Life – Page 21 – Deborah Makarios

June 15, 2018November 18, 2021

Are Cats Really Dragons?

It may not be the most obvious of links, but then, one does not immediately think of ferocious dinosaurs when considering a chicken. Nor does one immediately think of feathers when considering a ferocious dinosaur. Let us review the evidence.

Anatomy
Consider the dragon. (You don’t have one to hand? Imagine, then.) Four legs, yes? Claws, fangs, long lashing tail.
Now consider your cat. (If no cat to hand, consult SPCA, Cats Protection League or similar.) Four legs, claws, fangs, long lashing tail…

Continue & Comment

May 18, 2018October 19, 2023

In Praise of Old Technology: The Hot Water Bottle

“O! Water Hot is a noble thing!” as Tolkien wrote, and he wasn’t wrong. Water Hot in a bath is a fine thing, Water Hot pouring over tea leaves is an excellent thing, and Water Hot warming up your bed is more or less the pinnacle of human civilization.

Continue & Comment

May 4, 2018August 24, 2023

Trivial Pursuit 2000s: Millenial Edition

Note: this post uses the term “millennial” – spelt correctly or otherwise – not in the technical sense of “people born between 1981 and 1996” but in the pop culture sense of “these darn young people who are destroying [insert industry here]”.

All right, they don’t call it that, but that’s what it is.

For the last, er, lifetime, I have been playing Trivial Pursuit with questions as old as I am. Or older. We have two sets: a New Zealand set, and an Australia expansion pack – both from the mid eighties. Clearly, it was time for some fresh blood. As it were. (Am I a trivia vampire? Yes. Yes, I am.)

Enter Trivial Pursuit 2000s. Of course, the game is wrapped in plastic, so you can’t get a good look inside, but once you do – once you’ve bought it, that is – whew. The questions aren’t the only thing that’s changed.

Continue & Comment