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You are here: Home / Authors In Our Midst / Quick Program Note: Me And Carl Down By The School Yard

Quick Program Note: Me And Carl Down By The School Yard

by Tom Levenson|  September 24, 20206:25 pm| 48 Comments

This post is in: Authors In Our Midst, Books, Open Threads

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Should have put this up earlier, but Carl Zimmer (NYT science columnist and the author of lots, including most recently She Has Her Mother’s Laugh) will be talking TONIGHT about Money for Nothing (virtually) at the MIT Museum.

It starts and 7:30, and details can be found here.

We’ll jabber for half an hour or so, and then the floor will be open. Love to see any and all jackals there.

And for tolerating such relentless self promotion, please enjoy a bonus Tikka-and-Champ pic:

Quick Program Note: Me And Carl Down By The SchoolYard

Open thread: talk books, cats, and everything else.

 

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Reader Interactions

48Comments

  1. 1.

    Big R

    September 24, 2020 at 6:32 pm

    I want to be very clear: please tell both Tikka and Champ that I love them.

  2. 2.

    Tom Levenson

    September 24, 2020 at 6:34 pm

    @Big R: Will do. ;-)

    They’ll send their feline feelings back atcha.

  3. 3.

    misterpuff

    September 24, 2020 at 6:34 pm

    Levenson! You magnificent bastard! I read your book!

    OK not yet but both (Money For Nothing & Newton and the Counterfeiter) are on their way to me from Amazon.

    Looking forward to both!

    On the wrong coast to attend though.

  4. 4.

    Tom Levenson

    September 24, 2020 at 6:35 pm

    @misterpuff:  Hehe….

    My thanks.

  5. 5.

    la caterina

    September 24, 2020 at 6:37 pm

    The Squee, it hurts!

  6. 6.

    misterpuff

    September 24, 2020 at 6:38 pm

    @Tom Levenson: The kittehs are awesome.

     

    Champ is such a cutie.

  7. 7.

    khead

    September 24, 2020 at 6:42 pm

    I just love that pic.

  8. 8.

    Sab

    September 24, 2020 at 6:44 pm

    Champ will never have Tikka ‘s supercilious gravitas. Does Tikka even know he has gravitas?

  9. 9.

    trollhattan

    September 24, 2020 at 6:46 pm

    Catlet: “And then I’m gonna and then I’m gonna and after that I’m gonna….”

    Cat: “Why, this thing? Why?”

  10. 10.

    LuciaMia

    September 24, 2020 at 6:47 pm

    Champ does look a little like Tikka’s wind-up toy.

  11. 11.

    TaMara (HFG)

    September 24, 2020 at 6:48 pm

    Oh, kittehs, balm for the soul.

    I’ve had a fucking awful day, so I think I’m going to pull my guitar off the wall, tune it and just strum my blues away…

  12. 12.

    Yutsano

    September 24, 2020 at 6:48 pm

    @Sab:

    Does Tikka even know he has gravitas?

    Tikka would have to care enough about petty human emotions to even begin to care about such silly notions as “gravitas”. The intruder, however, is barely worthy of his détene. Yet we observe such a state of affairs is beginning to form

  13. 13.

    SiubhanDuinne

    September 24, 2020 at 6:53 pm

    Love the kittehs. What a great picture!

    I’ve registered for the event, Tom (via the Museum’s FB link). Looking forward to the discussion. Thanks for alerting us!

  14. 14.

    Tom Levenson

    September 24, 2020 at 6:55 pm

    @trollhattan: ‘Bout right.

  15. 15.

    Sab

    September 24, 2020 at 6:57 pm

    @Yutsano: So true. Good move on Tikka’s part. Champ might be large someday. Best idea is to train the youngster in respectful admiration. My younger cats have never outgrown their respect for the ( formerly) big guys.

  16. 16.

    schrodingers_cat

    September 24, 2020 at 6:57 pm

    Tikka has awesome socks! Congratulations on your book.

  17. 17.

    zhena gogolia

    September 24, 2020 at 6:58 pm

    Tikka and Champ are priceless. I predict this will be a new lease on life for Tikka. Cats like to be around other cats.

  18. 18.

    Sab

    September 24, 2020 at 7:01 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: Champs socks are quite tiny.

  19. 19.

    mrmoshpotato

    September 24, 2020 at 7:20 pm

    @TaMara (HFG): Have something for you boys… or The greatest and best song in the world

  20. 20.

    J R in WV

    September 24, 2020 at 7:22 pm

    @Sab:

    Champs socks are quite tiny.

    Champ is quite tiny, so far. Love kittens, been such a long time since we had kittens, now we’re too old to adopt little cats, will need to adopt mature cats.

    Darn it!

    So cute~!!~

  21. 21.

    Gvg

    September 24, 2020 at 7:24 pm

    @Sab: My dog as a child was smaller than my cats when we brought him home. All his life, he stepped aside for cats to go first. He had a very yes ma’m attitude about the older lady cats. However he also was forever searching for younger cats that would PLAY with him. He loved my sisters kittens later. He scared quite a few random cats by running up to them to see if they would play. Then he would be sad when they ran away.

  22. 22.

    HumboldtBlue

    September 24, 2020 at 7:35 pm

    I’m wearing my sexy outfit!

  23. 23.

    WaterGirl

    September 24, 2020 at 7:36 pm

    I knew they would be buds!  Champ is so adorable.  What a little imp.

  24. 24.

    HumboldtBlue

    September 24, 2020 at 7:37 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    Mine doesn’t

  25. 25.

    WaterGirl

    September 24, 2020 at 7:37 pm

    @Sab:

    Does Tikka even know he has gravitas?

    Isn’t it obvious?  Tikka knows all.

  26. 26.

    geg6

    September 24, 2020 at 7:50 pm

    Tikka is just so regal.  But that Champ, OMG!  What cuteness.  Those teeny tiny little socks just kill me.

  27. 27.

    cain

    September 24, 2020 at 7:51 pm

    I think this might be the first time that you’ve put a post without a classic painting!

  28. 28.

    John Revolta

    September 24, 2020 at 7:56 pm

    Mini-meow

  29. 29.

    J R in WV

    September 24, 2020 at 8:07 pm

    @cain:

    The classic painting is of Champ and Tikka — wassamatter you?

  30. 30.

    satby

    September 24, 2020 at 8:07 pm

    Lovely tribute to RBG while showing how essential to protecting our rights SCOTUS is from the Biden team.

    And son of a lifelong friend at :17 in the video (the clean-shaven guy).

  31. 31.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    September 24, 2020 at 8:17 pm

    @J R in WV: I foster moms and kittens for our local Animal Shelter. Good way to get your kitten on without having to adopt. Right now I have a feral mom (not a fan of humans) and her 4 boys who turned 4 weeks old on Saturday. They’ve hit 16 ounces each, so time for their first set of shots. When they hit 2 pounds they should be big and developed enough for adoption. I’m working on weaning right now and letting them run around in a safe room, but everyone still loves Mama (and nursing) at least once a day.

    ETA Tikka and Champ picture is great.

  32. 32.

    HumboldtBlue

    September 24, 2020 at 8:20 pm

    Fuck yeah! I got my question answered!

  33. 33.

    Miss Bianca

    September 24, 2020 at 8:21 pm

    @John Revolta:

    Mini-meow

    love it!

  34. 34.

    pat

    September 24, 2020 at 8:23 pm

    Can we have weekly photos to update the relationship between these two adorable critters?

    Pretty please???

  35. 35.

    Tom Levenson

    September 24, 2020 at 8:29 pm

    @pat: ;-)

  36. 36.

    Laura Too

    September 24, 2020 at 8:29 pm

    That was really cool! Thanks for the heads up. Can’t say I begin to understand it all but I love being introduced to new things.

  37. 37.

    SiubhanDuinne

    September 24, 2020 at 8:38 pm

    I really enjoyed that, Tom! (But of course I kept hoping Tikka and Champ would decide to come join you.)

    When you were talking about the scientific and actuarial innovations of 1692, I kept thinking “All that brilliant intellect happening in England, and on this side of the pond we were burning witches.” I know that has nothing to do with anything, but I’m interested in looking at slices of timelines — one narrow period of time — what different (or similar) things were happening around the globe?

    Anyhow, thanks for a stimulating conversation.

  38. 38.

    SiubhanDuinne

    September 24, 2020 at 8:40 pm

    @HumboldtBlue:

    Which one was yours? Historical speculation (what would the world be like if the South Sea Bubble hadn’t happened)?

  39. 39.

    HumboldtBlue

    September 24, 2020 at 8:48 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    No, the process question.

    “All that brilliant intellect happening in England, and on this side of the pond we were burning witches.”

    In our defense it wasn’t like they were home grown, they were the same folks who burned witches in the old country.

  40. 40.

    Miss Bianca

    September 24, 2020 at 8:56 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Hey, they were burning plenty of witches in England and Europe, too. That energy *came* from England.

    @HumboldtBlue: Or, y’know, what you said.

  41. 41.

    Elizabelle

    September 24, 2020 at 9:20 pm

    Champ is still alive, so there is that.

    Haven’t read thread, but curious if program will be available afterwards, for those of us who missed it.

  42. 42.

    SiubhanDuinne

    September 24, 2020 at 9:59 pm

    @HumboldtBlue:

    @Miss Bianca:

    Oh, of course I know there were witch hunts and executions in Europe for several centuries. But here, the fervor seemed to be pretty much confined to 1692-93. It was the singularity of the time period I was commenting on, not the phenomenon itself.

  43. 43.

    oatler.

    September 24, 2020 at 10:00 pm

    Oh if I catch that boy I’m gonna put him in house of detention.

  44. 44.

    SiubhanDuinne

    September 24, 2020 at 10:03 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    Yes, it’s available now on FB. Go to the MIT Museum page, scroll down to videos, and there it is. It says two hours, but really it’s only one — and that one hour goes by very quickly.

  45. 45.

    SiubhanDuinne

    September 24, 2020 at 10:05 pm

    @oatler.:

    What boy? I thought I saw “cat” but I might have imagined it. Feline or human, I hope he’s safe.

  46. 46.

    Torrey

    September 24, 2020 at 10:30 pm

    Fascinating conversation with Zimmer! Thank you for the heads-up.

  47. 47.

    HumboldtBlue

    September 24, 2020 at 11:48 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: 

    It does. I just went back and watched the first 30 minutes. So much reference to things of interest.

  48. 48.

    The Fat White Duchess

    September 25, 2020 at 7:43 am

    @HumboldtBlue: No witches were burned in the US. (At least not via judicial process; there may have been “accidental” burnings in the household.)

    Darn it, I missed the talk.  Didn’t see this post until Friday morning. Is a recording available?

    (Hi, I’m new-ish. Lurking for a while, posted once, and before that relied on my spouse, who’s been a jackal for a while, to give me the daily highlights.)

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