Friday, February 12, 2010

Logic and Law - not so much

Once again politicians are doing silly things.

Have a look here, with a quick quote.


New powers to crack down on lap-dancing clubs

New powers to crack down on lap-dancing clubs will be given to local councils, the Home Office has said.

Currently residents can object to venues for licensing reasons only, such as crime and disorder, nuisance, public safety and protecting children.


LGA culture chairman Chris White said: "Parents' concerns about what their children might see during their walk home from school ....


But here's the thing - I didn't know where the local lap dancing club was till it was pointed out to me as I walked past with friends. In a city I've lived for years - that's discrete.

But children *do* walk past the local Anne Summers shop (which sells very adult toys) every single day.

If you want to do something, do it. Don't blame it on "protecting the children" - because it isn't.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

On waking

We all know dreams disappear so fast on waking. Seconds, minutes at most.

Sometimes good - nightmares that fade away in daylight.

Sometimes bad - happy places that can never be.

Or tragic. A hauntingly beautiful song that slips away - the faster you try to write it down, record the two voices the quicker it dissolves away from you.

Leaving 2 lines of chorus that mean little and are nothing special, even to you.

We know where you come from;
We know why your here.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Believe me

I want you to believe me.

I want you to believe me when I tell you that here, in this bottle is miracle stuff. This stuff goes in your washing machine with a couple of clothes - say, a cloak.

You wash your cloak in water and this magic stuff. It tumbles round in the water, spins and soaks. Just like any other washing cycle.

But after all this - believe me - it will be more waterproof.

Sounds like madness, doesn't it.

Smells a little like PVA glue.

But that is where we are now. You can go down to the shops in most towns and buy a liter of stuff that sounds like witchcraft. Fifty years ago they'd laugh at you.

Three hundred years ago they'd burn you at the stake for such a claim.

That's where we are now - we can buy miracles.

Here.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

We all have weaknesses

We all have weaknesses.

Some can't resist chocolate. Others can't save themselves from the cuteness of a kitten.

No, really - imagine it, sitting there, looking up at you...

I'm laying here on the bottom bunk, travel mate (probably) asleep - quite sweet really, even if she would kill me for saying that.

There's a few options here. I have hours of audio material on this netbook. There's a pair of good books in the bag. More then one hundred hours worth of sewing that needs to be done.

Instead I'm typing away on the blog (even if this will be posted late - probably when I get to civilisation)(yes, I mean, wifi) half watching a musical.

But there's one small difference.

I happen to keep this specific musical around because it's really easy. It's short, fairly sure to make me smile and sing along.

But I watched this with a friend the other month. We were singing along quite merrily...and she commented about the lyrics.

She pointed out exactly how filthy they were.

Now, I'm not going to give you an example, because this is a family blog. Well, it's intended to be readable by family members from work, anyway.

But all I want to do is sit here and sing along, trying not to laugh at the *terrible* double and triple meanings.

Certainly not going through the motions...

Monday, January 25, 2010

The smallest library in the country

I may well be in the smallest country in the world.

I certainly have more science fiction and fantasy books. I probably have more fiction books...

I don't have more books with authors starting with "Mac". Here, they have an extra 18 inch section before "M" starts...

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Things money can't buy

There are many things money can't buy.

Hope, love, peace and time.

But in a city of more then one hundred thousand souls - so not a town, but a city - there is something else you can't buy.

For a day I searched. I looked in the small shops - the local businesses. I searched the chain stores and the national stores that bestride the place. Not a sign.

I can understand not finding an honest politician.

But are non-serrated needle nose pliers to much to ask for?

Friday, January 22, 2010

PC Free

Well, sometimes you just have to do the unpredictable.

Wear a suit to work. Do something you can't stand. Stroke a spider.

If you're the same person at the end of this year as you were at the end of last then it's a waste of a year. Well, unless you're dead. In which case you're not my target audience.

So I'm getting rid of my main PC...and not replacing it for a while.

How long, we shall see. But it'll stop me playing any computer games significantly more complicated then tetris for some time....