I've been consumed with working full time and going back to law school. I have another year left, (I'm the oldest student in my class), but hope to reengage here. I have missed the discussion and the companionship of fellow Bradburians.

You know, I knew Nard for a long time. When he passed away, it hit me quite a bit.

Best of luck to you! I've been laid off for about 3 months myself. As for my prospects, suffice to say Ageism is in full vigour, at least in California.
I never met Nard except here, but I miss him.

Hey, BrII and Mr. D!! Today is my final effort before students in a pedagogic capacity, at least at the HS level. It has been quite a trail! So, I empathize on different levels with both of you.

Though many options await, I may just take a few steps back to read, write, think, run, and to have early morning cups of fresh ground coffee...quietly.

Those 5:30am alarms and then miles traveled (in weather only a mailman can truly appreciate), will no longer dictate my days! Ahhh!

Over the years, it has been a pleasure speaking with so many regulars and visitors on board. A few in person exchanges have also come about! Nice.

This has made my teaching more enjoyable and definitely more informed on a plethora of RB and (world of) literature related topics! Thank you, indeed!

So, best wishes to friends here and there. Peace to those we have known but to whom we have sadly said "Farewell!"

(My last Ray Bradbury title to be collected from students, Fahrenheit 451... "It was a Pleasure to Read!")
f

What's this, three of the old-timers grouping together? Mr Dark, oldest law student round these parts; Braling II, put out to grass; fjp, hanging up his chalk and board erasers one last time.

Old-timers, eh?
Actually, I'm not quite old enough to qualify for "Old Age Pension" as you'd call it in the UK.
So, must find work. Here, too, medical insurance is a problem - very costly if you're over 50.
Those non-Brits may be interested in knowing that what we'd call being "laid off" in the UK is known as being "made redundant".

We say "laid off" as well, but "made redundant" is such a terrible phrase, don't you think?

All right, I will tell you, but if this gets back to Ray I will FIND who told and administer PUNISHMENT!

Searching the board here, I see I was reading One More for the Road on April 24, 2004. Well, it's now June 26, 2011 and I just picked it up again and am a little more than halfway through. Personally I think the collection should have been named after another story, "Leftovers." It is by far my least favorite of any of his story collections, but I must finish it as I've read all the others, and I've decided I have to finish it now before reading anything else, so there it is.

Looking back at my list, the last book of his I finished previous to that was From the Dust Returned on January 15, 2002, so obviously Let's All Kill Constance, The Cat's Pajamas, Farewell Summer, and Listen to the Echoes all sit here unread. He's always been able to write faster than I can read but this is a recordbreaking Bradbury backlog for me.

quote:

Originally posted by philnic:
We say "laid off" as well, but "made redundant" is such a terrible phrase, don't you think?

Geez, that's only one step above obsolete!

quote:

Originally posted by dandelion:
...Personally I think the collection should have been named after another story, "Leftovers." ...

I would not disagree with your evaluation of the book. It has some highlights, but little that draws me back to it. But don't despair - the four books you have on your to-do list will bring rewards. So will NOW AND FOREVER, if you haven't read that yet.

I assure you I haven't even read all the titles yet, and bless you as a truly wonderful and understanding person.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: dandelion,

quote:

Originally posted by dandelion:

quote:

Originally posted by philnic:
We say "laid off" as well, but "made redundant" is such a terrible phrase, don't you think?

Geez, that's only one step above obsolete!

I tried to post a fitting photo, but don't know how, except as an attachment...

Do it; an attachment is good enough!

(If it's a photo on the web somewhere, just click on the little "picture" button in the posting window. Or if it's a photo/file on your own computer, an attachment is the way to go.)

I would say that Fritz Weaver is SEVERAL steps above obsolete in that picture; he must have used a ladder to get up there!

On another occasion, of course, Fritz would use fire balloons to get to a similarly high place...

I'm also in the doldrums as far as reading Bradbury is concerned. There's so much else to do, and read,and then there's the "leftover" syndrome that dandy refers to. We used to have to wait about seven years between Bradbury collections, and now it's a veritable torrent.

The last book I finished was We'll Always Have Paris.

At the moment I'm slowly working through The Collected Stories, Volume 1. Waiting to be read are A Pleasure to Burn, which I started on but stalled, Farewell Summer, and Summer Morning, Summer Night. That last one I still have to order, but I already have the others.

Besides this four book backlog, I've read all RB's fiction that's available in normal editions.

Oh, except Ahmed and the Oblivion Machines (just remembered). That's another one I started on, but just wasn't in the mood for. So that's five.