Dog Days, continued
Jul. 20th, 2004 10:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stoutfellowYesterday was Murphy's turn to be poked and prodded. The vet was rather pleased with his condition, for an eleven-year-old dog; he has cataracts starting to form and his teeth definitely need work, but his weight's good and he hasn't developed the hip trouble that aging bassets often have. (The fact that he's half coonhound probably helps; I don't imagine there's been much inbreeding pressure in those breeds.) So it's all good; I'll probably be taking him in for his dental work next week. Ben gets his teeth done Thursday. (The vet gave me antibiotics to give to Ben for two or three days before the dental work. The instructions say two pills daily. They gave me about two dozen pills. Right: two a day for two or three days, that's two dozen. Sigh.)
I finished Monte Cristo a couple of days ago, and am now reading a collection of Wodehouse's Jeeves-and-Bertie short stories. Wodehouse is always fun. It's odd, though; I actually like his Leave It to Psmith rather better than the Jeeves stories. I have to admit, though, that Psmith is actually a fairly straight screwball comedy; it doesn't really display the features that make Wodehouse Wodehouse. One thing puzzles me. He claims, in the preface to Psmith, that Beach, the butler, was a precursor of Jeeves. Other than that they're both butlers, I really don't see much resemblance between the two; Beach is more the victim of manipulation than its instigator, and doesn't have Jeeves' general air of competence. Whatever; it's a fun read.
I finished Monte Cristo a couple of days ago, and am now reading a collection of Wodehouse's Jeeves-and-Bertie short stories. Wodehouse is always fun. It's odd, though; I actually like his Leave It to Psmith rather better than the Jeeves stories. I have to admit, though, that Psmith is actually a fairly straight screwball comedy; it doesn't really display the features that make Wodehouse Wodehouse. One thing puzzles me. He claims, in the preface to Psmith, that Beach, the butler, was a precursor of Jeeves. Other than that they're both butlers, I really don't see much resemblance between the two; Beach is more the victim of manipulation than its instigator, and doesn't have Jeeves' general air of competence. Whatever; it's a fun read.
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Date: 2004-07-20 10:02 am (UTC)Re Wodehouse: it's odd that, despite my love of humor, I've never been able to see it in either of the series you wrote about. My stepsisters and their now-deceased father had all kinds of in jokes, read and reread their Wodehouse books. I tried; I really did. But I just could not get into the stories. But then, I *hate* the Three Stooges and never enjoyed Charlie Chaplin. So, I may be somewhat humor impaired, after all (g).
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Date: 2004-07-20 02:54 pm (UTC)Chaplin, now... this could be a sign of a deeper disorder.
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Date: 2004-07-21 08:59 am (UTC)On the Chaplin subject, [oh, this is so sad! (g)] there is a chaplain at the hospital named Charles; he's the nicest, kindest guy, but every time I see him, I have to bite the inside of my lip, so I don't grin at him for no reason...at Halloween, he put on a fake mustache, added a bowler...he *was* Charlie Chaplain. Now, I can't see him as anything else. I'm sure I'm not the only one he had that effect on!
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Date: 2004-07-21 12:39 am (UTC)I'm not that fond of that kind of humor either!
It may be part of that same thing that we both aren't into practical jokes.
We must be missing the same part of the set of humor genes!!
:-)
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Date: 2004-07-21 08:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-21 09:07 am (UTC)Why fear? We must have something extra instead!! :-P
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Date: 2004-07-21 09:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-22 01:16 am (UTC)Thanks!
I think we must have an overabundance of silliness! :-)
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Date: 2004-07-21 08:21 pm (UTC)hornedhopper, if reading Wodehouse doesn't waft your raft, have you tried the videos? I haven't read any Wodehouse yet, but the videos were a total hoot. Give them a try.