Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Amy, our sons' rocking horse was called Bucephalus (well we did live in Pakistan). The younger one has always been fascinated by ancient history and mythology. I'm sure they were both into such things by the age of three.

@Eruresto (it is Josh, yes?): I wouldn't call myself a Tolkeinite. I've read LOTR, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion and The Children of Huirn, and I do know a lot of trivia, but it's not my literary forte. I'm more of a Daphne du Maurier sort of person, though I do enjoy Orwell and Hardy at times, despite their vast differences.

I do love Tom Bombadil and Goldenberry. I never fail to be amused by the idea of her turning into a bear...

YAY! No more rugby!

You seem very interested in classical culture. You'd have to to learn Hebrew and Greek. My knowledge of the classical civilisations stretches only to mythology and what I've seen in the British Museum.

Oh, and yes, that is a variation on Tolkein in my signature. I think the rest of it was...

One scone (extra clotted cream, hold the jam) to rule them all,
One scone (extra clotted cream, hold the jam) to bind them.
One scone (extra clotted cream, hold the jam) to bring them all,
And on the Royal Doulton bind them.
In the land of Dorset where the teahouse lies...

@Alan: Yes, quite. Juilliard does have a reputation as being one of the best. I do think that I'd prefer RCM though. When I visited it was very inspiring, and didn't seem so competitive, unlike RAM and Juilliard.

@sejintenej: Unfortunately I do not possess the same wit as Paul Merton, but I did manage to roll off some reasonable answers in my CH interview.

JohnAsh wrote:@Eruresto (it is Josh, yes?): I wouldn't call myself a Tolkeinite. I've read LOTR, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion and The Children of Huirn, and I do know a lot of trivia...

Yeah, you make the grade. Tolkienite you are. Just to reach CoH and Sill-level counts. Congratulations.

Oh, and Idgie: What's your painting skill like?

Well, my apologies regarding history...

I always liked Medieval History, just 4 of us in the class and being taught by Big Pete and Dr Wines it made for relaxed lessons...

I can't understand the thrill of Warhammer... (again I shouldn't admit this but...) I was a member of the Model Railway Club whilst at CH - I can understand building models that look like something real but...

I think my preferred magical world would have to be Discworld...

Matt, Discworld's good enough for me.

And the thrill of it is scaring you opponent with whispers of "bet you can't take him down, he's indestructible" about your chaplain on a bike. They then proceed to fire their biggest guns at him, and he laughs, because no matter how how big the gun, it'll take a 1 on a D6 (2+ invun for those in the know) even to wound him. So panicked are they that they don't think to overwhelm him with hundreds of piddly armour saves (still 2+) and thus make him fail a few, and before you know it he crashes into their lines with a cry of glee from me.

Then there's the thrill of filling your hands with dice before you roll, say, 40 at a time, and saying, "no, i reckon i can fit 2 more in!" and then grinning wildly as you cast all 40 dice on a table and say "3s to hit".

Then there's the thrill of the last stand - models surviving against all odds (one model of mine was facing a carnifex - a living tank) and had to rely on his 5+ invulnerable save (which you always get unless there's a special rule which means you don't). So, he should have passed it once in three rolls. Not good. What he did instead was pass it about 5 times in a row. Very funny.

JohnAsh wrote: enjoy Hardy at times,

I do love Hardy, Far from madding crowd is one of my all time favourite books-in fact im trying to get a quote from it incorporated into my wedding as i think its a beautiful description of love and companionship:
At Home by the fire, whener i look up there you be and whenever you look up there i shall be

Eruresto wrote:Matt, Discworld's good enough for me.

And the thrill of it is scaring you opponent with whispers of "bet you can't take him down, he's indestructible" about your chaplain on a bike. They then proceed to fire their biggest guns at him, and he laughs, because no matter how how big the gun, it'll take a 1 on a D6 (2+ invun for those in the know) even to wound him. So panicked are they that they don't think to overwhelm him with hundreds of piddly armour saves (still 2+) and thus make him fail a few, and before you know it he crashes into their lines with a cry of glee from me.

Then there's the thrill of filling your hands with dice before you roll, say, 40 at a time, and saying, "no, i reckon i can fit 2 more in!" and then grinning wildly as you cast all 40 dice on a table and say "3s to hit".

Then there's the thrill of the last stand - models surviving against all odds (one model of mine was facing a carnifex - a living tank) and had to rely on his 5+ invulnerable save (which you always get unless there's a special rule which means you don't). So, he should have passed it once in three rolls. Not good. What he did instead was pass it about 5 times in a row. Very funny.

I think I understood "Matt, Discworld's good enough for me."

The rest is a little beyond me!

In short, Matt, I was explaining how entertaining the dice can be when the statistically impossible happens - both good and bad!

Should I be proud of being a Tolkeinite?

@Blondie: My favourite is Tess of the d'Urbervilles. It's very tragic, but I love the descriptions in his books, and the lyrical, poetic style. If it were music, it'd be Mendelssohn and Chopin, methinks. Chopin for tragedy and Mendelssohn for pathetic fallacy and the ideas of nature. *hums Piano Trio no. 1, opening movement*

@Alan: It would make a wonderful piece of music, but I do think that novels with a cult following are difficult to work with in any field...

What sort of stuff do you compose?

I don't know...sometimes healthy competition could help in making the students aim higher and work harder, but I agree that most music needs time to mature. Only someone like Mozart could fire off perfection in tiny amounts of time. Take Beethoven - he spent six years (if I remember correctly) composing the 9th Symphony (a piece that I very much dislike, but acknowledge for its genius), and it must have needed the time.

blondie95 wrote:

Urgh-My-Pancreas wrote:

Great Plum wrote: i find the whole era much more interesting than any of the other options - have done ever since my third birthday when my mum bought me loads of books on greek mythology

really 3rd birthday

they were aimed at children


and as for my painting skillz josh, i haven't really ever tried (as you can tell from my pictures on my facebook etc. i'm better equipped with a pencil... in fact a biro is my preferred weapon of choice... the one thing i can paint quite well is faces! recently i discovered that i could be an alright make-up artist, i make quite a convincing bruise or scar!
why do you ask?

Attention Alan!

A friend has sent me a book (originally published 1937) by Leo Rosten, The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N which immediately struck me as being rather your sort of thing. Do you know this very funny book?

Please excuse me if I have made an incorrect assumption

Angela

There is a second Hyman Kaplan book (the title escapes me at the moment). Neither is to be read on public transport, if like me you are likely to laugh out loud. Years ago the man sitting next to me on a crowded bu got up and moved because I was laughing so much at my book. Very embarrassing.

Urgh-My-Pancreas wrote:and as for my painting skillz josh, i haven't really ever tried (as you can tell from my pictures on my facebook etc. i'm better equipped with a pencil... in fact a biro is my preferred weapon of choice... the one thing i can paint quite well is faces! recently i discovered that i could be an alright make-up artist, i make quite a convincing bruise or scar!
why do you ask?

Well, because I have half my army in basic green (needing armour trims, helmets and other details doing), and about 5 or 6 models in completely the wrong colour.

Alan P5age wrote:

midget wrote:There is a second Hyman Kaplan book (the title escapes me at the moment). Neither is to be read on public transport, if like me you are likely to laugh out loud. Years ago the man sitting next to me on a crowded bu got up and moved because I was laughing so much at my book. Very embarrassing.

I've had a scan on Amazon and found both. Not only Jewish American Humour, but 1930's Jewish American Humour. Gets better and better!

So many of the things I love are from this period in time! (No wonder Miss Mercer said I should read more modern literature!)
I can be found switching on Poirot - I know the plots are a bit complicated for me but the sets, the hair, the clothes, the jewels... style and chic! Then how I adore the elegance of Mrs Simpson - Mitfordiana at its most passionate - the short stories of Mr Somerset Maugham! When there was that fantastic Thirties Exhibition at the V&A, I was in heaven gazing up at the reconstructed Savoy entrance, clawing here and there at a jewellery display (security alert!!)and chatting to a woman whose mother had had that very dressing table!

Anyway I laughed myself to sleep last night with H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N. I really wouldn't risk reading it on public transport.

Once into it, I found myself thinking "AlanP5age!" A good guess, then Alan.

A thought - those immigrants in the class, having fled from poverty or persecution, are united in this tremendous enthusiasm to adopt the ethos of America, their new country, despite the arduous and menial work in the tough conditions they describe, whilst clinging fiercely to their status and permanent rivalries in the class.

Oh, bast regotts!

Munch

Eruresto wrote:

Urgh-My-Pancreas wrote:and as for my painting skillz josh, i haven't really ever tried (as you can tell from my pictures on my facebook etc. i'm better equipped with a pencil... in fact a biro is my preferred weapon of choice... the one thing i can paint quite well is faces! recently i discovered that i could be an alright make-up artist, i make quite a convincing bruise or scar!
why do you ask?

Well, because I have half my army in basic green (needing armour trims, helmets and other details doing), and about 5 or 6 models in completely the wrong colour.

ahhh! that type of painting!!
i'd be well up for that
i've sort of trained myself to have a steady hand when painting small details...
such as my beloved eyeliner
i'd give it a go!