I could kick myself!

[rosiespark]

I reversed my car too close to another car parked close to my house, caught its numberplate under the edge of my car's bumper and promptly ripped the numberplate half off. Damn! So now I'm going to have to replace it, which will involve time and money that I have better uses for. Not to mention phoning the Licensing Office - usually a nightmare - and trying to find out how it's done. Blah! I was in a hurry and just wasn't careful enough - and that makes me so cross. :(

ETA: It was the other car's numberplate that got ripped off - I'm not sure that was clear. But since it was entirely my fault, I don't feel I can say no to the owner's request that I find out about getting it replaced. I'm expecting a nightmare of red tape, queues and delays. ::kicks self hard::

Comments

[dargit.livejournal.com]

Hey, it could have been much worse. You could have pulled their bumper off as well. But yeah, we all do stupid things once in a while. There is no point continuing to kick yourself, "let it go" as they say.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Sound advice - I tend to hang on to the "if only"'s and "what if"'s for far too long for my own good. Heh, what's done is done and cannot be undone, and all that. ;)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Maybe it won't be as difficult and annoying as it sounds. What an awful thing to happen!

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Annoying, yes - but I'm feeling better about it now. Amazing what a bit of Hornblower will do for one's mood... ;)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yup, I've used the Hornblower cure when I'm down many a time. It works!

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, yes. Except Retribution, of course. Archie's death left me feeling shocked and furious and not very happy at all. ;)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

(Sigh) I love the ending of Retribution, it's so heroic and tragic. Sort of the same way I love the chess game in Pawn in Frnakincense or the final chapter of King Hereafter.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

V. late reply - but having watched it again recently, I think I'm slowly coming to accept it slightly more. Or resist it less, if that makes any sense. ;) I probably felt a bit like the readers who throw Checkmate at the wall when Austin "shoots Lymond" - except that Archie really is dead. *sob* I was so upset the first time that it didn't quite click that he was dying anyway, and that what he sacrificed was his good name but not really his life. Still a very noble thing to do.

I'm still not entirely convinced by the logic of that part of the story, though. I accept that Hammond (and the Navy in general) were looking for a scapegoat in order to preserve Capt. Sawyer's reputation as a hero, and in a way, also so as not to be seen to have condoned a mutiny. But WHY, when Archie asks Horatio what he will answer when the court martial asks him whether he pushed Sawyer, was there any doubt about his answer? Okay, the uncertainty needed to be there so that the script could have Archie heroically step in and take the blame, but methinks I detect a plot hole. Oaky, who do you think pushed the Captain? *eg*

And have you seen this vid (http://www.io.com/~cortese/v/) by Janis Cortese? I've become a little bit obsessed with it lately.... Poor darling Archie. *sigh*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I probably felt a bit like the readers who throw Checkmate at the wall when Austin "shoots Lymond" - except that Archie really is dead. *sob*

He really is. I liked the manner of his dying; so heroic, all the more so in that he can't be a public hero. I always wondered why he didn't tell Horatio at once that he'd been shot. Was it because he didn't realize what had happened?

what he sacrificed was his good name but not really his life

Yes, he had no expectation of living.

But WHY, when Archie asks Horatio what he will answer when the court martial asks him whether he pushed Sawyer, was there any doubt about his answer?

Possibilities:
- he knew who pushed Sawyer, and wanted to protect that person
- he had pushed Sawyer himself, and felt he should take responsibility for his actions, but wasn't sure whether it was for the best - and didn't want to throw his career away
- he didn't know who pushed Sawyer, and was still trying to come up with an answer that would convince the court
- he didn't want Archie to know what his answer was going to be (I can't think why he might do that, but give me some time and I'll come up with a reason....)

As for who I think pushed the Captain.... I'd like to come up with a scenario whereby it was the Doctor. (Maybe he gave him a drug that made him dizzy, and so he fell?) More seriously, when I first heard the theory (promulgated, I believed, by C. Northcote Parkinson in his biography of Horatio Hornblower) that Horatio did it himself I was very skeptical, but time has made me less so. Could be.

Let me watch it again and report back - we'll see if I find any new theories!

Haven't seen the vid and can't watch it here at work. I'll check it out later.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

I liked the manner of his dying; so heroic, all the more so in that he can't be a public hero.

I’m still too upset that he had to die at all to appreciate the manner of his dying!

I always wondered why he didn't tell Horatio at once that he'd been shot. Was it because he didn't realize what had happened?

Oh I think he realised all right. And was scared to look. After all, the prognosis for someone shot in the abdomen/chest was hardly good in those days. So his "just a scratch" is a vain attempt to postpone having to face reality. Doesn't fool Horatio - "I said, is that your blood?" And then Archie says what is possibly "Not as bad as it looks" or maybe “something something to look” – aaargh, can’t find the script online, and I really can’t work out what he’s saying here. Could be due to the mouthful of blood he dribbles once he’s said it.

This is part of the reason why I love Archie - he's very human, he's scared, "prone to panic" as he says to Horatio - and yet he still does incredibly heroic things like rescuing Horatio on the bridge near Muzillac, and his ultimate sacrifice in Retribution. Don't get me wrong, I adore Ioan's Horatio - he's the sort of noble conflicted hero I love. And he's beautiful. But Archie - well, his cheeky irreverent sense of humour, his obvious affection for Horatio and his attack of panic at the bridge when they come under sniper fire - all these things endear him to me. I like the fact that he’s so different from Horatio, and that they’re such friends (or more... *g*) in spite of all their differences. And Archie may have lost his cool at the bridge but he’s far from a coward – that mad dash across the bridge to rescue Horatio, racing the fuse which had already been lit, is crazily heart-stoppingly brave. I agree with Horatio that Archie’s actually very brave – and yes, I’ve rather lost my heart to Archie. Does it show? *g*

More later about whether Capt. Sawyer was pushed, and if so, who did it – now you've got me thinking about whether it might have been Horatio after all. It sort of makes sense of the bits of the trial and aftermath that I've just rewatched, but OTOH doesn't seem in-character for Horatio at all. I must go to bed. Will ponder the question while I fall asleep.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think my conclusion was that I don't think Horatio pushed Sawyer but I can't quite convince myself that it's impossible. He's still on my suspect list, even if he doesn't have the top spot. If he did it, it explains some of his attitudes and his behaviour later. Whether he did it or not, I think Admiral Pellew thinks he did it.

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

I meant to mention this to you a couple of days ago, but this week's topic at the drabble comm tolkien_weekly is 'sloth'. Since last week's was 'gluttony', I suppose they're referring to the Seven Deadly Sins and not oddball animals, but you might want to make a little contribution anyway. I'm sure that a sloth could be worked into LotR somewhere. ;)

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

I am being plagued by computer problems again. My home internet connection has gone mad, there`s no other way to describe it. And I`m internetless at work too - my pc`s fan went. Waaah! Am typing this at boss`s computer before he gets in. Am NOT happy.

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, not again! I wondered where you'd gotten to. Well, I'd try and write a sloth drabble in your honour, but I'm all played out at the moment. :(

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

I saw you'd posted more Frodo and Sam fic, but didn't get a chance to read it before I lost my internet connection. It's been intermittent for several days, but (far) more off than on. Grrr! Do let me know if inspiration strikes re. sloth and sloths. Bah! Can't do a smiley on boss's stupid keyboard - can't find a colon OR a semi-colon, dammit! Am grinding teeth...

PS What are you doing up at this time? Isn't it some ungodly hour of the night/morning in your part of the world?!

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

It's only 1 am. I'm usually up until 1.30 or 2. I've actually had some interesting ideas for drabbles using 'sloth' in the usual sense, but I think they'd be double drabbles and the comm. only takes 100 word drabbles. I may write them eventually anyway. I posted my fluffy story yesterday and was going to start the sequel to "Spirit" today but I had to catch up on my letter writing (to friends who don't have comps) as I'm woefully behind. Heigh-ho. You lead an exciting life! I'm going to make the couscous recipe again tomorrow. :)

Size does matter!

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Now I'm feeling vaguely insulted for being accused of having a teensy weensy...letterbox! ;)

Found it!

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

The bath quote is in track 16 on the first cd. "I invented that little rhyme in my bath one day". Have a listen. After which my poem idea might make a bit more sense - or not. ;)

It's just that I can imagine him composing stuff in the bath, and two separate muses getting their wires crossed so that lines/words from the bathtime song keep finding their way into the rings verse as he composes it. With very silly results. And Tolkien gets nore and more frustrated, muttering crossly to himself, "No, no, that won't do. Won't do at all," until he finally emerges dripping and towel-clad from the bathroom to make his way to the nearest pen and paper. Two pieces of paper, one for each muse, since it has by this point dawned on him that he is, as it were, receiving two channels simultaneously. And posterity is eternally grateful to have been spared the garbled version. Until now, that is...

Well, I think it's amusing. ;)