Paralympics women's doubles medal ceremony:
Esther Vergeer's record is just amazing. I think she's got over 20 slam titles, and a few years ago she topped 400 straight wins. (I know this is late, but a lot of the tennis I'm just watching now.)
Also, there's this. I think they're fantastic, and I wish I'd had anything like that amount of determination when I got home.
Anyway, life goes on. L's told me a little about his case, which is...not good. Some of the cases he works are fairly ordinary, if murder can ever be said to be ordinary, and some, like this, leave me wondering how things like this can happen, how anyone can do these things.
Sherlock asked me what the point of life was today, which was a more complex question than I was expecting to have to answer while making cheese sandwiches on four hours of sleep. I'm afraid I didn't have a satisfactory answer for him.
Esther Vergeer's record is just amazing. I think she's got over 20 slam titles, and a few years ago she topped 400 straight wins. (I know this is late, but a lot of the tennis I'm just watching now.)
Also, there's this. I think they're fantastic, and I wish I'd had anything like that amount of determination when I got home.
Anyway, life goes on. L's told me a little about his case, which is...not good. Some of the cases he works are fairly ordinary, if murder can ever be said to be ordinary, and some, like this, leave me wondering how things like this can happen, how anyone can do these things.
Sherlock asked me what the point of life was today, which was a more complex question than I was expecting to have to answer while making cheese sandwiches on four hours of sleep. I'm afraid I didn't have a satisfactory answer for him.
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I think...murder has a way of becoming ordinary, I mean, like anything you do every day does. Like...you've probably saved hundreds of people's lives, whereas most people will never save one.
but yeah, this one...I mean, I don't think we're looking for a murderer, but by God I hope we find the family soon.
Did Sherlock specify like...our lives? Or life in general for humans? Or just...any life, on Earth or anywhere?
All he asked me was why marmalade without bits in it existed... that was quite easy to answer.
I'll trade you for next time. Although, why does marmalade without bits in exist? That's silly. The bits are the best part.
Life in general for humans. He said someone at school was talking about a video game and how you kill the dragon at the end and then you've won, and he wanted to know why life didn't have something like that, so you know you've won and also so everything wouldn't be so boring. I must admit, dragons probably wouldn't be boring.
I'm sorry that I don't have any answers for you, John--while I obviously don't know the details of Lestrade's current case, there is plenty of that sort of horror to go around, and there's never a good answer for, well, why is there evil. (The answer in Job--"Where were you when I created the world"--is only at all useful if you believe there's a God that can ask that. And even if you do, it's just a starting place, not an answer.)
As for Sherlock's--If you see this in the morning, that's one of the main questions in philosophy, Sherlock, so good on you for getting the jump on a whole discipline. No, I'm not joking--I mean that seriously. It's a really important question, and people think about it (on and off) for their whole lives, and it can have more than one answer. From a purely scientific point of view, the point of life is just to propagate itself, but that seems unsatisfactory to me, since that seems to indicate that it doesn't matter how people act. And while propagation might be a biological urge, it's not much of a point, if you see what I mean.
One answer that works for me is the point of living is to try to act so that the world is a better place when you leave it than when you got here. (Small ways better or large ways, it doesn't matter. Better is better.)
I imagine for the same class of people who dislike marmite, seeds in their jam, the skin of potatoes, and coffee. In other words, people who are Wrong. ;)
Well, if he asks me then I can definitely tell him there are times you feel like you've won. Or at least gone up a level. Once you've had enough 'Sorry, Lestrade, but your princess is in another castle', finding out that actually you should have been searching for an army doctor in a country house all along certainly felt like winning to me.
I love you. I'll definitely tell him to ask you next time.
(Marmite is still horrible though.)
The point of life is to find people to love who love you back, to enjoy and experience as many things as you can, and to leave a mark on those around you that they remember with a smile for as long as they live.
at least it is to me :-)
I hope you've had a resonable evening gentlemen :-)
Thank you for the videos, John. Those are such amazing people.
Marrmalade without bits exists for the sake people who get bits stuck in their teeth or their craw but still like the flavor of marmalade. You know, the people who just cannot swallow oatmeal lumps, no matter how hard they try.
As for the point of life, life isn't pointy -- not the way that kind of videogame is anyway. If there was only one life it might be -- one single narrative. But since there are lots of lives all the stories intersect and pretty soon the points are all mixed up with other points and bendy things and squiggles and, well, it's more like the kind of game where you build a city and fill it up with buildings and people to see what happens. I like both kinds of games, but I must admit that with the straightforward "go up a level" narrative games I don't stay interested as long. Building worlds is much less boring.
rsf
I love you too. (you're still Wrong though, on the Marmite front.)
I feel like... Hah, I don't know... I've never thought life had a point, though. At all, really.
I mean, here we are, and at some point we won't be, and something or someone else will turn up and replace us...no point. No endgame. No final result.
I think perhaps school are worried I may have taken a lot of work on in choosing which exams I'd like to sit early.
I couldn't pick one from Latin and Greek, so I've decided to take both, and Astronomy. I'm sure I can keep up with it all, though.
Ah, yeah, maybe that's it. Do you want to stay until that morning? If you do, that's completely fine, of course, just wanted to check.
I don't think so.
Sometimes I think my Housemaster forgets that I live so close, as most boys don't.
I might wait and check the weather forecast isn't especially good for that night, because my astronomy master puts on extra classes when it is. I hope that won't inconvenience you? I can be up very early if we need to be anywhere at a certain time.
(And John, I really wouldn't mind riding pillion on your bike if Lestrade's hand isn't better.)
Heh - I'm only three-quarters Wrong :-)
What an interesting question, Sherlock. I'm not sure that life is about winning - not in a slay the dragon, win the game, sense, at least. For me, it's much more about trying to leave the world a better place than I found it, and trying to minimise the damage I do along the way. Mind you, I sometimes think that slaying a dragon or two might be easier (although what the poor dragons ever did to warrant slaying as a default response I don't know).
Of course not, it'll be fine either way. Just looking forward to having you back with us, but I wouldn't want you to miss anything important. Everything going all right?
(Ha, I am honoured! We'll see. I hope it'll be healed up by then.)
Yes, everything is fine. I'm a shepherd this year, and my shell boy is called Liam. I just have to show him where things are, mainly.
Tell Lestrade that somebody took that poster and put it up on Mr Middleditch's door. He's the Head of Physics. He got very angry, and said it was puerile. He goes very red when he gets angry, and takes his glasses off and puts them back on again a lot. We counted 24 times during him telling everyone off.
Nobody let slip where it had come from, though. He soon forgot about it because one of the first years was sent in with a message and whoever had sent him was playing a prank so he knocked on the door and said he had a message for Mr Centretrench so he got angry about that instead.
I'm sure you're doing an excellent job looking after Liam.
Heh. I will certainly tell him if he doesn't see it here first. He'll love it. Is 24 a record? Sounds like it ought to be.
You know, in all the years I've been called it, I never knew puerile had an e before the r. Learn something new every day...
The poor man sounds terribly picked on. And like he takes himself way too seriously to survive in a school...
It's the Latin, from puer meaning boy. So a joke in a boys' school will almost always be puerile by definition!
I'd say that I hope someone will tell him that... but it sounds like he might pop a bloodvessel, or stab himself in the eye or something. So perhaps best not to.
Surely someone will tell him next time he brings it up.
May I now drag you off to bed?
Mmm. Little dragging required. Will follow willingly.
Going to chance it tonight and sleep with my hand un-bandaged. Apologies if it gropes you in the night. It's been missing you.
As long as there's not too much gripping and squeezing. With that hand.
i shall try to control it, but I can't promise anything.
Know what'd be nice? Sleep. Be lovely.
I do sudokus when I can't sleep. Just distracting enough I have to think about themc, but boring after a bit so easy to stop and go to sleep.
rsf
Well, that or make up definitions when the captcha is pronounceable. A pienno is like apiano with more fruit filling.
rsf
John - I've just watched the video. I'm transfixed by Tessa Jowell's dress and pink trainers. I found the whole Paralympics to be incredible; truly inspirational, and with the focus very much on sport and ability, not disability.
Mycroft - you don't like to make things too easy for yourself, do you? :-) I think subjects like Latin, Greek and Astronomy are fascinating. I took Latin at school, although I wasn't very good at it, and I've forgotten most of it. But alongside the language, we learnt a lot about the culture, and I've continued to find that fascinating my whole life.
Lestrade - I hope you managed to get some sleep in the end,
Got a bit, here and there. Went to work for a bit. Back with John and Sherlock now, In the blazing sunshine.
I hope you're all out having fun. I had to come to work in a downpour, so I think we may have swapped weather.
Mycroft, you painted a very vivid image of Mr. Middleditch, and it gave me a smile at the end of a long day. Thank you.
rsf
(ps, captcha's doing it to me again... the owthest is the one with the most owth.)
Nameless - I was so amazed by the dress that I didn't even see the trainers. I had to watch it again, and now I don't see how I could've missed them.
We are indeed out. Sherlock is hyperactive. I think he's been sneaking my coffee.
That cartoon about what children live on, i.e. adult human life force, that is so true today.
Mm. Must be your fault, he'd starved if he tried to live off mine at the moment.
Time to find a coffee shop? Also, I have plans to take you out to dinner later if you don't have a pressing engagement with your paperwork.
Yeah, coffee would be good.
And I can stand paperwork up for you. Although I can't promise I'll be the best company ever.
No promises here either, but I thought it might help a bit. We can take your bike.
Thanks for picking it up. And trying to answer all my questions about how it felt to ride.
And sorry for putting Sherlock in an adrenaline high...
The sun has come out here and I wish I were able to be out there enjoying it. Still stuck at work though. Did Sherlock try jumping out of trees again, or has he found a new way to be excited?
rsf
Ah, no, it was my fault. I took him out when John went to get the bike. I'll let him tell you about it tonight maybe, if we're out.
No need to be sorry, just take me along next time. :)
We could go. I should get a day off in the week. Maybe go toKew, if the weather is good.
That would be good.
I always enjoy it when Sherlock tells us about his day. I hope you had fun too. And John had a good ride!
rsf
I did.
And I hope John did. Always worry when he rides my bike that he'll realise he bought the wrong one.
Fighting words... My bike is perfect, thank you very much!
Hah, I'm kidding! It is perfect for you. And it's actually, I think, comfier for the pillion than the rider.
For me, it's a little low, and not as comfy to ride as mine. But I fully admit it's very nice in terms of design, features, power, handling etc.
I don't think I've ridden pillion on it. Which makes sense, I suppose. But I do think it's more comfortable to ride than yours, which is as it should be.
Indeed.
Well, once I've passed Doctor Danger's Squeeze Test I shall reclaim my rightful place on my bike. And leave you to your bike.
You need a good grip for the brakes, less so for a clutch these days.
I do hope that you don't choose anything tender for the grip test just this once!
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