JR's OL Tea Party Bash

[caroljane]

To Mr. Michael Kelly, Esq.

Dear Sir,

On behalf of Mr Geoffrey Riggenbach Esq., I am requesting that you remove the correspondence regarding his upcoming Afternoon Levee and Civility Ceremony from its current unsavoury surroundings. Social Event of the Season would make a suitable title, but of course that is at your discretion.

I write on the advice of the family firm of solicitors, Wright, Lleffte and Wronge.

Yours faithfully,

Casaubon Crawley-Bartleby

Principal Secretary to Mr Riggenbach

[caroljane]

WSS,

This event is about Civility and Benevolence so stop fighting with Joel about who gets to wear the good suit. One of you wear the pants, one of you wear the jacket. I'm sure you both must have a jacket and some pants.

You'll meet Yves and the beer truck at Kicking Horse Pass at the arranged time. He made it nearly to Mexico before so I'm sure he can find Texas this time.

Gordspeed,

Nanook

[PDS]

To Mr. Michael Kelly, Esq.

Dear Sir,

On behalf of Mr Geoffrey Riggenbach Esq., I am requesting that you remove the correspondence regarding his upcoming Afternoon Levee and Civility Ceremony from its current unsavoury surroundings. Social Event of the Season would make a suitable title, but of course that is at your discretion.

I write on the advice of the family firm of solicitors, Wright, Lleffte and Wronge.

Yours faithfully,

Casaubon Crawley-Bartleby

Principal Secretary to Mr Riggenbach

Ms. Bartleby: next time JR asks you to write such a letter, just tell him you would "prefer not to."

[caroljane]

Rumours are already starting that there's going to be a Vow Renewal Cermony with Civility Rings exchanged, and JR and Jonathan are vying for the privilege of leading Ellen out for the first dance.

Oh, but I would never be so gauche as to presume to have the first dance with the lovely Miss Ellen. That is Mr. Riggenbach's right as the party's host.

Civility Rings and triangular watercress sandwiches with the crusts cut off! Oh, how lovely!

Cordially,

Jonathan

Oh yes how lovely! I'm starting to feel like in a Jane Austen novel! Will there be a dress code?

If Mr WhyNot aka Tony reads that her will be sandwiches with the crusts cut off served, I know he'll be attending!

But what is that I am reading here?

The tea suddenly has been changed to beer!

I thought JR was known for his beer bashes. Sounds like more fun. The big question is, what kind of beer, and is the music chosen to match the suds.

Changes the atmosphere at once, but then I'm from a city famous for its beer and it would be interesting to do some comparison taste tests with JR's lagers and bock beers.

But I prefer wine to beer actually, so my question: Will wine be served too? If not, I'll bring some. Would a red Burgundy Côte de Nuits sound fine? Or a Dolcetto d'Alba? Or a good old Chianti Classico?

I'm not sure though whether beer or wine served is conducive to the party goal "Vow Renewal Cermony with Civility Rings exchanged" ;)

After all, there's the in vino (or in cervisia) veritas effect to consider, tongues will loosen, and instead of exchanging civility rings, folks may find themselves in a ring exchanging verbal punches in arguments ...

Xray, bring as much as you can carry. And don't pay attention to your date Adam's comments on the dress code. He is just trying to impress you as usual, but his understanding of European fashion is, well, Americans are so insular aren't they? I must confess I envy your chic chastity belts, ours are all government issue and the quality is just adequate and the designs - really! maple leaves, loonies, beavers -- who is in charge of the Ministry of Creativity anyway?

[anthony]

Changes the atmosphere at once, but then I'm from a city famous for its beer and it would be interesting to do some comparison taste tests with JR's lagers and bock beers.

But I prefer wine to beer actually, so my question: Will wine be served too? If not, I'll bring some. Would a red Burgundy Côte de Nuits sound fine? Or a Dolcetto d'Alba? Or a good old Chianti Classico?

I'm not sure though whether beer or wine served is conducive to the party goal "Vow Renewal Cermony with Civility Rings exchanged" ;)

After all, there's the in vino (or in cervisia) veritas effect to consider, tongues will loosen, and instead of exchanging civility rings, folks may find themselves in a ring exchanging verbal punches in arguments ...

Xray,

Nah.

Drinking songs, that's what we need. But with wine - I don't think so!

Bock tankards and weisswurst, and ...

"In Munchen steht ein Hofbrauhaus

(all together) Eins, zwei, g'suffa..."

[Selene]

"...but his understanding of European fashion is, well, Americans are so insular aren't they? I must confess I envy your chic chastity belts, ours are all government issue and the quality is just adequate and the designs - really! maple leaves, loonies, beavers -- who is in charge of the Ministry of Creativity anyway?

Possibly someone with a sense of humor...a beaver design on a chastity belt to cover ...er...well maybe you do have a point, socialist government does operate on useless redundancy.

Adam

[caroljane]

"...but his understanding of European fashion is, well, Americans are so insular aren't they? I must confess I envy your chic chastity belts, ours are all government issue and the quality is just adequate and the designs - really! maple leaves, loonies, beavers -- who is in charge of the Ministry of Creativity anyway?

Possibly someone with a sense of humor...a beaver design on a chastity belt to cover ...er...well maybe you do have a point, socialist government does operate on useless redundancy.

Adam

Useless? In certain contexts we Canadians find redundancy to be Virtue.

I suppose MSK will never take us out of the garbage pile now.

[9thdoctor]

To Mr. Michael Kelly, Esq.

Dear Sir,

On behalf of Mr Geoffrey Riggenbach Esq., I am requesting that you remove the correspondence regarding his upcoming Afternoon Levee and Civility Ceremony from its current unsavoury surroundings. Social Event of the Season would make a suitable title, but of course that is at your discretion.

I write on the advice of the family firm of solicitors, Wright, Lleffte and Wronge.

Yours faithfully,

Casaubon Crawley-Bartleby

Principal Secretary to Mr Riggenbach

Ms. Bartleby: next time JR asks you to write such a letter, just tell him you would "prefer not to."

I don’t get it, Casaubon is a last name, both in fact (ref Isaac and son Meric) and in fiction (George Eliot and Umberto Eco). But anyway, I’m only posting because I don’t know what “Crawley” refers to. Kindly enlighten.

[caroljane]

To Mr. Michael Kelly, Esq.

Dear Sir,

On behalf of Mr Geoffrey Riggenbach Esq., I am requesting that you remove the correspondence regarding his upcoming Afternoon Levee and Civility Ceremony from its current unsavoury surroundings. Social Event of the Season would make a suitable title, but of course that is at your discretion.

I write on the advice of the family firm of solicitors, Wright, Lleffte and Wronge.

Yours faithfully,

Casaubon Crawley-Bartleby

Principal Secretary to Mr Riggenbach

Ms. Bartleby: next time JR asks you to write such a letter, just tell him you would "prefer not to."

I don’t get it, Casaubon is a last name, both in fact (ref Isaac and son Meric) and in fiction (George Eliot and Umberto Eco). But anyway, I’m only posting because I don’t know what “Crawley” refers to. Kindly enlighten.

Eliot-Thackeray-Melville

civil-snobbish-clerkly

Ninth have you not read Vanity Fair? If so you haven't lived! I've finished the Crying and waiting for time to talk with X and you, maybe by Tues if she has also finished.

[caroljane]

To Mr. Michael Kelly, Esq.

Dear Sir,

On behalf of Mr Geoffrey Riggenbach Esq., I am requesting that you remove the correspondence regarding his upcoming Afternoon Levee and Civility Ceremony from its current unsavoury surroundings. Social Event of the Season would make a suitable title, but of course that is at your discretion.

I write on the advice of the family firm of solicitors, Wright, Lleffte and Wronge.

Yours faithfully,

Casaubon Crawley-Bartleby

Principal Secretary to Mr Riggenbach

Ms. Bartleby: next time JR asks you to write such a letter, just tell him you would "prefer not to."

I don’t get it, Casaubon is a last name, both in fact (ref Isaac and son Meric) and in fiction (George Eliot and Umberto Eco). But anyway, I’m only posting because I don’t know what “Crawley” refers to. Kindly enlighten.

Eliot-Thackeray-Melville

civil-snobbish-clerkly

Ninth have you not read Vanity Fair? If so you haven't lived! I've finished the Crying and waiting for time to talk with X and you, maybe by Tues if she has also finished.

[9thdoctor]

Ninth have you not read Vanity Fair? If so you haven't lived! I've finished the Crying and waiting for time to talk with X and you, maybe by Tues if she has also finished.

Actually I did, but the reference didn't click. To tell the truth I didn't make the connection with Bartleby the Scrivener until PDS made the "prefer not to" reference. If you hadn’t included Casaubon, who is the narrator of Foucault’s Pendulum, I’d have blown right past your little exercise in cleverness.

Dulcamara Bartolo di Malatesta. Ma mi chiamano Il Dottore.

Edited April 21, 2011 by Ninth Doctor

[caroljane]

Ninth have you not read Vanity Fair? If so you haven't lived! I've finished the Crying and waiting for time to talk with X and you, maybe by Tues if she has also finished.

Actually I did, but the reference didn't click. To tell the truth I didn't make the connection with Bartleby the Scrivener until PDS made the "prefer not to" reference. If you hadn’t included Casaubon, who is the narrator of Foucault’s Pendulum, I’d have blown right past your little exercise in cleverness.

Dulcamara Bartolo di Malatesta. Ma mi chiamano Il Dottore.

Piace e gioia, gioia e pace!

I haven'I haven't read Foucault's Pendulum even - I did read the Name of the Rose. Love Sean Connery but thought he was miscast in the movie.

{MSK, to be clear and precise, as Leonard Cohen would say, kindly rescue the flowers of this thread from the garbage. PDS, suitably dressed, will second this I am sure.}

[9thdoctor]

Piace e gioia, gioia e pace!

Contessa perdona, but that's Count Almaviva talking there. You're not dying to know where the other two names come from? They're each doctors, from L'elisir d'amore and Don Pasquale, respectively. Dulcamara's not really a doctor of course, but Nemorino thinks he is, that's close enough.

I haven't read Foucault's Pendulum even - I did read the Name of the Rose. Love Sean Connery but thought he was miscast in the movie.

I saw the movie when it first came out and thought it was terrific. Then I read the book maybe 15 years later, saw the movie again, I could have thrown things at the screen. I suppose it is pretty good, and I don't have a problem with Connery in it. Anyway, I rank Foucault's Pendulum as my favorite novel, I've recommended it many times on this board. It's not for everyone though. Stanley Kubrick wanted to make a movie of it, that would have been something.

[Selene]

Eco's friend and a very young Chomsky:

Reminds me why I was fascinated by Chomsky way back when.

[9thdoctor]

Eco's friend and a very young Chomsky:

Reminds me why I was fascinated by Chomsky way back when.

I've never heard of them being friends, though Eco has also written on linguistics. Foucault's Pendulum has nothing to do with Michel Foucault, the title refers to the Leon Foucault, who used a Pendulum to demonstrate the rotation of the earth.

Edited April 21, 2011 by Ninth Doctor

[Selene]

Sorry ND should have included this Wiki statement:

"Despite the novel being filled with references to the philosopher Michel Foucault^[2] and Eco's friendship with the French philosopher^[3], the author "specifically rejects any intentional reference to Michel Foucault"^[4] — and this is regarded as one of his subtle literary jokes^[5]."

Footnote 5

And no, I have no clue what is being discussed on that link.

[caroljane]

Piace e gioia, gioia e pace!

Contessa perdona, but that's Count Almaviva talking there. You're not dying to know where the other two names come from? They're each doctors, from L'elisir d'amore and Don Pasquale, respectively. Dulcamara's not really a doctor of course, but Nemorino thinks he is..

Yes I was dying to. I don't know Don Pasquale at all and l'Elisir only from una furtiva lagrima (which I think Flores does better than Pavarotti). Here's one for you since you also know VF, my Victorian jewel: it is often said that two heroes emerge in this novel without a hero, do you agree? Who are they? Myself I think there are more than 2.

[9thdoctor]

Sorry ND should have included this Wiki statement:

"Despite the novel being filled with references to the philosopher Michel Foucault^[2] and Eco's friendship with the French philosopher^[3], the author "specifically rejects any intentional reference to Michel Foucault"^[4] — and this is regarded as one of his subtle literary jokes^[5]."

Footnote 5

And no, I have no clue what is being discussed on that link.

There isn't a single reference to Michel Foucault in the book, and believe me lots of writers get referenced. The action ends 3 days after St. Johns Eve (the summer solstice) in 1984 (June 23), and Michel Foucault died June 25, 1984. Off by one day. I disagree with the wording of the wiki article as it stands now. I wrote a few parts of that article, btw, and there's other stuff in there I disagree with.

[Selene]

Sorry ND should have included this Wiki statement:

"Despite the novel being filled with references to the philosopher Michel Foucault^[2] and Eco's friendship with the French philosopher^[3], the author "specifically rejects any intentional reference to Michel Foucault"^[4] — and this is regarded as one of his subtle literary jokes^[5]."

Footnote 5

And no, I have no clue what is being discussed on that link.

There isn't a single reference to Michel Foucault in the book, and believe me lots of writers get referenced. The action ends 3 days after St. Johns Eve (the summer solstice) in 1984 (June 23), and Michel Foucault died June 25, 1984. Off by one day. I disagree with the wording of the wiki article as it stands now. I wrote a few parts of that article, btw, and there's other stuff in there I disagree with.

It did not make much sense to me the way it flowed, but I am going to read the book because it does intrigue me and your saying it is your favorite novel goes a long way.

So far everything that I have chosen to read that has been recommended by folks I respect here on OL has been well worth it.

[william.scherk]

I am going to read the book because it does intrigue me and your saying it is your favorite novel goes a long way.

Wicked, wicked good stuff. In my top thirty-five.

I was looking at the world's top best-selling books list at Wikipedia today, and was sobered to realize that Eco hit 50 million with Il Nome della Rosa and Rand did not rank at all.

[caroljane]

I am going to read the book because it does intrigue me and your saying it is your favorite novel goes a long way.

Wicked, wicked good stuff. In my top thirty-five.

I was looking at the world's top best-selling books list at Wikipedia today, and was sobered to realize that Eco hit 50 million with Il Nome della Rosa and Rand did not rank at all.

You mean there isn't an Umberto Eco Society and nobody has to read him in high school?

[9thdoctor]

You mean there isn't an Umberto Eco Society and nobody has to read him in high school?

When I was in Italy I repeatedly saw people in their late teens on subways carrying and reading The Name of the Rose. My guess is that everyone there reads it as a high school senior.

Edited April 21, 2011 by Ninth Doctor

[Xray]

Xray,

Nah.

Drinking songs, that's what we need. But with wine - I don't think so!

Bock tankards and weisswurst, and ...

"In Munchen steht ein Hofbrauhaus

(all together) Eins, zwei, g'suffa..."

Tony,

You mean after you have sipped some herbal tea and eaten some of the dainty watercress sandwiches with the crusts cut off (maybe JR can also get you some with cucumber because you like them so much), you will then proceed to the beer room - wherever that is; Brant said something about it being the kitchen; interesting, isn't it, that people often like to gather in the kitchen at parties, this probably has to do with agreeable feelings (dating back to our stone-age ancestors) connected to a hearth where one is being fed - to taste the "real thing", the golden barley juice ("Gerstensaft") as we sometimes call beer in colloquial German.

Okay, I'll bring some Munich beer (all brands are excellent really) and Weißwurst (white sausage) for you then.

"In Munchen steht ein Hofbrauhaus

(all together) Eins, zwei, g'suffa..."

I see you already have mastered the basic Munich phrase. ;)

(Often also written in cruder Bavarian phonetic transcription as "Oans, zwoa, g'suffa").

Free translation: "One, two, swig it!"

When there is a live brass band playing, the lead singer shouts these words to the guests at regular intervals and they then all raise their tankards, clink them and "swig it".

Edited April 21, 2011 by Xray

[Xray]

I am going to read the book because it does intrigue me and your saying it is your favorite novel goes a long way.

Wicked, wicked good stuff. In my top thirty-five.

I was looking at the world's top best-selling books list at Wikipedia today, and was sobered to realize that Eco hit 50 million with Il Nome della Rosa and Rand did not rank at all.

Maybe it has to do with Rand and her work not being that well-known in Europe?

I probably still would not know about Ayn Rand today if I had not been in an internet discussion with an American atheist who mentioned her name.

Edited April 22, 2011 by Xray

[Xray]

I've finished the Crying and waiting for time to talk with X and you, maybe by Tues if she has also finished.

I still have a few pages to go in The Crying of Lot 49 which I started reading in the German translation (the English original has just arrived by by mail, but from a quick comparison I get the feeling that the German translation is quite good), and am looking forward to the exchange on the respective thread!

Edited April 21, 2011 by Xray