Stuff

[altivo]

First attempt to acquire a "cheap" VT220 terminal off Ebay failed. I believe that the item sent was functioning before shipping as promised, but when UPS got done with it I couldn't revive it. Conclusion? They damaged the CRT and/or flyback transformer with rough handling. Keyboard appears to be intact. The seller was quite apologetic and we arrived at a compromise. He refunded part of the sale price (which wasn't really that high anyway) and I'll keep the pieces. For some reason, VT220 terminals without keyboards are easier to find than with the real keyboard. So I just picked another one up. Doesn't have to travel as far, and hopefully it will be fine this time.

Spent more time than I like brushing off desperate sales people at work. We haven't bought expensive reference books in years, because I can't get anyone to look at them. All they want to do is Google. That's not getting them the best information all the time, but there's no winning and I've given up on it. And that isn't all. Now I'm getting cold calls from companies I've never heard of who want to sell me computer and network stuff. No way. It may cost a bit more, but I'll stick with the known providers who give me an open account and stand behind everything they sell.

Bright spot in the day was the discovery of a book I didn't know (and should have.) It is Shel Silverstein's Lafcadio, the Lion who Shot Back (1963) and I love it. I don't know how I managed to miss that one all these years, but I'm going to have to find a copy of it for myself.

(Someone I know used the name Lafcadio and played a lion on Tapestries and FurryMuck, but I never made the connection. Bad marks on librarianship for me.)

Three more days to the week, seems like it will be forEVer. Worse, tomorrow is Wednesday. Oh well.

Comments

[moonhare]

I'm not a Silverstein fan, but I've ordered the book via OSL just for fun :o)

I love coming across a favorite old book, or discovering a favorite new/old book at work.

[altivo]

I'll warn you that it doesn't have a particularly happy ending. It's definitely a furry tale though, and Silverstein's illustrations are perfect in my opinion. I especially like the one near the beginning where the lion is pretending to be a rug.

[treppenwolf]

Strange. I don't remember reading the book, but after checking it on Google, I definitely recognize the illustrations and the first half of the story from waaaay back in my early years. I usually have near-perfect recall for books I went through in my childhood, so I'm getting the feeling I probably didn't like this much as a kid. Hmm.

[altivo]

The first part is sweet without being saccharine. You may have forgotten the ending because it's not very satisfying. Lafcadio ends up as a sharpshooter in a circus, becomes famous and wealthy, forgetting that he is a lion at all. Then he gets bored with life, and goes to Africa on a game hunting expedition. When he is about to shoot lions, one of them recognizes him, causing an identity crisis. He ends up dropping his gun and walking away because he is no longer a lion, nor is he a human. Sad, but some very real issues are put forth in that.

Also food for thought when we consider furries and what they would really like, or not like, if it were possible.

In spite of the sad ending, I do like Silverstein's use of language and his line drawings. Lafcadio pretending to be a rug is, well, precious.