CATS. CATS ARE NICE

Terry Pratchett has passed on and I feel sad. Woke up Friday morning and saw a message my sister sent me after I slept the night before. Then spent the rest of Friday at work reading articles about Pratchett in between breaks.

I feel sad, much like I felt when I read about Diana Wynne Jones's death. This afternoon I realized there wasn't going to be another Tiffany Aching and I felt really sad. Cos I loved that series. But to be honest - the last one, I Shall Wear Midnight, felt off. Like it wasn't written by Pratchett exactly, the villain wasn't enough, and Tiffany didn't feel like Tiffany. And at the end she got a boyfriend, and I doubt Pratchett would have continued after that. And it's OK, because Tiffany has to go learn to be an adult - adulting, haha - and I'm happy she got what she wanted in the end. Even if it is something you would think is trivial like a boyfriend, she was happy.

Read most of the coverage on the Guardian, but since Telegraph has fifty of his best quotes - instead of 15, guess who's more kiasu - here's the link. But if you really want to know more quotes, then by all means do go to the Wikiquote page that I once nearly bookmarked at one point in my life. And as you can see by my blog sidebar, I used to look forward to the next Discworld book, up to the point I read Snuff and felt it wasn't up to - er - snuff. Sorry not sorry for bad pun.

Was reading Raising Steam a few weeks ago, and here's something I marked to write or record down somewhere. I mean Pratchett probably wouldn't have really cared much about what happens in this country, but I thought it was relevant in these recent interesting times:

'Excuse me, sir, but if you wanted to you could shut down the papers, couldn't you? And forbid the train and put anyone you like in prison, yes?' [Moist to Lord Vetinari]

Still staring down at the city, Lord Vetinari said, 'My dear Mister Lipwig, you are clever and certainly smart but you have yet to find the virtue of wisdom, and wisdom tells a powerful prince that firstly he shouldn't just put anyone he likes in prison, because that is where he puts the people he doesn't like, and secondly the mere unthinking dislike of something, someone, or some situation is no mandate for drastic action.'

So I'm going to end this post with a quote I used to post in my sidebar, before I turned poseur and switched it with one of Plath's.

The only hat worth wearing was the one you made for yourself, not one you bought, not one you were given. Your own hat, for your own head. Your own future, not someone else’s.

- A Hat Full of Sky

I'm getting married, you guys. And planning to do something quite drastic. So wish me luck.