| Meme goodness |
[Sep. 25th, 2007|09:13 pm] |
1. Leave me a casual comment of no particular significance, like a lyric to your current favorite song, your favorite kind of sandwich, or maybe your favorite game. Any remark, meaningless or not.
2. I will respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better.
3. Update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. Include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in your own post.
5. When others respond with a desultory comment, you will ask them five questions.
( And cut ) |
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| Random thoughts of a media researcher |
[Dec. 19th, 2006|08:26 am] |
In news which takes my number of updates this year to somewhere around six, I have a new job. I've finally got into the political field, and I've finally got off nightshift - so goodbye perpetual darkness, hello near-perpetual darkness (it's in the north-east, and I start in January).
When I started out, I thought that reading the press daily would make me more tolerant of opposing political viewpoints. Wrong. I've actually become more entrenched. You can only read so much of the Mail and Express wittering on about political correctness and how everything was much better in the fifties before your political ideology begins to swing violently leftwards - luckily Polly Toynbee's writing in the Guardian swings it more or less all the way back again.
I'd like to think that when it comes to looking back on this day and age, that the great 'PC gone mad' movement will be seen as the paper tiger that it is. At present, it is the easiest possible way for lazy journalists to fill up a paper on a slow news day. Simply take an isolated example - such as the 'Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep' story, don't bother to put it in context (that they sing about 26 different coloured sheep - it's a game to increase children's vocabulary), write an editorial bemoaning it, and bingo! - you are now editor of the Daily Express.
That felt good. I should rant more often on LJ... |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 8th, 2006|10:28 pm] |
And to think that some people are of the opinion that the American election result is the most significant victory today.
Absolutely nothing like gubbing The Forces of Darkness at home to put a smile on your face, as pretty much any non-Old Firm fan will tesify... |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 6th, 2006|04:22 pm] |
Sign that you must at least look vaguely ethical #176
You go into an internet cafe, ask for a coffee, and get told that all they have is Nescafe (and therefore that you'd be better having tea).
Do they have a file on me somewhere?
More substantial update, concerning moving house, and assorted other stuff, when I'm not so pressed for time (i.e. when the internet is finally up and running in the flat). Just to confirm that I am still around... |
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| How you move me |
[Apr. 18th, 2006|05:29 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  chipper | ] |
It's been so long since I've dealt with estate agents in Edinburgh, that I totally forgot what a pain in the proverbial they are to deal with. Not being willing to put up with another winter in the flat with 'heating' that works only at a glacial pace, we've started looking for somewhere else. The problem is, living in an area with chronically high demand, the estate agents have long since perfected the art of not being really bothered about renting to you, based on the time of day, sound of your voice, phase of the moon, etc. One particular agency seems to be open from about 2-3pm, with an hour off for lunch. Anothers tenants only wanted one set of viewings a week, and only at one specific time (when normal people are working). And returning your calls, despite what they all promise, appears to be something of a lost art. It all makes me nostalgic for the days when the good monks of the Catholic Church were my landlords, and the worst thing they ever did was start Gregorian chants at 6 in the morning. Force of habit, I suppose. I would say it makes me nostalgic for the good people at St. Andrews Residential Services, but that's taking it far too far...
Incidentally, to whom it may concern - I'll be in Edinburgh between the 4th and the 7th. London isn't calling just yet. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jan. 6th, 2006|12:19 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
Ah yes. I knew I'd be useless at the whole LJ lark, and so it has proved.
Not up to much at the moment - New Year at Kjetl and Claire's was enjoyable - when we eventually got there (and why do my map-reading skills only ever work when it's not throwing it down with rain?) - and Tallisker is an excellent drink to start the year on. Incidentally, whilst walking back, we realised that this is the only time in the year that people in Edinburgh say hello to each other at all - be you person, animal, or bus shelter.
( Ooh, yes, media-related rant ) |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 30th, 2005|10:59 am] |
You are a
Social Liberal
(73% permissive)
and an...
Economic Liberal
(10% permissive)
You are best described as a:
Socialist
You exhibit a very well-developed sense of Right and Wrong and believe in economic fairness. loc: (87, -150)
modscore: (6, 44)
raw: (841)
Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 28th, 2005|11:32 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | chipper | ] |
Ah, Edinburgh in the autumn.Work is getting busier and busier - we have yet more new people being appointed in early November, who will apparently 'be trained on the job, by nightshift'. Since the main reason that they aren't normally is because we barely have time to do our own jobs, let alone anyone elses, how this is going to work out is open to debate. Two possibilities suggest themselves - numero uno that it will involve them sitting in front of the computer, with one of us standing behind them and hitting them with a rolled up copy of the Record whenever they get something wrong (even just one edition of the beloved P&J is probably enough to cause concussion), or number two, that it will be done on one of the rare occasions that the system breaks down (no more than twice a shift). Currently, the majority of the office favours the former option, if only because the other would cut into the time when we can drink tea and eat jaffa cakes.
The flat is going along nicely, and Telewest have just informed us that within the next couple of months, they'll be upgrdaing us to 2-meg broadband (from 512k). Huzzah! |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 28th, 2005|08:31 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | amused | ] |
Seen in a letter to the Telegraph yesterday 'Sulieman the Magnificent may have worn make-up. Unlike Blair, however, he was a great military leader.'
I bet he could have made the trains run on time, too, had there been any... |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 26th, 2005|10:15 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | happy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire | ] |
Well, nose back to the daily (or nightly, actually) grind. But it is made more bearable by the fact that the internet is finally here! And a real landline! I get too excited by prosaic things, I think.
Spent the last week doing little, aside from a weekend in Oban. Lessons learned - 1) when taking the tent, check for essential accessories, such as tent pegs, before, not after arriving; 2) if the hill that you're climbing doesn't have any of the features detailed on the map, open your mind to the fact that it may not be the right hill, ideally before you hit the summit.
I'm competent. Honest. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 20th, 2005|01:39 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | content | ] |
As Telewest continue to move at glacial pace at connecting to the internet in my flat (latest excuse - we don't know if the address of your flat is correct - they should know, since it's off a letter that they sent me), this update is brought to you by Cleopatras Internet Cafe. Just got back from Lake Konstanz in Germany for my cousin Katharina's wedding - a very interesting affair (if you'll pardon the term), conducted in four languages (she's German, marrying a Pole, most of her family is English, and for good measure, the church service was primarily in Latin) - a really good family occasion, which we tend to have around about every decade and a half. Sheesh, she's only a year older than I am.
(Takes some deep breaths, as realises should really grow up some time)
(Relaxes, as realises that most people have long since lost hope of that)
I digress. One of the perks of my job is that because my hours are incredibly anti-social, I work two-weeks-on, two-weeks off. Which means that these two weeks have been very leisurely, but with the added advantage of having money. Hurrah!
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 27th, 2005|12:35 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | thoughtful | ] |
Yet another sporadic update of what passes for this livejournal. The one advantage of this is that - as I'm not in Perth any more - things actually happen between updates.
First of which is that - I've moved. I'm now living in the West End of Edinburgh - Dalry to be precise - got myself a nice wee flat there, and - fingers crossed, if all goes to plan, Anne should be moving in around August / September time. Which will be good - if a bit odd to start off with, because despite the fact that we've been dating for the best part of three years, we've lived in different places. And I'm well aware that it will totally change our relationship dynamic. But it is a step that I'm happy to take.
Was in St Andrews this week, for the graduation ball
( Cut, to spare people from mawkish ramblings... ) |
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