The Boy Is One
29/12/06 11:10
Nathaniel is 1 today. Yay!
From little jaundiced scrap to very active proto-Lad in just 12 months.
Shortly after coming home a year ago.
And now.
Lots more photos of him through the year at The Nathaniel Site.
From little jaundiced scrap to very active proto-Lad in just 12 months.
Shortly after coming home a year ago.
And now.
Lots more photos of him through the year at The Nathaniel Site.
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Er...You Drive
28/12/06 21:04
I learnt to drive this year. However, I don't
seem to have got around to actually taking the
test, despite the fact that I now do most of the
driving, taking advantage of the slightly absurd
UK law that with L-Plates and a real driver next
to you, you can effectively drive as much as you
like.
So why the procrastination? Well, poets don't drive, as is well-known, but that's not it. No, it's because simply by learning how to drive, I have finally laid a particular fear to rest. It goes like this:
I have always feared that when the critical moment came (I imagine it having a poetry-related context; perhaps...er... Dr. Evil has stolen my £100 cheque for a third-placed poem in the Joint Cheshire Libraries Poetry Competition to add to his world domination fund) - as I say, when the moment came when I had to run into the city street, waving my arms then dragging some luckless driver from his seat, I really didn't want to have to slide meekly into the passenger seat whilst asking my glamorous female sidekick to follow Dr. Evil at high speed.
Yes, what I have acquired this year is the ability to commandeer someone else's car. Passing a test scarcely seems necessary.
So why the procrastination? Well, poets don't drive, as is well-known, but that's not it. No, it's because simply by learning how to drive, I have finally laid a particular fear to rest. It goes like this:
I have always feared that when the critical moment came (I imagine it having a poetry-related context; perhaps...er... Dr. Evil has stolen my £100 cheque for a third-placed poem in the Joint Cheshire Libraries Poetry Competition to add to his world domination fund) - as I say, when the moment came when I had to run into the city street, waving my arms then dragging some luckless driver from his seat, I really didn't want to have to slide meekly into the passenger seat whilst asking my glamorous female sidekick to follow Dr. Evil at high speed.
Yes, what I have acquired this year is the ability to commandeer someone else's car. Passing a test scarcely seems necessary.
Into and out of the Vortex
04/12/06 08:32
I have just emerged from the vortex of some
undergraduate essay marking (literary theory). I
suffer what I can only describe as
moral-emotional agonies before, during and after
the process - concerned to be both fair and
encouraging; worried that I am too easily swayed
by glib-but-fluent writing over stodgier but,
perhaps, more content-rich work; a simultaneous
fear that the borderline Fail I give is a) too
harsh and b) too generous to answer for in an
imagined court.
One thing which always gives me a hollow laugh, though. Feminism is largely dead for the current undergraduate age-group and - in tutorial/seminar discussion - the three most-expressed opinions from the women are that a) it might have once been 'needed', but now it isn't, b) everyone bangs on about it as if it still relevant and can we stop talking about it now, please and (most worryingly) c) it has 'spoilt' relationships between men and women, or made them more difficult. And yet how often they choose the 'representation of women / feminist critical theory' question for essays, and with what cynicism they rehearse the arguments and sound radical!
One thing which always gives me a hollow laugh, though. Feminism is largely dead for the current undergraduate age-group and - in tutorial/seminar discussion - the three most-expressed opinions from the women are that a) it might have once been 'needed', but now it isn't, b) everyone bangs on about it as if it still relevant and can we stop talking about it now, please and (most worryingly) c) it has 'spoilt' relationships between men and women, or made them more difficult. And yet how often they choose the 'representation of women / feminist critical theory' question for essays, and with what cynicism they rehearse the arguments and sound radical!
Changes to the Site
06/11/06 23:38
As you may have noticed, I have made some changes
to this site - essentially as a result of
switching from
TextPattern
to
RapidWeaver
to manage it.
This may have the result of breaking RSS Feeds (and, indeed, Google searches; it's amazing how many people come in on searches for 'Snuff' and 'Mackie Messer'). Hopefully it will settle down in time. You can pick up the new RSS Feed from the link to the right, or from the URL above.
This may have the result of breaking RSS Feeds (and, indeed, Google searches; it's amazing how many people come in on searches for 'Snuff' and 'Mackie Messer'). Hopefully it will settle down in time. You can pick up the new RSS Feed from the link to the right, or from the URL above.
ReadABettaBlog
01/11/06 22:54
Friend and Hallam colleague Tony Williams (aka Ed
Parsons) has started a
blog.
His first entries are effortlessly stylish
musings on Wim Wenders, Arabic poetry in
translation etc.. He’ll keep it up, too,
if my experience of his output is anything to
go by.
So, while I post fuzzy photographs of Places I Have Lived and get excited about pieces of geekery, he will be doing what needs to be done.
My advice? Read a better blog: aye-lass
So, while I post fuzzy photographs of Places I Have Lived and get excited about pieces of geekery, he will be doing what needs to be done.
My advice? Read a better blog: aye-lass
On Snuff (1)
02/10/06 23:22
Just to clarify: this is about nasal snuff, not
chewing tobacco or, indeed, pornodeath films
I have been an inveterate and happy smoker for over 25 years, rolling and enjoying 30 cigarettes a day, without any desire to give up.
A few months ago, I was in a pub with some people after a poetry reading in Beverley. One of the company – once a heavy smoker – was taking snuff, and seemed content with the result.
A while ago, I felt like some aromatic rolling tobacco to mix with my usual brand, and so ordered some online from UKTobacco. I thought it would be fun to order a couple of brands of snuff. I had tried it a couple of times, years ago, with the usual result of massive sneezing and puzzlement.
The snuff arrived. I took a couple of pinches of Red Bull. Pleasant sensations in the nose, nice head-clearing effects, and a rather intense nicotine dose. No sneezing. I continued taking it throughout the day, occasionally alternating with the once-ubiquitous Sharrow S.P. 1 brand (Finer ground, musty, a bit sneezier). Lovely.
My cigarette smoking immediately dropped to 2-3 a day. A week later, I was choosing to smoke a cigarette after meals, but could have dropped these last smokes from my day without any trouble. This was not my intention at all. I was on the verge of having accidentally stopped smoking.
Nasal snuff is effectively safe tobacco – and very enjoyable, too. It is a fantastic tobacco alternative, and should be recommended to smokers who enjoy their addiction and the qualities of tobacco. And it can be taken anywhere – I have particularly enjoyed taking snuff in places where smoking has long been banned. I have ordered some more varieties, in the search for a perfect blend of effect and aroma.
There is good information on the SnuffBox website.
I have been an inveterate and happy smoker for over 25 years, rolling and enjoying 30 cigarettes a day, without any desire to give up.
A few months ago, I was in a pub with some people after a poetry reading in Beverley. One of the company – once a heavy smoker – was taking snuff, and seemed content with the result.
A while ago, I felt like some aromatic rolling tobacco to mix with my usual brand, and so ordered some online from UKTobacco. I thought it would be fun to order a couple of brands of snuff. I had tried it a couple of times, years ago, with the usual result of massive sneezing and puzzlement.
The snuff arrived. I took a couple of pinches of Red Bull. Pleasant sensations in the nose, nice head-clearing effects, and a rather intense nicotine dose. No sneezing. I continued taking it throughout the day, occasionally alternating with the once-ubiquitous Sharrow S.P. 1 brand (Finer ground, musty, a bit sneezier). Lovely.
My cigarette smoking immediately dropped to 2-3 a day. A week later, I was choosing to smoke a cigarette after meals, but could have dropped these last smokes from my day without any trouble. This was not my intention at all. I was on the verge of having accidentally stopped smoking.
Nasal snuff is effectively safe tobacco – and very enjoyable, too. It is a fantastic tobacco alternative, and should be recommended to smokers who enjoy their addiction and the qualities of tobacco. And it can be taken anywhere – I have particularly enjoyed taking snuff in places where smoking has long been banned. I have ordered some more varieties, in the search for a perfect blend of effect and aroma.
There is good information on the SnuffBox website.