Thursday 29 March 2012

When Is a Rabbit Not a Rabbit?

While hanging the In-Charge's shirts on the line this morning (naturally I am the Boss, but husband makes a far more reliable In-Charge), I was pondering this week's 100 WC, and lamenting that I had, unwittingly, read Isobel's entry before putting finger to keypad on my own account.

I bemoaned this lapse to my four able assistants - the cats Hobbes, Henri and Popsicle, and the speckled hen.
'And Isobel's is - as always - so good!' I said.
Henri and Hobbes stared at me unblinkingly, offering no comfort. Popsicle was busy chasing a small pebble.
The speckled hen was just busy.
'Now I can't think of anything original,' I complained.


The cats shrugged with what I can only call Gallic indifference and the speckled hen begged to be excused.

But later, in the woods, the dogs sensibly suggested that this wasn't necessarily a problem.
'Rabbits,' they said, 'can pop up anywhere. But when you're looking for one, they don't. Better the rabbit already in the hat than not having one at all. And by the way, any chance of borrowing it?'

So I hope Isobel won't mind me continuing where her Philosophical Rabbit left off.
You may already have read Isobel's excellent entry this week, but if not - please do. You can find it here.
Mine will certainly make more sense if you have read hers first!



'What was the rabbit late for?' echoed dreamily through Alice's head and she awoke with a start, picturing jam tarts and flamingo mallets.
'So,' the lecturer was saying. 'The rabbit's anxiety is predilection not propensity, but was he late?'
His eyes rested on Alice and she flushed self-consciously. 'Alice - any thoughts?' he asked sardonically.
'Um...' Alice began blankly. Then: 'It depends,' she said with sudden inspiration. 'If you subscribe to Newton's timeline theory, yes. If you side with Kant and Leibniz, time isn't measurable, so he couldn't have been.'
‘Good answer!’ The lecturer grinned. ‘You'll become a philosopher yet.’
Everybody laughed.
Slowly Alice smiled.


Needless to say, I didn't actually read Julia's page - I only looked at the prompt words.
Now I see that the last ten words have to be used to start off next week's...
Looks like I've blown that one.
Sorry!


I see that Julia has published an appeal on her page this week, namely and to wit:
I don’t know if there’s any way to post a message that everyone can see but for all the blogspot people, it’s very hard for those of us who aren’t members of blogspot to ever get to post a comment. If the word matching is turned on, it never thinks you’ve matched and sometimes when it’s not the comment just hangs up while it blinks back and forth to the word matching but never posts… I note from comments that I’m not alone. Definitely helps when people turn off the word match but maybe blogspot needs a heads up?

I am going to ask Julia to post this too:

COMMENTS
As a blogspotter I am sorry to hear of your problems and  hope that your appeal will help.  However, you are not alone!
The problems of commenting are universal it seems! I find it almost impossible to comment on WordPress blogs. Time and time again when I press 'publish'  my comment disappears without trace. In some cases I have come to understand that my comments have been instantly binned as spam.  SO frustrating do I find this, that I have almost given up either commenting or trying to enter WordPress based challenges - ie the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge, on which I am UNABLE to leave my link. This is a shame.  It has also posed a problem on the school 100WC. My comments are only recognised if a comment I have left is fished out of the spam bin and 'instated' in the comments column. Thereafter, generally, I have been 'recognised' on that particular blog and my comments 'allowed' to appear.
I don't know how to overcome this problem - as often people don't look in their spam bins and are unaware that someone has tried to leave a comment.. Sometimes I leave comments via Facebook, but it's annoying that leaving a comment isn't a simple business.
I wish Blogspot and WordPress would talk to each other and sort this out. I have left comments on the Blogspot forum, and beg WordPress users to do likewise (you are missing out on lots of comments at the moment!), or send an email to WordPress if they are lucky enough to have that facility.
There seem to have been a lot of additional problems commenting recently. WHAT IS GOING ON?!

In the meantime, I would recommend all bloggers read this post about word verification and her original post which recommends how to deal with it, paying particular attention to point 5.

20 comments:

  1. Hello! Hello! I loved this :) That rabbit has me all caught up in what he's up to.

    I know you have probably had this suggestion, but I hate that you can't participate in WP challenges and have trouble commenting. I think I am giving up on Blogger challenges because noBODY can comment on my WP post because WP is messing with the comment box and comment structure. Could you just register as a blog user but not do a blog. I know it is all a mess. I have an old blog gathering dust on Blogger and I have trouble commenting with my WP identity. Of course I want to use it because I want people to find my new blog. I am just thinking out loud here. Whew! Long winded too.

    Thankfully for me you allow Name/URL option for commenting. Thank you so much!

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  2. Thank you Pix - I cannot BEGIN to describe the frustration this commenting business causes me. Yes, I have a WordPress blog which I do use occasionally for commenting. As you suggest, I have it, but don't use it as a Blog. Then if anyone clicks on it - hopefully - it redirects them to me.
    WHY CAN'T BLOGSPOT AND WORDPRESS SORT IT OUT BETWEEN THEM!!!
    AND SIMPLIFY IT!!

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    Replies
    1. Because Blogger wants WP's bloggers and WP wants Blogger's bloggers and they wouldn't want to go out of their way to make blogging a pleasant experience for us,now would they. I hate to sound like an old grouch but I left Blogger because of all their crazy problems and now WP can't get their stuff together. I tried Tumblr but it was all young kids. Couldn't relate there.

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  3. Enjoyed this, and I an sure someone will contniue it.
    Re your comments on comments, agree , also comment on the children's and there are lots that freeze out or have word recognition antispam codes that don't work. Not sure there's a simple answer, moderated comments essential for preventing probs in school and I would be wary of unmoderated comments on mine .

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  4. Agree witg your comments on comments...
    Your 100wc was a good read and , what does it matter if you hadn't written an end to be a start...sure someone will carry it on. :-)

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  5. Lol first comment had disappeared and now you have them both...commenting is never straightforward lol.

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  6. How very right you are Anna! There will soon be a course available at all good third level colleges and universities: 'Mastering the frustrations and intricacies of commenting on Blogs'

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  7. Doesn't Blogspot have a Like button? :-) I really enjoyed reading your "sequel" to Isobel's piece. It is a witty continuation.
    By the way, you are right. Your comment did get spammed by WordPress. It is the first time a genuine comment got spammed. I have approved your comment, so you should be fine the next time you comment on my site. Cheers!

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  8. I think you've done a fine job with that closing hook: there are lots of interesting ways someone can jump on that philosopher line! And does Alice's smile bode greatness or failure? Only the next writer knows!

    Your lead-in is just as compelling, though! I like that you've given your little menagerie such interesting personalities of their own. :)

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    1. Thank you!
      However, I felt duty-bound to read your comment out to the assembled company. Hobbes, it has to be said, walked out in disgust and it was left to Top Dog to be the spokesman.
      'What do they mean?' he asked. 'We are just being us.'
      I couldn't have put it better myself.

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  9. Wow, even creating a Blogger blog with the express purpose of commenting on Blogger blogs I still found it practically impossible to comment. But I think I finally figured out how. We will see if it actually works!

    This is clever, and I agree with bonusparts ... the closer is definitely workable!

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    Replies
    1. Whatever you did, it worked!
      Excellent.
      Thank you!

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  10. I am hoping I have done the right obeisance and this time shall be permitted to post.
    I am blushing and grinning at your praise. I don't think it is deserved, but I love it al the same.
    And I love this. your writing has such a cool yet tender quality to it. Sweet without being slushy. There is always a smile or a laugh at the edges. Even in the sad ones.
    BTW I read it that the last ten words had to be the ones that would start the idea, rather than start the story.

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  11. Like you, I went somewhere else entirely...letting the prompt lead you away from the norm is brilliant! ...and I have been in Alice's chair...hmmm...how to answer! :)

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  12. Mmm - me too! The trouble is, you never know what you've missed... Thanks for dropping by!

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  13. I loved the concept of this piece, which reminded me of long hot afternoons in "Philosophy and Pedagogy of Education" lectures.

    I have the same problem as others, but an added problem of having to have 2 blogger accounts so that I can keep my school blog and my home blog separate - which means logging out and then in again so that I can be the right "me" when I comment!

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  14. Oh I'm glad I read Isobel's first. It makes perfect sense. Between you you have convinced me that it was good that I did not do philosophy! I'm sure Lewis Carroll would be pleased with this fab writing!

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  15. This is my second attempt to leave a comment. I love this & I'm very glad that I read Isobel's first. It is a super piece of writing that Carroll himself would admire I'm sure!

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  16. I liked this. I remember being that person in the lecture theatre trying to scrabble for an answer. In fact I probably do it now to my class!

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Ah, go on! Make my day - leave a comment!