Good morning...

[fajrdrako]

On Wednesday my nurse Renato looked thoughtfully at the walls of my living room and said, "You must like The Lord of the Rings."

I could hardly deny it.

When he was first here, he did a double-take to see the dragon on top of my harp. "What is it?" he asked.

Today he looked thoughtfully at the Rosemary Spragg relief of "North Portal, Chartres Cathedral" on my wall and asked what it was. Then he looked at my copy of The Rose of Versailles and said, "This is a Japanese book?" I explained - briefly and simply, I hope - what it was.

Then he said, "I've never seen an apartment like yours. I've been to a lot of places, but yours is different."

I hope he meant in a good way.

I don't think he's used to fannishness.

Comments

[mommimus-prime.livejournal.com]

I imagine you have a really cool apartment.

We've had a number of people in to work on various problems (electricity, sewer, storm damage) and I've been getting a lot of "Wow, you must really like Transformers." Plus the kids' friends come in and look around dumbstruck at all the toys and stuff. Still have the plushie Legionnaires on display.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I imagine you have a really cool apartment.

I like to think so! It's very much in my own style, though I'd like to have it much more minimalist, and I've been lying on my sofa trying to think how to make it more so. The many boxes of comic books which fill my cupboards don't help. But I have a few ideas!

Renato has also commented several times on how many books I have. Not the first time I've heard that. He doesn't know about the comic books: they're all out of sight, under the bed, in closets, behind furniture, that sort of thing.

"Wow, you must really like Transformers."

Cute!

Plus the kids' friends come in and look around dumbstruck at all the toys and stuff.

Yeah. Fannish households are the best. I'll never forget visiting Gene Day (who was drawing for Marvel at the time) and being amazed by all the neat toys and action figures and dioraramas he had. And he had a nice old house, a large one, big enough to hold such things.

Still have the plushie Legionnaires on display.

Big happy nostalgic smile!

I still adore those characters but haven't read the comic in... well, in years, except for once when I gave it a try and then wished I hadn't.

[chatona.livejournal.com]

... I kind of had to giggle at this. 'm sure he meant it in a good way, though :D

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm sure he did!

[rose-etta.livejournal.com]

I don't think he's used to fannishness.

Shit, Gurl, you know he ran right home and started burning the sage, shivering in the dark at your evident looniness.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

You think?

[Ponders]

Yup, quite possible.

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

I love that he noticed the Rose of Versailles. I kind of wish he had noticed Eroica... that would have been a fun explanation.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I kind of wish he had noticed Eroica... that would have been a fun explanation.Eroica is on the other side of the room, where I was sleeping - The Rose of Versailles was beside my computer. Right beside my Peter Wingfield sarcophagus!

[abrakadabrah.livejournal.com]

What is the Rose of Versailles? And why would he think it's a Japanese cookbook?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The Rose of Versailles is a manga I really like - one of the first I ever read. I talk about it here (http://fajrdrako.livejournal.com/tag/rose+of+versailles). It's the story of a girl who became captain of the guard at the court of Marie Antoinette - all very swashbuckling and romantic.

It's not a cookbook, just a two-volume manga set. And I'm not sure how Renato noticed right off that it was Japanese - perhaps because the author's name is Riyoko Ikeda? Or because he recognized the manga style of art?

[spherissa.livejournal.com]

Maybe he'll go forth and explore some of this stuff for himself ...

and it's hard to be both minimalist and a collector

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

it's hard to be both minimalist and a collector

Yes. It's an interesting balance!

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Heh. When LSR's husband was receiving hospice care a couple years ago, the various nurses had some interesting reactions to their house; they were both into medieval reenactment, and the house was loaded with weapons, shields, artwork, photos of people in garb, and the like. One lady who reminded me of SNL's Church Lady did a serious double-take when she noticed the greatsword and boar spear propped in the corner, next to the TV set . . . XD I was very glad to be visiting and able to witness that.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Medieval reenactment! Ooh, I envy their house! I do toy from time to time with the idea of decorating my place in a medieval style - and maybe one of these days, I will.

[tudorpot.livejournal.com]

A note-are you getting skilled nursing care- from a Registered Nurse or Registered Practical Nurse? From what you posted about this person bathing you etc, I expect he is not a NURSE, but a personal care worker. It is incorrect for him to be called a nurse.Nowadays there are more ancillary- non-registered workers in hospitals, hospice and homecare.

See my funny icon?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

LOL! Yes, I am speaking loosely - referring to Renato as 'nurse' in the sense of 'he who is taking care of me' - I suppose I should be calling him a p.c.w.

I have come to respect nurse's and p.c.w.s and all those people very much over the past month.

[gillo]

I fear Renato must know some quite dull people.

In our house people always comment on the books. "Have you really read all of them? What, there are more upstairs?"

Where else would you put a dragon, if you have a harp? (And how cool is that?)

It's clearly your mission to educate him.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

In our house people always comment on the books. "Have you really read all of them? What, there are more upstairs?"

Yes, that too! We'd already had the "You have so many books" discussion.

Where else would you put a dragon, if you have a harp? (And how cool is that?)

It's the best place for him - he even matches the gold of the harp. And that's as cool as anything could possible get. (With the possible exception of accessories of Captain Jack Harkness or Spike.)

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

My standard reply to the "Have you read all those books?" question is, "They breed. I haven't been able to figure out how to stop them."

It's been good for a few giggles over the years -- either from both of us if the person has a sense of humor, or from me while I enjoy the expresson on the person's face.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

My standard reply to the "Have you read all those books?" question is, "They breed. I haven't been able to figure out how to stop them."

I'd say that was true, too.

Books do... multiply. However they do it.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

I am firmly convinced that if you leave two hardbacks together overnight, in the morning there'll be a litter of paperbacks. There really is no other explanation that makes any sense.

For some reason mine are worst about it after my yearly trips to Portland, Oregon, and http://www.powells.com. Can't think why...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I had to stop to think whether I've ever been in Powell's. No, I think not. But I've heard much about it and always wanted to go there. I have enough trouble here with a mundane Chapters or two, and amazon.ca at my fingertips.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Powells is one of those places that shouldn't be real. It always reminds me of Pratchett's L-space. No orangutans, though.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I have to go to Powell's one day. It's legendary!

[walkingdaydream.livejournal.com]

Different is good. :)

The walls around here are still sadly bare, but it's only been a week...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm sure time will heal the bareness of empty walls!

[lmondegreen.livejournal.com]

Your apartment is one of my favourite places in the whole world. :-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Aww, bless you for saying that! I love it too.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

He's going to be in for a lot of surprises in the years ahead if he stays in his present line of work. May they all be pleasant ones for him.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I hope so!

[omnivorously.livejournal.com]

You're eccentric! Congratulations!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Ooh, good, I like to be eccentric!

[omnivorously.livejournal.com]

You apartment didn't sound that weird to me, actually. Like, interesting. NOT one of those BORING ones that lack manga, dragons, LotR posters, and some evidence of fictional genderbending. I mean, jeez. XD

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think my apartment is really nice, and interesting too. The problem is that it's small, and I'm in this terrible phase where I want everything to be more minimalist, so I'm working on how to handle it. But I have no intentions of living without manga, dragons, LOTS pictures, and all those other delightful and important things. Absolutely not!

[omnivorously.livejournal.com]

I hate having things around that I don't use all the time, but often I don't quite have the guts to just toss it, even if I'm excavating in my closet and had completely forgotten that I'd ever owned it. But yeah, minimalism, definitely.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I hate having things around that I don't use all the time, but often I don't quite have the guts to just toss it

I have a lot of things like that. I'm hoping to pare them down a lot over the next month.

It's worst with books. I love too many of them, and have too many I haven't read in decades.

[omnivorously.livejournal.com]

Getting rid of books, in particular, seems Wrong, even if they most likely won't get read again any time soon and it would be easy to acquire another copy.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Getting rid of books not only feels wrong, it's next to impossible.

But sometimes necessary.