Because it's Monday, and because navel-gazing is fun

Here's the 40 questions meme, stolen from dickgloucester :

( 40 answers to 40 questions )

Also, the Hunagrian guy I played tennis with yesterday almost killed me. His shots are 70% slices, i.e. drop shots, i.e. short balls that drop and bounce more or less vertically. It's possible to return one, but the next one is almost always impossible unless you move at light speed. So I lost three sets but did a lot of running. And it was fun all the same.

Even though I haven't yet finished Vargas Llosa's truly outstanding The Feast of The Goat, I started reading Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair yesterday. In a way the style reminds me of Kinky Friedman -- I'd have to verify that, though, because it's been over ten years since last I read anything by him. Anyway, the sheer power of Fforde's imagination makes it a wonderful read, even though I'm not quite happy with the occasional switching of perspectives from 1st person to omnisscient. Still, the idea of mankind having popularized the cloning of extinct animals -- not always successfully, as shown by different versions of e.g. dodos -- is as fun as the idea of the Crimean War continuing till 1985 is frightening (and not fun at all, but very well executed).
Something else I'll have to look up: what came first, Pullman's His Dark Materials or The Eyre Affair? Not that Fforde uses parallel worlds, but the use of airships and the history-gone-differently strongly remind me of Pullman's trilogy.

Kramer vs. Kramer

...or at least that's how I'm feeling.
Alexandra just wrote me an email -- she wanted to take Lola back tonight in order to introduce her to the other cat currently living in her apartment. This was of course the right moment to say that I believe Lola should remain permanently with me because 1) introducing her to yet another cat after 1 month of living with ze boyz is sheer madness (especially at a place which used to be her territory), 2) what benefit would Lola have from a return chez Alexandra, even after the other cat is gone?, 3) A.'s total irresponsibility as proved by taking in the other cat when it wasn't clear whether Lola and ze boyz could really stay together. Point 4) was "I know the plans were different, but you turned the tables by taking in that cat".

Not in a very good mood now. (BTW I offered her the money -- yes, it's stupid I know, but I don't want her to have the monetary argument for taking Lola back).

Oh, and I know this must sound slightly ridiculous to someone less crazy about their cats. I'm sure I'll be able to laugh about it in some weeks' time. Well almost sure.