Life

Bedside Manner

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I shared this on my eljay the other day, and thought some Hoydenizens might appreciate it. ‘Tis a conversation I had with my son, known online as The Lad, the other day after school. I wish I could adequately communicate the tone of voice and the flourishes.

“Hi. I’m Doctor Lad.”

“Hi, Doctor.”

“I’m going to have to take an X-ray. Zzht. zzp, zzp, zht. Ohhhhh.” [serious look]

Friday Hoyden: who’s your hoyden?

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And when were you last hoydenish?

Open nomination thread for your favourite hoydens: any woman with a whiff of unconventionality about her!

Yes, stay-at home mums absolutely do count: there’s nothing to stop us being audacious, exuberant, and boisterous in our mothering. And you can count yourself, too, if you’ve done anything particularly hoydenish lately. Here’s me:

Whoydensday: Old vs New, strengths and weaknesses

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As part of an excellent essay on the role of the Nostalgia Factor in the Russell T. Davies (RTD) era of Doctor Who, Iain Clark makes many excellent points about both the new and the old series of Who, why Sarah Jane Smith was really the only choice as a returning former-companion for the new generation of Who-watchers, and the differing emphasis paid to character vs story in each.

Clark is writing what purports to be merely a review of the one episode of the second RTD season, yet by the end he’s engaging in an analysis of the entire Rose Tyler era in counterpoint to what we see of the characters in School Reunion.

From the reading pile: Barrayar (contains spoilers)

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I’m enjoying “Barrayar” right now, from Lois McMaster Bujold, and I thought I’d share an excerpt. Bujold is a keen observer of human interactions, and readers with complicated medical problems might relate to some of this.

Commander Cordelia Naismith (also known as Lady Vorkosigan), a former Betan military commander, is in a doctor’s office on Barrayar. She is being checked out after a series of traumatic experiences.