Getting older is a pain. I’ve just been in for an eye test. It’s depressing.
The only good news is that I’ve still got two.
The optician was so young I think he had to rush the test because it was time for his morning nap. I wasn’t sure he really knew what he was doing. He didn’t fill me with confidence.
He asked me if I had noticed any problems. I told him I was short-sighted.
He took me outside and pointed up – ‘What’s that?’ he asked.
‘That’s the sun,’ I replied, a little baffled.
‘How far do you want to see,’ he demanded, acting as if I was wasting his time.
Grudgingly he examined my eyes.
‘Do you have a kayak?’ he asked.
‘No,’ I told him.
‘Shame,’ he replied, ‘because you got cataracts.’
The long and short of it is that I’ve got to have new varifocals.
The opticians have a special deal – two for one. That’s good because I’d look silly with a monocle.
I nipped to the bank to arrange a mortgage before the interest rates go up.
I looked at the frames and found a brilliant pair that were bright red, yellow and green. It made me wonder what life would be like if I were single.
I’ll be going back in a week with my restraining half to be told which frames I’m allowed.
I’d be miserable and fed up with this ageing business but my eyes are still too full of humour for that. I’ve still got a lot to learn. But I’ve avid pupils. So it’s optic and jump.
I’ve had similar experience too with these optical “technicians”. After doing all the tests with their super-duper machine they gave me spex that I could only see to read if I held the book 8″ from my face. Upon return they asked what reading distance do you need! Seriously? I said it would be great if I could see at arms length then I could use my computer.
Where do they get them?
Try not to match your wardrobe with these frames as there’s a danger that you may be mistaken for Coco the clown!
That would be a great improvement!
But no fear of that. My good lady will ensure that I remain relatively sober.
On the other hand, I believe that they’re a man down on TV’s Bargain Hunt show and such attire is a prerequisite.
I’m always looking for a bargain. Rarely find one. Like old guitars they usually have strings attached.
Stick to your guns and buy the frames you want – if you don’t you will secretly regret it.
But perhaps looking like Elton John is a step too far.
Andrew don’t spoil it, let Opher have some fun – after all you are always telling me Opher we only have one life – go for it.
Enjoying the football , great game last night, hope you watched it Andrew.
I don’t think I’d ever look like Elton John.
One life is all we have – fill it to the brim.
I will. Though maybe not the green and red ones.
I saw these fabulous suits in Harlem – bright orange or lime green or sky blue. I very nearly bought one!
How tasteful!
Not tasteful – tasty!
Yes, maybe the Green and Red ones, they sound fantastic. The fact you still remember the suits you nearly purchased, means you regret not doing so. Buy the frames you want, you will have regrets if you don’t – be brave.
YeI do regret not buying one. They were ever so slightly flamboyant.
I’ll be looking at frames next week! We’ll see.
Fair enough, sometimes sound advise is bad advise and each to his own. Crikey, I should talk, what with my Man-Dress, matching Man-Bag and hair way down by back, eh? Walking about I’m so blinded with hair, my friends call me “Curtains”! I need to get spex that don’t get the nose bit all tangled up as it’s a heck of a job getting them off sometimes and this happens every single time I put them on when outside and it’s driving me nuts. Laser surgery is the answer, but I’m too scared of it!
Yes, I loved the Iceland game. Lucky me, cos I’ve got 1 of my 4 accumulator bets on that England won’t go past the next round.
The Hungry v Portugal was total football and the best game yet.
I’ve lost 2 bets out of 4 now, so that’s £50 down the drain.
Italy to win.
What the man-dress?
A dress designed for men, obviously!
See David Bowie’s album cover for “Hunky Dory”.
Sounds interesting.
I doesn’t take much to look like Elton, daft spex and a rug might just cut it.
He enjoys it.
Andrew do you really have long hair. I had a delivery chap here from Ocado last year, he had wonderful long hair tied back, I said how good it looked and he took the band off, his hair was better than any woman’s I have seen, so well kept. I asked by chance if he had a Harley Davidson, and he did, wow .
Yes, I haven’t had a hair cut for 3 1/2 years. It’s all about how you look after it that counts – no chemicals is a good start, that many women ruin theirs with. I can wet every day but never shampoo every day.
Mine used to be waist length – just shoulder length now – and thinning – but then who wants fat hair?
You are right I never use a shampoo/conditioner that has chemicals, I wet my hair every night but wash it once a week. I think some men look really good with long hair.
Andrew, never mind England not getting through, where is Scotland – at least we are still fighting. (In all ways)
Didn’t you know? We’re preparing for the Home Int’ls and World Cup.
Might need a lot of preparation.
Preparing is the right word.
We were unlucky and lost one stupid game. *
Germany 2 – Scotland 1
Scotland 1 – Georgia 0
Poland 2 – Scotland 2
Scotland 1 – Ireland 0
Scotland 6 – Gibraltar 1
Ireland 1 – Scotland 1
Georgia 1 – Scotland 0 *
Scotland 2 – Germany 3
Scotland 2 – Poland 2
Gibraltar 0 – Scotland 6
So anybody who knows anything about football would be able to look at these results and wonder what went wrong.
Neither Poland or Ireland were able to beat us and Germany hardly crushed us either.
If you look at the standard of the teams that England had in their qualifying group it’s really no wonder why they got through.
It also has been noticed that it’s not particularly helpful when a star centre forward is found lying drunk in the street covered in his take-away kebab.
Back in the day before English football imported all these foreign and African players, many of all the top teams top players were from Scotland and had been for some 30 years, hence, why Scotland was always in the World Cup all through the 1970s & 1980s and England wasn’t. Scots also managed several of the top teams and brought English football to international recognition. A fact that has been conveniently forgotten.
Andrew, I was not having a go at you, I was teasing. I like to watch football, I don’t understand all the rules, I used to watch as a child, with my Father.
Just heard David Cameron, just announced a few minutes ago he is stepping down, called for new Leader to be in place October. We are out of Europe (hopefully no arguments), been up all night watching, what a fool I am!
Perhaps they’ll be a lot fewer foreign players now and Scotland will have a better chance?
We knew he would be going if the result was this.
More importantly is who the replacement is.
Well there was that letter signed by 84 Tory MPs last night asking him to continue. Michael Grove’s name has been mentioned, and then there is the favourite Boris. Quite honestly Andrew we will pay for it some way. What do you reckon with Scotland will they get another referendum and will Scotland pay for it this time. What was the percentage that Voted to Remain in Glasgow, do you know.
Cameron’s not interested in that letter. He’s done with it and moving on.
I’ve no idea who will replace him at this very early stage. Plus they haven’t even started lining up the candidates that need to be voted in anyway. We’re many weeks away from that now.
Salmond has said they will seek another referendum – but that’s all he ever says anyway and still can’t get over his own loss 2 years ago. He’s a very bitter man.
But Scotland said it’s piece on the matter. It’s too bad for the SNP and they won’t let it go. They can push for another vote but it’s too early at this stage.
Glasgow was a 60% stay, 40% leave.
Edinburgh was an ever higher % stay but I can’t recall the figure.
I think that Cameron wanted to go, he has top positions lined up for himself Andrew, don’t they always. You are right Salmond is a bitter man, never cared for him. That was a high percentage in Glasgow to Remain. The Tory Party is arguing and Labour, well take a look at them. We have months of this. I think Farage should shut up now, we have the only UKIP MP Douglas Carswell. It will be interesting to hear what Angela Merkel says later this afternoon.
We will pay for it big-time Anna. That’s for certain.
Cameron couldn’t possibly stay.
Cameron wanted to go – but not like this. He and Osborn will have feathered their nest. We’ll see what scraggy eyrie Boris builds for himself.
Bumbling Boris? Gruesome Gove?
This is a tragic disaster of our own making. We’ll see how bad it gets as the dominoes fall. I’m not at all confident we’ll pull out of this slump. I fear it will go from bad to worse.
Anna, I’d said a few days ago that Cameron has other plans for himself.
He’ll saunter off into the realms of big money earning. Bet he can’t wait.
Andrew, I know you did I read what you put. All along we have said too that he had other irons in the fire, and could not get that door open quick enough so he could leave. They are all the same.
He’ll make multi-millions for himself.
He and Osborn always were. Politics was a step into the top league. They’ll make Blair look poor.
he did not want to go like this. he was always feathering his nest. – Osborn too.
But Osborn is very good at what he does and has proved himself.
I can’t understand your beef with that as he has done what is expected of him.
Or would you have preferred another arsehole like that Labour guy that lied, lied and lied and lost a mountain?
Stop running down the Tories and perhaps start taking your frustrations out on your own people, the Labour voters, whom were absolutely responsible for the result.
The truth hurts, eh?
Take a chill pill and stop crying.
No Osborn isn’t good at what he does. Austerity and giving to the rich isn’t my idea of stimulating the economy. But that’s by the by. He has to go because he put forward the case for staying. He tied himself to it. That’s politics. His credibility has gone. We’ll see.
Corbyn has to go because he was the silent, unseen man. I like what he said and stood for but he let the country down by not being passionate and visible. He got it badly wrong.
The Labour voters lost us the referendum through their gullibility and frustration.
What hurts is the huge difference it is going to do for the country, Europe and the world at large. It is a big move in the wrong direction – against everything I stand for.
We’ll see how the dominoes fall.
I’m not crying – I’m frightened.
The whole time this debate In/Out was on I don’t recall you saying anything bad about Corbyn. Did you see Gerry Adams doesn’t take much for him or McGuinness to start trouble. You must calm down or you will make yourself ill and what good is that going to do you, think of Liz.
Adams and McGuinness – good grief. 2 of the worst pieces of garbage to ever walk our shores. The only reason they live today proves positive that we are indeed a most compassionate nation.
Had this been USA, they’d have been lost in a ditch decades ago.
You’re asking way, way, too much there Anna. Opher absolutely worships Labour. They could de-posses him of everything he ever worked for, cut his hands and feet off, strip him naked, tie him up blindfolded, dump him in a septic tank and he’s still say “thank you”.
Andrew, behave yourself, I think you are enjoying it all!! Adams and McGuinness, garbage is a softer word than I would want to describe them by. Never trusted them, still don’t. Evil b……s. When I was so desperate to get out of this house when David died, and away from my mother/sister (oh yes we were landed with them), I even suggested to the Boys we move to NI, then I worried as to how my eldest Son would be swept up by these type of people, My eldest so proud of his Irish Heritage, and gentle and kind he is the type they would go for. My Parents were from Southern Ireland and my Father in particular hated what those two stood for. That scum still go to US to raise funds!
Ha Andrew – that’s a little rich. I don’t worship Labour. They are just better than the Tories who you push at every opportunity. They stand for equality and tolerance. The Tories stand for elitism and inequality. I have felt the effect of Tory dogma. They despise ordinary people and public service. I see the way they apply their austerity – very selective.
I’m amazed those two are alive as well. There we agree on something.
Andrew is loving it. He’s a real stirrer. You can guarantee he’ll come out with something extreme and antagonistic and sort out a lot of ‘facts’ to back it up.
I’m completely calm Anna. Just dismayed. I explain it just how I see it. That’s what I do.
You are not calm, I am on my 8th coffee not because I am not calm but because I never went to bed last night, I have gained a bad headache – the coffee or all this.
Anna I can assure I’m completely calm and rational. I don’t mind arguing and I don’t get emotional. Don’t confuse passion for emotion. I firmly believe in everything I write. I do get the occasional thing wrong but not too much. I believe this is a disaster on many fronts but we’ll see as it pans out.
Oh no Anna, no humour here! Can’t you see the serious expression?
Indeed they do and I believe that both New York and Boston fire departments and police were big givers to the cause. So much for professional solidarity, eh?
I know you are not joking about those two, I will never understand why they were never taken out. Did you ever see a programme about this Lady from the South whose Husband had been a Policeman and he had been shot dead outside a Bank, or something like that. She knew Adams had given the orders and with a film crew she went to tackle Adams in a New York I think it was, Pub. He did his best to ignore her but she persisted and all of a sudden you saw the real Adams no smiles or soft talk. He was evil, really scary, she stuck to her guns until Adams got away from her, but the evil in his face.
When I worked on Estates in the Prudential, I had a friend from Newry, every week she would ask for my donation to help children in this home, stupid me gave, until a good friend of mine Michael told me she was collecting for “the boys back home”, when I asked she never denied it.
That’s how terrorist sympathisers operate.
The US supported terrorism in Britain in a big way. Without them it wouldn’t have happened.
What wouldn’t have happened – the IRA bombings in England?
Not quite true as the US sent money to them and many weapons from were sent from Scotland.
Quite probably – The US money financed the bombing – they bought semtex from Libya and arms from all over. America gave a lot of money.
Trouble is Opher, Labour is no longer the Labour of old – the version that you bought into.
You know this already but refuse to give up the ghost.
I don’t push the Tories – I just pointed out that so far they have not left a note reading “sorry, there’s no money left”. If that’s your idea of “pushing”, I think you need to see a psychiatrist or at least O-level economics. I’ll help you as I got a Higher (A level).
Do we start with Keynes? Best not, that didn’t work either.
The financial crisis was caused by a world-wide collapse due to lack of regulation of banking. It started in the USA and caught us out because we are a huge financial centre. I only explain this because you seem to ignore it and wish to blame it all on Labour. They made the mistake of trying to borrow too much to do good things and then to bolster up the hole in the banking. They were caught out by the huge change in the financial cost of borrowing. Looking at their record over their three terms it was excellent. They were extremely good. That silly note was childish but of no real significance. What’s that Andrew- more personal abuse? Your arrogance shines again. You can teach me? I think not. You don’t seem to have grasped what really happened. You have swallowed the Tory spin.
Actually we’ve done this before.
What you have forgotten is that Labour, for reasons best known to themselves – and you can do the guess work for yourself – chose to borrow money from the most expensive source available.
It wasn’t US bank regulation at fault either. It was the real-estate mortgage funds regulations infrastructure. Too much money going out, not enough coming in.
Any more details you need clarified?
I’m not sure you’ve ever clarified much for me Andrew – lectured – ridiculed – put-down – ranted – railed – abused and arrogantly put forward your ideas as facts – but not much has made too much sense – usually far too strident and biased to make much of an impression on me.
Any “facts” that I convey here are indeed that, facts. They are all checkable and irrefutably the truth. If you don’t know of them if the first place for one reason or another, tough, that’s your ignorance at play against you.
Am I to be castigated for paying attention to the world around me?
Am I to be castigated for a collective memory attribute?
It could be said it’s “selective”, but I tend to only remember stuff that’s of interest or necessity to me.
Had I been a fish and chip server I might not perhaps have much to say other than “£5.10 please”
But it really is piss poor to get such feckin’ childish comment when it gives you something else to think about other than what’s in your underpants.
What do you want – comments on advance shoe-tying, advanced basket weaving, what?
Just as long as it agrees with you, you can swallow it etc.
I’ve got a suggestion – open up, smell the roses.
No Andrew – how about being castigating for not paying enough attention to the world around you? You really can’t see your bias can you? You really do believe that you know better than anyone else? You have an intelligence and a mind that sieves facts. Facts alone don’t make knowledge – particularly if they are all coloured with the same bias.
I have no bias. I don’t colour what I have to say with political leaned conjecture. You do, continuously.
They’re just a name and a job title to me. I personally couldn’t give 2 fucks about them. Seriously?
I know my world around me well.
I know more about some things than some other people.
I know nothing about many things and if I know nothing then I’ve nothing to say.
Facts are knowledge if that knowledge is used to convey facts in an understandable and relevant to context.
That’s all you ever get from me.
I’m sorry if you’re left feeling somewhat lacking in some areas at some times. That’s usually why I might actually make further comment with perhaps a fact thrown in for relevance to context and to beef up empty conjecture.
You are not the only one with an opinion.
Can I help it if I’m able to recall relevant stuff?
It so quite obviously pisses you off no end to such an extent that I might very well start to make stuff up as I don’t think you would know the difference!
That’s actually true isn’t it?
Why are you being such a fucking arse today?
What’s wrong with you?
I only had one fucking vote myself and you’ll never know which way it went. I might perhaps have voted against what I had guessed might well happen. I don’t care about my one vote, it matters not to me or in this huge scenario.
We all have bias Andrew – I’m quite clear on mine. I don’t even have a job. But I’m more than a name and a job to you. You get wound up by everything I write and I write loads. You must have learnt something?
Perhaps you’d get listened to more if you were less rude and abusive? I don’t mind differing opinions – far from it I respect that.
I just write what would take me a minute to say. It’s not like I even have to think about it, is it?
I’m hardly mentally challenged here. I’m hardly getting my thesaurus out desperate to find the right word to impress or magnify my point as it makes no odds to me. It’s either gotten or it’s not. Nothing makes any odds to me. I can’t force an issue. I can only offer an example of an issue that you construe to be as almost anything other than what it is.
I think it’s the reverse. I tend to have to make correction to you on many an occasion or jog your fading memory that we’ve been down this path too many times now and maybe change of subject might be appropriate.
It’s you who writes the titles or subject matter. Not anybody else.
It’s you who has not more than a handful of subjects that he is able to or confident enough to discuss or as the case may be, tell people off for having a different opinion.
It’s you who persistently goes off in a huff or writes these pain in the ass nice-to-have lists that are completely off the direct subject.
But hey-ho, some of us are indeed in fact able to put up with that and tolerate said failures all too of ten and quite well, too.
But I would doubt very much if that aspect is ever given much consideration.
Why should I bother.
I can go to a bunch of others.
I could say sfa.
I could write 2 or 3 words that some morons occasionally on here do.
Not much cop with that is there?
You’re also ever so quick to tell me that you’ve written books on a subject.
Talk about blowing your own trumpet!
Like I’d ever waste a second of my life writing a book on religion? No thanks.
Or for that matter that your book on religion would ever com close to say, the writings of Christopher Hitchens.
I would doubt that very much.
No I doubt I’ll reach the heights of Hitchins. Sorry you’re hardly challenged here – you are such a great intellect nobody could challenge you. And sorry to my other commenters that you regard them as morons. We are ants at your feet, bacteria in your toilet bowl.
But please don’t think too much about your onerous task of correcting me. I need no correction from your repertoire of arrogance. I know my own views and reasons too well. Your interpretations are hardly manna from heaven – though probably in the same league of fantasy.
I don’t think I do too much blowing my own trumpet – I leave that to you. War and Peace on every subject I recall. But little product.
I do not need to justify the wide range of topics I enjoy or know about. I suggest you read my range of posts. On my blog I select what I focus on. I’m open to suggestions. If you want to do a post I’ll put it out.
I’m reading aren’t I?
I’ve clarified etc a load of stuff for you.
I can remember your absolute naivety expressed with quite a few things to do with WW2.
You made claim that Hull was the first UK place to be bombed.
It wasn’t – that was Scapa Flow a whole year earlier.
You made claim that the bombing of Dresden was unnecessary.
It wasn’t – it had 125 ammunitions factories and more than 50,000 people making ammo.
You’d thought over 250,000 people died there.
That wasn’t true either – it was 25,000.
And the list goes on and on.
Well obviously not – if you think my range of interests is limited. If you read all of my stuff you’d find it ranged through biology, science, religion, literature, art, drama, film, Rock, Folk, Blues, Environment, photography, geography, geology, travel, humour, disease, mind, psychology, religion, spirituality, philosophy, politics, social matters, Sci-fi, poetry, Beat, Punk and love. How much more do you want?
You have hobbies, I have hobbies.
I can’t be reading blogs all the time.
The list reads impressively but I don’t recall seeing any posts for a number of subjects. But I wouldn’t be interested in religion, spirituality or poetry.
Your sci-fi isn’t nearly technical enough for me.
For science I go to various Professor’s blogs or forums featuring new published papers.
Psychology is a myriad of crap that preys on weak minds.
You blog on Humour? You must be joking.
At least you do it, it’s your buzz.
Keep going, go nutz.
Thank you Andrew – I will.
No. You remember wrong. I claimed it was the most heavily bombed and I posted the article to prove I was right and you were wrong.
The bombing of Dresden was a war-crime. It was not the major military centre that you claim. I don’t remember quoting anything about numbers killed – it was a large number of innocent civilians though. Your list goes on. I simply think you’re wrong, misinformed, or have selective and incorrect memory.
No actually, you had claimed it had been the first target.
Scapa Flow was targeted as a 2-finger salute to what we had done to their naval fleet at the end of WW1. And they did that a year before Hull ever saw a bomb.
A lot of things the Nazi’s did on certain dates or at particular venues had significant historical reference and relevance.
But you’d need to know more to realise that.
Read your own blog.
London was the most heavily bombed!
Hull came way down in the list.
I even gave you the numbers of deaths that proved that.
I even included total numbers of houses lost that proved that.
I can’t recall if I included the total numbers of raids per city as that wasn’t particularly relevant as the subject was people deaths and homes destroyed.
Dresden – are you the full shilling?
Read the German’s very own Berlin 1966 published reports that list every factory. Reports that were a concise detailed analysis of 1st generation Nazi documents.
It was a major ammunitions production centre.
The Americans had got their recky work wrong, turned out they had missed 15 more factories.
Seriously, what you know about WW2, I could write on the back of a postage stamp.
You wouldn’t believe the expanse of my knowledge of Nazi Germany. I could even give you the names of the top tier Nazi’s Jewish girlfriends. I could even tell you what happened to these girlfriends.
That’s one of my specialist subjects and I go to extreme measures to gather information and have done for 40 years.
This isn’t one of yours.
Biology wouldn’t at all be one of mine.
Here you are Andrew – we had a big commemoration in Hull recently. This was the centre-piece. As I always say – you select your facts and then try to bludgeon people with your own concoction. Everybody else is wrong. I published this on my blog. It was the official statement pout out by the City of Hull. Or was this all bullshit too?
Extract from Wikipaedia –
Hull was the most severely damaged British city or town during the Second World War, with 95 percent of houses damaged.[1] Hull had more than 1,000 hours spent under air raid alerts.[2] Hull was the target of the first daylight raid of the war and the last piloted air raid on Britain.[1]
Of a population of approximately 320,000 at the beginning of the war, approximately 152,000 were made homeless as a result of bomb destruction or damage.[3] Overall almost 1,200 people were killed and 3,000 injured by the air raids.[4]
More than 5,000 houses were destroyed and half of the city centre destroyed. The cost of bomb damage was estimated at £20 million (1952, £518,985,637 as a consumer price equivalent), with 3,000,000 square feet (280,000 m2) of factory space, several oil and flour mills, the Riverside Quay and 27 churches, 14 schools or hospitals, 42 pubs and 8 cinemas ruined; only 6,000 out of the 91,000 houses were undamaged at the end of the war.[5][6] The extent of the damage was similar to that of the Plymouth Blitz.[5]
Despite the damage the port continued to function throughout the war.
Let us hope that we’ll never have a war like that again
And just the other day you were completely wrong about the artistic thief Ginsberg.
Took you a time to get your head around that too.
Arguing away as you do like a demented fool.
Once again Andrew – the assumption you make is that you are right. It is your opinion, not fact. Not something I have noticed in all my dealings with Burroughs or Ginsberg and not something I’m particularly bothered about. If Ginsberg was inspired by Burroughs then fine. No problem. Burroughs didn’t write Howl – Ginsberg did – and it was brilliant. I don’t particularly care if he based it on Burroughs. Only you would make such a fuss about it. It didn’t take me a long time to get my head around it. It’s just not important.
I may be a demented fool but I know what I believe and what I like. I don’t get bogged down in trivia that is irrelevant or elevate it to a meaning beyond its importance.
You’re never bothered when suggestions are forwarded that indicate you may have been misled with your original assumptions. You are a slow learner from some that just might be total geeks on a subject.
I didn’t make a fuss in so much as you couldn’t, wouldn’t accept a change of detail that had so marked your young, fragile, teenage mind.
Thank goodness I managed a fundamental reappraisal of why I was influenced by certain things at a certain age.
Of course, I’m giving absolutely no consideration the fact that back then you perhaps had few possibilities of engaging in any form of research or discussion with others in order to establish such sources. You’d need to be engaging with more experienced people to glean any further knowledge.
It was a completely different era and people didn’t have many avenues open to them. Nor ready access to particular types of books for cross reference. Therefore, your belief was actually of no surprise to me.
I won a tenner bet last week in a pub from a mouth that was so sure of his knowledge that believe it or not, Lulu was the first to record the song Shout! He was not only on the wrong continent but also 5 years too late.
He couldn’t even tell me who played the guitar track on her version either.
I’m all over these losers like a blanket.
Of course I took his tenner but only due to his smug self-assuredness that irritated me. I dislike that trait in people. A lot. You’ve got in spades.
Some say “with age comes wisdom”. My arse it does.
You must have a lot of problems with mirrors then.
No – you see I’m not really bothered too much by all this analytical stuff. When I read a poem, listened to music or looked at a painting I didn’t need to go and get out a library of reference books or have learning experiences with older people to research the subject. That is so secondary as to be immaterial. It is inconsequential. What is important is only whether the poem, song or painting is something I enjoy or can relate to. It is a subjective appreciation.
Whether someone knows that Shout originated as an R&B track five years before Lulu recorded it is just geekie nonsense. Now it just so happens that I quite like that geekie stuff too. But I know that it is bullshit. I find it fascinating and did evening classes on the history of Rock. But that’s no more than interest for fellow geeks. All that is important is whether the track is good or not. The original was better and it is nice to bring some of those original versions to the fore simply because they are usually better than the covers. The rest is froth. What importance does any of that trivia really have?
If anyone is a slow learner it is you. You still think that you are an authority because you know a lot of trivia. Big deal.
So what about Scapa Flow being bombed in March 1940?
Was the report that you read written by Mr. Middle England, who didn’t know where Scapa Flow is?
You had made claim that Hull had been the very first target.
I corrected you as Hull was first bombed in 1941.
You have not re-engaged in comment towards your wrong assumption on this because again, your trousers are around your ankles.
I am never wrong with WW2 facts.
Never.
I recognise your stats on Hull for what they are.
Hull didn’t NOT suffer the worst bombing. Worst bombing is numbers killed, not damage to bricks and mortar and ludicrous to suggest otherwise.
Well you’re never wrong Andrew. Must be nice.
Occasionally I am due to memory failure.
But seldom with matters of fact, particularly WW2, which is perhaps my top subject of historical interest.
I would never dare question your Biology stuff.
I’d look a complete ejit.
Why are you so unwilling to learn from others?
What is it within you that prevents being able to take on board new information previously unknown to you?
Are you completely unable to replace poor information with improved information within your powers of perception?
How do you learn anything?
What governs your thought and decision making process?
And here you are stating that you’ve written books on Philosophy? Are you taking the complete piss?
Your writings on such could not possibly amount to any more than emergency toilet paper.
I reckon your ability to consume a plethora of philosophical concepts would be a running joke. You’d be still firmly stuck on the writings on those from the 18th century.
Opher the Philosopher. FFS, that’s like saying Joseph Goebbels the Child Minder.
I have no problem learning from people and sources that make sense and appeal to me.
Perhaps it’s your manner? It’s a bit of a turn-off when someone comes across as an arrogant geek and so full of themselves. It creates an antagonistic response – particularly when they are abusive with it.
But as you said earlier – I’ll file it under humour.
I note there is no apology for your complete misunderstanding of simple English.
A fact is a fact. Do you want it in Latin? I’ll give it a go but I’m a bit rusty and dusty there.
And I do not convey such with anything more than a written dissertation of facts pertinent to context. A statement that you yourself have written on this forum in direct relation to my input.
Yet suddenly for reasons only known to yourself, you have decided to renege on such, do a 180 and spew insulting vitriol.
What you have an acute tendency to due on matters that contain data fact – as opposed to views on current affairs etc., – is to just ignore the bits you don’t want to hear as they oppose what you had previously understood to the “facts”. Therefore, by due process that implores me to have to go into yet further detail to try and establish zero misunderstanding.
I read and write at such a speed that I have absolutely no doubt that I will misinterpret and/or misread the written words. I can hands down admit to doing so on probably far too many occasions than I perhaps would like to admit. But I can admit to such and nothing should prevent me from doing so. I am not that fucking precious!
Are you?
Were this a verbal conversation I would not perhaps be making anything like the levels of misinterpretations that occur. Perhaps it is the manner in which you can come across also.
You never ever ask questions as you go along making your points.
I very often do and you will see this for itself.
We have completely different styles in conveyance.
You write in lecture format.
I more often write in a questionable manner containing aspects for consideration.
I think you have a split personality issue that perhaps needs addressed at your soonest convenience. You must be sheer hell to live with. Your good wife has my every sympathy.
Why can’t you just chat about stuff and ease off with the fist slamming table manner?
It will never win you participatory contributions and will scare many off sooner than a blink.
That is indeed a shame as I know that you have a great deal to offer, Opher.
Raw food for thought?
Simmer and add your own seasoned reasoning as required.
I don’t know where you got this idea of my vitriol – I merely react to your abuse. Follow the sequence. You are rude and personally abusive. You misread what I said and created some abuse out of it where none was either written or intended. You still haven’t reread and realised your mistake.
I have consistently refrained from responding in kind. But I don’t respond positively to people who are abusive, unpleasant or arrogant.
I’ve never suggested you don’t know a lot. But I don’t always agree with your conclusions. Then you get on a rant about me not learning or taking things on board. I don’t take things on board that I don’t agree with or think are inconsequential; neither do I bother with minutiae.
But yes – on my blog I adopt a style. It may not elicit debate. Perhaps I could adapt it into a different format. But maybe I like having a platform for my rants, views, creativity etc and am quite content with that. When I’ve had enough I might do something else.
So one minute I’m a worthless moron so below your height that I’m off the radar – a smug middle England arsehole etc etc and now I’ve got a lot to offer? And I’m the person with schizophrenia? And you think you don’t lecture? Reread what you say. It’s usually a rant.
You see I don’t really care if the first bombs were dropped on Scapa Flow, London or Hull. Hull was bombed to bits. I don’t really care if Allen Ginsberg based his poem on something Burroughs wrote – I care if the poem is great and had an effect on me. I don’t care whether Shout was performed by the Isley Brothers (1959) or Lulu first (1965) – just whether it was good. I love 50s R&B and like both the originals and many of the covers. They were different. Not that I like Lulu. And at the end of the day it is my blog and I’ll write it how I like.
Now – I certainly did not start the vitriol. I suggest you reread my comment. It was not a racial slur. You totally misread it. Your unpleasant outburst and threats were totally unwarranted.
You accused me of hating Muslims. Read your own words and eat them.
You also accused me yesterday of other misdemeanours, contrary to you recollections today.
I can detect many facets of your character because I am able to dissect and understand your personality traits.
You can be many things, hence exactly why I said you are many things. What’s too difficult for you to understand that.
You’re looking for a needle in a haystack here.
Good luck finding it.
Fine Andrew. Hating Muslims – yes I think you said that. I detest all religions.
Reblogged this on Opher's World and commented:
A bit of silliness