In which I giggle unexpectedly

[desperance]

With my usual distorted sense of priorities, I have prepared for houseguests by shopping and cooking all day. At 1600hrs, I remembered that they might just be arriving at 1700hrs. Eek.

So Mac and I made up their bed (he did all the useful stuff, the pouncing and rolling around on clean sheets, while I faffed about in the background), and then I got out the Evil Machine of Suckage, and proceeded to suck.

In an hour flat, I have sucked all through the house. My hands hurt, my shoulders hurt and it's a scrap job, but hey. If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing as sloppily as you can get away with.

And then, with the vacuum put away, I decided that was enough for now; and opened a bottle of wine and put on Radio 4 for PM (news programme with both wit and insight, O my beloved unBritish listeners). And Eddie was talking to a Russian apologist, no surprise; but à propos of everything having a cost, the Russian said "The free cheese is only in the mousetrap" - which I don't know if it's an English saying I've just never heard before, or if it's a Russian saying he translated on the spur of the moment, or if it was spontaneous wit, but I like it any way it comes. (M'friend'n'colleague jemck has a list of Curious Foreign Expressions which she finds very useful for fantasy dialogue moments...)

But wait! A car, and voices! I has a pennski! I has a bookzombie! If any of you were missing them, here is where they are...

Comments

The only free cheese is in the mousetrap

[durham-rambler.livejournal.com]

shewhomust and I were driving back from lunch with AF (who was asking after you) and DW when we heard the same piece, though I remember the quote as above -- when the programme goes up on Listen Again we can check. We both thought what a vivid image, and also what a very professional diplomat he was: a (rightly) very difficult brief to defend and he did it extremely well. I could not agree with what the Russians were and are doing but admired the way he put across their case.

Re: The only free cheese is in the mousetrap

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

It has to be the Russian for "There's no such thing as a free lunch", surely? Oh, please...

And I'm with desperance on the word order, I'm afraid...

Re: The free cheese is only in the mousetrap

[durham-rambler.livejournal.com]

You were both right. Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00d09th and listen from 20 minutes in for that phrase.

[possumqueen.livejournal.com]

If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing as sloppily as you can get away with.

*LOLchaz!!!*

[desperance.livejournal.com]

That has always seemed to me to be inherent. Of course, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well if you have the ability and the time and can afford it; but if not, then hey, if it's worth doing...