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And so it begins…
Lord. The first of my Christmas shopping arrived today.
How organised is that?
Posted on November 5, 2007 | Filed Under My So-Called Life | 1 Comment
Noisome Deodourants
Gentle reader, pray tell me why so many men’s antiperspirants/deodorants are so utterly disgusting.
I mean… you do your duty to your fellow man by giving yourself a liberal blast of a morning or prior to going out and so on, only to spend the next five minutes gagging in an acrid cloud of spray that clings to your throat and nostrils, apparently burning its way through any membrane it clings to.
I’ve tried dozens of the buggers now and they all have that basic problem. Admittedly they settle down after a few minutes and become vaguely bearable (with the obvious exception of the entire Lynx range which is a form of chemical terrorism I can’t condone) but the application is an almost unbearable form of self-torture.
I’ve had to switch to a lady-spray instead.
Posted on October 27, 2007 | Filed Under Musings, My So-Called Life | 3 Comments
Don’t Lose Our Heads…
Was watching the classic “Carry On Don’t Lose Your Head” last night with an – ahem – gentleman caller, when part of the script caught my attention.
Robespierre: So – it seems the English have struck again!
Camembert: Well, they say that’s what the English are good at: striking!
(Or something along those lines.)
It just struck me that something which was probably quite a solid piece of satire for its time seems to have become rather more apposite again. What with Tube Strikes, Postal Strikes and now BBC staff threatening to do the same there was a certain resonance to those lines I hadn’t felt before.
I’ll nail my colours to the mast here: I don’t like strikes. It’s essentially emotional blackmail and does strike me as being remarkably counter-productive. In the case of BBC staff, there’s a ?Ǭ£2billion pound shortfall of revenue – do they really think that forcing the BBC not to make redundancies will help? And in the case of the postal workers it does seem largely to be a “we’ve been getting away with all sorts of dodgy or just extremely lucrative practices for years and you’re trying to clamp down – how dare you” type thing.
In both cases you have companies struggling to adapt to a changing world of work where greater flexibility and leaner processes are the only way to stop them going under. I can’t see how striking and essentially making your employer cripple itself is a victory for anyone, because at some point they’ll just go under sure as night follows day (and vice versa).
Not that I think in either case some savings couldn’t be found elsewhere, but at some point people would have to go and inconveniencing the many for the benefit of the few is something that in this day and age the general public seems to find less sympathy for than it would have done in the sixties.
But there we are. As ever, time will tell. It always does.
Posted on October 19, 2007 | Filed Under The World we Live In | 3 Comments
Not So Liberal After All..?
So Sir Menzies Campbell has been forced out of office following a fairly high profile whispering campaign (well, shouting campaign really) against him which has left me with a rather bad taste in my mouth regarding my preferred – out of a bad bunch – party.
What’s worse is that the image it projected was not only harking back to Conservative leadership battles which let’s be honest left that party somewhat crippled for ages (“I’m Not Going!”, “I’m Not Going!”, “You’re Going!”, “I’m Going!”) but, as it turns out, the two front-runners for succeeding him remind me – at least in terms of look – of Conservative MPs.
It’s something about the city financier look. It makes me want to slap them and tax their bonuses to high fuck.
Plus there’s that age old phrase in the Indie today. “Mr. Clegg is married with a wife and two children.” And frankly that sort of comment is the sort of thing I’d expect of a Tory leadership bid: “Look, he’s happily heterosexual with a family and that’s what’s important, right?”
Oh well, we shall see. My confidence is shaken somewhat, though.
I may have to go Green.
Posted on October 16, 2007 | Filed Under The World we Live In | 3 Comments
Stop It At Once!
Apologies to anyone I know who recognises themselves in this but, well… tough!
I like books. I like reading. I like being able to do so when I’m on the move. I read yesterday on the train back from Manchester, I read most days when I’m on the tube, and I know many people like to do the same.
This is, without a shadow of a doubt, a good thing.
But please, fellow travellers, humans, countrymen… would you please for fuck’s sake STOP when you switch to walking?
There are few things more irritating than trying to navigate round some complete prick who has their nose buried in a book or newspaper, with them somehow managing to remain completely oblivious to the world around them and thus weaving erratically through the crowds.
Pay some fucking attention to the world around you, please – if only for your own safety! Because one day someone may just try dropping a banana skin in front of you to see what, if anything, happens.
Not me, though, obviously.
(I can pay people to do it instead.)
Posted on October 8, 2007 | Filed Under My So-Called Life, The World we Live In | 1 Comment
15:45 from Manchester
Well, the flatmate and I returned last night from Manchester we had been up there to celebrate friend Helen’s birthday and a good time was very definitely had by all.
Chris wasn’t actually supposed to be attending at all, but his NLP course ended up having to finish a day early so he was able to join at the last minute. Mark and John and I had managed to book rooms in a rather posh hotel at half price since it wasn’t quite finished and needed consumer testing, and somehow our tickets back had plonked us right in a First Class carriage which was not exactly expected but certainly welcome. So the weekend’s accommodation and travel was rather luxurious to be honest.
(I’ve decided that from now on, train journeys of over 1.5 hours are only to be done first class. I need the legroom and the space otherwise people might die.)
And there were some excellent meals too. Helen did drinks and nibbles at her place for the Friday and we had a wonderful meal at a restaurant called Bacchanalia for the Saturday where during the course of the evening I was able to indulge my love of mussels, roasted Mediterranean vegetables and port. And we hit Sam’s Chop House on the Sunday for lunch, which similarly proved absolutely stunning.
The only bit I didn’t enjoy was a rather painful hour or so in the Manchester Revolution. The place was ram-packed and understaffed and played nothing but tedious hard-house music at a level which made it impossible to have a conversation with anyone. In the end, my window of enjoyment having passed, I made my excuses and left, feeling once again that clubs and I really don’t mix.
Besides which it’s got to be said I don’t much care for Vodka anyway.
The rest of the time we all amused ourselves. The girls were all interested in some Rugby match that was apparently going on (I understand “we won” whatever that means), Mark and John were hitting various cultural high-spots, and so Chris and I ate, shopped and hit the Museum of Science and Industry.
Where, by a strange coincidence that I really hadn’t expected, there was a Doctor Who “Up Close” Exhibition on. (I can only imagine I’m on some Karmic Upswing at the moment.)
All in all it was a brilliant weekend and most relaxing – albeit quite terrifyingly expensive. (Actually the accommodation and meals and so on was not a problem – I just ended up buying a hell of a lot of clothing up there for some reason. How gay is that?)
Some photos here.
Posted on October 8, 2007 | Filed Under My So-Called Life | 0 Comments
Furtively Fertile
Apparently men with deep voices are more likely to be more fertile according to a recent study.
Obviously I’m stymied in the reproductive stakes by the complete lack of interest in breeding and rearing (in any sense) children at all, but it’s nice to know all the same.
Posted on September 28, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, My So-Called Life | 0 Comments
Of Jerks and Butts
As I take the bus to Liverpool Street Station each morning, I do tend to mentally flatline I will admit. Sitting there with the latest recently-released BWO and Dragonette albums playing whilst I think of pretty much nothing is, as far as I’m concerned, one of the most sacred parts of the day.
However, there are two names that tend to spark some level of awareness as we motor recklessly past them which – if truth be told – make me smile no matter how many times I see them.
The lesser enjoyment is the mere existence of a place en-route called “Newington Butts”. Sadly the reason for the name is less amusing than the name itself, but there we are. I smirk, therefore I am.
The other – and to my mind far superior – diversion is a little earlier on the Brixton Road towards Oval. At first glance it appears to be nothing more than a small shop, part of a row of non-de-script frontages which can be found in any of the more urban London areas. But the name screams out to my admittedly puerile mind and has brightened up my day on several occasions.
It’s called the “Reggae Jerk Centre” and, frankly, the first time I saw it my mind boggled.
Naturally I have so far come up with three possible uses for the said centre and they are, to be fair, far more interesting to my mind than the truth.
But the imagination is always more interesting isn’t it?
Posted on September 28, 2007 | Filed Under My So-Called Life, The World we Live In | 1 Comment
Barceloooooooooona!
I have, I regret to say, issues with heat. Not the magazine, you understand (although, now you mention it?¢‚Ǩ¬¶) but actual temperature in that I become physically unable to function when the thermometer reaches about 29 degrees.
So it was slightly unfortunate that my jaunt to Barcelona for last weekend and the early part of this week coincided with an unseasonably warm September where 35 degrees was pretty much the standard for much of the day.
Still, it was a very nice trip otherwise. There was a difficult period of adjustment where I ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú as a decidedly morning person ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú was essentially being forced into the continental late-night dinners and clubbing experience (it didn?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t really work I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m afraid ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú again I just sort of physically shut down at 12) but aside from that it was all rather lovely.
Many large meals were indulged in (one, in the Olympic Village, saw our party joined by a rather handsome puss-cat who was after the pickings of the fish), lots of the city?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s architecture and labyrinthine streets were explored, and I finally caught up on some reading, which was rather gratifying.
It was also Poblenou?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Fiesta Mallora which meant there was a certain amount of local colour too ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú I gather it was a bit of a trial run for this weekend?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s big Barcelonan Fiesta so there was a slightly WI feel to it all, but it was rather charming – and actually had one of the best fireworks displays I have ever seen.
Needless to say, a certain amount of oddness occurred – this is my life, after all. For one I managed to end up being pounced on by some hopeful Nigerian hooker in Las Ramblas who literally grabbed my arm and tried to drag me off (talk about barking up the wrong tree). Then there was the meal at a table next to some rather terrifying Sardinian Separatists, who then later turned up on a stage in one of the side streets doing some appalling rapping as part of the Fiesta.
Oh, and there was the odd coincidence of meeting up for evening drinks with someone who had befriended Mark and John on the beach while they were sunning themselves on the beach. Turned out we already knew each other through Other Rob, but there was a lot of ?¢‚Ǩ?ìI know you don?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t I? Where do I know you from??¢‚Ǩ¬ù before we figured it out. (It?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s always a worry that sort of thing ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m fairly certain I remember 90% of past lovers but you always fret you?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ve blocked one out, don?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t you?)
But yes, it was all rather lovely, and definitely much needed. I think next time I go I shall make sure it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s even more off season though so it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s just that little bit cooler.
Some photos are here if you?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢re interested.
Posted on September 23, 2007 | Filed Under My So-Called Life | 3 Comments
ITV, I Love You!
Those words are four I never thought I’d use, but I just discovered that they’ve put five episodes of Metal Mickey online.
Okay, so it is a bit lame. And I was, oddly enough, far too young for it when it was broadcast (I would have been three when it started and I think I only ever saw one episode when I was a kid) but my early childhood scrapbook contained innumerable pictures lovingly cut out from magazines because they thought a comedy robot would be just the sort of thing a young boy would like when he was older.
Life was much simpler when I was interested in robots. Now I’m interested in men it all seems so much more complicated.
You can’t switch them off for one thing.
Posted on September 8, 2007 | Filed Under Film, TV, Theatre, My So-Called Life | 6 Comments