Octets of Brief Interviews With Hideous Men and the obsessed-but-happy stoner of the first chapter of Infinite Jest. <br /><br />1: q.v. too many parts of Infinite Jest to list here<br /><br />2: q.v. basically the whole of DFW's oeuvre, but especially the bits where he talks directly to the reader in footnotes while the Authorial Voice(*) carries on talking about the actual process of writing whatever we've presumably paid to be reading(**)<br /><br />3: Both as Reader and as Commentator, since you ask <br /><br />4: As We Know Him Well<br /><br />*: Intended to mean DFW's not E@L's here, although I'm now all to aware that this is a footnote on a footnote, and hence it applies equally here<br /><br />**: With the caveat that you're(‡) getting exactly what you paid for<br /><br />‡: "You", here, meaning anybody who gets to the footnote on a footnote on a footnote <br /><br />Tomexpat@largehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01250623536121293636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-77947784942722358552011-05-14T05:07:30.815+10:002011-05-14T05:07:30.815+10:00Not sure what happened here... This post seems to ...Not sure what happened here... This post seems to have dropped off the end of the world for 24 hrs for some reason (maybe those bottles of red on Thursday night?) Lost some great comments by Tom - damn!!!<br /><br />DAMN! Must be something to do with Blogger fucking around yesterday with some alleged upgrades as I was commenting when it when it went down...expat@largehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01250623536121293636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-82424337232292048242011-05-13T02:01:28.794+10:002011-05-13T02:01:28.794+10:00Mike: yes I noticed that just last night reading s...Mike: yes I noticed that just last night reading some draft of something or other. Anti-DFW, fortunately for the rest of humanity, does not mean not funny or smart.<br /><br />Words are all (mostly) in the dictionary, it's just the arrangement that's tough. <br /><br />I still crack the shits if someone maligns The Mouse, as happened at dinner tonight. <br /><br />She: "*They* all do that!" i.e. claim to be in trouble with the family... <br />Me: "I am sorry but I don't stereotype or generalize in that way. *Editha* is a <i>person</i> I know, and love, and I know and love her family; she is not part of any *they*..." (and has more, honesty, kindness and goodness in her little finger than you do in your entire body let alone that great fat (chinese)arse...) <br /><br />Me, stereotype and generalize? Never!<br /><br />Knobby: (I forgot what I was about to say after that; a severe case of cognitive insolence.) Ah yes. Well, let's talk finance and see how long you stick within the vocabulary of Shakespeare. Or me.expat@largehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01250623536121293636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-39729183958466900322011-05-13T01:28:17.228+10:002011-05-13T01:28:17.228+10:00using medical terminology pretending to be english...using medical terminology pretending to be english is just cheating.knobbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14096864684038570932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-51618123485944907292011-05-13T00:21:28.685+10:002011-05-13T00:21:28.685+10:001) I am the anti-DFW
2)You use all these words li...1) I am the anti-DFW<br /><br />2)You use all these words like they're free and unlimited in quantity.<br /><br />3)I am glad that your grump is in a slump. And sorry that you have to pay an exorbitant amount to make it so.<br /><br />4)my word verification is 'mandik'. Is there some other kind?Michael McClunghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14708067144914238641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-71234565062584860042011-05-12T11:38:18.783+10:002011-05-12T11:38:18.783+10:00Apologies to my beloved readers for the "irre...Apologies to my beloved readers for the "irregardless" blunder, my only excuse being it was 1am at the time of typing and the weather fine. <br /><br />And only Tom would a) take the time to read that piece and take it semi-seriously enough to make detailed and passionate (if misguided comments) and b), refer to a). <br /><br />The lack of an early mention of Lamotrigine is due, again it being 1am and I didn't really think it necessary as the post was structured in such a way as to create a situation of disturbing conflict - Mr Grumpy, nice? - the then resolve that conflict with the explanation. Beginning, middle and end, in that order for once.<br /><br />In regards the detailed analysis of the drug, I lazily (yes, I admit it) merely provided a link to the dubiously accurate Wikipedia, as it was 1 am.<br /><br />In regards any resemblance to the style of DFW, I plead insanity. I have been aware of a regrettable dissolution of the E@L style into something of a Hemingwayesque minimalistic journalistic reportage of late ("I went to the supermarket. They did not have tamarind paste. There was a crowd. I am on drugs."), and after browsing through some Tim Parks (Europa), who does the digression and rambling thing quite well, and channeling a tad Nicholson Baker obsessiveness over minutiae, with merely the multi-sub clause withing parenthetic sub-clause of the early DFW, whom I haven't read as much of as you assume - OK the first chapter of IJ, I admit) as I feel the use of footnotes is a distraction and too easy on the reader who should work hard in my opinion as it is damn hard to write that way, and if one goes as far as footnotes to footnotes, then there is more than a touch of parodiical (new word - or should it be parodyical?) "Infinite Jest" adoration not to mention an enormous ejaculate of pretentious wanking (which some people are guilty of, present company for example). <br /><br />Yes, I am rather fond of the 'ambulationary stenosis' phrase. What a wanker, eh?expat@largehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01250623536121293636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26717801.post-67672287349508442002011-05-12T04:17:25.963+10:002011-05-12T04:17:25.963+10:00Half way through the second para I wondered whethe...Half way through the second para I wondered whether you were channeling David Foster Wallace. Then, just after "ambulationary stenosis" had almost convinced me, you used the (alleged) word "irregardless", which DFW would never use (thought I, the commentator here) without an explicit desire to indicate to the reader (being, presumably, me in this instance, which now puts myself in the tenuous position of referring to myself both in the first and third person) that the Authorial Voice is confused to the point of incoherence (as I've pretty much established here for myself). Which, whilst definitely possible, I would have thought would be foreshadowed by one or both of an earlier mention of Lamotrigine (plus obsessively detailed clinical notes on its mode of prescription and possible side-effects)(1), or some other slight personal failing of The Author that would lead us to mistrust him, or at least his viewpoint and his capability to render it brutally honestly(2).<br /><br />The lack of footnotes is leading me (3) to question whether this is in fact a pseudo-Rashomon-like untrustworthy-narrator piece that DFW might have (ahem) tossed off one rainy afternoon; a piece of belle-lettre-istic blogtagsm such as The Author (2) is known to (ahem again) toss off; or perhaps even a New Voice, harking back simultaneously to the Author's voice of the Octets of Brief Interviews With Hideous Men and the obsessed-but-happy stoner of the first chapter of Infinite Jest. <br /><br />1: q.v. too many parts of Infinite Jest to list here<br /><br />2: q.v. basically the whole of DFW's <i>oeuvre</i>, but especially the bits where he talks directly to the reader in footnotes while the Authorial Voice(*) carries on talking about the actual process of writing whatever we've presumably paid to be reading(**)<br /><br />3: Both as Reader and as Commentator, since you ask <br /><br />4: As We Know Him Well<br /><br />*: Intended to mean DFW's not E@L's here, although I'm now all to aware that this is a footnote on a footnote, and hence it applies equally here<br /><br />**: With the caveat that you're(‡) getting exactly what you paid for<br /><br />‡: "You", here, meaning anybody who gets to the footnote on a footnote on a footnoteTomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14202479995274287665noreply@blogger.com