%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |   A tentative blog to test the temperature. |
|
Ten years ago I was writing several blogs on various subjects - F1 motor racing, Music, Classic Cars, Great Romances and, most crushingly, a personal journal that included my thoughts on America, memories of England and Africa, opinion, humour, writing and anything else that occurred. It all became too much (I was attempting to update the journal every day) and I collapsed, exhausted and thoroughly disillusioned in the end. So this blog is indeed a Toe in the Water, a place to document my thoughts in and on WdC but with a determination not to get sucked into the blog whirlpool ever again. Here's hoping.     |
| Not that it matters, but elevators don't only elevate. And escalators don't actually escalate - they tend to operate at one speed only. |
| Stories Someone said something once about there being only seven stories in the world. Or maybe it was eight or even six. No matter, the point is that I find this very hard to believe. I mean, it sounds good, but then you think of all the stories that are being written around the world today. And that’s not just those that get published. They all count, even those produced by impoverished nobodies living in garrets and hobbyists in writing clubs. That must amount to millions of stories every day. And I’m supposed to believe that, in all those myriads of new stories, there’s not one that cannot be classified under the unannounced titles proposed by whoever suggested so low a limit? Sorry, but I’m not buying it. I’m even prepared to state (not bet - I’m not a gambling man) that most of us could separate our various writings into more than seven “typical” tales. And anyway, believing that there is a limit, is just a way to become discouraged that you’ll ever produce something completely original. I have to believe otherwise. Word count: 181 |
| Parents I was thinking today about that Progressive Insurance advert on the television. You know the one (if you’re American). It’s where the psychiatrist fellow trails around a bunch of middle aged people, trying to teach them how to avoid becoming like their parents. It was a bit of a shock to realise that it’s too late for me. |
| A Joke I Won't Tell Sometimes it's frustrating to have a foot on both sides of the pond. For instance, today I came up with an amusing play on words (well, I think it is anyway). It's quite simple - I ask "What do you call an old man you can see through?" And the answer is, "Crystal Geyser." No one gets it. The Brits don't get it because they don't know that Crystal Geyser is the name of a particular spring water available over here. And the Americans don't get it because they pronounce geyser as gizer (g-eye-zer). To the Brits, that word is geezer. So a minor chuckle has to be wasted. It's sad, I know. It is, however, an excellent example of the fact that explaining a joke ruins it. Plus, I get the satisfaction of knowing you sat through all this for very little return. |
| Secrets My wife, Andrea, had a revelation of the power of the ancients this morning. No matter how feeble and decrepit we fogies, wrinklies and geezers of the modern world may be, we hold the secret knowledge that will ensure that, when we go, the world will descend into savagery and chaos. I speak, of course, of that mystery to the young, the analogue clock. Since it has been decided in the halls of ignorance and decay that it is no longer necessary to initiate the latest generations into the delights of deciphering the analogue clock, few indeed are the exceptions to the general ignorance of the young. But beyond even this, we are the last survivors who can understand that doubly mysterious and magnificent construction, the analogue clock with Roman numerals. This is beyond the comprehension of even the most talented of the young. It is true indeed, oh ancient and antiquated friends, that apres nous, le deluge! |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
I've always remembered that episode and thought that was a fun idea.