[638] Us and them September 25th, 2008 – 4:56pm Posted in Thoughts No comments

American banks going a bit wonky this week have had the interesting effect of illustrating one of the problems of society on a mass scale. I’ve been thinking about this “mass” thing a lot, recently, as the simple issue of numbers seems to have a fundamental effect on how humans operate together. This banking problem casts light on the old “us and them” thing, or tribalism if you like. It’s inherent in all of us to some degree or less and it’s funny how America, a true mass society, has shown how “us and them” needn’t just apply to one group versus another but, when a group is sufficiently large enough, it begins to apply within the group itself.

Take a look at this article about the somewhat dubious plan to solve the crisis. Putting aside the fact it’s the most shameless con I can remember or even conceive of, …read more.

[635] Understand or you’re a lost cause September 15th, 2008 – 11:56pm Posted in Thoughts 1 comment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI5EY5kqiBU

[633] A Night with David Speedie and Sue Cook September 13th, 2008 – 12:11am Posted in Events No comments

Sue Cook’s just pulled out, but David’s still a goer. Anyone fancy coming too? It’s a fiver at the Hordens on Tuesday 16th – details here. Speedie defines that part of Rovers rise when it was 50-50 right to the line whether we’d make it to the top or drift away forever… all it took him was a tumble near the line and we made it all the way.

[631] My brain breaks down when tiredness >= 30% September 12th, 2008 – 11:27pm Posted in Daft No comments

[23:21] Finnvitka: my tattoo artist decided to put the Smiths on when I was getting my back done
[23:21] Finnvitka: I nearly killed him
[23:21] Keera: nooo
[23:21] OwenP: what did you get done on your back?
[23:21] Finnvitka: I have two ravens spanning my entire upper back
[23:21] Keera: wow!
[23:21] Keera: thats awesome
[23:21] Finnvitka: seven hours and it’s not even done yet
[23:22] Richard45: where do the smiths fit into that?!
[23:22] Richard45: morrissey riding a raven?!
[23:22] Finnvitka: my artist put them on :p
[23:22] Keera: her tattoo artist was listening to The SMiths
[23:22] Richard45: aaaaaaah
[23:22] OwenP: you thought you were getting two ravens but you actually got the cover art to the queen is dead

[627] Fruitless endeavours September 11th, 2008 – 5:25pm Posted in Events, Thoughts No comments

The brief but brilliant demise of Fleetwood pier this week was a very fitting illustration of the English condition. We are the only nation on the planet who have persisted over centuries in constructing lengthy wooden structures out to sea and then gasping in shock as they erupt into flames out of our control. At least four generations now have sobbed at the just-noticed irony of a wooden structure going up in flames in an ocean, not to count the endless noble seafarers before them who took a good few years to get over the irony of wooden boats not being put out by the sea!

Watching local news reports of craggy-faced northern pensioners tutting at the sadness of it all has, then, started to wear a bit thin, just like the English condition. Many of us are held back at a very basic level – not to just reject …read more.

[621] Tuesday night armistice August 12th, 2008 – 10:54pm Posted in Daft, Events No comments

Sometimes in war it’s necessary to halt the advance and allow the troops time to recover and regroup. This is particularly the case when you’re not actually advancing at all and your troops are running back past you towards the motherland, hats flying into the air as they desperately flee the horrors of war.

This past week has been a parable in the importance of experience. As inexperienced as I am at decorating, my original estimation of how long this job would take amounted to one day stripping and one day painting. Quite how impossibly naive I am capable of being sometimes shocks me, as within those two days with the help of Kim I had achieved the sum total of removing a few layers of wallpaper and paint, leaving behind it a pock-marked wall reminiscent of downtown Sarajevo and wood fittings buried beneath 50 years of luminous orange, blue and …read more.

[616] Small victories August 10th, 2008 – 1:57pm Posted in Daft, Thoughts No comments

Often, when in a battle, the only way to maintain motivation is to achieve a series of small victories. Very few people can look at the big picture and the enormity of the struggle ahead without a feeling of doom and foreboding setting in, rendering them useless participants in the battle. To overcome this it’s possible to create a chain of small successes which trick the mind into feeling it’s the winner.

Skirting board – YOU ARE MINE! This is what you get when you MESS WITH THE WARRIOR!!!

[612] Group consciousness August 8th, 2008 – 11:28pm Posted in Thoughts No comments

Like father, like son: as you grow older, you recognise the traits passed from your parents on to you and just how simple the rules of genetics are. (The absurdity of organised religion has been riling me very much of late, but that’s for another late night.) I’ve never worried about growing older because I’ve always found that as each year passes, I become a more capable person.

That it means one less year of life on this crumby planet doesn’t enter the equation, as it’s a question of quality, not quantity – I could have a thousand years of me when I was a child, or ten of me as an adult, and it’s pretty easy to choose the latter. As these years have passed, patterns develop and themes recurr consistently enough to flag something up in my head, and over the past few years the ties I …read more.

[610] The source of this site’s name August 7th, 2008 – 12:53am Posted in Daft No comments

Originally used far back in her journal, but repeated here: http://scarlet-west.livejournal.com/34621.html

[606] Painter decorator August 6th, 2008 – 12:58am Posted in Thoughts No comments

The broad overview of this is that I’ve been decorating my room.

The real subject, since it’s nearly 1am and I can’t be bothered describing decorating to anyone, lest of all myself, is how competitiveness stifles humour.

Competition is traditionally seen as promoting innovation and advancement. In the field of humour, I am not sure this is always the case. Humour is a human trait and as such it doesn’t work by the rules of business, science or whatnot. Competition in humour provokes a response I don’t think is felt in other fields: utter dejection and futility for the loser.

The issue with this situation is that in this contest, all the players are on the same team. Everyone is on the side of good. The whole contest is purely devoted to deciding who can contribute the greatest mass of awesomeness to the group. How can there be a loser? Well, humour defines …read more.

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