Naw, everything’s fine. It’s just cool and windy and spitting rain and I’m bored and grouchy. So I’m sitting inside with coffee and a James Michener book that should have been titled Tedium. I’m thinking of switching to some Correia.
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They say that Louis XIV had the inscription Ultima Ratio Regum cast into all the cannon of the French Army. It means “The Ultimate Argument of Kings,” and that always struck me as one of the most honest and up-front things any ruler or would-be ruler ever said. “We can dress it up prettier than this, but when it comes down to the unvarnished truth this is what it’s about: You’ll do as I say or I’ll send my goons to kill you.”
I thought about that for a long time. If there’s an ultimate argument, it seems only logical that there must be an ultimate answer. For years I thought the ultimate answer must be the bullets in my rifle, but it never seemed quite right. I’ve got bullets – he’s got frigging Cannon Balls. I mean, if there were three hundred million rifles throwing bullets at him, then maybe. But we all know that’s not going to happen. So if there’s an ultimate answer to his ultimate argument, it sure as hell ain’t bullets.
It finally came to me – and that’s when I abandoned the city and most of my stuff, and gave all that was behind me a good stiff Randian Shrug.
The ultimate answer to kings is not a bullet, but a belly laugh.
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If you’re looking for something new to read, I can recommend Fimbulwinter and it’s sequels. The series is ongoing, and book four should be out this autumn.
Basic story: guy from our world loses everything, gets contacted by a goddess from another reality, cuts a deal, goes to other reality to rescue last living worshipper of said goddess, and adventures ensue. Guy also gets sorcerous powers during trip to other world.
It’s fun, if somewhat fluffy. Some adult scenes too, though I don’t think they overwhelm the story.
If that’s a pic of one of your neighbors, I can understand your concern.
As Cooper once said about a Cape Buffalo, “He looks at you as if you owe him money!”
I used to live immediately next door to a spread whereupon were raised Charolais cattle, those large “blonde” beef cattle. The bulls of the breed are particularly impressive. I knew they were essentially impervious to containment, but the point was driven home one afternoon when I watched a bull just walk up to a four-strand barbed-wire fence . . . and simply continue to walk right thru it. Ripped the steel posts right out of the ground and bulldozed the wire until he could step over it. I went right inside and called the owner and remained inside until he and a couple of his helpers arrived and resolved the matter, not without considerable difficulty.
Isn’t all of Michener’s work just titled “Tedium 1”, “Tedium 2”, et al.
Kinda like Melville, he who was saved from obscurity by a twit of a literary ‘perfeser.’
To be honest that’s just a picture I found on the Internet but I chose it because there are a couple of bulls around here that could be that one’s twin. Angus bulls are big, black, mean, stupid walls of meat.
Andrew, up till recently I’d only read a couple of Michener books. One was a very depressing thing called The Source I read as background for a novel of my own, and one – Caravans, I think it was – I enjoyed quite a lot.
Big Brother sent me three – Space, Hawaii and Alaska, and so far they really are exercises in tedium. How’d a man who could make the early space program seem so boring ever get so popular?
It’s like modern art. Some smug dipstick somewhere said it was good and convinced a bunch of rich, glamorous rubes to follow…
Explains the Oprah book club and the successes of so many of its ‘wonderful’ authors.