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By gzt (Mon Aug 22, 2011 at 12:24:47 PM EST) gzt, gop, beard, squats, sigrid undset, the master of hestviken, game of thrones, moving (all tags)

So I picked up an edition of Sigrid Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy recently because it is awesome. Apparently she also wrote a decent tetralogy called The Master of Hestviken and the first volume, The Axe, was available fairly cheap (now only a penny!), so I picked it up, too.

I finished it last night. I think I'll get the other three sometime when money is less scarce. Or maybe get the four-volumes-in-one edition, but that may be thick and have poor printing. It's a good book. A fair amount of murder, teen fornication, rape, and churchgoing. About what you'd expect from 13th century Norway. Lots of unhappiness. Very tragic.

A coworker just leant me Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. They probably also have a fair amount of murder, teen fornication, and rape, though I'm not sure about the churchgoing - I'll have to wait and see!

I'm moving next week. The new place is pretty good.

I need more money in my life. I like money. I had a dream that I got a $5000 bonus last night. I did not get a $5000 bonus in real life. At least, not yet today. I would have liked a $5000 bonus. That would have been nice.

I sold my old representation theory book. Well, one of them. Not the Springer-Verlag.

I'm not a fan of Republicans, but I suppose I do have a vested interest in there being a decent GOP candidate available for this election. One that could lead and wouldn't destroy everything, though I will likely disagree with most of their policies. From what little I've heard, Romney and Hunstman don't sound utterly terrible (contrast: Perry, Bachmann, Paul). Any thoughts? Are there crazy things I should know about?

Ramping things up still, strengthwise. I think the strengths are coming back. Things seemed easier this time than last, even though I was using significantly more weight. I didn't feel like I was going to cramp up at any point, either, which is sometimes a problem when coming back.

I need to cut off this beard.

< So, It Seems I Have A Job... | So the other day I shaved off the beard ... >

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book reading | 21 comments (21 topical, 0 hidden)

What a coincidence by lm (2.00 / 0) #1 Mon Aug 22, 2011 at 12:43:18 PM EST

I just posted about shaving off my beard.

. . .

Huntsman baffles me. He takes Perry to task for saying if Bernanke increases the money supply, it would be akin to treason. Then he turns around and describes the EPA as being 'economic terrorists.' I want to like him, but I get this feeling that he's not really the guy that I want him to be.

. . .

My biggest complaint about Mitt Romney is that he looks like Guy Smiley. Second biggest is that IIRC he's got a theory of the executive branch very close to Dick Nixon's it can't be illegal if the president does it. Maybe I'm misremembering. 2008 was a long time ago.

. . .

I'm glad you're getting back into the groove so far as lifting heavy things and putting them back down. For a while I was starting to worry that you were going to grow weak and die.

Kindness is an act of rebellion.

Here's the exact Huntsman quote by lm (2.00 / 0) #2 Mon Aug 22, 2011 at 02:22:07 PM EST

If you want to build a facility in the US, you can't because of the EPA's regulatory reign of terror.

It's difficult for me to take his sincerity over his dis of Perry at face value when he's comparing the EPA to terrorism.

Kindness is an act of rebellion.

[ Parent ]

Surely not terrorism by ambrosen (2.00 / 0) #3 Mon Aug 22, 2011 at 02:41:31 PM EST

I'd call the reign of terror totalitarianism myself.

[ Parent ]

I think... by gzt (2.00 / 0) #4 Mon Aug 22, 2011 at 02:44:31 PM EST

...he's comparing it more to Robespierre et al.

[ Parent ]

I don't know where you stand on The Terror by lm (2.00 / 0) #5 Mon Aug 22, 2011 at 04:46:34 PM EST

But Burke called Robespierre a terrorist. That's good enough for me.

Kindness is an act of rebellion.

[ Parent ]

: that is a good point by gzt (2.00 / 0) #6 Mon Aug 22, 2011 at 04:56:39 PM EST

But they were at least quasi-governmental, unlike the popular rendition of Teh Terrorists. It just seems odd in modern usage to call the ruling regime "terrorist" - except in regard to their behavior in other states where they are not ruling.

[ Parent ]

Game of Thrones by ucblockhead (2.00 / 0) #7 Mon Aug 22, 2011 at 10:06:10 PM EST

Martin threw in his own religions, for whatever reason. There's some church-going, but none of it involves anything remotely like Christianity.
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[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman

eh by the mariner (2.00 / 0) #16 Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 09:20:11 AM EST

The dominant religion in Westeros strikes me as a sort of Christianized version of classical Greek religion. It's got the single, multi-faceted god (the Seven), a clergy that's pretty reminiscent of the Catholic Church, and moral teachings that are pretty close to the usual Christian type stuff.

[ Parent ]

Differences by ucblockhead (2.00 / 0) #17 Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 02:13:46 PM EST

One huge thing that is missing is that in Westeros, the religions coexist. Like the pagan religions in Europe, there seems to be little drive to push other religions out. (Contrasted with the followers of the Red God, who have the "one true God" thing in common with Christianity, but in many other respects, are completely different from Christianity.
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[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman

[ Parent ]

I wouldn't call that a difference by the mariner (2.00 / 0) #19 Tue Aug 30, 2011 at 06:53:40 PM EST

Regions of Europe remained pagan throughout most of the middle ages, which we'd probably agree is the relevant period of comparison, and remained so until the Crusades. The series gives little background on how the religion of the seven became the dominant religion in Westeros, except that there was a time before the events of the series when the clergy was much more militant than it is prior to Cersei's concessions to the new Septon -- it appears we'll see a continuation of that tradition ten years from now when the next book surfaces. I suspect something along the lines of the Crusades and/or Inquisition will begin or be attempted by the clergy in Westeros in the coming books.

Also, the religion of the seven is apparently monotheistic in that its seven gods are supposed to be aspects of a single god/godhead. The fact that most practitioners in the books don't seem to fully grasp this aspect of the religion isn't so different from the way an average Christian today (and probably even more an average medieval Christian) will tend to punt on the theological details of the Trinity. I could probably be persuaded that "the Faith" is more similar to early forms of Gnosticism and "heresies" involving some mixture of classical or ancient polytheistic religions with Christianity, but not remotely like Christianity? No.

[ Parent ]

Religious tolerance by ucblockhead (2.00 / 0) #20 Tue Aug 30, 2011 at 07:26:09 PM EST

Let me put it this way, imagine a 12th century king of England who had a right-hand man who followed the druids...would that work with Catholicism? I'd argue no, but that's essentially the sort of religious setup we see in Westeros between King Robert and Edd Stark as Hand.
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[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman

[ Parent ]

: Well, by the mariner (2.00 / 0) #21 Thu Sep 01, 2011 at 07:56:03 AM EST

I think that's more a reflection of the relative power of the Westerosi religion, but I suspect we'll see about that in the next two books.

[ Parent ]

"You said rape twice." by ammoniacal (2.00 / 0) #8 Mon Aug 22, 2011 at 11:32:40 PM EST

"To this day that was the most bullshit caesar salad I have every experienced..." - triggerfinger

As your local HuSi HR Rep... by gzt (2.00 / 0) #11 Tue Aug 23, 2011 at 10:16:34 AM EST

...I cannot admit to ever having seen that movie.

[ Parent ]

SRSLY? by ammoniacal (2.00 / 0) #12 Tue Aug 23, 2011 at 10:40:08 AM EST

"To this day that was the most bullshit caesar salad I have every experienced..." - triggerfinger

[ Parent ]

: I can't drink very much at lunch, either. by gzt (4.00 / 1) #14 Tue Aug 23, 2011 at 02:50:11 PM EST

I'm done after a couple. It's a hard life.

[ Parent ]
: the drinking thing is recent, though. by gzt (2.00 / 0) #15 Wed Aug 24, 2011 at 09:28:42 AM EST

I've heard stories, people used to get torched in HR.

[ Parent ]

re: game of thrones by garlic (2.00 / 0) #9 Tue Aug 23, 2011 at 09:55:38 AM EST

the series is not finished, and with the author's track record, there's no good expectation for when it will finish. It's been a while since I've read them, but I'd recommend stopping early on, and pretend like that's just how it ends (as you so rightfully recommended on Heros). probably no deeper than book 3.

good to know! by gzt (2.00 / 0) #10 Tue Aug 23, 2011 at 10:11:58 AM EST

I heard people were disappointed with book 5.

[ Parent ]

: the last some have been disappointing. by garlic (2.00 / 0) #13 Tue Aug 23, 2011 at 10:48:48 AM EST

I believe that's 4 and 5, but again, it's been a while since I've read them.

[ Parent ]
: Books by ucblockhead (2.00 / 0) #18 Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 02:15:01 PM EST

5 is better than 4, but leaves way too much for book 6.
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[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman
[ Parent ]

book reading | 21 comments (21 topical, 0 hidden)